She studied him for a second. “Why didn’t you tell me that you’re a white wolf?”
Derek looked away, clearly embarrassed. “I know what other shifters say about white wolves. I’ve been hiding it for a long time; it just didn’t occur to me to tell you. Besides, you saw what I was like with that bear. The only time I can shift is when I know I’m totally alone, when I know I won’t hurt anyone,” he said, his voice full of anguish.
Lynette didn’t want to ask what she was about to, but she needed to know the answer. “Have you hurt someone?” she asked, her voice soft in the echoing mill.
Derek’s face filled with pain. “I don’t know. I lose huge chunks of time when I shift, can’t remember what I’ve done or where I’ve been,” he said. “It happened the night my wife died. We had a huge fight, and I left angry. The next morning when I finally stumbled home, Prudence was dead. She’d fallen and hit her head on the corner of a table, but I don’t know...things were so bad between us...I can’t be sure that I didn’t go back there that night, that I didn’t kill her.”
Chapter Eleven
***Derek***
It felt so good to finally say the words out loud, but his relief was short-lived when he realized what he’d just admitted. Lynette was studying him, her eyes searching his, and then she laughed. “Derek, I haven’t known you very long, but I can promise you that you aren’t capable of killing anyone,” she said.
He desperately wanted to believe her, but he’d spent his life believing that he was a monster. “How do you know? You saw me last night.”
“You were defending yourself. That bear nearly killed you, in case you’ve forgotten,” she said. “And maybe you don’t know this, but Serendipity is very picky about who gets into the valley; you never would have made it here if you’d killed or even hurt someone.”
He closed his eyes and let that thought rumble around in his brain. “Then why can’t I remember what I’ve done when I shift,” he asked, still resistant, still afraid to hope.
“What’s been happening to you isn’t that uncommon for shifters who hide their gifts,” she said. “You lose time because you wait so long to shift that when it happens, the animal side of your brain takes over completely. When that happens, you really are a wolf, living the life of a wolf, and thinking like a wolf; your human consciousness fades for a while, overpowered by the animal inside you.”
“It can’t be that simple,” he said, thinking about how much those lapses had bothered him. “It just can’t be.”
Lynette took his hand and squeezed it. “If you shift more often, burn off your energy, it will never happen again,” she said. “So, you can stop thinking that you’re a monster. Wolves don’t hunt humans; the worst you might have done was kill a deer or two.”
Derek was suddenly exhausted, his eyes so heavy he couldn’t keep them open. “I’m just a predator, not a monster,” he mumbled, trying to smile at Lynette.
“I think you need some more rest,” she said, smoothing the hair from his face. “I’m going to make you a little more comfortable.”
Knowing he could trust her; he closed his eyes and let out a huge sigh of relief. “Thank you, Lynette,” he said. “Just in case you didn’t know it, I think I’m falling in love with you.”
“That’s good,” she said, stroking his face with her fingers, “because I think I’m falling in love with you too.”
“It’s a bad idea,” he said, but he was smiling at her.
“I know, but I don’t think there’s anything we can do to stop it,” she said, then kissed him on the forehead and stood up.
He was just awake enough to realize it when a soft bed suddenly materialized underneath him, and a blanket covered him. But he was fast asleep only a few minutes later when Lynette finally turned and left the mill, her heart bursting with the love she’d just discovered. As he slept, his body continued to heal, like the wounds he’d carried for a lifetime began to heal, thanks to a love he’d never imagined he’d find.
The smell of something wonderful cooking woke him several hours later, but when he opened his eyes, he couldn’t figure out where he was for a second. Lynette was sitting next to his bed in a rocking chair, a book in her hands, a bright orb of light floating above her head. Behind her, a fire burned in the fireplace, a steaming pot hanging over it, releasing the wonderful smell into the air.
As his eyes focused and his brain began to awaken, he realized that they were still in the old mill, but it had been transformed. He cleared his throat, wondering if his voice would work, and Lynette looked over at him, a smile spreading across her face.
“Hi there, sleepyhead,” she said, getting up and sitting on the edge of the bed. “How are you feeling?”
Derek cleared his throat again and croaked. “Better, I think. How long have I been asleep?”
“Most of the day; the sun is just starting to go down,” Lynette said, feeling his forehead, then nodding her head. “Nice and cool; that’s good.”
He suddenly realized what she’d said, and tried to sit up in bed, but immediately fell back again. “We’re supposed to be home already,” he said.
“It’s okay. I got a message to my mother,” Lynette said. “They know we won’t be home tonight.”
“How exactly did you do that?” he asked, then looked around the room. “And all this?”
Lynette laughed. “I am a witch, you know. I can do some pretty amazing things when I need to. I just thought we should be more comfortable, that you should be more comfortable,” she said, her face turning the shade of pink he loved so much.
Derek was momentarily tongue-tied, their conversation that morning surfacing from the confusion he was still feeling. “Thank you,” he said. “It’s nice to have someone take care of me.”
Their eyes locked and the room began to fill with electricity as the passion between them sparked to life, but then Lynette got up from the bed. “Do you think you can sit up? I made some soup, and I bet you’re starving.”
His stomach began to growl loudly, and he laughed. “Do you always know what I need?” he asked, meaning it as a joke but seeing the truth in his words.
Lynette laughed. “Don’t worry, I can’t read your mind,” she said, crossing the room to the fireplace. “You haven’t eaten anything since lunch yesterday.”
He didn’t say anything, just watched as she filled a bowl with steaming soup and carefully carried it across the room. She set it down on the table next to the bed, then went back and broke the end off of a loaf of French bread and brought that along with a spoon over to him.
“Do you want some help?” she asked, watching as he pulled himself into a sitting position.
“I think I’ve got it,” he said, taking the bowl from her when she held it out to him.
Three bowls later, and most of the loaf of bread gone, he sat back against the headboard and sighed contentedly. “That was wonderful. I already feel better,” he said, gently patting his stomach, then wincing when a stab of pain reminded him that he was still healing.
***Lynette***
Lynette saw Derek wince and jumped to her feet, suddenly alarmed. “What’s wrong?” she asked, visions of all the things that could still go wrong flooding her. “Are you hot? Do you feel sweaty? Where does it hurt?
Derek had no idea how deep that wound had been, hadn’t seen the gash himself, and she was still worried that he’d get an infection. But the look of pain was already gone, and he smiled at her. “I’m just a little sore; that’s all.”
She sighed with relief. “You have to have someone check you out when we get back just in case,” she said, sitting back down.
“Stop worrying, Lynette. I feel fine, just a little tired. I’m not hot, I’m not sweaty or any of those things, so relax. You’ve done a good job of nursing me,” he said, giving her a reassuring smile. “And now you’ve stuffed me, and I’m sleepy again.”
“Good, that was my plan,” she said, making herself comfortable in the rocking chair. “A few
more hours sleep, and you should be good as new.”
“You aren’t going to sleep there, are you?” he asked, sliding himself down more comfortably in the bed. “That looks very uncomfortable, and there’s plenty of room over here.”
“I’d take you up on that offer, but I’m afraid you, Mr. Coleman, smell like a bear, among other things,” she said, wrinkling her nose.
“Then I should have a bath,” he said, sniffing the air around him and making a face.
“Sleep first, and then we’ll see about a bath,” she said, closing her eyes.
Lynette woke with a stiff neck and wondered if the smell would have been worth the comfort, but one whiff of Derek told her it wouldn’t have been. Getting up from the rocking chair, she crossed the room and stepped outside, taking a deep breath of the cool mountain air. The moon was bright, but the stars still glimmered brightly in the darkness, and she stood staring into the sky, trying to calm her thoughts.
But all she could think about was the man lying in the bed just on the other side of the door, and how close she’d come to losing him. For the first time, she understood that her life could change in an instant, that what she’d been given could be taken away before she could even learn to appreciate it. She looked once more to the stars and said a silent prayer to the universe that her heart wouldn’t end up broken to pieces, then turned and went back inside.
When she walked in, Derek was sitting up in bed. “I was just going to come looking for you,” he said.
Lynette sent him a disbelieving look. “Are you sure you’re ready for that?” she asked.
“I know I’m ready to get cleaned up, and I’m thinking the pond under the waterwheel might be the perfect place,” he said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.
She turned away when she got a glimpse of his bare leg and laughed. “You really must want a bath; it’s the middle of the night, Derek.”
“If that’s the only way I’m going to get close to you, then I’ll take it,” he said. “You can warm me up afterward.”
“I have a better idea,” she said, thinking up a spell, even though she’d already used too much magic. “Can I turn around?”
When she turned around, she wished she hadn’t: Derek was covered only by the sheet he’d wrapped around his waist, and the sight of his bare chest made her blood start pumping faster. “Umm, are you okay? You’re not going to fall, are you?” she asked, knowing that if she touched any part of his bare skin, she’d do something very embarrassing.
“I’m okay, but you look a little wobbly,” he said, grinning at her and taking a few steps toward her.
Holding her hand up in the air, she said, “You need a bath, so don’t come one step closer.”
She closed her eyes and recited the spell, then with a whoosh, a huge bathtub full of steaming water appeared in the corner of the room. Next to it on a table was a selection of toiletries and a stack of big fluffy towels, and she couldn’t help the pleased smile that broke out on her face.
Derek whistled. “That was very impressive,” he said, then headed for the tub. “And much better than a dip in that freezing pond.”
Lynette watched him, her heart pounding in her chest, her body tingling. But when he dropped the sheet, exposing his taut buttocks to her, she gasped and turned away. She could hear him chuckling, then the sound of splashing water, and her mind filled with images of him in the glistening water, completely naked.
A knot of desire formed deep inside her, throbbing to life with a delicious thrill as she pictured him naked in the water. When he sighed loudly and declared, “This is fantastic, just what I needed,” she nearly lost it. But then he said, “But it looks like I forgot to grab the soap; could you hand it to me?”
Lynette could hear the laughter in his voice and knew that he was teasing her, so she turned, planning to grab the soap and then get as far away as she could. But then she saw him sitting in the tub, his chest covered with water droplets glistening in the firelight, and for a second, she couldn’t move.
He chuckled again but didn’t say anything as she crossed the room, keeping her eyes on the floor. She grabbed the soap and started backing toward him. “Are you planning to keep your back to me the entire time I’m in the tub?” he asked, a grin on his face.
“You are clearly enjoying this way too much,” she said, still backing toward him.
“Maybe you should join me; it would be even more fun then,” he said. “Besides, you could use a bath yourself.”
Chapter Twelve
***Derek***
Lynette turned to face him; her face red. “Are you saying I stink?” she asked, suddenly no longer shy.
“Hmm, I wouldn’t exactly say that,” he kept teasing.
She studied him for a minute, then seemed to come to some kind of a decision. “Well, then I guess I’d better join you,” she said, reaching for the first button on her shirt.
It took a second to realize what she was doing, and by the time he could make his mouth work, she’d already undone three buttons. Her lacy bra was peeking out of her shirt, and he knew that only one more button would reveal the entire thing, and that he might not be able to stop her.
“Wait, Lynette. I was just kidding,” he said, starting to get out of the tub, but suddenly very aware that he was naked.
“It seems like a good idea to me. You can wash my back, and I’ll wash yours,” she said, slipping the last button free and shrugging out of her shirt.
Derek searched for the right words. “We can’t...I know what I said last night...but this isn’t...” he gave up trying to make complete sentences when she stripped her jeans down her legs and stepped out of them.
He let his eyes roam over her body, her bra and panties were all that stood in the way of him drinking in all of her lovely curves and valleys. Her nipples were hard, and through the thin fabric of the white bra, he could just make out the dark circle of her areola. His mouth began to water when he thought of sucking them into his mouth, and beneath the water, he began to stiffen.
She took a tentative step toward him, then reached behind her to unclasp her bra, and he knew it was his last chance to stop her. “Lynette, this isn’t a good idea,” he began, but the sight of her bare breasts cut off his words, a sigh escaping in their place.
“I learned something over the last few days: life is unpredictable, it gives, and it takes, sometimes in an instant,” she said, sliding her panties off and stepping closer to the tub. “We can’t predict what will happen tomorrow or the next day; all we can do is live each day to its fullest. I want you, Derek,” she said, her face flaming again. “I’ve never wanted another man in my life, but I want you, and I’m not going to ignore that any longer.”
He knew that he was broken then. “I want you too, Lynette,” he said, getting to his feet and holding out his hand for her.
Her eyes got big when she saw his erection, but she took a deep breath and reached for his hand, letting him help her into the tub. When they sank down into the hot water together, he gathered her into his lap, relishing the feel of her naked skin against his. She wrapped her arms around his neck, making her taut nipples brush against his chest, and a moan escaped his lips as a wave of pleasure washed over him.
“You feel incredible in my arms,” he whispered into her ear, and he felt her shiver.
“Derek,” she pushed against him, suddenly stiff in his arms.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, looking into her eyes and seeing fear in them. “Are you scared?”
She looked down. “I’ve never, I mean...” she trailed off, all her bravado gone.
He tipped her head up. “We don’t have to if you’ve changed your mind,” he said, knowing that it would kill him if she had.
“It’s not that. I just don’t want to disappoint you,” she said in a rush, still not meeting his eyes.
“Lynette, look at me,” he said, waiting until her eyes finally locked on his. “There is no way you are going to disappoint me; just looking
at you drives me crazy. I wanted to kiss you the first time I met you, wanted to pull you into my arms and drive you as crazy as you made me.”
She reached up and wrapped her arms around him again. “You do drive me crazy, Derek, and you make me feel things I’ve never felt before, and sometimes it scares me. But I want you to make love to me right now,” she said, her body beginning to tremble.
He slid her off his lap and turned her around in the tub, then began to massage her shoulders. “There’s no hurry,” he said. “Let me wash your hair.”
Gently tipping her back, supporting her neck with one hand, he wet her hair, then sat her back up. As he lathered her hair and massaged her scalp, he felt her begin to relax, and soon she was soft and pliant in his arms, almost floating in the huge tub. Her breasts bobbed in the soapy water, hard nipples teasing him and making the throbbing in his loins more intense.
The dark patch of hair between her legs beckoned to him, a treasure he was about to discover, and anticipation made it hard to breathe. But he knew that he’d have to take it slowly to bring Lynette to the heights of pleasure, and that’s where he wanted her: thrashing in his arms as he drove her over the edge again and again.
He gently sat her up in the water again, noticing that her chest was rising and falling, the little vein in her neck pounding away. Taking the soap, he worked it between his hands, then set it on the side of the tub, and began to rub his slippery hands up her arms, and then down her chest. When his palms slid across her tender nipples, she gasped and closed her eyes as he made little circles, then slowly cupped them with his hands.
***Lynette***
When Derek’s hands closed around her breasts, her body clenched deep inside as a wave of pleasure took her breath and left her desperate for more. She had no idea what to do, how to tell him that deep inside, she felt a burning need, a desire so intense that it almost hurt. But then his hands slipped under the water, and she was suddenly lifted out of the tub, the cold air caressing her heated skin and making her gasp.
Daddy Wolves of the Wild Prequel Page 7