feeling her cheeks heat. His expression reflected nothing of what he might be thinking of her close examination of him. Mostly, he looked annoyed…which annoyed her. “I run five miles every morning and I’m wearing my tennis shoes.” Thank god she’d slipped them on at the office after everyone else had left. They were far more comfortable than heels. She was also thankful she’d worn pants today and not a skirt. “So, yes, I can keep up.”
He shrugged. “Then we leave right now.” He turned and began to run toward the forest, the white wolf falling in by his side.
Normally a running naked man would look odd, maybe even funny. Lucas looked beautiful, powerful. His strides were long and certain, muscles working in concert to carry him swiftly over the ground. He ran like a gazelle…no, that wasn’t right. Gazelles were fine, thin, and delicate. He was all muscle and tightly leashed control. No, he ran like…well, like a wolf .
She hesitated a moment, then knotted her long, dark hair at her nape and took off after them. She didn’t like anything about this situation, but she had no choice but to follow. The last thing she wanted was to be left behind in this strange place with psychopathic hunters on the loose.
But, man, they were fast. She trailed far behind, leaping over fallen logs and clumps of vegetation. Part of her worried about what strange creatures might exist in this alien wood, but that reminded her that she was, in fact, in an alien wood and she stopped thinking about it. Her mind wasn’t ready to deal with that yet. Instead she ran until her heart raced, her breath sputtered out of her and her muscles burned. She knew Lucas had slowed his pace for her, trying to let her keep up.
Finally, she could run no more and sat down on a boulder to catch her breath.
A few moments later brought the vision of a huge white wolf. He padded up to her and bumped her hand with his head. Wonderingly, she rubbed his ears, like he was some kind of enormous dog. His yellow eyes bored into hers with so much soul and depth it made her want to look away. She assumed this was the pair to Lucas. This was Rafian, most likely the blond man she’d seen in her daydreams.
Rafian nudged her hand again and she understood what he wanted. Giving up, she wearily hoisted herself onto his back and nestled into his soft fur. He took off with a leap, following Lucas, and her fingers curled into his coat to hold on.
As the wolf traveled at a blurringly fast pace through the forest, Kaitlyn could not deny that this experience was one hundred percent real. Even the deepest delusion would lack the tactile quality of Rafian’s fur, the rocking of his body beneath hers, the perspiration from her run drying on her skin, and the green, verdant scent of growing things.
Her mind couldn’t deny the truth. Somehow, some way she’d been catapulted over the rainbow into a strange world in which werewolves were real.
They traveled for a long time. When twilight touched the endless forest landscape with deep grays and blues and her head dipped with fatigue, Kaitlyn was happy she’d given in and had climbed onto Rafian’s back. The rhythmic rocking and the flex and bunch of his wolf’s body as he moved lulled her into drowsiness. By the time they stopped her head lolled with tiredness, but she wouldn’t let herself fall asleep. This situation was far too unpredictable to let her guard down.
Lucas pulled her from Rafian’s back and set her on her feet. She glanced down and away. Yep, still naked. Lucas seemed not notice or care. Dirt coated him from his strenuous run. He barely seemed winded and his feet didn’t look harmed at all.
She reached up and plucked a stray leaf from his hair before she could stop herself. He grabbed her wrist fast as lightning, making her take a swift breath and go very still, her eyes wide. She thought for a moment he might kiss her again, and she wasn’t so sure she’d mind if he did.
But then Lucas
He shrugged. “Then we leave right now.” He turned and began to run toward the forest, the white wolf falling in by his side.
Normally a running naked man would look odd, maybe even funny. Lucas looked beautiful, powerful. His strides were long and certain, muscles working in concert to carry him swiftly over the ground. He ran like a gazelle…no, that wasn’t right. Gazelles were fine, thin, and delicate. He was all muscle and tightly leashed control. No, he ran like…well, like a wolf .
She hesitated a moment, then knotted her long, dark hair at her nape and took off after them. She didn’t like anything about this situation, but she had no choice but to follow. The last thing she wanted was to be left behind in this strange place with psychopathic hunters on the loose.
But, man, they were fast. She trailed far behind, leaping over fallen logs and clumps of vegetation. Part of her worried about what strange creatures might exist in this alien wood, but that reminded her that she was, in fact, in an alien wood and she stopped thinking about it. Her mind wasn’t ready to deal with that yet. Instead she ran until her heart raced, her breath sputtered out of her and her muscles burned. She knew Lucas had slowed his pace for her, trying to let her keep up.
Finally, she could run no more and sat down on a boulder to catch her breath.
A few moments later brought the vision of a huge white wolf. He padded up to her and bumped her hand with his head. Wonderingly, she rubbed his ears, like he was some kind of enormous dog. His yellow eyes bored into hers with so much soul and depth it made her want to look away. She assumed this was the pair to Lucas. This was Rafian, most likely the blond man she’d seen in her daydreams.
Rafian nudged her hand again and she understood what he wanted. Giving up, she wearily hoisted herself onto his back and nestled into his soft fur. He took off with a leap, following Lucas, and her fingers curled into his coat to hold on.
As the wolf traveled at a blurringly fast pace through the forest, Kaitlyn could not deny that this experience was one hundred percent real. Even the deepest delusion would lack the tactile quality of Rafian’s fur, the rocking of his body beneath hers, the perspiration from her run drying on her skin, and the green, verdant scent of growing things.
Her mind couldn’t deny the truth. Somehow, some way she’d been catapulted over the rainbow into a strange world in which werewolves were real.
They traveled for a long time. When twilight touched the endless forest landscape with deep grays and blues and her head dipped with fatigue, Kaitlyn was happy she’d given in and had climbed onto Rafian’s back. The rhythmic rocking and the flex and bunch of his wolf’s body as he moved lulled her into drowsiness. By the time they stopped her head lolled with tiredness, but she wouldn’t let herself fall asleep. This situation was far too unpredictable to let her guard down.
Lucas pulled her from Rafian’s back and set her on her feet. She glanced down and away. Yep, still naked. Lucas seemed not notice or care. Dirt coated him from his strenuous run. He barely seemed winded and his feet didn’t look harmed at all.
She reached up and plucked a stray leaf from his hair before she could stop herself. He grabbed her wrist fast as lightning, making her take a swift breath and go very still, her eyes wide. She thought for a moment he might kiss her again, and she wasn’t so sure she’d mind if he did.
But then Lucas
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