Bess warily slowed at the mouth of a small cave and whined.
“It’s all right,” Atticus said from inside. “Come to me.”
She sprang past the makeshift campfire and tackled Atticus. She licked his face while he stood with his arms around her. He nuzzled into her neck, and I warmed at how much love he had for my wolf.
“You’re as beautiful as your human,” he said while stroking her back. “Are you still in there, Joy? I didn’t plan for an evening alone with your wolf.”
I forced Bess to recede and shifted. With my arms sliding around his neck, I smiled. “Is that so?”
“Has anyone ever described her to you?”
“No one was ever around since I always shifted in hotel rooms. I caught glimpses in the mirrors when one of them jumped up.”
“Bess has a stunning white-and-orange coat with a little grey mixed in. Her eyes are as blue as yours. Do wolves get grey hair with age?”
“Are you being smart with me?”
He silenced my complaint with a kiss.
I looked around at the small chamber and spotted my robe draped over a boulder and the plate of blueberries on top of it. “Where are we?”
“You haven’t fully explored your territory, have you?”
“The wolves do more exploring than we do. And you fully furnished a cave?”
He glanced down at the fur blanket that covered most of the ground. “You have your surprises and I have mine. I thought we might play a little in the heat house and then finish out here, but one thing led to another. I wanted privacy for our first night alone.”
“It’s hardly our first night alone.”
He traced my upper lip with the pad of his thumb. “It’s our first night as lovers. Everything had to be perfect. While you were inside pumping your breasts?—”
A laugh pealed out of me.
Atticus cleared his throat. “While you were…indisposed, I was setting everything up. I just now lit the fire, but I have blankets, socks, fondue?—”
“Fondue?”
“Yes, and I also brought a container of walnuts.”
I hugged his waist. “Yummy.”
“Are your feet warm?”
I glanced down. “Strangely, they are.”
“There’re heat packs under the fur.”
“If you have a hot bath somewhere in the back, I just might swoon.”
He twirled me in a circle. “If you want, I can carry you to the treetops. It’s a beautiful view.”
I stepped back and admired the room. “Maybe next summer when it’s warm. Besides, I can’t see the world at night like you can—not unless it’s through my wolf’s eyes.”
He urged me to sit with him on the blanket. The fire crackled at the entrance while the light played with the grooves and rocks surrounding us.
I rolled on top and kissed the crook of his neck. “Are we safe out here?”
Atticus lifted my chin to face him. “You will never have to fear anyone again. If the stars are your enemies, I’ll pluck each one from the sky. Now, why don’t we see if we can beat our five-minute record.”
