“Likethat.”Zoey waves at me, all of me, like my entire body is taking part in the expression she claims she wants me to stop.
Iamshirtless, so maybe she’s not wrong.
“All right.”I move my hands, bringing them up to cover my exposed nipples.“Better?”
“No!”But she’s giggling again.“You’re terrible.”
“Sorry.Do you want to punish me?”My voice goes low, a touch suggestive.
Flirting with Zoey is as easy as breathing.
“Yes,” she says.The conviction in her voice has my cock twitching, and I consider if I need to move my hands lower.“Your punishment is that you have to eat whatever I make you, even if you don’t know what it is.”She turns back to the stove, as if that’ll keep me from hearing her chuckles.
My stomach has no objections.As she preps the mystery food, I return to the fire.
After a few minutes of comfortable silence, during which delicious smells begin to waft from the kitchen, Zoey asks another question.
“How do you keep finding me in the middle of the woods?”
I pause while shifting a log on the fire, considering how best to answer.My guess, she won’t appreciate it if I say I followed her smell.Human women would rather you didn’t mention you can sniff them out.Plus, I doubt she’d believe me unless I revealed my little hairy secret.
Still, I stick as close to the truth as I can.The idea of lying to Zoey makes my gut twist uncomfortably.
“When you were camping, I recognized your truck.I was worried about you out in the woods at night.So, I followed the trail to the lake and saw your campsite.”Only the trail I followed wasn’t one humans could pick up.
When I glance over, Zoey is focused on her cooking, but she nods in acknowledgment.
“And today, I came by to say hi.To apologize for crashing your friend date.”And to discover if this attraction is mutual.My wolf has locked on to her mating scent, and I can’t seem to stop pining after her.“I saw you ducking into the woods when I was parking.Wasn’t sure where you were headed, but figured you didn’t plan to go far.”
I settled on the steps of the back porch, looking forward to surprising her.But Zoey never came back.
“When you were gone for a half hour, I worried.”More like panicked.At the first few drops of rain, I knew it wouldn’t be long before her trail was gone, and I’d have no way of finding her.“I went the direction you did, hoping I’d stumble onto you.”
By the end of my rescue mission, that was exactly how it was.Once the rain came, all traces of Zoey were washed away.I couldn’t find her.
A shadow of that panic reemerges now with the memory of her soaked through, clutching that tree as if it might somehow keep her alive.
But I’m pulled out of the fear of what could have been by the approach of her, safe and whole and carrying two plates with steaming sandwiches.
“Well, I don’t want to condone stalking.But I’m glad you showed up.Not that you’re any more equipped to fight a wolf-bear than I am.”
Little does she know.
“What if it had been a mountain lion?”I ask.
Zoey scowls, setting the plates down on the coffee table in front of the fire and pushing Bruce’s head away when he goes to sniff at them.“That is ridiculous.Seriously.It’s unacceptable.How are there that many large predators in one place?”She collapses on the couch with a disgruntled huff.“Nature should set clear boundaries.”
I chuckle, settling next to her.Close, but not touching.
“I’m sure nature will take your complaint into consideration.”The plate is warm as I rest it in my lap.
This whole situation feels practically domestic.And I crave more of it.
“Stop stalling.”Zoey pokes my shoulder, playfulness in her smirk.“Take your punishment.”
“Yes, ma’am.”Not that I need any convincing to eat the mouthwatering creation.The smell alone has my stomach demanding its fair share.
One bite, and I’m drowning in savory, melted goodness.
