Page 24 of The Witch & the Tiger

He liked the color of her eyes and the way her hair framed her face. In fact, he liked everything about her.

Once lunch was over, he took Willow on a walk to one of his favorite places: a stream that curved around a bend to a huge stick-wedged dam that turned the stream into a trickle.

“Is that a beaver’s nest?”

“Yep. We have a family of beavers that live in the area. You’d be surprised how useful they are. Because of their hard work, we get flooded less, and the crops get better irrigation. Even one dam can make an enormous difference.”

She smiled but let out a squeal when one of the beavers popped out, curious. “Oh, my goodness! Look at that cute little thing!”

“They’re used to us. We feed them,” he said, taking a fishy cat treat out of his pocket for the beaver. He tossed it onto the bank, and the beaver scurried to gobble it up.

Willow’s happy, enamored expression made Martin fall for her a little more. Not completely, of course – but enough for him to want to draw her close, to hug her, to kiss her hair and feel the warmth of her skin against his. His mind wrestled for a moment, torn between doing exactly that and wanting to be polite and giving her adequate space.

She turned and gave him a quick, excited hug, much to his astonishment. He barely had any time to react before she let go. He remained frozen in place as she did a little dance on the spot.

“Can I feed the beaver, too? Can I?”

“Uh, sure,” he said and popped out another treat for her to toss. The beaver went for this one as well, and Willow cheered, making Martin grateful he’d decided to bring her there.

They walked farther up the stream, where there was another beaver dam and another beaver. They fed that one, too.

As they watched the second beaver gulp down some treats, Willow said, “I forget, sometimes, how beautiful nature can be. And it’s wonderful to see humans and creatures living happily side by side. It feels right, you know? This is how life should be. Living in peace. Maybe when I graduate, I’ll get a farm somewhere and have lots of animals or something to do with animals.”

“Maybe I can join you with the farm. It sounds like a great escape.” He smiled, and she paused, her eyes locked on his.

“I wouldn’t mind you tagging along. I’m sure you’d be a hard worker. And then there are other things, too…”

“Other things? Like what?” He smirked, wondering what was going through her mind at that moment.

She moved closer, still gazing into his eyes, and in that second, he instantly knew what she wanted, and without hesitation, he took her in his arms. They stayed away, staring, hovering on the precipice of desire before their lips crashed together.

Everything within him went crazy, electrified by the contact. He pulled her closer, his hands on her hips, their bodies pressed together. The kiss lasted longer than expected, but neither did he particularly want to break away, not after they’d finally found the courage to act.

Willow pulled away, gasping, her dark eyes wide, pupils blown in a way that made him shiver.

I did that.

“You… you’re not a bad kisser.”

Trying to play it cool, rather than admit how weak his knees felt right now, he put his hands against her shoulder blades. “You’re not too bad yourself.”

“Perhaps… we should try again? Just to be sure.”

“I’m okay with that.” He leaned down to kiss her again, closing his eyes and losing himself in the contact. It felt as if electricity sparked at every nerve ending, every part of his body that came in contact with hers; a tantalizing sensation that built up by the second, sending pleasant shivers down his neck, leaving him breathless with a warmth in his chest and limbs.

It also stirred something else, which caused her to break away with an embarrassed but pleased laugh. “Oh, you’re, uh, growing.”

“Sorry.” He didn’t feel ashamed, but he did move away to make sure she didn’t have to see. “Just give me a moment, and I’ll cool down.”

“I didn’t think I’d get that kind of reaction so fast.”

“Everything about that was very nice,” he retorted, grinning. “But I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“Are your parents home right now?” she asked, her expression suspiciously innocent.

“No, why?”

“Would it be okay for us to… go there? Unless they’re going to be back soon, of course.”

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