Page 26 of Cursed Wolf

Tryn was in the same spot when I stepped out and locked up, the bike rumbling gently under his massive thighs. Even though he was big and kind of intimidating, he seemed so steady, so calm. Like a boulder in the middle of a stream, everything just moved around him while he was still.

He unfolded his thicks arms, in no hurry when I approached, an appreciative smile forming on his lips as he gripped the handlebars. “All set?”

“Yeah.” I resumed my seat behind him. “Let’s ride.”

“That’s what I like to hear.”

We accelerated forward, picking up speed as we drove onto one of the country roads leading out of town and through the wilderness. Tryn shifted a gear or something, and the bike seemed to jump forward, the sudden momentum pulling a gasp of fright from my chest.

Tryn immediately clasped a hand over mine that rested on his waist, his fingers tangling with mine for the briefest moment. “It’s okay, I got you. We’re going to speed up, so hang on and lean with me, okay?”

“Okay!” I tightened my grip and practically glued myself to the back of him like he was my safety net. Wherever he went, I would follow. Even if that meant careening over the edge of a cliff.

Nope, don’t think about that. This is supposed to be fun.

And once I got over that initial jolt of fear, it was really, really fun.

The biggest risk I’d taken in life was going on a different educational and career path than what my parents wanted. I never took actual risks and had never been an adrenaline junkie. I’d never even gotten a speeding or parking ticket before.

I had never felt pure, physical exhilaration like this. The world passed by in a blur, wind whipping at my skin and clothes, all while I held onto a man who controlled the machine beneath us like it was an extension of his own body.

My parents would be appalled, and I reveled in knowing that.

We were maybe twenty minutes outside of town when the elevation got noticeably steep. The motorcycle growled loudly, vibrating with exertion as Tryn climbed a hill. Once we crested the peak, the bike quieted, and Tryn drove to a clearing carved out next to the road. There, he stopped and turned the motorcycle off.

“Oh, I love this lookout spot.” Beyond the guardrail was a breathtaking view of one of the many valleys, covered in dense forest and sometimes capped with snow during the colder months.

“We’re not quite there yet,” Tryn said mysteriously. He slid from the bike and offered me a hand to help me off. “My secret spot is that way, just a short walk.” He pointed to a barely marked trail I wouldn’t have seen if he hadn’t said anything.

“That’s not suspicious for a first date at all.”

Tryn looked a little sheepish as he took our food and drink from the compartments. “Go ahead and tell Joey you’re here.”

“Oh, right.” I pulled out my phone and began typing out a text. “I’m surprised you remembered that and I forgot.”

“I just want you to know that you can trust me,” he said so softly I almost didn’t hear.

I do, I wanted to say, but for some reason it felt like too much to say out loud. But I did trust Tryn, even though I barely knew him. Some men just gave women a bad gut feeling, even if they technically didn’t act creepy or suspicious.

With Tryn, my gut feeling was the exact opposite. I felt an immediate sense of safety with him. He was being considerate and cautious, almost overly so, when he didn’t need to be. I would still feel safe even if he didn’t suggest I check in with a friend while out in the woods with him. Honestly, I found his caution endearing.

But what if my gut was wrong and I was just being naive? I had never suspected Dr. Stone of being a creep.

I wasn’t exactly a virgin, but I was still woefully inexperienced with men, so there was definitely some naivety at play. Despite that, Tryn seemed to have come from a completely different world. He wanted me to feel safe, and that alone put him above all other men I’d known. Well, except Joey, who wasn’t even interested in women.

“Would you carry the blanket and cups?” Tryn nodded at the open compartment on his bike.

I looked inside and pulled out a folded picnic blanket and short stack of red Solo cups. “So you were planning this, huh?”

His smile was warm and heartfelt. “I try to always be prepared, especially when it comes to sunset picnic dates with pretty veterinarians.”

I laughed, hugging the blanket to my chest. “You go on a lot of those?”

“I’m one for one so far. Shall we?”

I followed him to the start of the trail and then into the dense wooded area. The trees were really close together here, like they grew completely wild and hadn’t been thinned out by the fire service in decades, if ever.

Tryn kept his long-legged pace slow so I never lost track of him. I squeezed the blanket as I walked, even putting my face to it and exhaling to warm my cheeks and nose. The tree cover blocked out most of the sunlight and the late afternoon air was chillier here.

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