Page 24 of Alpha Wolf's Nanny
A splash of water hit his chest, and he looked over to see Cassie smiling at him hesitantly, her hand poised to splash him again. She looked like some sort of woodland nymph, her hairloose and tumbling around her shoulders, her freckled nose, her slight figure.
His wolf howled in desire.
“Oh no, you don’t,” he said with a savage grin, sending a huge wave towards her with a sweep of his arm. Her answering shrieks of laughter warmed his blood.
They chased each other around the pool for a while until Danny and Logan sensed the game and started piling onto him, trying to dunk him under the water. He managed to get each of them on his shoulders, roaring and bellowing like a bull, to the delight of the other children. Cassie looked at him with so much warmth, so much admiration, that he had to stop himself from sweeping her into his arms.
“Really?” Rick’s disapproving voice cut through the chaos, and Felix turned to give him a grin.
“To be honest,” Dane cut in, “it’s your fault for having a body of water in your woods. We were bound to find it.”
“You could at least have used the pool,” Rick muttered, holding out a towel for Dane as he heaved himself out of the stream. “This is just…unhygienic.”
“As unhygienic as when we’re wolves and we catch a deer and—”
“Yes, alright,” Felix glared at him, gesturing to the kids, “let’s not get into the details of hunting right now, shall we?”
Felix was next out of the water, pulling his sons out to their loud protestations. “Come on, all of you kids, out. Your parents will be wondering what all the noise is about.”
Cassie stayed in, shepherding the children towards the bank, making sure none decided to hide in the reeds. Once allthe kids were out, she waded over, panting slightly as she gave Felix a broad grin that rocked straight through him.
“Here,” he said gruffly, extending a hand to her. She glanced at it and hesitated, but only for a moment, before accepting it and letting him heave her out of the water. Snatching a towel from Rick, he wrapped her in it, his wolf compelling him to take care of her even as his brain screamed at him to put some distance between them.
“Thank you,” Cassie said, her eyes wide as she looked up at him.
He swallowed. “No worries.”
They paused for a moment, each looking deeply into the other’s face, and for one wild moment, Felix was sure he was about to close the distance between them and kiss her.
Rick cleared his throat, “Perhaps you would like to clean up before you leave, Alpha?”
Felix leapt back, releasing Cassie, raking a hand through his hair. “Yes, that would be…that would be great. Thanks.”
He looked back at her, but she was already gone, hurrying on ahead through the trees to catch up with the boys.
With a deep sigh, he followed after her.
This was going to be harder than he thought.
Chapter 9 - Cassie
It was amazing Cassie how quickly she had adjusted to life in Silvermist. To living with Felix. When she woke early on a sunny Saturday morning, it was with a grin on her face. A month, that was all it had taken. One month for her to forget what it was like living in fear.
She sprang out of bed, straightening the blankets and throwing open the curtains, stretching wide as the sunlight hit her tanned skin. For a moment, she debated going on a brief jog, but ultimately, she decided against it. It was nearly seven, which meant the boys would soon be up and clamoring for breakfast. Besides, she had to save her energy for her hike!
Since she had arrived, she’d been aching to get out into the forest with her camping gear and have a proper exploration of the surrounding area. Growing up, her parents had always taken her on camping holidays in Redwood National Forest. At the time, she thought it was the best thing in the world. Just the three of them, off on an adventure. Now, of course, she knew it was all her parents could afford, but she didn’t mind. She had loved it all the same.
With careful reverence, she picked up her mom’s old telescope. It was a small thing, battered and weathered, but it was Cassie’s most prized possession, the only thing she really had left of her mother. She’d checked the weather forecast religiously for the past few days, and by all accounts, it was going to be a clear night. Perfect for some stargazing.
For obvious reasons, she’d never been able to visit her mom’s grave back out West in California, but looking up at the stars was the next best thing. Her mom had taught her everything she knew, and when she traced the outline of theconstellations with her finger, she could almost hear her mom’s voice reciting their names.
Throwing on an old sweater, she opened her door to head down to the kitchen and nearly collided straight into Felix’s chest in the hallway.
“Oh,” she squeaked, bracing her hands against him to steady herself. His own hands had flown to her upper arms to steady her. His skin was hot, still wet from his shower, and she couldn’t stop her eyes skirting down the hard planes of his chest to the towel slung low on his hips. A rush of heat pooled low in her stomach, and her fingers flexed slightly against his muscles.
“Cassie,” his voice was thick with shock, but he didn’t remove his hands. Her eyes flew up to meet his, her breath catching in her throat.
He swallowed, his chin dipping down, his lips parting slightly. His breath, warm and minty, fanned over her face.
