Page 68 of Can't Help Growling in Love
I straighten my shoulders. “I can work on Halloween. In fact, I can do Halloweenandthe full Thanksgiving weekend if you give me the next three full moons off.”
I’ll do anything to give Asher and me a chance to spend time together.
Elena’s lips twitch up in the tiniest smile. “Halloween, Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, and Boxing Day, and you’ve got yourself a deal.” She glances over her shoulder, then adds more quietly, “Also, congrats on finding your mate. That must be wonderful.”
A swish of her auburn hair, and she’s gone, leaving me staring after her.
“Well?” Tia returns minutes later, having settled her patient in her room. “How did it go?”
I grin, my hands shaking with excitement. “We made some changes to my schedule, so I can take tomorrow night off!” I high-five my friend, then add, “And I took over all the upcoming holiday shifts that don’t align with full moons. I’d rather work those so you guys can take some time off with your families.”
“You don’t want to celebrate with Asher or his family?” Tia asks, already pulling up the next patient’s file.
I think of what Asher told me about his parents and their relationship. Then I remember the last Christmas I spent with my mom and dad. We’d had an awful argument over me having to leave their drawn-out dinner with their associates early because I had to drive back to Harmony Glen to pick up a shift at the hospital.
I take the folder from Tia and shake my head. “I think we’ll find our own ways to celebrate.”
I step out of the hospital just before six, breathing in the crisp morning air. The scent of damp leaves, a whiff of antiseptic from the building behind me, and the faint muddy smell of lake water mingle together to create the perfect impression of fall.
I shimmy with excitement, then glance over my shoulder to see if anyone witnessed my victory dance. I’m off work for forty-eight hours, and I’ll get to spend most of them with Asher.
The walk to the radio station is too short for me to even get chilled, but the moment I text Asher that I’ve arrived, he pulls me through the door and wraps himself around me. His t-shirt stretches over his bulky shoulders, and his tail wags behind him, betraying his excitement.
“You’re cold.” He takes big whiffs of my scent as he buries his face in my hair. “I could have picked you up.”
I push away from him so I can look him in the eyes. “It felt nice. I like walking, and lately, I haven’t had the time. You’ll have to get used to me biking and walking places, you know.”
He crowds me against the wall, his body caging me in. “I will, I promise. But after.”
After the full moon. After we’re mated.
“Will it get easier for you?” I put my arms around his waist and stroke his back in soothing circles. “Once we’ve been together for a while?”
He runs his hands over my hips and finds the dip of my belly button with his thumb. “Maybe. I hope so. I don’t want to smother you.”
My heart twinges at this. “You’re not smothering me. I love how you take care of me, Asher. I just hate that you’re suffering when we’re apart.”
Asher kisses me. His hands tighten on my waist, and I dig my fingers into the fur on the back of his head, holding on so he’ll know how much I want him. All night, I’ve been battling memories of how we are together, and every time, I had to squash them down to remain focused and professional. Now I let everything out, I let him feel exactly how desperate I am for him so he’ll know he’s not in this alone.
His low, guttural groan does something to me. It fills the needy part of my soul and tells me he wants this. He wantsme, just as I am, human and breakable and soft, even though he’s so much bigger and stronger than me.
Finally, he ends the kiss and stares down at me, our foreheads touching. “I want to leave right now, lock you in my house, and make you scream.”
I can’t stop a giggle from escaping. “That sounds like something a serial killer would say.”
He pauses, his fingers twitching under my t-shirt. “I read something in one of those books you borrowed.” He gestures at the desk tucked in the corner of the studio, then stares down at me as if wrestling with a decision.
“Whatever it is, you can tell me.”
A muscle jumps in his jaw, then he blows out a long breath. “I might want to chase you. It says that wolves enjoy that, and some might switch up roles of hunter and prey.”
My eyes widen at the idea. “Oh. Um. But you want to be the one chasing me? Would I have to run?”
“Not if you don’t want to,” he hurries to say. “It’s just something to?—”
“I like the idea,” I blurt out. “I’m not that good at running, just so you know. That’s why I take my bike everywhere. I might not be very exciting prey.”
Asher’s eyes glint golden as he kisses me again. “You’ll be the best prey out there.”
