I jumped when our boat hit the bank of a small clearing. The heat from Felix’s gaze left me a little breathless. “Oh look, these wildflowers are still in full bloom. Maybe we should finish our lunch here.” Without waiting for an answer, I stood and gathered up the remaining foods back into the basket.
He turned toward the clearing and gave a half smile. “Wildflowers, eh? The gods must be smiling on us.” Felix hopped off the boat and held his hand out to me. My stomach fluttered when I took it. He paused to fish out a blanket from beneath his seat and tossed it over his shoulder. We made our way further into the meadow as I tried to stamp down my nervousness. You’d think at twenty-six a woman would learn how to not act like a love struck teen. Yet the longer he held my hand, the more dangerous the threat of sweaty palms became.
Finally, he released my hand and spread the blanket out for us. I let out a breath of relief and set the basket down. Before I could turn to sit, Felix grabbed my wrist and pulled me down on top of him. My long skirt hitched up around my thighs and I yelped as he settled me on his lap. The scent of sandalwood and man put me in a choke hold. “Are you going to answer my question?” He asked, moving a hand to grab the back of my neck.
This close, I could see the tiniest splash of green just below his pupils. A dark ring of sapphire encased the icy blue that made up the rest of his iris. The barest hint of freckles sprinkled along his cheeks. So faint I’d never noticed it before. Felix was stunning, and it only made the nervous fireflies in my gut flutter faster. “It doesn’t count as falling if you pull me into your arms.”
Felix grinned, the small dimple on his left cheek making its grand appearance. “No, I suppose it doesn’t. Forgive me, Lamb. Every day, it’s more difficult to keep my hands off you.” His free hand rested on my hip. I shuddered as I felt his fingers dip just below my blouse to run along the exposed skin. “It’d be nice to be able to take things slow and do normal couple things. Visit your house on a rainy day and forget some trinket, so I have an excuse to come back for it. Make the most out of the little times we spend together.”
My eyes fluttered closed as he ran his lips along my throat. I swallowed and clenched at his shirt, my fingers digging into the soft fabric.
The heat of his breath against my neck felt more potent than any aphrodisiac.
“Yet, in the same breath, I resent any interference that takes me away from you. Even for a brief moment.” His wandering lips grew bolder and traced along my collarbone before he slipped my blouse down off my shoulders. My breath came out in ragged pants when his other hand slipped completely under my shirt to trace along my back.
“I want to hang my coat next to your door and place my boots at your entryway, so anyone who comes to see you know there’s a man in your life. I want to place my clothes in your dresser so our scents mix together.” His voice lowered to a hungry growl against my breast. “I want a great many things and I honestly just don’t know how to be patient about it.”
This man could picture a life with me so clearly, and I could barely make up my mind about breakfast. Whether I wanted him back wasn’t a question anymore. I did. I really did. Yet my relationships had never gone past casual dating before and I didn’t even know what love was supposed to feel like. Being near him felt right. Maybe that was it.
Before I could withdraw into my sea of self doubt, I took his face in my hand and kissed him. All at once, a bright spark lit up in my body, releasing something akin to fire in my blood. Hungry and all-consuming. I pulled away, a little disoriented from the intensity of the feeling.
His eyes looked hazy and unfocused. “Brie?”
All I could focus on was his nearness. My heart beat against my rib cage as if it were the one suffering the effects of the potion. “I think I might love you.” I whispered.
His cheeks flushed, his eyes widened and suddenly I was in the air. The sound of ripping fabric and my yelp filled the meadow. I landed with a hard thud against a fur covered chest, my skirt nearly flipping over my head. I battled the fabric back down to decency, then paused when realization donned. Felix transformed. Cold fear crept down my spine as I took in the werewolf that was sprawled on his back underneath me.
Quickly, he sat upright, knocking me back on my bum. Clawed hands reached out to grab me, but he shrunk back when I flinched. “I’m sorry-” Felix cut himself off as his hands fidgeted, his long tail beating the surrounding flowers into an early grave. “I mean, I didn’t mean to change.”
I sat upright and rubbed at my lower back.That’s gonna sting in the morning.
Still a fidgeting mess, Felix gathered up his tattered clothes, shoved them in front of his crotch, and turned away from me. Then slammed a hand down on his overzealous tail. “Just give me a minute.” He called back.
Well, that might just be the cutest thing I’d ever seen.The massive werewolf form still set me on edge. But it was hard to be terrified of him when he was so beside himself.
Felix glanced back at me before snapping his head forward. His ears fell flat on his head. “This is so embarrassing.” he muttered to himself.
I laughed and came to sit beside him. “This isn’t going to happen during sex, right? I’m open to a lot of things, but this feels like a hard limit.”
He buried his face in his hands. “It never has before.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
He kept his eyes closed and slowed his breathing. Soon, the hackles on the back of his neck lowered. After a few more breaths, I was once again looking at the much less hairy version of Felix. He inspected his hands, then nodded when their lack of claws was confirmed.
A pink flush remained firm across his face. “Is there…anyway we could try that again?” He asked.
I cocked my head. “Did you want me to tell you I love you again or were you just aiming to throw me in the river?” I put a fist to my chin and hummed. “I didn’t peg you for the vengeful type, but I supposed I’ve thrown quite a few things at you already.”
A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Keep up the attitude and I just might.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
Felix’s eyes took on a predatory glint, and I leapt up to race away from him. Cursing my choice in attire, I hiked up my long skirt until the purple fabric smacked again over the tops of snapdragons. Behind me, the werewolf lunged forward, and I shrieked, barely dodging his attempt.
My stubby legs put forth a good fight, but they were no match in the end. Strong arms enclosed around my waist, and Felix hoisted me up over his shoulder. Wild giggles bubbled out of my throat as I steadied my hands on his back. However, my laughter was cut short when I noticed Felix was actually carrying me towards the river. “Wait, no!”
He slapped my ass and kept going. “It’s too late for pleading, Darling. Vengeance is mine.”
