Page 12 of Match My Fall
AfterIput my helmet and goggles on and then slid my hands into my gloves,Ipulled my skis from the rack and popped them on.ThenIgrabbed my poles and skied over to a chairlift, the ever-present sound of skies and snowboards carving through the surrounding snow over the backdrop ofPoison’s“EveryRoseHasitsThorn.”Icouldn’t stop thinking about what happened inside withCassandra.Myattraction to her was strange—almost overwhelming, considering we’d just met.Iblamed it on my wolf and his insistence that she was our fated mate.Iinhaled the crisp mountain air to clear my head—and his fixation.Thescent from the outdoor waffle hut with chocolate syrup drifted over, one of the popular options for a quick and tasty bite without needing to head inside to search for a table.
She’ssimply another woman visiting here for the weekend,Itold him.
No.Mate, he insisted.
You’reconfused.Maybeit’s because she’s a witch.
Thathad to be it.Somethingabout her scent or magic threw my wolf off, and he confused the attraction as something else.Orshe used some sort of enchantment that intoxicated him.Whatdid he know about mates, anyway?
Sure,Cassandrawas beautiful, andIwanted to see her again, but that was all.Shewasn’t any different from any other women who visited the mountain for a weekend of fun.
Yet, thoughts of her distracted me throughout the rest of my shift that afternoon, andIcouldn’t wait untilIsaw her again that night.Timeticked by slowly untilIfinally headed into the ski patrol hut at the end of the day.Thatwas odd;Iloved my job, and it usually rushed by quickly.Iwasn’t used to it dragging like it did today.
Thenagain,Ihad a date thatIwas looking forward to.Andmy wolf was practically chasing his tail in the excitement of seeingCassandraagain.
“Seeyou atKelly’sPub?” my packmateAldricsaid.
That’swhere many of the mountain staff ended up after we closed the lifts for the day.Ithad good food and cold beer and was a welcoming place to unwind beforeIreturned to my cabin or let my wolf run loose after dark.
“Nottonight,”Ireplied.
“Whynot?Havea hot date?” he teased.
“Exactly.”
Aldricthumped me on the back. “Ishould have known.”Hechuckled. “Whois she?Acute little ski bunny looking for some weekend action?”
Mymuscles tensed.Althoughthat might have been my first impression, especially after seeing her with the chairlift dating ribbon, hearingAldricsay it irked me.Myskin prickled.
“No.She’sa witch.”
Aldric’seyebrows lifted. “Atrue witch?LikeAurora?”
“Indeed.”
“Isshe fromSalem?”
“Yes.”Indealing with my perplexing attraction toCassandrawhile trying to get my wolf to knock off his constant interruptions, it was a wonderIcould string words into a sentence, let alone enough ask her out.Fortunately, she said yes.
“Wow, surprising.”Aldricchuckled. “Ithought you didn’t bother with basics, like names.”
Igrunted. “Iknow her name.I’mnotthatbad.”
Perhapshis assessment wasn’t totally off base.Afterall, how many names of women couldIremember over the decades?Eversince my ex had left me for her true mate and broken my heart in my early twenties,I’dshielded myself from getting too close to another woman.Andthus far, it had worked.Ihadn’t felt anything close to that overwhelming feeling of young love.Lust, sure.Butthat’s all it was.Whenthe women left the resort, it marked the end of our time together.
Therewas no reason to think it would be any different this weekend withCassandra—other than my wolf’s misguided idea about her being the one.AlthoughIwas no longer a lone wolf, likeIhad been during the period in between leaving my former pack and joining theFranconiaone,Iwas an unmated one.Andnothing my wolf urged would change that.Notonly wasIset in my ways, butI’dlearned the hard way that love could only lead to pain—devastating pain that would drive a shifter to leave his pack and live as a lone wolf in the forests.WhywouldIrisk that kind of heartache again?
Exactly—Iwouldn’t.
“Enjoyyour night,”Aldricsaid.
Ileft the hut and skied through the glades to cut over to my cabin.AfterIremoved all my gear and clothes,Iturned the water on in my shower to as hot asIcould manage.Ithelped to work out the tautness in my muscles from skiing.SinceI’dsuggested thatCassandrado the same,Ipictured her doing so.Naked.Languidlyrunning her hands over the tightness in her legs…
Icould massage them for her.Makeher feel good.Ahhell, nowIhad an erection as hard as ice packed on the mountain.
Damn, my wolf had really gotten to me today.I’dhave to keep him in check tonight, lest he lead me to act like a fool and scare her away.Becauseas much asIdidn’t want to admit it,Iwas just as excited to see her as my crazy canine.
CHAPTER4
