A Wolf's Pride (44 page)

As they
continued walking through the trees, a faint smile crept across
Chloe’s lips and when she spoke her voice was calm, mellow, as if
the peace and quiet that surrounded them had settled directly into
her. “I didn’t expect it to be like this.”

“
Like
what?”

“
I don’t
know…tranquil, peaceful. I never thought that quiet surroundings
could be so peaceful. I’m a city girl, I’ve been surrounded by
noise all my life, I’d gotten used to it.”

“
Gotten
used to it?” he pressed. “Does that mean things
are different now?”

“
I don’t know.
Being out here and living so far away from the things I’m used to
has changed me. Don’t get me wrong, there are times when I still
long for concrete but I suppose I could get used to
this.”

Yes!!!
he mentally cheered.

“
I could get
used to this on one condition.”

His mental
celebration stopped abruptly and he waited with baited breath for
her to continue. “What’s the condition?”

“
You. You have
to stay with me. I’ve been outdoors before but I’ve never been able
to appreciate it until now, until you. If you weren’t here then
things would be different. I don’t think I’d be able to stay here
without you.”

“
Well that’s
not a problem we’re going to have to deal with. I’m staying by your
side for eternity.”

Her cheeks
flushed. She doubted she would ever get used to his declarations of
undying affection. “Are we almost there yet?”

Her attempt to
change the subject wasn’t lost on Ryan; her scent gave her away
every time, nevertheless, he allowed it. He didn’t need to make her
uncomfortable when she had made such concessions for him. Progress
was progress after all.
She’ll admit to
her feelings soon enough. I’m sure of it.
“Sort of. I need to pick up our transportation. After that we
should be there within minutes.”
If she
thought the doe was impressive then this should blow her
away.
“He should be around here somewhere.”
His head swung from side to side as though he were trying to find
something even though he knew exactly where he was going. He let
her curiosity build for a moment before pulling her through some
thick trees. Standing beside a small sapling, a pitch black horse
awaited them, saddled and ready to be ridden.

“
Ryan,” Chloe
gasped. Her hand reached out to touch the animal before she pulled
it back. “It’s safe isn’t it?”

“
Of course he
is. Shadow would never hurt you. He’s mine,” he stated, his tone
telling her that he expected those two words to explain
everything.

She smiled in
response; it was the same tone he used when he answered one of her
questions with the simple statement that she was his mate. She was
coming to understand what exactly that one word entailed and the
depths of emotion and loyalty it conjured.

The horse
snorted as her hand edged ever closer to its face but he remained
still, allowing contact. The horse flesh was warm, the short hairs
that covered its body unexpectedly soft. Running her hand up the
line of its face, Chloe’s apprehension died. Shadow turned away
from her and snorted in Ryan’s direction. He chuckled, drawing a
carrot from his pocket and feeding it to the horse. Shadow nudged
him playfully, pushing against the firm muscle of Ryan’s chest
before turning his head towards his back. The sign was
clear.

“
Come on angel,
Shadow’s been out here for a while. He’s getting antsy now.” He
moved, levering himself into the custom made saddle and holding out
a hand to Chloe. “I’ll help you up. You can sit with
me.”

“
If I didn’t
know any better,” she laughed, moving towards him and placing her
hand in his, “I’d think that this was all a ploy to get close to my
body. Oh wait, I do know better. I just can’t seem to bring myself
to care anymore,” she muttered under her breath allowing him to
pull her up in front of him.

Between Ryan’s
unnaturally warm body and the horse’s body heat, Chloe felt as
though she were in a sauna despite the chill in the air. Her body
was overheating, the warmth settling uncomfortably between her
thighs. Ryan’s arms were pressing against her breasts and as they
shifted with each step the horse took, he unknowingly rubbed
against her aching nipples. Her legs were spread wide on the horse
and as it galloped onwards her core was rubbing intimately against
it.
Did Ryan do this on purpose?
The arms around her tightened and she gasped as
she was pressed against the rampant erection pressing into the
curve of her bottom.
I guess that answers
that question then. He brought me out to this secluded spot so that
he could seduce me.
She wasn’t sure whether
to be shocked or excited by the idea and so opted for a tactical
retreat.

“
I’m surprised
that you can ride a horse,” she commented casually although her
heart was racing frantically in her chest.

A feral grin
crept across Ryan’s face at yet another not so subtle attempt to
move into neutral territory. While he might not be able to read his
mate’s mind like his cousin, her scent gave everything away. She
was aroused and her arousal inevitably sparked his own. The rich
smell was intoxicating and he sucked in a deep breath, trying to
take more into his lungs. This hadn’t been part of his plan but he
had never been one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Progress was
progress after all.

I can’t rush
this otherwise I’ll ruin it. Besides, her surprise isn’t finished
yet and I want that done before I try to claim her again.
His heart clenched as he remembered her terrified
screams the last time he had tried to claim her.
I never want to hear her scream like that again.
I’ve got to finish it first.
“Why would you
be surprised that I can ride?”

“
I thought you
said that animals could sense the predator in you. That doe ran
away from you very quickly, why isn’t the horse doing the
same?”

“
Believe it or
not, cars haven’t always been around. In the time before they were
invented you either walked or rode a horse. Nothing would give away
the fact that we weren’t quite like everyone else faster, than
every horse in our vicinity running away from us. It was impossible
to conduct business without a horse, otherwise we would have gone
without. This horse and any other that you see around here have
been specially reared from birth to go against their desire to run
from us. Shadow’s mine. I’ve had him since he was a
foal.”

“
Did you raise
him?”

“
No. Someone
else trained and raised him. I was just the one to spoil him and
make it harder to train him.”

She laughed,
the sexual tension draining from her body as she did so. “That
sounds like something you would do.”

“
You always
think the worst of me,” he scowled though his tone was amused
rather than annoyed.

“
Not always and
when I do think the worst of you it’s because you give me reason
to.” The heavy sound of water falling came to her ears and her
brows furrowed in confusion, her eyes immediately seeking the
source of the noise. As Shadow trotted onwards the sound became
louder and louder, until the source of the sound came into view.
The waterfall towered overhead, water pouring clean and clear over
the edge of a tall cliff and creating a beautiful, tranquil stream
below. Unperturbed by the noise, Shadow continued onwards, moving
upwards along a dirt path that ran parallel to the
falls.

“
It’s beautiful
isn’t it?” Ryan purred in her ear, gently kissing the side of her
neck.

Chloe had to
admit he was right. Surrounded as it was by bright green foliage,
the blue water seemed to have an even deeper colour than normal.
The sun kissed the stream, rippling along the water as it fell and
shimmering along the ripples as the wind blew. She had never seen
anything quite like it and as they moved higher up, she wondered
why Ryan had brought her here only to take away the spectacular
view. When they stopped at the top of the waterfall, the little she
could see was still beautiful, but not as breath taking as the full
view from below.

“
Ryan, what are
we doing up here?”

Dismounting,
he held out his hand to her indicating that she should follow.
Placing her hand in his, she let herself be pulled from Shadow, her
gaze instantly drawn to the edge from which the water fell. “We’re
going for a swim.”

Grinning
widely, he pulled his shirt over his head and threw in into the now
empty saddle. Chloe turned back to him wanting to tell him she
wasn’t prepared for a swim but her mouth went dry as he stripped in
front of her. His muscles flexed impressively, tightening and
contracting as he moved. She had never been so close to his exposed
body and as heat filled her, flushing her cheeks, desire besetting
her, she could have kissed him for rewarding her with such a show.
He may have had many bad ideas but this was definitely one of his
better ones. It was only as he began unbuckling his belt that the
ability to reason free from lust came back to her.

“
What are you
doing? You can’t swim naked.”

He pulled the
jeans from his body revealing a blue pair of swimming trunks.
“While I’ve been known to swim in the nude that isn’t what I was
planning on today.”
I have a plan and am
trying to stick with it even though just the idea of seeing you
dripping wet in a bikini has me wanting you even more than
usual.
“I came prepared.”

“
Well I didn’t.
I don’t have anything to swim in.”

“
I’m your mate,
I prepared for you too.” He reached into one of Shadow’s saddlebags
and pulled out a two piece bikini. His grin widened as he held it
out to her, thoughts of her wearing it and exposing vast amounts of
her beautifully delicious skin running rampant through his
mind.

“
You can’t
expect me to wear that.”

His brows
furrowed in genuine confusion. “Why not? You’ll look gorgeous. Put
it on for me and then we’ll swim.”

You have got
to be kidding me. Gorgeous? I’ll look fat.
“Ryan, I’m not wearing that and that’s the end of this
conversation.”

“
Please.”

A loud groan
slipped past her lips. “Why are you doing this Ryan?”

“
Do I need a
reason?” She shot him a look that said he clearly did. “Fine. After
all that’s happened recently I just wanted to show you that being
with me isn’t all blood, violence and people trying to kill you. I
like taking walks through the woods, I like riding Shadow and I
like swimming. Is it so wrong for me to want to share that with
you?”

Her eyes met
his and she knew instantly she had made a mistake. Whenever she
looked into his warm honey brown eyes all reason fled and she found
herself agreeing to whatever he wanted. “Fine.” She reached for the
clothes, taking them from his loose grip. “But you had better not
laugh at me or I swear I’ll put rat poison in your food or run you
over again.”

“
Why would I
laugh?” he asked perplexed.

“
Never mind,
just turn around so I can get changed.”

Smiling now
that she had agreed to his request he spun on his heel and faced
away from her. His superior hearing could easily make out the
rustle of her clothes and the soft curses that flew from her lips
as she changed. His wolf slid up beside his thoughts, eagerly
anticipating the opportunity her changing presented.

Take a peek
Ryan. Go on. Just one quick look, what could it hurt?

He debated
the question in his mind for a few seconds before desire won. He
turned slightly, a few centimetres at most, and then Chloe was in
his line of sight. Her shirt lay discarded on the ground and as she
began tying the strings of the bikini top he realised what a bad
idea it had been to listen to his wolf. The gentle curve of her
breast seemed to be pleading for his touch and her exposed nipples
begging for his mouth. He was getting harder and harder the longer
he looked at her. Swimming with an erection was never a good idea.
He turned away, his eyes facing the opposite direction resolutely
despite his wolf’s protests.

A few minutes
passed and as she sidled up beside him, Ryan realised that there
had been almost no point in looking away. She was just as
appealing, if not more so, in the bikini. The outfit revealed far
more than it concealed and the little that it was managing to hide
from his gaze he was desperate to see. He felt himself hardening
once again.

“
So what do you
think?” she asked nervously, her hands running anxiously up and
down her sides.

“
Beautiful.”

“
It’s nice to
hear that you think so but just for future reference don’t think
that I’d wear something like this in front of other people. You
seem to have rose tinted glasses when it comes to my body but
others won’t.”

“
Chloe,” he
growled.

She headed
him off quickly sensing an argument brewing. “We had better walk
down so we can get in the water. Now that I’m ready I just want to
cover myself in it.”