Falling for an Alpha (7 page)

Gabriel
just realized how amusing that thought was. Did wolves jerk-off? He smiled to
himself, and Amber chose that moment to turn around and look at him. Her cheeks
were now red from the sun. Shit, she was beautiful. His cock twitched again,
and by the feel of things, his erection was plain to see, even in the baggy
shorts. Maybe she hadn’t noticed.
Yeah,
right.

“This
is so much fun, thanks for suggesting this,” she said.

“Feels
good, doesn’t it?”

She
nodded and continued walking. Yeah, it felt pretty damn good, cool water
swishing around your ankles, pebbles beneath your toes. He guessed it was
nothing compared to what it would feel like if and when he made love to
Amber.
 

Gabriel
hadn’t been paying attention when Amber slipped on a rock. He rushed to her.

“You
okay?” he asked, putting both his hands under her armpits to help her up.

“I’m
fine. One of the rocks was a little slick.”

Her
shorts and some of her T-shirt were now drenched, making them transparent. He
caught a glimpse of the outline of her panties and her cute butt. As she turned
slightly, some of the water had splashed up on the front of her T-shirt, giving
it a see-through effect. Not only did he see the outline of her bra but her
nipples stood to attention, making him almost howl like the wolf that now
resided within him.

“Maybe
we should head back to the car and be on our way so we can get settled into the
campsite,” he said.

Gabriel
noticed her hobbling a little.

“You
sure you’re okay?” he asked.

“Yeah,
just cautious now, that’s all.”

“How
about I give you a piggyback ride back to the truck?”

He
didn’t give her a chance to respond. He simply turned around and pushed himself
back toward her body until she had no other choice but to wrap her arms and
legs around him.

“You
sure I’m not breaking your back? I know I’m not a ‘Skinny Minnie’.”

He
was glad she wasn’t because he loved a woman with some flesh on her bones.
A real woman like his mom.

“You’re
as light as a feather.”

“You’re
saying that to be nice.”

As
he made his way over the rocks, he glanced at the pretty pink polish adorning
her toes and the way she swung her feet back and forth. He imagined kissing
each one of them before he worked his way up her calves. He almost howled
again.

“I
can assure you I’m not. When I was in the Marines, I carried guys that felt
like they weighed a ton. Amber, I promise I’m not going to put my back out.”

She
pushed her legs in tighter to his body as he maneuvered himself over some tall
rocks, and before he knew it they were back at the truck. He set her down
gently.

Her
T-shirt had dried a little but her nipples still poked through its flimsy
material.

“Okay,
let’s head to our campsite,” he said.

****

Amber
watched in admiration as Gabriel pitched both tents as
if
 
he
did it on a daily basis. Sure, tent
assembling was a lot easier than it used to be, but still he did it with
finesse.

She
flipped the burgers on the grill over the fire that Gabriel had started before
he’d turned his attention to the tents. She smiled, recalling how he carried
her through the stream. That was one, hunky, sexy body he possessed. Good thing
her shorts had been wet from the spill she’d taken because it had hidden the telltale
evidence of her excitement with having her legs wrapped around him. The added plus
was he was such a sweet guy, as well as handsome. Things were looking better.

“How
are the burgers?” he called over to her.

His
question jarred her out of her train of thought. If he hadn’t spoken up the
hamburgers could have ended up completely ruined.

She
flipped them just before they blackened. “I think they’re just about ready.”

“Give
me five and I’ll be right with you.”

Amber
pulled out two plates and put a bun on one for Gabriel, plus some potato chips.
She put some of the cut veggies she’d prepared for herself on hers, and then
placed a burger on each plate.

Gabriel
walked across to her and clapped his hands. “Our sleeping accommodations are up
and ready.” He sat down beside her and she handed him his plate. “Oh boy, this
looks great. I’m pretty sure my mouth’s watering.”

“There
are containers of mustard and ketchup in that bag over there if you want some.”

“I
sure do.”

He
reached over, opened both bottles, and squeezed out a generous amount of each
on top of the burger. Seconds later he bit into it and put his thumb up. “Best
burger I’ve ever had, and no, I’m not just saying it.”

Amber
had to admit they were pretty good, despite being slightly overcooked.

“Nothing
like eating burgers cooked on the grill at a campsite,” he said.

“Do
you think there are any wild animals around here?” She raised her hand up.
“Okay, that’s a dumb question.”

“Just
make sure you put everything in those containers like I showed you and I’ll
lock all the food up in the truck for the night.
Just in case
a bear or two stop by to say hello.”

“How about wolves?”

“What
about them?”

“Do
they
come
calling for food, too?”

“They’d
have to be really, really hungry. Or know what a great cook you are.”

He
winked at her and she reached over and squeezed his knee.

The
sun was starting to slowly go down behind one of the mountain ranges to the
west.

“You
know what I’m looking forward to tonight?” she asked.

“Sleeping
in a tent for the first time?”

“
That,
and seeing stars.”

“Oh,
you’ll see them all right. When I was in Iraq, I used to look up and see all of
them twinkling and not feel so homesick, knowing my mom would see the same ones
later that night.”

“You
know all the constellations?”

He
shook his head. “Almost, and I’m not going to make a joke about seeing Uranus.”

Amber
laughed so hard a piece of carrot she’d been chewing shot out of her mouth and
hit Gabriel’s knee.

“Sorry
about that,” she said picking it up.

“Just
glad I could make you laugh so hard that you spat your food at me.”

“Do
you think that water will be too cold to swim in tomorrow? I mean early
morning?”

“
You going
skinny-dipping?”

“I
might, but I’m guessing I’d need to be brave.”

“Nothing
like a little cold water to wake you up first thing in the morning,” said
Gabriel.

“You
want to join me…I mean for a swim, not skinny-dipping,” she added, not wanting
him to think her mind was only on one thing.

“If
I wake up early enough, I’ll definitely be joining you.”

****

The
stars were out in force and they were putting on one hell of a show for Amber.

He
hoped she didn’t mind him putting his arm around her so he could direct her to
look at certain spots in the sky. Was she enjoying it rather than feeling sad
that one day she’d never see such beauty again?

“We
should have brought along a telescope,” he whispered in her ear.

“It’s
so beautiful. I could stand and look at it all night.”

“You
could always bring your sleeping bag out here, but I’m guessing the mosquitoes
would eat you alive.”

“Yeah,
I think they’ve already made a meal of me.”

They’d
come out in force as soon as the sun had set. That was the only thing he hated
about camping.

“You
feel like going for a hike tomorrow? I think there’s a clearing over that hill
and a good walking path that takes just an hour to tackle.”

“Says
the ex-Marine…sure, I’ll give it a try.”

“I’ll
always carry you back to camp if you get tired.”

“For
an hour?” asked Amber.

He
flexed one of his biceps and she playfully squeezed it.

“I
suppose if I’m going swimming and hiking I should get a good night’s sleep,”
said Amber.

“Yeah,
I guess I should, too. I’ve already put a sleeping bag in the tent for you. It
should keep you warm, but let me know if you get too cold because I have some
extra blankets in the truck.”

“Okay,
here goes my first night sleeping rough.”

“Sweet
dreams, and if you need anything I’m right next door.”

He
watched her head for the tent, unzip it, and then walk inside and secure it. Gabriel
walked over to the fire they’d lit and made sure it was out before heading to
his own tent. Knowing she was so close and sleeping just yards away from him
did little to quell his libido. He continually wanted to hold and touch her.
He’d never quite felt like this in the early stages of a relationship before.

Gabriel
unzipped his sleeping bag and took off his shorts and T-shirt. He’d sleep in
his boxers and if it got too cold, he’d put them back on. He took one last
glance outside the tent to make sure everything was okay. Amber’s tent was
backlit by the moon and he could see her standing up, undressing. He tried to
look away but he couldn’t. The silhouette of her breasts made him hard again.
He swallowed, thinking he should get to sleep before he needed to jerk-off.

Snuggling
down in the sleeping bag, he felt that sort of woozy feeling coming over him.

Shit,
he was going to shift. Maybe it’s because he was sexually aroused. He willed
himself to stop but he hadn’t quite got the hang of it yet. The tent spun. He
couldn’t shift here just in case Amber saw him or needed him. He hurried out of
the sleeping bag, unzipped the tent, re-zipped it to keep the bugs out, and
then headed over the rocks and out of sight as the wolf inside him sprung
forth.

****

Amber
peeked
her head out from the top of the sleeping bag.
Someone or something was moving about outside her tent. She’d first detected it
about an hour ago.

Her
heart beat faster. Would Gabriel hear her if she called to him? But what if
whatever was lurking heard her too and ripped its claws through the tent? What
if Gabriel came running and the beast attacked him?

Suddenly
feeling hot and panicked, she took another peek, this time hearing heavy
breathing outside the door of the tent. She felt like she had when she was six
and frightened of anything that went bump in the night, too scared to even get
out of bed and run into her parent’s room for safe cover.

More
noises, more heavy breathing.

Bear,
it had to be a bear. They’d locked up the food after placing it in critter-proof
containers. Gabriel was adamant about doing it.

She
bit the top of the sleeping bag. She’d done that as a child. Maybe once the
bear found they had nothing to offer in the way of a midnight snack, he’d look
elsewhere. Why had she assumed it was a male bear?

Amber
peeked out again.

Holy shit.
The outline of
the beast was now clearly visible through the backlit wall of the tent.

She’d
been wrong. It wasn’t a bear. It was a wolf. She could see its tail and the distinct
jawline that said lupus. Little Red Riding Hood had been the scariest of all
the fairy tales.

It
howled. She covered her ears. Maybe it was calling for its buddies. Maybe
they’d
come
calling and eat both her and Gabriel. No,
that was a myth. Wolves were one of the least aggressive predators toward
humans. Well, that’s what she’d read.

“
Teacher and ex-Marine savaged by wolves
while they slept.”

 
She could see the headline in her mind’s eye.
Trouble was
,
she wasn’t sleeping. She was wide awake
and experiencing the whole nightmare firsthand.

The
wolf howled again. Gabriel surely would have heard it. Had he brought a gun
with him? Not that she wanted to see the poor thing shot for no good reason.

“Gabriel,”
she called, deciding to take her chances that the wolf knew she was inside.
Of course he knows, you idiot.
He can smell you.

More
heavy
breathing,
and Gabriel hadn’t come to her
rescue.

“Gabriel,
there’s a wolf outside my tent. What should I do?”

No
response, but another howl, this one louder and longer than the last one.

Shit,
the thing was pawing at the door on her tent.

“Gabriel,
it’s about to attack me!” Maybe it wasn’t but she was desperate.

Still no response.
Still no Gabriel.