“I think you said something similar to me last night,” Nate said with a chuckle. “Maybethat’sreally why you’re tired.”
“Uh-huh,” I murmured, unable to find a snappy comeback as he dug his thumbs into the knots in my shoulders.
His hands worked down my back, then up my neck into my scalp. I moaned as he massaged my head. Part of me wanted him to slide those fingers down to other,betterplaces, but another more insistent part begged for sleep.
“Lie down,” Nate said, sensing my exhaustion.
I lay back, and Nate pulled me to him as he settled beside me, letting my head rest on his chest. He pulled the covers upto my chin. The last thing I remembered was his fingers running through my hair and feeling safer than I’d ever felt in my life.
26
Nate
Had I ever had a day this good? In my entire life, had anything ever, even for a second, been this amazing? I doubted it. If I died and went to heaven, this was the day I would relive over and over for eternity. If that was the afterlife, then I welcomed it.
When we woke up, Cameron and I made love again, this time slow and intense and so sweet. I could never get enough of her lips on mine, her slick heat clenching around me as she came. We collapsed together in a tangle of sweaty limbs, fully spent for the second time in twelve hours. Cameron went back to sleep while I headed out to the breakfast buffet. I made us both a plate and grabbed a couple small bottles of orange juice.
The smell of food woke Cameron. She devoured everything on her plate and most of mine as well.
“I’m still hungry,” she said in disbelief.
I chuckled. “Like I said, until you get used to it, shifting takes a lot out of you.”
After she got dressed, we went back to the buffet. She ate her fill while I fueled myself. As I watched her eat, I wondered what it would be like to stay in one place. Maybe a spot in the country sort of like this? The city did have its appeal—anonymity being the most attractive—but the woods, creeks, and glades of the wilderness? It called to the deeper part of me, and I wasn’t sure it was only the wolf. A strange thought to have, as I’d never wanted to settle anywhere before.
After breakfast, my own desire for nature grew. Cameron and I took a walk through one of the nature trails attached to the campground, heading deep into the woods, then going off the path as far away from prying eyes as possible.
“Do you want to shift again?” I asked after we’d gone a good distance.
Cameron’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Yeah!” She nodded so vigorously, I thought her head might snap off her neck.
I helped her navigate the process again. This time, it was quicker and much less painful. Once I shifted, we took off into the surrounding forest. Our paws glided over fallen trees, through brambles, and around rocky outcroppings. We played in a small creek until we were soaked, then raced to the top of a small mountain that overlooked the campground.
At the top, we shifted back and lunged at each other. Our mouths came together feverishly before I bent her over and took her again. Thrusting into her while we gazed down at the valley might have been the most romantic moment of my life. Though, Cameron’s cries and shouts of pleasure were more beautiful than any scenery could ever be.
When we were both sated, we shifted back and curled up together in our wolf forms on a thick blanket of moss. The warm summer breeze lulled us to sleep in seconds. Later, I taught her how to hunt. We stalked and chased a deer and a coupleof rabbits. I was having more fun with her than I’d ever had with anyone. The exhilaration and happiness gave the day a dreamlike quality, and I didn’t want to wake up.
When we returned to the campsite, we had lunch at the small restaurant near the reception building, then went back to the cabin to nap again. Laying there, with Cameron asleep on my chest, I replayed every moment since we got here, a goofy smile on my lips. It was by far the happiest day of my entire life.
Cameron stirred at my side, stretching and yawning. “How long was I asleep?”
“About two hours,” I said.
“Good lord. I don’t think I’ve ever slept so much in one day.”
“You need it,” I said. “I’ve worn you out.” I ran a finger down her side and around the outside curve of her breast. “In more ways than one.”
She giggled. “True. What time is it?”
“Four in the afternoon.”
“Wow.” Cameron smiled in surprise. “It feels like this day has gone on forever.”
“Is that a bad thing?” I asked, hoping it wasn’t.
“No, not bad. It’s just sort of dreamlike.”
That was exactly how I’d described it to myself. Hearing it come from her made my heart swell, and I leaned down, breathing in the sweet and powerful smell of her new shifter scent.
