Fierce (Wolf Ranch 5)

I’d been itching to take her here ever since I heard she went horseback riding with Clint and Johnny, and I nearly punched all their teeth out. I was the one who was to show her around, not them.

“Is this part of Rob’s ranch?”

“No, but we have permission to use it. The owner’s out of state right now, and we look after her property.”

I swung off my mare and tethered her to a tree. Charlie started to dismount Seraphina, and I caught her around the waist as she descended.

“Oh.”

I didn’t mind showing off my shifter strength as I held her suspended in the air for a moment before gently lowering her to her feet. I loved the way it felt to hold her entire weight in my hands, her widened eyes locked on mine. My wolf was content knowing she was in my hold, that she was safe, protected. Mine.

“Oh,” I repeated and brushed my lips across hers. What I felt for her wasn’t passionate or wild. It was different. Oh, I wanted to fuck her hard and thoroughly, but I wanted to cherish her, too. I grabbed a blanket I’d tied in a roll on the back of my mare.

“Is this the romantic spot where you take all your conquests?” she asked, glancing about.

I could tell she was trying for light, but I heard the rasp of jealousy behind the words. The same jealousy I’d felt when she went riding with the other guys. Good.

“Never,” I swore immediately, to put her mind at rest. “This is sort of a secret spot for us on Wolf Ranch. I know Boyd took Audrey here when they were dating.”

That had been a cluster, the asshole Markle shooting a shifter kid in front of them. Thank fuck, the kid was fine after all that and that Audrey was cool with discovering her mate was a shifter.

I tucked her hand in mine and led her down the incline. “You’re the first and only woman I’ve brought here.” That was the truth. Shifters didn’t get involved with humans—not even half-breeds who couldn’t shift, like me. We didn’t date females and bring them onto or near the ranch. At least until recently. In fact, until the latest spate of matings to humans, no one in our pack ever invited a human around.

Ever. It was a wonder the guys had ever found their mates.

“Come on,” she pressed, nudging me, clearly not believing my words.

“It’s the truth. I am not a ladies’ man. You were the first woman to spend the night in my bed.”

Confusion flitted over her face. “That—can’t be… ”

“What’s puzzling you?”

“Well, I know I’m inexperienced, but you sure seemed to know what you were doing. I thought I had been the virgin.”

I laughed. “I’ve practiced a bit, yeah. One night stands and crap like that.” I wasn’t going to go into any more detail than that. None of the previous women mattered. I meant what I said. They’d only been practice for her. “Not a beautiful woman spending the night in my bed.”

Charlie’s expression went soft and open, like it did when she was tending to animals. It made my chest tight because she was giving me that look.

Shit. I was falling for her.

The thought startled me. This wasn’t how I’d thought my life would go. I’d hoped to mate a shifter and have kids who could actually shift and not be stuck with a wolf inside who was incapable of being free. But with Charlie… none of that seemed to matter. I forgot about the pain of my predicament. Of what had happened in the past. I just cared about her. The now.

Spending time with her.

Getting her off.

Making her scream.

Hell, making her happy.

The watering hole was tucked in at the side of the mountain, a steep cliff looming on one side where there was a waterfall that filled the deep pool. It was also heated from beneath by a thermal hot spring, making the water warm all year round.

We stopped on the bank, and I tossed my hat down on the ground and started stripping out of my clothes. Charlie’s mouth opened in surprise. “Are we going… skinny dipping?”

I grinned, not the least bit shamed about being naked outside. While I didn’t shift and run like the others, I wasn’t modest. “We sure are. Don’t worry, the water’s warm.”

“It is?” She crouched by the water’s edge and swirled her fingertips in the clear water. “Oh wow. It’s perfect.” She flushed a little, looking around first, as if we might have observers, then shucked her clothing and waded in.

I stood and watched the little strip show, my dick getting hard.

I ran up behind and slapped her ass, catching her around the waist and lifting her to carry as I waded into the deep part. I wanted her with me, feeling her body all wet and warm in the water.