Taming the Beast

I leaped to my feet, nearly stumbling in my haste. I pointed a finger at him. “Show me.”

His eyes widened, then narrowed as a smirk spread across his face. “Sweetheart, you only had to ask.” His hands dropped to the waistband of his jeans.

I threw my hands up, squeezing my eyes shut. Though I did peek a fraction—I was only human, after all, and if he wanted to get butt naked for my benefit… Concentrate, Faye! “No! Not that,” I blurted out, all the while wondering why the hell I was stopping him. And, actually, why the hell his mind always seemed to circle back to sex! Not that I was any better. Visions of him naked and pinning me down were never far from my mind, along with a whole lot of licking. And kissing. And nibbling. Maybe even some sucking. Hmmm.

“Faye?”

&nbs

p; “Yep?” I peeled an eye open. Damn, he was still dressed, one eyebrow hovering near his hairline. Yeah, I had a problem. A large, hunk of a problem.

That infuriating smirk still played on his lips, but underneath there was a certain … stillness. A predator awaiting his prey’s next move. “Did I misread…?” His hand gestured his groin area.

At least he didn’t stroke himself. I wasn’t sure I was that strong. “Yes.” Dammit! “Show me where you were planning to build the school.”

Bastian

Once again, she’d surprised me. Just when I thought I’d figured her out, she came out with something like this—demanding that I show her my vision.

Something I hadn’t shared with anyone else.

The evening clung to us as we walked down the lane toward the village, stars forming in the purple-black hue of dusk, the air cool and still as if awaiting our next move. Stones skittered and crunched under our feet, the odd chirp of a bird settling in for the night, an owl hooting in the surrounding forest filled the air. Tall trees reached up to the sky on either side of the lane, the branches forming a leafy arch in places and blotting out the civilized world.

We could have been anywhere, in any time period, had it not been for the fact that our legs were clad in denim rather than cloth, and the familiar weight of my cell phone in my back pocket.

Faye walked by my side, matching her steps to mine. Or had I matched mine to hers? Her breath puffed out, her cheeks tinted pink and curls bouncing back and forth.

If I could bottle a moment in time, this would be it. Walking through the forest with my mate, her presence soothing and calming my inner beast.

Halfway down the lane I turned, leading her off the beaten path and into the dense forest. Lush grass reached for our knees, branches swiping playfully at our arms and faces. Plucking one out of the air, I held it back for her, gesturing that she take the lead.

“I don’t know where I’m going.” But she brushed past me, branding me with her scent.

“You’ll know when you see it,” I forced out, curling my fingers into my palms and holding them there. No touching.

“Okay.” Her reply was a little dubious, but she moved forward.

Taking me at my word. Trusting me. Following me out into a dark, strange forest. A man she barely knew, one with questionable sanity, and a known liar. My feet ground to a halt, my legs refusing to carry me forward. Panic shot through me, circling around and around until I could barely breathe.

“Oh!” Her quiet gasp punched through the flurry of emotion that gripped me, breaking it’s hold.

Coming up behind her, I resisted the urge to slide an arm around her waist, to tug her back and tuck her against my chest.

She spun around, her face lit up with wonder. “It’s perfect!”

Looking over her shoulder I double checked that she was seeing the same thing I was. Yep. Long, barn-like building with a sagging roof and crumbling walls. “Perfect?”

Grabbing my shoulder, she tugged me forward with a strength that was astonishing for such a small package of gorgeousness. “For your school. I can just see it. We’d clear the front to have somewhere for the kids to play, obviously the roof would have to be fixed, but look at those huge double doors! And we could knock in some big windows, to give it some light. Can we go inside and have a look around?”

Her enthusiasm was infectious and I found myself grinning back at her. “Not unless you want to fall down some very big holes, the floor needs replacing too. Basically, it’s one long building at the moment, it was originally used as storage for farming equipment.”

She nodded, her grin still in place. “That’s why it looks like a barn.”

I reached up to where her hand still rested on my shoulder, sliding my fingers through hers in a gesture so natural, I didn’t realize what I’d done until it was too late. So I gave her hand a quick squeeze. “You said we.” Luckily, I managed to keep the longing out of my voice.

Her eyes widened, then narrowed so fast I almost had whiplash trying to keep up. “I can find you the money to finish this, I know I can.”

“Faye—”