3. Emerson
THREE
EMERSON
I did it.
I took a leave of absence from my job and sublet my apartment. Searching for the wolf man had become my obsession.
I’d been going to bed earlier than usual, hoping to meet him in my dreams, and now I was in the car, heading west. One night. I’d watched him from a distance as he was shopping for supplies, and the name of the store was signposted above the entrance.
Oakdale’s One Stop Grocery.
On a whim, I’d searched a map for towns of that name and was disappointed when many popped up on the screen. But one was in an arid region, no woods nearby. Another was a commuter suburb of a big city, and a third, in the south, was on the edge of a lake.
But there was a tiny place in the middle of the country surrounded by mountains and woods, and, while the grocery store didn’t have a website, my detective skills sourced photos of the town. I yelled, “Success,” and high-fived myself as I packed my stuff and left my old life behind.
Three days and some nights of driving and sleeping in the car—because much as I wanted to meet my man in my dreams, I had to keep going—and eating bad burgers and greasy fries later, I was ready for a shower.
I slowed and inched the car into Oakdale, taking in the local park, the library, a car repair shop, and ta da… the grocery store! After finding a parking space, I dashed into the store, ready to fling myself at my wolf man. I lurked in the fresh produce aisle, peeked around the corner at the paper products, and paced in front of the cashiers until a staff member nudged his colleague and pointed at me.
Grabbing a handful of candy bars, I said out loud, “Found you.”
There was little to choose from regarding accommodation in the town, and I made a face at the stained carpet and patch of mold on the ceiling when I entered the room and dumped my bag on the bed. It was midafternoon. Not the time for a newbie to head out into the wilderness, especially when I’d had barely a lick of sleep in three days.
But my body ached with a longing that had begun as a flutter the night I first dreamed of him. Since then, it burned, flared, and spread, similar to an out-of-control brush fire. No way could I stay in this room or wander around town until tomorrow morning.
Despite my dislike of the room, my eyes closed, and my wolf man appeared, but in human form, naked. Did he own clothes? He had a ragged scar on his back, and I rubbed my fingers over the uneven flesh. His cock was standing at attention, and I parted my legs, urging him to fill me and ride me until I screamed, “Yes.”
He hoisted my dress over my hips before trailing his fingers over my bare thighs and slipping his fingers inside my panties. My soaking-wet panties. My head fell back when he slid between my folds and thumbed my clit.
“Gods yes!”
But he faded, and the grubby hotel room came into focus as I pummeled the bed with my heels. “Why? We were getting to the good part.”
After shaking my fist at the universe, I got online and searched out hiking trails, of which there were many. Scrolling through the descriptions and photos, I found they all looked the same. Trees, paths, rocks, bushes. How did anyone tell them apart? No wonder so many hikers got lost. But my fierce determination to meet this guy—my guy—overrode any misgivings, and I continued my search.
“That one.” I jumped on the mattress, and the bed groaned while I clutched the phone. The path stirred a memory, and I rummaged through the images from my dream. “That’s it.”
With the candy bars I’d bought—and damn they weren’t ones I liked, but they’d have to do—and water, and my trainers that weren’t suitable for walking in the forest, I drove to the trail entrance. Striding upward, my thighs complained with each step.
But the urge to find him overrode any discomfort, and I paused for a drink while sitting on a rock. Gazing at the scene laid out before me of the valley, the mountains carpeted with trees, the river winding through the landscape and Oakdale, I pondered what I was seeing.
It was formidable, yes. But not in a scary way. More magnificent than scary. Majestic. The air was clear, and the various shades of green and brown wove together as if created by an artist’s brush.
“Beautiful.”
But, as the wind took away my word, a rustling alerted me I wasn’t alone. I gulped. Damn dream got the wrong place on the trail. Now the moment had arrived, my palms were awash, and I trembled. What if I was wrong?
Turning on my heel, my eyes roamed over his wolf’s cream fur with splashes of ebony.
“Hi. I’ve been searching for you.”