12. Graham
Twelve
Graham
The farther we drive towards Lake Ursa, the quieter everything becomes.
The little shops and cafés of Barvale disappear behind us.
The steady trickle of traffic fades until all I hear is the low rumble of my truck and the wind slipping through the open windows.
Fewer houses.
More forest.
Towering pines cast long shadows across the road, their branches knitting together overhead until it almost feels like we're driving through a tunnel of green.
The road narrows.
The farther we go, the tighter the knot in my stomach becomes.
I steal a glance at Elsie.
She's smiling out the passenger window like a kid seeing some place magical for the first time.
She's watching deer grazing near the tree line.
Pointing out wildflowers.
Rolling the window down another inch so the warm summer air can whip through her blonde hair.
Every few minutes she says something that makes me smile.
“Oh!”
She points toward the woods.
“Did you see that fox?”
“I did.”
“And those purple flowers...”
She cranes her neck to get a better look.
“... those would look beautiful outside the shop.”
God.
She's happy.
I don't want to be the one who ruins that.
Unfortunately...
We're getting close to territory that isn't meant for outsiders.
Lake Ursa isn't just another pretty spot outside of town.
It belongs to the Barvale Clan.
Most humans don't wander this far.
Most don't even know these roads exist.
The farther north you go, the more likely you are to run into one of us.
Or...
Someone who doesn't belong here.
My grip tightens on the steering wheel.
I should turn around.
I really should.
Tell her the overlook is closed.
Make up some excuse.
Take her for ice cream instead.
My Bear immediately growls his disapproval.
No.
Mate asked.
Mate happy.
Stay.
I tighten my hands on the wheel.
Easy for you to say.
You aren't trying to figure out how to explain that we're driving onto land protected by Black Bear Shifters.
The reminder settles heavily in my chest.
I can't keep putting it off.
Every hour I spend with her makes the lie bigger.
She deserves the truth.
The whole truth.
About me.
About Barvale.
About the bite.
About us.
Every mile we drive without telling her feels like borrowed time.
I glance over again.
She's resting one elbow against the open window now, humming softly to whatever song is playing through the speakers.
Completely relaxed.
Completely trusting me.
And the guilt twists even deeper.
She trusts me.
And I'm keeping the biggest secret of my life from her.
Tell her.
Soon.
Before someone else does.
Before fate decides for you.
I exhale slowly.
“I've got to tell you something...”
The words almost leave my mouth.
Almost.
Then she turns toward me with that smile.
The one that's becoming my favorite thing in the world.
“I don't know why,” she says, “but this feels like an adventure.”
I can't help smiling back.
“It kind of is.”
Oh Honey, if only you knew.
She laughs.
“See? I knew you'd get me.”
God.
She has no idea how dangerous those words are.
Because I do get her. And she gets me.
Far more than she realizes.
And my Bear...
My Bear is absolutely drunk on it.
He's been restless since the moment she climbed into my truck.
Every mile she's beside us calms him.
Every laugh she gives us settles something deep inside my chest.
Every accidental brush of her hand against mine while we drove made him rumble with contentment.
He doesn't want this day to end.
Truth be told...
Neither do I.
I don't know how many more firsts I'll get with her before I have to tell her everything.
Before she learns monsters are real.
Before she finds out I'm one of them.
So if she wants another hour with me...
Another walk.
Another conversation.
Another memory.
I'll give it to her.
Even if it means taking her onto Clan lands.
Even if it means moving a little faster than I probably should.
We finally reach the overlook.
I pull into the gravel lot and shut off the truck.
Silence settles around us.
No traffic.
No city noise.
Just birds calling somewhere high in the trees and the gentle rush of wind through the pines.
Elsie climbs out before I can walk around to open her door.
She stops dead in her tracks.
The last evening sun dances across the glassy surface of Lake Ursa below, reflecting the surrounding forest like polished emeralds.
The mountains rise beyond it in layers of blue and green, disappearing into the hazy summer horizon.
Her lips part.
“It's beautiful,” she whispers.
I don't answer right away.
Because I'm not looking at the lake anymore.
I'm looking at her.
The breeze catches her hair, sending golden strands dancing across her shoulders as her blue eyes light up with pure wonder.
“It is,” I say quietly.
And for once...
I'm not talking about the view.
“You know, we kind of got interrupted before,” she says, taking one slow step toward me.
Every beat of my heart lands like a drum against my ribs.
Fuck.
This woman absolutely wrecks me.
She doesn't even realize she's doing it.
She's sweet in a way the world doesn't deserve.
Funny without trying.
Beautiful without knowing it.
And every time she looks at me with those incredible blue eyes...
I feel another piece of myself slipping into her hands.
She closes the distance between us until there's barely a breath separating us.
Close enough that I can feel the warmth radiating from her body.
Close enough to catch the faint scent of her shampoo beneath the wildflowers she'd brushed past in the arboretum.
Close enough that every inhale I take is filled with her.
God.
She's killing me.
I swear to God, I'm so hard right now I could bust through my damn jeans.
The sweet, honeyed scent of her arousal hangs between us, wrapping around me like temptation itself.
My eyes drift closed for the briefest second as I struggle to keep hold of the last thread of my control.
Easy...
Easy.
My Bear surges against my skin.
Mine.
Mate.
Claim.
Now.
Every instinct I possess screams at me to pull her into my arms and never let her go.
Every ounce of the man I've spent thirty-five years becoming reminds me that she deserves more than instinct.
She deserves a choice.
She deserves the truth.
She deserves me at my best.
When I open my eyes again, she's still there.
Looking up at me.
Waiting.
Trusting me.
My chest aches.
“Graham...”
Her voice is soft enough that the breeze almost steals it away.
“I know this is fast...”
She worries her bottom lip for just a second before taking another tiny step closer.
“Yeah, it’s fast.”
“If you want to tell me no...”
She searches my face, and I can see the vulnerability flickering behind her brave smile.
“... you absolutely can.”
God, Honey...
Don't look at me like that.
Because the truth? I don't have a single no left in me.
“The thing is...”
She exhales slowly.
“I...”
Those beautiful blue eyes lift to mine.
They're hazy now.
Warm.
Full of hope.
Full of want.
Full of need.
“I want you.”
Fuck.
Me.
Every coherent thought disappears.
I just...
Stare at her.
Because my mate?
My beautiful, impossible mate?
Just admitted she wants me.
I don't move.
Not because I don't want her.
Because I want her so completely that my brain forgets how to function. Also, I’m trying not to nut in my jeans like a goddamn teenager.
One heartbeat.
Two.
Three.
And that's all it takes.
The hopeful light in her eyes begins to dim.
Her smile falters.
“Oh...”
She drops her gaze to the ground.
“I...”
She lets out a tiny, embarrassed laugh that sounds like it hurts.
“I'm sorry.”
She starts to turn away.
As if she's already decided she read this whole day wrong.
As if she thinks I'm rejecting her.
I am absolutely not rejecting her.
That single thought jolts me back into motion.
“Elsie.”
I catch her gently, one hand circling her wrist just long enough to stop her before sliding to the small of her back.
The other finds her waist.
I turn her toward me.
Not roughly.
Carefully.
Like she's something precious.
She is.
Then I pull her into my arms.
She comes willingly.
Her body fits against mine so perfectly it steals the breath from my lungs.
Goddamn.
She's warm.
Soft.
Curvy in every place I've been trying not to think about all day.
Perfect.
She lets out the faintest little gasp as our bodies meet.
I feel it against my chest.
Feel her breathing.
Quick.
Shallow.
Mine isn't much better.
Our eyes lock.
“So beautiful,” I murmur, barely recognizing my own voice.
She searches my face one last time.
Looking for hesitation.
She won't find it.
Not anymore.
This time, I don't hesitate.
Never again.
I cradle her face between my hands and lower my mouth to hers.
The second our lips meet...
Everything changes.
I swear it's like the Fourth of July.
Fireworks explode somewhere deep inside my chest.
Heat races through every nerve in my body.
The world narrows until there's nothing left except her.
Her soft sigh against my mouth.
The gentle pressure of her lips as it turns into something rougher, wilder, uncontrollable.
The way her fingers curl into my shirt like she's afraid I'll disappear.
Our mate bond surges to life.
It pulses.
Glows.
Brilliant.
Beautiful.
Alive.
Just like her.
I draw back only far enough for our foreheads to rest together.
Neither of us says anything for a moment.
We're both breathing a little harder.
I brush my thumb lightly across her cheek.
“I'd have gone slow for you, Honey,” I whisper.
“I don’t want you to. Please, Graham.”
And that’s it. Any control I had evaporates into thin air.
My mate needs me. Wants me. And I can’t deny us any longer.
I just hope she’ll forgive me later.