Chapter Seven #2
He stared ahead as they walked. The path zigzagged, rocks and roots jutting from the earth. He was pretty sure he’d walked this path at least a few times, as well as every other inch of these woods. Only difference was he hadn’t been injured back then. Then, it had been only a brief stroll or jog.
Right now, with his smarting foot, he felt like he was making his way through a mine field. Thank goodness for Miranda, or his navigation skills would’ve been useless in getting out of here.
“I hate this,” he muttered. “Damn piece of glass.”
She squeezed his arm, and Bryon felt a slight tug in his gut. “You just need to get your foot checked out.”
That didn’t do much to lift his spirits. While they were in the woods, until he saw to his injury, he remained at a disadvantage.
“I can’t believe I stepped on it,” he said. He glanced sideways at her. “This doesn’t usually happen.”
A look of pure amusement lit up her features. “What is it with men and that phrase?”
It took Bryon a couple of seconds to realize what she meant. Resisting an eye roll, he said, “I just wish I hadn’t stepped on it. This injury is slowing us down.”
Not that it was the only thing that had slowed them down so far, he thought, remembering the look on her face in the moments before he kissed her.
He’d ignored all caution and had gotten lost in the warmth of her skin on his, her lovely scent, the softness of her body as she ground herself against his cock.
And he’d loved every second of it. If not for his injury, they might still be by that tree, lying in each other’s embrace in the aftermath of a fiery passion.
Fortunately for the pair of them, they’d broken apart just in time.
Still, it was hard to get rid of the memory.
All he had to do was close his eyes to see Miranda grinding against his fingers, moaning as he brought her closer to orgasm.
And she’d been just as eager to pleasure him.
If they hadn’t stopped when they had, he’d have ended up buried deep in her, fighting his own release.
As if in agreement, he felt a twitch in his groin. He looked down, grimacing at the tent forming in the front of the bathrobe.
Great.
“Maybe it’s not such a bad thing.” Miranda’s voice snapped him back to attention.
He blinked at her. “What?”
“The injury,” came her reply. “I’m starting to think it was fate that you stepped on the glass. I mean, if you hadn’t gotten injured, I might never have found you, which means I’d still be lost in these woods, or worse.” She gave a tiny shudder.
“Fair point.” He nodded, wondering just how alone and terrified she must have felt before she stumbled upon him. Being hunted by someone else for whatever reason was all kinds of unsettling. “Maybe it was fate.”
Everything that had happened so far had happened because he’d been injured. Even the kiss they’d shared and all that had followed it. A light stirring filled his groin.
He almost scoffed, pulling the robe tighter around his erection so it didn’t accidentally spring free.
They were deep in the woods, Bryon was injured, and Miranda was likely being hunted by a stalker ex-boyfriend.
Yet somehow, he had the presence of mind to get aroused at the thought of the woman next to him.
And that wasn’t even the worst part. Miranda had seen him shift, just like Harold had all those years ago. Sure, she was attractive, but getting intimate with her should be the last thing on his mind right now. Shouldn’t he be more concerned about what might happen once they got out of here?
His chest immediately contracted, his mind constructing images at rapid speed: Miranda running around town and telling everyone who cared to listen that she’d spotted a monster in the woods; the entire town turning on Bryon, ambushing him in the middle of the night before he could take off again.
He swallowed, trying to disperse the images.
If his secret got out, he’d be in big trouble, no doubt.
But what about Theon and the others at Green Sanctuary?
So much could go horribly wrong for him and the family he’d found in this small town, and all because he’d revealed himself to a human for the second time in his life.
You really should’ve just stayed a wolf back there, he chided himself.
Miranda gave his arm another squeeze, and the memory of her fingers curling around him earlier flickered through his mind. His jaw clenched. When was the last time he’d felt drawn to a human? It felt like an eternity ago.
No, that wasn’t quite right. He had gotten involved with a few over the years, though he couldn’t remember feeling so intensely toward them. Not to mention, none of those humans had known he was a shifter. If they had, they would’ve taken to their heels before even thinking about kissing him.
But Miranda hadn’t done that. What’s more, she’d kissed him back. Even now, he could feel the tension simmering in the air between them. She was just as attracted to him as he was to her, which didn’t quite make sense. Wasn’t she afraid of what she’d seen?
And before that, she’d been curious to learn more about him.
I’d rather not jump to conclusions.
Right. So maybe there was a chance she was different. Maybe, just maybe, she wouldn’t run around telling everyone what she’d seen.
It was a huge maybe.
***
Miranda was starting to wish she was a shifter.
The weirdness aside, it did sound like a pretty cool party trick, being able to turn into an animal.
Not to mention it could come in handy in situations like hers.
Right now, she wished she could turn into a deer and sprint her way out of these woods.
Her human body wasn’t equipped for all this walking.
If they didn’t make it out of here soon, her legs were going to give out.