Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
Madison
I t’s so stupid, but I miss him the moment he leaves. Maverick’s barely said a half dozen words to me all day, but I was enjoying his presence.
And the fantasies I was having about those big, strong arms picking me up and pulling me tight against his hard chest.
But I can still have those fantasies without him.
And I plan to, just as soon as I have some dinner and snuggle into my tent.
But first things first. I need to make some notes on the area and compare them to the research I’ve already done.
I set up a little makeshift work area against a log and quickly lose myself in my work. With the late afternoon sun warming me, I must have dozed off for a few minutes because I know I’m dreaming when I open my eyes and see the most beautiful wolf watching me.
I’m not scared.
I probably should be.
After all, I’m in the middle of nowhere, alone with an apex predator with the most gorgeous dark eyes staring at me from only a few feet away.
“Hi there,” I say softly. “You’re a beautiful girl, aren’t you?”
She was stunning. Unlike any wolf I’d ever seen. Then again, I’ve never seen one so close before. This is exactly why I came here. I couldn’t believe my luck that it was happening so soon.
She takes a step toward me and then another until she’s almost close enough to touch.
My breath is coming too quickly. It’s imperative that I stay calm, so I force myself to swallow and exhale slowly. I reach my hand out just a little so she can sniff it and see that I’m not a threat.
For a split second, I think she’s going to let me touch her thick fur, but then she curls her lips back, shows me her teeth, and growls.
Fear flashes through me, and I freeze.
So much for controlling my breathing.
“It’s okay.” I speak as slowly and softly as I can. My life depends on it. “I won’t?—”
“Luna!”
In a flash, the wolf spins and runs in the direction of the voice. It takes me a second to realize what’s just happened—or, almost happened. I blink and look up to see… him .
Maverick
“I see you’ve met Luna.” I try to keep my voice light as I step into the clearing, my wolf-dog now at my side. She wouldn’t have hurt Madi. I could tell right away because I’ve never seen Luna approach a stranger that way. But when she bared her teeth, I wasn’t about to risk it.
“Luna?” With her notebook in her hand, Madi gets to her feet and takes a step toward me, her gaze locked on the dog. “She’s…your…”
“My pet.” I shrug, because it’s the only reasonable way to explain Luna.
“She’s a wolf.”
Madi’s standing in front of me now, her eyes still locked on Luna. I feel a completely unreasonable surge of jealousy. I want her attention on me.
She holds her hand out to the dog again. Her bravery is astounding. Most people recoil in fear when they see Luna. There’s a reason I don’t take her to town. But Madi’s different.
In every way.
“She’s part wolf.” I explain how Luna came to live with me, and by the time I’m done telling the story, Madi is scratching the wolf behind the ears. They’ve become fast friends.
My doll doesn’t question my return to camp so quickly. Instead, we fall into an easy rhythm. I start a fire and boil water for our dinner while she keeps up a steady commentary.
I can’t help but smile, listening to her chatter on about wolves and hiking and the studies she’s just finished. Her passion is evident to anyone paying attention, and I am most certainly paying attention.
I can’t help but wonder whether she shares the same amount of passion in all things.
As if she can sense me thinking about her, Madi peers over her mug of tea from where she’s sitting on the other side of the fire. Way too far away.
“What are you thinking?”
There’s no way I can tell her that all I’ve been thinking about is having her sweet little body under mine, her mouth open in ecstasy while I drive my cock into her over and over before making her scream out my name.
So, I lie. “Just thinking it’s about time to turn in for the night.”
The sun is only just starting to set, but as far as I’m concerned, if she’s safely zipped up in her tent, I won’t be so damned tempted by every single thing she does.
“Oh.” Her pretty pink lips turn down into the slightest frown, but it only lasts a second before her sweet smile is back in place. “That’s probably not a bad idea. It was a long day.”
I watch while she pats Luna, who’s been sleeping on the ground next to her, on the head and stands. The wolf has taken to her and moves to follow Madi into the tent, but I call her back.
“I know, girl,” I tell her when she returns to my side. “I want to be in there, too.”
I leave Luna by the fire and walk toward Madi’s tent to be sure she gets tucked in. “You did really well today.”
The tent is partly unzipped when she turns to see me standing behind her. She’s so close I can smell her peach-scented shampoo, mixed with the smokey scent of the campfire. It’s mouthwatering.
“What about you?” She looks around the campsite. “Where are you going to sleep?”
Hers is the only tent. On the rare occasions I camp out, I prefer to sleep on the ground next to the fire, but before I can tell her, she keeps talking.
“Do you…” She bites her bottom lip, and my dick, which has been in various states of arousal all friggin’ day, thickens to the point of pain in my jeans. “Want to sleep with me?”
I’m almost positive she didn’t mean the invitation to sound so fucking seductive. It’s clear from the little I’ve learned about my doll today that she’s sweet and innocent. Which is the only reason I reach out and cup her cheek gently instead of crushing those pretty pink lips with mine.
She closes her eyes and makes a sweet sound when I touch her that threatens to undo me.
“Doll, if I sleep with you tonight, neither of us will get any rest.”
Madison
I suck in a breath and heat blooms between my legs.
I hadn’t meant to invite him to sleep with me, but I don’t hate that idea. Quite the opposite. Embarrassingly, my panties are damp with the mere thought of this big, strong man lying next to me in my tent.
“Oh.” My eyes snap open. “That’s not what I…I was just…”
He releases his touch on my cheek, and I immediately miss it. When was the last time a man touched me?
Never.
The sad truth is that I don’t have much experience with boys—or men— at all. There was one boy. Once. He wanted to sleep with me, but after some sloppy kisses, I told him no and I never heard from him again. Maybe if I’d said yes, I wouldn’t feel like such an inexperienced fool right now.
“I’ll sleep out by the fire,” Maverick tells me. “With Luna.”
“Oh,” I say again, like the silly little girl I am. And then, before I can humiliate myself further, I turn and disappear into my tent.
It takes me a few minutes to change into an oversized T-shirt and snuggle into my sleeping bag. Usually, when I camp out, I fall asleep quickly, but tonight I’m wide awake. It’s a cool night on the mountain, but my body is overheating. Every time I close my eyes, the only thing I can think of is Maverick and his deep, sexy voice when he said we wouldn’t get any rest if he slept in the tent with me.
Frustratingly, my imagination is running wild with all the ways we wouldn’t be getting any rest. Soon, I’m rubbing my thighs together in an effort to relieve the building need between my legs.
It’s not enough.
With a groan of frustration, I unzip my sleeping bag to give myself better access and reach between my legs. My cotton panties are completely soaked as I push the material aside and slide one tentative finger over my swollen pussy lips.
I’ve never touched myself like this before, and I don’t really know what to do. But I close my eyes and imagine it’s Maverick touching me with his huge, rough hands.
A moan slips from my throat.
Oh yes, even in my imagination, Maverick knows exactly where to touch me to make me feel good.
Another moan escapes me, as my finger finds my clit. My imaginary Maverick presses down just a little, making me squirm under his control, while his free hand slides up under my shirt to squeeze my breast.
“Oh. Yes.” My hips buck up a little, and I sink further into my fantasy.
I’m so completely consumed by the brand-new sensations my imaginary Maverick is eliciting in me that I completely forget where I am, or that there’s only a thin piece of nylon separating me from the source of my fantasies.
Until I hear the tent zipper.