Chapter 21 - Rain and Snow

Alice Forrest

He’d called a couple of times during the week, but to be honest, I was surprised he was able to keep his distance until Friday night to see me. He’d called me a couple times, sent me a couple of texts, for no particular reason, but just to ‘hear my voice’ or ‘see how I was going.’ I understood that he needed to know I was still there, that I hadn’t disappeared again, but I truly appreciated the space he’d given me.

He stood out the front of the university gates, like a black shadow oddly places amongst the grey clouds and haze of rain and fog. Winter here was different, and I still wasn’t quite used to the sudden changes of temperature and weather brought on by the coast. Yet it was beautiful.

He was beautiful.

He stood under a large umbrella, black tee shirt and well fitted jeans. They looked brand new, like the tags had only just been cut off, but the way they hugged each muscle in his body made it look like they were tailored to fit.

The grin on his face grew as I appeared in the building lobby and I opened my own umbrella and walked quickly over to the protection his form and excessively large umbrella provided, “Hi,” I smiled as his eyes sparkled.

“Hi,” he said, his voice sounding so much sweeter than I remembered.

“How was your week?” I asked, as we stood two feet away from each other.

He nodded, “Had a good start and will have a good end, but the middle was a bit bland.”

I smiled, “Yeah, about the same for me too,” I said, and I couldn’t help but drop my gaze as I felt a warm blush overtake my face.

His hand suddenly trailed down the side of my face, his fingers grazing me so lightly it sent shivers down my spine, “I missed you,” he said with and exhausting sigh and a sudden sadness lacing in his eyes.

I knew he wasn’t just talking about the last couple of days, was talking about the year that I’d been gone. The sadness snapped from his eyes, as if he flicked a light switch, “are you ready?” he said, his disarming smile returning and the light returning in his eyes.

“How am I meant to answer that if you won’t even tell me where you’re taking me,” I said rolling my eyes and linking my arm in his as we walked towards the carpark.

“Because it’s a surprise, that I specifically crafted for you to enjoy and telling you would ruin the surprise.”

“You wouldn’t even let me pack!” I objected.

“That would mean I would have to tell you what to pack,” I countered smugly.

I rolled my eyes, “what, are you taking me to some tropical island that you own? Or to some exotic country?”

“No,” he chuckled, and his white teeth flashed as he grinned, “but I’ll keep that in mind for next time.”

“Next time?”

He nodded, “what’s the good of having a world class billionaire boyfriend if you can’t even get something out of it.”

“I’m not dating you for your money.”

“I know, you’re dating me for other, things,” he purred, and he pulled me by the waist into his arms, making my umbrella fall to the ground and being to pool with water.

His teeth grazed my neck, and he adjusted the collar of my shirt, displaying the silver mark on my neck which he nibbled at lightly. The sensation sent an overpowering wave of shivers and chills down my spine and limbs, ultimately making my legs buckle and I was thankful for his firm grim he had on me. But also slightly embarrassed at my reaction to his touch.

“Come, we should leave, we have a long drive ahead of us.”

* * * * * * * * * *

His sent lingered around me, it’s embrace warmer and more comforting than anything else I’d ever experienced. It was the same scent that had lulled me into sleep, the warmth of his hand on my thigh as he drove into the darkness of the night.

Now, asleep his warmth and scent leached across the sheets, his body resting awkwardly around my own. Not a single part of his body touched my own, apart from one hand which was placed on my waist, as if to make sure I was still there – within reach.

I carefully slipped out of his arms, stretching in the shirt and shorts he’d put me into and I wasn’t sure if I was happy or uncomfortable knowing that he’d left my bra and underwear on, as I hated to admit how much I longed for his touch.

Light streamed seductively through thick curtains, and the deafening silence perplexed me as I had expected the sound of rain to be our constant companion this weekend. I reached for the rich fabric that faulted and slowly dragged them along their tracks, to reveal the breath-taking view.

Snow floated down lighter than anything I’d ever seen. Falling from unseen clouds, it sparkled like white glitter as it floated down to earth, defying the laws of gravity as it did so. It piled in slowly and gracefully on the buried ground below, pine trees spiking out of the ground like teeth, engulfing the building that protected me from the bitter cold.

The moonlight made the white snow blanket shimmer, it made me think of Angel’s wedding, with endless layers of chiffon and shimmer, it looked softer that clouds, smoother than silk and more perfect than anything I’d had the pleasure of witnessing.

I heard the ruffling of the crisp bedsheets, but I couldn’t tear my gaze away from this view. My eyes fluttered to a close as he snaked his arms around my waist, pressing his chest against my back and resting his jaw on the side of my head.

Planting a kiss on my hair, his breath tickled as he inhaled deeply, nuzzling against the side of my head. “What do you think?”

“Where are we? It’s breath taking.”

“North of Savage River, in the mountains. We’re still in the central pack territory, just at a higher altitude,” he said, his voice soft and comforting.

“It’s beautiful,” I sighed, and I leant back into his embrace.

I could almost feel and hear the happiness of his wolf beneath his skin, something I’d never quite felt before, something I’d never quite connected too before. My heart lunging at the destress I’d caused to my mate, I twisted in his arms and kissed him.

His lips were warm and soft, his breath fresh, as if he’d only recently brushed his teeth. Perhaps it was the cool air, but it was more likely the fire of his touch that send goosebumps over my skin and shivers down my spine as he pressed me back into his chest, his hands tracing down my spine and caressing my body.

Kissing me back without question, there was a repressed desperation hidden within each kiss, or perhaps – perhaps I was the one who was desperate for his touch. As if reading my mind, he hoisted me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he carried me back to the bed, his hands firmly grasping my rear.

He knelt, with one knee on the bed, and slowly lowered me down. Never letting my body drift too far from his, never letting his lips, part from the kisses that might bruise them, at the least leave them red and swollen. His hands slipped under my top, and our lips momentarily parted as he swept it over my head, freeing me.

Pressing his lips firmly against my own, he pulled away, nearly tearing my pajama shorts from my body as he removed them. He then crawled onto the bed, on all fours like the wolf that swirled behind his eyes. I staggered backwards, eventually the cool wall slammed against my back, and he let out a low growl, a wicked grin forming on his face that made my heart skip a beat.

“You’re mine.”