He slowly rose to his feet and kissed her. He was stiff with need and wanted to be inside her more than anything he’d ever wanted before. But the questioning look on her face made him stop.
“I can’t believe we did that,” she said, slipping away with a giggle as she pulled her pants back up.
She shrieked as she ran again through the rain. He grabbed the cooler and ran behind her. His inner wolf was howling, demanding that he take her now on all fours, hot and primal in the summer rain. But he couldn’t do that. He could tell she wasn’t ready. When they got back to the car, they sat in silence as the engine rumbled and the heater blew hot air.
“Thank you,” she said. “Thank you for not pushing me any further.”
“I would never…” His voice caught in his throat. He wanted her so badly, but he would never ever do anything to hurt her. He would never pressure her or make her feel bad for not being ready for him. “We have all the time in the world,” he said in a rumbling voice. She let out a deep sigh, and he patted her hand. “Tasting you was the best thing that ever happened to me.” And though he wanted so much more, it was the truest thing he’d ever said.
When Cal dropped River off at her house, his body was a live wire. Instead of going home to face his brother and his questions and his anger, he drove back up into the woods. He stripped off his clothes, shifted into his wolf form, and ran through the night in the pouring rain.
11
River removed her wet clothes and stepped under the stream of the hot shower. She couldn’t believe what had happened. She went back to that moment when he’d knelt before her, consuming her body like a wild beast in the night. She quivered. It was the most sensual, erotic thing that had ever happened to her. She’d expected to be repulsed by it, but instead, she was still incredibly turned on.
Her grandmother had counseled her to listen to her inner fox. And this is what happened. She closed her eyes and ran water over her face. She still couldn’t believe what she’d done. She thought about his lips on her body, his tongue between her legs, and shivered with excitement as she ran shampoo through her hair. It should have been the most frightening experience of her life. Instead, it was one of the best. Her human mind was looking for a reason to be afraid and angry, but she couldn’t find one. It was what she’d wanted. She’d asked for more, begging him not to stop.
By the time she got out of the shower and toweled herself off, she’d come to terms with her experience with Cal. But what she could not come to terms with were her deep feelings for Cash. If what she’d done with Cal had helped her make up her mind, she would have been less conflicted, but it only made her more curious about what it would be like with Cash. They’d shared a kiss. Now, her imagination allowed for so much more, and she wanted to experience it.
She slipped into her pajamas and walked down the hall to her bedroom, nodding and smiling at the other interns as she passed. She entered her bedroom and picked up her cell phone.
To her surprise, she had a text message from Cash: I just wanted to wish you a good night.
She typed back: Are you already asleep?
The little bubbles on her phone appeared immediately. Cash answered: Hanging out in my room, watching videos.
She wrote: I just got out of the shower.
River didn’t add that she’d been imagining what it would be like to kiss him again. His response took a minute after that. She wondered if he was thinking about her the way she was thinking about him.
Finally, his message came through: I’d love to take you out tomorrow night. Maybe something a little more upscale. I was thinking the Lodge for a nice dinner.
She wrote: I’d love that.
River felt awash with anticipation.
Cash wrote: I’ll pick you up at seven, then.
She answered: I’ll see you then.
The part of her that had always been so cautious, reserved, and controlled—the part that had been protecting her wounds— warned her to cancel. But the part of her that was operating on instinct was now in control. And she wanted it to be. She felt free and liberated by the inner beast, the wildness inside her. It had finally come to her rescue, and she was going to let it be in charge.
River slept soundly that night. The next day she spent working with Heath at the goat dairy. He told her she was a huge help to him because the goats had to be moved multiple times a day.
“How much can I pay you to stay on the ranch and come help me out every day?” he asked as she herded the goats into the barn. He laughed.
She giggled, but his words made her think about how wonderful it would be to stay in Fate Rock and to work with the Wilde brothers every day and to be with her mates, Cal and Cash, for the rest of her life. She thought about her date that night and the fact that she was going to have to choose. She knew it would devastate them all. But she couldn’t think about that at the moment. It was too much to bear.
After a full day of working with Heath, she returned home to the bunkhouse. Most of the interns were still out, so she grabbed a quick shower and went to her closet to find something to wear. Cash wanted to take her out on a fancy date, and River had nothing for such an occasion.
She swore under her breath and glanced over at Boo. “What am I going to wear?”
But all he did was fold his paw over his muzzle and whimper. River considered her options. She still had several hours until her date. Maybe she could go into town and buy herself a new outfit.
Then she thought about Cheyenne, who had told her that if she ever needed anything at all, she could come to her. Everyone knew that she and the twins were mates. It wasn’t a secret around the ranch. And she and Cheyenne had been becoming quite friendly.
She let out a long sigh and tried to get over her awkwardness before picking up her phone and texting the oldest Wilde brother’s mate. River had seen pictures of Cheyenne before she’d had the baby and knew that they were about the same size.
Feeling heat rise in her cheeks, River texted: Do you have anything I could borrow to wear for a fancy date at the Lodge?
It didn’t take long for Cheyenne to reply with an excited yes and tell her to come over immediately to try some things on. River breathed out a sigh of relief and started down the stairs. The other interns were returning to the bunkhouse. She greeted them as she walked out into the warm afternoon air. She hopped into her car and started down the gravel driveway toward the main house, where Austin and Cheyenne lived.
At the house, she was greeted at the door immediately by Cheyenne. “I’m so glad you felt comfortable enough to ask,” the wolf shifter said.
Cheyenne had been changed by Austin, and she’d said many times how much she loved being a shifter and how much it meant to her to be part of the shifter community. She slipped her arm through River’s and led her upstairs and into the bedroom of the original old farmhouse. She immediately started pulling clothes out of the closet and throwing them on the bed.
It was a whirlwind of colors and fabrics and styles, and River had no idea what to choose. Finally, Cheyenne emerged from the closet and picked up two dresses, one blue and one red. She held them up in front of River to assess her skin tone. Then she placed her fingertips on her lips as if in thought. “I think you’re more of a neutral.”
River just nodded. She’d never had anyone care much about her fashion sense back in the hyena compound, and the year she’d spent with her grandparents had been focused on recovery. Cheyenne disappeared back into the walk-in closet and then reemerged a moment later with a tan lace dress with a slip underneath. It was sexy and classy and perfect for the summer heat.