Page 26

I nod, peeling off my socks, and taking a step into the hot water. It’s the perfect temperature despite the thick snow that falls around us. “This spring is one of many in this mountain range, but most don’t know about them. Which is why it’s so clean.”

Blake practically rips his feet free from his boots and tosses his socks into a pile as he shucks his jacket from his shoulders. “I can understand that. And I promise not to tell anyone else.”

It’s kind of him to make that promise, but his words sit like a rock at the bottom of my stomach. He would only have to keep his promise if he left. If he were to stay, he wouldn’t have anyone else to tell.

The thought of Blake leaving has my chest aching and a familiar painful growl rips through my throat. Swallowing the ball of glass, I turn to my bag and pull out the sleeve of clothes and soap, sitting them at the water’s edge.

Behind me, the shuffle of clothing and a light curse from Blake, echoes through the silence. I can’t help myself as I peer over my shoulder at the young man. His pale skin melts into the colorless world; his flat stomach rises and falls as he pants. Even his pert nipples with their matching barbells glimmer at me in the dim sunlight that marginally breaks through the clouds.

“You keep looking at me like that.” Blake’s eyes meet mine, his lips tilt upwards. “Like you want to eat me.”

My cock perks up at the idea. I’ve been wanting to eat him since the moment I met him in my store. With every passing hour, I’ve been clawing at my inner beast to hold back. To stay confined inside my human form, to keep my teeth to myself. I’ve given up keeping my hands to myself, last night was my breaking point. I can still feel his dick in the palm of my hand from the many hours I held him close.

I’m amazed at how fast we’ve progressed. After knowing each other for less than a week, my mate is already so comfortable with me. I can’t decide if it’s his soul recognizing mine and accepting me or if he thinks this is just some week-long fling he can enjoy before he leaves.

“Get in the water, sweet thing,” I mutter, biting the inside of my cheek and I turn my back.

Peeling my jacket from my shoulders, I force myself to keep my eyes forward as I listen to every noise behind me. The sound of Blake’s pants unbuckling, the scrape of fabric against his skin and then the slash of water.

My fingers shake as I pull my shirt over my head, and I send out a silent prayer as a moan echoes over my shoulder.

“Holy shit. This is just what I needed.” Blake’s voice wraps itself around my brain and squeezes.

My eyes drop as I suck in a breath. Every thought inside my head screams at me to mate with him. Even my inner beast is howling at the top of its lungs to mark him as ours.

Unhooking my belt, I push down my pants until I’m only left in my underwear. I pause.

Did Blake go in naked? Did he keep the sleep pants on?

“What’s wrong?” Blake’s voice slides over my spine.

I shuffle, turning my sights to the glistening clear water.

Long legs dance beneath the surface. Hairless skin that’s turning pink greets me and my eyes drop lower to where the water blurs and shivers around his waist as he lies back against the bank.

It’s undeniable now. His dick sits half-mast against his thigh amongst a light dusting of hair at his groin.

I’m sliding out of my underwear, my gaze locked with Blake’s, my heart thundering in my chest as I watch the way he takes me in, his eyes darkening.

“I guess we’re past being strangers,” he purrs.

My feet sink into the soft rocks of the spring as I slide into the deeper end, dipping my head beneath the water and running my fingers through my long hair. Coming back for breath, I wipe the droplets from my eyes, feeling the way my muscles relax in the heat.

“We passed being strangers the moment I carried you to my cabin,” I reply, enjoying the way Blake subtly arches his back.

It was the moment I decided you were mine. I want to say it. The words are on the tip of my tongue. But I can’t. Not when he doesn’t know the truth about me. Not when he still hasn’t agreed to stay forever.

Instead, I swim to the edge of the spring, opposite the young man. The water laps at my chest as I run my fingers across my pecks and down my stomach, feeling the scratch of my body hair.

I’ve never been ashamed of how hairy I am. In fact, I’m proud of it. It’s only natural for a Sasquatch shifter to take close aspects of our true form. And I can see now, just how much Blake also likes my body.

His lip has found its usual spot between his teeth, and his eyes haven’t met mine in a minute as they wander the expanse of my body, even the parts below the surface.

“Come here,” I hear myself order Blake.

Just as predicted, the boy does as he’s told. Ripples of water run towards me as he slinks across the spring. His cheeks grow a deeper red as he nears.

Only an arm’s length away, he stops. “Did you mean what you said last night?” He asks.