he meet a sweet down-to-earth girl and get married. He had the perfect woman lying in his arms, and no right to hold on to her. Rather than lie to Stephanie further, he kissed her into silence.
A kiss led to a touch, a touch to another kiss; then nature took its course. He made slow love to her while the storm outside raged. Rick felt grateful for one more night of being human. One more night to love her, hold her, and wish it could last forever. But even lost in the feel and taste of her, he couldn't block out the clock ticking in his head. Time would soon run out for them.
Part 3 Chapter Eleven
"Leave? What do you mean, leave?" Stephanie asked. She and Rick sat at his kitchen table again, having coffee and toast. She'd spent the previous day getting some great coverage of the wolves. With him by her side, she'd even managed to get coverage of the pack attacking a sheep herd.
She'd tried to hide the strange things happening to her from Rick. There was no way she'd tell him she felt the urge to run wild with the wolves. To take down prey and feast on blood. He'd think she'd gone bonkers. And maybe she had. But his kisses chased away her fears. In his arms, she forgot the weird way she felt at times: her keen night vision, her hunger for raw meat, her desire to howl at the moon.
"I think you should get things started on the other end," he answered. "I told you I'd call the authorities later today. You need to get a rescue started, use your pictures and research to make a case for our wolves."
"But why can't I just wait for the authorities to show up here with you? I could tell them?"
"I'll tell them," he assured her. "Your job is to show them."
He had a point. She needed to get her pictures and material back to the organization as soon as possible. It would take the proper authorities a while to arrive on the scene anyway. The truth was, she didn't want to leave him. She'd felt uneasy all morning, as if something were about to happen. Something bad.
"And you think I should leave right away?" she asked, hoping he'd say he didn't want her to go at all.
"The sooner the better," he answered.
His response hurt her feelings. She tried to hide it by lowering her gaze. "It won't take me long to pack up. I can be gone by this afternoon."
Rick rose from the table. "If I help, you'll be on the road faster."
All right, she wasn't imagining his haste to get rid of her. She shouldn't have expected anything more. All she'd asked for was one night, and she'd received more than that. Still, he didn't have to act so cold about it. He didn't have to shove her out as quickly as possible so he could get on with his life.
She rose. "No need. I'm used to doing for myself. I'll be out of your hair in no time."
Snatching up her cameras, Stephanie headed for the door. As fast as a predator, Rick blocked her exit.
"I?I don't know what to say," he stammered.
She glanced up. "You could say 'don't go.' You could say you'll come with me. You could at least say you'll miss me while I'm gone."
"I will miss you." He placed his hands on her shoulders, and she thought he'd pull her close, but he released her almost as quickly as he'd taken hold of her. "Take care of yourself."
Tears threatened. Stephanie blinked them back. "Of course I will," she said, her words clipped. "Good-bye, Rick."
Before she made a fool of herself, she brushed past him and out the door. She didn't look back, either. Her heart felt as if it were breaking, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing how deeply he'd hurt her. How much she had foolishly come to care for him.
Real love took time. Rick had simply been an infatuation. Her hormones had been on the rampage. He'd used her for sex, and she'd allowed him to do so. Had, in fact, encouraged him. And it was great sex, so she shouldn't complain. She'd stopped believing in fairy tales years ago. Men and women seldom lived happily ever after in today's world. She was on her own, had been for the past three years, and probably would be for the rest of her life.