Blue moon - By Lori Handeland Page 0,71

direction and distance.

"You walked five miles naked?"

"For you I'd walk a hundred."

I snorted.

He was acting strange - too nervous and shy for Ca-dotte. What was the matter with him? Was I right in my assumption? And if so, what was I going to do about it?

He didn't give me a chance to think. Suddenly he was moving toward me and my gun was pointed at his chest. He froze, lifted his eyes from the barrel to my face.

"Jessie?"

"Are you a werewolf, Cadotte?"

His eyes widened. He was either very good at feigning surprise or truly surprised. "Yesterday you called me insane for suggesting there were such things in the world. Today you accuse me of being one. Tough day at the office, dear?"

Now that was more like him. I smiled. "You have no idea."

"Want to tell me about it?"

"Want to answer my question?"

"Why in hell would I tell you about them if I were one of them?"

"That's not an answer. That's another question."

Cadotte and Mandenauer had more in common than I would have thought.

He sighed, "I am not a werewolf."

"Like you'd tell me if you were."

"Good point." He flicked a finger at the gun. "Now what?"

"I could shoot you and see if you die."

"I'll take Door Number Two."

I wanted to laugh. I wanted to put down the gun and make love in the sun. I wanted to believe that the only man who'd ever made me scream and writhe and want him over and over and over again wasn't a werewolf - so I did.

He must have seen surrender in my face, because he began to walk toward me again. I lowered the gun.

He threw back his head, howled like a wolf, and charged.

I was so shocked I just sat there, expecting to die. He did a cannonball into the pond and drenched me.

I waited for his head to surface. Instead, something wound around my ankle and yanked. My shriek became a gurgle as I sucked pond water.

He could have drowned me. He could have done anything and I couldn't have stopped him. My gun was on the bank. I was at his mercy. I didn't mind.

Before we even surfaced his mouth was on mine, the heat a contrast to the coolness of the water. His tongue tickled my lips.

We broke past the surface and into the sun. I tore my mouth free and breathed deeply. He took the opportunity to run his lips down my neck and lick the water from the tops of my breasts.

Near the middle he could stand; I could not. But he held my head above water with his hands at my waist.

"What's with the howl?" I demanded.

"Wolf clan." He shrugged. "I do it sometimes for fun."

"Fun. Right."

His idea of fun and mine were worlds apart.

"Do you ever swim in the nude?" he asked.

"Never."

"Wanna try?"

He didn't give me a chance to answer, just slipped the straps off my shoulders and yanked. The suit stuck at my hips.

"Not as easy as it looks, huh?"

He shrugged and gave another mighty tug. Suddenly my swimming suit was gone. Really gone.

"Hey! Give that back!"

"Sorry, lost it."

I blinked. "You mean - "

"Yep. Bottom of the pond. Good riddance."

"That's my favorite suit."

"No offense, but it's butt ugly."

"That's because my butt's ugly. The suit covered it nicely."

His hands slid from my hips to my ass. "Your butt isn't ugly. There isn't anything ugly about you. I'm going to buy you a new suit. One that suits you." He smiled.

"I'm glad you amuse yourself."

"Me, too."

He lifted, then plunged into me in one smooth thrust. I squeaked in surprise and clutched his shoulders.

"Wait, wait." But he was rocking against me, not pulling out, just rocking. Slow, deep, pushing against a part of me so rarely touched before. There was something I had to do, but I couldn't think.

"That's it," he murmured against my breasts. Soft kisses, gentle licks, and a tiny, soft nibble on the nipple. "That's it."

"Puppies," I muttered, and shoved him away with all my strength.

I had no delusions that he couldn't keep me right where he wanted me. He was stronger than I was. But he let me go.

"Puppies? Is that some new form of curse word?"

"Uh. Yeah. I'm trying to cut down."

He reached for me again and I slid out of his reach. "What's the matter, Jessie? You can't actually think I'm a werewolf. You don't believe in them, remember?"

He was right. I didn't believe in woo-woo. There was another explanation for all that had happened, everything I'd seen.