Dark Wolf (Spirit Wild) - By Kate Douglas Page 0,18
grace or did she have to learn it? Had she always known her place in the world or, like him, had she ever wondered where she belonged?
No. Not Lily. She knew who she was. Why she was.
He tipped the valet, got behind the wheel, and headed north toward the Golden Gate Bridge. They traveled in silence through light traffic. This late at night, the bridge was almost empty of vehicles. A gibbous moon, almost full, cast a soft glow across the water flowing beneath the bridge on the incoming tide.
Mount Tamalpais was a dark shadow against a glimmering sky when Sebastian pulled into the lot overlooking the Golden Gate. He shut off the engine and glanced toward Lily. She studied him with eyes gone dark in the night.
“Do you shift magically?”
He nodded. “I do. I’m still learning. At home, in Montana, I pull energy from an ancient oak. Sometimes I think the damned oak is sentient, it has such rich power. I’m hoping I can do it here without my favorite tree.” Chuckling softly, he added, “I’ve got this terrible fear I’ll be left standing in the dark, bare assed and buck naked, unable to shift.”
She laughed and grabbed his hand. Squeezed it like an old friend. “That would totally ruin your image, wouldn’t it? C’mon. I’ve had enough of fancy clothes and high heels. Let’s hunt.”
The parking lot was empty when they both got out of the car. He’d parked toward the back of the lot, in shadows cast by a windblown cypress. This was nothing like the tree he called on at home, but he sensed a similar power in the tree, in the air, in the mountain behind him.
It would have to do. Turning his back to give Lily privacy, he quickly shed his jacket, tie, and shirt. Kicked off his shoes and stripped out of his pants. Almost laughed as he realized this was one of the oddest first dates he’d ever been on.
Then he sobered, as he thought of what lay ahead. Fear of failing lay like a lump of stone in his chest. He hoped like hell he’d be able to shift. Hoped Lily wouldn’t stand witness to an embarrassing failure.
His father’s critical words filled his head, the man’s absolute inability to accept his son’s occasional mistakes. Then Sebastian forced his mind in more pleasant directions. He thought of the evening ahead, of the chance to run beside the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
He wondered if her wolf was as beautiful as the woman. His heartbeat thundered in his ears as his body tightened, giving him yet another thing to worry about.
He hoped like hell Lily wouldn’t turn and look, wouldn’t see how painfully aroused he was, because then she’d know.
How very much he wanted her. And how fragile was his control, hanging by little more than a tiny thread of humanity.
4
Lily stepped out of her thong panties and shoes and put them next to her wrap on the front seat of Sebastian’s car. Then she slipped her dress over her head and tossed the small handful of silk on top of her shoes and panties. Cool air swept over her bare back, lifted the tendrils of her long hair, and gave her a perfect excuse for her taut nipples and aching breasts.
She leaned over the hood of the car, watching with unabashed desire while Sebastian removed his clothing. Need that had simmered slow and steady deep inside throughout the evening blossomed into an all-consuming ache. She wanted him, and she’d not even shifted. Generally this level of arousal came after a run, not before, but she’d gone without for much too long.
Even that wasn’t the whole truth. It wasn’t merely the fact she’d had no opportunity for sex. No, Sebastian was beautiful beyond belief. His body was strong and hard, his mind sharp, his sense of humor unabashedly fun. Everything about him attracted her. For the first time, she looked at a man and wanted the whole package.
She found it hard to believe he wasn’t Chanku. He had the tall, lean build she associated with their kind, the broad shoulders, strong thighs, and, now that he’d slipped his pants off, the most perfect ass she’d ever seen on any man.
He turned to throw his clothes in the car, and she caught her breath. He was fully erect, his long, thick penis rising high against his perfectly muscled belly. Again, graphic proof of his similarities to the Chanku males she’d known.