Page 25 of Wolves' Midlife Reunion
He let another extended silence fall between them for a few seconds. “If I’m really honest, I’ve been worried about how you feel about it.”
“Me?” Tina paused as they reached the trees that lined the back of the cemetery.
“I thought it might be uncomfortable for you, since Marie and I had been together. Plus, we were there in front of your whole family,” he explained.
“I see.” She ducked under a low-hanging branch, leading the way to a wide path that tunneled into a wooded area. “Honestly, I wasn’t thinking about it like that at all. Sure, you had a history with her, but she’s Sage’s mother. I can’t possibly get myself hung up on that.”
“Good. Then that means I really can come back next year with more white chili,” he said with a smile.
“Definitely.” She took a deep breath, inhaling the damp, earthy scent of the trees and the ground. “Want to go for a run?”
He eyed her curiously. “You’re really not the same girl you were, are you?”
As an answer, she leaned into her shift. Her wolf had been dying to get out for the past week or so, ever since she’d first seen Dex at the shop. It was hard to find time for it, but now it craved fresh air. The feeling of fur bursting through her skin and her bones shifting position was delicious.Much better.
Kind of like a good sneeze.
She turned to look at him. Dex was a handsome wolf, with thick fur, wide shoulders, and intelligent eyes.Your wolf does you justice.
He stepped up next to her, letting his shoulder rub against hers.You wolf up pretty well yourself. I like looking at you in your human form, but I don’t mind this, either.
Well, if you want to keep looking, you’ll have to keep up!Tina bolted down the path, her paws flying through the leaf litter. She stretched out her muscles, really letting her inner animal loose. Though she didn’t dare lose time by looking back, she could tell that Dex wasn’t too far behind her.
You’ve got the advantage here.
Do I need to slow down?she mocked.
I’d be insulted if you did!
His voice was pleasant in her mind, a reminder that they had a connection that went much deeper than being classmates. They’d known each other since before they were born, when their souls had been split into two. They may have found and lost each other again and again with each reincarnation on this earth, or perhaps there were lifetimes when they never found each other at all. Right now, with the moonlight streaming through the branches that arched over their path, Tina was thrilled to know they’d found each other once again.
The path took a sharp turn to the right. Her paws skidded slightly in the springy pine needles, but she quickly regained her balance. She launched up and over a slight hill, then to the left. A sharp curve in the path told her that their run had almost cometo an end, and her wolf began mourning it already. Tina dashed around the curves and into a small clearing where a thick, twisted tree stood at the center.
Dex was right behind her.Damn. If you can run that fast in this form, I’ll bet you do pretty well on two legs. You should’ve run track or something.
And hang out with the jocks? Ew. Gross,she retorted. She moved toward the deeper shadows under that central tree. With no small amount of regret, Tina let her wolf go. Her muscles contracted, and her bones pinched slightly as she worked her body back into her everyday form. She panted as she turned her back and leaned against the tree.
He did the same, shifting in a quick flash that let her know he did it regularly. “You’re right. You wouldn’t have anything in common with someone like that, would you?”
It’d been a lifetime since they’d been in school together, but in some ways, it also felt like yesterday. Her mind fought a constant battle between seeing this handsome man as the kid she knew and the man she was coming to know. “Definitely not.”
“I’m sure he wouldn’t want to have anything to do with you, either,” he said as he stepped up next to her, their feet close in the flat spot of earth among the tree’s great roots. “It’d be just like in the movies, where the guy can’t tell how hot a girl is just because she’s wearing glasses.”
She inhaled as he moved a little closer and put his hand on her waist, pulling in the deep, clean smell of his cologne mixed with the scent of the woods around them. “Does that mean she ought to take them off?” She reached up toward her glasses.
Dex stopped her hand halfway there, pulling it back down to her side and threading his fingers through hers. “Definitely not.” His eyes were intense, and his throat bobbed as he swallowed.
“Why not?” Her tongue and mouth felt alive with anticipation, a vibrating current that rolled through her body.
“Because she’s still the same girl, with or without them. He just had to be smart enough to finally see it.” Dex leaned in and kissed her.
Tina relaxed into it, very aware of the way their bodies were pressed together. His arm was strong and steady as it wrapped around her and pulled her even closer. She inhaled deeply as she felt his muscles against her softness, his hardness against her curves.
She opened up to him, her lips parting and their tongues twining. He spread his fingers as he ran a hand along her lower back, curling them in to relish in the curve of her hip. Dex still had her right hand captured, but she lifted her left one up and over his shoulder, skimming her fingertips through the short, freshly cut hairs on the back of his neck.
The passion she felt was even stronger than the Samhain energy she pulled in from these walks. She was with her mate, connected, entwined. There was a certain magic in being completely alone, without any judgment or worry, only the trees to sigh in the late-night breeze around them. Anything could happen right now, but being with Dex already felt like a miracle.
A beeping sound cut into the air around them. Dex jumped back and grabbed his phone. “I’m sorry. That’s the notification sound for work.”
