Vivian Arend - Wolf Tracks

She grabbed their clothes into a pile and he protested mildly. “You want us to crawl down naked?”

Pam reached out a hand toward him, dragging a finger through the moisture clinging to his firm abdomen. “I’m not putting clothes on a sticky body for five minutes when they have to last us a week.”

TJ shrugged, then picked up the blanket. She made her way cautiously to the edge of the roof and threw the clothes to the ground. TJ held her hand as she slipped a foot over to find the precarious top of the woodpile. Heading down wasn’t as easy as she remembered the upward journey had been.

“I can’t believe I actually raced up here.”

Once both feet were down, one log wobbled underfoot and she grasped TJ firmer to regain her balance. She took her time, testing each step until she made it to the bottom safely. TJ copied her and threw down the blanket. He spun around to place his feet. Hmm, what a nice ass.

He descended a few steps and she was just thinking how nicely the front view complimented the back when a loud crack rang out. The logs under his feet rolled and bucked, and suddenly TJ was fast approaching the ground, almost surfing the pile of timber that had seemingly come to life. Individual logs shook and spun, some falling to the side, some twisting in place as the entire mound collapsed. The wood crackled and snapped with an alarming volume, the clatter echoing off the cabin wall. Random logs fell left and right as he twirled his arms to maintain balance. Pam stepped out of the path of danger, watching with dread as the stack disintegrated. The once neat load completed its tumble to the ground, one final log teetering for a second before joining the rest with a gentle plop , TJ askew on top of the messy heap.

TJ lay face down on the mattress, sure his face was as red as his butt. Stabbing pain shot through his right ass cheek, and he pressed up on his elbows with a curse.

“Damn it all, leave them. They’ll fall out eventually. Ouch, shit. Stop it.”

Pam laughed at him and applied the tweezers again, trying to remove a few more of the splinters he’d gained upon contact with the firewood. “Stop being such a whiny puppy.”

He growled and her laughter grew louder. He collapsed and grit his teeth together. Fuck, it felt like she was digging post holes. “You having fun back there?”

“Uh-huh.”

Shit. He cringed again at an especially hard spike. “Bet you sucked at playing Operation when you were little.”

Pam gave an extra deep dig. “Horrible. Lost every time.”

He buried his face in the pillow and bit it. Hard.

She giggled. An honest to God, full-out girlish giggle that ended in a snort and TJ couldn’t take it anymore. He whirled, captured her in his arms and dragged her under him.

“Hey, I haven’t got them all yet.” She tangled her hands in his hair and pressed their mouths together, and all the splinters in the world weren’t enough to distract him from finding a condom and pleasing his mate all over again.

And again. On the bed, in the shower. Heck, they barely got supper cooking before his wolf prompted him to press her to the tabletop and take her from behind. The fragrant aroma of tomato sauce filled the cabin, the water for the spaghetti noodles boiled unminded in the pot as he pounded into her. Pam’s shouts of encouragement took them both to the edge quicker than he wanted. Every slide into her body nudged her farther into his heart. She reached back and grabbed his hand, threading their fingers together. He slowed and pressed his front to her back, twisting her head to the side to be able to stare into her eyes.

“This is real, Pam.” He thrust forward slowly, gazes locked together. “You, me. Together like this.”

She tightened her fingers.

Another rock of his hips. Another time being squeezed by her body so tight he could barely breathe. But it was the expression in her eyes that took his breath away.

So much hope, and so much fear. His wolf howled and he fought back the urge to claim her completely. Beat down the desire to take charge before she was ready. TJ closed his eyes and held on to control with a fine thread. All the while, they moved together.

It was probably the only thing that saved him. Pam’s willing presses against him as she rose to meet his thrusts calmed his wolf. Gave him the chance to ease the beast back and return to his human control once more. He tucked one hand around her torso, one hand between her legs to help her along, rubbing her clit in time with their joining until he felt her tighten under him, her orgasm grasping him in waves. He buried himself in her and let his restraints go, wishing with all his heart she was ready to accept all of him.

Forever.

“Another list?”

TJ took another couple of slow paddles, directing their canoe toward the bay they had selected. Day four, and time was slipping away too rapidly. The afternoon sun sparkled around them, the setting as idyllic as any picture postcard, but he felt a sense of urgency he’d never had before in the wilderness. Proving they were mates was like proving to a child the sun would rise in the morning. Facts could only explain so much before you had to let go and trust. “You can put your paddle away and I’ll let you take a peek. Oh, and you can turn around. I’m going to drop anchor while we fish.”

Pam tucked away the paddle and carefully lifted her legs over the gunwales as she rotated. The long line of bare skin showing below the edge of her shorts made his mouth water, and he stared off into the bush and thought of nasty things to divert his mind.

When the canoe stopped rocking he checked to make sure she was seated comfortably, then passed over the papers he’d had stashed in his pocket. She unfolded them and smoothed the creases. “The mate list. Which one are we going to do today?”

“Complementary interests.”

She stared at the paper and he wondered why she looked so sad. Why the burst of pleasure he felt from her faded so quickly to something close to despair. His connection with her had leveled out over the past two days, and he doubted it would grow any stronger until they actually made love without protection and he marked her as his. What they had now was like a shadow reflecting the real connection he considered possible. It was there, undeniable to him, but he ached for more.

Pam put on a happy face and refolded the paper, tucking it into her back pocket. She glanced at the second sheet of paper still lying in her lap and laughed. “Oh my God, are you expecting me to write an essay or something? I’m on holidays. I’m not into reports right now.”

“Hell no, those are topics to discuss. See, most mates I know have common interests. Robyn and Keil, you should see them on the slopes. They’re both totally insane skiers when they’re not leading a group. Erik and Maggie are both classical literature buffs.”

“So you think we should have a bunch of interests in common?”

She settled into the bottom of the canoe and adjusted her lifejacket so she could lean back on the front seat and use it as a backrest. Her long legs stretched out into the center of the craft, and TJ eyed them with longing. He sighed. No. While he’d been more fortunate than usual with his clumsiness so far this week, fooling around in a canoe would not end up a pretty picture.

“TJ?”

He caught her eye and stumbled for words. “I was staring again, wasn’t I?”

She blushed lightly, then tossed her head back, her dark hair bouncing around her shoulders. “I don’t mind. But back to the question…”

“I think we could have things in common, or we could be like Tad and Missy—they often have interests that when you put them together you get something that fits. He makes things out of wood and she enjoys sewing. Together they’ve made all kinds of gifts for the pack, like baby cradles and receiving blankets, and decorative wall quilts and hangers to display them on.”