A Wolf's Obsession: Part One: (BBW/Shapeshifter Paranormal Romance) (Alpha Lands Serial) (6 page)

Then, "I'm coming to the school tomorrow for a photography field trip."

"Yes, I know," Rosa said.

"I hope you can be there."

Rosa smiled. He was asking her out. Sort of. He was asking her to be in the same place as him at the same time. That was something. "Yes, I'll be there."

Together, they watched the sun set through her living room window. For a moment, she saw his face darken, and he peered into the glass. With the falling darkness, though, all they could really see was their own reflections.

Jared abruptly stood up and walked to the door. "Tomorrow, then," he said.

"Tomorrow."

Rosa locked the door behind Jared and closed the living room blinds before curling up in bed with Jared's book and daydreaming about his wolf.
 

______

Thirty-six kids earned the privilege of going on Jared's photography field trip. The weather was beginning to cool into October, and everyone was aching to be out in the woods. Cooping up wolf kids all day for weeks on end was not natural. Jared always thought the Anya tribe went a little overboard in emulating human education. They had so much more to teach their students.

He hadn't seen Rosa yet. He kept an eye on the door as he distributed cameras to the kids from the back of his truck. Each time it opened, he felt a tiny thrill in his chest. Each time, he was disappointed.

When he had only two cameras left, Jared resigned himself to the fact that she was not joining them. He signaled to the teachers that they were ready to go.

As a group, the adults and children headed south toward the Southwoods trailhead. Adult wolves generally didn't follow human trails, but they used them to train the young kids. When they were only a few steps away from the trail, Jared heard someone call out, "Wait for us." He froze in place, immediately recognizing Rosa's voice. He turned to see her leading two kids by the hand toward them. He walked back to his truck and pulled out the two extra cameras as they reached him.

"Hi," Rosa said, a little out of breath. "We had some technical difficulties. Thanks for waiting."

Jared ignored the urge to touch her. She had pulled her hair back in a ponytail, which swished side to side as she walked. She wore a white, loose blouse that dipped just enough to show an inch of cleavage. His wolf latched onto that small bit of flesh, pulling him out of his human mind for a minute. He turned away to regain his composure. He didn't realize that being around Rosa would incite such strong feelings in him. Organizing this trip was probably not a good idea, if he would be fighting his wolf every step of the way.

He shut the door on the truck. "Let's go."

Jared let Rosa and her two charges walk in front of him, giving himself a little distance. They met up with the rest of the group and took off down the trail.

As long as they were walking, he would be all right, he told himself. But as they made stops every few minutes for the kids to take pictures, Jared found himself inching closer and closer to Rosa. It was impossible to keep his eyes off her. She was constantly in front of him, where he could see the way her hips swayed in her tight jeans. He'd never seen a more perfect pair of hips on a female. Her body was designed for mating. And the way she worked with the kids, always listening, always speaking to them as equals, showed him she would be a natural mother.

With his human side lusting for her, and his wolf side yearning to make her his mate, he thought he'd lose his mind before the trip was over. He had to look away and think of something else to keep from embarrassing himself with a particularly ill-timed erection.

Time crept by at an excruciating pace. He worked with the kids as much as possible to distract him from Rosa, but she always seemed to show up just a few steps from him. Even his human nose could detect her scent and trigger another echo of pheromones from his own body. Several of the teachers noticed his struggle and started talking and giggling behind their hands. He could only thank the universe that Rosa herself could not pick up all of the clues his body was leaving her.

His hopes of convincing himself that Rosa was not the one for him deflated. If he survived the afternoon, he would have some serious thinking to do.

______

With Jared so close, Rosa felt a little dizzy. It was a good thing other people were around. She wasn't sure she could stay away from him if they were alone. The trail was beautiful, and she was sure they kids were capturing some terrific photographs, but all she could think about was Jared coming up behind her, sweeping her hair to one side, and nibbling on the side of her neck.

Damn, she had to get him out of her mind before the field trip ended in humiliation. And she had to think of Raub. It would be terribly unfair to drop him because she lusted after another wolf. He was kind and smart and protective. He was handsome enough in human form, and his wolf was striking. She loved to lie next to him and play with the soft fur on his back.

Raub didn't deserve to be treated poorly. She just needed to give the relationship time to evolve. That's what mature adults did, right? Follow the safe, comfortable path until it converged easily with the other person's path?

She just couldn't shove Jared out of her heart long enough to take a breath. She really was doomed.

______

After the trip, Rosa helped Jared collect the cameras from the kids while the other teachers led them into the building. She noticed that he avoided looking her in the face as she handed him the equipment. She wanted to feel relieved, but as the minutes passed, disappointment swelled in her chest.

When the last camera was put away, Jared finally looked at her.

"Thank you for helping," he said in a formal tone.

"Everyone really had fun," Rosa said. "I had no idea kids that young could understand f-stops and aperture."

"I know," he said. "I was shocked the first time I came out here. When I downloaded their photographs to the computer, I couldn't believe what I was seeing."

"Kids are amazing."

Jared looked away again. They stood there awkwardly by the drivers side of the truck. Rosa wanted to say something else, but her mind was blank. Standing this close to him with no one else around reignited every cell in her body. She felt like they were at a crossroads, and she was the one expected to direct traffic.

"Jared," she said, and then went quiet again.

"I know," he said, still not looking at her.

Her heart leapt at this acknowledgment. Maybe her feelings were not as one-sided as she thought. Possibilities flooded her brain, pushing Raub into a smaller and smaller corner of her mind. He simply didn't awaken the raw sensuality inside her like Jared did. Her body had made the choice for her.

Without saying a word, Jared took her hand and led her back to the trailhead. Just inside the trees, where no one from the school could see, he pulled her into a kiss that made her world shake. She became aware of just how large he was, how solid. His kiss was full of hunger that she wanted so badly to satisfy. As their lips came together again and again, Rosa felt like she was in the safest place in the world and the most dangerous, at the same time. Nothing could make her leave his side until a tiny fraction of her desire for him was satisfied.

Jared abruptly broke off the kiss and moved farther up the trail, eventually going off the trail altogether. It was clear that he knew these woods well, and he had a destination in mind.

Rosa followed as quickly as she could, but she didn't know how to dodge tree limbs and step over rocks like he did. She held her arms up to protect her face from the branches, but then, she missed one of the bigger rocks in her path. She stumbled and fell to her knees.

Jared responded instantly. "Rosa, I'm so sorry. Are you hurt?"

"I don't think so." She was shaking from the combination of their fast-paced walk, the adrenaline from falling unexpectedly, and the pure pheromones from Jared's body. He helped her to her feet effortlessly.

"Just a bit longer," he said, taking off again, but at a slower pace. This time, he held the branches for her as he forged their path parallel to the river.

Rosa knew they'd reached their destination when the woods gave way to a small waterfall. She caught her breath. It was stunning, appearing out of nowhere. At that moment, she couldn't think of any landscape more beautiful. Jared helped her navigate the large, flat rocks leading to the curtain of water cascading down in front of them. He showed her the way to go behind the wall of water without getting soaked. At that point, though, she didn't care if she was wet or dry, hot or cold. All she wanted was him.

Now.

With the roar of the water in her ears, Rosa fell into Jared's arms. He kissed her with renewed vigor, attempting to touch her in many places at the same time. She closed her eyes and blindly gave her body over to him. His heat, his passion, his pure animal need surged through her again and again as he eased her down to the smooth rock below their feet. He pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it aside. He unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, and peeled them off. When she was left with nothing but her bra and panties, he stripped himself down to bare skin for her.

Rosa had never seen a man's body look so statuesque. All she could do was take in the sight of him until she had memorized every line of his body. She burned deep in her core when she saw that he was quivering, losing control inch by inch. He closed his eyes and released a low moan that raced through both of them.

"Rosa," he said, and then he didn't need to say anything more.

She watched him devour her with his eyes as he unfastened her bra and helped her slip her panties off. She read the carnal need on his face as he followed all of her curves from neck to ankle. His wolf was bright in his eyes, but he touched her with great care, a gentle giant. Each touch was more erotic than the one before, until Rosa thought she would lose her mind before their bodies fully came together.

As he stretched out next to her, she felt his heat against her thigh. She automatically reached down and slid her fingers down the hard shaft, even though she'd never touched a man like that before. He took a sharp breath and gently pushed her hand away.

"Not yet," he whispered in her ear.

Time stopped as Jared touched her breast, softly at first, and then with an eagerness he could no longer contain. Her nipples hardened at his touch, inviting him to take one into his mouth. She felt the delicious pressure of his tongue all the way down to her toes. She cried out, but the waterfall drowned out her voice. The vibration of Jared's moans rang out through her body has he moved lower and lower. She could feel his body shaking against hers.

He kneeled at her feet and firmly spread her legs to open her to him. He went down on her, licking and sucking and biting to pull every bit of desire from her. Every different sensation pushed her closer and closer to the edge. While he pleasured her with his mouth, he pushed his thumb inside of her. Her back arched at this unexpected penetration, and she trembled with the need for release.

Now, she could barely remember where they were. Her body felt like a collection of raw nerves, all tuned to give her the most pleasure. The edge came at her quickly, dropping her over the cliff of orgasm. Her body twisted, and she cried out, not fully grasping what had just happened. She'd never felt anything like this. She had no idea her body could generate this much raw pleasure.

She had not told Jared that she's a virgin.

______

Jared was so immersed in Rosa's body—his own hunger raging and howling as he held back—he almost missed the sound of someone approaching the waterfall. It was barely more than a leaf crunching against the earth, but it was enough to bring his wolf to the surface instantly. As he shifted, he hoped he wouldn't frighten Rosa. With danger lurking, he had no other choice.

He couldn't tell her what was happening, so he quickly licked her hand, hoping she understood that she should stay where she was. He jumped through the curtain of water and landed high on the river bank with one of his back feet slipping off the edge. He swung his head back and forth, listening, watching. Someone was here. He could smell another wolf, one he didn't recognize. Where the hell was the intruder?

With his hackles raised, Jared followed the heavy, unfamiliar scent. At least the trail led away from the waterfall and Rosa. Her safety was the only thing on his mind as he tracked the stranger.

After a few minutes, Jared caught sight of their voyeur. The wolf saw him, too, but he didn't challenge Jared right away. Confused by the wolf's demeanor, Jared crept a bit closer. He still didn't recognize the animal in front of him. What the hell did he want, lurking around a mating couple at such a vulnerable time? Whatever it was, Jared knew his intentions were not benevolent or innocent.

He continued following the wolf, making sure he kept himself between Rosa and the stranger. Soon, the game infuriated Jared. Confident that the wolf was still heading away from Rosa, Jared finally turned and loped back to the waterfall. He ducked under the curtain of water again, fully expecting to see Rosa sitting there.

Both Rosa and her clothes were gone.

Confused and alarmed, he took a few steps backward, trying to decide what to do next. The logical thing would be to track Rosa's scent. But what if she was heading straight for the wolf? Would he only drive her toward danger faster? Would she mistake Jared in his wolf form with the other male? He thought he could smell fear in the air. The thought of her being terrorized made him crazy. He broke into a flat-out run in the direction of Rosa's scent until he finally spotted her white shirt.

He howled without meaning to, forgetting that she couldn't understand anything he said in this form.

She was sitting on the ground like she was waiting for him. When she looked up, the horror in her eyes cut straight through him. He stopped abruptly to keep from making the situation worse. She gasped.