Between Two Wolves (BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Menage Werewolf Romance) Read Online Free Page B

More
than you can imagine.” I held the rock, thinking about my father, about him and
me—just him and me—for as long as I could remember. Maybe this rock
should be for my mother, who left us when I was seven. But I'd given up being angry
at her a long time ago. She'd made a choice in her life that didn't include her
husband or her daughter. I didn't— couldn't understand why. But
being angry with her had torn a hole in my heart. I'd given up the anger, and
tried to patch up that hole.
    But my dad...missing him was a palpable
thing, an ache somewhere deep inside. I didn't want to forget him, but the pain
of missing him was just as sharp as if he'd died yesterday, instead of two
years ago. I wanted the memories, just not the pain.
    I held the rock, weighing it in my hand.
Closing my fingers around it I raised my arm, ready to toss it into the river.
But I couldn't unclench my fist. I brought my arm down, opened my hand, and
looked at the rock through a curtain of tears. Maybe this was the wrong time,
wrong place for this. I found myself crying, tears plopping onto the rock,
making the black surface glisten. Not today. Finally I slipped the rock
into my pocket.
    After a minute or two I scooted to a
lower rock, pouring another cup of wine. The water rose up around my waist,
heat sinking into my core. I slouched down, stretched my arms along the rocks
at the edge of the pool, and let the water rise up almost to my chin. I was in
heaven.
    I lost all track of time as the water
moved and danced around my body. My muscles relaxed bit by bit, and then all at
once it was perfect. The water was the perfect temperature and I couldn't
really tell where I ended and the water started. My body floated, and my mind
went blank. Maybe the rock tossing ritual had actually helped.
    There was a bird singing somewhere in the
middle distance, a low whistle that repeated twice, then paused, then picked up
again. I counted the repeats, waiting through the pauses, then started
whistling back, trying to see if the bird would answer. It did, giving me a
long series of whistles in response to my amateur attempts. I giggled, and took
another sip of wine. I was nicely buzzed from the heat and the wine, and by
now, more than a little giggly.
    “That's pretty good. You must spend a lot
of time up here.”
    I sat up too quickly, slipped in the
water, then splashed around for an awkward minute, while trying to see who was
talking to me. The sun was in my eyes, and all I could make out was a dark form
towering over me.
    “Sorry. I startled you.” The form moved
around to the other side of the pool. I pivoted, watching him turn from a dark
faceless shape into a man with longish dark hair and piercing blue eyes.
    “You did.” I'd stopped splashing now, and
I sat on the edge of the rock, watching as he walked so the sun was shining on
his face. My heart was still thumping away in my chest. There was always the possibility
of other hikers showing up at the springs, but still, he’d scared the daylights
out of me. And no matter how nice hikers could be, I was always uneasy when I
was out here alone, and a lone guy showed up. I like to trust people, and give
them the benefit of the doubt, but I’d heard enough stories over the years to
be wary. He seemed okay, so far. But I sort of regretted being buzzed on wine, and
out here all alone.
    “Sorry again. I thought you heard me walk
up. I crashed through the underbrush like a moose. Anyway, can I join you?” He
dropped his pack and smiled at me. For a minute I lost the thread of our brief
conversation. The smile was dazzling, all white teeth set against tan skin. I
managed to look at the rest of his face, bright blue eyes framed by long dark
hair curling around his shoulders. The moment stretched on, and then I
remembered he'd asked me a question.
    “Oh, yeah. Sure. There's lots of room.”
Actually, there wasn't. It was one of the smaller pools. But it would hold two.
I pulled myself upright, the air