Crave This!_A 300 Moons Book Read online

  “Are you a coach?” she asked.

  “No,” he replied. “But I have a policy of donating to every community organization that asks. These guys always send a couple of the kids to the office to bring me a t-shirt or a water bottle or something afterward. It’s really nice but I wish they’d just spend the money on the team. Course I can’t say no when they’re jumping up and down to give me my present.”

  Sarah smiled, loving the idea of Max greeting the kids on his porch.

  Tell him, her heart cried.

  She opened her mouth and closed it again.

  She couldn’t do it. She just couldn’t.

  “We can go again whenever you’re ready,” he offered. “It’s a little tougher going for about another half an hour and then it opens up. I can’t wait for you to see it.”

  “You really know your way around up here,” she said.

  Max got a strange look on his face and his cheeks reddened.

  “Have you been up here often?” she asked.

  She wondered why a man running his own business would take the time to hike this forest, her forest, when it wouldn’t be ready to harvest for decades.

  “I wanted to get the lay of the land,” he told her gruffly as he got to his feet.

  “Thank you,” she told him. “I’m glad you care. I know you’ll do a great job when the time comes.”

  He didn’t answer, but he offered her his hand.

  She took it and was better prepared this time for the inevitable sizzle between them.

  He pulled her up but didn’t let go of her hand.

  For a moment they stood, inches apart, the heat burgeoning between them.

  She felt drawn to him, as if gravity had momentarily lost its pull on her. Time seemed to slow and she gazed up into his beautiful brown eyes, willing him to close the gap, wrap his arms around her…

  “Sarah,” Max groaned.

  The sound of her name in his mouth sent shivers down her spine.

  A bird shot out of the underbrush a few feet away with a searing cry.

  Sarah startled and stepped back, the spell broken.

  God, what had she been doing?

  Was she trying to go home pregnant a second time?

  The woods were suddenly alive with wildlife as birds, squirrels and even a family of rabbits scrambled down the hillside. The air filled with their cries.

  “Max, what’s happening?” she asked.

  10

  Max

  Max scented the danger just as he was about to succumb to his instincts and kiss her.

  Damn, he had shit timing.

  The birds and the other animals had caught the scent too, and wisely fled.

  But Sarah couldn’t fly or dash on nimble paws. She was so vulnerable, this mate of his.

  Mate, the bear agreed.

  Max moved in front of her, blocking her from the threat with his body.

  “Max,” she breathed.

  He sensed them before he saw them.

  Two silver wolves appeared in the shadows between the trees on the hillside above them, snouts lifted appraisingly.

  They were real wolves, not shifters, and eager to feed before winter made their prey more scarce.

  “Get out of here,” he shouted, hoping to frighten them away.

  One cocked his massive head inquisitively.

  The other took a step forward.

  “Stay behind me, Sarah,” Max said in a low voice.

  He hoped she wouldn’t be offended. He knew he’d been bossy and protective all morning. Hopefully she wouldn’t choose now to take a stand.

  The bear roared and gnashed its teeth in his chest, eager to burst free, to protect, to destroy the threat.

  Easy, boy, Max begged.

  Sarah stayed put.

  But the bear threw itself against the bars of its mental cage, desperate to guard their mate.

  Max would let no harm come to her, but he couldn’t just turn into a bear in front of her.

  Besides, he wasn’t even sure he could shift.

  The bear snarled, as if to challenge him to give it a chance.

  “Are those…?” Sarah trailed off.

  She had finally noticed what his senses had told him minutes ago.

  Before he could answer, he picked up the scent of a third wolf.

  It was crouching in the thick overgrowth beside them, taking advantage of the direction of the breeze to stay concealed as long as possible.

  They were cut off - trapped between the granite ledge and the wolves above and below.

  Now, the bear roared.

  Max looked from the powerful jaws of the wolves to the tender flesh of the woman behind him.

  And he let go.

  The movies made shifting look painful. The person screamed and convulsed in agony as their body twisted, bones cracking and skin straining to accommodate the new form. Though his parents had told him real shifting didn’t hurt at all, Max had always suspected they were stretching the truth.

  But today, the moment he shrugged off his control, it began seamlessly.

  As Max fell forward, the appearance of the trees before him went from colorful to riotous. Shades of gold and scarlet and green expanded before his eyes.

  He landed on massive front paws.

  He heard the breath of the wolves, the cries of the birds a mile away, the footstep of a mouse deep in the trees.

  He sensed his mate, cowering behind him, but she did not make a sound.

  Something was off about her, but he couldn’t place it. Complicated thinking seemed to elude him in this form.

  So he focused on the threat instead.

  The bear pushed to the front of his consciousness and Max mentally stepped back, watching through their shared eyes.

  He felt his fur stand on end as he roared with all his might at the two wolves on the hillside above.

  The one in front dropped to its haunches, ears pinned flat against its head.

  Its companion scuttled off sideways, tail tucked under its rump.

  Satisfaction burst in his chest and he roared again.

  Sarah whimpered.

  He whipped around to see the third wolf inching forward, teeth bared.

  Max cut off the path to his mate, stood on his hind legs and bellowed.

  The third wolf turned and fled down the hill, the other two at its heels.

  Filled with furious glory, Max roared again, so loudly it echoed off the tree trunks.

  It had been so long since he had tasted this freedom, his birthright, the ancient dance of the protector.

  The scent of his mate’s fear roused him from his celebration.

  He dropped back onto four paws, sniffed for more danger, but found none. The wolves were gone. What had spooked her?

  Us, Max’s human voice came from deep inside. She’s afraid of us.

  It was true, and the bear knew it immediately. He lowered his big head sadly to browse the ground near her feet in embarrassment.

  Let me back out, the man asked from within. I can help her understand.

  Reluctantly, the bear gave over.

  You will be free again, the man promised comfortingly.

  The bear did not know if this was true. He turned the idea around in his mind as his vision shifted and the world dulled to its usual palette through the man’s eyes.

  Max was crouching on the ground, naked at Sarah’s feet.

  “You must have so many questions,” he murmured.

  But she didn’t reply.

  Suspecting the worst, he straightened.

  Sarah gazed at him, eyes wide with wonder, maybe even admiration.

  But no fear.

  And then it hit him. That was what was wrong before, what had confused the bear.

  Sarah wasn’t afraid of him.

  And she didn’t seem particularly surprised either.

  Almost as if she’d expected it. But how was that possible? Even he hadn’t known what to expect.

  And he’d never told anyone his
secret.

  11

  Sarah

  Sarah gazed up at Max in abject wonder.

  She had known it was likely that he was a shifter if Orson was.

  But it was one thing to hypothesize and another to see the glossy fur and shining teeth, the sheer mass of him.

  He’d dropped into his bear so easily.

  And he had done it to protect her.

  “You must have so many questions,” he said.

  But before she could answer, the air shivered around them.

  The world went flashbulb white and a tremendous crash shook the ground.

  “Thunderstorm,” Max breathed.

  He grabbed his pack, took her hand and pulled her to action.

  They raced up the hill, in the opposite direction the wolves had gone. That much was good.

  On the other hand, they were running directly into the heaviest of the pelting rain.

  But Max’s pace brooked no argument and they ran on and on as the hillside turned to mud under their feet.

  At last they reached the top of the ridge. The mossy ground gave way to bare granite, a few scraggly trees growing in the cracks.

  From her new vantage point, Sarah could see what they had been sheltered from on the hillside below.

  Massive dark clouds shadowed the entire valley below and roiled toward them. As she gaped at the horizon, lightning forked across the sky.

  This wasn’t just any storm. This one looked dangerous.

  “Come on,” Max urged her. “It’s not safe out here.”

  He tugged on her hand and she allowed herself to be led into the shade of a small grove of golden yellow trees. Even with everything that was happening, it was hard to ignore his nakedness.

  “Wait here,” he said, letting go of her hand.

  She stood shivering in the trees as he disappeared.

  A moment later he was back, beckoning for her to follow.

  He appeared to be leading her up to a granite cliff.

  But when they turned she saw what had been hidden from the other angle.

  A cave.

  “There’s nothing else in there,” he told her above the sounds of thunder and rain. “I checked.”

  They approached the opening.

  Max bent to enter, but Sarah barely had to duck.

  It wasn’t very deep, but it was enough to shelter them.

  She turned back and saw the grove of yellow trees swaying against the dark sky, framed by the dark opening of the cave.

  Inside, everything was quiet and still.

  Max opened his pack, removed a pair of sweats and yanked them on, then pulled out a small plastic tarp. Part of her was sorry to see him cover up, but she supposed it was for the best.

  “Are you okay here for a few minutes?” Max asked. “I’m going to see if I can find some dry wood for kindling.”

  “Sure,” she replied.

  “Feel free to grab a dry shirt out of my pack,” he offered before disappearing out into the trees.

  The cave was cold, and Sarah’s wet clothes felt like ice.

  She opened the pack and dug around.

  Max was well prepared for a hike, she noted with satisfaction. The pack was stuffed with trail mix, a huge canteen, a couple of flannels, and two larger plastic tarps as well as plenty of other equipment.

  Though a fire sounded heavenly, Sarah knew there was no way to safely have a fire in a cave, even if the smoke found somewhere to go without choking them, the heat could thermo-crack the rock and cause a cave-in.

  But she might be able to build a shelter just outside the cave.

  She grabbed a tarp and a reflector out of the pack and pulled them to the entrance of the cave along with some twine. Then she dashed out to get the lay of the land.

  By the time Max returned, his body wrapped around an armload of kindling, Sarah had the tarp and reflector up between a couple of trees, angled to send smoke away from the cave. She’d spread out another tarp on the cave floor and set the pack on it.

  “Nice work,” Max said with a low whistle.

  “Hopefully it’s high enough not to melt in the heat of the fire,” Sarah said modestly.

  “One way to find out,” Max replied.

  They worked together to lay out the precious bits of dry wood on the ground.

  Max built the fire patiently and soon the little flames were burning bright.

  “We’ll keep it small,” he smiled. “We’ll have to sit closer, but it’s less risky for the tarp.”

  Sarah nodded.

  Though she was still cold and wet, the work of setting up the tarp had her feeling a smidgeon warmer. She wrapped her arms around herself.

  “You should probably change,” Max said. “There are two dry flannels in my pack.”

  “Thanks,” Sarah said, reaching into the bag. The idea of the warm flannel was irresistible.

  She entered the cave and looked back at Max to ensure he wasn’t looking. Then she bit her lip feeling dumb. It wasn’t like he’d never seen her naked before.

  But he was sitting with his back to her, facing out into the golden trees.

  She peeled off her sopping sweater and, after a moment’s thought, her bra as well.

  The flannel was warm and dry and soft as angel wings. It smelled like Max.

  She tried not to hug it to herself and failed. It just felt too good.

  She wrung out her sweater and spread it and the bra over a rocky ledge in the cave, hoping they would dry out a bit.

  “All set.” She came back out to the mouth of the cave.

  “That looks good on you,” Max said.

  “Thanks,” she muttered, seating herself in front of the fire and trying not to notice the way her nipples grazed the fabric of his shirt in response to his wolfish grin.

  Or maybe not so wolfish. Bearish? Was that even a thing?

  He got up and disappeared into the cave.

  Though he’d been a perfect gentleman while she was changing, Sarah couldn’t resist a quick peek since she might never see those gorgeous abs again.

  The cave was shadowy, but she was able to see the shape of his big body, muscles rippling as he slid on a flannel over the sweats.

  Sarah turned back, her cheeks burning.

  He turned into a bear.

  Somehow this information seemed less important than knowing that he was three feet away, half naked.

  He dressed mercifully quickly and she heard his footsteps heading her way.

  “So,” he said, sitting down beside her. “I turned into a bear.”

  She nodded slowly.

  “You seem less… surprised than I would have expected,” he said. “Do you have experience with, uh, people like me?”

  Sarah gulped.

  If she said she did, he’d surely have a follow-up question.

  If she said she didn’t, she’d have almost as much explaining to do as he had.

  She nodded slowly.

  “Okay,” he said. “Are you like me?”

  “No,” she said quickly.

  An odd twinge in her chest made her wonder whether maybe some part of her wished she was like him.

  Like Orson.

  “I didn’t think so,” he said. His tone made her wonder if perhaps he was a little disappointed.

  “Why not?” she asked.

  “My sense of smell,” he said. “I got a whiff of something when I saw you yesterday. But if you have a friend who’s a shifter that would explain it.”

  “So you guys can detect each other by scent?” Sarah asked.

  “Most times, not every time,” Max said.

  “So, Angela, is she a shifter too?” Sarah couldn’t resist asking.

  “No,” Max said with a guilty look.

  “Is that weird?”

  “Is what weird?” he asked.

  “I mean, don’t shifters usually pair up with other shifters?” Sarah asked.

  There was an awkward pause.

  “Um, Angela and I are not… paired up,”
Max said, his face reddening slightly.

  “You’re not?”

  “No,” he said. “You thought we were?”

  “Yes,” she admitted.

  “No, we’re just friends. We have been forever.”

  “Oh,” Sarah said, hoping her relief didn’t show on her face.

  “Most shifters do choose other shifters for mates, just because it makes things easier. But not all of us,” Max went on.

  Sarah felt hope spring in her chest. She searched frantically for a change of subject, hoping he wouldn’t read too much into her silence.

  “Were those real wolves back there, or were they…?” She hated to imply that shifters would behave so aggressively.

  “Oh, those were real wolves,” he explained. “And they are the only reason I shifted in front of you. I would never show off that way. Shifters are usually very private.”

  He seemed keyed up, restless.

  “Was it fun?” she asked.

  “What?”

  “Shifting,” she said.

  “It was unbelievable,” he told her immediately. “One second I was a man, the next I was a bear. No pain, nothing but instinct. And my senses were unreal. Felt like I could’ve heard a pin drop a mile away.”

  There was something odd about what he had just said, but Sarah couldn’t put her finger on it. Max was a passionate man, but he wasn’t taken to long speeches.

  What he had said sounded more like the kind of thing her little cousin had spouted after his first roller coaster ride.

  Then it hit her. These did not sound like the words of a man who turned into a bear regularly.

  No.

  They sounded like the words of a person who had just shifted for the first time.

  12

  Max

  Max’s senses were in overdrive.

  The bear stretched and preened in his chest, conscious of the fact that he had saved the day.

  Max himself was flying high on the incredible experience of having taken its form. Those urges to shift had gotten stronger and stronger the older he was. But he’d never been able to let go, to just give in like that.

  And he had done it because of Sarah - to protect her.

  The sound of the rain outside on the leaves was like applause.