“Really?”
“Yes.”
She released a deep sigh. “This isn’t going to be simple.”
“What about life ever is?”
“Philosopher now?”
“Yes. Wolf-astronomer-philosopher. That’s me.”
She laughed, then he surprised her by pulling her into his arms and kissing her. She drew back and looked up at him. “What are you doing? This isn’t helping.”
“You’re wrong. This will help a lot because you need to get out of your head.”
He kissed her again, only this time, she let him. She didn’t need a whole lot of encouragement to shift her focus or to slide her arms around his neck or to press her body the length of his. He held her tighter still.
The moment she parted her lips, his tongue slid inside, and her sex clenched. She wanted him bad, more than she’d wanted any man in Five Bridges for the past six years. She knew it wouldn’t be long before they were together, but she didn’t exactly think the timing was right. She had work to do.
Yet as he kept kissing her, gradually she began to relax and even to kiss him back, to nip at his lips and to use her own tongue to duel with his. She could feel him as well, his beautiful arousal and the promise of what it would be like to have him inside her.
She’d truly forgotten how wonderful it could be to have a man holding her tight.
Feeling as much as she did, it wasn’t surprising that her wolf made an appearance. She let herself experience this new expression of who she was as well. She released her wolf and felt her race in circles around the pair of them.
When her wolf began to bark, Grant drew back, though he still held her loosely in his arms. He watched the spectral run. “There she is. What a beauty.”
“I thi
nk she wants to go for a run. Why don’t you take her along the canal?”
His brows rose as he turned back to meet her gaze. “You’re okay with that? What about your neighbors? They might call in a patrol car if they see a wolf around.”
She smiled. “Well, why not? We’re about to enter the gates of hell. We might as well have some fun along the way.”
“Care for a second trip on my back?”
“I think I need to stay put. I may try accessing the future again.”
His smile broadened. “You’re more relaxed.”
“Then I admit you’ve helped me already.”
“My plan worked but just so you know, I’ll be doing more of that other stuff and soon.”
She laughed as he released her. “I’m counting on it. Now go.”
She watched him shift and for a moment wished she could do the same. Instead, she moved to the nearest sliding door and let both wolves out.
She closed the door at about the same time the wolves skidding across the gravel and headed toward the canal. When they disappeared, she became aware that with the smallest effort she could be in both places at once as well. She was racing in front of Grant and could feel him like a mountain following behind her.
She drew her consciousness closer to her physical form and was grateful Grant had gone with his instincts and had kissed her. She felt different now, better able to address her futurist issue.
She closed her eyes once more and let the cramping pain ride up her spine. Her palms turned up and her head arched. “Natalie,” she whispered. This time, she added, “And Grant.”
What returned was a sudden, intense vision of him in her bed and she knew it wasn’t far into the future. More tears, dammit. She remembered reading these books set in English history. There was a phrase that came back to her: watering pot. That’s what she’d become. A goddamn watering pot.
When Grant’s voice was suddenly in her mind, she realized the wolves had returned to the patio. The vision broke apart like sparkling light and she turned to open the door.