It was nice to be going to the national park, she thought, during the drive there. Most of the time she wanted to maximize her exercise time, so she walked out right from her apartment. But she actually didn't like pounding the sidewalk, people's eyes on her all the time. She looked forward to being in the dark and cool of the forest.
Kristin parked the car in an official national forest parking lot and headed off into the woods. It was as lovely as she'd expected. The pine needles were soft underfoot, and there was a cooling breeze, the air fragrant with all the smells of nature. Dappled light filtered through the trees, onto the forest floor. She'd set herself a target of six miles. It was a long way, considering how hungover she'd been this morning, but she sometimes used exercise as a way of punishing herself for the things she'd eaten, or her body for not looking the way she wanted it to.
She walked aimlessly, trusting her phone's workout app to keep her updated on her progress. She wondered how far away she was from the guys' cabins. It was a big park, and the entrance she'd just used had been nowhere near the road where she'd parked yesterday. The forest felt different here too – mainly pines, rather than the deciduous trees that surrounded the cabins.
"You have walked two miles," a sparky female voice announced from her phone. Wow! That had been pretty easy. She reached a junction with three paths leading off it, and she chose to go right, down the path that seemed to lead right into dense foliage. She loved the adventure of being in nature, never knowing what the next turning would bring.
This particular turning brought thick, bright green forest, pressing into the path on both sides. Kristin plunged on and on. Her favorite workout playlist was being piped through her earbuds, and the novelty of the setting was distracting her from the effort of her workout. All she was aware of was the lushness of the forest and the rhythm of her feet on the dirt.
Suddenly, something orange dashed across the path in front of her.
"What the fuck?" she exclaimed, stopping dead. Adrenaline was shooting through her limbs, and making her feel like her heart was about to explode. She'd definitely seen something, but it had disappeared into the undergrowth. She ripped her earbuds out of her ears and listened. All she could hear was the pounding of blood in her ears. She jogged forward to the spot where it had been, and peered into the bushes. There was nothing. Had it been a cat? A dog? A fox? She'd probably seen it for one-tenth of a second, hardly enough time to register it as anything. Hey, but what's that? There was a wisp of orange fluff caught on a thorn bush. Cautiously, she picked it out and held it in her hand, rubbing it between her fingers. It was surprisingly soft. Unconsciously, she lifted it to her nose and sniffed. It had a rich, spicy smell – animal, but with something else underlying it. There was a crack of branches overhead, and a twig fell from the sky. Kristin's head snapped up, and she gasped at what she saw. There was a huge, orange and black tiger up in a tree. It was crouched, rather precariously, on a branch that didn't seem thick enough to bear its weight, and it regarded her with glowing green eyes. For a split second, she was transfixed by its beauty and majesty. And then she ran.
Kristin span around and went back the way she'd come, running at full pelt. Vines tangled around her ankles and she tripped repeatedly on tree roots, but she didn't notice. The only thought screaming across her brain was, there's a tiger right behind me, and I've got to get as far away from it as I can.
She ran and ran for what seemed like miles. Her boobs were bouncing painfully and her lungs were burning, screaming for her to stop, but adrenaline drove her on. She was dimly aware of the annoyingly cheerful voice from her phone announcing "you have run 4.5 miles." Where the hell was she? She slowed her pace fractionally, ripped off her armband and tapped her workout app. Shit. Apparently she was now 2.5 miles from her car. That seemed like a very long way. But there's a tiger on your tail! She'd just take it slower. She plunged on, panting hard.
Then, above the loud rasping of her breath was the sound of someone shouting. She could only hear it faintly, but it seemed to be a man's voice. She stopped to listen, but the effort of her exertion caught up with her, and she bent over, hands on her knees, gasping for breath, drawing huge lungfuls of oxygen into her body. She felt dizzy, and nausea welled up in her stomach. When she was capable of standing up straight again, she looked around her wildly. She was in a small clearing, and there was no sign of the tiger. What was that guy saying?
"Hey! Shiftr app lady! It's ok!" came a voice, much louder this time, and from the track behind her. What the fuck? She whipped around, in time to see a tall, well-built man running towards her. In another second he was right in front of her. Oh my god, it's the tiger. Of course it is! Up close, he was absolutely gorgeous. His eyes were intensely green, and his face was so handsome, with lovely bone structure, and the most kissable lips she'd ever seen. His navy blue t-shirt clung to the torso that she already felt she knew so well.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he said, grinning a little sheepishly.
"Scare me? You almost gave me a heart attack!" she yelled. The effort of speaking made her pant again, and she paused, hand on her chest, trying to get her breathing under control. She was so exhausted and annoyed that she didn't even care that this stunning man was seeing her all hot and sweaty. He waited, giving her time.
"So that was you up that tree?" she said at last.
"Yes," he said, bowing his head.
"How the hell were you there? Were you stalking me?" she demanded. She could hear the aggression in her voice, but right now, she didn't care. She was so mad at him.
"No, of course not. I was just out in the forest, running, hunting, you know. And, to my surprise, I picked up your scent. I could tell that you were working out, so, of course I wanted to take a look at you. But you were going fast, and you were suddenly closer than I'd expected, so I leapt into a tree to avoid being seen by you. I just never expected you to look up. People never do."
"It's my job to be observant," she said drily. "I'm a journalist."
"That's really cool," he said, looking fascinated.
"Your pants are undone," she said, dropping her gaze.
"Oops, sorry." He pulled the zipper up, not at all embarrassed. "I just got dressed in a hurry," he said with a shrug. She saw a flash of dark hair before his pants were fully closed. Is he going commando? Fuck, that's hot! He took a step towards her.
"We haven't been introduced properly. I'm Roman." He held his hand out. Reflexively, she did the same. His hand was strong and large, and she felt something, like a buzz of static, as they connected.
"Kristin," she replied. He stood and looked at her seriously.
"Kristin, I need to understand why you don't think we're compatible. The app identified us as being a 100% match. We're fated mates. That's a rare and amazing thing. Some shifters spend their whole lives looking for their fated mate. Some die lonely because they never find them. For a shifter, it's the jewel in the crown of life." Kristin stared at him, feeling so, so torn.
"We're not fated mates, Roman. There's a lot about me that you don't understand. I'm flattered by you pursuing me, really I am. But I'm not the one for you. Please leave me alone now."
"Leave you alone – are you sure? You don't look like you want me to leave you alone," he said, in a low, purring voice. He took a step closer, and she took a step back, but not before she'd picked up his smell – a rich, masculine, outdoorsy scent, that seemed to insinuate itself into her nostrils. She gazed up at him wordlessly. "You look so sexy, glowing from your workout," he continued. She shook her head, breaking the tension.
"Please! I'm all hot and sweaty," she said.
"And that's very sexy. You've got a tiny rivulet of perspiration, right here." He reached out and touched her clavicle. Her body jolted, as if his finger had scorched her skin. "I would lick it away if we were more intimate with each other." At his words, a little flame ignited deep inside her. Her clit tingled and she felt a shiver as her nipples hardened. She was glad they were hidden by the industrial-strength sports bra she was wearing. She'd never heard such a seductive voice before. It was soft, and low, with a smooth hypnotic resonance. If I don't snap out of it, he could probably strip me naked right here without me protesting, she thought. God! That was perilously close to being her ultimate fantasy.
He took another half-step closer.