Hers to Take(24)

"What's going on, Kira? You seem like you're a million miles away today."

She forced a smile that she was sure he'd see right through and kept walking. "I was just trying to remember exactly how to get to my spot." She was a terrible liar. A fact he pointed out a moment later.

"You're full of shit." Nash chuckled. "But I know it's been awhile since you've shifted, so I won't push. I get it. If you want to talk about it, I'm here."

Kira exhaled long and hard. Of course he got it. Nash understood her in a way she'd never experienced before. He just had a sense about her and what she needed, what she was thinking and … well, everything. Being with him was easy and awesome and just got more so the longer they spent together. When she thought about how hard she'd tried to resist him, she could hardly believe it had been less than a month.

So much had changed.

And it was about to change even further.

"So, where are we going?"

She was grateful for the subject change. "It's this great little spot I discovered. The park hasn't made a trail up here yet, so only people who know to look for it will find it. And at this time of year, we should have it to ourselves."

"And what is it?"

"You'll see." She winked at him and continued along the trail that was so faint, she wouldn't have even known it was there if it weren't for her bear instincts. Muted as they were, they still helped with anything involving the outdoors.

Another few minutes of walking and they arrived at their destination, an opening in the trees, at the top of a cliff that overlooked the river and a set of bubbling pools of thermal waters, some of which were spouting little geysers. Kira set down her backpack, put her hands on her hips and breathed in a lungful of fresh air, laced with just the slightest bit of sulfur from the thermals below. She surveyed the land around them, and just as she'd expected, they were all alone. "Isn't it incredible up here?"

Nash wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her neck. "You're pretty incredible."

Kira leaned back and sank into him. Everything between them had happened so quickly, but it didn't matter because the ease between them felt comfortable and familiar while at the same time exciting the hell out of her. With his arms still around her, Kira pointed to the pools of thermals below them. "Watch," she said. "We're just in time."

"Time for what?"

"The geyser is going to erupt. This is the best seat in the house. The best part is not many people even know about this thermal pool because it's not easily accessible and almost no one knows about this spot. It'll be like a private show."




 

 

They spread out a blanket and Kira pulled out the picnic before she sat down next to Nash. "How do you know when it's going to erupt?" he asked. "Is it like Old Faithful?"

"Yes and no. It erupts fairly regularly, but not as frequently as the big famous one. This one only goes off every week or so."

"Ahh. And being that it's so far off the road, probably not worth developing into a major tourist site. Gotcha." Nash picked up one of the sandwiches she'd prepared. "I would say that I'm surprised I'd never heard of it, but I grew up on the other side of the park and our pack didn't roam around very much."

She watched him eat for a moment before she asked the question she'd been dying to know the answer to. "So why did you leave? I mean, you told me a little bit about your brother, but-"

The geyser beneath them erupted in a huge spout of water that shot up past their vantage point in a roar, interrupting Kira's question. Nash slipped his arm around her and squeezed. "That's pretty amazing," he said. "It doesn't matter how many times you see it. It truly is a phenomenon."

She nodded in agreement, her question forgotten for the moment as they watched the show. The water fell and rose, multiple times until finally it splashed to the ground as if someone had suddenly cut off the water supply and just like that, it was over.

"That was incredible."

"You're incredible." Nash turned her easily in his arms and kissed her. His hand cupped her face and held her to him as their tongues clashed together. It only took seconds before he had her entire body on fire. The need she had for him was almost explosive and it threatened to completely consume her every time they touched.

Nash pulled away, ending the kiss. "Are you ready?"

"For what?" All Kira could think about was his mouth on her skin, her hands clawing down his back while he pressed inside her, but the look in his eyes alerted her to something else. "Oh. That." Her desire faded away, replaced again by apprehension. "But it's still daylight."