“Lance?”
When his cousin didn’t answer, didn’t even acknowledge that he’d heard, he reached over the rear of Christy’s horse and slapped Buck’s rump. The horse bolted ahead, making Lance take hold of the reins to bring him back to a walk. Lance glared over his shoulder at Duncan, started to say something, then stopped. He’d gotten the message.
“Is everything all right?”
The way she looked at him, those big eyes so trusting, tore at the slim hold he had on his own wolf. He shifted in the saddle as his cock twitched to life.
Shit. We should’ve listened to Grant.
“We need to head back.”
“What?” She looked to Lance who didn’t give any hint either way. “But why? We just got here.”
“Bringing you out here…” He shook his head, unable to explain the real reason. “It was a mistake, that’s all.” He and Lance had let their need for her overtake their common sense.
Lance, however, wasn’t going for it. He dismounted, walked Buck over, then took hold of Star’s bridle. “We’re already here so why not enjoy it?”
Duncan hoped she couldn’t see what he saw. Lance had stepped too close to the boundary between control and abandonment. The flecks of amber as well as the barest glimpse of his fangs told him as much. It was up to him to bring his cousin back to reason.
Christy let Lance help her off her horse. For a moment, they stood, chest to chest, her hands on Lance’s shoulders, his on her waist. The air sizzled with their connection, striking Duncan in the gut. The world blurred and his wolf scrambled to the forefront of his mind.
He wanted her. Like nothing he’d ever experienced before, he wanted her.
No. That wasn’t it, either. It was something more than want. It was an obsession, knowledge that if he didn’t have her as his mate, he’d go insane.
Duncan swallowed and slid off his horse. He was beside them, ignoring the horses as they stepped away, their heads going to the grass to feed.
“Lance. No.”
Her mouth was parted, an invitation if he’d ever seen one.
The muscles in Lance’s face worked, his struggle to not give into the moon’s pull showing. Even without the influence of the amber moon, it would’ve been hard enough not to want her, not to pull her against them and feel her body melt to theirs. The connection made that true any day. But with the moon’s invisible tug snaring them in its grasp, it was next to impossible.
Still, he had to try and maintain control. After what Gabe and Merle had attempted, they had to take it slow. “Want to see Lance catch a fish?”
Lance blinked, thrown by Duncan’s question. “What?”
Duncan forced himself to step away. He took her hand as he did, pulling her with him toward the water’s edge.
“But we didn’t bring any fishing poles. I may be a city girl, but I know you need a pole to fish.”
The more he moved, the more the instinctual tug pushed at him to claim her. Duncan brought her to the very edge of the water, then backed up and waved his cousin forward. “Show her, man.”
“Now? This wasn’t what I had planned.”
“I know,” he whispered. “But this is safer.” The look he gave his cousin was sure to communicate that he’d changed his mind, that he’d finally realized what a mistake they were making.
“Fine.” Lance came to the edge of the water and tugged off his socks and boots, then rolled up his jeans to wade into the water.
Christy moved forward. “Don’t tell me you’re going to catch a fish with your bare hands.”
Duncan was sure Lance would rather catch her, just as he would. “Just stay quiet and watch.”
Lance pushed up the sleeves of his shirt and bent over the water. They stood as quiet as they could and waited.
A few minutes later, Lance drove his hands into the water and brought them back up. A fish flip-flopped in his hands.
“Wow. I can’t believe you did that.”
Duncan would do almost anything to get her to look at him with such admiration. He vowed he’d find a way to do just that.
“Do you want to try?”
She pointed at herself. “Me?”
Lance shrugged, acting as though it hadn’t taken him months to learn from the werebear that had taught him. “Sure. Come on in. The water’s great.”
The water was probably cold. Duncan shot his cousin a suspicious glance. Lance knew damn well she wouldn’t learn to catch a fish that fast. In fact, he’d never known any human that could. “Lance, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Christy had her sneakers off and her jeans rolled up. “No. I want to try. It’ll be fun.”