The Fairy Tales Collection (26 page)

Rowan grabbed her hand.  “No, it’s okay. 
I’m just kidding.  I think.  God, I don’t even know where to begin.”

“Start from the beginning,” Ella said. 
“Tell us everything.”

* * *

“I was so convinced it was real,” Rowan
said quietly.  “But in the truck, the look on his face…”

She trailed off and finished the last of
her lemonade.  “God, I’m such an idiot.”

There was no reply and she looked up to see
Ella and Belle staring at each other. 

“What?”  She said.

“Nothing,” Belle said quickly.  “I don’t
think you need to be embarrassed.  Everyone has sex dreams.”

“It just felt so real,” Rowan said again.

“I think it was,” Ella said.  She ignored
the look that Belle was giving her and leaned forward.  “It doesn’t sound like
a dream to me, Ro.”

“So the part where his eyes glowed and he
grew fangs was real?”  Rowan said before snorting. 

“Well,” Ella gave Belle a look that Rowan
didn’t understand, “that part probably wasn’t real.  I mean, people don’t just,
uh, grow fangs, but I think you did have sex with Rafe in the forest.  The
fangs thing was probably because you had just seen the wolf before you ran into
Rafe.  And if the sex was as good as you said it was, you probably had some
kind of hot-sex hallucination.  Hell, the other night Duncan made me come so
hard, I swear I blacked out for a minute or two.”

“Or maybe,” Belle said brightly, “you have
a furry fetish and are just starting to realize it.  You totally imagined the
fangs and fur.”

Rowan frowned at her.  “He didn’t have fur,
Belle.”

Belle made a nervous little laugh as Rowan
stood and walked to the end of the deck, staring out at the lush backyard. 
Belle immediately punched Ella in the arm.

“What are you doing?”  She hissed under her
breath.

Ella flapped her hands at her and then sat
back as Rowan turned around.  “Okay, so what if you’re right.  What if Rafe is,
like, I don’t know some kind of hippie who likes to run around naked in the
forest and we just happened to stumble onto each other and have sex.  Why would
he lie about it?”

“Because he thinks he’s too old for you,”
Ella said.  “We’ve already established that.”

“Yeah, but why go to all that trouble to
convince me it was just a dream?  He would have had to dress me, clean my feet
and carry me back to Nana’s.  All without waking me.”

Belle snorted.  “Not waking you is the easy
part.  A tornado wouldn’t wake you once you were asleep, Ro.”

She nudged Ella.  “Remember that time at
summer camp when we had that terrible thunderstorm? Lightning struck the tree
right outside our cabin and split it in two.  Half the girls in the cabin were
screaming in terror and Rowan slept through the whole damn thing.”

“Fine, I’m a heavy sleeper,” Rowan said. 
“But, God, it would have just been a whole lot easier to tell me he made a
mistake and that it was, I don’t know, Mother Nature or the Moon Goddess that
made him have sex with me.”

“The Moon Goddess?”  Ella said with a
laugh.

“He kept telling me to look at the moon,”
Rowan said.  “Shit, is there some kind of cult that worships the moon?  It
would be just my luck that Rafe is in some weird satanic cult.”

Ella laughed again.  “I highly doubt that,
Ro.  Now, tell the truth – do you really think you were dreaming?”

Rowan hesitated before shaking her head. 
“No, I don’t.  It was the best goddamn sex of my life and I refuse to believe
that it was a dream.  I can still hear his voice in my head, feel his hands on
my body and his…”

“Yeah, we get the picture,” Belle said
hastily. 

“I wouldn’t mind a few more details,” Ella
said sweetly and then flinched when Belle smacked her on the leg.

“So, what are you going to do?”  Ella said.

“What do you mean?”  Rowan frowned at her.

“What are you going to do?”  Ella
repeated.  “You like Rafe, it’s obvious, and sex with him was amazing.  Are you
going to just let that go or are you going to go after what you want?”

“He’s not interested, Ella.  He didn’t – “

“Obviously he is if he banged you in the
middle of the forest,” Ella said impatiently.  “So he thinks he’s too old for
you, so what?  Change his mind.”

“How?”  Rowan said.  “He avoids me.  He
never goes to Gaston’s anymore and I didn’t even know that he was helping my
grandmother at her place.  He’s never there when I am.”

“Don’t you normally go to your
grandmother’s on Sundays?”  Ella asked.

Rowan nodded.  “Yes.”

“Maybe you need to start dropping in at
your grandmother’s during the week?”  Ella suggested innocently.  “If, that is,
you’re certain that Rafe Taggert is the one for you.”

“He is,” Rowan said.  “I don’t care what he
thinks or what anyone else in this town thinks.  I want him.”

“Then take him,” Ella said softly.

Rowan suddenly grinned at her before
grabbing her empty glass.  “I’m going to get some more lemonade, anyone else
want more?”

They shook their heads and Rowan
disappeared into the house.  The moment she was gone Belle gave Ella a look of
panic.

“What the hell, Ella!”

“What?”  Ella said.

“What do you mean, what?  You can’t tell me
that you aren’t thinking the same thing I am.”

“That Rafe Taggert is a wolf shifter,” Ella
said confidently.

Belle gave her a suspicious look.  “Did
Duncan tell you he was?”

“Of course not.  You know how they are –
they won’t say a damn word about other shifters.  But c’mon, Belle.  It’s
obvious.”

“Yeah, to us, but Rowan has no idea that
shifters exist.”

“Not yet she doesn’t.  But I think that’s
about to change,” Ella said.

“You want her to find out,” Belle said
suddenly.  “It’s why you’re pushing her to go after Rafe.”

“No,” Ella said sternly.  “I want her to go
after Rafe because it’s obvious that she wants to be with him.  I know we’ve
teased her for years about her crush on him but I think in the last few months
it’s become more than just a crush.  I want Rowan to be happy and I think Rafe
will make her happy.”

She squeezed Belle’s hand.  “Although it is
an added bonus that he’s probably a wolf shifter.  Just think of how much
easier it would be if we didn’t have to hide the fact that our boyfriends are
shifters from Rowan.”

“It would be nice,” Belle sighed.  “But
what if Rafe doesn’t want her?  It’ll break her heart.”

“Are you kidding me?”  Ella said dryly. 
“He lured her out of the house and then fucked her brains out.  He wants her.”

“Maybe it was because of the full moon,”
Belle said.  “Did you ever think of that, Ella?  Maybe Rafe goes around every
full moon and seduces a different woman.”

Ella burst into laughter.  “You can’t
possibly believe that, Belle.”

“Fine, I don’t,” Belle said.  “But I’m
worried that Rafe won’t get over this age difference thing.”

“He will,” Ella said confidently.  “Rowan
will change his mind, you’ll see.”

Rowan came out of the house and smiled at
them.  “What are you two whispering about?”

“Just concocting plans for how you’re going
to seduce Rafe Taggert,” Ella said brightly.  “Is your car still in the shop?”

Rowan made a sour face.  “Yes.  And will be
until next week.  If I’m planning on dropping in at my nana’s house out of the
blue, it’ll have to wait until then.”

“Well, lucky girl,” Ella said sweetly, “you
have a best friend who is more than happy to give you a lift to your
grandmother’s house any time you want.”

“Are you sure Rafe is going to be at your
nana’s today?”  Ella asked as she pulled into Lydia’s driveway.

Rowan nodded and grabbed her bag from the
back seat.  “Yep.  When I was talking to nana yesterday, she casually mentioned
that Rafe would be dropping by to fix the fence.”

Ella laughed.  “Go, Lydia.”

Rowan grinned at her.  “Nana thinks a lot
like you, Miss Ella.”

Ella leaned over and kissed her on the
cheek.  “Have fun seducing Rafe, honey.  I’ll be back at three to pick you up
and drive you to work.”

Rowan grabbed her hand.  “Thanks, Ella.  I
really appreciate this.”

“Anytime.  Now go…seduce your little heart
out.”

* * *

Rafe parked his truck next to Lydia’s car
and grabbed his toolbox before heading to the back yard.  Lydia stepped out on
the front porch and waved at him.

“Hello, Rafe!”

“Hi, Lydia.  I’m just going to get started
on the fence.”

“Thanks so much.  I can’t tell you how much
I appreciate this.”  She stared up at the sun for a moment.  “It’s such a hot
day, I’ll bring you some lemonade in a bit, okay?”

“Sounds good,” he said.

She disappeared into the house and he
grabbed the new boards that were leaning against the shed.  Twenty minutes
later he had the rotting boards ripped away and he stopped and stripped off his
shirt, using it to wipe the sweat from his face before placing a new board
against the fence.  He heard the back door open and set his hammer down.  He
was hot and thirsty and –

He froze as Rowan’s scent drifted to him
and he turned slowly.  His wolf made a mad howl of need and he inhaled
sharply.  Rowan, wearing nothing but a ridiculously tiny green bikini, smiled
and waved at him.

“Hello, Mr. Taggert.”

“What are you doing here?”  He said.  He
took a stumbling step back as she moved toward him.

“Visiting my grandmother,” she said, “and
sunbathing.  It’s the perfect day for sunbathing, don’t you think?”

His gaze drifted to her small breasts. 
Fuck, his goddamn mouth was watering at the thought of sucking on her perfect,
pink nipples.  His eyes moved to her crotch and he clenched his hands into
tight fists, remembering the feel of her smooth, soft skin, the way her pussy
had clung so tightly to his cock.

“Mr. Taggert?  Is everything okay?  You
look kind of tense,” Rowan said.

“I’m fine,” he snapped before turning away.

He told himself not to look then looked
anyway when he heard her move away.  She was bent over, spreading a blanket out
on the ground, and he made a low growl of need at the sight of her ass.  For
how slender she was, she had a great ass - a fucking amazing ass, actually –
and he growled again as his cock hardened.

She looked over her shoulder at him.  “Did
you say something?”

“No.”  He swung around again, embarrassed
that she had caught him ogling her ass like the dirty old pervert he was, and
picked up the hammer.  He would finish the fucking fence and get the hell out
of here before he did something he’d regret.

He had only hammered a single nail when she
tapped him on the back.

“Would you mind putting some sunscreen on
my back, Mr. Taggert?”

Rafe set the hammer down and turned.  Rowan
was holding out a bottle of sunscreen and he deliberately kept his eyes on her
face as he shook his head.  “Your grandmother is inside.  Ask her.”

“But then I’d have to walk all the way back
inside.  Why do that when you’re standing right here?”  She said sweetly.

She took a step toward him and, like a
coward, he scooted to the left and backed away.  A grin crossed her face and
she moved forward again.  Feeling more like prey than the predator he was, he
continued to retreat until he felt the cool wood of the cabin against his naked
back.

“Something wrong?”  She asked as she
stopped in front of him.

“No,” he muttered.

“Good.  Are you sure you can’t help me?  I
burn really easily.”  He made the mistake of dropping his gaze to her breasts
when she ran her hand over her chest.  Her nipples were hard and poking against
the thin material of her bikini top and he groaned loudly.  Her grin widened at
the sound and she moved forward until her small breasts were almost brushing
his chest. 

“Be a sweet man and help me, won’t you?” 
She said in a soft voice as she placed her hand on his chest and rubbed
lightly.

He growled, his eyes flashing green, and
she gasped and dropped the sunscreen when he grabbed her by her upper arms and
turned her before pushing her up against the wall of the cabin.

“You are playing a very dangerous game, Ms.
Jameson,” he snarled at her.

“Am I?”  She said.  “Would you like to play
with me, Mr. Taggert?”

“Your grandmother is in the cabin,” he
reminded her through gritted teeth.

“I know.  So we’ll have to be very quiet
and fast,” she said before leaning forward and pressing her soft mouth against
his chest.

With a herculean effort of self-control, he
said, “I can’t.”

“Really?”  She wiggled her hand between
them and squeezed his hard and throbbing cock.  “Because it certainly feels
like you can, Mr. Taggert.”

At her touch, his tightly-coiled control
snapped and he lifted her until her pussy was at his crotch and her breasts
were at his mouth.  He pinned her to the wall with his lower body as she
wrapped her slender thighs around his waist and yanked the cups of her bikini
top to the sides, baring her small breasts.

He growled and sucked greedily at one pink
nipple, biting and licking with barely-controlled hunger as her hands tangled
in his hair and she gasped quietly.  He switched to her other nipple, teasing
it until it was hard and the light pink colour became a deep rose. 

She yanked on his hair and he lifted his
head and kissed her hungrily.  She thrust her tongue into his mouth, darting
and flicking, and he sucked hard on it as her nails dug into his back.  He
cupped her breasts, pulling on her nipples until she moaned and her back arched
helplessly.

His control was completely gone now.  He
had forgotten about Lydia in the cabin, had forgotten about being too old for
Rowan, and he tore at his belt before unbuttoning and unzipping his jeans.  He
pulled out his cock and used his other hand to guide Rowan’s to it.

“Touch it,” he half-growled, half-moaned
into her ear and then had to bite back his howl of pleasure when she curled her
fingers around his thick length and stroked him firmly.

He yanked the crotch of her bikini bottoms
to the side and cupped her naked pussy.  She jerked against him and he snarled
in satisfaction when he sank two fingers into her without any resistance.  He
pulled his fingers free, knocked her hand from his cock and shifted her a
little higher before guiding his cock to her wet entrance.  He slammed into
her, swallowing her cry of pleasure with his mouth as her greedy little pussy
took all of him in one hard push.

She was tight, so fucking tight, and he
threaded his fingers in her hair and held her firmly as he forced her gaze to
his.

“Rowan,” he whispered.

“Rafe.”  She touched his face with a
trembling hand and he kissed the palm of her hand before burying his face in
her neck.  His hands gripped her smooth thighs and held her up and open as he
pounded into her. 

Despite having taken her only a few days
ago, he could barely control himself and he groaned harshly when she gripped
his ass through his jeans and whispered, “Harder, Rafe.”

He pumped harder and faster, her pussy a
tight, wet glove around his cock, as she made little gasps of pleasure.  He
couldn’t stop.  He couldn’t think past the need to come and his fingers dug
into her pale thighs as she moaned his name.

“Rowan, fuck!  You feel so fucking good,”
he panted into her ear and she shuddered before clawing her nails down his back
and coming all over his cock.  Her climax, the hard rhythmic squeezing of her
pussy, sent him over the edge and his fangs descended with a light pop.  He
pressed them against her throat, sucking and biting compulsively, before
howling.  The sound was muffled by her soft skin, and he howled again as his
balls tightened and he came deep inside her warm pussy.  He twitched and
convulsed against her as his hips made a few more jerky thrusts before he
lifted his head from her throat.

She was panting, her hair a tangled mess
around her scalp, and she gave him a weak smile.  “Rafe, that was – “

“Shit,” he muttered.  He stared at her
breasts.  They were covered in bright-red bite marks and feeling sick to his
stomach, he hurriedly tugged her bikini top back into place.  “I’m so sorry,
Rowan.”

She shrugged.  “It’s fine.”

He eased out of her and set her on her feet
before quickly buttoning his jeans as she straightened her bikini bottom.  He
groaned again when he saw the marks on her thighs - fuck, she would have
bruises - and she placed her hand on his chest.

“Don’t look like that, Rafe.  I’m fine.”

She suddenly brushed her long hair over her
neck but not before he caught sight of the already bruising mark on her smooth
skin.

“Oh my God.”  He gave her a sick look and
she rubbed his chest soothingly.

“Rafe, don’t.  It’s no big deal.  Listen,
why don’t you come to my place tonight and – “

He cocked his head, a look of panic
crossing his face.  “Your grandmother is coming outside.”

He turned and jogged to the fence, picking
up the hammer and staring fixedly at the wooden board in front of him.

Rowan smoothed her hair and took a deep
breath.  Her bikini top covered the marks on her breasts but her grandmother
would see the fingerprints on her thighs if she didn’t get into the cabin and
cover them up.  She ran to the blanket she had spread out on the grass and
quickly folded it as the screen door banged open and her grandmother emerged
with a tray of lemonade. 

“Who’s thirsty?”

Rowan smiled at her.  “I’d love some, Nana,
thank you.  I’m just going to use the washroom and change first.”

“Finished sunbathing so soon?”  Her
grandmother said as Rowan hurried past her. 

“Um, yes.  It’s too hot today.”

“You are rather flushed,” her grandmother
said.  There was something in the tone of her voice that made Rowan stumble to
a stop and she glanced over her shoulder at her nana.  The woman gave her a
cheeky grin and Rowan, blushing furiously, escaped into the cabin.

“Why, Rafe, where are you going?”  She
called as Rafe, shrugging into his shirt, hurried past her.  “I’ve made fresh
lemonade.”

“I’m sorry, Lydia, I just remembered that I
have an appointment.  I – I’ll finish fixing the fence later.”  He waved his
arm and climbed into his truck.  Lydia watched with a small smile as he tore
out of the driveway and down the gravel road toward his cabin.

* * *

Rafe scanned Gaston’s.  He had come to the
bar because he needed to talk to Rowan about what had happened yesterday at her
grandmother’s cabin and he needed it to be in a public place.  He didn’t trust
himself to not try and fuck her again if they were alone.  He had lost all
control when it came to her and it both excited and frustrated him.

He spotted her red hair by the bar and
weaved through the people until he was standing behind her.  He touched her arm
and she turned, his pulse quickening when she smiled at him.  “Hello, Rafe.”

“Hello, Ms. Jameson.”

She rolled her eyes before leaning against
the bar.  Her tight blue t-shirt and short jean skirt were driving his wolf
insane and he tried to block out the scent of her desire as she looked him up
and down.  “You left my grandmother’s rather quickly yesterday, Mr. Taggert.”

He cleared his throat, dragging his gaze
from her breasts, and gave her a half-smile.  “Um, yes.  Sorry about that. 
It’s why I’m here.  I was hoping to speak to you about yesterday.”

“Are you going to try and convince me that it
was a dream?”  She asked.

He flushed before shaking his head.  “No.”

“In that case, yes we can talk,” she said. 
She glanced at her watch.  “My first break is at eight.  We can talk then if
you don’t mind waiting.”

“That’s fine,” he said.

She grinned at him.  “Grab a seat on the
left side – that’s my section tonight – and I’ll bring you a beer, okay?”

He nodded and stared hungrily at her tight
ass as she walked away.

* * *

“Mr. Taggert?  I’m on my break now.”  Rowan
appeared in front of him and he indicated for her to sit across from him.

She shook her head.  “No, not here.  It’s
way too noisy and there are too many gossips.  Follow me.”

He frowned but slid out of the booth and
followed her across the bar and down the hallway toward the bathrooms.  There
was a door marked ‘employees only’ and she opened it and disappeared inside. 
He followed her in and grunted in surprise when she slammed the door shut and
they were plunged into darkness.  His eyes had already adjusted to the dark
when she squeezed by him and flipped the light switch.