Curves & Alphas: A Paranormal Box Set: (BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance) (18 page)

Sophia frowned. How long ago could it be? Despite that silver streak of hair, he could only be thirty-five, tops.

‘How can it be possible that you’re a kissing virgin, when you look like you do?’ she asked in genuine wonder. ‘Girls must be lining up to lock lips with you every time you leave the house.’

He shrugged. ‘I’ve never wanted to kiss anyone before I met you.’

Sophia frowned at him, flattered but bewildered. ‘You really are quite strange, aren’t you?’

He shot her a little grin. ‘So they tell me.’

‘I mean; I’m the one who believes in the whole ‘one true love’ fairy story, and even I’ve kissed more men than I’d like to remember. All of them frogs, by the way.’ She looked into his eyes. They were ringed with dense, dark lashes that made the intense blue even more powerful. Surely those are contacts. No one has eyes that blue. Funny; he doesn’t seem the type to purchase colored lenses. ‘I have this really strong feeling that you, however, are going to turn out to be the real deal.’

If she were Jane, she’d make a joke about the orgasm she’d just had. “If that was what a kiss can do, imagine once you head downstairs!” But, she was Sophia, not Jane, and she didn’t want to sully this beautiful moment with crude jokes.

‘Do you believe in the supernatural?’ he suddenly asked. ‘That things aren’t always as they seem?’

‘I’ve always wanted to believe that there’s mystery in the world,’ replied Sophia, a little taken aback by the question. ‘But I’ve never had any solid proof of the fact. Until now. What about you? What are you?’

‘There’s no simple way to answer that question. I do know that the world is full of secrets and that some of them can only have a supernatural explanation.’

‘What kind of things? What do you mean?'

All of a sudden, he turned away. His shoulders rolled over, instantly tight with tension.

‘What’s the matter? Did I say something?’ Sophia put her hand on his elbow and felt a shiver run through his body in response.

‘It’s not you, it’s just…’ He stood up and started to stride back towards his motorcycle. He was already throwing on his jacket by the time Sophia reached his side.

‘You’re going? I thought we were going to take a walk?’

‘I’m sorry. I’ve just got to go.’

‘Please, Van. What’s the matter?’

He gunned the motorcycle into life and kicked back the stand. Just before he left, he turned to Sophia, who stood despondently beside him. He seemed to want to say something.

‘What’s your email address?’ Sophia asked, taking the opportunity. ‘We could email, seeing as you don’t have a phone.’

‘I don’t have a computer either. I’ll see you soon.’

And with that, he lowered his tinted visor and roared away. As she stared after him, Sophia couldn’t help but wonder if it was really wise to trust your gut at all. It seemed like her head would be a better option this time. Perhaps Willow was right. Perhaps Van Longshadow was just too strange. She trudged back up the stairs to her apartment and lay down on the couch.

I thought Prince Charming was supposed to be perfect? All of a sudden, she grinned to herself as the effect of his kiss came to mind. Despite her glum state of mind, one thing was for sure. That orgasm had been damn near perfect. Surely that made up for his abrupt exit and odd resistance to modern communications?

Chapter 5

That night Sophia’s dreams were so vivid they were disturbing. She found herself running through a forest on a dark night – endless running – chasing something that she could never reach. Her vision was laser-sharp; she never tripped or stumbled despite the darkness and the terrain. Potent scents grabbed her attention from all around, even while she was on the move; things she had never noticed before, like the scent of a speckled frog, which hid under a log beside a tiny stream, and something else very familiar… close now. Must keep running. There was another smell, too, one that was rapidly consuming all of the others. Smoke.

Flames leapt up behind her, and it was clear that she wasn’t only chasing something, but running for her life as well. A massive fire leapt and roared behind her, sending showers of sparks high in the air as it consumed everything in its path. She was fast, easily keeping pace with deer and birds that escaped alongside her. Then it all fell into place; she was an animal, too, with four legs and thick black fur. A dog? No, a wolf. She saw a figure ahead, in a flowing white gown, standing dead still as if in a trance. With a start, she recognized herself. She stopped in front of this dream self, trying to tell her to run, hurry, there’s a fire coming. But all that came out was an agonized howl. The flames drew ever closer. The heat singed her fur but still her dream self didn’t move.

Sophia sat up in bed with a start, sweat pouring off her. Her nose burnt from the smoke and her muscles were tight with adrenalin. She took several deep breaths to calm herself, looking around at all her familiar things, taking stock of everything that was regular and comforting. Just a dream. Just a dream.

Repeat the mantra all she liked, there was no doubt in her mind that what had just happened was more than just a dream. It was a vision, or an out of body experience. Was it a warning? Just like Van’s kiss this afternoon, it was infused with the unexplained. The supernatural. The thought occurred to her that Van might have possessed her with some kind of life energy; it had flowed out of his mouth into hers during the kiss and now her dreams were made intense by the remnants of that power. Her mind began to wander, and all kinds of explanations seemed possible, as they tend to appear at nighttime.

By the time she closed her eyes and settled down to the impossible task of trying to go back to sleep, she was convinced that there was some kind of supernatural force that was pulling her towards Van. It was intoxicating, but what would happen if she went out there, unannounced (Because how should she announce a visit? Homing pigeon?), and told him that she knew what was happening, and that it was okay. They could still be together…

She didn’t know how it would turn out, but that was exactly what she planned to do.

Chapter 6

Sophia’s beaten up old car let off an alarming bang, along with a large cloud of smoke, as she pulled out of the apartment car park the next evening. One more book contract and then it’s time to treat yourself to a new ride.

If it hadn’t been for the regular trips to her parent’s farm, forty minutes out of the city, she would’ve sold the old wreck years ago. Her day to day life didn’t take her out of the city, and on the odd occasion that it did, she enjoyed both the old-fashioned charm and environmental sensibility of taking the bus. However, there was no bus route to her parents’ farm, so smoky old car it was – a vehicle she was very aware was neither charming nor environmentally friendly. 

She made her way through heavy traffic, cursing her decision to wait until her day’s work was done before leaving. Finally, signs indicating the distance to the three lakes – Winter Lake, Lake Christine, and last of all Crystal Lake – began appearing, and the cars started to thin out. Black Forest and Crystal Lake were not areas that Sophia was familiar with, and she settled back to enjoy the drive. As much as she could with her nervous stomach, anyway. Van had clearly been in a hurry to get away from her yesterday afternoon; what would he think of a surprise visit this evening?

A winding road led her around the shores of Winter Lake, with tantalizing glimpses of sunset on the water visible through dense trees that lined its shores. She drove slowly, not wanting to risk a breakdown way out here. It seemed so remote – she had barely passed another vehicle since leaving the city limits. You’d never guess that a mere forty minutes away, the Friday evening party crowds were beginning to buy rounds of drinks that they’d regret in the morning, and making the connections that could lead to a hasty one night stand in four or five hours’ time.

When she drove up over a brow twenty minutes later, and saw Crystal Lake spread out in front of her, Sophia gasped aloud. There was a moon rising – nearly full – that left a silvery reflection on the water, and several star pin pricks were visible in the sky. Shadowy woods surrounded the lake, and she shivered to think of what creatures might lurk in there under the cover of night. But it was the lake itself that struck her the most. It seemed to call to her, begging her to drive to the edge and shed her clothes, seeming to promise ethereal pleasures to those who dared to enter the inky depths.   

She patted around on the passenger seat for the sheet of paper with scribbled directions on it.

‘You do realize I could get fired for this,’ Willow had whispered that afternoon, when Sophia had called requesting Van’s address from the company records.

‘It’s no different than him asking for my address.’ Sophia knew that Willow would actually be relishing her part in this love story.

‘I could get fired for that, too.’

‘But you won’t, because it’s all going to turn out great, and Van and I will be too busy being madly in love to worry about details like that.’

Willow giggled. ‘Oh, go on then.’ She read aloud the address: Fir Lodge, Crystal Lake Road, Crystal Lake, then guided her through the directions with the help of Google maps. 

When Sophia’s headlights shone on the sign pointing to Crystal Lake Road, her heart began to pound and her anxiety levels rose to another level altogether. Yes, Van had visited her unannounced, but perhaps he wouldn’t like being on the receiving end of such a surprise. Not only that; what if his home was… strange in some kind of way? Filled with birds in cages or with real animal pelts on the wall? Or, perhaps worse, what if it was filthy dirty? Sophia was comfortable with untidiness, but grime was another thing altogether.

All the possibilities flew through her head as her car bumped over pot holes on the dirt road. Up and over a hill, and around two further corners, and she nearly missed a sign half hidden in the trees.

Fir Lodge.

As the car crept up the driveway, she resisted an urge to turn out her headlamps. It was fully night time now, and the bright lights seemed to announce her too loudly. Also, the moonlight would easily have guided the way. But it seemed a little creepy; Van might think she was a burglar, so she left them on. She came to a stop beside the lodge and stepped out to take in a most beautiful scene.

Fir Lodge was bathed in moonlight, standing proudly two stories high, constructed from whole logs that fitted so well with the surrounding forest that they were surely felled from somewhere nearby. It was a warm summer’s evening, with barely the need for a jumper, but Sophia could imagine the beauty of the lodge in mid-winter, blanketed by snow, comforting smoke puffing out of the chimneys. A veranda wrapped around the entire lodge and the large windows reflected the moonlight, seeming to add to the brightness of the evening. In fact, the night was so bright that Sophia could clearly see all the way down a path from the house to the shores of Crystal Lake. She yearned to go directly to the Lake – it called her even more loudly now – but she reminded herself why she was there and walked nervously towards the lodge instead. 

It was completely dark inside, which wasn’t promising. She climbed the steps to the front door and knocked, peering into the windows along the veranda when there was no response. Inside, she could just make out a cozy lounge room, with large leather couches of the squishy and comfortable variety, as well as an entire wall of books, and an enormous, thick floor rug. She returned to the door and banged again, but again there was no reply. On the off chance, she turned the handle. It was unlocked.

The heavy wooden door sighed open. Sophia hesitated. Surely it’s too rude to just wander inside uninvited? She decided to step into the foyer and call out to him. She figured that if the lodge was unlocked, then he couldn’t be out. Perhaps he was upstairs asleep?

‘Van?’ she called nervously. ‘It’s me, Sophia.’ Her voice echoed around the empty rooms. Damn, now what? See, this is why phones were invented.

It was then that she saw it: the fall painting from the party at the Duxton. It was hanging in Van’s lofty entrance space, alongside three other paintings, each depicting a season in equally evocative fashion. She frowned, suddenly thrown. In all honesty, with the excitement of their hallway meeting and the roadside kiss, she’d forgotten Van’s promise that she could have the painting. But, it was true that he’d said he knew the artist and that the piece was hers. So why was it now hanging in his foyer? More pertinent, why had it ever been apart from the other paintings, when it was so clearly a cohesive series?

She called out once more, then headed back outside. She spotted Van’s motorcycle in an open shed near the house. She decided to wander down to the lake, figuring that perhaps he had gone for an evening walk. Besides, even if he wasn’t at home, she couldn’t miss the opportunity to dip her feet in those beautiful waters. She grabbed a cardigan from the car and made her way down the path. At the lake edge, she found a narrow pebble shore that stretched in both directions. She stared out over the water and breathed in the fresh night air. It was so pure, so invigorating, it was near perfect. Suddenly there was a loud splash in the near distance, to the right. She peered across the silvery water, where only ripples remained.

Suddenly, up popped a head out of the water, and then a broad, naked chest and half of the curve of a very tight butt. Her stomach twisted. It was Van. He shook his hair out like a dog and waded deeper into the water, clearly unaware of his entranced audience. He dove under the water once more, staying under for an extraordinary length of time. Sophia scanned the water surface, even though he was completely invisible beneath. She let out a squeal when he surfaced directly in front of her, looking straight at her. He was in deep, with just his head above water.

‘Coming in?’ he called with a grin.

‘How did you know I was here?’

‘I saw the car lights,’ he said. ‘Thought it might be you.’

‘And you didn’t think to come up and greet me at the house like a normal person?’ she asked with mock indignation.

‘Could’ve. But I was already on my way out for a swim. Besides, this is much more fun. So, what do you say? Coming in?’

Sophia bit her lip. The water sure did look inviting and, more to the point, Van was in there naked. Naked. Go on, get in. She battled with her conscience for several seconds. It didn’t seem very ladylike to go skinny dipping on a first date. And this wasn’t even a first date. It was a random house call. But then she took a deep breath and felt her body fill with the energy of the outdoors.

Screw ‘ladylike’ for a change.

She whipped off her cardigan, blouse, and slacks. With a little shake of her head, I can’t believe I’m doing this, she tossed her underwear aside as well. She was usually one to edge slowly into a lake or the sea, shrieking with each inch of flesh that touched the cold water. But, on this night where normal behavior was being swept aside, she dove straight in. She was a natural swimmer; once she was over the getting-in part, she was as comfortable as a fish. Or a seal – she always imagined it would be fun to be a seal. With the thrill of the cool water enveloping her, she kicked strongly under the water until she emerged right beside Van.

They stared into each other’s eyes, Sophia treading water, Van tall enough to reach the lake floor. Neither spoke for several long moments. The only sound was the drip, drip, drip of water from Sophie’s braided hair.

‘I hope you don’t mind me coming,’ Sophia said eventually.

‘I’m sorry I was strange yesterday,’ he said at the same time.

Sophia smiled. ‘Shall we start again?’

‘That’s a great idea.’ All of a sudden he reached for her and pulled her close. She had meant that they could start the conversation again, but he clearly had other ideas. She caught her breath as her full breasts met his strong chest, with its thick black hair, and the soft curves of her stomach pressed into his abs, firm and muscular. His powerful arms wrapped around her and she curled her legs around his hips in response. Anchored together, she could feel his stiff cock nudging her. Their lips met impatiently. The day and a half since they’d last touched was too long; an eternity. They ran their hands over each other’s hair and then their bodies beneath the water, hungry for each other. Once again, Sophia found herself filled with the flame of Van’s passion. She gripped him with her strong thighs as another wonderful orgasm rolled through her body almost immediately. She threw her head back and cried out with the pure joy of it. 

In the trance of post-orgasmic bliss, still in the water, she reached between her legs and rubbed the head of his cock against the heat of her pussy. He was big – thick as well as long. Just the head felt large pressed against her opening. She had been to third base with a guy before, but never so close to actual sex as this. He groaned, no… growled, and thrust his hips a little so his cock pressed tantalizingly against her. All she’d have to do was shift down a little and guide him, and that gorgeous cock would be all the way inside of her. But it didn’t feel quite right to lose her virginity in a frenzy of passion like this. Even though this felt like a fairytale – a strange, distorted fairytale – she’d always imagined her first time would be a slower, more romantic process, rather than a hasty fuck in a lake.

That isn’t to say that plenty more can’t happen tonight. The poor guy’s got a raging boner, after all, and I’ve already come twice in the last two days just from kissing him. Time to give him something back.

‘Let’s go up to the house,’ she said breathlessly, in between kisses.

He held her a little closer. ‘Are you cold?’

‘I could never be cold in your arms. I just want to go to bed with you.’

He carried her all the way to the shore as if she were weightless, then jogged down to retrieve his clothes while she dealt with a sudden attack of modesty. It was one thing diving into the water naked to embrace one’s sizzling hot lover, but another thing altogether standing exposed and shivering on the shore afterwards. But, it was worth a little embarrassment to watch Van’s naked butt run down the beach away from her, each muscle movement causing his wet skin to catch the moonlight in a slightly different way. He even let Sophia wrap up in his large towel when he got back, while he walked completely naked beside her. He held his clothes casually in his hand beside him, and his erection stood proudly out in front of him. It was all Sophia could do not to stare at it the whole way up the path.

Inside, he picked her up once more – her towel dropping to the ground in the process – and carried her up the wide wooden stairs to his bedroom. His room was large and pristinely clean. It was naturally masculine in its furnishings: a plain oak headboard on the bed, wood paneling on the walls, a black rug on the floor. The only exception was the collection of crystals on a small table by the window, positioned as if to catch the sunlight, or perhaps moonlight, which streamed through the sizeable windows. Oh, and the small painting just above the bedside light, that of a full moon over a lake, very much like the scene outside.