The Fairy Tales Collection (24 page)

“Nana, what’s this?”  Rowan held out the
tissue-wrapped folded piece of white fabric.

It was Saturday night and she had spent a
very pleasant day with her grandmother.  She had spent most of the morning
weeding Lydia’s vegetable garden and the afternoon sunbathing in the back
yard.  After a light dinner, she had showered and they played cards for a
couple of hours.  Now, feeling a little restless and bored, she was digging
through her grandmother’s hope chest.

Lydia glanced up from the computer and a
smile crossed her face.  “I forgot I had that.”

“What is it?”  Rowan ran her hand over the
soft material.

“It’s the nightdress your grandfather
bought me for our tenth anniversary,” Lydia said. 

Rowan unfolded the tissue paper and draped
the nightgown across the hope chest.  “Oh, Nana.  It’s beautiful.”

“Ayuh, your grandfather had good taste,”
Lydia said.  “Why don’t you try it on?  I was about your size when I was a
young thing.”

“I don’t want to wreck it or get it dirty,”
Rowan said.

“Nonsense,” Lydia said briskly.  “It’s
meant to be worn, not sit in a hope chest.  Try it on, sweet girl.”

Holding the nightgown, Rowan disappeared
into her bedroom.  She returned a few minutes later and gave Lydia a nervous
look. “What do you think?”

“Oh, Rowan,” Lydia said softly.  “You look
beautiful.”

The nightgown was made of a soft cotton and
was off the shoulder with an empire style waist.  The bodice laced up the front
and Rowan adjusted the bow she had tied before touching the soft material of
the sleeves.  The sleeves were wide and feminine and the sleeve ends were edged
with lace.  Matching lace edged the hem of the nightgown and Lydia smiled at
Rowan’s toes peeking out from under the hem.

“It’s a bit too long but the dress fits
perfectly across your bust.”  She grinned at Rowan.  “None of the women in our
family were blessed with much in the chest department, unfortunately.”

Rowan laughed and then twirled so the long
skirt billowed out around her hips and legs.  “I love it, Nana.  It makes me
feel like a princess.”

Lydia touched the soft cotton before
smiling at her.  “More like a pretty little wood fairy.”

She stroked Rowan’s long hair and kissed
her cheek.  “It looks beautiful on you, sweet girl.”

“Thanks, Nana.  I’d better take it off
before I get it dirty.”

Lydia shook her head.  “No, don’t.  It’ll
wash and it makes me happy to see you wearing it.  Besides, we’re going to bed
soon and you’re not going to be getting it dirty in bed.”

She glanced at the dogs before rubbing at
her lower back.  “Would you mind taking the kids outside for me, Rowan?”

“Not at all.”  Rowan made a low whistle and
the schnauzers jumped off the couch and followed the redhead to the back door. 
She stepped outside and waited patiently as the dogs sniffed around the grass. 
It was warm and quiet and she breathed deeply before staring up at the sky. 
Stars shone brightly in the night sky.  Living in town, she had forgotten how
bright the stars were, how much she had loved to lay on her back in the soft
grass and admire them.  The moon was out, huge and full and so low in the sky
she felt like she could touch it.  She reached up, smiling a little at how
silly she was being, as both dogs growled low in their throats.  They were
staring into the woods that bordered the back yard and she took a few steps
forward, scanning the trees.  She didn’t see anything, no gleam of eyes shining
in the moonlight, no rustle of movement in the trees, and she made a soothing
noise when the dogs growled again.

“Hush you two, it’s probably just a
squirrel,” she said.  “Come on.  Time for bed.”

She whistled and the dogs followed her
obediently into the house.

The wolf stepped out from the trees and
stared unblinkingly at the cabin before lifting his head to the moon.  He made
a low, soft howl, staring in rapturous delight at the golden orb.  The lights
in the house blinked out one by one and he trotted into the yard and sniffed at
the two faint indents in the grass where the redhead had been standing.  He
dropped to the ground and rolled in ecstasy over the indents before sitting on
his haunches and staring at the moon again.  Half an hour passed as he stared
silently at the moon, before the wolf made a soft whine and stretched. 
Growling softly with excitement, he sniffed the air before trotting around the
side of the house.

* * *

Rowan moved restlessly in the bed.  They
had gone to bed nearly forty minutes ago and she could hear her grandmother’s
snoring through the thin wall that separated their bedrooms.  She sighed and
shifted to her side, staring out the window at the moon.  She wasn’t the least
bit tired, despite how much time she had spent in the sun today, and she had
the absolutely ridiculous urge to slip out of the house and hike through the
woods to Rafe’s cabin.

And then what?  Stand outside his house
with your phone held over your head and play him some Peter Gabriel?  Try and
peer into his bedroom window like some crazed stalker?  That’s not at all
creepy. 

She sighed loudly and then stiffened when
she heard the scratching.  She sat up in the bed and cocked her head, listening
intently as there was more scratching.  She gasped loudly when the wolf’s dark
head appeared in the window.  It blotted out the moon and she leaned back
against the headboard, clutching the quilt to her chest.  The wolf stared
silently at her before dropping out of sight and she hesitated only briefly
before scrambling out of the bed and running to the window.

The wolf was sitting on its haunches and
she studied the familiar white patch on its chest as it grinned at her.  It
glanced at the moon before staring at her and she heard his faint whine through
the glass.  It stood and backed up a few steps before sitting and whining
again.  He panted, his tongue lolling out of his mouth, and she studied its
green eyes before backing away from the window.

She crept quietly from the bedroom, walking
silently past her grandmother’s bedroom and waiting for the dogs to start up a
symphony of barking.  To her surprise, there was no sounds from Lydia’s bedroom
other than her snoring.  Rowan unlocked the back door and stepped into the warm
night.  She closed the door quietly behind her and took a few steps into the
yard, staring nervously around her.

Rowan, what are you doing?  That wolf is
a wild animal, not a damn dog and –

She gasped when she felt the wet nose touch
her hand and staggered back.  The wolf made a low whine and, her heart pounding
in her chest and adrenaline singing in her veins, she reached out with a
trembling hand and touched its broad head.  It nudged her hip with its face and
she stroked his thick fur as he leaned against her.

“Hello, boy,” she said softly.

He woofed in reply and she bit back her
disappointment when he bounded across the yard and into the woods.  She turned
to go back in the house but the wolf barked softly.  He was standing at the
edge of the woods and he stared briefly at the moon before barking at her
again.  It was obvious what he wanted and without hesitating, she crossed the
back yard and followed him into the woods.

She wasn’t wearing shoes and she held up
the hem of her grandmother’s nightdress as she walked carefully, watching for
thorns and sharp rocks.  The wolf trotted ahead of her, giving an impatient
bark every few minutes or so.

“Just hold your damn horses,” she
muttered.  “Not all of us have thick fur to protect our feet.”

He chuffed at her, it almost sounded like a
laugh, and she stuck her tongue out at him before skirting around a rock. 

“I’ve lost my mind,” she said
conversationally.  “I’m following a damn wolf into the woods in the middle of
the night.”

You’re dreaming.

She stopped for a moment and stared up at
the glimpses of moon through the trees.  She was dreaming.  Of course.  The
wolf barked again and she muttered, “yeah, yeah, I’m coming,” before walking a
little faster.  She could hear the low murmur of the river now and she wasn’t
surprised when she rounded a particular thick grove of trees and saw the
water.  It looked black in the moonlight and she crouched beside the river and
dipped her hand in as the wolf bent his shaggy head and drank deeply.  The
water was cool but not cold and she wiped her hand on the soft grass that lined
the banks of the river before staring up at the moon again.

She wasn’t sure how long she studied it but
when she finally lowered her gaze, the wolf was gone.  She frowned and scanned
the riverbank and the trees before sighing loudly.  This dream was turning out
to be a bust.

She stood as the large clump of bushes to
her right shivered.  Her smile faded and her breath caught in her throat when Rafe
stepped into the moonlight.  He was completely naked and she studied his broad
shoulders and wide chest.  A light layer of dark hair covered his chest and
abdomen and -
good night, Irene
- he had a six pack.

She swallowed thickly and followed the thin
trail of hair below his navel to his cock.  It stood out proudly from his body,
hard and delightfully thick, and she licked her lips as she studied it.  She
wanted to walk toward him, wanted to take his cock in her hand and feel the
hard steel of it surrounded by velvet-soft skin but she remained frozen to her
spot.  This was the most amazing dream of her life and she was afraid to move a
single muscle in case it ended.

Rafe apparently had no such fear, and she
watched in breathless anticipation as he walked toward her.  He stopped when
there were only a few inches between them and Rowan stared solemnly at him.

“Am I dreaming, Rafe?”

He didn’t reply.  Instead, his strong hand
gripped the back of her neck and tugged her closer so he could bend and press
his mouth against hers.  She moaned, lightning coursing through her veins, and
parted her lips for him.  His tongue slid between them and stroked hers in a
light caress.  She moaned and shuddered, her hands gripping his naked waist, as
he sucked on the tip of her tongue before nibbling her bottom lip. 

He took a step back and she made a whine of
need that brought a smile to his lips.  He traced her bare shoulders before
pulling on the strings that laced her nightgown together.  He unlaced it slowly
and when it was loose, tugged her nightdress down her body.  It pooled at her
feet and he stared at her naked body in the moonlight, his gaze lingering on
the patch of red hair between her thighs.

“Rafe, please,” Rowan whispered.

This was a dream, it had to be, but she was
desperate to find relief before it ended and she woke up in her bed.  If she
couldn’t have Rafe in real life, she was determined to have him in her dreams.

He bent his dark head and she cried out and
arched her back when his lips closed around one taut nipple.  He pulled it
lightly before circling his tongue around it and she sank her fingers into his
silky hair before guiding him to her other breast.  He took his time, licking
the soft hollow between her breasts and nibbling on the soft curve of her left
one.  She moaned with pleasure when he scraped his teeth across her sensitive
nipple.

He straightened and cupped her breast
before kissing her again.  He took her mouth with hard licks and nips, sucking
on her bottom lip before biting it.  When his hand trailed down her flat belly,
she immediately parted her thighs.  His other hand threaded through her long
hair and gripped it tightly, pulling her head back as he ran his fingers
through the soft curls between her legs.

She was desperate for him to touch her but
he continued to tease her, stroking the curls at the apex of her thighs as he
kissed her throat and licked the curve of her jaw.  She made a cry of
impatience and grabbed his hand, pushing it between her legs and trying to make
him touch her clit.

He kissed her deeply, her head held
immobile in his strong hand as he tasted her.  The tip of one rough finger
brushed against her clit and she shrieked into his mouth, her knees buckling. 
He released her hair and slipped his arm around her waist, holding her against
him as he explored her wet pussy with his fingers.  His middle finger slid deep
into her hot core and he groaned when she clenched around him.  His thumb
rubbed circles around her clit and she gasped soundlessly as she clutched at
his broad shoulders and dug her nails into his smooth skin.

“Rafe, oh God, I can’t…”

She trailed off in a hoarse cry as her
orgasm exploded within her.  She shook violently and when her knees buckled a
second time he scooped her up and carried her to the soft grass next to the
river.  He placed her on her back in the grass and knelt between her legs,
pushing her thighs wide with his big, warm hands.  He paused and she followed
his gaze to the moon. 

“It’s so beautiful,” she whispered.

She couldn’t tear her gaze from it as Rafe
placed his hands on either side of her head.  His cock nudged her opening and
she made a hoarse cry of pleasure when he pushed his way into her warmth.  He
filled her completely, and she clamped her thighs around his narrow hips at the
twinge of pain as she stretched around him.