Midlife Wolf Captured My Heart (Fated To The Wolf #7)

10. Dakota

10

Dakota

A fter several minutes of cuddling, Dakota lightly touched Sadie’s face. “I think we should sleep in the bed in my room. This one is a little messy.”

He smiled when she blushed. “I guess it would be a little uncomfortable to sleep in and I don’t want to go to the night clerk and ask for clean sheets.”

“They probably have that happen more than you think. It is a hotel after all.”

“True enough. Luckily, we have the connecting door so we don’t have to walk outside naked. I don’t feel like getting dressed. Not only would we shock other people, but the cameras would have a field day. I can see the headline now – Media Coordinator from Small Town Angel’s Creek Gone Bad. ”

Dakota laughed. “You’d have to pack up and leave town.”

Sadie rolled out of bed and glided through the connecting door. He felt himself starting to get hard again but forced himself to think of trains to calm down. She had been a virgin and wasn’t sure if she could handle another go around.

Once they were snuggled into the bed, with her body curved against his, he brought up her virginity. “You didn’t tell me that you were a virgin.”

“Does it matter?” She turned over to look at him. “I wanted to be with you. Everything felt right. It was perfect for me and I will never have regrets. I’m not asking for tomorrow. I know you aren’t staying in Angel’s Creek and I’m not leaving.”

Dakota felt his heart lurch at her words. He knew it was the truth, but the concept still stung. He gently touched her face. “Carpe diem. Seize the day.”

She smiled at him and then snuggled up against him. Soon, she was asleep. Sadie felt so right in his arms.

He hadn’t been a monk, although he hadn’t been a dog, either. Dakota had been with women who had sexually satisfied him. He grinned and thought, I’ve never had any complaints, either.

Sadie murmured something incoherent in her sleep and then pressed even closer against him.

Something special happened tonight. It was more than getting his dick wet and having an orgasm. He felt a connection between himself and Sadie that was almost spiritual.

He sighed softly and told himself again that he needed to snap out of it. There is an age difference and while Sadie might not have an issue with it, I’ll bet dollars to donuts that her family, especially her father, will have something to say about it, which is a lot of pressure. There are also our different lifestyles. There is no way that we can have any kind of permanent connection. Enjoy your time with her and take memories of her with you when you leave. But there’s no point in falling in love.

Dakota was slightly startled at the idea that he could fall in love with her. Having that level of feelings for a woman had never been part of his plans. It would be like literally having a ball and chain around his ankles, keeping him from pursuing his passion. He couldn’t see himself not having the freedom to go where he wanted and doing what he wanted without having to ask someone else for permission.

Finally, he fell asleep. They both slept in late and had to rush around to get dressed and packed in time to leave by the checkout time.

Dakota grinned as he tossed their bags in the back seat of his truck. “I haven’t slept in past seven since I was in my twenties. You’re a bad influence on me.”

“To be fair, this is the first time I’ve slept in this late since I’ve been in my twenties. Maybe you’re the bad influence. You are older than me and you’re supposed to lead by example.”

“Ouch. That hurt. Cut me to my core.”

Sadie giggled. “Somehow, I don’t think so. What are you feeding me for breakfast?”

A million smart ass and dirty thoughts flitted through his brain. I’ve got something I can feed you.

She must have read his thoughts because she shook her head, blushed, and laughed. “I’m talking about real food, like eggs, bacon, orange juice, coffee, and such.”

“Oh, that’s what you want. I suppose we can find something for you.” He rubbed his stomach. “I’m a little hungry, too.”

He drove them to a breakfast restaurant. She ordered an everything omelet, extra bacon, toast, jelly, orange juice, and coffee. Dakota ordered a top sirloin steak and eggs combo with orange juice and coffee.

Sadie talked about the gallery exhibit. “You are going to definitely have to do more of them. Most of your series photos were sold out last night. I think there was one left. There were only a couple of standalones left. You have a magical way of transporting people to those far off lands. I felt as though I was standing next to those animals while you were photographing them.”

“I don’t want to oversaturate the market. I probably won’t do a gallery showing in Albuquerque again for a couple of years.”

“Oh.”

He thought she sounded disappointed, but he didn’t know what to say. There was no way that he could assure her that he would be back before then – he didn’t want to lie to her. Once he left town it might be years, if ever, before he returned.

Their breakfast came and she dug in as though it had been weeks since she ate. They chatted about the weather and other generic topics. She didn’t act any different than she did before they slept together. There wasn’t any awkwardness and she didn’t feel the need to talk about it. He was relieved.

The drive back to Angel’s Creek was relaxed. They talked about how much the place did and didn’t change over the last thirty years. When they got close to town Sadie said, “Why don’t we go to the mountain, shift, and get a little exercise?”

He was quiet for a minute trying to think of some kind of excuse he could give her. Finally, he decided to tell her the truth. “I’ve never been a strong shifter. Sometimes it takes me a while and even then, I don’t shift completely. I might end up with wolf ears and a tail but nothing else.”

Sadie put her hand on his arm. “Practice makes perfect. If you keep working at it, you might get better. It’s just us and I won’t tell anyone. I really might giggle though if you end up with cute furry wolf ears on that sexy body of yours.”

Dakota hesitated for another minute and then agreed. “What the hell? What’s the worst that can happen?”

“You could end up with furry wolf ears and a wolf tail on a human body and not be able to shift back.”

He growled at her. “Thanks for jinxing me.”

Dakota and Sadie walked to the spot where a lot of the shifters changed. It was a good place to shift because there was a tree with a knot that was perfect for storing clothes. It was secluded and off the beaten path, so they were unlikely to encounter mortal humans in the area.

Before they undressed, they inspected the trees carefully, looking for any signs of cameras, drones, or anyone who might be lurking in the area. Once they were satisfied that they were safe, they undressed, folded their clothes, put them in plastic bags, and hid them in the tree.

Dakota focused on shifting. It took him a couple of minutes, but eventually, he was able to shift completely. It was the quickest he had been able to transform himself completely in a long time. He felt as though he was drawing energy from Sadie and she gave him power.

A bear immediately appeared where Sadie had stood. They wandered around the mountain, stopping by the little oasis in the middle of the forest next to the river. The summer flowers had faded away but the place was still heaven on Earth.

Sadie put a paw into the rushing water and pulled it back out, shaking it off. Apparently, grizzly bears weren’t fond of cold mountain water in the fall. After a while, they walked back to the area where their clothes were hidden. After a quick inspection of the area, they shifted and got dressed. He was able to shift back to his human form easily. That had never been a problem.

“Did you have fun?”

Dakota nodded. “I did. It’s been a long time. I had forgotten how much freedom there was in being a wolf. You really get to see the world from a different perspective. Plus, you get a chance to see parts of the mountain that ordinary humans don’t.”

“I love it. I hate that there are people who make me afraid of shifting and exploring the world.”

“There will always be people like that, I’m afraid. Humans have a tendency to hate what they don’t understand.”

Sadie’s stomach grumbled. “Right now, I hate the fact that I’m hungry and need to be fed.”

“This is a constant thing with you, isn’t it?” Dakota teased. “Haven’t you seen the signs in all the forests that warn people not to feed the bears?”

“This bear needs to eat regularly or she gets rather grouchy. Breakfast was six hours ago. Feed me, Seymour.”

“ Little Shop of Horrors fan, huh?”

“Yep. It’s a classic.”

“Fine. I will feed the grizzly bear, but that better not make her start raiding people’s picnics and camping sites. How does Howlers’ sound?”

“Perfect. Sean has food there. And as for the other, since when did you become Ranger Rick?”

Dakota grinned. “What kind of bears were Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo?”

“Hungry ones.”

He loved the fact that they could have silly conversations. Dakota couldn’t remember the last time he felt so relaxed with someone that he could be goofy and have such a good time. Sadie was an absolute joy to be around.

They walked hand in hand into Howlers’ and managed to find a table even though the place was busy, as usual. Jade waved to them as they came in and they waved back. A waitress stopped by to take their drink order. They ordered their food at the same time.

Sadie sat back in her chair and sighed. “This was a very busy weekend. I can’t remember when I packed so much activity into two days. Touring Albuquerque, the exhibit, drinks, hanging out with you, and then shifting.”

His lips twitched at her reference to their sexual encounter. “It was pretty busy. I think I’m going to sleep well tonight.”

Their conversation was interrupted when a tall man with red hair stopped by the table.

“Hey there, Sadie.”

She jumped up and hugged the man who approached. “Eric. This is Dakota Higgins. Dakota, my brother, Eric.”

Dakota stood and held out his hand. Eric hesitated for a minute and then shook it. Eric’s grip was very hard, and Dakota understood that Eric was sending him a message. Grinning, Dakota sat back down.

Eric looked at his sister. “I stopped by your house last night with a couple of six packs. I was hoping to hang out.”

“You should have called. I wasn’t there. I went to the opening of Dakota’s gallery exhibit. Why do you want to hang out with your sister on a Saturday night, anyway?”

“Obviously, you weren’t there. Anthony had a date and I was bored. We hadn’t hung out since I got back.”

The waitress brought their drinks and promised that their food would be served soon.

“We’ll get together soon.”

Eric looked at Dakota, narrowed his eyes, and nodded at Sadie. “Text me.”

He patted his sister on the shoulder and walked away.

Dakota wasn’t sure what to say. He didn’t know whether he should say something about the exchange or just let it lie. Luckily, Sean took the time to come over to the table.

“Hi, Sadie. Dakota, I wanted to tell you that I watched your documentary on Mountain Gorillas last night. It was fascinating. I had originally pulled up the show to fall asleep to, not realizing that it was one of yours. It was so interesting that I was wide awake through the entire film.”

“I’m glad you liked it. Next time I come in I’ll bring you a signed copy of my book about the animal.”

“That would be terrific.” Dakota could tell that Sean’s enthusiasm was real.

Just then, the waitress delivered their food. “Enjoy your meal.”

Sadie picked up her cheeseburger and grinned at him. “You’re a living legend around here.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I guess I am pretty awesome, aren’t I?”

“And oh, so humble.”

After the meal he took her home, reluctant to part company with her. He walked her to her door and hugged her tightly. She looked up at him, put her hand on the back of his head, pulling it down toward her. She pressed her lips against his. The kiss was passionate and he almost asked to come in.

“Thanks for a great weekend.” She touched his face gently and then disappeared inside her house.

He walked back to his truck feeling lonely for the first time in his life.