don‘t care about things like race. It‘s the person that counts. Trust me, they‘ll love
you.‖
He eased closer until his face was mere inches away. ―Do you love me?‖
She caressed his face with her gaze. Being an empath allowed her to see so
much more about him than just what was on the surface. ―Yes, I believe I do.‖
Which was stupid of her because none of this was real, but how could she not love
this man created exclusively for her. He was literally her dream man come true.
A fierce wave of joy and love washed over her as he closed the gap and
kissed her. One kiss led to another, and then another, until they were making love.
Unlike the fierce pounding of before, this was a tender affirmation of their feelings
for one another.
29
Afterwards, they spent most of the day talking, getting to know each other
better. They swam in the ocean, explored the island, and towards evening, went
back to their pool to play and make love again as the sun began to sink in the west.
―We‘d better get back before it‘s too dark to see.‖
―There‘ll be another full moon tonight,‖ she told him.
―I know.‖
―Will you change again?‖
―Yes. Are you okay with that? I can‘t promise to keep him away from you,
now that he‘s had a taste.‖
―Your beast is you. I accept all of you.‖
He swept her into his arms for another lingering kiss at her easy acceptance
of him. ―Thank you.‖
As they headed for the cave, she asked, ―Can I watch?‖ Earlier he‘d shifted
from his human form into a wolf for her.
He glanced back over his shoulder. ―No, not this time. The process isn‘t that
pleasant. I don‘t want to frighten you.‖
She already knew from earlier discussion that when he was in his wolf-man,
or were form as he called it, he was aware of everything that was happening but
not always in control of his actions, hence his continued concern for her well
being.
30
They entered the cavern and she helped Gabe light the multitude of candles
spread throughout. When they finished, it gave the place a romantic glow. Still
dark by her standards but perfect for the Were‘s enhanced vision.
Gabe left and she settled on the raised platform that contained their
bedding to await his return. On the cavern floor beneath her was an extremely
thick, oriental type rug that was a good six-by-eight-feet in size. That‘s what she‘d
awakened on this morning.
She‘d asked Gabe why the cave, didn‘t he have a home? He said yes he did
but his beast didn‘t like to be confined inside of walls. It could tolerate the cave,
and was happy to do so now that it had a mate. Her safety was of primary
importance now, even more so when the pups began coming.
For a moment, she allowed herself to imagine what life would be like if this
were all real. She and Gabe could stay here during the weeks of the full moon, and
spend the rest of the month at his home. Gabe was so loving and sensitive, always
so considerate of her needs. And best of all, he had a sense of humor. She loved
being with him.
She loved him. More and more every hour that they spent together.
31
Chapter Four
In the distance, Mya heard a howl and knew it was Gabe. There was no
answering one. As far as she knew, she and Gabe were the only ones on the island.
They hadn‘t seen any signs of anyone else when they were walking around, doing
their Adam and Eve impression.
He was coming to her, and coming fast. She could feel his determination, his
lust. He wanted his mate and she was waiting on him. Ready for him to take her.
Anticipation rode both of them hard.
It didn‘t matter that she and Gabe the man had spent most of the day
making love. This was his beast. Still Gabe, but his more primal side, and this side
of him made her want to do a little howling of her own.
She felt his presence before she saw him. Looking up, she saw him looming
in the opening. Over seven feet tall, the head and muzzle of a wolf, chest and arms
over in dark fur, sparse in some places and thicker in others. With his legs bent
out at an awkward angle like a dog standing on his hind legs, he was a sight to
behold.
32
― Mate.‖
―Yes, your mate,‖ she answered, though it wasn‘t a question.
― Mine.‖
―I belong to you.‖ Again she answered his statement.
― Take,‖ he growled.
―All you want,‖ she told him on a needy sigh as she leaned back onto her
elbows and spread her legs wide in invitation.
An instant later his snout was buried between her legs. Mya held onto his
pointy ears and rode his tongue to completion. He ate her like he was starving and
she was the first food he‘d seen in weeks. She quickly found herself in a pleasure
zone where sensation rule and logic had no meaning.
She moaned in disappointment when he pulled away only to catch her
breath in giddy anticipation when he flipped her onto her belly and mounted her.
There it was again, that delicious stretching of vaginal muscles almost to capacity.
The tiny bite of pain coupled with the most glorious ecstasy of sensitive nerve
endings being stimulated until Mya was nothing more than a screaming banshee
of sexual bliss.
All night long he took her and she accepted him. He locked inside of her
over and over again. There was an underlying desperation to his actions, as though
Gabe the Were realized this was their last night together and he was trying to
33
make it last as long as he could.
Mya herself was feeling the same sense of urgency. She had to make it last,
make it count. There would never be another opportunity to experience this. She
had to imprint him on her brain, sear the memory of him, of their time together,
into her memory banks.
Neither soreness nor tiredness had any place here. Nor did sleep. It was only
as the last faint moonbeam gave way to the rising sun in the east that they fell into
an exhausted slumber.
Mya roused with the sure knowledge that her last day had arrived. Like
sands in an hourglass, time was rapidly dwindling at a rate faster than her eye
could see. At five p.m., her fantasy would officially end and it would be time to go.
From the angle of the sun shining through the opening, it was already midmorning.
She turned to find Gabe lying there watching her. ―Why didn‘t you wake
me?‖
―You were tired and I like watching you sleep,‖ he explained.
She had to remind herself not to get angry. Gabe didn‘t know what was at
stake. He thought this was real. He didn‘t know that he and their relationship was
a figment of her imagination brought to life by the staff of Fantasy Island Vacation
34
Getaways.
For a minute, depression overwhelmed Mya and she blinked back tears
before Gabe could see them. Not willing to waste any more precious time, she
rolled to him and put her arms around her neck. ―I love you so much
,‖ she softly
told him. ―So very much,‖ she finished in a whisper.
Then she proceeded to show him with her body just how much he meant to
her. It wasn‘t supposed to happen like this. Love shouldn‘t be able to grow to this
intensity over a weekend‘s time. How was she going to live without Gabe? How
could anyone expect her to return to her mundane life and leave behind what she‘d
found with this man, this werewolf?
He was so much more than she‘d ever dreamed of when she created her
fantasy. She didn‘t envision unruly rusty-brown hair that continuously flopped
over magnetic gray eyes when she was answering her questionnaire. She didn‘t
imagine a man who could make her laugh one moment and the next amaze her
with his deep insight. She couldn‘t have known how awesome it would be to have
a man totally focused on her pleasure, in and out of bed, expecting nothing in
return.
How could she have? Who knew something like this could exist in real life?
And that right there was the problem. It wasn‘t real, but to her heart and mind it
was. Dear God, it was more real than anything she‘d ever experienced in life.
35
Later, as she lay cradled in his arms, he asked, ―You want to go swimming
again today?‖
―Not really.‖
―Are you hungry? We haven‘t eaten yet and it‘s way past breakfast time,‖ he
said as he languidly stroked her hair.
―I‘m not really hungry.‖
His hand stopped. ―Is everything okay? You sound down. Last night was too
much for you, wasn‘t it? I should have tried harder to reign him in.‖
Mya realized she needed to get her act together if she didn‘t want him
suspecting something was wrong. She shook her head, then admitted, ―I‘m still a
little bit tired. As much as I enjoyed last night and would repeat it again in a
heartbeat, I‘m not used to this much sexual activity.‖
Gabe lifted her and put her to the side, then stood. Extending a hand out to
help her up, he said, ―Come on. You need to eat. I‘ll feed you and then we‘ll go back
to the pool to bathe. Sound good?‖
―Yes.‖ Mya raised her hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet.
The island offered an abundance of fruit and nuts for their culinary delight.
They picked the fruit right from the trees. She gorged on mangos, bananas, and
other tropical fruits and nuts, and quenched her thirst with coconut milk and
water straight from a mountain stream.
36
―If I ate like this everyday, I wouldn‘t need to exercise to lose weight. The
pounds would melt away,‖ Mya told him as they finished their cliffside picnic.
His gaze roamed over her. ―I like you just the way you are. Don‘t lose an
ounce.‖ He looked ruefully at himself. ―Now me, on the other hand, I‘m skinny
enough as it is. I worked hard to gain what little muscle I have and can‘t afford to
lose any of it.‖
Mya gave him the same looking over that he gave her. Licking her lips, she
told him, ―I happen to think you‘re perfect the way you are.‖
―Really?‖ He managed to look both doubtful and hopeful at the same time.
―Mmm…‖ She crawled over to him. ―Shall I show you again how much I love
your body?‖
―Well, if you think it would help,‖ he murmured with a wicked glint in his
eyes.
Mya took her time, starting with his feet and working her way upward. She
hadn‘t lied. She loved everything about him, from his big hands and feet to every
proportioned bit in between. When she reached his cock, she gave it extra loving
attention.
After she finished, Gabe felt duty bound to express with his hands and
mouth how much he loved and appreciated her body in return. Sated, they went
and frolicked in the pool, washing the fruit juice and other fluids off of each other
37
and making love again in the water.
Mya looked at the angle of the sun in the sky. ―Let‘s go back to the cave and
take a nap. After last night, we deserve one.‖
―Sounds like a good idea. Tonight‘s the last night of the full moon. You‘ll
definitely need your rest,‖ Gabe agreed.
They walked back to the cavern and Gabe climbed up on the platform and
lay down. Mya settled beside him, cradled in his arms. Her heart breaking, she
held in the tears, waiting for Gabe‘s breathing to even out, signaling deep sleep.
When she could wait no longer, she eased from under his arm, waited a moment to
be sure he didn‘t wake, and left the cave.
Traveling quickly to the pool, she retrieved her red bikini and wrap she‘d
washed and laid to dry on a rock for just this moment. The strings on the bottoms
were ripped, but she managed to make it work. Dressed again for the first time
since she arrived two days ago, she made her way to the rendezvous point, a small
dock on the rocky side of the island. There was a speedboat and a small crew
waiting. A short, dark skinned man in a pair of white pants and a flowery shirt
was pacing back and forth on the floating dock when she arrived.
―Ms. Anderson, we were just about to send someone searching for you,‖ her
escort said.
―I‘m sorry. It took longer than I expected to get here,‖ she told him, casting
38
an apologetic look at the rest of the small three-man crew.
―No problem. You‘re here now. Did you enjoy your vacation?‖ he asked as he
helped her onto the boat.
―Very much so,‖ she told him.
―Good, good. Put on the life jacket and settle down. We‘ll have you home
before you know it.‖ He untied the rope securing the boat to the dock and then
hopped on board and made his way to the front.
She did as instructed and sat at the back of the boat, face turned toward the
rapidly retreating island. Watching as it grew smaller and smaller, she let the wind
blow away the tears making slow tracks down her face.
39
Chapter Five
Mya called in sick Monday morning. There was no way she could go in and
pretend her heart hadn‘t been ripped to shreds. Not when she‘d broken down into
inconsolable sobs during a grocery store commercial, all because they‘d panned the
produce department. It was the bananas that set her off. After a crying jag that
lasted more than an hour, there was no way that she could go in.
Tuesday she forced herself to go in despite the dark circles under her eyes.
In her job as a call center customer service representative, no one would see her.
Her coworkers she put off with the excuse of a weekend virus. Her lie served two
purposes. It kept people from bothering her, afraid she might be contagious, and it
provided a convenient excuse for her wan appearance.
She took her calls with the same proficiency she normally used but her heart
wasn‘t in it. Her mind was back on the island with Gabe. She hated that she didn‘t
have any pictures of him. No electronic devises of any kind were allowed on
Fantasy Island. The only memories she had were those in her mind. Even the
mating mark on her shoulder faded the moment she was back on U. S. soil.
She couldn‘t help wondering how Gabe felt when he wok
e to find her gone.
40
Had he searched for her? If so, for how long? He‘d been so lonely. He was so happy
to find her, his mate, and so uncertain of his welcome. So fearful of being rejected.
How had her disappearance affected him?
God, she had to stop tormenting herself like this. Gabe wasn‘t real. For all
she knew, he‘d vanished as soon as she boarded the boat. One thing she knew for
sure, he wasn‘t an actor paid to play a part. She wasn‘t sure how they‘d done it, but
that much she knew for sure.
Let it go, Mya, and get a grip. It was one weekend out of your life. Forty-eight hours.
You’re more logical than this.
No matter how many times she gave herself the same pep talk, it didn‘t
work. She, who had never been in love in her life, had fallen and fallen hard. She
didn‘t know if she‘d ever recover. How was any other man supposed to measure
up?
At twelve-fifteen, she logged off of the system and put her headset down. It
was lunchtime, but she didn‘t have an appetite. She went into the large break
room, sat at one of the two-seater tables in the corner, and pulled out a book. It
was a steamy romance, and before this weekend she would have been all into it.
Now it was just for show. As long as she appeared to be reading, no one would
bother her.
She‘d been staring miserably at the same page for five minutes when a deep,
41
vaguely familiar voice asked, ―Is this seat taken?‖
Mya shook her head no and indicated that he could take the chair. She
certainly wasn‘t using it. The chair made a scraping noise on the floor as it was
pulled away from the table. Instead of hauling it off as she expected, the person sat
down.
―I noticed you weren‘t eating anything. If you forgot your lunch, I‘m willing
to share. There‘s more than enough here for two,‖ he said.
She sighed. Couldn‘t he see all she wanted was to be left alone. Finally
glancing up from her book, she said, ―That‘s alright. I‘m really not…‖ Mya stared in
shock. ―Gabe?‖