14 - the fall

Chloe's POV-

Paul and I fell asleep after our talk. Well, that and some making out. He was sleeping soundly beside me, tousled hair over his forehead, eyelashes fluttering against his cheek, and soft sighs passing through his perfect lips. I woke up to use the bathroom and I'm not tired anymore, but I just couldn't resist climbing back into bed with Paul.

Paul. God, if you had told me when I met him a little over a week ago, that we would be here, I wouldn't have believed it. I kept staring at his face, his chin, his jaw, those lips. Oh my, those lips. I lifted a finger to lightly trace the top one, loving that little dip below his nose. He's smiling a little and his mouth looks like a perfect bow on a present I'm dying to open.

I'm in big trouble.

Every moment we've spent together here, I know I'm falling deeper in love with Paul. He's so different than anyone I've ever been with. He's sweet and protective and understanding. I loved seeing him like this. No worry lines creasing his brow when he checked his phone to see if Charlie has called or if his pack needed him.

He looked relaxed and...happy. I think I am too. I can't be sure because I've never felt this way. Suddenly my my chest felt heavy and my skin prickly. I slid out of bed quietly and dressed quickly. I busied myself in the kitchen, tidying up from the baking and...well what we did on the island.

I felt my cheeks heat up as I bleached the surface and wiped it down. I had never given myself over to someone like I had with Paul. I trusted him with my naked body splayed out and I allowed him to do as he pleased.

He didn't disappoint.

The pleasure I've felt with Paul since we've been here is unmatched. Not that I have a lot to compare to. I had a semi-serious boyfriend in art school. I let him draw me in the nude once and we explored a little. But no one else had put my needs first like Paul had done. Newsflash: not all guys care if you get off. They should, but they don't.

For a long time, I thought it was me. I took too long or I couldn't get wet enough. Obviously I was wrong on both counts. The patience Paul displayed in the hot tub that first night alone was enough to make me fall in love with him. He knew I was 'in my head' and made sure I slowed down and really felt him. And wow, it was worth it.

I felt a shiver just thinking about how hard I had climaxed both times with Paul. Amazingly he's been so understanding about not going any further...yet. I don't know if I can wait much longer. I really want it all with him.

I sighed as I glanced around the small kitchen and noticed everything was clean and put back properly. I prepared a roast and cut up some potatoes to place in the crockpot for dinner later. But I still felt weird.

My skin almost felt itchy. I couldn't get enough air. I opened a few windows and pulled back all the curtains. That didn't help either. I went to the front door and slipped on the Sperry's I had left there. I pulled the front door open and began walking, knowing I couldn't go too far. The woods were dense and I had a terrible sense of direction.

I just needed to get away for a moment. I wondered if I could get a better handle on my feelings if I knew Paul wasn't in the next room. He had become the center of my world in such a short time that I didn't want to think about what would happen if we couldn't be together after all this.

I needed him like the air filling my lungs right now. I stood and raised my head to the sky, searching for the sun as it was blocked by the trees. I took deep breaths and drank in the wonderfully warm, clean air. I heard birds chirping and squirrels chatter as they moved from tree to tree.

"What are you doing out here?"

My quiet little hike was interrupted by Paul's booming voice and his hand roughly gripping my shoulder. I twisted away from him and held my hand to my chest. "Shit, Paul! You scared me," I exclaimed.

"You shouldn't be out here by yourself," he growled as he curled his hand around mine and tugged me back toward the cabin.

"Paul, wait," I sighed.

"Come on, Chloe, don't be difficult."

Anger built up in my chest as he pulled me harder and refused to listen to me. "Paul!" I finally broke free from his hold and stood my ground.

He swung around to face me, scowling as he advanced on me. "Let's go."

"No!" I replied, dodging him as he reached for me. I stumbled back, tripping on tree root sticking up out of the ground. I landed on my butt with a thud, wincing as I scraped my elbows on the tree bark.

Paul was at my side in an instant. His eyes wide with regret as pressed kisses to my temple repeatedly and apologized profusely. "I'm okay," I insisted as I tried and failed to stand.

Paul easily swept me into his arms and lifted me off the ground. "Are you sure you're okay?" he inquired desperately as his eyes scanned me for injuries.

"Put me down."

Paul sighed softly and nodded. I stood in front of him, both hands pressed flat to his chest as he towered over me. "Please calm down, Paul."

I watched as he squeezed his eyes shut before blowing out a deep breath. He leaned forward, brushing his lips back and forth across my hairline, breathing in the scent of my hair. I kept my hands pressed firmly to his chest, feeling the rise and fall as his breathing slowed down. I peered up at him and scowled. "Your father is a domineering asshole. I'd expect him to bark orders and drag me around like a rag doll, but not you. I thought you cared about me."

I stepped out of his embrace and turned on my heel. "Wait!" he called, pulling gently on my sleeve. "I'm so sorry, Sugar."

Frozen to this spot on the trail, I shivered when Paul's warm hands slid around my stomach and pulled my body close to his. He stood behind me, mouth near my ear, breathing into my hair. My weakness. "I was being stupid," he continued as his hands dipped lower and he gripped my hips in a possessive way.

I tilted my head a little, loving the way his lips barely brushed the shell of my ear when he spoke. "I don't like being bossed around...except in the bedroom," I whispered.

Paul leaned in further, held me tighter as an almost inaudible moan escaped his lips. "I...I...got freaked out when I woke up and you were gone. I didn't mean to hurt you."

I smoothed my hands over his, bringing them back to encircle my waist. "I only hurt my butt when I fell."

Paul dragged his hands from my waist to my ass, deftly sliding under the waistband of my shorts. He palmed both cheeks and gently squeezed. "Here?"

My back arched slightly, without meaning to. He rubbed softly, forcing a strange whimper to burst from deep within my chest. "That feels good," I purred, arching more and pushing further into his hold.

"Let's go," he murmured as he guided me forward, deeper into the dense woods.

"Where?"

Paul maneuvered around to walk beside me, his arm protectively wrapped around my waist. "It's a surprise. Come on."

I let Paul guide me through the maze of trees and brush. He seemed to know that woods like the back of his hand. We walked in silence, pausing on when he wanted to point out something beautiful for me to see. I could hear water flowing before I could see it. "We're almost here," he announced suddenly.

I turned to find a clearing with a small body of clear, fresh water. The pounding of water I heard was coming from waterfall just above. I gasped at the beauty of it all. Such a little slice of heaven tucked away in this thick, lush forest. "Wanna get in?" Paul asked, his eyes twinkling with excitement.

I blinked quickly as he began stripping off his clothes. "Skinny dipping?" I gulped.

"Why not?" he shrugged as he shirt went sailing past my head. "There's no one around."

I felt nervous. I knew I had no reason to be. Paul had seen me naked, just this morning in fact. So why was my stomach in a knot of nerves as I watched him kick off his shoes and drop his shorts and boxer briefs to the ground? Oh yes. Because Paul looked like a god when he was naked and I couldn't think straight when my eyes raked over all that skin.

Paul smiled at me. Damn that smile. I thought he could probably convince me to do anything when he smiled at me like that. He lifted his hand to me, once again asking me to join me. I blinked quickly, my eyes darting to his other hand as it rubbed up and down from his neck to the lowest place on on his stomach.

If he grabbed himself, I'd lose my mind. I didn't even allow my eyes to travel that low. If he was staring at me this intensely and he wasn't hard, I'd be crushed. He lowered his outstretched hand and smirked. He turned to face me fully as I began undressing without even realizing it.

Paul's eyes raked over my body as I lost my outfit, piece by piece. My t-shirt landed near his feet, shorts ended up in a puddle around my ankles, my bra slid down my arms and sailed over his head. Paul's quick hand darted up to catch my bra at the last moment and I laughed. He held it up to his own nicely developed pecs and I laughed harder.

"Not my color?" he teased as he cast it aside.

My laughing subsided to a subtle giggle as I shook my head. "But you look good like that," I blurted without thinking.

Paul glanced down at his own naked form and my eyes followed his gaze. Every part of his body was rock hard and glistening with sweat. I mean, every single part. And the best part was, he wasn't ashamed of it. He was standing here next to this beautiful body of water, out in the open of this dense forest and he gave no indication of being embarrassed in the least.

I saw his eyes dart down between my legs before he dove into the surprisingly clear water. My mouth hung open at the sight of his sculpted body slicing through the water. And I finally took a breath when he resurfaced, bursting up and shoved both hands through his hair as he went. "Come join me," he called.

I smiled shyly and finally removed my panties, knowing but not seeing him watch me as I did it. I edged closer to the water on shaky limbs until I finally felt it's coolness under my feet. I watched Paul splash around and float on his back near the center. I eased into the water slowly, sucking in a sharp breath when I noticed how cold it felt.

But the time I had gotten to where the water was up to my waist, I glanced around to look for Paul. Did he leave and I didn't even realize it? Not likely. I eased out a little further and gasped when I felt his hands encircle my waist. "Paul!" I laughed as he came up through the water in a giant splash behind me.

He pulled me tighter to his body, his lips brushing my ear. "I enjoyed the show," he growled low and sexy. "Absolutely gorgeous."

I turned in his arms and sighed as he wrapped my legs around his waist and bobbed in the water. I tried to ignore the way his erection bounced as we moved and tapped against my ass like a beating heart. I smoothed my hands over his face, brushing away loose beads of water as they dropped slowly down. "Damn," I sighed.

Paul laughed and his brows furrowed with curiosity. "What?" he simply asked.

I shook my head and wriggled to get out of his grasp. He held me tightly as his expression grew more serious. "Talk to me, Sugar. I honestly want to know what's on your mind."

"You."

Paul beamed and pulled me closer, crushing our chests together. "Care to be most specific?" he urged gently as his nose trailed up my neck and behind my ear.

I hummed as I felt his tongue dart out to taste my skin. "I...ummm…"

"Having trouble concentrating?" Paul mused playfully as he raised his head and met my gaze head on.

I nodded as I slid my hands up his chest and then raked my nails back down again. He squeezed his eyes shut and sucked in a deep breath. "Distracted?" I teased.

Paul laughed as he twirled us around in the crystal blue water. "Yes...but I love it. You feel good, you taste good and I want you...so badly."

His honest answer earned his a deep kiss from me. I could feel our bodies melting together as our tongues danced. I nibbled on his lower lip and he groaned painfully. "You...are killing me, woman."

I held him tightly, loving how comfortable this felt. It shouldn't. We barely knew each other. I'd never been skinny dipping. I'd never revealed my body to anyone like this. And more importantly, I'd never wanted to be this naked and vulnerable with anyone. Ever. Paul had me bursting with lust, excitement...and maybe love?

"Are you okay?" Paul asked when I finally released my death grip on his neck.

I nodded and kissed the tip of his nose. "You're just...so different. Everything about being with you is so different than anything I've ever felt before. The things you say to me, Paul. I love it. I love how fiercely you want me. It feels so good and I…"

"Yes?" he beamed, eager to hear more.

"I love how you look at me, that you even want to look at me…" I paused when I saw Paul's expression falter.

"Why wouldn't I want to look at you? Or have you look at me? I wouldn't ever want to miss one of your cute reactions," he teased.

"Let's get a closer look at the waterfall," I suggested as I twisted away from his grip and swam closer to the water that looked like it was falling from the sky.

Paul caught up to me quickly, gripping my waist from behind as he lifted me. "Hold your breath," he encouraged before hoisting us up under the fall. The water raged down on us, but his hold on me never faltered. I could feel his strength as we waded through the power that raged in this fall.

I tipped my head back and let it pour over me. Paul took a few more steps until we were clear of pounding waterfall. I blinked quickly, pushing wet hair and droplets of water from my eyes. There was a small cavern behind the fall and the water was only ankle deep here. Paul released me so I moved closer to inspect the walls. They glittered as the constant water stream had caused some sort of erosion, leaving behind a sparkly array of sediment. It was beautiful.

I turned to find Paul sitting on a flattened stone, almost resembling a bed. Hmm. He was leaning back on his palms, body glistening under the spray of the fall, that was now reduced to a mist. I smiled shyly at him and sauntered closer. "Hi."

His mouth formed a hard line. "Tell me what you meant out there. About looking at you." Paul paused and sighed. "Is this about my father?"

I squeezed my eyes shut and blew out a deep breath. "Let's just forget it. I don't know what I was saying."

Paul reached for my wrist and pulled me down to sit next to him. "Please?" he pleaded.

I leaned toward, holding my forehead in my hands, elbows on my knees. "Can't we just forget it?"

"No. I can't. Even if you can."

I smoothed my hair away from my face and sighed deeply. I focused on the wall beside us, forcing myself not to meet his intense gaze. "I just meant that...it's nice to see your eyes. It makes me feel good."

Paul's hand drifted up my spine and back down again. I shivered. "He doesn't look at you?"

"No." I was thankful that he didn't say his father's name. "He never let me look at him when we...you know."

I could feel Paul's anxiousness even though I still hadn't faced him. He removed his hand from my back and my stomach sank in disappointment. I lowered my head in shame. Saying it out loud was a wake up call. Jack Lahote is a bastard.

When I raised my head again, I found Paul kneeling in front of me and I held my breath. "He's an idiot, Sugar. I'll never be able to understand why he hasn't treated you better but…" he paused as a smile began to ring at the corners of his mouth. "I'm glad he isn't much competition." Paul lifted his hand to my face, the back of his fingers brushing my cheek before cupping my jaw.

I covered his hand with mine and smiled. "I was so stupid. It shouldn't have taken you being so good to me to realize your dad has been mistreating me."

Paul clenched his jaw and nodded. "Has he ever hit you?"

"No," I sighed. "But there are other ways to abuse someone. Like subjecting them to the loneliness of the silent treatment because they don't agree with you. Or driving so fast that you fear for you life when you ride with them, just because they can. Words hurt too. Before you, Paul, I didn't feel worthy of wanting more. But since I've met you...I know I want more. I need it. I love this feeling I have when I'm with you." I pulled my hands lap and buried them in his hair. "And I want more."

Paul sighed a contented breath. "I'll give you everything I have, Sugar. Anything you want. I've only felt this with you and…" he paused to chuckle. "Even though it scares the shit out of me...I want you too."

I swallowed thickly at his honest admission. I blinked back tears as my hands moved to his neck and I pulled his mouth to mine. "I don't know if I can wait any longer," I admitted as his lips brushed against me.

Paul raised up on his knees, nestling further between my thighs. I could feel his pulsing erection sandwiched between my stomach and his. I wrapped my legs around his waist and drew him impossibly closer. "Please?" I pleaded. "I need to feel you," I begged shamelessly.

"Here?" he gulped loudly as my mouth trailed kisses down his chest and back.

I held his chin in my hand and laughed. "Can you really wait until we get back to the cabin?"

I burned deep in my core when he bit down on his lower lip and lowered his gaze to his pulsing hard-on. "I think we should wait…"

"Oh," I sighed dejectedly. His eyes went wide when I lowered my legs and inched away from him.

"Just until we get back to the cabin," he blurted when he saw the disappointed look on my face. "It's just cold in here."

I glanced down between us and gave him a cock-eyed smirk. "Cold, huh? I can't tell." He was still rock hard and his face contorted in pain when I held him in my hand.

He eased away from me with a growl, swiftly scooping me into his arms. I encircled his neck with my arms as he carried us back out of the cavern and through the waterfall one more time. We were nearly dry after sitting for so long. The water hit us both and I squealed at the pressure and temperature.

Paul just laughed as he waded back through the water, pausing only to allow me to grab our clothes. "We aren't dressing?" I gasped.

He shook his head. "I can't wait either."

I chuckled as I gathered everything up and gave him a serious look. "Well then I suggest we 'wolf' it home, because neither one of us are very patient today."

Paul shrugged and nodded, stepping back to indeed shift before me. "I've never done this with a hard-on before. I'm kinda scared it will hurt…"

I tossed my head back and laughed, raising it once again when I heard the sound of bones crunching. His dark eyes were alight with fire and desire. Even in his wolf form, I could see it. Somehow I was scared...and extremely turned on. Paul lowered his wolfy head, urging me to join him and who was I to say no?

...

A/N: I hope I haven't lost any of you with this long wait. I've been distracted, reading more than I've been writing. Sorry for that. Thanks to all of you who are still with me. I appreciate you!