Moon Shifter 02 - Primal Possession

surprisingly quiet as he led them to a well-traveled trail. It was big enough for only one horse at a time, so she stayed behind him and enjoyed the view.
    She’d bundled up in a heavy down coat, a knit cap, and thick leather gloves. In contrast, Liam wore no jacket, a fairly thin long-sleeved T-shirt, worn jeans, and boots. The thin shirt gave her a nice view of all those rippling muscles. As she watched his back muscles flex, she shifted against her saddle. The rubbing action soothed her aching a little, but she was immediately embarrassed by what she was doing.
    As if he could read her mind, Liam turned around. The positively wicked smile he shot her annoyed and turned her on at the same time. “We’re almost there,” he said.
    She started to ask where when he turned back around. She didn’t have to wait long, though. Moments later he directed his horse to the left down another very short trail that opened into a clearing.
    A small pond was frozen over and most of the oak trees had lost the majority of their leaves, but it was a quiet little oasis. Liam slid off his horse and before she could do the same, he held on to her waist and was helping her down.
    For a moment he stood there, gripping her and just staring like he wanted to take her right there on the ground. And she was afraid she might let him. God help her, this man was quicksand. Only days before, she’d been keeping him at arm’s length. Now she wanted him to wrap those big arms around her and never let go. What was wrong with her?
    Liam suddenly cleared his throat and dropped his hands as if she’d burned him. He tilted his head toward a large, fallen tree. “Will you tether the horses to that log?”
    Mouth full of cotton, she nodded and swallowed while he grabbed a backpack off his horse. After securing the two animals, she found Liam by the frozen pond laying out a purple and white quilt that looked handmade.
    Fallen leaves and dried grass crunched beneath her boots as she neared him, but he didn’t look up as he pulled a thermos and two mugs out of the backpack.
    “You can sit if you want,” Liam mumbled, barely loud enough for her to hear.
    Crossing her legs, she sat on the edge of the quilt as Liam zipped his pack up. She frowned when he wouldn’t look at her until she realized he was nervous.
    He wiped his hands on his jeans and finally met her gaze. “I hope this is okay.”
    Smiling, she scooted closer so that their knees touched. “This is really sweet, Liam.” And totally unexpected.
    He blew out a long sigh. “Ana said you’d like this…. Not that I didn’t want to do it,” he rushed on.
    She bit back a smile as he fumbled around with opening the thermos. The scent of hot chocolate teased her nose and made her stomach rumble. He poured her a cupful and practically shoved the mug into her hands.
    “Why are you being so weird?” December asked before blowing on the hot liquid.
    He nervously rubbed a hand over his head, ruffling his dark hair. “I…I’ve never done this before.”
    “Done what?”
    “Tried to…” Liam shook his head. “I’ve never really tried to impress a woman.”
    She jerked back at his bold admission. The stark honesty touched her. “Like ever?”
    He was silent for a moment before he shook his head. “I’ve never been with a human and when she-wolves are attracted to males, they don’t need, uh…never mind.”
    She had an idea where he was headed and she didn’t want to talk about
that
any more than he seemed to want to. Time for a subject change. “Okay, then, you’re one hundred and…”
    “Eight,” he supplied, looking relieved she’d turned topics.
    “One hundred and eight, and you’ve never been on a date. I don’t know how I feel about being your guinea pig.” She gave him a playful smile before taking a sip of her hot chocolate.
    When December smiled at him like that, Liam forgot to breathe. He felt like a jackass admitting he’d never tried to impress a woman before, but he figured if he screwed up, maybe she’d be more forgiving if she knew he was trying.
    He’d always thought human traditions were stupid until now. His inner wolf still wanted to claim and mark her more than he wanted his next breath, but he wanted to get to know her better first. His brother had been right. Hearing her story last night about a dog named Bubblegum still made him smile. Though his canines ached even nowto sink into December’s soft flesh, she deserved to be courted and treated