“You know it’s just a weekend getaway, right?” Link asked, looking down at the three bags sitting next to the door. He glanced over to Eliana, where she sat on the couch with an amused expression on her face. “Do you know what’s going on?”
“Hey, a girl can never overpack. Who knows what outfit she’ll have to wear given any situation? It’s not like she had any idea what she was getting herself into.”
Link shook his head in dismay. Eliana did have a point, but three bags? Really? He doubted he even owned enough clothes to fill three bags. Curious, he bent down and started to unzip the bag sitting on top of the roller suitcase.
“Hey, get out of there. It’s private.” Rosie strode forward, slapping his hand away from her bag. “I’m ready to go now.”
“Are you sure? I mean, there’re only three bags here. You might need to have a good pair of tennis shoes or something.” Somehow he managed to keep a straight face.
“Really? You think so? Just one sec.” She whirled around, ready to rush back to her room when Link caught her by the arm.
“I was just kidding. Geez, you’d think you never went on vacation before.” Link smiled down on her, still holding her arm, as he watched her face begin to turn red. When she refused to make eye contact with him, he realized his mistake. “Is this your first vacation?”
“So what if it is?” Rosie shot back. “It’s not like I’ve lived a life of luxury, able to jaunt off at a moment’s notice.”
“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with needing to work. I’m just sorry I didn’t know about it before. I would’ve…”
“What would you have done, Link? Really, don’t stop now, I want to know.”
Eliana jumped from the couch to rush over to Rosie’s side. She pulled her into a hug and whispered into her ear, “Relax, Rosie. There’s no need to take out your insecurities on Link. He’s the good guy, remember?” She pulled away and said brightly, “Have a great time, you two.” Giving Rosie a final squeeze on her shoulders, she tipped her head with a knowing look.
Rosie got the hint, not that it was so hard to comprehend having it bashed over her head. She guessed she deserved it, given how rude she had been to Link. Looking up bashfully, she said, “I’m sorry, Link. I didn’t sleep well last night. I guess I just have a few jitters about this whole thing.”
“No worries. Let’s get going; we’re already late.” Link liked teasing her, but he could see the way she cringed. “I’m just kidding. It’s time you lighten up, Rosie. This weekend is about resting, relaxing, and self-discovery.”
“You had me going along with you until you got to that last bit. Just what am I supposed to be discovering about myself?” Rosie crossed her arms, a prickling feeling racing across her flesh.
“That’s the fun of the adventure. You don’t need to have everything planned. In fact, I have a special ceremony I want you to attend. Not many outsiders have ever seen it, and you’ll be my special guest.”
“Just how special?” Rosie felt giddy thinking that Link wanted to include her in something special to him.
“One of a kind, life-changing special. Just wait. You won’t regret it.”
“Why is it when people say that, the next thing that happens is regret?”
Eliana had heard enough. With a playful shove and laugh, she said, “Quit stalling already. Get out! I want the house to myself already.”
“Alright, alright, I get it. I’m leaving.” To put action to her words, she picked up one of her three bags.
Quick to take action himself, Link grabbed one bag and tucked it under his arm while he grabbed the second one. He opened the door and waited for Rosie to pass by him before he winked conspiratorially at Eliana. He mouthed the word, “Thanks!” as he pulled the door shut behind them.
Having just completed a treehouse, Link drove them straight to the out-of-the-way location. He kept glancing over to Rosie to see how she reacted to the landscape changing from the cityscape to the countryside. Knowing she preferred the city, he hoped she could learn to appreciate the value of wild nature surrounding her.
Especially since her incident in Central Park. He knew she had been quite shaken by the change she had experienced. Heck, he was still shaken at the revelation of it all. Although he had to admit, her little secret certainly allowed him some new leverage for starting a relationship with her.
He had always been reserved with other women, often pushing aside his feelings so he would not hurt their feelings. Because of his werewolf side, he knew the woman he ended up with would have to either be very understanding, or unique herself. In Rosie’s case, she would definitely understand the nature of what happened to him when he changed into a wolf.
Parking under the tree, he turned off the truck and turned to Rosie. “Are you ready to be completely pampered this weekend?”
“I’m almost scared to agree to that. It sounds like there could be an indecent proposal in there somewhere.” Rosie laughed nervously.
“Nothing of the kind. I’ll always be a gentleman until you tell me otherwise.” He grinned devilishly.
“What?” Her eyes widened with excitement.
“Just say the word, and I’ll show you how nice I can really be.”
“Okay, I think we’re getting a little…” she left it unsaid, opting to open her car door and drop down onto the ground. Just a little space; that was all she needed. How was she ever going to survive an entire weekend with him if he were going to be pushing her so hard? She already liked him, but she did not just want a weekend fling, she wanted much more.
Shaking her head, she decided just to relax and enjoy the time she spent with Link. It was up to her to make sure they did not cross any lines, even if he were flirting shamelessly. It seemed to be the way he talked with her; there was nothing behind his playful words. She would take it all with a grain of salt.
“Show me your newest creation. Wow me with your luxurious housing,” she teased.
Link tilted his head at her, wondering at her sudden shift in mood. “Okay, let me just get your bags, and we’ll head on up.” He pointed over to his left. “Do you see the bridge over there? That’s where we’ll be heading.”
Not waiting for him, Rosie began walking across the soft grass. She looked around appreciatively, sniffing the clean air, and tilting her head up toward the sunshine. In the city, unless you were standing in the space between the buildings at the right time of day, the sun never actually touched your skin. She began to understand why Link was so enamored with the wilderness.
She shook her head at her strange thought. For some reason, she had never felt that type of connection with nature. Ever since that evening in Central Park, she had started noticing smells, sounds, and sights like never before. Maybe she would tell Link about her dream and then see how he reacted to her. Surely, he would think she was slightly crazy. Perhaps then, he would not want to flirt with her anymore.
With the idea fresh in her mind, she turned back and called out across the distance, “I had the strangest dream the other night.”
“Oh, yeah? Want to tell me about it?” Link managed to grab all three bags and shut the back of the truck. He wondered if Rosie was going to share her experience with him.
“Sure, let’s get a cup of tea, and I’ll tell you about it up there on that deck. It looks like the perfect spot for the tale I’ve got for you.” Grinning mischievously, she turned back toward the bridge, lengthening her stride to keep ahead of Link. Feeling as if he were stalking closer to her, she began to get a giddy, bubbling sensation inside her stomach. For the first time in a long time, she felt genuinely happy.
Before they even made it to having tea, Rosie stood at the front door, marveling at the beauty Link had created inside. When she felt him come up beside her, she turned her eyes to him and said, “This is even more spectacular than the one you showed me last week. How do you come up with the ideas for these? You’re truly an artist, you know.”
Link pushed her to cross the threshold. “It looks even more amazing when you’re not standing in front of the door. What did you say you packed in these bags? They weigh a ton.”
“What, are you afraid the treehouse won’t be able to support the weight?” She clicked her tongue admonishingly. “That’s not a good selling feature, you know.”
“Follow me; I’ll show you to the room you’ll be using.” Link moved past her, leading her to the far side of the main living area.
Rosie kept shifting her eyes from one beautiful decoration to another. Her hand swept along the back of the soft suede leather couch as she went along. To the right, the galley kitchen had top-notch appliances, even including a warming oven. Not looking where she was going, she ran straight into Link’s back.
“Oh! Sorry, Link. Why’d you stop?”
“I was waiting for you. I wanted to see your reaction when you saw this room. I decorated it with you in mind.”
“With me…I don’t understand. Exactly how long have you been planning this?” She shifted her eyes from his face to the room beyond him. Her mouth fell open slightly as she took in all of the beauty in front of her. This was the bedroom of her dreams, including a fabulous chandelier in the middle of the room.
“Wow. This is amazing.” She forgot all about her questions for Link’s motivations, wishing all the more this could be her room at home.
“Could something like this convince you to leave the city?”
“Absolutely, although the commute would be terrible.” Twirling around, she ran her hand along the top of the chifforobe, admiring the smooth finish on the dark wood. Everything was just perfect. Better than she could have created for herself. “How did you know what I’d like?”
“Women are easy to please when you pay attention.”
“Really?” Rosie stopped admiring the room to turn her full attention on Link. “What pleases me then?”
Link dropped the bags where he stood. Moving slowly toward her, he practically whispered his response. “That’s easy. You like to feel protected, and you like things around you that bring you a peaceful feeling.” He stopped directly in front of her, his body almost touching hers. Lifting his hand, he brushed the back of his knuckles against her cheek, closing his eyes at the feeling of her silky skin.
“Is that all?” she whispered, her eyes locked on his face, enjoying the pleasure he took from touching her.
“No,” he opened his eyes and looked deeply into her eyes. “Just like the sparkle in your eyes, you like whimsical things. That’s why I put the chandelier where you can see it as you’re lying in bed.”
“Oh.” Rosie breathed out. “I just thought it was beautiful.”
“Yes, just like you,” he agreed. Moving closer, he bent his neck until his face came close to hers.
She could feel the heat of him all along her body. This was definitely what she had been planning on avoiding. The first thing they did was enter her bedroom and begin talking in sexy tones to one another. What was wrong with her? She needed to slow things down, find out his motivations. She needed some space.
The hardest thing she ever did was take that one step backward. She hated the idea of creating space between them when he clearly wanted to cross the line. How could she not want that as well? Oh, yeah, because she wanted a long-term commitment, not just a fling. She was going to have to keep that idea firmly in place.
Her legs bumped against the edge of the mattress, causing her to sit abruptly. “Well, that was definitely insightful. Thank you for explaining your process so thoroughly.”
Link grinned down at her. He could easily stir her emotions up again, but he decided against it. Instead, he turned around and said, “Go ahead and unpack. I’ll put water on for some tea.”
By the time Rosie finished with her unpacking, she felt sufficiently calm enough to face Link again. Once she left the relative safety of her room, she spotted him leaning against the kitchen counter, utterly oblivious to her stare. She paused for a second, drinking in his sexiness, wondering what it would be like to be with him for the rest of her life. What? No, that’s not where I was going with that.
Clearing her throat, she wanted to make enough noise so he could not accuse her of staring at him, even though that was precisely what had happened. “Is the tea ready? It smells amazing.”
“Yep, I just was getting a couple of cups while it finished brewing. Go on outside, and I’ll bring it out.” Link barely looked over at her, just a little bit of eye contact before he turned completely to open the cupboard.
Rosie felt foolish. She should have let him kiss her; then she could get over all of her fantasies about what it would feel like. Although, maybe she had been wiser to move away. Thinking about the dreams she had, and the idea of sharing them with Link, suddenly made her nervous. What would he think of her after she was done?
She opened the French door and walked out onto the composite decking. Link really had thought of every detail for comfort as well as practicality. Nobody would want to have to replace decking or even staining it yearly. The flawlessly uniform boards were the perfect solution.
Even as she had these thoughts, she wondered what made her go there. She could care less about practicality in home ownership. For her entire life, she had been a tenant in an apartment complex. If something broke, you called the manager, and they sent someone over to fix it. That was how she liked things, simple and easy.
Sitting at one of the bistro tables, she looked out over the view. Link did have a point about building higher off the ground; the views were fabulous. She could also imagine the leaves of the trees went a long way toward keeping the house and decks cool.
Link interrupted her musings by setting the tea tray on the table. His body moved into her line of sight, something which always caught her attention. Only then did she notice how his movements were fluid, almost animalistic in their practiced purpose.
“Do you like lemon, honey, sugar, or milk with your tea? I brought a little of everything because I wasn’t sure.”
“Really? There’s something you couldn’t guess about me?” Rosie leaned back in the chair, amused by teasing him.
“Well, if I had to guess, I’d say you take it straight. No embellishments.” Link poured out two cups and set one in front of her. “How’d I do?”
Rosie shook her head, astounded at his observations. “You’re spot on.” Picking up her cup, she blew gently across the fragrant surface, hoping she could taste it without burning her mouth.
Link appraised her carefully. “Why don’t you let that cool a little while you tell me about your dreams?”