They played like that for half an hour, her tackling him, him tackling her, and then they sat panting in his living room, studying each other. He stood, then motioned to the hallway with his head.
He looked as tired as she felt after the restless night they’d had. He loped off toward his bedroom, and she followed him, only this time she nipped him in the butt. He barked at her, a happy kind of bark.
She’d like to think this was all there was to it. But she knew better. If she shifted outside his cabin, it could spell disaster.
*
Allan couldn’t think of a better way to end their play than to take a nap with each other. Thankfully, Debbie seemed to like the idea, and he was proud of her for playing so well. He thought at first she wouldn’t play with him. Or that it was too difficult to understand what he was trying to tell her while he was in his wolf coat. But she picked up really quickly on cues, so he thought this might not be so hard after all. The shifting without warning? That was another story.
They curled up together in bed, her head over his body, his head tucked close to hers. He thought they might even go for a run together tonight in the woods. But what if she turned into her human form in the frozen cold? He’d have to shift and carry her home, and they’d both be naked. If it were summer, it wouldn’t be quite such a bad an idea.
He could take her for a walk in the woods as a human and carry a backpack of winter clothes for her so that she could dress if she shifted. It wouldn’t be the best plan, but it would be nice for her to get out and smell the woods and animal scents. To get used to them as a wolf. He’d be with her so if any hunter showed up, he’d set him straight about his pet wolf. And he’d be armed.
He’d talk about it later with her to see what she’d like to do. He thought being confined to the house would drive her batty after a while. It would him.
His phone rang, but Debbie didn’t stir, and he wasn’t getting up and shifting to get it. It was probably Paul to see if he was all right. Allan didn’t want to disturb what he and Debbie had for the moment. Peace. Quiet. Naptime. Until she woke, and then who knew what would happen next.
*
“Do you think Allan’s okay?” Lori asked Paul again. She couldn’t help it. She wasn’t a worrywart, but she had been concerned when Paul said that Debbie had shifted and was growling in the background, and Allan had ended the call right away.
“I think they’re fine. Maybe they didn’t sleep well, and they’re taking a nap now. I don’t want to disturb them if he’s making any progress with Debbie. They need the alone time.”
“Like we had?”
“Well,” he said, pulling Lori into his arms so her back was against his chest and he could gently caress her swollen breasts and her swelling tummy. “Our alone time was a lot different.”
She sighed. “I thought maybe if I went over there and talked with her, she would be less growly, you know, because I’m so pregnant, and she’d behave better.”
“I think she’s in good hands with Allan. You know how much he cares for her. He’ll handle this right.”
“I hope she’s not too angry with all of us. I wonder if he told her that she has my wolf genes.”
“As long as it didn’t make her pregnant and it saved her life, I’m certain she’ll be all right with it. Speaking of napping and having a rough night of it…”
She sagged against him. “If you’ll give me a back rub.”
He smiled and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll give you much more than that.” Then he led her to their bedroom.
Chapter 18
Allan woke to find a naked woman curled up against him, only he was still all wolf. He shifted and pulled the covers over them, wondering what the next phase in training would be. He realized that’s what this was going to be for a while. An in-house boot camp for a lupus garou until Debbie could get her shifting under control. He’d never really thought anything about the full moon, except that he loved how it lighted the whole sky at night.
Because of the situation with Debbie, he was counting down the days when the new moon was here, and she wouldn’t be able to shift for a week. He planned to pack in a month’s worth of outdoor activities in that week—searching crime scenes, diving, shopping trips, eating out, and movies, anything that she wanted to do that she couldn’t during the rest of the month until she could control her shifting better.
Maybe if she had a week of scheduled activities crammed in, she’d be ready for three weeks of not going places as much. At least he hoped that’s what they could do. He’d propose it to her when she woke.
Her naked body resting against his had stirred longings again for something more. He felt driven to make her see the benefit of having him for her mate. Someone who could protect her, show her the ropes, and love her unconditionally. They would be perfect for each other, he thought, as much as they had been compatible before she was turned. He really believed if she hadn’t been turned, and he hadn’t been a wolf, they would have been perfect as human companions.