The next morning, Tina woke to a knock on her door. She lifted herself with her elbows and blinked rapidly, trying to clear the grogginess from her mind with a few shakes of her head. Still half asleep and rubbing the palm of her heel in one eye, she yawned as she headed for the door. She threw it open to find Anthony leaning on the door frame.
She almost squeaked with surprise and instinctively shut the door a bit, peeking around the edge to hide her barely clothed body. Now fully awake thanks to her sexy and alluring unexpected guest, she became suddenly aware of how little she was wearing. Upon returning to her room last night, the humid Indonesian air had inspired her to find pajamas with less fabric. She had opted for only a long shirt and a pair of underwear.
“Is it really ten in the morning already?” she asked, glancing around for a clock.
“Yes. Well, a little after actually.” Anthony chuckled, dark eyes looking her up and down. “Bedhead looks good on you.”
“Oh jeez.” She patted her untamed hair, trying to coerce it into something that wasn’t a tangled mess.
His eyes drifted to her chest and legs. “I also like the new outfit.”
Heat crept up her neck. “You are going to make me red turn as a tomato.”
“Well yeah, that’s kind of the point. You’re adorable when you blush.”
She laughed and smacked his shoulder. “Let me find some clothes.”
“Do you have to?” He groaned with disappointment.
She shook her head, barely able to bite back laughter as she ducked into the closet. He sighed heavily and leaned against the wall right outside the door, his elbow peeking around the doorframe as he politely waited in the hall.
“Many of the women Damara fused with in the past used to answer the door naked,” he said.
With a chuckle, she sifted through a few dresses to find a suitable one. “Liar.”
“Am I now?” Though she couldn’t see his face, his voice lowered suggestively. She could imagine that charming grin of his as he dared her to challenge his word.
“What should you and I do today?” Unashamed of the blatant change in subject, Tina chose an elegant blue gown with silver hems and tugged it on.
“Is there anything you want to do?”
“Not particularly. I’m still learning my way around.” Once dressed, she peeked around the doorframe to find him already smiling down at her.
He tilted his head, studying her. “My idea is a fun one, but we’d be leaving the temple grounds. Is that okay with you?”
Tina chuckled. “You’re breaking one of my rules on the first day?”
“I can’t help it.” He shrugged.
“Since it’s you, fine.” She gave him an overly exaggerated huff of annoyance, “What’s the idea?”
“I was thinking about how we met, and I figured you may want to see me shift outside of a life-or-death situation for once.”
Her eyes lit up. “That sounds incredible. You don’t mind?”
“Of course not.”
“It’s just that Amy rarely ever shifted around me or talked much at all about being a shifter. She said it just felt weird and wrong.”
Anthony nodded. “Understandable. It’s a cultural thing, Tina, and nothing personal.”
“I know. I just never understood it.”
He offered her his arm, and she took it as he led her into the hallway. “Our greatest power lies in our inner animals, and we’re raised to protect them at all cost. Part of that means keeping our shifts private, even from the humans we’re close to.”
Tina looked up at his handsome face, and a shiver of desire ran through him at the reminder of the powerful wolf inside of him. “If it’s so private, why are you showing me?”
“You’ve already seen me.” He smiled. “Besides, you’re special.”
She chuckled. “I bet you say that to all the girls fused with goddesses.”
With a laugh, he held open a door to the gardens outside. A wicker basket sat on one of the steps, and he scooped it up with his free hand.
“Oh, a picnic, huh? Romantic.”
“I try,” he said with a grin.
Anthony led her down one of the garden paths she hadn’t seen before, headed for the expansive field behind the temple. Once they reached the palace wall, he held open a wrought iron gate and gestured for her to go through first. “It’s safe. I checked the entire route already.”
“When?”
“We don’t all sleep in until ten.” He winked.
She laughed. “You’re just jealous.”
“Maybe a little. Will you carry the basket?”
“Sure.” Tina grabbed it and took a few steps back, not entirely sure of how much space he would need.
He tugged his black shirt over his head, the movement ruffling his dark hair. The sleeves caught on his toned biceps, and her eyes drifted to the six-pack above his belt. She waited for the heat to rise again in her face, but it sank to her thighs instead. “Are you putting on a show for me? We only met a few days ago.”
Anthony grinned. “Shifting rips our clothes, and I like this shirt. I’m afraid you’ll get the full view once I shift back for the picnic. There’s an extra pair of pants in the basket, but I’ll only put them on during lunch if you want me to.”
She shook her head, laughing. “You’re so forward.”
“You like it.”
Tina caught his eye, unable to hide her smile as she gestured for him to get on with his shift.
His form shimmered, and he pressed his eyes closed in a sudden grimace. A flicker of concern shot through her at his pain, but it didn’t last long. Fast as lightning, his body morphed. Hair sprouted. A snout grew. A tail swept behind him. One moment, Anthony had stood before her; the next, a massive wolf lowered its head to look her in the eye. Its furry ears perked up, angled toward her as it laid on the ground.
Though she should have been panicked as she eyed its massive claws and razor-sharp teeth, she wasn’t, This is Anthony. He’s safe, Tina told herself, and Damara agreed.
She inched toward him, and his gold eyes watched her every step. He nudged her side, his nose as big as her palm, and she ran her fingers along his silky fur. “Amazing,” she said softly.
He nodded toward his back.
“Wait, I’m riding you?”
A few short huffs of air escaped him, almost like a laugh, and it took a moment for her to realize what she had said.
She smacked him. “Pervert.”
He nodded again to his back. Picnic basket in one hand, she obliged him and hopped on. His soft fur brushed against her skin, the sensation cool and heavenly as she draped her legs on either side of his back. She ran her hands over his powerful shoulders, the rippling muscle hard as rocks beneath his skin. She leaned into him, craving more of him, excited and eager to see where he would take her. He stood, and she wrapped her hands around his neck for balance, her feet dangling several feet off the ground.
Anthony darted past the grassy field and into the forest, his wolf form silent and agile. He dodged trees and jumped logs effortlessly, every step as smooth and gentle as if they were merely walking. Tina watched the world whiz by, a wide smile plastered on her face the entire time.
After a few minutes, he sprinted out of the woods and into an open field. A river tumbled through the meadow, and a lone oak stood sentry by the bank. Her wolf trotted up to the water and laid down, allowing Tina to slide off once more.
As she set the picnic basket down, the edges of his form shimmered. In seconds, Anthony sat naked on the grass with an elbow perched on one knee.
Her eyes drifted instantly downward to his crotch, and she didn’t regret it in the least. He was beautifully endowed. Tina’s cheeks heated, and she forced herself to look at his face.
He merely grinned. “Human modesty is truly adorable.”
She knelt by the tree and busied herself with the picnic basket but didn’t hurry to hand him the pants. “I’ve been told shifters don’t mind being naked, even around other men.”
“As I said, shifting tears our clothes. We spend a good portion of our lives in our animal forms, so we get used to naked human forms pretty quickly.” Anthony stood and closed the gap between them, his tall frame casting a shadow over her as he neared. “We’re not ashamed of our bodies. And, by the way, you shouldn’t be either.”