Dan couldn’t help his grin as he saw Lucy climb down from Nick’s truck. She’d driven over from the cabin and had clearly made an effort. Not that she needed to, given how absolutely beautiful he already found her, but he appreciated that she’d dressed up for him.
“I hope you’re wearing sensible shoes,” he laughed, as she walked towards him.
“I am,” she retorted, even though he spotted laughter in her eyes. “In fact, I even brought my hiking boots in the back of the truck, in case we’re going somewhere ridiculous.” She arched one eyebrow, her lips lifted slightly.
Dan grabbed her around the waist, pulled her tightly against him and slammed his mouth over hers, catching her gasp with his lips. She responded at once, resting her hands on his chest and immediately kissing him back. His passion burst into life at once, and he feathered kisses along the curve of her jaw and down her throat, hearing her quiet moan.
Stepping back, he blew out a long breath. “Sorry,” he murmured, seeing the way she was looking at him with an almost dazed look. “You’re just completely irresistible and, believe me, I’d love to carry this on but if we don’t go now, we’ll be late.”
“Late?” she queried, her breath still coming quickly. “For what?”
Dan held out his hand to her, waiting until she took his hand before beginning to walk away from the mechanics. Her touch seared his skin and everything in him wanted just to sweep her up into his arms and walk back into the shop, but instead, he just kept walking. This would be a great evening for the both of them, so long as he timed it right.
“Where are we going?” he heard Lucy ask, as they walked up the small path behind the mechanics shop, which was soon covered with trees. “Is this the way to the building site?”
Chuckling, Dan shook his head. “No, that’s more to the west, although it’s less of a building site now. In fact, I heard Tom say that they’re going to start sleeping over there by the end of the week!”
“Really?” She sounded surprised, but Dan grinned back at her.
“Really,” he replied. “I guess Tom really wants to move out.” When Lucy didn’t respond, Dan just kept walking, keeping his eyes on the path. He heard her murmur something along the lines of, ‘then you’ll be in that place by yourself’, and he struggled not to laugh out loud, his smile widening. He'd be lying if he didn't admit he'd thought about that himself. Having the place to himself meant that there would be no-one to interrupt him and Lucy if they decided to have a quiet dinner together.
“We’re almost here,” he murmured, giving her hand a gentle tug. “I’m afraid the next part is going to get quite steep though. Think you’re up for it?”
“Of course I am,” Lucy replied, immediately. “Although I hope you can find your way back down. It’s going to start getting dark soon.”
The thought of being in the dark with Lucy, walking a remote path through the dark wood, brought out the protective instinct in Dan almost immediately. His bear growled happily, as though reminding him that he needed to take care of her. Dan didn’t need to be told. It was already something he wanted to do, had to do. He wished he could share with her exactly how he was feeling, and what his bear did when she was around, but that was something he'd promised not to talk to her about any more. If he even mentioned his bear or his shifting abilities, the conversation would more than likely turn into why she didn't shift, which was exactly what he'd promised not to talk about. It would be best not to mention it at all, despite his almost overwhelming need to get her to change her mind. He couldn't imagine not running through the woods with her, their bears completely free. It was one of the happiest times of his life, being able to do that, and he hoped that, one day, that he'd be able to share those times with Lucy.
His heart began to pick up its pace and a small trickle of sweat crept down his back as they climbed the hill together. It was an incredibly steep climb, but Dan knew it would be worth it. He’d spent more than a few evenings up here in the past, especially when Tom and Savannah had been hoping for a few hours along together. He’d discovered it completely by chance, and he didn’t think that very many others knew about it either. The path had been almost hidden by undergrowth the first time he’d walked it, and he’d spent a few hours clearing it one day.
Breathing hard, Dan slammed his hands onto his knees and drew in a couple of deep breaths. “We’re here,” he gasped.
“Good,” Lucy replied, struggling to catch her breath. “I don’t think I could have walked much longer.”
Dan smiled, standing up straight. “I’ve been up here so many times I’ve almost lost count.”
“You mean you put yourself through that on purpose?” Lucy asked, rolling her eyes. “Why?”
Reaching for her hand, Dan pulled her a few steps further, pushing through a few small branches before, finally, they arrived.
He heard Lucy’s gasp and smiled with happiness. He’d known this place would be worth it.
“Here,” he murmured, leading her to an overturned tree trunk that he’d crudely carved into a bench of sorts, that very afternoon. “Sit down.”
Lucy sat down carefully, barely able to take her eyes from the view. Dan was right, this place had been worth the horrible climb. In front of her lay open fields, with a few houses dotted about, and she could even see the horizon. The sun was slowly going down and already the sky was beginning to turn a beautiful dusky pink.
“This is absolutely stunning,” she murmured, as Dan sat next to her. She glanced up at Dan, seeing the soft smile on his face. He appreciated the beauty of the land and that meant something to her. Dominic had never cared about anything like that, but Dan was so clearly the opposite of her brother.
“It’s going to get better,” Dan replied, slipping an arm around her shoulders. “It should be a nice clear sunset tonight.”
Lucy sighed, settling herself against him. “Do you come up here quite a lot, then?”
“Only when the others need some space from the single guy,” he quipped, making her smile. “I actually found it by chance and I don’t think that any of the others even know it’s here. The path was really overgrown the first time I followed it.”
“You’ve never brought anybody up here to look around?” Lucy asked, surprised.
Dan's chest rumbled with laughter. "Who would I bring, exactly?" he chuckled. "Tom and Nick aren't going to sit here, enjoying a sunset with me now, are they?"
Lucy turned to face him a little more fully. “So, you’ve never shown this place to anyone before?”
He looked down at her, his eyes suddenly serious. “No, I haven’t,” he replied, softly. “Not to anyone except you, Lucy.”
Lucy felt her heart leap into her throat, before settling itself again. Turning her eyes back towards the sunset, she tried to resist the sudden and almost inexplicable urge to cry. Dan had brought her here, to a place that was clearly quite special for him, so that he could share it with her. He'd not shown it to anyone else, and that made her realize that she actually truly meant something to him. Her strange feeling of wanting to laugh and cry at the same time grew steadily until she wasn't sure what to do.
“Are you okay?”
Looking up at him, Lucy’s heart slowly settled, and a sweet calmness spread over her whole being. “Yes, I am,” she replied, eventually. “I’m just struggling with being treated like this.”
“What do you mean?”
Seeing him frown, Lucy shook her head in exasperation. “I don’t mean it in a bad way, but that no-one’s ever made me feel….well, special, I suppose.” Her brows knotted as she tried to explain herself. “You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met before, Dan.”
She slowly felt him relax, his arm tightening just a little around her shoulders. "I guess I've been afraid to really trust you or to believe that I genuinely mean something to you."
“You thought I might just spend a couple of nights with you and then break things off?”
Wincing at the hurt in his voice, Lucy forced herself to nod. "At the back of my mind, I've always been questioning what's going on between us and whether it's real." Looking at the gorgeous sunset, she let out a long, happy sigh. “Now I don’t have that worry any more.”
“Good,” Dan muttered, still sounding a little frustrated. “So long as that’s clear, then.”
Lucy smiled up at him, waiting until the lines on his face smoothed out. “I feel something for you too, Dan, in case you were wondering.”
The old familiar smile quickly reappeared. “Do you?”
She nodded, closing her eyes as he brushed her hair back with his free hand. He was always so tender, so gentle. It was no wonder she was so drawn to him. When his lips met hers, she kissed him back, wondering if he could tell just how much she desired him.
“We’re going to miss the sunset,” he whispered against her lips.
A shiver of anticipation ran through her body as her mind went through a few possibilities of what could happen if they’d continued. After a few seconds she leaned her head on his shoulder and turned her eyes back to the sunset. She couldn’t remember when she’d ever felt this happy.