Wyatt was silent most of the way home, and Candice didn’t understand why. She assumed that the shifter protesters had really upset him. The truth was that they upset her, too. Why couldn’t people just leave the poor creatures alone? After seeing the dead bear in the forest, Candice understood what a dangerous world it was for the shifters now.

Even though it scared her knowing that there were people who could transform into animals, she didn’t believe that they were any bigger a threat than they had been before they’d come out to the public. Why couldn’t people just leave them alone? They deserved to live their lives peacefully, just like anyone else.

Wyatt pulled up to the cabin and helped her take her shopping bags into the house. He seemed distant, and Candice didn’t understand why. She’d only known Wyatt for a few days, but the way that he had treated her and the way he made her feel had a major impact on her. She was really falling for the guy and wanted to believe that a man as smoking hot and as sweet as Wyatt could be interested in a boring, curvy, office worker like her.

Candice loved her curves, and she believed that a lot of men liked them, too. But the truth was that not all men did love curves like hers. Society told everyone that they should be attracted to super skinny supermodels with blonde hair and blue eyes. Candice just wasn’t that woman. Her last boyfriend had made it clear that everything about her was wrong. Her curves, her art, everything.

She sat in her guest bedroom with her shopping bags all around, wondering what to do next. Wyatt had mentioned he would make them dinner so Candice came up with a plan. She’d put on the negligée and a sexy dress, high heel shoes, and makeup.

Candice might be boring in most of her life, but she did know how to put herself together. If she spent this whole time in Wyatt’s house without at least showing him, she’d never forgive herself when she went back to Seattle and had to resume her normal, dreary life.

It was already dusk outside, and she could see Wyatt stoking up the barbecue on the patio outside her window.

With a smile on her face, she hurried to the bathroom and took a shower. She had purchased everything she’d need to get herself ready for a real-life date. Ever since she’d bought the negligée, she’d had this plan in the back of her mind. She’d let Wyatt see what she looked like in a dress and see what happened.

If it didn’t work, there was no loss. If it did work, then Candice would have a night to remember for the rest of her life. When she was done with her shower, she began to apply her makeup and do her hair.

She decided to go with smoky eyes and red lipstick. She did her hair in soft waves that went down her back and around her shoulders, perfectly accentuating the deep, heart neckline of the pink dress she planned to wear.

It would show her cleavage off in a simply irresistible way. As she powdered her face and put on her lipstick, she giggled to herself. Wyatt didn’t know what he was in for.

Slipping into the negligée, Candice felt sexier than she had in ages. She hadn’t had a boyfriend in over two years, having completely given up on men after the last one. Everything about Wyatt made her rumble in her lady bits, and all she wanted was to break off a piece of that hunky man who was grilling up steaks on the patio downstairs.

She slipped into the pink summer dress and the matching heels, feeling as pretty as a summer’s day. With one last look at herself, she flipped her hair over her shoulder, winked in the mirror, and headed downstairs. The sun was setting behind Wyatt as he flipped steaks on the grill. The smell of cooking wafted through the patio door as she walked through.

A blazing orange and pink sunset illuminated Wyatt in its magnificent glow. When he turned to her, his eyes grew wide, and his mouth dropped open. He nearly dropped the spatula, but caught it before it hit the patio floor. Candice bit her lip and gave him a coy sideways glance, knowing that her outfit was having the intended effect.

“You look nice. Did you buy that in town today?” he asked, his voice hoarse and croaking.

“I did. Do you like it?” she asked, twirling around. Her skirt flared out around her as she turned, showing off her legs.

“You look good in just about anything,” he said in a low voice. “But that outfit shows off just how beautiful and womanly you are,” he said. Candice was shocked at his statement. She hadn’t expected him to be so candid.

“Have a seat. Dinner’s almost ready. I made steak, potatoes, and corn on the cob. I hope you don’t mind such simple food.” Candice sat at the patio table that was already set with plates and silverware and a lovely flower arrangement at the center. He’d even put a white tablecloth over the wood, making for a very romantic scene.

Her heart did flip-flops in her chest at the thought that he’d gone through so much trouble for her. It seemed like they had the same idea in mind for tonight, making her tingle all over.

Wyatt set a plate of perfectly grilled steak, potatoes, and corn, complete with homemade barbeque sauce, in front of her. He sat down across the table with a plate of his own and poured them both a glass of white wine just as the sun made its final descent behind the mountain to the west. The sky was a blaze of sunset colors, but the stars began to twinkle at the edge of the orange hue.

Up in the mountains, the stars seemed to blanket the sky, even with the twinkling porch lights lining the roof above them. Candice took a sip of wine and smiled. Then she dug into her steak. It was the most delicious steak she’d eaten in a long time. It melted in her mouth, and the simple potatoes and corn must have been harvested that morning because they had the freshest, most subtle flavors.

“This is all so delicious, Wyatt. Thank you for going to so much trouble.”

“It wasn’t any trouble at all,” he said his, eyes flicking over her cleavage and back up to her face. She could see in the glow of the porch light that he was indeed affected by her appearance.

“I can’t get over how amazing you look in that outfit. I thought you looked good before, but now you look like a model or a famous actress.”

Candice giggled. “You don’t get out very much, do you?” She took another sip of wine. Wyatt was awfully impressed by her simple sundress and a dab of lipstick.

“You’re making this really hard for me,” he said.

“I’m making what hard for you?” she asked, batting her eyelashes.

He made a rumbling noise in his throat and took a deep drink of wine before putting the glass back down on the table. “You are a witness in a murder investigation. I shouldn’t even have you here.”

“Oh,” she said, realizing how many rules they were probably breaking just by having dinner together like this. She didn’t want to get him in trouble, but she’d already gone this far. She didn’t want to back out now.

“Tell you what, I can take this all off if you want,” she teased, waving her hand over her dress.

“It wouldn’t make any difference,” he rumbled. “You could be wearing a burlap sack and have tangles in your hair and dirt on your face. You’d still be a goddess.”

Candice’s eyes grew wide. Was he really that attracted to her?

“You aren’t so bad yourself,” she said breathlessly, and took another sip of wine.

He made that rumbling sound again in the back of his throat and took a bite of steak. Wyatt quickly changed the subject to the murder investigation. He asked her more questions about what she’d seen the day the shifter had been shot and the night she’d been chased out of her campsite. He seemed determined to turn their evening into part of the investigation. It made Candice’s heart sink that they had moved so far away from the connection that they obviously shared.

Just when Candice thought that their fun was over, Wyatt got up and went to the kitchen, only to come back with another bottle of wine. He quickly uncorked the bottle and poured them both another glass.

“So how do you like living in Seattle after growing up in the country?” he asked, sitting back down across from her.

“Seattle’s not so bad. But I do miss the mountains.”

“I don’t think I could live in the city,” he said. “I’d miss the fresh mountain air, the sound of geese as they fly overhead, the smell of lilacs in full bloom.”

“I wish I could move back out here,” she said.

Wyatt stood, lifting his glass. He walked toward her and took her hand, drawing her out of her seat. She grabbed her wine glass and followed him to a porch swing that looked out over the valley. They sat together and rocked gently back and forth. Candice put her wine glass on the table beside the swing. So did Wyatt. She snuggled in closer to him as the cold air of night pricked her bare shoulders.

“Are you cold?” he asked.

“A little bit.”

He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his chest, gently stroking her arm in a slow, sensuous movement. Candice leaned against his chest and took in his masculine scent with a deep breath through her nose. When she let out the breath, she moaned and relaxed into his body.

He wrapped his arm around her more tightly, squeezing her to him. Candice tilted her head back and looked up into his face. His eyes glinted in the porch light as he leaned down and captured her lips with his. The spark between them erupted in an explosion of desire. Candice moaned again, wrapping her arm around his waist.

He cupped the back of her head in his hand and positioned her mouth as he plunged his tongue between her lips. Candice whimpered as a thrill ran through her core. Wyatt reached under her and lifted her up on his lap so that her legs dangled over the side of the porch swing. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he threaded his fingers through her hair and encircled her waist with his powerful arm.

Hot desire pooled in her belly as he held her in place and pumped his tongue in and out of her mouth. He ran his hand over her thigh, gripped her curves, and growled.

Slipping his hand under her knee, in one swift motion, he stood with her in his arms. Candice gasped, looking around in shock. She couldn’t believe that he had just picked her up again.

“What are you doing?” she said breathlessly.

Wyatt only pulled her closer and pressed his lips against hers as he walked through the sliding door into the house. He carried her quickly upstairs and kicked open the door to his bedroom.

“What about the investigation?” Candice asked, both excited and thrilled, but at the same time a little bit scared as he laid her down on the bed.

“Screw it,” he said in a low, rumbling voice. She could see the fire in his green eyes as he stood over her. She gasped as he sank to his knees, gripping the hem of her delicate skirt in his big hands. She lay back as he slowly slid the skirt up her thighs and dipped between her legs to take a deep sniff of her sex. He groaned, and his eyes rolled back in his head, looking as if he was in ecstasy.

“Take the dress off,” he rumbled. Candice sat up and unzipped the dress so that it fell down over her full breasts to her waist. Wyatt gripped the dress and yanked it down over her hips and off her legs.

“God, you’re sexy,” he said. “I don’t know how I’m going to control myself.” His eyes scanned over her body, her luscious curves accentuated by the negligée. He kissed her down onto the bed and then slowly descended to the floor between her legs, where he gripped her panties and slowly pulled them down and over her feet.

“God, you have a gorgeous, glistening, wet pussy,” he growled. Candice whimpered and gripped the patchwork quilt that lay under her head. Her legs were shaking with anticipation as he dipped between her thighs and ran his raspy tongue up the slit between them.

He continued to slide his tongue up and down over her pussy, making her sopping wet with each flick. She could hardly contain herself as he circled around her clit, barely touching it and driving her crazy.

As Wyatt slid his fingers inside her, Candice gasped and arched her back. His tongue circled around and around on her clit. The building pressure felt like a dam ready to burst. He growled between her legs, sending a rumble of vibration through her. She groaned and sucked air through her teeth.

Wyatt’s fingers slid in and out of her body as he claimed her with his mouth. She’d never had a man take her like that before. She’d never believed that anyone would want to taste her this way. The initial bashfulness she’d felt disappeared as her orgasm clenched around Wyatt’s fingers. Wave after wave of pleasure bombarded her senses, and she moaned out loud.

“Oh, God,” she screamed as he climbed over her, slipping a condom onto his thick, long cock in one swift motion. He plunged inside her, and Candice’s mouth dropped open. Her eyes went wide as her body opened to accommodate Wyatt’s immense size.

She was shaking, but he held her still in his strong hands. “Wyatt,” she whispered, running her fingers down his spine.

He breathed into her neck, tugging at the laces to her corset. Freeing her breasts, he dipped down and sucked her nipple into his wet mouth.

“Yes!” she moaned. She didn’t want him to stop. She wanted him to keep going and going forever. She’d never experienced anything so ecstatically erotic before.

“I can’t control myself with you,” he growled. Wyatt drew back and then pumped forward again, pushing even deeper. She called out his name, never wanting the bliss of his body inside her to end.

Wyatt drove into her with a rhythm like the waves of the ocean as he held himself over her with one arm and gripped her curvy hip with the other.

“You feel so good.” He kissed her neck, licking her earlobe, and then gripped her neck with his teeth. The sensation of his teeth on her neck and his insistent thrusting was too much. She couldn’t hold back the overwhelming tide of pleasure coiling in her belly.

She clung to him, scratching her nails down his back. As her orgasm erupted from deep within, she wailed to the heavens. At the same moment Wyatt growled, holding her neck between his teeth as he released deep inside her.

With a sigh, he collapsed, rolled over, and pulled her up on his chest. Wyatt stroked her hair, and she listened to him breathing deeply, in and out. She didn’t know what to think. She’d wanted this. Now that she had him, she wanted to keep him. The love making had been so primal, so desperately lustful. It was something that Candice sorely needed in her life.

They climbed into bed and held each other. The feeling of Wyatt’s strong arms around her body as she dozed and slept gave Candice a sense of safety she’d never known. She would do anything to feel this way all the time. Wyatt’s embrace seemed to make all the badness go away. All that was left was him.