Beastly Desires

Chapter Fourty-Five

Colette gasped as she awoke from the nightmare. The cottage was dark and the only noise that she could hear was her erratic breathing. She looked down beside her at her father who was sound asleep on his side of the bed. He had his hand across his chest and his other behind his head. He looked peaceful sleeping. The wrinkles he wore during the day sagged and his breathing was deep and undisturbed.

Colette let out a long, shaky breath. She brought her hand to her chest, feeling the shadow of claws scraping against them.

Colette rode silently on the mare Sébastien had given her beside Gregorie on his. They were out on his estate, trailing the grounds. Gregorie had his gun strapped around him. It's slender, elegant barrel laid across his lap and he searched the tall grass around them.

They hadn't said much since they set off from the house. Gregorie was itching to shoot something and asked Colette to keep him company. She had been in the garden, playing with his younger siblings by the fountain. They absolutely adored her and were very excited for her to marry their older brother. She loved them already like they were her own family.

"A coin for your thought?" Gregorie said, steering his mare up beside hers.

Colette gave him a weak smile. "I had another nightmare last night. The same nightmare. I've been having nightmares since I came home." She admitted.

Gregorie searched her face, his eyes assessing the tiredness in her own eyes. She wondered if the nightmares would stop once she slept with Gregorie.

"I'm sorry. Perhaps the maids know of a remedy for you to take to help with that. They always talk of old wives tales about ailments that can cure anything." He chuckled knowingly.

Colette smiled with him, a little more at ease from his feeble attempt at humor. "I suppose I could ask." She said, warrily.

He smiled at her and it sent her heart fluttering. The sun was beginning to set as they trailed down the slope of a hill that led into a spring fed creek. The sun's reflection on the water's surface looked like swirls of golden oil had been poured out on it. Dinner would be served right about now and Gregorie took the liberty of having the kitchen hands prepare them a basket of food for the occasion.

Colette's mare followed Gregories as it led them down the rocky embankment onto a narrow sandy shore. The river's shore was just wide enough to spread out the quilt Gregorie had brought. He helped Colette off of her mare, grabbing a hold of her waist and bringing her down slowly. He kept his hands at her waist as she touched ground and stood between him and the mare.

He gazed down at her and the sun shone in his eyes. Had he always been this handsome she thought, fascinated by the yellow- orange halo glowing around his unbound hair. He had always worn it pulled into a low ponytail until Colette mentioned she never saw him with it down. Once she confessed her admiration for it he never wore it pinned back again unless he was working. For her, he would be undone. Untamed.

"Why is it when you look at me that way I get the sudden urge to kiss you?" Gregorie admitted above her. All of him shielded her and suddenly dinner didn't sound so appetizing as she reached up on her toes to kiss him.

It was a gentle peck on the lips that soon turned into something hot and heavy. All of their kisses, at least when they were alone, turned into a heated frenzy. His hands never left her waist though. He always was the one to ground them as she fought to keep her hands from tearing away his clothes.

"Colette." He breathed, pulling away first. She stumbled forward through the distance he put between them.

She embarrassingly recovered and reached for his hand to apologize, but he banded his fingers through hers and pulled her back into his embrace. "Where does this fire come from inside of you?" He mumbled against her forehead.