Sweet Caroline

Chapter 5

Caroline awed softly as she watched him walk toward her. He's so beautiful.

Andrew's wolf had his head down as if he were afraid of scaring her, and she was slightly nervous even though she knew it was Andrew. So, with her heart pounding and her hand shaking, she reached out to him.

Wolf Andrew sniffed her hand. He then whined softly before he placed his head against her stomach and rubbed at it.

Caroline awed again. He was so gentle with her, and she could almost feel his longing for her touch too. So, she lay her hand on the top of his head, gently rubbing between his ears. She'd never had a dog growing up, so the only ones she'd ever petted were those of friends. Where those dogs had been soft to the touch, the wolf's pelt was slightly coarse and rough. It was thick though, and she loved how it felt between her fingers.

"I never thought I'd go on a date with a werewolf—err, a shape-shifter. Of course, I never dreamed they existed either."

He looked up at her before he gave a low whine and trotted off, back behind the tree once more. When he returned, he was once more human. Rubbing his chest nervously, he sheepishly said, "Um... speaking of dreams, I have another small confession to make and I'm hoping it won't anger you."

Caroline stood waiting for whatever he was going to say.

"Okay, so, Wednesday night you might have thought you had a dream..."

Wait a minute. Caroline took in a startled breath. How did he know? "What do you mean, "thought I had a dream"? Wait, it wasn't a dream because you were there in my room, and you really did kiss me?"

"Yeah, but I'm sorry!" Andrew exclaimed. "I mean, I'm not sorry I kissed you because you're my mate and I think you enjoyed it too. I'm just sorry you thought it was only a dream."

"I did," she whispered, feeling her face heat up at the memory of just how much she enjoyed the kiss.

"It's just that, I couldn't sleep because I wanted to see you so bad, so I thought if I could just see you..." Andrew admitted, out a breath, as he looked down. "Only when I did see you, all I could think about was kissing you. The need just kept getting stronger, but I was only going to kiss your cheek."

"Oh, Andrew, you made my night, even if I did think it was a dream," she admitted louder, causing him to look up. "I had been dreaming about a kiss from you for a long time."

Andrew stepped closer, reaching out and wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her close. "I have been dreaming about a kiss from my mate for a long time too. Now that I've had one kiss, I just want more."

They both leaned in, and he kissed her. It started as little more than a brushing of lips before he nipped lightly at her bottom lip causing her to groan. When she moaned, her lips parted, and he slipped his tongue inside. Her arms moved up to curl around his neck as he tilted his head to a better angle. She allowed her tongue to hesitantly touch his and when they tangled together, Andrew let out a moan of his own. His grip on her waist tightened and he pulled her even closer as they continued to kiss.

Finally, needing to take a deep breath, Caroline pulled back. Gazing into his eyes, she saw his desire and need for her, which she knew was reflected in hers. However, knowing they needed to slow things down, she softly asked, "How about something to eat? I could eat something, you?"

Andrew stared at her looking confused for a moment. Then the confusion turned to amusement as he threw his head back and laughed. When his laugher had died, he said, "Sure, I could go for something to eat too."

So, Andrew led her back to his truck and they headed back toward town, discussing the kinds of foods they liked to eat.

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