Shifter Vengeance (Appleton Wolves Book 1), page 19
Derek saw me and had a huge smile on his face. He ran over to me and when he came up to me, he held me in his arms, and I felt the warmth of his body toward mine. His body was like a source of sun rays radiating off of him as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and felt his smooth hair on mine. I had to reach up on my tippy toes to meet the level of his head.
“Oh my gosh, this is such a nice surprise!”
“How are you, Derek?”
“Ugh, I’m doing so much better now that I saw you!”
“I’m glad.”
The embrace between us ended, but Derek still held my hips in his oversized hands while I still had mine on his biceps. Derek studied me and what I wore: a red floral summer dress underneath a denim jacket and a pair of canvas slip-on sneakers.
“You are just too beautiful for words.”
“Aww, thanks. You’re so sweet.”
“To what do I owe this surprise visit?”
“Well, I just thought I would come by and take you to a special place. I need to talk to you about something.”
Derek made a fascinating look on his face, widening his eyes as he looked into mine and stretching his lips to the sides. He let go of my hips and I let go of his vast muscles.
“A special place, huh?”
“Yes. Could you follow me with your truck? I want to go there, okay?”
Derek nodded in response to what I said, maintaining that smile on his face.
“Sounds good. I’ll be right behind you.”
“Awesome!”
Derek and I got in our vehicles and I drove to a lake near the forest. He followed behind my car on the road and even parked right next to it when we arrived at the lake. We both got out of our vehicles and I saw a confused look on Derek’s face.
“This is the special place you brought me to?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t see what’s so special about a lake.”
“Well, it’s not the location that’s special but rather what’s going to happen by the lake that will be special.”
A look of intrigue came across Derek’s face as I grabbed him by his hand and dragged him to the edge of the lake, where we both sat down.
“So, what do you want to talk about? And what’s this special thing that’s going to happen?”
“All in good times, Derek. First, I need to talk about us and the status of our friendship.”
I looked into Derek’s eyes and I saw he began to worry about what I would say. I immediately placed my hands on top of his and sought to remedy his worries.
“Don’t worry. It’s good. I’m going to talk about something wonderful regarding our friendship.”
Derek nodded and said, “Okay.”
“So, you know how I’ve been friend-zoning you ever since I met you because I’ve told you that I wasn’t ready for a relationship?”
“Yes, I remember that very well. And I told you that I understood because I’m an understanding guy. You told me about the death of your mother, and then your aunt got murdered, so I still understand if you’re not ready for a relationship.”
“Yeah, but see, here’s the thing….”
I couldn’t immediately say it to Derek. I was flustered as I looked at the lake in front of us, not knowing how to break the news to Derek. I avoided his gaze as much as I could while I thought of the best way to speak my mind to Derek and say what I had to say.
“Ericka? Is everything alright?”
“Yeah, I’m just struggling to tell you something.”
“It’s alright. You can tell me anything in any way.”
Derek scooted closer to me and wrapped his right arm around mine while he rubbed my left forearm with his left hand. I felt more comfortable from the touch of his fingers enough to start saying what’s on my mind in the best way possible.
“Lately, I’ve just seen how sweet you are and how much you’ve proven to me that despite being a werewolf, you have such a good heart. I’ve also felt safer around you and warm and comfortable. Throughout our friendship, you’ve saved me countless times from the shapeshifter, including two days ago when you transformed in the nick of time to save both our lives.”
I looked at Derek and saw a big beaming smile on his face. This encouraged me to keep going.
“Even though you kept the fact you were a werewolf from me in the most deceptive way possible, you more than made it up to me, especially when you helped me get vengeance for my aunt against the shifter. I feel like ever since we made up, our friendship has grown.”
Derek continued to rub my left forearm but with more speed this time. It was like my words encouraged him to give me more comfort.
“I’m glad, Ericka. And I’m truly sorry for lying to you about being a werewolf and making up a childhood friend.”
“It’s alright. You don’t have to be sorry anymore. Ever since we met, I’ve been putting you in the friend zone. But now, I feel like our friendship has grown. I’ve been rethinking the status of our friendship, and I believe it’s time to take it to the next level if you agree.”
A shocked look invaded Derek’s face. I saw the pupils of his bright green eyes dilate and his lips peel back to a gaping hole. He stopped rubbing my arm and let go of me.
“The next level? You mean –”
“A relationship. A couple. Boyfriend and girlfriend. You and me. What do you say?”
Derek’s shocked look morphed into one of utter joy. He almost wanted to cry over what I told him and looked at the lake in disbelief. He turned back to me with his widened green eyes.
“So, this was the special thing you were planning?”
I nodded to answer Derek’s question. He continued to look at me in disbelief.
“I’ve been keeping you at arms’ length for so long that I think it’s time to take our friendship to another level. Let’s experiment and see where our relationship takes us. What do you say?”
“I say, Ericka Jones, I would be more than happy to be your boyfriend.”
Derek leaned in close to me and placed his lips on mine. His right arm tucked on my hair while he put his left arm centered on my back. I held him in the same way, and we kissed each other like we had nothing else to do for the rest of the afternoon. The uninterrupted sounds of nature and the water of the lake rippling in front of us filled our ears. Just like these sounds were continuous, so was the passionate kiss I shared with my new boyfriend.
Follow Ericka and Derek’s story in SHIFTER DAMNED and book two of the Appleton Wolves Trilogy!
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Jack Bowman, Shifter Vengeance (Appleton Wolves Book 1)
