Page 11 of Knotting Autumn

“You too, Pumpkin.” He straightened, starting the show with a press of a button.

Feeling a million times better, I leaned into him, letting my temple rest on his shoulder. After we finished eating, he set our dishes aside and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. Two episodes later, he was laying on his back, and I was curled against his side, my cheek on his chest.

Thorne talked about us being soulmates, but how could anyone else besides Sawyer be my soulmate? I’d probably never even have a serious boyfriend because none of them could compete with how well he treated me.

Smiling, I let my eyes drift closed, knowing that Sawyer would carry me to my room if I fell asleep on the couch.

Chapter 5

Thorny Dreams

I was walking through the forest, ferns and bunches of purple lupine flowers swaying around me. This wasn’t unusual. I dreamed about the forest more often than you’d expect.

Taking a deep breath, I sucked in that sharp pine resin scent, the musty smell of earth and rotting bark, and the cold, crisp smell of wet leaves. Sunlight filtered down, scattering droplets of golden light over my arms and the leaf litter around me.

It was so peaceful, I couldn’t help but smile.

Soft birdsong wound through the trees, and bugs chirped. I really needed to get out to the actual forest more often. Sawyer would be thrilled to take me hiking.

If we went hiking, I definitely wouldn’t be wearing this ridiculous robe. Smiling, I held out my arm to admire the black lacy thing, fringed in a feathery poof. Weren’t these called widow’s robes? It was fabulous, but it did nothing to cover up my body. Who cared? It was my dream. I might as well be tits out.

Wandering forward, I stepped over a fallen log, careful to not scrape my bare leg on the rough bark. Silly, since this was a dream, but it felt so real.

A huffing noise sounded to my left, and I pivoted, squinting into the mirage of evergreen trees and heavy branches. A dark brown shape moved past a tree.

If I saw an animal in the forest during my waking life, I’d be scared, but in a dream, I knew I was safe. So I watched with mild curiosity as a huge, mahogany wolf stalked toward me.

Shaggy fur in a blend of gold, espresso, and gray framed a handsome face—a tapered nose, bright, glowing blue eyes, and huge ears perked forward.

“Hey, there,” I cooed, wondering if I could pet him. Experimentally, I held out my hand. Surely, if this was my dream, he wouldn’t bite me. I didn’t feel afraid in the least.

A large head bumped my palm. It felt so real. My fingers curled, digging my nails into the thick fur. He nosed my wrist, pushing into my palm. Giggling, I let him step closer and dropped down to sit so I could stroke over his ears and place a kiss on his velvet nose.

He sniffed my arm and over to my collarbone.

“You’re so handsome,” I murmured, my fingers carding his thick ruff. “You’re making me want a dog.”

With a snort, he shook his head, those glowing blue eyes narrowing.

“Sorry, I guess you don’t like that. You’re certainly not a dog. You’re a wolf, I think. But you’re way too big.”

Sitting on my ass, I was level with him, his face inches from mine. His paws stepped on either side of my thighs, and I could spy his swishing tail peeking over his haunches.

“Big, handsome boy.”

His nose skimmed my cheek, and I couldn’t help my giggle. My fingers tightened in his fluffy coat.

In an instant, the wolf was gone, and Thorne was in his place.

My gasp echoed in the open space, and the birds and bugs went silent.

The same glowing blue eyes held me captive. Muscles in his shoulders flexed as he shifted his weight. He was over my legs, his forearms touching my thighs from where his hands braced in the dirt.

“Thorne?” I managed to say. “What are you doing here?”

“Vixen, I’ll follow you anywhere. I just want to be where you are.”

The deep timbre of his voice had me quivering with need, like some sort of cheesy damsel. But fuck, he smelled so good, like cloves, cider, and cedar. I wanted to snort the scent of him. Sunlight danced over flexing muscles as he raised one hand and hooked a finger under my chin.