I uplaoded a day early because today is my Birthday! Yay! I'll be busy this weekend with celebrating so I thought I would upload it now while I have a few extra moments. I personally like this chapter a lot although it has taken a LOT of work from me. The whole chapter I listened to Date Night on Spotify ;)  Its their first romantic interaction in the story and Rick, being the smooth grizzly he is, set up a perfect first 'date' for the two to enjoy. I would LOVE to hear from you! Please comment, and Enjoy!

We were driving deep into the woods on old trail roads that were barely visible unless you knew where to look. It was quiet inside the truck as we looked at the changing scenery. Rick had been driving for about a half an hour and I simply found myself daydreaming as I looked off into the trees and underbrush.

Then suddenly we parked.

 Rick turned the key and the engine quit and settled into its mechanical sleep. While he unbuckled his seat belt and proceeded to step out of the car I just sat there and looked at him. When he had stepped down onto the ground and turned back to the cab he gave me a crooked smile, "Are you coming?"

I looked from him then back out the window into the deep forest surrounding us. When I looked back to him he was already closing his door and heading to the bed of the truck. In the moment of silence I let out a long moan.

I had a choice: I could either stay in here for gods know how long or... I could step out and see what exactly Rick has planned for our 'picnic'...

I clicked the seat belt open and slowly eased myself out of the cab to be greeted by a smiling Rick. He held up a pair of hiking boots and smiled silently as I looked from the nearly new boots to his eyes.

"Wouldn't want to ruin your shoes." He offered in explanation.

I looked down to my shoes which were just generic loafers. They weren't new, far from it, but he was right. A day of hiking in these would tear them apart. If I had known we were going to hike I would have brought my own... Fuck! I'm falling under his stupid apple-scented spell!

I huffed as I tugged off my shoes and grabbed the proffered boots rather roughly from his grasp. He didn't comment on my mood as he silently watched me put on the boots. When I had them on and tied my eyes widened slightly at realizing they were practically a perfect fit. But how in the world could he have known my shoe size?

"Coming?" I looked up to see him heading off, straight into the woods. I quickly followed behind and we set off on a silent pace through the woods.

It wasn't an awkward silence truthfully. Actually it was almost companionable. I kept a step or two behind him as he kept his eyes on the trail ahead of him.

Exactly what trail he was following I had no idea. I myself had hiked quite often on my own territory but I had never been out here before. This territory was farther out of town and kind of in the middle of the different pack territories. It was kind of a 'free zone' you could say that anyone could roam in. I hadn't come here before because I had no need to. It was normally visited by shifters who didn't have packs or prides.

As I thought on this the thought occurred to me that Rick had only just moved here, how did he know where he was going?

"Do you know where you're going?" I didn't mean to ask the question out loud, it just sort of came out. But he turned his head slightly to look at me and answered anyway.

"Yes I do. I checked the area out a few weeks ago. Do you not trust me or something?"

Yes.

"Maybe."

He chuckled and I found myself liking the sound more and more. It was deep and almost rough, but it vibrated through your body sending warmth to your core. After the small exchange we found ourselves back in the silence of hiking. The trail became a little steeper and you had to focus a little more on where you stepped. The trail wasn't terribly exerting, my breathing became slightly more labored but nothing truly hard.

"Would you mind if I asked you some questions?" I was itching to know some more about this man, even though I wouldn't want to admit it. But when we were all alone in the woods I just couldn't help myself.

I wanted to know.

He smiled softly but didn't look back, "Of course, ask me anything."

"Um... Why did you move here?"

"Jeffery approached me after I got done with a project in Alaska. Said he needed some help managing his business and asked if I would be his partner."

Wow, so he practically co-owns Jeffery's Loggers. That's impressive...

"Oh... What were you doing before that?"

"I was a tree surgeon of sorts. People hired me to fix up their trees either in private properties or in reserves. I've worked on quite a few resorts because a lot of them around Canada and Alaska have hiking trails of their own."

He seemed proud when he talked about his work. I suppose he should be, being a tree surgeon is a respectable job. Especially for the outdoorsy types, which he seemed to be.

"Did you like it?"

"A lot actually. I've always been a hands on person and the outdoors are pretty much like my home. I was my own boss and could do what I liked. Not saying that I don't like my new job though. Being apart of a company like Jeffery's is a great experience for me and has opened up a lot of new opportunities for me..."

At this last his eyes wandered to me and lingered. I felt an itch creeping up from the stare and turned to look off into the underbrush.

"May I ask you some questions?"

I turned back to Rick who had turned back to facing forward, "... Sure..."

I was a little nervous. I didn't want to say the wrong thing. What if he didn't like what he heard?

"How'd you come to be a school nurse?"

"Well... I was recommended to the school by a close friend. I have always been intrigued by medicinal plants and such. If my knowledge is helpful to those who need it then why not help them? Besides me not being very good with little kids I like working with high schoolers."

"Close friend?" his voice wasn't filled with anger or resentment, just curiosity.

"Um, well John McCall, the Alpha of the pack I had grown up in. He was sort of like my uncle growing up although over the years we haven't really been that close. That's my fault I suppose. I haven't really kept in touch with them."

Just thinking about my old pack sent a feeling of guilt through me for not keeping in touch with any of them. Sure there was the random call or passing by in town. But truly we didn't stay in touch much. I suppose we never were truly that close. A bear living amongst wolves truly is his own type of outsider.

We were left in a quiet lull as my thoughts turned back and forth. Then he asked the question I had kind of dreaded.

"Why were you living in a pack?"

His eyes were on me and he had slowed so that I was walking next to him. My fingers itched as I looked to the ground not quite sure how to tell him the odd story of how I had ended up on a train that brought me to this area and gave me off to a pack of wolves. How exactly do you explain something like that?

So sparing him the odd tail I simply answered, "It's complicated."

He kept his eyes on me for a few more seconds till he turned back to the trail nodding silently as if understanding and allowing me the peace to not have to answer.

"Alright." He stopped walking suddenly and I kind of bumped into him.

I looked up at him as he looked down at me and smiled, "Close your eyes."

I looked at him like he was insane. No way in hell was I closing my eyes in a territory I didn't know and on top of that with a bear I didn't know very well.

He saw the look I gave him and gave me a pleading one in return, "Please."

His eyes grew round and his bottom lip stood out. He made The most adorable bear cub face ever. I found myself looking away from its powers and gave an annoyed huff of defeat.

"Alright!" I closed my eyes slowly and stood stiffly as I heard rustling in front of me until I felt a large warm hand encompass mine. A warm shiver ran up my arm and hugged my heart. I gasped slightly at the touch as it slowly guided me forward.

Our steps were slow and steady. With my eyes closed I was more in tune with all my other senses; I could smell the damp dirt beneath my feet, hear the fluttering of wings in the branches above our heads, and could feel the rough texture of his hand on mine. His hold was firm but gentle. His fingers brushed gently against my inner wrist as I heard the rustling of tree branches.

Then all was still.

"Alright. Open them."

My eyelids opened slowly and at first the light seemed so much brighter. But as my eyes slowly adjusted I saw where we were.

It was a meadow. A beautiful small meadow placed right in the middle of the forest. Wild flowers grew in clumps everywhere, swaying in the soft breeze. A mirage of yellows, reds, and purples. The grass was a lush green standing tall and reaching up to my shins. In the middle of the small meadow stood a large willow, a graceful form amongst the backdrop of pines and evergreens. Its long spindling branches and slim graceful leaves swayed back and forth.

Rick still held my hand gently as he lead me towards the tree. As we came under its canopy I saw a large plaid blanket laid out under the shade with a big picnic basket sitting on top of it.

As Rick motioned for me to sit down he moved opposite of me and knelt down to open the basket as I watched on in silence. He looked up at me and his cheeks started to redden, "Is it too cliché?"

I looked at his embarrassed face and found myself feeling butterflies in my stomach, "A little. But I kind of like it."

His smile was like the sun as he took out hot containers of food. Then he took out two glass plates and handed me one. He took out a covered bowl of mashed potatoes which he then served up a good portion on both of our plates. Then he pulled out a small container of cut apples that he split between the two of us. Then for the main course he handed me a wrapped peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Everything was so simple.

I thanked him and we started eating.

The mashed potatoes were great because they were made straight from the potato instead of the powder kind. The apples were a nice contrast in flavor and I personally loved the smell. Then I went to the sandwich. As I pulled it up to my lips I glanced up and saw Rick taking a bite of his sandwich. The picture of a rough and tough mountain man eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on top of a plaid blanket while having a picnic was just too much for me.

I burst out laughing as he looked up at me with a confused expression, "What?"

My eyes started to water as I noticed a small smudge of peanut butter on his chin. Trying to calm my laughter I tried to point at my chin to tell him he had something on his. He just kept looking at me confused. Then, without thinking, I reached over and swiped my thumb along his chin.

At first the motion was simply wiping off the peanut butter. But then when my eyes looked up to meet his, I froze. Unintentionally I had come within a few inches of his face.

His eyes became heated as his pupils grew and he stared deep into mine. Ever so slowly a blush crept up my cheeks making me as red as a tomato. I tried to pull my hand away quickly but before I could he quickly grabbed hold of my wrist and pulled me closer.

And that's when he did the unthinkable.

He took my thumb and slowly ran his tongue over the pad taking off the peanut butter I had just wiped off his chin.

The feeling started in my hand and then quickly flowed up my arm and squeezed my heart in a vice. Hard.

I tried to yank my hand away but he held it steady. Then ever so gently he kissed the top of my hand, then flipped my hand over and kissed my palm. Every time his lips came in contact with my skin a shiver raced down my body setting a fire deep in my core.

"Are you cold?"

I was in such a daze I didn't notice he had spoken. But when I noticed he had stopped kissing my hand I yanked it back. "No."

This one word had so much more meaning than to just answer that one question. It was an answer but it was also a statement. I couldn't let myself be tangled up in him any longer. He was crashing through my life like a bull in a China shop. Without a care to my feelings he just bulldozed his way into my life and now believes he can do as he wishes. At least that's how I saw it.

My fists clenched while I was deep in thought until I felt the sharp pain shoot up my left arm.

"ow..." I unclenched my hand and looked down to the mummified limb. It pulsed silently in pain as I gently probed it to make sure the bandaging wasn't torn.

"What happened?" his voice was filled with concern as I looked up to see him looking down almost painfully at my hand.

I gently massaged around the bandage and gave him a short answer, "Cut myself on some glass."

It almost seemed as if my words hurt him as he flinched from my tone and looked back up at me. I almost felt bad for my tone and reaction. Almost. I had to keep reminding myself why I was here. I had to lay down a boundary before things got too serious. His stupid eyes kept making me stumble.

I gave out a huff as I stared down at the picnic basket, "Rick... what exactly is,"

"20 questions?"

I blinked and looked up at him, "What?"

He moved to get in a more comfortable position leaning up against the trunk and smiled hopefully at me, "You know 20 questions? I ask you a question, you ask me a question, and so on." He waved his hand for me to join him leaning against the tree but I kept my spot trying to keep as much distance between us as possible. I looked at him trying to figure out if he was serious. We were both grown shifters. Why would we play a teenager's dating game? ...

Holy Shit! I don't think this is a date! No way! This isn't a date this is a kidnapping gone wrong!

As I had my mini panic attack I didn't notice Rick speak.

"What?"

"You can go first."

I sat there like a dumb sack of potatoes as he waited patiently for me to speak. My brain turned to mush as his stare became slowly more intense. I turned away to look out over the meadow in hopes of trying to form a coherent thought. As we sat in silence I just blurted out the first thing that came to me.

"What's your favorite color?"

I thought he would laugh at me. It was a stupid question. But when I sneaked a peak from the corner of my eye he looked deep in thought.

"Ice blue. It's a type of blue that's pale like the ice in the middle of winter that reflects the sky."

Ever so slowly a blush crept up my cheeks and my face began to burn as I turned my gaze to my twiddling fingers. It almost sounded like he was... describing my eyes... But that's not possible. Right?

"Alright my turn."

I fiddled with my fingers as I waited for his question in anticipation.

"What's your favorite color?"

I looked up at him as he was smiling at me and I found myself thinking hard about my answer. What was my favorite color?

"White."

"White?"

I glanced up at him continuing, "Yes, white. Like newly fallen snow. Before anyone has stepped in it. When it's still pure..."

And it went like this.

He would ask, I would answer, then I would ask, and I would answer. I thought that the questions would be awkward or personal but in fact quite a few of them had me laughing so hard tears came to my eyes.

Especially the answers.

Rick was smart and witty in all his answers. He always found a way to turn the question and answer into something hilarious. Over the time we talked I found myself moving closer and closer until we were laying side by side on the blanket looking up into the swaying branches of the willow.

Then it came to his turn again after what I can only assume to be hours of talking and laughter. He was quiet for a while and I just went to daydreaming about the fall when these leaves turn all different shades of reds, yellows, oranges, and browns. We should come back when that happens...

"Would you do this again with me?"

"What?"

All of a sudden he was on top of me. His hands braced on either side of my head with his knees enclosing my waist. His body was so close I could feel his warmth radiating off of him and soaking into my skin. My eyes grew large at his proximity as he moved his face slowly closer to mine looking deep into my eyes.

"If I asked you for a next time, would you say yes?"

Yes.

Wait! What about boundaries!? What about distance!? What about my feelings!? What about... What about everything I had planned to talk to him about.

All these things went thundering through my brain as I stared up into his warm honey eyes. And the thought that struck out louder than most was, 'I never asked for any of this.'

I didn't. I never meant for any of this to happen. But now as I laid here with him on top of me I found myself asking for more. My body wanted him and slowly it was convincing my brain to want the same.

But what would that mean? Would I be giving in? Would I be giving up? Why is it that he can just come into my life and do whatever he wishes and I just have to follow him around like a love sick teddy bear? What happened to what I wanted? What happened to everything I had planned for the future? Is that just null and void?

I wasn't in love with him. That was for sure. But I felt something for him. I couldn't deny that anymore. There was something inside me that wanted him. What happens the day I can't fight that anymore?

I looked up into the branches of the willow tree watching as the sunlight peeked through the leaves. The only question that truly mattered right now was, 'Did I want to find out?'

I looked back down to meet his gaze which this whole time had not wavered. In a voice that sounded a lot more sure than I felt I said, "Maybe."

His lips descended.

They captured mine and we both seemed to fall into a haze as he tried to devour me and I in return. He nipped at my lips pulling at them gently as if asking for entrance, and after a few tugs I let him.

It was warm. A little wet. But warm. His tongue was thick and strong knowing exactly what it wanted. It moved inside my mouth as if memorizing it.

After what felt like hours but was most likely only minutes he pulled away and we both started panting. My lips felt swollen and bruised, but not hurt. My cheeks burned and my heart felt like it would slam out of my chest.

As I looked up into his eyes I let out a quiet gasp. His eyes were black. And I could smell the arousal coming off him in waves driving my senses crazy. I'm sure if I could see my eyes they would look a lot like his.

Hungry and yearning for more.

He looked down at me with an almost crooked smile,

"I'll take that as a yes."