Page 5 of Can’t Get No Satyrfaction (Mated to the Monster: Season 3)

CHAPTER 5

S ylvie did her best to hide her sigh of relief as she grinned up at Thorn. Although she was quite sure she would be fine by herself, her trip would be more fun with someone else along. Especially a tall, grumpy, ridiculously sexy satyr.

“Why thank you, kind sir. Not that I need your help,” she added hastily. “But I’d enjoy the company.”

He only grunted, but she decided she didn’t really care. Watching those impressive muscles flex as he swiftly and efficiently dismantled the tent more than compensated for his lack of conversation.

Apparently, a satyr did know how to take down a tent. Or put one up? She suddenly remembered how much sturdier the tent had seemed after she’d come back from getting water. And then there was the fire. Maybe it hadn’t been a lucky match after all—and maybe her survival skills weren’t quite as successful as she’d thought.

Still, it had been nice of him to take care of her. Perhaps he was like Fluffy—even though he looked intimidating, he was a big softy underneath. And speaking of Fluffy…

“Where’s your dog?” she asked.

“I sent him home.”

“Home? You mean he’s all on his own? The poor thing must be so lonely. Why would you do such a thing?”

He shot her a quick glance as he rolled up her sleeping bag and tied it to the top of her pack.

“So he wouldn’t follow you.”

“You mean like you did?” she teased.

His shoulders stiffened as he frowned down at the knots he was tying.

“It was a coincidence that our paths crossed again.”

“If you say so,” she said skeptically. “But I do feel bad about Fluffy.”

“His name isn’t Fluffy. It’s Bront.”

She waved her hand dismissively.

“Just consider Fluffy a nickname.”

“Nicknames are a ridiculous human custom.”

“Are they?” she asked doubtfully. “Don’t you ever use affectionate pet names? Maybe I should give you one.”

He looked so appalled that she almost burst out laughing, but she did her best to keep a straight face.

“I suppose I could call you Grumpy, but he was one of the Seven Dwarfs, and you’re certainly not short. On the other hand, Tall and Grumpy is too much of a mouthful. Pookie? No, that doesn’t seem quite right either.”

“Stop being ridiculous,” he growled, as he swung her pack over his shoulder. “Let’s go.”

“You don’t have to carry that. Popeye,” she added teasingly, and he raised an eyebrow.

“Popeye?”

“He’s a cartoon character. A very strong cartoon character.”

He shook his head, his horns catching the light, but the corners of his mouth actually curved up a little.

This is entirely too much fun , she thought as she tried reaching for her backpack again. He simply stepped to one side and put a big hand on her back, firmly urging her towards the path. Part of his hand rested over the strip of bare skin between the bottom of her shirt and the top of her shorts, and the feel of those strong, slightly rough fingers sent a shiver of pleasure down her spine.

She abandoned the attempt to reclaim her backpack and started walking. His hand lingered a moment longer before dropping away, leaving her back feeling cold and bare despite the already increasing temperature.

They’d only walked for a couple of minutes when she spotted a spiderweb with a huge crystalline spider perched in the middle. She immediately paused to take some pictures, although she made sure to keep a careful distance. She could admire its beauty but she didn’t particularly want to get too close to it.

He stopped and waited surprisingly patiently as she took her pictures. A little while after they started walking again, he unbent enough to point out a small cluster of star lilies half hidden in a drift of fallen leaves caught between the roots of an enormous tree.

She eagerly snapped more pictures, going down on her knees to capture some close ups. When she was finished he helped her to her feet, although regretfully this time she didn’t end up in his arms.

“I can tell this isn’t going to be a quick journey,” he grumbled, but then he reached down to brush the leaf debris off her knees.

His hand felt just as good there as it had on her back. Who knew that knees could be an erogenous zone , she thought as he stroked his hand over her now clean skin one last time. If only those big hands had been stroking higher up her legs instead. She immediately blushed at the thought, but it didn’t stop the heat from coiling low in her belly, and he shot her a startled glance.

“Thank you,” she said breathlessly as their eyes met. They were close enough that she could see the flecks of gold in those stunning green eyes. Their gazes locked for a moment before he quickly straightened and looked away, leaving her a little stunned by the intensity of her reaction to him.

She hadn’t dated much over the past few years. Her job meant that she was frequently busy on nights and weekends which made a normal dating life rather difficult. And to be honest, she hadn’t met anyone interesting enough for her to work around that limitation. She’d certainly never experienced this instantaneous rush of attraction before.

Whatever else you could say about Thorn, he’s certainly interesting, she thought as she followed him down the trail, watching his tail flick back and forth. She found herself studying the powerful lines of his shoulders, the way his hooves barely disturbed the earth beneath them. The silver streaks in his hair caught the light, and those magnificent horns curved upwards toward the canopy. He moved like a creature born of the forest itself—fluid, powerful, untamed.

Her heart skipped a beat when he glanced back at her with those luminous green eyes.

“You’re staring.” His tail flicked again

“I’m a photographer. Staring is kind of my job. Especially when I have such a fascinating subject.”

He snorted, the sound somewhere between dismissal and amusement. As he turned back around, a branch swayed out of his path without him touching it, and her breath caught. The forest seemed to bend around him, acknowledging its guardian with subtle shifts and whispers. Her fingers itched for her camera, to try and capture the relationship between forest and guardian, but it also felt… wrong to intrude on that bond. She focused on the rest of her surroundings instead.

By the time he decided they should pause for a longer break, they had already stopped numerous times. Most of the time it was because of something that had caught her eye, but he occasionally pointed out things as well. He even seemed less grumpy than he had when they started out. That didn’t mean he didn’t frown disapprovingly when she offered him one of her protein bars.

“You expect me to eat that?” he asked, giving the bar the same look she reserved for her father’s eggplant casserole.

“Well what else are you going to eat? You didn’t bring any supplies.”

“I didn’t need to. The forest will provide.”

He reached up a hand and a vine curled down towards him, depositing a cluster of the most luscious grapes she had ever seen into his hand, plump and purple and shiny. Her mouth watered just looking at them.

“How did you?—”

He popped a grape in her mouth when she started to question him and she automatically bit down on it, then moaned appreciatively as it burst on her tongue.

“Oh my God, that’s amazing.”

He was watching her mouth again and she deliberately licked her lips, watching that glowing green gaze follow the gesture before he suddenly looked away, thrusting a cluster of grapes into her hands as he did. But that heated look confirmed her suspicion that the attraction between them wasn’t just on her side.

Perhaps it should have concerned her being alone in the woods with a satyr almost twice her size, but she’d never felt more safe. Or more aroused, she thought ruefully, as another pulse of heat settled low in her stomach.

Attracted he might be, but she had no illusions that he was going to do anything about it—unless perhaps she pushed him a little. She’d never tried to seduce anyone before, but how hard could it be?

She finished the rest of the grapes, and sighed happily.

“Those were delicious. Do you ever make wine with them?”

“Why? Because of the stereotypes about satyrs?”

She rolled her eyes at him.

“No. Because it seems like a logical use for the grape, and I’m sure it would be delicious. You’re so touchy.”

“I am not,” he snapped.

“Then why did you assume that I was stereotyping you?”

“Because most humans do.”

“Now who’s stereotyping?” she asked triumphantly.

A flash of acknowledgement and what might have been amusement crossed his face before he looked away.

“Since the forest only provided food, do you want to share my water?” she asked.

She pulled out her canteen and took a drink, trying not to feel self-conscious at the way his eyes followed the movement of her throat. She wiped the mouthpiece with the hem of her shirt, deliberately revealing a little more of her stomach in the process. His eyes narrowed on the exposed flesh, and she could see the hunger in his gaze—a hunger that was not for food. She cleared her throat and handed the canteen to him.

He took a long swallow, and now she was the one admitting the strong line of his throat as he swallowed. She blushed when he saw her staring at him, but she didn’t look away.

“We should get going,” he growled, rising to his feet. “Maybe we can actually cover a little more distance this afternoon.”

“What’s the rush? I’m in no hurry.” She shrugged, reaching for her backpack, but once again he beat her to it. “My goal is to see as much as I can. Not to race through the forest in record time.”

“Pity,” he muttered, but there was no real heat in it.

“Lead on, my captain.” She laughed when he growled. “No? You don’t like that either? I’ll just have to keep trying.”

He shook his head, but not before she saw the corners of his mouth quirk up.

“I knew it. You can smile after all.”

“Stop talking and start walking,” he ordered.

She laughed and obeyed, making sure to add a little extra swing to her walk as she led the way down the path.