Novels by Dave

"I would have asked you that first night if I didn't think it would have scared you silly. Kimberly, I love you. There's never going to be anyone else for me. But I don't want to rush you. You've had a lot of change and adjustment in the past month. Don't stand there and think for one minute I don't want you. The minute you think you're ready, I'll have you standing under the moon so fast it will make your head spin. I was going to wait until Christmas day to do this, but I can't wait anymore."Derek pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket and handed it to me. My heart stopped dead and then started beating wildly as I looked at it in my palm."I bought it for you in Las Vegas. Open it," Derek whispered.My fingers shook as I reached for the lid and pulled the box open. Inside was an engagement ring. Three emerald cut diamonds set in platinum that sparkled and flashed under the kitchen lights; it took my breath away."I love you, Kimber. Marry me. Be my mate, my partner, my lover,

I wanted to go straight home to Oregon, but in his rush to find me Derek hadn't stopped to pack our bags or check us out of the hotel. So we flew back to Las Vegas, instead. We stayed there overnight, simply to catch up on sleep. Derek had called Robert before the SUV had even pulled away from the curb at the Bellagio and they'd spent the next ten hours tracking Samuel and me down. All in all, he'd spent nearly forty hours awake. There was no way I was allowing him to get on a plane to Portland without some sleep first. Noelle had decided to stay in Las Vegas for a few more days and I had a sneaking suspicion it was to spend time with Samuel . Derek and I were finally on our way back home after flying to Portland. "Derek, did you know the President was a wolf?" He grinned at me, "Nope. Didn't have a clue. CanUS doesn't publish a membership roster. I imagine we're supposed to keep that piece of information to ourselves. I know we have wolves in high places, I just didn't realize how

We met up with Noelle and Sid, who were at The Mirage. I was a little surprised that Noelle wasn't shopping, but then I saw why. The Secret Garden was absolutely breathtaking. I could stand there for hours watching the white tigers play in the water. There were lions, tigers, and dolphins in an amazing park-like atmosphere. Derek grinned at me as I cooed to the adorable baby tigers. They were so cute! "Do you think they would let me take one home? I promise to take good care of him." "I don't think they're going to let you take one home, Kimber. Sorry." I sighed. I would be a good tiger mommy, I just knew it. I held Derek's hand as we walked over to the dolphin exhibits. Noelle and Sid wandered a little ahead of us, taking pictures of everything. "Derek, what was all the fuss about you giving me some of your blood that night? Robert asked you a lot of questions about it." "When people like us decide to get married, there's a special ceremony that takes place. They stand outside un

When we were back in our room, getting ready for our respective dinners, Derek asked me about Samuel. I didn't see any reason to lie."I've known him for a while now. We met online, playing a video game. Eventually, we became friends. I was going to be in his part of the country on business, so I asked him if he'd like to go to dinner and he said yes.""We dated for a few months, and did the long-distance thing, but neither one of us was happy. I was downright miserable. Turns out he felt the same way, but we were such good friends that we were both more upset about losing the friendship. We made a vow to make it work as friends.""It took some time and it wasn't easy. We had a couple of really nasty fights, but we worked through it. He's been my best friend for a long time now. We used to see each other three or four times a year and talked every day on the phone. When my mom died, well, Samuel got me through it. He's my family, not by blood, but by heart."Derek nodded, but I could

The next day, we flew to Las Vegas. Derek lived a couple of hours from the Portland airport. Since Noelle was going, too, she hopped on a ride with us and we all traveled together. It was a quiet trip, at first. I was exhausted from the day before and my relatively sleepless night. Every once in a while, Derek would look at me, squeeze my hand, and smile. I knew he was worried about me, but I was just tired.The flight was uneventful and the cab ride to the hotel took less than twenty minutes. While we were in the cab, Derek handed me a couple of sticky clear discs that looked to be made out of silicone. "Put these in your ears," he murmured, "It will help with the casino noise."I raised an eyebrow at him. I'd been to Las Vegas a couple of times. The noise in the casino had never been overly loud. But the cab stopped before I could ask him why and then we were on the sidewalk. "I'll go check us in. Why don't you both wait in the elevator core?"I knew what he meant and led Noelle ins

When I woke up the next morning, Derek was spooned up tightly behind me. My legs were tangled with his and one heavy arm wound around my waist. I snuggled back against him and thought about everything that had happened the day before.I wasn't quite as panicked about our impending trip. Being with Derek had calmed both me and my wolf about what might happen. Surely he wouldn't be sleeping this soundly next to me if he were worried. He certainly had more experience with the Council than I did. If he thought things were going to be okay, then maybe they would be. Either way, I resolved, I was going to enjoy the time I had with him.Derek might be sleeping soundly, but parts of him were awake. I wiggled my butt against him and he wedged himself even more firmly against me. I pulled one of his hands off my waist and settled it firmly on my breast. His hand twitched, but Derek was still deeply asleep. Maybe I could change that.I reached behind me and slid my hand up the back of his thigh