“I didn’t want to do it alone.” It was a sentiment I knew he’d understand.
He turned back to me, this time his eyes glittering gold. “You don’t have to anymore.”
We were both purring again. “Have you ever had a client before that was a shifter?”
Dylan shook his head. “No. You’re the first.” He got up and stretched. “We should head back.”
Even though I knew he was right, I’d been dreading this part all day. I had no idea how well I’d shift back. How long it would take me to recover. We walked back up the hill in silence, the ache already starting to manifest deep in my bones.
Dylan pawed at me one last time when we were in front of his porch. “Thanks for a great run.” His body started to shake, and the fur fell away from his skin. He roared as he stood upright, in human form, slick from shifting, but otherwise bare.
Gods.
He wasn’t ashamed of his nudity at all. And he had absolutely no reason to be. He worked hard on his body, and every inch of it was perfect. Every single thick, hard inch. I knew I was staring when he walked over to me and ran his hand through my fur. I stiffened as he moved down the length of my back, and then came back up to behind my ears. “Don’t be scared of this part, Ari. This is what you are.”
I knew he meant shifter, but I couldn’t shove the old feeling out of my brain, even as I watched his high, round ass climb the stairs.
Closing my eyes, I concentrated on the shift. We weren’t like wolves that depended on the cycle of the moon to help them transform, we could go back and forth as we pleased. The main reasons we shifted were to hunt or as part of a mating ritual. Or to fight, which was usually over mating. Some of the males in the pride hunted for sport, but the females tended not to shift as much.
I’d felt strong today, carefree. It had been too long since I felt like that. I started to picture my human body similar to my cougar body, and the vibrations started. If I could make them a cohesive unit, it would make every aspect of my life better.
My claws dug into the snowy earth as my body tried to change itself. It was like I was stuck inside a thick plastic bag with no escape. I cried out as the fur finally began to rip away, my skin almost sizzling as it came in contact with the cool air. As the last piece of my animal form fell away, I slumped down in the snow, completely overwhelmed by exhaustion and pain.
“Ari!” Dylan ran down the stairs when he saw me. He crouched down, his hair tickling my bare back before he put his hand on my arm. “Ari! Answer me.”
In my mind, I was telling him I was fine. But I couldn’t make my lips move to form the words. The thought of actually speaking was even more exhausting. I tried to nod, and I hoped Dylan saw it before he scooped me up out of the snow and carried me back into the cabin.
He moved fast, like he held a rag doll instead of almost two hundred pounds of dead weight in his arms. Laying me down on the couch, he pulled the throw blanket over me, and ran his hand over my forehead. My eyes fluttered open long enough to see the look of panic on his face.
I’d expected this, but I hadn’t expected him to be so scared. My heart drummed in my chest, but still I couldn’t tell him I was fine. My eyes had all but sealed themselves shut as oblivion took over so my body could finish healing.
A THICK FOG FILLED my brain when I woke. I opened my still puffy eyes to find Dylan sitting in the chair beside me, elbows on knees, chin in hands. Absolutely distraught.
“Hey.” My voice was still weak but at least it worked.
Dylan’s face lit up. He jumped out of the chair and kneeled beside me. “You had me so worried.” He reached out to touch me again but stopped before he did, pulling his hand back and looking at me with wide, grateful eyes.
“It was that bad?” All my muscles screamed when I tried to sit up. My head fell back on the pillow. “Can I have some water?”
“Of course.” Dylan stood and headed to the kitchen to retrieve a bottle of water from the fridge. I managed to scoot up without screaming. “It’s electrolyte water. It will help your muscles. And it was pretty scary. I didn’t think you were going to be out for so long.”
The water cracked the dry plain of my throat, life surged back into my veins. Pins and needles pricked my skin as I drank. It was impossible that I was healing that fast, but psychologically, it was exactly what I needed.
“That’s why I hadn’t done this in so long,” I explained once I finished off the water. “I’d pass out. And be sore for days. It wasn’t worth it, because I was by myself, and I never had a good time like I did today.”
Dylan’s eyes lit up again. “I had a great time, too.” He was sitting on the floor in front of the couch and for once he looked small with his legs folded in front of him. “I know what you mean about shifting alone. It’s cool sometimes, when you need to clear your head. But the rest of the time, it really sucks.”
I chuckled. “You were right. It was exactly what I needed to do. That feeling, running through the forest and meadows with you, I had no idea I’d missed that so much. That’s what I want.”
He looked so good when he smiled. “So you’ll do it again?”
“Let me recover from this one before I make any promises.” I lifted the blanket, surprised to find that I had clothes on. “You dressed me?”
“Yeah.” A blush crept up from beneath Dylan’s beard. “I didn’t want you to be cold.”
My face reddened too, but I’m sure it wasn’t half as charming. “Thanks,” I muttered. I couldn’t believe that Dylan had such an up close and personal look at my stretch marks and fat rolls. Yeah, we spent the afternoon engaged in the shifter equivalent of foreplay, but I hadn’t been ready to share that much yet. Maybe ever.
“Don’t be ashamed of your body.” Dylan pulled the blanket away from my chin gently, using one finger. Even though I had my sweatshirt on, it still felt intimate.
“That’s easy for you to say.” I winced when I sat up. “Your body is perfect.”
“My job doesn’t dictate what I think is sexy.” Dylan locked eyes with me. “I’m not an angel, and I’m definitely not a liar. Yeah, I looked at you. And I won’t apologize for it either. You’re soft and curvy like a woman should be. You’re beautiful.”
“Thank you.” One thing my mother had taught both Kat and me was how to take a compliment. There was nothing more off-putting than arguing with someone who was trying to be nice to you. Dylan’s confession had the woman in me purring and the reporter in me curious. “Then why do you do what you do?”
“For work?” he asked, and I nodded. “Because being healthy and strong is important. Being a size two is not. Every person is unique. But if you’re operating at your absolute best, you’re going to be able to achieve more in every aspect of your life. Work, play, relationships. That’s why I do what I do.”
“We could have accomplished that on the treadmill.” I bit my lip. Even though I knew Dylan was passionate about what he was doing, everything about today was more than either of us signed on for. “Why are you doing all of this?”
It was possible he was lonely, not knowing anyone since he recently moved here. But he’d mentioned family business, and if he was a lion, he should have a pride. There was only one in town, and that was mine. Even if he was a loner, he’d have people he could turn to. Still, he was young, kind, and beautiful. He didn’t need to be hanging around with an old lady like me.
“Because.” Dylan’s voice softened and he traced his finger down the length of his thigh. His hair fell in his face, and he looked back up at me with a shy smile. “You’re my mate.”
Chapter Seven
DYLAN HAD AWAKENED something in me that had been hibernating. But I needed to protect myself, and I’d pushed it down, trying to lull it back into submission. In case I was getting my hopes up for nothing. All of the girls in the pride knew when they’d found their mate immediately. Believe me, I’d heard all the stories at girls’ night and rehashed over champagne at bonding ceremonies. Looking back over the last couple of
days, I knew. But after my shock of discovering that Dylan wasn’t Ellen, I didn’t let myself believe he could be anything more than a guy who was going to whip my sorry ass into shape.
Still, his declaration left me speechless.
“Don’t you feel it, Ari?” Dylan didn’t wait for an invitation to climb up on the couch, sitting in the crook of space the curve of my hips left on the cushion. He ran the back of his finger along my jawline, sending a shiver down my spine. I brought my hand up to his side, moving it back and forth. His warm skin vibrated under my touch. “When I went to the desk at Reinvention to find out who my next client was, my heart actually stopped beating when I looked out and saw you sitting there. I knew right away. I considered making an excuse and cancelling the appointment because there was no way I was going to be able to keep our relationship strictly professional.”
“I do feel it.” Everything before Wednesday morning now felt like it had happened to another woman. One that I felt really sorry for. “And I thought this was all part of the platinum package.” I purred as Dylan kept running his fingers along my cheek, then moving back to stroke my hair.
“No.” He shook his head and his smile was so much different now. Totally stripped down, warmer, something that made my insides go absolutely haywire. “But it did give me poetic license to get you out of the gym.”
“I had a feeling.” I could barely speak, I was purring so loudly. “How much of that were you actually supposed to do?”
Dylan pressed his lips together. “I’m supposed to give you a nutrition plan and meet with you for an hour three times a week at the facility. We can, if we deem it necessary, include outdoor activity.” He sounded like he was reciting it off of the company website.
“I guess you deemed it necessary.” I laughed. “We haven’t even worked out yet.”
“We will.” He leaned in closer. My lips parted in invitation, knowing his end goal. “You’re going to need to build up your stamina if you’re going to keep up with me.” He winked when I sucked in a sharp breath, then rubbed his nose against mine. His beard tickled my cheeks as he moved back and forth. He wrapped his hand in my hair as he pressed his lips against mine, and I fell back against the cushion. As playful in his human form as he was as a lion, Dylan nipped feather soft at my lips before coming inside. If I thought he smelled good, he tasted even better. The first snowflake of autumn dropping on my tongue, exploding throughout my body. I was instantly addicted to the flavor. My whole body shook as he deepened the kiss, his body weight on mine.
Dylan sighed when he pulled away, his fingers still cradling my face. “That’s how I always thought it should be.” He nuzzled into the soft spot at my collarbone. “Please say something, Ari. Tell me you feel the same way.”
“I do. So much,” I whispered. “But I’m scared.”
He picked his head up and kissed me again, much more restrained this time. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
“How old are you, Dylan?”
His lips were so close they brushed against my cheek as he spoke. “Twenty-five.” He paused as if he knew I was going to sigh and turn away. “It’s a number. We don’t have to live by human rules.”
It still would send shockwaves through the pride. “Anything goes these days?” The Soldier Mountain contingent of the pride was still reeling over the doe thing. I wondered if he’d even know what I was talking about.
“We aren’t some freak show.” A growl vibrated in the back of his throat. “You’re my mate, and I’m going to be proud to bring you in front of the pride.”
I hadn’t even realized he was part of our pride. There was so much I didn’t know about him yet.
“Dylan.” I’d held out hope that I’d find my mate. I knew in the back of my mind it would happen naturally. But with this gorgeous man lying on top me, purring as he ran his fingers down my cheek, it was completely surreal that it was actually happening. “You know that I’m forty, right?”
“Of course.” He pulled away enough for his face to come back into full focus, my cheeks still cradled by his fingers. “And like I said, it doesn’t matter. I’ve read your paperwork over and over.” He stopped and chuckled. “That makes me sound like a stalker. I’m not. But I know that you had your birthday, you’ve worked at The Park View for twelve years, that you’re a diehard Broncos fan, and that you volunteer at the nursing home in Woodland Park.”
“What about you?” I wiggled myself up so my head was on the arm of the couch. “I’m at a total disadvantage. I don’t know anything about you outside of work other than you like to play in the snow.”
“I like to surf, which I’ll miss here, but I can’t wait to take my motorcycle out into the mountains once it gets a little warmer. Do you ride?” he asked, and I shook my head. It was actually one of my bucket list items. “You’re going to love it. And the rest“— he leaned in and kissed me—“you have forever to find out.”
Chapter Eight
“WHERE’S THE VIDEO?” I knew those would be the first words out of Belinda’s mouth when I finally got to the office close to noon on Monday.
“Still in the development stages.” I lied. It didn’t exist. I had my first workout with Dylan, and there was no ‘you’re my mate so I’m going to be easy on you’ introductory period. After spending all of Saturday night nuzzling each other on his couch, he was all business in the gym, and it was actually pretty hot. As much as I hated it when I was sweating my ass off on the elliptical, I also loved it when he’d kiss me as we passed the medicine ball back and forth between sit-ups. My muscles had still been sore from Saturday and now they were screaming at me, but I was already looking forward to my next workout.
Not that I had to wait that long to see Dylan. He was coming over tonight for dinner.
“Once you get settled, we’ll record something.” Belinda followed me to my desk. “People are asking about this.”
“They are?” I couldn’t believe anyone really cared that much that I’d joined a gym.
“Word’s starting to get out about that new trainer,” she said. I growled before I had a chance to catch myself. Belinda’s eyes narrowed in confusion. “You know we don’t get new blood around here often. Rumor has it he’s a shifter.”
“He is,” I said, but I didn’t elaborate. I wanted to keep Dylan to myself. After all, he was mine.
Mine. He was still my secret. I hadn’t even told Kat. Like I said, I wasn’t ready to share him with anyone yet.
Belinda loved that inside scoop. “There’s going to be a line of single shifters out the door of that gym. Everyone’s going to hope he’s their mate.”
And I would claw their eyeballs out. Every single last one of them. “What do you want me to say?” I sighed as I sat down at my desk, still gulping down electrolyte water. Might as well get this over with because if Belinda was a shifter, she’d be an elephant. She never forgot anything. It made her a great reporter and editor. Even if it made her a sometimes annoying boss.
“Tell us about your experience.” Belinda was busy setting up the Go Pro so she didn’t see my mouth drop. “Tell us about your first week.”
“Fine.” I only had a few seconds to come up with my spiel because Belinda was already counting down with her fingers and pointing to me that she was recording. “Hi, this is Ari at The View, and it’s been my first week of training. It’s been really challenging so far and my muscles are sore, but I’m learning a lot and I think I’m going to like the changes.” I paused and looked at back at Belinda. “That good?”
“Pretty generic.” Belinda frowned. “Tell us about your trainer.”
“No,” I snapped. This segment was supposed to be about me, not a chance for the town to drool over Dylan. “He’s accepting new clients, if they’re all that curious.”
“Nobody can afford that place, Ari.” Belinda gave up on the video and put it back in its case. “Your sister hooked you up. You have no idea how lucky you are.”
“It’s been a much more personal ex
perience than I was expecting it to be.” I had to say something to get her off my back. “I’m not ready to broadcast that over the internet to a bunch of strangers. I know I said I’d do this, but that was before I knew what I was getting myself into.” Or that I was going to meet my mate in the process.
“I understand.” Belinda was already back at her desk checking email. “Once that guy starts dating, everyone will lose interest. Or not, seeing as there’s actually some controversy brewing in town.”
Now she had my attention. A big story would make everyone forget all about Dylan. “What’s going on?”
“I’m sure you know about that lion who claimed the doe this winter.” Belinda came back over to my desk and sat on the corner. “The pride is challenging him. They’re bringing his twin brother back into town, and they’re going to choose a new mate for him.”
“I knew about the brother.” Leo was an outlier, and his brother was as unknown to us. Some of the male lions preferred to be alone and spend time away from the pride. But Leo also worked on the Soldier Mountain most winters. Belinda shrugged, her shifter knowledge was all second hand.
Something about this story seemed familiar. Family business that needed to be taken care of. Sounded like I knew a lot about the brother. Dylan and Leo were by no means identical, but they shared enough similarities for it to make sense. I’d never tell Belinda, she’d have me on the phone with Dylan immediately, looking for the scoop.
“And how are they going to do that? It’s fate. I’ve never heard of a challenge.” I thought Linnea was being catty when she’d suggested it when we were out on my birthday.
“She’ll have to fight for him.” Belinda’s guess was as good as mine. “Anyone in the pride who wants to challenge her.”
“His mate is a kid.” I was pretty sure I knew which one she was, there were only a couple of does that worked at The Roadhouse. They stood out with their big brown eyes and their long limbs. The girl that I was thinking of was a bit of a thing.
Mated to the Cougar Page 4
