by Elena Aitken
There was more to life.
There was Kira.
Not that he was about to explain that to Nolan.
“I’ve made my choice, brother.” Nash stepped out of the shack, into the late afternoon sunshine. The days were warming quickly and before long, the heat of the summer would be upon them. “I’m not taking a mate of your choice just because someone thinks I should.”
“You know exactly how important it is to our kind to increase the population, Nash.” He could almost see the vein in his brother’s forehead bulging. “It wasn’t all that long ago that we were completely wiped out of Yellowstone. Our ancestors were lucky to escape. You know that.”
“Yeah, I know that.” Did he ever know that. It was all anyone in his pack talked about. The ancestors and how they’d been slaughtered and driven out of the park. The ones who stayed had to hide their wolves, shutting off that part of themselves, some taking human mates and basically breeding the wolf out of them. Some, like Nash and Nolan’s parents, successfully hid their wolf side and worked tirelessly for the reintroduction. From what Nash heard, there were still a few of the originals in the park. Not that it mattered now that the reintroduction had happened.
“Our people worked and sacrificed for years to get back to our land, Nash. The least we can do is help build numbers, reestablish a presence in Yellowstone the way it’s supposed to be. It’s our duty.”
There it was. That word.
Nash sighed. The irony was, he would have had no problem staying with the pack if Nolan hadn’t gotten it into his head that their mates had to be pure and from specific packs. If he could have been left alone to fall in love and choose his own mate, everything would have been fine. But, as he was reminded more than once, that wasn’t the way it worked.
“It’s not my duty, Nolan. If you choose to be unhappy for the rest of your life because your mate feels more like a piece of property than a partner, that’s your choice, but I’m not—”
“You’ll do what I tell you,” his brother roared into the phone. He’d pissed off Nolan before, but he’d never heard him quite so angry. “If you ever want to set foot within a hundred yards of our land again, you will choose a suitable mate, brother.”
That sounded an awful lot like an ultimatum. And it rocked him.
They’d had their disagreements, and yes, Nash left. But he never thought he wouldn’t be able to return. Home was home. Nolan had never told him he wouldn’t be welcome back.
“Did you hear me?”
Nash nodded. “I heard you.”
“It’s for the good of the pack, Nash.”
“Right. The pack.”
The sound of an ATV coming, followed moments later by Kira’s fresh sexy scent, filled his senses and distracted him just enough so he didn’t tell Nolan what he really thought about the good of the pack.
“Nash, I know you don’t see it right now, but—”
“I can’t talk right now.” He cut him off as Kira’s ATV pulled up next to his truck. Before his brother said another word, he disconnected the call and stuffed his phone into his back pocket.
“Hey.”
Kira felt like a teenager, the way his voice and one simple word made her knees wobble. It was ridiculous. What was even more ridiculous was that she brushed her hair, refastened her braid, and brushed her teeth before she drove out to the maintenance shed to see Nash. But she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him and that kiss. Yes. That kiss had definitely been the star of her dreams the night before, and a whole lot more.
Wolf or not, the man knew how to kiss. Of that, there was no doubt.
“Hey yourself.” Did she really say that? When had she turned into some sort of love struck girlie girl? She shook her head and tried again. “How’s it going?” That was better. Maybe she could actually have a conversation without it turning into her making a fool of herself.
Nash crossed the distance between them and without saying another word, cupped his hand around the back of her head and pulled her into him. He kissed her hard and fast, leaving the promise for more. Much more. But then it was done. He pulled away and Kira opened her eyes.
She hadn’t realized she’d closed them.
“It’s going a lot better now,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about that all day.”
“I have…I mean…we probably shouldn’t do that where people might see.”
Why had she just said that? With the way the blood raced through her body and the damp heat had settled between her legs, Kira was pretty sure she didn’t care whether anyone saw them. She wanted more. She needed more and judging by her internal turmoil, her bear clearly agreed.
“Isn’t that why you’re here?” Nash reached for her hand and laced his fingers through hers. “It’s pretty private here.”
It was private there, which was exactly why Kira had decided to drive out to see Nash instead of calling him over the radio. But admitting that little fact at that moment probably wasn’t a great idea because it could only lead down one path. And as turned on as she was, she was still a bear and he was still a wolf and nothing could happen between them. Besides the fact that the last man she’d put her trust in had betrayed her in an epic fashion, Kira was more than a little gun-shy. Yet she couldn’t seem to fight the pull Nash had over her.
“It’s actually not why I’m here.” She forced herself to focus. “There was a report of more dead fish earlier today.”
“What? Let’s go. I’ll help you—”
“I took care of it.” His lips pressed into a line. “Mostly,” she added.
“You know I would have helped you,” he said. “You shouldn’t have to clean that up on your own. Besides, there’s something not right about those fish. Next time, I’d like the chance to check it out.”
Kira smiled. “You might just get that chance. I have a theory and I was hoping you’d help me out with it.” She’d been hoping he’d help her out with a lot more than the dead fish problem, but that wasn’t the point.
Nash nodded to the shack. “I have some water inside. Come on in and tell me what you need.”
Kira followed him, but waited outside on one of the picnic tables while Nash retrieved a few bottles of water and brought them back out. She drank half of hers before she told him what she’d been thinking about. “There were six more dead fish this morning,” she started. “And they were in almost the same spot as before. Strange, right?”
“Very.”
“Don’t you think if there was something in the water killing the fish that we’d be finding them all over the riverbank? Not just in that one spot?”
Nash shrugged. “Probably. Maybe it has something to do with that location? Like a geothermal opening or something.”
Kira shook her head. She had a different idea. “I mean, a geothermal opening isn’t totally out of the question, but I have a different theory. And I was hoping you’d help me out with it. Tonight.”
That caught his attention. He tilted his head and stared deep into her eyes. Oh yes, she was in trouble.
“You know I will.”
There was a lot more meaning behind his words. Kira swallowed hard and picked up her water bottle again. “Great.” She tipped it back and finished the rest in a desperate attempt to cool off. “We’ll leave about eleven, okay?”
“Sounds good to me.”
She stood to leave because Kira knew if she stuck around too much longer, she’d probably leap across the table and kiss him again. Lord knew she couldn’t stop staring at those lips and imagining exactly how they’d feel moving against the tender skin of her neck, traveling up to the shell of her ear where— “I should go.”
Kira straightened her khakis and turned away from him in an effort to maintain some sort of semblance of self-control. It was one thing to kiss him as a greeting, which they totally shouldn’t have done. Or invite him on a middle-of-the-night stakeout, or whatever it was that she was planning on doing beyond getting him alone in the middle of the night. But it was
a completely different thing to jump the man and push him down on the picnic table so she could straddle him and feel that hard muscular chest under her— Oh good God. She needed to get out of there. She quickened her step.
“Hey, Kira?” Nash called out to her. She almost didn’t turn around, but there was something in the playful way he said her name. Despite her intentions to make a clean getaway, she turned to look at him. “I’m looking forward to tonight.” His words melted off his tongue. They might as well have had a direct line between her legs because just the anticipation of later, and knowing he was looking forward to it as much as she was, made her panties wet.
Chapter Five
Kira hadn’t given him many details about what exactly they were going to be doing out in the dark on the riverbank. Not that Nash needed any. He was quite happy to finally have a few moments alone with her. Especially at night, in the woods. The fact that they were supposed to be looking into her theory about the dead fish bared little importance to Nash. All he could think of was: Kira, alone, woods.
Perfect.
If only they could get out of the cabin.
“I’m not doing anything.” Sasha sidled up to Nash and leaned up against the counter next to him. “Maybe I should come with you.”
“No.” Kira appeared in the hall. “What I meant to say was, I appreciate the offer, Sasha, but I think it’s only a two-person job tonight.”
Nash hid his smile and reached past Sasha, who actually pouted a little, to grab a few apples from the bowl on the counter. Sasha was a very attractive woman and she hadn’t done a very good job of hiding her interest in Nash since he’d arrived. Under different circumstances, Nash might have pursued something with her, even if it was just a little fun. But circumstances weren’t different. Besides, he got the impression that Sasha might be interested in almost every other man in the camp as well. Not that it mattered. Not at all.
He let his gaze slide over to Kira, who wore jeans that hugged her curves in all the right places and a v-neck t-shirt that stretched tight over her luscious breasts. Damn. If he thought she looked hot in her parks uniform, she was set to combust in her after-hours clothes. Nash swallowed hard and forced himself to focus on packing a few snacks.
“How long will you guys be gone?” Sasha directed her question at Kira. “Should we wait up?” She wiggled her eyebrows, but Nash knew it was only to tease, and likely try to suss out whether or not there was anything going on between the two of them. If she only knew. But she wouldn’t because they’d done a good job hiding whatever it was that was going on between them from the other staff. At least for now.
Not that Nash saw any point to it. But he wasn’t about to pretend he understood women or what went through their heads. Especially Kira’s.
“Probably all night,” Nash answered Sasha’s question. “And we should get going.” He grabbed his pack, squeezed past Sasha and stood in front of Kira. Up close, her scent filled him, driving his wolf wild. “Are you ready?” The question was loaded and, judging by the look on her face, Kira knew it.
“Thanks for coming with me tonight.” They’d been driving in Nash’s truck for a few minutes before Kira finally spoke, beyond telling him what direction to go in. She knew she should say something, but everything felt awkward and staged. As if she’d invited him on a date instead of a stakeout. Which, maybe, she had. She risked a glance in his direction and immediately felt stupid when he caught her eye and smiled.
“Of course, Kira. I’m happy to be here.”
“It’s just that it’s late and the middle of the—”
“I’m a wolf, remember?” He laughed. “I like the night.”
She laughed at the easy way he opened up about his animal. It was refreshing to spend time with another shifter, even if he was a wolf. And even though for the last year, she’d largely ignored the fact that she herself was a shifter, it was still nice. Even if she couldn’t fully put that feeling into words. Or any other feeling when it came to Nash. There were so many reasons she shouldn’t be sitting next to him in that truck, driving into the quiet woods in the middle of the night. But there was one good reason that she should.
She felt the need of it. Of him. Deep in her bones. And she couldn’t ignore it any more.
“Where are we headed?” Nash drew her back into the moment. “I’m all about surprises,” he smiled, “but I do need to know where to go.”
She laughed. Something she found herself doing more and more when Nash was around. “Sorry. I maybe should have given you some more details. I was thinking we could go set up a camp across the river from the campsite, and just upstream from where the fish have been showing up. I think it’s strange and I’m sure someone is putting them there.”
“I totally agree with you.” Without further instructions, Nash took the turn that would take them away from camp and across the bridge where they could backtrack and get to the other side without being spotted. As they got closer, he cut the lights and made the rest of the way in the dark.
“I think this is good right here.” She whispered and then laughed at herself. “Do you want to stay here, or maybe come with me closer to the river?”
His hand reached across the cab and squeezed hers. “You know exactly where I want to be.”
A shot of desire raced through her and straight to her core at his words. She forced a calmness into her voice and pulled her hand away. “Great. I brought a few things. I put them in the back. We should probably go and get set up so that if there is someone out there, we don’t disturb them or scare them away.”
She was a terrible actress, and there was no doubt Nash could see right through her, but she didn’t know what else to do. She’d been putting him off from the moment they’d met, and she could tell herself it was because he was a wolf and she was a bear. Or that they worked together, or….well, anything really. Kira could keep convincing herself of all the reasons it wasn’t right. Or she could just take a chance, throw reason out the window and just go with it.
Out of the two options, there was one clear winner.
Nash nodded slowly and for a moment, Kira was afraid he would call her out. Instead, he smiled. “Well, we should get going then.”
She’d packed a small bag of blankets, both to sit on and to keep warm with. A thermos of coffee and a few snacks. It wasn’t much, but then again she didn’t plan to be out all night. With any luck, they’d see what they needed to right away, and catch the culprit she was so sure was behind the dead fish. Because it had to be a person. There was no way the fish were dying naturally.
They found a sheltered spot where they could sit side by side and each have a pine tree to lean up against. Kira poured them each a mug of coffee and settled in.
“Tell me something, Kira.”
She paused, the mug halfway to her mouth. “What’s that?” She took a sip of her coffee.
“Why are you fighting this so much when you’re so clearly attracted to me?”
Kira almost spat out her coffee. Instead, she swallowed hard in an effort not to choke on the hot liquid. It took her a minute to regain her composure. A minute that Nash spent staring at her, waiting for an answer. “What makes you think I’m attracted to you?” It was a stupid comeback and they both knew it, so she followed it up with a more truthful response. Her shoulders sagged a little. “Because you’re a wolf.”
“I’ve noticed.” He chuckled. “But beyond using it as an excuse, I didn’t think you had. Noticed, I meant.”
She spun to face him. “What do you mean? Of course I’ve noticed. You’re cocky and arrogant and…”
“Sexy as hell?”
Kira groaned in frustration.
“Does that mean I’m right?”
She put her coffee down and dropped her head into her hands. “I don’t know what you want me to say. Of course I’ve noticed you. And yes, you’re sexy. Happy? I said it.”
Kira looked up to see Nash shake his head. “No,” he said simply. “I’m not happy because
all I really want is for you to stop fighting me and this attraction that we so clearly have for each other.” He reached across the distance and cupped her head. His thumb stroked her cheek and he moved closer, so he sat directly in front of her. “And don’t try to deny that it’s there,” he said. “I know you feel it when I kiss you. I know you feel the same need I feel.”
His mouth was only inches from hers. She could feel his breath and when he finally pressed his lips to hers, she thought she might totally combust with the need for him.
Greedily, her mouth pressed up in an effort to connect. He was right; she’d been fighting everything and for the life of her, with his hands on her body, his mouth on hers, and sparks of desire coursing between both of them, Kira could not remember why.
The stakeout was forgotten as her hands slid up his chest, working their way under his jacket and t-shirt to find the hard, smooth, chiseled stomach underneath. His skin was hot beneath her cool touch. Kira leaned back, and Nash adjusted her on the blanket until she lay down and he straddled her. His mouth left hers and moved down to the sensitive skin on her neck. He was gentle but demanding as he nipped and sucked. Her back arched and she pressed her hips into him.
The time for reasoning her feelings and needs away was gone. There was nothing but Nash, the heat he sparked in her, and the need she could no longer deny.
She tasted like honey and coffee and the most delicious confection Nash had ever had on his tongue. He wanted more. He needed more because another kiss was not going to be enough this time. He needed all of her.
The feel of her hands on his skin drove him wild, and his kiss deepened, tangling his tongue with hers. He settled her underneath him and moved his hands down to find the zipper of her coat. There were way too many clothes between them. The spring air had a chilling bite, but Nash doubted either of them would feel it. They were only focused on one thing: fulfilling the carnal desires that had a grip over both of them.
