by T. S. Joyce
She nodded, still half asleep.
“Hey,” he said, shaking her gently. “Your bear is beautiful. I knew she would be and she didn’t disappoint.”
A big smile crooked her lips and she drew back. “You like my bear?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“I like your lion too.”
A low noise rattled through his throat and she pressed her ear against it. “Are you purring?” Her mouth dropped open and she stared at his face. “You are, aren’t you?”
He hooked her waist and rolled on top of her, tickling her ribs until she kicked and giggled. “So what if I am? You make me happy. Purring is a good thing.”
“Do lions like to sit in tiny boxes like housecats do?” she asked with a naughty smile.
“All right, I’m going to work.” He kissed her soundly and nibbled her bottom lip before he pushed off the bed.
“Should I get a scratching post for you from the general store?” she called. She snatched her cell from the night stand. “I’m changing your name in my phone to Here Kitty Kitty.”
He bolted back into the bedroom and she shrieked with laughter as he pulled the covers over their heads. “How many cat jokes until I don’t have to hear them anymore?” he rumbled, trailing kisses down her throat. “Or maybe I can bribe you to stop them, hmm?”
“Oh, yes do that. Bribe me.”
A contented rumble filled his throat as he pulled her panties down with his teeth. It was all she was wearing after their love fest last night, and extra points to him for being creative with their removal.
“When you bit my neck…”
“Yeah?” he asked, unzipping his pants pulling them down.
“Did that get you off?”
“Hell yeah. That’s how lions mate in the wild. It’s the reason our claiming ceremony is like that. I’ve never bitten a woman before but it was hot. I still can’t stop thinking about it.”
“I didn’t mind when you did that,” she said. Shyness crept into her voice, but if she couldn’t explain to Logan what she wanted, who could she share it with? He was open about everything. The man was un-shockable as far as she could tell.
“Mmm,” he rumbled. “You like it when I bite you?” He gripped her ass and pulled her back flush against his chest until his hard cock settled against her tailbone. He grazed her shoulder with his teeth and she arched against him. “You’re going to make me late to my first day of work, woman.”
“I’ll call Bron and personally apologize for keeping you.” Reaching between her legs, she drew his shaft to her sex and stroked him as the tip eased inside of her.
Logan pressed his forehead in between her shoulder blades and reached around to hold her breasts. He fondled the taut nubs and she pulled him further into her. “Jesus, woman,” he rasped.
She was going slow, torturing him and her both with the languid pace. His hand slid down her belly as they moved together, and he rubbed her clit gently with his fingertip.
“Feel,” he whispered, and guided her hand down to where he was sliding in and out of her.
Fingers scissored, his wet cock moved in between them and he pressed her palm harder over her clit. How did the man do this? He instilled such confidence in her body and her ability to please him. Nothing felt uncomfortable or like too much because he openly adored everything she did. He encouraged her to own her body, and tell him what she liked so he could please her in return. This was what making love was supposed to be like.
She must’ve been doing something he appreciated, because by the time her first orgasm pulsed through her, he was bucking like a mad man and chanting that he couldn’t stop. He froze and found his release, and his teeth found the back of her neck as he jerked into her a few last times.
Boneless and spent, she leaned closer into his warmth until he got up and rushed to get ready again for work. He gave her one last wicked grin before he jogged out of the bedroom. Seconds later, his motorcycle roared to life out front, and she rolled over and lay like a star staring happily at the ceiling fan above.
She loved him. Yep, she did. He probably could feel how much she adored him, but it was scary taking the leap and saying those words aloud. She hadn’t said them since Danny, and that felt like another lifetime now.
They had time. Logan was staying in Joseph for her.
He was taking a risk for her.
He was choosing a mate outside of his pride because of his affection for her.
She was a lucky bear.
****
Samantha shadowed the doorway to Muriel’s pottery shop at nine in the morning.
“Hey you,” she greeted her friend. And that’s what she was. As crazy as it seemed to have the warm fuzzies for the woman who’d replaced her in Bron’s life, Muriel’s life wasn’t destined for normal, apparently. Falling for Logan the alpha lion proved that.
“I heard a rumor,” Samantha said, voice pitched high with excitement.
“Oh, yeah?”
Reese knocked on the open frame and stuck her head in. “I want in on the gossip.”
Samantha was grinning from ear to ear and looking back and forth between Muriel and Reese.
Muriel laughed and gestured them to a couple of old metal chairs she’d dragged out here earlier. She was in the middle of re-throwing the huge plate order that asshat challenger, Mark, had destroyed, but she could talk and work at the same time.
“I’m seeing someone new,” she sang, teasing.
“And?” Samantha asked. She was practically bouncing against her seat.
“And he’s really cute.”
“And?”
“And he’s a lion.”
Reese frowned, her delicate blonde brows drawing down. “Like a lion in the sack?”
“No!” Samantha all but shouted. “He’s a lion shifter!”
Reese’s mouth made an O shape and she laughed low. “Oh, shit, Muriel. Your daddy’s going to be pissed.”
That was the truest statement she’d ever heard. “He won’t be happy, that’s for sure.”
“Screw him,” Samantha said. “Your dad is a jerk anyway. If you like Logan, you should be with someone who makes you happy.”
“Agreed,” Reese said, leaning back with an unglazed coffee mug in her hands. Turning it over and over, she said, “You can’t help who you love.” She was probably thinking of Trent. She’d been with Bron’s brother for years before he died. He was a chronic commitment dodger, but Reese seemed to have a loyal heart and had stuck around through all of his years of pushing her away. Now, he was gone.
“Okay, so that’s why his eyes were that strange color,” Samantha said. “And that’s why he and Bron get along so easily, even though they are both dominant. They’re different animals. This is so cool. I didn’t know other shifters existed until Bron told me what Logan was yesterday.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Muriel said, pulling her muddy hands away from the plate she was working on. “You knew yesterday?”
“Bron knew he wasn’t a bear, he just didn’t know what he was. He figured it out when he saw the bite on the back of your neck. That’s typical lion claiming business right there.”
“He claimed you?” Reese asked. Her sky blue eyes went round.
“He did according to pride custom, but we haven’t made anything official according to clan ways though.”
“Are you going to?” Reese asked.
“I don’t know. We have time to take it slow now. Plus, I don’t know if we’ll be allowed to make our union official according to clan tradition. That’s for bear shifters, and Logan is other.”
“So? You can still have babies,” Reese said. And bless that woman, she seemed offended for her. “You still have a fifty-fifty shot at the child being a bear too. I think you guys should be recognized as a mated pair if you want to be.”
Muriel had been afraid of what people would think about her pairing with Logan, but suddenly she realized that the people’s opinion who really mattered were in this room, and they approve
d. A weight lifted and she smiled and started the wheel back to spinning.
She and Logan’s pairing would be difficult, but with the support her friends and Bron were showing, Muriel’s heart opened to the possibility of starting a life with him even more.
Someday, perhaps if Logan decided to make them more official, maybe they could have a small ceremony with their closest friends, and that would be enough for her.
Chapter Twelve
Muriel’s life had turned around completely in one week’s time.
A week ago, she was attacked by Logan’s challenger and the truth of what he was came to light.
A week ago, she decided his animal being different than hers wasn’t a deal breaker.
A week ago, her closest friends accepted him without question, because she trusted him and that seemed to be good enough for them.
Samantha and Reese had stopped spending days at her house when Shira had failed to come after Logan. For four days, she’d taught them to throw pottery and laughed and bonded with them. They were easy laughers, and with each passing day, Muriel had come out of her shell a little more. Their presence had also given her an idea.
She’d had so much fun teaching them, she put up a flyer in town about pottery classes, and the community center offered her a room twice a week. She had her first three students next Tuesday. And as scary as thinking about leading a class of strangers was, she was also excited about the prospect of meeting new people and helping them creatively.
Logan enjoyed working with Bron and Dillon, and had cancelled his lease on the house he rented in Portland. A couple of days ago, Bron lent them his truck, and she and Logan had packed up everything they could and brought it back to Joseph. He officially lived here now. And though he’d looked for an apartment in town so he could ‘court her the right way,’ she’d convinced him to stay in her cabin. Thinking of him living anywhere else left her feeling hollow, so when he agreed to move in, the relief she felt was enormous.
Logan belonged in that cozy cabin just as surely as she did.
She smiled at the jeep, all shiny and new looking on the front lawn. Logan had ordered the parts and they’d come in yesterday. He’d stayed up into the early morning hours fixing it, and she’d brought out a chair and read to him while he worked.
He liked that. He said something about her voice soothed his animal, so he usually asked her to read something while he was cooking dinner. She was trying to learn his ways around the kitchen, but that would be a slow process. He swore he liked to cook and take care of her after he got home from work though, so it was pointless to be too hard on herself.
She could hear Bron’s truck long before she could see it, so she continued lowering dry bowls into the kiln until he pulled up front. He waved as he got out of the navy monster he drove to his work sites. Closing the kiln, she brushed her hands on her pants and jogged over to meet him.
“Hey,” she greeted him.
He gave her a sideways hug and she smiled at how much more comfortable they were now. Samantha had a lot to do with that. She was big on hashing out anything that would cause potential discomfort.
“Logan’s still working,” Bron said. “I’m supposed to be grabbing some more spackling from the hardware store, but I wanted to run up here and talk to you for a minute.”
“Is everything okay?” Worry snaked through her middle as she gestured to the porch chairs.
“Yeah, everything’s great. Logan’s a real hard worker and gets along with the rest of the crew. He catches on quick and he’s dependable. I’m going to offer him a permanent job soon, but don’t tell him yet. We’re going to take him out to the bar later this week and tell him.”
She giggled and nodded. “Your secret’s safe with me. If you boys are going out though, I want a heads up so I can set up a girls’ night.”
“Sam’s already planning it,” he said, taking a seat. He looked out over the yard and a slight frown took his face. “Look, the reason I’m here is I owe you an apology.”
Okay, this was not the direction she’d seen this conversation turning. “About what?”
“I should’ve fought harder when your dad and Dodger pushed us into that marriage. I could see you didn’t want it and I let it happen too easily. I spent our married years trying to make up for it, but I think I only made things worse. I know I hurt you. I wasn’t a good husband, but worse than that, I wasn’t even your friend. It was lonely on both of us, but at least I had Trent. You were alone with our situation. You’re a strong woman, Muriel. I’m glad what we went through didn’t scare you off of finding someone again. When Samantha came back, I was so happy, and I wanted that for you. I knew it couldn’t be that way with Danny, but I hoped you would find someone like Logan someday. Well, maybe not a rangy lion shifter like Logan,” he said with a wicked grin. “But a good man like him. I can tell he cares for you just by the way he talks about you at work. You’re the moon and the sun to that man, and it makes me happy you’ve found that. I guess what I’m saying is that I hope there isn’t any lingering bad feelings between us. I respect you more than just about anyone, and Samantha loves you like the sister she never had. And you seem different now. Happy. You talk more and smile more, and it doesn’t feel like I ruined you forever like I was afraid I’d done.”
“I’m not mad and there is no reason in the world for you to apologize to me. That marriage ripped us both up. I could see it hurting you too. I imagine you feel like I did when Samantha came back. I was happy for both of you. It was nice to see that life went on, you know?”
“Yeah.” He leaned forward and his messy dark hair fell in front of his eyes. Elbows on his knees, he smiled and shook his head. “Who would’ve thought we would’ve been sitting here talking like this, huh? I never would’ve called it when the divorce went through.”
“Me either. Samantha’s pretty special though. She wouldn’t let us fight.”
He chuckled and nodded. His nose twitched and he dragged a serious gaze to hers. “Muriel, I want you to pledge to my clan. I know it’s your choice, but Logan’s torn up about his pairing with you limiting your options in pledging. Your Dad won’t let you back, not with Logan in your life, but I want you here with us. I know we’re in a weird transition, and my rank as alpha is shaky because of Dodger’s death, but I just want you to know, you’re wanted.” He lifted his gaze to hers and his eyes were so raw and open. “You’re a good woman, Muriel. A good shifter. You deserve the protection of a clan, and if you’ll have us, I’d like for it to be the Hells Canyon shifters you call home.”
Hot tears pricked her eyes and Muriel blinked a few times to clear her vision. Clearing her throat delicately, she asked, “You’ll take me even if I choose Logan?”
“Of course. I can’t initiate him, but he’ll fall under my protection because he’s your mate. It’s the best I can do for him, and the best I can do for you.”
“And you aren’t offering out of guilt?”
“No. Half of me is offering because I know you belong with us, and half of me is offering because my mate won’t let up about you pledging to my clan.”
Muriel huffed a laugh. Samantha could be tenacious about getting what she wanted.
“Do you think Logan will ever be accepted by your people?”
“I’ll campaign for him as much as possible. He’s been meeting people all week, and the more time he spends with them, the easier his transition will be. I can’t name a time this has ever been done before, but I should’ve known you wouldn’t pick just any mate. You picked someone special. He’ll have a place in my clan, beside you.”
“Okay.”
Bron’s eyebrows shot up. “Okay?”
“Yeah. I’ll pledge to Hells Canyon.”
Bron’s smile was genuine and he leaned back in the old porch chair. “We’ll have a dinner to celebrate. You and Logan come on over to the cabin tonight at six and we’ll make it official.”
She laughed as something tight she hadn’t known was bothering her l
oosened in her chest. “We wouldn’t miss it.”
****
“You look beautiful,” Logan murmured against her ear as he helped her into the passenger’s seat of the jeep.
“So do you, Mr. O’Connor.”
He leaned in for a long, slow kiss before he jogged around the front and slid in behind the wheel.
Usually, she enjoyed a ride on his motorcycle, but tonight she was wearing her best dress and she didn’t want to sit split legged riding through town. Logan looked dashing, from his charcoal gray sweater and crisp white collar sticking out from the neck, right down to his dark jeans and his nicest pair of boots.
She turned the radio dial to a classic rock station and smiled when Wild Horses came on. She hummed happily as Logan grinned at her and started the engine.
Midway down the drive, however, the high beams caught another vehicle picking its way up the gravel road toward them.
From the hard mask Logan’s face slipped into, it wasn’t a friendly visitor.
“Stay in the car,” he said as he pulled to a stop in front of the navy colored Range Rover.
Seven women exited the car, and the woman in front, a blond made less attractive from the seemingly permanent scowl she carried on her face, tilted her chin up when her eyes met Logan’s.
Muriel would bet her favorite ugly bowls this was the Shira she’d heard so much about.
“Come home with us now, and your tramp will live,” she said in a cold voice to match her dead eyes. “You have a duty to perform. You’ve already proven yourself to be the strongest challenger, now come take your rightful place in our pride.”
“My rightful place is right here, with my mate. Empty threats won’t get you what you want, Shira. Not anymore.”
“You doubt I’ll kill her?”
Fuck this nonsense. Muriel dialed Bron and he picked up on the second ring. “Shira and her pride are here for Logan.”
