by Abby Wood
The pop and poof of a sealed jar opening sounded off to her right. She sniffed. Duh!
"Pickles."
"Okay, that was too easy." Granger laughed. "How about this?"
This time no noise gave the contents away. She concentrated and pushed past the usual scents found in the cabin. She found it hard because the rugged, outdoorsy aroma that clung to Granger was overriding all other odors.
"Olives?"
"Good girl." He coughed to cover the crinkle of paper. "Again."
"God, I'm starving!" She laughed. "How about you pass that cereal over here, and I can munch on it while you put me through lynx class for kindergarteners."
He shoved the bag into her hands, and she reached in to scoop out a pinch. "That's better. Now I can concen—" She leaped out of her chair and opened her eyes. "What're you doing?" She grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the sink. "Of all the crazy shit to do, why would you ever cut yourself?"
He shook his hand away and grabbed the dishrag to blot the small cut. "The best way to track someone is by picking up their blood scent." He grinned. "You're doing excellent on this drill, by the way."
"Dumbass." She walked back to the chair and plopped down. "I didn't like that. Don't do it again."
"You're telling me what to do?" He sat down beside her and leaned against the table.
She lowered her chin. "No."
Granger cupped her face and lifted it up to meet his gaze. "Close your eyes, Aningan. You need to trust that I know what's best for you."
She lowered her lashes. Granger's dominance caused a tingling warmth to spread through her belly. She loved how secure he made her feel, knowing that someone would always be there to look out for her safety; it was comforting.
"Open your mouth."
A jar lid squeaked and a utensil tinged against the side of a glass. She licked her lips, rubbed them together, and parted them. The cool, smooth surface of the bottom of a spoon touched her bottom lip and slipped into her mouth. She closed her lips. Oh dear God.
The decadent richness of milk chocolate exploded on her taste buds. She moaned. Without swallowing, she sucked on the spoon. The world's best medicine made the lynx lessons more tolerable and sent quivers of pleasure rippling throughout her body.
"Look at me."
She opened her eyes to see Granger's heated gaze. The strength in her spine fled and she slouched against the back of the chair, the spoon still in her mouth. He reached over and pulled the treat out of her mouth, but not before she sucked a glob of chocolate off to enjoy.
Granger dipped his finger into the chocolate syrup, held his hand up, and reached over to draw circles around each of her areolas. Her nipples puckered, and she gasped. She hoped to God lessons were over and Granger wouldn't ask her to sit at the table for hours without letting her touch his body. She'd fail that test.
He dipped his finger into the jar again and drew a line from between her breasts down to the top of her mound, his gaze never leaving her face. She swallowed a bit of the chocolate sitting on her tongue. A tingle crawled up her spine as she thought about him licking the masterpiece he'd just created.
Chloe leaned forward on the chair, and Granger lowered his head. She ran her fingers through his long midnight hair and brought him to her breast. His tongue lapped at the chocolate, his lips gathering a mouthful of her breast and suckling it. Instant carnal pleasure swirled inside her belly and flooded her pussy with wetness.
She moved his mouth to her other breast. Her head fell back, and she mewed as her body screamed for him to fuck her hard. "Oh Granger…"
Licking her nipple clean, he moved down and began an upward stroke with his tongue. From her mound, over her stomach, and up to her breast, he cleaned the trail of chocolate from her body. She raised her hands and pushed her breasts together. He delved his tongue into the crevice she created and groaned. He ignited every nerve and her legs bounced against the chair. She needed him. The craving to connect their bodies in a way that pleased them both shook her to the core.
"Stand up."
On legs that wobbled, she stood and reached out for him. He slid his hands around her waist, lifted her up and onto the top of the table, and swiped the assortment of food beside her to the floor. Her pussy juice dripped onto the table, and she squirmed, unable to sit still.
She leaned back on her elbows and spread her legs. Granger walked over to the cabinet, opened a drawer, and shuffled through the contents. He returned with a dishcloth. He ignored the invitation she presented with her open legs and approached her head. With a gentle hand he pushed her head down to the table. He folded the cloth and placed it over her eyes.
"Concentrate on how your body responds to my touch. Forget about watching, forget about smelling, and just enjoy the way I touch your body." He kissed her lips. "Your body drives me wild, Chloe. I'm about to burst just seeing you spread out and wanting me."
Without knowing what he planned, she shivered in anticipation of what would come next. The suction-like sound of the refrigerator opening startled her, and she bit down on her lip. He told her not to listen, and she blocked out all distractions.
She felt him part her pussy lips, and she widened her legs to encourage him to touch her more. She gasped, her back arched off the table, and her knees came up to press together. He'd put something extremely cold inside her pussy.
"A small ice cube." Granger kissed her cunt. "Wait for the pleasure."
Her breath came out in hard puffs. As the shock wore off, a new sensation began to grow. The pain turned into pleasure, and she thrust her hips up and down to spread the warmth that continued to grow deep inside.
Granger grabbed her ankles and pulled her across the table. She reached out to clutch the edges. Her ass hung off the surface, and he hooked her ankles around his neck.
With his arms locked around her legs, he entered her in slow motion. The heat from his cock further warmed her insides. She quivered at the sweet torment. His thumb—or was it his finger?—pressed down on her clit and rubbed.
She let go of the table and beat her fist against the wood. "Please. Please. Please."
He pinched her clit between his fingers and plunged into her pussy hard. "Come." He pulled back and thrust again. "Squeeze me."
She convulsed in an orgasm that lifted her head off the table. The towel fell off, but it didn't matter. She kept her eyes shut and rode out the intoxicating spasms pressing down on Granger's cock.
"Yes!" He buried his cock to the hilt and stilled.
Her body trembled. Blessed relief turned her muscles to Jell-O, and she lay back on the table, completely relaxed. Granger removed her legs from around his neck and let them dangle off the table. He pulled her hands and set her feet on the ground.
She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest. His heartbeat raced beneath her ear, and she giggled.
"What's so funny?"
"I think I like these lessons." She smiled.
He rubbed her back. "Is that right?"
She tilted her head back. "Does my teacher have anything I can do for extra credit?"
"Oh yeah. Lots and lots of extra work for you." He grinned.
Chapter Eight
Two weeks later, Granger walked Chloe to the other end of the Lynx's area, where a large cabin served as a gathering spot for the clan. She squeezed his hand in a death grip but continued along beside him with her chin held up. He'd explained to her how every one of the shifters wanted to welcome her into the fold, and they'd put it off long enough.
Between training and discovering everything about each other, they'd fallen into a secure bliss with no influence from the others. Granger even called a halt on tracking the other hunters because of all the snow they'd received. If the weather made it difficult for the Lynx, it would be impossible for humans to make it this far north. Mother Nature created a haven for the cats and a wonderful break for Granger and her to explore their feelings.
She loved him. It wasn't something she
learned. It wasn't something that needed to grow from a feeling. It existed inside both of them, as important as breathing, and each day they thanked their lucky stars that they had found each other.
However, the time had come for her to become involved with the clan. Her stomach cramped, and she laid her hand over her belly button. She wanted this, but she didn't have any experience with large groups. Hell, her father schooled her at home like all the other kids who lived in the bush. Social outings didn't happen after her near death from the bite she'd suffered for fear of shifting in front of others.
"You'll do fine. Remember everything that you have learned, and the rest will come naturally. Your lynx won't let you down." He dropped her hand, pulled her to his side, and draped his arm around her shoulders. "Besides, I'll be there the whole time, and if you need me, you only have to ask for my help."
She nodded. "I know. It's the whole alpha-beta thing. I'm used to seeking comfort from you. I can't imagine that the other women will seek me out to bring them a sense of security. Especially when I'm shaking like a leaf and worried about speaking like the village idiot."
"Trust your lynx, Aningan." He chuckled. "She won't want her human to make a fool of herself."
"Somehow, that doesn't bring me comfort." She snorted.
He continued to laugh. "See? Even I'm not the perfect alpha."
Chloe strolled inside the cabin with a smile on her face and her arm wound around Granger's waist. He'd settled her nerves with his playful banter. A good thing too, because all at once, everyone in the room had stopped their conversations and turned toward them; it threatened to send her to her knees.
"Everybody, this is my life mate, Chloe Barrant." Granger urged her forward and turned to Chloe. "She has taken the last couple of weeks to fine-tune her skills. You'll all be impressed with how far she has come."
"I'm excited to meet you all." She swallowed. "You'll have to pardon my shyness. I didn't grow up around other people the way you all have lived together. It was just my dad and me…" She shrugged. "I guess you know everything else about me."
Smiles and friendly waves greeted her, and Gretchen pushed her way through the crowd. Chloe smiled at the first person of the Lynx clan she met on her arrival, glad to see her friend. After learning Gretchen had a crush on Granger's brother, she stopped worrying if she had designs on her life mate.
"Hi." She gave the other woman a hug.
Gretchen returned the squeeze. "Look at you! A big smile on your face. You look so happy."
She nodded and laughed. "Thanks to Granger. I don't think I could have managed to come here without all his help."
"Come with me. I want to introduce you to the other women. We've practically formed a committee to barge into your cabin and take you for some girl time." Gretchen raised her eyebrows to Granger. "May I?"
He nodded and leaned down to give Chloe a kiss. "Go make friends." He slapped her ass.
She jumped and laughed over her shoulder on her way across the room.
"She's something." Darren joined Granger at the refreshment table. "Hand me a beer, will ya?"
Granger reached over and picked another can out of the tub of ice. "She's amazing." He grinned and passed the beer to his brother. "Is everyone ready to get back on the trail?"
They'd wasted enough time, letting the hunters grow closer. The last couple of nights he swore he could smell them on the wind. This group proved to be more skilled than the last. Afraid that they'd get the upper hand, he wanted to start out the next morning and find out where they'd moved to since Chloe's wildlife refuge shut down.
If the hunters searched for proof of the shifters, the Lynx could handle it. Everyone in the clan took extra care to cover the Lynx clan's existence. If they planned to continue their hunt on his life mate, though, he'd kill every one of them with great pleasure. No way in hell would he lose another member of his family.
"Yo!" Darren jabbed his elbow into Granger's arm. "Are you talking to Chloe or deep in thought?"
He turned his back on the room and leaned in closer to his brother. "Whatever happens, we must protect Chloe with our lives. Promise me."
Darren's eyes narrowed, and he nodded. "That's a given, bro. I owe her. She's family now."
Granger nodded and stepped back. A sudden urge to go find Chloe and stay by her side washed over him. He cut a straight path into the circle of women surrounding his life mate.
"Guess what?" Chloe gazed up at him, smiling. "Sharon"—she pointed to the woman—"is going to teach me how to knit." She raised her eyebrows. "Since I was a child I've always wanted to learn how to do that." She threaded her hand around his arm and squeezed. "Think of how many blankets I can make for the cabin."
"Sounds great." He smiled over at Sharon and tilted his head. "Want to grab something to eat?"
She glanced around at the women, then back up at him. "Sure. I'm hungry."
Filling their paper plates to overflowing, he led her over to the side and pushed two folding chairs together with his foot. She sat down, and he handed her plate to her. Her appetite increased each day, and he secretly hoped that she carried his baby.
The subject of kids had never come up, and he doubted that she'd even thought about the consequences of having unprotected sex. They fucked all the time, day and night, and even with the difficulties some lynx had getting pregnant, he knew deep down they'd have children. After losing his parents and one little brother, karma owed him a family. Having Darren kept him sane all those years after the killings.
Although, he had pushed her extra hard through training, and that could account for her increased appetite. She'd shifted and stayed inside her lynx more than usual the past couple of weeks, and cats were notoriously hungry.
"It's amazing how much I can connect with the women." Chloe waved her fork in the air. "I thought it would be like it is when I go into Fairbanks and everyone stares." She shook her head. "Kinda freaky, you know? I think you're right. I'll be okay here with all of them."
"Dare I say I told you so?" He winked and lifted his head to gaze out across the room. "Most of these people I grew up with, some of them came later." He pointed. "See the group hanging out by the back door?" He paused. "They are the children of Johnny, Dominic, Chuck, and Sean…and their mates." He smiled and turned toward Chloe. "I've watched them grow up since they were babies."
Her brows lowered. She swallowed her bite of food, and the corners of her lips turned down. He could almost see the wheels turning inside her head while she thought about the prospect of having children. He'd given her just enough information for her to draw her own conclusion. He hadn't realized how much having kids meant to him until he found Chloe.
"None of the others who have mates have babies? Those kids are teenagers, right?" She laid her fork on her plate and turned her head to view all the people in the room again. "There are no babies in the group?"
"It's difficult for two shifters to conceive." He sighed. "Not impossible, but each woman who becomes pregnant is well cared for and protected for the duration. Offspring means that our kind goes on for many years. That is very important to all of us."
Chloe dropped her gaze to the floor. She chewed on her lip and seemed to be lost in her thoughts. He waited for her to grasp the reality of the shifters' existence and understand the situation. It was a lot to take in, especially for her. She'd never thought of mating, babies, and the Lynx as a group before.
Hell, he'd bombarded her with so many startling facts in the short time they'd been together, he didn't want her to have one more thing to worry about.
"Talk to me, Aningan."
"I…I have always wanted babies." She inhaled. "Growing up an only child, I dreamed of the time that I'd have three or four of my own to fill those quiet days here in the dark winter hours of Alaska."
Chloe turned her head, brought her hand up, and wiped the corner of her eye. He wanted to reach out to her and tell her that she would have the children she wished for, but he'd never lie. Each female
shifter dealt with the knowledge of their existence in her own way.
"We will take whatever we are given. If we are blessed…" He shrugged.
She returned her attention to her plate and jabbed at the food, but stopped once she brought the fork to her mouth. "I've wanted to ask you something, but every time you've distracted me." She gave him a shaky smile. "How do you all earn money? Without the state paying me an income for the refuge, I have no clue what I'll do. Even the state's kicker check is getting smaller every year. Certainly not enough to live off of the rest of the time."
"Our women do not work." He shook his head. "I'd never allow you to put yourself in a position where your identity is at risk."
She leaned back and raised her brows. "You wouldn't allow?" She laughed. "Good one." A soft snort came from her direction.
"I'm serious."
"Granger, I have to do something. I'll go insane sitting at home waiting for you to entertain me." She smiled, shook her head, and leaned closer. "You're not kidding, are you?"
"Nope."
She turned away and went back to stabbing her food. By the way she took out her frustration on the food, in no time she'd wear a hole in the paper plate.
"There are lots of things you can do around here. Ask the other women, and they will tell you all the activities that keep them busy."
He pointed across the room. "Lance works down at the mill during the summer, Jonathon is a de-barker for a company in Fairbanks, and those two over there"—he motioned with his head—"they take tourists out on fishing expeditions. The rest have regular jobs with the locals."
"And you?" She blew the hair out of her face.
The corners of his mouth lifted. It pleased him to hear her interested in the life the Lynx had built. "I'll make a deal with you." He lifted a piece of venison, popped it into his mouth, and chewed. "After the party, I'll show you what I do, okay? I think you'll be pleasantly surprised."
Her brows lowered, and she studied his face. "Fine."
They finished their meal in silence. He communicated with Darren and let him in on his plans for Chloe. She'd learn what he did for a living firsthand. He chuckled and hurried to wipe the grin off his face.
