Indignation wrinkled Amie’s cute little nose. “Comic books? He’s such a geek. But what happened to you?”
He had her hook, line and sinker, and she didn’t even know it. He shrugged again. “Once I came out of my hiding place and wandered back home, hiccupping and sniveling, my mom rushed me into the bathroom and fussed for an hour over me. I had to take a bubble bath, eat like an entire pig worth of pork, and talk to my father. He explained to me in the harshest voice I’ve ever heard him use that hiding from them was a really bad thing, and that I’d scared my mom enough to give her grey hairs. I was grounded for two weeks as well.” He chuckled. “My punishment was to help Pete hobble around and play his nursemaid. Ugh. It was horrible. He was so whiny and demanding.”
He yawned, covering a smile. She’d been miffed for him, and it was adorable. Watching her shoulders relax and a look of confusion cloud her eyes was enough to have him itching to hug her. “So. You got grounded. He got grounded. That’s good. I mean, you guys were just kids. I thought you were going to tell me you got your ass beat or something.”
Looking into her beautiful face caused his chest to ache. “Amie. I was twelve years old.”
She blinked, confusion still marring her face.
“I was the same age as you were. You were not responsible in any way for any of it. Not any more than I was responsible for Pete falling. Sure, I needed to be told, sternly, that I should have gone for help, but I was a kid. Don’t you see it’s the same thing for you? What your father did to you is just... It’d be like having Skip and Pete attack Corey for his stunt last month with the traps.”
Even as her brows un-furrowed she shook her head. “No. No. It’s not the same.”
*****
But it was. The image of Corey, little Corey with tears running down his face as he faced Skip to apologize was a memory she’d never forget. His little body dwarfed by the Alpha. The kid had made a mistake and injured two members of their pack and could have hurt many more. But he’d been forgiven and handed a punishment fitting his age. He hadn’t been beaten or shamed in front of the rest of the pack, hadn’t been thrown into a closet for months at a time to keep him away from the rest of the pack. Even now he was treated like before. His misdeed wasn’t brought up at every opportunity. The community had forgiven him completely.
So why had her father done that to her? He’d ranted and raved at her for so long about it being her fault that deep down she’d accepted the behavior, the shunning, the abuse as her punishment. She’d taken it all because, if she did, then maybe her father would eventually forgive her. But he hadn’t.
That had been made absolutely evident to her on her nineteenth birthday when he’d kicked her out of the house, giving her ten minutes to gather her clothing and telling her that she was officially banished from their lands. Just as she went to step from the silent house he’d walked from the kitchen with a thick envelope in his hand. When he thrust it at her he’s sneered and told her that she wasn’t welcome to come back, ever. He’d given her twelve hours to get off his territory and had her brother follow her, turning around only after she’d crossed the invisible line of her father’s area.
With two duffle bags and an envelope of unknown contents she’d run as far as her pocket money would allow. It didn’t get her far, but it had given her enough time to stop crying and formulate a plan. Once she’d opened the package she’d been struck again by the cruelty of her family. Her birth certificate, five hundred dollars and a photo of her mom were the only things her father had given her. The money helped, but the severing of the ties with him and her brother was heart wrenching.
Zeke yawned again, making his jaw crack. The sound pulled Amie from her thoughts. Before he fell asleep she needed to tell him something. “Thank you.” Leaning forward she pressed her lips quickly to his. “Thank you for listening. You need to sleep and I need to think.”
He licked his lips and hummed but kept the heated thoughts to himself. She could tell he was torn between saying something vastly inappropriate and something comforting. Smiling she patted his knee. “Go to sleep. I’m not going anywhere. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
“You haven’t lotioned me up yet.” His lower lip stuck out, even as he waggled his eyebrows.
Laughing she stood. “You’ll behave.” She pulled the sheet and blanket off his lap and was thrilled to see how much healthier his skin looked. There were still reddened and raised patches but all of the large blisters were gone.
She started at his feet again and slowly smoothed the medicated lotion over his skin. Every few seconds he’d yawn and within a minute Zeke’s eyelids were drooping. Amie slowed her hands, working her thumbs into his muscles where she could, and grinned to herself. His head was nodding by the time she’d reached his chest and shoulders.
“Roll over.” She’d whispered her request in hopes of not breaking the slow slide into sleep Zeke seemed to be experiencing. He grumbled incoherently while obeying her request. She was happy to see how clear his back was. Sweeping lotion-covered hands quickly over his exposed skin, she lingered only a moment along the thick black lines of one of the tattoos on his calf. He had so much ink, and she wanted to know the stories behind each one. This one looked like a shark of some sort with a tail of mechanical parts. It was beautifully done, with shading to make the entire creature seem as though it was swimming off of his leg.
Standing as quietly as she could, she looked down at the lightly snoring man. He’d sprawled out and tucked a pillow to his chest. She smiled, itching to run her fingers through his hair just to pet him. When she turned to take the tube of lotion back to the counter Zeke’s husky whispered words made her pause.
“Come sleep with me. I want to cuddle you.”
Shit. She hadn’t even thought about sleeping arrangements. Part of her had assumed he’d be completely out of it and she would’ve shared the bed with him. “Later. Sleep.”
She’d take a moment to regroup, think on the day, and hopefully have him fall fully asleep.
“M’kay.” He pursed his lips and sent her messy, sleepy air-kisses.
She was in so much trouble. That small sign, that even on the edge of sleep he was looking for her, was enough to send her heart pitter-pattering in her chest. Opening the fridge gave her something to concentrate on. Wanting to prep one of her favorite breakfast casseroles had her pulling out onions, cheese, and eggs. With a bump of her hip the door shut and she placed her prizes on the counter. She needed bread to cube and the shortening for the pan.
While she cut and diced, mixed and measured, her mind wandered through the day. It’d started so much differently than it’d ended. Had it really been only one day? Maybe because she’d been tranquilized, it seemed like a week had passed. Only a few hours before she’d woken with her Alpha giving her an ultimatum and had been shut in the cabin with her mate.
This time, when her mind conjured the term ‘mate,’ she didn’t cringe from it. Sure, there was a lot she didn’t know about Zeke, but she’d spent long enough in the town to know the type of man he was. The few dates she’d allowed him to take her on had been fun. He’d shown her he absolutely could comfort and cuddle when she needed it.
A sigh slipped through her lips. She could already tell she’d stepped over the proverbial line in the sand that she’d drawn. She was going to give in and take Zeke as her mate, they’d hump like bunnies and she’d be a happy girl. So, why was her heart beating like she was terrified?
Glancing at the man helped calm her insecurities. Amie could behave enough to have a mate. Right? Her mother had been the perfect mate. Meek, mild, tame. Those qualities are what men wanted. Her father had beaten that into her. But what about Zeke? Would he expect that of her once they were mated? She didn’t think she could change. She liked the person she’d become. Sure quirky and weird were thrown around a lot to describe her, but Amie was fine with that.
Covering the goopy mixture with tinfoil and plastic wrap left her with nothing else to do. She’d cle
aned up the mess she’d made while prepping breakfast. Eyeing Zeke again showed he was still fast asleep, snoring softly with his mouth hanging open. She grinned even as she waffled between sleeping beside him or on the couch.
Her bobcat mewled quietly in her head and the decision was easy to make. She could sleep with him, as he’d requested, and let her kitty out for a while. Amie tiptoed into the bathroom, leaving the door open slightly so she could leave the room once she was in her cat form. Stripping took no time at all. Once she was naked she decided a quick shower would be good first, then she’d let her bobcat out to sleep with their mate.
The happy purr from her other half had her chuckling as she turned the water on. She sighed. Hot water pounded some of the tension out of her muscles as she stood under the spout. Anticipation curled through her. She was going to be in the same bed as her mate. For once her and her cat agreed; they’d be scent marking him completely before morning.
Chapter Eight
Warm. Soft. Smells good.
Zeke buried his nose into the fur and smiled when a deep purr started under his cheek. He rubbed his face on the rumbling body. “Mornin’.”
A rough tongue swept over his forehead. Chuckling he opened an eye and found a beautiful cat face staring back. Her head was huge, much bigger than he’d anticipated. Tufted ears swiveled a little as his breath whispered over the wisps of fur. She’d curled around his head, nearly cradling him with her supple feline body. Amber eyes gazed back with intelligence only a shifter would possess. “You’re gorgeous as a kitty, babe. Can I pet you?”
Some shifters didn’t like to be touched by others in their animal forms. Even though he’d woken with his face pushed against her fur he thought it prudent to ask, especially with the large paws slowly kneading the sheets near his head. He was surprised at the size of her feet and was fairly sure they were bigger than a black bear cub’s paws. And her canines stuck out a tiny bit from under her lips. A few lines from Little Red Riding Hood floated through his mind but, for once, he kept his mouth shut.
Zeke was rewarded for his patience with a thunk of a hard feline skull bumping into his. “Ow, babe.” He grinned. “It’s okay, though, I’ve got a hard head too.”
Digging his fingers into the fur along her belly was like nothing he’d ever felt. The hairs were dense but so damn soft. After a moment he reached up and touched the tiny tufts of fur at the tip of one ear. She flicked it away, so he did it again. After the third time she shook her whole head and narrowed her eyes at him. Ooops, right. Don’t piss off the bobcat. “Sorry. They’re just so cute.”
She huffed and probably would have rolled her eyes if she was able.
“How are you and the kitty doing? Being friendly and sharing?” He stroked his palm down her side and enjoyed how her fur tickled his hand.
Amie-kitty shrugged before a deep rumble started in her chest. She purred so loud it almost hurt his hearing, but he’d endure much more just to see and feel her so relaxed around him. He laid his head back down onto the pillow with a sigh and enjoyed both petting her, smoothing his fingers through her fur, and the constant rumble of her purr. The swipe of her sandpaper-like tongue along his hair broke the peace they’d had.
“Eww.” He swiped a hand over the same spot and noted, with feigned disgust, that his hair was crunchy. “Ugh, have you been grooming me all night? My spikes are gonna be all messed up now.”
The bobcat chuffed at him, stretching and yawning, showing off her full, impressive set of teeth before rolling to her feet. She leaped over him and landed with a loud thump on the cabin floor.
“Oh my God, you have the cutest tail.” He didn’t mean to squeal. Nothing so unmanly should ever come out of his mouth but, really, who wouldn’t? Her short stubby tail twitched and wiggled.
Turning, and with the disdain only a feline can give, she stared for a moment before shaking her furry head and padded into the bathroom. Zeke would have preferred to have Amie trust him enough to shift in front of him, and give him a morning peek at her sexy body, but just knowing that she’d slept beside him all night, and snuggled… Well, it made his heart happy. And wasn’t that just a sappy thing to think?
While he waited for Amie to emerge from the bathroom he took stock of his body, noting with a grin that he was nearly free of blemishes and felt fine. He ignored the urge to itch the few remaining areas of poison ivy and rolled off the mattress with a sigh. Being down and out sucked, and Zeke knew more than most how crappy it was to be bedridden. Stupid luck. Well, he really couldn’t blame luck for it all. He had a known issue called foot-in-mouth-disease that seemed to get him in more trouble than the standard person.
With a grin he stretched, loving the pop and pull of muscles and bones. Reaching for the ceiling brought a lovely round of cracks down his spine. He sighed. And nearly missed the gasp from across the room. Grinning, he opened his eyes and caught a blushing, wide-eyed Amie turning swiftly toward the kitchenette.
“I’m um, going to put breakfast in the oven. I should have put it in earlier, but I was so comfortable… well, she was… you know what I mean. Anyway, it’s going to be about an hour before we can eat it. Unless you want something quicker. I could make something else.”
His adorable mate stammered and tripped with uncharacteristic shyness over her words. She’d changed into his favorite pair of jeans. They fit her so well, hugging her ass and making his mouth water with the need to nip her cheeks. The T-shirt she’d donned was so typically Amie that he chuckled. Stamped in bright pink across her chest were the words ‘If you can read this you’re standing too close.’ To a shifter that sentiment was hilarious, because even from a quarter mile away those glowing words would be completely legible. Whoever had packed her clothes for her had quite the sense of humor.
Which made him wonder. “Where are my clothes? I really want a shower.”
Amie gaped at him for a moment. “Clothes? Um.” She shook her head and snorted. “I’m falling apart over here because you’re half naked and you’re worrying about clothes. They’re over by the door. I assume the black duffle is yours.”
With the practiced hip-roll of a predator Zeke stalked Amie across the small expanse of floor. He watched her pupils dilate and loved the slight perfume of lust on their air. He recognized the effect his body had on her; his coyote wanted to roll in her scent knowing he was the cause for it. Even as she backed away, glancing around for a way past him, he didn’t relent. He could feel the smile pulling at his lips, and knew he looked like the big bad wolf. Pulling her into his arms, pressing her against his chest and feeling her melt against him had his coyote howling triumphantly in the back of his head.
“I don’t care what you make for breakfast, I’ll eat anything you make me.” He kissed the top of her head. “But first I want to hold you and do this.”
Leaning back minutely, he gave her a squeeze and used his index finger to nudge her head up until round, hazel eyes studied him. A mixture of trepidation and longing swirled in their depths. He lowered his mouth to hers, slowly enough that she could have stopped him, but fast enough that she couldn’t think of a reason to make him stop. Sweeping his lips across hers lightly, tickling the corners of her mouth with his, gained him access when she sighed. Her breath, minty and cool, whispered over his senses. Instead of invading and tasting like he so wanted to do, he spent the moment learning the feel of her against him, her lips open and pliant under his, and the racing of their hearts as the beats vibrated through him.
Teasing her meant teasing himself, but it was worth it to hear the mewl of disappointment when he ended the kiss. One final, light press of his mouth to hers wasn’t even close to enough, but it would have to be for now. He touched his forehead to hers. “Good morning, mate.”
Mate. The word should terrify her, but all she felt was the tingle of awareness in her belly from having Zeke pressed against her and the heat blooming in her chest from the chaste kiss. Nothing was going to scare her off today. She’d spent the night as her bo
bcat, cuddled with Zeke without feeling the need to bite him or hide. And she’d easily slipped from that form to her human one without a fight. Things couldn’t get much better. A flash of Zeke’s inked body as he stretched moments before had her stifling a groan. Down girly.
“Breakfast?” Zeke’s questioning word brought her from her thoughts and she realized she’d been standing, grinning, for far too long to be normal. The heat of a blush rushed over her cheeks. Again.
“Yeah, right. Food.” Turning swiftly she threw open the old fridge and pulled out the casserole. The chuckle that chased her opened the floodgates for more warmth to crawl along her skin. It went straight to her pussy. It didn’t help that she could smell his arousal and it was making thinking very difficult. Dumping the now congealed goodness into a baking dish gave her a second to try and gather her wits. The purring from her happy kitty made concentrating horribly difficult. The animal wanted to lick every square inch of their mate and see if the inked skin tasted any different. She turned the oven on and shoved the pan in, setting the old fashioned timer for thirty minutes.
Amie swiveled around to face a completely naked Zeke, in all his glory. An ass begging to be nipped was front and center as he slid his legs into a pair of jeans. Oh, God. And that back. She swallowed a groan. The quick glimpse over an exposed hip of a fully erect cock had her knees trembling. The man was perfection and made her mouth water and her pussy clench.
Like a stupid moth fluttering ever closer to the bug zapper, struggling to fight the pull of doom and that ever-beckoning brightness, she walked, dazed, toward him. Maybe she would have fallen to her knees and begged to suck his dick, or perhaps she would have stripped and presented herself to him like her cat was begging her to do. But neither happened. Not when a loud voice from outside startled her. The sound of disappointment she made wasn’t because she’d wanted to be taken by the man staring lustfully at her. Nope. And no one would get her to admit it, even if she had to dig her fingernails into her palms to keep from reaching out and stroking all that glorious skin.
Switching Gears: Coyote Bluff Series Book 3 Page 7
