by Ally Summers
I felt Boone exhale next to me. “It’s a guess, but she must be planning to run away. At least this way the cub was never shunned, and maybe one day she can return to the clan. It’s hard to tell exactly without knowing the mama bear.”
“But that’s a crazy plan. What if she had been hurt? Or stolen? What if you never found her?”
“That’s not what happened, is it?”
I noticed how much heat radiated from his body. His hands seared through my shirt.
I blinked. He was calmer about this than I was.
“So you’re just going to wait until her mother shows up?”
Boone rubbed the thick scruff of his beard. I wondered what it would feel like. I wanted to reach forward and stroke his cheek with my fingertips. I wanted to know how firm his kissable lips were. My heart raced. I shouldn’t be thinking any of these things.
“No. I’m not.”
“Oh good.” I sighed. “So we’re going to take her to the police after all.”
“No.”
“What?” I couldn’t imagine he thought we should toss her back into the orchard.
“You’re going to keep her.”
“Excuse me?” I scooted back so quickly, his arm fell away from my shoulder. I didn’t know whether to put it back in place or run to the other side of the room.
“You haven’t been in town very long. No one knows much about you. You could pass as her mother. She’s yours.”
I shook my head. “No. I can’t take her. I’m staying in an AirBnB. No. No way. I can’t pretend to be her mother.”
“She’s safer with you. If the husband comes looking for her, eventually he’s going to search here. There aren’t many clans in the area. You can keep her safe in town. You have an advantage I don’t.”
“But I don’t know anything about cubs or kids. I have a job.” I stared at him. “The festival is in three days. Three days.” I pressed the words between my teeth. “How am I supposed to juggle a baby and the festival?”
My head was spinning. I wasn’t one of those super mom types who tried to have it all. I was single. I was career-driven. There was a reason for that. I couldn’t do everything. I knew that about myself.
“I’ll help you, Gabi.”
My eyes lifted to his. “You will?”
“Yes. You aren’t going to do it alone. I’ll help with the baby.”
I blinked. I didn’t want what he said to be the sexiest thing I’d ever heard. My panties were melting here on the couch. I was tingling in my breasts and between my legs.
This was absurd and crazy, but he was talking me into it. Or maybe I never had a choice.
He nodded. “I will help you.”
I didn’t expect his hand to curl to jaw. My breath caught as his mouth crashed into mine.
His tongue pushed between my teeth and I moaned when he flicked inside my mouth, drawing me toward him. My body eased into his. My arms wrapped around his neck, clinging to his strong body.
I’d never felt a kiss like this. My core twitched and quaked. I was practically panting, wanting and needing more.
I tried to untangle myself from his grasp, but he only held me tighter, pinning my back to the couch. The kisses grew harder and faster. I gasped for breath and wrapped my heels around his waist. He rocked into me and I moaned feeling how stiff and solid his shaft was pressing into me. Holy shit he was long and hard.
The growl started low and grew louder.
My gaze widened as I looked into Boone’s dark eyes. I thought I saw something flicker in his pupils. Was it desire? Was it want? Or was it his bear? I shivered with an overwhelming craving for his lips.
He pushed me away as quickly as he had kissed me, tearing his body off mine. I struggled to find gravity again. My heart raced and my pulse thudded in my ears. What in holy hell just happened?
Everything was suddenly cold as Boone shoved off the couch. He walked to the hearth, stoking the fire. I watched in bewilderment.
“What is going on?” I whispered. “You kissed me.” My fingertips traced my lips, still burning from his mouth. “I-I don’t know you.”
Had I ever kissed a stranger before? Sure, after a few too many cosmos and a night of dancing. But I was sober and it was the middle of the day. And so far, I was pretty sure Boone McScott wasn’t the kind of man who liked to dance at a night club.
He turned to face me. I studied the strong angular features of his face. His sharp cheekbones were shadowed by the flickering flames coming from the fireplace.
“Gabi, I don’t know how to tell you this.”
“Tell me what?” I wanted an explanation for this crazy thing between us, but I was scared to know what it was. Was there even a way to explain that kiss?
“There’s more going on here.”
“What do you mean?”
“More than the cub. More than this plan.” He set his eyes in a piercing gaze. For a brief second I felt his eyes graze over my soul like a whisper. I was held still and quiet, waiting for his explanation.
“Gabi, you’re my mate.”
I reached for my throat. The room spun in giant circles. And then everything went black as I fell backward on the sofa.
Seven
Boone
That was the least fucking smooth way I could have delivered the news. She fainted. Damn it. I rushed to Gabi’s side. Her arm was limp, but her cheeks were flushed and she was breathing. I pressed my ear to her chest. Her pulse sounded normal. I scowled at what I had done as I lifted her in my arms. Her body was soft and warm against mine.
“Gabi,” I growled. “Hey.” I held her to my chest, jostling her carefully. “Come on. Wake up. Don’t do this.”
I scooped her up, carried her to the front door, and twisted the handle in my fist. I stepped out onto the wraparound porch. She needed fresh air. Everything that happened today had been too much. Too much too soon. I cursed myself for opening my damn mouth.
We had enough of a crisis already without me complicating shit with that declaration. But my bear won out. He was stubborn and impulsive. And right now, I was going to declare him a fucking idiot.
I paced along the porch with her in my arms, taking long steady strides. The crisp November breeze rustled through the forest. There were spots in the yard where the sun made it through the thick canopy of leaves.
I wasn’t the first McScott alpha to live here, but I was the first one to finally do something about the state of the house. When I became clan alpha, I had inherited a falling down log cabin. I finished a major renovation last year.
I knew our clan had to be represented well. It was one way to gain respect. How was I going to be the most influential clan leader living in a shack? I’d be lying if I hadn’t pictured this place with a strong she-alpha by my side. If I didn’t think one day our cubs would play in the woods and tumble down the steps. I built this home for my future.
I continued to stroll with Gabi in my arms.
Her eyes started to flutter, and I watched as they slowly opened. The vibrant green made me lose my breath. Everything about her was gorgeous.
“Put me down,” she pushed against my chest.
“You passed out. I don’t think you’re steady.”
“I know that. Just put me down,” she hissed, kicking her legs and wiggling wildly.
“Hold on. Hold on, woman.”
I set her feet on the porch and made sure she had her balance before I let her go. She reached for the railing.
“What the hell just happened in there?” she spouted. “The kiss? Gypsy baby? And mate? Did you say mate? I didn’t hear that right, did I? You’re totally screwing with me. Is this some kind of hazing you do to all the Twilight Hollow newcomers? Because really, it’s not necessary. I’m not staying in town. I don’t plan on ruining all the local traditions.”
Fuck. I rubbed my beard.
“No. We don’t haze. I mean I wasn’t. Shit…”
She rolled her eyes. “Great. I’m not sure if that makes me feel bette
r or not. I think right now I’d like the hazing. Hazing sounds normal compared to this.”
I had to turn this around. Change the focus. I’d already ruined the most important moment of our relationship. I wasn’t going to fuck up the rest.
“Forget what I said.”
“Forget? You haven’t even acknowledged I remembered it correctly. Am I right? Did you call me your mate? Is that a thing here?” Her eyes darted back and forth.
I reached forward. I wanted to calm her. I wanted to pull her against my chest again. Make her understand that once the confusion was gone, she would understand how strong our bond could be. But she was frantic.
“Gabi,” I spoke her name quietly.
“You believe it, don’t you?” She paused. “Is it a love at first sight thing? An imprint? Oh God. I don’t’ know what I’m saying,” she groaned, following the floorboards on the porch. “I mean, you’re gorgeous. I’m not going to lie about that. But we just met. I mean. This doesn’t happen. Things like this don’t happen. Mate?” She spun on those high fuck-me heels and I caught her in my arms before she hit the porch.
“Got ya.” I grinned. I felt the rumble in my chest. The urge came rushing to the surface. He’d had a taste of her, and my bear wasn’t interested in backing down.
I looked into her glittery green eyes, and I knew somehow I was lost and found at the same time.
My mouth crushed hers in a powerful kiss. My tongue strummed along hers, coaxing tiny moans from her throat. My hands curled in her hair as I held her suspended above the porch.
The kiss went on for minutes before we came up for air.
“I think that’s the only way I know how to explain it,” I stated. “Is it any clearer?”
She nodded her head. “I think so.”
I went in for another kiss, but this time I wasn’t planning to stop. I pushed Gabi against the side of the house, pinning her body underneath mine. God, everything about her was sweet and curvy. Her hips rocked forward and I growled, grinding my cock against her hip. There were too many damn clothes in the way.
Her hands wrapped around my neck. I kissed the corners of her mouth, dragging her lips between my teeth. She had the most incredible lips I’d ever tasted. They were laced in sugar or wine. Maybe both. All I knew was that kissing her was waking up my bear in a way he’d never sensed before.
Her breath was ragged and quick. She gripped at my flannel shirt.
“Too fast,” she pleaded as her mouth sought mine again. “We should slow down.”
I nodded, but I cupped her breast, squeezing it in my wide palm.
My other hand slid to her perfect ass, gripping it before slipping the back of her skirt to her hip. I exhaled through my teeth.
“Oh God,” she whimpered. “This is crazy.”
I tipped her chin toward me, nipping at her lips. Her tongue lashed at me, flicking with tiny strokes until I was ready to inhale her. Devour her. My hand rounded over her smooth skin, digging into the flesh of her ass. I wanted this. I wanted her. I wanted it all.
“In-inside,” she sputtered. “A bedroom. Please.”
I growled low and deep against her throat, kissing along her collarbone. “I don’t want to move.”
“I don’t either,” she whispered.
“I need you, Gabi,” I groaned.
Her lips were wild against mine. “I need you, too. So much.”
Those were the magic words.
My cock ached for her. My bear was ready to tear through my skin. My mate was in my arms. I kissed her. Touched her. All I could think about was claiming her.
But then everything went to hell.
Eight
Gabi
One minute Boone was kissing me, practically undressing me, and the next he lunged toward the front steps. I gasped for breath and tried to catch my bearings.
He hunched forward, blocking me in a protective stance. I had to lean sideways to see around his broad shoulders.
“Boone.” The man placed a shiny shoe on the bottom step and I heard a low growl from Boone.
“Sheriff,” he responded.
Holy shit. Had the sheriff of Twilight Hollow seen us tearing at each other’s clothes like teenagers? I tried to straighten my skirt back into position and layer my hair into a more natural state. I tried not to think about what I had just said to Boone. It might have been a moment of weakness, but I was ready to go to bed with him.
“What are you doing here?” he asked the officer.
“Needed to talk clan business with you.”
Boone huffed. “Last time I checked, you weren’t in a clan, sheriff. Isn’t that out of your jurisdiction?”
I listened carefully, trying to pick up on all the cues. Was the sheriff a shifter? Why was Boone so visibly pissed?
“And I thank God for that every day.” The man set his eyes in a narrow line. There were tufts of gray around his ears, but he had a thick head of dark brown hair. “Can I come in?” He looked over at me. “I see you have company, but this is about an open investigation. I think a private conversation would be better.”
I bit my bottom lip. “Don’t worry about me,” I eked. “I’m leaving.”
Boone turned around. Everything in his gaze told me I wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
I shrugged. “In a few minutes that is.”
“You can speak freely in front of her. She’s with me.”
The sheriff shook his head and climbed the stairs. “Axel McMasters has filed a missing person’s report. Says his little girl is missing.”
My heart stopped. I swallowed, feeling how quickly my throat tightened. My mouth went dry.
“Axel? Hmm. I know him. Didn’t know he had cubs. Sorry to hear one ran off.” Boone folded his arms across his chest.
“I don’t like to get involved in these clan spats, but I can’t ignore a missing child report. He thinks another clan took her. He’s expecting a ransom. Mind if I come in and take a look around?”
Boone moved to block the officer’s entrance. “I don’t see why that’s necessary. I don’t have a problem with Axel or his clan. We never have. They’re all the way on the other side of Twilight Hollow, miles from here. Why would we go after a cub? That’s ludicrous.”
The sheriff removed his hat. “Say what you want. I’d rather search the premises with your permission, but if you force me to get a search warrant I will. I’ve already visited three other clan alpha homes today without issue. Is there a reason you’re the first to put up a fight?” he questioned.
Oh shit. I didn’t know what Boone was about to do, but I felt helpless. We couldn’t let him inside. He’d find her. I didn’t know much, but I knew that put her life in danger.
I wasn’t exactly the type to stand up to the law. I was a rule follower through and through. If there was ever a time to make an exception, this might be it.
I jumped out from behind Boone, almost losing my balance again, and popped out in front of him. “Hi, Sheriff. I’m Gabi Aprils. I’m in town for the Fall Festival. I’m the event coordinator.” I extended my hand toward him. “We haven’t met yet.”
He didn’t seem to be more interested in me now than he was five minutes ago, but I needed him to focus on something other than getting inside Boone’s house.
He huffed. “Nice to meet you. Welcome to Twilight Hollow. Think I heard about some gal in from Atlanta. Must have been you. I don’t see any reason to get you involved in this, ma’am.”
I mustered up my sweetest smile. “I appreciate that so much. But my daughter is inside sleeping. And Boone knows what a light sleeper she is. I think he’s just being protective. I had a rough night trying to get her down. She has a fever.”
His eyes widened. “You have a daughter here? At Boone McScott’s house?”
I nodded. “She loves the farm. Don’t all kids?” I laughed, but it sounded forced. I was failing miserably. I could tell he didn’t believe me.
“Sheriff Parks, the kid had a terrible night. So did Gabi. W
hy don’t you stop by later?” Boone wrapped a heavy arm around my back.
“Do you know what kind of sheriff I would be if I took everyone’s suggestions when I was in the middle of an investigation?” He paused. “One who never got re-elected. Now, move out of the way, Boone and let me take a look around. I’ll have a few questions for you when I’m done.”
There was nothing we could do. I watched in horror as the sheriff walked inside. I looked at Boone.
He shook his head as if to say ‘I’m sorry.’
We followed Sheriff Parks in the house, letting the screen door slam closed behind us.
My heart sank to my stomach. How could I save her now?
Nine
Boone
Parks started poking around the living room as if we could hide a cub under the couch cushions. He walked across the foyer into the kitchen.
I could feel the nervous energy washing off Gabi. I didn’t know how to steady her. I didn’t know how to keep the cub from being discovered, or either of us from being arrested. We were fucked.
“How long have you been in town, ma’am?” His Virginia drawl was noticeable as he talked to Gabi.
“Just a few days,” she answered.
“Do you usually bring your daughter with you on work trips?” He opened the laundry room door, then the pantry.
“Only if I can take her somewhere as pretty as Twilight Hollow.” She smiled weakly.
I eyed her. I’d never known Clarence Parks to fall for a pretty woman’s charms, but maybe my mate would be the first. She had me wrapped around her little finger in the first thirty seconds we met.
He peeked his head in the garage. “What’s her name?” he asked.
“Hmm?”
He stopped in the middle of the kitchen. “Your daughter?”
Gabi laughed. “Oh. My daughter’s name. I don’t know why I was confused.” I could tell she was stretching the seconds, trying to figure something out.
