by Abigail Owen
“Stop!” Andie yelled.
She ran out into the yard and put herself between the two animals before Jaxon could lunge. She was guessing the only reasons he hadn’t so far were his injuries and possibly a curiosity as to the animal’s assistance earlier.
So he wouldn’t think the worst, and before he could do anything, Andie turned her back on the bear and faced Jaxon directly. She made no eye contact. In battle mode, he might take it as a challenge.
“He’s a friend,” she said in a soothing voice. “He’s here to help.”
Jaxon didn’t move, nor did he remove his intense gaze from the shifter standing behind her. Andie got down on her hands and knees right in his face. A risky move with a male cougar, especially when she was in her more vulnerable form. But she trusted him not to hurt her.
“Jaxon,” she called.
Still no response.
“Jaxon,” she said a little more loudly.
Tentatively she reached out and stroked her hand from the side of his face, back across his neck, over his withers, and down his shoulder. She felt the powerful muscles ripple at her touch.
“Jaxon,” she whispered.
Finally he looked at her with fevered eyes.
“He’s a friend,” she said.
Jaxon looked back and forth between her and the polar bear, who still hadn’t moved. She ran her hand over him again in the same soothing motion. He looked at her and nodded. Just once, but it was all the acknowledgement she needed. She echoed the gesture.
“I’m going to hug him now. It’ll look like he’s mauling me, but I promise you he’s not. Got it?”
Another single nod, though this time with a small snarl of protest.
She smiled and shrugged. “I work in a male-dominated position and have a lot of guy friends. Deal with it.”
With that she stood and turned. She gave the polar bear a huge smile and ran straight at him. He stood up on his hind legs, reaching an imposing height of eleven feet - big even for his species. She had to put the power of her cougar’s legs into her jump as she leapt up into his arms. She wrapped her own arms around his thick neck and felt his big furry front legs close around her.
“Hey, Papa Bear,” she murmured into his fur. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
A low, grumbling growl was her answer. After a long moment, she unwound her arms from around his neck. He let go and dropped her lightly back to the ground.
Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that Jaxon was swaying on his feet as he watched the scene unfold. Andie felt a pang of remorse. “We’ve got to get him inside,” she said to the bear.
She walked back to him, leaving her friend where he was. Jaxon stopped his movement and watched her. She knelt down and reached out to soothe him with the same caress she’d used earlier. This time, he leaned into her touch and purred a little.
“Jaxon, this is Zac Montclair.”
Chapter 20
Jaxon and Zac both shifted. Then Andie and Zac supported Jaxon’s weight between the two of them, and they started slowly making their way back to the cabin. A couple of times, Andie wasn’t sure if Zac was going to have to carry him. Jaxon would stumble and then hold there, gathering himself. Once, he went down completely. Andie was nearly frantic with worry. She’d never seen him like this, so vulnerable. She got down in his face. He blinked several times and then focused on her as she tried to encourage him to continue hang in there.
Come on. Just a little further.
She saw the moment his eyes hardened with determination. Shakily, he pushed back to his feet, and together they stumbled and limped back to the house. But they finally made it. As soon as they were inside, Jaxon groaned and immediately collapsed on the floor, out cold.
“I’ve gotta get my pack,” Zac said before he went back outside. Andie closed the door behind him. Then she checked on Jaxon. His pulse was steady, as was his breathing. She grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around his nude form, making sure to dry his snow-covered feet first. And then she quickly ran around the house locking everything in sight, except the front door.
Zac returned a moment later. “No time to talk right now. Those wolves could be back soon. What do you need me to do?”
Andie regarded her friend with grateful eyes. At almost seven feet tall, muscled and lean, he was an intimidating man. Handsome, too. But she’d known him since he was a young boy, so all Andie felt was a sisterly affection.
She nodded and led him down to the basement. “There’s no way we’re getting out of here tonight with Jaxon in this condition, so we need to hunker down. Do what you can to secure us in case those wolf shifters regroup and attack before morning.”
He nodded and got to work.
Andie went back upstairs and knelt beside Jaxon. She carefully ran her hands over him, checking for broken bones or bleeding. Luckily she found no breaks. With a couple of good heaves, she managed to roll him over and discovered an ugly gash in his abdomen.
Andie wasn’t a doctor, but part of her training had been in field dressing. She inspected the wound and determined he needed stitches. As far as she could tell, there wasn’t internal bleeding, but she couldn’t be sure. She had no idea how deep the wound went or what organs might’ve been hit. But she’d have to take the chance that closing the gash was the best course of action.
After running back downstairs, she gathered what she needed. Fortunately the first aid kit was well equipped. After Andie cleaned Jaxon up, she very neatly stitched the wound closed. She gave him a shot of antibiotics, along with some morphine, and hoped to heaven he wasn’t allergic to either. But risk of infection was the greater threat, and the kit had an EpiPen if needed. Andie sat back and regarded her handiwork, satisfied that she’d done all she could.
“Hey, Zac,” she called.
He popped his head around the corner.
“Help me get him over to the fire?”
He nodded. Zac grabbed Jaxon under his arms and Andie took his feet, as they maneuvered him into the living room.
“Ugh. I think I have a hernia,” she groaned, massaging her hip. She looked over at her friend. “And apparently saving my ass has turned you grey,” she teased, looking at the silver hair in his dark beard and at his temples.
“Well, you do seem to get yourself into trouble a lot,” he grumbled.
“Don’t worry, it looks sexy,” she winked. Then she sobered. “Lucky you got to us just in time to deal with those wolves.”
“Luck had nothing to do with it. I ran across their scent on the way down and started tracking them. Andie… I’m pretty sure they were following Keller. Maybe you.”
Andie’s brow puckered. “You mean they picked up our scents and decided to take advantage of the opportunity to eliminate two more cougar shifters?”
“No. I mean they’re hunting you for a purpose. They’ve been waiting and watching this place since before you showed up. I’ve been watching them. It’s why I’m late.”
“Shit,” Andie breathed.
“Any idea why?”
“No clue.” Andie shook her head.
“I’m not done getting set up, and he’s starting to shiver.” He nodded toward Jaxon. “Better get on with it.” Zac turned and went back to setting up their defenses. No one was better at laying traps than Papa Bear.
Andie quickly covered Jaxon back up and then got a roaring fire going. Then she headed upstairs and dragged down all the blankets she could find. Satisfied that he was as warm and comfortable as she could make him in the cold house, Andie bit her lip and debated her next step.
The wolf shifters hadn’t expected a polar bear, and having Zac helped their odds some. But the pack would likely be back and with friends. Clearly, they needed to get out of there, and that meant they needed help.
Satellite phone!
Andie looked through the house until she found it in Jaxon’s room. She managed to get a hold of William, and she quickly filled him in on the situation.
After a bout of very creative swea
ring, he said, “There’s another blizzard, bigger this time, rolling your way. Should hit later tonight. We can’t get to you until it passes.”
Andie thought through their options. “How long are they predicting the worst of the storm will last?”
“About two days.”
“How far away is the spot where you dropped Jaxon off?”
“Roughly forty-five miles.”
“So a few days’ hike given the weather and Jaxon’s injuries,” she murmured to herself. “Okay. Pick us up there two days from now, right around sundown. We’ll be there.”
“In this weather? With Jaxon injured?”
“Would you rather we face the wolves on our own? We’ll be there come hell or high water. Give me the coordinates.”
Hanging up the phone, Andie looked at Jaxon’s prone form. He was still unconscious, so she went to help Zac. After getting the details of what he’d done and had left to do, she got to work. Flashlight in hand, she spent a good deal of time laying traps and alarms at the various entrances to the house. The cabin was relatively small, but it still took some time for them to get everything set up.
Nearing exhaustion, she stood in the living room with Zac beside her and surveyed their setup. “That’s as good as it’s going to get,” she muttered.
“You look zonked, and I’m pretty fresh. Not many hours till daylight anyway. I’ll take the watch.”
She gave her friend a big hug. “Thank you.”
He nodded and then headed outside. The time for talking would have to come later.
Andie stoked the fire a little more and then lay down beside Jaxon on the floor. While the fire helped with the warmth, body heat was better. After having run around the house as it got steadily colder, she was pretty chilly by now. She snuggled right into Jaxon, draping a leg across his and tucking her head onto his broad shoulder.
She couldn’t sleep deeply because she needed to stay alert in case the wolves returned and Zac needed her help. But she could keep them both a little warmer this way. She couldn’t let herself think about how right it felt to lie here beside him like this. She just soaked in the heat and kept her ears open for any sign of a second attack.
Chapter 21
Jaxon snuggled deeper into the warmth of his cocoon. He’d been dreaming of Andie, of holding her in his arms. He didn’t want to let the dream go and willed it to continue. As he shifted position, his hands discovered a strip of smooth, soft skin.
Mmmmm… I’m still dreaming. I hope it doesn’t stop anytime soon.
His trailed his fingers lightly over her back. Andie purred and arched into his caresses. He slid both hands up under the hem of her shirt and, unhindered by a bra, glided his fingertips over the expanse of her back. He could feel the toned muscles underneath and kneaded a little, receiving another soft purr from her. The sound shot straight through his body.
He moved his hands up to her shoulder blades, then down around to her sides where he cupped her rib cage. He let his thumbs brush the underside of her breasts with feather-light caresses meant to tease. He had dreamt of her every night since he met her, but it’d never felt so real, so tantalizing. Andie hitched in a breath, and he smiled.
His entire body felt heavy and awkward, but he didn’t care. This was too good. Reaching down, he clasped her hips and shifted her so that she sprawled completely on top of him, her legs falling on either side as he lay on his back. Those same hands at her jean-clad hips urged her to rock into him just slightly.
Jaxon groaned as her sweet full lips started trailing butterfly kisses up along his neck, along the underside of his jaw. She paused to rub her cheek against his scruff. Drowsily he leaned into the caress. God, this feels so good, his sluggish mind thought.
“Jaxon,” Andie whispered. “Kiss me. Please.”
She didn’t have to ask twice. He took her lips in a kiss so fierce he felt her tremble. Or maybe that was him. He wanted to possess this woman wholly – mind, heart, and soul. But at this moment, her body took top priority. This felt so real. And yet it felt like heaven… like a dream.
His hands started kneading and pressing her hips, urging her to rock in small motions along his now hard length.
She shuddered. “Oh,” she breathed into his mouth. The small moan and the building tension urged them both into a rhythm. “I don’t want to hurt you,” she pulled away from his kiss to whisper hoarsely.
He wasn’t sure what she meant by that. “I’ll be in pain if we stop, darlin’. Just press that gorgeous body down on me a little harder.”
When she did, he couldn’t hold back his moan. “Just like that.”
Her mouth hovered above his, tempting him, and he leaned up and pulled her full lower lip into his mouth, where he ran his tongue along it in sweeps.
Andie’s breathing changed, and he knew she was close. So was he. A small moment of disappointment shot through him. He’d wanted their first time to be skin to skin in a long session where he took the time to cherish every inch of her body. But this was just a dream, and it felt too damn good to stop. Usually around this moment, he’d wake up. Dream Andie never stuck around for the end. He really hoped this dream let him finish for once.
“Oh… oh,” she breathed.
“That’s it, baby. You feel so damn good.” He thrust up hard as he helped her increase the pace. Jaxon moaned his release into her mouth as Andie shattered above him, the sound of her cries sweet in his ears.
Sated and satisfied, Jaxon closed his eyes, savoring the dream for as long as he could before the blackness claimed him once again.
*****
Andie’s first clue that Jaxon had passed out again was his suddenly lax hands that dropped away from her body as his head lolled to the side.
She pulled back and saw that his eyes were shut.
“Um, Jaxon?”
No answer. Not even a flicker of an eyelash.
“Jaxon Keller, don’t you dare pass out on me after the most intimate moment of my life.”
Nada. Concerned, she felt his pulse and then moved off him and checked his stitches. Seeing that everything appeared to be fine, she shook her head and heaved a sigh. “Frickin’ morphine. Figures. Well, don’t think I’ll be bringing this up first, mister,” she muttered.
She lay back down beside him, her mind filled with what had just happened. She must’ve dozed off. She was usually so vigilant when on watch, but the fight, on the heels of her cross- country journey, must’ve really taken a toll.
She’d awoken to the most delicious sensation. His hands, large and strong, were softly stroking her underneath her shirt. She’d been half asleep, but her body was instantly turned on. And then he’d lifted her across him, and things had quickly escalated from there.
Andie put a hand to her red cheeks. She hadn’t realized it was possible to… well… do that quite like that. But my heaven, that had been the most erotic moment of her young life. If he’d asked her again to mate and marry him at that moment, she’d have said yes then and there just to have access to more of the same.
She shook her head. Get it together, girl! An entire lifetime based on physical attraction alone does not mean happiness or a good life. Good thing he passed out on you.
But that led her to another dilemma. Would he remember this? He’d seemed lucid enough, but the fact that he’d slipped back into unconsciousness probably meant that he hadn’t been completely aware of what was going on.
Huh. Like I said, he’ll have to bring it up first.
Andie bit her lip.
Part of her hoped he’d remember and say something, but the other part hoped he wouldn’t. Despite what’d just happened, regardless of how blissfully incredible it had been, she still needed to give him the chance to walk away. But knowing Jaxon, there was no way he’d do that.
Andie sighed. “What am I going to do with you, Jaxon Keller?” she whispered.
Chapter 22
Andie felt Jaxon stir long before he actually woke up. She’d managed to remain awake
the rest of the night, getting up periodically to check on the cabin and on Zac. She had a pretty good idea of exactly how haggard she must look by now. Nothing a good couple night’s sleep wouldn’t cure when they got out of here.
Rather than wait for him to wake up and remember – or realize – exactly what had happened, she hopped up and started working on getting them packed up to leave.
Several minutes later, Andie was in the kitchen pulling out any provisions they could use for their cross-country hike. While she worked, she listened for any indication of a scuffle outside. All she heard was the noise of the storm that’d blown in, just as William had predicted.
At the sound of a throat being cleared, she looked over her shoulder to see Jaxon rubbing his adorably messy hair.
“Hey, sleepyhead,” she said. “How do you feel?”
Jaxon frowned. “All right, I guess.”
“I had to stitch you up last night, which I’m guessing you’ve already realized. I gave you a shot of morphine, which is probably making you drowsier than you’d expect. Don’t move too much until you figure out what your range of motion is.”
“What happened?” he asked groggily.
“Do you remember anything about last night?”
He shook his head. “I remember the power going out, and we went to check on the generator.”
She watched his face as he searched for memories through a medicine and pain-induced haze. She held her breath. Would he say anything about what they’d done?
“The wolves… What happened?” he asked.
She gave sigh of relief and then offered him a lopsided grin. “You decided to play hero and went up against ten at once.”
Memory flashed in his eyes. “You got them off us with a flamethrower. And you were naked.”
Andie raised a single eyebrow. “That’s what you remember?”
“It sort of made an impression.” He smirked and then shook his head again. “But after that, nothing.”
She nodded, not too surprised, and filled him in on the rest of the previous night. She decided to leave out their little interlude. Let him broach that subject if he ever remembered it. Maybe he’d think he’d made himself orgasm and wouldn’t bring it up. Drug-induced haze and all that. He couldn’t be sure, right?
