Embracing Ehrin (Ashland Pride Book 8)

by R. E. Butler

  “Us, too,” Dom said.

  Henry sat back and sighed. “I wish I didn’t have to go to work.”

  “Me, too,” she said. “But that’s not realistic. In a perfect world, we wouldn’t have to work at all and could just spend all our time together.”

  “Well, I’ll miss you while I’m out on patrol. At least we’ll have the weekend together.”

  “We can plan something fun,” she said.

  Dom made an agreeing hum. “Another date night, for sure.”

  “Should I let you two plan it, or do you want to come up with something together?”

  “Let us plan,” Dom said. “You just be surprised and sexily grateful.”

  She laughed. “What’s ‘sexily grateful’?”

  “You know,” he said, glancing at her and wiggling his brows. “Naked.”

  “That sounds like the best sort of grateful,” she said with a giggle.

  Ehrin was so fired up from Cherie’s response to the apron that she kissed both her mates and excused herself to go to work. Sitting down at the desk in her workroom, she pulled the sketchbook from the drawer and sharpened a pencil. She stared at the blank page, and then she swiveled the chair and looked out the window. The afternoon sunlight was peeking through the trees, dotting the ground with golden patches. She put the sketchbook and pencil down and walked to the window, unlocking and opening it. Leaning down, she braced her hands on the windowsill and listened, hearing the birds sing.

  She smiled as inspiration took her, then turned back to the sketchbook and began to draw. An hour later, she was at the computer in the office, printing out silhouettes of a flowering tree branch and two cardinals. She cut the images out of fabrics she’d picked up: brown for the branch, white for the flowers, and red and beige for the birds.

  When she was back in her office, she took off her tank top and used it to make a pattern, which she cut out of a pretty pale gold fabric. She’d just turned the sewing machine on when there was a knock at the door. She quickly pulled her tank top on before calling for whoever it was to come in.

  Henry opened the door. “I just wanted to say goodbye.”

  She checked the time on her phone and gasped, then moved to give him a hug. “I didn’t realize the time. I’m sorry.”

  “Why are you sorry? You’re working.”

  “I wanted to spend time with you this afternoon. I hadn’t intended to get so busy in here.”

  “You’re doing what you love. I wouldn’t dream of asking you to stop.”

  “You’re so sweet,” she said.

  He gave her a squeeze, his hands resting on her lower back.

  “Just don’t work past dinner. I don’t want you starving to death,” he said.

  He lowered his head and kissed her. It was so tempting to push the door closed and strip him from his uniform. He was so sexy, and she didn’t want him to leave.

  A purr rumbled in his chest, and he nipped her bottom lip. “You smell so good when you’re turned on. Temptation in a sexy package.”

  “I suddenly wish you didn’t have to go.”

  “Me, too, but duty calls.”

  “Be safe.”

  “I will be. You, too.”

  They kissed again, and he gave her a wink before he walked out of the room and shut the door.

  Fanning herself, she sat in the chair and looked at the closed door, amazed at how quickly her body had reacted to him. Both her mates were so sexy, it was a wonder she ever wanted to leave the bedroom. As Henry had said, though, they all had responsibilities. Although she would love to be able to stay in bed all day, it wasn’t feasible. She had a business to get back up and running, Henry had a town to protect, and Dom had classes to teach and sculptures to make.

  But she knew they’d put her first whenever they could, and she would do the same. Her mates were her everything now, and she wanted to contribute to their mating in every way possible. Dom and Henry were amazing, and she was the luckiest female in the world to be theirs.

  Chapter 12

  Thursday morning, Ehrin stood in front of the closet and looked at her clothes. She wanted to dress nicely to be Melody’s assistant during the photo shoot, and after staring into the closet for ten minutes, she still hadn’t decided what to wear.

  Dom walked into the room with a towel around his waist, his upper body still glistening from the shower.

  “You were standing in this exact spot when I left to take a shower.”

  She glanced at him and smiled. “You look very nice all wet.”

  He purred. “Not as nice as you.”

  She ignored the way his purr made her body heat. It was very tempting to lock the door and kiss all the water droplets from his skin, but Melody had a schedule to keep, which meant Ehrin needed to lock her sexy thoughts up. At least until later.

  “How do you think a photographer’s assistant is supposed to dress?”

  He hummed. “I’ve seen Melody and Scarlett go out for appointments, and they usually wear casual clothes, so I wouldn’t wear anything too fancy.”

  “I feel silly worrying about clothes,” she said.

  “You shouldn’t. You want to fit in and make Melody glad she asked for your help.”

  “Yeah, that’s about right.”

  He kissed the top of her head with a chuckle. “You’re beautiful, and anything you wear will look amazing.”

  “Aw, standard boyfriend response.”

  He cleared his throat. “Standard mate response.”

  “Right, right,” she chuckled. Reaching into the closet, she pulled out a long denim skirt and a gray tank she’d made for herself the previous spring. It was cut to look like a corset, with darts in the front and back, white lace along the bottom hem, and a straight neckline with black buttons down the front.

  She dressed and turned to face Dom, who was rolling up the sleeves of a blue button-down shirt.

  “Did you make those?” he asked.

  She swished the skirt a little and then tugged on the hem of the top. “Not the skirt, but I made the top after I saw it on a fashion website and liked the style.”

  “Very sexy,” he said.

  “Too sexy?”

  “I don’t think there’s such a thing.”

  “There is in business situations.”

  “No, sweetheart,” he said with a laugh. “Not too sexy at all. But you should have Melody take a picture of the top and put it on your website. I bet you’d get a lot of interest in it.”

  After stepping into a pair of black and white ballet flats, she grabbed her purse and walked downstairs with Dom.

  “What’s going on in your art classes today?” she asked, setting her purse on the island.

  He poured coffee into a travel mug. “They’ll be using watercolor paints on cotton fabric. We’ll be talking about mixing colors to achieve different shades, and also about building up color by applying multiple layers.”

  “If you make a painting for me, I’ll hang it in my office,” she said.

  “I’ll be sure to do that.”

  “Hey, you look great!” Melody said as she walked into the kitchen with Micah and Tristan. Micah was carrying their little boy, who was holding onto a stuffed lion.

  “It’s not too dressy?” Ehrin asked.

  “No, it’s perfect.” Melody was wearing a black tee with a blue and white gauzy scarf around her neck, and khaki pants. “Are you ready to go?”

  “Let me grab a cup of coffee and I’m all set,” Ehrin said.

  Dom set a mug in front of her. “Here you go. All doctored up with milk and sugar.”

  She smiled up at her mate, rose onto her toes, and kissed him. “Thank you. You’re so thoughtful.”

  He put his mug down and cupped her face, giving her a sweet smile laced with heat. “I’ll miss you, but have fun.”

  He kissed her, brushing his lips slowly over hers as if he were savoring every inch of her mouth. Her stomach flipped, and once more she was very tempted to grab his hand and race for p
rivacy.

  “Love that I can do that to you,” he murmured as the kiss ended. “I’ll be thinking of you all day.”

  “Me, too,” she promised.

  They hugged tightly, his strong arms pulling her close. “Be safe and have fun.”

  “You, too,” she said.

  She turned to face Melody, who was having a similar conversation with her mates. When they were finished, Melody said, “Now I think we’re all ready to go to work.”

  “Don’t let Melody make you carry all the heavy stuff,” Tristan said.

  “Hey! I told you Scarlett embellishes,” Melody said as she kissed her mates and her son, Bradley, tickling the little boy behind the ears until he giggled.

  “I’m just excited to help,” Ehrin said. “Plus, I’d like to get to know you better.”

  “Me, too!” Melody said.

  Ehrin helped Melody carry several large totes, which she said had props for the photo shoot. They waved goodbye again and left, Melody turning the SUV onto the main road. Ehrin watched out the window until she couldn’t see the boarding house anymore, then took a drink of her coffee.

  “So,” Melody said, “how are things since your parents stopped by? Are you doing okay?”

  “I’m okay. Still kind of shocked.”

  “The female mountain lions are like your nest. They think all our kind should be together, not mixing it up with other shifter types and starting families.”

  “The females don’t even want to have families with the mountain lion males, right?”

  Melody hummed. “It’s strange but true. You were told about the curse?”

  “Yes. I had no idea that goddesses were real.”

  “Me either. But she was very real. Her name was Rhesa, and according to the legend, she created all shifters but loved mountain lions the best.”

  Henry had explained that the female mountain lions grew jealous of the amount of attention the males paid to the goddess and conspired to cause friction between them. The goddess found out about their plot and cursed the females to poison every girl so they’d never want to have families or even know their own children. The only reason the pride knew about the goddess was because the black panther clan that Henry’s sister, Jilly, belonged to had information on the history of different shifter groups.

  “Do you think gods and goddesses die?” Ehrin asked.

  “I don’t know. I’ve always assumed they’re immortal, but who knows.”

  “Just seems like if this goddess cursed the mountain lions she could’ve changed her mind and lifted the curse at some point, not let it go on forever.”

  “Fortunately, we’re pretty sure the females are all in Canada. In the fall, a group of them snuck into the woods and tried to kill Jilly’s mates, Wyked and Fate. Treasure found the females and turned most of them to ash. There were three others who escaped, but we don’t think they’ll ever come back.”

  “One of those three is the female your uncles are mated to?”

  “Right.” Melody let out a deep sigh. “I hate how they’re so torn up about her. I wish I could help them find her.”

  “You lived with the females for a while, right? Henry mentioned it.”

  “Not by choice,” she said. “They abducted me after my father died and I was on the way to King to find my uncles. It took a year, but I was finally able to escape. I ran for several days in my shift. I have no idea where I was, I was just running as fast as I could and trying not to get caught by hunters or found by the females. There was another group of females living near King, and they tried to kill me. They fled when they were found, though.”

  “They don’t know about the curse?”

  “As far as we know, they don’t. Honor broke the curse when she shared blood with my uncles, but if she is changing because of the curse, I’m afraid the females would just lock her up.”

  “I thought Honor was the leader of the female pride?”

  Melody flipped on the turn signal at a park entrance and slowed to make the turn. “You don’t understand how the females are. They’re fanatical. Males are only to be used for procreation, to continue the purity of the mountain lion race. If Honor’s developed feelings for my uncles, and she’s unable to hide those feelings or changes in her behavior from the others, it’s very likely that they’ve taken her out of leadership and kept her prisoner.”

  “I feel bad for your uncles.”

  “Me, too. But I have to believe things will work out for them with Honor. That eventually she’ll get free and come for them. The alternative is unthinkable.”

  Ehrin nodded in agreement, knowing the alternative was a life of solitude for Melody’s uncles, and Honor’s possible death. She liked Holden and Jax, and she hoped that someday soon Honor would make her way to Ashland safely.

  Melody parked in front of a white gazebo that overlooked a small lake. There was another car in the parking lot, and two women were seated in the gazebo, waving at them.

  “That’s Jessie and her mom, Kate,” Melody said.

  “If I didn’t say so before, thanks for letting me come along.”

  “Thank you for helping me. It’s always nice to have another set of hands. I have a camera for you, too.”

  “What?” she asked as she got out of the car.

  “To shoot behind-the-scenes pictures for my website.”

  “But I’m not a professional photographer.”

  Melody got out of the car and waved at the ladies, then smiled at Ehrin as they met at the back of the SUV.

  “You don’t have to be. Help me set up the shots, and then step back and take seven to ten pictures of each shot and include me in some of them. I can use them on my website to show how I set up the shots and add some cool pics to social media.”

  “You just made my nervous level shoot up by a hundred,” Ehrin said. She lifted two of the totes from the back and put one on each shoulder.

  “Nonsense,” Melody said, carrying a large box in one arm and a camera bag on her shoulder. “There’s nothing to be nervous about. You literally can’t ruin the shots unless you do something silly like forget to take the lens cover off.”

  “Okay, if you say so,” Ehrin said.

  “It’s a beautiful day for a photo shoot,” Melody said as she greeted the two ladies and introduced Ehrin.

  “I brought some other outfits to change into,” Jessie said.

  “Great! Let me set up and we’ll get started,” Melody said.

  Thirty minutes later, Ehrin was snapping photos of the action and loving every minute of it. The park was a beautiful backdrop to the photos, and she had a ball helping Melody.

  “Can I just say that your top is lovely,” Kate said, coming to stand next to Ehrin. “Where did you get it?”

  “I made it.”

  “Really? Do you make clothes often?”

  “I’ve been doing it for several years. I just moved to Ashland, so I’m getting my business up and running.”

  “Do you take requests?”

  “Absolutely.” She fished one of the temporary business cards that Dom had made for her out of the card holder in her cell phone case and handed it to Kate. “My website is pretty sparse right now since I had a technical issue and needed to start from scratch, but I’d be happy to chat with you about my services.”

  “I’d love a top just like this one for myself,” she said.

  “I can do it. Send me a text and we can set up a time to get your measurements and pick colors.”

  “This will be a nice birthday gift to myself,” Kate said. “Thank you.”

  “No, honestly, thank you. You just made my day.”

  When the photo shoot was finished, they packed up and parted ways with the ladies, heading into town to grab lunch. After a quick bite, Melody stopped at the fabric store so Ehrin could pick out several fabrics for design ideas she had, as well as black and red satin and lace to make a sexy baby doll for herself for her mates to enjoy.

  “Do you do undies, too?” Melody aske
d, rubbing a pale pink satin between her finger and thumb.

  “Yep. I mean, I don’t go out of my way to make panties and sell them, but if I’m doing a lingerie set, I will. I made a white tank and panty set for a bridal set once. Did you want me to make you a set of something?”

  “I was thinking a cami and panty set? I love this shade of pink. Maybe I’m just hopeful that the next kid I have will be a girl.”

  “Are you guys trying to have another child?” Ehrin asked, checking the fabric to make sure she could use it to fashion a cami and panty set.

  “Not officially. I haven’t been on birth control since I had Bradley, and I kind of figured I’d be pregnant by now, but my body has other ideas, I guess. You, Dom, and Henry haven’t been together very long, but have you talked about kids?”

  “Kind of. We all want to have a family, but we haven’t made any plans yet. I’m on birth control, so until we decide we’re ready, I’ll stay on it.”

  “It’s nice to have time to yourself to get to know your mates when you’re first together, before you introduce any kids. The males love kids, though. Having a family is Wes’s and Tristan’s favorite thing in the world.”

  “Next to you, of course,” Ehrin said with a smile.

  “Darn skippy.”

  “I’d be happy to make you a cami and panty set with this fabric, maybe edge the top with a soft lace to make it really feminine. When we get home, you can bring me a pair of your panties and a tank top and I can make a pattern from them.”

  “That’s so cool.”

  They checked out of the fabric store and headed to the car. Ehrin set her bags on the floor of the second row, then sat in the passenger seat.

  “Ready to head home?” Melody asked.

  “Yes. It’s been a great day, but I miss my guys.”

  “Me, too.”

  * * *

  By the end of the week, Ehrin had fallen into an easy routine in the boarding house and felt right at home. Because Rue worked several nights a week at the local bar, Ehrin had offered to help her with the weekly grocery shopping, as well as the mounds of ironing that needed to be done for the police officers in the house.