Warm blood sprayed as he tore a slab of flesh free. He watched a shocked expression flash through the feline’s eyes before it finally collapsed to the ground.
Erik moved to Sarah’s side as she stared at the still form before her. The guilt and remorse that he felt from her was surprising considering the attack she’d launched. She gave him a quick sideways glance before walking over to the stream with her tail low and her head down.
Upon reaching the waters edge, she sat, shifted to human and pulled her knees to her chest. Erik did the same, settling next to her on the cold bank.
“You don’t need to feel guilty, Sarah.”
“I just wanted to scare it into leaving,” she murmured. “That mountain lion should have bolted once it knew two wolves were here, but it didn’t.” She was upset, and Erik knew she wasn’t aware of the cat’s condition.
“He was sick, Sarah,” he explained. “I’ve scrapped with him several times, but always on the outskirts of my property. He’s never ventured this far into my land.”
Sarah shivered in the chilly fall air, and Erik put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side and lending her his warmth. “Just because he came into your territory, it doesn’t mean he was sick,” she argued.
“You didn’t see his eyes. They were glazed and unfocused, not to mention the fact that every other time we’ve encountered each other it’s been a direct challenge. This time, he was actually hunting, with me as his prey.” As he shook his head in disbelief, he felt her irritation rising.
“If you’d been paying attention, this whole thing could have been avoided,” she snarled.
“Excuse me?” She was mad at him?
“I growled at you! I tried to warn you, and you practically laughed at me before going out in the open.” Sarah was almost seething. He felt her emotions reaching a boiling point. “I spotted that damn cat when you were halfway across the field, but I knew we were being watched. I felt it like an itch on the back of my neck. For God’s sake, I thought that fucking feline was about to maul you!”
“So you came to my rescue?” He smiled at her. “You had me scared for a second there, too, you know? I couldn’t find you and then I felt your excitement. You were actually having fun.”
Sarah blushed. “I like a good fight every once in a while. I crave it.”
“Well, next time, just let me know, and I’ll let you have a go at Abraham. He could stand having his ass kicked every so often. Keeps him humble.”
Sarah just chuckled, but as she glanced back at the deceased cat, she grew somber again. “I guess it was a good thing. If he was sick, he could have infected other animals. We can’t leave him here, though.”
“No, we can’t risk other animals feeding off of him. Let’s run to the house then we can come back on my four-wheeler to bury him.”
Chapter Seven
Several days had passed since Sarah had come to stay with Erik, and every one of them had been absolutely perfect. He was perfect—perfectly polite, respectful, generous, caring and affectionate.
It was his affectionate side she enjoyed the most. He touched her often, just a fleeting brush against her body, or a hand at the small of her back. He’d often smooth her hair from her face, as well, and allow his fingers to linger at her cheek before pulling away.
Sarah knew he was trying to respect her wishes and not crowd her, but she wanted to kiss him again in the worst way. Her only problem was that she didn’t know how to initiate things on her own. And that was why she was heading into town for a drink with Stephanie.
They’d spoken on the phone several times over the last week. It turned out Stephanie was just as attracted to Abraham as he was to her. She was a little apprehensive about his size and the fact he rarely smiled, but still, she was more than willing to go on a double date with Sarah and Erik.
They were meeting at the little bar on the edge of town called the Suds Bucket, and the guys were supposed to come by in about an hour. This gave the girls time to chat and for Stephanie to ask any questions without the guys being around.
Sarah pulled up in Erik’s truck and parked. Stephanie was just getting out of her little red car, and the two met at the front of the bar.
“Hey! How’s it been going?” Sarah asked.
“It’s been good. With flu season starting, I’m staying pretty busy at the clinic, but I’m glad to have a night out.” Stephanie glanced around the parking lot.
“Are you looking for someone?” Sarah asked. “The guys won’t be here for at least thirty minutes or so.”
“No, I’m just taking in my surroundings.”
Sarah let the lie pass. She could tell by Stephanie’s scent that the woman was nervous, but it could have been because this was her first date with Abraham.
“Well, let’s go find ourselves a table.”
As they opened the doors, the noise level multiplied at least ten times. Laughter, loud drunken voices and music created a near deafening roar inside the small establishment, and Sarah loved it. She was used to being in bars since that’s where she’d hung out while waiting to hear word about any upcoming fights.
Tonight, however, she wasn’t looking for a fight. But judging by the lust-filled looks directed their way, she might just get one anyway.
“Hey, beautiful.” The slurred endearment came from a fairly nice-looking man with absolutely horrible breath. “You wanna have a drink?”
“No, thanks,” she replied as she steered Stephanie toward an empty table she spotted in the corner.
“Your loss, honey,” he yelled.
Once they were seated, a waitress came and took their orders then returned with their drinks in record time. Sarah nursed her beer while Stephanie worked on her margarita.
“So, tell me about Abraham.”
Sarah shrugged. “What do you want to know?” He had given her some information about himself and answered her questions for just this reason, so that she could provide information to Stephanie.
“What does he do for a living?”
“He was a Navy SEAL until a shot took out his knee, but now, he does freelance investigative work, usually only when he gets bored, though. He’s made some good investments, so work isn’t a big concern for him.” Sarah took another pull from her bottle and watched as a pair of locals seemed to be gearing up to approach the table. “We’re about to have company.”
Stephanie stiffened and tried to look casual as she glanced around. “Are the guys here?”
“Not the ones we’re waiting on,” Sarah chuckled, “There are a couple of locals that have been eyeing us since we sat down. They’ll probably gather enough courage to come over here shortly.”
“Oh.” Stephanie looked nervous, and Sarah was getting suspicious. She’d been running and hiding long enough that she knew the signs.
“Stephanie, I need you to answer something for me and give me an honest answer. I’ll know if you’re lying to me.”
“Sure.”
“Who are you running from?”
Stephanie’s eyes rounded, and Sarah knew she’d hit the nail on the head. Unfortunately, their admirers finally gathered their guts enough to head over.
“We’ll finish this conversation in a minute.”
Stephanie merely nodded.
“Hey there, ladies.”
“Hey, yourself,” Sarah replied.
“You know,” the scraggly blond began, “you’re so cute. You remind me of my pinky toe.”
A startled laugh escaped Stephanie. Sarah simply replied, “And why is that?”
“Because, eventually, I’m going to bang you up against every piece of furniture in my place.”
Of all the nerve! Sarah was just about to deck his sorry ass when a bottle smashed into the side of his jaw, laying him out flat on the sticky bar floor.
Stephanie was on her feet, panting and still clutching the neck of the bottle. His friend was just pulling back his arm to swing, when Sarah gave him her ol’ one-two combo—one to the nuts
and two to the face.
Nighty, night.
The next thing she knew, she and Stephanie were in a mess of angry drunks. Sarah wasn’t sure if Stephanie was able to fight or not, but she seemed to be holding her own…at least until the cops showed up.
Within moments, the place was swarming with uniforms. Damn small towns. Everything was so compact, it took no time at all to get anywhere. Which meant that their guys should be arriving soon, too.
Uh, oh.
And with the lovely boys in blue cuffing everyone involved, this date night was a bust now for sure.
“Erik is going to be so irritated with me,” Sarah groaned, “I can’t believe they’re arresting us! We were defending ourselves!” she shouted at the officers and toward the bartenders who were trying to get through the crowd.
Sarah heard them. They were yelling, trying to be heard over the chaos, but the police were determined to arrest all involved and sort it out at the station.
As they were escorted out, in shiny cuffs no less, she caught sight of a stunned Erik and an equally shocked Abraham.
“Sorry, guys,” she hollered as the police none-to-gently stuffed her into the back of the cruiser.
Half an hour later, once they were ushered into the station and she and Stephanie were settled in a cell, Sarah apologized to the other woman. “Sorry about that. I didn’t think things would get that out of hand. I’m glad to know you don’t have a problem holding your own though.”
“Don’t worry about it. I probably shouldn’t have belted him with your bottle, but I couldn’t help it. I reacted before my brain could catch up with my actions. It’s just nice to know that I have a friend who’s got my back.” Stephanie rubbed her knuckles.
“I’ll have to show you a few moves and how to throw a decent punch. If you don’t do it right, you can break your hand.” She studied Stephanie for a few moments. “You want to tell me about who you’re running from?”
“Not just yet. I need to take a little time.”
“I understand. I’ll be here when you are ready, though.” Sarah reached out and patted her hand. “Can I ask you something, though? It’s kind of personal and embarrassing…on my end, anyway.”
“Sure, anything.”
“How do you think is the best way to go about kissing a guy?” When all she got was a blank stare, Sarah elaborated. “Erik. He’s letting me control the pace at which our relationship progresses, and I’m ready to take it farther. I’m just not sure how to go about it.”
“I thought you two were married.”
Oops, she’d forgotten about the paperwork at the office.
“Actually, no. My last name is really Gray. I’ll let you know now that I am hiding from some people. Nothing illegal, I can assure you. It’s just some guys that got a little pissy when I kicked their asses.”
Stephanie seemed to take that in, and her easy acceptance only heightened Sarah’s curiosity as to what exactly she was hiding from. “Oh, well, I suppose you’d go about kissing Erik the same way you would with any other man.” When Sarah remained silent, Stephanie asked, “You’ve never initiated things with a guy?”
Sarah knew she was blushing. “I’ve never really been with a guy,” she confessed.
“Are you a virgin?” Stephanie asked as quietly as possible, and Sarah just nodded. “Well, there’s really no right or wrong way to do it. Just lean in and lay one on him. Start with the cheek if that feels safer to you at first. It will let him know you want to become more affectionate and may lead him to do the same.”
She made it sound so damn simple.
“Thanks, I’ll try that.”
“Keep me posted. Maybe, we could set up a girl’s night and swap advice on our guys.” Judging by the hopeful look in Stephanie’s eyes, she was just as hard-up for friends as Sarah was.
The idea of having another woman whom she could confide in and gain advice from appealed to her, and Sarah quickly jumped at the idea. “That sounds great! We might need to choose a different location to meet at in the future though,” Sarah laughed. “I hate to admit this, but I’m utterly clueless when it comes to understanding guys.”
“We’re equally baffled by the female mind, I can assure you.” That deep, silky drawl had her head whipping around.
“Erik!”
“Come on, ladies. Let’s get out of here. The bartenders confirmed your story, so you’re free to go.” He stood by as the deputy unlocked the holding cell and released them.
Sarah went to Erik and hugged him tight while Stephanie stood near a silent Abraham.
“I’m sorry this wasn’t a very good first date,” Stephanie stated then sucked in a startled breath when Abraham reached out and took her hand.
“You hurt your hand,” he said, his voice a deep rumble as he examined her bruising knuckles.
“Yeah, I kept bumping into some guy’s head. He refused to move it.” Her smart remark actually brought a half-smile to his face, his features taking on a roguish quality, and Sarah feared her friend might swoon.
“I take it you moved it for him?” he asked, arching a dark brow.
Sarah cut in, “Yeah, him and about four others with equally stubborn heads.” She laughed, and Stephanie joined in.
“At least, I wasn’t told I looked like a pinky toe,” she shot back. They both dissolved into fits of laughter as the guys ushered them outside into the Land Rover then began driving.
“Oh, how did I forget about that?” Sarah wiped the tears from her eyes, still cracking up.
“I have no idea. When he said he was going to bang you up against his furniture, I thought you’re head was going to explode! It looked like you were going to castrate his ass.”
Both girls squealed as the brakes sent them lurching forward.
The two apparently pissed-off men in the front seats turned to look at them. “What the hell are you talking about?” Erik growled.
“It was a really horrible pick-up line,” Sarah explained, though she still scented the anger coming off both men. “We handled it. We aren’t completely helpless, guys.”
“It doesn’t matter. You were outnumbered, and what if one of them had a weapon?” Erik’s eyes cut to Stephanie then back, and Sarah knew he referenced the fact that Stephanie wouldn’t heal as they would. She could have been seriously hurt tonight.
“You’re right, but I can assure you we didn’t go looking for a fight. It just happened, so we handled the situation the best that we could.” Sarah understood where he was coming from, and apparently, so did Abraham, who was still checking over Stephanie for injuries. “We still need to go back to the bar for the cars,” she said.
“I’ll head there, but next time we do this, we’ll set it up for a restaurant instead of a bar,” Abraham grumbled. “Maybe, the two of you can hang out there without committing felony assault.”
“Har har.” Stephanie’s sarcasm had Sarah chuckling. “So next time, we should just sit and take the derogatory comments and smile like a couple of twits while waiting for our big strong men to come to our rescue?”
“Um, Stephanie?” Sarah wasn’t sure where this was going, but she had a general idea.
Uh-oh, seemed Stephanie had a bit of a mouth that they hadn’t witnessed yet.
“No, this should be settled up front. I won’t be sheltered and leashed like a damn pet. I’ve kept myself alive and well this long, and I’ll continue to do so without your assistance, I can assure you.” She directed her lecture toward Abraham as evidenced by the way her eyes locked with his in the rearview mirror.
“If I was looking for a pet, I would have bought a dog. I’m looking for a partner. I fully understand you want to take care of yourself, and I admire that strength in a person, but at the same time, you need to understand when you’re in over your head,” he explained in a surprisingly gentle voice. “I really like you, and I want to give this a chance, but if you can’t accept that I’ll worry about you…”
“I’m sorry, but I’m just tired of being
treated like a helpless little female. People don’t realize the type of person that I am, so I’ll go ahead and dispel any misconceptions you may have about me. I’m a smart-assed, tough-as-nails survivor. I’ve practically raised myself, worked three jobs to put myself through college—three!—while taking fulltime classes, and I still managed to graduate with a three-point-nine-five GPA. My parents were more concerned with their precious trips and explorations, so they weren’t around. I’ve been on my own, supporting myself and doing a damn good job of it for eight years now, so I have no plans to give up control to anyone just yet.”
Sarah grinned like a jackass in the backseat, her arms crossed over her chest, and judging by the look on Abraham’s face, he knew exactly why. She’d gone off on him in a similar fashion about a week ago.
Stephanie would have made an amazing alpha female, in Sarah’s opinion. She was perfect for Abraham in so many ways, now he just had to let her see it…and Sarah sure hoped he figured out a way to do that before it was too late.
* * * *
They pulled into the bar’s parking lot and climbed out, Erik moving to Sarah’s side.
“I think I’m actually a little scared,” Erik announced, earning curious looks from everyone.
“Of what?” Sarah asked.
“The two of you,” he gestured between Stephanie and Sarah. “I think you ladies are going to keep us on our toes.” The laughter in his eyes told Sarah he wouldn’t mind it a bit, though.
“But you’ll love every minute.” With that, she went to her toes and brushed a kiss over his cheek. Before he could respond in any way, she turned, winked at Stephanie and asked, “Are you going to the town’s harvest festival?”
“I was considering it, but isn’t it a costume thing?” Bless her heart, she’d jumped right into the topic change like a pro.
“Yeah, but we can come up with something,” Sarah urged. “We can use that as an actual date.” Sarah glanced at Abraham, who was focused on Stephanie. “I’ll bet Abe would be able to find a costume.”
“I could manage something,” he replied. “Would you like to go?” No one could miss his hopeful tone.
To Tame His Mate Page 6
