Wild Men of Alaska Collection

by Tiffinie Helmer

  She wasn’t dying this way.

  And she wasn’t dying without sleeping with Lynx first.

  This was ridiculous. She needed something to scare the thing away. A gun was a thought. It was the second time she’d had that thought, so she’d better look into it. First, she had to learn how to shoot one so she didn’t accidentally kill herself or someone else. She headed to the kitchen. There had to be something in there that she could use.

  Knives? Right, get serious. Pans? No, she liked her pans. They’d come with her from Cincinnati, and it wasn’t like there was a Williams Sonoma down the street, or probably in the state. Nope. Not taking that chance. She saw the bowl of fruit and reached for the apples. Maybe she could scare him away with these. She didn’t want to hurt him, just startle him into scampering off.

  She returned to the window to see him munching away as though he had nowhere else to be. Slowly, she cracked open the front door. His ears twitched, and his head came up. She let an apple fly. It hit him on the front flank and bounced off. The moose blinked again and then ambled over to where the apple had rolled to a stop. It sniffed and then ate it in one bite. His head came up with what she could assume was more interest. He took a step toward her, and with his long legs, his step was considerable. She screamed and threw all the apples at him. He bobbed his head and went after each one. She slammed the door.

  That wasn’t the smartest thing she could have done. She’d fed a wild animal.

  Yeah, you sure taught him.

  So much for taking care of this problem herself. She prided herself on being smart enough to realize when she needed back up.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Lynx stuffed his phone back in his pocket. “Gotta go, kid.”

  “Poachers again?” Fox gathered up the scraps of cardboard Kiski had torn into little pieces while she currently investigated a butterfly.

  “Nope. BW has Eva trapped in her house. I’ve been called to play hero again.” This time he wasn’t moosin—messing it up either.

  “Take her flowers!” Fox hollered as Lynx jumped the last three steps from the deck.

  “Right. Thanks.” That kid was a freaking genius.

  Lynx yanked flowers in his sprint to Eva’s. She wouldn’t slam the door in his face this time. He exited the trees with a handful of sweet-smelling wildflowers intermixed with some weeds. While he approached the moose, he attempted to clean up the mess and rearrange the blooms. BW was doing a fine job of mowing Eva’s front yard.

  Maybe he should mow it for her. Chances were she didn’t have a lawn mower. There wasn’t much of a lawn either, more like forest carpet than grass.

  “What are you up to, BW?” Lynx slowly drew near the big bull moose, glancing around the opening, suddenly conscious that he had a handful of flowers and was talking to a moose. There was no sign of Eva, but he could feel eyes on him and knew she watched from the window.

  Now how did he talk a moose into leaving an all-you-can-eat buffet of sweet greens?

  At the sound of Lynx’s voice, BW bobbed his head a few times, much like a horse that was happy to see him.

  “You can’t keep doing this,” Lynx tried to reason, knowing he was setting himself up for a psych evaluation. He hoped Eva couldn’t hear him. It was bad enough she was witnessing this. On the phone, she’d demanded he come bearing arms. “We want her to stay, and while this is one tactic, it’s going to backfire.”

  BW took a step closer and extended his head, his nostrils quivering. Then quick as an owl snatching a shrew, BW chomped the tops off the flowers Lynx had picked for Eva.

  “Ah dude, you are not helping my cause, here.”

  The moose bobbed his head again, nudged Lynx playfully in the chest, throwing him back a few steps, and then walked off without a care in the world, blending into the trees. The breaking of branches was the only proof he was still out there.

  The door opened behind him. Lynx turned to see Eva, and his mouth hit the ground.

  “What was that all about?” Eva asked.

  What was she wearing? She looked all womanly and stuff.

  “Lynx?” A scowl appeared on her forehead as she studied him.

  He needed to tread carefully or that door would be slammed in his face again. There was no way in hell that was happening, not with her all gussied up. He couldn’t remember seeing a woman so beautiful before. He remembered Fox asking him if he’d given her any compliments.

  “I like your hair,” he blurted out.

  “Huh?” Her scowl deepened, and then she shook her head as if to clear it. “Explain to me what just happened here. How did you get that moose to move on so easily? And don’t tell me I didn’t hear you right this time. You called him BW.”

  Uh-oh.

  If he told her how he’d gotten BW to move on, she wouldn’t let him into her bed. That door would be slammed in his face for the last time. And by the looks of her, he wasn’t getting anywhere unless he did something fast.

  “Here, I picked these for you.” He held out the munched stems with a few remaining limp flowers.

  She didn’t seem impressed. “Why did you call that moose BW? And why did it look like he was ‘friendly’ with you?”

  “Can we talk inside?” His eyes bugged when he caught sight of the lacy bra peeking up to say hello under her form-fitting top.

  “BW stands for Bullwinkle, doesn’t it?”

  Damn, why did she have to be so intuitive? “Uh, maybe.”

  She folded her arms pushing her breasts up and deepening the cleavage that was already blood-starving his brain cells.

  “Tell me why when I yelled, waved my hands, and threw apples at BW, he didn’t scare off until you talked to him?”

  Oh, no. “Tell me you didn’t feed him apples.” BW wouldn’t leave her alone now.

  “It’s not like I had rocks in the house or a gun.”

  She didn’t need a gun, not with the heart-stopping punch she packed in that get up.

  He needed to do something quick to change the subject, get her focused on something else. “God, how I want you.”

  “Huh-what?”

  He tossed the chomped steams aside and advanced. “Where were you headed?” He reached out and fingered one of her dangling earrings. What perfect little ears she had, elfin-like really. He wanted to nibble.

  “I...uh, was actually coming to see you.”

  He stepped back so he could see into her eyes. “Why?” He liked her suddenly uneasy around him.

  She shrugged, and swallowed. “Well, I got to thinking. Maybe I’d been a little rough on you. The chocolates were a thoughtful gesture.”

  “I’m sorry about the other day, Eva. I shouldn’t have left you alone.” He realized that he should’ve apologized first, before trying chocolates or flowers.

  Her wary eyes met his. “Why did you? Leave me alone, that is.”

  “If I hadn’t taken a minute to get blood back into my head, I would have taken you against a tree like a wild animal.”

  A switch seemed to go off at his words. “Next time, take me against a tree.” She reached out and grabbed the fabric of his t-shirt, fisting her hand in the soft cotton. Pulling him down, she kissed him.

  His heart leaped, and his blood raced. He growled and yanked her into his arms. His hands snaked under the soft knit top and tugged it up and over her head, revealing the sexiest bra he’d ever seen. Lacy, with thin straps and the color of wild lupine, it cupped her perfect breasts, pushing them up for his eyes to devour.

  He wanted it off. “What are you wearing?”

  She smiled, her magical eyes bewitching him, daring him. “Hardly anything at all.”

  It hit him then. She’d been on her way to see him, dressed like this for him, so he could do all manner of naughty things to her.

  He reached behind her and flicked open the clasp of her bra, letting it drop to where her blouse had fallen. Her breasts were perfect. Small, rounded, and perky with extended rosy nipples. His hand cupped her breast, while his heart swell
ed with something that made his breath hard to catch.

  What was she doing to him?

  “Lynx?”

  He took in her beauty and knew deep within his soul she was the one for him. This pixie of a woman had somehow, with her sharp tongue and daring spirit, captured his heart.

  How did something like that happen in so short a time?

  He remembered the telling of his parents’ short courtship. How his dad had taken one look at his mom and absconded with her. From that moment on there had been no other woman for Fox Maiski Sr. She’d remained the love of his life until his untimely death when Lynx had been nineteen.

  “Lynx?” Eva called his name again. “Are you okay?”

  No, he wasn’t. He was falling in love with a woman who could easily break his heart and destroy him. A woman who didn’t understand all there was to know about him and when she did, she’d probably hightail it right back to her former life in the lower forty-eight.

  He had to stop that from happening. Somehow he needed to bind her to him. The only way he knew to do that was to follow his animal instincts.

  They’d saved his sorry ass many a time.

  He lifted her right off her feet, carrying her into the house, and kicking the door shut with his boot. It felt powerful to be on the inside of her door. Her legs came up and circled his hips, and he nearly hit the floor. There wasn’t much between him and her besides his jeans and the laughable barrier of her panties. He could feel her heat pressing into him as she ground herself against his erection.

  “Bed,” he growled.

  “Second door on the left.” She tightened her arms around him and held on, her lips nibbling down his neck.

  He tumbled her onto the bed, her skirt riding up, showing a flash of more lavender lace.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Eva caught her breath at the predatory look in Lynx’s eyes.

  He’d gone from perplexed, to worry, to decision. And his decision had gooseflesh rising up all over her body.

  He stood at the end of the bed and never broke eye contact. Sprawled on the blankets, she didn’t breathe as he untied his boots and toed them off. She wanted to smooth the skirt down her legs from where it was bunched on her upper thighs, but was almost afraid to move, worried that if she did, he’d pounce.

  She thought she’d been ready to be taken, but by the sweet, thoughtful man who had brought her chocolate, and picked her wildflowers.

  This man was someone different.

  Wild, hot, unpredictable, looking a lot like the feral arctic cat he was named after. He was so far out of her realm of experience, for the first time in her life she didn’t know what to do.

  Her eyes widened as he jerked his t-shirt off, and then unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, taking his plaid boxers off with his pants, leaving him completely naked at the end of her bed.

  Oh, she was in trouble.

  He was glorious...and huge.

  His penis pulsed forward, thick and long, and fear strangled her excitement. There was no freaking way. He’d render her in two.

  She scrambled up the bed, but he grabbed her ankles and yanked her back down, holding her spread out before him. He growled, and she let out a startled squeak, feeling like a mouse caught in the clutches of a cat. A thrill she didn’t want to put a name to strangled her vocal cords and had her breathing in short, choppy bursts of air.

  He stripped off her skirt in one yank, leaving her wearing only the thong, and strappy heels. His eyes blazed amber at the thin, lacy, thong she wore. A raw, inhuman sound traveled up his chest and vibrated out his throat. He crawled up her body, all six feet and three inches of him. Toffee smooth skin, swathed over rock-hard muscle, caged her on the bed. His considerable weight pinned her to the mattress. Her hands came up to push against his immovable chest, to no avail. She might as well be pushing against a concrete dam.

  He settled in the apex of her thighs, his hands grabbed her legs spreading them farther apart for the breadth of his hips.

  She braced herself for what was to come. The little piece of lace that covered her wouldn’t bar his penetration. His fingers tore the lace in two at her hips. The friction of lace grazed her clitoris in a long delicious abrasion as he slowly pulled it free of her body. Her legs clenched around him, her hands falling away from pushing against his chest and grabbed at his hips, as her lower body tried to seek more.

  She was totally naked except for her shoes and jewelry, and she’d never felt more vulnerable...or more alive. More in tuned to Lynx’s every move, every touch as he knocked her off balance with every second that ticked by.

  Sex with Davis had taken place in the dark, under the covers, probably so he could fantasize that she was someone else.

  It was daylight, she had no idea what time it was, but the sun was full and bright, and Lynx was big and bold, taking charge of her, reminding her with every heated look and touch that she was a woman, physically weaker and softer than him. There was a dangerous element to being anchored under him that she shouldn’t admit thrilled her, just a little.

  Scared her, too. More than a little.

  “Do I need a condom?” he asked, as though forming words pained him.

  “Uh...yes.” She nervously licked her lips. His eyes watched her tongue, and then he claimed her mouth, making her forget about protection and everything else.

  It was a brand more than a kiss. He plundered the depths of her mouth, his tongue dueled and conquered hers as though he were giving her some insight of what to expect. He tore his lips free of hers and met her eyes for a long moment as though to see if she got the message. Then he clamped his mouth over her breast, his teeth taking her nipple, so his tongue could flick back and forth over the tip.

  On a startled screech, her back arched like a bow, and his arm snaked under her, pulling her closer to him, if that were possible. Overwhelmed with sensations that she’d never felt before, Eva squirmed, seeking out his erection, wanting to ride his thick shaft as he sucked and tormented her nipple.

  “Please,” she begged, not believing what she was asking. She’d seen that thing. Knew there was no way they would fit together, and yet she didn’t care. She’d never felt this way before, like she wanted to sink her teeth into him, and then she found herself doing exactly that.

  He growled, as her teeth bit into his shoulder, the sound more of a snarl as he moved his hips lower out of the reach of her questing need. He released her nipple and turned to the other one. Grabbing both of her hands in one of his, he anchored them above her head.

  She was caught, laid out for his pleasure and dark urges. Liquid heat flared her insides to an out of control inferno.

  This man, what was he?

  He purred against her nipple as he sucked it into his mouth. Her inner muscles quivered as they contracted around emptiness, wanting him inside her. Then his fingers were there, tormenting her, testing her, twisting and flicking the sensitive nub that had suddenly become her universe.

  Her hips arched off the bed as he inserted one finger, then two, then three inside her, stretching her. A rumbling of what she thought was satisfaction pulsated from him at finding her wet and slick with want.

  He slowly moved his fingers in and out of her while his thumb did a titillating dance with her clitoris. Her hips gyrated with him, arching, meeting the thrusts of his hand. His mouth continued to play homage to her breasts as he worked her like an instrument. Seeming to know just what she needed when she needed it. How hard to push, when to let up, until she flew. Her world burst into little sparks of color as it imploded around her.

  She lay there gasping and tried to understand what had just happened. She’d climaxed before, mostly by herself, and never like that.

  But he wasn’t done with her yet.

  Lynx inched off her and stood at the end of the bed, if anything looking more predatory than he had before. There was a glint of satisfaction and craving in his gaze that had her sucking in air for what would happen next. She worried her lower lip with h
er teeth as she once again took in the man before her. If anything he was larger, thicker.

  He grabbed a condom from the pocket of his jeans, and with a rip of foil, sheathed himself.

  How was she going to do this?

  The question was taken out of her hands when he confused her by gently picking up her foot and taking off her shoe, kissing the sensitive skin on the inner part of her ankle. Who knew the area of her ankle was so sensitive?

  Apparently he did.

  In turn, he did the same with her other shoe and ankle. He knew other places too, farther up her calf, then behind her knees, the inside of her thighs. His lips nibbled, and his tongue licked and teased erogenous zones she had believed in medical school to be a myth. Lord knew no other man had ever found them on her body.

  Until now.

  He took his time exploring, letting her float in a sea of sensation that was more enticing and seductive than any drug. She was his to mold, to have, to do with what he wished. There was no objection, no voice willing to work as his mouth found her. He spread her open for him to feast, his tongue circling, stabbing, sucking. His lips nipping, his teeth grazing.

  Inserting two fingers inside her this time, he growled in appreciation as she moaned with pleasure. He took his time, but it wasn’t long before stars exploded before her eyes again. Her world tipped as she soared to the heavens.

  Boneless, she floated back to earth. With no strength left to brace herself for his penetration, she was beyond caring if the act killed her. At this point, she’d die with a smile on her face.

  Positioned at her opening, he slowly and relentlessly entered her. He gave no quarter, and held her down with his hands on her hips keeping her from moving. His taking was deliberate...and perfect. He filled her as no man ever had or, she doubted, ever would again. If he hadn’t made her come twice already, prepared her body to receive him, she didn’t think it would have happened.

  He groaned and closed his eyes. “You feel so fucking good.”