by Sennah Tate
After another ten minutes of searching, Tucker had no choice but to conclude his worst fears were reality: Gabi knew everything about him — all of his secrets, Benny’s secret — and she rejected him.
His panther clamored to the surface, the loss of their mate striking a chord with the beast. A low anguished cry echoed through the canopy, sending whole flocks of birds into the sky in retreat.
He couldn’t let her get away. She knew too much. She could tell her father. The national news. They could have scientists and government agencies pounding on their door in a matter of hours. Benny could be in danger.
Then, from the depths of his mind, a thought floated to the surface, sending ice through his veins. The other panthers. If they learned what Gabi knew, if she came forward, they wouldn’t hesitate to silence her. Permanently.
With a quick peek inside, he warned Benny to stay put, to remain vigilant and defensive at all costs. Something wasn’t right in the Glades, but he needed to know Gabi was safe before tackling the other big issues.
Chapter Seven
Gabi
Gabi couldn’t believe how guilty she felt about leaving Tucker. He’d been so understanding of her, but the moment her eyes settled on the sasquatch in his kitchen, she headed for the hills. Hearing of the existence of something so insane was one thing, but actually seeing it… She couldn’t handle it.
By the time she reached the road, Gabi heard a terrifying noise in the swamp. A forlorn cry that sent goosebumps up her arms and made her heart ache for the poor creature that loosed it into the night. She couldn’t turn back, though. She had to get as far away from the Glades as she could. Away from shifters, from sasquatches, and from terrifying beasts that ripped the intestines from innocent campers.
In that moment, she never would have thought she could be so happy to see Tucker again. But a few hours later, when his dusty SUV bounced up her father’s driveway, Gabi’s heart sang in response.
“Oh my god, Tucker! You’re here!” she cried, flying from the front door to his side, flinging her arms around him without a second thought.
He hesitated for a moment, but his arms finally slipped around her. Gabi breathed him in with deep gasping breaths, her body shuddering in time.
It took Tucker a moment to realize that she wasn’t merely happy to see him. His hands settled on her shoulders and he pulled away to look deep into her watery eyes.
“What’s wrong?” There were a million other questions swirling behind his hurt eyes. Questions Gabi didn’t know that she’d ever be able to answer.
The sincere concern in his face made Gabi’s eyes water anew.
“My dad’s not here. He’s gone. He’s… oh god, what if that thing got him?” she sobbed into his shoulder, so content to let him hold her even though her world was falling apart.
“Shh,” Tucker soothed, his strong hand stroking her back gently, “slow down. Tell me what happened.”
Gabi sniffed and clung to him still, unwilling to part herself from the comfort of his embrace.
“I came home,” she gave him a wary glance, waiting for him to be angry for her leaving, “and he wasn’t here. He found the brochure for the nursing home. I don’t know where he went. What if he was trying to prove himself? He’s just an old man all alone. Oh god, Tucker, this is all my fault,” her tears fell in streams, though her sobs had since ceased.
“Don’t worry, I’ll find out where he’s at. Why don’t you go inside and try to relax? We’ll get this sorted. I’m sure he’s fine, Gabs.”
Gabi nodded, extracting herself from Tucker’s arms as he pulled out his cell phone. How did he manage to make everything better without trying? His presence was enough to calm her worries and put her mind — somewhat — at ease.
Though it had only been a few minutes, it seemed like hours later when Tucker finally came into her father’s ramshackle cabin.
“Well?” she asked, jumping up from the threadbare couch to greet him at the door before the screen even closed behind him.
He steered her back to the couch and her stomach sank through the floor.
“What is it? Tell me.”
Tucker sighed, sitting on the couch with her. He draped an arm across her shoulders — for comfort or to hold her in place, she didn’t know — and pulled her into his chest.
“Your father was in an accident.”
Panic flooded her now and Gabi tried to pull away from him, but Tucker held her fast.
“He’s fine, Gabi. A little banged up. It seems someone ran him off the road. He’s at the hospital overnight, but he’s already sleeping and should be able to come home in the morning. There’s nothing to worry about, okay?”
She narrowed her eyes, unsure if she should take his word for it or not.
“Someone ran him off of the road? Do you think… do you think they did it on purpose?”
Tucker shrugged, “I wish I knew. What I do know is that he’s in very good hands and he wouldn’t want you to worry about him.”
Gabi sighed and snuggled in under his armpit. How could one person upend her life like he had? But had he really? It seemed that Gabi’s life had upended itself and Tucker was miraculously there to right it again.
“Thank you for being here,” she whispered, still trying to avoid acknowledging abandoning him.
He wound his fingers through tendrils of her hair, toying with her silken locks absently.
“There’s nowhere I’d rather be,” he answered.
“Do you think the other panthers were trying to send a message?” she asked, voicing fears she’d been harboring since she learned of the shifters’ existence.
Tucker shrugged, “It’s possible. I wouldn’t put it past Silvanus, that’s for sure.”
Gabi shuddered.
“Why don’t…” Tucker hesitated. Gabi heard the uncertainty in the way his voice hitched and he sucked in a breath to steady himself, “what do you think about me sticking around. To keep an eye on you?”
Her pulse quickened at the thought of Tucker under the same roof as her. He was just trying to be polite, trying to look out for her in a dangerous situation. She shouldn’t read anything more into it.
But there was that kiss… his lips close enough to reach out and…
She laughed, the absurdity of being in this situation with Tucker Auric too much to bear.
“What’s so funny?” he asked, looking hurt.
“I’m sorry,” she cried, reaching a hand to stop him from getting up. “It’s just… I was so in love with you in high school and you didn’t even know I existed and…” she threw her hands up, “now you’re asking to stay over night. And I know you’re just being polite!” She added hastily.
He pressed a finger to her lips, silencing the next rambling sentence before it could be born.
“No. I’m not being polite. I want to stay here because I want you, Gabi. I’ve always wanted you. You think I didn’t know you existed?”
The softness of his voice startled her.
“Did you?”
His fingers brushed the side of her face, sliding a strand of hair behind her ear with a tender gesture.
“Of course I did. How could I not? You were young, sweet and deserved something better than sticking around this town. When you called that night looking for your father… Shit, I thought I’d lost my mind. There was no way it could really be you. Then there you were at Renton’s. More beautiful than ever. When I heard you in trouble in the parking lot — I lost it. I lost any chance of forgetting about you or being able to ever think about another woman.”
She leaned into his palm, her eyes watery as his voice hitched in his throat.
“You’re my mate, Gabs. My one and only. My other half. Not a moment goes by that I’m not 100% aware of your existence.”
Before she knew what she was doing, Gabi pressed her lips to his. The torrent of emotions she’d been holding at bay for the past few days exploded forth, washing over them.
His lips moved against hers
, gentle and persistent all at once. If he was surprised by her sudden move, he didn’t show it. He accepted her with gusto, his tongue teasing the corners of her mouth, searching for his opening.
Her lips parted and his tongue darted into her mouth, eliciting a guttural groan from deep down. Gabi slipped her hand around Tucker’s shoulders, locking her fingers behind his neck to pull him in deeper. He ignited something within her. A spark. A burning ember that threatened to consume her if she couldn’t get more of him. All of him.
Tucker’s hand closed around her hip, taking a handful of her flesh with a deep growl. Liquid heat pooled in her center, propelling Gabi forward, urging her to see where this could go. His work-roughened hand trailed a blazing path up her side, over her ribcage until he covered her breast. Her breath hitched.
Through the thin fabric of her bra, Tucker’s fingers manipulated the stiff peak of her nipple. Electric currents darted from his fingers straight to Gabi’s core. She couldn’t resist the sigh that escaped her lips.
“Tucker,” she moaned, leaning into his hand. He kneaded the supple flesh of her bosom with deft fingers. Every twitch of his digits sending sparks of lightning through her veins. It seemed impossible. Inhuman to feel so… so…
His tongue massaged hers as he rolled a pink nipple in his fingers and she squealed in delight.
So much.
How could he do this? How could he make her lose all track of time and reality? How could he light this fire inside of her with the simplest touch?
“Tucker,” she moaned again, finally pulling away from the kiss. He looked at her through his lashes, his eyes fiercely gold with bubbling lust. His fingers tweaked her nipple even as their lips separated and Gabi’s thigh twitched in response.
“What about…” she groaned as he slid a calloused thumb under her bra, “your brother? He wasn’t...? He didn’t…?”
Tucker’s eyes dimmed for a moment, some other emotion taking over his lust for the moment. Guilt?
“No. He didn’t. I’m going to find out who did. But right now, I’ve sort of got my hands full,” he rumbled, slipping his other hand under her ass, drawing Gabi’s hips forward.
She giggled despite herself. It felt so good to let go, to stop thinking about everything, and — perhaps most of all — to be with Tucker. It was too good to be true.
“Pinch me,” she sighed into another kiss, barely able to believe this wasn’t all a dream.
A sharp pain jolted from her nipple and morphed into molten heat between her thighs as he took her request to heart.
Gabi squeaked her surprise but soon dissolved into laughter, giving herself over to him fully as he pulled her onto his lap.
“I think I’d be okay with you sticking around,” she said with a grin as he wrestled her t-shirt over her head.
“How would you feel about me carrying you up the stairs, throwing you on that creaky old bed and having my way with you?” he growled as she rolled her hips into him. Gabi could feel the stiff evidence of his arousal and the heat in his words only made her want him more.
His lips skirted down the delicate column of her neck, dancing over her collarbone while she toyed with the hair at his nape.
“How did you know my bed is creaky?” she answered with a coy grin.
Tucker shrugged, standing with her legs wrapped around his waist, “Lucky guess.”
Their lips stayed glued throughout Tucker’s entire blind trek up the stairs over groaning floorboards.
He deposited her at the foot of her bed and quickly moved to unzip her pants. Gabi shimmied out of the clothing as if it were covered with fire ants, kicking off her shoes in the process. Tuckers fingers wasted no time finding the pool of arousal between her legs.
She gasped, arching onto the tips of her toes, yearning for more contact, more pressure, more Tucker.
His lips slid over hers as he slipped between her wet folds, teasing her entrance with a single finger. Gabi moaned, grinding her pelvis against his hand. Tucker’s thumb found the sensitive bundle of nerves buried in her curls the same time he latched onto her nipple. Her back arched and Gabi cried out at the sudden sensation. Tucker’s thumb retained its slow steady pressure on her clit, drawing out long strangled moans as she clawed her way to climax.
“Weren’t you… Didn’t you say something about throwing me on the bed?” she whispered, her thighs nothing more than quivering jelly.
He nipped at her nipple playfully before releasing it from his mouth, “I’m getting there.”
One long finger entered her. Gabi’s body instantly reacted, clenching around him, drawing him in deeper, taking all he could give. She wanted more, but Tucker seemed content to torment her.
He worked his finger in and out of her sopping valley, his lips slowly traveling southward until she could feel his heated breath on her thighs, moving inward.
Tucker added a second finger while giving her sex a lingering lick.
“Ooh,” she muttered, her knees buckling. Tucker held her fast against him with a hand on her hip.
He crouched in front of her and coaxed one knee over his shoulder, burying his face in her musk. It was too much for Gabi. She’d dreamed of Tucker Auric for longer than she could remember. The reality was better than anything she could imagine.
The rough pad of his tongue lapped at her quivering core as he curled two expert fingers inside of her. Gabi buried fingers into his hair, plastering Tucker’s face to her, grinding her hips against his mouth wantonly until… until…
“God Gabi, you taste like fucking heaven,” Tucker moaned, the vibrations from his deep voice sending her over the edge.
“Oh, Tucker!” she whispered, unable to find her voice as the enormity of her orgasm ripple through every muscle.
She was thankful for his strong grip on her — her muscles refused to support her weight as wave after wave crashed into her, drawn out by Tucker’s insistent tongue and miraculous fingers.
Finally, once the aftershocks subsided, Tucker pulled his face from her sex, his lips glistening with her arousal. His fingers still moved within her, slowly, almost imperceptible amongst the rippling of her internal muscles, but enough to keep her on the precipice of another orgasm.
He stood then. His eyes glowed amber with a fire that would have frightened Gabi if she wasn’t riding high on a cloud of post-orgasmic bliss.
She whimpered as his fingers left her and reached out to strip him of his clothes.
Or, attempt to anyway.
The moment Gabi got his pants unzipped and brushed her fingers against the silken steel of Tucker’s erection, she lost all thought of anything else. Her fingers closed around him and stroked every inch with rapt attention.
He sucked in a breath and pushed her back on the bed, covering her body with his in the span of a heartbeat.
His teeth nipped at the side of her neck and didn’t hesitate to spread her legs, beckoning him to join with her finally.
“I told you I was getting there,” he offered with a cocky smile that made her insides melt.
She clicked her tongue at him, giving her best attempt at a come-hither look, “I’m still waiting,” she teased.
He gave her one last predatory smile and a stifled groan of restraint before she didn’t have to wait anymore.
Chapter Eight
Tucker
Green-tinged sunlight broke through the broken blinds, colored by the trees, and tickled Tucker’s nose. He scrunched up his face and rolled over in the tiny bed, the rusty springs creaking in protest of his weight.
Delicious warmth emanated from the delectable creature next to him, transferring from her bare skin to his, seeping deep down into his bones. He wrapped an arm around Gabi, pulling her into his chest where she snuggled in with a satisfied sigh.
How they’d wound up in bed still seemed a blur to him, but he remembered every detail once they’d gotten there. Her creamy skin, the soft mewls of pleasure, the heady scent of her lust that drove his panther wild. He vividly recall
ed the flush in her face as she cried out his name with him buried deep inside of her.
The memory alone was enough to send blood rushing to his groin. Tucker placed a tender kiss on her neck, dragging his fingertips up the smooth expanse of her thigh as his stubbled cheek brushed her shoulder.
“Mmm,” she mumbled, sleep making her voice soft and dreamy, “that feels nice.”
His kisses continued across her shoulder and back down her spine. Gabi sighed as he cupped one heavy breast, rolling her nipple gently between his fingers.
Tucker hadn’t been certain how Gabi would receive him once morning arrived. To have her still in his arms, squirming under his touch, her breaths coming in sharp pants — it was more than he could ask for.
Or almost.
The tinny siren of his cell phone filled Gabi’s little bedroom, interrupting their drowsy fondling of one another.
Maybe time alone without interruptions was more than he could ask for.
Tucker tried to ignore the phone, muting the ringer before turning his attention back to Gabi.
“Who was it?”
He shrugged, “No one more important that you.”
“You don’t know that,” she said defiantly, giving Tucker a stern look.
“Of course I do,” he muttered, trying to distract himself with her fabulous breasts again, but she was having none of it.
Gabi sat up and found a discarded shirt on the side of her bed.
“You should see who it is, maybe it’s about my father.”
It was the hint of worry in her voice that tugged on his heartstrings and made Tucker relent. He sat up with an exaggerated groan and saw his house number on the missed call notification.
“It was my brother. See? Nothing important.” He reached for her hand, with every intention of pulling her on top of him once more, but the words sounded hollow even to him.
She fixed another pointed look at him and Tucker let his head fall back to hit the headboard.
“Fine, I’ll call him back.”
He’d no sooner gotten the words out than Benny called again. Now, the hairs on the back of Tucker’s neck stood on end. Back-to-back calls were never good.
