Cougar's Gift: Pacific Northwest Cougars: (Shifter Romance)

by Moxie North

  The minute her head hit his chest Stryker felt his heart get heavy. His arms came around her and he pulled her tight to him. He let one arm wrap around her shoulders and the other came up to cup her head.

  He wanted to encircle her, make sure she was covered and protected. She fit just right, her arms wrapping around his back and spreading her hands across his back. He could feel her locking them at the base of his spine. She squeezed him tightly.

  They both sighed at the same time, like two puzzle pieces locking together for the first time. Neither wanted to let go.

  Stryker was damned if he let go first, he could stand there all day like that with Libby’s sweet curves pressed against him. His cougar was content as he was gonna get without getting her naked. Her scent was washing over them, soaking into his skin. Stryker knew she’d smell like him too, any shifter that came across her would know she was taken.

  Chapter 10

  Libby was the first to let go, she felt like she’d held on just a little too long. Not knowing what was expected, she figured she’d err on the side of caution and pulled back. His arms didn’t let her go. They loosened but he held on.

  “Take me for a ride?” she said with a smile.

  “Oh darlin’ there are so many ways I could take that,” he rumbled at her.

  Libby realized what she said and blushed. He made the rumbling sound again when he saw her pink cheeks.

  “We better go before I see how far down that blush goes,” he said, turning her around and walking her towards the door.

  Libby snapped out of her stupor and dug in. “Wait, I need to close up!”

  “Tell me what to do, you wait here,” he ordered.

  Libby told him to lock the back door, turn off the lights and make sure the coffee pot was off. Not exactly super security for the local library. He managed to make it back in record time before grabbing her hand and dragging her toward the door.

  “Purse!” she called out with a laugh.

  Stryker made an aggravated noise and stalked around the counter with her still in tow. He spotted a brown satchel on the desk. He figured that looked like a purse type thing. Grabbing it he turned back to the front door. His mate was giggling at each turn like what they were doing was fun not annoying to his sense of urgency.

  They made it through the front door and as Stryker started dragging her across the street Libby was trying to keep up. Turning around he swung her into his arms before she had time to squeak.

  He didn’t have time to have her hobble around on her cute sandals. Yes, he’d decreed them cute, along with her cute toes. He even scoped out a silver ring on one of her toes. The idea of sucking that ring off her toe was added to his list of to-dos.

  Stryker strode across the street towards the garage; his motorcycle was parked out front. He stopped in front of it and settled Libby on her feet. She was still giggling.

  “Think it’s funny?”

  “Totally!” she laughed.

  “Get on,” he barked.

  Libby looked at the bike then looked at her skirt and back to the bike then to him. She raised her eyebrow; she’d never ridden a bike before. She was pretty sure fluffy skirts were not the usual garments one chose when riding around on the back of a hog. Do they call them hogs?

  Stryker saw her hesitate then assessed the situation. How the hell did bitches ride on the back of a motorcycle? Not that he thought of Libby as a bitch, but he doubted she owned a pair of leather pants. He saw her prop her hands on her hips clearly challenging him to fix the problem. He liked her saucy little pose, it made his dick twitch.

  Coming up with a solution, he leaned down reached between her legs and grabbed the fabric at the back of her skirt. Pulling it up between her legs he tucked it into the waistband making a pair of pantaloons for her.

  Libby looked down and pondered if he had ever done that to a woman before. The odds weren’t very high, but his solution was genius. Then she watched as he turned and spied something in the garage he wanted. He strode into the bay, grabbed a black leather jacket off the bench and brought it back for her.

  “Arm,” he said abruptly.

  Libby stretched out her arm and Stryker slid the sleeve up one side. She fumbled for the other sleeve and he pulled the jacket up settling it on her shoulders. It smelled like him. Like really, deliciously smelled like him. She wondered if he would notice it going missing.

  He pulled the helmet off the back of the seat and plopped it on her head. Adjusting the straps under her chin. The helmet was too big and she had to give it a shove back to be able to see him. The sleeves on the jacket were too long and she had to do a hand shimmy to free her hand.

  Stryker was staring at the helmet with a look of annoyance and concern on his face. He finally grunted and said, “Better than nothing, need to pick you up some gear.” This was said more to himself than to her.

  Libby was feeling nervous about this ride and wanted to get started before she chickened out. Stepping around his hulking mass she started towards his motorcycle again, spotting the emblem that said Vulcan on the side. She had no idea what that meant, but it sounded scary and she wanted to ask him about it.

  He was looking at her with an odd mix of emotions. There were at least a dozen flashing over his features that she tried to decipher.

  She decided he was impatient and her questioning him on the topic would probably be met with frustration. Which although fun for her to watch him huff and puff, it was not for him since he clearly was in a hurry for some reason. She gave him a shrug and walked to the bike.

  Stryker reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her from trying to mount the bike first. He swung his leg over the seat and then reached for her hand. Libby lifted her leg and managed to climb and wiggle her way behind him

  He was starting to think that maybe this wasn’t a good idea. Her hot pussy pressed up against his back and his dick was never going to go down. Libby’s arms wrapped around his waist and she locked her hands over his abs.

  Fuck him, that felt amazing. He needed to focus or he’d just sit there letting her hold him. Kicking over the motor, the bike roared to life under them.

  Libby squealed a little as the shock of the power and vibration below her was unexpected. She felt Stryker’s hand cover hers and he patted them reassuringly. Then his hand slid down her thigh and tugged her leg closer to his. Not that this was necessary as she was wrapped around him like plastic wrap.

  “When I lean you lean, got it?” he barked over the bike.

  Libby realized she’d have to scream over the motor so she gave his tummy a pat to acknowledge what he said. She felt his muscles tighten under her hands. Her brain tried to formulate what muscles like that looked like. She had a pretty good idea, but seeing them in person wouldn’t hurt.

  Chapter 11

  Stryker kicked the stand back and slowly pulled out of the driveway giving her time to adjust to the sensation of balancing and the forward movement.

  Once they were on the road he sped up but did it cautiously. He didn’t want her to panic.

  The day was oddly warm but once you picked up speed it often got surprisingly cool. His shifter blood kept him plenty warm. He was worried about his mate, though. His jacket was thick, but her legs were barely covered with that flimsy skirt.

  He was warring with himself on wanting to take her for a ride and protect her too. Was this what being in love was like?

  That was the first time he’d thought that word about a woman. Granted, this wasn’t his woman it was his mate. The rules were different. His heart was attached to his gut at the moment, both were clenching with excitement and fear of the unknown.

  Stryker knew he needed to focus on what he could control right now. His mate was behind him, wrapped around him. She laid her head against his back as they hit the road out of town. He fucking liked that. The tiny weight of her pressed to his back holding on to him for dear life.

  Since they couldn’t talk as they rode he used the opportunity to figure ou
t his next move. He obviously couldn’t just take her home with him.

  It didn’t seem like she was the type to go home with guys she just met, which made him fucking thrilled. He wasn’t going to think about any guys before him, it made his cougar want to rip out a throat.

  He also knew that he might be able to ask her to dinner, but the choices in town were limited. She would be at work tomorrow that meant he’d be able to keep an eye on her and visit her. Would she like that or find it pushy? He didn’t fucking know and he didn’t want to screw this up. He needed advice.

  They rode for the better part of an hour, through the trees and quiet little streets leading out to the two-lane highway.

  Stryker knew of a spot he wanted to show her. The road that led to the hiking trail was one he used often when his cat wanted more space to roam than what the area around his cabin afforded.

  This trail was only used by those hikers that planned on being out for a while. They would park their cars along the road and hike into the woods.

  He lucked out that there were no cars on the dead end road. Parking the bike, he reached back and offered his mate a hand. She accepted and swung a leg over the bike to stand next to it. Stryker swung off and let his eyes roam over her, assessing her.

  Libby was thinking that she might never walk straight again. The first few miles on the bike were amazing! The wind against her face and the rumble under her butt that, that let’s be honest, was like a giant vibrator. And she had her arms tight around a hot guy.

  Then after a few more miles she realized her back was starting to ache. Having to lean into the curves with him took more core strength then she was used to. Her legs were clenched tight from fear of falling off and they were sore too.

  Standing next to the bike she untucked and shook out her now very wrinkled skirt. She waited for him to get off and started feeling a host of aches and pains wash over her. She stretched and reached to massage the kink out of her lower back. Her legs were pins and needles from staying in the same position for that length of time. Boy, she was a wimp she decided.

  Stryker saw her reach for her back and realized she wasn’t used to the physical demands of riding.

  He moved behind her and slid his hand up under his jacket and started massaging her lower back. She immediately moaned.

  His dick that had been finally soft enough to be comfortable shot back to life, swelling and pressing against his jeans. He shifted a leg to make room, luckily he was behind her and she couldn’t see that maneuver.

  This was also an excellent opportunity for him to get some hands on time with his mate, so to speak.

  He put one hand on her hip to brace her as his other hand massaged out the knot in her back. She was right, her hips were more than ample. The curve out to her thigh was pronounced and thick. Stryker’s dick ached thinking of what she would look like naked.

  He could feel her waist was small which in his mind just exaggerated her ass. Oh fuck him, her ass. He bet it was fucking amazing. He had to stay on task or he’d do something really stupid like dry hump her against the bike. Yeah, that was juvenile, but would feel fucking great.

  It didn’t help that every time he found a sore spot she would moan loudly and let her head drop down exposing the soft curve of her neck.

  His cougar was thinking of all the places he could bite down and make her his with his mating mark. Her blood probably tasted like her, earthy and sweet.

  Yeah, this was not the plans he should be making before he even got her to trust him. Stryker felt the knot loosen and forced himself to let her go.

  He reached for the strap of her helmet and unhooked it. Setting it on the bike he held out his hand to her. He fucking loved that she didn’t hesitate in placing her tiny hand in his.

  “I want to show you something,” he said gruffly.

  “The shallow grave you intend on burying me in?” she joked.

  He stopped short and looked at her, his eyes wide in horror. “What the fuck?”

  Libby realized her joke didn’t come across as she planned. Dang, she was bad at banter.

  “Sorry, just joking. Man I just met, taking me out into the woods where no one else is. You know…horror movie plot,” she said, trying to recover her gaffe.

  “You not being alive is not something to joke about.” The anger in his voice was shocking to her. He wasn’t mad at her, but he was mad at somebody she thought.

  “I’d never hurt you, Libby. I’d never let anyone hurt you. I want to show you something you’ll like,” he answered.

  Her joke had made his stomach drop at the idea of her lifeless in the ground. His cougar was setting up a hissy fit at the thought. His cat usually wasn’t so emotional, but he was struggling with his new mate too.

  “Okay, Stryker. Sorry, it was just a joke,” she said quietly.

  Stryker saw the regret on her face and felt like a schmuck for making her feel like that. “You just caught me off guard. Sorry I’m so gruff sometimes,” he offered in apology. He snaked his hand around her neck and placed a kiss on her forehead. He felt her hands grip his waist as he held his lips to her skin. Breathing her in for a few seconds calmed his animal.

  “Let’s go,” he said softly. Grabbing her hand, he led her into the break in the trees.

  They weren’t walking far, but he hadn’t thought about what she was wearing when he came up with this little adventure. She kept having to pause, her skirts getting tangled on branches and her sandals having no traction in the dirt.

  Stryker stopped and swung her into his arms. She squeaked and he decided he liked making her make that sound too. Blushing and squeaking, his little mouse was all cute.

  Her arms wrapped around his neck as he said, “Hold on little mouse, not much further.”

  “Mouse?” she asked him.

  “You squeak a lot,” he replied.

  “Squeak? Seriously?”

  “Yup, squeak,” he confirmed.

  Libby figured that there were a lot of nicknames one could get stuck with. Mouse wasn’t terrible. She was a friend to all creatures, except spiders. No one should be friends with spiders.

  Everything else she was cool with. She wasn’t a big meat eater, but that was just because her mother had a thing about eating anything with a face. Then again her mother decided coconuts had faces on them so they were out too. Libby was not one to turn down a burger though.

  Normally she wouldn’t be thinking of hamburgers, especially when a big strong man was carrying her. She should be thinking light thoughts like cucumber water and lettuce. Maybe that would magically make her weigh less in his arms.

  Although, he didn’t appear to be struggling at all. In fact, he wasn’t even out of breath as he stepped over logs on the trail and tromped through the woods.

  Chapter 12

  Libby could hear the sound of a river getting louder. The air in the forest had gotten cooler once they were under the canopy of the trees.

  Coming through a break in the brush she saw a beautiful roaring mountain stream ahead of her. There were jagged rocks and fallen trees crisscrossing the water.

  Stryker found his favorite spot; it was a smooth wide rock that jutted over the edge of the river. There was a tree on the forest side that was perfect for leaning against and contemplating life. His cat also liked sunbathing on the rock when it was warmed by the sun.

  Setting Libby on her feet, he watched as she closed her eyes and take in a lungful of the crisp mountain air. She smiled a small smile and kept her eyes closed with her face tilted up to the sky. She was fucking gorgeous and she was his.

  He was glad she liked this spot. It was something he could share with her. On the ride he was trying to figure out how to tell her about himself.

  That he wasn’t a simple mechanic. That he didn’t normally live in a cabin in a tiny town. His family’s home was nothing short of a mansion back in California. He’d never moved out because he didn’t see the need to.

  Telling her he was a shifter was an impossi
ble task. His cougar wanted to be out and proud. Stryker felt the ever increasing sense of doom at the idea of explaining that he was a shifter to her.

  Would she even be able to look at him? Would she think it was great or would she run screaming in terror? Running screaming was not something he could risk. So against his cat’s complaints he’d decided to not tell her anything yet.

  Stryker wanted her to like him. Just him, before she had to like his cougar and then his family.

  Yeah, his plan was to not lie, but not give her everything up front. Tiny steps to ensure she was happy and content with him just the way they were.

  He didn’t care if they lived large in California or she wanted to live above the mechanic’s garage in Port May. He’d go where she went.

  “Like it?” he finally asked her. His voice was low and he swallowed to clear his cat’s rough influence away.

  She turned around and offered him an angelic smile. “I love it,” she said.

  He sucked in a breath at the sight of her and her words. He liked her saying love. He wanted her to say it to him. He wanted to shout it into the sky that he loved her. But you didn’t do that with humans.

  There was a process that humans had to work through before admitting what their souls knew all along. Shifters could simply accept that the fates had matched them with the perfect partner. It was frighteningly simple.

  “Sit with me?” he said quietly, gesturing towards the tree.

  She nodded and followed him over to the tree. Stryker sat down and opened his legs. She accepted his invitation by turning and settling herself between his legs. She had a perfect view of the river in front of her and a hot sexy man behind her. His arms came around and pulled her tight against him.

  She wasn’t so naive that she wasn’t aware of the firmness at her lower back. He was hard for her, and she was sincerely flattered. Libby was also aware that this mature man was interested in her for more than her charming personality.