Chosen Mate (Catamount Lion Shifters #2)

by J. H. Croix

  Jake swore and dropped her hands. He leaned backwards on his desk and snatched his phone up, making two calls in quick succession. He left messages for Hank and Dane to call right away and set his phone down. He turned back to her.

  “Okay, here’s the deal, none of you are to be alone with him. We don’t know who he’s working with, or who he’s after. Once I talk to Hank, I’ll see if he can set up a security rotation. How long will he be at the hospital?”

  “That’s the thing, there’s no good reason to keep him, but he keeps reporting vague symptoms that we have to run tests on. I think it’s better if he’s there because we can keep an eye on him.”

  Jake nodded. “Definitely. Dammit! I was hoping whoever was connected to Seth and Randall would want to stay away after what happened with Chloe. I mean, Seth and Randall are in jail and won’t be going anywhere else soon.” He pushed away from the desk and began pacing. “You’re going to have to keep a close eye on who goes in and out of that room. That might help us sift through who’s working with them here in Catamount.” He paused and looked at her for a long moment. “Promise me you won’t go in his room alone again. For all we know, they’re targeting anyone close to those they’re after. You’re close to Dane, Shana and almost everyone important in the shifter families here. Promise me.”

  Phoebe nodded. “I promise. Rosie and I already talked about it after I saw him today.” Cold fear chased up her spine, and she shivered, hugging her arms around her waist. She caught Jake’s eyes. “I wish we knew more.”

  He stopped pacing in front of her and leaned against the desk, tugging her into him. Before she could think, he’d wrapped her in his strong, sure embrace. The heat of his body seeped into hers. She leaned her forehead against his shoulder with a sigh. Between the ever-present state of vigilance she’d been in ever since Chloe had been kidnapped and weeks of worry about everything, she was relieved to soak in his reassuring warmth and comfort.

  Chapter 3

  Jake studied the grain of wood in the floor inside the police station. The building was centuries old and retained the original hardwood oak flooring, worn from years of feet traveling across it, yet still rich in color. Dane was on the phone with Chloe while they waited for Hank. Dane finished his call and slipped his phone in his pocket. He glanced to Jake.

  “Every time I think about the mess Callen created, I wish he was still alive so I could make him pay,” Dane said, shaking his head, his eyes weary and angry at once.

  Jake leaned his head against the wall behind his chair and sighed. “You and me both. How’s Chloe?”

  “She’s good. She’s getting annoyed with me checking in all the time, but she’s putting up with it so far.” Dane paused, his eyes darkening. “I’m relieved she’s okay, but I’m not going to breathe easy until we get to the bottom of this.”

  The door to Hank’s office opened and he waved them inside. “Come on in, guys.”

  Jake and Dane sat in two chairs across from Hank’s desk. Hank took a swig of coffee and turned his gaze to Jake. “So what’s up at the hospital?”

  Jake quickly filled them in, along with the latest update from his online forays. “I’m thinking one of us needs to head to Montana. As it stands, we’re on the defensive on this side while they keep showing up here. Let’s get out in front. I’ve found enough clues online to point us to the right locations. Hell, I can pinpoint the locations of every ISP address linked to the accounts Callen was emailing. Maybe they’re fronts, but everything leads somewhere.”

  Hank glanced between Jake and Dane and shrugged. “I’m with you there, but I can’t go. It’s gonna have to be someone else. Hate to say it, but we can’t send either one of you. You’re too prominent. Plus, if they didn’t know your faces before, they do now. Both of you were all over the news after Chloe’s kidnapping.”

  Dane swore and looked to Jake. “Any ideas?”

  Jake shook his head. “Not yet. Let me think on it.”

  They moved on to developing a plan for surveillance at the hospital. It twisted Jake’s gut that every time they considered the threats shifters were facing, they came face to face with the reality that Callen had recruited within the Catamount Clan. His youngest brother, Randall who’d always been eager to impress Callen, was an easy mark, but they couldn’t assume others weren’t involved. Sussing out whom they could trust was a complicated task.

  Jake walked outside later to find snow drifting down. The police station was in the center of town on one of the streets adjacent to the town green. He crossed the street and walked onto the path that led to the center of the green, leaving footsteps in the fresh layer of snow. It was late afternoon with the sun low in the sky. The bare tree branches cast a network of shadows on the snow. The plump snowflakes glittered as they drifted through the lingering rays of sun angling across the green. He thought of Phoebe, his heart feeling a primal tug. He turned on his heel and walked quickly back to his truck. He needed to see her. Now.

  As he drove toward her house, a corner of his mind tried to remind him why he’d told himself he’d only be with a shifter. His college girlfriend, Naomi, had been the one and only woman he’d been involved with who wasn’t a shifter. He’d fallen so hard and fast for her, he’d ignored the warning signs. She’d been overly dramatic and often portrayed herself as a victim of any number of circumstances. Jake’s hormones found her so phenomenal, he’d charged ahead, thinking she needed someone like him and enjoying the superficial pleasure derived from feeling like her hero. In a haze of hormonal overdrive, convinced they were meant to be together, he’d told her who and what he was. She’d promptly gone into drama central mode and flipped out. He’d spent months clearing up rumors and feeling like a complete idiot. The saving grace had been she’d transferred to another college in the aftermath. To this day, he didn’t know if she’d done so because she was legitimately afraid of him because he was a shifter, or because she hadn’t counted on how many friends he and the other shifters had who were willing to close ranks around them.

  He’d stayed true to his commitment to only get involved with shifters since then, but he’d yet to find anyone who called to him. Except Phoebe. She’d always had a straight line to his heart. When he was younger and watched her grow into the beautiful woman she’d become, he’d told himself he couldn’t take advantage of her. She was four years behind him in school. The yawning gap between their ages then was nothing now with him at thirty-four and Phoebe at thirty. Between the time he tried to keep from fawning all over Phoebe and his messy brush with Naomi, he never managed to wipe out the shimmering electric connection that hummed to life every time he was near Phoebe.

  He might not be thinking too clearly right now, but he was damn tired of denying himself what he wanted. Especially when, in the midst of the suspicions running high in Catamount, Phoebe was one of the few who held his absolute faith. He turned into the driveway to her house in the wispy light of dusk. Her house was a cape style home, painted a soft cream with the whimsical touch of purple trim and a matching purple steel roof. Snow was falling more heavily now, coating the landscape. Phoebe’s car wasn’t in the drive yet, so Jake texted her quickly asking when she’d be home. Moments later, she replied to report she was on her way. He leaned his head back and watched the snow float down over the field beside her house. A small creek meandered through the field, the dark ribbon of it glimmering under the last rays of sun.

  Phoebe’s holiday lights came on. Jake chuckled to himself, realizing she must have them set on a timer. Her home was laced with holiday lights along the roof with two bare trees flanking her front walk decorated as well. Phoebe pulled up and waved at him from her car. He climbed out and followed her down the snow-covered slate path to her front entrance. When she reached the door, she turned to him. Her dark hair was flecked with snowflakes. One caught on her lashes, glittering bright under the lights by the door.

  “I didn’t know you were stopping by,” she said, a question in her eyes.r />
  She blinked and the snowflake on her lashes disappeared. Her dark eyes met his, and his breath hitched.

  “I hope you’re not planning to ask me to leave.”

  She shook her head and tugged her keys out of her purse. “Of course not. Come on in.”

  She nudged the door with her shoulder once she unlocked it. Jake’s eyes fell to the flimsy lock on her door. He needed to beef up the locks on her house. In Catamount, it had never crossed his mind to worry about the state of anyone’s locks. He hated that he had to think this way, but right now all he wanted was to make sure those close to him were safe. They’d gotten lucky with how quickly they’d been able to handle Chloe’s kidnapping. He didn’t want to be caught blindsided again.

  He shut the door behind him and locked it. Phoebe dropped her purse and bag on the couch as she walked into the kitchen, flicking on lamps along the way. The air was cool. He glanced at the woodstove in the corner of her living room.

  “I’m going to start a fire, okay?” he called out.

  She leaned her head around the archway leading into the kitchen. “Please do,” she said with a grin.

  Jake eyed the small wood rack nearby and turned to head outside. In the snowy almost-dark, he headed for the woodshed on the side of her yard. Walking through the light cast from her festive holiday lights, he methodically stacked wood on the holder outside her front door, filling it to capacity before bringing an armful inside. Once he had the fire started in the woodstove, Phoebe called to him from the kitchen. He walked in to find her ladling stew into bowls, instantly handing him one when he stepped to her side.

  “I made it in the slow-cooker this morning. I didn’t know the weather would be ideal for beef stew,” she said.

  She nudged him to the table and followed him over with a bowl. Jake uncorked the bottle of red wine on the table and filled the wineglasses she’d set out.

  “This is amazing,” he said a few minutes later between bites of the rich, savory stew.

  Phoebe grinned. “I didn’t know you’d be enjoying it with me, so I’m glad you like it.”

  “Not that there’d be any doubt. You’re a damn good cook,” he replied. He’d shared many meals with Phoebe and knew her to be ridiculously good at cooking and baking. She didn’t go for fancy, but could make the simplest meals amazing. He finished his bowl and pushed it away. Leaning back in his chair, he looked over at her. Her dark curls were damp from the snow, her cheeks flushed. Her dark eyes drew him into their depths. All the years he’d known her, he’d vigilantly shut his brain off when it came to thinking about what it would feel like to experience the passion she exuded. She approached most everything with zeal—cooking, hiking, sewing, nursing, and more. With her dark hair and eyes, curvy figure and warm smile, he’d spent years longing to know her beyond the friendship they shared.

  Watching her now, he let go of the tight control he’d kept on his feelings for her. He simply didn’t care to hide them anymore. He sensed she didn’t quite believe him, but he didn’t know what to do about that other than show her. When she stood to carry dishes to the sink, he followed her with the empty wineglasses. The clink of dishes and silverware placed in the sink echoed in the quiet room.

  Jake’s body was humming. After so many years of tamping down the ever-present arc of desire for Phoebe, to allow it to exist freely set him afire. After handing her the wineglasses and feeling the brush of her fingers against the back of his palm in the tiny exchange, he had to close his eyes to keep from yanking her against him. When she finally turned to him, he reached for her hands. Her dark eyes widened, but she didn’t say anything. He began walking backwards, drawing her with him into the living room. The light from the fire in the woodstove flickered through the glass door. Snow was still falling outside, the white flakes shining brightly in the glow from the holiday lights encircling the house.

  He backed up until his legs bumped the back of the couch. Resting his hips on the edge, he tugged her close, barely able to keep himself under control. The act of letting go of his iron control on his feelings for her was unnerving. The cat in him purred and growled softly, desperate to unleash the lust surging through him. He lifted a hand and trailed the back of it down her cheek, into the soft dip of her neck, across her collarbone and over the lush curve of her breast. Her breath hitched. He flicked his eyes to her face to see her tongue dart out to moisten her lips. The thin thread of control loosened further.

  ***

  Phoebe’s body was on fire, molten heat building in her center, slick moisture between her thighs, and a longing for Jake that ran so deep it shook her to her core. When he’d texted her tonight and said he was waiting for her to get home, she’d decided she wouldn’t try to turn him away. Desperate as she was to keep her heart safe, she was more desperate to give free rein to her feelings for him. Her body had been simmering ever since he’d kissed her, desire thrumming and pulsing with every breath. Though she seriously wondered if her heart could handle it if she gave in to what she’d wanted for so long and it was torn away from her later. Jake slid his hand around her waist and drew her to him, bringing his lips to hers swiftly. As with the kiss the other night, the feel of his mouth against hers was sheer heaven. Her mouth opened to his and he delved in, seeking, stroking, and tangling.

  Her pulse leapt, the desire that had been buzzing in her veins for days blew into a flash-fire through her body. Inside, she was hot, needy, and achy for more. She pressed against him, running her hands up over his shoulders and down the muscled length of his back. He tore his lips from hers, nipping her earlobe, tracing a burning path of kisses down her neck into the dip of her blouse. Shivers raced through her body. He tore at her shirt, a button flying loose and pinging on the floor. She ran her hands under the edge of his cotton shirt. His lips never breaking contact from her skin, he reached a hand behind his head and tugged his shirt up and over in one swift move.

  She groaned at the feel of his warm skin under her hands. She’d seen him shirtless countless times over the years—watching him run track in college, swimming in Catamount Lake—and always wondered how good it would feel to touch him. He was all lean muscle and pure strength. His muscles shifted and flexed under her hands. She groaned at how good it felt to touch him. His skin was burnished gold in the flickering light from the fire.

  Jake’s hands were warm, strong and sure, coasting over her skin in soft touches. He pulled back, his hands on the curve of her hips, his blue eyes dark as he looked at her. He held her eyes as he reached around, and with a flick of his finger, unhooked her bra. The straps slid down her shoulders, her breasts fell loose, heavy and aching for his touch. The air around them was hot and electric, vibrating with the intensity of want and desperate need.

  “Phoebe…” he whispered, a hint of reverence in his voice.

  She closed her eyes, the moment, the sound of his voice something she’d wanted for so long and beyond what she could have imagined. When he whispered her name again, she opened her eyes and met his, startled at the bare desire reflected in them. She opened her mouth to speak, but groaned when he leaned forward and closed his mouth over her nipples. His tongue swirled, his teeth nipped, and pleasure streaked through her as she arched back with a soft cry. After he gave the same attention to her other breast, she was frantic. She pushed against him, relishing the feel of his hard chest against her soft curves.

  The rest of their clothes were torn off in a rush. Time was suspended. Somehow, she found herself pressed against the couch, Jake’s hand holding her wrists in his grasp. She was stretched beneath him, her hips rolling against him, blind with need. She struggled to get closer, gasping as the hard planes of his chest caressed her breasts. His free hand coasted over the curve of her belly, sifted through her dark curls and into the drenching moisture of her folds. His lips pulled away from hers slowly, his eyes landing on hers in the shadowy room.

  “You feel so good…” His voice was ragged, slurred.

  “Jake�
��please…” Her hips communicated what her voice couldn’t when she shifted against his hand.

  He slid a finger into her channel. She was so close to the edge, pressure gathered inside. Another finger joined the first, stretching her. Sensation rolled through her in waves, centering on the feel of his fingers in her slick core. She tumbled into the blur of his blue gaze, unable to look away until his lips fell to hers in a searing kiss. He ravaged her mouth, his lips tearing away as he licked his way down her neck. He caught her earlobe in his teeth, the sharp bite sending shivers wracking through her. His fingers pumped in and out of her, driving her to a point of desperation. She distantly heard her voice gasping his name, pleading. His hard, muscled body was fluid under her hands. Rolling her hips against him, sharp pleasure spiked through her as her climax crested, so intense, it tore through her with wave upon wave. She felt his fingers go still inside of her, her channel throbbing around him.

  Opening her eyes, she found his on hers—dark and intent. For a flash, she felt self-conscious at her complete abandon in his arms. She shoved the feeling away. Now that they’d broken through this barrier, she would take all she could get. She wanted more. She reached between them, curling her hand around the heated, hard length of his shaft. His forehead fell to hers. She held him in her grip, stroking up and down. His breath hissed when she arched up and left a trail of wet kisses on his neck, nipping at the curve. In a swift move, he reached for his jeans, which had fallen to the floor. Within seconds, he rolled a condom on and brought his eyes back to hers.

  Settling his hips against hers, he arched into her, sliding his hot length against her. Just when she thought she’d regained a fraction of control, he drove her beyond wild again, teasing her as he dragged his cock back and forth through her wet folds without giving her what she wanted. He nudged her closer and closer to the edge. Just when she thought she could take no more, he finally surged into her slick heat. He filled her completely, stretching her channel. It had been years since she’d had sex, so she gasped at the fullness, teetering on the edge of pain.