by J. H. Croix
Chapter 12
Phoebe sat on the couch in their hotel suite, idly flipping through channels. She and Shana were waiting for Jake and Dane. He’d texted earlier to say they’d be back soon. The door to their suite opened and Jake walked in with Dane right behind him. His blue eyes locked on hers as soon as he stepped into the room. Energy came off of him in waves. Their clothing was torn in places. Jake offered a perfunctory nod and hello to Shana.
“Mind if we take a few minutes?” Jake asked, his gaze breaking from Phoebe’s to bounce between Shana and Dane. Dane’s mouth quirked as he nodded. Shana merely shrugged. Jake grabbed Phoebe’s hand as he strode toward her, pulling her up swiftly. The second the door closed on their room, he tugged her to him, kissing her fiercely and tearing at her clothes.
Phoebe pulled back, pressing her hand on his chest to hold him still. His heart pounded against her palm. His eyes held hers, burning her with his gaze. “What happened?” She slid her hand across his chest, curling over his shoulder and down his arm. She paused over a tear in his sleeve and arched a brow.
He closed his eyes, his breath labored. “We had to shift when a guy showed up at Hayden’s office and shifted right there. No harm done though, you don’t need to worry.”
“Jake…”
Her words were swallowed in his kiss. He lifted her in his arms and covered the distance to the bathroom in two long strides. He shouldered through the door and took her mouth in another bruising kiss. She tumbled into the vortex of heat swirling between them. Never breaking contact from her lips, Jake eased her onto the small counter and reached inside the shower with one hand to turn it on. Steam filled the room in seconds. Clothes were torn off and left on the floor. He nudged the soft light on above the shower.
She wrapped her legs around his waist, glorying in the feel of his hard muscled body under her hands. His touch was everywhere at once and she couldn’t get enough. He lifted her high against his body, the center of her resting against his shaft—hot and hard against her soft, slick folds. Steam enveloped them when he stepped into the shower. Hot water rained down upon them as he slowly loosened his hold and she slid down his body. Without pause, she kept moving down, her hands coasting down his chest, across his rock hard abs, and down his thighs. His breath hissed through his teeth when she curled her hand around his cock.
She glanced up through the steam and caught his eyes, his dark blue gaze intent on her. Desire snaked around them. Holding his eyes, she leaned forward and slowly stroked up and down his cock with her tongue. He groaned and his head fell back. She took him in her mouth, to the hilt, and then drew back slowly. Establishing a steady rhythm, desire sizzled through her as she toyed and teased with him. After a deep stroke, Jake growled her name and moved swiftly, tugging her up and turning her to face the shower wall.
The tile was cool under her palms. His strong palm stroked down her back, sliding through the water. He nudged into her folds, but held still as tension drew tight inside of her. His lips landed on her spine and trailed upward in a dizzying path of kisses. When he reached her neck, he bit softly just as he thrust inside of her. She gasped as he filled her. Without his hands holding her hips, she’d have fallen. Enveloped in sensation, her focus centered on the slow pull and slide of his shaft inside her channel. Twisting heat built within her until she was spun tight. Another nip on her neck and she shattered, unwinding into wave after wave of her climax. He growled her name again and then arched back, pounding into her as he found his own release.
Phoebe felt the hot water coasting over her skin and slowly slid her palms up the tile. Jake stepped away from her though his hand remained curled on her hip even as she turned to face him. His golden brown hair stood in wet spikes, his lashes glistening. He met her eyes, a wicked smile curling the corner of his mouth. Without a word, his hand fell away and he grabbed the soap, quickly soaping her and then himself. He pulled her close to rinse the soap off, the steaming water sluicing over them as he held her in his arms.
Moments later, he wrapped her in a towel and stood watching her while she briskly rubbed her hair with another towel. She glanced up to find him leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed with a bemused expression.
“That was more than a few minutes,” she said, in reference to his comment to Dane and Shana.
Jake shrugged. “Don’t care.”
She set the towel down and ran her fingers through her damp curls. She walked past him into the bedroom, collecting their scattered clothing as she did. Holding up his torn shirt, she turned back to him.
“What happened this afternoon?”
“Like I said, some guy showed up at Hayden’s office and shifted. He went after Hayden and when we shifted and fought back, he took off into the woods. We followed, but Hayden made me back off. The guy was headed straight for a hunting camp filled with shifters. Hayden says the guy who came to his office is Paul Malone’s brother.”
“The guy from the hospital in Catamount?”
Jake nodded. “Hayden’s says both of them are in deep with the smuggling group. He didn’t want us to get trapped.” Jake paused and shook his head. “It wasn’t easy, but I backed off. I might be pissed, but I’m not stupid. Hayden thinks we need to peel off one of the leaders around here and see what kind of intel we can get. There are too many shifters involved here for it to be safe for us to try to go straight at them.”
Phoebe fought the fear that rose inside at the possibility of Jake and Dane getting cornered by too many shifters. She abruptly sat on the bed, tugging the towel tighter around her. “Maybe we should go home. I didn’t realize how big this thing was until we got out here. I don’t want you and Dane to get hurt. I can’t…” She paused to gather herself, fighting back tears.
Jake grasped her hands and knelt in front of her. “We’re not going to get hurt. Did you miss the part where I backed off?”
She shook her head, taking another gulp of air. Before she’d let herself experience the full force of her feelings for Jake, it would have been terrifying to worry about his safety. Now, she could hardly bear the thought of something happening to him. He’d knocked through her well-honed defenses and taken residence in her heart. Though she’d been afraid for years of how to handle her feelings for him, the reality of being with him and allowing herself to hope went far beyond anything she could have imagined. He’d gone from being one of her dearest friends to literally holding her heart and body in his hands. Her body thrummed to life on its own accord when he was anywhere near her. Hope unfurled and shined light in the dark corners of her heart where she’d buried her feelings for him. She experienced a flash of intense anger toward Callen for exposing Catamount and its shifters.
Jake’s thumb stroked across the back of her hand. He said her name softly. She met his eyes.
“It’ll be okay. Dane and I talked on the way back. We were thinking we should head back to Catamount in a few days anyway. Maybe you and Shana should head back sooner?”
Anchored by his eyes, Phoebe shook her head. “I don’t want to leave until you do.”
He nodded. “Okay. Let’s go get some dinner.”
He started to stand, and she tightened her grip in his hands. “Promise me you’ll keep me in the loop no matter what’s happening.”
He held her gaze. “I promise.”
Chapter 13
Jake padded quietly through the trees. He and Dane were following Hayden into the foothills of the Gallatin range, one of the six mountain ranges surrounding Bozeman. They’d shifted once they made it out of sight. Hayden had shown them several caches of clothing and supplies hidden throughout the woods. Though mountain lions were prevalent out here, shifters still protected themselves by being prepared to shift into human form if needed. Hayden and Jake had done some online sleuthing last night and this morning and determined someone was using an abandoned hunting camp out here, one not known to be frequented by the smugglers. Hayden’s suspicion was that Paul Malone was hiding out here. With
Hayden’s help, Jake had been able to identify many of the contacts he’d found, but who had been unnamed to Jake. Paul was one of them. Jake’s prior investigative work had shown plenty of emails between Paul and others, but the trail had gone cold since Chloe’s kidnapping.
They hoped to sneak up on Paul and overpower him. This, of course, hinged on their guess being accurate that he was the one out here using a satellite internet connection. Hayden led the way, moving with stealth through the trees. Dane wove through the trees at Jake’s side, mirroring his pace. He and Dane had spent so many hours together in lion form that he could anticipate Dane’s moves. They fought well in tandem, having grown up wrestling as boys and mountain lions. Though he’d grown to trust Hayden in the short time he’d known him, Jake hoped he could count on him if they had to fight. In all likelihood, Hayden had spent more time prowling in lion form than he and Dane had. Back East, they had to grapple with the extra layer of secrecy tied to the reality that mountain lions were considered extinct in the East.
For now, Jake flicked his tail and stretched, the cold air rippling through his fur. The snow grew deeper as they ascended into the foothills. Icy wind blew in gusts, catching the snow and swirling it in the air about them. Hayden paused and glanced over his shoulder. Jake and Dane walked to meet him, pausing on either side of him. Hayden swung his head to the side. The trees opened slightly in the distance and a small cabin sat nestled among them. Smoke drifted out of the stovepipe on the corner of the cabin. It was midafternoon with only a few hours of daylight left.
At Hayden’s nod, they moved through the trees, winding around behind the cabin. They’d agreed Hayden would shift into human form and approach the cabin. Unlike Jake and Dane, he could fabricate a plausible reason for being out there. Working for Fish & Wildlife gave him a host of reasons to hike around the nearby areas. Jake and Dane would wait outside and be prepared to attack if needed. Once they were close enough and out of sight behind some boulders, Hayden shifted and immediately lifted a rock by one of the boulders, tugging out a bag of clothing. After dressing, he made his way to the cabin door, knocking only when Jake and Dane were positioned on opposite walls of the cabin.
Though Jake couldn’t see, he recognized Paul’s voice from the day he’d gone into the hospital. Paul greeted Hayden and then silence fell. There was a sudden roar, distinctly mountain lion. Jake dashed around the corner to find Hayden crouched, his tail flicking. Dane came out precisely when Jake did. Paul had shifted. He glanced among them, his golden eyes flicking from one to the other. Appearing to assess the reality of his chances in a fight, he snarled and bolted. Jake took chase with Dane and Hayden right behind him. Paul flew through the trees, weaving and dodging. Hayden pulled ahead and swiped at Paul, forcing him to dodge, breaking his pace. He fell into line in front of Jake.
Primal anger pulsed through Jake. His muscles bunched under him as he poised to leap. Flying through the air, he landed on Paul’s back, sinking his claws in and throwing him down. Snow flew up around them. Jake didn’t give an inch and held Paul down with his front paws. When Paul attempted to bite, Jake roared and sank his teeth into Paul’s neck. The iron taste of blood seeped into his mouth. He held on until Paul went limp. Hayden and Dane stood on either side of them. Their breath bellowed into the air, mist curling around them. Paul was alive, but injured enough that he lay still.
***
Many hours later, Jake stood in the hotel bedroom while Phoebe glared at him.
“How come you didn’t call as soon as you guys got to the police station?”
Jake took a slow breath. He was weary and tired after a long afternoon turned into an even longer evening. After they’d made it back to Hayden’s office, Paul’s injuries had warranted a visit to the hospital. Jake found it ridiculous that the man who’d wasted time and space in the hospital in Catamount actually needed medical care now. Hayden had insisted they let him do the talking since he knew who was safe to talk with. Though it had chafed Jake, as well as Dane, they’d known it was the smarter move. After Paul was treated and released, they’d had a rendezvous at the local police station with a detective who was familiar with the smuggling activities of local shifters.
The upside was that Paul was talking. The downside was he was talking because he was scared. Jake had been startled to learn Paul believed Callen had been a leader in the smuggling network. That’s why he’d headed to Catamount after Callen died and the kidnapping attempt on Chloe failed. Paul admitted he’d been unable to determine if anyone else in Catamount was involved beyond the lower levels of the network. He was skittish as hell because he’d survived three attacks in the woods by other shifters in the month before and after Callen’s death. Paul knew he wasn’t safe locally anymore, which was why he’d gone into hiding. Problem was he didn’t know who was after him.
By the time they were done questioning Paul and left him with the local detective to be held on charges related to his smuggling activities, it was close to midnight. In the midst of all of it, Jake had only called Phoebe once when they made it back to town. She was none too pleased.
She stood before him, her dark eyes flashing and curls tumbling over her shoulders. Her gaze coasted over him. She reached out and fingered a tear in his shirt. He badly needed a shower. Though he’d come away from his encounter with Paul with little harm, he had several deep scratches where Paul had swiped at him, dried blood on his arms and torso, and a few healthy bruises.
“Phoebe, I left a message…”
She flung a hand up. “To say you’d made it back okay. That’s it! We spent hours wondering when we’d hear something else. I just asked you yesterday to keep me in the loop, and you go and do this!”
She whirled away, her curls arcing in the air. The hotel room didn’t leave much space, so she merely paced a few feet away from him. She stopped and looked out the window. Their hotel faced the foothills of one of the mountain ranges. A half moon rose above the mountains, the snow bright under its silvery glow. Stars sparkled in the cold, dark night. Phoebe hugged her arms tightly to her waist and sighed.
Jake stepped behind her and carefully rested his palms on her shoulders. When she didn’t push away, he slid them down her arms and noticed she was shivering. He took a step closer and wrapped his arms around her. Her back pressed against his chest, and her lush bottom nestled into him. He couldn’t help the lust that streaked through him. Ever since he’d let himself stop battling his feelings for her, he’d lost all control over his desire. All she had to do was be, and he was lost. He ignored his raging hard-on and held her close, nuzzling his head into the soft curve of her neck, that sweet spot where she stretched and almost purred every time he kissed her there. He held himself back as her body was taut with tension.
“You’re cold,” he murmured into her neck.
She nodded.
“I’m sorry I didn’t call again.”
Another nod.
“I’m not going to make excuses. Next time, I promise if I don’t get you when I call, I’ll call again.”
Another nod, but this time he felt the tension ease slightly in her shoulders. He dared to drop a kiss on her neck. “Let’s go home tomorrow.”
She glanced over her shoulder and slanted her eyes in his direction. “Are you sure? Don’t you guys want to look into a few more things?”
Jake lifted his head, still holding her close, and looked out over the mountains. “There’s a lot more to tell you. It’s fair to say, we’ve got some more work to do, but there’s no sense in staying here for now. Hayden will keep tabs at this end. After we talked to Paul, we realized we needed to get back to Catamount and try to follow up on that end.”
Phoebe rotated in his arms, so she was facing him. “Tell me everything.” She paused, her eyes coasting over his face. “After you take a shower.” A grin spread across her face as she placed her palm on his chest and firmly pushed him back. He wanted nothing to do with her being away from him, but when he reached to pull her back, she sidestepped
and strode around him to the bathroom. Water started running, and she called his name. When she tore his clothes off, it wasn’t for the reasons he hoped. She carefully looked him over and dusted kisses over his scratches before all but shoving him into the shower.
After a long shower, by himself, he came out to find Phoebe had left the bedroom altogether. She was in the shared area of the suite with Dane and Shana with a pizza on the table. Jake’s hunger took over, and he gladly sat and devoured as much pizza as he could. When he sat back in his chair, Phoebe handed him a beer and draped her legs over his. He and Dane filled them in on the events of the afternoon. While they’d been busy with Paul, Phoebe and Shana had stayed in town and done their own sleuthing to discover that one of the known shifters in the area happened to have shifter cousins in Catamount.
“What?” Jake asked, swiveling his head between Phoebe and Shana.
Dane’s eyes widened, but he was too busy chewing to say anything.
Phoebe nodded. “Yup. We didn’t meet the guy, but we were at a local café for lunch and when we mentioned where we were from, the woman waiting on us said her friend had family from Catamount.”
Shana picked up at Phoebe’s pause. “It’s some guy named Carl Jasper. There’s more than a few Jaspers in Catamount. The woman didn’t know much beyond that, but she told us where he lived and we did a drive by.”
Jake and Dane spoke in unison. “What?!”
Jake couldn’t squash the fear that prickled under his skin. With Phoebe and Shana sitting right in front of him, he knew they were safe, but he was weary of unexpected events.
Shana rolled her eyes. “Oh God, don’t you dare try to give us grief for driving by some guy’s house when you were out chasing Paul through the woods.”
When Jake turned to Phoebe, she merely arched a brow. He bit his lip, his breath coming out in a hiss.
