by Ann Gimpel
“No, really, I’m fine.” Alice was flustered—and so aroused she couldn’t think. She rubbed her thighs together. Maybe there’d be some way she could sneak off to the privy. Her head would be clearer if she made herself come. She drank some more whiskey. Between that and his suggestive comments about good girls and fun, the sensitive nub between her legs throbbed mercilessly.
She settled into the feel of his hands on her flesh. Her feet really were tired. The heavy, two-layer mountaineering boots didn’t have much give to them. They were made by a German manufacturer, and the standing joke in the climbing community was you had to adapt to them because they’d never bow to you. The next time she raised her glass, she was surprised to find it was empty. Alice set it on the table and leaned back against the cushions.
“Would you like more?” His voice was rich and smooth, just like the whiskey.
She shook her head. “I’ve probably had more than enough. I—” Alice stifled a gasp. He’d bent his head and taken her big toe in his mouth. He sucked gently, and then ran his tongue down the underside of her foot. Her hips writhed against the sofa cushions. His mouth moved to her second toe and he sucked harder. He ran a nail down the underside of her foot, and then did it again.
Heat roared through Alice. Her arousal from moments before was nothing compared with what was happening to her now. Her thighs fell open. Fingers moved between her legs. Momentarily confused, she was horrified to discover she’d jammed a hand atop her vulva and was rubbing her clit through layers of pants. She tried to drag her hand away, but her body had other ideas. It wanted to come. Had to have release or she’d die.
Her face heated with lust and humiliation. She glanced at him. One of his hands was buried in his crotch. The swell of an erection tantalized her and made her even hotter. He must have sensed her gaze on him because he raised his face from her foot. “Just let it happen, sweetheart,” he murmured, voice raspy with passion. “We needed to start somewhere. If you were any closer to coming, you’d be there. Go on, rub yourself. Or,” something feral and untamed blazed from the depths of his blue eyes, “I can do it for you.”
He moved his hand from his cock and placed it atop hers. Slowly at first, then faster, she showed him what she needed. The added weight of his hand and the heat of his body undid her. Her breath hitched in her throat; her heart thudded hard. She closed her free hand over a nipple, captured it between two fingers, and twirled it. Her hips bucked against the combined pressure of their hands, and bucked again. She barely recognized the long, low shriek that filled the room as hers. Waves of climax pounded through her, and she just kept coming.
He rubbed her until her hips quieted. Alice tugged her hand from under his and buried her face in it. Shame filled her. Jed was a stranger. She’d just masturbated herself to orgasm in front of him. “I—I’m not usually like this.” Her voice ran down. She didn’t know what to say. All loose women probably proclaimed their innocence.
The sofa shifted as he settled next to her. He draped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his body. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of. I know you’re a virgin, and I’m the first man who’s ever touched you.”
“How could you possibly know that?” Her voice was muffled against his shoulder.
“That’s part of a talk we need to have. But I want you to get some sleep first. Come on. There’s a bed behind the curtain. Let me tuck you in. We’ll talk after you wake.” He got to his feet and extended both hands. She took them and let him draw her into an embrace. The jut of his erection pressed against her stomach.
Feeling bold, she reached between them and curled her fingers around it. Alice didn’t have the first idea how to make a man come, but she was sure she could figure it out. The idea thrilled her and made sparks ignite between her legs again. That she wanted more from Jed mystified her. She’d just come. Why wasn’t she satisfied? She’d read about nymphomaniacs. Oh my God. Is that what I’m turning into? Instead of letting go, she tightened her fingers around his cock. “Would you like—I mean, uh, you helped me, so…”
He cut her words off with a kiss. When he raised his head, he said, “Yes, I want you to do all those things to me, but first you need to sleep. Come on.” He placed an arm around her and led her through the curtain. The bedroom was illuminated by a candle burning in a glass holder. A double four-poster bed with a patchwork quilt tossed over it sat in one corner. A matching mirrored dresser was off to one side. Both pieces were richly carved dark wood. True to his word, Jed turned back the coverlet and tucked her under it. He bent and kissed her forehead, then turned to leave.
“Aren’t you going to sleep with me? Er, I meant, get some sleep.” A fresh wave of embarrassment filled her. She was acting like a whore. Well-bred women didn’t talk about sex, not directly, anyway. They waited for men to do the asking—for pretty much everything.
He laughed and blew out the candle. “I’ll be in front of the fire. Just call if you need me. If I lie down, you’ll never get the rest you need.” The last thing she heard before she fell asleep was the clump of his footsteps moving through the cabin.
*
Jed tossed another piece of wood on the fire. His cock raged against the front of his pants, but he ignored it. He wanted to hold onto a sexual edge, not dilute it by jacking off. The corners of his mouth curved into a lascivious grin. What a hot little number Alice was. Better than his wildest dreams. When she’d shoved her hand between her legs, he’d wanted to crow his delight. That she hadn’t even realized what she was doing was even better. The mate bond had her in thrall. Between that and her latent sexuality, he just knew he could stoke her passion into a blazing fire. She’d come twice with his hand atop hers, one peak piled right after the next. He wondered if she understood what a gift that was.
He imagined what she’d look like without clothes. He’d pretty much seen her breasts through the fabric of her long-underwear top. He’d thought it odd she wasn’t wearing some sort of brassiere. Jed nodded to himself. The lack of underwear wasn’t such a puzzle after all. She’d called Brent a friend, but he’d seen longing for the Hunter in her mind. No bra meant she hadn’t given up trying to seduce him. I’ll have to disabuse her of that notion. And damned quick.
His thoughts returned to Alice’s wonderful body and her magnificent, waist-length hair. It was so thick and lush, he couldn’t wait to undo her braid and bury his fingers in it. She had delightfully long legs. They had to be well muscled for her to do the things she did in the mountains. He pictured them locked around his hips, his cock buried deep inside her body.
He laughed softly. Alice wasn’t the only one in thrall to the mate bond. It poured through him like well-aged wine, tantalizing and compelling. His breath quickened. His hand drifted to his hard-on, but he jerked it away. Jed got to his feet and paced from one end of the cabin to the other to get blood moving to something other than his penis.
He blew out a breath. He’d cheated—but only a little. When she’d gotten up and huffed her way to the door—scared, but full of bravado—he’d called up a bit of magic and soothed her fears. It had been unconscious; he couldn’t stand to see her frightened or suffering. The mate bond was weaving its magic. He already felt fiercely protective of his new mate. Nothing would ever harm her, not while he had anything to say about it.
Jed stared into the fire, thinking of the next day. He couldn’t use magic when he explained what he was to her. It was against the rules. She had to accept him on her own, or he’d need to obliterate her memory of him and let her go.
The way Keir had handled things was foolish. Too much margin for error to give the woman information and let her out of his sight. Jed thought about his counterpart, head of the bear clan, and said a quick prayer for his safety and that of his fellow shifters.
He considered what to tell Alice—and in which order. First, he needed to clarify what Brent was. Jed had a sneaking hunch it would come as a relief, once she understood her erstwhile friend had ignored her charms because
of what he considered a higher calling.
Describing what he was would be much harder. Humans had preconceived notions about shifters—lots of them. She’d be horrified at first. Jed tossed one more log on the fire, damped it, and sat down. He steepled his fingers together and rested his chin atop them. Maybe it would be better to get her talking about herself. He’d taken a peek inside her mind, so he already knew a great deal, but if he could get her to confide in him, it might relax her.
He didn’t have to pretend to be interested in her. Linked by the mate bond, he was so taken, it was a struggle not to stride to the bed, join her, and fuck her until she couldn’t walk. Jed gritted his teeth. Once wakened through the bond, the mating urge was strong. So strong it had been known to make shifters physically ill if denied.
Can’t make love with her, he chided himself. Not yet. She had to know what he was, first. He had to tell her about the mate bond, too. Having sex with him would change her irrevocably. She’d get some of his shifter magic. Once mated, she’d want him with a strength and ferocity to equal his own. No way to wipe that out of her mind with magic. No, she needed to make this choice of her own free will and with a clear head.
He’d have to tell her about Terin and Bron, too. Shifter marriages were group affairs. Oh, not on paper. She’d be married to Jed, and Jed alone, in the eyes of the world, but the four of them would form a family group. His jaw tightened. It was a lot to take in. He hoped she was up to it. It was one of the main reasons he’d insisted she get some sleep. He’d sensed her exhaustion. After all, she’d been on the move since the middle of the previous night.
“That’s it,” he muttered as he watched the flames of the fire sputter and spark against one another. “Even though I already know a lot about it from my foray into her mind, I’ll encourage her to tell me about her life. Even her parents’ deaths. Once her story is out on the table, I’ll tell her I’m a shifter. If she doesn’t back away shrieking, I’ll work in the mate bond and the rest of the story, but gradually.”
Jed grinned. His hand strayed to his erection and he stroked himself through his trousers. Once she’d accepted his shifter status and what fucking him would mean, there was no reason they couldn’t take a sex break. His cock twitched against his hand. It wanted Alice. Wanted to bury itself deep in the hot warmth of her body and consummate the bond.
Soon. He patted himself. She’ll be ours soon enough. I hope.
Chapter 4
Alice rolled over and opened her eyes. The gray light of early morning filtered through heavy drapes, because they weren’t fully drawn. She was disoriented for a moment, and then memory of the previous night hit her between the eyes. She groaned. I’ve got to get out of here. She had no idea what Jed had in mind. For all she knew, he planned to keep her as some sort of sex slave. Her pussy thought that was a fine idea. She told it to go pound sand. Just thinking about Jed made her clit pulse with need. She moved her fingers to her nipples. They were already peaked. She rubbed them through her top and then lowered a hand between her legs.
What the fuck am I doing? She jerked her hand back and worried something had gone badly wrong the previous night. Was she one of those women who, once she’d succumbed to sex with a man, were worthless for anything else? She’d never believed the whispered tales, but she seemed to be living proof they were true.
She eyed the window. It looked as if it would open. Maybe she could dress quietly and just sneak away. She’d miss some of the things in her rucksack, but her car keys were in her pants pocket. They were really all she needed…
My boots. I need my boots. She clamped her teeth together. Chances of creeping past Jed to grab her boots sitting next to the fireplace were slim to none. She scanned the room. Several pairs of shoes were lined up beneath a dresser. She had big feet: men’s size eleven. Maybe luck would be with her. Alice crept from the bed. If she weren’t trying for silence, she would have grunted in pain. Every muscle ached from yesterday’s climb. She’d almost made it to the shoes when Jed shoved the curtain aside.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” he said breezily. “There’s a chamber pot under the bed if you need it. Come on out when you’re ready. I just started some coffee. How do you like your eggs?”
Alice swallowed hard. She squared her shoulders and turned to Jed. “Um, look. Last night was a big mistake. I was tired and drunk. What I plan to do this morning is get dressed and leave.” Nails dug into her palm when she fisted her hands. “You will let me leave.”
Something flitted across his face, but she couldn’t make it out in the dim light. “Of course I’ll let you leave, but first we need to talk. I told you that last night.”
She lifted her chin. “What if I don’t want to talk?”
He exhaled sharply. “Unfortunately, that’s not one of your choices.” She opened her mouth; he waved her to silence. “If you still want to leave once we’re done with our conversation, I won’t try to stop you. I give you my word.” He held out a hand.
She ignored it. Anger set her nerves on edge. “Fine. Get out of here. I’ll be out presently.”
The curtain fell back into place. Alice fumed. She dragged the porcelain bowl from under the bed, squatted, and peed. How fucking convenient, an inner voice snarked. This way he didn’t have to let me go outside to use the privy. Her mood didn’t improve when urine sloshed over the top, wetting her bare feet. She wiped them with a towel hanging from a hook near the door. Not much more she could do without water.
She’d slept in her clothes, so getting dressed was a nonissue. She pushed the chamber pot back under the bed, tugged the quilt into place, and stomped into the front room. Jed’s back was to her. He was busy over a kerosene-powered camp stove. “You really should have the door open when you use that,” she snapped. “Unless you want to kill both of us.”
His back stiffened, but he didn’t turn around. When he spoke, his tone was mild. “I did open the window at this end of the cabin. It’s what I usually do when I cook in here and I’m still alive. Coffee’s ready. I didn’t know how you—”
“Never mind. I’ll make my own.” She gathered her socks and her boots and sat in a chair to put them on. The smell of bacon and eggs frying filled the cabin. Her stomach growled. Alice shut her eyes for a moment and gathered her thoughts. She wasn’t really frightened anymore. If he’d wanted to kill her, she’d be dead. Part of her was still furious, though. Jed was holding her prisoner.
Another part wanted more of what he’d dished out the previous night. Her pussy was wet and swollen with need. It ached. So did her breasts. She watched him sidelong, grudgingly appreciating his skill in the kitchen. Most men, other than chefs, couldn’t boil water. “About ready to eat?” he asked.
She nodded, but then realized he couldn’t see her. “Yeah.” She got up and walked briskly to his side. His wonderful scent enveloped her, trumping the odor of food. Alice batted back an insane desire to throw her arms around him. She pushed her tongue against her teeth. There was definitely something wrong—with her. She hoped it would fix itself once she left Jed and the cabin behind. To divert herself from the sexual images tumbling through her mind, she grabbed a metal mug and poured coffee into it. “Is there any milk?”
“In the cold box under the window.”
By the time she returned with it, he’d dished up two plates and set them on the well-worn kitchen table. Alice poured milk into her coffee and sipped it. A few grounds, but not bad. She smiled her thanks, then remembered she was angry with him and dropped her gaze.
He snorted. “For a minute there, you forgot yourself. I could have sworn you were about to thank me.”
She pulled out a chair and sat. Once she started shoveling food into her mouth, she didn’t stop. It had been thirty hours since she’d had a decent meal. Alice glanced up to find his gaze settled on her. “You ate as if you were starving, sweetheart. Can I make you some more?”
Alice’s cheeks heated. Her lips parted in a shy smile. “Could you? If it’s too much troubl
e, I can scramble up a couple more eggs. Is there any more of the bread we had last night?”
“How about this?” He got to his feet. “I’ll make us more eggs. You can toast some bread over the fire. The grate’s hanging next to the fireplace.”
Alice dug through the sack he pointed to and got the rest of a loaf of bread. She sliced it and went to get the long-handled grate. “I’m surprised you trusted me with a knife.”
He laughed. The sound was mellow; it warmed her. “I wasn’t worried. You’re angry with me, but I don’t think you’d hurt me.”
“Does that mean I can have my ice ax back?” She flipped the grate to toast the other side of the bread.
“You can have everything back, sweetheart, if you decide to leave.”
Something about his tone was so sincere, the place that had been wound tight as a spring inside her relaxed a little. “Butter?” She opened the grate and removed the toast. It was hot enough, she laid it on her sleeve to carry back to the kitchen.
“And honey, too.” He laid both on the table, along with their plates piled high with more eggs. “Sorry, we ran out of bacon. I could cook up some venison or mountain lion—”
“That’s okay.” She tucked into the food.
When their plates were empty and she’d worked her way through her second cup of coffee, he reached across the table and placed a hand over hers. “There are some things you need to know,” he began and cleared his throat, “about your friend.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What? Did you lie to me last night?”
He shook his head. “No, nothing like that. He really did hit his head on a rock and my two buddies really did take him to the hospital in Bishop.”
“What then? You didn’t know Brent, so what could you possibly tell me about him?”
“Did you know he’s a Hunter?”
