The Panther's Rival

by Emilia Hartley

  Ignoring her worries, she watched excitedly as a wild grin crept over Nick’s face, his grey eyes flashing with a new light. As if thoroughly prepared for her agreement, he pulled out a well-worn copy of an old Chinese takeout menu and rattled off a few of the best dishes.

  She smiled up at him from where she’d been glancing over the menu. “Tell you what. You know this place better than I ever will. Why don’t you choose for me?” she asked, trying for coy. “I’m sure whatever you choose will be… delicious.” Her gaze quickly swept down his body as she stepped away. That word could easily be used to describe him as well.

  Jo felt the heat building up between them, and if in that moment Nick chose to throw caution to the wind and take the next step with her, she wasn’t entirely sure she’d have it in her to stop him. Suddenly, Nick gave a little shiver, and she could see some sense of responsibility come back to his eyes. He let out a small cough. “Uh, there’s wine somewhere as well,” he said, forcing himself to back away towards the door. “Make yourself right at home. I’ll be back later.” He winked before turning to depart.

  “See you later.” Again, she couldn’t help but watch him walk away, his entire body rippling with unspent power. The door closed behind him, and Jo imagined his confident stride down the stairs as his footsteps faded into the night. She hugged her arms close, nearly squealing with glee. She was lodged up in a cabin that was fancier than any hotel she’d seen in the last year, there was wine in a cellar somewhere with her name on it, and she had every book she could ever want to read at her fingertips. And…

  “And he’s coming back tonight,” she murmured, an excited shiver running through her. This time she didn’t try to stop it.

  ***

  “I don’t like this,” Tom grumbled as Nick shook off the cold of the night breeze. “I didn’t like it when you left with her, and that look on your face right now tells me that I have even more reason not to like it now that you’re back.”

  “Would you relax?” Nick insisted, pulling on his gloves. “I told you, I have everything under control. Plus she’s human. Even Lucas knows the rules. Humans are off limits.”

  “What’s one human to Lucas if he can use her to finally get rid of two alpha bears?” Tom retorted.

  Nick’s body tensed at the thought. “Law is law, Tom. Besides, she’ll be gone in a few days. We just need to keep an eye out until then.”

  “She’s a liability, Nick.”

  Nick growled. “Hardly a liability when we haven’t seen the Northern Wind in over a month.”

  “It’s because they hadn’t found a way to get to us yet!” Tom replied. “Until now. You’ve just gift-wrapped the perfect prey for them to use against us. Congratulations, brother.”

  The tension built between them and Nick fought to stop the rattle of his bear’s growl from crawling up his throat. “We’ve had to fight for our own protection for as long as I can remember. This is nothing new. Lucas is nothing new. If helping out a human cause any sort of issue, we are fully capable of protecting ourselves.”

  “But she shouldn’t have to!” Tom yelled, throwing up his hands in disbelief. Nick could feel the anger radiating off his brother, and it only made his own inner bear bristle in response. “Who’s there to protect her if Lucas attacks the cabin right now? How do you plan to watch her as we’re both working on her car? We can’t babysit her twenty-four seven because you decided to put her in danger.”

  “She’s safest with us!” Nick yelled, nose flaring.

  Tom scoffed. “Sure, whatever you say. She was safest when she was just another boring human customer.” He sighed, finally looking at his brother with honest eyes. “You haven’t been yourself since she walked into the shop, Nick. Usually you’re all grunts and groans, hardly making eye contact with customers. But with her… it’s different. I can tell. You’re making too much of an effort, even for a Good Samaritan. It makes me worry if—”

  “Stop worrying,” Nick interrupted, breathing a sigh of his own. “Look, if you don’t want to deal with her, fine, but this is still the right thing to do, whether Lucas is snooping around or not.” He shrugged. “Besides I’m headed back there later tonight anyway, so, I’ll be able to check for any trace of the Northern Wind Pack easily enough.”

  Tom’s head shot up. “‘Headed back’?” he repeated, brows knitting together in confusion. “See this is what I’m talking about, Ni—”

  “Calm down, Tom,” Nick interrupted again. “I told her I’d treat her to some Chinese. That’s it.”

  “Uh-huh,” Tom rebutted, unconvinced. “And am I able to tag along on this ‘dinner trip’ tonight?”

  “You can if you want to,” Nick replied, feigning nonchalance. “You’re paying for your own food, though.”

  Chapter Six

  “This is amazing,” Jo moaned, sinking leisurely into the deep bath. Like the rest of the cabin, the luxury style bathroom upstairs did not disappoint. She’d been more than a little surprised to find bubble bath stashed away in the cabinet, the thought of Nick in a tub of suds bringing a smile to her face. It soon faded, her thoughts wandering into darker territory. Just thinking about him brought heat to her face. Closing her eyes, she thought about the strong, burly musculature of his body that she’d been able to see from afar as she’d watched him throughout the day, imagining how it would look bared and covered in scented bubble bath, against her… right now…

  She quickly pushed the image away. How cliché… Now wasn’t the time to be lusting for the mechanic. Now was the time for relaxation. She sank lower in the bath with a contented sigh, allowing the warm water to soak deeply into her tired muscles. Things had done a complete turn-around, starting with this cabin, and she was determined to enjoy it. She’d even gone so far as to block Brian’s number. She’d unblock him once she was on the road again, of course, but until then, she’d decided to take a much-needed vacation from the stress of her work life.

  Jo lay prone in the bath for what seemed like a glorious and painfully short eternity. Only with a growl of her stomach did she realize that she probably overstayed her welcome in the cooling water. With a stretch, she hopped out of the bath, drying off quickly and rushing to dress before Nick arrived with food and caught her naked. There was a fleeting fantasy about what might happen if he did catch her bare and she allowed a warm thrill to shiver through her before batting the idea away. It was much too soon to be thinking of those things with a guy she just met a few hours ago. If at all. She’d be leaving in a few shorts days after all. That was hardly enough time to form any sort of meaningful relationship. Shooing that thought away as well, she opted for an oversized long john shirt and some sweatpants for the evening.

  Waiting for Nick to return was a particular sort of sweet torture that Jo didn’t really want to think about. Her mind danced with ‘what ifs’ and ‘could bes’, finding no harm in casually fantasizing over what kind of night this could turn into if she only let it. She wasn’t blind to the way he looked at her when he thought she wasn’t looking. She saw the darkness in his eyes when he was angry for her and felt the sparks when their skin brushed together. Just thinking of it both thrilled and terrified her. It wouldn’t take much…

  Three sharp knocks rattled the front door, startling Jo from her reverie. She held her hands to her cheeks, hoping they weren’t warm and blushing to betray her wayward thoughts to Nick once he entered the cabin. Finally regaining her posture, she pulled the door open.

  “Oh hey. Back so soon?” she joked, trying to ignore the tingle that danced over her as Nick silently took in her damp hair and clean clothes.

  “Yeah, I guess so. I’m sure you’re hungry.” He shrugged. “I invited Tom, but he bailed at the last second.” Jo didn’t admit it aloud, but she was completely okay with that.

  She stood back from the doorway and beckoned him inside. “So um, I found the wine and helped myself to a glass. I hope you don’t mind.”

  Nick gave her a heart-stopping smile. “Not at all. Fancy
getting me a glass?” He held up the large bag of steaming Chinese. “A nice red pairs well with the lo mein.”

  Jo swallowed, softly and nodded, not sure she could trust her voice to be calm after seeing that grin and how his eyes danced over her body. Something told her that Chinese wasn’t the only think he was hungry for, but she ignored it. Food now, anything else later… she thought sternly to herself.

  She steadily poured Nick a glass, focusing more on the wine spilling into the cup so that her mind wasn’t focused on how nicely his broad shoulder filled out his t-shirt. He’d showered and changed before returning to her, his jeans weren’t stained and his shirt was made of a material a little better than cotton. Absently she wondered if he’d tried dressing up for her, but she hadn’t know him long enough to assume his habits just yet. Still, he looked nice. Very nice…

  “Thank you. For the dinner, I mean,” she said, handing him the glass of red wine. As she dipped into the kitchen to grab cutlery and plates, she called back, “It smells amazing!”

  Nick seemed content with her gratitude as he sorted the food across the table for easy serving. “Best takeout in town!” he replied. It sounded natural and automatic, like he said it a lot. Jo smiled. He probably does.

  Jo seated herself at the dining table and refilled her glass. “If it tastes half as good as it smells, I have no doubt of your words.” She took an exaggerated whiff of the food. It really did smell delectable. “I have to admit, it felt a bit odd making myself cozy in a strange, albeit nice, cabin, but the wine and the takeout are starting to make it feel like home.”

  “Ha, I know what you mean,” Nick agreed with a grin. “I’m hoping the bath helped as well? I worked hard on renovating the bathroom the most.”

  Jo paused, her fork mid-serve of some delicious looking lo mein noodles. “How did you know I had a bath?” she asked, one inquisitive eyebrow raised.

  “It’s just your hair,” Nick replied. He barely missed a beat, but Jo still caught the tiniest pause in his answer. “It’s still a bit damp. And I just figured, what with the day you’ve had and all, it was probably more of a bath night than a shower one, you know?”

  “Ah,” Jo laughed, feeling slight relief. For a moment, she couldn’t stop herself from thinking that Nick might have the place rigged with cameras or something… she waved the thought away, along with the thrill of excitement it invoked within her. Food now… “So, um, do you bring other people here often?” she asked, immediately biting her tongue in embarrassment. “I mean, do you rent out the cabin for people often?” she tried to salvage, but Nick was already grinning, the corners of his eyes crinkling with the effort to hold in his laughter.

  “If you’re asking if I have a girlfriend, the answer is no,” he replied smoothly, swirling the wine in his glass before taking a slow sip.

  “I wasn’t asking that,” Jo protested, though not too much. “It’s just… this is such a beautiful place. I just figured that… you wouldn’t want… I think people would like staying here,” she finished limply, losing all confidence in her façade as Nick’s smile only grew. Her embarrassment grew under his gaze, but underneath it she felt something else unfurling—a desire from his attention that she found particularly hard to control. She tried to cover both emotions by bringing the glass of wine to her lips.

  She averted her gaze awkwardly for a moment longer than comfortable before Nick granted her blunder some leniency and changed the subject. “So you enjoy your job?”

  “Mmm,” Jo mumbled, noncommittally. “It has its good points.”

  “Except for your boss?” he quipped.

  “Except for my boss,” Jo confirmed. She knew he saw the uncertainty darken her eyes, and possibly the way her fingers fidgeted uneasily on the wine glass, but she said no more.

  He watched her for a moment longer. “Then why not leave? Quit?”

  A sigh left Jo’s lips as she placed her glass back on the table. “I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about it at least a million times.” Her stomach churned queasily and she realized she didn’t really feel like talking about work or Brian or her self-prescribed mini-vacation. “So have you always been a mechanic?” she asked, changing the subject.

  “For as long as I could hold a wrench. So, yeah, pretty much my entire life,” Nick replied, spearing a piece of chicken as he spoke. “Tom and I…well, our dad taught us the ins and outs of car doctoring and we’d made a plan early on to start a place of our own one day.” He smiled—a real smile that cut wrinkles down the sides of his mouth and sparkles in his eyes. Jo knew he was reminiscing about the past - it was a smile that only a good memory could create. “Our little shop might not look like much, but nothing can take away from the feeling we had when we opened those doors for the first time. It’s our dream come true, come to life.”

  Jo smiled at him. “You and Tom… You two seem very close.”

  Nick snorted, but it didn’t cover the darkness that clouded his eyes. “We’ve been through a lot together. Never really been apart for too long. And when we lost our dad… we were practically joined together at the hip.” He smiled again, but this time it was watered down and a little sad. It made Jo’s heart hurt. “Nothing’s stronger than the bond of family, you know?”

  He took another bite of food, and Jo waited patiently for him to work through his emotions. Finally, he swallowed a bit of fried rice and said, “He’s not just my brother. He’s also my best friend, you know?”

  “That sounds nice,” Jo commented, quietly. The rest of the dinner faded to silence as they ate. She thought about how Nick sounded when he spoke about his life, so sure of his path, so content with his relationships. She wondered what it would feel like to be more like that with her own life, to be truly and honestly happy. She’d once loved her job, but that had long since passed. Her rare days off were spent alone in front of the television as she made her way steadily through a bottle of wine. She thought listlessly of the life that had already passed her by, slow and monotonous and just plain boring… until today.

  Until Nick.

  Cliché as it seemed, Jo felt as if the very dynamic of her life had changed the moment their eyes met. Beginning to feel the tingling after effects of the wine coursing through her system, she allowed herself one small pass over of Nick muscular, toned body. He was tall and wide, giving the seams of his soft t-shirt no quarter. The grey of its fabric matched his eyes, making them glint with a light all their own. Just below the hem of his left sleeve, Jo could barely make out the dark marks of a tattoo on his large tanned bicep. Maybe if she had a moment, she’d ask him what it was. Her eye passed over his throat, and she watched as it convulsed with a particularly rough swallow. It made her heart speed and her breath quicken.

  Maybe just one fun night with him wouldn’t hurt… she thought to herself, already shaking her head slightly. She wasn’t sure if she could handle a fling and go with this man. If she had him for even a moment… he certainly seemed like the type she’d want to hold on to for a long time afterward. Reluctantly, she let the hope in her eyes fade, and stood to clear the dishes.

  Dishes neatly placed in the dishwasher for cleaning, Jo treated herself to another glass of wine. She curled her feet under her up on the couch, one hand swirling her wine while the other one was propped elbow first on the sofa arm. Lazily resting her head on her hand, she stared intently at the flames of the roaring fireplace, and tried her hardest to feign relaxation.

  Truth be told, she was a whirlwind of emotions and excitement. Nick stayed behind to help clean, and after they were finished, he decided to rest a while and let the alcohol work its way through his system before driving the short way back to his shop. He sat in the armchair across from her, resting easily in the fashionably weathered upholstery with a half empty glass of water. Occasionally, Jo would slide here gaze over to where he lounged, only to find him passing a glance right back at her. It ignited a fire deep in her belly that had nothing to do with the chimney.

  Training her eye
s dutifully back onto the fire, she willed her fluttering heart to slow down and her breathing to calm. As she slowly regained control of her emotions, she saw Nick shake his head slightly in her peripheral vision. Her heart sank as he rose from the chair. Despite her internal battle, she couldn’t help but feel sad for missed opportunities as he stood to take his leave. It took a bit of mental fortitude, but she managed to move her lips into a smile to give him a proper goodbye. When she turned from the fire to send him off, she bit back a yelp of surprise. He was standing right beside her, easing down onto the couch close enough to brush bodies.

  Her heart began to pound in full force, and that fire within her blazed back to life. She looked up at him with an excitement she couldn’t hide. “Nick?”

  Chapter Seven

  Nick’s mouth was on Jo’s before she could say another word. She gasped against his lips, feeling the rumble of a soft growl and moaning in response. Wrapped in an eternal euphoria, she could only cling to him as he slowly pushed her backward onto the sofa. This has been all she wanted tonight, all she needed, but now that it was finally happening, Jo was stunned to helplessness, afraid that even the slightest movement would break whatever spell had been casted over them in that moment.

  Passion roared to life as his lips slipped over her cheek and nibbled down her neck, nuzzling into the little hollow at the base of her throat. He nipped the sensitive skin in the bend, groaning with a raw need as Jo reacted to him.

  Jo noticed she was trembling with desire—with need. It rampaged through her like white water rapids, her arousal almost too strong to keep tame. It was dizzying in its power, washing over and under her in wave after wave of pleasure in time with Nick’s hungry kisses. She called out his name as his bared teeth scraped against her skin in an act of raw lust, and he growled deep and reverberating against the soft flesh of her throat, holding her prone body close to him in a tight, almost superhuman grip.