by Rosanna Leo
Predator’s Claim
Gemini Island Shifters (4)
Rosanna Leo
Published 2014
ISBN: 978-1-62210-091-0
Published by Liquid Silver Books, imprint of Atlantic Bridge Publishing, 10509 Sedgegrass Dr, Indianapolis, Indiana 46235. Copyright © Published 2014, Rosanna Leo. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.
Manufactured in the United States of America
Liquid Silver Books
http://LSbooks.com
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.
Blurb
For years, wolf shifter Bart Cairo has harbored secret feelings for his co-worker, Charlotte Moffatt. Even though he thinks he’s been discreet with his affections, everyone at Gemini Island’s Ursa Fishing Lodge knows he and Charlotte, a fellow wolf shifter, are meant to be mates. Everyone but Charlotte.
Charlotte couldn’t be less interested in mating. A free spirit, she wants nothing more than to succeed at her new career in the big city and leave small-town Gemini Island behind. However, she can’t deny Bart stirs up unwanted emotions inside her. Emotions she swore she’d never feel again.
The occasion of Bart’s family reunion compels him to assume new responsibilities, and to consider a role he never envisioned for himself. Family tensions rise to the surface as a new Alpha is proclaimed in his pack. And when old grudges escalate, Bart must stake his claim.
Charlotte resists as he stakes a claim on her as well. But when he begins to employ sexual tactics of temptation, she wonders if the only solution is submission to the enticing wolf man. Can she trust her heart again? And can they find their happy ending before an enemy cuts their story short?
Dedication
To my Italian Nonna, Attilia, one hell of a strong lady. And she can curse even better than my heroine, Charlotte.
Acknowledgements
A couple of my readers provided me with some much-needed inspiration as I embarked on this book. Michelle Ponce Mazuros, thank you for having a discussion with me about modern sexual values. You helped me look at my heroine, Charlotte, in a new light. I’d also like to thank Lee Anne Garland for sending me a photo of a model who looks just like my Bart. It was wonderful to have that image in my mind as I created him. Once again, I’d like to thank my editors Allie Hart and Terri Schaefer, for all their hard work and patience. Thank you to the wonderful team at Liquid Silver Books, for the tireless support, and to the romance community of readers for loving books.
Chapter 1
“This is the third time this week I’ve had to lecture you on the rules of the Ursa Fishing Lodge and Resort. There will be no running on the docks, especially now in winter when everything’s iced over. You will walk in an orderly fashion. No pushing. No shoving. And if I catch you indulging in horseplay again, I will see to it management sends you home. Got me?”
Wolf shifter Bart Cairo glared at his adversaries, hands on hips, and saw the steam as it wafted out of his flared nostrils. Why didn’t people listen? Rules were meant to be followed.
Obviously, the eight-year-old coyote shifters in front of him didn’t agree. One of the kids sniffed and kicked him in the shin. Then he and his mangy pal ran off the dock, cackling. “Stupid wolf!”
“What the…?” Bart clutched his sore shin and hopped around. “Damn kids. Resort’s crawling with the little hairballs this winter.”
Sometimes, working security in a shifter-friendly resort sucked. The customers had way more attitude than in a regular hotel catering to humans. One of these days, he’d book time off and head to the nearest Hilton for a long soak in a Jacuzzi, accompanied by some well-aged Scotch. And he wouldn’t get out.
Heavy footsteps crunched in the snow toward him. Bart looked up and saw Ryland Snow, his boss and old friend, headed in his direction. One eyebrow cocked, Ryland waved. “Let’s go talk in my office, Bart.”
“I’m not done with my shift.”
“Oh, yes, you are. Connor will cover you.” Ryland’s wry smile brooked no opposition. He turned and led the way back up the cleared path toward the lodge.
Grunting, expecting a firing, Bart followed. Sure, he’d known Ry forever, but the bear shifter was still the boss at the Ursa. He supposed if he felt tempted to turf him, he could. More likely, to teach him a lesson, he’d make him head diaper-changer in the daycare.
He trudged up the path, staying behind Ryland by a few feet so he wouldn’t be tempted to push his boss into a pile of snow. Dragging his feet through the snow, each step feeling heavier than the last, Bart made his way to the lodge. He kicked his boots against the brick-lined entrance to remove any excess powder, experiencing a savage delight in kicking something hard and unyielding. Once the snow had fallen off his boots, he whacked them another few times, just because it felt good.
Get a hold of yourself. You’re about to be handed a warning. Try to accept it with dignity.
They entered Ryland’s office and the bear shifter invited him to sit. Bart let his body sink into the nearest chair and waited for the death knell. Ryland sat opposite him, behind his desk.
“Do you want to explain why you were shouting at innocent eight-year-olds back there?”
“Those little shits weren’t innocent. Did you see the way that tiny dude kicked me?”
Ryland stared at him, unimpressed, and ran a hand through his hair. “Look, Bart, I understand you’re going through a rough patch…”
“What rough patch? I’m not going through a rough patch.”
“Really? Well, I have personally witnessed you screaming at a number of our customers for infractions as minor as not holding doors open for one another…”
“B-because it’s just rude.”
He inhaled and exhaled. “I know security isn’t an easy job, and I expect a lot from you guys. After all, we’re a resort that caters to shape-shifters, and tempers can run high here. To say nothing of the fact that we host a mentoring program for teen shifters whose emotions are already unpredictable. I expect you to anticipate problems and solve them for me. But it’s still safe to say your reactions have been a little over-the-top lately. Wouldn’t you agree? Or have you forgotten how you yelled at that little girl who dropped her ice cream cone the other day?”
“She did drop it on the lobby carpet. Chocolate stains.” Feeling the burn of a justified chastisement, Bart drummed his fingers on his thigh. Okay, maybe his emotions were a little ragged right now.
His boss sighed. “I know you miss her.”
Bart’s eyes popped wide open. All of a sudden, his scar felt like a throbbing mess of nerves. He rubbed the craggy line that ran from his forehead, over his right eyebrow and down to his cheek. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t play coy with me. I’ve been working with you for years and can read you like a book, my friend.” He stared him down. “I know how you feel about Charlotte Moffatt.”
Oh, shit. “What? Who?”
“Oh, you want me to spell it out? Fine.” He began to speak extra slowly, as if to a really stupid mute. “Bart Cairo, I am aware that you secretly lust after my chambermaid Charlotte. You know, the cute little wolf shifter with the potty mouth? Black hair, silvery eyes. Remember her? And I know that since she left the resort a couple of months ago to finish her research in Toronto, you’ve been an emotional wreck.”
Bart stared, flabbergasted and bereft of words. He thought he’d b
een so discreet.
“In fact,” Ryland continued, “you may think your love of this woman is a total secret, but the whole resort knows. Everyone. Even some of the regular customers. Seriously, dude. I get emails from people asking, ‘Did Bart ever get together with Charlotte? They’d make such a cute couple.’ So, I think you need to shit or get off the pot, my friend. Either that, or stop harassing my customers.” His black eyes burned with frustration.
The hammering of his heart seemed intent on vanquishing the wild pounding in his head, the same pounding that had begun ever since Charlotte had announced she was going to spend a few months at the University of Toronto to complete her master’s in religious education. It was on that day Bart took a swift leave of his senses.
She wanted to spend a few months in the big city. Away from tranquil Gemini Island where they both worked. Away from him. In a place where there were lots of bars and temptations and…men.
Charlotte loved men. Almost all of them except him. And why would she want him anyway? She was educated and prettier than anyone dared to be and could curse like his great Aunt Wanda on a bender, which qualified her for perfection in his books. He stared at a tiny hole in his jeans and wished he could disappear into it.
“Bart, dude, you need to tell her how you feel.”
“I can’t.”
“Why the hell not? Shit, you’re the big, bad wolf! I’ve never known you to be uncomfortable around women, and I know for a fact you’ve had your share.”
“I know.” He shook his head. Sure, he’d had women. All paltry attempts to alleviate the frustration inside him whenever he thought of Charlotte. “It’s just her, Ry. She makes me tongue-tied. She makes me do stupid things. I look at her and forget I’ve ever been with a woman. She makes me feel like a virginal teenaged boy.”
Ryland laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“I’m looking at all two hundred cocky pounds of you, and I’m having trouble visualizing the virgin boy.” He chuckled again but grew serious. “Come on, what’s the worst that’ll happen?”
“Uh, she’ll tell me to fuck off, rip out my heart with her wolf claws, and toss my sad carcass into Lake Gemini?” She was a wolf shifter, after all. It could happen.
“Bart, has it ever occurred to you Charlotte could be your true mate?”
He scoffed. “Mates, right. Ry, I know you’re all about the mate crap ever since you mated with Lia, but that shit doesn’t happen for everyone. And anyway, it’s different for wolves than it is for bears.”
“Care to elaborate?”
“Well, there’s a certain responsibility to mating with a wolf. We have packs, families to take care of.”
“And bears don’t?”
“Bears are more solitary as a rule. A mated wolf has to consider the safety and continuity of his pack. We exist for each other. Charlotte might not want to get involved in all that.”
“Do you even want it?”
“Hell, no,” he replied. “That’s why I’ve always been thankful my dad is our pack Alpha. Let him deal with my crazy family and their issues. Jesus, my father puts on a brave front, but I know the demands of the pack wear him down some times. And I know I’m not patient enough to deal with their garbage.” He grinned. “I’m happy being a bit rogue, doing my own thing.”
“Well,” Ryland joked, “I’d be willing to bet you’d be happier doing it with Charlotte.”
He dismissed the tantalizing thought. Bart had tortured himself enough times imagining Charlotte’s fine form pinned under his while he explored her with his fingers and his tongue. He’d spent countless hours already wondering what sorts of moans he could entice her to produce. Had considered ad nauseam how her spine might arch with pleasure once he dove his tongue into her…
“Sour Patch Kid?” Ryland opened his drawer and thrust a package of candy at him. “Lia made me try these things the other day. Now, I’m addicted.” He pulled one of the candies out of the bag and bit the head off, wincing at the sour taste.
“No, thanks.”
“So, are you gonna tell her how you feel?”
“I don’t know, Ry. She’s in Toronto. For all I know, she’s going to stay there now that she’s an educated lady with a fancy degree.” He frowned at the idea of Charlotte remaining so far away from their northern Ontario workplace and home. “And anyway things are going to be nuts for the next little while. Don’t forget my family is heading here next week for our annual reunion.”
“I haven’t forgotten,” Ryland said, fishing through his package for a gummy, grinning when he pulled out a red one. “I always enjoy hosting the Cairo family reunions. Your mom and dad are a blast.” He looked up under his eyelashes, his face upturned in curiosity. “I’m sure Charlotte will enjoy seeing them again, too.”
He grunted. “What are you talking about?”
“I got an email from her. It seems the big wigs at the university were so impressed with her work they offered her the chance to lecture in the fall session. It’s a big opportunity.”
“Are you serious? She told me it’s so hard to get a lecturing job. You basically have to wait until a professor keels over.”
“I know. This is pretty much her dream job. Anyway, she wanted to start preparing her lectures in a quiet environment, so I told her she could stay here at the Ursa until she had to return to the university. She was happy to pick up some hours doing her old cleaning job here at the same time. I’m glad she’s landed a good job. I have to confess, I had my doubts about her finding one so soon in the field of religious education, and God knows she’d make a piss-poor nun.” He smiled widely. “How on earth did such a wild child end up studying religion anyway?”
“Uh,” he murmured, wanting to return to the subject of seeing Charlotte again. “I once asked her. She said, and I quote, ‘Religious history is full of badass chicks. Ever hear of Joan of Arc?’”
“Well, anyway, she’s coming back on Friday.”
The pounding in his head morphed into an explosive display of fireworks worthy of a festival in Firecracker Town. His eyelids fluttered and his throat went dry. Bart felt a sudden pain in his thigh and realized he was clutching his leg so hard, he’d just about bruised himself.
Charlotte was coming back, and in two days.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked in a whisper.
“I’m telling you now. Besides,” he said, winking, “it’s not as if you’re mates, right?”
Oh, shit. He nodded, a little too fervently. “Right.” He swallowed hard, forcing the saliva past the painful lump in his throat, and stood up. “Wow. A lecturing job, huh? That’s awesome. She’ll be a proper professor.”
“Our little girl’s all grown up.”
As thrilled as he was for her, he couldn’t deny her success threw him for a loop. Sure, he had a good position at the lodge, and loved his work, but what on earth would a university lecturer think of a blue-collar security specialist at a fishing lodge? Okay, the Ursa Resort was the premier vacation spot for shifter families, but still. He wasn’t exactly Donald Trump’s bodyguard, not that he would ever want to be. “Uh, can I go now? I’ve got stuff to do.”
Ryland inclined his head like freaking lord of the castle. “By all means.”
He almost raced to the door, but then stopped and turned back to his old friend. “I’m not fired, right?”
“Not by a long shot, but if you keep shouting at kiddies, I will kick your wolfie ass.”
“Noted.” Before the second syllable of the word escaped him, Bart flew out the door. There was so much he needed to do. He had to clean up his cabin in case he had…visitors. Maybe he should put out some of that smelly stuff they advertised on TV. What did they call it? Potpourri? Maybe a scented candle would be better. Something to make his cabin smell like apple pie and not lovelorn man. Oh, and linens. Fresh linens. He wasn’t sure he’d changed them in the past two months and they were ready to walk off the bed of their own volition. And a shower. He needed a really lon
g, cold shower.
His scar throbbed again, almost in time with the throbbing in his pants.
Charlotte would be home soon.
* * * *
Charlotte piled another worn blanket on her lap to fend off the cold as she sat in Lex Dawson’s powerboat. She gave silent thanks that, despite the snow and wintery chill, Lake Gemini never quite froze over. Visitors could make it to the resort, even in frigid climes. Of course, even if the lake had frozen solid, she could have shifted into her wolf and traversed its cold expanse on her clawed paws. This just seemed more civilized. Why, if Lex offered drinks, she’d be in heaven.
“You warm enough back there, Charlotte?” asked Lex. He ran the ferry service between Gemini Island and the mainland, but often gave friends a lift in one of his speedier, jazzier vessels.
“Toasty.”
Lex aimed a look at her traveling companion. “And you?”
“Sure thing, friend,” replied Dylan O’Donnell, as he stretched and put his arm about her shoulders. He turned to Charlotte and grinned, allowing his gaze to drop toward her breasts.
Pretending to scratch her calf, she squirmed out of his reach. Fuckety fuck. She was starting to regret this hookup. Oh, Dylan was okay in his way, and indefatigable in the sack as shifter men tended to be, but lately he’d been getting on her nerves and she didn’t know why. They’d begun sleeping together as soon as she’d returned to Toronto to finish off one last bit of work for her thesis. She’d known him from class and had been attracted to his confidence and willingness to say exactly what was on his mind.
He proved a welcome change from the men on Gemini Island. One, in particular, who never hinted at the dark mysteries littering his brain.
Don’t go there. There’s no sense in it.
Her best friend Marci used to joke about shifter men being such closed books, and she couldn’t have been more correct. For creatures who understood and lived by animal instinct, shifter males could be such bloody pansies in the feelings department. Getting one to say what was in his heart was as easy as pulling impacted teeth from a stubborn skull.
