Ouachita Mated

by P. Jameson

  Josie narrowed her gaze. “How much not on board?”

  Bethany furiously chewed her lower lip. This was not a good sign.

  “We’re still discussing it.”

  Josie tipped her head to the side. “Beth.”

  “What?” she snapped. “Look, don’t worry about Renner. We’ll work it out. Right now, we just need to keep this quiet, okay?”

  Josie nodded reluctantly.

  Bethany had helped her out of a jam more than once. She’d put her own well-being second to Josie’s more times than she could count. Why wouldn’t Josie do the same for her? Of course she would.

  “I want to do this for you, Beth. I want to give you something you need, instead of it always being the other way around. There is no one on earth I’d rather lend my womb to, believe me. But… are you sure? Like, really, really sure? Maybe it’s just a matter of timing. Maybe you and Renner can work this out on your own.”

  Josie wasn’t comfortable with Renner being opposed to the surrogacy. It made her uneasy, deep down where her morals and conscience played see-saw on the playground of her heart.

  “It’s been four years. We have sex like rabbits. If it was timing, our bodies would have synced by now, surely.” She shook her head. “We need this. Renner needs more babies to love, and I can’t think of another way to make it work. I won’t lie to you, Jos,” she said, her eyes filling with tears. “I wish it was me. I wish I could give him another one on my own, I do. But it doesn’t look like that’s possible.”

  On the phone, Beth had been businesslike about it. Like they were negotiating a deal for a womb time-share in south Florida or something. But now Josie could see how much pain her friend was in, and it tore at her heart. She’d never been good at comforting others, but she had to try.

  Pulling Beth into a hug, she gave her a shoulder to cry on.

  “Aw, Beth. It’s going to be alright. We’ll figure this out.”

  “I know,” she sniffed. “You’re right, I know.”

  Josie reached to the counter to grab a tissue from the box there, and passed it to Beth.

  “There’s no problem we can’t work through. You know that. We’ll just give it some time, think this through. Talk to Ren. I’ve got nothing but time right now, and this place is pretty great for being in the middle of the sticks. I’ll stay until we get it settled.”

  Beth nodded, dabbing her eyes, before squeezing Josie tight. “Thank you.”

  “You know I gotchu.”

  Beth let out a watery laugh as she went to turn the music down.

  “You didn’t leave your job did you?” she asked, changing topics.

  “Well… that’s actually why I’m here.” Josie took a deep breath. “I got canned.”

  Beth’s eyes widened with surprise, quickly replaced by disappointment. Josie was used to seeing it. She wasn’t exactly known for being responsible, and her fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants ways had always been a source of contention between her and Beth. Probably because Beth was a straight-laced planner who always had to sweep up the wreckage when Josie spun out of control.

  The accident had left Josie desperate to make the most of her time on earth. Near death experiences will do that, make you see things differently. Make you care less about rules and regulations, and more about living in the moment no matter the expense to yourself or others. But she’d done a lot of work to better herself in the last few years, and although she wasn’t quite where she wanted to be on that journey, she was proud of the changes she’d made.

  Beth sighed. “What happened?”

  “It wasn’t my fault this time, okay. It really wasn’t.”

  She’d kept this job doing the books for a popular Memphis dance club longer than the last. A lot longer. Two years longer in fact. The clubs offered fantastic money for someone with her skills, but they were rife with skeevy men, and hell on her nerves.

  She thought of her bank account and didn’t miss the irony that she could take care of other people’s finances just fine, but not her own. She cursed herself for not being more careful. Now she was jobless, somehow broke, and all but in the wind again.

  But it was okay. Josie was good when she was flying free.

  For a time at least. As long as she could rein it back in before things got messy.

  “It was that bastard, Jake,” she blurted.

  “The owner?”

  Josie nodded. “I couldn’t take it anymore, Beth. Every fucking day, ‘Yo, Josie. I got a large column you can add to your total.’” She reached down and grabbed her crotch, imitating her ex-boss with a slimy laugh. “‘I could put it in your accounts receivable if you’d like. Just say the word, baby.’ You know, he called me his ‘accounting bitch’. Not bitchy accountant, because that might’ve been accurate, but his accounting bitch. Like that was my title. Like he owned me.”

  Beth’s expression twisted up in disgust. “Ew.”

  “Yeah, ew. So, the other day he thought it was time he got a feel of my ass.” Josie shivered at the memory of his grimy hands on her. “And that was it. Too far. He crossed the line.”

  “Agreed. But…” Beth eyed her knowingly. “Did you retaliate?”

  Josie glanced away, finding the rack of essential oils on the counter suddenly very interesting. “I mean… yeah… a little.”

  “A little?” Beth’s tone was skeptical.

  “Mm hm. A little.” Josie pulled a bottle of frankincense oil from the shelf. And unscrewed the cap for a sniff. Huh. So this is what baby Jesus smelled like.

  “Can I ask how?”

  “Sure.”

  “Okay… how did you retaliate, Josie?”

  She scanned the tiny glass bottles. Where was the myrrh? Frankincense was myrrh’s Siamese twin, right?

  “I just made sure his column wouldn’t see any accounts receivables for a while. That’s all. You should really get some myrrh for in here.”

  “I don’t want to know details, do I?”

  Josie replaced the bottle. “Nope.”

  There was a beat of silence and then Beth let out a laugh that had Josie grinning from ear to ear.

  Yeah, it was good to be back with someone who got her. The city had been her home for so long, but she was always down for a change. And the mountains didn’t have to be a boring snooze-fest.

  Wherever there was Josie, there was trouble.

  Maybe that’s exactly what this place needed. A little hellraiser. A little fun.

  And maybe in the meantime, she could figure out what she was going to do with her life.

  Chapter Three

  Magic adjusted his gloves and hit the heavy hanging bag once again with a little more vigor. He couldn’t go full strength of course. They shared this gym with humans. Their visitors might wonder how he’d demolished a 150 pound bag with one punch. Though the place wasn’t exactly busy at this time of night. Most of their guests were snuggled up tight in their rooms until morning.

  He should be in his own room. Not out in the open where he could run into her again.

  Josie.

  He shook his head, landing another solid hit to the bag.

  He considered actually making use of his cabin for the few days she was here. Like the other cats in their clan, he had his own simple cabin in the woods, but he didn’t stay there often. He preferred to stay on-site. He kept a room in the wing reserved for seasonal employees, and he liked it just fine.

  He didn’t need a home. He’d had that already.

  A boisterous male laugh had Magic turning his attention to the weight bench. Bethany’s brother, Ryan, lowered his back to the slab and prepared to lift more weight than most humans could handle. Mason, a cougar shifter, stood behind to spot him.

  Magic watched the human. He was one huge-ass motherfucker compared to Mason’s lithe build, but the cat could still best him. They’d been sparring together since Ryan moved into the lodge.

  After Renner mated Bethany, and Ryan learned about the werecats, leaving his sister alone with the shift
ers wasn’t an option. He’d been worried for her safety, which Magic both despised and respected. The mountain cats weren’t monsters. They were just different.

  It had taken time, but the human male had come around. He and Renner even combined their skills to form R&R Construction Services, and brought in extra revenue for the clan. He was one of them now, under Magic’s protection.

  Ryan managed to get the bar out of the cradle, his triceps straining, and lowered the load to his chest.

  “Naw, human, I don’t see it happening. Betcha can’t get it back up,” Mason goaded.

  Ryan locked his jaw, his face turning red against the pressure. “Don’t… touch… it…” he ground out.

  Mason put his hands in the air for proof, and Ryan adjusted his grip, arms shaking as he forced the weight back up. When his arms were straight, Mason helped him get the bar back in place.

  “Well, I’ll be a nut sucker,” Mason murmured in shock.

  Ryan barked out another laugh, gasping to catch his breath. Grabbing a towel from Mason’s hand, he sat up and wiped the sweat from his face.

  “Think you’re done for the night,” Mason said, passing him a water bottle.

  Ryan nodded. “Yeah. Let’s call it.”

  He stood and headed for the showers, but when he did, Magic caught sight of the claw marks on his upper arm and froze mid-punch.

  A mating mark?

  No fucking way.

  The three slashes were deep and in the process of healing. They were close enough to his shoulder to make Magic think of his own mark.

  Which of their females could have done this? Fury filled him as his mind flipped through the possibilities. There was only Doc Davis, Bailey, and Layna. None of them would have mated. The females relied on the no mating pact more than the males did. It kept them free. It kept them safe.

  Ryan disappeared behind the door, and Magic was left floundering with his emotions. The human hadn’t even tried to hide the mark. Didn’t anybody respect his authority anymore?

  He punched the bag, the smell of vinyl assaulting his nostrils.

  When he said, no mating. He meant no—punch—fucking—punch—mating.

  Maybe he’d been too reluctant to exert his power over the clan. Maybe they needed to see that he was serious.

  Another hit, this one harder.

  And then the scent of apples mixed with expensive perfume hugged him like an old friend.

  Josie.

  She’d always been like that. Familiar. Like he’d known her before they ever met. He’d never been able to figure it out, but her presence calmed him and riled him at the same time.

  “Whoa,” she murmured from behind. “If only the bag could fight back, you wouldn’t stand a chance. I’d bet against you, that’s for sure.”

  She strolled past him to the rack of towels against the wall, pulling one free and wrapping it around her slender neck.

  Josie was Bethany’s human friend. She’d shown up with Ryan one season when Renner was recovering from an injury caused by hunters. But unlike Ryan, she didn’t stay long. Just visited often.

  If he could keep out of her way long enough, she’d be gone. But he couldn’t leave the bag right now. If he did, he’d be tempted to kick Ryan’s ass until he told him what that mark was about. Or finally give Eagan the boot. It was either the bag or one of his boys.

  So, the bag then.

  He continued battering it, aiming to keep his eyes away from the female stretching in the corner.

  Josie locked her fingers together and raised her arms high above her head, arching her back into the stretch. The result was her breasts jutting out, pushing against her skin-tight tank top until her nipples were visible through the fabric.

  He recalled their conversation in the hall.

  If you paid with your tits, it wasn’t enough.

  He was a damn liar.

  You wouldn’t know. You haven’t seen my girls naked yet.

  Yet. Yet.

  Yet, yet, yet.

  The word implied that it was only a matter of time before he saw her girls naked. And that was simply never going to happen. Josie naked anywhere near him was not a good idea.

  Magic didn’t bed females. Not anymore. Not since Mandi. And that wasn’t going to change no matter how much his bastard cat growled and snarled and hissed for the female across the room.

  He forced his eyes away.

  Glaring at the blue bag, he gave it another round of pummeling.

  He’d known Josie four years, and it was always the same with her. She was trouble. Anytime she was around, things seemed… harder. Harder to breathe, harder to think, harder to feel. She was like… she was like riding a bicycle down a country road. All that wind in your hair, peddling fast as you can, because no motherfucker can take your freedom. Who’s gonna stop you? You’re on a goddamn bike. But then your tire hits a rock and you spin out of control, and by the time you skid to a halt, your freedom’s gone and all you are is fucked.

  That was Josie.

  She bent to touch her toes, graceful as a swan. Her body was lean because of her height, with just enough curves where it mattered most. But the beauty was in the way she moved. Scrappy as hell one moment, elegant as fuck the next.

  She came up just as Ryan walked back into the gym, laughing with Mason. A black t-shirt covered the claw marks on his arm.

  “Oh! Hey, Jos. I didn’t know you were coming.” He dropped his gym bag and scooped her up so her feet were off the ground.

  She laughed, and the sound grated on Magic’s ears. Not because she had the laugh of a horse or anything. It was something else.

  He ground his teeth as he watched Ryan set her back to the ground. Josie was tall for a female, but she was like a mere slip tucked in the big human’s arms.

  She looked all wrong there, though she didn’t seem to mind. Her slender hands landed on his biceps as she leaned back to look at him, a smile spread across her face.

  “I wanted to surprise you,” she said.

  “Riiiight. No need to play me. I know what that really means, Jos.” He laughed. Why was he always so fucking happy anyway?

  Josie’s smiled turned to a glare.

  Scrappy.

  “It’s not what you think.” She pushed away and continued stretching, twisting and bending to touch her other foot.

  Elegant.

  “Aw, now. Don’t be mad already. You just got here. And you know if you need anything, I got your back.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” She stood to pull her long, dark hair into a high ponytail. “Go play. I’ve got work to do.”

  Ryan leaned in to kiss her flushed cheek and her grin returned.

  Magic’s panther snarled inside. His next punch hit hard enough to split the bag right down the middle causing Mason to whistle low.

  “Catch ya later, Josie.” Ryan headed for the exit, eyeing Magic the whole way. “Give that poor bag a little less hell maybe,” he suggested as he passed.

  Magic let out a hiss, and punched it again, making the stuffing bulge from the rip. Ryan shook his head, lip pulled up in a smirk, and Mason raised a questioning eyebrow as they pushed through the door.

  Whatever. He didn’t have to explain anything to them.

  Magic scanned the gym. It was just him and Josie, and one other human who was using the elliptical and singing along to some pop song playing through earbuds.

  “That was an interesting sound you made. Sounded feral. You gotta teach me how to do that.” Josie strolled over to examine the bag.

  He shouldn’t have hissed at Ryan. He knew better. Josie might be close to their clan, but for whatever reason, Beth had decided against telling her they were shifters.

  He grunted a response. Less was more right now.

  “I always wondered what was inside these things,” she murmured, picking at the scraps of recycled fabric pushing through the torn vinyl.

  “There’s sand in the bottom.”

  Her brow lifted. “Lint and sand. I never would’ve g
uessed.”

  He wouldn’t have either, but he knew because one time he and Owyn took a chainsaw to a bag simply to solve the mystery of what was inside.

  Magic stepped away, pulling at the velcro on his gloves.

  “You going?” she asked.

  He shrugged. “I’m out of things to punch.”

  Her eyes were some combination of blue and grey as they considered him. Light, the way the lake looked when it was frozen. And they weren’t going to let him off easy. They traveled slowly over his body. So slowly, touching on his shirtless chest and arms before moving lower.

  Magic grit his teeth and struggled not to squirm, because her gaze felt like a touch, sizzling its way down his body.

  He could’ve just walked away, but he didn’t.

  “You’re so… angry,” she whispered low, almost to herself. There was no hint of the playful teasing he was used to from her. She narrowed her gaze, tipping her head to the side. “Why are you always so angry, Magic? It just…” She shook her head, searching for the word. “…seeps from you. You bleed it. What did the world do to you, anyway? Huh? To make you so angry?”

  His defenses were up. Her words shouldn’t have had any effect other than giving him the urge to tell her to mind her own damn business. But it was the way she spoke to him so candidly. As if she expected him to answer. Like she was someone in his life who deserved an explanation.

  But she wasn’t.

  She wasn’t an employee or part of his clan or even a friend. She was… something else. Not that he had a name for what she was.

  And maybe that was why he didn’t flip her the middle finger and walk out.

  She waved her hand through the air. “No, don’t answer that. I get it. We all deal with shit.”

  Turning, she walked to the row of treadmills lining one wood-planked wall. He watched her step up and balance her weight on the sideboards while she programmed the computer. Several beeps sounded and she started at a brisk walk.

  “A little run always helps clear my mind,” she called over her shoulder. “You should try it.”