Flame

by Ophelia Sexton

  You're not going to run away and hide, damn it. Not this time. She angrily yanked down her panties and stepped out of them, completely nude now.

  "You okay?" Thor asked quietly, carefully not looking at her.

  He turned to step into the shower, and Cassie saw him try to hide a wince as he put his full weight on his injured leg.

  "I'm fine," she assured him, rushing to slip her arm around his waist.

  As soon as she touched him, she felt a gentle warmth ease over her like a balm.

  Her heart slowed, and the shakiness began to ease. What was it about him that made her feel so safe in what should have been a dangerous situation for her—naked and vulnerable in a confined space with a strange male shifter?

  Except Thor didn't feel like a stranger. Or the least bit threatening. He just felt…good. And touching him made her inner cat feel content.

  She helped him into the shower, then slipped in behind him.

  It was a tight fit, no doubt about it. Thor was a big guy, and she was no petite slip of a girl herself.

  "Want me to wash your hair?" she asked as she slid the shower door shut.

  "Please."

  She had to plaster herself against his broad, tightly muscled back to reach the bottle of unscented shampoo. The temptation to wrap her arms around him was almost irresistible.

  Luckily, she spotted the huge dark bruise staining his left side just in time.

  Cassie squeezed out a dollop of shampoo from the bottle, rubbed it between her palms, and then raised herself up on tip-toes to work it slowly through Thor's short hair. She felt him sigh with pleasure under her touch and saw his shoulders relax slightly.

  It felt oddly gratifying to see him enjoying such a simple thing, so she took her time lathering him up, massaging his scalp, and avoiding the hard lump on the right side of his skull beneath the wet, silky strands.

  Thank God he was wearing a helmet when he crashed into that tree!

  When the time came to rinse his hair, she found herself grateful that the shower head was a handheld type on a long, flexible hose.

  Thor unhooked the shower head from its bracket and handed it back to her. Then he tilted his head back, eyes closed, while she carefully directed the jets of hot water. She noticed he was smiling.

  "I can't tell you how good that feels," he murmured. "Thank you."

  "It—it's nothing," she stammered, his thanks taking her by surprise.

  No dominant sabertooth shifter would ever have thought of thanking a subordinate for their help.

  "I'm going to wash your back now," she announced, reaching around him again, this time to grab the shower gel and the big mesh shower sponge.

  Like the shampoo, her shower gel was unscented. Most of the hair and body care products designed for Ordinaries had overpowering levels of perfume as far as shifters were concerned.

  Like other cat shifters, Cassie relied heavily on her acute sense of smell to provide extra information about the Ordinaries or other shifters that she came into contact with. The very last thing she needed was to dull her nose with an overdose of fake flowers or fruit.

  "Does that mean I've been a good boy?" He winked at her as he took the shower head and replaced it in its bracket.

  Cassie giggled. "Well, you've got very good manners for a shifter."

  "I didn't know that shifters were supposed to be rude. Do you think I need an attitude adjustment?" he asked lightly as she began to move the shower sponge against his back, leaving a trail of pale bubbles behind on his skin.

  "Not if you want me to finish scrubbing your back," she responded, trying to match his joking tone. "And keep this in mind: I'm the one who knows where the towels—and your clean underwear—are."

  Thor rewarded her with a deep rumble of laughter. "Okay, I'll keep behaving myself."

  "You do that, and I'll even cook you a real breakfast before we hit the road," Cassie promised as she worked her way down to the firm, pale curve of his ass. "I have some eggs, milk, and bacon that need to be used up before we hit the road."

  "Threats and bribery," Thor observed with a grin as he handed her the shower head again. "Now that's an effective combination."

  She rinsed away the lather and considered her next move. "Any chance you can turn around without hurting yourself?"

  "Sure," he said and neatly spun on his good foot.

  He didn't leer at her breasts, though she saw his gaze drop for an instant.

  "Scenery's better on this side, anyway," he observed with an unrepentant grin, and his dimple appeared under his beard.

  Cassie swiped at him playfully with her mesh sponge, sending a spray of water droplets across his magnificent chest.

  Now that he'd convinced her that he wasn't just going to grab or grope her, she was relaxing enough to enjoy this.

  He was definitely interested, and his body was responding to her with enthusiasm. She dared a quick glance down, and what she saw made her throat go dry, though not with dread this time.

  Her gaze flew up to his face. He was still smiling, but there was something in his eyes that spoke of empathy.

  "I can probably take care of the rest if you want to get started on your own hair," he said, offering her an out.

  He was a gentleman to the core, it seemed.

  No more running and hiding. She lifted her chin proudly.

  "And if you fall over in here while you're proving how tough you are, you'll squish me. And Betsy—Dr. Chang," she corrected herself, "is going to kill me for letting you reinjure yourself."

  "Well," he said, looking thoughtful. "I don't want to squish you, that's for sure. I'm pretty sure you'd yank my breakfast privileges."

  "I'd never starve a guest," she retorted, squeezing out more of the shower gel onto her mesh sponge. "But I might only feed you coffee and a piece of dry toast."

  He squeezed his eyes shut in mock horror. "Woman, you really know how to hurt me."

  "So if you know what's good for you, you'll stand still and let me—" She pressed the sponge gently against his collarbone. "Do this."

  Cassie took her time, enjoying the excuse to caress the thick column of his throat with the sponge. His eyelids drifted shut as she slowly worked her way down and over his broad chest.

  She noticed his shiver of pleasure as the slightly rough mesh passed over his flat nipples, and she yielded to the temptation to circle his defined pectorals to caress his nipples one more time.

  This time, Thor swallowed convulsively, and Cassie saw his good hand curl into a fist against the shower tiles. "Cassie, please, you're killing me here," he pleaded hoarsely.

  "Sorry!" she said quickly, recalled to sanity.

  She briskly scrubbed his torso, taking care to avoid the large bruise on his left side, then hit her next problem.

  He was almost fully erect now, his big cock thick and flushed as it rose from the dark hair at his groin.

  Was he expecting her to wash him there, too?

  And if she did, what would happen next? Because there was no way that her touch would be construed as innocent of intent, not when he was in that state.

  And not when her cat wanted to see him react as she closed her hand around him and stroked his rigid length…

  Thor solved her dilemma by reaching over his shoulder and briskly rinsing himself before he turned the spray on her.

  "Your turn," he said cheerfully. "I'd love to return the favor and wash your hair for you, but I'm going to have to offer you a raincheck."

  Relieved but also just teensiest bit disappointed, Cassie bowed her head and wet her hair down in the spray he so obligingly offered.

  Intensely aware of his gaze, she quickly shampooed and washed herself.

  She was reaching around him to turn the water off when he put his good hand on her shoulder.

  When she glanced up to see what he wanted, she saw that his eyes were hazed with gold again.

  "Cassie," he said softly. "I want to kiss you. May I?"

  Oh God, yes. Her throat
went dry again, so she just nodded. She felt like she was teetering on the edge of a high cliff. At least the view was spectacular.

  No running. No hiding, she reminded herself.

  She raised herself on tiptoes and brushed her lips against his mouth in a swift, chaste kiss that nevertheless set all of her nerves on fire.

  Danger! She thought as her cat roared to life at the contact and tried to take control of her.

  It wanted her to push Thor against the tiles and rub herself against him, slowly and sensually while kissing him slowly and deeply.

  More disturbingly, her human half wanted to do that too. And Cassie knew that if this went any further, she might do something that they'd both regret.

  * * *

  "Wait," Thor said as she moved away from him. His lips were tingling from that sweet, all too brief contact. "Let me give you a real kiss."

  Cassie stared up at him, eyes wide. He could sense that she'd felt the same bone-deep shock of pure need that he'd felt at her brief peck on his lips.

  She felt like a captive bird as he cupped her chin in his left hand. Her pulse throbbed wildly against his fingers—or maybe it was just his own heart, beating in anticipation—but she didn't pull away as he bent his head slowly and closed the gap between their lips.

  Afraid that he might scare her off, he deliberately kept it light at first, nibbling her lips. then pulling back a little before advancing again. Her eyes were closed, her expression unreadable, but as he retreated a second time, she leaned into him, as if reluctant to lose contact with his mouth.

  That was all the encouragement Thor needed. She felt and tasted so right, so utterly right that he never wanted to stop kissing her.

  His heart pounding, craving the sweet taste of her mouth, he kissed her more urgently.

  Her hands reached up to tighten on his shoulders, and her lips parted as she responded to him. Inside his soul, Thor felt something click into place, like the last piece of jigsaw puzzle completing a picture.

  He put his good hand on her waist and slowly drew her towards him, wanting to feel her soft curves against him. He was achingly hard. To keep from alarming her, he restrained his urge to grind himself against her sweetly rounded belly.

  Instead, he drew her in against his side and lightly ran his hand up her arm, then gently stroked the nape of her neck, feeling the weight of her soft, wet curls against the back of his hand.

  She responded by devouring his mouth with unexpected fierce strength, twining her arms around him, reaching up to hold his face.

  He began to tease her a little with his tongue, flicking it across her lips as he continued to stroke her hair, her neck, her warm, bare shoulder. She felt so good in his arms, so right—and he was fiercely aware of how badly he wanted her. All of her.

  Congrats, buddy, it's about time you found a mate of your own. Kara's words echoed loudly in his mind as Cassie yielded to him utterly, opening herself to his tongue.

  He ravished her mouth, driven by the sweet strength with which she clung to him.

  Thor kissed her for a blissful eternity under the cascade of hot water. Her scarred skin felt velvety under his fingers as he caressed her throat, the long line of her spine, and the luscious swell of her hips and ass.

  Finally, he pulled back, satisfied and aching with desire all at the same time, wanting to continue kissing her forever and knowing that he shouldn't take this any further. Not now.

  But later. Please God, let there be a later.

  As Thor reluctantly straightened up, he saw that Cassie was flushed, her aquamarine eyes gilded with passion. She caught his hand against her throat as he reluctantly ended the kiss. "Thor…"

  He smiled down at her, his cock throbbing with frustrated desire. "Water's starting to get cold. And you promised me breakfast."

  Cassie blinked, and he saw the moment that her defenses came back online.

  "Uh…right," she said, and stepped back.

  Frustrating as it was, he knew he'd made the right call. She wanted him, and he really, really wanted her, but she wasn't ready yet.

  And Thor cursed Ed Baldwin, whoever and wherever he was, for what the man had done to his sweet Cassie.

  Because by now, it was pretty apparent what had happened to her.

  Thor felt a hot red tide of bloodlust rising from his chest every time he thought about someone—Baldwin—laying hands on her against her will.

  What kind of man would savagely disfigure a woman, especially one who was under his protection? It was a shifter leader's job to protect his subordinates. Not brutalize them!

  Unable to resist, Thor brushed her lips one last time with his own. "You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

  Her smile was like a sunrise over the mountains, all golden warmth and brilliant light. Wow. He definitely had to give her more compliments if she was going to give him that kind of reaction.

  Then her expression turned wry. "Wait, you've got amnesia. So I'm, what, one of three women you remember?"

  "Touché." Thor grinned down at her. "But you're still damned beautiful."

  * * *

  "So I was wondering," Cassie began, a little hesitantly, when they sat down at last to enjoy the big breakfast she had promised him.

  Thor was once again wearing his casts on his arm and leg. After helping him dry off and get dressed after their shower, Cassie had started a load of laundry for the towels and sheets. She didn't want to leave the cabin a complete disaster for Amanda when she returned from Europe.

  Then, keeping an anxious eye on the cabin's wall clock, she had scrounged the various perishable odds and ends remaining in the fridge and cooked them both a meal that would hold them over for a while.

  With his injuries, Thor's body would be craving fuel, and lots of it, for his accelerated healing.

  "Do you want to call your mother or someone else in your family and let them know we're coming?" she asked, pouring strong black coffee into Thor's mug.

  At Thor's blank look, she added, "Do you, uh, even know the phone number? Or the address?"

  She saw him open his mouth with an automatic Of course! Her heart lifted. Were his memories beginning to return?

  Then a shadow passed over his confident expression.

  "No," he admitted, lifting his fork and poking disconsolately at the heap of scrambled eggs, sautéed mushrooms, and fried ham on his plate. "You know, until you mentioned it just now, it didn't even occur to me that my mom might have seen the news. It's just—when you can't remember someone, they don't seem very real." He huffed out a frustrated sigh. "And based on what Kara said…I guess my family probably thinks I'm a Grade-A asshole right now for ignoring them."

  Cassie's heart sank with sympathy for him. He must be feeling so isolated right now, cut off from his old life.

  "I'm sure we can find them. My Google-fu is pretty darn good," she assured him as she filled her own mug. "I mean, Bearpaw Ridge is a pretty small town, right? How many Swansons can there be?"

  She added milk to her coffee, took a big gulp to kick her brain into gear, and reached for her smartphone.

  It vibrated when she touched it, and she saw that she had a text message from Betsy.

  How's our favorite firefighter doing this morning?

  "Dr. Chang wants to know how you're feeling," Cassie reported.

  Thor gave her a slow smile, his eyes hot. "I'm feeling just fine after that shower and all this good food."

  Cassie felt her lips tingle with the memory of that amazing kiss.

  "That makes two of us," she said, feeling oddly shy. "So no more headache? Your arm and leg aren't feeling any worse?"

  "I'm still pretty sore, but everything feels a little better than it did yesterday," Thor said. "And the headache's completely gone."

  "Should I tell her about your amnesia?" Cassie said as she began to swiftly type a reply to Betsy's text.

  "Please don't," Thor said. "She'll make me go in for an MRI or something, and I don't want to leave you alone. Not if t
here's a chance that someone who's already attacked you once might show up again."

  Cassie shook her head at his stubbornness, but she couldn't help feeling grateful for his protectiveness. She wasn't sure what he could actually do if Baldwin showed up here, given that Thor had two limbs out of commission, plus cracked ribs and a head injury to boot.

  But after spending nearly eighteen months on her own, it felt good to know that someone had her back.

  Cassie finished composing her text, then began her online search for Swansons living in Bearpaw Ridge, Idaho, in between forking up her eggs and ham.

  Thor attacked his breakfast with what looked like real hunger and practically inhaled his food.

  "Huh, this is interesting," Cassie said a short time later. "I'm coming up with a whole bunch of Swansons living in Bearpaw Ridge. There's an Evan Swanson and a Stephanie Swanson living on Main Street, and an Annabeth Jones-Swanson who owns the Cinnamon & Sugar Bakery-Café, also on Main Street. Then there's a Law Office of Mark E. Swanson…also on Main Street. Any of those ring a bell?"

  Thor frowned, as if trying to squeeze out memories like toothpaste from a tube. Then he winced and shook his head. "Nothing."

  "Okay," Cassie continued, scrolling down the page of search results. "Hm, here's a website for a Grizzly Creek Ranch near Bearpaw Ridge."

  She clicked on the link, then went to the ranch's About Us page.

  "Says here that Elle Swanson is the ranch's owner," Cassie reported. "With Margaret Swanson as the Guest Services Manager, and a Dane Swanson who's the Operations Manager. And they all have photos."

  She slid her phone across the table to Thor.

  "Recognize anyone? Do you think that Elle might be your mom? Or Margaret? And what about Dane? He looks a little young to be your dad, but he might be your brother. Looks a lot like you."

  Chapter 7 – A New Start

  Thor picked up Cassie's phone and stared at the thumbnail images of two smiling women on the ranch's website.

  Elle Swanson was a pretty, middle-aged woman with warm brown eyes enhanced by subtle makeup, and frosted blonde hair cut into a chin-length bob. Her strong jaw and direct stare at the camera gave her a no-nonsense air even when smiling.