Catamount Ridge

by Aubree Lane

  She might not show good judgment where men and sex were concerned, but she wasn’t going to let a total stranger wander through her home unaccompanied. A beast rode just under the surface of his incredibly handsome exterior. She had been taken advantage of before being brought down the mountain. Jessie didn’t plan on forgetting that fact again. She couldn’t be sure who handed her the pills. When she saw Ice on the street, she thought it was him. Derek’s face was only vaguely familiar, but his sizzling touch was unmistakable.

  Fire and Ice. For all she knew, she had them both.

  Derek stepped out of the bathroom, fully clothed in comfortable looking faded jeans and a long sleeve flannel shirt. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. “Get dressed. I need to show you something.”

  His arrogance was astounding. Derek had to be out of his ever loving mind if he thought she was going anywhere with him. “Just because I let you get me off out there in the tub, doesn’t mean I trust you enough to climb into your car and drive off to who knows where.”

  His face softened. The warmth of his hand brushed against hers. He was so close she could feel the moist heat of his breath. “I don’t have a car, Jessie,” he whispered. “I have a Jeep.”

  She tried to ignore the sexy, smart ass remark and the tingling electrodes firing throughout her body. Hoping to give rational thought a chance to surface, she stepped back and pushed aside the urge to grab his massive arm and drag him into bed.

  “Come with me, Jessie,” he pressed once more.

  His supercharged fingers ran lightly across her abdomen, and she wavered.

  Against everything she was taught about guarding her personal safety, Jessie changed into jeans, her favorite knit shirt, and grabbed her brown bomber jacket before climbing into the passenger side of his Jeep and driving away with him into the night.

  4

  THE SOUND OF a wild cat’s fierce cry jolted Jessie awake. Alone inside Derek’s Jeep, she pulled her jacket tight against the chill and the fear. The time on her watch told her she hadn’t been asleep for very long. The lack of street lights and the line of sugar pines flanking the vehicle indicated they were back up on the ridge.

  The cat cried again.

  Jessie couldn’t see the animal, so she flipped on the headlights. Through the mist, she spotted his ghostly figure about fifty yards out. It was the same blue-gray monster who tried to kill her. Every few feet, the cat stopped to growl and huff menacingly in her direction.

  His threatening display was fascinating to watch. The beast scared her silly, but observing the animal in his natural habitat was exhilarating. The mountain lion’s slow, languid strides took him around the Jeep three times before he plunged back into the woods.

  Jessie turned on the interior lights and rummaged around for a flashlight. Under the driver’s seat, along with the remnants of the meal they picked up from Sid’s Burgers, she found a light similar to those used by law enforcement. The lingering aroma of Sid’s special sauce made her stomach grumble. Jessie tried to convince herself the food had brought the mountain lion in, and she prayed it wasn’t because he knew she was there.

  If the cat hadn’t killed him, then Derek was somewhere nearby and needed to be warned. Cautiously, she planted her worn hiking boots in the soft red dirt. At first, she stayed near the Jeep, ready to dive back inside at the mere hint of her stalker’s return. Inch by inch, she expanded her reach and explored the surrounding area.

  It took some time, but Jessie eventually ventured too far from the vehicle for it to be of any use if the mountain lion returned. With her head down, she traveled close to the tree line in search of Derek’s footprints.

  A twig snapped.

  Jessie froze. While trying to find Derek, she had placed herself in mortal danger. A sturdy branch lay a body’s length away near a pile of underbrush. The moment she heard the rustle of dry leaves behind her, Jessie dove for the log. With it grasped firmly in her hands, she leaped to her feet, ready to face her attacker.

  “Whoa! I come in peace.”

  Standing over six feet tall with his hands raised in surrender, Ice’s amused blue eyes looked down at her.

  Jessie considered smacking him for scaring the daylights out of her. Instead, she released a nervous breath and tossed the branch back into the woods. This was the face she remembered. She was certain now. Ice picked her up on the road after the mountain lion attack, not Derek. Jessie didn’t know what the cousins were playing at, but she wasn’t in the mood for games. “At least you aren’t impersonating a ranger this time.”

  Ice stuck his hands inside his jacket pockets and shrugged. “I saw you in town earlier. I heard Captain Mills had been replaced. It’s about time the Forest Service brought in such a beautiful lady. My cousin must be a very happy man.”

  Derek didn’t get the ending he was expecting in the hot tub earlier, so Jessie doubted that very much. “Let’s circle back to the fact that you stole your cousin’s uniform and picked me up on the ridge after I was attacked by two mountain lions.”

  The tip of Ice’s finger tapped her forehead. “That’s a good sized bruise you’re sporting. I think you must be a little confused.”

  Jessie’s patience was running thin. A straight answer from either one of the Foster boys seemed damned near impossible to get. With a smile plastered on her face, she stuck out a friendly hand and switched tactics on him. “I saw you too. My cousin filled me in. You are Ice. Nice to meet you.”

  Ice did not reciprocate and tucked his hands back inside his pockets. “I’m sure Sally gave you an earful. Most of what she said is probably true, except my name is Isaac.”

  Jessie smirked and retorted hotly, “Since I would be the only person in town calling you that, I think I’ll stick to Ice.”

  She hoped to get a rise out of him by refusing to refer to him by his given name, but his blue eyes sparkled with delight. “I didn’t peg you for a sheep, Jessie Marcus, but knowing you are, makes this a lot easier.”

  Ice grabbed her arm and jerked her down a narrow path. His tight grip hurt her injured arm. Ice knew it, but he didn’t care.

  Jessie had no idea where he was taking her. Coming out here with Derek had been a colossal mistake. Almost on the verge of panic, she called out, “Where’s Derek?”

  Ice forced her through a bramble of manzanita. “My cousin? I haven’t seen him.”

  The branches scratched deep into her skin, and her fear quickly turned to anger. She wasn’t a pet to be dragged about. Jessie ripped her arm away and faced him down. “That’s a load of bull. We drove out here together. It’s time I got back. My dad is expecting me so stop messing around and tell me where Derek is.”

  Ice turned his blue eyes around and chuckled. “Your dad’s busy getting a little nookie from my dear ol’ school teacher. I doubt he’s giving you a second thought.”

  The man had been spying on them.

  “What my father is doing is none of your business,” she shrieked. “Where the fuck is Derek? This is not where I want to be.”

  “There’s no need for hysterics. We’re almost there.”

  Ice pushed back a large branch, and the entrance to the Red Mine opened up.

  Jessie hadn’t been in the tunnels since childhood. After a multitude of school field trips, someone died, and the mine had been barred and locked to the public. The steel bars were gone, and the vegetation had regenerated to its natural state. After so much time, the opening appeared to be nothing more than a cave.

  The entire ridge was under her jurisdiction, so Jessie made a mental note to look into it further when she returned to duty.

  Horror stories about miners being buried alive popped into her head. Regional folklore insisted their ghosts still haunted these woods. Around the campfire, the tale never failed to grow sinister. The miners sought to avenge their deaths, and they weren’t picky about who they chose to victimize. Several generations of Silverton’s citizenship had enjoyed scaring their children with the story. It was tradition.
As soon as their little eyes went wide with fright, one of the parents would yell, BOO! The kids would laugh, comforting hugs would be given, and by the time they returned to civilization, the legend would be nothing more than a silly joke.

  A story Gracie Langston told came to mind. It seemed fitting to remember it now since it involved mountain cats. The felines Jessie envisioned in her second grade head were small household cats, and the nightmares she suffered resulted in one of the many breakups between Ms. Langston and her father.

  Jessie didn’t have the time or inclination to revisit that horrific time in her life, so she pushed the memory aside and looked up into Ice’s blue eyes.

  He took her hand, gently this time, and tried to coax her inside.

  Jessie backed away. “The mine should be closed off,” she stammered. “What happened to the gate?”

  In the moonlight, his face was soft and convincing. “It’s still on the main entrance. This was an escape route that was never secured. You’re safe, Jessie,” he reassured. “I need your help. Come and see for yourself. If you don’t want to stay after that, then I’ll make sure you get home in one piece.”

  She had no reason to trust him. At least one, if not both, of the Foster men had drugged her. Too many questions were left unanswered. Why didn’t Derek wake her when they arrived? Why did he leave her alone in his Jeep? And looming right at the top of her list was the question of why she agreed to come up here with him at all?

  Jessie wasn’t some love-struck teenager. She knew the score. What happened in the spa meant nothing. Then Derek kissed her, and like an obsessed, desperate idiot, she allowed herself to be lured away from the safety of her father’s home. With her injury, Jessie had been getting more rest than she needed, but for no apparent reason, she fell asleep on the drive up here. Her behavior was completely out of whack, and Jessie was finding it difficult to comprehend.

  Much like his cousin earlier in the evening, Ice cut her a look which invited her to join him before he disappeared into the depths of the mine.

  Fire and ice waited for her. Jessie didn’t believe she was under the influence this time. Whatever decision she made would be all her own. A good dose of fear radiated throughout her body, but the idea of being sandwiched between two of the most destructive and seductive elements on earth was intoxicating.

  Indecision tore through her. Plumes of red dust billowed around her ankles as she stormed back and forth across the opening of the mine. A few steps in either direction and her fate would be sealed. Her mind raced. The blue-gray mountain lion waited for her somewhere out in the forest, and something unknown lurked inside the cave. Jessie had to make a decision quickly, or it could be taken out of her hands completely.

  The faces of her children appeared before her. They needed her. She would not place herself at risk to placate the whim of two men she could never trust. With her mind made up, she turned to the safety of Derek’s Jeep.

  A cry from inside the mine made her stop and listen. It was the sound of a baby. A distressed infant wailed from somewhere down that dark hole. Jessie didn’t know the cousins well, but she doubted they had any business caring for a helpless human being. Derek’s cabin would have been a much safer environment for an infant, but they stupidly brought the child to a nasty, dirty mine instead. It was insane. If they had found an abandoned baby, it would have been a simple matter to drop it off at the local emergency room or fire station.

  Derek was still an employee under her command. She was responsible for his actions. If misconduct was involved and she didn’t take the proper steps to rectify it, she could be charged with dereliction of duty. The child was a ploy to force her into the mine. She knew it, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it. If a baby was at risk, Jessie had to investigate. It was her job.

  She fingered her way down a crumbling dirt wall toward the sound of the infant’s cry. It had been a long time since those school field trips. Jessie racked her brain to come up with some helpful information. If this section was anything like the one she recalled, she imagined there would be a cavern coming up soon. Cautiously, she shuffled along the tunnel, and was careful not to trip over the rails. Halfway down, she remembered the tracks were gone, having been pulled up and salvaged by boys of her father’s generation in need of some quick cash.

  She smelled smoke long before she saw any sign of a fire. Jessie rounded a corner, and a flickering light glowed through the opening of a large cavern. Slowly, she moved forward until she could peer inside. She expected to see two men and a baby, but she couldn’t have been more wrong.

  Ice sat cross-legged in front of a warming fire, cuddling a spotted mountain lion cub. The small creature with large, gangly paws opened its mouth and cried. It sounded exactly like a baby crying for its mother.

  Aware of her presence, Ice spoke, “The momma cat is dead. Derek killed her the day of your attack. We’ve been trying to keep these little guys alive, but we can’t do it alone. We need your help.”

  The tension left Jessie’s body. “Why didn’t you say so in the first place? You and Derek had me scared shitless.”

  He had said, keep these guys alive, plural. So Jessie searched the cavern for more cubs. A second ragged-looking one was pressed against Ice’s leg for warmth. By the animal’s markings, she judged him to be approximately three weeks old. Small and sickly for his age, she picked up the tattered bundle and nuzzled it against her neck. The poor little thing even smelled ill. Jessie ran her hand down the length of his ringed tail. The cub stared at her with sad, worn out, ready for death blue eyes.

  “This one won’t make it,” she stated matter-of-factly. “I don’t know what you think I can do.”

  The other cub was much more active and alert. It nipped and swatted playfully at Ice’s fingers. He set the feisty cub down and picked up a leather pouch that rested beside the stones encircling the fire.

  Jessie thought it contained nourishment for the cubs, but instead of feeding the starving babies, Ice tossed a handful of its contents into the flames.

  A rush of sparks flared high into the cavern.

  Startled, Jessie shrieked, “What was that?”

  Ice shrugged.

  The Fosters weren’t a chatty family, handsomely mysterious, and probably dangerous, but certainly not talkative. There was no point asking about Derek again. Ice would tell her in his own sweet time.

  The feisty cub crawled into her lap and scratched at her shirt.

  “Hey squirt, easy on the material,” she scolded gently. “If you want my help, you’re going to have to learn to retract those claws.”

  When the cub persisted, she gave him a quick flick on the nose. The infant yelped and leaped back into the security of Ice’s arms.

  Ice chuckled deep and low, and the warm slippery stirrings between Jessie’s legs kicked up a notch.

  Smoke filled the cave. The strange fragrance of oak and herbs stung her eyes and nostrils. It was similar to the dry Italian herb seasoning she liked to toss teasingly onto the barbeque. Her dad came running every time to make sure she wasn’t toking on some illicit drugs. Her pot days were long gone, but Cade’s memories of his daughter’s wild teen years weren’t. No matter how often she messed with him, he still had to check it out.

  Jessie wondered what she was getting high on tonight. All the tension and fear melted away. Her eyes grew heavy and began to dilate. The heat intensified. Jessie set the sickly cub away from her. The sweet tainted air made her woozy and her body swayed.

  Jessie inhaled deeper.

  Sweat trickled down her back and her face flushed from the heat of the fire. She discarded her jacket and shook out the hem of her shirt.

  Ice grinned expectantly.

  Her defenses were down. Jessie returned Ice’s wolfish grin, and said, “You dog. Whatever you threw on the fire is good stuff. My arm doesn’t even hurt.”

  Ice placed the cub next to his brother and they both began to sob their baby-like cry. Ignoring them, he gathered her shirt in
his hands and pulled her towards him. His lips brushed delicately against hers.

  Jessie wanted to feel the length of his muscular body against her, but her impaired equilibrium made it impossible for her to stay upright. She crashed into a pile of furry blankets and her fingers caressed its soft nap. Jessie didn’t remember the pelts being there, but since Ice was busy completing the job of removing her shirt, that bizarre little detail didn’t seem to matter. In her rush out the door, Jessie had not bothered to put on a bra. Her breasts spilled out unbound and free.

  The admiring grin on Ice’s face made the tingling in Jessie’s lower extremities take flight. His mouth came down, and the sexy man took his time tasting and caressing her nipples.

  The cubs’ cries grew more urgent and insistent, but Jessie barely noticed them. She wanted to stay focused on what Ice was doing to her. Ice ignored the arching of her hips, which begged him to travel lower and stayed concentrated solely on her bosom. Paying equal attention to the girls, Ice squeezed and teased them with relentless fervor.

  An inkling of something she hadn’t felt in ages tingled throughout her chest. Her breasts became increasingly sensitive, and moisture trickled out.

  Jessie’s eyes flew wide open. Her milk was letting down!

  Ice’s mouth clamped down. The suction he created was so intense, it bordered on painful. When she struggled, his strong hands pinned her arms over her head. Ice released her breast and his lips kissed her mouth. One knee wedged between her legs and pressed against her groin. The distraction worked. Ice continued to tease her. The pressure between her legs varied rhythmically from side to side. It wasn’t long before she was once again consumed with passion. The rest of the world ceased to exist. She no longer cared about anything other than the rapture spreading out across her body. With each moan and pleasure-filled gasp, her milk flowed more easily.

  His attention returned to her breasts. Ice gave one a gentle squeeze, and a milk spray hit her in the face. Jessie knew she was totally wasted when she licked the sweet nectar and smiled.