The Snow Leopard's Christmas Surprise

by Emilia Hartley

  Jo looked more worried than anything else. “Are you sure? I don’t want you to exhaust yourself.”

  “I’m fine, I’m fine,” Savannah assured, feeling a bit of guilt build up inside. Jo was so innately compassionate; it didn’t make Savannah’s position as a mole any less stressful. “I’ll take a long nap after my shift today. I’ll be fine until then.”

  Jo gave her a lingering stare before nodding. “Okay.” She turned to the paperwork she had been flipping through when Savannah walked in. “Well then, I was talking about how the first priority is accounts,” she explained. “Any jobs that have been done over the weekend need invoices, so that needs to be caught up on. After that, there’s a whole pile of receipts—incomes and outgoings—that we’ll need to work through to get a clear picture of exactly how well the shop is doing.” Jo glanced back. “You following me okay?”

  Now that Savannah was paying attention, she could follow pretty easily. She nodded. “We’ll also need to make sure they’re paying the right amount of tax,” she murmured, eyes scanning over the paperwork as Jo passed it to her.

  “Yes, exactly.” Jo sighed. “Those two don’t seem to care much about the organization of it all. It’s a wonder how they managed to stay afloat this long!”

  Savannah laughed, despite herself. “I imagine it couldn’t have been easy to pick up after them.”

  Jo rolled her eyes with a knowing glance. “Unfortunately not.” She handed Savannah a few more folders and indicated the computer on the desk. “This’ll be your base of operations. The computer is ready to use and we’ll try not to be too much of a bother.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Savannah said, sitting uneasily on the creaky chair in front of the computer.

  Shaking her head, Jo let out a sigh of exasperation. “I suppose we finally have an excuse to get a new chair. We’ll have to order you a proper one soon.” She looked around the drab office. “In fact, the whole place is long overdue for a bit of a makeover, don’t you think?”

  Savannah nodded. It all seemed a bit tired; a bit of brightening up wouldn’t hurt. She looked down at the chair beneath her and frowned. A jagged splinter jutting out from one of the legs had poked her rather uncomfortably in the calf. “If I’m being completely candid, I think the chair may need to be our first makeover project.” She looked up apologetically at Jo. “I’m not sure I can last longer than the day in it.”

  “That’ll be number one on Tom’s list when he takes you into town then,” Jo said with a grin. “Until it comes in, we’ll have to make do with a regular office chair. Is that okay?”

  “Anything is better than this, to be honest,” Savannah answered, grimacing down as the old splintered wood tugged angrily at her jeans.

  “Alrighty,” Jo confirmed. “I’ll make sure Tom gets right on it, then.”

  “Make sure Tom gets right on what?” Tom growled, sliding through the side entrance from the garage as if he’d been summoned by their conversation.

  Savannah tried to hide her surprise at his sudden arrival, but she couldn’t keep her heart from speeding up at the sight of him. He was covered in car oil and sweat, obviously well into his daily routine. He wore a pair of old jeans and a vest already dirty with the day’s auto-related grime. The sleeveless top left his broad, muscular biceps bare to glisten in the office light with perspiration, and Savannah found it particularly hard to look away, eyes traveling hungrily along the trail of a dark tribal tattoo that coiled up his left arm.

  “Savannah needs a new computer chair,” Jo specified. “Among other things. I figured it’s nothing you couldn’t handle when you took her into town a bit later.”

  Tom scowled, passing a glance over Savannah. She held back a sigh at the way his lip curled a little when he’d finally acknowledged her. “I made that chair myself. Is it giving you trouble?”

  “Little splinters are stabbing me in the legs.” She held his gaze. “I agree with Jo. If my job is to run numbers on the computer all day, I’ll need better seating arrangements.” She sounded bolder than she felt, but it paid off when she saw a light of amusement brighten his gaze, if only for a short moment.

  He gave one small nod. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  “No, Tom,” Jo chastised. “She needs a real chair. Not just a rickety old thing that you keep duct taping back together when it falls apart. Please order a new one when you go into town.”

  Tom’s eyes were dark and intense as they slid over Savannah once more. “Is that what you want? A new one?”

  She gave one sure nod. “Please, if it’s not too much to ask.” She saw his jaw flex in chagrin, but he didn’t respond.

  “And that’s not all,” Jo continued. “There’s a whole list.” Jo met Tom where he stood, explaining all the things he’d need to grab. And though Savannah pretended to bury herself in work, she couldn’t help but listen in on every word they were saying.

  Tom didn’t say much, only a deep rumbling grunts of confirmation, but the sound sent shivers down Savannah’s spine, nonetheless. She caught his scent in the air; he smelled like pine needles and axle grease, along with an underlying scent that made her bear raise its head in eager anticipation. Warmth began to pool deep in her belly, and she fought to keep her obvious attraction to him from showing.

  As if on cue, Tom turned and locked gazes with her. She felt like he could see right through her façade, reading every desire that unfurled within her. It felt like an eternity had passed before he turned back to Jo with little reaction.

  “Let me shower, then I’ll take the newbie shopping.” Without so much as a glance back at Savannah, Tom slipped out of the room to where she assumed his living quarters were.

  Jo smiled at Savannah. “That went better than expected.”

  Savannah swallowed, making sure she was fully composed before speaking. “I suppose it could have gone worse.”

  “You have nothing to worry about,” Jo reassured. “He was staring just as hard as you were,” she added with a smirk.

  Savannah’s eyes snapped up, but Jo shook her head, eyes sparkling. “You don’t have to pretend. Nick’s my everything, but I’m not blind. Anyone can see that Tom’s ridiculously attractive.” She gave Savannah a knowing glance. “Your secret’s safe with me though. Tom’s a good man. I know he may seem unapproachable right now, but just give it a little more time. You might even see him smile once or twice.”

  Savannah didn’t know what to say, heat filling her face. She quickly turned back to the stack of papers, forcing her embarrassed brain to focus on the numbers in front of her, not Tom’s intense gaze as he stared into her soul or Jo’s knowing smile as she read Savannah like an open book.

  She could almost barely ignore just how utterly mortifying the entire ordeal was.

  Chapter Eight

  Tom growled inwardly, looking over the car that Nick had finished up while he showered.

  Nick chuckled. “You can only look at my handiwork so hard before you finally admit that you’re just trying to avoid the poor girl.”

  “You don’t have any idea what you’re talking about,” Tom warned, glaring at his older brother.

  Nick said nothing more, but shot back a sly grin.

  “Oh, don’t start,” Tom snapped. “I’m not avoiding her. I’m not avoiding anyone. I’m just making sure you didn’t make more work for me for when I get back to the shop. That’s it.”

  “Ah, and I suppose if you accidently get covered in more oil, you won’t conveniently have to take another shower,” Nick teased lightly. Tom shot him another glare and he held up his hands in a placating gesture.

  If Tom was honest with himself, Nick was totally right. The heat that ignited in his final shared gaze with Savannah before he’d left was intense, immediate, and he wanted nothing more than to share another moment like that with her as soon as possible. His bear demanded it. The lack of control he was having over his emotions and urges shook him to his very core. As a human he knew she was a stranger, so his fierce attractio
n to her despite that clashed with the person he was at his very core. He didn’t know himself anymore. He was lost with her here and he didn’t know how to fix it.

  He’d tried reading her, but she was so versatile. Her behavior in the office had been the polar opposite to the timid girl that struggled to keep from quaking at the very sight of him just the day before. She radiated confidence, sass, and a promise of something more dangerous. Everything he and his bear could ever want. What changed? Was it because she’d seen his bear? Did she feel closer to him for having seen all of him? Did he feel any different towards her after seeing her bear? He couldn’t tell. He only knew that he found Savannah Danvers beautiful as both human and bear.

  Tom’s bear gave an approving growl, the feel of it rumbling deep in his chest, but he waved it away. Beauty aside, he’d only known her for one day. He and Nick were still licking their wounds from Lucas’s attack only a few weeks prior, and Dan was still recovering from near death in the shop’s back lounge. They couldn’t afford to take risks for Savannah right now. This was one of the times where he absolutely could not think with his bear. Its instinct lacked a logic that could very well get them killed.

  “Hello?” Nick called, waving a hand in front of Tom’s face. “Earth to Tom?”

  “Sorry,” Tom mumbled. “I got a little distracted there.”

  “With?”

  Tom shrugged. “Life, mostly.”

  “Uh-huh,” Nick replied, one eyebrow cocked inquisitively. “Life, eh?”

  “Nick,” Tom warned, but his brother was already waving him away.

  “Yeah, yeah, I know, but you really ought to get going,” he chided. “It’s one thing to try and convince everyone that you don’t have feelings for her. It’s another thing to completely ignore her. That’s just rude.”

  Tom bristled at Nick’s words and sly grin, knowing that he was right. No matter how much more time he needed, he couldn’t wait around for much longer without it becoming offensive.

  With a glare at his brother and a promise to keep his mind strictly on the task at hand, he re-entered the office. “Let’s get this over with.”

  ***

  The trip wasn’t actually as bad as Tom thought it would be. It seemed they both had similar plans of just keeping to their own thoughts most of the time—save for the occasional guidance on what brands to buy, pass on, and bulk purchase—though Tom couldn’t help the occasional sidelong glance in her direction when she wasn’t looking. She really was quite striking.

  There was only one blunder—they’d just walked into the office supply store when Savannah flinched, clenching her leg. He went to reach for her almost instinctively, nearly making contact before she stumbled awkwardly backward. It turned out that the splinters from the chair caused some irritation on her calf, but she was in no need of Tom’s help. He made sure to order a new chair as his first order of business, but even as they headed back to the office, he was still smarting from her rejection.

  Savannah turned to him slightly as they made their way down the street side. “Thank you, for escorting me. I know you probably think I could have figured all this out on my own, but I really did learn things today. You were a big help.” She averted her gaze. “I know you were probably really against it, so…”

  Tom frowned. “I didn’t much mind it, actually.”

  “Oh,” she breathed. “Well then, maybe…” Her voice trailed off a bit, and he watched as she physically gathered her resolve. “Look, however well it actually went, I know you didn’t want to take me at first. And that is mostly in part because you don’t trust me.”

  She turned to him again, gaze more intense than Tom thought the situation warranted. “But you took me there and helped me out despite that. So I want you to know I appreciate it. Okay?”

  Tom swallowed deeply, trying hard not to stare at her cold-blushed cheeks, a bright pink against the dark waves of her hair. She looked so sincere and honest, and in that moment, he wanted nothing more than to tell her that she was wrong and he’d totally learn to trust her easily, but deep down he knew she deserved the truth.

  He sighed, a long puff of white breath billowing before him in the cold weather. “My brother and I, we’ve been through a lot of bullshit lately, Savannah. I don’t trust easily.

  “What happened?” she asked quickly, eyes inquiring.

  He had the feeling that she’d been aching to ask him all along but thought it impolite. As he looked into her wide honey-brown eyes, cheeks flushed from the cold and soft lips pressed together in concern for him, he decided that telling the whole truth just this once would be worth it. He told her about the Northern Wind, the events leading up to Nick confronting them. He left the part about Dan out; she’d likely find out about him soon enough. He’d washed his own dishes again that morning and turned down his pain medication.

  As he spoke, he watched as her face shifted from a look of shock, to sadness, and even fear. At the end of his explanation, she was back to concern, and maybe a bit of surprise, though he wasn’t sure why. “That sounds awful,” she whispered. “I’m not surprised that you don’t trust me. I’d act exactly the same way if I were in your shoes.”

  “Glad you understand,” he replied, and he meant it. It felt good to finally unleash some of the burden he always had a habit of shouldering alone. Too often he seemed to be the only one worrying or the only one that exercised caution. With Savannah, he finally felt like he didn’t have to face that responsibility alone.

  As he took a deep breath, the sudden heady aroma of Savannah’s bear wafted past him. His bear raised its head high sampling the scent with an eager anticipation. When Tom tried to stamp it down, a grown rattled loudly and angrily within him.

  Beside him, Savannah shivered, and he could tell it wasn’t from the chill of the air. “You feel it, too?” she asked, wrapping her arms tightly around herself as if she had to physically hold her bear inside.

  “Yeah,” Tom replied. “I think they might be tired of being cooped up.” Despite the warning bells, a wicked grin slid over his face. “Hey, wanna go for a run?”

  He heard her take a soft, sharp intake of breath. “I, um… Won’t Jo and Nick worry?” she asked. “I don’t want to give a bad impression, especially not on my first day.”

  His grin grew. “It’ll be fine. Just a quick run. We’ll be back way before they even think twice about where we could be.”

  He saw her ponder internally, but she didn’t take long to say yes. Carefully setting aside their bought supplies, they set off for separate foliage so they could shift in privacy. Tom could barely get his clothes off before his bear sprang from his skin, none too gently. He could tell his beast was tired of being denied its innate wants and desires, everything in his being screaming out for something more with the beautiful bear that strolled out from behind a nearby bush to join him. Her coat was a light brown and her eyes nearly golden, reflecting mischievously in the dusky setting sunlight. She was undeniably breathtaking.

  Without warning, she took off full force into the forest. With a happy roar, Tom bolted after her, and for once, he was glad that he didn’t take the time to overthink things.

  It wasn’t often that he allowed himself to see so freely.

  Chapter Nine

  That first free romp through the woods set in motion a chain reaction between Savannah and Tom over the following couple of weeks. She’d always remember that day as the first time she saw him smile—a real, genuine, teasingly sexy smile that hinted at just how amazing a man and a bear Tom could possibly be.

  Since then, Tom had seemed a little more okay with her being around, the sentiment growing larger every day. Savannah made it her objective to coax as much of that grinning Tom out into the open as she possibly could. He hid it behind confident stoicism and fleeting interest, but even if she was unsuccessful in recreating that desired upturn of his full lips, anything was better than the scowl she’d used to associate him with.

  Of course, there were still moments wh
ere his voice dipped low in suspicion or his eyes held a shadow of doubt, betraying that he still couldn’t fully trust her, but Savannah couldn’t help but appreciate those little cues. They kept her at arm’s length so she didn’t get too caught up in the fun and frivolity of sharing grins and electric stares with the brooding alpha bear. They reminded her that this wasn’t a vacation from the Northern Wind, but rather a reconnaissance for them. Fun though Tom may be, her pack was counting on her to put the wheels in motion for their revenge. At the end of the day, Dan was still dead. Tom’s distance helped her remember that, even if her bear would rather she forget.

  But where Tom had given Savannah reason to try and keep her distance, she found it exceedingly hard to do the same with Jo. She was kind and wonderful and compassionate. Savannah never once witnessed Jo thinking for herself first; she was always doing things for others before personal benefit.

  As a human, she was fragile by nature, and yet, at the same time, she never carried herself like she was weaker. She always found a way to assist and be there without being a burden, whether it was making coffee, explaining systems and programs, or even tidying up the drab office. She may have been human, but she was every bit as necessary to the pack as both alphas were. Slowly, Savannah began to understand what Nick—and even Nick’s bear—saw in the human woman. Jo was downright admirable.

  When she wasn’t helping out at the mechanic shop, Savannah found something of a refuge in the woods. She’d mostly bound about alone, crunching down on crisp leaves and taking the occasional dip in the lake, but these last few days, Tom has surprised her by asking if she needed any company. It was only a couple of times, but dashing through the woodland with the majestic alpha bear was a heady experience all on its own that Savannah never wanted to end. She loved being in bear form with him, and so did her bear. It was never more content than it was when it was panting and exhausted after a fun race with Tom.