by Vivian Arend
He sat up, six-pack abdomen flexing under her fingers as he brought their bodies together. Heat radiated off him and wrapped her in desire and anticipation. “Forget what?”
Then he rolled her under him and proceeded to prove that she could, in fact, scream herself hoarse when properly motivated.
Justin stopped by the apartment with a bag of clothes, his alert gaze taking in everything as he stood in the doorway. Caroline was at the desk by the window, sending out email invitations to her gathering the following day.
Tyler pulled his friend into the back room with him. “You want to say something, so you may as well get it out of your system.”
Justin shook his head. “No lectures from me. I might need to say I told you so a few times, but nothing happened I’m worried about.”
Tyler pulled on jeans and a thick T-shirt. “You’ve brought me a pretty relaxed outfit here, and yes, I’m ignoring the I told you so comment.”
“I rented you a jeep. Figured you might like some time to explore the area with your new friend this morning.” His guard pointedly stared into the living room.
Glory be. “You mean I don’t have to sneak out of town with her to avoid your obsession with protecting us?”
“You’re officially dating?”
It was strange to feel both a thrill and lingering fear at the idea of being formally involved with Caroline—how could two emotions occupy the same mental space? “Yes.”
Justin shrugged. “Then you don’t need a chaperone, and I never said you wouldn’t have a guard. Only you can drive. Just ignore me as I ramble through the trees.”
“You get a thrill out of watching, do you?”
His guard coughed. “Exactly what are you planning on doing during your explore?”
“Never mind.”
It didn’t need to be said. Justin knew without being told that chances were high Caroline and Tyler would end up testing the jeep’s springs at some point, and he didn’t mean by going cross-country.
Tyler eyed his friend. “Taking off won’t cause troubles in terms of wheeling and dealing for votes?”
Justin shook his head. “If bears go by rote, most of them will sleep in and take it easy this morning. This afternoon everyone will be around Whitehorse. If you and Caroline do some window-shopping, you’ll bump into most of the conclave participants on a one-to-one basis. That works better than us arranging formal coffee klatches.”
“Agreed.”
Justin called out a greeting as he marched into the living room, “Caroline. How did you enjoy the dinner last night?”
She spun her chair, pulling her hair back into a ponytail as she answered. “I’ve been informed no one died, and people are shocked. Well, people are shocked I even asked the question. Do all bears act like the rabbits in Watership Down? Ignore the fact that some of you have dropped off the face of the earth?”
Justin turned, his confusion clear. “Did she just compare us to a bunch of rabbits?”
“Scared and frightened bunnies. Yes.” Tyler settled onto the couch.
Caroline blew a raspberry at them. “Hey, you like lemmings better? Or how about hamsters? Little ones, with parachutes, being tossed off the roof of a building.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Tyler admitted, although her random comments amused him greatly. “Ready for breakfast? And afterward Justin found us a vehicle if you’d like to show me some of the local sights.”
She closed the computer and headed for the table. “I vote for Ricky’s Grill. And yes, showing you around would be fun. Now who wants to take charge of this?”
She held out a box.
“What is that?” Tyler rose to his feet as he figured out what she had clutched in her fingers. “Oh, the necklace. Just keep it.”
Her gaze narrowed and she stepped closer, poking him in the chest with the container. “Hardly.”
“No, it’s yours. Ready to go?” Tyler frowned as Justin made the strangest motions with his head and brows. “What is your damn problem? Stop twitching like a zombie.”
Justin shrugged. “I was trying to warn you a certain female might be pissed off at you. As your friend, I’d ignore your stupidity and be amused by the pain she’ll cause, but as your bodyguard I figured I should make sure you have a second’s warning. In case you need to be prepared for a physical attack.”
Caroline grinned at Justin. “You already had a coffee this morning, didn’t you?”
“I’m a sharp cookie in general, but yes. Perhaps you’ll take his lack of caffeine into consideration before you flatten him.”
“I’m in the room. Stop talking about me like I’m not here.” Tyler paused. Something had gone down weird in the last couple minutes. “You are talking about me, correct?”
Caroline grabbed him by the belt buckle and jerked. Well, she attempted to jerk him forward, but he weighed too much for her to make him budge. Instead, his jeans shifted position, and she slipped the box into the gap between the fabric and his abdomen. “You have a good friend there, Tyler. I’ll let you off this time. Come on. Let’s get you some food and see if your brain wakes up.”
Justin headed for the door, checking the hallway. Tyler removed the box from his pants and returned it to his bag. Caroline pulled on a coat and ignored him as if he wasn’t even there.
The two of them ended up alone at the table for breakfast as Justin faded unobtrusively into the background. Tyler and Caroline chatted throughout the meal about family and their general experiences of living in the north. By the time they were done eating, he’d figured out what he’d done to piss her off earlier.
She wasn’t like any woman he’d ever met before. Most wouldn’t have thought twice about accepting the jewelry. In fact, he’d had a few lovers he was pretty sure had angled for nights together more for the trinkets he gave them than to be with him.
Caroline was a breath of fresh air in his life, and his unreasonable fear struck again. That in the midst of the best thing happening to him he would lose himself.
He couldn’t afford to have his concentration broken more than it already was, but he’d made her a commitment this was more than simply business.
Six foot four and frightened by his emotions. Hurrah for stupidity. Maybe her comment about rabbits and hamsters made some sense.
Tyler opened the jeep’s passenger door for Caroline and watched in bemusement as she crawled all the way across to settle into the driver’s seat. “What are you doing?”
She grinned. “Showing you around. Get in.”
She expected him to argue, so he did the unexpected and sat, slipping the seat back while she adjusted her chair to reach the pedals. He glanced over his shoulder and noted the pair of daypacks on the seat. “Justin said he left us water bottles and a lunch, so where shall we go?”
Caroline headed out of town and toward the south. “Miles Canyon. There are some great hiking trails we can stretch our legs on for a while, if that’s okay with you.”
That sounded wonderful. “Lead on.”
Every moment left the suit and tie farther behind them, and the opportunity to relax and break away was the last thing he’d expected to experience during this event.
Actually, Caroline was the last thing he’d expected during this trip. The thought made him grin.
She parked the jeep under the shade of a towering evergreen, the lowest branches brushing the roof. They both checked the area around them before opening their doors.
Her sense of caution pleased him and made him wonder. “You know to do that?”
She sighed. “You bears might be the biggest game in town right now, Tyler, but you aren’t the only things a girl needs to watch out for.”
Her comment made the blood rise at the back of his eyes and things turned red. “You’ve never had troubles with anyone, have you?”
She’d pulled out one backpack already, pressing it into his arms as he stepped to her side. “No, Tyler. I’ve never been attacked. Well, not deliberately. Ther
e was one time that a couple of the pack got mixed up and thought I was the target for a shifter version of Capture the Flag. I had the devil of a time staying out of their path.”
He settled the pack in position, shocked she could laugh about it. “You were run down by a bunch of wolves and you’re not mad?”
Caroline knelt to tighten her laces. “Who said they caught me?”
Her bright smile shone up at him, and his bear roared to life, sending all kinds of pornworthy images involving her in that position, albeit sans runners, backpack and clothes. He was helpless to stop his cock from reacting.
Some of what he was thinking must have shown on his face. Her gaze dropped over him, lingering for long enough to be a visual caress right where he really didn’t need any encouragement.
Then, dammit, she licked her lips, and he was done for. Fully hard and aching, his cock pressed the front of his jeans.
Caroline rose slowly, inching forward as she finished with her body brushing his, her fingers tracing the line of his belt.
“Maybe instead of a hike, we should make this more interesting.”
His instant response shot out; half human, half bear, all male. “I’m game.”
She slipped her fingers into his pockets, the side of her knuckles skimming the crest of his cock, and her eyes widened. He was mesmerized by her expression, by her lips that were still wet from where she’d moistened them. “You know, I don’t mind the idea of being chased.”
Shit.
Oh damn.
He swallowed hard in an attempt to stop the ringing in his ears. “Chasing you would be my privilege.”
Another soft stroke along his erection sent a shiver of lust all the way to his brain. “Getting caught. That could be fun as well. If you’re good enough.”
Shit.
Double damn.
“You have some kinky fantasies, baby.”
Her expressive face vanished from view as she leaned in close and pressed her lips to his neck. A blast of desire rocked him.
She adjusted her grip, pressing her full palm to his erection. “If you catch me, maybe you’ll find out.”
“If? I’m a bear.” He tucked his fingers under her chin and forced her head up so he could examine her face, wanting to be sure she knew what kind of game she was arranging. He brushed his thumb over her cheek, fighting the urge to pick her up right here and bend her over the back of the jeep. “I’ll give you a five-minute head start.”
Her eyes sparkled as she stepped back. She whispered as she widened the gap between them. “I’ll tell you no if I want to stop, but otherwise? Have fun. I plan to.”
She blew him a kiss before turning and crossing the empty parking lot, headed for the suspension bridge and the foothills on the other side of the river.
He double-checked the doors were locked then strolled to the bridge, deliberately not watching which direction she headed after leaving the iron contraption.
Below him the Whitehorse River rushed toward the city, the raging rapids a thing of the past since the dam had been built. There was still enough water to create a low rumble of sound, filling his ears with life and excitement. The sun lit the valley, reflecting off rich green limbs and fluttering leaves in stark contrast with the deep blue sky above them. His nostrils filled with the scent of pine and earth…
…and her. Headed across the bridge and into the forest.
Tyler shoved his bear aside. His human needed no encouragement—and the animal part within him was far too excited at the prospect of running his quarry down. He glanced at his watch and gave her another sixty seconds before setting out to retrieve his prize.
Chapter Fourteen
She ran as if being chased by a predator, which she totally was.
The ground underfoot sent up little puffs of dust as her feet hit the hard-packed surface. The land was dry as a bone. Caroline scanned the area and rapidly thought through her options.
It was only a matter of time before he caught her, and she’d like it to be in a private location, now that she’d poked his bear.
Veering away from the main riverside path, Caroline took the high route. It angled sharply toward the mountaintop for a couple of minutes of thigh-burning altitude gain before leveling off and disappearing into the trees. She didn’t bother to set him any side trails like she’d done with the wolves any time she’d planned hide-and-seek games before. With only five minutes to get ahead of Tyler, she had no time to waste. It was all or nothing.
The trees fell behind her in a smooth rhythm as she found her stride, the light pack on her back jiggling as she surged forward. Tyler didn’t know the area, so his lack of familiarity should slow him enough she could reach her goal. To her right, portions of the river flashed in the sunlight like paparazzi having a heyday.
For a moment she debated the wisdom of the chase. Not the sexual kink she’d set up—it was the remembrance of the bears fighting last night that made her hesitate. What if she and Tyler were caught unawares by some of his enemies?
Yet how would the other clans know where to find them? It would have taken a bit of talent to follow them from her apartment to the restaurant then off the highway later.
And really, the fact remained. It was either hide in a backroom the entire time he was here for conclave, or trust he could protect them no matter what ended up happening.
The knife she carried was no guarantee of safety either, but she wasn’t helpless.
Her ankle rolled, and she snapped to attention, concentrating before she got hurt. Ahead was her target, and she scrambled up the low section of cliff face, easily making it to where the lone pine stood as a sentinel beside the cliff in its sad but enduring glory.
There was nothing left of the majestic tree anymore but its tall skeleton. Nearly fossilized and iron hard, the tree had been around when the original Gold Rushers had barreled through the area, shooting the life-threatening river that had since been tamed. In the day, though, the rapids had claimed more than one life, and this path had offered an alternative route to safety.
Well, not this route, the one she was currently taking up the bare limbs of the behemoth. She’d been climbing the tree since she was a girl, a human child with a brand-new daddy who could turn into a wolf. As a little girl with a head full of fairy tales and wonder, the only unbelievable thing was being informed there was no magic she could partake in to make the same kind of transformation.
Her shifter father had hugged her, reassured her, then proceeded to teach her everything he could about living in the wilderness and dealing with the wild creatures shifters could be. His careful teaching had saved her in the end. Made it possible for her to live in the North Country she loved.
Made it possible for her to be playing a game of sexually twisted hide-and-go-seek with another wild creature out of fairy-tale lore.
She was well warmed up by the time she reached the highest branches, muscles invigorated and ready to meet her demands. She glanced back, eyeing the bits and pieces of trail that were visible as it meandered back to the main highway.
A flash of blue shot past.
Tyler.
She pulled herself along the sturdy limb, grabbed the branch in her hands and swung off, rotating until her feet lightly touched the ground, now at the top of the cliff instead of the bottom. A glance over the edge showed Tyler was too close for her to stay in one place, but her climb had given her time to set up a bit of trickery.
Three paths left the clearing she stood in. She raced down the first, cut through a connecting trail and scooted back the second trail to reach her original starting point. One more loop was all she had time for, leaving her scent on all three trails.
Then she ignored the escape routes and instead climbed the rock face behind her. The low wall emptied onto a second platform with a narrow ledge of a path rounding the corner to yet another maze of trails. Leaving her current location was impossible without edging cautiously along the precipice.
There was no way she could
outrun him. No way he wouldn’t find her. But where she crouched was hidden from view of everyone but a person actually climbing onto the platform, or risking life and limb on the narrowest of trails. The chance of anyone stumbling into their party was slim. With the wind coming directly at her, the fake trails in the woods should catch Tyler’s attention first.
She lay on her stomach on the smooth rock surface to admire him as he reached the top of the tree. He’d removed his jacket, and his arms were bare, strong forearms with a dusting of hair on them. His fingers flexed powerfully as he wrapped them around the limbs, pulling himself up before swinging to the ground, knees absorbing the impact.
He rotated to admire the scenery. Her heart skipped. Did he figure she was such easy prey he had enough time to smell the roses and look around? Or did his light-hearted break make her glad?
He was a good man. The longer she spent with him, the clearer his character became. He wasn’t very civilized, though. The façade was there. The formal trappings of sophistication, but it was a layer of pretense on top of the real Tyler.
The real Tyler, who appreciated the view in the middle of a hunt.
The man obviously needed more chances to get away from it all and take it easy. She stopped herself from snorting. Kind of like herself—workaholic.
Tyler faced the trees, his gaze darting over the three options. The angle was wrong for her to be able to read his expression, but he moved slowly, deliberate in his approach. No panicked race forward. A considered and rational assessment.
He stepped to the center path and paused, hesitating at the edge of the forest and breathing deep enough his chest rose. Caroline held her own breath for fear he’d hear her.
Only he didn’t take the bait. None of the three paths led him astray. He stood for a while taking long sniffs, testing and tasting the air. He eliminated all her fake routes then stepped back into the clearing. His fingers came up to rub his chin, the rough stubble on his unshaved chin making him look like a dangerous beast. Made him handsomer than he had any right to be.
