by Reina Torres
His muscles coiled within his skin and a moment later he cut through the water and burst from the surface of the lake.
A few powerful strokes toward the edge of the pond and his feet found purchase.
He was still waist deep in the water when he noticed he wasn’t alone.
The woods had come alive. At least that’s what his brain told him. Dressed in greens and browns, with volumes of fabric that fell just shy of her feet, the woman that stood at the edge of the woods stood watching him with wide eyes and parted lips.
What he’d like to do with those lips…
Locke’s lion was up on his feet, but almost completely still.
Focused.
Hungry.
Needful.
Locke agreed completely with the images that his lion flooded into his head. Tawny hair in his grip, sun dappled skin bare beneath him, their tangled limbs frantically holding each other tight.
Mate, his lion growled through their link.
Yes, Locke agreed back at him, Mate.
He narrowed his eyes at her.
Felt the beat of his heart throb and thrum in his chest.
One step and then another, he rose up out of the water and moved straight forward in her direction.
He wasn’t on the hunt.
There wasn’t a question in his head. He knew what was going to happen.
Water coursed from his body, caressing his skin with the light touch of a practiced lover as he felt grass under his feet, between his toes. He felt the clean mountain air fill his lungs and caught the first scent of her body.
Something floral, something sweet… all woman.
She could have moved away from him. She could have put one of the massive trees between them. Instead, she stood, her hand gently touching the bark, her eyes watching his approach.
“I know you,” he told her. “I know you.” His voice was almost a growl.
He watched her tense up in her shoulders. And saw her toes wiggle in the grass.
“I don’t know you.” She drew in a breath and he heard the tremble in her tone. “Not personally anyway.”
The wry twist of her tone wasn’t lost on him, neither was the stubborn lift of her chin.
He felt wildflowers brushing his calves as he moved forward and knew he was just seconds from her. “Then maybe we should get… personal.”
The word purred from his throat as he reached her, and with an arm wrapped around her body, he took them both down to the grass.
All of that fabric in her skirt and top, and now he knew exactly what she was covering up.
Curves.
Lush curves.
From the way her thighs pushed against his as he caged her in, to the swell of her breasts under his chest, she fit against him in all the best ways.
She didn’t even have to move to get him hard.
He’d likely been visibly aroused when he’d walked out of the pond.
Just seeing her had been enough.
Nestled between their bodies, his cock cradled against her belly, he was rock hard and heavy.
Looking down into her hazel eyes, rounded with surprise, Locke grinned at her. “How is that for… personal?”
She drew in a soft breath that he felt through both of their bodies. “That’s not quite what I had in mind.”
He raised a brow at the tinge of humor she held in her voice. He didn’t feel fear in her which was good.
So good.
“What did you have in mind?”
She wiggled a little under him and he felt his smile deepen. He was fairly sure his features had shifted the littlest bit, making him look more leonine. He didn’t want to scare her, but his lion was so close to the surface, he wasn’t sure he could stop him from breaking through.
Having her under him, moving against his body, both man and lion were aching with hunger.
She stilled and he looked down into her eyes.
She held out her hand to him, awkwardly, and with a slight tremble in her voice, she addressed him. “H-hi? I’m Katherine Lincoln. True’s friend.”
Locke didn’t want to move away from her. In fact, he was wondering how long he could keep his heat pressed against hers. But he wasn’t going to ignore the hand she extended to him.
Letting his arms take more of his weight, he leaned his head down and rubbed against her open hand. Her soft skin against the morning scruff on his cheek almost made him purr in satisfaction.
He felt her stiffen beneath him and he turned his head to brush a kiss across her wrist. “I’m Locke.”
“Locke Ascher?”
The sound of his name on her lips made his cock twitch between them. “Mmmhmm.”
“Then you have something I need.” Her smile sent heat arcing through him.
“I… I do?”
She bit into her bottom lip and managed a shrug that drove him almost to distraction.
“My keys.”
Two
“My keys.”
As soon as she’d said the words, Katherine second guessed herself.
No matter how much True said that Locke was a good guy, there was always a doubt in her own mind. She and True were as different as night and day. True was tall, she was short… er. Not quite hobbit-like in height, she knew she resembled them in shape. And yes, there was some connection to how she liked to dress, somewhere between Samwise Gamgee’s wife, Rosie Cotton, and an earth mother.
Normally, she loved her flowing garments, but trapped between the grass and Locke’s firm body, she felt as if her clothes were too tight, too heavy.
She wanted them off in the worst way.
Just having his body covering her, pressing her hard into the ground, made her feel alive in the most delicious ways.
Every precious indrawn breath she managed only made it worse, pressing her breasts against him until her body hummed with a strange anticipation.
“I’m sorry for interrupting your… swim.”
Well, so much for small talk. Her words only brought up a technicolor image of what he looked like dripping wet and gloriously naked.
Katherine’s brain went a little on the fritz and words just started falling from her lips. “I know I shouldn’t have come up here, but I arrived early, and I know True’s got a million things she’s probably doing and honestly, I thought I’d make things easier on you if I just came over to get my keys.
“I just hadn’t considered… I mean, I never thought that you’d be… what I meant to say is-”
He covered her mouth with his own, and it took her a moment or two to fully grasp the concept.
Locke was kissing her.
No, her heart argued, it was more than that.
She just didn’t have a name for it.
As his lips moved against hers, the rest of his body moved in tandem. How could she be wearing all of her clothes and still feel like she could feel his body against hers in the most intimate of ways?
Locke shifted slightly to one side and she turned her head, ready to chase his lips with her own if the need arose.
Even though she was laid out on the ground with nowhere to fall, Katherine felt dizzy and off-balance. She lifted her hands from the grass and grasped his biceps. Her eyes widened as her hands barely managed to grasp the thick corded muscle of his upper arms. She couldn’t hold on for long if she tried. Her hands were so small compared to the delicious bulk of his muscular physique.
She felt his hand slide around to the back of one of her thighs and even as she began to wince, hoping he wouldn’t pull back when he felt how full her thighs were, he lifted her leg and all but wrapped it around his waist.
Her mouth opened in a gasp as their new position allowed him to press even closer to her body, his cock pressed against the curve of her belly. She swore she could feel him throb against her.
Would it be so bad to leap into the fire when the fire felt like heaven?
Could there be something wrong with letting things get a little out of control?
She’d never allowed herself to be carried away before. What was the harm in doing it now when they were both adults and they were both, definitely into it?
Oh wow.
Locke’s hold on her thigh tightened as he curled his hips into her.
Katherine’s lips parted on a throaty moan and she felt the tip of his tongue slide between them.
As her hands reached for him, determined to find somewhere on his body that she could hold onto, he froze above her.
Froze, pressed heavily against her body, his head turning toward something she couldn’t hear.
The neediest parts of her wanted to turn his attention back to her. Back to what had been about to happen between them, but she felt him pull back before he physically began to move. It felt like a wall had slipped into place between them.
Even as he helped her up and kept her on her feet with his hands clasped tightly to her rounded hips, she was sure she’d fall over if he didn’t hold her tight. Maybe it was the elevation. She’d never been this far above sea level. Heck, she’d never even been to the sea either, but she tried to understand the sudden dizzying sway of emotions inside of her.
There was something happening between them.
Or rather, maybe it had happened already and now her mind was struggling to catch up and label it as just a fluke or a fantasy.
A moment later she was startled as he leaned in and rubbed his cheek against hers. The stubble on his cheek tantalized more than anything else and she found herself leaning into the touch with a strange sound rising in her throat.
“I should say I’m sorry,” he murmured close enough to her ear that the very vibration of his voice was a physical touch, “but I’m not.”
She tried to see into his eyes, but they were too close. And before she could manage to speak, she heard a familiar voice.
“Xavier! Let go of my arm. Why are you trying to hold me back?”
A fierce, protective instinct rose up inside of Katherine and she started to move forward only to feel Locke’s hand take hold of her arm.
She looked down at it and then back up at him, suspicion narrowing her gaze.
“He’s not hurting her.”
Movement at the corner of Locke’s house turned both their heads. Katherine felt her heart leap with joy at the sight of her friend. “True!”
True’s face lit up in a familiar smile, but in the next moment, her dearest friend started to cry.
The shift in emotions startled Katherine. For a worrisome moment she froze and let her eyes travel over her friend from head to toe looking for a reason for her tears.
She was blessedly whole and even more beautiful than Katherine remembered, only making her mind even more puzzled than she was a moment before.
That’s when it hit her.
The rush of energy that had always been between them since the moment they’d met years and years before was still there and just as strong. There was something new as well. Something warm and bright and seemed to infuse her friend’s energy with a joy so strong it almost bowled Katherine over.
She spoke before she could stop herself. “No!” Laughter fell from her lips before True answered.
“Yes!”
And that was the end to their separation.
Katherine all but leapt across the space between them, careful to take her friend by the shoulders instead of giving her their usual crushing hugs. “This is the best news!”
“What news? I didn’t hear a thing?”
Katherine was shocked at how close Locke sounded. A quick turn of her head said that the tawny haired god was indeed close. Almost at her back.
She turned back to True wondering if she’d overstepped with her words, because her friend didn’t seem the least put out… by her.
“Locke?” True’s voice was a mixture of curiosity and humor. “Why are you naked?’
Katherine flushed from her cheeks all the way into her hair at her temples and she was suddenly hot all over. Seeing True had distracted her, and she’d completely forgotten that Locke was bare-ass-naked.
How?
Goodness knows, but she had!
Xavier scoffed at his friend. “Couldn’t manage to keep your clothes on around a woman?”
Locke’s hands settled on Katherine’s shoulders and she felt their weight in delicious ways through her body.
“I have nothing to hide.”
She thought she heard a little bit of a boast in his words, but Katherine found nothing to argue about. She’d only seen him for a few scant moments, but she’d felt him up close and personal and yes, Locke Asher had nothing to hide or be ashamed of. He was built like a god, or at least, she smiled to herself, like a member of a male review, all toned muscles and taut flesh.
Xavier’s snarl of disapproval caught her attention. “You should at least stay dressed around my mate.”
Locke’s snort earned him a scowl from Katherine. “Don’t push your luck.”
His hands gripped her tighter and he leaned just a scant inch closer. “Are you saying I’m going to get lucky?”
Before Katherine could manage a snarky comeback, True stepped in to help.
Taking hold of Katherine’s hands, she tugged her closer, averting her eyes from Locke. “Oh wow. Really, Locke? She hasn’t even been here more than a day.”
“Come on, True,” he laughed, and the sound shivered down Katherine’s spine, “you know what it’s like with a shifter. It doesn’t take more than a moment or two.”
Katherine couldn’t see Locke’s expression, she could only feel his movements behind her, but she could tell by Xavier’s narrowing eyes that Locke had turned his attention to the panther shifter standing just behind True.
“Then again,” Locke’s voice crawled across her skin as he spoke to Xavier, “my friend was stubborn enough to fight it for a while before he gave into his fate.”
“Fate?” Xavier’s voice was tight. “It was more than that, now go put on some clothes.”
Katherine felt a shiver pass across the back of her neck. She didn’t know how she knew it, but she could feel Locke smiling. Not just a simple, easy smile, but one that was meant to prick the panther’s temper.
She looked over her shoulder and was surprised to see just how accurate she was. “Stop it, Locke.”
“Stop what?” His grin eased as he looked down into her face and she found herself trying to memorize the look of it, just in case… Xavier cut it into ribbons.
“Stop trying to upset Xavier.”
His shocked expression was almost believable, but his eyes gave him away. “He’s just angry because he’ll always wonder.”
Before Katherine could say anything, Locke continued.
“After True has seen what she could have had-”
Xavier moved like the wind and there was only a single tear of fabric that reached her ears as the panther shifter’s clothes fell to the ground beside True.
The warmth at her back disappeared at nearly the same moment and when Katherine managed to turn around all she saw was the reflexive snap back of branches at the edge of the woods.
She continued to watch the spot for a moment before she turned back to her friend. “What the hell just happened?”
True’s smile was lopsided but no less familiar to her. Over the years, they’d learned every strange nuance of each other’s expressions. “Boys. Testosterone. And a lot of animalistic competition.”
“Is that what that’s called?” Katherine shook her head and chuckled. “Are they going to run out into the woods and measure?”
True laughed out loud and reached out for Katherine’s hand. “No, but I bet they’ll end up face first in some mud or shoved into nettles before they’ve gotten it out of their systems.”
“Wow,” Katherine squeezed True’s hand and stepped closer to her friend. “I know you’ve got a bunch of great ladies here in town, but I hope I can help even out the testosterone with some estrogen around you.”
True pulled Katherine into her embr
ace. “Thank goodness you’re here!”
Katherine leaned into most of the hug, but she held back a little. “I’m not squishing the baby, am I?”
She saw True’s happy flush of color rise in her cheeks. “No, I just felt her move this morning. It wasn’t until then that I knew for sure.”
“But you had a feeling?” Katherine felt so out of touch with her friend and they hadn’t even been apart more than a couple of seasons. “Did you take a test?”
True shook her head. “Better than that, I have Elizabeth in my head.”
Katherine was stunned to hear the name again.
“She doesn’t always pop into my head. It’s not like Xavier and his panther, always there on the other side of the link. She stops in if she thinks there’s a need.” True smoothed her hand over her belly and smiled. “Elizabeth says we’re going to have our hands full with this one. A spitfire. That’s the description she used, and I could hear her laughter.”
“What did Xavier say about Elizabeth’s comments. What does he think about you having someone else in your head every now and then?”
True waved it off. “I carried Elizabeth around for most of my life without knowing it. When I thought she’d moved on, I felt strangely bereft. It felt like a piece of me was gone.” Turning a pensive look toward the cabin, True spoke softer. “I think she felt the same way. Maybe that’s why she returns every once in a while.”
“Or maybe she thinks of you as family.”
Katherine found herself grinning when True looked back at her with her brow lightly furrowed.
“What do you mean?”
Thinking back on one of their phone conversations, she tried to put the pieces together in her head. “You said that Elizabeth was in love with Xavier’s uncle before she was killed. She probably sees you as part of her family. At least you would have been if she had survived.”
Tears sprung up in True’s eyes and she lifted her hand to brush them away. “I’m already an emotional mess, but it helps to think of it that way.” Her smile softened. “The next time she pops in for a chat, I’ll ask her.”
Katherine was happy that True liked her take on things, but it was hard not to feel a little jealous. Of a ghost, go figure.
