by Ezra Dawn
Folding the note, I tuck it back into the envelope, pull a plastic baggie from the console and slip the note inside. I’ll drop it by the station on our way to where we’re going.
“What’s it say?”
“Usual stalker things. How you’re his. That he’s watching. I’m going to drop it off at the station before we get on the road.” I try to downplay it, so it doesn’t scare him anymore than he already is, but I don’t think I succeed.
Cosmo sighs and says, “I think that’s enough talking about my stalker for today. I don’t want that dark cloud hanging over our heads and ruining our fun. I don’t want to think about it anymore. Got it, Grizz?”
Nodding, I say, “Got it, little sprite.”
Last night was a wake-up call. I thought I’d be okay on my own but the nightmare I had of waking up to my stalker standing over me preparing to do who knows what, had me taking drastic measures to protect myself. Finding that note on my pillow made me realize that maybe my nightmare wasn’t really a nightmare at all, but my subconscious telling me that my stalker had been in my house. Regardless, there’s no way I’d be able to stay there anymore and not lose sleep over being terrified.
I’m glad Con didn’t have a problem with me basically moving into his house. We’re mates so, it would’ve happened once we’d bonded which is probably why Con accepted my high-handedness. In fact, I think he was happy about it. I caught him fighting not to smile when he asked if I basically moved in. I consider fighting a smile progress. Pretty soon, he won’t be able to fight it at all and I’ll have him losing his stoicism.
When I said I didn’t want to talk about my stalker anymore today, I meant it. I don’t even want to think about him anymore. Today is about Con and I getting to know each other, and I won’t have my stalker putting a damper on our day. I have no idea where Con is heading but, it’s somewhere in the woods. We’ve already left town. When Con turns down the road that leads to the lake, I find myself smiling.
The lake is magically manmade and located deep in the forest surrounding Coral Key. According to the stories my parents told me, the lake was created as a place where freshwater shifters could go for a swim whose animal halves couldn’t handle the saltwater of the ocean. It’s massive and always stocked with fish so, it’s a good spot to go fishing. The surrounding land has been split into sections. There’re private sections that people have bought and built houses on and have their own docks. Then there’s public sections that are used as campsites.
Instead of going to the public section Con follows the road all the way around to the private side of the lake then turns down a long driveway. At the end is a gorgeously massive single-story ranch house that’s obviously still under construction judging by the number of Coral Key Construction trucks filling the driveway and the portable trailer that’s used as an office. The outside seems to be complete so, the crews must be working on the inside.
Con parks the truck at the end of the row of construction trucks and cuts the engine. “Whose house is this?”
“It’s mine… well ours now. It’ll be finished in a few weeks.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“Once it’s finished if there’s anything you want to change or add we can do it.”
“I can’t wait to see it when it’s done.”
“Me either.”
Hopping out of the truck with the bag of snacks, I wait by the front bumper for Con who is grabbing the cooler. Once he has it, he walks over to me and holds out his hand. Taking it, I let him lead me around the side of the house and down to the waterfront where a couple of chairs are waiting. He puts the cooler beside one of the chairs and starts stripping. “What are you doing, Grizz?”
He looks over his shoulder at me and raises an eyebrow, “What’s it look like? I’m going swimming. Care to join me?”
“I didn’t bring anything to dry off with.”
“The chairs have storage compartments under the cushions. I keep towels and extra clothing in there.”
Looking at him curiously, I ask, “Why? You don’t live out here yet.”
“I come here and shift when I have time. My bear loves catching fish from the lake.”
“That makes sense.”
Kicking off my flipflops, I pull my tank top over my head and drop it on the chair. Then I unbutton my shorts and slip them off placing them on the chair with my tank top. Hearing Con’s growl of appreciation as his gaze roams over my body I quickly shift before I test his control further. Walking over to Con, I weave through his legs rubbing up against him briefly before stepping back so, he can shift. As he starts to shift, I step back further so, I don’t get stepped on. Fuck, he’s massive. Should’ve known he would be, the man is built as fuck. I can’t wait to spend hours licking those muscles of his.
Con bumps my body with his head knocking me over. Jumping up, I bat his nose gently with my paw then take off running like any sane person would do after bopping a twelve-hundred-pound grizzly bear on the nose. I hear his thundering steps behind me seconds before I’m picked up by my scruff and tossed into the shallow part of the lake. Standing, I shake out my fur and do my best to glare at my mate who is sitting on the shoreline holding two paws to his belly as he laughs though it comes out as more of a grunt. Tilting my head down, I lap at the water as if I’m drinking but hold it in my mouth instead. Darting out of the water, I launch myself at the laughing bastard and spit the water into his face.
His shocked expression in bear form is hilarious and I can’t help but laugh even though it sounds like I’m trying to hack up a hairball. Con sweeps his paw at me playfully but I dodge, jump up and bop him on the nose again before running away. We continue our game for a while even going as far as to splash each other in the shallows until the urge to swim and catch fish seems to become too much for Con to ignore. As he trundles deeper into the water, I jump on his back and stretch out to enjoy the sun on my fur. I might love to swim but, I love basking in the sun more so while my mate does his thing, I’m going to hang out right here and soak up some rays.
A few hours and several fish later, Con heads for shore. Once we’re on dry land, I hop off his back and shift. Grabbing my clothes, I put them on then take a towel from the compartment under the chair cushion and hand it to Con once he’s shifted back. While he dries his legs so he can put his jeans back on, I let my gaze run over his naked body. My cock plumps with arousal and I force myself to look away before I jump the man. I don’t plan on having sex where anyone from the construction crew could see us and if I keep watching him… That’s Thorne’s thing, not mine. Although… I’m sure we could sneak off into the woods for a little romp if we were so inclined. But fuck… I forgot to pack lube so that plan’s out. Sigh.
A hand on my face snaps me out of my inner musings. Con looks down at me with worry and asks, “Are you alright, Cosmo? I asked you three times if you were ready to eat lunch, but you completely spaced out on me.”
Grinning I wink at him and say, “Sorry, I was busy fantasizing about your hot bod. But, I forgot to pack lube so my plan to drag you off into the woods and have my way with you isn’t going to happen.”
Con grins and waggles his eyebrows at me. “Then it’s a good thing I packed lube, isn’t it?”
Holy shit! He smiled! And I wasn’t even trying to get him to this time!
When what he said registers, my grin widens. Stepping forward until we’re chest to chest, I raise up on my tiptoes and kiss him softly. “Yes, it’s a very good thing.”
My stomach growls loudly rivalling the way Con sounds in his bear form making us both laugh.
Con kisses my forehead and says, “Let’s eat first. I’m starving.”
“You just ate like ten fish.”
Con shrugs. “Those were just an appetizer.”
Those fish could’ve easily broken records with their size and he calls them an appetizer. If this is how much he eats normally, I’ll have to buy triple the amount of groceries each week, so I’m not making a trip
every day. I wondered why his fridge was borderline industrial size. Now I know. It’s because he eats enough food for three people. It’s definitely more than the average shifter but, it has to be because his animal side is so large. I bet if he stood on his hind legs in bear form, he’d be close to eleven feet tall.
Shifting takes a lot out of us so, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that shifters who transform into a bigger animal need more food to replenish what they lose. I bet a dragon shifter could eat a whole truckload of food. That would be fascinating to watch. Kind of like an eating contest without the contest part. It’s amazing how much some people can eat. Even as a shifter if I tried to eat as much as those people on those contests do, I’d throw up. No question. I’m sure Con wouldn’t have that problem though, the big glorious bastard.
Con says, “There you go, spacing out on me again. Am I that boring?”
Shaking my head, I say, “No, you aren’t boring at all. My mind just tends to run off on a tangent when I get to thinking about something and I completely space out.”
Con raises an eyebrow at me and says, “No offense, little sprite but, how do you still have a job if that’s the case?”
Laughing I say, “None taken, Grizz. My work keeps me focused so, when I’m there I don’t space out. If that weren’t the case, I’d probably be out of business because of how many times I’d likely mess up.”
“I see. So, what were you thinking about this time? My hot bod again?” The last is said with a teasing smirk.
“Nope. I was thinking about how much you eat and comparing it to people who do eating contests.”
Con pulls a folding table from under his chair and sets it up then places the cooler on top. Grabbing the bag of snacks from by my chair where I left it, I empty it on the table. I made sure to include napkins, plastic silverware, and paper plates to make assembling sandwiches easier. Along with lunch meats for sandwiches I packed a number of other things like fresh fruits and veggies that can be dipped into the ranch dip I brought. It’s what was going to be my lunch for the week but since I’m taking a few days off I won’t be needing it so, it’s perfect for our lunch date.
Once we have our plates fixed, we return to our seats and eat quietly while enjoying the view of the lake. It’s peaceful and relaxing and I didn’t realize until now just how much I needed this. To be honest, I haven’t had a single break since I moved back here and opened the shop. I can’t remember the last time I took a vacation. Might’ve been that trip to Miami for spring break my senior year of college. I was born in Coral Key and moved to the city for college and cosmetology school. Even though I left, I always knew I’d be back because Coral Key’s my home and there’s no place like it.
After I got my business degree and cosmetology license, I moved back here and opened the salon. I’ve been going nonstop ever since. Taking a break for the first time in years feels so nice. I’ll have to do this more often. My employees are amazing so, I know I can trust them with the shop. When I go back to work, I might change the schedule around or hire another stylist so, I can take a couple days off each week. I’d close the salon on weekends but, those are our busiest days due to the fact that a lot of people who work Monday through Friday are off then. Shaking off those thoughts before work takes over my brain and ruins the day, I focus on eating my sandwich and enjoying the view. I’m looking forward to having many more moments like this with my mate. Now, if we can just find out who my stalker is, everything’ll be perfect.
My little sprite finishes his lunch long before I do. Though that’s probably because he only had two sandwiches while I made six, plus all the other snacks I loaded onto a separate plate. I finished off the snacks first before tackling the sandwiches. When I shifted back, it was like I hadn’t eaten at all even though I had ten very large fish in my bear form. Cosmo is gazing out at the water with a smile on his face. Since I still have a few sandwiches to eat, I’m going to use this opportunity to ask some basic ‘getting to know you’ questions.
I’m sure these sorts of questions could easily come after we claim each other but, it’s a nice way to pass the time and besides, I’m curious about the man I’m to spend the rest of my life with. I don’t know much about him at all other than what I’ve seen over the years living next to him and what I’ve learned since I responded to the call at his salon.
Looking over at Cosmo, I ask, “Will you tell me a bit about you?”
Cosmo smiles at me. “Of course. What would you like to know?”
“Everything but, I’ll settle for the basics.”
With a melodic laugh, he says, “Good, because I’m not sure I could cover everything in a single day but, I would’ve given it my best shot.”
Chuckling, I say, “We have the rest of our lives to cover everything.”
Since we arrived at the lake, I’ve found it easy to laugh and smile. Cosmo makes it hard to fight my emotions because his happiness is so infectious, and I want to share in his joy. I’m not saying it’ll be easy for me to show my feelings in public but, doing it in Cosmo’s presence is progress so, I’m counting that as a win.
Cosmo takes my hand and links our fingers together. “So, where should I start?”
Lifting our linked hands, I kiss the back of his and say, “Wherever you like.”
“Well, my full name is Cosmo Amadeus Mayweather. I was born here in Coral Key but moved when I left for college. I came back to open the salon.”
Trying not to laugh, I question, “Amadeus huh?”
Cosmo elbows me in the ribs and says, “Stop. I have no idea why my parents decided Amadeus would be a good middle name. I’ve never asked. I assume they wanted something as unique as my first name.”
“How did they decide on your name? Or do you not know?”
Cosmo laughs, “Okay, so that story I do know. Apparently, I was named after the cocktail my mother missed most when she was pregnant with me. What about you? How’d your parents come up with your name?”
Sighing, I say, “I was born while my dad was serving a month-long sentence in jail for a DWI. Shifters metabolize alcohol faster than humans so, for him to be drunk enough to fail a sobriety test he had to have drunk a shit ton before getting behind the wheel. My mother decided to name me Convict since that’s what my father was at the time.”
“That’s awful. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. You didn’t know I had asshole parents. Not everyone is as lucky as you. I swear when the gods created your parents, they broke the mold.”
Cosmo turns to me with wide-eyes and an open mouth. “You know my parents?”
The way he says it has me bursting into laughter. “Of course, I do. Your mother has treated me a couple times when I needed to make a trip to the hospital and your father pops by the precinct at least once a week to chat with the captain and every officer working at the time. I’ve talked to him a few times. I knew he had a son but never put a face to the name until yesterday.”
Cosmo holds up his hand and shakes his head. “Let’s not talk about yesterday. Ask me something else.”
“I’d ask if you had any siblings but, I already know you don’t so, instead I’ll ask why you decided to become a hairstylist and open your own salon.”
“When I was younger a number of people working at the hospital quit suddenly so, until they could hire more, my mother had to work double shifts like you’ve been doing at the precinct. For a while, she was unable to go to the salon so, when she wanted to dye or cut her hair, she had to do it herself. At the time, Coral Key didn’t have a salon and there were no stylists close enough to make a house call. After her second botched cut, I told her I’d do it next time.”
“How did that go?”
Cosmo smiles. “Surprisingly well. All the times I went with her to the salon and watched the stylist work paid off. From that point on I was hooked. What about you? Do you have siblings?”
I nod. “Three brothers. All older. They live in Minnesota and run a dude ranch.”
�
��So, you’re the baby of the family?”
“I am.”
“That’s nice.”
Cosmo turns in his seat and sits cross-legged then folds his arms on the armrest and rests his head on them. “What made you decide to become a cop?”
Smiling I say, “My best friend Nathan. We served in the army together. He was born here in Coral Key. I was looking for a place to go where I could start fresh once I got out of the army and Nathan suggested I come here. So, I did. We got out, went through the police academy together and started working at the department at the same time. He’s actually my partner on shift but, his mate just had a baby so, he’s out on paternity leave.”
Cosmo smiles at me. “I look forward to meeting him.”
Leaning over, I kiss his forehead and say, “I’ll introduce you soon.”
“Promise?”
“Absolutely.”
Standing, I hold out my hand to him and smile. “Now, I think that’s enough questions for now. What do you say we go for a little walk and find a spot to put that lube I packed to use?”
Cosmo looks up at me and winks. “I say, lead the way, Grizz,” then puts his hand in mine. I use the hold I have on his hand to gently pull him from the chair. Linking our fingers together, I lead him into the woods. I’ve explored this land a lot in my bear form since the day I bought it so, I know where to find the perfect spot for us to claim each other.
My parents had huge life insurance policies. How they both managed to acquire a two point five-million-dollar policy for themselves I’ll never know but, they did, and my oldest brother was the sole beneficiary. I’m sure if they’d had any other family, they wouldn’t have left anything to us kids. My brother split the money equally between us even though it was his. Even split equally four ways the money remained a decent sized chunk of change. I put my portion into a savings account before I enlisted.
Originally, I had planned to leave it in the account and only use it when I had kids or something but, then this land came up for sale and I couldn’t resist the lure of complete privacy. Each private lot around the lake is about twenty acres each. To ensure I wouldn’t be getting any neighbors, I bought the two lots on either side of me plus the land across the road away from the lake behind me that lines up with my property. I’m sure I pissed off a number of people when I did because these three lots were the last available on the lake and only became so because the original owners’ decided to move to Florida without having done anything to the land they’d bought.
