by Anna Lowe
He took a deeper breath and woke, just like that. Another bear thing. Some days, he’d be bleary-eyed until close to noon. But if she touched him in just the right way…a switch went on in him, and there he’d be, wide awake, catching her hand with his.
“Mmm,” he hummed, rubbing his chin along her jaw.
She could have purred out loud. Oops. Wait. She did purr out loud.
Simon laughed, because he could read her every thought these days unless she kept them carefully tucked away. Which she only did on rare occasions. If, for example, a girl wanted to keep secret what kind of muffins she’d slipped out of bed to bake for her bear that morning and how many, then yes, she needed to keep some secrets, too. All for his own good.
“What are you so proud of, my mate?” he asked, sniffing his way along her neck.
Her toes flexed, danced, tingled. God, she loved it when he did that. Any contact around the scar of her mating bite turned her on like a light. A red light with very naughty ideas and just enough time to try them out before the muffins were done.
She rolled on top of him. “Proud of you,” she said, kissing his brow.
His inner bear preened just a bit. She could tell from the shine in his eyes.
“Proud of us, too.” She slid her lips closer to his mouth, ready to claim it with a sloppy kiss.
Simon slid his hands farther up her torso, igniting every nerve in her body. “Proud of wha—”
She cut him off. They could talk or they could play, and nothing beat waking up to the latter. And nothing beat kissing Simon. She swept her tongue over his lips, and when she opened her mouth, he did, too, letting her in.
Such a soulful, drugging kiss, she nearly whimpered into it. She threaded her fingers into his hair for a better grip and started rocking her hips against his.
You’re purring, my mate, he whispered into her mind.
I’m not the only one, she whispered back.
She inhaled the rest of the kiss, and when she came up for air a second later, Simon rolled them both. He came out on top, looking awfully pleased with himself. His biceps bulged, supporting just enough of his weight to prevent crushing her completely while keeping her deliciously pinned.
Hmm. Mine. Mate, he growled, grinding against her.
She wound her legs around his waist and growled back. No need for much foreplay, not in the state she was in.
Mine, he groaned, driving deep in.
She held on tight and took another magic carpet ride, courtesy of her bear. The bear who floated her over clouds, dragged her over hot coals of pleasure, and made her cry his name again and again. She tried not to make too much noise and failed miserably.
Make all the noise you want, my mate. His voice was gritty as he thrust harder, pushing her further and further off the edge.
When he came, it was with enough power, enough passion to make both of them shudder for a full minute before sinking back into the mattress and into each other’s arms.
Perfect. Life was perfect. Love didn’t get better than this.
“Maybe it does.” He grinned and started touching her, getting her wound up all over again.
Her alarm chimed, making him groan as she rolled to the side of the bed. Well, technically, she rolled to the side of the mattress, because they still hadn’t gotten around to getting a bed. Probably never would, because the mattress suited their animal natures perfectly. They could roll in, roll out. Slumber in animal form, as they’d done a few times. That was its own special pleasure — turning around the bed three times, then going to sleep spooned within the curve of her mate’s massive, furry body.
“Too early to get up,” Simon protested, pulling her back into his arms.
“I have to take the muffins out.”
His eyes lit up. “Berry muffins?”
She laughed. “Come and find out.”
A quick shower later, she padded down the stairs, following the murmur of Soren’s deep bass to the front room. It was Sunday morning and the saloon was closed. So who could he be talking to?
She pulled two dozen steaming muffins from the oven, set them on a wire rack, and carried them into the saloon.
“Good morning,” she called, seeing Soren with two of the Twin Moon wolves: Ty Hawthorne and his sister, Tina.
Ty’s and Soren’s heads whipped around. Their noses followed the muffins Jess carried toward their booth.
Tina smiled at Jess and stuck an elbow in her brother’s ribs.
“Good morning,” Tina said pointedly.
“Morning,” Ty hastened to add. His eyes stayed on the muffins, though, just like Soren’s, and Jess nearly laughed out loud. If she’d known how easy it was to tame tough alphas with nothing more than an old family recipe, she’d have started baking from day one.
Simon ambled up behind her. “Hey! You giving away my muffins again?”
She held up the rack in her right hand. “These are yours.”
He made a little Hmpf sound, grabbed the coffeepot, and came over to refill everyone’s mugs.
“So, back to business,” Soren said a moment later, wiping the crumbs from his mouth.
Ty nodded and leaned in, and suddenly the boys were men again.
“Right. We extend the lease on the saloon by another twelve months,” Ty said.
“For starters,” Tina added with a wink that said the contract could be extended as long as they wanted. “Twelve months is just the standard around here.”
Jess bit her lip, and when Simon squeezed her hand, she squeezed back. They’d been so worried that the wolves of Twin Moon Ranch would send them packing after the rogue attack. After all, it was their fault the Blue Bloods had stepped on Twin Moon turf. Apparently, they’d worried for nothing.
Jessica’s soul sang. We can stay! We can stay!
Simon grinned at her. Even Soren looked relieved, though he hid it by sipping his coffee.
She looked around the saloon. It had taken ages to clean up, but everyone had pitched in. She leaned against Simon and thought back to the fight. Or rather, the good parts, after the fight.
Like Simon, holding her like he’d never let go.
Like Janna, crying in relief when Cole opened his eyes and blinked.
Like Ty, shaking hands with Soren with a new kind of respect.
Back to the memory of Simon laughing when she’d looked him up and down and said, “Jesus. You look like you got hit by a truck.”
The three men — Simon, Soren, and Ty — had looked at each other without uttering a word. When she’d learned they really had been hit by a truck, she’d shrieked.
“Shifters.” Simon had shrugged. “We heal fast.”
“That fast?” she’d gaped.
He’d just hugged her closer. “When we have reason to.”
She looked around, remembering all that, and squeezed his hand again, not quite believing her luck.
Her relief must have shown, because Tina gave her a reassuring smile. “You and the bears strengthen our pack.”
Ty swallowed another bite of muffin and nodded in agreement. “We can always use capable allies guarding this edge of our territory.”
A win-win, and thank goodness, because Jess loved the saloon almost as much as she loved Simon.
Tina rolled her eyes at Ty’s comment and shot Jess a look that said, By capable, he means he’s damn impressed by how you and your bears fight.
Jess smiled. Technically, only Simon was her bear. But, yes, the brothers were a package deal, so Soren’s was hers in a way, too. If only she could find him his own mate…
“Now, about other business,” Ty started, looking at Soren.
Other business probably meant a strategy on how to prevent further Blue Blood attacks, Jess figured and immediately tensed up.
Tina slid out of the booth and motioned her toward the front door. “Come. We need to have our own business talk.”
Jess followed her reluctantly, and Simon watched her go with a look so mournful, even Tina laughed. “I’m no
t taking her to the moon! Just next door.”
Tina prodded her out the swinging saloon doors and into the bright sunlight. It was midmorning on a Sunday, and the streets were quiet but for the sound of birdsong and the jingle of Tina’s keys. She picked one from a ring and opened the door of the neighboring shop.
“Have you ever been in here?” Tina asked.
Jess shook her head and looked around when Tina led her in.
“It used to be a small art gallery. Before that, a café. We haven’t been able to find a renter for it in years.”
Even with dust and scraps of paper littering the floor, it was a homey, cozy place. Jess looked up and realized her bedroom was directly overhead. Her new bedroom, that is. The one at the far end of the hallway. She and Simon had moved in there so it wouldn’t be her room or his room, but their room.
“This place has one-third of the building’s street frontage,” Tina went on, leading her toward the back. “Great location, but we never found anyone with the business sense to run it well. The saloon takes up the other two-thirds. The art gallery only ever used the front room, but back here…”
She swung a creaky door wide, and Jessica’s mouth fell open. Stainless steel counters ran around the perimeter of the room, with another creating an island in the middle of the space. The entire back wall was lined with big, heavy ovens.
It was a kitchen. A huge, airy kitchen.
“They’re old,” Tina said, “but last I heard, they all worked well.” She opened the oven door and peered inside.
“Nice,” Jess nodded, trying not to let her imagination run away with a thousand ideas for the place.
Tina leaned against the counter as Jessica’s eyes roved around the room. “So, this is the thing. We need this place to pay for itself, and we need someone we can count on to run it.”
Jess closed the cabinet she’d been peeking into and stood very, very still.
“And this town can use another bakery-café. A good bakery,” she added, grimacing in the direction of the place three blocks away. “And a good baker to run it.” She looked right at Jess, who couldn’t quite speak. “A good businesswoman.”
Jess gulped.
“So what do you say?” Tina waved her hands wide. “I was thinking the Blue Moon Saloon could use a new neighbor. Something like, I don’t know…maybe the Quarter Moon Café?”
Jess struggled to say something, but nothing came out.
“Now, if you came up with a sound business plan, I’m sure we could find a way to finance it. Well?” Tina tilted her head. “What do you think?”
Jess thought she’d died and gone to heaven for the second time in two weeks.
“Um…Yes?” she squeaked. Then she hastened to add, “I have to check with my business partners, of course.”
“Of course.”
“And, um…um…other things…” Jess wiped her right eye before the tear building there could roll out. Her mind jumped from muffins to sandwiches to wraps. Maybe cheesecakes, too…
“Berry cheesecake?” Simon’s voice came from the doorway.
Tina laughed and pressed the key into her hand. “I’ll let you two think about it. You let me know when you’re ready to commit.”
Jess refrained from shouting Right now! and waved instead. “Um, sure…”
But Tina was already out the door while Simon headed in. “Sure to berry cheesecake?” His eyes twinkled.
She all but threw herself into his arms, because even a tough she-wolf could give in to her emotions from time to time. Especially when no one was looking except for her mate.
“Hey!” he protested a second later. “Why are you crying?”
“It’s all so…good.” So unbearably good. “Almost too good.”
He hugged her tighter. “It is good.”
“I mean…” She sniffed and tried to get her thoughts together. “Why do we have it so good? While Janna…and Soren…”
He sighed, ruffling her hair. “Janna, I reckon, is halfway to finding her mate…”
Jess knew what he meant. Janna had had her eye on Cole even before the fight, but Jess was still worried. Her sister had been unusually anxious and flighty for the past two weeks. Was Cole really the one for her? And if he was — then, damn. Female shifter-male human pairings were few and far between. She-wolves couldn’t turn humans as readily as their male counterparts could. Plus, another mixed mating would give the Blue Bloods an excuse to stage yet another attack…
“And Soren…”
Jess ached just thinking about him. To have lost his mate, and so horribly, in a fire…
She held Simon even tighter. They’d had a taste of that pain. They knew how hopeless, how empty life without a mate felt.
“But maybe…”
“Maybe what?”
“Remember how I told you we dug out a den and lay down to die?”
She fisted her hands in his shirt just thinking about it. If Simon had died…
“I couldn’t die for a reason. Because you were still out there,” Simon said.
“You think… You think Soren’s mate might still be out there? But how can that be?” When destiny brought two shifters together, they mated for life. And if one died, the other didn’t simply find someone else and move on.
Simon shook his head slowly. “I don’t know. Maybe he was wrong about Sarah being his mate? Maybe there’s someone else?” He sighed deeply, then gathered her closer again and tucked her head under his chin. Nice and close, so that when he spoke, his voice rumbled right into her chest.
“We can’t see the future, but I’d say right now is pretty damn good. And if it’s good for us…”
She swallowed away the lump in her throat.
“…maybe they’ll get their chance, too.”
They stood there for a long time, just holding on to each other, letting the silence carry their hopes.
Then Simon leaned away from her and kissed her knuckles. “Quarter Moon Café, huh?” His eyes twinkled again, chasing away her sorrow.
“It does have a ring to it,” she replied, slipping an arm around his waist. They both looked around the place.
“Dunno. All those muffins, in other people’s hands…”
She laughed. “What if I promise to always reserve you a few?”
“A few?”
“Lots. As many as you like.”
He made a face, but even that didn’t wipe the smile out of his eyes. “God, I can see it now,” he groaned. “Theme muffins.”
She play-punched him in the arm and led him out to the front room. “Theme muffins. Great idea. Like mesa muffins.”
“Sure. I can bite the tops off. That works for me.”
“Cactus muffins…”
“Those, you can sell. Fine with me.”
“They’d have pistachio glaze, dummy. To look green and lumpy on the outside, but still be tasty on the inside.”
“In that case, they’re mine.”
She sighed and headed for the front door, jiggling the key in her hand. Her key, in her hand. Simon stopped her, though, and backed her against the wall, pressing his body against hers.
“Monsoon muffins…” She tried staying on topic as he started kissing her neck. Her neck, damn it, the one place she could never resist.
“Try again.” His voice dropped an octave.
“Sunset muffins, with cherry and lemon…” Simon loved cherries almost as much as raspberries.
“Mmm,” he mumbled, sucking the skin of her neck.
Her cheeks burned. Her lips twitched. Her wolf yowled.
“Um… Pinto muffins, with different flavors mixed together…”
“Not so sure,” he whispered, nudging his leg between hers.
Muffins were the last thing she cared about now. Nothing mattered, not even the café. Not with her mate driving her wild all over again.
“I got it,” she murmured as his hands teased her breasts.
“Yeah?”
“Hungry bear muffins.” She angled her
hips closer to his.
“Hungry bear,” he growled. “You got that right.”
“Hungry wolf, too,” she threw in.
“Then I better get her to bed. Er, to the kitchen, I mean.”
A lie, and she knew it. But two could play that game.
She took a deep breath and let her breasts push against his chest. Watched the color rise in his face, felt his hardness thicken in his jeans.
“Kitchen. Good idea,” she mumbled. “So get to it, bear.”
He threw her into a fireman’s carry and headed toward the back.
“Simon!” she protested.
“Still got that key?” he rumbled.
“Yes, but…”
“Bet it works on the back door.”
Her bear was a genius. They could go from the rear door of this place to the back door of the saloon, slip upstairs, and into their room.
She let her hands rove over his body as she bounced along. Being manhandled by a bear shouldn’t feel this good, but what the heck. She had to live a little, right?
“You going to make love to me all over again?”
“And again and again…” he continued, all the way around the back and up the stairs. “Until forever, and then I’ll start all over again.”
* * *
Jessica and Simon earned their happy end - but what about Janna and Cole? Read on for Temptation, Book 2!
Temptation
Book 2 in the Blue Moon Saloon series
by Anna Lowe
Temptation
His darkest fears…her deepest desires.
She-wolf Janna Macks knows trouble when she sees it, especially when it comes in the form of an irresistibly broody cowboy like Cole Harper. Her fledgling pack is already in the cross hairs of a ruthless group of rogues, and falling head over heels in lust with a human will only endanger her loved ones more. The problem is, her wolf knows her destined mate when she sees him — and Cole is it.
Rodeo pro Cole Harper has never felt this off-kilter before. One minute, he’s lusting after Janna, the spunky waitress he can’t get off his mind, and the next, he’s growling at a dark inner voice demanding all kinds of crazy things — like howling at the moon and claiming Janna as his own. There’s only one thing stronger than the overwhelming need for Janna, and that’s the fear that without her, he’ll succumb to the strange inner beast wrestling for control of his haunted soul.
