The Jaguar's Secret Baby: Howls Romance (Tales of the Were: Jaguar Island Book 3)

by Bianca D’Arc

  After that one night with Tracy, Hank had been ruined for any other woman. If that wasn’t the sign of a mate, he didn’t know what was. Hank might have been very stupid about all this two—almost three—years ago, but he was aware and thinking clearer now.

  The simple truth was, he truly believed that Tracy was his mate. Convincing her, though, was going to take some doing. He’s blown his chance at claiming her when they’d first come together, and he knew her pride wouldn’t let her accept his claims of love now, without a whole lot of proof.

  He didn’t know how he was going to accomplish the goal of getting her to agree to be his mate, but he knew he had to try. He might’ve messed up the past few years of his life by being a blind fool, but he wasn’t going to screw up his daughter’s life, or the rest of his or Tracy’s lives, by continuing to be a jackass. He was going to win her heart. Somehow.

  They shared a pleasant dinner, both adults focusing outwardly more on the child than on each other. Hank’s thoughts were churning inwardly, though he tried not to show it. He kept things as light as possible on the outside, knowing he’d have time to talk more seriously with Tracy after they put Emma to bed.

  Tuckered out from her exciting day, Emma went to bed early that night, even though she tried to stay awake. It was kind of comical the way she kept yawning and catching herself as she nodded off. Finally, Tracy took her upstairs and tucked her in, bringing a baby monitor back down with her so they would hear if Emma stirred.

  Hank knew baby jaguars slept more than human babies. All the shifting took more energy out of them than normal human growth patterns. Multiple naps throughout the day was the norm for his tiniest Clan mates, and seeing his own daughter follow suit gave Hank a warm feeling in his heart. She really was the most adorable child he’d ever seen. So independent, yet so loving and attached to her mama.

  Hank wished wistfully that Emma might, someday, feel the same love of child for parent, for him.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “She sleeps an awful lot now that she’s shifting all the time,” Tracy observed, coming into the living room where she’d left Hank sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee.

  “That’s to be expected. Shifting takes a lot of energy. Some of my Clan mates claim the reason the Mother of All makes the little ones sleep so much when they start to shift is to allow their parents time to recover from chasing after them.”

  Tracy chuckled as she sat on the couch next to him, reaching for the cup of coffee she’d left on the low table in front of the sofa. She saw a large brown envelope on the coffee table. Hank must’ve brought it in from his vehicle while Tracy had been occupied. She didn’t say anything, figuring he’d get to it in time.

  She didn’t want anything from him. Not really. She wasn’t a clingy female, nor was she greedy. No, her inner wolf was a true bitch—strong and independent. Growling at the merest suggestion that she couldn’t provide for herself or her daughter.

  “There might be something to that,” she replied, sitting back then taking a sip of the dark roasted brew she preferred.

  “Before you say anything, that envelope contains the details on the trust account I set up for Emma.” He held up both hands, palms outward. “I know you can provide for her. Just think of this as a fall-back position. I will continue adding to it every year. Whether or not you use the money is up to you. If you don’t need it now, think of it as a college fund. By the time she gets to that age, she will be able to pay for any school she wants with what I’m putting into the trust for her, even accounting for inflation. A certain amount will always be available if you need it, but a portion of the principal will be invested in high-yield funds, so it will continue to grow. If you want more than the available cash balance, that can be arranged within one business day. All you have to do is call the bank. You’re in charge of the entire account until Emma reaches the age of eighteen.”

  “It’s too much,” Tracy protested. “I don’t need it, and we don’t even know if she’ll want to pursue her education when she’s older. I mean, I hope she will, but I won’t force her into anything.”

  Hank nodded. “Agreed. She makes her own choices. But, if she wants an Ivy League school, or to study abroad, I want her to have that option.”

  Tracy was silent a long moment. She didn’t like the idea of taking his money, but he’d set this up in such a way that she wouldn’t have to. The money would just sit in the account, earning interest and growing, unless and until Emma needed it.

  “I’ll take it with the proviso that it’s strictly for Emma’s future.” She still felt a little odd about accepting his money, but as long as she treated the account as something for Emma, for the future, she felt a little better about the whole thing.

  “Okay, but use it if you need it. The trust can be your emergency fund, too,” Hank told her, blue eyes hesitant and seeming to plead for her understanding.

  She couldn’t say no to him when he looked at her like that, so she just nodded and tried to let it go. There were even more important things to discuss here. The money matter—while a big one—was more or less trivial when compared to the custody issue.

  Hank had never come out and said he wanted custody of Emma, but Tracy knew he’d be within his rights to demand visitation at the very least. She didn’t want to deny either him or her daughter the ability to know each other, but she was also a jealous mama wolf who didn’t want to let go of control where her baby was concerned. There had to be some kind of compromise, but she didn’t know what Hank was thinking on the subject yet, and it had her worried, frankly.

  “Okay,” Hank said, taking a breath as if going through a mental checklist. “The next issue is more complicated. I know you’ve done an excellent job raising Emma alone up to this point, but now that I know about her, I want to be part of her life. Of both your lives. Tracy, I think we could make a go of it…together. If you’re willing to try.”

  What was he saying? Tracy scowled. “You want to try to raise her together?”

  “As mates,” he confirmed, nodding. He didn’t look happy about the idea. Or maybe, that was just her interpretation of his very serious expression.

  “You’re not my mate.” Even as she said it, jumping to her feet in agitation, her wolf howled inside her, angry. But whether the wolf was angry at Hank, or at Tracy herself, even she wasn’t quite sure.

  “I could be,” he countered, standing as well, and stalking around the couch to face her. “I’ll do anything to be part of your lives. I’ll move here. Buy a condo nearby. Even live in a wolf town where everybody hates me, as long as I can be around you and Emma.” He sank to one knee, holding her hand. “I’ll marry you, Tracy,” he said in a softer tone. “If that’s what you want.”

  Frozen for a moment by the unexpectedness of his proposal, Tracy didn’t know what to say. Then, anger flared, and she jerked her hand free and stalked away.

  “You’re ridiculous!” She wanted to shout, but conscious of her daughter sleeping upstairs, she kept her words to a furious whisper-scream. “I don’t want a mate—or a husband—just because we happened to make a baby together. If I ever choose a mate, it’ll be because he is my Goddess-destined counterpart. Not some medieval marriage of convenience. That you would even suggest it makes me want to bite you! I want a true mate. Hell, I deserve a true mate.”

  Hank got up slowly from his kneeling position and walked back around the couch. He stood there, just looking at her, his gaze inscrutable while he seemed to think over her words. Then, finally, he sighed, looking defeated and spoke in a gentle voice.

  “What if we are true mates?”

  Stymied, she didn’t respond for a moment.

  “What are you talking about?” she finally asked, as calmly as she could, when the silence had dragged on long enough.

  “In all the time since we were together, I haven’t been with another woman. Not one. I just wasn’t interested. I mean, I told myself it was because I was really busy with Clan business—and I was—but t
here were opportunities. Opportunities I didn’t take. Didn’t even consider taking.” He scrubbed one hand through his hair. “That’s just not normal, Trace. Not for a single jaguar male in his prime.”

  Tracy felt something deep inside. A recognition that she had felt something similar. The wolf inside her had a sense of rightness. Of laughing at the human side that was being stupid, in its estimation.

  “I haven’t been with anyone either,” she admitted. “But I’ve got Emma, and males don’t interest me much anymore.”

  Hank stepped closer to her. “Males other than me?”

  The audaciousness of his question made her breath catch. He wasn’t smiling, but there was a devilish twinkle in his eyes that spoke to the passion that had remained dormant in her soul since the last time she’d been with him. Only since seeing him again, had her body reawakened. She had to confess, within the quiet of her own mind, that she’d dreamed of him in the week since she’d last seen him. Hot dreams. Erotic dreams. Dreams that made her blush to remember them.

  Funny how she hadn’t dreamed of anyone else in all that time since she’d been with him. Not even a faceless lover. Only Hank. Ever Hank.

  There might be something to his claim, but she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing she thought he could be right. Not now. Not after he’d botched his proposal so badly. He’d have to prove to her that he didn’t want her only because they’d made Emma together. Tracy wanted to be wanted for herself.

  “You know I was attracted to you,” she told him, keeping her words in the past tense, just to keep him guessing. “The proof of that is sleeping upstairs, right now.” She scoffed, but she didn’t move away as he edged closer to her.

  “Some might say she is also proof that we are destined mates. You know shifters aren’t really that fertile to begin with and usually not across species lines unless there’s a mating in the mix. It could be that I was just too stupid to realize you were my mate when we were together last.” He gave her a disarming grin as he shook his head slightly. He really was a charmer. She’d have to be careful around him if she didn’t want to lose every argument and end up doing exactly what he wanted all the time.

  “So, you admit to being stupid?” she asked instead, challenging him. Her wolf liked challenging him. It made her feel playful and young…and happy.

  “When it comes to you? Definitely,” he told her immediately, looking not the least bit bashful. “I’ve been thinking about you ever since that night, and wanting to get back to you. Duty kept me elsewhere, but I never stopped thinking about you. I realize now, that’s because there was a bond forming—if we’ll let it—between us.”

  “You really believe that?” It would be so easy to fall for his words. But what if he was just saying this to get to Emma?

  What if any woman would do, and it wasn’t Tracy he wanted, but Tracy was just the means to get to his daughter? That would crush her in time. Kill her tender heart and cripple her wolf. She had to be so careful.

  “I really believe it, Tracy,” he whispered, drawing even closer. His head dipped, and then, a moment later, his lips were covering hers.

  Ah. She remembered this. She remembered the stark passion, the luscious seduction of him. The only man who had ever made her feel this way… Hank.

  She reached up and pressed into his kiss, enjoying the feel of him against her. The memory of their night together flashed back into her mind, the solid feel of his muscles against her making her want it again. It had been so long. Too long.

  She responded before she thought better of her actions. She pushed him down to the couch and climbed over him. The combustion between them hadn’t been her imagination. He touched her, and she became voracious for more, her inner wild woman released…but only for him.

  She could feel his smile against his lips as she basically jumped him. He wasn’t struggling, which made her inner wolf want to howl in victory. She didn’t want to fight with him. She wanted to fuck him. Hard. Fast. And all night long.

  The thought sobered her momentarily. She lifted her lips from his, realizing she was straddling his hips. They were both still fully clothed, thank goodness, but the position was compromising, to say the least.

  “I don’t want to be a convenience,” she told him, her emotions raw. “I deserve to be wanted for me, not because it gives you a ready-made family.”

  His gaze went hard, even as he lifted one hand to cup her cheek. “Don’t ever think that, Tracy,” he said, his voice soft but filled with the command of his strong personality. “You probably should just get used to the fact that, for a relatively smart guy, I can be very stupid sometimes. Or very stubborn. Or even, both at the same time.” A rueful grin graced his mobile lips, charming her just that little bit more. “I certainly was where you were concerned. Did you ever think that maybe the Mother of All gave us Emma as a way to kick my stubborn ass into realizing what was right in front of me for the past couple of years?”

  “You really believe that?” She wouldn’t make herself any more pathetic by asking exactly what he was talking about. If he had feelings for her, he should be brave enough by now to just come out and tell her. She didn’t want to have to beg.

  His fingers stroked down over her cheek to the line of her jaw, making her shiver in delight at the soft touch. Her big cat could be gentle when the occasion called for it. She remembered that from their one night together.

  “I believe I’ve held you in my soul since we parted after our one night together. I couldn’t forget you, and I couldn’t be with anyone else. That, right there, should have clued me in, but as I said—stupid and stubborn, sometimes. Sorry.”

  He shook his head, and she found it hard to hold out against his charm. But she had to know more. She had to have something to cling to. Some word of care. Of commitment to her, not just because of their child. She needed something more definite. She wanted clarity. Bold, honest words.

  “I care for you, Tracy. Deeply.” Those words were good. She liked those words. “I have thought about you almost constantly over the past couple of years, but I wasn’t entirely free to come back. And, of course, I’m an idiot. I didn’t recognize the signs for what they were. Somewhere deep inside, my jaguar always expected to mate another cat of some kind, if not necessarily another jaguar. I think my beast side was more surprised than my human half when we finally got back here and realized what had happened. It took my cat a while to figure things out, but he’s totally on board now.”

  “Is that because Emma is a jaguar? What if she’d been a wolf? What if we…mate…and have another child, and what if that child is a wolf? Will your wild side reject that child because it’s canine and not feline?” These were the tough questions. The heart of the matter.

  She got off him and moved to sit on the other end of the couch as he sat up on his side. He rested both of his elbows on his knees and ran both hands through his hair, blowing out a hard breath.

  “You really think I could be that fickle?” He didn’t even look at her as he spoke, and she got the idea that she’d hurt his feelings, which made her feel a twinge of guilt.

  “Cats have a bit of a reputation in that regard,” she said quietly.

  That made him look at her, his face a study in shock. “Maybe in dating, but in mating…” He seemed to grasp for words. “When we mate, we’re as loyal as any wolf, bear, eagle or any other kind of shifter you care to name. We roam when we’re young, and we tend to sow a lot of wild oats, so to speak, but when we commit, we commit fully. End of story.”

  Yeah, now, she really did feel guilty. “Okay,” she said quietly, trying to think of how to bring the conversation back to where she wanted it. “I honestly don’t know that much about jaguars. You guys do tend to be kind of secretive, you know.”

  Finally, he cracked just the tiniest bit of a smile. “You have a point. We cultivate that air of mystery on purpose, but I won’t ever keep secrets from you, Tracy. For one thing, you’re the mother of a jaguar. You’re going to
need to know all our secrets in order to raise our baby. For another, because of your link to Emma and me, you now come under the protection of the entire Clan. You ever need anything, they’ll be there for you.”

  “I have a Pack already—” she began to protest, but he cut her off, gently.

  “And a Clan. You have both, now, Tracy.”

  She didn’t try to argue further. She knew her baby would need the jaguars. Tracy wouldn’t deny her child the people who shared their beast form with her.

  “I do care, Tracy. Not just about Emma, but about you. I haven’t been able to look at another woman in all this time. Don’t shut me out. I really believe you’re it for me. My mate. My true mate.”

  Her heart leapt upward at his words. Did she believe him?

  Yeah, turns out, she did—at least about his lack of a sex life these past years. He wouldn’t lie to her about being celibate all this time. That’s not something a man—especially a virile, powerful, attractive man—would readily admit to in the normal course of events. He just wouldn’t have said anything. He wouldn’t have made such a big deal over it if it weren’t true.

  She laid it on the line and told him what was on her mind. “I…” She tried again. “I…don’t know how to process all of this, but I’m trying. My wolf is wary, but she’s very intrigued by you. As is my human side. Wary, but intrigued.”

  “And willing to give me a chance?” he asked hopefully, moving closer to her, crossing the width of the couch to bring his lips closer to hers.

  She smiled. “I suppose I could be convinced,” she murmured, just before his lips closed over hers.

  He was the aggressor this time, taking her down to lay on her back on the soft cushions, his hard body over hers. She loved the feel of his possession and didn’t protest when he took things further.