by E L Thorne
I couldn’t. I couldn’t let her go. There was something about that woman.
She’d said ‘first opportunity,’ which left it to my discretion. I could choose to define ‘first opportunity’ as I pleased.
“First opportunity, I will.” I used my most sincere voice. “But there’s a condition.”
Her head snapped my way. She glared at me.
“Pay attention to the road.” I put a finger at the crook of her jaw, right under her ear, then drew it forward until it was on the side of her chin. Applying gentle pressure, I guided her head toward facing the road. I clenched my teeth at the temptation of having my hand on her.
My bear felt her heart rate increase and was reacting to it.
Moving my hand a bit, I put my thumb on her lower lip, tracing it, relishing its softness. Her breathing became shallower. Her eyelids lowered a fraction in response. The scent of her interest filled my senses.
My bear felt it when her resistance was beginning to kick in, and a second later she moved her head to the left abruptly.
“What’s your condition?”
My condition right now was a state of arousal. My condition was crazy-sexy and turned on by this woman. I wanted to claim her, make her mine. I wanted her to give herself to me without holding back.
I cleared his throat to get the lump that seemed to have blocked my voice to go away. “My condition...” More throat clearing, because I sounded like a frog. “My condition is that you spend some time with me. In the cabin. I’ll be good. I promise.” I’d be damned good if she’d give me a chance.
I shook the bear off. Damn. Easy, already.
“Why do you want me to spend time with you in the cabin?”
Chapter Fourteen
Astra
I had no intention of admitting it to the gorgeous hunk of bear shifter next to me, but the idea of spending some time with him didn’t sound bad at all. I was starved for human—even semi-human—companionship. As far as men went, it had been a year since I’d been with one. I bit back the sigh that threatened to come out at that thought.
I didn’t want to think about that. Not when I was thinking of ways to get rid of the man. Not rid, as in dead. Just rid, as in gone from the valley.
What’s the harm in a little fun for one night before he leaves the valley? the devil on my shoulder asked.
But I’d never been one to give in to the little she-devil that perched on my left. Okay, take that back. I hadn’t done it often. There were a couple of times, though...
What if he’s a serial killer? the levelheaded one on my right shoulder asked.
As if Mae would have a ‘nephew’ like that. Plus, there was something about his eyes. Deep in that darkness, I saw honesty and goodness. Sure, okay, I also recognized that as a shifter he was—could be—a dangerous man, but not toward me. Of that I felt certain.
Famous last words, came from my right shoulder, just before I could shut that voice down for the rest of the night.
Of course the one on the other shoulder had to chime in. But sexy as hell. I shut that one down, too. I didn’t need anything influencing me more than this man’s sex appeal did.
So, basically, I thought, Sure, why not go inside? I did want to know more about the guy, and what had brought him here, and to find out if there were other shifters following him. But I wouldn’t lie to myself; I really wanted to know him... and to find out more about shifters.
I was ashamed of myself for having shot down Doc every time he’d tried to talk to me about shifters. I owed it to him to learn more about his people—no; his kind, not people. Doc was the closest thing I had to a dad. Hell, he was my dad.
“Earth to Astra.”
I turned toward Kane. “Sorry.”
“You asked me a question, then you zoned out. So maybe the answer doesn’t matter? Or maybe you can just say yes, and not ask questions?”
“No. I want to know. Why do you want me to spend time with you?”
“Aside from the fact that you’re a gorgeous woman with brains?”
I gave him a look. Laying it on thick, isn’t he?
“Yeah, aside from that.” But deep down, I couldn’t deny that his comment had gotten to me.
I felt a warmth that wasn’t related to my vehicle’s heater flood through my body. A warmth that made mr tingle.
“That was rhetorical.” The smile he flashed probably had women dropping panties anywhere he went. “So, you coming in or what?”
Chapter Fifteen
Astra
All in.
I was all in and definitely going into the cabin. For all the right reasons, and some of the wrong ones, very wrong ones. Damned, if those wrong reasons didn’t feel very right, though. There was something about this guy. That feeling hadn’t changed.
I took the right turn that led to the driveway for the cabin—if you wanted to call a wide path a driveway. I hit the brakes.
“Damn. That was close.” A huge fallen tree blocked the Jeep’s forward progress. I put it in park. “Shit.”
“Want me to try to move it?” Kane offered.
“No.” I looked at the man’s chest and arms.
A huge part of me believed Kane could move the tree. The other part of me said no. I looked out my driver’s window. The road was on a curve, the mountainside dropping steeply only four feet away from my door.
“How far are we from the cabin?”
“A few dozen yards’ walk. Not much.” But that was more distance than I relished walking in this cold. Still, I didn’t want him to hurt himself trying to move the Jeep.
Kane looked out the windshield, then turned that smoldering gaze back on me. “Is a little walk going to keep us from our objective?”
Well said.
I wasn’t going to let the fallen tree and a walk keep me from my objective to get him to leave before anything bad could happen. I wasn’t sure what his objectives were, though from his actions and looks, I suspected one of them was getting into my panties.
And is that so bad?
No, it wasn’t bad, and I had a fierce underlying desire to get to know him better—in all the wrong ways—even if a part of me told me that it was pointless to get to know a man better right before he was supposed to leave town.
“We going or not?” Kane drummed thick fingers on muscular thighs.
I glanced away, but not before he caught me checking him out. “Yes. We’re going.”
I turned the ignition off, pulled my gloves on, grabbed my bag, clutched the door handle, and jerked the door open.
The wind slammed into me, blowing snow into the Jeep and my face. I climbed out, steadying myself on the unpacked snow, and closed my door.
Uncannily fast, Kane was next to me, put his arm around me, and we started a quick walk, almost a jog, heads down, avoiding the fallen tree and staying on the driveway’s snow-covered path.
A few moments and too many wind gusts later, we stepped onto the cabin’s wooden porch. Kane pushed on the door.
It didn’t open.
He looked at me.
“He didn’t give me a key.”
I reached up to the porch light, pulled the fixture off the wall, and took the key out from its hiding place. Of course I knew where Grant kept keys to his cabins.
“Voila.” I held it up for Kane to see. My voice was loud over the wailing wind. I hadn’t thought the storm would be this bad.
He took the key from me, jammed it into the lock, and pushed the door open. Putting a hand on my back, he hustled me into the cold cabin. At least it wasn’t windy in here. And there was plenty firewood on the porch.
It was dark in the cabin, so I opened the shutters of one window while Kane closed the door. The light came in, fading as the sun set and the moon rose, allowing just enough light for me to see inside the cabin.
I wondered if Kane’s enhanced shifter vision would have needed that bit of light. Probably not.
“There’s a lamp on the table. Light it and I’ll close this
shutter.”
He grabbed the hurricane lamp, took off the glass top, fed the wick, and lit it with the matches on the table. As soon as he’d covered it, I closed the shutters. He adjusted the flame, then reached for the other lamp on the kitchen counter.
“I told him electricity didn’t matter to me.” Kane turned toward me after lighting the second one. “At that moment, I didn’t think that I’d have company.” He shrugged, a half-sheepish smile on his face.
“That’s fine.” I shivered, my voice trembling from the cold. “But how about you get the fire started?” I crossed my arms over my chest and sat on the sofa.
Kane grabbed the throw blanket on the back of the sofa, wrapped it around me, and then did exactly as I’d asked.
He started a small fire, then went outside to get more firewood. Six trips later—the man must believe in being prepared—he closed the door and set the wood bar across its hooks to keep it barred shut. After taking his coat off, he rearranged the wood.
I stared at the muscles that were barely concealed by the tight, worn-out fabric. His thick forearms corded with the exertion, his fingers wrapped around the wood.
No doubt about it. Kane Ortiz was a hottie.
Chapter Sixteen
Kane
I glanced toward Astra as I piled firewood in one corner of the cabin. I tried not to keep looking at her, but I couldn’t help myself.
Or rather, I couldn’t control my bear. This was becoming ridiculous. Sure, I wanted to know Astra better—lots better. But my bear kept on growling and insisting that she was our fated mate. I wanted to have a serious talk with it, but didn’t want her thinking that I’d lost my mind.
I couldn’t have asked for a luckier break than having that fallen tree block our path. It was as if the tree had wanted my plan to work. Plan? Yeah, hard to call what I had a plan. More like winging it. I had some thinking to do. Some private thinking.
“I’ll be right back.” I reached for the bar I’d just put in place.
“Where are you going? Without a coat?”
“I won’t be long. And it’s not like I can’t handle a little bit of cold for a few seconds.”
I strode outside, closing the door as I left Astra in the safety and warmth of the cabin. The wind howled, pulling at my shirt, sending my hair in all directions. Snowflakes clung to my face, melting on impact, allowing the cold to penetrate my flesh.
I stepped into a thicket of trees, shifting as I walked deeper. The bear’s fur would prevent the cold from seeping in too quickly. I used my bear’s senses to search for any scents that didn’t belong, but came up with nothing.
That’s enough. Quit this. She hates shifters. She can barely stand me. You’re going to get us in trouble with her. She doesn’t want us.
The bear growled, ignoring my objections.
I don’t care if you think she’s the one. I’m sure you’re right. But what if it’s not the right time?
Another growl, matching the wind’s ferocity.
I don’t know when the right time will be. Maybe the right time is in a few years.
The bear’s response was quiet, barely audible.
Yes, yes. I agree she’s the right one. All right, already.
A snort and a snarl ensued, filling my mind, drowning out my thoughts and objections.
Fine. I’ll leave it up to her.
I shifted back to my human form and ran for the cabin, then let myself in quickly.
“What did you do?” Astra was no longer on the sofa. She’d shed the blanket and her coat and was standing by the fire, hands stretched out, jeans cupping her glutes. She looked at me over her shoulder, her full lips pursed in a rosebud of concern, brow arched, questioning my logic, maybe even my common sense.
One swift motion and I was next to her, breathing her in, catching her breaths with my own, sucking her essence deep into my soul, imprinting on her.
“Why are you here?” I whispered it low, the words torn from my core.
The sensation of having her so close when I wanted her so badly was overwhelming.
Her light green eyes flamed a dark green hue. I could feel her pulse speeding up in my nerve endings while at the same time her breaths were shallow with anticipation.
“I want—I—”
“Do you deny wanting me?” My lips were so close to hers that I could almost imagine the texture of their softness.
“No... Yes... I... Why are you doing this?” Her nostrils flared. She put her hands up, her palms on my chest.
“I’m not doing anything.” I looked down at her hands, tiny against my chest. “Do you want me to step away?”
The tiniest shake of her head told me everything I needed to know.
I lowered my head, and my lips claimed hers. I tasted her mouth, my tongue dancing with hers in a battle eternal. Her hands rose, circling my neck, holding on as if she were drowning, giving just the slightest hint of her soul’s need for me.
I lifted my head just enough to look her in the eyes. She raised her lids, her lime-colored eyes mirroring her regret that the kiss had been interrupted.
“We have a connection. It feels like it’s old, like it’s been in place forever.” My hands cupped her cheeks, my thumbs caressing her cheekbones. “Tell me you feel it.”
“It’s...”
She drew in a deep breath, her chest expanding, pressing against mine. Emotions flashed over her face.
“It’s confusing. But I feel something,” she said, then looked away.
“I want you.” There. I’d put it out there.
It was up to her to shoot me down.
Chapter Seventeen
Astra
I looked into Kane’s obsidian eyes. Their depths were seductive and pulling me in like a whirlpool. More like a tornado, sucking me in completely.
A surge of emotion flowed throughout my being, a confusing, tumultuous upwelling of feelings that I couldn’t identify, but at the same time couldn’t deny.
I turned from him and stared at the flickering flames. Leaning against his chest, taking solace from his solid heartbeat against my back.
I didn’t know if what I was feeling was adrenaline settling in from almost running into the fallen tree or if it was the emotions I felt for the man.
How could I feel anything for him? I barely knew him. This wasn’t how it worked. And I’d heard that shifters had special chemistry between them, but I wasn’t a shifter, dammit. This stuff didn’t happen to me.
No. It was too confusing. I should get out of here, right now. But even if I could, I didn’t want to. And my motive for staying wasn’t about making him leave. Not totally, because half of me wanted to go with him, to know more about him, to figure out this bond that I felt drawing me to him.
I should ask Doc. Doc! Oh, shit. Doc would be worried about me. Grant probably already was. And Mae, too.
I jerked away from Kane and turned to face him. “Oh, no!”
“That’s not a response that does a man’s ego much good.” His eyebrow quirked in mock concern, belying the glint of amusement in his eyes.
“No, that’s not it. It’s Grant and Mae. They must be worried sick about me.” I rushed to the sofa and opened my purse, nearly dumping the contents. I found the phone and pressed on Grant’s name.
“Hey. I’m at the cabin. Yeah, I’ll keep you posted. Tell Mae, okay?” With a quick goodbye I hung up.
“So, where were we?” Kane was next to me, so close I could feel the warmth of his body.
I cleared my throat, trying to dispel the effect he had on me.
Yeah, like that’ll work.
And not surprisingly, it didn’t. I bit on my lower lip, worrying it, catching it between my teeth and releasing it.
“Quit that.” He touched a finger to my lip, tracing it with his fingertip. “That’s my job.” His head swooped down, almost touching my lips. “You’re mine.” His breath was hot on my cheek, causing a shudder to flow through my body.
I opened my mouth to protest.
He put a finger across my lips. “You said you couldn’t deny it.”
“You have to leave,” I whispered in a tormented hiss. I didn’t want to imagine never seeing this man again.
“I will.” His voice was steely, resolute.
A sadness coursed throughout me, deeper than a second ago. He planned to go. And a part of me had wanted him to say that he wouldn’t leave—couldn’t leave—me.
Foolishness, I chastised myself. Foolishness to think that way.
“You will be mine, though.”
A one-night stand. That’s what he was proposing. Anger surged through me, replacing sadness with a fury that burned deep, scorching my feelings.
I shoved on his chest. He didn’t move. “I’m not disposable. I can’t be cast out.”
I shoved again, harder. The man didn’t budge.
He took me by the shoulders and pulled me close, his eyes piercing mine with their blackness. “Who said you would be cast out?” His tone resonated within me, a soft growl behind it that rumbled in the pit of my stomach, and in places south.
He leaned close, his lips taking mine, bruising them and claiming them. His fingers cupped my cheek, then moved lower to my jawline. His tongue parted my lips, pressing resistance away, owning mine, twining with it, not brooking resistance that I wasn’t even in a position to offer. His lips seared mine the same way his soul reached out to mine, the kiss delivering a message that my ears would never perceive.
My chest hurt, burning with a need to breathe, reminding me that I was holding my breath.
My hands rose, tangling in his hair, pulling his head lower, dying to be lost in him, yearning to feel alive in a way I never had before.
Years of not living, years of not accepting life, came pouring out into that one kiss.
Chapter Eighteen
Kane
