by Jade Alters
“Who is it?” Her sweet voice held a tremor, and the stress in her voice hit home it was me that made her anxious.
“Drew,” I said. “I heard you scream.”
She cracked open the door revealing a sliver of her body and one brown eye.
“I’m okay. There was a shadow in the window. It went away.”
“Perhaps I should come in and look around. You know, check the doors and windows.”
I am a duplicitous rat because I can check the windows from the outside of the building. But my bear, that traitor, didn’t care what animal it imitated to get closer to delectable Ellie.
“That’s right,” she said nodding as if to reassure herself. “You’re the deputy sheriff. Okay. Look around.”
“Sure.” I strolled inside and immediately my eyes went to the stone fireplace and the conspicuously empty spot where the moose head usually lived. It didn’t seem right Old Moosey didn't hang in his usual spot, but Cole accommodated Ellie. I caught Marcus’ faded scent from earlier.
“You didn’t sound sure you should let me in,” I said, checking the first window on the right and finding it locked.
She shrugged. “Men in uniform don’t make me feel safe.”
Though I found her response cryptic, I continued to check the windows, going through the small cabin room by room. The rustic shack had four—the living room/kitchen area, two bedrooms, and a bathroom.
I came out of the last to find her staring at me.
“The windows are locked,” I said.
“Thanks,” she said. “Um, would you like tea?”
“You sure you want me here? Since you said men in uniform don’t make you feel safe.”
“I’ll take a man in uniform over a wild animal?”
“Oh,” I said.
“I thought I saw a bear.”
“They are all over the place,” I said. “The dumpster draws them.”
Ellie took the kettle off the stove and poured water into two cups.
“Dumpster?”
“Behind the main lodge. Since it's just us in the winter, we don’t get the trash picked up as often. It gets—”
“That’s okay. I don’t need a graphic description.”
“As long as you stay in the cottage you’ll be fine.”
“That’s easy for you to say. I’m not an outdoor girl.”
“Yet you came here.”
“I’m thinking I made a mistake.” She offered me a cup of tea, and I took it as I leaned against the counter.
“I don’t think so,” I said as I stared into her brown sugar eyes. Her inviting scent practically begged for me to touch her. “I’m glad you are here.”
“Yes,” she said smiling ruefully. “Everyone has been very welcoming. Except, maybe Zain. He seems distant.”
“He likes you fine,” I said thinking he stared at her too much. I saw how his nostrils flared at dinner. My cousin wasn’t apt to hook up as much as the rest of us, but there was no mistaking how his eyes tracked her every move.
“Marcus,” she said, “tells me Cole has a bunch of girlfriends.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I wouldn’t say that. They are more like friends with extreme benefits.”
“Marcus said the same thing.”
“We tease him about it enough. He’s our cousin, and we don’t cut him slack. So, he dates one or two of the ladies during the summer. We wish we were so lucky.”
“You can’t get lucky?” she said with a sly smile.
“You tell me,” I said. Her eyes open wide as I leaned forward and pressed her lip against mine. The tantalizing taste of her flesh provokes a need for more and I became a man who did not know he was starving. Cradling the back of her head with my hand, I pulled her closer, lost in desire and the ancient call of my inner beast for his mate. I am not thinking about this, just how I can get more of the delicious creature—now.
When I brushed my fingers up her inner thigh, and she made a small noise in her throat, I took as approval. I let my fingers travel between her legs to do the talking, and she squirmed on my fingertips. Boldly, because I do not take prisoners, I unzip her tight jeans and dip my fingers inside.
“Is that good?” I whispered.
“Yes,” she gasped. “So much.”
“You are so beautiful.”
“Ummm,” she replied as I stroked her. My mouth found hers again, and our tongues met. I am consumed with every touch, and I find her neck especially appealing. There is no thought other than the pure enjoyment of listening to her moans. Her heat floods my fingertips. She tenses, and her back arches and I quest for the sweet spot between her legs where heaven lives.
“Drew, Drew,” she murmured between the sexy little whines that escape her throat. I find her sweet entrance and curled my fingers inside. She gasped, her cream flooded my hand, and then she collapsed against me. After nibbling her neck, I instinctively bite into her tender skin. My inner bear rumbles his approval as I moved to pick her up and take her into a bedroom when a knock on the door shattered the mood.
Cole
I should have let my cousins ship me to Paris years ago because they all ticked me off. Zain and Marcus left without a word while I booked a new guest and that jerk Drew sniffed around Ellie’s cabin. In any other sport, a ref would call this play foul, but the game of love has no rules.
And there is no secret that bears compete for females, and it is most definitely my inner bear nature that guides my actions. The first minute I saw Ellie, he woke, sniffed and wanted her. And this desire differed greatly from my other dalliances. It was an itch that grew into a persistent vexation. The need to get closer to her overrode my common sense.
Why this woman out of hundreds who wandered through our lodge since my teens years?
It also didn’t escape me how my cousins looked at her too, and my bear growls and gnashes his teeth complaining about it. Not like there aren’t other fish in the pond, dude. I’m not sure to whom I direct that thought, my bear or my cousins, but I suspect that I’ll soon find out.
That idiot Drew is sniffing around Ellie, and I will not let that happen. Only, while my cousins scope out the territory, Zain expects me to stay here and watch the lodge. We have some expensive possessions here--the sixty-inch wide screen on the wall, the lodge computer with its ridiculously costly hotel management software to name a couple things. Not that anyone has bothered us, but there is always the first time. But I still hate that I’m stuck here in the lodge while the others patrol and that jerk Drew hangs around Ellie’s cabin.
These thoughts grow in my mind as I finished sticking the dinner dishes into the dishwasher and put the apple cobbler away. Then I think, “Why let a fine cobbler go to waste?”
Not that my cobblers ever do, and it would get devoured in the morning for breakfast, but Ellie would miss out and we couldn’t have that, could we?
My devious bear makes perfect sense to me even with a trespasser threatening the property. Zain would be unhappy that I left the lodge unguarded while they investigated. Screw that. That bastard Drew is sniffing around Ellie’s cabin.
So, with perfect conviction that I’m doing the right thing, I scoop a hunk of the cobbler into a glass storage bowl. This would make it easier for her to warm it in the microwave. And again, I'm aware it’s my bear’s bidding I’m doing and not my human side when I stop in front of the mirror by the door. I smooth my hair, blond courtesy of my mother’s genes.
The early May night was chilly, prickling my skin. However, I strode with as much bravado as I could muster across the lawn to the largest and closest cabin to the lodge. Yellow light illuminated the windows which I took as a good sign, but there was no sign of Drew which was not.
An unhappy growl rumbled in my chest thinking Drew took advantage of proximity to move in on Ellie. Maybe Drew took a wider perimeter in guarding the cottage, but I don’t think so. As I got closer to the door, I caught his scent, and I was not happy. Then I looked through the window by the door and see Drew
all over her, and that was the last straw.
So, I knocked on the cabin door and waited, my cobbler in hand, and Drew opened the door—no, filled the doorframe, because he’s a big guy. We’re the same height, but he has more muscle courtesy of the Clark genes he favors. Drew smiled that shit-eating grin of his, and I wanted to wipe it off his face with my fist.
“Hi, Cole,” he says brightly. “Aren’t you supposed to be watching the Lodge?”
“I didn’t want Ellie to miss out on the cobbler. If it doesn’t disappear during the night, you guys will scarf it in the morning.”
“Thanks,” he said holding out his hand.
“I’d rather give it to her myself,” I said. “Excuse me.”
Drew frowned and stood his ground which only demanded more forceful methods.
“Hey, Ellie, it’s me, Cole. I brought gifts.”
Drew growled low in his chest, but I smiled back.
“Hi, Cole. Come in.”
Drew move aside reluctantly, and I entered the cabin. Although I was in it just this morning cleaning it, and this place was as familiar as my own room, it seemed different. It wasn’t the missing Moosehead either, which I never liked. It was a relic from my grandfather’s time when he or one of his cousins brought the beast down and had it mounted.
No. It was Ellie, standing by the sink. She brightened the entire cabin by her presence, and I moved to her like a moth to a flame.
Her cheeks blushed rosily, and I caught that asshole Drew’s scent all over her, and again the thought of fist meeting jaw had a certain appeal. But women never appreciate violence, so I kept a lid on my bear as I offered my gift.
“My cousins will devour this before you get a chance to have some.”
“That’s very thoughtful, Cole,” she said with a shy smile.
“You can warm it in the bowl in the microwave. It’s tempered glass.”
She put the bowl on the counter.
“Thank you. You all have made me feel welcome. I appreciate it.”
“You’re always welcome here, Ellie,” I said.
I need some alone time with my woman, and Drew just stood there staring at us. Screw that. I would not allow my cousin to cock block me.
“What’s that?” I said.
“What?” said Drew.
“That noise. I heard something outside.”
“I didn’t hear anything,” said Drew. Suspicion crept through his voice.
“Still, you should check it out, shouldn’t you?”
Drew cast a frustrated dark glance at me, knowing I had trapped him. If he didn’t go out and check things out, he’d look like an ass. I beamed angelically at him, and he shook his head. I could practically hear the invectives he muttered to himself.
“Fine,” he said.
“And I’ll just stay here with her just in case.”
“Of course, you will,” said Drew. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. This shouldn’t take long.”
“Take all the time you need and do a thorough job. Zain wouldn’t be happy otherwise,”
“Fucker,” rumbled Drew under his breath. My sharp bear hearing caught it while Ellie turned toward the refrigerator to put the cobble inside, and Drew left.
“Is everything okay?” she said over her shoulder.
“Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Because the four of you seem on edge. Is there something going on that I don’t know about?”
What do I tell her? Right now I don’t want her alarmed. Nothing has happened other than we think someone was walking around on the land, but that’s not new, though it is a little early for the local youth to sneak into our small lake.
The only thing I’m interested in is getting closer to sweet Ellie, and I did move closer to her.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to warm that cobbler for you,” I said in a low voice.
She whipped around.
“Cole,” Ellie said breathlessly. I scented her arousal, honey to a horny bear, and I locked my gaze with hers. The rise and fall of her breast is endlessly fascinating, and her mouth is beacon calling to me.
I slanted my mouth to hers and took her lips in tender kiss.
“Ellie,” I said. “You are wonderful.”
“Umm, Cole. I mean, damn.”
“I know my cousins have made a play for you. I don’t blame them. But I’m quite fascinated by you.”
“I hear,” she said regretfully, “that you have a bunch of ‘friends with benefits.”’
“Yeah. That’s true. But I’m thinking I should ditch my little black book, or hand it off to one of my cousins. Up to now I haven’t found a woman that I felt as connected to as I do you.”
“Whoa,” she said. “Isn’t that a bit too much, too soon?”
“Clark men are like that. We know what we want when we see it. And I’ve never said that to anyone else either. All my past girlfriends knew we wouldn’t last. I’ve been honest and spoke the score upfront. But this is different. It seems I’ve waited forever for you, Ellie.
To show her I meant what I said, I kissed her again, deeper this time, pulling her against my heated body. I’m so hard it’s nearly painful, and my rational mind is getting ready to take a long hike as I tasted her tongue and nibbled her neck. There is nothing imperfect about this woman, and I’m thrilled when I feel her hardened nipples through her shirt.
I’ve got to have her.
But at two sharp raps on the door, Ellie tore away from me, her face flushed and her breathing shallow.
“Come in,” she said shakily.
Drew bounced into the cabin and then stared at me with his eyes narrowed. He caught the aroma of Ellie’s arousal too, and he was not pleased. I kept my attention on Drew, so I didn’t notice another man standing in the door.
I hear a warning sub-vocal rumble coming from Drew’s chest, but screw him. It’s not like Ellie is his. She’s mine.
“What is going on around here?”
Zain’s familiar and displeased voice filled the cabin, and I turn to see his impressive bulk filling the doorway. Zain keeps a lid on the intimidation most times. He wasn’t an a-hole Alpha as some could be. But right now, he’s pissed.
“Cole brought me some cobbler,” said Ellie.
“Yes, Cole is good at putting hospitality into the hospitality business. And Drew?” He stared pointedly at Drew.
“I checked the locks on her windows.”
“Uh, huh. I’m sure Ellie feels very secure now.”
“I do appreciate everything,” said Ellie.
“No need for thanks. It’s our job to make sure our guests are safe from all sorts of dangers. So, guys, let’s leave and let Ms. Harper get her rest. She’s had a long day.”
“I’ll just stay and keep an eye out,” said Drew.
A-hole.
“That’s okay, Drew,” said Zain. “Marcus and I checked out the area. Whoever was here is long gone.”
He gave us both a glance that brooked no nonsense and though my bear was ready to challenge him, my human self pulled back. The reason that Zain was Alpha, and I wasn’t was because he could and did dominate any of us. One day that may change, but not tonight.
“Good night, Ellie,” I said. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Ellie
Last night’s beef stew was so good I ate too much, but in this I blame Cole because he was an excellent cook. Part of my weakness though was that homecooked meals were things of the past, especially since my mother died. I had no room for Cole’s dessert, so I saved the apple cobbler for breakfast. Decadent, I suppose, but I can see why the Clark men would chow down on it. It was divine.
All the attention Cole, Marcus, and Drew lavished on me is overwhelming. Have they not seen a woman before? But the Clark men seemed to be a clan of extremes, because I could not believe the amount of food they put away. I can’t imagine putting away that much food and not being as big as a house.
No. Instead they were built like Mac trucks.
Very sexy Mac trucks.
I suffered an embarrassment of riches. Each one was dreamy, and it would be impossible to pick one. Cole was the undisputed “pretty boy.” His perfect physique and blond hair sent me over the edge. But Drew’s wide, friendly smile sucked me in, too. Marcus was rugged with the largest forearms I’d ever seen. I felt safe in his arms despite how our kiss was interrupted. And I didn’t want to pull away but I recognized the danger in nestling in his arms. I do not need entanglements. And Zain. Well, who could not salivate over the standoffish Zain? He just had that air of utter command that was entirely appealing. Zain could tell me to do anything, and I’d do it with a wide smile on my face.
But, like I told them, I had two books to write, and I could afford no distractions. To earn enough money to escape far away from the United States meant writing eight to ten hours a day to finish these books to get my money.
The deposits I took only got me this far, so my head totally had to be into writing, not playing with hunky woodsmen, no matter how hot they were.
I decided to go sit on the beach and work. The sun and fresh air would do me good. Hopefully the Clarks wouldn’t mind if I used a lodge towel to rest my butt on. Taking one from the bathroom, I headed to the beach.
It’s early, and still slightly cool, so I put on a cotton sweater. The rising sun starting to dissipate the morning mist sits to my right, and the lake straight ahead glimmers with a gentle current and the touch of sunlight on the water. It is a perfect morning. After spreading the towel and getting comfortable, I opened my laptop to get to work.
I glanced at my outline and gathered my thoughts. The first few words either come easy or hard, but once I start rolling I can keep up the pace and put out a decent word count—as long as I don’t have distractions.
“Hey.”
I recognized the voice— Drew. He strolled toward me dressed in his sheriff’s uniform and sunglasses looking very official.
It was damned sexy.
“Hi, Drew. On your way to work?”
“Yeah, someone needs to get in and open the office. Zain stayed out late last night patrolling the property.”