by Elena Aitken
Yes. The job had to come first. It might just be an environmental investigation, and to some that might not be a big deal, but it could be life-or-death. She traced her fingers over the picture of the little boy who was always forefront in her mind. She’d screwed up once before; even if it wasn’t really her screw-up, she was still involved in that investigation. She’d signed off on the report that—no. She couldn’t let those sad thoughts affect her mood this morning. But she would remember what could happen if she didn’t pay attention.
That she could do.
Chloe gathered her things and took one final look in the mirror. She looked different somehow. Happier? Brighter? Whatever it was, it was evident. And it was definitely the look of a woman who’d been thoroughly satisfied.
More than once. She giggled at herself and went in search of Luke, who was going to take her out on the ridge. He only left her room little over an hour earlier, but she already looked forward to spending more time with him. Even if it was in a professional capacity.
The kitchen buzzed with activity as she pushed her way through the door. Everyone stopped and stared at her when she walked in and she didn’t miss the smiles and grins on everyone’s faces. Everyone but Kade, that was. He grunted and turned back to the stove. Chloe blushed like a ridiculous teenager when her eyes locked on Luke’s and he gave her a wink.
“Good morning.” She turned to see Harper next to her, holding a cup of coffee. The smell of it made her stomach rumble. She took the mug with a grateful smile.
“Thank you, Harper.”
“No problem.” The woman moved to turn away, but Chloe caught her arm.
“I was hoping to talk to you later,” Chloe said. “I mean, if you’re not too busy. I really wanted to apologize for—”
“There’s no need.” Harper’s smile was sweet, but Chloe caught the glint of sadness in her eyes as well.
“Yes,” she insisted. “There is. I was a jerk and I really would like the chance to make it up to you. Later? Please?”
This time Harper’s smile reached her eyes when she nodded. “Okay. I’d like that.”
Chloe gave the other woman an impulsive one-armed hug.
Another rumble in her stomach had Chloe looking around again, this time in search of food. “Something smells fantastic,” she said.
“Pancakes.” Kade grumbled and waved to a tray of perfectly golden pancakes that made Chloe’s mouth water at the sight.
Before she could reach for one, Luke came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close before he whispered in her ear. “Because everyone deserves morning sex and pancakes.”
She almost choked on her sip of coffee, but covered it smoothly with a laugh. She tipped her head and met his lips in a quick kiss. She should have been shy or shown even slightly more discretion, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. It felt so natural to be with Luke, and he obviously didn’t feel any need to hide anything from his family. Besides, it was temporary. She broke the kiss and returned to her coffee, repeating that to herself.
She had to remember that nothing long-term could ever come from whatever it was that was going on between them. They may have broken rule number one. But her second rule was going to stand. It had to.
It was a beautiful day on the ridge. The kind of day where the air was crisp enough to hint at the coming winter, but the sun shone warm enough to remind you of the hot summer days only recently enjoyed. Luke had been waiting for days to get Chloe alone out on the ridge, an excursion that promised to be even more fun now that they’d finally given in to their instincts.
At least he’d been hoping it would be more fun. For the last two hours, they’d driven in the Jeep along the rough roads. Luke had maintained a chatter about the forest, telling Chloe all he could think of about the area and how they’d gone about building the cabins and other outbuildings on the land. She’d scribbled intently in her notebook, occasionally asking questions of her own, only to scribble some more in the notebook.
Luke did his best to keep his eyes on the rough road, navigating the vehicle over the exposed roots, boulders, and ruts in the road. If he was alone, he would have just bombed through the path, absorbing the bumps and enjoying every second of it. But for Chloe’s sake, he controlled himself. In more than one way. She was driving him crazy.
Even with the windows open and the fresh air flowing in, her scent filled the Jeep and his senses. He reached across the space and slid his hand onto her denim-clad thigh to give it a squeeze.
She didn’t even look at him when she said, “I’m working.”
Luke was about to pull away, but he saw the glint in her eyes and the way her mouth twitched up. Instead, he moved his hand up farther. She let out a soft gasp, but didn’t object again so he left his hand there for a moment, deftly navigating the vehicle with his left hand.
“Shouldn’t you be focusing on the road?” Chloe asked after a moment. She’d put her notebook down on her lap and watched him with a smile and a raised eyebrow.
“Baby, I’m a man of many talents.”
“Oh, I’m well aware of your talents, Mr. Jackson. None of which seem to be actually providing me with a thorough tour of the property.”
“Is there something else you’d like to see?” He teased her with his fingers, moving closer to the cleft between her legs.
She didn’t miss a beat. “As a matter of fact, there is.”
“Anything.” If she wanted to park somewhere so he could take her on a bed of pine needles, who was he to argue?
“I need to see the property beyond the road,” she said matter-of-factly. “We should get out and walk for a bit.”
“Walk?” Whatever he’d been expecting her to say, that hadn’t been it. “You mean, you want to go for a run?”
“No,” she repeated. “Walk. I need to get a closer look on any environmental impact there may have been.”
She was serious.
“Is there any place in particular you want to check?”
“Why don’t we start farther out and work our way back to the Den? Will that work for you?”
Luke fluttered his fingers quickly against the rough denim between her legs and squeezed one more time before he returned his hand to the steering wheel. “Baby, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go. All you have to do is say the word.”
He wasn’t making it easy for her to focus on her work, but Chloe was determined to do a good job. She’d been hired for a purpose, and despite the temptation, she would not let Luke Jackson distract her from that purpose. They could reserve their relationship—for lack of a better word—for the Den. But when they were out in the field, she needed to focus.
There was a reason she’d been hired to investigate. Obviously someone was worried about environmental impact and if there was something on the ridge to show that the Jackson brothers had in any way compromised the environment that they were residing in, she’d find it. Not that she wanted to find anything. But if there was anything to find, she’d make sure it was discovered. No matter what her feelings for the Jacksons were.
After Luke parked the Jeep, she hopped out and started to walk, leaving him to follow.
“You’re in a hurry.”
She shook her head. “I just want to do a good job.”
“I can see that.” There was laughter in his voice; it bristled at her but she didn’t turn around. Even if he didn’t take what she was doing seriously, she did. She quickened her pace. Luke had no problem catching up to her. “Hey. Wait up. How am I going to show you around if you don’t wait for me?”
“I hardly need you to show me around.” She spared him a glance over her shoulder. “In fact, if anything, I’d say that your presence might be a hindrance to my investigation.”
He grabbed her and spun her around, catching her easily in his arms to give her a hard kiss. “My presence is anything but a hindrance to you, baby.”
Her body vibrated with his touch. She hated to admit it, but he was right. There was nothing neg
ative about his presence. Nothing at all. Chloe gave in to the kiss before she extracted herself from his embrace. “Okay,” she conceded. “But I still do have to do my work. I was hired to do a job and it’s important to me to do it and do it well.”
“Of course it is.” Luke released her and to her surprise, grabbed her hand. “And you will. So let me show you what you need to see.”
Chloe tried to ignore the look on his face as he turned her and walked down the path, this time holding tightly to her hand. It was a look that went beyond the one night of passion they’d shared. Far beyond. There was much more than lust written on Luke’s face.
But that wasn’t what worried her.
No. The part that worried her was that whatever was going on with Luke and what he was feeling for her, Chloe just might be feeling it too. And that couldn’t happen. That would ruin everything.
Chloe walked hand in hand with Luke and tried to ignore how natural it felt. Everything her cousins and sisters had ever told her about men and mates slammed into her consciousness.
It feels so good. Like you were always meant to be together. The sun is brighter, the day a little warmer…it feels like home.
Ugh.
She couldn’t clear her head.
It was Luke’s touch. His hand in hers did feel good, dammit. It wasn’t supposed to. It was just supposed to be sex. And why couldn’t it be? Why couldn’t she just have a wild, one-night—okay, maybe more than one night—fling with a man and not have it be anything more?
Because you’re a bear.
This time, her own little voice piped up.
Chloe yanked her hand out of Luke’s and quickly stepped forward on the path so she walked in front of him. She had to focus and push every single one of the sickening thoughts out of her head. Including her own.
Especially her own.
To his credit, Luke didn’t say a thing or question her. She thought she heard him chuckle a little, but she kept walking. She wouldn’t let him get in her head. She couldn’t.
“So, what is this area over here?” She purposely directed their attention to a thicket of trees next to a stream. There really was nothing of interest about the trees, but Chloe was interested in any distraction at all. Anything to get her focus off the incredibly sexy man whose presence behind her had her body on high alert.
“I’m glad you asked.”
She stopped and turned in surprise, almost running into his hard chest. A fate that wouldn’t have been so bad at all.
No. She must stop thinking like that.
Chloe cleared her throat. “Why?”
Luke grabbed her hand and charged off the trail, dragging her along with him toward the stream. “Because this is one of my favorite fishing holes.”
Chloe looked up and down at the tiny, shallow stream. “It hardly looks like a fishing hole. There’s no way fish can live in here. It’s too shallow.”
“No way.” Luke laughed and without letting go of her hand, stepped nimbly along the rocks that bordered the stream, taking her up with him. “Please don’t tell me you’ve never been fly fishing before.”
“Okay. I won’t tell you.”
His face twisted into an expression that resembled something between humor and disappointment. “I don’t mean this to sound, well, abrupt…but…you’re a bear. How have you never been fishing before?”
“I’m a girl.”
“I noticed.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her and Chloe had to bite back a laugh. “What difference does that make?”
Chloe stared down into the crystal-clear waters that gently flowed past her feet and shrugged. “It’s just the way things were done in my clan. The men provided and the women…we mated.” It was kind of a sore spot with Chloe, but Luke didn’t need to know that. There had been a lot of chauvinistic tendencies in the Karrington clan, which was one of the reasons she’d left. Besides, she was over it. Mostly.
“That’s stupid.” Luke stated it so matter-of-factly that Chloe looked up. He watched her with a strange gaze. “We grew up as the grandchildren of a very dominating alpha of the clan. And when I say very dominating, well…I mean just that. But even then, we used to take my little sister fishing all the time. We taught her to do everything we did. And frankly, a lot of the time she did it better than us. But don’t tell Kira.” His eyes lit up when he spoke of his sister.
“I haven’t met her.” Chloe suddenly wanted very much to meet Kira. “Does she help out at the Den, too?”
The shadow that fell over Luke’s fast was instant. He shook his head and looked away. “No. We don’t see Kira anymore.” It was clear from his tone that the subject was a hard one. Chloe paused for a moment, watching Luke for a sign that it might be okay. When the set line of his mouth didn’t change, Chloe changed the subject.
“What kind of fish do you catch here?”
It took Luke a moment to shake off the earlier conversation, but it seemed that talking about fish was the way to do it. “Trout. Bull trout mainly. But sometimes you can get a rainbow or two once in a while. And of course it depends on the fly I use. Fly fishing is more of an art than a sport. It’s incredible, really.”
It didn’t take long for Luke’s face to lose the shadows of a past that clearly haunted him and once again light up as he spoke about fishing. Although Chloe had never had much of an interest in fishing beyond wanting to show up her male relatives, she couldn’t help getting pulled into the world that Luke created while he spoke of flies, fish, and casting.
Luke had never before found anyone who listened to him about fishing the way Chloe was doing. Maybe his brothers, but even then their interest was limited to finding out what they could to beat him at his own game. Luke had always been the best fisherman in the family. It was a role he was proud of because it was about so much more than just simply catching fish. It was about timing and strategy and patience. Qualities and traits that his brothers didn’t necessarily have. More than that, he’d never before had the opportunity to talk about his passion so openly to someone who seemed to care so deeply.
And Chloe cared.
Even if she didn’t understand all of what he said, she was definitely listening. And that meant the world to him. This woman, she was so much more than a gorgeous, curvy bear. She was smart, sexy, more sensual than even she knew, and his perfect match in every way.
His mate.
He hated even thinking the word, but there was no other word to describe it. He’d been fighting it. From the moment he’d met her, he’d been fighting it. But there was no way he could deny it. Luke could tell himself whatever he wanted to about why it was no good to get mixed up with a mate and why he should probably be running for the hills. But no matter what he told himself, the reality was he couldn’t bring himself to send her away or shut her off. It was the total opposite. The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to wrap her in his arms, hold her, kiss her, and tell her how much he needed her in his life.
And that scared the hell out of him.
He risked a quick glance in Chloe’s direction as he talked to her about casting into a pool where he knew for a fact there would be bull trout hiding. Her black hair shone in the sunlight, begging to be let out of the tight braid she had it tied back in. Luke wanted to let it free, have it cascade over her shoulders so he could twine his fingers through the strands and pull her face down to his so he could kiss her until she begged him for more. Because she would. Of that he had no doubt. He spotted a private area under a pine that looked soft enough for a makeshift bed, where he could take her and have her every which way they desired. And that was saying something.
Luke forced himself to focus and keep it clean. She was working and she’d made it very clear that her work was important to her; he wouldn’t take that away from her or compromise it in any way.
With some effort, he concentrated on the pool they were watching. “The bull trout like to hide at the bottom,” he said. “If you look really closely, you might even see one hiding along t
he edges of the rock. They watch and wait.”
Her eyes were focused on the water. “What are they waiting for?”
He shrugged. “The right fly to come along. Sometimes they can be tricky buggers. But if I want one bad enough, I’ll get him.”
Chloe looked up at him with a smirk. “Confident, aren’t you?” She popped her hip out and he was positive she didn’t have the slightest idea of how sexy it made her at that moment.
“Absolutely.” Luke licked his bottom lip and took a step around the pool toward her. “Baby, when I want something, I always get it.”
He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close. Work be damned. He could no longer resist her.
“You think so, do you?” She teased him with her question, but it was a challenge Luke wasn’t going to back down from.
He closed the slight distance between them so her mouth was only inches from his. “I don’t think anything,” he said, slowly. “When it comes to fishing, I always make my catch.” He crushed her lips to his and slid one hand down her back to her ass, where he held her firmly against him. He wasn’t going to let her go. There was no way. It only took seconds for any resistance she was holding onto to melt away. Her kiss in return was hard and fueled by the passion he knew she felt for him. This woman was absolutely everything.
He hated on so many levels to admit it. But the taste of her, the feel of her—damn, the scent of her—made his entire body come alive. And now that he had her, he couldn’t let her go. He wouldn’t.
After a moment, Chloe eased off the kiss. He could feel the staccato rise and fall of her chest against his. There was absolutely no doubt what kind of effect he had on her: the same one she had on him. She pulled back, just enough so he could look into her eyes. The emotion churning in those blue depths reminded him of the way the stream frothed over the stones into his favorite fishing hole. There was a lot more going on beneath the surface than Chloe let on.
She licked her lips. Luke swallowed hard. She opened her mouth to say something, and instinctively, Luke knew he wasn’t going to want to hear it. She was fighting their connection so hard. She might as well be physically pushing him away. But she wasn’t. His grip on her tightened. Not yet.