Ember

by Ophelia Sexton

  Of course they all want to take a look at me, he told himself. I only hope that Margaret isn't outvoted or challenged to a duel or something over this.

  Do bear shifters even have challenge duels?

  Daniel realized that he had no idea. Before coming here, his knowledge of bear shifters had been limited to the fact that their clan leadership was matriarchal and that the male shifters were serious bad-asses.

  He had just picked up the bouquet of roses when Hannah blew out a sharp breath.

  "Well, that was a heck of a way to finish off my day at work." She grinned at him and walked over to the door to flip the hanging Open/Closed sign to display "Closed" to the street side of the window. "Um, just before things got really exciting...was there something I could get you?" She waved in the direction of the nearly-empty bakery cases. "I'll give you anything you want, since we're closed now and all the items still in the cases will just be packaged up and put in the "Day Old Discounts" basket over there."

  Daniel scanned the cases, and saw that most of the white ceramic trays held only crumbs. However, there were still half dozen or so delicious-looking cookies, and a couple of mini-loaves of pound cake dusted with powdered sugar, and several tartlets topped with an assortment of sliced fruit and glazed berries.

  "How well do you know Margaret? I wanted to bring her something as a hostess gift, and I was hoping maybe you could recommend some things she likes."

  Hannah's grin returned. "She's my mom. And I happen to know that she loves Annabeth's lemon tarts. And the almond shortbread cookies."

  "Yeah, those would be good," Daniel said, startled by Hannah's revelation. The dark-haired young woman didn't really resemble her mother at all. If anything, she shared a strong resemblance to Dane and Mark. "And she mentioned that her nieces and nephews usually drop by in the afternoon for cookies, so maybe add some stuff that they like, if you know."

  "The ravening hordes of Grizzly Creek?" Hannah chuckled as she grabbed a cardboard box printed with Cinnamon + Sugar logo and began filling it with the remaining tartlets and shortbread cookies. "Those little stinkers aren't picky. They'll eat anything cookie-shaped and call it good." Her pastry tongs hovered over a lone apple turnover. "Sophie loves these, so if you can make sure she gets this one before the boys plunder the stash, that would be nice."

  "I'll defend that turnover with my life and deliver it to the fair maiden," Daniel declared, which got him another laugh from Hannah.

  He noticed her sneaking glances at the roses cradled in the crook of his elbow. She looked like she was dying to ask about them, and he tried to find a way to explain them in a way that wouldn't make him sound like some kind of stalker. Instead, she scooped up a couple of the pound cake mini-loaves, and squeezed them neatly into the remaining gaps in the box before closing the lid and folding together the handles.

  "Anything else?" she asked him, putting the box down on the counter next to the register.

  An idea had been growing in Daniel's mind since he arrived in town and people kept asking him if he was one of the fishermen. "Yeah, I was wondering—is there a grocery store in town? A place I could buy some locally-caught fish and fresh veggies, herbs, stuff like that?"

  Chapter Fifteen – Sugar and Spice

  Margaret was answering email and recording reservations made through the ranch's website when her phone rang. The Caller ID said simply Wireless Caller, with a New Mexico area code.

  Was it Daniel?

  "Hi! You've reached Grizzly Creek Ranch. This is Margaret. How may I help you?" she said, infusing her tone with well-practiced cheer.

  To her delight, the caller answered, "Hey, this is Daniel Langlais, and I was thinking that I'd like to cook you dinner. Right now, I'm talking to Larry Tringstad and staring at a gorgeous pair of steelhead salmon that he caught about a half-hour ago. Do you like fish?"

  My sexy professional chef-guest wants to cook for me!

  "I love steelhead!" she said, then tried to tamp down her enthusiasm a couple of notches. "But I don't want to put you to any trouble. You're my guest after all."

  He chuckled, a low sound that tickled her senses. "Now, darlin', you know I love to cook. Especially for a beautiful woman who appreciates good food."

  That darlin' sent a pleasant shock racing down her spine. He thinks I'm beautiful?

  "I've got some recipes that won't take very long to prepare, but they're delicious. You have any dietary restrictions? Or anything you hate?"

  "Nope," she said, and cast a rueful glance down at her ample hips and thighs. "I like food. All kinds of food. As you can probably tell."

  "Now, I just love a woman who loves food," he said, and his tone made it sound warm and intimate. "Okay, I'll go ahead and buy these fish from Larry, and then I just need to pick up a few things at the grocery store. I should be back at the ranch in about an hour." He paused. "Is Chris behaving himself?"

  "I think so," Margaret said. "He's still over at my nephew Ash's place, playing video games with Matt, Sophie, and Young Mitya. I suspect that Ash will make pizza for the gang like he usually does. Unless you want Chris home for dinner?"

  To her relief, Daniel said, "No, that's fine, as long as you're sure that he isn't imposing. I think it's great that Chris has made friends so quickly. After what happened back home, I've been worried about him." He paused. "Thank you again for granting him sanctuary."

  "No thanks needed," Margaret assured him. "Your nephew is a sweet young man and I'm glad he's fitting in so well here."

  * * *

  By the time Margaret heard the sound of Daniel's Jeep approaching the house, she had already received three phone calls and six text messages asking her about Daniel.

  Her high school friend Barb Evans described Daniel in breathless tones as a "silver fox." Nikki Blackpaw wanted to know if Daniel was single and straight. The other calls and messages were all from friends who had spoken to Barb or Nikki and wanted to know about the handsome, single shifter who was staying at the ranch.

  To Margaret's surprise, the final text message was from Hannah.

  Daniel is cool and knows CPR too. Dane invited him to dinner tomorrow. With Aunt Elle out of town, you're hosting, right?

  What? Margaret thought bemused by the apparent non sequitur about CPR.

  But before she could reply that yes, she was hosting the weekly family gathering, Hannah sent her another message.

  Is there something going on between you & Daniel?

  Margaret stared at her phone's screen, feeling strangely guilty. Had Daniel been boasting about kissing her?

  She had a hard time believing that. She'd only known him for a day, but had already realized that he was the opposite of boastful.

  Margaret shook her head.

  What on earth she began typing. Then she heard the sound of an approaching vehicle and hurriedly put down her phone in favor of saving the work on her computer. She couldn't deny that she was feeling fluttery with anticipation at Daniel's return.

  Her office had originally been the parlor. It opened onto the foyer, across from the living room. The large bay windows looked out over her garden, and the road beyond, so she watched the dark blue Jeep pull up in front of her house and park. Daniel emerged from the car, laden with several large shopping bags, one of Cinnamon + Sugar's pink-and-white boxes, and...roses?

  Oh yes. A dozen of them, in deep red and delicate pink, wrapped up in tissue paper bearing the logo of the Bearpaw Ridge Florist and Bridal Shoppe and tucked neatly under one muscled arm.

  Well, that explains a lot! He'd bought flowers and pastries in town...no wonder Barb and the others all thought that she and Daniel had something going on!

  Telling herself that it would be undignified to run to the front door, Margaret forced herself to stay seated and wait until she heard him knock. But she found herself smiling.

  He kissed me and now he's bringing me flowers!

  A few minutes later, she heard the porch steps creaking under his firm tread, followed by a knock.<
br />
  "Door's open," she called, trying to sound casual even though her heart was pounding like a teenager on her first date. "I'm in the office."

  Finally, she let herself go to him. He stood in the middle of the foyer, smiling confidently as she emerged from her office and approached him.

  He lowered the shopping bags to the foyer carpet, and presented her with the bouquet and the bakery box with a courtly bow.

  "I wanted to bring you a little something, but I may have gotten a little carried away..." His tone was wry rather than apologetic.

  Margaret accepted the gifts, and was immediately surrounded by the sweet scents of roses and pastries. Her keen nose detected the fragrance of almond shortbread, and she wondered if Hannah had helped him with the selection. "Thank you. You shouldn't have...but I'm glad you did. The roses are beautiful."

  Daniel stood close enough to her that she could feel the heat radiating from his body. "The girl at the florist shop told me that pink roses stand for gratitude and appreciation...and red roses for romance."

  Heat rose up her cheeks. She met his gaze, and saw a golden sheen in his cat-green eyes.

  Daniel closed the distance between them with a half-step and Margaret lifted her face to his. His mouth descended hungrily on hers, sending a shock of heat and sheer electric desire jolting through her down to her toes.

  Forgetting all about the items in her hands—and his injuries—she wrapped her arms around him and pressed herself close against his lean, hard body as his mouth plundered hers.

  Daniel stiffened suddenly and grunted with pain. She sprang back with a stab of guilt. And managed to bop the side of his head with the box of goodies she still held.

  "Oh, I'm so sorry! I forgot all about your poor ribs!"

  Daniel gave her a hot, golden-eyed glance, and to her surprise, chuckled as he rubbed his head with mock pain.

  "Are you telling me that I managed to drive all the thoughts out of your mind?" he teased.

  "That's exactly what I'm saying." Margaret felt laughter welling up at the absurdity of the situation. But the heat between them was real.

  Daniel's grin turned predatory. He plucked the bouquet and the box of pastries from her grasp and set them on the bench of the antique hall coat tree that stood next to the front door.

  Then he turned back to her. "There, now. Where was I?"

  He bent and kissed her again, all demanding lips and a tongue so sinfully hot she couldn't stop imagining what actual sex would feel like with him.

  She was panting and flushed when his mouth finally left hers after a timeless interval that still felt too short. The place between her legs felt ripely swollen and pulsing with a deep beat of need that she hadn't felt for years.

  Thankfully, Daniel wasn't done kissing her yet. Margaret eagerly bared her throat to him as he dropped his hands to her hips, pulled her close against him, and began working his way down her neck.

  "God, woman, your skin is like velvet," he murmured, each word punctuated by the hot scrape of his lips against tender skin. "And you smell so fucking good. I just want to eat you up."

  "That makes two of us." It was a miracle that she could speak at all.

  She ground her hips shamelessly against the hard bulge of his erection, and ran her fingers through his close-cropped silver hair, shamelessly petting him, sliding her hands down to stroke the muscles of his back and shoulders through his t-shirt.

  She wanted more. She needed more.

  Daniel licked the hollow at the base of the throat then nipped at her collarbone, making her gasp and clutch at his shoulders.

  He slid his hands deliberately up from her hips, letting his palms shape the curve of her waist before gliding over her gently rounded belly and up to cup her breasts through her clothing briefly before attacking the buttons on her shirt.

  She eagerly reached for the hem of his t-shirt and yanked it up with frantic hunger. She wanted to feel his bare skin against her palms, wanted to taste him the way that he was tasting her, with nibbling kisses and flicks of his tongue.

  A few seconds and a brief, reluctant parting later, his t-shirt lay crumpled on the foyer rug next to her shirt and the forgotten shopping bags. Daniel finished unhooking her bra and tossed it on top of the small pile.

  Both of them bared to the waist, they stood looking at each other.

  Daniel was beautiful in a wholly masculine way, all lithe muscle and predatory grace like a tiger. His tattoos covered both arms and most of his chest, the desert landscape and creatures giving way to a geometric pattern that might have been forked lightning...or sabertooth fangs. A huge bruise over the left side of his torso was fading to yellowish-green around the edges, and the tattoos on his left arm were obscured by a large waterproof bandage.

  "You are so fucking beautiful," Daniel breathed.

  He reached out and reverently ran his fingertips over her bared breasts, tracing their heavy curves, spiraling inward to her nipples, which tightened and rose when he stroked them with a teasing, featherlight brush that made her gasp with need.

  This morning, Margaret had mourned the loss of youthful firmness, worried that he wouldn't find her naked body attractive. That insecurity melted away now under the heat of his gaze.

  She arched her back and offered her breasts to him, begging silently for more of that delicious, maddening touch.

  To her shocked delight, he bent to kiss them. At the same time, she felt his hands cup her butt.

  He lifted her with shifter strength and she wrapped her legs around his hips, the hard ridge of his erection nestling snugly against her aching pussy, maddeningly separated by layers of fabric.

  Margaret gasped as his hot lips closed around one nipple. His wickedly talented mouth went to work on her breasts, making her writhe against him in desperate need as he alternated between them. She clung to his shoulders as he pulled her hips tight against him, silently encouraging her to move.

  It felt so good to ride the hard ridge of his cock, feeling the friction and pressure against her swollen, needy flesh. He seemed to know what she needed, his hands lifting her, moving her against him in quick, hard strokes while he devoured her breasts like a starving man, teasing her with his tongue and lips as the pressure of her arousal spiraled higher and higher and his breathing turned to harsh gasps.

  "Don't...stop," Margaret begged, tilting her hips to adjust the angle of their contact just the tiniest bit. She was close...so close...

  She fell over the edge into a climax that pulsed violently through her, waves of pleasure building and breaking like surf hitting a beach.

  Daniel's hands tightened on her bottom as his own release shuddered through him.

  His mouth still on her breast, he ground himself against her, and she rode him shamelessly, drawing out her own pleasure.

  After a timeless interval of animal pleasure, she unclamped her thighs from around his hips, and slid down to stand on the carpet. Panting and trembling in the aftermath of her climax, she sagged against his bare chest, feeling his heart pound beneath her cheek. Gradually, their heartbeats fell into a matched rhythm, and their breathing slowed together.

  She felt sweaty, shaky, and completely wonderful in the aftermath of the unexpected encounter.

  "Dammit," Daniel said softly.

  "What's wrong?" Margaret asked. Is he sorry about what just happened?

  "This isn't how I wanted our first time to go," he said, sounding rueful. "I meant to take it real slow, and make sure you enjoyed herself."

  He kissed the top of her head.

  He's so sweet!

  "Oh, but I did enjoy myself." she assured him. "And we're not done yet, are we?"

  His arms tightened around her. "Not by a long shot, darlin'. That was just the amuse bouche, a little something to take the edge off. I haven't even served you the first course yet."

  She liked the sound of that. A lot.

  "Well, then, let's head upstairs," she suggested, and turned her face to kiss his chest, with its salty ta
ng of exertion. "We can shower together...or take a nice long soak in my big clawfoot tub."

  To her disappointment, he shook his head. "I do need to shower and change, but I promised to cook you dinner. I have a feeling that if we both go upstairs now, I'll forget all about dinner and I'll end up cooking you breakfast instead."

  "I'm okay with that," Margaret told him, and went up on tiptoes to kiss him. She wanted him, naked, skin to skin. And inside her. Now.

  Daniel shook his head, though his hand brushed her cheek and he tucked a stray lock of hair that had come undone from her braid behind her ear. "As tempting as that is, good things come to those who wait. And I've got two lovely fish that definitely won't improve with age," he said in a teasing tone. Then his voice turned serious. "Plus, I have no idea when Chris might return. It might be a little awkward if we were both naked and busy." But his eyes were hot as he devoured her in a lingering gaze.