by Thorne, Elle
“Grant.” There was a measure of steeliness in Astra’s tone.
Grant froze.
“I know it’s hard for you to accept that I’m an adult. I get that you want to take care of me, like Doc would. But I’m not a child. I don’t need your permission to give someone a ride.”
Oh shit. Now she’s gone and put me in the middle of it. Kane took a step back. It was either piss Grant off, or piss the hottie off.
Easy solution here. He’d sooner piss Grant off.
“I’ll make sure she’s fine.”
“You don’t have a choice, really,” Astra told Grant, buttressing her argument. “If I have a problem, I know you’ll shift and come save me.”
Okay. Surely Grant could see the logic in that.
Grant exhaled a long, drawn-out sigh. “So be it. Call me to let me know you’re okay.”
Chapter Eleven
Astra gave Kane a dirty look, ignoring his attempt to help her with her coat. She shrugged it on by herself.
Grant put his arm around Astra. “Call us when you get home.”
She rolled her eyes and bit back a smartass sarcastic remark.
She and Kane got in her Jeep. She started it and headed down the road toward Northpoint.
The vehicle seemed small with a mountain-sized man in it. She tried not to let his size affect her. Size and sexiness.
She had her plan ready. It was simple: talk him into leaving the valley immediately, before the ones who were hunting him could find him here.
If that failed, she had her pistol in the back.
She gave him a sideways glance. He was staring straight ahead, his profile aquiline, his skin tone beautifully dusky in the dimness of the dashboard’s lighting. Full lips at rest, not smiling or talking, just looking perfectly... kissable.
Damn, what’s wrong with me? Kissable? WTF! Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
She turned her eyes back to the road, reluctantly so. No. I can’t shoot him. She’d have to talk him into leaving. Somehow.
“What’s the story with you and the ones hunting you?” She could at least break the ice, make nice, and then make her request.
“It’s a long story. Is this going to be a long drive?”
She thought for a moment. She could make it as long as she needed to by going back and forth on back roads, to get the story. Not the safest option, perhaps. “No, not that long.”
He realigned himself in the seat, moving so that he was facing her more than before. “Why are you asking?”
“I guess, if we have bad guys—” Wow, did I really just sound so cliché? “If there are rovers following you, then it would be nice to know why, in case we have a problem with them.”
“You shouldn’t. I used block to disguise my scent, and I was very careful.”
“Famous last words,” she muttered.
Outside, the snow began to fall more heavily. She ignored it; she couldn’t let a little snow stop her from her mission.
He rubbed his jaw, the scruff of his few days’ growth of beard making a scratchy sound. “You really want to know?”
She didn’t trust the tone in his voice. “You really think you can throw them off your trail?”
He was silent for so long she began to think he either hadn’t heard or he was ignoring her question.
“Think so.” His words were almost a whisper.
A shiver ran through her. “Can I make a request of you?”
“Shoot.”
“I may not have a right to make a request, though I did run that test on you...” She let the words sit for a moment, for emphasis. He owed her. “I don’t want to lose any more of my family members to shifters. If you keep moving, and you’re not here, then we—they—won’t be in danger.”
“So you’re saying you don’t want me to stay in Northpoint End.”
Under normal circumstances she’d have enjoyed getting to know more about the hunky stranger.
What the hell am I thinking? He’s a damned shifter.
There was something about him. Something that clicked with her. An instant chemistry kind of thing. Like a chemical reaction.
“Or anywhere in the valley,” she added. “It’s too risky.”
“You’d want me wandering around in this snowstorm?”
Does he have to put it that way?
He made her sound horrible.
“Well, no. I mean...” What the hell could she say now?
“Can I at least stay until morning? Just let me hole up in the cabin until the snow stops falling. Is that too much to ask?”
That didn’t seem like an unreasonable request. “Okay. But promise me, first opportunity, you’re out of there.”
Chapter Twelve
Was she fucking kidding? Like he’d just head out?
Just say yes, a part of him said. Just tell her what she wants to hear, then get her on the road.
But he didn’t want her on the road. He wanted to spend time with her, in the cabin. A lot of time. He wanted to get to know her better.
She hates you, idiot, that same part of him said, so walk away. Let her go, and then stay in the cabin until you’re ready to move on.
He couldn’t. He couldn’t let her go. There was something about that woman.
She’d said ‘first opportunity,’ which left it to his discretion. He could choose to define ‘first opportunity’ as he pleased.
“First opportunity, I will.” He used his most sincere voice. “But there’s a condition.”
Her head snapped his way. She glared at him.
“Pay attention to the road.” He 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, he guided her head toward facing the road. He clenched his teeth at the temptation of having his hand on her.
His bear felt her heart rate increase and was reacting to it.
Moving his hand a bit, he put his 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 arousal filled his senses.
His 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?”
His condition right now was a state of arousal that culminated in a raging hard-on that bordered on painful. His condition was crazy-sexy and turned on by this woman. He wanted to claim her, make her his. He wanted her to submit to him, and give all of herself to him without holding anything back.
He cleared his throat to get the arousal lump that seemed to have blocked his voice to go away. “My condition...” More throat clearing, because he sounded like a frog in season. “My condition is that you spend some time with me. In the cabin. I’ll be good. I promise.” He’d be damned good if she’d give his tongue, hands, and cock a chance.
He shook the bear off. Damn. Easy, already.
“Why do you want me to spend time with you in the cabin?”
Chapter Thirteen
Astra had no intention of admitting this to the gorgeous hunk of bear shifter next to her, but the idea of spending some time with him didn’t sound bad at all. She was starved for human—even semi-human—companionship. As far as men went, well, shit, it had been a year since she’d had sex. She bit back the sigh that threatened to come out at the thought of having sex. Good sex. The last time she’d had sex... she couldn’t call that good sex.
She didn’t want to think about sex. Not when she 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 her shoulder asked.
But she’d never been one to give in to the little she-devil that perched on her left. Okay, take that back. She hadn’t done it often. There were a couple of times, though...
What if he’s a serial killer? the levelheaded one on her right shoulder asked.
Famous last words, came from her right shoulder, just before Astra could shut that voice down for the rest of the night.
Of course the other shoulder had to chime in. But sexy as hell. Astra shut that one down, too. She didn’t need anything influencing her more than this man’s sex appeal did.
So, basically, she thought, Sure, why not go inside? She 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 she wouldn’t lie to herself; she really wanted to know him... and to find out more about shifters.
She was ashamed of herself for having shut Doc down every time he’d tried to talk to her about shifters. She owed it to him to learn more about his people—no; his kind, not people. Doc was the closest thing she had to a dad. Hell, he was her dad.
“Earth to Astra.”
She 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?”
Astra gave him a look. Laying it on thick, isn’t he?
“Yeah, aside from that.” But deep down, she couldn’t deny that that comment had gotten to her.
She felt a warmth that wasn’t related to her vehicle’s heater flood through her body. A warmth that made all the right parts tingle.
“That was rhetorical.” The smile he flashed her probably had women dropping panties anywhere he went. “So, you coming in or what?”
Chapter Fourteen
All in.
Astra 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.
She took the right turn that led to the driveway for the cabin—if you wanted to call a wide path a driveway. She hit the brakes.
“Damn. That was close.” A huge fallen tree blocked the Jeep’s forward progress. She put it in park. “Shit.”
“Want me to try to move it?” Kane offered.
“No.” Astra looked at the man’s chest and arms.
A huge part of her believed Kane could move the tree. The other part of her said no. She looked out her driver’s window. The road was on a curve, the mountainside dropping steeply only four feet away from her door.
“How far are we from the cabin?”
“A few dozen yards’ walk. Not much.” But that was more distance than she relished walking in this cold. Still, she didn’t want him to hurt himself trying to move the Jeep.
Kane looked out the windshield, then turned that smoldering gaze back on her. “Is a little walk going to keep us from our objectives?”
Well said.
The man was oozing sexuality.
She squeezed her legs together subtly to make the buzzing he created between them go away. She hoped he wouldn’t notice.
She wasn’t going to let the fallen tree and a walk keep her from her objective to get him to leave before anything bad could happen. She wasn’t sure what his objectives were, though from his actions and looks, she suspected one of them was getting into her panties.
And is that so bad?
No, it wasn’t bad, and she had a fierce underlying desire to get to know him better—in all the wrong ways—even if a part of her told her 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.
Astra glanced away, but not before he caught her checking him out. “Yes. We’re going.”
She turned the ignition off, pulled her gloves on, grabbed her bag, clutched the door handle, and jerked the door open.
The wind slammed into her, blowing snow into the Jeep and her face. She climbed out, steadying herself on the unpacked snow, and closed her door.
Uncannily fast, Kane was next to her, put his arm around her, and they 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, they stepped onto the cabin’s wooden porch. Kane pushed on the door.
It didn’t open.
He looked at her.
“He didn’t give me a key.”
Astra reached up to the porch light, pulled the fixture off the wall, and took the key out from its hiding place. Of course she knew where Grant kept keys to his cabins.
“Voila.” She held it up for Kane to see. Her voice was loud over the wailing wind. She hadn’t thought the storm would be this bad.
He took the key from her, jammed it into the lock, and pushed the door open. Putting a hand on her back, he hustled her into the cold cabin. At least it wasn’t windy in here. And there was a lot of firewood on the porch.
It was dark in the cabin, so Astra 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 her to see inside the cabin.
She 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, Astra 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 her 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.” She shivered, her voice trembling from the cold. “But how about you get the fire started?” Astra crossed her arms over her chest and sat on the sofa.
Kane grabbed the throw blanket on the back of the sofa, wrapped it around her, and then did exactly as she’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.
Astra 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, making Astra think of how he’d handle her body.
Down, girl. Down.
Chapter Fifteen
Kane glanced toward Astra as he piled firewood in one corner of the cabin. He tried not to keep looking at her, but he couldn’t help himself.
Or rather, he couldn’t control his bear. This was becoming ridiculous. Sure, Kane wanted to know Astra better—lots better. But his bear kept on growling and insisting that she was their mate. He wanted to have a serious talk with it, but didn’t want her thinking that he’d lost his mind.
Kane couldn’t have asked for a luckier break than having that fallen tree block their path. It was as if the tree had wanted his plan to work. Plan? Yeah, hard to call what he had a plan. More like winging it. He had some thinking to do. Some private thinking.
“I’ll be right back.” He reached for the bar he’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.”
He strode outside, closing the door as he left Astra in the safety and warmth of the cabin. The wind howled, pulling at his shirt, sending
his hair in all directions. Snowflakes clung to his face, melting on impact, allowing the cold to penetrate his flesh.
Kane stepped into a thicket of trees, shifting as he walked deeper. The bear’s fur would prevent the cold from seeping in too quickly. He used his 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 his 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 Kane’s mind, drowning out his thoughts and objections.
Fine. I’ll leave it up to her.
He shifted back to his human form and ran for the cabin, then let himself 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 body from her waist to her flaring hips and nice full ass.
What a sight to have greeting him when he walked into a room. Kane’s thickness sprang to attention, eager for her.
He stood by the door, staring at her while she looked at him over her shoulder, her full lips pursed in a rosebud of concern, brow arched, questioning his logic, maybe even his common sense.
And then she turned around. Holy mother of mothers.
Her nipples were pressing out, demanding his attention. One swift motion and he was next to her, breathing her in, catching her breaths with his own, sucking her essence deep into his soul, imprinting on her.