by E A Price
He grabbed a log and the ax, and with one swoop, shattered the log into toothpicks. He should probably take it a little easier if he actually wanted any usable pieces.
Mal calmed and started splitting the logs. He decided all his anger should be for whoever was out there trying to terrorize them. He didn’t mind for himself, but they had hurt Ariel and were therefore on his shit list for life. It had to be the crows. He couldn’t think who else it could be – yes, he had made enemies, but the likelihood of them waiting a year into his suspension seemed somewhat unlikely.
He had agonized over sending Ariel away, but ultimately – as much as it pained him – he had to put the kids first. Given the attack on Ariel, he couldn’t be sure that if he sent Ariel away with the kids, that the crows wouldn’t follow and hurt them. He didn’t need to ask Ariel to know that it was precisely what she would have chosen to do also.
He had also considered getting Burke to alert the park rangers or the police, but ultimately, he didn’t want to get humans involved in matters they wouldn’t understand. The hunters would arrive as soon as possible. Were it just him, he would be out there, looking for whoever wanted to hurt him, but given Ariel’s involvement, he needed to stick by her and keep her safe. He needed to be near her… all the time.
Humph. His reindeer chafed against Mal’s control, and Mal struggled to contain his wild beast, and…
Mal stiffened as he sensed movement. He darted to the front of the cabin to find that all the tires on their SUV were slashed.
“Son of a…”
He sensed eyes on him, and a quiver confirmed his suspicion that it was Ariel. She was watching him from the window with a concerned look. His only thought at that moment was… what the hell was she doing standing by the window?! He told her to stay away!
Chapter Eighteen
Ariel’s lip darted out of her mouth and swiped across her bottom lip. She marveled at the way Mal let out a little groan every time she did it. She wasn’t doing it on purpose, but a part of her – a hitherto unknown calculating part of her – wondered whether she could somehow use this to her advantage. She did it again, and he let out a louder groan. Her reindeer chuffed in satisfaction.
Night had fallen, and as yet, there was no sign of the hunters. It had been a long day; Mal had been restless and uneasy while Ariel had been nervy. She had tried to encourage him to take a nap, given that he had been awake all night, but he refused. He told her he could go without sleep for a few days. With a wry smile, he admitted that he went without sleep for six days once, though by the end of it he was convinced he was one of Santa’s reindeers.
Now, to pass the time, they were playing poker. Ariel wasn’t very good at it – she never was with games like this. Shoots and ladders was much more her thing – games of chance. Games where you had to make decisions without knowing the outcome – where you had to be crafty – were not easy for her. Though, she did seem to be getting good at distracting Mal.
Mal took another card, but whether it was good or bad, she couldn’t say – he had literally no tell.
“Raise you two,” he rumbled, tossing two more marshmallows into the bowl.
They were playing for the marshmallows that Teena had left behind. She would probably be pissed that she had left them, but Ariel was sure that Burke would endeavor to get her more.
Ariel looked at her cards – through complete and utter lack of skill – she had managed to amass four Jacks. Now, she was no expert, but surely that was a good thing – surely, that was an excellent hand, and worth a high bet, even if they were only marshmallows. She glanced down at her collection of marshmallows, or rather, marshmallow. She was down to one, possibly because she had folded on all hands except one since they started playing, and she really should have folded on that one hand – she mistook his cough for a tell, when in fact he just had a dry throat.
“I don’t have enough to call,” she admitted glumly before brightening. “But, what if I called with something else. What if I said that I would ask you a question and you had to answer?”
Mal let out a snort of laughter. “Doesn’t really sound like I’d be getting anything out of that.”
Ariel theatrically rolled her eyes. “Fine, every time I don’t have enough you can ask me something.”
“Really?” he asked slowly. He appeared much more interested in the idea that she could have imagined.
She blushed. “Umm, maybe this isn’t a good idea.”
“No, let’s do it – every marshmallow you don’t have, you gotta answer a question.”
Ariel glanced at her cards. Oh, Mother Hubbard, it was a good hand, and she couldn’t deny that there was a glint in Mal’s eye that somewhat intrigued her.
“Okay, so one marshmallow,” she tossed it into the bowl, “and one question.”
She looked up at him through her eyelashes, shyly curious about what he could want to know about her.
Mal breathed in and out a few times, his colossal chest expanding and falling almost hypnotically. The fire crackled as she waited, clutching her cards. Sweat beaded on her forehead. Was it hot in there? Crumbs, it felt hot in there. Her reindeer clomped her hooves impatiently.
Finally, he asked, “Will you be making your pecan pie for Thanksgiving?”
“Huh?” Her reindeer hooted in disappointment. “That’s what you want to know?”
Mal rolled his massive shoulders. “Your mom invited Carrie and me to Thanksgiving. I wanted to know if you were doing your pie.”
“Oh.” She sagged inside. “I’m making a pumpkin pecan pie – it has a layer of pumpkin and caramelized pecans.” She waited for a couple of beats, but he didn’t say anything. “So, I guess I call.”
He grunted and looked at his cards. “Raise two.”
Ariel frowned slightly. Maybe he wanted to know what sides they were having. She looked at her cards and inhaled softly. “Fine, call.”
There was no hesitation this time. “Is it true that you never kissed Hollis? And have you dated anyone other than Hollis?”
Ariel’s mouth dropped open in surprise – caught off guard by this sudden change in direction. Mal just looked at her levelly. He didn’t look even a tiny bit embarrassed. He didn’t seem keen to know the answers either. He just looked like his usual stony self. It was no wonder he was kicking her butt at poker.
“Well, ah, no, we never kissed – well, he kissed my cheek a couple of times, but then my brothers do that. I never considered us to be dating so I never kissed him. As for the other question,” she blew out a breath, “No, I’ve never actually dated anyone. Okay?”
Mal nodded, apparently taking it all in his stride. He looked at his cards for a few beats, but rather than laying them out for her to see, his hand moved to his pile of marshmallows – again!
“Raise… two.”
Ariel giggled nervously. “Are you kidding?”
His eyebrow flickered marginally. “You give in?”
“N-no, I ah, call.”
Mal placed his cards face-down on the table and leaned back in his chair. He was the very picture of composed tranquility, while Ariel was virtually biting her nails.
“You have feelings for me.”
“Is that your question?” she breathed.
“No. Is the reason you haven’t dated anyone else because of your feelings for me?”
Ariel, at this point, was beyond blushing. She had blushed and could not blush anymore – she had come out of the other side of blushing. Much like when she had seen her brother Branch come out of the other side of anger; that was when he had been attempting, unsuccessfully, to assemble the crib for his soon-to-be-born baby. Ariel and Branch’s mate, Mira had almost wet themselves laughing.
“Maybe,” she said slowly, “but it’s not exactly like males wanted to date me. I wasn’t exactly Miss Popularity in college. I didn’t go to parties because I don’t particularly like alcohol, plus I wanted to make sure I wasn’t tired during class. Also, I used to do all my laundry on a Frid
ay night and defrost the freezer – it needs regularly doing. Plus, I think my brothers put men off.”
“Hollis wanted to date you,” he pointed out.
“I didn’t want to date him.” Her insides quivered. “You’re right; I didn’t want to date anyone.”
She took a sip of water.
“Are you a virgin?”
The water flew across the room as she spluttered. She was wrong about the blushing thing.
“Seriously?!” she choked out. “Why would you… What does it…”
He tapped his cards. “You don’t have to answer.”
Ariel’s inner beast huffed and her resolve strengthened. “What does it matter anyway? Of course, I am.” With her overprotective brothers and her own straitlaced personality, she was amazed that Mal could have thought anything else! “Is that it? Can we finally play our cards?”
Her own had practically crumpled in her hands throughout the last few questions.
Mal shrugged as if he hadn’t a care in the world. “Sure.” He flipped over his cards nonchalantly. “Four Queens.”
“What?!” Ariel dropped her cards on the table. “I can’t believe this!”
Finally, his demeanor cracked long enough to show a smug smile. “You had a good hand.”
“I know!”
He cracked completely and chuckled. “You can have the marshmallows.”
“But you won them,” she muttered sullenly. She was put out and discombobulated and not at all sure why she was so annoyed. She didn’t care about losing the game – that meant nothing, but she couldn’t help but feel like she had lost a bigger game.
“You can have them; I got what I wanted.”
“To embarrass me?”
Mal’s brow dipped, and he appeared genuinely confused. “You’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about.”
“Of course not.”
She got to her feet, thinking to flounce away somehow to show her displeasure. But given that she was in a one-room cabin, there didn’t appear to be a lot of options. Oh, she supposed there was the bathroom, but since seeing a giant spider in there earlier, she wasn’t too keen to go back in until she absolutely had to – the beast was probably waiting for her.
“Ariel.”
Her name was soothing on his lips. Without hearing him move he was behind her, his large, warm hands on her shoulders.
“Don’t be embarrassed.”
Both Ariel and her beast mewled as Mal pressed himself against her back. The heat of his body seeped into her, and she relaxed against him, enjoying the lulling quality of his deep voice.
“Not because of me.”
“Can’t help it,” she whispered. “I don’t want you to know that I’m such a…”
“Don’t,” he growled, his chest vibrating against her. “Whatever you were going to say – don’t. I know who you are, Ariel, and I can’t believe a creature like you would even give me the time of day let alone…” His voice trailed away.
Ariel twisted gently in his arms and looked up at him. “Let alone?”
“Let alone,” he repeated before his mouth fell on hers.
Eagerly, Ariel wrapped her arms and legs around him as Mal pulled her up against him. The kiss was hungry, desperate and filled with the wildness of their beasts.
A dozen worries were flitting through her mind. To name but a few, concern about whoever was out there who wanted to hurt them, the fact that Mal was leaving in a couple of weeks or that hunters were about to burst through the door any second. But the worries left her at that moment, they were problems for another day – likely tomorrow – but for now, all that mattered was the two of them.
As if she weighed nothing, he strode over to the couch and lowered her to it. He tried to move away from her, but her grip only tightened, determined not to let this moment end.
“Ariel,” he chuckled against her lips.
“Mmm?”
He finally managed to free himself of her lips, and he gave her such a disarmingly, carefree smile that she gasped. He ran his hands along her arms, which were locked around his neck tighter than a python.
“Ariel, if we’re going to take our clothes off, I’m going to need a little room to move.”
“I suppose,” she said entirely ungraciously.
Mal laughed and kissed the tip of her nose. Gently, he eased himself out of her arms and rolled to the floor on his haunches. She sat up and watched as he pulled his shirt off and tossed it aside.
“Wow,” she breathed, feasting her eyes on every inch of chest available. “I feel like you should be doing this to music. Should we get you some music?”
“We’re out of batteries, remember?”
Her hand reached out to him, but she paused. “May I?”
“May you?” repeated Mal, grinning. “Such manners.”
He grasped her wrist and pressed her hand to his chest, right over his heart, which was beating with even more alacrity than her own.
“You have a lovely chest,” she said before she could stop herself.
It was such a goofy thing to say, and yet, he appeared delighted to hear it. It was lovely too. Muscled, and covered with warm skin and a light dusting of black hair. They had been on herd runs together, where all herd members stripped down past their underoos and turned into their beasts. But something learned early on by all shifters was that it was rude to stare. She avoided looking at other herd mates at all costs. The last thing she ever wanted to see was what her two brothers were hiding in their underoos.
“I’ve picked up a lot of scars over the years,” he said dismissively.
“So I see.” She traced her fingers over a few of them. “They suit you, and they are part of your lovely chest.” This was the best she could manage as far as flirting was concerned.
“Yeah? Your turn.”
“Oh, really?” she squeaked.
Mal nodded, and she quivered at the predatory look peeking out through his hooded eyes. With a deep breath, Ariel grasped the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head, and with an even deeper breath, she unhooked her bra and tossed it away. The animalistic grunt he let out was undoubtedly good for her ego.
“You have a lovely chest, too,” he teased. “May I?”
Ariel giggled, but as his large hands cupped her breasts, her amusement turned into a long, drawn-out moan. He caressed her soft orbs almost reverentially, massaging and kneading the pillowy flesh before engulfing first one and then the other in his mouth.
She knew half the herd considered her prudish because she didn’t date, and because she wasn’t interested in hooking up at the herd runs – when libidos ran exceptionally high. But waiting for this and waiting for Mal had hardly been a hardship - totally worth it.
She whimpered as he released her breast and slowly kissed his way down her stomach. His fingers moved to the buttons of her shorts, and with each pop, she gasped excitedly. Deftly, he grasped the shorts and slid them down her legs.
Mal grinned approvingly at the cat-print panties. “Pretty.”
Ariel beamed and flushed. “If I’d known we’d be doing this I would have worn something lacy and red.”
“I prefer the cats,” he rumbled as he traced the pattern, stroking his fingers over her covered sex. “Much more my thing.”
“Don’t tell me you’re wearing the same?” she teased as her body trembled at the new sensations.
“Not exactly.”
He removed his hand, stopped the delicious movements, making her whimper, and rose to his magnificent height. Ariel was no tiny creature – she was a reindeer shifter and just a couple of inches shy of being six-feet tall, but Mal was huge compared to her.
He unsnapped his jeans, and she tried not to giggle, though the lopsided smile on his face just made her want to giggle even more. Ariel tried to take on a serious mien as she watched him slowly push the jeans down his legs and kick them away.
“Oh,” she breathed, trying to sound normal and utterly failing, “you went down the no underwear r
oute.”
Mal rolled his shoulders. “Always found underwear a little restrictive.”
“I am not surprised,” Ariel snorted and then cringed. “Sorry, I did not mean to say that out loud.”
His eyes twinkled. “Yeah, all men hate it when beautiful women tell them they’re big.”
Ariel guffawed. “Was that a joke? I can’t believe Malachi Jones just made a joke.”
“Yeah, I don’t like to do it too often,” he teased as he dropped to the floor in front of her. “Wouldn’t want anyone to think I’m fun.”
This seemed pretty fun thought Ariel as his fingers curled into the elastic of her panties.
“Oh, my turn?” she breathed.
“Yeah, baby, your turn.”
The endearment warmed her heart. Yes, she hated it when Hollis called her babe, but she would have hated hearing anything from him. Hearing baby from Mal’s beautiful lips, hearing it in his gruff, sexy voice was another matter entirely.
“You called me baby.”
“Yeah, I did.” He smoldered at her, and she tried not to shiver. He had layers of sexiness that she hadn’t even known existed.
“I love it,” she gasped as he slid her panties down her legs.
“Glad to hear it.” He smiled and traced a finger over her nether lips, dipping the finger in her growing wetness. “Baby, if you need me to stop if I hurt you…”
“Oh, I’ll be fine,” she said dismissively. She wiggled her hips, hoping his fingers would move a little further inside her.
“Baby, your first time…”
“No, don’t worry I’ve had a vibrator for years.”
His finger stilled and she was surprised at the absolute shock on his face. “You have a vibrator?” he asked slowly.
Her whole body heated and realized that maybe she shouldn’t have admitted that. Do females usually admit that to males? Is it something to be embarrassed about? It had been a gift from Teena – who insisted that there was nothing wrong with having needs, but there was something wrong in not taking care of them. Teena was un-embarrassable.
“Th-there’s nothing wrong with having needs,” she declared trying to channel her inner Teena, but all that happened was that she became a squeaky Ariel.