A Lady's Heart (Takhini Shifters Book 3)

by Vivian Arend

  Only when she opened her locker all sexy thoughts vanished—

  Something was off.

  Mandy checked her things, but it seemed they were all there. Money, ID, credit cards. Her clothes and shoes were untouched, and there was no scent she could point out, but then her sniffer wasn’t the best, and with the chlorine in the air and shampoo and soap wafting by, she was left with a lingering sense of uneasiness, and nothing more.

  Maybe…she was missing her watch? But she couldn’t be sure she’d even worn it today, after waking in a new place all excited to get together with Justin.

  She dressed quickly, suddenly needing to be next to the big protective bear and let him reassure her that nothing was wrong.

  Nothing could be wrong, because she’d already survived too many days where things went wrong. Those days were in her past…

  Oh, how she hoped they were in her past.

  Chapter Four

  Justin waited outside the change rooms, nodding politely as other members of the class left. Some giggled as he dipped his head, but he barely gave any of the other women more than a passing glance, his focus fixed on the door Mandy should slip out of soon.

  The bit of teasing between him and Mandy during the class had been nowhere near where he wanted to go, but the sweet, innocent interaction had felt right, as long as she didn’t plan to keep them going at that pace for another couple of months.

  He’d hurriedly showered and dressed while considering hard. She’d been through a lot, he knew that. And for a human woman it would probably take a long time to recover from how she’d been treated. But as a shifter, she’d already made it clear she was taking steps to move on.

  She never should’ve suffered in the first place, and the urge to track down her ex flared again. Justin let it go and refocused on the most important thing, which was him and Mandy, and finding how they fit.

  More ways than one.

  It was too much temptation for one man to bear, or maybe it was too much temptation for one bear to handle without losing control of his man. The woman he wanted with a desperate need had sat next to him clothed in a scrap of fabric he could ball into one fist and barely notice it was there.

  Justin leaned against the wall and rested his head back, closing his eyes as he attempted to think of terrible things to get his cock to deflate.

  The problem was, with his eyes closed it was too easy to drift back to the hot tub, the sweet scent of her filling his head. The scenario slipped farther in his mind than it had in reality as he imagined her straddling him, resting her hands on his shoulders as their bodies slid together.

  He forced his attention back to the here and now, willing his body to stop tormenting him.

  When she finally joined him, Mandy’s expression seemed dazed, and he jerked to attention. “What’s wrong?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know for sure. I thought I wore my watch, but it wasn’t in the locker. I was looking around to see if I’d left it anywhere. Sorry it took me so long—”

  Justin went on high alert. “You think someone stole it?”

  “Or I’m mistaken, and it’s back at my new place.” She offered him a sheepish smile. “I’m not completely settled in yet. It’s very possible I didn’t follow my usual routine.”

  He didn’t want to alarm her, so he didn’t argue other than insisting they stop at the front desk where she left a description in case it was turned in to the lost and found.

  Out in the parking lot, though, he couldn’t help himself. “Since we’re both going the same direction, how about we get down to one vehicle?”

  Mandy considered the suggestion. “I suppose that makes sense.”

  “Be nice to the environment,” he teased.

  “I insist on paying for gas.” She tossed him her keys.

  Okay, that was better than he’d expected.

  With all the stalking—correction—with all the casually happening to notice every single detail about her in a totally not stalker-ish creepy way he’d done, he’d figured she was going to insist on driving. He didn’t really care if it was her Jeep or his, as long as they were together in one vehicle.

  He’d text one of the Takhini pack and get them to grab his vehicle from the swimming-pool parking lot. “What time is our art class, and do you have anything you need to do before then?”

  Mandy asked to stop at the store, and he followed along happily as she selected a few things, pretending he was in dire need of some items himself. She strolled up and down the aisles wearing a contented expression, and he wasn’t about to do anything to wipe that expression off her face.

  Shopping was followed by lunch at another a coffee shop, with sandwiches and pitcher-sized cups of coffee filled to the brim. It was brisk out, but both of them sat at their outdoor table in shirtsleeves, the cool air nowhere near enough to make their shifter blood need a jacket.

  He let his gaze drift over her, admiring the bare skin he wanted to lick.

  Mandy made a low noise of pleasure at the first bite into her sandwich, and a shiver raced up his spine.

  He really had to stop connecting everything she did with sex. It was tough, because everything about her appealed to him on a completely animal level as well as fascinating his mind.

  She daintily held her sandwich out. “You have to try this.”

  He wrapped his fingers over hers and took a bite, overlapping where she’d already tried it, and he swore, as good as the sandwich was, the only thing he could taste was her.

  “Delicious,” he said with a nod.

  She offered a beautiful smile before turning to her phone to check messages and sipping her coffee quietly.

  The trip to the art studio took barely ten minutes, and Justin found himself at the throwing wheel next to hers as he struggled to turn his clay into something less lump-like.

  Mandy listened intently to the instructor, hands slipping over the rugged clay block, effortlessly smoothing the solid piece into a tall thick rod, her wet fingers working the clay up and down and up—

  Shit. He was hard again.

  Justin wiggled uncomfortably, the move knocking his hands too hard into his spinning lump of nothing, setting one edge out of kilter. The messy tower toppled to one side, deflated.

  If his friend Tyler were here now, he’d be making comments about limp dicks.

  Mandy glanced his direction, not even paying attention to the vase rapidly forming under her hands. Talented hands. Hands he really wanted all over him…

  He bit back a groan as his clay folded in on itself again.

  “You need a lighter touch,” she teased.

  Do not say it. Do not say it.

  His mouth wasn’t as smart as his brain. “I’m used to stroking a little rougher,” he growled, his throat tight with lust.

  Her eyes widened briefly before she snapped her head back to her pottery wheel, but she was still smiling.

  By the time they put their projects on the side table to be left for firing, he’d gotten control of his body, willingly following Mandy to the sinks to wash their fingers clean.

  “That was fun.” Her satisfied sigh ended with amusement. “Although, I’m not quite sure what you’re going to do with an ashtray. You don’t smoke.”

  “I’ll give it to Tyler and Caroline as a wedding gift. He’ll have to keep it in some prominent place in their house.”

  She laughed. “You should paint pink daisies on it before it gets fired.”

  “Pink daisies?”

  “With tiny blue forget-me-nots, or a giant sunflower in the bottom.”

  They grinned at each other like conspirators. The mood between them fun and lighthearted. Then she changed the moment by clicking her tongue.

  “Stand still. You’ve got clay on you.”

  She took a wad of napkins and wet one corner. Slipping next to him and catching hold of his shirt front, she tugged until he leaned over, his head on level with hers. Then she proceeded to carefully swab the mud from his cheek and temple
.

  “You were getting into your work,” she teased.

  “Anything worth doing is worth doing right.” He caught her fingers loosely in his, bringing her knuckles close enough he could press a kiss to them. “Thank you.”

  Mandy blinked rapidly before clearing her throat and all but running from the room. Justin grinned hard as he followed her.

  They sat in comfortable silence on the journey back into Whitehorse until he pulled her Jeep to a stop into the parking space where she was staying.

  Comfortable, but the silence had given him plenty of time to run through ideas for what came next.

  Justin was out his door and around to her side of the jeep before she could protest. Helping her down and keeping hold of her hand.

  “I don’t want to overstay my welcome, but would you like to sit for a while?”

  Mandy’s heart rate increased, then increased again. They’d spent nearly the entire day together, which meant if she was going to take the space and time she’d promised herself, the next move should be saying good night.

  He spoke again before she could tell him that. “You have a lot of things on your list, and I thought it might be fun if we mix them up a little. Unless you’re determined to start at number one and work your way straight through.”

  Oh boy. “No, I’m not a purist. I even read series out of order,” she confided.

  What the heck. Mandy caught him by the fingers, tugging him down the path outside the apartment. She hadn’t had time to explore the entire place yet, but she’d seen this while looking out her window that morning.

  A pretty park bench sat on the top of a rise overlooking the Yukon River. The trees and bushes arranged around the solid wooden structure formed a partially secluded oasis. They would still be in public, and people could see them from the walking path just below, but unless someone wanted to make their way up the hill, it was a lovely, isolated location.

  She settled on the bench, eyes fixed forward as she pretended to admire the view.

  Justin sat beside her, a soft chuckle rumbling up from his big bear-chest. “That was a contented sigh.”

  Mandy blinked, glancing up in surprise. “Did I sigh? It wasn’t a bad thing—I’m very content. It’s been a good day, and your company has been wonderful.”

  “I’m yours to command.”

  It was said so seriously, but for some reason her brain jumped back to the kids’ movie from years earlier, and all she could think of was Justin as a big blue genie, offering to fulfill her every wish.

  “About my list…”

  Justin stretched an arm along the back of the bench, his biceps brushing her shoulder. “Yes?”

  It was fun to know she could tease this big man. She felt completely safe around him, although building that trust was why it had taken until now for her to make a move. “You didn’t really think I wanted to do everything in exactly the order it was written?”

  He shrugged. “You’re the boss, but no. I figured you kinda compartmentalized things and wrote them down as they came to you. All sorts of crafts, all sorts of sports…”

  “…all sorts of sex.”

  Justin grinned.

  “It’s taken me a while to work up my courage.” Maybe this confession would help him understand. “I wasn’t just waiting for the divorce to go through. It’s taken two months to decide I deserved to find myself. And I have all sorts of big ideas, but even then I might have times where something seems like a good idea, but I’ll have to back off or slow down.” She laid a hand on his thigh, the thick muscles quivering under her fingers. “But I trust you,” she said softly. “I hope you know that means an awful lot.”

  His expression changed as she spoke. His initial amusement and sexual interest turned, and what she witnessed on his face now was far more serious and solemn and completely filled with what she desperately needed to see—respect.

  “I don’t ever want to break that trust,” he assured her.

  So perfect, and so enticing, and suddenly she’d had enough talking.

  Very clearly stated on her list was the desire to make out somewhere not completely private, and there was no better time than now. The arm he’d placed on the back of the bench curled around her cautiously as if he were cradling a priceless work of art. She lifted her chin and leaned toward him as he leaned toward her and their lips met.

  A kiss. Their first.

  As a first kiss it was pretty perfect—tender and sweet. His lips moved over hers slowly as she considered what he tasted like. What it felt like.

  What it did to her insides…

  For the record—surprisingly earth-shattering, considering they had less than two inches of body contact going on.

  Inside, a mixer was churning on high speed. A red-hot brand heated in her belly, and lower. Her sex tingled and tightened as he took the kiss deeper, teasing her lips with his tongue until she opened to him and breathed a sigh.

  He captured the sound, the arm around her body sliding downward until his hand rested on her hip. His grip tightened for a moment before relaxing, but she was the one who leaned into him farther, letting the heart-fluttering impact of his mouth do its job.

  She moaned as he kissed her harder, not stopping as he lifted her into his lap in one swoop. Mandy was airborne for a second before settling against the heat of his body, his legs solid under hers. His erection a rock against her hip.

  She lifted her hands to his chest and pressed back gently.

  Justin instantly opened space between them, smiling down at her. “Oops. How did you get there?”

  A laugh escaped. “I can’t imagine. Maybe kissing pixies live by this bench, and they magically lifted me.”

  He tilted his head from side to side for a moment before agreeing. “Seems the only logical explanation to me.”

  Mandy slid her palms up his chest, over the wall of muscle until she could drape her hands over his shoulders, staring into his face. “That was nice. The kissing.”

  One brow shot upward. “Nope.”

  She hesitated. “It wasn’t nice?”

  “Hell, no,” he said with a determined shake of his head. “If that’s how you’re going to go around describing my kissing skills, my reputation with the wolves will end up in shreds.”

  “I understand.” She trickled a finger over his lips as she pretended to consider their options. “Perhaps we’d better try again while I consider better adjectives.”

  “Only for that reason.”

  A cold wind swept past, but Mandy was surrounded by a bubble of heat. Justin’s body under her a flaming furnace. He kept himself in control, though, the power and strength of his passion tightly leashed. His restraint allowed her to concentrate on everything else as she got lost in their kiss.

  She was trying to think of a description that would impress the wolves, really she was, but words were blurry, fuzzy things that seemed to bubble and fizz in her brain in an unknown foreign language.

  The next time they pulled apart she was seeing stars. His hands firmly grasped her hips, her fingers were buried in the short hair at the back of his neck.

  She sucked for air before managing to speak. “Wow.”

  Justin grinned. “Much better.”

  It was tempting to go farther. To ask him up to her apartment, and maybe move on to another item on the list, but something inside told her she wasn’t quite ready.

  She might be willing now, but if things went too far, too fast and she had to call for a stop, that would be worse than sticking to her original plan of going slowly.

  She crawled off his lap and straightened her clothing, glancing up to discover he was grinning.

  “What?”

  He just shook his head, holding out a hand. Their fingers linked as he escorted her to the security door.

  “Do you know your plans for tomorrow? Because…” He cleared his throat. “I’ll just make a fool of myself once and for all. I want to be with you, Mandy. I want you to let me know what you need a hand with, b
ut I can’t help myself. If you don’t call me, I’ll come looking. And it’s not because I want to control you, it’s because I want to be with you.”

  His confession sent a shiver skipping over her skin. It wasn’t a shiver of fear like Ainsworth had put in her, but Justin’s admission was borderline bossy, and she wasn’t ready for that. She wasn’t ready to be even remotely thrilled at how much he seemed to care.

  The line between obsession and caring was too raw in her memory.

  “I’ll call you,” she promised, stepping inside the building.

  He waited until the door closed, the lock clicking firmly shut between them. The six or seven paces it took to get to the elevator, she could sense he was watching, his gaze fixed on her until the doors closed and blocked them from each other’s view.

  She leaned her forehead against the wall and let out a long, slow breath, willing her heart to slow its frantic pace.

  “Oh, Mandy. He’s a fine one, but you don’t need to rush,” she chastised herself as the elevator doors opened with a soft ping. She slipped down the hallway to her suite and used the access card. The door swung open.

  Mandy stood in the doorway, frozen, nerve endings tingling a warning.

  Once again, something seemed off, but she couldn’t tell exactly what. The sensation of someone having been where they shouldn’t have been struck like it had at the pool, but even stronger, and the edge of uncertainty was enough to have her stepping back and pulling the door closed silently.

  She headed down the hallway rapidly, her heart racing. The urge to message Justin hit, immediate and strong. And it wasn’t a bad idea, but was it the best idea?

  Justin would willingly protect her—there was no doubt about that—but if she was overreacting, she didn’t want him to think she was going to constantly jump at shadows. Maybe the wolves had sent someone to the apartment for some reason. It was a plausible explanation. It was…

  But she wasn’t going to be stupid and assume everything was okay.

  Don’t think—act.