Finally, he was calm, but he knew it wouldn’t last. One look at Mack and he’d be building toward that rush again. Anger and passion together were a volatile mix.
Fifteen minutes later, he was dressed and in the kitchen. Mack was sitting on the couch in silence.
“Do you want to tell me what you were doing this morning?” She lifted her head from a magazine she pretended to read.
“No. Do you want to tell me why you were bloody and naked coming out of the woods?”
He poured two mugs of coffee and joined her in the living room. What could he tell her? That his bear sought her out, and she tagged him? Hardly. “I sometimes go for runs in the morning.” It was as lame as it sounded, but it was all he could come up with on the fly.
“And the neighbors are okay with that?” She pulled her mug of sweetened coffee to her lips. Looking over the rim she glanced down at his crotch. “In all honesty it was… shocking.”
Finn leaned back and watched her. It was time to put a bit of pressure on Mack. “Was it a big shock?” He tempered his expression so she didn’t see how much he was going to love this.
She pulled in her upper lip and gnawed across the entire surface. It was red and plump when it popped from between her teeth. “Yes, it was a big… shock.”
He scooted closer to her. Her eyes grew bigger and bigger, and the space grew smaller and smaller. “What shocked you the most?” He knew he shouldn’t be pressing her like this but he had to know for sure if what she felt was the same as what he felt. It pulled at his insides to be connected with her.
“You were bleeding.” She reached up and traced the healed lobe of his ear. “There’s nothing there.”
“It was a scratch.” A scratch his ass, the damn puncture wound was the circumference of a pencil, and the tear left his ear hanging like an elephant’s. “So the blood shocked you?”
“Yes. No. Yes.”
Finn moved a little closer. Their thighs touched, and the heat from both their bodies lifted and swirled around them. There was no doubt she was aroused. He’d recognize her scent anywhere. It flowed through him like warm honey in his veins.
His mother once told him that a fated mate would be as clear as a perfect day. And Finn knew that Mackenzie Smith was his. He knew it the minute she stood in front of him at the diner. “What is it? Yes, or no?” He took a chance and cupped her cheek, and like he expected, she leaned into the touch.
“No.” She always managed to surprise him with her strength and candor. Mack didn’t come across as the type of woman who backed down from much. In fact she had disobeyed him outright when he told her to stay out of the forest. “The blood was a surprise, but you…”
“Me?” That lip went back between her teeth. “Do you feel this thing between us?” He dropped his hand to her neck and threaded his fingers through the back of her hair. He’d never force the kiss even though he needed it more than anything else in his life. “Do you?”
She said nothing, but her head started a tentative nod and then that damn plump lip broke free. He covered her mouth with his. It didn’t take long for Finn to lift her onto his lap. She straddled him fully clothed. His inner animal liked being between her thighs, but he craved something more. He probed at her lips until she let him in. The taste of her was everything he had imagined.
He explored her mouth like a hiker explored a trail—thoroughly and with vigor. Her low growl of approval made his bear push for more, but his human side knew it was time to pull away before it was too late. He couldn’t make her his mate without her knowing what that would mean. She was his and would always remain so. It frightened the hell out of him, and he imagined if he told her, and then shifted, she’d turn and run.
When he pulled away her fingers came to her lips. “Wow.”
“Did you like that?” He cupped her ass cheeks and yanked her close until their chests touched. He heard her breath hitch and felt the pounding of her heart against his. They were in perfect rhythm together.
“You kissed me.” She laid her head on his shoulder like it was a natural thing to do.
“Yes, and I’m going to kiss you again, but not before you tell me why you blatantly disobeyed my rule. You crossed the lake.” Finn tried to infuse his voice with danger, but it only managed to sound throaty and full of arousal.
Her head popped up like a groundhog looking for sun. “I didn’t enter private property. I made sure.” Then it dawned on her that somehow he knew, and she narrowed her eyes in question. “How did you know?”
“I have resources.”
Her body tensed. “You have people spying for you?” Fisted hands pounded on his chest. She was strong, but he was stronger. Gritting his teeth, he took the powerful wallops.
“Are you finished hitting me?” With her hands now enveloped in his, he pulled them to his mouth for a feather of a kiss across both sets of knuckles. “I didn’t have anyone follow you. Let’s just say that I had a feeling you would go in search of that bear and you confirmed it.”
What little fire that she had built inside was now only a smolder. “He was there, Finn. He came to me and…”
“You tranquilized and tagged him.” He could feel her pulse spike. He pressed her hands to his chest and let his heart beat for her. His mother had told him that true mates could mimic one another. That the strong connection could pass from one animal to the other. That communication didn’t need words. A minute passed and her heart danced to the same beat as his. Once her heartbeat calmed he continued. “Why?”
Her pretty forehead wrinkled with lines of confusion. “He’s mine.” She looked shocked when the words came out. “I mean… oh I don’t know… I can’t explain it, but he’s mine, and I know it right here.” She tugged her hands from his chest and pressed them to her heart. “Maybe I’m crazy.”
“You’re not crazy. I know that feeling of possessiveness.” There was nothing crazy about her, and he let her know it with his next kiss. As his tongue explored her mouth, his hands explored her body. In minutes he had her stripped from the waist up. Her, on his lap, with a view of the forest as her backdrop. God, she was stunning.
Her breasts spilled over his large palms. Calloused fingertips plucked at the hardened nubs of her nipples until she rocked her body against him. He suckled on one pert nipple causing a moan that hardened his cock to painful levels. He moved to the other until he pulled that sexy sound from her again. Back and forth he divided his time until she was begging for more.
“Finn, more.” Two words that could have made a lesser man come undone, but not Finn Marks. He had his eyes set on something bigger and better. This was one moment in time, but he wanted forever.
In spite of the aching in his dick and the internal growling of his bear. He held on to his thread of humanity. He would not claim her today, but he would give her pleasure like none she’d ever known.
One swift move and she was on her back, her face flushed and her body shaking from desire. “You want more?” He didn’t wait for the confirmation he knew would come. He stripped off her boots and pulled down her olive green khakis to expose the slick honey of her heat.
He ground his jaws together willing his beast to back off. Silently, he promised his bear a lifetime of her in exchange for this moment. His jaw twitched and his mouth watered as his teeth began to elongate. ‘One taste,’ he told his beast as he pushed him back from the surface.
“Finn…”
His name on her lips said in a breath of passion was all he needed to move forward. He eased between her legs and drew across her honey-coated lips. Creamy sweetness covered his tongue. There was no turning back now. He’d tasted her. Her essence flowed through him like his life’s blood and when he spilled himself inside her, and marked her, the mating would be complete.
Grateful that his inner animal backed off, he settled in to sample her. Light licks and soft sucks made her hips rise to reach for his mouth.
Whimpers of need and moans of pleasure had him pressing his tongue deep ins
ide of her until she quivered. He teased her body without mercy. He brought her to the edge and pulled her back so many times the poor woman never stopped quaking beneath him.
“Finn,” she screamed in something that was a mix of frustration and passion.
He gripped her hips and lifted her bottom from the couch bringing her to his mouth like a feast. He buried his face in her slickness and latched on the tightly bound bundle of nerves. A low carnal rumbling started in his chest and when he sucked her between his lips it burst free, but Finn knew that Mack didn’t hear him because she had let loose a growl of her own. It raced up his spine and twisted around his heart.
Chapter 7
Mackenzie
Finn’s head rested on her thigh as her shaking body came down from its high. Never had she ever felt something as powerful as what that man just did to her. Now she was really screwed because she knew she’d never get her work done if this was the alternative. Naked and under him was the only place she wanted to be.
What the hell was she supposed to do now? The lift of her body put him in motion. He gripped her thighs and pinned her down like his private pillow. “Stay. Don’t run.”
Her hands covered her face. “I’m so embarrassed.”
“Don’t.” He climbed up her body and shifted their positions so she lay naked on top of him. The roughened tips of his fingers were a stark contrast to his featherlight touch. “Relax.” His lips brushed the top of her head while his fingers did the same over the small of her back.
“What did I just do?”
“You enjoyed yourself. I enjoyed myself. Mackenzie, there is no crime in love.” He said the word love like what they’d just shared was a fact. She wasn’t certain it wasn’t.
Ever since she showed up in Grayslake things were different for her. Her emotions were stronger. Her hearing was better. Her self-confidence restored. She lay naked on top of a fully clothed man and it felt right.
Her ears burned with embarrassment and certainty that the un-pierced lobes were crimson red. This behavior wasn’t her. “I just want you to know that I don’t sleep around.”
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight to his chest. “It never crossed my mind. Besides, your past is irrelevant, only your future matters to me.”
Mack rubbed her face against his chest and inhaled his scent. “You smell good.” She wanted to yank her own hair. Who finished having the most satisfying sexual experience, and all she could say was, “I’m not a whore, and by the way you smell yummy.”
“I love this.” His hands ran down her back and swept over the globes of her bottom. Everywhere he touched sent a bolt of energy through her body. Once again, her skin tingled from the inside out. It was a sensation that only happened around Finn.
She reached down toward his hardness. He’d given her so much. She’d given him nothing. “Let me—”
“No, it wasn't about that. Relationships are give and take. Today I gave, but don’t think I won’t take, Mackenzie. I plan to take everything.” He kneaded her soar muscles and nearly lulled her to sleep. “I could stay like this all day.”
Mack could too, but in reality, she had work to do. She pushed off his chest and brought herself to a standing position. The space between her thighs burned so good from the scruff of his facial hair. He laid on the couch so sexy and willing. If something didn’t get them moving, there was no doubt they’d both be prone in seconds. The air around them vibrated with sexual tension.
“We have work to do.” She hated to ruin the moment with the reminder that animals needed tagging, but that was what she’d come to Grayslake to do. Finn was a bonus that she could have as a reward for a job well done. Yes, that was how she’d view it, only today the reward came before the actual work.
Finn bolted upright. “We are not tagging bears for termination.” The sex in his voice had been replaced by no nonsense agitation.
Mack slipped back into her clothes. A shower would have been great. Then again washing Finn from her body seemed like an insult. “You’re right, we aren’t. We’re tagging them for observation. Obviously there aren’t a bunch of bears walking around Grayslake causing trouble.”
Finn rose from the couch and stretched. “Trouble usually starts Friday night after said bears have one too many drinks.”
“Ha ha, you’re too funny.” He talked about the bears as if they were humans with homes and families and responsibilities and bad habits. “That would be a site to see. Imagine a bar full of drunk bears.”
Finn stood in front of her and ran his hands through her long hair. “You have to keep an open mind around here. I’ve seen crazier things than a bar full of drunk bears.” His lips brushed across hers. She could smell herself on him and a sense of pride swelled in her chest. It was as if she’d branded him.
Fifteen minutes later, they were in the truck and headed to the ridge.
“Why are we going here again?” Mack wasn’t normally a whiner but her voice sounded like a kid who had dropped their ice cream cone.
“Because it’s government land and you’re here to track animals on government land.” Finn’s voice was open and matter of fact. Gone was the anger, which probably had a lot to do with her decision to not tag for termination.
The tranquilizer gun and tags lay open in a bag on the seat between them. “Why are they still using these?” Finn covered the bag with his big hand. “There’s better technology that doesn’t injure the animal.” He lifted his fingers to his earlobe then dropped them back to the steering wheel.
“It’s all about the budget. These are being phased out next year, so the service wants to use them up.”
Finn’s phone rang. While he took his call, Mack looked out the window. The surrounding forest was alive and beautiful. The sun whispered through the branches shining spotlights on the beauty. A haze lifted from the floor like an ethereal cloud. It was magical and had a way of lifting the heaviness from her life too. She fit in here. Suddenly, she wasn’t the half her mother spoke unkindly about. She was whole, and whole was good.
Finn ended his call as they pulled in front of the building.
“I’ve got to take care of something. Will you be all right here on your own?” His look told her that he didn’t want to leave her.
“Yes, of course.” She gathered the bag and reached for the door handle. “I’ll work my way west of the building.”
“Mackenzie.” The rough timbre of his voice sent a shiver up her spine. “Stay in the national forest. I don’t want to see you get hurt.” He leaned over and kissed her gently. “I mean it.”
“I know,” she rolled her eyes and patted her back pocket. “I’ve got a map.” She held up the bag. “I’ve got a compass.” She tapped the side of her head. “I’ve got a brain.”
Finn laughed. “Sounds like you’ve got everything you need.”
She nodded, but deep inside she knew she needed him.
Mack watched the truck disappear from sight and then opened the door to the shack to get a bottle of water and some snacks. With her tranquilizer gun loaded and the tracking tags ready, she ventured into the forest.
It wasn’t long before she came across a wolf that wasn't spooked by her at all. It was odd the way the animals here lived in harmony with the people, but that was a ticking time bomb waiting to happen. All it would take was one stupid person trying to pet a wild animal for everything to go to hell.
This morning she pet that beautiful bear. She was the stupid person, and it could have gone a hundred different ways than it did.
Quick reflexes allowed Mack to load a dart appropriate for the animal’s size and let it fly to her target. When it pierced its hindquarter, the plaintive wail of the wounded animal broke her heart. The wolf fell to the ground in a heap of useless bones and muscle.
Mack rushed forward to get her work done. She had but minutes to tag the marvelous beast because wolves traveled in packs. Her head looked left and right for other specimens but this particular wolf appeared to be alon
e, which was odd, but a good opportunity for her to get a tag into his ear.
She worked fast and left quickly. Distance was important when it came to angry animals. She took up a position on a rocky outcropping and watched it come back from its little nap. It pawed at its ear, rose to all fours and staggered down the hill.
Over the next three hours, she tagged two more wolves. These weren’t as large and impressive as the first, which was magnificent in his size.
The sun sat high in the sky when she got back to the cabin. Gone was the morning mist. In its place was a light breeze that rustled through the pines. She entered the cabin and sat on the twin mattress.
Her thoughts went back to the morning when she was naked in front of Finn. He looked at her like she was the most beautiful woman in the world. In his presence she felt like it. He didn’t tell her her hips were too wide, her breasts too large, or her belly not flat enough. He liked her thick hair and her lips and her taste. And if she was honest, she thought he was perfection. The only thing he’d have to get rid of to make him perfect was his growly bear-like demeanor.
Chapter 8
Finn
Gravel kicked up to ping off the undercarriage of his truck. A dust cloud chased him all the way to Ty’s house.
His Itan sat on the porch with Sophia bouncing on his knee. Once the dusty cloud dissipated, Finn slid from the truck and trudged his way to Ty. He knew why his Itan had summoned him. He had given him forty-eight hours to figure out what Mack was. In that time all he figured out was she was his.
“I don’t have the answers you want.”
Grayslake: More than Mated: Bear-ly a Choice (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 4