by Vivian Arend
Tessa stared at their linked hands. He rubbed his thumb over the back of her knuckles, the caress making lovely little hormones come to life and her body tingle. “What other plans?”
“Do you think there’s a reason why we won’t be mates eventually? I can’t think of any. So I’m going to go ahead with that assumption and follow it to its logical conclusion. This is now your home. We can work together to make the B&B a reality. I’m a great builder and caretaker—all the renovations we need to do I’ll complete over the winter.”
The tingling edge of excitement was more from his touch than from his suggestion. “Not a business deal?”
“We’ll write it up legally, of course. That’s best for us in the long run anyway. I’ll put up the paddle wheeler as my contribution to our partnership. You put up the money for the face-lift.”
She was catching his vision. “Partners. I like the sound of that.”
Only there were still some kinks to be worked out.
Mark stroked her arm, his touch making goose bumps rise. “It’s a good way to begin our life together.”
“Smooth talker.” Tessa squirmed. Fine, she might have shut down the mate, mate, mate thingy, but that didn’t mean the contact between them wasn’t turning her on. “Couple questions. I had planned… Oh boy. Stop that.”
Mark looked up from where he’d switched from petting her arm to stroking her leg. “Stop what?”
“That. You’re touching me.” Not that she minded, but…
“Sorry.” He pulled his hands back and crossed his arms over his chest. “Not touching you is going to take some work on my part. I don’t want to stop. Now, what did you have in mind?”
Tessa swallowed hard. He was doing something weird to her hormones. “I had planned on living in the house while renovations were going on.”
He nodded. “Of course you’ll live here. You’ve seen the upstairs is livable. If you draw up plans for what you want done on the other levels, I can get to work on them this week.”
“I’ll live here? You’re okay with that?”
Mark’s eyes flashed dark. “I wouldn’t dream of you living anywhere else.”
Suspicion snuck in. “And where are you going to live?”
“Here. With you.”
That’s what she’d figured. “Where, exactly, do you think I’m going to sleep?”
“With me.”
Tessa sighed. “What part of ‘not mates’ do you not understand?”
Mark growled at her. A low, rumbly noise that made her inner cat sit up and preen. “You go around kissing everyone out of the blue the first time you meet them?”
What? “Oh, outside.” Tessa shrugged. “I thought it was some kind of Alaskan greeting ritual.”
He leaned in closer. “You like sex, right?”
Her cat answered faster than the human side. She was straddling his lap, licking the side of his neck in two seconds flat. Hmmm, salty and delicious. She could go for—
Mark dragged his hands down her back until he could hang on to her hips, his grip nearly wrapping around her. “You won’t be kissing anyone else like that anymore. You want to go slow with the forever part of this—I’ll give you that. But unless you want to be celibate for the next however long it takes for us to fall in love…?”
Oh dear. Tessa pulled back and gazed into his eyes. “I’m not some kind of hussy who can’t control myself.”
“I didn’t think you were. But you’re a cat. You’re a shifter. When you need some satisfaction on the physical side, look no further than me. Consider me your own personal cat nip.”
He used her hips to pull her higher, and her core slipped over the very solid ridge in his jeans. “Oh, my.”
His voice dropped a notch. “I won’t bite you until you say I can. But I will be there for you. Here at the B&B. While you explore your new home town…”
“Will you take me to visit the pack?” That would be the ultimate in acceptance, or so she’d heard.
He never even paused. “…when we meet the pack. I’ll be there for you everywhere, including in bed.”
His pupils dilated as she watched. An eerie but cool sensation snuck over her. It seemed her trip to the north had become more complicated than she’d imagined.
Soft, sweet-smelling woman in his lap, a plan in place for the future. While he hated that she’d said no to being mates right now, Mark couldn’t fault her for anything else.
Only if they didn’t move, he was going to have a tough time not acting on his wolf’s urgings to strip her down and take her right there in his office.
A loud bark rang from the doorway, and they both turned to face his Gramps, who had shifted to his wolf and now paced around the chair they occupied.
Tessa stiffened. “Oops?”
“Don’t worry. He’s a wolf. He knows what’s going on. Well, most of it.” Mark leaned over and waved. “You heading back to the lodge?”
His Gramps dipped his chin, yipped a couple times. His final howl echoed off the walls as he headed out the door and left them alone.
“He said it was great meeting you, and he hopes to see you soon.” Mark refrained from interpreting the rest of the old man’s comments to Tessa. She didn’t need to know what else his grandfather had suggested.
Then again, she was a shifter. She probably knew.
Tessa leaned away until her arms were fully stretched out. “So. Now what?”
“Now we get you settled.” Mark couldn’t wait to have her things in his place. Their scents mixing together, as well as a visible sign of them as a couple. “After that you can tell me what you’ve got in mind for the other floors, and I’ll do some preliminary drafts so we can get started on renovations.”
She tilted her head. “You are a most interesting person. Does nothing faze you? I mean, I tossed a lot at you today, and yet you seem so calm and relaxed. How do you do that?”
“Good genes.”
Tessa smiled. “I’d noticed that as well.”
She leaned in and brushed her lips against his cheek before crawling off his lap and tugging him upward. “I think your plan is awesome. And thank you. I’d far prefer to live here than at some hotel. We can have all kinds of fun together as we work on the project.”
Fun. Oh goody. “Sounds great.” He forced out the words. Really? Fun?
Damn.
She took off down the stairs like she was jet propelled. Mark followed more leisurely. If she was happy running at high RPM, who was he to try to change her?
Although, when he opened the front door and discovered she’d already returned with an armload of luggage, he wondered. “How do you move so fast?”
She sparkled at him. “Good genes, I guess.”
Mark snorted. “You want everything inside?”
Tessa nodded. “You sure I should put my things in your bedroom? I could…clean up one of the rooms on—”
A snarl escaped without warning, and her cat eyes blinked rapidly as she stepped away.
Drat. “So much for my calm. Tessa, don’t push the wolf, okay? Not now. Yes, my bedroom. Even suggesting anything else pisses him off.”
“Sure. I can do that.”
Poof. She was gone again. Up the stairs with only the swirl of her scent lingering on the air to torment him.
Mark went for another load, wondering how long it would take for his dual personalities of shifter/human to have a major breakdown.
He unloaded everything, carrying it into the main entrance before locking up and taking the first stack all the way upstairs. Rounding the corner into his bedroom, his heart was already racing at the idea of finding her in there. His mate, part of his future…as soon as he discovered more about her.
She wasn’t there.
Neither was she in the bathroom or the living room or the kitchen. He’d just about given up when a flash of blonde hair drew his attention to the balcony.
She sat on the railing, happily kicking her feet as she stared over the ocean.
H
is heart rate tripled. Mark opened the outside door cautiously, making sure he didn’t spook her. It was a long, long way down if she fell.
“Tessa?” He spoke softly. “What are you doing?”
She twisted her head to flash him a brilliant smile. “Sunset colours are so pretty tonight. Come…” She patted the spot next to her. “Watch with me.”
He strolled over, leaned on the railing and casually slipped his arm around her waist to make sure he had her anchored. Only then did he start to breathe again. “Very pretty sunsets from here.”
“We’ll set up drinks and snacks in the evening for the B&B guests. They can sit here and talk about how wonderful their day was, and then new people will want to go on the same trips, and it’ll work in a circle. More happy visitors coming all the time.”
She leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed contentedly.
“I think this is the first time since we met you haven’t been moving at a breakneck pace,” Mark pointed out. The sensation of her in his arms was so right. He dragged in breath after breath of her scent in an attempt to satisfy his cravings.
A yawn escaped, and she stretched, teetering precariously toward the wrong side of the railing. “Sunsets do that to me. Soporific effect? Is that right?”
He stepped behind her and caught hold tighter. “If that means you’re ready to curl up in front of the fire, I’m good with it.”
“I like fires.” Her voice slipped into lower, sleepy tones that tickled along his spine and promised slumbering kitty within minutes.
Then she sent him into near panic mode as she twirled in his grasp, her arms around his neck the only thing stopping her from tumbling to the ground many feet below them.
Mark held in the swear words that wanted to escape, instead lifting her over the railing until he could settle her more comfortably in his arms. He moved to a safer position, heading toward the house before he glanced down at her face.
Her eyes were closed, her long eyelashes resting against her cheeks. Her mouth pulled into a slight pucker, and a tiny sound escaped her lips. She snuggled up to his chest, breathing rhythmically.
She’d already fallen asleep.
Mark carried her to his bed, depositing her on the mattress before stepping back to debate what came next.
Stripping her down seemed…dirty. If she’d been awake, he could have asked her what she wanted, but there was a line he refused to cross now that she’d drawn it in the sand.
Instead, he pulled off her shoes, put them on the floor in the closet. She’d hung up a bunch of her things, and he smiled at the sight.
When he turned back to the bed, it was to discover she’d nestled into the covers, curled up and purring.
Seriously purring.
Mark sat on the edge of the mattress next to her, and stared. Rosy colour in her cheeks, one hand lying comfortably beside her head, the other stretched out toward where he intended to crawl in later.
To a human it might have seemed strange—that she’d said no to mating with him and yet was snuggled into his bed. Made sense to him, though. There was a huge difference between sex for fun and sex as mates and plain old cuddling. He wasn’t as sure about cats, but wolves were pack animals. Being with others satisfied something deep inside.
So far, so good. As long as he could keep them moving in the proper direction.
They’d discussed many ideas for the B&B, but she’d never promised to stay forever. Until she did, he wouldn’t be able to calm down, even though she’d admired his supposed placid exterior. Inside he was a bundle of concerns, wanting more. Needing more. One step at a time, he had to convince her they belonged together.
The sound rising from her increased—that cute little cross between a snore and a purr, and Mark smiled.
There was another thing he could add to the list of things he knew about his mate. She had two speeds: full and off. He grabbed a light quilt from the cupboard and covered her up for the night.
Chapter Five
Eyes wide open.
Ouch.
Eyes snapping shut in self-defence as sunshine hit her face. Tessa threw back the covers and leapt to her feet.
When the floor didn’t seem familiar, it took a few seconds to complete the mental whirl through everything that had happened the previous day. She glanced down, spotting the well-wrinkled clothing she’d slept in at the same moment she caught sight of Mark.
He was asleep, sitting upright in an oversized wingback chair, his temple resting against one support.
Her gaze darted over the room, taking in the messed-up bed sheets, her disheveled condition and his awkward sleeping arrangements.
She hadn’t meant to kick him out of his own bed.
Guess that conversation would have to happen today. She slipped into the bathroom, washed her face, admired the view out the window then shot herself into the kitchen to discover what he might have in the fridge. She needed something she could pull together for breakfast without ruining the food, burning the house down or poisoning them both.
Cereal and milk. That she could handle. Digging through the cupboard turned up bowls, spoons and cups. Which made her think of coffee.
Cofffeeeeeeeeeee.
She ignored the little warning twinges her brain shot at her. While she didn’t need coffee, it was clear from the impressive machine sitting on the counter that Mark wouldn’t mind a cup. After being rude enough to keep him from a good night’s sleep, the polite thing was to do a little extra work on his behalf. He would probably love to have a nice cup of joe to wake up to.
Tessa dragged the silver and black monstrosity away from the wall to look it over. Seemed simple enough. She pulled a lever, and a small compartment opened up, the scent of ground beans making her toes curl.
Nope, not a good idea, sniffing anything stimulating. She’d learned that back in college after a particularly horrifying event involving Red Bull, chocolate and an all-night study session.
But for Mark? She’d find a way to escape the buzz she could get just preparing a pot.
A bit of digging through the freezer brought up a bag of small dark ovals. She hurried to avoid getting more of a head rush than necessary. She loaded the hopper, closed the lever and pushed the big red button. A satisfying whirl filled the air.
Between the cranking noises and the bubbling she soon had going, Tessa was pleased.
Transferring the ground beans into the little cup holder she was sure she’d seen people on television use, she paused. Something didn’t seem right. A bright flashing light distracted her from her misgivings and she rushed ahead and flicked the final switch.
Dark liquid poured from the machine’s spout. And continued to pour. She grabbed another cup and watched anxiously as it approached the point of overflowing as well. Tessa scrambled in the cupboard and pulled out as many cups as she could reach, falling in to a comfortable routine of slipping one cup after another under the unending drip.
Pulling the power cord might have seemed desperate, but soon it was her only choice. She’d run out of cups.
Tessa ignored the mess and picked up the original coffee, stirring one final time to add a pretty swirl to the foam.
Her attempt resulted in something closer to a fish head than a flower. She shrugged off her disappointment and headed to the bedroom. Mark would appreciate the gesture. She was sure of it.
He was still in the chair, eyelids fluttering as she approached. His smile brightened, his gaze taking her in. “Hey.”
She put the cup down on the side table and dropped to her knees beside him, hands resting on his thighs. “Hey yourself. You silly puppy. Why didn’t you come to bed properly?”
Mark stretched. “You were in the middle of the bed, and I didn’t want to bother you or make you uncomfortable.”
“Awwww.” Something went soft and squishy inside. “That’s so sweet of you. Unnecessary, but sweet.”
“It’s not silly to want the best for you,” Mark insisted. “Don’t ask me to not do w
hat I think is right.”
He’d got her on that one. “You could have slept in the other room.”
He shook his head. “Nope. Wolf wouldn’t let me.”
Tessa paused. “I’m sorry. I’m making your life awkward, aren’t I?”
“Thrown my world for a loop. It’s okay, though.” Mark sat up to the edge of the chair and patted her hand gently. “I’ll live.”
Now she was even happier she’d found a way to do something nice for him this morning. “I made you coffee.”
He took a deep breath and…cringed? “Really? Umm, thank you.”
He picked up the cup and brought it to his nose to take another, more cautious sniff.
“Is something wrong?”
“No, not at all.” Mark blinked hard. He put the cup to his mouth and took a sip. His throat seemed to work hard as he swallowed. “Thank you,” he repeated.
Only he held the mug and didn’t drink anymore, just stared at her, a hint of a smile on his lips.
Nice-looking lips, she noted.
“Well. Plans for the day.” She rose to her feet and snuck to the closet, shifting a few garments around. “You have a couple drawers for me to use?”
He put his cup down and followed her, pulling open a space and removing the T-shirts. “Have at ’er. If you need more room, I’ll build you your own dresser.”
“Awesome.” She stripped off her dirty clothing and reached for clean undies, stopping when this strange gurgling noise met her ears. She straightened and looked at him with concern. “Mark, you okay?”
His pupils were huge, his nostrils flaring. The tension in his body screamed out, if she’d happened to miss the fists clenched at his sides. “No worries.”
Deep and low, his voice whispered through barely opened lips.
She pulled on panties and adjusted her bra, tugging the closet open to grab a fresh pair of jeans. “What would you like to do this morning?”
No answer.
She twirled to find him gone. A quick flash of a leg showed he’d stepped into the bathroom. The water turned on and she paced over to peek inside. “Mark, what—?”