She nodded. “I know.”
“I want ye to ken if ye do get pregnant, I’ll be happy about it. I’ll take care of both ye and the bairn. I willna turn me back on either of ye.”
Her expression was almost one of disbelief. “Could you bring a lantern in the bathroom, please?” He removed the useless condom and threw it away before pulling up his pants. He carried a lantern into her. Grabbing a clean washcloth, he washed off his cock and balls at the sink. He junk was sticky, too.
“I won’t be long, Gunner. Go ahead and pour the wine if it’s not too warm by now.”
He leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss. “I’ll set it out in the snow for a few minutes ta chill.” He didna want her ta worry over a pregnancy that would probably never happen. Ora couldn’t control Star’s cycle. “How about some cheese and crackers? I think I saw homemade holiday sweets from one of the ladies. Looked like Scottish caramel shortbread cookies and Highland toffee. Two of me favorites.” He waggled his eyebrows and she laughed.
“Sure. I think I may have worked up an appetite.” She splashed some water on him and he called her “Spѐl” an endearment in Scottish that meant darling.
His Star finally padded into the living room, a tentative smile erased some of the tension she’d expressed earlier despite her confident words about her being on the pill. He had pillows propped on the floor against the sofa facing the fireplace. A low table was moved nearby to hold their snacks, a bucket of ice encasing the bottle of wine, and glasses. He was doing his best to make Christmas Eve, so far away from her home, as cheerful as possible.
“Bring yer comb with ye so I can help dry yer hair. I’ll do it like me ma did to me younger sister Alana.” While she fetched it from the bedroom, Gunner opened the shield between him and Bear.
Have ye mated? It didna take the other half of his being long to get to the subject he was fixated on. He wanted bairns to play with and help them go through the shifting process the first few times.
Bear, ye have a one-track mind.
Ye are happy, Your soul lighter. Aye, ye’ve mated.
Star returned with her comb and sat between Gunner’s spread legs. “How many siblings do you have?”
“Two. Me older brother Calen and Alana, the youngest. I’m the smart one in the middle.” She glanced at him over her shoulder and he flashed her what he hoped was a charming smile. “Give me yer comb. Tell me if I get too rough with yer hair.”
He made a few passes through her long tresses. “Have some wine and tell me yer fondest Christmas memory.” He shooed Mistletoe off the little table; the cat was sniffing at the cheese.
Star sipped and finally sighed. “The Christmas before my younger brother was killed by a driver using his cell phone. Stone was nine. Moonbeam and I were twelve. The light went out of Mom’s eyes; Dad was barely without a drink in his hand again. Before we turned thirteen, he was gone and we never heard from him again. The whole catastrophe drew Moonie and me closer.”
Gunner wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back to his chest. She settled against him and he enjoyed her closeness. “Ye smell so sweet. Like a flower garden. Ye deserve only the good in life. I’m sorry for all the pain, luv. Life throws bloody hell at us sometimes. We doona understand why. All we ken is the agony of it. Sometimes the pain is fleeting. At other times, it’s forever.” He kissed where her neck met her shoulder. “If ye were well and truly mine, I’d do me best to protect ye from any pain.”
“But I’m not yours. We’re like the cliché of two ships that pass in the night. Only it’s been a few nights for us. We’ve been lost and snowed in, enjoying each other’s company. In a few days maybe Alastair will be able to use his car or whatever he has to drive me to Wick. You haven’t mentioned for sure what your plans are Mr.Master-Shifter.”
He squeezed her and chuckled. “Och, Master Shifter ′tis it? Me plans revolve around ye.” She was his mate, by God.
“Well, I need to check in with my boss. Give him a verbal report on how I did with the Mathesons. I also need to let my sister know I’m okay. I want to know how she’s doing. Her baby is due soon.”
The thought of her separating from him and eventually flying back to the States caused his heart to beat slower and colder. They’d grown so close these last few days, shared so much of their lives.
He lifted her onto his lap and forked one hand through her still-damp tresses and the other clamped on her arse. “I dinna want to lose ye. Is there anyway ye can check in with both yer supervisor and Moonie by phone or Skype and stay on in Scotland fer another month, or so? We need a chance to get to ken each other better. To find out if what we have is strong enough ta build a future on.”
To his surprise, Star’s eyes pooled with tears. “If only I could. But I have to be in Atlanta in person before the third of January. I have an important doctor’s appointment I can’t miss.”
So this is what she’d been so secretive about. He was finally getting ta the eart of the matter. The sadness in her eyes when she didna think he was looking. Her biting the corner of her lower lip when she should be relaxed.
Bear nudged Gunner’s heart. Find out what ails our mate. We must take care of her.
“What’s wrong, me luv?”
She shrugged and looked away. “It’s not just a possible promotion at my job or my sister’s delivery. There’s a bigger reason why I need to get back. There are some imperative medical tests I have scheduled. As much as I want to stay to see where our relationship is leading, I’ve got to get back.” She turned her gaze to him, her fingers entwined with his and tears poured from her eyes.
He hadna been around many tearful women and it set him in a nervous need to do something—anything to remove them. He’d seen his mother cry twice and his sister many times. But a tear from his midnight Star was like a sliver of his heart being sliced off.
“Och, luv.” He enfolded her in his arms while panic gripped his chest. Was she sick? She must be if she has diagnostic tests scheduled she canna miss. He cupped her chin with a hand and lifted her face. “What’s wrong? How can I help?”
His question was met with both silence and a shake of her beautiful head.
Frustration simmered, so did annoyance. “We just shared the most intimate act a couple can have. I told ye a lot of how I felt. Willna ye share this with me? I ken something was bothering ye and I’ve waited fer ye to explain. Me patience is running thin fer ye are me chosen mate. I aim to protect ye.”
She stared at his Adams apple and cleared her throat. “I…” She exhaled a ragged breath and turned silent.
“Star, we both are intelligent people. Between the two of us, we can figure out how to handle any problem. But ye need to trust me enough ta share it with me first.” Damn, she could be tight-lipped when she wanted—or when she was scared.
“Men—she cleared her throat again—some men don’t always react well to news that a woman they know has a mass in her breast. They don’t know where to look, what to say, or if they should touch the woman there. A few are actually repulsed.”
Be careful, me human. She needs yer support.
“When I made love to ye, did I hurt ye? I dinna ken about such things. Does this lump cause ye pain?” She shook her head. “Men periodically check their testicles fer lumps. Or should. Me brother has one he discovered when he examined himself in the shower. He was barely twenty then. Tests showed it was benign. Even so, he has it checked or measured once a year ta make sure it’s nae growing. It makes him no less a man just as your mass makes ye no less a woman.” He kissed her. Nae heat this time, just affection. “When do we go fer the tests?”
She pulled back and swiped tears from her face. “We?”
“Aye. I’ll nae let me woman go through this alone. I’ll fly to the States with ye. Hold yer hand, if necessary. Or isna that allowed?” He brushed a few strands of hair off her face, his touch gentle. “A Scot takes care of his woman.”
“Oh, Gunner, that’s too much to ask. I’ll be fine on my own. Flying
back to the States with me is a little over the top so soon after we’ve met.”
He pulled her closer to him. “Perhaps. But I willna rest, knowing ye are undergoing tests. I’ll lose me fookin’ mind worrying over ye. We’ll fly back to the States together. Once I ken ye are all right and well enough ta make a fuss over yer new niece, I can make a side trip to the Yerkes Observatory in Wisconsin. They have the biggest refractor in the country and there are some black holes I need ta check out. But first I insist on being at yer side.”
“Think about it some more. You’re making a rash decision, bossy man.”
“What’s so rash about me idea, I’d like ta ken?” Why was she being unreasonable when the idea made perfect sense to him?
She kissed his jaw. “Let’s change the subject. Talking about this makes me very nervous. That’s why I’ve kept it a secret.” Her hand cupped his cheek and she gave him a wobbly smile. “Please, can we talk about something else? What is your fondest Christmas memory, Gunner?”
He stared at her. He was nae making a hasty pronouncement. She would need someone who loved her at her side when she went through all this. His heart did a little flip. Aye, he’d fallen in love with her. If talking about this subject made her uncomfortable, he’d gladly talk about something else. But his mind was made up. He would be with her when she had the tests. She’d become his golden star, the treasure of his heart.
“Och, me fondest holiday memory. The year Calen found where ma and da hid all our presents. We never got many, but they tried their best to get us the one big thing we wanted. I’d asked over and over for a telescope. One I could see the heavens with, ta gaze at the stars. Calen hid me gift. All I had to open were socks and underwear. I fought back the tears. After all, I was a young man of thirteen, ye see. Too auld for childish tantrums. I couldna think what I’d done so bad nae to get at least one toy. A computer game. Something.”
“Then why do you recall it with such fondness?”
He spread his legs again and set her on the floor to comb her hair some more. “Well, when ma saw me sitting to the side so dejected, she looked around and noticed me telescope was missing. Da had carried presents from the hiding spot.” He reached for two cookies and handed one of them to Star. “While Ma asked him if he’d misplaced it, they overheard Calen teasing me about nae getting me precious telescope.
“Ma pinched his earlobe and led him off to the kitchen where he confessed. He learned a painful lesson about family love that day.”
Star reached for her wine glass. “Are your whole family shifters?”
“Nae. Me ma’s not. Neither is Calen. The rest of us are. Genetics, ye ken.” He kept combing, reaching for some of the Highland toffee every so often. “This stuff is addictive,” he mumbled around a mouthful. “Better have some before it’s all gone. ′Tis a traditional Scottish holiday treat. I love it ta death.”
He shifted his fingers through her strands, fanning them out toward the heat of the fire. “Star is a name that fits ye. Yer hair is like the double star Capella.”
She glanced over her shoulder. “A double star? Like twins?”
“Aye. Although there are two, they appear as one luminous golden star. The brightest visible in our sky. Much bigger and more brilliant than our sun in absolute terms, but of course much farther away, about forty-two light-years in contrast to the sun’s eight light-minutes.” He sighed and took another gulp of wine. “I sounded like a geck just then, didna I? So much fer me weak attempt at romantic conversation.”
Geck, if yer gonna talk space stuff ta her, close the shield. I need quiet ta sleep, human.
Gunner did as the bear asked. Then Mistletoe flopped across his thigh and looked at him. If her didna ken better, he coulda sworn the cat winked at him and burped. He glared at the animal who had one ear erect and the other flopped over. “I’m still feckin’ mad at ye. What are ye doing snuggling up to me, now? Did ye come back to get the claw ye left in me bawsack?”
Meow.
He lifted the white-eared pest off his leg, rubbed noses with it, and set it on the sofa.
Star turned around and straddled his lap, her face beaming a smile. “Gee, too bad your wound is still bothering you. We could have some more fun.” She rubbed her heat against his cock which instantly began to thicken. “Having my hair combed by a man was such a turn on. Her palms skimmed across his abdomen and chest. “I like a man with a little chest hair that trims down to a treasure trail.” Her fingertips ran down the small curls on his upper torso and under the elastic of his sleep pants.
“Lucky me, I know where your trail ends. At Granite Hill. Wouldn’t it be great to make love in front of the fire?” She cupped his tadger as she nuzzled his neck and her hand stroked him to painful hardness.
“Star,” he warned her.
She bit his earlobe. “Yes, you sexy geek?”
“Dinna be starting something ye arena ready ta finish. Ye might nae be able ta walk Christmas morning.” He slipped both of the straps of her nightgown off her shoulders and kissed his way from her jaw to her neck and across her collarbone to her firm breasts. “Ye are so beautiful. I put two condoms on the little table. Reach over and grab one. We’re make love in front of the fire if that would please ye.”
His tongue circled a nipple before he drew it into his mouth. He released it and watched her with eyes hooded with passion. “Am I hurting ye, luv?”
“Only when you stop that so soon. I love when you pay special attention to my breasts. It doesn’t hurt.”
He smiled as he lowered his head to her nipple again. “Well then…”
Her head leaned back as she moaned his name over and over. He shifted to the other one while his fingers rubbed and pinched the wet nipple he’d just released. “Take off yer gown while I wiggle out of these feckin’ pants. I’ll want ye to put the condom on me and ride me fast and hard.”
Clothes rustled and he rolled onto his back. A foil packet was torn open and a small hand encased his tadger in latex. Their mouths connected and tongues mated as she slid onto him. He hoped she was moist enough to handle his size. Hands were everywhere, touching, exploring, and exciting erogenous zones. His hands cupped her hips and set a pattern while he bit her lips and soothed them with his tongue.
Her fingers were tangled in his long hair, pulling. “More. Give me more, dammit! Fuck me hard.”
If she wanted more, he’d damn well give it to her. He lifted her off his cock amid her displeasure at being separated from him. Laying her head on one of the pillows and slipping another under her arse, he looked deep into her eyes. “Put yer legs over me shoulders. Ye want more of me? I’ll show ye how much more I can give ye.” She positioned her legs and he entered her in one achingly slow stroke.
“Faster, Gunner. Don’t torture me. Please. I want all of you.”
This was all he needed to hear. “՚Tis a promise I make to always give ye what ye need.” He pounded into her, long and fast, almost brutal.
“Faster! Harder! Deeper!” Her fingernails scratched his back as she screamed orders.
She was driving him insane.
On a shriek, she climaxed, her inner walls milking him while her arms banded him to her. Hot, electrical jolts scrambled down his spine and heated his balls. He had no choice but to allow her to drain his tadger until he saw spots and gasped for air. This star in his arms, burning bright, had taken him to Nirvana.
Rasping breaths echoed off the wooden walls for a few minutes. Finally, he had the strength ta roll them both to their sides so he wouldna smother her. “There could never be another woman like ye. I could easily worship every inch of yer sweet body. Every day. Twice a day.”
“The condom?” Her voice was one of concern.
He sat and removed it. “It did its job. Let me get rid of it. Stay naked until I get back.”
Mistletoe sprang from the sofa onto the window sill where the squirrel had been earlier. The cat hissed and swatted at the glass.
Star pointed toward the window. “Th
ere better not be a blind seer watching us or a bear or an elk or…or…a white owl.”
“Dinna fret, luv.” Gunner stalked over to inspect what had the cat so upset. “It’s that bloody red squirrel from earlier. I wonder if he’s rabid that he wants inside with us. Although ՚tis snowing like a bitch out there. Either way, dinna concern yerself. We’re inside where ՚tis warm and safe and full of sweet, sensual emotions.”
On instinct, he opened the shield between his being and Bear. Look at the bloody squirrel. What do ye think?
Bear yawned and stretched. Shifter. An aid to the nosy auld witch sent here to report back what it sees.
Mistletoe looked at Gunner. Meow.
Wheesch! Och, feckin’ hell. The bloody cat’s been lapping at yer wine. Smell its breath. A furry, wino cat. Hell’s bells, shut the shield before it coughs up a booze-soaked hairball.”
First Gunner closed the shield and then closed the blinds. Mistletoe bounded from the sill, growling and hissing, as it charged for the other window. The squirrel was there. Gunner closed the blinds and, telling Star he’d be right back, he strode into the bedroom to shut the blinds there.
Thunder and lightning raged. Sorry Ora. What happens between me and me mate is personal and nae open for observation by yer helpmate. The winds howled and swirled.
“All the blinds are closed to help keep out the cold. Plus that feckin’ squirrel was starting to get on me nerves, staring in the window at us.” He settled next to his woman, encasing her in his arms. “What a wonderful Christmas Eve, me midnight Star. Although we do need to keep an eye on the cat. His breath smells like wine. I dinna ken whose glass he’s been nipping from, but he’s half shit-faced, so he is.”
Chapter 11
Are you sure? Cats are usually pretty picky about what they eat and drink. At least that’s what I’ve always heard.” Star snuggled against Gunner’s muscled chest and slipped a leg between his. Warmth from the fire skittered over her skin. His body heat infused her with a perpetual longing. Really, a woman could get used to this man with so little effort.
20 Shades of Shifters_A Paranormal Romance Collection Page 191