Most scientists she’d seen were thin. There wasn’t one part of Gunner’s body that wasn’t well developed. Did he work out? Beyond his large stature was his massive heart. He treated her as if she were the most important woman in his life, not for the present but also for what he hoped was the future. Maybe she was giving too much importance to his words. He had a way of sweet-talking that would melt any woman’s heart.
His offer to fly to Georgia with her so she wouldn’t be alone for her tests had been a surprise. One that made her affection for him open and bloom like a rosebud. Even her brother-in-law Dusty wasn’t as supportive as Gunner, and she’d always considered Dusty a good husband for Moonie. He kept her happy.
This man next to her kept her safe and made her feel as if she were more important than anything in his life. Please let him be an honest man.
Her palms swept over his pecs and shoulders. “Say something,” she whispered. “I love hearing you talk. You’ve got a sexy Scottish accent going on that melts my panties when I’m wearing them.” She bit his nipple and chuckled. “I bet when you left for vacation you never imagined ending up snowed in with someone like me.”
His warm breath feathered her hair. “I never knew anyone as exquisite as ye, as daring as ye existed. I’m putting this down as me best Christmas ever.” His hand slid down her back and settled on her ass. “Och, what a present ye are. One I’ll cherish forever.”
Long fingers forked in her hair as brown eyes stared into hers. “I sincerely meant what I said. I’m going to America with ye and I’m standing outside the doors of where the tests will be conducted.” He kissed her, his soft lips causing tingles as his tongue caressed hers. “If the results require a biopsy, I’ll be there fer that. If more surgery is needed.” He held up a finger. “Worse case scenario, luv. I’m nae leaving ye. Fer ye belong ta me and I protect what’s mine.”
“What if I…what if I lose a breast?” Her eyes turned pale and misty.
He cupped her face with his hands. “We’ll have some options to talk through. There’s always reconstructive surgery.” His eyes narrowed. “Now that I think about it, how long have ye ken about this mass? Why would ye take a stressful trip like this when ye ken there was a slight chance ye were harboring cancer? How could ye be so irresponsible with yer health?”
“Why? How?” She pushed his chest and he rolled off her, waiting for the explosion he’d just lit a match to. “By the time the doctor’s office contacted me that I’d need another mammogram, my boss had already scheduled this trip. I asked the nurse when the second one would be and she told me not until after the first of the year. Of course I asked for an earlier date, like that day. I mean, I was scared to death. But I had to take the first available date which is January third. So, after all I’ve been through this past week, trying to hold my shit together, the last thing I need is for you to accuse me of is not taking care of myself, you big Scottish geek.”
Her expressive eyes had gone stormy blue again. She made to stand and he wrapped her in his arms and legs before he rolled her over. “I’m sorry.” She struggled to escape his hold on her. “Star, would ye settle down. I’m a man in love. Of course I’m going to say things the wrong way. I’ve never loved before. I’m feart of losing ye.”
“Well, I’m feart of having cancer. Until tonight, I’ve held everything in. You’re the first person I’ve told and it’s brought forth a deep vulnerability I’ve tried to ignore. And don’t tell me you love me. Men never mean it when they say it.”
Aye, she was well and truly pissed. Lesson to self: learn how to query her in a more diplomatic way. “I’m sorry if me question was poorly worded.”
She glared at him. “Yeah, well…”
He feathered kisses to her cheeks and forehead, her jaw and neck, her collarbone and tops of the delicious mounds of her breasts. Meanwhile he whispered apologies and compliments. He imagined the closer her appointment came, the more sensitive she’d become because her fear would grow in strength. He’d take care to relax her with endearments, to work on settling her fraying nerves.
She finally turned her lips to his and he worshipped them with kisses of passion. When the tip of her tongue touched his, ripples of passion rolled through his system. He’d never respond to another woman the way he did her. His Star was special. She could so easily become his everything.
“I’m sorry l overreacted. I’ve kept this lump a secret and now that I’m talking to you about it, I’m going batshit crazy. All the ‘what-ifs’ I’ve tried not to think about are squeezing out like toothpaste from a tube. There’s no way I can push the terror back in.”
He’d been the first one she’d told. That had to mean something; at least it bloody well did to him. “Turn yer terrors over to me and Bear. We’ll take care of ye.”
“The weather has me scared, too. If it’s snowing as badly as you say, we might be stuck here for days. I can’t dwell on that now. Worrying does no good, or so I’ve been telling myself for over two weeks. I need a distraction. I need you.” She trailed a finger over the tat across his heart. “This looks like the galaxy.”
His hand covered hers and she could count his strong heartbeats. “Aye. ՚Tis, as we ken it. The sky has always been me main love. Until I met ye. Now I’ll have to have the golden star Capella added. And nae doubt your name as the center of me Universe.”
He kissed and bit her jaw while his hands cupped her breasts. “Even if ye cast me aside once yer well, I want a symbol of ye on me…always.” Desire pooled in her lower abdomen as his lips touched every part of her breasts. Her nipples peaked in eagerness. If he didn’t soon pay attention to them, she’d cry with need.
She moaned and squirmed. His lips smiled against the edge of where she wanted him to take her into his mouth. “Do ye want fer something, luv?”
Her hands grabbed his head and moved his sensual mouth in place. “I want you to suck me and you damn well know it.”
From the second he started, her mind went wonderfully blank focusing only on the sensations ripping through her body. This man had a way of capturing her attention and emotions. And just what were her emotions for him? Passion? Love? No, it was too soon for love.
He worked on one nipple before moving to the other to give it equal attention. Moisture pooled in her folds and her breathing grew rapid. Pangs of desire grew sharper, stronger, needier. She craved what only he could provide.
Gunner reached for the last condom he’d brought out from the bedroom and rolled it on. “Warning. I willna enter ye until ye’ve climaxed.”
“I have to come first? You’re just mean.”
She didn’t think he was so terribly mean when his smooth tongue made a long sweep through her slit. In fact, she considered him rather nice as he circled her clit, slowly moving closer to her sexual bull’s-eye. And when he took it in his mouth to gently nip and suck, she figured he was one fine man. His tongue lowered and entered her, in a pumping pattern.
Can a shifter be canonized?
Sweat beaded on her forehead and dampened her breasts. He removed his tongue and inserted two of his fingers into her channel. Her lower abdomen tensed firmer and firmer until the tips of his fingers hit a spot she didn’t know was there. Screams of sexual fulfillment filled the cabin as his whiskered scruff gently added a sweet friction in all her sensitive places.
No man has ever made me feel— Her mind shut down. She couldn’t come up with a complete thought as she climaxed. She heard gongs, whistles, bagpipes, and bells.
His hands moved to hold her in place as she trembled. He kissed the inside of her thighs. “Star, me sweet, sexy Star.” He placed one of her legs over his shoulder and slowly entered her. “Kiss me, love.” His mouth took command of hers as he moved in and out of her. “Ye have me so excited, I willna last long—”
“Here comes Santa Claus. Here comes Santa Claus, right down Santa Claus lane—”
Gunner’s head whipped toward the front door as he kept pumping away. “Feckin’ hell! Christmas
carolers? Now? Here? Just when I’m ready to cum?”
“Vixen and Blitzen and all his reindeer.”
He rolled off her, the heels of his hands in his eyes. “Bloody hell, the mood’s gone. Me tadger’s lying in the sleigh with fookin’ Santa.”
Star panicked. “Hurry! We need to get dressed and greet them. I wasn’t expecting company.” She stood not knowing if she should hide in the bedroom and let Gunner handle the carolers, or what.
Gunner scowled and reached for his sleep pants, his rubber falling to the floor now that his cock had softened. “I’m going to kill every blasted singing bastard out there. As for the bagpipe blower, when I’m done with him, every time he breaks wind, he’ll hit a G flat.”
She reached for her nightgown and a blanket from the sofa to wrap around them. They opened the front door just as the carolers broke into “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” It was the shifters who wanted Gunner to be their master shifter, the head of their sleuth.
“Me Christmas woulda been merrier if they’d all stayed home so Santa Claus could come,” he hissed out of the corner of his mouth.
“Hush and smile. They waded through deep snow to get here.” Star patted her heart to show how much she loved their efforts.
One-by-one, couples set gifts on the cabin’s porch and favored their new sleuth leader with a hug or a handshake. With Alastair’s guidance, Ora handed Gunner a large quilt covered with squares of tartan. She whispered what sounded like, “Ye can close me out by shutting all the blinds, but I’ll still get to ye. And I can smell ye’ve mated, so all will be well fer our sleuth.”
Ora swiveled and clapped her gloved hands. “Let’s leave so these two can go back to their love nest they’ve created on the living room floor. Magic is being made tonight. All of ye go home and make yer own. Now that we have Gunner, our sleuth will prosper.”
All of them disappeared down the hillside to their homes, their singing and bagpipe playing growing increasingly fainter.
Star scooped an armful of gifts and looked at Gunner. “Did I hear Ora’s words right? She staged all this because you closed the blinds?” She hurried in out of the cold. Gunner was behind her, his arms full.
“Aye. The squirrel at the window was a shifter she’d sent to watch us. Bear told me. So I closed all the blinds, which pissed the auld witch off. Put all the presents on the snack bar between the sitting room and kitchen.”
She glanced over all the gifts and her stomach sunk for Gunner. These shifters really expected him to stay. What they’d brought tonight were types of tribute to their new leader. By his expression as his fingers touched things, he was processing the meaning of all this, too.
He cussed under his breath.
She emptied their wine glasses and corked the wine bottle before placing it in the refrigerator. The snacks she wrapped and put away before taking his hand. “Come. Let’s go to bed. It’s been a long, eventful day. Both our bodies and minds need to rest. Snuggle next to me and sleep, my geek. Tomorrow we’ll talk and plan.”
He nodded. “I need to hold ye in me arms, luv.”
Once the lanterns were blown out except for one Gunner set in the bathtub in case one of them needed to get up in the middle of the night, he joined Star in bed. They snuggled as if they’d been doing it every night for years.
“There are only two ways I can stay here as this sleuth expects. One is if ye return to Scotland with me once ye recover. Two is if I can have telescopes erected on top of the mountain with wiring for wi-fi access so ye can keep in contact with yer sister and I can reach the Astronomers’ Society. ՚Twould take a lot of work and expense.”
“Rest your mind. It’s moving too fast. You’re wound too tight mentally and emotionally.” Her hand smoothed over his hair. “Vacation is a time to let go of what worries us. Loosen up, my geek.” She softly kissed his neck between her orders to relax.
“Stop obsessing over this mass I have. I love that you care, Gunner. I do. Believe me when I say there’s no need for you to ruin your holiday by missing time with your family just to sit in a waiting room while I have some tests done.
“Granted, I’m prone to worry, but I’m sure the lump’s benign. Stay in the Highlands where Bear can run. In Atlanta, he’d have nowhere to come out for exercise. He’d be trapped inside you while you were in the States. If he came out, he might be shot. I’ll be fine, my man. I’ll be fine.”
“I dinna agree.” His dark eyebrows dipped into a “V.”
She cupped his face. “I know you don’t, but trust me on this, man of mine.”
He kissed her neck and shoulder. “Will ye come back to me when the doctors allow?”
“Believe me, I’ll be giving it serious thought. I’m not promising you anything—only that our relationship and the strength of it will be on my mind every hour of every day.
They clung to each other as winds howled outside. In the security of their sturdy cabin wrapped in each other’s arms and legs, the warmth of shared caring helped them drift off to sleep.
Chapter 12
Sunlight was trying its best to beam through the closed blind slats of the bedroom’s two windows. Star stirred and squinted against the rays . Her hand slid over to Gunner’s side of the bed, but the sheets were cool. What was that terrible odor? A feeling of being watched slithered up her spine. She glanced over her shoulder expecting to find Mistletoe watching and waiting for his morning feeding.
Instead, a brown bear stood there, staring at her.
She gasped, afraid to move. Was it Gunner’s bear or not? If he was her bear, he needed some type of identification so she wouldn’t go through these few moments of terror every time he appeared . Maybe she’d have him wear a piece of Gunner’s tartan around its neck.
He put his paws to its ears and roared. And she smiled. She didn’t even have to ask, he knew their greeting routine. She sat on the edge of the bed. “Good Morning, Bear.”
He extended one paw and opened it as if to give her something. It was a gray, smooth stone shaped like a heart. He clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth and leaned toward her as if to signal she was to take it.
“Is this for me?” She slowly took it from his leathered paw, keeping her eyes on his reaction. He patted his chest where his heart would be. Was this his idea or Gunner’s way of seducing her into coming back to them once her health had been cleared? Her fingers rubbed over the stone, worn smooth by the force of moving water for centuries.
She pressed it to her heart. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”
I am thanking a big bear in my bedroom for a rock. To top it off, I’m stone sober.
Bear shifted from one foot to the other and extended his other paw. In it were two more heart-shaped stones, smaller than the first one. The medium sized one was white and the smallest heart black.
Star took them and spread the pretty stones on her pillow from large to small. “I love all three of them. They’re so pretty and smooth. Thank you for my gifts.” She would treasure them forever. They were pieces of her time here in Scotland, chosen by a bear.
He fidgeted his fingers and worked his jaws as if he wanted to say something. His gaze went to Gunner’s kilt. Bear lumbered toward it and carried it back to Star. He patted it and then the large gray stone.
She tried to make the connection. “Does this big heart stand for Gunner?”
Bear nodded as he dropped the garment. Next, he touched her forehead with a digit and then the white medium rock.
“This one means me?” Dear God, he was so precious.
Bear nodded, pointed to his heart and then the small black stone.
“And this special one is you?”
His chest puffed out. She could have sworn he smiled.
“How wonderful! Even when I leave and go back to the States, I’ll have these to remind me of you and Gunner. Thank you so much, I love them.”
Bear howled and stamped his foot. He reached for Gunner’s kilt and wrapped it around Star. He pointed and his jaws poppe
d.
“I love you, Bear, but I can’t stay. I must go back to Georgia.”
A pained roar bellowed from his throat. Would he get angry and attack? Her heart pounded a fearful beat. To her surprise, he marched to the corner of the room, sat with his back toward her and his face in the angle. His shoulders were slumped and he moaned and moaned.
Great, a bear that throws tantrums. How can I make him understand when a large part of me wants to return with Gunner once I know I’m okay? I’m too confused to help anyone…or anything…at this point. I need some distance to think clearly about Gunner and me.
She grabbed clean clothes and went into the bathroom. Once refreshed and dressed, she carefully opened the door. Bear still sat in the corner. Misery bounced off him in waves and her heart went out to him. Her gaze kept bouncing to Bear while she made the bed. Why didn’t Gunner shift back? She narrowed her eyes. Was this part of his plan? To let the bear side of him wear her down so she’d agree to return to Scotland, to this remote mountain? Or consent to his traveling to Atlanta with her.
Well, it wasn’t working.
She stormed out to the living room and straightened things. Once the coffee table was cleaned and shinning from last night’s sex snack, she placed a piece of pine in the middle and laid the three stones amid the fragrant greenery. Mistletoe crept out from behind the washing machine. Star scooped him off the floor and petted the trembling cat. “Did the big bear scare you? He’s not bad. Just spoiled a little. Want some kitty food?” She filled his bowl and the cat wolfed down his dry food.
What few dirty dishes were in the sink were covered by a large fish Bear had no doubt thrown there. Maybe he was hungry. She carried the fish into the bedroom and dropped it on Bear’s lap. “Eat this and calm down.”
No sooner had she whirled around and made a few steps than the fish slapped her in the back. She yelped and spun in his direction. Bear’s back was to her again. Oh, two can play this. She bent, picked up the fish, and threw it at the back of his head. He growled and started to shift.
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