Tara laughed. Man, how she loved these people.
Tara was halfway through her pie, chuckling at Addie’s engagement dinner plans which she had said would be best done in the council chambers since it could hold the entire population and was much classier than The Stag, when Sherry Pierce came into the diner.
She watched as Sherry glanced at Constance first and shook her head before she spotted their table and approached. “L.J., Addie,” she said, nodding to them, “How was New York City?”
“Fabulous!” from Addie and “Hell!” from L.J. were spoken at the same time and Sherry laughed. “Well, we’re glad to have you back.”
Then she turned to Tara. “How are you feeling today?”
Tara smiled. “Great, thank you.” Sherry returned the smile and then turned her attention to Riley. “I was going to call you later, Coop, but since you’re here, I’d like to ask a favor of you.”
Riley wiped his mouth with a napkin, turned a bit in his seat next to Tara and leaned back. “What can I do for you, Sherry?”
“A letter came in the mail today for Mister Black in care of my office.” Tara couldn’t help but notice how Sherry’s lip curled with distaste when she said the bear shifter’s name, despite the fact that he’d saved Sherry’s son. “I didn’t open it, but judging by the return address it is legal documents of some sort. You seem to get on well with him so I thought you might consider bringing it out. It doesn’t have to be today, but if you can fit it in at some point this week, I would appreciate it. You can stop by my office or I’ll drop it at your place, whichever is more convenient.”
Riley nodded and smiled. “I’ll stop by your office and pick it up, Sherry, it’s no problem. And Sebastian’s really easy to get along with if you come bearing one of Lucy’s pies, just ask Tara.”
Tara laughed and nodded but Sherry looked dubious. “Thank you, but I’ll leave the pie bearing to you.”
She nodded again to the rest of the table, looked once more toward Constance’s table, took a step as if she wanted to approach her but then turned on her heel and left the diner.
Constance had asked Tara if she was going to yell at her too and wondered how many of the towns people had already yelled at her and if that was what Sherry had been considering. If so, she was glad the woman had changed her mind.
Chapter Twenty-Six
That evening, Riley brought Tara up behind his house to shift and explore the woods for scents. At one point she had been sniffing at the ground so hard that she sucked something right up her nose. She snuffled and pawed at her snout for a good minute and then looked at Riley, she knew that if he had been in skin he would have been laughing his head off.
Her new ears picked up sounds so easily that her head snapped around at every tiny noise. Night insects, animals scurrying in their nests, even leaves falling to hit the ground; she heard it all while her new eyes, that saw everything in sharp detail tracked every movement. And through it all, she was aware of Riley at every moment, like he was an extension of her. Even if he moved away from her, she knew exactly where he was. She could feel him as if he was part of her. She wondered if that was what he was talking about: the wolf knows.
When they returned to Riley’s house they didn’t bother to get dressed as he led her out to his deck and took the top off of a large hot tub and turned it on with a grin. “Care for a soak?” He asked.
The tub was lit inside, the water clear as it bubbled and she dipped her fingertips to test the temperature. “This looks heavenly.” She grinned.
“You go ahead and get in, sweetheart, while I get us a couple of drinks.”
As he disappeared through the sliding glass doors, Tara grabbed her jeans from earlier and pulled a hair elastic out of the pocket so that she could contain her hair and then stepped over the sides of the tub and sat down on one of the ledges inside. She leaned back and sighed, the heated water bubbling up around her. She imagined sitting just like this on a winter’s night, leaning against Riley as snow fell around them.
Something cold touched her neck and she turned her head to see Riley holding out a bottle of beer for her. She smiled, admiring his form as he joined her in the tub and put his arm around her shoulder. She took a sip of the beer and then set it on the edge beside her before moving to straddle Riley’s lap. He put his hands on her hips and pulled her closer. Her wet hands slid over his smooth skin, feeling the sculpted muscles beneath her fingers. She would never get tired of looking at this man.
She noticed the bite marks on his shoulder from the night before and winced as she brushed her fingers carefully over them. “I can’t believe I actually bit you. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. You marked me as yours and I’ll wear it proudly, sweetheart.”
“It’s amazing that they’re already healing.”
He shrugged. “I told you we heal fast.” He kissed her nose and then her jaw, moving down to nuzzle her neck and her hands went to his hair to hold him. His hands moved to her waist and his thumbs pressed gently below her ribcage nudging her backward so that his kisses slid to her shoulder and down to her wet breasts. She gasped when the heat of his mouth enclosed a nipple. Each strong tug of his mouth shot currents of pleasure straight to her core. She moaned, grinding against his heavy erection and he growled; the sound sent shivers down her spine and turned her on even more.
His mouth left her breast to kiss her lips, his tongue delving deep as if he wanted to devour her and she kissed him back with everything inside her. Shifting her weight slightly so she could brace a foot firmly on the bottom of the tub, she lifted up and impaled herself fully while Riley snarled and growled in pleasure. She continued to move, sliding her body up and down on him, finding her rhythm.
Riley’s hand moved between their bodies, his thumb strumming over the pulse of her desire and she nearly sobbed with the exquisite sensation. “Yes, Riley, yes, please, oh god, I love you, please.” the words streamed from her mouth as her pleasure built to a crescendo and she crashed over the edge, screaming his name. With one last growl, Riley followed her over.
When Tara became aware again her head was on his shoulder and Riley was nuzzling her below her ear, kissing her neck and whispering “I love you, Tara, I love you so much.”
The next morning Tara awoke in Riley’s bed when he lifted her foot off the mattress to kiss her instep before moving on to her ankle. She watched him with a sleepy smile as he used his mouth to caress up her calf and past her knee, all the way up to her inner thigh before he smiled devilishly, backed away and grabbed the other foot to repeat the attention. He worked his way over her body, purposely avoiding the obvious areas of pleasure. The slightly ticklish kisses made her want to grab him and pull him on top of her, but when she tried, he grabbed her hands with his, laced their fingers together and placed them securely on the bed as he set about kissing every inch of her before he turned her over to lavish her backside with the same torturous pleasure. Before he was done, Tara was pleading for him and when he finally pulled her hips up from the mattress and filled her with his hardness, she achieved orgasm in less than a minute. He leaned over her back his hand moving around her hip to find the center of her pleasure and whispered in her ear, “We’re not done yet, sweetheart.”
Over an hour later, Tara was face down on the bed, surrounded by a tangle of her red hair and feeling completely wrung dry. Her throat felt scratchy from the number of times she’d screamed out Riley’s name, and her body felt as limp as an overcooked noodle.
Riley rubbed the rounded globe of her backside, “I need to jump in the shower, sweetheart. I have to go out of town today to pick up a few things and I’ll be gone probably several hours. You’re welcome to stay here as long as you like; sleep, watch television, use the hot tub, whatever. Just promise me you won’t shift when you’re alone, especially with strangers in town.”
Tara rolled over weakly and smiled. “I promise I won’t shift and I doubt I’ll sleep. I’m sure I’ll recover soon. I need to unpack som
e of my stuff that Grandpa and Addie brought back with them, then I may go to Addie’s and help her with any plans she’s making.”
Riley chuckled, “Plots she’s hatching, schemes she’s concocting.” He rubbed her thigh. “How about tomorrow we stop by Sherry’s office to pick up that letter for Sebastian, grab him a pie from the diner and hike out that way?”
Tara nodded. “We can grab two pies and pack a picnic lunch.”
“Sounds like a plan,” and then he waggled his eyebrows comically. “Do you want to join me in the shower?”
Tara groaned. “I can’t move you’d have to carry me.”
Riley grinned and she squealed as he picked her up easily. “I can do that sweetheart.”
Tara didn’t go back to sleep after Riley kissed her goodbye, but got dressed and headed back to her house to unpack. In addition to the stuffed suitcase of clothes and shoes, and the bag of her toiletries, they had also packed a box with her photo albums and framed pictures as well as some of her books. Tara left the photo albums out to show Riley, and found places to store the books and display the pictures.
When she felt satisfied, she put her laptop in its case and drove in to town to see Addie. As soon as she arrived, Addie opened the door with a huge smile and ushered Tara in. “Well, hi there, honey. To what do I owe this visit?”
Tara pulled out her laptop and let it boot up. She smiled at Addie, “Well, I thought we could do some planning, and I thought you might give me some advice.”
Addie rubbed her hands together and grinned. “Oh, I do love to impart some wisdom. Let me just put some coffee on.” She said and turned to the kitchen counter, humming a jaunty little tune while she set up the coffee maker. When she finished and the coffee was brewing she turned back to Tara. “Now, tell me what I can help you with.”
Tara typed a bit on her computer and then turned the screen to face Addie. “I thought you might give me your opinion on these.” She said motioning to the screen that displayed several images of wedding dresses.
Addie collapsed into the kitchen chair, sniffled as tears filled her eyes. Tara crouched down beside her immediately contrite. “Oh, Addie, I’m so sorry. Riley and I haven’t actually made wedding plans so we don’t need to do this. I just thought it would be fun, girl stuff. I never meant to upset you.”
Addie sniffed again and gave Tara a watery smile and put a hand to her cheek. “I always wanted a daughter and plan a big wedding. You know how moms go to the fittings and see the gown and ooh and ah and all that?” Tara nodded and Addie continued. “When my boy got married, he and his bride didn’t want anything fancy. They just dressed in everyday clothes and showed up to say their vows.” She sighed, “I would be honored, Tara honey, to help you do girl stuff and look at wedding gowns.”
Tara hugged her feeling her own eyes prickle. “How about I stand in for the daughter you never had and you can stand in for the mother who can’t be here?” She felt Addie nod and then heard her say, “Let’s take a closer look at this one.”
Tara lifted her head and looked at the screen where Addie was pointing and laughed. “Good choice,” she said and clicked on it.
After several hours of laughter, a pot of coffee, a carton of ice cream, and what seemed like thousands of images, Tara had selected three gowns that she really liked that wouldn’t break the bank and she noted their designers and item numbers on a piece of paper. They also looked at bridesmaid dresses and floral arrangements as well as cake designs.
When the phone rang, Addie got up from her chair, stretched and answered it before she handed it to Tara with “It’s Riley for you” while she bat her eyelashes. Tara couldn’t help laughing as she said hello.
“Hey sweetheart, it sounds like you two are having a good time.” He said with a chuckle and her stomach clenched with pleasure at the sound of his voice.
“We are. How was your trip? Are you back?”
“It was good and I am,” he said, “I was thinking I might pick you up there in a little bit and take you out to dinner.”
Tara looked down at her yellow button down keyhole top and jeans. “I’m dressed kind of casual, should I go home and change?”
“I’m sure you look beautiful in whatever you have on, but go ahead and give the phone to Addie for a minute.”
“Okay.” She said and then shrugged as she handed the phone over.
When Addie took it she heard her say ‘yes’ three times with a pause between each and then finally a ‘perfect’ before handing the phone back to Tara.
When she said hello again, Riley said “Addie thinks you look just fine for where I’m taking you, sweetheart, so don’t worry. I’ll be there in about an hour to pick you up.”
Tara couldn’t help but smile. “I can’t wait, I’ll see you then.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
L.J. arrived home before Riley showed up. He took one look at Addie’s flushed face and bright eyed smile and raised a brow. “What have you two been up to today?”
Addie grinned “Girl stuff,” she shrugged, “Coop’s on his way to pick up Tara to take her out to dinner and I’ll get our supper going.”
Tara smiled at her grandfather. “I want to thank you again for making the trip to get my things, Grandpa. I saw you packed up the photos, so you got to see Mom.”
L.J. nodded. “She hadn’t changed much in appearance; she still looked like my little girl.” He said emotionally, and then cleared his throat, “Mostly, she looked happy and I’m glad for that; glad she had you and Matty to take care of her.”
“Sometimes I wonder what my life would have been like if she’d stayed here.” Tara said thoughtfully.
Her grandfather sighed. “I don’t think your mother ever would have been fully happy here, but had Vahl known about you, he never would have let her leave; at least not with you. But he also wouldn’t have been allowed to take her as his mate. She knew that and I think that’s maybe why she left. With her not being able to shift, she was excluded from a lot. She always felt like an outsider. It wasn’t fair, but that’s the way it was. I’m just so glad that you found your way to us.”
Tara nodded. “So am I. I love this town and I love the people. You and Addie have both done so much for me; I don’t think I could ever repay you.”
L.J. put a hand on her back and patted it before pulling her into a one armed hug. “You staying here and giving us a chance to know you is payment enough.” He said in a gruff voice. Then he sighed and looked at Tara through narrowed eyes. “Now, about Coop, the morning we left for New York you didn’t seem quite so certain about him.”
Tara blushed. “I was certain; it just came as a shock when Addie mentioned an engagement. I was expecting Riley to run for the hills. Most guys I know would have at the first hint of marriage.”
“He’s convinced you otherwise?” Her grandfather asked and she nodded. “Good, good, I’d hate to have to take a chunk out of his hide on the next run.” He said with a wink.
She heard Riley’s truck pull in just as L.J. said “Speak of the devil…”
Her grandfather got up to open the door and Addie bustled in from the kitchen. “He’s here, Tara, he’s here.” Addie said excitedly and Tara chuckled wondering who wanted to see Riley more, her or Addie?
L.J. and Addie both had huge smiles on their faces as they stepped back to allow Riley to come in. He was dressed similar to that night at The Stag but this time with a gray button day shirt and black jeans with his ever present boots. His hair looked slightly damp and he had shaved his scruff though he still had a dark shadow on his jaw, and in his hands was a bouquet of orange roses. He held them out to her with a smile. “I know every color of rose is supposed to mean something, but honestly, sweetheart, I just liked the looks of these.”
She took them from him and breathed in their wonderful fragrance. “They’re beautiful, Riley, thank you.”
He nodded “You’re welcome.” And then he turned to her grandfather, “L.J., Addie, with your permission, I’d like to
take Tara out to dinner.”
Addie chortled and gave Riley a swat on the arm. “What manners, get out of here you two, scoot.” She said, shooing them out the door.
Tara grinned at Addie as they left and she heard her grandfather say, “Dammit woman! Maybe I wanted to have words with him before they left.” And then Addie’s “Hush, now old man and let them be.” Followed by “I’ll show you an old man!” and Addie’s laughter.
Tara rolled her eyes at Riley with a smile. He held the roses with one hand while he helped her into his truck with the other.
They drove for about thirty minutes to reach the restaurant Riley had chosen. It was a small Italian place simply called Mama’s and the smells as they walked through the door had Tara’s stomach growling with hunger and Tara blushing. Riley chuckled, and with a hand on the small of her back, he leaned in to whisper, “We need to keep that belly of yours nice and full so you don’t growl at the wait staff.”
They ate fresh Italian bread that they dipped in olive oil and garlic while they waited for their entrees. Tara had ordered the chicken and pesto with penne pasta while Riley was having lasagna. As they ate Riley told her about his childhood and his parents who he lost when he was seventeen to poachers. They were in shift when illegal hunters shot them. It drove him to enter the criminal justice program and attend the police academy to help better defend the town. The story was heartbreaking and made Tara realize why he was so adamant about her being constantly aware of her surroundings and staying safe.
By the time desert rolled around Tara was feeling rather stuffed, but she couldn’t leave an Italian restaurant without a cannoli, even if she did have to take it to go. When it and the check were sitting on the edge of the table, Riley took her hand and swallowed hard before he cleared his throat. “Tara, I want you to know that I wasn’t kidding when I told you I’ve wanted you since the first moment I saw you. It was like I knew, as soon as I saw your eyes shift that you were mine and we belonged together forever. I know we haven’t known each other long, but in my heart and in my mind, you’re already my mate. I love you, Tara, and I will do my best to protect you and to make you happy for the rest of my life.”
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