It was good to see his brother happy at last.
He couldn’t remember the last time he had seen Rath smile so much.
Flint took one last look around the creek, at Rath where he fussed over Ivy, and Cobalt where he stood by the river clearly pining for Ember, and at the other males and females who were giving each other more than just the eye.
A sigh escaped him.
He turned on his heel, heading into the forest to start his patrol.
Yes, the world had gone mad, and he wanted no part of it, was fine with his life the way it was.
There was no damned way he was going to get caught up in whatever fever was sweeping the creek.
No way at all.
CHAPTER 2
Yasmin huffed as she pushed her ebony waves out of her face, feeling the dampness at the back of her neck that irritated the hell out of her as her hair stuck to it, clung in a way that made her want to do something. Scream probably.
She stopped near a towering pine that looked like every other damned tree in the forest and turned in a circle, trying to spot the path. There had to be a path. She was sure she had been following one from the trailhead where she had left her car parked next to Ivy’s Jeep, and several other vehicles that had told her she was in the right area.
Maybe it had been an animal track.
A cool breeze blew up the gentle slope to her right, carrying the scent of water. She could hear the river in that direction. Maybe it would be wise to head downhill until she found it and then track it towards the area that her friend had called ‘the creek’ more than once. There had been a river in Ivy’s photographs. It stood to reason that she would find her friend near the one she could hear.
Yasmin shrugged out of her heavy pack, set it down on the rough earth between the tangled roots of the pines and rifled through the side pockets, her mood taking a nosedive as she struggled to find what she was looking for.
“A-ha.” She grinned as she opened the fifth pocket—seriously, why so many pockets on these stupid backpacks—and found her elastics and other beauty items.
She straightened, lifted her hair away from her neck, scrunched it together and tied it in place with the band. Parts of it instantly fell down again, framing her face, but it would do for now. All she cared about was keeping her neck clear. It was bliss as the breeze caressed it, had a soft sigh leaving her lips as she savoured it.
When the wind died down again, she stripped off her black jacket, because a winter coat combined with her royal purple sweater and the long-sleeved cream t-shirt she wore beneath that had probably been a bit much. She had been expecting the weather to be cooler than it was. There had been snow on the mountains in Ivy’s photographs after all.
She peered through the dense trees to catch a sliver of the mountain that loomed closest to her. There was still snow on it. Apparently, snow on the peaks didn’t mean it was cold in the valley. It was rare she learned something new, novel in fact. What else was she going to learn on this adventure?
Yasmin hefted the pack back onto her shoulders. The weight of it pressed down on her and she twisted and grimaced, trying to get comfortable again.
Maybe the sunny day wasn’t solely responsible for her working up a sweat. The heaviness of her pack combined with the exertion of the hike probably would have been enough to have her running a little hot even if it had been a chilly day.
She threaded her coat over the bottom of the right strap of her pack, so it pressed against her back and hip and wouldn’t fall into the dirt, and kicked off again, picking her way through the trees as she headed downhill towards the river.
A man with wild black hair and golden eyes stepped into her path, emerging from the trees like some sort of predator to stare her down.
She casually drew to a halt four metres from him.
Raked her gaze over him, taking in a navy shirt that stretched tight over his athletic build, long legs encased in very practical black trousers, and scuffed boots that looked as if he had trekked hundreds of miles in them and needed a new pair. Too cheap to purchase them? Or sentimental and attached to these ones for some reason?
She lifted her head back up to meet his golden eyes.
He didn’t look the sentimental type.
His straight jaw set hard, his lips compressing, causing the scar that streaked across the left side of his mouth to pull on his cheek.
He looked as if he wanted to growl at her.
Yasmin concluded there was a high probability he could help her. “I’m lost, can you tell me the way—”
“Private property. Turn your ass around and march it back the way you came,” he interjected, voice a gravelly snarl that had more bite than the local bears.
That was rude.
She narrowed her dark eyes on him. “No. If you would let me finish.”
He shook his head. “Not going to happen. This is no place for camping. Private property.”
“Yes, you’ve said that twice now, and if you would let me finish.”
He took a hard step towards her, his eyes glowing brighter. Oh, if he wanted to do angry, she could show him angry.
“Listen,” she snapped. “I know my friend is somewhere around here, and I am going to see her. Something tells me you know her. Ivy Wentworth?”
The barest flicker of surprise lit his stormy gold eyes before he schooled his features, hardening them again. “Don’t know her. Off you go now. Try the other direction.”
Liar.
“The other direction is my car.” And his, she was guessing.
It was probably the battered ancient pick-up she had seen that had more rust than paint on it.
“Good.” He folded his arms across his chest and glowered at her.
“So I’m not going back that way. I’m going this way.” She started left, because he had obviously come from nearby and that meant she was close to the creek.
He was in front of her in a flash, blocking her way. “I can’t allow that. Turn your ass around and march it back to your car.”
That was it.
Yasmin mimicked him, crossing her arms over her breasts, and the bastard had the audacity to glance at them as her actions pressed them together and upwards in her purple sweater.
“Try to make me leave,” she growled as she glared at him. “I dare you. We’ll see who comes off worse.”
His golden eyes leaped up to hers, and this time he didn’t hide his surprise.
Not used to strong females?
He was taller than she was, his build slim but clearly powerful. His shirt was tight enough that she could see it was hiding a muscled torso, and he had rolled up the sleeves to reveal tightly corded forearms that flexed as she stared at them.
Yasmin lifted her eyes back to his. “I’m going to see my friend whether you like it or not. You can’t stop me.”
He tried anyway, moving left and right to block her path as she tried to get past him.
Exasperating man!
She was close to hitting him to get him to stop.
He blocked her again when she made another attempt to pass him rather than giving in to the urge to clobber him. “How do you know this friend of yours is at the creek?”
She almost smiled. The creek. So he had come from the place where Ivy was staying with her new man. Which meant he was going to take her there, whether he liked it or not.
She feinted going left, and when he moved to block her, she went right and slipped past him. He growled in frustration and grabbed her wrist, and she turned on a pinhead, slammed her palm against his chest and shoved him back into a tree. He went easily, wasn’t a challenge at all.
Mostly because he was holding back.
Thought her feeble? Thought he might hurt her by accident if he exerted a little strength? She wanted to laugh at that.
Yasmin huffed and splayed her hand out against the centre of his chest, and yes, it was firm beneath her palm, muscles rigid and tensed, and there was that strength he was hiding from her.
> “Are you going to take me to Ivy now?” She inched closer to him and pressed her hand harder against his chest to keep his spine pinned to the tree, just in case he thought about moving.
But he didn’t seem inclined to break free of her hold.
He regarded her with gold eyes that held a spark of heat, his silence stretching out for a moment that was so long she began to feel a little uncomfortable as she stood with her hand on his chest, his heart pounding against it, steady and strong.
She also started to wonder whether she had done some sort of permanent damage to him. She was on the verge of asking him whether he needed medical assistance when he finally responded.
He dipped his chin in a nod, his eyes remaining locked with hers as he spoke. “What’s your name?”
Not quite the response she had anticipated, but she would give it to him, because unlike him, she wasn’t rude. “Yasmin.”
He glanced down. “I’ve heard of you.”
She followed his gaze, tensed and removed her hand from his chest as she realised she was still touching him. His eyes lifted to her, banked heat in them, a flicker of interest that had her wanting to look away from him as a fire tried to lick over her cheeks. She resisted the need that raced through her and the blush, quelling both of them.
“I don’t doubt that.” She kept her voice even and emotionless, so he got the message that she didn’t feel the attraction that zinged between them. She really didn’t. “Ivy emailed me telling me she met a guy, fell in love of all things and that she wouldn’t be home for a while. She assured me that she was fine, but I’m here to see that for myself.”
“Commendable.” He knew big words. Trying to impress her?
She nodded. “I like to think so.”
He pushed away from the tree, coming to tower over her, easily eight inches taller than she was, and looked down at her.
His handsome face softened, that heat in his golden gaze lingering. “I’m Flint, Rath’s brother. Ivy is fine. She’s in love with Rath and nothing bad is happening here.”
He could attempt to appease her all he wanted. It wasn’t going to make her leave.
“Good.” She adjusted the bag on her back. “Because I prefer to heal injuries rather than cause them.”
A hint of a smile, enough that she could see that he would be devastating if he cracked a full blown grin. “Came here prepared for war?”
Yasmin nodded again. “If necessary. Ivy is my friend. My only friend.”
That had him turning serious, the dark slashes of his eyebrows knitting hard as the corners of his lips turned downwards. “I get that. You’re protective. I have a protective streak of my own… one I’ll introduce you to if you try to do anything to hurt my brother, including attempting to take Ivy from him.”
She arched an eyebrow at that. Protective of his brother’s happiness? That was commendable, as he would say.
“You think you can take me? Good luck with that.” She strode past him.
His eyes landed on her back and raked down her spine, a hot shiver following in their wake, and he purred, “I know I can take you.”
So brash. So confident. She hid a smile as he fell into step beside her and hooked his thumbs into the pockets of his black trousers.
“You think pretty highly of yourself.” She kept her eyes straight ahead, even when his landed on her, burning into her profile.
“I have my reasons.” He shot her a cocky smile, one that she caught as she glanced at him and one she didn’t like because it made something clear.
He was like every other man out there.
She had enough men trying to flirt their way into her life when she was doing rounds, checking on her patients. They were bad enough, but Flint’s kind were the worst.
His breed were the men who hounded her whenever she was having a rare night out, desperately in need of some time off. His breed were the ones who were good looking so expected women to fall at their feet if they bought them a drink or even just smiled in their direction.
His breed were the ones she wasn’t interested in.
She shook her head, reminding herself that she shouldn’t be interested in any men, whether they were players or ones looking for a long-term relationship.
It was hard sometimes though, when the nights felt long and cold, the loneliness creeping up on her. Everyone needed a little warmth in their life, a little companionship from time to time. Including her.
When was the last time she had let someone in?
She glanced at Flint, catching his sure grin, and saw temptation but something else too.
Something liable to make the long nights feel even colder and lonelier.
“I don’t want to know them.” It came out a little harsh judging by how he frowned at her, his step faltering before he caught up again.
He looked as if he wanted to say something, but then the trees thinned and she spotted green ahead of her, bathed in sunlight. She hurried forwards as she passed a rustic log cabin nestled among the pines to her left.
The creek.
She broke out onto the wide rectangle of green, gaining a few odd looks from the people moving between the cabins hidden among the pines.
There were more lodges than she had expected, and some of them were large, comfortable looking. Solar panels stood at points in the clearing, generating electricity for the cabins near it. It was far more civilised than she had thought it would be when Ivy had emailed her.
“I’ve seen worse.” She didn’t realise she had said that aloud until Flint’s gruff voice sounded beside her.
“We’re not animals.” He huffed.
She glanced at him, taking him in from head to toe as he stood sentinel beside her, his handsome face dark and eyes more grey than gold now. She wanted to say they were a little like animals, but held her tongue as he lowered his gaze to her and it narrowed, silently daring her to say something.
He looked as if he secretly wanted her to tease him, so she tore her eyes away from him and turned on the spot, gaze dancing over everyone as she searched.
She grinned as she spotted what she was looking for. “Ivy!”
The brunette stiffened where she stood on the wooden deck of a cabin at the head of the clearing, her back to Yasmin. The very handsome dark-haired man she was with looked over her head, his grey eyes darkening as they landed on Yasmin.
Ivy turned towards her, a smile breaking out on her lips as Yasmin waved and her wide hazel eyes lighting up with it as she hurried off the deck and raced towards her.
Yasmin met her halfway, not missing the look the man on the deck gave her and then Flint. Flint strode past her to meet the man she presumed was his brother.
Ivy wrapped her up in a tight hug, and Yasmin sighed as she embraced her, relief pouring through her as she held her friend. She was alright. She was really alright. Yasmin wanted to squeeze her so hard, but held back, afraid of hurting her.
When Ivy eventually released her and pulled back, she was beaming, her hazel eyes overflowing with happiness. Love. Yasmin could see it in her, but that wasn’t exactly a feat. A blind person couldn’t miss it. Ivy was radiant with it, shone like a star as she grinned from ear to ear.
She had never seen her friend so happy.
“What are you doing here?” Ivy gripped her arms and pushed back, looked her over and shook her head as if she couldn’t quite believe Yasmin was really there.
The dark-haired man stopped close to her with Flint and gruffly muttered, “I want to know that too.”
He was definitely Flint’s brother, and Ivy’s man. Rath. From where she was standing, he looked as if he owned that name, as if his parents had known the man he would grow into and had named him accordingly.
She looked over Ivy’s shoulder at him.
“I just wanted to see her.” Her eyes leaped back to her friend. “I needed to see you. Your email… well… I needed to know you really were okay.”
She removed her heavy pack and held it out to Rath, who regard
ed it with a raised eyebrow as if she was treating him like her servant and expected him to carry her luggage to her room.
“I brought a present for my gracious hosts.” She set the backpack down, unclipped the top and tugged on the string to open it up so they could see her offering.
Rath peered inside. Ivy and Flint leaned closer so they could get a look too.
The gruff brunet looked pleased as he glanced from her present to her. “Thank you. With everyone gathered at the creek, we could use the supplies.”
Flint eyed all the bandages, suture kits, and other medical equipment. “What did you do, raid a hospital on your way?”
“Sort of… I’m a doctor at one.” And she would have been in serious trouble if they had caught her stealing, but Ivy had mentioned how she’d had to patch up a gunshot wound with a few sticking plasters, and Yasmin had figured that bringing Ivy’s new man a present might help him accept her presence on his property.
“A doc?” Flint’s left eyebrow went up, the subtle scar that bisected it becoming more visible.
That flare of interest lit his grey eyes again. Thinking he could bag himself a doctor? Maybe he had a thing for women in uniform. He wouldn’t be the first, and he certainly wouldn’t be the last.
No way she was going to play the naughty doctor for him though.
She focused on his brother, shutting him out. “Your land is beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such stunning scenery.”
Some types of flattery could get you everywhere.
Rath admired his territory with a hint of pride in his steel grey eyes, standing a little taller as her words registered.
Ivy looked up at her man, a flicker of expectation crossing her face.
He sighed.
“Since you made the effort to reach us, and since you’re here now, perhaps you could do me a favour and stay a while?” His gaze fell to her, honest and open, completely unguarded, so she could read in it how much doing this favour would mean to him. “We could do with a medic.”
“A medic?” She looked around the cabins.
From what Ivy had told her, they needed a damned infirmary, or possibly a small hospital.
Courted by her Cougar (Cougar Creek Mates Shifter Romance Series Book 3) Page 2