by Bianca D’Arc
His pace increased again and the buzz of electric pleasure was non-stop in every cell of her body. Where it was leading, she didn’t really know, but she knew she wanted to get there. Oh, man, how she wanted to get there!
Bob lowered himself over her completely, enveloping her in his warmth, his strength. His hands clasped her shoulders, helping her accept the deep, hard thrusts of his body as the intensity threatened to overwhelm her. She had never imagined anything could feel like this. Like dying and finding nirvana at the same time. The ultimate pleasure. The ultimate thrill.
She was crying out on every thrust now, little whimpers of straining pleasure, little sounds of need. She needed him to take her to the next level. She didn’t think it was possible to get there alone. Only with him. Only with Bob.
She clutched at his shoulders, her claws coming out unintentionally. The sharp coppery scent of blood hit the air at the same moment the lightning of completion struck and made her entire body spasm around his. With his.
Bob stiffened around her and she could feel the warmth of his seed bathing her from within. Her cat craved the possession, wanting to mark him with her teeth, but Serena knew biting was something reserved for mates. She didn’t want to cross a line or get carried away with her first lover. She didn’t know where he stood on the whole relationship issue. He was just passing through and she was still recovering, learning more about herself every day.
She looked at this encounter as part of her healing. Bob had come along and made her want to try something she never would have considered with any other cat. He had made her want to be just a little more daring, a little more whole emotionally than she had been before they’d met. And her risk had paid off in ways she never would have expected.
The pleasure coursed through her, making her muscles spasm even as her mind turned to mush. The last coherent thought she had was that she was glad she’d waited. Bob was in a class by himself when it came to making love. Even with her limited experience, she knew that much.
Bob had felt the sting in his shoulders as her little claws came out and it had sent him straight over the edge. To have driven her that wild on his first attempt meant something. It was a major boost to his ego and brought out all sorts of protective, possessive thoughts in his cougar half, and his human half as well. Both sides of him wanted Serena with an intensity that would not be denied.
The miracle that had happened just now humbled him. Timid as she was, she had let her inner huntress out and pursued him. The cougar didn’t usually like being the object of a woman’s hunt, but it made all kinds of exceptions for Serena. His inner cat liked everything about her and would humor her every whim. For Serena, his cougar became a pussycat.
The fact that she had passed out from pleasure stroked his ego a little further. He had stayed inside her as long as he could, but eventually, he’d had to move. He couldn’t let her go far, so he had rolled them over, putting his back against the hard rock beneath them and draping her luscious body over him like a blanket. He fished for the picnic blanket with one hand and managed to pull it over her back so she wouldn’t be cold.
He basked in the moment until his own eyelids started to droop and sleep claimed him.
How long they laid there, under the dark sky and cover of the forest, he didn’t know, but when she scrambled off his body sometime later, he woke instantly.
She seemed shy and he thought he understood. This had been her first time making love as a human and probably her first time playing the temptress. He liked that she had let her wild side come out to play with him, but he was concerned about the way she scrambled into her clothes and began packing up the picnic things. Her movements were almost frantic and he didn’t like the way she wouldn’t meet his gaze.
He stood and dressed, then stilled her movements by the simple expedient of taking her into his arms. She resisted a little, but he wasn’t letting her put distance between them.
“It’s okay, kitten. I just wanted to thank you and let you know how special you are to me.” When she didn’t relax in his embrace, he tried to find better words to soothe her. “You make me feel so good, Serena. And I know you enjoyed what we just did.”
Dammit. Bob—the most loquacious Redstone brother—was having a hell of a time finding the right words. Then again, he’d never been in quite this situation before. He’d never had a woman mean so much to him before. And that thought stopped him dead. Something fundamental had changed inside him and it would need examination before he knew where he stood.
“You’re so special to me, Serena,” he tried, one last time, kissing the crown of her head as he rocked her a little in his arms, but she didn’t respond.
And then she was gone. Out of his arms.
Bob was still trying to figure out what had just happened and Serena was standing five feet away, her lithe body trembling the tiniest bit.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered before turning and fleeing into the night, her expression one of fear and longing mixed during the short glimpse he had of her face.
Bob wanted to go after her but he knew she would come to no harm on the Lords’ mountain. Plus he wasn’t confident he could find her. She knew the area a lot better than he did and bobcats were as fast as cougars. She also probably wouldn’t exactly welcome him chasing her down. Something about their interlude had scared the bejeezus out of her and part of him knew he shouldn’t push her too hard—even if another part of him wanted to chase her down, catch her and tie her to his bed, never to be released.
Bob sank to his knees on the flat rock and stared up at the stars visible through a break in the trees. Serena had launched a sneak attack and he felt like he’d been completely overtaken. She had definitely won this round, but he wondered if she realized it.
One thing was for certain—now that he knew what it was like to be with her, he vowed there would be more lovemaking in their future. He just had to plan his strategy and find a way to help her conquer her fears.
To do that, he would have to figure out what had caused her to flee, but Bob could be a patient man. When he discovered something he wanted, he usually found a way to get it. He had time to plan and plot, but soon, he promised himself, the pretty little bobcat female would be his.
Chapter Six
Banging on the cabin door at oh-dark-thirty woke Bob from dreams of a certain luscious bobcat woman. From the intensity of the pounding, it was probably Rocky. Bob threw off the single blanket he had slept under and armed himself before heading toward the door.
“What?” he called out, cautious and picking up on sounds of all kinds of movement outdoors. Shifters scurrying through the woods around his cabin at a fast clip, vehicles on the gravel road, and a few people running around near the road as well. Something was definitely up.
“It’s Rocky. We have a situation.”
Bob pulled open the door. The bear-man was clearly agitated. His hair was flat on one side as if he’d just rolled out of bed himself.
“What’s wrong?”
“We just got reliable intel that an attack is imminent. It could come at any time in the next few hours. We’re evacuating everyone who can’t fight and prepping the rest for action.” Rocky spoke fast, his expression tight.
“Where do you want me?” Bob was ready to help defend the Lords’ domain.
“Serena needs to go but she’s hard to place. Can your Clan take her in? I think she’ll be more comfortable with cats, and she seems to like you. Plus, your Clan is big enough to protect her.”
Bob didn’t hesitate. “I’ll take her. And I can get reinforcements up here within a day, if you need.”
“Look to your own Clan. We’ve already got Jesse Moore’s guys mobilizing. They’ll be here in a couple of hours, but the non-combatants need to go now. This could go down any time.”
“I’ll get my stuff and go get Serena. We’ll be out of here in fifteen minutes or less.” Bob was already thinking about what he needed to do to prepare. “We’ll drive.”
&
nbsp; Rocky nodded, already looking back toward his house across the road and up the mountain. “Safer if nobody knows where you are. I don’t trust planes we haven’t vetted and the few we have are already busy taking our people out and bringing in Moore’s guys.”
“What about Jezza?” Bob thought to ask, even though he knew Rocky was antsy to get back to his family. “Anybody going to find him?”
“Can’t spare the people right now.” Rocky shook his head, genuine regret in his eyes.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll get the map from Serena before I drop her off with my brothers, then I’ll double back and take care of Jezza. One less thing for you to worry about.”
Rocky clapped him on the shoulder. “Good man. I’ll owe you one when we meet again. Communications blackout until you’re over the state line, okay? Be safe, my friend, and good hunting.”
“Understood and good hunting to you too,” Bob replied. It seemed he’d made a friend in the grizzly bear, though he hadn’t really realized it.
Rocky took off back across the narrow gravel road toward his house and Bob didn’t waste any time in packing his few belongings. He gave the cabin a quick once-over and hit the road toward the Pack house, which was just up the road a ways. He double-timed it, covering ground quickly with his rucksack of possessions over his shoulder. He passed a few vehicles heading down the mountain and could see they were mostly full of women with small kids and the few really elderly shifters that lived here.
Bob sent up a silent prayer for the safety of each of those vehicles and the shifters inside them. The threat had to be damned serious for the Lords to take this drastic step. Bob didn’t know where the SUVs full of the weaker members of the community were headed, but he’d bet good money the Lords had a secret place to stash them that had been arranged long before this emergency. The evacuation was too orderly not to have been planned well in advance. The Lords definitely knew how to look out for their people.
Bob arrived at the Pack house to find Serena in the thick of things, helping pack supplies into a vehicle that was mostly full. When she saw him, she gave up her place in the relay line and picked up a big duffel bag that had been leaning against the porch. She ran forward to meet him as he neared.
“Rocky called ahead to say I was to go with you.” It wasn’t quite a question, but it was clear she was puzzled by the directive and doing her best not to tremble with fear.
Bob cursed inwardly and pulled her into his arms for a quick hug. “I’m taking you to my family. We’re strong enough to protect you from just about anything and Rocky wants you well away from any fighting. So do I.”
She pulled slightly away to look into his eyes. The world around them stopped for a minute while she seemed to teeter on the brink of a decision… And then she nodded, slowly.
“Okay. Let’s go.”
Bob squeezed her once in silent approval, then let her go. He bent to sling her duffel over his shoulder and then took hold of her hand as he led her back down the road he’d just run up. He had left his vehicle in a communal lot roughly halfway between the cabin and the Pack house, slightly lower on the mountain. The fastest way to get there was through the trees and, in fact, Bob saw quite a few shifters using various shortcuts to the hidden lot where more than a few vehicles were kept.
He kept hold of her hand as they made their way through the dark trees. Dawn hadn’t even begun before they reached Bob’s vehicle. He had driven an SUV here that he’d done quite a bit of work on. The outside looked like an older model vehicle that had seen better days, but inside was a different story.
He opened the passenger door for Serena. She climbed in while he stowed her duffel bag and his rucksack in the back. He had installed special compartments for storage back there, as well as a few other things that made this vehicle perfect for road trips. It would come in handy today while they made a quick escape.
Bob ran around to the front and got in on the driver’s side, starting the engine and checking the various instruments. Everything was in good working order and it looked like nothing had been added or taken from his sophisticated electronics systems by the Lords’ technical people who had gone over the vehicle with a fine toothed comb when he had arrived in their territory. The Lords were careful folks. They believed in the old trust but verify style of leadership and Bob couldn’t really blame them.
He pulled out of the lot without turning on the headlights. Shifters could see in the dark and it was best not to bring any more attention to the stealthy movements on the mountain than they had to. All around him, other vehicles moved without lights, shifters at the wheel. A few waved as he passed and he returned the gesture. Only sharp shifter vision could see through the specially tinted glass he had installed on his vehicle.
The front glass was tinted within legal limits, but a special coating gave the safety glass an almost impenetrable gloss that humans couldn’t easily see around. The back glass was as dark as he could make it within legal limits, which was to say dark. It also had a more reflective coating that kept prying eyes from seeing all the changes he had made back there. Tinkering with cars was one of his favorite hobbies, and he had put a lot of modifications into this particular vehicle.
Bob itched to call his brothers, but he had promised Rocky not to use his phone or any other communications devices until he was beyond the state border. It was a wise precaution. If enemies were planning an attack, they would be stupid not to monitor all transmissions. Bob’s equipment was encrypted, but he didn’t want to take any chances. He would sooner die than betray the Lords in any way.
As long as they were on the road and in this vehicle, they should be fine. This little honey had a few tricks up her sleeve, including Kevlar in the door panels and a few offensive surprises of her own.
“Did you bring the map Rocky wanted you to mark up?” Bob asked as he negotiated the dirt road that led down the mountain. It took a lot of his concentration. The Lords deliberately kept the road rough to discourage unwanted visitors. It was just one of many little tricks they had in store for anyone fool enough to attack them in the heart of their own territory.
“It’s in my bag,” she replied in a small voice as she stared out at the dark road, worry etched in the set of her brow. “Do you think they’ll be all right?”
“Honey, they’ve got an army up there and another en route. They’ll be okay. Our job is to stay out of the way and prevent ourselves from becoming a liability.”
“My job, you mean,” she gave a derisive snort. “If you didn’t have to babysit me all the way to Las Vegas, you’d be up there helping them defend the mountain. Don’t lie to me and tell me you would be running like a scared rabbit.”
“I won’t ever lie to you, sweetheart,” he said very seriously. “You’re right. If I didn’t have you, I’d be alongside the other soldiers. But the thing is, I’d rather be with you. Now that I’ve met you, if I wasn’t seeing to your safety, I’d be worried. And a worried soldier is a distracted soldier. I’d be that liability we’re trying to avoid becoming.” He chuckled as he made a steep hairpin turn down the mountain. “All in all, everyone’s better off with this arrangement.”
“You’re really taking me to Las Vegas? To the heart of your Clan?” She seemed skeptical.
“Don’t worry. My brothers and their mates are going to love you. I think you’ll like them too.” His new sister-in-laws all seemed to have a soft spot for those who needed protection.
“But what about Jezza?” she asked in a small, pensive voice.
Bob’s stomach knotted. He didn’t want to tell her the plan they’d come up with on the fly. He knew she was genuinely concerned about the other man’s safety. A little flare of jealousy hit him at that thought, but Bob tried his best to squash it. He had to try to remain objective for both their sakes.
“Rocky can’t spare anybody, but I’m going to—”
“No. If your plan is to take me to Las Vegas and then double back, it’ll take too long. Jezza could be dead by th
en.”
She was quick, he’d give her that. “Once we cross the state line I can call my brothers and have them send a plane. I could hand you off to one of them and then go find Jezza.”
“Why wait? Oh—scanners, right?” She answered her own question. “Okay. What’s the nearest airport?”
“Probably Idaho Falls.”
“If you go south. But what if you go north and west? Toward the Cascades?” Her voice held an excited edge. If he didn’t know better, he’d think she was eager to get back to her home range.
Bob had made it down the mountain and onto the back roads that would eventually lead him to the main highway. By that point, he’d have to make a choice.
“I guess we could aim for Spokane. If one of my brothers can get a plane up there that we can trust, I could drop you off on my way. But it’s going to take hours and hours to get there. Hell, it’ll take a few hours just to get across the Montana border so I can make some calls. If we commit to this plan, it’s going to be a hell of a juggling act.”
“But it’ll get you to Jezza faster. I don’t want my safety to come at his expense. He risked a lot to help me. I can do no less for him.” She was adamant in her stance and Bob had to respect her feelings.
There was a streak of nobility in her that he hadn’t quite expected, but found enchanting. Everything about her enchanted him. Damn. He had it bad.
Bob followed the winding back roads, having turned on his headlights as soon as he’d joined the country road off the mountain. Now his job was to blend in. The battered appearance of the outside of his SUV did that very well—as long as he didn’t do anything to draw attention, like drive through the night with no headlights. Or speed. Or drive aggressively. He had to keep it slow and steady. Under the speed limit. Nonchalant.
It was going to be a long trip to the border before he could start making calls.