by J. H. Croix
“Where?”
Phoebe deduced Jake wouldn’t let her get a word in edgewise until she showed him how minimal her injuries were. She glanced at Roxanne who mouthed, “I told you so.”
Phoebe pulled the collar of her blouse out of the way to reveal the sliver of skin Theo’s claw had caught when he’d knocked her down. The scratch was bright red and only deep enough to be annoying. She figured it would itch like hell in a day or two.
Jake’s breath hissed through his teeth and his shoulders settled. “He didn’t hurt you when he knocked you over?”
Phoebe shrugged. “I’ll probably have some bruising tomorrow, but nothing major.” She stood, deciding enough was enough and shoved his shirt out of the way to see how far the scratch extended. “You’re in much worse shape than me. What the hell happened?”
When she tugged at his shirt, the vicious red line wove its way out of sight. She turned to Roxanne. “Go get the first aid kit out of my bathroom.” Turning back to Jake, she pushed his jacket off his shoulders. “Kitchen,” she ordered.
Jake opened his mouth to protest, and she glared at him. “I need better light. Go.” She gestured for him to walk ahead of her and followed him into the kitchen. Tugging a stool away from the counter, she pointed for him to sit. He started to protest, but appeared to think better of it when he saw the look in her eyes. He sat while Roxanne returned with her first aid kit. Phoebe pulled his shirt off to find he’d sustained multiple deep scratches on his chest and back. She fought to keep her emotions under control. This was Jake, the man she’d loved for as long as she could remember. The last few weeks had stitched her heart so close to his, she couldn’t fathom a world without him. Seeing the evidence of the scuffle with Theo heightened her fear and worry about the events swirling around Catamount shifters. Callen had died for reasons they still didn’t fully comprehend. Jake was in the middle of all of it, and she knew she couldn’t stand it if something happened to him. Her throat tight and her heart beating painfully, she took a deep breath and marshaled her control.
With Roxanne quietly handing over items she requested, Phoebe quickly cleaned the scratches and bandaged them. Though a few were quite deep, they were just shy of needing stitches, not that Jake would have allowed it if she’d suggested he needed stitches. While she worked, he quickly filled her and Roxanne in on the rapid succession of events. Shana arrived mid-conversation. After the brief interruption for Shana to confirm Phoebe was okay, Jake continued.
“Honestly, all we did was show up to question him. He didn’t have enough sense to keep his cool. I left before I learned anything new. Dane said he’d call with any updates.” He caught Shana’s eyes. “Anything happen after I left?”
Shana shook her head. “Hank decided it would be better to get him to the station for questioning.”
Phoebe stepped away and leaned against the counter. “So what now?”
Jake shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
Roxanne glanced between them. “This is bullshit. We’ve got to find out everyone local who’s involved. I understand this smuggling network is way more than local, but we need to know who we can trust around here.”
Jake nodded. “Agreed. I’m hoping maybe Theo has enough sense to talk. Otherwise, we’ll all keep working on it.”
Shana rested her hips on the table and shook her head sharply. “I was hoping we’d go to Montana and get this cleared up. All it did was give us more questions. Have you heard from Hayden since we got back?” she asked, directing her question to Jake.
Jake nodded. “A few emails, but nothing new. Hayden said from the start he didn’t think the shifters involved in Bozeman were any different than Callen. They aren’t running the show, they’re just in it for the cash.”
Phoebe swallowed the fear welling in her throat. Not only did she fear for Jake’s safety, but also the safety of many other close friends and family. Roxanne glanced around the room. “I need to head back to the store. Come with me,” she said, gesturing to Shana. “That’ll be ground zero for rumors about who saw what tonight.” She grabbed her jacket off a kitchen chair and shrugged into it. With a wave and a worried smile, she pecked Phoebe on the cheek and left with Shana right behind her.
Phoebe met Jake’s eyes, so blue they took her breath away. He lounged on the kitchen stool. Leave it to him to manage to lounge in such a situation. His muscled chest and arms were scattered with scratches and bruises, now intermingled with a few bandages over the worst of them. He reached a hand out and hooked a finger over her jeans, tugging her to him. He instantly engulfed her in his arms and threaded his hand in his hair, holding her head close beside his.
She could feel the beat of his heart as she stood in the cradle of his protective embrace. He was quiet, but she could feel the tension vibrating through him. The tears she’d been holding back welled, one splashing through her lashes and landing on his shoulder. His breath drew in sharply and he pulled back incrementally, nudging her chin up with his knuckles.
“That scared the hell out of me,” he whispered fiercely. “Now you’re breaking my heart. I’m fine. You don’t need to be worried.”
She knuckled her tears away. “Yes I do! I just want this to stop. I want to find everyone who’s involved here and run them out of town. I can deal with people halfway across the country being involved in this bullshit, but not right here. I don’t want to see you end up dead like Callen!”
Jake closed his eyes for a moment, his shoulders rising and falling with a deep breath. “That’s not gonna happen,” he said firmly.
“You don’t know that.” She took a shaky breath, willing herself to calm down.
Jake tucked a wayward curl behind her ear, smoothing his hand over her hair. He met her gaze again. “I can promise you I’ll do my damnedest to stay safe. I don’t know how long it will take, but we’ll figure this out.”
Phoebe met his eyes and felt the ground give way beneath her. Emotions rushed through her in a wave. It was too much to finally allow her heart free rein to explore the feelings she’d buried for Jake, to experience the exhilaration of actually being skin to skin with him, and to fear for his life all at the same time. His eyes darkened. His lips crashed against hers, and she was lost. Sensation thundered through her, sweeping her in its wake.
Jake’s touch was everywhere at once. His lips hot on her neck, the rough skin of his palms heightening the fervor inside of her. Clothes were scattered and the kitchen stool kicked over. Molten heat built in her center and spiraled outward. Sensation teemed within her as he lifted her roughly in his arms, resting her hips on the edge of the kitchen table. The spike of arousal arced higher with every touch. He tugged her roughly against him, his cock hot and hard against her core. He rocked his hips into her, claiming her lips in another searing kiss. She could hardly catch her breath. He pulled away, a sharp tug on her bottom lip with his teeth.
He murmured her name as he looked down between them, dragging the head of his cock back and forth through her slick folds. Pressure gathered within. She teetered on the delicious edge of release, but he didn’t allow her to topple over yet. When she gasped his name between ragged breaths, pleading for him to fill her, he finally did. He surged inside, sheathing himself fully inside the wet clench of her channel. Desire clawed within her, she was almost drunk with it. He held still for a long moment.
“Phoebe, look at me.”
His voice was low and taut. She dragged her eyes to meet his. His gaze was hot, electric and tender at once. His forehead fell to hers and he began to move, slowly rotating in and out of her, driving her higher and higher. Quivers began to build inside of her until he grabbed her hips, his fingers digging into her skin, and growled her name. The gathering storm exploded, rushing over her, through her and around her. As she throbbed and clenched his heated length, he cried out, arching away from her before his head fell to her shoulder as he shuddered in her arms. After an indeterminate amount of time, awareness returned. She heard the soft crackle of t
he dying fire in the other room and the wind whipping through the trees outside.
Epilogue
Snow fell steadily, gusting in swirls with the wind. Christmas morning had dawned cold and misty, the air heavy with the scent of impending snow. Jake looked out the window of Phoebe’s kitchen into the woods behind her house. The balsam boughs were heavy with snow. A stately oak, bare of leaves, stretched into the sky, its branches softly dusted with snow. A blue jay squawked and burst from the trees, landing on a bird feeder that hung in front of the kitchen window, its feathers a bright speck of color in the white background.
Phoebe walked into the kitchen, toweling her hair dry. Her dark curls hung around her shoulders. She was stunning. Not a speck of makeup on and her beauty shone through with her dark eyes sparkling, her lips bright and full, and her cheeks flushed. He pushed away from the counter and pulled her close for a kiss. She flushed deeper, a hint of uncertainty flickering in her eyes. Jake knew without a doubt that she loved him, but he sensed she retained a lingering disbelief that he felt the same.
He leaned away from her and rested his hips against the counter, sliding his hands into the pockets of her jeans. “What do I have to do to get you to stop wondering if this is real?”
Her eyes widened, and her breath drew in sharply. She started to shake her head. He arched a brow. “Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. I suppose I have years to show you, but I might as well say it again. I’ve loved you for years. I was an idiot for way too long. I don’t want to be with anyone other than you. Ever. Before you start thinking it to death, just remember that I’m not going anywhere, so we have the rest of our lives for me to convince you. In the meantime…”
He slid one hand out of her pocket and into his, pulling out a small box. Phoebe’s eyes flew to his, damp with tears. He cleared his throat. “After this week, I decided I don’t want to wait for the right time. The right time is now. I can wait if you’re not ready to answer. This is my grandmother’s wedding ring. She gave it to me before she died and made me promise I wouldn’t even take it out until I knew who I was meant to be with.” He paused, his throat tight with emotion. “Then she said not to be stubborn about it. So that’s why I’m giving you this now. I wasted a lot of time being stubborn for reasons that don’t make much sense to me now. I’d love it if you were ready to wear this, but until then, you can keep it here.”
He’d thought this through over and over the last few days ever since he’d chased Theo through town. He thought he was ready for her to tell him she wanted to wait, but right here, right now…the thought terrified him. Phoebe was the single most important woman in his life, and he loved her completely. No one could ever hold the place she held inside in his heart. If she wasn’t ready, he would wait, but he’d rather not.
Her dark eyes met his, a tear rolling out of the corner. He brushed it away with the back of his hand. She took a breath, her eyes softening. “It would be silly of me to act like I didn’t already know my answer. I’m still getting used to…” She paused and gestured between them. “…us. But I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember.” She carefully opened the small box and held still for a long moment. His grandmother’s ring was platinum with a bright sapphire surrounded by tiny diamonds.
Phoebe looked up, her eyes bright with tears. She held her hand out for him to slide the ring on, her hand trembling softly. He laced his hands through hers and brought his lips to hers. They breathed in unison when he broke away.
“It’s Christmas,” she said softly. “We have to get going. I promised Roxanne I’d be there this morning to help cook.”
Jake nodded. “I know. I’m ready whenever you are.”
***
Phoebe glanced around at the room filled with friends and family. Catamount was home and contained all the people and shifters she loved the most. Though uncertainty reigned with the specter of recent events heavy, today was a day of celebration and community. Roxanne’s Country Store was the central gathering place among the older Catamount shifter families and a few others. Her commercial kitchen made cooking much easier. The air was scented with hot cider, baked goods and ham.
Phoebe glanced down at her hand as she set a basket of fresh baked rolls on the table. Her heart stuttered at the sight of the beautiful ring Jake had given her this morning. She couldn’t have made him wait if her life depended on it. He’d zeroed in on her lingering difficulty with accepting the joy that pervaded her heart, but it wasn’t because she doubted him. It was simply so new, she needed time to adjust. After hours this morning of exclamations and the obvious joy their friends and family felt over their joining, she’d managed to forget, if only for a brief while, the fear and worry that had hung over Catamount since Callen had died and the lid on his secrets had blown off.
Jake stood across the room, conveniently standing in the archway leading into the back hallway where a small clutch of mistletoe hung. Phoebe threaded her way across the room, brushing her hands on her apron. When she reached his side, she didn’t have to say a word. Jake lifted a hand, tucking a curl behind her ear, shivers chasing in the wake of his touch. His hand moved seamlessly down the side of her neck and around her shoulder, pulling her close for a kiss. It was mere seconds of sheer bliss, hot, searing and breath stealing. When he pulled away, his blue eyes met hers, possessive, tender and fiery at once.
Phoebe felt a nudge on her shoulder and glanced over to find Chloe grinning at her. “No hogging the mistletoe,” she said.
Jake chuckled and moved out of the way, tugging Phoebe with him, his arm snug around her shoulders.
Hours later, they walked outside into the night. Holiday lights sparkled on the old lampposts lining the streets. Snow had fallen throughout the day and was finally slowing now. A fluffy, blanket of white coated the landscape, bright under the lights and the soft glow of the moon. Stars dotted the sky as they drove through the darkness. Though she knew there was much more to come until Catamount shifters were safe again, for tonight, the man who’d been her touchstone in more ways than one held her heart and body safe.
~The End~
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Please enjoy the following excerpt from Fated Mate, the next book in the Catamount Lion Shifters Series!
(Excerpt from FATED MATE, CATAMOUNT LION SHIFTERS, BOOK 3 by J.H. Croix; all rights reserved)
Chapter 1
Liliana North watched the snow float down around her as she stood beside her car on the side of the road. It was an early winter morning in Catamount, Maine with snow barely falling as the clouds cleared. The sun was cresting the horizon, its rays bright against the wintery white landscape. The road wound through the outskirts of Catamount, a wooded tract of land on one side and a field on the other. The scent of balsam fir was sharp in the cold air. She leaned over to check her tire.
“Definitely flat,” she said to herself. A crow squawked in reply. She glanced up to see the crow had landed on the roof of her car, watching her curiously. She glared at the crow who might be providing her some company, but would be of no help with her flat tire. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and sighed. Reception was notoriously spotty anywhere on the outskirts of Catamount. Catamount was situated in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, the hills and valleys making merry with cell phone reception.
Liliana, Lily to those who knew and loved her, tugged her jacket tighter around her and looked down the road. It was just past seven in the morning, and she didn’t expect too many drivers at this hour. Shaking her head, she set to work changing her tire. Moments later, she managed to send two of the tire lug nuts rolling on the icy surface and had to shimmy under her car to recapture them. She was on the ground, the snow cold against her back when she heard a car come to a stop and footsteps slowly make their way toward her.
“Need any help?”
The voice was low, gravelly, most definitely male…and sexy. Seriously? How can you think a voice is sexy when you don’t even know the man attached to it? Lily rolled her eyes and brushed her hair out of her face. She knew the answer to her mind’s taunting question. She was twenty-eight years old and somehow, despite her best efforts, she was still a virgin. Lately, she had sex on the brain. Between a few members of her inner circle falling in love lately and her own annoyance with her virginity, she couldn’t seem to stop herself from assessing every man who crossed her path. Yeah, but this is just some random guy who stopped to help you by the road. She wished she had an off button for her tendency to converse with herself. She considered whether to tell the man with the sexy voice to carry on. She could use the help though because she wasn’t so sure her spare tire was in good enough shape to use.
She stretched and curled her fingers around the last of the errant lug nuts. Holding them firmly in her grip, she wiggled her way out from under her car and almost choked when her eyes landed on Noah Jasper. Tall, dark, smoldering, enigmatic, and most definitely sexy as hell—that was Noah Jasper. Lily had many fantasies about Noah in high school. He’d been two years ahead of her and had half the girls in Catamount drooling over him. He stayed above the fray. To Lily’s knowledge, he’d never dated anyone in Catamount. He’d gone straight to college and then on to the Marines. Rumor had it he’d been in the Special Forces. A few months ago, she heard Noah had moved back to Catamount.
There she was flat on her back in the snow and a flush raced through her at the mere sight of Noah. He leaned forward, stretching his hand out. She placed her hand in his and shivered at the contrasting warmth. Her hand was engulfed in his. Without appearing to exert effort, he steadily pulled her to her feet. Once she was standing, she tucked the lug nuts in her pocket, glanced up into his amber eyes and tried to keep from blushing. His mouth quirked slightly.