“You take the chair.” Tyler gestured to the one available oversized chair. I’ll pull up a chair from over there.
Without waiting for an answer, he went off in search of a chair. She sat in the soft comfy chair and curled her UGG clad feet under her.
“Found one,” Tyler said, positioning the chair next to hers.
“I hate for you to have to sit in that.” The wooden straight back chair looked anything but comfortable.
“It’s my gentlemanly duty.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Is that so? What happened to let-me-give-you-a-massage guy? The guy who used to sit in this very chair with me?”
“Ah ha.”
“Ah ha, what?”
“So, you do remember?”
“Of course, I remember.” She wondered why they hadn’t been kicked out of the lodge. She remembered some fairly amorous nights here. It was a big chair with its back to the room. Maybe no one noticed.
He rested one ankle over his other leg and leaned his arm on the side of her chair. “Cozy huh?”
It didn’t seem fair for her to have the whole chair to herself. “You can sit with me.”
“I’m good here.”
“You don’t look all that comfortable.”
He didn’t answer; he just grinned at her.
“Okay. Suit yourself.” She rested her head on the back of the chair and closed her eyes.
Someone came in through the back door bringing a rush of cold air with them. She shivered and longed for a blanket.
Her eyes flew open as Tyler climbed into the chair next to her. She smiled to herself. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him.
After a moment’s resistance, she relaxed against him. It felt right being in his arms again. He linked his fingers with hers and rested his chin on the top of her head. Anyone looking at them would doubtless think they were lovers.
Her cheeks heated as she remembered the first night she’d been back here. They had been lovers that night. Maybe not in the complete sense of the word, but enough.
It was hard not to think about his hands on her as they sat cuddled together. But maybe he was no longer interested in her that way. It had been a stressful week, and maybe he didn’t like what he’d learned about her.
“A penny for your thoughts.” His voice was soft, intimate.
“Um. I can’t tell you.”
“Yeah. Why not?”
“It wouldn’t be appropriate.”
“I doubt there’s anything you could tell me that I would consider inappropriate.”
“That’s good to know.”
He waited a beat. “You still didn’t tell me.”
She laughed softly against his chest. “And I’m not going to.”
He nudged her back enough to put a finger beneath her chin. He shifted and pressed his lips against hers. She trembled with an unusual sense of completeness.
Then their arms were around each other, their lips teasing and sucking, as their breath became one.
She wanted more. All sane thought left her brain.
Fortunately, he seemed to have some ability to reason left. “Wait,” he murmured between kisses. “Not here. Come with me.”
They stood up, straightened their clothes, but no one seemed to be paying them any mind. The man in the other chair was gone, leaving it empty. Riley didn’t want to think about what he must have thought about them.
Hand in hand, they went out the back door. The cold evening wind struck Riley in the face and she could think again. She hadn’t brought a coat. “My coat.”
He shrugged out of his jacket and helped her into it. Again, her senses were overwhelmed by his scent. She was going with Tyler Vargas to his cabin. She only had two more days here before she headed back to New York. One night after tonight. She told herself it was going to be an interlude, a one-time thing. She waited for the hesitation to kick in; waited for the logical part of her brain to tell her it wasn’t a good idea.
It didn’t happen. Not a day had passed that a thought about Tyler hadn’t crossed her mind. And technically, she was the one who had left him.
She couldn’t put all the blame on him. Nonetheless, they were who they were now as a result of going their separate ways. He had been a pro baseball player, and she had a Master’s degree in counseling. There was no way to know if they would have been the same people if they had stayed together. They may not even have left the county.
Shivering from the cold, they ran down a path toward his cabin. She stood and waited while he unlocked the door. The cabin was furnished with the standard ranch décor. Tyler kept a neat place. She didn’t see anything personal except for an open book on the end table and a stack of mail on the kitchen counter.
She felt a little anxious now that she was in his space. He took his jacket from her, tossed it on the sofa, and sweeping her hair aside, kissed her neck. Her anxiety was replaced by tingles that ran up and down her spine.
What if shifters have one predetermined mate?
She pushed the thought away as nonsense. How many times had she counseled an abandoned spouse about how there was more than one - the one - for everybody? It was illogical to think that people have only one soul mate.
Then Tyler’s hands were on her bare skin, and her brain stopped thinking about anything other than the feel of his hands on her.
He bent down, picked her up, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. His lips found hers as he carried her to his bedroom.
He laid her gently on the bed and climbed up beside her. As he bent over her, his lips locked with hers, taking her breath away as his hands tangled in her hair.
She slipped her hands under his t-shirt and ran her fingers along his firm back. He straddled her, supporting himself on his elbows as his lips moved to her ear lobe. First one, then across to the other. He took his time, like he had nowhere else he had to be – ever – and wanted to kiss every inch of her.
Unlike the other night in the alcove, tonight he was slow and gentle. She wrapped her arms around his back and pulled until he lay on top of her. Now she could feel the length of him, separated only by their clothes.
He shifted and, lifting her sweater, kissed her stomach, starting on one side, then inched his way across to the other side. Then he zigzagged his way up until his lips bumped into her bra. His fingers slipped under the bottom of her bra, grazing the bottom of her breasts.
She arched her back, wanting more. He pulled her sweater up over her head and tossed it aside. She reached for the bottom of his t-shirt and pulled it over his head.
He moved his lips to her collarbone while he pushed her bra straps onto her shoulders. His lips travelled to the top edge of her bra, his tongue dipping just below its edge. She moaned and lifted her arms behind her head, giving him free reign.
His lips and tongue darted and dipped until she didn’t think she could take anymore. He reached around and deftly unhooked her bra. She gasped lightly as he removed her bra and tossed it aside, too. He gazed at her in darkness broken only by moonlight. Then his fingers swept over her already-hardened nipples. His fingers caressed and teased. Then he licked and kissed. When he began to suckle first one nipple, then the other, she felt the pleasure all the way to her core.
She locked her fingers behind her head and strained against him. While his lips suckled one breast, his fingers caressed the other. The pressure built inside her until she began to move against him. She spread her legs and pressed her heels against the sheets, but he kept his attention on her breasts. The sensation grew until she orgasmed with a little cry.
She hadn’t even known that it was even possible to orgasm just from breast stimulation. He pulled her against him as the waves of pleasure passed through her. “I’ve got you,” he murmured against her ear.
She clung to him, fisting her hands in his hair, whimpering helplessly against him.
When she’d calmed, she opened her eyes and looked at him with wonder. “Wow.” She breathed.
“Stay with me.” He smoothed her hair, twirling the ends around his fingers.
“Okay,” she said.
Chapter Fourteen
Riley had thought she’d fallen for Tyler before, but in that moment, with his arms wrapped around her, her heart was lost to him. She wiped a tear from her cheek as he shifted away. He reached for her sweater and pulled it over her head.
“Come on,” he said, standing up and holding her hand to help her from the bed. She followed, curious why he would be pulling her from the bed when he’d only just gotten her there. It didn’t match his reputation in any way.
He led her out to the sofa and grabbed a thick, downy throw which he placed over her after she sat down. “Wait here while I build a fire.” He already had logs stacked in the fireplace, so using a lighter and kindling, he soon had the fire blazing.
Riley was confused about this. He’d had her in his bed, and he hadn’t even begun to finish what he’d started.
He sat on the sofa and joined her under the blanket, wrapping his arms around her. She snuggled close, waiting to see what he had in mind.
“I thought we’d talk a bit,” he said.
“Okay. Is something wrong? Do you feel bad?” Her mind raced with so many possibilities.
“Everything is perfect. I just don’t feel a need to rush. Are you okay with that?”
“Sure.” She’d never known a man who would give up the opportunity to put aside his
own needs to talk. Especially not when she’d been ready and willing in his bed.
“Tell me about your life in New York.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Anything. What’s a typical day like?”
“Well… I get up around six in the morning, shower, dress, and head out.” He sat quietly, so she continued. “I walk to work. It’s about six blocks. I stop by Starbuck’s and pick up a latte, and I get a bagel from a little bagel shop. About once a week, I go to a little diner and have eggs.” She shrugged. “It’s an indulgence. I get to the hospital, go to my office, and check for any lab results that might have come in. I review the case for my morning’s client. I usually see them at ten o’clock.”
“You only see one couple in the morning?”
She nodded. “I like to have plenty of time to prepare, and I often spend up to two hours with them, so I usually put new clients in the mornings.”
“Do you go out for lunch?”
“Sometimes. But I usually go the cafeteria have either a salad or a grilled cheese. It depends on what I had for breakfast.” She pulled back to see if he was still awake. “Do you want me to keep going?”
“Yes.” He began to lightly massage her shoulders, and she sat for moment enjoying the sensation of the tension melting away. “In the afternoons, I usually have another client or a returning couple or sometimes I meet with doctors to staff different cases.”
“It sounds like you have a fairly decent job.”
“It doesn’t sound like much, but I have a lot to keep up with regarding testing. I try to set some time aside every day to read some in the literature or to explore different resources available to clients.”
“What about in the evenings?”
“I usually walk home. I either stop and get something to eat or something to make at home.”
“What about friends?”
“I don’t really have any friends. I spend a lot of time interacting with others at work, so I enjoy my quiet time in the evenings. I do have a work friend whose office is next to mine. His name is Benson. We often look at test results together to make sure we don’t miss anything.”
“You have a work husband.”
“A what?”
“A work husband. Someone you do things at work with. Do you go to lunch together?”
“Everyday. And sometimes after work we walk over and have a martini together, but I don’t see him after that except for work.”
“Good. Everyone should have a work husband.”
She laughed. “Do you have one?”
“Nah. I was never so fortunate. Besides, it’s different in baseball.”
“What now? For you, I mean.”
“I don’t know.” He took her hand. Played with her fingers. “I guess I’m content right now. My parents live in town, and my siblings are here. I like being close to them.”
“I didn’t think to ask about your family. Are they well?”
“They’re good. You’ve had a lot on your plate since you got here.”
“I guess I have. But still…” Tyler had done so much for her. Going to the hospital with her when her father was having a heart attack... And she hadn’t even had the decency to ask after his family.
“Riley. Stop beating yourself up.”
“I don’t think that’s possible.”
“You’re too hard on yourself.”
“You don’t think you’ll return to baseball?”
“Nah. They don’t want a guy who can’t run.”
“It’s your ACL, right? You can have surgery and recover.”
“I had a one-year probationary period in my contract.”
“But… there are other things you can do, though?”
“With it being only six months, I’m out.”
She put her forehead against his chest. That explained a lot. Why he was here. Why he hadn’t had surgery. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. After college, then three years of hell, I’m enjoying the change of pace.”
She tried to imagine what strength it had taken for him to get here. Baseball was in his blood. Giving it up had to take a huge toll.
“So… you said you’d stay.”
“I did.”
“Ready for some sleep?”
“Sure.” The fire was beginning to die down, taking with it the warmth and glow of the room as he took her hand and led her back to the bedroom.
He gave her an oversized Cardinals t-shirt to sleep in. She took it with her to the bathroom and got ready for bed as best she could.
Still confused by him, she went back and crawled into bed with him. He snuggled up behind her, and with his arms wrapped around her, they fell asleep.
Chapter Fifteen
Riley woke having a vivid erotic dream. She moaned as her body caught on fire as she imagined Tyler kissing her earlobe with his hands splayed across her breasts.
As she slowly came awake under the hazy influence of arousal, she realized it wasn’t a dream. It was still dark, but the predawn light was creeping through the window.
It had snowed last night. She could tell by the quietness outside. That was the last coherent thought she had as his mouth closed over her nipple.
She was fully awake now. And the hardness of his shaft was pressed against her thigh. Then his hands were everywhere, but his lips were on hers. “Riley,” he murmured. She turned her head as he rained a trail of kisses down her neck, then back up. “It’s always been you.”
She wanted him. She wanted all of him. Inside her. She spread her legs and arched toward him.
As he sucked on her bottom lip, his hardness pressed against her. She ran her fingers along his back, and then he slowly pushed inside her. She inhaled sharply as she took him, then wrapped her legs around him.
She could feel him all through her. It was a sensation she’d only had one other time before. She’d thought it was because it was her first time, but now she knew it was him. She held onto him as he moved against her.
He put his hands beneath her butt and shifted her against him. She gasped as she felt her body begin the wave toward an orgasm. He kept his hands beneath her bottom, his fingers pressing against the soft skin near her opening.
She whimpered against his ear as she came against him, every nerve-ending exploding. Then he came inside her, whispering her name as he lost control.
They held tightly onto each other, her body shooting shock waves through her. Then, he pulled out slowly, carefully, and gathered her against him.
“I love
you.” His words were soft, and she almost thought she’d imagined them. Nonetheless, she echoed them back to him as she fell asleep. She knew now why she’d been compelled to show Tyler her inner tiger all those years ago after they’d made love. The experience with him was nothing less than magical.
Tyler smiled as he held her to him. Wasn’t he the one who was supposed to fall asleep? He couldn’t remember a time when he wasn’t in love with Riley Harrison. It was so clear to him now. He’d had other girlfriends, but he’d never felt this strong connection with anyone else.
Fated mates.
Even if she wasn’t a shifter, she was his soul mate.
Now he just had to convince her that they were destined to be together.
Chapter Sixteen
“So… Father. Since you brought up that thing we don’t talk about.”
“I don’t mind talking about the shifting, Boo.”
She smiled at the nickname he hadn’t used since she was a child. “So… I’ve read a few novels about shifters.”
“Yeah. So have I.” He grimaced.
“They all have different rules for shifting. Some can turn their mate into an animal. And some leave a mark when they… you know.” There were some things she couldn’t… wouldn’t talk to her father about. “I’m not sure which if any of those are true.”
Her father nodded.
Riley stirred her hot chocolate. “But there’s one thing they all have in common.” She sipped, stalling for time. Somehow this was the most important piece of information that she needed from her father. “They all mate for life with someone they’re destined to be with.”
Her father nodded. “That’s what they say.”
“But how can that even begin to be true? With millions of people out there, how does that even happen? I walk around New York, and I pass someone different every day. People I’ll never see again. What if my mate lives in… I don’t know. Georgia? How am I supposed to find him?”
Her father set down his mug and grinned smugly at her. “Riley, you’re thinking about this too much.”
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