Protected Mate (Catamount Lion Shifters #1)

by J. H. Croix

  “I just want to be close to you,” she whispered.

  It was the bare truth. A tiny corner of her mind tried to remind her that this was crazy. She’d been with only one man. Before she’d met Tom in college, her experience with men had been limited to a few kisses. She had lost her virginity to Tom and gone on to have several years of reliably mediocre sex, never even contemplating her body could feel the way it did when she simply got near Dane. She didn’t know what was going to happen, but she wasn’t going to deprive herself of the chance to feel something she’d never felt before.

  She looked up at Dane’s face. His hand was on her hip and her breasts grazed his chest. His eyes were closed, his breathing ragged. Wishing she could move more nimbly, Chloe pushed herself up and placed a hand on his chest. His eyes flew open, dark with desire. She leaned forward and brought her lips to his. The barest touch and he devoured her mouth. He shifted them so she was resting against the pillows again and proceeded to kiss her senseless. Deep, openmouthed, wild kisses.

  Time dissolved into the curtain of passion that fell around them. Chloe succumbed to sensation, tumbling headfirst into the force that pulsed between them. Kisses moved from her lips down her neck to the tops of her breasts. He slowly pushed her robe back off her shoulders. She wore nothing other than a pair of practical cotton panties underneath. She’d wished she had something sexy to wear when she’d called Dane, but when she’d packed for this long hike, so many months ago, she’d been certain sexual encounters would not be on the list of her activities, so she packed only what she needed for months of hiking.

  When Dane leaned up and trailed his fingers down between her breasts, over the soft curve of her belly to trace across the top of her panties, he smiled softly. “So sexy,” he whispered.

  “These?” she asked, gesturing to the white cotton panties.

  “Yes, so practical and perfect. You don’t need to do anything other than be you.”

  “Oh.” She met his eyes and careened into the intensity of his gaze.

  When he brought his lips to her body, he began a slow exploration that left her breathless, gasping and half out of her mind. He mapped her body with his lips and tongue, careful not to dislodge the bandages on her leg. His touch was light and sure at once. He stroked, licked and nipped. Her breasts were aching for more, and her desire built to a wet frenzy in her core. When he finally closed his lips over a nipple, she almost cried in relief. He proceeded to bring her higher and higher by teasing her nipples with suction, rolling the hard peaks between his fingers, and softly biting.

  “Dane…” she gasped fitfully.

  “I’m here.”

  “I…ahhh…need…”

  “This?”

  He asked just as he slid his fingers through her curls to stroke into her folds, which were drenched with her desire. Her hips bucked against his hand. Everything was a blur. His hard body beside hers, emanating heat and barely restrained lust. His fingers teased her, grazing over her clit, dipping into and out of her channel—over and over and over again. She teetered on the edge. Just when she thought she could bear no more, he drove two fingers in deeply, his thumb caressing her precisely where she needed it. Her climax ripped through her.

  She floated down in a haze. Dane’s hand stilled before he shifted and dragged it up to rest on the soft curve of her abdomen. He was leaning on his elbow, his eyes on her. His pulse beat rapidly in his neck. She lifted a hand—she could hardly believe she could move—and rested it against his chest to feel his heart thudding. He still wore his jeans.

  Chloe wasn’t sure what to say when he didn’t move, remaining quiet and still at her side, his presence coiled and intent. She was still reeling from the most explosive orgasm she’d ever had and the one and only she’d had with anyone other than herself. She slipped her hand down his chest, coasting across the front of his jeans and curling around his hard shaft, heat emanating into her palm.

  He swallowed and moved quickly, tugging her hand away and lifting it. He turned it up and placed a soft kiss in her palm. The kiss was like a pebble dropped in water, the ripples starting in her center and reverberating throughout her body. “Not now,” he said gruffly when she looked at him.

  “But…”

  He shook his head sharply. “This has already gone faster and farther than I intended.” He paused, his eyes closing, as he took a deep breath. He appeared to be on the verge of physical pain. When he turned her palm, she idly stroked her thumb across his wrist and almost jumped when she felt his pulse pounding there.

  Dane chuckled. “I want you,” he said baldly, his blue-gray eyes intent. “More than I’ve ever wanted anyone. And that’s why we’re putting a pause on this. I’m not looking for a quick lay. I want much more than that.”

  Chloe took his words in. Though she appreciated his point, her body felt the pierce of disappointment. She wanted more…so much more. Her heart and body sang at his words, but she hadn’t examined her feelings for Dane much. Frankly, the depth and intensity of them in such a short time should have sent alarm bells ringing. But something about Dane simply made her feel safe, protected…and more desired than she’d ever felt in her life. Not to mention, she was more drawn to him that she could even wrap her brain around as evidenced by the fact that she barely knew him and hadn’t even thought twice about dropping her robe open and all but dragging him to bed with her.

  She took a deep breath. “Well then.”

  When she looked up, he smiled, his eyes tipping at the corners, again reminding her of a cat.

  Chapter 5

  The next morning, Dane met Jake at Shana and Callen’s house as planned to continue what they’d started yesterday and hopefully find more answers than questions. Dane got Jake set up on Callen’s computer before getting started on packing for Shana. She’d texted him a short list of items she wanted. He quickly took care of it and loaded the boxes in his truck. Returning to the kitchen, he tugged a chair beside Jake where he sat at the table silently. Though Jake barely moved, he quickly flicked the mouse and scrolled through screens at a rapid pace. He had a flash drive plugged in to save whatever he found.

  “Anything?” Dane asked.

  About the only thing that kept his mind off Chloe were his worries about what happened to Callen. Though even with the looming fear around that, Chloe danced in the edges of his thoughts.

  Jake made a few clicks before answering. “A few leads to chase. The guy that kept popping up in his email, Hayden Thorne, works for Fish and Wildlife. I can’t pin anything on it, but he had a ton of contact with Callen recently, and all of it was about mountain lions and rumors about shifters. He made it sound like he was fascinated with the myth and all that, but he asked a lot of questions. Too many. And I hate that he works for the Feds.”

  “Yeah, that detail makes me more than a little nervous,” Dane replied.

  Jake saved whatever he was working on and ejected the flash drive, pocketing it quickly. He swiveled in the chair and looked at Dane. “So what’s up with Chloe?”

  Dane didn’t even bother hiding it. Jake was a shifter too. He knew damn well what he sensed from Dane yesterday. “She’s mine,” he said simply before catching himself. “Let me rephrase, the cat in me would like to make her mine. But I have some sense, so I’m trying to figure out how the hell to tell her who and what I am.”

  Jake chuckled. “I gathered that’s what you’re hoping, but how serious are you?”

  “More serious than I’ve ever been. As soon as I got near her, I knew she was the one.”

  Jake’s grin faded, his blue eyes becoming thoughtful. “So when exactly do you plan to let her know you’re a shifter? And what that even means?”

  Dane rolled his head around, easing the tension in his neck. “As soon as I can. Just trying to figure out the how and when. I don’t want to put it off. I can’t have her thinking I tried to hide it from her. But damn if I know how to go about it. Any advice?”

  Jake shook his head slowly. �
�You know how it went for me the one time I tried. Not good.”

  Jake had fallen in love with a woman in college. To this day, Dane didn’t think it was love, but rather lust. But when Jake showed her who and what he was, she freaked out. The culmination being that she left campus never to been seen again, but not before she spread plenty of rumors and left the shifters busy debunking the rumor mill. Jake had sworn off any woman who wasn’t a shifter since then, but that definitely limited options. There was also the fact that shifter clans stayed stronger and healthier if they expanded with humans. To find Chloe and feel the way he did with her, Dane didn’t want to lose her. He couldn’t shake the worry of how to tell her and what to do if it didn’t go well.

  Dane nodded. “I know. I’m hoping it won’t go like that with Chloe.” He ran his hands through his hair. “I’ll figure it out.”

  ***

  Chloe walked slowly down the street perusing the various storefronts, carefully maneuvering with the air brace on her ankle. Catamount had a quintessential New England town green surrounded by small business housed in old classical structures. She’d fallen asleep in Dane’s warm embrace last night to awaken alone. He’d sent a text in the early hours of the morning.

  I’m headed home. I have a few things to do in the morning. Will see you later on.

  Simply reading his words sent her heart racing. Dane triggered fantasies and hopes she’d never considered. After her abrupt disillusionment with men and life last year, she’d formed this idea she’d hike the Appalachian Trail and come out of it strong and independent, never feeling like she needed a man ever again. This encounter with Dane was so otherworldly and so unlike anything she’d ever experienced, she had no idea how to incorporate it into whatever vision she’d had for herself. Her body literally craved him to a degree she should have found frightening. And yet, there was that strange comfort she felt with him. As if she’d known him forever.

  A cheerful sign on an old colonial home caught her eye—Roxanne’s Country Store, We have Everything. Unable to resist exploring what ‘everything’ was, Chloe pushed through the door into a warm bustling space. She hadn’t realized she was as chilled as she was until she stepped inside. The late fall air blew in with her. Meandering through the aisles, she found Roxanne’s did have a bit of everything from groceries to hardware to gifts and odds and ends. There was a cluster of people on one side where there was a deli and coffee shop with small tables scattered nearby.

  As she approached the area, she felt the eyes of many on her. She was nothing if not polite, so she smiled and nodded. A stocky woman with blonde hair coiled into a loose bun held in place with a pen stood behind the counter. “Hi there,” the woman in question called out. “Just visiting?”

  Chloe moved to stand by the counter. “Yup. I was hiking the trail and sprained my ankle two days ago,” she said, gesturing to her booted foot.

  The woman leaned across the counter to look. “You sure did. How did you get yourself off the trail?”

  Chloe hesitated for a moment, unsure she could even say Dane’s name without blushing. Several others turned to look at her curiously. “I, uh, ran into a man on the trail, Dane. He helped carry me out.”

  The woman behind the counter smiled widely. “You couldn’t have found a better guy to run into. I bet he also took care of that ankle for you,” she said with a wink.

  Chloe blushed as she nodded.

  The woman chuckled. “That’s Dane. I’m Roxanne, by the way.”

  “Oh, is this your store? It’s great! You do have a bit of everything.”

  Roxanne chuckled. “We try to.”

  Chloe couldn’t help her curiosity about Dane. “How do you know Dane?”

  “Hard not to know Dane if you live around here. His family’s one of the oldest ones in town. He and his sister are the fourth generation in their family here. He’s a good guy and damn good doctor. You’re lucky you ran into him out there.”

  Chloe thought back to last night when she’d all but gone up in flames in his arms and considered that perhaps, she was lucky in ways Roxanne didn’t have in mind. But she smiled and nodded. “How long have you lived in Catamount?”

  Roxanne didn’t hesitate. “Oh, I was born here, just like Dane. My grandfather started this store back when I was a baby. Named it after me from the start.”

  “Hey Roxanne, any news about Callen?” A man asked as he approached the counter from the front of the store.

  Chloe turned to see Jake who she’d met with Dane when they were having lunch yesterday. His eyes landed on her, and he smiled politely. He was tall and lanky with golden brown hair and blue eyes that shared the same cat-like quality Dane’s eyes had, titling at the corners.

  “Not much. They ran another story about that mountain lion that got hit in Connecticut though,” Roxanne replied.

  Though Chloe had now known Roxanne for a total of roughly three minutes, she sensed Roxanne was trying to convey something to Jake. Her curiosity piqued, Chloe watched Jake.

  His eyes flicked to Chloe and back to Roxanne before he nodded. “Oh right. Yeah, people are flipping out over that one. Don’t know why they’re so damn surprised. My guess is mountain lions have traveled that far many times. Without something concrete like that tracking device to prove it, no one even thinks it’s possible.”

  He turned to Chloe. “How’s your ankle?”

  “Pretty good, but then it’s in this brace, so it’s not like it can move much. I’m hobbling around okay though.”

  Jake nodded. “Glad you ran into Dane. Couldn’t have happened upon a better guy after you got hurt out there.”

  Chloe nodded. “I know. I didn’t want to need a doctor in the middle of the woods, but finding one was a definite plus.”

  Jake’s blue eyes searched her face. “So how long do you plan to stay in Catamount?”

  She thought for a moment, feeling several pairs of eyes turn to her at Jake’s question. She had enough sense to know this was a small enough place that curiosity would run high about any newcomers. Though she couldn’t say she knew how long she planned to stay, she knew with certainty she wanted to stay long enough to explore whatever lay between her and Dane. What that meant, she didn’t know, but she wasn’t walking away. She decided the truth would be the best answer.

  “I don’t know. But at the moment, I don’t have any plans to leave,” she replied simply.

  Jake’s brows rose, prompting her to explain further. “When I decided to hike the Appalachian Trail, I didn’t have any plans for what I’d do when I finished. Now I’m here, so I figure I might as well stay a bit.”

  Jake nodded, a slow smile spreading on his face. “Okay then. Well, make sure Dane shows you around. Ask him to take you out to Shadow Rock. Tell him I told you to.”

  At that, he winked at her and turned to leave before she had a chance to ask him what he meant. Chloe looked back at Roxanne who had a speculative gleam in her eyes.

  Unlike Jake, Roxanne didn’t bother with cryptic references. “So, Dane must like you then,” she said with a grin.

  Chloe blushed, hating for the thousandth time that she was a blusher. She couldn’t hide what she felt. She held Roxanne’s gaze and shrugged. “Maybe?”

  Roxanne burst out laughing. “Oh dear, he absolutely likes you. Do as Jake says and ask him to take you to Shadow Rock.”

  “Where’s Shadow Rock and why should I ask Dane to take me there?” Chloe’s curiosity notched higher. It was clear they were trying to push her in a direction. She was uncertain about what they thought she needed to see…or know.

  Roxanne’s laugh quieted and her gaze sobered. “I’ll keep it simple. It’s an important spot for Dane. If you like him anywhere near as much as it looks like you do, then you need to know what matters to him.”

  Chloe didn’t know how it was possible, but she blushed even harder, her face hot. She ignored it. “How much does it look like I like him?”

  Roxanne smiled, he
r smile soft and warm now. “Honey, you’re blushing like a schoolgirl. I may not know much, but I have some sense. Maybe it’s just a crush, but you don’t strike me as that type. And if Jake is telling you to ask Dane to take you to Shadow Rock, he knows Dane is in deep. Now if you ask me how that could happen so fast, I can’t tell you, but there’s a few areas I trust my instincts and matters of the heart are one of ‘em.”

  Chloe felt Roxanne’s words jolt through her. Crazy though she’d have thought all of this a year ago, in this moment, it felt right and true. She took a deep breath and nodded, her blush fading the tiniest bit.

  “Okay then. Well, I guess I’ll ask Dane to take me to Shadow Rock. Is there anything I should know before I do?”

  Roxanne looked at her carefully and sighed. “Probably, but it’s not for me to tell you. Do me a favor and don’t forget that not everything is as it seems. We all have our heart underneath it all and that’s what matters.”

  A prickle of awareness ran up Chloe’s spine followed by a flash of annoyance that Roxanne was now being as cryptic as Jake. She lifted her chin and eyed Roxanne. “Oh, so now you too?”

  Roxanne appeared to know exactly what Chloe meant. She shrugged and grinned. “Hey, I’m as straight as I can be, but this is Dane’s to explain.”

  “Fair enough. I’ll be asking him today.” She shifted carefully on her feet and turned to leave. “Nice to meet you, Roxanne.”

  “Ditto. I hope to see you again soon,” Roxanne said with a wide smile.

  Chloe walked out, disconcerted by the cryptic comments by Jake and Roxanne. She worried Dane was hiding something from her—but she trusted him. But then again, she’d trusted Tom and that had turned out to be a sham.

  Chapter 6

  Dane strode up to Chloe’s hotel door and knocked. She opened the door wide and smiled. He reined in the urge to pick her up and take them right back to where they’d been last night, tangled up in each other’s arms. Her honey hair fell in tousled waves around her shoulders. Her forest green eyes were bright and…curious.