by Vivian Arend
Her whole body tightened. “Really? Doesn’t seem that complicated to me. I hired you to fly me to Dawson and then farther north. Did you need more time to arrange tickets or file for permission or something? I assumed you’d have everything all in place since I prepaid a deposit. I seem to remember receiving confirmation that the trip was a go.”
Shaun wiggled like a two year old, and Evan hid his grin. The irresponsible devil had something on his mind, and for the first time in history, he wasn’t simply spitting out everything without a thought. Maybe this mate business would be what it took to make Shaun live up to his full potential.
Evan watched the impending fireworks with interest, even as he played with the back of Caroline’s neck, caressing her skin, enjoying himself immensely.
She glanced at him, but he ignored the question on her face. Their conversation would come after the two lovebirds in front of them either spontaneously combusted or settled down.
Shaun nodded slowly. “I have the flights arranged, only the timing isn’t right for a direct trip. It’s best if we head up to Dawson City on Saturday and spend some time there looking around. We have to wait for word that the herd has moved past the Porcupine River before we can leave.”
A sharp acknowledgement from Gem. “I mentioned that in my request—I knew there would be matters of timing to deal with. That’s why the sightseeing tour was added in. I did research, you know.”
“Yes, but—” Shaun slammed his mouth shut.
Evan twisted in his seat, tempted to bury his face in Caroline’s neck to be able to let out a laugh. Shaun’s newfound self-control was extraordinary, although the sight was the funniest thing Evan had seen. How to bell a wolf? Bring in a Gem.
“But what? Of course, I’ll pay for your accommodations while we’re waiting in Dawson. Simply part of the research costs.” Gem offered a scone to Caroline, ignoring the wolf at her side who looked as if he was about to burst out foaming at the mouth.
“I don’t need you to pay. In fact, we’ll be refunding your deposit.” Shaun stared at her.
“I don’t think that’s wise. Your business partner has young children. I’m sure they need to eat. I’ll pay as usual.”
“You’re my mate, you’re not paying.”
“I can afford it, I’m paying.”
They glared at each other for a second before Gem coughed lightly and once again turned to speak to Caroline.
Shaun interrupted. “Look, fine. You can pay the cost of the trip, but not the extra. It’s my time, I’m donating it to you.”
Gem blinked. “Thank you.”
Shaun sat back, content.
“…but no,” she continued. “I want to do this, and I’m going to do this. On my own, without being catered to by my father or my mate or anyone else who thinks they have a piece of control over me.”
Heat flushed Shaun’s face. “That makes no sense at all. Why not let me help—”
She stood. “Because you don’t get it. I don’t need help right now. I don’t want help right now. I assume you have to go…somewhere to pick up the helicopter. My initial papers said you’d meet me at the Whitehorse airport on Saturday at noon. I will see you there at that time.”
“But th-th-that’s…”
Gem ignored the stuttering Shaun, nodding instead at Evan and Caroline. “Thank you for the lovely visit. Caroline, perhaps we could meet for dinner tonight? You know where I’m staying.”
Then she lifted her chin and calmly stepped away from the table, leaving a stunned Shaun in her wake. He watched her walk a few paces before leaping to his feet.
“Shaun,” Evan warned. “You might want to give her a little space to cool off.”
His friend turned back in the middle of the room, the most pleased expression on his face. “Are you kidding? She’s got a freaking backbone. I love it!”
Evan shrugged. “Your funeral, man.”
Shaun disappeared out the door, running past the shop windows in his attempt to catch up with Gem.
The shoulder under his hand wiggled, and Evan glanced up to see Caroline shaking with silent laughter. “What’s with you?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think you can understand exactly how entertaining you wolves are when you’re all hormone-driven with your mate thingy. I’ve never seen Shaun act like that before.”
Evan laughed. “Yeah, well, somewhere they’ll come to a solution. I hope. And about time too, for Shaun at least.”
Caroline offered him one of the muffins from the table, and he placed it on his plate. She did know enough about wolves to deal with a lot of the shit that would go down if he accepted her offer.
But was she strong enough? To deal with the pack and handle him?
Should I? Shouldn’t I?
Why the hell not?
She stopped in the middle of buttering her muffin. “Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Because your offer this morning is intriguing, and I’m going to say yes—on one condition.”
Her eyes widened to the size of silver dollars. “One condition? What’s that?”
He leaned back in his chair, gesturing to the empty seats on the opposite side of the table. “Just like they need to work out a few things, we have to as well. You do know that if you move in, you’ll be sleeping in my bed.”
Not only were her eyes wide, but her jaw dropped open. “Oh shit, I forgot—”
“Because we’re obviously not mates, and none of the pack will believe we’re a real partnership if we’re not having sex. So straight up, you okay with that?”
“With having sex with you?”
Damn, she was cute when she blushed. “Sex. Lots of it, too.”
Then she snorted, and his ego got a little bruised. “Oh yes, the legendary wolfish sex drive. It’s okay, Evan, I think I can handle anything you want to dish out. Only I’m not doing kinky things with you when you’re in your wolf form. I draw the line at that.”
Ick. “Of course not.”
She straightened up, all business-like. “So, is that it? The condition is I agree to sleep with you?”
“Sleep, screw, fuck, roll in the—”
She slapped his arm. “Enough, I get it. Fine. Done. It might kill me, but for the sake of the hotel, I’ll make the sacrifice.”
He examined her closely to see if she was yanking his leg or not. Damn human sense of humour. “That’s the first part of the condition.”
Caroline laughed. “If there’s another part, then you don’t have one condition. You have two.” She waved at him. “Go on.”
“You have to claim me in front of the pack.”
The way all the colour drained from her face was enough to let him know she understood exactly what he’d demanded.
“I claim you?” she forced out, low and hesitant.
Hmmm. “Did you think you could just move in and we’d announce it? Sweetie, this is pack. You can either deal with them, or you can’t. What’s it going to be?”
She stared out the window for a moment. He examined her smooth skin. Was he crazy for hoping she’d have the guts to go through with it?
When Caroline turned back to face him she had bright red spots on her cheeks, and a determined expression in her eyes. “Fine. When the time is right. I’m agreed.”
She held out her hand and he took it. One firm shake later, they both let go and stared at each other.
Then she calmly returned to her muffin, asking about an order he’d suggested for the hotel. Business as usual.
Evan enjoyed the rest of his breakfast. Shaun was headed into his own personal wilderness with Gem, and here he was, also venturing into new territory. He looked forward to the next stage of the adventure.
Part II
There’s nothing gained by whining, and you’re not that kind of stuff;
You’re a fighter from way back when, and you won’t take a rebuff;
Your trouble is that you don’t know when you have had enough—
Don’t give i
n.
If Fate should down you, just get up and take another cuff;
You may bank on it that there is no philosophy like bluff,
And grin.
“Grin”—Robert Service
8
She was as punctual as he expected. Shaun loaded her equipment and bags into the cargo section and completed his last-minute checks before returning to the airport hangar to escort her to the helicopter. Whitehorse was small enough he got to care for everything himself. The next commercial plane wasn’t due in or out for over two hours, so there was no need to rush.
The sensation of panic haunting him had more to do with knowing that somehow in the next two weeks he had to make her fall in love with him, and prevent her from killing herself in the bush. Bloody tangled mess he’d gotten into.
She lit up the area with her smile as he approached the gate. “Shaun.”
Damn, she was gorgeous. The urge to scoop her up and toss her into the back of the helicopter to ravish her was strong. His wolf was beyond pissed at him, for allowing them to be separated for the past three days.
He ignored her outstretched hands to pull her tight to his body and take a deep breath of her sweet scent. That was all it took—his wolf calmed in a flash.
“I missed you,” he confessed.
She returned his embrace, the heat of her torso melding with his, and he couldn’t let go. Her slight weight as she relaxed against him comforted the ache, then stirred the ashes. “I missed you as well.”
She lifted her mouth and he eagerly accepted her lips.
Public place, man. It took a ton of energy to keep himself from consuming her like a bag of cotton candy. Instead, he gave her a gentle kiss. Maybe a little too gentle. He leaned away, and she grabbed his head, holding on to him and increasing the greeting to something on a higher-fire warning.
Hello, she tasted good.
They were both slightly breathless by the time they drew apart.
He finally noticed what she was wearing. “Sweet—like the boots.”
Gem lifted a foot and displayed her hikers. “All broken in and everything. I’ve been walking around Whitehorse for the past two days to make sure I’m ready.”
Two days? Shaun didn’t have the heart to warn her that wasn’t nearly enough time. “Awesome! Shall we go?”
She accepted his elbow and they made their way to the chopper. He dawdled over strapping her in, enjoying having his hands on her body again, even if she was buried under a bulky shirt and thick cotton pants. He liked her in those pants, liked the way they hugged her curves. For one terrible second the image of her wandering Whitehorse alone—and all the guys who got to see her in said pants—flashed into his brain and his temper flared.
Cool. Keep it cool.
“Did you enjoy your time in Whitehorse? Sorry I had to leave you, but there were things to do at the hangar before I could be ready for the trip.”
Her smile dazzled him. “No problem—it was just wonderful. Caroline and I did an aerobics class at the Canada Games Centre, then I went out to dinner with her at the Klondike Rib and Salmon and we ate with our fingers. It was so exciting.”
Her enthusiastic descriptions helped the final preflight prep pass in a blur. He gave her a headset, taught her how to use the microphone to ask questions. Her obvious delight continued as he shared information about the landscape passing under them, but for the most part she simply leaned against the window and took it in. Fascination painted her face as he followed the Yukon River, the many tributaries trickling into the main waterway littered with small-claim shanties, even after all this time.
It was a sight that had always mesmerized him. He could only hope her thoughts were as positive as his, and that she wasn’t aware how increasingly remote they were becoming.
“Do you have any idea yet how long a layover we’ll have in Dawson?” she asked.
Shaun pulled himself back from his mental ramblings. “Looks like a week at the most. The herd is moving late this year.”
“I checked the websites, but the data wasn’t up to date.” She pointed out the front window at a pair of moose darting into the bush at their approach.
“The radio-collar program the government set up gathers great information, but when they had a real-time website posting, the data was accessible to everyone. Including hunters, who then used it to plan their expeditions. Turns out the conservationists were unintentionally broadcasting the exact location of individual animals.”
Gem shook her head in disgust. “That’s terrible.”
Shaun shrugged. “Hey, people use the resources offered. I don’t agree with the hunters using the system, but I understand why they did. So the website is now on a time delay.”
“How are you getting your information, then?” Gem placed her fingers on his arm, and the contact did wonderful wiggly things to his system.
He smiled. “I have my sources.”
Her laughter danced over his ears. “Of course you do.”
The admiration she displayed cheered him inside. That’s what he wanted more of—that look in her eyes, that sweet smile on her lips—all for him. Somehow he had to maintain whatever was causing it, because making her happy was like a drug pouring back into his own system. “Local packs have always shared information to keep their territories as peaceful as possible. There’s a wolf pack in Dawson, and at least a dozen more in the outlying communities of the north. Each one a little more remote, a little less civilized in some ways. I’ve gained contacts with them during my years of flying.”
He glanced at her face. She remained enamored with the landscape, staring in fascination, and that was a fabulous start. Now he had to figure out how to make the time in Dawson memorable. And something outside the bedroom, although please to high heaven, could they have some time in the bedroom?
They still hadn’t had sex. Not as far as he could remember.
The hours it took to get to Dawson seemed to pass in a few seconds. Just breathing her scent on the air made him ecstatic. Even though arriving meant they were that much closer to a fight, because another argument was inevitable. Their time in Dawson as they waited would involve mainly sightseeing. No problem there, but the next stage of the adventure, when the research began? Her plans needed to be adjusted, and somehow he didn’t think she would take the news with a happy smile, not after the hell she gave him back at the coffee shop.
Landing at Dawson and arranging temporary storage for the chopper didn’t take very long, and soon enough they were in a cab en route to their overnight stop. The streets were far busier than he ever remembered seeing before.
Arriving at the hotel threw all their positive travel mojo out the window.
Shaun eyed the man behind the counter and debated how he’d taste roasted. “What do you mean, cancelled? I had those rooms on a guaranteed reservation.”
“I’m sorry, sir. I agree, the booking mistake is completely our error. Let me see what I can arrange for you instead.” The clerk typed rapidly, his gaze frantic as he studied the computer screens. Shaun glanced over at Gem who sat behind him in the foyer, people watching. The expression of delight on her face intrigued him.
He wasn’t sure if all the things she found captivating choked him up because he was shocked at her naivety, or because her enthusiasm made him realize he’d spent so much of his life not really noticing what was going on around him. Kind of like living in a constant state of “whatever”.
“Sir? Unfortunately there are limited room choices left.”
“We’ll take anything you’ve got.” Hang on. Back when they didn’t know it was his mate he was ferrying, they had booked two rooms. “Oh, and one room is all we need.”
Genuine relief covered the clerk’s face. “Thank you for being so understanding. There’s been a flood of visitors into town in the past couple days, and the extra bookings are making it difficult to do any shuffling.”
“Convention?” Shaun asked.
The clerk shook his head. “Nothi
ng in the Chamber of Commerce notes or at the regular convention centre. But it’s crazy. I suggest if you’d like to eat out you make reservations early.”
Shaun accepted the key card and went to collect Gem. She stared at him from under her lashes as they waited in the elevator. When she licked her lips, his groin tightened.
Oh please, oh please, oh please.
He held the door for her, watching her ass with longing as she stepped past him. She turned and examined the room. There was that expression on her face again. The one that said she thought he was almost, but maybe not quite, out of his mind. He took a quick peek past her shoulder to try and spot what was wrong. This hotel wasn’t the fanciest place in town—he hadn’t wanted to go overboard in trying to impress her. The room was neat and tidy, sunshine streaming in the window.
“Two beds?”
Hope rose in a rush. It wasn’t the lack of fancy amenities that had caught her attention. “There’s some kind of convention in town and everything else was booked solid.”
“I see.” She slipped to the far bed and sat on the edge of the mattress, staring around the room before fixing her inquisitive gaze on him. “Well—what’s first on the sightseeing agenda?”
Shaun pushed down the desire to suggest there was nothing he’d like to see more than her naked and waiting on that bed. “So much to do, so little time to do it in. Come on, let’s paint the town red.”
Bodies crowded the boardwalks. Far more hulking male bodies than she’d expected, and Gem was glad of Shaun’s solid frame by her side. “Does it seem as if there’s an awful lot of shifters around?” she asked, leaning to whisper in his ear.
“You’ll find more shifters in general in the north. Living up here is safer, for one thing, and we all enjoy the open spaces. Gives us room to let our animal sides run when they want.” Shaun pointed down the street. “Bears, wolves, cougars. Yeah, there is a huge variety of shifters here. Not as much as in Chicken, but—”
“Chicken?”
He led her into an old-fashioned theater. “That’s a town just over the border in Alaska. Shifters-only for some strange reason. The original founders wanted to call the place Ptarmigan after the flocks of local birds, but no one could spell the word properly, so…”