“Yep.”
The trees, tall and straight, spread their bare limbs upward, pointing to the gray clouds that strutted across the sky. The road twisted up through the thousands of prayerful trees. He wished they could stop just for a minute. His bear wanted to go play in the snow and hunt in the forest.
Sorry, buddy. Maybe next time.
The next half hour was spent in silence as Gabe maneuvered on the narrow road. The snow fell thick and fast. He slowed when the road curved like the coils of a snake. He glared at the unforgiving sky and felt as temperamental as the weather. They should have left much earlier. It was already late afternoon. Soon, it would be dusk. Donna’s cottage was technically an hour and a half away, but the threatening blizzard would double the time it would take to get there. Hell, maybe even triple it.
“I can barely see.” Gabe slowed, or tried to, to no avail. The car skidded on the slick road, fishtailing. Before he could blink, they were doing 360s until the Jeep slid backwards off the road, down a slight grade, and smacked into a pine tree. The screech of metal echoed in the thick quiet of the woods.
His heart felt like it was going to pound out of his chest. His Jeep was a classic, one that he’d restored with loving care. It didn’t have air bags, but the seatbelts worked well enough. He tugged the strap straining across his chest and breathed a sigh of relief.
“Hope?” She looked whiter than the snow, but he couldn’t detect any obvious bumps and bruises. She seemed dazed. “You okay?”
She nodded.
Gabe got out of the car and viewed the damage. The Jeep’s back end was caved in and the back glass was shattered. The back right wheel had blown out. The only way his Jeep was getting out of the ditch was with a tow truck. He looked up the hill, still able to see the road. He grabbed his cell from his pocket and tried to dial nine-one-one. No signal.
Damn it.
He returned to his door and opened it. “The Jeep’s toast. And my cell’s not getting a signal.”
“Let’s try mine.” She slipped her cell out of her purse and gave it to him.
He tried the emergency number again, but the call didn’t go through. He returned the phone to Hope. “We need to get to the road, maybe the signal’s better there. And we might be able to flag down a car.”
Hope unhooked her seatbelt, grabbed her purse, and got out. He met her in the front of the mangled Jeep.
They stared at each other. She looked tired, unsure, and shaken. She rubbed her neck with one hand. Protectiveness rushed through Gabe. He took her arms and turned her around. His fingers slipped over her shoulders, kneading the tight knots in her muscles.
“Relax,” Gabe said softly. “Let me do this for you.”
She bent her head forward, exposing the soft, cinnamon-speckled skin of her neck. Little darts of fire erupted in his stomach as massaged her. Gabe wanted to pull out the pins holding her hair and feel the silky texture of the red strands. A vision of her naked body pinned under his burned through his mind. He imagined her hair spread like fire-silk across her pale, freckled breasts as he took her.
“Hope,” he whispered. She turned around, and he saw the spark of desire in her green eyes. This was crazy. They had a damned good chance of freezing to death out here if they didn’t find help. But he couldn’t stop touching her, couldn’t stop wanting her.
Gabe put his hands on her cheeks and stroked the fine bones of her face. Then oh so slowly, he lowered his head and nibbled her bottom lip. Urged by the desire roaring through him, Gabe pressed his mouth against hers, demanding entrance. All Gabe could hear was Hope’s breathless gasp. All he could feel was the throbbing of his heart as it crashed against his chest. He wanted this warm, beautiful woman who was destroying him inch by inch with her response.
Gabe drew away reluctantly. It occurred to him that a quickie in the snow wasn’t the best idea, though the heat in her gaze made him think getting frostbite might be worth it.
She looked at him dazedly. “That was… nice.”
“Nice?” He thought it was a fantastic, blood-boiling, melt-your-pants kind of kiss, and she’d thought it was nice?
Hope nodded, but he saw her lips tremble. “Yes, it was very nice.”
“I see. I suppose you could do better?”
“What?”
He shoved his hand through his hair then gestured at her. “I’m asking if you think you can do better than that kiss.”
She looked at him suspiciously. “Probably.”
“Prove it,” he drawled. “Kiss me.”
He nearly lost his breath when Hope leaned forward and placed her palms against his stubbly cheeks. Taking a swift breath, she softly kissed his chin and each corner of his mouth. She ran the tip of her tongue along his lower lip then placed her mouth against his. His lips allowed her entrance, and she tentatively tasted his mouth.
A low sound caught in his throat, and he pulled her closer. He thrust his tongue inside, mating with hers, before he drew away to kiss the underside of her jaw. He nibbled on her ear and trailed feathery kisses along her cheek before claiming her mouth again. Her sweet scent drugged his senses. Her trembling fingers thrust into his hair, and she pulled him closer, moaning, when he trailed a fiery path of kisses down her neck.
Gabe lifted his head and looked at her, and found her eyes muddled with desire. He stroked her cheek with his forefinger then did what he’d wanted to do since the trip began; he reached around and pulled out the pins trapped in her hair. Red curls rained down upon her shoulders. He took a strand and rubbed it along his jaw.
“Gabe?”
She looked at him with such longing, his hard-on jumped inside his jeans. Frostbite be damned. He wanted her. He always wanted her. But he could see her doubts, her fears. But what was she so afraid of? He shook his head, sighed, and dropped the confiscated curl.
“Let’s go.” Gabe gestured for her to walk ahead of him. She presented her slender back to him and climbed up the small hill. He watched her sweet ass, his gaze sweeping up her back to trail the curve of her spine with an invisible finger.
HOPE WATCHED THE snow swirl from the murky clouds cluttering the sky. The frigid breeze nipped at their exposed faces, but she had donned a thick coat and gloves. As a bear shifter, Gabe didn’t feel the cold or have the same reaction to it as a human. The fresh mountain air was tinged with scent of pine trees. When they reached the roadside, they looked around for any signs of cars or houses. She peered down the ditch and took in the crashed Jeep. They were damned lucky to have walked away.
Hope spied a large rock under a shelter of trees and walked to it. Were Donna and Joey okay? She contemplated opening her mind just a crack to see if she received any impressions, but what if she saw something she didn’t want to face? Besides, her abilities worked better when she touched objects owned by the victims. Victims. Guilt burbled to the surface. Hope shoved aside the excuses in a flash of self-recrimination. She didn’t want to try because she was afraid. As much as she wanted to help the single mom and her young son, she knew she was risking Gabe’s life. She’d never forgive herself if she caused his death.
The rock was probably damp and cold from the snow, but the surrounding trees had kept its surface from becoming too wet. Hope climbed the stone and sat down, pulling her legs up. She rested her chin on her knees and stared at the snow-encrusted mountains rising into the gray sky. The highway ribboned through the flurry, a bare, black line in the unceasing white. It was too quiet. The wind whispered across Hope’s face.
Why had she kissed Gabe?
Well, duh. Because kissing him was amazing. All the same, it would’ve been easier to stick a knife in her heart—it was the same kind of pain. They had an explosive attraction, a deep need for physical intimacy that they’d experienced from the moment they met. She craved his presence like the desert craved the rain. She knew what it was like for someone to care about her soul-deep. If he stays with me, he dies.
That knowledge was agony.
“We better walk,
” said Gabe as he leaned against the rock. “Surely, there’s a house around here somewhere.”
“Okay.” She hopped down. Then she sneezed.
Gabe drew her close, and checked her forehead.
She stared at him with raised brows. “What are you doing?”
“Are you feeling okay?” he asked, releasing. “Not too cold, are you?”
“I’m freezing my ass off, Gabe. For once, I envy your ability to grow a pelt.”
He chuckled. “C’mon, walking will get your circulation going.”
As they trudged up the mountain, Hope felt the tentative touch of Gabe’s hand. He grasped her gloved fingers and squeezed. For some reason their clasped hands made her feel better. They didn’t speak, but she felt no need for words.
Cars were scarce and walking to Tahoe wasn’t an option. She kept in shape by running, but that many miles up a mountain was beyond her physical endurance. If Gabe shifted he could move a lot faster without her.
She cast her gaze ahead and stopped. “Gabe!” she shouted excitedly. “Look! A pay phone.”
“Are you serious? Those still exist?”
“You better hope so.”
They jogged toward the phone, but their relief was short-lived. Hope looked at the destruction in silent disbelief. Someone had severed the receiver. The only thing left was a silver cable hanging uselessly from the metal enclosure.
Gabe cussed a blue streak. He whirled around suddenly, startling her. “Now what?”
Since Gabe directed the question to the trees behind her, she didn’t respond. He glared at the forest as though the vandalism was its fault. Snow fluttered on his straight nose and slanted cheeks. His hair curled around his shirt collar. She’d never known Gabe to wear his hair that long. She liked it. His gaze was shuttered, keeping her out. Gabe’s eyes were not windows to the soul, but opaque reflections.
Ah, yes, she thought. There’s the bodyguard. The one that shuts down emotions and focuses on actions.
“Maybe I could hole up somewhere, and you could shift. You’d be able to cover more ground as a bear.”
“I’m not leaving you. Not even for a second.”
Yep. That’s what she figured. Hope trudged behind him, wiping a few tendrils of damp hair off her forehead. A fairy godmother or a magic lamp would come in real handy. She looked at the sky, hoping for a ray of sunshine or a sliver of blue, but only saw the ugly gray clouds and the constant barrage of snow. It was getting darker, too. The sun was setting, and soon, it would be night. The rhythmic sound of sticks and gravel crunching wetly under their feet reminded Hope of a commercial she had once seen on television. The advertisement consisted of people munching on chips to the tune of—
“Hope,” Gabe cried out. Her head jerked up just as she heard the squeal of tires on wet pavement. She spun around, blinded by the bright lights of a large car speeding toward her. Before she could open her mouth to scream, her body was flung to the ground.
Stones dug painfully into her back. She could barely breathe with the huge male body on top of her. “Gabe?” she said into the shoulder plastered against her mouth. He didn’t answer and terror filled her. Had the car hit him? Was he okay? Then she felt his hands stroking her hair. His entire body shook. She felt him slowly adjust his position until he could see her face.
The jerk driving the car hadn’t stopped. Hell, they hadn’t even slowed down. She could tell Gabe was thinking something similar. His dark eyes were stormy and his mouth a thin line.
Hope licked her lips nervously. “Gabe? I’m not dead. You can let me up.”
He gave her a harsh look then pressed his lips against hers. Startled, she opened her mouth. He thrust his tongue inside, tasting her until she felt weak. Abruptly, he stopped.
“Don’t ever do that to me again.” He gave her another fierce look before he rolled off.
She sat up dazedly. He offered his hand, and she took it. Her knees felt wobbly as she stood, but Gabe steadied her. She wiped mud off her jeans.
He plucked a twig from her hair and threw it on the ground. “We should get going before anything else happens.” Before Hope could answer, Gabe began a brisk pace up the mountain. As she hurried to follow him she couldn’t help but notice the way his jeans tightened on his buttocks. He had such a cute ass.
She peered into the surrounding forest. A thousand eyes, brighter than the stars, seemed to stare at her from the branches. Tiny shockwaves dotted her spine, and she moved closer to Gabe. He didn’t comment on her sudden appearance at his side. After what seemed like a century had passed, she touched his shoulder. “Can we stop a minute? I need to catch my breath.”
He nodded and led her to a large, brown rock that jutted out from a copse of trees. She sank onto its hard, rough surface and sighed gratefully. It felt like a soft mattress to her sore backside. “How long have we been walking?”
Gabe glanced at his watch. “Thirty minutes. Are you going to make it?”
“Of course,” she lied. She didn’t feel like taking another step, but damned if she’d tell him.
“The air gets thinner the farther we go,” he said. “Walking uphill in this altitude isn’t exactly recommended exercise.”
“Unless you’re a bear shifter.”
“Yeah, well. There’s that.”
A white Lincoln pulled up on the shoulder. Its headlights briefly blinded her before the driver turned them off.
She saw Gabe frown. He crossed his arms over his chest as he moved in front her. She got on her knees and peered over his shoulder. “What are you going to do, play chicken with that car? I’m laying odds on the Lincoln.”
“What if it’s the same car that almost hit you?”
Hope’s heart nearly jumped out of her chest. “You think they’re coming back to finish the job?”
The car window on the driver’s side caught her attention. The glass slowly descended. As Hope tried to see into the car, an older man with shocking white hair popped his head out. “What the hell are you two doing?” the man asked in a gravelly voice. “Don’t you know it’s snowing? You can catch pneumonia in weather like this.”
“I don’t see how its any of your business, friend,” Gabe said.
The old man raised a shaggy eyebrow then chuckled. “Don’t see how, huh? For one thing, I have a car with a heater. It’s dry in here, too.”
Hope hit Gabe on the shoulder. “We’ve been looking for a ride. Here it is.” She punctuated the statement with a sneeze.
“Sounds like your wife is coming down with a cold,” the man called out. “I own a cabin rental place about five miles down the road. I’ll take you there, and you can use the phone to call whoever you need.”
Hope stared at Gabe, wondering why he was suddenly so indecisive.
“We’d appreciate your help, sir,” he finally said. He turned around and helped Hope off the rock. As they crawled into the back seat of the Lincoln, she sighed with pleasure. Gabe enclosed her in his arms and pushed her head against his shoulder. She didn’t protest, but snuggled close. The thing about bear shifters? They were awesome huggers.
Chapter 3
“MY NAME’S GABE Pearson and this is Hope,” Gabe said. He tugged on one of Hope’s loose curls and heard a soft snore escape. She must have been more exhausted than she let on. “I think she’s asleep.”
“A little thing like that? I’m not surprised. Personally, I like ‘em with some meat on their bones. Now my wife—there’s a fulsome woman. By the way, I’m Elias Hanover. How come you’re on foot? Did your car break down? Where is it?”
Gabe laughed. The man fired questions like a machine gun. “We had an accident, and our cell phones couldn’t get signals. We were hoping to find a ride or a house.”
“Ain’t nothing ‘round here, son. You’re lucky I came along. Nobody’s traveling these roads—it’s getting dark and looks like this snowstorm is going into a full-on blizzard. So, where are you newlyweds headed? Tahoe?”
“What makes you think we’re newlywe
ds?”
Elias caught Gabe’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “I’ve been in love with my wife, Mary, for forty years, so I think I can recognize the emotion by now. Did you know that there’s only one person for you in the whole world? Just one. Guess that makes you and me lucky men.”
Gabe opened his mouth to deny being married to Hope, but he stalled his response. He wanted to be married to her, damn it. He tightened his hold around her shoulders and looked down at her. The familiar sense of comfort invaded him as he lightly kissed her forehead. He inhaled her lavender scent, floral and all Hope. Gabe caught Elias’ knowing smile in the mirror.
He’d been sincere in needing Hope’s help to find Donna and Joey. But he wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to show her that they belonged together.
He wasn’t going to lose Hope.
Not again.
“HOPE?”
The dark sexy voice invaded her dreams. Someone tugged on her arms, but she resisted. She wanted to explore the sensual promises the voice seemed to hold. She snuggled closer to the warm body next her.
“Honey, it’s time to wake up.”
“No, it’s not,” she murmured. A whiskered chin brushed her cheek. Like a blossom opening to the sun, Hope opened her mouth and caught the lips connected to the voice. His mouth was warm, wet. When his tongue touched hers, she moaned. Her whole body seemed to burn. The lips moved away and nuzzled her throat.
Hope slowly opened her eyes. The toasty contented feeling of her dream world vanished as her gaze captured Gabe’s. His eyes were darker than the night, a black molten liquid that told of his desire. He cupped her chin and tasted her lips with a whispery touch.
“C’mon, sleepyhead. Elias is waiting for us inside the house.”
Hope allowed him to usher her out of the car. She had a weird feeling something had changed between them, but she wasn’t sure what. Snow slapped at them as they dashed across a small yard and entered an enclosed porch. The cabin’s door swung open. A tiny woman with hair almost as white as moonlight ushered them into the house.
Alphas Unwrapped: 21 New Steamy Paranormal Tales of Shifters, Vampires, Werewolves, Dragons, Witches, Angels, Demons, Fey, and More Page 3