by Meg Ripley
“We’re not,” Max assured him. “And I promise we’re not putting anything on the internet.”
Frank squinted one eye at them and then turned to the waitress. “You know these fellas?”
She gave him a helpless shrug. “Can’t say that I do. They just came in here tonight. No trouble from them, though.”
“Well, all right. I guess you heard everything I was saying anyway. I had just laid out my bedroll, and I had a beautiful view of the park down beneath me. I heard something further back in the cave, but I wasn’t too worried about it. I’m not afraid of animals. And then it charged. It came thundering out of the darkness, roaring at me! Fire came out of its mouth. Just about shit myself!”
“Then what?” Ash pressed.
“Well, I left! That creature sure as hell wanted me out of there, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to stick around and argue with it. Didn’t even grab my bedroll. I don’t think I’ve run that fast since I was a kid, and I managed to catch a ride back into town. I think I might stick to civilization for a little while.”
“Where was this?” Ash gritted his teeth to keep his body in check. He knew Lane was out there somewhere, and this could only be her.
“Near Mazatzal Peak,” Frank explained. “On the south side.”
“Thank you.” Ash shoved his hand in his pocket, pulling out a wad of bills. He pressed some of them into his hand. “That should cover the cost of your bedroll. And here, for dinner.” He gave the rest to the waitress, barely giving her a moment to take them from his hand before he was heading for the door.
“There’s over a hundred bucks here!” Frank protested.
“Then get a really nice one! C’mon, Max. Let’s go!” Just before the door swung shut behind them, Ash heard the waitress speak to the other diner.
“Don’t look a good tipper in the mouth, Frank.”
“We could still wait for morning, you know,” Max said evenly as they trotted away from the restaurant toward where they’d left the chopper. “Better chance of finding this cave, even if we do think we know the general location.
“We could, but then we also risk her not being there.” Ash had his phone out, studying maps as they went. “If he came to the diner right after he got into town, then he probably wasn’t out there any more than a couple of hours ago. Lane had bedded down for the night, and if she’s already chased off an intruder, she might not stay any longer than she has to.”
“You’re the boss,” Max replied. “Well, for right now.”
They climbed into the helicopter and headed west. Ash felt hope and fear mixing heavily inside him. He might have a chance of finding Lane, but they also might drive her off as soon as she realized it was them. What if she didn’t even want to see him again? Maren had explained how upset Lane was over city living, but that didn’t mean there weren’t other issues.
“That could be the one,” Max said as they swooped around Mazatzal Peak. “It’s big, and it’s in the right area. How do you want to go about this? There’s not exactly a helipad in front of it.”
“Just find someplace to set me down and I’ll make my way up to it.”
The rough terrain didn’t make things easy, but Ash had jumped out of a chopper or two before. He zipped down a fast rope to a small bit of trail that he hoped would get him far enough to get to the cave. Ash signaled to Max, and the thump of the chopper faded off into the distance.
The stars stood out brilliantly against the mountains as Ash gave his eyes a moment to adjust. He considered shifting, but he knew his polar bear would be too wide and bulky for some of the narrow paths he’d be moving along. He felt each scuff of sand under his feet and every scrape of the unforgiving flora as he moved through this elevated desert land. Every now and then, he paused to listen.
This was the kind of place that humans were advised to stay far away from at night, especially if they weren’t experienced on the trail. But Ash didn’t need any special trail markers to tell him he was going in the right direction. He could sense Lane now, in the same way that any animal could sense where to go for water and food. But that only made sense considering he needed her in the same way that those other elements were needed for survival. She was a part of him, and he couldn’t bear the idea of living without her.
Slowly, picking his way along a narrow and dangerous path, Ash approached the cave. His heart lurched in anticipation, and all of his training seemed to be forgotten. He was moving too fast and too loud, but he didn’t care, as long as he got to her.
The trail ended in a steep wall of rock just over his head. Ash took two steps back, prepared to launch himself up it, when a curvy silhouette blocked out the stars overhead. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here for you, Lane. Let me come up so we can talk.” His lungs were stiff and inflexible as he waited to get over this last obstacle to get to her. It wasn’t even the rocks that kept them separated now, simply her willingness to allow him in again.
She stood for an eternity with one hand on her hip staring down at him before she finally moved away from the edge. “All right.”
Ash hurled himself over the wall, but he stayed near the edge. He didn’t want to risk chasing her off, and there was no doubt Lane could move more easily through this terrain than he could. “Lane,” he breathed, unsure of where to begin. “I’ve missed you so much.”
She was facing away from him, still a dark shape in the night. “It only made sense for me to return to where my people came from,” she explained quietly. “You should’ve just let me go.”
He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. His bear was displeased at the idea and longed to get out. “Why would I do that?”
“Because I want you to be happy, Ash. You deserve that. I wasn’t happy in Dallas.” Lane sat down on the opposite end of the small ledge in front of the cave, curling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.
“I know you weren’t, and I’m sorry for that. I only wished I realized earlier just how miserable you were. All you had to do was tell me.” He felt desperate, every cell of his body trying to reach out toward her.
“How could I do that when you were so happy?” she asked. “You were practically whistling the days away, and all I did was disappoint you when I couldn’t handle it.”
Ash dared to go sit beside her, leaving a small amount of space between them. “Lane, the only reason I was happy in Dallas was because I was with you. Living in the city and being part of the Force isn’t actually what I had planned for this point in my life. It was bearable because I’d finally found my mate.”
A hint of a smile curved the corner of her mouth and the starlight was brilliant enough for him to see it. She danced around his proclamation for her. “What did you have in mind, then?”
He let one leg dangle off the edge. “I had retired from the military and was just about to buy a big ranch in Alaska. The only thing that stopped me was a phone call from Flint asking me to join the Force.” It seemed like a lifetime ago already; so much had changed since then.
“Flint?”
“The scruffy one that likes knives,” he reminded her. The Force had immediately accepted Lane as Ash’s mate, and that had automatically cleared her for being in on the secret.
“Right.”
“Anyway, the timing of that call made me realize I needed to take the opportunity while I had it. As soon as I committed myself to a cattle ranch, I wouldn’t be able to go off on missions anymore.” He paused for a moment, feeling like he was two different people rolled into one. “And while I’m still not sure I made the right choice as far as a career, I do know I made the right choice because it helped me find you.”
Lane touched the back of his hand. He rolled it over so that he might hold it properly. “So, you don’t actually want to live in the city?”
He let out a short laugh. “No,” he replied. “I really don’t. As a matter of fact, just before you left, I was thinking about asking you if you’d come back to Ala
ska with me. I hesitated because I didn’t know how you’d feel about ranch life, and I didn’t want to risk driving you away.”
She wrapped her fingers tighter around his. “Sounds like both of us need to be a little better at communicating.”
“So, what do you think?” He held his breath, hoping like hell she’d say yes.
“A big ranch in the middle of nowhere? With you? Sounds like a dream come true to me.” She was in his arms, then. Ash opened his mouth, relishing the feeling of her lips as tongue as though he’d starved for the last few days. And indeed he had. In the short amount of time they’d been apart, Ash knew he wasn’t the same again.
She kissed him back, her fingers clinging to his shirt. Lane pulled away and buried her face in his chest. “I feel so foolish for running off.”
“I’m a fool for not speaking up. But I’d live anywhere in the world, Lane, as long as you were there. I love you.”
She pulled in a deep breath that made her body shake against his. “I love you, too.”
11
The truck bumped along the old road and Lane set the window down to suck in the late summer air. There was something special about living up there in Alaska. The air, the soil, everything just seemed so much cleaner, untainted by the progress of man. She turned off the highway and onto the side road that’d become so familiar to her over the last few months. What had been wild and new was now so familiar, she felt she’d memorized every branch on every tree, and she loved each one of them.
Turning over the cattle gate that marked the beginning of their driveway, Lane smiled at the sight of big round bales of hay in the field on the right. The dried grass had been neatly rolled into giant pillows of pale brown, a beautiful contrast to the bright green of the grass that still grew around them.
In the field to the left, cattle munched lazily on the grass that was allowed to grow long for their benefit. Lane slowed down to admire their deep shaggy coats and big eyes.
She pulled up in front of the small barn closest to the house just as a massive piece of machinery pulled up alongside her. Ash shut off the engine and jumped down. “Saw you coming up the driveway. Do you need any help with the groceries?” He pulled open the passenger door.
“You don’t have to do that. Looks like you’re busy enough,” Lane replied, but her mate already had his arms full of bags.
“I am, but I like it. I’m happy to say I baled that entire field myself. Mr. Jenkins said I’d get the hang of it quickly, and he wasn’t wrong. The next big challenge will be calving in the fall.” He smiled at the thought of that challenge as he pushed his way into the front door of the house.
“And what about the Force?” she asked as they walked through the living room toward the kitchen. “You haven’t said much about it since you officially retired.” She’d felt bad when he told her he wouldn’t remain a part of the outfit because she’d been afraid he was doing it only for her sake.
But Ash seemed more than happy to live the country life he’d originally set out for. “I’ve got a conference call later. They seem fine with keeping me on as a consultant. It works for me, since I can still help out without ever having to leave you and the farm.”
“I have to admit, ranch life looks good on you.” She dropped a kiss on his cheek before setting her bags on the counter.
“And you. It looks like these little trips to town are getting easier. I’m glad.” Ash washed his hands before he began to help unload the bags.
“It really is. I think I can even dare to say I enjoyed it this time.” Lane had loved the solitude of the ranch as soon as they’d relocated to Alaska. Ash had been pleased to find the ranch he wanted was still available, and the only people they usually saw were Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins. That was enough at first, and then she began venturing into town along with Ash when they needed to pick up supplies. The fact that she was doing it on her own now meant so much to her.
He set down a can of soup and touched her cheek. “It means the world to me to see you happy. You’re always beautiful, but you’re positively radiant when you smile.”
Lane could feel the air sizzling with energy between them. They worked closely together on the ranch, yet she never tired of seeing him. They still had that same bond that had been built back in Antarctica, and she could tell what he was thinking, even when he didn’t say it out loud. “Oh?” she asked with a challenge in her eyes. “And just what are you going to do about it?”
His hands were on her hips, then, boosting her easily onto the countertop. She spread her legs to let him step closer to her as his lips reached up to meet her own, but she squealed a little when she felt his hands reach up her shirt. “Ash, right here in the middle of the kitchen?”
He diverted his attention from her lips to her collar bone, where he planted cool kisses along the collar of her shirt. “Why not? There’s no one here to see. In fact, we could go right outside in the middle of the pasture if we wanted to.”
She laughed at his tawdry suggestion, but she felt a bolt of energy shoot through her at the idea. That might be something for them to try later. “Here is good.”
“Mmm, I thought so.” Ash parted the buttons of her shirt, dropping his kisses from her neckline to her breasts, teasing one nipple out from the confines of her bra in order to pull it into the moist heat of his mouth and suckle it gently.
Lane let out a sigh of satisfaction. He knew her body so well. “You shouldn’t tease me like that,” she warned as she felt her core igniting.
He moved to the other breast, giving it equal and thorough attention that only increased the fire in her blood. “Who says I’m teasing? I fully intend to make good on this promise.”
She clung to him, both to keep his lips in contact with her flesh and to keep herself from falling over. “I’ll hold you to that,” she breathed.
“I certainly hope you do, since it means you have to uphold your part of the bargain as well.” His fingers moved along the waistband of her jeans, sending brilliant sparks to her skin as he undid the button.
“Don’t look at me. I wasn’t the one who started this.”
Ash didn’t reply as he slipped her jeans down off her hips, leaving her sitting in her bra and panties on the kitchen counter, her nipples still exposed and wet. His eyes were dark as his hands moved up her inner thighs, the lightest touch encouraging her to spread her legs further apart. He moved aside the thin fabric of her panties and latched his mouth to her most sensitive place.
Lane moaned. He seemed to love doing this to her, and while it’d made her feel incredibly self-conscious at first, she’d easily learned to love it. She wrapped her legs around his head as his tongue worked her flesh, flicking and pulsing in all the right ways. Her own hips moved in time to his ministrations as she laid back on the counter, opening herself up to him completely.
His moan of pleasure reverberated against her, and Lane gasped as she felt her muscles tighten. She took her breasts into her own hands, flicking her nipples with her thumbs as she closed her eyes and focused on the delight of his mouth against her heated center. Everything was building inside her, winding around itself and through her body until she was forced to let it go with a cry that echoed up to the vaulted ceiling.
Ash kissed the inside of her thigh. “I could do that all day,” he growled. The animalistic desire in his eyes increased as he took in the sight of her hands on the orbs above her bra.
She let go in order to push herself to a sitting position once again. “But then I won’t have a chance to return the favor,” she argued as she began sliding off the counter.
He caught her by the waist before her feet touched the floor. “No. I think I’ve got other plans for you.” Ash eased out of his clothes as his eyes savored her naked body, and Lane relished the sight of his bulky muscles. A smattering of salt and pepper hair across his strong chest trickled down to a trail between his abs and then further down, to show her just what he had waiting for her. He was hard and ready to go, and Lane felt her own
tongue flick out to touch the corner of her lips in anticipation.
Unclothed, he stepped forward and slid her off the counter, settling her straight onto his manhood. She was already slick and ready, craving the fullness of him inside of her, but still she drew in a breath as they fit together.
“You all right?” he murmured against her neck.
“God, yeah.” He had her braced against the counter as he moved inside her, the tension of her muscles rewinding that tightly coiled spring that she’d already let go of once. The softness of his chest hair and the hardness of his muscles against her breasts only increased the potency of what they were doing.
Lane bit her lip as she felt him thicken inside her. Knowing he was just as turned on as she was only pushed her further, and she cried out. He pulsed rapidly against her as he brought himself to the final peak and exploded, growling his satisfaction as his teeth scraped gently against her shoulder. They breathed heavily and held each other tightly as they recovered before Ash finally lowered her slowly to the floor.
He pressed a kiss to her cheek. “You’re one hell of a woman. And we’ve made one hell of a mess.”
Lane looked over her shoulder. She hadn’t realized that in the throes of their passion, she’d knocked over several of the grocery bags. Cans and boxes were scattered over the counter, and a few of them had fallen to the floor. She shrugged and smiled. “I think it was worth it, don’t you?”
“Absolutely.”
How had she ever risked letting him go? A man who loved her, who took care of her and protected her, who was patient with her as she learned the tasks of the ranch—and who knew how to drive her to the heights of ecstasy over and over again. That wasn’t an easy thing to find. And she was content knowing she’d never have to live without him again.