Winter Tails: A Limited Edition Winter Shifters Collection

by Fox, Piper

  Her breath caught in her throat. Her skin shivered. She looked away again, her eyes widening with wonder.

  “Talk to me, Jo.” Patrick didn’t move from his spot by the kitchen table. He didn’t advance toward her, nor did he return to his seat. He stared with such intensity she could feel his gaze upon her back. “Tell me what happened to you. Please.”

  But she didn’t want to talk. Not when she wanted physical things to happen.

  Had she been without a man for so long? Was it possible her libido was running wild and out of control? Was she so desperate for affection that she would seek it from any source?

  No. She answered that last question immediately. She’d been around plenty of good-looking men since she left Tim. None of them affected her the way Patrick did.

  What she needed was some air. Yes, perhaps she should open a window. Or maybe walk outside without her jacket and dive into the snow outside. That might cool her off enough to have a decent conversation with this sexy and incredibly kind man.

  Was she having a hot flash? Is this what they felt like?

  Since Jo couldn’t seem to think straight, her mind was in chaos. She fell back on her training as a nurse. She turned to face Patrick, another fake smile etched on her face, this one she hoped to be more believable.

  “Come into the living room,” she said, with a short wave of her hand. “I need to change those bandages.”

  Without waiting for his response, she darted away. It felt like she was running, although she kept her pace steady and slow as she walked to the bathroom to fetch her supplies.

  But, yes, she acknowledged, even to herself that she clearly ran. Running away from Patrick and the feelings that surfaced since his arrival. She needed time to get a hold of herself. She couldn’t let her imagination or yearnings wreak havoc. She never wanted to lose Patrick as a friend, so she couldn’t let him see how much she desired him after all these years.

  She took a moment in the bathroom to splash water on her face, dry the tears from eyes and compose herself.

  Then she leaned against the edge of the sink to stare at herself in the mirror. A pale, freckled face stared back. Did she look old? She leaned closer. The skin around her eyes wasn’t as perky as it used to be. There were lines on her brow that weren’t there years before when she’d last seen Patrick.

  Did she look tired?

  Yes.

  Tired of running. Tired of hiding. Tired of pretending to be a person she wasn’t.

  And then she thought of Patrick, sitting in her living room. Instantly, the corners of her mouth lifted into a small smile as her heart skipped a beat. Her eyes sparkled. A glow seemed to soften all the lines on her face.

  “Stop that!” She softly scolded her mirror image. “He’s your friend. You shouldn’t be having feelings like this for your friend. Of course, you love him. You’ve always loved him, but he can’t know that.”

  Her mirror image appeared to disagree with her. She raised one eyebrow in response.

  Jo scowled. “There is nothing else between you but friendship. It doesn’t matter if you want more, it can’t happen. He has his wife, for goodness’ sake! He would never look at you like that. He loves Meredith. I could never betray her. She’s too nice.”

  She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment before staring back at herself again.

  “You can do this. Be his friend. You’ve always been his friend. And you always will be. He means too much to ruin that.”

  Then she nodded, satisfied that she gave herself a good talking to. She grabbed the medical supplies and opened the door.

  She found Patrick standing by the window in the living room beside the sofa. He didn’t turn to face her, even though she knew he’d heard her approach. He had animal senses. Even in his human form, he still had exceptional sight, smell and hearing…

  Oh, God!

  Jo froze at the edge of the living room, knowing… knowing that despite whispering furiously to herself in the bathroom with the door closed, Patrick had heard every word.

  He heard every word because he had keen cougar hearing, even in his human form.

  “Josette…” Patrick’s voice was soft, almost inaudible with his natural deep, bass tones. But she heard him say her name… her full name. He knew how she hated her first name. He rarely spoke it unless he wanted her full attention.

  She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. How could she have forgotten even for a moment that Patrick was a shifter with exceptional hearing? How could she have said all those things that she meant to keep secret to all but herself?

  Now, she had to prepare herself for what was to come. She had to face the fact that he knew her deepest secret. Something she had planned to take with her to the grave.

  Now that he knew…

  Oh, God! He knew.

  Surely, he would explain they were just friends. There could be nothing else between them but friendship.

  This she knew already. Jo had to tell him. She had to let him know she understood. She couldn’t lose him as a friend. Not now. Not ever!

  “Patrick, I—”

  “Meredith is dead.”

  Chapter 6

  “W-what?”

  He heard her stutter. Heard the shock in her voice. Patrick closed his eyes, hating himself for not telling her sooner. He should have called her all those years ago when it happened.

  Well, he had tried… later.

  But when he couldn’t get in contact with her, he should have tracked her down. Tried harder to find her. He shouldn’t have let her go like he did. Just because her phone had been disconnected, didn’t mean she didn’t want to talk with him anymore. It didn’t mean she didn’t need him, just as he needed her.

  Patrick had been hurt. Beyond grief-stricken from the death of his wife. For many long years, he blamed himself.

  Well, he still did in a way.

  “Merry was killed,” he said, barely recognizing the emotionless voice coming from his own mouth. He rarely talked about what happened that day. Not even with his sons. But Jo deserved to know. After overhearing her guilt-ridden voice chastising herself in the bathroom, Patrick knew he had to tell her the truth.

  “K-killed?”

  Patrick nodded, staring out the window. It was snowing again. The clouds had gathered into a thick, gray blanket, covering all view of blue sky.

  He couldn’t face her. Not until he told her everything.

  “Hunters killed her.”

  That day remained fresh in his mind. He could never forget it, nor forgive himself. He should have known they would find him.

  In that moment, he understood why his father had moved his family so often when they were young. Because of the people who hunted his kind… shifters. Those with supernatural abilities. There were men who sought to extinguish them. Some wanted to experiment on them. Learn to use them for military purposes. Others hunted them for the pure joy of it.

  His father had tried to teach him. Tried to get him to understand that they needed to hide from such people. For the most part, the world didn’t know about supernaturals. Except for those select few. But often those few meant them harm.

  Patrick had wanted to be a normal kid. He wanted to live a typical life like his school friends. So, he ran away from home thinking he’d find that kind of life on his own, without his father.

  He ran straight into an abandoned house built next to the home of a little girl with a heart of gold. He’d stayed in that house for as long as he could, creating a bond of friendship with the little girl that lasted a lifetime. Until his father found him and brought him home. Whatever temporary home they had at the time. Until they moved again. And again. And yet again.

  When Patrick met Meredith, he vowed he’d never make his family move so often. Having to relocate every few months to a year was not the life he wanted for his children. Leaving behind friends and familiar faces, only to face the unknown.

  He found a house nestled in the woods, big enough for his growing shifter family.
His wife and two sons found joy and peace for a short time.

  Until the hunters came and destroyed it all.

  “They were aiming at me,” Patrick said. This time he couldn’t hide the pain and grief in his voice. It was there, bare and raw. Despite the years that had passed, it still pained him to think of her death. “She died in my arms.”

  “Oh, Patrick…”

  His eyes blurred, but he blinked the tears away. He cried for his wife many times. The sorrow of losing her remained with him always. He’d loved Meredith. They’d been happy together. He was content that he’d shared that life with her for as long as it lasted.

  “You needed to know,” he said, sniffing back the rest of his tears. “It happened years ago. She’s been gone a long time. I should have told you right away.”

  Only then did he finally turn to face her. She stood at the edge of the room, her feet barely on the carpet. Her eyes were wide. Her freckles stood starkly against her pale cheeks.

  “You’re not betraying anybody.” His voice deepened as he stared at her, wanting her to know she didn’t need to harbor any guilt for what she felt for him. “And neither am I.”

  Jo covered her mouth with her free hand, shielding her expression as she looked away from him. He wished to hear her thoughts. If only he could listen in so easily as he had when she whispered to herself in the bathroom.

  It had been a blessing to hear her confession. Otherwise, he might have misunderstood her actions in the kitchen.

  Patrick hadn’t planned to let his response to her become so visible. He’d wanted to kiss her so badly, and when he held her in his arms, the moment felt so right…

  But she had turned away. He thought perhaps he’d gone too far, too quickly. Surely, Jo was still recovering from her divorce from Tim. There must still be feelings there for him. She had said she left him, but Patrick didn’t know the details. He’d pressed her, more than he’d felt comfortable with, but he wanted desperately to know how long it had been.

  A week, a month, a year? Had Jo healed from her broken heart? Was she ready to move on? Take another step in a new direction with someone else?

  Because it was in that moment Patrick realized he was ready. Ready to move on with his life. To find someone to love. To grow old with. His boys were grown with families of their own. They didn’t need him like they once had when they were little.

  Patrick missed Meredith and would love her until the day he died, but he knew she wouldn’t want him to live his life alone. He might blame himself for her death, but he was through punishing himself for what happened. His sons had taught him that love could heal the deepest wounds.

  “I don’t know how it happened, or why,” Patrick said, his voice growing stronger and more certain with each word. “But I think I was meant to find you here. The animal part of me, the part that runs on instinct, led me here. I have been looking for you, in my own way. You’re never far from my mind. I’ve often wondered what you were doing, how you’ve been, if you think of me, too.”

  “Patrick—”

  “I thought you had Tim,” he interrupted. He needed to tell her before he lost his nerve. “I thought you were happy. All these years… I thought you were happy. I never wanted to interfere with that. I love you, Jo. More than as a friend. It took me some time to realize.”

  Jo blinked her eyes a few times. She didn’t speak right away, took a moment to digest his words. Patrick was content to wait. He’d give her all the time she needed. Even as his heart pounded with each second of her silence, waiting to hear her response.

  Finally, Jo shook her head. “I was happy for a while, but Tim wasn’t the man I thought he was. He was selfish. A textbook narcissist. I thought for a while it was my fault that our marriage failed. That I had done something wrong. After seeking therapy and learning about men like him, I realized it wasn’t me. He’s just not the man meant for me.”

  “And I am?”

  Her gaze flashed to his, and Patrick couldn’t help but smile a little. “I apologize for eavesdropping. I really couldn’t help it.”

  She glanced at the open bathroom door, then lifted her gaze to the ceiling before returning it to him. “I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I forgot about your hearing capabilities.”

  “Maybe you wanted to forget?” He raised an eyebrow as he offered the suggestion. “Maybe a part of you wanted me to know.”

  “No,” she said with a brief shake of her head and a rueful smile on her lips. “I think you’re too much of a distraction that I can’t think straight around you.”

  They shared smiles for a moment. Warmth pervaded Patrick’s body, centering around his rapidly beating heart. This is what it felt like to be in love. But it was different, too. His feelings for Jo were different. It wasn’t the same as falling in love with someone new. This felt natural, like it was meant to be. He had always loved her. Why had it taken so long to realize it?

  “How long have you known?” His smile faded somewhat at the seriousness of his question. Did she feel the same?

  “Known what? That I loved you?” Jo tilted her head, considering the question.

  He nodded.

  “I can’t say exactly when I knew for sure…” She paused, holding the medical kit tightly to her chest. “I think it must have happened the first time I saw you run into the house next door.”

  Patrick grinned at the memory. He and Jo had something he’d never shared with anyone else. A friendship that had lasted longer than any other.

  She was truly his best friend.

  Jo glanced at the medical kit in her hand, then waved sheepishly toward him. “I’d… uh… better take a look at that shoulder.”

  “Of course,” he said, then moved to the sofa. He sat, giving her enough room beside him.

  “I’ll need to… um… take off your shirt.”

  Patrick couldn’t help but enjoy the sight of the blush that crept into her cheeks.

  “Sure,” he said. “I might need your help.”

  “Uh-huh.” She set her supplies on the coffee table and helped him remove his shirt over his head, careful of his injured shoulder.

  He grunted as pain shot through him at the awkward movement.

  “Sorry,” she mumbled.

  “Not your fault.” He controlled his breathing, focusing on removing the pain from his mind. He wanted nothing to distract him while she was near.

  Then she set about removing the bandages, cleaning his wound and wrapping fresh, clean bandages around his shoulder. The process lasted a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity.

  To have her so close, her hands upon him and yet not where he wanted them to be. He grappled with his desire to toss the bandages away and take her in his arms, but he didn’t want to rush her.

  They’d gone from long-lasting friendship to confessing love for each other. He didn’t want to push her any more than he already had.

  But when her hand lingered over the newly wrapped bandages, pausing to rest on his chest above his heart, his fingers moved to cover hers. He stared into her eyes, seeing the sense of wonder there… discovery.

  Her gaze fell to his lips. Her tongue darted out, licking her own lips as if she hungered to taste him.

  Patrick was obliged to let her. He leaned in, giving her the opportunity to pull back if she chose, but she met him halfway. Her lips touched his. Tentatively at first. A mere brush of skin against skin. And again. A cautious exploration. This was new and frightening territory, kissing your best friend.

  But the moment only lasted for a few seconds. Then she settled against him, pressing her lips firmly against his. He opened for her, his tongue darting out to taste her.

  She tasted like coffee. So must he.

  Still with his hand clasped over hers against his bare chest, he leaned back onto the pillows on the sofa, pulling her with him until she rested her torso against him while they deepened their kiss.

  Her soft curves pressed along the hard lines of his. His hand relinquished hers so that h
e might have the freedom to explore her body, to touch the skin that looked so soft. He started with her cheek, the pad of his thumb caressing her, before moving to her neck, then her shoulder. She shivered when his fingers traced the curve of her breast.

  In return, her hands splayed over his chest, touching the muscles there, traveling lower to the ridges of his abdomen. His breathing quickened as her fingers traveled lower still.

  A groan burned from his throat the moment her hand pressed over his groin. He despised the thick layer of jeans that created a barrier between them. But he didn’t have to do anything to remedy that. She worked her fingers over the button and zipper, opening a gap for her to slide her hand beneath.

  The moment she touched his hard length, he thought he might burst from excitement. But he held himself together, knowing he couldn’t deny her the pleasure he so wanted to provide.

  As she caressed his hardness, running her fingers up and down his length, he busied himself with removing her shirt from her body. She helped him, moving as he needed her, then resuming where she’d left off.

  His mouth followed the path his fingers had taken, showering kisses along her cheek, down her neck to her shoulders. He hadn’t bothered to remove her bra. Not, yet. Instead, he clasped his mouth over the lacy fabric to reach her nipple.

  She gasped. The sound of her pleasure spurred him on. He unhooked her bra, releasing it from her shoulders and slipping it free. Then there was nothing between them but skin on skin as he suckled her breasts, savoring each one.

  The tension built between them as they touched. Their movements slow and sensual at first, soon grew in pressure.

  There were still too many clothes, too many barriers between them. It took some coordination on his part, but with Jo’s help, they managed to remove the rest of their clothes. Once he held her naked body against his, his heart soared with joy.

  They kissed and caressed each other until they both moaned with want and need. And then Jo took him into her body, his hardness sliding into her warm heat.

  Patrick closed his eyes for a moment, his head leaned back onto the pillows as she lowered her body onto his cock. His hands rested on her hips, her curves cradling his body. And then she moved on top of him. His eyes flashed open.