Protected Mate (Catamount Lion Shifters #1) (12 page)

Randall looked at Seth, his eyes traveling to Jake and landing on Dane. He shook his head. “Fuck you.”

Lights flashed through the trees as a car turned down the road leading to the cabin, more lights following behind. The next few hours were a jumble in Chloe’s mind. The Catamount police arrived and promptly arrested Randall and Seth. Chloe rode back into town with Dane and Jake, held snug against Dane’s side. They hadn’t had even a second of privacy, so Chloe made do with a quick kiss and Dane’s strong arm around her while adrenaline and emotion surged through her. Between the fear she’d experienced for her own circumstances, she’d been terrified Dane would be hurt during the altercation with Randall. Watching four shifters in lion form had been thrilling and ethereal, but it was frightening to know that Dane or Jake could have been hurt.

A number of residents were waiting at the police station when they arrived. Word had traveled like brushfire. Chloe was taken aside for questioning, along with Dane and Jake. When she was waiting outside for Dane to finish up, she was pestered with questions from residents. People were shocked and confused about Randall’s involvement. Roxanne arrived and waved everyone away from Chloe. “For God’s sake people, give her some space. I know we’re all scared and concerned, but give it some time. The police will give us more information once they’ve sorted everything out.”

Chloe breathed a sigh of relief when the pressure of questions was eased. “Thank you,” she said under her breath.

Roxanne shrugged. “No problem. People are flat freaking out. I get it. I am too, but badgering you for answers isn’t going to help. You okay?”

Chloe nodded. She was tired, weary, and crashing from the after-effects of hours of fear and adrenaline pumping through her body. “I’m okay. Tired and ready to go home though.”

She felt a hand on her shoulder and knew it was Dane’s the moment he touched her. His palm slid down her back in a smooth caress, coming to rest at her waist. Warmth stole through her, his touch soothing and electrifying at once. “Well, that’s good then because that’s where we’re going.”

He stepped to her side, smiling down at her, his blue-gray eyes coasting over her.

“Hey Roxanne, thanks for waiting with Chloe,” he added.

Roxanne looked at him, her expression somber. “Of course. I won’t bother you about it now, but I don’t suppose you could fill me in tomorrow?”

Dane nodded. “You got it. I’ll stop by in the morning.”

Chapter 13

Dane walked beside Chloe into the house, his hand on her back. He couldn’t keep from touching her on the way home. It was as if he needed to reassure himself she was physically here with him. The events of the afternoon and evening were fresh in his mind. The pounding fear he’d felt had barely abated. The thought of what could have happened if they hadn’t found her terrified him. Anger at Randall, Seth, and whoever else lay behind her kidnapping simmered inside. There was a lot left to deal with, but for now, he simply needed to be with Chloe.

As soon as the door closed behind them, he picked her up in his arms and walked upstairs. Her mossy green eyes met his in the shadowed hall, intent and focused. He carried her through the bedroom and into the bathroom before setting her down. “We’re washing today off of you,” he said as he reached in and turned on the shower.

In seconds, steam began to filter through the room. Chloe had immediately begun taking her clothes off. Dane stripped his tattered clothes off, following her into the shower. Soft light fell through the haze of water and steam. The glass blue tiles created a surreal space around them. He pulled her into his arms and simply held her, the heat of the water rushing over them. He had to force himself to step back. Lust streaked through him, its force primal. He soaped her, savoring the feel of her soft skin and curves under his hands. While she rinsed off under the water and lathered her hair with shampoo, he washed himself quickly. Bubbles ran over her body as she rinsed her hair. His cock throbbed at the sight of her.

He reached for her again when she opened her eyes, her lashes spiked with water, the green of her eyes bright. Her tongue darted out, licking a drop of water. He couldn’t hold back and took her mouth in a deep kiss, instantly delving in with his tongue. She met him stroke for stroke, their kiss wild, hot and deep. The coils of want tightened in him. After the fight tonight and his shift, he’d barely been able to keep his primal desire for her in check. To have her here, naked in his arms, unleashed everything he’d been holding back.

***

Dane’s kiss was fierce, his energy potent. A frisson of awareness unrolled in a stretch through Chloe’s body. Desire raged inside of her. He lifted her against him, cupping her bottom in his strong hands. Her legs went around his waist as he stepped to the wall of the shower, bringing her back against it. He pressed against her, his arousal resting in the cradle of her hips, directly against her cleft. Pleasure pin-wheeled through her when he rocked into her, nestling against the nub of her desire.

The afternoon of pulses of fear, hours of dread and waiting, and then the crash of adrenaline when Dane and Jake fought Seth and Randall culminated in this. The primal beauty of witnessing Dane shift into his lion and
be
who and what he was had been so intense, she’d barely held it together since then. The emotional intensity of feeling safe and so protected by him was unlike anything she’d ever experienced, or could have imagined. She needed to slake the depth of her feelings against the flint of the conflagration between them.

He tore his lips away, murmuring her name as he kissed his way down her neck, his lips closing over a nipple. She arched into him with a cry when he bit her softly and swirled his tongue around. He did the same with her other nipple. She shifted restlessly against him, grinding her hips into the warm length of his cock. She needed him inside of her.

He lifted his head, stroking the wet strands of her hair away from her face. She met his eyes, that blue-gray gaze so intense, solely focused on her. Holding her eyes, he shifted back and brought the head of his cock to her entrance, slowing dragging it through her wet folds. She moaned, biting her lip to keep from shattering too soon. In a swift surge, he filled her to the hilt, settling against her, his hard muscled chest flush against her breasts. The contrast of his heated body with the cool tiles on her back ratcheted up her desire. He held still for a long moment, lifting a hand and stroking it down her cheek. It came to rest in the curve of her neck, his thumb at the beat of her pulse.

He began a cycle of slow, deep strokes, holding her firmly against him, the strength of his hold never wavering. She came in a noisy burst, flying apart in his arms. He followed her, convulsing within her. His forehead fell to hers. Their breath mingled with the steam and water falling around them.

They toweled off and fell into bed, no words passing between them. Dane tucked her against his body, the quilt cocooning them.

Chloe woke the next morning, curled against Dane’s warmth. He lay on his back, his head resting on one elbow, his other hand moving in slow circles on her back.
 

“It snowed last night.” His voice was gravelly from sleep.

He turned his head to meet her eyes. She leaned up and landed a soft kiss on his lips before resting her head on his chest to look out the window. A large picture window in his bedroom faced a field with woods behind it. Everything was dusted in the lightest coat of snow, as if fairy dust had been sprinkled during the night.

Chapter 14

Dane leaned his hips against Jake’s desk, his arms crossed, and listened. Jake and Hank Anderson, the police chief for Catamount, were discussing Jake’s online investigation of Callen.

Hank shook his head. “Damn, this is a hell of a mess. Callen put us at some serious risk. Seth and Randall aren’t talking. If you ask me, Randall is in way over his head. I’m with Jake on Callen, though. Wouldn’t put it past him. I know it’s devastating for his family, and Shana,” he said, pausing with a glance at Dane.

Dane shook his head, his jaw tight. Shana was holed up at Phoebe’s. When he stopped by this morning, her eyes were so puffy from crying, he didn’t have the heart to try to talk further about it. He hugged her and left her in Phoebe’s comforting presence.

Hank continued. “So let me see if I have this right: Callen’s been in contact with someone out West who’s back and forth between Montana and South Dakota. Callen proposed his plan to offer up shifters to smuggle drugs for major money. We have no names, but we managed to trace Seth’s computer fingerprints back to Montana. Obviously, whomever Callen was in touch with traced him back to Catamount. Randall’s in on it, but I get the sense he doesn’t know everything behind the scenes. Randall was always dogging Callen’s footsteps, trying to prove himself. Callen knew he had an easy sell with Randall. Seth has more knowledge. I can sense it. The only good thing to come out of Chloe’s kidnapping is I have solid felony charges to hold them.”

Dane felt the lion within him prickle and rise, his fury at Chloe’s kidnapping was alive and well. He was keeping a lid on it, but what he wanted was to set his lion loose and tear Seth and Randall to pieces. But the human in him knew that wouldn’t get them any answers, nor would it guarantee Chloe’s safety. He forced himself to focus on the discussion at hand. With the layers of risks Catamount shifters were facing because of Callen, Dane was relieved to have Hank working on the investigation. Hank was another shifter, so he knew how to navigate the legal waters without drawing attention to shifter rumors.

“So will you be able to use what Jake found?” Dane asked.

Hank chuckled. “Hell yeah!” He turned and caught Jake’s eyes. “Good thing is you’re not bound by stuff like warrants. You can find whatever you want and turn it over to me.”

Jake nodded. “So what now?”

“Now we wait and let the wheels start moving in slow motion in the legal system. On the one hand, that’ll buy us some time. But on the other, I don’t know who else might be sent our way after this,” Hank replied, his gaze somber. “I’m damn glad both of you are stronger and faster than they were. If we come up against some shifters that are much bigger, it might not work out so well. I’ve got my guys developing plans for how to monitor around town. I’m hoping once they get word their plan didn’t work out, that whoever else is behind this will avoid making any more moves.”

Dane’s mind flashed back to the sight of Chloe in the corner of the cabin, alone and frightened. He recalled the report that she’d been dragged into the car. He wasn’t sure if it was better or worse that he hadn’t witnessed it. His imagination had gone wild with pictures of it. Chloe insisted they didn’t physically harm her. His stomach coiled with fury at how they described her as ‘leverage’. With a sharp shake of his head, he brought his focus back to Jake and Hank.

“Keep me posted and let me know what else I can help with.” Dane glanced out the window. It was early evening and the light had faded. Around the town green, holiday lights sparkled. In another week, it would be Thanksgiving. “I gotta head over to Roxanne’s to pick up Chloe. Catch you guys later.” He gave a quick wave and strode out to his truck.

Moments later, he pulled up across the street from Roxanne’s store. Chloe had spent the morning at his office. Even though Seth and Randall were sitting in jail, he wasn’t comfortable having her stay alone anywhere right now. He’d quickly discovered she didn’t enjoy being idle. She’d helped his receptionist, Jackie, handle most of the filing. After they had lunch at Roxanne’s, Roxanne promised to keep her busy for the afternoon.

As he walked toward the store, a bracing gust of wind hit him. Fall leaves swirled in the air, scudding across the street. The light snow from last night had melted during the day, but winter was firmly on its way. He expected a decent amount of snowfall in the next few weeks.

Stepping inside Roxanne’s, he breathed deeply. Roxanne had a brick oven for baking in the back, which generated a lot of heat, along with filling the entire store with the scent of fresh-baked bread. He threaded his way through the aisles and found Chloe seated at a table with a cup of coffee and her laptop. She met his eyes with a smile, those mossy green eyes of hers pulling at him. He gave her what was meant to be a quick kiss, but morphed into a deep, sensual, breath-stealing kiss. Her tongue coasted across the seam of his lips, immediately tangling with his when he opened his mouth. He cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing across her pulse.

The sound of a throat clearing nearby snapped him into focus. He pulled away reluctantly to find Roxanne standing by the table with a cup of coffee in hand for him. “I try to provide fast service, and you’re about to throw her on the table.” Roxanne clucked and shook her head. The pen so often tucked behind her ear slipped out and clattered to the floor.

Dane bent over and picked it up, handing it to her with a sheepish smile. “Can’t help myself. Thanks for the coffee,” he replied, accepting it from her and sitting down across from Chloe.

“You can kiss her anytime you want, just don’t make it R-rated in here,” Roxanne said. She glanced to Chloe. “Did you tell him?”

Dane looked at Chloe. “Tell me what?”

“I figured out what I can do for work! Roxanne says Catamount could use another accountant. That’s right up my alley since I got my degree in business and accounting. But that’s not all I want to do, but it’ll keep me busy. Once I’ve got enough clients to keep me afloat, I’m going to open my own clothing store. I always wanted to start my own business, but figured it wasn’t a safe decision this early. Between the accounting and the much more affordable rents around here, I’ll be able to get something going.” Chloe’s eyes were glowing.

Dane was pleased because he knew she wouldn’t be content to stay in Catamount without establishing herself independently. He grinned and lifted his coffee mug in a mock toast. “Perfect! You can start with my accounts.”

Roxanne grinned and walked off. Dane looked over at Chloe, his eyes sobering. “I’ve noticed you don’t like lounging around, so it’s good to hear you’ve already figured something out.”