Shifters of Silver Peak: Mate For A Month (4 page)

After Marcus left, Eileen went out to her car and brought in the overnight bag she kept stashed in the back seat. She took a long, hot shower and tried to banish all her worries from her mind, scrubbing the mud off and basking in the heat.

She dug into her bag for a fresh outfit. She changed into a pair of rhinestone-studded jeans and a sky-blue Angora sweater and low-heeled blue pumps.

Tomorrow she’d go in to town, do some shopping for appropriate shoes and pick up her suitcases, she decided.

In the meantime, what to do with her mud-spattered clothing from this morning?

There was a washing machine and dryer in the far right corner of the living area. She’d never washed a load of clothing before in her life, but how hard could it be?

She grabbed her silk jumpsuit, tossed it into the washing machine and stared at the clothing. Nothing was happening. The clothing just lay there.

Soap. It probably needed soap.

She looked at the box of laundry detergent sitting next to the washing machine. How much should she use? Her clothes were really dirty. She put in ten cups just to be sure, and closed the lid. She stared at the machine. Nothing.

Well, there were buttons on top of the machine. They had to be there for a reason.

She pushed a bunch of them, and after she hit one that said “Start” the machine rumbled and then started making noises like water was rushing in.

Ha! Eileen Pennyroyal, domestic diva, was unstoppable!

She was sitting on the Adirondack chair, sending her father a smug text to let him know that she was on the Kincaid Pack’s property working out the final details of the contract, when she glanced over at the washing machine and realized that huge mountains of soap suds were boiling over and spilling out of the lid and onto the floor.

At the same time, there was a pounding on the front door.

He was back!

And she was as good as dead.

“Son of a seacow,” she gasped. “They will not be able to identify my remains.” She ran into the bathroom and grabbed armfuls of towels, ran back and began frantically scrubbing at the floor. More soap spilled out. Rivers of it. The washing machine was a volcano erupting with soap.

The door flew open, and a very pregnant female shifter with a big mop of curly red hair waddled in, followed by a tall, lean female shifter in overalls and a T-shirt, and a fat old beagle.

The pregnant female was holding a basket of muffins. She stared with mild surprise at Eileen, who was kneeling, frantically scrubbing and ready to burst into tears.

Eileen stood up. “What do I do? Make it stop!” she cried, pointing at the machine.

The redhead glanced at the taller woman. “Erika, you take this. I’m too big to bend,” she said, patting her stomach.

Erika raced over to the washing machine, knelt down, reached behind and unplugged it, and the soap stopped exploding out.

She stood up, in a sea of ankle-high suds.

“Hey, I’m Erika!” She stuck out her hand as if nothing had happened. Eileen felt the hammering of her heart slow down a little.

“I’m Eileen, pleased to meet you.” She looked around mournfully. “I drowned his cabin.”

Erika looked around. “Serves him right – your new mate is kind of an asshole.”

At that, Eileen smiled. “So. You’ve met him.”

Erika threw back her head and let out a loud, braying laugh. Eileen could only imagine the looks of horror on the faces of her social circle back home if they were to hear a laugh like that.

But Eileen loved it. This woman was joyously unselfconscious. She didn’t give a damn what anyone thought about her.

“Did you break that furniture too?” Erika asked, looking at the pile of splintered wood. “Are we having a furniture-breaking party? I call dibs on the table.”

“No, actually, Marcus did that,” Eileen said.

The pregnant lady had set down her basket of muffins on the kitchen counter. She picked one up and began eating it.

“Sorry, I’m starving all the time these days,” she said around a mouthful of muffin. “I’m Chelsea, Roman’s mate. You’ve met Erika, and this is my dog, Pepper.”

Pepper let out a yawn and regarded Eileen thoughtfully.

“Technically, Pepper is her dog, but she loves me better,” Erika said. “Welcome to the pack, by the way. Sorry about your luck. Mating with Marcus, I mean.”

“Erika, please!” Chelsea gave her a look of annoyance. She waddled over to the Adirondack chair and Erika helped her slowly sink down into it. Then Erika fetched the basket of muffins and handed one to each of them.

Erika gave part of hers to Pepper.

“She’s supposed to be watching her weight!” Chelsea chided Erika. “The vet said.”

Pepper gave Chelsea a reproachful look and let out a blast of flatulence.

“That was your fault,” Erika informed Chelsea. “You can go ahead and starve her. I’ll give her snacks and then she’ll love me even more.”

Chelsea waved her hand impatiently at Erika.

“Anyway. Ignore my crazy friend here. Roman told me what happened with Marcus, that you guys are going to pretend to be mated to keep the Council off of Marcus’ back. But I wanted you to know…he also thinks that you and Marcus are a good fit,” she said.

“He what?” Eileen was shocked. She didn’t want to insult Chelsea’s mate, but he was clearly an idiot.

“I know, I know,” Chelsea said as Pepper pawed at her leg and looked at the muffin in her hand. “Pepper, stop that. I am not Erika. Eileen, here’s the thing. Marcus comes off as an ass when you first meet him, but he’s actually one of the best guys I know.”

The door banged open.

“Stop spreading lies,” Marcus growled, walking into the room. Eileen flinched. So he actually was back. What was he doing home so early?

“You do come off as an ass,” Chelsea said calmly.

“Not that. The second part. About me being a good guy.”

Chelsea rolled her eyes. “He’s got a dry sense of humor,” she assured Eileen. “Anyway, I have to head back to show my darling life-mate I’m okay, because he thinks that pregnancy makes me so fragile I might fall apart if there’s a breeze. But I wanted to let you know that the cub shower is Saturday at noon, in town, at my bakery. Wintergreen’s Bakery.”

“They don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl, so we’re sticking to neutral colors. Oof,” Erika said, helping Chelsea to her feet.

“Oh, you mean…I can come to the shower?”

“Of course,” Chelsea said. “You’re part of our pack now. And you have no idea how glad I am you’re here! Most of the pack are men, and only a few have chosen life-mates, so we’re a little heavy on the testosterone around here.” She shot a glance at Marcus, who shrugged.

“Also, I’m not very girly,” Erika added. “So she doesn’t really have anyone to talk to about makeup and that kind of crap. Damn it, there I went not being ladylike again. But anyway, you can be her girly friend, and I’ll be the tomboy.”

“Oh,” Eileen said. “Thank you. That sounds very nice.” It actually did; Chelsea had a cheerful, confident air about her, and somehow she felt good just being in her presence. And Erika was clearly the clown of the group, completely unselfconscious. It would be easy to relax around them; they’d never judge her.

Marcus glanced over at the washing machine.

“That was all me,” Eileen said mournfully. “I’ve never done laundry before. Go ahead, laugh at me.”

“But if you do, I’ll stab you in the eye with a pencil,” Erika added. “And Pepper will bite your ankle.”

“By the way, I know you’re the king of the hermits, but we both like Eileen, so we’ll be visiting here more often. Deal with it,” Chelsea said. “And for the love of God, get more chairs.”

“You do need more chairs,” Eileen agreed. “The normal amount for a table that size would be four. Also, many people enjoy the use of a modern invention known as a couch.”

Marcus looked at the women with annoyance, and then at the sudsy floor, and then back at them. “So. This is what being mated is like. Can’t believe I didn’t try it earlier.”

He walked over to a cabinet next to the washing machine, pulled out a stack of towels and began mopping the floor with them. Eileen glared at his back and wished she were one of those shifters with the power to make people burst into flames just by looking at them.

Chelsea’s phone rang, and she fished it out of her pocket and answered it.

“Seriously? What a pain in the butt. Okay, I’ll let her know,” she said. She glanced at Eileen. “That Shifter Council lady is at the front office. She’s apparently really mad because someone told her your mating is fake, and she’s heading back here to your property.”

“Want me to kick her ass?” Erika asked hopefully.

“Erika! What have we talked about when it comes to you solving problems with your fists?” Chelsea said, exasperated.

“Um…I can’t remember. Lead with my right?” Erika looked puzzled.

Eileen stifled a laugh behind her hand.

Chelsea snapped her fingers on the side of Erika’s head. “You are hopeless. Let’s go. And Eileen, I’d suggest you guys stand at the window and pretend you didn’t know she was coming, and put on a good show for her.”

“With tongue,” Erika added helpfully.

Eileen felt herself blushing. “Thanks for everything, guys. I will see you Saturday, if not before then.”

They left, with Pepper waddling slowly behind them.

Marcus tossed the sopping towels into a laundry basket, walked over to the window and looked out.

“Yep. Here she comes. I see her car,” he said.

“Well, much as you can’t stand me, you might actually have to kiss me or something,” Eileen said to Marcus.

He frowned.

“I never said I can’t stand you.”

Now there was a ringing endorsement. Talk about sweeping a girl off her feet.

“Do you even know how to kiss?” she asked with annoyance.

“I don’t know, do I?” he growled.

He pulled her up against him with one muscular arm, tipped her head back with one finger under the chin and began kissing her.

His kiss was so strong, so commanding, and yet tender. He cupped her face with his hand and stroked her hair, fingers sliding through the silky tresses.

She leaned in to him, pressing against his body. The swell of his muscles, the earthy, masculine scent of him…

She could feel the swell of his erection. He was hard. For her. The musky aroma of his arousal drifted in the air, and she breathed it in. His arm tightened around her, and she let out a low moan of pleasure as his tongue probed hers. His fingers tangled in her hair, holding her in place, and she felt a groan of pleasure, answering hers, rumbling in his broad chest.

There was a sharp rap on the door, and then the door swung open with a bang.

Eileen let out a squeal of alarm and jumped back.

Verity.

She’d totally forgotten about Verity.

Verity walked in, eyes narrowed. She stood there for a moment and sniffed at the air.

“Aha! I knew you were faking! You two haven’t mated in here,” she observed. “I’d be able to scent it.”

“Rude,” Eileen muttered.

Marcus bared his teeth in a grin. “We’re nature freaks. We only like to do it outdoors. That’s why I mated her. It’s not every day you find someone who shares your fetish.”

Eileen felt a blush creeping up her face, but forced herself to smile and nod vigorously. “It’s true. Under bushes, under trees, right in the middle of the grove…”

“I have concerns,” Verity informed them. “I spoke to your father, Mr. Justin Pennyroyal.” She sounded very proud of herself for having spoken to a man of his status.

“I already know his name, thanks,” Eileen said. “We’ve met.”

Verity shot her a look of annoyance. “He knows nothing about this mating. In fact, he said that you’ve been promised to one of the Havershams.”

“Promised? You do know this is the twenty-first century, right?” Eileen folded her arms across her chest and met Verity’s gaze defiantly.

“He also said you don’t have skin allergies.”

“How would he know?” Eileen said with exasperation. “It’s my skin, not his. I told you, he’s against this marriage. Mating. Whatever.”

Verity glanced at Marcus.

“You’re actually claiming this mating is real?” she said skeptically.

“You’re questioning the word of my Alpha?” Marcus growled. “You heard him. We’re life-mates.”

Verity stared at them, suspicion glinting in her eyes. “I’m going to be making regular visits here,” she said. “And I’ve got my eye on you two.”

She shut the door and left.

“Well, that’s just great,” Eileen said, listening to the sound of Verity’s heels crunching on the gravel as she walked to her car.

Eileen heard the engine start, and then the car pulled out and headed away, leaving her alone with her reluctant mate.

She looked up at him. He still hadn’t moved away from her. A sharp stab of longing lanced through her. She wanted him to stay close, but he wouldn’t, she knew.

She was right. After a minute, he took a step back.

“Why did you come home early?” she asked. Part of her was hoping he’d say that it was for her. To spend time with her. To get to know his new mate.

His resigned shrug told her otherwise. “Got kicked off the job site. I got in a fight with one of the other guys and the argument lasted all afternoon and the project manager told me to go home.”

“Over what?”

He shrugged again. “Something stupid. He took Samuel’s toolbox and…it was stupid”

“Oh. Well, sorry you had to spend time with me,” she said, annoyed.

“It’s not your fault.”

Of all the nerve….

“You are a rude, obnoxious jerk, and by the way, no, you do not know how to kiss!” she yelled, with a stamp of her foot.

At that, his eyes flared amber. “Really?” It came out in a low growl. “You seemed to like it when it was happening.”

The next thing she knew, he’d pulled her towards him and was kissing her again. She pressed up against him, against his heat and strength. One muscular arm was wrapped around her. His hand rested lightly on her waist. His other hand cupped her chin as he kissed her.

His lips were feather soft, and his tongue swept through her mouth gently, slowly, exploring with infinite tenderness. He tasted like sweet coffee and…Marcus. A delicious taste, one that she wanted to consume and draw into her body, her very soul.

A wave of heat swept over her, rushing from her head to her toes. She kissed him back, hungrily, and let out a low moan of pleasure as his tongue probed deeper.

That seemed to bring him back to his senses.

Slowly, he pulled away, wrenching a whimper of protest from her. She stared up at him, her eyes glazed over with a deep, carnal hunger that shocked her. She’d never felt anything like this before.

Mine. Need. Want.

Fuck me. Hard.

She stifled a gasp at her own crude thoughts as he stepped back away from her again. He was going to leave now. No. She didn’t want him to.

“Marcus, why did you just run off to work this morning? Why did you run off after you met me yesterday? Basically, why are you avoiding me?”

A frown creased his forehead. “For the same reason I avoid everyone. I don’t want to hurt you.”

She cleared her throat. “You won’t hurt me. I swear.”

“You don’t know me.” There were depths of pain in his eyes that she’d never seen before. “You don’t know what I’m capable of.”

She managed a weak smile. “I might be stronger than I seem.”

At that, he managed a grim, answering smile in return. “I might be more broken than you think.”

A long, awkward silence stretched out between them.

“I can’t kiss you again,” he said in tones of great regret. “Because I might not be able to stop myself next time.”

“What if I didn’t want you to stop?” That might just have been the bravest thing she’d ever said. She waited for him to mock her, to laugh at her, to sneer that he’d never want a stupid, clumsy little weakling like her.

He just shook his head sadly.

“We wouldn’t work together. You’re a good person. I’m…not. I’m hardly even a person at all, most days.” She started to protest, but he kept talking. “And I’m not safe to be around. I have nightmares and I break things when I’m sleeping. If I hurt you by accident…” a dark look crossed his face, so miserable and wretched that she felt it deep in her soul.

But he wasn’t ready to talk about what had put that look there.

She took a deep breath. All she could do was try to break the mood.

“Hey. You know what I’ve never done before?” she said brightly.

“Laundry?”

Then he threw back his head and laughed as she punched him in the arm as hard as she could.

“You son of a
bitch
.”

“Well, I’m a wolf, Eileen, so yes. I’m a son of a bitch.”

“What I’ve never done before is take off my clothing in front of someone else, shift, and run through the woods.”

“You’ve never…” He shook his head in bafflement. “Never?”

“No. My group takes off our clothing indoors, in private rooms, then we shift, then we stroll for a while in animal form.” She glanced at the door, mischief sparkling in her eyes. “Shall we?”

“We shall.” He was gently mocking her, but the laughter in his eyes made her smile. “I’ll show you some of my favorite places.”

She followed him outside the cabin, turned her back on him, took her clothes off and folded them neatly.

She turned around to see him staring at her with amusement.

“Don’t go crazy now, Miss Wild Thing,” he said as she carefully set her clothing down on a tree stump by the side of the door. His clothes were in a pile on the ground.

She gave him a look of annoyance, sank to the ground and shifted. Marcus beat her to it. It took her about five seconds; he seemed to go from man to wolf in zero seconds flat.

Then, instead of walking slowly and daintily, she turned and ran straight for the treeline. She leaped over the tree stump he used as a chopping block, tore past the workshop and kept running.

She felt her heart speed up as he chased after her, and the wind rushed through her fur, and a thousand delicious scents swirled through the air. She pushed her way through bushes, not caring about the leaves and twigs that were tangling in her fur.

With Marcus’ massive wolf beside her, she happily snuffled in the dirt, sniffed the air, and even howled. Long, throaty howls of joy. She felt a freedom like she’d never known before, as if she’d shed a tight, constricting skin that restricted her movements and dulled her senses.

Heaven.

They finally raced back to the cabin, and when they reached the front door, they both shifted back and she stood there drawing in great gulps of air and feeling the cool air rushing over her sweat-dampened skin.

She thought Marcus would walk inside with her, but instead he just gave her a short, sharp nod, grabbed his clothing and headed over to the workshop, buck naked.