Chosen Mate (Catamount Lion Shifters #2) (7 page)

She stood leaning against the door, her nipples peaked in the shadowed light, her generous breasts rising and falling with her breath. Her lips were parted, her eyes dark. He stood inches away, his chest bare, his arousal straining against the denim of his jeans. Jake was coming to love the side of Phoebe he saw when she was aroused. Though he’d tamped down many a fantasy of her over the years, his fantasies couldn’t have done justice to what she was like. Once the walls of her restraint fell, the passion between them burned so hot and high, he lost himself in it.

She slowly reached forward, hooked a finger in his belt loop and drew him closer. The feel of her hand stroking the length of his arousal through his jeans almost brought him to his knees. Her eyes met his—a hot lick of a look—as she slid his zipper down and pushed him back a step. The warmth of her palm around his cock brought a groan. He tried to say her name, but couldn’t. Her breasts swayed as she leaned forward and took him in her mouth. She proceeded to bring him to the edge of a place he’d never been. He was always in control when it came to sex…
always.

But now, with Phoebe’s mouth on him, stroking, licking, and sucking, he fell into the hot and electric pulse around them. He looked down to see the arch of her spine as she leaned forward, her skin damp and glistening in the dim light. He slid his hands down her spine, coming to rest at her hips and holding on for dear life as she brought him fully into her mouth again and again. Just when he was on the verge of exploding, she went still and slowly drew away. She stood, eyes pinned to his, desire shimmering in her gaze.

Her skin was dewy with the sheen of desire, her curls a wild rumple around her shoulders. Her pulse was visible in her neck, her breathing ragged. Jake closed the small space between them, lifting her roughly in his arms, turning to the couch and stretching her under him. She gasped as he pressed her back, shifting between her knees and pushing her thighs apart. Lust clawed at him. He ran his palms up her thighs, savoring the give of her skin. He stroked a finger through her wet folds, almost losing it when her hips writhed against his touch. With one hand gripping her hip and holding her still, he brought his mouth to the center of her. He dove into giving her pleasure—deep delves of his fingers into her channel, rough strokes of his tongue as he explored every inch of her. Her cries and gasps fed him, notching the heat inside higher and higher until he was taut with the restraint of holding back. Her body suddenly arched in a shivering stretch as he drew her clit into his mouth, holding suction until she convulsed around his hand. He slowed his movements until her body relaxed, soft shudders reverberating against him.

With a growl, he hooked a hand under her thigh, lifting it swiftly and sliding up into the cradle of her hips as he shoved his jeans down. He fumbled for a condom and rolled it on with his free hand. Her folds were slick against the head of his cock. He grabbed onto a thin thread of control and met her eyes, forcing himself to wait. Her mouth parted, his name falling from her lips in a soft gasp. Only then did he plunge inside of her, growling when he sank to the hilt. The creamy clench of her channel almost pushed him over the edge, but he managed to hold on. Her eyes closed in the fevered passion of the moment.

“Look at me,” he commanded softly.

She did, those wild, dark eyes landing on his. Never breaking his gaze, he began to stroke inside her channel. The only thing that kept him from letting go was the promise in her eyes. Only when he felt her begin to throb around him did he let go. She flew apart again, her cries raining down around him as he pounded into her, the unbearable pressure inside of him finally letting loose.

Chapter 6

Phoebe drifted down slowly, the only thing anchoring her the feel of Jake’s skin against hers. Pleasure echoed in her body. When she came to full awareness and realized how wanton she’d just been with him, a flush washed through her. She wanted to run and hide, but she couldn’t and wouldn’t. She opened her eyes to find his blue gaze dark and intent on her.

She took a breath, her breasts pushing against the hard planes of his chest as she did, accentuating the awareness of what his body did to her. Jake held still for a long moment before slowly shifting his hips away and untangling himself from her. Before she could even form a thought, much less move, he’d walked to the bathroom to dispose of his condom and returned to the living room to find her lying exactly where he’d left her.

This…
this
…with Jake was flinging her so far out of her comfort zone she didn’t know what to do. Jake tugged his clothes on and picked up her scattered clothing. He sat beside her, his eyes warm and bemused. He ran a hand down her arm. Only then did she realize she was getting cold.

“You’re going to freeze,” he said, swiftly rubbing both hands up and down her arms, which were pebbled from the chilled air.

She finally broke out of her trance and accepted the clothes he handed to her. Moments later, they were back in the kitchen. She started water for tea, thinking it would give her something to do. Yet waiting for water to boil offered little distraction. Her mind spun over the unraveling of her control. All Jake had to do was look her way and her senses were overcome. She kept telling herself they had to slow down, had to make sure they weren’t on the way to blowing up their friendship. Then he touched her, and she went up in smoke. He was seated at the table, his legs stretched out in front of him. She turned to look at him, wondering what to say. Her heart wanted to curl up against him and just
be
with him, while her head wanted to calmly discuss what was happening and what they should do. The confusion between her heart and mind froze her.

He looked up at her. Silence stretched between them. Doubts galloped through her mind. She was so absorbed in worrying about what to say, she jumped when he said her name.

“Huh?”

“Did you hear me the first two times?” he asked.

“Hear what?”

“I’ve said your name three times now,” he said with a soft chuckle.

Jake was far too complacent for her comfort. Though the very thing she’d wanted for so many years was actually happening, she couldn’t quite believe it and was terrified if it fell apart, she’d be without one of her best friends.

“How can you be so…so calm?” she asked, pacing back and forth in her small kitchen.

“Did I miss something? A few minutes ago, you blew my mind again and now you’re obviously upset about something. What’s going on?”

She threw her hands up, grumbling when the teapot whistled. She quickly turned the burner off and whirled back to face him. “This, this…” She waved her hands around. “…thing with us. We can’t just do this. I don’t want to mess things up. You’re one of my best friends. I don’t know where you think things are going. I’m freaking out because I don’t get it. Since college, which was over ten years ago now, you’ve been all about how you’d never be with a woman unless she was a shifter. News flash—I’m not a shifter, never will be a shifter. I’m not going to pretend like what’s happening doesn’t feel good because I’m not stupid, but I can’t take this much longer. We have to talk about what’s happening, and we should probably try to slow down.”

Jake’s eyes widened. “Okay, okay. Let’s talk.”

Phoebe turned away, blinking back tears. This was too much. She wanted to talk, and she didn’t want to talk. Her feelings were riding too close to the surface, too raw and too deep. But she couldn’t keep going wild with him. With the invisible barriers fallen between them, even the smallest indication from him and she lost control. She barely recognized herself in the aftermath. But if she insisted they talk, and it led to a stop to this, her worst fears would come true. She couldn’t imagine trying to tuck her feelings away for him now, nor could she bear it to let him go with the knowledge that he would eventually find and fall in love with a shifter. Her hand shook as she poured hot water into the two mugs she’d set on the counter. She set the teapot down and breathed in slowly.

Turning around, she carried the steaming mugs to the kitchen table and sat down across from Jake. She slid his mug across the table and nudged the small container that held a selection of teas in his direction. He was quiet while he snagged a teabag and dunked it in his mug. The warm mug anchored her as she cupped it in her hands. She’d pushed to talk, and now she didn’t even know where to start.

Jake’s blue eyes met hers, his gaze questioning. When she didn’t say anything, he leaned back in his chair, a muscle ticking in his jaw.

“You don’t believe what I’ve already said, do you?”

She took a breath. “You mean the part about how you’ve wanted me for years?”

He nodded sharply. Anxiety knotted in her chest as she tried to sort through how to explain her worries to him.

“It’s not that I don’t believe you. I mean…” She paused, a flush racing through her. “…I can tell you want me like that. I just don’t know if it’s a good idea for us to let this play out. You mean a lot to me. I don’t know if I can take it if this is a fun interlude for you, and then we try to go back to being friends. I can’t do that. I don’t know what to do.”

Once she bluntly stated she couldn’t do that, she felt simultaneously terrified and relieved. He needed to know she had to put some boundaries around this. But in doing so, she might be putting the brakes on what was happening between them, and she could hardly bear the thought. Her eyes focused on the tiny frog painted on her mug, her vision narrowing until that’s all she saw.

“Phoebe,” Jake said her name softly.

Her head whipped up, her eyes colliding with his warm blue gaze.

“I think maybe you misunderstood what I meant by wanting you.”

“Um, okay. What did you mean by that?” Her heart thudded against her ribcage.

“I meant that I wanted
you
, not just sex. Don’t get me wrong, I want you like that too. But more than that, I want us to try to have a chance.”

“A chance?” Her heart was about to pound its way out of her chest at this point. Her throat was tight, and she could hardly catch her breath. She felt as if she was leaning forward to fly into something she wanted so badly, she could almost feel it, almost believe it was real. But she couldn’t quite see, couldn’t quite be certain of what lay ahead.

For the first time, she saw uncertainty in his eyes. He took a breath, his shoulders rising and falling. He rolled his neck side to side and finally brought his eyes to hers again. “A chance at a relationship. I guess I figured that was obvious. You’re one of my best friends. I never thought we’d just have sex and that would be it. You’re the one woman I’ve never been able to get out of my mind. I know all the stuff I said about not being with women who weren’t shifters. After everything that’s happened recently, I’ve realized it was stupid for me to get hung up on the way things went with Naomi. The last month or so has reminded me that shifters can be just as bad to other shifters as humans can. To make a really long story short, I’m tired of denying how I feel about you. I want you like I’ve never wanted anyone, but it’s about a lot more than sex.”

Phoebe could hardly believe what she’d heard. She shook her head, trying to clear the fog in her brain.

Jake reached across the table, hooking his fingers under the edge of her hand and tugging it free from the mug. His big, strong hand curled around hers, his thumb stroking across the back of her palm. “Did you hear me?”

She nodded jerkily. “Uh huh.”

“Well?”

“That, um, that helps. I didn’t understand you before. I just…” Her words trailed off, her throat tight. A tear tumbled over her lashes, splashing onto her cheek. She swiped at it with her free hand and took a shuddering breath. “This is…a lot. I’m not going to pretend this isn’t what I want. It’s just a lot to adjust to. I’m worried…”

Jake shook his head sharply. “Don’t go there. Don’t start this by thinking it won’t work. We have something a lot of people never get. You’re already one of the best friends I’ve ever had. I trust you completely. That’s where we start. Don’t start by thinking it can’t work. Please.”

Phoebe met his eyes, her heart in her throat. His words were everything she wanted to hear, but she couldn’t quite take it in. She needed time to see how it felt. She worried this was all happening because of the crisis simmering and bubbling over around them, and when it all settled down, Jake would remember what he’d wanted to begin with. But she couldn’t say no, couldn’t conceive of turning away from him. With her heart pounding in her ears, she nodded.

Hours later, she woke during the night. Jake was asleep beside her, their legs tangled together. The wind howled outside. She rolled her head to glance out the window. She’d forgotten to close her curtains before they fell asleep. Snow streaked in the wind, lit up by the lights outside. The winter’s first heavy storm swirled around the house. She carefully untangled her legs from his and turned on her side to watch the storm. Jake mumbled and followed her, instantly curling his form around hers—two pieces of a puzzle.

***

“What the hell are you thinking?” Phoebe demanded.

Shana stood in front of her in the break room at work, her arms crossed, her mouth in a tight line. “That I need to do something! That’s what. I just told you what I heard. Hank said he’s talked with Dane and Jake about who they can send out to Montana. So, I’m going. No reason not to.”

Shana whirled away from Phoebe and quickly stuffed her work clothes inside her locker before yanking her coat and purse out.

Phoebe’s mind whirred. She had to stall Shana, but Shana was one of the most stubborn people she knew. Conveniently, Rosie walked into the break room. She quickly glanced between them and stopped at the door, pushing it shut with her hips and leaning on it. She eyed Shana speculatively. “What’s up?”

Shana glared at her. “I’m taking a trip.”

Rosie slanted her eyes to Phoebe. Phoebe shrugged and shook her head. “Shana thinks she needs to go to Montana to see what she can find out about the shifters out there. It’s crazy.” Phoebe caught Shana’s eyes. “Please listen to me. I’m not saying you can’t go. I just think it’s better if we actually talk to Hank, Dane and Jake about this. All you did was overhear half of a conversation. Don’t do anything rash. That’s all I’m asking.”