Destined Mate (Catamount Lion Shifters #4) (8 page)

Up close, he was magnificent in cat form—pure strength, power and vitality. Her cat nearly purred at the sight of him. Deep inside, the pull to him was so strong, so intense, she quivered. The connection between them stitched tighter as he stood there, his caramel eyes locked to hers. She stood and stretched on the boulder and leapt down to his side. The air was alive around them. In the quiet, she turned and began weaving her way back down the mountainside. When they crossed into a field, she broke into a run, pounding across the distance. Hayden stayed on pace with her. She gloried in the feel of the air through her fur, the freedom from her human confusion. Here and now, she knew only one thing—she wanted Hayden and no one else.

***

Hayden raced alongside Shana, pulsing with energy and primal desire. He hadn’t known he’d find her out here. He’d returned to the guesthouse this afternoon to find it empty. He’d been unsettled and out of sorts ever since the interview with Theo at the jail. Trying to wrap his brain around the fact that the truth of the power behind the smuggling network might have been sitting under his nose every day in the form of his boss made him sick. He sought the escape and freedom his lion offered and had followed a worn footpath to the edge of the forest behind the guesthouse. Once out of view, he shifted and took off. It didn’t take him long to catch the scent of another lion ahead of him. He immediately knew it was Shana, so he followed her trail until he found her.

He glanced sideways. She ran at his side. She was breathtaking in her cat form, lithe and sensual. When they reached the edge of the trees, she shifted back into human form. He followed. The light was fading, the air chilly. He turned to see her already gathering the clothes she must have left behind. He followed suit, though it almost caused him physical pain. As he glanced around while they walked back to the guesthouse, he realized they were in full view of Dane and Chloe’s home. He wryly considered it probably wouldn’t be the wisest plan to take Shana under the circumstances.

She was quiet as they walked. Her hair fell in disarray around her shoulders, her breath misted in the air. When they stepped into the guesthouse, she turned to him. Her smoky eyes held his steadily. He considered what to say and decided against words. He closed the distance between them, slid a hand into her tangled hair and brought his lips to hers. She went taut for a split second before her body went pliant against his.

Hayden let loose the fierce desire inside, taking her mouth roughly. His hand laced into her hair and tugged, exposing her neck. Nipping at her earlobe, scraping his teeth down her neck, he could barely maintain his control. He stroked down her back, cupping her bottom and pulling her against his arousal—hot, hard and aching. The sound of her breathing drove him on. He tore at her clothes, as she did his. When they were bare, he pressed her against the door and plastered himself against her. Her soft curves gave against the hard planes of his body. He pulled back and just looked at her.

Her honeyed locks fell in a tangled mess around her face and shoulders. Her silvery eyes were dark with desire, her lips swollen from his kisses. Her full breasts rose and fell rapidly with her breath. He cupped her breasts in both hands. Her mouth was slightly parted, a whimper escaped when he thumbed her nipples. He leaned forward and drew one and then the other into his mouth. As she arched into his touch, he bit down sharply. The ragged cry that fell from her lips notched the lust pounding through him even higher. He leaned down, snatching a condom out of his jeans and rolling it on swiftly.

Hooking a hand under her thigh, he lifted it high and stepped into the cradle of her hips. Her breath came in pants, his heart battered against his ribs. He stroked into her folds, which were soaked. He groaned at the feel of her slick desire around his fingers when he delved inside.

“Hayden…I need…”

He couldn’t get inside of her fast enough as her words rolled over him. He slipped his fingers out and nudged his cock into her entrance.

“Look at me.”

His words were low and taut, his voice barely above a whisper. Her smoky eyes flew open, and he surged inside. Her hot, slick channel throbbed around him. He lifted her knee higher and thrust in to the hilt. Her eyelids fluttered, but she held his gaze as he began to stroke in and out of her. The feel of her around him wiped everything but sensation out of his mind. All he wanted was to drive her higher and higher, closer and closer to her release. The creamy clench of her channel pulsed around him as he pounded into her.

Only when her breath broke and she threw her head back with a cry, her body shuddering against his, did he let go. His orgasm crashed through him, the release of pressure so intense, only his grip on her held him up.

***

Shana was sandwiched between the cold door against her back and Hayden’s hot body. Pleasure pinged through her still, pulses of her orgasm shaking her. Hayden’s head fell into her shoulder. His strong arms held her up. She breathed him in. She didn’t want reality to intrude. She just wanted to be here, now, with him. After several long moments, he lifted his head, his warm caramel eyes meeting hers.

Twilight had fallen, and the light was faint. She could feel his heart beating against her skin. They were twined together. His eyes coasted over her face. He lifted a hand and brushed her hair away from her face, tucking a loose lock behind her ear. The small touch sent a soft shiver through her.

He cleared his throat. “Hey there,” he said softly.

He said the perfect thing. Anything else and her mind would have twisted itself in knots over how to reply.

“Hey,” she replied with a chuckle.

He slowly stepped back, easing her leg down as he did. She leaned against the door, thinking perhaps she should be embarrassed to have gone wild over him like that, but she didn’t have it in her to care. He picked up her clothes and handed them to her before walking to the bathroom. She followed him and turned the shower on.

Without a word, she waved for him to join her. She wasn’t ready to talk, but she wanted to be close to him. The steaming water soothed her. Hayden was quiet though his hands stayed on her as he soaped her and ran his hands through her hair when she returned the favor.

A while later, he lounged on a stool by the kitchen counter while she threw together an impromptu dinner of fettuccini with a light cream sauce and tomatoes. He’d just finished filling her in on his and Noah’s interview with Theo.

“Wait, let me get this straight. Theo thinks your boss is running the smuggling network in Bozeman?” she asked, unable to hide the incredulity from her question.

He nodded. “Yup. I’m still trying to get that to sink in. I’ve known Clint for years. I can’t say we’re personally close, but I never suspected him. Never.”

“How reliable do you guys think Theo is?”

He shrugged. “Thing is, there’s no good reason for him to even have Clint’s name. The fact that he does blows my mind.”

“What now?”

“Jake’s already doing his thing to look into Clint’s online activities. Before we act on anything, I’ve still got a few other guys to interview. I’ve got a call into one of the detectives in Bozeman. They were cool having me come out here for this, but if we get anything actionable, they’ll want to send their own guy.”

Anxiety knotted in her chest. She’d been so relieved when Wallace had been arrested here, but she’d known it wasn’t the end in the bigger scheme of things. When they’d gone out to Montana last winter, she realized the smuggling network extended far beyond Catamount. Hearing that Hayden’s boss might be involved shouldn’t have surprised her after everything, but it did.

She served the fettuccini on plates and slid one across the counter to him, tugging a stool to the opposite side to join him. Conversation moved onto lighter matters with Hayden asking casual questions about Catamount.

Hours later, Shana lay in bed beside Hayden and listened to the sound of his breathing. His body was a furnace, radiating heat. He slept on his side, his arm draped across her abdomen, his hand curled under a breast. She couldn’t help it, but she savored the warmth and comfort of falling asleep with him. Her mind started riffling through worries. Should she be letting this happen with Hayden, what did it mean, what would she do if her heart wanted more than his…or if her heart wanted more than she was prepared to give?

If she stopped thinking and let her cat side through, she already knew how much she wanted from Hayden. But her human mind, so pushy sometimes, interjected, reminding her that her feelings for Hayden made her vulnerable—a dangerous place to go. Her mind kept flipping back and forth until Hayden shifted his weight, his hand sliding in a soft caress across the curve of her belly before he tugged her closer to him. She relaxed into his embrace, sleep finally stealing over her.

Chapter 8

Shana gently pushed through the door into a patient’s room. She had an early shift this morning. She’d expected to leave in the dark while Hayden was still sound asleep. He startled her by slipping out of bed while she was in the shower and starting coffee for her. She was a nurse at the hospital. Her work had gotten her through the last few years of her wasted marriage. Without that and her friends, she didn’t know what she would have done over the last year. She loved her work because she liked helping and she loved interacting with patients. She worked on one of the general floors in the hospital, along with Phoebe.

The curtain was pulled around the patient’s bed even though no one else was in other bed in the room. Shana walked quietly to the curtain and slowly slid it back. Gail Anderson was sound asleep. Gail was an old family friend and the police chief’s wife. She’d been admitted to the hospital late last night after Hank brought her in reporting she’d fallen trying to get in the bathtub. Shana pulled Gail’s chart and flipped through it. The x-rays done last night ruled out any broken bones, but her ankle was badly sprained. Glancing at her again, Shana carefully hung her chart up and turned to leave when she heard Gail say her name.

She turned back to find Gail trying to push herself up in bed. Shana stepped quickly to the side of the bed, adjusting the setting, so the bed slowly elevated.

“Hey Gail, no need to rush. The bed’ll do all the work for you.”

Gail’s mouth tightened in a thin line. “I can sit up myself, you know.”

Gail’s hair, black with streaks of silver, was tied in a long braid. Her blue eyes were bright and snapping. Shana would have imagined Gail wouldn’t have much patience with needing to rest, so she opted to avoid arguing the point.

“I’m sure you can, but why not take advantage of this snazzy bed? We just got these fancy new ones on this wing last month. Here’s the remote.” She proceeded to show Gail how to operate the remote control for her bed.

“How are you feeling this morning?” Shana asked once Gail had adjusted the bed to her liking.

Gail shrugged. “I’m fine. I can’t believe Hank brought me here last night and that your brother admitted me for the night.” Her eyes were accusing as she looked at Shana.

Dane was a doctor who had his own family practice, but he also covered emergency room duty at the hospital. Shana decided to stick with her plan not to argue any points with Gail. Gail had been born and raised in Catamount. She was a shifter and relentlessly practical and independent.

Shana demurred. “I’m sure Dane just wanted to make sure you stayed off your ankle long enough. Your chart indicates if your vitals are good today, you’ll be discharged this afternoon. Mind if I check those?”

Gail harrumphed, but she easily offered her arm for a blood pressure check and tolerated the rest. Shana did as she did with most patients and let Gail lead the conversation. Which was fine until Gail brought up Callen. Shana had just about had enough of the comments on Callen and what he’d done. Gail’s next comments startled her.

“I’m sure you’re about to tune me out, but I didn’t bring Callen up to blather on about how I can’t believe what he did. I figured you might want to know not everyone thought you should have married him.”

Shana swung to Gail, her eyes wide. “Huh? Gail, I don’t know…”

Gail waved her hand dismissively. “You don’t know why the hell I’m saying anything, right?” At Shana’s nod, Gail continued. “Because he was never worth your time. That’s why. It’s not like I would have guessed Callen would get involved with drug smuggling, but it didn’t surprise me when I found out. That whole Peyton family has always been a little too big for their britches. Knowing you the way I do, I’m guessing you feel terrible about what happened, but don’t let Callen drag you down anymore.”

Shana wasn’t quite sure what to say, so she simply nodded.

Gail nodded firmly. “Right then.” She paused, her eyes softening. “I don’t want to see you weighed down by his actions anymore than you already have been. That’s all.”

Shana took a breath. “I, uh…” She gathered herself. “I appreciate it, Gail. It’s been a long year, to say the least.”

Gail held her eyes for another moment before a sly smile stole over her face. “Don’t suppose I can persuade you to let me out early today?”

Shana chuckled. “You’re staying here until a doctor signs off on your discharge. Any other way and I’ll be hearing about it.”

***

Hayden tucked the phone against his shoulder. “I’m gonna need an extra week out here. Will that be okay?”

He was on the phone with his boss, Clint Reynolds. As much as he wanted to directly ask Clint how the hell his name ended up on the radar out here, Hayden didn’t say a word.

“Do what you gotta do,” Clint replied. “One of the detectives out here wants a call from you when you have any updates. I’ll email his info to you in a few minutes.”

“I’ll keep an eye out for it.” After a few more minutes of discussion about projects he’d left behind, Hayden ended the call. He tossed the phone on the counter in Shana’s kitchen and turned to look outside. Shana had left for work early, so he’d hopped on his laptop and plowed through his own work for most of the morning. He didn’t bother to tell Clint he needed the extra time partly because he wanted as much time as he could have with Shana. Hayden also wanted enough time and distance from Clint to hopefully get some answers about his involvement in the smuggling network before Hayden returned to Montana.