The waiter came and took their orders and brought their plates a while later. Jessie ordered a big steak and Dana ordered the lobster. They chatted about their childhoods and their dreams for the future. He told her about how his mother had died, a story he’d never shared with a woman until that moment.
“My mother was human. I’d been dirt bike racing without a helmet, and she came out to check on me. She tripped and her fragile human body broke on the jagged rocks at the bottom of the ravine. I’ve always known it was my fault.”
“How could it be your fault?” Dana asked, softly, looking him in the eye.
“She came out to check on me even though I was so much stronger than her, even at ten. I’ll never understand why she thought she had to protect me. I should have protected her.”
“She was your mother. There is nothing stronger than a mother’s love. Besides maybe the love a man has for his woman,” Dana said.
He looked deeply into her hazel eyes, marveling at the golden and yellow flecks that mixed with the deep brown. His heart swelled and burst and he let out a long sigh.
“My father let his love destroy him. I never wanted to feel love that deep. I avoided it. Now, I wish I’d run at love the way I run at everything else.”
“You can do that now,” she said, color rising in her cheeks.
“Yes,” he said, reaching across the table to thread his fingers through hers.
The waiter came back and asked if they’d like any desert and they ordered a raspberry chocolate torte to share. When the waiter set the desert in front of them, with two small forks, Dana licked her lips.
“I haven’t had a meal this delicious in I don’t know how long,” she said, taking her fork and letting it hover over the plate.
“Dig in,” he said, taking in her smile.
It was strange how her happiness filled his heart with contentment. It was like he could feel her positive emotions inside him, and it gave him a kind of self-confidence he’d never experienced before. The depth of their connection was exactly what he’d been so afraid of all these years. Now, it felt like something he never wanted to live without.
She took a small bite of the desert and moaned, her eyes rolling back in her head with the pleasure of sweetness in her mouth. A thrill ran through him, hearing the pleasure sounds through her lips. He could almost hear her fox purring behind the human voice.
“This is so freaking good,” she groaned.
“Shane’s food is legendary. Not only in Fate Mountain either.”
“I heard something about that. He’s supposed to be famous or something. The hyenas were talking shit about him once after pigging out at the diner. All I remember thinking was how nice it would have been to eat a hamburger from a restaurant rather than the cheap ramen servants like me were expected to eat.”
“You can have whatever you want from now on. No one is going to keep anything from you ever again. I’ll make it my life’s mission to make sure of that.”
Dana giggled and took a sip of her champagne. “I think you’re drunk. I’ve heard plenty of gossip about you too,” she said, forking another portion of the torte.
“Definitely not drunk.”
“Jessie Kincaid, notorious ladies’ man is now eternally devoted to none other than… me. Dana Myers. The Updikes’ French maid. I never understood why they wanted me to dress in that costume. I’m from Sacramento, not France!”
Jessie snorted.
“We belong together. If not for Brandon’s bite, we would have known a long time ago.”
She picked up the last bite of dessert and moved it toward his mouth like an airplane for a child. He opened his mouth and closed his eyes as the chocolate hit his tongue. He closed his lips over the fork.
Savoring the flavor of the chocolate, heightened by her feeding it to him, he let out a sighing moan.
“How about we get out of here,” he finally said.
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Chapter 9
Jessie took Dana’s hand and they walked down the stairs from the patio, headed toward a small beach on the lake. The sun had sunk into twilight and the world glowed in shades of purple and blue. The full moon rose above the lake from behind them, its white face covered in wispy clouds.
Jessie pulled her down the path, her heeled shoes clicking on the pavement. He laughed and trotted faster. Giggling, she followed, her breath catching in her chest as they approached the beach. They stopped and kicked off their shoes, moving down into the sand with bare feet and full smiles.
He gathered her in his arms under the crystal moonlight. It rained down on them as the clouds passed overhead, casting them in brilliance. She gazed into his face. His skin bright and his eyes shining. Her heart pounded and a tingle of desire drove down her spine, her fox bleating inside her mind. He leaned into her, capturing her lips mid-sigh. She groaned at the taste of him, his tongue flicking over her lips as soon as he pressed against her.
She felt him grow hard against her stomach as he held her. He caressed the curve of her ass then cupped it with his strong hand. She groaned, pressing against him. Her nipples pricked painfully against her bra.
His hand slid between her legs from behind, only the thin fabric of her dress and panties separating them. Her sex clenched as his fingers slid over her inner thigh, brushing against her pussy ever so slightly.
She bit his lower lip, needing more. Needing it all. Now. Jessie cupped her breast in his other hand, sliding his thumb over the rise of her nipple. She released his lip and pulled back from their kiss, resting her forehead against his.
“Ready to go home?” he asked.
“The sooner the better,” Dana breathed.
It took less than ten minutes to make it back to Jessie’s cabin. Dana sat in the middle of the bench seat, next to Jessie while he drove. His hand roved over her body as he sped home. He came to a stop in the parking lot, and they hurried up the path to his front door. Giggling, they stumbled inside, kissing and touching the whole time.
“I should have carried you over the threshold.”
“Am I your bride now?” she asked, pulling his shirt up over his head.
“You will be,” he said, as she led him to the bedroom. He slapped her ass as he followed, and she turned to gasp and giggle at him.
“You’re so confident,” Dana said as he ripped the dress up over her head.
She wore her black push up bra and panties with pink heels. She felt sexy as hell with Jessie standing before her, shirtless and gleaming with pent up desire and sweat. He pulled off his shoes, the bulge in his pants making her mouth water.
He pulled off his slacks and walked over to her in his red boxer briefs. He gripped her ass and growled, backing her into the bed. She went down, falling onto her back, and he followed her, climbing over her body with the light of his bear in his eyes.
He growled again, leaning in to sniff her neck, her chest, her pussy.
“You smell so fucking good.”
“So do you.”
“I’m ready for a real shifter ritual. Screw brides and thresholds. I need your body. I need to make you mine.”
“Jessie,” she groaned, running her fingers through his tousled blond hair. “I’ve never…”
“I’ll take care of you, baby. Don’t worry.”
All Dana could do was breathe and close her eyes as he slid his fingers into the hem of her panties, drawing them down her thighs and over the pink heels. She arched her back for him to unfasten her bra. Jessie growled, his bear so close to the surface as he flung her bra across the room. Her inner fox was doing laps inside her mind, rolling over on her back and scratching behind her eyes. She wanted her mate. Badly.
Jessie kissed her mouth and nibbled on her ear lobes. He ran his kisses down her body until his tongue slid up the wet slit between her legs. An electric shock of pleasure coursed through her entire being. Her breasts swelled and her nipples went tightly erect. She leaned up on her elbows to look down at him, unable to
comprehend what he was doing to her body.
He licked her again, this time deeper. Wet and warm and soft, he pressed against her nub, lapping at it with his thick tongue. He rolled it in waves, each one bumping her clit. The tip of his tongue curled up and pushed inside her, making her call out in surprise.
He twirled his tongue and pressed the tip to her clit, circling and pressing with intense speed. She gasped and threw back her head. Saliva ran down Jessie’s tongue, coating her sex with moisture. He reached up and tweaked her nipple, sending her into ecstasy. She fell on her back, her pussy contracting, throbbing for more.
He climbed over her, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He yanked down his underwear, his dick popping out in front of her face. She rolled over on her side and licked it from balls to tip in one fast motion, not knowing where her brazen need was coming from. He looked down at her like he’d just seen an angel. She grinned, diving in to lick him again. This time she caught the head in her mouth, sucking at the slick flesh. She tasted his precum and the flavor sent her fox into a frenzy. She dropped down on his cock, taking him deep into her mouth.
She pulled back, gasping, soaking wet. Jessie pushed her on her back and climbed between her legs, his cock sopping wet from her mouth. He pressed his dick between her legs and she rose against him, ready to feel him inside her. The need was too much as he held her hips and angled himself against her.
In a torturously slow motion, he pushed inside her, inch by inch. Her pussy clenched around the ridges of his dick as he eased into her untouched core. Dana groaned at the feeling of being filled by her mate. It was the most exquisite sensation she had ever experienced. Her body throbbed around his thick rod. He had pushed something inside her that had never been triggered before, breaking her virginity as her fox howled with awakening desire. The pain sliced through her, but it only seemed to heighten her need.
She kissed him, open mouthed and wanting. She groaned as he slid deeper, triggering all those magnificent sensations beyond the pain.
"Jessie, Jessie," she begged. "It feels so good."
"I need you so bad, Dana," he growled, his hot breath tingling over her damp skin. "I've needed you for so long."
His teeth grazed her flesh, sending a trail of goosebumps down her neck and chest.
"I need to make you mine," he growled, his teeth pressing into her neck.
"I want to be yours," she gasped, her own sharp teeth descending in her jaw.
She angled her mouth against his neck, licking and nipping at his hard flesh. She groaned as his teeth broke her skin, his hips working her soft body. She felt another orgasm rushing toward her as Jessie's cock grew in width inside her. She pressed her teeth to his neck, licking up the flavor of him. Jessie's bite hurt so good. Her teeth pressed deep into his neck as her fox howled with release. She felt the whirlwind of their connection slamming them together.
The shifter bond awakened like a resonating chord that wound around them forever. Becoming at one with Jessie was both violent and beautiful. Pleasure entwined them as blood ran down their necks and trickled into their throats.
Breathless and throbbing, they pulled back their teeth, gulping air into their lungs. Jessie held onto her, resting against her hips. They stayed together like that for long moments, their blood-tinted lips softly pressing to each other. She tasted the tang of her blood on her lips as she knew Jessie must taste his own. Their primal connection radiated through them. In depths of their minds and souls, their love budded like a lotus blossom. Her fox clung to his bear, their hearts and minds so close. It was as if all their neurons fired and connected with each other's brains. She had never felt so close to anyone, not even her parents, and definitely not her pack.
Jessie was a bear and she was a fox, but in the moment of claiming, there was no difference between them. They were one and the same. A bonded pair. Mates. Forever. Her heart beat and burst as Jessie kissed her and slowly slid away, pulling her onto his chest as he lay down on his back on the mattress. He caressed her head and back, kissing her forehead with his warm full lips. The feel of him, his hard-muscled body under her soft cheek. His strong arms around her, cradling her curves, and protecting her from all the worries of the world, it was too exquisite to bear. But she knew Jessie would always be there for her now. She could feel him deep inside her. He would never let her go.
She felt his heart beat against her cheek and breathed in the deep musk of his skin. He pulled the blanket up over them and they rested there in the light of a single bedside lamp. She wanted to believe that everything would be okay from now on. And deep down she knew that in the end it would. She could count on it. But Dana also knew there was so much unfinished business. Who had killed Chuck Updike? Would the hyena pack come after her?
Chapter 10
The next morning, Dana woke to the smell of coffee and bacon wafting through the bedroom door. She stretched her arms above her head and groaned happily, feeling a sense of security deep in her bones. The smell of breakfast lured her out of bed. She threw on a flannel shirt from the closet and walked out into the hallway and around the corner to the kitchen. She found Jessie in a pair of boxer briefs and an apron that said, "kiss the chef," across the chest. He looked up at her and his eyes widened.
"You look good in that," he said, eyeing her.
His flannel shirt crested her upper thigh just a few inches below her panty line. She bit her lip and slid into a seat at the bar across from the kitchen counter. Jessie pulled a pan from the oven and scooped slices of bacon onto two plates. Next, he dished up the scrambled eggs he'd made that were covered in cheddar cheese. Two pieces of sourdough popped from the toaster and he slathered them with strawberry jelly. He slid the plate across the counter in front of her and handed her a fork.
"How do you take your coffee?" he asked, pulling the pot from the machine.
"Cream and sugar," she said, smiling.
He fixed her cup and set it in front of her before walking around the counter to sit beside her in front of his own breakfast. He gazed down at her crossed legs and then back up into her eyes. Their inner beasts spoke in a language all their own, and she could feel the tingle of his need mixing with her own at the base of her spine. She had to tell her inner fox to settle down. With such a thoughtful and delicious smelling breakfast in front of her, she didn't want it to go to waste.
She took a long sip of coffee and giggled, the reality of her life slowly creeping up in the back of her mind. She knew that this happy moment wouldn't last, as much as she wished it could go on like this forever.
She finished her breakfast, and it sank into her stomach like warm comfort. It was almost like she could feel Jessie's love for her nourishing her every cell. The more she thought about it, the more it made her want to cry. She finished her coffee and leaned over to kiss Jessie on the cheek.
"I'm going to take a shower," she said. "Later we can talk about how we’re going to solve all this mess."
"There's no mess," he said, encircling her waist with his arms. "There's just you and I."
"I know," she said, caressing his shoulder with her thumb as she held him.
She bit her lip and looked down at the letters on the apron across his chest. "Kiss the chef." She looked up at him and pressed her lips to his, sending all her love out to him through the new connection between their hearts and minds. She wanted him to know how much his kindness meant to her. It wasn't just that they were mates, it was that he had believed in her from the very first moment. He’d been on her side. She would do anything to keep what they had.
She pulled away and turned down the hallway, moving into the bathroom. She closed the door behind her and rested her back against the wood. Dana let out a long sigh and covered her face with her hands. This was all too good to be true. She knew her luck was about to run out. Good things like this just didn’t happen to her. At least not for long.
She pulled off Jessie's flannel and turned on the shower. In a few seconds, the water was just right, an
d she climbed into the tub behind the curtain. Jessie had a simple house but he had a nice showerhead that rained down on her in drops of warm, luxurious water.
When she was done, she wrapped herself in a towel and crossed the hall to her bedroom. She chose a simple pair of jeans and a T-shirt. She put on her tennis shoes over a pair of ankle socks with kittens on them that she'd had since high school, and made her way out of the bedroom. When she made it into the living room, her hair still wet and dripping down her back, she stopped in her tracks and gasped. Rollo Morris, chief of police, and commander of the Bear Patrol, was sitting on the couch in the living room. Rollo stood and approached her. A sense of cool dread ran down her spine.
"Dana Myers," Rollo said. "You are under arrest for the murder of Chuck Updike."
Rollo went on to read her her rights as he slapped metal handcuffs on her wrists behind her back. It all sounded like gibberish being spoken underwater. Jessie shot to his feet beside her, his face a mask of shock and dismay. Dana could hear her heart beating in her ears and everything seemed to be going in slow motion.
"What are you talking about?" Dana demanded, as Rollo held her elbow in his hand.
"Your fingerprints were found on the murder weapon hidden in your bedroom at the Updikes'. The DA believes this is enough evidence for an arrest."
"You don't really believe I did this, do you?"
"Unless we find evidence to the contrary, we have to bring you in."
"You can't do this. There must have been a mistake," Jessie cried.
Of course there had to be a mistake. But there could be no mistaking Dana's terrible luck. Somehow, someone, had gotten her fingerprints on the murder weapon and planted it in her bedroom. It must have been a set-up, that was the only explanation. But who would do this to her? Any number of the hyenas living at the mansion would have reason to want Chuck dead and to frame her for it.
Hyenas were known far and wide for their selfishness and cruelty. Only in the last few decades had they organized themselves into the mob they had become. The hyena packs had instituted a new code of honor which meant they never turned on each other. But if the hyenas hadn't killed him, then who had? The townspeople of Fate Mountain, and the multitudes far and wide, had many reasons to resent the Updikes. But she knew of no one who would want to frame her. Unless someone in her fox pack had a grudge against her for something she didn't know about.