Malcolm squawked at her from his cage. Poppy turned, not wanting to leave Malcolm alone when he was feeling so agitated.
“Sorry, buddy,” she said to the bird. “I’ll be back in a little while. Wish me luck!”
She slipped out of the door before Malcolm could squawk at her. She found huge, hunky Angus standing there waiting for her in the hallway with the picnic basket in his hand.
“Is your bird okay?” Angus asked.
“He’s fine. He didn’t want to travel.”
“Do you always bring your bird on vacation?” Angus asked as they walked down the hall.
Poppy felt embarrassed. She couldn’t tell the truth about why she brought Malcolm with her to Fate Mountain. She was also afraid to leave Malcolm alone. She’d seen what happened to that horse in The Godfather, and she wasn’t about to let that happen to Malcolm.
“I couldn’t find a babysitter for him, and the lodge allows pets, so I decided to just bring him along. The truth is, I think he’s a little jealous of you,” Poppy said, giggling. That part was actually probably true.
“Do I have something to worry about?” Angus asked as the elevator door swished open.
“Probably not. Malcolm has been my friend a long time, but he’s a lousy kisser,” Poppy said.
“That’s good to know,” Angus said in a gravelly voice.
She looked up at him. His six-and-a-half-foot frame towered over her, but his big grin and the thoughtfulness in his eyes made him seem like a gentle giant. Even if Poppy had been able to match herself with the shifters on Mate.com, she didn’t think it was possible to have a better match than Angus. There was something so unbelievably adorable about him, it made her want to hug him and kiss him all over.
They made it to the lobby and went out the back door of the lodge where the path led through manicured landscaping down the hill to the lakeshore. There was a dock stretching out into the water with several small boats moored alongside it. It was a bright, sunny afternoon, and warmth shined on her face. She could see the snowcapped peaks of Fate Mountain in the distance. It was a perfect day for a boat ride.
Angus helped her down into the boat and handed her the picnic basket. He climbed in after her and detached the ropes from the dock. He climbed over to the back of the boat and sat in front of the motor, giving her a wide grin.
Poppy’s heart was all aflutter, and she couldn’t get ahold of herself. Looking at Angus’s handsome face, she wasn’t sure she wanted to. He maneuvered the boat around to take them out into the open water. Lake Fate was a huge body of water at the base of Fate Mountain. Fate Mountain Lodge was located on one small corner of the lake itself.
Poppy sat in the middle bench, watching Angus drive the small motorboat. Her braids whipped around her, and she laughed as she tried to keep them out of her face. Twisting her head to look over her shoulder, she saw the small island in the middle of the lake coming closer by the second. When they made it to the island, Angus hopped over the front and tugged the boat up onto the shore.
He reached out to help her out of the boat. She gripped the picnic basket and hopped out onto the beach. Looking around at the small island, she squinted in the sunlight. It was such a lovely little place. Black sand covered the rocky shore. Windswept ponderosa pines grew across the island, giving the octagonal gazebo protection from the elements.
They walked up to the front door and Angus unlocked it with his key. The interior smelled of cedar and wood smoke. Poppy put the picnic basket on a magnificent table that must have been Angus’s masterpiece. She’d never seen a table so gorgeous.
“What kind of wood is this?” she asked, running her hand over the smooth, highly polished shine of the table top.
“Oregon black walnut. Made that out of a single piece of wood,” he said, throwing firewood in the fireplace.
He had the fire going in a few minutes. There was a sitting area with a comfortable looking red velvet couch facing the fire. Angus came over to the table and opened the picnic basket. After pulling everything out, he set the places out on the table. Poppy looked around at the view. The gazebo was fully glassed in, keeping them out of the elements. It also allowed for a three-hundred-sixty-degree view of the lake all around them. Her heart leapt when she looked into Angus’s smiling eyes as he set the plates on the table.
This was one of those moments that didn’t come more than a few times in a lifetime. Everything seemed to glow with aliveness and beauty. Poppy definitely didn’t experience feelings like this in her normal life. Angus poured red wine into two wine glasses, and she sat at her place at the table across from him.
“I ordered a beef stroganoff. Shane’s recipe is pretty tasty.”
“I love beef stroganoff,” Poppy said, taking a bite.
The taste of the noodles, mushrooms, and beef was anything but ordinary. She took several delicious bites and took a sip of wine. Angus was eating more slowly than he had the night before, and his eyes seemed to never leave her.
When she’d left Seattle, Poppy hadn’t anticipated falling for the shifter quite so hard. Sure, she’d read the articles about fated mates. But it was different when it was really happening to you. She didn’t know if it was her body’s insistent buzzing to be touched by Angus or the fact that she really liked him that made her want him so much.
It was hard to say. Maybe it was both? She took another long sip of wine. Did she care why she wanted him? Did it really even matter? She’d actually hoped it would happen to her. The feelings were just much stronger than even the articles said they would be.
Aside from her instinctive need for Angus, she did like him. He was sweet and honest. He had a charm about him that was so thoughtfully earnest it made her knees weak. In a world full of players who just wanted a quick hookup, Angus was a breath of fresh air.
When they finished eating, Angus filled their glasses and invited her to sit with him on the couch in front of the fire. The warmth of the fire radiated over Poppy’s legs and face. She sat beside Angus, getting a full dose of his scent. He smelled like pine needles and man. It made her damp with desire.
Angus put his arm over the back of the couch, and Poppy leaned into his chest, holding her wine glass. The fire crackled in the hearth, and she let out a little moan of pleasure. Part of her wanted to tell Angus what was going on back at home.
Maybe if she told him, he could help her figure out what to do. Maybe he could protect her. She felt bad about coming here under false pretenses, potentially dangerous false pretenses at that. He rubbed her arm with his big hand, sending a flood of warm desire through her. She decided not to say anything. She didn’t want him to think differently of her. They were having such a nice time, and the smell of his skin was so intoxicating.
He took her wine glass and set it down on the table. Angus looked into her eyes and ran the backs of his knuckles across her cheek. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her body clenched between her legs, growing damper by the second. Angus cupped her cheek in his big hand and angled her face toward him. He stopped, resting his forehead against hers.
“I’ve waited so long for you, Poppy. You mean everything to me.”
“I didn’t expect to feel like this,” she gasped.
He pulled her against his chest, holding her in his arms.
“You’re under the spell of my pheromones. Does it upset you?”
“I…I like it. I want more.”
“Are you sure?” he asked.
Poppy wasn’t sure it was right to make love to him without telling him what was going on in her life. She wanted to come clean, but the feeling of his hand on her face made her want to forget. She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. She opened them again and met his gaze.
“I’m so sure,” she said.
Angus growled and crushed his lips to hers. With one motion, he lifted her up to straddle his lap. She could feel his thick, long hardness between her legs, and she shuddered. The passion was so overwhelming, Poppy was undone.
&n
bsp; Angus slid his tongue in and out of her mouth, and she groaned. He grasped her breast and ran his hands down her back to grip the hem of her dress. She gasped as he pulled it up over her head. Her glasses got caught up in the dress for a moment, and she lurched to grab them back. As she clumsily pushed them back on her face, Angus moved her to lay back on the couch.
He slowly removed her boots and pulled her out of her tights. Poppy lay on the velvety couch with the warmth of the fire flicking against her skin. Angus yanked his shirt up over his head and knelt beside her on the floor, shirtless.
Poppy was in her simple white bra and panties. She also hadn’t expected this to happen so fast. Angus’s eyes grazed over her exposed flesh, and she ran her hand up the chiseled planes of his abs and chest. God, this man was huge. Every inch of him was pure muscle.
He cupped her pussy in his hand over her white panties. She was hot and wet and knew that he could feel her desire on his palm. He reached up and hooked his fingers into the hem of her panties and began to pull them down, his face arching close over her core.
He took a long breath, taking in her scent. His eyes rolled back as he rumbled. Poppy felt self-conscious with him sniffing her like that. But the look on his face told her he definitely liked what she had going on downstairs.
With the panties on the floor, he unhooked her bra and feasted on the sight of her naked body. She could see the adoration in his eyes. Angus ran his warm hands over her flesh, slowly feeling the curve of her hips and breasts with his palms.
“Your body is like a perfect piece of wood. I can sense what I need to do to bring out the greatest shine from your hidden luster.”
“Angus,” she whimpered.
His words made her heart leap. She reached up to hook her hand around his neck and pulled him down to kiss her. His hand ran down her body, worshiping every curve as he went. He cupped her sex again, this time with no panties between his hand and her heat.
He growled against her kiss and ran his lips over her neck. He sucked each nipple on the way down but didn’t stop long. He moved her up to sitting and spread her legs wide. Diving between them, he took another long drag of her scent.
“You smell so sweet, my cock is throbbing hard,” he growled, adjusting himself.
Poppy wanted to see his throbbing hard cock, but let Angus go about his business between her legs. She was certainly happy she did when he licked her slick slit and pushed his tongue against her clit.
Poppy gasped as the sharp surge of pleasure gripped her body. She hadn’t been expecting that. Angus’s fingers bit into her skin as he pulled her toward him. He knelt on the floor, bent over her pussy. He licked her like she was delicious and he was starving for the taste of her. He wiggled his tongue on her clit and tweaked her hard nipples with his big fingers.
“Oh God,” Poppy shouted as she came.
Her pussy clenched and throbbed under his tongue. He didn’t pull away until she’d started to calm down. He looked up at her and wiped the wetness from his face. Poppy reached out for the waist of his pants, wanting to bring big Angus out to play. But he pulled away and put his shirt back on, sitting beside her.
“Want to go see my workshop?” he asked.
Poppy’s head was a daze. Weren’t they going to, you know, do it? She was so ready to make love to Angus. She couldn’t think straight. She wanted him so bad.
“But what about you?” she said, running her finger up the hard line under the zipper of his jeans.
Angus sucked a sharp breath between his teeth and threw his head back before looking at her with a growl.
“I’m doing my best to keep under control so you don’t do anything you’ll regret later.”
“I won’t regret it,” she said, pulling a throw blanket around her body.
“It happens. Believe me. I’ve seen it. Human women don’t always know how to handle the arousal they feel with their fated mates. It can be scary for them.”
“I came here fully prepared for that inevitability,” Poppy said. She was wild for him now. Why wouldn’t he just take her?
“Have you ever had sex on a second date before?” he asked in a serious voice.
She stopped for a minute and sighed. She’d never had sex on a second date before, but none of those men had been worth having it with. Angus definitely was. He’d just made her come in two seconds flat, with his tongue; that had also never happened before.
“Well. No,” she admitted.
“There’s plenty of time. Now, let me help you find your clothes.”
He gathered up her things and helped her zip her boots back up while gently holding her leg in his big hands. Angus could not be any sexier. Poppy decided at that moment that her shifter was the single hottest man on the planet, and it was her obligation to screw his brains out at the first possible opportunity.
Unfortunately, Angus started gathering up the lunch dishes to leave. Poppy was not going to get that opportunity today. She sighed and blew a twisted braid out of her face before straightening her glasses.
Men like Angus were not usually attracted to her, as far as she knew, anyway. None had ever wanted to date her. Angus was such a gentleman it made the uncontrollable yearning in her lady bits even harder to contain.
“I’d love to see your workshop,” she said, finding a semblance of the rational woman she prided herself on being.
Chapter 7
Angus’s bear was more agitated than ever. Pulling away from the sweet scent of Poppy’s pussy had torn him apart inside. But Angus wasn’t going to have what happened to Drew happen to him. He wouldn’t mark his mate before she was ready. He wouldn’t even make love to her until he was certain she was ready for that, too.
That didn’t make defying his bear’s insistent hunger any easier. Angus’s head pounded all the way back across the lake from the loud yowling in his head. He tried to calm himself, reminding the bear that he had to protect his mate. The bear settled a little and the headache soothed by the time they made it to his workshop.
He opened the sliding doors at the front of the warehouse, and he and Poppy walked inside. All his woodworking equipment was there on display. There were raw pieces of wood, ready to be worked into something beautiful. He did the staining at the back of the shop, near a big window. Beyond that, he had a small showroom for his finished pieces.
They walked through the lathes and saws until they came to a cabinet project he was working on for the lodge. Shane wanted new cabinets in the kitchen and Levi finally relented. Angus assured his alpha he’d make them for a good price. So far, they’d turned out nicely.
“These are beautiful,” Poppy said, running her hand over the sanded wood.
“It’s cherry wood. These look real sleek with a nice red stain. Want to see the showroom?” he asked her.
Angus was excited to show his mate his work. He was proud of what he did. Loved every minute of working the wood into something beautiful. Sharing his passion with Poppy was almost as exciting as licking her sweet core. The thought of what they’d done in the gazebo popped up in his mind and his bear got all riled up again.
“It’s right through here,” he said.
They walked through the warehouse shop area into a smaller showroom. He had his best pieces out on display here.
“These are exquisite. They belong in a mansion somewhere.”
“Thanks,” he said bashfully.
Angus had never set out to make furniture for rich, fancy people. He just wanted to listen to the voice of the wood and bring out its greatest beauty. By following his muse, the rich, fancy people had found him. With Juliet’s help, he’d built a website to sell his things directly to the public, and he’d had a hard time keeping up with the new demand. “People seem to like them.”
“I can see why,” Poppy said, going to sit in a rocking chair.
“That one’s for my front porch. Want to build one that’s a might smaller to match it. For my mate.”
“You mean for me,” Poppy said, standing up
from the rocking chair. She came to stand close to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I’d love that.”
“Yes. For you. You’re one hundred percent for me.”
His bear rumbled in his mind. The urge to claim her was overpowering. Poppy wasn’t doing him any favors either as she pressed her soft little body against his growing hardness.
Angus refused to go faster than he should with his mate. No matter how much his bear groaned and growled at him. His bear had always been so cooperative. Battling the beast was something he’d never really had to do.
It was starting to get dark outside, and Angus had obligations that evening with his crew. If he didn’t have an excuse to take her home, he might do something he’d regret.
“Would you like to go to a wedding with me tomorrow?” he asked. “My alpha and his mate are getting married in the atrium.”
“That sounds lovely.”
“Unfortunately, I’ve got to take you back to the lodge now. I’m the best man, and the crew wants to give Levi a kickoff party at the brewery tonight.”
“Oh.” She looked up at him with disappointment in her eyes.
He didn’t ever want to see her disappointed again. Damn it. This mating thing was way too hard. But it was worth it if Poppy would agree to be his mate forever in the end.
“We’ll have a great time at the wedding tomorrow. I promise.”
They held hands through the workshop. He closed the sliding door and locked it from outside. After climbing in his truck, they drove back to Fate Mountain Lodge where he walked her to her door.
She stood in front of him, worrying her bottom lip. Her eyebrows were knit together behind the thick frames of her glasses.
“You’re feeling a lot of things right now. Things that would make you do stuff you normally wouldn’t. It’s got to be confusing. But I’m not going to do that stuff with you until I’m sure you really want it. Okay?”
“Okay, Angus,” she breathed, reaching up on her tiptoes to kiss him hard on the mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck and put her whole body into the kiss. Pulling away from her kiss was torture to him.