Cougar's Gift: Pacific Northwest Cougars: (Shifter Romance) (9 page)

S
tryker made
his way back to his cabin and although he really needed to call his brother, his cat needed some time first.

Walking out the back door, he scanned the area for humans, then stripped out of his clothes. His shift was harder than normal. His cougar was agitated after spending all day with his mate.

Not that he didn’t love it, but holding back from being able to touch her and scent her was frustrating.

Once his cat was in his fur he gave him free reign so he could ponder his situation. His cat ran and ran, jumping and bouncing off of fallen trees, stretching his muscles.

His cougar didn’t understand the complicated nature of coaxing a human into a mated bond. He could have sex with her and still not be bonded. She was his mate, the one for him.

But until they had sex and he bit her they wouldn’t be bonded. Once he tasted her blood he’d also introduce his DNA into her system. This would alter her biology to allow her to not only be linked to him on a molecular level, but it would help her bear his young.

Cougar’s gestation periods were much like any cat. Which meant it was much shorter than the humans forty weeks. That also meant their babies grew faster. Making sure that she could handle a shifter pregnancy as a human was very important to him.

He knew that even if he got her to sleep with him he’d have to hold back and resist biting her to seal their bond.

It was an unwritten rule that humans had to be let in on the secret and accept their choice of mate before a bond could take place.

Otherwise they weren’t making an informed decision about the relationship. Stryker knew that Dax had to clear it with his mate before they could bond. It all worked out for him.

Stryker let his cat run until he was worn out. Heading back to his cabin he shifted back and walked in to take a shower. The minute the water started to pour over his skin his thoughts turned to his mate coming on his lap.

He wrapped a big hand around his thick cock and gave it a long pull. He went over every second of that experience, every sigh, every hitched gasp.

Working his dick now at a vicious pace he replayed her scream as she came. Stryker felt his body jerk as he shot his seed against the shower wall. It was a hard climax that had him roaring loudly. He knew that wasn’t the only time he would do that tonight.

Finishing his shower he got out, toweled off and threw on a pair of jeans. He hit the kitchen and grabbed a beer out of the fridge and found his cell phone. Checking the time, he dialed Dax’s number.

The phone rang and someone picked up. There was some fumbling then a whispered, “Hello?”

It was a woman and Stryker didn’t think it was his brother’s mate Effie. That only left the mentally unstable one.

“Dax,” he barked.

“Nope, not Dax. Try again,” came the whispered voice.

“Take medication and put Dax on,” he growled. It was Effie’s best friend Cassie. She was certifiable. She also found out about shifters at his brother’s wedding.

Usually humans weren’t allowed in on the secret unless there wasn’t any other choice. She found out by accident. It took her crazy ass from nuts level to straight jacket.

“Ohh growling, I totally like it. Hey, what does your cat look like? Do you just lounge around on your couch shifted? Have you ever eaten cat chow?”

“Fucking hell woman, put Dax on. Why the fuck are you whispering?” He never should have asked that, but his cat was curious.

“I’m not supposed to answer Dax’s phone in case it’s pack business. But I thought it might be Everett. He likes me now,” Cassie declared.

“Good rule. Dax now,” Stryker ordered. He was losing his patience.

“DAX!” Cassie screamed, the phone way too close to her mouth. Stryker winced at the screeching. It made him appreciate his mate’s quiet soft voice even more.

The phone fumbled again and he heard his brother get on the line.

“Seriously, Cass, stop touching my damn phone.”

“Don’t be so bossy, Alpha-master-sir,” Cassie sauced back.

“Nice title,” Stryker grunted.

“I love her to bits and she usually makes me laugh. But since the wedding she’s all about shifters. Lucky for us she only knows about cougars. I won’t unleash her on other poor unsuspecting packs. It’s good to hear from you, man. You still in Oregon?” Dax asked.

“Yeah, need some advice,” he started.

“Shoot, what’s up?”

“It’s about a girl,” Stryker said clearing his throat.

“A girl? You never have trouble getting attention from the ladies,” Dax laughed.

“Not
A
girl,
my
girl,” he explained.

There was silence on the line then Dax said quietly, “Really man?”

“Yeah,” he answered.

“Congratulations, I’m really happy for you. Our whole family mated. I’d never thought I’d see the day.” Dax was happy for his brother but knew Stryker didn’t adjust to change very well. “What advice can I give you?”

“She’s human,” Stryker answered.

“Well, humans are a little different, but as you’ve seen with me it’s totally doable. You’ve made contact with her?”

“Yeah, today. She’s young,” he started.

“How young?” Dax asked.

“Twenty-three looks about eighteen,” he admitted.

“I bet she’s a looker,” Dax pushed.

“Beautiful,” Stryker says.

“Of course man, what’s her name?”

“Libby, Liberty actually,” he said.

“That’s interesting. Hell, I’m mated to an Ephrata. Thank goodness for nicknames,” Dax laughed.

“Uh, I don’t know how to tell her about me,” Stryker said.

“Which part?”

“All of it. She thinks I’m a mechanic. That I’m a biker type, normal guy. She’s a librarian in a small town. I don’t want to scare her away.”

Dax thought about it for a moment. He’d normally tell his brother to just be straight up and come out with the truth.

Stryker wasn’t a big talker so there was a distinct possibility that he would grunt and growl his way through the explanation.

Dax himself got lucky when he told his human mate. He’d blurted it all out, even shifted in front of her. Not his best moments. She’d rolled with the punches and it all ended up okay.

“Well, take it slow, man. I know it’s not what you want to do. It’s not what your animal wants either, I get that. Just every time you want to rush ahead. Pause, think about it and look at your choices. What is going to be easiest for her, not you,” Dax suggested.

“She’s a virgin,” Stryker blurted.

There was silence again and Dax let out a slow whistle. “Man, you’ve got me there. I’ve never had that come up, but I’d guess that the same thing applies. Take it slow. Make choices in her best interests. But don’t lie to her, Stryker. You have to be straight with her. That’s not a wound you want to try and fix later.”

Stryker thought about that and so far he hadn’t lied. Omission wasn’t lying, so hopefully he was still clear there.

“I can tell you that you keep it quiet for as long as you can to the family. I won’t say anything until you do. I’d even wait to tell Everett. I know that goes against your instincts, but just give you and your mate time to settle in. Trust me on this.”

Dax knew how getting family involved often backfired. Their crazy mom had already rubbed his and Everett’s mates wrong. He knew with the issues Stryker was facing he didn’t need family interference.

“Can I call you again,” Stryker asked.

“Man, you don’t even have to ask. I’m always here for you. I can’t always guarantee that I’ll get to the phone first. But if you call the office number during the day you have a better chance of getting me and not one of the girls,” Dax suggested.

“Good idea,” Stryker mumbled. “Thanks, Dax. Sorry to bother you.”

“No trouble, brother. And congratulations again, I can’t wait to meet her,” Dax said.

“Thanks,” Stryker said gruffly.

He hung up the phone and thought about what Dax said. Take it slow, think of what’s best for her first.

Stryker felt like he was already behind for some reason. He logically knew that he’d just found her this morning. But he felt like he was wasting time being away from her. It was time they could be together talking, fucking, bonding.

He needed to make some plans before he saw her again. Picking up the phone he started making some calls.

L
ibby closed
the door behind her and waited for the sound of his motorcycle to fade away before she continued. She could hear her parents whispering in the kitchen.

She was surprised she didn’t find them poking their noses through the curtains to see what the commotion was about.

Bracing herself she headed towards the kitchen. She found her mom at the sink. She wore some sort of polka dot romper that looked like it belonged on a three-year-old.

Her dad sat at the kitchen table wearing his standard polo shirt with the name of his clinic embroidered on it,
Blossoming Health
. Both of them looked at her like they were surprised to see her.

“My little Liberty Bell, you’re home,” her dad said smiling at her. It was a forced smile.

“Yup, what’s for dinner?” she asked the room in general.

“Oh sweetie, we already ate. I kept you a plate in case you were hungry when you got home. It’s tofu curry, your favorite,” her mother chimed.

Tofu curry wasn’t a favorite, but it was one of the least offensive dishes her mother could make.

“Thanks, mom.” Accepting the plate her mother held out to her, she took it to the table and sat down, waiting for the interrogation to start.

“Sooo, late night at the library?” her mother asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

“No, closed the usual time,” Libby said, keeping her eyes on her plate. She was torturing them a little, partly because she didn’t want to have this conversation. The other part, well it was kinda fun.

“Oh, did you go to a movie?” her father asked.

Their town had a decrepit old theater than ran classic movies. Mostly because the machine was ancient and still reel to reel. It would over-heat and they would have to take numerous intermissions to let the machine cool down to continue the movie.

“Nope,” she said, a mouthful of spicy curry scorching her tongue.

There was silence from her parents for a moment then her mother bravely forged ahead. “There was a loud noise outside, did someone give you a ride home?”

“Yup,” she answered. Okay, now she was just being mean.

“Friend brought me home,” she offered her parents.

“A friend? Someone we know?” her dad asked.

“No, just met him this morning,” Libby offered.

“
Him
?” her mother said this with a bit of a screech.

Libby looked up to see her father’s face in a state of shock. Like someone just told him his air was genetically modified.

Her mother actually looked upset. She didn’t think her parents would be happy per se. But she was an adult. She could vote, legally sign contracts, and even buy alcohol, not that she’d ever. But she could if she wanted to, darn it.

“Yes, he’s new in town. He works over at Bud’s garage.” She let them chew on that for a moment while she worked on her dinner. Best to shock her parents in stages.

She heard her father clear his throat a few times and start to say something then stop himself. Her mother had turned her back and was furiously scrubbing an already clean plate. She hand washed their dishes so she could recycle the gray water and use it in the garden.

“So, this young man, you were with him?” Her father finally managed to ask.

“He’s not young, thirty-five. Yes, we went for a ride.”

“A ride?” This was parroted by both of her parents and she almost laughed. Almost.

“Motorcycle. I wore a helmet, don’t worry,” she added.

Her mother was repeating what she’d said but was talking to the plates as she did it mumbling, “Motorcycle, helmet.” She thought she heard her mother tsk or snort, she wasn’t sure.

“We went out to the river, it was nice. I’m going to see him again tomorrow. He’s meeting me for lunch. We may have dinner too,” she threw in at the end.

She was snowballing her parents, but she was ready to head to her room and replay her day a few thousand times.

There was silence in the room and Libby let it happen. Finally her father, in a surprisingly calm voice said, “Well, Liberty, we’d sure like to meet him.”

That was her dad, ever the diplomat. Libby knew her mother was going to light into him the moment she left her room.

She felt sorry for her dad. Her mom wasn’t a screamer, more of a hushed yeller. And she really wasn’t looking for discussion, she usually just wanted to vent and for her husband to nod and agree with her. Which her father had been doing for years and should be sainted for. His zen was so deeply rooted it took a lot to get him going.

“He wants to meet you too,” she said, standing up and walking her plate to the sink.

“Are you two dating?” her mother asked, not looking away from her scrubbing.

Libby thought about it for a moment. Dating? Well, they’d shared a meal together. She climaxed in his lap. Sure, that was probably close enough for dating.

“Yes,” she said, sounding oddly confident.

Her mother stopped scrubbing. “Well, do we at least get to know his name?”

“Stryker Hayes,” Libby said. Then she turned, patted her dad on his shoulder as she walked by him and headed up the two flights of stairs to her room.

She flipped on her light, shucked off her clothes, grabbed her robe, and hit the bathroom across the hall. Turning on the faucet she let the shower heat up and thought about seeing him tomorrow.

What would that be like? Uncomfortable? Would she be embarrassed about how she’d acted? She shouldn’t. Stryker didn’t seem to think anything they did was out of the norm. Maybe she should just stop over thinking it and go with her instincts.

They were all jumpy and excited at the idea of seeing him again. They wanted to kiss him again, they wanted to do more.

Her instincts said this man was the safest person in the world she could be with. Her mind was telling her that she was being rash and couldn’t possibly know if this guy was straight as an arrow or crooked as a maze.

She knew she could look him up on the internet. Do a background check and what not. But she didn’t want to. Whether she didn’t want to know the truth, or she really didn’t think she’d find anything, she didn’t know.

Libby knew the universe had them all connected. Not just the,
hey we are all human
, connection. But something deeper.

Soul deep she always thought. Maybe it was all the romance stories she’d read over the years, but she believed in soul mates. People that were matched so well with each other that they were the perfect complement to the other person.

She didn’t believe that there was only one person for everyone. The odds of finding that soul were too vast to consider. Libby figured people fell into types of sub-categories. Your chances of finding a partner in those smaller groups were more likely.

Libby felt, truly felt that Stryker was in her sub-category. Their souls were matched, maybe on a DNA level, she wasn’t sure. But it felt right. It felt like he was hers.

Wow, that sounded crazy when she thought it. But her heart told her to just deal with it.

Stepping into the shower, she kept thinking about her day. It went from normal and boring to one of the best days of her life.

The chance of having an another amazing day tomorrow had her wanting to rush through her shower and go to sleep just so she could wake up and see him again.

Instead, she found her most favorite naughty book. Scanned through to find a particularly sexy scene and read with one hand while she made herself come with the other.