Destined Mate (Catamount Lion Shifters #4) (16 page)
Read Destined Mate (Catamount Lion Shifters #4) Online
Authors: J.H. Croix
“Oh…I’m sorry.” Her reply was automatic, but she meant it. She was close to her family, so the idea of losing them was painful.
Daniel nodded. “Thanks. It’s life.” He paused and took a breath. Josie passed over his coffee. Sophie took it from her and slid it across the counter to him.
He took a swallow of coffee and closed his eyes with a sigh. “Wow. Damn good coffee.” When his blue eyes landed on her again, her belly fluttered. Her body appeared to have a mind of its own when it came to this man.
She couldn’t say why, but his parents’ names were vaguely familiar. She didn’t want to pry, so she left it alone.
“How long are you visiting?” she asked, trying to keep focused.
“I’m moving here for the summer, actually.”
“Oh. You just decided to move here?”
His navy eyes held hers steadily. “Yeah, pretty much. My mother always talked about Painter and how much she missed it. After she died, I decided I wanted to come find out what she loved about this place.”
Sophia nodded slowly. “Well, summer’s a wonderful time to be here.”
“That’s what I heard.” He started to say something else when another customer stepped to the counter. He lifted his coffee. “I’ll get out of your hair, but I’ll be back. Can’t miss more of this coffee.”
Sophia watched him turn and walk away, his stride long and loose. She forced her attention to the next customer. The day raced by. Late that evening, when the sun was falling down behind the mountains, Sophia walked down Main Street, heading back toward home. Her eyes tracked the motion of her cowboy boots, the pointed tips alternating in her line of sight. She was weary from a busy day, but in any free moment, her mind wandered to worrying about her brother. The only relief she had came from wondering about Daniel.
***
Daniel walked down the street, his eyes on the setting sun ahead. Painter was as beautiful as his mother had told him. The little town sat amidst the mountains, its streets winding along the hillsides. The view behind downtown was glorious at the moment. All that was left of the sun was a curved sliver above a mountain ridge, bright orange with red and gold rays radiating into the sky behind it. Eyes on the sky, he suddenly collided with someone.
“Oomph!”
He looked down to find Sophia stumbling against him. Sophia was better known to his brain and body as the woman from the coffee shop who was so damn sexy he could hardly stop thinking about her all day. Her hands landed on his chest, and he didn’t want her to move. One of his hands had landed reflexively on her hip, while the other curled around her upper arm.
“I’m sorry! I wasn’t paying attention.” Her words came out rapidly.
“You and me both,” Daniel replied with a wry smile. “I was looking at the sunset.” He nodded behind her. She looked over her shoulder.
She turned back. “It’s beautiful,” she said softly.
Daniel nodded. He thought perhaps he should step back, but he couldn’t. He felt the soft give of her hip under his palm. Her bright green eyes held his. A low charge hummed between them. He couldn’t keep his eyes from flicking down. Her breasts pulled against the thin cotton of her black t-shirt. He forced his eyes up, only to have them land on her full mouth. He could see the flutter of her pulse in her neck, and he had to hold himself back from leaning over to drop his lips against the soft skin there. His arousal strained against his jeans, at which point he realized he was about to make a fool of himself. He shook his head and stepped back, his hands falling away.
He scrambled to recall what she’d said before his body had taken charge of his brain.
The sunset.
“It is,” he said.
Sophia’s eyes held his, a green so deep he could lose himself in them. “I’ll probably see you tomorrow if you’re working again.”
“Oh, okay.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Sophia rushed past him. He hadn’t meant for that to be goodbye, but she seemed to have taken it as such. He turned and watched her walk away. Her dark hair hung straight down her back, swinging in tune with her walk. Her dark hair with her porcelain skin and bright green eyes was mesmerizing. When she’d looked up this morning, he’d wanted to reach across the counter and kiss her, right then and there.
Her hips swayed as she walked down the sidewalk. She wore purple leggings with black cowboy boots. Her leggings hugged her curvy hips and strong legs. Daniel watched her until she turned down a side street.
Coming soon!
Ghost Cat Shifters, Book One
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***
Catamount Lion Shifters
Protected Mate
Chosen Mate
Fated Mate
Destined Mate
Diamond Creek Alaska Novels
Last Frontier Lodge Novels
Christmas on the Last Frontier
Acknowledgments
Massive thanks to my readers for giving me the courage to take the leap into paranormal romance. It’s been a blast and your encouragement and enthusiasm means more than words can convey. Laura Kingsley edits my work with a discerning eye and keeps pushing me to make each book better. Clarise Tan at CT Cover Creations weaves designing magic with my covers. Always, my husband - the man who’s handy with names when I need them and graciously gives me the time and space to write like crazy.
Author Biography
Bestselling author J. H. Croix lives in a small town in the historical farmlands of Maine with her husband and two spoiled dogs. Croix writes sexy contemporary romance and steamy paranormal romance with strong independent women and rugged alpha men who aren't afraid to show some emotion. Her love for quirky small-towns and the characters that inhabit them shines through in her writing. Take a walk on the wild side of romance with her bestselling novels!