Goldie [Pyrate's Treasure 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) (10 page)

“So what do you recommend we do, Deputy?” Edward asked.

“For now keep a closer eye on the private beaches, watch for other evidence of strangers. If they come back, we can bring them in for questioning and find out exactly what they’re looking for before we arrest them for trespassing.” Caleb’s law enforcement training kicked in.

The others sitting around the table watched him and nodded. He had a niggling feeling they were simply placating him, letting him think he was in charge. He wondered what their solution would be if they found whoever it was who was invading their private space. Would they maul them? Eat them? Or bring them in for the law to deal with?

“All right, Deputy, that sounds like a good plan. We’ll pass the word to the rest of the pack to be extra vigilant, especially during their night runs,” Edward said.

“May I ask a question, Mayor?”

“Please, it’s Grandfather unless we’re with guests or other pack members, son. And you may ask all the questions you like.”

“Why do you need a deputy? It sounds like you’re able to handle anything that might come up,” Caleb asked in his usual blunt style.

“The guests feel better if we have a law enforcement presence on the island. We have only had a couple of problems, usually with drunks who won’t take no for an answer or bar fights, but our guests comfort is our first priority,” Edward explained. “Now, if there’s nothing else to discuss, I’m sure Teach has the checkerboard set up and is waiting for me.”

With that, the man stood and walked out the back door of the bar. The other cousins followed in short order, leaving Goldie and Caleb alone.

“So, what now?” Caleb asked.

“Now I have to get ready for a busy night of bartending. You can hang out if you want. Or maybe explore the village on your own, meet the rest of the pack, or whatever other things deputies do when they’re working.” Goldie began gathering the dirty dishes her family had left behind.

“Okay, but what if I feel the need to make out with my mate?” Caleb leaned back in his chair and dropped his hand to cover his zipper.

Goldie stopped piling dishes to smile at him. The interest he saw in her eyes sent his cock from relaxed to half-hard in seconds. “I guess you drop by, drag me into the back room, and have your way with me.”

With each word she purred, more blood pooled from his brain to his groin. He could do nothing but groan in response to her obvious come-on.

Surging to his feet, he grabbed her hand and dragged her across the room and behind the bar. He did not stop until they were in the back room and half-hidden from the doorway by a tall stack of crates that held various liquors. Once there, he pulled her close and rubbed his cock against her pelvis.

Stabbing his fingers through the hair at the nape of her neck, he pulled her head back and kissed her hard.

* * * *

Goldie responded to his kisses with eager amazement. She had no idea what she had said or done to set her mate’s hormones off, but she hoped she could figure out and do it again soon. Holding his hand under the table during the meeting with her family had distracted her to the point of not being able to take part in the conversation. She was shocked that Caleb had not only been able to talk, but also process the information Silver had shared and come up with suggestions on how to deal with the trespassers.

Now that they were alone, she wondered how far he would push the envelope. After all, the others scheduled to work that evening would be here soon. The last thing she wanted was for anyone else to see her mate naked or to catch them in a compromising position.

When, after several long, kissed-filled minutes, his hands pulled her shirt from her shorts and slipped up her back to unhook her bra, she pulled back, breaking the kiss and earning a frown from her mate.

“We’ve got to stop. Now,” she said.

She knew he did not agree with her as he cocked one eyebrow higher than the other. She was having a hard time believing it herself.

“Why?”

“Because this is a place of business and the others will be here soon to open. I don’t want the others to think less of you if they catch us making out.”

She took another step back when he tightened his arms.

He cleared his throat. “But you said I could drag you into the back room and have my way with you.”

“But I didn’t think you would take me up on it so soon.” She giggled as he tried once again to capture her and pull her back against his chest.

She extricated herself and then took several steps back so they were on opposite sides of the room. “You need to get out of the bar now. Come back about seven, and we can have dinner together.”

He looked like he wanted to argue. Instead, he took a deep breath, held it for several long seconds before releasing it on a sigh. “All right, but don’t wear yourself out working. I have plans for when you’re finished here.”

Goldie made a whimpering sound as her pussy dampened. Instead of giving in to her body’s desire to drag her mate back to his cottage for about a week of loving, she waved her hands at him in a shooing motion. “Go away. Shoo. Get out of here for the next four hours.”

Though he did not look happy, Caleb nodded. He grabbed her left hand and kissed the palm. “I’ll be back for dinner at seven.”

Before she could respond, he turned and marched from the small room. By the time she had taken a deep breath to steady herself she heard the bells over the back door ring as he left the building. It took another minute for her to be able to stand without her legs wobbling from his devastating kisses. Finally she pushed Caleb from her mind and focused on work.

* * * *

Caleb spent the next few hours walking the town, learning the village and memorizing which shop was where and the general lay of the land. He had also introduced himself to most of the villagers. Word of his mating to Goldie had preceded him. Each new person he met greeted him warmly and welcomed him to the family. He ended up sitting and watching Teach and the mayor play several games of checkers as they commented on the guests as they walked by.

When he returned to the bar just before seven o’clock, the place was jammed with guests glowing with various shades of sunburn. The crowd seemed subdued instead of wide open as they had on the ferry over just the day before. Watching several of the patrons yawn widely, he had a feeling the bar would be closing long before the two in the morning advertised on the front door. He was all for that if it got Goldie into his arms sooner rather than later.

He would have to talk to Goldie about maybe changing jobs so they had evenings together, even though he was on call all day and night. Like most beach towns, gut instinct told him Pyrate Island would go quiet once the sun went down.

Walking to the bar, he took the seat at the end by the wall, the one Edward had occupied the afternoon before when he’d arrived on the island. Ordering a glass of iced water from the young woman attending to his side of the bar, he settled in to wait for Goldie to notice him. He was surprised when he had taken a single sip from his glass before she turned from filling two beer mugs to smile at him.

He quirked an eyebrow and tilted his head toward the door to the back room. She shook her head and then called to one of the servers. After talking for a moment, she pulled off the apron she wore and came out from behind the bar. He was off his stool and working his way to her side as soon as he realized what she was doing.

Taking her hand, he pulled her out the back door and onto the patio overlooking the harbor. Turning to face her, he pulled her close and just hugged her close. “I missed you,” he admitted, surprised how true that statement was after knowing her little more than a day.

He tightened his hold as she burrowed into his chest.

“I missed you, too,” she said before lifting her face to look into his eyes.

Her words wrapped around his heart and filled a hole in him he had never known existed until that moment. He hugged her, hunger for her replacing the one he had had just moments before for food.

When a near-deafening shot sounded off to their right, he reacted instinctively. Pulling Goldie with him, he dove the ground, rolling to cover her body with his own as they went. When no other gunshots sounded, he lifted up and looked down at his mate.

“Are you okay, baby girl?” he asked as he lifted off and knelt beside her.

“I’m fine. What the hell was that?” Goldie asked as he ran hands over her body to confirm that she had no bullet holes in her.

“That, my sweet mate, sounded to me like a gunshot. Go back inside and stay there until I get back,” he ordered, pulling his gun and turning away. Looking around, he found a single bullet hole in the post next to where they had been standing just seconds before. Without another look in her direction, he rushed down the steps and onto the boardwalk.

“You’re kidding, right,” she replied.

She stepped through the bushes at the side of the deck and deeper into the shadows. Seconds later, a large black wolf trotted into view and joined him on the boardwalk. She stopped long enough to shake off the torn clothes before taking off down the boardwalk in the directions that the shots had come from.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he asked, taking off after her.

The wolf glanced over her shoulder and chuffed at him. Then she lowered her nose and picked up her pace. Caleb found himself running full out to keep up with her as she began to lope down the walkway. At the end of the boardwalk, she kept going, between two houses and down a narrow path through the woods.

At the fence that separated the pack lands from the rest of the island, she scratched at a spot in the fence. Caleb saw the fence had been cut. When he pushed on the loose boards a narrow section fell to the ground, leaving an opening wide enough for a man to pass through the fence. Goldie preceded him and continued tracking. The trail she followed angled toward the sound side of the island. She moved slowly through the woods, making sure he followed her. Long before they reached the wide sandy beach, he heard a boat engine start then rev and roar.

Goldie remained silent even after breaking through the tree line and crossing the sand to the beach with Caleb several yards behind her. By the time he reached the water’s edge, the boat engine sound had nearly faded away to be replaced by the never-ending sound of waves lapping at the shore. His gaze swept the water from right to left, but there was nothing in sight except water, sky, and the beach.

There were no boats in sight, no Jet Skis, or any other getaway vehicles. Walking the shoreline, he found the spot where what appeared to be a small, fast boat had been dragged ashore. Two sets of footprints led away from the boat and then back again.

Goldie paced circles around him as if trying to protect him. Though disappointed, he knew there was nothing here to give away the identity of the person who had taken a shot at them. Finally, Caleb sighed and admitted defeat.

“Okay, baby girl. Whoever took that shot at us are long gone,” he said as he turned to head back the way they had come.

“Caleb, stop.”

Surprised by Goldie’s voice, Caleb turned and found her running toward him. She was naked, which instantly flipped his switch and the adrenaline from dealing with a shooter sent his blood pooling into his groin.

When she threw herself into his arms, he caught her easily. “Are you all right?” he asked. Kissing her, he ran his hands up and down her body to confirm that she was, indeed, all in one piece.

“I’m fine. I love you, mate.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his lips down to hers.

“I love you, too,” he replied when they finally broke apart to breathe. He said the words that had been repeating themselves since she had disappeared on him when they were on the ferry roof. “And if you ever do that again, I’m going to put you over my lap and spank you until you can’t sit down again for a long, long time.”

“Do what?” She looked confused as he ran his hands down her back and cupped her ass cheeks, once again marveling that they were the perfect fit for his hands.

“Ever go racing after someone who just tried to shoot you.”

“I was assisting my mate in his duties,” she said logically. Her easy acceptance of the danger only flipped his switch, making him need to punish her.

He raised a hand and slapped her left ass cheek for her smart-ass response. His cock inflated and his hormones took charge of his brain when she moaned and canted her hips into his in response to the small bite of pain.

“I mean it, baby girl. I know we’ve known each other less than a day and a half, but I don’t know what I would do if you were hurt, or worse,” he said.

Goldie smiled up at him. “I know exactly what you mean. That’s what being mates is all about. We are connected, hearts, minds, and souls. But right now I need you more than I need food,” she said.

Since he felt the same way, he did not fight her when she reached between them and worked the button and zipper of his shorts. She shoved them down until they pooled around his ankles then practically climbed his body in order to impale herself on his cock.

“Deep breath, baby girl,” he said, trying to loosen his hold on her body.