Mating Dance (4 page)

“Yeah, that’s me,” he agreed.

“Ash said you wanted to talk to me?” Tina
went on. “Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me. Nell read me the
riot act already, but it wasn’t necessary. I get that you guys have
a good thing going here, and I won’t ruin it for you—or for my
sisters. Are we cool?”

Tom’s head was spinning a bit by the speed
of Tina’s words, but his inner bear scented the absolute truth in
her words. There wasn’t much guile in this young woman. Tom’s
built-in lie detector knew she was on the level, even if she left
his human side in a whirl.

“Yeah,” he said, his human thought processes
catching up with his bear’s instincts. “I think we’re cool. I can
tell you don’t intend to make trouble for us, and most especially
for your family.” Tom decided to take it a step further. “You know,
now that Nell is part of the Clan by mating with Brody, you two are
under our protection too. If you ever have any trouble, you just
come to me, or better yet, go to John. He looks out for all of us.
He’s the man in charge. Our Alpha. Did Brody explain about
that?”

“You mean he’s leader of the pack, right?”
Tina said offhandedly.

“Packs are for wolves. We’re bears. We call
our groupings Clans,” Tom told her.

“Wolves?” Ashley piped up, sounding
surprised. “You mean there are people who turn into wolves
too?”

“Duh,” Tina intoned before Tom could say
anything. “Where do you think the legends about werewolves come
from, Ash? Seriously.” Tina shook her head as she wiped the counter
with a dish towel.

Ashley blushed rather becomingly, Tom
thought. He decided to tell her a bit more about the world the
sisters now found themselves in.

“Wolves, big cats, raptors. There are all
sorts of shapeshifters, each with their own hierarchy. But we all
answer to the Lords.”

“Like nobility?” Ash asked him, then turned
to her sister. “There’s shapeshifter nobility?”

“Sort of, but it’s not a hereditary title.
The Lords are always twin Alphas, and the duty usually falls to a
different group in each generation. The current Lords of North
America are wolves, but we’ve heard rumors that the next generation
will be from a bear Clan.” Tom felt a swell of pride knowing that
the next Lords would be bears.

“How do they decide which group gets the
leadership? Is there a vote or something?” Tina asked.

Tom shook his head. “No. No voting.
Identical twins are rare among shifters. When a set is born, we
know the Mother of All has chosen them to be the next Lords.”
That’s just the way it was. The way it had always been.

“Mother of All? Is that like Mother Nature
or something?” Tina asked.

“The Goddess has many names and many guises.
I know most of your human religions feature a male deity, but
shifters have served the Goddess for as long as there have been
shifters.”

“Wow,” Tina commented. “Progressive.”

The bell above the door jingled and Tina
went over to assist the newcomers. It was Lyn and her daughter,
Daisy. Though most four-year-olds would be going to sleep soon,
shifter kids had a bit more energy than their human counterparts,
so it looked like mother and daughter had come in for dessert.

Chapter Five

“Shall we go upstairs?” Ashley asked after
greetings had been exchanged.

“Lead the way,” Tom answered, knowing he was
smiling and unable to stop himself.

He hadn’t been on a date in way too long,
and he’d never really experimented with human women. There was
something so incredibly alluring about Ashley though…something
primal that demanded he get closer to her.

Tom followed Ashley through a door marked
private
, up a flight of stairs and into a cozy apartment
that took up the entire top floor of the building. Everything up
here was feminine, with soft edges and colors. It was nice, Tom
thought, though his own taste ran more toward hunter green and navy
blue.

She kept going, leading him to another set
of stairs that took them onto the roof. Tom followed, bemused by
what he found up there. The sisters had turned a plain, flat roof
into an oasis in the middle of the village. There were planters of
every size and shape—most made of wood that the ladies must have
built themselves—all over the roof. In the center was a patio table
that had been set with silverware and china. In the center of the
table, a thermal bag held something warm that Tom could scent was
some kind of beef.

A green salad with tomatoes sat under a net
cover, and a small rack of condiments lay nearby. Ashley had gone
all out, and Tom was duly impressed, though he also felt a little
guilty.

“I didn’t mean to make you go through all
this trouble, but it looks great, and the food smells great.” He
looked at the views in the early evening light. “This is really
nice up here.”

“It’s our little getaway. We spend a lot of
time up here, tending the plants and just enjoying the sunny days.”
She led him toward the table in the center of their magical garden.
Fairy lights were woven throughout the planters, lighting the path
with a soft illumination.

The salad, Tom learned, had come fresh from
the garden, as had most of the vegetables and herbs. Tom admired
the sisters’ ingenuity in growing their own fresh produce in a town
that didn’t really have much in the way of groceries. Some of the
shops stocked various meats, and there was a fresh fish market, but
getting fresh lettuce, for one example, wasn’t a high priority for
most in the town.

Ashley had made a roast that was cooked to
perfection. Some kind of herbed potato dish went with it, along
with the salad and a green bean dish that was absolutely delicious.
Tom complimented her cooking many times throughout the meal.

“I didn’t mean for you to go to all this
trouble, but it was fantastic,” Tom said, as they finished the
meal. “Thank you. Next time, I’m going to cook for you.” He
gathered his courage, knowing his inner bear wouldn’t allow him to
wait. This woman was too special. “In fact, how about tomorrow? I
can pick you up and bring you out to my place. I’ve got a huge
grill, and I’ve even been known to marinate a steak or two in my
time.”

“Really? Do tell.” Her answer was flirty.
Tom took it as a good sign.

“I even have the beginnings of a small wine
cellar,” he told her with a knowing nod as he raised his glass to
her. She’d paired the roast with a very nice red wine that he truly
appreciated. Wine was one of his little hobbies.

“I’m impressed. Are you going to offer to
show me your etchings next?” She was still flirting with him. A
tiny bubble of joy rose up from the center of his being. He
couldn’t remember having this much fun with anyone in a good, long
time.

“No etchings, but I do have a studio
overlooking the cove. In fact…” he said, getting excited as he
looked at the view from the rooftop, “I’d love to paint the cove
from up here sometime. It’s a unique perspective, and the light is
phenomenal.”

They’d moved to sit on a bench the sisters
had placed at the front of the roof where they could look out over
the cove. The dusk had given way to dark, and the only illumination
was the soft twinkle of the fairy lights in the garden behind them,
the dusting of stars and quarter moon overhead, and the occasional
flutter of the lights from a ship out at sea.

The cove itself wasn’t large or deep enough
for any serious docks. There were a few small boats, at least one
of which was used exclusively for fishing by the same shifter who
owned the fish market. He supplied everyone who didn’t want to do
their own fishing. The other boats belonged to various residents
who enjoyed occasional sport fishing or just sailing along the
coast.

“You could,” Ashley said softly. “I mean, I
don’t think my sisters would mind if you wanted to use our garden
as your studio for a little while. I’ve seen some of your work in
the gallery next door, and it’s very powerful.”

She’d seen his art? And liked it? That
touched him more than he thought it would.

“I never really painted much before coming
here,” he admitted. “But I’ve discovered a passion for it.” He had
to laugh. “I thought John’s idea of disguising ourselves as artists
was a little nuts at first, but the man has vision. A lot of us
have discovered hidden talents and a real joy in creating things.
It’s somewhat therapeutic, and while my inner bear doesn’t truly
understand the point of it all, it does appreciate beauty. Painting
calms the beast a bit, which is a nice added benefit. Having so
many of us living in such close proximity could have been
disastrous otherwise. Usually, we don’t group together like a lot
of other shifters do. Mostly we just have our small family units as
part of a larger Clan that we see every once in a while, but we
don’t all live together in the same place.”

“So this place is a sort of social
experiment,” Ashley mused.

“In more than one way,” Tom agreed. “John’s
also managed to turn us all into artists. That was a pretty massive
undertaking in itself. I honestly thought—if anything—we’d have an
entire community of chainsaw carvers.”

Ashley laughed, and the sound warmed Tom’s
soul. There was something so enchanting about this woman, and he
wanted to get closer to her.

Trying out one of his rusty moves, he put
his arm along the back of the bench, behind her. When she didn’t
object, he relaxed, enjoying her nearness.

“Brody carves with a chainsaw,” she said
quietly, her tone amused as she moved closer and practically
snuggled into his side.

“Don’t get me wrong; I like your sister’s
mate. Brody and I go way back. But applying the term
art
to
those tree stumps he attacks with a chainsaw isn’t something I care
to do. Besides, all he does are self-portraits.” Tom liked being
close to Ashley. She smelled divine, and his inner bear grumbled
happily in the back of his mind.

“He does seem to carve a lot of bears,” she
allowed.

“Look closer. They’re all the
same
bear.”

She chuckled, and he felt a small sense of
triumph that he’d been able to make her laugh. Brody’s ongoing
series of self-portraits had become something of a running joke
within the Clan.

“Just think of all those poor, ignorant
tourists, totally unaware that they’re stuck with a self-portrait
of your brother-in-law on their front lawn.”

This time, she laughed outright. Tom liked
making her laugh. He enjoyed the cheerful tones of her amusement
and the way her eyes lit up.

Unable to let the moment pass, Tom followed
his instincts and leaned over to cover her smiling lips with his.
Their first kiss, and it was one of joy.

It quickly turned into something much
sultrier as she turned into his arms, and he drew her against his
body. She tasted of the peppery wine they’d had with dinner and her
own unique essence. He couldn’t get enough.

Tom’s inner bear wanted to lick her all over
and learn her different tastes, but it was too soon for that. He
counseled the grizzly to patience while his human form got to know
her responses, cataloging each one and learning what made her
tremble.

Her passion was as quick to ignite as his,
which was good. It meant they were a good match, and that she was
as attracted to him as he was to her. So far, so good.

Tom lifted her legs so they stretched across
his lap. She let him move her around to suit his mood, her
cooperation making him want to growl in victory. She was with him.
She was part of this seduction, this initiation, this getting to
know each other.

Her tiny hands roamed over his back and then
his shoulders and arms, learning him, testing the feel of his
muscles against her fingers. He damned the cloth that separated his
skin from her touch, but he had to be patient. She was human. He
had to let things progress at a slower pace. He didn’t want to
scare her off.

She was quickly becoming much too important
to him for him to mess this up. He told himself again, to be
patient. And when she pushed eagerly at his clothing, he wanted to
go with her instincts and get them both naked on the roof, under
the stars.

But he heard noises in the apartment below.
It was late. Tina had closed the bakery and was making a lot of
noise—probably to give them fair warning that she was in the
apartment.

It was time to end their first date, even
though he didn’t want to go. Not now. But he had to.

Reluctantly, he caught her fingers and
stilled her movements, ending their kisses.

“I’ve got to go,” he said, hating every
word, but knowing it was the right thing. For now. “But I want to
see you again. Are we still on for tomorrow? My place? I’ll pick
you up.”

He held her hands gently between his own,
raising them to place little kisses on her fingertips. He couldn’t
help himself. If she was near, he wanted to touch her. To kiss
her.

A bang came from downstairs, loud enough for
Ashley to hear.

“Damn, it must be later than I realized,”
she said, blushing prettily now that the dazed confusion was slowly
leaving her gaze. He liked that he’d put that dreamy expression on
her face. “Tina’s downstairs.”

“I know.” He kissed her knuckles gently.
“That’s why I stopped us from going any further.”

She blushed even more. Tom could see it in
the faint light. His night vision was pretty good. And her response
made him want to cuddle her.

“I’m glad one of us kept a level head,” she
muttered as she allowed him to hug her against his chest. Her head
fit nicely into the crook of his neck, as if made to belong there.
To belong to him, and him alone.

“I will always protect you, Ashley. In every
situation. It’s part of my instincts. Hard-wired, if you will.” He
rubbed his hand down her arm from shoulder to wrist and back again
in soothing motions. He loved touching her.