Kennedy woke still snuggled in Cole’s arms. It was dark out but the lighter shade of dark that comes before the sun even begins to rise. He was relaxed and warm beside her. His cock was nestled between her ass cheeks, and she felt it stiffen as he came awake.
“You’re going to need to decide,” he said, kissing her shoulder.
“About what?”
“Whether you want to fight or fuck.”
She laughed. “Ever the romantic.”
“I’m trying to honor your wishes. You said last night that you wanted to talk, and I asked you to wait. Sunrise isn’t far off. If you want to fight, we can do that, but I’d much rather fuck.”
She turned in his arms until she was facing him. “I don’t want to fight, but I need you to take a message to Clay.” He started to protest, and she laid her hand on his lips. “I don’t want to fight, but if Serena is with him, she needs to be back down here. If they catch them together, they can charge her with a myriad of crimes. And if I can work out something with the sheriff…”
“Like what?”
“I know none of you think Clay is safe in jail. I’m going to try to negotiate that if he turns himself in, he can be under house arrest with an ankle monitor or something. Do you hypothetically think that if I did that, there might be a way to get word to him?”
Cole grinned. “I think that kind of information might make its way to him.”
“Good. In that case, let’s fuck.”
Cole laughed. “Yes ma’am, but it’ll have to be quick.”
“You’re the one wasting all the time talking.”
Cole nudged her onto her back and inhaled deeply. She was already aroused, and she knew he could tell. There was little doubt in either of their minds that she wasn’t wet and ready for him. If he woke hard for her, she woke up soft and primed for him. She craved his dominance, and he honored her submission.
Cole leaned over and kissed her deeply, using his hand to tease and taunt her areola and nipple, which seemed to come to life from his slightest attention. He traced his fingers down the centerline of her body, slipping them between her legs to circle and caress the swollen nub at the apex of her sex, and Kennedy moaned in response.
Cole worked his fingers down to the opening of her core and penetrated her wet heat with two digits, gently curling them up to drag along the roof of her sheath. His thumb came back to her clit to further arouse as he leaned over and sucked her stiffened nipple into his mouth. He began to suckle with the same rhythm he used to thrust his fingers into her cunt.
Her breathing became thready and rapid, and she could feel heat and arousal surging through her system, its tenacles branching out from her molten core to envelop her entire body. He increased the speed and vigor of both his fingers and his mouth, making her body sing a song it only sang for him. Cole withdrew his fingers and brought his mouth to hers to silence her protest.
He rolled over to cover her body, nudging her legs apart and making a place for himself. He reached under her to hold her buttocks in his hand as he pressed his cock into her in a single, hard thrust. That one movement pushed her over the edge and her pussy clamped down on him like a vice, threatening to strangle his cock. He muffled her cries with his kiss. She wrapped herself around him, her fingers digging into the flesh of his muscular buttocks to urge him to fuck her harder.
Cole didn’t even break stride. He fucked her through her climax, even as her inner walls quivered from the onslaught of his feral coupling, and she reveled in the intensity with which he loved her. She’d barely recovered from the first orgasm when the second began to build. She’d never known why he had the power to command such a primitive response from her and now that he was back, she didn’t care. She only knew that she had no plans to be without him in the future. She didn’t know what that meant for her career but none of that seemed to matter anymore.
“Give to me, Kennedy,” he murmured as he nuzzled her neck.
“Everything,” she whispered.
He had a terrible mastery over her body, and she wanted nothing more than to wake up every morning like this. Cole increased the ferocity of his thrusts, sending her body’s response into free fall as he fucked her harder, giving a last brutal stroke and ground himself against body.
Kennedy cried out as she felt his cum bathe the walls of her pussy with its warmth as her body spasmed with aftershocks. Her legs trembled and she writhed in his hold as her cunt greedily milked his staff and she savored every bit of pleasure she could.
Cole released her buttocks as he allowed her to take his weight and brought his hands up to cup her face in them.
“I’m really starting to hate this let’s not tell anyone bullshit,” he growled. “I’d really prefer to roll over with you still riding my cock and sleep for another hour or two, then do it again.”
“Cole, I...”
He kissed her. “I know, baby. We’ll work it out. I just want you to know that I look forward to the day we can just be together.”
She clung to him. “Me too. I meant what I said last night.”
He smiled down at her. “I know you did, but I get points for saying it first.”
Cole managed to leave the guesthouse unobserved and showed up at the ranch house without anyone the wiser. He’d worn a flannel shirt and left it untucked, the better to hide the bulge that had started to return the minute he left her bed. She needed to clear Clay… and fast.
“You’re here early,” said Doc as he entered the kitchen.
“Yeah, I need to talk to Cade.”
“I’m not asking you to tell me anything you don’t want to, but I think you boys need to bring Kennedy into your inner circle. After all, she is Clay’s attorney.”
Cole laughed. “I think at this point, she’s representing all of us. And you’re practically family.”
“Then in that case, I’m going to tell you that I don’t know what went on between you and Kennedy in the past, but you need to make it right with her.”
“There is no...”
“Everyone’s heard you say there’s nothing, and not a one of us believes it. That’s one helluva woman. Don’t spit fate in the eye and let her get away. You don’t want to live life with regrets.”
Cole searched the old man’s face and realization hit him like a ton of bricks. “I take it you speak from personal experience?”
Doc nodded. “Maybe regret is too strong a word, but I didn’t have the courage to take what was mine and in the end, all of us paid the price.”
“You loved her, didn’t you?”
“With every fiber of my being. We were told we couldn’t be together. You know she-cats can’t turn a human, so they can’t conceive with one. Your mama wanted children more than anything in this life, and I couldn’t give them to her. At least she had the four of you. Truth to tell, the one who paid the highest price was my wife.”
“She knew?” Cole stuttered his surprise.
“Yep. I told her the night before our wedding. I felt she had a right to know. I’ve never known if I did it then because I didn’t think she’d call it off that close to the big day or because I’d hoped she might.” Doc looked like he’d aged even during this short conversation.
Cole’s next words were obvious, but he felt they were important to say now. “She never loved him. Not a single day in her life.”
“I know. And there wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t love her. I watched you boys grow up and tried to be there for you after she died.”
“Do you think he killed her?”
“I do. I eventually found proof, but your father knew it wouldn’t stand up in court.”
Another question popped into Cole’s mind. “You don’t think Clay did it, do you?”
“No. As much as you boys hated him, and rightfully so, not one of you would have shot him in the back.”
Cade wandered into the kitchen. “Am I interrupting?”
“No. Doc was just telling me I’m a jackass and ought to get my head out of my ass.”
Cade poured a cup of coffee. “Well at least when he tells you, you don’t punch him in the face,” he said, raising his mug to his lips and smiling.
“I’m an old man. I’m not in his weight class. I was going to make French toast. Anybody want some?” Doc stepped heavily in the direction of the fridge.
“That sounds great. Cade, I need to speak to you a minute. If you’ll excuse us, Doc.”
“No problem. I think I’ll fry some bacon up as well.”
Cade and Cole left the Doc in the kitchen and entered the study, closing the door behind them.
“Kennedy says she thinks she can negotiate a deal that if Clay turns himself in, he gets house arrest here with a monitor.”
Cade grinned. “Oh, she does, does she? And you would know that how?”
“Because unlike you, I don’t spend every minute of my free time fucking my mate.” He held up his hands as Cade’s expression turned stony. “My bad. Sorry. You and Trey deserve every bit of happiness the two of you can find.”
“At the risk of having you deck me, so do you and Kennedy.”
Ignoring his last remark, Cole continued, “I thought I’d ride out and see if I can find them. Kennedy also said if Serena is with him, she needs to come in. I get why he wants her there, but when whoever is framing him figures out that it isn’t going to work if he goes on trial, he might try and get to Clay. Serena is safer here with us.”
Cade nodded. “I agree. I’ll call Cash and bring him up to speed while you do the same with Clay. I think we need to tighten up security here at the compound and keep our she-cats close to home.”
“You can be the one to tell them that,” Cole said, chuckling.
“Why me?”
“In case you missed it big brother, you’re now head of the claw, and may I be the first to say, thank God.”
“You...”
Cole interrupted that train of thought. “No. You and Cash would always have been the best choices and I think Cash is going to be at River Run.”
“You might be right. Do you think you can find them?”
Cole nodded. “I’ve got a pretty good idea where they are.”
Cole rode out, making sure his tracks would be difficult to follow. He was glad the Appaloosas that Clay raised and trained for the ranch had hardy feet and didn’t need shoes. An unshod horse left lighter tracks. He made his way up to the old mine and waited.
He thought he heard some movement in the hills above the mine but couldn’t see anything. His youngest brother could be a wraith in the wilderness when he wanted. Before too long, he heard horses approaching and walked out of the mine shack. Sure enough, it was Clay and Serena.
They halted their horses and Clay dismounted, turning to give Serena a hand down. He was also, thought Cole, the best mannered of the lot of them. Clay had barely turned loose of her before Cole’s fist connected with Clay’s face, knocking him backward toward his horse, who promptly stepped out of the way, causing Clay to lose his balance and land square on his ass.
“What the fuck was that for?” Clay snarled.
“That was for stranding me out here and taking off.”
“If you were back at Koyama', it was more plausible that no one knew where I was.”
“I understand that, but you should have said something. We could have planned for it.”
“So, I suppose you think I ought to apologize?” Clay asked.
“You’re the one who fucked up,” Cole said, extending his hand to his brother.
“I apologize,” Clay said, taking his hand before returning the punch to Cole’s face.
Cole relayed Kennedy’s thoughts about Clay’s arrest and Serena coming in. The latter went over like a lead balloon and Cole leaned back against the hitching rail and watched as Clay dealt with Serena. He could see where she would have made a good paralegal. He mostly tuned them out, sitting back to watch the show from a distance.
Serena was bright and had a quick mind. When the argument finally came down to the law and how her being found with Clay could be interpreted as her being a co-conspirator, Serena was finally willing to listen to reason.
Once she acquiesced, Clay embraced her and held her close. Cole understood the power of persuasion because he’d used it all his life, but in this instance, Cole thought a better way to break through Serena’s stubbornness would have been for his brother to apply his hand to her backside.
Cole tuned in at that moment to hear Clay saying, “Once we’re clear of this who-killed-Cyrus bullshit, I promise that no power on earth will ever take you from me again.”
“Personally,” drawled Cole, “I think everybody ought to admit the world is a better place without the old bastard and just let it be.”
“Cole, that’s a terrible thing to say,” said Serena.
“Terrible, but true, I’m afraid,” he replied.
There was a little more talk about how Serena had cleverly sent the authorities on a wild goose chase to Seattle, before Cole finally said, “I hate to be the bad guy, but we need to get moving.”
Unbeknownst to them, he was far more sympathetic to their cause than either of them knew. He couldn’t imagine being separated from Kennedy, especially if he’d just claimed her. If he had his way, he and Kennedy would never spend another night apart. Cole watched as Clay gave her a last kiss, then headed out on foot into the wilderness. He was sending his horse and his bonded spirit back to Koyama' with Cole.
Serena watched him go, fighting back her tears. Clay’s bonded spirit was deeply in love with his baby brother. “Why doesn’t he take his horse?” she asked.
“He’ll be harder to track as a lion, and it’ll be easier for him to live off the land.”
They mounted up and headed back toward the ranch. Cole filled her in on all that had transpired since the night Clay had proposed. She asked intelligent questions and you could almost see the wheels in her head turning, putting things together, forming plans.
He’d only met Cash’s bonded spirit, Evie LaSalle, a couple of times, but she’d struck him as quite intelligent also. Cole suppressed a smile, thinking it was a good thing he and his brothers were brawny, because the females in the family definitely had the brains.
He knew Serena was, understandably, upset at being parted from Clay so he kept up an engaging conversation to try and allay her fears but also to make her laugh. After talking about her termination, Cole told her he thought Kennedy could use her help.
Serena nodded. “Does she know about us? About shifters?”
Cole shook his head. “No. There was never a reason to tell her, and it isn’t a necessary piece of information to represent Clay in Cyrus’s murder case.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Sure, I do. Cyrus wasn’t killed because he was a shifter. I’m not sure what the reason was, but it wasn’t that.”
“Don’t you think your bonded spirit has a right to know?”
Cole rolled his eyes. “Not you too. She is not my bonded spirit.”
Cole spent the rest of the journey listening to Serena fill him in on speculation at her law firm on why Kennedy had left JAG and the Hague’s offer behind. Listening to her relay the gossip, Cole kept asking himself how valid Kennedy’s reasons were for keeping their renewed relationship a secret. It didn’t seem like any of the people around them were buying it.
After all, they were family. Having Serena and Trey to turn to when he broke the news to her that he wasn’t quite human wouldn’t be a bad thing. He didn’t think she’d bolt like Serena, but he wasn’t going to take any chances. Clay had told Serena when they were in the middle of nowhere. Serena had panicked and left with both horses. Cole, on the other hand, planned to tell Kennedy when he had her pinned to the bed, impaled on his cock.
He sensed Serena winding up when she said, “The only time she ever slipped up with a glimpse into her past was when she told someone she’d never date another man she met through work. My guess is the man that burned her is you.” Her expression was full of pride, as if she’d put the puzzle together and wanted the gold star.
Somehow he managed to avoid responding and evade further lines of questioning about he and Kennedy but knew that he’d done nothing to quell her curiosity. He meant to talk to Kennedy that night, not about the whole shifter thing, but about being transparent with the status of their relationship.
That evening, Serena took pity on them all and made dinner, managing to get Kennedy to join them. During the course of the evening, Serena volunteered to help with Clay’s case; Kennedy had grinned and told her they’d bill the firm an outrageous amount. Serena had agreed to work on a brief regarding how Cyrus intestate would impact the terms of Hannah’s will as well as drafting a motion to compel the production of the evidence the prosecution had amassed against Clay.
He and Kennedy studiously evaded looking at one another, but there were moments when he couldn’t help it. Even though he’d kept an eye on her over the years, he’d really forgotten how gorgeous she was and how much enjoyment he took just from being in her presence. His cock reminded him that it was even more pleasurable when he was balls deep in her. His cock had a point.
He was headed for the guesthouse, keeping to the shadows, when he sensed another mountain lion shifter. He pressed himself against the side of the barn and watched as Clay made his way up onto the roof and into the room that they’d given Serena. His brother was a fool; the authorities had to be watching, but he couldn’t really blame him. Cole faded back into the barn, picked up one of the shotguns they kept in the tack room, then settled himself where he could play look out so Clay could be with Serena.
When it looked as though Clay had settled in for the night, Cole shook his head. Clay now owed him one. He’d forsaken Kennedy’s bed to keep watch. Cole thought about how with other women, he’d always been restless to go home after the sex was over. But with Kennedy, he never wanted to leave. There was something incredibly satisfying about falling asleep with her in his arms and waking up next to her, warm and willing.