There was a long pause. Finally, the pack leader said, “Come on, guys, this isn’t worth it,” in a disgusted voice.
“But boss,” Todd whined.
“You want to fight two women, a lion, and a bunch of goddamn snow leopards? There’s probably fifty more of them out in the forest,” the leader snapped. “Let’s go.”
As he watched them walk away, Ken was struck by a feeling he’d never known before.
He’d protected people plenty of times. As a Marine, sometimes just as a big guy who didn’t want to see a woman hassled.
But he’d never protected his family before. Never stood up and made someone realize that this was his place, his pack, and no one who lived here was ever going to be vulnerable and alone again.
So as the wolves disappeared from sight, Ken shifted back and caught Lynn up in his arms. “That was amazing,” he said into her hair. “You were amazing.”
“I could only do it because I knew you were right there behind me,” she murmured back.
Was it possible for your heart to actually grow inside your chest? Ken kissed her mouth, tasting happiness, and thought that he had everything he could ever have wanted.
***
Back inside, Lynn couldn’t believe it was all over, just like that.
Mavis and Wilson said their goodbyes, waving off Stella’s thanks like it was nothing, and departed with smiles. Stella hugged Eva hard and said, “Let’s go for a run together, honey, okay?”
Eva grinned. “Awesome.”
The two of them went out the back and shifted together. Eva’s lynx form was still rangy and young, and she bounded ahead as Stella trotted behind her. Lynn smiled after them, and turned to Ken.
“Hi,” he said, grinning.
“Hi.” She smiled back.
“That was amazing,” Ken said. “The way you told him off.”
Lynn shook her head. “What’s amazing is how you organized this entire thing. I just gave a single jerk a piece of my mind, that’s all.”
“I could watch you give jerks a piece of your mind all day.” Ken leaned down and kissed her. “I love how you’re always so certain of yourself.”
Reflecting back on the last couple of days, Lynn had to say, “I’ve been uncertain about a lot, recently.”
“Not what I meant, exactly.” He frowned. “Even when you think you’re wrong, you don’t hem and haw. You say, ‘I need to think about this,’ and then you think about it and come to a decision. And if you know you’re right, you’re completely unafraid about it. I love it.”
Lynn had always just thought she was blunt. She considered this new perspective. “You do?”
He nodded. And then grinned. “It’s hot.”
Lynn rolled her eyes and caught him around the neck, pulling him down into a kiss.
She’d just meant to distract him, but she guessed he did find her bluntness hot, because he opened his mouth on hers and sent the kiss spiraling upward into a hot, gasping thing, in a way she hadn’t been anticipating. When they broke apart, she was quickly forgetting anything that didn’t involve her hands on his body.
“Upstairs,” she managed.
“Sounds good to me.” His voice was heated, and he turned and led the way. Lynn watched his hips move as he went up. She hadn’t paid much attention to the back view before, and she’d clearly been missing out.
When he reached the top, he vanished into her room, and by the time she caught up, he was half-undressed. Laughing, she fol
lowed as quickly as she could, stripping her clothes off and joining him on the bed.
He caught her up in his arms and kissed her. As always, the feel of his mouth sent shivers of desire through her body. “Mmm,” she said, and twisted to roll them over so that she was on top, straddling his hips.