Literally and figuratively.
As the men’s hands explored every inch of my body, and their mouths sampled various inches of my skin, I smiled to myself.
This was indeed a beautiful start to an amazing relationship.
And it was all thanks to my three mountain lion shifter men.
EPILOGUE: MAXINE
In the dead of night, my phone rang, pulling me from a lip-biting, toe-curling dream involving a beach with white sand, clear blue water, and the warmth of a man’s hand between my legs. I peeled my eyes opened to stare at the digital clock I kept on the end table next to me. I frowned as I noticed the time. It was closer to one in the morning. Though I thought about ignoring the call and returning to my sexy dream, I had the intuitive hit to answer it.
I picked up the thing and hit the call button. In a groggy voice, I said, “Yes?”
“Is this Maxine?” a male voice responded.
“The one and only,” I said and then yawned. “What is so important you needed to call me this late at night?”
“I apologize for the time, ma’am. My name is Quinn. I’m a park ranger. There’s been an accident involving a shifter that I need your help with.”
“Can’t you call the paramedics?” I asked, climbing out of bed.
“No, ma’am. This is a shifter issue,” he repeated.
“Gotcha,” I said and headed to my counter where a pad of paper and a pen sat. “Where am I going?”
“The Incline,” he said. “There is a ranger shack about a quarter of the way up. An STOF agent is waiting for you at the bottom. He’ll help get you to where you need to go.”
I paused. Images of a kid doing daredevil stunts in front of a group of teenagers flip through my mind. They weren’t very clear. Of course, they never are. My visions are more like trying to watch a movie through thick fog. I get enough for the gist, not clear enough to discern details.
“Let me guess, a kid was trying to impress his friends?” I asked, sounding more awake.
“Close,” Quinn said. “A boy was trying to impress a girl. In front of his friends.”
I sighed. That fit too. Teenage boys had very little common sense. Human or shifter, it didn’t matter. I chuckled to myself. To be that young again.
“Okay, I’m going to collect my things and I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I said.
“Thank you, ma’am,” Quinn said.
I smiled. “Don’t thank me yet. See you soon, Quinn.”
I hung up the phone and started collecting the things I believed I would need.
Twenty-five minutes later, I arrived at the base of The Incline. There were flashing lights and tape and I carried my bag with me, weaving through the group of onlookers. I approached one of the men in uniform and tried to catch his attention.
“Excuse me,” I said, gaining his attention.
He turned to face me, and I gasped. My heart raced as I met his gaze, and I was forced to clear my throat. He was tall and built with enough muscle to pick out the curves of each one under his shirt. His hair was done up in a pompadour style, which suited his features. And from what I could tell through all the flashing lights that filled the area, his eyes were the color of mahogany.
He smiled as he settled his attention on me, dazzling me with his grin.
“I’m Maxine. I was called to the scene.” I returned his gorgeous smile.
He nodded. “Right this way.”
He turned around and headed into the dark, away from all the bright, flashing lights. I followed the SOTF agent, grateful for my eyes to be given a break, and struggled to catch my breath as he flew up an insane number of stairs to the ranger shack. Once I had caught up to him, he gestured for me to continue, and I nodded.
“Thank you for the escort,” I said as I stepped past him.