 
# Black Silk

by Jan Gordon

### Preface

This story came about by accident. I usually write fanfiction but one day I sat down to write a very short fluff piece in response to a challenge that had been set on an internet message board.

After writing it, I became curious about the characters I'd invented. They wouldn't go away. They kept shouting at me to write their story. So here it is. How they met, how they connected and what happened to them.

I would like to thank my friends, Amy, Cheryl, Ermintrude and Rita, for their encouragement and advice. And a very special thank you to Amy and Cheryl, for their expertise and sharp eyes and their help when my characters wrote themselves into corners. Some of those brainstorming sessions came up with some wacky ideas, but they did kick start my brain.

I'd also like to thank my husband Eric. Without his help and support I would never have had the guts or the time to write anything let alone an original story.

I hope you enjoy the story of Vic and Cole as much as I enjoyed writing about them.

Black Silk

by Jan Gordon

Smashwords Edition

© Jan Gordon

July, 2009

### Chapter One

The air shimmered and the outline of the large timber wolf blurred before her eyes. Slowly her rescuer began to change shape. The snout retracted and the wolf's body stood upright, tawny skin replaced the fur. As the air settled, Cyrrus stood before her in all his naked glory. He glanced at her and grinned ruefully as he used his magick to materialize clothes on his body.

Gabriella threw herself into his waiting arms. "Cyrrus, my love, how could I ever have doubted you?"

Cyrrus, framing her face in his hands, used his thumbs to wipe away some stray tears before lowering his mouth to hers...

I made a little moue of frustration and sighed when the bell above the door signaled the arrival of a customer. I put a bookmark in my place and laid the book down on the counter. I desperately needed to make a sale, but I also wanted to finish my novel. I promised myself that when I got home that evening I would curl up in my favorite armchair, enjoy a glass of wine, and finish Gabriella's story.

I pasted what I hoped was a welcoming smile on my face and looked up at my customer. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Weston. How are you today?"

"I'm well, but I'm in the mood for something with a little more spice. I've decided I'm tired of these insipid hospital romances." She placed half a dozen returns on the counter in front of me. "I think I'm ready for something with a little more 'bite'."

My used bookstore wasn't large but it was well-stocked. Customers could return their books and receive half the price back in the form of credit against their next selection, and this is exactly what Mrs. Weston had done. I sold new books as well, but usually only the best sellers. I couldn't afford to make massive orders to wholesalers in the vague hope that the people of Farmingdale would start buying new books en masse, instead of used.

I considered Mrs. Weston for a moment or two, asking myself just how much 'spice' she might be prepared for. "Are you looking for thriller, romance or paranormal? The paranormals nearly always have a fair bit of sex in them, but the thrillers and romances can range from the tame to the extreme."

Mrs. Weston pursed her lips in distaste. "Paranormal? Isn't that witches and the like?"

"Yes, it can include witchcraft, but mostly the stories are about vampires, shape shifters and other magical beings. Many of the books in that genre are great sweeping romances. There are some really good series being written at the moment and a lot of them hit the New York Times' best sellers list." I grabbed a square of paper from a stack on the counter and jotted down the names of a few authors for her. "If you take a look at the shelves on the back wall to the left, you'll find the paranormal section; these authors all write paranormal series with incredibly sexy heroes. Thrillers are on the bookcases to the right, and here," I turned over the slip of paper and wrote a few more names, "are some authors I'd recommend."

I smiled at her as I handed her the slip of paper. I wondered if I'd managed to convert another reader to my favorite genre. I loved all things paranormal, but in this town, the only unusual being I'd be likely to meet would be between the covers of a book; a book like the one I was in the middle of reading. That thought had me reaching for my novel again as Mrs. Weston went to peruse the shelves; I was just about to open my book when the doorbell chimed once more. And that was the way it was for the rest of the day, every time I reached for Gabriella's story something would interrupt. The comfy armchair and the glass of wine, I'd promised myself, began to look more and more inviting.

That night I closed the store with a sigh of relief and immediately felt guilty. I told myself that I had no right to a pity party, I was lucky in so many ways. Yes, there were parts of my life that could be better, but I had a decent income, I owned my own home, and I had my health. What more could I ask for? An insistent voice at my private party whispered loud enough for me to hear. 'A man. Some excitement. Something different.'

I shook my head a little. Was it to shake those thoughts out of my mind or was it denial? Either way, I sternly told myself, I wasn't going to give in to that way of thinking.

I unlocked my car and slid behind the wheel, placing my purse on the passenger seat. Then, changing my mind, I put the bag on the floor. I know I live in a small town and we had almost no crime but you can never be too careful.

My home is in a quiet residential neighborhood on the edge of Farmingdale. My street has neat front yards peppered with the occasional tricycle or bicycle. Most of the backyards are fenced to keep dogs in and kids safe. Houses are well-kept and clean. Normal family life in small town America. Except for my home. Oh, my house is as neat and well-kept as the next one on the street, but there's no family living in my home. Just me and my cat, Mister.

The house had belonged to my parents and it's the only home I've ever known. The summer after I graduated college my mom and dad had been killed in a stupid traffic accident. A bunch of kids had stolen a sports car for a joy ride. Unfortunately the car had been too powerful for the young driver and he'd lost control, plowing straight into my parents' vehicle. Memories of my parents' life together are all over the house, I just didn't have the heart to pack everything away. I'd done the obvious, like give away their clothes and such, but there are books and photos and even my mother's knitting patterns still cluttering the shelves and cabinets.

So that's how I ended up, a single, twenty-nine-year-old woman living on a road full of families with young children.

My neighbor, Alex Winters, was mowing his lawn when I turned into my driveway. He waved at me and shouted a cheerful, "Evening Vic". I sent an equally cheerful wave and a smile in reply before letting myself into the house.

I still thought of the house as my parents' house. Legally it was all mine, just like the shop. But my parents' presence everywhere comforted me... made me feel like they were still with me somehow.

Where the hell had this mood come from? I hadn't felt like this in years. Recently I'd come to realize that I was content with my lot in life. I had friends, I had a comfortable life, and I made a decent living. The only thing really missing from my life was a man. Someday...

In the kitchen, I nuked a frozen pizza and poured myself a glass of Merlot. I took my dinner into the living room, set it down on the coffee table and pulled my book out of my bag. The rest of my evening was going to be dedicated to Gabriella and her werewolf.

ooOOOoo

When I woke the following morning, I had a moment of panic. I couldn't move my legs! A croaky chuckle escaped my throat when I realized why I couldn't move. "Hey, Mister, get off my legs."

The large black ball of fur unfurled itself, stretched and walked up the bed to head butt me in the chin.

"Yeah, yeah, and good morning to you, too." I turned my head to the side to check the time. Six-thirty. That was early for a Wednesday. I didn't open the shop until noon on Wednesdays, and during the mornings I ran errands, did the grocery shopping or just stayed home and cleaned; sometimes I would veg out with a book or the TV. I rolled over onto my front and tried to go back to sleep.

Mister, however, had other ideas. He wanted his breakfast and he wanted it now. He had no intention of letting me lie in bed. He'd clambered up onto my back and started to knead my butt, purring away like a well-oiled engine in some European sports car.

"Okay, okay. I can take a hint."

I swung my legs out of the bed and groggily found my way down the stairs to the kitchen. This was no mean feat as Mister was constantly trying to trip me up along the way.

I only had to buy some stamps and stop by the bank that morning, so I certainly wasn't rushed. I fed my insistent pet, and then gave myself a shot of caffeine in the form of strong coffee. Feeling my drug of choice flow through my veins and firing up my brain, I began to function like a normal human being.

I poured myself a second cup of coffee and settled down to watch the morning news. Skirmishes in the Middle East, battles in Pakistan, fighting in Sri Lanka; I sometimes wonder if we humans ever do anything other than fight. Was there no 'good' news from around the world? More than a little discouraged with the news, I climbed upstairs to take a shower.

My bathroom was my one extravagance. I'd had it remodeled a couple of years before and I now had a massive free-standing claw-foot tub big enough for two, and a shower stall with twin heads. I guess I'd been hoping that I'd meet someone I liked enough to bathe with. Sadly, I haven't yet.

After a long, hot and very satisfying shower, I wrapped myself in a towel and picked up my brush to start untangling my hair. When wet, my hair was dark brown, but dry it was a non-descript mousy color; I wish it would stay dark brown. I could dye it I suppose, but I was just too damn lazy. I surveyed myself in the large full-length mirror on the wall to the side of the sink. Mousy hair, gray eyes, curvy in all the right places, average height, clear skin. So what was wrong with me? Why couldn't I meet a guy? Was it just that I knew everyone in town, and I was everyone's friend but no one's honey? Perhaps I should move to the city, I might meet someone there.

Wishful thinking would get me nowhere. I couldn't move to the city, what the hell would I do there? Here at least I had a home and my store. Maybe I needed a vacation; I couldn't remember the last time I'd taken one. Probably back when my parents were alive, I think.

I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and declared it done. I wasn't one for a lot of makeup so I just applied some mascara and lipstick. Back in the bedroom I had to shoo Mister off the black pants that I'd laid out before going into the shower. Damn that cat; luckily his black fur didn't show up on the black pants. I'd left my blue silk shirt on the hanger, so at least he hadn't been able to ruin that with his claws. Really, that animal has no manners!

Downstairs, I collected the paper off the front porch and settled down at the breakfast bar to read while I ate some cereal. More gloom and doom. Recession, unemployment... it's never ending. No wonder I'm in such a dismal mood lately, the world is dismal! Giving up in disgust, I turned to the funnies.

ooOOOoo

I arrived at my store at eleven, which gave me an hour to sort out some of the books sitting in boxes in the store room and shelve them. At noon I flipped the open sign around on the front door and sat down behind the counter. I'd dragged a box of books from the storeroom, hoping I'd be able to price them, and possibly even shelve them sometime during the afternoon.

A steady stream of customers kept me busy and by the time I closed the shop at seven I still had a lot of books left in the box to price and shelve. I looked at the pile of books and sighed, they had to be done. I decided to finish them before going home, who knew what the following day might be like.

It was nine-thirty by the time I climbed into my car. It'd been a long day and I was exhausted. Unfortunately, I still had to get gas on my way home. I'd meant to fill up on the way in that morning, but I'd clean forgotten. I wondered briefly if I could skip it and fill up the following morning, but my car was insistent and kept flashing the 'empty' light at me.

I hated pumping my own gas, but it was a necessary evil. I pulled into the gas station and drew up to the first set of pumps and set about feeding my car. I was replacing the nozzle to its holder on the pump when I realized something was wrong inside the convenience store. There was a guy with a gun pointed straight at the clerk by the check-out.

I froze. I didn't panic, but I froze. I vaguely registered the sound of another vehicle entering the gas station, but I couldn't take my eyes off the scene being enacted in the shop. I watched in horror as the gunman turned his head toward me. I thought he was sure to shoot me, but the clerk said something and the gunman turned back to face the check-out.

Without warning, a large hand engulfed one of mine and its owner pulled me toward the side of the building and held me against his front. He put a hand over my mouth just as I gathered enough wits to scream. "Shh. He won't want to leave any witnesses. Stay quiet."

I nodded and he removed his hand. "Good girl. Stay here, out of sight."

Again, I nodded and I felt a sudden chill at my back as he moved away. I turned to thank my rescuer but he'd disappeared. The next moment I heard something that chilled me to the bone. It was a sound unlike anything I'd ever heard before. It was somewhere between a growl and a screech and it seemed to come from the shop. Suddenly, the front door of the store burst open and the gunman ran out of the store like a bat out of hell in the direction of an old, battered truck.

In a moment of madness I stepped away from the wall to watch the man. He was wearing a black ski mask and as he reached the door of the vehicle he pulled it off his head. As I stared at his profile, lit by the fluorescent lights of the pump area, he turned and looked straight at me. He took a step toward me and then, with a frantic glance back at the shop, he turned and opened the door of the truck before jumping in. Before I could press myself back into the shadows, he'd started the engine and the tires screeched as he careened out on to the road.

After the vehicle had disappeared, there was a moment of complete silence, broken only by the thumping of my heart. Then I heard the sound of breathing behind me. My rescuer was back and he was leaning against the brick wall breathing heavily. I could hear sirens, but they were still far away. He looked at me and met my gaze. "I wasn't here. You didn't see me. You got that?"

I couldn't talk, although I had a hundred questions firing through my mind. All I could do was nod and watched as he ran to his car and drove off.

I waited for the police. I'd gotten a good look at the gunman and thought it was my civic duty to tell the police what I saw. Unfortunately the gunman had also seen me; hopefully he had the good sense to get far away and not stay around town to get rid of witnesses.

But who was the other man? And why had he been so set on keeping his presence at the scene a secret? Was he some kind of Lone Ranger wannabe?

Well, I'd wished for some excitement in my life. I guess I should be careful what I wish for.

### Chapter Two

It'd been close to midnight by the time the police had finished questioning me. Apparently the security cameras hadn't been connected for some reason; therefore I was the only witness who had seen the gunman's face. I just wish I'd had the presence of mind to make note of the license plate number of the truck.

I was very careful not to mention the stranger and I was fairly sure they weren't aware that I hadn't exactly been telling the whole truth.

One thing that had me totally intrigued and the police baffled, was the clerk's story. He swore he saw a black panther in the shop and that it was the big cat that had scared the robber off. But the back door had been locked before the incident and was still locked, from the inside, after the gunman had escaped. The clerk had been quite certain that the creature had not entered or exited through the front door.

I dragged myself into my house, wanting only to lie down and sleep. Mister trotted up to me as I entered, stopped just short and sniffed. Then he did the most extraordinary thing. He fluffed up his tail, arched his back and hissed at me.

"What's wrong with you, Mister?"

At the sound of my voice he sat down but kept his tail fluffed up, as if to say, 'I know it's you but I'm just being careful.' I shrugged; I was too tired to figure out the workings of the feline brain and climbed the stairs.

I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, and if I had any dreams, I certainly didn't remember anything about them when I awoke the next morning.

Mister seemed to have forgotten whatever it was that had been bothering him the night before and he was as nice as pie to me, but that may have been because he wanted his breakfast. I skipped the morning news and went straight to the comics in the paper while I ate my cereal.

That morning in the store, it seemed as if every one of my customers wanted to talk about the robbery at the gas station the night before. More than one well-meaning soul warned me that the gunman would be looking for me as I'd been the only one to see his face.

The other topic of conversation was the old Wicks' place. It'd been empty for almost a decade, and the family had gradually sold off the land around the old house. Now all that was left was the farmhouse, some woods and some scrubland. None of which was any good for grazing or farming. Apparently the old place had finally been bought by someone named Colburn from the city. There was speculation that it was going to be some kind of weekend retreat for him and therefore neither he, nor his purchase of the property, was going to benefit the town much.

It was just before six and there were no customers, so I'd decided to get started on my closing routine. I was concentrating on entering that day's earnings in a ledger, thinking for the thousandth time that I really should get a computerized system installed, when the bell over the front door rang.

I pasted my best 'welcome' smile on my face and looked up to greet the newcomer. As soon as I saw who my customer was, the smile froze on my face and my heart leaped into my throat making speech impossible. It was my rescuer from the gas station.

He was tall, I guessed close to six foot. The previous evening I'd been so distracted and scared that I hadn't registered just how tall he was or how gorgeous. His face looked like he'd spent a lot of time outdoors, tanned with little crease lines at the corners of his eyes. And those eyes! A cool, clear green. Not the kind of green that looked blue in some lights but a real green. His hair was the color of night, inky black and cut fairly short but long enough at the back that it brushed his collar. He was dressed in worn jeans, black T-shirt and a leather biker jacket.

I realized I was staring and swallowed then coughed to clear my throat. "You!" Oh great, I thought, not only was I staring like a star-struck teenager but I was talking like one too. "I mean, it was you, last night, it was you who tried to hide me from the gunman."

"Yeah, that was me." He held out his hand to me. "Steven Colburn."

Colburn, wasn't that the name I'd heard in connection with the old Wicks' place? I tentatively took his hand, "Victoria Hudson."

He nodded as if he already knew my name. "I wanted to make sure you were all right. No ill affects from all the excitement last night?"

"Umm... er... no, I'm good." I couldn't tear my gaze away from his eyes, they were so beautiful. "Thank you, Mr. Colburn, for wanting to check up on me and for last night. But I'm afraid your efforts were wasted. I saw his face. The gunman, I mean. I saw his face. He saw me and he knows that I saw him." My words tumbled over themselves in their rush to escape my idiot mouth.

"That's not good." he frowned. "Do the police know that he saw you?"

"Yeah. But at the moment they don't think he'll come after me."

"Are you closing up for the day?"

His sudden change of subject caught me off guard – but then his very appearance in my store had surprised me. "Yes, just finishing up."

"May I buy you a coffee?"

Now he was the one who seemed nervous. A tall gorgeous hunk was nervous about asking me out for coffee; what was wrong with that picture? Opportunities like this don't drop out of the sky every day. I made a snap decision, I'd probably regret it later, but for now I intended to do something unpredictable.

"Yes, I'd like that. Give me five minutes, will you?"

He nodded and turned away to look at the shelves of books, then he wandered over to the window to gaze through the glass. I wasn't sure what he was looking at, perhaps he was just being polite and giving me some space to finish up my closing routine.

Hurriedly, I put the earnings in a bag to drop off at the bank and went to the little room at the back that I use as an office. Almost automatically I checked my hair in the tiny mirror hanging on the wall, smoothing my hair back down into its ponytail. What was happening to me? First I witness a robbery and then I accept an invitation for coffee from a complete stranger?

It's only coffee, Vic, I told myself. What could happen in a public place?

On an impulse I changed my mind about the ponytail and pulled the scrunchie off, allowing my hair to fall down to frame my face and rest on my shoulders. I couldn't help but wonder why he wanted to take me out for coffee. Good manners? Or could it be something more. Well, I told myself, I'd better get back out there before he changed his mind, regardless of his reason for asking me in the first place.

He turned to face me as I came out of the back room. "Ready?"

"Yes." I took my keys out of my purse and he opened the front door, holding it for me as I flicked the alarm switch to on before walking out. He held the door for me until I was out on the street then followed me out, stepping out of the way to allow me to turn and lock the door behind us.

"I haven't seen you around town before last night. Just passing through?" Brilliant, that was nearly as bad as 'do you come here often?'

"I've just moved into the area. I bought an old farmhouse just outside of town."

"The old Wicks' place?" Seeing his answering nod, I continued, "that's going to take some fixing up. It's been empty for almost a decade." So he's the guy from the city who'd bought that old relic. Dilapidated it may be, but it must still have cost a pretty penny.

"Yeah, there's a bit of work to do. Should keep me busy for a while."

"I guess you'll be spending most of your spare time on repairing it. Weekends and the like, when you're not at work." Although that hadn't been a question, he'd taken it as such.

"No, I'll be working on it pretty much full time. I'm er... between jobs right now."

I noticed his hesitation and pressed further. "Oh?" My tone was definitely questioning, but it didn't seem like he was going to answer.

"Where are you taking me?"

"I thought you'd invited me for coffee not the other way round." Was I flirting? I never flirt!

"I did, but I don't know the area yet, so I was just following you."

Good distraction, fella, you neatly turned the conversation away from your lack of gainful employment.

Since, Farmingdale doesn't aspire to a Starbucks, the closest we have to a coffee bar is the new espresso machine that'd been installed in Dolly's Diner. "The place we're heading for, Dolly's, is just up the street; a few stores past the bank."

It didn't take long to get anywhere on Main Street and a minute or two after dropping off the earnings from my store in the bank's night deposit drop, we arrived at the diner. Once again he opened the door for me, holding it until I'd entered. The man was full of old world charm despite his modern biker demeanor. I slid into the seat of a booth near the window, after all this man was a stranger and I wanted to be as visible as possible.

"Hey Mouse."

I cringed inwardly at the nickname. The speaker was Mindy and she had come over to our table, ready to take our order. She and I had gone to high school together and 'Mouse' was the name most of my classmates had called me. Mostly because of the color of my hair, but also because I'd been so dreadfully shy that whenever a boy had been kind enough to talk to me all I could do was squeak in reply. Mindy had blue eyes, blond hair, big boobs and a tiny waist. She made me feel totally inadequate and I felt like I was back in high school. I mumbled a 'hi' back and looked down at my hands which were buried in my lap.

I vaguely heard Mr. Colburn ask for two coffees and I kept my eyes downcast as Mindy moved away to fill the order. I sat quietly waiting for her to come back with the coffees, wondering, in the somewhat awkward silence, why I'd agreed to this. When Mindy returned with the cups I glanced up at her and noticed she'd opened an extra button or two on her blouse and was now showing a considerable amount of cleavage. My 'date' however, didn't pay any attention to the display as she leaned over to place the coffee in front of him. I couldn't resist smiling a little as she flounced away from our table, her disappointment at the lack of reaction to her charms evident in every sway of hips.

With Mindy gone we should have felt free to talk, but we didn't. I floundered around in my head trying to think of something to say. Everything that I came up with sounded forced. As the silence stretched, I couldn't stand it any longer and I blurted out, "Mr. Colburn, why did you ask me for coffee if you're just going to sit there and not say anything? A... are you regretting asking me?"

He looked up at me then with those beautiful eyes. I noticed he had long thick black lashes that should be illegal on a man. "First it's 'Cole' not Mr. Colburn, and second, no I'm definitely not regretting inviting you."

"So why are you sitting in silence? I mean this is the first time you've even looked at me since we sat down."

He smiled at me and I almost swooned, not only should those eyelashes be illegal, a smile like that should be as well. His smile did things to my insides that I didn't even want to think about. "I have been looking at you. You just don't know it because you've been studying your hands all this time. Look, Victoria," he lowered his voice. "About last night, I feel I need to explain."

I interrupted him. There was no way anybody I was going to let anybody use that antiquated name. "It's either Miss Hudson or Vic, please never 'Victoria', only my parents' generation or those even older call me Victoria."

"Not 'Mouse'? Isn't that what the waitress called you?"

"No, definitely not 'Mouse'. That was a nasty nickname the girls and even some of the boys, called me in high school."

"Mice are gray, like your eyes, or a soft brown, like your hair. They are also clever, quick-witted and cute." His eyes were twinkling now.

"Cute? Mice are cute? You gotta be kidding me."

"I like them. But I'll call you 'Vic' if you prefer... for now." The teasing look in his eyes changed to something more serious.

My stomach did a little flip flop at that 'for now'. Did that mean he was interested and... No I wasn't even going to think about what that might've meant. I took a deep breath to kill the butterflies that were fluttering inside me. Lowering my eyes, I took a sip of my coffee to cover my inner feelings. But I couldn't keep my eyes lowered; I raised them again to feast on his handsome face. "You were going to explain about last night?"

He cocked an eyebrow and his eyes were twinkling at me as if he knew the effect he'd had on me. "Hmm? Yes. I told you that I'm new in town, and I really didn't want to get involved with the police before I'd even settled in."

That seemed like a pretty lame excuse to me but I was willing to accept it at face value, for the time being. "Where did you go?"

"What?"

"Where did you go, when the gunman was inside the shop? One minute you were behind me then you weren't. When you came back you were sweating and breathing heavy." I doubted he would answer me, but I thought it was at least worth a try.

His eyes widened slightly, with what I thought was surprise, before quickly looking down at his coffee cup. "Oh, I went to the back door; I thought I could get in that way and maybe get a jump on the guy. Then I heard a noise on the other side of the door and ran back to you. I thought he was coming out the back way and didn't want to be the one to get jumped."

He was hiding something. I just knew it. There was no way he'd only gone to the back door in that amount of time. Besides why would he have been sweating and breathing heavily if that had been all he'd done? No one could look as good as he did and be for real. I decided to err on the side of caution. I sighed and picked up my purse. "Thanks for the coffee, but I really should be getting home."

He reached out and put his hand on mine. "Wait. I'd like to see you again."

I pulled my hand away and slid out of the booth. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

He stood up and moved close to me. "Did I do or say something wrong?" He asked quietly.

"Yes, I mean, no. Look, I don't know you. For all I know you might be in cahoots with the gunman from the gas station last night, and you were there to help him escape. Or maybe you are exactly who you say you are. I don't know." I smiled at him, trying to soften my words. "Even if you are one of the good guys, you're hiding something, and I'm not sure I want to find out what that 'something' is."

"I'm not going away and I will ask you out again." He reached out and ran a finger down my cheek. That slight touch set up a chain reaction of chills that headed south. "Will you talk to me if you see me again?"

"Oh yes, I'll talk to you. If for no other reason than to make the Mindys of this town green with envy. After all, you are rather easy on the eyes." And with that back-handed compliment, I walked out of the diner with only the slightest tinge of regret.
Chapter Three

I lay in bed that night staring up at the darkened ceiling for what seemed like hours. Every time I closed my eyes I would see a pair of green ones staring back at me. Had I done the right thing? Of course I'd done the right thing; I mean he could be a crazy axe murderer.

But then, if I'd met him in a bar or at some social gathering, I wouldn't have known him either. You have to talk and spend time with a person before you get to know them. Perhaps I hadn't done the right thing. I mean he could be a really nice person after all.

I tossed and turned trying to figure out what to do about Cole and it was at least two in the morning before sleep finally claimed me. But after a night full of half-remembered dreams, I knew what I wanted to do. If he asked me out again, I was going to say yes. After all, it really was the only way to get to know him. I'd just have to make sure we met in some public place and remained around people until such time as I felt safe with him.

But, oh God, he _was_ gorgeous. And I was relishing the prospect of seeing the reaction of all the girls from school who'd made fun of me when I'd been an awkward teen.

It was at times like this that I wished I had a friend close to my age. Someone to talk to; someone to confide in. Ha. I was deluding myself; 'times like this', there haven't been any times like this. Never in my entire life has a mysterious, handsome man ever asked me out on a date.

I'd dated at college, infrequently, but I'd had a few dates; none of which had gone past the first or second date. Except one. David. David had been an English major like me and he'd wanted to write. He'd had big dreams of writing great crime mysteries that would spend months on the New York Times best sellers list. He'd been a junior when I was a freshman and we'd met when I'd started working on the campus newspaper. I gave my heart to David and he'd broken it, giving it back to me in tiny pieces.

Since then not only had I not fallen in love again, I hadn't even been tempted.

And I wasn't going to be tempted now, either. Cole wasn't my type. I wasn't going to fall for him and I was one hundred percent certain that he wasn't going to ask me out on a third date, if you counted coffee the previous evening as the first, and he carried out his threat to ask me out on a second.

Who was I kidding? Cole was just the type of guy I could fall for. Tall, dark and handsome beyond compare. And even if it didn't go anywhere, I was determined to enjoy it while I could. I rolled over and pulled a pillow into a hug, trying to imagine it was Cole in my arms.

The next thing I knew it was nine o'clock and I was late. I took one of the quickest showers in history, skipped breakfast, fed Mister because he was more than insistent, and was out of the house by nine-thirty. Fifteen minutes later I was pulling into a parking spot near my store.

I normally open at nine-thirty and I hoped I hadn't missed any customers. I glanced over at the front of my store as I got out of my vehicle; it didn't look like I had hordes of customers waiting for me. I locked the car and walked toward the shop. A shadow separated itself from the doorway of my store. Cole. I hadn't noticed him from the car; I guess he must have been standing perfectly still. Dressed all in black, he looked like he belonged on the cover of one of my paranormal romance books.

I needed my caffeine; I'd skipped my morning cup at home in favor of getting to the store a few minutes earlier and I was in no mood to deal with a would-be lothario. No, that was unfair, I had no idea if he was set on seducing me or not. But I still wasn't in the mood to deal with him. I did try to ignore him; I tried to walk straight by him and unlock the door, but he wasn't having any of that.

"Good morning, Mouse."

I stopped and looked at him. I narrowed my eyes, he knew I didn't like that name. But somehow, when he said it, it sounded like a caress. It was like there was an underlying purr in his voice. But still, I'd told him the previous evening, in no uncertain terms, that I didn't want to be called by that name. Torn between liking the sound of his voice and hating the dreaded nickname, I chose to ignore both him and his greeting.

He moved agilely to one side when I pushed past to enter the store. After turning off the alarm, I went straight to my office to hang up my coat and lock my purse away, hoping that when I came back out into the main part of the shop, he'd be gone. But no such luck. There he was, leaning against the door frame propping the door open with his body. Continuing to ignore him I ducked behind the counter and sat down.

"Did you get out of the wrong side of bed this morning?" I jumped, I hadn't heard him walk up to the counter; I was definitely still half asleep.

"It's none of your business, but if you must know I didn't sleep well and I didn't have time for coffee before I left the house. Now go away, you'll scare away the customers." He wouldn't scare them off of course, he might actually help business. If the women of Farmingdale knew what the town's newest resident looked like and that he was hanging out in my store, they would all suddenly be in desperate need of a book to read. I busied myself with tidying up the area behind the counter, which, as it was already as neat as a pin, meant that I was just moving things around. I looked up when I heard the door bell. Wait hadn't the door already been open? He'd left and shut the door behind him. It'd been the closing of the door that had rung the bell. Even though I'd been decidedly unwelcoming to the point of rudeness, I was unexpectedly hurt that he'd left without a word.

I really needed caffeine. I got up and dragged myself over to the little sink and cabinet in the office. On top of the cabinet I had a small microwave and a couple of mugs. I eyed the jar of instant coffee as if it had been made in Hell. I loathed instant coffee, but it was better than nothing. I placed a mug of water in the microwave, and as I waited for the water to heat up, I thought for perhaps the millionth time that I should buy a small coffee machine so I could drink the real McCoy at work, as well as at home.

I was rudely dragged out of my reverie about the delights of coffee makers by the sound of the bell on the front door. The chimes meant that my first customer had arrived and my day was starting without caffeine. With a longing look at the hated instant drink that masqueraded as coffee, I went out of my private room to face the world.

The sales area looked empty. I couldn't see anyone amongst the shelves from where I stood. I'd definitely heard the door open but the bell hadn't rung a second time so whoever had come in hadn't gone out. I did a quick walk-through around the book cases. No one. That was strange. My mind registered a foreign smell and I looked around for the source of the tantalizing aroma. Then I saw it. Heaven in a cardboard cup. Sitting on the counter was an extra large cup of java. Who? Cole? It had to have been Cole. But where was he?

I shrugged and lifted the lid on the cup, breathed in the rich aroma of pure Columbian, and took a sip. The caffeine hit my system and I sighed.

"Am I forgiven for calling you 'Mouse'?"

It was a sheer miracle that I didn't spill the coffee because I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of his voice. "Where did you come from?"

He gestured toward the shelves where I keep the paranormals and the thrillers. "Back there."

"No you didn't. I checked before I saw the coffee, the place was empty."

"I wanted to surprise you, so I kept hiding from you, moving behind the shelves as you walked around them."

"Well, you succeeded in surprising me." I lifted the cup a little. "Thanks for this. All I have around here is some instant."

"Am I forgiven?" He asked again. He looked so forlorn, and even though I knew it was an act for my benefit, I couldn't help but smile.

"Yes, you're forgiven. Just don't do it again, okay?"

"I can't promise that, but I will promise to ask for your permission before I use that name again." And he smiled. A full smile, one that went all the way to his eyes and I almost melted on the spot. In fact, I think I did.

"I guess I can live with that." Hell would freeze over before I gave my permission. He continued to stand there in front of the counter, looking totally at ease in his own skin. "Umm... I've got work to do, are you going to stand there and watch me all day?" I tried to keep the sharp edge out of my voice, I wasn't sure if I'd been successful or not.

Not getting an answer, I picked up a pile of books and walked out from behind the counter toward the shelves. On top of the pile was the book about Gabriella and her werewolf. When I reached the paranormal section, I shifted the weight of the books to one arm and picked up the top book with the other hand in order to shelve it. Without warning Cole plucked the book out of my hand and looked at it before slotting it into the correct spot between the others on the shelf.

"Do you read any of this stuff?" He indicated the paranormal section.

"Yes, mostly. I like other genres as well, but this is my favorite."

"Werewolves and witches?"

"Not just that, vampires, demons and fairies too. Some of them include old Greek or Norse legends. They're fun, an escape from the daily routine of life."

"Do you need to escape from life, Vic?" His voice was low, sexy and serious. He sounded like he really wanted to hear my answer.

"Everyone needs some escapism occasionally, some fun, some excitement." Even to my own ears I sounded wistful.

I left him looking at a series of books about shape shifters while I shelved the rest of the pile I was holding. Coming back to him, my arms now empty, I leaned against one of the wooden uprights and he placed the book he'd been holding back on the shelf.

He gestured at the shelves. "Do you think there really are things like that in this world?"

I shrugged. "Just because I, personally, haven't seen an alien or a UFO doesn't mean that there isn't life on other planets in other galaxies." I thought that was a really good answer, without actually answering his question. I pushed away from the bookshelf and walked back to my chair behind the counter.

"Will you let me buy you dinner tonight?"

He had done that silent walking thing again. How was it possible that a man of his size could walk without making noise?

"Dinner?" He didn't know how much I wanted to say yes, but I was too tired to be sociable. "Can I take a rain check? I really am tired."

"I can come by when you close up for the day and we can make it an early dinner."

I looked down at my jeans and sweater. Not messy, but not elegant either. "I'm not exactly dressed to go out to dinner. Perhaps tomorrow night?"

He was quiet for a beat, as if deciding whether to let me have my way or not. "Tomorrow night then, and no excuses. I'll leave you to your work now and I'll be in touch."

I watched him walk out, actually I watched his butt. I couldn't help but notice how good the view was.

The rest of the day was a trial. It seemed that news of my coffee date with Cole had spread like wildfire. Everyone wanted to know who the handsome stranger was. I couldn't believe that no one had actually seen him for themselves; only Mindy at Dolly's and obviously whoever had observed us while we were sitting there. Cole's looks became more and more incredible with each retelling of the story. I had to hide my smiles at some of the descriptions of the breadth of his shoulders or the size of his muscles. Most of the gossips also bought books, so all in all Cole really had been good for business.

I was just finishing up my closing routine when Cole sauntered through the door. In one hand he held a large paper bag and in the other, a wine bottle. "I thought I'd told you I would take a rain check on the dinner invitation."

"No, you said you wanted a rain check on going out to dinner. You said nothing against eating here."

"That's because the thought never even entered my mind." Dinner? In the bag? Take out? Oh boy, he'd read my mind. I had been going to order pizza as soon as I got home. He strode straight past me to the room at the back. He left the bag in there before coming back out to the front door and turned over the 'open' sign so it read 'closed' from outside. He then flicked the latch on the lock and went back to the office.

What's with that? He just walked in here as if he owned the place. Was I going to just accept that, after all this was my store. For dinner that I didn't have to cook? Hell, yeah!

I turned off the lights in the main part of the store and followed him. He was already clearing the top of the small desk that I keep in the little room. I stood, bemusedly watching him, as he pulled container after container of Chinese food out of the bag. Without saying a word he returned to the sales area of the shop and came back with my chair from the counter. I'd been peeking into the containers to check out what he'd brought and started guiltily when he returned. He held the office chair out for me to sit in so that I had room for my legs. He sat to the side of the desk which meant he had to skew his body around to face the desk because he had no room for his long legs.

"I didn't know what you liked so I ordered a selection. I probably overdid the order a little..."

"A little? More like a lot! There's enough food here to feed half a block." My stomach chose that moment to make its presence heard.

Obviously there was nothing wrong with his hearing because he grinned, handed me a pair of chopsticks and a napkin then started opening up containers "Let's feed that beast, shall we?"

As I started to open more containers, he rooted in the paper bag and came up with a corkscrew and began to open the wine. "It's white and not very cold, hope that's okay." I nodded because I had a mouthful of eggroll. "Where do you keep your glasses?"

I swallowed quickly, "I don't have any glasses here – just those two mugs." I said, indicating the mugs by the sink. "It's just me here usually, and I don't bother with glasses. I think there are some paper cups and plates in the cabinet next to the sink. We could use the plates for the food."

I stood up to get the plates, but he put out a hand to stop me and I got another display of his fine rear end as he turned and bent over to open the cabinet, he took out a couple of paper plates and handed them to me. He then brought over the mugs and poured a little wine into both giving one to me and putting the other at his place. I took a sip and smiled. The wine had a light, crisp, fruity flavor and I loved it. He sat back down at the desk and took one of the plates and began to help himself to some of the food.

We began to eat in silence. I didn't know what to say to this man. I mean, I knew what I wanted to ask him but I didn't know how. Mostly it was 'why', why out of all the women in this town did he decide to pay me attention? Was it because he tried to save me at the gas station? That had to be the reason because young, sexy men didn't normally seek out my company. If I'm invited to any kind of social, it's usually by men in their sixties or seventies who liked to talk to me.

Suddenly my thoughts spilled out of my mouth without getting permission from my brain. "Why me?"

Cole looked up at me and frowned. "Huh? Why you, what?"

I tried to rein in my thoughts in order to avoid further accidental spillage. I had to say something; I couldn't just leave it like that. I took a deep breath, engaged my brain and attempted to explain myself. "Why are you here, now, with me? I can understand why you came by the shop yesterday, and I can put your inviting me for coffee down to good manners. But why did you come by this morning and why all this?" I swept my hand over the food.

"Because this morning you looked exhausted, and I wanted you to have some fun after your experience the other night at the gas station." He reached out, took my hand and began to slowly rub his thumb across my knuckles. "I wanted to see you smile."

I pulled my hand away from his grasp. "But why me? I'm nothing special, I'm not beautiful. I'm just 'plain Vic, the woman who owns the used bookstore.' I'm just..." My voice died away when I looked up at his face. The anger I saw there took me by surprise.

"Don't you dare underestimate your worth or your charms." His voice was like a snarl, the harshness almost made me fear him. Almost, but not quite. "When I noticed that you didn't fall into hysterics after you saw the gunman at the gas station, I knew you were something special. Now that I've gotten to know you better, I know for sure that you're worth a dozen of girls like that waitress at the diner. You are brave, bright and witty. You're independent, and self-sufficient." The anger ebbed away from his features and his voice softened. "And you are beautiful and sexy. Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise."

"And you know all this about me on, what? Two hours of my company? Because that's what the sum total of our 'acquaintance' has been." I had no idea why I was angry. Perhaps it was because he saw me how I wanted to see myself but had always been unable to do so.

To my utter horror I felt the sting of tears in my eyes, and tried desperately to will them not to fall. I failed. As two fat tears spilled over onto my cheeks, Cole stood up so fast his chair fell backwards. He came over to me and pulled me up out of my seat. "Don't cry. I didn't mean to make you cry." He dabbed at my cheeks with his napkin.

"I'm not upset. I'm angry. I always cry when I'm angry." I tapped my head with a finger. "My wiring has always been a little messed up."

"I think your wiring is perfect."

I closed my eyes because he'd suddenly made me feel shy. A second later my eyes flew open because I'd felt his lips on my forehead. The kiss was the softest of touches, but it was enough to make almost all of my anger ebb away. I sighed and he gently pushed me back into my chair. He picked up his own chair and resumed his seat.

Automatically I picked up my chopsticks, but I was no longer hungry. I pushed some food around my plate but I thought I might choke if I tried to eat it. "I'm sorry, sometimes I speak without thinking and now I've spoiled the evening." I looked up at Cole and noticed he wasn't eating either. "Perhaps we should just pack all this away and you can take it home with you. You can heat it up later or eat it cold for breakfast. Back in college my roommate always ate left over cold Chinese for breakfast."

"I'll only agree to that if you promise to eat it with me."

I gasped at the suggestion. I hadn't meant to imply that we end up eating breakfast together.

He must have realized what he'd said and qualified it immediately. "I meant about heating it up later. I haven't bought a microwave yet, so we'd have to eat at your place."

Whoa! Had this been his plan all along, to get me alone at my place? Oh wait, we are alone and technically this was also my place. "You mean, take it back to my house now? Finish eating at my home?" My voice cracked a little, I cleared my throat and began again. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Yes, it'll be more comfortable around a proper table. You do have a table don't you?" He'd neatly sidestepped my comment about it not being a good idea, and I opted to follow his lead and make light of things.

I laughed and the laughter dispelled the final tendrils of anger that had been knotting my stomach. "Yes, I've got a table."

"I promise I'll be on my best behavior." He held up his hands as if to show his innocence. "No ulterior motive other than wanting to eat and get to know you a bit better." His 'little boy' look was definitely winning him points. "Plus I'd like to make up for being angry with you and for making you cry, thereby causing you to lose your appetite. Perhaps in your own home you'll get your appetite back." I gave him a skeptical look and he realized he'd put his foot in his mouth again. "For food. You'll get your appetite back for food."

I thought about it for all of five seconds before coming to a decision. "Okay, but no funny business." I tried to look stern but I think the effect was spoiled because I couldn't stop my lips from forming half a smile.

"I'll be a perfect gentleman. Drink your wine and we'll take the rest of the bottle with us." He stood up and started to close all the containers, replacing them in the paper bag. I grabbed a garbage bag from the cabinet and swept the paper plates, napkins and chopsticks into it. Cole held out his hand for the garbage. "Tell me where the trash goes and I'll take it out."

Handing him the bag, I told him, "Right outside the back door there's a large gray dumpster. Thank you."

By the time he came back I'd washed the mugs and I had my coat on ready to leave. "Can you get the cork back in the bottle? I never can." He squeezed the end of the cork and managed to get it into the neck of the bottle of wine. It didn't completely seal the bottle but it would stop the wine from accidentally slopping out.

"I have to drop today's earnings at the bank on the way, where are you parked?" I flicked on the alarm, followed him out of the store and locked the door.

"I got a ride into town earlier, and I'll figure out something for later."

We started walking toward my car and I wondered who he'd gotten a ride with, because the old Wicks' place was kind of out of the way. I was just about to ask him when he turn to me and asked, "Was the white wine okay? Or do you prefer red?"

"Huh? Oh the white was lovely. But I like red too. In fact, I like most wine as long as it's not too sweet." When we reached my car I beeped it open and we got in. I pulled out of the parking spot and drove up the street to the bank; leaving the engine running, I jumped out the car and deposited the day's earnings. I quickly climbed back into the vehicle and drove toward my home. My appetite was coming back and I was hungry. Trouble was, I was also getting hungry for something other than food, and that was not an appetite I thought I was ready to feed any time soon.

### Chapter Four

The journey to my house was accompanied by an awkward silence. At least it was awkward on my part. I was nervous. I was taking Cole to my home. What did I really know about this man who sat so comfortably in the seat next to me? Where was he from? How old was he? More importantly just who was he? He had an aura of mystery about him that I couldn't explain. But there was one thing I was absolutely sure of, I knew I could trust him. I had no idea why that was, but I felt it deep down and knew I had to go with my instincts.

I wondered what he was thinking of. I stole a glance in his direction and his face seemed relaxed, as did his body, but I could sense an underlying awareness about him. He reminded me of Mister. When my pet slept or rested it was always with one eye open, his ears listening for the slightest sound.

I pulled into the driveway of my home and switched off the engine. "This is it. It's not as exciting as a hundred year old homestead but it's home." I grabbed the bag of food and my purse, got out of the car and led him into my house. "Welcome to my home."

We'd barely shut the door when a hissing and spitting noise startled me. I looked down at the source of the outburst. Mister had come to the door to welcome me as usual, but he'd stopped in front of Cole and was acting like a wildcat. Teeth bared, ears flat, back arched and tail completely fluffed. "Mister! Behave!"

Mister ignored me completely and continued spitting and hissing. Cole crouched down on his haunches and made a kind of growling sound that seemed to come from his chest rather than his throat. Then I heard him say in a gravelly voice, "Easy bro', I just want to share your territory not take it over." To my amazement Mister stopped making a fuss and sat down, keeping his tail fluffed just for good measure.

"What just happened?"

Cole looked up at me and stood before taking the bag of food from me. "Your cat needed to be reassured. He knows his territory is safe now, so he'll accept me."

"You an expert on cats?" I asked as I threw my coat over the end of the banister and dropped my purse on the hall table.

Cole shrugged. "Yeah, you could say I know my way around felines."

That was odd; I would never have pegged him as a cat person. "Come on, we can eat in the kitchen," and I led the way into the kitchen.

"You like cats? Wow. Apart from knowing that you bought the Wicks' place, that's the first solid fact I know about you." I couldn't help but let a touch of sarcasm into my voice.

He put the bag of food on the table and started to take the containers out while I took plates and wine glasses out of the cabinets and brought them to the table. "I don't have chopsticks; do you mind a plain old knife and fork?"

"No problem." He filled the glasses with wine and set out the plates. I returned to the table with the utensils and started to open containers and put food on my plate. Soon we were both seated with plates of steaming food in front of us, having made good use of the microwave.

"I was serious; I really don't know anything about you."

Cole didn't meet my eyes when he asked, "What do you want to know?"

"Why don't we start with something simple? Like, how old are you?" I smiled but it was wasted because Cole kept his gaze on his plate.

"Old enough to know what I want and how to get it." Well, that was anything but a straight answer!

"I meant in actual years."

"Older than you." This time he looked up at me and his eyes crinkled a little at the corners, as if he was thinking of smiling.

"You don't know how old I am."

"I'm guessing late twenties. If you're older then you don't look your age." This time he did smile.

"Twenty-nine. You're a good judge." I picked up my wine and took a sip. "What do you do for a living?"

"This and that. I've made some lucky investments and I manage okay." Again he wouldn't meet my eyes.

I thought about that for a moment and realized that he was probably independently wealthy. Wouldn't that be heaven, never having to worry about a bill again? We ate in silence for a while, this time a comfortable silence, when something struck me as odd. "Cole, how did you find me? After the robbery at the gas station; how did you find out who I was?"

"Simple enough." He shrugged. "I went back to the gas station the next day and started up a conversation with the clerk while I was paying for gas. He was only too willing to talk about the incident. It wasn't too difficult to get him to mention you. He was just a kid and didn't know your name, just that you were the 'chick who owns the used book store in town'." He smiled at me then went back to eating. A minute later he looked up again. "What about you? The store must do well if you can afford a home like this."

"This was my parents' house. They were killed in a traffic accident soon after I came home from college. Being their only child, they left both the house and the store to me." Memories of my parents flooded my mind. Their laughter, their happiness, and I felt a wave of grief at the magnitude of my loss.

He put down his fork and reached out to touch my hand. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to reopen an old wound." I looked at him quizzically, wondering how he knew what I was thinking. "You have a very expressive face."

"It's okay, I usually remember my parents with happiness, it's only occasionally the sadness comes through. Somehow, that sadness anchors me." I spoke without thinking. There was something in this man that made me open up to him. And I was grateful for his comfort. He was still holding my hand and I turned it over and gripped his in return. "My mother owned the store and my father commuted into the city, he worked for one of the larger banks. I was close to both my parents but more so to my mother and when she died, I needed to hold on to something that was hers, so instead of selling the store, I decided to keep it on and run it myself."

We finished eating and I packed away the leftovers in the refrigerator. I straightened up from putting the last of the containers on the shelves to find Cole standing right behind me as I turned around. I hadn't heard him come up behind me and I stumbled, forcing him to put his hands on my arms to steady me. Suddenly I found it difficult to breathe and I felt my heart beginning to race. I heard his voice but I couldn't make sense of what he was saying. "Wh... what?"

Cole released one of my arms and smoothed some of my hair, which had escaped my ponytail, back behind my ear. "I said, why don't you take your wine into the living room and I'll wash these dishes."

"Oh no, you're my guest, I should do that."

"You're the tired one, remember?" He held out my glass for me to take, which I did, and then he turned me around and gave me a little push toward the living room.

When he joined me a few minutes later, I was by the mantel looking at pictures of my parents and a smiling, younger me. "You look like you were a happy family." He was standing very close behind me and I looked up and over my shoulder at him.

"Yes we were." I smiled at my memories. There had always been love and warmth in this house while my parents had been alive. "What about you? Do you get to see your parents much?"

It was like a shutter came down over his face. His expression became hard and cold. "We had a falling out some years ago; I haven't seen or spoken to them since."

I turned to face him and placed a hand on his chest. "I'm sorry, Cole."

He covered my hand with his and lifted it to his lips. His kiss, light as it was, sent shivers radiating out from the point of impact. "It's all ancient history and I learned to stand on my own two feet pretty quickly. I've done all right without them." Keeping hold of my hand he moved over to sit on the couch pulling me with him. I stole a glance at his face; the bleak look that he'd had when I mentioned his parents had gone and he looked relaxed again.

I settled down next to him, close but not too close. I picked up my glass of wine from where I'd left it on the coffee table and took a sip. I was just thinking what to say or do next – it'd been so long since I'd had a date of any kind – when he saved me the trouble.

"I should be going, you're tired." He took my glass from my hand and placed it back on the coffee table, he then stood pulling me up with him. "I promised earlier I would be on my best behavior, but I want to kiss you." Gently he stroked my cheek with the back of his fingers. "Will you slap me if I kiss you, really kiss you?"

My mind was a whirlpool of thoughts, but the one that surfaced above all the others was that it was just a kiss, and I hadn't been kissed in such a long time. I didn't see the harm in one kiss. "No," I replied in a voice just above a whisper and my eyes fluttered closed in anticipation, "I won't slap you."

I felt his hand on the back of my neck and I allowed him to pull me gently toward him. His lips, when they touched mine, were soft but insistent. I returned the pressure until I felt his tongue against the seam of my lips and I pulled back slightly. Something registered as odd; the roughness of his tongue had taken me by surprise. I opened my eyes, looked into his and saw nothing but gentleness in their depths, so I leaned back toward him. My lips seemed to open of their own accord to allow him entry and he dipped his tongue into my mouth. I nervously met his tongue with my own and suddenly the texture felt right as he stroked my tongue with his.

He slipped his other hand around to the small of my back and held me closer; the combination of the feel of his hard, lean body against mine and the sensuousness of his tongue stroking mine, made my legs feel like jelly. When he released my mouth, I would have fallen if his hand hadn't remained on my back.

I sighed, and rested my head against his shoulder. I wanted more, so much more.

Cole, however, had more control than I, and after stroking my hair for a moment, he set me away from him. "Can I see you tomorrow night?"

I nodded and cleared my throat. "Yes."

In a dream-like state I watched him walk back into the kitchen and return after a minute. I looked at him questioningly.

"I wrote my cell number on the pad by the phone, in case you need to contact me." He walked me to the door and pulled me in for another kiss. This one was closed mouth and quick, but it still left me wanting more, and as he pulled away I leaned toward him. With a chuckle he lowered his face to mine and kissed me again; his tongue pushing its way in past my lips with no protest from me. I lifted my arms and held on to his shoulders like a drowning woman holding on to a life saver.

"Tomorrow, I'll pick you up here at eight." He kissed my forehead. "Dinner." He kissed my nose. "At a restaurant." With a quick kiss to my lips he opened the door and walked out into the night.

Dazed I turned to walk back into the living room, and then realized he had come home with me in my car; he had no means of getting back. I turned and ran to the front door. I pulled it open and raced out into the front yard calling his name. I'd been expecting to catch him right near my house, but there was no sign of him. I ran out to the road and looked in each direction, but the street was deserted. What the hell?

Confused I walked slowly back into the house, closed and locked the front door. He could either run like the wind or... I couldn't think of an 'or.'

I had a little wine left in my glass so I took it over to my favorite armchair, picked up my new novel and settled down to read. Even though the book was exactly the sort I liked – all about vampires and shape shifters – after ten minutes of trying to concentrate on the printed word, I gave up and rested my head against the cushioned back of the chair. All I could think of were Cole's kisses and how much I wanted more than just kisses from him. Would I say yes when he asked for more? I thought I just might. I liked him. I really, really liked him.

### Chapter Five

The following morning I was at my store bright and early and opened up exactly at nine-thirty. I'd slept so well that I'd woken up feeling refreshed and energized. I'd even given Mister a cuddle, which he hadn't exactly appreciated; he'd wanted his breakfast instead.

Saturday mornings were always slow, so I had plenty of time to daydream about Cole. I kept telling myself that I was mooning over him like a love-sick teenager, but I couldn't help myself.

I'd had a few customers during the early part of the morning and then at around eleven I had an unexpected visitor. I looked up as the bell chimed to announce the new arrival. Every time I heard that sound I hoped it was Cole dropping by to say hello, once again I was disappointed. However, my visitor wasn't a customer, it was Deputy Garvin.

"Good morning, Deputy Garvin." My public smile was firmly affixed to my face.

"Ms. Hudson." He nodded a greeting. Chuck Garvin had been a couple of years ahead of me at school and he knew me, so the fact that he was being formal tipped me off that this was official business and probably about the robbery.

"I hope you've gotten over your experience the other night. I've got some photos of likely suspects for you to look at." He laid out three pictures on the counter in front of me. "Do you recognize any of these men? They all fit the description you gave."

I looked at the faces carefully; they were all white with scraggly beards and all in their early twenties. I pointed to one of them. "That's him, I'd swear to it. Who is he?"

"Jimmy Kincaid. A user, who steals to feed his habit."

"Deputy... Chuck, am I in danger? And please be honest when you answer."

"Yeah, Vic, he could come looking for you if he feels cornered. Make sure you lock your doors at night, you hear? We'll put your street on the patrol route but we just don't have the manpower to watch over you all the time." He hitched up his belt and collected the photos before leaving, hopefully to go look for Kincaid.

I wasn't afraid that Kincaid would come into the store during broad daylight so I relaxed and served my customers as they came in. It seemed that Mrs. Weston had been recommending the new genre she had started reading. Everyone wanted books on vampires and weres, witches and demons. I enjoyed recommending books and discussing the pros and cons of the different beings in the genre. I tended to go for the vampires and the weres, but some of my customers preferred the magic of witches and demons.

I closed the store at five-thirty instead of my usual six because I wanted the extra time to get ready for Cole. This was a real date, not like the spontaneous decisions of the last couple of days. I drove home, raced into the house and up the stairs. It was only when I was about to step into the shower that I remembered I hadn't locked the front door when I came in. I put on my gown and went back downstairs to lock the door.

I flipped the latch and threw the deadbolt; I then got a little paranoid and rather self-consciously collected the poker from the fireplace in the living room. I held it tightly in my hand as I climbed the stairs to the bathroom again and placed it against the vanity before restarting the shower.

ooOOOoo

I fixed my hair so that it fell in soft waves down to my shoulders and put on a little more makeup than I usually wear for work. Although, even by most women's standards, it would still be considered hardly any at all.

That morning, before work, I'd had enough time to choose an outfit for the evening. I'd picked out a pretty black see-through lace blouse which was worn over a cream silk camisole with a built-in bra. I decided to combine that with a cream skirt that ended just below my knees. I had no intention of wearing pantyhose, even though it was a little cool after sundown, I hated the damn things.

I was ready with ten minutes to spare and was getting steadily more and more nervous as I waited for Cole to arrive.

At eight o'clock, almost to the second, there was a knock on the door. Even though I was expecting Cole, I was mindful of my previous fears about Kincaid. Before I unlocked the door, I slipped the security chain into place and looked out of the window to make sure it was him.

Opening the door, I saw Cole's smiling face through the gap allowed by the chain. I held a finger up to tell him to wait. It only took me a couple of seconds to close the door and unhook the chain.

I opened the door all the way and Cole stepped in, giving me a quick kiss in greeting. "You look beautiful."

I smiled with pleasure at the compliment. "Sorry about the chain, but the police came by the store today with some photos. I identified the robber and now I'm spooked."

"You're right to be careful. Did they say they would keep an eye on you?" He stayed by the door while I picked up my purse from the hall table and took a jacket from the hall closet.

"Deputy Garvin said they would add my street to the patrols but they were too short-handed to keep someone on me full-time." I stepped out the door and made sure it was double locked before joining Cole at his truck. He opened the passenger door for me and gave me his other hand to help me climb up into the seat. He reached in and fastened my seat belt for me before I could even look for the strap. He shut my door and I considered his outdated manners for a moment as he walked around the front of the vehicle to his side. I decided I was enjoying the way his treatment of me made me feel. I was an independent woman, used to doing things and doing them my way. But Cole didn't make me feel inferior with his gentleman-like ways, he made me feel feminine and... cherished. It was an odd feeling, but I kinda liked it.

Cole drove to a tiny Italian restaurant in town called La Cucina. It was just a few streets away from my bookstore and I'd eaten there before. The food was home-style Italian with lots of pasta in different types of sauces. The restaurant was owned by Patrizio and Ghita Russo; they'd both been born in the States but their parents had come from Italy and had instilled, in all their kids, a deep and abiding love for their mother country. The next generation, Ghita and Pat's children, had been typical all-American kids, they were grown up now and had moved out of Farmingdale.

Pat greeted us at the door as soon as we entered. "Good evening, bella Victoria. It's so good to see you. How are you?"

I allowed myself to be engulfed in his cologne scented embrace. "I'm good, Pat, and you? How's Ghita?"

"We're both well. But you don't know our big news." He beamed at me. I could guess what his news was but I let him tell it, as he was obviously bursting to do just that. "We're grandparents again!"

"Oh congratulations! Maggie had her baby? Boy or girl?" None of Pat and Ghita's children had been given typically Italian names, which had been a break with tradition in their family. They were all married now and constantly enlarging the Russo clan.

"A beautiful baby girl." He became aware of Cole standing behind me and gave him a curious look before holding out his hand in greeting, although to be honest, I wondered how anyone could miss seeing him. But Pat had been so tied up with imparting his big news that I forgave him. "I'm Patrizio Russo, welcome to my restaurant, Mr..?

Cole stepped forward and shook his hand, "Colburn, Steven Colburn. We have a reservation."

"Yes, yes, of course. This way please." He led us over to a table for two. I'm sure Pat would have held my chair for me while I sat down, but Cole beat him to it. Once I was comfortably seated, Cole moved to sit opposite me, but stopped before sitting down. I smiled when I realized what he was going to do and concentrated on placing my napkin on my lap while he moved the place setting and the chair next to me and sat down.

Cole's proximity to me was the part that I remember most from that meal. I can't, for the life of me, remember what I ate. Cole's thigh kept brushing my knee; he held my hand or played with my fingers between courses. And we talked. Well, mostly I talked. He asked questions and I answered. I told him all about my parents, about my miserable high school years, and my college years. We talked about books, yeah, we talked a lot about books.

The one subject that I couldn't get him to talk about however, was himself. He was surprisingly tight-lipped about his past. Although he did let one thing slip; he mentioned Europe and the Far East a couple of times and from the context it sounded like he'd spent quite some time travelling.

I found out one more fact about him over dessert. He was seriously allergic to chocolate. How sad is that? Imagine having to go through life without chocolate.

It was about ten-thirty by the time we drew up outside my house. Cole switched the engine off and got out of the vehicle first. I'd learned by now that he liked holding doors and chairs for me, and I felt inclined to let him have his chivalry. After opening my door, he held my hand to help me out of the truck and continued to hold it while he locked the doors with the remote. We walked, hand-in-hand to the front porch, but when we stepped up onto it I stopped and pointed at the front door. It wasn't latched properly. I was absolutely certain that I'd locked it; in fact I'd double locked it when we'd left earlier.

Cole turned his head to me and whispered so close to my ear that his breath moved my hair. "Go back to the truck, get in and lock the doors." He pressed his keys into my hand.

"Be careful, Cole." I plucked at his sleeve. "It might be Kincaid, the guy from the gas station, and he had a gun that night."

He nodded and gave me a gentle push in the direction of his truck. I went, but I didn't get in. I stood next to it nervously fingering the keys and remote instead. I watched as Cole cautiously opened the door and crept into the darkness. I strained my ears to hear any sound from inside the house; I'd almost made up my mind to follow Cole when I heard a noise. A noise I'd heard before. It was the screech-like growl that I'd heard at the gas station. A man's voice screamed and then I heard a door slam. Sure that it had been the back door that had slammed, I ran to the side of the house in time to see a dark shadow of a man vault the fence between my yard and my neighbor's. A smaller shadow, the size and shape of a very large dog followed the man over the boundary.

I was unsure whether I should stay where I was, follow the shadows or go into the house. Deciding the house was probably safe as whoever had been in there had obviously run out, and knowing that Cole was in there, I climbed onto the porch and flipped the hall light on as soon as I entered through the front door.

"Cole? Where are you? Are you all right?" The house was silent and I began to worry. I checked the living room, the downstairs bathroom, even the closet in the hall, but there was no sign of him. Finally I entered the kitchen and that was where I found the blood. There were splatters on the floor by the back door. Panic began to replace any rational thought. I ran to the back door and opened it. Peering out into the darkness I called for Cole. Running out into the backyard I called again. Nothing. Silence. Suddenly, I heard movement from the direction of my neighbor's yard and I quietly made my way over to the fence, arriving in time to see Cole climbing back over it.

I threw myself against him and he wrapped his arms around me, burying his face in my neck. "Cole, I've never been so scared in all my life. There's blood on the floor of my kitchen. Are you hurt?" I disengaged myself from him and pulled him toward the house and into the light of the kitchen. Frantically I checked him over for any sign of a wound.

"I'm fine, the blood's not mine." He caught my hands and pulled them away from their search. I looked down at our joined hands and something caught my eye. Holding his hands in mine, I ran a finger over his finger tips. There was what looked suspiciously like blood under the nails of his right hand. I looked up at him and he snatched his hands away. "I said, it's not mine." His tone was rough, almost angry, as he turned to wash his hands at the sink.

The panic was ebbing away leaving me feeling as angry as he'd sounded. I couldn't understand why I felt angry, but I was. Oh, I know, my home had been violated, but I was fairly sure that wasn't why I was angry. My gaze was fixed on Cole's back as he washed his hands at the sink, and suddenly I knew why. It was Cole's reaction to my concern that had caused my emotional upheaval. Surely it had been a natural reaction on my part when I saw the blood?

Cole finished cleaning his hands and tore some paper towel off the roll on the counter to dry them. Strangely, he kept his back turned to me even after he dried his hands.

"Cole, how did the blood get on your hands?" He didn't answer me immediately, and I went to stand next to him, my back against the counter. I reached out and touched him on the arm, he flinched, and I asked, as gently as I could, "If it wasn't your blood, how did it get under your nails?"

He kept his face averted when he answered. "He... he was already wounded, and when I grabbed at him I guess my fingers dug into the wound. That's when he... er... screamed. The noise startled me for a second or two and he managed to run off. I gave chase, but I lost him."

"You were very brave but you could have been seriously hurt, especially if he'd been armed."

Cole looked at me for a second before quickly turning his face away again. But a second was all it took for me to see his eyes, and I drew in a sharp breath of surprise. The pupils had been elongated to points at the top and bottom, more like Mister's than a human's. I grabbed at Cole's arm and pulled him around to face me; I wanted to make sure I'd seen what I thought I had. I looked into his eyes and they were as normal as mine. I gave myself a mental shake, I must have been mistaken. Probably the adrenaline playing tricks on my brain.

"Don't know about brave, brainless perhaps. My only thought was getting him out of your house. A saner person would have just let him run off, not chased after him." He closed his eyes for a second and ran his hands through his hair. "It was the guy from the gas station."

"You sure? It was dark in here, how could you have gotten a good look at him?"

"I've got very good night vision, and there was some light from the clock on the microwave and the lights on the phone and refrigerator." He grinned at me. "Sure he looked a little green in that light, but I'm sure."

"Wait a minute. You didn't see him without his ski mask the other night. You only got back to me after he took off." I knew exactly when Cole had arrived back to where I'd been standing; I remembered hearing his breathing, and thinking that he sounded like he'd been running.

"I'd been on the other side of the building when he drove out. I saw him through the windshield of his truck. Then I ran around the back to where you were."

There he was reading my thoughts again. But I guess I could believe his explanation. But a lot had happened tonight that I needed to think about. I wasn't sure what to do next. Ask him if he wanted coffee? That was so prosaic after what had just happened. Say goodnight and send him home? I didn't want that. What I really wanted to do was sit on the sofa with him and kiss him until morning. And if he wanted to do more than kiss, well, I think I might be very tempted to let him.

I was still thinking how tempted I would be when Cole threaded his fingers through my hair and cradled the side of my head. I looked up at him and smiled. As soon as his lips touched mine I parted my lips and slipped my tongue out to meet his and sighed. This was what I wanted. This and so much more. I reached up and linked my hands behind his neck and pressed my body against his. My reaction elicited a growl from him and he deepened the kiss. He moved his hand away from my head and down the side of my body to my waist only to move it up again this time under my jacket to cup my breast.

I moaned a little into his mouth as I felt his thumb brush my nipple which was already hard and aching with need. I could feel my own arousal between my legs and his was making its presence known against my hip. Cole broke the kiss and starting nuzzling and sucking on my neck, working his way down to where it joined my shoulder. "Aagh," I gasped and arched into him.

"My little mouse, I should go. If I don't, I won't be able to stop." He whispered into my neck.

"Wha... what if I don't want you to go?" I was almost beyond coherent thought, but Cole wasn't.

"Vic, I want to make love to you. I've wanted to since the first time I saw you, wide eyed and frightened. I wanted to comfort you, protect you and then make you moan in passion as I loved your body over and over." He kissed my mouth again and brought his hands up to cradle my face. "But right now we're both high on adrenaline. When we do this we'll do it right, without the excitement of danger." He set me away from him and moved so that the kitchen table was between us.

I felt lost without his arms around me and I collapsed into a chair. Quietly, so quietly that I was almost saying it to myself, I repeated, "I don't want you to go."

He came back around the table and crouched down in front of me. I looked down at his beautiful green eyes and put out a hand to stroke his cheek. He turned his head and pressed a kiss into my palm. "Are you ready to take such a big step, Mouse?"

"I don't know, Cole. Is anyone ever ready to step off into the unknown?" Somewhere in the back of my mind I registered that he'd called me 'Mouse' but decided that was a battle for another day. I leaned forward and kissed him lightly. "Stay with me, please. If only because Kincaid might come back and I'll need you to protect me again." I smiled.

He looked at me thoughtfully for a moment or two before standing up and going over to lock the kitchen door. I understood from his action that he intended to stay and I held out my hand to him. Taking it gently in his, he brought it to his lips for a soft kiss. "I'll stay, but I won't sleep with you, Vic."

What the..? Didn't he really mean it when he said he wanted to make love to me? Did I do something wrong to make him change his mind? Immediately my thoughts flew back to David, my one and only lover, and the vicious things he'd said when he broke up with me. "You don't want to?" I could feel the sting of tears at the back of my throat. Was I so unattractive to the opposite sex?

"Not want to? Of course I want to..."

"Then why?"

He took a lock of my hair and twirled it around his fingers before tucking it behind my ear. "Because we would be doing it for all the wrong reasons. Danger makes people do things they wouldn't normally do and the flip side, when you come down from that rush, can make you even more reckless. When we make love, and it will be 'when' and not 'if', it will be because the timing will be perfect and it will feel like the right thing to do."

His words were a balm to my self-esteem which recovered somewhat from the imagined knock it had received. I couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't sound trite, so I turned, led the way out of the kitchen and up the stairs, pausing briefly by the front door to lock it. I showed him where the guest bathroom was and told him where to find my stock of new toothbrushes and toothpaste before continuing across the landing to my bedroom and into my sinfully ornate bathroom.

It only took me a few minutes to wash my face and brush my teeth. I didn't have any sexy nightwear; I'd never needed any before. Shrugging, I donned the oversized T-shirt that I'd taken from my bureau and put my dirty clothes in the hamper. I came to an abrupt halt as soon as I returned to the bedroom. Cole was reclining on my bed, he was still wearing his pants but he was barefoot and shirtless. I'd known that he was lean from when I'd held him earlier, but seeing him, literally in the flesh, was a whole other ball game. I was pretty sure I could count the individual muscles on his torso and arms. His skin was tanned and there was a light dusting of dark hair on his chest. Even in a semi-sitting position his abs were defined as if sculpted from stone and more dark hair formed a thin line that disappeared below the waistband of his pants. I knew I was staring and I felt myself flushing when I saw him lift an eyebrow.

He held out his hand and I moved over to stand by the bed. Tentatively, I put my hand in his. "Vic, get into bed and let me hold you. There's no need to be nervous. I said 'when the time is right' and I meant it. Now is not that time."

Even though I had been the one to want this earlier, now I was scared. I trusted him to keep his word, but could I trust myself? He scooted over and I climbed under the covers while he lay on top of them. I reached over, turned out the bedside light and we were plunged into darkness. I felt his warmth through the blankets as he maneuvered himself to spoon behind me, one heavy arm resting on my waist, his big hand holding the blankets flat against my stomach.

He kissed me gently on the sensitive spot of my neck, just below my ear. "Sleep well, Vic."

The adrenaline had drained away and left me exhausted. I wriggled a little to snuggle closer to him; feeling safe and protected in his arms, I let sleep claim me.

### Chapter Six

I woke up sometime during the night to find that Cole had found his way under the covers. He was still spooned up against me and after a little careful investigation with my foot, I discovered that he'd taken his pants off at some point. Drowsily, I thought I really should move away from him, but sleep overtook me again before I could do anything about it.

The next time I awoke it was light. I could feel Cole's breath on my neck and by the way his fingers were playing up and down my arm, it was pretty obvious he was awake. I turned to face him. "Good morning." I smiled at him. He looked incredibly sexy, he was in serious need of a shave and his hair was all mussed. I lifted my hand and ran my fingers through his hair, smoothing it down a little. Silk, black silk, that was my first thought when I touched it. His face was just inches away from mine and if I moved just a little...

He had obviously had the same thought only a second earlier than I, because he moved first and kissed me. "Good morning, Mouse." His voice was deep and gravelly. Hey wait a minute, he called me 'Mouse' again, I couldn't let that pass again, I had to say something.

"I didn't give you permission to call me that." I said, but softened my words with a smile.

"I know. Will you? I think it suits you, but not for the reasons I think the girls at your high school used the name." He kissed me again, this time a little longer. "It suits you because you're brown and gray and quick-witted and bright. You're incredibly sexy as well but that's got nothing to do with mice." Another kiss, this one a lot longer.

"Okay, but only when we're alone." I returned the kiss in spades and thought that Lucifer must be getting measured for furs about now, because surely Hell had frozen over. "Wha... what time is it?" I could barely get the question out because Cole had moved on to kissing my neck and was lightly circling my nipple with a finger. Even through the material of my T-shirt the sensation was intense.

"Who cares? It's Sunday. The sign on the door of your store says you don't open on Sundays." His last words were muffled because he had his mouth full of T-shirt and breast. His teeth latched onto the hard nub and pulled. I felt an answering pull deep in my abdomen and dug my nails into his shoulders. More than anything I wanted to get naked. I brought my hands down from his shoulders and wriggled them under the blankets trying to get to the hem of my shirt, but Cole was quicker. He already had the shirt bunched up in his hands and all I had to do was help him pull it over my head. He threw the shirt in the direction of the bureau.

He hardly missed a beat before setting his mouth back at my breast, this time taking the other breast in his hand and rolling the nipple between his thumb and finger. Every time his teeth gently bit or pulled at my breast I felt a pulse deep inside. My mouth went dry and my breathing became erratic. I jerked when I felt his fingers on my mound under my panties. Cole played with the curls he found there before parting my folds and dipping a finger into the wetness that had pooled around my center. I arched as he slipped one long finger inside and curled it around to stroke my walls, and with his thumb he alternately stroked and pressed on my nub.

Something was building inside me. I could feel tendrils of tension weaving around his fingers and my flesh when, without warning, the dam broke and I pulsated and quivered. My fingers and toes curled as if they were clawed as the tension reached them; and it hit me full on, my first orgasm. At least the first that hadn't been self induced. I'd never managed to climax with David.

I lay on the bed, with Cole's fingers stroking my most intimate place, gentling me, bring me back down slowly. I put my hands on either side of his face and pulled him away from my breast. His eyes were dark with passion, the pupils dilated so much the irises were barely visible. I kissed him, hard. "Thank you."

"My pleasure." He smirked as he pulled away and hooked his fingers in my panties taking them down off my legs and throwing them in the same general direction as my shirt. I ran my hands down his chest and around to his back. Continuing my path of discovery, I realized then that he wasn't wearing any underwear. Had he been completely naked all this time – even during the night? I'd already admired his butt when encased in jeans, but the feel of the reality was heaven. It felt tight and muscled to my touch. Keeping one hand on his ass cheek I brought the other around to investigate what my romance books called his 'manhood.' Oh boy. My hand felt tiny on his penis as I stroked it lightly with my finger tips. Moving my hand down to the base I held his balls in the palm of my hand, well I tried to, Cole was definitely not a small guy.

I could feel my arousal building again as I thought of how it would feel to have him inside me. I looked up at him and he was watching me with hooded eyes. "Is the timing perfect now?" I asked breathlessly between kissing his mouth and any other part of his face that came near me.

"Yeah, and it's the right thing to do."

Oh yes, definitely the right thing. It felt so incredibly right. He pushed into me and I took him all the way to the hilt. I felt stretched, filled and totally taken. We started to move to a beat we could both hear, perhaps it was our hearts or something more surreal but we found our rhythm and it was perfect.

The tension was building again, low down in my abdomen. This time I knew what to expect and I embraced the pulsating waves when they came. Cole continued to thrust and then he began to come. The sensation of each pulsating burst, as it pumped into me, was the most amazing thing I'd ever experienced and I could swear he stretched me further as he came. I felt the muscles in his upper body bunch under my hands as Cole held himself up on his elbows to keep from crushing me. As soon as the tide subsided, and his breathing evened out a little, he turned us so we lay on our sides, still coupled.

"Wow!" It was about the only intelligent thing I could say.

"Mmm, I'll second that." His eyes were closed and he looked completely relaxed.

"Oh my God!"

His eyes flew open. "What Vic? What's wrong?"

"I just realized, we didn't use a... you know... a condom." Despite having just had the most fantastic sex ever – not that I was much of a judge – I felt sick. "What if I get pregnant?"

"It's okay, you can't get pregnant and I don't have any diseases."

"How do you know I can't get pregnant?"

"Trust me, you can't. But if you're worried, we'll use condoms from now on." He pulled me closer to kiss me, but I pulled away.

"There were probably millions of women around the world who were told exactly that, just nine months before they gave birth to a bouncing bundle of joy." Sarcasm is not my forte but I was angry and I tried to pull away but he held me tight and he was still hard inside me as well. "Let me go."

"Don't be angry, Vic. I meant what I said, and I'll explain everything in time." I could finally feel him getting softer inside me and he very slowly pulled out.

"Explain what? Perhaps you're going to tell me you're sterile?" I sat up and pulled the sheet up to cover my breasts. "Like I believe that."

Cole put a gentle hand on my arm. "Vic, listen to me. I'm not sterile, at least not as far as I know. But I can tell that you're way past the fertile time in your cycle. Your period is due isn't it? Tell me that's not true."

"How can you know that?" Even though we'd just had sex, really incredible, fantastic sex, it was not a subject that I wanted to discuss. My cycle was a very private thing, and it embarrassed the hell out of me that he even mentioned it.

"I have a very keen sense of smell and women smell different at different times of their cycle."

"That's... well that's just..." Words failed me and I felt my face redden way past what could be explained away by post-coital flush.

"It's not something I'm proud of knowing, but I do. You have to believe me; I'd never do anything to hurt you, Mouse." He got out of bed and walked around to my side. At last I got my first look at him completely naked, my tactile sense had underestimated his size. He was still semi-erect and he looked enormous. I stared. If he was that big when he was at half-mast how big had he been when completely hard and inside me? I looked back up at him when he held out a hand to me. "Come on, Mouse, let's take a shower and then I'll make you breakfast."

"You can cook?" The sudden change in subject plus my thoughts about his anatomy had me a little dazed.

"Yes I can cook. And if you would let me take you to my home, I'll make you lunch and dinner. But we're going to have to make a stop at the drugstore if you want me to make you breakfast tomorrow morning as well." He winked at me. I was still angry with him but his charm was starting to work.

My wonderfully extravagant bathroom was put to good use that morning. Cole made sure I was very, very clean, even my hair got special treatment. I returned the compliment in kind and certain parts of Cole's body ended up a lot cleaner than the rest. By the time we were wrapped in towels I was a pile of mush and ready to go back to sleep.

Cole got dressed quickly and went downstairs to make breakfast. I heard Mister yowling at him and hoped he would feed my pet. I dressed in a more leisurely fashion; I sat down on the chair next to the dresser to put my socks on and winced. I hadn't noticed up until that moment that I was more than a little sore in certain areas. I guess after years of drought, even once was over doing it, especially with someone as well-built as Cole.

I made it down to the kitchen in time for the first pancakes to come out of the pan. I sat down and Mister jumped up onto my lap. "Get off, cat. You're getting between me and my breakfast and that is so not a good idea." I rubbed his head and hugged him. "Where were you last night, anyway? Out with your girlfriends?"

Mister jumped down as I helped myself to some pancakes.

Cole put a steaming mug of coffee in front of me. "He was probably indulging in the same activity that we were this morning."

"Yeah, there's probably more than one lady cat around here with a very satisfied smile on her face." I tried rather unsuccessfully to hide the satisfied smile on my own face, and changed the subject. "Were you serious about going to the homestead today?"

"Yes. I want to spend the day with you, show you what I've done so far, and what I intend to do with the place. Perhaps you can give me your input."

I was astounded. He wanted my 'input'? What did that mean? Did we have something that was more than a passing fling? God I hoped so, because I really liked this man.

After breakfast we did the dishes together, he washed and I dried. "Cole." I waited until he looked up from the soapy dish he was cleaning. "We need to talk about Kincaid. We should tell the police about last night."

"No, not yet. I've got some ideas on that, but I want to think about them for a bit longer." He went back to washing the dishes. "In the meantime I don't think you should be alone. You should be okay during the day at the shop, but I don't want you to be alone when you close the store or when you're at home at night." He stopped and took a deep breath. "If it's all right with you, either I'll sleep here or you'll sleep at my place. I want to be on hand if he tries anything."

I thought about that for a moment or two. I couldn't see anything wrong with his logic other than I thought the police ought to know about Kincaid's visit the previous evening. "I'll go pack an overnight bag to bring with us, but I still think we should tell the police about last night."

"Yeah I guess you're right." He sighed. "We'll call the Sheriff later and tell him what happened. But if you don't mind I'd prefer not to tell him of my unwise chase through the dark. Let's just say he ran off when he heard us enter the house. And that we don't know if it was Kincaid or not." He turned toward me and took the towel from my hands to wipe his own. "Go and pack, I'll wait down here. Mister'll keep me company."

Fifteen minutes later I walked stiffly down the stairs, the soreness didn't seem to be wearing off at all. I was discovering muscles I didn't even know I had, and they were all stiff.

I found Cole in the living room with my grandmother's photo album in his hands. I sat down next to him on the couch. "That belonged to my gran. I love looking at it. Some of the photos are so old; from the turn of the last century, I think. Here," I took the album from his hands and rested it on my knees. The volume was bound in leather and weighed a ton, but it was almost a work of art, and certainly treasured by me.

I opened the album to the early pictures, to the photos of my great-grandparents. "See. That's my great-grandmother with my grandmother. And here," I flipped a page. "...is my great-grandfather when he was in the army. He fought in the First World War." I turned another page and slid the book over onto Cole's knees. "Here he is in France." I pointed to my great-granddad in the group of uniformed men. "I think that was taken early in 1918. He never came home. My great-gran was apparently devastated. She was still quite young and never met anyone else. My gran always told me that her mom pined away until she gave up the will to live." It was such a sad story. To love that deeply must be amazing.

Cole looked very closely at the photo, touching it almost reverently with his fingers. I felt that way sometimes when I was looking at ancient and precious things. He carefully closed the album, taking care the pages stayed flat. Then he turned to me and held me close. He seemed to sniff at my neck, I could hear him making a kind of snuffling noise, and then I felt his lips. I arched my neck to give him better access; his tongue rasped over my skin and I shivered at the sensation his rough tongue produced. I had a sudden vision of his tongue licking another, more private, area and I squirmed slightly as I felt a sudden wetness between my legs.

"Umm, Cole. If we're going to go we should go now, or I don't think we're going to get further than the rug."

Cole lifted his head and looked at me, although it seemed like he wasn't really seeing me. He had a faraway look in his eyes. But he shook himself, and I mean he shook all of himself. Like when a dog shakes water off its coat. And then he smiled and stood up. "Yep. The rug doesn't look too comfortable. Luckily I've got a brand new king-size bed at home." His smile slid into a smirk and I realized I was looking forward to seeing his bed.

"I just have to leave food and water for Mister and make sure he has his cat flap collar on, he sometimes manages to wriggle out of it." Cole raised his eyebrows in question. "He has a special collar that allows him to open the cat flap. It's electronic or something. I don't understand how it works I just know that it does, and no other cat can come in and steal his food."

Cole picked up my bag and took it out to the truck while I said goodbye to Mister, who purred loudly when I cuddled him. I checked all the windows and the back door, and went out the front, closing and double locking the door behind me.

### Chapter Seven

My first glimpse of Cole's home was impressive. From a distance the pale woodwork stood out against the brooding shadows of the woodland behind it. Closer inspection, after getting out of the vehicle, showed peeling paint and loose boards on the siding.

Cole collected my bag from the truck and with his other hand on the small of my back, he guided me up the steps and across the porch before opening the front door. The interior was cool and dark; while I looked around using the light filtering in from the still-open front door, he opened the blinds on the windows in the rooms to either side of where I stood.

Cole came back to me and gathered me to him, giving me a light kiss on my lips. "Welcome to my home, Vic. I'm going to bring the rest of the supplies in, take a look around, I'll be back in a moment."

The stairs to the upper floor were right in front of me, but I decided to leave my investigation of where they led until later. I turned to the left and walked through a large empty room. It had two big windows one of which was still shuttered. I noticed the shutters were wooden and made up of panels that were hinged and could be folded back to the sides on the inside of the windows. The floor was also made of wood and creaked as I walked across it to reach a doorway at the back of the room. This opened into a large L-shaped kitchen which was swathed in shadow. I went to the window and threw back the panels to let the light in. I looked around, Cole had obviously made a start on fixing this room; there were new stainless steel appliances which looked startlingly out of place amongst the old fashioned cabinets and work surfaces.

A sturdy new pine table and chairs stood in the 'foot' of the L and I walked past it to another door. This one led to another room slightly smaller than the empty one on the other side of the stairs. He had tried to make it habitable; extra large floor cushions where set against a wall and fur rugs were scattered on the floor. A book was lying on the floor by the cushions. This room ended at the front door and I looked up as Cole came back into the house closing the door behind him with the heel of his boot. He saw me and came over laden with bags. We'd stopped at WalMart on the way over and bought some food and other necessities. He allowed me to take one of the bags from him. I nodded at the cushions. "A bit minimalistic isn't it?" I said with a grin.

"They're just a stop-gap until I order furniture. But it's comfortable enough for the time being."

I followed him into the kitchen and set my burden down on the counter, leaning against it as he started to unpack the bags. A few minutes later he'd put everything away except for one item. When I saw what it was, I felt the heat rise in my cheeks. Cole had picked up the box but when he saw my embarrassment, the grin that had appeared on his face instantly died. He placed the box on the counter, came closer to me and took my hand. "Don't Cole. Don't say anything. It'll just make it worse."

He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. When he moved back I tried not to meet his eyes, but he tipped my chin up with a finger and what he said next forced me to look at him. "Vic, right now, you are the most important thing in the world to me. I would never intentionally do anything to hurt or embarrass you." He caressed my cheek with his fingers. "Something about you hit me square in the face when I first saw you last week at the gas station. I knew instantly that I would do anything in my power to protect you. Today, I'm starting to understand why."

I had no idea what to say in answer to that declaration. I felt humbled and blessed all at the same time. Once again my mouth didn't engage my brain before it blurted out, "Perhaps it was fate."

"I'm starting to believe it was. I think we were meant to meet that night. And I, for one, will be eternally grateful that the gods of fate interfered."

I didn't trust myself to talk; I knew I was very close to tears. I just put my arms around his waist, laid my head on his chest and hugged him tightly. In those emotionally charged moments I came to a decision and, lifting my head, I began to act on it. Bringing my hands up to his head I pulled him down for a kiss. I kissed him with every ounce of my limited experience and he accepted the gift I was offering. I needed to touch him, needed to feel his skin next to mine. I wanted to show him that in such a short space of time he had become as important to me as life itself. I burrowed my hands under his shirt and gripped his back, his skin hot and dry against my fingers.

His hands were busy on their own quest. He'd pushed under my top and found the clasp of my bra, it took him no more than a second to undo the hooks and bring his hands around to my chest, push up the cups and palm my breasts. I barely moved my mouth away from his when I suggested we lie down. We didn't, instead he lowered his hands to my bottom and hoisted me up; I wrapped my legs around his waist and held on tightly as he easily carried me. He paused only briefly to scoop up the condom box off the counter before continuing into the other room and laying me down gently on the fur rug. I pulled my shirt and bra off while he quickly divested himself of his shirt and boots. He started working on the zipper of my jeans while I flicked open the buttons on his fly. We were both naked in seconds and to my surprise I felt no embarrassment.

My hands were everywhere; I couldn't stop my journey of discovery. I needed to know every muscle and every ridge. Cole was just as impatient, he used his lips and tongue as well as his hands and I pressed myself against him as he took a nipple into his mouth. His exploration of my body peaked when he found the moist folds between my legs. I was expecting to feel the pulse of arousal when he started to slide one long finger into me; instead I jerked and moaned in pain instead of ecstasy. I almost sobbed with disappointment when he immediately removed his finger and cupped his palm on the outside of my core, applying slight reassuring pressure on the whole area.

Cole supported himself on his other elbow and looked down at me. "How long had it been?" He continued applying the comforting pressure.

"What?" I frowned in confusion; I had no idea what he was asking.

"Before this morning... when was the last time you made love?"

Oh boy, we were lying there on the floor, both of us stark naked, and he wanted me to talk about my previous sexual experiences? I was willing to ignore the pain to feel him again, why couldn't he. I tried to push myself against his hand, tried to get him to move again. But he stubbornly ignored my efforts; he was expecting an answer.

"More than nine years." I mumbled; my tone more than a little sulky.

He leaned down to touch his lips to mine in a kiss as light as a feather then shook his head slightly. "My darling Mouse, why didn't you tell me this morning? I would've gone slower, prepared you more."

"You didn't ask." I felt incredibly guilty. My inexperience had spoiled the mood and now he was upset with me. "I'm sorry."

"I'm the one who should be saying sorry, Vic, not you." He removed his hand from my mound and sat up. "Come here." He pulled me up into a sitting position and then across his lap where he just held me. "I said I wouldn't intentionally hurt you, and I won't. We'll take a rain check on this and when I make love to you again, I promise it won't hurt." His voice, quiet and gentle, caressed my senses.

We sat there for a few minutes, his hands stroking my back, my stomach, my breasts, calming me. I loved him for his understanding, for his caring enough to stop. Love? I wasn't so sure about that but I did know that he'd turned my world upside down. I shivered; it was quite cold without clothes and even Cole's body heat wasn't enough to keep me warm. With silent agreement we rose to get dressed.

Once we were fully clothed, Cole held out his hand to me. "Come, let's take a walk." I placed my hand in his and he led me outside, walking in the direction of the wooded area behind the house. We walked in silence until we entered the relative shade of the trees. I was so engrossed in analyzing my feelings for the man walking beside me that I hadn't realized, at first, that he'd started speaking to me and had to ask him to repeat his question.

"I asked, who he was, the man who hurt you so much you didn't have another intimate relationship for over nine years?"

"Is that what we have? A relationship?"

"I can't think of another name for what we have going here, so yeah, I guess we have a relationship." He tugged at my hand and I moved closer, allowing him to let go of my hand and slip his arm around my waist while we continued walking.

After a minute or two of trying to sort out my thoughts and feelings where David was concerned, I decided Cole should know some, if not all the details.

We continued to walk, and I was comforted by the touch of Cole's hand at my waist. "I met David when I got a job on the campus paper in my freshman year at college. He was a junior and their star reporter, a hero to us reporter wannabees. He was almost a legend because of a story he'd written when he'd been a freshman. He'd broken a massive cheating scandal; both students and faculty had been involved in the selling of test papers."

I was silent for a minute while I tried to gather my memories together and decide which to relate and which to keep to myself... for now. "Not only was he considered a fantastic reporter, he was also gorgeous beyond belief. I mean we're talking Hollywood gorgeous. He was adored by all the women in my freshman year, we were like his groupies. One night, a few weeks after I'd started at the paper, I was working late on some story or other; I can't even remember what it was now." I stopped for a moment trying to remember what had been so important about the story, but the memory escaped me.

"Anyway, I was working late and so was he. David turned on the charm and I fell for him. Hard. I helped him on his stories, I did leg work for him, did his filing, I even wrote some pieces for him which went out with his by-line on.

"I stayed with him through my freshman year and into my sophomore, then he dumped me for another freshman. He took my heart and my virginity. When he broke up with me he told me I was the worst lay he'd ever had. He said that I was frigid and he didn't know why he'd ever thought me worth his while." The tears came again then, and I let them fall, the pain of that night coming back to me in full force. He'd said a lot more on the subject of my lack of capability in bed; if I remembered correctly, the words 'dead slug' had been mentioned.

"It was only later, when I could think about him more clearly, that I realized he'd used me. He'd never had feelings for me other than how useful I could be to him." We'd stopped walking and I was leaning against Cole's chest again, his hand stroking the back of my head as he listened to my story. There was one more thing I had to tell him, and for that I couldn't look at him. "In all the time I was with him I never once had an orgasm. This morning was my first." I decided not to add the words 'that wasn't self-induced.'

I pulled away from Cole and looked around for somewhere to sit; my trip down memory lane had hurt and exhausted me. Spying a fallen limb from some ancient tree I wandered over to it. "During the rest of my time at college I swore off men and concentrated on my studies. My parents died soon after I came home and from then on I've just been too busy to pay any attention to my love life; first grieving then working in the store. Until you." I looked up at Cole who had followed me to the log but had remained standing while I'd sat down.

I thought at first Cole was thinking over what I'd said, perhaps weighing his words before he spoke. But then I saw he was looking slightly behind me and, even in the half-light of the woodland, I could see his eyes had changed. The pupils had widened to encompass nearly all the iris, and his face had also changed shape somehow. It had flattened and the eyes themselves had become larger and more rounded. Then he sprang. That's the only way I can describe his sudden movement. He made a sound like a screaming growl and launched himself at something I couldn't see.

Shocked, I stood up and faced the man I thought I knew. In one hand he was holding two halves of a snake, but my attention was focused on his other, because it was no longer a hand. His arm from the elbow down was covered in black fur and at the end of the limb there was a paw. A cat's paw with lethal looking claws.

I knew my face was registering my fear and horror as I raised my eyes to his; a face that looked normal again but with eyes that were still unnatural. I shook my head and stepped back. Then I took another step back before turning and taking flight. I ran back to the house. I had nowhere else to go. I didn't have my car so I couldn't run back to my home. I entered the building and frantically looked around for a place to hide; with little or no furniture, my choices were sparse. I found myself in the kitchen and sank down to the floor in a corner by the table. I pulled my knees up and hugged them to my chest. My brain was a whirl and I couldn't form a coherent thought.

Through the fog that had clouded my mind I began to hear my name. He had followed me and was in the house. I whimpered.

"Please, Vic, don't be afraid." He hunkered down in front of me and I tried to retreat into the wall. He held up his right hand. "See, it's just a regular hand."

I shook my head. He looked human enough, but I knew what I'd seen and he hadn't looked human in the woods. "Who are you? What are you?" I didn't give him a chance to answer before I stuck my verbal knife in again. "What kind of monster are you?"

He stood up and turning his back to me, went over to the kitchen counter. I was slowly getting my equilibrium back and for some reason he didn't seem such a threat anymore. I was glad of the space that he'd put between us and I wondered if he'd done it with that intention in mind.

"I'm a were."

"A what?" I'd meant it to come out as a scream but it came out as a squeak instead.

"A were-panther to be exact."

I was in some kind of alternate reality; that had to be it. Maybe I'd fallen asleep after recommending all those paranormal books to Mrs. Weston and everything that had followed had been a dream. "No, no, no. This isn't happening. This isn't for real."

He turned to face me but stayed by the counter. "It's very definitely for real, Vic. I was going to tell you, but slowly, gently. But I didn't count on you being in danger."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"The snake. It was about to strike. My instincts took over and I had to act." He held out his hands and took a step forward as if that explanation was all that was necessary.

I held up my own hand to stop him. "Don't come any closer. Y... you stay right there, on the other side of the room." I swallowed, the fear was lessening but I was still very wary of whatever it was that called itself 'Cole.' "Are you even human?"

"I am now – kind of. But when I shift my body's a big cat; a black panther. My brain, my mind, remains human all the time.

I was still hunched on the floor and I sunk my face into my hands. "I feel like I've stepped into one of the books in the paranormal section of my store."

"This isn't fiction. This is real life – my life."

I looked back up at him and stood, only to find, rather belatedly, that my legs were still unsteady. I pulled one of the kitchen chairs out and sat down at the table. "Let me get this straight. You are Steven Colburn?"

"Yes."

"But sometimes you are, what? Mister's cousin?"

"Distant, but yeah you could say that." He grinned. I frowned. This was no joke. He saw my frown and sobered immediately.

I closed my eyes and was silent for a minute or two while I tried to sort out the information overload. One thought suddenly hit me between the eyes. "Oh my God, I had sex with a cat!"

### Chapter Eight

My eyes snapped open at the scraping sound of a table chair being moved. Instinctively I shrank into my chair, moving it back a little further.

"No Vic. You made love with a man. A man who has come to care more for you than he should. I'm a man first. I live my life as a man. I only become a panther when I need to. And when you were in danger from that snake, I needed to."

"But you didn't change completely. I saw you, only your face and your forearm changed."

"I didn't need to shift completely and I didn't want to. Shifting is hard work, it's exhausting."

"This is surreal." Although I still couldn't quite come to terms with the new reality, I had to believe the evidence I'd seen with my own eyes. My brain was kicking in and my normal practical mind was taking charge. "That was you inside the gas station. The clerk... he told the Sheriff about a large black cat that scared off the robber."

"Yes, that was me."

"When you got back to me you were sweating and breathing heavily." Memories were flooding in. Things that had seemed odd were beginning to make sense.

"I'd shifted twice in as many hours and it'd taken it out of me. I felt like I'd run a marathon." I guess it was time for honesty, for the explanations.

"Last night, when Kincaid was in my home and you chased him; I saw you." In my mind's eye I saw the large shadow by the fence, which at the time I'd thought had been a dog. "You chased him as a panther didn't you?" He nodded but waited for me to continue. "The blood. The blood on the floor was his, and it was under your nails as well. You changed and swiped at him with your claws."

Once again he nodded but remained silent.

I thought back to the scene in my kitchen the previous evening. "I saw your eyes last night, you know. They'd looked like Mister's do when there's a lot of light about. Your pupils had been pointed at the top and bottom. But then a minute later they'd been normal and I thought I'd imagined it."

"Sometimes, when I'm in an emotional state it takes longer to shift back completely. Last night I was angry that Kincaid had dared to invade your home."

The whole situation was very difficult to get my head around. The man sitting opposite me at the kitchen table looked like the same man who'd been so understanding on the fur rug only an hour or two earlier. I knew in my heart that he was the same man. But my perception of him had changed and that was a difficult obstacle to overcome. I had begun to care for Cole the man; could I care for Cole the were in the same way? Did I dare give him a chance? Before I could answer that, I needed to know more. "So, to sum up, you're a man but you can become a big cat at will?"

"Yes."

"What more can you do? I mean, if this were fiction you'd have all kinds of powers." I mentally braced myself for more shocks.

"You already know about my keen sense of smell." He had the grace to look abashed at that. "I can dematerialize at will, moving from one place to another in an instant."

"Oh." Another memory came back to me. "The other morning at the store, when you brought me coffee, before I found it, I'd heard the bell and came out from the back, but I couldn't find anyone in the shop. You disappeared and then reappeared so I wouldn't see you until I found the coffee."

"Sorry about that, I wanted the coffee to be the surprise, not me. Forgive me?" The 'apologetic little boy' look didn't sit well on him.

"The coffee was very welcome, you know that." I smiled at him to let him know that I was recovering from my fright, willing to talk and to discover more about this amazing man. "Wait, I have a question."

"Only one? I'd have thought you'd have a hundred questions."

I smiled. "I do, my mind is teeming with questions, but I can only ask one at a time. Right now, I'm thinking about what I've read. In paranormal fiction when shifters change back to their human form, they're often naked. Last night when you returned from chasing Kincaid, you were fully clothed."

"I'm not sure how that works, but I just think the clothes back onto my body and they appear. My mother always said it was part of the magic that makes us what we are." His mother! That's the first time he'd willingly spoken about her since the previous night at my house.

"When I asked about your parents the other day, you looked angry. You said you didn't talk to them. Will you tell me what happened?" I knew I was touching a badly healed wound, but it was something I felt I needed to know about.

"Panthers aren't pack animals. The only time you'll get more than one panther hunting in a group is when it's a mother and her cubs." He looked up at me and gave me an intense look. I knew he was trying to convey something, but I could only guess at his meaning. "Both my parents are weres. They get back together to mate every decade or so, then go their separate ways. I'm sure I have siblings around somewhere, and probably dozens more half-siblings, but there's no way to know for sure." He rose from the table and, as if driven by some deep emotion, started to pace. "When I hit puberty, my mother kicked me out to fend for myself. For a panther in the wild, that's natural. But I wasn't an animal I was just a kid. Not only did I have to survive on my own, I also had to learn how to hide what I was."

My mind had stuck on 'get back together every decade or so'. "Wait. Roll back. Every decade or so? How many decades are we talking about here?"

He stopped his pacing to answer me. "More than a normal human life-span."

"Exactly how much more?"

"A lot more." He glanced down at his hands where they rested on the table, and when he looked back up, his expression was decidedly sheepish. Can you describe a panther as looking 'sheepish?' "We can live to be five or six hundred years old."

I stared at him. I opened my mouth to say something, but closed it again, before uttering a word. I was astounded. Five or six hundred years? My God! I was really glad I was sitting down, because the shocks just kept coming. "Cole?" Even to my own ears my voice sounded uncertain, even a little shell-shocked."

He came back to the table and sat opposite me again. "Yes, Vic?"

I had to know the truth and the only way was to come straight out and ask. "How old are you... exactly?"

"I was born on August 15th, 1892."

"That means you're..." I did some quick calculations in my head. "Oh shit. You'll be one hundred and seventeen this August." I suddenly felt dizzy. I pushed my chair back a bit further and put my head down between my knees.

After a moment, something cold and wet was being pressed against the back of my neck. Cole was standing next to me, he'd wet a dish towel and had brought it over. "Breathe, Vic. Slowly." His voice was gentle and I took comfort from that, although I still wasn't sure if I wanted him touching me again.

After a few minutes I risked sitting upright. My head didn't spin again. "When you said that you were older than me, you weren't kidding were you?"

Cole shook his head. "I'm really sorry, Vic. I know this is a lot to take in all at once. I really was going to tell you everything, but slowly, bit by bit."

"There can't be more, can there?" I looked up at him. The look on his face made my stomach do a flip. "There is isn't there?" He nodded. "You might as well tell me, Cole. Let's get it over with."

"I've been around a long time, Vic."

"Yeah, I got that much." And I made a movement with my hand to tell him to continue.

"Well, I fought in the First World War. I was in France."

My stomach flipped over again and I felt nauseous. "The photograph."

"Yes. If you look closely you'll recognize me, I'm standing right next to your great-grandfather. He was my friend and we enlisted together." By the look on his face, his memories of France were painful. His next words confirmed it. "I was with him when he died. It was a mine. We weres heal quickly, but he was too badly wounded and I couldn't stop the bleeding. I tried and tried but the blood kept coming through my fingers." His voice cracked and he turned away from me.

He was hurting, and no matter what he was, I couldn't bear for him to be in pain. I got up and put a hand on his back, trying to comfort him with my presence. "It was almost a hundred years ago, Cole, even if you had stopped the bleeding he would probably still have died from infection. There were no antibiotics back then."

He took hold of my shoulders and squeezed. "No. You don't understand; he was my friend. More than a friend; he was more like a father to me than my own had ever been."

"Cole you're hurting me, let go." I tried to shake his hands off. Then his words started to sink in. If I was right then their meaning would turn my life upside down and inside out! "Are you saying what I think you're saying?" He looked at me steadily. I tried a different tack. "If my great-grandfather had survived the war he would still be alive, wouldn't he?" I was still being cautious.

He gentled his hold on my shoulders, slipping his hold down to my upper arms and stroking my biceps slightly with his thumbs. "Barring an accident, yes."

Okay. I knew I had to ask it. I didn't want to, but... "Was he a panther?" Cole nodded and bile rose in my throat. "Did you know my great-grandmother?"

"Yes. She was a wonderful woman. When I came back from Europe I went to see her and she was broken." Cole took hold of my hand and led me into the other room, where we sat down on the large cushions. "Regular humans grieve but will continue living their lives. Perhaps eventually finding someone else for companionship, even love. But weres who bond, who mate for life, will pine away, sometimes refusing to eat, until they meet their mates in the next world." He stroked my cheek with the backs of his fingers. "Your great-grandmother reacted like a were at the death of her husband. She simply lost the will to live. Your grandmother was just a girl at the time. I hung around, helping out as much as I could, but it wasn't enough." Tears sprang to my eyes when I heard the sadness in his voice. "After your great-grandmother passed, I made sure your grandma was settled with relatives and all the legalities were dealt with before I left the area."

"But you came back."

"Yes, I came back. Michael, your great-grandfather, befriended me a few years after my mother pushed me from the nest. It was he who taught me how to control my powers, about the history of weres and how to hide our longevity. I considered Farmingdale my home. My only home."

We sat in silence for a while. I was remembering my grandmother; I recalled when she'd died. It'd been back in the nineteen-nineties and she'd gone to the city to do some shopping. While there, she'd been mugged. The teenage thief had knifed her and left her to bleed to death. We never knew any more details than that. I'd always thought she'd looked young for her age, but I'd put it down to good genes. Now I realized that it was definitely genetic, just not in the way I'd thought.

"I've got a thousand more questions, but I'm suffering from serious information overload right now." I tried to make light of it because if I didn't, I thought I'd go crazy. "I'm trying to come to terms with the fact that the world I thought I knew is so totally different, and I don't think I'm being very successful."

Cole still had hold of my hand, and he started stroking my palm with his thumb. "Do you want me to take you home?"

I didn't immediately say yes or no. Did I want to go home?

"Cole. When you killed that snake and I saw your arm and your face, I admit, I freaked. When I look back over the past few days, there were lots of clues, which now that I know your story are really obvious, but at the time I disregarded them." I turned on my cushion and pulled his hand into my lap, holding it with both of mine. "No. I don't want to go home. Neither do I want to take up where we left off." I stole a glance toward the fur rug where we'd lain earlier. "I think what I want to do is get to know you again in this new reality. How long that will take," I shrugged. "I don't know. Will we get to the stage we were at before? Again I don't know, but I hope we can recapture what we had."

"I'm still me, Vic. I haven't changed, except now I don't have to hide from you." With his free hand he tucked a lock of hair behind my ear and then laid his palm on my cheek. I allowed him to guide my face toward his and I was surprised when he avoided my mouth and laid a soft kiss against my cheek.

In one of the swift changes in subject that I'd come to expect from him, he jumped up pulling me with him. "Since I have my good friend, Vic, here with me and although it's a bit late, I'm declaring that it's lunch time – how about something to eat?"

The relief of tension was tangible and I couldn't help myself, I laughed. "Sandwiches. We bought that cold roast beef; I want roast beef sandwiches with pickles."

"Sounds good. And some beer."

"Yeah, beer. But definitely no chocolate for dessert!"

He smiled at me. "Now you know why I'm allergic to chocolate."

I walked into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator and began pulling out ingredients for our lunch. "Actually I thought it was dogs that weren't allowed to eat chocolate."

"All weres are allergic to chocolate." He started to slice the bread. "I often wonder what it tastes like."

"I love chocolate, I can't imagine having to go through life without it." I was slicing up tomatoes when a sudden thought brought my hand to an abrupt halt. "Cole?"

"Yeah?"

"I probably carry the gene, don't I?" My breath caught in my throat and I was scared all over again.

He turned to face me, putting the knife down on the counter. "Yes you do. This morning when I closed the album, if you remember, I sniffed and licked you. Earlier, when we were making love, I didn't pay any attention to your smell or taste other than register that it was attractive." He came over to me and gathered me into his arms.

I knew my face was reddening at the mention of us making love, but as he was in the process of sniffing my neck again I didn't think he'd noticed.

"You smell of female were, you taste like a panther, and you are incredibly sexy." He kissed my neck and released me. "I know." He backed off a step. "You want to get to know me all over again. I'll be good."

We returned to preparing our food and it wasn't long before we were sitting at the table eating.

"You know that goon was wrong don't you." I had no idea who he was talking about and said so.

"The guy at college, what was his name?"

"David." I really didn't want to talk about him again.

"Yeah, David. He was wrong. You are most definitely not frigid. And if he thought you weren't good in bed then he was doing it wrong."

"Maybe I just needed another panther to bring out my hidden talents." I smiled archly at him and he snatched up my hand and kissed the palm before allowing me to continue eating.

After finishing our makeshift meal and clearing up, we took our beers back into the other room and sat down on the oversized cushions again. "Cole, can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure." He smiled at me and I almost lost my courage.

"I know you partially changed earlier but could I see you shift completely?" I didn't know if I wanted him to say yes or no.

He looked at me. "Are you absolutely certain?" I nodded.

He stood up and moved a couple of yards away from me. I watched him carefully trying to see when the transformation began. I missed the actual beginning. One minute he looked like Cole and the next he was a sleek black animal. He was huge. I'd never seen a panther before and I'd expected his coat to be all one shade. I couldn't have been more wrong, it was like watered silk with a self pattern in the inky black. His eyes were still the beautiful luminous green they were in his human form. He padded over to me and nudged his head against my leg. Gingerly I put a hand on his head and he started to purr as I stroked the soft fur. This was not a purr like Mister's, this was a loud, reverberating rumble.

"You are so beautiful." I wouldn't have dreamed of saying such a thing to Cole, but to this majestic creature it was utterly appropriate. I lay down on the cushions and he came over and lay down next to me, resting his head on my breast. "Hey, you said you would behave." Either he didn't understand in his cat form or he didn't want to understand, but he ignored my protest and kept his head on my chest.

I half sat up forcing him to remove his head from me and lay it on the floor. I continued to stroke his head and after a few minutes I got bolder and ran my hand down his body to his flank. I watched with fascination when the muscles under his coat rippled as I stroked him and the feel of his fur against my hand was one of the most sensuous experiences of my life. And that included the taste of chocolate!

"I wonder how much you can understand when you're in this form." I put my face close to his and looked him straight in the eyes. "No wonder Mister hissed at you. Although he's gorgeous in his own way, next to you he pales into insignificance." Cole leaned into me, nudged my face, and then stuck out his enormous pink tongue to lick my cheek. I giggled and then felt the heat flood into my face, because I remembered that his human tongue had the same rough texture and I knew how much pleasure it could give.

I lay back down, closed my eyes and thought about what it had felt like to make love with Cole that morning. Had it only been that morning? So much had happened since then that I felt I'd lived a lifetime in just a few hours. I lay there, listening to the wonderful purr of Cole the cat, and drifted off to sleep.

### Chapter Nine

I awoke to the feel of the Panther's tongue on my neck. My neck? I opened my eyes and looked into Cole's human face. He had shifted back while I'd been sleeping. I sat up and raised an eyebrow. He was naked. "I thought all you had to do when you change was think your clothes back onto your body."

"I didn't bother this time. You were asleep and it didn't seem to matter. Do you want me to dress?"

"Well I'm fully clothed, so it only seems fair." I had to admit to myself that he was beautiful even as a human.

"You could undress, too, then we'd be equal."

"Nice try." I stood up to find a bathroom. I assumed it was upstairs, because I hadn't seen another room downstairs other than the kitchen, the one we were in and the empty one on the other side of the stairs.

Sure enough the bathroom was upstairs. There were two – a half bath and a full bathroom which was larger than mine at home. This one, however, was in the process of renovation. I used the facilities then investigated a little further. The first door I opened was an empty room, a decent size for a guest bedroom. The only other door off the upstairs hall had to be the master bedroom. Opening it, I saw I was right. It was as large as the empty room downstairs but still sparsely furnished. Another work in progress, it only contained a king-size bed with a night stand on either side, and a dresser in matching wood.

With only one bed in the house I figured I had two choices, share the bed with Cole or ask to be taken home. He'd offered to take me home earlier and I'd said no. To ask him to take me home now would seem rude. Oh, I had no doubt he would take me home and not complain, but I didn't feel I could ask. Besides, with Kincaid out there, I didn't want to be alone. No, I thought, we would share his bed. I knew Cole could control himself; I wasn't so sure about me though.

I was thoughtful as I went back downstairs. I kept asking myself the same question. Did I want either of us to control ourselves? The answer I continually came up with was no. I'd enjoyed making love with Cole more than I'd enjoyed anything in my life so far, and regardless of what I'd learned earlier in the day, I wanted to repeat that experience.

When I found Cole, he was dressed and in the kitchen. He'd set some pork chops to broil, and there were potatoes cooking in the microwave. I joined him at the counter where he was preparing a green salad.

"You're really quite domesticated aren't you?" I couldn't resist putting my hand on his back and sliding it down his spine. I left my hand resting just above his butt as I watched him attack a head of lettuce.

"Weres have big appetites and if you can't look after yourself you won't survive long. Years ago, before even my parents' time, weres attacked and ate the weakest. When I was young, before I met your great-grandfather, I would scavenge for food. Steal, if I could, beg if I couldn't steal. Your ancestor taught me how to survive and I'll be forever grateful to him for that." He bent down briefly and gave me a quick kiss on the end of my nose. "Nowadays, with convenience food, any fool can feed themselves. The trick is to enjoy what you eat as well as survive."

The microwave dinged and I recalled something he'd said the other night at my store. "I thought you said you didn't have a microwave?"

"I didn't. I bought that yesterday morning."

I took the potatoes out of the microwave and tested them – they were ready to eat. I checked the chops and they were just about done. I turned them over and gave them a minute on the other side before declaring them ready. It was a simple meal, but with a glass of wine and good company, it took on the appearance of a feast. And Cole was very good company.

The fact that he no longer had to hide who he was made conversation a lot easier and far more interesting. I was curious about his life and he was happy to tell me whatever I wanted to know.

"Did you go to school?" Was the first of my questions.

"Only till sixth grade. I've taken a few courses here and there at community colleges but mostly I'm self-educated."

"Okay, this one's a biggie. How do you escape notice by the authorities? I mean you're a hundred and sixteen years old, don't they find it odd that you're that old and still paying taxes for instance." The last thing I wanted was some 'X Files' type people turning up at his door and carting him off for a course of vivisection.

"There are millions of weres in the world and they work in every branch of government in every country. There's always someone who'll alter a record for you." He lifted a shoulder in a kind of half shrug. "It's a system that's worked since the beginning of the modern world. However, it's getting harder and harder with the advance of technology. Mostly we try to stay under the radar as much as possible."

I nodded, understanding his attitude at the gas station. "Is that why you didn't want to call the Sheriff about Kincaid being in my house last night?"

"Yeah. I want to live here, but the less I have to do with the local police, the better."

I figured he wouldn't be able to stay under the radar much if Kincaid came back again. Not if he remained involved with me. "Cole, what are we going to do about Kincaid?"

"I'm hoping I scared him off last night. I mauled him pretty bad before he ran." He finished his food and put his fork down on his plate. "I think we should wait and see what he does next. You said he's a user and he's in debt, I'm guessing he's pushing too. He might just decide to take off and find fresher pastures."

When I'd finished eating, Cole took my plate and his over to the sink and cleaned them and the cooking utensils we'd used. For once, I sat and watched someone else do the work. It felt comfortable to be there with him, and after the revelations of the day, that astounded me. But it felt right and I couldn't explain why. I began to fantasize about living with him, loving him, even someday having his children. It would be a good life. Then my fantasy fizzled and burst. I would grow old and he wouldn't. When I was old and wrinkled he'd still look like he did now. Would he stay around that long? I snorted; what man would?

When we were settled back on the cushions in what I was starting to think of as the den, I broached the subject of his longevity yet again. This time from a different angle. "Have you ever been in love?"

"Before now? No." He watched me as he answered, and I knew he was waiting for my reaction. Oh I had a reaction all right, but not in any place he could see, and I kept my face absolutely expressionless.

Still determined to get to my point I tried again. "Well, have you had a relationship with a non-were before?"

"Yes, a few. Vic, what are you getting at? What do you want to know?"

I closed my eyes for a second or two and took a deep breath. When I opened them again Cole was watching me intently. "Okay, look, this is really embarrassing but I don't know any other way to ask you other than straight out. If we..." I ground to a halt. "Oh hell. If we were to stay together will you leave me for a younger woman when I start to age?" I looked down at my hands; I thought I would die from embarrassment. I didn't dare look at his face.

"Vic, look at me." With reluctance I looked up. He'd pulled a couple of the cushions over to the wall; he leaned against one while the other was underneath him as he sat with his legs splayed out in front of him. He patted the space on the floor between his legs with his hand. "Come and sit over here."

I stood up slowly and went to sit on the makeshift seat, trying desperately not to lean back on him. He, however, had other ideas, and he put an arm around my middle to pull me back against him.

He nuzzled my neck just below my ear and then he started to speak quietly, so close to my ear that I could feel his breath on my skin. "I want to explore this relationship with you, and the short answer to your question is, no, I won't leave you for a younger woman. But there is a much longer answer, if you're willing to listen." He raised a leg and I slipped sideways slightly so my head rested against his upper arm and my back was supported by his thigh. I nodded to show my willingness to listen.

"None of your family has lived to old age; they all died young in accidents or war, except for your great-grandmother who was completely human. You carry the were gene, that much is obvious, but what isn't obvious is what your life-span will be. Barring accidents you may live considerably longer than what is normal for a human. But there is more to it than that." I had skewed around so I could watch him while he spoke and he paused to look down at my face. Unexpectedly he leaned down and stole a quick kiss. "I know I'm jumping the gun a little but it's something that has to be said. It's entirely possible that having my children may extend your life even further."

I struggled to sit upright and I twisted around so I could face him. "Just hold your horses there, we've slept with each other just once and you're already talking about kids? No way, José!" Regardless of what I'd been thinking earlier, I didn't want him making assumptions about any possible future for us.

"I'm sorry, I'm not explaining myself well. Please, let me try again." I made a hand gesture telling him to continue. "So much of what makes us weres is magic. Magic that comes from the dawn of time. Our children are born with that magic. It's so strong in them that even before they are born the mother has increased abilities, courtesy of her young. It's always been understood that it happens in order to give the mother the means to protect her unborn child. After birth, the mother retains much of her additional magic to protect her young." He scooted forward so he could reach my face which he cradled in his hands. "You have the recessive were gene, and as I understand it, if we were to have children, then you would have a fifty percent chance of having a full were child. But even if you had a child like yourself, with a recessive gene, magic would still be a factor."

"Whoa, would I be able to shift while pregnant?" I wasn't sure if I was appalled or pleased at the prospect.

His thumbs were smoothing the skin on my cheekbones, his gentle touch adding yet another surreal layer to the conversation. "No, you'll never be able to shift, but you might well develop other characteristics and abilities. A stronger sense of smell and hearing, and increased visual acuity for instance. It's entirely possible that one of the side-effects might be an improved life-span."

I pulled his hands down from my cheeks and held them loosely in my lap. "Someone else, somewhere in the world, must have been in this situation at some point. You know your community, surely you could find out?"

"Yes, I could and I will, as soon as I get a computer set up here." He stood and pulled me up with him. "Right now though, we have a much more pressing decision to make."

"We do?"

"Yeah. Do I take you home or will you sleep here, with me?"

I stepped closer to him and he brought his arms up to hold me loosely. "I said earlier that I needed to get to know you all over again. I can't think of a better place to know you better than in bed." I tried not to sound coy and watched his face closely as I spoke. To my wonder I caught the moment that the light of hope in his eyes changed to one of happiness. No, it was deeper than that, but I didn't want to put a name to what I thought I saw. Not yet. Instead, I lifted my hands to the back of his neck and pulled his head down to mine. I met his lips slowly, at first applying just a gentle pressure, then licking and softly nipping at his mouth.

A very panther-like growl was the response I got, and I felt the vibrations of it against my chest. Cole took charge of the kiss, angling his head and delving his tongue into my very willing mouth. I'm sure I moaned in protest when he stopped kissing me. Bending slightly, he put one arm behind my knees, and keeping the other around my shoulders, he scooped me up into his arms. My arms were still around his neck and I lifted my head, resting it on his shoulder. He carried me up the stairs to his room with little effort. I raised my head to look at his face. "Is strength another one of your powers?"

"Uh-huh." He nodded and grinned as he gently lay me on the bed, unzipped my jeans while I toed my shoes off. With one swift movement he pulled my jeans and my panties off together. I started to take off my shirt but gave up and lay back against the cushions when, without warning, he buried his head between my legs. I closed my eyes and gave myself up to the incredible sensation of his tongue on my center. The rough cat-like texture sent ripples through me with every lick. It was just seconds before I felt myself on the brink of coming and I could have cheerfully kicked Cole when he pulled away and started kissing my inner thighs.

My heart was just starting to beat normally again when he fastened his lips around my clitoris and sucked. I made an inarticulate sound which, even to my ears, didn't sound human. He lifted his head and grinned at me, then bent his head back down to continue his ministrations. This time he sank his tongue into my core, bringing it out to lick back up to my nub, then down and in again. He repeated this blissful torture, until he had to hold my hips down to stop me from bucking and throwing him off.

"Please Cole, please, uh no, no more please..." I was trembling and my head felt light. I didn't know if I was asking him to stop or to give me more.

Cole knew what I wanted, though. He knew what I needed. He left me for a moment to remove his clothing and in one swift push, he slid inside me. There was no pain this time, only the wonderful sensation of Cole's body over and inside mine. I moved with him, meeting him thrust for thrust until I shattered. My vision blurred and I found it hard to breathe for a moment or two. I had hardly begun breathing normally again before Cole had withdrawn from me and pulled my shirt and bra off me. He started to kiss and bite my breasts finally settling on a nipple and suckling. His fingers, meanwhile, were busy at my core, stroking, both inside and out. His mouth made my senses swim and I gripped his hair as I held his head to my breast with one hand. I reached out with my other hand trying to caress whatever I could reach; desperately wanting to touch him.

He stopped suckling me only to move down my body, nipping the flesh wherever his mouth touched. My skin was on fire with feeling, every touch magnified a hundredfold. Finally his mouth settled on my clit again, his fingers still busy amongst my folds, dipping in and out. Without warning I came again and Cole kept his mouth on me and sucked, stretching my orgasm out to the last possible spasm.

He didn't wait for me to come down to Earth again before sliding back inside me. This time I hardly had the energy to meet his thrusts so I reached down and held on to his butt cheeks, pulling him in tighter with every movement. Cole made one last hard thrust and threw his head back and roared; his voice like the panther that was so much a part of him.

When we'd both begun to breathe normally again, he turned us to our sides and remained inside me. I stroked his face and kissed him lightly making him smile.

"I didn't hurt you, did I Mouse?"

"No. Not a bit." I smiled. "But I do have a question." I hesitated, even though we'd just made love, I found talking about this sort of thing more than a little embarrassing. "Admittedly I have limited experience, but why do you stay inside me for so long afterwards? David always pulled out straight away."

His face tensed. "If I ever meet that bastard, I'm going to deck him." He stopped and took a deep breath, and when he spoke again the anger had gone from his voice. "It's nice to hold you like this afterwards, plus, I'm a were-panther and we're a lot like cats."

"Why does that make a difference?"

"When a cat ejaculates he gets bigger and locks on to the inside of their mate. If I were to pull out immediately, I'd hurt you."

I digested that for a moment or two and decided that it didn't matter what the reason was, he was right; it was nice to be held afterwards. I snuggled further into his arms and my eyelids began to feel heavy. I struggled to stay awake, but lost the fight and just as I was drifting off I felt Cole kiss my forehead and I could swear I heard him say 'I love you.' But maybe I was already dreaming at that point.

### Chapter Ten

We were in Cole's vehicle heading toward town the following morning, before I plucked up enough courage to talk about something that had been bothering me for a while.

I'd awoken early, too early in my opinion, to find that Cole was spooned behind me, holding me tight to his body. I had been using his bicep as a pillow and I felt warm and safe. I lay there for a few minutes not wanting to move, but then I noticed a wetness between my legs and I closed my eyes as I remembered the night before. We'd left the box of condoms downstairs. I tried to wriggle out of Cole's embrace without waking him so that I could go to the bathroom. Of course Cole slept like a cat didn't he, one eye open and all that.

"Where are you going?" He'd asked, his arm tightening around my middle. "It's far too early to get up."

"I have to go to the bathroom," I'd turned and kissed him. "I'll be right back. Go back to sleep."

In the half-light of dawn I'd made my way to the bathroom, did the necessary and cleaned up. I was drying my hands when I'd decided that Cole and I really had to have a serious talk about birth control. I couldn't continue playing Russian roulette despite what he'd said about his sense of smell. Back in the bedroom I stood by the bed and looked down at Cole. He'd rolled onto his back and he looked so young in his sleep. I still couldn't believe he was almost one hundred and seventeen years old.

I'd realized that if I got back into bed he'd wake and he might well want to make love again. Not that I was adverse to that activity, but the condoms were downstairs, and I did have to get to work today. Turning around I'd found my overnight bag by the dresser and pulled out a lightweight gown I'd packed. I put it on and tied the belt around my waist as I walked down the stairs. In the kitchen I'd set about making coffee and getting breakfast. Once Cole came downstairs we sat and had breakfast together. It felt so good that I hadn't wanted to spoil things by bringing up the subject of contraception.

And that was why I was sitting in the passenger seat of Cole's vehicle now, trying to think of a way to open the conversation, while Cole drove me to the shop. Perhaps the only way was to come straight out and say it.

"We forgot something last night... again."

Cole didn't even pretend to misunderstand me. "I was wondering when you'd bring that up." He glanced at me briefly and I pointed at the windshield. He returned his attention to the road ahead before continuing. "We didn't forget anything. I purposely left the box downstairs. Trust me you're not pregnant and you can't get pregnant at this point."

"I do trust you, with my life, but not with this." I was frustrated with his obstinacy and my irritation was beginning to show in my tone. "Conception, or rather contraception, can't be left to chance or even your supposedly superior sense of smell."

He sighed. "Vic, it's a moot point anyway."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? That it's too late, the damage is done?" I was good and pissed at him.

"You'll see," was his enigmatic reply.

I sat in the car and quietly fumed for the rest of the journey. As soon as he pulled to a stop near my store, I grabbed my purse and my overnight bag, and got out of the car without even saying 'bye.' The noise the door of the vehicle made, when I slammed it, was immensely satisfying.

I unlocked and entered the shop but locked the door again behind me. It was still early and I needed to make a pit stop before I opened up. A few minutes later I walked back into the sales area and I was even angrier with Cole. He'd been right damn him. I didn't know whether to be relieved that I was most definitely not pregnant, or pissed because Cole knew my cycle better than I did.

With a sigh I started getting my store ready for business.

Mondays were always busy; people finished their books over the weekend and came in to exchange them on Monday. Today was much busier than usual and I noticed that my customers, who were mostly women, were taking more time than usual to choose their books. The shop always seemed to have someone in it, which was gratifying but trying. The small mystery was cleared up when Mrs. Weston came in around eleven.

"Good morning, Mrs. Weston. How are you today?"

"I'm very well, Victoria. But you, I have to say, are looking a little tired. I hope you had a good weekend?" She raised an eyebrow and gave me an arched look. She was fishing, that much was obvious. Had the gossip mongers been busy about Cole and me? Someone from the restaurant on Saturday night must have been talking.

"Yes, thank you I had a lovely weekend."

Mrs. Weston put her returns on the counter. "I have to thank you for recommending these books, my dear. They were very, um, stimulating."

"Perhaps I should have warned you that some of them were a little, er, warm." I smiled apologetically at her.

There were other women in the store and I knew that our conversation was being listened to intently, so I wasn't surprised at Mrs. Weston's next question.

"I heard you had dinner at La Cucina with that Mr. Colburn on Saturday night. He bought the old Wicks' place didn't he? What's he like?" She leaned forward in her eagerness to hear my answer, and the other women in the shop gravitated to the shelves closer to the counter.

I put a pleasant smile on my face and resigned myself to being interrogated. "Yes, he bought the old homestead. And he's very nice."

"Nice? Susan Clifton sold a microwave and a refrigerator to him at her father's store on Saturday and she said that he is drop dead gorgeous."

"I have to agree with Susan, he is very handsome." Well, that was the truth and didn't give anything away.

Mrs. Monroe, who had been browsing in the historical romance section, gave up all pretense of not listening and came over to the counter. "Marge Sorenson saw you and him picking up supplies together at WalMart yesterday." Her tone told me exactly what 'supplies' Marge Sorenson had seen and I failed to stop the heat from rising in my cheeks at the implication of her statement.

"Um, yes, I spent the day with him out at the homestead. He's renovating and it's a real mess." I frantically tried to think of something to change the subject. Then, suddenly, inspiration came to me. "Have either of you ladies heard if they caught the robber from the gas station yet?"

"Deputy Garvin told my Jonathan that he thought the varmint had skedaddled over the state line." Mrs. Monroe's son had been in my class, and now tended bar at Donovan's, one of four bars in town.

"I hope he has, we don't need scum like that around here." Mrs. Weston was indignant that someone had had the audacity to try and commit a crime in her town. With her comment hanging in the air, she and Mrs. Monroe drifted over to the paranormal shelves at the back of the shop.

I watched them as they browsed the shelves and thought about how my life had become the stuff of paranormal fiction. Two days ago I thought weres and shape shifters were just figments of the imagination of some very talented authors. Now I was living in just such a story that had become real. Perhaps I'd wake up tomorrow to find all this had been a dream. One brought on by the fright I'd had at the gas station the previous week. Surreptitiously I pinched the skin on my forearm. Ouch. Nope, not a dream, I was awake all right.

I breathed a sigh of relief when Mrs. Weston and Mrs. Monroe left the shop with their new books. Gradually, now that the gossip had been aired and confirmed, the other three women in the store left with their choices as well. Finally I had a few minutes to myself. I knew I shouldn't complain about being busy, after all the store was my only means of income, but I really needed some downtime.

Sitting in my chair behind the counter I propped my chin on my hands and thought about Cole. He'd trusted me with his secret, basically that meant he trusted me with his life. I could easily report him to the authorities. Oh yeah Vic? I scoffed at myself. I could imagine what they would say. And there'd be a nice padded cell for me if I tried. Okay, so I was going to keep his secret. The question that begged to be asked was - why? Why did he trust me with such a gigantic secret? Because he thought we had a future together? My stomach churned at the thought.

I took a long hard look at my feelings for Cole. Yes, I cared for him. More than I should after only four and half days. I couldn't believe I'd actually slept with him so quickly. Was I so starved for affection, for sex, that I would jump into bed with the first man who paid me any attention? Or was it something more than that? Was it fate?

A future meant marriage, kids and all that went with that. With an ordinary man I might consider it, but with Cole it would mean complication after complication. Could I handle that? More to the point, did I want to handle that?

He wasn't exactly human was he? But then, apparently, neither was I.

I'd run out of time to think when my lunch-time customers started to filter into the store.

It was just before five when it was quiet again for any length of time. I was sitting, musing over Cole again, when the phone rang making me start with surprise.

"Good afternoon, Hudson's Books."

There was silence on the other end of the line. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

"If you don't retract your statement, you'll be sorry!" The voice was deep and kind of scratchy.

"Who is this? What do you want?"

"Tell the police you made a mistake and you can't identify me or bad things are going to start happening."

"Kincaid?" But he'd hung up.

I was shaking so much I couldn't figure out how to turn off the phone. Once I'd calmed down a bit, I picked the phone up again and pulled out my address book from my purse. I found the number I wanted and dialed.

The phone number I'd called started to ring and finally he answered. I didn't even wait for him to say hello before I launched into speech. "Cole? He called me."

"Who called you?"

"Kincaid. He called me here at the shop." My hysteria was rising again, I could feel my heart starting to speed up and there were tears in my eyes.

My heart raced even more when I heard the door to the back room open. I almost fainted until I saw the tall figure take the phone away from his ear and hold out his arms. I didn't need an engraved invitation. I ran out from behind the counter and almost fell into his arms. To my horror I started sobbing. Cole held me tenderly, stroking my hair until the storm subsided.

"Tell me what he said, Mouse." His voice was low and calm, and I could feel myself starting to relax.

"He... he said something about I should say I'd made a mistake or bad things would happen."

"Mistake? About being able to identify him?"

"I guess. He said I should retract my statement and tell the police that I'd made a mistake and that I really couldn't recognize him after all or bad things would happen." Tears were starting to pool in my eyes and I blinked rapidly trying to push them back. I failed; one or two fell.

Cole led me to the back room and sat me down in the chair. "I'll be right back, stay here."

"Where..?" But he'd already gone through the door, closing it behind him. A minute later he was back. "Where'd you go?"

"Just to lock the front door and put the 'Closed' sign up." He crouched down in front of me. "I don't want to get all high-handed but I really think you've had enough for one day, don't you?"

I nodded. "I'm sorry I made such a scene. But he really scared me."

"Come on, I'll help you close up, we'll stop by the night safe on the way to your house."

"Cole. My house!" I grabbed his arm and stopped him before we got back to the counter. "He knows where I live. He was there."

He put his arm around my shoulders and moved me gently toward the cash register. "That's good; maybe we can use that to our advantage. If I move in with you for the time being, I'll be able to protect you and maybe we can scare him off again." He pulled me in closer and kissed my cheek. "Get the money and let's go home."

### Chapter Eleven

Once again I found myself sitting in Cole's vehicle wondering how to say what I wanted to say. This time, however, I had far more serious things to worry about than birth control.

Whoever said 'love means never having to say you're sorry' didn't know crap about relationships. I needed to apologize or it would eat me up inside. "Cole, about this morning. You were right, and I'm sorry I got mad at you. And I apologize for making a scene earlier in the shop. I guess my hormones got the better of me."

He reached over and caught my left hand and lifted it to his lips. "You found out you're not pregnant." He kept hold of my hand holding it on his thigh.

"Yeah. It's kind of weird that my boyfriend knows more about my cycle than I do." The word 'boyfriend' had rolled off my tongue with such ease, and I realized that I really liked the sound of it, as well as the comfort his presence gave me.

"I did tell you that I have a highly developed sense of smell, even before you found out what I really am."

I flushed. "I know, I know. And I should've believed you." I gave his thigh a squeeze and left my hand resting on his leg. We were almost home when I remembered something that had been tickling at the edge of my mind all day. "You do know that there really isn't any one hundred percent safe time to have sex, don't you?"

"If I were a one hundred percent human, I'd agree with you. But I'm not." We'd arrived at my house and he pulled up in front of my garage. He jumped out of the vehicle first and came around to my side to open the passenger door for me. I smiled my thanks up at him as I stepped out.

"Are you going to expand on that or am I expected to just believe it's magic?" I asked sarcastically as I reached the front door. I unlocked it and entered before dumping my purse on the hall table. I smiled at him over my shoulder and led the way into the kitchen.

"To be absolutely honest I don't really know the details. I do know that it's half science and half hocus pocus. I can smell when you're fertile and when you're not – that much is science. The magic comes into play when the timing isn't right." He opened my refrigerator and peered inside at the meager offerings for dinner. He grabbed a beer and closed the door. "Here's what I was told, and I have no idea if it's true or not. Back when weres and ancient man were living in caves, picking each other off, both species trying to survive, weres would only conceive in late Fall. That allowed the females to carry their young through the winter and give birth when the warm weather came. Humans would conceive all the time and many a human infant would die in the cold of winter." He pulled the tab of the can and drank. "Similarly, when there was danger from man or food was scarce, our females would not conceive."

"Cole your story just doesn't hold water. We're not in danger of being attacked by other humans and food isn't scarce." I sat down on one of the kitchen chairs.

"Are you not in danger? Is Kincaid not threatening you?"

"Well, yes he is. But he wasn't over the weekend." I was feeling smug; I felt I was winning this battle of logic.

"There's one more fact. I would be able to tell if you conceive. Your scent would change."

"By then it would be too late; I'd be pregnant." I felt like punching the air. I'd had the last word. At least I thought I had.

"Look, Vic. All I know is that weres don't have unwanted pregnancies, no accidents. It just doesn't happen." He put his beer down on the counter with such a sharp movement that beer slopped out of the top.

"But I'm not a full were am I?" Yes!

He ignored my indisputable logic. "I'm going to dash home and get some clothes. I'm not going to take the truck because I don't want it known that you're here alone. I'll be back soon." With that, he faded out of my kitchen. Coward! And damn him, he got the last word after all. But at least I'd won the argument.

I swore to myself that I wasn't going to allow him to persuade me to have unprotected sex again, that is, unless our relationship grew serious and permanent. I stood and went to investigate the contents of the fridge and freezer. Whatever else was happening in our lives we still had to eat. I saw the leftover Chinese food from Friday evening; I really should have frozen it. It was probably well past its prime and decided to throw it out along with the rest of the beer that Cole had left on the counter.

I found some tuna steak in the freezer; I took out the package and unwrapped it. I'd let it defrost a little before pan-frying it. I popped it in the microwave to keep it safe from Mister while I let it defrost naturally.

Mister! Where was he? He hadn't seen me since the previous morning. Normally he would be waiting to greet me at the door. I opened the back door, whistled and called his name. Nothing. I stepped out the back door and called his name again. I barely suppressed a scream when strong hands grabbed my shoulders from behind, pulling me back inside.

"What the hell do you think you were doing?" Cole was livid and his eyes were sparking fire.

"I was looking for Mister. He's usually here to greet me and I got worried when I realized he hadn't turned up. I'm starting to get really concerned about him." I made a move to go back out the door to call again.

Cole put out a hand and shut the door, keeping his hand on it to stop me from opening it. "You don't go outside on your own again until we've caught Kincaid, do you hear?"

I stood ramrod straight and lifted my chin so I could look directly into his eyes. "Oh I hear you. Not going to listen to you, but I hear you. How dare you order me around."

"That mother has already threatened you; you go outside on your own, you're asking for trouble."

"Really, Cole. If he'd been watching the house, then he would have seen your truck out front. You didn't leave by any normal means, so he would think you were still here. He's hardly going to attack me when you're here is he?" I pushed my way past him and got a bottle of wine down off the rack to the side of the refrigerator. I put it on the counter and opened a drawer to get out the opener.

Cole's big hand covered mine and gently took the opener out of my grip. He laid the corkscrew on the counter and pulled me into his embrace. "I'm sorry, Mouse. That's the second time I've blown up at you since we got home. I'm on edge because I'm worried about you. In such a short space of time you've become very important to me, I don't want to lose you."

"Kincaid is not going to get me. He can't. I have the best bodyguards in the world." I pecked him on the lips. "A wonderful man and... oh there you are." Mister had dashed through his cat flap and was winding himself around our legs. "As I was saying, I have a wonderful man and a ferociously friendly black cat to watch over me." I leaned down and scratched said animal on the head. "Where have you been, cat? I was worried about you."

"His food bowl is still full." Cole knelt down next to me and scratched him under the chin. "I bet he's been eating his meals somewhere else. Perhaps you've got a neighbor who has a pampered pet that doesn't mind sharing her meals."

I nodded. "It's possible, Mister has always been an opportunist." I lifted my hand from my pet's fur and sunk my fingers into my man's silky mane. "Cole. You're not totally off the hook. Please don't pull the caveman act on me again."

"I'll try not to. I know I'm a little old fashioned at times, but we live for such a long time, it's often difficult to keep up with the changes in manners and accepted behavior." He straightened and picked up the corkscrew from the counter.

While he opened the bottle of wine, I picked up Mister and sat on a chair with him on my lap. "Cole, I've been meaning to ask you something. How much can you understand when you shift? Yesterday, I was talking to you while you lay next to me in panther form; did you understand what I was saying?"

"Every word. I can't reply of course. The larynx changes along with everything else, but my brain, that stays the same." He poured the wine into a glass for me, but he took another beer from the refrigerator for himself. "This wine should have breathed a bit before I poured it out, but it won't kill you." He handed me the glass and I pushed Mister off my lap before I took it.

"Can you communicate with other were-panthers while you're in cat form?"

"Only on the level of any big cat; using facial and body language. Other cats, regular cats like Mister, recognize that I'm feline but they also see me as human so they usually back off in confusion. As you saw with Mister, the first time he met me." Cole went over to a brown paper bag that he'd set down just inside the kitchen door and brought it over to the counter. "I brought over all the fresh produce I had in the house, plus any dairy stuff. We might as well eat it here."

"Good idea. I took some tuna steaks out of the freezer for dinner, they're defrosting. Pan-fried tuna and salad okay with you?"

"Sounds good."

I checked the tuna and reckoned that in another half an hour or so it would be soft enough for me to cook without totally ruining the flavor. I took my wine and went to sit down in the living room. Cole followed me and settled next to me on the couch. My grandmother's album was still on the coffee table from the other day and seeing it jogged my memory again.

I scooted back against the side cushion and rested my feet on his lap. "I'm sure you're going to get tired of me asking questions, but there's so much I still don't know about your world."

"It's the only way to understand, so ask away."

Cole started to massage my feet, and I had to concentrate hard on what I wanted to ask. "What was my great-grandfather like?" It wasn't what I'd meant to ask, but it suddenly seemed more important.

"Michael...your great-grandfather, was a good man. A man, not a cat. He hardly ever shifted, but he didn't hide what he was from the people who loved him either. He adored your great-grandmother and would do anything for her. Anything that is, except not go off to war." He stopped talking and seemed to sink back into his memories as his hands stilled on my feet. I jiggled my feet to bring his attention back to the present, and he glanced up at me before continuing his ministrations and his story. "The only other male were I'd met up until then had been my father, and that experience hadn't made me a fan of were-panthers. The last time I saw him was when he visited my mother and stayed about a week, got her pregnant and then disappeared. When my mother was about six months gone, she kicked me out."

I sat forward and put a hand on his bicep, trying to convey comfort with my touch. He covered my hand with his own and squeezed lightly, accepting my offering. "When I first met Michael, I didn't know he was a were. I was young and completely inexperienced; I couldn't identify weres by scent. I guess there was something instinctual in me because I immediately trusted him. He knew what I was of course, and he helped me refine and control my powers. He taught me that not all were-panthers were like my parents; that most modern weres didn't go tomcatting around the world impregnating females."

I nodded in understanding. "He was faithful to my great-grandmother, and my grandmother hero-worshiped him. I remember her telling me stories about him; they were my favorite bedtime tales." My memories of my grandmother were only happy ones.

"I've met other were-panthers since then, and I know what Michael told me is true. My mother and father are in a minority. Weres do not kick their young out of the home anymore. The parents send their children to school; support them and love them. We live in a modern world now with modern customs, we have to abide by the rules or our whole world could be exposed."

I nodded. The nightmare that would be unleashed if the weres were discovered, would be unimaginable. At the best there would be a witch-hunt. At the worst... I shuddered, I didn't want to think about what the worst would be. "Do you know where your parents are now?"

"No."

His bald answer conveyed a lot of feeling and I wisely left further questions for another time. I swung my legs off his lap and rose to go back to the kitchen. "Come on, you can make the salad while I cook the tuna."

ooOOOoo

Later, we were back sitting on the couch with some light jazz playing softly on the stereo. I was snuggled into the crook of his shoulder and his arm was around me, his fingers playing lightly up and down my arm. It was nice, comfortable, and I had a flash of what life could be like with this man. Man? That posed an instant question. I raised my head to look at his face. "Cole. Are you human? Or are you a panther?"

He had his head resting back against the cushions and his eyes were closed. He looked relaxed and content. "I'm neither." Opening his eyes he slanted a glance down at me. "We're a different species. We evolved alongside Homo sapiens and the animal kingdom. Not just us but others too. There are many different races of weres."

"And yet humans know nothing about you." I shook my head slightly in disbelief at the ignorance of the human race. "How is that?

"They used to. That's why there are so many legends of werewolves. When mankind started writing things down, we went into hiding. Humans are cruel, to each other and to things they don't understand." I felt his shoulder move as he shrugged. "We've survived. Not in the numbers that humans have but we're here and we're here to stay."

"You won't be able to stay hidden forever. The way technology is progressing these days, some anomaly is going to pop up and somebody somewhere is going to be curious, and start poking around in places they shouldn't."

Cole sighed. "I know. But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it." He sounded resigned to the inevitable. "The were community is powerful, we'll be able to weather the storm when it comes." He stroked my cheek with a finger before bending his head and capturing my lips with his in a soft kiss. "It's getting late, sweetheart, let's go to bed."

I put my arm across his chest and hugged him to me. The thought of the future and what the human race might do to people like Cole, scared me half to death. But I had to trust Cole, if he thought that things would work out, then I had to believe him because I had no other point of reference. I sighed and rose from the couch to check the locks before climbing the stairs.

I was brushing my teeth when Cole stepped into the bathroom. He put his arms around my waist and I watched him in the mirror as he eyeballed my huge claw foot tub. He let go of me as I rinsed the toothpaste out of my mouth and wiped my mouth.

"Someday, I want to make love to you in that." He grinned at me and winked, indicating the tub.

"That was one of my fantasies when I had the bathroom renovated. Of course, at the time I didn't think my lover would be quite as exotic as you turned out to be." I skipped away from him and went back into the bedroom. By the time he came out of the bathroom, I was in bed, and he turned off the bedside light before climbing in next to me.

I moved into his arms and kissed him, marveling at how, in less than a week, he had gone from being a stranger, to a comforting and loving presence in my life. Cole pulled me in tighter and deepened the kiss. "Good night, Mouse. Sleep well."

"Night"

I was just drifting off to sleep when I remembered Kincaid. "Cole? You asleep?"

"Almost, what's wrong?"

"Kincaid. What are we going to do about him?"

"We wait until he makes his next move. I've a hunch you'll be hearing from him again. Now... turn over and go to sleep." He pushed on my shoulder to make me roll over allowing him to spoon around me. I fell asleep with his hand, big, warm, and heavy, on my abdomen.
Chapter Twelve

Tuesday morning started out great, but once I made it into work and opened the store, things went downhill fast.

Waking up with Cole had definitely been a good way to start the day. We didn't have much time to snuggle but we made good use of what time we had. We opted not to shower together; we knew I'd be late opening up if we'd done that.

Cole had put his car in my garage after I drove mine out. We'd decided that his car didn't have to be on display outside my house all day. If he needed it, he could always zap back and pick it up.

Cole followed me into the store and was the one who picked up the note that had been slipped under the door. The note was folded in half with my name scrawled on the outside. Cole wordlessly passed it to me and, curiously, I unfolded it and read the contents. I swallowed hard and silently handed it back to Cole. It only took him a second to read it before he crushed it in his hand.

I grabbed at the hand that held the note. "He's threatening Mister. Kincaid knows he likes to go out at night. But he also goes out during the day and his cat door is unlocked." I looked up at him and pleaded. "Cole, please go and check on him."

"Okay, but I'll leave from the back room. If anyone's watching they'll think I'm still here. I'll be right back."

"Oh, thank you." As he went into the back room to hide his exit, I sat down heavily on my chair. Mister wasn't just my pet, he was my family. If anything happened to him... I couldn't finish the thought. I rested my forehead on my clasped hands and waited.

The sound of the door opening to the back room made me look up. I searched his face for news. "Well?"

"He was fast asleep on your bed. I don't think he even twitched an ear when I went into the room."

I was so relieved that if I could've vaulted the counter I would have; instead I settled for running into his arms. "Thank you."

He hugged me back and gave me a quick kiss. "I locked the cat flap and put out some extra water and food for him. He'll be fine."

"But Kincaid got into the house the other night, and I'd locked up then too."

"Perhaps you forgot to lock the deadbolt on Saturday. Or maybe he's just damned good at lock picking. Either way, Vic, I don't think he'll try anything in daylight." He set me away from him. "As much as I love having you in my arms, you're about to get some customers."

I turned around and saw that Mrs. Weston and Mrs. Monroe were peering in the window at us. I turned back to Cole, gave him a weak smile. "You're about to meet the two women in this town who are better than the radio at broadcasting the news." I turned and walked back to the front of the store, flipped the open sign over and opened the door. "Good morning, ladies."

"Good morning, Victoria. We could see you had a visitor so we knew you wouldn't mind opening up a few minutes early for us." Mrs. Weston's smile was broad and her eyes were full of curiosity.

I resigned myself to the inevitable. "Ladies, I'd like to introduce Mr. Steven Colburn; Cole, this is Mrs. Weston and Mrs. Monroe."

Mrs. Monroe stuck out her hand and Cole shook it. Mrs. Weston actually simpered when Cole greeted her. I'd never seen these two women speechless before; it was worth introducing Cole to them just for that experience.

Cole didn't stay to chat. He turned to me so they couldn't see his face and raised his eyebrows. He leaned forward and putting one hand on my waist he gave me a gentle squeeze and kissed me on the cheek. "I'll talk to you later." Turning back to the women, he said, "Ladies," and I could almost imagine him tipping a hat at them.

They both watched him leave the store and then turned to me with expectant faces. Mrs. Weston was first to speak, of course. "He seems like a very nice young man."

Mrs. Monroe was very quick to get her two cents worth in. "Yes, and so polite."

"Extremely handsome too." Mrs. Weston was not to be outdone by one of her disciples.

I smiled at them both but kept my comments non-committal. "Yes, he is very nice, and polite too." No way was I going to discuss his looks with those two. "Now ladies, was there something special you wanted; if so, could you wait a moment or two? I need to take off my coat and switch on the cash register, I won't be long."

"No, no. We bought lots of books yesterday." Mrs. Weston was more than a little flustered. "To be completely honest, my dear Victoria, we saw your young man and couldn't resist coming in to meet him."

I didn't want to alienate them, even though I would've loved to have thrown them out. "That's fine, I'm sure he was very pleased to meet you. Now if you'll excuse me." I slipped off my coat and walked to the back of the store. I opened the door to the little room I used as an office and went in to hang up my coat. I had to stifle a scream when two strong arms grabbed me from behind and turned me around. My smiling mouth was soon captured in a mind-numbing kiss which I enthusiastically returned. When he released me, he grinned, put a finger to his lips, and then dematerialized.

As I returned to the counter in the front part of the store, my one thought was that my life would never be boring again.

ooOOOoo

Cole brought sandwiches and coffee in for lunch and after we'd eaten, he helped me shelve books. We were standing by the paranormal romance section, when it struck me that a lot of the books were quite close to the truth. I said as much to him and he nodded.

"I think a lot of these authors are weres. I don't know if they're just writing what they know will sell, or if they're preparing the world for a time when our secret is revealed." He slotted one into its allotted spot. "What I do know, is that a lot of them are very accurate."

"You read them?" I was astonished; why would a man read chic-lit?

"I've glanced through a few. My taste runs more to murder mysteries or spy novels." He wandered over to the window and stood still, watching the street.

I came up behind him and tried to peer over his shoulder, wondering what he was looking at. "What's up? Is something happening out there?"

"I keep feeling like we're being watched."

"It's those town gossips, Mrs. Weston and Mrs. Monroe; they'd do anything for some juicy tidbit to pass on to their cronies."

Cole smiled down at me. "No, it's not them. The feeling I'm getting is malevolent and those biddies are harmless."

"Kincaid?"

He shrugged. "Maybe." He turned away from the window and held me close. "Do me a favor? Don't go out of the store unless I'm with you."

"Okay."

"Promise?" He gave me a little shake to emphasize the importance of what he was asking of me.

I put my hand up to his cheek. "I promise, Cole. I'll wait for you this evening before I leave. And I won't leave the store during the afternoon."

He let go of me, and I moved away faster than I would normally, because I suddenly realized we'd been cuddling in the center of my shop window for the whole of Farmingdale to see.

I was as good as my word, and I stayed put all afternoon. Cole came back at five and sat down in the back room to read an old James Bond novel until I was ready to close.

It had been almost six before I was ready to leave. Some late customers had come in and they'd taken their time selecting their books. Finally we were in the car and on our way home. Cole had offered to drive and I'd happily handed over my keys. I sat back in the passenger seat and closed my eyes.

"Vic. Wake up."

"Hmm? I wasn't asleep; I was just resting my eyes." I yawned and stretched.

Cole laughed. "Yeah, sure. Sweetheart, you were snoring."

"I don't snore." I was indignant, but my protests landed on empty air because he was already out of the car and coming around to my side. He opened my door for me and I stepped out. I looked up at him and repeated my protestation that I didn't snore.

He kissed the tip of my nose and smiled. "Okay, you don't snore. I guess you're just a little congested."

Wisely, I chose not argue further. I had been asleep of course, but I wasn't going to let him get away with saying that I snored. My chance would come, I just had to bide my time.

Cole had my keys so he opened the front door and I followed him in. "I'm too tired to cook, Cole, would you phone for some pizza or something?"

"Sure. Where do you keep your menus?"

"By the phone in the kitchen." I went into the living room and flopped down on the couch. I kicked off my shoes and put my feet up on the coffee table. A voice that wasn't Cole's filtered through from the kitchen. "Good evening pretty boy, I hope you're hearing this." What the hell? That sounded like it was coming from my answering machine; Cole must have pressed the message button. My blood ran cold when I recognized the voice. "Are you ready to see your girlfriend with her face cut? Or maybe she would prefer that I cut you? I don't care which one of you I slice and dice." The voice became sing song. "Victoria, don't forget to call the Sheriff's office, or I'll be sharpening my knife, making it ready for you... or your boyfriend."

During the recording I'd gotten up and walked over to the door of the kitchen. I stood there staring at Cole, my heart was racing and I could taste my fear. "Kincaid," I whispered.

Cole tried to hold me but I pushed him away and went back to the front door. I locked and bolted it and then went to check all the windows. When I reached the second window, Cole grabbed my hands. "Mouse. Calm down. He's not getting in here. Not tonight at least." He put his arms around me and I felt his lips rest briefly against my temple. "Come and sit down. I'll order pizza, we'll have a glass of wine, and we'll talk about what we're going to do about Kincaid."

I nodded and allowed Cole to lead me over to the couch where I sank down into the cushions. Mister wandered over to me and jumped up onto my lap. When he started kneading my thighs I stroked his head, and his purring began to make me feel calmer.

Cole came back in and handed me a glass of wine. "I've ordered. When the delivery boy gets here, let me answer the door, okay?"

I chuckled. "Yeah, I'd probably suspect him of being Kincaid's partner or something. I'm sorry, I don't know if my nerves are shot to hell because I'm tired, or I'm tired because my nerves are a mess." I took a sip of my wine and put it down on the coffee table before leaning my head back on the cushions. "He's stalking me you know."

Cole prowled around the room, his anger tangible. "He's terrorizing you, and it's has to stop."

I leaned forward to pick up my glass again. "Well, there's not a whole lot we can do... unless we call the Sheriff."

"No." Cole's angry outburst startled me. "I'm sorry, Vic, but no. The Sheriff's department is useless. Kincaid is running around town, free as a bird, and no one has managed to find him." He came over to the couch and sat down next to me. "We can catch him. You and me. Or rather you, me and the panther."

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea. You said the other day that you wanted to stay 'under the radar.' If we get Kincaid, we'd have to hand him over to the Sheriff and explain how we caught him." I shifted my position to face Cole and Mister jumped off my lap. "Your other self isn't exactly low profile and I'm worried that you'll be exposed."

"I haven't thought it all through yet, but I can blend into the shadows. Trust me, no one will know that the panther has been around here."

I was still skeptical but I was willing to wait and listen to his plan as soon as he put it all together. The pizza arrived and the delivery boy left my house without incident. Cole and I spent the rest of the evening quietly. I sat in what was fast becoming my favorite position; sideways on the couch with my feet up on Cole's lap. My current choice of novel kept me amused and his hands on my feet and ankles kept me relaxed. Cole seemed to be almost meditating; his eyes were half-closed, and apart from the movement of his hands on my feet, his body remained completely still.

Chapter Thirteen

I'd given up on my book and was considering going to bed early when Cole sat up straight and gripped my feet. "Ouch, that hurt." I pulled my feet out of his hands but he captured them again and continued to rub them, soothing the pain his hands had just caused.

"Better?" I nodded and he began to tell me about his eureka moment. "Tomorrow's Wednesday and the notice on the door of your store says you open at noon on Wednesdays, right?"

I nodded. "Yes, tomorrow is my errand day. I was going to do grocery shopping, do you want to come with me?"

He gave me a calculating look. "No. I want you to go alone. And perhaps you can find other errands to run as well?"

Confused, I asked, "Alone? I thought you didn't want me to go out alone until Kincaid was caught."

"Yes, but now I want to set a trap." He half turned on the cushions so he could face me and still keep my feet in his lap. "A... and you're the bait."

"Me?" I squeaked, sounding just like the mouse I'd been named for in high school.

Cole lifted a hand. "Hear me out. Kincaid is watching us, we know that. I felt him yesterday. He's left a note and he's called you, both here and at the shop. And he's broken in here. Tomorrow I want you to make yourself as visible as possible during the morning and then open the shop as normal. What time do you usually close on Wednesdays?"

"Umm... depends on whether or not there are customers in the shop. Six-thirty or seven."

"Okay, I'll arrive at six-thirty, the later you leave the store the better. We need it to be full dark. I'll walk you to your car and then we'll argue and I'll storm off."

"You want me to drive home alone... and in the dark... with Kincaid knowing I'm alone?" It didn't sound like a good plan to me.

"Yes. I'll duck down an alley, shift and follow you on foot."

"My argument from before still stands, Cole. You'll be seen!"

"No, that's why I need it to be full dark. I'm hoping he'll follow you and confront you when you get home. I'm fairly sure he won't stop you on the way home because your route is well populated. I'll take a short cut and be waiting inside the house when you get here." He grinned at me, obviously excited at the prospect of action. "Just make sure he comes into the house with you and I'll take care of the rest."

"Why can't you just zap yourself into my house? That way I'll know you won't be seen, and I won't worry."

"Because, I want to be able to keep an eye on you as you drive home."

I shook my head. "I don't know. There are too many variables. It's too risky."

"I'll make sure it works."

I pulled my feet off his lap and moved to kneel next to him on the seat. His hair felt like silk as I threaded my fingers through it and cupped the side of his head, forcing him to look at me. "You're not Superman, Cole. Yes, you're special but you can die, just like me. I don't want to lose you."

"And I can't continue to live like this; always in half-hiding because some crazy druggie is out to get you." He gripped my waist and dragged me onto his lap with my legs straddling his thighs. "I want to explore what we have going between us and we can't while Kincaid is loose."

The invitation was implicit and I leaned forward to kiss him. The touch of my lips awoke his passion and I became lost in a sea of his lust. Cole ravaged my mouth like a starving man at a banquet and I was happy to be on the menu. He moved onto my neck before he gripped my shirt, ripping the buttons off in his haste to get at his next course.

I arched into him, my skin turning to fire wherever his mouth and hands touched. I pulled his face back up to mine and did some feasting of my own; my mouth and tongue feeding off his. I felt bereft when he pulled away to return to my neck, but I angled my head to give him better access and he took advantage of my movement to nip and suck at the sensitive skin.

His hands were busy rubbing, squeezing and pinching my breasts, forcing my nipples to hard points.

Cole lifted his head and looked at me square in the face for just a second, but that was all it took for me to see that his eyes had changed. Was he shifting? Had he lost control of his human side? My breath caught in my throat from fear as I caught a glimpse of his elongated canines before he used them to rip through my bra.

"Cole!" I shouted. "Stop. Please!" I grabbed his shoulders and shook him, my hysteria rising as I desperately tried to get through to him. I was frightened of this Cole. With a snarl he flung me sideways and I clutched my tattered shirt over my naked breasts. I watched in horror as my lover sat at the other end of the couch with his fists clenched. He seemed to be fighting a battle with himself as he tried to back down from the violence of his unbridled passion.

It was possibly no more than a minute or two before Cole was quiet, although it seemed like a lifetime. He hung his head in his hands and his voice was quiet and controlled when he apologized. "I'm sorry, Vic. That shouldn't have happened; I shouldn't have let myself get so far out of control." He glanced up at me and I noticed that his eyes were back to normal. "Perhaps I should sleep down here tonight."

I decided to ignore his comment about sleeping downstairs, and deal with the more important issue of him losing control. "You started to change and it scared the hell out of me. Why? Did I do something that set you off? Is it some animal thing?"

Cole sighed and ran his hands through his hair and back down over his face. "Weres need to mark their mates. It's an instinctive reaction when weres mate for life. I wanted to do it the last time we made love but I stopped myself. This time, the thought of Kincaid, hunting him, catching him... it broke the hold I had on my instinct."

"Whoa. Mate for life? Don't I have a say in this? And what do you mean 'mark their mates'?"

"When I met you at the gas station a week ago, I knew you were special. By the time we left the diner the following night, I wanted to get to know you a whole lot more. The first time we made love, just confirmed my feelings. I was falling in love with you." Cole looked over at me. "I am in love with you. But I'm a were not a human. Weres bite their mates and mark them so other weres know they're not available."

"Is it only male weres who do this, or can the females do it too?" I had immediately thought of his father, who in Cole's own words had tomcatted around the world sleeping with other were females. If his mother had marked his father then surely he wouldn't have been able to do that.

"I've never heard of females marking their mates. It wouldn't make sense for them to. In the past, weres like my father, would mate with many females, spreading their DNA around; they would mark their females like they were marking their territory, to keep other males away." Once again Cole was on the same wavelength as me.

"So, you want to mark me as your territory?" I was getting angrier by the second, how dare he think of me as his property... his territory. "You say you love me; it's a strange kind of love if you think of me as your property."

"No. You're not my territory. Nor my property. I'm just explaining the biological reasons behind it. When I said earlier that I wanted to explore what we've got going between us, I meant it. If we... Oh shit, I'm making a mess of this." He hung his head in his hands, again.

We sat in silence for a few minutes. He looked the picture of despair and I, well I was trying to sort through my feelings. I was shocked, scared and angry, but I was also strangely turned on. And above all else I felt something which I thought was love, but I wasn't sure. "Cole?"

He looked up at me. "Have I totally ruined everything?"

"First let me ask you something. Does this marking thing have to be quite so violent?"

"I was hoping that when I marked you I'd be able to do it with love, make it something like a commitment ceremony."

"And would it be possible for the marking to be reciprocal?"

He shook his head slightly. "I honestly don't know. I certainly wouldn't stop you from biting me, but your teeth aren't sharp enough."

"You love me?" Something he'd said earlier had finally clicked, and while it had hardly been romantic, it had definitely been from the heart.

He nodded and looked at me hopefully.

"I care for you, Cole. I care a lot. Do I love you? I'm not sure I know what love is. I thought I'd loved once before and I'd been wrong." I tried to remember David's face and found that his image was gone; all I could see was the man in front of me. "What if I made a commitment and found out I was wrong. What you're talking about is like a marriage, but more so. This marking thing... you said it's for life?"

He nodded. "Yes, it's more than a marriage. It's not very romantic is it? I promise to try and control myself a little better until you decide. If you decide no, then I will leave and you'll never have to see me again."

"But... Oh God, I can't believe I'm going to say this, but can't we remain friends if I decide no?"

"No. My instinct will still be to mark you if I'm around you. When you said the other day that it was fate that we met, you didn't know how close you were to the truth. You are my fated one." He reached across the expanse of couch and stroked my ankle with his index finger, as if he was afraid to get closer. "It doesn't happen to many of us, but when it does it's for life, even without a marking."

"Don't leave me, Cole." I wanted him in my life as my lover, but if I couldn't have that, then I wanted him to stay as a friend, if that were at all possible.

"I'm not going anywhere... yet. When you decide what you want, then and only then will I leave, if necessary." He stood up and held out his hand for mine. I rose as well but I didn't give him my hand and he dropped his down to his side.

I moved to the stairs, but he stopped me with a gentle hand on my arm. "Do you want me to sleep down here?"

"Cole, we've slept together for the past three nights, I don't know exactly what set you off this evening, but I don't think you'll try and do it again until I allow it."

"You have a lot of faith in me."

I thought about that for a moment. "Yes, I do. I think you're an honorable man and I don't think you'll do anything against my will. Look at what happened this evening – you stopped yourself."

"No, you stopped me. But I heard you and I listened." He moved his hand down my arm and grasped my hand. We kept our hands entwined while we locked up and turned out the lights. Cole was a perfect gentleman all night and I slept peacefully in his arms, waking only once when Mister joined us in bed.

Before the alarm clock had a chance to ring, we were awoken by a flash of lightning and a crash of thunder. I lay in bed and listened to the pounding of the rain on the window, depressed that I had to run errands in such weather. I turned over to say good morning to Cole, only to find him getting out of bed.

"Cole, we don't have to get up yet, it's awfully early."

He pulled on a pair of jeans and leaned over the bed to give me a quick kiss. "I can't lie next to you in bed, sweetheart, at least not while I'm awake. Even your scent turns me on, and if I get turned on, regardless of whether or not we have sex, I'd want to put my mark on you. I'm trying to be good, but you would tempt a saint."

"I'm sorry this is so difficult for you, Cole. I wish..." I didn't finish my sentence because nothing I could wish for would help him. Only my decision could. Did I love him or not?

"It's okay, Vic. I'm going down to make coffee, you come down when you're ready and we'll finalize our plans for today. After we've caught and handed over Kincaid to the authorities, we'll sit down and sort things out."

I lay in bed staring at the ceiling for what seemed like ages after he went downstairs. My thoughts whirled around in my head and they kept coming back to one question. How could I love someone I'd met only a week ago? I knew I cared for Cole, but love? Even if I did love him I wasn't sure I'd want him to bite me; those teeth have got to hurt. But, I thought with satisfaction, I could always bite him back!

Cole was right, we needed to deal with Kincaid first.

### Chapter Fourteen

I arrived at my store just before noon. I felt exposed as I unlocked the door. I knew that Cole was somewhere in the vicinity, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched, and not just by Cole. Perhaps it was my were gene that was warning me of the presence of danger or maybe it was just my own sixth sense. I pretended indifference because I knew I had to stick to the plan. Forcing myself not to look over my shoulder, I entered the shop and began to get things ready for the day.

As I'd run my errands earlier, I'd felt a malicious presence. Cole had confirmed my suspicions when I'd returned from WalMart. He'd seen Kincaid following me. We were both sure that he was just watching and wouldn't make his move until dark when he could catch me alone. After all, he hadn't tried anything during daylight so far.

I had a steady stream of customers all afternoon; it seemed that Cole continued to be good for business. Everyone either had something to say about him or wanted to find out about him. Some even asked me straight out if there was something going on between us. I smiled a lot and remained non-committal in my answers. When I wasn't parrying inquiries on my private life I was thinking about the dilemma that was Cole. I didn't want to lose him; that much I was sure of. Did I want to commit to him for life? What he was suggesting was far more serious than marriage. A marriage can be dissolved; mating for life was 'until death do us part' for real.

Late in the afternoon my musings were interrupted by the shrill sound of the telephone.

"Hudson's Books." My public voice automatically slipped into place.

"Keep looking over your shoulder, Victoria. I'm waiting for you to talk to the police. I'm watching you." The voice I heard on the other end of the line sent chills through me, but it also added steel to my spine.

"I'm not retracting my statement. I know what you look like and I'm not going to lie."

"Lady, your life just got a whole lot shorter."

"You don't scare me, Kincaid." I was pleased that my voice remained strong and steady.

"You won't always have pretty boy as your shadow, I'll catch you when you're alone. Remember, I'm watching you."

Before I could say anything else I heard the dialing tone. Without missing a beat I dialed Cole's number. "He called."

"Come into your back room."

I put down the phone and checked to make sure that my sole customer was engrossed in her book search. Seeing that she was, I picked up some papers at random from the counter and walked into the office. Cole was inside, leaning back against the little sink, his arms cross over his chest.

I kept my voice low; I didn't want to be heard out in the shop. "He threatened me. Said I wouldn't always have you around, and that my life just got a whole lot shorter."

Cole pushed himself away from the sink and put his arms around me. "Good. He's taken the bait, now we need to reel him in. Are you scared?"

I pulled away and opened the door a crack to check on my customer, she looked like she was actually reading the book in the store instead of buying it and taking it home. I shrugged; it wasn't worth bothering about so I shut the door quietly. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't, but if we're going to catch him we have to stick with the plan."

"Good girl. I'll be back just before seven." He leaned forward, kissed me on the cheek and said, "Be careful." He dematerialized before I could say 'you too.'

He was as good as his word and just before seven he sauntered into the store. He was grinning when he greeted me. "Let's put on a good show. You need to get good and mad at me."

"I might have trouble with that unless you give me some ammunition. How about becoming the caveman again."

"I can do that." He changed his whole demeanor, the way he was standing and the look on his face became hard. "Get your coat." He barked it like an order.

Even though I knew he was playacting, it still put my back up. "Don't tell me what to do. I'll get my coat when I want to and not before." I was careful to fling my hands around in annoyance and schooled my face into an angry scowl. Anyone looking in the window would see that I wasn't happy with Cole. I finished up my closing routine and went to get my coat.

Cole grabbed my keys and all but pushed me out the door, taking charge of setting the alarm and locking the door. I tapped my foot in seeming impatience, putting a hand on my hip for good measure. Cole turned, grabbed my arm and frog-marched me to my car, his long strides making me take little running steps just to keep up. When we reached the car I rounded on him. "How dare you treat me like this! I have a say in this. You don't own me." I had no idea what I was saying but then I got a flash of inspiration. I lifted my chin, hauled back and slapped him hard enough that I left a red mark on his cheek. I tried to send a look of apology without being too obvious, before I unlocked my vehicle and slid behind the wheel.

I didn't look at him again until I'd pulled away from the curb. I caught sight of him in my rear view mirror; he was standing holding his cheek, watching me drive away. I hoped that scene hadn't been for nothing and that Kincaid had been watching. The whole drive home I prayed that everything else worked as well as our little 'fight.'

It had been dark by the time we left the shop, but with the rain clouds covering the moon the night was inky black. I wondered, briefly, if Cole had made it back to the house safely. Oh God, I hoped so. I pulled up in my driveway and took a deep breath before turning off the engine and getting out. I purposely didn't check my surroundings as I walked up to the front of the house. Stepping up onto the porch, a sound to my right made me turn my head. Kincaid was there, just as we'd predicted.

I stared at the gun in his hand. I needed to get him inside the house to complete our plan. "Are you going to kill me?" I'd told him on the phone that he didn't scare me. I'd lied. I found I was shaking like a leaf.

"If that's what it'll take to shut you up, then yes, I'm going to have to kill you." He gestured with the gun toward the door. "Open up and get inside."

I did what I was told and he followed me in. As he shut the door behind him I moved away from him as quickly as I could, giving Cole room to strike. My sudden movement, however, got Kincaid's attention and I saw him raise his weapon ready to shoot. A black blur shot past me and launched itself at Kincaid. In the dark of the foyer I saw the flash as the gun discharged, followed immediately by the weapon's loud retort, a yowl and a crash.

I flipped the light on. Cole was on the floor in panther form, blood oozing from a wound in his shoulder. Kincaid was out cold next to the hall table and I could see his blood too, pooling beneath his head.

"Cole!" I knelt down next to him and frantically pressed my hand against the wound to stop the blood. "Don't die. Please don't die." I was crying, the tears falling onto his fur as I leaned over him. The muscle under my hands started to twitch and Cole began to change shape dislodging my hands in the process. Was he dying? Is that why he was changing back? I realized in those few seconds that I wanted him in my life for as long as I lived, and as crazy as it sounded, I loved him.

Cole lay naked on the floor, obviously too stunned to will his clothes onto his body. I looked for the wound where I thought it should be. On the panther's body it had been on his shoulder and had looked bad. As a human it was high on his bicep and it looked like a flesh wound. I watched as his eyes flickered open and I smiled at him. "You did it. You got Kincaid."

He struggled to sit up and I helped him from his uninjured side. He looked over to where Kincaid was still sprawled on the floor. "We did it. I couldn't have attacked him if you hadn't been so brave." He crawled awkwardly over to the felon and felt for a pulse.

"Is he alive?" I asked.

"Yeah." Cole's clothes materialized on his body and he winced as the shirt appeared. He gingerly rolled the t-shirt sleeve up above the wound. "Get something to tie him up and then, if you have one, I'll need a first aid kit."

He flinched as I reached out gentle fingers to his upper bicep. "Please, Vic. Let's get him restrained first, then we can take care of me."

I didn't hesitate again and went into the kitchen, coming back a few minutes later with duct tape and a small first aid kit.

It took Cole just a minute or two to secure Kincaid, despite the fact that his arm had to be hurting. Finally he let me doctor his bullet wound. It wasn't nearly as bad as it looked, but I thought he might need stitches and said so.

"No. I can't go to a regular hospital, remember. Too many questions that can't be answered."

"Right." I sat back against the wall in the hallway and closed my eyes. It was over. All we needed to do now was to take out the trash that was still lying on my hall floor bound in duct tape. "I guess we'd better call the Sheriff to come and collect him."

"Yup."

I made an effort to get up and then flopped back down against the wall. "I don't have the energy to go into the kitchen to make the call."

Cole dug into his jeans' pocket, pulled his phone out and then tossed it over to me. I caught it and dialed. I told dispatch that the man from the gas station the previous week had broken into my home and had held me at gun point. I went on to say that my boyfriend had tackled him and that now Kincaid was unconscious. I also told them that in the process of the struggle Kincaid's gun had discharged but that no one had been hurt.

I thought that covered it and as long as no one believed Kincaid if he said anything about a large black cat, we'd be clear.

By the time Deputy Garvin arrived with his partner, Cole was looking and feeling a lot stronger. Kincaid was coming around but was still mostly out of it. We related our story again and after the Deputy put Kincaid's gun in an evidence bag, he dug the bullet out of the wall and put that in another evidence bag.

Deputy Garvin had no sooner finished collecting evidence when Kincaid started babbling about 'a big fucking black cat' and Chuck looked over at us and asked, "Do either of you two know what he's talking about?"

"No, Chuck, the only black cat I know is Mister." My wonderful pet had perfect timing; he strolled into the room, as if on cue, and wound himself around the Deputy's legs.

Cole cleared his throat to get Chuck's attention away from the animal. "You told Vic that Kincaid's a drug user, who knows what kind of damage substance abuse can do over time. Perhaps he was hallucinating."

"Or maybe he saw this beautiful creature and thought he was really big." Chuck was down on his haunches scratching Mister behind the ears. "Who knows?" He stood up and hitched up his belt. "Anyway, Vic, we'll need you to come in and make a formal statement, but I can't see this being anything other than an open and shut case. I'll be in touch to let you know what time you should come down to the station, probably sometime tomorrow."

The deputies left my home with Kincaid in tow and I shut the door behind them. I glanced at the hole they'd left in the wall after they'd dug out the bullet. "Cole, you're going to have to retrieve that bullet. It's got your blood on it."

"I know. Later tonight, during the graveyard shift, I'll nip into the evidence room and make it disappear."

"You can do that? Is that another power that you have?"

Cole laughed and slung his arm around my shoulders. "No, my little gullible mouse. I meant I would steal it." He kissed my temple and stepped back from me. "I'm going home. You'll be fine on your own now, Kincaid is in custody and I need to rest, let my arm heal."

"You can rest here."

"If I stay, you and I both know I won't get a lot of rest. I'll call you." He disappeared before I had a chance to tell him I'd made up my mind about us.

### Chapter Fifteen

Thursday seemed to go on forever. I didn't hear from Cole and I couldn't stop thinking about him. I missed him so much it hurt. Clichéd I know, but true. Every time I thought about him or about the times we'd sat and talked or made love, my stomach did a flip flop. I almost broke down more than once and dialed his number. One time I actually had the phone in my hand, before I forced myself to put it back down. I knew he was giving me time to decide what I wanted, and he needed time to heal. But the waiting was killing me.

Deputy Garvin called me and asked me if he'd left the evidence bag with the bullet at my house the previous night. That meant Cole had been successful in getting the bullet out of evidence. I told him I hadn't seen it at home, which was the truth, and asked when he'd want me to come to make a statement. We agreed that I'd drop by on the way home after work that night.

I didn't have to spend long at the station. I stuck to the story we'd told the night before, signed the typed up copy of my statement and drove home. I tried to eat a sandwich for dinner, but my appetite had completely disappeared. Instead, I took a non-paranormal, contemporary romance into the bathroom and read while I soaked in the tub for ages before going to bed early and crying myself to sleep.

I slept fitfully and woke Friday morning feeling more tired than when I went to sleep the night before. I dragged myself out of bed and eventually opened up the shop an hour late. I was sitting at the counter, my chin resting in my hand, my eyes half closed, when I was startled out of my stupor by the sound of the little bell hanging over the front door. I looked up and my weariness instantly evaporated.

Cole was standing there with a bouquet of flowers in his hands and a sexy smile on his face.

"Hi." Apart from a croak, I think that was the only word I could manage at the time.

Cole handed me the flowers. "I missed you."

I buried my nose in the blossoms and took a deep breath. I looked back up at him and into his beautiful green eyes. "I missed you, too." I was back to being the shy awkward girl I'd been in high school.

Cole came around the counter, took the flowers from me and laid them next to the cash register. He took my hands in his and raised them to his lips, kissing one hand and then the other. "Will you come to dinner with me this evening?"

"Y...yes. I'd love to. I have to go home first to change and..."

"No. No need. I'll pick you up here at five-thirty. You look perfect just the way you are." He didn't wait for a response, he just dematerialized and I was left holding air. I looked around at the window to make sure no one on the street had been watching before sighing. I didn't know if I was exasperated with his high-handedness or delighted with the romance. Either way, it seemed I had a date with a sexy cat, er, man.

Five-thirty couldn't come soon enough for me and I got more and more nervous as the afternoon wore on. I started closing the store at a quarter past. I wanted to be able to leave as soon as Cole arrived.

At exactly half past five, I was startled to see Cole walking out of the back room with my coat over his arm and my purse in his hand. I was ready to leave and slipped on my coat when he held it out for me. I grabbed the bouquet of flowers from the bucket of water I'd used to keep them fresh, wrapped some newspaper around the stems and held my hand out for my purse.

Cole stopped at the front door and removed a folded piece of cardstock and a roll of sticky tape out of his jacket pocket. I watched with curiosity as he tore off some tape, opened the card and stuck the sign on the inside of the door. I opened the door to read the message from the other side of the window. 'Due to unforeseen circumstances Hudson's Books will be closed on Saturday. We apologize for the inconvenience.'

The gossips were going to have a field day with that notice but I had no argument with it. I needed a day off. He flicked on the alarm and I locked the door behind us. "Do you mind if we go in your car?" Cole held out his hand palm upwards. "And I'd like to drive, if that's okay with you?"

I nodded, and handed over my keys. He gathered up my hand in his large one and we walked to my car.

The drive was silent until I realized where we were heading. "We're going to your house?"

"Yes. I've been cooking."

I fell silent again wondering what he had planned for the evening. I was even more nervous than I'd been earlier. I knew this was probably going to be the most important evening of my life. I was going to give Cole my answer and I hoped I'd come to the right decision.

Cole pulled up in front of his house and I waited in the car for him to open my door and help me out. I loved his rather old fashioned manners and I hoped he never succumbed to more modern ones. We entered the house and the first thing I noticed was that there were flowers everywhere. It was like a greenhouse. There were flowers on every surface and, dotted in-between, were candles ready to be lit. A new sofa took pride of place in the living room and there was a computer desk with a brand new computer set up in one corner. He led me into the kitchen and the table was set for two.

He stood behind me and put his hands on my shoulders, silently asking for my coat. I slipped it off and he hung it over the back of one of the chairs, holding out another for me to sit in. He opened the fridge and removed a bottle of white wine and poured some into two glasses.

I accepted one of the glasses as he handed it to me. "You've gone to a lot of trouble."

"This evening is special, Vic. I want it to be memorable."

"Are you so sure of me?"

"No. But I'm hoping to woo you."

I laughed, my nervousness dissipating in the face of his fake insecurity. And just like that, things returned to the way they had been before Tuesday evening, except now I was sure of my feelings.

"Deputy Garvin called today. From what he said I guessed you'd been successful in retrieving the bullet."

"Yeah, not a lot of people around at three in the morning." He winked at me.

We made very little small talk as Cole served homemade vegetable soup which was delicious and then salmon en croûte. "Did you make this pastry yourself?"

"No, I'm not that brave. I bought the pastry frozen, but I made everything else, including dessert."

I finished eating and sat back in my chair. "I saw you've got a computer set up, do you have an internet connection yet?"

"The line is supposed to be laid early next week. I'll believe it when I see it." He obviously didn't have much faith in the local phone company. "Why don't you take your wine into the living room and I'll bring in dessert."

He followed me into the other room with a plate and a tiny spoon. When he handed me the plate, I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "Chocolate mousse?"

"I hope it's okay, I obviously couldn't do a taste test." He sat down next to me and watched me with an eagerness which was just a little disconcerting.

I could only scoop up a tiny amount of the dessert with the little spoon he'd given me, but when I tasted the mousse, I forgave him the small spoon. I closed my eyes as the heavenly smooth taste of chocolate melted over my tongue. I took another mouthful and another. "Cole, this is the best chocolate mousse I've ever had." I put my spoon in the soft cream again and hit something hard. I frowned as I extracted something metallic from the dessert. I put the plate down on the floor at my feet and examined what I'd found.

I realized then why he'd given me such a small spoon to eat with. I rubbed some of the mousse off the object with a finger and looked up at Cole. He looked back at me hopefully. Slowly, I rose and went into the kitchen. He followed me to the sink and watched me rinse the chocolate off under running water. I put the object in Cole's palm and held onto his hand. "Ask me," I whispered.

"Will you, Mouse? Will you marry me?"

"Yes." I was surprised that it was that easy to accept. He slipped the white gold band with a solitaire diamond onto my ring finger. "I love you, Cole." I reached up with my now diamond adorned hand and pulled his head down to mine. "I'm going to kiss you now, are you going to try and bite me?"

"I might nip you a little." He grinned suggestively at me. "But that was going to be my next question."

"It can wait until I've finished kissing you." I kissed him then. We stood in the kitchen and kissed like we were pledging ourselves to each other. Which, in a way, we were. I pulled back and led him back into the living room but I didn't stop there, I continued to the stairs and he followed me up to his bedroom. I stood by his bed and slowly unbuttoned my shirt. I held his gaze as I slipped out of my top; I unzipped my jeans, toeing out of my shoes before pulling my pants off. He watched me with fire in his eyes as I unhooked my bra and pulled off my panties. Naked, I whispered. "Ask me."

Cole didn't say anything immediately. He slowly undressed as I had done, watching me the whole time. He came and stood in front of me, close but without touching me. I lifted my face and arched my body back, inviting his embrace. He lowered his lips to mine in the softest of kisses, just a whisper of a touch. His fingers grazed my cheeks and he moved them down my neck, over my shoulders and down to my back. With agonizing slowness, he pulled me closer until we were touching from lips to knee.

In silence his lips left mine and traveled down to my breasts fastening on first one then the other, suckling gently. His journey did not end there; he knelt on the floor at my feet and kissed my navel before finding his goal amongst the curls at the apex of my thighs. He began to kiss and suck my center, continuing until my legs began to quiver and I had to hold onto his shoulders for support.

With a soft chuckle, he stood up and pushed me gently down onto the bed. He settled next to me caressing my skin with feather-like touches, his erection nudging at my hip.

"Will you, Vic? Will you commit to me? Will you mark me and let me mark you, so all will know that we belong only to each other for as long as we both live?"

"Yes, Cole. For as long as we both live."

He rose up and covered my body with his. I spread my legs to invite him into me and I felt his erection rub against my core, smoothing moisture over my folds. My hips surged up almost of their own volition and he entered me. He pulled out and entered me again and again until he was fully encased inside me. We stilled, savoring the wonder that our joining had produced.

I held on to his shoulders and pulled him toward me for a kiss. This kiss was no feather touch like before. This was a joining like we were joined elsewhere. Cole started to thrust with both his hips and his tongue; I met each and every one with a thrust of my own. I felt the sharpness of his canine teeth on my tongue and I wondered how I was going to mark him with my own dull ones. He broke off the kiss and looked down at me with wide eyes. "Vic. Your teeth."

I frowned, wondering what he meant. A dull ache registered in my brain, the pain coming from my upper jaw. For a moment I thought he'd nicked me with his canines until I felt the sharpness of my own teeth against my tongue. Genetics and instinct had taken over. I smiled and my new look had an obvious effect on Cole as he thrust even harder. I arched turning my head slightly, offering my neck to him and he bit down. There was no pain because as soon as his teeth punctured my skin I came hard, so hard I could hardly breathe. I opened my eyes to see his shoulder a breath away from my lips. I kissed the skin then opened my mouth wide and bit down. I felt him shudder as he climaxed but he didn't remove his mouth from my neck.

The taste of his blood as it flowed into my mouth was salty and sweet at the same time. I drank. It seemed the most natural thing in the world. After a minute or two my teeth slowly retracted and I licked the wounds I'd made and I felt Cole licking my neck at the same time. We lay quiet for a moment or two, our breathing slowing and regulating. He was getting heavy so I pushed on his chest and we rolled over and I sat up, still impaled on his body.

He reached up and smoothed his hands over my breasts and down to my midriff, finally settling on my hips, holding me still as I sat on him. I glanced over at the still unopened box of condoms on the nightstand. Stretching I picked it up and held it up for Cole to see. "Do you think you can lob this into that waste basket next to the dresser?"

Cole grinned and took the offending item from me. "I probably could but I wouldn't want to dislodge you. Can I assume we'll not be needing these in the future?"

"You assume right." I grew serious. The diamond on my hand flashed in the moonlight streaming in through the window as I reached out to touch the tiny wounds on his shoulder. "Did it hurt?"

"No. It felt right."

"Yes. It did. I love you, Cole." I lay back down on him and he held me close. I had found my spiritual home and it was in my mate's arms. I relaxed in his hold and let sleep take me.

Fin

