Chapter 11
“You know, I really thought I meant what I said when I invited you over here just to talk,” Tracy mused as she lay spooned against Hank’s warm body deep in the night, after their third round of lovemaking.
“You think differently now?” he asked, his voice dropping into that purring growl that made her insides tremble with desire. Her pussy cat was just too damned sexy.
“Apparently, I was lying to myself as much as you.” She turned so she could face him but stayed close. “I’m sorry, Hank. I’ve been very confused since you came back. I know that’s not really an excuse, but it’s the truth.”
He stroked her hair back from her face with one hand. “That’s okay. This is a confusing situation. I’m sorry I didn’t realize you were…” He stopped talking, his expression growing shuttered.
“Were what?” she asked, suspicious about what he had been going to say.
Hank seemed to come to a decision. “I’ve been kicking myself ten ways to Sunday about this, sweetheart. Somehow, I didn’t realize you were my true, Goddess-given mate.”
“Mate,” she tested the word as if weighing how it felt in her mouth. “You seriously think so?”
Hank nodded solemnly. “I know it’s a lot to take in. It was for me, too. But I truly believe that’s what we’ve been fighting. We were always meant to be together. Emma is proof of that, if we need any more.”
“But you’re a cat!” She hadn’t meant to say it. It just came out.
Hank chuckled. “I know. Terrible of me, isn’t it? Ruining all your preconceived ideas about the wolf you’d end up with. If it makes any difference, you blew up all my expectations too.”
Her first instinct was to bite him. How dare he laugh about something so serious? Then, she stopped to think about what he’d said and realized he was right—about her expectations, at least. She still wasn’t buying into the true mate hypothesis.
“I’m not so sure about the mate thing, but I will admit I’m more attracted to you than I’ve ever been to anyone else.
If that means mating…” She thought about it for a moment more and was glad he didn’t rush her.
“I’m not prepared to go that far…yet. I always thought there would be sparkling lights and fairies singing or something,” she admitted, laughing at her own childish ideas.
“I’m going to have to think about this.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less of my pensive…” He placed a quick kiss on her forehead. “Pedantic…” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Passionate…” This time, he kissed her lips and lingered. “Pretty, pretty mate,” he whispered after he let her up for air.
She let the claim slide this time. She liked the way he complimented her. He knew just how to stroke her inner wolf, and her human sensibilities, as well.
“Will you come to the island to visit?” he asked after a short lull where they just held each other quietly. “I can fly you back with me and then bring you back here whenever you want.”
Tracy sighed. “Was that what this was all about? You were seducing me into agreeing to visit the island?”
He shrugged. “Did it work?”
“You’re incorrigible,” she told him, smiling despite herself. He really was a charming rogue.
She’d already given the idea of visiting the island a lot of thought and realized it wouldn’t be fair to Emma if she didn’t at least try to see how the jaguars lived.
She’d already half-decided to go back with him when he left—just for a short stay.
Did she let him think he’d seduced her into it, or did she make it clear she had already mostly decided to go anyway?
What difference did it really make? It seemed petty now, to try to belabor the point, so she just smiled at him.
“We’ll go with you,” she told him, gratified when his face lit up with happiness. He was devastating when he was serious, but he was incredible when he smiled. Her tummy lurched with the attraction that never seemed to fade. “Just for a short visit, though,” she qualified, trying to be stern.
His joy didn’t dim with her harsher tone. He leaned in and kissed her soundly, then drew back, meeting her gaze. “Thank you, Tracy. I can’t wait to show you my home.”
When they arrived the next day—for Hank hadn’t wasted any time getting Tracy and Emma on his plane once she’d agreed to go—Jaguar Island was like nothing Tracy could have imagined.
An island paradise, for sure, but it still looked so wild and untamed.
Yet, she was sure she’d heard the jaguars all lived there.
“There’s only one house,” she mused as they got off the plane and she had her first good look around. “Does everyone live in that mansion? I mean, everybody knows the jaguars suffered greatly and were diminished in numbers, but I really thought there were more of you than that.”
Hank chuckled as he picked up Emma and carried her down the short staircase that led from the cabin of the plane to the tarmac. He kissed her on the cheek before setting her back on her little feet.
“Cats are really good at stealth,” he told her. “The mansion was here when Mark bought the place. It serves its purpose as camouflage, and a place to bring the occasional non-Clan guest.”
“Will we be staying there?” Tracy bent down to pick up Emma while Pax and Ari handled the bags for them. The two giant jaguars had turned out to be nice guys and had kept both Tracy and Emma entertained on the long plane ride.
“If you want to,” Hank said as they began walking up the winding shell-lined path that led to the mansion. “But I’d hoped you’d stay at my place. There’s plenty of room.”
Tracy wondered if he expected her to share his bed if she stayed with him. If possible, she’d try to see the accommodations offered by both choices before making a decision. She had to choose what was best for Em, even if Tracy’s hormones wanted to share sexy Hank’s bed again. And again. And again.
Down, girl.
Hank was nervous introducing Tracy to Mark and the rest of his people.
Would she like them? Would they like her?
It was strange to be introducing a werewolf onto the island—a place designed for cats.
Even now, Hank spotted a few of his Clan mates in the trees, watching the path.
They were holding back, for now, not sure what to make of the mother and child.
For, it was obvious to anyone who scented them that Tracy was Emma’s mother, yet their inner animals were completely different.
It happened, but not often, that mates were of different species.
Cats had been known to mate bear shifters in the past—both species liked to roam alone, so that sort of made sense—but Hank didn’t know of any other wolf-jaguar matches.
Wolves wanted to constantly be surrounded by Pack. Jaguars? Not so much.
In fact, that was one of the potential problems in asking Pax and Ari here. They were protectors of their own small Clan in Arizona, but here, they would be surrounded by a lot more jaguars with a lot less real estate. Clashes could happen.
Hank didn’t flinch when a very large jaguar jumped out of a tree on the path in front of them. Tracy reflexively held Emma tighter, Hank noted, but he knew the male cat that had just put on a display, and Hank suspected it was more for Pax and Ari’s benefit than Tracy’s.
“Knock it off, Mario. You’re scaring my daughter,” Hank said, figuring little Emma would forgive him for the face-saving falsehood.
Emma was far from frightened by the big cat’s appearance.
In fact, she was peering with wide eyes from her mother’s hold, noting everything about the new feline.
It was Tracy that was apprehensive, as any protective mother should be in new and unknown situation.
Hank moved closer to her and put one hand on her shoulder.
“Don’t mind him. He’s probably here to check out our other guests,” Hank murmured to Tracy as Mario paused, nodded once, then moved past them with a swish of his tail. Sure enough, he walked right up to Pax and growled.
Pax growled back, but Hank knew they were growls of greeting. Friendly sounds. Apparently, Mario knew these guys.
“Don’t let ol’ Mario spook you, Miss Tracy,” Ari offered from the rear of the small party. “We worked with him a few years back. He just came to say hello, now that we’re in his home territory.”
Hank resumed walking, escorting Tracy and Emma while Pax, Ari and Mario spaced themselves a few yards behind.
It felt good to walk on the island with Tracy beside him.
Having her here was something he’d never expected but had started to want with all his heart.
He hoped she liked the place enough to consider visiting with Emma from time to time, but he was concerned her inner wolf would be driven up the wall being surrounded by cats.
“I’m sorry about the long walk. We left it this way deliberately,” Hank told Tracy. “Another layer of security. We get to see everyone who comes up this path from multiple angles.”
“And of course you have people in the trees,” she said, nodding toward where another jaguar lounged in the crook of a forked tree trunk.
“Well spotted,” he complimented her skill in seeing the golden jaguar against the dappled sunlight in the trees.
Tracy tapped her nose and smiled softly. “The nose always knows,” she told him.
“We should have a smell-off sometime,” he mused aloud.
“A what?” She looked at him, humor dancing in her eyes.
“You heard me. I’ve always wondered if wolves had more sensitive noses than jaguars. We could test it.” They rounded the final bend, at that point, and the house was before them.
Tracy didn’t answer as little Emma demanded to be put down, only so she could run straight for the porch of the mansion where a young couple was sitting in the shade, tall glasses of lemonade on a table between them. Hank held his breath. Mark and his mate were waiting for them.