Wolf Tracks

Chapter Six

Sorry guys, I didn’t get anything useful out of Jared. TJ was very smart—all he told Jared was he planned on taking his vacation a little early and didn’t want to leave the excursion in the lurch, could Jared fill in for a few days? He knows nothing more.

Find Shaun. He’s the one who took them away. Check Granite Lake cabin, check the usual hangouts. I’m trapped taking care of this booking. When I find that boy I’m going to skin him alive. Robyn, you said you wanted a new rug for the living room, right?

Keil

Bliss.

Why had she never done this before? The totally decadent adoration of a slightly younger guy was awesome. Here she’d been going out with older men thinking that being more mature they would know their way around a girl’s pink parts better, but TJ? Whoa Nelly, the guy had talented fingers.

Even now he was using them to her best advantage. Last night had rocked, and she couldn’t quite remember when she’d fallen asleep. Somewhere between their third and fourth tumble on the bed, things got blurry, but the drag of his hands down her back as he massaged her naked body this morning was very clear.

Bliss.

Or had she thought that already?

He pressed harder, his thumbs sinking into the tight muscles in her lower back and she groaned. “Oh yeah, right there.”

“Hmm, sleeping beauty awakes. I seem to remember you saying that a lot last night.”

“Oh yeah?”

“And the ‘right there’. You’re very vocal in bed. I like that.” He kissed her cheek and lay next to her, the warmth of his bare skin covering her in lieu of the quilt.

“Don’t see any good reason to be shy.”

He watched her with the strangest expression on his face.

She leaned up on one elbow. “What?”

“How do you feel?”

“Well fucked.”

He frowned and stared in silence for a minute.

“Am I supposed to feel something else? You’re a seriously good lover, TJ. I’m happy as a clam, or I would be if you’d get back to what you were doing a minute ago.” She caught a flash of sadness in his eyes, but as curious as it made her, deep introspection before she’d brushed her teeth was not in the books. “Hey, did you tell me there’s a shower?”

He kissed her nose before sitting up and resuming his magic touch on her body.

“Massage first. You can shower while I’m cooking breakfast. The water heater is a rapid-fire system and I turned on the pump last night. With a lake full of water and the propane generator, you can have as long a shower as you want.”

“This place is not nearly as rustic as it appears at first glance.”

“Only the best for you.”

She laughed. “So glad you had my comfort in mind when you shanghaied me.” She lay back to enjoy what the day would hold.

They sat overlooking the lake while a delicious sensation of fatigue stole through her limbs. Private excursions by Kidnappers R Us for the win. “Other than warning you I’m taking over the cooking, this day has been incredible. I loved the canoeing, and the hike to the lookout was fabulous.”

“Sorry about the grilled cheese sandwiches at lunch.”

“Hey, a little carbon is supposed to be good for the system, right? Clears it out.”

TJ smiled at her as he touched her hair. He’d been doing that all day long. Stroking her cheek, holding her hand. Even with him acting like some kind of weird stalker, she couldn’t muster any concern. It was all so innocent, and tender.

“I’m very thankful you’ve been so understanding about me…well…”

“The kidnapping? Forget it. I tried to get upset, but somewhere at about the fifteenth orgasm all my ability to be freaked out seemed to float away.”

“You haven’t come that many times.”

She laughed softly. “Well, then, you’d better get busy, hadn’t you?”

He moved closer, wrapped an arm behind her and let her lean against him. “Tonight. Right now, enjoy the view. I know I am.”

“You’re not even looking around.” Pam flushed. The man never seemed to take his eyes off her. “You’re staring again.”

“I know.”

“It’s very flattering.”

TJ tugged her head against his chest and she relaxed, letting him support her weight as they watched the sun approach the top of the mountain. Under her ear his heart pulsed evenly, the solid beat lulling her into a lazy state.

“You think you’d like to live up north?” he asked.

She’d thought about it, but moving wasn’t practical. “It’s pretty, but my job is down south. I need to get ready to train a new partner.”

“Partner?”

“RCMP, remember? My partner retired and I’ll need to go start the process again.” She sighed. “Damon was awesome. I miss him a lot.”

A strange choking cough shook TJ. “Damon?”

“Yeah. We were inseparable. Even on the coldest nights he warmed me up.” TJ tensed under her, and Pam turned toward him. His face was bright red and his lips were moving, but no sound was coming out. “You okay?”

He shook his head and cleared his throat a few times. “I’ll be fine. I’ve never had a woman tell me about an old lover like this, while we’re—”

“Lover?” What the hell? Oh shit. A laugh burst out. By the time she’d regained control, her stomach was sore and she was gasping for air. It didn’t help that every time she looked at TJ his expression set her off again.

“Sorry…don’t mean to be rude. Oh my God, you’re kidding me. Didn’t you know? Damon was my partner, but he’s a dog.”

“That’s my opinion for sure.”

“No, seriously, a German Shepherd. I’m a dog handler for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Narcotics division, and I double in Search and Rescue when needed.”

“You’re a dog handler?” He collapsed back onto the blanket, his arms flung out to the side. “Oh man, I am never going to live this one down.”

Pam crawled nearer, resting her head on his chest. There was something very comfortable about the position. “I know, it’s a bit of a surprise, but I’m not sure why you think it’s such an odd job. It’s been a great way to be involved in the RCMP and still be able to enjoy working with animals. I debated training as a vet, but with one thing and another, it didn’t work out.”

TJ rolled her, leaning close to nuzzle her neck, and the rising anticipation she was coming to expect around him seized her again. He spoke quietly, the brush of air from his lips teasing her ear. “I think it’s a fabulous job, and I bet you are completely awesome. All the dogs must have contests to figure out who gets you as their partner.”

“Goof.”

“Just saying…”

She chuckled then broke into a huge yawn. What an amazing day. TJ tangled his fingers in her hair to stroke and pet her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck to encourage him closer.

He took the hint and kissed her. Slow and thorough. Damn, he tasted good. It was like he knew exactly what kind of mood she was in. Tired from their busy day, she felt dreamy and soft, and that’s how he kissed her. He pulled back and his eyes sparkled, the dark centers mesmerizing. “As pleasurable as this is, I need to make sure I tied the canoe properly. I have a sneaky suspicion I forgot, and I don’t want to have to go for a swim tomorrow to find it.”

“You want me to come with you?”

“You can, or you can stay here. I’ll only be a minute.”

She waved him off as another yawn escaped. She lay back on the blanket. Oh yeah, she was totally into this holiday. Six more days? They should think about getting an extension.

She covered her eyes with her arm and breathed in deeply. The clean air filled her lungs with a fresh energy. She wondered what new tricks they could get up to tonight. Maybe make love in front of the fire.

Something inside paused. Since when did she call it making love? Sex was sex. You took care of your partner, had some fun then moved on.

A rustling in the nearby trees made her sit up, and she watched carefully for signs of what made the noise. They hadn’t spotted any wildlife yet, and that was one thing she hoped to change before heading home.

She stood to have a better view. The lower limbs of a bush wiggled. Something small. The sound of sniffing reached her ears and she hesitated.

That didn’t sound like a deer or a caribou or some other four-legged vegetarian. The head that popped out from the forest was brown washed with streaks of grey. One plate-sized paw followed another and Pam froze in terror.

Bear.

Oh my God, what was she supposed to do? She racked her brain for the training session she’d taken on bear encounters, but it had been a long time ago. Stay still. It can’t see me if I don’t move.

No, wait—that’s what you’re supposed to do for a T-Rex.

There was still a fair distance between her and the bear, so she took a cautious step backward. The animal’s head pivoted in her direction and it sniffed harder.

Pam clenched her teeth together to stop them from chattering.

The animal reared on its hind legs, scenting the air. It snorted at her, twice.

She took another step backward and spoke softly. “Go away. I’m human. I’m not interesting at all. Oh damn, damn, damn, TJ, this is a rotten time to be out strolling.” Sneaking a peek over her shoulder to see if there was any action by the lake tempted her, but that would have required taking her eyes off the bear and that was physically impossible.

The beast wavered, its upper body rocking from side to side for a second before it suddenly dropped to all fours, and with a nerve-racking grumble, it rushed her. She shouted, adrenaline flashing through her veins. She looked around frantically for a stick or a rock or anything to defend herself, but there was nothing at hand, and besides, her limbs were frozen in terror.

A blur of silver fur flew past her from behind. She stumbled back and swore as she identified a canine-like body darting at the bear. Her attacker jerked to a stop, and snarled, its teeth gnashing together before spinning around. It disappeared into the bush with a crash, the wolf hard on its heels. A loud howl rang out as her protector paused at the tree line before pacing over to sit a short distance from her feet.

Pam wrapped her arms around herself to stop the shaking from taking over even as she stared at the animal.

How in the world?

“Wolfie?”