Chasing Cristabel (Ashland Pride Six) (5 page)

After dressing in a fitted long-sleeved shirt
with a daring V-neck, she paired her outfit with the only pair of
black heels she had. She swiped her lips with pink gloss, gave
herself a once-over in the bathroom, and grabbed her ID and a
twenty from her wallet before heading for the door. She lifted her
coat from the hook by the door and slipped it on.

When she opened the front door, the cold
January air slapped her in the face. Her lion grumbled; she did
not
like cold weather.
Get used to it
, she thought.
Her beast grumbled again as she lifted the hood up and buttoned the
coat.

“Here goes nothing.”

Chapter 4

Dylan turned away from his cousins, thinking
about what he’d say to Theresa to make her get the hint. He hated
confrontation. He didn’t like hurting anyone’s feelings. Whenever
people argued around him or raised their voices, it made him crazy.
He always tried to joke his way out of tense situations, but that
usually made him look like an insensitive asshole. He couldn’t joke
with Theresa, though. Ever since the first night that she’d come to
work and spent time in the kitchen with him, she’d seemed
especially interested. Even if he and his cousins hadn’t scented
their mate, he wouldn’t have wanted to be with Theresa.

The door to the bar opened and shut, and the
scent of sunshine and tall grass washed over him like a wave. He
spun on his heel with a purr as both Hunter and Chase turned toward
the door at the same time. A female pushed her hood back from her
head and revealed long hair the color of dark chocolate. He hadn’t
been entirely sure what it meant that her scent was captivating to
him and his cousins, but now that he was in her presence, he knew
for certain that she was their shared mate.

Her eyes swept around the bar, and she walked
toward them, a wary smile on her face, as if she weren’t sure she
belonged there.

“Fuck, it’s her,” Chase said as he came
around from behind the bar and joined Dylan and Hunter.

Dylan’s eyes darted down to the floor, and
when she took a step forward, the toe of her shoe pressed against
an ice cube. In a heartbeat, her leg went out from under her, and
she pitched backward. He bolted forward, worried she would be hurt.
Hunter was a blur, moving faster than Dylan had ever seen him.
Hunter scooped her up before she hit the floor.

“Dean, cover for me,” Chase barked at the
other bartender as he and Dylan caught up to Hunter, who carried
their mate through the bar.

Perry had left for the night, so it didn’t
surprise Dylan that Hunter took her to Perry’s office. Dylan opened
the door for them and inhaled silently as Hunter whisked her by.
Her sweet, sultry scent was exactly as he remembered, but even
better because she was here in person.

* * *

Their woman lay in Hunter’s arms like a
dream, her arms around his neck as if she were used to putting them
there. She seemed a little dazed, and her heart was pounding. He
stormed through the bar and into Perry’s office. A faux leather
couch sat against one wall, the cushions torn and worn from years
of use. He set her down on the couch, hating to let her go. The
door shut, and he went to his knees in front of her as Chase and
Dylan joined them.

“Sweetheart?” Hunter said, cupping her face
and staring into the bluest eyes he’d ever seen.

She blinked slowly, and her lush mouth
parted. “Hi.”

“Hi, yourself,” Chase said with a
chuckle.

“Are you okay?” Hunter asked.

“For almost making an ass out of myself? Yes,
I’m good. Thank you for saving me.”

Dylan went to his knees, and Chase followed,
so that all three of them were kneeling in front of her. The corner
of her mouth quirked up.

Dylan said, “You slipped on an ice cube.
Totally not your fault.”

She reached her hand out and cupped his
cheek. “Damn, you’re adorable. What’s your name?”

“Dylan,” his voice squeaked, and his cheeks
flamed as he cleared his throat. “Dylan Hall.”

“I’m Cristabel Hardison, but you can call me
Cris.” Her hand slipped away from Dylan’s cheek and landed lightly
on Hunter’s bicep. She walked her fingers across his chest and
lifted the edge of his sleeve. “You smell like ink and the
mountains.”

His tattoo, a tribal design that he’d had
inked over the winter, went from his elbow to his shoulder. Her
nail scratched lightly on the surface, and a shiver shot up his
spine. “I’m Hunter.”

Her right hand stayed on Hunter’s arm,
rubbing over the black ink, and her left hand reached out for
Chase.

“Chase,” he said, closing his eyes for just a
moment when her hand touched his face.

“You’re the bartender, right?”

“Yeah, how did you know?”

She slipped her left hand down Chase’s arm
and lifted his right hand, drawing his fingers to her lips. To all
of their surprise, she licked one of his fingertips and then
smiled. “You taste like limes.”

Chase laughed, brushing his thumb across her
lips. “Good call.”

“Do you know Lily St. James?”

Hunter nodded. “She works at the diner.
Why?”

“Because she’s letting me stay with her until
I can get a place of my own. We were supposed to come here together
tonight to celebrate, but she got stuck covering another shift. She
insisted I come by myself. I was just wondering if she knew…”

Her voice trailed off, and Hunter finished
her sentence. “That we’re mates.”

He rested his hands on her thighs, just under
the hem of her short skirt, and pushed her knees gently apart until
he could fit between them.

Her eyes darkened from bright blue to navy,
and a soft growl rumbled in her chest. “Yes.” She scooted closer,
forcing his hands up her thighs as her legs spread farther
apart.

Dylan moved to sit on the couch next to her,
helping her take off her coat. He wrapped a lock of her beautiful
hair around his finger and said, “We scented you in the diner. We
asked Lily who smelled like you do, and she said she didn’t
know.”

“Earlier today, we went to the diner and
asked her again. We thought she actually knew who you were but
wouldn’t tell us,” Chase said, joining them on the couch.

Cris smiled. “She’s sneaky. I’m sorry if she
made you crazy. Because she’s human, she wouldn’t understand our
needs.”

“There’s nothing to forgive,” Chase said.
“You’re here now, Cris. That’s all that matters.”

* * *

Chase couldn’t believe that the woman he’d
been fantasizing about since he first scented her in the diner was
sitting with him. An overwhelming urge to kiss her, touch her, hold
her, filled his mind, and his beast purred in response, the sound
rumbling in his chest.

Her eyes sought his, and she gasped softly.
“What are you?”

“Mountain lions. All of us,” he added.

“I’m…oh…” Her voice trailed off into a moan
as Hunter lifted her wrist to his mouth and kissed it, gently
pushing the sleeve of her top as he made his way up her exposed
arm. She shivered, slipping her hand around to the back of Hunter’s
neck and pulling him to her. As she kissed his oldest cousin, the
scent of her arousal saturated the air. Need ran through Chase like
a freight train. The need to touch. Taste.

Chase straightened slightly and brushed his
lips across her shoulder, tugging her top aside to kiss her skin.
She gripped the collar of his black T-shirt with a groan that was
muffled by Hunter’s mouth. Chase braced himself on the back of the
couch as he found the crux of her neck and kissed a path up to her
ear. Fingernails scored his shoulder as she gripped him along with
the shirt.

She moaned louder, her mouth free of
Hunter’s, and he took the opportunity to familiarize himself with
her lips. Soft and warm, she tasted lightly of mint and an
underlying sweetness that he bet was all hers. He stroked his
tongue against hers, his hand digging into the cushion. Whatever
his cousins were doing to her, she kept moaning softly.

Pulling away from her drugging kiss, Chase
watched her turn her head and crash against Dylan’s mouth. Panting
for breath, Chase sat on the edge of the couch, grasping her wrist
that was still holding onto him and stroking his thumb along the
soft underside. Hunter sat back on his heels, his hands halfway
under the hem of her skirt.

Someone rattled the door handle, and they all
froze. A loud knock sounded, and Theresa’s nasally voice broke the
silence. “Dylan, honey? Are you in there? You just disappeared on
me.”

Dylan cursed under his breath and ran a shaky
hand through his hair, glancing at Cris.

She frowned, her brows drawing down. “You
have a girlfriend?”

“No, no,” he said as he shook his head almost
violently. “It’s…complicated. She works here, and I was on my way
to tell her I wasn’t interested when you walked in the front door.”
Dylan paused for a brief moment, staring into Cris’s eyes, and then
said, “There isn’t anyone else for me, Cris. I haven’t been able to
stop thinking about you since we scented you.”

Her shoulders dropped, and Chase realized she
had been tense. Hunter stood up and said, “Let’s go deal with this,
Dylan.”

Hunter bent and kissed Cris’s cheek,
murmuring
beautiful
, and walked to the door with Dylan. They
slipped through the door without opening it enough to show that
Cris was with them, although Chase knew that Theresa had most
likely seen them snatch her before she’d fallen.

“You don’t have a girlfriend, do you?” She
turned slightly and rested her head on Chase’s arm that was
stretched along the back of the couch.

“No. We’re all single. You?”

“I don’t like girls.” She raised her brows in
jest and he laughed. “No, I’m not seeing anyone.”

She was so gorgeous, and her scent was
intoxicating. He laced their hands together and asked, “You’re an
African lion, right?”

She murmured in agreement. “I’ve never met
mountain lions before. I’ve only ever known wolves and my own kind
of lion.”

“There are a few wolves around Ashland, but
they’re all rogue. You live with Lily?”

“I just got here, and I accepted a job at the
new were-clinic this morning. Lily’s been kind enough to let me
stay with her.”

“I’m sure you’re a great roommate.” In fact,
he didn’t think anyone on earth would be a better roommate than
her.

“Well, for all you know, I leave my wet
pantyhose hanging over the shower rod and dirty dishes in the
sink.”

“I’m willing to overlook all of that.”

She laughed, causing her lips to split into a
wide smile that revealed perfect teeth. Hunter opened the door.

“Theresa’s gone,” Hunter said. “We can head
out at eleven. Donovan is going to lock up for me.”

Chase stood, his cat snarling in unhappiness
at having to leave Cris’s side. “We have to get back to work. Do
you – damn it.”

Cris stood, her brows drawn together.
“What?”

Chase glanced at his cousins, who had walked
into the room and joined them. “We haven’t talked about this
situation. I don’t want you to think we’re taking anything for
granted when it comes to you.”

Her nose wrinkled adorably as she smiled.
“It’s not exactly the most romantic place in the world, but this
isn’t a normal situation. I do want to talk to you, privately, but
that can wait until you’re done with work. I don’t mind
waiting.”

Dylan leaned over and picked up her coat from
where it had landed on the floor. “Do you want to stay in here or
come out and sit at a table?”

“I can come out,” she said.

Chase was so happy she wanted to stay out in
the bar where he could keep an eye on her that he was two seconds
away from dancing a jig. He didn’t want her out of his sight. He
offered his hand to her and she took it. Dylan parted ways from
them at the kitchen, getting a quick kiss from Cris before he
disappeared. Chase and Hunter led her into the bar and to an empty
table against the wall.

“Can I get you something to drink?” Chase
asked.

“Ginger ale?”

“You bet.” Stealing a quick kiss, he hoofed
it back to the bar and filled a glass with soda and dropped in a
straw.

When Chase returned, Hunter was bent over,
one hand on the table and the other buried in Cris’s hair as they
kissed.

Hunter growled softly and said, “I’ll see you
soon.” Then he walked away.

Chase set down the glass and stole another
kiss from Cris. “If you need anything, let me know.”

She smiled at him, and it took a considerable
amount of effort on his part to return to the bar. Hunter was
leaning against the bar when Chase lifted the pass and thanked Dean
for filling in for him.

“How did things go with Theresa?” Chase asked
as he filled drink orders, positioning himself so he could keep an
eye on Cris. She sipped at the drink he’d given her and looked at
her cell. He wondered if she was texting or reading. They couldn’t
leave for several hours, and it seemed unfair to put her in that
situation where she would be bored. At the same time, he didn’t
want her to go anywhere without them.

“Theresa didn’t take the news well. I’m
fairly sure she knew that we’d taken Cris into the office. Dylan
told her that Cris was our mate and that was all there was to it.
She tried to protest, but I told her that we would absolutely talk
to Perry about her if she didn’t take a hint, and she just walked
away. Hopefully, by the time we’re all working together next week,
she’ll have moved on to someone else.”

“Pity the guy,” Chase said.

Hunter glanced at Cris and then nodded at
Chase before returning to his post by the door. Chase handed a
pitcher of beer to a waitress and then began to make a Long Island
Iced Tea. The night couldn’t end quickly enough. His lips still
tingled from kissing Cris. No matter what the night brought, they’d
found their mate, and that was all that mattered.