Chapter 149 Chapter 149
Blair paced ten feet in the other direction again. He turned and looked back at the entrance, where everyone was settled for the night. He’d seen Calum come out about an hour ago and disappear into the trees. If he was running the perimeter, then Blair would stay close by and keep watch. He wanted to shift and go for a fast run, burn off some energy and maybe put an end to this never-ending thinking. He didn’t usually mind thinking things over, but this was getting ridiculous.
Giving his head a quick shake, he walked further away from the small cave to put some distance from the new reason his brain wouldn’t shut off. He’d spent the entire evening stalking Kobie with his eyes, and he wasn’t exactly sure why. He liked women, that was nothing new, appreciated all varieties—but this, this he hadn’t done in a few years’ time, and it was making him so uneasy in his own skin.
The last time he was this lost in his own head over a woman was with Kelsey—right after he found out she was off-limits. He caught himself wanting to look back to where everyone was and blew out an uneasy breath. Knock it off. You should only be focused on getting them all out of here tomorrow. Then what? He had no idea. Would he be asked to stay with them until they got everything sorted out? He didn’t know.
Rubbing a hand over his jaw, he straightened and moved over to the left, so he’d have a better view of the area coming up to here. Why, he was now wondering, did it bother him that if he wasn’t asked to stay with them? That was the plan—meet them and get them to where they were going, right?
A branch snapped behind him. He sprung around ready to fight if needed. Kobie stood there watching him.
“I didn’t want to sneak up on you.” She said in a hushed voice.
He relaxed—mostly and then nodded, “appreciate it.” He stood there, wondering why she wasn’t back with the others sleeping. “Can’t sleep?”
She shook her head, “I did for a few minutes, I think.” Turning, she surveyed all around them. “Calum out?”
Blair nodded, “he’ll make a sweep of the entire area.”
She came toward him, “he does this sort of thing often?” She stopped, leaving a foot between them. “Save people.”
“Yeah.” Blair tucked his hands in his pockets, trying to puzzle out why he wanted to reach out and brush the hair back from her face.
“Look,” she clasped her hands in front of her body, a very submissive motion in their world, “I’m sorry about earlier,” she looked down at the ground for a second, “when I stepped on your chest.”
He honestly didn’t know what to say. ‘That’s okay.’ Seemed like it was inviting her to do it again and he still wasn’t sure what had happened.
“I’m not—” she met his cautious look, “I don’t know what happened,” she lifted her hands out from her body and shrugged, “my cat,” she frowned, “likes you,” he raised one eyebrow to that, “I mean our cats seem to have a symmetry with each other.” She nodded.
Blair just stood there, now curious to see where she was going with this.
“When Daisie started rhyming off women...”
“Kelsey is my boss’ mate. I’ve known her since she was fifteen.” He said in a hushed way. It wasn’t a lie, but he felt strange saying it. “Layna is the daughter of the man that runs the farm for the clan. I’ve known her since she was twelve.” Again. Truth. His gut wouldn’t let him add any more to any of that explanation. He needed to think through the truths he’d just spoken.
Kobie inhaled a deep breath and then nodded. “I shouldn’t have reacted like that.”
Blair tilted his head, trying to remember where that effortless charm was he normally had. “It’s been a rough week for you.”
She huffed out a breath but made no comment.
Now she stood there looking as awkward as he felt. Not sure what else to do, he turned and motioned in the direction he should have already checked. “I was going to check that area. Want to come?”
She nodded and started going that way.
Blair inhaled and tried to process all the scents the slight breeze was bringing to him, but all he could smell was lemon and rose? First, those were odd fragrances to mix, and second, Calum was right, she wore some kind of scent. He lengthened his stride so he was walking beside her again. “What’s with the perfume you’re wearing?” He waved a hand in front of his face. “It’s messing with me picking up other scents.”
She paused in step for a second, then sighed, “it’s to keep me off male radars.”
He couldn’t help the surprised look on his face. “And that’s an issue normally?”
Kobie nodded, then gave him a half shrug. “You never know, right?” She stopped and shook her head, “I shouldn’t have it on right now,” she motioned to the area in front of them, “not when you and Calum are trying to keep us all safe.”
Blair’s chest tightened at the despondent note in her voice. “We’ll get it done, just maybe lay off it until we get back to civilization?”
She looked up at him and his heart jerked in his chest to see the anxious look on her face.
“Hey,” stepping closer, he cupped the side of her face. “You’re going to get through this. All of you are.” He offered a brief encouraging half-smile.
Placing her hand over his that was still on her face, she nodded. “Thank you.” Resting her other hand on his chest, she stretched until he could feel her breath on his mouth. She brushed her mouth over his and then leaned back, a shy look on her face. “I’m going to rest again.”
As she walked back, without making a sound, he noted, all he could do was lick his lips and wish for a more thorough taste of her. Turning, he almost jumped into the tree to see a jet-black jaguar standing behind him. He didn’t need to ask ‘what’, the expression was easy enough to translate, and he was right. He needed to get his head in the game. “I need to go for a run.” Calum stepped aside as if to say, ‘have at it’.
Kobie touched her mouth and then shook her head. What has possessed her to do something like that? Hadn’t she just spent the last day telling herself to stay away from Blair? So what’s the first thing she does once clearing the cave? Inhale and find out where he is. Stupid. Ignoring this mate thing wasn’t as easy as she’d always imagined it would be.
When she stepped outside, she listened. There was no movement inside. Deciding she didn’t want to lie down just yet, she went over to the side of the entrance and sat down. She’d barely had time to settle her breathing when Calum came walking out of the trees. He was wearing his jeans and carrying his shirt in one hand. As if she knew, Shaelan came out of the small cave. He smiled and held out his hand. Kobie had to curb the urge to sigh out loud with how in synch they seemed to be. Did she want something like that?
“Trouble sleeping?”
She realized Shaelan was speaking to her and nodded.
“You should try,” Calum said quietly. “This isn’t over yet.”
“I know, I’m just too unsettled.” Kobie offered what she hoped was a positive expression, even though she felt anything but.
Calum looked back in the direction he’d come. “Blair seems to have that issue too.”
Kobie did not want to talk about Blair. She did actually, which is why she wasn’t going to. “So, are you both from the same clan?”
Calum hugged Shaelan into his side while she chuckled softly.
“No.” Shaelan whispered, “not even close.”
“Oh, how did you meet?”
Calum closed his eyes and made a face.
“I actually found him chained to a wall,” Shaelan said with a smirk.
“Woman,” Calum growled playfully. “We’ve talked about this.” He did grin, so Kobie doubted he was upset by it.
“No, mate, you talked about it. I never agreed once.” Shaelan smiled at Kobie and then took Calum’s hand and walked around the opening to go to the shelf above the cave.
Getting up, Kobie decided she didn’t want to sit here within seeing and hearing distance of the two soft-on-each-other mates that wanted some time alone. Stopping in the entrance, she looked back into the trees and inhaled slowly. She could smell Blair’s cat. Biting her lip, she told her own no when it brushed up against her softly. Kobie knew at some point it wasn’t going to be that easy to contain her where the tall, sexy man-tiger was concerned, but until they were safe, there was no other option. Even then, she still had some thinking to do.