Excerpt of Claimed by the Mate by Kate Douglas, A.C. Arthur

FERAL PASSIONS by Kate Douglas

“Hey, ladies. Glad you’re here. We were getting worried.” The dark haired one stopped beside Christa and tugged his baseball cap off. Then he turned his full focus on Cherry. “I’m Brad. Why don’t you show me which bags are yours.”

It was the oddest thing—he looked as if he were sizing her up, but instead of a dismissive glance, he continued looking right at her. His brown eyes actually twinkled, and then he winked.

Her knees turned to jelly. She pressed her hand to the side of the car, unobtrusively, she hoped, but it was that or fall on her butt. Men never looked at her for long. A quick glance to check out her oversized assets, and then they moved on.

Brad didn’t. He grabbed her bags out of the trunk and lifted them with ease. She’d needed help from Christa to load the large one. Brad held it lightly in one hand.

“C’mon,” he said. “Your cabin’s all ready, and I’ll help you get settled.”

She had to swallow to speak, and then decided merely nodding was easier. He smiled and nodded to Traker. “Trak, I’ll be back behind the bar in a few minutes.”

For some reason, Trak looked like he was trying not to laugh. “No rush. Take your time. I’ll cover for you.”

A cloud coasted right over the top of Cherry’s sense of well-being. Of course, Trak was probably thinking of how he was going to tease Brad later, about getting stuck with the fat one.

She let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. “Meet you two in the bar in about half an hour, okay?”

“Sounds good.” Christa grabbed her overnight bag and followed Cain, while Trak led Steph in the same direction.

As Brad led Cherry toward a trail that angled away from the big lodge and away from Christa and Steph, Cherry felt a moment of panic. She hadn’t thought about the fact they’d be in individual cabins—she’d pictured the lodge as a large hotel with separate rooms. Not only were they rooming by themselves, she didn’t even know which cabins Steph and Christa would be staying in. She glanced over her shoulder as her sister and Steph disappeared into the woods, and then she turned and almost ran into Brad.

“Oh. I’m sorry.” Flustered, she realized she’d slapped her hand to her chest like an old lady with the vapors, which had her feeling like a fool. Heat raced over her chest and face and she knew he was thinking she was an idiot, a complete loser. Her eyes filled with tears.

“You okay?” He set the bags down on the hard-packed trail.

She dug through her handbag for a tissue but she didn’t look at him. “Fine,” she mumbled. This was all a mistake. She never should have come, it was....

“Hey, Cherry. Whatever it is, it’s not worth tears.”

Arms wrapped around her. Strong, warm arms pulling her close against a broad chest, so close she heard his heart beat, felt the steady thud, thud, thud against her cheek. He smelled so good. She couldn’t remember the last time a man had hugged her, and there’d never been one that smelled of pine forest and wood smoke. She should pull away, she really should, but he was holding her close and stroking her hair, and whispering stuff she couldn’t really hear, and she was just so damned tired from the long drive, and so...she wasn’t sure what to call it. Vulnerable? But somehow, even though he was a stranger, even though he was probably the most beautiful man she’d ever seen and that alone should scare her to death, it settled her.

He settled her.

She sniffed, drew in a shuddering breath, and sniffed again. He shoved a clean white handkerchief into her hand. “I’m a firm believer in the healing value of a good hug. You okay?” When she nodded, he leaned over and grabbed her heavy suitcase in one hand and threwthe strap to her second bag over his shoulder. She wiped her eyes and blew her nose and then didn’t know what to do with the handkerchief.

He took it from her with his free hand, wiped a tear she’d missed, and then stuck the soggy thing into his pocket. “I’ll wash it...”

“Forget about it. I’ll take care of it. You must be exhausted after that long drive. Let’s get you to your cabin.”