Second Chance Lion (Cedar Hill Lions Book 4) Read online

  Belatedly, Lincoln realized he probably should have made what he was planning to do clear with Faye before asking Isaiah to take care of his errands. He frowned a little. Faye didn’t seem upset about it – but it was something he’d have to keep in mind. He wasn’t used to having to run his decisions by anyone. As a man and as an alpha, he tended to simply do things.

  Before he could get out a word of explanation, though, Faye was shaking her head and opening her car door.

  “All right – well, maybe I could use some help after all. You follow me in your car. Many hands make light work, I suppose. I can’t say I was looking forward to the idea of spending all afternoon clearing out some of that mess all by my lonesome.”

  Lincoln only nodded. If Faye was willing to overlook his lapse in courtesy, he wasn’t going to risk her acceptance of his offer by saying something charged by his lion’s sense of overprotectiveness now.

  He did, however, allow himself the smallest of smiles as he headed back toward his truck.

  Our mate, his lion purred in his chest. Ours.

  ***

  Hours later, Lincoln straightened up from where he’d been tipping an armload of loose wooden slats into a dumpster, wiping sweat from his brow.

  As a shifter, he didn’t get physically tired very easily… but they’d been shifting detritus out of the house all day to make it ready for when Faye’s crew would arrive, and now, even he was beginning to feel the strain of the work they’d been doing.

  “Let me get this straight,” he said, turning to where Faye was throwing some ancient plasterboard over the side of the dumpster. “You were planning to do this all by yourself?”

  Faye dusted off the front of her shirt – Lincoln couldn’t help but notice the way it made the material tighten over her full, voluptuous breasts – before looking at him a little sheepishly. “Well… I guess it turned out to be a lot more work than I thought it was. Though honestly I do think you’re also going a little bit above and beyond.”

  Lincoln shrugged. “No point in paying someone else to do what you can do for yourself.”

  “That’s true. And my budget is stretched to its limits as it is. The quicker the crew can get in and start on the actual reconstructions, the better.”

  Lincoln had done his fair share of building and renovating during his time, but that had been on the ranch, where it didn’t matter if things looked a little rough and ready as long as they worked. This kind of specialized work needed a kind of craftsmanship that was a cut above what he was used to – but still, it made his lion unsettled to think there was something his mate might need done that he wasn’t providing.

  “This crew of yours,” he said, realizing even as he spoke that he sounded suspicious, “are they well qualified? They know what they’re doing?”

  Faye shook her head, and Lincoln caught her exasperated sigh. “Lincoln, do you think I’d just hire any old yahoos? I checked them out fully, and even drove around to a few places they’d worked on in the past to have a look and talk to the owners. I didn’t just throw darts at the phonebook and hope for the best.”

  “Sorry. You’re right.” Lincoln held back a sigh. He was no good at this. He’d only meant to try to make sure everything was sorted out, but he’d come off like he was questioning her judgment. “It’s just that – sometimes when men see a woman on her own, they can try to –”

  “What, take advantage of me? Gouge me for more money?” Faye’s eyes glittered. “If they do, they’ll quickly change their minds. I spent six years building schools in South America – I know how to supervise a build. Believe me.”

  Lincoln blinked, a little surprised. “Is that where you’ve been all these years?”

  “Among other places.” Faye shrugged. “I moved around a lot. But that was the thing I enjoyed the most.”

  Thinking about it as he followed Faye back into the Campion mansion, Lincoln wasn’t quite sure why he’d been at all surprised to find out that Faye had been involved in projects like that – she’d always been active, and she’d always had a strong sense of what was right. It was exactly the kind of thing she would have thrown herself into: something that involved being hands-on and helping a community.

  She was beautiful, smart, and capable.

  She was everything he’d ever wanted.

  And now, he was mature enough to see it, and recognize her for what she was.

  She was his mate. And every second he spent with her only made him love her more.

  The sun had started to head toward the horizon. They’d finished up with their clearing work just in time.

  “Here,” Faye said, leaning over and opening a cooler which was sitting on the floor next to her bedroll. She pulled out a beer, twisting the cap off with her fingers easily. “You’ve earned this.”

  Lincoln took the drink gratefully. He wasn’t a big drinker, but a beer at the end of a long work day was an indulgence he could afford. He took a long, slow swallow, the crisp, cold liquid flowing easily down his throat.

  “C’mon. Sit down.” Faye opened her own beer, before taking a seat on an old bench that’d been left behind when whoever had lived here last had hauled out. She patted the place next to her, before taking a long pull on her drink.

  Lincoln’s breath caught in his throat. Her cheeks were just slightly flushed in the warm spring air, and a trickle of sweat ran down the side of her neck, across her collarbone and down onto the generous swell of her breasts.

  God, she’s beautiful.

  He could already feel heat tugging at his blood, pooling between his thighs. From here, his heightened shifter senses could smell the fresh, clean scent of her sweat, and something that must have been the shampoo she used. It smelled like honeysuckle and roses.

  Or maybe that was just her.

  She seemed to fill his senses, clouding his head with desire.

  They had been so many years apart, and yet, it was like they’d seen each other only yesterday. He longed to kiss her, to wrap her up in his arms and make up for all the time they’d missed…

  “Lincoln?”

  Her voice brought him out of his reverie. Faye was looking up at him a little quizzically, and he coughed, feeling a little embarrassed, before coming to sit by her.

  Here, her scent was even stronger. It was almost as if he could sense her very presence, like he was sinking into her like water…

  “Lincoln,” Faye said again, though this time her voice was a little hesitant. “Do you ever… think about what might have happened between us? If I’d stayed, I mean?”

  Lincoln glanced at her, not sure what to say. Only every day of every year, he wanted to say, but he wasn’t sure if that would scare her off. She was an independent woman, after all.

  “I’m sorry, I’ve got no right to ask you that,” she said quickly before he could answer her. “I was the one who left, after all. Even if I didn’t have a choice – well, not at first, anyway.”

  “No, it’s okay.” Lincoln took another swallow of his beer while he collected his thoughts. “I mean… of course I do. Think about it, I mean – and what could’ve happened.”

  Lincoln was trying to choose his words carefully. He felt out of his depth here – which seemed like a ridiculous thing to say, considering his age, the fact he’d raised three children near single-handedly, and was alpha of his pride.

  But around Faye, all of that flew out the window. The only thing he knew was that she was his mate, and there was no experience on earth that prepared you for that.

  “We were just kids,” Faye said, her voice a little tight, even through her smile. “I can’t speak for you, but I didn’t know anything about anything. I had to grow up real fast once I was out of Cedar Hill.”

  Lincoln nodded. He knew that feeling. Hell, he knew it all too well, despite the fact he’d stayed here. He’d had to become alpha at a much younger age than was usual, and suddenly the fate of everyone he loved and cared about had been in his hands.

  Well… perhaps it hadn�
��t been that dramatic. These weren’t the days when shifters had to fight each other for land, food, and mates. But making bad choices still had an impact on his family, and prides who couldn’t look after themselves were vulnerable to having their lands taken from them by others.

  “I feel like… there’s so many things I should ask you about,” Lincoln said slowly. He wasn’t used to this – to talking so openly with someone. An alpha had to not only be strong, but be seen to be strong. An alpha’s problems were for him alone to deal with.

  Faye’s eyes were bright in the low light of the empty room. “Like what?”

  Lincoln sipped his beer, trying to push down his unease. His lion, usually a relatively calm presence inside him, was pacing in agitation, wanting him to be open with her. She’s your mate. She understands – that’s what mates are for. To be there for each other, no matter what.

  “Like… why you didn’t come back to Cedar Hill sooner.” His eyes flicked up to her face. “If there’s… ever been anyone… special… in your life.”

  Faye let out a soft laugh. “Special, as in a husband? You don’t have to tip-toe around it, Lincoln. As a matter of fact, there was. It didn’t last. It was… an impulse thing, I suppose. But it was doomed from the beginning. I was… really stupid. And not in a good place. In my head, I mean.”

  At her words, Lincoln’s lion reared its head, teeth bared. It did not like the idea of its mate being with anyone else – but it liked even less the idea that someone might have hurt her, or not appreciated her for the beautiful, perfect creature she was.

  Down, boy, Lincoln told it. This was no time to be getting all Stone Age.

  The lion was still far from pleased – but at least it put its fangs away, and stopped thinking about what would be the fastest way to cause pain for anyone who didn’t respect its mate as she deserved. That was what being alpha was all about, though – a constant conflict between the guiding human intelligence, and the fierce, dominant, protective wildness of the alpha lion.

  A constant struggle between duty and desire.

  Lifting his beer, Lincoln drained the bottle.

  “It’s in the past, now,” he said softly. Just like so many other things were.

  Faye nodded. “I don’t think about it – about him – at all really anymore.”

  They sat together for a long moment. Lincoln could almost feel the air between them bend beneath the weight of words left unsaid – things that had been waiting to be said for years.

  Faye’s eyes were bright in the growing dark, blue and almost luminous. Her pink lips were slightly parted, and Lincoln imagined he could feel the heat of her breath against his throat.

  He swallowed, every cell in his body reaching toward her…

  “Here, let me get you another beer,” Faye said, her voice sounding tight and a little strained. She leaned over to him, reaching for his empty bottle, her eyes darting away from his gaze.

  Her sudden movement sent a ripple of surprise through Lincoln’s body. But in the next second, her fingers, reaching for his empty bottle, brushed against his hand, and a spark of pure heat passed between them.

  Faye gasped a little, looking almost shocked – but then, they were together, arms winding around each other’s bodies, lips crushed against lips, hot breath mingling in the cool evening air.

  Chapter Four

  Faye

  The kiss was searing – bright and burning hot – the culmination of so many years of thwarted desire finally finding expression.

  Faye felt a frantic heat building within her: a raging fire burning out of control, racing through every fiber of her being. Lincoln’s hands plunged into her hair, holding the back of her head and drawing her tightly against him. Faye filled her own hands with the heavy muscle of his shoulders, standing on tip-toes to reach his lips, desperate for more, more, more…

  Never before in her life had she responded to any man the way she responded to Lincoln. She didn’t even know how to describe what she’d felt as their fingers had brushed each other – it had been like a spark of pure electricity had arced through her body, and settled firmly in her groin. Heat was building at her core, filling her with unbearable, delicious tension.

  Faye could hardly catch her breath as they stumbled together toward her bedroll. Somehow, instinctively, they seemed to know what the other wanted – and that this wouldn’t just be ending with the most insanely hot kiss she’d ever experienced in her life.

  Her fingers were already tugging at his shirt, not caring about the buttons. She gasped when it was finally open – Lincoln may have aged, but it was the difference between an Achilles and a Zeus. His muscles had filled out over the years, become thick and hard, scattered with dark hair. She ran her fingers over the tight washboard of his abs, across his pecs, almost as if to reassure herself that this was real.

  But then his lips were on hers again, his hands tugging at her shirt before lifting it over her head.

  “Faye,” he breathed as they broke apart to let the material pass between them. “Do you know how long I’ve been wanting to…”

  “Shhhh,” she murmured lifting her hand to place her fingers over his lips. “Another time. For now, let’s just…”

  She finished her sentence by kissing him again, her tongue sliding between his parted lips.

  Faye wasn’t sure how she came to be lying on her back on her bedroll, but Lincoln must have laid her down there gently, covering her with his big body. She could feel his erection against her thigh, huge and straining inside his jeans.

  Both of them were still wearing far too many clothes, she decided – and by too many she meant any at all. She fumbled clumsily with the button and zip of his jeans, before finally getting them open and shoving them down his hips, along with his underwear.

  She groaned at the sight of him, his cock thick, hard and heavy, moisture beading on the tip. Reaching down, she took him in her hand, wanting to feel him, and heard him groan.

  “God…” she whispered as she ran her fingers lightly over his hot flesh, marveling at his hardness. He was this hard for her, she realized – he had wanted her all along. Just as much as she had wanted him.

  So many years…

  But no. She wouldn’t think about that now. The only thing she wanted now was him. To be filled by him, to be taken by him.

  Lincoln’s hands were shoving down her own jeans and panties, and she moaned, writhing beneath him. She was already soaking wet inside them, and when Lincoln moved his hand up her thigh, sliding a finger against her folds, she squealed, a bolt of pure pleasure racing through her.

  “Please, Lincoln, don’t make me wait,” she gasped. “I can’t wait a moment longer…”

  Lincoln nodded, then lowered his head to hers, kissing her as he entered her in one strong stroke. Faye cried out into his mouth, her back arching, lightning flickering through her.

  No other man had ever made her feel this way – she felt as if she were lit up from the inside out, fire burning along her veins, utterly awash with sensation. Lincoln’s cock, huge and hard, filled her to utter perfection, in a way she’d never been filled before. She gloried in the feeling of him pressed inside her, their union completely perfect.

  His first thrust inside her sent stars spiraling over her eyes. She raised her hips to meet him, wanting to feel everything he had to give her – every inch of him sinking into her, again and again and again.

  “Faye…”

  Her name on his lips was the hottest thing she had ever heard – desperate and filled with desire. Even that sent a new river of heat through her body, and she closed her eyes, bucking her hips, and heard herself cry out his name.

  Her moans and cries as he moved within her only seemed to drive him harder, make him give her more. She could feel her climax building inside her, flooding her core with liquid heat.

  She was so close, so close… her body felt like a coiled spring, on the verge of release…

  With Lincoln’s next thrust, Faye cried out as whi
te heat burst through her, her muscles clenching desperately as her climax tore through her. She shuddered, her head rising from her pillow as surge after surge of pleasure washed over her, filling her up, and making her see stars. She could feel that Lincoln was coming too, his cock pulsing rhythmically inside her, filling her even further.

  At last, Faye found her vision had come back, her muscles beginning to relax, her skin tingling. She was still breathing heavily and bathed in sweat, and every part of her felt filled with bliss.

  Lincoln eased himself away from her, gently withdrawing his softening cock. Faye felt the loss of him immediately, and she reached over to him, resting her hand on his chest as he lay beside her.

  “Wow. That was… that was…” she said, her voice soft.

  Amazing was what that had been.

  But now that it was over, and there was nothing between them but the warmth of their breath, Faye found her afterthoughts beginning to chatter at the edges of her mind.

  She hadn’t come here with the intention of reigniting an old flame, or getting into a new relationship of any kind. She’d come to value her independence too much for that. She liked being able to do what she wanted, when she wanted to. Over the years she’d been single, she’d been able to move around just as she pleased, moving from place to place like a nomad, staying as long as she was needed, and then finding another project to help out with.

  Meeting up with Lincoln – let alone sleeping with him – had not been part of any plans she’d made, tenuous though they had been.

  But in the moment they’d touched, she’d been flooded with desire, almost as if she’d been intoxicated with it. She’d never known anything like it before in her life – but then again, she’d been feeling that way since she’d first turned and looked up at Lincoln’s face in the hardware store. Her stomach had been in freefall, her heartbeat pounding, electricity racing over her skin.