Silver Mine (6 page)

“You got the place booby-trapped?” he grumbled. “I was told you were the place to visit, but if you’re electrocuting patients, I’ll wait until the next time I’m in town.”

The door wiggled, gaining another inch clearance. “I don’t know why anyone told you to come here. The clinic’s not open. I’m still getting all the bugs out of the system.”

Something crashed as the woman spoke, but even the distraction couldn’t stop him from recognizing that voice.

Oh no.
Shelley.

Chase was three seconds away from hightailing it without seeing anyone. Because seeing her wasn’t a good idea.

“Just a second. I think I’ve got it.” Shelley wiggled the door and he was caught. The door swung wide open, and they were back to being trapped in a time warp—staring at each other.

Her hair was a mess. Bits of plaster and wood decorated the unruly tangle. There was a streak of paint across her cheek and nose, her T-shirt also dabbled with spots. A thin T-shirt, so well-worn he imagined it would be soft under his fingers. It was certainly thin enough he could tell she wasn’t wearing a bra, and her nipples were—

She snapped upright, and he jerked his gaze back to her face.

“The clinic’s not open yet,” she repeated.

If this weren’t important, he would have so walked away. But inside, that place where his wolf and cat selves were prone to take over at times? They’d made it clear they wanted this. “I have to see a…doctor. Before I go bush again.”

Her cheeks brightened. “Oh. Right.”

She swallowed hard but moved out of the way. He stepped in over the remains of a pallet filled with tile, set exactly where it shouldn’t have been for access to the main room. There were broken tiles piled in one corner of the shop and a cutter beside them. “Having troubles with the flooring?”

Shelley sighed. “Well, actually, yeah. But I think I’ve figured it out. Come on. If you really need to be here, I’ll wash my hands and we can talk. My office is pretty much done.”

She led him into a nicely organized room with an efficient-looking desk and file system. And only about three feet of floor space. “This won’t work.”

She’d already settled behind the desk, obviously using it as a safety barrier between them. “We can talk here first. We’ll go elsewhere if needed.”

Chase shrugged. “You’re the doctor.”

“Vet. I have vet training.” She frowned. “You sure you need to see me?”

He nodded. “Shifted form isn’t healing. I hope you can tell me why.”

She pulled out a pad of paper and asked him questions. The usual overall health and history. When he mentioned his Métis blood, her eyes widened but she stayed professional. Now that she was over her initial shock, she’d slipped into the smoothest bedside manner he’d ever seen.

His cock got hard just thinking about beds and her at the same time.

Her scent floored him. This time, it wasn’t just the wolf that was interested, but the cougar as well, and that bastard was the pickiest thing when it came to females.

“Chase.”

He’d gone and lost all train of thought. “Sorry. What?”

“I asked if you’ve got the injury in all three forms? Since you’re Métis.”

He shook his head. “No. Or, I don’t think so. I’ve only shifted to the cat and back to human since the accident.”

She nodded and laid aside the notepad. “Follow me. You’re right. This space won’t be big enough for your cougar. I would like to examine all your forms, please, if you don’t mind.”

He followed her into the back where there was a large stainless steel table in a sparkling clean examining room. Now his troubles started, more than the fact he had to hide his erection from her. Damn, she smelt good. “I don’t mind, but I might not be able to oblige.”

Shelley paused in the middle of washing her hands. “Reason?”

“Can’t control the shift.”

Her face went white, and for a second he thought she might actually pass out on him. She clutched the sides of the sink. “No control? But you can shift when you want?”

He nodded, loosing the top button on his shirt. “I can go furry, but the beasts decide who gets to come out and play, so to speak. My wolf’s been pouting lately. Only been the cat showing up.”

She took a deep breath. “Okay, that might make it a little more difficult, but let’s see what we can do.” She patted the top of the table. “First, if you don’t mind. Sit here and let me see the marks on your human form.”

She turned away under the excuse of grabbing her instruments, but honestly she couldn’t bear to watch him strip off his shirt. The buttons had sounded loud in her ears, and the thought of having this delicious man half-naked in her office—oh boy.

She was a dirty pervert, the thoughts running through her brain.

The past three nights she’d been thinking about him and her lost opportunity at the party. Caroline had been kind and stopped teasing after only a couple more digs. Shelley had been the one to administer chastisement for the next while. She could have had a man in her bed, but instead she was making herself come in the middle of the night, waking up to feverish dreams, all of which involved Chase.

Now he was here and she had to touch him.

She was either being punished or rewarded, and she wasn’t sure which.

“I’m ready.”

Slow and steady, there was a teasing lilt to his voice, as if he knew she was hiding as she gathered tools. Shelley braced herself and lifted her chin as she turned back.

She should have grabbed a towel to catch her drool. My, oh my, he was a fine specimen. Sharply muscular, the combination of wolf and cat turning his leanness into hard lines. “You must have the most incredible metabolism,” she commented.

“Hard to take in too many calories, that’s for sure.”

Ripped. Strong. Shelley took his blood pressure and did all the routine checks as stoically as possible, but there was no way to stop him from scenting how turned on she was. His skin was hot under her fingers as she removed the blood pressure cuff from his biceps, and she fought to not linger as she held the stethoscope to his chest.

Sweet mercy, the hair on his chest was thicker than your average wolf—perhaps his cat nature coming to the fore. She imagined petting him, playing her fingertips through the soft curls. Working her way lower until—

It wasn’t professional of her to think that way. It wasn’t professional to be feeling any of the things she was feeling, but damn if she could stop herself.

She moved faster, rushing through the steps, trying to keep her focus on what she needed to do, which was
not
leaning over to lick him.

Not even once.

A strong grip wrapped around her wrist, trapping her in place.

“Shelley. Slow down. We should talk about this.”

“Talk about what?”

“This.”

He tugged her between his legs and lifted her chin as his lips covered hers.

It was oh, so wrong and oh, so right. Shelley let the stethoscope fall from her fingers and gave into the urge to press her fingers against his pelt and run her hands up his chest. He’d wrapped a hand around the back of her neck and controlled her, kissing her softly but insistently. His tongue stroking hers, lips teasing and demanding a response. They weren’t diminishing, they weren’t going away, the urges inside her.

But they also weren’t uncontrollable. It was lust, pure and simple, not a frantic mating urge, and that made her feel a little better. Maybe she’d kick her own ass in a few minutes, but for the next sixty seconds she was going to take this in and enjoy every second.

Hmm, she’d set the examination tables at the right height for her to check dogs, cats and other pets without having to stoop or lift up. That put his groin and hers nicely in line and as he kissed her—no, as she now kissed him, heat transferred between them in the most delightful way. He stroked her hair, his other hand slipping behind her back and pressing her against him. Her T-shirt could have evaporated for all the barrier it provided. Her nipples tightened, her sex ached for a touch. The only part of her body truly happy was her mouth because he tasted so. Damn. Good.

Shelley wiggled forward, just a teeny bit, and it wasn’t enough. She was ready to ignite, and he was the flame she’d been waiting for. He nibbled his way along her jaw, and she dug her fingernails into his shoulders.

His sudden gasp froze her in position. There was something sticky under her hand, and she realized she’d manhandled his injury.

“Oh Lordy, why didn’t you stop me?” Guilt jerked her into action as she spun from his grasp and basically threw herself behind him to see what damage she’d caused.

There were no words. More correctly, the words she wanted to say disappeared as she pulled her professionalism back into place, ready to accept his well-deserved rebuke. Four jagged lines tore down his back. Starting near his neck, they splayed toward his side, red, swollen and hot, and where she’d broken the scab, weeping.

“I’m so sorry.” She moved to grab antiseptic and cleaned the cuts as best she could. Chase didn’t say a word, but she was saying enough inside for the two of them.

Idiot. Not only had she crossed the line between a patient/doctor relationship, she’d been totally distracted in the first place. His medical history could have waited—she should have looked at his injury at the start.

Of course, this was the weird part of being a shifter who was a vet. It was assumed her human first-aid training in conjunction with the vet specialization made her a better person to visit than a mere human-only doctor/vet.

Not many vets could handle having their patients shift on them, so there was that.

Chase spoke over his shoulder. “If you’re done beating yourself up, let me shift. I’ve cleaned that cut a dozen times. You’re just wasting your supplies.”

Shelley slowed. Forced herself to move to where she could look him in the eye. “That was inexcusable of me. I’m sorry.”

A lazy, relaxed grin broke free. “It was inexcusable. Don’t you ever run away again when we’re in the middle of a scorching-hot kiss.”

Shelley pulled her jaw off the floor, stepping back as Chase slid off the table and stalked her.

“I shouldn’t have kissed you.”

“But you didn’t. I kissed you.” Chase stroked her again, his touch so gentle on her cheek she wanted to lean her head against his fingers and stay that way.

He would have had her crowded against the wall if she hadn’t slammed up a hand between them. “Chase. Stop. This…
thing
…between us. Can we ignore it for a few minutes and let me see your other form? Please.”

His dark eyes sparkled and he caught her fingers in his hand. Lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles before setting her free. “But we are going to talk about this. Tonight.”

She nodded. At this point she’d agree to anything to get a little space between them. She needed time to allow the buzz of sexual urgency racing through her body to slow.

He dropped his hands to his waist and popped open the top button on his jeans.

Oh no. Oh no,
no, no
. Professionalism vanished as he dragged down his zipper. “Let me know when you’ve shifted…”

She fled.

Chapter Five

There was a big ol’ grin on his face, he was sure of it. The cuts on his back stung like the blazes, but there was no way he’d give up a second of the sweet kiss she’d bestowed on him. It was a lovely start to what he hoped would be a fabulous final evening in the big city.

He stripped off his jeans, tossing them over the back of a nearby chair. A short stretch, to settle his muscles, and he shifted, the transition flowing with less ease than normal. For a moment his switch from one sort of being to another almost paused, and the usual pleasant buzz of endorphins was sorely lacking. He snarled his displeasure.

The feel-good sensation of shifting was typically one of the high points of his day.

At least his cougar arrived as he’d expected. Shelley briefly snuck her head around the corner before she stepped into the room.

“Holy moly, you are a big son of a gun.”

Chase took his time as he lay out to his maximum length. He’d told her he wouldn’t fit in her office.

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, you’re a typical cat. Gloating because you were right. Fine. Now that you’re comfortable, let me see if I can spot any differences in your wound in this form.”

She moved around him, scraping a little, taking a blood sample. She talked under her breath as she worked.

It wasn’t as if he could answer back, but it was a trifle disconcerting to hear her muttering references to her veterinary textbooks under her breath.

He gave a mental shrug. A cat was a cat was a cat, he guessed.

Something soft and warm rubbed along his hind leg. He twitched lightly, attempting not to disturb Shelley where she was currently working near his left forepaw. She had the cutest little frown on her face, tongue sticking out as if she were concentrating.

A tiny set of needles jabbed him in what would have been his ankle if he were human, and he snarled.

“Oh, stop being such a baby. Enigma isn’t hurting you.” She pressed a pad against his wounds. He snorted. She’d changed mannerisms completely—it was easy to tell which of his forms she felt most comfortable around.