Cat's Howl: A Macconwood Pack Novel (The Macconwood Pack Series Book 2) by C.D. Gorri

Cat sighed as she
finished every last morsel on her plate. The meat was tender and flavorful.
    The perfect balance of herbs and spices tickled her tongue.
It made her savor every bite. The Wolf inside her purred at the knowledge that
her chosen mate had caught her meal and prepared it for her.
    “This is really good.”
    “Thank you. I’m glad you like it.”
    “I can’t cook. I mean, I can order and I can heat up, but I
can’t cook.”
    “Yeah, but I’ve seen you outshoot even the best snipers we
have in the Pack.”
    “I guess,” Cat tried to force down the blush that heated up
her cheeks. She couldn’t help it though. She was pleased he had noticed her skill
with a gun.
    “You don’t have to guess. You outshot me at the last Pack competition
and you tied with Seff. And he was a Ranger.”
    “I didn’t think anyone noticed.”
    “Rafe did.”
    “Yeah, well, my brother isn’t exactly one to give out
compliments.”
    “That’s not his fault, Zev was a little hard on him. On
both of you. I’m sorry I forget sometimes that you lived with him too.”
    “Yeah, well I wish I could forget.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Nothing,” she stood up with her dish and reached for his.
    “You don’t have to do that.”
    “Please, I don’t mind. You cooked, I clean, fair is fair.”
    “Okay then, if you insist. You know, I can teach you some
kitchen basics,” immediately Tate realized the innuendo behind his innocent
statement.
    “Can you now?” Cat’s grin widened and she raised a blonde
eyebrow.
    “I just meant, you know with the food-”
    “Uh huh, what else could you have meant?,” the innocence in
her wide blue eyes made Tate think that perhaps he imagined the saucy flirt he
had just seen behind her grin. Hmmm.
    “Uh, I’m just going to check the perimeter. I’ll be right
back.”
    “Yup., I’ll be here,” Cat took her time washing the dishes.
She carefully cleaned, dried, and put away everything they had used.
    His cabin was amazing. She poked inside drawers and closets
while he was out. He kept it well stocked with the essentials. Everything had
its own hand carved nook or space. She loved being able to explore it without
him.
    It gave her access to pieces of his life she’d never be
privy to. Cat rubbed her chest at the sudden pang she felt. Tate hadn’t exactly
invited her here because he wanted to. He had no choice in the matter. It was
his duty. Kinda took the joy out of exploring. Cat walked back into the living
room with her head bowed a little.
    Okay, so you still got a thing for Mr. Tall, Dark, and
Taciturn. Whatever, girl, grow out of it.
    It didn’t matter what she thought or how she ended up being
there. Her heart did little flip flops when she recognized the sound of his
foot steps as he walked back inside the cabin and locked the engraved front door
behind him.
    “Cat?”
    “Yeah?”
    “It’s all clear, but I think we should sleep in the living
room tonight. Just to be sure.”
    Cat’s mouth went dry. She watched him walk into the living
room in his jeans and t-shirt and wondered what she should do next. His eyes
glowed a little in the firelight.
    His hair, short now, was as dark as ever. She loved the look
of it. Like a moonless midnight sky. Cat wanted to get up and run her fingers
through it so badly that she sat on her hands.
    “Uh, bathroom?”
    “You mean the outhouse?”
    “Oh God, no!”
    “Well, there’s a pump and a bucket outside. You could, you
know and I’ll toss it outside. Then I could get you a pail of water to
rinse in-”
    “Are you freaking kidding me?” Cat could deal with no
shower, but a girl had to pee before she went to sleep and she was so not
peeing in a bucket with him there!
    “Yeah, actually I am,” Tate’s devilish grin had her heart
doing flips in her chest. Still she could kill him for teasing her like that.
    “Nah, seriously though, the first thing I did when I found
this spot was I dug a well. The second thing I did was install