cabin over on White Tail Lane?”
Easier now that he believed he’d intimidated Jason, the guy nodded. “Sean. Warren.”
“Sean Warren, good to meet you. I’m Jason Martin.” Jason stuck his hand out for a shake.
Sean laughed and shook his head while he shook his hand. “Not quite used to this casual nudity thing.”
“You’ll get used to it.” It didn’t seem all that casual to Jason. The guy was delicious and naked and everything about him suggested sex, in a cocky—no pun intended—kind of way. Lord, please deliver me from this temptation.
“Yeah, well. No chasing the locals. Got it.” His lopsided smile could have stopped Jason’s heart. “Look, I’m gonna just run home, stay out of trouble. You won’t be getting anymore calls.”
Jason sighed. He hated telling someone how to explicitly break the rules, but…
Tigers were different than other shifters. At least, Jason assumed they were. He’d never met another predatory animal, be they wolf or puma or lion, that had the same bizarre drive to be antisocial and rebellious that tigers seemed to share. It had gotten Jason into plenty of trouble when he was younger. It would get Sean into plenty of trouble now, that was damn sure and certain.
“I know how hard it is,” Jason admitted wearily. “You want to go out and raise hell? Go out into Hiawatha forest proper. Our prey shifters don’t go out that way. Just be sure you don’t hurt anyone, and you don’t let anyone see you.”
Sean nodded. “You know a lot about raising hell?”
“I do. Just don’t tell anybody.” With a shake, Jason let the change take him over, shifting smoothly into his tiger form. He looked back with his cat eyes, just so he could savor the look of surprise on the young man’s face before he loped away through the woods.
Three days later, Jason drove to Grand Marais to pick up Mitchell. The charter plane that had brought him from Milwaukee had already landed, and Mitchell waited beside the tall, chain link fence, his bags on the ground beside him. The afternoon sunlight picked out shining highlights in his already golden hair, and his tucked-in gray t-shirt highlighted the tight column of his waist.
Jason pulled up and gave him a sheepish look out the rolled down window. “You’re early.”
“You’re late,” Mitchell countered. He tossed his bags into the bed of the truck and climbed into the passenger seat, leaning over for a kiss. Jason could have devoured him. It seemed like they’d been apart for months, not a couple weeks.
“How’d it go?” he asked when Mitchell sat back in his seat and buckled his seatbelt.
“I’ve got a multigenerational family moving into the five bedroom over on Sturgeon Court.” Mitchell couldn’t hide his relief. Jason had been with Mitchell since the beginning of Gwinn Close, when it had just been a cleared lot in the forest with a camper parked on it. They’d lived in that fifth wheel for a year while the first house had been built, then the second and third. It had been more important to Mitchell to build a community of shifters than to build a house for them, and Jason hadn’t complained. It was important, and Jason wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Now, three years later, Mitchell hadn’t slowed down. Recruiting new families of shifters to live in the safety of Gwinn Close was still his main mission. Sometimes, Jason wondered what he’d done to deserve such an amazing, selfless man. He tried not to over-think on that one.
“I’m happy for you, babe. Move in date?” He eased the truck onto the road and settled in for the hour long drive.
“December first. They’ve got some loose ends to wrap up. But it’ll give the builders time to finish.” Mitchell leaned his head back on the seat and sighed. “It’s good to be home.”
They drove a little way in comfortable silence, until Jason couldn’t help but bring up his encounter with Sean. “I think we have our problem with that tiger taken care
Easier now that he believed he’d intimidated Jason, the guy nodded. “Sean. Warren.”
“Sean Warren, good to meet you. I’m Jason Martin.” Jason stuck his hand out for a shake.
Sean laughed and shook his head while he shook his hand. “Not quite used to this casual nudity thing.”
“You’ll get used to it.” It didn’t seem all that casual to Jason. The guy was delicious and naked and everything about him suggested sex, in a cocky—no pun intended—kind of way. Lord, please deliver me from this temptation.
“Yeah, well. No chasing the locals. Got it.” His lopsided smile could have stopped Jason’s heart. “Look, I’m gonna just run home, stay out of trouble. You won’t be getting anymore calls.”
Jason sighed. He hated telling someone how to explicitly break the rules, but…
Tigers were different than other shifters. At least, Jason assumed they were. He’d never met another predatory animal, be they wolf or puma or lion, that had the same bizarre drive to be antisocial and rebellious that tigers seemed to share. It had gotten Jason into plenty of trouble when he was younger. It would get Sean into plenty of trouble now, that was damn sure and certain.
“I know how hard it is,” Jason admitted wearily. “You want to go out and raise hell? Go out into Hiawatha forest proper. Our prey shifters don’t go out that way. Just be sure you don’t hurt anyone, and you don’t let anyone see you.”
Sean nodded. “You know a lot about raising hell?”
“I do. Just don’t tell anybody.” With a shake, Jason let the change take him over, shifting smoothly into his tiger form. He looked back with his cat eyes, just so he could savor the look of surprise on the young man’s face before he loped away through the woods.
Three days later, Jason drove to Grand Marais to pick up Mitchell. The charter plane that had brought him from Milwaukee had already landed, and Mitchell waited beside the tall, chain link fence, his bags on the ground beside him. The afternoon sunlight picked out shining highlights in his already golden hair, and his tucked-in gray t-shirt highlighted the tight column of his waist.
Jason pulled up and gave him a sheepish look out the rolled down window. “You’re early.”
“You’re late,” Mitchell countered. He tossed his bags into the bed of the truck and climbed into the passenger seat, leaning over for a kiss. Jason could have devoured him. It seemed like they’d been apart for months, not a couple weeks.
“How’d it go?” he asked when Mitchell sat back in his seat and buckled his seatbelt.
“I’ve got a multigenerational family moving into the five bedroom over on Sturgeon Court.” Mitchell couldn’t hide his relief. Jason had been with Mitchell since the beginning of Gwinn Close, when it had just been a cleared lot in the forest with a camper parked on it. They’d lived in that fifth wheel for a year while the first house had been built, then the second and third. It had been more important to Mitchell to build a community of shifters than to build a house for them, and Jason hadn’t complained. It was important, and Jason wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Now, three years later, Mitchell hadn’t slowed down. Recruiting new families of shifters to live in the safety of Gwinn Close was still his main mission. Sometimes, Jason wondered what he’d done to deserve such an amazing, selfless man. He tried not to over-think on that one.
“I’m happy for you, babe. Move in date?” He eased the truck onto the road and settled in for the hour long drive.
“December first. They’ve got some loose ends to wrap up. But it’ll give the builders time to finish.” Mitchell leaned his head back on the seat and sighed. “It’s good to be home.”
They drove a little way in comfortable silence, until Jason couldn’t help but bring up his encounter with Sean. “I think we have our problem with that tiger taken care
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