Chapter Nineteen: Henry
Henry was dirty and tired, but also buzzing with adrenaline as he drove home to the ranch. Partly because of the way his crew had worked together to put out the huge blaze in a warehouse in Bear Bluff, caused by a downed electric cable, that had been damaged in the recent storm, but also because he was going home to his mate.
Well, it's still not technically our home, since you told Samantha she and the children could stay there as long as they needed, his bear reminded.
But after last night we are one step, no two steps, to the cabin being our home, Henry said. Us, Samantha, and the children.
A family, his bear said happily.
Henry stopped his truck in front of the gate leading to the ranch and got out. He could sense Samantha at the cabin. But when he tilted his head to one side, he realized she was alone. The children were…
He frowned and pushed out his senses farther. Tilly and Lewis were in the top pasture with his father and Dougray.
No doubt Tilly and Lewis are helping on the ranch, Henry's bear said.
This meant that if he had a quick shower and went over to the cabin, he might catch some alone time with his mate.
Not that he'd have resented the children being there. But if there was one thing he had learned from Levi, it was that having children around meant making the most of any stolen moment.
He swung the gate open, got back in the truck, and drove through, before hurriedly swinging it closed. However, just because he was in a rush, did not mean he slacked off on double-checking the gate was securely closed.
Because escaped cattle or horses would cut down on our alone time far more than the kids, Henry said wryly as he climbed back into the truck.
The gravel crunched under his tires as he drove to the main ranch house and climbed out. As he strode to the door, it opened, and there stood his mom, looking pensive.
This is not good, his bear said.
Not good at all, Henry agreed. It had been a long time since he'd seen his mom with that look on her face, a look usually reserved for one of her sons, and occasionally, their dad, when they had done something wrong.
"Mom." Henry took the porch steps two at a time.
"Henry, thank goodness." She flung her arms around his neck and hugged him close.
"What's wrong?" Henry asked as he held her close.
Mary pulled back, her mouth a thin line as she said, "Where is your phone?"
"Here." He took it out of his pocket and waved it at her.
"And why haven't you answered your calls, or your messages?" Mary demanded.
"Because it's flat," Henry said. "I stayed over at Samantha's last night and my charger is here."
"Well, Samantha saw the news. There was a loud blast and then you were gone." Mary cupped her son's face in her hands. "I told her you would be just fine, that you knew how to take care of yourself."
"But after losing her first husband…" He raked his hand through his smoke-thickened hair. "I should get over there."
"Not before you have a shower," Mary told him. "You don't want Samantha to see you like this."
"You're right." Henry normally had a shower back at the station before he came home, but in his eagerness to see his mate, he'd headed straight home, deciding it would be faster to shower and change into clean clothes here.
"I'll call Samantha and tell her you are here," Mary said as Henry sprinted for the stairs. "And don't forget to charge your phone."
"Yes, Mom," Henry said from the top of the stairs.
Henry stripped off his smoky clothes and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water cascade over his tired muscles. As he scrubbed away the grime and soot, his mind raced with thoughts of Samantha. He felt a pang of guilt for worrying her, knowing how losing Donald had affected her. While he dressed, he plugged in his phone, watching as it slowly came to life. A flood of missed calls and messages appeared on the screen.
Henry's heart sank as he scrolled through the notifications. Most were from Samantha, her messages growing increasingly frantic as time passed without a response from him. He quickly typed out a text:
I'm so sorry. My phone died. I'm safe and sound at the ranch x
But he didn't wait for an answer. As soon as he was dressed, he dashed out of the ranch house and sprinted to the cabin. But as he neared his house, he realized she wasn't there.
He pushed out his senses and locked onto her. She was by the oak tree.
He turned on his heel and jogged toward the massive oak tree. As he approached, he caught sight of Samantha leaning against the trunk, her arms wrapped tightly around herself.
This does not look good, his bear said.
No, it does not, Henry agreed. He hated the way her mouth turned down at the corners, even as she spotted him and straightened up.
Feeling like a man going toward his doom, he slowed his pace, calming his racing heart as he went to meet her. "I'm sorry." He decided it was best to get his apology out there before he tried to explain.
"You don't have to apologize," Samantha said, her voice strained. "You were doing your job. I know that."
Henry closed the distance between them, longing to pull her into his arms but hesitating at the tension in her posture. "I should have made sure my phone was charged. I didn't think about how worried you might be. This is all new to me. Having you…"
"It's not that," Samantha insisted, her eyes glistening. "I know it's not rational. You're a firefighter. Danger is part of your job. But when I saw the news about the explosion, and then couldn't reach you..." Her voice cracked.
Henry's heart ached at the pain in Samantha's voice. He took a step closer, his arms aching to hold her. "I'm so sorry. But I'm okay."
Samantha shook her head, a tear slipping down her cheek. "This time. But what about the next time and the time after that?"
"Hey." He closed the distance between them and held her in his arms as she sobbed on his shoulder. "Nothing is going to happen to me."
"Donald said the same thing," she said hoarsely.
Henry held her for a moment, trying to compose his thoughts. How could he tell her he was not Donald without sounding like an insensitive jerk?
"Samantha," Henry said softly, pulling back just enough to look into her eyes. "I know I can't promise nothing will ever happen to me. But I can promise you I'll always do everything in my power to come back to you."
"I can't risk the children losing…"
"Listen." He tilted her chin so she was looking at him and brushed the tears from her cheeks. "We never really talked last night."
"About your…other side," she said.
"Yes. I never explained everything. What I am. What we are." He slipped his arm around her shoulder and then leaned back against the oak tree, hoping to draw on its wisdom as he tried to set things right with Samantha.
"One true mate," she said huskily.
"We are meant to be together. I know you can sense it. I know you feel it, too," Henry began.
"I can, and that's what makes this so much harder," she replied. "It hurt so much to lose Donald. I can't do it again. And when I saw you on the TV… Then there was…I don't know, an explosion."
"I'm good at my job," Henry said. "And that's because of what I am. As a shifter, I have enhanced senses. I can hear things, see things, sense things that non-shifters can't."
"And that makes you better at your job." Samantha sniffed and wiped her eyes.
"It does." He nodded. "And I'm strong. And I'm fast. And that means I get out of the way of danger. But if you can't handle me being a firefighter, I will give it up in a heartbeat and become the rancher my father always wanted me to be. I'll make you a promise that I will never put myself in danger if I can avoid it. And a shifter cannot lie to their mate."
"No," she blurted. "I don't want you to give up the job you love."
"But I'd be giving it up for the woman I love," he replied.
"And I love you." She turned to face him, her eyes red-rimmed from her tears. But to him, she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever set eyes on. "And I want you to promise me that you will always come home to us."
"I promise." He cupped her cheek in his hand. "A shifter will do anything not to cause their mate hurt. And I know how much it would hurt you if I did not come home."
"Home." She looked past him toward the cabin. "I think it's time you came home."
"I'm home right here, right now," he said. "Because wherever you are, that is home."
She sighed, and a smile crossed her lips. "Is that a shifter trait, too? Knowing just what to say to their mate?"
"Not according to my bear, he despairs of me sometimes."
"Well," she said, slipping her arms around his neck. "I think you do okay."
"I will take that as a compliment." Henry leaned in and kissed Samantha softly, savoring the moment. As they parted, he saw a spark of desire in her eyes.
"You know," Samantha said, her voice low, "the kids are still out with your dad and Dougray."
Henry's pulse quickened at the suggestion in Samantha's words. He pulled her closer, his hands resting on her hips. "Is that so?" he murmured, his lips brushing against her ear.
Samantha shivered at his touch, her earlier distress melting away as desire took its place. "Mmm," she hummed, pressing herself against him.
"We have the cabin all to ourselves for a little while," Henry growled softly, his bear rumbling with approval.
"Who needs a cabin when we have this oak tree?" She slipped her hands down his chest and lower. "I thought we could put your shifter senses to the test."
"I am up for a challenge," he told her as he unbuttoned her jeans. "Right now, there is no one close by. My mom is at the ranch house. The children are up in the far pasture with Dad and Dougray."
She placed her hands on the waistband of her jeans and wriggled them down over her thighs. But before she stepped out of them, she said, "I think I am losing my nerve."
"Then allow me to help you with that." He turned her around so that her back was against the oak tree, and then he dropped to his knees.
"Oh, my." Samantha placed her hands on the rough bark of the tree as he pressed his hands to her knees and eased her feet apart. Then he flicked his tongue over her most sensitive flesh. Henry's enhanced senses allowed him to pick up on every subtle reaction, every quickening of her pulse, every tremor that ran through her.
Henry's tongue moved expertly, drawing soft gasps and moans from Samantha. Her fingers dug into the bark of the oak tree, and he gripped her thighs, steadying her as her knees began to shake.
"Henry," she breathed as he slipped two fingers inside her and skimmed her inner walls.
He could feel her trembling against him, her breathing growing ragged as he savored Samantha's taste and scent as he pleasured her.
"Oh god," Samantha gasped, her hips rocking against his mouth.
Henry increased his pace, his fingers and tongue working in tandem as Samantha's pleasure built. He could sense her getting close, her muscles tensing.
"Henry, I'm going to..." Samantha's words dissolved into a moan as her climax washed over her. Henry held her steady as she shuddered against him, waves of pleasure coursing through her body.
As Samantha's breathing slowed, Henry gently kissed her inner thigh before standing up. He wrapped his arms around her, supporting her as her legs still trembled slightly as she leaned against him.
"That was..." she trailed off, at a loss for words.
Henry chuckled, nuzzling her neck. "I aim to please, darlin'."
Samantha tilted her head up to look at Henry, her eyes dark with desire. "Your turn," she purred, reaching for his belt buckle.
Henry groaned as her fingers brushed against him through his jeans. "As much as I'd love that," he said huskily. "I want to come inside you, here beneath the oak tree."
As if to prove to her that he had superpowers, he scooped her up and nestled between her parted thighs.
Samantha wrapped her legs around Henry's waist, her back pressed against the rough bark of the oak tree. Henry's strong arms held her securely as he positioned himself at her entrance. With a low growl, he slowly pushed inside her, savoring the feeling of her warmth enveloping him. He would never get used to the intimate pleasure of entering his mate, feeling her tight around him.
Samantha gasped as Henry filled her completely, her legs tightening around his waist. Henry began to move, setting a slow, steady rhythm that had Samantha moaning softly with each thrust.
He nipped her breasts through her clothes, grazing her nipples with his teeth until she was gasping and writhing against him. Henry increased his pace, driven by the intoxicating scent of Samantha's arousal and the little whimpers of pleasure escaping her lips.
She was close. He could feel her inner muscles tightening, her body tensing, and then she buried her face in his shoulder as she came. Henry increased his tempo, thrusting into her hard and fast, until his orgasm took hold of him and he came, spurting his seed inside her.
In that moment, beneath the oak tree, he hoped they would be blessed. Just as in the story he'd told Samantha last night.
But he didn't want to end a war between clans. He wanted to plant his seed in his mate. He wanted to create a new life, a child, and then, hopefully, another child.
And another, his bear said happily.