The Cougar's Timid Little Lynx (Sweet Water) by Jenika Snow Read Free Book Online Page A

maybe obsessed, but in reality it was a male being called to by his mate, and there was nothing and no one that could stop him, not even his own human rationalization.
    When he was pulled up in front of the small one-story cottage style house, the scent of his pheromones coming out full force filled the interior of the car. She was just right there, behind those four walls and a few feet away. He had seen her plenty of times since she ’d left his office, but they had been from a distance, and without her knowledge. This moment was different. She had accepted his invitation, and his animal lifted its head, growled in pleasure, and wanted nothing more than to show her exactly what it meant to be a cougar’s mate.

Chapter Five

 
    Luke pulled his car to a stop in front of Alice’s house and shut off the engine. He took only a few seconds to gather his thoughts and get his emotions under control. This was the first step in building something meaningful with Alice and Joey, and he couldn’t screw it up. He climbed out of the car and made his way toward the house. When he was in front of her house, he lifted his hands and brought his knuckles down on the wood, and took a step back. Only a minute passed before he heard the sound of little footsteps running toward the door. A second later there was little Joey standing in front of him, her hair parted and two braids hanging on either shoulder.
    “Momma, it’s the doctor.” Her smile was big, and a second later Alice was beside her daughter, her hands on her tiny shoulders. She got down on her haunches so she was eye -level with Joey.
    “Sweetie, I told you it isn’t safe to open the door when you don’t know who is on the other side.”
    “But Momma, you told me he was coming.” Alice smiled at Joey and stood, placing her daughter behind her. She looked up at him, and he was struck by what this female did to him with only one innocent expression.
    “I’m sorry, but— ”
    Luke held up his hands and offered her a smile. “You don’t need to explain. You’re right.” He got down on his haunches and smiled at Joey. She peeked her head around her mom’s leg, the scent of her being upset from Alice reprimanding her filling his nose like tiny blooming roses. “Your mom is right. It isn’t safe to open the door to strangers.”
    “But you’re not a stranger. You’re the doctor I saw.” Well, she was a clever little thing. He smiled, knowing it wouldn’t do much good to explain it to her again. So, he nodded, stood, and looked up at Alice because he was a bit at a loss. He dealt with children on a daily basis because of his profession, but this was totally new territory for him.
    As he looked between Alice and Joey, there was no uncertainty, anger, or even jealousy that his mate had a child from another male. In fact, all he could feel was warmth in his chest when he gazed upon them. With Alice his feelings were strong, intense, possessive , and territorial. The thought of another male even coming near her, touching her, speaking to her in a sexual way, sent sparks of animal aggression through him. When he looked at Joey he felt protectiveness for the little girl that looked so much like her mother. She was tiny and gentle, and because she was human and so fragile, all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and make sure no one hurt her like they had so clearly done with his mate.
    He looked back at Alice and noticed she looked at him strangely. He hadn’t bothered hiding his feelings, and knew she had sensed his every emotion as clearly as he did with her. A small smile was on her face, and although she was good at hiding everything about her, she didn’t bother masking anything right now. She was happy, and not one ounce of being uncomfortable filled her. Pride and male satisfaction coursed through him, and he shifted on his feet.
    “Let me just grab my purse.” Alice went to the left, and he took that one moment to look around. The house was made of