The Purrfect Plan Read online

  "I know, but I won't leave her side."

  Hawk got to his feet. "We'll work something out. Let's just hope Storm can wake soon and confirm my theory. I brought you some clean clothes, and I'd advise you to ring Mum."

  River gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks, bro."

  Hawk grinned. "Naah, don't worry. Anyway, I'm keeping tabs, if ever I find my mate..."

  "I'm there for you." River gave a soft chuckle, knowing Hawk's mate would have to be one hell of a woman to tame that wild cat. He shoved his fork into the food, enjoying every burst of flavor rolling across his tongue.

  "Come on, cookie, wake up. You're missing out on Mum's cooking."

  Chapter Fourteen

  River's deep voice resonated through her clouded brain. Slowly, she drifted up from the darkness, squinting against a brighter light. She sucked in a deep breath, only to feel her lungs ache. She coughed, wincing at the squeezing pain in her chest.

  "Easy, cookie, slow shallow breaths for now." From the moment she'd first heard River's voice in the bar, she'd known his smooth as silk, deep baritone could no doubt coax nuns out of their habits. Easily, she could listen to him talk for hours.

  With a sigh, she opened her eyes, blinking to clear them of sleep. She gazed up into River's clear green depths.

  Why was he hovering over her like that? She glanced around the sterile white room.

  "Where am I?" Storm croaked. Strangely, all she could remember was being evacuated to a lakeside campsite, talking to the ladies, and River's mother. River and half the town's men were out fighting the fires.

  "You're in hospital, love." He turned, picking up a cup of water, setting it on a bedside table. He helped her to sit up before she took a sip; the cool water soothing her parched throat.

  "Is everyone okay? Did you save the town?"

  "Yes, everyone is fine, and the fires are out. How are you feeling? Do you remember what happened?"

  River's large warm hand felt good stroking over the side of her face. His gaze loving yet worried at the same time.

  "I remember being at the lake, I…but after that, nothing." There was something there, in the back of her mind, but it was dark, hazy. Why can't I remember? Her throat tightened and her heart pounded in a sudden panic. Her babies. Her hands flew to her stomach.

  "Oh, God, my babies." She pushed herself up, only to begin coughing, her throat raw.

  River was swift to take her head between his palms, forcing her to look deeply into his green eyes. "They are fine, Storm. Our little ones are fine, I promise you. Now take slow even breaths."

  Compelled to obey, she slowed her breathing. River let her go, again reaching for the water cup, holding it to her lips as she drained the liquid. It calmed her irritated throat.

  He reached over and pressed the 'call nurse' button. "Stay calm, okay? You had a nasty blow to the head. It's maybe why your memory is a bit hazy." His tone was smooth and calming.

  "I hit my head? How?" Her hand flew to her head, feeling around, wincing when her fingers brushed against the tender wound.

  "We're not sure yet, but by the gods, cookie, I swear you aged me a hundred years. But one thing I do know, nothing that happened was your fault."

  A middle-aged nurse in a pale blue uniform top and dark navy pants appeared at the door.

  "Is everything alright?"

  "Can you get Dr. Wilson, please? My wife is awake. I think the blow to her head may have affected her memory," River informed the nurse.

  "I'll go call him then I'll be back to take your wife's vitals." The nurse disappeared from the doorway.

  "Wife? Did I hit my head so hard I missed our wedding, or even your proposal?" she whispered when the nurse was out of earshot.

  A ghost of a smile appeared on River's lips. "They would only let next of kin stay with you. You are my mate, in shifter fashion you're as good as my wife."

  "As good as?"

  "I haven't properly mated you yet." His voice lowered into a deeper, huskier tone. "Cookie, you've just been through a traumatic experience, and I don't want to add to your stress."

  Storm felt her brow furrow in confusion. "Okay, I feel a little sore, my throat and head hurts, so something happened. But what the hell are you talking about adding to my stress. What else is wrong?"

  "Nothing's wrong. Well, it is, but we're sorting it. I mean I was going to wait to ask you to marry me. A hospital bed is not the most romantic spot for a proposal, and you're not in the best condition. I wanted things to be perfect for you."

  He tugged something out of his back pocket. "But by the gods, cookie, I was so scared of losing you. I don't want to waste another moment. I swear I'll make it up to you later, but will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

  He opened the palm of his hand and in it was a little black box. Her heart seized in her chest. Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision as they spilled over and she felt them rolling down her cheeks.

  He flicked open the box. The sparkle of the multiple small diamonds inset into a wider golden band made her catch her breath. It was perfect. She loved the simple beauty of it. Any pain or discomfort forgotten, her hands trembled as she reached out, touching the top of it with the very tip of her finger. She gazed up into his expectant eyes as he waited on her answer.

  "I love you more than anything. Of course I'll marry you. And I don't care about later. Anywhere, any time with you is perfect."

  With every care, he removed the ring from the box. His hands also trembled as he slipped it over her finger. A perfect fit.

  His grin of joy matched the feeling within her heart. She flung her arms around him, wincing slightly at the stinging pain in her right arm. Damn, she'd forgotten about her drip.

  He pulled her tightly against his chest, running his hands down her back, placing kisses on her hair. She pulled back her head and kissed him with all the love she felt inside. He quickly took over the kiss, dominating her mouth with his plundering tongue before pulling back. His face marred in a frown of concern.

  "Oh God, sorry, cookie." He gently set her away, brushing back strands from her face. "Here I am with my paws all over you, and you need the rest to recover."

  She smiled. "I'll be fine. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Right? And I love your paws on me."

  He gave a strained chuckled. "Oh, my love, you know how to drive a man out of his mind."

  She thought on it for a moment. "No, I only ever want to do that to you."

  He put his arms around her again, gentler this time, as if she was made from spun glass.

  "Good, because you're all mine. I won't allow anyone to take you from me, ever."

  A thrill ran down her spine at his possessive declaration. How odd, only a week ago the thought of any bullish, macho man saying such a thing to her would have made her laugh and slam the door in their face. River wasn't just any man. He was hers, just as much as she was his.

  "I thought you were supposed to be taking care of the patient, not strangling her," quipped the voice of Hawk.

  "She said yes." River's grin was wide as he pulled away to glance at his brother.

  "Trust you to propose to a woman with a concussion. It's no wonder she said yes," Hawk teased. "So, how is my soon to be sister-in-law, other than out of her mind for marrying him? You know I'm a far better catch."

  Hawk winked roguishly, as he casually took the seat on the other side of the bed.

  "She can't remember what happened," River said, before she could get a word in edgeways.

  "She can speak for herself, thank you." Storm gave him a glare.

  Hawk laughed. "Acting like an old married couple already. What can you remember?"

  "I don't know, how long have I been here?"

  "You went missing yesterday afternoon. Is there anything you can remember from that time to when we found you last night?"

  "Take it easy, Hawk. I won't have her stressed," River glared.

  "No, it's okay, I remember the time at the lake with your mother. I w
ent to the toilet, and I think…" Try as she might, she still drew a blank. "I'm sorry, I can't. Do you know what happened? I was missing. How did I go missing?"

  The brothers exchanged a knowing glance, which worried her even more.

  River took her hand. "We're not exactly sure, but we will find out. Can you please trust us to take care of the problem, take care of you?"

  "I do trust you, but I still want to know what happened." It was a scary disconcerting feeling, not being able to remember what happened to her.

  "I'm sure your memory will come back. The doc will be here soon to check you over. It's not uncommon for victims of a serious head trauma to suffer temporary amnesia."

  "I thought I was the doctor here." A thin tall elderly man walked though the door to the end of the bed. He picked up her chart, glancing over it before letting his gaze roam over Storm in an analyzing manner. Hawk moved out of the way, as the doctor moved in to examine her.

  "Mrs. Black, you certainly look alert. How are you feeling? I hear your memory's a bit hazy?" He carefully inspected the obvious lump on the side of her head.

  "I can't remember anything past yesterday afternoon," Storm told him in all honesty.

  "How are you feeling otherwise?"

  "A bit sore, but good, really good." She gave the doctor a brilliant smile, her gaze wandering back to the ring on her finger.

  "Okay then, I can't see any physical reason to keep you here. I'll order a C.T scan to check nothing is damaged inside. If it's temporary amnesia, as I suspect, through blunt force trauma then I want you to take it very easy for the next few days. And don't worry, the babies are protected during the procedure." The doctor rounded his gaze on a grinning River.

  "Plenty of rest, lots of fluids and a lot of mental support and I'm sure your memory will return. If it doesn't within four weeks, then I want you to come and see me again. I can refer you to a neuro specialist."

  "I'll make sure, doc, thank you." River moved to shake the doctor's hand.

  The older man gave him a smile. "Oh, and by the way, congratulations to the both of you, Mr. and Mrs. Black. And I'll have the nurse come and remove your drip, Mrs. Black." The doctor chuckled before walking out of the door.

  "Perceptive old man," Hawk mused, staring after the old doctor. "I'll go make the travel arrangements home. Good to see you're okay, little sis. I'd hug you, but I like my liver where it is at the moment."

  Hawk winked, following after the doctor, leaving her alone again with River. She smiled lovingly up at him.

  "Well, my lovely fiancé," he leaned in kissing her lips softly, "let's take you home."

  ~ * ~

  Crouched low, hidden under foliage, Gia watched the car pull up and River help the pathetic human out of Hawk's SUV. She suppressed the urge to growl, her claws shredding the ground under her paws. She should have simply slit Storm's throat rather than leaving her to burn alive in the truck. She wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

  The kill would be quick and decisive.

  The question was why hadn't anyone come for her yet? Wasn't River's human talking? It was a curious situation. Still, anger curled through her belly, knowing her plan had failed.

  All that work to set the fires and pin it on an idiot human in the neighboring district so no one would be the wiser.

  She needed to find out what they knew before she made her next move. She watched as the three of them vanished into the house. Gia came out from her hiding spot and ran through the back paths of the bush land until she reached the rear of her house before shifting back into human form.

  She slammed the door open and walked into the kitchen, sneering at the dump her parents had left to her. Mating with River would upgrade her status in every way. Still, she needed time to make a new plan, and this time make it foolproof.

  Chapter Fifteen

  "What do you mean, I can't go out?" Storm hooked her hand on her hips, glaring angrily at River. "I've been cooped up in this house for five damn days, and I will go for a walk or down to the shops if I damn well want to."

  "Storm, it's not safe for you to go alone." River growled in a low tone. His large frame blocked her path to the front door.

  So, she couldn't remember a few hours of her life. Was it that damn important? River and Hawk kept asking her on a daily basis if she remembered anything. Try as she might, it was nothing but a black blur. It didn't take a genius to figure out they were keeping something from her.

  River smothered her with so much of his care and attention over the past few days, it was driving her crazy. He barely let her out of his sight. When he was working in the back office, either Maria or Hawk were somewhere near. He'd cleared out a guest room and surprised her with setting up her own little office near the family one in the back of the house.

  She loved River, but after five days of him treating her like a fragile princess, she wanted to scream. Coupled with the fact he hadn't touched her sexually once, despite her repeatedly telling him she was healthy and healed from whatever had occurred the day of the fires.

  She noticed slight changes in her body. Her breasts felt tender and ached slightly, and her appetite almost matched River's and Hawk's. Not to mention she was horny as hell. She felt River's erection pressed against the curve of her ass as she slept nestled in his arms. Still, he did nothing about it.

  "And now I think about it, I want to go back to Canberra."

  A look of devastation crossed River's face before it turned into one of dark anger. "You're not leaving me. I won't let you go." His growl became more menacing as he stepped closer.

  Storm refused to be intimidated by him. If she cowered and gave into his demands now, she'd always be doing it.

  "I'm not leaving you. Gosh, I never thought my stay here would be a permanent one. I need to pack up my house. I want my clothes! Oh, my poor garden will be ruined in the heat."

  River's gaze softened along with his stance. "You can have a new garden here, cookie. I have a whole team of land moving experts. Just tell me what you want, and it'll be done."

  She let out a slow breath, trying to bring her frustration under control. "What I want is you to stop dogging my every step. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. I was doing just fine before you turned up. I appreciate you taking care of me when I got out of the hospital, but enough is enough. You can see I'm fine and healthy." And turned on.

  "You still can't remember anything, and it worries me. I'll send men to pack up your old house. You are my mate, you don't have to go anywhere other than be with me."

  She snorted, staring into River's beautiful green eyes. "I don't care what I can't remember. I still have a life to live. You just don't get it. I don't want anyone to pack up my house. I don't want anyone to make me a garden. If you recall, I never wanted an overbearing brute in my life telling me what I can and can't do!"

  She spun around to march back through the house. River grabbed her by the arm, spinning her around so fast she almost lost her balance. She yanked her arm away and stepped back.

  "You are my mate, Storm. I need to protect you. Can't you see that?"

  "From what, damn it! No one will tell me what happened the day of the fires, and I damn well know you do. And as for this bloody mate business, you haven't even bothered to do it properly!"

  His growl was low and predatory.

  Storm's eyes widened and a sudden thrill ran down her spine as he advanced on her, forcing her to step back until she hit a wall. Her body flared to life, begging for River's touch, the need for him to take her, hard and fast.

  "A mistake I shall now remedy. You have ten seconds to be in our room and naked on the bed."

  She swallowed hard, her hands shaking with anticipation. Still, she stood riveted to the spot, mesmerized by the wanton lust in his eyes.

  "Now!" At his barked command, she spun on her heals and bolted through the house and up the stairs, stripping off clothing as she went. She almost crashed into the bedroom door in her haste to get it open. She could feel
River right behind her. She wanted this, wanted him.

  Storm tucked away the mental note for later on how to push his buttons. Her breathing labored as she scrambled onto the bed. Her eyes fixed to the door, her gaze dropped lower as River's sleek powerful panther stalked through the door. With a flick of his tail, he closed the door before leaping smoothly onto the bed.

  He'd never come to bed as a panther before. Just what the heck was he going to do? He growled in warning when she tried to shift away.

  "River…I don't think…"

  He growled, leaning over her, placing his right paw on the middle upper leg. He lowered his head, nuzzling and sniffing at her sex before moving his nose up over her lower stomach.

  He purred, cuddling into her stomach, almost lovingly, his soft fur tickling her skin, making her break out in a fit of giggles.

  The hot wet graze of his cat tongue jolted her body as he shifted higher, lapping his tongue over her left nipple.

  Storm fought to hold back a moan, but his insistent tongue showed no signs of stopping, moving from one nipple to the other until they were painfully hard. Goosebumps broke out all over her skin, her lower stomach clenched in need, her clit pulsing with every stroke.

  He drove her to the point of desperation. She fisted the bedding under her fingers. Her moans filled the air. Oh God, whoever knew a shifter cat tongue could feel so damn good.

  "Please, River…"

  His tongue stopped and she felt a ripple in the air against her heated skin. Her eyes opened to see River back in his human form. His eyes glowed, showing both man and panther.

  "I was waiting until I knew you were ready, but I see I should have marked you the first night we made love. You belong to me Storm, always."

  He pushed between her legs, opening them wider, lowering his hips into the junction of her thighs. His cock felt like an iron brand against her skin. She was more than ready to have him.

  "Yes, please, River, do it, make me yours."

  He shifted slightly to the left. She felt the head of his cock at the entrance of her slippery pussy. In one powerful thrust, he buried himself to the hilt. Storm cried out in pleasure and pain as her walls were forced apart by his hard length.