When they were alone again, Cooper could tell Jada returned to being nervous. The sky outside grew dark as he fussed in the kitchen, figuring out a way to heat up the food that would take longer than a few turns in the microwave. He could tell the families still gathered in the compound, and a bonfire burned not far away as they all drank and caroused. Cooper didn’t like it. He didn’t like feeling watched or judged or rushed, and the families did all three.

So he made a fire and shooed Jada to the couch so she could relax. True to leopard form, she stretched out as the flames kicked out a great deal of heat, basking in the glow. He smiled to himself as he poured a couple glasses of wine and trimmed the roast chicken to mix with pasta, setting aside enough so they would have an easy breakfast and a few snacks on the road.

As he waited for the water to boil so he could refresh the pasta, Cooper pondered what to do. Francine seemed like a nice kid, so it was only a matter of time until the clans broke her spirit and wore her down to nothing. He couldn’t stand the thought of driving away without her. Stealing her made more sense than asking permission, but getting her through the forest to the truck, when the wolves had to be aware of the ceremony and the gathered clans, without someone catching her would be the trick. She couldn’t just pack up all her stuff and walk into the woods, not when the leopards expected her to serve breakfast and do chores.

He wished Simon and the guys were there to help. He couldn’t rely on anyone in his family, not with Ace gone.

Rage raced through him again at the thought of his asshole father not even trying to get Ace’s body back from the wolves. Un-fucking-believable. It was a betrayal of the clan and the so-called code of honor the bears pretended to keep out there in the mountains. He was done with it. He’d hold a ceremonial pyre for Ace back in Oregon, and celebrate his brother’s life in every way possible, so his spirit would know he was loved and missed.

Cooper cleared his throat as the bear grew restless, trying to shake it off. He could think about Ace later. At that moment, he had to put all his attention toward Jada. He glanced over and saw her sprawled on the couch on her stomach, eyes half-closed and the firelight making shadows on her face. She looked more like a cat than he’d imagined a human could.

He looked forward to making her a real meal, from scratch with much better ingredients than what the clans put forward, and spreading her out on the massive sheepskin rug in front of the fire at the Lodge. Naked, of course. Seeing her curves and smooth flesh in half-light and shadow, feeling her against his skin. Cooper blinked as his jeans grew tight and uncomfortable, and put those randy thoughts aside. They’d sleep together that night so they could leave in the morning, but after that... There was no telling if Jada would want to stay married, much less sleep with him.

The thought stopped him in his tracks as he started putting the rolls in the oven to soften them. The bear already felt attached to Jada, needing to protect her, and Cooper was far fonder of her than he thought possible after less than a day. But that didn’t mean he could expect her to stay, or even hope for the same. She was just barely eighteen and had been locked up in the compound her entire life. She needed to see the world and try things out.

The bear didn’t like any of that train of thought. She needed to stay with them at the Lodge, or a cabin he built, and they could find adventures together. Nothing too dangerous or risky. Didn’t want to get a scratch on her.

Cooper shook his head and pulled the pasta out of the water. It wasn’t fair for him to get attached yet. She deserved a chance to make her own choices and find her own way. He didn’t like feeling like he’d stolen her without her permission, even if she sort of said yes during the ceremony. She still hadn’t had a real choice.

He got the small table set and put the food out, but hesitated as he paused next to the couch. She looked so peaceful and relaxed, he didn’t want to wake her.

But Jada lifted her head, blinking slowly. “It smells good.”

“Thanks,” he said. Cooper couldn’t resist and leaned down to scratch her back, running his nails along her spine in long, sweeping strokes. He half expected her to bolt upright and return to panicked-Jada mode, but instead she grumbled and stretched, arching her back.

He grinned, pleased, and used both hands to get her shoulders and sides and down to her lower back. Jada sighed, almost a moan, and turned slightly so he could reach a spot on her side near her hip, and Cooper was happy to oblige. He’d stand there all night. Something like a purr rumbled in her chest, and he was totally lost. Completely entranced. Her arms drifted over her head as she yawned, squeezing her eyes shut, and rolled until he caressed her stomach and waist. Cooper held his breath, wondering if she realized his hands ghosted along her sides, but Jada just rolled again, murmuring under her breath.

And promptly rolled right off the couch to land on his feet.

Cooper blinked. Shit. He helped her up as Jada shook off a dazed look and clambered to her feet, cheeks flushed as she patted at her rather severely pulled-back hair. “Well, that’s never happened before.”

“What, getting your back scratched or falling off a couch?” He smiled to show he teased, and kept hold of her arm to lead her over to the table so he could pull out her chair.

Jada yawned again and scrubbed her hands over her face as she sank into the chair. “Both, to be honest.”

“That’s too bad. About the back scratches, at least.” Cooper sat and handed her the bowls first, so she could eat what she wanted. “Having your back scratched is one of the best things in the world.”

“It sounds like something bears would like.” Jada smiled as she got tiny scoops of pasta and chicken, and salad, and cornbread, and the rest of the food. Cooper eyed her plate dubiously; there was hardly enough there to feed a bird. The bear didn’t like it. She was too scrawny; she needed to eat more to build up strength. And to put some meat on her bones, fill out those tantalizing curves.

Cooper couldn’t take it and put more food on her plate, particularly the sautéed greens that were made with a great deal of butter and cream. “You should take more. I set some aside so we’ll have enough for breakfast, so we’ve got more than enough.”

Something changed in her expression and she didn’t quite meet his eyes, and Cooper wanted to smack himself. They’d been having a nice moment, and he brought up breakfast—which only happened after they slept together. Great. He cleared his throat and held up his glass of wine. “A toast.”

She did the same, looking a little uncertain. He briefly wondered if she’d ever had wine before, seeing as she was only eighteen, but the clans never cared much about laws. Cooper smiled, wanting to reassure her, and clinked his cheap plastic glass against hers. “To new friends and new adventures, and finding out what the future holds.”

“Cheers,” she said. She sipped the wine and made a bit of a face, putting it down. “That…is not good.”

Cooper agreed, but took a few gulps anyway. “I think you get used to it.”

Jada picked at her food, occasionally trying the wine again though she grimaced each time, and dared a glance over at him as Cooper inhaled half of the cornbread. “So... where do you live? Where are we going tomorrow?”

He wiped his mouth and tossed the napkin on the table, leaning back in his chair to take a breather. “Out in Oregon, so it’s a bit of a drive. I work with some friends of mine; one of them owns an adventure hiking and camping company, mostly to take tourists out into the mountains to see bears and go fishing. They’ve got a huge log cabin we call the Lodge, so I live there. That’s where you’ll live, too. There’s plenty of rooms. We can figure out what works best when we get there.”

“Oh.” Jada leaned her elbow on the table, studying him from under her eyelashes. “You don’t want me to live with you?”

“Of course I would,” Cooper said. He touched her hand where it rested next to her plate, wrapping his fingers around hers. “I’d like that very much. But I didn’t want to assume. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable, so if we get there and you want your own room for a couple of nights, or longer, that’s doable.”

Jada sighed, a wistful look on her face. “I’ve never had my own room.”

“Done and done,” he said. Finally, something concrete he could do for her to balance out the unfairness of sealing the alliance. “I’ll call Simon tomorrow and have Zoe set up a room for you. It’ll be all yours. You can still stay with me whenever you want—if you want—but there will always be a room for you to go to when you want to.” 

She blinked. “Thank you. That’s really nice.”

Cooper just grinned and put more pasta on her plate. “I specialize in being nice. To some people, anyway.”

He made small talk for the rest of the meal, refilling their wine when Jada finally seemed to come around to the taste, though the flush in her cheeks made him think she was getting a little tipsy. All things considered, it might help with the rest of the evening, though he didn’t want her hammered. He even managed to make her laugh a couple of times, though she hid her mouth behind her hands.

Shouting echoed through the night and set Cooper’s teeth on edge; the damn clans, gathered around that bonfire to celebrate the renewed alliance, just made it more nerve-racking for both of them. He could tell by the look on Jada’s face that whatever he’d done to put her at ease disappeared.

Cooper picked up his wine glass and the bottle, nodding at the fire. “Let’s sit on the couch for a bit.”

Her eyes widened, but she also got her glass and followed him over to the couch. He waited for her to sit, then Cooper collapsed on the cushion next to her, close enough that their thighs pressed together. He draped his arm along the back of the couch, nearly on her shoulders, and propped his feet up on the battered coffee table between them and the fire. He took a deep breath near her hair, closing his eyes. “Want me to scratch your back more?”

Jada smiled faintly but shook her head. “That’s okay. You’ve been so nice already. I didn’t expect that.”

He reached out slowly to brush a few stray locks of hair back from her face, wishing he could flip a switch and make everything between them easy and familiar. She didn’t pull away, at least, though he could feel the tension where her body touched his. “I’m sorry about all of this, really. It’s not fair and I wish we could change things, but I’ll be honest—I’m very glad it’s me with you here instead of some of my cousins. I wouldn’t trust them with you. I’ll keep you safe, Jada. That’s my promise. Nothing will hurt you ever again.”

Her eyes shone and she blinked rapidly, looking away. “I don’t know what to do now. They never said what this is supposed to be like, just that I’m supposed to bleed. And it hurts a lot. They kept saying it will hurt.”

It took a second for Cooper to decipher the conversational whiplash and figure out she meant sleeping with him. He touched her cheek again, trying to smile. “Well, if you don’t bleed, I will, just so we can get out of here.”

“I’m not sure that’s how it works,” she said, looking doubtful.

Cooper laughed, wondering how it was possible to like someone so much when they hadn’t even known each other twelve hours. Jada still watched him, though, with those wide eyes. He wiped at his mouth to hide a smile. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t laugh. I meant that I’d cut myself somewhere if there was any doubt and we needed a bit more for show. That’s all.”

“Oh.” Jada still didn’t look convinced.

“And if we take things nice and slow, it shouldn’t hurt too much. Otherwise I haven’t done my job very well.” He stretched and put his glass down, dragging her legs into his lap so he could rub her feet. “And I take pride in my work, Jada.”

Color rose in her cheeks even though he wasn’t sure she understood what he meant, but she didn’t panic as he started to squeeze her ankles and work some of the tension out of her calves. Nice and slow. He’d be a glacier if that’s what it took to show her he meant what he said. As much as he wanted to see and touch and taste every inch of her, his needs had to wait until she was ready. Her hand rested on his bicep as she moved her legs, eyes half-closed, and Cooper knew she was a sensual woman deep in her heart. It was just a matter of awakening that in her. He was more than up to the task.