The Lion’s Cross Species Baby

Annie shook her head but extended her arm so he could smell. He concentrated on her wrist this time, smelling thoroughly and sensually. Annie felt a warmth growing in her body; her squirming was from arousal rather than tickling. He looked at her, slowing the car but not stopping. He knew the effect he was having on her, and he was feeling the same thing. He dropped her wrist and smiled knowingly at her.

“I have to admit, Annie, your scent is unfamiliar to me.”

“Really? I should have made a bet with you,” Annie laughed. “I shift into an owl.”

“Oh wow! I would give anything to be able to fly! So many beautiful sights to see,” Cooper said, admiration clear in his tone.

“It is magnificent. Are you a lion like Mark?”

“Yep. Our whole family shifts into lions,” Cooper told her.

“King and queen of the jungle. An impressive animal, indeed,” Annie commented, returning her attention to the jungle around her. “Do you have the opportunity to shift much here?”

“I shift every night,” Cooper told her, “for exercise.”

Annie opened her mouth to reply but her speech was arrested by a sight she hadn’t expected to see. A panther ambled across their path followed closely by a cub. She gasped as Cooper slowed the jeep and stopped before getting too close. They watched, without speaking as it continued on, the cub batting at its tail until the mother picked it up by the scruff of its neck and disappeared into the forest.

“Magnificent,” Annie breathed.

“They are,” Cooper agreed. “You’re lucky. In the two years I’ve been down here, I’ve only seen a panther with a cub three times. This is the fourth.”

“Just wow,” Annie said quietly as the jeep continued moving.

*****

They reached the campsite ten minutes later without any further interruptions. Annie, who wasn’t accustomed to a campsite, frowned at the accommodations. There were two campers, although she was pretty sure neither had electricity or water, and four tents around it. A picnic table and makeshift grill stood off to the side of both, and some tarps set up on stakes offered the only shelter for what she assumed was their kitchen.

“How many people are on the site with you?”

“Five, including me. Six now that you’re here. Buddy is the other archaeologist. That’s his camper over there. The other guys stay in the tents,” Cooper told her. “Did you bring a tent?”

“I wasn’t told I needed one,” Annie said, her frown deepening. “Will I need to go back to Rio to stay?”

“Oh no, that’s too far away and the road isn’t in good enough condition to travel out here every day,” Cooper said. “I told Mark I’d share the camper with you if you were comfortable with that.”

“Is that my only option?” Annie realized how rude that sounded when he looked at her with a raised eyebrow and climbed out of the jeep. She climbed out as well and met him “I don’t mean to be rude, Cooper. I just didn’t realize I’d have to share. I would have brought a tent so as not to inconvenience you.”

“It’s no inconvenience, Annie. You’ll be more comfortable in the camper,” he told her as he lifted her bag out of the back of the jeep. “It’s safer, for one, and though not air conditioned, it provides protection from the bugs and such.”

Annie nodded. “Yes, ok. Thank you.”

“You’re most welcome.” Cooper took her bag and led her to the camper.

Annie followed him towards the camper, looking around her. Her mind was in a whirlwind. She had felt an attraction to him and sharing a camper with him may not be a good idea. She wasn’t here to find a boyfriend; she was here to do the research for her thesis. I will not succumb to my arousal, she told herself.

Cooper opened the door to the camper and let her enter first. It was more spacious than she had expected, with a division between the living area and sleeping area.

Cooper watched her look around, her face passive. “It’s not much, but it’s home for now.”

Annie looked at him. “It’s not bad at all, actually. Better than the hard ground under a tent.”

“Absolutely. It sleeps two back there, but I’ll let you sleep there and I’ll take the bed out here.”

“There’s a bed out here?” Annie asked, looking around suspiciously.

Cooper chuckled. “There is. The table changes into a bed.”

“Oh, I don’t mind sleeping out here. There’s no need for you to change your routine,” Annie offered.

“If Mark found out I made you sleep out here, he’d kill me,” Cooper laughed. “Besides, it’s no less comfortable out here than in there. Or maybe I should say neither is very comfortable if I’m telling the truth.”

They laughed. Cooper moved past Annie, intentionally brushing his body against hers. He might not have recognized her shifter scent, but he had picked up on her pheromones. She had been aroused when he had sniffed her arm. He had smelled it in the subtle change in her scent, and he had seen it in the goose bumps that had pimpled the skin on her arm, skin as soft as silk.

“I’ll leave you to freshen up a bit. We don’t have running water, but we keep jugs for drinking and different jugs for washing.” He pointed out which was which. “When you’re ready, come out and we’ll hike over to the dig. If you’re not too tired.”

“Won’t it be dark soon?”

Cooper glanced at his watch. “We’ve still got an hour. We could wait if you want.”

“No, no, I’d love to go out today,” Annie assured him.

“I’ll leave you to it, then,” he said with a smile. He left her alone, and as he walked across the campsite to see if anything from breakfast was left, he thought about Annie. He was definitely attracted to her, that was for sure, but would it be prudent to seduce her. He hadn’t been laid in so long he wasn’t sure if he remembered how, but getting her underneath him would bring it all back, he was sure. What would Mark think if I seduced her just for my own pleasure? he wondered. He knew Mark was close to Annie, which caused the second thoughts.