Shadows embrace, p.5
Shadow's Embrace, page 5
Rebel forced his eyes away from her delectable body and turned so she couldn’t see his hard-on. He didn’t need to try to explain that away.
“Get your ass in shower,” he said, adding a wink and enough mockery to his voice that she would think he was just flirting. “I’ll get breakfast ready.”
He didn’t look to see if she followed his instruction, couldn’t let his gaze land on her round, sexy form one more time. Instead he walked out of the bedroom and loped down the stairs, which was a challenge because he really needed one of his feet to kick his own ass.
“What the hell are you doing?” he asked aloud once he was clear of the bedroom. He’d gotten into the habit of talking out loud to himself. Living alone it provided a voice in the house. “You’re supposed to be her friend. She’s got a man. She’s going to marry him. You’re happy for her.”
He knew there was no future in any relationship with Kalen beyond friendship. He’d been honest as fuck when he’d told Brennan he’d do them both. And want more.
That would be the problem. Making love, fucking Kalen, would no doubt be the highlight of his life, but he wasn’t sure he could give up fucking guys. He loved a thick cock in his mouth and occasionally, very, he liked to take it up the ass. It had to be the right guy, the right moment.
“The right lube,” he muttered to himself as he opened the oven door. The sausage and hash browns looked perfect, hot but not burned. All he had to do was scramble the eggs. He’d wait until the shower clicked off before he started those. He’d told Kalen five minutes but he had no illusions that she’d make it downstairs in that time. He heard the shower go on and smiled.
He had no illusions. About anything.
Despite the fact that her parents and now all her older brothers were involved in three-way committed relationships, he had no hope that she’d ever agree to that. She was too human.
It was the presence of the wolf that made those threesomes work and Kalen had no wolf. She didn’t even have the sense of smell strong enough to know that it had been him in her bed, not her lover.
Of course, part of him wanted to think that she hadn’t immediately pulled away because she’d been dreaming of him but self-delusion was never his style. He’d heard the two of them last night. It would have been impossible not to. She loved Brennan. It was in her voice when she talked about him, her eyes. Hell, he could practically see it in her soul.
He’d missed his chance. And he had to accept that.
Didn’t mean he couldn’t torment Brennan with his presence a little longer, though. Brennan needed to get used to abuse if he planned to marry into that Alpha family. Even the females were tough.
The water stopped running and Rebel fired up the stove. He dumped the beaten eggs into the hot pan and scrambled them, timing it perfectly. Kalen walked in, wearing her robe, her hair damp but combed, just as the eggs hit that barely beyond the runny stage.
“Grab the plates,” he commanded as he pulled it off the heat. In moments he had two plates laden with eggs, sausage and hash browns. He hadn’t made toast but really, they both needed animal protein. Kalen might be a latent werewolf but she still needed meat. Her brief attempt at being a vegetarian in college hadn’t ended well. Last he’d heard, the IHOP employees still told the story to scare the new waitstaff.
They sat down in her dining room. The room was spacious and held a table far bigger than two people needed, but then she was marrying a politician. She needed to be able to entertain. Strange. Kalen had never been very social growing up. That was probably more to do with not fitting in, he realized now.
He’d had hours to study and learn her house. He didn’t sleep well, particularly in his human form. Normally he would have made the change, but with Kalen and the human male so near, he wasn’t sure his wolf would have restrained itself.
After fifteen years of not being able to change into his wolf form, he’s spent much of the last month letting his inner animal roam free. The land around the pack house and the hunting cabin was unpopulated except for the occasional wolf or werewolf and they knew enough to stay out of his way. Having the freedom satisfied the wolf in some ways, but in others it made the animal want to be in control at all times.
His stomach rumbled and he realized he’d been lost in his thoughts and hadn’t eaten. That was one primal need he kept satisfied or he’d be chasing bunny rabbits in the backyard before the day was over. He scooped up a forkful of eggs, added some hash browns and stabbed a piece of sausage onto the tips of the tines. He pushed the whole mixture into his mouth and went back for more. It served two functions. He liked the combined flavors and he’d learned to eat fast and never let any go to waste.
He kept his head down and concentrated on his food. Biological necessity and fifteen years hard time had taught him to eat like a barbarian.
“So—”
Kalen’s voice jolted him out of his mental silence and he looked up, confused for a moment. He glanced at his plate. He was almost finished and it looked like she’d taken three bites. He lowered his fork and hated the fact that he felt his cheeks burn. Embarrassment turned to anger. The wolf lived at the surface of his mind. It was how he’d survived the past fifteen years. His lips peeled back, just hinting at a snarl.
The light in Kalen’s eyes darkened and she tipped her chin down. The true power of this woman, one she probably didn’t even know she had, poured out of that stare.
“Are you growling at me?”
The reprimand silenced his wolf and Rebel shook his head even as he apologized. “Sorry.”
She blinked and sighed, as if she was pleased the moment had passed.
“So, as I was saying, why are you here?” She lifted the hand that had been politely placed in her lap. “Not that I’m not thrilled to see you, because I am.” He could feel the honesty in her words. It allowed her slip under one of the walls he’d built, invading that sacred space around his heart. She smiled and he felt the next wall start to crumble. “I really am glad you’re here. A little startled that you decided to break into my house. But I’m going to assume you had a good reason. So what’s going on?” She took a bite of eggs. “And you’re fixing that lock before you leave.” Her eyes twinkled.
God he’d missed her. She’d been in Europe when he’d been sent away, and at his request, no one had told her about it until she’d returned. She’d come out to the prison, but seeing her was too painful and he’d asked her not to visit. It was too hard. It was better if he just forgot the outside world, made prison his life. He tried to get her to stop writing letters but she’d ignored that command. And he’d cherished every word. The letters had grown less frequent over the years—she’d gotten busy and fifteen years was a long time to keep writing to a man who never responded.
He hadn’t heard from her in the past year. Now he knew why. Brennan.
“Rebel?”
He nodded and managed a smile. “Yes, I’ll fix the lock. I’m surprised boy-wonder hasn’t done a full on security review of your place.” He winked. “Make sure his woman is safe.”
“His name is Brennan,” she repeated. “And you will be nice to him.”
There was that voice again. Like a school teacher and porn star rolled into one. It made his dick hard and every cell in his body wanted to obey. He’d fucked a few women but Kalen was the only one who could make his cock hard with just a look. In one moment he felt the need to dominate and submit.
Not that he was going to let her see that. He hadn’t before and he definitely wouldn’t now that she was engaged to the human.
He put his elbows on the table and leaned forward. “He was certainly nice to you last night.”
She gasped and her fingers tightened on the fork. His eyes tracked to the muscles in her arm, watching to see if she was going to use the fork as a weapon. His mind told him she wasn’t a threat, that she would never hurt him, but he couldn’t fight fifteen years of training.
“I can’t believe you listened.” Her voice was tight but she made no move against him.
He took a breath, forcing his lungs to relax. He gave what he hoped was a casual shrug.
“I couldn’t exactly avoid it.” He leaned away and took another bite, this one a little more controlled, not so paranoid. “You’re a bit of screamer, which frankly I wouldn’t have imagined. Wait until I tell your brothers what stuffy, reserved Brennan likes to do their sister in bed.”
Kalen smacked her hands on the table and stood up. “You wouldn’t dare.” It wasn’t “the voice” that time. This was a purely feminine, purely outraged response.
Rebel couldn’t hold it back any longer. He tipped his head back and laughed. “God you are so easy. I would have thought fifteen years living in the real world would have made you a little less gullible.”
Her cheeks turned bright pink which Rebel found adorable but knew now was not the time for him to say anything. She huffed and plopped back down in her chair, tugging it forward. She picked up a sausage in her fingers and shoved it her mouth, the juices dripping out the side of her lips.
She swallowed. “I am. Less gullible that is.” She wiped off her fingertips and grabbed her fork, as if her manners had suddenly returned to her. “I just never know what you’ll do.”
Rebel looked at her. His heart thumped in his throat. Kalen lifted her gaze.
“I will never hurt you.”
His words crashed around them like a weight, making it hard to move. Tears pricked her eyes.
She stared at him, hoping he could see the truth in her eyes. “I know.”
Fifteen years but one thing hadn’t changed. Rebel was still her friend. She didn’t know him well—not anymore—but something in his soul called to hers.
He’d gone to prison because of her.
There might be a day that they would talk about that, but she wasn’t ready for that conversation. And somehow she didn’t think Rebel was either.
So she would focus on the now and figure out why he was here. She didn’t think it was just to see her. He’d been out of prison for over a month. Why was he now sitting at her dining room table, bare-chested and really hot?
He’d pulled his hair back into ponytail at the base of his neck. She loved his hair. Down, he looked like a rocker. Pulled back, he looked like a pirate. It was a win-win for her.
Not that you’re looking, she reminded herself. And she wasn’t. She loved Brennan. Rebel was just a childhood dream and she’d let it go years ago.
At least she had until she’d seen him nearly naked. Well, it didn’t hurt to look right? Men did it all the time and there was no way to deny that Rebel was gorgeous. He was the epitome of a werewolf male—tall, broad shoulders, thick chest muscles that made her want to sink her fingers into the firm flesh, narrow waist and that perfect six-pack stomach. She’d grown up around males like this and found herself surprisingly immune.
Except for Rebel.
“So going back to my earlier question…why are you here?” The eggs were a little chilled on her plate and the thought of cold eggs made her queasy so she turned her attention to the sausage. Her heritage hadn’t given her the tall svelte figure of her mother or the power of her father, but she’d ended up with a love of pork. It seemed to run in their family and in every werewolf created by one of her family. Great. Another inch on my ass. Even that thought didn’t stop her from picking up another sausage link. She didn’t do it often and being around Rebel just seemed to draw out the few werewolf tendencies she had.
She tipped her head to the side and waited for Rebel to finish the bite in his mouth. He gulped down another gigantic mound of food before he spoke.
“Chas has got himself into some trouble.”
Kalen nodded. Rebel’s stepbrother didn’t always make the best decisions. “What kind of trouble?”
Rebel released a sound that was a cross between a sigh and a groan. “Money, gambling, being a stupid little shit.”
Kalen sighed. She knew Rebel’s problem with his stepbrother. Rebel’s father had married Chas’ mother when Rebel was in his teens and Chas was about ten. Neither boy took to the other but Rebel was a pack animal, and even though he hadn’t really liked Chas, he’d protected him.
“And he’s come to you for help,” she said. Rebel nodded. “What do you need from me? Money?”
His lips clamped shut and the glare across the table made her heart skip a beat. There was no mistaking the heat in his eyes this time. Pure masculine outrage.
“Okay, sorry. It was just a first guess. It would have been my first guess with anyone.” That didn’t dim the anger. “But I should have known better.” Rebel wouldn’t accept any help from her. He never had. She’d had “friends” who’d gotten close to her because of her relationship to the Alpha. Rebel had always been very clear that he wanted nothing more from her than her friendship. “And I do. It was a knee-jerk reaction.” She fluttered her eyelashes at him, just enough to draw him out of his irritation. “Emphasis on ‘jerk’.”
That made him smile and in that instant the tension evaporated. Kalen sighed with relief. It would take them a bit to get their relationship back to normal. They’d both changed a lot. Still, she sensed the boy she knew had grown into a man she could love.
“Why did you come here?” She ate another piece of sausage. “You know I’m just going to keep asking until I get an answer.”
“Persistent little snot, aren’t you?”
It was her turn to grin.
Rebel put down his fork. He’d cleared his plate but she knew he could eat more and she slid hers across the table, offering him the last sausages and whatever else he wanted. He took the meat and left the rest.
“I have to drive up to my dad’s cabin. Chas is…” He paused and rolled his eyes. “Hiding out there. He owes these guys some money, doesn’t have it. I’m going to take him the cash and try not to beat the shit out of him when I see him.”
“I’m sure you’ll manage restraint.”
She meant it as a tease but there was nothing approaching laughter in his eyes. “I hope you’re right.” He shook off the somber tone and the light returned. “I was thinking you might want to come with me.” He said the words casually but Kalen heard the strain beneath the words. It took a lot for him to ask this. “I could run see Chas and then you and I could go to that clearing near the waterfall.” He placed he elbows on the table and leaned forward. The intensity of his stare drew her in and she leaned in as well. “Just the two of us. Pack a picnic lunch, some wine.” The heat returned to his gaze and there was no ignoring it this time. The middle of her stomach dropped away as he continued to seduce her with his words and voice. She wouldn’t say yes, couldn’t—she had to work—but she also couldn’t completely resist the lure. “We’ll talk about old times and see what happens…”
His voice trailed away and another entered the mix.
“That sounds romantic.”
Kalen practically jumped out of her chair and Brennan felt just a hint of guilt. He hadn’t deliberately sneaked into the house—he’d used the key Kalen had given him nine months ago—but once inside he’d heard their voices and had to admit he’d done a little sneaking, kicking off his shoes at the front door, avoiding floorboards that he thought might creak. Kalen clearly hadn’t heard his approach. She’d been too wrapped up in Rebel’s plans for the day.
“Brennan!” She used the momentum of flinching to push away from the table and come around to the doorway. Her eyes glittered overbright as she pressed up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. He bent down and gave her a peck on the lips, trying to keep a balance between reason and jealousy and not sure which side he wanted Kalen to see. He licked his lips and tasted grease. Almost like bacon. He and Kalen had cut out most pork six months ago and certainly they’d stopped bacon or sausage or whatever it was she’d been eating with Rebel.
For some reason that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up worse than any intimate plans.
Clearly the jealousy must have shown through because she jumped in front of him, not putting herself directly between him and Rebel but drawing Brennan’s attention.
“How did the meeting with the mayor go?” She placed her hand on his chest and gave it a gentle pat. That one move soothed numerous nerve endings. It was familiar and wifely and he knew better than to say those words aloud. “How was tennis?”
“Fine.” He blinked, trying to shake off the mood. Brennan looped his arm around Kalen’s waist and pulled her close. The easy way she fit against his body continued the work of her hand on his chest and he realized he had nothing to worry about. Kalen was loving and loyal.
But that didn’t mean Rebel couldn’t tempt her, maybe even trick her into some liaison, using the memory of their childhood as a lure. “We had a great game. Good conversation.” Great conversation. He had news to share but he wasn’t going to do that with Rebel sitting there.
“Did you let him win?” Rebel asked. He turned in his chair and draped his arm across the back, looking casual and way too comfortable.
“I never let anyone win.”
Rebel stood up and strolled toward them. “Then you must fun to play with,” he drawled and flashed Brennan a wink. Rebel brushed close, ostensibly slipping between them and the table but Brennan was sure it was so he could rub up against Kalen. She slid out of the way, curling around to Brennan’s other side. The movement moved her closer so Brennan shifted his hands, sliding them down to rest on the top of her ass. Marking her body as his territory.
Rebel paused just outside the kitchen door and looked back, his shoulders turned, keeping both his ass and his abs visible. Brennan was sure the pose was deliberate. The bastard still hadn’t put on a shirt. Brennan considered himself in shape but Rebel was ripped, there was no other way to describe it. He could see why Kalen might be attracted to him. With that and their history together, it probably made a tempting package. Not that Brennan was worried.
“I’ll go wash the dishes and then we go,” he said, speaking directly to Kalen and cutting Brennan off completely.
