by Kat Simons
“Good.”
“Why?”
“Because I intend to spend as much time with you as I can after Sally leaves. We’ll have that date finally. More than one if you’ll agree to it. And I will make every effort to seduce you. The less you have to do next week, the better.”
She swallowed. Hard. Probably she should argue with him, or at least put up a token resistance. She wasn’t going to, but she should. “What kind of date did you have in mind?” Her toes curled when he kissed her neck.
“Dinner. Caitlin tells me feeding a woman is a good way to get a second date.”
Cary chuckled. In her case, that was probably true. “Then?”
“A romantic walk. A lot of kissing.”
Mmm…
When his big hand slid around to rest low on her stomach, Cary thought her head might explode.
He nudged her over onto her side and spooned up behind her, wrapping her in his arms. “Try to get some sleep,” he murmured.
“Right.” That would happen tonight.
26
Cary woke the next morning, gritty-eyed and irritable, to find Deacon had already left. She turned her head to see the clock. Probably good. Sally would be up any minute.
Over breakfast, she asked Jon how his phone call to Holland had gone. He’d planned to call first thing that morning.
“Fine,” he said, shoving a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.
She raised her brows. “Fine? Just fine? What did he say?”
Jon shrugged. “Thanks for calling. Sorry you won’t be working with us. That kind of thing.”
“He wasn’t mad?”
“Nope.” Jon spooned in more cereal.
Cary pursed her lips, studying him.
“What?” he asked then filled his mouth again.
She shook off her unease. “Nothing.” Lifting her coffee mug, she said, “Good coffee this morning. Thanks. I’m going to miss having you around to help keep the pot full.”
He shrugged and stuck his face closer to his bowl. “Gonna miss you, too,” he muttered to the milk.
“You can still visit sometime if you want. Talk to the dogs. They like you.”
He popped his head up, his grin gross with mashed up Wheaties. “Yeah? Cool. I like the dogs, too. And maybe Deacon and I can throw the football around?”
“Sure. Bet he’d like that.” She thought about asking Jon if he’d be willing to talk to Deacon’s tigers but decided she’d leave that decision to Deacon.
As she watched Jon slurp up the last of his milk, her heart tightened. She was gonna miss him, too. She’d never had a little brother, and her nieces and nephew lived too far away for her to have a close relationship with them. It was amazing how quickly she’d gotten used to having Jon around.
“Want to go to the park tomorrow, if the weather holds?” she asked as he dumped his bowl into the dish washer. They were having an unusually warm bit of weather this week, and no rain. If it lasted, the weekend would be gorgeous.
“Yeah,” Jon said. “That’d be great.”
She watched him saunter out of the kitchen—he’d been trying to imitate Deacon’s way of moving for a few days now—and smiled at his back. He was a good kid.
Her smile dropped. She hoped he stayed that way.
That night, by the time Sally and Jon were mostly packed, Deacon had arrived with pizza and wine.
She kissed him on the cheek in greeting. “Thanks for bringing dinner.”
“You’re welcome.”
His golden gaze held such heat she lost her breath. She blinked and looked away before she embarrassed herself by jumping him right then and there. Sally would not be amused.
Although, when she caught Sally’s gaze a moment later, the woman didn’t look disapproving. In fact, she was giving Cary a downright wicked smile. Great. She had no doubt what Sally assumed would be happening tomorrow between her and Deacon. They were supposed to be a couple so of course the minute they got alone time they’d land into bed. That wasn’t the plan yet. The plan was a date, but still… Knowing exactly what Sally was thinking was embarrassing.
Cary took her warming cheeks off to the kitchen to hide the blush and get glasses for the wine. Wine was definitely called for tonight.
Deacon followed her, backed her against the counter and braced his hands on either side of her hips, imprisoning her. “Hi,” he said, leaning close without actually touching her. “How was your day?”
“Great. We went to the park. What are you doing?”
“Holding on to my shredded control. What did you do in the park?”
“This might be a safer conversation if we were in the living room with our chaperones.”
“Probably, but I need a minute alone with you. Now, quick, tell me about your day before I strip you naked and fuck you right here against the counter.”
Cary’s entire body spasmed at the thought. When her lungs started to burn, she had to remind herself to breathe. How were they going to get through a single date, nonetheless several dates, when their chemistry was so off the charts? Damn.
She focused on breathing. “My day. Right.” What had she done all day? Oh yeah. “We went to the park. Took the dogs. Tried to throw the football around. I’m getting better. I only got hit in the stomach twice and only once on my hip.”
“Good job.” His gaze dropped to her body. “Any bruises I should worry about.”
“They’ll be gone by tomorrow.”
He nodded but he continued to stare at her breasts, watching them rise and fall as she breathed. Which only made her breathe harder.
“What else did you do?” His voice rasped out now.
She shivered. “Fred chased the ball around some. Pickles and Buck joined the games for a while then slept while Jon tried to wear Fred out.”
“Did he succeed?”
“Of course not. Then we ate lunch.”
“What did you have?”
“Sandwiches. Potato salad…” Her voice trailed off when Deacon leaned even closer and his scent hit her hard, making her dizzy.
“Potato salad and what else?” he asked.
“Huh?” What was he talking about? And why couldn’t she seem to think anymore?
His head dipped lower and he nuzzled her neck. Cary swore she saw sparkles dancing in front of her eyes.
The sound of something cracking startled her back to reality. She looked down to see an actual dent crushed into the edge of her marble countertop. There was a matching dent in the counter on the other side of her hip. Whoa. She blinked up at him. She knew he was strong, but…
Whoa.
“Sorry,” he said, stepping away from her and grimacing. “I’ll pay to have it fixed.”
She waved his offer away, but frowned. “How am I going to explain that to Sally and Jon?”
He winced and took another step away.
When she started to follow him, she panicked. They needed to get out of this kitchen immediately. She picked up the wine glasses. “We’ll just get Sally drunk and hope she doesn’t notice.”
Cary snapped awake Sunday morning to an unexpected phone call. From her mother.
“Darling! We’re coming for Thanksgiving.”
Cary shot up in bed. “What? What happened to the cruise?”
“Your uncle has the flu and you know how your aunt is, can’t let the poor man take care of himself. She’s such a fuss. Anyway, we canceled this year and your sister tells me you had to cancel your trip to New York so that means we can come to your place for Thanksgiving instead!”
Cary blinked at the wall, a new kind of panic creeping over her. She loved her parents. Truly she did. But a Thanksgiving visit was…inconvenient timing. “Why aren’t you going on the cruise alone? Just you and dad?”
“It’s not as much fun. And I miss you. It’s been ages since we’ve visited.”
“True.” Cary tried to force a smile. “When are you arriving?”
“Today! Isn’t that wonderful. Your dad wanted to surprise
you but I told him we had to call ahead. What if you had to work? Or had company.”
Cary pressed her lips together at the mention of company. Deacon had planned to arrive right after Sally left to take Cary on their long delayed date.
Oh god, what if her parents had shown up at the same time Deacon had? How would she have explained him? She could hardly tell her mother she was seeing someone and hadn’t mentioned it yet.
“That sounds great,” she told her mother, hoping she sounded excited and not disappointed. “How long are you going to stay?”
“You have us for an entire week and a half,” her mother chirped.
“Yay.”
Oh boy.
“I’m so sorry,” Cary said over the phone to Deacon. She’d called him the minute she hung up with her mother. “I know we made plans and everything. And I know you’re… Well, I understand this is inconvenient.”
There was silence on the other end of the phone, long enough Cary wasn’t sure how to interpret it. Was he angry? Frustrated? Hurt?
Should she be this worried about how he felt?
“Okay,” he said, though he sounded strained. “It’s just another week and a half, right?”
“Right.” Unless the Nags came up with another job for her in the meantime. “Are you…okay?” she asked.
“I will be. Though…” More heavy silence she couldn’t interpret. “Would you…” He cleared his throat. “Would you object to me coming over for visits while your parents were there?”
Her eyes widened at the thought. “I really wouldn’t know what to tell them about you. And I’m not…not ready for that yet.”
“In that case, I might have to, uh, leave town for the duration.”
“What? Why?” And why the hell was she panicking at the thought? What the hell was wrong with her?
“I won’t be able to stay in control…and in my human form for an entire week and a half without spending any time at all with you. I’ve barely been able to keep my leopard at bay the last few days, and we’ve been together during that time. I need to be somewhere I can shift regularly and run.”
“Deacon…” She wasn’t sure what she meant with her sigh, but he seemed to know.
“Please don’t tell me we’re a bad idea again,” he said, his tone harsh. “Just don’t. You’re my mate. I will do what I have to to make this work.”
“Even if it means torturing yourself?”
“Even if.”
“My life…it’s not ever getting less complicated, you know. Family, friends, my work, all of it will keep popping up and taking my time. The Nags are notorious for just showing up in my living room. I will drop everything to help my girlfriends if they need me. I’ll change plans to accommodate my parents or my sister. This is my life. Are you really sure you want to deal with all that?”
“Damn it, Cary, of course I do. I’ve made that abundantly clear. Please stop trying to push me away.”
She closed her eyes briefly. “I just want you to know what you’re getting into with me.”
“You don’t know what you’re getting into with me yet, either,” he snapped.
“What does that mean?”
Another silence. Then, “It means we have a lot to learn about each other, and how this relationship will work. And we have time to do that.”
“Are you sure?” she asked. “You have to leave town because your control is so on edge. And this is just an ordinary month in my life. This is how my life always is. There’s a reason I’ve only slept with two men in the last six years.”
There was a pause before he said, “I’m trying to decide if I’m happy to hear that or jealous. I’ll figure it out when my leopard stops hissing in my head. In the meantime, just know that I’m willing to deal with all this. It’s life.”
She huffed out a sound halfway between a laugh and a groan. “My life anyway.” She wanted to ask him if he was sure again, but she was tired of arguing. “Where will you go?” she asked instead.
“I’ll go visit my family. They’ll know how to deal with me.”
She smiled a little. “Tranquilizers?”
He chuckled and some of the pressure in her gut eased.
“Probably,” he said. “How long are your parents staying?”
“A week and a half. Until Wednesday morning. And then, unless the Nags come calling, I’m free.”
“A week and a half, then,” he said, his tone slipping into that deep, sexy tenor that made her toes curl. “A week from Wednesday night. Dinner. A romantic walk. And lots of kissing.”
She hummed under her breath as her stomach danced in anticipation. “It’s a date.”
27
Sally and Jon left just after eleven that morning. Sally with a hint of sadness but mostly an obvious relief. Jon with a lot more reluctance.
“Come visit the dogs after you get back from your grandparents’ house,” Cary told him.
“’Kay.”
He gave her a tight hug, startling a smile out of her, then turned away to watch his mom loading her suitcase into the trunk of her old, well-cared-for Corolla. Cary studied the side of his face, but turned away and pretended not to see his sniffle and the way he wiped his eyes with his jacket sleeve. Something nagged at her, a worry she couldn’t quite place her finger on, and she glanced back at him. She was reluctant to let him out of her protection. And yet eager to have her home to herself again—at least for a few hours before her parents showed up. There was guilt mixed into her feelings too, though she wasn’t sure why. But mostly there was worry. Something just not quite right…
Given the already chaotic morning she’d had, she figured it was just her overstressed nerves. After all, she had a house to clean before her parents arrived.
Sally came back and rested her hand on Jon’s shoulder. She had to reach up. “Come on, kiddo,” she said. “We need to get home. The place’ll need airing out after this long.”
They exchanged final goodbyes, Sally thanked Cary again, and Cary stood in the doorway watching them drive away, still with a niggling sense of unease.
She knew she couldn’t keep them here forever. But was she hurrying them out? Had she rushed things with Holland?
Ultimately, it had been Sally’s decision to go. And probably everything would be fine. Jon had called Holland, Holland had agreed to leave Jon alone. That was that. Just her overactive sense of responsibility plaguing her, she was sure.
She wished she could discuss all this with Jaxer.
Sighing, she closed the door and headed for the guest room so she could change the sheets and start getting things in order for her parents’ visit. The house seemed strangely silent even with three dogs underfoot.
“What do you think, guys?” she said to them as they followed her. “You think I made the right decision letting Jon and Sally leave?”
They stared up at her with loving expressions lacking any judgment—or any helpful answers. She sighed.
What did she expect?
The visit with her parents went as well as Cary could have hoped. Better really since the Nags stayed away. Her mother even compromised and let her eat nachos instead of turkey for Thanksgiving since Cary wasn’t crazy about turkey. They went shopping on Black Friday—which Cary would not have done without her mother’s urgings. Her mother reorganized the kitchen to “be more efficient.” And her father kept the dogs entertained while telling Cary stories about their last trip to Yellowstone.
And for a solid week and a half, Cary worried.
About Deacon. How was he doing? What was he doing? Was he managing to maintain some semblance of control?
About Jon. Did he settle back into school okay without her? Was he safe? Had Holland broken his promise or were things still quiet?
About Holland. Had he found whatever it was he was looking for? Was he still out there somewhere gathering supernatural powers to his search? Could she afford to ignore the potential threat he posed? Was it any of her business now that he wasn’t a threat to Jon?
>
About Jaxer. Where the hell was he? What had he told Deacon that Deacon was still keeping to himself? Why had he vanished?
Her father noticed her distraction, but when he asked and she excused it as work related, he let it go. He was a good dad.
She never heard from Deacon—he’d warned he wouldn’t call because he wasn’t likely to spend much time in human form while he was away. She didn’t hear from Jaxer either, and the silence had her as pissed off as it worried her.
She did, however, hear from Angie on Monday, demanding a girls’ night and gossip on Tuesday. An opportunity—with her parents’ permission, no less—Cary just couldn’t resist. It might be the only way she made it to Wednesday night…
And her impending date with Deacon.
Without Cary’s constant presence, Jon couldn’t find much motivation to stay in school after Thanksgiving. He made it through the entire day Monday, but only as far as second period on Tuesday, then he took off.
Too bad he didn’t have Mr. Young earlier in the day. He liked Mr. Young’s class. But not enough to deal with all the boring teachers in between. Especially math. Even Cary had trouble staying awake during math. Borrrrring.
He got off the bus close to home and ambled up the street, stopping at the spot where Cary had saved him from the dragon shifter. A little shiver raced up his neck. He looked around, half expecting to see the big black car pulling up to the curb.
But of course it didn’t. No one from Mr. Holland’s group had come anywhere near him.
Jon fingered the card in his pocket but didn’t take it out.
When he got home, he checked the mailbox and shuffled through the envelopes as he climbed the stairs to the apartment. Two letters jumped out at him. One was an expensive looking tan envelope from Malory, Smith & McTierney, Attorneys at Law. The other was stamped in big red letters, “Final Notice.”
He frowned at them. They didn’t look like junk mail. The return address on the final notice letter was from his mom’s bank.
