When she continued to smile at him and touch him, he had to assume she was at least telling some of the truth. Slowly he rolled onto his side and shuffled back so that she could slip her arm around his waist and he could feel the heat of her body against him.
Her palm rested over his hip, and her soft sigh sounded happy.
“Goodnight.”
Her whispered word made him smile, and the black cloud over him began to lift.
Scott was an insomniac, had been since his marriage had started to fail, so he didn’t have much hope of getting any real rest. But the night was magical to be a part of and he didn’t mind at all that he would be awake to enjoy it more. Through the dark hours, she stayed close and often nestled into him in her sleep. He finally fell asleep around three. When he awoke in the morning, she was kissing his back in gentle, soft touches and he knew his life had changed forever.
****
“I really don’t want to leave, Ash. I’m so sorry.”
The regret she heard in Scott’s voice was heartwarming, his words obviously sincere. She smiled up at him and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Scott’s neck to stare up into his handsome face. His beautiful green eyes were wary at first, then the look melted away as he let his hands settle on her hips and tugged her close. His whole body relaxed as though he’d pulled the pin on the tension surrounding him, and he leaned into her embrace.
Thank goodness for that.
“I know, but I respect the fact that you have to.”
And she did. Not that she’d ever thought she’d date anyone who had kids, but she loved the fact that Scott took his responsibilities seriously, and hadn’t allowed her presence to derail plans he’d already made with his kids. Integrity was very important to her.
“How many kids have you got again?”
He smiled softly. “Three. Meaghan’s eighteen, Tommy’s sixteen, and Ryan is fifteen.”
She whistled softly. “That’s close together.”
Scott shrugged. “Suppose so.” He hummed gently as he moved closer and rubbed his nose against hers slowly, the gesture speaking volumes about his need for touch.
She moved her hands around to his face and felt him jerk back.
Oh, sweetheart.
“I’d never hurt you, Scott.”
His green eyes went wide and she couldn’t resist leaning forward and pressing her lips to his, the sweetest moan reaching her ears as she pressed close. Why would someone, especially a woman who professed to love him, hurt a man like this? Why would anyone deliberately hurt anyone?
“You two starting without me?” The joking tone broke through their intense moment, but Ash didn’t mind. Jack would hopefully balance them out and stop them from getting too serious.
She turned away so she could look at Jack, but stayed close, pressing her body against Scott and feeling the soft touch of his lips against her hair. She sighed and snuggled closer. She’d never get sick of this type of affection. Hopefully if there were two of them to give her affection, it wouldn’t disappear like it had from her marriage.
“No, just saying goodbye.”
Jack nodded and reached out for her, a look of hunger in his blue eyes.
Really? You want to cuddle too?
More than a little amused at their need to be holding her all the time, she put her hand in his and was pulled away from Scott by his brother. She let a laugh fill the space around them. When was the last time she felt this happy?
Easy answer: Never!
Jack twirled her around so her back was against his chest where he held her tight, the pressure making her relax instantly. There was something comforting about having such a big, strong male holding her. She felt so safe.
“You got kid shit to do?” Jack asked his brother, and Ash smiled to herself.
Lovely language, Mr. Football.
Scott nodded, scraping his keys noisily along the bench before palming them.
“Yeah, gotta see Meaghan for lunch. But I’ll be back later. You guys going to be here?”
Ash glanced up as Jack looked down at her, his eyebrows raised in question.
She shrugged. “I haven’t got any plans other than being here with you.” Although she did need to work out what on earth she was going to do at the end of the week when she was meant to be going home and resuming her life.
Both men purred like sated cats and she glanced up in alarm. That wasn’t the first time she’d heard them make that particular sound.
“What the hell is that noise you guys make?”
The happy sound stopped like a switch had been thrown.
Jack squeezed her tight and kissed the top of her head.
“We’ll explain it to you later. One shock at a time, I think.”
“I agree, and I better run. See you guys later.”
Ash frowned, waving at Scott as he headed out the door. She didn’t like them avoiding a question she was pretty sure was going to lead to something important. But she would let the men distract her for the moment, because if they didn’t tell her soon, she’d just ask her cousin. Laura would make sure Ash knew everything she needed to anyway.
“So, what are we doing, beautiful girl?”
Ash leaned into Jack’s strength and wiggled her ass against the rising hardness pressing against her. Her body ached from the night before, but there was a hunger that was rising once again within her that she was beginning to recognize.
“Bed, maybe?” She wiggled again and released a squeal as her feet left the ground and she was unceremoniously carried back to their room of pleasure.
****
Ash let her mood sway her whole body, music in her head making her hips swing from side to side. She hummed a little and smiled to herself. Maybe she could make them some dinner? What did Jack eat other than steak?
“You look happy, beautiful girl.”
Jack’s deep voice slid into her ear as his arms embraced her in their strength and warmth. Fresh, spicy scents filled her nostrils. He smelled great after his shower.
“Hmmm, I am.”
How could she not be happy? Her body was still singing from the orgasms Jack had caused within her, and it looked like her beautiful, damaged Scott wanted to love her too. It seemed ridiculous that her life had taken such a massive shift, but she was going with it and wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
She wiped down the clean bench for the second time, feeling the need to nest already. She could do so much with this house.
“Hey, Jack—” She opened her mouth to ask him about the boundaries of his property, when sounds of a loud commotion outside the house reached her ears and she turned toward the sound.
What the hell is that?
The back door burst open and a rather red-faced teenager huffed her way into the room, followed closely by Scott, looking just as disgruntled.
“Her? You cannot be serious, Dad!”
Ash blinked at the younger, female version of Scott. This was obviously his oldest daughter. She had his gorgeous green eyes, square jaw, and flowing brown hair.
“Meaghan, stop being so rude!”
“She’s not even a shifter! How can you guys be so stupid?”
A shifter? What the hell was a shifter?
Meaghan growled and stamped her foot like a toddler.
Okay, so maybe she looked like her dad, but, from what Ash had heard about the girl’s mother, she obviously had a temperament like her mum.
Jack growled back and stepped closer, the tension in the room painfully high as the three family members postured and snarled at each other.
That was just plain weird.
Meaghan turned back toward Scott.
“You’re supposed to be with mum! You never even worked on it. You’re not supposed to just give up on your marriage.”
Scott groaned and threw his hands up in the air.
“Meaghan, I worked on it for twenty years! I did everything I knew how to do to keep us all together. There was nothing left for me
to do.”
Meaghan growled again, louder and deeper this time, and when she spoke, her words were garbled.
“No. It’s her fault. She broke up our family. You would have come back to mum if it wasn’t for her.”
Scott shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Meaghan, the marriage ended five years ago and you know it never really should have begun. Your mum and I never suited each other.”
The teenage daughter growled in an inhuman way. “That’s not true!”
Ash’s heart jumped in her chest as Meaghan began to change. Her body grew more hair and her face transformed into an ugly, grotesque mask. Then she was gone, and a mountain lion stood in her place.
“Oh my God!” Ash screamed and jumped back as the animal surged toward her.
Her men disappeared and suddenly there were three very large, cinnamon-colored cats circling each other, growling and hissing.
No fucking way!
Ash inched back and hopped up onto the kitchen bench top, lifting her legs and curling up into a ball. A thin film of sweat coated her body, making her slip against the stone bench top as she trembled in fear. Her heart was racing, yet she couldn’t move.
“Impossible. This is n-n-not po-possible.” She could barely get the words out as every muscle in body began to lock down in fright.
The smaller cat that was obviously Meaghan was being herded toward the door, then all of a sudden the two larger lions pushed her out and they all took off.
Ash forced her legs to uncurl and allowed her feet to touch the ground. She needed to get out of here. ASAP.
Ash grabbed the keys to her rental car and staggered out to the little red hatchback. She hauled the door open and fell in to the seat.
Ash tried to breathe, but her chest ached too much. In the distance she could hear catlike noises, and her already fast heart rate began to thunder.
“I’ve gotta get out of here…”
Ash threw the car into gear and drove blindly from the house, her mind in utter chaos.
“What the fuck…what the fuck…” She continued to chant, scanning the deserted roads as she drove for untold minutes, stopping at a cross section when she finally felt like she was far enough away from the crazy scene she’d just witnessed.
What the hell was she going to do? Her body was ice cold, her frazzled brain stopping and focusing on a single line of thought.
“Laura.”
She took out her phone and dialed her cousin’s cell, tapping her fingers with agitation on the dashboard and praying to whatever being watched over her in this life.
Please let her answer!
“Ash! How are you, honey?” Laura’s upbeat voice was the best sound she’d ever heard, and a small sob escaped Ash’s throat.
“Laura. Are you home yet?”
There was silence for a moment, and Ash realized her panic may not be as deeply buried as she’d thought.
“Ah, yeah, we just got in, honey. What’s wrong?”
“Can I come stay with you tonight? I don’t want to crash the honeymoon or anything, just…please…”
Oh shit, she was being so selfish! Her cousin had just got married, for goodness’ sake! Hot, salty tears began leaking down her face, and a large lump rose in her throat like a tidal wave. What was the other alternative? The airport? Leave Scott and Jack, and never look back?
She bit down on her lip and held her breath, yet some of it escaped and she began to really cry.
“Oh honey, sweetie. What’s happened?”
Ash fumbled around for the tissue box and took some deep breaths and focused on speaking.
“I’m…going to…drive over. Okay?”
“Of course, Ash. Please be careful. We’re not going anywhere. You take as long as you need.”
Ash made a humming noise in her throat and hung up before she embarrassed herself even more.
She put the phone down and let her head fall back against the headrest. Her chest hurt, her eyes were stinging, and she couldn’t get enough air in her lungs.
She let go of her control and let the angry, hurt, confused tears come. So much had happened in such a short amount of time, and those animals… She shuddered in remembrance.
Eventually, the retching sobs slowed down and she regained a small amount of control over her mind and body.
Ash blew out a long breath and pushed her hair out of her eyes. Time to see how much damage she’d done. She looked in the mirror and grimaced at her reflection. She was bright red, everywhere, from the tip of her nose to her once-white eyeballs.
“Oh fuck!”
She looked as bad as she felt! She was exhausted, her entire body aching from both the crying and now adrenaline crash.
She huffed out some air and sat up straight in her seat, grabbing her dark glasses and covering her bloodshot eyes.
“Okay, Laura’s house.”
She pressed some buttons on her cell phone, got the location of Laura’s new home into the navigator, and slid the car’s stick into drive. It was time to find out exactly what she was dealing with.
Chapter Ten
Scott raced back into Jack’s house, his muscles trembling with the amount of adrenaline pumping through him. He should never have tried to talk to Meaghan about Ashleigh. Fucking teenagers! All rampant hormones and no bloody sense! Couldn’t control themselves if their lives depended on it. Her lion had come out due to her anger and stress. She was still quite young as far as shifters went, since they only began changing once they hit puberty.
Yeah, well what was your excuse?
Scott grimaced. He and Jack hadn’t been much better than his teenage daughter, and he knew that was not only wrong but set a bad example. When Meaghan had shifted, their need to protect their mate had overruled all common sense and the next thing he’d known, all three of them had been in lion form.
And if he was honest, some pure frustration and anger had probably been a driving force too.
“Ashleigh? You here, honey?”
He walked through Jack’s house, checking each of the living areas, bedrooms, and even the bathroom. Nothing.
“Hey, Scott. Is she here?” Jack’s voice bellowed through the walls from the kitchen as he arrived, and the hairs on Scott’s body prickled up, a fine shiver coursing over his whole body.
“No, she’s gone.”
He walked back into the kitchen and faced his brother, who was panting from the run and covered in sweat.
“She’ll be back at the hotel, then. Let’s go.”
Jack turned to leave and Scott leaned back against the kitchen bench, his knees weakening at the idea of never seeing Ashleigh again.
“What if she’s not, Jack? What if she took off some place?”
Jack shrugged as though he was indifferent, but the set of his jaw belied his determination. “Then we’ll find her, even if we have to drive to Toronto and drag her back here.”
His knees were seriously not going to hold his weight any longer. Scott lunged for a kitchen chair and grabbed the back of it. He swung it around and planted his ass on the hard plastic seat before his legs gave out.
“Ah…” He grabbed at his thighs, massaging the muscles as his mind whirled with the implications of her disappearing.
He couldn’t believe his brother was being so naïve. How was that possible after the life they’d lived? They could probably track Ash down, since they knew where she worked and lived, but what would they do with her then?
“And if she doesn’t want us anymore? If she’s too freaked out by the fact that we shift into fucking animals! What then?”
Jack growled at him, his eyes flashing gold as his lion rose to the surface. Then he began to pace, his heavy body causing the floor beneath his feet to creak with strain.
“She has to, she’s ours!”
Scott let his head drop into his hands, fear filling him up like an infection, spreading through his body and overcoming all the good that Ashleigh had lay there.
&nbs
p; He’d known something like this would happen. The promise of paradise he’d seen in her eyes and felt in her touches last night had been too good to be true.
He let the cold pain consume him and he clenched his teeth until he heard a crack. He sat up straighter in his chair and clung to the promise of oblivion that was on its way. He knew this feeling only too well. What an idiot to believe he belonged in an oasis.
It was the desert for him, where he’d once more be lonely and miserable.
****
Ashleigh pulled up outside a beautiful house with a winding path, which sat in the most magnificent position beneath the mountains.
The front door was carved and looked like it held a Rocky Mountain lion.
Holy hell!
She began to hyperventilate, pain constricting her throat and lungs. She’d seen the same door at Laura’s wedding. Brandon and Tyler’s parents had a similar entrance to their grand home.
Her breath wheezed in and out between her lips and she gripped the steering wheel hard. Her head began to feel light, black spots spinning around in her line of sight.
They were all lions. They were all animals. Oh my God…
“What the hell! Ash?”
Her car door opened and she inhaled again, her ribs aching with dull pain. The air was cold as it entered the car, making her teeth chatter.
She exhaled and her breath shuddered. She needed air so badly, and a part of her brain told her that she was overreacting, yet she couldn’t stop it. Her vision was spotted and her stomach clenched with a wave of nausea.
“Sweetheart, stop panicking, breathe slowly.” Laura knelt down and pressed her hands into Ash’s thighs. The pressure was something to cling to, and Ash focused on her cousin’s green eyes staring up at her.
“It’s okay, I’m here. Breathe.”
Ash let her eyes close, feeling two tears slip down her cheeks and ignoring them as she focused on breathing.
In, oh that hurts. Out, that’s a bit better.
She repeated those words over and over, listening to Laura’s soothing voice until she could breathe almost normally. She finally opened her eyes and let her hands slip from the steering wheel and into her lap, her shoulders sagging in pain and exhaustion.
Stalking the Pharmacist Page 9
