by Zara Chase
“I’ll come up and carry them down for you.”
“There’s no need. I can manage.”
Pascal fixed her with a probing gaze. “I’m sure you can, but wouldn’t it be nice not to have to for a change?”
She shrugged, clearly uncomfortable with ceding control.
Get used to it, darlin’.
Pascal followed her up the stairs and stood in the open doorway to her room, saying nothing as she efficiently threw things into an open case and closed the lid. He hefted it when she was done and took it down to reception.
“Why don’t you check out and I’ll throw this in the golf cart?”
“Yes, all right.”
Pascal left her at the front desk, turning his back on her to ensure she didn’t catch sight of his smug smile. She was all business this morning and wouldn’t look him in the eye, but so far she’d done everything he’d wanted her to, just like a good little “sub in training” should. She was nervous about coming to stay with them, and clearly wanted him to understand her decision was a business one.
Message received loud and clear, sugar.
She was wearing another of her supposedly all-concealing outfits, but it was no impediment to Pascal’s imagination. He remembered the feel of her luscious curves beneath his hands when he’d lifted her from the water, recalled the way her heart rate had accelerated as he pinned her body against his chest. Never had Pascal relished a challenge more than he did now, confronted with a mate-to-be who seemed impervious to his charms. That situation couldn’t be allowed to continue indefinitely. Pascal hardened as he anticipated the time when he’d peel that god-awful garment away from her delectable body and dress her the way she ought to be dressed.
And that’s precisely what he—what they—would do.
Eventually.
Not that he and Kai had any intention of letting her wear very much at all until they’d trained her to be the obedient sub she was put on this earth to be. Even so, the way she continued to hold him at arm’s length worried Pascal. He didn’t want to boast, but whenever he’d flirted with a woman in the past, it had never taken him this long to break through her reservations. Nicole was proving to be an exception to that rule. She’d obviously been seriously wounded, had her self-esteem shattered, and was now slow to trust.
But all that was about to change. He and Kai had to make her see that not all males were out to hurt her. That she’d finally found the place where she belonged.
“What are you so afraid of, sweetheart?” he muttered to himself. “Who hurt you?”
Pascal slid behind the wheel of the cart and Nicole joined him less than a minute later.
“All set?” he asked.
“Yes, let’s go.”
He was getting used to the breakneck speed at which she liked to operate. “Yes, ma’am.”
Pascal didn’t attempt to make conversation during the short ride back to Second Avenue. Nicole stared straight ahead, treating him as though he didn’t exist. She appeared composed, but her fingers were laced together in her lap as though she was afraid her hands might shake if she didn’t keep them under control. She really did have issues about being alone with men. The more Pascal got to know their future mate, the more curious he became about her past. Determination settled around him like a comfort blanket. He would make this gorgeous creature admit to her sensuality or he’d die in the attempt.
“Here we are.”
Pascal pulled up outside his house and grabbed Nicole’s bag. He let himself in and called out to Kai.
“We have company.”
Kai poked his head around the office door, glasses perched on the end of his nose.
“Hey, glad you decided to join us,” he said to Nicole. “You’ll have to excuse me. I’m in the middle of a heavy trade.”
“No problem,” she replied casually. “I don’t need my hand held.”
“Yeah.” Pascal offered her a slow, sexy smile, hoping it might dent the protective shell she’d erected around her emotions. “I’ve noticed that about you.”
“Where’s my room?” she asked, turning away from him.
“Right this way.”
“Charm not working today, buddy?” Kai pheromoned with a chuckle.
“Fuck off!”
Pascal ran up the stairs with her bag, assuming she’d follow him. The sound of her footsteps immediately behind him confirmed that she had. He opened the door to the guest suite and ushered her inside, placing her bag on the bed.
“This is nice,” she said, staring out at the view over the Gulf.
“Not far to go if you fancy another swim.”
“I probably won’t.”
“Okay, come down when you’re ready. Kai should be finished with the morning’s trades soon and the three of us can get right down to it.” If only! “See you shortly.”
Pascal was rather pleased with himself for not touching her, or even flirting—well, almost not flirting. He ran lightly back down the stairs, just as Kai closed out his final trade.
“At least she came,” Kai said softly.
“Yep, it’s a start. And if we can’t get through to her now we’ve got her under our roof then we don’t deserve to be alphas.”
“I hear you, buddy.” Kai stood up and indulged in a lazy feline stretch. “Those Japanese junk stocks went down, just like you predicted they would.”
“How much did we make?”
“Five percent on our investment.”
Pascal let out a soft whistle. “Not a bad morning’s work.”
“Yeah, you were right and I was wrong.”
Pascal chuckled. “Beauty wins out over brains?”
Kai shot him the finger. “Rafe stopped by while you were out and left a load of records for Nicole to flip through.”
Pascal glanced at the pile of papers stacked neatly on the desk. “Good, that’ll keep her busy.”
“What will?”
Neither puma had heard her approach. “Rafe has delivered a list of names for you to go through,” Kai replied, pulling out a chair for her. “It’s a lengthy one, I’m afraid.”
She sat down, looking rather daunted when she glanced at the list in question. “Hmm, I see what you mean. You must get a big turnover of residents here in Impulse.”
Pascal shrugged. What they couldn’t tell her was that shifters in Impulse lived three years for every human one. If they left Impulse’s rarefied atmosphere, their life span reverted to normal, which is where it got complicated. Anyone who’d left thirty years or more ago would still look relatively young but could have been her grandfather’s contact. If that turned out to be the case, then explaining away the person’s youthful appearance would be challenging.
Still, one problem at a time. Nothing was definite, other than no one currently resident in the community knew anything about Charlie Fox. Rafe had sent out a pheromone and received no positive responses.
“Sure.” Pascal shrugged. “People come and go, just like anywhere.”
“Why would Rafe keep such detailed records?”
“Oh, that’s because of our weather,” Kai improvised. “A lot of people try to live here then leave hoping to profit from the experience.”
“How?” She frowned. “What would they achieve by doing that?”
“Everyone wants their five minutes of fame,” Pascal said. “Impulse is odd in many ways and therefore it interests people. You don’t want to know about some of the theories the so-called experts have come up with for our strange climate. It brings out all the oddballs and conspiracy nuts.”
“A bolt of lightning from the hand of God,” Kai said, making weird patterns with his hands above his head.
Nicole smiled. “That makes sense.”
“Shit, when she lets go and actually smiles, she really is a knockout,” Kai pheromoned.
“Trust me, that’s one of the saner theories. A lot of wannabe residents try to cash in on people’s interest,” Pascal told her. “It’s human nature, I suppose, but those o
f us that are here all the time don’t like strangers poking around in our lives.”
“I can understand your desire for privacy, but I still don’t see how you can stop people saying anything they like about the place.”
Kai winked at her. “We have our ways.”
“Okay,” Pascal said. “Where shall we start? Did you find any names amongst your grandfather’s possessions that you didn’t recognize? Any letters, strange phone numbers, stuff like that.”
“No, nothing recent. If I had, I wouldn’t have needed to come here. Obviously, that was the first thing I checked.”
Kai and Pascal shared a look. “What about something a bit older?”
“No.” She frowned. “Well yes, there were some old letters from people I didn’t know, but they didn’t come from Impulse addresses. Besides, there was nothing personal in them and the people concerned are probably long dead. We’re going back nearly fifty years.”
“But he still kept the letters?”
“That doesn’t mean anything.” Nicole smiled. “Gramps was a hoarder. He kept absolutely everything.”
“Can you remember any of the names?”
“No, sorry. I dismissed them as unimportant.”
“They probably are,” Kai said when she focused a curious glance on his face. “Come on then, let’s get started. I’d suggest that you go through Rafe’s records, Nicole, Pascal will start on our financial stuff—”
“What about you?” Pascal demanded. “This is a three-person marathon.”
“I get to make the coffee,” he said, grinning. “Can’t concentrate without caffeine.”
Pascal nodded. “Good plan.”
* * * *
Nicole felt self-conscious at first, sitting in such close proximity to two such formidable hunks. Thoughts of them had kept her in a highly frustrated state half the night, resulting in the need to masturbate—something she rarely did—and which on this occasion barely seemed to scratch the surface of her needs. The office they were in was large, but their muscular bodies made it feel crowded, as though the walls were closing in on her.
Although suspicious because life had taught her never to trust anyone or take what they said at face value, she found no reason to criticize their behavior. They seemed genuinely keen to help her. Well, they had good reason to, because they wanted to retain her grandfather’s investment in their hedge fund. Even so, she got the feeling that they would go that extra mile for her without any financial coercion. Little was said, except when one of them found a potential lead—all of which went nowhere.
Lunchtime came around and Pascal produced sandwiches and sodas for them all. Smoked salmon with cream cheese and chives, she noticed, nodding her approval. He’d even squeezed fresh lemon over the salmon. Nicole couldn’t help wondering if he’d made a special effort because it was her. People tended to do that if they fed her, thinking she wouldn’t be happy with a can of soup because she was a professional foodie.
“Thanks,” she said, pushing her empty plate aside. “That was good.”
“Phew!” Pascal swiped a hand across his brow. “That’s a relief.”
She almost smiled at his idiocy. “You don’t need to do anything differently just because I’m here.”
“Yeah, we do,” Kai said cryptically.
She was getting to feel way too comfortable and almost joined in their banter. That shouldn’t be happening. Nicole never indulged in any behavior that could be construed as flirtatious. It always seemed to lead to complications she didn’t need.
“Let’s get back to work,” she replied, pushing her glasses higher up her nose, wishing she could dispense with the damned things altogether.
They carried on for another hour. Once again no one spoke unless one of them came across a name they thought she should check out. In spite of her best efforts to remain immune to their charm, Nicole was distracted by Pascal and Kai. There was an indefinable something in the atmosphere that played havoc with her determination to remain detached. Her skin prickled with awareness when one of them so much as glanced in her direction.
Worse, dampness trickled between her legs. Damn it, what was wrong with her? She was acutely aware of their intelligent eyes scanning documents and casting them aside with swift efficiency, both apparently undisturbed by her presence. Nicole, by contrast, was in a highly agitated state. The feminine side of her character, carefully locked away for over a decade, had decided to make a bid for freedom.
Talk about lousy timing!
“It’s hopeless,” she said, throwing the page she was studying aside. “I’m going cross-eyed.”
“Such beautiful eyes, too,” Kai said, sounding as though he actually meant it.
“What!”
Nicole stretched her arms above her head, trying to ignore the effect Kai’s ardent gaze had on her. As she did so she knocked her glasses half off her nose. Before she could push the damned specs back into place, Pascal reached up and removed them from her face altogether.
“That’s better,” he said.
“Hey, I need those. I can’t see a thing without them.”
“Yeah, you can.” Pascal peered through them. “I thought so. These lenses are clear glass. Why do you do that?”
“None of your damned business.” She threw the glasses into her bag and scowled at them both. They responded with identical smug grins that infuriated her. “They make me look more professional,” she snapped, wondering why she felt the need to explain herself.
“Who are you hiding from?” Pascal asked softly.
“I’m not hiding, I’m…that is, I—”
“You’re beautiful,” Pascal told her with obvious-sounding sincerity. “One of the most beautiful women I’ve seen in a very long time, but you deliberately play it down. I can’t help wondering why.”
His hypnotic cadence held Nicole in his thrall. On the rare occasions when anyone had asked her that question before, she’d hightailed it out of the situation and never gone back. But she didn’t feel threatened by Pascal, even though both men, now regarding her with a combination of concern and curiosity, wore not entirely civilized auras of invincibility, suggesting they were accustomed to getting what they wanted out of life.
But how did they behave once they’d gotten it?
They were probably like the rest of the male species. Maybe even worse, given their good looks. They most likely took what they wanted and didn’t give a toss about the carnage they left in their wake. The thought restored Nicole’s levelheadedness and she responded censoriously.
“People should be judged by results, not by the way they look.”
God, did she really just say that? She sounded like a prim schoolmistress trying to persuade her students that appearance didn’t matter when everyone knew that it did. She more than most. It wasn’t coincidence that the best-looking kids were usually the most popular, or that they snagged the best jobs when they weren’t necessarily the best-qualified applicants. It didn’t escape her attention, either, that she’d been impressed by Pascal and Kai the moment she laid eyes on them, even though she was determined not to be and before she’d discovered they were both smart and ethical. She was honest enough to admit, at least to herself, that their good looks had contributed to that initial favorable impression.
“Sure,” Pascal replied easily. “But that’s no reason not to make the best of what you’ve got.”
She placed her hands on her hips and glared at him, feeling vulnerable without her glasses to hide behind. “Are you criticizing my appearance?”
“No, darlin’, I’m just telling you that being beautiful ain’t a crime.” Before she realized what he planned to do, he reached up and tugged the clip from her hair. It tumbled down around her shoulders in an unruly mass, causing her to gasp with outrage. “That looked kinda tight.”
“What the hell do you think you’re playing at?” she demanded. “No one gave you the right to—”
“No, they didn’t.” Pascal grinned unrepentantly. “Bu
t I bet that feels way better.”
It did. The tight bun had given her a headache, but she’d die before she admitted it. “Why are you so determined to make me into something I’m not?”
“Why are you so determined to deny your femininity? What are you afraid of, sweet Nicole?” Pascal’s eyes were bright and intense as they bored into her profile. “Tell us what happened. We’re good listeners.”
Nicole was unable to answer him, stunned because the desire to open up to these two strangers was so compelling. She wanted to tell it all—stuff she hadn’t revealed to anyone before, not even Gramps. Since when had she become so needy? It must be because she’d lost her grandfather and felt so alone. She had no friends, because she’d driven anyone who got too close away, and no one else to confide in. But that had never bothered her before.
“Why did you stop swimming?” Kai asked softly.
She glanced at him. “You know about that?”
“We checked you out,” he replied. “We were curious. We know you were Olympic standard but quit for no apparent reason. We’ve been wondering about it ever since.”
“So have a lot of other people,” she said, staring off into the distance.
Kai glanced at his watch. “Four o’clock. I reckon we’ve done enough for one day.”
“It has to be five o’clock somewhere,” Pascal agreed.
“Right.” Kai stood up. “Anyone for a drink?”
Pascal nodded and Nicole found herself doing the same. Kai disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a glass of wine for her and beers for him and Pascal.
“Here you go,” he said, handing over her glass.
“Thanks.”
Nicole took a large sip, using the time it took her to swallow down the wine to review her options. She could tell them to mind their own damned business, ignore their question altogether, or admit to the truth. A truth she’d tried and failed to forget over the past decade.
Two handsome faces regarded her with identical expressions of concern—concern that seemed to go far deeper than the future of her grandfather’s investment. They saw beneath the dowdy exterior that usually made her invisible and appeared to care about her as a person. She remembered how things ended up the last time a handsome man had taken an interest in her. Still, she didn’t plan on getting seriously involved with these guys. She knew better than to think along those lines. But the need to unburden herself after keeping things bottled up for so long was suddenly too strong to ignore.
