by BE Kelly
“You in or out?” he asked Nomad.
“In,” he said. “I’m in. It’s already been a long ass day.” Gray nodded and handed him a beer.
“Same here,” Gray grumbled.
“I take it your bad day involves a sexy little dark-haired seer?” Nomad asked.
“Yup,” Gray admitted. “I just can’t take her being in my head anymore, man.”
Nomad shrugged, “I don’t know I think that might be hot. I mean, you don’t have to work that hard in bed then—you just think about what you want and bam—she’ll give it to you.”
“If only it was that easy,” Gray grumbled. “It’s a little more complicated than that.” He wished it would be as easy as his friend thought. All he wanted was to get Kaiah in his bed doing all the dirty things he had been thinking about her since they met but that wouldn’t solve any of his problems. She’d still be younger than him and he would still worry about losing her to the same hunters who murdered his wife and girls.
“I thought you were watching her?” Nomad asked.
“I was but I needed a break,” Gray said. “I had some work to do.”
“Right,” Nomad said. “How about I help you measure the bar top and then we can stop drinking this weak shit and move onto something that will put hair on our chest.”
Gray chuckled, “You have a particular poison in mind, man?” he asked.
“How about tequila?” Nomad asked.
“Tequila works,” Gray agreed. “Let’s drink.” The sooner he could get the bar measured, the sooner he’d be able to start drinking to forget the sexy seer back at his house. Yeah—tequila would work just fine.
Kaiah
Kaiah Nez was just plain worn out after dealing with all of the emotions of the day. That was the trouble with being a seer, she picked up on everyone else’s turmoil and that included the sexy older wolf who she couldn’t stop thinking about. That man had more angst than any other person she ever felt before. Sure, she had agreed to stay out of his head as he liked to point out, but how could she? Gray wasn’t much of a sharer and when she thought he was going to let her in, he’d push her further away. It was getting to the point that she was thinking about admitting defeat and running back to her grandmother’s house in New Mexico. But, that wasn’t who she was.
Every time she took a peek into Gray’s head she could see all his desire and need for her but she also saw the terror in his eyes every time she pushed him to let her in. She knew what had happened to his wife and kids just over five years ago. She had heard the rumors floating around Tito’s but she could also see the day he lost his family play through his memories and the sight was enough to about break her. The hunters had caught up with Gray’s wife and kids and ran them off the road. Their car went over an embankment and the three of them were dead before they even hit the gorge below. Gray was out hunting when it happened and by the time he shifted and got back home, the cops were waiting at his house to tell him the news about his family. It was never proven that hunters were responsible but she knew from reading his thoughts that Gray believed it to be true. She saw it all and God, it broke her heart knowing that happened to Gray because whether he liked it or not, she was starting to care about him.
Kaiah could also see the way he’d look at her when he thought she wasn’t paying attention. The way Gray looked her body over and stifled his moan every time she walked into the same room as him wearing close to nothing, turned her completely on. Her new favorite outfit to wear around his house was a tank top and the skimpiest cut off shorts she could find. He looked damn near ready to swallow his tongue when she’d saunter past him under the pretense of “just needing something from the refrigerator”. Kaiah had an excuse for every damn room in his house and if she had to bend over to retrieve whatever it was she needed—well, that was a bonus. She loved to read every one of his dirty thoughts when he checked out her ass. What gray didn’t know was that she’d do every single elicit thing he wanted from her and so much more.
The more Kaiah pushed him to take what he wanted from her, the more he shoved her back out of his life. Hell, he even started calling her “Kid,” and she fucking hated that. Every time he pointed out their age difference she wanted to tell him that it didn’t matter to her. She knew he wasn’t her father but a part of her wanted him to be her daddy in every other sense of the word. She loved the fact that he was older than she was and probably more experienced than she was. Kaiah got married at such a young age that she never got to “sew her wild oats,” as her grandmother liked to say. She had a rebound fling after her divorce papers were submitted, with a local in town, but she knew that staying in that small, time-warped city wasn’t what she needed. She needed to spread her wings and fly as far away from there as she possibly could. Her sister, Aylen, and both of her cousins, Remi and Nena, had found happiness in NOLA and why the hell wouldn’t that be true for her?
She could tell the moment Gray pulled up outside of his house. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, they had some strange connection. She had only felt like this with her immediate family members but never a stranger. Something drew her to Gray and walking away from him now wasn’t an option for her. That’s why when Aylen insisted that she leave town with her and Rios, Kaiah told her no. She made up some bullshit story about not wanting to run from the hunters who were after them but that wasn’t the whole truth. Hell, if Gray had asked her to take off with him, she would have in a heartbeat. The truth was, she was terrified of what the hunters might do to her and her family knowing that she was half shifter and half seer. Her father was a shifter and her mother came from a long line of seers. Kaiah never shifted before and as far as she knew, that wasn’t a possibility for her but her sister could do both.
Gray pushed his way through the front door and Kaiah could tell just by reading his muddled thoughts that he had too much to drink. Tequila if she wasn’t mistaken. “Hey,” he breathed when he found her standing in the middle of the living room wearing nothing but a skimpy t-shirt and her panties. He looked her body up and down and she could tell that he wasn’t drunk enough to not want her. Judging from the erection he was sporting, his night out drinking was a giant waste of time.
“You went out drinking to forget me?” she asked, reading his thoughts. Yeah—that bit of information hurt like hell.
“Stay the fuck out of my head, Kid,” he shouted at her. Kaiah raised her chin defiantly and stared him down. She wasn’t about to take orders from him or any man for that matter. If Gray didn’t want to make her his then she was free to do what she wanted and right now, she wanted to go to her room and cry herself to sleep.
“Fine,” she whispered. “I won’t be snooping through your mind anymore, Gray.”
“Liar,” he countered. He was right, she was lying. She just couldn’t take any more fighting with him. Every time he shouted at her felt like a physical assault. She had been with a man who enjoyed telling her how things were going to be. Her ex loved to yell at her and call her a “Giant fucking waste of his time”. When someone you loved said things to you like that, it was hard not to believe them.
“I’m just tired, Gray. I’m tired of fighting with you and I’m tired of you pushing me away. I thought you were supposed to be watching me,” she said. Sure, she gleaned that little piece of information from snooping around his brain after Aylen and Rios took off and she kept it to herself. She knew that Gray was the one following her around town. She could feel him with her at every turn, watching her and Kaiah had to admit, that made her feel safe.
“And, how the fuck would you know that Kid?” he asked.
Kaiah shrugged, not wanting to admit that she was snooping around his mind again. She knew that it was an invasion of privacy but Gray never talked to her, never opened up and it was the only way she was able to reach him. Well, that and in their shared dreams. Gray probably believed that he was just dreaming about her instead of with her and that was also something she’d keep to herself.
“You nee
d to stop looking at me like that, Kid,” Gray almost whispered.
“Like what, Gray?” she taunted. Kaiah knew how she was looking at him—like she wanted to eat him up.
“You know exactly how you’re looking at me Kaiah. God, why do you have to make this so much harder than it needs to be?” he grumbled, slumping into the big black leather sofa that took up most of his living room. Kaiah saw her opening and knew she’d be a fool not to take it. She sauntered over to the sofa and stood over his big body not giving him a chance to protest. She slipped onto his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck and he smelled so good.
“You want me to stop looking at you like this, Gray?” she asked, boldly staring him down. She inched closer to his parted lips and smiled at his lack of response. “How about like this,” she moaned, rubbing her pussy against his jean-clad erection.
“Fuck,” Gray groaned, still not stopping her from doing what she wanted with him. If she was reading him right, he wasn’t going to stop her either. “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into, Kid,” he whispered against her lips. She smiled and let her’s lightly brush his.
“I think I have some idea,” she promised. He wrapped his arms around her body and pulled her down to seal his lips over hers. By the time he let her up for air, she was panting and her panties were soaked with her desire for the silver wolf that she wanted to claim her.
“Now’s the time to run, Kaiah,” he murmured against her swollen lips. “This is your chance to get as far away from me as possible with your heart still intact.”
“Too late,” she whispered back to him. “My heart already belongs to you, Gray.” A growl ripped from his chest and Kaiah knew that she was finally going to get everything she had ever wanted from him. She was going to be his and he would be her Daddy wolf—finally.
Gray
Gray rolled Kaiah under his big body not caring that he was probably too drunk to know what the hell he was doing. His inhibitions were lowered by the too many to count tequila shots he had done at Tito’s earlier that night. She was right—he was at the bar drinking to forget her as if that would ever be possible. Now, all he wanted to do was claim her and make her his.
“Kaiah,” he whispered. “Baby—I need—” He wasn’t sure what to say next. His mind was racing with everything he wanted to do with her—to her.
“I know Gray,” she whimpered. “Me too.” Sometimes he loved the fact that she could read his mind and other times, her abilities made him want to rip his hair out. “I feel the same way.”
He loved the way she wasn’t shy about touching him but would she be willing to give him everything he wanted and craved from her. He knew he wouldn’t be able to hide from her anymore. She was already in his mind and if he was being completely honest, in his heart too.
He met the seer months ago when she and her sister, Aylen were in danger. The human hunters were coming for the sisters because of their unique abilities of being half shifter and half seer. Aylen Nez was a part of his pack and his friend Rios’ woman but Kaiah never shifted. He wasn’t sure she even could but none of that mattered to him. He fought his feelings for her but now, he wasn’t willing to deny either of them anymore. He wanted Kaiah more than he wanted his next breath and not having her wasn’t an option.
Gray tugged her shirt over her body, leaving her in just her panties. He nearly swallowed his damn tongue when he came home from Tito’s to find her standing in his home in just her panties and skimpy shirt. She was his walking wet dream. Gray let his hands roam her every curve and all he wanted to do was get them both naked as soon as possible.
“You’re wearing too many clothes,” Kaiah pouted causing him to chuckle.
“You really need to stay out of my damn head, Baby,” Gray teased.
“I wasn’t reading your mind just now,” she promised.
“Well, you’re a good guesser then,” he said. “I was just thinking that there are still too many clothes between us.” Kaiah smiled up at him and she nearly took his damn breath away.
“Any second thoughts?” he asked. “I need to know that you’re with me one-hundred percent,” he said.
“I’m with you, Gray,” she promised. “All the way. Please,” she begged. The very last thing he ever wanted her to do was beg him for everything. He wanted to give her everything she’d ever need and so much more. He wanted to take care of her—hell, he wanted to be her Daddy but telling her that might run her off before they even got started.
Kaiah giggled underneath his big body. “You want me to call you that? Daddy,” she said. For a minute, he thought she was making fun of him but then he saw the heat and desire in her beautiful dark brown eyes and knew that she was just as turned on by his silent request as she was.
Gray nodded, “Yeah,” he said. “I’d like that.”
“Me too,” Kaiah whispered, “Daddy.” Gray’s growl filled the room and he rolled her to sit on top of his lap. Kaiah eagerly helped him push his t-shirt up his body and tossed it across the room. She let her small hands run down his pecks tracing the outline of his tattoos that covered his chest.
“Will you tell me about your ink sometime?” she asked. He wanted to tell her no. She was tracing his daughter’s names with her finger and the thought of even saying their names out loud felt like it would be too painful. It had been five years since the hunters killed his two girls and wife but Gray still felt so raw about everything. “When you’re ready,” she said when he didn’t answer.
“I don’t know that I’ll ever be ready to talk about them, Baby Girl,” he said. “Can you live with that?” Kaiah nodded her head but he could see the disappointment in her eyes. She was so expressive; he could always tell exactly where he stood with her.
“I won’t push you for anything you don’t want to give,” Kaiah promised. Gray pulled her down to kiss her and a loud rapping on his front door had Kaiah jumping from his lap. Whoever was at his place was going to get their ass beat for interrupting what was finally happening between him and Kaiah. He had waited so long to touch her and make her his. He was finally allowing himself to have what he wanted for so long and someone showing up to his house was just unacceptable.
“Someone’s here,” Kaiah loudly whispered when he didn’t make a move to get up or find his shirt. He was glued to the sofa watching her as she scurried about his living room naked, trying to find her discarded clothes.
“You know who it is?” he asked.
Kaiah shot him a look letting him know she wasn’t in the mood for games. “No,” she said. “You know I’m not Google, right. You can’t just ask me a question and I have all the answers. That’s not how my powers work.”
“Then why the hell are you always in my head?” Gray grumbled. He stood and found his shirt, pulling it over his body. “I’ll get the door and you get your naked, sexy ass in my bed,” he swatted her fleshy cheeks and she squealed and giggled. He watched as Kaiah disappeared down the hall and when he heard his bedroom door shut, he pulled the front door open.
“This better be fucking good,” he growled. He looked the man standing on his front porch up and down and immediately knew he was a shifter. He could smell his wolf but he wasn’t someone Gray had ever seen around Perdition—the club that housed his pack.
“Yeah—I’m looking for Kaiah Nez,” the older wolf said. “You know her?”
Gray’s inner wolf growled. He knew Kaiah liked older men—hell, she seemed to be into him and he was seventeen years older than her but this guy looked to be in his late fifties. “That depends,” Gray barked. “Who the fuck’s asking?”
The old guy had the nerve to chuckle, “Her father,” he said. Gray could hear Kaiah’s gasp and he knew his sneaky little seer had snuck back into the room to see who was at the door. His girl was nosey and he should have known Kaiah wouldn’t follow his orders—she never did.
“My father?” she said. Gray pulled her against his side, wanting to keep her close. He knew that she didn’t have a relationship wit
h her dad and the man who stood in his doorway was a virtual stranger to her—if he was telling the truth in the first place.
“Hey,” the guy waved from his front porch and Gray felt Kaiah tremble.
“Why are you here?” Kaiah asked. “Does my mother know you’re here? Where have you been all these years?” she fired off question after question and the old guy didn’t even flinch. Gray had to give it to the guy—when Kaiah did shit like that to him, she scared the fuck out of him. His little seer was fierce. But, her staring down the stranger on his doorstep didn’t seem to even faze the guy.
“I need to talk to you. Your mother and I haven’t seen each other in years and I’ve been around—just laying low. I believe that answers all your questions—right?” the old shifter asked. He held out his hand to Gray, “I’m Echo Sani,” he said. Gray looked down at Kaiah as if silently asking her permission to exchange pleasantries with her father and she nodded.
“Declan Bane but everyone calls me Gray,” he said.
Kaiah smiled up at him, “I didn’t know you had a name,” she said.
“Everyone has a name, Baby Girl,” Gray said. “You think I just dropped into the world and no one bothered to give me a name?”
She giggled, “No. I just thought your name was Gray,” she said. “I like your name.”
“Thanks,” Gray said. He turned to look at their unwanted guest, “I guess you should come on in,” Gray offered. “As long as you’re good with that, Baby Girl,” he quickly added. Kaiah nodded again and he was starting to worry about her. His girl was never this quiet and he hated that he might be pushing her into something she might not want.
“It’s fine, Gray,” she said as if reading his mind. “I’ll go and grab us some drinks—be right back.” Kaiah disappeared back down the hall to his kitchen and her father took a seat on the same sectional sofa Gray just had Kaiah naked on. A part of him wanted to laugh but nothing about her father showing up at his place was funny.
