by Lynn Howard
And then her eyes went wide and she gawked at him.
She’d blurted that out without thinking.
He wasn’t the only one spilling his guts and wondering if he’d made a mistake.
Chapter Eight
Campbell’s heart was beating way too fast. She’d learned the weird connection she’d felt toward Brax was from some mystical mate thing. And then she’d opened her mouth and admitted she’d been fantasizing about him.
She’d expected a cocky grin to spread across his face. Or maybe him lunging at her and pawing at her boobs.
Instead, he looked hopeful. And shocked.
“I mean…” Shit. How was she supposed to explain this one away? It was one thing for him to admit he wanted her. It was something completely different to give him the idea she’d been diddling herself at night with thoughts of him playing in her head.
Why was she so afraid to be honest about her feelings though? She’d already said okay when he asked to be a part of her life. And as much as it should, the thought of being a mate to a Shifter didn’t scare her. Not any Shifter – Brax. He was the one who’d caught her attention. He was the one who she could swear her soul was reaching for anytime they were near each other.
And he was the one who’d taken an ass beating from her yet kept coming around. That had to say something about his character. Or maybe his lack of common sense.
Either way, she couldn’t deny she wanted him on a level she’d never experienced. At least now she knew why. The universe was trying to shove them together, whether they liked it or not.
“I’m not asking for marriage. And I’m not asking you to change anything about yourself or your life. Your strength and fight were what caught my attention to begin with. All I’m asking is that you give me a chance.”
How the hell could she say no to that?
“Will you let me hunt with you?” she asked, testing the waters of their possible relationship.
“I’d prefer it that way.”
“So you can jump in and take all the risks while I stand by and look pretty?”
“No!” he said, his brows shooting to his hairline. “I’d simply rather you not be alone. All it would take is one well-placed bite or scratch to either kill you or turn you. And there’s no guarantee you’d survive your first Shift.”
Disappointment hit her hard. She had no desire to be a Shifter, to have an animal living within her body. But it would be so much easier to do their job if she was as strong and fast as they were.
Silence engulfed them until Campbell grew antsy. She had a million questions but couldn’t decide on a single one. They had time. He’d been fairly honest with her up to this point, even if it was obvious he was holding something back.
That was fine. She wasn’t sure she could take much more and not need another pain killer. And not for the pain. Merely another way to shut her brain down and go numb for a bit.
“How’s your leg?” Brax asked after what felt like ten minutes of them sitting there alternating between stealing glances at each other and staring at the dark TV across the room.
“Hurts,” she admitted.
“Want another pain killer?”
“Not yet. I don’t feel like telling you all my deepest, darkest secrets.” She was only half teasing. She’d already wagged her tongue enough for one day.
Brax chuckled lightly, the deep sound doing something to her insides.
“So…”
“What?” he asked.
“Now what? Are we boyfriend/girlfriend? Friends with benefits?”
Brax choked on a laugh as he chuckled at her first question then was shocked on the second.
“I’m not…I didn’t mean…”
“I’m joking, Brax. Kind of. I just want to know if you’ll be out there hitting on girls. If this is an open type deal and we’re testing the waters or what.”
“You’re it for me, Camp. I don’t have any choice in it. You’re literally all I want.”
Intense. That was seriously intense. And the look he was giving her held equal intensity. The glow she’d come to love was there in his eyes as they roamed her face. Like flames glowing behind his irises.
She’d seen that look before from men who’d declared their love for her. But he hadn’t said he was in love. Simply that she was his mate. Which, for some reason, felt way bigger than falling in love.
After a few awkward moments of silence, Campbell decided it was time for a break in all the relationship talk. They might be mated and all that crap, but that didn’t mean she needed declarations of devotion or whatever. She wanted to get to know him and see if this connection would fade or grow stronger. And she really wanted to see if he’d still be supportive of her hunting once she was healed.
“You like movies?”
Brax blinked a few times at the abrupt change in subject. “Yeah.”
“Have a favorite movie? Or genre?”
“I’m open to whatever,” he said, his easy smile making a reappearance.
Grabbing the remote from the coffee table, she clicked on the TV and scrolled through Netflix until she found an action movie. Then she settled against the couch and wished she’d taken him up on a junk food run. The pizza was already metabolizing and she’d be hungry soon. Her mom used to warn her that all the crap she’d eaten over the years would catch up to her, but so far, she still ate like a two-hundred-pound man. Then again, she also burned a crap ton of calories every night fighting.
Halfway through the movie, Campbell’s stomach growled and the couch shook beneath her as Brax chuckled beside her.
“Just tell me what you want and I’ll go get it,” he said, his eyes on the screen.
He was going for casual. Wanted her to think it was no big deal. That he simply wanted to get them both snacks. Yet, she knew better. He wanted to take care of her. And since her leg was clean and bandaged, he needed another way to tend to her. She normally would’ve bristled at the idea that a man thought she needed him. But not now. Not with Brax.
“Fine. Chips. And popcorn. Some soda…and ice cream.”
“I knew it!” he said, turning a wide grin on her as he pointed a finger at her. “I knew you were an ice cream kind of girl.”
“I didn’t know there was a type,” she said, attempting and failing to hide a smile. “Rocky Road. Or plain vanilla if they don’t have Rocky Road.”
“Rocky Road, chips, soda, and popcorn. Be right back.”
Brax’s grin was still wide as he hurried through the door, stepped back in and leveled a look at her. “Can you lock up behind me or should I take the keys?”
Campbell could probably get up and limp across the room. But she didn’t want to. She wanted to stay on the couch and keep her leg propped up. Plucking the keys from the end table, she held them up to make sure Brax was paying attention, then tossed them at him. He caught them with no effort, then pulled the door shut behind him.
And then Campbell was left alone to chew on everything she’d learned. Including the fact she was falling for a Shifter. The same creatures she’d vowed to eliminate from existence.
****
Brax whistled from Campbell’s house, through the gas station down the road, then all the way back. Several plastic bags were looped over his arms as he unlocked the door leading into the building and stepped into the main foyer. He’d forgotten to ask her what kind of chips and what kind of soda. So, he’d bought several varieties of each kind.
More money gone.
Didn’t matter. The fact Campbell was receptive to the mate bond had him floating on cloud nine. Nothing could ruin his mood.
Taking the stairs two at a time, Brax slipped the key into the knob and pushed into her home – then froze.
Campbell’s eyes were closed, her head lolled to the side, her lips parted as her breath came in slow, steady pulls. She’d fallen asleep while he was gone.
He wanted to hear her voice more. He wanted to talk to her more. He wanted to do a whole lot of naughty things
with her – and that thin ass tank top showcasing her rosy nipples didn’t help.
But she needed to rest. The food and pain killers had zapped her of energy. And she was obviously comfortable enough and felt safe enough with Brax to let her guard down, even knowing he could come back any time.
Tiptoeing across the room and using his feline stealth, he carefully unpacked the bags, putting the sodas in the fridge and the ice cream in the freezer.
And then he leaned against the doorway leading into the living room and stared down at the beauty who’d taken over his every thought. He couldn’t even say his waking thoughts; she occupied his dreams, as well.
Campbell released a soft sigh and rolled her head so she was facing him. And then she muttered his name.
“Brax,” came from her lips barely above a whisper.
Was she dreaming about him? His feet pulled him closer until he knelt in front of her, his hands itching to reach forward and touch her.
“You’re being creepy,” she said in her sleep. Her lashes fluttered open and she looked right at him. “Stop staring at me. You’re being creepy.”
Not talking in her sleep.
Amusement trickled through him as he’d stood there hoping she was having a sex dream, yet she’d known he was there the whole time. She’d felt his presence. If he’d had any doubt about their bond, it was squashed at that realization.
She’d felt him there.
“Got your goodies,” he said softly, still kneeling in front of her.
She glanced at the kitchen and then back at him. “Can I have some soda?” Her eyes closed as she yawned and raised her arms in a stretch.
And once again, his eyes went straight to her perky boobs.
Dammit. He was trying to push sexual feelings aside, but she was making it hard. And making him hard. He couldn’t do anything until she made the first move.
“I didn’t know what kind you wanted. Do you have a preference?”
Her eyes moved back to the kitchen before returning to his face. “What kind did you get?” Her brows were high up her forehead.
“Pepsi. Diet Pepsi. Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Root Beer, Pib –”
“I get it,” she said, holding her hand up as she chuckled. “Pepsi. Thanks.”
Brax grinned at her and pushed to his feet, grabbing a glass and filling it with ice before carrying it and the two liter of Pepsi back to the living room. “I got a few flavors of chips, too.”
“Brax!” she said with another chuckle. “How much money did you spend?”
He shrugged before retrieving the various bags of chips and popcorn and laid them out on the coffee table. Her chuckles turned into excited giggles as she grabbed a bag of chips and ripped it open.
“You’re insane. You know that, right?”
Brax adored the excited look on her face as she shoved chips into her mouth and smiled around them. There were so many sides to this woman, so many facets to her personality.
He couldn’t wait to learn them all.
He couldn’t wait to learn what else made her smile.
And he really couldn’t wait to find out what made her moan.
“What? Did you think I’d eat all dainty or something?” she said as she shoved another chip in her mouth and smiled.
Throwing his head back, Brax barked out a loud laugh and shook his head. “I have a feeling you don’t have a dainty bone in your body.”
She put a hand over her mouth as she coughed out a laugh. “No. I don’t.”
Brax stood and made his way back to the couch to sit beside Campbell. They settled in to watch yet another action film while sharing bags of chips. Every time their hands grazed in the bag, little zaps of electricity flowed through his body.
He wanted her so bad. He wanted to taste her lips. But the ball was officially in her court. He’d be patient and wait until she was ready to take this any further. He just hoped it was sooner rather than later.
****
Campbell glanced at Brax from the corner of her eye. It had been three days since he’d told her they were destined to be together. And as fairy tale, romance novel as it sounded, she’d found herself both relieved and excited. Relieved to find out she wasn’t losing her damn mind. Excited that she might have found a tiny army to back her up as she sought out and ended the assholes trafficking women.
The rogues. That’s what Brax had called them. They weren’t simply selling women to men to be used as sex toys. They were forcing animals into them, trying to make them Shifters, then forcing them into relationships with men who had several ‘mates’ each.
This was Brax and Campbell’s second time hanging out at her home since she was supposed to be sitting around and healing. He’d come by the day before but hadn’t stayed. Simply dropped off more junk food and a couple of frozen pizzas for Campbell as he headed out to do her job.
Okay. Maybe it wasn’t solely her job. But she felt like every day she was closed inside her home, she was failing not only Caren, but all the other women who’d died – or worse, because there were definitely things worse than death – at the hands of those monsters who took them away from their friends and family.
Something else was bugging her, though. Why hadn’t he kissed her? Or even held her hand? He’d stayed on the other end of the couch both times he’d hung out with her. It wasn’t that she went by the whole no-sex-until-the-third-date thing, or that she wanted to rush things with him, but he’d acted so attracted to her yet hadn’t laid a finger on her. The longer they waited, the more she wanted him. And how screwed up was that?
Brax laughed at something on TV, but she was no longer paying attention. Her mind was occupied with other crap. Like, was everything he’d told her bull shit? A line to get her to let down her walls and trust him?
But why? What would be his goal? What good could it do if he wasn’t either making a move on her or dragging her away to be sold?
Deciding to take matters into her own hands, Campbell turned, laid down, and rested her head on Brax’s lap. He stiffened for a second, then relaxed into the couch. His hand went to her head and his fingers threaded through her hair slowly. Okay. They might not be having sex, but that felt amazing. She could go for this kind of thing for the rest of her life.
Who was she kidding? She needed intimacy and sex and passion. It wasn’t the most important thing in the world to her, but she was a red-blooded woman. It did hold some
importance.
Campbell had come up with a plan: She’d lay her head on his lap, then slowly drape herself over him, hoping forwardness would get her point across. But as his fingers played in her hair, her eyes grew heavy. She’d never fallen asleep around someone as often as she did Brax. Something about his presence calmed her, gave her a moment of peace, even if it was fleeting.
She dreamed of flying, floating in the air.
No. She wasn’t flying; there was a warmth pressing against her. Something warm and solid was against her side, a soft thump sounded against her ear. Brax surrounded her with his warmth and scent. He was carrying her. Where? She was stuck in that weird in between state where she wasn’t quite awake, not quite asleep.
Campbell’s body moved away from Brax and then settled on something soft. Her bed. He’d carried her to her bed. How long had she been asleep that he brought her to her bedroom?
The blankets were pulled over her body and up to her chin. Reaching out, she grabbed Brax’s hand, not bothering to open her eyes. She wasn’t sure she could even if she wanted to.
“Goodnight, sweetheart,” he whispered.
“Why haven’t you kissed me?” she asked. And in her half-asleep mind, she could see him looking at her, could feel his hands on her face.
But they weren’t. As she struggled to wake up, she could feel the slight dip in the mattress beside her when Brax sat. His hands weren’t on her. He wasn’t touching her.
And then he was. Once again, his hand went to her hair and brushed strands away from her face, then flattened against he
r cheek.
“I need you to tell me what you want, Camp,” he whispered in the quiet bedroom. “I will never take what you don’t give me.”
I will never take what you don’t give me.
Those words chased her into her first set of dreams. And as they had since Brax had come into her life, her dreams were softer, sometimes sexy. He calmed her when she was awake and gave her peace when she slept.
Mate. It was that bond, the magnetic pull, the chains that had developed between them. Soul mates. The two words together seemed so much less supernatural and so much bigger than any relationship or connection she’d had to another living soul.
The next time Campbell opened her eyes, the sun was shining bright through her open curtains. Since she’d fallen asleep on the couch, she hadn’t gone through her nightly ritual of closing every curtain and double checking all the locks.
Shit. Hopefully, Brax had taken Polo out or there’d be a big pile of poo on her carpet. Or worse – pee. It was damned near impossible to get rid of the smell of animal urine once it was in the carpet.
As she sat up against the headboard, she sighed with relief when her leg didn’t immediately begin to throb. A few more days and the gashes would be nothing more than scabs. A few more weeks, they’d be scars. They’d be reminders. Reminders of how close she’d come to turning into a Shifter.
If it hadn’t been for Brax and his friends finding her, her life would’ve ended up way different. If it hadn’t ended that night.
Kicking the blankets off, Campbell threw her legs over the side of the bed and frowned at the empty spot on the floor. When she didn’t spot Polo sleeping beside her, she’d figured he’d been waiting for her to get up and take him for his morning walk.
“Polo? Where are you, baby?” she called as she stood. Even with the weight on her leg, there was little to no pain. She couldn’t wait to get back out there and hunt.
Whisper soft steps across the carpet were followed by less quiet trotting. Brax rounded the corner and leaned against the frame, a mug in his hand.
“Good morning.”
