“Really? Well, technically, so are you!” Cash yelled. It was a lame comeback, Cash knew it, but shit, this was out of some B-flick movie. Whatever had been dragging him must not have killed him yet. This had to be the in-between place before he finally met his end. But then again, what the fuck, why would he decide to fuck with his own head, creating a woman to spend his final minutes or hours with? Shouldn’t he be seeing Jessie or hell any other member of his family who had already left the world? Weren’t they supposed to greet him with open arms or some shit and lead him into the light?
Cash opened and closed his eyes a couple of times, but Jenna was still there, giving up he said, “Fine, tell me what you can.”
“My name is Jenna Smith; you were badly injured. I have been trying to heal you.”
Cash could still detect a little anger in her words. She was just stating facts, not giving him much else to go on, so he started to ask questions.
“How do you know my name?”
“I didn’t, not until we came here. I thought maybe you were just a random person, but when I felt your bear, I knew you were more. Plus, you called out for Jessie after I healed you. Call it deductive reasoning.”
“How do you know Jessie?”
“That’s a story I’m not ready to tell yet, but I do know her.”
“So, you’re dead like an angel or something, and this is where I tell you my sins, and I either go through the pearly gates or the flaming ones.”
Jenna started to laugh. He liked the sound of it and the bright smile on her face, more than he should.
“No, I’m not dead, and neither are you, yet, but good call because this is kind of freaky.”
“Why do I feel drawn to you?”
“Another good question and I’m sorry, but I don’t have the answer to it. It’s the same for me. I felt you before I found you. Hell, I’m sorry. I even tried to push the feeling away and stay in my house, but I couldn’t.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Cash said as he took a seat next to her, “I don’t know if I would run out into the night just because of a feeling either.”
“I doubt that. You’re an Alpha, not much scares you guys.”
Cash laughed because he knew she was right; if called, he would have gone. It also gave him a few more questions. There weren’t that many Alpha’s in his community, and he knew them all. If he could narrow down who she knew, he might be about to figure out a few more things.
“So, you know a lot of Alpha’s?”
“A few,” Jenna smiled, “but I’m not ready to go there with you yet.”
She wouldn’t look at him now, and Cash didn’t like it. Bumping her shoulder with his own, Cash said, “Don’t trust me yet? Damn and here I created this beautiful place just for you.”
“And let’s not forget the girls,” Jenna laughed, “they are quite impressive, after all.” She even wiggled her shoulders to emphasize her point.
Cash liked her laugh, much more than when she tried to pull away.
Jenna yawned and laid back on the grass. Cash couldn’t help himself, he leaned over her body. Using his hand, he gently wiped away the strand, brushing his knuckles against her cheek. Jenna’s eyes were closed, but the small smile encouraged him. Leaning closer, so their breath mingled, Cash asked another question.
“Why do you feel so important to me?”
Chapter Six
Jenna woke up breathing hard, her upper body draped over Cash’s. Shit, he really was Cash Warren. That in itself had so many implications, but whatever that out-of-body experience had been, it was an even bigger problem. Jenna had to wonder if it was just her exhaustion playing with her, but that didn’t seem right. It felt too real. She could remember the feel of him, the warmth of the field, and the smell of the wildflowers. Had that just happened? Had she talked to him, joked, and played around with him, or was it just a dream? More importantly, had he just been about to kiss her? Better yet, did she want him too?
Jenna pushed herself back with effort. She had never been more tired in her life, but she needed to make sure they would last out the storm. The garage didn’t have any windows, so there wasn’t an easy way for her to see how bad it had gotten outside or even how long she had slept. Again, she was starting to regret her choice of living in the middle of nowhere. It would have been so easy to pick up the phone and ask someone for help. Jenna looked at Cash more closely. He wasn’t blue anymore, so that was a bonus, but he did have a slight pink tinge to his cheeks. Placing her hand on his cheek, she noticed he was warm but not too warm.
She had never once in her life thought a man was beautiful but looking at Cash that was precisely what she was thinking. He would be any woman’s bad boy dream—smooth tatted up skin covered both of his arms, and she knew from when she had to strip him they also included a good portion of his back. Jenna wanted to know if the tattoos had a special meaning. She wanted to know more about the man she had pulled from the river and heard about all her adult life.
She hadn’t removed her hand from his cheek, marveling at the contrast. She was pasty white, at least that was what she thought, but he was tan even in the middle of winter. Did he spend a lot of time outdoors or was it just his natural coloring? His head was almost completely devoid of hair, but she could see the stubble making its way out. Brushing her thumb over his lips, Jenna loved the feeling of his soft goatee touching her skin, and those lips, damn she loved those lips. She leaned forward before she could stop herself; damn, she felt like an insane creeper, lusting after an unconscious man.
Struggling to her feet, Jenna tried to stretch out her sore muscles. She needed to step away for a while and get some perspective. The last thing she needed to do was continue molesting him with her thoughts and dreams. What had her life come to? Was she so lonely and desperate that…? Yeah, she wasn’t going to finish that thought. Twisting side to side, she looked around the garage. It wasn’t much, but thanks to her uncle, it did have everything she needed.
The first thing she did was check the wood burner. It was still going, but she added a couple of logs. She breathed out a sigh, thinking at least the electric was still on. When the lights flickered, she knew she had thought that too soon. Holding her breath, she waited, only to laugh when the lights flickered again twice before not coming on again. Yep, that was her luck, not some sexy as sin man wanting to kiss her. Jenna Smith didn’t get that kind of luck. Instead, she got no electricity during a blizzard she had to spend in a garage with a sexy as hell man who wanted her sister. Who she was afraid needed more help than she could give him. Yeah, she was that kind of lucky, and it would do her well to remember that.
It took Jenna a couple of hours to get things the way she needed them. The garage was well insulated, so it was holding its warmth, but she had spent a great deal of time tugging and pulling Cash until she had him in the corner furthest away from the doors where most of the heat would escape, just to be safe.
When she finally got him settled again, she tried and failed several times to get him to swallow some water with antibiotics mixed into it. She knew it had to taste horrible, but it was necessary. Cash wasn’t responding to her at all, the water and medicine coating his chin and cheeks. Placing his head on her lap, Jenna started to massage his throat, trying to get the muscles to obey. She had even resorted to begging. It wasn’t until she let her energy out and concentrated on the muscles in this throat that she managed to get him to drink more than a swallow.
“Cash, please!” Pushing more of herself, Jenna saw his eyes flutter. It was the first time since she had found him, and she held her breath, waiting to see if he would open them fully. After several seconds, she realized it must have been an involuntary muscle reaction, much to her disappointment. She wanted to look at his eyes.
Once the cup was empty, Jenna’s small triumph was short-lived. Food would be a problem, mainly protein. She didn’t have access to protein shakes or supplements. She knew Shifters metabolized everything faster, and if she wasn’t careful,
she would lose him. An average person could last a month, maybe a little longer without food, but with a Shifter, that time would be cut in half if not sooner. If she couldn’t get him to swallow, how in the hell was she going to get him to chew? Once the storm passed, she would have to figure something out.
She had never used her gifts to this extent in her life. In the past, it had been a one-shot deal, heal and go, then take the time to recover, but Cash needed more. The problem was the more she used, the weaker she felt. Laying down next to Cash, Jenna placed her hand on his chest.
“I’m sorry Cash, I’m doing the best I can, please forgive me.” Then she drifted off into an exhaustive sleep, praying they both made it through what was to come.
Jenna woke up looking into the chocolate eyes. Still groggy, she lifted her hand, placing in on Cash’s cheek.
“You're awake?” Feeling the soft stubble next to his lips, she couldn’t resist brushing her thumb over it.
“I’ve been waiting for you, sleepy girl,” Cash murmured, the sweet scent of his breath causing Jenna to ache and arch into his body. Feeling the hard planes of his chest against hers pushed Jenna to her limit, causing her to whimper.
“None of that now,” Cash chastised with a smile, “you will get what you need when I’m ready, not before.”
There was a gleam in those chocolate eyes that promised Jenna every fantasy she had ever conjured up along with some she was sure she hadn’t thought of before. But this also felt wrong, something wasn’t right with what she was seeing and feeling. Jenna tensed, trying to decide if she should push him away or pull him closer.
Cash didn’t give her the option, situating himself further on top of her, letting her feel his weight, caging her in with his bulk.
“Let go, sweet girl, let me make you feel good.”
His words melted her like chocolate on a hot summers day. His weight and presence were giving her security and comfort. When he gently took her lips in a soft kiss, her resolve was gone, and the feeling of his hands coasting over her aroused body, pulling her leg up, so he could surround her more fully caused her panties to dampen. Jenna wanted this. Placing her hands on his neck, she massaged the tendons while pulling him closer.
“Please,” Jenna pleaded when he pulled back from her attempts.
“When I say, sweet girl,” Cash whispered, kissing her softly, nibbling at her bottom lip and lightly licking the corner of her mouth, never giving her what she wanted.
Jenna wanted a deeper kiss, wanted to feel him more firmly on top of her, but he wouldn’t move or go any faster. The frustration she felt was almost worse than the pain, it was so encompassing. His lips moved from her mouth to her ear, sucking her earlobe into his mouth, nibbling softly.
“Let go,” he whispered, “let me give this to you. I have waited so long.”
Jenna went pliant in his arms; he could do anything he wanted, she just didn’t want any of it to stop. A small part of her knew all of this was wrong, but a more significant part of her wanted it.
“That’s it, baby,” Cash crooned, “let me do this for you, for us. I’ve missed you, sweet girl.” Cash pushed his body into her. Jenna could feel the hard length of him. Canting her hips, she pressed further, lost in the feelings he was pulling from her body. Every grind of his cock against her was perfectly aimed to hit her clit. She could feel the heat pooling into her lower stomach. She wanted him, the orgasm his body was promising her, and damned the clothes which were separating them, preventing her from coming.
When his mouth descended on her again, she opened, shifting her head to the side, tentatively brushing her tongue against his. But Cash wasn’t a man to let a woman lead. It only took moments for him to take control and own the kiss he was giving her. His kiss was amazing, a full out assault, robbing her of her very breath. The glide of his tongue a promise, the thrusting a prayer. Jenna gave him everything without an ounce of regret. She followed his lead and was rewarded with firmer touches, lighting her on fire.
Her hips moved in time with the thrust of his tongue. Jenna had never felt so out of control, but there was freedom in that because she knew Cash was there to catch her. He was everything she had ever wished for—comfort, security, and longing. She felt connected to him in a way she had never felt to another man, making the moment more special.
Jenna’s sexual experience was minimal. With her gifts, it had to be, she couldn’t risk it. But with Cash, right now, at this moment, none of that mattered. Her energy was there around the edges but not pushing away from her. He made her feel feminine and powerful, heady gifts she knew she could never repay.
Cash groaned, pulling back to look her into her eyes.
“Damn, sweet girl, I knew it would be like this between us.” Between the small kisses he peppered along her cheek and neck, Jenna’s mind started to come back, and she knew.
“Say my name, Cash,” she asked, running her fingers over his smooth head. Jenna held her breath.
He looked at her, confused, then brushed his lips against her. and whispered a name.
“Jessie.”
Chapter Seven
Jenna stood looking out her window, looking out while she sipped at the hot coffee in her hand. It was early morning, the snow had stopped falling, and the place looked beautiful, new and fresh. Freshly fallen snow made everything seem clean. The voice in her head was chatting along, but Jenna had learned how to block Cash since that first night. It hadn’t been easy, she still couldn’t resist him, but she never went back to that field either. Hearing him say Jessie’s name had nearly gutted her, and as the days went on, the feeling only intensified.
Right now, she was ignoring him because she had more significant problems coming to her door. It had taken a week to get the man she now knew for certain was, in fact, Cash Warren into her cottage. The storm hadn’t let up; during the first break, she pushed everything she had left into him, giving him enough function to walk. Well, kind of, it was mostly him dragging his feet as she tried in vain to get him to the house. It took most of the day, and by the time they had made it through the door, they both fell, passing out.
Then the fever started. She had used every trick she knew, but nothing had helped. That was when she knew Cash would always be Jessie’s. He called out to her often. Those were three days she never wanted to live through again. Cooling his body, forcing medicine down his throat along with water, wishing she had the proper things to care for him. At one point, she had even tried to get in touch with her neighbor, but all she got back was static, the storm too heavy to carry out her call.
Then the talking started. She could hear him in her head like he was standing in front of her. He talked about everything his life and everything that had happened to him. The whole time, thinking she was Jessie. Jenna had tried countless times to get him to understand she wasn’t Jessie, but he wouldn’t listen. By now, she felt like she knew everything there was to know about Cash—his hopes, his dreams, all of it. It was like an endless loop going on in her mind at all times. He loved fiercely and had a loyalty to his team that was unmatched to anything she had ever witnessed before. He was also worried and unsettled, knowing one day he would make the people he loved choose between doing the right thing or letting him go. She saw his struggle daily with his beast. They still weren’t connected, and it was tearing both of them apart, from the inside out, literally.
Through it all, she started to hate her family more because they were the source of most of this man’s pain. The talking started a couple of days after the last dream with them in the field. Cash was constantly with her now. As if things couldn’t have gotten any worse, a couple of days ago, he started to plead with her to just let him go, that he didn’t want to live this half-life, that it was his time, but Jenna refused to accept that. She could feel her body weakening every day, but she still tried giving him just enough to keep on breathing, his heart pumping and mind intact. It was wrong, but she couldn’t seem to let him go.
Today was the day she wa
s going to make her way to town and call her family, but she knew from the time she had woken up, they were already on their way. She felt them. Every step her sister got closer to her, the power in her body amplified, another aspect of her curse. Militibus geminae—twin warriors, it was a joke. Twin warriors who couldn’t stand to be in the same room together for more than a few minutes before one was either drained or the other so full of power, they would burst.
Setting down her coffee on the window ledge, Jenna took her coat off the hook and put it on. Cash was screaming in her head, asking her what was going on, but Jenna needed to block him. He would find out soon enough. Opening the door, she took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. Some things never changed. Walking to the SUV that had just pulled in, Jenna watched as Jessie her sister and Declan, the man she would forever hate, got out of the vehicle. Holding up her hand, she stopped them from going any further.
“Typical,” Jessie said what Jenna had expected. “Don’t be that way, Jen.”
“Be what way exactly, Jessica? Pissed that, once again, you and the great Declan “Senior” Quinn have decided to intrude on my life?” Directing her gaze at Declan, she said, “We had a deal, and you just broke it.”
“You know we had to come, Jenna, there wasn’t any choice,” Declan said.
“Hmm, let me think about that, any choice? I would think with all of NAC’s resources, you would have been here a couple of weeks ago or were you hoping for something to happen? I wonder?” Jenna said putting her finger to her chin, then snapping it quickly. “I got it! You thought placing Cash Warren in my path would somehow, what, change my mind about working with you? Change my feelings about how you have manipulated all of us for the greater good?” Jenna said, complete with scrunched fingers indicating quotation marks around the words greater good. “Well, I hate to tell you, it didn’t work. Your man almost died, still could.”
NAC & The Holly Group - Box set: Alpha Team Page 129
