by Cara Carnes
Pangs of doubt fractured the short burst of okay when the vehicle stopped. He threw it into park. “Trust your gut, but don’t push too hard. Remember, he isn’t den.”
Right.
Kinsey’s pulse flailed to life as she left the safe vehicle and wound her way across the narrow, treacherous path. Jadrien placed himself immediately in her line of sight. When he lifted his hands, she narrowed her gaze and proceeded forward.
When she saw what had stopped him cold, she gasped in shock. “Put that stupid thing down, Drayce. Seriously? A gun? Those aren’t safe to have around, you know.”
“Kinsey?” He set the shotgun down on the drooping porch and glared. “What the hell are you doing here? How did you find me?”
“What I’m doing here is picking up where we left off before you tried to ditch me again.” She took the two steps and stood before him, pausing briefly to inhale his woodsy scent and bask in his warmth. “You hurt me, Drayce.”
“You shouldn’t be here.” He looked behind him. Cursing softly, he shut the door.
She was in there. Melanie. The daughter probably was, too. Did she look like him? He’d make gorgeous kids. Her womb contracted at the thought. Imagining him with another woman made her insides ache. She hadn’t even been able to think about her until now, when she had no alternative but to address her existence.
Please don’t let it be true. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”
“No.”
“Wow, you’re rude. We’ll have to make a list for this sort of stuff. Probably title it ‘Things to Improve On.’”
“Let’s add listening to your side.”
“Good idea. Communication is important. I’ll start.” She perched her ass on the rickety railing. As she suspected, he lunged to brace her. “Now, what should I start with?”
His jaw twitched. She wrapped her arms around him and studied his face for a moment. The handsomeness was offset by the dark threading his gaze with fibers of vicious doubt. He didn’t think this would work between them.
Determination fortified her. “Thinking of you, with her, with a child, killed something inside me.”
He looked away.
“Then I remembered how determined you seemed to get rid of me yesterday, how quickly you were ready to cast me aside to do what you probably perceived as the greater good.” She wiggled closer to him, feathering her fingertips along his jawline until he looked at her with a molten gaze. “The thing is, Drayce, I’m not looking for good. I’m okay with dirty. I’m okay with rough. I’m okay with whatever it takes to find the real you, to fully hold the man I feel powering into me, to fully embrace the man who lets his guard down for those few brief moments right after his release. That’s what I want.”
“Jesus. You have no filter, do you?”
“Would you really want one between us?” She traced an invisible path down his neck, pausing at his shirt collar. “I’d rather have the raw, possessive conduit flowing between us.”
He shifted backward and glared down at Jadrien. “I owe your ass for this.”
“Yes, you do. I don’t think you realize it yet.” Jadrien grinned. “Try and behave a little, squirt. Remember, he isn’t den. He doesn’t get your quirky ways.”
She nodded and watched him leave, safe in the knowledge he’d be nearby if she needed him. Hopefully she wouldn’t, but the safety net he offered fortified her strength to power through the invisible barrier Drayce had erected between them. One way or the other, she intended to find out what was what when it came to Melanie.
“Drayce. We have a visitor?”
Speak of the devil, and here she comes. Plopping onto her feet, she shoved past a growling Drayce and held her hand out. “Hi, I don’t think we had a chance to meet properly before. I’m Kinsey.”
“Melanie,” she stated softly, eyeing Drayce as if she wanted to crawl inside him for safety’s sake.
An Omega.
Kinsey had very few interactions with the Omegas of the Jago Den because—surprise of all surprises—Lauren’s dad seemed to think she was a bit out there for them to feel comfortable around. But this wasn’t the den. This was Drayce’s home.
Definitely not what she’d expected. The rustic cabin reminded her of Nan’s place in many ways. Archaic wood, rusted nails, chipped paint. Like in town, fresh wood sat to the side. A couple of walls had been erected.
He was expanding the cabin. Perfect. This was something she could do. A constructive way to bond. She wandered to the area, careful to keep her path away from jumpy Melanie. For now, she’d give the woman the benefit of the doubt. She’d always been taught Omegas were to be handled with care.
Donning her kid gloves, she regarded the newly constructed section. “I’ll help you with this while I’m here. I wield a mean hammer. All the Habitat for Humanity people said so. I nailed better than anybody.”
“I bet,” Drayce drawled.
Yeah, she hadn’t missed the double entendre either, even if it had been totally accidental. She smiled and wandered past the cabin’s silent occupants and entered the home itself. It was…quaint.
“You shouldn’t be here, Kinsey,” he whispered.
“Yes, I should.”
“Why?”
“Until you trust me enough to let me in, I’m not letting you out of my sight.” She patted his cheek. “Relax, consider me your booty call for the evening.”
Melanie gasped.
Drayce ran his hands through his hair and looked around. “Where’s your stuff?”
“I didn’t bring any stuff.” She patted her purse. “Everything I need is here.”
“Really? So you’re going to walk back into town in the same clothes you left? Sweetheart, women don’t do the walk of shame in these parts.”
“No worries.” She leaned in and lowered her voice to a whisper that trailed along his ear. “It’s not a walk of shame if I have a toothbrush and fresh panties. I’m covered. Now, are you going to show me around, or should I wander on my own?”
Chapter Five
Epic cluster fuck didn’t begin to describe Kinsey’s presence in his home. The broken shell he’d left in town had vanished. A new, freshly minted ready-to-be-ridden version now stood in her place, running her fingers along the back of his sofa as if she had every right to be there.
And she did. Her here felt more right than anything Drayce had experienced the past few years. His pulse quickened despite the what-if scenarios playing out in his head. There’d be no way around sharing the by-blow on Melanie. A part of him hated Kinsey for forcing his hand, but a bigger part of him embraced the sexy tenacity.
He wanted to bend her over the sofa and fuck all the determination straight out of her until she was the sweet, sated minx he’d left in the hotel bed earlier today. Before his entire world had imploded. Melanie shuffled behind Kinsey with widened eyes and a withdrawn stance. Fuck. Explaining what was going on with the human would be next to impossible since he had no idea himself.
“Who are you?” Ellie’s voice boomed through the small cabin. The young sprite had her father’s spirit in every fiber of her. Not a single unconfident strand resided anywhere in her DNA. Beta all the way.
She stood before Kinsey with expressive blue eyes and wavy chocolate curls running down her back. She blinked a couple of times and sighed loudly. Yeah, she had Robert’s impatience, too. Wouldn’t that make things fun in about ten years?
Kinsey stooped to her knees with a gentle smile on her face. Fuck she was sexier than hell. “I’m Kinsey, a friend of your dad’s.”
Shit. Well, he should’ve seen an introduction coming. Melanie gasped and went to the girl, squeezing her shoulders softly but it was too late. The girl slammed into Kinsey, a mass of unruly limbs and desperation.
“You know Daddy? How is he? Are you an angel?”
Kinsey’s smile thinned as she studied the girl. Her fingers ran along Ellie’s moistened cheeks. “No, baby girl. I’m not an angel.”
“Oh. Uncle Dray said Dadd
y went to protect the angels.” She looked up at Drayce when he approached. “And he looks out for me and Momma.”
“It seems you have a lot of great people looking out for you. You sure are pretty, too. How old are you?”
“Six, but Dray says I act way older.” She paused and lowered her voice. “That’s not a good thing ’cause he says it when I’m being bad.”
“Well, you know what? Between you and me, I had a tough time being good when I was your age.” She ran her hands down Ellie’s long curls. “There’s always so many awesome things to do.”
“I know! The other day I was chasing a butterfly and Uncle Dray was so mad.”
“You were in the forest well outside of your safe play zone, Ellie.” Why he needed Kinsey to see he could be a good parent escaped him.
She smirked at him. “Well, of course you had to chase it. They’re so pretty.”
“Exactly.” She leaned in and lowered her voice again. “I wanted to catch it for Momma to make her happy. She’s sad a lot since Daddy left.”
“When someone goes away, it sometimes takes a part of you from here”—Kinsey touched her chest—“and makes you hurt real bad.”
“Yeah, I hurt there, too, but Momma hurts more, so I don’t say nothing.”
Fuck. He’d been so busy worrying about Melanie he’d never thought once about how Ellie was handling it. Weren’t little girls supposed to automatically shed the ugly in their thoughts in tears? He’d expected her to cry, express her sadness the way her mom had. When she hadn’t, he assumed she’d been too young to understand fully.
He’d have to fix this with Ellie. She needed him, a strong presence in her life. Robert would’ve been that in spades. An ache settled in Drayce’s soul.
I miss you every day, man.
“You know I lost my momma when I was a little younger than you. My Nans told me I could talk to her whenever I wanted to. All I had to do was close my eyes, turn my face to the sky, and she could read my thoughts. And I’d know when she talked back.”
“How?” Ellie was enthralled, lost in the hope Kinsey spun with such innocent simplicity.
“Every time the wind whispered through my hair it was my mom. Raindrops were her making sure I was washing behind my ears.” She whispered, “I wasn’t too good with ears.”
Ellie giggled.
“Nans always made sure I could hear my momma. I still hurt badly at times, but having my say where no one else could listen sure helped. There were some things I shared with only her.”
Ellie nodded. “Daddy listened when we went fishing.”
“He was a great man.”
“He was the best.”
“Well, it was real nice to meet you, Ellie. You and I will chase butterflies together real soon. Your Uncle Drayce and I have a lot to discuss first, though.”
“Okay. I’ll go talk to Daddy, like you said. You really think he’ll hear me?”
Kinsey smiled and patted the girl’s head as she stood. “He’ll always hear you.”
Ellie grinned and sprinted out of the cabin.
Melanie stood at the edge of the room wiping tears from her face. “H-how did you know to say those things? I didn’t even know she was hurting. She always acts so normal.”
“You miss him, and she doesn’t want to add to your pain. She’s a smart little girl.” Kinsey crossed her arms and studied him, then Melanie. “Giving her this was a good thing. Setting up the normal she had, giving her the strong male parental presence. She also needs to know it’s safe for her to break, that you’ll catch her no matter what. Nans was my net. You need to be Ellie’s.”
Drayce nodded, so wound up in Kinsey he couldn’t speak.
“So, I’m assuming there are a few things you’ve yet to share with me. I’ll go chase butterflies with your daughter while you two sort out the story you’re going to tell. I’m not going anywhere until I get some answers.” She headed out of the cabin in a swirl of determined woman with pissed-off lover.
The chicken shit in him let silence settle between him and Melanie for a few moments as she sat on the room’s lone sofa. “I knew something, or rather someone, got to you on your trip. I sensed the shift within you. She got to you.”
Yeah, she did. Fuck if he knew why or how. “I’ll handle her. She’s obstinate, but I’ll get her situated.” Even if it ripped his soul apart.
“No. I’m glad she’s headstrong. You need a woman who holds her own.” Melanie stood and crossed the small living area. “You’ve given up so much for us, Drayce. Don’t push her away if she makes you happy. Robert wouldn’t want you miserable.”
“Robert wanted you protected, and that’s what I’m doing. You know how this has to go down, Melanie. For you and Ellie. If anything happens between me and Kinsey, you’d be at risk. You aren’t pack, and you can’t go back to yours.”
“Has Drew ever indicated I’d be at risk? Have you asked?”
No, he hadn’t. Putting the situation on the Alpha’s radar would be stupid. Drew might’ve done the right thing and ended his son-of-a-bitch dad’s stranglehold on everyone, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t follow in his footsteps. Things were still too new, raw. Bad blood existed between his family and Drayce’s. Magnum hadn’t taken too kindly to Drayce’s dad standing up to him.
The end result had been their slaughter. It’d been packaged as an accident, but everyone knew what went down. Even though decades had passed since then, Drayce knew better than to let himself relax because he might be pack, but he was also an outsider.
“You didn’t ask,” Melanie stated. “I think you need to stop painting the son with the same brush as the father. Robert trusted Drew enough to bring us here.”
“Until he proves otherwise, it’s the safest thing to do. I won’t risk you or Ellie. I’d never forgive myself if I let something happen to you. I couldn’t save him, Mel. I wasn’t there when he needed me.”
“He chose to go. We both tried to talk him out of it. It was his choice to leave us.”
“It wasn’t his choice to die.”
Melanie nodded. “He wouldn’t have left Ellie, or you. But you know this wasn’t his place to be. He thrived on adrenaline. The battlefield was where he felt calmest, most at home. He died fighting for his country. It was a proud death.”
Drayce swept Melanie into a hug. “He never would’ve chosen death over you. You were everything to him.”
“I know.”
***
Kinsey smiled at the little girl dancing in the sun and whispering nonsensical words to the sky overhead. The journal in Kinsey’s lap now contained a new list. Things to learn about young Wolf shifters.
It was evident Ellie would be an integral part of Drayce’s life. Whatever had happened to her real father, it was obviously a very raw wound for them all—one she’d have to traverse with care. As she looked out on the scene unfolding before her, the heart-stricken young girl Kinsey used to be giggled in frivolity. Even though her world had crumbled back then, it was still innocent and easy compared to the reality now unfolding.
Only a fool would’ve expected Drayce to have no baggage. Everyone had it. Kinsey had anticipated handling human versus Wolf shifter political shenanigans. Pack culture was a hotbed of drama at times according to what she’d seen with Lauren’s den. Sure, these were Wolves, not Jaguars, but they all had the same issues—living in the shadows to avoid discovery, reconciling the primal nature within them to the harsh reality of encroaching humanity.
She hadn’t anticipated this. He had a family. In modern terms it fit. There were many unconventional families these days. They’d make it work.
Drayce’s arms settled around her shoulders, and she leaned against him. “What you did back there? Huge.”
“I’ve been where she’s at.” She stood and turned, draping her arms around his waist.
“You’re an amazing woman. Stubborn as hell, but amazing.” He cupped her face. “Why are you here? I watched the woman I knew die back in the bar and didn’t
think she’d ever look up at me like you are right now.”
“She had a moment of insanity where she forgot how obstinate you were. Then someone knocked her into clarity, and she realized something more was going on.”
“Jadrien.”
“He wouldn’t say what. He only said he wouldn’t take me home until I saw things through. His refusal to do as I asked was huge. He always has my back.”
“He’s a good man.”
“You two have a lot in common,” she whispered. “Want to tell me what’s really going down here?”
“I’m thinking you figured most of it out. My pack mate Robert was in the military, overseas, and got killed in action. Melanie was ostracized by her pack when she mated him. The benefits package she’d receive would help her make do on her own, but….”
“She’s Omega.”
“Yeah.” Drayce watched Ellie spin in a circle. “I promised I’d look out for them, make sure they remain pack and under our protection.”
“Why wouldn’t she be?”
“Bad blood ran between her pack and ours. Drew’s dad set ugly precedence in these sorts of situations. Under the old reign, she would’ve been tossed out unless she was mated to a pack member.”
Her heart seized. “You were pushing me away to make room for her, in case she needed you in order to stay.”
“Yeah.” He sighed. “It was a weak-as-shit move. Still gotta say, not sure how things are gonna play out. I can’t promise you anything, Kinsey, not with this unsettled.”
“Then we’ll settle it because I refuse to give up on you, Drayce.” She kissed his lips softly. “I’ve got your back.”
He growled and deepened the kiss. Pleasure throttled into overdrive. Tingles spread across her skin where he stroked, as if knowing the soft caresses melted her awareness of everything beyond him. Them.
Dazed, she broke the kiss. Her breath, ragged and heavy, merged with his. He looked over his shoulder and embarrassment crept through her. She’d forgotten where they were. Ellie could have seen them.
