Knight Shift

by Paulette Miller

  While Ice nodded silently, the twins called back, “Catch you later, Bros,” and “Bye Peanut!”

  Chapter 17 - Reaction

  The night after Penny’s brothers left town, she confided in Casper all the details about her hunting trip. When she got to the part where Ice arrived and pulled her out of the swimming hole, she said, “I hated that he had to come to my rescue, yet again. I don’t want him to think that I’m nothing but a weak Human, but I don’t know what I would have done if he hadn’t shown up. He really did save my life and someday I’ll find a way to replay him. I guess my punishment for my weakness was that he had to see me naked. Later he tried to tell me that he found me attractive, but I think he was trying to save face. Someone like Ice couldn’t possibly find me, a Human, attractive. I can’t say that I regret the trip, because I got to see him in all his naked glory and I would volunteer to any amount of humiliation to see that sight again.” She fanned herself and giggled.

  “Although the image of his backside will be forever etched in my mind, the best part of the trip was when we all crammed together in one tent. Due to the lack of room, I was forced to sleep pressed up against Ice. I expected him to rearrange how we were sleeping so that he didn’t need to touch me or maybe even head out into the rain, but he didn’t. He not only stayed, I woke with his arm draped over me. It felt so right that I never wanted to move. I wonder…if we had been alone, would he have kissed me? I know that’s a silly dream, but I’m dying to know what his cool lips would feel like on mine. Maybe someday…”

  As she looked off with her mind obviously painting a pleasant picture, Ice thought about her reactions to him. Since he had lived his life with everyone fearing him, it became a part of the way he interacted with the world around him. It was also a sense of comfort since he knew exactly where he stood—no emotional ties to worry about or manage. But hearing that a woman found him attractive gave him an unexpected sense of power that he had to admit he liked. He planned to test the extent of that power at the next opportunity.

  A few days later, Penny called Susi to ask if she could come over on her next day off and take pictures of the bedroom for a web site that she and Tadd were working on. She agreed and Susi invited her to spend the night so that they could spend some time together.

  Penny arrived at the house as planned and, after taking all the pictures, she went outside with the family and played tag under the stars. When Sam saw Ice standing on the sidelines watching, he approached him and asked, “Why don’t you come join us and have some fun?”

  Ice replied, “I’m not sure I know how to have fun.”

  “Only way to learn is to jump in.”

  “But fun isn’t my way.”

  “It can be if you would let it. Maybe it’s time for you to open yourself up to what life has to offer.” When Susi called for Sam to come back, Sam patted Ice on the back and rejoined the playtime.

  Later that night before going to bed, Penny took a long shower to help unwind from the day’s excitement. After putting on a new black lace teddy she had bought herself as an early birthday present from part of her money from Susi’s decorating job, she crawled into a large, four poster bed with a sigh. But even with the exceptionally comfortable accommodations, as the clock struck two o’clock, she woke, wrapped herself in a matching robe, and headed downstairs. As she expected, the house was completely empty.

  When her eyes caught the beautiful light streaming in from Susi’s moon room, she decided she would take a minute to enjoy the wonderful view. Once she stood in the middle of the all glass room, she loosened her robe and let it dangle loosely over her shoulders, enjoying the coolness of the night air on her overheated body. After standing for several minutes, she felt the presence of another set of eyes staring at her. She spun around to find Ice standing in the doorway.

  Startled, she fumbled with the ties of her robe in an attempt to better cover herself and said, “We need to put a bell on you so that people hear you coming.” Fidgeting nervously, she added, “The room is all yours. I’m going back to bed.”

  Ice recalled his conversation with Sam and decided to heed his words. He decided he wanted to play his own way. When Penny took a step toward the door, he said, “Don’t leave on my account. I was enjoying the view.” As he spoke, instead of staring out the window at the moon, his eyes were locked on the black lace of her nightgown that was still exposed.

  Feeling her cheeks warm from her inadvertent show, she looked away and whispered to herself, “Not again.” After fumbling for something brilliant to respond with, she decided silence was her best option so she headed for the door.

  Just as she was about to walk past Ice, he whispered, “Not so fast,” and a large arm wrapped around her waist. In an instant, he spun her back into the room. As he stalked toward her, he said, “The last time you so kindly stood in front of me while exposing that much flesh, I was severely reprimanded for my lack of reaction.” With a low growl, he added, “I won’t make that mistake again.”

  Backing up slowly from her pursuer, Penny replied, “There’s no need. I was just being a silly girl.” Her voice stuttered from the intensity of his stare.

  Scanning her up and down, he shook his head. “I don’t see any girls here. What I see is definitely all woman.” He gave her a crooked, leering grin.

  Ice was blocking her exit so she continued backwards until she felt the hard surface of the glass behind her—no more retreating. In an attempt to make light of the situation and to give Ice a way out of this, she hit him in the stomach like she would her brother and said, “I didn’t know that you were such a comedian. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  He caught her wrist and pressed it against the glass next to her head. When she looked up at him, expecting to see a teasing smile, she found his beautiful, dark, and extremely intense eyes staring back at her. She once again fumbled for something to say, but all that came out was a soft squeak.

  He chuckled at her attempt and said, “While you try to form a response, I have some reacting to do.” With his free hand, he caressed down her cheek and, following the edge of her robe, continued south.

  She shivered at his cool touch.

  Seeing her reaction, he said, “You’re trembling.”

  As she shook her head defiantly and said, “No I’m not. I’m just cold.”

  He knew she was lying. When his path started to lead him further down, she futilely grabbed onto his wrist to stop him. In a flash of speed, he had her second hand pinned against the wall. He shook his head and said, “You need to keep your hands to yourself until I’ve fully responded to your lack of attire.” He gave her wrist a gentle squeeze to tell her to keep it in place. Her body instantly froze in position.

  When he was sure she wouldn’t move he let his fingertips return to their exploration. Picking up where he left off, he drew a line down the center of her body, causing her robe to gape open along the way. Once he reached the robe’s tie, he said, “You teased me earlier, but you put it all away before I could fully appreciate the view. I need to fix that oversight.” With a flick of a finger, the tie fell away, leaving her robe completely open for him and exposing the sheer lace and silk lying in wait underneath.

  As she remained motionless, he leaned back enough so that he could take in the full view. She heard his predatory growl that told her what his words didn’t say.

  With her body now fully exposed, he said, “Those curves of yours are a work of art that beg to be studied and admired and I’m now your student eagerly waiting for my lesson.” His fingertip began a new journey by following the thin strap of her gown to the sheer lace below. When he hesitated, she held her breath cursing at herself for wanting him to continue his current course. To her delight, he had the same thought and soon he was following a pattern in the lace that led him to her breast, which was obviously aching for his touch. His hand accepted her body’s plea.

  Although she was desperate to hide her reaction to his actions, her body betrayed her again whe
n her pulse sped and her knees became weak. When he felt her sway, an arm instantly snaked under the robe and wrapped around her. As his hand pressed on the small of her back to steady her, the gap between them completely disappeared. Feeling his natural coolness pressed against her, she couldn’t stop her mind from wondering what it would feel like if they were both naked.

  Seeing desire surface in her eyes, he said, “Now that isn’t a look appropriate for a little girl.”

  She tried to hide her frustration with her lack of body control by giving him a forced smile and said, “Okay, you proved your point. You can let me go now, you… Changeling.”

  He shook his head. “I’m not done by a long shot…Human.” He never sexually teased women—Human or Changeling—but he was thoroughly enjoying playing with the one in his arm and wasn’t ready to give her back.

  While his hand explored her lower back and the curves that lay below, he placed his other hand on the side of her neck. She couldn’t stop herself from leaning into the cool touch that felt so wonderful on her hot skin.

  He leaned down so that his cheek was next to hers. His icy breath on her skin made her shiver with goose flesh. When he caressed along the line of her chin with his lip and headed toward her mouth, her mouth started to water. She was desperate to know what he would taste like. Without realizing it, she let out a quiet moan—a sound he caught, making his body vibrate from another chuckle.

  To continue his journey, he brushed his lips across hers but didn’t kiss her, stopping a breath away. She ached for his kiss and that pain increased when she felt his arm tighten around her and he pressed their bodies even closer together. One part of Penny’s brain told her to kick him hard between the legs and storm out of the room. But the other, much louder side, dared her to initiate the kiss. The later side was definitely winning and she found herself closing the distance between them.

  Just as their lips touched, Ice disappeared from her arms. When her mind reconnected, she found herself alone in the room and heard the chattering voices of Susi and Sam entering the house.

  Trying to quickly regroup, Penny fixed her robe and took in several deep, calming breaths. Instead of hiding until they passed, she knew they would be able to smell her presence so she stepped out into the living room to greet the recent arrivals as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

  When Susi saw her, she asked sympathetically, “Couldn’t sleep again?”

  Penny nodded, struggling to be able to form real words.

  Susi’s inner nature quickly caught Penny’s flushed skin, elevated body temperature, and rapid heartbeat. It wasn’t fear she sensed, but something more intimate. She glanced around Penny into the room behind her, trying to see if someone was with her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ice’s form disappear down the stairs leading to his room. She knew exactly who had put Penny into the condition she was now in.

  With a knowing grin, Susi suggested, “It’s late. Why don’t you head to bed and try to rest. We can talk in the morning.”

  Penny was grateful for Susi’s discretion and excused herself. Once Penny finally fell asleep, she dreamt of a different ending to her scene with Ice. While her mind happily wandered in her sleep, Ice stood in the shadows watching her while having similar thoughts.

  Just as Penny was rising for the day, she received a call from work that she was needed. After grabbing a quick bite, she drove off toward town. She had hoped that she would catch a glimpse of Ice before she left, but he remained out of sight.

  That evening as the sun went down, Ben found Ice standing in the moon room watching the moon rise with longing in his eyes. He decided it was time to confront him directly and he asked, “Why don’t you just give in to your feelings?”

  Ice turned to him and said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Ben shook his head in frustration and replied, “Yes you do. You may have fooled everyone else, but your mind has been slowly opening up to me. I’ve felt your reaction every time you looked at Penny.”

  Ice shrugged off his thought and said, “It’s nothing. I enjoy toying with her.”

  “Based on what I feel from you, this is so much more than teasing and you know it. You really like her.”

  Although Ice was going to deny his words, he knew that his mental wall was breaking down and he could no longer hide his thoughts from Ben. While looking around to make sure they were alone, Ice whispered, “Does anyone else know?”

  Keeping his voice low, Ben replied, “Susi suspects, but she has only shared her thoughts with me. You’re an exceptional actor and your secret is safe from everyone else—even from Penny. She thinks you don’t really like her and she deserves to know the truth.”

  “You’re so young and have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “I may be young and not know anything about relationships, but I know what your mind is screaming every time you look at her.”

  Ice was going to argue but, looking into Ben’s young eyes so full of hope, he replied, “What good would it do to tell her? She has a silly crush, that’s all. She can’t truly care about someone like me.”

  “Are you blind? She already does.”

  “How do you know for sure?”

  “I have a hard time reading some people, but Penny’s mind is so open. The feelings I sense from her are the same sensations I feel when Susi looks at Sam. Maybe it’s time to learn to trust someone and tell her how you feel. “

  Ice replied solemnly, “What would be the point? We could never be.”

  “Why? Because you’re a Changeling and she’s Human?”

  Ice shook his head. “For a thousand reasons. I don’t know why she would want someone like me anyways. I’m definitely no prize—I’m not even likeable. She deserves better.”

  “I’m not sure logic guides most of what Penny does. She should fear us, especially you, but she has accepted us as her family and she’s included you in that group.” After analyzing Ice’s reactions to his words, Ben was shocked to sense an emotion he never expected to feel coming from one of the most deadly Changelings on the planet. As his voice lowered again, he asked, “What are you so afraid of?”

  After taking a moment to decide whether to tell the truth, he replied honestly, “I’m afraid of her seeing the real me. I’m a cold-blooded killer that lives for the hunt. I’ve slaughtered so many of her kind I couldn’t even begin to count them all.”

  “She’s very aware of who and what you are and she isn’t running away. Obviously something about you calls to her—let her decide. I think you use Ice as a shield to keep everyone at a distance, but there’s much more to you than just Ice and this other side of you is fighting to emerge. Maybe it’s time to let Ice rest for a moment and let Jax take over.”

  “Ice…Jax. They’re both me. Anyways, I’ve done nothing but lie to her since the day we met. If she knew the truth…”

  When Ice stared off into the night, Ben placed his hand on his shoulder and said, “For some unknown reason, fate decided to put you in my path and you saved me. There must also be a reason why Penny found us. You gave me my life back, so let me help save you. I would give anything to have someone care about me like Penny does for you. Don’t let what could be wonderful slip through your fingers.” Before he walked away he said, “Just think about it. And before you ask, you don’t have to worry. I’ll keep your secret no matter what decision you make.” He turned and left Ice to his own thoughts.

  Chapter 18 - Needs

  Ice thought long and hard about what Ben had said to him, but he hadn’t gone back to Penny’s cabin in over a week. He had been trying to clear his mind from the effect of his encounter with her in the moon room. Although he knew that Penny would have told Casper all about the events they had together, he was nervous about hearing the truth about how it made her feel. To avoid the whole situation, he had gone out of town for a job and hoped that his absence would give Penny time to forget about the incident and how illogical her infatuation with him was.
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  As the stars twinkled in the deep night sky, Ice entered Penny’s cabin and sighed at the deeply missed scent. It was the feeling generated when walking into a home after a long trip away. Much to his dismay, he found that he was excited by the prospect of returning to his normal routine. Before entering Penny’s room, he took a moment to examine his surroundings. He couldn’t stop himself from trying to guess what color and style of nightgown Penny would be wearing. It wouldn’t be a random guess. He would base his decision on the months of analyzing her behavior and looking for a correlation in her clothing and activity choices.

  First he quickly noted that the cabin was very neat and tidy, which told him that her mind was locked on something. He knew that she cleaned when she was thinking hard—maybe she had to make a decision about something or had to deal with a tough customer. He had stopped in the store to see Penny earlier that day to drop off an item from Susi. Although he only saw Penny for a minute, he thought that she seemed fine, so something must have happened after he left. He took a quick peek to see what she had eaten for dinner and, finding an empty soup container and many empty wrappers of chocolate candy, he surmised that whatever she was thinking about, she was emotional—maybe upset.

  When he looked down at his watch and saw that it was almost time, he made his guess. “Well it won’t be sexy tonight...no lace, silk, or bright colors. She’ll wear something more subdued and comfortable in dark cotton…maybe a tank top and shorts. As for her activity…definitely will be a movie while snacking on something that she’ll feel guilty about once the movie is over.” With his guess locked in, he walked into the bedroom and took his place in the shadows.

  As he scanned Penny in bed, he found that she had kicked off all of her blankets. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling, knowing his guess at nightwear was right. He was off a little. Instead of shorts, she was in lightweight pants that went down slightly past her knees. He chuckled realizing that he had grown to know this Human so well. Although he cursed at his disappointment over the lack of exposed skin, his disappointment turned to anger at himself when he realized that it wasn’t lust he felt. It was a deep need to see every inch of her.