“She’s thinner than she used to be. I don’t think she takes good care of herself.”
“Agreed, we’ll have to be the ones to take care of her.” Lars smiled as a feeling of camaraderie washed over him. “She’s very focused on her son and her future. We can’t simply march up to her and make her decisions for her. She’ll fight harder.”
“She’s having dinner with the Bennetts tonight. When I left, River and the McNamaras were there, too.”
“How did she react to them?”
“From what I could tell, it didn’t faze her too much.” Cris finished the beer in his hand and put the empty bottle on the deck next to him. “What about Zack? Could you accept him as your son as well?”
“When I claimed Beatrice, she had three children I would’ve accepted as my own if she’d have let me. I lived with them as their father figure for years and in all that time I didn’t feel the connection to them as I did to Zack today. The moment I lifted him from the back of the car and he wrapped his arms around me, I knew I wanted him to be mine.” It was like his heart had shifted and expanded. He had loved Beatrice and cared deeply for her children, but Beatrice had always reminded him they weren’t his.
“You realize we have a bigger issue to face than her simply accepting us both into her life.”
“Why do I think she will have an easier time accepting the idea of a polyamorous relationship than the truth about shape-shifters? We can’t let this drag on. The sooner we tell her the better.”
“Could you love her the way she deserves to be loved, Lars? Could you finally put aside all the guilt you still carry around from your past and build a future with her?”
“She’s the other half of my soul, Cris. I knew the moment my hands touched her.”
“Then we have our answer and we have a lot to plan.” Cris pushed to his feet. “And I for one cannot plan how to claim our Mate on an empty stomach. Didn’t you say earlier you were bringing steaks?” Cris wandered back down the dock toward his trailer.
Lars took another look over his lake. The deprivation he longed for earlier was gone. Now he was desperate to feel Tara’s soft skin under his fingertips. He wanted to see her body fill out with their child and be there for every moment. He wanted to claim her for life and nothing else was going to do.
* * * *
Despite all the revelations of last night, Tara had slept like a rock. Zack slept in, too, which was almost unheard of for him. She’d lain in bed this morning trying to calm her panicked thoughts. She looked out the window at a large tree covered in leaves in various shades of colour as she reviewed the night before. Seeing Cris again had been a shock, even more so than being surrounded by ménage couples. A few times she’d wondered if she hadn’t survived the accident, or maybe had dropped into some dimensional divide, because everything had felt so surreal. She’d met more kindness in the last twenty hours from complete strangers than in the twenty years she’d lived with her family and their narrow-minded community.
Her neck and back weren’t as sore as she was expecting when she’d finally gotten up and moving, which was a relief. She’d tried calling the mechanics’ shop, but there hadn’t been an answer. When she’d asked Albert if he knew them, he started telling about last night’s episode of Coronation Street. Not having a clue what he was talking about she’d politely excused herself and took Zack down to explore the water like she’d promised him the day before.
No sooner was Zack distracted than her thoughts turned to Cris again. He created an entire heap of concerns for her. He didn’t give her the impression last night he planned to fight her for custody or anything. Maybe he was caught off guard and said what he thought she wanted him to say? She strolled down the main road with Zack. He held tightly to her hand, but that didn’t stop him from tugging her in the direction of everything that caught his attention. “Mom, look, thereth the mutheum River told me about. Ith all about Blavet.”
The night before everyone had taken great joy in telling Zack all about the creature that supposedly lived in the depths of the lake. Blavet was a local legend and there were lots of stories about him causing large waves to put out forest fires and rising up from the deep and eating a selfish fisherman who insisted on throwing his garbage over the side of his boat.
“Can we go, pretty pleeeth!”
“All right, let’s go have a look.” She crossed the street with him, reminding him to look both ways before crossing. She looked past the large building to the lake behind it. The sun sparkled on the surface, tempting her to dip her toes in it. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d gone swimming in a real lake. But despite the warm temperatures of the day, this time of year the water must be getting very cold.
“Good morning.” Tara’s attention was drawn back by the greeting the three older women gave. They were each sitting in a large rocking chair. Colourful balls of yarn sat in baskets at their feet and the three of them were knitting at an incredible speed.
Tara and Zack returned the greeting. Zack raced up and watched the knitting needles flashing in the sunlight. “Wow, thath fast.”
The older woman giggled and paused. “Here, watch, this is how it’s done.” She slowed her movements down and Zach watched her carefully.
“You’re piling the loopth on top of each other in a thraight line.”
“That’s exactly correct. I bet you’re very good at math, aren’t you?”
Tara grinned, laying a hand on her son’s shoulder. “Yes, he is.”
“I’m Poppy and these are my sisters Lily and Lavender.” The woman pointed to her sisters in turn.
“You can bring him here a couple times a week. We’ll teach him how to knit.” Lily nodded. “After lunch would be a good time.”
“Oh, that’s very kind, but we’re only going to be here for a day or two.” Tara didn’t want to insult the women or commit to private lessons in anything that might be expensive.
“That’s what they all say,” Lavender commented. “Besides, it’ll be good for his fingers to work with needles. We’ll start with large ones and then work smaller as he gets used to handling them.”
“How did you know he has a difficult time holding on to things?”
“Lavender”—Lily elbowed her sister—“you don’t say things like that.”
“Did you come over to see the museum?” Poppy asked after she frowned at both her sisters. “I’ve a key if you would like to go in. Cris usually unlocks the door when he gets here, but he won’t be in till later today.”
Lily had leaned over and was whispering angrily at Lavender, but Tara couldn’t make out all the words. All she heard was Lavender reply, “It is what it is, nothing will change that.”
“Come, dear.” Poppy wrapped her hand around Tara’s arm. “I’ll show you the inside, don’t mind their bickering. You’ll get used to it in time.”
“Yeah, come on, Mom.” Zack raced to the door and hopped in excitement as Poppy unlocked the door. Tara held it open so the older woman could enter. The room was large with pictures on the walls and display cases around the room. There were little plaques next to everything describing how old it was and the story behind it.
“I’ll let you two look around. Take your time.” Poppy gave them a wave and then headed back out to her chair. Tara could see the three sisters through the big window lean toward each other and have a very animated conversation about something. It was fascinating the way the three of them all said their piece at the same time and then they sat back at the same moment and went back to knitting.
“Look!” Zack tugged on her shirtsleeve and pointed at a picture on the wall. It was a grainy shot of a couple dark shadows on a darker lake. The plaque read the picture had been taken in the late eighteen hundreds. There were more pictures taken, equally grainy or at bad angles. Certainly nothing proved beyond a shadow of a doubt there was a prehistoric creature inhabiting the lake.
It didn’t stop Zack from wanting to read every sign. She followed him and helped to s
ound out words he didn’t recognize. At the very least, Tara felt as if it was somewhat educational from a reading standpoint. Maybe I could homeschool him after all?
When Zack finally finished looking at everything in there, they left, waving at the McGuigan sisters before heading across the street. Albert had told her The Shack was the best place for breakfast and the moment Tara entered she felt at home. The smell of fresh-baked goods warmed the air. A pastry wasn’t the healthiest of breakfasts, but one morning wouldn’t hurt. Also it wouldn’t cost as much. Tara hadn’t heard anything about her car yet and that was a worry eating away at her stomach every time it crossed her mind. She’d woken up that morning in a state of panic not knowing what she was going to do.
Part of her wished Cris had been there. While it’d been her fantasy, she allowed herself to imagine Lars was there, too. Both of them surrounded her. She could cry all she wanted and they’d make it better, only when she was done crying it was time to face the truth. The only person she could rely on was herself. Cris said he wanted to be a part of her life, but she couldn’t be certain he was being honest. Maybe he said that because she’d surprised him or due to the shock of discovering he’d fathered a child. Most people said the right thing but did the opposite in her experience. Her family was a perfect example of that. They preached about supporting family, being kind to each other and the world. But the moment they’d found out about her pregnancy, she’d been shunned.
“Larth!” Zack raced ahead of her toward the counter seats. Tara paused for a moment when Lars turned and gave her son a large smile. She hadn’t expected to see him again so soon. Her heart skipped a beat and then started pounding double-time against her ribs.
“Hey there, little man. Come have a seat next to me.” He patted the stool to his left and Zack hopped up on it.
Lars stood up when she approached and wrapped his arm around her waist and tugged her a bit closer. Tara’s heart jumped at the contact. She fought the urge to wrap her arms around his waist and rest her cheek against his chest like she’d been imagining. “How are you feeling this morning? How’s your back and neck feel?”
“Better than I was expecting. I’m sore, but River worked on my muscles last night at Jessica’s.”
“I’m glad. I was worried you might be in a lot of pain today.” He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Despite her best intentions she slid her arms around him and indulged her fantasy for a moment. What would it hurt? She’d be leaving tomorrow.
“Come and have something to eat.” He led her to the seat on the right of him. “Catherine popped into the back to get some of her baking, but she’ll be back out in a minute.”
“Hi there.” An older woman came out of the back carrying a tray of what looked like scones. They smelled delicious. “You must be Tara and Zack.”
She placed the sheet on the counter and came over and shook Zack’s hand. When Tara held out her hand the woman took it and held on. “How are you feeling, dear? I heard about your accident.”
Tara was touched by the sincerity in the woman’s tone. It was almost like she really did care. “I’m okay today really, thank you.”
“That’s wonderful to hear. Now what can I get you two? You must be starving.”
“We went to the mutheum and I thaw the picturth of Blavet. Jelani gave me theth to watch for him.” He held up the small pair of binoculars he’d been wearing around his neck.
“You know Blavet’s really shy.” Catherine ruffled the hair on his head. “You’re going to have to watch carefully for him.”
Catherine bustled around and made Tara a large cup of tea and a plate with the most fragrant scones on it. Zack was busy with his milk and scone with jam talking to Lars about everything he’d seen in the museum.
As he was distracted by her son, Tara took the opportunity to really look at the big man. His hair was pulled back into a braid that hung down his back. A bandana similar in style to the one Cris wore yesterday held back the shorter strands that had brushed over his face yesterday. He had sinfully high cheekbones and lips she knew were soft. He lifted his mug to take a sip of his tea and Tara couldn’t take her eyes off the large muscles in his arms. She imagined him lifting her up against his body. She would wrap her legs around his waist as he pressed his face between her…
“I hope one day you look at me like that when you think I’m not looking.” The words were whispered into her ear as she felt a man slide his hands down her back and around her waist. She jumped and practically head butted Cris in the face.
“You scared me.” She pressed the heel of her hand between her breasts where her heart thumped against her rib cage painfully hard. From fear…it had nothing to do with the fantasy she’d been indulging in or that she got caught, by Cris of all people. He must think she was a complete whore. Her father was right after all. She had no control over herself and deserved every sadness that would visit her.
Lars must’ve heard him because he calmly reached back and stroked her thigh with his right hand. The bold gesture struck her as incredibly possessive and intimate. He might as well have been stroking her bare leg the way her pussy reacted with a gush of cream. Zack was looking in the opposite direction and didn’t see what Lars did. But the rest of the restaurant would have. Tara darted a look around, but no one else was shooting dirty looks in her direction.
“You’re safe here, Tara. No one will judge,” Cris whispered in her ear, the sensual huskiness in his voice tempting her in ways she didn’t understand.
“You’re up early, Cris.” Catherine placed a large mug similar to Lars’s in front of him. Tara sat up, out of the circle of Cris’s arms. She didn’t know what to think and didn’t want to look like someone who would…well, be interested in two men at the same time.
“I had a great reason to make sure I made it for lunch today.” He grabbed Tara’s hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it.
Tara pulled her hand out of his, lifting her delicate teacup up and taking a sip. She could feel her cheeks reacting and her mouth was so dry she wasn’t certain she could speak if asked a question.
“Don’t let those boys run roughshod over you, Tara.” Catherine winked at and her and refilled her teacup from a large silver teapot. “Give them an inch, they’ll claim you for life.”
“You don’t have to give me an inch, Tara. I’ll take any small amount of attention you’ll grant me.”
Tara didn’t know how to take Cris’s teasing. He sounded serious, but she was so afraid to believe him. Her thoughts flashed back to the blistering kiss he planted on her yesterday, creating a low burn deep inside her. She wriggled slightly, trying to relieve the pressure growing between her legs. The aching need Lars woke up yesterday and Cris brought to life later on stretched out along her limbs, a shiver rolled over her shoulder, and she felt her nipples crinkle into tight nubs behind her bra.
Lars stiffened in front of her and glanced at her over his shoulder. His heavy-lidded gaze made her heart skip as his lips curled into a half smile. She felt Cris move closer to her again, his hand wrapping around her rib cage. His thumb stroked lazily along a rib below the edge of her breast. “We know what you’re thinking, Tara.” Cris’s tone was low and seductive as he whispered into her ear. “The answer’s yes. Anytime, anyplace.”
“I think Zack and I had better get going.” Horrified that somehow they might know what she was thinking about, Tara finished off all but a small amount of tea left in her cup.
“Aw, Mom!” Zack peered around Lars’s body. “Can’t we thay a little longer?”
Tara realized she was trying to run from the intense emotions Cris and Lars were causing her to feel. It wasn’t fair to Zack to rush him along, but she couldn’t process what she was feeling right now.
Lars shot a dirty look at Cris before looking back at Tara. “Please stay, for a little while longer.”
“All right.” Tara sat down and sipped at the last of her tea. There were some leaves floating around at the bo
ttom so she left those.
Cris had leaned back a bit, giving her some room to breathe. She felt both relieved and disappointed at the same time. She glanced over at him, but he was watching Lars teach Zack how to play cat’s cradle with a long piece of string. She almost interfered because she knew Zack’s fine motor skills might not be up to the task, but Lars patiently arranged Zack’s fingers in the pattern they needed to be to hold the string.
Zack blossomed under Lars’s attention. He grinned up at her and lifted his hands to show her and Cris the X-shaped design the string made around his fingers. “Look what I can do!” The pride in his tone filled her heart with joy. This was the kind of life she wanted for her son. Finding joy in the simplest of tasks. She never thought of playing string games with Zack to help his dexterity, but she would remember this moment.
“Great job, Zack!” Cris clapped. “I’m impressed.”
“Here, I’ll show you the next step. Now, watch carefully what I do with my fingers.” As soon as Lars spoke, Zack looked up at him like some sort of superhero.
He does look a bit like Thor. She’d always been partial to the Norse god in comic books.
“Have you had a chance to talk to Luc and Georges about your car?” Cris asked her. He’d kept a bit of distance between them and she missed the heat that radiated off him.
“No, I called there this morning, but there wasn’t any answer.”
“They are usually in the shop by noon. You can give them a try again later on.”
Tara sighed. She couldn’t put off the truth any longer. Although in the short time she’d been in this town, it’d grown on her. “I can plan better if I know what I have to deal with.”
“Catherine can help.” He glanced down into her cup. “She reads tea leaves. Want to see if she can predict your future?”
“Really, she can do that?”
“She’s scary accurate, too.” Cris grinned and picked up her teacup. “Hold your cup by the handle.” When she grasped the small loop, he wrapped his fingers around her hand. “Now move the cup in a circle clockwise.”
Seducing Their Wayfaring Souls [3xtasy Lake 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 6
