Shifting Positions

by Jennifer Dellerman

  Blinking back the confusing mix of tears that filled her eyes, she drew in a trembling breath. Caleb's warm strength surrounded her, providing the support she craved, though she would have bitten of her tongue before she told him that.

  By the time the Reynolds’ truck came to a halt in front of them, Tess managed to regain control over the unplanned near weep fest. The passenger window rolled down and Jackie stuck her head out, seemingly unaware of the soft, fat snowflakes that drifted gently from overhead. With sixty-seven years behind her belt, Jackie Reynolds enjoyed life with an easy grace, confidence and a love to gossip. Her wild red hair offset intelligent bright blue eyes; eyes that didn't miss Tess's uncoated figure or Caleb's possessive stance. The hold shouted to Jackie that the good sheriff wasn't just keeping Tess warm, he was staking a claim. Nearly giddy at the idea of a budding romance for the daughter of her best friend, Jackie's pixie face glowed behind the worry that pinched her features. “Oh good, you haven't left yet. I was so afraid we'd miss you.”

  “Perfect timing,” Caleb said, his chest rumbled at Tess's back, the sensation somehow both soothing and arousing at the same time. “Tess was just getting her mom. And a coat, unless you want me to keep you warm.” The last was whispered in a low, husky tone for her ears only.

  Tess's eyes fluttered, concerns of being caught in his embrace drying up as more burning matters, such as the small hip move Caleb had just done which ground the hard ridge of his erection into her ass, reared up. Need spiked through her body, molten and aching, arousing her so much she could barely stand still. The damn wolf was making her stupid. Or was that her hormones? Or his pheromones? Either way she knew she was on the fast track to Frustration City, with no way to apply the brakes.

  Silently cursing the science of chemistry, shifters and all men in general, she abruptly broke from Caleb's hold and raced inside to gather her mom, a deep chuckle of smug male amusement following in her wake.

  Twenty minutes later, Tess and her mother were ensconced in Caleb's truck, with a convey behind them, traveling down the highway to the hospital.

  The damn truck smelled like Caleb. It was making her edgy and she found herself thinking more about him, especially all that strength she'd felt under his clothes, rather than her mother's upcoming surgery. Irritated at the carnal images, Tess looked over her shoulder at the long line of headlights for the millionth time and Caleb laughed. “Would you relax, m'lupa? This is normal.”

  “Nothing about this is normal to me.” She scowled at his reflection in the rearview mirror. “What did you call me?”

  He grinned. “M'lupa. It's a term of affection roughly translated to ‘my she-wolf’.”

  Ruth twisted in her seat to glance back at Tess, the twinkle in her eyes unmistakable.

  Tess sneered. “I am not your she-wolf, your mate or your anything. Do not call me that.”

  Caleb shrugged. “Yes, you are. Science doesn't lie.”

  Tess cursed him under her breath in difference to her mom's presence, though Ruth looked as if she was enjoying herself. Now was not the time, but Tess would definitely give Caleb a piece of her mind on the way back home. On second thought, she would hitch a ride with Jackie and not deal with the arrogant shifter at all. Maybe ignoring him would make him go away, and just maybe this compelling need to be near him would disappear.

  Right. And maybe the moon is made of cheese.

  Tangled up in emotional and physical overload, Tess set about ignoring both Caleb and her mom as they chatted about all sorts of things and instead, concentrated on the passing scenery.

  After awhile she forgot about the trail of vehicles and in fact nodded off in the warm interior of the truck. When Caleb pulled to a halt, she jerked upright, blinking as she tried to orient herself. Before she could gather her wits, Caleb had rounded the hood and was helping her mom onto the ground at the hospital entrance. At the sight, a little fissure of pleasure cracked through Tess's protective walls and wrapped around her soul. Grumbling, she alighted and met her two traveling companions.

  “I'll go park while you take your mom in.”

  Her first thought was to say something snarky, but her heart really wasn't in it. “Thanks, Caleb.”

  He just looked at her quizzically for a moment. Then he laid a gentle finger on her cheek and said, “I'll find you.”

  With her body thrumming from his simple touch, Tess trotted through the automatic door after her mom and stood by her side at the admittance desk. Within moments the doors slid open again and Tess watched in silent fascination as the foyer began to swell with people from Woodcliff.

  At the receptionist's obvious shock, Tess said, “They're with us.”

  The woman blinked back sudden tears and laid both hands on her chest. “Oh. That just makes my heart happy to see. But I'd better show you the waiting room.”

  With a map in hand and a huge round of hugs and well wishes from everyone, Tess waved her mom off with tremulous smile. When her free hand was grasped by a very warm and large male hand, she glanced up in surprise.

  “Where to,” Caleb asked reaching for the map.

  Tess held the piece of paper away. “I've got it.”

  Jackie came up and snatched the map out of Tess's hand. “No, I've got it. The way you young people argue, your mom will be out of surgery before we even get to the waiting room and I for one have got to find a restroom.”

  Rolling her eyes, Tess and at least twenty others followed Jackie and prepared to wait.

  While Tess had had misgivings about so many people surrounding her at a stressful time, she was more than grateful for their presence four hours later when the doctor came out. Dr. Willik's eyes were concerned, her mouth pinched and, suddenly terrified, Tess unconsciously grabbed Caleb's arm and squeezed.

  “First of all,” Dr. Willik began as she crouched down in front of Tess, keeping her voice low, “I want to let you know that the surgery was a success and the aneurism has been filled.”

  “But?”

  “But, while on the operating table, Ruth had a stroke.” At Tess's quickly indrawn breath, the doctor added, “we were able to administer the proper counteractive procedures right away, but we won't know the effects of the stroke until your mom wakes up.”

  Tess gulped, unaware of Caleb's supporting arm around her shoulder, and stared into the doctor's tired eyes. “What does that mean?”

  “It means she may not have suffered any damage or she may have some mental or physical difficulties. Her extremities respond to outside stimuli so I don't perceive any paralysis, but she may have some coordination or memory loss.” The doctor went on to explain exactly what happened and then shifted to inform Tess on how to take care of Ruth once she checks out of the hospital. “Which could be anywhere from two days to a week, all depending on her rate of recovery.”

  “Where is she now,” Caleb asked.

  “She's in a recovery room now. The desk nurse will let you know when she's awake and you can see her.” The doctor looked from Caleb to Tess. “Do either of you have any questions for me?”

  Tess shook her head. “No, I don't think so.”

  Caleb stood and shook hands with the other woman. “Thank you, Doctor.”

  Dr. Willik nodded her head. “If either of you have any questions, give me or my assistant a call.” After providing the number, she walked away, leaving them shocked, yet thankful because it could have been so much worse.

  Chapter Five

  Caleb rubbed a calloused hand over the back of his neck, taking yet another restless turn around the hospital hallway while he waited for Tess. While he was relieved to hear that Ruth was alive and probably suffered few, if any, effects from the stroke, he couldn't help that his worry and thoughts automatically shifted to Tess. Just thinking of her made his stomach tangle in knots of lust and cautious hope. It was unsettling, how quickly the fierce need to hold her, kiss her, be inside her, had gripped him in greedy claws. Caleb breathed it down, forcing himself to be patient, focusing on what she
needed. Unfortunately, his floundering relationship with Tess at the moment was based more on the physical rather than the intellectual or spiritual. In other words, he didn't have a clue what his mate needed.

  Stymied with that bit of reality, along with a feeling of helplessness, he snarled loud enough to cause a few heads to swivel in his direction. Grimacing at his lack of common sense, he turned to face a series of pictures that hung in the long hallway, featuring many of the hospital's top doctors, both past and present. Under the pretense of reading the captions on each one, he laced his fingers on the back of his head and closed his eyes.

  She wants you, his wolf whispered through his mind, planting the seed. Her response to your kiss the other day and the way she perfumes the air with the sweet scent of her arousal is proof that she lusts for you.

  Superficial, maybe, but Caleb seized that kernel of knowledge with both hands. He would nourish it with gentle words, affection and his body with ruthless abandon.

  He could visualize her velvety skin glowing in the moonlight that speared across his bed, body spread wide for his eager eyes, that enticing cleft between her thighs glistening with desire. His cock twitched as blood rushed to his groin, shooting from semi-hard – a constant state since recognizing Tess as his mate – to full-blown agony in seconds. God he couldn't wait to bury himself in her, to taste her completely. To lap at those succulent slippery pink folds, delve his tongue into her moist pussy and taste all that lush cream. He groaned, imagining burying his face in the silky tangle of her hair as he covered her slender body with his, slamming into her tight wetness with the primal urgency that screamed at him in frustrated awareness. To feel her flood over his…

  A soft hand touched his shoulder and he jerked around. The awkwardness at being caught in the middle of an erotic daydream, complete with an unmistakable erection, faded as the object of his fascination, and damn near obsession, came into view. He battled the hunger back and let his eyes drift over her delicate features. Though he could see a hint of sadness, and more than a little exhaustion, she didn't appear as scared as she'd been an hour ago. Her soft lips no longer pressed together in an effort to keep her tears at bay, her shoulders were no longer taut with restrained emotion.

  His wolf howled in anger, fighting to be free and rip something, anything, into thousands of tiny pieces for causing its mate distress. And the man. Well, though the man wanted nothing less, logic kicked in. While a frenzied display of rage would do nothing for his woman, affection - and an orgasm or three - would.

  Tess dropped her hand as if burnt, the predatory look in his eyes making her stutter. “She's, she's okay. Awake and coherent.” A small, wry smile curled her lips. “Guess if she was going to have a stoke she was at least in the best place for it to happen.”

  Caleb nodded and stepped close. Hands cupping her jaw, he traced his thumbs over the corners of her mouth in a tender caress. She didn't pull away and in fact, her breath hitched and her lashes fluttered at the intimate contact. Pleased with her response, he did it again, soothing, subtly arousing. “I'm glad for your mom. Now, how are you?”

  Her speech was slurred, sleepy. “I'd like to go home, Caleb. Will you take me?”

  “Anything for you.” He pressed his lips to her forehead, an unconscious act of compassion that filled him with the simple rightness of having this woman in his life. He drew back a step and slid his hands to her waist, his manner both possessive and sympathetic. “Let's get your things.”

  They chatted briefly with Jackie, her husband, Martin, and the others who had waited with Tess and for Ruth. Dolen O'Keef, Ruth's boss and owner of the town's most popular café, popped out of his chair and headed back to check on Ruth after Tess gave the okay. Though Caleb watched his retreating back with a raised brow, he didn't give in to his thoughts until he and Tess had climbed into his truck. “Is something going on between your mom and Dolen?”

  Tess glanced at his profile. “Mom's had a thing for him ever since he opened his café five years ago, but he's resisted her. Why I don't know. It's pretty obvious he has feelings for her. Maybe he's scared.” She paused and turned her head to stare out the side window. “Maybe now he'll realize how short life is, how easily and quickly it could all end.”

  Caleb cursed under his breath. He hadn't meant to say anything to push her deeper into macabre thoughts, yet he couldn't help wondering if she might take her own words to heart. Open to his affections and accepting of his claim. An act that really was no different than a marriage except a scent marker via a bite by the male shifter replaced the physical symbol of a ring. Sure, the males in the family, God-willing a large family at that, might turn furry once a month. And maybe the marriage could never be broken because if the female ever left, the male would hunt her down and drag her back where she belonged. But other than that, it was just like a human marriage. Why wouldn't any woman want that?

  Caleb rubbed the heel of his hand over a sudden ache in his chest. Confused by the unfamiliar sensation, he set his jaw. She would recognize him as her mate, one way or another. The declining population of his species rested on it. The arrogance, inbreeding and territorial disputes between the packs had led to the Pack Wars fifty years ago. Over the subsequent ten years, entire packs were wiped out, homes destroyed and most of their recorded scientific data and history lost forever. To the unknowing human populace, the violence was believed to be gang wars. Very few knew better.

  As most shifters had lived on the east coast, many were able to flee to the mountains and make new lives built on secrecy and caution. Very slowly, the following years saw a shift from arrogance to compassion and havens for shifters began to crop up, erected by those who witnessed first hand the devastation wrought by their ancestors’ hostile attitudes. Under William Gentry, Tess's father, Woodcliff became one of those havens.

  As the humans encroached on their territory, it became imperative to hide in plain sight, until it was understood that more female non-shifters were being born rather than male cubs. In order to re-populate without inbreeding, it became necessary to let some of the humans know of their existence. Whether due to their extraordinary sense of smell or because of their past experience, shifters developed a knack for knowing which human to trust. But more importantly, the males knew which female had the compatible DNA to provide them with male shifter cubs, creating the ‘mate’ phenomenon. For Caleb, Tess Gentry was most definitely his mate. .

  Since determination kept his mind busy, while Tess's no doubt rested with her mom, the trip to the Gentry house was made in near silence. It wasn't until he'd followed Tess inside that he realized his lost opportunity. He should have talked with her. Told her about himself and what it was like growing up in a shifter family. Not sat there like a lump leaving her to her own dreary thoughts. It wasn't like him. Hell, he could even draw a guffaw out of old Henry and that man was the crankiest shifter or human Caleb knew.

  Calling himself every kind of stupid, he gently shut the front door behind him and, as she strolled away, locked it.

  When he walked into the kitchen he found her standing at the counter, her back to him. She'd taken off her long coat, giving him an enthralling view of her shapely ass. “Thanks for bringing me home, again, and for taking us.” He heard the audible swallow. “Would you like something to drink before you leave?”

  Heart thudding, he slowly came up behind her and carefully placed his hands on her shoulders. Though she twitched once under his touch, she didn't try to push him away. Pleased, he ran his hands gently down her arms until he covered her much smaller ones that lay flat on the formica top. He could hear her heart pick up as he entwined their fingers. His lips brushed her ear, his voice low and husky. “I'm not leaving. I'm taking you to bed.”

  She jerked in his arms. “I'm not…”

  “Shh.” He interrupted, making his tone as soothing as possible, even though the feel of her in his arms and the citrus smell of her skin shot blood straight to his groin. “You're exhausted. Let me take care of you
.” He nuzzled her neck, licked the sensitive flesh just under her ear. The soft sound that came from her throat made his gut clench with fierce need.

  As the scent of arousal permeated his senses, a slow, feral smile curved his lips. Tess might not know what to think of him, but she couldn't deny the smoldering attraction that crackled between them. He held back a growl, barely. “Let me love you.”

  Though his brain needed her to make the final decision, his body insisted that a little enticement wouldn't hurt. He nipped carefully at the erratic pulse at her throat, seducing with his lips and tongue. His hips rocked against her ass in slow, gentle waves, tugging at her resistance. Just when he was sure he'd have to walk away, leave before his control snapped and he did something he'd regret, her muscles relaxed and she leaned into his chest. Her eyes were closed, face flushed, but the one word that passed her soft lips nearly had him drop to his knees in profound gratitude. “Yes.”

  Without giving her time to change her mind, he swept her into his arms and carried her up the stairs. He didn't need her to tell him which room was hers; the heady scent that would forever belong only to his mate drifted from an open doorway and led the way. He laid her carefully on the bed and just looked at her. She'd not only twisted her head away, but she'd squeezed her eyes shut, making him think of a virginal Victorian bride, preparing herself for the unpleasant task of consuming her marriage. Torn between dismay and amusement, he leaned down and cupped her cheeks, turning her face back so he could press his lips to hers. “Tess, I'm not going to hurt you. I want only to please you. Open your beautiful eyes, m'lupa. Look at me.”

  When she complied, he smiled in approval. “That's better.” Then he took her lips with his own and lost himself in the exquisite taste of her mouth. He rubbed his tongue over hers, licked over sensitive flesh and howled in silent delight when she met his marauding invasion with her own. Their tongues dueled, danced, and explored. Teeth nipped and scraped. Hands slid under loosened clothing to touch bare skin.