Her cheeks were pinker, her lips were moist from Mikhail’s kisses, and her eyes had a dreamy appearance. But the change went much deeper than the surface. She wasn’t certain she was ready to deal with her sexual side, but it was too late to turn back.
Mikhail had walked out of the forest this morning and aroused a part of her that had stayed hidden for years and then continued to slumber for the past decade. Whether she could handle this new aspect of herself remained to be seen.
She tugged off her nightgown and let it flutter to the floor. Her nipples were puckered and her breasts heavy. She might fear sex, but her body certainly made no secret of what it wanted. And it wanted Mikhail.
Elise stepped into the shower, grabbed her body wash, and squeezed some onto a cloth. She loved the delicate scent and never took the small pleasure for granted. Pierre had chosen everything in their life together. Even down to the soap she used.
As she scrubbed, she shoved aside thoughts of Pierre. She didn’t want to think about the past. Nor did she want to acknowledge the throbbing ache deep in her core.
Pie. She needed to think about pie. Maybe she’d make several—apple, cherry, and lemon meringue. That way, she’d be sure to have something Mikhail liked.
When she realized what she was doing, she leaned against the tiles, swore under her breath, and let the water cascade over her. After all these years, she was still worried about pleasing a man.
What kind of pie did she want?
She had apples, so she’d make an apple pie. Perfect for a chilly winter day. He’d either like it or he wouldn’t. Her days of living to please a man were over.
Chapter Three
Mikhail’s brother-in-law was standing out on the deck when he finally made his way back after another long run. It had taken him more than an hour to get his body back under control. The last thing he’d wanted to do was go home with a hard-on. That would raise more than a few questions.
He might sleep at Louis’s home, but he spent almost all his time at his sister’s new place. He knew Rina wanted him to move in with her and Sage. They had a brand-new home, and he was her brother.
It was for that very reason, he didn’t want to stay with her. Werewolves had enhanced hearing, and the last thing he wanted was to hear her and her new husband having sex.
“You hungry?” Sage asked.
Since he was still in his wolf form, he nodded. He probably should have headed back to Louis’s place, showered, and dressed, but he hadn’t wanted to risk running into one of Elise’s sons. Not yet. Mikhail knew if he could still scent her on him, then Louis could, too.
Sage raised an eyebrow in question. He knew the younger man had to be wondering why Mikhail simply didn’t shift. He ignored him and walked over to the door, careful to stay downwind. The air was cold, which helped mask Elise’s scent.
He’d have to be careful, or everyone would know he’d spent time with her, and that would only lead to questions he wasn’t prepared to answer. Maybe it was time for him to move in with his sister for a while. She might be newly mated, but the last thing he wanted was for Elise’s sons to smell her on him. It was winter, so the windows were closed. And he knew that Sage had soundproofed the master bedroom. Maybe it could work.
Sage opened the patio door, and Mikhail walked through. His sister poked her head out of the kitchen area. “Hey, Mikhail. You want some coffee?”
He ignored her question and trotted into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. “What’s up with Mikhail?” his sister asked.
He didn’t hear Sage’s answer, as he was too busy shifting and turning on the shower. He kept the water temperature low, grabbed the bar of soap sitting on the built-in shelf, and washed himself from head to toe. He wanted to rub Elise’s sweet scent into his skin and catch whiffs of it all day long.
Except that wasn’t a good idea.
He knew that Elise wasn’t ready for anyone to know they’d spent time alone together. And neither was he. Mikhail wasn’t sure how her family and pack would react. He wanted time to woo Elise, to get her used to being around him, before anyone else discovered their relationship.
Because that’s where he was heading. He wanted to make a life with Elise, but the only way that would happen was if he could help her overcome her natural aversion to mating.
Mikhail growled as he shut off the taps and grabbed a towel. He dragged the cloth over his body with little care. His dark thoughts all focused on Elise’s ex. As far as Mikhail was concerned, the only good thing the man had ever done was to die. That saved Mikhail the problem of having to kill him.
He owed Louis for that.
A knock came on the door. Mikhail wrapped the towel around his waist and opened it. Sage thrust a pair of jeans and a T-shirt toward him. “Breakfast in five minutes.”
Mikhail took the clothes, nodded his thanks, and closed the door in Sage’s face. He heard his brother-in-law muttering as he walked away.
He hung the damp towel over the rod to dry and pulled on the jeans. The shirt stretched at the seams. He was only an inch taller than Sage, but he was broader through the shoulders. He was a full-blooded werewolf, where Sage was a half-breed. Mikhail had also spent most of his life mountain climbing in Alaska, and he had built up a lot of extra muscle, even for a werewolf.
He left the bathroom and strolled out into the kitchen. Sage was locked around his baby sister. He had his hand on her ass and was kissing her.
“I really don’t need to see this,” he muttered. He passed right by them on his way to the coffeepot. There was an empty mug sitting next to it. Since it was the one he always used when he visited, he filled it.
The first sip of coffee made him sigh. He hadn’t bothered with any before he’d gone running this morning. Caffeine really didn’t affect a werewolf’s system. Their metabolism ran so fast, they simply burned it off. But that didn’t seem to matter. There was something about the first cup of coffee that set the tone for the day.
“You been up long?” Rina asked. She slipped out of her husband’s arms and came over to hug him.
Mikhail dropped a kiss on the top of her head and glanced at the kitchen clock. “A few hours.”
“Is anything wrong?” He hated the thread of fear he heard in her voice. She was happy and settled, but she still hadn’t totally recovered from the harsh events from her past.
“No, everything is fine,” he assured her. “I just felt like a long run this morning.” What he hadn’t expected was that he’d find Elise wide-awake and sitting on her front porch. He certainly couldn’t have imagined he’d actually end up kissing her.
And he had a date. It was strange for a man of his age to be anticipating a coffee date, but the clock wouldn’t move fast enough for him. He had hours to kill until three o’clock.
He sniffed the air. “Is that bacon?”
As he’d hoped, Rina laughed and smacked his belly. “You’re always hungry,” she teased.
“I’m a growing boy,” he quipped.
Rina laughed again while Sage snorted. “Growing boy, my ass.”
Mikhail grinned and took his coffee over to the table. The living area was open. Wolves didn’t like feeling hemmed in. Plus, they were a social bunch and liked to be able to see one another. It was a nice space, if not an overly large one.
He sat down and stared out the window at the light sprinkling of snow that covered everything. It really did remind him of home. Sage and Rina put plates of eggs, bacon, toast, and hash browns on the table. Usually, he’d have helped them, but this morning he was too lost in thought. He’d clean up the dishes to make up for the oversight.
Mikhail grinned, wondering how Elise would react if he did the dishes after their coffee date this afternoon. He had a feeling she wasn’t used to a man doing much around the house. A lot of werewolf males were chauvinists, figuring a woman should take care of the home.
He didn’t need a woman for that. He’d been taking care of himself most of his life and did just fine. He didn’t
need Elise for housework or even just sex, although he did want the sex. He wanted her laughter and companionship. He wanted a partner in every sense of the word.
“You sure you’re okay?” Rina asked.
Mikhail realized his sister was offering him the plate filled with bacon and wondered how long she’d been holding it. He took it and slid a dozen pieces onto his plate. “I’ve been thinking about moving.” Better to broach the subject now rather than later.
His sister’s face went completely white. “You’re leaving?”
Shit, he hadn’t meant to make her think that. “No, sweetheart.” He slid out of his chair and went to her side, well aware that Sage was glaring at him for upsetting Rina. “I just meant change location here in the compound. I think I’ve stayed with Louis and Gray long enough. It’s been months.”
“Stay with us. Sage doesn’t mind, do you?” Rina asked her husband.
The look of love on Sage’s face as he reached out and lifted Rina right off her chair and onto his lap reassured Mikhail that his sister had chosen the right mate. A man couldn’t ask for more for his sister.
But the fact remained that Rina didn’t need him anymore. Looking out for her had been the focus of his life for so long, it had been hard to fathom any other way of living. Then he’d come here and met Elise. Now all he wanted was a chance at a life with her.
Sage’s gaze was steady as he glared at Mikhail. “If it makes you happy,” he assured his mate. Mikhail thought it was a wonder his brother-in-law didn’t choke on his words.
Then Sage surprised him. “You’re more than welcome to stay with us. There’s a pullout sofa in Rina’s sewing room. With the patio doors, you can come and go as you please.”
That his brother-in-law sensed his restlessness shouldn’t surprise Mikhail. Sage had proven to be both intelligent and perceptive. “You sure?” For all his joking, he didn’t want to do anything that might jeopardize Rina’s new marriage.
“Wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t.” Sage lifted a piece of toast to Rina’s lips. “Now eat before breakfast gets cold.”
Mikhail groaned and went back to his chair. “Is this what I have to look forward to at every meal? All this lovey-dovey stuff,” he teased.
Rina’s cheeks turned pink, but she only laughed, snuggled closer to her mate, and kissed his cheek before sliding back onto her own chair.
“You think Jacque will mind?” They really should ask the alpha before making such a move. This pack might be progressive, but Jacque LaForge was still alpha. And there was the fact that Mikhail wasn’t officially a part of the pack. He’d been here so long it was sometimes hard to remember that.
“I don’t see why he would.” Sage shrugged. “We can see what Louis has to say and go to Jacque if it’s necessary.”
“I’ll head over and get my stuff after breakfast.” He didn’t have much beyond his clothes. Most of his stuff was still in storage. He really should see about getting it shipped here. If he decided to move at any point, he knew Rina and Sage would keep his things for him. He didn’t have furniture. He’d left all that behind when he’d abandoned his former pack. It was mostly his climbing gear, personal items, and mementos from his travels all over the north.
It wasn’t a surprise that he was ready to settle. That was the goal, now that he had Elise in his sight. If things didn’t work out between them— No, he refused to even think about that. After all the years alone, he was finally ready to claim a mate.
All he had to do was convince her to believe in herself and in them and take the final step.
Mikhail stomach growled, and he started eating again. He needed to be at the top of his game from here on in. They talked of inconsequential things until they finished the meal. Rina started to clear the table, but Sage shooed her away. “You cooked. We’ll clean. Didn’t you say you were headed over to Sylvia’s this morning?”
Rina nodded. “She got a new shipment of fabric in. Sue and Miss Elise are going to be there, too.”
Mikhail struggled to control his reaction to hearing Elise’s name. He knew Elise sewed, had in fact probably sewn the quilt that had been wrapped around her this morning. He had himself under control when his sister turned to him.
“I’m so glad you’re coming to live with us.”
His heart squeezed and, as always, he was overwhelmed with love for his baby sister. “Me, too.” He opened his arms, and she walked right into them. He hugged her close to his heart and kissed her cheek. Werewolves were a tactile species, and all the little touches served to reinforce the ties between them. “Go and have fun.”
Rina laughed and hurried to the bedroom. Both he and Sage cleared away the empty dishes while Rina brushed her teeth and did whatever it was that women had to do in order to get ready to go somewhere.
Mikhail didn’t pretend to understand why they felt they had to fuss so much, but he couldn’t argue with the result. Rina looked fresh and happy when she returned. She’d donned an oversize heather-gray sweater over the T-shirt she’d worn at breakfast. From the look and smell of it, Mikhail knew it belonged to her mate.
He kept loading the dishwasher while Sage said goodbye to Rina. Honestly, you’d think she was leaving for a month rather than heading to another house about a five-minute stroll away.
The door closed, and the atmosphere changed immediately. Mikhail finished wiping down the counter and hung the dishcloth over the faucet to dry. Sage was standing with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. “Want to tell me what’s really going on?”
Mikhail poured himself another cup of coffee, lifted the mug to his mouth, and took a sip. “Not really.”
Sage raked his fingers through his hair. “Shit. You haven’t done anything that’s going to piss off Jacque, have you? Because that would only upset Rina.”
Would Jacque be angry that Mikhail had kissed his mother? Maybe. Would he be angry that Mikhail wanted to take his mother to bed? Most definitely.
It wouldn’t matter that Mikhail’s intentions were honorable. They all treated Elise like she was broken. They’d all done her a disservice.
Oh, he knew they’d meant well. But it had been ten years since her mate died, and she was still living alone and deferring to the males of the pack. He’d stood back and watched how they interacted. She never challenged her sons or offered an opinion unless asked. And even then she was cautious.
But he’d seen a totally different woman. He’d caught glimpses of the fire that burned inside her. He’d smelled her fear this morning, but still she’d challenged him. More than that, she’d challenged her own fears, pushing past them to take a chance.
How the hell they thought her fragile was beyond him.
He wasn’t stupid. He knew he had to be careful with her, knew there were issues from her past that would crop up and have to be dealt with. But he had faith that she had the strength to handle whatever ghosts from the past rose to threaten their budding relationship.
The longer he was silent, the darker Sage’s expression became. It didn’t surprise Mikhail one bit when the back door opened and Sage’s twin stalked in.
Reece Gallagher was the mirror image of his brother, but the connection went deeper. The two of them shared a bond that went beyond anything Mikhail had ever known. The brothers seemed to know what the other was thinking and feeling at almost all times. Yet they were as different as night and day. Sage was more thoughtful and quiet, with a will of iron and a core of steel. Reece was more apt to act first and ask questions later.
“What the hell is going on?” Reece demanded. “What have you done?” He directed his questions to Mikhail.
He held up his hands in mock surrender. “All I asked was if I could move in here. I’ve been at Louis’s place long enough.”
Reece ignored him and turned to Sage. The two of them stared intently at one another for a long minute before some of the tension bled from Reece’s body. Mikhail knew that the two of them were communicating without actually talking.
“We
need to ask Jacque’s permission before you do anything. I’m not going to allow Sage to jeopardize his home for you.”
While it went against the grain for Mikhail to ask anyone’s permission to do anything, he knew Reece was right. The last thing he wanted to do was to put Rina’s place in the pack in jeopardy. But for a man who could have been alpha of his own pack, it really grated on him.
“Fine.” Mikhail held out his hand. “Someone give me a damn phone.”
Sage calmly reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and handed it to him. Mikhail scrolled through the contacts until he found the right number and dialed.
It rang three times before it was answered. “What?” The abrupt tone of Jacque’s voice suggested Mikhail was interrupting something. Probably breakfast with his family.
“It’s Mikhail. I want to move in with Sage and Rina. Is that a problem?” His reply was just as brusque as the alpha’s question.
Jacque paused a moment. “Any particular reason why?”
“I figured your brother is getting tired of me always being in his way. I have a brother-in-law now, so I thought I’d spread the love.” Partially true.
Jacque chuckled. “Yeah, I don’t think Louis will mind getting his and Gray’s privacy back.”
“I appreciate all they’ve done for me.” It couldn’t have been easy having him in their home all these months.
“If Sage and Rina have no problem with the new arrangement, it’s fine with me.”
Relief filled Mikhail, along with annoyance that he’d even had to ask. He felt like a kid. Hell, he was older than Jacque. And if he had his way, he’d end up being the man’s stepfather. He grinned as he imagined the alpha’s reaction to that.
“Thanks.” He ended the call and handed the phone back to Sage. Since werewolves had superior hearing, he knew both men had heard the entire conversation. “Looks like I’m moving in.”
Chapter Four
Elise tried to pay attention to the piles of fabric spread on the floor around her. Usually when a shipment came in, she couldn’t wait to dig through it. She loved sewing, but quilting had become a passion. So many patterns and color combinations to choose from. So many possibilities.
Wolf of her Own Page 3
