Healing Cathy

by Kasey Belle

  “It’s not just Bud, but what he’s into, um, his lifestyle.”

  “You mean the fact that he likes to spank naughty subs.”

  “He said he doesn’t like to use pain as punishment.”

  Fiona leaned in, her eyes dancing with curiosity. “Oh, do tell.”

  “No. I don’t think he would appreciate that.”

  “You’re mean. I don’t know why I never saw that. You can’t throw out shit like that and not finish. Whatever he likes to do, certainly doesn’t scare you. I can see it in your eyes. It’s unfair that won’t you share. It’s gotta be hot.”

  “It is hot. I’m afraid I won’t be enough.”

  “Not possible. The Fates wouldn’t have chosen you if that was the case. You’re not gonna share are you?”

  Cathy smiled and shook her head.

  Fiona climbed off the bed. “Fine. If you aren’t going to tell me, you can fold your own clothes.”

  Cathy might have believed Fiona’s little act if she bothered to hide her amusement.

  “So, are you gonna go over and talk to your sexy sheriff or do I tell Maddie to expect you for dinner?”

  “I don’t know, yet.”

  Fiona huffed a breath. “Let me know when you figure it out.” Fiona put her hand on the door knob and looked over her shoulder at Cathy. “Just an FYI, no matter what you decide, you know I can’t let you leave here. Emma Grace and Jay need Luke and Luke needs them. No pulling an Ono and breaking up the band. If you try, I’ll lock you in the basement.”

  “You don’t have a basement.”

  “You aren’t supposed to know that.”

  Cathy giggled. “Sorry. I’ll pretend I don’t. Thanks. Fee.”

  “Follow your heart, Cathy, you’ll regret it if you don’t.” Fiona quietly shut the door behind her.

  Cathy walked over to the window. She could see the top of Paul’s house in the distance. She knew he was there. At dinner Sunday night, he told her Tuesday was his day away from the station. According to Paul, there was no such thing as a day off for a sheriff.

  Luke was with Jay and Traynor, helping out around the ranch. He would eat dinner and spend the night with his newly acquired best friend. There was nothing stopping Cathy from going to Paul’s house, except her own fear. She was so tired of living in fear. Afraid of Bud. Afraid of men. Afraid of love. Afraid of life, in general. It was ridiculous. The Cathy before Bud would be kicking her ass right now.

  Sometimes she wondered how she’d endured her life with Bud. Living each day in fear. If she was honest with herself, she would admit, living wasn’t really what she’d been doing. Cathy had been existing. One day, one hour, and more often than not, one minute at a time. She had no idea, how the hell she’d made it out alive. The Fates, they had other plans for you, girl.

  She heard Fiona’s words echo in her mind. Talk to him. Follow your heart, you’ll regret it if you don’t. He’s nothing like that dick and you know it. She smiled. Filterless Fiona never held anything back, and Cathy loved her for that, most of all. Fiona wanted what was best for those she cared about, Cathy counted herself lucky to be one of them. Fee wasn’t rude or smug, only honest. Fiona was also right.

  Cathy went into the adjoining bathroom to brush her teeth. She gave herself an appraising look in the mirror. She was wearing, yoga pants and a tunic style t-shirt. Her attire was not exactly shapeless, then again, not exactly sexy either. This morning, she put her long, wavy hair into a high manageable ponytail, applied a few swipes of mascara to her eyes and blush to her cheeks. She helped with chores around the pack house and did her laundry, there was no reason dress up. She should probably change, do her hair, and jazz up her make-up a bit.

  Cathy narrowed her eyes and scowled at her reflection. “You don’t have to change anything.” She spoke her thoughts out loud, affirming their truth. “This is who you are. You are not Doris Day. You do not clean your house in a dress and heels. You don’t take hours to get ready unless you are going someplace special. You love comfort and you only wear enough make-up to not look a ghost. If your mate can’t handle the real you, then fuck him.” She nodded emphatically. “Now stop being a wuss, pull up your big girl panties, put on your tennis shoes, march down to the sexy sheriff’s house, and talk to him.” She pointed at her reflection. “No more being afraid. No more being lonely. You deserve better. You deserve happiness and love and great things.”

  Five minutes later, Cathy bound down the stairs in single-minded focus. She wasn’t going to second guess herself. She barely registered the amused looks from Fiona and her men when she passed them in the hallway and told them to not wait up. It was time for Catherine Celeste O’Brien to take her life back.

  ****

  Paul heard her coming before she came into view on the walking path, between his home and the pack house. He looked out the kitchen window and grinned at the determined look on her face. She looked nothing like the unsure woman he left on his cousin’s front porch Sunday night.

  The last thing he wanted to do was push her too hard, too fast. She needed more time to come to terms with what she experienced and what she was feeling. Not calling her yesterday was the hardest thing he had ever done, but he was bound and determined to give her the space she needed. However, Paul was honest enough with himself to admit, he wouldn’t have lasted more than another day without seeking her out.

  “Now we don’t have to.” His wolf pranced and howled in glee, their mate had come to them. “We will claim her.”

  “When she’s ready.”

  “She’s here, she’s ready.”

  “She doesn’t look ready. She looks like she’s going to war.”

  Paul went to the front door and opened it before she made it up the porch steps. She stopped abruptly and lost some of her determination for a moment, then gathered her armor around, once again. He was so damn proud of his mate. Paul knew it took a lot for her to come here.

  “Hello, kitten.”

  She cleared her throat. “Hello, Paul. Can I talk to you?”

  “Of course you can.” He stepped back and opened the door further, beckoning her to enter. He put his hand on her lower back and led her into the den. He didn’t miss the slight tremor of arousal, caused by his touch. Her scent wafted to his nose, he fought the urge to take her. “Why don’t you have a seat on the sofa. Would you like something to drink?”

  “No, thank you.” She turned abruptly. “This is who I am.”

  “Okay.” He was missing something, here.

  She waved a hand up and down her torso. “This, the clothes, hair, and make-up, this is me. I usually look like this. I don’t like to primp unless I’m going to work or somewhere special. I like to be comfortable.”

  Ohhhh. This is a test. “You think this bothers me. For the record kitten, you could wear a burlap sack and still be gorgeous. I don’t want you to be anyone, but who you are. As you can see, I prefer comfort, as well.” He indicated his lounge pants and t-shirt. “I prefer not to get dressed on my days off, unless I absolutely have to.”

  Cathy’s shoulders relaxed and the teasing glint he loved so much, entered her eyes. “I thought you said sheriffs didn’t have days off, only days of hiding.”

  He shook his finger at her. “You better never repeat that. I will not live it down if my deputies heard I was cowering in my house.”

  “Your secret’s safe with me, Sheriff.”

  “Will you join me on the sofa? I’m sure your attire isn’t the only subject you wanted to discuss.” She nodded, her teeth toying with her bottom lip. “For the record, mate, I love the yoga pants.”

  She looked up at him from her seat and raised an eyebrow.

  “They showcase your extraordinary ass, perfectly.”

  She lowered her head trying to hide her grin and blush. “Thank you.”

  “So what else is on your mind?”

  “Pretty much everything.”

  “There isn’t anything you can’t discuss with me, nothing you can’t ask, an
d nothing you can’t tell me.” He took her hand in his and rubbed his thumb back and forth over her knuckles to sooth her. She was wound tighter than a spring. “Lay it on me, kitten.”

  “Luke and I spent a lot of time talking yesterday.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I told him that we were mates, and we spoke about how he felt about that.”

  “And?”

  She grinned. “Let’s just say, he wasn’t upset about it and a happy dance may have been involved.”

  “That’s good know.”

  “Would you explain claiming? The girls told me the mechanics, but I would rather hear it from you. How you see it.”

  “I will make love to you, fill you with my seed, and bite you, here.” He ran the back of his finger over the spot between her shoulder and neck. “This marks you with my scent, my DNA, and introduces some of our shifter healing properties into your body. Some of your physiology will change your eyesight, hearing, metabolism, immunity, and your ability to heal. You’ll age slower and your life span will match mine. Once the bond develops, we will be able to speak to each other with our thoughts, using a link reserved only for us, as mates. I only need to mark you once for shifters to recognize you as mine and to physically, emotionally, and spiritually complete the mating process. From what our parents taught us as pups, when we were given the ‘talk’, I will feel the need to claim you many times over. You will come to crave it as much as I will. The bond that will flow between us at that moment will be so strong, we will want to relive it over and over. However, no matter how many times I claim you, you will never become one of us.”

  “Yeah, Fee explained that.”

  He growled. “She told you how it was done, didn’t she?”

  “Turning? Uh, yeah.” She shuddered. “I see why you didn’t want to tell me.”

  “That woman, I swear.”

  Cathy giggled and said, “I know, she’s awesome right.”

  “That wasn’t what I was going to say.”

  She playfully swatted his shoulder. “You love her and you know it. I’m scared.”

  Paul didn’t think. He plucked her from her seat and plopped her on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly to his chest. “Why are you afraid, mate?”

  “I yearn to experience the type of love my mother and father had. Although, I was young when my father died, I still remember how he would come home for work, head straight to my mom, and give her a long, sweet kiss, as if he hadn’t seen her for days. I want what Jamie and Stacy have, an equal partnership built on love and respect. I want to be Fiona, or any of the women on the Double C. They all seem so happy and content. Their blissful vibes could almost make me gag. I want to make people sick like that, Paul.”

  “I want to help you make people sick. It sounds wonderful, not scary at all.”

  “I’m afraid to want it. I’m afraid that I’m putting everyone’s life in danger. I’m afraid Bud will find me and ruin everything. I’m afraid, I won’t be enough for you.”

  Paul used his thumbs to wipe the tears from her cheeks. “Listen to me, kitten. You are more than enough for me. Don’t ever think you aren’t. I want to give you everything you desire. All you have to do is put your trust in me. Trust me to take care of you. Trust me to protect you. Trust me to lead you. Trust me to love you.”

  Paul’s eyes were on her mouth, as she sucked her lower lip in between her teeth, and thought about what he asked of her. She wanted to say yes, he could see it. She only had to find the courage to utter the words. He saw the moment she did.

  Cathy nodded and in her low sexy voice said, “I trust you, Paul. I want it all.”

  Chapter 21

  Paul stood with her in his arms and carried her up the stairs. Cathy found herself standing outside the master bedroom doors once again. He opened the doors. She looked around and took it all in. Unlike Sunday night when she had been too nervous, about what was behind door number two, to enjoy the decor. It was the biggest bedroom she’d ever seen, aside from the room Fiona shared with her men. The bed wasn’t nearly as big as Fiona’s, but still it looked bigger than the standard California king and large enough to sleep at least three people.

  “Did Cole and Micah make this bed, as well?”

  “They did.”

  Her eyes filled with tears, again. A fluffy dark purple comforter along black sheets adorned the bed. A folded dark grey and purple wedding ring pattern quilt, which appeared to be handmade, lay casually across the foot of the bed.

  “Bud made me hate that color. Thank you, for letting me love it again. It’s perfect.”

  He kissed her forehead. “I’m glad, kitten.”

  Dark grey silk floor to ceiling drapes hung over the window. The walls were a light heather grey, and the carpet was a neutral cream color. There was a walk-in closet, which looked large enough to hold ten times the clothes in her meager wardrobe. Across from the walk-in closet was an en-suite bathroom.

  “Come look, kitten,” Paul placed his hand on her lower back and guided her to the bathroom doorway.

  “Oh. My. Sweet. Lord.” Cathy placed a hand on her chest. It was her dream bathroom. It was absolute perfection. The bathroom alone was bigger than her bedroom back home. The sunken spa tub was big enough to hold an orgy in. The granite-topped vanity held double sinks and a make-up area, little padded chair included. A mirror ran the length of the counter. It was surrounded by professional lighting, bound to make anyone look good on their worst of days. Even her fair ginger skin looked healthy and glowed under the lights. On the opposite side was a glassed-in shower cubicle with a tiled floor and wall, two rainfall fixtures, two shower wands, and several jet fixtures waist to shoulder high in the walls.

  “I hope you have a large water heater, because I could stay all day in there.”

  “I have several water heaters and an endless tank. I didn’t want to run out of hot water. I don’t like cold showers. I have been known to linger in there, especially after a rough day.”

  Paul stood behind Cathy, wrapped his arms around her waist, and nuzzled his nose against her neck. “You smell so good, kitten.” He growled and Cathy shuddered as his heat surrounded her. “I could eat you up.”

  “Like the big bad wolf? Does that make me little red riding hood?”

  “Mm hmm. You have red hair, close enough.” He turned her in his arms until she was facing him. “I’m gonna love you proper, kitten. At any time, you don’t like what we are doing or you want more of something, speak up. I am trained in body language and my shifter senses allow me scent your emotions, but I am fallible. I want you to feel nothing but pleasure. Understand.”

  “Yes, Paul.” She whispered the words and then he was walking her backwards into the bedroom. When they stood at the end of the bed, Paul cupped the back of her neck. Paul slowly lowered his head toward hers. She wasn’t going to stop him if that’s what he thought. Cathy sighed and then his mouth was on hers. He started the kiss off slowly, his tongue glided along her lower lip, and she would swear her legs melted. She swayed forward until she was leaning against chest, her lower extremities no longer able to bear her weight. She opened her mouth to him. Paul growled low in his throat, wrapped an arm around her waist, and then he was kissing her passionately. He thrust his tongue inside her mouth, sliding over the edge of her teeth, caressing the roof of her mouth, and then twirled it around her tongue. He moved his hand from the back of her neck and caressed her shoulder, down her shirt until it reached her breast.

  Cathy moaned when Paul cupped her breasts and began to knead her aching mound. She instinctively arched her body into his touch. He pinched her nipples hard through her clothes. The pain wasn’t enough to really hurt, but that pinch made her pussy clench and cream drip onto her panties.

  “So fucking responsive,” Paul whispered against her lips. “You like having your nipples pinched, don’t you, kitten?” Paul began kissing her again not giving her a chance to respond. Cathy raised her arms over her head when she felt his h
ands gather the hem of her shirt.

  “Are you sure you want this, Cathy?”

  “Yes,” her response came out in a hoarse whisper.

  “There’s no going back after this.”

  “I know.”

  Paul pulled her t-shirt up over her head and tossed it over his shoulder. He grabbed the waistband of her yoga pants. He pushed her pants, along with her thong, over her hips and down her legs.

  She shivered as the cool air caressed her heated skin, causing goose bumps to rise up over her whole body. Paul flicked the front clasp of her bra open and removed it. The last of her clothing gone, leaving her fully exposed to his perusal. Even though she had been naked the other night in the dungeon, this was somehow different. More intimate, more honest, more everything.

  “Fucking perfect,” Paul’s deep, growly voice made her tremble. His glowing amber eyes perused her naked body up and down. He caressed her hips, then cupped her ass in both his hands, and then kneaded her cheeks. “Beautiful. Your skin is soft like velvet. So warm and silky smooth. Mm. Look at these gorgeous nipples. I have never seen anything as sexy as you.”

  Paul pulled her body firmly against his and lifted her off the ground. Cathy instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist. He walked with her to the side of the bed as if she weighed nothing. He crawled on to the mattress and knee-walked them up to the pillows. He gently laid Cathy on the bed and followed her down.

  ****

  His hands moved up her calves, stroking and massaging them.

  “Oh, god, I’ll give you two hours to stop that,” she moaned.

  He smiled, then moving continued up her legs, running his fingers over the backs of her knees. She giggled. Nice! “A ticklish spot. I wonder if there are more.” He playfully waggled his eyebrows at her.

  “Wonder away, I’m not telling.”

  “Sassy.” He loved her sass. Loved that she was more comfortable with him and trusted him, to be herself. His hands continued their journey upward to her thighs, Cathy tried to close them against his touch, but his shoulders kept her legs spread wide for his perusal.