He sighed. "I'm sure they did in the weeks after we lost it, but they're smart birds. They've probably moved on. I rode by the farm the other day. My grandma's flowers are still blooming, of course. The place looks really nice. They've changed it, but it's still in good condition."
"Would you buy it back if you had the money?"
"If there was an opportunity I would, but a family lives there now. Two young boys…no more than six years old. And there was a little girl swinging in the back yard. Seeing that family made me realize that I want one of my own and a farm just like that, even if I have to start over."
"It's okay to start over," Monica said. "I'm learning that myself."
He rolled over on his side and propped up his chin in his palm.
"I feel so alive right now with you. When I left Tunica, I thought I'd run into nothing but hostility and bad memories when I got here. Instead I found you, and then I accomplished everything I said I would here."
"And that was?"
"To pay my family debt. I never meant to stay. I just wanted to settle old ties so my conscious would be at peace. My plan was to take the leftovers and buy a farm in Tunica. Now I'm not so sure about that. My heart is elsewhere."
"Is that why you were carrying around all that money?"
He chuckled. "Yes."
"I think you should buy your farm. That's what'll make you happy, right?"
"I don't know that it'll make me happier or more satisfied than I am right now. That's the thing. I'm just as confused as you are about this whole dream thing but I've never been any more certain that this isn't just a coincidence."
"Mate," she said, softly. "Earlier you said you won't let any mate of yours go hungry. What does that mean?"
"It felt right to say that," he replied. "You know that wolves mate, right?"
"Yes. I see announcements of your matings in the newsletter all the time. Right along with all the weddings."
"Well, when we mate, it's for life. And how we tell that someone is our true mate is if we both have something very special in common."
"Of course. People fall in love and are attracted to each other all the time. And when they have something in common, that makes it so much sweeter."
"By in common, I don't mean like a favorite food or book or similar goals…or even financial status. Something deeper…"
She swallowed. "Are you talking about the dreams?"
He nodded. "Your dreams were the first indication that we had something in common. No one, except close family members, knows that I befriend hummingbirds whenever I see them. I'm connected to them because I find them to be fascinating creatures, but I'm also connected because my birthmark resembles one."
"Yes." She looked down at his forearm resting between them on the blanket. The mark was there on his skin as clear as day. "I saw the mark for the first time at the nightclub."
"I was born with this. It's not always visible, but it's never been this noticeable before to the point where others can see it. What's so special about it is that my birthmark is also my mate mark."
"Mate mark?"
"When a wolf has found his intended mate and they're together for the first time, the mate mark leaves a lasting imprint on the woman."
"Like a brand?"
"Yes, Monica. It's basically the equivalent of claiming her. Once the imprinting begins, it can't be reversed."
"How does it happen?"
"Primarily sex. Sometimes, it just happens when true mates are in the presence of each other."
"Hmmm…maybe that explains why these dreams started the first night we met."
"Possibly. We never crossed paths before that day. At least I don't think."
"I've been in Aspen Valley for five years and if we had crossed paths before I would've remembered you. You're eye candy. I'm thinking I need to keep close tabs on you. Most of the women in Aspen Valley are eager for hot roguish hunks like you, but I saw you first." She smiled suggestively.
Deacon touched her chin, pressing his thumb delicately against her skin. "You have nothing to worry about. A wolf never strays from his mate."
Thunder rumbled in the distance and they both listened intently.
"We've got maybe fifteen minutes until it pours," he noted.
"Have you ever considered a career as a meteorologist?" she asked.
"Not really. I'm more skilled in the art of using my hands."
"Hmmm…"
"What are you thinking?"
She shrugged. "That I want to test that theory."
"I'll allow you to quiz me all you want when I get you to the bunkhouse." He lifted himself upward into a sitting position. "Still having car issues?"
"I wasn't talking about using your hands to fix my car."
Sexual tension fused with the air around them. He gave her his full attention, casting a seductive look at her.
"Don't get me wrong, Monica. I want you, but I want the best for you."
"If we are what you think we are to each other, wouldn't you want to know? Wouldn't you want to find out before you leave town?"
"Who said I was leaving town?"
"I fear you might leave me here with only these dreams to remember you by," she replied.
"I won't leave you. A wolf protects, provides, and loves his woman. I'll do all of those things for you and I can do all of those things for you without jeopardizing your family's reputation in Aspen Valley and your relationship with your dad."
"I think you worry too much," she told him. "Doesn't it go both ways? I won't ask you to do all those things for me without providing the same in return. If we worried about what others thought about this, we'd never by happy…so why bother?"
With the storms threatening their perfect day by the lake, Deacon took her mouth in a breath stealing kiss. This time his lips were hungry and demanding against hers. Without a doubt, he was the master of tantalizing kisses that seemed to caress every fiber of her being. He broke the kiss and with no further warning, he scooped her and the blanket up off the ground, and walked toward the car.
"You'll always be a beautiful distraction, but I don't want you to get wet out here. Let's go to my bunkhouse."
Monica made no protests as he took her all the way to her Corvette. She felt secure, protected, and …so right in his arms. The same vibrant feeling that had radiated through her on the day they first met was the same heat that radiated through her now, connecting them in ways she could never imagine.
16
"It’s not much but all the bigger cabins were rented out," Deacon exclaimed, as he moved some of his belongings from a small couch onto an end table.
There was a sleeping area to the left of them, a mini kitchenette to the right, and then two smaller closed off areas, probably the bedroom and bathroom. The unit reminded Monica of a hotel suite and couldn't have been over 1000 square feet.
"I'll upgrade to a bigger unit as soon as one becomes available," he continued.
"For one guy, I think this serves its purpose just fine," she said.
Deacon grinned. "It's probably the size of your closet."
"Well…" She looked around.
He chuckled. "I was only kidding, but come to think of it, you live in a big ass mansion."
She smiled. "It's more trouble than it's worth. That's what my mom says anyway. She's been so busy with her missions, but she'd probably love camping out here. My dad has always lived in homes bigger than some of the corporate buildings in Aspen Valley. So when they moved to Aspen Valley five years ago, they agreed that he would pick the house since he'd be spending the most time in it."
"Is your mom not in Aspen Valley?"
"Not right now. My mom volunteers overseas at least six times a year. Right now, she's living in a ten bedroom unit in Suriname with members of a global ministries group. They're working with orphaned eight and nine year olds teaching them about health and wellness and all that stuff."
"Hmmm, that's generous of her," he said. "My mom and dad left me with my gr
andparents when I was young."
She frowned. "Do you still see them?"
"Nope, not at all. I guess you can say I was abandoned. My mom was five months pregnant when she left with my dad, so I've probably got grown brothers and sisters I don't know about."
"That's unfortunate. But since you kept your family's last name, couldn't you find your siblings if you wanted to?"
"Probably," he said. "Would you like a drink? I've got beer, some red wine…pop."
"I'll take some wine," she said.
Monica watched as he took the drawstring bag that she gave him earlier and knelt on the floor beside a couch with it. He lifted several one foot sections from the floorboards and then pulled out what looked to be an iron-clad indestructible safe. With a few turns of the lock, he flipped the seal and opened the lid, revealing stacks of Benjamins inside. He dumped the contents of the drawstring bag in the safe and slammed the lid shut.
"Um…" she mumbled. Monica wasn't exactly broke and she was worth nearly half a million dollars according to her trust fund manager, but she'd never seen so much cash all in one place in her life.
"I trust you'll keep my secret," he said. Then he stood, took her by the hand, and led her into the kitchen area.
"Um…you really need to find a bank to put all that in."
"I'm working on that. I'm actually employed by a casino in Tunica. I keep my dough in safes and vaults. I've never done business with banks."
He pulled out a bottle of red wine and a glass from a cabinet.
"I think maybe you should find a banker," she told him, still in shock over the amount of cash he was carrying around on him. "You know, you're not exactly poor yourself."
"To tell you the truth, I live way below my means. Way below it. It's the only way I know how to live. I grew up living off the land and I kind of have an advantage being a wolf shifter. I eat corn flakes for breakfast most days. Steak and eggs if I'm lucky and have time. I hunt with the Pack for lunch or go grab a burger or pork chop. I gobble up whatever is in my fridge for dinner, and then I have that again for supper." As he spoke, he poured her some wine. "I own maybe three pairs of shoes right now and all my clothes can fit in one duffel bag. If I lose them during a shift, I just visit the mall and buy a couple more outfits to tide me over until I get back home. Whatever I can't carry with me on a road trip, I keep in storage. Mostly my motorcycles and other values that my grandpa and I took from the old farm before the bank seized it. I ah…it's the only way I know how to live really."
She took a sip of her wine. "Well then…I'm impressed. Maybe I need pointers from you on how to be a minimalist and learning how to save."
He nodded. "We can learn from each other. I know nothing about banks, so maybe you can teach me."
"You'll be surprised about what compound interest can do for you," she said. "You have a lot saved already so you're several steps ahead."
"Over the past year when I was earning this cash, I knew I had many people to pay back. It just became routine for me to sit on my cash rather than spend it or keep gambling it away," he added. "I never knew it would get to be this much."
"You've worked hard. Not that many people will do that."
He turned to grab a beer from the fridge and then joined her again over the small center island. "I'm supposed to meet with Garrett Justice, one of the Alpha's brothers, tomorrow afternoon. I used to see Garrett all the time at LIVE when I used to work there. Unfortunately, the Alpha's caught up in other things at the moment, so I'm not sure when we'll be able to talk."
"Alpha? Is that your Pack leader."
"Yes. Dane Magnus. You've heard of him?"
"I hear the name all the time. He owns a bunch of land in Aspen Valley. I didn't know he had brothers."
"Dane became the Alpha of the Pack after I left. I haven't met him in person yet, but I hope to very soon. I've been on his territory for a a few days and I don't want to seem rude."
"I'm sure he'll understand. I have heard nothing bad about him. Just that he's very passion about keeping the shifters safe," Monica replied.
"That's very important right now to them. Some pack members tell me that shifters here are being gunned down for no apparent reason."
"My friend at the office was telling me about that. That's really scary."
"Yeah, it is." He rubbed at his jawline and across his beard. "I've been meaning to cleaned this up. Garrett may not be the Alpha, but he's practically his right hand man. He enforces the Pack's rule and could have me chased off their territory with only a couple phone calls."
"Really? He can do that? Just because you haven't shaved?"
"Absolutely. If I even look at him wrong on this territory…"
"Well, gee whizz…"
"Being a shifter is very different. I may still be a rogue but I still respect the established laws of any Pack's territory I ride through."
"I guess it makes sense. After all, you don't want to disturb the peace," she said. "I can give you a trim, if you like. I do it for my dad sometimes when he doesn't have time to go in for a hair cut."
"Yeah, I'd like that."
17
Deacon could only explain the sensation of Monica's hands in his hair as the equivalent to being in paradise. Every time her fingers touched his skin or ran gently through his hair, the wolf within him stirred. She'd already shaved his beard and was now taking her slow time trimming his hair—something he hadn't had done in a few months. If he could have it his way, he'd remain seated on the porch floor between her thighs for hours while she played in his hair like this.
The rain came down fiercely. The sound of it pelting the roof and the ground put him at ease even more. Wisps of Monica's floral scent mingled with the rain mists floating toward them in the breeze.
She tousled his hair with her fingers and then ran her palm down his head to stroke his nape. He closed his eyes and reveled in the way he massaged the tension right out of his neck.
"Looks much better now," she said. "You'll make a great…second…impression with your Alpha's brother."
"Thank you," he told her. "My hair grows fast. I usually shave myself bald around this time, but by the winter it's shoulder-length again. I take it you'd rather see me with hair."
"Hmmm, actually I like a little versatility. And with or without hair, you're still a hot hunk," she said.
She placed the clippers and scissors on the porch right beside them. Before she could remove her hands from his person, Deacon captured one and kissed the inside of her palm.
He leaned his head back onto her lap. "I can't remember the last time I felt like this. Peaceful. No worries."
She must have taken the hint because she worked her magic on his scalp again, delicately tugging at his hair.
"Tell me what it was like for you in Tunica after you left Aspen Valley," she said.
"I was always busy," he told her. "Of course, I preferred it that way because it left little time to think about all the what-ifs. I worked the security team at one of the biggest casinos in Tunica. Not to bring up any bad memories or anything, but I handled rude asses like your ex nightly. Drama…every single night. During the day, I would go home and work on my motorcycles, hunt with the Pack, count my cash…It's not as exciting as seeing cute babies daily, but I kept sane."
"You've managed a lot in such a short time all on your own."
"The last time I requested outside help was to ask the casino owner for a job."
"It's not a bad thing to ask for help when you need it," she told him.
"Yeah, but I didn't want to owe anybody else."
"Well you can owe me anytime you want," she said. "Never forget that."
Her words held meaning and they were sincere, spoken from the heart. But owing her wasn't what he had in mind, he wanted to have her.
Deacon turned around to face her, lifting himself up on his knees. Monica brought her hands to cradle his face, and their lips touched. The kisses were sweet and passionate at first, but turned to needy and
aggressive in a matter of seconds. Their tongues darted out to meet like hungry lovers. His fingers gripped her waist pulling her forward on the chair so that her thighs were clamped against his sides.
They only pulled apart momentarily and only long enough for him to gaze into her eyes to witness the passion within them. In just a split second, he knew she wanted him just like he wanted her. She captured his mouth with her own mouth again and he obliged her need of him. For what seemed like forever, he drowned himself in the taste and smell of her. All of his senses--both human and wolf--were heightened. Her heart beat excitedly, even with the pounding of the rain on the rooftops and the rolling thunder in the distance.
He couldn't take it anymore.
He needed her. He wanted her.
"I want you, Monica. If we continue like this…I don't think I can stop," he mumbled against her lips.
"I don't want you to stop. I want you to show me how much you want me."
That was all the confirmation Deacon needed. He would show her just how much he wanted her as his mate.
18
Deacon scooped Monica up by the waist and stood. She wrapped her legs around his waist, letting him know that she meant what she said. If they didn't do something about this obvious attraction, she would go crazy.
She needed and wanted him. Badly.
He carried her inside and slammed the door shut with his foot. Once they were on the inside, he pressed her back against the wall and kissed her firmly. She moaned aloud the moment this thick shaft pushed up against the seat of her panties. Even with his jeans, she estimated his size to be generous--large enough for her. His lips explored not only her mouth, but her throat, neck…shoulders. She lifted her face to the ceiling and sighed with pleasure, never wanting to leave his embrace.
The next closest thing to them was the kitchen counter and he sat her down on top of it and continued to kiss her in all the places she'd never been kissed. She caught the tail end of his shirt and tugged upward. Without missing a beat, he tore the shirt over his head and threw out of their way. Her fingers were free to roam his chest, exploring all his sinewy, lean muscles. She teased his hard flesh, tracing her hands all the way down until she reached his rock hard abs, and then further still until her fingers grazed the trail of soft hair leading down into his jeans.
Rogue Wolf Page 7
