by K. S. Martin
Jess picked up her mug and let him lead her down the hall into the belly of the house. “All of these are bedrooms, and all of them are occupied by someone. Mine is at the end of the hall. There is a bathroom there.” He pointed. “But I have my own, too.”
He opened the door to his room and closed it behind them then locked it. His bed was low and modern. The furniture was sleek and light colored. It looked like it came from the Swedish furniture store at the mall. “This is not what I would’ve picked, but it was already here and it was free.”
Jess nodded. That explained the less-than-masculine furniture. He would’ve picked dark and heavy.
“Come.” He pulled a cord, and the vertical blinds opened to a private deck. He opened the French doors and led her outside.
Jess went to the large wrought-iron chair and sat. She kept her coffee in her hands to keep them warm. It was chilly outside, and she left her jacket in the kitchen.
“Hold this.” He held his coffee out to her and went back inside. He came out with a quilt and wrapped it around her shoulders. “That’s better, huh?” James sat beside her in the other chair.
“I think we both can fit, this chair is so big,” she said, then smiled. James patted his lap for her to join him, and she moved over to his chair. She eased down beside him, and he tucked her into his side, then put his arm around her. Jess laid her head against the hollow of his good shoulder. “I missed you last night. I feel so stupid.” She sipped her coffee.
“No, don’t. Forget it, sweetheart. I think you are ready to hear what I wanted to tell you. I was afraid you couldn’t handle it, but I think that you are stronger than I give you credit for, and I know that I can trust you with this. I also think it was me who wasn’t ready.” He smirked.
“You don’t have to. I know it’s personal, and if you aren’t ready, it’s okay. I can wait as long as you need me to wait.” Jess leaned up and kissed his throat.
A growl rumbled through his chest.
“That’s so sexy when you do that.” She smiled up at him.
“You’re ready and I’m ready. I owe you that much. I’m different from most men. My eyes change colors when there’s an emotional charge, I growl and I snarl.”
Jess nodded.
“Human men can’t do that.”
Jess’s eyebrows lowered over her eyes and knitted.
“If you aren’t human, then what are you?” she whispered, looking up at him with huge eyes.
***
“I’m a shifter, a wolf shifter, or werewolf if you like.”
Jess gasped because suddenly it all made sense and no sense at all. She nibbled her lip.
“Do you understand?”
She nodded, but her only thought was to run.
“Are you okay?”
Jess nodded again. Wolf shifter, werewolf, whatever, and hell no, she wasn’t okay.
“Jess, I’m scenting fear, and you have nothing to be afraid of, especially not me.”
She nodded again, but her heart was beating a staccato like the snare drum rolling before a high school football game.
“Jess?”
Her knuckles showed white as she gripped the coffee mug.
“Jess, look at me.”
She raised her gaze slowly to his face, and he smiled at her. “It’s still me. James. The same guy who brought you coffee and took you to Dan Dan’s.”
“I know.” She looked down into her cup. “It’s a lot to take in, though.” She swallowed the huge knot lodged in her throat.
“It’s okay if you need to think about it. It’s a lot to process.”
She nodded and sipped the coffee, not tasting it. He squeezed her shoulders, and she stiffened. She watched James’s mouth turn into a hard, thin line, but he let her mull it over for a moment.
“You do believe me, don’t you?”
She nodded because she didn’t know what else to do. Whether she believed him or not didn’t matter. He believed it. Whether he was insane or could really turn himself into one of those huge, scary, snarling monsters didn’t matter either. What mattered was that she needed to get away from him, and quick, because either insane or snarling, both scared the crap out of her.
“I’m supposed to meet Lolly in an hour, so I need to go, but I’m glad you’re better.” She started to get up, and he pulled her back down.
“You’re lying.”
Jess’s head snapped up and her eyes widened. “That was one of the things that I loved about you most. I never scented deception on you, but it is a vile smell, Jess, and you reek of it now. If you need to go home and think things through then just say so. I know it’s a lot to handle, but don’t lie to me. Never. Lie. To. Me.” His eyes went amber. Jess’s chin wobbled and her eyes grew moist. She swallowed again and took a breath. He watched her, his gaze intense. His fingers gently lifted her chin and he pressed his lips to hers chastely.
“Okay,” she said quietly and gathered all the nerve she had. “I need to get away from you because I am terrified right now. I need to sort out my thoughts and process all of this. I need to be alone to do that.”
He gave her a sharp nod and helped her to stand.
“Thank you for your honesty. I understand and I will wait to hear from you, but if I don’t in the next few days, I’ll stop by so we can discuss it.”
Her brows knitted tightly over her nose making her squint at him.
“I want to be with you, Jess. You are mine,” he growled.
She swallowed again, unable to pass the knot this time, and hurried through the house. When she got to her car, she realized that she didn’t have her jacket but she still had his coffee mug. Luckily, her keys were in her pants pocket and she’d left her purse on the passenger seat. He could keep the jacket. It was old anyway. Jess turned the key to the Civic and tried to drive calmly, but it was difficult since her heart was still pounding and she couldn’t draw a deep breath. A werewolf! Not possible.
Chapter 7
Jess logged in quickly to the airline’s website and booked her ticket to Florida. She would go see her mother. Yes, that was perfect. She was in Florida, and that was a long way from here and far from him. Her mother was on husband number six or so—surely she would know what to do about this mess.
Jess called Ms. Lansing’s phone at work and left her a voicemail. She hoped that Ms. Lansing could not scent a lie. Oh, for crying out loud! He guessed that; nobody could smell a lie. He was insane. He had to be, because if he weren’t, she would be soon. Jess sat down on the kitchen chair and put her head in her hands. James. A werewolf? Why not a vampire? How about a mummy? What about that pin-faced monster man in the movies that gave her nightmares when the commercials kept playing? Shoot. Those things were not real!
Jess stomped into her bedroom and finished packing. A week with Mom should do the trick. She could lie low, cool off, and figure out a way to disappear for good, because she was not his. She did not belong to anyone especially someone who thought he was a werewolf. What a disaster. If they had kids, would they be children or puppies? Oh God, stop thinking about it, it’s not happening. Jess went back to the computer and printed her boarding pass. Her flight left in two hours. Time to leave. She grabbed her laptop bag after closing it, shoved her boarding pass into her pocket, and grabbed her suitcase. She locked the door up tight and hurried to the Civic. Unbelievable. Absolutely. Unbelievable.
She finally found a man, a beautiful, thoughtful, gorgeous man, and she was hopping a plane to get away from him. She had to, though, didn’t she? He was going to turn into one of those monstrous, huge, snarling, vicious beasts on the late-night horror flicks. Sweet Jesus. She shifted the Civic into drive and drove at breakneck speed to the airport.
As she walked through the terminal and checked her bags, she began to calm down. Jess settled on one of the chairs at her gate and texted Lolly.
Family emergency, don’t know when I will be back. At the airport now, about to hop a plane, see you when I get back. Tell Father Mike sorry I ca
n’t help Friday.
Jess turned the phone off and shoved it into her pocket then took a deep, cleansing breath. This was best. She could get her head straight and she could do it without him putting any more weirdness into her universe. Wow.
Jess followed the crowd onto the plane and took her seat. She buckled in and leaned her head back then blew out a breath. Closing her eyes, she tried to quiet her thoughts.
“I know just how you feel. I hate planes, too.” A man sat down next to her.
He was young and good-looking, but he did nothing to her insides. He definitely didn’t set her soul on fire like someone else. Stop it! Jess stared out her window at the wing after giving him a small smile.
In two hours and forty-two minutes, she would land in Orlando. Run home to Mommy. It was not home, not really, but she supposed that home was wherever her mother was this week. Jess napped during the flight. The man next to her tried to talk to her at first, but he gave up when she kept staring out the window. Men. Did you really need one? Some women led very fulfilling lives without one, but Jess knew she wouldn’t. She wanted a family, a husband, kids, a picket fence, and a dog. If she married James, she would have a dog. She scoffed.
It was all she’d wanted since she was a preteen. It was about the time her mom married husband number three, or was it four? He’d wanted that, and he gave it to them. For the first time in her life, Jess felt stable, safe, and secure. They lived in the same house for more than a minute. It had grass and was in a nice neighborhood. Her mother stayed home and made cookies. Jess had her first slumber party in that house. She was beginning to come out of her shell and she’d made friends. Then a car ran a red light downtown, killing Gary as he crossed the street, and they’d started moving around again. Jess crawled back into her shell and didn’t come out again until recently when she stuck her head out to look around. Look where that got her. Into a horror story, that’s where. Wasn’t it? Isn’t that what one would call this? The man of your dreams is a big scary monster, or crazy, or both. Maybe it was called a nightmare, or a punishment. If he was a big scary monster, though, how could she…how could she love him? Did she? Did she love James? There was definitely a spark. She felt safe around him, as if she may have a backbone after all. At least, she did until the werewolf thing.
Jess deplaned and went to wait for her bag then rented an economy car. Her mother would take it as a personal offense if Jess asked for a ride after giving her a four-hour notice that she would arrive. She did not want her mother pissed off during the whole stay. Jess would already have to tread lightly because her mother was nothing if not moody.
Jess followed the GPS since she’d never been to her mom’s latest house. Of course, she hadn’t been to the last four houses either. Her mother was restless a lot. This husband may keep her in one spot since he’d never been out of Florida except while he was in the Army. His name was Tim. Jess wouldn’t meet him this trip unless he came home early from his fishing trip to Miami. Her mom told her that Tim would be gone for a month. Jess thought that was strange. Her mother and Tim were only married for a couple of years, but he was taking a month-long fishing trip. Her mom said that he did it every year and always had; it was just him and his friends. Mom didn’t mind. It gave her time to hit the casinos in Baton Rouge. She took frequent bus trips but luckily didn’t have one scheduled for this week when Jess called for help.
“Well, well,” her mother said from the top of the three steps leading to the front door of the small Spanish-style house. “Look what the cat dragged in! Come on, bring your stuff. It’s as hot as hell out here.”
She had that right. Jess blew out a breath. It was muggy and in the high eighties at least. She looked the same as the last time that Jess saw her mother.
She was still the same size, still wearing jeans and T-shirts, but her red hair was a little grayer. Her mother was as outspoken as Jess was quiet. They got along well enough, but they were truly opposites personality wise. Jess pulled her suitcase out of the back seat and dragged it on its wheels behind her. Her mother held the door open and let her pass by after a quick hug. The house was a lot bigger inside than it appeared outside.
“Go all the way through. You get the guesthouse. Tim converted the garage into half guestroom and half office. Go straight through and out the doors in the kitchen.” Her mother was right behind her now. “You’ve put on weight,” she said from behind Jess.
“I guess so, Mom. You haven’t seen me since I graduated high school,” Jess hurled back.
“Did you come all the way to Florida to rehash my missing your big college graduation?” her mother complained.
“No, Mom, I didn’t. I wasn’t saying that. I was simply pointing out that it’s been almost eight years is all. Are these the doors?”
“Yes. Out there. It’s unlocked. I will wait here and make us some tea, put your bags down and come right back.”
Jess nodded and did as her mother said. They’d resumed the same close relationship they’d had when Jess was younger. A lot of the time it was only them, and her mom had always acted more like a big sister than a parent. They didn’t talk often, but when they did it was always about their relationships or the lack of them. Jess and her mom were comfortable with each other and they picked up right where they left off with the jabs that sisters sometimes throw at each other.
The guesthouse was about fifty feet back, and it did look like a garage from the outside. Jess went in the side door and was pleasantly surprised. The first half was an office. There was a drafting table with blueprints and architecture tools. Jess remembered her mother said that he was some kind of engineer or something. Through the second door, there was a sunny yellow bedroom-living room combo with emerald-green carpeting. There was a couch with end tables and a television, but there was also a queen-sized bed and bedroom furniture. There was a small bathroom behind one door and a closet behind the other. Jess put her suitcase at the foot of the bed then hurried back to the house.
Her mother was sitting at the kitchen table drinking her iced tea and smoking a cigarette. Jess didn’t miss those. She closed the door quietly behind her.
“This is a nice house, Mom.”
“Yeah, it’s not bad. He won’t put my name on it, though. He says that it’s been in his family forever and that when I start looking for husband number seven, he’s keeping it.”
So, Tim was smart and thinking with the right head, Jess thought. Good for him, because if her mother was good at anything, it was divorce.
“He built that guestroom by himself. He spends a lot of time out there working.” She put her fingers in the air to put quotes around “working.”
Jess was beginning to like Tim, because her mother had not seemed to mature any in the past eight years.
“What’s your man ordeal? I’ll bet I can solve it in a cigarette or less.” She winked at Jess.
“Well, I’m not sure how to put it really.” Jess sipped her tea, and her mother lit a new cigarette off the first one. “He’s different than me. He’s a cop.”
“Dump him. Cops carry guns, Jessie, and you know how they freak you out.” Her mother looked angry about it.
“You say that like they shouldn’t freak me out.”
Her mother shook her head. “Not at all, honey. They freak me out too since… I avoid them at all costs. I made Tim get rid of his. I don’t blame you for being afraid of them. You should be afraid. A gun took our family away,” she finished quietly.
Jess nodded. “What if I love him?”
Her mother made a noise that sounded like a snort. “Love,” she spat, and took a swig of her tea. “Love is a chemical reaction. What you need to know is this, are your feelings for him bigger than whatever it is about him that you object to, and is there anything that, if you could, you would change?”
Jess swallowed.
“Well?”
“I don’t know.” Jess cracked her knuckles. “There is one thing that I would change, but nobody could change it. Not even
him.”
Her mother glanced at Jess’s cracking fingers. “Don’t do that, dear, you’ll get arthritis, and so it’s a moot point if nobody can change it.”
Jess nodded.
“Can you accept it?”
“He’s a cop, but he just got promoted to captain and he says that he won’t be shooting at anyone or getting shot at and that he doesn’t have to carry a weapon.”
Her mother brightened.
“The other thing is personal for him and I can’t tell you about it, but I don’t know if I can…”
“Is he really small? You know…down there?” Her mother squinted at her and wiggled her pinky finger.
“Mom! I don’t know…we haven’t…” Jess blushed furiously.
“Oh for Christ’s sake, Jessie, you haven’t slept with him? This isn’t serious at all, then. Why are you here? Why did you run away like a child?”
Jess cringed and knotted her hands together in her lap.
“You aren’t in this ankle deep yet. Walk away if he has you this freaked out already.”
“He told me the something, then he told me to think about it, and then he said, ‘You are mine.’”
Her mother’s mouth twitched, but she said nothing, so Jess continued. “That was the final straw. I mean, he gives me this incredible story that freaks me out, then he says, ‘You are mine.’ That scared the crap out of me, almost as much as the something, so I ran away. I just need time alone to think about all of this and process it.”
“Like Tim. He’s processing on a fishing boat. Sometimes people just need time alone to get out of their heads. The solution will come to you, Jessie, but you always were in your head too much. You need to get outside of it more often.” Her mom winked. “It also probably wouldn’t hurt if you found out what he’s sporting downtown, too.”
Jess gasped, and her mother crowed with laughter. “Now, it’s almost time for bingo at the senior center. If you want to come, you are welcome. If not, I will be home around eleven. Okay?”
