McCallan's Blood

by Theodora Lane

  “That would be a good idea.” The big cop turned to the crowd. “It’s over, folks. Everyone go on your way.” He shooed them off, went back to his patrol car, got in, switched off the lights, and sat there working on paperwork.

  “Thanks for coming, Jake.” Rebecca looked up at him. She leaned over and buckled the baby into the stroller. “Let’s go home, big guy. We’ve had enough excitement for one night.”

  Together, they set off, Rebecca limping as she pushed the stroller with Jake beside her. The night was cool and clear as they walked in silence. Jake wished it had been different, that she pushed a stroller with his baby. That was a pleasant image and he dwelt in it as they walked.

  Barker was right. He had it bad.

  Chapter 4

  Trey, you are so stupid to miss this. As Jake strolled along next to Rebecca, he had to remind himself, his dreams weren’t Trey’s. Two different men, two different paths.

  They had reached the cottage. “Let me help you up the stairs.” Jake reached down, picked up the stroller, and carried it up onto the porch. Rebecca unlocked the door and went inside as Jake pushed the stroller through the doorway. She unbuckled the baby, and then stood in the middle of the room, holding him.

  Jake sat on the couch and held out his arms. “I’ll take him while you clean up.”

  “Great.” She started to hand him the baby, and then straightened.

  “What is it?” Jake asked.

  She looked as if she were making a decision. “Unbutton your shirt.”

  “What?” Jake blinked in surprise.

  “Trust me. Go on, unbutton it.”

  Jake’s fingers worked the buttons of his denim shirt. When it was done, he pulled the ends out of his jeans. “Now what?”

  She laid the baby on the couch and removed his onsie, leaving him in just his diaper, then she picked him up and held him out to Jake.

  “Now hold the baby, skin-to-skin. There’s nothing like it.”

  Jake pushed the shirt aside, baring his chest. She lowered Ben to him and stepped away.

  Ben snuggled against Jake, making small baby sounds. His tiny fist curled around some of the dark hair growing in the center of Jake’s chest and held tight.

  It took Jake’s breath away.

  Dear God. The warmth of the baby’s body next to his skin was unlike anything he’d ever felt. Some connection formed, a bond forged. Man to child. Wolf to wolf. Uncle to nephew.

  Trey was a fool. Filled with sorrow for his brother, Jake prayed Trey would one day know this moment for himself. Then he prayed one day, he’d hold his own son like this.

  Curling around the child, Jake closed his eyes and took it all in. The smell of the baby, the softness of his cheek, the sound of his voice. He cradled Ben against him, and leaned down to kiss the top of the child’s head.

  Rebecca sat next to Jake. He looked up at her.

  “You can’t keep him from my mom. From us. He’s a McCallan, Becca. Don’t deny us.” Jake’s voice rasped with emotion.

  Rebecca rested against the cushion of the sofa and watched Jake with her son.

  “I just don’t know what to do, Jake. Give me time.”

  “That’s what my mom said. Give you time.”

  “She’s right. Smart woman.” Rebecca reached out and touched Ben’s head.

  “Very smart.”

  Ben began to fuss, turning his head from side to side.

  “What’s up?” Jake frowned. “Am I doing something wrong?”

  “No. That’s Ben’s signal for feed me. I’m hungry.” She laughed and touched the boy’s cheek with her finger.

  “Can I feed him?” Jake was really getting into this.

  “Not unless you’re lactating.”

  “Oh. Right.” He sighed. “I guess I should go, then.” He passed the baby to Rebecca. She cradled Ben in her arms as he fussed even harder.

  Jake began to stand when she reached out and took his arm. “Stay.”

  “What?”

  “I want you to stay. While he nurses. We can have some coffee after.”

  “Sure, if you’re positive.”

  “I am.” She reached under her shirt, and popped the latch on her nursing bra. Jake watched as she rolled up the shirt, catching a glimpse of her nipple. It was deep pink, the aureole large and the nipple hard. Bringing the baby to her breast, she brushed the nipple against his cheek. He turned his head to it, opened his mouth and she pulled him to her.

  Ben latched on and began sucking. His tiny fist curled and rested on her breast and his eyes closed in contentment.

  Jake had never seen a baby breastfed before and he was amazed by it. “How does he breathe? He’s so close to you.”

  “He manages. He has to take as much of the aureole as possible, to pump the milk out,” she explained. He shook his head in wonder.

  “Does it hurt?”

  “No. If fact, it feels really good. It’s not nursing that hurts, it’s not nursing. Trust me, full breasts can be extremely painful.”

  They sat on the couch, just watching the baby. When Ben finished the first breast and she switched him to the other, Jake reached out and pulled her to him.

  *

  Rebecca leaned back and nestled against Jake’s side as Ben nursed. She felt the warmth of Jake’s body, heard the steady beating of his heart and her body rode the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. Inhaling, her senses filled with the mixed scents of her son and Jake.

  This is how it’s supposed to be. Just like this.

  And it hit her. With this man.

  She’d known it all the time, somehow. From the first moment she opened her door and he stood there, she knew.

  To her surprise, it didn’t scare her.

  *

  Rebecca laid a sleeping Ben down in his crib as Jake watched from the doorway. As she covered her son’s tiny body with a small blanket, Jake’s chest tightened and he had to blink his eyes to clear them.

  Silently, they crept back down the hall to the kitchen.

  “Coffee?” Rebecca held up the coffee pot.

  “Sure.” Jake sat on a chair at her small table. “This is a nice kitchen. Very roomy.”

  “I like it. There’s plenty of room to work when I’m cooking.” She placed the coffee mug in front of him, along with the sugar and cream.

  “Do you like to cook?” He stirred in a teaspoon of sugar. It occurred to him that he knew nothing about her.

  “Yes. In fact, it’s what I do. I own a catering business.”

  “Is there much call for that here in town?” Jake took a sip of the hot coffee and sat back.

  “Depends on the time of year. I’ve done some weddings, showers, that sort of thing. However, that may be over with.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Seems unmarried mothers are not the most popular caterers. My business really dropped off once I started showing.”

  “Really? That’s awful.”

  She shrugged. “I guess I should have expected it in a small town. After all, most people here don’t really know me. I left home when I was eighteen. Worked my way through college cooking.”

  “Which school?” It was great, just sitting at her table, chatting about normal matters over a cup of coffee. He could imagine doing this every night for the rest of his life. Sharing their lives, talking about their day after the kids had gone to bed. Making plans for their future.

  Damn, he had it so bad.

  “I started at a small community college, but after two years, I switched to the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.”

  “Knoxville. I’ve been there. The Smoky Mountains are beautiful.” He grinned at his memories of a summer he and Barker spent hiking and running loose in the state park, baiting black bears and skirting tourists. “Sounds like you had a plan for your life.”

  “Not really. I was just determined to get out from under my parents’ thumb and live my own life. After I did, it just seemed like all I thought of was coming home.”

  “So you moved back and s
tarted the catering business.”

  “Right. It was going well the first six months. I had enough to keep me busy and I made good money. But with the baby?” She shrugged. “I’m worried I may have to forget my dreams and find a real job, like my parents kept telling me.”

  “Parents don’t always know what’s best.”

  “Your mom seems really together.” She sipped her coffee.

  “She’s incredible. Any woman that could handle my dad is worth her weight in gold.” He grinned.

  “Your dad. Is he still around?”

  “No, he died about ten years ago. Drunk driver ran into him head-on and he was killed instantly.” Jake looked at his hands wrapped around the mug. “He was on a buying trip over to Mississippi for the mill.”

  “So, now you run the mill?”

  “Yeah. It’s mine. I switched over to providing recycled wood from old buildings, barns, and warehouses. There’s quite a market for the old stuff.” Talking business with her just seemed so easy. In fact, it seemed the unsettling reaction he’d had to her before was gone and he was left in control of his emotions. He no longer felt the urge to change to his wolf form.

  “What does Trey do?” Her voice turned hard.

  “Nothing.” He sighed. “No, that’s not fair. He’s in his last year at LSU. A finance major. I was hoping after graduation he’d come into the business, but he hates the mill.”

  “He seemed like a spoiled rich kid to me.” She glanced at him.

  “He is. That’s my fault, I guess.”

  “You’re not his parents, Jake, just his brother.”

  “His older brother. He was only sixteen when our dad died. I tried to…” He blew out his breath. “The older we got, the worse it got between us.”

  “You can’t be responsible for his actions. Only he can take that on.”

  “True. There’s been a lot of resentment, mostly on his part, that’s built up over the years.” How could he explain it without explaining the hierarchy of a wolf pack, and the role of the alpha male?

  “Over the mill?”

  “Yeah. That and other things.” Like who should be the leader of their family’s pack.

  “He resents you?”

  “Yeah.” Jake looked into his mug. “I love him, Rebecca. He’s my brother, but when I found out what he’d done to you, I put him out.”

  “Put him out? Of the house?”

  “Yeah.”

  Rebecca stared at him for a long time. “Can you do that? What did your mother say?”

  “I control all the money, pay for his school and expenses. Mom stands by my decision. She’s just as upset by this as I was.”

  Rebecca looked at him, her head tilted as if trying to understand, then she reached out and touched his arm. “This is tearing you up, isn’t it?”

  Their gazes met. Jake didn’t know what to say to her.

  “It will work out, Jake.”

  “That’s what my mom said.” Jake laughed.

  “Like I said before, she’s a smart lady.” She finished her coffee, stood, and placed the mug in the sink. Jake rose and passed her his mug.

  “Thanks for the coffee, Rebecca.”

  “It was nice, being with you tonight.” She smiled at him. God, she was so beautiful. He didn’t know what he’d do if she refused him. Could she, he wondered? He could no more refuse her than stop breathing, and the idea that she could walk away from him froze the breath in his lungs.

  They walked to the front room and Rebecca waited at the door, her hand on the knob.

  “Good night, Jake.” She looked up at him.

  “Good night, Rebecca.” Jake leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. She rose up on her toes to meet him. His lips brushed her cheek in a tender kiss.

  “Kiss me, Jake.” The way her voice got throaty, her eyes darkened, and her lips beckoned him to taste her, was more than he could stand. Reaching up, she took his shirt in her hands, pulled him down, and he willingly went to her. His lips pressed against hers as she deepened the kiss, pulled away, and then reseated her mouth on his. He could feel her hunger, her urgency, her need.

  Jake moaned as her tongue touched his lips, asking for entry. He parted his lips as her tongue darted inside. Desire for her pounded in his blood and then spread in waves throughout his body. Pulling her close, he devoured her, tasting her sweetness, discovering the tender spaces within her mouth with his tongue, then nibbling on her bottom lip.

  She had to be his. Damn it, she was his. All consuming, it overpowered his reason. His hands slid down her back to cup her soft bottom and pull her against his body, against his hardness. Her soft moan dissolved into a needy whimper. He renewed his discovery of her.

  Jake kissed his way to her throat; the pounding of her pulse beneath his lips so arousing. Rebecca’s head fell back as he nipped her, trailing small bites down her neck toward her shoulder. His body quivered, longing to change, longing to pursue her. Hunt her down, drive her to her knees, and take her. His woman, his mate, his very soul.

  Her hands released his shirt and she buried them in his hair, pulling him to her. She was strong, demanding, and he knew that when he did take her, she would give him as much as he wanted to give her. As he tongued her collarbone, from the base of her throat to her shoulder, he knew she was his. And he knew he would do anything to protect his mate.

  Her responsiveness to him was like no woman he’d ever been with, and how she made him feel like something he’d never experienced. He’d never expected the tenderness that came over him, the longing to hold her dear, treasured and sacred. Jake let himself go, falling deeper, knowing he loved her. She was his lifemate. If there had been doubt in his mind, it was blown away, scattered to the four ends of the earth, by the raging fire that consumed him for her.

  If they stood here much longer, he’d have to take her. The wolf in him howled at the thought of burying his cock deep inside her, claiming her as his. He wanted her legs wrapped around his thighs as he pounded into her warm core. If his rod got any harder, he was going to bust the buttons off his button-down jeans.

  Taking a deep breath, Jake mustered his strength, his resolve, and pulled away from her.

  “We’d better stop, Rebecca. I may not be able to control myself.”

  “I know what you mean.” She heaved a deep sigh of what sounded to him like regret. It thrilled him to know she’d wanted him as much as he wanted her.

  “Will you think about Sunday again?”

  “Yes. I’ll call you with my answer.” She smiled up at him and he took hope.

  This time, his kiss was brief as he opened the door and stepped outside.

  “Be careful, Rebecca. Make sure you lock up.” He stood on the dark porch and took a last look at her, silhouetted against the light from her house. His wolf’s eyes could see her, even in the dark. His eyes, ears, and nose drank her in, held her essence, and locked it in his memory.

  “I will. Night.”

  “Night.”

  She closed the door. He waited until he heard the lock snick closed, then he trotted down the path, and began the walk back to where he’d left the Explorer parked on Main.

  He turned the corner, passed the coffee shop, and crossed the street. On the other side, he stepped into the shadows of a storefront and held still. Determining the direction of the wind, he positioned himself. Any scents being carried on the air would be detected by his heightened sense of smell.

  Closing his eyes, Jake breathed deep and even. Nothing familiar came across. He stepped into the light again and headed toward his truck.

  Trey. The scent hit him. He froze and inhaled. Stepping toward the street, the scent was so strong he could almost see its trail. Trey had been here. It could have been an hour ago, a day ago, or even days, he couldn’t tell. Now the parking space was empty. Jake turned and followed the scent. Trey had gotten out of a vehicle, stepped onto the sidewalk and then walked over to the store. Jake looked up and read the shop’s sign.

  Main Street Pawn Sho
p—Gold, Watches, Small Appliances, Guns

  What the hell would Trey want in a pawn shop? He’d probably never know. Just one of many unanswered questions about his brother, and Jake had no hope of learning the answers.

  Jake headed to his truck and drove home.

  * * * *

  “All right, Barker, what’s going on?” Jake said into the phone as he sat in his favorite chair in front of his fireplace. “You were giving me looks that said you had something to tell me.”

  “Yeah, boss. Look, it’s just a gut feeling, but are you sure Trey’s gone to Europe?”

  “Sure. At least, he said he was. Did I see him get on the plane? No. What are you getting at?”

  “Just suppose, for arguments sake, that Trey didn’t go.”

  “I can call his apartment in Baton Rouge, see if he answers,” Jake suggested.

  “No. I meant what if he’s still hanging around here.”

  Jake was silent while he let that sink in.

  “Jake?”

  “I’m still here. So, Trey’s still here. So what?”

  “Could he have tried to run Rebecca over?”

  Silence again. Jake knew he’d have to come clean and swore softly.

  “Yeah, he could have. I didn’t mention it before, but he asked me to take care of her and the baby. He meant get rid of them.”

  “What did he say exactly?”

  “He asked me to kill her and the baby,” Jake whispered. “Threw my duty to the pack in my face.”

  “God damn it, Jake! Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “So you could do what? If it ever comes to that, I’ll take care of him myself,” Jake growled.

  “Jake, you can’t do that. If Trey wants to throw his life away that’s one thing, but you can’t do anything so stupid. Let the authorities take care of it.”

  “I picked up his scent tonight, Barker.”

  “Where?”

  “Outside the pawn shop on Main.”

  “Could you tell if it was recent or old?”

  “It was pretty strong, but we haven’t had any rain to wash it away, so it could have been a few days old or as recent as today.” Jake scrubbed his face with his hand.