“Diner,” he said on a whisper.
“Meet you there?”
Lera just assumed he’d want to go in wolf shape or his Humvee was hidden nearby. Had she the ability to shift, there would be no way she would willingly travel in a vehicle. Granted, there were times when showing up as a large animal wouldn’t be advisable but still, she was jealous of everyone who could shift.
“No.”
“How did you get here?”
“Wolf.”
Man is not very talkative. This is the Kori I remember. “Okay, so then how do you plan on getting to the diner? Walking? Because I’ll be waiting a while for you to get there; it’s a fair distance to town.”
“I’m riding with you.”
Lera stared at him. If they rode on the bike together, then she’d have to be pressed up against him. It’s going to be a tight fit. That was way different than touching his arm. Kori reached out and cupped her jaw, his thumb skimming over her cheekbone. Her insides began feeling funny again.
“Why?”
“Because if we are going to pull off this couple thing, you riding into town on a bike and me walking in later, not going to help.”
His thumb dropped to tease her lower lip. Her heart pounded hard, and Lera had the urge to draw his digit into her mouth and suck on it. Think of Rissa. Pulling away from his touch, she grunted.
“Fine. I’m assuming you want to drive as well.” The second his hand touched the bike, she slid back to give him room to sit. Her eyes lingered over his tight ass below the leather trench he wore as he lifted a leg over.
“You need to hold onto me, Lera,” he said. “Wrap your arms around me.”
She shuddered but did as he’d said after slipping her glasses back on. Her entire body felt tingly. Her face pressed up against the smooth expanse of his back; the supple material of his trench coat teased her. The scent of the wild seemed to seep from him, and Lera fought the urge to burrow deeper into him. All hardness. All powerful. And for the moment, all hers.
Kori pulled her a bit closer before he started the motorcycle. “Hang on tight.”
For the first time since ever being on a bike, Lera didn’t pay attention to the ride. All of her focus was settled on the man she held onto. He was so warm and comfortable to be against, despite how hard his body was. She noticed that she also felt safe with him. Her mind was whirling when he eased them into a parking space.
She met his gaze and longed to sink her hands into his tousled hair. One corner of his mouth turned up slightly. “You have a nice ride.”
“A smile?” she asked lightly, removing her glasses. “A joke yesterday and today a smile?” Lera placed a hand over her heart. “What will I get tomorrow? Warn me now; I don’t know if I can handle the shock.”
His eyes narrowed but they sparkled. “Full of it, aren’t you?”
She blinked innocently. “I’m a morning girl, what can I say.”
Kori tucked some hair behind her ear. “There’s more to you than meets the eye, Valera Grace. A lot more.”
She preened at his words, and for the first time, Lera wished she wore something a bit more feminine. His touch was nice, comforting, and one she liked. A lot.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s eat.”
Lera could feel his presence, warm and protective, behind her even though he never physically touched her. They walked in, and she headed for a booth which gave her a clear shot of her bike.
“Be right with you,” a woman hollered.
Sliding into the booth, Lera unzipped her jacket and pulled off her gloves before setting them and her glasses beside her. The waitress brought coffee and menus. The way the lady smiled at Kori made Lera feel like snarling at her. But she didn’t. Instead, she focused on fixing her coffee the way she liked it. A lot of sugar and no creamer. A purr of total pleasure slipped from her lips as the hot liquid went down.
A growl similar to the one she heard in Kori’s hotel room reached her, but this one wasn’t dangerous. Well, not in the same aspect. This one had a much more intimate feel to it. She jerked her gaze to his and, for a moment, was stunned by the emotion in those gray eyes. It took a moment and the return of the waitress before they were back to the bland, cold and impersonal stare she was used to.
“I’ll need to see a picture of Rissa,” he remarked once they were alone again.
Lera immediately stuck her hand into her jacket and withdrew the only one she had from her inside pocket. She pushed it across the table. The photo was one of her and Rissa at a college party.
“You look happy, Lera,” Kori said, staring at the matte finish.
“I was.” He stared a bit longer before returning it to her. Lera stuck it back in her jacket.
“You are aware this may not end the way you wish, right?”
Lera sighed and stirred her coffee as she figured a way on how to best verbalize her thoughts.
“Kori, I grew up in a world that I’m not a part of. I’m the weakest one in my family. I have no power. I don’t shift.”
“Your mom doesn’t shift either,” he commented.
“Daddy would never let anything happen to her, neither would any of the rest of us, so by that alone she is damn near the strongest of us all.” She shrugged. “And I have demons which I can’t seem to outrun no matter how hard I try. I’m well used to things not turning out how I’d like. But Rissa is my best friend; her parents deserve to know the truth. Whatever it is. And I get I’m nothing special but I will see this through.” Her hand gripped the warm mug in a death grip.
Kori held her gaze. “Two things,” he began. “One, it is very admirable how you are acting toward Rissa. She is truly lucky to have a friend like you. And two, do not ever put yourself down again.”
She nearly flinched from the icy fury lacing his tone. Why does he care? Better yet, why did I just share something like that with him? Lera took another drink of coffee, licked her lips and dug deep for every shred of courage she had not to clam up.
“What does it matter to you, Kori? It’s fact. I know that’s why Daddy worries so much about me. So much more than Grigori or Irinah, even though I’m the eldest. I have accepted that, so I can say whatever the hell I want to about myself.”
“Listen to me carefully, mo chara. Verra carefully.” He refused to release her gaze. “I don’t want to hear you degrading yourself so every time you say something like it, I’ll kiss you until you don’t remember your own name.”
Heat pooled in her belly. “That wasn’t part of the deal.”
One black brow lifted the barest of inches. “Then, I guess you better not put yourself down.” He drank some coffee. “Unless you want me to kiss you.”
She swallowed hard. That was the problem. She did want that. And more. And it scared her. Instead of commenting, she picked up her fork and began to eat. The meal was silent, and all too soon, she walked at his side toward the door. Lera worried her lower lip while she slipped her arms around him for a second time. Kori drove slowly, and she jumped off as soon as possible when he stopped outside the hotel. Not hers…his.
“Why are we here?” she groused, needing some distance and time to fortify the walls he seemed hell bent on getting beyond.
“Inside, Lera.”
She clamped her jaw shut and followed him into his sparse room. Waiting right inside the door, she watched him grab a black bag and sling it over one shoulder. Then, he strode toward her, and Lera locked her knees to keep them from knocking.
“Let’s go.”
Lera crossed her arms and said, “Do I get to know where now?”
“Your hotel, of course.”
He meant it when he said he was staying with me. Drawing on the ice she knew she had within her, despite Kori’s ability to melt it, she arched a brow. “Fine. Then, can we stop fucking around and find my friend?”
Without waiting for an answer, Lera headed to her bike and swung a leg over. Her fingers moved intimately over the shiny finish, and she had a slight smile on he
r face as her eyes drifted closed. A shadow fell over her and, she refused to open her eyes, knowing full well who stood there.
“The way you stroke the bike, mo ghrá, is enough to make any man jealous.”
More of those unknown feelings lanced through her. When Lera did open her eyes, his gray orbs seemed to smolder as he looked down at her. Slipping on her mirrored shades, Lera started her motorcycle. Turning her head toward him as she leaned forward on the bike, she said over the noise, “Lucky for us you’re not just any man then, isn’t it?”
That said, she drove away without a single look back. Instead of going to her hotel, Lera found herself leaving Winthrop again and opening up the powerful engine, needing to lose herself in the rush the speed gave her.
Kori knew she wasn’t headed to the hotel. And he also knew she wouldn’t go to the bar, at least not without him. So he drove to her room to wait, determined not to give in and follow her and the daredevil way of riding that damn bike of hers. He could feel the tension seeping away from her the faster she went, for he lurked in a dark corner of her mind, connected to her always. Not that he knew all of her thoughts or anything like that. It was just a way for him to stay centered, by being linked to her. His mate. Part of him was bothered she found relief away from him, and yet somewhere within him, he knew it wasn’t it, not solely.
Lera was running. From her past. From her feelings of inadequacy. From a lot of things, and the only time it didn’t seem to affect her was when she drove fast. Parking at the hotel, he grabbed his bag and let himself into her room, as easily as he had the previous night.
One bed. Visions of laying her back and sliding his hard shaft into her filled his mind, and he shifted on his feet, trying to rein in his control. Kori looked around the room and frowned when he realized there was very little there. In fact, all he saw was a small brown leather pack. Tossing his bag down, he picked hers up and opened it.
Plain cotton underwear, open but in its original packaging. Same with socks. There were a few shirts rolled up, some bras, and two more pairs of pants. One jean and one leather. No ID or money. Nothing personal. All the signs of someone moving fast, who could leave at a moment’s notice and not care if something got left behind. A disposable lifestyle.
He fought a frown at that knowledge; she shouldn’t be living like that. Raking a hand through his hair, he acknowledged he wanted her with him.
‘Come to me, mo chara.’
Lera flinched, and he could feel it. ‘What the hell are you doing in my head? Get out!’
‘Come back to the hotel, Lera.’
‘I’ll be there in about thirty minutes.’
‘It hasn’t been but maybe ten.’
‘I’m going to go the speed limit. And stay out of my head, Cormac.’
He frowned over the use of his first name, but allowed her to believe he’d retreated. Kori moved his bag to beside the dresser and tried to figure out how the hell he was going to pull this off. He had the utmost respect for Dane Sidorov, but he couldn’t ignore who the cosmos had created for him as a mate.
“He’s gonna rip me to pieces,” Kori said with a resigned sigh.
Even on its best day, his wolf was no match for the thousand pound tiger Dane had the option of becoming. Not that Kori could beat him in human form either. He was basically a pup compared to the Russian in both age and battle experience. Dane’s power exceeded his own, and Dane was very, very protective of Lera, his eldest child.
Kori leaned against the headboard and closed his eyes. He remained like that until his acute hearing picked up on the purr of Lera’s bike. Another wave of lust trailed over him, and he shuddered. With a deep breath, he moved from the bed to the table and sat to await her arrival. Her steps were light as she approached the door and swung it open.
The scent of fresh air flowed from her, and he looked at her when she pushed the door shut behind her. Her glasses were off her face, and Kori was slightly taken aback by the fire which seemed to jump from her eyes.
“You stay out of my head, Cormac MacLochlainne. I don’t need you poking around in there. My thoughts are just that, mine!” she snarled, stomping over to him and slamming her hands down on the table.
The fiery vixen he faced didn’t remotely resemble the quiet and almost shy woman he had become accustomed to seeing. He lifted a brow and nudged a chair out for her with his foot. “I wanted you back here,” he stated without apology.
“Let’s get something straight. I’m agreeing to this arrangement solely for Rissa’s benefit, not to have you come in and totally take over my life. So your orders mean shit unless it pertains to something dealing with Rissa. You respect my privacy or you can leave.”
Her fury was palpable. Lera ignored the chair except to kick it back under the table. He took a deep breath. “I’m—”
“I know what you are. You’re an overbearing, alpha male who’s used to having things done his way. I have my own thoughts and my own desires. What I don’t have is the need or wish to be dictated to. I’m not your mate, Kori.”
His beast howled in rage at her comment. He knew some of his wolf leaked free for she stiffened as he stared at her. But she still didn’t back down; she was fearless. Oh, but you are my mate, Valera Sidorov. Reining himself back under some semblance of control, he tilted his head to the side.
“Is that how you see it, mo chara? Is that how your father treats your mother? His word is law and that’s it? His needs come first, to hell with anything else?” He allowed some reprimand to seep into his tone.
She shrugged negligently and licked her lips. “You’re not my father. And he’s different. He worships the ground she walks on.”
“As it should be. Our mates are our life. There isn’t anything we won’t do for them.” Why else am I agreeing to do this with you?
She unzipped and removed her jacket, hanging it over the back of the chair with obvious care. He swallowed hard at the sight of the tight white tank top she wore. Kori could see his necklace around her neck, and it pleased him. Lera had no idea how gorgeous she was. Nor did she have any clue what he longed to do to and with her.
“My father is an exception, Kori.” With jerky motions, she pulled off her gloves and placed them on the table.
“Okay, what about Adamek or Heller? Or Aren?”
Her brows furrowed, and she pursed her lips briefly. “Okay, so Uncle Dak, Uncle Heller, and Uncle Aren are different, too; they love their wives.”
“Mo anam, we are who we are, but it doesn’t mean our mates mean any less to us. Their safety and happiness are first and foremost.”
She crossed her arms and held his gaze, her eyes full of skepticism. “And yet, those you decide are a mate still don’t have a choice. It’s not fair.” Lera shook her head. “If I get to the point where I decide I want a relationship, I want to be able to pick someone who wants me, not because he tells me I belong to him.”
Anger began to rise within him at the thought of another man touching her. She sighed and walked to the small fridge and pulled out a water.
“Kind of pointless conversation, though. I can’t even imagine what use I could be to anyone.”
He growled low and was at her side before she could blink. Her eyes grew wide.
“I warned you, Lera.” Kori tunneled his hands into her hair and held her head immobile. Her pupils dilated as he lowered his mouth to hers.
The first touch of her lips beneath his, and the world shifted again. So soft, so pliant. He ran his tongue along her lower lip before skimming the seam. They parted on a whisper like sigh. Kori was rock hard in half a second as he slipped into the warmth of her mouth. Her taste streamed into his pores, and his wolf answered the call, pressing hard, determined to escape and claim its mate. Every ounce of his control was poured into keeping the kiss gentle. Electricity shot between them, and he knew she felt it also.
He heard the bottle drop to the floor, and he didn’t care. Her hands settled against his chest, burning him through the thin materi
al of his shirt, and she arched into him. Long, sweeping strokes through her mouth coaxed her tongue out to dance with his. Up and down along each other, he drew her out. The scent of her arousal filled his nose, and he could feel his composure cracking.
Backing off of the most succulent mouth he’d ever been in contact with, Kori stared down at her. Her heavy lidded stare glazed with untapped passion.
“Je zou kunnen verleiden de duivel, Lera,” he muttered.
She touched his face, and the wonderment slowly faded from her big brown eyes. “Bent u de duivel?” she asked in perfect Dutch despite the breathless quality to her tone.
He’d forgotten she had learned to speak Dutch; both her parents did. “To some, mo anam, to some I am known as the devil.”
“I bet you are,” she muttered, dropping down to pick up her bottle.
Kori stared at her hungrily and watched her uncap her water before taking a long drink. Her heart still pounded, and her breathing came short and fast. He remained close to her, refusing to back away.
“We need to discuss this,” he said.
Lera sat at the small table and looked at him. “And, by this, I take it to mean you are talking about Rissa.”
He heard the hope in her tone. Lera wasn’t ready to accept the feelings her body was exposing her to. Sitting across from her, Kori plucked her water from her hand and took a drink. “Tell me about the week prior to her disappearance.”
“The whole week?”
“Yes. Especially if there was anything a bit unusual around.”
Her hiss of anger took him by surprise, and he watched her face. The pain there made his heart break. “I’ve tried. Tried to remember it all and what happened before her disappearance. All I know is because I’m weak I couldn’t save her. Had I been my father, or even my siblings, I would have been able to find her and save her.”
A Love For Lera (Haikon) Page 3
