Paul frowned. “Before you plan a press conference for this, I want to know where Riley is,” he said.
She tried to take a deep breath against the invisible bands that seemed to be constricting around her chest as she waited for a reply.
“He’s in a special care unit.”
She stood up. “Paul, get the keys.”
“Sorry, access is military personnel only for now. We’re hoping he’ll be moved shortly.”
“By whose authority? Where is this place? Who’s in command?” Paul interjected.
Ty leveled his gaze at Paul. “I’m afraid that’s classified.”
“How can it be classified if you’re not military?” Paul shot back.
“Because I work with and for the military. That makes it part of my contract.”
“How bad is it?” Jess asked, her voice cracking.
“There will be some scarring, but he’ll be up and walking and better than new before the month is out. He has a specialist working with him.”
“A specialist?” Paul ran his finger beneath the edge of his shirt collar. “Sounds expensive.”
Ty crossed his arms over his massive chest. “It happened during government training of government troops at my school. I’m covering whatever they don’t.”
Jess’s mouth dropped open. “But it could be thousands, hundreds of thousands. You don’t even know us.”
Ty locked gazes with her. “It’s still my responsibility and I always take care of my own.”
He didn’t like being evasive with his answers, but it was the best he could do under the circumstances. Riley was holed up in Ty’s private quarters while his injuries were rapidly healing from the Were serum introduced to his system. But it would take a month for the full effects to manifest. Until then Riley was vulnerable.
The last thing Ty needed was a bunch of medical personnel poking around drawing his blood and trying to pump him full of antibiotics that were only going to slow his healing process. At least he hadn’t lied about Riley being better than new. If the kid made it through his first moon, he’d be stronger, faster, with sharper reflexes and senses than any member of the U.S. military. Hell, he’d be practically invincible compared to what he’d been before the attack. Ty wasn’t sure if the kid would thank him for the transformation, sue his ass or kill him.
He needed to keep Riley safe from the vampires, and his well-meaning family, until then. But something else troubled Ty far more now than Riley’s healing wounds. The second she’d opened the door, Ty had known something was different about Jess. And it wasn’t her heart-stomping just-rolled-out-of-bed look that made him desperately want to roll her right back into her crumpled, sleep-warmed sheets.
She smelled...different.
It took him a moment as they talked in the Brierly kitchen to filter through all the smells he remembered from his last visit here and pinpoint exactly what had changed.
He’d recognize the scent of Jess in the dark, in a garbage-filled ally, blindfolded, with his eyes closed. He inhaled, sifting out the other smells in her kitchen. She smelled the same but...different. Smelled the same...but was...more. That light, sweet, soft scent to her skin was now more earthy, richer.
Even not being familiar with what the change was, Ty knew on an animal, instinctive level. His heart did a double tap. What the hell?
His gut contracted. Jess smelled heavily of bacon. Unless she’d gotten into smothering herself in the stuff since the last time they’d been together, it could only mean one thing. Just as he’d suspected, the Mesmer had been more powerful than all their good intentions...or protections.
Jess was with child. His child.
Ty leaned up against the wall, the knowledge of it hitting him with the force of a physical blow. If Jess was pregnant, she was truly his life mate. No other woman would do for him until they were parted by death. More than that, even if she hadn’t agreed, she was marked as his mate. That would be enough to make her a primary target for the vampires. And there’d be nothing her brothers could do to protect her from them. He didn’t plan on going anywhere until he got the truth.
Jess and Paul had been having a heated conversation while he’d temporarily zoned out.
“...care,” Jess said heatedly, her face flushed. “He’s our brother. We’re responsible for—”
“Do you have something to tell me, too?” Ty cut her off.
Jess turned to look at him. Maybe she’d even forgotten he was there. Too bad. She’d better get used to him sticking to her from now on like ticks on a dog. She shifted her weight to her other foot and gripped the edge of the table hard. Her cheeks lost a little color, but she lifted her chin and met his eyes. “Not really.”
Ty narrowed his eyes. “Really. ’Cause I heard you’re pregnant.”
Jess swiveled her head and glared at her brother.
Paul held up his hands in surrender. “I didn’t say a word! Not one blessed word. I swear!”
Her entire body stiffened as she crossed her arms and pinned her gaze on Ty. “Who told you?”
His mouth tipped up in a half smile that made her eyes dilate in a flash. “Honey, you haven’t forgotten where you live already, have you? The grapevine in Sinclair is better than the five o’clock news.”
Jess huffed. “Don’t honey me. Not even my brothers honey me.”
“Can I talk to you for a moment? Alone.” His gaze flicked for an instant to Paul. He heard her pulse speed up, saw the smolder of fury behind her eyes burst into flame.
She turned on Paul. “I’ll be fine. Go on. I know you have other things to do besides babysit me.”
“Yeah, but Davis said—”
“Davis says a lot of things.” Jess shook her head. “When are you going to grow up enough to realize he isn’t Dad? Just because he says jump doesn’t mean we have to. We’re all adults now, for crying out loud.”
Paul didn’t deserve her ire and all three of them knew it. Paul shrugged, taking it in stride. “Fine. I’ll be back in a half hour. Anything you want from the store?”
Jess hesitated, nibbling on her lip. Ty could sense she wanted something but she wasn’t about to ask for it in front of him.
“I’m good,” she lied. He could tell by the rapid blink of her eyes and the flushed glow of her skin.
An awkward silence filled the space in between them as Paul grabbed his keys from the carved glass bowl on the table by the front door and pulled on his jacket, then shut the front door behind him with a thunk.
Ty watched her as she poured herself a blue mug of hot water and pulled open the cupboard, muttering to herself. She selected a box, pulled out a tea bag and unwrapped it with shaking fingers. “Do you want a cup of tea?” she offered, an edge of irritation to her voice. “I’d offer you coffee, but apparently my brothers think it’s bad for the...baby.” Her voice faltered on the last word.
She glanced at him, those big baby blues of hers reaching right into his chest and fisting around his heart, giving it a painful squeeze. Ty didn’t like this insecure side of her. It revealed just how vulnerable she was, which made him all that more conscious of how he needed to protect her, despite his other responsibilities.
He didn’t need to be trailing after her like a soulful puppy. He needed to go out beating the brush in the backwoods until he located the nest of those vampires. He needed to talk to the Cascade Clan and see if they knew anything about whatever a Thrall was. He needed to take care of Riley and see that the newest cub in his pack was protected until his transition finished. But a man, not even a Were, couldn’t be everywhere at once.
“So it’s true?”
She turned away from him and slowly dipped the tea bag in and out of the steaming water in her blue mug, muttering about stupid tea, wanting coffee and interfering Edgar. “That’s what the test said, but I won’t k
now anything for sure until I see a doctor.”
Ty’s blood ran cold. He didn’t know much about how a born Were was different than your average human. Hell, he didn’t even know how a Were infant developed. All he knew was that babies came into the tribe and they weren’t officially part of the Were pack until after they reached puberty and were bitten by the Alpha to complete their transition. They all looked human enough to him.
He ran his hands over his head. “Look, I know this wasn’t expected, for either of us, but it doesn’t mean I’m just walking away.”
Jess rested against the kitchen counter, cradling the blue mug in her hands and taking a sip, then making a face. “Ugh. This is terrible. Truly terrible. I don’t understand how they expect me to get along without coffee.”
Ty took a step closer. “Did you hear me and just ignore what I said, or are you thinking about it?”
“I’m thinking.” She took another sip, swallowed hard, then gazed at him. She blew out a long, slow breath and set down the mug. “Let’s say for a moment that we did this together. How do you propose that would work? I can’t see you shutting down your school to come and live here with me and my brothers, and I don’t think having a pregnant woman living at your survival school is the best idea.”
He took another step toward her, close enough he could reach out and touch her if he extended his hand. “We can find a way to make this work. You just have to trust me.”
Jess narrowed her eyes as Ty closed the gap between them, his hands on the counter on either side of her, trapping her in his arms, but still not touching her. She glanced at his hands, her cheeks turning pink. Her sweet breath brushed his cheek and Ty ached to kiss her. But he treated her with the respect he would show a wild thing. Following her cues. Letting her tell him with the movement of her body how close he could come.
She tipped up her face, her eyes lingering on his mouth. The tip of her tongue stroked over her bottom lip in an unconscious nervous gesture. But her blue eyes were vivid and bright as her gaze locked with his. “You’re asking for an awful lot.”
“Maybe I’m willing to give you everything in return.”
“Maybe.”
He leaned down, bringing his mouth within kissing distance of her full, damp lips. Jess didn’t back away. The heat of her hands seared straight through his shirt as she placed them on his chest. She leaned into him, bringing the soft curves of her against his chest.
“So do you think you’re willing to at least give this a shot?” he asked, cracking a smile. Her heart beat harder against his ribs.
“You know this is a bad idea, don’t you? You’ll be tied down. Everyone in town will want to know everything about you. My brothers might even plan a shotgun wedding—”
Ty couldn’t take it anymore. He kissed her. Hard.
Chapter 7
Jess melted into him, his firm mouth and the sudden weight of his hands on her waist an all-out assault on her senses. She could barely breathe, let alone think, with him kissing her.
His hand swept along her waist, slowly smoothing over each rib until he reached the underside of her breast. The warmth of his touch on her overly sensitive breasts sent sparks skittering along every nerve ending she possessed. Ty Grayson was nothing less than sex on a stick, deep-fried and county-fair hot.
But her physical attraction to him had never been in question. She liked Ty Grayson a lot. The problem was far deeper than some sensual lust-fueled haze that skimmed the surface. She didn’t know anything about the kind of man he really was. Was he even capable of being a father, a—and she pulled back from his mind-blowing kiss at the thought—a husband?
“That’s not a yes,” she stammered, pushing back on him to give herself some space to breathe.
He raised one brow. “Sure felt like a yes to me.”
Jess grabbed his wrist and firmly moved his left arm off the counter, giving her an escape route. “Look, Paul will be back any moment. I’m not going to lie, I think you’re really attractive and there’s some definite sexual chemistry going on between us, but that’s not enough for a lifelong commitment. I’m not sure I can do that with you.”
He turned and leaned his hip against the countertop. “What about the baby?”
Jess paced around to the other side of the kitchen, putting the table between her and Ty, just in case she got any more insane urges to leap into his arms again. She wrapped her arms across her chest, careful not to press too hard on her achy and tender breasts. “It was only a box test. I don’t know anything yet for sure.”
Ty snorted.
“What?” A single word carried her defensive tone loud and clear.
“You don’t need a test. How does your body feel?”
“That’s hardly medically accurate.”
“But you’ve missed, or you wouldn’t have taken the test in the first place. And I can tell your breasts have gotten fuller.”
Jess blushed. “Look, I know we know a lot about each other on an intimate level, but I think before we jump into anything more permanent, we ought to get to know each other better.”
He stepped toward her. Jess put up her hand and he stopped in his tracks. “Without the physical part of it.”
“Kind of reverse of how these things normally work, isn’t it?”
“That’s not the point. I can’t think with you touching me.”
He grinned. “Well, that’s good to know.”
“I’m being serious.”
“In rabbit slippers?”
Jess glanced down at her feet and blushed to the roots of her hair. “Yes. Even in bunny slippers.”
“I think they look cute on you.”
A warm sensation swooped through her. It had nothing to do with his hands on her skin. It was more about being comfortable with him. An image flashed across her mind of talking like this with him in a kitchen of their own, sharing morning coffee and laughter, her in her bunny slippers and him in low-slung pajama bottoms with a bare chest. Stop it. Jess firmly reprimanded herself before her daydreaming took her in a direction she didn’t need to go.
Ty Grayson was dangerous to her decision-making process, no doubt about it. She loved the way he looked. Loved the way he made her feel. But she needed to know if they had a chance of something permanent beyond just names on a birth certificate. She needed time to get to know him better.
Jess slid the toe of her slipper in an arc on the smooth wood of the kitchen floor. “You can be a real sweet talker, can’t you?”
Ty gave her a wolfish smile and took a step closer, kicking her heartbeat up again. “I’ve been told it’s one of my most memorable characteristics.”
“What about diaper changing? Any good at that?”
His smile got even bigger. “You’re going to have to do a lot better than that to scare me off. You know that, don’t you?”
Jess couldn’t help but smile back at him. “That’s good to know. Some guys who are hell on wheels in the great outdoors are wimps when it comes to domestic details.”
A serious look crossed his roguish face. “Speaking of domestic details, are you seriously planning on living here with your brothers once the baby comes?”
Jess hedged. “Well, there’s plenty of room. There’s actually another three bedrooms that aren’t even being used just here in the main house.”
He took another step closer, threatening her equilibrium all over again. “Don’t you want a home of your own?” The low tones of his voice slipped under her carefully maintained composure, rippling across her skin and making her traitorous body throb with longing.
“I’d thought about it.” Her words came out so soft they were almost a whisper. “But...”
He took another step toward her and was close enough now she could see the golden flecks in his coffee-brown eyes. “But what?”
“And now you’d rather live with your brothers?”
She laughed, but it came out weak and strained. “No. But I can’t imagine what life with a man like you would be like.”
“Maybe you ought to try it first before you knock it.”
“Maybe.”
His eyes drew her in. A wild intensity lingered there that went beyond just mere sexual chemistry. It went through her. He lightly licked his lips. “There is something you ought to know about me—”
The front door rattled and Paul walked in, balancing a couple of plastic grocery bags in each hand and cutting off Ty’s comment.
Dammit, dammit, dammit, Jess muttered silently to herself.
“I see you’re still here.” Paul kicked the door shut behind him and plunked the grocery bags down on the table.
Ty hooked his thumbs into the front pockets of his jeans. “Yeah, looks like I’m going to be a regular fixture around here for a while. Jess thinks we should get to know each other before the baby comes.”
Paul’s gaze landed first on Ty and then on Jess. “Everything okay?”
“Peachy,” Jess said. “Did you get me coffee?”
“Nice try, pipsqueak. No coffee.”
“What about cocoa puffy sugar cereal?” she asked hopefully.
“Nope. Got you some bananas, though. Hear they taste the same coming up as going down, so it should help with the morning sickness.”
Jess pulled out a kitchen chair and sat on it, putting her forehead in her hands. “Ugh. This is going to be one seriously long pregnancy.”
* * *
Ty forced himself not to snort at her worries. If she thought this was bad, wait until he told her the truth, that her baby had a chance of hitting puberty and growing allover body hair, fangs and a tail. But the reality was he had years to figure that out and there were bigger problems to focus on in the here and now. How was he going to protect her, the baby and Riley? He needed to find out where those vampires were hiding out and how to get rid of them. For that, he’d have to go to the only vampires he had a chance of trusting—Achilles Stefanos from the Cascade Clan.
One Night With the Shifter Page 8
