“Think of all the wolves you’ve pissed off over the years.” Major stood up, finally leaving. “They won’t give a damn about using her to hurt you.”
EIGHT
Delaney
It had to be a dream. I couldn’t see anything without my glasses, just the fuzzy glow of the Christmas lights. I didn’t have to see Shea to know it was him. That warm, earthy scent made it almost impossible to keep my eyes open. I ran my hands down his bare arms, settled against his body, and sighed. I slept so soundly I didn’t feel him climb onto the couch with me. That never happened. Shea’s house—with the Christmas tree, his brothers giving him crap, and little Emma—felt like home.
“I got in trouble.” Shea’s lips moved against my neck. My pulse raced, electricity coursing through my body. “Major wanted to know why I wasn’t sleeping with you. Said I needed to keep you safe. No one will hurt you when your with me, angel.”
Shea had no shirt on. The muscles on his chest rippled, the heat from his body wrapping around me like a blanket. In the dark, I had no words. He wouldn’t see anything I signed, and I had no intention of letting go of him to find my notebook. Touching him was the best way I could use my fingers, I could tell him so much more that way.
Being so close to him, so vulnerable, I could hardly breathe. I was moving too fast, letting Shea push through every wall that had been painstakingly built by everyone who’d come before him. My mother, my sisters, the foster homes I’d been in, and all the people who looked the other way. Especially those assholes. Had someone spoken up, done what Shea and the wolves I met at Forever Home had promised, maybe I’d be able to tell Shea all the things I so desperately wanted to say.
Maybe I could say his name. That one letter paralyzed me. Air rushed out of my lungs at the thought of making that sound. It would mean everything if I could just do it. But it wasn’t that simple.
Shea wasn’t the first to think he could fix me, just like that. But he was the only one who hadn’t punished me for failing. The way his lips felt, moving against mine… I’d found Heaven in a Walmart parking lot in Idaho. Where you least expect it, right? He’d rumbled in the middle of the kiss, just like a wolf. It was so freaking sexy.
Way better than in my books. Our lips found each other again in the dark. Sweet and hungry, Shea coaxed his way inside. It didn’t take much. I wanted him there, connected to me. His tongue tangled with mine, challenging me to do more. Too much, too soon, even in this dreamy haze. But I didn’t care.
Shea took a deep breath when we separated, and I brought my hand over my mouth, wedging my fingers between us. If I didn’t touch my lips, I wouldn’t believe this was happening to me. Shea kissed my fingers with the same intensity he’d taken my mouth. Lightning surged through my body, his power, his bravery flowing into me.
“I’ll dream of that kiss for the rest of the night,” Shea said, these kisses as light as butterflies landing on my cheeks and nose. “I want to know what it’s like to wake up with you in my arms.”
— — —
Waking up with him was the best thing ever. Even if it wasn’t as either of us expected.
“Hey,” Emma said, crawling over us, her knees sinking in the blankets between our bodies. “What are you guys doing?”
“Not sleeping anymore.” Shea pulled the blanket up over our heads. Both Emma and I giggled. He snuck a quick kiss.
“Good morning,” he whispered to me before Emma ripped the blanket away from us.
“Mommy’s not up yet,” Emma declared. Her blurry body hovered over us. I tapped Shea, motioning that I needed my glasses.
“Mommy’s lucky.” Shea sat up, stretching before he handed me my glasses. “It’s not even light out yet, you little vampire.”
The multi-colored glow of the tree illuminated Shea and Emma. An orange light blinked on her, making her look even cuter. But she wasn’t the star of the show. That was the shirtless man whose legs were tangled in mine, his bare chest visible above the blanket. The tattoos covered both arms to his shoulders, snaked across his chest, and framed his rippling abs. He was a living, breathing work of art in so many ways. I ran my fingers along the online of the tattoo on his chest. His heart beat frantically below the surface.
“I want you to draw my next tattoo.” He caught my hand, brought it to his mouth, then pulled me in for a proper kiss.
Each one blew the last out of the water.
Emma groaned. “All anyone does around here is kiss.” She jumped off the couch and headed toward the kitchen.
We were too lost in each other to argue with her.
“Emma and I have a breakfast date every morning,” Shea explained. “Graham Cracker Crunch. Want some?”
We didn’t have much time before we had to get to the barn. Usually I rode in with Shadow, so I wasn’t surprised to see his truck in the parking lot. Trina never came to the barn, so when she jumped out of Shadow’s truck before X parked, I knew something was wrong.
“Where is she?” Trina cried, pulling the door open. “Oh, thank God she’s with you. What the fuck, Shea? Don’t you check your phone ever?”
He hopped out of the truck like nothing was wrong and shrugged. “I was busy.”
Trina glared at him, her expression softening when she turned to me. She held out her hand to help me get out of the truck. Fury vibrated through her, and I wasn’t sure how she wasn’t just as mad at me as she was at Shea. I didn’t even think to tell her I stayed with Shea. I got carried away--I’d never spent the night at anyone else’s house.
Who am was I kidding? I’d never gone out with a friend before. I motioned sorry before taking her hand. Trina surprised me by pulling me into a hug. “Don’t scare me like that again,” she murmured against my ear.
“You knew she was with me.” Shea crossed his arms, his eyes narrow. “You’re being overdramatic.”
“Shea, I mean this in the nicest possible way, but bite me.” Trina pulled away from me but didn’t let go.
“Not on your best day.”
I chopped my hand against my palm, begging them to stop. I knew they didn’t start fighting over me, but it didn’t make me hate it any less.
Trina rolled her eyes at Shea, then turned to me. “Wanna hang with me for the day?”
I stepped toward Shea.
“You’re punishing her?” Shea snarled. I shrank away from Trina. A chill trailed down my spine. All I could think of when it came to the shelter was the crates. “We set up the Christmas tree and had cereal with a five-year-old. Think this through.”
“I had nothing to do all night but think it through.” Trina reached for me. “We’ll get you some clean clothes, and you can tell me all about the Christmas tree.”
I dug my notepad out of my pocket. You’re invited, too, I wrote.
Trina showed the paper to Shea and he nodded. “We’re having Christmas in the forest. We want you there, the Channings too. No more fighting, Trina. We’re one pack and we’ve got to figure out how to move forward together, with all our differences,” he said.
She smiled at Shea. Finally. “That sounds amazing.”
I hated leaving Shea, but chances were we wouldn’t have gotten anything done today. My insides rumbled with an intense craving for our next kiss. Leaving with Trina wasn’t going to fix that, but maybe it would give me a chance to figure out what the heck it was I was feeling.
I’d kiss him as soon as I got back. I knew we wouldn’t be stopping there for much longer. And much to my surprise, I wanted more.
“Shadow told me you know about the guys,” Trina said as she drove away from the farm. “Now I can explain why Shea gets under my skin. Kiera, Lyssie, and I rescued the Channings and the Lowes from a dog fighting ring on this farm. Shea was fighting when we broke everything up. Shadow’s youngest brother, Archer, was his opponent. Things got out of hand, and we didn’t make it time. Archer took his last breath in my arms, Delaney. I’ll never forget that. How it felt to hold someone’s life in my hands and not be enough for them.�
��
My sweet Shea killed someone. No. It couldn’t be true. He’d been so gentle with me.
I didn’t know what love was. I’d read about it and watched it happen for others, but I’d never experienced it myself. Still, I had a feeling whatever I was doing with Shea was the beginning of something really good. The thing I’d always wanted. But how could the one person in the world who could give me that be capable of the complete opposite? The dark madness that had driven me to this place resided in his soul, and I didn’t know what to do about it.
Trina watched me, waiting for a reaction, but I was numb.
Shadow put his hand over Trina’s and squeezed it. “It’s not as bad as it sounds,” he said. My mouth fell. I didn’t understand what he could possibly mean. “We’d been chained in a shitty little shack on the corner of this property. Barely had any food, forced to fight each other on the new moon, when we were weakest, and we’d take the longest to recover. I don’t know if Shea explained that to you at all, that we’re strongest when the moon is full. Anyway, Ryker, the bastard who held us hostage, pit Shea against my brother, knowing what would happen. He took bets on the fights, then decided who’d go out in the ring. Shea wanted his freedom. Any of us would’ve done the same thing.”
The more everyone tried to drive me away from Shea, the more I related to him. I’d been locked in a cage, fed just often enough to keep me alive, and beaten until I didn’t feel pain anymore. Once I was out, I was ridiculed and humiliated for missing seven years of my life, expected to snap in line and act normal. Impossible. I’d been a prisoner in my own body, and like Shea, I would’ve done anything to be free.
I scribbled in my notebook and handed it to Trina. I understand, more than I want to.
She sighed. “Me too. All of us at Forever Home do. It’s what brings us together.”
— — —
“You don’t have to come in,” Trina said when we pulled into the parking lot of Forever Home.
I nodded, climbing out of the truck on Shadow’s side. He hugged me. “We worried about you last night, even though we knew you were with Shea. Shit happens. Please don’t be afraid of the shelter. Trina and the girls nursed us back to health here. It doesn’t always have to be bad.”
That was exactly why I wanted to go in.
Kiera and Lyssie had been hard at work. Lights and garland hung from the walls, and everyone had bows. Dogs and cats wore them around their neck, and the birds, reptiles, and bunnies had them on their cages.
“Boy are we glad to see you,” Lyssie said, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. She wore a smock that was still damp. She was the shelter groomer. “The phone’s been ringing off the hook with Christmas requests.”
“I love that and hate it at the same time. I want everyone to find a home, but I’m scared around the holidays that they’ll be forgotten when the novelty of the present wears off,” Trina said, picking up a yappy little dog that had been bouncing at her feet.
“That’s why we waited for you.” Kiera stood, a cat over her shoulder. “Delaney, there’s cupcakes in the kitchen. Chocolate mint.”
I looked around, trying to figure out who got adopted.
“Everyone’s still here, for now,” Kiera continued. “But we’ve decided to celebrate every day for Christmas. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a good one, like since I went in the army. I’m overdue.”
I nudged Trina.
“Shea invited us to celebrate Christmas with the Lowes,” Trina announced. The room fell silent, the girls exchanging glances. Crap. “I want us all to be there. Things have been tough with them, but maybe this will be the change we need.”
“You’re right,” Lyssie was the quietest of the three, and she always chose her words carefully. I identified with her the most. I didn’t know what got her here, but I knew she had to fight every day to be strong. “We want the same things. To be happy and safe. So what if we have different ideas how to get there. We need each other.”
NINE
Shea
“You did what?” Major groaned, squinting at me in disbelief as Emma climbed him like her own personal jungle gym.
“I invited the Channings and the Forever Home girls to Christmas.” I didn’t give a fuck what he thought. All of us were starting something new. Major and Cass, the Channings and the shelter girls, and now me and Delaney.
She sat by my side, clutching my arm as she absorbed Major’s disapproval.
Cass kicked him playfully. Their constant pawing at each other didn’t make me so sick anymore, now that I had someone I wanted to do the same thing with. “Lighten up, Major. You and the Channings have always been at each other throats. Drives me crazy. I think you’re trying to cover up the potential for a wicked bromance. I’d love to see the Channings, and I want to meet the women who saved your lives. They’re always welcome in my house.”
“Your house, huh?” Major pulled her into his lap. Emma scrambled on top of them, and we couldn’t see my brother anymore. He chuckled. “Shadow thinks he’s the alpha? The ladies are running the show. Since I’ve lost all control over the situation, we’ll make it a party. You know it’s the full moon that night.”
“No Full Moon Fever parties at Christmas.” Cass laughed. “Unless you want Mrs. Claus to show up riding a mechanical bull.”
“Major throws the best parties,” I told Delaney, leaning in for a kiss. Today had been torture without her. I craved that laugh. In a week and a half it had become the soundtrack for my heartbeat. I’d always put my middle finger up at the legends that said we knew when we’d found our mates, because it wasn’t ever going to happen for me. Until I got sideswiped by a human with a laugh like a birdsong, who tasted like lollipops.
“You don’t need to go to them anymore.” Cass raised an eyebrow, beaming at us. “Unless you want to show Delaney Red Heaven.”
“What’s Red Heaven?” Emma asked. Delaney nodded, putting her hands up.
Major’s head popped up out of the pig pile. “A place you’ll never go to, little girl. Shea, you can explain it to Delaney.”
Emma jumped off her mom’s lap and wriggled between us. She didn’t care about me anymore, she was all about Delaney. “Do you live here now?”
Delaney met my gaze, biting her lip. Our afternoon away from each other made me realize how much we clicked. I’d ached with her gone for that short amount of time. Her expression said everything she couldn’t.
She wanted to be here.
Again this woman brought me to a place where words were fucking trivial. Maybe that’s why she didn’t talk. It was all just noise.
“Let’s leave these two alone and get you in the bath.” Cass picked Emma up. “No one wants a dirty little girl climbing all over them.”
“We’re happy to have you, Delaney.” I couldn’t believe those words came out of Major’s mouth. She was human. Off limits. “Anyone who can shut this guy up is all right in my book. But don’t make your decision too soon. My brother still sleeps in a racecar bed.” Major whacked the back of my head before leaving the room.
“He’s full of shit. I’ll show you, any time you’re ready. But I’m warning you. If you come in my bedroom, I can’t be responsible for what happens next.”
She motioned across her body, making the sign for ready.
My heart pounded so hard I expected my ribs to crack. “Are you sure?” I asked. She did it again. Who the fuck was I, talking a girl out of having sex with me? Especially this one, who I wanted worse than anything. She left me with a gnawing in my belly, needing to know every inch of her body. But I couldn’t fuck this up.
Shit, if she’d wanted perfect, she wouldn’t be with me.
Delaney took my hands in hers, leaning in for a kiss. I fell back against the couch, letting her land on my chest. She braced herself, and straddled my stomach. The heat from between her legs seared me, short circuited my brain. There was an animal inside of her too, begging to be set free.
I was hard as a fucking rock,
thinking how wet she must be, her legs grinding against my belly in rhythm with the kiss. She was in total control, holding my face steady while she nipped and explored. If she kept this up, we weren’t going to make it to the bedroom.
I growled against her lips, and her head fell back as she sighed, exposing the long line of her neck, her eyes closed. She was so gorgeous with her hair escaping her ponytail, curls as wild as we were about to be. I scooped her up, and carried her up the stairs while I could still walk.
Delaney felt it too. She kissed the crook of my neck, clawing into my skin like she knew she commanded every last shred of my control. This was the power I wanted her to feel. To know that she could be fucking invincible if she just believed it.
I stopped at the top of the stairs, peeking around the corner. Water splashed from behind the bathroom door and Emma shrieked. I loved the kid, but that wasn’t the kind of play I was in the mood for. “Coast’s clear,” I murmured in Delaney’s ear. She nodded against my shoulder, knowing exactly what I meant.
Kicking open my door, I tossed Delaney on my bed a little harder than I expected. I couldn’t be rough with her. Truth be told, I wasn’t sure which one of us was more terrified, her or me. I wouldn’t ruin this.
She laughed when she bounced on the mattress, and the look in her eyes had nothing to do with fear. My girl was so brave.
I crawled on the bed, caging in her body. “See? No little kid bed. There’s plenty of room for the two of us to get wild.”
She tensed, and my heart stopped.
”Have you ever done this before? Because you wanted to?” I assumed the worst when it came to her past.
Her eyes darkened, nightmares flickering in the shadows. My stomach churned at the possibilities. She shook her head.
“I don’t know what happened to you, and I’d do anything to take it away. All I can do is show you that when I touch you, it’s because I want you to be happy. Sometimes I’m afraid to talk, too, angel. Words scare the shit out of me. That’s why we get each other. Please let me show you what you mean to me.”
Sugar, Spice, and Shifters: A Touch of Holiday Magic Page 39
