by Dena Christy
Chapter 8
Simone deleted her browsing history on Lee’s computer and closed off the internet. Her stomach danced like the wings of a thousand butterflies fluttered inside her as she contemplated what she’d just done. She’d heard, during her time at the warehouse, talk of silver nitrate being used to cure lycanthropy. She didn’t know whether to believe it or not, but it hadn’t stopped her from placing an order on-line for silver nitrate salts. Lee was right, she couldn’t keep sedating herself every full moon.
Thoughts of Lee brought back the memory of his kiss this morning. Kissing him had been better than it had ever been before. It’d been so long since she’d enjoyed his touch, and she couldn’t get enough of him. When he’d turned away and left for work, she’d wanted to scream in frustration. She wanted to make love with him, but the timing wasn’t right, and she didn't know if it ever would be. Besides, she had other things she needed to be doing.
She grabbed her cell phone and looked at her short contact list. She brought up Dany’s number and stared at it for several moments as her stomach muscles clenched. For all her talk of revenge, for needing to get back at him, a part of her wanted to abandon her quest. But what would she do? Stay with Lee and play happy families, raise baby werewolves and pretend that her life was perfect? The idea held a certain appeal, especially the Lee part of it, but could she be happy? Besides, she’d used luring Dany out of hiding as her bargaining chip to get out of her cell with the Order. She didn’t think Cadric would hesitate to put her back in it if she reneged on her part of the bargain.
She took a deep breath and drew herself up straight. She’d come so far and done so much to get her revenge. She couldn’t derail her plan now. She couldn't let staying with Lee and wanting him sway her. He’d made it plain he didn’t want her involved and perhaps touching her and kissing her was his way of making sure she backed out. She didn’t think that would be something he’d do, but he could have changed in their year apart. She had.
She touched the call button and put her phone up to her ear. She racked her brain for what she would say. God, she hadn’t even thought to rehearse this phone call. It was the most important call she’d made in her life and she hadn’t prepared for it. The phone on the other end rang and rang, and after about ten rings she gave up. Either one of two things had happened. Dany was dead, or he’d ditched his phone. She couldn’t think of why else he wouldn’t answer. Unless he suspected something.
She shook her head at the thought. Now she was letting paranoia get the better of her.
She put her phone down, and sagged into one of the kitchen chairs. Her body melted against the wooden back. For a moment her flesh had no bones and the giddy laugh coming from her chest tickled her ears. Maybe that was it. He was already dead or unreachable. She could say she tried, could put her quest behind her and perhaps move on with her life.
The doorbell rang, and she stiffened in the chair. Her heart picked up its pace and her mouth went dry. She unfolded herself out of the chair and walked toward the door on cautious feet. One peek out the peephole had the breath she held easing out of her mouth. Kate stood on the other side of the door. Simone opened it, and a smile made a slow trek across her face.
“Kate, this is a surprise,” she said as she stepped aside and let her sister in. “How did you know I was here?”
“Lee told Rowan. I was hoping we could chat and get to know each other. Would that be okay?” Kate said, and Simone led her into the kitchen and set about making tea.
“I’d like that. There is so much we don’t know about each other. My parents died a few years ago, and for a long time I thought I had no other family.” Simone turned on the kettle and went over to sit across from Kate at the table.
“That’s great. There are things that I’m dying to know, but you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“What do you want to know?”
“How did you and Lee meet?”
Simone sighed as she thought back to the moment she first saw him. She could remember it as as if it’d happened yesterday. “We were working at the same hospital. I don’t know if you know, but I’m a nurse, and I was doing a rotation in the emergency department and he was working there.”
The whistle of the kettle interrupted her thoughts, and she went to the counter to shut it off. She busied herself for a few moments as she prepared a pot of tea and brought it over to the table, along with two mugs. She settled back in her chair as Kate spoke.
“So he wasn’t working for the Order?” Kate asked as she lifted the teapot and poured them both a cup of.
“No, he was working at a regular hospital, and at the time I thought he was human,” Simone said as she wrapped her hands around her mug and looked down. Had she ever been that innocent? She tried to get that confidence in her own world view back. That sense of security she had before she knew that monsters were real and what they were capable of. She couldn't do it, and wouldn't recognize it anymore if she could. She took a sip of her tea, which did little to melt the frozen place inside her. Her head came up, and she refocused her attention on Kate.
"What happened?" Kate said.
“I remember thinking that he was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. I was walking down the hall, and I looked up and he was coming toward me. Our eyes met, and that was it for me. I felt a connection, and it was electric.”
“And he did too,” Kate said as she leaned forward. “Did he make the first move or did you?”
“Lee made the first move. There was no beating around the bush with him. He came right out and asked me on a date. I said yes and felt like a teenager with her first crush.” Simone said, and a smile edged her lips as the memory of those feelings came back to her all over again. She’d been so in love with him, almost from the first moment, just as he had been. The smile slipped off her face. It was all gone now.
Her phone beeped, notifying her of a text message and she turned her head toward it. She didn’t know who would be texting her, but she ignored it.
“That’s all water under the bridge now. As I’m sure you're aware, Lee and I aren’t together anymore,” Simone said taking another sip of her tea.
“But you're living here with him, aren’t you?” Kate said as her brows drew together.
“I’m staying here with him. Cadric has placed me in his custody as part of a plan he has in place, but there is nothing happening between us.”
On the surface, nothing was happening, but the undercurrent between her and Lee was enough to pull her under.
“He still loves you,” Kate said and Simone made a dismissive motion with her hand.
“Lee loves the thought of me, the memory of me, but that's all. I hurt him when I left, and I really don’t think we can come back from that. What Lee and I had is in the past, and I think it’s best if it stays there.” Simone stood and emptied the rest of her tea in the sink.
“Are you sure about that?” Kate said as she joined Simone at the counter. Simone let out a little self deprecating laugh.
“I’m not sure of anything,” she said. She realized just how true that statement was. Her emotions were all over the place, and the only thing she was sure of was that her physical feelings for Lee hadn’t diminished in the least.
She and Kate visited a while longer, making small talk and trying to catch up on the life each had lived since their separation as children. Kate finally took her leave, and as Simone shut the door, she sighed.
Her phone rested on the counter, and she remembered someone had sent her a text. She picked it up and unlocked it, her stomach dropping to her toes when she realized the message was from Dany. The phone clattered to the table top as her hand came up to her mouth.
Why did you call?
Simone picked up the phone and cradled it in her hand as she racked her brain for what she should say back to him. She could still back out, a voice said in her head, and it sounded suspiciously like Lee’s.
She took a deep breath, typed in a me
ssage and hit send before she could change her mind. She put the phone down, walked to the bathroom where she threw up. She would finally have her opportunity for revenge.
* * *
Lee pulled into his driveway and stared at his house as his fingers tightened on the steering wheel. He didn’t know what awaited him when he walked in, considering how he’d walked away from Simone this morning. Would she be angry at him for walking away from the kiss? Or worse, would she be indifferent?
“Best just to face the music,” he mumbled to himself as he shut off the car and got out. He walked up the drive, drew a deep breath, and opened the door. The most wonderful aroma, that of Simone’s pesto lasagna, wrapped around him in a comforting cloud when he walked in the door. His mouth watered when he remembered how good a cook she was. She always made anything taste amazing, and his mouth turned up at the corners at the thought of enjoying her food again.
“You’ve been busy,” he said as he walked into the kitchen. She looked over at him, a soft smile lighting her face and his heart picked up its rhythm. His mouth went dry at what the sight of her with an apron cinched tight around her tiny waist did for him. It emphasized her hourglass figure, and he jammed his hands in his pockets to keep from reaching for her. If she knew of what a powerful temptation she was presenting to him, then it was a fitting revenge for his leaving her high and dry after kissing her this morning.
“Dinner will be ready in a few minutes, why don’t you get out of those work clothes and wash up,” she said as she made preparations for the salad they would have with dinner.
“Do you need me to help?” he asked, knowing she would wave him away like she always did. It never stopped him from offering.
As he thought, she motioned for him to leave her alone, and he went to his room to change out of his dress shirt and trousers, and into a pair of faded jeans and a T-shirt. He came back to the kitchen just in time to see her reaching for a corkscrew to open a bottle of wine.
“Let me do this at least,” he said as he stepped forward and took the wine from her. His hand brushed hers, and he heard her indrawn breath. Her eyes darted to his lips for a moment before she turned away to set the table. Lee’s hand shook slightly as he opened the wine. He didn’t know if he would be strong enough to keep his hands from her tonight, and all she’d done was look at his lips for a second.
He took a deep breath and brought the wine and glasses to the table.
“You sit, I’ll get the lasagna,” Simone said as she put her hand on his arm as she walked by him. Lee sat and poured them both a glass of wine and took a healthy swig from his glass.
She brought the lasagna pan, placed it on the trivet in the centre of the table and removed her apron. Lee watched her every move and swallowed hard when the apron came off. What the hell was wrong with him tonight? All she’d done was remove an apron, and his body was reacting like she’d started a strip tease.
They reached for the serving knife and grabbed it at the same time. The utensil clattered against the dish. They stared at each other for a moment, and Simone brought her hand up to her mouth and stifled a laugh behind it. The tension eased out of Lee’s body, and he saw her for the first time in a long time. Saw her for who she really was. She’d gone through hell this past year, and it had made her stronger than she’d been before. He found he wanted to get to know the woman she’d become.
As he took the serving knife and served them both food, he turned over in his mind the enigma of Simone. He could no longer compare her to the woman who’d left him a year ago. That woman was gone, killed by David when he’d attacked her. She may look the same, and have some of the same mannerisms, but she’d gone through too much, had her humanity taken from her in the most painful way. She’d been reborn, and the changes wrought in the past year had left a mark on her. It was unreasonable for him to expect her to go back to being the same person she was.
“You're staring at me,” she said as she glanced up from her food.
“You’re beautiful, why wouldn’t I stare?” he asked as he picked up his fork and took a bite of the lasagna. He closed his eyes for a moment. One thing that hadn’t changed was her ability to cook a fantastic meal.
She laughed as a flush crept up her cheeks. “You’re still using that line?”
“What line?” he asked as he cocked his head to the side and reached for his glass of wine.
“On our first date, you said the same thing when I caught you staring then too,” she said as she took a sip from her glass and set it aside.
“Maybe that’s because it’s as true now as it was then,” he said, and she looked away and he could see that he’d made her uncomfortable. He did his best to steer the conversation to something less painful. “So, besides making this fabulous meal, what else did you do today?”
She looked up at him and hesitated for a moment. Then a smile lit her face.
“What is it?” he asked, curious about what would put the smile on her face.
“Kate came to see me,” she said.
“That’s great. I told Rowan you were staying here, and I hoped you two would have time to connect. Did you have a good visit?”
“We did. It still feels a little strange talking to her. She looks so much like me, and when I first saw her at the warehouse it was definitely an eerie moment.” The smile slipped from her face when she mentioned the warehouse. She gave her head a tiny shake, and her expression smoothed out. “I get the impression that she’s really in love with this Rowan guy. Who is he?”
Lee searched for the right thing to say about Kate and Rowan’s situation. He didn’t think Simone would understand how things were for her sister and her mate if she knew that he was the one who turned her into a werewolf. But again, he wouldn’t lie to her either.
“Rowan is a great guy who went through a rough patch. He was one of the wolves injected with the Dark Wolf formula, and he bit your sister while he was under the influence of it,” Lee said, watching Simone’s face closely, and except for a slight tightening of her lips, her expression remained neutral. “When you helped Kate escape, she came here and found him. He helped her through her first transition, and he saved her from my father. He loves her.”
“I’m glad that things have turned out well for her, that she’s found someone. She said she drifted quite a bit before settling with Rowan,” Simone said as she pushed away from the table. She cleared, and he stood and helped her. “I can get this if you have something you’d rather do.”
“I have nothing I’d rather do. You have my undivided attention tonight,” he said as he brought the dishes into the kitchen and filled the sink with hot soapy water. He washed, and she dried, and it didn’t take long for their work to be done. They fell into a silent rhythm that reminded Lee so much of the past that it made his stomach tighten. He pushed those thoughts aside, knowing it wouldn’t do any good to live in the past. The present with Simone was what he needed to focus on.
Once they finished up, he turned to her and opened his mouth to speak. She reached up and smoothed the lock of hair that had fallen across his forehead, and he forgot what he was going to say. She stared at his mouth, and his pulse sped up.
“If I kiss you,” she whispered. “Will you push me away?”
“Not if it’s what you want to do. Do you want to kiss me?” he asked, his voice growing husky as he took a step toward her. She curled her arms around his neck, raised up on her toes and pressed her mouth to his.
Lee groaned low in his throat as his hands rested on her waist and he pulled her tight against him. He knew he should put a distance between them, but he was like a starving man at a banquet. Her mouth was so sweet and familiar, and at one time he’d thought he’d never get the chance to hold her and kiss her again. When he thought she was dead, he would have given everything he had to hold her in his arms again. Now that she was here, wanting him, he knew he didn’t have the strength to let her go.
She eased back, and her eyes drifted open as she looked at him.
Her hands came up to frame his face.
“I don’t want to go to bed alone tonight. I want you, I want to make love with you. Please tell me you want it too,” she said, her voice soft and husky as she looked into his eyes.
“It’s what I want too,” he said, his voice low as he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to his bedroom.
Chapter 9
Simone’s heart hammered in her chest as Lee carried her down the hall to his bedroom. Butterflies danced in her stomach, and for the life of her she couldn’t figure out why. She’d made love with him countless times in the past, and this time should be no different. But it felt different, and maybe that was because she wasn’t the same woman she’d been the last time they’d been together. Her becoming a werewolf had heightened her senses and had added a different nuance to being near him. She could smell the warmth of his skin, down to the soap he’d used that morning. His hair was silkier under her fingers, and his body stronger, his muscles firmer.
They reached his bedroom, and he stood by the bed and let her legs slide down to the floor. He brought his large, strong hands up to cradle her face. She closed her eyes and breathed him in. God, it seemed like forever ago since she’d been with him like this.
“Is this what you want,” he asked as he leaned in to graze his lips against the side of her neck. A shiver ran down her spine and her breasts tightened. She nodded. “Tell me.”
“Yes, it’s what I want. I want you Lee,” she breathed as she cradled the back of his skull, and buried her fingers in the silk of his short dark hair.
He pulled back from her, his hands moving up from her waist, to cradle the fullness of her breasts through the fabric of her blouse. She moaned softly as her head tilted back. His lips found their way back to her throat, over to her ear and he took the lobe in his mouth. The buttons of her top loosened, and she dropped her arms to her side and the fabric slid off her skin to puddle on the floor. He drew back, and stood in front of her, staring at her.
