Breath Taking (St. Leasing Book 2)

by L. P. Maxa

  Molly jerked back slightly at Corey’s introduction. Keller wasn’t her boyfriend, at least not that she knew of. For some reason though, she made no move to correct her friend. Instead she played the role Corey had not-so-subtly assigned her. She beamed up at him as he slid a strong arm around her hip.

  He held his hand out to both agents, like he didn’t have a care in the world. “We were wondering when you guys were going to make it into town. Did you enjoy the game tonight?” Molly knew different; she could tell by the punishing grip he had on her. Keller was tense, coiled.

  Agent Grimes answered easily, unaware of the strain in the air. “The game was great. You guys coach an amazing team.”

  “Of course the company in the bleachers was wonderful as well.” Brooks chimed in and Molly winced as discreetly as possible. “Coach Hardy, congrats on the little one on the way. And Coach Byrne, Molly didn’t mentioned she had a boyfriend when we met at the coffee house yesterday morning.”

  Keller tightened his grip on Molly’s hip, if that was even possible. “Yes sir, I saw you hit on my girl. I was waiting in the truck.”

  Brooks grinned back, a smile that looked just as forced as Keller’s had no doubt been. “Waiting in the truck while your girlfriend gets out in the rain to get your breakfast?”

  Molly quickly put her hand on Keller’s chest and let out an easy laugh. “It’s much safer that way. No matter how many times he tries to teach me, I just can’t get the hang of driving that big truck.” She had no idea what made her say that; she had never driven Keller’s truck. But it was like she could literally feel Keller’s body spiraling tighter with every word Brooks spoke. And for some reason she had this innate need to calm him down.

  “I thought you were going to try and come by a yoga class, Agent Brooks.”

  Keller leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of her head. The movement was causal, like he’d done it a thousand times before. And it sent chills racing down her neck.

  Brooks looked around the patio as he talked, taking it all in. “We are going to be pretty busy over the next couple of weeks. But I wouldn’t miss coming to one of your classes.” He winked and Molly held her breath.

  “Keep winking at my girl and we might have a problem, agent.” Keller said the words with a smile, but his tone made it clear that he was anything but kidding.

  Brooks and Keller stared at each other for a few seconds, neither one of them backing down. Molly didn’t know what to do; she felt like she was standing in the middle of a battlefield just waiting for the first cannon to be lit.

  Corey laughed loudly, getting everyone’s attention. “You two have to check out Moon Bar while you’re in town. It’s the only place to get a drink around here, and it’s filled to the brim with gorgeous single girls.”

  “Is that right? Well, then we’ll make sure to put it on our list.” Agent Grimes was obviously on board, trying to help Corey ease the tension. “We know you all are in the middle of baseball season and on a tight schedule. It shouldn’t take too long to wrap up this little investigation and then we’ll be out of your hair.”

  Corey nodded. “You two please let us know if there is anything we can do to help.”

  “We will, ma’am, thank you.” And with that, thankfully, they both left with Agent Grimes basically dragging Agent Brooks away.

  Molly placed a sugary sweet smile on her face—totally at odds with all the confusion swirling inside her head—as she looked up at Keller. “We need to talk. Now.”

  Keller nodded, slow and resigned. Like a child that knew it was about to get in trouble. “Uh, so, we’re going to head out. Dom, I’ll call you tomorrow. Coop, make sure Linc gets home safe, okay?”

  Corey rolled her eyes. “Of course I will. We can’t have him passing out on the sidewalk again. What would the FBI think of that?”

  Keller pulled Coop to him and placed a quick peck on her head. The movement didn’t make Molly jealous, but it did tug at her heart. For some reason, she liked seeing Keller be so sweet to Corey.

  “Bye, guys.” Keller took Molly’s hand and snagged a box of pizza on their way around to the front yard. “We can go to my house, if that’s okay with you.” Molly nodded and they walked the short distance to his house in silence.

  The night was playing on a loop in her head. His possessiveness. His dominance. His aggression. And the way that none of it had turned her off. She still wanted him; she still wanted to be next to him. If she was being completely honest with herself, she wanted more than that. She longed for him to touch her again, to kiss her. Her body felt like it was on fire, burning from the inside out.

  It was getting harder and harder to maintain her composure around Keller.

  She didn’t know how much longer she could last.

  Chapter Seven

  Keller

  Keller unlocked the front door and opened it wide so Molly could walk through. This was the first time she’d been to his house. “You really care about her, don’t you?” He watched as Molly made her way over to his bookcase, skimming her fingers over the spines of the ancient texts.

  “Who? Coop? Yeah, I love her. She’s, uh, well she’s like a little sister. Does that bother you?” Keller walked past Molly and into the kitchen to grab them a couple beers to go with the pizza he’d stolen.

  “Not at all.” She made eye contact, raising an eyebrow. “But I’m not the one with insane jealousy issues.”

  Keller sat down on the couch, patting the cushion beside him for her to sit as well. She snorted and sat in a leather chair across from him instead. Point taken. “Look, Molly, about tonight and the other morning…I…” He didn’t really know where to begin. He couldn’t be honest, but he didn’t want to lie to her either. He shook his head and decided to buy himself some time to think. He ate two pieces of pizza and downed half his beer.

  “Wow. Where does it all go?”

  “Where does all what go?”

  “All those calories? You are eating every time I see you.” Her eyes trailed down his chest and his dick twitched in his pants. “But your body is so damn ripped.”

  Keller shrugged, clearing his throat so she couldn’t hear how turned on he was. “I run, go to yoga”—he grinned—“and I’ve got some, uh, really good genes. Ripped, huh? You think my body is sexy?” He winked.

  Molly rolled her eyes. “Don’t fish for compliments. It’s sad.”

  He chuckled. She was the perfect combination of sassy and sweet, warm and strong. If the last couple of days had proved anything, it was that he needed to stop jacking around and let her know how he felt. He didn’t want to see her with other guys; he couldn’t handle it. Molly Paige was his and he was done thinking. He needed to put his feelings into action. He put down his third piece of pizza and moved to kneel in front of her, startling her. “I really like you, Molly. I’ve liked you from the moment we met.”

  She let out a sigh. “Then why have you been avoiding me? You stopped coming to breakfast with us, and every time I came over to Corey’s to hang out, you would leave. I don’t like games, Keller.”

  “I wasn’t playing games.” He took her hands in his, the contact making his heart swell with emotion. “I didn’t want to hurt you or lead you on. I didn’t think I was good enough for you and I didn’t know if I was ready to try to be good enough for you. You’re not a temporary type of girl, darlin’, and that’s all I’ve ever been good at.” He brought her hands to his lips, kissing her palms. “I want to be the man you deserve. I’m possessive and jealous and I drink too much beer, and I eat nonstop and talk with my mouth full. But I want you. I want you so damn bad.”

  “You want me? Or you want to date me?”

  Keller chuckled. “I want it all. I want to hold your hand and take you to dinner. I want to cuddle on the couch and watch chick flicks. I want to see you at my games. I want to text you things that make you blush. I guess what I’m saying is, I want to be your boyfriend.” He knew he sounded like a lovesick sap, but he didn’t care. Not any
more. Because he was one and he was going to own every second of it if that meant he got Molly.

  She gave him an indifferent shrug. “That hot FBI agent already thinks I’m your girlfriend thanks to Corey, so you’re my only option at this point.” She started to laugh when she heard him snarl low in his throat. “What is with you St. Leasing boys and the growling?”

  Instead of answering her, Keller captured her face and brought her mouth to his. Unlike yesterday, he didn’t ask for permission; he deepened the kiss and let his hands roam over her tight body. He knew she had been joking about the agent, but his possessive instincts were in hyper-drive. He wanted to erase every thought from her mind, until he was all she could see. He positioned himself in between her knees and about passed out when he felt her press against him. He had never wanted to be inside someone more than he wanted to be inside Molly right that second. Baze was right; it was almost painful. Was she in pain? That thought sobered him and he put some space between them.

  Molly used the break from kissing to nibble on Keller’s neck. “Mmmmm…It’s crazy how edible you smell all the time.” She smiled against his skin as he took a deep breath; she pulled back and looked into his eyes. She must have seen the hesitation in his gaze. “Uh, did I say something wrong?”

  Keller wanted to cry. He was about to do something he had never done before: turn down a beautiful, willing woman. He could feel Molly’s desire, the lust radiating off of her. But he wasn’t about to risk hurting her, not tonight, not ever. “No, not at all. It’s just, uh, look, I know you know my reputation with the girls around here. And I just want things to be different with us.” When she narrowed her eyes, he rushed on, trying to explain himself better. “Things already are different. But I mean sexually. I want to take our time and get to know each other. Does that make sense?”

  Her mouth dropped open and it took a moment before she answered. “Um, yeah, I completely agree, no rush. You are such a gentleman.” Her smile dipped and she hunched over like she was in pain.

  Keller put his hands on her face, guiding her to look at him. “Molly, are you okay? You look a little pale.” His hands on her skin started to heat, like her body temperature was slowly climbing. “You feel like you have a fever, darlin’. Are you sick?”

  “No, no I’m fine.” She waved him away. “Probably just a little indigestion from the pizza and beer.” She took a deep breath and sat up straighter. “I think I’m going to head home.”

  Was she in pain from their connection? From the uncompleted bond? She was fine until he’d pulled away, until he’d stopped them from going any further. Did he cause this? “Why don’t you let me drive you? I can bring you your car tomorrow morning.” Keller helped her to her feet.

  “Don’t be silly. I live ten minutes away. I’ll be fine.” She fished her car keys out of her purse with shaky hands.

  “I don’t mind at all. I want to drive you home.” Keller was starting to panic. He didn’t know what he thought would happen when he put the brakes on their blossoming sex life, but he wasn’t ready to say goodbye yet. He didn’t want to be away from her.

  Molly gritted her teeth and doubled over again. “Keller that’s very sweet, but unnecessary. Now come on, walk me to my car.”

  Keller’s heart sank as he watched her face pale once again. It was like her discomfort was coming in waves. He wanted to insist that he drive her—he wanted to throw her over his shoulder and toss her into his truck. But he didn’t want to spook her; he didn’t want her to think he was crazy. “Okay, fine. You win this one.” He held her hand on the way back to her car, rubbing his thumb in circles, trying his best to soothe the discomfort she was in—the discomfort that was no doubt his fault. No way this was indigestion. The timing was too coincidental.

  She unlocked her car and then stood against the open door. “Talk soon?”

  “Of course.” He leaned forward and kissed her again. This time slow and sweet—he wanted to calm her, not amp her up. He poured his emotions into her, trying like hell to bring her back to center. Manipulation like that wasn’t his power, but he thought maybe he’d be able to help Molly. Because she was his. Because she was his mate.

  She hummed against his lips. “I’m feeling better already.”

  He pulled back, grinning. “Text me as soon as you are inside your house with the doors locked.”

  “Yes, sir.” She climbed into her car. “I had fun tonight. Thank you for inviting me.”

  “Thank you for coming. What are you doing tomorrow night?” He knew he wouldn’t be able to make it twenty-four hours without seeing her again. He knew he couldn’t walk away without knowing when he’d be able to touch her next.

  “I work tomorrow night, four to ten.”

  He put his hands on the roof of her car, leaning toward her. “Can I come by your place after work?”

  “I’d like that.” She smiled up at him.

  Keller smiled back. This girl was going to be equal parts his salvation and his destruction. He leaned in and lightly touched his lips to hers one last time. “Good night, darlin’.”

  “Good night, Keller.”

  He backed away as she closed her door and started her car. He wanted to make sure she got home okay. She seemed okay now, but the pain on her face a few moments earlier was undeniable.

  Was Baze right? Keller felt like he had the worst case of blue balls in the history of blue balls. It was damn uncomfortable, but not painful. He could get in his truck and follow her home. Although if she caught him she would think he was a crazy, obsessed stalker. He could always shift and follow her in the woods undetected.

  He looked around the short row of houses and saw all the lights were out in his neighbors’ homes. He could see lights on at Dom’s, but the music was off, which meant the kids were gone. Molly had driven almost to the end of the street. It was now or never.

  His need to protect her outweighed all rational thought. Quickly, he ran into the trees and shifted into his wolf form. Sticking to the woods along the road back into town, he followed Molly to her apartment. He watched from a distance as she got out of her car, walked up the steps to her place and unlocked her door. He stayed in the shadows until he saw the light go on in her bedroom. Satisfied that she was safe, he made his way home.

  St. Leasing had been established for beings like him. The campus was full of other shifters and no one thought twice about seeing a wolf trot down the street. He loved that this was his home, his life.

  And he couldn’t wait until he could share it all with Molly.

  Chapter Eight

  Keller

  Keller rested his head against the wall and tried to close his eyes for the hundredth time. But he couldn’t get comfortable in the straight-backed folding chair he was sitting on, no matter how tired he was—and he was exhausted. Between his late-night run to make sure Molly got home safely and all the endless nights he had spent recently lying awake thinking of her, he was drained. He needed to get some real, solid sleep. He needed to let his body relax. He was antsy and on edge.

  From his spot outside the conference room, as he waited for his turn to be questioned by the Feds, he could hear every word being said between Agent Grimes and Baze. It was all pretty boring, standard stuff. The agent didn’t seem all that interested in interrogating Baze about the shifter allegations. It sounded like Agent Grimes thought Henderson was an idiot. Keller perked up in his chair when he heard Baze rise and head toward the door.

  Agent Grimes was laughing. “No wonder you love your job here. You are coaching a top-ranked team and this campus is downright beautiful. And the wildlife here… Last night I saw a wolf trotting down the street in the middle of campus.”

  Keller held his breath, his eyes going wide. Please let that be the end of it.

  Baze answered, “Really? A wolf? You don’t say.”

  Nope. No such luck.

  “Yes, a magnificent, tan-colored wolf. Big. Way bigger than I expected a wolf to actually be. You see them on the Discovery Cha
nnel, but I never thought they would be that large in real life.”

  Keller closed his eyes. Shit. He had been running with Baze for years now; he would know instantly it was Keller.

  “Yeah, where did you say you saw that wolf?” Baze asked.

  “Toward the entrance to campus, heading over in the direction of that row of houses. I think it was a female. It was large, but slender. Pretty.”

  “Oh yeah, I’ve seen that wolf before. Giant bitch.” Keller rolled his eyes as Baze continued. “There is a strip of woods behind the faculty houses, lots of small animals in there, easy prey. You know rabbits, chipmunks—”

  “Chipmunks? Really? Well, I guess maybe that’s where Henderson got the insane idea that there were shifters at St. Leasing, huh? I mean if you see wolves walking through campus at night and add in a wild imagination… At least he claimed they were wolf shifters and not chipmunk shifters right?” Grimes laughed at his own lame joke and Keller heard the doorknob turn. “Well, coach, thank you for your time, we shouldn’t need anything else from you. Good luck at Friday’s game.”

  “Thank you, Agent Grimes.” Baze exited and turned immediately to his left, face to face with Keller. “Oh, look who we have here—Coach Byrne. Waiting for your turn in the interrogation room?”

  “Uh, yeah, I got the email that we were supposed to meet with the agents today and I thought I’d go ahead and get mine out of the way.” Keller rubbed the back of his neck, not making eye contact with Baze. He knew the anger and accusation he’d see there.

  “I didn’t figure you’d be up so early, what with the late night you had.” Baze glared at him. “When you get finished here, don’t forget to come by Dom’s office. We have to discuss those pesky sophomores. They just can’t seem to get the new hand signals down.” He said all this through clenched teeth but added a laugh at the end, probably so Grimes wouldn’t catch on to his frustration.

  Keller nodded slowly, knowing he was in trouble. “Yeah, man, I’ll be there as soon as I’m done here.” He stepped past Baze and collapsed into a softer version of the chair he had just vacated.