by A. C. Arthur
Her frown highlighted the sarcastic last words but I didn’t bother to argue, just pulled out onto the road and drove.
CHAPTER 9
Lidia
Jace Maybon’s beach house was beautiful. I didn’t really expect anything less since I knew that he was the flashiest and most outgoing of the Faction Leaders. That may or may not be directly related to his job in the human world as a talent agent.
Anyway, I couldn’t stop gawking at his house. It was like a white fortress jutting upward from lush green grass on one side and sinking down to smooth sandy beach on the other. The sound of the ocean and its distinct salty aroma drifted through the open window of the truck as Brayden drove up the driveway. The truck hadn’t been stopped for more than five seconds before I was unsnapping the seat belt and getting out.
Standing with the warm morning’s sun beaming down on my face, I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. I loved California and wanted definitely to stay here and teach. If that were even still a possibility, because after last night I had no idea what the Assembly was going to do with us. In reality, we weren’t a part of a dictatorship or any type of cult that physically punished anyone for defecting or breaking the laws—my family especially would be grateful for that.
Still, we’d exposed ourselves to humans, actually killed two of them—even if Kyra’s death was indirect. Who knew what the other two were saying to the cops who were probably trying to figure out how to issue a manhunt for two half-humans, half-jaguars.
“Hey, you okay?”
Brayden’s hand on my shoulder was what snapped me out of my thoughts, not necessarily his question. That was because of this infernal heat that seemed to only radiate throughout my body when he was either very near or touching me, exacerbated by the touch so that I could almost think of nothing else.
“Fine,” I said, moving as fast as I could away from him. “Where’s the key?”
“Because the workers are here and Jace isn’t, there was a skeleton key made. Aidan says it’s likely in Jace’s office someplace but that the back entrance should be open.”
I shook my head, preoccupying myself with keeping my feet on each flat stone of the path going through the grass up to the house. “Jace Maybon is a high-profile celebrity agent, not to mention the leader of the entire Pacific Zone of Shadow Shifters, so why in the world is he leaving his doors unlocked?”
“I asked Aidan the same thing when we were texting during the ride. He said Jace is rarely ever here and the deed is actually in his married sister’s name so it can’t be traced back to him.”
“Why?”
“Something about him not trusting his brother-in-law to honor his sister so he wants to make sure she and her newborn daughter are well taken care of.”
“Overprotective much?” I mumbled as we stepped up to the front door.
“It’s not a crime for a man to look out for those he loves,” Brayden said, stepping up beside me.
He looked at me like he wanted those words to mean something else, so I looked away, because they actually did. Only, I couldn’t afford to let the implications break down my defenses. I couldn’t afford to think along the lines of Brayden protecting me as only a mate should. I would not think about that.
“See if it’s open,” I said to him since he was blocking me from doing it myself.
“When we get inside we should talk,” he said sternly.
“You said that yesterday and when I showed up I did all the talking. I don’t really see the point now.”
“The point is that a few things have happened since I texted you about talking and I think now more than ever we need to get everything out in the open on the subject.”
“Right now, the only thing I’d like to get out requires a bathroom so can you please try to open the door,” I insisted impatiently.
When he turned to do just that I rolled my eyes and sighed inwardly because I knew I was being unreasonable. Being upset with Brayden because he’d been right all along was petty. Being upset with my DNA was even more pointless. But dammit, I wanted to be upset! I didn’t want to have a mate and I especially didn’t want that mate to be Brayden. Being forever bonded with another Shadow Shifter—one that had pledged his life to the tribe when he was ten years old—was even worse. I did not want my life to be dedicated to the tribe, did not want anything to do with the lousy hypocrites to be exact. Not to mention the fact that I might be genetically unstable and prone to drifting off with the rogues just like my uncle had. I just wanted to lead a normal life, for as much as a girl like me could.
The door opened and Brayden walked into the house. I followed behind him not really knowing what to expect, being overly impressed anyway. The clean, fresh white from the outside of the house carried over into the foyer as the marbled floors glistened and the bare walls sparkled. It may have been too much of a clean slate, but looking to the left into what must be the living room and the entire wall of windows that practically brought the ocean right inside, I decided that it worked.
“It’s lovely in here,” I said, unable to keep quiet a moment longer.
“Yeah, he’s definitely putting his money to good use. I’ll bet this is a sound investment and will make his sister a good chunk of change should she ever need to sell it.”
We were standing in the center of the living room now with its pastel-colored rug and wheat-colored furniture. I, of course, felt like this could be a home, while Brayden, of course, was thinking along other lines. It seemed we hadn’t been on the same page in a long time. That thought saddened me.
“I’m going to take a shower and change,” I told him.
It was a good thing I’d insisted on stopping at the dorm to get my clothes. Brayden had been against it, thinking that the police might be there, but I was certain they wouldn’t have connected us that soon. I was right and had been able to get inside and pack a bag. Of course, Cora immediately started asking all kinds of questions until I finally shouted for her to mind her business. As many times as I’d said that before she’d never really listened, just continued her comments in a lower voice. This time, however, she shut up immediately. That may have been because my cat’s eyes were still on display, as I found out when I went to the coatrack to get my jacket and caught a glimpse in the mirror. Afterward I hurried out of the room not waiting for any more questions from Cora or willing to risk any more exposure than we already had.
“I’ll go upstairs with you. If those workers are in the bedrooms I don’t want any of them walking in on you while you’re in the shower.”
I thought about telling him I could take care of some horny humans looking for a good time, or even the one that might figure I was breaking and entering—which I sort of was—and called the cops. But I didn’t. There was just too much going on right now in my head for me to deal with that too. If Brayden wanted to go all macho man and handle the situation for me, then let him, I just wanted a hot shower and a few minutes alone to regroup.
***
After the shower I was so tired from sitting up in the truck all night and from fighting with the humans, I guess, I lay down on the first bed I saw, intending to simply rest for a few minutes. That turned into an epic nap and when I woke up the house was eerily quiet.
The sun had set. I noticed that because the room wasn’t as bright as it had been. Curtains or blinds were a no-show in this place so I could see the burnt orange of the sky just about to migrate into darkness. For a few moments I sat on the edge of the bed just looking at the beautiful sight, forgetting how crappy things in my life had quickly turned.
“Are you hungry?”
He’d been sitting across the room for I don’t know how long, but I’d felt his presence the moment I opened my eyes.
“Yes, a little,” I replied, not looking at him.
“The kitchen is stocked. I can fix you a salad or something,” he told me.
I shook my head. “You only cook microwave food and cereal.”
“I think I saw some of
that soy milk you like in the refrigerator.”
I couldn’t help it, I smiled, and minutes later I was downstairs with Brayden mixing a salad for myself and boiling two disgusting-smelling hot dogs for him. He sat at the island, arms folded over his chest watching every move I made in silence. It seemed oddly domestic and much more comfortable than I wanted to admit. So I did what I do best, I ignored it and him for as long as I could.
CHAPTER 10
Brayden
I’d watched her sleeping. She lay on her right side, curled up like a baby, hands cushioning her face as if the pillows just weren’t good enough. Her damp hair fanned behind her, long lashes resting against the olive tone of her skin. My fingers itched to touch her, mouth watered at the idea of climbing into the bed and spooning my body against hers. Her scent filled my mind until even if I ran out of this house, down to the beach, and thrust myself into the waves, she’d still feel like she was right next to me. I’d want her just as strongly and need her just as badly.
This feeling wasn’t going away, it would never subside and I’d always need my companheiro with me. What did that say for how this current situation between us would turn out?
Now that we were in the kitchen and she was moving around, keeping herself occupied with fixing something to eat, she would convince herself that it was all settled, that there was nothing else for us to say or do. But she was wrong. There was still so much between us, like a huge barrier that I could neither climb nor knock down, no matter how strong I claimed to be.
“Aidan says the Assembly is worried about the rise in the number of rogues coming Stateside,” I said as a form of broaching one of the touchy subjects.
There may be a barrier between us but I wasn’t going to let that intimidate me, I couldn’t.
I could see her shoulders drop as she stood at the stove, forking each hot dog out of the pot and placing them onto the slices of bread she’d put neatly on a plate.
“Wherever there’s good, bad will always follow,” she said quietly.
“Your mom tell you that?” I asked, already knowing the answer. After her brother had defected, Adelina Morales had gone into a sort of depression, only talking to her husband and Lidia, who was too young to really understand what was going on, but old enough to know that something was horribly wrong. I’d always been amazed at how much Lidia had managed to retain from that time, the words she remembered, the snickers and the insults, all of which she endured until my parents took her away.
“Yes,” was her reply. “It’s inevitable. Whether it was someone I knew or was related to or someone you knew or were related to. There are always those that want more, that are guided by greed and opportunity. There’s nothing any of us can do to stop that.”
This was her defense, the one she’d practiced over the years. It was a casual indifference to what was going on in our world, a resolute demeanor that didn’t land her on either side of the cause. I was used to it and normally ignored it, but this time, I was afraid that maybe it was time for Lidia to chose a side.
We ate in silence and I cleaned up the dishes since she’d prepared the food. Of course she hadn’t stayed in the kitchen with me so I’d had to go and find her when I was finished. She was lying on her side in the center of the king-sized bed in the same room where she’d slept the day away—the only room that wasn’t being torn apart by renovations.
I’d been in those rooms earlier, had spoken to who I assumed was the foreman of the crew. He’d backed up Aidan’s contention that they had no intention of contacting Jace’s assistant. The fact that I said I knew Jace and that he’d supposedly given me permission to stay here had seemed like enough for the man and a few hours after our meeting, he and his crew had packed up to leave for the day.
Hours had passed since then and now I stood in this doorway once again, staring at the girl I’d grown up with, that I knew so much about and yet felt so mentally far away from. I hated the disconnect I’d been feeling with Lidia, and I wanted it to stop right now.
After taking off my boots I climbed onto the bed slowly, so as not to wake her. I scooted over on my side until the warmth of her body greeted mine. With one arm on the pillows above her head, I wrapped the other around her waist, pulling her even closer. Inhaling deeply, the fresh scent of her hair tickled my nose and I smiled. For what seemed like forever, I lay there, in the quiet, holding her against me, listening to the steady sound of her breathing and the distant sounds of the tide crashing against the sand.
“It’s not the same,” she said softly.
So softly I might not have heard her if I weren’t still wide awake and my senses so in tune to her.
“I know we’re not the same as we were before, Brayden,” she continued. “I thought I could ignore it, or push it aside, or something. But I realize now it’s not working.”
She took a deep breath, let it out slowly.
“I don’t think it’s a bad thing,” I confessed. She sounded like she was admitting to a murder as opposed to accepting our new relationship and I didn’t like that at all.
“It’s different, Bray, you have to admit that. Since I was eleven years old you’ve been one of the first people I’ve seen each morning and one of the last I see at night. You’ve listened to me bitch about one thing after another and taught me how to swim and climb trees.”
I kissed the top of her head. “You taught me how to play poker and how to shoot an arrow.”
“You were there the night I lost my virginity to Frankie Morrison.”
I swallowed hard, trying desperately not to picture that night. That had been the moment I knew Lidia Morales was meant for me and me only.
“I wanted to break his legs,” I admitted.
She chuckled. “By the next morning, so did I.”
Silence fell again.
“I wish I could have it all,” she whispered.
I moved then, turning Lidia until she lay on her back and I could look down into her face. I cupped her chin, holding her face so she couldn’t look away. “I only wish I could have you.”
Lidia closed her eyes, her lips slightly parted as she breathed. I leaned in and kissed her, touching my lips to hers lightly at first, until I could hear not only the wild thumping of my heart, but the matching beat of hers. I wouldn’t touch her but for her lips, instead giving her the chance to decide, to stay or to leave.
Not on board with the patience game plan, my tongue snaked out, licking along the line of her lips, touching the soft wet inside in one heated stroke. She gasped then, her tongue seeking mine, her arms lifting to lace around my neck. At that point slow was no longer an option as the cat inside me roared to life, ready and more than willing to stake its claim.
My hands slipped around her waist, pulling her closer to me. I loved the feel of her tight body in my hands, the way she eagerly wrapped her long limbs around me. Rolling over, she now lay on top of me, her fingers scraping through my hair. I cupped her ass, pressing her core into my erection, desperate to get inside her, finally.
Her hair curtained our faces as she pulled back slightly from the kiss.
“I still can’t believe it,” she whispered. “My best friend is also my …”
She paused as if she couldn’t finish the sentence so I finished it for her, taking her lips once again, thrusting my tongue deep inside her mouth as my hands went beneath the rim of the shorts she wore, loving the feel of her pliant cheeks against my skin.
I was drowning in her, in the kiss that was fiery hot and the feel of her on top of me, which was the answer to all my dreams. When her hands moved between our bodies to unsnap my jeans I sucked in a breath.
Lidia moved, pulling back so that she could release my erection. Her hands on my length were so damned hot, and sent spikes of pleasure soaring through my body. Her fingers didn’t shake as she gripped me, but moved softly up and down my sensitive skin. The realization that she may have done this before to someone else flashed through my mind. I clenched my teeth with the thou
ght and whispered her name to keep myself focused.
She was here with me, where she belonged. After today she’d never touch another man, never think of another, not if I had anything to say about it.
“Your hands feel so good,” I told her, meaning every word.
“I thought about you,” she said as she stared down at my length and her hand, the blend of her lighter-toned skin against mine.
“I couldn’t think of anything but you,” I admitted.
“Even when you were with Kyra?”
If the thought of her with another dude rubbed me the wrong way, her mentioning Kyra—the chick that just set me up and jumped out of my living room window to her death—was like a splash of cold water in an otherwise heated moment.
“None of them, no other female, has ever compared to you,” I told her honestly. “They’ve always been substitutions and after them I wanted you even more.”
She paused, looking at me like she wasn’t sure how to take that. I didn’t want to give her too much time to think on it, so I reached up, grabbing the hem of her T-shirt, and pulling it over her head. Her braless breasts bobbed as she lifted her arms then let them fall at her sides. High up on her chest with pert, perfect fuckin’ nipples, I couldn’t resist, I sat up taking one in my mouth, palming the other.
Lidia, bless her everlasting shifter heart, arched her back, thrusting those pretty-ass tits right in my face and my dick grew rock hard. The talking stopped at that point, not just because my mouth was otherwise occupied, but because I was ready to be inside her.
Clothes came off then, flying in multiple directions throughout this room that didn’t even belong to us. When we were both finally naked Lidia moved to lie on her back.
“Uh-uh, I want you right here where I can watch you,” I told her, pulling her so that she straddled me once more.
She came willingly, lifting her hips until she was angled directly above my dick that couldn’t keep still for wanting her so desperately. My hands on her hips, I lowered her slowly until warmth engulfed my tip.
