by Price, E A
Hurriedly he got out of bed and stretched. Her eyes widened and her mouth watered at the sight. She’d felt exhausted and more than a little sore after last night, but her sex was suddenly awake and eager for round two.
“Anyway, there’s the TV and books if you get bored, make yourself at home. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
He started striding to the door.
“Wait!” She called. “You’re going out like that?”
He gave her a devastating lopsided smile that sent pleasurable jolts directly to her womb.
“No point in puttin’ clothes on, I’m gonna shift when I get out there.”
“No, no point whatsoever...” She murmured, trying not to stare at his engorged shaft but failing miserably.
Seeing her eyes feasting on him gave him a bolt of pride, and he puffed his chest out. Pleased at the affect his body had on her... considering how much older he was than her. He had to leave that minute, having those big doe eyes on him was exciting him just a little too much. If he wasn’t careful he’d come right there and then.
“You take care darlin’.” He said hurriedly rushing to the door.
“You too cowboy.” She said faintly.
He opened and shut the cabin door swiftly, not wanting Kayleigh to get cold. He allowed the freezing air to seep into his skin for a few seconds, counteracting the hot lust he had felt moments before.
He rolled his shoulders before relaxing and allowing the beast to push forward. A feeling of ecstasy rushed over him as he shifted. Shaking out the falling snow from his fur Don the wolf glanced back the cabin regretfully before padding out into the snow unaware of Kayleigh avidly watching him from the window.
He was her dream wolf.
Chapter Eleven
Kayleigh passed the day impatiently trying to take her mind off Don.
She had a long luxurious bath. But being in the bathtub only served to remind her of their encounter the day before, and of course she was washing herself with his soap. The smell of him enveloped her.
She rooted round his freezer and found a casserole for lunch which she duly defrosted, figuring he’d only be gone a few hours.
She tried reading one of his books. He had a collection of classic literature and thrillers. Dostoyevsky just did nothing for her. She liked steamy romances or cosy crimes. So she wasn’t highbrow, who cares? She liked what she liked and that was that.
She got on better watching one of Don’s DVDs, mostly all he had was westerns or cop movies. She got part way through Dirty Harry, which she found riveting, before the timer dinged on the oven.
She put the casserole in the warming over and set the table. She threw together a salad and waited for him to arrive. After an hour she guessed he wasn’t coming back.
Feeling a little depressed at being on her own she ate the whole casserole and then felt uncomfortably full. She spent the rest of the relaxing in front of the TV, pretending she wasn’t watching the door for his return.
When it turned 8pm her stomach actually started to grumble. Don had been gone for over twelve hours. Not wanting to waste more of his pre-prepared food she made a pot of macaroni and cheese, one of the few things she could make.
Although she was still a little hopeful he would come back, so she made enough for him too. Just in case. Besides anything she didn’t eat she could freeze.
She sighed. Her mission to show Don what a catch she was wasn’t exactly going great. He had virtually ran out of the cabin that morning. How could she prove to him that they’d be great together if she couldn’t even get him to spend some time with her?
*
Don trotted home in his wolf form. He shivered slightly and sped up to keep the cold at bay. Snow was lightly falling and it was growing dark.
He’d been out of the house for more than twelve hours. He was working on the basis that if Kayleigh was out of sight he could also stop thinking about her. No freaking chance.
The further away he was the more his heart tightened. He’d been fighting the urge to run back to her all day.
He’d arrived at the Shaws quite quickly, the nearest house to his. There was Kristy and James, and their four children along with Kristy’s mother, James’ father, Kristy’s sister, her fiancée and two children. To say it was a full house was an understatement.
Don liked the family, for the most part they kept to themselves and with the exception of their eldest their children were well behaved.
Kristy was a wolf shifter and had been a part of the pack since birth but James was a puma. They met when they were both 19, James was visiting an uncle in town. They clicked immediately and nine months later their son was born. Casey.
Casey had given Don a wide berth when he arrived at the house, perhaps still a little wary since the last time they saw each other a couple of nights back. When Kayleigh was at Bar Luna getting drunk.
Kristy and James were both his age, with Casey having recently turned 20. Their three younger children, all girls, were all under 10. Don found Casey infinitely annoying, but then he found most unmated wolves under the age of 25 annoying, but Casey somehow took things a step further.
Yet Don had to admit that Casey loved his family, and was great with his little sisters. Probably because mentally they were round about the same age thought Don nastily.
The Shaws landline wasn’t working either but thankfully they had a radio and he was able to contact the Sheriff and ask him to let people know that Kayleigh was safe and staying with him. Casey had guffawed to hear that Kayleigh was at his place, but after a stern look from James he had quietened.
Under the weight of the snowfall their woodshed had collapsed, so Don had offered to help James fix it. He was somewhat handier than Casey.
James had thanked him and the family had insisted they eat dinner with him, James had lent him some clothes. The meal was a free for all, with so many hungry shifters vying for food you had to move fast.
It was also a noisy affair, with about five conversations going on at once. It reminded Don of what it had been like growing up in his own pack. His father had been the Alpha so there were always extra people at the family dinner table, their house was always full of life. He felt a twinge of sadness. He’d been alone for so long.
But he wasn’t alone anymore, he had Kayleigh... Sweet little Kayleigh, with her warm brown eyes and lush curvy body was waiting for him to come home. No, he didn’t have her, she didn’t belong to him.
He had been in two minds all day. Part of him wanted to hurry back to her, and spend as much time together as possible. Whilst the other thought the longer he was away from her the better, he was becoming too attached to her.
Ultimately he had stayed away as long as possible, but now he had to go home. His wolf had been unhappy with him all day but now he was yipping excitedly. It bothered him that his wolf was so animated about Kayleigh. The beast hadn’t shown nearly as much enthusiasm for Melinda and she was their mate!
That couldn’t be right could it?
As guilty as it made him feel he had considered that maybe he had been wrong about Melinda being his true mate. But he had been so certain, every moment he was away from her he ached for her. His thoughts and dreams had been dominated by her. So matter how hard he had tried not to think about her she had ruthlessly pounded her way into his head and his heart. His feelings for her had been almost painful.
With Kayleigh it was different. The moment he saw her the world just seemed brighter. His whole body, his heart, his mind came alive for her. It was like a glorious fire had been lit inside him. She didn’t invade his thoughts, he welcomed her to them. He sought her out in his dreams.
Melinda had been certain she was his true mate too. Melinda like Kayleigh had been a witch. She and her family lived in a double wide in the trailer park. His family had hated her, after some bad experiences they didn’t like witches at all or the fact that she was broke. His old pack had been pretty affluent, they suspected Melinda was after his money. But how could s
he be if she was his true mate?
Your true mate was someone you loved unconditionally, no matter their foibles or the way they looked you loved them absolutely, and in your eyes they were the greatest person on earth. At least that was the theory.
With Melinda it wasn’t quite like that. They were together for two months but during that time, although Don was sure that he loved her, he had found her behaviour a little... embarrassing. Like when she had made fun of the elderly librarians stutter, or when she had screamed at a learner driver for clipping her wing mirror, or when she had punched a meter maid for giving her a ticket. Melinda wasn’t the nicest person in the world, and that had aggravated both man and wolf.
And if he was being honest the sex wasn’t that great. They never really clicked in bed. Making her come was no easy task, if anything she just seemed bored by sex with him and didn’t even try to make it enjoyable for either of them. He’d found her body to be cold, bony and unarousing.
He had been mortified, knowing that he couldn’t satisfy his mate sexually. He’d assumed there was something wrong with him. He had a few partners before her and they had gushed at how great he was, but in his bitterness he believed they had been lying to save his feelings.
Since Melinda he had been with a number of women and they seemed very pleased by him. Not to mention Kayleigh...
Just the thought of her soft, warm body had him hard as a rock. The way she clung and clutched at his body as they made love was the sexiest thing he ever felt. He could happily lay between her thighs all day long...
He wondered if her asshole ex-fiancée felt the same way. The thought of any other man enjoying her body was intolerable to him.
He was surprised to find himself in front of his cabin. The journey had passed quickly, too quickly. Now he had to face Kayleigh. And he found that incredibly nerve wracking.
He walked through the door to be met with the sight of Kayleigh bending over the stove. His manhood was rock hard in an instant seeing the shape of her round ass pressed through his shirt.
She’d set the table and was cooking. A little thrill went through him, coming home to find a woman preparing dinner for him. Yeah he should have been born in a ‘50’s sitcom.
“Hey darlin’ I’m home.” God he was really was acting like they were a married couple.
She spun round and beamed at him, her cheeks turning an adorable shade of pink when she saw his sex bobbing in front of him.
“Hey, I made dinner. I’m not much of a cook so I made mac and cheese.”
Don inhaled, there was the delicious food mixed with her naturally sweet honeysuckle and also a hint of her own arousal. It was glorious.
“Great, I uh... I’ll put some pants on.”
She almost called out to tell him not to bother but thought better of it, she didn’t want to scare him off.
Whilst she dished up he pulled on a pair of jeans and a shirt. Once seated they ate in silence for a few minutes.
“This is really delicious.” He said grinning at her.
She chewed her lip embarrassed. “It’s just mac and cheese, it’s pretty much the only thing I can make.”
“Well it’s great, really.” As sexist as it may sound he loved having a woman cook for him. No, not any woman, he loved having Kayleigh cook for him.
She beamed. “I’m glad you like it. Growing up I practically survived on takeaways, pop tarts and mac and cheese.”
He sipped at his beer. “Your mama didn’t cook?”
She rolled her eyes. “No, not at all. In my house either you fed yourself or you didn’t get fed.”
Don gave her a worried look. She waved her hand at him. “It was fine, she was a working single mom, she didn’t have the time.” It was fine really, Kayleigh grew up with a lot more freedom than most kids and she loved it. Although she could have done without the steady parade of boyfriends her mom brought home.
“Where was your dad?”
Kayleigh squirmed in her seat. “I never knew my dad... he ummm... he had another family.”
Don mentally kicked himself for upsetting her. “I’m sorry I shouldn’t have asked.”
She shook her head vigorously. “Nah it’s fine, I’m over it. My mom used to try to take me to see him when I was younger but he didn’t want to have anything to do with us. He paid child support though, mostly so my mom wouldn’t turn up at his office with me in tow.”
Don felt his jaw tick. “What a prince.” He said furiously.
Kayleigh shrugged. “It doesn’t matter, let’s talk about something else. How was your day?” She asked brightly.
“Good, I went over the Shaw’s house, everything was okay, I just had to help them repair their woodshed.”
Kayleigh took a sip of beer. “Shaw? Like as in Casey Shaw?”
Don narrowed his eyes. “Yes.” He hissed. Was Kayleigh interested in the young wolf, he’d assumed she was flirting with him the other night because she was drunk but maybe there was more to it...
“I had a nice day too, I had no idea how much I loved Clint Eastwood until today!” She giggled cheerfully.
He chuckled “Yeah? Look I’m sorry you were stuck here in this place alone all day. I know it’s not great.”
She blinked at him. “Why what’s wrong with it?”
“It’s small and dingy.” Don fidgeted uncomfortably.
“You’re kidding, it’s rustic and homey. I like it, it’s kind of kitschy. If it were me though I reckon I would have a bear skin rug in front of the fire.” Perfect for fireside lovemaking, her sex warmed at that thought.
He smile wryly. “I wouldn’t risk it, you never know, the rug might be a relation of Andy’s.” Andy the bear shifter bartender was mated to one of Don’s pack mates, although quite docile he could be pretty aggressive when roused. Well he was a bear after all...
She snickered. “Yeah, wouldn’t wanna risk that. But you’re wrong about this place, it’s a nice little hideaway. City slickers pay big bucks for out of the way hideaways like this
Don arched an eyebrow. “Slickers? Really?”
“What can I say? You’re rubbing off on me cowboy.” She wagged her finger playfully. “Besides it’s much better than my old apartment. After I moved away from my mom I didn’t really have any money. The best I could afford was a grubby little hole in a redundant slaughter house, on a street aptly named blood avenue.”
“That sounds horrific.” Don bristled at the thought of Kayleigh living in such a place. Unprotected, alone...
“Our neighbourhood had more murders than the rest of the neighbourhoods in Playa Lunar put together.”
His wolf was growling, fearing at the danger she had been in, but thanking god she had moved to Rose, where he could protect her... “That’s really not something to be proud of.” She seemed unconcerned.
“So you grew up in California?” Playa Lunar was a beach city on the coast of California, it was notorious for having more supernatural residents than the rest of California put together.
“Yep, born and raised.”
“So how come you decided to move all the way up here?”
Kayleigh toyed with her food, a sheepish look on her face. “You’ll think it’s silly but... I had a vision telling me I needed to.”
He looked at her blankly so she plundered on. “I have some psychic ability which includes visions, so when I had one telling me to move here I decided to do it.”
Don didn’t know where he stood on magic and witches, having been brought up by parents who hated witches he was naturally wary. But if she hadn’t followed her vision and come to Rose they never would have met...
“What about you? How come you moved to Rose? You’re from Texas right?”
Don inhaled deeply. Part of him wanted to tell her the truth about Melinda and the rift with his family but he was hesitant. He hadn’t told anyone in the pack the whole truth.
“It’s not... it’s not something I really want to talk about.”
Disappointment flashed ac
ross her face but she was quick to reassure him that it was okay. She started clearing their empty plates and they agreed she would wash while he dried. Whilst doing the dishes she told him some stories about her childhood in California.
She thought they were funny, he thought they were horrifying. What kind of a mother would leave her 9 year old daughter with her Korean neighbours who didn’t speak English so she could spend a weekend in Boca with her boyfriend?
He was fuming at the treatment Kayleigh had received from the one person who was supposed to love her. She deserved to be loved and protected by someone worthy of her... someone like him... his wolf yipped happily.
Afterwards they watched a Clint Eastwood film together before both admitting they were tired. Kayleigh yawned and blinked.
She giggled. “Wow I had no idea that doing nothing all day could make you so tired.”
Don rolled his shoulders. “Yep, you can have the bed I’ll take the recliner.”
She giggled again before noticing he wasn’t kidding. “What do you mean?”
He stared at her deadly serious. “I’ll sleep in the recliner so you can sleep in the bed.”
“But why don’t we both just sleep in the bed?” She asked slowly.
“Well we probably shouldn’t...”
She looked at him incredulously. “Isn’t it a bit late after last night?!”
He looked at her a pained expression on his face. “Last night was...” wonderful? Fantastic? Unbelievable? “A mistake.” His wolf howled at him volubly.
She stared at him in disbelief planting her hands on her hips. “You’re kidding right? Did you not enjoy what we did?”
He held his hands up in a placating gesture. “Of course I did! It was... it was nice, really nice, I just... we shouldn’t have... I mean I like you a lot I’m just not the kind of guy to want anythin’ long term. I don’t want you to think last night meant somethin’.”
“Do you honestly think I was angling for a marriage proposal?!” She snapped at him. “You don’t think that maybe I just wanted sex too? I get it that I don’t mean anything to you, but you’re a conceited asshole if you think you mean anything to me!”
