The bald man nodded. “Will do, Heidi. Will do.”
The air was warming as the sun rose above the treetops, dissipating the early morning chill.
“So, where do you want to start?” she asked. “You want to walk downtown? Though that’s usually better later in the day when the shops are open. I could take you out to the river. It’s really pretty there in the morning. Or we could—”
“Take me someplace special to you.” Javier held the driver’s door of the Land Rover open for her.
She climbed behind the wheel then turned and stared at him. “This whole town is special to me, Javier. The town and everyone in it.”
With a nod, he agreed. “I have seen that. But there must be somewhere you go that is extra special to you.” He wanted to know her better. Maybe if he did, he would find some flaw, something to make leaving her tomorrow easier.
“Okay,” she said softly. “There’s one place... But it’s a secret. You can’t tell anyone. Promise me.”
“I promise, chata. All of your secrets are safe with me.”
Chapter Eleven
Javier watched the scenery pass by the window as Heidi drove along the highway then turned onto a dirt track barely wide enough for the Land Rover. The trail was bumpy, and he placed a hand against the dash, the other on the door, to keep from bouncing.
“Just a bit farther. Are you up for a little hike?”
“Yes. It will do me good.” Today, the pain in his thigh was negligible. A dull ache that would most likely be gone in another day or two. Despite what he’d told Heidi, or the promise he’d made her brother, he could have left that morning. What was one more day? He’d been chasing Durchenko for two years and had come close a few times, but he always seemed to be a step or two behind him.
The road abruptly ended, a cedar tree standing tall in the middle of the track.
“Come on.” Heidi jumped out and slammed the door. Javier stepped out of the truck and breathed in the damp, earthy scent of the deep woods, cedar, pine and decaying leaves. He had the urge to change into his cat, to run, but he feared that was what had led to his current predicament.
Heidi came around the front of the vehicle and took his hand. “It’s up there.” She pointed up a fairly steep incline. “You think you can make it?”
There was challenge in her tone, in the sparkle in her eyes.
“Lead the way.”
A narrow game trail led up the incline at a slight angle to the hill, making the climb easy. Still, by the time they reached the top, the throbbing in his leg had grown, and he realized he wasn’t quite as healed as he thought.
“A little farther,” Heidi said, frowning. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Damn, he’d begun limping again. “I am fine.”
She took his hand and led him along a new path through the thick forest. There was an undercurrent of excitement running through her. He could feel it, fairly taste it. “Chata, what is it you are going to show me?” Whatever it was must have very special meaning to her.
Just then they walked into a clearing, a glade filled with wildflowers and one ancient cedar tree standing sentinel in the middle of the space.
“This is my special place.” Heidi spun in a circle among alpine aster and wild daisies, her face tipped up to the sun.
“It is beautiful.” Javier stared at her, his heart hurting with want of things he could not claim.
Her smile was angelic when she faced him once again. “It’s mine.”
He nodded. “You belong here.”
“No, I mean this land.” She spread her arms wide. “All five acres. I bought it about a month ago.”
With a new eye, Javier looked at the land. Nice and flat, a good place to build.
“The road will come up through there.” Heidi pointed toward the west. “It’s going to cost a fortune. I want to keep the cedar tree, but I have to have it tested to make sure it’s healthy. I don’t want to build my dream home only to have it caved in by a falling goliath.”
Javier simply nodded as she spoke.
“Nothing huge. Just a two or three bedroom cottage. But I’ve also got to have a well dug, and get the electricity brought in, both of which will cost a pretty penny.” She sighed. “I guess I wasn’t thinking about all the details when I bought it, but I’ve been coming here for years. My little spot of heaven. I’d bring a book and lunch and sit under that tree. It was only by accident that a surveyor was here one day when I came up for a little peace and quiet. The owner needed it surveyed so he could sell it. I got the seller’s name and made him an offer. He accepted with no questions asked.”
She turned away and wrapped her arms around herself. “It’s going to be a long time before I can afford to get to the point of building my house here, but I can see it. My quiet place.”
“A sanctuary,” he suggested.
“Exactly,” she whispered without facing him.
Javier moved up behind her, wrapped his arms around her and laid his cheek atop her head, breathing in the scent of her and nature. The two fragrances complemented each other. She did belong here.
“I see it, chata. And I am positive you will have your dream home one day. No one deserves it more than you. It must have been difficult, being the only female in a house of males.”
“Like a zoo.”
He grinned and hugged her tighter. “You need a quiet place for yourself.”
She nodded and turned in his arms. “Yes. Exactly. I don’t really want to leave my dads, and I know they’d never shove me out the door, but I can’t live in their house forever...in my childhood bedroom. I’m almost thirty.” A smile flitted over her lips. “But a small-town vet doesn’t make a lot of money, so it’s going to be a while before I can move here. First the road, then the well and electricity...” She sighed and laid her head against his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist. “At least it’s a start, and it’s mine.”
She gave him a little squeeze, almost as if claiming him as hers too.
* * *
“That’s cheating!” A fierce punch to the shoulder accompanied her accusation, but it lost all effect when she giggled and stuck her tongue out at him.
Javier dropped in a few more tokens to continue the race before the arcade game’s timer expired. “Not at all, chata. I just took the line you opened up for me.”
The motorcycle game began the countdown for a race on the next level, a new track with new challenges. He’d won the first two races but admired her competitive spirit, which had manifested the moment they’d entered Leavenworth’s premier family amusement park and entertainment center.
The good-natured rivalry began with a friendly round of putt-putt golf. She’d won by two strokes, and he’d confessed to never mastering the game’s finer elements.
Racing, however, had always been something he could do, thanks in part to his brother. They’d had fun playing video games together, and both had lead feet when it came to driving. He’d even had some defensive, tactical driver training in the military, not unlike Juan had experienced with the police force.
The green light flashed, and Heidi got off to an earlier start, but he quickly accelerated to close the gap as she leaned her engineless bike into the first turn.
“You can’t beat me,” he challenged, pulling his cycle in behind hers on the screen and entrusting the computer to recalculate for his drafting techniques.
“Watch me.” She revved the throttle and leaned into the next turn.
He maintained the same line on the virtual track, trailing her every move into one curve after another until the final straightaway when he used his drafted momentum to swing out and slingshot around her, just inching past her front tire as they crossed the finish line.
Her pout was almost as adorable as her cute, little nose.
She swung her leg off the bike, and he followed after a brief hesitation. “You do not want to go another round?”
“No. I concede. You’re the better racer.”
He pulled her into an embrace and kissed the tip of her tiny nose. “And you are a much better golfer.”
She smirked and swung her arms around his neck. “I guess I’m better at knocking balls around a course than flying a motorcycle around a racetrack, but if you tell my brothers I lost, I’ll knock you upside the head.”
“You have raced against them before?”
Backing free of the hug, she nodded and gave him a big grin. “You’re looking at the Falke family champion.”
“Congratulations.” He almost asked if the brothers let her win. Maybe she had beaten some of them, but would Axel... Observing how much the excitement of competition and overall happiness animated her adorable face, Javier suspected the men would do almost anything to make their little sister happy. And what was a little sacrificed male pride when compared to the brightness of this woman’s smile? Hell, he wished he’d let her win now that he thought of it.
She took him by the hand, and he followed, somewhat marveled by how good it felt. His hand in her smaller one. Letting her take the lead. He would’ve expected his alpha nature to balk at this change of dynamics, however temporary, but it seemed natural.
He frowned. Similar to his relationship with Isabela. His mate had wrapped him and Juan around her little finger. Like Isabela, Heidi had a way about her that made him want to see her smile, watch the joy he caused light up her eyes. But Isabella had never been the one in the lead. Heidi was unique in that. Strong willed, stubborn and bossy. He grinned as he followed her as meekly as a kitten.
He was out in the parking lot before he realized their destination. “Where are we headed now?”
A smile was his only answer, so he circled the vehicle and got in, looking to her for a verbal response. After their trip to her special place, they’d spent the morning hours strolling the sidewalks of the more touristy areas of the Bavarian-themed town and had a tasty lunch at a locally owned restaurant. Everywhere they went, Heidi was greeted by people she knew, making him amused. He better understood her love of the town and its people.
Then they’d played the afternoon away at the amusement park and arcade. He couldn’t remember spending an hour at leisure, not in a very long time, much less a whole day spent in the pursuit of recreation. He had to give Heidi credit for reminding him of the importance of just...living.
She backed the Land Rover out of the parking lot. “Do you like wine?”
“Sure. What do you have in mind?”
“My dads are investors in a local winery, which is a benefit for us.” Her grin brightened. “Free tours and wine tastings—if you think you can handle it.”
“Oh, I think I’ll be just fine.”
* * *
Heidi set the wine glass down when her cell phone buzzed, interrupting her for the third time. She couldn’t keep ignoring Axel, so she excused herself and put space between her and Javier as she answered the call.
“Hello, brother.”
“I’ve had the shifter’s car moved from Dads’ driveway to the hotel parking lot.”
She gritted her teeth and bit back the sharp retort on the tip of her tongue. “Why?”
As if she didn’t already know. She didn’t bother asking how he’d known where Javier was staying or how he’d managed to get access to the car. Axel had ingenuity in abundance. And what he couldn’t do through legitimate means, Kelan could do with a lock pick and a little sleight of hand.
She knew she’d been pushing her luck by not returning home at night, not to mention having Beth cover for her at the clinic. Word was sure to get back to Axel. Even at thirty, she would only be allowed to push her independent streak so far when it came to matters of the opposite sex and her overprotective family. And although she’d been glad to see they’d given her some space—after all they hadn’t shown up knocking on the hotel room door yet—she wished that just this once Axel would step down from his alpha perch and have a little more faith in his only sister.
“You’ve had enough time to nurse your stray back to health, Heidi.”
“His name is Javier, not shifter, not stray. And I don’t need you butting in where you don’t belong.” She was more than capable of taking Javier back to her dads’ to retrieve his car. Or at least she’d intended to do that...when the time was right. Axel might be the alpha of the family now, but that didn’t give him the right to bulldoze over people to get his way on his schedule.
“Heidi—”
“Goddammit, Axel, I mean it.” She tried to keep her volume down. “I love you, brother, but you’ve gone too far this time. Butt out of my life.” She hung up and turned her phone off for good measure.
“What’s wrong?” Javier asked the instant she returned to the wine tasting.
She tried to smile, but knew she didn’t pull it off when concern wrinkled his brow.
“Nothing. Let’s just...where were we?” She grabbed her glass and downed the burgundy sampler in one swig, but when she reached for his glass, he caught her wrist.
“Excuse us, please,” he said to the winery employee. “And thank you for everything. They are all spectacular wines.”
He guided her outside and didn’t release her arm until they were at her vehicle. Opening the door for her in a gentlemanly gesture that made her want to cry, he waited for her to plop in behind the steering wheel before he got in the passenger side.
“Tell me what has happened.”
She tightened her grip on the steering wheel and refused to look at him until she got her emotions under control. “My big brother’s just being an ass. Nothing new.” She dared a glance his way and tried to change the subject. “You hungry? I thought maybe we could grab a bite of dinner before going back to the hotel.”
He stared at her for several nerve-racking seconds. Then, he nodded. “Let’s get drive-thru.”
“Fine by me.” Relieved, she started the engine and pulled out, heading for the nearest fast food place.
When they arrived at his room, however, he made it clear he wasn’t ready to let the phone call go after all. “Your brother arranged to have my car brought here.”
Of course he’d notice his own car. Heidi set the bag of burgers on the dresser and chose to stare out the window at the parking lot. Javier’s Jag stuck out among the rainbow of sedans and SUVs. “Yes,” she admitted reluctantly.
Javier’s chuckle made her spin to face him.
“I don’t find this funny, and I’m surprised you do.”
He cupped her face. “It makes perfect sense.”
She crossed her arms. “Oh, and I suppose all big brothers are arrogant assholes who overstep their bounds.” Her sarcasm apparently amused him because his annoying grin got even bigger.
“If I were your big brother, and trust me, I thank God that I am not, I would do everything in my power to get a man like me as far away from you as possible.”
“A man like you?”
His smile faded, and he released the tender grasp he had on her face. “If I were honorable, I would’ve left at sunup today.”
“But...”
“But I wanted one more day with you.” He nudged her chin up with a fingertip and then kissed her lips with a brief brush of his own. “One more night.”
Moisture stung her eyes. “But...” She hated asking the question, hated knowing their time had to end.
His cheerless smile pained her. “But we can’t always have what we want.”
“It’s not fair,” she muttered, hating the petulance in her defeated tone.
He thumbed her cheek and remained silent, although she could almost hear his thoughts, read them in his eyes. Life’s not fair.
“I don’t want you to go.” There. She’d said it, admitted her heart’s desire, and tried to ignore the replay of what he’d just said in her mind. “We can’t always have what we want.” She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth against the inevitable.
“Heidi...” He waited for her to look at him. “I must.”
His words crushed her hopes and made her body shudder as if from a physical blow. The first teardrop escaped her lower lashes, and she didn’t give a damn.
She’d been born to a shifter line, carried the gene in her DNA, but she got none of the benefits. Her brothers could shift at will while she remained human. Her brothers could find their mates, father future generations, while she was left without any hope of a happy ever after.
No husband.
No children.
And for what?
“Fuck fate.” She threw herself against his strong body and kissed him for all she was worth.
He didn’t shove her away as she feared he might. Instead, he took everything she had to give and returned her passions tenfold. Their clothes disappeared, discarded in haste along a twisted path they took to the bed.
Falling to the mattress, Javier blanketed her nakedness with his own and fingered a lock of hair from her eyes. His expression showed a mix of concern and compassion, need and resolve.
“One more night.”
And then goodbye, she thought but shoved the words from her mind. She didn’t want to think about what would happen tomorrow. If all they had was one final night together, she would take it and pray for time to stand still.
“Then make it last.”
He dipped his head for a surprisingly chaste kiss and then began a slower, gentler journey along every curve and concave of her body. God help her. The way the man could touch her, kiss her... He brushed his thumbs across her pebbled nipples, massaged her breasts and planted a trail of moist kisses along her cleavage. The heat of his breath and feathery touch of his fingertips tantalized her. When he explored her navel with his tongue, her need grew. Although she raised her hips in a silent plea, she enjoyed how he refused to be prodded into a rushed finale.
Falke’s Renegade Page 12
