by Anne Kane
“To sleep in, you oversexed moron.” She shook her head. “I’m too tired for anything else.”
“Perhaps I could help you relax with one of my famous massages?”
The innocent expression on Wolfe’s face didn’t fool her for a minute. The man had a one-track mind. “You just want to get your hands on my body.”
“Not true.” He waggled his brow at her, his eyes dancing with mischief. “I’d like to get all of me on you. And parts of me in you.”
Nikki snorted. “That is the lamest pick-up line I’ve ever heard.”
“I’m crushed.” Wolfe ran his eyes over her figure in a slow deliberate way that set her nerves on fire. “Here I offer to use my amazingly talented fingers to soothe your overworked muscles and you accuse me of having vile designs on your delectable body. I think you owe me an apology. Perhaps a kiss as well, to soothe my hurt feelings.”
“Oh, you poor baby.” Two could play at this game. “I’m so sorry I hurt you. Here, let me kiss it all better.”
Rising up on her tiptoes, she slid one hand behind his head, twining her fingers through his hair. Her mouth claimed his, and she danced her tongue across his lips, teasing it open. Slipping her tongue inside to taste, she teased him with featherlight strokes while she slid her other hand down his chest and toyed with the buttons on the front of his shirt.
She could feel the surprise, the hesitation in his reaction, and she smothered a giggle. She bet he liked to be the one doing the kissing. Too forward for you, darling? She let the thought purr its way into his head.
Not at all. His silky smooth reply tipped her off seconds before he gathered her hard against his lean body, one big calloused hand cupping her bottom. I thought you needed some rest, but if you want to play… He ground his hips against her, letting her feel just how ready he was.
Nikki squealed, squirming against him in an effort to free herself. As tempting as she found that bulge in the front of his pants, she really did need to sleep.
She also needed to establish some emotional distance. She couldn’t risk forgetting about her mother’s betrayal and her own capricious selkie blood. She might just land herself in a situation she wasn’t ready to face. Flirting with Wolfe was fun, and the sex was hotter than anything she’d ever imagined, but commitment wasn’t an option. Not for her.
I’ll let you go this time. Wolfe loosened his grip and allowed Nikki to escape. But know that if you keep playing with fire, you will get burned.
His eyes devoured her as she scurried out of reach, and a rueful smile tipped the corner of his mouth up. “We’re both a little too tired to think clearly right now. Shall we go inside?”
He turned away from the oak, leading the way to a towering pine tree at the side of the clearing. “For security reasons, the stairs over here ascend to a bridge connecting this tree to the cabin. If we need to, we can isolate the house from ground access.” Sweeping aside a tangle of overgrown branches with his arm, he revealed an intricate set of stairs woven in sturdy limbs, spiraling around the tree and hidden from view by the sweeping branches.
Nikki stared open-mouthed at the live staircase. “That’s amazing.”
Wolfe stepped aside to allow her to start up the steps.
She felt an odd, tingling sensation as she started up and she shot a questioning look at Wolfe.
He shrugged. “The trees are alive. They protect us as we protect them, and they’re capable of judging your intentions when you’re in physical contact with them.” He started up the staircase behind her.
“What happens if they don’t like the intentions?” Nikki spoke aloud. She desperately needed to break the sense of intimacy that was growing between them. Even with him two steps below her, she could feel his presence.
Wolfe raised an eyebrow. “They’d act to safeguard anyone under their protection. You aren’t planning on throwing me off the tree house balcony, are you?”
“Not if you’re good.” Damn. That sounded like an invitation.
“I’m always good.” He ran his big hand down her spine to caress her backside. “Care for another sample?”
“No thank you.” Nikki stepped gingerly onto the platform at the top of the stairs. “The first one was adequate.”
“Adequate?” He sounded smug. “You can’t be serious. That was a hell of a lot more than adequate. I think I actually felt the earth shake.” He stepped onto the platform behind her.
Nikki turned to finish him off with a witty remark and found herself face-to-face with his muscular chest. She swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly dry.
Wolfe slid a hand through her hair, tilting her head back. “Let’s see if I can top ‘adequate’.”
Nikki raised her hands to push against his chest and met his eyes, dark passion swirling in their depth. Please. Damn, she hated begging. “I’m sorry. You were definitely more than adequate but what I really need now is some sleep.”
Wolfe hesitated, concern replacing the passion in his eyes. He smoothed her hair back from her face in a caressing stroke that tempted her to lean into his hard body before he dipped his head to feather a gentle kiss across her lips. “I can wait.”
He nodded at the gently swaying bridge that connected their tree to the one sheltering the house. “Let’s get moving. We’re almost home.”
Nikki ducked her head, too shaken to meet his gaze. She longed to throw her arms around his neck, bury her head in the tempting hollow of his shoulder.
The impulse frightened the hell out of her.
There is no such thing as binding, she told herself firmly. It’s a myth. She stepped out onto the bridge, resolutely ignoring the tingling sensation that told her Wolfe followed.
Chapter Eight
Nikki woke to the smell of fresh coffee. Prying one eye open, she took in her surroundings.
Wood. The bed was wood. The walls were wood. The floor was wood. Understanding dawned and the other eye snapped open. Wolfe?
“In the kitchen, little one. I haven’t deserted you. I’ve left some clothes that should fit you on the nightstand beside the bed. The bathroom’s through the oval door.”
“I smell coffee.”
Wolfe’s amused laughter echoed in her mind. “I’ll bring it right up.”
Nikki hesitated. “Wolfe?”
“Yes, little one?”
“I meant what I said. I can’t do long term, so you can forget about the binding thing. I’m not good for you. And quit calling me little one.” It sounded way too intimate.
“Do you take cream and sugar?”
Fine. She threw back the covers and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. He didn’t want to talk about it. Well, if he got hurt when things went to hell, it would be his own fault.
I can take care of myself, little one. The thought floated into her head, the tone gentle.
Despite herself, Nikki was inclined to believe that he could. He might even be able to look after her. Deep down inside, where she dared to dream, she hugged that knowledge to herself.
Wolfe sauntered into the room, balancing a wooden breakfast tray on one arm. Setting it down carefully on the dresser, he crossed to the bed and bent down to place a swift kiss on her lips. “Breakfast is served.”
Nikki sniffed the air appreciatively. If she wasn’t mistaken, that covered plate contained pancakes and bacon. She plumped a pillow up against the headboard, and sat up. “You can cook? Maybe I should stick around for a day or two.”
Wolfe grinned. “Of course I can cook. The way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach.” He produced a little bedside table and set it up over her lap. Fetching the plate of food, he placed it in front of her with a theatrical flourish, before lifting the metal warming lid to reveal a steaming pile of pancakes, topped with crisp slices of bacon.
“I may never leave. This looks heavenly.” Nikki picked up a slice of the bacon and popped it in her mouth.
Wolfe poured two cups of coffee from a silver carafe and paused. “You never answered. Cream and sugar?
”
She licked a crumble of bacon from the corner of her lips, feeling suddenly shy. “Just cream. And Wolfe?”
He looked up, and she met his gaze. “I should have said this before now. Thank you for helping me out.”
“You’re welcome.” He handed her the coffee and poured one for himself. “I know you’re furious at me right now for binding you. I’d say I was sorry, but I’d be lying. I’m not sorry that we’re bound, but I am sorry for the way it happened. I honestly thought you knew what you were getting into.”
Nikki lowered her gaze and picked up her fork, attacking the stack of pancakes. Swallowing the first heady mouthful, she looked up at him. “We have to talk about that. It won’t work. It has absolutely nothing to do with you, but I simply can’t do long term.”
She paused, not sure how to make him understand. “The pull of the water is always with me, and I don’t want to settle down and have children, and then desert them one day when the calling gets to be too much for me to resist.” She felt the familiar tightening in her throat that she got every time she let herself remember her own mother’s desertion. “I won’t do that, to you or anyone else. It’s not fair.”
“What makes you think you’d have to choose?” His brow furrowed in confusion. “Selkies and their Cosantoirs have always bonded for life. When you need to go to the water, I will protect you; make sure you are safe. That’s what I’m here for.”
Nikki wanted to believe him. His voice, his body language all told her he believed in what he was saying, but the memory of her mother walking away without looking back still haunted her, too painful to put into words.
She plastered a shaky smile on her face and changed the subject. “So what’s the plan of attack?”
He gave her a wry smile. “I think a little reconnaissance is in order before we attack anybody. We need to find out who those guys are, how much they actually know. We could be jumping to conclusions. Maybe they’re poachers and they’re trying to capture Winston.”
Nikki smiled. “Then they’re in for a fight. Winston has a nasty temper, and he’s overly fond of using those claws of his.”
“Well, here’s hoping they didn’t leave bloodstains all over your cabin.” Wolfe leaned forward to snag one of the pancakes. “It’s hell to get out of wood flooring.”
“And how would you know that?”
“I used to be a little boy.” He swallowed the pancake whole and reached for a piece of bacon. “Scraped knees, cuts and bruises were daily occurrences. Sometimes, when I’d done something really stupid, Mom would bandage me up and then make me go back and scrub the bloodstains off the floor.”
Nikki giggled. She could just picture him, bandages on his knees and a mop of dark hair falling over his forehead, grumbling as he scrubbed.
“I can see where your sympathy lies.” His eyes twinkled with mischief.
“Sounds like you had a wonderful childhood.” Nikki couldn’t keep the envy out of her voice. She wrapped her hands around the coffee mug and took a sip of the dark liquid.
He nodded. “My dad died when I was just a baby, but Mom did her best to raise me. We didn’t have a lot, but I always felt loved.” He snagged another pancake and popped it in his mouth. “What was your mother like?”
Nikki’s head jerked up and the hot coffee sloshed dangerously close to the edge of the mug. No way was she ready to discuss her mother, with him or anyone else.
“She left when I was little and I’d rather not talk about her. My father raised us alone. I miss him sometimes.”
“He died?”
She shook her head. “No, but after my sister and I left home, he remarried and started another family. They keep him busy, and I don’t get to see him all that much.”
“That’s a shame.” He watched as she took the last bit of bacon. “I’m going downstairs to get some things done. Come on down when you’re ready and we can discuss what to do next.”
“Okay.” She smiled, grateful that he hadn’t pushed for more information on her family.
She didn’t want to lie to him.
* * * * *
Wolfe lounged against the deck’s railing and studied Nikki’s body language. The way she paced back and forth spoke volumes. Her entire body rigid, she clenched and unclenched her hands behind her back as she measured the length of the deck repeatedly. He wasn’t sure what spooked her most, the binding or the men back at her cabin. They’d come out here to discuss what to do, but they had far more questions than answers.
“How did they know where to find me? That cabin has been my refuge for ages, and I’ve never seen any signs of interest. The locals would have told me if there were strangers around asking questions about me. Why did they go to the water before the house? And how did they know to come back later, after the jam?” She looked up at him, panic lurking in the depths of those emerald-green eyes. “How much do they know? And how did they find out?”
“I don’t know, but we’ll find out.” He resisted the urge to cross the gap between them to comfort her. He sensed her need for space while she struggled to come to terms with the effects of the binding. “I think we need to talk to your sister. She sent me to warn you so she must know something about what’s going on. We’ll have to contact her in the Dream World though. We are way out of cell range up here, and I’m not going to risk going back down to town until I know what’s going on. While we’re there, we could talk to some of the other talents in the Dream World. Maybe this isn’t an isolated incident.”
He held up a hand to forestall her objections. “We need to know what we’re up against. I know you’ve had trouble with Dream Walking in the past, but now you have the ability to draw on my strength. It’ll make it easier for you.”
Nikki tilted her head. She looked intrigued, a cute furrow creasing her brow. “How do you know I had troubles in the past? And what do you mean I can use your strength? How?”
Wolfe shrugged. “Your sister told me she didn’t try to contact you in the Dream World because you had problems using it, so you just didn’t go there. As for using my strength, there are some advantages to being bound. Close your eyes. You can feel me, my mind, my spirit. You can draw from my strength whenever you need it.”
She closed her eyes and he felt the first tentative touch of her mind, seeking him, exploring the pathway between them. The contact was hesitant at first, uncertain. The sensation sent a fiery shiver of longing dancing down his spine.
Then she was gone, her eyes open and sparkling with mischief. The corners of her lips curved up in a bewitching smile. “I’m beginning to see some advantages in this binding thing.”
Wolfe nodded solemnly. “Yeah. There’s more to a binding than getting a great-looking hunk in your bed.”
Nikki’s gaze flew up to meet his as she choked back a laugh. “I should certainly hope so. You’re not that great looking.”
“You don’t think I’m attractive? I’m crushed.” Wolfe let his mouth droop teasingly.
She rewarded him with her breathtaking smile, and his heart did that little flip-flop thing in his chest.
“I doubt that. You don’t look the least bit crushed.”
“That’s because I know you’re lying. You think I’m irresistible.”
“And modest.” She peeked at him from under her lashes. “You’re very modest.”
“Hmm, yes I suppose I am.”
Nikki burst out laughing. “You’re incorrigible!”
“Thank you.” He gave her a mock bow.
“That wasn’t a compliment, you nut.”
“I didn’t think it was, but at least it made you laugh. I’d love to spend the rest of the day discussing my better points with you, if it makes you happy.”
Nikki sobered instantly. “I think we need to deal with the bad guys before we worry about what we’re going to do about us. I’m willing to try contacting my sister, but I really am lousy at Dream Walking.” The corner of her mouth drooped apologetically. “You might be better off without me.�
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Hopping down off the deck railing, Wolfe closed the distance between them with one decisive stride. She needed to have more confidence in herself.
“There is no place, no way, no time when I would be better off without you.” Wrapping her in his arms, he lowered his head to sear her lips in a slow, thorough kiss. “We’re a team. Always. Remember that.”
Nikki twisted in his arms and stamped one petite foot on the deck, frustration etched on her face. “I’m a selkie. We don’t do ‘always’. You might want to remember that.”
Unruffled, Wolfe let her go to stalk to the far side of the balcony. She’d learn.
* * * * *
“So this is a dream chamber? Huh. I’m not sure what I expected.” Nikki looked around with interest. “Maybe a four-poster bed with a ruffled canopy?”
The room they were standing in was hewn out of the side of the hill, just below the waterfall. The smell of damp earth assailed Nikki’s senses as she eyed the sparsely furnished space. A double bed, the head and footboards carved out of oak, dominated the small space and triggered thoughts that had nothing to do with sleep.
Wolfe chuckled and Nikki felt a hot blush stain her cheeks. She really needed to remember to shield her thoughts.
“We have some time to kill before we Dream Walk.” He gave her a cheerfully suggestive wink. “Some physical activity might help you to relax a bit.” He reached out and kneaded her shoulders with those incredibly talented fingers of his. “Afterward I could give you a nice, full-body massage.”
Nikki swatted his hand off her shoulder and stepped to the huge bed, ignoring his blatant innuendo. She trailed her fingers across the soft comforter, frowning. “What happens if those men track us here while we’re in the Dream World? Our bodies will be vulnerable.”
“No they won’t. We aren’t the first couple to use this chamber. There are twelve generations of protective spells woven into the walls of the chamber, and since we’re within the oak grove, the trees add another layer of protection.”
He lounged against the doorway with his arms crossed casually on his chest and her attention fell to the taut muscles of his forearms. Nikki licked her lips and tried not think about how those arms felt wrapped around her. “What type of spells?”
