by Dena Christy
“Make love to me, Rowan,” she whispered as she stroked the sides of his face. He eased her down on the sofa, settling between her thighs. He reached down to guide his erection inside her. She gasped and her head arched back as he slid deeply inside her. Her legs moved to wrap around his waist as he moved. He kissed her face, her neck, her lips as she held on to him. He looked deeply into her eyes, and she felt herself drowning in the depths of them. She cried out his name as she reached her peak, and her orgasm flooded every cell of her body. He held her trembling body close as his climax followed.
After a few minutes he levered his body off her, picked her up and settled her back on his lap. She was considerably relaxed, and she melted into him, her body feeling completely boneless. He stroked his hand lazily up and down her back, and she looked up at him to see him resting his head against the back of the couch with his eyes closed. He must have felt her stir, and he lifted his head to look at her through mellow grey eyes.
“So what time are you meeting Lee for lunch? Do you need me to take you?” he said as he brushed his hand down her face. She captured his hand and kissed the centre of his palm.
“He’s picking me up here at noon. I need to do this Rowan. I need to know if the woman he knew is my sister Lizzy. I need this, surely you can understand that,” she said as she looked into his eyes.
“I know you do.” He leaned forward and kissed her deeply.
“And no more jealousy,” she said as she pulled away from him.
“Don’t worry sweetheart, you’ve thoroughly convinced me of where your attentions are,” he said as he slid one arm under her legs and stood. Kate put her face in his neck and nuzzled the soft skin below his ear.
“I hope I wasn’t too thorough in my convincing. I’m more than willing to assure you again,” she said as she bit down on his ear lobe and she heard his hissing breath.
“Now that I think of it, I am feeling a little insecure,” he said as he strode towards the bedroom. “You should probably try to convince me at least one more time.”
Chapter 11
Kate kissed Rowan goodbye, stepped out the door, and went down the walk toward Lee’s car. She smoothed her hand over her hair, and she took a look back to see Rowan watching her, grinning like a sated mongrel. He’d taken her in the bathroom while she’d been putting on some makeup, just a few short minutes before Lee had pulled up outside the house. He’d told her that he’d felt momentarily insecure, but she didn’t believe it. He tried to invite himself along, and when she said no, he said he wanted to leave her with with a fond memory to carry her through lunch. She enjoyed every minute of that particular memory making session, but she knew that it was really for him. She knew that while he trusted her, he wanted to make sure the other wolf she was having lunch with knew she was his. She should have been spooked by his blatant possessiveness, but for some reason it didn’t scare her as much as it would have a few weeks ago.
She got into Lee’s car and smiled over at him. She pulled her seatbelt across her and fastened it. “How are you doing Lee?”
“I’m good. I picked out a nice quiet place for us to have lunch. We’ll be able to talk there without too much trouble.”
The smile slipped off Kate’s face as she remembered the purpose of their lunch. She was going to find out if her sister was dead or only lost to her.
He glanced over at her as he was driving to their destination, and reached out and patted her hand. She felt nothing at his touch, and smiled briefly at him when she pulled her hand away. He gave a soft laugh, before turning his attention back to the road.
“You only have eyes for him, don’t you?” he said as he kept his eyes on the road. Kate didn’t need clarification about who he was referring to.
“Yes. I hope you didn’t think that this was going to be anything more than a friendly lunch to find out more about the woman you believe may be my sister.”
“Don’t worry Kate,” he said ruefully. “I’m not going to make a pass at you. My intentions are completely above board. I do find you’re a very attractive woman, and while it would be easy for me to make a move on you, I would never know if it was because of who you are or because of who you look like.”
“And not to mention the fact that Rowan would tear you a new one if you so much as looked at me sideways.”
Lee laughed as he turned into the parking lot of a small cafe. “I’m surprised he’s not riding shot gun on this excursion. I was half expecting him to chaperone our lunch.”
“He tried, but I was quite adamant that I need to do this myself. He trusts me,” she said as she got out of the car. She followed Lee to the door of the restaurant, and he held it open for her and she walked inside. Lee was correct when he said that this place was very quiet. It only had a few tables and only one other was occupied at the moment. They found a table and sat down, taking a few minutes to study the menu. Their waitress came over and they placed their order. The closer Kate came to the moment of finding out what happened to her sister, the more she wanted to put it off. If he confirmed that his Simone was the same woman as her Lizzy, then any hope she may have harbored of seeing her sister again would vanish. He seemed to realize how she was feeling, because he smiled sympathetically at her.
“We don’t have to talk about it. We can pretend that you don’t look like her, and that you don’t suspect that your sister may very well be dead. But I don’t think that’s going to stop you from thinking about what happened to her. Wouldn’t it be better to know one way or another if Simone is Lizzy. She may not be, and then you can continue to look for her. If we don’t talk about it, I think you’ll be hanging in some sort of limbo and I don’t think that’s a very healthy way to live.”
“I know. I do want to know. I haven’t seen her since she was three, and I do want to know what happened to her. As you are aware, there is a strong family resemblance between Lizzy and me. Did Simone really look a lot like me?”
Lee waited until their waitress set their food in front of them. Kate sipped at her coffee, but didn’t touch the food. Her stomach was knotted so tight, she didn’t think she could get any food into it at the moment.
“Her hair was the same color, although she kept it a little shorter. Her eyes are the same shade of blue as yours, but the shape of her nose is a little different. She had a small crescent shaped birthmark on the small of her back,” Lee said with a faraway look in his eyes.
Kate felt the bottom fall out of her stomach, and her body went cold. Her little sister Lizzy had the same birthmark. Even though she’d suspected that Lizzy and Simone were the same person, there was a small lingering hope they weren’t. Now that hope was gone, and Kate struggled with the knowledge that she would never see her baby sister again. Lee drew his attention back to her, and he must have seen the devastation on her face, because he got a look of profound sadness on his.
“I’m guessing your sister had the same birthmark,” he said quietly as he reached out to touch her hand. Kate turned her hand over and clung to the comfort he offered. She could only nod her head as she struggled to get past the lump in her throat. “Do you want me to tell you about her?”
“Yes,” she whispered as she looked tearfully up at him. She could see the regret on his face, and moved to assure him. “Don’t feel bad for any of this. I’ve looked for her for all of my adult life, and more than anything I’ve always wondered if she was happy. Was she happy Lee?”
“When I met her, she was the happiest person I’d ever met. She was so filled with joy at just being alive. There was a light inside her, and it drew me to her. She was the most beautiful, most kind woman I’d ever met, and it didn’t take long before I was deeply in love with her. She was the love of my life,” Lee said as he took a sip of his coffee, appearing to gather his thoughts.
“Were you with her when she died?” she asked gently, not wanting to cause him any further pain than what she could already see etched in his face.
“No. We’d broken up by then. As I’m su
re you can appreciate, there was a big part of me that she didn’t know about when we met, and I couldn’t hide it from her. I told her, showed her my wolf side, and at first she didn’t seem scared or bothered by it. But after a while, something seemed to weigh on her, and she said she had to end it for my sake. That she wasn’t the right woman for me. I pleaded with her to stay, telling her that only I could judge who was the right woman for me. She said she was sorry and she left.”
“What would have made her think that? You said she accepted the whole werewolf thing, right?”
“She seemed to, but my loving her caused some friction in my family. My father sees humans as very inferior, and he didn’t think she was good enough for me. He gave me an ultimatum, forcing me to choose between her or my family. He didn’t even give her a chance, refusing to even meet her. I chose her. I think she was never comfortable with my withdrawing from my father, since she had been very close with her own family. I’d been on the outs off and on with my father for years, since he wanted me to go work in the family business, and I knew that medicine was my real calling. I think she hoped by leaving, she would remove what she saw as the wedge between me and my father, but it didn’t help. I haven’t spoken to my father since that ultimatum.”
“How long ago was that?”
“About a year. I tried to look for her, but I didn’t know where she’d gone. I sent a friend out to look for her, who was very good at digging up information, and he came to me and told me that she’d been in a car accident and had died.” Lee’s voice had gone husky. He took a deep breath and seemed to gather himself together. He looked up at her as he fished out his wallet. “I don’t know about you, but I’m really not in the mood to eat. How about we head out and I take you home?”
Kate nodded in agreement as she stood and put on her jacket. She could see the toll the memories of Simone had taken on Lee, and frankly she had enough of her own feelings to come to terms with. She just wanted to go home and feel Rowan’s strong arms around her, to hear his deep voice telling her that everything was going to be okay.
They were quiet as they walked out of the restaurant and walked over to Lee’s car. He put his hand on her arm halting her by the vehicle.
“Would you excuse me for a minute, I think I see someone I know,” he said as he opened the car door for her.
“Sure, take your time,” she said as she got in the car to wait. He closed the door and walked over to somewhere behind the car. Kate leaned her head against the backrest of her seat, and closed her eyes. Her body felt drained, and while she was sure there was going to be a storm of emotion inside her later, she couldn’t feel anything right now.
She sat in the car for a few minutes before she began to wonder what was taking Lee so long. She looked in the rearview mirror, and her heart stopped for a moment when she saw who Lee was talking to. She shook her head, telling herself that it couldn’t be David O’Connell chatting very casually with Lee. She surreptitiously turned her head to look, and the bottom fell out of her stomach. Lee was in the act of shaking hands and clapping on the shoulder the man who’d held her captive, stalked her and tormented her nightmares. She quickly turned to face forward, trying to keep her breathing under control. She schooled herself so Lee wouldn’t suspect there was anything wrong. If Lee was involved with David, then he couldn’t suspect that she knew who David was.
Lee got into the car, and she jumped slightly as he startled her. He didn’t appear to notice.
“Isn’t life weird,” he asked as he put on his seat belt. She made an affirmative noise, and hoped it was enough because she couldn’t seem to make her mouth work. “You know the guy I was telling you about, the one I had look for Simone, well that was him. Funny how small the world is sometimes isn’t it?”
“It certainly is,” Kate said quietly as she clasped her hands in her lap. It was all she could do not to open her door and run screaming from the car. Since she didn’t know Lee’s involvement in all this, she kept her teeth clamped together and tried to pretend all was normal.
The drive back to Rowan’s house seemed to pass with agonizing slowness, and when Lee pulled up Kate already had her seatbelt off. She had the door open when Lee placed his hand on her arm.
“Are you okay?” he asked as concern drew his brows together. Kate tried and failed to paste a smile on her face.
“Don’t worry about me. I just have a lot to absorb. Thanks for lunch and for talking to me about my sister.” She didn’t wait for him to reply before she was out of the car and walking quickly up the walkway to Rowan’s house. She risked one glance behind her, and saw Lee’s car pulling away. She had the unnerving feeling of eyes on her everywhere, and hurriedly reached for the door to Rowan’s house.
Once she got inside, she locked the door and rested her head against it. Her body started shaking and she couldn’t seem to stop. She jumped and screamed when she felt a pair of hands on her arms, turning her around. She fought against the hard male body trying to hold onto her, until Rowan’s voice penetrated the terror inside her.
“Sweetheart, what is it? Tell me what’s wrong. Is the woman Lee knew your sister?”
The knowledge of her sister’s death, seeing David O’Connell and the fear she’d felt the whole way home, landed on her like a tremendous weight and she couldn’t answer him. All she could do was burst into tears.
“Oh sweetheart,” he said as he drew her to him. He held her tight against him, rocking her as he murmured words of comfort to her and stroked his hands up and down her back. She took several deep breaths, knowing she had to tell him about David, that he misunderstood the source of her tears. She pulled back and struggled to speak as her body shook.
“There’s more…” she said, and couldn’t get any further. Rowan took her into the kitchen, and settled her into a chair. He went to the cupboard and got down a bottle of rye and a glass. He poured a small measure and handed it to her. The fumes penetrated the fog of terror in her head, and she turned her face away.
“Drink it, baby. And tell me what’s wrong,” he said as he knelt down in front of her so he was eye level with her. She bolted back the whiskey in one gulp and coughed as he took the glass away and set it on the table. “Talk to me. What is it?”
The alcohol burned in her stomach but it cut through the fog of her terror, and she could finally speak.
“David O’Connell. He was there,” she said as she grasped his hands, holding onto him. A dark, serious look replaced the concern on his face, and if she’d been the cause of that look, it would have frightened her.
“Where?” he growled as his hands tightened on hers. Pain shot through her, and she jumped. He must have realized that he’d hurt her, for a look of remorse came over his face, and his hold gentled. He raised her hands to his lips and kissed each one in turn. “I’m sorry.”
“He was in the parking lot of the restaurant, I think he followed us there,” she said as she took a deep breath to tell him the rest of it. “It’s not the worst of it, Rowan.”
“What else,” he asked tensely as the muscle jumped in his jaw, but his hold on her hands remained gentle.
“Lee knows him. He went over and started talking to him. He’s known him for years.”
A dark look came over Rowan’s face and his eyes glowed amber instead of their usual grey. He was just as aware of the implications as she was. She may very well have had lunch with a man who was involved in her kidnapping, and if she hadn’t seen David in the parking lot she would never have known. The fear rose inside her again at the thought, and she started to tremble all over again.
“Hold me please Rowan,” she pleaded as the shaking continued. He pulled her to him, and she felt the top of his head rest on her.
“Don’t worry sweetheart, he’s not going to hurt you. I’ll keep him from you, and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”
She felt the rumble of his voice against her, and she shivered at his grim tone. She was glad she was neither Lee or David O’Connell a
t that moment.
* * *
Rowan breathed a sigh of relief when Kate finally fell asleep. She’d been skittish all evening, and hadn’t wanted to eat any of the dinner he’d made. He’d persuaded her to eat, and eventually persuaded her to bed. She finally settled down, after he’d held her close, assuring her that everything was going to be okay. She was one of the strongest women he’d ever met, and she’d handled so much so far. He hated what seeing David O’Connell today had reduced her to.
Rowan pulled the covers around her, and left the room. It was still early, but even if it had been late, he didn’t think he’d be able to sleep. The anger burning deep inside him needed an outlet, but unfortunately there was none open to him, because there was no way in hell he was leaving Kate in the house by herself. As he walked out to the living room, he noticed a movement outside his front door, and strode over to it, a low growl rumbling in his throat. Surely that bastard didn’t have the balls to actually come up to his front door.
Rowan yanked the door open, and drew back in shock when he saw his brothers standing there.
“You okay bro?” Eric asked. His twin was always in tune with his moods, but he supposed it wasn’t that much of a stretch considering his anger must be written all over his face.
Rowan stepped aside, and Nick and Eric walked in. Eric handed him a case of beer, and Rowan followed his brothers into the kitchen and set it on the counter.
“What are you two doing here? Where are Hadria and Samara?”
“They’re at some sort of spa thingy, so Nicky and I were left to our own devices. We thought we’d bring brews and get to know your lady a little bit.” Eric pulled a beer out of the case and twisted off the cap, flinging it into the sink. He sprawled in one of the kitchen chairs, and looked around as if he’d only just noticed that Kate was nowhere to be seen. “Where is she?”
