by Welsh, Hope
§§§
It was still snowing when Storm opened her eyes and looked out the window. She shivered against the cold and pulled the blankets up, cuddling beneath the warm comforter, then suddenly remembered where she was and jackknifed to a sitting position.
“Morning.”
Storm stared at him. Even in the morning with sleep rumpled hair and a five o’clock shadow, he was a gorgeous man. His eyes, though, were almost hypnotic. A shade of blue she rarely saw in anyone’s eyes. “You stayed with me all night?”
Luke stood up and stretched. “Yeah. I’ll make some coffee and breakfast. Take a shower if you want.”
Storm couldn’t help but look at him. He was tall. Much taller than Raymond. At least 6’4” or so. And big. Not fat—just all muscle. “I don’t have any clothes to put on. I really need to get to my car. Can you take me to it?”
He shook his head. “Sorry, but no. The roads will be impassable until this storm blows over. There’s no doubt it’s going to be a white Christmas.”
“Oh,” she whispered.
“There should be some sweats and things in the drawers. Use whatever you want. We can make do for a day or two. There’s plenty of food and there is a generator if the power goes out. Once the roads begin to clear, we’ll worry about your car.”
Storm suddenly wished she could read the expression in his eyes. There was a tenderness she hadn’t expected, but also something more. “Thanks.”
“I’ll be in the kitchen. Come on out when you’re ready.”
Storm nodded and he walked over to the edge of the bed and brushed the riot of hair away from her face. “Will you be okay?”
“Fine. I guess I should thank you for waking me up from the nightmare last night.”
“No need to thank me. I’ll assume you’d have done the same. I should have breakfast ready in about half an hour.” After touching her cheek gently, he walked from the room.
Storm opened the top drawer and pulled out the first pair of sweats she saw and grabbed a pair of socks. It seemed strange to be in the bedroom of a man she knew absolutely nothing about.
After dressing quickly in the bathroom, she walked back into the bedroom.
She noticed that his keys to the Jeep were on the bedside table. At least a set of keys were. Could she sneak out a window and get out of the house before he could catch her?
Slowly, looking toward the door, she moved to the table and slid the keys into her waistband. First chance she got, she decided. She’d tell him she was tired and wanted a nap. That should give her at least enough time to get out the window and into the car, right?
§§§
Once in the kitchen he sighed. He had no more real answers than he’d had the night before. He wasn’t sure who would be safe to contact, not that it mattered. He didn’t have enough details anyway. They had to talk. Maybe in the light of day she’d feel safe enough to answer his questions.
If what she’d said was true, he found it hard to believe that Samuel’s wouldn’t be on the radar, and he did have a few connections in the FBI if nothing panned out with New York. They might prove useful, but he was doing nothing until he knew exactly what he was messing with. Damn it, a simple search job had turned into something much more complicated.
The fact that she was potentially in danger wasn’t the only complication.
He wanted her. He’d wanted her since he’d opened up her car door and she’d asked him if he was her angel. Getting involved with her would be a huge mistake. Even as he had the thought, he knew that it didn’t matter. He wanted her with almost a painful yearning. Shifters might not have mates…but he knew instantly that this was the woman he’d move heaven and earth to be with.
At first, all he’d felt for her was pity mixed with anger and desire. The anger had drained away in the face of her obvious courage. It was a kind of quiet courage that he wanted for his own. A simpering woman would never do for him and he damn well knew it.
Luke paced across the living room, and then shivered. Hell, they needed a fire to ward off the chill that the furnace just couldn’t quite keep up with. He tossed in some newspaper and quickly had a fire blazing.
He felt her behind him and turned his head. A grin touched his lips. She’d put on a pair of his old sweats, so of course they were miles too long on her, but the elastic at the ankles kept her from tripping over them. Her long hair was brushed and shining. Her face was beautiful, even with the dark shadows beneath her eyes and devoid of makeup. Damn it, she was sexy as hell.
He was in serious trouble.
“What?” she asked self-consciously. “It was the only thing I could find that I thought might fit.”
He shook his head. “Nothing. Come on, I’ll fix us something to eat.”
She nodded and followed him into the small kitchen. “Would you like some help?”
“We don’t have much of a selection, I’m afraid. Cereal or eggs. Will it be the silly rabbit or scrambled eggs?”
Storm chuckled. “You actually have that kind of cereal?”
“Yeah, my niece came to visit a few weeks ago. She loves the stuff.”
“Cereal is fine. I’m not that hungry.”
He nodded distractedly and pulled two bowls from the cupboard next to the sink.
Storm studied him as he fixed the bowls of cereal. Why couldn’t she have met someone like him instead of Raymond Samuels? Her taste in men was apparently way off target.
But she sure did know when someone attracted her. Luke Steele attracted her. She didn’t know exactly how she always knew, but she did. It was almost eerie. Of course, that knowledge obviously didn’t let her know if the one who was interested was also dangerous.
He was tall: probably at least six-three. Big yes. But she’d bet her last dollar there wasn’t an ounce of fat on him anywhere. “Thanks,” she mumbled when he sat a bowl in front of her.
Luke smiled and sat across from her. “You look cute as hell in my sweats.”
That smile was lethal. “I’ll bet,” she said dryly. “I’m every man’s fantasy dressed like this.”
She watched his eyes darken and swallowed hard. “Luke?”
His look was intent. “I want you, Storm. We still have this mess to sort out, and it’s way too soon. There are at least a dozen reasons why you should slap me and tell me no, but I want you.”
Storm had never had that kind of desire focused on her before. She certainly hadn’t sensed anything like it from Raymond. Desire, of course. But this? This seemed like something more. Something unstoppable.
“Why?” she asked when she could speak.
He tilted his head, as if pondering the question. “Hell if I know,” he admitted. His cereal forgotten, he got to his feet and walked around the table to where she sat. “I have to taste you,” he said, his voice thick.
“Yes,” she agreed, tilting her face up.
Luke groaned and lowered his head to hers. He kissed her gently at first, wrapping his arms around her slender waist, and pulling her against him. She felt the warmth of his hands against her waist and shivered.
Storm parted her lips willingly when she felt the dart of his tongue against her lips. She moaned softly when he nipped on her lower lip gently, and her legs felt weak. Good thing she was already sitting. How could a simple kiss do this to her?
Then suddenly the time of tender exploration was over and he took her mouth with a voracious hunger, driving deep, demanding and giving at the same time. She went willingly when he pulled her to her feet so he could pull her closer to him.
She could do nothing but respond as a surge of need welled in the pit of her stomach. She met his passion with her own and groaned when he gentled the kiss, teasing her with flicks of his tongue. She felt his hand move up her back and he threaded his fingers in her hair.
Finally, she wrenched her mouth away and looked into his face. His eyes were dark and his breathing was as ragged as her own was. “We shouldn’t do this,” she whispered, trying to find some sanity i
n a world gone mad.
He released her and ran a hand through his hair. “Okay, Storm. Okay.” He took a deep breath, then another.
Storm wasn’t sure if she was relieved or disappointed that he’d agreed so readily, but it had been the right thing to do. She didn’t know him. She was just carried away by the heat of the moment. She sank back down to the chair he’d pulled her from and lowered her head onto shaking hands. “God.”
He gave a short burst of laughter. “Yeah, my thoughts exactly. God, lady, you’re going to burn me up alive when I take you to bed.”
Storm’s eyes widened. “It was just a kiss.”
His eyes narrowed as he leaned down and cupped her cheeks in his rough palms. “Like hell.”
“You don’t even know me,” she whispered shakily.
“Don’t I?” he said. “I know what I need to know, Storm.”
“And what’s that?” she asked, staring into his dark eyes.
“I know that you’re determined, resourceful, brave as hell, and absolutely beautiful,” he said huskily.
She laughed a little at that. “I’m not brave. I ran as fast and as far as I could.”
He kissed her lightly on the forehead, then released her. “Yes. Damn smart thing to do.” Luke ran a hand through his hair again. “We need to talk about exactly what you saw, Storm.”
Luke pulled out a chair and sat next to her. “Tell me again what happened.”
“You believe me?” she asked again, afraid to hope. Desire aside, either she needed his help or she needed to get away. Was he just saying this to try and get her into bed?
He shrugged his shoulders. “Let’s just say that I believe that you saw something that scared you to death. I’m reserving judgment.”
Well, she guessed she’d have to make do with that. “We’d just gotten into another fight. He was insanely jealous. He thought I was messing around with one of his employees.”
“Go on,” he prodded gently, taking her cold hands in his.
“I swore that I wasn’t,” she began, “but he didn’t believe me. Before I knew what was happening, he’d called John into the room and…and…shot him.”
Luke swore. “How did you get away?”
“He didn’t think I’d go. He told me that if I ever looked at another man he’d kill him, and that it was a warning to me. Then, as if nothing had happened, he put the gun in my hand. B-before I could struggle, he’d forced me to pull the trigger. A second bullet into John.” Storm shut her eyes at the memory. “Then he took the gun and left the house.
“I ran. I packed what I could in five minutes, got in my car and ran. I knew he’d say I’d done it if I tried to report him.”
Luke pulled her from her chair and onto his lap. “Shh, it’s over now. Are you sure the man was dead?”
She looked at him. “There was so much blood. He must have been.”
“Alright, darlin’. We’ll find a way to get him. I promise you, we’ll get him. You’re safe with me. I won’t let him near you.” He might have been a natural-born fixer, but he was also a tiger. His protective instincts were not something he’d change even if he could.
“I should just go. It’s not safe for you.” She needed help, but she was terrified of what Raymond would do to anyone that tried to assist her.
“I can take care of myself, Storm. Don’t worry about me.” It was too soon to tell her what he was…at least all of what he was. “I was a cop. And, a SEAL before that. Trust me, I can protect you.”
“Does he know where you live?” she asked worriedly. Why hadn’t she thought of that before? Of course, he’d know how to find him! She didn’t for one minute believe that Raymond wouldn’t be keeping tabs on whomever he’d hired to track her down.
Luke shrugged. “Possibly. Probably. I’m not hiding from anyone. My address is listed with my number. But no one is going to be traveling in this. We are safe enough at least for now.”
“Let me take the Jeep. I’ll leave it somewhere for you. I won’t be responsible for someone else dying,” she said urgently. “I can drive a lot easier now that it’s daylight. Surely the road crews will have gotten some of the roads clear by now.”
Luke tilted her chin with gentle fingers. “No.”
She glared at him. Just that one word. He didn’t understand. “Luke, he’ll kill you. You don’t know what he’s capable of.”
Storm tried to get off his lap, but he held her to him. “Stop it. You’re not going anywhere. We’ll go to the authorities together when the weather clears, Storm. The police chief here is an honest man.”
Storm shook her head. “He has connections everywhere! He knows people everywhere. I need to run. When the storm’s over, I’m leaving. You can’t stop me.”
“Like hell,” he muttered and ground his mouth on hers.
Storm struggled for a few moments and he gentled the kiss, caressing her lips with his. She caught her fingers in his hair, held his head, and let the passion take over. She didn’t want to think about danger and death. She wanted to think about life.
She arched her back when she felt his hand move beneath the heavy material of the sweatshirt she wore. When his fingers found her nipple through her bra, she moaned softly as he teased it gently.
Finally, Luke lifted his head. He stood, with her still in his arms and carried her into the living room. He placed her on the thick carpet next to the fireplace.
Storm looked at him with wide eyes as he stripped off his shirt. His chest was broad and his hips narrow. The dark hair on his chest narrowed to a thin line that disappeared beneath the waist of his jeans. She shivered. Gorgeous. He was gorgeous. She knew she shouldn’t let him make love to her, but she was suddenly powerless to stop it. She wanted this—needed it. She held out her arms to him.
Luke needed no further urging. He knelt next to her and slowly eased the sweatshirt over her head. “I’ve wanted to see you. Ever since I saw you in the car, I think.” He skimmed his fingers along her ribs, and then cupped her breasts over the thin cups of her bra. He found her nipples and pinched them gently.
Storm closed her eyes and arched her back. How could he make her want him so much? She felt him move his fingers to the front clasp of her bra and then his hands were on her, his fingers cool against her heated flesh.
When he lowered his head and took one pouting peak into his mouth, she groaned again and held his head against her. Each tug of his lips and nip of his teeth pulled to the very core of her.
Luke lifted his mouth from her nipple and treated the twin to the same delicious treatment. Storm was lost. Her fingers smoothed down his shoulders and she clutched at his strong arms.
Finally, when she could take no more, she pulled his head up. “Please,” she whispered.
Luke slowly moved his hands to her waist and drew down the huge sweat pants, drawing them down her thighs and letting his fingers caress each smooth inch of skin as he bared it to his heated gaze. “Look at me,” he ordered softly.
Storm opened her eyes slowly and watched his eyes darken even more as his fingers skimmed down her panties. He’d palmed the keys and tossed them aside.
She shivered, but not from cold as his hand cupped her. “Please,” she said again.
“I will please us both,” he promised. He caressed her gently, his fingers slowly caressing the soft folds before finding entrance in the moist heat. He drove his fingers inside her gently and she melted around him, arching into the intimate caress.
Storm flushed. The look on his face was so intent, and his fingers were working magic. She lifted her hips, silently asking for more as he caressed her. She felt the climax building, and cried out his name as he brought her over the edge with a flick of his thumb against her clitoris.
Luke waited until her eyes cleared before speaking. “I knew it would be like this,” he said roughly. He stood and quickly stripped out of his jeans and knelt over her. “Tell me you want me,” he ordered huskily.
“I want you,” she said readily and par
ted her thighs for him to move between them. In the next instant, she felt him slide deep inside her in an agonizingly slow thrust of his hips.
She watched him as his muscles bunched and his jaw clenched with restraint. He was being careful—making sure that he didn’t scare her. She smiled up at him. “I’m not going to break,” she whispered. “Harder.”
He needed no further urging. He drove hard and fast now, releasing the storm within that had been driving him since he’d first kissed her. He moved his hands to her bottom and held her against him as he ground against her. With one final thrust, he shouted his own release as she clenched her inner muscles around him with shuddering spasms.
Storm cried out with her own release as he plunged deeply inside her.
When she could breathe again, she looked up into his eyes.
“Again,” he murmured.
“Again,” she agreed.
Luke smiled down at Storm. “You look pretty pleased with yourself,” she said.
“Uh huh,” he agreed. He brushed his fingers through her tangled hair. “I didn’t protect you.”
Storm wasn’t going to worry. “It should be safe.”
He smiled. “I don’t think I’d care if it wasn’t.”
Storm’s eyes widened. “You wouldn’t?”
If anyone had told him even a week ago that he’d find a woman and fall head over heels in love with her in less than twenty-four hours, he’d have laughed in their face, but that was exactly what had happened. “I wouldn’t.”
“I wasn’t even thinking of protection.”
He laughed at that. “I wasn’t thinking about anything but getting inside you,” he growled. He rolled to his side and brought her over him. “Better?”
She nodded. She could breath and the material of the carpet wasn’t digging into her back. “I’ve never had much luck with men.”
He tugged her hair gently. “You’ve never met the right kind of men, Storm. I promise you, I’m not going to let you be hurt.” He saw the shadow cross her eyes.
“Tell me what you’re thinking.”