by Zara Chase
“I absolutely am.” Caitlyn’s heart lightened. Could it really be that Jared was being so grumpy because he actually wanted her? “I fell for Jared when I saw him in Fort Lauderdale. I couldn’t get anywhere near him but haven’t been able to get him out of my head since then. When he was the first person I saw when I regained consciousness here in Impulse, it felt like I’d come home.”
“Do you have family?” Layla asked.
“No, I was brought up in care. I’ve always wanted to belong somewhere, and that’s what I feel here. A great sense of belonging, of being in a caring community. Does that sound odd?”
“Nope,” Chantal replied, “because that’s exactly how it is. Ryan, that guy who stopped Jared when he walked in, is a beta panther. Jared’s just had to veto his mating with a human whom Jared knew wasn’t suitable. Ryan won’t be happy about that, and the last thing Jared needs right now is a youngster berating him for being heartless.”
“Yes, I guess he’s got bigger things to worry about. Why didn’t he put the guy off?”
“Because we care,” Layla explained. “No one here would ever turn their back on someone else’s problems. We don’t operate that way.”
“True,” Chantal said. “We might live under siege conditions, but on the positive side, the moment you have sex with them you’ll enjoy an elongated life too—”
“Oh, I didn’t know that.”
“When my two get above themselves, I tell them that’s the only reason I mated with them,” Layla said, laughing.
“You’ll be able to breathe the air and hear their pheromones.”
“Their what?”
“Their telepathic communications.”
“Right.” This was almost too much to take in, and Caitlyn felt rather light-headed.
“So, how would you suggest I go about this seduction business when Jared is determined to resist my non-existent charms?”
“Don’t put yourself down, sweetie,” Chantal said, patting her hand. “I’ll get Rafe to make sure that Bryce is needed in the national park tonight.”
“Won’t Jared want to prove himself by going along?”
“Normally yes, but they won’t risk leaving you alone,” Chantal said with a conniving smile. “And then the rest is up to you.”
“You’ve only been here for one day,” Layla said. “It’s not really long enough to be sure.”
“But you two were sure right away.”
“Yes, but we’d had time to adjust.”
“Well, I don’t have that luxury. Mia could call at any time, and I need to restore Jared’s powers before that happens.” She paused. “How quickly does it work?”
“Immediately,” Chantal and Layla said together.
“Good. It might need to.”
“I was in a similar situation to you,” Layla said. “Mikael thought I wanted to mate with him out of a sense of gratitude as well and wasn’t willing.”
“What did you do?”
A devilish smile lit up her pretty face. “Well, perhaps I can give you a bit of practical help there.”
* * * *
Jared suppressed a groan when he saw Ryan lying in wait for him inside the doors to the Cat’s Whiskers. The last thing he needed right now was a young hothead berating him for being a heartless bastard. Talk about lousy timing. Still, Jared owed it to him to hear him out and tried to concentrate as Ryan voiced his feelings about having his human mate rejected.
“I was as mad as hell with you yesterday,” he said. “But then I found her flirting with a young jaguar. She said it was nothing, just a bit of fun, but how could she do that if she was so in love with me?”
“Well, sometimes—”
“I saw her then for what she really was. I got the impression that she enjoyed being amongst so many what she described as ‘sexy hunks.’ She saw us all as a freaking sideshow,” he said angrily. “Perhaps you did me a favor, after all.”
“So you’re not broken-hearted?” What the hell were Caitlyn, Chantal and Layla talking about over there, their heads almost touching, lots of laughter and head shaking going on? “I’m glad.”
“It’s not easy, is it?” Ryan asked with a heavy sigh. “Being a shifter, I mean.”
Jared patted the young panther’s shoulder. “It gets easier with age.”
Ryan grinned. “I’ll have to take your work for it, old man.”
“Cheeky young cub!”
Free at last, Jared wandered toward the table where Caitlyn was seated. He’d join them and they’d eat here in the bar. That would be less intimate than taking a booth in the restaurant. And far safer.
“Hey,” Layla said. “What gives?”
“My stomach,” Jared replied. “I’m famished.”
“Then you’ve come to the right place,” Rochelle, the restaurant manager said, joining the table at the same time as Bryce. “What can I get you all?”
Recommendations were made and orders placed. Others joined them, and the conversation remained neutral. Jared could handle that, even if he was acutely aware of Caitlyn, seated across from him, shooting him long, considering glances from beneath her thick fringe of lashes. She looked right at home as she chatted with people who’d only just been introduced to her and laughed at a silly joke someone told. She acted as though she’d known them forever and been a part of Impulse society for her entire life. As though she actually belonged here.
If only!
As soon as they’d finished, Jared suggested returning home. Caitlyn nodded and stood up straight away.
“I’m hanging on,” Bryce said, winking at Caitlyn as though they shared some sort of guilty secret. “One of us will be needed later.”
“I’ll go,” Jared said, seeing it as a legitimate excuse to avoid being alone with Caitlyn.
“No, it’s okay, I’ve got it.”
“Fine.”
Jared knew it would be churlish to argue. Besides, he honestly didn’t know if he could find the necessary energy to shift, which was one of the many reasons for his curmudgeonly mood. He didn’t know if he could withstand the temptation if he was alone with Caitlyn but would have to, somehow. He whistled to Marvin, who was stretched full-length on the bar, making it impossible for anyone to put their drinks down in his vicinity. Everyone who passed him by paused to scratch his stomach. The cat lifted his head, sent Jared a considering stare, and then jumped down to trot along behind them.
“Here you go, babe.” Layla ran up to Caitlyn, handed her a carrier bag and gave her a swift hug. “Good luck.”
“What’s in there?” Jared asked, taking the bag from her to carry it home.
“Oh, just a few bits that I need. I arrived without luggage, remember.”
“You should have said something earlier. Bryce or I could have run errands for you.”
“You’ve already done enough.”
Jared grunted a non-verbal response and placed a hand on the small of her back to guide her across the road. Even that innocent contact was enough to arouse him. Shit, he really needed to get a grip. He needed to sleep even more. Jared couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so exhausted. Hopefully Caitlyn would want to go straight to bed. To her own bed. Alone. Then he could do the same thing. He didn’t trust her not to do something stupid if left to her own devices, like trying to find her friend Mia without their help.
“Thanks,” she said when they stepped inside and he returned the carrier bag to her.
“Nightcap?” he asked, waving a bottle at her, hoping she’d say yes so that he could spend just a little longer with her. He knew he shouldn’t have made the offer and it would be better all-round if she went straight to bed.
“No thanks. I think I’ll call it a night. I’m exhausted. Good night.”
Jared poured a stiff measure for himself and sat down to savor it, unwilling to examine his disappointment at the speed with which she wanted to part from him. He was already having enough trouble dispelling visions of her sucking Bryce’s cock, and the…yes, jealousy
he’d felt at the time.
“Good night,” he said curtly. “Sleep well.”
Chapter Ten
Caitlyn closed her door behind her, spread the contents of Layla’s carrier bag on the bed and gasped.
“I can’t wear that!” Horrified, she clapped a hand over her mouth. “It’s positively indecent. I’ll look like a cheap tart.”
Which, she supposed, was the point. Men liked women to dress like tarts in private, didn’t they? Layla had been adamant that it would work, and Caitlyn had agreed to try it without fully understanding the rules, obviously. She held up a completely transparent midnight blue…what the hell was it? A shift-like throw was the only way she could describe it. There were matching mules with high wedged heels. Layla and Chantal had been forceful in their instructions. Wear the garments, brush her hair out, and then call Jared to her room on some pretext.
They seemed to know what they were talking about, but she doubted that even this sexy number would break through Jared’s stubbornness. He’d already seen her naked but had managed to resist her supposed charms with insulting ease. Caitlyn was no femme fatale and didn’t know how to turn herself into one. She’d dated a few guys over the years but had never been the one to make the moves. It just wasn’t in her nature.
She sighed, unsure if she could go through with this. The thought of rejection made her cringe with embarrassment. Then she recalled what Jared planned to do for her sake and it strengthened her resolve. He was putting his life on the line for her. He’d almost certainly be killed, and this charming, quirky community that had opened its arms to her would be weakened by his loss. Once one alpha was vanquished, Impulse would no longer be viewed as impregnable, and that might be all it took for the entire house of cards to come tumbling down. She couldn’t allow that to happen without at least trying to do something about it.
Caitlyn threw off her clothes and examined her body critically in the full-length bathroom mirror, trying to see herself as others would.
As Jared would.
Her tits were reasonably firm, if smaller than she’d like, and her tummy was flat. Her legs were her best feature, and he wouldn’t be able to help noticing them through the non-existent throw thing. Before she could have a change of heart Caitlyn raised her arms and the garment slithered over her body like a silent promise. She giggled. It had a primly high neck, came down to her ankles and long sleeves covered her arms, but it might as well not be there at all because her entire body was visible through it, cast in blue shadow. She slipped her feet into the shoes, elevating her height to a confidence-giving five-nine.
Now what? She grabbed a brush and vigorously attacked her hair until it crackled with static electricity. It settled like a halo around her face and tumbled down her back in its usual riot of unruly curls. Layla had been right—at least about her hair—it complemented the color of the thing she was wearing. Marvin sat on the edge of the tub, watching her without blinking. At least he didn’t laugh, which she supposed was something.
“Right, Marvin, it’s now or never. Wish me luck.”
Caitlyn swallowed down her nerves and opened the door. She hoped Jared was still in the living room and that she wouldn’t have to venture out in her seduction kit to look for him.
“Jared,” she called softly. “Are you there?”
“What is it?” He sounded concerned. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, but I need your help. The bathroom faucet’s stuck.”
A long hesitation. “I’ll be right there.”
Caitlyn, her heart hammering a loud tattoo against her ribcage, stood behind the door. It could only have been a moment or two before he appeared, but it felt like forever. When he stepped into the room she slammed the door shut, turned the key in the lock and threw it under the bed. He spun around, his reflexes lithe and coordinated, saw her standing there in her almost-dress and grunted an inaudible curse. He dropped his hands from the fighting stance they’d adopted as his gaze slithered down her body in a slow, lazy perusal that fired her blood and reinforced her determination.
“What the fuck…”
“Good choice of words.” She grabbed a handful of his shirt and walked backwards toward the bed, pulling him along with her. He seemed too stunned to resist. “You and I need to talk.”
“Not in here.” He swallowed. “I have to tell you, it’s not a good idea.”
“Well, I disagree.”
Her legs hit the bed and she tumbled backwards onto it. She was forced to let go of his shirt, but since he hadn’t torn his gaze away from her body she figured he wasn’t desperate enough to break down the locked door so he could escape.
“Sit down, Jared. I have a question I need to ask you.”
“A question?”
“Yep.”
He cleared his throat. “Er, what sort of a question?”
He perched his buttocks on the edge of the mattress, clearly trying to look casual, but his eyes gave him away. Was it desire, lust, or annoyance she could see reflected in their depths? It could be any one of those things but most definitely wasn’t indifference. Jared Carlton, for all his playacting, didn’t feel indifferent toward her. But what did he feel? Just in case it was annoyance and he was looking for a gentle way to reject her, she blurted out her rehearsed explanation before nerves got the better of her.
“When we met in Fort Lauderdale…well, since then I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.”
She paused, hoping he’d say something to help her out. He didn’t. He merely remained where he was, sitting stock-still and simply staring at her, almost as though he didn’t have the strength or will to move. Shit, he wasn’t making this easy for her.
“When I woke up here and the first person I saw was you sitting beside my bed, I…well, I felt like it was an answer to my wildest fantasy.”
He blinked. Damn it, anyone would think she’d spoken in Swahili and he was struggling to understand her. “You did?”
She nodded. “I did.”
“Impulse isn’t a fantasy, Caitlyn. It’s a dangerous way of life.”
“Weren’t you ever-so-slightly pleased to see me here?”
He shook his head. “What do you want me to say?”
“I want you to tell me the truth.”
“I was glad we could save your life.”
“Oh, this is ridiculous.” Caitlyn’s nerves couldn’t handle all this cat and mouse stuff. Drastic action was called for. “Jared Carlton, will you and Bryce kindly make me your mate?”
He gaped at her. “You’re proposing to us?”
She looked into his eyes, searching for signs of derision. All she could detect was fledgling hope. “It looks that way.” She reached up and ran a hand through his hair, pushing it away from his eyes so he could benefit from her best assault glare. “Someone has to take control of this farcical situation.”
“I’m flattered, babe, but you can’t possibly understand what you’re volunteering to take on. You simply haven’t been here long enough to know.”
“Stop treating me like I don’t know my own mind. I already told you, you changed something inside me in Fort Lauderdale, when we didn’t even get to spend any time alone.” She smiled, gaining in confidence when he didn’t scoff. “All we did was cross swords in a crowded room, but I felt the connection then, and I feel it even more strongly now.”
“But Impulse… Life here is—”
“Chantal told me that when she first met Rafe and Vilas it was as though a missing part of her slotted into place and she felt completely…well, complete.” She ran her index finger across his lips. “That’s precisely how I feel when I’m with you and Bryce.”
“Chantal put you up to this.” He ground his jaw. “I wondered what you ladies were talking about. I thought better of her than that. Rafe will be furious.”
“Who’s going to tell him? Besides, Chantal didn’t put me up to anything. I’m a grown-up, Jared. I know my own mind.” She giggled. “Layla just suggested how I mi
ght get your interest, that’s all.”
For the first time, a tiny smile broke through Jared’s guard. “Well, at least she got that part right.”
“You know my history,” she said, sensing the time had come to really lay it on the line. “I’ve always wanted to belong. To be loved for who I am, not for what someone might want from me. I feel that love here in Impulse. I sensed it from the get-go. I want to be here for the rest of my life, Jared, with you and Bryce. But only if you both want me for your mate. If you don’t feel that you could love me, now’s the time to say so.”
* * * *
Jared felt himself slowly drowning in the depths of her magnetic silver eyes. Of all the stunts to pull! He should be angry with her for trying to manipulate him into doing something she’d later regret. He ought to be even angrier with himself for falling for it. He’d been wary of coming to her room when she called for his help, sensing her problem had nothing to do with a stuck faucet. The moment he laid eyes on her in that goddamned outfit, he knew he was lost. He wanted to tell her that she didn’t need sexy clothes to impress him. When it came to her, he was already a lost cause.
Too tired to lift a glass to his lips ten minutes previously, he now felt imbued with energy, just at the prospect of what they could do right here and now. If he was prepared to give her the benefit of the doubt and accept she knew her own mind. Dare he admit that he’d felt the same way about her ever since Fort Lauderdale? That he and Bryce had rejected two highly-suitable prospective mates since then, even though they were in desperate need, because Jared couldn’t get past his recollections of how goddamned perfect Caitlyn was? If he did that, there’d be no going back. There wasn’t one iota of doubt in his own mind, but he still wasn’t convinced she could possibly know what she wanted so soon after learning the truth about Impulse.
“Say something,” she said in a tiny voice, dropping her fingers from his face. “I’ve poured out my heart, but if you don’t want me, now’s the time to say so.”
She looked away but not so fast that he didn’t see the hurt in her eyes, tears seeping from their corners. That he was responsible for her distress melted his dwindling resistance. No one else would cut it for him other than this feisty, opinionated yet highly vulnerable little witch who’d spent her life up until now feeling like a fish out of water. She was offering him that which he’d almost given up hope of ever finding, and yet he hadn’t jumped at the opportunity. Was he insane? If it ended in tears, then so be it. A little part of Caitlyn would be better than a lifetime with anyone else.