Rein was manning the place. As soon as she got near, her friend’s eyes lit up.
“Sella!”
She gave Rein a hug. “I can’t thank you enough for watching things for me.” Her friend couldn’t keep her gaze off her men. Introductions were absolutely needed before Rein embarrassed all of them. “These are my new friends, Gage and Will.” She saw no reason to say they were visitors from Earth. There would be no end to the questions, even though their foot attire would indicate they weren’t from here.
Rein held out her hand as if touching them would give her the adventure of a lifetime. Hey, maybe it would.
“Rein, my men need to get some sandals.”
When Rein looked down at their feet, she suppressed a giggle. “Sure.”
Sella kept her inventory in back, but first she had to measure their feet. “Once I know your size, you can pick out what appeals to you.”
When she’d been in Spirit, she’d stopped in at a few shoe stores. Only a few had any sandals at all. That wasn’t surprising, given it was wintertime. Gage and Will walked all around the space, examining the shoes. The design was probably more sturdy than what they would find in Spirit, but the shape of the foot remained the same.
Will waved one. “I love this one.” Gage picked a different one.
“Step on this.” It was an electronic device that used lasers to measure their feet. “Got it. Be right back.”
She returned with their choices. When they slipped on the sandals, she had to admit they were the most handsome-looking men in Anterra. Now the only reason for anyone to stare was because no one recognized them, as they rarely got newcomers in Anterra. Too bad the men weren’t staying. Adding new blood to the gene pool would be welcome.
“These are amazing.” Will walked back and forth. “Oh, shit. My wallet is in my pants back at Taryn and Kellum’s.”
She laughed. “We don’t have credit cards exactly like you do or use paper money.”
His mouth narrowed. “How do people buy things?”
She briefly explained that when a person worked, credit appeared on his card. “So it’s only kind of like your credit card. We do a lot of bartering of skills, too.”
If the men ever moved here, their net worth would be zero. From what she could tell, these men loved the high life and would never want to give up their status. Every time she thought about them returning to their home, her stomach ached and her head throbbed. Her pussy had a completely different kind of depression. Never again would she reach such high plateaus of love.
Love? Is that what this constant euphoria was?
Yes.
She put their boots in bags and handed them their gear. “Ready to do some more exploring?” She hugged Rein good-bye.
“You bet.” Will grabbed her and pulled her close.
His kiss was warm and toe-tingling. While she bet there were more glances on them than there were bees in the forest, she didn’t mind. At least for a few more days she wanted to feel the wonderful excitement that came with being in love.
She had intended to show them how the citizens lived next, but they kept stopping at all the stores, especially the ones that displayed electronics.
“What’s this for?” Gage asked.
“That measures air quality.”
“We could use one of these at home.”
She chuckled. “It’s calibrated to our atmosphere.”
“Darn.”
There were a lot of items she couldn’t explain in Earth terms since the two places were quite different. “Let’s take the tram to the residential area.” Otherwise, the tram would stop running by the time they were ready to leave.
She couldn’t help but smile every time one pointed something out to the other. Having them like her world was more important to her than she’d realized.
She’d debated whether to introduce them to her family but decided, why get her mother’s hopes up that these men might stay? Knowing her mom, she’d ask if they’d gotten her pregnant yet. Hopefully, after Lara gave her the first grandchild, her focus wouldn’t be much on finding a mate or mates for her. Her hand automatically shot to her stomach. She longed for a child, but she always figured she’d be one of those women who took care of others’ children since she’d never find a man she could truly love. Once Will and Gage left Anterra, her hopes of finding someone else seemed slim.
“Sella? Is something wrong?”
Had she been daydreaming? “No. I’m good.” Damn. They seemed to feel bad enough that they had to leave her, and she didn’t want to lay more of a guilt trip on them.
When the tram arrived, they got on. At this time of day, there were few seats left, so the men insisted she take the seat while they stood in front of her, acting like she needed to be protected. That wasn’t the case, but she appreciated their concern. Their gazes raked over the people as well as what was zipping by outside, seeming to take in every detail.
Even though she knew they’d agreed to visit the underground mostly to pass the time until the alignment point lined up, she prayed that a part of them would find the place enjoyable and be intrigued enough to want to come back and visit. Surely, they cared enough for her to want to see her again.
Don’t cry.
Why was she being so emotional? Damn. Maybe there was a reason why the Anterrans frowned upon visiting Earth. They knew the dangers of meeting exciting Earth men.
“Sella? Isn’t this where you said we need to get off?”
She sniffled and nodded. Plastering on a smile, she stood and exited the tram. “Yes. This is primarily where the residents live.”
While they were underground, between all the solar tubes and trees that thrived with little light, it looked like some of the street scenes she’d seen on American television.
“I never would have guessed it could feel like I’m outdoors when I know I’m not.” Will’s gaze bounced all over the place.
“The temperature is constant down here, and there are no threats. Without cars whipping by, it’s safe for little kids to be running around.”
Gage cocked a brow. “You have no crime?”
“We do, but it’s from our own people. Mostly it’s from those who are too lazy to work. Some things don’t change from one reality to the next, I guess.”
When they came to her parents’ house she merely pointed it out. “Here’s where I live.” She was almost embarrassed to be residing in one of the largest homes on the block.
“Nice. Can we go in?”
She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t want to subject you to my mother. She’ll grill you.”
Gage laughed. “Some other time then.”
The problem was that there would be no other time. Her heart slowed, and that queasy feeling filled her again. She wondered if she’d ever feel the same again. Even when she went home at night, she’d stand here and remember how in awe they were at just about everything. “I guess we should head back. We’ve had a long day, and I don’t want to tire you two out.” As much as she tried to keep upbeat, her voice failed to come out cheery.
Gage pulled her close. “The only thing that took any energy was making love to you.” He leaned over and kissed her. “And I’d do it again in a heartbeat, even if I was near to death.”
She was so going to miss this closeness. “You sure you two don’t want to live here?” She added a laugh to show them she was kidding, but deep in her heart she was serious.
“Sella, if we could make a living and have you in our lives, we would be here, but we own a company that needs running.” Gage dragged a finger down her cheek, and her damned pussy leaked.
She knew he’d say that. The tram arrived just in time for her not to have to respond. If she said anything, the tears would come, and she wasn’t ready for that kind of good-bye just yet.
When they got back to the tree house, Kellum was inside cooking. He looked up and smiled. “You all look like you had a good day.”
He had telepathic powers, but he couldn’t know what had transpired ne
ar the waterfall. “We ran into Jalen.”
“Oh, yeah? He up to his old mind tricks again?”
She laughed but immediately sobered when the two men frowned. “Kind of.”
Kellum chopped the vegetables. “I was near the alignment point this afternoon. It should be close enough by tonight.”
Her legs weakened, and it felt as if someone had punched her in the stomach. Will must have seen her visceral reaction and wrapped an arm around her waist.
“I guess we better gather our gear.”
She wanted to follow them in and watch them, but she thought they might need some time to themselves.
* * * *
As soon as they both got into the room, Will closed the door. “I want to stay.”
Gage had been expecting his reaction. “We can’t, and you know it.”
“Why?” He folded his arms over his chest, an action that spelled trouble.
A strange urge to shift and pounce came over him, but he knocked down his animal instinct. “We are so out of our element here. Could you live underground with no money and no ability to make money?”
“We could join Taryn and Kellum’s security detail.”
“We suck at fighting.” Why would he want to put his life in constant danger when he didn’t have to? While he hadn’t been severely injured, the wounds still hurt like a bitch. He couldn’t imagine the pain Malik must have suffered. “We have a great life in Miami. Are you willing to give up the view of the ocean, the salt breeze in your face, the sand between your toes, and the power of the WaveRunner under you?”
Will stepped forward and for the first time ever, a shiver of fear raced down his body. Gage had never seen his brother’s body this intense—until now.
“Yes. For the right woman, and Sella is that woman. I love her and I want her.”
Shit. He did, too, dammit. He stabbed a hand through his hair. “She turned my world upside down, but there has to be a way to make all of us happy.”
“Sella belongs in this world. She’s pure and sweet and wonderful.”
His mind raced, trying to find a solution. “She wants adventure and loves learning new things. If that wasn’t true, we wouldn’t have found her in Spirit in the first place.”
His gut churned, and he paced in front of Will. Perhaps together they could figure out what to do. He wanted to spend a week in bed, holding her and making sweet love with her, but the longer they stayed, the more she’d be able to hook her claws into them. Sella never wanted them for their possessions, only for who they were. She wanted to make them see their potential, and for that he could never forget her.
“Ask her to come to Miami.”
He stopped pacing and weighed the pros and cons. “She’ll never say yes. Don’t you see how much she loves her family? Lara is like a sister to her.”
“How about if we promise to bring her back for a visit when Lara’s baby is born?”
The idea had merit. He wanted to say yes, but he wasn’t sure if he was thinking with his dick or with his brain. The logistics would be a nightmare. She had no ID. Hell, she wasn’t even from this reality. It gave new meaning to being an illegal alien.
Gage shook his head. “What if she says no?” His stomach roiled, and he tasted bile in his mouth. Never had a woman turned him inside out like this before. She was light and everything good.
Will straightened his shoulders. “Then I’ll stay. You go back to Miami and run the business yourself.”
He was tempted to shake some sense into his brother. The problem was that he thought the same thing. “We’re a team, bro. We’ve always been together.”
“I think she’ll come with us. We have a connection that is strong. Besides, I think she loves us.”
“If only that were true.”
Will punched him lightly in the arm. “Let’s ask her.”
They had nothing to lose. If she told them no, they’d be devastated.
* * * *
The men returned looking way too somber.
“Come with us. We want to talk with you.” When Gage raised his gaze at her brother she guessed he wanted to talk to her in private.
“Sure.”
She followed them back to the bedroom. This was the moment she dreaded. Saying good-bye was going to be so hard.
“Please sit on the bed. We want to talk to you about something.” Gage had turned so serious.
“Okay.” She clasped her hands on her lap and tried not to bounce her leg.
“Will and I have been talking.” He sat on the bed next to her while Will pulled up a chair and faced her. “We adore you. You are everything we want in a woman.”
She knew there was a but coming. When he didn’t say anything, she felt obligated to fill in the silence. “Thank you. I adore both of you, too.”
He let out a breath. “Here’s the thing. We don’t belong here, but you love adventure. How about living with us in Miami?”
Gage squeezed her hand. Her mind whirred with so many thoughts they kept colliding with each other. “I don’t know. What could I do for a living?”
They both smiled. “You don’t need to do anything. You could walk on the beach, soak up the sun, read, or do whatever you want to.”
That wasn’t the way she was programmed. “I’m not the type to sit around all day. I have to feel useful.” She caught the twinkle in their eyes. “And I don’t just mean in the bedroom. I could cook and clean for you if you let me stay with you.”
Gage’s cheer disappeared. “We aren’t looking for a housekeeper. We want to show you how wonderful it can be in our world.” He pulled her close. “Look, give it a try. If you aren’t happy, then you can always return.”
She was so tempted. “It’s not that easy. I can’t find the alignment point, and there is no way to contact my brothers once I’m in Spirit.”
“We’ll come back with you. We can find the point for you, or so you claim.”
They seemed to have all the answers. “Can I think about it?” Her stomach was in knots, and her pulse was racing. The adventurous spirit in her wanted to go, but her common sense told her she’d be lost. She loved her family and relied on them for so many things.
Will got up from the chair and pulled her to her feet. “Come here.”
His hug sent warmth through her body. Her nipples pebbled against his bare chest and bubbles of pleasure rippled up her body. She knew what he was doing. He was trying to remind her of what she would be missing.
“I really want to, but—”
“We don’t have much time. I wish we could give you a month to talk it over with your family, but we need to know now.” He nuzzled her neck and let his hands caress her back and then her ass.
She closed her eyes and inhaled, trying to imagine what it could be like. Life would be exciting and adventurous. Their willingness to return her home would give her an out, but could she leave everything she held dear?
Chapter Thirteen
Sella’s mind raced. So much of her wanted to say yes, but in the end she knew she’d be a hindrance. She belonged in Anterra. She, too, had a successful business, though she supposed she could always find a way to start a new one.
Damn. Why did she have to make a choice like this?
“So what will it be?” Will asked.
She stood and faced them. “I can’t. I would beg you two to stay, but I know that you don’t belong in my world any more than I belong in yours.” Tears streamed down her face and clogged her throat.
Kellum knocked on the door and pushed it open. “It’s time.”
Her body filled with lead, making it impossible to move. Both men nodded and picked up their gear. They’d dressed in their winter gear, reminding her of when she’d met them. Will and Gage both hugged her at the same time.
“Are you going to come with us?”
Seeing them walk through the alignment point would completely rip her heart in half. “I can’t.”
“I understand.” Gage pulled her against his chest and h
ugged her so tight she could barely breathe, but she never wanted him to let go.
“You’ve changed both of our lives.”
“I can say the same. I can never thank you enough.”
Will placed a hand on her shoulder. “I will never forget you.” The kiss was long and tender.
“You need to go.” A bubble formed in her mouth. If they didn’t walk away right then, she’d start blubbering.
She was certain the shimmers in their eyes were tears.
“I’ll be back, Sella.”
She couldn’t even make eye contact with her brother. Instead of seeing them to the door, she threw herself on the bed and wailed.
* * * *
If it hadn’t been for Gage, Will bet he would have relented and headed straight back to Sella. As it was, it took three tries to shift since his concentration had turned to shit. Thanks to Kellum and his guidance, he was able to refocus and become a lion. That wouldn’t have been necessary if the alignment point hadn’t been up in a tree.
“When you leap, there will be another tree on the other side. Good luck, my friend.”
That was almost the same farewell that Jalen had used. He would have liked to have had the time to sit down with the bear shifter and asked him questions on how he’d been able to confuse them so well.
He mentally shrugged. Maybe next time.
Let’s go.
It was still bizarre to be able to communicate with his brother without talking. There were so many things they were going to miss. They’d already discussed that if no people were around when they got to the path, they would shift back into human form right away. They couldn’t be sure there wouldn’t be wolves around, nor could they be sure they wouldn’t be seen by others since most of the trees lacked foliage.
Gage went first. As soon as his brother disappeared, he leaped. Gage was already halfway down the trunk when Will landed on the branch. The moment Gage reached the ground, he shifted. Will followed suit.
The cold air snuck down his jacket. In the week they’d been in Anterra, he’d gotten used to the balmy weather. He’d be glad when they got back to Miami.
Stray Cats [High-Country Shifters 2] Page 13