by R. E. Butler
“Where are they?” Her voice was breathless as he slipped his fingers forward and under the hem of the top, rubbing her bare stomach.
“We don’t know, exactly. Most of them appear to be in Canada after they left our old home in King, Pennsylvania. Every now and then, they try to interfere in our lives, but we do our best to be watchful and keep each other safe.”
She leaned back slightly against his chest, and he flattened his hands on her stomach under the shirt, stroking her soft skin. He lowered his mouth to her neck and pressed a kiss to the place under her ear. She didn’t pull away but pressed herself back against him harder and rested her hands on top of his.
He kissed down her throat, his cat purring in happiness, and his cock hardening and pressing into her back. The only thing between them was the silky material of her sleep shorts and the thin fabric of his boxer briefs, but he wasn’t going to go there. Not without John, and not without making sure that there was more to what was happening between them aside from scratching an itch. She was still so closed off emotionally, but it had only been a full day since she was freed from her banishment and threat of death. He didn’t expect a complete turnaround so soon, but this was a nice development. At least she found them sexually attractive and trusted them enough to sleep in the same bed with them.
She pushed on his hands as her head tilted to give him more access to her neck. His fingers brushed the loose waistband of her shorts and he hesitated. He didn’t want to make love to her right now. Well, he sure as hell did, but it wasn’t fair to John for him and Rue to move forward physically while he was out hunting with the kids. His cat snarled. Mine.
For a moment, he wondered if she was trying to play him, but a quick inhale of her amazing scent told him she wasn’t pretending to be turned on, she really was. He slid his fingers under the band and ran them along her skin. She shivered, her head resting on his shoulder and her hands still pressing against his — not to push him away, but to direct him where she wanted him to go.
“Rue?” he whispered her name into her ear.
Her head moved back and forth as if she was shaking her head. “I can’t think past how turned on I am.” She turned her head and pressed her lips to his, her hips moving back to rub her soft cheeks against his hard length. He groaned at the sweet taste of her mouth, forgetting all about John on the ground below.
Their tongues slipped together, seeking and savoring. A tingle wove up his spine with each stroke of his tongue as his cat rolled and purred. She pushed down on his hands again and wiggled against him, his cock hardening painfully. Part of him, maybe the animal that wanted to claim her, was howling at him to rip her shorts off and take her. But the better part of him knew that he couldn’t – wouldn’t – take her like that. Not now, when their relationship was so up in the air, and she still seemed to be keeping one eye on the door. He could make her happy, though, and take care of her.
He slid his hands into her shorts, keeping one pressed to her lower stomach to hold her close to his body, as his other hand delved between her legs with a slow, sweeping caress. She was bare, the lips of her sex smooth against his fingers. She tried to press her hips forward, but he stopped her from moving and she groaned into his mouth.
His fingers slipped through the silky evidence of her arousal, as he found her clit and began to stroke it. His touch was light and quick; the hard bud swelled under his touch. He stroked downward, teasing the opening of her pussy until she groaned into his mouth and then broke their kiss. He opened his eyes and stared into the depths of hers that were swirling from green to blue. He pushed his finger inside her and her breath caught in her throat. Stroking her inner walls, he reveled in the silky feel of her most intimate place and the heady scent of her arousal that continued to deepen and sweeten.
Two fingers pierced her, pushing hard and fast. Her nails dug into his hand, and she seemed to be holding herself against him harder than he was holding her. Her hips rocked as their eyes stayed locked to each other, his fingers delving inside her again and again. His thumb pressed against her clit and she moaned, biting her lower lip.
“Come for me, Rue. Let me feel you fall apart.”
“James,” she moaned his name, her body undulating against his as he thumbed her clit and stroked her pussy. He scented the moment she was about to come, her scent calling to a deep, feral part of him. His fangs elongated and his body felt strung tight like a bow. And then she came. Her pussy clamped down on his fingers, and her clit throbbed under his thumb as he stroked her to the height of pleasure. Her eyes squeezed shut, and she cried out, her hands pressing against his as he felt her pleasure crest and then fade.
There was a moment when time seemed to stand still, the very air around them unmoving as he stood behind her, his fingers buried in her still-throbbing pussy.
Then she pulled his hands from her body and spun to face him, her face a fierce mask of desire and want. She grasped his wrist tightly and lifted his hand between them. His fingers were glossy with her come, and she pushed his hand toward his mouth and watched as he licked his fingers clean of the sweet taste of her. Her eyes were still a swirl of blue and green, the woman and cat mixed together in their pleasure.
She dropped to her knees, her hair falling like a white wave down her back as she dragged his shorts down and grasped his cock with both hands. He groaned and pressed his hand to the wall next to the window. Cupping her face with his other hand, he lifted her chin until she was looking at him.
Before he could say anything, she whispered, “Don’t tell me I don’t have to do this, James. I want to. I’ve never wanted anything more than I do right this moment. Give yourself to me the way I gave myself to you. Please.”
He caressed her lower lip with his thumb. “I would never deny you, love.”
She squeezed his shaft, and he pressed his hand harder against the wall, locking his knees to keep from falling. She licked the head tentatively, hummed in pleased surprise, and licked him again. Exploring the throbbing head of his cock with her tongue, she tasted all of him, swirling and flicking her tongue. When she opened her lips wide and took him into her mouth, he thought he might combust. Just burst into ashes right there in the bedroom. It was so good. She made little humming noises in her throat that drove him wild, and he struggled not to move his hips and force himself into her mouth.
She let go of his cock with her hands and gripped his hips, her fingers digging into his flesh as she bobbed her head on him. She looked so beautiful, taking care of him because she wanted to, her lips swollen from their kisses. He’d been close to coming when she’d climaxed, and now he was right back on the edge, torn between letting go and holding back.
She moved faster on him, her tongue teasing the underside of his cock as she took him into her mouth faster and faster. He remembered how sweet she’d smelled when she came, and the rush of heat around his fingers as her climax had taken over. He slipped his hand into her hair, feeling the silky strands as they wrapped around his fingers, and she cast her gaze up to his and he lost control. His muscles tightened, his balls drew up, and his cock throbbed as she took him deep into her mouth once more and he came. He groaned loudly, fisting her hair and pressing his other hand hard into the wall. She grasped his cock with her hands and drank him down with a throaty moan, letting him slip from her mouth with a satisfied groan.
He stared down at her. He didn’t move because he wasn’t sure he wouldn’t toss her to the bed, strip her clothes, and make love to her. The blue in her eyes slowly faded to green, the look of hot pleasure replaced by something that resembled guilt, but she smiled and the regret he’d seen disappeared, making him wonder if he’d seen it at all. She stood slowly, her body bumping his as her fingers trailed up his back, and she hugged herself to him. Kissing his throat, she said, “I want to say thank you, but that feels tacky.”
He chuckled and kissed her forehead. “You’re amazing.”
She lifted her head and smiled at him. “You’re not so bad yoursel
f. I’m going to take a shower. Do you think there’s any breakfast downstairs?”
“If not, I’ll make us something. What sounds good?” He released her reluctantly. She walked over to her bag that he’d had brought from the hotel and unzipped it.
“Thinking about John and the kids hunting makes me want to have some red meat. Maybe steak and eggs?”
“You bet.”
She smiled at him and turned her attention to her bag, where she pulled out the short stack of clothes and a bag of toiletries. He pulled on his jeans from the night before, deciding to take a shower after they ate. As he watched her walk into the bathroom humming a tune, he wondered if what they had shared was a sign of her rethinking taking off with Dom.
He certainly hoped it was.
Chapter 14
Rue shut the door to the bathroom and turned on the shower, and then she pressed her ear to the door and listened. After a minute, the bedroom door opened and shut, and she knew that James was heading down to the kitchen.
She opened the bathroom door and walked quickly to the nightstand where she’d seen James’ phone next to his car keys. It was still there and she breathed a sigh of relief, doubly thankful when she pressed the button and the phone activated immediately because he hadn’t set a passcode. Opening the contacts, she found Jackson Whitman’s name and opened a text message.
Would you bring Rue’s car back to the house tonight? she typed and then pressed send.
She stared at the screen, keeping one ear tuned to the door in case James returned suddenly. It felt like an eternity before Jax responded.
“No problem.”
Thanks, she typed back and then waited a few minutes to make sure that Jax didn’t text again. Then she deleted the message. After putting the phone on the nightstand exactly how James had left it, she darted back into the bathroom and shut the door. Relief and guilt twined together inside her like choking vines and her cat was right there, snarling in protest. She hated being deceitful, especially to the two males who had stood beside her when it could have cost them their lives, but she had to leave. They might believe that the threat against her was gone; they might believe that they could keep her and Dom safe, but the only thing she really knew for sure was that the only way to be truly safe was to leave. She wanted to have faith in what they believed, that her life could be different now, but the moment she let her guard down, something terrible would happen. She’d seen the vicious cycle. Every time she trusted someone, horrible things happened. She’d tested fate too many times and she couldn’t handle putting herself and Dom at risk again.
She stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. Her plan was to grab Dom tonight after everyone went to bed and sneak out, take the rental car, and run to Michigan and then go north. She needed to just walk away without any further physical interaction with them. If she let them touch her tonight, then she’d never be able to leave. It would be far less cruel if she’d just leave, even though she wasn’t sure she had the strength.
* * * * *
John led the boys back toward the house after their run. Henry was still getting used to being in his shift since he hadn’t been sixteen very long, but he was a quick learner. Dom, on the other hand, had been shifting for almost a year, but he’d never been allowed to hunt outside because it was too dangerous. John couldn’t imagine what it was like to be cooped up in a house when the natural instincts of the cat were difficult to ignore.
When John first shifted, their father had taken him out by himself and ran with him for hours. He’d shared all his knowledge and encouraged John to make the most out of his shifted form, including using his instincts when he was in his human form as well, which had helped him during the years in his job on the force. His sense of smell and his increased hearing abilities had benefited him in and out of the woods many times.
They’d been hunting for hours. The boys worked very well together, even though they hardly knew each other. He wondered about their connection. Paranormal creatures sometimes had unexplainable connections to each other, and he figured this was probably one of those instances. It strengthened his belief that Rue was meant to be his and John’s mate, since Henry and Dom were already treating each other like brothers.
John padded over to his jeans, shifted back to his human form, and dressed.
The screen door opened and Jilly walked out. “How were the woods?”
“Good,” he answered, giving her hug and kissing the top of her head. It felt so good to have his family all together in the same house.
Jilly chuckled and John looked over to see the two boys still in their shifts, stalking each other.
“Dom’s bigger than the other panthers, even Hanai who is the biggest one in their clan. Do you suppose it’s because he’s an albino? Is Rue bigger?”
“She’s larger than any females I’ve ever known, but I don’t really know how she compares to other panther females. Maybe it’s part of the genetic makeup to be larger.”
“It’s probably helpful to be bigger when you’re different in their culture, so they can fend off the people who would want to kill them for it.”
John grunted in agreement. Dom climbed up onto the picnic table and leaned over the edge, peering at Henry who was batting at a butterfly nearby. With no warning outside of a playful purr, Dom leapt at Henry and tackled him, and the two rolled together across the yard.
“How is Rue doing?”
“There are moments when I think she’s let down her defenses, but then she’ll slam them back up again.”
Jilly was quiet for a few moments while they watched the boys stalk and tackle each other. They reminded John of him and his brothers growing up. He’d never thought about how lonely Henry must have felt not having any brothers. He should have, he realized, after Alek had confessed to feeling like the odd-man-out himself. Alek had found Lachlyn, and he shared her with Jericho, but there was a long period of time when Alek thought he was going to be alone forever.
“I’d like to take her over to Callie’s.”
“Oh?”
“Callie fought her attraction to Ethan and Eryx in the beginning, too. I know the circumstances are different, but she still had two males who wanted to keep her when she had other plans, and that’s a lot like Rue. I kind of felt like that, too. When Wyked and Fate first marked me and I had all these new emotions and the release of my memories, I tried to go back to my old life and ignore what I’d felt with them. It was too hard for me, you know. I only lasted a week before I had to go back to them, but if Rue is determined to go back to her way of life, you have to show her that things can be different.”
“They are different and she knows it,” John groused. “She knows the banishment was lifted, Gerarli is dead, and her parents are like living ghosts, trapped in the clan for the rest of their lives. No one wants to hurt her or Dom anymore.”
“Dad,” Jilly sighed exasperatedly, “she hasn’t known anything for the last twenty or so years except hiding and keeping people at arms’ length. You can tell her she’s safe until you’re blue in the face, but until she feels it, she won’t believe it. Taking Dom out in his shifted form was probably a good start. She will see that he wasn’t chased through the woods by angry villagers with torches, but I think the best thing you can do is get her out of the house and let her experience life without the wigs and heavy perfumes she was using to hide her identity.”
“You’re talking about a date?”
She shrugged. “Why not? Dom told me and Fate this morning that his mom has never gone out on a date. That’s sad, don’t you think? So get dressed up, take her out, and show her off. When she sees that no one cares about her hair color, I bet she’ll start relaxing her guard a little.”
John watched as Henry sailed through the air and missed Dom completely. Dom made a sound that seemed a lot like a laugh, and the two chased each other again. He’d never had to be alone. He’d always had his brothers close by. When Jilly wouldn’t sleep through the night as an infant, Gr
ant had come over and walked the floor with her for hours trying to soothe her while John got some much needed sleep. When he’d had to work the occasional night shift, James had taken both kids into his house and even given them a bedroom of their own so they felt comfortable there.
Rue had never had any of that. From age sixteen on, she’d been utterly alone. Scared to death to trust anyone, probably looking over her shoulder constantly. He had expected her to trust them when they said she was safe, but he realized now that he had no right to ask that of her. He couldn’t make her trust them; she had to come to that conclusion on her own. Spending time with the females was a good start, and so was taking her out on a date.
“I think taking her to Callie’s house is a great idea.”
“And the date?”
“I have to work tonight, but I’ll talk to James about getting reservations somewhere nice.”
Jilly went on her toes and kissed him on the cheek, waved at the two cats who looked like they were trying to high-five each other, and then headed into the house. Henry and Dom shifted at almost the exact same time, and John grabbed their shorts off the picnic table and handed them to each one.
“Melody is going down to her old home to visit her friend Scarlett with Micah and Tristan. She said we could come along if we want,” Henry said.
“When?”
“They’re leaving tomorrow morning and they’ll be back late tomorrow night. It’s just for the day. Micah said one of the brothers of Melody’s friend, Scarlett, is graduating from college and the pack is having a party for him,” Henry said.