“Thanks, but I’m on my way to meet Macey for lunch.”
Rain smiled and raised her eyebrows. “Have you seen Bryce lately?”
She paused, unaccustomed to talking about her feelings, and warmth unfurled in her chest. “I’m seeing him tonight.” Was that giddiness bubbling from her stomach? No, it had to be heartburn.
“Good. Stop by if you have a chance before you leave town.”
“I will.” She grinned and hung a left on St. Peter. It might not hurt to stick around for a while this time. She hadn’t heard a peep from Eric or his dad, so that mess had probably blown over. Knowing David, he tore Eric a new one the second he stepped out of jail and then hauled his ass back to Biloxi to keep a closer eye on him.
She had friends here now. Macey was here…and Bryce. Her stomach fluttered. It might be nice to see where things went with him. To explore these strange emotions stirring in her soul.
She opened the door to the Gumbo Place and found Macey and her sister-in-law, Amber, sitting at a table by the window. Macey smiled, and Amber waved her over. Zydeco music played through the speakers in the ceiling, and Alexis sashayed past a row of booths covered in red-checkered cloths.
Macey had pulled her blonde hair back into a ponytail, and it swished over her shoulder as she hugged Alexis. “I was wondering if you were ever going to call me.”
Alexis hugged Amber and settled into a chair. “No visit to New Orleans is complete without seeing my little sister.” She ignored the pang of guilt squeezing her heart. She was here now, and that was what mattered.
Macey opened her mouth to speak, but the waiter arrived to take their orders. Amber asked for a roast beef po-boy, and Macey ordered a muffuletta.
“I’ll have a glass of water.” Alexis pressed her lips into a tight smile.
As the waiter nodded and turned to walk away, Macey held up a finger to stop him. She lowered her voice. “I can buy your lunch. Go ahead and order something.”
Alexis straightened her spine. “I don’t need you to pay for me.” She shrugged. “I’m not very hungry.”
Macey put her hand on hers. “I don’t want you to have to sit there and watch us eat.”
Alexis let out a slow breath. Because she was a homeless rogue, everyone immediately assumed she didn’t have a dime and couldn’t be depended on. Macey may have been right about the money, but Alexis could take care of herself and anyone else that came along.
“All right. I’ll get a little something, but I’m paying for it myself.” She scanned the menu. “I’ll have the half ham sandwich. Separate checks, please.” At $5.99, after tax and tip, the half sandwich would eat up half her life savings, but it was better than admitting she was broke.
The waiter shuffled away, and Alexis picked at her unpainted nails, unable to look Macey in the eyes.
Amber broke the awkward silence. “What brings you into town, Alexis?”
“Oh, umm…” Heat climbed her neck and settled in her cheeks.
“I’m the one who gave him your number, remember?” Macey smiled, but it didn’t mask the wariness in her eyes. “I’m pretty sure that’s his jacket too.”
Wrapping her arms around herself, Alexis stroked the soft fabric. The central heating in the restaurant provided enough warmth that she didn’t need to wear the jacket inside, but it had become a sort of security blanket.
She deserved every bit of doubt her sister had about her, but earning it didn’t make it any less painful. If she’d have stayed last year, when they’d first reunited, things would be different. The alpha had given her a job. She’d had a place to live. Family. But as soon as she’d gotten comfortable, she’d gotten scared, and she’d left like she always did. Being a rogue, Alexis had learned the hard way that letting her guard down—getting comfortable—set her up for people to take advantage of her. To hurt her. She knew in her heart that Macey and her friends here weren’t like that, but a lifetime of being on the defensive wasn’t easy to change.
She popped in and out of town, but it didn’t provide the kind of relationship her sister wanted. Hell, it wasn’t the kind of relationship she wanted either.
This time would be different. “I’m seeing Bryce.”
Amber looked at Macey. “Your old partner?”
Macey nodded.
“That’s sweet.” Amber tucked her light-brown hair behind her ear and folded her hands on the table. “I knew you’d get to keep him in your life somehow.”
Alexis’s breath hitched. As a second-born werewolf, Amber’s psychic power was empathic premonitions. She felt things about the future that usually came true. “Have you seen anything about him? Or…me?”
“No, I meant that Macey and Bryce were too close to let a little promotion end their friendship. I only have premonitions about people I see on a regular basis.”
“Oh.” She slumped her shoulders.
“Maybe if you stick around a while this time.” Amber grinned and raised her eyebrows.
“How long are you planning to stay?” Macey asked.
The waiter delivered their food—and an ounce of relief—and Alexis used the distraction to avoid answering the question. She took a bite of her sandwich. The earthy aromas of the whole-grain bread offset the sweetness of the ham, and the Cajun seasonings in the mayonnaise added a zip to the medley of flavors on her tongue. She mushed the food around in her mouth longer than necessary before swallowing and taking another bite.
The heaviness of things unsaid hung over them as they ate in silence. Macey flicked her gaze toward her, inhaling as if to speak several times, but she didn’t. She didn’t need to. The words were apparent in her expression.
Amber must have sensed the tension, because she focused on her po-boy, lifting her gaze from her food occasionally.
Alexis finished her sandwich and folded her hands in her lap. “I like Bryce. A lot.”
Macey wiped her mouth with a napkin and dropped it on her plate. “He likes you too. More than I’ve seen him like anyone in the seven years I’ve known him.”
Her lips tugged into a smile. Hearing those words from someone who knew Bryce well had her pulse racing.
Macey gave her a curious look. “Please be careful with him. He pretends he’s a tough guy, but he’s more sensitive than he’d like anyone to believe.”
His sensitive side was the reason she was still in town, planning to have dinner with him in a few hours. The reason she was falling head over tail for a human. “I know you’re worried about him, but I promise I don’t plan to hurt him. I care about him.”
Macey shook her head. “You care about me too, don’t you?”
“Of course I do.” How could she even ask such a thing? “After I ran away from foster care, I spent the next twenty years looking for you.”
She swallowed hard, her gaze lingering on her crumpled napkin before locking with Alexis’s eyes. “You hurt me every time you leave.”
Her breath hitched. “Macey, I…”
“I don’t know where you go. I don’t know what you’re doing. Half the time you don’t answer your phone when I call. I…” She clamped her mouth shut and took a deep breath. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that you tend to hurt people without realizing it.”
Did Alexis not realize it? Or had she been ignoring the pain she’d seen in her sister’s eyes every time she’d said goodbye? Convincing herself she wasn’t the cause because nobody cared about her enough to be hurt by her absence? “Why haven’t you told me this?”
She shrugged. “Would it have made a difference?”
Fisting her hands on the table, Alexis inhaled deeply. “I started shifting on the first full moon after my thirteenth birthday. I had no idea what was happening to me, so I ran. Do you know why I ran?”
Macey held her gaze. “You were scared.”
“That, yes, but I also ran because that’s what Mom and Dad did. You were too young to remember, but we moved eight times before I turned six. It seemed like every time I got close to making a frie
nd, we packed up and moved.”
Amber’s brow puckered. “That must have been hard.”
“That’s just how it was. I didn’t know any better.” She returned her gaze to Macey. “Then we went through four different foster homes after they died, and none of our foster families gave a damn about us. You had nightmares. You’d wake up screaming, and when an adult would come in to spank you for waking them up, I’d take the blame. I took the beatings, but I couldn’t stop the nightmares. I couldn’t fix you.”
Macey’s eyes shimmered. “I remember that. I remember when you were there for me.”
“I failed you. No matter how much I tried to help, I couldn’t fix the pain in your heart.”
Her shoulders drooped as she slowly shook her head. “You didn’t need to fix me. I just needed you to be there.”
Alexis folded her hands on the table. “Me being there didn’t seem to do anything for you. It never did. Our parents weren’t the best role models for reliability. They never had any friends. I had zero social skills, and then I turned into a freaking wolf. I ran, and instinct led me to a rogue that I found hunting one night. He took me in. Promised to keep me safe. To take care of me.” She swallowed the sour taste from her mouth. “He made sure I took care of him too.”
Macey sucked in a sharp breath. “He didn’t…”
“He did. And I didn’t know any better, so I let it happen. I thought it was how werewolves behaved.” She sipped her water, washing the dryness from her throat. “Now I know that’s just how assholes behave, but…you’re lucky you got adopted when you did because when I came back looking for you…” She didn’t need to finish the sentence. The horror in her sister’s eyes said she understood.
Amber shifted uncomfortably in her seat, casting her gaze to her lap.
“Eventually, I got away and started living on my own, but I was already broken. He made me think I was worthless, and I still struggle with that today. I’ve never had a healthy relationship. Nobody trusts a rogue. My life has never had a positive impact on anyone, so I’m not used to anyone caring what I do…or whether I live or die for that matter.” Pressure built in the back of her eyes, so she blinked it away. She would not cry. Crying meant weakness, and she was anything but weak. “I’m sorry.”
Macey reached across the table and took her hand. “People do care. I care, and so does Bryce.”
Heaviness settled in her chest, squeezing her insides from her heart to her throat, making it hard to breathe. “I love you, Macey.”
“I love you too. I’m so sorry you went through that.”
She shook her head. “It’s over now. Bryce is a good man, and I don’t want to hurt him.”
Macey leaned back in her chair. “You need to understand that when people love you, your actions have consequences. If you get close to him…if you bring him into our world and tell him what we are, his life will turn upside down. Don’t do that to him unless you plan on sticking around.”
Alexis focused on her hands folded on the table. Things were different now. She had the beginnings of a romantic relationship with an amazing man, but the biggest difference resonated in her soul. Her wolf wanted to stay this time, and that was something she’d never felt before. It was time to stop fighting these emotions and go with her gut.
Lifting her gaze to Macey’s, she smiled. “Is Luke hiring?”
“You know you have a job here if you want it. We’ve got an extra bedroom too.” The hopeful look in Macey’s eyes tugged at her heart.
Could she stay this time? She opened her mouth to say she would, but fear clamped her throat, blocking the words from flowing. Her pulse sprinted, and nausea churned in her stomach. She wanted to stay. God, she needed to. Her wolf craved the companionship and comfort of the people she cared for, and Bryce… He wasn’t like any man she’d ever met. She’d gotten a tiny peek behind his mask, and a hardened asshole didn’t reside beneath it. He was kind and gentle.
She squared her shoulders toward her sister and straightened her spine. “I’m going to stay.” She had to. She was done running.
Macey raised her eyebrows. “For how long?”
“For as long as you can stand having me around. It’s time I put down some roots, don’t you think?”
“I agree.” Her smile finally reached her eyes.
Amber had remained silent during their exchange, but as she paid her tab, she took both their hands in hers. “I’ve got an extra room too, if you’d rather stay with another single lady.” She winked and rose to her feet. “I have to get back to work.”
“Yeah, I have things to do too.” Alexis handed her last twenty to the waiter.
Macey paid her tab and stood. “I’ll talk to Luke for you. And please…be careful with Bryce. He’s a skeptic at best. Bringing him into our world won’t be easy.”
Alexis stayed at the table when Macey and Amber left the restaurant, her stomach tying itself into a massive knot as Karen’s words echoed in her mind: he deserves better. Rising to her feet, she fisted her hands at her sides. She could do this. Bryce wanted to be with her, and she wanted to—she would—be the woman he deserved.
Chapter Twelve
Bryce filled a pot with water and set it on the stove before washing a saucepan in the sink. His mom had bought him the cooking set when he’d graduated college and gotten his first grown-up apartment, but they’d sat unused in every place he’d lived since the day he’d moved in. How a layer of dust had managed to settle on the dishes in a cabinet he never opened, he wasn’t sure, but he’d be giving his kitchen a thorough cleaning on his next day off.
He’d been a nervous wreck all damn day. First losing the jumper before he could get to the scene, and then witnessing yet another suspiciously mutilated body retrieved from the river. He’d left Macey a message about the autopsy, but she hadn’t returned his call. She’d been acting so strange lately she probably wouldn’t. He added getting to the bottom of her out-of-character behavior to his mental to-do list.
Rolling his neck, he stretched the soreness from his muscles and popped open a jar of tomato sauce. Pouring it into the saucepan, he set it on the counter and peeked inside the oven. A gelatinous mixture of flour, soda, and salt coagulated in another pan he’d never used until today. It didn’t look much like bread, but it had another ten minutes to cook.
The saucepan clanked as he set it on the stove, and then he turned on the burner. Orange flames whipped out from the contraption, licking upward and nearly engulfing the small pan in fire. “Shit.” He twisted the dial, making the flames fit beneath the pan, and pulled his buzzing phone from his pocket.
Alexis’s name lit up the screen, and his heart raced as he pressed the device to his ear. “Hey there, beautiful.”
She missed a beat in her response. “Hi, Bryce.”
“Dinner’s almost ready. Are you on your way?”
She took a deep breath. “If I told you I was leaving town tomorrow, would you want to see me tonight?”
His stomach tightened. Leaving tomorrow? Had she already made up her mind before she’d given him a chance? “Yeah. Of course I would. I mean…any time with you is time well-spent.”
“Okay.”
The crunching sound of a key sliding into a lock reverberated through the phone and in his living room. The front door swung open, and Alexis strutted in wearing skinny jeans, black lace-up boots, and an olive-green sweater that dipped below her collarbone, accentuating the delicate curve of her neck. She dropped her backpack and locked the door as Bryce slipped his phone into his pocket.
She turned to face him, and her brow furrowed, a look of determination falling across her features. She raked her gaze from his head to his toes, and when her eyes met his, their intensity stilled his heart in his chest.
The corner of her mouth twitched as she closed the distance between them in three purposeful strides. Without saying a word, she slipped one hand behind his neck and the other around his waist and planted her soft lips on his.
Fire shot
through his veins. This wasn’t the hello he’d been expecting from a woman who intended to leave town tomorrow, but he wasn’t about to complain. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her, tugging her close, and deepened the kiss.
She tasted like warm honey, and as he coaxed her lips apart with his tongue, a tiny growl rolled up from her chest. She pressed her body harder against his and opened for him, lapping at his tongue, brushing it with hers before catching his bottom lip between her teeth. With a gentle tug, she released him and glided her lips across his cheek to nip at his earlobe.
A moan rumbled in his chest, and he slid his hands down to cup her ass. “If I’d known this was the reward for making a woman dinner, I’d have learned to cook a long time ago.”
Biting her bottom lip, she leaned back and ran her hands down his chest, stopping above his jeans. She gripped the hem of his shirt and tugged it up toward his head. He could’ve stopped her. Told her to slow down, take her time. But, damn it, he wanted this woman as much as she seemed to want him.
He helped her tug it over his head, and as his arm came down to hold her, he hit the saucepan handle, knocking the pot to the floor. Tomato sauce splattered across the tile, and Alexis had the common sense to jump out of the way. Bryce stood there in a daze as red goo plastered his pants and shoes.
“I’m so sorry.” She grabbed the pot and dumped it in the sink before tugging the roll of paper towels from the rack. When he didn’t move, she stopped and put a hand on his chest. “Are you okay?”
The warmth of her skin touching his sent blood rushing to his groin. Was he okay? He was half-naked with the woman of his dreams standing in his kitchen. He was a hell of a lot better than okay. “Yeah.” He took the paper towels from her. “I’ll clean this up; I knocked it down.”
She pulled a string of towels from the roll and knelt on the floor. “You knocked it down because I tried to get you naked while you were cooking. I’ll help.”
Bound by Blood (Crescent City Wolf Pack Book 3) Page 12