Susan came awake slowly feeling deliciously warm and comfortable. Sebastian was still pressed to her back, his arm curved around her just under her breasts. She didn’t want to get up, but a glance at the clock revealed it was just before eight and she had slept longer than she had intended. She hadn’t set her alarm and her father would be coming home today. She had a list of things she had wanted to get done before he arrived. She had also forgotten to brush her teeth last night before bed and her mouth felt pasty and gross. She could just imagine how bad her morning breath must be.
Something hard nudged against her backside and a huge grin spread across her face. She imagined waking up every morning just this way and the thought made her almost giddy. The arm around her ribcage moved up and a large hand cupped her breast as warm lips caressed her shoulder.
“Do you realize how gorgeous you are right now?” He murmured in a sleep husky voice and she nearly groaned it was so incredibly sexy. “I’d like to keep you just like this forever.” He continued.
Her grin got even wider and she turned to look at him before she remembered her horrific breath and put a hand over her mouth. It didn’t do much to hide how pleased she was though since her eyes were dancing with joy.
“My father’s coming home soon.” She said through the muffle of her fingers.
Sebastian laughed, “Why are you covering your mouth?”
She rolled her eyes. “My breath probably smells like feet or worse, ass – maybe ass feet?”
He roared with laughter and rolled onto his back pulling her on top of him. He kissed her fingers. “I don’t care about your ass foot breath, mine’s probably just as bad or worse. I say we make out, maybe we’ll cancel each other out.” He waggled his eyebrows and Susan laughed. She liked this new playful side of Sebastian.
He pushed his lips into an exaggerated pout and made kissing noises as Susan laughed harder.
The doorbell rang and she jumped in surprise. Obviously her father had gotten released earlier than expected and didn’t have his keys. She heard Sebastian’s sigh and she forgot about her breath for a moment to plant a small kiss on his now frowning lips. “My dad must not have his keys.”
He gave her backside a small smack and smiled. “To be continued. You go get the door and I’ll go see about making us some breakfast.”
Susan laughed and rolled off the bed to pull on a robe while Sebastian sat up and ran a hand through his hair. She couldn’t help but notice how tight his belly was as he sat. When she sat one was more likely to see rolls. She wasn’t fat, but she definitely wasn’t a hard body. She sighed. He was just so perfect. She’d be a happy woman just to be able to look at his body all day.
The doorbell rang again and she sprang into action practically sprinting out of her room and down the stairs. Sebastian was a gorgeous distraction but she needed to focus on her father right now.
She lunged for the door, a smile fixed on her face to greet her father. Instead she was met with the sight of Colin Murphy, the new pride leader of the felines.
Chapter Twenty-One
Sebastian brushed his teeth, chuckling as he did so. Ass-foot breath, he shook his head. His Bug was so silly. With her he would definitely have plenty of laughter in his life. He pulled on a pair of jeans but didn’t bother with socks or shirt. He fully intended to feed his woman, make sure her father was comfortably settled in and then convince her to spend the day in bed with him.
The night before, on the ride home, he kept scenting her lingering fear and anxiety. She could have been killed because of her lack of faith in him. His pride was stung, but worse was the heaviness in his chest and the pain every time he imagined her loss. It was so intense he imagined that this was what a heart attack must feel like. The longer they were in the car the more agitated he became. He wanted to rip off her clothes and inspect every inch of her to make sure she was truly well.
By the time they had arrived at the house he could barely form sentences he was so raw. When she’d told him that she loved him he’d been nearly mindless with the need to claim her. He hadn’t come truly back to his senses until he’d felt her climax against his tongue and her tight sheath squeezing rhythmically around his finger. He’d finally been able to bring the madness under control and take more time with her. He had made promises to Bug and he needed to show her that he could be more than a beast; that he was worthy of her love.
Later, when she’d repeated that she loved him so softly against his skin he hadn’t been sure what to say. Saying ‘I love you too’ just hadn’t seemed adequate, but then he’d seen the color spread across her face and her unwillingness to look at him. The embarrassment created by her confession and his lack of response was causing her pain and the words had just poured out. He’d never thought of himself as the romantic sort, but the words had come from an honest place and her reaction assured that he hadn’t botched the job.
Sleeping with her in his arms through the night had been a taste of heaven that he knew he would now crave. And this morning! How amusing his little Bug was. He chuckled once again with remembrance. If it weren’t for the doorbell he’d have made love to her again and started the day off right.
He’d make her and her father some pancakes, maybe eggs and sausage as well if they had them, before getting Marcus settled, and then he’d convince Susan that she’d had a trying morning and should take a nap, not that she’d get much sleep.
The thought brought a smile to his face and he opened the bedroom door to head downstairs and implement his plan, only to be brought up short by his nose. The scent of a feline shifter had him racing down the stairs to protect his woman.
He couldn’t see the feline yet where he was standing on the other side of the open door, but he could see the stiffness in Susan’s back and the way she had one arm wrapped around her middle while the other clutched the robe tightly closed at the neck. She was clearly uncomfortable and Sebastian didn’t hesitate to grab her and pull her behind the shield of his big body as he faced the cat.
The male was probably about six feet tall with black hair slightly graying at the temples. His face was tan making his light blue eyes seem almost silver. He was wearing a black leather bomber jacket over a white T-shirt and dark blue jeans with black boots. He pulled the hands that had been in the pockets of his jacket out and held them in front of him to show he meant no harm and Sebastian grunted at him.
Susan tried to come around his body, but he held her back. She cleared her throat. “Sebastian, this is Colin Murphy, the current pride leader. Mr. Murphy, this is Sebastian Black.”
The feline nodded but didn’t smile. “I wish we could have been introduced under better circumstances, Mr. Black.”
Sebastian wasn’t in the mood for small talk or pleasantries. He knew why the feline was here but he wanted it clearly stated. “Why are you here?”
Colin stuffed his hands back in his pockets. “May I come in so that we can talk?”
“No,” Sebastian growled. He didn’t want this feline near his Susan. “I’ll come out.” He turned his back on the feline and took Susan carefully by the upper arms. “Get dressed, love, and do what you need to do to get ready for your father’s arrival. I shouldn’t be long.” He assured her gently.
She looked him up and down from his bare chest to his equally bare feet, her worry evident on her beautiful face. “Don’t you think you should put more clothes on? It’s kind of chilly.”
He shook his head. “This won’t take long.” He said. He kissed the tip of her nose and gave her a nudge toward the stairs. She nodded, took one last glance around Sebastian’s body at their visitor and then headed up the stairs.
He waited until she had disappeared from sight before he faced the cat again and stepped outside closing the door firmly behind him.
As soon as the door was closed Colin Murphy spoke. “I spoke to Sheriff Stone last night. I want you to know that under the circumstances I won’t be seeking retribution for Liam’s death. Too much shifter blood has alread
y been spilled.”
Sebastian nodded somberly and stepped off the porch toward a large boulder backed by trees. Colin Murphy followed him and stood at his shoulder keeping his eyes on the trees as well. He was silent for several moments before he said, “I didn’t agree with the war you know, or the motivations behind it despite the fact that my son and his wife were killed.”
Sebastian looked at the man who continued to watch the trees. He’d lost a son last night, and another son and daughter-in-law barely a month before. He had no idea what one could even say to a man who had lost so much in such a short time so he said nothing.
“I had two sons, Sean and Liam. Sean was my eldest and he was mated to Janice, our previous leader’s daughter.” Pain marred the older man’s handsome features as he grimaced and Sebastian shifted uncomfortably. The man had amazing control. If he had suffered such loss he would probably be out for blood. He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry.” It was little consolation he knew, especially coming from a man who had just last night added considerably to his pain.
Colin nodded. “Hank, Janice’s father, was torn up by grief – she was his only child and expecting his first grandchild.” He shook his head, his jaw working and Sebastian understood that the man was attempting to contain his grief. After all, Colin Murphy had lost two sons, a daughter-in-law and a future grandchild. He had also been the one forced to take action against their leader who was probably a friend, for the sake of the pride. If anyone had a right to break down, it was he. Sebastian would give him as much time as he needed to compose himself. He certainly wouldn’t think less of him if he was unable.
When Colin spoke again, his words came as a surprise. “It was easy to blame your brother and the sleuth; a simple outlet for all of that rage and pain despite the mixed accounts of what happened.”
“What do you mean?” Sebastian asked and then raised a hand to forestall the older man when he opened his mouth to speak. “I’ve changed my mind. I think we should sit. Let’s go back to the patio.”
The older man nodded and followed Sebastian around the house before collapsing into one of the chairs with a sigh. The man looked tired as he ran a hand over his face. He looked out over the view of boulders and trees and stated quietly, “That night of the brawl all of the witnesses claimed that your brother was coming onto Janice. It wasn’t really a surprise, Janice was a beautiful woman and Christian had been on a pretty self-destructive path for quite some time. That bitch he married…” Colin’s voice trailed off and he didn’t complete the sentence, just shook his head. When he looked up he eyed Sebastian curiously for a moment. “Have you seen your brother yet?”
Sebastian raised an eyebrow. His brother was supposed to be thought dead by the feline community but apparently the secret had gotten out.
Colin nodded. “I knew he was alive. I helped spread the tale of his death in hopes that that would be the end of it.” He tapped his fingers on the table and then went back to his original explanation. “Anyway, when those same witnesses were asked about Sean and Janice’s death, well they pretty much all clammed up. Suddenly everyone in that bar had been struck deaf, dumb, and blind which speaks pretty loudly to me.” He shot Sebastian a meaningful look. “I know my people and if your brother – or any bear for that matter – killed one of their own they wouldn’t have hesitated to point the finger, so whatever happened that night, there was something more involved and no one’s willing to speak about it.”
Colin paused, picking up a dead leaf that had blown onto the table. “There was no reasoning with Hank. He wanted blood – specifically your brother’s – but any bear would do for him it seemed. He completely lost his sanity; became obsessed with vengeance.” He shook his head again sadly. “It didn’t even matter to him that he was exposing our secret to the world.”
Sebastian stayed quiet, pondering what the older man had told him and wondering just what had happened that night. Susan interrupted his thoughts as she came out through the sliding glass doors carrying a tray. He was glad to see she was now fully dressed.
“I don’t mean to interrupt, but I thought you might appreciate some coffee.” She said as she set the tray down on the table. She also held out a sweatshirt to him that had been draped over her arm. With the aggression drained out of his system he was starting to feel the chill and the shirt was appreciated as he pulled the worn cotton over his head.
She didn’t try to insinuate herself into the conversation, just shot both males a worried frown before she hurried back into the house.
Colin watched her leave as well before he spoke. “Susan is a really nice young lady, not at all like her sister. I’ve always gotten along well with her father too. He was really torn up about what his eldest daughter did to you.”
Sebastian grunted, hating that everyone knew about his private business. Colin shifted slightly in his chair before he blurted, “I think Liam and Mary Beth were having an affair. I saw them together more than what could be considered accidental run-ins.” He cleared his throat, “I also think that your brother found out and that’s why he was at the bar that night and why he scarred Liam so badly. From what I understand he was flirting with Janice, yes, but things didn’t get truly out of hand until Liam came in. Nobody seems to want to give the whole story but I’ve been able to piece some of it together. Janice’s official cause of death was blunt force trauma to the back of the head, suggesting she may have gotten in the way of something like a bottle meant for someone else.” He sighed again. “My best guess is that Christian and Liam got into it, Sean tried to break it up and Janice probably tried to help her mate and was accidentally struck. I also have to assume that it was someone in the pride that hit her, but however you look at it, her death was accidental.”
Colin paused and took a sip of his coffee, his look turned inward as if he was remembering something. “I tried to tell Hank my suspicions but there was no reasoning with him.”
Sebastian said nothing. What could he say? No matter what happened from this point forward it wouldn’t change the fact that a war had been fought and lives had been lost on both sides. And to think that it was all over Mary Beth? He closed his eyes, grateful that Susan wasn’t with them to hear that.
The older man broke into his thoughts. “Liam was always a vain boy, so obsessed with his looks. He thought the world owed him everything simply because he was pretty,” Colin snorted. “The scars your brother gave him twisted him into something bitter. It didn’t take much for him to rally his friends and the younger set to go after the sleuth, especially with Hank clamoring for blood as well. Things got way out of hand too fast. Those women…” He grimaced and ran a weary hand over his face.
The pride leader took another sip of coffee before he stood. “I’ll take my leave; I need to get back to my mate. Give my best to Susan and her father. I understand he’s on the mend and coming home today.”
Sebastian nodded and then frowned, a thought suddenly coming to him. “When Susan was in Vermont with me, an unknown feline shifter showed up. He was injured when he killed some hunters and the pack followed his scent out of their territory but he wasn’t a breed they were familiar with. Do you know anything about that? Was it possible someone was sent after Susan?”
Colin frowned but shook his head. “None of ours even knew Susan had left the area or where she had gone until you came back. We certainly wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of sending someone after one female and all of my pride is accounted for. Whoever this feline is, he isn’t one of mine.”
Sebastian nodded. He was relieved that Susan hadn’t been in danger but that meant that feline may have been sent for Lily and Daisy. He needed to call Riley Cooper and make sure he had someone watching those two ladies.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Susan watched from her father’s bedroom window as Colin Murphy drove away and sighed with relief. When she’d seen him at her front door she had worried he had come to take Sebastian in retribution for last night. She had great respect for the man
but as the new leader it fell to him to protect his pride and regardless of the provocation, Sebastian had killed the man’s son.
It had been incredibly hard to accomplish the tasks she had assigned herself when all she really wanted to do was listen in on what was being said and make sure that Sebastian stayed calm. If he had attacked the pride leader it would have instantly restarted the war. She had watched them for a few minutes, paying attention to body language and was only able to relax somewhat when Sebastian had dropped the aggressive stance. Now she was just extremely curious.
She hadn’t had to do as much as expected. The housekeeper had gone shopping so the cupboards and refrigerator were well stocked; her father’s room was clean and the sheets on his bed were fresh for his arrival while his bathroom was well supplied with his toiletries and fresh towels.
When she went downstairs she found Sebastian in the kitchen with her cell phone in hand. “I used your phone, I hope you don’t mind.”
She shook her head and poured herself a cup of coffee. “Is everything okay?” She asked when she saw him frown down at the face of her phone.
“Cell phones have come a long way since the last time I owned one. Mine was a flip and dial. Yours looks complicated.” He grumbled still frowning.
Susan tucked her lips between her teeth trying not to laugh. “Were you able to make your call all right or do you need some help?”
He let out a huff of breath that may have been the start of a chuckle. “The picture of the phone on the screen was pretty easy to figure out. It’s these other pictures that are confusing.” He frowned. “I guess I’ll probably have to get one of these things. Malsum Pass doesn’t have cell service and I was fine with that. I liked my privacy.”
That bubble of hope in her chest just kept expanding. Sebastian wanting to get a cell phone when Malsum Pass didn’t have cell service implied that he planned to stay and she wanted to shout, pump her fist in the air and break into a victory dance. She resisted the urge. He’d probably think she had lost her mind.
Until You: A Malsum Pass Novel Page 15