by Crissy Smith
“Something smells good,” Eric said with a smile. He walked over to Toby and ruffled his hair.
Toby scowled at him as he swiped at his hands, but Eric easily dodged. “What’s up, little man?”
“I’m not little!” Toby exclaimed with a frown.
At that moment, she could see how much Toby was growing up and that he was taking after Cain. She hid her smile behind a glass of milk so Toby wouldn’t be irritated with her as he was with the guard.
“I think these are ready,” Emily said hoping to bring a smile back to Toby’s face.
Emily set two cookies on a napkin for Toby and pushed them over before doing the same for Eric.
“How’s school going?” Eric asked before he took a bite of his cookie.
“Really good,” she answered.
“Staying long?” he asked next.
She shrugged then glanced toward Toby. “Not sure yet.”
Eric nodded. “Maybe we can get together while you’re here.”
Was he really asking her out? Emily smiled. Since the incident with Cain, she hadn’t really considered anyone else in the Pack as a hook-up. Sure, she was older now, but normally most of the males just treated her like a kid sister. It was flattering that Eric wanted to see her but there was only one man she wanted in the Pack.
“What’s going on in here?”
Emily jumped, as did Eric, but Toby was grinning. She tried to calm her racing heart by taking deep breaths. It wasn’t like she or Eric had been doing anything wrong.
Once she felt like she wouldn’t freak out, Emily turned and plastered on a bright smile. “Eating cookies. Want some?” she asked. Damn, she should have kept her back turned. He looked fucking great in a pair of black slacks and a white button-down collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He looked more edible than the cookies.
Cain looked at the guard, who had straightened from behind her. “What kind?” He walked over and took one. “Eric,” he said with a nod.
The coldness in his tone sent shivers down her spine. She didn’t know if Cain had a problem with Eric, but it seemed like he did. Emily felt bad for Eric. She knew what it was like being on Cain’s bad side but it would be a lot worse for a guard under Cain’s control.
Eric cleared his throat. “Yeah, well, I better get back outside. Thanks for the cookies, Emily. See you later, Toby.”
She smiled at him. “No problem.”
“Bye,” Toby said with his mouth full.
Now that it was just the three of them in the kitchen, Emily could feel the tension start to edge in. She had hoped that their talk last night would have made things better, but it didn’t appear so. She sighed before turning back to the counter.
Cain stood close to her and she could feel irritation radiating off him. His arm brushed hers as he picked up a cookie. She stiffened. It was too early in the morning for this bullshit. And she had been having fun with Toby before Cain had decided to barge in.
“Cain,” she said in warning as she turned to look at him. She had every right to be in the kitchen and he needed to get used to it.
He took another bite then said, “Go play outside, Toby,” while still looking at her.
Toby frowned, glancing at his milk and cookies. “But I don’t wanna.”
Cain did look at Toby then, and had him scrambling up from his chair and out of the sliding glass door. Emily watched him go, preparing herself for round two with Cain. That hadn’t been fair.
When the door finally slid back into place, she whirled around. “What is your problem now, Cain?”
She was prepared for a fight, not for being lifted off her feet and his lips against hers. She was so surprised her mouth opened in a gasp. He used that opening to slide his tongue in. It was rough and brutal and bruising. It was everything she wanted from him.
Emily pressed back against him, refusing to let him have complete control. A growl rose up from his chest but she didn’t care. This was different from last time. He’d kissed her and she was not about to waste a minute. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. His hard length pressed up against her. It made her moan and tighten her legs around him. Fuck, she wanted to feel him inside her. She hadn’t gotten that before and she so wanted to have Cain claim her from the inside out. He left her mouth and continued kissing, nibbling her chin, her neck, her shoulder. She shuddered as she rocked and clawed at him.
Emily moaned, letting him know how much she wanted him. They couldn’t stop this time. He had to follow through or she might die.
Cain leaned her back against the counter with one arm around her waist while he slipped his other hand under her shirt. Emily bit her lip to keep from crying out as he ran his fingers over the soft silk of her bra before pushing it away and finding her skin. His palm was hot and rough—perfect. She wanted to scream at how good his hand and mouth felt on her. Why didn’t he just drag her to the floor and mount her like she was begging for him to?
“Please,” she pleaded.
“Fuck!” he whispered before he was releasing her, sliding her back off the counter and turning her away from him. Stepping back, he put her hands on the counter and straightened her clothes from behind for her. She looked back at him, confused, hungry and hot.
“Cain.”
He just shook his head and nodded to the kitchen door. Not a minute later, Tony walked in. Emily busied herself washing her hands, using the cold water to try to relieve the heat burning in her body.
When she turned around, Cain didn’t even look at her as he ate the cookies, not quite pulling off the innocent look he was going for.
“Good God, are you two fighting again?” Tony said as he continued farther into the room. He walked over to the counter and popped a cookie in his mouth. “The emotions swirling around in this room are enough to strangle a man.”
Emily was not amused. Not only had Tony interrupted but he was pushing Cain’s buttons and Emily really wanted Cain to not think about what had happened between them before they could talk about it.
“Seriously,” Tony continued talking, “the two of you need to work this shit out.”
Cain growled and stuffed another cookie into Tony’s mouth. “Are the Alphas ready?”
Chewing the cookie, Tony brushed crumbs off his shirt. “Yeah, Lamont wants to meet in the living room, hoping Christian will be more comfortable.”
“Christian’s here?” Emily asked. She had been planning on calling him later and just leaving a message. She knew he was busy but she felt like she needed to say something kind to him. Christian was a good Alpha and he had to be struggling.
Cain’s eyes narrowed. Emily just peered at him, not sure how he’d changed from passionate to angry so quickly. Jeez, he was more moody than she was during her time of the month.
“Yeah, he just arrived with Adam and Kyle,” Tony gladly told her, obviously noticing Cain’s reaction as well.
“Cool!” She’d been friends with Kyle for years, since they were so close in age and Kyle was originally from their Pack. Although she’d never had any interest in him romantically things would have been a lot simpler if she had. Adam would have been a good choice if she’d been sexually attracted to him. He was kind and funny, but most importantly he didn’t come with the same complications as Cain did. “Tell them to find me before they leave, will you?” She spoke to Tony while ignoring Cain.
Tony nodded and grabbed another cookie.
“I’ll catch up. Give me a minute,” Cain told his brother.
Tony glanced between the two of them and smiled before strolling away, still eating.
Cain waited until Tony had left and she could hear his footsteps going down the hall before he turned to her. “Stay away from Eric and Kyle.”
“What?” she challenged. He might be dominant and the Enforcer of the Pack but he was not her Alpha or even her lover, yet. If at all.
“You heard me,” he said in a dangerously low voice.
She placed her hand on her hi
ps as her eyes narrowed. “Oh, I heard you all right. I just think you should reconsider the orders you give me.”
“Really?” He walked slowly to her, his eyes never leaving hers.
“Yes,” she said, lifting her chin to show she was not intimidated.
He smiled, and it wasn’t a nice smile, but one of the cat before he caught and ate the mouse. He leaned in. “Okay, how’s this? You’d better stay away from Eric and Kyle and anyone else I say.” His eyes flashed.
Sexy, he was so sexy when he looked at her like that. Emily wondered, if she tilted her neck to him, whether he would give her a claiming bite. That was how he was acting after all. It was too bad that she had to make a stand, though. As much as she wanted Cain, she could not let him start running her life. If she did, Emily would never get the control back. “No.” She said it more bravely than she felt.
“No?”
“You’re not my boss. I can talk to who I want.” She tilted her chin up.
He laughed. He actually laughed at her. Emily bit her lip against the whimper that wanted to escape from his touch. Be strong, she ordered herself.
“Hmm, interesting.” He ran fingers lightly down her check and she shivered. “Actually, I am your boss, Emily. I am second–in-command in this Pack. A Pack where you are a member.”
She pulled away. “That doesn’t mean you can tell me who I can be friends with.”
He’d stepped forward as she’d stepped back so he was actually closer to her than he had been before. “You don’t want to push me here, Emily. Not with this.”
“You’re jealous,” she accused. He sounded so serious and as much as she wanted to get in she couldn’t. Maybe if she pointed out how he was acting he’d cool down.
“No, not jealous. Cautious.” He had moved his hands up her arm and fisted one hand in her hair. He pulled gently and had her lifting up on her toes. She could have climaxed right then from the arousal coursing through her. Luckily she didn’t.
“You can’t keep doing this,” she told him, still a little breathless.
“What?” he asked, scowling at her.
“You pull me close only to push me away again,” she said. “It’s not fair and you have to stop.”
Some emotion she couldn’t place passed quickly over his face before he straightened. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”
“Oh! Bullshit,” she said, pointing a finger at him. “There you go again. If you didn’t mean to do it, you wouldn’t have done it. Jesus, Cain. I’ve told you that I want you. I don’t know what it’ll take for me to do or say to get you to believe me. That’s not even the entire issue here either. You have no right to scare off anyone who might be interested in me. We weren’t doing anything wrong!”
“He asked you out,” Cain shouted.
“So?” Emily replied calmly. “I’m not currently attached. If you’re jealous you will have to deal with it unless you’re ready to admit you might just feel something for me.”
“Leave it alone,” he growled. “This is not the time or place to be discussing this.”
“Of course it’s not,” she replied. “Because you didn’t pick it. Well, newsflash, Cain, you don’t get to decide everything in your own time.”
The cool metal of the fridge against her back was a contrast to the solid heated body holding her in place.
“Do what I say, Emily, drop it.” Then he kissed her quick but hard and walked away.
She was still sputtering out a response when he turned before going out of the door. Anything she might have said would have ended with her begging him to skip his meeting and fuck her against the wall. That would not help her point.
“And, Emily, you don’t want to see me jealous,” he called back.
There was little doubt in her mind that she just had. Replaying the last several minutes in her head, Emily was shocked that she was even still standing. Cain had kissed her, had come onto her, and it had been even better than before. He was also trying to warn her. Either from himself or what would happen if she flirted with other men.
Not that he had to worry. Emily didn’t play those kinds of games. She hadn’t even when he’d sent her away before. Inside the Pack, she’d had plenty of opportunity to test Cain’s feelings, but she knew that was asking for trouble.
Just like she had always known that she loved him.
Cain was a great Enforcer but when it came to relationships he didn’t seem to have the same communication skills. She’d known of a couple of women that he’d messed around with, heard stories while in school from her friends. One thing was for sure. Cain never slept with the same woman more than a couple of times. Emily would not be like the others. Once she had Cain, she would not be letting him go. Ever.
Chapter Four
Everyone else was already in the formal living room when Cain arrived. His Alpha sat in one of the chairs next to Christian. Kyle, Adam and Tony stood by the bar.
Tony smiled at him as he entered and Cain wanted to take his frustration out on him. Emily had really made him think last night. Hell, he hadn’t gotten any sleep at all once he’d returned to the Alpha house. He’d replayed their one time together over and over in his head a hundred times. Shit, he’d even jacked off to the memory, but last night he’d looked at things from her point of view and he knew he’d messed things up.
He hadn’t pressured her. Emily had come on to him because she’d wanted him just as much as he had her. She’d made the first move but when he had panicked he’d lost out on the best thing that could have ever happened to him.
With a new outlook on things, he’d been prepared to tell her how sorry he was and beg for another chance. Then he’d overheard Eric asking her out and he’d seen red, literally.
If it wasn’t for his training and the control he had, Cain could have torn Eric’s head from his body with one swipe of his claws.
And his wolf was close enough to the surface that he was a real threat right then. The threats against the females plus dealing with his feelings for Emily had him on the peak of just wolfing out. So what had he done? Attacked Emily and almost claimed her right there in the kitchen before acting like an ass and ordering her around. He would be surprised if she ever spoke to him again.
Fuck, he needed a drink.
He stalked to the bar and the other shifters standing there. Kyle and Adam both shook his hand, and he couldn’t help but be resentful of Kyle. He was the friend to Emily that he’d always wished he could have been. Cain was aware that nothing sexual had taken place between the two but he just didn’t care. Even now, looking at the young wolf with blond hair and a charming smile, Cain had to squash every instinct he had to crush Kyle’s hand while shaking it.
This wasn’t the time or place to let his insecurities get the better of him. He turned toward the two Alphas, everything jumping back in place. The reason for Emily’s return in the first place. Christian looked tired and worn out. Cain had a job to do and that meant pushing whatever was happening with Emily away for the moment. After he accepted a drink from Tony, Cain walked over to Christian and held out his hand. Christian stood and they shook before Cain patted the Alpha on the back in sympathy. Christian had been granted Alpha status and land by Cain’s father. But they had been part of the same Pack at one time, when Cain was a child. He was family to Cain and everyone else there.
Christian had only had his Pack for about thirty years, so he was a fairly young Alpha. Still, he was a good man and a great leader with a great bunch of shifters that would support him. Christian had taken a few wolves with him when he’d started out—his family and others who’d agreed to follow the new leader. Now, Christian had a girl who’d been attacked. A girl who hadn’t been protected. For an Alpha to not be able to protect one of his Pack members, especially a young female, was a devastating blow. Christian was taking it hard.
Lamont got right to business, going over every detail they had learned so far and stating theories. It was a long information-sharing meeting, running over thr
ee hours. When Christian recounted what had happened to Mindy, his voice cracked. Adam went over and laid a hand on the shoulder of his Alpha, his father, but Christian shook it off. It was his burden alone to carry.
Everyone in the room except the Alphas stood and listened. They spoke no words and asked no questions. That was the way it was in a Pack—follow the Alpha, absolutely, with no questions asked.
It was decided that Cain would work with Adam, looking into the attacks and taking care of the problem when located.
Gage, another Pack Alpha, was also sending his second, Logan, to Christian’s Pack for added security.
Cain did not like the idea of having to leave his territory during this mess. To leave his Alpha—and yes, Emily—without his protection, but he would have to. Hopefully working with Adam would let them catch this monster quickly and quietly.
“I think that’s enough for today,” Lamont stated, ending the meeting. “Christian needs to get back to his Pack.”
Everyone murmured an agreement and Cain met Lamont’s gaze. His Alpha wanted to speak to him privately.
“I’ll walk you out,” Cain offered.
Adam strode past him, followed by Christian then Kyle. No one said anything as they walked through the quiet house but Cain could understand. It had been an exhausting day.
Outside, the air was fresh and clean. Cain took a deep breath and noticed the others doing the same. With his wolf so close to the surface he would need to shift soon. The stress of the last few days was starting to get to him.
Adam slowed down, which allowed Christian and Kyle to pass them. Cain knew his friend needed to get something off his chest, so he waited.
“We find this bastard, he’s mine,” Adam said as he stopped a few yards from the waiting car, where they could still talk in private.
Cain nodded. If he was in Adam’s shoes he would be making the same request.
“I have another favor to ask.” Adam looked back at Kyle then Cain. Cain had a really bad feeling about this favor. “I am asking permission for Kyle to stay in your Pack’s territory until his sister has her baby.”