by Abigail Owen
Did she dare take him up on his offer?
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Something on your mind, Callahan?”
Shane bent over, hands on his knees, heaving the oxygen in and out of lungs starved for it. Not that the stuffy, old-sweat filled air down here was all that pleasant. He looked over the handlebar of the treadmill he’d just been running on to find Zac standing off to the side.
“No.”
Zac stared at him, unimpressed. “You were never much of a runner when you lived with us,” he observed conversationally.
“Your point?”
Zac crossed his arms. “What’s bugging you?”
Shane stood up, grimacing as his overused muscles protested. “Nothing.” He hopped off the machine to grab a towel from a shelf on the wall and mopped the sweat from his face.
“The last time you were like this was when we first met.”
Shane paused with the towel at his mouth and frowned. That couldn’t be right. He remembered that time, right after he’d lost his wife and his home. He’d been like a wild animal; even he could admit it now.
“I’m fine,” he said to Zac.
All that was bothering him was the fact that he was still stuck here, when where he needed to be was the Reynolds Compound figuring out who killed his wife and taking them down. An image of a black haired, blue-eyed woman popped into his head, and his body buzzed with an energy he’d been attempting to dispel on the damned torture device he’d been running on. All outdoor activity had been severely restricted since the attacks on the dares.
“Okay.” Finally, his friend shrugged and dropped it. Zac headed over to the free weights, and Shane headed for the door. “You know the Alphas Council wants to end Tieryn’s engagement.”
Shane paused in the doorway and battled with himself for half a second. She wasn’t his problem anymore, so why the hell did he feel the odd compulsion to know more? Draping the towel around his neck, he turned and leaned against the doorframe. “Yeah? Why’s that?”
Zac set the weights on his machine. “Because of her second power. They feel that as both a Kuharte with two powers and eventually the Alpha’s wife, it would tip the balance of power too far in the McGraw Dare’s favor.”
“Sorry to hear that,” he gritted.
Shane’s first thought was that she was free. He flashed to that night on T-Sam’s boat, just last week, when need had come so close to overruling sanity. Then he immediately called himself all sorts of names, ending in total dick. Even if that were true, he’d been right when he’d told her she was the marrying kind. She was, and he’d never marry again. He couldn’t give his heart. It made him too vulnerable, left him open to enemies who wanted to attack his weakest point.
His next thought was for her. Having planned her entire life around marrying Gage, Tieryn had been assured of her safety and protection, her place in the world, and now she wasn’t. After several weeks with her, he knew she needed a place to call home, and given how the lions had pursued her, she also needed protection. Who would offer that after her dad passed away? Urgency almost choked him.
“Gage threatened to step down as Beta.”
Zac’s throwaway comment interrupted Shane’s mental diatribe and he did his best to appear only mildly curious. “Good for him.”
That earned him an odd glance. “Based on Tieryn’s reaction, I’d bet she won’t let him do that.”
Back to square one.
“So where’d they leave it?”
Zac sat down on the bench. “The Alphas are still in discussions about it. Tieryn and Gage left before anything was finalized. Not sure what they decided.”
Shane kept his expression neutral. “Right. Well, they’ll figure it out.” He turned to leave.
“Hey, Callahan?”
He looked over his shoulder. “Yeah.”
“I’ve never seen you smile at anyone like you do at her.”
The comment was a surprising one from his stoic friend, but Shane didn’t bother to dwell on that fact. His gut reaction was total denial. Shane scowled.
Zac held up his hands. “Not my business.”
“You’re right. It’s not.” With that, he left.
But that last comment stuck with him. He did feel a connection with Tieryn, one he couldn’t allow himself to feel. The fact that she might still marry Gage made him want to shift and go rip into something with a violence only that form allowed him.
His steps slowed as several other realizations filtered through the haze of his need to keep from caring. With this latest problem on top of her missing father, she had to be a wreck. He hustled back to his room. They’d become friends in a way and making sure she was okay was the right thing to do.
He picked up the pace, the urge to see her driving him now.
****
A cold shower later, he wrapped a towel around his hips as he walked back into his bedroom to get some clothes. A knock at his door stopped him.
“Callahan?”
The sound of Tieryn’s husky voice had his body buzzing yet again. Damn. Another cold shower was in his immediate future. First, he had to get rid of the woman outside his door. Yeah, he wanted to talk to her, but not without clothes, and not in his space.
“What do you want, Tieryn?” he called.
After a pause, she said, “Can you open the door?”
She asked for it. With a jerk, he yanked the door open. “Yeah?” She blinked then swallowed as she took in his state of undress, and he almost smiled. Then he took in her sweet curves encased a body-hugging black skirt and red sleeveless top, a color that made her blue eyes even more startling. She looked like a shiny red apple, and he craved a bite.
“Did you want something?” he prompted when she didn’t speak.
“Uh…” She seemed to give herself a shake. “Yes. May I come in?”
Tieryn in his bedroom was akin to swimming with sharks when you had an open wound—just a bad idea any way you looked at it. He put his hands up on the doorjamb and leaned toward her, effectively blocking her entrance. “What do you need?”
She pursed her lips, irritation flashing in her eyes. “I promised I would heal your ear.”
Her words shut him up effectively. He hadn’t expected that. Honestly, he’d never given much credence to her offer. He’d lived with his affliction too long now without ever believing it could be fixed, and, up till now, they’d been in too much danger to try it.
Shane gathered his thoughts. “Maybe later.”
She shook her head. “I can’t.”
That pulled a frown from him. “Why not?”
“I’m leaving in the morning. Going home.”
“I see.”
“So…may I come in?” She indicated the room behind him with a wave.
Hell no. “Let me get dressed, and I’ll meet you in the medical wing.”
She shook her head. “Gage would rather I keep my ability to Heal as secret as possible. Most people in the dares don’t know what each Kuharte can do. That means doing this in private.” She crossed her arms and cocked a hip. “Honestly, do you want my help or not?”
It was on the tip of his tongue to say no, but something in her eyes caught his attention.
“Why are you really here right this minute?”
She dropped her eyes and her shoulders slumped. “I need to feel useful. Waiting around to find out about my father and…” She bit her lip then pulled her shoulders back to look him in the eyes. “I need to stay busy. It’s partly why I’m going home. Gage is needed here. With my father gone, they need one of us there. But until then…” She huffed out a frustrated breath. “Can I come in?”
Damn. He was turning into a pile of mush where this woman was concerned. To be whole again was an opportunity he wouldn’t pass up, but right this second, that was just an excuse. Not that he’d tell her.
“By all means.” With a mocking bow and a flourish, he ushered her inside.
She grumbled under her breath as she passed him.
He thought he caught the words ungrateful ass and tightened his lips to hold back a grin. Why did he want to smile like a fool any time this woman was around?
She walked in a few steps then sort of froze in the middle of the room. She had her back to him, so Shane couldn’t see her face to read her thoughts, but she was staring at the bed. He stepped closer and raised a hand to tap her on the shoulder, which caused her to abruptly spin to face him only to smack into his naked chest.
With an audible gasp, she backed up a few steps. “Sorry,” she mumbled.
“So,” he said after a moment. “How does this work?”
Her eyes dropped to his chest. “Do you want to get dressed first?”
Probably a good idea. Without a word, he grabbed some clothes from the drawers and shut himself in the bathroom where he quickly pulled everything on then ran a comb through his still-damp hair. Emerging he said, “Let’s get this over with.”
“All right.” She blew out a long breath. “So…how this works. I’ll hold my hands up to the site of the injury, but I don’t actually touch it. I’m not sure how long it will take, anything from five minutes to twenty, depending on the amount of damage.”
“Will it hurt?”
She scrunched up her nose. “I’ve been told by some that they feel warmth. Others have described an itching sensation.”
“Got it. Let’s go then.”
She glanced around the room, but Shane wasn’t in a suite, and the only furniture was a bed. “Could you sit on the edge of the…bed?”
“Okay.” He sat.
She moved to stand in front of him. “Let me just…” She brushed his still-damp hair back from the scarred area.
Her delicate touch sent a kick to his gut. Shane held perfectly still, watching every move she made.
She lifted both hands up to the side of his face. “Tell me if anything hurts.”
“Right.”
She gave a small smile before she moved her focus to the scarring. At first, Shane felt nothing. He was about to ask if she’d started when a warmth started to seep through the skin in the area where his ear had once been. The sensation started as soothing, but soon the heat increased to an uncomfortable level. Shane gritted his teeth against the itchy tingles that pierced the nerves throughout the skin. He clenched his hands in his lap against the need to scratch. The itching became a subtle form of torture.
He was sure he hadn’t moved or made a noise, but she suddenly grinned. “Don’t be such a baby, Callahan.”
He grunted. “Much longer?”
She must have heard the strain in his voice, because she moved her gaze briefly from his ear to his eyes and stopped smiling. “Five more minutes maybe. Whatever you do, don’t touch where I’m working.”
Shane inhaled sharply as a flash of pain scissored its way down the side of his face straight into his heart.
“Sorry,” she muttered with a grimace.
Rather than touch it, like she’d told him not to, he grabbed Tieryn by the hips and held on tight. He closed his eyes and concentrated on breathing in and out. He needed a distraction, and he still needed to talk to her.
“So I heard the Alphas wanted to cancel your engagement.” The growly quality to his voice had more to do with the unbearable sensation of healing than with his thoughts on her engagement. At least, that’s what he told himself. Never mind that he’d wanted to punch a hole through the wall earlier.
“Yes.”
“Sounds like the fiancé stepped up.”
“He did.”
His opinion of Gage went up a couple notches. At least the guy had a little integrity. “I assume you ended things.”
Lips tight, she didn’t respond immediately.
“I mean, if he’s not Alpha there goes your cushy life as Alpha’s wife, right?” He hadn’t meant that, but no way was he going to take it back.
She shot him a disgusted glare. “Because that’s why I was marrying him.” She rolled her eyes and continued the healing, though she hadn’t answered his question.
“Almost done,” she murmured before he could prod her further.
A moment later, a pop startled him, followed by a sound of whooshing, like air returning to a vacuum-sealed compartment. The air stung, harshly cool against the inside of his ear, which had been covered over for years. Though frustrating, he hadn’t realized exactly how maddening the muting effect of his injury had been until the relief of sound washed over him like healing water. The itching and burning started to diminish, melting into a soothing warmth, before fading to nothing.
Still she didn’t stop even though the itching had.
Minutes during which his focus turned from his ear to the woman beneath his hands. She’d worn a long skirt of some thin material, and the heat of her skin underneath warmed him even as her springtime scent surrounded him. A sliver of skin at her belly was just visible between the hem of her shirt and the top of the skirt. Unable to resist, Shane ran his thumbs over the soft exposed skin.
Her intake of breath fed the need that burned inside him. He drew little circles over that patch of femininity and watched in fascination as her breasts, which were at eye level, rose and fell rapidly.
“All done.” She dropped her hands to her sides and tried to step back.
He didn’t let go, instead looked up to encounter ice blue eyes that now reflected his desire back at him.
“Don’t you want to see?” she asked, indicating his ear.
He shook his head, unable to pull his gaze away from her lovely face.
“What do you want?” Her husky voice dropped lower with her need, rasping over his nerves in a delicious way.
“You.”
Her eyes flared with…what? Surprise? How could she not know? He stood, using his hands at her hips to pull her in flush against him. She bit her lip as he made the evidence of his need obvious. Slowly, giving her time to pull back or say no, he lowered his head, never taking his gaze from hers, wanting to catch every nuance of what she was thinking and feeling.
“Do you know what you’re doing?” he whispered against the soft warmth of her lips.
She swallowed. “Yes.”
Then she surprised him by leaning in close to trail hot little kisses along his jaw, down his neck, and back up. She reached up to draw his head down and laid her lips against his newly healed ear. Shane groaned long and low when she took the earlobe between her teeth and gently tugged on it. She licked the spot, and he grew harder. A shiver ran through her, and he gave a satisfied smile. Then, her breath blowing hot in his ear making him shiver, she described exactly what she wanted him to do to her, in glorious detail. Shocking the hell out of him.
His innocent, efficient shifter had a dirty side to her, and Shane wanted to indulge every fantasy, and then some.
He took her face in his hands and angled his lips over hers in a deep, hard, wet kiss, breath and tongues tangling. She tasted of fresh mint toothpaste and something sweet that was all Tieryn. Breaking off the kiss abruptly, he buried his face in her neck and inhaled, her smell reminding him of mountain meadows full of wildflowers in the spring. Pulling back, he gazed down into her upturned face and grinned, loving how her eyes widened and her breathing quickened in response. “Your wish is my command.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
With more haste than care, he divested them both of most of their clothes. Tieryn squealed as he tumbled her to the bed, swallowing her laugh with his kisses. He smoothed his hand over the dips and swells of her waist, hips, and thighs, reveling in the smooth warm skin beneath his palm and the way her breath hitched at his touch. He shuddered as she explored his abs with her fingertips, lightly scraping her nails over the ridged muscles.
He nipped her bottom lip with his teeth then soothed the spot with his tongue, pulling a moan from her. The noises she made and the sweet taste of her lips could become addictive, her responses firing his blood. Pulling back, he took in her flushed skin, the feverish look in her eyes. He watched her reaction as he ran h
is fingertips over her, smiling as he found those spots that made her lean into his touch and those that made her quiver.
She arched into his hand as he cupped her breast. “Put your mouth on me,” she begged, all needy want.
He smiled, loving this demanding side of her, as he peeled the bra straps down her arms.
She reached behind her and unclipped the back so he could pull it all the way off.
With eager need, he leaned forward to suckle, and she writhed beneath him. He couldn’t get enough of touching her. With careful, thorough obsession, he explored every inch of her body, using hands and lips everywhere. And he relished every caress, every touch, tentative or bold, that she gave him in return. Their lovemaking escalated, both of them lost in the other until Shane was poised above her.
He paused, relishing the wanton look of her—black hair splayed across the stark white pillows, lush lips swollen and red from his kisses. Only… “Look at me.”
Her eyes remained shut and he tightened his grip on her hips. “Tieryn. Look at me.”
Her eyelids fluttered and lifted. Those blue eyes, dazed from his touch, widened as she met the intensity of his gaze. Eyes locked, he slid inside her on one long, slow stroke. His heart thundered, the blood pounding in his ears. Nothing had ever been so perfect.
He started to move, her sighs and noises driving him faster, driving them both higher.
She closed her eyes against the sensations building inside them both, but he needed her too much. Leaning forward he took her face between his hands and laid a tender kiss on those pink lips. “Open your eyes,” he whispered.
That blue gaze speared him. With a shout that mingled with her own cry of “Shane,” together they crested the wave of their passion, gazing into each other’s eyes through every exquisite moment.
Finally, Shane collapsed on the bed beside her and pulled her body into his as their breathing and their bodies slowed after the rush. He laid a soft kiss on the pale skin of her shoulder.