Midnight Touch

by L Ann

  “Don’t make me do this,” she pleaded, softly.

  Shaun didn’t reply, watching her steadily out of unreadable green eyes, until eventually she began to speak. Cassie tried to keep her voice matter-of-fact, tried to mask the hurt and insecurity as she recounted the details of what Sam had said to her the night before. And, for a few minutes, she thought she succeeded. That was until Shaun leaned toward her and scooped her up out of her seat and onto his lap.

  It was then she realised she was trembling, shaking so badly that the moment she stopped speaking, she could hear her teeth chattering. Shaun’s arms wrapped around her, tucking her in against his chest, and she buried her face against his throat, gulping in deep shuddering breaths. The heat of his body, the smell of his skin – that dark woodsy scent that seemed to be a part of him – soothed her.

  “You realise he’s lying, right?” He said when she started to relax against him. His finger tipped up her face to meet his gaze. “He’s angry because I kissed you in front of everyone. It means he can’t pretend everything is okay between you, and he’s punishing you for that.”

  “But … but what about the rest?”

  She felt his shoulders move in a shrug. “Does it matter? Maybe him and Rebekah were a thing. Maybe she was getting herself off hearing about you. I’ve heard of stranger turn-ons. You can’t change that now. It’s already happened.”

  He rose to his feet and set her in front of him.

  “If sex between you was so bad he had to lie about it, why would he keep coming back for more? It’s bullshit, Cassie. I’m not blind, I saw the way you responded to me last night.”

  “Why are you being so nice to me?”

  Shaun smiled and leaned forward until his lips were against her ear. “Why else? I want to get into your pants again.” His hand stroked up her leg. “Oh, wait. You’re not wearing any.” He curved his fingers over her bottom and gave a gentle squeeze. “I’m going to head into town and get those supplies I mentioned earlier. Then, if you’re still willing, I’ll prove to you he’s lying.” His hand moved to the small of her back and pulled her against him. “About you, anyway. It’s probably closer to the truth that he is shit in bed and couldn’t make it good for you.” His hand dropped away, and he took a step back. “Do you want to come with me, or are you going to stay here and snoop?”

  “Snoop?”

  “Yeah. Check out what I’ve changed since buying the place, rummage through my drawers, discover what dark and dirty secrets I’m hiding.”

  “You’re giving me permission to search your house?”

  “Is that what you need, Goldilocks? Permission?” The look he gave her was thoughtful as he picked up a t-shirt from the back of a chair and pulled it over his head. “Sure, I give you permission to snoop. It’ll keep your mind occupied while I’m gone. Just do one thing for me?”

  “What’s that?”

  “I’m turning one of the bedrooms into a home studio. My brother and I like to play occasionally, so it’s full of instruments. Go have a look, by all means, but don’t touch anything in that room.”

  “I can’t believe you’re okay with leaving me here.”

  “Did you want to come with me?” He crouched to pull on a pair of sneakers and tie the laces.

  Cassie pulled a face. “No, I’d rather not.”

  “Then what other option is there? I suppose I could tie you to the chair, but that seems a little drastic, and more my brother’s speed.”

  “But you don’t even know me.”

  Shaun laughed and sprang upright. “Do you really believe that?” In two quick strides, he was directly in front of her. “I spent last night getting to know every single part of you. Right now, at this moment, I know everything I need to know. We can work out the rest as we go.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “And I know that sounds super creepy and possibly a little stalkerish, but it’s something else I’ll prove to you later. Is there anything you want me to pick up for you?”

  Cassie stared at him mutely, her eyes wide and cheeks flushed. She shook her head.

  “Okay, then. I’ll be back soon.”

  She trailed him to the door and watched as he walked out to his SUV.

  How did a man his size move so quietly and gracefully, she wondered.

  “If you find any dead bodies,” he called as he fired the engine. “It wasn’t me.” With a grin at the expression on her face, he drove away.

  Getting supplies wasn’t the sole reason Shaun had decided to drive into town. While he would admit to himself that finding the nearest pharmacy and stocking up on condoms was at the top of his list, and would be the first thing he did, since hearing what Sam had said to Cassie, he had added another two items to his agenda.

  But first …

  He parked his car in one of the bays along Main Street and climbed out, glancing up and down the road. He could see the grocery store a few metres to his right, and next to that what looked like a beauty and hair salon. There was a bakery directly in front of him and he made a mental note to drop in and buy something sweet to take back with him.

  Where was the pharmacy?

  An older lady appeared in the doorway of the bakery. Short and stocky, with tightly curled grey hair, arms folded across her ample chest, she stared at him. Shaun gave her an absent-minded smile as he scanned up and down the road.

  “You’re the young man who caused an uproar last night.” It wasn’t a question.

  “Yes ma’am,” he replied.

  “You laying claim to young Cassie?”

  “Claim?” he repeated, even as his inner wolf grunted its approval at the idea.

  “Well, unless my ears heard it told wrong, less than a week ago she was involved with Sam Cooper. But last night, I heard it was your mouth she was latched onto.”

  Shaun hid a smile. Small town gossip spread like wildfire. “No, ma’am. You heard right.”

  “And what does Mr Cooper have to say about that?”

  “I don’t actually give a f—” he cut himself off. “Sam had his chance, he blew it.”

  “So, you are laying claim to her, then.” The old woman gave a satisfied nod. “That’s good. She deserves a wolf instead of a mongrel.”

  Shaun’s attention snapped back to her, and he frowned. “I’m sorry, what did you say?” Had she just mentioned wolves?

  The old lady smiled at him. “The pharmacy is across the road near the bank, dear. It’s Saturday, so it closes at midday today. I’d hurry if I were you.” She disappeared back inside the store, leaving Shaun staring after her.

  He half-considered following her back into the bakery and questioning her further but had the distinct impression it wouldn’t get him anywhere. She reminded him of his grandmother – now there was a contrary old she-wolf. Instead, he set off across the road in the direction she’d indicated.

  The first item on his list was completed with little fuss, the pharmacist having nothing to say other than the sum total of his purchases and a cheery ‘thank you’ as he left.

  The second item on his list took him back across the road to the grocery store and the door nestled just to the side of it. As expected, the door was locked. But a misspent youth and a set of lock picks he kept in his car resolved that problem quickly. He opened the door, closed it carefully behind him and headed up the stairs to the apartment Cassie shared with Rebekah. Shaun could hear the TV blaring before he reached the top, so he knew Rebekah – Cassie’s roommate – was definitely home. He lifted a hand and rapped on the door. The TV muted immediately and Shaun heard her footsteps approach the door.

  “Sam, I told you – oh, it’s you,” Rebekah’s frown deepened. “What do you want? Cassie isn’t here.”

  “I’m well aware of that. May I come in?” He stepped forward, not waiting for a reply and entered the apartment.

  “I don’t want you here.”

  “I don’t want to be here, but I need two minutes of your time. That’s all I’m asking.” Shaun didn’t approach Rebekah. He could
smell her nerves and an underlying scent of fear. “I just want to ask you something. One question, then I’m gone.”

  Rebekah pursed her lips, then nodded. “One question.”

  Sam told Cassie you and him were seeing each other before he got with her. That you’d listen to them having sex.” He watched her facial expressions closely, noting the way her eyes widened. “He claimed it was your kink, that you got off on it.”

  “Wha-what?” she stuttered.

  Shaun tilted his head. “Which part of that statement wasn’t true?”

  Rebekah swallowed. “I need you to leave. Sam will be here soon.”

  “Come on, Rebekah. You said you’d answer one question. Would you rather I wait for Sam to arrive, and just ask him instead?”

  She was silent for a long time, and Shaun began to wonder if he would need to try another method to get her to talk. It would be risky but drawing on his wolf’s dominance would force the girl to tell him what he wanted. A second later, she drew a breath and began to speak.

  “Sam and I got together just after high school ended. Neither of us wanted to settle down, so we kept quiet about our relationship. You know … or maybe you don’t … what small towns are like. They have you married within days of hearing about you hooking up, and neither of us wanted that. Sam comes from an influential family – his father owns the bank and his uncle is the town Sheriff. His family is all about reputation, but there’s … something not quite right with them. It’s not noticeable, mostly, until you start getting close to them.” Rebekah turned her back on Shaun and crossed the room to sit back on the couch. “They have parties and bring women from out of town. They’re there for one thing – to do whatever the Cooper men want. Sam likes variety and gets bored easily. Until Cassie he’d go to those parties with his father and uncle.”

  “Did he ever take you?”

  He smelled the spike of fear and shame and knew the answer before she mouthed it. “Yes, a few times.”

  “Where does Cassie fit into this?”

  “He’s always had a thing for Cassie. Even back in school. I remember hearing him arguing with Gemma about it one time. She told him to stay away from them both and, for a while, he did.

  “Thing is, Cassie always sees the best in people. She’s not stupid but … you know, she’ll always give people chance after chance, no matter how often they let her down. She’s just doesn’t have it in her DNA to believe someone is wholly bad. I’m sure she’d heard the rumours about Sam’s family but, being Cassie, she won’t have believed them. And there’s never been any proof – his family is too powerful for that.” She sighed. “Sam turned on the charm, he can be very charming when he wants something. And he wanted Cassie. He knew catching her would make it look like he was something better than his father. It took him six months, but the next thing I know, they’re a public item. I told Sam that we couldn’t hook up anymore if they were an official thing. I didn’t want to do that to Cassie. Sam didn’t like that. There are … things he likes to do that he knew Cassie would never agree to. Not until he’d broken her, anyway.” Her laugh told Shaun that Sam had made her do those things.

  “What kind of things?”

  Rebekah glanced up at him. “You don’t want to know the answer to that. What I will tell you is that Sam likes to be in charge. You do what he wants, when he wants, for as long as he wants with whoever he wants. He takes what he likes to call ‘security measures’. Videos, photos, you name it. He’ll find what matters to you most and use that to make sure you comply with his wishes, including a recorded statement saying that you were happy to do everything he wanted, and it was all consensual. He told me if I refused to carry on doing what he wanted, sleeping with him and whoever else he wanted to give me to, he’d send all the videos and photos he had of me with him … and others … to my parents, my friends, my workplace.” Her laugh was bitter, brittle. “He’ll have similar stuff on Cassie. Not with other people, he hadn’t got that far with her, but definitely with him. She’ll learn the hard way. You can’t get free of Sam. Not unless he wants you gone.”

  “We’ll see about that,” Shaun told her, careful to keep the growl out of his voice. He crossed the room and crouched before Rebekah. “He’s not going to get away with this. If you’ll let me, I can help you.”

  “How? You’ve been in town a few weeks. He’s lived here his entire life. He’s very careful, he has a family who support and protect him. No one will stand up to him, stop him or his family from taking who they want. He’s Greene Valley’s golden boy.”

  “He won’t be when I’m done with him.”

  “Is Cassie that important to you? You barely know her at all. Or is it just a competition to see who can win the girl?”

  Her question made Shaun pause, even as his inner wolf grunted acknowledgement. Was she important to him? How could she be after only one night? But he knew the truth. Cassie was important to him, and he would do whatever it took to make sure she was protected from Sam Cooper.

  He rose to his feet without answering and strode to the door.

  “Will you be okay?”

  Rebekah nodded. “I’ve survived Sam this long. If you honestly think you can help, then I’ll gladly let you. But if he finds out …” she left the sentence hanging.

  “I understand. You need to protect yourself.” He slipped out of the door and closed it gently behind him.

  Shaun wasn’t surprised by what Rebekah had told him about Sam. From the way Cassie talked about him and his own interactions with him so far, it was easy to believe he was the type of man who thought he was untouchable and liked to push the boundaries of what he could do without being found out. To have his suspicions confirmed just made what he planned to do even easier to justify later … if he needed to justify it at all.

  First though, he needed to make one last stop.

  Once Shaun left, Cassie went back to the kitchen and cleared up after breakfast. She loaded the dishwasher, turned it on and then turned to survey the room. He hadn’t changed much in the kitchen. The large oak table dominating the room was new, but the cupboards and flooring was the same and, she admitted to herself, had seen better days.

  She knew the hallway leading from the kitchen went directly to the front door, with three more rooms branching off it. The large living room where she and her sister had spent most of their time, a second room her mother had always referred to as the ‘parlour’ – which had only been used if they had guests visiting – and the study, where her father had spent most of his time.

  When Cassie opened the door to the living room, she discovered that Shaun had turned it into a games room. A large pool table stood in the centre, with a rack holding four cues along one of the walls. On the opposite side, a fully equipped bar had been built into the corner. There was a large TV on the wall along with three gaming consoles and a sound system. A large couch and coffee table had been placed facing the TV. A large dark wood bookcase covered the remaining wall, filled with books, games and movies. The salmon pink carpet her mother had adored had been ripped out, and the flooring was now a dark wood which matched the bookcase.

  Cassie ran a finger along the books, surprised to find titles like War & Peace, The Complete Writings of Plato and Shakespeare nestled amongst well-read copies of Stephen King, Neil Gaiman and others.

  When she opened the door to the parlour, she discovered it was now the living room. She had always remembered this room as being cold and unwelcoming. That was no longer the case. Another huge TV was fitted to a wall, and a large curved couch faced it. The new carpet was thick and soft between her toes. More bookcases lined the walls, once again filled with books, movies and TV shows. She could easily imagine curling up to watch movies or read a book in there.

  She avoided going into the study, not yet ready to see what changes Shaun had made to the room that had once been her father’s favourite place. Instead she headed upstairs to where she knew four bedrooms and two bathrooms, not including the main bedroom’s en suit
e, waited.

  One of the bedrooms – the one that used to be her parents – she’d already seen. Shaun had replaced everything in there and the en suite bathroom. She was curious to see what he had done to the bedroom she had once used and entered that one first.

  The things that immediately caught her eye were the strange pieces of foam on the walls. She assumed they were something to do with soundproofing. A long bench covered with electronic equipment she’d seen in music videos sat to the left, where her bed had once been. The rest of the room held a variety of instruments – two keyboards, a drum kit, four guitars, and three mic stands. There were also framed records, CDs, album covers and photographs, as well as numerous stacks of magazines and notebooks. It looked nothing like the room she had grown up in.

  Gemma’s bedroom was still a bedroom. Shaun had redecorated both that and the spare room, clearly with men in mind – dark, bold colours and furniture. The two bathrooms hadn’t been touched at all. She wondered if he just hadn’t got to them yet, or had intended to leave them be, and made a mental note to ask him when he returned.

  She thought about how her mother would feel about the changes Shaun had made – especially his home studio – and laughed to herself at the thought of her reaction. Her father, on the other hand, would have loved it. He could never play an instrument, but he’d loved music and had always filled the house with music when he was home. She wishes he could see what Shaun had done.

  Retracing her footsteps, she returned downstairs and into the new living room and settled down onto the couch. Spying a notepad on the coffee table, she searched around until she found a pen and settled back to sketch.

  The house was silent when Shaun arrived back home. He opened the front door and stepped inside, the hairs on the back of his neck rising and a growl bubbling in his throat. Sweeping his eyes over the hall, he inhaled, seeking out the scent of anything that could be the cause of sudden tension. He couldn’t smell anything untoward, nothing was out of place, and yet …