by J. H. Croix
“What now?” Daniel asked.
“Since you guys have been searching, I thought it’d be best if we made sure we’re covering different areas. I’d prefer if we planned a rotation. I also followed up on that shifter you saw last week. My best guess is it’s Chris Barnett. He’s…”
“Vivi’s ex,” Heath interjected. “Why do you think it’s him?” Heath had never even met Chris. Vivi had dated Chris and had Julianna while Heath was away in the military. He’d come home on leave during that time, but he’d never actually met Chris.
“One of the guys we’re holding on charges for dealing thinks it’s him. The guy said Chris handled some of the pick ups in this area. After he moved away from Painter, he got picked up for dealing in Boulder. He bounced back here and a buddy of mine on the force there gave us a heads up to keep an eye on him when things heated up with the smuggling network,” Roger explained.
Heath shifted his shoulders against the wall, considering what it might mean to Vivi to learn Julianna’s father was involved in the smuggling network. “Are you gonna try to bring him in?” Heath asked.
Roger nodded. “Of course. I was actually hoping you guys could help with that. Since he didn’t seem to know who you were, he got flushed out. He definitely knows who we are. I was thinking you guys could keep scouting over on that side of town and we’ll focus on the other side and north.”
Daniel was nodding along and asking questions, while Heath considered how to talk to Vivi about this. He didn’t want her to find out some other way, but he worried about how she’d react. He’d gathered enough threads of information to understand things didn’t go well between her and Chris. Chris’s complete absence from Julianna’s life had led Heath to conclude Chris wasn’t worth much, but he could only guess how Vivi felt about that. It infuriated him Chris had been so careless toward Vivi and Julianna.
“Heath?”
Daniel’s voice cut into his thoughts. “Sorry. What?”
“I was just telling Roger we’d plan to scout in that area once every few days. That works for you, right?”
“Oh yeah. No problem.”
A few minutes later, Heath walked at Daniel’s side out to the parking lot. “So, uh, I’m thinking I need to give Vivi a heads up about Chris.”
Daniel leaned against his truck. “I’d say so. If she hears about it from someone else, she’ll be pissed we didn’t tell her. There’s that and the fact he might show up around town.”
Heath nodded. “Right.”
Daniel arched a brow. “I’m leaving this one up to you. I could let Sophia know and she’d tell Vivi, but then…”
Heath finished his sentence for him. “Vivi will wonder why the hell I didn’t say something.”
Chapter 8
A remote powered toy car zoomed past Vivi’s foot, buzzing as it rolled around the room. Vivi’s mother, Evelyn Sheldon, stood by the sink in her kitchen and glanced over at Vivi.
“She can’t get enough of that car. It makes babysitting easy. All we do is hand her the remote and she’s off,” Evelyn said with a smile. She shook the water from her hands and snagged a towel to dry them.
“I know. I promised her we’d get one for home.” Vivi glanced through the archway into the living room where Julianna stood by the windows, grinning as she guided the remote car around the legs of the coffee table. Vivi turned back at the sound of her mother’s footsteps. Her mother stepped over to the kitchen table. Evelyn was tall and elegant and moved with fluid grace. Vivi had inherited her mother’s almost black hair and blue eyes, but she wasn’t quite as tall. Evelyn sat down across from her. Vivi had stopped by to pick Julianna up after school. She’d gotten tied up longer than usual at a landscaping job, so she’d called the school and asked them to make sure Julianna was dropped off at her parents’ house.
Her mother leaned back in her chair. “So, how is Heath doing these days?”
It wasn’t unusual for her mother to ask about Heath. With Vivi and Sophia practically joined at the hip growing up, their families had become close. Yet, her mother had no clue Vivi had spent a mind-blowing, body-melting, heart-spinning night with Heath. If her mother had ever picked up on Vivi’s youthful crush on Heath years ago, she’d never let on. Just hearing Heath’s name sent a hot rush through Vivi, her body immediately recalling the feel of him against her and within her. Vivi mentally shook herself. She couldn’t get all moony and ridiculous over Heath simply because her mother asked how he was doing.
She fiddled with her bracelet. “He seems to be doing great. He’s helping Daniel a lot out at his grandparents’ old farmhouse. Daniel wants to have it ready for him and Sophia to move in by winter.”
“That’s a lovely old place. I’m glad to hear Heath’s staying strong. It’s been a rough year since his car accident.”
Vivi switched from fiddling with her bracelet to picking up an apple from the bowl of fruit on the table and rolling it back and forth between her hands. “Yeah, I’d say he’s completely back on his feet.”
Vivi felt her mother’s assessing eyes on her. “You know, it’s nice to see Sophia find someone. I don’t suppose finding someone is on your radar?”
Vivi focused on the apple rolling back and forth in her palms. “What do you mean?” she finally asked, although she knew perfectly well what her mother was asking. For a while after she had Julianna, her mother stayed quiet about any possibility of a relationship for Vivi. But the past year or so, she’d bring it up occasionally and ask why Vivi didn’t even date anyone. Vivi’s parents had married young and loved each other deeply. Her father was away a lot for work as a commercial airline pilot, yet his absences seemed to only tighten the bonds between them. Vivi wasn’t quite up for a discussion about her mother’s hopes and dreams for Vivi to find her own meant-to-be love.
Evelyn tilted her head to the side. “You’re purposefully being obtuse. You know what I mean. It’d be nice for you to give…well, anyone a chance. I know we’ve already talked about it, but it’s silly for you to keep the whole world out. You deserve the chance to find a good man and it wouldn’t hurt Julianna to have a father around.”
A flash of anger rose inside Vivi, anger with herself for falling for Chris. She hadn’t seen past the surface. Julianna was only now getting old enough to ask questions about her father. Vivi didn’t want her to harbor negative feelings, but she kept stumbling over how to explain his absence to Julianna without hurting her. She met her mother’s eyes and sighed. “Look Mom, maybe I am, but it’s not that simple. Even if your whole fantasy fluff idea about love with the right mate works out for me, Julianna technically has a father. Sure, it’d be great for her to have someone actually filling that role, but it makes things complicated.”
“Life is complicated all by itself. I know Julianna technically has a father, but he’s never behaved like a father. Chris is basically a sperm donor. His absence shouldn’t keep you from finding someone for yourself. I know you don’t like to talk about it, but tell me why you don’t even want to try.”
Vivi set the apple in the bowl again and switched to sliding her bracelet in a slow circle around her wrist. The cool silver was smooth against her skin. She sighed. “It’s not that I don’t even want to try, it’s just thinking about it stresses me out.”
Evelyn’s blue eyes were warm and concerned. She was quiet for a moment. “Maybe you should stop thinking so hard.”
“That’s what landed me with Chris. I wasn’t thinking.”
Evelyn rolled her eyes. “I meant stop thinking about how hard it might be to bring someone into your life. Just relax and see what happens. At least be open to possibilities. I’m sure you gave the same advice to Sophia last year. She was so tied up in worrying about her brother, she barely let life happen.”
Vivi couldn’t help but laugh. “So I did, so I did. Fine then. I’ll try to relax and see what happens.” Another memory of the other night rose in her mind. She’d definitely relaxed. A small part of her want
ed to talk to her mother about Heath, but she wasn’t quite ready to go there. If her mother had an inkling of what was going on with Vivi and Heath, she’d never let it go. If things didn’t work out with them, it would be more than awkward. Right. See this is exactly why you need to be careful.
Vivi gave another mental shake to knock her mind off its loop. At that moment, the remote car came zipping into the kitchen again and bounced against the refrigerator. Julianna was right behind it. She stopped by Vivi’s chair and leaned on her knee. Vivi stroked Julianna’s dark hair. “Hey sweetie. Just a few more minutes, okay?”
Julianna glanced up and nodded. “I know. You said only ‘til five. It says five,” she said, gesturing to the clock on the wall above the stove.
Vivi glanced at the clock and smiled slowly. “So I did. How about you put up your car for Gram before we go?”
“Okay.” Julianna remained where she was, her elbow hooked over Vivi’s knee. Her slight weight was warm against Vivi’s leg. She let her free arm swing back and forth, the remote controller held loosely in her hand. After a moment, she pushed away and ran over to pick up the toy car. She walked quickly to the pantry in the corner of the kitchen and carefully placed the car and its remote control in a box on the bottom shelf.
Evelyn glanced from Julianna to Vivi and smiled softly. “She is so much like you.”
“You say that all the time.”
Evelyn shrugged. “Because it’s so true. Just like you, she’s mostly well-behaved, but she’s got that willful streak. I like that part best.”
Vivi laughed softly. “Most of the time that streak isn’t a problem. Unless she gets in a battle of wills like she did last year with her teacher.”
Her mother shrugged again. “It passed. When it comes to girls, a tough side is a good thing.”
Julianna walked back across the room, twisting one of her braids around her hand. Vivi watched her, her heart swelling the way it did only when it came to her daughter—her wild, willful, and mostly obedient little girl. “That it is,” Vivi said, catching her mother’s eyes as she stood up from the table.
***
Heath’s boot slipped on the bottom rung of the ladder. He stumbled slightly as he caught his footing on the ground. Rain had begun to fall steadily within the last half hour. He’d been working on a garage job. He’d hoped to finish the framing for the roof today, but it was too wet to keep going safely. He quickly took down the ladder and loaded it on his truck. By the time he finished putting away the rest of the tools, he was soaked. Driving along Main Street, his eyes caught on a flash of bright red. When he turned to look, he realized it was Vivi. She was tugging the hood of her red raincoat over her head and jogging down the street. He immediately swung over and reached across to open his door. “Vivi!”
She slowed and glanced to the side, her eyes widening when she saw him. She came to a stop, huddling inside her raincoat. “Hey,” she said, her words muted through the fall of rain pattering on his truck.
“How about a ride?” he asked, gesturing to the passenger seat.
She stood there long enough that he wasn’t sure she’d accept his offer. Just when he was about to ask again, she stepped to the truck and climbed in. After she closed the door, she pushed her hood back. Her hair was damp and a drop of water rolled down her cheek. She lifted the edge of her shirt and swiped it over her face. “I’m soaked. Hope you don’t mind if I get your seat wet.”
He chuckled. “I’m probably wetter than you.”
She glanced over, a slow smile spreading across her face. “Were you out working when the rain started?”
“Oh yeah. It was just a drizzle at first, so I kept going. Not the best idea because next thing I knew it was pouring.”
Heath put his truck in gear and looked to the side before he pulled back onto the street. Vivi was quiet during the short drive to her house. When he pulled up in her driveway, she glanced over. His entire body tightened. With her dark hair curling in damp tendrils around her face, her blue eyes stood out in the gray light. Her jacket had fallen open. The damp fabric of her t-shirt outlined the curves of her breasts and her taut nipples. A bolt of lust shot through him. Oh hell. All Vivi has to do is exist and you forget everything. He batted back at the cynical voice in his head. He heard her take a breath and swung his eyes up.
“Do you want to come in?” she asked.
Her question was rather pointless. If she invited him anywhere, he’d go. Because all he wanted was to be with her. Over the year, he’d thought about her time and again, but he kept telling himself he had to wait. After he’d managed to pull the scattered pieces of his life together since the accident and finally felt like he was on his way back from the shadows, he’d had a glimmer of what might lie between them. But then he’d gone and kissed her—again and again. It set the floodgates loose and he’d known his heart belonged only to one woman. It was said to be that way for shifters sometimes, but even before his accident, Heath had a mildly cynical view of that. Now, with his desire and feelings unfurling within, he knew with certainty what Vivi was to him.
She looked away and started to pull her raincoat tighter. She reached for the door handle. “Well, uh, thanks for the ride…”
“Wait. I’m coming in. I guess I thought I said so.”
Her eyes widened and a sigh escaped. “Oh. Okay. Let’s get inside then.”
They dashed through the rain, which had started to fall more heavily on the drive to her house. Once they were inside, Vivi hung her raincoat up and kicked off her shoes, gesturing for him to do the same. She walked between the living room and kitchen, flicking on a few lamps, before leaning against the kitchen counter and eyeing him. “How about I make us some dinner?”
“I’ll never say no to food. When will Julianna be home?”
“Oh, she’s having dinner and movie night with my mom. They do it once a month on Fridays.”
“Sounds fun.”
Vivi smiled. “They both love it.” She pushed away from the counter and turned to open the refrigerator. “Let’s see what we have.”
She wore a pair of navy leggings with one of those fitted t-shirts she favored, this one bright purple. His eyes traced the lines of her legs up to the lush curve of her hips. Without thinking, he took a few strides to reach her and stroked his hands along her waist and over her hips. His heart thundered and want coiled inside. He heard her take a quick breath. She let the refrigerator door fall closed and turned in his arms. Her eyes slammed into his. He could see the flutter of her pulse in her neck. When she lifted a hand and stroked it up his chest, he let go and crashed his lips against hers. He cupped her bottom and tugged her close, groaning into her mouth at the feel of her soft and strong body flexing against him.
He dove into the warm sweetness of her mouth. She met him stroke for stroke. Desperate for more, he drew back and buried his face in her neck, inhaling the scent of her—a hint of lavender mingled with the cool rain lingering on her skin. He lifted her in his arms and headed straight for her bedroom, trailing hot kisses along her neck as he strode quickly to her room and shouldered through the door. His knees bumped the edge of the bed. He kept his hold on her and slowly eased her down. He stood and yanked his shirt off. She leaned up and followed suit, tossing her shirt to the floor and shimmying out of her leggings. She wore another polka dot bra—the dots bright green on this one. She’d explained the fateful shopping trip when Julianna had insisted everything they buy have polka dots. His heart clenched at the sweetness of that.
His eyes on her, he dropped a knee on the bed and placed his palm on her chest, slowly pushing her back on the bed. For a moment, he sensed hesitation. Then she relaxed and stretched out. He looked at her, her dark hair still damp from the rain spread out in a tangle on the bed, her body all soft curves tempered with strength. Female shifters were remarkably strong and Vivi was no exception. He curled a palm over her calf and slid up the soft skin, savoring her quick intake of breath. He kept moving,
stroking over her thigh and letting his fingers trail across her panties. He could feel the wet heat through the cotton and had to fight to hold back from tearing them off and plunging inside of her. She shifted restlessly.
He hooked his thumb over the edge of her panties and dragged them off. With a kick, she sent them flying to the corner. He stroked into her cleft, slick with moisture. A low moan broke from her throat when he delved into her channel. She was so wet, he almost came in his jeans. He hung on, but just barely. He nudged her knee to the side and leaned forward to taste her.
***
Vivi almost came instantly. She’d been simmering with need since the moment she’d climbed into his truck. Heath’s fingers stroked into her channel, and she arched into his touch. Between his tongue and fingers, he drove her wild. Her hips moved of their own accord, responsive to every subtle touch. She distantly heard her broken cries and Heath’s name falling from her lips. Diving into sensation, she chased the pleasure. He brought her higher and higher, the need tightening within, until he dragged his tongue across her clit. She flew apart, spikes of pleasure coursing through her. His mouth stilled, and he slowly pulled away. She dragged her eyes open to see him stand and swiftly shove his jeans down. He swiped them up to yank a condom out of his pocket. His eyes lifted and locked onto hers, his gaze hot and electric. She couldn’t have looked away if she tried.
The mattress dipped when his knee rested against it. He stretched over her, his hands capturing hers and his elbows bracketing her face. She curled into his grip when he laced his fingers with hers. Her pulse lunged and her belly tightened with need. She could feel his hard shaft against her. Her body was still shuddering from the echoes of her climax. She was so sensitive that the subtle shift of his hips sent another shock of pleasure through her. His eyes never left hers, and her heart felt cracked open. He dipped his head and brought his lips to hers—the briefest of kisses—and then pulled back. Her breath came in shallow pants and her body drew tight, the anticipation notching her need higher and higher. Reflexively, she arched into him and he surged inside, seating himself deeply. She gasped and her eyes fell closed.