by Nalini Singh
Cadie snorted. “Dream on. We’ll be lucky if we’re not scrubbing toilets for the next month.”
Wincing, Tai blew out a breath. “We deserve it.” They’d fucked up. The wolf and leopard changelings would’ve held their own in the fight that had been brewing in the bar, but there’d been humans inside. They'd have been shredded in the ensuing carnage.
“I’m not a soldier,” Evie said, reaching over to stroke Tai’s denim-clad thigh with slender fingers. “Riley can’t do anything to me!” A gleeful tone.
Squeezing her hand when it began to wander up into dangerous territory, Tai put it firmly back in her lap. He had zero self-control when Evie decided to seduce him and right now, he needed all of it to drive them home through the dark of night. “Baby,” he said gently, “that means you have to deal with Hawke.”
Evie pouted, her deep gray eyes morose. “Boo.”
“Tai, how much did Evie have to drink?” Amos asked from the back.
“Only one drink!” Evie protested. “Or”—a deep frown—“was it two?” Lifting her fingers in front of her face, she started trying to count, except she kept forgetting the number two and had to start over.
Lips twitching despite himself, Tai said, “She’s a lightweight.” Two drinks and his beautiful, smart Evie became giggly. A third put her over into adorably drunk, where she was now. Normally, she cut herself off at one and a half, but she’d been having so much fun today watching Sienna dance up a storm on the bar that she’d lost track.
Tai hadn’t.
The reason he was sober wasn’t only because he had a patrol shift in the morning; it was because he wanted to be sure he could look after Evie. No one would ever hurt her on his watch.
“Tai.” Her hand landed back on his thigh, her skin delicate cream against the blue of the denim. “I wanna snuggle in your lap.”
Groaning inwardly as his muscles bunched under her touch, Tai ignored the choked laughter from the backseat. “When we get home,” he told the woman who owned him body and soul.
When her face fell, he lifted her hand and playfully nipped at her fingers. A smile lit up her eyes and he couldn’t resist a soft kiss on the fingertips he’d nipped. Her scent was spring and earth and an intoxicating feminine warmth, soothed his wolf as much as it made him wild.
This time when he put her hand back in her lap, she kept it there. Kicking off her heels, she ran her palm down the shimmering silver of her strapless dress. Her teeny tiny strapless dress. “I’m gonna wear this dress again.”
“I vote for that,” Amos said helpfully. “Shows off your legs.”
“Keep your mind on your own damn legs,” Tai growled, though he knew Amos was just messing with him.
“Yeah, Amos.” Evie turned to scowl at the tall, dark-skinned soldier. “Only Tai can put his mind on my legs.” She bit her lip. “Can you put a mind on legs?”
Cadence was in hysterics now, while Amos solemnly replied that minds could be on legs and his mind wanted to be on her legs. It belatedly dawned on Tai that Amos was also very drunk; he just appeared sober. Cadie wasn’t much better.
When he heard Amos growl, he used the rearview mirror to check up on the two. Cadie was pretending to be a vampire gnawing on Amos’s arm, her blonde hair falling around her face. Since Amos was laughing through his growls, Tai left them to it, and answered Evie’s question about how many fingers she should have on her hands.
All three were asleep by the time he pulled into the garage under the SnowDancer den high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. He noticed that Hawke’s truck wasn’t there. Interesting. He’d have to tell Evie when she was sober; she’d love the idea that Sienna may have finally gotten under their alpha’s skin.
Getting out, he went around to the back and shook Amos’s shoulder. The other man came awake at once, his jaw cracking on a yawn. “We home?”
“Yep.”
“Cadie.” Amos tugged on her hand. “No more sleepy-time.”
Waking on a groan, Cadence slid out through the same door as Amos, then threw her arm around her bigger packmate’s waist. “Come on Mind-on-Legs. I’ll escort you home.”
Amos wrapped his own arm around her shoulders. “’ppreciate it. Think I’m drunk.”
“No shit.”
Watching the two until they made it out into the main corridors, where packmates would help them along if they stumbled, he shut the door and went around to the front passenger side. He opened it with care, undid Evie’s seat belt, then slid his arms very gently around her.
“Tai.” Nuzzling his throat sleepily, she wrapped her arms around him.
“I’ve got you.” He nudged the door shut with his hip just as the truck Elias was driving pulled in. Leaving the garage before the others tumbled out and disturbed Evie, he carried her through to the den. Her long black hair tumbled down her back and over his arm, her legs—gorgeous legs—dropping over his other arm.
She wasn’t wearing her heels. No matter. Any packmate who found them in the truck would make sure the strappy shoes made their way back to Evie.
Riaz passed him halfway to his destination, raised an eyebrow. “Indigo just got back from her shift.”
Oh fuck. Evie’s lieutenant sister was highly protective and she kept a sharp eye on Tai. Rationally speaking, he couldn’t blame her—Evie was a sweet, gentle submissive, while Tai was a strong dominant.
Relationships with such a large differential between the two parts of a couple weren’t common in the pack, and though dominants were taught to be careful, mistakes did occasionally happen, with the end result being horrifying for both parties. No dominant wanted to compel a submissive lover to say yes. No submissive wanted his or her choice stripped from them by the primal drives of the wolf within.
Tai had been painfully careful with Evie. He’d taken baby steps, always watching to ensure he had her full consent, that his dominance wasn’t forcing her acceptance of his courtship. She’d finally lost patience and hauled him into a kiss that blew his circuits.
“I might be submissive,” she’d whispered against his lips as both their hearts thundered, “but I know my own mind. And I’ve known you my whole life. I trust you.”
Hearing that from her had broken him in the best way. He’d been hers, utterly and without question.
“Where?” he whispered to Riaz.
Taking pity on him, the lieutenant told him to avoid the corridors near the lieutenants’ offices. “She’s going over a report.”
“Thanks.” Tai cuddled Evie closer and kept on walking.
He made it to her room without running into either Indigo, or Evie’s parents. Evie had lived with her folks until recently, now had a room in the section for unmated packmates who weren’t soldiers—the rooms were more internal and protected than the ones assigned the soldiers. She was only here part of the time, spent the rest at college. Tai missed her with his every breath, but he knew he couldn’t clip her wings. Evie had to grow, as he had to grow.
And he had to have faith that they’d grow toward each other and not away.
Walking into her room after managing to open the door, he nudged it shut behind himself, then took her toward her neatly made up bed. Soft white comforter with fluffy white pillows printed with cherry blossoms, that bed shouted “female” loud and clear.
He’d never been in it with Evie, the two of them going slow so Tai could be dead sure Evie was with him every step of the way. He had a feeling she might lose patience again and haul him right into bed one of these days, and he’d be fine with that, but for now, they were enjoying learning one another piece by piece, kiss by kiss, touch by touch.
Tai had never been as frustrated or as happy.
When he tried to lower her to the comforter, she clung to him. Eyes still closed, she kissed his throat, her hand sliding around to the back of his neck. His skin prickled, his cock pounded, and his mouth watered at the thought of her kiss, her taste. “Baby, stop.”
“I don’t wanna.” More kisses.
Tai could’ve broken her hold in a heartbeat, but he wasn’t about to hurt Evie, not in any way. “Let go,” he coaxed, “and we can get in bed.”
“Bed?” A suspicious glance through her lashes. “Really? You won’t run away?”
Tai wanted to laugh despite the aching stone of his arousal. “Promise.”
“’Kay.”
He placed her on the bed, but she got off and onto her feet. Before he knew what was happening, she’d undone the zipper on her dress and shimmied out of it. Her panties were lacy pink and tiny. Tiny. She wasn’t wearing a bra.
Someone hates me, Tai thought. Someone really hates me.
Flipping back the comforter, he said, “In.” It came out a growl, but Evie just smiled, well aware that as far as she was concerned, his growl had no bite.
She jumped in, then pinned him with reproachful eyes when he just stood by the bed looking down at the gorgeous woman he couldn’t have. Not tonight. “You said you wouldn’t run away.”
Shoving his hands through his hair, Tai sat down on the bed and took off his boots. Otherwise fully dressed, he lay down on top of the comforter after pulling it back up to cover Evie to the neck. When he stretched out his arm, Evie snuggled up to him, placing her head on his shoulder, but when she tried to tug the comforter out from under him, he turned around and nipped at the tip of her ear.
“Owie.”
Evie did not say things like “owie.” Ever. She was more drunk than he’d realized. Not that it made a difference. As soon as she’d finished her second drink, he’d known he wouldn’t be sharing any sexual skin privileges with her tonight. “Go to sleep,” he said, holding her snuggled up against him.
Her hand crept over the top of the comforter to lie on his chest, her fingers on the buttons of his short-sleeved black shirt. “Tai.”
Closing his much bigger, rougher-skinned hand over hers, he squeezed. “Go to sleep and if you still want to when you wake up in the morning, we’ll do anything you want.”
A brilliant smile. “Promise?”
“Promise.”
Throwing her arm possessively over his chest, she relaxed beside him...and was asleep in seconds. It took him longer. A lot longer. Turning to take in the woman he held, the silky strands of her hair sticking to his arm and her slender body curled so trustingly against him, he said, “Grow with me, okay, Evie?” He wasn’t sure if he could bear it if she found her wings and they took her far from him.
“Love you, Tai.” It was a sleepy mumble but it dug right into his heart and held it tight.
Closing his eyes, he allowed sleep to tug him under. When he woke, it was to find the comforter kicked to the bottom of the bed and Evie’s near-naked body spooned against his chest. Smooth and warm, her skin invited his petting hand, his wolf rubbing up against the inside of his own skin in an effort to get closer to her. He was about to run his palm over her arm when his eye fell on his wrist and the watch he wore.
Six a.m.!
Shit. His shift started at six-fifteen. Sliding carefully out of bed and soothing Evie with a stroking hand when she complained, he pulled the comforter back over her, then thrust his feet into his boots. About to leave, he remembered his promise and scribbled Evie an I.O.U. on the notepad atop the card table she used as her nightstand.
Eight hours later, he came off shift and walked into his room to find Evie waiting for him. Her panties were peach colored this time and just as tiny. In her hand was his I.O.U.. She held it up between two fingers, smiled. “I’ve come to collect.”
Someone freaking loved him, Tai thought, locking the door and grabbing her around the waist to lift her up against his aroused body. Laughing, she kissed him, her arms tight around his neck and her trust an aphrodisiac nothing could beat. There wasn’t a lot of conscious thought after that, just Tai and Evie loving one another. Two wolves growing into their skins...and toward each other.
Copyright © 2015 by Nalini Singh
Clean and Dirty
Author’s Note: This story is an entry in my ongoing series of vignettes exploring the everyday lives of the Psy-Changeling characters—glimpses through the windows of their day to day world.
“Clean and Dirty” features Vaughn and Faith. Vaughn is a jaguar changeling and a sentinel in the DarkRiver pack, while his mate, Faith, is a cardinal F-Psy or foreseer (born with the often painful ability to see the future…though she also has a more fun ability, as you’ll see in this story).
Timeline: This story happens around the same time as Play of Passion, but it stands totally on its own.
I hope you enjoy!
Clean and Dirty
By Nalini Singh
Faith thought Vaughn was the most talented sculptor she’d ever seen, his works vibrant with life and fluid with energy. There was just one problem. “I don’t understand how marble dust can take over our entire living space when your studio is in another area.” She wiped her hand along the edge of a table and it came away white.
Vaughn, the amber-gold of his hair dulled by the same dust, gave her a smile that was pure cat. “You look really clean.”
“No. Absolutely not.” Laughing, she held out a hand in an attempt to halt the jaguar in human form who’d begun to stalk her, slow and silent. “I mean it, Vaughn!” She ran around the sofa when he continued to prowl toward her with unhidden intent.
“What?” Pure innocence in his expression as he came to a stop. “I just wanted this datapad.”
Eyes narrowed, she watched him flick through the magazine she’d downloaded on the thin device but hadn’t had a chance to fully read. “We really have to clean the house.” Though it wasn’t technically a house, but a set of connected caves made both functional and lush by Vaughn’s artistic eye. It still stunned her, the beauty he created from hunks of cold marble and stone.
“Okay.” Apparently absorbed in an article, he tapped the screen to turn the page. “Did you see this? It’s about the world’s most expensive coffee.”
Her ears perked up. “I like coffee.”
“Huh, I don’t think you’d like this coffee.”
“Why?” Since he appeared genuinely involved in the article, she began to pick up the cushions from the sofa and stack them on a nearby armchair, thinking they could dust that off last.
“This coffee,” Vaughn said, “is made from animal droppings.”
“Very funny. I’m not that gullible.”
“I’m serious. It says civets eat the coffee berries, then the coffee makers collect their droppings and pick out the beans.” A small pause, another tap. “They used to farm the civets”—a growl low in his throat—“but that was banned decades ago and now the coffee is even more expensive because the coffee makers have to hunt wild civet droppings.”
Staring at him, a cushion in her hands, she shook her head. “I don’t believe you.”
“Here.” He held out the datapad…and would’ve pounced when she reached for it if she hadn’t caught the gleam in his eye and run backward and around the other sofa.
“Vaughn.” Her attempt to sound stern was utterly ruined by the laughter that overtook her body. Trying again when he put down the datapad and resumed his stalking, she pointed a finger. “House! Cleaning!”
“I’d rather make you dirty, Ms. Faith NightStar.” Jumping over the sofa with feline ease, he chased her into the bedroom.
At a dead end, she used a minor psychic ability to create a solid illusion of tall sunflowers between them. It was meant to surprise him enough to give her time to get over the bed and down the other side, but she found herself watching delightedly as he tried to touch the leaves with a wondering hand.
“I still can’t work out how you do this,” he said as she peppered the illusion with impossibly tall poppies. “Do an elephant.”
“An elephant?” Intrigued at the challenge, she visualized the animal in her mind…and the flowers winked out to be replaced by a miniature pachyderm.
Vaughn grinned and ran his hand over the elephant’s big, floppy ears, a
s if he could almost touch the motes of light and shadow. “This one’s the best you’ve done yet.” He pounced with a jaguar’s feral grace before she realized his intent. “You’re mine now, Red.” Holding her hostage, he shook his head to cover her in marble dust.
Her escape attempts foiled by laughter, she gave in and grabbing his dusty face in her hands, kissed him, both of them laughing the entire time. Vaughn was reserved with those he didn’t trust down to the bone, but with her, he could be as playful as any cat. It melted her each and every time he got like this.
Nuzzling him, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “You are so pretty.”
He nipped at her lower lip. “Watch it.” Still grinning, he said, “Maybe we can borrow Judd for an hour and he can telekinetically magic away the dust.”
She giggled, and it was a silly, girlish sound. A sound she’d never made as a girl or as a young woman, trained as she’d been to be Silent, without emotion, her every action monitored for signs of mental degradation. Even now, she only ever did it in Vaughn’s presence. “What if I wear a French maid’s outfit and use a feather duster?”
A gleam in the near-gold of his eyes. “All at once, I’m inspired.”
~
An hour later—and despite the fact that she didn’t have a French maid’s outfit handy—their living space was sparkling clean, and so were they. Wrapping a towel around her body after stepping from the beautiful waterfall shower that Vaughn had built by hand, she let down the hair she’d pinned up, and turned to watch him finish rinsing off the soap on that golden-skinned body rippling with the lithe muscle of a predator.
Never, she thought, would she get enough of her mate. His touch, his scent, the sound of his voice, his laughter, his teasing, the untamed jaguar at the heart of his nature, each and every part was forever intertwined into the fabric of her life.
Stepping out, he turned off the shower and crooked a finger. It didn’t take Faith even a second’s thought to obey the sensual command; grabbing another towel, she patted him dry, her lips moving over his spine as she indulged in her need to be close to her mate. “You made that up about the coffee, didn’t you?”