by Celia Kyle
Small patches of turned dirt were peppered throughout the lawn, obviously areas she’d intended for planting.
The dog disappeared and returned with a floppy hat covered in obnoxious flowers. She was quick to snatch it and plop it on her head, presenting him with a rag-wearing, disgusting hat covered gardener.
He wanted to kiss her. Right on that pert nose that now sported a smudge of dirt.
“Do you need any help?”
Can I come over?
“No.” She quickly returned, posture still stiff.
“I don’t mind. It’ll feel good to be outside for a bit.”
I want to spend time with you.
“Mr. Abrams—”
“Isaac.” He didn’t want her thinking of him as a mister. He was Isaac to her.
He couldn’t get the woman out of his head, and he was determined to explore his attraction. Kira was the first one who simply treated him like any other man. Oh, her demeanor changed when she’d realized he was related to Ty, but it wasn’t because of his scars. And that intrigued the hell out of him and excited his bear to no end.
“Isaac. I have things under control. I’ve been gardening all my life. It’s what moles do. I can handle this.”
She was a weremole.
Well, that explained the scent of earth that accompanied her blueberry flavor.
Did he care—did the bear care—that she was a weremole?
That anger-filled glare remained focused on him, the wind blowing her curly hair across her heart-shaped face, catching on the glasses that shielded her eyes from him.
Did they care?
Not a bit.
He let his gaze sweep her yard, hunting for a reason to vault over the fence. And… found it. Large bags of fertilizer infused topsoil were propped against the shed, looking like they merely waited to be spread over her patches.
Well, he could do that.
“I know you can handle it.” He gripped the top of the barrier and leapt, using his bear’s strength to get him over the wood. He grunted as he landed and a new tension filled Kira. He imagined her glaring at him behind those midnight glasses, and he merely grinned in response. He gestured toward the shed. “But I see some topsoil over there. I figured I can work up a sweat and help you at the same time. As an apology. What do ya say?”
Kira crossed her arms over her chest. Or rather, under her breasts which had them straining against the tattered material of her top. “No.”
“Uh-huh.” He moved beyond the fence, striding past section after section of barren dirt. He wondered how much she’d done and what was left to accomplish. With luck, and a lot of charm, he could convince her to let him stick around. “C’mon. You know you don’t wanna haul those bags around.”
He shot her a wicked grin, even if she couldn’t see his expression. Or could she? He knew she claimed to be half-blind, but he didn’t really know what that meant. He’d learn soon enough.
“Isaac…” A warning lurked in her tone.
He ignored it.
“I’m just gonna grab one. Wanna tell me where you want it?”
“I don’t need your help. Yours or anyone else’s. I’m fine.” He glanced at her, noting the tremble that wracked her. “I can do this myself. I’m not some…”
Isaac froze, heart clenching and gut tightening. “I know you can. I just wanna help.” He changed direction, padding toward her. “I don’t think you can’t take care of your own garden, Kira.” He stopped just shy of touching her and he knew if she weren’t so upset, she’d probably bolt. “I was an ass for laughing. In my defense, you were adorable. I wasn’t laughing because you couldn’t find Ebenezer. I was chuckling because you’re a little bit of a thing trying to call a dog that’s almost as tall as you. You were angry, and it was adorable. That’s all.” He held his breath, waiting for her to respond. When it didn’t look like she was getting angrier, he kept going. “This is my way of apologizing.” Another strand caught on her glasses and he tucked his hands in his pockets to keep from reaching for her. “And it lets me spend time with you.”
Kira shuffled back, quickly putting space between them, and he resisted the urge to follow her, to chase his prey and feel her beneath him. Her scent called to the bear, beckoned it forth, and he pushed it back with each exhale.
She was already skittish and hurt by his earlier actions. Nothing good could come of chasing her.
“Why?” Disbelief filled her tone.
“Why?” Isaac furrowed his brow. “What do you mean why? You’re fun. Filled with life when you’re not glaring at me.” He cleared his throat. “There’s no reason not to at least become your friend.”
She deflated, some of her tension lessening. “Friends. Friends, I can do.”
He didn’t mention that the more time he spent in her presence, the more he wanted a lot more than friendship.
“All right then. Wanna show me what to do?”
The bear had plenty of ideas that involved Kira spread out on the ground, calling for him. For him. The Grayslake Healer, Itan’s brother, and scarred as hell werebear.
*
Kira remained acutely aware of him all morning. Him.
When he shifted position and dropped another handful of soil, she knew exactly where he crouched. When he moved on, bare soles softly scuffling over the grass, she knew how many feet had passed. When he dropped way too much fertilizer on her tomato patch, she was right beside him and scooping up the excess.
The man was ready to drown her tomatoes!
It was risky to plant tomatoes. Period. She’d heard of a carnivorous wererabbit garden serial killer in Jamesburg and from all reports, the woman was rabid for tomatoes and hated carrots. Kira had both.
She turned her head to gaze toward the steel carrot cage she’d brought with her. Supposedly, it was bunny proof. She wasn’t sure if that applied to rabid wererabbits though.
The risk to her garden was great, but she loved tomatoes and carrots. In salad, on a sandwich… Then there was homemade pasta sauce… Not that there were carrots in the sauce, obviously.
She used her trowel to dig a small hole and then dropped in a seed, carefully refilling the dip in the dirt before moving on. Her animal was snuffling and sniffling the air, happy they were digging through the earth while also remaining near Isaac. Her inner mole whined at her each day they were apart. Screeching at her to march their happy ass to his house right this worm-hunting second.
Heck no!
She’d left those laughs and chuckles back at home with her father’s pack. She wasn’t about to fall into the same trap. Giggles were the first step, breaking into her house and moving things around was the second. The third… potentially, hypothetically, involved dodging quiet electric cars or running from shifted animals.
The fourth at the hands of her brother… The burning, the scars, the blood…
The telltale brush of skin on skin, palms slapping together, alerted her to the completion of Isaac’s task. She should have expected he’d finish before her. Spreading soil and fertilizer across her small patches was a lot easier than planting. And as precious as her new babies were, she couldn’t trust him with creating new life.
Nothing for it. If she couldn’t get rid of him, her day of gardening was over.
If she was honest, it was nice—maybe—to have a reason to quit. As much as she enjoyed digging in dirt, it also made her icky with sweat. Blech.
“Kira?” The uncertainty in the massive bear’s voice had her smiling. To think, a big, bad werebear was timid around her.
She echoed his earlier move, brushing off her hands before gathering her tools and pushing to her feet. The moment she stood, Ebenezer was there, rubbing and pushing against her in his excitement. She stumbled a step, staggering from the dog’s shoves.
Immediately, Isaac was there, arm around her waist as he steadied her. She breathed deeply, enjoying the scents of earth and man, allowing herself to appreciate his flavors for the few moments he was close.
She had no idea.
He bent toward her, easing his face down until his lips pressed against her hairline and he nuzzled her strands. He repeated the breath, pulling her scent into his lungs and she wondered how he’d take it if she did the same to him. Would he allow her to rub his chest and take in his aroma?
She wasn’t sure, so she remained still, stiffening when she sensed his lips almost kissing her rather than resting against her skin. Her muscles went tight and Isaac did the same, stilling before easing away from her.
“Sorry. I, uh, sorry.” He seemed unsure as he put more space between them. “I shouldn’t have… I really am an ass, huh?”
Kira furrowed her brow, trying to pick apart the reason for his unease and she couldn’t find a thing. All righty then.
“Um. Okay. I’m about done here.” She waved her hand, careful to avoid him as she gestured to the yard. “So…”
So, he could go home now.
“Oh.” One disappointment-filled word, and it made her feel like a great big meanie.
How did she go from being totally and justifiably mad at him, to the bad guy? Where did that happen?
She didn’t know, but she did feel like a heel, which meant the next words out of her mouth had her cringing, but a tiny bit hopeful. “Would you like to come inside? The place is a mess, but I do have…” She thought about what she had in her fridge and cabinets. She could figure out something. “I have food?”
“If I chuckle do you promise not to get angry? You’re just so damn…” She heard the smile, but wondered if it really graced his features.
She wondered further if it was teasing or evil. Taking in another deep breath, she filtered through the scents surrounding her and found a hint of arousal, of attraction that were all him. For her?
She tilted her head, listening for anyone else nearby, anyone approaching or invading on their hint of privacy. And she found nothing.
For her, then.
“Adorable. Beautiful.” He coughed and cleared his throat. “Um, but yeah, food sounds good. If you don’t wanna cook, you can come over. I’ve got plenty…”
Kira shook her head. “No, you helped me out today. The least I can do is cook for you. If there’s something specific you’d like and I don’t have the ingredients but you do, then I’ll let you snare them. Otherwise, lunch is on me.” She wrinkled her nose. “Well, not on me, on me. Just… I’m…” She huffed. “Follow me inside, already.”
She spun on her heel and started toward the house, prepared to count steps and navigate the large space. It wasn’t that she couldn’t see, she noted the bottom of the stairs and the large porch. But… counting meant she didn’t have to rely on her spotty depth perception.
“Kira?” His heat warmed her back, his scent sinking into her pores as he looked over her shoulder.
“Sorry, uh, I’m trying to remember the count.” She’d been doing this for years, she couldn’t figure out why her memory hadn’t gotten better at, er, remembering.
“The count? Like the number of steps? You wanted to count my house,” he murmured, his heat still bathing her flesh.
“Yes. I thought maybe… I mean, we’re neighbors and…” She shook her head. Even now, after he’d helped her, she didn’t want to get her hopes up that they’d become friends. Based on his arousal, and her own attraction, she almost wished for more.
“We will be spending more time together, Kira.” His lips brushed her ear, and she suppressed the shudder working along her spine. “Take your time and after lunch, we can go to my house and you can explore there as well. I’ll apologize again because I was an insensitive ass, but I do want you to come over. Stay awhile. Just… stay.”
Kira wasn’t going to read into his words, wasn’t going to take the deepening of his scent combined with his rough words and imagine a message that didn’t exist.
“Kira?” His baritone vibrated along her nerves.
“Ahem, right. So, I go from place to place, retracing my steps to make sure the count is correct and I’m oriented right. The first few times I had some help from a friend.” She cleared her throat, his nearness wreaking havoc on her body. “But I’ve got it down, I think.”
“What’s wrong with your voice?” A hint of growl accompanied the words and her inner animal shuddered. Not in fear. Nope, the damned thing got excited by his show of annoyance.
Crazy, worm-eating thing.
“Nothing.” His cheek brushed hers, telling her exactly how close he’d come.
Her normal instinctual flinch didn’t have her tugging away from him. She remained in place, her mole actually urging her to get closer.
Super crazy, worm-eating thing.
Her inner mole did not dispute the claim.
“Kira?”
She paused in her travels. “Yeah?”
“Is there a reason I can’t lead you inside? Or Ebenezer?”
She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. He wasn’t trying to be mean, he was trying to understand. She had to remember that fact. He wasn’t her old pack. He wasn’t the wolves who… He wasn’t him.
“I prefer to be as independent as possible.” I don’t want anyone’s help. I can live my life on my own. I don’t need to lean on people for the rest of my life. She didn’t say the words aloud. “It’s best if I learn the layout before accepting assistance. This is my home. I should know where everything is.”
And I can’t afford to depend on someone. What will happen to me when you leave?
Again, words she kept inside her heart. She knew he had boxes packed and stacked throughout his home and the gossipy tidbits she’d picked up from Mia told her a few things about him.
1) Isaac was leaving his clan.
2) He had scars marring his face, marking him as ugly as far as the women were concerned.
3) The man earned every one of those deep gouges in a battle for his family and his clan and the dumbass women failed to see how wonderful he was.
Something else she’d learned on her outings—there were plenty of people in Grayslake who thought her partial blindness also equated to deafness. Oh, not Mia, just others. Good thing it was a lesson she’d learned long ago.
He leaned toward her and his warm breath fanned her neck. He scraped his rough cheek along her throat and nuzzled the sweet spot below her ear. “Lead on, then.”
Right. The leading. With the on. And then… Kira was sure a long fang scraped her skin, and she squeaked. Ignoring her animal’s desire to remain in place, she quickly stepped out of his embrace and got back on track, ignoring his teasing laugh.
And it was teasing—not sarcastic or mean or any other type her pack mates taught her over the years. Not the evil cackle from…
Nope, with each moment spent in Isaac’s company, she was quickly realizing he was nothing like the wolves she’d lived with.
This had her balancing her fear against her excitement, and she wasn’t sure which would come out the winner. Hell, who was she kidding?
Excitement was totally in the lead.
What the hell was she supposed to do with that?
Her mole told her it had plenty of ideas.
Stupid, sex-starved, worm-eating mole.
It agreed.
Chapter Four
Isaac followed Kira, keeping an eye on her slow, even steps. Watching where she put her feet had his gaze tracing her curvy thighs and then moving to the roundness of her ass. His fingers tingled with the need to stroke and cup the globes. Then thinking about globes had him thinking about her breasts and how much he’d like to suck and nibble her nipples. A low, arousal-tinged growl escaped before he could suppress the sound, and Kira froze in place.
“Isaac?” She glanced over her shoulder at him, dark glasses shielding her eyes from his gaze. He’d love to stare into the orbs, read the expressions that flitted across her face as he kissed and caressed her.
Maybe later.
“Sorry.” He cleared his throat and thumped his inner bear on the nose at the same time. “My bear’s just a tad hungry.”
“Uh-huh.” She resumed her trek, not commenting further.
Her strides brought her to the edge of the steps, and it took everything in him not to reach out and carry her to the porch. But he didn’t. Instead, he fisted his hands, his bear’s claws making his fingertips ache. The beast wanted to keep her from harm at all costs. Period. End of story. Pick her gorgeous ass up already.
Isaac wouldn’t do that, though. He recognized her need for independence. While he didn’t like the fact she wouldn’t lean on him, he could respect it. He was doing something similar by leaving Grayslake, wasn’t he? Finding his path and hopefully happiness.
The animal snarled, letting him know that leaving was slowly shifting from a certainty to a maybe-probably-not. Especially if Kira planned to settle in Grayslake permanently.
If he had her at his side, he thought the town might be tolerable.
He banished the thoughts from his mind. He’d already pissed her off, invaded her privacy, and now weaseled his way into her making lunch. Bulldozing a woman wasn’t a relationship no matter what the bear said.
She slowly made her way up the steps with a careful shuffle until she reached her back door. She jumped in place, punching the air with a wiggle of her ass and a sharp “yes!”
Her excitement was contagious, her happiness transferring to him as if it were his own. She was thrilled with her progress and he was thrilled… just to be near her.
“Ha! Take that, Alpha Asshole!” She did another wiggle and her words solidified in his mind. “Who’s finding shit now?”
“Who’s Alpha Asshole?” His animal was no longer intent on pouncing on Kira and was more concerned with why his little weremole was mentioning an alpha.
The adorable, tempting wiggles and jiggles ended in an abrupt jerk and she took a sharp breath. “Uh…” She gulped, her neck undulating with the swallow. “You see… He’s… I bet you’re hungry, right? I’m hungry, so you’re hungry. Let’s eat.”
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