“Good idea.”
Rex reached over and squeezed Steph’s hand, and together they returned to Lawton and Diana.
“I can examine Lawton with more privacy at my condo, and potentially keep an eye on him overnight,” he explained to Diana.
“Let’s go,” she said, standing.
Rex swiftly gathered Lawton into his arms, picking him up as if he were a kitten.
“This seems a bit extreme,” Lawton complained as he was carried out of the hospital. “I’m pretty sure I can walk.”
“It’s quicker this way,” Rex said.
Diana’s huge, black SUV was parked illegally, right in front of the ER. As they approached, Steph could see that the back of the SUV was filled with logs and planks of wood.
“We were in Canada, picking up lumber samples for the new office building,” Diana explained. “Then Lawton got sick.”
“I can still give you a ride home,” Steph said to Rex.
“We’ll meet you at my place,” Rex told Diana as he set Lawton down.
They walked swiftly to the parking garage. “You worried?” Steph asked.
“If he has Illness X, he’ll be the first in my family to get it. I’ve watched it destroy other families. One by one it takes them down.”
“So your family is in danger?”
“Potentially. Unless he has a typical college student disease. Mono or the flu. We’ll know soon enough.”
Steph wanted to distract Rex. “How long have you lived in Magnolia?” she asked.
“I grew up there, but my parents live in the northern territories now. I moved into my condo six years ago. It has a great view. Wait until you see it.”
“I’m from Seattle too,” she said. “North of the city.”
When she pulled in front of his building, she parked but didn’t turn off her car.
“Aren’t you coming up?”
“You already have your hands full.”
“You’d be welcome. More than welcome, in fact. I might need help.”
“In that case, I do want to see the view from your condo,” she admitted. “And I would like to help.”
In the condo elevator, she glanced up at Rex, wondering if he would touch her again. He seemed preoccupied. Of course, he was worried about his nephew.
“It could just be exhaustion,” she said, wanting to offer hope. “He is in college, after all.”
But what if Lawton had the shifter disease? What if it took down Lawton and Rex and Zach and Diana?
She shuddered to think about it, and could only imagine how Rex must be feeling.
Once inside his condo, Steph wandered straight over to the window. Winter sunlight streamed in from the blue sky and setting sun.
Diana and Lawton arrived and Rex took them down the hall to a back bedroom to get settled.
Rex’s condo was a modern open space with white walls and luxurious velvet couches in purples and pale yellows. Floor-to-ceiling windows showed off a view all the way across the Sound to the mountains.
When he returned, Rex dropped his keys on the counter. He flipped a switch and soft jazz piped in through invisible speakers.
“Ready?” he said. “Let’s do this.”
She turned to him, alarmed. Surely, he didn’t still think they would have sex!
“The exam, of course. Will you help me?”
“Oh, sure.”
She followed Rex down a long hallway studded with tall rectangular windows.
The back bedroom was lushly furnished with two big beds and an over-stuffed couch, all covered with pale linen. Sky blue silk wallpaper lined the walls. A globe light strung from the ceiling filled the room with gentle light like a small sun. It was lovely.
Lawton sat up on a bed, Diana by his side.
“I’m feeling better.”
“I think the worst of it may have passed,” Diana said. “He’s been feeling ill in waves since this morning. They come and go. Getting worse each time.”
Rex grabbed a doctor’s bag from the closet and extracted a digital ear thermometer. He sleeved it with a plastic wrapper and placed it in Lawton’s ear. After a few seconds, it beeped and he glanced down at it.
“Normal,” he said. “One hundred point two.” He glanced at Steph, as if he wanted her to approach.
Of course, bear shifters would maintain a higher normal temperature than humans.
Fascinated, Steph moved closer. How else were shifters different from humans? She realized she might be the very first human to observe a shifter medical exam.
She felt honored.
“How can I help?”
“Take his blood pressure.” He nodded towards his open bag, where she saw a blood pressure cuff.
Steph pulled it out and wrapped the cuff around Lawton’s arm, slowly pumping the bulb to increase pressure. As she released the pressure, she read the results out loud. “One hundred over sixty.”
“That’s high,” Rex said. “But not too high.”
Again, Steph felt a little jolt of surprise. One hundred over sixty was low-normal for a human.
He swiftly examined Lawton’s eyes and ears and nose, and then listened to his heart with a stethoscope.
As Rex quietly went through the exam, Steph observed him, admiring his quiet confidence and gentle manner. The word that came to her mind was: dreamy.
Diana never pulled her eyes away from Lawton, watching his every move, and the result from every test Rex performed.
She might have been just his aunt, but Steph could see that Diana was a real parent for Lawton, filled with a mother’s love and concern.
“Now I’m going to ask you five questions. Are you ready?” Rex said, kindly. “Tell me your full name.”
“Lawton James Harris.”
“And your age?”
“Seventeen.”
“Who is your best friend?”
“Joanne Jones.” He smiled, seeming to feel better every minute.
“How are you and Joanne different, beside you being male and she female?”
“Different? So many ways. She’s the strawberry to my chocolate, the lime to my tequila. Sorry, Aunt Diana. The sugar to my cinnamon.”
“Anything else?”
“She’s not a bear shifter, but I forgave her for that years ago.”
“Okay, all done.”
“Hey, that’s four questions. You said there would be five.”
“And with that observation, you’ve passed all my tests, Lawton. My diagnosis is you need to sleep more, young man. Your aunt is right to be concerned about you leaving home and heading out into the world when you so obviously still need to learn how to take care of yourself and get the rest you need to stay healthy.”
“I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” But he looked so exhausted that he had clearly heard the wake-up call, even if his bravado wouldn’t let him admit it.
“You’ll sleep nine hours a night and eat a balanced diet until the day you leave home, and hopefully every day after that too,” Diana piped in. “I’m not going through this scare again.”
“Let’s talk in the living room,” Rex said to her. “I’ll give you some menus.”
Steph sat with Lawton while he sat up and slid into his boots. “You his girlfriend?” he asked her.
“We’re just friends.”
“Good luck with that.”
“What do you mean?” She handed Lawton his backpack from the floor.
“I see how you look at each other.”
“You are observant.” Steph liked Lawton more and more. It was hard to believe he was only seventeen. He had an old soul. There was something a little different about Lawton too, but Steph hadn’t put her finger on it yet. Maybe it was just the shifter thing.
“I don’t want to say ‘nothing gets by me,’ but—nothing gets by me. It’s kind of my trademark.”
“Well, hang on to that skill when you move to Hollywood, okay? It might come in handy.”
“Oh, definitely.”
They walk
ed together into the living room to find Diana and Rex poring over recipe books at an immense, modern dining table.
Steph got a better look at the rest of Rex’s apartment. Every room seemed to have its own terrace or balcony, and they were filled with flowering plants and potted trees. She spied a wooden hot tub and an outdoor barbecue on the terrace behind the living room. The kitchen was a chef’s kitchen with two stoves and a double-wide refrigerator. It was the most high-tech, sparkling kitchen she had ever seen.
Rex invited them to stay for dinner, but Diana told him she wanted to get Lawton home to bed.
After they said goodbye and left, Steph asked Rex, “Do you really think he’s just over-tired?”
“I hope so. The early stages of the disease are difficult to distinguish from ordinary exhaustion. We’re going to keep a close eye on him.”
“He’s a sweet kid.”
“You have no idea. He’s extraordinary, even for a shifter. From the time he was a toddler he’s been outgoing and kind and wise. Everyone loves him. And I mean everyone.”
Steph glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. It was already 7 pm. “I’m going to call it a night. I’ll pick you up at the same time tomorrow morning.”
She wandered out to the living room to look for her bag.
Rex came up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders and massaging. “Tired?” he asked.
“It’s been a long day.” His strong hands kneading her muscles felt amazing. She froze and closed her eyes. Dreamy. “That feels so good.”
“Why don’t you stay? Let me make you dinner? As a friend?”
She opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder at him. “You do have a pretty fancy kitchen. Do you cook a lot?”
“I like cooking. Don’t always have time for it, but yeah. It’s a passion.”
He pulled his hands away but she grabbed them and put them right back where they had been. He laughed and kept massaging.
“What’s your specialty? Tell me more. And keep massaging while you’re at it.”
He laughed. “Would you be surprised if I said salmon and honey cakes? My other specialty is speed. I can have dinner ready in fifteen minutes flat.”
“That sounds too good to pass up. I’ll stay.”
“I’ll have to let go of your shoulders, you know. To start cooking.”
“I like friends who can give good massages. Your rating just went way up.”
“Just one of my many benefits.” He leaned forward and kissed her from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist to hold her close. She felt him press into her. He was impossible to resist. She leaned back, letting her body melt into his. “I’ll show you a few others after dinner.”
She turned around in his arms, sliding against him, letting the heat build as she pressed her breasts across his chest. She inhaled the scent of him; it was like he’d been in a forest all day, manly and capable and delicious. She heard the soft jazz.
She wanted more.
“Why wait?” she said, looking up at him while wrapping her arms around his waist.
His lips were on her in a heartbeat, exquisitely tugging her lips and gently pressing his tongue into her mouth. As she opened to him she realized she was ready to leap.
Friends with benefits. It made so much sense.
With Rex, it felt right. She could let go. She moved her hands down his back to grasp his ass, pulling him closer. He moved his hands to her breasts, pressing against her nipples and gently stroking. She felt his hardness through their clothes.
Within a moment, Steph became aware of the sound of a door closing, and she realized they weren’t alone. Her eyes flew open.
Lawton and Diana stood in the foyer. Lawton smirked, Diana looked embarrassed. She coughed.
“We decided to stay, after all,” Diana said.
“Told you,” Lawton said.
“Sorry. I had no idea you two would jump into each other’s arms so quickly.”
“Arghh!” Rex groaned, slowly pulling away from Steph.
“Lawton is exhausted. He should sleep here tonight,” Diana insisted.
“It’s okay.” Steph smiled and rubbed her hands on her pants legs. “I should go anyway.”
“No! Really?” Rex said. “At least stay for dinner.”
“I’ll take a rain check.”
“We’ll set the table,” Diana said, pulling Lawton into the kitchen to give them some privacy.
He kissed her goodbye and she instantly melted into him again. Damn. Rex could kiss!
“I’ll see you in the morning,” she said, pulling away.
As she rode the elevator down to her car, Steph remembered the feel of his hands on her body and hugged herself tight. How much longer would it be before they were completely naked in each other’s arms? It seemed only a matter of time, but could it be that easy?
She had a feeling that nothing was simple with a bear shifter.
Not love. Not work. Not friendship. Nothing.
And it wasn’t until the next morning that she found out just how right she had been.
7
Text Messages
REX:
You okay?
STEPH:
Yes. Why?
REX:
You’re late.
STEPH:
I just pulled into your parking lot.
REX:
Everything okay?
STEPH:
It feels like the day after. I feel like we should take a day off. You know: the rules???
REX:
Be right down.
8
When he got into her car the next morning, Rex could see that Steph was obviously still aroused from the night before.
Her face was flushed pink and her lips were moist and full. She looked up at him with her sparkling, brown eyes.
Take her, his bear urged.
With every fiber of his being, he wanted to kiss her and tell her how beautiful she was. Although he had promised to be a friend, what they had was so intense it was hard not to give in to his feelings. He felt his blood pulsing through his body, and every nerve ending felt on edge.
Rex tried to hold himself back.
Really. He did.
Fuck it.
He leaned across the front seat, putting his face as close as it could be without actually touching her. “Good morning, gorgeous,” he said. Then he moved just a bit closer.
“Hi,” she said in her raspy morning voice. She parted her lips.
He kissed Steph gently and deeply, letting her delicious warmth envelop him.
When a love is right, we know it in our deepest selves like we feel a deluge when it rains. There’s no doubt. It exists and it is good.
Kissing Steph felt that right and that inevitable.
He kissed her once more, quickly, squeezing her shoulders and then leaning his forehead on hers. He pulled back to see her face.
She looked stunned but happy.
Very happy.
But then a cloud crossed her face and her expression told him he had messed up.
“What is it?” he said.
She was quiet, staring down at her hands.
“Steph? Talk to me.”
“Friends with benefits. Remember?” She glanced up quickly and pulled her car into traffic.
“The benefits are what I’m trying to move towards.”
“You don’t get it.”
“Get what?”
“This isn’t how it’s supposed to work.” She sped towards the hospital.
“What don’t I get? Benefits are sex, right? Friends are friends?” He checked his seatbelt. Yup, it was working.
“Plain physical release sex. Not emotional, oh-my-God-I-love-you sex.”
“I can’t help what we have together. I didn’t make this up.” Damn. She could be frustrating. Good thing she was so adorable.
“We don’t even know what we have together yet. We haven’t actually done anything.”
“Kisses aren’t nothing.
Not our kisses.”
“Damn right. Not the way you kiss.”
“You’re kissing me right back.”
She pulled the car into the parking garage and quickly found a vacant spot.
She turned to him. “Let’s just have sex and get it over with.”
“Get it over with?” Was she serious? Sex between them was going to be fucking amazing. It wouldn’t be something to ‘get over with.’
“Yes.” She got out of the car. “Then we can just relax.”
“Relax?” Damn, she was stubborn. He would show her. “Fine. Let’s do this.”
They stormed to the elevator.
“Fine.”
It took them two minutes to get up to his office and lock the door. He took her by the hand and pulled her to the sofa. Her angry stance melted.
No more words. He would let his body do the talking.
Rex pulled her into his arms, caressing her back with gentle strokes as his lips found hers, reconnecting with the same tingling energy as every kiss they had ever shared. Rex let his hands wander down, caressing her magnificent ass, pulling her into him. He felt her tongue delicately enter into his mouth, stroking against his tongue with a rhythm like the ocean, deep and powerful. He pulled off his suit jacket and she dropped her sweater.
They sank together until they were both lying face to face on the sofa, her legs wrapped around his waist.
“Finally, we get to the benefits,” he said with a tender smile. “You okay?”
She nodded and pushed him back on the sofa until he lay on his back and she was straddling him, her hips hovering over his hips, her scrumptious breasts pressing down on his chest, teasing but also connecting deeply down the entire length of their bodies.
He pulled her head to his, claiming her mouth, and their tongues moved in symphony, wrapping together until neither once could breathe.
His hands finally found free reign on her breasts, plunging into her low-cut shirt, pushing aside her purple lace bralette and circling her gorgeous peach-colored nipples. So responsive, she pulled her mouth away for a moment to arch her back and softly moan. He dipped his head to her right breast, licking and sucking until she pressed her hips into him. She grasped his head and pulled him back to her mouth, kissing again and again.
Shifters in Seattle: Box Set Books 1 - 5 Page 10