Strange Neighbors

by Ashlyn Chase

  She hugged her son close and stared at Konrad. "Oh my goodness. Are you hurt?"

  "I'll be fine. Probably just a bruise. Nothing broken."

  The driver of the car rolled down his window and yelled, "Hey, lady. Keep your friggin' kid out of the street."

  Konrad turned to him and said, "We're fine. Thanks for asking."

  The driver flipped him the bird and sped off.

  "If you hadn't been there…" Tears welled up in the mother's eyes and she bit her lower lip.

  "I'm just glad I was able to help, ma'am."

  He glanced at Roz for the first time since he'd bolted into the street. Her mouth hung open and her eyes were wide with awe.

  "Are you sure you're okay?" Roz asked. "I mean, you took a pretty hard hit."

  "Nah, I'm made of strong stuff. I drink lots of milk— rich in calcium."

  The woman grappled for her purse. "Sir, let me give you a reward."

  "Aw, heck no. I'm just glad I saw what was happening in time to stop it."

  "I insist."

  "Tell you what. Take the money and buy one of those child harnesses." He ruffled the boy's hair. "Some precocious children need to be protected from themselves."

  She smiled and nodded. "Thank you, I will. I'm truly grateful." Then she squinted at the kid and said, "You're in the dog-house, young man. And just for that, I'm getting you a leash!"

  ***

  "I can't believe you saved that child without getting killed."

  "Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I wasn't thinking at all—just reacting to the situation."

  "You were so brave and so selfless." And so amazing and so… hot!

  He smiled and placed a finger under her chin. Tipping her face up, he bent low, hovering just over her lips. "Can I have a kiss as my reward?"

  "I'm sure the boy's mother would have kissed you if you'd asked." Roz was teasing, but also trying to keep her distance. After all, he had just been in trouble with the law.

  "I didn't want to kiss her. I'm asking you."

  Aw, I'm melting. Roz slipped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes. He held her in a surprisingly gentle embrace and closed the short gap between their lips.

  The pressure was just right. Firm, but not bruising. He opened his mouth slightly and slanted his head, allowing her to deepen the kiss if she wanted to. She answered by slipping her tongue past his teeth, but something sharp pricked her.

  She almost pulled away, but his big paw of a hand cradled her head and kept her mouth fused to his. He slipped his tongue past her lips and lapped at the sore spot. Suddenly, the pain faded and disappeared.

  Roz let her body mold to his and felt petite in his arms. Now, that's a first.

  The hot, drugging kiss continued, right there on the sidewalk heedless of passersby and traffic. The world fell away and soon the only thing she could name that existed outside herself was his arousal nudging her stomach.

  She even wanted to incorporate the hard length inside her body and join with him completely. Whoa, where did that thought come from?

  "It came from us, darling."

  Roz snapped out of her trance. Pulling away, she mumbled, "Wha… What just happened?"

  Konrad kissed her forehead and smiled. "I think it's called telepathy."

  "You heard me too?"

  "Yes, as if you were speaking inside my head."

  Shocked, Roz lost the power to communicate—or breathe.

  Konrad stroked her cheek with his thumb. "It's never happened to me before, but I've heard of it. Certain members of my family can do it with their m… Uh, people they're very close to."

  She inhaled deeply and tried to steady herself. "Well, I've never heard of it happening to anyone, at all." Suddenly she remembered what he'd heard and heat rose to her cheeks. "To tell you the truth, I'm a little embarrassed you overheard what I was thinking. I'm not sure I want anyone listening to my warped mind."

  Konrad wrapped an arm around her and gave a side squeeze. "Don't worry. I won't tell a soul how warped you are."

  "Hey!"

  He laughed. "I was just messing with you. I think you're beautiful. Inside and out."

  She gazed at him as if mesmerized. No man had ever said she was beautiful, at least not convincingly. But his eyes were telling the truth. He really thinks I'm beautiful!

  "Inside and out."

  "Now cut that out. I just said I don't want you listening to me while I'm thinking."

  "Then don't think so loud."

  "Don't think so… what?"

  "I doubt I hear all of your thoughts. Just the ones that come across clearly."

  Roz crossed her arms and pouted. "Oh, that's just great. So, now I'll have to keep my mind a jumble in order to have any privacy?"

  Konrad shrugged. "This is new to me, too. I guess we'll have to figure it out together. Let's go home." He kept his arm around her and guided her to walk beside him. She wanted to slip her arm around his waist too, but regardless of what just happened, it seemed too soon.

  "Maybe I can talk to my brother about it. He might know if there's a shut off button."

  "Has he experienced telepathy?"

  "No, but he… Well, he's closer to the rest of the family than I am. He can probably ask them for me."

  "Oh, so you've had a falling out with your family?"

  "You could say that."

  "I don't know what I'd do without my mother and brother." My step-dad can go to hell, though.

  "What did your stepfather do?"

  "Oh, damn. Did I think that out loud?"

  He smiled. "Don't worry, I won't tell a soul. But I'd like to know so I don't do the same thing."

  She snorted. "If you did, the circumstances would be totally different." Like, mutually consensual.

  "Oh, no! You mean he…"

  "Get the fuck out of my head, will you?"

  Konrad stopped walking and leaned over to give her a warm, tender hug. Then he whispered in her ear. "I'm sorry that happened to you."

  She gently pushed him away. "It wasn't when I was a kid or anything. I was in high school, and it only happened once. He came home from a party drunk. My mother went right to bed. He—he came into my room uninvited and tried to kiss me a little too amorously. He put his hand on my breast and I shoved him off."

  "Crap. That must have been frightening."

  "Yeah, not to mention disgusting."

  "Did your mother ever find out?"

  "Yeah, I told her, even though he told me not to. He said it was my word against his and he'd deny it. But I figured she deserved to know."

  "That was brave of you. A lot of girls would have kept it bottled up inside and acted out in some other way. Did she protect you?"

  "She booted his ass soon after I told her. Then we both went to counseling."

  He squeezed her shoulder and continued walking. "Thank God for that. Some mothers don't believe their own daughters. I saw some of that as a teacher. That's when the kids act out to get the attention of someone— anyone who might help."

  "Yeah, in that way I was fortunate."

  "How old were you?"

  "Seventeen. Too old to call anything that might have happened statutory rape, but too young to be a legal adult."

  "Damn. If he'd pushed it, I hope you'd sue his ass off."

  "That would have been difficult. My stepfather was a lawyer. He said he'd make me look like I was totally crazy if I tried to ruin his reputation." She looked up at him with a sad smile. "And what teenager hasn't acted totally crazy from time to time?"

  Konrad shook his head. "Well, at least you got counseling to help you put it in perspective. Is your mother okay?"

  "My mom is strong. She put us kids first. Like I said, she threw him out and threatened to take him for everything he owned if he contested the divorce."

  "Did anything happen to your brother?"

  "No, except he wanted to kill my step-father when he found out. He was always my protector."

  "Well, now you
have me."

  Surprised, Roz stiffened momentarily, then offered him a weak smile. "Thanks, that's sweet of you, but we just met."

  "So?"

  Roz chuckled. "Seems like I've picked up another protector whether I like it or not."

  "Oh, you'll like it, all right."

  She halted and her eyes widened.

  "Oh, no. I didn't mean that the way it sounded. Please don't worry. I'll never pressure you." A second later, the thought, "I hope" popped into his mind.

  Roz took a couple of steps away from him. "You hope? What the hell does that mean?"

  "I—I would never… It's just that I'm so attracted to you, it's like… I can't explain it. Just know that I'll never hurt you—or let anyone else hurt you, either." He shook his head vigorously. "Never, ever." He enveloped her in a tender hug. "I promise."

  ***

  His mate. He'd found her! At last. Telepathic communication didn't just happen. He had only heard of it in mated couples. Even then, not every couple was lucky enough to experience it.

  His canine accidentally scraped her tongue. Her blood must have triggered the telepathy. Now he was burning to find out if they were compatible in bed. But if he rushed her, he could scare her off. Especially with her history.

  She interrupted his thoughts. "What's so special about my history?"

  "Huh?"

  "You were saying… or rather thinking, something about my history. Something special?"

  "Oh. It was nothing." Damn, this telepathy is going to be a pain in the ass.

  "Tell me about it."

  "Shit. You heard that too?"

  Roz giggled. "This is really weird. Kind of fun, but totally bizarro."

  Konrad took a deep breath. "Let's go home and try not to think until we get there. Are you up for a jog?"

  "Sure. If I get tired, I'll walk and meet you there."

  "Or I can carry you."

  Roz burst out laughing. "Yeah right. I may not weigh as much as a ton of frozen food, but I'm no lightweight."

  "Sure you are." He turned his back to her and squatted slightly. "Hop on."

  "What? Are you nuts? You want to give me a piggyback?"

  "Why not? We're going to the same place and we want to get there quickly."

  "I'll slow you to a crawl."

  "Try me."

  Roz folded her arms. "I'm not getting on your back."

  "Why not?"

  "Because I weigh too much." And I don't want you to know how much too much.

  "Suit yourself." Konrad turned back toward her and scooped her up in his arms.

  She shrieked.

  As he strode off in the direction of their building, only a few more blocks away, she wriggled in his grasp. "Put me down!"

  "If you don't stay still, I might drop you."

  "Fuckin' caveman."

  "Did you know that contrary to popular opinion, the

  cavemen were neither slovenly nor dim-witted? That by their survival alone, regardless of having no manuals, no education, no knowledge of science or mathematics at all, they managed to live beyond puberty to raise the next generation. That points to intelligence."

  "What are you, Mr. Wikipedia? Did you just Google 'cavemen'?"

  "No, I'm trying to impress you. It's also agreed that language has been around for a million years or more. They developed language in order to communicate with each other. In order to do that, they must have been extremely intelligent."

  "Yeah, yeah. You're a freakin' rocket scientist. Now put me down! I'm too old to be carried like a baby."

  "I've got a better idea." He set her on her feet.

  "Whew, finally. I—"

  Konrad dipped down and came up with Roz draped over his shoulder.

  She gasped.

  "If you're going to accuse me of being a caveman, I might as well act like one."

  Roz thumped him on his back. "Put me down this minute!"

  "Just relax and enjoy the ride."

  "I don't usually hear that until I make it to the bedroom."

  Konrad laughed, but ignored her plea and strode off in the direction of their building as if she weighed no more than a sack of tennis balls. Then he added to her embarrassment by whistling.

  "Oh, very nice. What if I have to fart while I'm up here?"

  "Then fart. We're traveling downwind."

  Roz giggled and bounced along with Konrad's long strides. "I give up."

  "Good."

  "It's your hernia."

  "You're not as heavy as you think you are. So many women have negative self-images. You think you have to be bony to be beautiful, when it's the opposite for most guys."

  "Oh, really?"

  "Well, I guess I can't speak for the entire male population, but most guys I know like a little meat on their women." He patted her ass.

  A passing couple laughed.

  "Oh, for Christ's sake. Do you have to embarrass me completely and totally?"

  "If that's what it takes to convince you that you're ravishing…"

  She sighed. "Ravage me when we get back to your place and I might believe you."

  Konrad slowed his march. "Did you mean for me to hear that?"

  "Put me down and I'll tell you."

  He quickly set her on her feet and grasped her shoulders to steady her.

  She looked up into his serious face and took a risk. "Yeah, I meant it."

  He straightened and his eyes widened. "I'll race you."

  They grinned at each other, then took off running the final block to their building.

  Available February 2011

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Table of Contents

  Author's Note

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author