“Are you sure? How?”
“Drug overdose. The P.I.A. handled the recovery and disposal of her body, of course.” He released her hand and walked past her to the couch, where he sat down. “But since she’s well known in human circles, the media is being told she fell off her luxury yacht in the Pacific and her body was never recovered.”
She followed him, lowering herself to the couch they’d so recently made love on. Amazing how the energy could change from sensual to so dark in an hour.
“I didn’t really know her,” she said carefully, “but that surprises me. You seem skeptical. Do you believe it was suicide?”
“No.” He gave a slow shake of his head. “Jocelyn Feloray was too damn selfish and ambitious to take her own life. She was driven by revenge.” He paused. “The P.I.A. wanted to take her down, but we didn’t have the evidence. It sounds like she made some powerful enemies elsewhere.”
“You’ve been through a lot with her. You all have,” Sage murmured. “Do you know why she hated you? Hated the P.I.A.?”
“I have a pretty good idea now.” He pulled an envelope from the back pocket of his jeans. “It’s a one-page file the P.I.A. kept in their classified records. With her gone now, they wanted me to have it.”
Sage stared at the envelope and a wave of unease washed through her. It wasn’t good, whatever it was.
“What does it say, Nate?”
“Who Jocelyn’s father was.”
The foreboding grew. “Who was he?
“My grandfather,” he replied quietly. “She says he raped her mother.”
“Oh God.” Sage pressed a hand to her mouth as her stomach revolted. “That would make her your aunt. Jocelyn is your aunt.”
“Technically, yeah.” He looked just as flummoxed. Disgusted.
What kind of person set out to torment, avenge their own blood? Even if Nate’s grandpa was guilty of what she accused, Nate was innocent. She hated the woman even more now and cheered the fact the bitch was dead.
“Did you know about this? Do you think it’s true?”
He shook his head, appearing completely confounded. “No. This file was the first mention of it. My grandma, my grandpa’s mate, died before I was born. Grandpa was a widow. He never remarried.” He paused. “But it appears he took a lover named Rose.”
“A human one.” Sage put the pieces together. “Jocelyn’s mother.”
“Yeah. Getting a human lover pregnant is bad now, but back then it would’ve been epically bad because it was before memory wiping was used.”
“So it wasn’t rape?”
“No. The report indicates my grandpa cared for this woman quite a bit, and bought a house for her to live in nearby. He stayed in a secret relationship with Rose, raised Jocelyn and her twin until they were two.” He glanced down at the envelope. “And then Rose realized what he was. What her children were.”
Oh no. Sage’s heart sunk. She knew this was bad. What would happen to a human who discovered the truth about shifters before memory wiping was invented.
“Was she killed?”
“No. She killed herself before it came to that. And so my grandfather raised them until they were eighteen, and then they both were sent off to college. They always knew what they were, though. That they had shifter blood in them.”
He opened the envelope and pulled out another, more weathered sheet of paper.
“It must’ve been later in life that Jocelyn decided there was a more sordid truth. Apparently Rose left a note for her twin daughters to discover later in life. She twisted the story so that her girls would think their birth was the result of a rape. She encouraged their vengeance on the shifter community.” He shared a glance with Sage. “Guess which twin found it.”
“Jocelyn, and apparently she did exactly that. What happened to the other twin sister? I’ve never heard anything about her.”
“From what I understand she embraced our lifestyle after falling in love with a full-blooded shifter. They had two kids before they were killed in an…accident.”
He paused and closed his eyes. “Only it might not have been an accident at all. There are signs that their death came at Jocelyn’s hands.”
“And what happened to the two kids?”
“Jocelyn raised them. Grace and Aubree.”
“Grace?” she repeated slowly. “As in the agent who works in your unit? The one we went skiing with last week?” More pieces of the convoluted puzzle slid into place. “Oh my God, Nate. They’re your cousins.”
“Yeah. Jesus, this is going to be some crazy news to break to them. To everyone.”
She rubbed his shoulder, concern making her frown. “Are you okay? This is a lot to take in. Want me to pour you a whiskey? Or get some of that memory wiping stuff to make you forget all this?” She forced a laugh. “That last one was a joke.”
He didn’t even crack a smile.
“I know. I’m fine, oddly enough.” His jaw flexed and he shook his head. “I will never think of that heinous woman as my aunt. This will be the one and only time I acknowledge her as such.” He paused, and his expression softened. “But Grace and Aubree…they’re family whom I intend to claim.”
Of course. She’d only met the two a handful of times in the past few weeks, but both of them had been so supportive and friendly.
“And you should. They’re both amazing individuals.” She sighed. “I’m just surprised the agency didn’t tell you any of this earlier.”
“It was classified. It doesn’t surprise me at all. It’s how the P.I.A. branch of the government works.” He gave a small shake of his head. “Besides, decades ago when this file was made, I wasn’t even alive. They couldn’t have predicted we would all end up with circles overlapping.”
“That makes sense, I suppose.”
Nate stood suddenly, and grabbed her hand. “Hey, let’s get out of here.”
She didn’t even hesitate, just rose to her feet and followed him to the door.
“Where are we off to?”
He grabbed his keys off the table near the doorway and gave her a slight smile.
“We’re going to invite ourselves to dinner at my cousins’ house.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Nathan walked silently and alone through the woods on Grace’s property. Any other time he might’ve shifted and allowed himself to run in the massive growth of trees that led up into the mountains.
But tonight he felt strangely human. His emotions did at least. A little more raw. Vulnerable. Complex.
He’d broken the news to Grace and Aubree, and they’d seemed suitably shocked. Maybe even happy. But, shit, who really knew. It was a hell of a lot to take in.
Maybe that explained why he’d always been a little more protective of Grace. Good thing she’d ended up with Hilliard, because he was a damn good man.
Aubree, well, she was still young and now expecting a baby. With the father dead, she was looking at a future of single motherhood. At least until she met her true mate. And until then, she’d be under not only Darrius and Grace’s protection, but Nathan’s as well.
He’d make sure of it. Though if he read the signals right, Darrius’s college-aged brother might be nursing a crush on the soft-spoken, lovely teenager.
Footsteps crunched in the fallen leaves behind him. Nathan turned to face his company, but knew it was Sage before he saw her. He could pick up her presence and scent before she was close now.
“Hey, you.” She fell into stride beside him and cast him a sideways glance. “Are you doing okay?”
“Yeah. I’m good. How are Grace and Aubree?” My cousins. He hid a smile.
“They’re doing good too. Actually, they’re doing really good. I get the impression Grace isn’t the type to cry, but there were tears in her eyes. Happy ones, of course.” She gave a wry laugh. “Even if she’s a little daunted about being related to an alpha.”
“She’ll get used to it.”
“Of course she will, and you’d better get used to b
eing invited to Sunday dinners or the equivalent, because I’m pretty sure you’re the only family Aubree and Grace have left too.”
“That would be…kind of awesome actually.”
He stepped over the stump of a tree that had fallen on the path, and reached back to help her over. Once she was safely on the other side, though, he didn’t release her hand. It seemed more natural to hold onto it.
“The last six months have been crazy, Sage.” He finally voiced the uncertainty that had been racing through his head all day. “We’ve been fighting to take down this revenge-driven bitch for a while now. I’m not even sure what happens next.”
“You go back to your day job, leading your unit and fighting more bad guys.” She stepped in front of him and stopped, bringing him to a halt. “Because you’re damn good at it.”
His lips quirked. “You think so, hmm?”
“I know so. Everyone knows so.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “And maybe, if you got me properly knocked up this afternoon, you’ll get to focus on being a dad too.”
Damn, but he loved the sound of that. More than he ever would’ve thought.
“You know, we can always try again. If today didn’t work,” he murmured, before brushing a soft kiss across her sweet mouth.
She met his kiss with a soft intensity, before pulling back an inch after a moment. “What’s that they say? That if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again?”
“Yeah. Something like that.” He pushed a wayward curl off her forehead and then wrapped her snuggly in his arms. “I love you, Sage. You saved me.”
“We saved each other.” She rested her head against his chest, her arms wrapped around his waist. “You once told me you’re nothing like what I write about in my books. That your nobody’s hero, Nate.” He heard the tears of emotion suddenly thick in her voice. “But you’re wrong. You are my real life hero and always will be. Yes, it’s different, but so much better than the books I write.”
He closed his eyes and drew in a ragged breath, his heart pounding with emotion now. With her cheek against his chest, he knew she could hear it.
Sage was his woman. His mate. He never could’ve seen it coming.
“I never believed in fate,” he confessed. “Until I was forced to run from everything I’d ever known, and was led straight to you. Maybe I’m your hero, Curls. But you’re mine.”
“Ine,” she correctly. “I’m your heroine.”
“So technical.”
After laughing softly, she drew her nails up his chest and gave a lopsided smile. “Not technical. It’s just a matter of you having a penis.”
“Right, and I’m not afraid to use it.”
“Clearly.” She lifted her head and met his gaze, her eyes dancing with desire and happiness. “Maybe after dessert we can go home and have a little more dessert.”
He brushed his thumb over her swollen lips. “And this, my love, is why we work so well together.”
She rose to her tiptoes, meeting him halfway with a kiss that he would never ever tire of.
About the Author
Shelli is a New York Times Bestselling Author who read her first romance novel when she snatched it off her mother’s bookshelf at the age of eleven. One taste and she was forever hooked. It wasn’t until many years later that she decided to pursue writing stories of her own. By then she acknowledged the voices in her head didn’t make her crazy, they made her a writer.
Shelli currently lives in the Pacific Northwest with her daughter where she writes various genres of romance. She’s a compulsive volunteer, and has been known to spontaneously burst into song.
Look for these titles by Shelli Stevens
Now Available:
Trust and Dare
Theirs to Capture
Four Play
Foreign Affair
Savage
Savage Hunger
Savage Betrayal
Seattle Steam
Dangerous Grounds
Tempting Adam
Seducing Allie
Chances Are
Anybody but Justin
Luck be Delanie
Protecting Phoebe
Holding Out for a Hero
Going Down
Command and Control
Flash Point
The McLaughlins
Good Girl Gone Plaid
Coming Soon
The McLaughlins
Kilty Pleasures
Falling for the bad boy is even more dangerous the second time around.
Good Girl Gone Plaid
© 2013 Shelli Stevens
The McLaughlins, Book 1
In high school Sarah fell for her best friend’s older brother—one of the sexy, Scottish McLaughlin boys. But a painful betrayal showed her she’d been a fool to give her heart to a bad boy. At least it made it easier to leave him and move halfway around the world when her Navy dad got stationed in Japan.
Eleven years later, the death of her grandmother has forced Sarah back to Whidbey Island for a month. It’s the length of time she must stay in her inherited house before she’s allowed to sell it, take the money and run. But when she sees Ian, bad as ever and still looking like sin on a stick, she can’t keep her mouth from watering.
One look at Sarah stirs up the regret lingering in Ian’s heart—and never-forgotten desire lingering in his body. He should walk away, especially since divorced single mothers aren’t his style. But when she starts showing up at his family’s pub, he can’t resist a little casual seduction for old time’s sake.
One thing quickly becomes clear, though. The heat between them is causing an avalanche of secrets and betrayal and nothing will ever be the same.
Warning: A bad-boy hero who’s good with his hands, a heroine who’s trying to be good. Contains liberal consumption of Scotch whisky, a Highland Games competition, men in kilts wielding large poles, and a potential Sarah McLaughlin of the non-musical kind.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Good Girl Gone Plaid:
She blinked and wet her lips. “W-what?”
“You heard exactly what I said.” His gaze honed in on her mouth and his eyes darkened. “A kiss. It’s not that complicated.”
Oh, it was definitely that complicated.
“Not a chance.”
“Why?”
“Are you high? Because we’ve got a history—a pretty complex one where I made it clear I wanted nothing to do with you. And beyond that, I’m not for sale, dammit.”
Ian laughed. The sound so deep and sexy, she hated the way it heated her blood.
“I’m not asking you to suck me off. Though I sure as hell wouldn’t protest if you tried. It’s just a kiss.”
The imagery. Oh, God, the imagery those words created. She shoved it aside, and sputtered, “You’re disgusting. You kiss your mother with those lips?”
“Not since she moved back to Scotland with Da. And the only kissing I’d like to focus on is between you and I.”
“It’s not going to happen.”
When she stepped back, he followed her. A deliberate dance of seduction. Of intimidation.
“It will happen, Sarah, because I want it to and I’m certain you do too.”
“Arrogant much?” Her mouth went dry. “I was done with you the day I moved to Japan.”
Okay, that was a lie. She’d never forgotten him—it would be impossible to. And each suggestive little sentence he uttered was turning her body to liquid heat. Which pretty much made her think she needed to have her head examined. Any normal woman would’ve reacted by slapping that smug smile off his face.
“And that’s just the thing, doll. I wasn’t done with you.” His head dipped. “Not even close.”
And before she could fire back a response, not that she had one after his explosive admission, he muttered, “I’m collecting my payment.”
His mouth claimed hers.
Instinct demanded she fight him—push him away, but her mind reasoned that she could fight him another way
. By not responding. By not giving him any indication that she still harbored any emotion except disdain to him.
But his kiss wasn’t hard—wasn’t aggressive. It was slow and sensual. Gentle even.
His mouth brushed over hers in a soft caress, again and again, before his tongue teased the seam of her pressed lips.
His shocking change of tactic tore down any walls she’d maneuvered between them. Emotions she’d thought long dormant stirred deep within her. Physical needs she hadn’t realized she could experience anymore came to the surface.
The combination of the two was a bit terrifying.
She wasn’t a twenty-eight-year-old woman anymore, but a seventeen-year-old with a stomach full of butterflies again.
The urge to part her lips, to kiss him back struck her with a ferocity that made her lightheaded.
She slid her hands up his chest, clinging to his shirt to keep herself upright. Though there was no real danger of falling, not with the way he’d backed her up against the door.
Ian lifted his head a tiny bit. “You always were so damn sweet. Open your mouth for me, Sarah. I’ve got to taste you.”
She shook her head.
“Do you want me to stop?”
Again, she shook her head, couldn’t manage any reply except a small whimper. He used it. Once more his mouth took hers and his tongue slid past her parted lips. The moment his tongue touched hers the fight left her.
Just one more time, she bargained with herself. One more time to remember how good they’d once been.
Clinging to him now, she met the teasing flicks of his tongue with hesitant strokes of her own. Tasting him.
Heat and need spread through her blood like wildfire. Catching and crackling, making every part of her come to life in a way that hadn’t been matched in eleven years.
Pleasure exploded through her when he slid a large palm past her scarf and into the V neckline of her dress. The sensation of his calloused hand cupping her breast had her nipple hardening instantly.
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