As she yanked the door open, her heart nearly jumped out of her chest at what she saw. Or rather who. Luke Lennox was standing on the small stoop of her porch, looking like he belonged there.
“Wh-what are you doing here?” She grabbed onto the doorjamb to steady herself as her knees nearly buckled. In the early morning daylight, he looked even more handsome. His long hair was tied back, and his beard looked neatly-trimmed. The green v-neck shirt he wore wasn’t tight-fitting, but still showed off his tattooed arms and wide chest, which narrowed all the way down to his waist. She forced herself to look up at his face before her eyes moved any lower.
“I’m sorry. For what I said. But you misunderstood my words.”
Misunderstood his words? Oh, they sounded perfectly clear to her. She crossed her arms over her chest. “Is this one of those ‘I’m sorry, but’ apologies?”
He let out a grunt and took a step closer to her porch, then shoved his hands into his pockets. “Look, what I said yesterday wasn’t meant to judge you. I’m just not good with words.”
She stared at him, stunned.
He took another step forward. “What happened to Grayson was perfectly normal. You just didn’t know how to deal with it.”
Georgina was intrigued. She thought she was going to get a lecture that she had somehow damaged her son. “What do you mean?”
“All shifters go through that phase. He’s around the right age when your animal starts to wrestle with you for control and wants to test your boundaries. Nocturnal shiftings aren’t unusual, but neither you nor Penny were equipped to handle it. How could you? Neither of you ever went through it.”
“I thought Ben would be there,” she said, her shoulders sagging.
“He should have been, but he didn’t know it would be a problem.”
How did he get so close? Luke was inches from her now and her gut tightened being this near to him. It was a strange reaction. “So, what do I do?”
“He needs someone to help him through it, explain it all. Ideally, that would be his mom or dad.”
“Oh.” She felt deflated. Of course she couldn’t do that for him. And Mark was long gone. What was she supposed to do now?
“I could help him.”
Her head snapped up so fast, she felt dizzy. “Y-you? But you’re a lion and he’s a bear.”
“And a dragon taught me,” he said. “If you’d feel more comfortable having Ben do it—”
“No!” The protest came a bit too strong and she cursed silently. “I mean, I don’t want to bother him. Between his job and Penny, he’s got enough to worry about.”
“We should start soon. I’ll be here at three tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Yeah. I’ll see you then.” He turned around.
Georgina swallowed a gulp. “Uh. I guess? Wait—” She barely blinked and he was gone. Damn shifter speed.
“Mommy. Mommy!”
She jumped when she felt a small hand tug at her skirt. “Oh, Grayson. Sorry, sweetie, I didn’t see you.”
He frowned and took a deep breath. “Was Luke here?”
“How did you—” Of course. Shifter smell. “Yeah.”
His eyes widened. “Why didn’t he stay? I haven’t said sorry yet.”
“Sorry?”
He nodded. “I scratched him, too. While he rescued me from the cliff.”
“He rescued ….” Oh God, she didn’t even know. “You can say sorry tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
She nodded. “Let’s get into the car. I’ll tell you all about it.”
Georgina adjusted the throw pillows on her couch for what seemed like the 127th time. With her hands on her hips, she examined them again. Nope. They definitely looked better on the sides.
God, this is crazy. She sank down on the couch and slapped her hands on her knees. She’d vacuumed at least two times, wiped down the kitchen counter three times, not to mention, changed her outfit four times. Which was a feat in and of itself as she really only owned a few pieces of clothing. She smoothed her hands down her jean shorts and then brushed an imaginary piece of lint off her white t-shirt. She had settled on this outfit because it was simple and didn’t seem like she was trying too hard. She did put on some makeup and fixed up her hair, so it fell in waves down her shoulders. But it wasn’t like she was trying to look pretty for Luke.
She grabbed a pillow and buried her face in it. “Ugh!” Why was she so anxious? Just because Luke was coming over? He probably wouldn’t even care what she wore or what state the house was in. He’s here for Grayson, she reminded herself. Not me.
The sound of the doorbell made her jump and toss the pillow to the floor. Oh for heaven’s sake! Calm the fudge down! With a deep breath, she walked to the front door.
“Hi, Luke,” she greeted as she opened the door.
“Hello,” he said with a nod.
Oh dear. Her heart went thump-thump-thump at the sight of Luke in his tight black shirt, khaki cargo pants, and boots. His hair was loose today, falling down to his shoulders. She averted her eyes from his well-muscled chest and shoulders before he realized she was ogling him.
“So, can I come in?” he asked, raising a blond brow.
“Oh right. Please.” As she turned away from him, she visibly winced in embarrassment. “Why don’t you have a seat? I’ll call—”
“He’s here! He’s here! I heard him!” Grayson’s shouts rang down from the hall that led to his bedroom. He zoomed into the living room, stopping inches from Luke. His mouth was open as he looked up at the lion shifter, craning his neck. “Are you really here to teach me shifter stuff?”
Luke bent down to his level, planting his elbows on his knees. “Only if you want me to.”
His face turned remorseful. “Will you help me, so I won’t hurt people? Like I did with Miss Penny? And you?”
He held out his arm to the boy. “It was just a scratch. All healed up, see?”
Grayson traced his small hand across Luke’s forearm. “I want to learn.”
Luke nodded. “Good. We’ll start now.” He stood up to his full height and turned to Georgina. “Your backyard should be plenty of space, if that’s okay.”
“Of course.” How did he know they had a backyard? It wasn’t visible from the street and there was only forest behind her house. “You guys can go ahead, and I’ll watch from the porch. Can I get you some water? Soda?”
“I’m fine. But.” He hesitated. “Just so you know, I may have to shift as well.”
“Okay.”
“And since I don’t like to rip my clothes, I’ll be taking them off first.”
“Sure. That’s great.” Oh crap. Heat flooded her cheeks. “You know what? I suddenly remembered I have to do some … vacuuming.” She turned around and walked to the broom closet to take out the vacuum cleaner. “You boys have fun. Or whatever. I’ll be here. Inside. Waiting.” Oh, she would be cringing at the memory of this for weeks. No, years. She imagined being at Grayson’s wedding someday and right in the middle of her speech, she’d recall how she basically told Luke Lennox she was going to watch him as he displayed his naughty bits.
“Uh, Georgina? Are you okay?”
How long had she been standing there? “I’m fine,” she said in a cheery voice. “You boys go on with your lesson. I’ll have dinner ready when you’re done.”
As soon as she heard the door to the backyard close, Georgina cringed, her fingernails digging into her palms as she curled them into fists. Get a grip, she told herself. Luke was here to teach her son important life lessons, not get ogled by an undersexed single mom. From now on, she’d have to keep all thoughts of Luke to PG. She glanced out the window and saw him take his shirt off. Okay, maybe PG-13.
As Georgina busied herself with vacuuming for the third time, she heard roars and growls occasionally, but she told herself that was normal. Even though she hardly knew him, she knew she could trust Luke. After putting away the vacuum, she headed to the kitchen to start dinner.
Sh
e wasn’t a gourmet chef or anything, but Georgina thought she was an okay cook. She put together mac and cheese for Grayson and fried chicken and mashed potatoes for the adults. Peeking out the window, she saw a glimpse of Luke’s naked muscled back and the upper curve of his firm ass as he slipped his jeans on. Oh dear Lord, she was dangerously close to R-rated territory.
When she heard the sliding glass door open, she headed to the living room. “How was it, sweetie?” she asked as Luke and Grayson walked inside.
“Mommy! Mommy!” Grayson said excitedly, running up to hug her legs. “It was awesome. Luke was teaching me how to control my bear. I wasn’t very good at first, but we practiced a few times.”
“That’s sounds great,” she said, not really sure what that meant. “Are you going to show your bear who’s boss now?”
“That’s not how it works, Mommy!” Grayson said, then looked up at Luke. “Luke says I’m in charge, but I gotta work with my bear. It knows things too, and sometimes, you gotta listen to it. I’m still having a hard time, but Luke says I’ll get better with practice. Right, Luke?”
Luke nodded at Grayson. “Just keep practicing. You’re a smart and strong boy. You’ll make your mom proud someday.”
Georgina’s heart just about melted. “Well, dinner’s ready.” She cleared her throat. “Why don’t you guys wash up and we can sit down?”
Luke frowned. “I should go.”
“You can’t go!” Grayson grabbed his hand and tugged at it. “Please stay for dinner. Please, Luke? Mommy makes the best mac and cheese!”
“It comes out of the blue box,” she confessed. “But I made chicken and mashed potatoes.”
Luke seemed to hesitate for a moment. “All right. Show me where I can wash up.”
“Yay!” Grayson raised his fist in triumph. “Come with me! I’ll show you the bathroom. You can use my strawberry soap if you want!”
Georgina watched as Luke lumbered away, dragged by a very enthusiastic Grayson, who continued to chatter as they disappeared into the hallway.
As soon as she finished getting the food on the table, Luke and Grayson came back, and they sat around the dinner table and began to eat.
“Grayson, sweetie, slow down,” Georgina said, feeling embarrassed as her son shoveled spoon after spoon of mac and cheese into his mouth. “I don’t want you to choke.”
“He burned a lot of calories,” Luke said. “Changing back and forth does that.” She noticed Luke himself had a big pile of food on his plate. Good thing she had made a lot of extras.
“Good to know,” she laughed. “Looks like he’ll be eating me out of house and home for the next few years.”
“Just be prepared,” Luke said. “And at least you only have one boy.”
“Oh, that’s right,” Georgina said as she swallowed a bite of chicken. “Your parents had to raise three boys.”
“They’re not my parents,” Luke said in a flat tone.
“Oh. I just thought … Catherine said you were adopted.” The tension in the air grew thick, and Georgina realized it must have been a sensitive subject.
Grayson let out a loud burp. Georgina had never been so thankful for her son’s behavior, as it dispersed the tension. “Yummy! Can I have some more, Mommy?”
“You can have as much as you want,” she said, quickly piling his plate with more mac and cheese.
Luke cleared his throat. “Grayson, you should eat more than just noodles. It’ll help you grow stronger.”
“Then I want some chicken and ‘tatoes, too, Mommy.” He gave Luke a big grin. “I want to grow up big and strong, just like Luke.”
Dinner continued, and Georgina was happy to let Grayson keep chatting away, just so she didn’t have to talk. Finally, they finished their meal and despite his protests, Georgina could see Grayson’s eyes getting droopy.
“I think someone needs an early bedtime.”
“But Mommy! I wanted to play with Luke some more.”
“I think we’re done for the day,” Luke declared. “I told you, you’re doing great. You can practice on your own now.”
“But,” he let out a big yawn, “I want you to teach me more.”
Georgina chuckled and got up from her chair. “You’ve done a lot today, sweetie. You need rest to grow big and strong. Right, Luke?”
“Yup.”
Grayson sulked but allowed Georgina to pick him up. “All right.” Another yawn escaped. “Will you tuck me in, Mommy?”
She kissed his forehead. “Of course. Say good night and thank you to Luke.
“Good night, Luke,” Grayson said. “And thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Luke replied with a nod.
She gave Luke a tight smile before she left the living room and walked to Grayson’s room. He was fast asleep by the time she got him dressed and tucked in his bed. When she walked back out to the living room, it was empty, though the dining table had been cleared. There was no sign of Luke, but she heard sounds coming from the kitchen.
Much to her surprise, she found him there, cleaning the plates and loading up the dishwasher. Single, handsome, and knows how to clean up, too. Why no woman had snapped him up by now was a mystery to her. Maybe he wasn’t into women? As she stared at his well-formed backside when he bent down to put glasses in the dishwasher, she stifled a groan and congratulated all the men on the planet if that was true.
“You don’t have to clean up,” she finally said.
He stood up to his full height, closed the dishwasher door, and turned back to her. “You already made dinner. It was delicious, by the way, in case I didn’t tell you.”
“Thank you, though I don’t have any formal training or anything. I just taught myself a few recipes.”
He wiped his hands on a towel and grabbed some clean glasses from the counter. “Even better. You worked for it.”
She was tongue-tied at his words, and her breath caught in her throat when he stalked toward her. God, she couldn’t get used to how big he was. And he was coming even closer. She staggered back, her butt hitting the counter behind her. Luke raised his arms, trapping her in between them. From here, she could smell him—all sweaty and manly and it was driving her wild. “Luke.”
“Georgina,” he whispered. “I need—”
Her eyes flew open. “Yes?”
“—to put these glasses away.”
“Huh?”
He lifted the glasses in front of her face. “They go in the cabinet behind you, right?”
“Uh, sure.” She stepped aside. It was like a bucket of ice water had been dumped on her head, though her cheeks burned like the heat of a thousand suns. Georgina, you idiot. If Luke didn’t bat for the same team, then it was obvious: he just wasn’t into her.
“So,” he began as he closed the cabinet doors. “I think Grayson should be okay. He just needed someone to tell him what to do when his bear gets testy.” He turned around, leaned his hip on the counter, and crossed his arms over his chest, the muscles flexing under the inked skin. “Let him practice when you’re alone. The more he’s comfortable in his bear form, the better it will be for him in the long run.” He handed her a piece of paper. “Here’s my number. Call me if he loses control again.”
She took it. “Thank you. For teaching him and the advice.”
“It’s nothing.”
“So, uhh, would you like to stay for some coffee?”
“It’s getting late. And I have stuff to do.” Luke uncrossed his arms. “Thank you for dinner. I’ll see myself out. Lock your door.”
Georgina stared after him, watching him walk away from her. She heard the door open and then close again. She let out a breath. Whatever this was—her fascination with Luke Lennox—it had to stop now.
She didn’t want to say it out loud, but there was something about the sight of Luke and Grayson together that made her heart wrench. No, I can’t think like that. Luke had done them a favor. He helped Grayson to prevent other people from getting hurt. That was it. She couldn’t vent
ure into more dangerous thoughts because Grayson’s heart would get broken if he grew too attached to Luke or to Blackstone.
Chapter Six
Luke couldn’t get out of Georgina’s house fast enough. He yanked open the door of his truck and got in. He slipped the key into the ignition, turned it on before he could even settle in, then backed out of the driveway.
He gripped the wheel tight as he turned onto the highway. What was he thinking, coming to her house, and offering to teach her son like that? He knew it was a bad idea, yet he had been anticipating it all day. He had even arrived thirty minutes early, but parked his car two blocks away, sitting in the driver’s seat, contemplating canceling the whole thing. But he knew the boy needed someone to teach him how to get a hold of his bear, or he’d risk the lives of those around him. Feral shifters were no joke; he should know, as he had nearly gone crazy himself.
Coming here today had dredged up the old memories of Hank teaching him the same thing he had taught the boy today. The happy times. Before that day. The one he’d been trying to forget most of his life.
He shouldn’t have come, but he couldn’t let the boy continue hurting anyone, not when he could help. And Georgina?
Mine.
He gave his lion a scornful laugh. She didn’t deserve him, the baggage he carried, or the pain that would surely come from being his mate. He wasn’t sure he even had a heart to give her.
After the long, silent drive, Luke finally reached his cabin, deep in the Blackstone Mountains. The one-room cabin had been run down and half the roof was caved in when he bought it with every cent he saved from working in the mines. Over the years, he’d done all the repairs himself, and though it wasn’t much, it was all his, bought and paid for by his own sweat.
He parked his truck and went inside. It was time. Time for him to go out and roam the woods. The stakes were higher now and there was real danger about. He couldn’t forget that.
But, God, he didn’t think he’d be this tired. He’d never felt this tired, like there was a heavy stone pressing down on him. Shifting back and forth expended a lot of energy. Between teaching Grayson, brawling with his own lion, and fighting his attraction to Georgina, he was spent. He sat down on his bed and kicked his shoes off. Maybe a quick nap would help. He closed his eyes. Just a couple of minutes.
The Blackstone Lion: Blackstone Mountain Book 5 Page 6