by Morgan Rae
Holly smiled at the thought, just as she heard, “Hi, Mrs. Holly.” Cassidy’s eighteen-year-old twins, Trish and Tanner, both sat at the dinner table, plates away, homework out, scrawling out answers in their notebooks.
“Hi.” Holly smiled and pulled up a chair next to them. “What are you working on?”
The twins exchanged a look as though telepathically deciding how much information they should share with the new woman in their clan. “Book report,” Trish said finally, tugging her hair back into a braid distractedly. Holly knew the gesture well—she used to play with her hair constantly until she began substituting hair for making chew toys out of pens. “We have to write about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.”
“Oooh, that’s one of my favorite books,” Holly said as she leaned in closer.
“Hang tight,” Cassidy said as she brushed through the room. “I’ll grab you a pair of my boots.”
“Thank you,” Holly said. Cassidy vanished down the hall and Holly turned her attention back to the children. “What are your papers about?”
“Mine is about the separation between Dr. Frankenstein and the monster,” Trish blurted out eagerly. “And how they’re really the same person.”
“Very interesting theory,” Holly coaxed.
Trish looked shy suddenly and turned her eyes down to her paper with a mumbled, “Thanks.” The little excited grin on her mouth, though, told Holly this girl had a real passion for learning and probably didn’t have a lot of people who understood that passion, locked up on a farm ranch.
“What about you?” she asked Tanner.
He shrugged. “I don’t know.”
They had their mother’s sharp features and, when Tanner frowned, he looked just like Cassidy. Tanner wasn’t hard to figure out; she’d seen a million Tanners in her classes before. Kids that didn’t want to study or work—for whatever reason. Maybe they didn’t think they were learning anything important, maybe they lacked the passion, or maybe they lacked the self-discipline to sit still for so long. Even now, she noticed Tanner’s lanky knee bobbing up and down under the table as he tapped his foot repeatedly. Hormones must hit these kids hard, Holly thought. Not only were they maturing into full-grown adults, they were also maturing into full-grown brown bears.
“Can I take a look at what you’ve written so far?” Holly asked, putting on her teacher mode. Tanner hesitated, then reluctantly nodded and handed over the slip of paper.
Holly read through his introduction. It was vague with sloppy sentence structure, his assertions broad and directionless. “Okay…this is a good start,” she said, trying to sound encouraging. Then she found a red pen on the table and picked it up. “Do you mind?”
He shook his head, watching her warily. Holly clicked her pen and glanced down at his work. “Did your teacher give you a specific prompt?”
“Dad usually lets us write about whatever,” he said with a shrug.
And then it clicked. “You’re homeschooled?”
The twins nodded simultaneously. As a teacher, Holly knew how much work went into preparing young minds and she knew it took a very special, dedicated parent to properly homeschool. Cassidy seemed all over the place, but Dave had the patience…still, isolated on the ranch, Holly couldn’t help but worry. If anyone had faith in the school system, it was Holly. “I’m applying to colleges, though,” Trish said firmly. There was a fire in her voice, as though she had something to prove.
“Oh yeah? Which colleges?”
“I was thinking about Elmswood.”
“You know I work there, right? I could probably get you in for a night so you can see if it’s something you would like.”
Trish’s expression lit up. “Really?”
“Fat chance,” Tanner grumbled.
When Holly gave him a questioning look, Trish filled in the blank. “Mom isn’t exactly supportive of me going off. But—”
“But what’s wrong with the ranch?” Tanner shot back.
“Nothing!” Trish’s irises flashed gold suddenly as her temper flared defensively. Holly worried that she was going to have to break up a couple adolescent bears if this continued for much longer.
“What’re we hollering about?” Cassidy said as she came back in, baring a pair of cowgirl shoes.
“Frankenstein,” Holly said quickly, covering for the bickering twins.
Cassidy tossed the shoes down by Holly’s feet. “It’s just a book, let’s not get too excited. Here, try these on.”
Holly did, slipping out of her heels and tugging the boots over her feet. The heel sank back as the too-big shoe hung limply from her feet.
“Hell, Cinderella, what shoe size are you?” Cassidy asked, arms folded.
“Seven,” Holly said reluctantly. “But it’s fine, I can work in these, I don’t mind.”
“She can borrow one of mine,” Trish said and shot Holly a hopeful look. As though she’d suddenly found a friendly face behind enemy lines and she wasn’t going to let go anytime soon.
Holly simply smiled back. She was, after all, still the new girl in town and she wasn’t about to rock any boats, especially when she was on such thin ice with Cassidy already. “Thank you, I would like that,” she said and then turned back to Cassidy. “I’ll head out in a moment, I told Tanner I’d take a look at his paper.”
“Guess we’ve got a real teacher in the house now, huh?” Cassidy grinned and then slipped her hands over her two kids’ heads, messing up their hair playfully. “What do you think?”
She was—rightfully—proud of her children. Holly said, “They’re great. Trish is very passionate about her work.”
“Stubborn is what you mean. She gets that from her mama.” Cassidy toyed with her daughter’s hair.
“I guess stubborn runs in the family,” Holly blurted out before she could stop herself. As soon as the words echoed back in her ears, she felt horrified. She imagined erasing them, popping a badly written dialogue bubble above her head. The last thing she wanted to do was air dirty marital laundry.
Rather than looking irritated, Cassidy cocked a grin. Amused. “Y’got barked at, huh? I ain’t surprised. Jacob’s all gruff and snarl and you roll belly-up at the first sign of trouble.”
“I don’t,” Holly protested, but even as Cassidy said it, she knew the truth in the other woman’s words. She’d barely put up a fight in the home goods store. Jacob barked; Holly backed down.
Cassidy lifted her eyebrows skeptically. “Uh-huh. Tell you what, you and your little feet stay here and help with homework, I’ll go and lend Brent a hand. Deal?”
Holly tried not to sound relieved. “Deal.” Grading papers was far more up her alley and Trish had the look of a girl hungry to learn. And anything was better than dissecting her communication issues with Jacob.
“Alright. Don’t let them boss you around too much,” Cassidy said, shooting her children a dramatic look (behave) before she left.
Chapter 43
Holly spent the next couple hours tutoring the twins and helping Tanner craft his essay. By time she finished, he seemed to at least have a handle on it. Meanwhile, Dave finished preparing dinner and Cassidy finished helping Brent and they more or less demanded Holly stay for dinner. Holly spent the next half an hour getting pumped for information by Cassidy, as though the other woman was testing her. Holly answered in vague monosyllables until she could finally (politely) make an exit. It seemed that no matter what she did, she couldn’t prove to Cassidy that she was “part of the clan.” Slow and steady climb uphill, Holly told herself. They’d get there. Eventually.
By the time Holly got home, Jacob still wasn’t there. The sun had fallen behind the trees, casting a red glow over the mountaintop, and Holly tried not to let her nerves get the better of her. She graded last night’s homework, lit a fire in the fireplace, and then read another chapter of her book while she waited for him. All the time, she glanced repeatedly at her watch. Finally, she flipped open her phone, found his number, and texted:
[SMS: A
pples4Days] Is everything okay?
Just then, Jacob burst through the door, making Holly jump in her spot. She rose, quickly, dropping her book.
“Jacob,” she said. “I was just…texting you…”
He turned on her when she spoke and Holly buttoned her lips. He looked wild, untamed, his hair askew and his eyes frantic. He softened a little when he saw her, but there was still a frenetic energy bouncing around him, even when he stepped closer and pressed a small, chaste greeting kiss to her mouth.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hi,” she replied. His eyes were distracted, unfocused. Holly glanced down and noticed his bottom shirt buttons were uneven, like he had redressed in a hurry. A spike of paranoia shot through her.
“Where were you?” she asked and surprised herself with the sharpness of her tone.
“Out,” he said, vaguely, brushing it off. “I had a job up on the mountain and it kept me late—”
“No,” Holly said and moved her hand to the side of his face, forcing him to look at her. He could lie to the wall, maybe, but he wouldn’t lie to her like this, looking straight into her eyes. “Where were you? Really.”
Jacob looked torn and then finally gave in, just a little. “Things went south,” he said. “The Beast took over and I couldn’t control it.”
“What happened?” her eyes were glued to him now.
“I changed,” he said, reluctantly. “Fully.”
Her heart went cold at that. She knew each full change for him was more dangerous than the last. Every change meant that he might not change back.
“Jacob…” her voice rang out sympathetically.
He pulled away from her then and began to pace the living room. “I know,” he said, his voice stern, like a chastised teenager. “It’s dangerous. I’m dangerous. It won’t happen again.”
Holly watched him pace and saw the tortured expression on his face. No matter what she did, it was never enough. No matter how much she worked on the ranch or what lengths she went to in order to try to blend in with the clan, it wouldn’t be enough to calm the storm tearing through his soul. He had ripped her from her own stagnant life and given her a reason to live—really live again, not simply exist. And yet here he was, still suffering, even after he’d marked her. The thought made her feel helpless. He was her husband; wasn’t it her job to keep him sane?
“It’s killing you,” she whispered.
His eyebrows twisted together and pain read on his face. “You wouldn’t understand,” he said. He didn’t say it in anger; it was a simple, factual statement. She was a full-blood human. He was part Beast. And that was that.
Or was it? “So make me understand,” she said.
His jaw set and he turned away. Closing her out. Again. “It’s not that easy.”
No. They weren’t playing this game again. Holly wasn’t going to let him push her aside and ignore her. “Isn’t it?” she asked. Decisively, Holly crawled over the arm of the couch and tugged her pants down, baring her panties. With her ass on display, hips hooked over the arm of the couch, she glanced over her shoulder and said, “Spank me.”
That he couldn’t ignore. His eyes locked on her and his expression shifted. “Holly—”
“I want it,” she interrupted firmly. “Hurt me like you hurt.” She dropped her head against her Winnie the Pooh throw pillow on the couch. She knew he was an ass man and she could feel his eyes on her now, so she rotated her hips in a circle, putting her round rear in full view for him. She could feel his reluctance; she knew he didn’t want to hurt her. But the thought of being so close to him and so far away made a knot form in her throat. “Please, Jacob.”
Finally, relief. She felt his hands on her first and he drew her panties down over her legs. He undressed her slowly, deliberately, and pushed her shirt back. There, he pressed a kiss to her bare skin and she heard, “I love you.”
His voice was weighty and hers felt wafer thin, threatening to crack when she said, “I love you too.”
And then she felt it. A single slap, hard, on her backside. Even though she’d known it was coming, she felt a shock of surprise rush through her, instantly heating her blood. She cried out and her fingers twisted the fabric of the couch.
“Did that hurt?” Low concern permeated his voice.
She felt a low sting and then nothing. He was going easy on her. That angered her, somehow. Would he go easy on her if she were a honeypot?
No. Because he didn’t care about those other girls. He cared about her.
She needed him to care less. Holly shook her head. “I can take it,” she told him. I’m not as weak as you think.
Again, she could feel his hesitation, but then his hand came down on her ass again, and again, taking turns between cheeks. The stinging tingled and became a low, incessant burn that covered her skin. She felt like her whole bottom was on fire and the sensation fell lower, settling between her legs. Holly gasped and gripped the couch. She felt a flush rise in her face. “Oh God, yes,” she heard herself say. “Spank me like one of your honey-sluts.”
Honey-sluts. One of Miranda’s words. It had just fallen out of her mouth before she could stop it. Jacob came to a full stop at that.
Oh shit, she though, panic rising like bile. Oh shit, oh shit. That’s it. He hates me now.
Instead, she heard his voice, a low thunder. “I’ve never done this before.”
That surprised her. “Never?”
His hand rubbed over her ass. The skin was sensitive now and even his gentle touch made her whimper, her foot bucking off the ground briefly. “I told you. I don’t let people get close. I’ve never let anyone see this side of me.”
Those words rushed through her. Holly loved words—novels, poetry, spoken word, she ate it up. But she’d never gotten high off words like she did on his confession. She felt like she was floating. “Harder,” she pleaded breathlessly.
Jacob was getting into the swing of it because the next hit came down nice and hard and made her cry out. Her knees buckled and her hips dug hard into the arm of the couch. She heard him grunt with effort behind her and she felt his free hand suddenly dig into her hair, grabbing a handful and pinning her down.
Oh God…she was melted butter suddenly, soft and malleable in his hands, completely lost under his grip. His blows came rapidly, one right after another, marking her ass. Her blood grew hotter and hotter until she broke out in a sweat. The pain twisted and coiled in her belly until she couldn’t take anymore and she gritted her teeth, her eyes stinging.
“Stop!” she finally cried out and he did, instantly. The second his hand left, she gasped for breath. Her skin was burning hotly in his absence, her heart was hammering hard in her chest, and she’d never felt so—
Powerful. And strong. Instead of feeling weak and pathetic, Holly felt like the force of his blows had snapped a cage around her. When she looked over her shoulder, twisting under his grip, she saw him panting over her, gold shimmering in his gaze. She’d taken the Beast’s rage. She could take anything now.
“Did I hurt you?” he asked guiltily. Concerned.
“Yes.” She smiled and she felt her cheeks burn with blush. “But I want more.”
He laughed suddenly, a throaty, barked noise. “Am I gonna have to tame you now?” he teased, giving her sore rear a pat.
“No,” she said and turned around fully. She sat up (even the soft fabric from the couch felt rough on her sore ass) and slipped her hands to his shoulders. He cupped her face in his hand and she felt his thumb wipe a line of tears away she hadn’t known were there. “You’re going to give me your Beast. Every time you feel it coming on, just…” He started to pull away, so she put her hand on his chest, over his heart. She felt it pound, strong, under her palm. “Let me in. Let me help carry this. You can’t do it alone.”
Those words seemed to ring sharply in his ears, because his mouth crumpled into a frown. “You’re right,” he said and laced her fingers in his. He pressed a kiss to the back of her hand and murmur
ed, “I can’t do this alone.”
He looked so soft, so vulnerable suddenly, opening up to her—the first time he’d admitted failure to anyone, probably. Holly rewarded him with a kiss, cupping side of his face. His wiry beard scratched her chin and he sighed once, as though his chest had just physically expanded now that he’d dropped his troubles onto her and he finally had room to breathe. He deepened the kiss and tasted her, hotly, as though he were exploring her mouth for the first time. She whined into his mouth, overwhelmed suddenly with gratitude. Grateful that he’d opened up to her, finally, and given her a part of him that no one else had. Something that was truly hers.
Holly’s kiss became more frantic, needing him to be closer, as close as possible. Her desperation fed his and soon he was kissing her back just as ferociously, his hands gripping her thighs hard enough to leave marks on her pale skin. But then, just as suddenly, he pulled back. She felt empty—more than empty—without his lips and a whimper fell from her mouth.
His eyes were dark and intense as they took her in. Predatory. He unbuttoned his shirt, unhurried, one button after the other, revealing his chest covered with dark, curly hair, and she watched it rise and fall with quickened breaths. Holly didn’t dare move, as though she were caught in a trance, hypnotized by his eyes and the languid movements of his hands. When his hand moved to his belt, unlocking it with a click, she squeezed her thighs tighter together, longing painfully for what lay underneath.
“Get up,” he told her, his voice thick like dark honey. “Turn around.”
She obeyed, standing and turning her back to him. Her heart fluttered like a hummingbird in her chest and she wondered if he was going to spank her again. She wasn’t sure she could take much more. Instead, she felt his rough hands move to the hem of her shirt.
“Lift your arms,” he said. She did and he began undressing her, delicately tugging the thin fabric of her shirt over her head. His hands then moved to her pants and he pulled them all the way down and let her step out of them. Her panties fell next so she was fully naked in front of him. She felt him press a kiss to the stinging skin on her ass and Holly gasped.