Croc's Return (22 page)

“I was scared,” his son admitted, his chin drooping. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t you dare apologize,” Caleb admonished. “Fear is normal. Hell, don’t tell anyone”—he lowered his voice—“but I was pretty scared, too. That was one scary dude.”

“He’s gone though, right?” Uncertainty wavered in his son’s eyes.

Yes, but the mystery remained of where it had come from. However, he wasn’t about to worry his son further. Caleb gave him the reassurance he needed. “That monster isn’t coming back.”

“Even if it did,” Renny said, stepping into the bedroom, “Daddy would take care of it.”

At her certainty, his chest swelled. “Always,” he promised. “I will always be there for you.” He whispered those words to Luke as he kissed him on the forehead, tucking him in for the night. Nothing could ever tear him from those who needed him. Who loved him.

As Caleb rose and readied to leave, Renny hesitated. “Maybe I should stay with him.”

And maybe Caleb needed to put a bell on a certain mutt because Princess suddenly scooted through his legs, startling the fuck out of him before she hopped onto the bed, did a circle, and lay down, tucked against Luke. His son reached out a hand to stroke the dog.

“Go, Mommy. I’m not a baby. ’Sides, Princess is here, and she’s a good guard dog.”

Freaky dog more like it, given he could have sworn Princess winked.

Shutting the door, he and Renny made their way to the living room, only to notice Constantine still hogged the couch.

“I can’t wait to move into the new place,” Caleb said with a sigh.

His brother snorted. “That makes two of us then. But until that happens, which is tomorrow, by the way, because I’ve taken the day off to move your shit, you guys can borrow my room. You know, so you can have some privacy.”

“Really?” Caleb couldn’t help his surprised query.

“Yeah, really. You might still be an asshole, but you’re my brother, and you’ve had a rough night. You both have, so take my room for the night, but you’d better strip those sheets in the morning,” Constantine muttered as Caleb, not wasting any time, grabbed Renny around the waist and carted her back down the hall.

She giggled as he closed the door and leaned on it. “That was kind of rude.”

“No, rude would have been kicking him off the couch to make out with you.”

“And is that what we’re going to do? Make out?”

“For starters,” he said with a grin.

Her teasing lilt faded as she asked, “Do you think it’s over?”

He hoped so. “Unless there’s another one of those mutants running about, then yeah.”

“Who would create such a thing, and why?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe we’re wrong. We can’t know for sure anyone made it.” Something he didn’t entirely believe, but he sensed she needed reassurance. Hell, so did he. “The world is a big fucking place with lots of secrets.”

“Except between us.” She caught his gaze. “I saw you tonight, Caleb. Saw you. Saw your croc. Saw what you could do.”

As she spoke, his body tensed, fear coiling in him. Was this where she finally realized she couldn’t handle him?

“You took care of me, and our son. I know you were scared of letting the beast out, but…” She took a step toward him and cupped his face. “Even when you change, you’re still you. Still my Caleb.”

“A man capable of killing.”

“A man who will protect us with everything he’s got.” She leaned close and kissed him. “A man I love.” In a flash, he bound her so tightly she laughed even as she gasped. “Caleb!”

He loosened his grip, just a little, and buried his face in her hair. “I love you, too, baby. So fucking much it scares me. I lost you once to the croc inside me—”

She shook her head. “No, you lost me once because people wanted to use the beast inside you. But we’re smarter now. We won’t ever let that happen again.”

“Never.” A promise he sealed with a kiss, a kiss that started out soft and sweet.

However, Renny didn’t want gentle, or so he surmised as her teeth nipped at his lower lip. Her mouth left his mouth to travel the length of his stubbled jaw, moving down the column of his throat and pausing over his pulse. She sucked at it, a seemingly innocent gesture that meant a lot to his kind. Letting someone close to a jugular was the ultimate trust.

She kept sucking as her hands tugged at his shirt. He helped her to strip it from his body. He couldn’t help but lean against the wall as her lips continued their exploration, burning-hot touches across his upper body. A bite of his nipples. A raking of her nails down his chest to the waistband of his athletic pants.

As she knelt, she yanked at them, baring his erect shaft and pulling a, “What are you doing?” question from him.

The smile that curved her lips went well with the teasing glint in her eye. “Take a guess.”

Why guess when she showed him?

“Baby…” He whispered the word as she drew him into her mouth and proceeded to blow him. Literally.

Funny how surviving what seemed like certain death left a woman feeling more alive than ever. Or was it the man standing before her that had brought her back to life?

They’d both gone through so much. Pain, betrayal, heartache. But now that the secrets were exposed, apologies made, and love rekindled, there was nothing keeping them apart.

Nothing to stop her from showing Caleb her love—and affection.

There was also nothing stopping her from showing him how much she appreciated him, loved him.

She took him into her mouth, the velvety skin of his shaft a sensory delight to explore. While thick, she could accommodate him by stretching her mouth wide. Even then, her teeth grazed him, a sensation he enjoyed if his shivers were anything to judge by.

She dug her fingers into his hips, giving herself leverage to bob her head back and forth along the length of him, savoring every hard inch. Loving how he pulsed and even twitched in her mouth.

The soft moans let her know he was lost in the moment, but she wanted more than that. She wanted him to lose control. To lose himself in her.

She worked him with her mouth, her tongue dancing patterns on his skin, her lips suctioning his plump head. She suctioned hard, willing him to come, but Caleb had other ideas.

“You’re driving me wild,” he growled as he pulled her to her feet. But she didn’t remain on her feet long. In a whirl of bodies, he had her pinned against the wall, suspended by the sheer strength in his hands.

“I love you,” she murmured. Loved his strength, all of him.

“And I,” he whispered back as the tip of him entered her, “have always.” Thrust. “Loved.” Deep grind. “You.” With that last word, he claimed her mouth, even as his cock claimed her pussy.

He pounded into her, stretching her with his size, reaching deep within and touching more than her G-spot. He touched her soul.

Together, they panted and thrust in and against each other, together racing for the pinnacle of bliss.

When she would have cried out, he caught her lips, not only swallowing her expression of pleasure, but she reveled in every single quiver of his body, and then his own unrestrained cry as he orgasmed and brought her with him.

Together, they rode the wild storm of their love and emerged from it breathless, dewy, and smiling.

But she did have to wonder, “Why are you laughing?”

“Because for the first time since I got back, we had access to a perfectly fine bed, and yet we didn’t even come close to using it.”

She smiled. “Seems a shame to waste it, unless you’re too tired.”

Her teasing dare bore fruit. And later on, nestled in his arms, she couldn’t help but murmur, “I’m glad you returned.”

“So am I. And I’m never leaving again.”

But they would be investing in a lock, given Luke’s exclamation the following morning of, “Mommy, you forgot to put on pajamas!”

The dinosaur sightings stopped the night they killed the monster, as did the disappearances, but the bodies of those missing were never found. Five in all and none of them the remains left behind in the cave.

Actually, the Bittech lab tests showed the skeletons found, eight that they could be sure of, were all several years old. It closed a few cold cases and made many wonder just how long the dino creature had lived there undetected.

As no one could come up with answers, the curious went back to their lives, even Wes, because no matter how much he and Caleb, along with the others, searched, they could find no wrongdoing by Bittech or any of its employees. Their paranoia proved groundless, but Wes refused to give up.

“I’m telling you there’s something fishy going on.”

Caleb didn’t disagree, but without a trail, or any clues, there wasn’t much he could do other than promise his aid should Wes discover something. In the meantime, while they waited to see if life would stay normal, he had a family that needed him.

Although it had been only a few weeks since Caleb’s return, life had changed drastically. All for the better.

With the house Caleb had scored meeting approval from Renny and Luke, she’d given her notice to the guy she rented her apartment from, and they were already moved in. Even better, with Caleb’s mom quitting her job to become a full-time grandmother and babysitter for her grandson, it meant Renny could stick to one job, part-time. He wasn’t crazy about her choice of remaining as a waitress for the Itty Bitty Club, but she was working the day shift now and home before dark. While he might not like her job, his best friend Daryl loved it because Renny made sure he got the employee discount on drinks, which meant more tips for everyone since Daryl spent most of his lunches there.

Goddamned perv. But Caleb loved the guy, so he tolerated it.

Life was fucking sweet. He was in love. Had a son. A job.

As for his croc, since their recent understanding, Caleb found he didn’t resent it, but then again, he also made sure to let it out as often as he could. In return, his reptile slumbered more peacefully in his mind, and while it didn’t give up hunting entirely, at least Caleb could content himself that the prey they hunted wasn’t human.

And he felt more human than he had in years.

Except when the football hit him in the head, and Daryl laughed. Then he chased the damned cat, who was nimble no matter his form, up a tree while his son cheered him on and Renny clapped.

Life was fucking grand
—and we’ll eat anyone who tries to mess it up.

Snap.

*

Well, this didn’t bode well. Finding oneself tied to a chair, fully clothed and alone, was never a good sign. Naked and with a lady friend? Totally another thing.

But nope, no hottie in a latex suit. No feathers for tickling. Yet Daryl was definitely bound and a prisoner.

There was a light somewhere behind him, probably a lamp, given it didn’t come from overhead. It provided enough illumination to see his odd situation. Seated in a straight-back, metal-framed chair with a plastic bucket to cradle his large frame. The kind of chair you saw in cafeterias and, judging by the wobble when he swished his hips, not too solid.

That’s method number one to escape.

Two was snapping the tape that bound him to the chair. A simple twist of his large upper body should do it.

Onto the third item, what of his hands? Those were, surprisingly enough, taped in front of him.

By whom, fucking amateurs? Don’t they know how dangerous I am?

Who the hell secured a dangerous predator with their hands in front of them? Because, seriously, if there was anyone dangerous, it was Daryl.

Not conceit, simple fact.

Daryl tested the tape binding his wrists together. He didn’t break it right away. Never act too hasty, not if one wanted the element of surprise. But he almost forgot his own rule when he noted the duct tape was patterned with ducks.

What the hell?

He peered down, and sure enough, more of the happy yellow rubber duckies swam across his chest across the tape layered there.

Mmm…duck.
His feline did so enjoy a well-roasted one.

Apart from feeling a little peckish, Daryl was wondering if this was a joke. After all, this was the least intimidating abduction he’d ever heard of. When he recounted this story to his buds, he’d have to make sure he changed the ducks to sharks. Because at least they had big teeth. Or maybe he’d tell them he’d broken out of chains.

Yeah, big silver chains.
That would impress them.

The dim light barely illuminated the place. Probably a good thing, given he was pretty sure the pink carpet, worn smooth in spots, was a relic from the nineties while the television, in its big hulking case, should have collapsed the dresser.

A classy motel, probably on the side of the highway somewhere, used as a quick pit stop by truckers and those looking for a place to wash and rest on a journey to somewhere.

But how did I get here?

That was the question because last he recalled, he was chatting with that lovely cocoa-skinned woman—and he meant
woman,
with curves that would spill over his palms, luscious lips that would look perfect about waist-height, and dark curly hair that spilled over her shoulders.

Hair that I wanted to pull, which was why I asked her if she wanted to go somewhere quieter.

To his surprise, she’d readily agreed, and they went outside. Whereupon she fucking stabbed him with a needle!

So was it any wonder when she walked in, not even two seconds after his recollection, that he blurted out, “You’re the bitch who drugged me.” And despite what she’d done, he still found her freaking hot, even if she did have a gun pointed at his face.

“Keep talking, darlin’. You’re making my finger awfully twitchy.” She canted her head to the side and smiled.

“I’ve got something that will fix that.” And, yes, he made sure she got what he meant with a wink.

What he didn’t expect was that she would laugh and say, “Oh, darlin’, you wish you were man enough to handle me.”

A dare? How he loved a challenge. His inner kitty twitched its tail in excitement. “You probably shouldn’t have said that.” He held her gaze and smiled as he snapped the tape holding his hands. His lips quirked as he stood with the chair and flexed, freeing himself and sending it crashing to the floor.