Devlin Dynasty 2: Fall Fury (14 page)

Then again, maybe he wouldn’t have to, because several cars pulled into the longdriveway and stopped in front of him. They were filled with Storm family, from Angelina and Galen to Logan, Kaitlyn, Melissa, Aidan and bringing up the rear,looking reluctant as hell…Shannon.

“What are you all doing here?”

Angelina hugged him and kissed his cheek. “We couldn’t let you move in byyourself. What kind of southern hospitality would that be? We’ve come to helpyou.”

To say he was stunned was an understatement. “I don’t know what to say.”

Logan smiled. “It’s our family’s way of welcoming you. When Shannon told usyou had bought a place, Mom made arrangements for a moving day barbecue. It’skind of a tradition.”

“Don’t bother trying to get rid of us,” Kaitlyn said as she swept by, arms filled with bags. “We won’t listen. You’re practically family anyway now that you’re moving here. Where’s the kitchen?”

Speechless, he mumbled something about through the front door and down thelong hallway. The rest of the family followed Kaitlyn inside, Shannon draggingthe rear.

“Shannon.”

She stopped and turned to him, offering the phoniest bright smile he’d ever seen.

“Yes?”

“You’ve been avoiding me.”

“I have not. I’ve seen you every day at work.”

“I’m not talking about work. You’ve been avoiding me after work.” He sounded

like a lovesick boy. He was disgusted with himself.

She sighed. “Max, I don’t want to get into this again, okay?”

“Why did you even come today if you don’t want to be here?”

“I don’t know what you mean by that. The Storms are always happy to help.”

He wasn’t buying it. He could chisel that frozen smile off her face. “Is it thatawful to be around me?”

She shrugged. “Again, I have no idea what you mean.”

Unable to resist, he reached for her and pulled her against his chest. She stiffened. Anger rose within him at her cold demeanor. He was tiring of these games. He’dgiven her plenty of space to come around, and was growing weary of tiptoeingaround her, around his need for her. “Don’t,” he warned.

Her eyes widened. “Don’t what?”

“Don’t pull away from me.”

“Then don’t touch me unless I invite you to.”

“I will be touching you, Shannon. Again and again and again. Might as well get

used to the fact that we’re fated to be together.”

Heat sailed between them like the shock of walking from an air conditioned roomto the steamy outside. And just as soon as it hit, it was gone, replaced instead by agust of cool wind.

Shannon rolled her eyes and pushed hard at his chest. Considering her familylurked right inside, he let go and she stepped back. “Look, Max. Just because wehad one night of spontaneous sex doesn’t mean you own me.”

She was wrong. Mating with her had put his mark on her, at least in his mind. Shewas his now, and always would be. He just had to convince her of that, and asusual with Shannon, he was going about things the wrong way. Maybe she justbrought out the primitive side of him, and he wanted to possess her. Just take,with or without her permission. And dammit, she
 
did
 
want him. He knew she did! She was just too stubborn to realize it.

Jamming his fingers through his hair, he let out a forceful breath. “You’re right.

Sorry. I’m just…agitated today.”

She frowned and tilted her head as if she didn’t believe this abrupt change. “I

understand. I’m a bit agitated myself.”

His agitation was physical. He felt the blood racing through his veins, makinghim want to shift and take off in a run to pour out some of the adrenaline coursingthrough him. It was probably because they hadn’t made love for two weeks. Theanxiety building up within him had nothing to do with this move or with business. It was one hundred percent attributable to the cool brunette standing in front ofhim. He wanted her, and she wasn’t giving him easy access. For a wolf…an alphawolf…that was damned annoying.

He was just going to have to learn to treat her differently, because his normalalpha tactics weren’t going to work on a woman like her. He’d push, and she’dpush back. Then she’d distance herself.

No, this way wasn’t working at all. Time to regroup and add some finesse to hisseduction technique.

“Anyway, I’m sorry. I really appreciate you and your family coming out here to

help me today.”

Responding with a wary glance, she looked at the moving van coming up thedriveway, then nodded. “You’re welcome. I’m going inside to help them getstarted.”

Shannon hurried up the porch steps before Max said anything else to her.

She blew a stray hair out of her face and tried to calm her tormented emotions. God, she really didn’t want to be here today. He’d bet if she hadn’t beenbrowbeaten by her mother, sister and Lissa, she wouldn’t have come.

Since the night they’d had dinner and came out here to look the place over, heremotions had been in turmoil.

Hell, she’d purposely picked a fight with him in the car on the way back. Andsounded like a bitch royal in the process.

What was wrong with her, anyway? Why couldn’t she even be civil with him? Hewas like itching powder sprinkled all over her body, and he was driving her crazy.

And this damn house didn’t help her mental state. She walked through the long

hallway in search of her family, once again hit hard with the feeling of home. She’d felt it the minute she’d walked inside that night. It was a beautiful house, but more than that, it seemed to call to her in ways she couldn’t fathom.

She pictured her things in this house, her clothes in the closet, her cross-stitchedpillows spread across a comfortable sofa. She visualized sitting with Max on asliding loveseat out on the screened back porch, watching the sun drop down overthe lake.

And that made her want to run. Hard, fast and as far away from Max as she could.

When she entered the kitchen, Lissa told her that her mother and Kaitlyn wereupstairs getting the bathrooms ready. Lissa was cutting and lining shelf paper inthe drawers and cabinets. Shannon worked with her, hoping this day would passquickly and soon be over.

Max was prominent in her mind. All the time, day and night. Especially night,when he haunted her dreams, a strange mix of man and that crazy wolf she’d seenthat one time. Why she continued to dream of the two as one she didn’t know, andhad given up trying to interpret the images that plagued her.

In her dreams, he made love to her. Savagely, passionately, taking her to heightsof earth-shattering ecstasy. She’d wake drenched in sweat, the remnants of aclimax shuddering through her.

It had gotten to the point where she was afraid to sleep. In sleep, Max took overand possessed her, and she gave up control to him without batting an eyelash.

“You’re quiet today,” Lissa whispered, gently laying a hand on her shoulder.

“I’ve got a lot on my mind.” She cut and fit a piece of drawer liner and slid it in

place, grateful for any task to keep her mind occupied.

“Something bothering you?”

“No, not at all.” She turned and graced Lissa with a smile. “Although I’d rather be

out shopping, or at home reading a book.”

“I think you’d rather be avoiding Max.”

Now Lissa was getting in on the act? “No, I’m not. I see him every day at work.

That’s enough for me.”

Lissa laughed. “I used to feel the same way about Aidan. That man drove mecrazy. Still does,” she added with a grinning sigh.

“That’s because you’re in love. And when you’re in love, men drive you to the

brink of sanity.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she stilled, knowing she shouldn’t have saidit.

Lissa’s eyes widened. “Maybe you’re in love, too?”

“With Max?” She laughed and brushed off Lissa’s comment, reaching for more shelf paper. “Hardly. We’re more antagonistic toward each other than friendly.”

“The night of the cocktail party you were anything but antagonistic.”

Oh, shit. Did everyone know what happened between them? Not that theycouldn’t have figured it out after she’d left the balcony. Her hair had been a mess,her lips swollen from Max’s passionate kisses. Hell, her face had beard scratchesall over it. She’d looked like she’d been well and thoroughly fucked.

Which she had been. An event her traitorous body refused to forget.

“The night of the cocktail party was a fluke. Honestly, I don’t know what

happened out there. We were arguing and all of a sudden he kissed me.”

“Uh huh. Been there, done that. Some men just get to us. Especially
 
the
 
man. The

one.”

Shannon rolled her eyes. “Ugh. You’re spending entirely too much time with

Mom.”

Lissa laughed. “Maybe. And maybe I just recognize the look now.”

“What look?”

“The I’m-falling-in-love-but-don’t-want-to look.”

If she had that look, then it was a mistake. She wasn’t falling in love with Max. Damn her dreams, and damn her interfering family who seemed to think theyknew more about how she felt that she did.

How could she be falling in love? She could barely stand him, and obviously hefelt the same way since one minute he was nice to her and the next he was yellingat her.

What kind of relationship could they build on something so volatile? They had nofoundation. Hell, they didn’t even like each other! One push and they’d topple.

No way. She didn’t feel anything for Max, and that was that.

Now if she could only stop thinking about him.

* * * * *

Max didn’t have a chance to speak with Shannon alone for the remainder of theday. After his furniture had been brought in and placed around the house, the Storms dug right in, helping him open boxes and set everything up.

Then they’d barbecued and eaten out on the back porch, talking, laughing andarguing back and forth.

They were amazing. Rather like his family, a close-knit pack where everyone didtheir share of the work. The house wasn’t huge, but large enough for a couple andgrowing family, even extra space for visitors. He walked from room to room andimagined a houseful of pups, Shannon running after them. Earlier in the day, he’dstood in the doorway to the master bedroom and watched the movers assemble hisking-sized bed, his mind visualizing the set-up and hoping everything would fit. Now, his imagination took a different turn entirely.

Tangled sheets, sweat-soaked bodies and the waning light of sunset filteringthrough the windows filled his mind with an aching desire to completely possess Shannon.

Unfortunately, that would be hard to accomplish unless he planned to resort tokidnapping.

Maybe he shouldn’t hang out in the bedroom right now. He started down thestairs, enjoying the feel of the smooth oak banister under his hand. He couldhardly believe it, but the sense of home he felt from this place was comforting.

He liked this house. All wood flooring made the heat a bit less oppressive. Therewere plenty of screened windows that allowed a breeze to sweep through thedownstairs. The living room was plenty big, the white-tiled kitchen enormous.

That’s where he found all the women, arguing over placement of dishware. Heleaned against the doorway and watched, knowing they hadn’t seen him.

“Dishes in the cabinet to the left,” Kaitlyn said, drawing a stack of plates and

slipping them onto the shelf.

Shannon stopped her. “No, I prefer them on the right. Easier to unload thedishwasher. Plates are heaviest anyway. And the cooking utensils go there, in thatdrawer,” she ordered, pointing to a long drawer next to the stove. “Mixing bowlsshould go in the cabinets above the island counter, since that’s where food wouldbe prepared.”

By the time she rattled off her extensive list of what went where, Lissa, Angelinaand Kaitlyn had stopped and crossed their arms, staring at her. It took her a fewminutes to notice.

“What?”

“You’re acting as if this is your house, and you’re deciding where everything

goes,” Kaitlyn said.

Angelina nodded. “You feel at home here,
 
ma belle
. It’s obvious.”

Their comments mirrored his thoughts. Shannon had been ordering them aroundas if she were setting up her own kitchen. Max’s heart slammed against his chestat the realization of how much he really wanted her in his home.

Shannon threw up her hands and shook her head. “That’s ridiculous. I’m justtrying to help out. And I do not feel at home here! I didn’t even want to come.” She pointed her finger at her mother. “You made me.”

Max put his hand over his mouth to stifle the laughter that threatened to spill.

“I don’t recall having to twist your arm. Really, Shannon, you’re acting like a petulant child. It’s obvious to everyone that you have feelings for Max, and you’re fighting them.”

Now it was getting good. And he had a ringside seat.