Freakn' Shifters Bundle (3-in-1) (57 page)

“Shouldn’t you answer that?” he teased.

Cheeks flushing from pink to red, she fumbled her phone out. “Give me a second.” Back turned, she answered the phone and a rapid fire conversation ensued in a language he couldn’t make heads or tails of. Her eyes flashed with annoyance when she ended the call and turned back to face him.

“I have to go. I stayed too long.”

“When will I see you again?”

“Thursday. He has a meeting and I am supposed to go to a yoga class, but I’ll get out of it and stay home.”

“That’s two days from now.” Two days of not seeing or touching her. Yanking her to him, he kissed her again, a hard embrace that probably relayed some of his frustration. She kissed him back, her embrace just as fierce and hot. A rude shout about getting a room broke them apart, panting.

“See me tomorrow?” he asked.

She bit her lip. “I can’t.”

“And I can’t wait until Thursday.”

“I doubt I can either.” She sighed. “I’ll figure something out and leave you a note.”

“Why does it feel like I’m back in high school?” he grumbled.

She laughed. “I’ve always wondered what it would be like to meet a boy under the bleachers.”

Not very comfortable. But he didn’t say it aloud. This wolf knew better than to talk about past conquests with the woman he hoped to win for life. Chris stroked her cheek with a calloused thumb. “I’ll miss you.”

“Me too. I’ll work something out.” She rubbed against the palm of his hand, a small rumble of pleasure vibrating against his skin.

“I won’t hide what I feel for you forever,” he warned.

Her eyes flashed. “Don’t threaten me. You don’t understand what’s at stake. ”

“Because you won’t tell me. So get whatever’s keeping us apart taken care of or I will do it for you. That’s a promise.”

“If I didn’t feel the same way, I’d probably be really annoyed with you right now,” she snapped. Then softened. “But I understand. I promise to do what I can to be your mate in every way possible as soon as I can,” she added in a husky voice. Before he could grab again for another kiss – and grope – she fled, pert ass swaying, and he forced himself not to chase her.

She wanted time. He’d give her time, but not much because she was his, and she belonged in his arms. His bed. His life.

Jiao parked a block before the house, relishing the scent of Chris on her skin. On her lips. The taste of him on her tongue. It seemed a sacrilege to erase it when all she wanted was to revel in the aroma of her mate. But Sheng would notice. Then he’d yell – loudly. Things would get ugly and, cowardly or not, she wasn’t ready yet to deal with it.

She wanted, hoped really, that her brother would come around on his own and end their fake marriage.  Let her go free. Hopefully sooner rather than later, because like Chris –
my impatient and very sexy, wolf mate
– she didn’t think she could go a day without seeing or touching him.
I need him.

How did it happen so quickly? Who cared? The mating instinct drove her at this point, cajoled her to give in to the inevitable. To be with her mate.

Given her strong feelings, and desires, she knew she wouldn’t be able to hide her affair with the handyman for long. But she could for tonight. Licking her lips one last time – damn he tasted so good – she implemented her plan to ensure Sheng suspected nothing. She exited her car and pulled a bag from the trunk. With a flick of her wrist, she broke the jar of pickles by dropping the bag that held it on the pavement, then tossed it back in her car. She’d ensured at the checkout that the rest of the items in the bag were waterproof. However, nothing could stop the smell. The pungent aroma of garlic pickles in vinegar filled the car, covered her in a miasma that overrode Chris’s, while a piece of gum took care of her mouth.

Sheng wrinkled his nose when she walked in.

“Did you bathe in a vat of brine?” he asked, as he entered the front hall to give her a hand with the bags.

“Stupid jar broke when I put it in the car,” she grumbled. “Can you take care of it while I shower the stench off?”

“Can it wait until I make myself a sandwich? I suddenly have an overwhelming urge for deli.”

“Ha. Ha. Look who’s a comedian. Not!” Shoving the bags in his direction, Jiao fled to the safety of her bathroom before she was forced to lie even more. God, she hated this. She could only hope when Sheng visited Patricia on Thursday, she would sound an all clear. And if she didn’t…

Then Jiao didn’t know what she’d do, but she knew Sheng wouldn’t like whatever she decided. Safe or not, with or without the blessing of her brother, Jiao would act. Would claim. Would live. And love.

Despite the danger, Jiao gave into temptation the following day, despite all the arguments she made in her mind to the contrary. Knowing Chris was at the house, hoping to see her, it turned her into someone she wasn’t sure she liked. Someone capable of lying to the one person who trusted her.

She kept her eyes shut tight as she spoke to her brother on her cellphone, already seated in a cab on the way to the house.

“I’m going home early. I have a headache.”

“I’ll come get you and drive you home,” Sheng replied, and she heard him shuffle the phone then rifle through some papers, probably to check the schedule to see if he could call someone in early to take over his shift at the car dealership.

“I’ll be fine. I already called a cab. I just want to lie down.”

“The contractor is there.”

She knew, and looked forward to seeing him. “I know. I’ll close my bedroom door. I won’t even see him. Don’t make me sing you Paranoia again.”

“You’re a brat.”

“You raised me,” she sassed.

“I should have grounded you more often,” he said in a mocking growl. “But seriously, are you sure, you’ll be okay?”

The concern in his voice tightened her throat. “I’m sure.”

“I’ll be home soon.”

“Don’t hurry on my account, I’ll probably be sleeping.” Or at least have her eyes closed while she indulged a lip lock.

I am such a horrible sister.
Fibbing so blatantly.
Worse, she’d do it again in a heartbeat if it meant spending time with Chris.

Thankfully, Sheng bought it. Minutes later, she entered the house, dropped her bag by the door, yanked the deadbolt, and then headed downstairs. Forget primping or talking herself out of it. It wasn’t just her cat’s yeowling insistence making her frantic.
I need him.

Chris met her before she even reached the middle of her descent, swinging her into his arms, his joy at seeing her worth the subterfuge.

“You made it!”

“I said I would,’ she replied twining her arms around his neck.

“I was afraid you wouldn’t. I mean, yeah, whatever. It’s not like I was waiting or something.”

She snorted. “Is that your macho way of saving face?”

A grin lit his whole face, a boyish smile that made her all warm inside. “Needs work, huh? I always said I wouldn’t be one of those pussy whipped guys who lives for the moments he’s with his mate.”

“And now?”

“I met the right pussy.” He waggled his brows, and she laughed. Laughed so hard her cheeks hurt and she gasped for breath.

It seemed to please him, if his tight hug was any indication. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, he tucked her into his lap, turning her slightly so he could see her face. She lifted a hand to stroke the rough edge of his jaw. She gave in to temptation and slid her lips along it before touching his lips. The embrace lasted only a moment before he pulled away.

“What? No kisses today,” she murmured, only partially shocked at her own risqué words.

“Not because I don’t want to,” he growled. “But, I thought maybe we should talk. Get to know each other.”

“Talk?” She arched a brow. “About?”

“I want to know more about you. What makes you tick? Your roots. Your family. Your favorite television show and color.”

“Can’t we kiss instead?” Because his reasonable queries treaded into dangerous territory. How much did she dare reveal without giving away too much? She didn’t want to lie, but she also owed it to her brother to at least attempt to keep their cover story.

“We’ll have a lifetime for kisses. I want to get to know the woman that’s got me going crazy.”

How unexpected and cute. Yet, at the same time, dangerous. “I’m boring.”
Well, boring
if I omit the part of my life where I was kidnapped along with my family by a psycho who used us as attractions in his perverted version of a circus. Oh, and by the way I escaped just before he could breed me to the highest bidder.
Yeah, she’d keep that part of her past to herself.

“I doubt anything about you is boring. What do you do for work?”

Easy. “I work in a seniors home as a group counselor and personal aide.”

“Why? I mean it seems an odd job for someone your age.”

Why do I do it? Not for the pay that’s sure.
She did it because they needed her. Or was it more like she needed them? So young when captured and selfishly concerned with herself, Jiao wasn’t able to give her mother what she needed when her father died. She still felt the sting of shame that she didn’t try harder. Didn’t find the right words or actions to convince her mother life was worth living.

I
failed. But she kept trying to atone.

The seniors, while not her mother, just wanted someone to care enough to give them that extra urge to fight. “I like old people. They’re interesting. Your turn. Why do you work as a contractor?”

“Because I’m great with my hands?” He lifted them from her long enough to wiggle his fingers. “In all honesty though, I like to build things. As I told you before, I grew up in a house with lots of siblings. We were a little rambunctious.”

“A little?” she teased.

He laughed. “Okay, a lot. Things had a tendency of getting broken around our place. My dad spent a lot of weekends fixing our accidental catastrophes for my mom. From an early age, I helped. Not that my dad appreciated it at first. Apparently having a three year old wave a hammer around makes the process a little longer and more difficult. Thankfully, I got better with age.”

Too easily, she could picture a miniature version of Chris, tousle haired and grinning from ear to ear as he whacked things. Would their future end up with a similar memory involving children of their own? The thought warmed her.
Oh to start my own family and pass on the traditions I learned from my mother.
A dream she could now realize, even picture since she’d met Chris. “I’d say your lessons from your father turned out pretty darned good, given you now have your own business. You came highly recommended.”

“Aw, shucks. Make a guy blush why don’t you? Enough about me and my greatness, it’s your turn again. I get the impression not everything was rosy with your upbringing. What happened to your parents? Why don’t you see your brother?”

Talk about a double whammy. She looked away, trying to gather her thoughts and come up with an answer, but he didn’t give her time. He gripped her chin and turned her face back to him. “What’s wrong? Why did you get the saddest look on your face? Is it that bad?”

Yes!
“My parents died and I don’t like to talk about it.”

“You were close?”

“Very much, and their death was very hard on me. And even harder on my brother. He took care of me afterward. He was still just a kid himself, and we were all alone.” Her voice dropped to a low whisper as the memories came unbidden of that time. Alone, and frightened, they lived under the control of a man who treated them little better than animals. Freaks of nature, not worth the basic courtesies, because in Kaleb’s mind, despite their human shape, Jiao, Sheng and all shifters were animals. The only thing Kaleb drew the line at was starvation and physical abuse. He needed his pets to look good for the crowd. But, he punished them in other ways if they didn’t toe line.

Refuse to perform? Their mother got sent to the hole, a literal hole, alone with no means of contact. Talk back? Try sleeping on the concrete floor without a stitch of clothing or blanket.

The only time Kaleb broke his own rules was when someone lost their use, like Jiao’s father. Injured after an accidental fall during a practice, his age and the poorly set break left him limping and unable to walk the rope. Not one to waste resources, instead of feeding a lame cat, Kaleb sold him as a prize in a hunt. A fatal hunt, because no matter how agile and stealthy, a cat couldn’t outrun a bullet. And in the end, her mother couldn’t escape her grief.

Even if Jiao didn’t need to keep her identity secret, how could she explain something like that to someone who’d grown up in a community where they lived freely, or as free as shifters could be amongst humans?

Chris and his family never knew the terror of wondering when they might be called to perform. Worrying they’d fall or fail. And when her menses finally hit in her sixteenth year, well, Kaleb’s plans for her went from horrible straight into I’d-rather-die. Jiao’s pride would never have allowed her to whore herself to the highest bidder and Sheng would have died trying to save her.