In Plain Sight (3 page)

Here? With him?
Sarah didn’t know what to say. She wanted to rest, to pretend someone cared about her. Yet what did she really know about Cullen Whitefeather? He’d saved her, yes. Great. But he was still a man, still a raptor. She didn’t have the best track record with that combination.

“I won’t hurt you.” His voice was thick, though decidedly gentle. “Those asshole raptors don’t know you’re here. With any luck, Jenny will have bled out from her wounds.”

“Ha. I wish,” she said glumly, then sighed. “I don’t really. It’s not her fault she’s such a bitch. Blame her mother and her dog of a husband.”

Cullen grinned, and Sarah felt as if she’d been blindsided. How had she never
seen
him before? He was in the Fox’s Henhouse nearly every day, if not for a meal, then for coffee.

“Come on, Sarah. It’s still cold as a witch’s ti—” He cleared his throat. “You don’t want to be traveling alone through a storm, do you?”

14

Hell.
She didn’t want to be trapped in Cougar Falls, not after this disaster of a day. “I’m leaving town,” she said loudly, reminding herself. “I was packed and ready to go when Jenny and her friends showed up at my house.”

He didn’t say anything, and she felt the need to explain further.

“I’ve spent the better part of my years trying to belong. It’s finally clear to me that I don’t fit in and never will.”

He grunted.

“What does that mean?”

“The great raptor clan,” he said with disgust. “A damned pack of pecking hens.”

She’d often thought the same thing, but found it amusing to hear it from someone else. Comparing a raptor to a chicken was as bad as comparing a wolf to a dog, and by the sneer on his face, Cullen had no love for the clan. She wondered why his family hadn’t left when the rest of the eagles had, taking their people north. If she’d had family, she would have moved in a heartbeat.

Cullen shook his head. “The clan needs to be shaken up. The leaders don’t lead by example the way they used to. Why do you think my family and I don’t hang with the others? We don’t fit in either.”

At least you have a family.
Sarah had never known her father. And when she was just sixteen, her mother had passed away, leaving her with only the clan for support. Sarah suddenly felt very much alone.

“You should stay,” he said bluntly. “My family went north to visit our Canadian cousins. The house is empty and business has been slow, thanks to this God-awful weather. I could really use the company.”

This from the taciturn man who visited the Fox’s Henhouse every day? Hell, she’d never imagined the man could converse in more than three-word sentences. C
offee, black. Waffles with bacon.
Still, what were her options? A glance out the window showed he’d been telling the truth. She could barely see through the blanket of white pelting the windows.

“I’m not going back to the diner,” she warned.

“Okay.” He mesmerized her with his intensity. He hadn’t blinked in forever, focusing on her in a way that made her entire body tremble.

“I’m not an easy lay, if that’s why you want me to stay,” she said stiffly, uncomfortably aware of his maleness.

His eyes flashed like gold coins, and his lips curled. “I heard you rip into Mike, and I saw what you did to those raptors in the sky. Nothing easy about you, Sarah.”

His humor relaxed her. Far from threatening, Cullen soothed her bird’s ruffled feathers. He didn’t touch her, but she swore she could feel his comforting heat, even through the distance separating them. She wondered what he’d feel like skin to skin, if his chest was smooth or covered with dark, silky hair…

“I-I don’t have anything to wear.” Her lamest excuse yet, but she was losing her will to resist. Talk about the wrong time to find a man appealing. She was injured, on the outs with one of her clan leaders and 15

probably half the clan by now, and preparing to step into the great unknown outside of Cougar Falls. She had no time for attraction, and especially not with a man who threw her emotions so out of whack.

Even if he was the most beautiful golden eagle she’d ever seen.

Mine.
She inwardly winced at her animal spirit’s gleeful cry. Her eagle was already half in love with him, and Sarah had a bad feeling she could easily be led down the same path to ruin. The potential of another Will Shaw catastrophe was beating on her door. For all she knew, Cullen was married.

“Are you married?” she blurted and blushed.

“Nope. You?”

“No.”
Everyone knew that, didn’t they?

“Look, I’ll get your things for you. Nobody knows you’re here, and nobody needs to until you’re ready to leave.” He paused and stood, then took a large step back. “I’m not like the others. I’m not going to hurt you,” he said again.

She wanted so badly to believe him. Her heart said to trust, but her mind wouldn’t let her forget she’d trusted once before. Yet she had nowhere else to go and nothing waiting for her but a bleak, empty recovery. She couldn’t travel through the snow in this condition. And it would be a few days, at the least, before she could protect herself from any raptor threats headed her way.

She considered him. Staring up at Cullen, she soon found herself lost in a strange haze of lust and comfort.
What the hell. What can a few days under the radar hurt? If Cullen really wanted to harm me, he
could have several times already.

Sarah sighed. “I’ll stay, but just until I’ve healed.”

He ran a hand lightly over her hair.

She gasped, not sure what odd fire had taken hold of her body.

“Drink your tea. I’ll be back later.”

Why his words felt like a promise of something more, Sarah couldn’t say. She watched him leave the room while the fire crackled next to her. Despite the heat, Cullen’s absence seemed to sap the warmth from her bones. She shivered in the chair, sipping her tea and wishing for answers she didn’t have.

16

Sarah spent the next two days much like the first. Cullen barely spoke, which reassured her more than his earlier attempts at conversation had. He spent much of his time outside in the barn he called his workspace while she slept and relaxed into better health.

Shifting from injured bird to human had sped her healing, but Sarah’s wounds were deep. Jenny was such a bitch; she deserved to be married to Dennis. Sarah smirked at the memory of her shrieking as Cullen sank his claws into her.

She still couldn’t believe he’d done that. Interfering with a clan leader’s mate wouldn’t put Cullen in high standing. She feared he’d get into trouble because of her. But would Jenny risk the clan knowing she and four others had gone after Sarah? Though Jenny would likely receive no more than a slap on the wrist for involving others in her fight, Sarah doubted the woman would want her name and Sarah’s linked, for any reason. Bad enough her pride had been pricked that anyone thought her husband had screwed Sarah Duncan,
nobody extraordinaire
.

“God, I hate when I pity myself.” Sarah slowly stood from the couch and stretched, her newly healed muscles protesting the strain.

Large hands settled on her shoulders, scaring the bejesus out of her. She screamed and would have pulled away, but Cullen wouldn’t let go.

“Easy,” he murmured, kneading the tension from her shoulders. “You okay?”

“Thanks for the heart attack,” she snapped, hoping he’d step away. This attraction for Mr. Strong and Silent was growing. She couldn’t be within two feet of the man without wanting him. Her nipples hardened, her stomach quivered, and her sex grew wet with want. If she didn’t know better, she’d think she was in heat.

Thankfully, raptors didn’t have heats like some of the other animal clans did. Which made her reaction to Cullen more baffling, because her bird felt the attraction as much as the human half of her did.

With Will, her sexual experience had been fully human—enthralling, exciting, and ultimately disappointing. She had the strangest notion that sex with Cullen would be anything but.

“Easy,” he said again. His hands smoothed her shoulders while avoiding her injury, his fingers pushing into the very tops of her breasts.

His touch shot sparks through her body. Her sex responded by drenching her panties. He stilled, and she wished she could see behind her. His hold made it impossible for her to turn around.

“Feel better?” he asked in that gravelly voice that once again soothed her need for flight.

Without realizing it, she leaned back against him. “Better,” she murmured, wanting his hands lower.

Her nipples ached, needing to be touched. Her bra and shirt did nothing but stifle the sensitive flesh, when with just a touch of Cullen’s hot mouth, Sarah knew she could—

She leaped forward, thoroughly horrified by her erotic thoughts.

“You okay?”

She turned to see him frown. Thankfully, his gaze remained on her face.

“Fine. Just fine.” She forced a smile and glanced beyond him at the small mantle clock. “You done for the day, then?”

He nodded.

“Would you like me to make dinner tonight?” she asked. They’d fallen into a comfortable routine.

Cullen worked outside most of the day—and why he’d said he needed company when he was never in the house she didn’t know—coming in sporadically to check on her. He fixed them breakfast and lunch, simple meals that tasted fantastic. What that man could do with egg noodles, vegetables and roast beef was amazing.

“Relax.” His gaze traveled down her front, as she’d feared. She could have sworn his eyes narrowed on her breasts, but he blinked and turned away so fast she might have imagined it. “I’ll cook.”

Once again, the man of few words disappeared, which was just what she wanted. So why did his absences disturb her? Cullen had invited—nearly demanded—that she recuperate with him in his house, then went out of his way to avoid her. It didn’t make sense. During the time she’d spent alone in the house, she’d poked and peered through enough to know he spoke the truth about not having a wife and living with his family.

Most Ac-taw lived in groups. The raptors and silver foxes had the largest population in upper Montana, next to the gray wolves. Many raptor families lived together as a unit, like Cullen and his family.

She knew he had three other brothers, but she’d never met them or his mother in the diner. During her snooping ventures, she’d seen all of their bedrooms.

The house boasted two floors and six thousand square feet. Cullen had given her a brief tour that first day, introducing her to a den, a spacious living room, a kitchen with an adjacent dining area, and a surprisingly modern media room. Located up in the mountains, the house also had a large porch doubling as a perch. She could easily imagine the family shifting and flying up into the sky from such a place.

On the second floor, there were six bedrooms, and another three on the main floor. A lot of space for five people. Five
strangers
. Sarah couldn’t help being glad Cullen’s family was away. It was hard enough to trust Cullen, despite the fact he’d been nothing but kind to her—when he’d been around.

Pots and pans clattered in the kitchen, drawing her attention. Wanting to watch him in action, Sarah disregarded the idea to keep her distance, a safe enough response, and drew closer to the man that wouldn’t 18

leave her thoughts. In the short time she’d spent in Cullen’s home, she’d only grown more captivated by him.

He was short on words and long on action. He rose early each morning and went to bed early as well.

He worked long hours in his converted barn, but was courteous enough to continue to feed her. His wounded bird, she thought with ill humor. It was important to her that he see her as an independent woman, something he’d never do if he continued to wait on her whenever he was in the house.

“Cullen, I can help,” she offered when she saw him sautéing what looked like chicken in a cast-iron skillet.

“Sit down.”

His curt tone didn’t bother her, though she didn’t know why. The man had little in the way of manners, though his actions showed him to be a considerate host.

Sarah sighed and sat at the centered kitchen island. “Did anyone ever tell you you’re bossy?”

He whipped his head around and stared at her, as if surprised.

“Oh, please. Don’t tell me your family hasn’t noticed.”

He grinned, fanning the flames of desire in her once more. “Sean’s called me a dictator once or twice.”

“Is he the youngest?”

“Micah’s five years older, Sean’s two, then there’s me, and Ian, the baby.”

“Baby?”

“My mother still calls him that.
Her baby
.” A devious look passed over Cullen’s face. “He’s twenty-five years old.”

Sarah grinned. “That’s evil. I like it.”

Cullen laughed then sobered as he stared at her in silence, his gaze penetrating as it wavered from her eyes over her face to her mouth. He finally turned back to the stove.

What the hell was that about?
“Ah, Cullen?”

“What?” He kept his back to her as he fiddled with their dinner.

“I just wanted to thank you, again, for letting me stay here. If there’s anything I can do to help while I’m here, let me know. I would have taken over the kitchen chores, but I didn’t want to get in your way.”

“Then don’t.”

Silence filled the kitchen once more.

“You’re not one for conversation, are you? A real caveman,” she joked.

He didn’t say anything, and she had the oddest notion she’d hurt his feelings.

“I’m just kidding. You’re a very nice man.” Was it her imagination, or did he cringe? “You’ve been nothing but hospitable, and I really appreciate it.” He hadn’t made a pass or anything. And that shouldn’t 19

have bothered her in the slightest. Instead, she wondered what was so wrong with her that Cullen wasn’t interested.
Stupid woman
,
her bird snapped
. Shut up, bird.

“I’m, ah, not used to company. Outside of family, I mean,” he muttered.

“You all live here all the time?” she asked, curious about his family.

“Yeah.”

Great, another one-word answer. Trying to learn more about Cullen Whitefeather from the man himself was like pulling teeth. If it weren’t for those strange, intense looks he gave her, she’d think him totally immune to her presence.

Cullen slid whatever he had cooked in the skillet onto two plates, then grabbed forks and joined her at the island.

“Dig in.”

He didn’t wait for her, but tore into his food like a man possessed. Kind of the way he ate at the diner, all business. Still, watching him was like looking at a work of art. The way his forearms bunched, the muscles prominent beneath the rolled-up sleeves of his flannel shirt. The strong chords of his throat as he swallowed. The steady rise and fall of his muscular chest, so close, yet not close enough to touch…

“Sarah?”

She met his gaze, embarrassed to be caught staring. “Ah, I was wondering…” She paused, not knowing what to say.

“Yeah?” His face was inscrutable.

“Where did you learn to cook?” That sounded innocuous enough.

He visibly relaxed, and she relaxed with him.

“My mother. She taught all of us how to cook, but I like it.” He stopped himself and she leaned forward.

“Tell me more. I like hearing you talk.”

He looked surprised. “My mother made sure all her sons could fend for themselves at an early age.”

“You really love her, don’t you?” Sarah liked the fact that Cullen loved his mother. Nothing about him screamed momma’s boy. Instead, she sensed a genuine affection for his mother and brothers, no matter how many times he swore at them on the phone when they called at night.

“I do. What about you? Your mother’s gone now, isn’t she?” he asked softly.

Sarah’s heart dropped. “I loved my mother more than I can say. She’s been gone for eight years, and I still miss her. Car accident.”

“Sorry,” he said gruffly.

“Sometimes I think I smell her perfume, like she’s watching over me.” She refused to cry in front of him. “My friend Julia and I sometimes talk about her.”

“Julia?”

20

“She’s a silver fox. She works for Gerald Winters, the town attorney.”

Cullen shrugged. “I don’t go into town much, outside the diner. Just work up here in the mountains, carving wood.”

“All of you do it?” she prodded, pleased he hadn’t yet clammed up on her.

“Micah and I do most of the work. Ian’s our business guru. Mom works advertising and PR.”

“Nice. A family business. It’s a good thing you all get along.”

He grunted. “Mostly.”

“What about your other brother? What does he do?”

“Sean irritates me for a living,” Cullen growled.

She grinned. She’d heard Cullen use a few choice words when talking to Sean just last night. “From what I hear, every family has one.”

“A black sheep?” he asked.

“A pain in the ass,” she answered, grinning like a fool when he laughed with her.

“You surprise me, Sarah Duncan.” Cullen took their empty plates to the sink and joined her once more.

“Why’s that?”

Cullen didn’t say. He nodded at a bottle of wine sitting on the counter. “Want some?”

“Sure.”

He poured them both a glass, and then nudged her toward the living room, where a glorious fire blazed while it continued to snow outside. The weather had ceased being pretty and turned viciously dangerous last night, when pelts of ice rained on the rooftop.

“You’re herding me like a dog,” she muttered.

“Someone has to.”

“Excuse me?” She turned to face him, startled to find him so close.

Before she could say anything else, he took the wine from her hand and placed it next to his glass on a side table.

“Shut up, Sarah.”

She opened her mouth in shock, only to blink as he covered it with his own. Hot didn’t begin to describe how he made her burn.

Cullen had tried his damnedest, but he just couldn’t stay away any longer. The woman tormented him.

It was bad enough he mooned over her whenever he went into town. But having her here, under his roof, just a few doors down from his bedroom every night was killing him. He’d jerked off more in the past few days than he had all last month.

21

Those sultry glances of hers followed him everywhere. He caught her scent whenever he turned, and he had a hard time ignoring those full, ripe breasts with nipples so tight he wanted to bite and suck them until she came.

A better man than he would have resisted her temptation. Damn it all, Cullen was no saint.

Sucking in her sweet breath, he captured her lips with a groan. He’d been getting better at stringing words together in her presence. “Shut up” probably wasn’t the wisest thing he could have told her, but he needed her so damned badly.

She tasted like warm wine, the scent of chardonnay lingering on her lips like a perfume. Bold and heady, her taste went straight to his head…and his cock.

He shifted against her, unable to keep still, especially when she squirmed in his arms.

“Cullen,” she protested when he pulled back.

Not sure if her protest was because of the kiss or because he’d stopped it, he slowly returned to her mouth, giving her a chance to resist. To his delight, she leaned into him and pulled his face close for another kiss. Heaven and hell in the same breath. He wanted nothing more than to strip her naked and shove deeply inside her. To claim what was his, to come inside his mate and bind her to him with love and affection.

The past two days he’d given her space, time enough to show her he wouldn’t hurt her, and time enough to get his unruly hormones under control.

But this kiss shot that dubious control all to hell.

He wrapped his arms around her, conscious of her injuries. But she would have none of it. Sarah held tight, stroking the nape of his neck with fingers he could easily imagine doing the same to his aching shaft.