Love Bound in Ice: 3 (Werewolf Sentinels) (4 page)

“I’m sorry I got carried away there,” she said, looking at his chin. “The only excuse I have is it’s been a while since I slept with someone. If my boss ever found out I made out with a visitor while on the job he’d probably fire me.”

Ketah placed a finger on her chin and forced her to look at him. “Don’t apologize, and don’t feel embarrassed. You can use me like that any time you want.” He grinned. “Preferably when we’re both naked.”

Haven tried once more to slip off Ketah’s lap but he kept her right where she was. “We should get going.”

“Not yet. Now that I have you like this, I’m going to ask once more. Will you see me again?”

“I really want to say no.”

“But?”

“I can’t now. Not after what I did.”

He cupped her face in his hands. “Haven, you have my word I’m not like the one who hurt you. You can trust me. I’m not the type of man to have a single stand with a woman. And believe me, it’s been a lot longer for me than it has for you since I slept with someone.”

Haven grinned. “Don’t you mean one-night stand?”

“Yes. Whatever. I meant what I said.”

She grew serious. “It’s hard for me to…trust. I’ll try, but I’m not promising you anything.”

“It’s a start. How about we go out on a date tonight?”

“All right, I guess we can do that. How about a movie?”

“Okay. I can pick you up.”

Ketah let Haven slid off his legs to sit beside him on the blanket. Already she felt as if she might have made a mistake by saying yes. Her parents’ relationship had left deep scars she wasn’t sure she’d be able to get past. As if he sensed her wavering thoughts, Ketah stood and held out a hand to help her to her feet. He then suggested they continue their trek. She agreed without hesitation. Once the blanket was again secured to her backpack, Haven set out.

By the end of Ketah’s guided visit, Haven had come to grips with going out on a date with him. After reaching the park’s main building, she gave him her address and cell phone number, and he told her what time he’d pick her up. As he walked away, she figured their evening out could turn out to be a bust, or it’d go so well she’d have to be prepared to let him in. She didn’t know which one scared her more.

Chapter Four

Ketah hated leaving Haven behind but he was more than relieved she’d agreed to see him later that evening. He had no idea what he would have done if she’d rejected him, especially after she’d reached release in his arms.

Having her fall apart like that—even with them fully dressed—had him wanting to make his mate do it again. The smell of her arousal and the sounds she’d made when she came had his need to have her fully increasing to the point where he’d been sorely pressed not to act on it. And his mating urge had ridden him a little harder.

It had also left him with an erection that had taken hours to tame. Not that Ketah had minded that much. It was worth it. The sense of relief he felt now that he had Haven on the road to being his mate cancelled out his aching manhood and any suffering he had to go through.

Now on his way to pick up Haven, Ketah looked forward to seeing her, as well as the movie. He hadn’t been to one, and neither had the rest of his wolf brothers. Cassidy and Eryn had explained what it would be like, and what Haven would expect from him. They’d also stressed he had to buy popcorn and soda, that they were mandatory when watching a movie in the theater.

Following the directions Cassidy had printed out for him, he found Haven’s place after only one wrong turn. He also had some for the movie theater, but had memorized them. It would look strange if he didn’t know where to find it.

Ketah pulled into the drive and parked behind Haven’s SUV. He walked to the front door. After ringing the doorbell he didn’t have to wait long to hear his mate coming to answer it.

She gave him a tentative smile. “Just let me grab my purse and we can go.”

He stepped inside as Haven walked farther into the house. Ketah sniffed the air, one of the first things he did when in new surroundings. Since Haven’s was the only scent he detected, he figured she lived alone. He’d actually never lived by himself. Back when he was mortal he’d lived with his mother. His father had died in a hunting accident when Ketah had been a young teen. He’d provided for him and his mother after that. And once he’d been turned, he’d lived with the woman he’d picked from his tribe to be the mother of his child, who would carry on the werewolf race while he slept in the ice cave.

Haven returned and seemed to hesitate about leaving. Ketah had a feeling he’d have to do something quick or she’d change her mind about their date. He closed the distance between them and kissed her before she could stop him. Instead of pushing him away, she let out a breathy sigh and pressed closer.

Ketah released her mouth before he made them late for the movie. He looked at Haven. A surge of satisfaction shot through him. Her lips were slightly puffy from his kisses and her eyes had a glazed look about them. His mate might have a hard time trusting him but she couldn’t hide the arousal he stirred inside her.

“Are you ready to go?” Ketah asked.

Haven nodded. “Yeah.”

He walked outside first, then waited as Haven locked the front door. “You have a nice place.”

“Thanks. I’ve lived here with my mom since I was a teenager.”

“Do you still live with her?”

“No. She died after a long battle with cancer a year ago. So I’m alone now.”

“What about your dad?”

Haven snorted. “Don’t get me started on him. He left my mom when I was young for one woman after another. The only time I see him is when he wants to bum money off me. And as far as I’m concerned, that’s way too often.”

Ketah opened the crossover’s passenger door for Haven. Once she slid inside he walked around to the driver’s. He was getting the feeling it wasn’t a past boyfriend who had hurt his mate. From the venom in her tone when she spoke about her father, Ketah had to guess it was her dad. This was also the second time she’d said something derogatory about him. The first time had been yesterday.

They made small talk after that as he drove to the movie theater. Haven seemed to relax more around him. She even let him hold her hand as they walked into the building. Remembering Cassidy’s and Eryn’s instructions, Ketah steered them toward the lineup to buy the tickets. He looked up at the board that listed all the shows playing. He had no idea which one would be good.

“What movie do you want to see?” he asked Haven as they slowly moved up the line.

“I thought the comic-book-character-turned-live-action would be a good one. And we have to see it in 3D.” Haven said the name of the movie.

Ketah repeated it to the girl at the cash register, then paid for their tickets. Next, as instructed, he took Haven over to the concession stand and bought them each a soda and popcorn. With their snacks in hand, they walked to the ticket taker and were pointed in the direction of the correct theater. The man also handed them each a pair of black plastic glasses.

Haven took the lead once they were inside. Ketah followed her up the steps to a row of seats that were in the middle of the theater. He sat and looked around. On the large screen at the front of the room, ads similar to the ones he’d seen on television played.

They didn’t have too long to wait before the lights dimmed and the trailers showed on the screen. Thanks to Edensaw and Wachei’s mates, Ketah knew they came on first before the actual movie. He looked over at Haven and saw she watched them as she ate her popcorn. With his sensitive werewolf sight, the dim lighting didn’t affect him. He could still see as if there were no change. It did take a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the bright light on the screen.

The trailers seemed to go on forever. Ketah wondered if the movie would ever start. Once it did, it looked strange. The images almost appeared blurred. He rubbed his eyes but it didn’t fix it.

After a few more seconds, and it stayed the same, he leaned over without taking his gaze off the screen and asked Haven in a whisper, “Does the picture look funny to you?”

“Put your glasses on. It’s in 3D, remember?”

He looked at her as she turned her head and pointed to the glasses the ticket taker had given her, which she now wore. Ketah juggled his bag of popcorn as he slipped on his. He then looked at the screen. He just about lurched out of his seat when everything came into focus and appeared to jump out at him. This was definitely not like at home when he watched movies on TV with a Blu-ray player.

Haven was getting the biggest kick out of watching Ketah’s reactions. This obviously had to be the first time he’d seen a 3D movie. She found herself paying more attention to him than what was on the screen. He seemed totally focused on it, though.

A scene where the main character jumped from high rooftop to high rooftop in first-person perspective had Ketah clutching the armrests in a death grip until they creaked. He also let out a low, animalistic growl. Haven only heard it because she sat right next to him. She had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop from laughing when he slouched in his seat and pushed his feet on the floor as if he tried to actually stop from jumping the large open space that was shown. He also muttered something in a language she didn’t understand.

She really lost it at the big action scene near the end of the movie where objects seemed to fly out at them. Ketah practically jumped out of his seat and sent his popcorn flying, showering the guy who sat in the row in front of them as Ketah tried to ward off the images. Even though no one else in the theater laughed, Haven couldn’t get herself to stop. It wasn’t until more than one person shushed her was she able to pull herself together again.

After the movie ended, Haven had Ketah sit through the credits, wanting to see if there was one last scene, which there was. Once the lights came back on, she looked at him. He still wore the 3D glasses and clutched the armrests. His gaze appeared to be glued to the screen.

“Did you enjoy the movie?” she asked.

“I don’t really know.”

Haven reached over and took off Ketah’s glasses. “You don’t need to wear these anymore.” She’d already removed hers. “Why aren’t you sure?”

“It looked so real. I felt as if I was really there.”

She chuckled. “That’s what it’s supposed to be like. A 3D, three dimensional, movie lets you feel as if it’s happening right in front of you, not like regular 2D.”

“Well, I’ll skip on seeing any more 3D movies for a while. I don’t think my heart will be able to stand it.”

“That’s the part I like. The rush I get from thinking I’m right in the middle of the action.”

They stood and filed out of the theater with everyone else. Outside, it was still sunny, even though it was the middle of the evening. A typical Alaskan summer night. Haven let Ketah take her hand as they walked to where he’d parked his crossover. Now that the movie was over and she was no longer entertained by his reactions to it, she became aware of Ketah as a man she was extremely attracted to. She wasn’t ready to see the evening end.

At the crossover, Ketah pulled her to a stop once they reached the passenger side. He tugged her close so they were chest to chest and kissed her. It was another one of his toe-curling lip locks that left her breathless. She lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck. If they hadn’t been out in public, Haven was pretty sure she wouldn’t have stopped Ketah if he’d wanted to take their embrace to the next level.

And riding that wave of desire, she blurted out once he released her lips, “When you drop me off, you can come in.”

Ketah smiled, turning his already handsome face even handsomer. “I’d like that.”

He unlocked the car door for her and held it open as she slipped inside. After he shut it, she watched him walk around to the driver’s side. She’d see where the night led, and hope like hell she wasn’t making the biggest mistake of her life.

* * * * *

Tanner watched the crossover that one of the wolf brothers drove as it pulled out of the parking lot. He couldn’t believe his luck. He sat in his car across the street and just happened to look toward the movie theater. Seeing Ketah walking hand in hand with a mortal woman hadn’t been what he’d expected to find. Tanner had been hoping to meet up with a lone wolf who had recently come to Juneau, to bring him to Andre to become another new member of their dark wolf pack.

But he’d seen something even better. Ketah had swept the mortal woman up into an intimate embrace and kissed her in the parking lot for all to see. She had to be Ketah’s mate. Whether the wolf brother had claimed her or not didn’t matter. The big thing was who she was to Ketah. She’d make an excellent tool to be used against the werewolf sentinel.

Tanner started his car and followed the crossover, but not too closely that Ketah would notice he was being tailed. He was surprised the wolf brother even knew how to drive, considering it had only been a year since Ketah had wakened from his long slumber. Obviously, he’d taken to the modern age very well.

He slowed his car and pulled to the side of the street as Ketah drove into the driveway of a small two-story house. Tanner then watched the wolf brother and the woman walk up to the front door. It was the mortal who unlocked it, which made him think Ketah hadn’t claimed her yet. If he had she would have been living with her mate in the big house where all the werewolf sentinels lived.

After making note of the street and house number, Tanner eased back onto the road and drove away. He’d have to tell Andre what he found. His maker would be very pleased, and would more than likely order the mortal to be watched. Tanner would volunteer for the job. He didn’t want to take the chance that one of the newer members of the pack would mess it up. As the saying went, if you wanted something done right, you had to do it yourself.

* * * * *

Ketah closed the door behind them, then followed Haven farther into the house. She took him to the living room and placed her purse on the small table at one end of the couch.

She turned to face him. “Take a seat. Would you like a beer? I have a couple of cold ones in the fridge.”

He actually had come to like the taste of beer. And like his werewolf descendants, he could drink enough to get a mortal drunk and not feel it. Ketah hadn’t tested to see how much it would take to get him in that condition, and didn’t plan on ever trying it.

He nodded. “Sure, I’d love a beer.”

“I’ll be back with it in a minute.”

Ketah watched Haven leave the room and took a seat on the couch. He looked around. There was a TV across from where he sat with a couple of framed pictures on top of it. Curious to see if Haven was in any of them, he stood, then walked over to look at them more closely.

The first one was a picture of Haven when she had to be a young teen. The second picture was of her and a woman and a man, who Ketah assumed were her parents. Haven was even younger. From the big smile she wore, he saw she was missing her two front top teeth. He picked up the frame to study the photo. Haven looked a lot like her mother, right down to the same auburn hair and green eyes. Her father’s smile didn’t seem to reach his eyes. He also had the looks that a lot of women would find irresistible. And from what Haven had said about him, her father knew it too.

“The reason why I’ve kept that picture out is because it’s the only one where my mom looks really happy,” Haven said as she came to stand beside Ketah.

“You look a lot like her.” He replaced the picture and turned to face Haven.