Prowling the Vet (18 page)

Laura
checked on Tyler once more and heard the front door open and close.

“Laura, its Claire.”

Laura
bent down and kissed Tyler’s head, closing her eyes for a moment to inhale his
scent. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She
headed out into the waiting room and smiled at the woman whose skill she
trusted almost as much as her own.

“Thanks
so much for coming in, Claire. I removed a bullet from a mountain lion’s
shoulder a few hours ago and I need you to watch him overnight.”

Claire’s
eyes widened with shock. “You have a mountain lion in recovery? I hope he’s
doped out so he won’t move until tomorrow.”

Panic
fluttered through Laura and she rushed to explain.

“He’s
on 100 mg. of
xylazine
and 100 mg. of
romifidine
every four hours. Tyler is the pet of a family
friend. He’s been raised by humans since a cub, so he’s no danger to you. If
something happens to him, I’ll never forgive myself.” Laura’s voice broke and
Claire rushed forward.

“Oh
Laura, don’t worry. I’m sorry. I’ll look after him like he was my own pet, I
promise.”

Claire
stroked her hand down Laura’s arm and she took a long, shuddering breath. She
was holding onto her tears like a starving woman to food.

“I…need
to go home, but if you need me, if he even struggles to breathe for one
moment…you call.”

Laura
blew out a breath and wiped at the tears sitting on her lashes. What a fucking
long day.

“Of
course I will. No problem at all.”

Laura
nodded and grabbed her bag, numbness beginning to steal through her body. She
made it out her front door and headed toward her car.

Brandon
snagged her as she walked past him and pulled her into his body. “I’ll drive,
jump in.”

She
couldn’t look at him, but allowed him to guide her into his car and drive the
few minutes back to her home. When they arrived, she struggled out the door and
started up the footpath.

Brandon’s strong hands wound
around her arms like roots of a tree, giving her strength when she needed it.
He took her keys when her hands
shook too much to open the front door, and led her into her bedroom when she
stumbled on the carpet.

She
pulled at her clothes, wanting to be rid of any evidence that today existed. When
she was down to her underwear, she fell toward the bed, pulling back the covers
and climbing in. She rolled over, and hot flesh pressed against her back.

“Thank
you for saving my brother.”

Pain
slid through Laura’s chest, shattering the cold cloud that had consumed her.

“He
wouldn’t have…” Her voice cracked and she stopped talking, raising her hand and
pressing it against her mouth in hopes it would stem the sob she felt rising.

“Wouldn’t
what?” Brandon probed, running his hand up and down her arm in a move that was
both reassuring and devastating.

Oh God, what have I done?

Sobs
rose and escaped from her lips. Tears rolled down her cheeks and her nose
blocked up so that she couldn’t breathe. Laura let it all go.
The devastation from last night, the breakup that morning.
Then the horrendous ordeal of having to operate on a man she loved. There was a
reason she became a vet and didn’t go into medicine, and that was because she
didn’t like cutting people open.

“
Shh
, baby girl. You’re okay, I’ve got you.” Brandon held
her tight and didn’t stop her from crying. His arms were like a tight band
around her and she kept crying, unable to put the brakes on once she’d released
it.

“Oh
sweetheart, please stop. You’re only hurting yourself.”

She
let the pain descend and consume her. She deserved it after all. The tears
finally subsided and she wiped them away with fresh tissues Brandon handed her
and let him pull her into his arms. It was nice to be held, though she didn’t
know why he was bothering.

“How
are you feeling now?”

He
seemed to be holding his breath and Laura shrugged, wiping at the tears that
gathered and fell once more. What was wrong with her eyes?

Brandon
squeezed her tight against him and asked again.

“Seriously, Laura.
You okay?”

She
hiccupped and blinked a few times, her eyes sore and dry.

“I
just feel numb.”

And
she did. There was little else going through her body now. She could barely
even feel her arms as she raised them to wipe at her cheeks. Her tear ducts
seemed to be the only ones in tune with her pain. The rest of her had shut
down. Even her brain was moving clunky again she realized, as she closed her
eyes tight and willed sleep to take her.

“No.
I can’t allow that, sweetheart.”

Brandon
rolled her over and got up on his knees beside her. He pulled her underwear
down her legs and Laura didn’t stop him. She just kept weeping. She opened her
legs to welcome him and hoped he’d just fuck her like he did all those other
women. She needed the distraction, to be punished for being so selfish, so
stupid to not realize how good they could have been. If only she’d believed in
them.

Sunlight
filtered into her bedroom and she knew he was looking right at her, although
she had her eyes squeezed shut.

“Fuck,
you’re beautiful.”

Laura
sobbed again, covering her wet face with both of her hands.

Brandon’s
hands slid up her thighs and gently traced the flesh between her legs.

“Inside
and out, you’re gorgeous. You did nothing wrong today and you are going to feel
how much I care about you. I swear it.”

She
nodded her head but didn’t really believe him. How could he make this pain go
away with sex? The ache was so great she couldn’t help the tears that flowed
down her cheeks still, but the sobs stopped as he lowered himself down and set
his mouth to her clit.

Gentle
sensations of pleasure lapped at her while Brandon gently licked her, running
his tongue around the sensitive nub of flesh, then licking her closed entrance.

“You’re
ours, Laura.
Our beautiful lover.
Never be sorry for
what happened today.”

His
wet, warm tongue slipped over her flesh again and something cracked open inside
her as Brandon continued to love her body. She moaned and arched, not caring if
it didn’t feel the same. He was touching her, loving her with his mouth. His
hands tightened on her thighs and he thrust his tongue into her, over and over
again. Pleasure filtered down on her like light rain.

Brandon
hopped up and prowled over her, his huge frame blocking out the light, and
Laura let her eyes close as he slid into her to the hilt. She gasped and let
her eyes fly open, sparkles of energy and love exploding inside her.

“Mine.”
He growled, the sound making her heart thump against her chest. She placed her
hands on his huge arms but left her legs down on the bed.

He
began to move, pulling back and seating himself again, the rhythm soothing, yet
she let her brain shut down, almost drifting to sleep in a bid to get away from
the foreign feelings.

Brandon
dropped himself closer and spoke directly into her ear. “Do you know how much
we want you, how we care for you like we’ve never cared about anyone before.”

A
wounded noise escaped Laura’s throat and she lifted her legs to wrap them
around Brandon’s hips. He surged forward harder, pleasure spiraling up through
her pelvis. Flames burst up out of the dead embers and she gasped and bucked
her hips up against Brandon.

“You
are meant to be with no other. We will worship you forever more.”

His
words sparked a connection somewhere between her cold body and her heart, each
of them reaching for the threads that joined them together.

“Never
leave us again, Laura. We won’t survive without you.”

Laura
cried out and clenched tight around his surging body, sinking her teeth into
his shoulder as she battled to hold back the flow of feelings. He hadn’t said
it, but she knew he loved her. She could feel it like it was a tangible thing
within her fingers. She dug her nails in and cried out as her orgasm took
control of her body, sweeping her up in one long, intense moment of bliss.

Brandon
pulled out and pressed his cock down toward the mattress, spurting over her ass
cheeks in hot torrents that made her flesh ache for the moment he would leave
his essence inside her.

“Thank
you, thank you, thank you,” Laura chanted, kissing his face, his shoulders,
unable to contain the tears of pure joy that ran now.

Somehow
he’d managed to drag her out of her despair by reaching into her body and
finding her love for him, and his for hers.
 
Brandon lifted his head and kissed her lips
gently, trembling as he pulled away and tucked them both into a sleeping
position.

His
lips pressed against her shoulder and she smiled into the semi-darkness. Peace
settled over them and she drifted off to sleep, waking later to more lovemaking
from Brandon, and dinner in bed.

He
didn’t leave her alone for a single moment and she knew that her love for this
man was more than complete. But she wondered if she could accept them for who
they were. She wanted to, but only time would tell.

****

Back
at their own home, Brandon opened the carved front door and directed the men in
who carried Tyler on a stretcher.

 
“Bring him in here.”

He
gestured to Tyler’s bedroom that Laura had set up with equipment to keep him
hydrated and out of pain. The men lay Tyler down and stepped back cautiously.

Brandon
patted them on the back and smiled down at his brother. He couldn’t see how
healed Tyler’s shoulder was through the bandages, but it wouldn’t be long now.

Laura
re-entered the room and ran a hand down his arm.

“His
breathing and blood pressure are normal. I don’t think it’ll be long before he
wakes.”

Brandon watched in relief and wonder as his brother’s lion body
transformed back into his human one. Cinnamon fur disappeared as skin
reappeared. His limbs elongated and thickened as his head and torso reshaped
and grew.

A groan sounded that was more frustrated than filled with pain. “Thank
God for that. I've
been wanting
to shift for hours but
they were watching me too closely.”

Tyler turned onto his back and grimaced, running his hand over
his injured shoulder. Laura threw herself down onto the bed with a cry and
wrapped her arms around Tyler.

“What? Laura? Oh, sweetheart, are you okay?”

Laura was sobbing her heart out and burying her head in Tyler's
neck. Tyler looked up at Brandon with a panicked expression and a hand signal
for help.

Brandon smiled and walked over to the bed, staring down at the
two of them. Laura and he had mended their rift, now she had to reunite with
Tyler. He knew he should probably leave them alone, do the honorable and
selfless thing.
Fuck that.
He wasn't
missing out on a chance to be inside Laura's hot body again.

“Good to see you, brother.”

Tyler looked up at him, confusion evident in his eyes as he
stroked Laura's long brown hair.
“You too, bro. Sorry about
yesterday.”

Brandon nodded and placed his hand on Tyler's ankle for a
moment. They’d said some stupid things, but nothing they couldn’t forget.

“Yeah, me too.”

Tyler shifted his attention back to Laura, forcing her head up
by grabbing her chin.

“Hey, hey, what's with all the tears? The last thing I remember
is you breaking up with us because we'd slept around a little too much before
we’d met you.”

Laura sobbed once more and shook her head, snuffling like a
seal. “I was stupid. It doesn't matter. If you want me now and you mean it, I
can forget all the other stuff.”

Tyler chuckled and kissed her red nose. “Of course I want you.
I've been waiting for you my whole life.”

A smile spread across Brandon’s face.
Bloody suck-up.

Laura grinned up at Tyler like the sun had finally come out in
her deep, dark world, then rolled away for a tissue, cleaning her face up
before sliding back into her place next to him.

“So you want me, huh?” She smiled up at Tyler, and Brandon
chuckled.

 
Tyler kissed her lips
gently. “More than I’ve ever wanted anyone, beautiful girl.”

Laura let out the sweetest little giggle and Brandon grinned. He
loved hearing her so happy.

Then she did the last thing he expected. She slithered down
Tyler's belly and took his soft cock into her mouth, moaning like a woman who’d
just discovered chocolate.

Hell, yeah.