Redeeming Rue AP4 (17 page)

It may have only been a short while since he’d found Rue in the woods, hidden behind a wig and overpowering perfume, but his feelings for her were growing steadily and he was falling hard for her.

He climbed onto the bed and stretched out on his side next to her.  He lifted one hand and pressed his mouth to her palm.  He kissed her wrist, the inside of her elbow, and her shoulder, before stopping just short of her mouth.  She sighed happily, and John cast his gaze down her body to see James push her legs open and settle between them.

John tipped her chin until her eyes met his and he licked the plump swell of her lower lip.  He wanted to say something amazing and heartfelt, but he couldn’t find the words to articulate how he was feeling so he tried to show her with a kiss.  She melted under him, her hands slipping into his hair and pulling him closer as their tongues tangled in a slow dance.  By the time he pulled away from the drugging kiss, he felt lightheaded from the sweet taste of her.

He gazed down at her, watching her eyes dilate with pleasure as James feasted on her pussy with throaty growls and purrs.  John caressed her breast with his hand, keeping his eyes on her face as he lowered his mouth and teased the peak with his tongue.

“Oh, John,” she moaned his name, her hands fisting in his hair.  He felt her nails abrade his skull and a tingle wove down his spine, making his cock turn to stone and his balls draw up tight.

He sucked on her nipple, licking the sweet bud to firm tightness before lavishing the other with the same attention.  Her heart pounded, her breath hitching in her throat as she drew closer to climax.  John skimmed his hand down her stomach slowly and stopped, just above her pussy where James was licking and sucking her hard.  John pulled her flesh upward gently, exposing more of her clit to James’ earnest tongue and Rue moaned loudly.

“Fuck, you’re gorgeous, Rue,” John said, roughly.

Her eyes flashed from green to blue, the colors swirling as her body heated and the sweet scent of her deepened.  John bent and took her nipple between his lips, teasing her with his teeth and tongue.  She arched up with a sharp cry, rolling back and forth as much as James’ hold on her allowed.

John released his hold on her breast and watched a blush color her chest a dusky color.  The sight of her pleasure was almost his undoing, but with some effort he managed to
not
hump her leg until he came.

She panted for breath, her chest heaving and her eyes squeezed tightly shut.

“Baby?” James asked, lifting himself off her lower body.

Her eyes opened slowly, and the blue color was so vivid that it took John’s breath away.  Her fangs flashed as she smiled, a purr escaping her throat.  The only warning he had that she was going to move was the subtle tensing of her body.  A second later he found himself flat on his back with Rue hovering over him.

Her eyes sparkled with amusement and passion, and John felt warmed to the core.  She brushed her lips across his, and smiled once more, showing him that her fangs had receded.  Then she kissed her way down his chest, moving down his body slowly, hungrily, as if she couldn’t get enough of the taste of his skin.  Maybe she couldn’t, because he didn’t think he could get enough of the taste of her, either.

His vision narrowed to her as she hovered over his cock and James rose up behind her, his fangs visible as he grasped her hips and pressed into her.  Rue moaned and closed her eyes, her head lolling to the side as she made a whimpering sound in her throat.  Then, keeping one arm straight to hold herself up, she grasped the base of John’s cock and kissed the throbbing head.

She swirled her tongue around him, deviling her tongue in the notch under the head and rubbing her thumb against the thick vein.  He thought he might die from the pleasure of her tongue, but then she took him into her mouth and he was very,
very
certain he was going to die.  It felt amazing.  Her hot mouth taking him deep, her head bobbing as she worked him up to the point of no return.

He fisted the blanket, afraid he would grab her and possibly hurt her when the orgasm that was hovering in the background finally broke free.  Using her hand, she worked him with her mouth, driving him wild.  Her eyes locked with his, the motion of James making love to her pushing her against John’s body, eliciting little grunts and groans as she pushed John to the edge.

The moan in her throat rippled down John’s cock and he came hard, trying to hold her gaze as she swallowed all of his come and then flicked her tongue over the slit as if she were searching for more of his climax.  James grunted as he came, and John completely ignored the sight of his brother coming as he rubbed his thumb on her swollen lips.

James rolled to the bed with a smile plastered to his face, and John grasped Rue and pulled her up his body, twisting until she was under him.  “You’re amazing,” John said, nuzzling her throat.

“More,” she flattened her hands on his back, her fingers digging into his flesh.

“More?” he repeated, chuckling against her throat.

“As much as I can have.”

He lifted his head and stared into her beautiful, blue eyes.  “You can have everything I have to give, Rue.  Everything.”

Instead of saying anything more, Rue pulled him down to her mouth and they kissed and touched until his cock was hard again and they made love.  James joined in, and she used her hands on him, while John pushed her body to the edge of pleasure and then fell with her.

As the night wore on, they made love together two more times, until John couldn’t keep his eyes open and was fairly certain that his bones had melted at some point during their time together.  When he felt himself slipping into a deep, restful sleep, he cuddled a little closer to Rue, certain that she would be there when he woke.

Chapter 16

Rue relaxed her body and evened her breathing to make James and John believe she slept.  She waited patiently as they both drifted off, lying perfectly still and watching the clock on the nightstand until an hour had passed.  It was three a.m. when she slipped from between James and John, dressed silently, and grabbed her suitcase.  She headed to the bedroom door, taking one last look at the two males asleep on the bed.  Her heart was heavy and indecision tore at her.  She could stay.  Crawl back into bed and tell them that she was willing to live in the boarding house, be their mate, and stay there for the rest of her life.

She opened the door, stepped out into the hall, and closed it silently.  She
could
stay, but she wasn’t going to.  She was desperate to get her and Dom to a safe place, and Ashland was the place where Dom had almost died.  How was that safe?  To stay in Ashland meant that the clan of her birth knew exactly where they were and could change their minds, decide to come back and take their pound of flesh from her.  Dom’s safety was paramount.  In order to keep him safe, she had to get him out of the states and away from panthers, no matter how much her heart hurt and her cat protested.

She tiptoed up to the third floor and opened the door of the bedroom that Dom chose.  He was sprawled across the full-size bed, his hair mussed from sleep.  She put one knee on the mattress and leaned over, rubbing his shoulder.

“Dom,” she whispered.  “Dom, wake up.”

After saying his name a few more times, his eyes began to flutter and then opened.

“Mom?” he said and she pressed her hand over his mouth.

“Shh,” she cautioned, “get dressed.  We have to go.”

Still dazed from sleep, he got up and dressed while she stuffed his belongings into the suitcase.  She hurried him from the room, shutting the door quietly and urging him down the stairs.  When they reached the first floor, she unlocked the front door and let Dom out, flipped the little lock on the handle so the door would lock when she shut it, and pulled it closed.

Gripping his arm, she hurried down the steps and walked to the rental car.  She pulled the keys from her pocket and opened the door for him.

“Mom, why are we leaving?”  His voice still sounded a little sleepy, but he was definitely aware that they were going.

“Get in and we’ll talk on the way.”

He opened his mouth to protest and she put her hand up.  “Get in, Dom.”

He sat down heavily with an angry snort, and she shut the car door.  After hurrying around to the driver’s side, she tossed the suitcase into the backseat, sat down, and turned on the car.  The engine seemed as loud as a jet and she cringed.  As she put the car in reverse and backed out from the spot, she half expected the front door to open and James and John to race out and try to stop her from leaving.  But they didn’t.

Her heart clenched painfully as she drove toward the street and turned onto the main road, leaving the boarding house behind.

“How did you even get the car here?” Dom asked.  His posture was rod iron straight, his arms folded across his chest.

“Jax brought it earlier tonight, and he left the keys on the kitchen counter. I snagged them before anyone noticed them.”  Which had been good fortune for her.  If Jax had handed the keys directly to James when he got home earlier that night, then her whole plan would have unraveled fast.  It had worked out perfectly, though.  Jax came into the kitchen where she had been helping Chase and Dylan with the dishes while James, Henry, and Dom were in the yard playing football with the younger kids.  Jax had tossed the keys on the counter, grabbed his dinner, and walked upstairs.  It had taken no effort to tuck the keys into her pocket unnoticed.

She didn’t like deception, and lying to James and John about her intentions had hurt.  She’d felt so close to them when they were together in bed.  She hadn’t really intended for the night to go as far as it did, but she wasn’t sorry.  They would probably assume she was using them, or using sex to make them exhausted, but in truth once James had started to touch her, she’d just wanted to lose herself in their arms for as long as she could.  It hadn’t been long enough, though.  A million nights like that wouldn’t be enough.  Guilt pricked at her, but she forced the emotion away and glanced in the rear view, wanting to make sure that no one was following them.  She didn’t think she’d have the strength to walk away from them again, because she could barely stop herself from turning around right now and going back and taking them at their word that they would keep her and Dom safe.  She’d never relied on anyone to keep her and Dom safe except herself, and that was what was safest.

It was the way it had to be.

* * * * *

Dom glared at his mother, but she didn’t seem to notice.  She was too busy looking in the rearview mirror every few seconds, with her heart pounding so loudly he could hear it.  He was angry and disappointed.  He’d finally found a family, a place where he felt they both belonged, and she’d never let her guard down enough to give them a chance.

“Why is it so fucking important for us to leave?” Dom groused.

“Don’t curse.”

He grunted, glared at her, and folded his arms.  “Well?”

“It’s for the best.”

“Best for who?  Me?  Because I was really fucking happy in the boarding house.  I think you’re just afraid to care about James and John.  I don’t think you care about me at all.”

“Are you serious?  I’ve spent your entire life caring for and protecting you, Dom!  How dare you suggest I’m not doing this for both of us.  It’s safer for us to be far away from the states.”

“You’re free.  We’re both free!  Why can’t you accept that?”

Her fist pounded the steering wheel.  “The clan almost killed you two days ago.  Your body was nothing but blood and gore when we found you.  I don’t care what Race said.  There are other clans that would kill us on sight for our white hair.”

He shook his head.  “I don’t believe that.  Hanai said that Race made it a decree to the clans that were gathered for Jilly’s bonding ceremony that we were free now.  It’s a law for the clans.  Besides, we’re going to be living with the pride.  Even if a clan saw us, we’re not alone anymore.  It’s not just you and me against the world, Mom.  We can stop running.  I
want
to stop running.”

“We’ll stop when we get to Canada.”

Judging by the grim determination on her face as she stared out the windshield and the white-knuckle grip she had on the steering wheel, his mom had made her decision.  He glanced at the clock.  It was just after four a.m.  James and John would wake up soon and realize they were gone, and they’d figure out a way to find them.  He wished he’d been smart enough to tell them their address in Michigan.

Oh, wait.

He slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell.  John had given Dom a new cell Monday morning with everyone’s numbers programmed into it, since Dom’s old phone had been destroyed.  John and Dom had spent the morning taking silly pictures of all the pride members to go with their numbers.  He’d gotten some pretty hilarious photos.  Aaron brushing his teeth.  Ray sleeping on the couch with his mouth open.  John making a face after he found spoiled milk in the fridge.

He pushed his hand down between the seat and the door and pressed the mute button on the side of the phone.  Tilting his head so he appeared to be looking out the passenger window, he found James’ contact information and texted him.  “Mom made me leave.  We’re heading back to —”

His mom jerked the wheel and stomped on the brake.  The car lurched to a stop, and Dom had to catch himself with both hands.  The cell dropped to the floor, and he tried to grab it but she reached it first.

She made an angry sound as she read the text.  “I
made
you leave?”  She nearly shrieked.  “Do you like them more than me?  What is going on with you, Domino?”

“What are you talking about, Mom?”

She tossed the phone onto the dashboard with an angry growl and gripped the wheel with both hands, pressing her foot to the gas and making the car jerk into motion.  “I’m trying to keep us safe, and you’re not helping.”

Dom didn’t understand what her problem was.  James and John were great. The pride was cool as hell, and he finally had family that he could spend time with.  Not only Henry, but also all the kids who were his cousins.  Or would be, once his mom married James and John.  Then he’d have two stepdads, four stepbrothers, three stepsisters, and a whole bunch of uncles and cousins.  They’d gone from just the two of them to a big family who wanted nothing more than for them to be happy.

His phone buzzed, dancing on the dashboard.  She pushed his hand away when he reached for it.  “Come on!”

“No,
you
come on, Dom.  I said we’re leaving and I mean it.  You’ll forget all about the pride when we’re settled in Canada.  You’ll find new friends and start a new life.”

“I don’t want a new life,” he growled.  “I like my life as it is.”

His phone buzzed again.  And again.  When it started to buzz for the fourth time, he blocked his mom’s hand and snatched the phone from the dashboard.  It was Henry.  “Hey, Henry,” he said loudly for his mom’s benefit.  She cursed under her breath and snarled a couple of times.

“Dom?”  Henry’s voice trembled.

Dom straightened.  “What’s wrong?”

“I’m lost.  I saw you leave with your mom, and I put my cell in a bag with some clothes then I shifted and followed you guys. I stayed in the trees along the road, but I lost sight of the car and now I don’t know where I am.”

“Damn it, Henry!  Call your dad, okay? I’m coming to find you.”

“Don’t hang up on me, Dom, please?”

“All right.  Hold on.” He lowered the phone and said, “I know you overheard him.  We have to go back.”

“No.”

Dom clenched his teeth together.  “
Mom
.  He’s scared and lost.  Put aside your pride and whatever other baggage you’re holding onto and stop the fucking car!  I’ll jump out, I swear.”

She made a strangled sound, her hands clenching the wheel so tightly he thought her knuckles would pop out of joint.  After what felt like an eternity, she turned on the emergency lights and pulled over to the side of the road.

Even in the dim light from the dashboard, he could see that her eyes were glossy with tears.  “You’re choosing them over me?”

“Damn it, Mom.  Henry needs us.”

She stared at him.  He felt her fear and her anguish.  He didn’t know why she was so against being happy.  He thought she had found some peace with James and John, but she seemed so intent on walking away and dragging him along.

She reached into the back and unzipped the suitcase, pulling out her cell.  She pressed the power button and turned it on, watching the screen.  She sighed in resignation and called John.

“Mom’s calling your dad, Henry.  Now, tell me what you see so I can find you.”

Henry’s voice sounded calmer.  “Okay, Dom.  Thanks.”

“That’s what brothers are for.”

“Why did you leave?”

“We’ll talk when I find you.”

As Henry described his surroundings, Dom half listened to his mom getting an earful from John about running away and Henry following them.  It wasn’t his mom’s fault Henry tried to come with them, but she could sure as hell help Dom find Henry.

* * * * *

John rolled over when his phone buzzed on the nightstand, dancing across the wood with an irritating noise.  He grabbed for it quickly, rubbing at his eyes with his other hand and trying to answer the phone before the noise woke Rue and James.

“Yeah?”

There was a long pause, and John pulled the phone from his ear and looked at the screen.  Rue was calling.

Wait.  What?

“Rue?”  He turned on the small table lamp and glanced at the empty space on the bed where she’d been when he’d closed his eyes.

“Henry’s lost, John.”  Her voice was tight and unhappy.

John let the words roll around his mind for a millisecond and then he smacked James on the chest before leaping from the bed and rushing to his clothes on the chair.  “What?  What do you mean Henry’s lost?”

James got out of bed and snatched his clothes off the floor.  John pushed the speaker button.

“He followed us in his shifted form.  He had his phone with him, and he called Dom.”

James said, “What the hell, Rue?”

“James, I…”

“Wait, forget that you left in the middle of the night without saying goodbye, we need to focus on Henry.  Where is he?”

“I don’t know.  He’s describing where he is to Dom.”

She told them where she was, almost forty-five minutes away from Ashland.  John was scared out of his mind for Henry.  He struggled into his clothes, shoving his feet into his shoes while James dressed hurriedly next to him.

“Let me talk to Dom,” John demanded.

“What?  Why?”

“For fuck’s sake, Rue, put him on the damn phone!”