Ryan's Treasure (12 page)

Unable to let her leave without a solid time to see her again, he sprinted down the hall after his female. He no longer had a right to mate her, but he belonged in her bed or at her side to protect her in whatever capacity she allowed. Jake’s Jeep backed out of the parking spot at the same time Ryan reached the steps to the courthouse. In two leaps, he landed on the street and slapped the steel frame beside his brother’s head.

Jake slammed on the brakes and skidded to a halt. “Damn it, Ryan. What the hell?”

Ignoring him, he ran around the vehicle to Nadi’s side. Words eluded him, leaving him a staring fool.

Her big eyes searched his face. “Did you need something?”

His upbringing demanded he grovel for her affection. His ego insisted he show her he was more than the role she’d thrust upon him. “Where and when?”

“What?” She seemed confused. The time away from the mill had dusted a healthy glow across her cheekbones, adding to her breathtaking beauty.

“Where will you meet me? When will I see you again?”

Her shrug hurt. Did she really not care?

“LG misses you.”

A car honked behind them, and Jake motioned it around. Nadi watched it disappear before lifting her gaze to his. “LG?”

Her inability to form a full sentence relieved some of his concern. She was flustered, too. A breeze tossed her short hair about, and he reached out but caught himself before he brushed a strand from her face. “Little Guy, your rescue pup, he’s staying with me. If you’d like to see him this evening—say six? I’ll cook.”

With her nod, Jake waved and drove off, taking her away…again.

***

“Here. Quit brooding.”

Nadi glanced up. Her brother sat beside her on the couch and handed her a glass of wine. A new favorite beverage Mia had introduced her to. “I wasn’t brooding. Just thinking.”

“Right.” Feet propped on the coffee table, he lay back with a sigh. “Okay, Stinky, I’m listening.”

“He seemed different today. Like he’s holding back.”

Jake turned his head to look at her. “He is. No male could be unchanged in his position.”

“So, can I fix it?”

“I’m not sure.” Jake sat up and took a swig from his soda. “What were you planning?”

“I don’t know. I can’t give him up, but I want him as an equal…not like this. He always takes the lead, but today he seemed to be waiting for cues from me.”

“You want the take-charge guy back? I thought he scared you.”

“He does—did, but….” She set her wine aside and walked to the window, staring down the mountain toward Ryan’s cabin even though she couldn’t see it. “Mia told me some things, and I recognized a few more on my own.”

“Like?”

“There’s comfort in his size and even more in his arrogance. He knows he can do anything, so even when the odds are insane, he won’t back down. He’d never walk away from me if I needed him.”

“Not like Grant and I.”

She gasped and hurried back to his side. “I thought we settled this yesterday when we talked. I don’t blame you. You both tried.”

“Not hard enough.” Jake stood and pulled her into a firm embrace. “I should have looked again. Gotten help and gone back. Something. Gray and Sable are dead because of me.”

“No. Ignorance and cruelty killed them. You can’t blame yourself.”

He choked out a laugh. “I can, but I’m glad you don’t.”

Nadi eased from his arms and urged him to sit then settled beside him with her head on his shoulder. “I felt abandoned when I discovered our father was alive, but Mom’s need to stay with what she knew trapped us there. Not anything he did. Fear can be a crippling thing.”

“It can. Which brings us back to your situation.”

“I’m not afraid anymore.”

“Yeah, but you’re not the only player in this game, Stinky.”

“Nothing frightens Ryan.”

“That might be in the past.” Jake handed her wine glass to her again. “If he believes he’s subservient to you, he may not feel worthy of being mated. He might not be able to rise above this.”

Her stomach lurched. “Do you agree?”

“No, but I wasn’t raised with the same rules he heard every day. Just be prepared, okay?”

“Hellloo….” Kya and Mia, arms loaded, swept into Jake’s house.

Ryan’s feline sister dropped her bags on the table and turned to her with a grin. “We heard you’re meeting with my big brother tonight.”

Jake laughed and hugged Kya, adding a respectful nod to the Alpha female. “Welcome to having an interfering family, Stinky.”

Mia shook her head at him. “Quit calling her that. We need her to remember she’s beautiful.”

Nadi looked from the pile on the table to the two women. “Should I be worried?”

Kya grinned and pushed her toward her room. “If you’re going to go to battle for our big brother, you need to be well armed. Jake, grab our stuff and bring it back here then get out. It’s girl time.”

Chapter Twelve

Jake pulled his Jeep to a stop in front of the cabin at six forty-five. Ryan gritted his teeth and walked toward the vehicle though he wanted to run. He opened the passenger door to help Nadi out and glared at his little brother. “You’re late.”

He hopped from the car and grinned. “Don’t blame me. Kya and Mia stopped by.”

“Did we ruin your supper?” Nadi’s beautiful eyes drew him in as always. Makeup enhanced her long lashes and tinted her enticing mouth a pale pink. A simple black dress hugged her body, emphasizing her innocent sexuality, and delicate, strappy heels elongated her already killer legs.

He’d forgive her anything. “I waited to put the steaks on.”

She represented everything he had given up and still desired, but she could never be his mate. The injustice of the situation nagged at him.

Jake slung an arm around his shoulders. “I like mine rare.”

“Too bad you’re not staying.”

“What if Stinky wants me here?”

Does she?

Before Ryan could protest, Nadi took her brother’s arm and steered him toward his vehicle. “I’ll call you if I need a ride.” She watched until his Jeep disappeared around the bend before she turned back with a shy smile.

Feeling like an untrained pup, he stared at her. The fading sun lit her hair and bare shoulders with white fire. Color highlighted her cheekbones. She’d put on some weight in a good way since she’d stumbled onto his property. The sexy outfit emphasized her rounder hips and fuller breasts. “Nice dress.”

“Thank you.” Her hands trembled, and she smoothed her narrow skirt. “Mia lent it to me. Is it too fancy?”

“No.” He took her elbow and led her up the steps into the house. “You look stunning.”

Her smile drew his attention to her full lips. He had no idea how he’d keep his hands to himself for the night. But, maybe she didn’t want him to. A slight scent of feminine arousal mocked him. Shoving aside her mixed signals, he gestured toward a stool near the counter. “Would you like some wine?”

Nadi leaned against the cupboards, ankles crossed, expression open. “No, thank you.”

“Anything else?”

Her steady gaze traveled over him, pausing slightly at the snug front of his pants. “Yes.”

He swallowed and broke eye contact to fish a glass from the cupboard. “Water? Soda?”

“No.”

God, she was killing him. He didn’t know what to do or say. He’d never been in a situation where someone else held the reins. “LG’s asleep in the back room if you want to check on him.”

“Later. I’m sure he’s been well cared for.”

Now what?
He rested his hands on the counter, waiting for the strange nervousness to pass.

It didn’t.

The tap of her heels warned him before her fingers drifted down his back. “Mia said I should flirt and play coy. Kya insisted I talk to you directly and go for what I want. Which would you prefer, Ryan?”

He turned to face her. She stood too close, her mouth within kissing range. He’d only have to bend to her. Therein lay the problem. “It’s not my choice.”

Hurt clouded her bright eyes, and she stepped back. “So, you can’t forgive me then?”

Damn it!
He hadn’t meant to upset her. “There’s nothing to forgive, Nadi. It just is.”

Her lower lip trembled then disappeared behind her even teeth, and his heart wrenched. He couldn’t allow her to blame herself. Wrong or not, he reached out and cupped her cheek in his hand. “None of this is your fault. I knew what could happen when I climbed those stairs. I still went.”

“Yes, but if I hadn’t been in heat—”

“You might not have invited me to your bed without it, but I would have found a way to convince you to let me in.” He dropped his hand to his side and stepped back. The old Ryan would have crossed the inches between them and kissed her. But he no longer had the right to do so without a verbal command. Desire quickened her breathing and tinted her cheeks and throat a subtle pink, but an underling could be put to death for overstepping his bounds no matter how clear the signals.

“Our families, my father and brother, your foster siblings, Drake and Mia—” She choked but pasted on a brave smile. “Everyone blames me for this. They say I ruined your life, stole your free will.”

He sank to his knees at her feet, head lifted to study her reaction. “I gave myself to a beautiful creature to ease her fears. I’m yours by choice, Nadi.”

She shook her head. “What if that’s not what I want?”

“Then I apologize.” He stood, his gaze locked on the dainty coral-painted toes peeping from her shoes. Ancient rules paralyzed him. “I’ll take you home.”

“No.” She stomped her foot, and he chuckled despite the severity of their situation. “Look at me.”

The command jerked his attention to her face. She looked angry and something else…determined maybe? His senses hit full alert.

Nadi stared at the beautiful man in front of her. His muscles were tight, pumped up as if he’d been running, and he held himself rigid—a soldier awaiting orders. “I release you from any obligation to me.”

Confusion marred his beloved face then hurt took its place. “I understand. Do you want me to call Jake?”

“No.” She buried her hands in her hair and screamed.

He remained unmoving although one corner of his mouth quirked.

Irritating jerk
.

“I command you to stop this idiotic behavior. I insist you treat me like you want to, not how you think I want you to. Yell. Kiss me. Walk away. Anything.” She traced the line of his strong jaw and downward to the pulse beating at the base of his neck. “If you’d rather I left and never came back, I will. I don’t want subservience from you. I never should have come.”

“Whether you’re here or not, nothing changes, Nadi.”

“Then tell me how to make it right. Please, I can’t take this.”

He buried his hands in his pockets and strode away from her, his back stiff. “It’s never been undone.”

“So? That doesn’t mean it can’t be, right?” She followed him, determined to break through the wall she’d unwittingly built. “Do you still want me?”

He spun toward her with a warning growl. “Of course.”

“Think about it. Not because others say you have to but because you genuinely desire being with me?”

His chest seemed to swell, and his wolf glowed in his eyes. “Don’t test me, Nadi.”

Had she found the key? If she pressed him hard enough, could she break his self-imposed restraint? “So, if I said I wanted you to pleasure me for the rest of my life, you would be content? Perhaps my future mate will be open minded enough to allow me to keep you. You could serve us both in our marriage bed. Pets count as mutual property, right?”

He snarled, his animal barely restrained. “If that’s what you want.”

“And if I created a harem of men like you, what then? Could you patiently wait your turn to satisfy me?”

“You wouldn’t.” His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides.

Ignoring the rising need to run, she slowly unzipped her dress and allowed it to fall to the floor at her feet. His heated gaze traveled over her, resting briefly on the lace and satin of her strapless bra before sinking lower to the tiny triangle of her thong. Frivolous underwear that Mia had insisted would grab his attention faster than being naked. He turned aside, but she didn’t need to ask if he liked what he saw. His deep groan spoke clearly, boosting her confidence accordingly.

“Touch me, Ryan.” She longed for a kiss, one freely given without demand.

He crossed the distance between them in a single stride, his hands already reaching for her waist. She trembled, and his fingers dug into her back.

“All you have to do is ask, Nadi.”

Because in his mind, he has no choice
.

His fingers followed the ridges of her spine and the top swell of her ass with soothing strokes meant to calm rather than arouse. Restraint rode his caresses—unlike before she had claimed him when passion drove them both. “I did ask, but it’s obvious you no longer desire me.”

“Not true.” His voice had grown thick and graveled.

“Then why hold back even when you have permission?”

“I refuse to frighten you.”

A spark of hope flashed and burned. “Oh, so you do have a choice.”

Holding onto his restraint with a thin thread, he wanted to toss her over his shoulder and carry her to bed. He had no idea how to be subservient. If he gave her what she claimed to want, he’d terrify her. “I won’t obey if it’ll upset you. Don’t ask me to.”

“Fine. It’s obvious your desire was triggered by the breeding heat and nothing more. I’ll inform everyone that claiming you was a mistake and publicly release you tomorrow.”

Shit!
The woman had no idea how such an action would further unman him. Claimed and then tossed aside, unwanted but no less her possession. “No.”

She shrugged and turned toward the door. “It’s not your choice, remember?”

Her nearly naked ass taunted him as she swayed with her high-heeled walk. He wanted to spank her for being a bitch. Or better, fuck her until his sweet Nadi returned.

As her hand touched the knob, it registered she intended to go outside dressed in almost nothing. Outside where everyone at the Sanctuary would see her lovely body. His wolf lunged and sent him flying toward the door, slamming it before she could swing it wide. “No! Mine!”