Unquenchable Desire (14 page)

Brain had gone into
the bathroom, but hadn’t closed the door. Balancing Kindra, she softly closed
it. Then she hesitated, consentrating on the image of Brian’s face the first
time she saw him. There were sounds inside. Shuffling, as if he were balancing
on one foot, followed by the hollow sound of bare feet meeting tile. Next there
was a rubbing sound, as if his nude body was sliding downward along the hard
surface of the tub—then splashing water.

She
loved water and wished she were in there with him. Feeling her temperature
rising, she turned and tiptoed quickly to her room. She put
Kindra
down for a nap in one of her
shortie
nightgowns and
drew a sheet over her. “I’ll be back when I finish doctoring Brian,” she said,
kissing the child’s soft cheek.

When
she entered the bathroom, she was taken
back
by Brian
standing, tanned and gorgeous with only a white towel covering his hips and
bulging privates. Heat and swirling steam hit her. “I’m ready,” he said.

Seeing
him nearly nude made her want to say, “Me, too.” There was something about him
that had tugged at her soul since the first moment they’d met…and it was
getting stronger every day. Living in the same house with him and working in
the same office took a great deal of control. But her restraint threatened to
slip whenever she was with him, especially today. Seeing him in his quick,
agile, alpha form, battling against her attacker was as thrilling as it was
frightening.

With
tremblin
g hands, she grabbed the first-aid kit from
the medicine cabinet. The clean smell of him floated around her. She took a
deep breath and bracing herself mentally, she removed the antibiotic cream from
the kit and rubbed some on his back. Brian winced at her touch, but didn’t
complain. She lightened her stroke.

While smoothing the
antibiotic cream over his back and shoulders, she marveled at the width. She
stroked slowly, letting her hands slip down his sides, absorbed by how his
upper body narrowed to a trim waist. She forced herself to concentrate on the
bites and cuts. “Animal saliva can be dangerous,” she said.

He nodded. “You
have a gentle touch,” he murmured. “Like the whisper of the wind across
scorching desert sand.”

Her wolfman never
ceased to amaze her. He could be so poetic at times.

She moved to the
front of him. He placed his hands on her hips. She tried to ignore the touch of
his palms resting loosely there. She smoothed the cream over a disturbing
expanse of hard, muscled flesh. The feel of him beneath her fingers set her
heart racing. An upward glance at his strong features only made it race faster.
He closed his eyes as if luxuriating under the rhythm of her hands.

Her gaze lowered
from his eyes to his slender, well-formed lips.
 
She knew exactly what it was like to have them
consuming hers. Could almost feel it. A wave of heat crept up from her neck to
her cheeks. She stepped back—away from him. He was hurt for cripes sakes.
Just doctor him up and get away!
“I...I’ll
just bandage this and then you can sneak to your room and get some clean
clothes.” She longed to continue running her hands over the sleek, hot hardness
of him. He was only a half step away.

Their eyes met and her
cheeks flamed hotly. He closed the gap between them and leaned toward her. He
was going to kiss her.... But, to her astonishment, he didn’t even try. Instead,
he brushed a strand of hair back from her face. His touch made her go weak.

“Thanks, Valerie.” Sincerity
mingled with lust in his voice.
His
deep tone and unbelievably tender touch stirred and excited her. Alarms went
off in her mind—her spine stiffened. Her heart and psyche were in a tug-of-war.
It took every ounce of determination and restraint not to step into his arms
and beg him to make love to her. After all, didn’t they deserve to celebrate
they were both alive?

What was wrong with
her? They had big problems that needed solutions. She stepped out of his reach
and willed her pulse to stop racing. “Just let me wrap some gauze around you and
tape you up, then you can go to your room and rest until dinner. She thought of
the king-sized bed in his room. She hadn’t been in that guest room since he’d
moved in, but she knew the well-constructed bed was strong enough to handle
rough activity. How it would feel to romp and play on that bed with her
gorgeous, brave alpha wolf?
Darn, here I
go again…

It’s
my internal wolf’s fault. I have to
learn to control my lust and get beyond the feral instincts and
desires distracting me, and making me more vulnerable to the whims of the evil
monster out there, waiting to strike again.
 
Having a
wolf inside me with an unquenchable hunger for passion makes control nearly
impossible and constantly challenged.

She withdrew a clear plastic drinking cup
from the storage drawer and filled it with water and uncapped some codeine from
the medicine cabinet. “Here. This will help with the pain.” She watched him
drink it down with thirsty gusto. “Want some more water?” He nodded. She filled
his cup
again,
thinking that the wolf inside him could
devour great quantities of water…could devour her with great unrivaled passion.
He dribbled a little liquid on the enticing bulge in the towel around his
waist. She felt like fanning herself or putting a cold washcloth on her
forehead.

“Look,” she said, forcing a firm
tone and desperately needing to put a distance between herself and temptation, “I’m
going to my room to bathe and change clothes. And no, you can’t come with me.”

He laughed without humor. “I don’t
recall asking.”

But
you would if you weren’t all chewed up,
she thought, fearing what her
answer might have been under different circumstances.

****

Brian
studied himself in the mirror. He looked like hell and felt the pain of the
bites and gouges, but he was a fast healer and the hot, steamy bath, codeine,
and Valerie’s loving touch had done wonders. In a couple of days he’d be right
as rain on a thirsty desert.

He
put on some deodorant, splashed on the cologne Valerie had given to Him, and
then opened the closet. Since going to work for her father, he had more clothes
than he’d ever had before. Although he paid for them from his earning, he felt
a little like a kept man. Everything was different since meeting her. He wanted
so much more…wanted to be so much more…

What about
Kindra’s
mother? Was she dead, or had the police gotten there in time to save her before
she took her last gasp of breath? And was
Kindra’s
baby brother okay? What kind of creature could bring such disaster to a little
family he didn’t even know? And how could he justify doing such horrendous acts
simply to draw Valerie into his evil clutches?

He suddenly had the same lost, hurt
feeling as when Maggie died. Was
Kindra
feeling something
like that? His heart went out to her. And that pained him deeply. To survive
and stay tough, he had to fight to remain detached from loving so deeply. The
ache tearing him apart proved again that such human emotions were dangerous. But
how could he avoid them?

After
seeing the kind of torture, trickery, and manipulation the evil wolf could
bring down on Valerie
, he had to step up
to the plate and prevent her from ever falling prey to the monster again. Was
his goal a pipedream? Could anyone destroy the walking dead? How could he
succeed with a foe who would only be
resurrected
again and again? Today, after almost losing Valerie, he’d made up his
mind to let Damon’s scientists test the serum on him.

Now he wondered if the timing was too soon. If
the serum cured him, would it also steal his strength and the ability to win
over his enemies and shelter those who needed his protection?

He’d always been a werewolf. Would he miss
that highly-passionate part of himself? Was he even cable of being a regular
man, or by destroying his wolf counter-part would he ultimately destroy
himself…and Valerie with him? He was ready to sacrifice for her, but dammit, it
was a big risk. Now that he knew the kind of evil she was up against, he dare
not make a mistake. It might destroy his power and leave her alone and
defenseless.

Chapter Twelve

Valerie heard the hum
of a helicopter overhead and then minutes later, the roar of a motorcycle in
the driveway. She rushed to the bedroom window and glanced down. It was
Victoria
, riding behind
Rick,
her raven hair
whipping in the wind. All the noise had awoken Kindra. Valerie grabbed the hand
of the lanky, malotto-skinned girl in frizzy pigtails. “Come with me, Honey. I
want you to meet my twin.”

As they stepped out of the bedroom, Brian dragged out of his, his
sultry eyes sleep-laden. “Is something else wrong?” he asked. “I just heard
your parents pass my door on the run.”

Her heart pounded in excitement. “No. I think everything is right for
once. Come meet my twin.” She grabbed his hand, and the three of them rushed
down the stairs, Kindra’s pigtails flying. When they charged out the open entry
door, Victoria and Rick were in a group embrace with Mom and Dad, laughing and
all talking at once.

Victoria
hugged their parents once more, then broke
away and flew into Valerie’s arms. “Baby sister,” she said with a squeal.

Valerie let go of Brian’s and Kindra’s hands to return the hug. “Goodness,
I missed you,” she told
Victoria
through tears of joy. She had so much to ask her…to tell her. Then she
remembered her manners and drew Brian and Kindra forward. “This is Kindra, my
very special friend.”

Victoria
shook Kindra’s hand. “Aren’t you a little
beauty. I just know you and I will be special friends as well.”

Kindra blushed.

A warmth rose in Valerie’s chest. “And this is Brian Jones, my boyfriend,

executive-assistant at a new charity foundation Dad and I set up, and
the talented and very
artistic gu
y who keeps our
home grounds looking like a park.” She leaned forward and whispered
inVictoria’s ear, “And he’s my wolfman, bodyguard, and brave protector.”

Victoria
’s eyes widened, and then she laughed, her
eyes glinting with mischief. “It sounds like a lot has happened in the short
time we were off honeymooning.” She hugged Brian. “Nice to meet you. And this
is my husband, Rick, my everything.”

The two men shook hands and shifted their feet.

Valerie introduced Kindra to her parents. They both hugged the child.

Kindra beamed.

While Valerie’s parents made Kindra feel welcome and special,
Victoria
said in a low
voice, “Tell me more about Brian.”

“Later, when we’re alone. Right now everyone wants to hear about you. What
was your wedding like and,” she arched a brow, “and your honeymoon?”

“I’ll tell you all about the honeymoon and our travels.” Then she
winked at Valerie, leaned close, and whispered, “And I’ll tell you the juicy
stuff when we’re alone—after, of course, you spill the beans about the handsome,
feral hunk of muscles you clevery captured in your sexy she-wolf net.”

Valerie shivered. Her net wasn’t like the steel mesh net that had
dropped over her earlier that day.

Victoria
gestured to the bright afternoon sun still
warming the air. “Surely you’re not cold?”

“No, the word net just made me think of something chilling. And I’ll
tell you about that, too, when we’re alone.”

“Hey it sounds like we’re going to have a lulu of a gabfest. Let’s go
inside and I’ll show you our great pictures.” She turned to Mom and Dad and
looped arms with them. “We had a fabulous time, but it’s sure good to be back
home.”

****

Over an early dinner, with aromas of fetticini and fresh-baked
sour-dough bread swirling in the air,
Victoria
told of their plans, while sending love glances to Rick. “The big news is we’re
waiting for the
escrow to close on our new home.”

“What?” Dad said,
raising his voice. “But this is your home.” Disappointment rang in his tone
like a rusty bell.

“And
it always will be,”
Victoria
said with love in her voice. “But we need a place of our own, too. Somewhere to
raise the family we hope to have someday.
Soon.”

Mom’s
eyes widened. “You’re not—”

“No,
Mom. No worries there.” Victoria paused. “Along those lines, have the
scientists made any progress on the serum?”