Wolf Tales VI (10 page)

“There’s a little coffee shop about three blocks over.” Mei pointed east.

Oliver turned on the street she indicated and found the restaurant. They parked and went inside. Neither of them spoke, but the silence felt comfortable. Natural, even, as if they’d known each other for years, had shared a bed and meals and the daily details of life for much longer than a night and a day.

This late in the morning, the restaurant was practically empty. They found a quiet booth near the front window with a view of the street. The waitress handed each of them a menu and left them alone.

Oliver took Mei’s hands in his. “It’s hard to believe we started out yesterday as perfect strangers. Thank you for last night. It was…” He paused, his throat suddenly choked with emotion. “I need to tell you about myself, but I can’t, Mei. Not yet. There are things…”

She nodded, but she didn’t look all that happy. “It’s okay. Eve said sort of the same thing, but she promised me it was nothing illegal. It’s not, is it?”

Mei frowned and Oliver laughed. “No, I don’t think it’s illegal. It has to do with the telepathy. We’re learning more about you every day. When we know enough…” He shrugged. “It’s complicated.”

Mei pulled her hands free and picked up her menu. Oliver shrugged and did the same. The waitress brought coffee for both of them, took their orders and left. Mei sipped at hers and watched Oliver over the thick porcelain rim of her cup. Her green eyes were flecked with specks of gold, almost hidden behind sooty lashes, but he sensed her unease over his secrets.

He couldn’t blame her a bit. He was a complete stranger to her, yet they’d made love for hours, explored one another’s bodies as if they’d been lovers forever. “There is something I need to tell you.” He set his cup down. “Yesterday, last night…it was more than just good sex with a beautiful woman. Better than good. Absolutely exquisite.” He laughed softly, remembering. “Shit, Mei. It was damned near perfect. You are perfect. I want to know you, Mei. Everything about you. I need you to believe that what happened between us was very special.”

“It was special for me, too.” She looked away and he knew her feelings were still hurting. “There’s nothing about me to tell. I was abandoned when I was born. They found me under some bushes in a park. I was wrapped in newspaper, still covered in blood and stuff.” She flipped her fingers as if it was no big deal, but Oliver felt her pain as if it were his own.

“One of the paramedics named me Mei, after his sister, and the county gave me the last name of Chen because it’s common in various Asian communities. I’m not even sure what my racial mix is. Chinese mostly, I think. Maybe some Vietnamese or Korean.” She shook her head. “I’m really not sure.”

The waitress brought their food. They’d both ordered scrambled eggs and fried potatoes and bacon. Oliver’s mouth watered as the delicious aromas hit his nose. He’d not eaten much last night but he’d certainly burned a lot of calories.

Mei seemed just as hungry. The two of them ate in silence for a few minutes.

“I’m not sure, either.”

Mei raised her head. “Sure of what?”

“What I am. Who.” He took another bite.

“What happened?”

“I was born on Barbados but my family, for whatever reason, sold me to a man when I was barely more than a baby. I grew up, essentially, as the pet of a little girl in a very wealthy family. When she got too old to want a playmate, they planned to sell me to one of the local factories as a worker, but I heard about it and ran away. I was a teenager, but I’d learned a lot living in that house. It took me a few years, but I got to the United States.”

Mei stared at him, her meal obviously forgotten. “That’s horrible. What happened next?”

“I found a job with the circus. I tended the animals and such. They weren’t too careful then about papers and I was here illegally. Eventually I met an amazing man, a magician. His name is Anton Cheval. I have worked for him for most of my life. He helped me get my citizenship and since I needed a name, I took his. My legal name is Oliver Cheval, though I rarely use my full name. I was just Oliver for so long, it’s how I think of myself.”

Mei leaned forward. “Cheval? That’s the man in Montana. Eve mentioned him. She said he was absolutely brilliant. She told me the same thing, that he’s a wizard. I didn’t think there were real wizards.”

Oliver nodded and took another bite of his breakfast. “Anton will make you believe. As will Stefan, his…” Oliver took a sip of coffee. He’d almost referred to Stefan as Anton’s packmate. He’d have to watch himself, at least until he knew more about Mei. Damn, but he hated this part of the process of discovery. Never had it meant so much to him that he be right.

“Anyway, where this convoluted story is…”

“No!” Mei interrupted him. “It’s a fascinating story. I want to know more.” She watched him, her heart in those gorgeous green eyes and Oliver realized he had to tell her as much of the truth as he could.

He shivered. His past was not something he thought about often. He preferred to leave it where it belonged—over and done with, bad memories he never wanted to resurrect. But Mei deserved more than bits and pieces.

“This is very private, Mei. Eve doesn’t even know, but I want to tell you as much about myself as I can. I don’t want there to be secrets between us.” He took a deep breath and felt the cold shiver that always ran down his spine when he thought of his childhood. “When I was sold, the first thing my master did was make sure, medically, that I would never develop into a man, a sexual male. He wanted to make sure I’d be a safe playmate for his daughter.”

He couldn’t tell her he’d been castrated. Mei had suckled his balls between those glorious lips of hers last night. Thinking about it made him grow hard again, but there was no way to explain how testicles once removed could somehow grow back.

“But you’re…” She held both hands up. “You’re fine. You’re better than fine, if you want to know.” She blushed again. That swift rise of color made him hard as a post.

He had to take a deep breath to admit the truth. It was still all so new to him, this knowledge of what it felt like to be a man. To make love to a woman. “Only since last month. When I said Eve was the first woman I had sex with, I wasn’t kidding. You are the only woman I’ve been with by myself.” He laughed. “Without Adam there beside me. He was there with Eve. What happened last night was…” He shook his head slowly. There were no words. It was amazing, Mei. Perfect. I fell in love with you last night.

Mei’s eyes widened. She’d picked up his thoughts. “You did? Are you sure?”

Oliver frowned as he nodded. “I did, and yes, I am very sure.” He reached across the table and took her hand. “Please. Come back to Montana with us. With me. I can’t stay here, but I can’t leave you, either.”

“I want to. I’m afraid. I don’t know.”

“I understand. Really.” He sighed and went back to his breakfast. Then he remembered his pills, the nutrients that made him Chanku. Oliver reached into his pocket and drew out a small packet. He removed two of the large capsules and offered one to Mei. “Eve said you were taking these. Here.”

She eyed the big pill for a moment, then plucked it out of his hand. “I’m still not sure about these.”

“For what it’s worth, neither was I.” Oliver popped his into his mouth and took a swallow of coffee. “Believe me, it’s worth it.”

Mei swallowed hers with a sip of water. “This mental thing. Reading thoughts. Is it normal? I mean…” She grimaced. “Sometimes it happens, other times, not.”

“Eventually it will always work. You’re already pretty good.” Oliver went back to his breakfast. So did Mei. The silence between them felt more comfortable again. Natural.

“How did it happen?” Mei stared at him, her face a mask of questions.

Oliver finished chewing the bite he’d taken. “The details aren’t important, but it was Adam. He fixes things. Essentially, I was broken.”

“And he fixed you?” Mei tilted her head. Her long sweep of dark hair fell to one side.

Oliver was so caught in the sensual slide of her hair he forgot to answer. “Yeah,” he said, finally. “Adam made it possible for me to heal. I owe him for that.”

Mei glanced down at her plate, then back at Oliver. “So do I,” she said, and once again she blushed. “So do I.”

Mei wished this didn’t all feel so totally surrealistic. Only yesterday she’d been stealing food because she was weak from hunger, and now she had this absolutely gorgeous man telling her he loved her. Obviously, something was wrong.

Her body still thrummed with the amazing sex they’d shared yesterday. Truth be told, she wanted him now, but even though they were already in the Jeep and headed back to the motel, Adam and Eve were still there.

Probably sleeping…or maybe having sex. Mei flushed hot and then cold, imagining those two gorgeous bodies together. She knew what Eve was like, how she tasted, how she touched and the way her body shuddered in climax. The mere thought of Eve’s mouth between her legs made Mei slide from chilled to boiling. She glanced up at Oliver and realized he was watching her, but her panties were wet from thinking about Eve and he had to know she was turned on.

That was the only drawback to this mind reading stuff. How did you keep anything a secret? Of course, if she wanted to know what Oliver was thinking, all she had to do was…

His thoughts slipped into her mind. Effortlessly. As clearly as if he spoke the words aloud. His eyes might be back on the road, but he was definitely thinking of Mei. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the seat and listened.

Maybe we can go to that park she talked about. Find a quiet place there, or I could just get us our own room…damn, she is so hot and just absolutely perfect and I can’t believe how much I want her again, but she’s not ready for all of us yet. Hell, even though she said she’s had sex with Eve, she doesn’t even know Adam so I can’t very well expect Mei to want to fuck a strange man. That’s asking way too much of any…

“No, it’s not.”

Oliver hit the brakes and barely missed the back of a big Cadillac Escalade stopped at a red light in front of them. His head whipped around. “What? What do you mean?”

Mei shrugged. “Well. I’m working on that mental stuff and I’m listening to your thoughts. You’re afraid I won’t want to have sex with Adam.” She shrugged, absolutely loving the shocked expression on Oliver’s face.

The car behind them honked. Oliver glanced up at the green light and pulled ahead, but he kept looking back at Mei. “You’ve already gotten that good? You can read me that clearly? I thought you could maybe catch a word or two…” His voice sort of squeaked on the last word. Mei thought it was adorable…and sexy as hell to know what he’d been thinking.

“You wondered if you should take me to that park I told you about, or if you should get another room at the motel. You also wondered how I’d feel about sex with Adam.”

He was breathing sort of hard and fast and she loved the fact she’d shocked him.

“And?”

The word came out sounding kind of like the way a frog croaked.

“And I said I don’t mind.” She thought about that and realized she more than didn’t mind. She was fascinated by the idea of sex with more than one person. Her always healthy libido had somehow gone into overdrive this past—she reached over and turned Oliver’s wrist so she could see his watch, barely noon—this past thirty hours. Not even two full days and she’d had sex with Eve, sex with Oliver, and was contemplating adding another man. Mei leaned back in her seat again. Damn! Maybe sleeping in a real bed and eating good food had something to do with it, but for whatever reason, her life had definitely changed in a big way.

Oliver kept glancing in her direction, but he didn’t say a word. She tried to read his thoughts again, but either he’d somehow managed to block them, or her great powers weren’t so great after all.

Oliver parked beside the black pickup just as Eve stepped out of the motel room. She was wearing a cute summery dress and sandals and her hair was hanging shiny and clean to her shoulders. She waved when she saw them.

“Hi. Adam and I were just going for a very late breakfast. We’ll be back in a couple hours. He wants to take the truck out and make sure it’s running okay.”

Adam stepped out behind her and walked over to Mei’s side of the Jeep. He leaned in through the open window and kissed her right on the mouth. Shocked speechless, she kissed him back.

“Hi. We haven’t been properly introduced. I’m Adam Wolf. Sure hope I didn’t snore and keep you awake, sweetie. Thanks for sharing the bed.”

Mei smiled and licked the taste of him off her mouth. What was it about these people that turned her into such a hussy? “It was my pleasure.”

Adam’s smile was pure male invitation. “Hold that thought. We’ll be back later.”

Eve laughed and lightly smacked his shoulder. “Adam. Watch your mouth. You’ll scare the poor girl.”

Adam straightened up, but his searing gaze never left Mei’s face. “Oh, I don’t think so. I wouldn’t underestimate Ms. Chen if I were you. I think she’s a lot tougher than she looks.”

He stepped back and flipped a wave to Oliver. “Two hours buddy. Just as much time as you gave us. Thanks.”

They got into the little black truck and drove off as Mei and Oliver climbed out of the Jeep. “What was that all about?”

Oliver took Mei’s hand in his and led her toward the open motel room door. “It was about you and me and not having to drive forever to find that park of yours.” He closed the door behind them and turned to Mei. She slipped into his embrace as if they’d always done this, always spent their days making love.

In the back of her mind, a voice whispered questions. Why was she so accepting of all these people? Why didn’t their blatant sexuality scare the crap out of her…or at the very least make her wary of them?

The answer came to her in all its simplicity. Mei raised her lips to Oliver’s without fear, without hesitation. For the first time in her life, she knew she’d found family.

Adam slid into the booth in the quiet little restaurant, directly across from Eve. He reached over the table and brushed her hair back from her eyes. She raised her head and smiled at him, but he still thought she looked troubled.