All in the Chemistry [The Royal Wolves 4] (Siren Publishing Allure) (13 page)

When the last of them moved past her, she looked up at Kris and grinned. “I would love to paint them, do you think they would mind if I spent some hours watching them?” Sketching them, drawing them and getting a feel for them. “In the meantime however”—she turned—“we had something to do after this.” She was ready to get up and move. The wolves were beautiful, but they were wild and still scared the bejeebers out of her.

Lifting her up to sit on his knee, he kissed her cheek lightly. “I’m sure they’ll even pose for you should you ask it of them. They all seem fully enamored by you, Courtney.” Just as he was. Stroking his hands down her arms, he hugged her to him. “Let’s get you inside and warmed up.”

Courtney looked at the animals and grinned. “I’m pretty enamored of them as well.” She turned and looked at Kris. “But I’m more enamored of you.” Her hand slid into his and hugged him back. “Yes, getting inside and warm are two really, really good sounding things.”

Standing he lifted her into his arms. “Then we will sit in front of the fire and warm you up for a time,” he told her as he moved for the house. Rubbing his cheek to her hair, he breathed her in and let out a happy sigh, when they were like this together he could almost forget that he could very well turn into a monster at any time.

“You won’t turn into a monster.” She seemed to know what he was thinking, feeling. It wasn’t that she was telepathic, it was the way he shifted his body weight, the way he moved and acted. “I love you, Kris, we will be fine, you will see.”

Looking down at her as he pushed open the door, he shook his head slightly. Sometimes her intuition was just scary about what went through his head. Stepping inside he closed the door with his heel as he headed for the living room. Only once he was there did he let her slip down to stand on her own feet. “Did you want some hot chocolate or something?”

“That would be nice, perhaps some hot chocolate and a fire?” She hated to be cold and sitting on the ground had gotten her just that, cold. “If you don’t mind I think I’m going to take up residence on the couch with a blanket while you build a fire, after I help you make cocoa.”

“Sit, love,” he told her softly. “I’ll start the fire and you can warm up while I make the hot chocolate,” he added quietly. A hand on her back directed her to the large sofa. “Sit honey,” he encouraged softly as he nibbled on her ear lightly.

She grumbled but nodded. “All right, I will sit but I want to be able to have some time with you, too, helping you cook sometime or another Kris. I won’t sit back and let you wait on me hand and foot, understand me?”

Smiling at her he chuckled. “Yes ma’am,” he agreed easily. “We’ll do dinner later together and I’ll show you all my nifty gizmos and doohickeys in there so you know where everything is.” Touching her cheek lightly, he stroked his finger over her skin. “It’s in my nature to care for my mate, love, give me time to adjust a bit before you hand me my ass.”

“Now see when you say it like that.” She grinned and nodded. “I love you, Kris. I might grumble but I won’t bite, at least I will never bite you, darling.” She nodded and grinned. “For now I will sit back and let you take care of me. Will let you bundle me up in front of a roaring fire while you make me chocolate. Deal?”

“Deal,” he smiled at her before he moved to get her a throw that was lightweight but with the tight weave would keep her warm. Wrapping it around her shoulders, he nudged her toward the sofa and went to kneel before the fire. Moving a log he struck a match and lit the tinder underneath before easing the flue open and putting the log back into place and closing the grate. Standing he watched to ensure it was catching and then turned for the kitchen. “Do you want marshmallows?” he asked as he paused at the end of the sofa.

“I want a kiss first and then marshmallows.” She reached out and caught his hand in hers. “You aren’t allowed to leave without kissing me first, Kris.” She wasn’t about to let him out of her sights without snagging her kiss either.

Lifting a brow he moved over to her and leaning down, one hand braced on the back of the couch, he kissed her softly. Taking his time so she wouldn’t complain about not being properly kissed, he licked, nibbled, nipped and drank from her mouth taking as much as he gave.

When he pulled back Court licked her lips. “Remind me that I need kisses, often. A lot.” He could kiss, but then again, he could make her body burn like a fire, he could make her scream as if in a horror movie, he simply was sexual prowess on a stick, no two ways about it.

Straightening he watched her face and smiled. “Just on the lips or”—he paused for a moment—“are you thinking of kisses in other places as well?” he asked. Moving as her eyes snapped open he headed for the kitchen to begin warming the milk.

She threw a pillow at his retreating back and laughed. “You are so bad,” she grumbled and complained. “So bad. Dammit, you are so bad.” She leaned back however and closed her eyes. “Silly man.”

Chuckling at her play he dug out the chocolate bar he had stashed just for hot chocolate and broke up a few pieces. Stirring slowly he watched as she sat her eyes moving lazily around the room. He had to wonder what was going on in that too intelligent mind of hers though because, if she was silent, he was very likely in a great deal of trouble. Tossing in the first pieces, he pulled out a mug and put some hot water from the tap into it to warm it slightly.

Their life would be anything but boring was what she was thinking. She was relaxed, warm and happy, life was very, very good indeed. When he came back with chocolate and marshmallows she grinned at him and accepted her cup. “Thank you, Kris, next week I will deal with Aegis, right now, I just want our time, is that all right with you?”

Nodding, he sat at the end of the sofa and then laid down, putting his head in her lap with a sigh. “That’s fine, love,” he murmured softly as he shifted for comfort. He had no idea where the need to lay down as he was came from or why he thought it was a good idea, but he needed to for whatever bizarre reason.

She sat her chocolate off to the side and moved to curl up with him, after moving him slightly. “See, I told you a nap sounded so very nice.” She grumbled and smiled. “I was thinking more the bed, but this works beautifully.”

“This works very well,” he murmured as he wrapped his arms around her. “But you should drink your hot chocolate, love, it’s going to be nasty once it cools.”

“I will nuke it, love.” She snuggled close to him. “Love you.” She whispered and pulled the blanket over them from the back of the couch.

Yawning he would have argued, but her warm weight in his arms cut him off at the knees. “Love you, too, Courtney,” he breathed out as he let sleep take him away.

Chapter 4

He pushed her off him, was the only thing she could think about as she blinked up at the ceiling on the hard floor she had just landed on in a loud jarring thump. He was still sleeping soundly so she rose to her feet and snagged her blanket. “Don’t get my blanket if you don’t have me, mister.” Moving to the recliner she got comfortable and closed her eyes.

Coming awake Kris blinked at the ceiling. “Courtney?” he asked. He could smell her close. “What are you doing in the chair?” was his next question as he lifted his head.

“You pushed me off of you,” she grumbled and turned on her side, hugging the blanket when it should have been him. “I must have been too heavy because just a few minutes ago I was awakened when my ass hit the floor.”

“I did not push you off,” he said in an affronted tone as he sat up to look at her. “You probably rolled over and just kept going,” he muttered eyeing her. Now that he was awake though he got up. “Whatever.” He shook his head. “Get some more sleep, Courtney, I’ve got work I can do,” he said before going off in, if he had not been a man, something he was sure would be called a snit. Course, if anyone dared say that to his face he’d shred them and show him the difference in annoyance and a snit.

“Kris!” she shouted and when he turned around she grinned. “You can’t leave me to go to work without a kiss.” She tapped her lips. “Right here and I will forgive you for pushing me off,” she teased seeing the snit for what it was.

He was tempted to ignore her but that would be cutting off his nose to spite his face. Going to her he gave her a chaste kiss and pulled back when she moved to wrap her arms around him. “I didn’t push you,” he said in a chilly tone and headed for his basement lab.

She sighed and shook her head, damn touchy man. Getting up she folded her blanket and then moved around the room, picking up here and there, taking her cup to the kitchen and cleaning up the mess there before putting on a roast for their dinner that night.

Moving through the house quietly she went up, showered and changed and then back to the basement. Knocking on the door she peeked her head in. “I’m going for a run, Kris, want to join me?” When he didn’t so much as flinch or look at her, she shook her head. “I hope you get over being mad at me soon, Kris.” She felt like her heart was being torn out, hurting from the coldness that he had gotten and turned from her.

Closing the door quietly, she moved from the house out to the road and began her run.

The sound of her footsteps leaving the house had him slouching suddenly as he stared at the reports before him. Rubbing at his face he locked everything up for the night and went upstairs. Getting out of his clothing, he grabbed a robe and went out on the back deck. Dropping the robe to a chair, he changed and padded off the deck on four paws for the woods. Maybe a romp with the pack would clear his head.

As she ran it was only the sound of nature around her that kept her company. Frustration in her was building as she ran through the property and then off the property and onto the streets. When she was upset she ran, it was the physical release that she needed in order to clear her mind, get herself back on an even keel and hopefully understand what was hurting her so much. 

No, she knew what was causing the pain, it was that he had closed her off so quickly, so effectively. It hurt that she couldn’t even tease with him, as she had been doing, without him taking offense. Maybe he was wrong, maybe he wasn’t supposed to be saddled with her, hell not even she wanted to be saddled with herself in this life, but she was all she had and had to make do with it. 

The pounding of her feet on the pavement brought out the other thing she had to do, leave her job with Aegis. Was she really ready? Yes. Did she want to? Yes. Did she and Kris have a chance? That question brought her up short, bending at her middle she panted and cried tears she hadn’t realized she was crying. “Damn him.” She breathed and wiping the tears away she pushed herself harder than she had been before. Running blindly, not knowing where she was going, just needing the run, needing to exhaust herself while she realized that maybe she had just simply jumped in too fast with Kris, asked too much too soon of him and knowing the only solution was for her to leave, and that just killed her heart to think about.

He’d run himself ragged around the property and playing with the wolves. Hell, he’d even taken on the Alpha for a fight because he was in such a pissy mood and now had scratches and a bite mark that he didn’t really want to think about because of where it would translate to when he changed back. Now all he could do, even as exhausted as he was, was prowl the property.

He was fucking up her life, he knew he had the genetic disposition of going Rogue, he’d even tried to tell her. Course, he probably should have mentioned it made him moodier than a woman during PMS without chocolate on the continent. Or…yeah, probably better he hadn’t said that or, at least, hadn’t thought to phrase it that way, that would have been brilliant.

So what the hell was he going to do about it? Sitting down he stared up at the starry sky and wondered if they were just fooling themselves that they could have something together. But if they couldn’t that would mean she’d leave and that idea didn’t sit well with either half of him. Snorting softly he shook his head and, standing back up, slowly padded back toward the house.

As she ran she realized that there was someone on the road where she trotted. It was the strangest feeling because she went from worrying about how she and Kris would have a life together to one of terror in half a second. She didn’t even see the truck before she heard the squeal of the tires and the felt the bite of the bumper on her back, slamming her across the road and into the ditch.

Pain bloomed in her as she lay there gasping for air until darkness consumed her. The last thought she had, the last sound she heard was of a woman on her phone yelling for emergency services about a hit and run. Funny, she wondered, who in the world did hit and runs in this day and age.

Wiping a towel over his hair, Kris padded through the room in his jeans, barely done up as he finished drying it from his shower. Tossing the towel aside he moved through the house and grabbing a bottle of water paused. “Where the hell is Courtney?” he muttered. Shaking his head as he remembered her mentioning a run he decided to go and wait for her on the front step.

When he walked out he sniffed the night air, pulling the cool, clean, crisp air into his lungs. Moments later it was broken by the scream of a siren and then another. He’d never know how he figured it out or how he’d even thought it, but the water bottle fell and crashed to the pavement, water spilling everywhere. But he was always long gone, running fast, pushing himself to the limits of his human body, Kris ran for the sounds of the sirens. There was no one out there on the road, only his brothers owned land here, not another living soul could or ever would because of all they’d bought up.