Bound By Desire (The Acadian Curse) (9 page)

It had been a long time since Sarah had felt
this way, like a woman fully present in her body. Not that she was
unhappy with her life, far from it. She was proud of all that she
had created. She was a good doctor and a good professor, and she
was a damn fine friend to a lot of people, but at this very second
she did feel like any of those things. Right now she was just
Sarah, a woman who could make a man as hot and complex as Grant
LaCroix stop and stare, and that was just as satisfying as every
other aspect of her life.

“I had planned on making us steak and eggs
for breakfast, but I think it might be better if we went out.”

Sarah leaned against the doorframe. “Why the
change of plans?”

“We need to talk.”

“And we can’t do that here?”

“No, I don’t think we can.” He stared
pointedly at her hand holding the top of the towel closed. Sarah
looked down. She was unconsciously rubbing her thumb back and forth
across the swell of her breast.

“Yeah, maybe you’re right.” She gave him a
guilty smile. “Do you mind running out to the truck and grabbing my
spare set of clothes?”

“Of course not.” He downed the last of his
coffee in one giant swig and put the mug in the sink. He headed out
of the kitchen, but stopped just past her. He turned around and
caressed his hand down the length of her arm. His eyes were
swimming with concern, but at least there wasn’t the same amount of
terrible self-loathing she had seen yesterday morning. “Are you all
right?”

“I’m fine. Better than fine.”

“I mean, did you check yourself out in the
shower? Is anything…”

“Broken?” Sarah shook her head. “No. I’m
great.”

Grant didn’t smile, but the corners of his
eyes lifted as some of his fears were eased. He started down the
hall.

“Should I be expecting anymore of your nosy
friends sniffing around outside for you?” he asked as he reached
the door.

“I doubt it. It’s my day off,” she called out
to him.

“And you think that’s going to stop Linda
Reed’s of the world?”

Sarah laughed as the door clicked closed
behind him.

After a few minutes it was obvious that Grant
wasn’t coming right back. Sarah poured herself a cup of coffee and
started to walk through the house. She poked her head into all the
open rooms that she’d missed yesterday. It wasn’t snooping, not
really. If a door was closed she left it that way. She was just
getting a feel for the house, and the man who lived there.

She found an office lined with bookcases, an
entertainment room that had the biggest television Sarah had ever
seen, and a living room with a wall of windows that looked out over
the pine-covered Cascades. It was obvious that Grant was doing well
with the ranch, better than the Armstrong’s had ever done, but he
didn’t seem to be flaunting his wealth…giant television aside.

“Do you like what you see?”

Sarah started at the voice right behind her
and spun around. “I didn’t hear you come back in.”

“So it seems.” There was laughter in voice
and eyes, even though his lips stayed in their stern line.

“Sorry. I decided to look around a little
when you didn’t come back right away.”

He gave a little shake of his head as if to
say it didn’t bother him in the least. “It’s already past seven,
and people have started showing up for work. I had to give
directions for the day since I’m not going to be here.”

He held out his hands, and Sarah took the
pile of folded clothes from him.

“Thanks,” she said.

“You can change in my bedroom.” He put his
hand on her lower back and guided her back down the hall.

Sarah didn’t waste any time getting dressed.
Her belly was growling, and, after a night spent in a windowless
basement, the thought of fresh air and sunlight was heavenly. In
less than five minutes they were headed down the driveway in his
shiny, new truck. She’d offered to drive, of course, but he’d
refused the offer.

“I’ve seen the way you drive that thing,”
he’d said.

Not that he was any better. The second she’d
strapped herself in, he’d taken off towards town like the devil
himself was behind them. Before she knew it, they were pulling in
to the parking lot of Rutledge Diner.

A few heads turned when they walked through
the door together. The buzzing sound of whispers grew. Eventually,
Jeanine Carmichael, the older sister of one of Sarah’s friends from
high school, came out from the kitchen. Her plastered on, workday
smile turned genuine when she saw them.

“Well, good morning, you two,” Jeanine said
as she fished out a couple of menus from the side of the cash
register.

Sarah returned the greeting. Grant remained
silent.

Jeanine had started to lead them toward the
middle of the crowded dining room when Grant stopped her.

“I was hoping we could get a table over
there,” he said, pointing to the deserted line of booths on the
other side of the diner.

“Oh, um, yeah. Sure.” Her eyes widened as
though her morning had just become a hell of a lot more
interesting. “You want your privacy. I understand.”

“Thank you,” Grant said.

If avoiding prying eyes was his plan, it
backfired terribly. Every head turned as Jeanine led them to the
farthest reaches of the diner.

“I heard you’d come back to town, Sarah,”
Jeanine said as she walked. “Your dad was telling me the other day
that he was trying to talk you into taking over his practice.”

“Yeah,” Sarah said. “He’s still trying.”

Jeanine smiled suggestively at Grant as he
sat, then looked back at Sarah. “Well, I know what I’d do if I were
you.”

“Thanks, Jeanine,” Sarah said as she sat. “We
would both love a cup of coffee.”

Jeanine went right on talking. “Rutledge may
not be big enough to have a fancy university, but this town has its
own attractive qualities. But I guess I don’t need to tell you
that,” she said with an exaggerated wink. “I’ll be right back with
your coffee.”

“I’m sorry about that,” Grant said as Jeanine
walked away.

Sarah arched her brows. “
You’re
sorry?
For what?”

“The looks. The stares. The whispers.”

Sarah leaned back, sinking into the worn
vinyl-covered cushion behind her. She chuckled a little. “Don’t be.
You forget that I grew up in this town. Not only do I know what
it’s like, I know all the people. Not a day went by without
somebody gossiping about someone. No one was immune. I’m pretty
sure I have ammunition against anyone in this place if they try to
get too personal. Take Jeanine there. She probably doesn’t want to
be reminded of the time she was caught underneath the bleachers
with her sister’s boyfriend.”

Grant slowly smiled. “I’m impressed. I didn’t
realize you had such a dark side.”

“Yeah, well, we all have our little secrets.”
Sarah said with a wink as Jeanine came back with the coffee. She
took their order, both variations on the eggs and meat and toast
breakfast standard, before leaving them alone again.

Grant took a long sip of his coffee, then
another.

“You wanted to talk?” Sarah prompted him when
the silence had gone on too long.

He took his time looking up from his cup.
Sarah felt an uneasy swirl started to spin in her belly. She’d done
her best on the drive over here to pretend that he didn’t mean
that
talk.

“I won’t lie. I’m glad you came to me last
night,” he said. He kept his voice hushed even though there wasn’t
any one around to hear.

“So am I.”

“It was…amazing. But it can’t happen again. I
don’t want you coming out to the ranch again.”

Heavy disappointment filled her chest. His
words weren’t surprising—he’d been trying to push her away since
the moment she’d driven on to his property—but her reaction to them
was. They’d only known each other for two days—or, more accurately,
two nights—but even in that short time, Sarah felt like she had a
connection to him. She had hoped that he felt the same.

Yeah, of course she loved what the creature
inside of him did to her, but it turned out that she liked Grant
LaCroix, the man, too. He was an intriguing mix of strength and
resolve and integrity. She didn’t like the idea of being pushed
away before she had a chance to get to know him better.

“Why?” she asked.

Grant’s eyes widened as though he was
surprised that she didn’t understand. “I don’t think you understand
the danger you’re putting yourself in every time you’re with
me.”

“I was all right last night.”

“I’m sure that’s exactly what my mother
thought.”

A hard lump formed in Sarah’s throat. “Your
mother?”

“I never heard my mother talk about what my
father was. I can only imagine that she was as intrigued by the
curse as you are at first, but things changed. After a few years,
my father started to disappear during full moon. She had to know
that he was with other women even though she never said anything. I
can remember her becoming more silent and sullen every year.”

He took a deep breath, then another swig of
his coffee. Sarah gave him the time.

“My father hated her passivity. He used to
yell at her just to get a reaction. He’d scream until my brother
and I could only hide under our beds to escape the sound, but she
still didn’t respond. Then one day when I was sixteen, his rage
toward her grew too strong.”

His eyes went hard, his face blank. She knew
the depths of his control, but he was barely keeping himself
together. There were things that were too painful, even for
him.

“And he killed your mother,” she finished for
him.

“You’ve seen how big the creature can be, how
strong. He literally ripped her apart.”

The blood left Sarah’s face. Her jaw went
slack.

“When he woke up the next morning, he
couldn’t face what he’d done. He put a bullet through his head,
leaving my brother, Shane, and I alone.”

“Oh Grant. I’m so sorry.” Sarah tried for
something more to say, but there was nothing.

He nodded distractedly, effectively brushing
off her sympathy. He kept his eyes on her even though Sarah could
see that they were filling up with a pain that had never
healed.

“I won’t allow you to make the same mistake
my mother did.”

Sarah leaned forward and reached across the
table. He looked down at her open palm but didn’t take her
hand.

“I’m not your mother. I’m nothing like
that.”

“I know.”

“No, I don’t think that you do. I don’t wilt.
I don’t hide from trouble or run away from it.” She pulled her arm
back across the slick Formica tabletop and straightened her spine.
“And what’s more important, you are not your father.”

“But the curse—”

“Only says that you will reveal your true
nature. You’re a good man, Grant, a decent one. Sure, you’re kinky
and more than a little bit commanding, but that’s not so bad. The
creature inside you isn’t evil because you’re not evil.”

He looked at her long and hard, the corners
of his eyes crinkling in concentration. She could tell he wanted to
believe her, but she was just a single voice of encouragement after
a lifetime of self-inflicted torture.

“Listen, let’s not think about it right now.
Let’s just enjoy being together today. We’ll hang out and see where
the day takes us. Just like normal people,” she said.

“Normal?” His laughter was skeptical. “I’m
not sure that word has ever been used to describe me before.”

“Well, there’s a first time for
everything.”

Sarah grinned, just in time for Jeanine to
pop out the kitchen with their plates.

Grant slid across the truck bench and tangled
his fingers in the long strands of Sarah’s hair. Damn, she was sexy
as hell. It had nothing to do with her clothes or makeup. It was
something on the inside. A glow that radiated out of her and
allowed him to believe that there was hope for a better life than
the one that he had become accustomed to—a life without hiding,
without shame.

He pulled her closer, bringing her mouth to
his again. One more taste, he thought. Even though he knew it
wouldn't be enough.

He’d been saying the same thing the whole
day. Just one more kiss after breakfast and he would take her home.
Just one more hour by her side as they walked by the lake. Just one
more cup of coffee at the cafe. Before he knew it the whole day had
disappeared. Now it was an hour before sundown and he was only now
dropping her back at her house. And still he wanted more.

When it came to Sarah McIntire, it would
never be enough, he realized.

But this time it would have to be. The sun
was dipping down toward the horizon. If he didn’t leave now he
never would.

Sarah linked her hands behind his neck and
pulled him closer. Her breasts crushed against him, soft and round.
He instantly hardened. He felt her pulse quicken as his tongue
swept across hers. Hell, he heard it. The change was closer than he
thought.

"Come inside," she whispered against his
cheek. "Please."

He shook his head, but he didn’t let go of
her. He couldn’t.

“Come back to the ranch with me,” he said.
“We’ll be safe there.”

“I don’t want safe, and I won’t be content
with just some locked up part of you. I want you. All of you.” She
laid a gentle kiss on the corner of his mouth and opened the truck
door behind her. She slid out. “It’s time to make a choice,
Grant.”

Grant sat up straight and gripped the
steering wheel.

She was right. He had to choose and do it
now. Long shadows stretched across the street. The horizon was
already streaked with red. If he hurried he could still make it
home, race down the stairs just in time for the door to slam shut.
But the idea of spending another night, raving and alone, didn't
hold the same appeal as passing it with Sarah’s warm, accepting
body next to his.