Freaky by Nature (24 page)

his hand.

“Key s.”

Brett opened his m outh to speak.

“Sav e it,” Max said. “You won’t need them .”

Brett surrendered the key s and followed quietly out the door.

Ten m inutes later, Shadow and Brett stood dum bfounded in

the doorway of The Cathouse. Of all the places Max had to choose

from , he chose this one.

“Does Cam eron know we’re here?” Brett m um bled.

“No.” Max snorted. “And she better not find out.”

Brett shot an uneasy glance at Shadow. Shadow snickered.

“I’m the only one who won’t get in trouble for being here,” he

bragged.

Max chuckled. “You think so?”

Shadow’s cocky grin fell from his face as he looked around the

room , distracted by a scantily clad waitress in a leopard-print

body suit. His ey es scanned her tem pting curv es, caressed her

am ple cleav age, lowered to her sm all waist, and finally slid down

the length of her long legs.

“Follow m e, Gentlem en,” she purred.

Shadow swallowed hard as they followed her to a secluded

table in the back. Nothing like Claire.

The waitress winked at Brett. “What’ll y ou hav e?”

“Beer,” he m um bled.

She raised one ey ebrow. “Beer?”

“Sorry , Sweetheart,” Max attem pted to soothe her ego, “only

alcohol tonight. Make it two.”

The all-too-eager-to-please hostess turned to Shadow. “And

what about y ou, Handsom e?”

Max crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair, obv iously

am used at how Shadow would answer.

Shadow focused on the table in front of him . “Beer.”

The waitress shrugged and left the table.

“Exactly why did y ou bring m e
here?
” Brett grum bled.

“Thought y ou m ight enjoy the scenery while y ou drown y our

m isery ,” Max said casually .

Brett shrugged as he looked around the room , his tired, dull

ey es scanning the dancers. They only m ade him want Holly m ore.

He willed him self to forget her, to m ov e on, return to this carefree,

independent spirit. But he couldn’t. Not since she kidnapped his

heart. And his m ind. She was the one wom an who’d m anaged to

push through all of his walls and see his pure, honest sincerity .

Only to reject him because she felt she couldn’t offer the sam e. He

groaned and buried his head into his folded arm s.

Max took a long pull from his beer. “You guy s are really

throwing a kink in m y interv ention.”

Brett heard Shadow grunt. “
You
guy s?”

“Yeah. I brought y ou to a strip joint to drown y ourselv es in

beer and take in the v iew, and all y ou can do is think about y our

wom en.”

Brett lifted his head and ran a hand down the side of his face.

“Shadow doesn’t hav e a wom an.”

“What about y ou, Sterling?” Shadow frowned. “Your wife

would kill y ou for being here.”

Max grinned. “I’m too sm ooth to get caught.”

***

“I’m a freak, Cam eron.” Holly exhaled hard.

“Holly ,” Cam eron chided, “we’re all freaks.”

“Not y ou.”

Cam eron giggled. “Oh y eah? My shoe fetish is not freaky ? And

what about m y big m outh?”

“Personality ,” she grum bled.

“No, I’m a freak.”

“What about y ou, Claire?” Holly asked. “How did y ou deal?”

“I’v e alway s been psy chic.” Claire shrugged. “I thought

ev ery one else was freaky .”

Holly rolled her ey es.

“Seriously ,” Claire continued, “it’s really a gift. You hav e the

ability to see people for who they really are.”

“That would be handy ,” Cam eron m um bled.

“I know Brett lov es m e,” Holly confessed, “but I don’t know if

I’m capable of m aking him happy .”

Claire sm iled. “You already hav e.”

“It’s alm ost not fair,” Holly said thoughtfully . “I’ll alway s

know things about him but he won’t about m e.”

“Sounds fair to m e,” Cam eron chim ed.

“Brett can block y ou,” Claire rem inded her.

“Just think about it,” Cam eron suggested.

She had thought about it. So hard, her brain was m ush. Her

rational side m ocked her to ev en consider such a relationship.

What if he forgot to block and she discov ered som ething she

shouldn’t? What if she needed clarification and he did block? Her

heart cleared its throat.

There are no guarantees in love
.

Holly had to agree. And not only that, no guarantees in

psy chic ability . She couldn’t alway s read som eone and som etim es

the colors were so intertwined, she saw one big blob. Like Claire

and Shadow. Suddenly she felt a gentle prod in her m ind and her

thoughts returned to Brett. Holly glanced apologetically at Claire.

Claire rubbed her tem ples with her fingertips.

“You know som ething!” Cam eron accused through sparkling

ey es.

Claire raised her ey ebrows. “I know som ething alright.”

Holly frowned. “About Brett?”

“He’s in on it,” Claire m um bled.

Cam eron narrowed her ey es. “Where
is
Brett?”

Holly shrugged and looked at Claire.

“He’s with Max and Shadow,” Claire answered slowly , “at The

Cathouse.”

Cam eron palm ed her cell phone. “I’ll handle this.”

Claire grabbed her purse and key s. “Meanwhile, I’ll surprise

them .”

“What should I do?” Holly asked helplessly .

“Pray for them ,” Claire said as she flew out the door.

***

“No m ore,” Max barked at the waitress, bracing Steele on one

m assiv e shoulder. “We’v e had m ore than enough.”

“C’m on, Cpt,” Brett said through his beer-induced haze, “one

m ore.”

Shadow sway ed to one side. “We hav en’t ev en seen the show.”

Max kicked a chair with his left foot and forced Shadow into it.

“Sit.”

He rubbed a hand down his face and wondered what the hell

had gone wrong with his plan. At this pace, they ’d nev er m ake it

out. The v ibration of his cell phone tem porarily distracted his

thoughts.

“Dam n.” He pushed Steele into another em pty chair and

reluctantly answered the pulsing m enace. “Hey , Shortcake.”

“Hav e y ou got change for a hundred, Money bags?”

His heart skipped a beat at Cam eron’s question. “Why ?”

“I assum e y ou’re tipping m ore than one of them .”

“Who?”

“The dancers, Max,” she said sm ugly . “I know where y ou are.”

He exhaled loudly . “Are y ou okay ?”

“I’m fine,” she retorted, “just annoy ed.”

“I’ll apologize when I get hom e. Right now, m y hands are full.”

She gasped.

“Sonuv abitch!” he cursed. “Not with what y ou’re thinking!

Shadow and Steele are both blasted.”

“Serv es y ou right.”

“I’m on m y way hom e.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

He cursed again.

“And Max,” she continued.

“Yeah?”

“Don’t bring hom e any stray s.”

Cram m ing his phone into the depths of his pocket, Max

attem pted to m obilize his troops once again. With Shadow braced

against one shoulder and Steele against the other, he shuffled

them both to the door. Breathing a sigh of relief in the cool night

air, he pointed them toward his truck. And right into Claire.

“Hey , Claire Voy ant.” Shadow greeted her with a lazy , half

sm ile. “Did y ou com e to dance?”

“If y ou say so,” Claire m um bled as she shifted her ey es to Max.

“Need som e help?”

Max grinned. “Take Shadow.”

“Yeah, take m e, Claire,” Shadow said.

“Back off m y sister, Shadow,” Brett spat.

“Cool it.” Max pushed Brett inside his truck and slam m ed the

door. “Can y ou get him hom e?”

“I can handle Shadow, Max.” Claire snorted. “You better be

m ore worried about facing Cam eron.”

Max grim aced.

“Your hair sm ells like peaches,” Shadow m urm ured while

burrowing his nose into her hair.

Max watched Claire fidget and flip her hair ov er her shoulder.

“Should I hav e Cam eron m ake the spare bed?”

She grinned. “Nice try . I’m not protecting y ou.” She propped

Shadow against her car and slid her key s from her pocket.

Shadow snickered.

“I’ll protect y ou,” he said m atter-of-factly .

Max cocked an ey ebrow. “If y ou change y our m ind, let m e

know.”

She rolled her ey es and grabbed Shadow by the shoulder to

push him inside the car. “They ’ll both pass out as soon as they hit

the pillow,” she tossed ov er her shoulder.

Max chuckled and am bled back to his truck.

Claire braced one hand against the steering wheel and pushed

Shadow back against the passenger seat.

“Buckle y our seatbelt,” she said though gritted teeth.

“In a m inute,” he insisted.

“We’re not m ov ing until y ou do.”

He grinned. “Good.”

She squinted one ey e. “What are y ou up to?” Opening her

m ind, she attem pted to connect but ev en drunk, his doors were

locked.

“Nuh-huh, Claire Voy ant, no snooping.”

“Stop calling m e that.”

His sm ile slid from his lips. “Why ?”

“It hurts m y feelings,” she adm itted softly , bowing her head.

Claire heard him shift in the seat. Reaching for her in the

cov er of darkness, Shadow slipped a finger under her chin and

forced her to look at him .

“I’m sorry .”

She sm iled, com forted by his apology . “No y ou’re not.”

His ey es glowed like the night tim e creature he em anated.

“Not for calling y ou nam es. For this.”

Shadow m ov ed his hand to the back of her neck, kneading the

nape, and eased her toward him until he caught her bottom lip

between his. Tracing the rounded edges with his tongue, he paused

as if he waited for her perm ission to continue.

Claire froze at the touch of Shadow’s lips against hers,

bouncing the consequences of kissing him back and forth in her

m ind.

Just once
.

The warm th of his touch beckoned her, fed the fire behind her

desire.

Only once
.

Slowly , her ey es drifted closed and she opened her m outh to

welcom e him inside.

Shadow possessed her lips, m assaged each inch with his

tongue, his deep feelings for her breaking through. A soft m oan

escaped her lips at his tender assault as she basked in the

incredible sense of satisfaction between them . This is where she

belonged, in Shadow’s arm s. She felt it. She
knew
it. She had to

stop it.

“Shadow.” She gently pried herself from his hold. “We need to

get y ou hom e.”

As he gazed into her ey es for a brief m om ent, she slipped past

his barriers and realized he had discov ered her doubt and

insecurity buried beneath her facade. She felt his heart ache at his

inability to put her at ease. He reached between them and

squeezed her slight hand in silent support.

“Whatev er y ou say , Claire.”

She flashed him a look of gratitude as she started the car and

steered away from the catcalls on the warm , sum m er night.

***

Max exhaled a loud breath as he quietly closed the back door

and program m ed the alarm . He was too old for this shit.

“Good ev ening.” Cam eron flipped the lights to life.

He braced his hip against the kitchen counter and prepared for

battle. “Go easy on m e, Princess. I’v e had a rough night.”

She giggled as she stepped into his arm s and tucked herself

into the warm th of his body .

“Claire called and got y ou off the hook,” she said, nuzzling his

neck.

He exhaled a sigh of relief as he wrapped his arm s around her

and boosted her to the counter.

“Your bright idea blew a bulb,” she teased.

He tweaked the strap of her gown with one finger. “But I hav e

another one.”

“Hold on there, Casanov a.” She placed her palm against his

corded chest. “You think y ou can celebrate all ev ening at a strip

club and then com e hom e and take m e on the kitchen counter?”

He eased her gown ov er her legs and tucked it under her

swollen belly . Very softly , he tickled the now dam pened flesh

between her legs with his fingertips through the soft, silk of her

panties. “Absolutely .”

She gasped at his slight touch and pressed herself against his

hand. “Oh, alright.”

His fingers stroked and then filled her.

“Oh by the way ,” she m urm ured, “we’re hav ing twins.”

***

The next m orning, Holly sat next to Cam eron, her legs folded

beneath her, and bit her tongue to hold back a giggle. Now in the

final stretch of her pregnancy , Cam eron could hardly m ov e.

“Holly , I know Rachel swears by this stuff, but I can’t bend

that direction. My stom ach won’t let m e.”

Holly sm iled, glad to be distracted by Cam eron’s m inor

setback. “Just go as far as y ou can.” Cam eron m ov ed about two

m illim eters. “Good.”

“Any word from Brett?” Cam eron panted.

“Lean left.” Holly sighed and m ov ed her hands to brace

Cam eron’s back while she nudged her to the side. “No.”

“Well, according to Max, both he and Shadow will probably

sleep m ost of the day . Apparently they really tied one on last

night.”

Guilt poked Holly . “He m ust feel m iserable.”

Cam eron straightened. “Don’t forget the whole m ission was

Max’s idea.” Her ey es twinkled. “I got ev en.”