In Plain Sight (5 page)

Sarah Duncan had wanted him.

The woman hadn’t been dreaming or dazed. She’d been with him every step of the way. She’d responded as if she’d been made for him.

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His mate
. Of course she’d responded. She didn’t know it yet, but their animal spirits had bonded.

Hell, he’d felt it months before when he’d first walked into the diner and seen her there, though he hadn’t wanted to acknowledge it. Cullen lived a solitary life. Except for his family, he didn’t have much to do with other Ac-taw. The only Shifters he didn’t mind much were the catamounts and a few foxes and wolves.

Most of his own kind he couldn’t stand. Except for Sarah Duncan.

Shivering, he turned off the water and hurriedly dried himself off. He was spent, both physically and emotionally. Stuck in the house with her because of the snow, he’d done his damnedest to work off his lust in his woodshop. He’d finished one project early and started another before he realized he was wasting quality time with his mate.

But he also knew Sarah needed her space. She’d been through a lot in very little time. He hadn’t intended to take advantage of her tonight, only to make sure she was recovering. It still pissed him off that his being nice to her was something she couldn’t take for granted. Sarah should be used to others caring for her. Ac-taw were supposed to help one another.
Yeah, right. That’s why the raptors are such a
backstabbing clan. Because they support one another.
The notion only reinforced his decision to do something about the clan.

He and his family had talked about it more than once. They didn’t like the current raptor leadership, but didn’t know exactly how to deal with it. Micah wanted to move north, into Canada. He, Sean, Ian and Mother were visiting their blood relatives with the hopes of doing just that. Cullen, however, didn’t want to leave his hunting grounds, his home. He just wanted to leave the damned clan. But if he did that, he’d have to leave town.

He’d thought about joining with the catamounts, who were known to accept Ac-taw of any species into their family, so long as they passed Chastell standards—whatever the hell those were. The Chastells were an odd lot. Cats, a pair of bears, and supposedly a wolf, now living together under one clan. Those Ac-taw looked after one another. Animal shape meant less than loyalty as a unit.
That
he respected.

Stumbling into bed, Cullen realistically had to consider
all
his options. If Sarah was dead set on leaving, he’d have no choice but to go with her. But what if she didn’t want him? Worry filled him, that his mate would deny their connection. He wouldn’t blame her if she did. She’d been treated horribly by her clan, by fellow raptors who should have protected her.

He hadn’t been part of the raptor clan when Sarah’s trials with Will Shaw had happened, or he would have fixed the mess himself. Now that he was a part of the raptors, he had a responsibility to defend her.

Yeah, right. That’s what you feel,
responsibility
.
He glanced down at his semi-erect cock, wondering what it was about the woman that made him so hard all the time. If his mother were here, he’d ask her more about this damned mating instinct. But he had no intention of going into this over the phone. If he did, his family would wing it home in a heartbeat, regardless of the storm. And then his brothers would scare Sarah away. That is, if he hadn’t already by taking things too fast in her bedroom.

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Christ, he’d only meant to help her. He hadn’t intended to fall under her spell, but he was only human—half human. His eagle didn’t help matters. His damned bird cried for her all the time. To his relief, Sarah had responded to him. She couldn’t hate him, not if she moaned his name and arched up for him.

She’d been so damned wet…

“Hell.” He groaned and rolled over on his belly, smashing his unruly dick against the bed. Time to think of a better way to get into Sarah’s good graces. Sex was all well and good, but he didn’t see her accepting him on the merits of his dick.

He wasn’t exactly a charming guy. His lack of social skills was readily apparent any time he opened his mouth. At least he’d given her an orgasm, so she’d see he had something going for him. Then again, she’d been in a proclaimed dry spell for a while, so maybe she was just needy? He didn’t want to believe she’d let him touch her out of desperation. But she had every intention of leaving as soon as the snow cleared. She wasn’t in love with him. How the hell was he going to win her over?

Tired and confused about what to do to secure his mate, Cullen fell into a troubled sleep, a scowl on his face as he dreamt about flying alone, forever denied his true love.

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Cullen didn’t know what to expect the next morning, but it wasn’t Sarah’s shy smile as she handed him a mug of coffee when he entered the kitchen. Relieved she didn’t demand to leave, he nodded politely.

“Good morning,” she said with a blush on her face.

He stared from the coffee to her then took a slow, deliberate sip. She really made the best coffee.

“Yeah.”

She met his eyes and glanced away. “Would you like me to make you something to eat?”

“No.” He put his coffee down and prodded her to sit. “Sit down.” He winced when the words came out sounding like a command. To his relief, Sarah sat, with a pleasant smile on her face. He poured her a cup of coffee and added sugar and a hint of milk.

“Thanks.” She took a sip. “Perfect. You know just how I like it.”

He turned, suddenly embarrassed, and mumbled, “You want an omelet?”

“Whatever you’re having. You’re such a great cook, Cullen. I don’t know why you bother coming into the diner so often. You put Mac to shame.”

“I love your coffee,” he admitted while foraging for ingredients. “Cheese and ham okay?”

“Sure.” Sarah stared hard at him. He could feel her gaze on his back. “About last night…”

He busied himself at the stove and tensed when he felt her behind him.
Here it comes. A discussion of
why she has to leave, why it can never happen again…
She stunned him by wrapping her arms around his waist.

“You’re incredible.”

She kissed his back, and his entire body turned to stone. His dick throbbed, and he had to focus on his breathing. “So are you,” he managed, well enough that she sat back down and began chattering about the weather and his work in the barn while he cooked their breakfast.

“What are you making now, in your workshop, I mean?” she asked.

Cullen took a deep breath and willed his erection to fade sometime before the end of the year. “I’m finishing up one of Micah’s projects, a crib for Rachel Chastell. Burke wants to surprise her with it.”

“She’s pregnant?” Something in Sarah’s voice made him turn around.

“I didn’t ask. Why?”

Sarah sighed. “You’ll think I’m an idiot. I like Rachel a lot. She’s always been so nice to me. I even forgave her for marrying Burke last year.” Sarah laughed.

“Forgave her?”

“I had a crush on Burke for the longest time, but he was never interested in me. Then I met Will…

Anyway, after the rumors started, most of the town just avoided me.”

The way Cullen had, only he’d avoided her because he was half in love with her and didn’t know how to tell her.

“Burke used to be nice to me and then he was distant. He must have believed Mike’s rumors, which hurt. I thought he was better than that.”

“So you have a thing for him, hmm?” Cullen wanted to rip Chastell’s throat out.

“No. I
had
a thing for him. Trust me, it faded a while ago, even before he met Rachel. I only used to flirt with him at the diner because it annoyed him.” Her eyes twinkled, and the tension in Cullen eased.

“That cat is so easy to rile. Invade his space and he snarls.” She snickered. “He deserved it. Sanctimonious cat. Guys can have sex all the time and no one cares. But if you’re a woman and you make a mistake, you’re a slut. Gimme a break.” She stopped her tirade and concentrated on her coffee.

“Sorry for going off. It’s one of my favorite rants,” she mumbled. When he said nothing, she lifted her head and stared at him. “You’re easy to talk to, you know? You don’t say much, but I don’t mind. I feel like I can fill the silence or not, but that you’ll listen. Or am I just being stupid? I’ll shut up now.”

“You’re not stupid, Sarah,” he said quietly, falling even deeper under her spell. Her openness was just one of the things he loved about her.

“I have a bad habit of saying too much. I probably shouldn’t have told everyone about raptor business in the diner the other day, but I’m sick of Mike’s comments.”

“Don’t be sorry.” Cullen grabbed the skillet off the stove and slid the omelet onto a plate for Sarah.

He knew it wasn’t his business, but he wanted to know. “Why the hell would you fall for Will Shaw in the first place?”
You could have any guy you wanted. Why him?

She shrugged. “I was young and lonely. It felt like all the guys wanted me for one thing and one thing only. I wanted to fit in with the raptors as more than just Mimi’s orphaned girl. Will didn’t seem like the others. He talked to me and made me feel special. I had never been with a guy before him.”

“And after?”
Shut up, Cullen. She’s talking, don’t scare her with questions that aren’t your
business…yet.

“Cullen, I learn from my mistakes.” She blushed. “I’m not, I don’t… Just because last night happened doesn’t mean—”

Cullen stared, incredulous. “
Hell.
He was the only one, wasn’t he?”

“I don’t think that’s any of your business.” Her cheeks turned a bright red.

“You’re right. I’m sorry.” Stunned and elated, he tried to hold onto his composure. He sat next to her, trying to figure her out. A woman this pretty, this smart, and she’d never been with anyone but one man?

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

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“You are so beautiful,” he blurted, still shocked at her revelation.

“Huh?” Sarah stared back at him. “You think I’m beautiful?”

Realizing he sounded moronic, he nodded and stood. “I have work to do. See you later.” He left before he did something brainless and admitted he’d fallen in love with her. That would scare her away for sure. A crude loner like Cullen Whitefeather in love with an angel like Sarah? Talk about a praying for a miracle. They were mates, maybe, but not by her design.

Grumbling under his breath about asshole cats and ragged raptors, Cullen returned to what he was good at. Silence and trade. Still agitated, he decided to unwind by working on the finishing touches for the crib. Refining the wooden carvings, he immersed himself in work, trying hard not to imagine his own child in a similar crib, staring up at him with Sarah’s eyes.

Sarah stared out the back door at a retreating Cullen, bewildered and ecstatic all at once. Cullen thought she was beautiful. She felt warm all over, awash in his praise. The man normally couldn’t string two words together without sounding stilted, but when he looked at her the way he had, she wanted to melt at his feet.

She ate every bite of the omelet he’d given her and marveled at his skill. When it came to using his hands, Cullen Whitefeather was a wizard. Woodworking, cooking, lovemaking… She flushed, recalling how talented he’d been last night.

Her brief time with Will had been all about Will getting his pleasure. He’d touched her and kissed her, but nothing along the intensity of what Cullen had done.

Sarah was no prude. She’d waited a long time to have sex, but she’d done it because she’d thought herself in love. Though she no longer equated lust with love, she still needed to experience the physical act of sex with a tandem emotional connection. Unfortunately, she hadn’t met anyone worthy of that lovemaking. Until now.

Frankly, she blamed the raptor inside her. The birds mated for life. Unlike Will and Dennis, when Sarah took a mate, she intended to remain faithful to him. Having sex didn’t necessitate a trip down the aisle, she knew, but taking a lover would never be a casual thing for her.

Which made her attraction to Cullen so incredible. Physically, the man pressed all her buttons. A woman would have to be dead or gay not to feel something for the sensual male with eyes to die for and abs worth worshipping. She loved a man with large hands, and Cullen had hands not only huge, but rough from work.

Oh, baby, can he work with his hands.

The thought made her wonder if he was as big all over, because, to her regret, she didn’t have firsthand experience with his body. She didn’t know what to think about him leaving her last night. That 33

he’d given her such pleasure still made her shudder in remembrance. But that he’d given her the experience without expecting anything in return spoke volumes to his character.

Cullen was a giver, while she had been taking since she’d arrived.

He’d engaged in a raptor battle and injured a clan leader’s mate for
her
. He’d saved her from possible death, cooked and took care of her, then gave her the kind of loving she’d always dreamed about. Despite his size and speed, he made her feel safe, not threatened.

Sarah needed to give him something back, but she had nothing on hand. Nothing but herself. She gnawed her lip, clearly remembering the desire in Cullen’s gaze as he’d stared at her, as well as his departure while looking uncomfortably aroused. The first time in years she’d wanted to say “yes”

wholeheartedly to a man and he’d left her alone in bed.

She could only imagine what making love with him would be like.

Arousal overwhelmed her as she thought about seducing Cullen. The more she thought about it, the more her bird cheered.
He’s not mine, but maybe he can be mine for a night or two.
She squelched a surprising surge of disappointment, trying to remain realistic.

Just because Cullen had treated her with respect and tenderness didn’t mean he’d fall all over himself in love with her. From what Sarah had seen, she wasn’t all that loveable in the eyes of the opposite sex.

Fuckable, maybe, but loveable? Not one male in her clan had stood up for her when Will had made his accusations. Only Cullen had defended her this last time. But he was so closemouthed, she had no idea what he really thought of her.

He said he wanted her company. Well, today she planned to give him some company he’d have a hard time forgetting. Sarah chuckled, pleased with the thought of being in charge for once.

She’d thank Cullen properly,
her
way.

Four hours later, Cullen walked back inside the house and froze. Cedar and spice filled the air. A fire blazed in the hearth. On the opposite side of the spacious living room, a small plate of meats and cheeses sat, accompanied by a bottle of wine and two glasses.

Sarah walked out of the kitchen carrying his favorite brand of Scotch, which she put on the scarred coffee table. “Hi, Cullen. I hope you don’t mind.” She hit play on his stereo.

“Mind?” Was that some of Ian’s jazz? Mood music and tiny food? What the hell was going on?

“I just wanted to do something nice for you since you’ve been so gracious with me. I thought we could have an early lunch and spend the rest of the day together.”

Together
sounded good to him. And speaking of lunch, Sarah looked good enough to eat, dressed in jeans and a thin red sweater that hugged her upper body like a second skin. He’d held those breasts last night, had tasted the peaks of her nipples as he’d sucked them to life.

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“Yeah, sure.” Cullen took a deep breath and tried to subtly shift the erection straining his jeans as he walked toward her. He exhaled slowly and studied her, feeling a hint of threat from the slender woman that made little sense. His eagle told him to be wary, but he could read nothing in her body language that hinted at danger, unless coming in his jeans would kill him.

Sarah didn’t look angry or sad, so his earlier avoidance hadn’t upset her. If anything, she looked happy. Damn, maybe he should disappear again tomorrow. “You okay?” he asked.

“Never better.”

Then she shocked the hell out of him. She closed the distance between them. Reaching up, she grabbed his neck and pulled him down for a helluva kiss, one he didn’t want to end. “Now come sit down next to me and enjoy this snack. Tell me more about your work. I’m interested in what you do, Cullen.”

Not sure what to make of any of it, Cullen sat next to her.

“Scotch or wine?”

“Ah, Scotch.”

He took the glass she poured him and sipped, wondering if he was still sleeping. For a minute, it felt as if he’d come home from a hard day’s work, his mate waiting for him with welcome and affection.

“Tell me all about woodworking,” she said, taking a square of cheese between her lips.

He answered absently, watching her chew and swallow. She drank wine, and the soft smell of alcohol enhanced the sweetness of her scent. His ears still ringing from the pleasure of her kiss, he tried to will away his arousal and make conversation.

It was some time later, when he was beating his foot in time with the music, that he realized he hadn’t stumbled once when talking to her. She seemed genuinely interested in his work, almost more excited from his new acceptance at several folk art galleries than he’d been.

“That’s terrific! So they’re going to sell select pieces as far away as New York?”

“Yeah.” He flushed with pride, not used to being praised so openly. His mother loved him, and his brothers took great pleasure in teasing him. He knew they liked his work, but they were family.

“Wow. I mean, I love the chairs and carvings you’ve done at the town center, but I’ve never seen your more intricate work.”

He cleared his throat. “Would you like to see the crib?”

“After lunch, sure.”

A sudden lull in the conversation unnerved him, because he could almost feel a spike in her energy.

She looked nervous as well, further alarming him. He wondered what Sarah really had planned, and if he should heed that warning for caution in his mind. A female predator was always one to be wary of, even his beautiful Sarah.

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