Roused (Moon Claimed)
Read Roused (Moon Claimed) Online
Authors: Lilou Roux
Roused
by
Lilou
Roux
“Roused”
by Lilou Roux
Kindle Edition
© 2013 N. Herzer
All Rights Reserved
Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Also by Lilou Roux
Moon Claimed Series
Roused
*
Table of Contents
Trust your heart…
ONE
Erin couldn’t believe it.
Her sister wanted to marry. After she’d known the guy for about eight weeks.
And Erin knew it was basically her fault. She had been the one urging her sister to take a break, to get some air after her break down. Tess hadn’t been doing well. Plagued by dreams she had become so restless and tired that she had finally hit the roof – unfortunately during her working hours. Erin had hoped that a change of pace and in scenery, that getting her sister out of her four walls was the way to go. And it had…in the beginning. Her level-headed baby sister who usually planned spontaneity had followed her heart and on a whim she had taken a bus to Montana
. She had been happy and calmer there, and Erin had thought that everything was going to be alright.
A guy changed that, of course. Men always did.
He’d swept Tess off her feet, which Erin wouldn’t mind so much if she wasn’t pretty sure her sister had fallen on her head in the process.
Marriage, after barely two months?
Erin knew that Tess was the romantic of the two of them but even for her sister that was a little too fast. However, there was something else that made her stomach clench with dread and a bad feeling of apprehension. During their last conversation on the phone Tess had started babbling about soulmates and fate and magic in a way that had Erin’s alarm bells going off, putting even AC/DC’s ear-battering Hells Bells to shame.
She had dropped what she had been doing, gotten on a plane to Montana, and now she was on her way in a rented car to a B&B hiding somewhere in the forests of Western Montana.
She would get her sister back. They would talk. If it was truly love she felt for that guy, Nathan, then Erin would have a good look at him before she could give her blessings. Tess was her baby sister, even if only by a year, and Erin had always taken that role very serious, ever since their parents had died and they had gone through several abusive foster homes before finally settling into a more or less healthy one. They had always looked out for each other and Erin wouldn’t stop now. She had the feeling her sister needed her, even if Tess didn’t realize it.
Reaching the small town she had been looking for, Erin checked the map she had gotten o
ff the internet and turned left at the next crossroads.
Early morning touched the sky in soft hues of pi
nk and fog wafted around the tree tops. But Erin didn’t stop, didn’t even slow down to take in the breath-taking landscape surrounding her. When she reached the main cabin of the B&B she had been looking for, she parked the car in front. After a quick check in the mirror, she ran a hand under her mismatched eyes, one blue and one green, and through the short cap of her blonde hair. It was the best she could do for now, she decided and got out.
Damn.
She was a woman with a mission and sure as hell wouldn’t be distracted by cute, honey logwood cabins against the magnificent blue-green backdrop of the rise and fall of the mountains. Taking a deep breath, she pulled her dark blue blazer in place, straightening it and her spine at the same time, before putting on her serious face. A face some grown-up men had run from, tucking tail as quickly as possible – those mismatched eyes of hers had to be good for something after all. She was the out-going, impulsive and casual one of the two, but the moment it concerned her sister she was as serious as could be.
Confident
, Erin marched up the stairs to the main cabin and knocked at the door.
Waited.
And waited.
She had already lifted her hand to knock again when the door suddenly opened.
Erin’s mind short-circuited and left her staring. She had seen some fine specimen of the opposite sex in her life but he left them in the dust – by far.
He
was tall, probably six feet three and topping her five feet nine easily. Strong arms and broad in the shoulders covered in a black shirt that tapered down to lean hips and what she suspected was a nice, firm ass hidden under faded denim. A small cut below the knee added a hint of youthful ruggedness, so did the bare feet. Erin nearly groaned. She loved men in bare feet, and was glad that most of them didn’t realize the effect it could have on a woman. But his most stunning feature was his face, especially his eyes. Strong, square jaw, dusted with stubble, and a mouth that some women would kill for to kiss. Framed by dark waves that were a little too long and made her traitor hands itch to get her fingers into it, his granite gray eyes stared straight at her, leaving her feeling naked and vulnerable.
When she realized she was
gawking, she struggled for her voice. “Are you Nathan Hawkins?” She was glad her always-hoarse voice sounded bad-ass and calm when she felt anything but.
He leaned against the slightly opened door, one arm above his head. A
casual but damn sensual pose of masculine grumpiness. She had probably woken him up. “No, I’m his brother.” Relief flooded her when she learned that the guy wasn’t her sister’s soon-to-be husband. “I’m Seth,” he added.
Erin suppressed the pleasant shiver that his deep voice gruff with sleep incited.
And that unwanted sensation recalled her spine to life. What the hell was wrong with her? She was here for her sister – nothing else! – and she made it known.
“I’d like to see my sister.”
TWO
The guy didn’t move, didn’t blink, just kept staring at her, an annoyed hardness slowly melting into the granite as he slipped out of sleep’s hold. “Your sister?”
She wouldn’t squirm. “Yes, I believe I said as much.”
Erin pushed past him, through the door, and called out, “Tess? Tess?”
“Hey, hey. Calm down!” He grabbed her around the wrist to make her face him. “She isn’t around. No need to wake the dead, or our guests.”
She felt like a child, chided and put into place. The worst thing was that he was right. As long as she didn’t know for sure what was going on with Tess she couldn’t start going around and ruining their business here.
Never letting go of her wrist, he pulled her down the hallway, taking a few turns until they walked into the kitchen.
Early morning light, a lovely rose gold, flooded through the windows. Erin just stared at the room while Seth moved towards the coffee maker. Big working island with a rack above it that had all sorts of copper pans and pots dangling from it. Pots with blooming flowers and herbs covered the sills and a part of the long counter top. They explained the delicious scent. Homey, yes that’s what it was.
She mentally slapped herself. He still hadn’t told her about Tess. “If she’s not here, then where is she?”
Seth ignored her, standing with his back to her while he busied himself preparing coffee. She cursed herself for noticing that she’d been right about his ass. Oh, and those muscles in his back, a rippling symphony as he moved about the kitchen.
“Hey, I’m talking to you.”
“No, you’re not. It sounds an awful lot like bitching and demanding to me, definitely not talking.”
For a moment she was speechless. Men didn’t talk to her like that. She never let them. She was used to getting what she wanted, to being the dominant one. His way of
making her feel like a petulant child really started to piss her off. Not to mention her body’s instant attraction to his.
“Okay, Mr. Hawkins. How about you tell me where I can find Tess and I’ll leave you to whatever it is you do. Deal?”
“No.”
“Pardon?”
“Sugar or cream?” When she didn’t answer as she was busy grinding her teeth to vent her frustration somehow, he turned around slightly, holding up a cup. “Sugar or cream?”
“Black.”
His back once more to her, he grunted, “Figured.”
“Why won’t you tell me where my sister is?”
“Oh, I will. But in my own time.” He moved to face her, handing her her cup of coffee, and then leaned against the counter. “Heard of that? That people have their own will and mind, and might not jump at your every command.”
“You’re the most arrogant ass I’ve ever come across.”
“Pot, take it from your dear friend kettle, you are black.” Seth laughed softly as he blew over his coffee, a wicked sparkle in his eyes that tugged at her more than she liked. “Anyway, I guess you just didn’t meet the right men seeing how bossy you are. I’m honored to remedy that.”
Once again Erin was speechless. It was a record for her. As a writer
words came easily to her and were certainly never something she had to struggle for. Apparently that was before she met Seth Hawkins.
He continued, always watching her in a way that made her feel he saw too much. “I
take it you’re Erin Wright. Tess’ sister who obviously skipped the lesson on basic manners. Nice to meet you by the way.”
Dammit!
Erin had to struggle to keep herself in control. That man was infuriating and that he was right didn’t help matters at all. Fighting for her cool calm she stepped forward, holding out her hand. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m Erin Wright and I’m worried about my sister.”
He took her hand in his. Strong fingers closing around her
s, making her treacherous body shiver. “Sounds like the opening line for a self-help group session. But hey, they say admission is the first step towards recovery.”
Calm breaths.
Slow, nice and easy. Calm breaths.
Oh, f
uck calm.
“Where the hell is my sister?”
Before he could start on another play on her words she demanded, “If she’s not here, where can I find her?”
The twinkle in his eyes told her he found this and her utterly amusing.
“In the forest.”
“
What? Why?”
“Probably to do what they really like to do.”
Erin shot him a warning glance. She wouldn’t ask again. “Fucking each other’s brains out.” His silver eyes heated and his voice dropped dangerously low. “Under the open sky.”
His tone, those words, was all it took for her to ima
gine herself with him under the sky. Naked, under the moon. It was so clear and vivid in her mind she had to swallow and wet her suddenly dry lips. With all her might she grasped the last bit of calm and cool she could find within her and shrugged as if unmoved although she was anything but that, “Fascinating, really, but if you’ll excuse me I don’t have time for this. I really need to see my sister.”
Turning on her heels Erin was about to walk out of the kitchen when a woman came rushing in, bumping into her.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” they both exclaimed in unison as they grabbed each other’s elbows to steady themselves.
The older woman started to laugh, loud and clear like the rich promise of spring, and rubbed Erin’s arm. “Don’t worry,
honey. I’m made of sterner stuff. A fresh breeze like you is always welcome but won’t knock me down yet. I’m Joanne Hawkins by the way.”