Silver Mine (28 page)

Something wasn’t right.

Didn’t feel right.

His body itched, almost as bad as when the bears had approached. The sense of
other
telling him to be careful.

He found himself on his feet and headed back toward the door. Caroline rose to march at his side.

“You took good care of Shelley while you were gone. Thank you.”

Chase snorted. “Yeah, such good care she got menaced by a bear, attacked by a puma, stolen by a wolf, and then had to draw me back from being nearly dead with her sheer willpower.”

Caroline rocked to a stop. “Really?” She leaned closer. “Really? Dammit, the girl didn’t tell me a word of that stuff.”

Shit
. “Well…”

A loud crash rang out. A picture skittered across the floor followed by a small side table. A decorative vase shattered a second before Shelley landed on the broken pieces.

Chase saw red.

Incredibly, Caroline responded faster than him. She tore forward and in a second had the two shifters who were standing and jeering at Shelley by the necks and slammed face first into the wall. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

One of the wolves all but squeaked in fear. “She’s mutant. Can’t you smell it?”

“It’s Caroline, you idiot, she can’t smell like a wolf,” the other moaned.

Caroline smacked their heads together. “Don’t need to smell to be able to know you’re both assholes. Stand up and shut up.”

Chase had Shelley on her feet, the area around them now crowded with bodies.

The two wolves turned their faces from Caroline, fear in their body language. “She doesn’t belong.”

Caroline stepped forward. “You bet she belongs. My sister can go where she wants to go, you got it?”

“Sister?”

“Shit.”

The two backed up, cocky attitudes completely vanished. “No problem. Of
course
your sister is welcome.”

The idiots retreated, moving closer to where Chase and Shelley stood, obviously far more afraid of Caroline than they were of anyone else. Chase growled—his anger escaped unintentionally, but damn if he would let that kind of behavior be accepted.

Like hell would Shelley belong just because Caroline said so.

He opened his mouth to suggest they get the fuck out when Shelley pushed herself free and blocked the two chastised wolves’ path.

“No. No, you’re right. You have every right to question why I’m here.”

Caroline sighed. “Honey, don’t worry. I’ve got this under control.”

Shelley shook her head. “This isn’t about you. This isn’t about you being strong enough to make a place in a pack of wolves so that when I show up you can force them to accept me. Because that’s not about me. That’s you. And damn it, if I’ve learned one thing these past days, it’s that I do not need to be ashamed of who I am. I do not have to strive to be something I’m not because what I am is pretty incredible in my own bloody way.”

The circle widened, everyone giving Shelley space as she faced the wolves who’d pushed her around. “You aren’t the first to trip me up, but dammit, you’re going to be the last. Because you are wrong. I’m not a mutant. I’m not something less than you. I’m something
different
, and that means I’ve got skills and abilities and experiences that you can’t possibly know.”

The wolves lowered their chins, unable to look her in the eye.

Shelley nodded, widened her stance and turned to face Caroline. “And you. Lord, Caroline, you are so determined to make me happy, you miss what makes me the happiest—when you just love me. Not when you do things for me, not when you wrangle your way into sleeping with the Alpha to set up a safe haven for me to come home to.”

Behind them Evan groaned, but he didn’t speak. Caroline’s face flushed, but she didn’t say a word either.

Shelley twisted again, this time to focus her bright eyes in Chase’s direction. He held his breath. It seemed Shelley was on a roll, and it was his turn. What sin had he been guilty of?

Her mouth twitched as she fought a smile. “Even you, although I trust your motivation about the best of the lot, but that he-man Alpha thing? I swear if another one of the Keno shifters refers to me solely as ‘the Alpha’s woman’ or ‘Silver’s treasure’ again, I will start conducting castrations.”

All the guys in the room involuntarily squeezed their legs together.

There was a soft cough from the edge of the gathering, and Gem stepped forward. “While I have no idea what a lot of that was about, can I make a suggestion, honey? You’ve done a fine job of telling them all to go take a hike. But what
do
you want? If you don’t want the pack, or your sister, running your life, you’re going to have to let us know what you do want.” She smiled and held out a hand. “I have no objection to chatting about it for as long as you want. And the rest of them can go sit in the corner because they are rude, nasty beasts.”

Shelley laughed. “That was a bit of a production, wasn’t it?”

Gem shrugged. “You didn’t throw stuff or break out into bad, off-key song. Those are the only two things I vote that should get anyone thrown out of the pack house.”

Shelley took a big breath and faced Evan. “You said I was welcome to join the pack. Does that offer still stand?”

Evan nodded, seeming a little distracted.

“I have to think about it more. Is that okay?”

“Take all the time you need.” He peered around her to face Caroline. “You were using me? Really?”

Silence hung over the room before Caroline spoke sheepishly. “Well, not
using
using. I told you us being together would make things run smoother around the hotel, and that was true. Things are great, right?”

“Oh, totally. You just failed to mention there were
two
reasons for us to hook up. The hotel, and that in your opinion your sister, who would be returning to the north shortly, would be a lot safer if you were in a position of power. Was that part of your reasoning?”

Caroline sniffed, eying the pack around them warily, but keeping her chin high. “Kind of.”

Evan burst out laughing before he zipped across the dividing space to sweep Caroline up and swing her in circles. “Cool.”

Chase exchanged confused glances with the rest of them.

Evan put the woman back on her feet and tweaked her nose. “You are so wolf-like it’s freaky. Good for you.”

“You’re not mad?”

Evan considered for a minute then shook his head. “Nope. You didn’t really lie. Besides, you’re good in the sack—why should I be unhappy? And if I’m not pissed, no one else should be, right?”

He glared around the room, making his point clear. The gathered shifters trickled away until just their core group and the two wolves who started the mess remained.

One of them peeled his gaze off the floor for a fraction of a second. “Shelley? Sorry.”

“Yeah,” echoed the other. “Sorry.”

Shelley stepped forward, close enough she could have taken a slap or socked them in the gut. Or worse things, as Chase noticed her knife handle sticking out from her back pocket.

Hmm, it was never a good idea to piss off a woman with a knife and dissection training.

She jerked her head toward the common area. “Go on, get out of here.”

The two scurried away, and a moment’s calm settled. Frank squeezed Shelley then willingly toddled back to the table escorted by Shaun and Gem.

Chase waited to see what Shelley wanted to do.

She faced her sister. “I’m sorry for yelling at you in public.”

Caroline shrugged. “You didn’t say anything that shouldn’t have been said a long time ago. And I had told you I was going to stop trying to run your life, remember? Only this thing with Evan I’d already put into motion. It was hard to turn it off.”

“Plus, you get a thrill bossing people around, admit it.”

“Guilty.”

“I can’t believe…” Shelley peeked at Evan. “I mean, he’s good looking and all, but…really, Caroline? Really?”

A snort escaped Caroline. “Oh, girl, you should see him naked. It’s not as if I’ve been suffering for you.”

Evan laughed and grabbed Caroline by the hand. “Come on, troublemaker. Let’s go terrorize the rest of the pack. Shelley, you let me know what your decision is whenever you’re ready. You’re welcome here, and welcome to call me for help without officially joining, okay?”

And then, they were finally alone.

Shelley looked up almost shyly, and Chase hesitated. There were all kinds of ways this could go.

She lifted her keys. “You want to go for a drive?”

He slipped his fingers between hers, and they snuck toward the door only to discover Jones blocking their path, tail thumping the ground like a stick on a snare drum.

Chase groaned in frustration. “You never did explain this bit. Jones? Why don’t you shift and stay a while? There’s food. And games.”

The tail stopped moving. Jones’s shoulders drooped, and damn if the boy couldn’t pull off puppy-dog eyes. Even Chase who had far more important things on his agenda for the rest of the day than babysitting a feral lupine was ready to crack.

Fortunately, Shelley didn’t fall for it. She shook her head. “No, this time you can’t come with me. Go stay with Frank.”

Jones sniffed sadly then paced away, obviously pissed.

Right now? Chase didn’t care. He was going to get time alone with Shelley.

If he could only figure out what he wanted to say.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Shelley took him to her apartment. Maybe it was a bad idea, but this wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have in a public place while watching for eavesdroppers.

She wasn’t even sure where to start. So she used her usual coping method and got her hands busy. The cupboard opened on a massive supply of cans and she smiled. While she’d been out of town, Caroline had seen fit to stock her kitchen. She grabbed a couple different soups and turned to face Chase.

“Did you get enough to eat? We kind of left before I made sure you were full.”

Chase slid onto the high stool on the other side of the breakfast bar. “Soup would be good.”

She got everything on the stove before working up the courage to face him.

He wasn’t sitting far away anymore. He was standing right behind her so when she turned, she slammed into his body.

The grunt that escaped her lips was oh-so-sexy, she rolled her eyes in despair. Elegant to the very end, that was her.

Chase caught her tight and didn’t let her go, and suddenly they were kissing. Her fingers found a way under his shirt so she could dig in and enjoy that chest she was addicted to. He nipped his way down her chin and neckline, sucking on the pulse point in her neck. Her instant response was to shake like a leaf in a strong breeze.

“Chase?”

He straightened, and their lips were together again, his tongue exploring her mouth. The kiss sucked the air from her lungs until she was gasping for oxygen.

“Hungry.” The word escaped him with a growl.

She didn’t think he was talking about the soup. “I want you too.”

Chase stepped back, his eyes wild. “Turn off the stove.”

Shelley hurried to obey, slipping the pot to the back burner then spinning around ready to resume the kissing and whatever else it led to.

“
Oh
—” Damn the man. He’d nabbed her before she could move more than a couple feet. “Will you stop picking me up all the time?”

Chase ignored her protests and deposited her on the top of the island. “You might not follow directions, and I have an agenda.”

Oh boy.

He batted her legs apart and stepped between them. He settled close against her, lifting her chin until their eyes met. His grin was back, that almost-not-there one that made her legs shake, and suddenly she was very grateful to be sitting down.

“I want to make love to you.” He broke eye contact and traced her body with his gaze. “I’ve been longing for more since we finished the last time, right before we hit the trail. It’s like you got into my system, and I’m addicted.”

The words slipped over her like a dose of oral foreplay, and a tingle began deep inside. “I want to touch you as well. To be…”

Together
. The word wouldn’t come.

She couldn’t say it because it wasn’t fair. Because it was what she thought she wanted, but it was too soon to say. Too much to ask. Other than the physical attraction they felt, how could she want to be together forever after only two weeks, and him unconscious for most of the days?

They were two people who had fallen into each other’s paths. The fact they were good in bed didn’t mean anything other than they were good in bed.

Chase stroked her cheek. “You’re thinking way too much about something.”

“I don’t want to spoil the mood.”

No, wait. She was brave. Determined. Like Gem had told her at the pack house, it was one thing to share what she didn’t want, but it was more important to share what she did.

Chase lifted her hand to his lips and nibbled on her fingers. “Hmm. You want to have sex?”