The Finding (35 page)

He didn’t
appear to notice. “Our flight is early tomorrow morning; its the
best I could get. Ryne is flying in to Chicago as well and so is
Kane. He’s Ryne’s brother and the Alpha of another pack. Their
mates are coming along too, so you’ll be able to meet some female
werewolves.”

Cassie gave him
a half smile, not really sure if she wanted to meet more of her
kind or not. The conversation she’d just had with herself—such a
strange concept really, to be talking to another living thing
inside you—had made her reconsider her outright denial of anything
werewolf related. Bryan seemed nice enough now that he wasn’t
snarling at her, but she still wasn’t too sure about the others.
Ryne was the one she’d seen attacking Mr. Aldrich after all. The
Alpha probably didn’t have a kind bone in his body. She pitied his
poor mate.

She picked at
an invisible piece of lint. “Is it typical for so many werewolves
to get involved when a problem arises?”

“It depends on
the problem. Usually, enacting the Finding clause is pretty simple.
You find a wolf, bring it home, and integrate it into the pack.
Unfortunately in your case, there seems to be a few more issues
involved.”

“Issues?” She
flicked a glance his direction.

“Kellen” He
made a face when he said the name and then shrugged, “And some
other old business that the Alphas have to deal with.”

Cassie nodded
and then stood up, still uncomfortably aware of his body so close
to hers. “It’s late. Would you like something to eat?”

“Sure.” He
followed her into the kitchen and leaned against the counter,
watching her pull some hamburgers from the freezer and put them in
the microwave to thaw.

“I’m not a
great cook. Being a ‘rich heiress,’ there was never a need to
learn, but over the years, I’ve learned a bit. I can manage burgers
and a salad, I think.” She gave self-deprecating laugh.

“I’m not too
bad in the kitchen.” He moved to the fridge and took out some
lettuce. “Ryne, Daniel, and I lived on our own for a while and
learned to make do. Then, when Mel mated Ryne, she wasn’t much into
cooking either, except for making gourmet coffees. So we still all
took our shifts at the stove.”

As they
continued to prepare the food, Cassie found herself smiling while
listening to Bryan share small tidbits from his life. If it wasn’t
for the fact that they were werewolves, she’d think he lived in a
large extended family. She paused in the middle of flipping a
burger. Was that what a pack was? A large extended family?
Previously she’d envisioned them living in primitive conditions,
roaming the woods and taking down elk for food. But Bryan was adept
in the kitchen, talked about their media room and how everyone
fought for control of the TV. It didn’t match her preconceived
notions at all.

During dinner,
Bryan announced he’d be spending the night. Cassie was surprised
and opened her mouth to argue, but something about the look on his
face made her give in. Miffed, she chewed angrily on her burger
realizing this would interfere with her half-formed plans. She’d
decided to head to the airport tonight and to wait there in the
hopes of getting a standby seat. After all, she didn’t really need
Bryan’s help to rescue Kellen. And it would be a perfect
opportunity to escape his crazy plan of taking her back to Canada
with him.

Had Bryan known
this? She eyed him speculatively, but he gave no indication that he
was gloating over thwarting her plans. Sighing, she decided it was
probably just a coincidence.

After dinner,
they wandered outside to watch the sunset. Bryan had been boasting
of the beautiful northern lights that filled the Canadian skies;
streaks of dancing light in every colour of the rainbow, shooting
across the evening sky in undulating waves. Cassie had to admit it
sounded amazing, but she wanted him to see a desert sunset before
deciding which celestial event was the most spectacular.

They leaned
against the railing that encircled the small backyard deck,
watching the light slowly fade and give way to fiery washes of
orange and red. The colours slowly grew and spread, intensifying
until the entire sky was ablaze.

“Impressive.”
Bryan murmured the words, his shoulder brushing hers, his eyes
fixed on the sky. Cassie smiled as she cast him a sideways
look.

“Not everything
in Canada is better.” She boasted, tongue in cheek.

He slanted a
look at her. “Not better. Just different.”

She turned to
face him suddenly feeling playful. “I hear it can get pretty
cold.”

“Uh-huh. In the
winter it does.” He shrugged, but kept his eyes fixed to the
sky.

“So I guess you
don’t mind the snow and the ice?” Cassie twirled her glass of ice
water in her hands. The evening was proving to be exceptionally
warm and cold drinks had sounded more suitable than coffee after
dinner.

“Not really.
You just get used to it.”

“Good.” She
giggled and quickly grabbed an ice cube from her glass, dumping it
down the back of his shirt.

“Hey!”

His shout of
surprise was ample reward for her efforts and she managed to lob
another ice cube at him while he tried to fish the first one out of
his shirt. He growled and stepped towards her, but she quickly
turned, running down the steps to the ground level, laughing at his
expression.

Unfortunately,
her reflexes were slower than his for she’d barely taken half a
dozen strides when he caught hold of her arm.

“Cassandra!”
She tried to break free, but he spun her around and held her tight
to his body while he reached back to extract the ice cube from his
shirt.

“I’m the pack
Beta, little girl. You’re not supposed to mess with me.” He spoke
sternly, but the corners of his mouth twitched upward and the
twinkle in his eye gave him away.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.” He held
the dripping ice cube up. “You deserve a taste of your own
medicine.” And with that he hooked a finger into the neckline of
her shirt and popped the ice down her top.

“Bryan!” Cassie
screeched as the cold came in contact with her skin and tried to
grab at it, but he caught hold of her other hand, locking her arms
behind her back. She squirmed trying to avoid the ice, but there
was no escape. It was trapped between her body and his, slowly
melting and dripping freezing water down her stomach.

“So how do you
like it?” He chuckled down at her and she looked up ready to give a
cutting retort when their eyes locked and the comment died in her
throat.

In that moment
she was all too aware of the fact that they were pressed together
from knee to chest, that his strong hands were holding her delicate
wrists, that his mouth was just inches from hers.

The moment
stretched out between them. Light from the setting sun cast shadows
on his face, showing his features in relief. She could see the
flecks of gold and green in his eyes, the brown lashes framing
them, the faint stubble on his chin. He inhaled and of its own
volition the tip of her tongue darted out, wetting her lips.

Slowly he
leaned closer, releasing her hands and sliding his fingers gently
up her arms. Anticipation grew. She held her breath, her eyelids
lowering. Then, just when she had begun to raise herself up on her
toes, sure he was going to kiss her, he gripped her elbows and
stepped back.

With a thump,
Cassie came back to awareness of the fact that she was in the
middle of her backyard with a man she barely knew and that she’d
almost kissed him. What had come over her? Why had she started to
tease him like that? And the kiss—well, the almost kiss—he probably
thought she was coming on to him. She felt her cheeks flush with
embarrassment. How could she have... A whimper sounded inside her
head and she halted her racing thoughts, then frowned darkly. No
doubt it was the animal’s fault.

Clearing her
throat, she looked around awkwardly, no longer caring about the ice
melting inside her shirt. Should she explain that it wasn’t her?
Apologize for the beast’s behaviour? “Um...”

Bryan spoke at
the same moment. “I think we should turn in. Our flight leaves
early.”

“Right. Good
idea.” Cassie grasped onto the idea, as if it were a lifeline and
she were drowning.

She led the way
inside and prepared for bed, still mulling over what had just
occurred. The little scene had been so unexpected, yet so
normal
, as if she were just a regular young woman
entertaining her boyfriend. And it had been fun to play with him,
to act young and carefree for a change. If Bryan wasn’t a werewolf,
she could find her human self attracted to him. But that wasn’t
going to happen, she assured herself. No werewolf boyfriends for
her!

But who else
would you be attracted to?
The annoying voice inside her asked.
You’re a werewolf too. You tried to have a relationship with
Kellen, but he wasn’t our kind. You’ll never find a human who you
can truly be yourself with. Any relationship you try to build will
be based on lies and deception as you hide your real self.

Cassie curled
up in her bed, glumly considering the fact that the voice was
right. She could never foist this burden on someone else. And
sharing her secret was forbidden. Her life stretched ahead of her,
long and lonely. She closed her eyes. At least she’d be rich and
lonely, if that was any consolation, though she strongly doubted it
was.

She drifted
into a restless sleep, werewolves still uppermost in her mind. The
image of a large house filled with fellow Lycans formed. It was a
happy home, children laughing and playing on the floor, men and
women lounging in front of the TV. She was there too, curled up at
Bryan’s side, but totally unaware of what was on the screen. His
arm was around her shoulder, his fingers rubbing circles on her
skin while her own hand rested on his stomach.

It was nice.
Comfortable. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and she snuggled in
closer, breathing in his scent and absorbing the warmth of his
body. She felt his hand drift down and cup her breast, his thumb
gently stroking the tip. It pebbled in response and she shifted
slightly, feeling herself moisten in anticipation.

Slowly she
worked a finger between the buttons of his shirt and stroked the
skin of his abdomen. His muscles flinched at her touch and she
giggled, repeating the gesture, teasing his navel. A low growl
reverberated in his chest and before she knew what was happening,
he scooped her up and carried her to bed, the rest of the room’s
occupants barely glancing up as they passed by, too absorbed in
their television show to care about the antics of young lovers.

As he lowered
her onto the mattress, Cassie laced her fingers behind Bryan’s
neck, pulling his head down until her lips met his. He braced
himself over her so that only their lips touched. It was the
briefest of connections, but electricity zinged between them,
tingling deliciously. She exhaled softly, allowing her breath to
feather over his face and mix with his own. A feeling of rightness
filled her; this was where she was meant to be.

Their lips
brushed, retreated, then brushed again, teasing, before finally
settling on each other. Gentle pressure, tender nips. Angling her
head, she captured his mouth, pulling on his lower lip before
sealing her mouth to his. His tongue traced her lips and she opened
wider for him; his tongue dipping in and stroking hers. She
reciprocated the gesture, savouring his taste.

He brushed her
cheek with the back of his hand then threaded his fingers into her
hair, tugging lightly. She loved the feel of the gentle pull and
murmured appreciatively, splaying her fingers over his cheekbones,
tracing the shape of his ears, the slant of his jaw. Evening
stubble roughened his skin and she revelled in the feel of it
against her palms.

Heat built
between them and soon the tender caresses weren’t enough. She
wanted to feel him pressed against her and pulled at his shoulders,
whimpering in need. Bryan responded, lowering himself onto her,
pinning her to the mattress. Eagerly, she let her hands roam his
back, tracing the indent of his spine to his waistband and then
back up again. Spreading her fingers, she gently raked his skin
with her nails.

He groaned in
approval and pressed his hips closer to hers. Instinctively, she
spread her thighs, so she could cradle him closer and was rewarded
by a ridge of flesh grinding against her apex. A rush of warmth and
an accompanying ache had her pushing up towards him.

Bryan broke
from the kiss and trailed his lips over her jaw, down her neck to
the sweet spot where it joined her shoulder. He nuzzled the area,
then licked and grazed it with his teeth. Her breathing hitched as
shivers of excitement coursed through her body.

“Bryan.” She
exhaled his name and pulled her hands free from his shirt to clutch
his head, burying her fingers in his hair.

“You’re so
beautiful.” He breathed the words into her ear and warmth flooded
her heart. Had anyone ever said those words to her with such
conviction, such feeling?

“So are you.”
She exhaled the words, eyes half-closed, tracing his face with her
fingertips. His every feature was precious to her; the curve of his
brow, the slant of his nose... He nipped her finger as it brushed
his mouth, then sucked on it, slowly, sensually while sliding his
hand down to cup her breast; the heat of his palm burning through
the layers of material.

Suddenly she
was desperate to feel his lips on more of her flesh and tried to
guide his head down to her breast. He resisted, torturing her by
slowly trailing his lips over her throat, licking the hollow at its
base then nipping her collar bone. Finally, he moved lower to the
v-neck of her t-shirt, and then latched onto her nipple through the
cloth. The material was soon damp and abraded her skin. She arched
her back, wanting more sensation, more heat, more Bryan.