The Finding (36 page)

Bryan worked
his hands under the hem of her shirt and eased it upwards, all the
while suckling her through the cloth. When he finally broke away to
finish removing her shirt, she nearly cried out from the loss.

The shirt was
tossed aside and he reared back to stare down at her, his gaze hot,
his chest heaving. Suddenly, she felt shy and her face heated. She
was unsure what to do and stiffened. Desire that had flamed so hot
just moments before banked and she looked up at him through her
lashes, fighting the need to cover herself.

Somehow, he
seemed to know for his features softened, the hot needy look faded.
Now he leaned forward slowly, gently. Tenderly, he cupped her face
and pressed a kiss to her forehead before shifting so he lay beside
her. He gathered her close and gently stroked her body, playing his
fingers over her ribs, fingering the band of her bra then
retreating down to cup her hip.

Gradually, she
relaxed and the heat of desire returned. She snuggled in closer,
subtly arching her back in encouragement and he picked up on her
hint. His hand moved up to cup her breast through the lacy material
then slid to the front clasp of her bra.

He gave her a
questioning look and she bit her lip, but nodded. The material
released and her breasts spilled free. Bryan hissed as he stared
down at her bared flesh, then his hands covered them, kneading and
tweaking, sending spasms of desire to her core. When he dipped his
head to flick his tongue over one tip, she thought she’d die from
the feeling. First one side, then the other, he paid homage to her
breasts until she was nothing, but a panting bundle of need.

She pulled his
shirt free from his pants and slid her hands under the material.
His skin was hot and smooth. Cassie allowed her hands to roam; over
his ribs, his back, down to his waistband and then back up to bury
in his hair, tugging lightly on the silken locks. Bryan shuddered
in appreciation and then sat up, abruptly pulling his shirt off,
before leaning over her again, kissing her cheekbones, her nose,
her forehead.

With trembling
fingers, she rubbed his chest, caressing his stomach then tracing
the border of his waistband. Her fingers fumbled as she undid the
button and slid down his zipper. Then, with a trembling hand she
slid beneath the material, exploring the thatch of body hair she
encountered there. A source of heat was just beyond her finger tips
and she steeled herself to reach lower. How would it feel to touch
a man so intimately? Her palm tingled in anticipation.

“Yes! Touch me.
I need to feel you holding me...” He whispered the words, his hips
undulating gently and she moved to comply, but something held her
back.

Was she ready
for this? Part of her screamed yes, but another part hesitated. You
don’t really know him. He’s a werewolf. What are you getting
yourself into?

“Cassie,
please. Now. I can’t wait much longer...” There was desperation in
his voice and she felt tears begin to form. She wanted to please
him, but... “You did it for him. For Kellen.” He spat the word out
and she winced, shamed at the truth.

“I’m sorry. I
didn’t mean, too. It was an accident. I’ll...I’ll make it up to
you!” Taking a deep breath, she tried to move her hand lower, but
Bryan was fading away. “No. Don’t go! I...I can be what you need.
Just give me a chance!”

But he didn’t
listen and in an instant she awoke in her bed, weeping from
rejection. Hot tears streamed down her face as she reached out her
hand to touch the pillow and sheets beside her. The other side of
the bed was empty and cold. She was alone; always alone.

*****

Bryan woke with
a start, his heart pounding, his skin covered in sweat. He was on
the couch in Cassandra Greyson’s living room, having refused her
offer of sleeping in Kellen’s room. It wasn’t the other guy’s fault
exactly, but Bryan had taken a dislike to the man and anything
associated with him. True, Kellen had cared for Cassandra and had
been her support during a time when Bryan hadn’t been around, but
it still felt as if the other man had trespassed. His wolf was
intent on claiming Cassandra and Bryan wasn’t sure if he’d ever be
able to talk the creature out of its fixation with the girl.

Throwing back
the light blanket that covered him, he grimaced, realizing he’d
found release during the incredibly erotic dream he’d just had. He
hadn’t done that since his early teenage years. Rubbing his face
with his hand, he peered at the clock; four-thirty. They had to be
up in another hour and he wasn’t feeling sleepy anymore.

With a sigh he
stood and grabbed yesterday’s clothes, heading to the bathroom to
get cleaned up. He hadn’t gone back to his hotel the previous
night, not completely trusting Cassandra. Exactly what she might do
on her own, Bryan wasn’t sure, but he wasn’t taking any chances. He
wouldn’t put it past her to try to travel to Chicago without him;
perhaps heading to the airport and hoping to get a standby flight.
The look of dismay in her face when he announced he was staying led
him to believe he wasn’t too far off the mark.

He shook his
head. There was a bit of a headstrong streak in her that would get
her into trouble one of these days. As her Beta, he intended to be
around to pull her out of whatever mess she landed in.

By time he was
done showering, a light was showing under Cassandra’s door. Good.
She was up. They could head back to his motel to pick up his things
and then grab a fast food breakfast on the way to the airport.
Knocking lightly on her door, he relayed the plan to her and then
headed back to the living room to wait.

He hoped
everything would go according to plan in Chicago. If it did, they’d
find Kellen and set him free, deal with Hugh and Eddie, then get
tickets back to Canada. Ryne and Kane could take care of Aldrich
and Marla and by tomorrow, everyone would be heading back home.

Bryan rolled
his eyes and snorted. Yeah. Right. When did things ever go that
smoothly for him?

Chapter
16

Mel stretched
and yawned, tired of travelling. The flight to Chicago had been
unremarkable, the only real issue being that they’d had to leave
Stump River in the middle of the night to drive to Toronto. Beyond
that, time was spent waiting to go through security checks, waiting
to board, waiting to disembark, waiting to find their luggage; all
the typical tedious tasks of travel.

Ryne had
blatantly used his good looks and commanding presence to hurry
their own passage through the system. Crowds parted when he walked
by, a look had others letting him in line while the female
employees hurried to do his bidding when he graced them with his
slow, sexy smile. Finally, they were climbing into a taxi bound for
the motel where they were all planning to meet.

As the taxi
pulled away from the curb, Mel hit him in the stomach.

“What was that
for?” He looked at her in surprise.

“You basically
bullied your way through the airport. No one dared say no to
you.”

“So? You didn’t
want to spend all that time waiting did you? And it wasn’t
bullying. I never said anything threatening.”

“No. But it
wasn’t really fair to the other passengers to use your Alpha status
on them.”

He shrugged.
“If you’ve got it, why not use it.”

Mel rolled her
eyes. Her mate was arrogant to the extreme at times and could be
unremorsefully rude. Still, it had got them out of the airport
quickly. She rubbed the curve of her stomach and shifted to a more
comfortable position. The baby had to be lying on her bladder.

“Are you all
right?” Ryne’s attitude melted away in an instant and he was
suddenly all care and concern; brushing her hair from her face,
putting an arm around her shoulder.

“I’m fine.” She
smiled at him and then looked away, feeling guilty. Even after her
standoffishness this week, he was still looking out for her. She
knew she’d been weepy and irritable, that he found her behaviour
inexplicable. The fact that she’d even blocked the mental
connection afforded by their blood bond had hurt him. Yet, in her
own defence, she hadn’t known what else to do.

The news she’d
received had thrown her completely off kilter; the possible
implications had made her shudder. However, now that Daniel had
reassured her and helped her sort out the mess with Lycan Link, she
wasn’t sure how to broach the topic with Ryne. Last night, she’d
just gathered her courage when this surprise trip to Chicago was
announced. Packing, gathering passports, rushing to the airport...
She shook her head; it had left no time for intimate
conversation.

Hopefully, this
business with Aldrich could be taken care of quickly. Mel wasn’t
sure what the brothers had planned but sometimes ignorance was
bliss. And then there was this woman—Marla—who had apparently
wreaked havoc with the pack long before she’d met Ryne.

Mel knew part
of the story; murder, attempted murder, theft, betrayal; the list
of sins went on and on. From the look in Ryne’s eyes when he
mentioned the woman... Well, Mel was just glad she wasn’t
Marla.

The cab pulled
up to the curb in front of the motel and Ryne helped her out of the
back seat. Their rooms were pre-booked and supposedly across the
hall from Bryan and Cassandra’s. Her lips quirked mischievously as
she contemplated the fact that the two were sharing. Bryan’s
obsessive interest in the girl over the past three years hadn’t
gone unnoticed. She was curious to find out if their face to face
meeting had lived up to his subconscious expectations? If the room
booking was any indication, it must have!

Kane and Elise
had a room just down the hall. It would be interesting to finally
meet Kane face to face, Mel mused, especially given her recent
discovery. She wondered if Kane was anything like Ryne and how he’d
react to meeting her. She was sure she and Elise would get along,
but Kane was a bit more aloof, always preoccupied with pack
business. Webcam visits were fine, but seeing the man in the
flesh... A number of possible scenarios had played out in her mind
during the flight; she wondered which one would become fact.

“Melody?” Ryne
spoke her name and she looked up at him, suddenly realizing they
were standing in front of the elevator.

“Sorry, I was
just thinking about meeting Kane and Elise.”

He guided her
into the elevator and pushed the button for the third floor.
“You’ll get along fine, I’m sure.” He yawned and stretched. “I
can’t believe we had to catch such an early flight. Kane and Elise
aren’t due in for another couple of hours, so you have time for a
nap if you’d like.”

“That would be
nice, especially if you join me.” She let her hand drift down his
back and cup his rear.

“Melody?” He
shot her a look full of both surprise and hot arousal. Well, he
would be surprised given the cold shoulder she’d been showing him
this past week. When he found out the cause though, he’d
understand.

Mel smiled up
at him wickedly. “We have some lost time to make up for, don’t you
think?’

Ryne didn’t
question her sudden about-face. Instead he growled and pulled her
closer, nuzzling her neck, then grazing her mating mark with his
teeth. Excitement shot straight to her core. How had she done
without this for so long?

She felt him
probing her mentally and hesitated before pushing on his shoulders
until he eased back.

“Melody?” His
look was questioning, hurt.

Mel bit her lip
and looked down, not sure what to say, how to broach the subject.
She’d never thought herself a coward, but she wasn’t sure of Ryne’s
reaction.

Ryne sighed
heavily, then wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close,
tucking her head under his chin. “It’s okay. Whatever’s going on,
whenever you’re ready to tell me, just know I’ll be here for
you.”

“I love you,
Ryne.” She kissed an exposed spot at the base of his neck and
spread her hands over his chest.

“I know. I love
you too.” He swept her up into his arms and kissed her thoroughly.
“Let me show you how much.” The words were whispered against her
lips and she melted into him not even noticing the elevator door
sliding open as they arrived at their floor.

Mmm, she
thought to herself. Maybe if she were lucky, Kane and Elise’s
flight would be delayed.

*****

Cassie nibbled
her lip and cast yet another sidelong glance at Bryan. He sat
beside her reading a magazine and hadn’t spoken a dozen words to
her since they’d boarded the plane. She turned to look out the
window, but since it was overcast there was really nothing to see.
Flying in a cloud could be so boring. The magazine in her own lap
lay there unopened; gossip about celebrities held little interest
for her.

She exhaled
softly and continued contemplating Bryan’s sudden reticence. It
wasn’t as if he was a chatter box, but at least yesterday he’d been
relaxed around her, talking casually. Now he was so formal and
uptight. Was he angry? Had she done something wrong? Made some
strange werewolf faux pas?

In her mind,
she went over the events of the morning, but found nothing unusual.
He’d been showering when she got up. She packed a small bag of
essentials, some of which were already in her carryall from her
planned escape the previous day. Then they’d gone to his motel to
collect his things and he’d checked out of his room. At the
drive-thru they’d ordered breakfast sandwiches and ate them at the
airport while awaiting their flight. She shook her head; it all
seemed ordinary enough.

At first, she’d
been happy not to talk. Her dream last night had been both erotic
and confusing; the memory leaving her embarrassed to face him.
After all, it wasn’t everyday that she dreamed of having her hands
down the pants of a man she’d just met. And then, at the end when
she’d suddenly froze... What was that all about? Her past was just
that, her past. Why would another man—Bryan—bring it up? And how
had he known she’d been with Kellen?