Untamed (5 page)

Rosie looked back at the two of them, who simply sat there staring at her. “Well, get outta my kitchen. I have things to do, and so do you,” she said as she tended to the sink full of dirty dishes.

“Come on.” Layla reluctantly pushed herself out of the chair. “We better do as she says, or we’ll never hear the end of it.” She made her way into the front hall. “The woman gets as ornery as a billy goat if she doesn’t get her way,” she mumbled.

“I heard that,” Rosie shouted.

Layla turned to shout an apology, only to run into William. She let out a yelp and probably would’ve fallen on her butt, if he hadn’t reached out and grabbed her. His strong hands encircled her slim biceps and steadied her with minimal effort. Layla found herself pressed up against his hard body and realized that her hands had somehow found their way to his chest.

His heartbeat thrummed strong and steady beneath the crisp white shirt. The fabric whispered cool and smooth under her fingertips, but the heat of his skin quickly seeped through, causing her fingers to dig involuntarily into the unyielding muscles of his chest. Her gaze wandered up his throat, which worked as he swallowed. She had the overwhelming urge to kiss him just beneath his jawline.

What the hell was she thinking?

Sex. That’s what. Hot, sweaty, tear my clothes off, pin me up against the wall, and make me lose my senses kind of sex. Layla squelched a groan, squeezed her eyes shut, and let out a slow breath.

“I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said gruffly.

He relaxed his grip, but didn’t release her. Eyes still closed, she nodded and shivered as his thumb brushed a soft stroke along the exposed skin of her arm, just below the edge of her rolled up sleeve. Layla bit her lip and struggled against the urge to moan.

Her eyes tingled, and she knew they had shifted.
Dammit.
That only happened when she got really mad—or really turned on—and at the moment, she was feeling an intoxicating mixture of both.

Her shirt and jeans felt two sizes too small, and all she wanted to do was get naked and climb this guy like Mount Everest. Her body reacted to him on an animalistic level, and based on the rock hard erection pressing against her stomach, it was blatantly obvious that she was having a similar effect on him. This was ridiculous. They were standing in the front hallway plastered to each other like white on rice.

Layla grit her teeth and pushed against the firm planes of his chest. He didn’t move. She swore and forced herself to look him in the face. Mustering courage, her eyes flew open and instantly latched onto his.

Big
mistake.

His had shifted as well, and she found herself staring into the most compellingly beautiful eyes she had ever seen. Like two large, glittering black diamonds, they entranced and ensnared her, and she didn’t think she could look away if she wanted to—and she didn’t want to. They reminded her of the nighttime sky, when the moon glows through the clouds and illuminates the dark. The enthralling and seemingly limitless depths pulled at Layla, and something primal called to her.

His expression was a mixture of lust, desire, and restraint. She sensed his need to conquer her. Take her. And he could’ve. Not only was he three times her size, but her body was sending all the right signals, in spite of what her brain was saying.

Yet he didn’t.

His fingers pressed deeper into the soft flesh of her arms, and he drew in a shaky breath. Her tongue flicked out and moistened her lips, but his gaze didn’t waver. The strangest image went through her mind of a massive, feathered raptor zeroing in on its prey.

She was in big trouble.

“We should really go up to your bedroom,” she said in a lusty voice she didn’t recognize.

His eyes widened, and he arched one knowing eyebrow at her. “Really?”

Layla just about died. Her face burned with lust and embarrassment because it sounded like she was propositioning him, which she most certainly wasn’t.
Liar, liar pants on fire.
Somehow that childhood chant took on a whole new meaning.

She shoved at his chest, and this time he released her. Layla took another step back, needing to increase the space between them as cold replaced warmth with disappointing speed. She half expected him to come after her, but he didn’t. He remained stone still, while clearly tracking her every move.
Oh
yeah, prey in the predator’s sight. Shit.
She blinked, breathed in deeply, and willed her eyes to their human state. Thankfully, it worked.

When she opened her eyes, she did her best to keep her voice even and act like she didn’t want to jump his bones. “What I meant was we should go upstairs, so you could get settled in your room—not what you were thinking,” she said, wagging an accusing finger in his direction.

His now human eyes crinkled with amusement. “I wasn’t thinking anything.”

“Whatever,” she said briskly.

William followed her up the staircase, and she could feel his eyes on her the entire time. His energy signature was thick and strong, and his distinct scent surrounded her. He smelled like a crisp, snowy winter night. Cool, clean, and vital.

Ever since that day in the bayou, she would catch his scent now and again, a lingering phantom that flirted dangerously along the edge of her senses. Not anymore. Now that she had met him in person, there would be no escaping it. No escaping
him
.

Layla turned right at the top of the stairs, opened the first door on the left, and gestured for him to go in. “This is your room. Towels are on the dresser, and if you need more, they’re in the closet at the other end of the hall. The bathroom is there.” She pointed to a door on the right-hand side of the bedroom.

William stepped through the doorway, and Layla couldn’t help but notice that he looked as good from the back as he did from the front. You could probably crack walnuts on his ass, and she suspected he was all sinewy, thick muscle underneath that suit.

Her eyes tingled and shifted again.
Dammit.
She squeezed them shut, took a deep breath, and willed them back to their human state. Done. “Thank God,” she said softly.

Standing stiff as a board, hands behind his back, he turned slowly and surveyed the room. She half expected him to break out a white glove and give it the dust test. She leaned against the doorjamb because there was no way she was stepping foot in his bedroom.

“This is very nice. Thank you,” he said with a bow of his head.

“Well, okay.” Layla stepped back into the hallway and waved. “I’ll let you settle in.” Although, she wasn’t sure what he had to settle, since he didn’t have anything. She grabbed the glass doorknob and began to close the door.

“Where is your room?” he asked pointedly.

She swung the door back open and gave him a tight smile. “On the other side of the bathroom,” she said with a dismissive wave.

Her eyes wandered down the length of him and back up again. The clothes he wore seemed to be in complete contradiction to the body underneath. He looked more like some kind of Nordic warrior, and he should be wearing anything but that buttoned up shirt and tie. Her eyes locked with his, and the now all-too-familiar warmth flooded her body. Layla concentrated on keeping her eyes from shifting.

A smile played at his lips as if he knew exactly what she was struggling with. “So, we’re sharing a bathroom.” He said it as a fact, not a question.

Layla tried to stop from smiling back. Too late. “Yes, so be sure to knock before you come in there. I like to take a bath at night, and I wouldn’t want to put either of us in an awkward position.”

She blushed as soon as the words came out of her mouth, because she immediately pictured them in the tub in various positions. Heat crept up her cheeks as William’s eyes locked with hers, while he loosened his tie and undid the top button of his collar. She registered the fact that he was undressing, and since there was no luggage, if he continued, then he would be naked. Her mouth went dry.

Must. Leave. Now.

Layla gave him a quick smile and shut the door before he could say anything else. She let out a long slow breath as she walked down the hallway to her room. Okay, so he was sexy. Crazy sexy. Confident. Cool. Self-assured. However, she knew that beneath that calm exterior was something far more savage, and her stomach fluttered at the thought.

Her hand latched onto the doorknob, and his enticingly sexy voice floated into her mind.

Oh, and don’t worry, Firefly. I don’t think you and I will find any position awkward.

Her spicy scent lingered in the room long after she left. William closed his eyes as he breathed in the intoxicating aroma, his gut clenched with need, and his eyes shifted. A low growl rumbled in his chest as he struggled to get his body under control. It had been all he could do to keep from ravaging her in the hallway downstairs. He almost came apart the moment her silky skin connected with his, and that fair, freckled flesh cried out to be tasted.

When her petite frame pressed up against his much larger one, he immediately sensed her desire for him. Her body had reacted as swiftly as his, and he knew it caught her completely off guard. When he looked into her eyes—in their clan form—something clicked. It was akin to a lock slipping into place. That elusive sense of belonging that he’d been straining and struggling to find was finally here. Looking into those glowing, exotic eyes, he knew he was home. Reason left him, and all he could think of, see, or hear was her. Layla. Her happiness and well-being was all that mattered.

Layla’s human eyes were emerald green and beautiful in their own right, but her clan eyes were a mesmerizing combination of gold and green. He’d never seen anything like it. He’d met other members of the Cheetah Clan, and they all had the traditional golden eyes. Not one of them possessed the prism of colors that glowed brightly in the eyes of his mate. The mere memory made him hard as a rock.

He cursed, whipped his tie off over his head, and tossed it over the wrought iron bedpost. He needed a cold shower to calm his raging hormones and clear his muddled brain. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror above the antique dresser and shook his head at his disheveled state. His long hair was coming loose from the leather strip, and his clothes were rumpled. If his friends could see him now, they would have a quite a laugh at his expense.

Layla was right. He did look out of place in the suit and tie, but he had nothing else with him. He would have to do some shopping in town. His visualization abilities had been waning steadily over the past two years, so he needed to conserve his energy, and visualizing clothing was not a priority. He knew that once he and Layla completed the mating rite, their powers would be stronger than ever. In fact, just being near her had energized him, but he didn’t want to use his energy on frivolous things. William closed his eyes and let out a long, slow breath of frustration that nagged at him in a most irritating manner. It still remained to be seen if she would even accept him.

The sound of a car starting outside captured his attention. He went to the window and pushed aside the lacy white curtain, only to find Layla pulling down the driveway in her Jeep. Alone. Tension immediately settled in his neck, and his brow furrowed with worry, as an unreasonable wave of panic came over him. She was leaving? Wait. Didn’t Rosie say something about running errands for her this morning? He swore softly and ran a hand over his face. What the hell was this woman doing to him? He’d never been this irrational before.

He watched the Jeep bounce down the dirt driveway. Her red hair whipped wildly around her. Oddly enough, the image of that cartoon character the Tasmanian Devil came to mind. The woman was a spitfire, and quite frankly he didn’t know quite what to make of her. She clearly didn’t ask him to accompany her, and she’d likely be upset if he just invited himself along, but that was just too damn bad. She wasn’t going anywhere without him, and although it was unlikely that the Purists even knew about her, he wasn’t willing to take any chances.

William closed his eyes and sent his energy signature in search of hers. His eyes shifted as Layla’s vivacious energy linked with his own. His body tensed, and every nerve ending lit up the instant her life force merged with his. A fresh and unexpected surge of power jolted through him as he joined with her. Energized by this intimate connection with his life mate, William whispered the ancient language, “
Verto
,” and vanished.

***

Within seconds he was sitting in the passenger seat next to a very startled and pissed off woman.

“What the hell?” Layla shrieked. She slammed on the brakes and brought the Jeep to a skittering halt at the bottom of the hill. She gaped at him through a cloud of dust. Her green eyes looked back at him wildly with a mix of anger, surprise, and awe. “How the hell did you do that?” she sputtered through shuddering breaths.

William cocked his head and gave her a questioning look. “You are not familiar with our visualization abilities?”
Interesting.
She knew only pieces of information about their people. His mind immediately went to the diary of Raife’s mother. From what Rosie said, she had only been with her mate for a couple of years, and it was anybody’s guess what this man had told her. He had to get his hands on this diary.

Embarrassment flickered briefly across her features but was soon replaced with a look of disdain. “I didn’t say that,” she huffed. Layla tucked her long red hair behind her ear and put the car back into gear without looking at him. “You shouldn’t do shit like that. I could’ve crashed the car and killed us both.”

“Apologies,” William said quietly. “It was not my intention to upset you.”

He kept his attention completely focused on her, hoping she would forgive him for startling her. It seemed that he couldn’t keep from making her angry. This whole mating business was like trying to walk through a field of land mines. One wrong step—and boom you’re dead.

Layla let out a slow breath. “What are you doing here anyway?” She gripped the steering wheel with her diminutive hands and stared straight ahead. “I don’t recall inviting you into town with me.”

“Well, as you may have noticed, I do not have any of my belongings with me. I thought perhaps I could purchase some more appropriate attire.” She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. “With your help, of course,” he said politely.

She glanced at him sideways and gave him the once-over. “Well, you do look more suited to an office than a farm.” She laughed, and the sound wafted over him like a summer breeze. She leaned her elbow on the window and adjusted the side mirror. “What do you do, anyway? I mean besides stalk a woman you barely know?”

She wanted to know more about him. William took this as a positive sign and couldn’t help but grin. Good Lord, he’d never smiled this much in his life. “I am a corporate attorney. My clients are mostly Amoveo, but I do have some human clients as well.”

Layla laughed loudly, slipped on her Ray-Bans, and threw the Jeep into first gear. “A freakin’ lawyer? I should’ve known.”

William braced himself as the Jeep continued its bumpy journey to the sun-dappled road. “Why is that funny?”

“You and I seem to be about as opposite as two people can be, that’s all,” she shouted above the wind and passing traffic. “I’m a photographer. You’re a lawyer. I’m as small as you are big. You seem to be pretty uptight, and I live life by the seat of my pants.” She looked at him quickly before focusing back on the road. “And I imagine that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

William said nothing because she was right. They were opposite in just about every way imaginable, except for one. They were destined for each other.

They made it to town alive. Although, there were several points when he thought Layla’s driving might very well kill them both. The woman drove like she was in some kind of
Dukes
of
Hazzard
car chase. Stop signs were apparently optional, and she seemed to view the speed limit as more of a guideline than a rule.

Layla whipped the Jeep into the shopping center, flew into a parking space, threw the hand brake, and hopped out without even bothering to open the door. She stood on the sidewalk simply staring at William, who remained in the passenger seat, attempting to regain his bearings.

“Are you coming in, or what?” she asked as she popped a stick of gum in her mouth and impatiently waved for him to get out of the car.

“Yes,” William said as he opened the door and exited the dusty vehicle. “I was just taking a moment to recuperate,” he mumbled under his breath.

“Is that supposed to be some kind of jab at my driving?” She put her hands in the back pocket of her jeans. Her stubborn little chin tilted up at him, daring him to give her grief.

William was about to launch into a litany of examples of her reckless driving, but that stony look in her eyes gave him pause. The little devil was looking for a fight and trying to get him riled up. Nice try. Small, but mighty—the phrase that came to mind every time he laid eyes on her.

Layla wasn’t going to get a fight, but he was happy to give her a challenge.

“Not at all.” He stepped onto the sidewalk and closed the distance between them easily. Her sweet, bubble gum breath filled his nostrils and mixed deliciously with her naturally spicy scent. His felt himself stir in response, sensed her heart rate increase, and shivered as her energy waves rippled over him with increasing speed.

Layla didn’t flinch. Her lithe body remained motionless, and those sparkling green eyes stayed locked with his. It was a stalemate. Who would blink first? William positioned his body closer still, just a breath away from hers, but refrained from touching her, even though he could think of doing nothing else.

“I like a woman who moves fast,” he said seductively.

Her eyes widened as he pictured himself licking those succulent, bubble gum lips. It was all he could do to smother the groan of desire and torment that threatened to boil over and reveal him for the horny bastard he’d become.

“We’ll see about that,” she said through a knowing giggle. Before he could respond, she turned on her heels and sauntered toward the store. “Come on, counselor,” she called over her shoulder. “You’ve got to get more appropriate duds.”

***

After what felt like forever, they finally left Epstein’s clothing store, and not a moment too soon. William allowed Layla to pick out the clothes for his stay at Woodbine, and much to his dismay, she selected things that he would never purchase on his own: jeans, T-shirts, sweaters, sneakers, and a pair of shoes that strongly resembled construction boots.

He drew the line at the flannel shirt. There were just some things he wouldn’t wear. Although, truth be told, if she had pushed hard enough, he would’ve done it. He was beginning to realize that this diminutive woman would probably be able to get him to do just about anything for her. And she knew it.

At her request, he left the store wearing some of his new “duds,” which consisted of a white T-shirt, black sweater, jeans, and the clodhopping boots. She looked pleased, but he felt completely off his game. Maybe that’s why she was pleased?

A native of Alaska, clothes like these were very similar to what he wore every single day growing up, and if he was back home with his parents and sisters, he’d be wearing something similar and feeling quite comfortable. But that was the problem. He couldn’t afford to get complacent right now. He had to stay sharp. Focused. Until he knew exactly where he stood with Layla and was assured that there was no looming Purist threat, he couldn’t let his guard down for one minute.

He’d worked his ass off to earn a reputation as a smart, tough, and sometimes ruthless member of his clan, not to mention a vicious attorney. When he wore a suit, it helped him believe that he was that man. As ridiculous as it may seem to someone else, it helped him feel in control and keep everything in line.

She looked him up and down as he walked next to her. “You look good, counselor. Much better than that stuffy old suit.” She winked and handed him the bag with the rest of his purchases. “Come on,” she said with a nod toward the car. “Let’s put these in the Jeep, and then we’ll hit the market at the end of the strip to get Rosie’s stuff.”

The mouthwatering scent of freshly baked bread filled the store. William’s stomach rumbled with hunger the instant they stepped inside, and he realized that he hadn’t eaten anything since the night before. He’d been so preoccupied with Layla that he’d forgotten to eat. He rubbed his stomach and scanned the store for the source of the flavorful aroma.

Layla laughed and passed him the shopping basket. “Hungry?” she asked with a big grin.

He looked into her smiling face and couldn’t help but smile himself. “Well, yes, actually I am.”

“I know.” She laughed. “I think the entire store just heard your stomach growl.”

She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him down the first aisle to the bakery counter. He imagined that he must look like quite a sight, being dragged through the store by this sprite of a woman, but he didn’t care. He’d follow her anywhere.

Layla stopped at one of the refrigerated cases, scooped up a premade sandwich, opened it, and handed him half.

“No sense in standing around with a growling stomach in the middle of a grocery store,” she said before taking a generous bite of her half.

“No,” William said as he followed her to the deli counter. “No sense in that at all.” He ate his half in a few bites, which didn’t go unnoticed by Layla.

“You eat like my brother,” she said with a smirk. “Hi, Ralph.” She waved to the older man behind the counter.

“Well, well. If it isn’t Layla Nickelsen!” The man behind the counter was about six feet tall but was the skinniest man William had ever seen. His long, thin face was weathered and wrinkled, and a shock of white hair covered his head. He looked fondly at Layla and gave her a big toothy grin. “How’ve you been young lady? Still traveling all over creation and taking pictures?”

“Yes sir.” Layla looked around behind the counter. “Where’s Ginny?”

“She’s up at the front register.” His raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Didn’t you see her?” But before Layla could answer, he shimmied his way between the wall and the end of the counter. “Ginny,” he called, while wiping his hands on his stained apron. “Come on back here, woman.” He winked at William. “Women—never are where we tell ’em to be, are they? May as well try and control the seasons.”

The scarecrow-like man disappeared down one of the narrow aisles, presumably in search of the woman he was referring to.