WereCat Fever (3 page)

Lacey closed her eyes, blinking back the tears. What was the matter with her? Swallowing the lump in her throat, she swore she wouldn’t cry. The separations were like enduring time in limbo. Only existence. Nothing more than an empty void until Bryan returned and once again held her in his arms.

Six more weeks.

After handling the long distance relationship thing for four years, surely another few weeks wouldn’t be unbearable. What would being apart for six more weeks mean when they had a lifetime of being together to look forward to? In the larger view? Nothing. But every time she waved good-bye to him, she worried it would be the last—that this time his family would find a way to keep them apart.

“What’s going on? You’ve been withdrawn,” Lacey said.

“Withdrawn? I’m still inside you. And semi-hard, too.” He laughed and angled his cock thrusting it deeper inside her to prove it.

“Not like that.” Her lips curled up, and she gripped his hips with both legs, unwilling to let him go. “Tell me honestly. Are you all right?”

“Eh, it’s nothing.”

He tried to look away, but Lacey held his face with both hands. She stared him down and traced her tongue across his lips. “Tell me.”

“Not sleeping well. I’ve been having strange dreams lately. Not feeling myself—”

“How?”

“Forget it. It’s nothing. I had a fever. Like I said, nightmares. I’m feeling better.” He flipped her to her back and rode her. His fingers teased one nipple as his other hand slipped between their bodies where he joined her. “You’re what I needed this weekend.”

She stilled both hands. “What sort of fevers and nightmares?”

“You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

She shook her head. He flopped to his back, spread-eagled beside her. His cock was erect and shiny with their mixed juices. But he stared up, focused on the cave ceiling. She rolled and straddled him so he had to look at her.

“Spit it out.”

“The nightmares were strange, really violent, and then there was the one blackout. I woke up in the desert one morning, naked.” He raised his hand. “And don’t say it. I hadn’t been drinking.”

“Tell me you didn’t have a naked girl with you and I’ll let you live.” She glared, teasing him.

“Hell, no—no girl!” he said, sounding shocked she would even tease him.

She wasn’t worried. Jealousy never played a role in their relationship. Even though they were apart so often, a part of him always felt like it remained with her.

“Babe, you know there’s no one for me besides you.”

He took her hand in his and wove their fingers together as he stared up at her. The night sounds grew silent before he spoke again and Lacey waited.

“When I woke, I had blood on my hands and couldn’t remember how I’d gotten there.”

“My God, Bryan!” She jumped off him, sat up, and inspected him as if she hadn’t noticed if he’d been injured before now. There was nothing. Shock sucked the air out of her. “Were you hurt?”

“No. I was fine. That was the strange part. I had a few scratches, but not enough to account for so much blood. And they healed up remarkably fast.”

“There was no one around?”

“No, nobody and nothing to hint at what happened. I couldn’t remember anything after I went to bed in my apartment that night.” He ran a hand over his forehead and then through his hair. “I’m worried.”

Honestly, so was she. “Did you see Doc?”

“Yeah, Thursday. He ran some tests. Wanted to run more, but there’s no time.”

“Make the time—”

“Not this trip, babe. After graduation, when I get back, I’ll see him.”

“Bryan, if anything like that happens again, go to the infirmary. Don’t take any chances.”

“Okay.” He cupped her cheek. “I’m not sure what’s happening to me. All that blood. It scared me. I… What if…? I could have done something really bad while I was blacked out.”

“No. Not you. There has to be some reasonable explanation.”

“What if I’m dangerous?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re not dangerous. You could have been attacked by an animal, fought back and wounded it.” Lacey held on to his wrists and stared deep into his eyes. “I’m not afraid of you, Bryan. You’d never purposely hurt anyone, especially not me.”

She touched her lips to his and stared deep into his eyes, pressing her breasts against his chest to distract him. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back under him. The distraction worked.

“Ahh,” he moaned. “Between you and the mineral springs, I’m finally feeling better. Lacey, you’ve become a part of me, my soul—balancing me and grounding me.”

With her forehead pressed to his, she rubbed her thumb across his lips with one hand and cupped his hard jaw with her other, refusing to allow him to draw away. She was determined to hold his attention. Angling her lips to touch his and softly mingling their breath, she ran her tongue inside his mouth, testing, and tangling her tongue with his until she felt his pulse kick up and his respiration increase.

Bryan’s heart raced. Maybe the pressure of school was finally getting to him, he thought. He allowed Lacey’s scent to seduce him and turned control of the kiss over to her for the moment. Her mouth was hot and hungry for him. She tasted sweet, fresh, and wild.

When her breath hitched in her throat, he couldn’t take any more. He ravaged her lips and took back control, deepening the kiss, taking it from sensual to erotic.

“Yeah, this was what I needed. Sexual recreation and mindless pleasure…and you.”

His hands moved from where they rested lightly at her waist to a slow ascent up her sides while his thumbs drew lazy circles on the underside of each breast. He nibbled her neck and held her closely against his body, making her feel loved and cherished.

“You smell so good, Lacey.” He inhaled her scent, murmuring against her skin. Touching her—stirring her feelings.

The difference in their lovemaking this time shocked her. She could mark the exact moment when he accepted their feelings for each other and silently pledged himself to her with his body. Something shifted inside her as she held him tightly. The earth moved beneath her and something inside her heart stirred. Her fingers feathered across his chest, feeling his heart beating beneath her hand in time to hers.

Every movement between them was a loving caress, a blending of two beings, a mating of like hearts, a merging of two souls. How could she feel like this, knowing his family would never accept her?

A sudden sadness enveloped her.

With a serious look of his own, he studied her expression. “Stay with me, Lacey. Don’t go down the dark road.”

As always, he somehow managed to sense her concern.

“I’m with you.” She smiled, knowing she’d never be able to hide her distress from him.

“Lace, I pledge myself to you completely, right now. I want to yield completely to our passion and our love, forever. I want you too much to lose you.”

“You’re not going to lose me, Bryan. Never.”

“You’re right.” He winked and then whispered in her ear, “Only six more weeks, Lacey girl and I’ll be back to marry you.”

“Marry! But, your father—”

“Forget about my father. I have.”

“He’ll never let it happen.” Lacey sighed. Her throat felt too tight to swallow. The tears burned her eyes. “He’ll find a way to stop us.”

“No one can stop us now.” With those words, he took his pinky ring off his finger and placed it on the middle finger of her left hand. It was too big, but her heart swelled with hope.

“Will you marry me, Lacey?”

Five Years Later

The Colorado heat didn’t help Lacey’s mood. With hot days already upon them, she had nothing to look forward to other than more blazing days and even hotter nights. In past years, she refused to wallow in the funk she usually felt whenever summer rolled around, marking the week her life changed forever. She learned to block her feelings to protect them. But with the town’s Diamond Jubilee happening this weekend, it was impossible not to think about Bryan Cauldwell. Yes, the town was named for his family. They owned damned near everything in these parts, but not her.

Four years, eleven months, and twenty-eight days ago, Bryan failed to show up for their rendezvous. Disappointment eventually turned to disillusionment, followed by concern, and eventually a broken heart. Then, things went from bad to worse.

The last week—that was how she came to think of that week that ended with her entire life in upheaval. Bryan had been ready to graduate and she was three years into a five-year master’s research program at the local university. He’d asked her to marry him and then disappeared.

The sound of Thomas’s jeep stopping in front the house pulled her out of her thoughts.

Keiran’s voice shouted out, “Hey, Tommy, how are you? Tell Lace I’m done with the lessons today and I’ll be in in a few minutes.”

A man’s boots sounded on the wooden steps. Long strides, confident. Thomas.

“Humph. That’s Thomas to you, Squirt.”

Nothing changes
. Lacey heard the screen door open and slam shut.

“Lace, hope you’re not decent. I’m coming in.” Thomas yelled from the front door. “Where are you?”

He’d find her. He always did.

Lacey smiled and sat down. She glanced at the picture on her desk. With a gentle touch, she ran a finger over the glass, pausing beside the image of her father’s face. Her favorite picture showed them together, his arm slung over her shoulder as if they were the best buddies in the world. A fifteen-year-old version of Lacey grinned up at her father—her smile spread from ear to ear. The fish she held up with his help was almost as big as she was.

“There you are, hon. How are you feeling?” Thomas asked as his large presence filled the den. “Fever any better?”

She glanced up at her best friend, looked back at the picture, and lied. “Fine.”

“Liar.” He glanced at the picture.

“Why ask?” She kept the placid expression fixed on her face to keep Thomas from seeing how upset she really was.

“I’m getting the sweet tea. You’re going to join me, right? I suppose Squirt will expect me to fix her a glass, too. I’ll bring a tray. After she leaves”—he nodded to the picture—“we’ll talk.” He never missed anything where she was concerned.

Keiran stomped her boots on the porch and wiped them off before coming in. “Are you in the den?”

“Yup. Thomas is bringing tea. Sit. And thanks for taking my lessons this week.”

“The MacAllen girl is sweet and Daniel is a charmer. It was no trouble.”

Keiran was easygoing and petite. The handicapped kids identified with her because she was so tiny.

“Oh, darlin’, you’re still not feeling well, are you? And you’ve worked harder than anyone on the jubilee committee.”

She glanced at the photo on the desk and asked, “You taking a walk down memory lane? With everyone returning this weekend, it must be hard on you.”

“If I recall correctly, Bryan was the one who took that picture of me and Dad. The starry-eyed crush I developed on Bryan started shortly after school let out for the summer, but it was another full year before he noticed me.”

The memories made Lacey’s lip twitch in spite of the painful memory.

“Oh, he noticed you before then all right,” Keiran said. “He made every excuse and took every opportunity to be wherever you were.”

“Who?” Thomas came in and put the tray on the coffee table.

“We’re talking about how Bryan wouldn’t ask Lacey out even though he couldn’t stay away from her.”

“Guys are like that,” Thomas said. “We have no idea what to say once the blood rushes to our cocks.”

“Nice imagery,” Lacey said.

“One minute you’re invisible and the next minute you grow boobs and we turn into stalkers with drool on our lips.” Thomas could really put the comic book version into words.

“Anyone ever tell you, you have a disgusting way with words?” Lacey laughed.

“But he’s right.” Keiran nodded. “I remember several guys drooling over Lacey’s boobs the year they popped up.”

“In the beginning, things with Bryan were weird. We’d been good friends up until then. Our old, easy friendship turned into an awkward teenage relationship while we wrestled with our feelings. Thank goodness Thomas came to the rescue.”

What she didn’t say was that, despite the Cauldwells pushing Bryan at every eligible country club deb through high school and college, he’d remained loyal to her, defying his father to the bitter end.

“Well, if it wasn’t for Thomas, you two never could have hidden your relationship from old man Cauldwell.”

Thomas leaned back in the recliner and grunted. “Remember when that weasel brother of his tried to catch Bryan sneaking over to see you. Using me for cover was brilliant. I savored that goodnight kiss for years.”

“Get over it. It worked.” Lacey sipped her tea and tried to discuss her past objectively through the old, dull pain.

“Tory was always jealous of Bryan,” Keiran said. “He said all those horrible things because you wouldn’t go out with him. Like that’s the way to a girl’s heart. Lacey, I don’t know how you survived.”