Forbidden Shadows (Lee County Wolves Book 7)

Chapter 14

Malcolm wanted to break something. He wanted to rip the kitchen apart, starting with punching Dell in the face for the interruption. He had planned on picking Clare up to bring her into town, but first, he had wanted to apologize for the way he reacted or had not reacted to their kiss. He had seen her confusion and hurt, but he had been unable to form a sentence after sharing that moment with her. Even Dell had asked if he was okay when he was talking on the phone with him. Glaring at Dell now, he cursed his Alpha for this second interruption. The fucker.

Dell glanced at him, then turned and walked out. Malcolm’s gaze returned to Clare as she shut the oven and headed for the door. He moved quickly, blocking her path.

“Clare about last night,” Malcolm said, looking down at her. He saw the flare in her eyes as she stared up at him.

“There is nothing to say about last night, Malcolm.” She tilted her head with a frown. She then tried to walk past him, but he stepped in her way.

“I shouldn’t have kissed you—” Malcolm started, but Clare cut him off.

“But you did. Don’t worry, Malcolm.” Clare’s face instantly turned from hurt to indifferent in a second flat. “That’s all it was...just a kiss. I don’t expect anything from you.”

This time, she avoided being stopped by him as she passed. Malcolm cursed before turning and following her, only to see Dell, Hunter, Devon, Garrett, and Marcus talking. Without thought, he caught up to Clare, grabbed her hand, and headed for the front door.

“She’ll be right back.” He said without looking at any of them.

“What are you doing?” Clare tried to pry her hand out of his, but he refused to let it go.

“I didn’t get to finish what I was saying because you rudely interrupted me.” Malcolm glared down at her. By damn he was going to say what in the fuck he wanted to say. He had laid awake all night with regret for what happened. The kiss they shared shook him to his very soul so much so that he knew this woman was his mate. There was no denying the fact as much as his mind screamed for him to do so. He was trouble. He had a past. He had demons that he fought daily. But most importantly, he had nothing to offer a woman like Clare.

“Rude?” Clare glared up at him, throwing her free hand on her hip. “Rude is acting like you had just kissed a horse’s ass.”

“What in the hell are you talking about?” Malcolm did let go of her hand this time to swipe the hair out of his eyes.

“You couldn’t get me home fast enough. Didn’t say one word to me after you hung up the phone with Dell.” Clare cocked her eyebrow at him. “Talk about rude. At least act like you enjoyed it.”

“So that’s why you are acting like this?” Malcolm frowned, shaking his head. “You think I didn’t enjoy the kiss?”

“Never mind.” Her eyes shifted from him as if realizing how ridiculous that sounded, but then her gaze shot back to his. “What does it matter? It won’t ever happen again, so let’s just drop it.”

Clare’s words hit him hard, and he didn’t like what he heard. Taking a step toward her, he grasped her chin, gently lifting her face up to his. “I shouldn’t have kissed you...in a rundown hotel parking lot. You deserved better than that. I warned you that I’m not good for you, but you ignored that fact, and I’m a selfish bastard who took advantage.”

“Hey,” Devon stuck his head out the door, looking at them both. “Can we get this show on the road? I’ve got shit to do.”

“Give us a fucking minute,” Malcolm growled reaching out shutting the door in Devon’s face almost catching his head in the door.

Clare moved away from him toward the door. “It’s fine, Malcolm. Don’t sweat it.”

Malcolm growled as he just stood there watching her follow Devon inside. “Fuck!” He cursed his fist tight by his side.

“She’s a keeper, Malcolm,” Jamie said, walking toward him with Gunner on her hip. “And I know you are into her, and I’d bet anything she feels the same way. What in the hell did you do to piss her off?”

“Mind your business,” Malcolm growled; his eyes narrowed at her before looking at Gunner, who reached for him. He knew Jamie meant well, but no way in hell would he talk to his sister about Clare. Not happening.

Taking Gunner in his arms, he managed to smile down at his nephew. “Your momma has a bad habit of sticking her nose into places it doesn’t belong.”

“I am so sick of watching you self-sabotage, Malcolm.” Jamie stared up at him, but Malcolm ignored her and instead made a face at Gunner, who gave him a toothless grin. “You really know how to piss me off.” Jamie huffed as she passed him without taking Gunner and angrily walked into Roxy’s.

She was right he did know how to piss her off, ignoring her was number one on the list. “I think I made your momma mad,” Malcolm said to Gunner, whose smile turned into a frown. He knew that Jamie was dead on. He did self-sabotage. There was no doubt about that. When Gunner’s face scrunched up, Malcolm headed for the door. “If you’re going to cry, little guy, you are going straight back to your momma.”

Clare was relievedwhen Dell got a phone call as soon as she walked back inside. She needed a minute to get her thoughts straight. Seriously, she didn’t know what was happening to her. Why in the hell was she so upset about a damn kiss. Well, not the kiss exactly, but Malcolm’s reaction afterward. Did she really know the man? No, she did not. So why was it bothering her so much that she was acting like one of the women she usually wanted to smack? Hell, she wanted to punch herself in her own damn face. It was disgusting how upset she had gotten.

Jamie walked in, giving her a look. “You good?”

“Fine.” Clare nodded, wondering why she was asking. Did Malcolm say something to his sister? Thinking on that for a minute, she knew he hadn’t. That wasn’t something Malcolm would do. She then snorted to herself for acting like she knew the man. She didn’t really, and yet her feelings for him were off the charts.

“Well, he’s not fine. Give him some time, Clare. He likes you a lot. Before our lives went to hell, Malcolm was the happiest, kindest, and funniest person I knew. I think with you, he could be that person again.” Jamie gave her a sad smile when she saw the look on her face. “I always swore I’d never get into my brother’s...girl...business, and here I am doing just that. Ignore me...or don’t. Just know that I can’t remember the last time I saw a genuine smile from my brother. Not until the day I walked into the kitchen and saw him with you.” Jamie said, shaking her head as she walked toward Devon.

To say she was speechless would be an understatement. She was glad Jamie walked away so she could digest what had just been said.

The door opened and in walked Malcolm with Gunner in his arms. The little boy had a hand full of Malcolm’s hair pulling at it. Malcolm was acting like he was in pain, which made Gunner belly laugh at his uncle. God, how she loved the sound of a child’s innocent laughter. His smile as he looked at his nephew melted her very soul. Their eyes met as he looked her way, and she knew at that moment she had already fallen head over heels in love with this man, and a kiss had nothing to do with it.

“Clare?” Dell’s voice brought her out of her thoughts.

“What?” Clare said, looking away from Malcolm to see Dell frowning at her.

“Are you ready to explain what in the hell you’ve been doing?” Dell cocked an eyebrow at her not looking happy at all to be having this discussion.

“I’ve been helping women,” Clare replied with a simple answer. “Tammy is the first Shifter that I’ve helped, and I plan on helping many more, knowing they are being turned down at human shelters. So, if you want me to leave the area, then I guess I won’t have a choice but to leave. However, I have been doing this for quite some time without any of you knowing, which means I have not brought danger to any of the people here.”

Dell was intimidating, and so was Garrett Foster, the previous Alpha, but she wasn’t backing down. Her gaze met Jamie’s as she gave her an encouraging thumbs up.

“Had I known Tammy was a Shifter, I would have told you, but I didn’t know,” Clare added because that was in fact a rule she had set. She knew the Shifter world was much different than her own, and she didn’t want to make it worse for the women she was trying to help.

“I can’t tell you what to do, Clare.” Dell began with a huge frown. “Your safety is just as important to us as our own kind. I just don’t understand why you felt you could not trust us with what you were doing.”

“I guess I didn’t want to be told I couldn’t do it and—” She looked around at all of them, her gaze stopping on Malcolm before going back to Dell. “You guys are my only family, and I didn’t want to be told to leave. I swear to you all I never once brought any of the women here. I don’t disclose information about myself.”

“But Tammy’s brother found you.” Dell reminded her, his voice calm, not harsh.

“I know.” Clare sighed, looking away from Dell. “I’m sorry. It’s just I cannot turn these women down. If they contact me, I have to help them.”

“And you should.” Jamie piped in with a nod. “For these women to reach out, especially a Shifter, means you are their last resort. There is nothing wrong with what you’re doing, Clare. Nothing.”

Tammy and Brock walked inside at that moment; her gaze fell on Ben who gave her a shy wave. Clare gave Ben a small wave back then looked at Dell. “I’m not stopping. In fact, my focus is going to be on Shifter women.” Clare made that statement with her chin held high. Malcolm’s kiss wasn’t the only thing that had kept her up all night. If there were Shifter women who needed help and had nowhere to turn Clare was going to make damn sure they had options. She would be their option. “I know I’m on Shifter land, so it’s up to you whether I stay or go, but that is my stance on the situation. I will respect your decision as I hope you respect mine to help women of your race.”

Clare hoped that last part made him think before he tossed her ass out. She had nowhere to go, well that wasn’t true. She was sure Elmo would give her one of the rooms, but what she really wanted was for Dell and everyone else to be on board. If he agreed to let her stay and help Shifter women, she hoped her next bombshell drop would be welcomed. Yeah, maybe she was dreaming, but no one got anywhere without asking...right?