Chapter 14 - Joshua
Joshua watched Kira as she walked away, her skirt swaying with every step.
She was probably going back to the house, and given the way she so stiffly held herself, he had a fairly good reason to believe that she was pissed at him for something.
Maybe for not answering his phone? Maybe she’d been worried.
Or maybe it was something Jenny had said, and had nothing to do with him.
He wasn’t sure, but he elected to give her space.
Instead, he served as a cart-pusher for Chelsey as she got the things they needed.
“As long as you’re here, I ought to tell you about some of Kira’s favorite snacks,” Chelsey told him. She threw a variety of snacks into the cart, and Joshua pulled them out again, studying the packaging.
“That’s good to know, thanks,” he said awkwardly. “Er, while we’re here, is there anything you need while you’re visiting? My treat.”
“Kira didn’t raise me to go asking for handouts.
But I’d like to see how far I can push you, now that you’re my brother-in-law.
So… lobster. Yeah. Lobster, ravioli, and some of the expensive veggies.
Oh! And blueberries. I’ll cook up a good feast tonight, and you can praise my skills, even though you’ll be getting the burnt stuff. ”
Joshua had never spent much time with Chelsey before and so wasn’t sure if she was kidding or just trying to push his buttons. He nodded solemnly. “I wouldn’t think of doing anything else. But if I might make a suggestion? We recently had a large lobster harvest. Lamb is more expensive right now.”
Chelsey narrowed her eyes, but her lips twitched. “Huh. Okay. We’ll do lamb. You know, you’re not as much of an asshole as I thought. Unless you’re just trying to impress me.”
“Oh, I’m an asshole,” Joshua reassured her. “But I am trying to impress you. Kira and I… we’re married. And I want to make her happy.”
Chelsey gave him a judging look. “She told me about the Elder Council’s… interference with your relationship. And you ought to know that Kira doesn’t like to talk about her feelings. So making her happy… It’s going to have to be about a lot more than impressing me.”
Joshua frowned. “I can’t be a mind reader.”
“No, you can’t. Nor should you. I love my sister, but I also know her.
She’s always had the thought process that she can’t rely on anyone else.
She has to take care of everyone. So you…
” Chesley shook her head as she gathered a few more ingredients and dumped them into the cart.
“You’re a conundrum. You change things. You don’t need to be taken care of. You want to take care of her.”
He continued pushing the cart silently, the frown still firmly on his face. How did Chelsey read him so easily? They’d never spent much time together, and yet she could see how much he wanted to take care of Kira.
Joshua took a deep breath. “How do I get her to let me?”
“Fuck if I know.”
Well. That was far less than helpful.
***
After the shopping trip, Joshua and Chelsey discovered Kira was neither at Joshua’s place nor theirs.
Joshua bit back an instant surge of frustration and worry.
She had been agitated after the confrontation with Jenny, so where would she have gone?
To Gwen? No, Gwen, Rafael, and Lianne went to the mainland today.
He took his wolf form and jogged back to the spot where he’d last seen her.
He found the trail and started to follow it.
Kira had wound her way through town, toward Gwen’s house.
She must have forgotten about the trip. She veered suddenly onto a different path, and Joshua followed that trail.
It took him down toward their beach, only to circle around and instead go into the forest.
Away from the protections around the town.
When he found her, she was sitting beneath a cedar tree, whose long branches swept out and formed a tent around her. Her hands rested on her knees, and she stared up through the branches with an unfocused expression.
Joshua shifted back to human form and pulled his clothes back on before he ducked into the sweeping branches. Kira startled when she saw him, her eyes widening. She sucked in a breath and gritted her teeth, as though bracing herself for his scolding.
Which, he’d been just about ready to launch into. It wasn’t safe out here. She shouldn’t be alone, certainly not while injured.
Seeing how wary she was made him wince. He didn’t want her to look at him that way. “Let’s go back to your place,” he said, trying to keep his voice gentle.
“I’m fine where I am,” she snapped. “Leave me alone.”
His patience started to fray. “You’re not fine. You’ve overexerted yourself, and you’re vulnerable out here beyond the protections of the town. We’re going back to your place.”
He took hold of her arm and pulled her to her feet, mindful to be gentle.
Kira’s cheeks flushed, and her nostrils flared.
He expected her to rip her arm away, but instead, she stared at him, uncertain, breathing heavily.
Her skirt bore evidence of having moved through the forest, with bits of twigs and dirt sticking to it.
“I’m fine,” she said again, but this time she sounded a little less certain.
Joshua frowned at her. “Are you certain about that? You look unsteady. Did you get hurt?”
“I’m not hurt. I promise. I just… I don’t want to go back to town yet.”
“Okay. Then we can go to the protected beach. Just a place where the demons can’t find you. Come on.” He slid his hand to her wrist.
Her pulse leapt beneath his touch. Her cheeks darkened, and her eyes widened.
Her nostrils flared again, and she swallowed.
Joshua froze, his grip loosening enough for her to pull away if she wanted.
Instead, she remained where she was, her gaze not moving from his.
He opened his mouth, paused, and tightened his grip again.
“Come here,” he said, tugging her closer.
She let him without protest.
Joshua’s mouth went dry as he scented the air. The smell of her arousal was heavy between them. Confusion spun in his mind. She hated it when he told her what to do. So why was she reacting like this today?
Maybe it was less about telling her what to do and more about the obvious care for her? He’d come to her defense with Jenny… could that be what had changed things between them?
Abruptly, it didn’t matter. She was here, her need scenting the air. He was here; they were alone. And he was so very tired of being the strong one that kept himself from holding her the way he wanted.
“We need to get back to town. It’s safer there,” he said, but when he tugged her closer, he stepped forward, pulling her flush against him. Heat radiated off her chest, through their shirts. The feeling of her body molding itself against him made every nerve ending in his body come to life.
“Town’s busy,” Kira said. “People are there. They can see what we do. I’m tired of being watched. Tired of letting other people decide for me.”
A thrill washed through Joshua’s spine. But with it came something else, a deep worry that he couldn’t ignore. Chelsey had said Kira was bad at sharing her feelings. He took a deep breath and cupped Kira’s face in his hands. Everything depended on how she answered this.
“Do you want me to annul the marriage?”
Kira’s eyes narrowed. “So what? Chelsey comes back, and you decide you’d rather marry her?”
“What? No, I—” Joshua cut himself off as Kira’s lips twitched.
He growled as he walked her backward until she was pressed against the tree.
The bark lay in long, soft strips. He was grateful she’d chosen a cedar to hide beneath.
They wouldn’t be able to do this with a spruce or pine.
“Little minx. How am I supposed to get hold of you when I don’t know when you’re serious or teasing? ”
“Kind of feels like you have a good hold on me already,” Kira moaned.
He slid his hands down her hips, tightening briefly on her ass. Kira bit her lip, panting as her hands came to rest on his shoulders.
“You didn’t answer me,” he growled, leaning in close.
“Huh?”
“Whether you want to annul the marriage.”
Kira huffed, as though the question annoyed her.
“After all the work I did to get my name changed? I’m not going back to Smithson, thank you very much.
I don’t want to annul anything. Besides, the Elders would only agree to an annulment if we hadn’t consummated the marriage.
And from how you feel right now—” She rocked her hips forward, pressing against a particularly hard part of his anatomy, “—that’s not going to be the case for much longer. ”
That was good enough for him. He kissed her neck, his hands moving again.
The desperation and buildup of tension from the past days were too much for him.
He’d slept in her bed, touched her body, and he’d made sure that he was so focused on the medical aspects that he hadn’t allowed himself to consider anything else.
Oh, but his body knew what he’d been missing.
Now, the taste of her exploded on his tongue, the sound of her gasps filled his ear, and that delicious scent drove him mad.
He couldn’t touch her fast enough, couldn’t linger over the dips and curves of her body.
He wanted to strip off her clothes all at once and remove each item with deliberate care.
It seemed ridiculous that he couldn’t have both at once.
“Joshua,” Kira moaned, her hands dancing over him. “Joshua.”
She trailed off into a moan as his mouth closed over her nipple, poking hard through her shirt.
He clamped his teeth lightly over it, swirling his tongue over the tender pearl.
It wasn’t until she moaned again, louder this time, that he remembered how badly she’d been injured recently.
Was it pleasure making her moan, or pain?
He pulled back, and Kira whimpered, tugging him closer again. Joshua chuckled, one hand on her hip as he pressed her into the tree.