Chapter Five #2
In a little under five minutes, she was ready to leave. He canted his head toward the rifle he’d left propped against a tree. “I figured you’d feel better if you carried it.” He didn’t need it to defend himself, and it would give her a sense of added security.
She bit her bottom lip but shook her head. “You take it.”
It was a huge concession. She’d also holstered her weapon at her waist and was no longer pointing it at him. Cyrus jammed the rifle into the sheath on his backpack and headed in the direction they’d just come from.
The back of his neck itched. He didn’t have to turn around to know she was staring.
The predator inside him hated having anyone behind him.
It was something he’d had to accustom himself to when dealing with humans.
It wasn’t always possible to avoid interacting with them, especially on search and rescue missions.
This was the first time he’d had someone in that position who knew what he was and was armed.
“How did you find Adam’s trail?”
He could lie, could come up with a plausible explanation, but screw that. She either accepted him as he was or she didn’t. He was done hiding what he was from her. “I can follow his scent trail.”
“Is that why you smelled Adam’s shirt back at the house?”
“Yes. I needed to know it so I could lock onto it.” He’d likely have been able to pick it up in the woods, but it made it a hell of a lot easier if he already knew it.
“Adam went in circles, watching and avoiding the search parties.” He needed to share what he’d discovered so she was prepared when they finally found their son.
“Why would he do that?”
Cyrus stopped and turned so fast Vinnie almost plowed into him. “He’s confused, likely scared out of his mind. Hybrid children are extremely rare between my kind and humans, more myth than fact.”
Bones bleached by the desert sun had more color than her face. Her forehead furrowed. “It never occurred to you that I’d get pregnant, did it?”
This wasn’t the time to be discussing the past, but if she wanted to talk about it, he wasn’t about to stop her.
“No, it didn’t. I don’t carry sexual diseases, nor can I catch them.
Using a condom was more for your benefit, because it was expected.
When I discovered it broke, I wasn’t concerned.
Pregnancy was the last thing on my mind. ”
“Too bad you were wrong.”
Temper hanging by a thread, he leaned down until their noses were almost touching.
“What do you want me to say? You want me to admit I was wrong? Fine, I was wrong. The nearly impossible happened. Do I regret it?” A certainty reverberated through him.
“The only thing I regret is not looking for you that night, not coming back to find you.” All those wasted years. “I thought I was protecting you.”
“Because of what you are?” Their gazes locked. She didn’t back down, standing toe to toe with him.
He released a low growl. “Are you willing to believe what I am or are you still trying to convince yourself you were mistaken in what you saw?” It probably wasn’t smart to push her when she was already on edge, but he couldn’t stop himself. He wanted—no, needed—her to acknowledge both sides of him.
Her throat rippled when she swallowed. Her mouth opened and closed. “I saw a wolf or big dog. Then you were there. Werewolves aren’t real.”
“Sweetheart, I’m as real as it gets.” To drive the point home, he kissed her.
Not a gentle brush of lips. No, this was nothing less than a declaration of intent, a claiming.
He didn’t touch her anywhere else. If she didn’t want this, all she had to do was step away.
The sweetness of her lips was in sharp contrast to her bold personality.
The small sound of pleasure she made went straight to his dick and had every muscle in his body tensing.
Her hands slid up his chest, fingers curling into his shirt. It was better than he remembered. There were no secrets between them this time.
Taking a chance, he slipped his tongue into the warmth of her mouth, half expecting her to bite him.
Instead, she stroked it with her own. Inside him, his wolf howled.
As much as he wanted to continue, this wasn’t the time or place.
She needed time to come to grips with her new reality, and so did he.
He wasn’t looking for another one-night stand.
He wanted much more, maybe more than she was willing to give.
Utilizing every ounce of discipline at his disposal, he lifted his head. Her eyes were closed but fluttered open. She licked her damp lips. His jeans grew uncomfortably tight, forcing him to reach down and adjust himself. It didn’t help.
Vinnie cleared her throat. “We’d better get going.”
Swallowing his frustration, he gave her a curt nod and started out again. They’d have to talk about what she’d seen sooner rather than later. Once they found their son, there’d be little time for private conversation. They needed to be on the same page if they were going to help Adam.
Whether she’d admit it, she trusted him on some level.
Otherwise, she’d never have kissed him back.
He pressed his lips together. It might have been no more than reaction on her part, the need for physical release of stress.
After all, that’s why they’d ended up back in his motel room that fateful night.
He couldn’t assume the kiss indicated any kind of acceptance or trust.
He shoved the thought to the back of his brain and concentrated on the path ahead. The sky lightened and the dawn broke before he came to a halt.
“Why are we stopping? Are we close?” Vinnie stayed an arm’s length apart as she came up alongside him. Did she think he’d hurt her? Or was she afraid he’d kiss her again?
“We need to eat.” He removed his pack and sat with his back to a tree. “The going will get rougher from here on in.” He pulled out some beef jerky, took a bite, and chewed.
She stared up ahead, vibrating with frustration, before finally sitting right where she was and digging out a granola bar. A squirrel scampered past her and scurried up a tree, chattering at them the entire time, drawing a smile.
He drank deeply from his water bottle. “Make sure you drink enough water.”
“Seriously? This isn’t my first time in the woods.” Still, she opened her canteen and had a swallow.
“We’re going to have to push hard today. This isn’t the same as a normal search and rescue mission.” Those tended to be slow and methodical out of necessity. “We’ll be moving fast.”
She capped the bottle and set it carefully beside her. “Why the sudden rush? What aren’t you telling me?”