Chapter Eleven #2
The comforter on his bed was turned back, but he’d done that. There was no sign she’d been in his bed. His dick stirred at the thought of her lying there. He wrenched his gaze away. “Adam needs to be here at least a week. Two would be better.”
“Absolutely not. I can’t be away from work that long.
I don’t have that much vacation time built up.
I used most of it when Mom died and took more this past week.
The sheriff authorized the search for two days.
After that, I had to dip into the few remaining days I had.
Not to mention he’ll have questions. I’m sure Wilkes will report to him first thing tomorrow morning, if he hasn’t already.
My phone is turned off. I guarantee when I turn it on there’ll be missed calls. ”
He didn’t like it, but she was right. “I’ll have to go back with you.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” If her spine got any straighter it would snap. Rather than face him, she continued to stare out the window into the night.
He swallowed back his impatience and closed the distance between them. “It’s the only way. Adam will need continual guidance and supervision. None of us understand the extent of his powers, least of all him.”
“Is that normal?”
He watched her reflection in the glass, hating the fear etched on her face.
“Nothing about this is normal.” Fed up with talking to her back, he gripped her shoulder and turned her around.
“Adam is rare. Something most believe is only a myth. Hybrids are extraordinarily uncommon, but they do exist. They simply don’t have the capacity to shift.
They’re exceptionally strong and healthy, their senses acute, but they are still primarily human. ”
“How long?”
“How long would I stay with you?” Forever, he wanted to shout.
“For as long as it takes.” There was one thing that needed to be made crystal clear.
“Adam is my son, too, Vinnie. Nothing will ever change that. I want a chance to know him.” It was a yearning in his blood that was separate from his feeling for her.
They were both as necessary to him as his brothers.
They belonged to him. Convincing her wouldn’t be easy, but she’d have to get used to him being around. He wasn’t going anywhere.
“What about your work?”
“I can afford to take time off.” He had more than enough money banked to support him for the rest of his life.
He’d been a bounty hunter, tracker, and sometimes mercenary for twenty years and had invested well.
“What are you afraid of?” She tried to shove past him, but he stepped in front of her to block her retreat.
“Talk to me, Vinnie.” He couldn’t fix a problem unless he knew what it was.
Her eyes narrowed, the green in them snapping with anger. “You want to know what I’m afraid of?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t want Adam getting attached to you only to have you decide fatherhood isn’t for you.”
“That’ll never happen. I told you Mama died giving birth to Silas, and Daddy passed on my eighteenth birthday. I raised six younger siblings, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
“Oh, Cyrus.”
He cut her off, not wanting or needing sympathy.
She didn’t understand him, kept equating him with the human males she knew.
“I’m a wolf, a pack animal. Nothing is more important than protecting those I consider mine.
Both you and Adam are mine. There’s not a chance in hell I’ll ever abandon my son.
” Or her, but she wasn’t ready to hear or believe that.
The pulse in her neck fluttered wildly. “What will we tell everyone?”
“I’ll answer Sheriff Kingman’s questions, but beyond that it’s nobody’s business.”
There was a hint of hysteria in her laugh. “If you think that will work you’ve never lived in a small town.”
She wasn’t wrong. They lived near Jackson but were quite happy in their solitude on Sin Mountain. “We keep to ourselves.”
“That won’t work in Kingman Creek. People have talked about me for years.
Do you have any idea what it was like to be a pregnant twenty-year-old deputy?
I hid it as long as I could, but when I began to show, the shit hit the fan.
I almost lost my job. If it hadn’t been for my mother’s support and those of family friends, I would have.
Oh, not officially. That would have left them open to a lawsuit, but I would have been eased out. ”
He’d never considered all she’d gone through having a baby on her own. “I’m sorry.”
She elbowed him aside and sank down on the edge of the bed. “You’re sorry, and I’m tired. God, I’m tired.” The dark circles beneath her eyes and the slump of her shoulders made him feel like a bully.
He went down on one knee in front of her. “I can’t go back and change the past, but I can promise you, you’re no longer alone. You have me and all my brothers.”
“I’m not sure if I should be grateful or afraid.”
They were an intimidating lot, especially when they were all together.
“Any of them would lay down their lives to protect Adam.” And her.
He’d seen the speculation in their eyes.
They had a damn good idea of how important Vinnie was to him.
Even if they didn’t, she was still Adam’s mama, and therefore under their protection.
“That’s a bit extreme, but I appreciate the sentiment.”
She had no idea it might come to that if Adam’s existence was discovered.
There were always extremist wolves who didn’t want the species to mix, considered any hybrid an abomination.
Having spent his entire life avoiding them, Cyrus had no idea how most packs would react.
They’d need to be ready to answer any response.
“Stay or go, I’ll be with you.” He cupped her cheek in his hand and rubbed his thumb over her smooth skin. “We’ll get through this together.” Even knowing it was probably a mistake, he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. The small sound she made arrowed straight to his groin.
Her lips parted on a sigh. “Why did you do that?”
“Because I had to.” The rightness of it seeped into his bones and settled in his soul.
He was far too old to lie to himself or her.
She was the only woman he’d ever wanted to keep, the only one to ever touch his heart.
The raw truth of it must have been reflected on his face because she was the one who made the next move.
The kiss was a soft, exploratory caress, could have been considered chaste if not for the passion smoldered beneath it.
Every muscle in his body was locked to keep from taking her down onto the bed. As badly as he wanted her, he didn’t want to screw this up by taking advantage when she was tired and vulnerable. They both had enough regrets about the past without adding to them.
They’d come together in a blaze of passion and loneliness all those years ago. This time he wanted more, wanted a chance to see if they could build something together. Getting to know each other and building trust was the first step.
It was more difficult than it should have been to pull away. She swayed, almost asleep sitting up. Cursing himself for giving in to his own needs instead of seeing to hers, he eased her onto her side and tucked her under the covers. “Sleep. I’ll protect you and Adam.”
With a sigh, she closed her eyes. He knelt beside the bed until her breathing evened out. He didn’t have the right to sleep beside her. Not yet, at any rate. “I’ll keep you safe.” Promise given, he made his way back to the living room and dropped down on the sofa.
Loneliness tugged at him, but there was satisfaction too. His entire family was safe and under one roof.