Chapter Eight
His brothers were watching him with various degrees of concern, but all Eli’s attention was on Kinley.
She’d honestly been ready to walk out the door.
She’d cried too, the telltale stain on her shirt giving away her secret.
He didn’t mention it, knowing she wouldn’t want him too, would despise what she’d see as a sign of weakness. She wore her bravado like a shield.
He half-expected her to make a break for it, but she walked back to the table and sat, keeping her eyes on her plate. He wanted to carry her someplace they could be alone and talk, but that would have to wait. They had plans to make. But first he had to feed her.
“Have some bacon.” Without waiting for her to take some, he dumped a half-dozen pieces onto her plate, hesitated, and added two more. Levi smirked, while Silas grinned. Noah passed him the eggs. Before he could add some on her plate, she snatched the bowl from his hands.
“Let me do that or I’ll end up with all the eggs and there won’t be any left for the rest of you.”
He swallowed his grin of relief at the return of her natural assertiveness and grabbed the bowl of hash browns.
Nothing seemed to keep her down for long.
It was probably a combination of her take-charge personality and how she was raised.
Made him wonder how much shit she’d dealt with over the course of her life.
She was probably already planning her next move.
Spoon in midair, he realized he had no idea what her plans were beyond surviving.
Just because he’d been considering what might happen after this problem was handled, didn’t mean she was thinking along the same lines.
“You gonna take some of those or just waving them in the air for fun?” Zach pointed at the hash browns.
Ignoring his brother, he loaded up and shoved the bowl down the table.
There wasn’t much conversation beyond “pass the bacon” as they chowed down, all of them more concerned with filling their bellies before they got down to business.
Cutlery clinked against plates. Coffee mugs were refilled.
Food vanished at a rapid rate until there was nothing left but crumbs.
Kinley had emptied her plate. Good, she needed the calories.
She was too thin for a healthy she-wolf.
Cyrus rapped his knuckles against the table to gain their attention. “First things first.” He turned to Kinley, who tensed. “You need clothes.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “I can manage. I’m sure it’s only for a couple of days.” The breakfast he’d eaten sat like a stone in his stomach as she confirmed his worst fear—she was going to bolt as soon as she was safe.
“You need clothes,” Eli insisted. “There’s no telling how long you’ll be here.” He silently dared Cyrus to contradict him. “Zach?”
“I can order some stuff online, get overnight shipping, and pick it up tomorrow. Or you can take Kinley to the Walmart in Jackson. She can get the basics there.”
“Wait a second.” She held up her hand like a stop sign. “I can’t be spending money on clothes. What I have isn’t enough to pay you all for protection.”
Eli clenched his jaw and sought patience. “I told you I’m not taking your money.”
“You can’t make that decision for your brothers. They’re risking their lives. This is what you do for a living.”
“Excuse us.” Shoving up from the table, he grabbed her hand. She jumped up and stumbled along behind him.
“Where are we going?”
“Somewhere we won’t be disturbed.”
“Don’t be long,” Cyrus yelled after them. “We don’t have a lot of time.”
“Damn, he got out of doing the dishes,” Silas complained.
Ignoring his brothers, Eli stalked across the yard and down a path toward the creek.
“Stop dragging me.” Kinley dug in her heels and yanked.
Shit, he was dragging her. Releasing her, he raked his fingers through his hair.
“We need to get a few things straight.” He bent down until their noses were almost touching.
“I don’t want your money. And before you start again, they don’t want your money.
” He pointed back at the house. Sure enough, both Noah and Levi were watching through the window. “Come on. We can’t do this here.”
She looked toward the house, but the two bastards had ducked out of sight. They were enjoying his discomfort way too much. “Shouldn’t we stay close, just in case?”
“There was no movement overnight.” If there had been, someone would have woken them. “We have hidden cameras and sensors set up around the property. Zach is monitoring them. And we’re not going far.” Rather than take her hand, he waved her ahead of him and let her set the pace.
They walked for quite some time, meandering in circles to stay close, letting the peace of the mountain sink into them. He could practically hear her brain working, trying to come up with some solution where no one would get hurt. He could have told her it was a waste of time.
Finally, she broke her silence. “I’m not trying to be difficult about all this. I’m trying to be practical.” The thread of exhaustion in her voice diffused his remaining anger.
“And I’m not trying to take over.” She started to say something but clamped her lips shut.
He appreciated her not calling him on that.
“Maybe I am, a bit, but you don’t have to carry the entire load yourself.
” He wanted to be the one she turned to when she needed a shoulder or someone to listen.
It made no sense, considering they barely knew each other, but the instinct wouldn’t be denied.
“You’ve done a hell of a job staying free this long, but we all need help sometimes. ”
“I’m not used to asking for it.” Head down, she kicked at the dirt with the toe of her boot, refusing to meet his gaze.
If her daddy wasn’t dead, they’d be having words over that. “You don’t have to ask.” He stopped her in the middle of the path. “I’m offering. We’re offering.”
She bit her bottom lip. “I’m not sure you understand how bloody this is going to get. Uncle Duke will view this as you stealing a female member of his pack.”
“We didn’t steal you. You ran.” Hard and fast with next to nothing. She’d been desperate.
“The truth doesn’t matter, not to him. As far as he’s concerned, I’m female and exist to do his bidding. In this case, it’s to keep his new enforcer happy and help grow the pack by having babies.”
His hands fisted by his sides. Over his dead body would he allow some male to take her against her will. What the hell was wrong with them? If all of them were like this, it was little wonder his daddy had impressed on them to keep away from the packs.
“That’s not happening.” Fur brushed the inside of his skin, his wolf wanting out.
She gripped the front of his shirt in his hand.
“You’re not listening. This isn’t some bounty you’re chasing or even human gang members you’re trying to take down.
This is an entire pack of male wolves who can shift, who are as strong, as stealthy as you are, and they’ll be out for blood. ” Her breath was coming hard and fast.
“Sweetheart, we’re damn good at what we do.
Doesn’t matter if they’re wolves. We’re better.
” He’d been trying to reassure her but decided he’d failed miserably when she smacked him in the stomach with the back of her hand.
It wasn’t hard, and certainly didn’t hurt.
It was more to get his attention, the kind of swat his mama might have given him if she’d caught him doing something stupid.
“Arrogance will get you killed.”
She wasn’t wrong. “You’re right, it will.
Your pack members are used to relying on their natural strength and talents to handle problems.” They’d expect Eli and his brothers to be weaker simply because they weren’t part of a larger pack.
That overconfidence would be their downfall.
The Sin brothers never underestimated an opponent. “This is what we do for a living.”
“They have the sheer numbers to overpower you. As good as you are, you’re not invincible.” Her eyes clouded with concern. “I don’t want anything to happen to you or your brothers.”
“Why?” It wasn’t fair to take advantage of her emotional state, but he needed honesty from her. “You tried to hire me to protect you. Why worry now?”
“I didn’t know you then.” She threw her hands in the air, stalked off, stopped, spun around, and stalked back. “I didn’t care, damn it.” Her voice trailed off. “I didn’t care. I don’t want to care.”
Ouch! He’d wanted the truth and he’d gotten it. Didn’t change anything on his side. He’d still do everything in his power to protect her.
“But I do,” she whispered, as though admitting some deep, dark secret.
“Kinley.” He looped his arm around her waist and eased her toward him. She braced her hands against his chest. Neither of them knew where their relationship was going, if anywhere, but like her, he sensed the possibility that something special existed between them.
It happened like that with wolves sometimes. His daddy had often said the first time he’d seen their mama he’d known right then and there that she was the woman for him and she’d change his life forever.
It should scare him shitless. Avoiding romantic entanglements was something he did as easily as breathing, but he didn’t want to do that with Kinley.
If anything, it was the opposite. He was throwing himself into this headfirst, because there’d be no living with the regret if he let her go without trying.
His brothers were waiting. Cyrus, no doubt, was cursing Eli for his actions even as he prepared to fight.
If wolves from Alabama weren’t already on their way, they would be here soon enough.
Smarter men would cut their losses and let her go, but he’d witnessed the lust, the possession stamped on Holden’s face.
The man wanted Kinley and didn’t care what he had to do to get her.
It wasn’t that he cared about her, it was more he considered her his property.
What century was her pack living in? His mama would have ripped out Holden’s throat if he’d tried that crap with her. Sadie Sin had tended to be a bit bloodthirsty when she felt she or her family were being threatened. They’d learned as many skills from her as they had their daddy.
“We should get back.” She licked her lips, drawing his attention to them.
“We will, but first I need to do this.” Heat exploded when their lips touched. Her fingers dug into his skin. The sound she made raised goose bumps on his arms. This was right. This was everything. “You were going to leave.” He trailed kisses along her jaw.
“To protect you and your brothers.” Gasping, she gripped his hair and dragged his mouth back to hers.
He thrust his tongue into her warmth, claiming it as his own.
Not to be outdone, she aggressively surged against him.
A low growl rumbled through his chest. Physically, this woman was his perfect match.
He didn’t need to hold back what he was.
His size, and the animal wildness that was as much part of him as the color of his eyes, didn’t scare her.
If anything, it seemed to call to the wildness inside her.
Seemingly of their own volition, his hands cupped her ass and tugged her closer.
She slipped her palms under his shirt and stroked his bare skin.
Wolves were tactile creatures by nature.
Unlike most human males, he and his brothers hugged often, or they might rub an arm against each other as they walked by.
It was reassurance that you belonged, that you were loved and accepted.
While he couldn’t say for sure what her relationship to her daddy had been like, she seemed to be starved for the most basic affection.
Breathing heavily, he broke the kiss and released her. She blinked several times and glanced away, her cheeks turning a delightful shade of pink. He tugged his shirt down, already missing her hands on him. “I’ll protect you, no matter what.” He was committed now. “You don’t owe me anything.”
Her brow furrowed. “You already told me you won’t let me pay you.”
Shit, he was going to make a mess of this, but he wanted one point made very clear. “Sex. You don’t owe me sex.”
She jerked as if he’d struck her. “Is that what you think of me? That I’d trade my body for protection?”
He hated that he’d hurt her. That had never been his intention, just the opposite, in fact.
He dragged his hands through his hair. “Of course not, but from what you’ve said, there was a lot of pressure on you to do just that back home.
I don’t want you to think you have to do that here.
” He stared up at the morning sky, the blue reminding him of her eyes.
“I’m attracted to you.” He lowered his gaze and rested his hands on his hips.
“More than that, I like you, Kinley. More than I probably should.” This woman was forcing him to emotionally strip himself bare.
Couldn’t say he liked it, but if that’s what he had to do, then he’d do it.
Her stricken expression turned to one of understanding. “You’re nothing like Holden or the rest. Don’t for one second think I’d put you in the same category. I feel safe with you. I know if I say stop, you will.”
“Always.” Since he was being honest, he might as well go all the way.
“That doesn’t mean I won’t do my best to convince you of how good it would be between us.
” Maybe he was building it up to be better than anyone could live up to, but if kissing her was this explosive, it made sense that when they finally got naked together, they’d blow the roof of the place.
She shook her head, but she was smiling. “I have no doubt your best is better than most.”
His wolf preening inside him at her praise, Eli shot her a cocky grin. “You have no idea.” His wolf alerted as a sound intruded. “Unfortunately, it will have to wait. We have company.”
Levi jogged toward them. “You need to come back to the house. Duke Wright just contacted Cyrus.”