Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Jenna waved my gratitude off and smiled. Again, sadness etched her gorgeous features for a moment. Making our way through what was clearly a much larger home than I’d thought, I kept hold of LeeLee’s hand. We’d left a somber Jenna in the main room, her mind no longer on us or our problems.
The door Jenna had told me to look for appeared, making me shake my head. “I feel as if I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole.’
Her head tilted to the side. “What do you mean?’
I bit my lip, hating that she didn’t know all the things most humans took for granted. “It’s a saying from a classic movie. A young girl falls down a rabbit hole and finds herself in a strange, alternate world. This door reminded me of something Alice would have found in the movie.’
“Ah, I remember. Wasn’t there a big cat that would appear and disappear?’
My heart jumped. “Yes.’
She nodded. “I watched that one as a child, and Cammie did too. My memories are a little jumbled from before...” She stumbled over her words. “I feel like it was a different life. You know? One before I was a wolf, and then the one I’ve lived since.’
She gasped, stopping in front of a large mirror. “What happened to me?’
I watched her run unsteady hands over her long, white-blonde locks. The silver tips looked unreal, but I knew she’d not colored them. It had surprised me when she’d shifted forms, to not be facing a red-haired female, but I hadn’t thought much of it at the time.
“What do you mean?” I asked, wanting to make sure that was what caused the gasp.
Her clear blue eyes blinked up at me. “I had red hair. I think that is why my parents hated me.” She blinked her tears away, then stood taller. “I’d like to take that bath now.’
I opened the door and waited for her to step inside.
The bathroom, like the rest of the home, was larger than one would imagine.
The huge claw-foot tub was big enough for two, but I knew she wouldn’t be inviting me in with her.
I walked over, turned the taps, and made sure the water was warm before I put the old-fashioned-looking stopper in.
“Jenna said there were clothes in the closet. Do you have any requests?’
She shrugged. “I like this.” The wrap-around garment probably reminded her of being free.
“I’ll see if there is anything similar.” I indicated the towel hanging on the rack. “When you’re done, use the towel to dry off, and the robe on the back of the door. I’ll be out here waiting in case you need anything.’
“I’m not a child, Slater,” she growled.
Looking her up and down, I smiled. “Believe me, love, I know. If you were a child, I wouldn’t want to rip that piece of material from you and wash you myself.’
A lovely blush stole up her chest to the roots of her white-blonde hair.
Damn! I would love to see her entire body bathed in pink.
Before I could make a fool of myself, I nodded toward the almost-full tub.
“You holler if you need anything. And I do mean anything.” I winked, turned the water off, then left the room with one last glance at the gorgeous creature my wolf was ready to claim.
Hell, the man in me was too, but we needed to give her time.
The sound of water splashing let me know she’d gotten into the tub. Images of a wet and naked LeeLee flashed in my mind. “Stop it, O’Neil,” I whispered.
In the large wardrobe, I found several kaftan-type gowns in gorgeous jewel-toned colors, but a blue one shot through with silver caught my eye.
On the bed, I found a bag from a popular lingerie store.
I knew I shouldn’t open the damn thing, but my hands and mind had two different agendas.
The scraps of silk inside made me hard. Had my wolf whimpering. Yeah, Jenna was an awesome hostess.
Time ticked by as I sat in a chair beside the bed, my eyes and ears trained on the closed door. I swore I could see through the walls, imagining her hands trailing over each feminine dip and curve on her wet flesh. The fantasy did nothing to cool my straining erection.
When the sound of the plug being pulled hit me, I sat up straighter, adjusting myself to a more comfortable position.
My own fantasy woman walked out in nothing but a large, fluffy towel. I almost swallowed my tongue. “Couldn’t you find the robe?” For fucksake, I’d pointed it out.
Her smile was bright. “I saw no reason to get another item wet when I was just going to get dressed.’
The logic she used was sound, but it was not good for me or my libido.
“Oh, my damn. This is gorgeous.” She fingered the outfit I’d laid out.
I realized she used the phrase oh my damn a lot and wondered where she’d heard it.
“I thought it would look perfect on you.” I cleared my throat.
The deep sound had her looking over at me, sprawled in the chair.
Her eyes traveled the length of me. There was no way she could miss the clear bulge in my jeans.
Although it was as normal as breathing for shifters to get naked in front of others, I could see her worry reflected in every line of her sleek body.
“I’ll just take this into the bathroom and change.” She picked up the wrap kaftan and did a one-eighty back into the restroom.
I let out a breath. “Fuck! How the hell am I supposed to keep my hands to myself?’
I thought of the story I’d heard where Niall had told Zayn to keep his fangs and dick to himself.
Now I totally understood why the other man couldn’t, and how he’d come to have an accidental human mate.
If I’d found LeeLee and she wasn’t a shifter, I was sure I’d still want her, no matter what anyone had to say about it.
“What do you think?’
My head jerked up at her whispered words. The breath froze in my throat. She looked amazing. No, better than that. Goddess, I’d never seen a more gorgeous sight. Even with her hair hanging in wet strands down her back, she was the most gorgeous creature I’d ever seen.
I realized she was waiting for me to answer. “You look amazing. Come here.” I kept my voice low.
The scent of her need hit me the closer she came. “It feels weird wearing clothes, but I remember how to dress.” Her tentative smile had me wanting to shield her from all the wrongs she’d suffered.
When she was within touching distance, I pulled her onto my lap, making her gasp.
“I think I like you out of them better, but you look like a goddess in them, too.” And she did.
With her hair a shade of blonde I’d not seen on a female that hadn’t come from a bottle, the silver tips drew my gaze and the fingers of my left hand.
“Did one of your parents have hair like this?” I held up the wet strand.
Her face scrunched up. “My mom had really blonde hair, while my father’s was a darker shade of blond.
I guess having a red-haired child shocked them and the pack.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but that must’ve been the reason I was never allowed to go outside and play with others.
” The forlorn tone made my heart constrict.
If her parents were still alive, I’d be having a chat with both of them.
I hated how the mention of my family brought the euphoria of only moments before crashing down.
My adult mind now understood what my parents had done and why, though I didn’t agree with or forgive them for it.
I wondered whether they’d known how the old crone treated me.
If they had, would they still have shunned me?
Memories of my childhood threatened to send me into a crying fit, one I wasn’t sure I’d recover from. To distract myself and Slater, I leaned forward and pressed my lips against his. I wasn’t sure who was more stunned. Him or me.
His lips were softer than I’d expected. The firm, yet decidedly sweet feel of having a man’s mouth beneath mine had me humming.
At first, he did nothing but sit there, and I wondered if he didn’t like kissing, or if he was repulsed because I didn’t know how.
Then his mouth moved, his hand reached up, tilting my head to the side.
A sigh escaped my mouth, opening for the press of his tongue, licking my lips as he pulled back.
I felt the first stirrings of lust work their way through my body.
I’d seen the evidence of his arousal when I’d walked out and had exulted that he appreciated my appearance.
“Open your mouth for me, love.” His soft order gave me pause, but I followed his demand.
I could taste the soup we’d eaten and Slater’s own unique flavor.
Oh, my damn. I could get addicted to kissing.
His lips teased mine, tongue sliding inside, inviting mine to rub against his.
Heat poured off him, making me relax against him even more.
The erection beneath me jumped. I wasn’t sure what to do with my hands until he lifted one and placed it around his shoulder.
The other he placed over his beating heart.
My eyes drifted shut, falling deeper under his spell.
Expertly, he kissed me with such passion, tasting every inch of my mouth, teaching me to do the same without saying a word.
He pulled back, sucking my lower lip into his mouth, giving it a little nip that sent a jolt through me.
“Goddess, I could lose myself in your kisses.’
Unsure, I stared into his eyes. “More,” I demanded.
Eliminating the small space he’d put between our mouths, almost hesitantly, I explored his mouth, then with more boldness nipped his lip, moving my tongue over the small wound.
Trailing my hand up his chest, I grabbed his hair, holding him to me.
His body jerked, then his hand began a slow journey down mine, cupping my breast through the silk.
“You like that?” He asked, tweaking the hard nipple.
“Goddess, yes,” I breathed, pushing further into his embrace.
The feel of the material separating us irritated me. I wanted it off, and I wanted it off now. In the next instant, it was gone.
“Damn,” his shocked tone had me gaping at the sight of my bare flesh.