Changing Hearts (15 page)

Slade listened to her breathing pattern change. He knew she slept. It amazed him that she trusted him enough to fall asleep beside him. He moved slightly and felt her move with him, a slight protest escaping her. He’d never spent the night in bed with anyone else. Even his first sexual experience hadn’t involved sleeping with his partner.

Sure he’d never be able to sleep like this, he let his eyes close, knowing he’d sense any danger in plenty of time to react.

No one was more surprised than he was when Joie kissed him and he opened his eyes to sunlight starting to creep into the room.

Slade sat straight up in the bed, blinking rapidly. He’d actually slept here, with Joie. She smiled as she reached out to run her hand down his chest. He caught her hand and held it in the center of his chest.

“Good morning, Malcolm.”

“What time is it?”

“Just about six.
Tante
’s in the kitchen so she probably knows you slept here last night.”

“Does that bother you?” He heard the animosity in his own voice but couldn’t have stopped the words. He had to know.

“Of course not. I mean, I’m not one to be that open about my relationships but I think she already knew about us.”

Slade stared hard at her. Her face flushed slightly in embarrassment but she met his eyes, her gaze steady. He nodded, sighed and pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head.

“Yeah, she knows. She mentioned it to me yesterday. Is she gonna come after me with that pistol again?”

“Pistol?
Tante
threatened you with a pistol?” Joie shoved herself up using his chest for leverage, and stared at him.

“Not exactly, well, yeah, I guess. When you found me and brought me back here. When you went inside to get the stew for me? She had a pistol.”

“I didn’t know she’d done that. I’m so sorry.” Joie leaned into his body again, her soft breasts pressing into him, and Slade felt his body react.
Damn, I want her again.
He’d never been this insatiable.

Slade slid down in the bed, pulling Joie over on top of him. He laced his fingers at the small of her back as she propped herself up on him.

“Malcolm, what are you doing?”

“Getting you where I want you.” He grinned up at her, seeing the smile she tried to hide. “Why don’t you reach into that drawer and snag one of those condoms, baby?”

“We can’t.
Tante
will be expecting us in the kitchen.” She sounded scandalized, but he could feel her quickening pulse, could see the arousal darkening her eyes.

“Haven’t you ever heard of a quickie? Come on, baby.” He moved his hands down to cup her ass. Next to big breasts, a nicely rounded ass featured high on his list of favorite female body parts. Joie not only had world-class breasts, her ass was the perfect handful.

She laughed then shimmied up his body, eliciting a groan from him as she reached into the drawer and pulled out a condom. Slade tilted his head slightly, taking one nipple into his mouth. Joie gasped and he watched as she closed her eyes in pleasure. Her mouth opened slightly as he tongued and gently bit at her breast.

“You taste so damn good.” Slade snagged the condom out of her hand and sat up. Joie moaned softly even as she straddled his body. “Help me out here, baby.”

Slade handed her the condom. Her hands were shaking as she rolled it over him. He inhaled sharply as she stroked him, cupping his balls on her downward stroke. Slade watched her face as she trailed her hands up his body, through the hair on his chest. He inhaled sharply again when she dragged her nails over his nipples, then groaned when she moved off him enough to lean forward and bite him softly.

Slade lay back down, gritting his teeth and balling his hands into fists to keep from taking over. He’d promised her a chance to touch, and looked like it was time for her to collect.

Joie stared down at him. She still straddled his body, his hard, more than ready body. She moved her hands back down to his waist then slowly back up to his shoulders. There were small scars hidden in the hair on his chest and larger ones that she traced with a slightly shaky finger. Hard muscle covered by warm silky skin and soft hair. He was truly marvelous.

When she leaned down to kiss one particularly vicious scar close to his heart, Malcolm groaned and cupped the back of her head.

“Bite me.”

“What?” Sure she’d misunderstood him, Joie stared at his face. His eyes were closed, his jaw clenched. As she watched, he opened his eyes and stared right at her.

“Bite me. Mark me. It’s the shifter way.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.” She traced the scar again, almost reverently. He’d been hurt so much in the past.

“Do it. Put your mouth on me and bite.” Malcolm pulled her head down to his chest.

Joie hesitantly opened her mouth over his skin and his scent wafted up to her. She could feel his arousal pulsing against her and she could feel his heart pounding. His breathing became more unsteady as he held her head to his chest.

“Do it, Joie. Bite.” His voice sounded almost like a growl now. Joie bit him, not hard, just enough to put pressure on his skin.

“Harder.”

His voice was definitely a growl now. She closed her mouth and bit harder on him, feeling him move under her.

He positioned himself right at her entrance then pressed on the back of her head again. “Harder, Joie. Mark me.”

Joie bit hard and he thrust upward, entering her in one smooth stroke. She moaned against his skin and as soon as he released her head, she sat up. Malcolm thrust upward again even as Joie stared in horror at the imprint of her teeth on his chest.

“Malcolm!”

“Mine!” He wrapped his arms around her and rolled her over, never breaking contact with her. She’d never seen him look so fierce. His thrusts were hard, his breath harsh, and all she could do was hold on. He dragged her over the edge, stifling her cries when his mouth covered hers.

Malcolm continued to thrust into her body and when she felt his body tightening above her, he moved his mouth to her neck. He bit her just below the pulse. She felt his teeth close on her neck and wondered if he’d drawn blood. She arched her back, trying to get away from him, and felt him surrender to his own explosive climax.

Slade licked slowly over the mark he’d made on Joie’s neck. The imprint of his teeth was visible but he hadn’t broken the tender skin. She was well and truly marked as his now. He’d either saved her or condemned her.

That thought made him pull away from her. Joie stared up at him with tears in her eyes.

“Shit. Joie, baby, did I hurt you?”

“No, not really. Would you let me up, please?”

Slade moved slowly, withdrawing from her body and rolling to his side to deal with the condom. The area just above his right nipple felt tender. She’d bitten him just as he’d wanted her to. Had she been a shifter she’d have broken the skin, bloodying him and he’d have done the same.

Joie got off the bed and he got angry when he saw her shaking. Angry with himself, not at her.

“Joie, I…” he stopped as she walked into the bathroom and closed the door. Slade got off the bed, tossed the spent condom into the garbage then walked over to the bathroom door. He put his hands against the door, leaning into it. He could hear her on the other side, her breathing ragged, and he knew in his soul she was crying.

Slade tried the knob, surprised to find it unlocked. He opened the door slowly and moved into the small room. Joie looked into the mirror, meeting his gaze. Tears rolled slowly down her cheeks, more gathered in her eyes.

He reached out, waiting for her to strike out at him, and touched her shoulder. Joie spun toward him, wrapping her arms hard around his waist, hanging on for dear life.

“Baby, baby, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Slade murmured above her even as he kissed the top of her head. He stroked up and down her back, hugging her, touching her, trying to comfort where he’d never done so before.

“Why? Why did you make me hurt you?” His chest muffled her voice.

Shocked to his very marrow, Slade drew back to stare at her.

“I’m a healer, Malcolm. I can’t harm someone else. It hurts me to do that.” He could hear the tears in her voice.

“Baby, you didn’t hurt me.” Slade backed up, sat on the toilet and pulled her into his lap. She cuddled against him, tucking her head under his chin. Here he thought she’d be mad at him and she was mad at herself. “I wanted you to mark me, Joie. It’s the shifter way. It’s, hell, I don’t know how to explain it.”

“Are you sure I didn’t hurt you?” She snuffled against him and he tore off a length of toilet paper, handing it to her.

“Do I look hurt to you? Here I thought you were mad ‘cause I’d hurt you!” Slade huffed out a breath then tilted her head back so that she met his eyes. She’d wiped at her eyes but they still flowed with tears. He never wanted to see her cry again.

How do I fix this?

“You didn’t hurt me, baby. You’d have to bite a lot harder to hurt me. Hell, with what we were doing, it felt damn good.”

Joie smiled tremulously at him, her bottom lip still quivering a little. Slade leaned forward and slowly licked the tears from her face then sucked her lower lip into his mouth. “You taste so fucking good.”

“No fucking,” she murmured even as he moved his head to lick her other cheek.

Slade chuckled and squeezed her tight enough to stop her breath. His chuckle turned into a full-blown laugh and he kissed her again.

Joie shook her head as the lunatic she’d fallen in love with laughed at her. She’d been so afraid of hurting him and he dismissed it as nothing.
Love? Oh
Mon Dieu
! I love him.

Malcolm stopped laughing, hugged her again then stood and stepped into the shower, still holding her in his arms. Joie shrieked as he turned the water on and the cold hit her back. She shoved on Malcolm until she could get out of the spray of the water, then looked up to see him grinning again.

Joie stomped her foot down on his instep then shrieked again when he picked her up. Malcolm kissed her soundly, stepping under the water with her. They showered quickly then stumbled out of the bathroom to dress before
Tante
Kay came to see what all the noise was about.

Malcolm got dressed before she did, kissed her forehead, winked and left her bedroom. Joie watched him go then sighed. “This whole situation is insane!” The sound of her own voice woke her from her daydream. Joie pulled her hair back away from her face as she started to leave the room.

Her foot hit his jacket and something hard in the pocket. Joie picked the small wooden box up, the urge to open it strong. She shook her head, placed the box on her nightstand and left her room.

* * * * *

Kay looked up as he walked into the kitchen. The smirk on her face might have pissed him off any other morning, but today he bore the mark of his mate, and nothing could… Mate?!

Slade stopped just inside the kitchen door, his heart pounding hard in his chest. He felt like throwing up and dancing in the yard, all at the same time. His feelings were too jumbled, too raw.

Shit! Mate? Is that what she is? Joie is my mate.

He moved like a sleepwalker into the kitchen and sat down at the table. The old woman said something but he couldn’t process it. His mind still tried to grasp the concept of a mate. He’d never thought about taking a mate before, never really wanted to. Slade looked around the room without really focusing on what he saw.

He’d found her or been found by her quite by accident but his attraction to her had been more immediate than anything else in his life. Never had he wanted a woman more than he’d wanted Joie. Now that he’d had her, he couldn’t imagine not having her in his life.

Is this what happens when you mate? You can’t imagine being without the other person?

Even knowing he’d have to leave, he still wanted her. He wondered briefly if he could talk her into going with him, but knew she’d never leave the bayou. Besides, she’d only slow him down. He couldn’t see Joie living off the back of his bike, moving from place to place, never having a real home. She’d hate that type of existence.

Slade shook his head as he tried to focus on his surroundings.
Tante
Kay said something about going into town and Joie had come into the room without him even knowing it. No, that wasn’t true, he’d known she was there. He’d felt her come into the room. He’d just been so caught up in his own warped mind that he hadn’t said anything.

Both women were staring at him as though waiting for an answer. Slade took a deep breath. “What?”

“I asked what you planned to do today, boy. Me and Joie, we got bidness to do. You want to go along?”

“No. No, I’ll stick around here for a while. I may have to go back to New Orleans soon.” He avoided making eye contact with Joie, having just decided that he needed to get far away from her, from both of them. He didn’t want her in any danger.

“You take care goin’ back there, boy. They be looking for you, for sure.”

“Yeah, I kinda figured that out.” Slade couldn’t help but grin at the old woman. She really was one tough old bird. He glanced at Joie and his grin widened. When Joie got to be as old as Kay, she’d be just as tough. But right now she was one tender morsel.

She shook her head at him as she rolled her eyes. She must have guessed the way his thoughts were heading. Of course, when near her, his thoughts process pretty much centered on when he’d get to take her back to bed again.

Joie got up from the table and started clearing it. Slade looked at his empty plate with no idea of what he’d eaten but with a full stomach. He was content to simply watch Joie move around the kitchen. Contentment wasn’t something he knew much about, but he thought this must be it.

The sound of a truck turning off the main road pulled him sharply back into the present. The engine didn’t sound like one he’d heard here at the cabin before. As the truck traveled down the gravel road, Slade got quickly to his feet and left the kitchen. If this was another of their friends, he didn’t want to be seen in human form. If this were someone looking for him, he’d have a better chance of outrunning them in wolf form.