Craving Her (Keeping Her Series Book 4) (5 page)

When the delivery men set
it up, every pack male but Demon stopped in the doorway and stared.  Ben winked
at her.

Her brother, in his
infinite wisdom, laughed and said, “Bow-chicka-wow-wow.”

Which admittedly was
funny . . . to everyone but her father.  He glared at the bed like he was
trying to set it on fire with his eyes.  When Ian made his joke, he transferred
that glare to his children. 

Cleo did her best to look
innocent.  “What?”  Which had him gnashing his teeth and looking like he was
fighting the need to roar.

Luckily for all of them
that was when Miley pushed her way through the door.  “Oh, Cleo.  It’s
amazing.  Where on Earth did you find it?”

Cleo was tempted to laugh
again when her father glared his exasperation towards his mate.  “Amazing?  It
looks like . . .”

“Romance,” Miley
interrupted, sparing not a look for her mate’s displeasure.  “Old world
romance, when there were still knights and their ladies.  It’s lovely.”

“Romance?” Lucas
sputtered.

Then Clytie and Cassandra
pushed through the men clogging the doorway into the room, pulling Roxanne in
behind.  They both gasped at the bed, ignoring the men hovering behind them.

“How lovely,” Clytie
gushed, while Cassandra ran her hand over the foot-board in obvious
appreciation.  “It makes me think of castles and dragons.”

Demon stood taller than
the rest of the men by a good half foot, so when he stepped up behind them, he
had a clear view of the bed.  His grunt was non-committal, but his eyes flashed
to his mate beside that bed and brightened considerably.

“Romance?” Ian asked with
a snort.  “Makes me think of fu- . . .”  Catching Roxanne’s eyes on him, as
they tended to be whenever they occupied the same space, he winced to a stop
without finishing the thought.  Of course, that could have been Demon’s hand on
the back of his neck, squeezing.

Cassandra stepped up and
to the door and started pushing the men back through it.  “Why don’t you all
get the rest of the boxes while we sort out Cleo’s room.  I doubt you all want
to watch us go through her girl things.”

At that, Lucas’ glare
turned from the bed to Cleo, then to the men of his pack.  He wretched the door
from Cassandra’s hand and pulled it closed, pushing the men out the door with
the length of wood until it clicked shut.  All the women still in the bedroom
looked at each other and burst out laughing.  Cleo fell back on her new
mattress thinking that just the look on her father’s face made the bed worth
the cost.

She wondered secretly
what would have been Shawn’s reaction, but he had business elsewhere today. 
Probably better that way.  Not sure what she would have done if Shawn had
stepped foot in her bedroom, especially when it was the hawk-shifter she
pictured naked in the bed with her the first time she saw it.  She might admit
just to herself that it was the fantasy of Shawn that had her buying it without
even a haggle over the price.

The other ladies of her
pack joined her on the mattress laughing, Roxanne bouncing into Cleo’s lap.
They all heard her father blustering his lion temper at the rest of the pack as
they banged around in the other room.  The bed was comfy, the company great. 
That feeling of being a part of something special, well that was just icing on
the cake.

CHAPTER
FIVE

By the time everyone left,
it was almost 11 pm.  The paintings and pictures she had bought or brought from
Lionsgate decorated the creamy yellow walls.  Her furniture was set up and her books
lined all her bookcases.  The kitchen was stocked and the decorative towels and
colorful appliances set off the white tiles and sparkling monochromatic glass
back-splash.  Her bedroom, bath, and office were also set up.  Not that she
spent much time at her computer, preferring to be out among the planes and
mechanics of Lionsgate.

Colorful pillows,
sprawled over the big leather couch and chair, and the colorful rugs adorned
every hardwood floor in the place.  Everyone had left looking bright-eyed with
satisfaction.  Leaving Cleo in her first adult apartment, she was thrilled to
putter around, moving things here or there, making plans for where she would
hide her weapons in each room.  Things were a little trickier with Roxanne
planning on coming around, gun safety being a huge concern, even if they were
leaving for home first thing in the morning, and she probably wouldn’t see her
often.  The thought cut through her new apartment glow and started her
listening to the cavernous silence of her new place.

She found herself sitting
on her bed restless and thinking of maybe finding a place to run, alone.  Which
in turn started her thinking of what Miley had said to her.  What would she
attempt to do if she could not fail?  And why was she thinking of that now? 

There was only one thing
that came to mind again and again.  Being here made her think of Shawn sharing
it with her.

Great.
 
Was she so pathetic that she could not spend a single night on her own without
thinking of someone to share it with? 

But let’s face it; this
was not the first time she had gone to bed with Shawn on her mind.  He had been
her nighttime companion since she was old enough to recognize what he would be
to her.  She had bought the stupid bed with Shawn in mind. 

Maybe it was time she
told him that. 

Even as the thought
solidified, it amped up her nerves until they were jumping under her skin.  So
many things could go wrong if she went down this road, but Miley was right, she
would always regret it if she did not at least try with Shawn.  And with her
nerves pressing just under her skin, she went looking for the one thing she
rarely wore.  A dress.  The only reason she had one little black dress was
because she read somewhere that they were essential to a woman’s wardrobe. 
Plus, when she tried it on, the short V-neck black dress made her boobs look
like they actually existed.  And, it was loose fitting so she could get her
guns and knives in place without worrying about bulges.  Besides, it looked
cute with her knee-high boots.  Those were not qualities even she could step
away from in clothes – even if it was a dress.  At the last minute, she decided
to forgo the weaponry.  Talk about feeling naked, but if Shawn was going to rip
her clothes off, and she certainly hoped that was what would happen.  She did
not want him to have to stop for weapon removal.  She did have a sweet little
Glock hidden in the car so she would not be completely exposed.  It just felt
like it.

***

Most of the pack had
their homes wherever they ended up on the map, but when they were in Napa, they
stayed at the pack house at Lionsgate.  Shawn had purchased his house outside
of town, but close enough that he rarely stayed at Lionsgate, unless there was
danger to the pack.  It was set back in a twenty-acre parcel that embraced the
trees, and overlooked a private lake where he kept a fishing boat.  She had
never been there, but she had heard about it.  It was quiet and private.  When
she stopped the car and looked up at the many levels of the gabled roof
surrounded by tall trees, she could see why a hawk-shifter would particularly
like it.

Stepping out of the car
and closing the door, she took in what she could of the lake cabin and slightly
wild flower beds.  She caught glimpses of moonlight on the water through the
trees and knew that the lake was close to the back porch.  She took a deep
breath to steady her nerves and turned to look right into raptor eyes shining
at her from the trees.

“Hey, Shawn,” she said
mildly, her lion eyes, though nowhere nearly as good as his, still allowed her
to see the shape of his feathered form high in the trees.  And there was no
mistaking the glow of predator eyes in the dark. 

He would have heard her
coming as soon as she turned onto his drive, if not before.  So it was
ridiculous to feel her heart pounding and her adrenaline surging because he was
watching her.

The oversized hawk spread
his massive wings and swooped down and around the house.  With a hard release
of the breath she had been holding, Cleo headed for the front door, sure that
Shawn had a window open in the back for him to enter unseen.

Sure enough, by the time
she stepped onto the front porch, the door opened and Shawn stood there in
hastily donned jeans and nothing else.  He was barefoot and he might have a few
inches on her, but still, this close they were eye to eye.  Hazel to blue, she
met his cold stare across the entry.

“Why are you here Cleo?” he
asked, that voice of his enough to send shivers up her spine even when the look
behind it was less than welcoming.

She ignored the wholly
unwelcoming vibes and forged ahead.  “You could invite me in.”

He looked her over,
taking in her black dress that skimmed well above her knees over sleek, black
knee-high boots and shook his head.  “Not a good idea.”  The flash of raptor
that briefly flashed in his eyes was the only thing that gave her the courage
to step closer.  She stood right at his threshold, close enough that she could
feel the heat from his body through her thin dress.

“You had to know I would
show up sooner or later.”  She licked dry lips.  “Or I could have waited for
you to come to me, but I think we both knew this was going to happen.”

His eyes flashed again
before his jaw clenched.  “Go home, little girl.  Or, better yet, go back to
your father’s house where someone can keep you out of trouble.”

Cleo narrowed her own
eyes, getting angry.  “Invite me in, Shawn.”

“Not going to happen.”

She stepped even closer
until she barely brushed all that hot skin.  The fingers of her right hand
trailed down his flat stomach to the top of his jeans.  She knew her own eyes
were fully lion now, and he had to smell how much she wanted him wafting from
her skin.  She met his angry eyes, taking a gamble that there was desire there,
too.  “What are you afraid of?”

Hearing the blatant
challenge, he moved suddenly.  The tension exploded with a harsh curse from his
angry lips.  Grabbing her in a hard grip, he pulled her inside.  She was shoved
up against the wall even before the door slammed beside her.  “You want to play
games with me, princess?”  His voice had dropped an octave and his eyes had
sharpened to full-on predator.  Even his bones seemed sharper in his face.  He
shoved in closer until he was standing between her hips.  His erection even
through his jeans was a hard pressure on her thigh, and if he thought the pain
of his grind was going to scare her off, he had her confused with a different
kind of girl.

“Am I the one playing
games?” she asked, her eyes hot on his face.  She dropped her head until she
could lick a swipe across his naked collar bone.  He growled, even as she
purred.  She met his eyes again, licking her lips.  “I know exactly what I
want, and I’m telling you straight out.  So, who is the one playing games here?”

His hand fisted in her
hair and he pulled her head back to the wall a little too forcefully.  “Then I’ll
put this flat out.  This isn’t going to happen, princess.”

Cleo was ready to hiss at
the stubborn ass.  “Because you don’t want me?  I don’t believe that.  Not
after that kiss.”

He looked her over.  His
hand in her hair, his body pressed along hers, and the heat of his cock pressed
hard and hot against her should have been reassuring.  But then she saw his
eyes close down, and turn cold.  Cleo threw a palm over his lips before he
could say what she knew they would both regret.

“Don’t say anything you
don’t mean, Shawn.  If it’s what I see in your eyes, we’re both going to regret
it.  I’m not here on some schoolgirl whim, or adolescent crush.”  Her voice
broke a little so she raised her chin, her own eyes going hard with pride.  “Be
very sure before you throw us away.”

She moved her hand
slowly, enjoying the feel of his lips across her palm even as she held her
breath for what was to come.  This was the moment that would make or break them,
and if he blew it, she was going to kick his ass.  Then he spoke, and the words
he chose without any hesitation were worse than she had imagined.  He used them
with cold abandon in that sexy deep voice of his, like a razor across the
tendons of her heart.

“My body would react to
any woman pressed up against me in a fuck me dress and hooker boots, even one
who doesn’t have a clue how to seduce a man.”  He pushed himself off her,
stepping back.  His eyes roved over her and dismissed her in one shot. “You are
just not quick roll material, princess.”  Again, he left her shivering and
alone after the warmth of his heat.

Cleo swallowed the insult
of his words, and the idea that she was just any woman to him.  She could feel
the emotions pressing on the back of her eyes and forced them down before she
did something unforgivable, like cry.  Instead, she stepped forward, her chin
jutting, her eyes flashing lion gold. 

“You are such a coward.” 
She was tempted to slap him, rake her claws down that hard chest, and mark him
up just for the satisfaction of getting a reaction besides cold disdain, but
she restrained herself, barely.  “So, that’s it then?  I should just give up on
you?  That’s how you want it?”  When the only reaction she got was a tightening
of his jaw, it was too much.

“Say something!”

His eyes warmed, but
whatever emotion was driving him did not reach his voice.  It was coldly
implacable. “That’s how it is.”

She did slap him then,
hard enough that his granite jaw was turned with the blow.  She couldn’t have
stopped herself if she tried.  Then she was out the door and gone before he
could see how very much his words wounded.

***

Standing there with the
feel of her hand print hot on his face, Shawn would not have seen it anyway. 
His eyes were very carefully closed against the sight of Cleo walking away from
him.  He would have never been able to keep still if he had to watch that.  As
it was, his whole body was in revolt with just the idea of his mate walking
away.  But damn him to hell if he took what he wanted without thinking of the
consequences.

***

Cleo slammed into her car
and abused the road, tearing it up as she left.  She was too angry to cry, but
above that, her lion was roaring in her head to go back and make him accept
them.  But she was done.  If he was going to be such a coward as to push her
away when he so clearly wanted her, then he didn’t want her enough.  Not the
way she wanted him.  Not the way she needed him to want her.  She pressed down
her lion with a will, knowing that if she didn’t calm down she would be
shifting behind the wheel of her Cooper.  And while that would make Shawn feel
like shit, her mangled body would not be happy either.  Besides, she wouldn’t
give him the satisfaction.  She wiped a tear off her cheek with an angry swipe
and refused to accept that it was there.  She would not cry for a man who didn’t
have the courage to claim his mate.  Then another tear fell, and then another, until
she was finally forced to pull over when she couldn’t see the road.

“Okay,’ she said out loud
in a calming way, and then ruined it by slamming her fist against the steering
wheel.  “Motherfucking son-of-a-bitch!”  She hit the steering wheel again and
closed her eyes, trying to draw in cleansing oxygen, but damn if she couldn’t
still smell him.  “Fine!  I get it!” she yelled to no one when her lion kept
pressing against her skin and clawing at her brain for release.  “You want to
run right back to him.  Fuck that, we aren’t giving him the satisfaction.  He
wants to pretend we’re nothing to each other?”  She slammed the dash three
times,
whack, whack, whack
!  “So be
fucking
it!  I’m done!” 

It took her awhile to
calm her lioness down.  To say she disagreed was an understatement, but if Cleo
had learned anything in her strange upbringing and break from the lion pack that
had been her mother’s, she knew how to deal with her lion.  “When he changes
his mind he’ll have to work for it.”  The lioness calmed enough that she could
breathe with the idea that he would be back.  “It will serve him right if I’ve
moved on and left him to a mate-less fate, the coward,” she muttered, shifting
into gear more forcefully than probably wise.  That Cleo was lying to herself
she well knew, but if she kept saying it, she might just believe it.  Whatever
came next, at least she was not the one too scared to make a move anymore.  Now
the ball was in his court.  She knew he was her mate.  He had to know he was
her mate.  So
what the fuck
was he thinking? She shook off the thought
before she got mad all over again. Luckily, the dented steering wheel and
broken dash did not affect her ability to head home.  And head home she did,
with her brain working overtime trying to sort through everything that had
happened and form a solid plan to move forward.