Freedom in the Smokies (8 page)

Micah set a hand on her back. The sheet had fallen to her lap, leaving her breasts exposed, but he didn’t have a good view with her back to his face. He shut his eyes.
Now is hardly the time to ogle her
.

“Here? You’re coming here? …Um, okay…yes…no… I’m in the Smokies… Right, I’m sure you guessed that. I can’t…”

The disjointed conversation had him on edge. He struggled to remain calm. What he really wanted to do was yank the phone from her and demand answers.

“I just started a job…” she glanced at Micah, “…sort of… At a farm that raises thoroughbreds… Okay… The Durhams. I’ll text you the address… Right… See you then. Bye, George.” She set the phone in her lap.

“Kait?”

“Wow.” She didn’t move. He could practically hear her still processing the information. Nope. That wasn’t entirely true. He actually
could
hear her mulling over what she’d learned. He was suddenly in her head. They’d mated. They’d been asleep since the moment after they’d had sex. Hadn’t been able to test their ability.

Her thoughts were a jumbled mess anyway. He needed her to speak. Everything from sorrow to anger to relief warred in her mind.

“What happened? Kait?” He prodded her, his tone as soothing as he could muster, considering how much he wanted to grasp her arms, turn her toward him and stare into her eyes.

Instead, he stayed still where he lay, running his palm up and down her back.

Finally, she lay back down and relaxed into his side. He pulled the sheet up over her as she shivered.

“That was George.”

I got that part, baby.

She jerked and turned her gaze to him. “You’re in my head.”

“Oops. Sorry. Yes.” He gave her a half smile in chagrin. “We should be able to communicate in our minds now. Although, I must say, I have no idea what just happened. Your emotions are all over the place. Share?”

“My grandmother died.”

“Oh God. I’m so sorry.” He kissed her cheek and met her gaze again. She didn’t look right.

“I hated her.”

“Oh.” Wow. That was unexpected.

“I tried. Really, I did. I know she saved me from… Well, she kept me from going into foster care at least. But even after all these years, she never softened. Never warmed up to me. She had a stroke today and I never got a kind word out of her in twelve years.” Her body shook.

“Where are your parents?”

“It was just me and my mom. She died in a car accident when I was ten and I was sent to live with my grandma. She was my only living relative and I had never even met her.”

“Wait. I’m so confused—”

She continued after a deep breath, rapidly recounting her life story. “My mother hated her too, so she took off when she was eighteen, left her family ranch in California and came here to the Appalachians. She was pregnant with me. After years of living under the oppression of her mom, she couldn’t take it any longer. She didn’t want me to be raised that way, and she never even told her mother she was pregnant.

“Unfortunately, things didn’t work out so well. When my mom died, I had no choice but to go to California. That crazy woman took me in, but she never let me forget the burden I was. If it hadn’t been for George and the shifters that worked in the stable, I’m not sure I would have survived.”

“About that… Who’s George?”

“Well, I’ve secretly always believed he was my father. He runs the stable. Runs the entire farm actually. But I never asked and he never offered.”

“Wait, you don’t even know who your father is?”

“Nope. Mom never said. She always told me she would give me details when I was older. But older never happened. The only person who knew who my father was died in that car crash. Unless my father knows about me.” Tears filled her eyes. He knew they were for the mother she lost twelve years ago, not for the dead grandma.

“I’m so sorry, baby.” He tucked one arm under her head and pulled her tight against him. Her tears wet his chest and he held her while she cried.

After several minutes, she quieted and sniffed. “Sorry. I don’t even know why I’m crying. It certainly isn’t for dear old Margaret Winston.” She tried to chuckle.

“Seems perfectly reasonable to me. Has anyone ever shown you a moment’s comfort for your mom?”

She shook her head against his chest. His heart swelled with pain for a little girl yanked from her home and sent to live across the country with no friends or family that cared to hug her. He swallowed, his own tears in jeopardy of falling.

She mumbled into his chest. “So, George is coming here. Like now, tonight, on the redeye. I can’t imagine why.”

“He probably knows more than he said on the phone. And, hell, you said you thought he might be your father. Do you suppose he realizes that?”

“I don’t know. But I’m finally going to muster up the courage to ask him, that’s for sure.”

Several minutes went by. Micah ran his fingers over her shoulders and back. He couldn’t read her with clarity. She was sad and confused and her mind was a jumble of thoughts.

“Micah.”
The urgent voice was that of Sergius, not his mate.
“Sorry to interrupt you, but we have a problem. We need you…like now.”

Micah sighed into his mate’s hair.
Now? Why the fuck do “emergencies” always happen at the most inopportune moments?

“Kaitlyn, baby, I have to go.” He eased from beneath her, cringing at the idea of losing her warmth for even a minute.

“What?” She sat up, her hair all tangled around her face, surprise mirrored in the tone of her voice.

“My brothers need me.” He scrambled to find his clothes strewn across the floor. Jeans…shirt…shoes… He didn’t take his gaze off hers as he dressed. “We three can communicate also. We’re brothers. Sergius yelled for me, so to speak.”

“Now? But…” She shook her head.

A whinny startled him and he ran toward the window. It wasn’t that the horse’s call was loud exactly, but it was way too fucking close to the house.

He peeled back the curtain and glared out into the night.
Shit
.

Kaitlyn ran into the back of him, her naked body against his haphazardly clothed one. “Why are the horses in the yard?”

“I guess that answers my question.” He turned to his sexy mate, took her face in his hands and kissed her briefly. “I’ll be back. Get back in bed. Keep my side warm,” he teased.

He hoped he could return quickly, but goose bumps went down his spine at the number of possibilities running through his mind.

“Are you kidding?” Kaitlyn wiggled free of his grip and scrambled around the room, grabbing her clothes and flinging them on just as quickly as he had. “Horses are my life. I can’t go back to sleep while those gorgeous thoroughbreds wander around in the dark. Are you crazy?”

Apparently
. He smiled at her as she read his thought. So far, he’d yet to purposefully communicate with her, but she was a quick study. She delved into his mind anyway.

Seconds later, they were both dressed and she grabbed a hairband from her pocket and tugged her long locks back into a ponytail as they dashed from the room.

“What the hell is going on?” Micah demanded as they entered the great room.

Juliana scurried toward them from the kitchen. “It’s so weird. We heard the horses and looked out and saw they were all over the place. Everyone else has already run outside.” She ushered them to the back door as she spoke and all three of them headed out into the cool night air.

Sure enough, every horse was wandering around outside the barn.
Fuck
.

Jaxon shouted something in Micah’s direction and pointed behind him. Micah and Kaitlyn joined the mad dash to collect their livelihood.

It took almost an hour to round up all the animals and get them back in their stalls. Every stall stood open. It was not possible. And it was not a coincidence. Someone had done this. It reeked of a vampire—though oddly enough, that referred to the situation, not the scent. There was no smell of McKinney anywhere in the vicinity. As soon as he was within half a mile they could all smell him from inside the house. They had chased him off the property in the past. Never had the bastard gotten so close.

When everything was back where it belonged, they all returned to the house. The women headed for the kitchen to get drinks. Micah and his brothers paced. “What the hell was that all about?”

Sergius ran his hands through his hair. “I have no idea, but it’s disturbing, to say the least. We’re going to have to set up a watch and keep an eye on the barn until we figure this out. I about shit a brick.”

Thoroughbreds were worth thousands. This was no small matter.

Brianna spoke from the kitchen. “I called the sheriff. He’ll be here first thing in the morning.”

Sheriff James Hardin was a friend and ally to the Durhams. He was one of very few people who knew they were wolves. He’d figured out their secret on his own, piecing two and two together years ago when the brothers repeatedly managed to locate missing hikers. Eventually Hardin’s suspicions about them, combined with the not-so-subtle nudging from one very sneaky vampire, led him to become part of their inner circle.

When Hardin needed help, the Durhams were there for him and vice versa. Today, it looked like the tables were turned. Micah could only hope Hardin would be able to do something in this situation.

Jaxon stopped pacing long enough to get Micah’s attention. “Mic, go back to bed. We’ll handle things tonight. And…” he turned toward Micah’s mate, “…Kaitlyn, welcome to the family. Sorry we’re far from normal.” He gave a wry grin and shooed them out of the room.

Chapter Seven

Kaitlyn sat on the edge of the bed and tugged off her shoes. “I need a shower.”

Micah stalked toward her. “I can arrange that. I might even be able to help out.”

She tipped her head and narrowed her gaze. “I’m thinking I won’t end up ‘clean’ with your kind of help.”

“I’m thinking I like you better dirty.” The way he said “dirty” didn’t cause the mind to automatically equate the word “clean” as its antonym.

Micah took her hand and led her to the bathroom. He reached into the shower and flipped the lever to hot. When he pulled his shirt over his head, a flush covered her cheeks. Just because they’d had sex a few hours ago in near darkness didn’t mean she was mentally prepared to share a shower.

He popped the button on his jeans while kicking off his shoes. “Are you gonna take your clothes off or shower in them?” He winked at her where she remained frozen.

God, the man was sexy. His pants fell to the ground, leaving his cock standing at attention. The length appeared to reach for her. His musk filled the room, or maybe it was the scent of their earlier lovemaking. In either case, she inhaled deeply and enjoyed the smell.

Micah stepped in her direction and grasped his dick with one hand. As he stroked from the base to the tip, he spoke. “I think she likes us.”

His teasing tone jerked Kaitlyn from her intense perusal. God, she was staring. How embarrassing.

“Don’t feel bad. Look all you want. I like it. Almost as much as I like what it’s doing to your arousal.”

She whipped her gaze to his face. “You can tell that sort of thing?”

“I can tell everything about you. For example, right now your pussy is so wet, your panties are soaked.”

He was correct, of course. It took every ounce of willpower to keep from squeezing her legs together. She probably would have if she had enough brain cells to make them move. All her mind could focus on right now was the rock-hard body of the man in front of her holding the rock-hard erection. The size still surprised her.

She licked her lips, remembering the feel of his smooth skin inside her mouth.

Micah gripped the bottom of her shirt and pulled it over her head. She raised her arms, too focused on his toned-to-perfection muscles to help. As he removed her jeans, he lowered his head and kissed her.

He nudged her legs apart and stuck one knee between hers. “Open for me, baby,” he murmured against her mouth.

Kaitlyn took a step out with one leg and he pressed his thigh into her pussy. The rough dusting of hair on his leg rubbed her clit, and she had to grab his biceps to keep from falling over.

How could she be this aroused again?

Micah chuckled and pulled back. “It’s the claiming, Kait. It does that.”

If he hadn’t been holding her up with his leg, she’d have melted into a pile on the floor.

Finally, he released the pressure on her pussy to ease her into the shower. She’d been so close to grinding herself against him, she flushed with embarrassment.

Steaming water sluiced across her skin as soon as she stepped into the tile enclosure. It was plenty big enough for the two of them. She sighed. Her legs still shook from the assault on her clit, and the warmth of the shower did nothing to ease her arousal. She needed him inside her again. Now.

Instead, Micah grabbed the shampoo and built up a lather in his palm, his gaze never leaving hers. He worked the soap into her hair, massaging her scalp with his fingers.

This is heaven
.

“Glad you like it. I aim to please.”