Heartfelt (7 page)

“Danger?” A tight grasp on his temper, Conrad scoffed. “My colony is not creating danger. It is protecting me. It is doing what it can to make the world safer and better for everyone. Besides, what do you know about my colony? How could you profess to know anything?”

His parents exchanged glances, and his mother took a deep breath. “The were-cat community exists outside of human detection. But we hear things.”

A controlled growl rolled in his chest and came out as cynical snickering. “I can just imagine you and your friends chittering about my colony mates, as though you have nothing better to do with your time than criticize.”

His mother held his gaze, her lips a tight, thin line. “It’s not like that, Conrad. I wish you could understand how far your stature and affluence can take you—if you align with the right people, including in the were-cat community. You should consider joining our colony. The members are strictly pures and we interact with other colonies located in Canada and Europe. It could be a very fruitful association for you.”

“That’s right, son. We’re thinking of you and what’s best for you, as we always have.” His father’s voice ground on Conrad’s nerves.

Conrad leaned forward across the table. “If you truly loved me and wanted to show me, you would let me live my life as I choose, interacting with were-cats I’m comfortable being around. You’d be happy I have a great friend in Asia, and welcome her to the party.” They didn’t know back when he joined and he wouldn’t share it with them now, but in what was now Casey’s colony he’d found a safe place.

His father’s cheek muscle clenched. “We only want what’s best for you, Conrad,” he repeated. “You have to trust us. Asia is not your friend. She’s a moggy, and moggies see you for what you can give them. They can’t be trusted.”

Conrad’s pulse raced. His body tingled with adrenaline. He wouldn’t let them see his emotions or that he was so close to rage that he was fighting shimmering right here in the sunroom.

Slowly, he folded his napkin and laid it on the table. He could be calm. There was nothing to benefit from flashing his anger at them. He pushed away from the table and made to leave. “I’m sorry you feel that way, both of you. Asia is my friend and I want a friend with me at your gala. I expect you’ll treat her with the respect and graciousness you reserve for your own friends.”

His mother stood and walked up under his nose. “Your kindness to humans and moggies is admirable. But you are only causing problems that you may not be able to manage. You don’t want harm to come to your friend, do you? Or for your friend to feel out of her element? Reconsider, Conrad, and start a relationship with Rebecca.”

“That sounds like a command. I don’t take well to commands, not even from you, Mother.” He turned to leave, sorrow lying in a lump in his heart, but his father grabbed his arm.

“Are you pretty happy with all the luxuries our money affords you, Conrad?” His father raised an eyebrow.

“Threats, Dad? That used to work when I was younger.” The lump in his heart turned hard. “I love you, but I don’t need you. I’ve made a life of my own. You can’t coerce me with bribes or commands or threats.”

He headed to the door with only the clipped sound of his shoes on the marble floor punctuating the awkward silence.

“It was super sweet of you to bring me lunch.” Asia sat across from Gavin at a small table in the newspaper’s break room and picked through the turkey and Gouda sandwich on wheat bread, removing the sliced tomatoes.

“I’m sorry I didn’t know you don’t like tomatoes on your sandwich.” He slanted his head and gave her an apologetic half-smile.

“It’s okay. I love the sandwich and the thought.” She dabbed at her lips. “I was going to eat at my desk and work on my story.”

Gavin pointed to her chin. “You’ve got a little mustard there.”
Look at those lips. So sensuous.

Asia dropped her pickle on her lap, flustered by Gavin’s thought about her lips. She was getting a better handle on the telepathy, but she needed to do better at tuning out thoughts, especially with Gavin. Hearing his thoughts was taking the fun out of getting to know him. There were no surprises or spontaneity.

She smiled at him, her own thoughts going blank. She took another bite of her sandwich and stared out the window. Filtering out thoughts from the others in the break room, she tried to stay present with Gavin. It was making her stomach ache. She turned back to him and began licking her lips, but stopped. How awkward, she thought.

He wriggled in his seat. “Are you feeling better than the other night?”
Lame chit chat, you idiot. You really know how to impress a woman.

Asia stopped the words that rose instantly to assure Gavin he wasn’t an idiot. Instead, she reached across the table to touch his hand. “I am feeling better. Thank you for asking.”

His face turned sober, contemplative.
This relationship is going nowhere.
“I’d like to get to know you better, Asia. But something feels off. Am I really blowing this?”

Asia pursed her lips.
Here it is. The moment when the human divulges he’s not satisfied
. She heard his thoughts before he spoke them and it gave her a split second to prepare. She didn’t know any more than he did if this relationship could work. But she wanted to try. “I want to get to know you better, too. New relationships take time to develop. But I’m not a relationship expert.” She turned to focus her attention outside the window again. “I get engrossed in my work and it’s not a typical nine to five job. I’m sorry if I’ve made you feel ignored.”

He gave her a pleasant smile. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
It’s her job. Following the story. She’s amazing.
“Right. Holding the newsmakers’ feet to the fire. I’m a goat. I’m the one who should be apologizing. I’m fine.”

“Oh, good. But I’m glad you brought up the topic. Not everyone can handle my crazy schedule and how it affects me sometimes. Like the night of our date. I’d had a stressful day and my digestive system took a hit. I should have talked about it with you, but we’re so new.” She ducked her head, squeezing her brain to focus on just Gavin.

No call back from my source yet. I’m on a deadline!

This room smells funny.

Asia looks particularly luscious today.

Her heart stopped. Trying to squeeze her brain wasn’t working. She glanced furtively around the room.
I wonder who thought that about me.
She crossed her arms over her chest, feeling slightly exposed.

“I understand.” He drew up in his chair and smiled again. “I’ve got to get back to work.”

“Yeah, me too. Thank you for the nice lunch.” She stood and he joined her.

Dare I kiss her here at her work?

“No. I mean I really do need to get to my story. I can walk you out.”

His charming smile dropped. “I can find my way, Asia. Have a productive afternoon. Is it okay if I call you later?”

“I’d like that.”

“All right. Maybe we can go to a concert at the Performance Center. I’ve got tickets to the Russian Ballet’s performance for tonight.”

“It sounds lovely. Later.” She tried for lighthearted, but he still stared at her silently for a moment, before turning away.

Gavin sauntered to the lobby and Asia turned down the hall toward her desk, shoving down the disturbing churning in her stomach. This grasping for a normal life was proving to be complicated.

Once again in front of her computer, she reviewed what she’d already written about Daren Sage’s announcement earlier. A call to the Department of Natural Resources and she’d learned that the organization, The Nexus Group, had purchased permits to own and operate a nature preserve, approximately 1,500 acres of undeveloped land with the supposed purpose of providing natural settings for wildlife and breeding programs for animals at risk. Just as Sage had announced at his press conference.

Very unlikely, she thought. TNG had yet to do anything philanthropic that didn’t have an angle to bring the group more resources and more power.

She also had Sage’s media kit to pull information for the story. According to his fact sheet, TNG’s philanthropic investments included the restoration of the home of a prominent architect, who was responsible for designing many noteworthy buildings both locally and throughout the country in the early 1800s; funding for afterschool reading programs; and donating funds for a special research unit at Phoenix Biosciences.

The benevolent appearance The Nexus Group was trying to present to the public made her teeth itch, preparing to transform into her were-lynx teeth and take a bite out of Sage.

But writing this story was her assignment. She focused down to just the important elements of it and the thoughts swirling around the room receded to a corner in her mind.

Minutes before deadline, Asia completed the story, satisfied that she’d reported the facts but written nothing inflammatory or what could be considered defamation regarding TNG. She knew what they’d done, the harm they’d caused, as did her colony cats. But that was not for the public to know. Not yet, and maybe never, if the colony managed to nix the group’s plans for good.

She stretched the kinks out of her body, and noted that the roil of thoughts streaming into her brain continued but didn’t overwhelm her ability to separate them from her own thoughts.
Maybe I’ll get the hang of this.
That idea settled her anxiety. It was only three o’clock in the afternoon, but the day felt long. The intruding thoughts and the strong emotions set off by Sage’s press conference, along with the frustration of attempting to develop a relationship with Gavin had played wrastle tackle with her nerves. Her earlier idea about hitting the gym with Conrad reverberated through her, offering a much needed change of pace. She pulled out her cellphone from her purse and punched Conrad in her contacts.

“Hey, Asia. What’s up?” The sound of his voice alone dissolved some of her tension.

“Can you get away and join me at the Church Street Gym?”

“Now? You have something to burn off?”

“I do. When will you be free?” Excitement flittered through her body at the possibility of a solid workout.

“I can meet you there in twenty minutes.”

“Cool. I’ll see you there.”

• • •

Conrad’s heart weighed heavy in his chest. He wanted to let loose a loud, ear-splitting yowl, one that would come from deep inside, from the bottom of his feet.

In the locker room at the gym he moved as though he were covered in molasses. His conversation with his parents still stabbed him deeply. Despite all his efforts to shed the wounds inflicted by his parents over his lifetime, here he was struggling with his imperfections and the knowledge that he couldn’t be the man they expected.

Worst of all, he carried their harsh words about Asia, his closest friend. They’d compared her to a human, and he knew in their eyes that was the lowest being on the planet.

It made him sick that he’d left their house and immediately hooked up with Cassandra. They’d met at the Park Hilton for a couple hours of pleasure. With Cassandra he didn’t have to think about anything or feel anything but the shallow pleasure of having sex with a woman.

But it really wasn’t working very well anymore. Maybe Asia’s idea was catching. Maybe he could find himself, minus the flaws and wounds, in a meaningful relationship. But he knew better than to believe that kind of relationship could be had with a human. Michelle, Casey’s fiancée, was the exception. Humans as a whole hadn’t evolved into being capable of caring about others, especially if there wasn’t anything in it for them.

He lifted his nose in search of one particular scent among the many, and instantly caught Asia’s. She was here.

Out in the gym he promptly spotted Asia across the room, already in a heated round with the punching bag.

The slightest lift of her nose clued him that she knew he had entered the gym, but her focus remained on the bag. In perfect form, she executed a jab, a cross, then drove up a punch, all in a smooth, flowing pattern, repeated over and over.

He stood there, across the room, and noticed things. He knew she stood about five feet, six inches, but had she always been so lithe and lean? He’d known her for so long, but had he ever really seen her? Did he hold an appreciation for her taut abs, highlighted just now by her cropped, racerback sports bra top? Or held in admiration her firm behind beneath her boy-cut shorts, or her shapely legs?

His gaze narrowed down to her face and he found it hard to swallow. Her face was a delicate mixture of high cheekbones, pert nose, and full lips. Her brown eyes sparkled with glints of green.

Thank God she doesn’t read the colony cats’ thoughts.

The moment of ogling Asia was innocent, as well as baffling, but he didn’t want her to know anything about it.

He blinked hard and deliberate three times, then strode across the room to Asia. “It looks like the bag is winning,” he teased her.

Asia turned swiftly on her heels and fake punched him with her gloved hand. “Not a chance.” She breathed heavily, in and out, balancing on one foot while she rested the other on her leg.

“Good. Sorry I interrupted.” Conrad noticed the sweat beaded on her forehead dampening tendrils of her dark hair around her face. He knew he should say something. At the least, he should stop staring. “Your form is nice, aggressive.”

“Thanks.” She swiped at her forehead and smiled up at him. “Your turn.”

“Thanks for asking me to join you.” He eyed the heavy bag hanging in front of him, his muscles bunching, ready to work out the anger and the hurt from his lunch with his parents. “Did it help?”

Asia’s eyes sparkled. “Yes.” She put a hand on the bag and nodded. “This may look like a punching bag but it’s a combination of Senator Sage, members of TNG, and a little bit of me.”

Conrad chuckled. “Do you want to talk about it? Casey texted about the news from Sage.”

Her eyes went dark. “No, I really don’t feel like talking.” She lifted her chin a notch, as though flexing her muscles could make her strong emotionally.

“I understand.” He turned away and took a stance, one foot in front of the other, and shadow boxed to warm up his muscles. Adrenaline flowed like warm butter through his body, easing pent up emotions. He would never envision hitting his mother or his father, but it was the infuriation at their attitudes and attempt to manipulate him that fueled the solid whacks he delivered to the bag. Ha! Er! Boom, boom, ha!