Legacy Found: Legacy, Book 3 (6 page)

The woman’s eyes darkened and her smile was tinged with sadness, making Shelley very aware of her threadbare dress and secondhand sweater. “Sure, honey. There’s a place just around the corner.” She gave Shelley directions.

“It’s not far?” Shelley didn’t really want to be out of sight of the truck. Everything she owned was in there. She really didn’t want to admit she didn’t want to be too far from James either.

“Nah,” the woman assured her. “It’s only two minutes from here. Take the right at the next corner and it’s only a few doors down.”

“Thank you.” Shelley quickly headed to the door, barely hearing the woman’s “you’re welcome” as she left.

The cold air was a harsh contrast to the warmth of the coffee shop. She almost turned around and went back inside. Instead, she stiffened her spine and marched down the sidewalk, following the directions she’d been given.

Sure enough, the shop was there. She could get what she needed and be back waiting outside the coffee shop before James got there. Excitement gave her butterflies in her stomach. For the first time in her life, she was going shopping for her own clothing.

Pushing open the door, she stepped inside.

Chapter Four

Impatience ate at James as he left the stuffy confines of the bank behind and headed to the coffee shop where he’d left Shelley. The meeting had gone well, but had lasted far longer than he’d anticipated.

His legs ate up the distance. He was so intent on his destination, he barely noticed how people practically jumped out of his way. All he knew was he wouldn’t rest until he saw Shelley.

His instincts rose to the fore, the skin on the back of his neck prickling as he entered the small eatery. He glanced around, anxiety eating at him. Shelley was nowhere to be found.

Had she left him?

His wolf began to growl deep inside him, denying the possibility. It took everything in him not to tip back his head and howl. Shelley was his. And she was alone and vulnerable in a strange city. He should have insisted she come with him.

Frustration ate at him. No, he couldn’t have done that. Shelley was panicked enough just being around him without him going all alpha on her.

Keeping his emotions on a short chain, James stalked up to the counter and pinned the older woman with a steely gaze. “Have you seen a woman with light brown hair, wearing a dress and a gray sweater?”

The woman hesitated, obviously undecided whether or not she should tell him anything.

He forced himself to relax a bit. His wolf was too close to the surface. The woman might not be able to see anything, but she could sense the predator inside him. “I was supposed to meet her here. I got tied up longer than I expected.”

“She was here,” the woman told him, somewhat reluctantly.

James nodded. “Yeah, I left her here. Told her to have something to eat. My meeting ran longer than I expected.”

The older woman sighed. James figured she must have decided he was okay because she began talking. “She asked me if I knew of a place to buy used clothing. I sent her to the shop around the corner.”

“Thank you.” James’s gratitude was heartfelt. He left without a backward glance and strode down the sidewalk.

He turned the corner and thought he caught a whiff of Shelley’s scent. Wishful thinking or reality, he couldn’t be sure. But she was close. He could sense it.

He scanned the store signs and found the one he was looking for—Second Time Around. The words “
gently used clothing
” were in smaller print on the large glass window.

He pulled open the door, ignoring the tinkle of the bell above him. He scanned the shop. It wasn’t overly large, but it was packed with racks and shelves stuffed with clothing.

Shelley wasn’t anywhere to be seen. But he could smell her. This time there was no doubt in his mind. He knew her unique scent now. It was a part of him.

He sniffed and followed his nose, skirting several other shoppers. He was almost to the back of the store when Shelley stepped out from behind a change room door and stood in front of a mirror.

He stopped dead in his tracks.

She’d been pretty in her faded dress and sweater. Hell, she’d even been pretty in the awful pink polyester uniform she’d been wearing when he’d first seen her. But in jeans and a form-fitting turtleneck sweater she was a knockout.

The faded denim cupped her heart-shaped bottom, making his fingers itch to touch it. Her legs were long and slender and seemed to go on forever.

As if sensing someone was watching her, she slowly turned.

When she saw him, she smiled. That smile of welcome slowly faded and her nostrils flared as he slowly walked toward her. The sweater was a deep chocolate color and matched her eyes to perfection. The soft wool hugged her breasts. She might be slender, but her chest was substantial.

His cock sprang to attention. Oh yeah, Shelley wasn’t just pretty. She was smoking hot.

She tugged subconsciously at the hem of the sweater. “I was hoping to be back at the truck before your meeting ended. I guess I lost track of time.”

He stopped in front of her, unable to speak. He was afraid if he opened his mouth, the only thing that would come out was a growl. He was so turned on right now, he could barely think. He hadn’t felt this way since he was young. Not since Leda.

And even the thought of his dead wife and all the pain he’d suffered after her death couldn’t stop him from wanting Shelley.

“James?” Her voice quavered and he could hear the fear in it.

He inwardly swore at himself for frightening her. “You look amazing.”

Pink tinged her cheeks and she glanced at herself in the mirror. “You think so?”

It struck him that she wasn’t just being coy and hoping for more compliments. She truly meant it. She had no idea just how sexy and beautiful she was.

He stood behind her and turned her so their reflections were both visible in the mirror. His hands rested lightly on her shoulders. Her hair flowed free around her shoulders, not really much longer than his.

She watched him as he hooked a lock of her hair over her ear, his fingers caressing her cheek. Her skin was soft and beautiful. Her eyes wide and wondering. The blush added some much needed color to her face.

“You’re incredible.” His voice was rough with pent-up desire. What he really wanted to do was back her into the small dressing room and strip those jeans down her legs. Then he’d nibble his way back up to her sweet pussy, part the slick folds with his thumbs and taste her.

He barely suppressed a groan and was glad she was standing in front of him so she couldn’t see his erection. If she moved back, she’d certainly feel it.

As if she’d read his mind, she swayed, her butt grazing him. Her eyes widened and then half closed. She nibbled on her bottom lip, a sign he was quickly coming to recognize as something she did when she was nervous or thinking hard.

“It’s okay, Shelley.” He ran his hands down her shoulders and over her arms. She shivered and he barely resisted the urge to wrap her in his embrace. He was close to making a spectacle out of them as it was.

“James?”

He shook his head. This wasn’t the time or the place. He knew better. He dropped his hands and took a step back. “Did you find any more clothes that you liked?”

She shuddered and smiled ruefully. “Truthfully, I found too much.” She laughed then and it made his entire body clench. He pretended he couldn’t see how her nipples were standing out in relief against the soft sweater. She was aroused, but she was also nervous. He could wait. He was good at that.

“Show me.”

Shelley went back to the dressing room with him close behind her. Her “too much” ended up being two more pairs of jeans, a T-shirt and two additional sweaters. His heart ached at how little it was.

“What about a coat and some boots?” There was a rack of ladies coats off to his left. He fished through it and found a lined leather jacket whose color matched the turtleneck sweater she was wearing. It was slightly battered, but that only added to the character of the coat. He tugged it off the hanger. “Try this.”

She didn’t take it, looking at the tag instead. She shook her head. “It’s too much.”

“Just try it on,” he encouraged. James swallowed his anger. What had her life been like that a twenty dollar used coat was too expensive? He already knew she hadn’t had an easy life, but he was afraid the truth was going to be even worse than he imagined.

Reluctantly, she took the jacket and slipped it on. It fit her to perfection. James stepped up beside her and zipped it closed. She watched him, an unreadable expression in her eyes.

“There. It looks great.” He eased her in front of the mirror again and was pleased at the delight in her eyes.

“Oh, it’s gorgeous.” She ran her hands up and down the leather before doing a little twirl. Her pleasure in such a small thing made his heart hurt even as it made him smile.

She shook her head. “But I can’t. It’s really too much.” She shrugged out of it and handed it back to him. He tossed it over his shoulder.

“Do they have any boots or shoes?” She needed something more than thin canvas sneakers. If he had his way, he’d take her to the nearest department store and outfit her from head to toe. He could easily afford it. But he knew she’d never allow it. Whatever she’d been through in her life, she had pride and wouldn’t accept what she saw as a handout.

“Over there.” She motioned to the corner.

“What size do you wear?”

She shook her head. “Size nine.”

James left her and went over to check out the footwear. He found a pair of slightly battered, lace-up boots. They weren’t in the best of shape, but they were better than what she was wearing.

He went back to the dressing room and knocked on the door. “Shelley?”

The door opened a crack. She was dressed in the jeans and her bra. The sweater was back on a hanger. James swallowed hard as it became difficult to breath. The bra she was wearing was plain white cotton and it was barely large enough to contain the bounty of her breasts. He’d never seen anything sexier in his life.

“James?” His name was little more than a breathy whisper.

His heart pounded as he shifted closer. He had to have her. Now. He took a step closer.

“Find everything you were looking for?” The woman’s voice shocked him back to reality. He clamped down on the need swirling like a maelstrom inside him and slowly turned to face her.

“We’re good.” He glanced at Shelley and back at the woman. “Can she wear the jeans, sweater and boots instead of the clothes she came in?”

“Sure,” the sales clerk nodded. “We do that all the time. Just wait a second.” She hurried back toward the front counter.

“James,” Shelley whispered his name loudly. “I’m not sure what I’m buying yet.”

He shoved the boots toward her. “Try these on. They’re warmer and sturdier than your sneakers.”

She automatically took the boots, holding them against her bare stomach. God, her skin was so smooth. He wanted to go down on his knees and bury his face against it.

He shifted uncomfortably. He was sweating now and his pants were way too tight. Thankfully, the clerk came back before he could do something stupid.

“Here we go. I’ll just cut off the tags.” She quickly snipped the tag from the jeans, the pair of boots, and the turtleneck James pointed to.

Shelley said nothing as he gathered up the rest of the clothing hanging on the hook in the dressing room. “Get dressed, honey.” He closed the door before she could say anything. He knew he’d get an earful when they left the store, but he didn’t care.

He plunked the clothing and the jacket on the counter. Shelley was heading toward him, her own clothing in a bundle, as the clerk finished totaling everything. “That’s seventy-five dollars even.” James took four twenties from his pocket and laid them on the counter.

“I’m not buying all that, James,” she said as she reached his side and dumped her clothing on the counter. She was stiff with anger and, if he wasn’t mistaken, shame. That was the last thing he wanted her to feel.

“I know you’re not. I am.” He took the jacket, from which the clerk had already snipped the tags, and slipped it over her shoulders. “Please, Shelley.” He leaned down, his lips near her ear so the clerk couldn’t hear. “Let me do this for you. It’s the least I can do.”

“Here’s your change.”

James took the money the saleslady handed him and stuffed it in his pocket. Then he picked up the large bag she’d put all the clothing into.

“Ready?” He asked Shelley.

She nodded and silently headed toward the exit.

Shelley wasn’t quite sure what to think. She’d been happily trying on clothing when James had suddenly appeared. The way he’d looked at her had made her heart skip a beat. When it resumed beating, it was pounding so hard and fast her chest had hurt.

Her breasts had tingled and her nipples puckered. Not to mention the soft, liquid feeling between her thighs. She still couldn’t quite believe she’d become aroused in the middle of a store.

It was astounding for her to become aroused at all. It had never happened to her before. Never.

Okay, that was a lie. It had never spontaneously happened before. But she had been completely aroused once before. And that time still shamed her. She’d been in her early twenties and she still wasn’t quite certain what had happened to her. She’d had sex with a complete stranger, a man she’d only seen that one night. It was all a blur and not something she liked to remember.

Since then, about once a year she’d go through a period of feeling hot and needy. She hated it. It was a part of her animalistic nature that Tom had always berated her for. During that time, her body had craved sex even though emotionally and mentally she’d wanted nothing to do with a man. Not that she’d had much choice in the matter.

Whenever Tom wanted her, he took her. He owned her. Body and soul. He’d told her that enough times over the years. Then he’d laugh and tell her she didn’t really have a soul. Animals didn’t.

She paled and swayed, hating that she’d even thought about that time. It was behind her now.

“Shelley? You okay?” The bag crinkled as James shifted it and wrapped his free arm around her.