Second Chance Mates (8 page)

"Are you cold?" she asked as he
shivered.

"No, but that lotion is. Rub it in,
will you? You don't have to be gentle."

"Uh, sure." She rubbed her hands
together, warming the lotion slightly and smoothed it over his
shoulders, taking care to be gentle over the sunburned patch while
ensuring it was fully covered. Rubbing his back slowly, she sank
the lotion in, trying not to sigh at the feel of his torso under
her hands. How long had it been since she had touched a man so
intimately? More than two years and more than two years since she
had been touched in return. It felt strangely nice to be lay her
hands on a man, to feel his muscles as they flexed under her touch.
It took her far too long to realize she'd probably finished
smoothing that lotion on a good few minutes ago, not that he'd said
a thing. Damned tiger. He was probably enjoying this. She could
almost feel him purr, the rumble seeming to vibrate through him
though he held the sound in. Probably didn’t know how she would
take it.

"Here," she said, slapping the bottle
over his shoulder, only for him to catch it and her hand in one
smooth grip. "You should, uh, do your chest."

"I'd rather you did it."

"I think you can reach," she said
smartly and he huffed a laughed. Still keeping a hold of her,
forcing her to tip forward on her knees, her arm around his neck,
he flipped open the top and squirted lotion onto her arm. "What are
you doing?" she squeaked.

"Returning the favor." He ran his hand
along her forearm, up to her shoulders, his fingers just dipping
under her top. She was paralyzed, unable to move as he held her
still, her breasts pressed against his back, his hand smoothing and
massaging her arm, the electric feeling shooting through her and
heading south, her panties suddenly moist at the thought of him
sliding his hands further down her body, slipping under the
waistband of her shorts, laying her down...

This can't be happening
, she
thought, her eyes half closing as his fingers wrapped around her
wrist. She sighed. Then her eyes flashed open when he lifted her
hand to his mouth and pressed a light kiss against the back of it
before releasing her.

Half turning, he rubbed another squirt
of lotion quickly along her other arm and flashed her a cheeky
grin. "All done," he said and rubbed the last of the lotion on his
hands over his chest before passing the lotion back to
her.

For a moment all Clara could do was
rock back on her heels and wonder what the hell had just happened.
Didn't he feel the same surge of lust she just felt? Didn't he
enjoy the feel of his hands on her bare skin? Or, was he...
damn
it
. He was. He was teasing her. She scowled at him and resisted
the urge to thump the bottle into his chest. If she didn't want her
deck finished so badly, she would probably have ordered him off her
property there and then and serve him right.

"Don't you look in a foul mood again,"
said Cade, dropping to sit beside her and making her jump. She'd
been so engrossed in Luke that she hadn't even noticed him sneak up
on her. Well, not that walking across the deck right in front of
her could be considered creeping.

"Shut up," she snipped, rudely, and
passed him the lotion when he held his hand out for it. No way was
she getting caught twice. If Cade thought she was going to run her
hands across his body, he could forget it. She already knew what
effect he had on her, and she'd fought it for years.

No, she resolved, they could finish her
deck
then
go home.

"Hey," Cade called. "You want to get
the grill going out here later? I know a steak marinade that you'll
love."

She inhaled, her nose filling with the
mingling scents of sun lotion, skin, primal animal and imagined the
scent of meat grilling under the dusky sky. "Sure," she said.
"Sounds nice."

Fine
. They could go home after
dinner.

***

Cade hammered the last nail home and
held up his arms in triumph, bowing when he got a short round of
applause.
So, she stayed, did she?

After delivering drinks and fruit, and
being teased mercilessly by Luke with the sun lotion, Clara had
wandered off, only to reappear again. Rinse and repeat a few times
and finally she stuck around, actually chatting without biting
their heads off. She still wasn't the same bubbly Clara he knew but
at least she was looking a little less threatened by them being
there.

She didn't even seem to hold the lotion
incident against Luke. Actually, Cade thought, as he found a
sunspot and rolled onto his back, she seemed to be warming to Luke
quite a lot. That didn't really surprise him, because everyone
loved Luke but he knew how prickly Clara could be. Especially when
it came to men.

Or maybe it was just him.

For a moment he had a brief panic that
maybe she just really didn't like him, that it had all been in his
head, all this time. That she would still reject him. Maybe even
take up with Luke. The idea burned and he felt a horrible nasty
spark of jealousy at his friend.

Then she surprised him by sitting down
then stretching out alongside him, only an inch of air separating
them.

"You're so annoying," she said but she
didn’t sound pissed. If he wasn’t mistaken, he heard fondness in
her voice.

"But lovable," Cade countered and she
snorted.

They let silence wash over them until
Cade opened his eyes and rotated his head, searching for Luke.
"Where'd he go?"

"The cat went for a wander. If he
pisses on my property, I'm going to make him wash it
off."

"Fair enough."

"That goes for you too."

"I'm house trained. We can get him a
tray."

Clara giggled.

"What else do you need fixing?" he
asked, before she got it into her head to tell them to
go.

Clara sighed. "How long have you
got?"

Cade rolled onto his side and stroked a
curly lock of hair away from her shoulder. She opened her eyes and
looked at him sleepily. "How long have you got?" she asked again,
an amused tone in her voice.

"As long as you need."

"Oh, Cade, I..."

"Shh." He rested a forefinger against
her lips. "I'm not asking and you don't have to say
anything."

"Oh." She seemed surprised, flummoxed,
and she frowned before resting her head back on the deck and
closing her eyes again, allowing him to look upon her. She looked
blissful. A little tired maybe, a touch too thin, but that could be
fixed with rest, better food, and someone to help her.

A small, selfish part of him was a
little worried that she showed interest in Luke, but what had he
said last night? That he didn't mind. Well, yeah, maybe actually he
did. Was this what Colton felt like when he told his brother that
Clara was his mate too? He felt a renewed surge of sympathy for the
situation fate put them in, even though they'd all managed to fight
it; Clara by pushing him away, him by leaving. They'd all fought
it, except Colton. Which just showed who the smart one had
been.

Lying down again, unable to bridge the
enormous divide of once inch between them just yet, Cade wished his
brother was around to talk to. They had been best friends from the
minute Cade was born, two years after Col, and he missed him so
much it hurt. Of all the people he knew, Clara understood that, yet
they'd never talked about it. Grief was strange. It made people
internalize a pain that should never be held within and it forced
people apart when what it should do was bring people together.
Without thinking about it, he wrapped his hand around hers and they
lay there.

"I'm sorry," he said, at
last.

"What for?"

"That you lost Colton."

He heard her breathe sharply and
wondered if she was about to cry, then, she simply said, "Thank
you." Another long pause then, "I'm sorry you lost him, too." And
this time she squeezed his hand.

"I'm sorry that I left you when..." He
was about to say 'when you needed me' but something stopped
him.

"I recall I screamed at you, so...I
could hardly expect you to stick around, Cade, and I was too
wrapped up in my own grief to see anyone else's."

"I'm sorry anyway." He balled his free
hand, tapped it against the deck, and was about to spill some more
emotion when Luke bounded onto the deck and flopped beside them,
panting.

“
Had enough chasing mice?”
Cade asked dryly. Clara giggled.

"Screw you. The farm is great," Luke
said. "What are you planning to do with all your land?"

"Run."

Cade sat up on his elbows and looked
down at her. "Say again?"

She grinned up at them. "Run. That's
what the farm is essentially about. How many safe places are there
for shifters like us to run in peace? Not many. The parks are off
limits during hunting season and they're not all that safe any
other time. I know we talked about a nature center and stuff, but
the farm is going to be safe haven." Clara pointed to the far side
of the house where the ramshackle barn stood. "See the barn. That's
going to be converted into a meeting house, with a kitchen,
bathroom and meeting rooms and there will be a playground for the
kids and picnic tables to one side. No one can hear or see a thing,
unless they’re supposed to be here."

Luke raised his eyebrows and nodded
appreciatively. "I grew up in the city. Didn't work out so great
when I was learning to control my beast."

"He got photographed for their
newspaper one year," laughed Cade. "Caused a city-wide
panic."

Clara giggled again, the mood lifting.
"Seriously?"

Luke just shook his head. He got to his
feet and dusted his jeans with his hands. "Man, if we're letting
secrets out..." he said with a warning shake of his
finger.

"Ignore him. He's got nothing on me.
Now about that steak." Cade patted his stomach, and smiled, pleased
to see her smile back. It made her whole face lift, and his heart
sing to see her happy. If he could keep it up, even through the
occasional pangs of hurts, maybe they could both be happy. He’d
give it everything he had. Would give Clara everything he
had..

Chapter Seven

Clara stretched on the brand new deck,
two years late but here nevertheless, and turned the page of her
book, enjoying the heroine's sassy attitude as she chewed out the
murder suspect. Reaching for her glass, she sucked the straw into
her mouth and slurped a mouthful of iced tea, the half-melted ice
cubes clinking as she drained the tumbler. It may have been early
evening but the air hung hot and still about them as the steaks
sizzled and she'd decided not to send them home…yet.

"Refill?" asked Luke, reaching towards
her with the jug.

She pushed the glass a couple of inches
towards him as she turned the page and he poured.

"What's the book about?"

"It's a mystery."

"Yeah?" he persisted.

"Mmm. The heroine has got to find the
murderer before he finds her. She thinks she's..." She trailed off,
her hearing picking up the sound of crunching tires as a truck
picked its way along her driveway. Luke clearly heard it
too.

"Expecting someone?" he
asked.

She frowned and checked her watch, not
that she needed to. It was gone six and she wasn't expecting
anyone. "No." Turning a corner of the page in on itself to mark the
place, she shut the book and pushed herself to her feet with a
sigh. The oppressive heat of the afternoon had faded into a
pleasantly warm evening—a breeze would be welcome—and there was
something delightfully sociable about having company, even if the
guys weren't trying to force her to chat, instead talking quietly
between themselves while she read.

Off to one side of the deck, Cade
manned the barbecue. The smell of steaks and the piquant sauce made
her stomach grumble.

Despite her protestations that Cade and
Luke were pains in the neck, the evening had been very pleasant so
far. She was even looking forward to eating on the picnic blanket
they'd set out on the deck; she couldn’t remember the last time
she’d looked forward to anything. Maybe she'd even see if she could
scrape enough money together to head into town and buy a little
table and chairs to sit out on. A smile perked on her lips. When
was the last time she'd bothered to make plans that weren't solely
for the benefit of the sanctuary? It felt good.

"Want me to get it?" asked Luke. He
hovered next to her, waiting for her to make a move, probably
waiting for her to snap at him. Not that she had the heart to,
especially when he'd been so helpful, but it wouldn't do to let him
get too comfortable.

"No, I'll get it. Thanks though." She
gave him a smile, just a little one, to show she appreciated his
offer. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad having the guys around. When was
the last time she'd had company that hadn't ended up dragging her
down? Her whole family treated her with kid gloves, but she could
understand that given that she was awfully snappy, and she'd
stopped inviting her friends over. The males barely spoke about
Colton to her, or even looked at her, while her girl friends just
burst into tears as if her own heartbreak wasn't enough. After the
talk earlier with Cade, the one man she knew who bore the pain too,
she didn't feel so pressured to act as if everything was peachy. It
was like a weight off her shoulders.