Stranded with a Cajun Werewolf (6 page)

Settling her onto his lap earlier had been a mistake. Feeling her luscious curves fit like a puzzle piece against him had dredged up thoughts and desires that were better left buried.

And he’d almost kissed her.

What the hell had he been thinking? He
hadn’t
been thinking.

Stick to the rule Deveraux. No kissing. No humans.

“There's nothin'
petit
about me, except for the diamond in my nose ring. And between you and me,” she glanced around the room as if to check for anyone eavesdropping. “It's not a real diamond.”

“You have a nose ring?”

“It’s in my purse.”

“What about the hair?”

“Oh, it's real.”

“I mean, why did you color it?”

“To piss Carl off.” She twirled a strand around her finger in the way he was coming to realize meant she was lost in thought. “It didn't matter though. He said it could be dyed back before--”

He stopped stirring. “Before what?”

Her hand dropped to her side and she glanced away. “Never mind.” Her voice was quiet and tortured. He was liking this Carl fella less by the second. What sort of man instilled fear in the woman who would be his wife?

A little voice whispered in his ear, “monsters like you.” For several long, agonizing moments the kitchen was silent. They stared at each other and Kendall opened her mouth a few times to speak but couldn't find the right words.

But there was something about the tall, superbly built Burke Deveraux that made her want to find the words, want to open up to him. Something in his eyes spoke to her, instilled trust and confidence. While Carl gave her the creeps, Burke made her want to curl up next to him and tell him all her secrets.

Which was why it was probably a good reason to keep her mouth firmly closed.

“You said something about a mating ritual,” he prompted and went back to stirring the oatmeal.

Had she? Probably her run away tongue again. Dang she hoped it didn't burn. She was starving.

“It's just a silly little thing. How's the oatmeal?” He seemed curious, like he wanted to ask more questions, but instead turned back to the stove. “I don't know. You tell me.”

Which meant getting closer to him...

“Looking good.” And she wasn't talking about the gooey mash in the pot.

But he didn't need to know that.

With a bowl of oatmeal and the wide island between them, Kendall relaxed enough to eat. Burke fried up all manner of meats and then wolfed down each greasy morsel. Though she didn't find it appetizing in the least, she could appreciate his ap
petit
. Truth be told, the oatmeal would only last her an hour. Even with plenty of brown sugar on top.

As Burke went back to the fridge for another glass of milk she went in search of an apple. Or two. Okay, three.

The refrigerator drawer full of apples was like heaven after all the junk food she had endured the last week. In the back of her mind she could hear her father ranting about what a picky eater she was and Kendall supposed that for a
werecoyote
, she was a picky eater. But she couldn't help it that she had discerning tastes.

She settled herself on her stool and took a big bite of the shiny red fruit.

“How old are you?”

“Old enough.” He paused, mid-bite, obviously waiting for her to elaborate. “I'm twenty-one.” In three months. Not that she would tell him that. Everyone seemed to think that twenty-one was the golden age. Looking at an eternally long life, twenty-one felt microscopic.

“Then you're old enough to run away. When I first ran away I was fifteen.”

“Really?” She took another bite of the apple, tasted the sweetness on her tongue and decided the flavor was too real for this to all be a dream.

Maybe a daydream. No one ever agreed with her.

She was either wearing too much lipstick,
again
, or why couldn't she be more agreeable and just eat meat like everyone else?

“Sometimes you need time away. To spread your wings. Sometimes family does not know best.” He spoke as if he had experience. Then he glanced down at her empty bowl. “Can I make you more oatmeal?”

His words washed away all the tension, fear, and frustration that had battered her for the last few months. So, there was a gentleman left on this planet. And on the upside, he was big, hunky and drool-worthy. She smiled. “How can I refuse an offer like that?”
Chapter Five

Burke wasn't sure what to make of Kendall. She gobbled down the second bowl of oatmeal as quickly as the first. It was almost as if she hadn't eaten in a week...or had the appetite of a werewolf. Which wasn't possible because he would have scented that long before now. And he'd never met a
shewolf
who hadn't flung herself at his feet like a bitch in heat.

Except for Juliette.

She was a rare breed. Cultured. Poised. And very much mated.

But nevertheless, there was something not quite human about Kendall. Something untamed and raw while at the same time young, innocent and refreshing. A walking, talking contradiction if he'd ever met one.

Her spoon dropped into the bowl with a clang and she rubbed a hand over her stomach. The annoying little voice in the back of his mind that couldn't leave well enough alone whispered that she was a woman after his own heart. But he mentally sneered. What did he know about her?

Aside from the fact that she had a sense of humor, a penchant for lip gloss, and didn't want to be tied down. That in itself should have made him breathe easier, but as the generator cut out and the electronics around them went silent, he found himself studying her startled expression and once again feeling that urge to protect her.

But hadn't he come here because he wanted time away from responsibility? He should have been out skiing the slopes instead of watching the snow pile higher outside the window.

“Good?”

“Really good. With those bozos on my tail I haven't had time for a decent meal in, like, a week.” She leaned against the polished stone counter, a smile of bliss curving her lips.

Tail?

“So what will you do now?”

The second the question was out of his mouth he wanted to bite it back. Kendall went from smiling serenely to stiff backed and nervous in the blink of an eye.

He was such a jerk. There was no need for her to worry about anything right now.

Oh, wasn't there? According to Kendall, there was a band of angry goons after her, a man who wanted her for his bride, and thanks to a well aimed tree, she had no car to help her escape.“I—I don't know--”

It wasn't his responsibility to look after her. It wasn't as if she were his kid sister.

Kid sister
, the voice taunted.
No chance in hell of that. You do
not
feel a sisterly
attraction to her at all.

I don't feel any attraction to her.

Yeah, tell it to someone who believes you.

How pathetic was this? Now he was talking to himself. Mentally. He
was
mental.

“No need to worry about that now. And I don’t think those bums will find their way up the mountain any time soon even if they did know where to look.” She seemed to relax a fraction. “We should probably head back to the bedroom and keep the fire going.” Kendall paused mid step. He quickly retraced his words and grimaced. “I mean...without power-- you cold?”

She nodded. “A little.”

Damn, she'd probably thought he was coming on to her. He honestly wished he could say he wasn't. But his subconscious probably was. Or his wolf, rather.

She followed him from the kitchen. “You must think I'm the stupidest woman alive,” she said a few moments later. He looked up from where he was putting another log on the fire and met her gaze. She sank onto the bed, the fluffy red blanket wrapped around her like a coat, and stared out the window.

If she'd been Annabelle she would have been fishing for a compliment, or comfort. But as he watched Kendall, he could see the only thing she was searching for was a way out of here, and a way out of the predicament she was in. She seemed to be mentally tabulating something and then she glanced over at the chair where her purse sat.

He followed her gaze. It was all she had left he supposed. Everything was starting to make sense to him: her lack of warm clothes, her rampage up the mountain, her breathless plea when they’d first met... She must’ve felt she was out of options and decided to make a run for it with the clothes on her back and whatever had been in her purse at the time.

Brave, that.

Perhaps a little foolish, but sometimes you had to do what you had to do.

“You know, there are places you could go where he'd never find you.” Why the hell had he said that? Why was he getting in the middle of it? It was none of his business.

She gave a bitter laugh. He didn't like the sound of it. She should be smiling, laughing happily, sharing herself with someone, not running scared. Not that any of it should matter to him.

It didn't. Not one little bit.

When'd you become a liar, Deveraux?
The little voice asked.

“Oh yeah? Where's that?”

He shrugged. “A big city. Blend in with the masses. New Orleans is as good a place as any.” “Ever been there?”

He gave a quick, jerky nod. He'd practically lived there for the last...no, he didn't want to count how many years. That would inevitably lead to counting the years since Annabelle's betrayal and fuck, if that wasn't a bitter pill to swallow.

Vacation, he had to remember he was on vacation.

When aren't you on vacation?
Okay...that was enough. He had to turn that voice off.

Annoying little son-of-a...

“I haven't. Never been outside of Florida. At least not until this past month. Momma always said there was a great big world out there.” She sounded wistful.

“Why didn’t you travel?”

“My father would never have allowed it.” She got up and went to her purse. Opening it wide she gazed inside and he could have sworn he saw the tiniest of smiles. One of those little smiles that made him happy, one he’d like to see again and again.

Time to get out, while the getting' was good. He poked the fire again, shoved the logs to the back and added two more. When he stood up Kendall was slathering gloss across her lips.

He could smell the fruity scent from here.

“I should go. You need to rest. Fire should keep you warm. When it burns down, come find me and I'll stoke it again.” She lifted those aqua eyes to his.

“You don't have to--”

“It's okay. I should...”

He headed for the door and as his hand closed over the knob he halted. He didn't turn around. “For the record, I don't think you're stupid. A stupid woman would have stayed in a bad situation telling herself it was her fault that her spouse was an abusive asshole.” He glanced over his shoulder. “A smart woman knows when to run. Sometimes that's your only option. The best option.”

Kendall’s eyes misted as she watched the door close behind Burke. It took considerable willpower to watch Burke walk out the door and not tackle him with a bear hug. Though she'd be willing to bet her favorite Berry Cherry ultra gloss that Burke Deveraux had never run from anything in his life, his words calmed her. Reinforced her decision to run. He was right.

She wasn't stupid.

Stupid was staying in an impossible situation without finding a way out, without fighting for what you believed in. She'd made her decision. She'd stick with it and keep running. Life on the run, living on junk food was better than being mated to a slimeball like Carl. Or, with a family that thought of her as a freak.

Or, a father that would use her as collateral in a poker game.

But she was so tired of running. So tired... Kendall's eyelids drooped. It would be so easy to just settle back onto the pillows and drift off to sleep.

Burke managed to ignore the sleeping beauty in his bed for most of the afternoon. He’d finished not one, but two, books on his list. Speed-reading had its advantages.

At lunchtime he’d poked his head into the bedroom and found her clutching his pillow for dear life. The visual had taken its toll on his state of mind since then. Mostly because there was a beautiful, half naked woman in his bed who needed comforting. But also because he knew he’d never be able to get her scent out of his bed linens.

The Fates certainly had a warped sense of humor, sending a beautiful human into his life. He dragged his hand down his face and reread the last paragraph. The problem, of course, with speed-reading was you had to pay closer attention or soon you were five pages along and had no clue what was going on.

A minute later Burke closed his third book of the day and glanced out the window at the mountain range beyond. A cloud hung in the sky over Mt. Washington. He was counting the minutes until he could hit the slopes, feel the wind rushing by him as the conquered the mountain beneath him.

Years ago there’d been talk about him going pro. He was just too good to be a recreational skier the sponsors had said. But Burke didn’t want that level of scrutiny. He’d never gotten off on seeing his picture on the cover of magazines. And Deveraux shipping had paid better.

Not that the money was important. Not in the scheme of things. He’d have gladly given up his fortune for a chance at a happy, whole life. A life with a mate. Kids.

Settling back onto the sofa, he closed his eyes and let himself daydream. It was there that he saw her. A vexing blue-eyed blonde holding a darling little aqua eyed girl. And next to them was a boy, almost hip-high with Burke’s dark hair and those same startling blue eyes.

The three of them were giggling. Then they smiled…at him.

What were the chances…

Burke recoiled from the horror on Annabelle's beautiful face. Her eyes were wide with
terror, her mouth hung open in disbelief, and then her nose...her cute button nose crinkled in
disgust. He didn't even bother to shift back to his human self.

What was there left to say?

She'd seen what he was. He'd showed his true self to her. With his heart breaking, he
pivoted on his haunches and galloped into the forest.