Waking Hearts (14 page)

He started a bit when he felt bare feet kneading his back, but relaxed again when he caught her scent.

“Hey, big guy,” she whispered.

A low rumble. He wished she’d shift and cuddle next to him. Her fox was a little bit of a thing, but sleek and quick in her natural form. And she’d probably sleep better. Sometimes human emotions were too complicated. Sinking into their animals was a way to relax.

As if reading his mind, she cocked her head and looked at Murtry. “Would he bother me?”

Ollie reached over and shoved a giant bear paw at Murtry, who merely flopped over and let out a loud snore.

Allie laughed. “Okay then. Probably not.”

She wandered back down the hall and, minutes later, he sensed her. The bright canine scent and the pad of delicate feet as the ashen silver fox trotted into the room. She sniffed around the house, inspecting the doors and even hopping up on the back of the couch to peer out the front window. After she’d inspected the perimeter of her territory, she circled around the bear warily before coming closer to investigate. Her nose tickled his nearest ear, and he flicked it at her and let out a deep rumbling sigh. Reassured, she snuggled down in the space between his head and his front paws, flicking his nose once with her fluffy grey tail.

A few minutes later, he heard her breathing slow and smooth into sleep.

It wasn’t the way he’d planned to spend his first night with Allison Smith, but Ollie couldn’t find it in him to complain.

Chapter Nine

ALLIE FELT THE WARMTH BEFORE she opened her eyes. Surrounding her. She snuggled back when it hugged her tighter. It breathed—

Her eyes flew open.

It breathed?

The last thing she remembered was her fox curling up with Ollie’s bear. They must have both shifted back to their human forms as they slept.

Oh no.

She looked down to see a light brown, tattooed arm wrapped around her waist.

Naked waist.

Naked Allie.

Ollie was behind her, a quiet snore rumbling from him as he held her. He was curled around her, one arm under her head and the other one circling her waist, his huge hand spread over her ribs, inches from her breast. They were plastered, his front to her back, and Allie felt every inch of him pressed against her.

As she’d always suspected, there was a lot of Ollie.

A lot.

Oh… my.

The house was silent. The dog and the man were both snoring.

Allie let herself have one moment of silent whining that she couldn’t throw caution to the wind and enjoy the moment more, but if the sun was up, then her children would be soon. And the last thing she wanted to explain was why Mom was naked in the living room with Ollie.

She took a deep breath.

One more second. Maybe ten seconds. She didn’t hear any little feet yet.

He felt so good.

Like, insanely good. Big and warm and… everywhere.

It had been so long since someone held her.

With a barely audible groan, she tried to ease his arm up. He gave a low growl and hugged her closer, nudging one thigh between her legs as his arm moved up and his hand closed possessively around a full breast.

Oh dear Lord.

Allie’s body heated in response.

So the bear liked cuddling. Clearly, there would be no escaping this without abject humiliation.

“Ollie?” she whispered.

He grumbled and nudged her hair to the side, burying his face at the nape of her neck.

“Ollie, you
really
need to wake up.”

“Hmm,” he mumbled and she felt teeth—teeth!—scrape her shoulder in a gentle bite. “Few more minutes, baby.”

He stretched and pressed against her, and Allie’s heart rate went into overdrive when she felt
every
inch of Ollie.

Kill me. Kill me now.

Or… in an hour or two. If that’s an option.

“Ollie!” She pinched the arm wrapped around her and his hand tightened around her breast.

“Ow.” He started awake behind her. “Wha—?”

“Naked. Living room. Four curious children.”

And he still wasn’t moving!

“Oliver Campbell, let me go.”

“Okay,” he said but didn’t lift his arm.

“Are you awake?”

“I don’t want to be.”

A slight easing of the arm holding her down and she managed to wiggle away just as she heard little footsteps hit the floor in the back bedrooms.

“Now I’m cold,” he said with a yawn, his eyes drifting lazily over her in the morning light. “Hey, you.”

Allie suddenly realized Ollie was looking at her naked. They were both naked. But she felt way more naked than him. The only man who’d ever seen her naked was Joe. And now Ollie.

Part of her wanted to be embarrassed about that, except that sleepy Ollie didn’t seem to mind the view. He wasn’t looking at the belly she carried or the stretch marks she was self-conscious about.

No, he was looking at her boobs.

She grabbed a throw from the back of the sofa and wrapped it around herself. “Where are your clothes?”

He smiled and his eyes slipped closed. “Where are yours?”

“You are really not a morning person, are you?”

He stretched his arms up and out and—wow, he was a big man—he rolled over, his body bared to the sun, acting like he was going back to bed.

Yeah, she looked.

“Ollie, unless you want a five-year-old asking why your naked butt isn’t a bear, you better go get your clothes.”

Murtry, who had been snoring, suddenly rolled over and let out a
whoof
loud enough to wake the dead.

Ollie rolled back over and reached an arm out, slapping the ground before he rose up on one arm and blinked at her.

“Allie?”

“Are you really awake this time?”

He looked around the room and Murtry walked over and gave the side of his face a sloppy lick. “Dog…”

A small voice called from the back of the house. “Maa-ma!”

Ollie’s eyes flew open, and he looked down. “Oh shit.”

“Go get dressed,” she hissed.

“Were we—”

“Dressed! Now!” She started down the hall. “Coming, Lala. Let mama get dressed. I’ll be right there.”

She ran into her bedroom and leaned against the door, the throw still wrapped around her. She heard the front door slam and figured Ollie was finding his clothes wherever he’d stashed them.

Then the reason he had stayed the night hit her, and she slid down to the floor.

Covering her face, she let a few tears fall before she wiped them away and took a deep breath.

It was going to be another long day.

HE was watching her. Allie could feel his eyes, and she felt like she was still naked. Did he remember, or was he one of those men who had whole conversations in his sleep and then didn’t remember a thing later?

She poured the pancake batter onto the electric griddle and waited for the cakes to bubble up before she could turn them. Ollie had figured out how to work her coffeemaker, and he set a full mug beside her on the counter. Kevin and Mark were both sitting at the table. Chris and Loralie were watching cartoons on the TV in the living room.

“Are we going to school?” Kevin asked.

“No. I thought we’d go to Aunt Beth’s for a few days.”

She flipped the pancakes and watched the steam rise like she had a thousand mornings before. Everything felt the same, and nothing was.

Mark crossed his arms on the table and slid down to rest his chin on them. “Aunt Beth has a pool.”

Aunt Beth was also a social worker and her closest sister. She and her husband had a big house in Palm Desert where Allie often took the kids when it was time to do shopping or just to get away for a few days.

Beth and Brian, a contract attorney, just had their first baby a year before, but they loved having the older cousins come visit. Brian wasn’t a shifter, but he came from a big Scottish family, was oddly blasé about his wife turning into a Mexican grey wolf on full moons, and he loved spending time with the boys. Her dad had called Beth last night, explained what had happened, and Beth and Brian immediately extended the invitation.

“Is Ollie coming with us?” Mark asked.

She glanced at the big man, who was back to being clothed, while she took the first batch of pancakes from the griddle.

“Oh, honey, Ollie has to work.”

Ollie reached over and mussed Mark’s hair. “You’ll only be gone a few days. I’ll keep an eye on things while you visit your auntie.”

“’Kay.”

The boys and Ollie distributed the first batch of pancakes, spreading butter and pouring syrup before they fell on them with enthusiasm. If there was one thing that never changed, it was her boys’ appetites.

“Hey, Mom,” Kevin said. “Should I call the school?”

“I think Caleb or Ted already did, but thanks for thinking of it.”

She poured another batch of pancakes and called the younger kids, who scrambled in, Loralie immediately going to Ollie’s lap. He scooted back to make room for her and started feeding her bites from his plate.

Allie tried to ignore the flutter in her chest watching them. She turned back to the griddle, her heart in her throat.

Joe never ate breakfast with the kids.

When he was working at the base, he’d been gone before they woke. On weekends, he slept in, and when he’d lost his job, he’d done the same. Mostly, he just got frustrated with how messy they were. Even eating dinner together hadn’t been something he enjoyed.

Allie felt guilty comparing the two, but the thought wouldn’t leave her alone. Ollie talked with all the kids, asking quiet questions and then letting them talk. He wasn’t a chatty man and never had been, but he seemed to enjoy listening to them jabber at each other, his patience an endless well.

She wasn’t used to it.

It was wonderful and it hurt, all at the same time.

When she turned to refill his coffee cup, she saw him frowning at her, but he didn’t say anything in front of the kids. After the pancakes had been demolished, Kevin took the younger kids back to their rooms. She could hear him directing them to pack their bags to go to Aunt Beth’s as she cleaned the kitchen.

“Want some help with that?”

No. How else am I going to avoid you?

“I’ve got it. But thanks.”

“The pancakes were great.”

“Thank you.” She scrubbed the griddle. Scruuuuuuubbed it with all her concentration. It would be the cleanest griddle in the western United States. “Thanks for staying last night. I know it made the kids feel better having you here.”

“About this morning—”

“It’s fine!” Allie spun when she felt him behind her. “Really. Slightly embarrassing, but the kids didn’t catch—”

“I don’t remember…” A faint flush on his cheeks. “I didn’t do anything inappropriate, did I?”

Do you always wake up with that much morning wood? Because I would call that
very
appropriate.

“No, of course not.”

Also, feel free to put your hand on my boob anytime.

“Good.”

“Yeah. Good.” She was holding a dirty spatula in front of her like a sword. She’d resorted to rubber kitchen implements as defensive weaponry. Ollie was making her crazy. “So… I’ll call Tracey and let her know I’ll be gone a few days.”

He was eyeing her dangerous spatula with a furrowed brow. “Please don’t worry about the bar. We’ll manage. Take your time with your sister, okay?”

“It’ll only be a few days. I can’t miss too much work. I can’t afford it. And the kids shouldn’t be out of school too long.”

He put his hand around her wrist and lowered the spatula. “Take the time you need, darlin’.”

“Why do you do that?” she murmured before she could stop herself.

“Do what?”

“Call me darling. You don’t call anyone else darling. Just me.”

A hint of dimples behind the beard. “Because you are.” He tucked a flyaway lock of hair behind her ear, then bent to kiss her forehead. “I’m gonna go say bye to the kids, and then I’ll head home. Text me when you get to your sister’s, okay?”

Allie stood frozen, watching Ollie leave the kitchen. Something had shifted, and it had a little to do with waking up with the man naked and a lot to do with him feeding Loralie bites of pancake while she sat on his lap.

And one of these days, when she had an hour or two to think, she’d figure it out. Until then, there was way too much to do.

MOST of the time, the weather in the California desert sucked. But there were times, like this one, that it didn’t. Because while most of the country was feeling the first tinges of fall and preparing for winter, Allie and her sister Beth were sitting on the back patio, watching the kids jump and play in the pool while the baby took a nap.