Werewolves in Love 2: Yours, Mine and Howls (18 page)

“Were you upset when she did?” She’d been curious about Becca’s mother, and she’d use anything to get him off the subject of her own weirdness.

“At first, yeah. I thought she’d pretended so I wouldn’t worry about birth control. But she went hysterical, swore up and down she was really Fae. She never quit claiming it, even though it’d be impossible if she was having my kid.”

“There’s no way Becca isn’t your daughter.”

He laughed. “I couldn’t be sure of it at the time. I figured she had other lovers, but she swore I was the father. And then a DNA test proved it.”

“How’d you get involved with her in the first place?”

He looked a little embarrassed. “We’d had a fling when I was in my thirties. I ran into her again about the time I found out Carson was dead.” He cleared his throat and looked away. “I hadn’t seen him in years. By the time the investigator I’d hired traced him to New Orleans, he’d been dead a couple of months. I didn’t take it well. I wanted a little self-destruction, and Mary Ann’s good at that.”

“You don’t seem like the self-destructive type.”

“I’m not. I had to work at it. Anyway. I went to Savannah to tell the family, and we got started again. It was all drama, all the time. Then she turned up pregnant, and the day she hit five months, she got an amnio. She wanted to know if it was a boy or a girl.”

“Oh shit,” she murmured. “You think she got pregnant hoping she’d have a wolf?”

“Maybe. Or once she found out, she just hoped it’d be a boy. She flipped out when they told her it was a girl. She wanted an abortion.” He frowned at the memory.

The idea of no Becca in the world made her want to weep.

“What did you do?” she whispered.

His bitter, brittle smile almost frightened her. “I may have threatened to kill her. Or something. I don’t remember. I’m pro-choice, as long as it’s not my kid we’re talking about, and I couldn’t be sure it wasn’t my kid. I promised her a lot of money if she’d take care of herself and have the baby. Three weeks after Becca was born, Mary Ann dumped her on Sarah Jane and ran off to New York. I decided I didn’t want to share. I gave her a lot more money and she signed away her rights.”

“Wow. That’s kind of…you basically bought her baby.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Rebecca was my baby too, and Mary Ann didn’t have to take the money. I knew she would. Sarah Jane’s always blamed me for it, but she knows better.”

“Did you ever think about marrying her?”

“No. She wanted to get married. I said no way.”

“Why? I mean, I get that you didn’t love her, but maybe for the baby…”

“No,” he said flatly, looking straight at her. “I swore a long time ago I’d only marry my mate. If I didn’t find a mate, I’d never marry, and if I did find a mate…I’d never let her get away.”

She hoped he couldn’t tell he’d just punched her in the heart. Still stroking his hair, she gazed out the window as she fought back tears.

I can’t stay here.

She didn’t know how long he went on talking, unaware that he’d opened a vein. Eventually, though, she realized he’d asked her something and was waiting for a reply. “I’m sorry, Cade,” she said as normally as she could. “I drifted there for a second. What’d you say?”

“How many wolves have you slept with?”

What the hell?
“Counting you? One.”

“Really. You ever date a wolf?”

“No.” He seemed to expect her to say more. “I already have three at home. Four wolves would feel like a pack, you know?”

“But you’ve had boyfriends.”

“A couple. Nothing that lasted.” What difference did any of this make?

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why nothing that lasted?”

“Because I lived with two adult wolves and I was raising a third. When guys find out I’m a den mother, they scram. I’m not normal.” She didn’t care that she sounded irritable and bitter. It was how she felt.

She waited for him to say something. He just lay there, propped up on one arm with the other slung carelessly across her belly, staring at her. For one ludicrous moment she imagined him looking straight into her head and seeing all the weirdness and all the pain. She felt truly naked.

“I need to get up.”

“Why?” he asked, his voice quiet and gentle.

“I have to go to the bathroom.”
And then get dressed and sneak upstairs without anyone seeing me.
She couldn’t hear a thing outside the room, so she had no idea who was in the house.

“All right.”

He rolled off to let her up.

She took a long time in the spacious bathroom—sitting, peeing, thinking, delaying. Maybe if she stayed in here long enough he’d fall sleep? Get bored and go find something else to do?

But when she came out of the bathroom, he was sitting up in bed, holding her dress. Like he knew she was going to run.

“Come back to bed, Ally.” His gentle tone just made it worse.

“Cade, I need to go.”

“No, you don’t. Look. I never question the women I sleep with— I’m never that interested. I’m interested in you. You don’t want to talk about men, I won’t ask. Come back. I need to hear about Becca, anyway.” He paused. “Please.”

A nice touch, that
please
. It still didn’t feel like a request, but he’d made the effort. She didn’t want to leave, of course, not really. Nothing sounded better right now than climbing back into bed with him, curling into his warmth and strength. She so rarely shared a bed with someone else.

“Okay. I’ll get back in bed. But I want you to hold me.”

God have mercy, she was possessed.
Naked or not, she had to bolt. Now.

He grinned so tenderly her heart broke all over again.

“You’re not being a smartass right now, are you?”

She shook her head, certain he could see her blushing in the dark.

“I never know what the hell you’ll say next.”

“Neither do I,” she whispered.

His grin widened.

“Holding you is all I want to do right now, Ally. Get over here.”

So she climbed into bed and he pulled her hard against him.

“Wolves are made to cuddle. But—wait. Wait.” He rested his chin on her shoulder. “Women always want to talk about feelings when they cuddle. I don’t do feelings. Are you about to do feelings?”

Her face still burned, but she closed her eyes and snuggled back against him. “I can hurt you. I may not look like it, but I can mess you up.”

He settled back down behind her, smiling into her neck. “I think you already did, ma’am. Now tell me about Sarah Jane and Becca.”

She recounted the past two days—the fun she’d had with Becca, her own impressions of Sarah Jane.

“You got her hair cut?”

“Well, she looked like a little troll doll.”

He laughed again, his beard rubbing against her bare skin, his arm tight around her. This was nice. This was unbearably nice.

“Thank you,” he said quietly. “For stepping up, for helping Michael. For helping me.”

“I didn’t mind. I enjoyed it. I took a bunch of Michael’s money at a poker game.”

He chuckled. “I need to hear about that.”

So she told him.

She hadn’t decided how, or whether, to tell him about Sarah Jane and Sindri, or Sarah Jane and Dec. It might sound like stirring up trouble. Or sucking up for a job. After she’d just slept with him.

This was getting complicated.

She was getting sleepy.

“Cade.”

“Hmm.”

“You don’t think Sarah Jane would pack up in the middle of the night and leave with Becca, do you?”

“Won’t happen. Michael’s got wolves watching her right now.”

She shivered when he gently nipped at her shoulder and ran his tongue up the back of her neck. “When did you tell him to do that?”

“Didn’t need to. He’ll know. That’s why he’s my second.”

“I thought you were furious at him for not calling you.”

“I was.” Cade went still for a moment. “I went a little
loco
there. I shouldn’t have lost it, but Michael handled it the right way.”

“Have you told him that?”

“Don’t need to. He knows. That’s why he’s my second.” His tongue moved to her ear.

“Do Pack Alphas apologize?”

He barked a laugh. “Not to their seconds, no.”

“But what—”

“Shh. Not now—we can talk more tomorrow.”

He pulled the sheet up to her breasts and tucked it beneath her. She felt him relax against her back, his arm under her head, his other hand making lazy circles on her hip.

As she drifted off to sleep, he murmured, “Tomorrow we talk, baby. Tomorrow we talk about you.”

Chapter Fifteen

Ally awoke with a start. Her internal clock, unfailingly accurate since her second birth, told her the sun would rise soon. Cade had flipped over onto his back, one arm on the pillow above his head, the other flung across his stomach. She slipped out of bed.

As she lingered to gaze at him, she knew she’d be replaying last night in her mind for years to come, but she couldn’t face more questions. Emotionally spent, psychologically raw, she needed an escape plan.

She pulled on her panties and sundress, then cautiously opened the door and peeked out into the living room. She neither heard nor smelled anyone. Racing up to her room, she remembered at the last moment not to let the door slam behind her.

Her cell phone was beeping to indicate a voicemail message. Tomas had called last night. She needed a shower, food and coffee before she could tackle that.

Once she’d taken a long, hot shower it was just past sunrise. She’d thought she might be up before anyone else in the house, but Sindri smiled gently when she walked into the kitchen.

“Good morning. You are well?” he asked.

“Good morning. Yes, thank you.”

He poured her a cup of coffee and resumed fussing about the kitchen. She watched him as she sipped her coffee. They’d never talked much, but he seemed to like her.

“How is Cade?” he asked her.

“I’m sorry?”

“Cade came home last night. You were with him. He is well?”

Great.
Who else knew?

“Um, Cade’s all right. He was— He was upset, at first, about Sarah Jane, but once he calmed down he was better. He’s still asleep.”

“Good.” Sindri nodded firmly. “It is good that Sarah Jane is here. We need her. And Cade needs you. This is well.”

No, this is weird.

Dec and Sarah Jane appeared. Sindri placed two more coffee cups and a plate of fresh biscuits on the table.

“Good morning, darlin’.” Dec kissed Ally on the head. “Did you sleep well?”

The traitorous burning in her cheeks made her put her head down.

“I know you know,” she muttered into her coffee cup.

Dec sat down. She heard him pour two cups of coffee. Sarah Jane reached over and put a hand on Ally’s arm. “Honey, are you okay?”

Oh God. What did Sarah Jane think of daddy-screwing nannies? How many others would know about this?

“What did you hear?” she asked quietly, head still bent over her cup.

“Nothing,” Dec replied. She could feel six eyes on her. “Ally,” he said, as gently as she’d ever heard him, “whatever happened last night is no one’s business but yours and the Alpha’s. Trust me, darlin’, it’s not like you think it is. There’s nothing for you to be ashamed of.”

She slumped a little. “I guess everyone has to be polite to the Alpha’s female guests.”

No one replied. She peeked up to see Dec looking at Sindri, and Sindri looking confused.

“Cade does not have female guests,” Sindri said.

“What? You mean— Women don’t spend the night here?”

“No. Never. You are different. You are special.” He smiled in his usual mysteriously serene manner.

Dec said, “Ally, you need to know—”

“I forgot something in my room.” Her stomach churned. “I’m sorry, I just don’t feel like talking to anyone right now.”

Then, coward that she was, she fled.

Cade drifted in twilight sleep, vaguely aware of a small animal burrowing in the ground beside him amid a rustle of leaves, snorts and giggles.

Not the ground—his bed. Not leaves—sheets. And giggles?

Eyes closed, he patted the sheet beside him. He felt a small, warm, wiggly lump—round on the top, skinny in the middle, then round, then skinny. Shorter than Ally, and Ally never giggled like this. He smiled despite being angry—very angry—at his mysterious mate for running away before he woke up.

He gave the top lump a squeeze.

“Ow! Daddy, that’s my head!” The indignation in Becca’s voice made him laugh.

He rolled over with a big Daddy growl. She responded with an elated shriek. He dragged her over on top of him, making munching noises as he played “eat the Becca” before hauling her across him and planting her on the floor beside the bed. She began to bounce.

“I sure missed you, Baby Girl. Have you had breakfast?”

“No. Nana and me just got up. Sindri’s cooking breakfast.”

“Nana?”

“My Gramma. She likes me a lot.”

“I see. Where is she now?”

“In the kitchen with Sindri and Uncle Dec.”

Uncle Dec? Oh hell, no.
“Do you know where Ally is?”

“I think she’s in the kitchen too. Ally’s my nanny now. We went to town and got my hair cut. Everyone told me I was pretty.”

“You are pretty. Go get some breakfast. I’ll be there as soon as I shower and dress.”

But once Becca was gone, instead of getting up to shower, he lay in bed thinking about his strange, absent mate.

Making love to Ally last night wasn’t the smartest thing he’d ever done. Claiming your mate without telling her she was, in fact, your mate might strike some people—for instance, your mate—as arrogant. Cade had once heard an old alpha, a mated wolf, compare the difference between the mate bond prior to claiming and after claiming as the difference between cement and fusion. In other words, when the mate bond claimed you, you were fucked. Once you’d claimed your mate, you were even more fucked.

The mate bond didn’t tie the woman to the wolf as it did the wolf to the woman, and the woman could always choose to walk away.

But Ally wouldn’t do that, he thought as he smiled to himself. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. Last night had been very consensual, even if he hadn’t been totally up front about everything.