Diablo Lake: Moonstruck (14 page)

“I don’t really remember. A lot of time on what he wanted or thought. His opinions on all things, especially Darrell. Like any shifter boy I’ve ever known, he wants his parents to be proud of him. Why?”

“Just hard to imagine him being dumb enough to not see you for the treasure you are and smart enough to get your sense of humor.”

“I guess it takes a Prime to know what a goddamn national treasure I am.”

A surprised gale of laughter came from deep in his belly as he picked her up and carried her into his bedroom.

She loved the way it smelled in there. Totally him. Delicious and sexy Jace Dooley. Yes indeed.

“Get naked while I light some candles.” He set her on her feet with a kiss before turning to deal with candles he’d situated all around the room.

She whipped her sweater up and off before shucking her shoes, pants, tights and panties. The last thing, the flick that undid the snap between her breasts, she waited for his attention to land on her again.

Jace hissed as her breasts sprang free and she let the bra fall to her feet.

“You got candles for me? Or are these all purpose seduction sconces?”

“Seduction sconces? You’re not all the way right, Katie Faith. You know that.”

“Lucky you.”

He nodded slow. “Yeah. Really lucky.”

Jace had been about to get his clothes off and order her pretty little butt on the bed when she dropped to her knees and looked up at him through her lashes.

“Go on then,” he told her.

Within a few moments she’d gotten his pants opened and his cock out, licking around the crown.

He had to lock his knees to keep from falling over as a bolt of lust swept through him. His sweet, pretty, quirky witch there on her knees, her mouth wrapped around his cock as she looked up at him was the hottest thing he’d ever experienced in his entire life. He hadn’t even known it was possible to feel that sharp, dirty, dark sort of pleasure until right that moment.

He sifted her hair through his fingers before tugging her a little closer. She made a low sound, a ragged moan that seemed to wrap around his balls and squeeze slightly.

Unable to stop her, not wanting her to, he let her draw him closer and closer to climax until he was so very close he had to wrench himself away several steps.

“That wasn’t very nice. I wasn’t done.”

“Damn what you do to me when you make that face. So hungry for me.” He shoved the rest of his clothing off and was back against her, skin to skin, moments later. “I’ll always happily put my dick in that pretty mouth of yours. But right now I want to fuck you.”

He slid his hands all over her body, breathing her in, bending to kiss here and there, to taste or nibble.

Then he spun her so she faced the bed and using his body, bent her over. Her heart pounded so hard he easily heard. He scented her honey, knew it was all for him. Loved that.

He reared his upper body up, keeping his hips pressed to her, holding her in place. There were no words left, just sensation.

Her fingers flexed in the comforter as she thrust back against him, reminding him she was an alpha in her own right.
Demanding
his full attention.

He gave it to her, licking a trail down her neck and over her shoulder. Her contented sigh echoed through him.

She pressed back again. No mistaking the order to get inside her. He smiled against her neck as she reached between them to get him lined up.

He took that place where neck met shoulder, breathing her in, testing the tendon there with the edge of his teeth.

A delicate shiver passed over her as her pussy superheated around the head of his cock. One arch of his hips sent him deep as he bit, hard, holding her as he thrust hard, deep and fast.

Little earthquakes of sensation echoed through him as her inner walls clutched him. So damned hot he nearly lost his mind.

That feral part of him, the wolf, had been watching their witch, admiring her strength and ferocity. Now the wolf coveted her beauty. The earthy sensuality she emanated was irresistible.

She brought out that need to protect in both aspects of himself. The need to spoil and incite. The need to delight and satisfy. Pleasure that she was so perfect and strong.

His.

He reached around her hip, between her body and the mattress, finding her clit already slippery. At the first touch of his fingertips she gasped, body rippling around him.

She tightened impossibly more, heating, so wet and slick he was nothing but the movement of his muscles, the taste of her skin, the way her climax seemed to catch them both in a greedy fist.

He joined her, gasping as his muscles ached, as he came hard enough that he could only manage to lunge a little once they’d both gone still, dragging her along with him so they were mostly on the bed.

“Damn. You fucked me stupid,” she mumbled. “And I think you gave me a hickey.”

He managed to drag his eyes open to see he’d left a pretty obvious love bite on her neck. “I may have.”

She giggled. “You must have fucked me stupid because I’m not even mad. Tomorrow I will be. Probably.”

“Get used to it, Katie Faith. Wolves like to leave marks.”

She shivered again. “I guess I’ll have to.” But she smiled as she said it.

Chapter Thirteen

Katie Faith stopped by to see her parents after she closed up one afternoon two weeks later.

“I’m going to the grocery store so I thought I’d see if you two needed anything,” she said as she entered the living room where her dad watched television at an alarming volume and her mom attempted to read a book.

“Hey, baby.” Her dad held his arms out and she gave him a hug.

“How’d it go today?” He had a doctor’s appointment first thing that morning so her parents had spent the night near the hospital and had come back a few hours ago.

“I’m looking great.”

“Did you have them check your hearing? Jeez, Daddy this television is so loud I could hear it from the porch.”

Her mother snorted as she stood to kiss Katie Faith’s cheek. “He claims there’s nothing wrong with his hearing.”

“Uh.” Katie Faith didn’t want to get in the middle of this argument, that was for sure. She just hoped Jace wouldn’t watch TV that loud when he was an old guy like her dad.

“Anyway, he’s telling you the truth. The doctors said he’s doing fantastic.” Two of them were witches, so they had taken into account Avery’s sped up metabolism and healing, so it was even better to hear her dad was doing great from people who knew his whole story.

“That’s a relief.” She hugged her dad again. “So anything from the market?”

Her mother made a list of some basics. “Thank you, honey.” Her mother walked her to the car. “Not just for this grocery run. But for everything. For putting your life on hold to come here. For being so loving and helpful. We sure are proud of you.”

She hadn’t realized how much the words would mean until her mother gave them to her. Tears welled up. “Every single time in my life when I’ve needed help, you and daddy have been there. Of course I’m here. And you know what? I’m glad. I have a good life here. I see Aimee every day. I see you two every day. The Counter is doing great. I just got two contract jobs for some basic bookkeeping so I can easily cover the snow tires I’m going to need soon enough.”

“That boy is nuts about you.” Her mom patted her hand. “You two come for dinner this upcoming weekend. We want to know him better. Oh and I saw Patty in town a few days ago. She and I thought it would be nice to have a unified Thanksgiving. What do you think?”

“It’s not even October yet.”

“There’s no call not to be prepared then, is there?”

Her mom was seriously good with the disapproving tone. “You’re totally right. Of course I’m in. I’ll talk to Jace about dinner this weekend. I have to check with him to see what shift he’s working.”

“Let me know the best time. That’s easy enough to work around.”

“You should make a roast. You know, for company and all,” her father added.

“I’ll make roast beef. You can have trout. Your brother brought some over yesterday so it’ll be perfect. And good for your heart.”

Avery’s grunt of annoyance that his younger brother had brought over fish made Katie Faith laugh.

“I’ll be back in a bit.” She took the list from her mom and when she hugged her dad as she passed by, she told him she’d bring him back a treat.

This was the reason she’d come back. To help lighten the load on her parents. It pleased her that she could. Pleased her that she was able to have them back in her life on a regular basis too.

The parking lot at the small market in town was full, but she found a place a ways from the doors. The building was one of the oldest in town and one Katie Faith remembered going to from a very early age. It was a nice thing to have those memories and those roots. Small towns had their drawbacks. There wouldn’t be forty types of jam on the shelves and they closed at 10:00 p.m. If she wanted anything rare or exotic, she’d have to venture out of the mountains and head to a big city, or order online.

But the roots? The way she waved at friends and family as she grabbed a wobbly cart and headed inside were firmly in the plus column.

She was still smiling as she picked up a flat of peaches and slid it on the shelf on the bottom of the cart. Maybe she could con Miz Rose into making some cobbler for her if she brought over the raw ingredients.

“I nearly didn’t recognize you, Katie Faith.”

Katie Faith, however, would recognize that voice anywhere. She straightened and turned to face Scarlett Pembry.

“Hello, Scarlett.”

“I’ve been looking for you in town, but now I realize, I may have seen you multiple times but didn’t recognize you.”

Wow, that was a world class backhanded compliment.

“Well, the years have been kind to some of us.” Katie Faith smiled bright, loving the way Scarlett’s smirk fell off her face right quick.

Katie Faith added some plums and nectarines, hoping Scarlett would wander off.

“I haven’t been able to welcome you back to town in person. I did ask your momma to come down and have ladies lunch with us, but she’s so darned busy.”

“Thanks. This upcoming weekend it’ll be two months now. We’ll see how happy I am when the snow comes.” She gave Scarlett a quick smile. “As for Momma, she’s still working at the Counter and of course Daddy needs someone around as well. She’s got a lot on her plate just now.” And she doesn’t like you because you’re terrible.

That last bit she kept in her head.

“I thought you came back so she wouldn’t have so much on her plate. I know you have this budding romance with that Dooley boy but you should mind what’s really important.”

Katie Faith just gaped at Scarlett’s words for long moments. Instead of ramming her cart into the other woman, she steered around her.

“Huh. You and I must have different approaches on the meaning of things like what’s really important.”

Scarlett put her hand on the cart stopping its progress. “I wasn’t done.”

“Oh, I think you are. If you want to stand around here and insult me, more power to you. But I’m here shopping for my parents so I really need to get back to what’s really important.”

“There’s no need to be so hostile.”

“You’re right.” Katie Faith pushed the cart harder to underline that point.

“I want to ask you to move to a different part of town,” Scarlett said.

“No.” She won free of Scarlett’s hold on the cart and kept rolling herself toward the dairy section.

“You’re tipping the balance living in Dooley territory. Just because you’ve lowered yourself to being involved with one of them, doesn’t mean you have to destabilize the whole town.”

“Anything available in the Pembry part of town?”

Scarlett’s smile went very catty. “Yes, as a matter of fact. We’d be able to help you with the costs of moving and give you a break on the rent.”

“That’s what I figured. You can take your offer and stick it where the sun don’t shine.”

Scarlett, struck still by shock, watched as Katie Faith kept going. Once she turned the corner, she hustled her steps, wanting to be done and get the hell away from Scarlett Pembry.

This was short lived as she caught up to Katie Faith as she put the milk into the cart.

“We weren’t done speakin’.”

Anger that’d been simmering began to boil. “Oh, we were. Trust me on that.”

Again, Scarlett grabbed the cart. “You’re not going to take the balance between Pembry and Dooley into account? It’s your damned
place
to do that.” Scarlett’s expression told Katie Faith just what she thought about witches.

“I think, between the two of us, it’s you who needs to mind your space.”

“You think a few years in the city makes you good enough to take me on?” Scarlett’s mean, narrowed gaze honed in as she let her wolf get alarmingly close to the surface.

Katie Faith’s power rose in response. Sharp and hard enough that Scarlett’s indecision showed in her gaze.

“I
don’t
think about you at all unless you’re in my face. Where I live isn’t your business. And don’t tell me it’s about balance when you’d be just fine with me living in your territory.”

“Lay down with dogs you gonna get fleas, girl. You’re choosing the wrong side. Your job as a witch is to rein them Dooleys in.”

Katie Faith was beyond boiling and fully into volcanic rage. Instead of louder, she went quieter, all her power focused on her words. “I have
had
it with you and your family. Don’t you dare tell me what you think my job is as a daughter, a witch or a citizen of Diablo Lake.” She looked Scarlett up and down. Utterly and totally sure she could, in fact, take her. And without a sweat.

In the time she’d spent with wolves when she’d been with Darrell and most definitely since she’d been with Jace, Katie Faith knew how she had to deal with shifters as powerful as the one she faced.

She used her magic to push her cart hard enough to overpower Scarlett’s hold. “Don’t think I’m going to allow you to push me around,” Katie Faith said as she walked past.

People had paused to watch the whole scene. Scarlett may crave all that attention, but Katie Faith wanted none of it.

“You know how dirty them Dooleys are.” Scarlett had given up trying to block her and was walking alongside now, barreling through anyone unfortunate enough to be in her way.

Scarlett’s country showed a lot more when she was pissed off.

“Ask me, Jace will turn out just like his father. Blood will out they say. And then how will your daddy be? When you’re abandoned?”

“I don’t know, Scarlett. He handled it fine the first time.” Katie Faith’s smile was saccharine sweet and totally fake. “Which is the last time I’m going to allow you and yours to harm my father. It happens again and you’ll have me to deal with.”

“You’re just a hole with some magical power to Jace Dooley. Don’t think you’re anything more.”

Oh how she wanted to slap the spit out of Scarlett Pembry!

“Oh you have a mouth on you, don’t you. I can see where Darrell gets his manners.”

“Hey girl!” Aimee rushed over and pulled Katie Faith into a quick hug. “What on earth has you over here on the bargain aisle?” She looked Scarlett up and down.

Thank god for friends.

Katie Faith laughed as she pushed her cart once more, leaving Scarlett standing there.

“I don’t want to talk about it here,” she said in an undertone to Aimee as they checked out under the scrutiny of at least a dozen people. “I have to take groceries over to my parents’ house. I’ll talk to you later.”

Aimee walked with her to her car and helped her load the bags before Katie Faith hugged her friend tight.

“Thanks for having my back in there. She said some pretty nasty stuff.”

“She’s out of line. And she’s wrong. You want to spend the night at my house? We can watch movies and eat junk food and gossip about how good Jace is in bed.”

“That sounds really good, actually. But I have some stuff I need to finish first.” She needed to process everything. So many things weighed on her mind right then that she really just had to be alone for a while.

Aimee told her to call if she changed her mind and headed back to finish the shopping interrupted by having to step in and escort Katie Faith from the store without getting into a brawl.

She delivered the stuff to her parents, unloaded it, put it away for them and after hugs and kisses, she headed off. She didn’t tell them about what happened at the market because it would only upset them and it was something she had to figure out herself. She’d do whatever she could to protect them.

There’d be a few calls, if Katie Faith knew this town, and she thought she did. But she had some time, most likely until the morning. Anyway, if she didn’t mention it now, her parents might believe it wasn’t a big deal. She’d tell them
after
her father had a good night’s sleep. She’d be damned if she let Scarlett mess with his health.

Tomorrow morning. No need to interfere with his sleep.

Ha.

She needed to tell them. But she didn’t know how. Especially because she was still so upset she knew she’d lose her composure, which would make things even worse and she was sick of things being worse.

She needed to think and if she went home, Jace would be there and she wasn’t ready to talk to him about it yet either. Especially after Scarlett had said all that poisonous stuff about the Dooleys and Jace’s dad.

The batting cages sat on the outer edge of Robby Cuthbert’s land. Just two cages with pitching machines you loaded yourself. Nothing fancy, but they’d been well used by the last three generations of kids in Diablo Lake.

Everyone in town kept it up. She knew Jace made a habit of checking the machines on a regular basis and doing maintenance. Before him, others had done it.

Katie Faith’s dad had brought her out here when she was four. A lifelong Braves fanatic, he’d had her at his side watching games with him for as long as she could remember. He gave her a bat and a mitt for her birthday. And since that day, whenever she needed to think or blow off steam, she made the trip out to hit some balls.

At eight on a Tuesday night, it was abandoned, which was the way she preferred it. She put her headphones on, hit play and Ellie Goulding’s “Army” began.

She hit the release on the arm and let her magic free.

* * *

Jace knocked on Katie Faith’s door but no one answered. Seven already and he knew she’d closed up. She’d texted him earlier to say she was going grocery shopping and would see him later that evening so hopefully she would be returning soon.

It was odd, missing her the way he did when he saw her daily and slept at her side every night. But he’d gotten used to her in his life all the time. He liked it that way. Her scent was all over his stuff and he knew damn well she used his razor on her legs. But he didn’t care.

He went home, made himself some bacon and eggs while catching up with an old episode of
Homicide Hunter:
Lt.
Joe Kenda.

When she hadn’t texted him back by eight he began to get a little concerned. It wasn’t that she didn’t go out and do things with her friends and family. She was a busy woman, after all. But they touched base often enough that he was restless enough to text Aimee at eight thirty.

His phone rang immediately and he picked it up.