Grif (Tales of the Were - Redstone Clan) (7 page)

In cutoff denim shorts that showed off her long, lean, lightly muscled legs to perfection, Lindsey made his mouth water. The little cropped T-shirt that outlined her full breasts sped his pulse rate right along too.

“What do you think?”

“Pardon?”

“What do you think of my carpentry skills—or lack thereof?” She beamed a smile at him, pointing vaguely to the structure that was taking shape behind her, but he couldn’t look anywhere but at the mouthwatering sight of her beautiful body, displayed so innocently.

He growled low in his throat, still far enough away that she didn’t hear as he stalked toward her, trying desperately to focus on something other than the fact that his jeans were getting tighter by the second in the crotch area. He knew he wouldn’t be able to hide his response from her, so he didn’t bother. Let her know how much she turned him on, he thought. It might be the start of something explosive.

And he liked playing with dynamite.

He saw her eyes widen the moment she noticed the hard ridge in his pants. She blushed prettily and turned away to look at her little building, but he could scent the instant arousal that dampened her panties as he neared. He had to touch her. Suddenly, feeling her soft skin was the most important goal in his life.

Coming up alongside her, he put his hand casually on her back, stroking upward to cup the back of her neck, thrumming his fingers over the sensitive skin there as he toyed with the tiny hairs on the back of her neck. He crowded her, but she stood her ground.
Good girl.

He could feel her body’s response as her pulse rate increased under his hand and her temperature rose. Her scent was driving him wild. This woman was hotter than hot, and he wanted her. Bad.

“What is it?” He forced himself to speak casually, allowing his gaze to roam over the bare bones of the structure. She had used long branches to form a large dome of sorts.

She tilted her head, examining her work. “Well, it’s supposed to be a kind of sweat lodge, but I’ve modified the design a little so I can manage it myself.”

“Looks like you’ve made a good start here, and it should be sound enough, though you could probably use another support branch just through there.” He pointed to the weak spot and she nodded gratefully.

“I think you’re right.” She tilted her head up to look at him with a teasing grin. “You ever built one of these before?”

He chuckled low as she turned, forcing his hand away from her nape. “No, I can’t say I've ever built a Native American sweat lodge, but I have done construction now and again.”

How his brothers would laugh to hear him describe the family business in such simple terms, he thought. Good thing they were all tied up at the moment, overseeing various jobs while he took care of Belinda. He had always been the closest to their littlest sister and they’d all agreed that as head of the family, he would raise her now that both their parents were gone. But first he had to give her some time away from the demands of the human world. He had to give her time to heal.

“Well, grandpa taught me this when I was little. I remember him building larger sweat lodges from time to time, when he was conducting special ceremonies.”

“Is that what you’re planning?” He reached up to brush the back of one finger over her cheek. She was so beautiful she stole his breath. “Are you going to do some kind of shamanistic ceremony up here all by yourself?”

She smiled and ducked away from him. “Mmm, something like that.” She headed toward the front of the house. “So what brings you all the way out here?” Her voice carried back to him as he followed after her, enjoying the sway of her hips in those wonderfully short shorts.

“Last time I was here, I noticed your porch needed some work. It’s been bothering me that those loose boards could be unsafe. I don’t want to see you hurt, Lindsey, out here all alone.” His dark expression conveyed the deeper meaning of his words and his very real concern.

He heard her breath catch in her throat, her eyes widening like a deer in headlights before she got hold of herself. He liked that he could rile her.

“You don’t have to do that, Grif.”

“I want to. It would make me feel better to know that possible hazard was taken care of.”

“I can’t afford—”

He stepped right up and placed his fingers over her lips, leaving them there as their eyes caught and held.

“You don’t owe me a thing, sweetheart. I had some extra wood in the barn and plenty of nails. My time is my own and I want to spend it on you.”

She looked about to protest, but he only wanted her kiss. Bending, he replaced his fingers with his lips, licking away her words with his tongue. Delving deep, he thrilled to her little moan of pleasure as she gave in, wrapping her hands around his neck, drawing him closer. She kissed him back with all the longing he could have hoped for, matching him stroke for stroke, fitting her lithe little body neatly against his as if she wanted to crawl all over him.

He was hard with wanting her, but he wanted to take things slow. She was human. She wasn’t used to
were
ways. For that matter, she had no idea what, or who, he really was. He’d have to curb his appetites as best he could or he might scare her off.

So he counseled himself to calm—as much as he could with her in his arms—and gentled the kiss that had threatened to turn from fire to inferno. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her loosely, stroking her back as his lips played with hers, their tongues twining and licking, frolicking in a lazy way as pleasure blossomed slowly through his system.

He’d never really kissed like this. He’d never really had a human before—or any partner that needed such gentle care. He liked it. He liked the challenge and the incredible payoff. He found he enjoyed the slow savor. The easy tingle in his blood. The lingering promise of more… If he played his cards right.

The end game firmly in mind, Grif managed to let her go by slow degrees. He rested his forehead against hers, both of them breathing hard for a moment while the sun shone down around them, warming everything in its path. It was an idyllic moment out of time. Something special had just happened here and he knew it.

“Are you okay?” he asked, hoping she was on the same page.

She smiled and made a little hum of agreement that set his nerves at ease and his body on fire. She was so damn sexy. Unconsciously attractive in a way he hadn’t expected in a human. She was downright
hot
, but not in an obvious way.

“I’m fine,” she replied on a breathy whisper. “It’s fine.”

He felt more at ease with her reply. She was all right with him kissing her. Maybe she’d be up for more…in time.

“Just
fine
? That’s not exactly a glowing review. I may have to try again, just to up my rating.”

She laughed and drew away from him so she could look up into his eyes.

“Fine as in,
oh, yeah, that was fine
.” She drew the word out, each syllable dripping with pleasure. “Not just
fine
.” This time the word was short, uninteresting. And her humor overlaid it all, warming him from the inside out in a joyful, gentle way.

“I see. Glad you cleared that up for me, but we’re going to have to work on your vocabulary. Would you be up for me trying to improve my score sometime?”

She stepped out of his loose embrace and tilted her head, smile firmly on her luscious lips as she pretended to consider. “Yeah, I think I’d like that.”

He couldn’t help but reach for her again, but she danced out of his reach.

“Later,” she promised. “I have work to do and I need some time to catch my breath.”

He smiled with her, enjoying her playful attitude. He hadn’t screwed up with the human. Not yet, at least. He’d been so afraid his natural intensity would frighten her. He was changing for her. Making himself wait. Trying to be gentle.

And so far, it was worth the effort. In a way, he thought it was making him a better man. One who put others before himself—which he did every day as Alpha of a large Clan—but this was different, somehow. This little human was teaching him things about himself that he hadn’t known.

“All right then,” he agreed, letting her go while he backed away toward the task he had come here to work on. “Rain check. For now.” Their gazes met and the playfulness turned to a feeling of promise. A serious acknowledgement of what had just happened—and would happen again soon, if he had anything to say about it.

She nodded and he swallowed hard. He wanted her in his arms again. Now. But he pushed back the instinct of the hunter that lived within him. She wasn’t running. He didn’t need to pounce. If he did that, all he was working toward would probably disintegrate. No, he had to play the long game here. He had made his move, now he had to let time pass until he could repeat the action and take it further.

The cat in his soul prowled impatiently, but the man knew he would win in the end. She was already under his spell. If he continued to romance her and treat her gently, she would be his sooner rather than later. Whatever time it took to convince her would be well worth the wait.

Grif went around to the front of the house to fix the front porch while she continued working in the back. A little distance was in order, he thought, while they both came to terms with what just happened.

A couple of hours later he’d finished in the front and moved around to work on the back porch stair while Lindsey continued to build her sweat lodge. His gaze followed her and she couldn’t help but noticing the tight fit at the front of his jeans. The man was built.

She thought about that kiss again and again as the day got hotter and he removed his shirt. He had the most amazing physique. Sleek muscles made him long and lean, not stocky. She loved the look of him, and from the way his gaze followed her constantly, she suspected the feeling might be very mutual.

It had been so long since she had experienced the kind of attraction she was feeling for this powerful man. He’d come to her defense in the diner, helped her out with the generator without expectation of anything in return and shown true care and love toward his little sister in a way that had touched her heart. He also had fire in his eyes when he looked at her and she was oh, so tempted to burn.

She dropped her tools and just looked at him, thinking hard.

The sweat lodge was almost done. She was going to perform the ceremony tomorrow night—the night of the full moon. She might not be alive the day after, if the Great Spirit demanded her life as payment for her grandfather’s actions. Shouldn’t she enjoy these possible last few moments in time with a man who attracted her like no other ever had? That couldn’t be wrong, could it?

She wanted him. So badly. She’d wanted him almost from the first moment, and she could tell he wanted her in return. Oh, maybe not in any sort of long-term or permanent way, but she honestly didn’t know if she had more than just this one day left. So why not spend a few of her hours with him? She could afford the time. The lodge only required a few more boughs and it would be done.

He must have felt her watching him because he dropped his tools as well and walked straight up to her. He pulled her into his arms and stared into her eyes.

“You shouldn’t look that way at me, baby, unless you mean it.” His breath teased her senses as his head lowered. “Do you want this, Lindsey?” He gave her a fleeting chance to say something before his head dipped to take her mouth with his, but didn’t say a word. She wanted his kiss. She wanted
him
. And she knew he could read it in her eyes.

His kiss was hot and hard and she melted into him, flowing against his body as he pulled her close. He shifted backward a few inches to meet her gaze.

“Do you want more? Tell me now, kitten. Tell me no and I’ll leave you be.”

His eyes seduced her. His voice thrummed through her soul. She wanted him. She wanted this time with him, no matter how short it might be.

“I want you,” she whispered, loving the way his eyes lit up with pleasure. And the promise of even more to come.

He reclaimed her mouth, kissing her savagely, squeezing her body closer to his. His arms felt so right around her, his embrace so warm. How could anything that felt as good as he did be wrong. She knew she was doing the right thing, even if they could only have this one moment in time.

Having Lindsey in his arms was like holding lightning. Capturing thunder. It was momentous and earth shattering. She turned him on like no woman in history.

She also made him want to be a better man—a gentler man. One who could claim a fragile, human woman and not scare her off. Grif made himself slow down. He definitely didn’t want to frighten her. Even though she’d given him the verbal go-ahead, he didn’t want to blow it. He was a gentleman. She could still change her mind and he’d have to live with that.

They were out in the open, groping each other like a couple of horny teenagers, but he couldn’t stop himself. She felt too damn good in his arms. Her breasts were soft and full, pointed at the tips conveying her excitement in terms he could truly appreciate. Her skin was like velvet under his calloused fingers and he almost worried about bruising her. He’d have to temper his natural strength to be certain he kept her safe.

He would do anything he had to do in order to have her. She was all that mattered. Lindsey and the desire that sparked like wildfire between them.

He lowered them both to the soft grass, covering her body with his. She was so small under him, so soft and feminine. So perfect.

He was lost in her kiss, loving the feel and taste of her. The scent of crushed grass, wildflowers, the sawdust and tree sap that clung to her skin teased his nose. The scent of woman. Warm, perhaps a little dusty, and definitely aroused.

And the scent of…danger?

Grif lifted his head, his instincts taking over, breaking the moment of passion into one of confusion. He sniffed again, catching a faint hint of…something…on the wind. A dangerous scent. Predator. Familiar, yet…

He’d already lost it, but the threat was real. It made him stand, lifting poor, confused Lindsey up from the ground with him. He couldn’t look at her. If he met her beautiful, troubled gaze, he’d be lost and her safety was too important to take any chances.