Peeping Tom (17 page)

Amazing.

Magical.

Memorable.

The clawing tension in her pussy intensified with each upward stroke of his cock, each downward slide of her womb. Her heart continued to misbehave, lurching painfully when she noted the expression in his eyes—the passion underlined with caring.

With love
.

Tomasine shied away from the thought and squeezed her eyes shut. It was easier to concentrate on greedily snatching up memories when she didn’t have to face Felix, knowing she would hurt him. Hurt herself. Tipping her head back, she quickened her pace. A moan fell from her lips as an intense burst of heat flickered through her. Harder. Faster. She swiveled her hips in order to hit her clit at the perfect angle. 124

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His hands grasped her hips, his fingers branding her flesh when he urged her to speed. A familiar low pressure gathered. Close but not close enough. Tomasine cupped her breasts and pinched one nipple. The small pain echoed in her clit.

“Touch yourself,” Felix murmured.

Her eyes flicked open to see the intent expression on his face, the tinge of color in his cheekbones. She hesitated, rising and falling again on his cock. A tremble racked her body as she struggled toward completion. Part of her was greedy while another part desperately wanted to draw her pleasure out.

“Go on. I want to watch.”

“Pervert.” A grin flashed seconds before her hands smoothed down her rib cage. She rode his cock, sinking downward. At the same time, she parted moist folds with her fingers. Tomasine made a teasing pass over her swollen clit.

“Ohhh,” she whispered.

“Feel good?”

Tomasine swayed and repeated the move. “Oh yes. Yeah, it’s wonderful.” Every nerve ending seemed to vibrate. Time stood still for an instant as she rose then slid down his erection. She delved between her legs, plucking and stroking her engorged and needy clitoris. Tomasine tried to stretch it out. She really did, but the wanting, the needing, became too much. The pleasure built to a plateau where she hovered for an instant longer. Another stroke and she drove her pleasure even higher.

“Now,” Felix said insistently, his hands gripping her hips tightly as he drove up into her pussy. “Now.”

Without warning she exploded, convulsing around his cock. Tomasine gasped when he slammed upward into her pussy again. A hoarse cry escaped his clenched jaw and he froze, locked deep inside her womb. His cock jerked while she luxuriated in the myriad aftershocks.

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“Tomasine!” Felix’s eyes squeezed tight for a brief second before he sought her gaze. He looked deep into her eyes, expressing silent emotions that frightened her. They made her yearn for more, more than she could ever have. 126

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Chapter Nine

Tomasine woke with the early morning sun streaming through the window. She was alone, the dip in the pillow at her side the only indication of Felix’s presence during the night. Tomasine stood, wincing slightly at the pull of tight muscles from their run yesterday. They’d made love several times during the night and she bore lingering aches from that as well. While she had no regrets, she didn’t have time for a long soak in the bath. Not today. Tomasine dressed rapidly, collected the few possessions she’d unpacked the previous night and placed them in her bag. After zipping it shut, she did one final scan before going to check on Sylvie and Gina. Sylvie’s bedroom was empty. For an instant she panicked then she heard laughter coming from the other end of the house—girlish laughter along with a husky male chuckle. Two males, she saw when she burst into the kitchen. Felix sauntered toward her, a gleam in his eyes. From the corner of her eye she caught Leo’s smirk. Hopefully Gina wasn’t watching. If ever a smirk was X-rated, it was that one. Tomasine concentrated on Felix while attempting to subdue the dull pain and sorrow clutching at her chest. She must leave for all their sakes, but it had never been this difficult before.

Despite the audience, Felix placed his hands on her shoulders and kissed her thoroughly and without haste. “Morning, sweetheart,” he whispered when he finally raised his head. He cupped her cheek, the tenderness in his gaze turning the blunt knife in her heart even more.

“Do you like kissing my mama?” Sylvie asked.

They both looked down at Sylvie who was cocking her head to one side. She reminded Tomasine of an inquisitive bird.

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“Yes.” Felix glanced at Tomasine, one eyebrow raised as if he expected her to protest. She wanted to but decided there was no point making an issue of it when she intended to leave. Tomasine wanted to blurt it out now but instead she smiled. The type of smile that she mourned whenever she saw it from Gina. She just couldn’t raise the energy to smile politely when she felt so rotten inside.

“Coffee?” Leo asked.

“I’ll get it,” Gina said, moving across the kitchen to retrieve a mug from one of the cupboards as if she’d lived here for weeks.

“Anyone for toast?” Emily asked as she breezed into the kitchen followed by Saber.

“Or cereal?” Saber added, opening a cupboard to extract a box of cornflakes.

“I think there’s still fruit in the fridge.” Emily grinned as if she expected a reaction. Felix snorted. “Rabbit food. Where’s the meat, woman?”

“I think we’re facing a losing battle,” Leo said, giving his sister-in-law a hard stare. Emily just giggled and placed a bowl of stewed apples in front of him. Tomasine forced aside a pang of regret at the people she was leaving behind. Good people. It really was safer if they left.

She
was
doing the right thing.

Breakfast was a noisy meal, pretty much the same as dinner the previous night. Tomasine tried to participate and knew she wasn’t doing a good job upon intercepting a worried look from Felix who was sitting almost opposite her. Knowing she was being a hypocrite and hating herself for it, she puckered her lips and blew him a kiss across the table. At least it made him smile even though it made her feel awful. She shouldn’t lead him on when they had no future together. She shouldn’t but she would because it meant survival for the three of them.

For not the first time in her life, she cursed the fates. Being royal meant responsibilities—ones that she’d failed. None of her forebears had botched up as she had by mistaking charm and good looks for love. She refused to put Sylvie—next in 128

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line—through the same torment she’d gone through with Bernard. No, an anonymous life was best if she wanted Sylvie to grow up into a well-adjusted shifter. When she was older and able to understand, Tomasine would tell Sylvie of her royal heritage but meanwhile she wanted to give her daughter as natural an upbringing as possible.

“What time do you need to be at the bus?” Saber asked. “I can drop the girls off when I take Emily in to the café.”

“I thought they could stay home today,” Tomasine said. “I know it’s probably okay but after yesterday…” She shrugged, trailing off and hoping her body language would tell the story she wanted to tell. “I might have a shower,” she added, desperate to get away from the people she’d come to care for before she cried. Emily stood. “I’ll show you where the clean towels are kept.”

“Thanks.” Tomasine followed Emily from the room without looking back. It was that or burst out bawling.

Felix walked into the girls’ room while Tomasine was packing. She’d already told Gina and for the first time ever, the girl had pitched a full-scale fit and stormed off to see Leo. No doubt Leo had told Felix.

“Gina said you’re leaving this morning.” Felix leaned casually against the doorjamb but it was a pose. Every muscle in his body was tense, coiled and ready to spring. Tomasine aimed for nonchalance and calm even though inside she was a writhing mass of nerves. Her gaze flickered across his face and in an act of cowardice darted away to study her feet. “It’s not safe for any of us. I have to leave now while I can. Believe me, you don’t want the people hunting me to arrive in Middlemarch with guns blazing. They’ll shoot first and ask questions later.”

“Who is hunting you? Why?” Felix said. Although his voice was slow and lazy, Tomasine didn’t make the mistake of missing his anger, not when it was there in every line of his body.

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“I can’t tell you,” she whispered. She’d decided she’d never mention her royal status again and most definitely not to a shifter. Any male who mated with her had instant power because she was queen of her clan. The female line in her family held the power even though the male who eventually mated with them often took over the rule for their lifetime. In Bernard’s case, it had gone to his head and a good portion of the clan had paid with their lives, including Bernard. Now Joseph sought to rule. He wanted absolute rule, and the only way he could manage that was if he mated with her or he could prove she was dead. As next of kin to Bernard and since all her family were dead, he could exert a claim. The power would only become absolute when it was proved that both Tomasine and Sylvie were dead, hence the assassins on their trail.

“Won’t tell me,” Felix snapped. His fists clenched and then unclenched, his glare practically drilling a hole in her face. “I love you. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

Finally she found the courage to look up. “My husband told me he loved me. He didn’t.”

Felix’s jaw worked. Tomasine stepped back, putting more space between them. The fact didn’t escape him. He snorted. “Don’t insult me any more than you have already.”

Tomasine closed her eyes for an instant, acknowledging the hit. In her heart she knew Felix would never hurt her. She couldn’t say for sure how she knew—she just did.

“I have to go. I can’t risk my children’s lives and I’d hate to know I’d put any of you in danger. We don’t know the identity of the dead man or the mystery blonde woman. My gut tells me it’s something to do with me. I’ve learned to trust my instincts and they’re telling me to run.”

“Where will you go?”

“The city is the best place. It’s busy and easy to hide amongst all the people, the smells.”

“What about Sylvie?”

Bewildered, Tomasine stared. “What do you mean? What about Sylvie?”

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“Have you forgotten she went through her first change yesterday? She’s too young to control it. What are you going to do if she changes in the middle of the city? Besides,”

he added. “I don’t like cities. I tried to live in the city with my girlfriend Alicia.” Felix scowled at the memory. “It was like being smothered alive. I swore I’d never do it again—”

“I’m not asking you to,” Tomasine snapped.

“I’d do it for you,” Felix stated. Even though he’d prefer not to go through that hell again, he hated the thought of being parted from her even more. Felix held his breath while he waited for her response. God, he couldn’t lose her, not now. It would kill him if she walked away. His mouth firmed and he came to a decision. Tomasine wasn’t going anywhere without him. He should have followed the siren demand that had whispered to him ever since the collision outside the post office. He should have claimed her, taking away Tomasine’s options. Felix sighed inwardly. Shit, who was he kidding? As much as he loved her, he wanted her to choose him. He wanted to feel like a winner, make the mating a celebration of mutual love.

“I’ll manage somehow,” Tomasine said finally, although her face had paled so much he noticed she had a few freckles on the bridge of her nose. He hated knowing that he was partially responsible for that fear.

Felix took her hand and dragged her unresisting form down the passage to the kitchen. Saber, Emily, Leo and Gina were sitting around the table with mugs of coffee in front of them while books and crayons surrounded Sylvie. “Tomasine is insisting on leaving. Talk to her. She won’t listen to me.” Felix didn’t hold back on his frustration. It colored his words and left an awkward silence before they all started talking at once. It was a case of five against one with the argument going around in circles. Endless circles that made Felix want to put his fist through the nearest wall.

“We could go and stay with Saul’s uncle. His station is secluded and safe. We could help with the farm work,” he said.

“No.”

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“What’s wrong with staying with Saul’s uncle? We’ve known Saul since we were Sylvie’s age. I’d trust him and his family with my life.”

“Are you sure?” Tomasine demanded. “Because that’s exactly what you’d be doing.”

A strident knock on the front door broke their deadlock. Felix watched Tomasine’s head jerk in the direction of the summons. Probably glad of the respite since his arguments were so persuasive. At least he thought they were. They made sense, dammit. Surely she’d change her mind about leaving. Tomasine couldn’t leave. He wouldn’t let her out of his sight or the girls.

Tomasine scowled at them all, one by one. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to hide so close to Middlemarch.”

“But the security is excellent. Saul’s uncle and all his workers are shifters. It’s difficult to sneak up on the farm. I know because we tried a few times when we were younger,” Leo said.

The impatient hammering came again.

“I’ll get it,” Emily said.

“No, wait here. I’ll go,” Saber said. “It’s not a local. They’d know to come to the other door.”

Immediately tension rose in Tomasine, the flight instinct coming to the fore. Felix knew it by glancing at her pale, strained face. She cocked her head, listening intently. They all did.

“Can you hear anything?” Tomasine asked carefully, looking ready to bolt. Felix moved closer, felt the faint trembling of her slender frame. Tenderness swamped him. She was such a tiny thing. Didn’t she know he’d protect her with everything he had? They all would.

Footsteps sounded in the passage. Two sets.

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“Saber wouldn’t let in anyone who presented a danger,” Leo said after noting Tomasine’s worried face.

Emily nodded but Tomasine didn’t seem convinced. Felix watched when her gaze sought out both Gina and Sylvie. Emily had found a book for Sylvie to color and Gina, who had become bored with their circular discussion, was helping with color selections. The closer the footsteps came, the uneasier she became. Tomasine’s breasts rose and fell rapidly, her gaze darting around the room as if seeking means of escape. She did this every time she entered a room even though the exits and entrances didn’t change. It was an ingrained behavior and it chilled Felix to the bone. What the hell had happened to cause her such extreme wariness? He wished she’d confide in him. Tomasine tensed at his side and leapt to her feet. She grabbed the nearest knife before glaring at the man. He was tall and powerfully built with tawny eyes and streaky blond hair. About Saber’s age, Felix decided, and there was something primal in his expression that hinted at shifter.