Shifting Positions (2 page)

The man really had to work on his dominance problem, Tess thought, tugging her hand free to dig out her keys. Unlocking the door, and against her better judgment, she went inside and made room for Caleb to follow.

She walked through the small foyer and into the homey kitchen. Setting her purse on the counter she turned, and took a hasty step back. Caleb was right behind her, invading her much needed personal space. A deep throbbing began low in her belly. Oh she knew she wanted him, but having him would only bring a world of trouble. Wolves were fickle, unless you were a mate, and then a woman became a possession, nothing more. As neither option was pleasing to Tess, she plastered on a serene expression and leaned against the counter, crossing her arms under her breasts which emphasized her generous D cups. His eyes dropped to follow the movement.

Yikes. Was that lust heating his eyes?

She should be used to it. With her streaked blonde hair, flawless complexion, bee-stung lips, and long legs that made the most of her height, she was used to drawing attention. But with Caleb, his obvious sexual interest was igniting hers.

She cleared her throat and tried for casual indifference. “I’m up here,” she said pointing to her face.

Nonplussed at being caught staring at her nicely rounded breasts, Caleb raised his eyes to hers, the intensity in them making her second guess her demand. Any other man who eyed her like she was their own personal banquet after a week-long fast would get a harsh set down, but something about the sheriff made her want to find the closest flat surface and give him leave to gorge. Little arrows of lust prickled her skin and her nipples rasped uncomfortably against her bra. And she thought she’d been heading into the danger zone with Matt. Compared to the shifter standing before her, Matt was a like a newborn kitten. The sheriff looked as if he wanted to gobble her up on one bite. Amazingly enough, she was actually considering it. Damn hormones.

He stripped off his gloves and tossed them on the counter. “You’re everywhere.” Her brows rose under the silky fall of hair on her forehead. . “Excuse me?” He took a step forward, then another until he stood so close she could feel the heat emanating from his body. “Your scent calls to me, Tess. I’ve tried to be patient, to give you time to acclimate yourself and spend time with your mom. But whenever we meet, you’re coolly polite and damn careful not to touch me. I know you want me and yet you purposely set out to avoid me. Why is that? Especially when you go and let that piece of shit touch you.” Tess felt her face heat at his comment about wanting him. Damn wolf senses. Ignoring that, and the way her breasts had begun to ache, she made an unladylike grunt. “You did not just get me away from Matt so you could accost me yourself, did you?” Caleb growled. “Don’t even think to compare me with him!He’s just an egotistical human. I know when a woman is interested. I can smell it on her. On you.”” She pursed her lips, silently cursing his wolf senses. “Maybe I was interested. Maybe I just wanted to go to some place more comfortable.”

“This is not a joke, Tess.” His eyes narrowed into slits, his voice hard with barely restrained anger. “Just the idea of his hands on you made me want to beat him bloody. Now I want to tear him limb from limb.”

It was never a good idea to piss off a wolf.

“Look. Maybe you’re right.” She shrugged. “Maybe by accepting his invitation he got the idea I wanted to sleep with him.”

Without warning his big hands gripped her shoulders, not hard enough to bruise, but tight enough to get her full attention. “Never.”

Tess gasped. Right now Caleb’s animalistic side was in full force, and it was turning her on, hard core. That restless craving grew, reaching out for him every damn time he was near, and right now it took every ounce of her control to not set his visible erection free and beg him to fill the emptiness inside her.

No, not going there. Think about an ice bath, or Woody Allen naked.

She eased back from the naughty thoughts, though only by a mere fraction. It was enough. Sending him a bland look, she said in a cool tone, “I don’t understand why you’re so bothered by this.”

Caleb’s nostrils flared. “His stench is all over you and it’s pissing me off.” She opened her mouth to retort and his head descended, covering her lips with his own.

His tongue shoved past shocked lips and delved in her moist mouth. A wave of heat exploded from her mouth to sizzle every nerve ending and she clutched her hands into fists to stop the instinctual urge to wrap them around his neck and hold him close. She remained frozen, an ice maiden, intent on rejecting his touch…for the first few seconds anyway. Then she melted.

Caleb tunneled one hand into her hair, tilting her head for a better angle. God, he tasted so good. Better than she could have imagined, and she had quite an imagination. His lips were soft, his tongue rough and the opposing textures were enthralling. She swallowed his groan, felt his hand on her ass as he pressed her closer. Her breasts flattened against his chest and his erection pushed into the valley between her thighs. Then his hips rocked and he thrust.

Tess couldn’t stop the moan of need that left her throat, didn’t stop her arms from wrapping around his neck. She arched her hips in blatant invitation, seeking relief from the new rush of arousal clinging to her thighs.

Suddenly Caleb gripped her hips and set her on the counter. A clatter followed and was ignored as he pushed her knees apart and stepped between them.

Madness had overtaken her. His strength enveloped her. That enticing scent of his invaded every pore and made her head swirl with desire. The crushing need to be filled by him, to be possessed, claimed even, made her oblivious to everything else. She didn’t care where they were, couldn’t give a damn that they weren’t alone in the house. She only knew she wanted more.

Under her ragged gasps of need, Tess vaguely heard her mother voice calling her name on the intercom. Caleb must have heard at the same time as he slowly withdrew his mouth from her clinging lips and pulled back.. .

Tess’s eyes opened, glazed and full of dark desire, and not a little alarm. Caleb groaned and buried his face in the warmth of her neck.

“Tess? Are you okay?”

Shaken, she fumbled for the respond button. “I’m fine, mom.” Her voice was embarrassingly husky and she took a moment to clear it. “I just knocked some stuff over on the counter. I’ll come see you once I clean up.”

“All right, dear. Thank you for bringing her home safe, Caleb. You know how a mother worries.”

Caleb’s fingers clenched on Tess’s hips and she could have sworn his lips curved into a smile against her heated flesh. Then he pulled back and stared into her eyes. “It was my pleasure, Ruth. You have a good night.”

“Good night, Caleb, and be safe out there! It said on the news it might sleet tonight.”

“Yes ma’am, I will. Thank you.”

The intercom went dead and Caleb laid his forehead on hers. “I swear your mother has a sixth sense.”

Tess struggled for composure. “She always did seem to know when Kaylie or I were doing something wrong.”

He ran his hand over her hair, sliding his fingers in the silky tresses. “Her surgery’s Wednesday, right?”

She felt so damn cozy, sleepy, and yes horny, she didn’t want to move. “Yes.”

“Do you need a ride?”

Tess blinked up at him. “Ah, no, thanks. I’ve got it covered.” His nostrils flared and something flashed in his eyes. Several heartbeats passed as Caleb seemed to get himself under control. “Your sister can’t make it back?” Confused by his casual questioning – didn’t he just have his tongue down her throat a minute ago? – it took Tess a few seconds to respond. “Kaylie is taking her final exams and can’t make it back until late next week, though she’s making a nuisance of herself by calling every day. Just because she’s going to school to become a veterinarian, she thinks she knows regular medicine, too..”

“She’s a good kid.”

“Mmm. Look. Thanks again for the ride home, but I’m too tired to talk so, good night.” She tried to brush him off.

Caleb leaned down, his warm breath whispered over her lips making her head swim. “Is that what we were doing? Talking?”

Heat flushed her face at his words and she shoved her hands onto Caleb’s chest and pushed. When he moved back she jumped to her feet and stepped away, putting distance between their bodies. “Yes,” she hissed. “Anything else was a mistake and will not happen again.” He snagged her hand, tugging it behind her back as he pulled her hard against him. His free hand moved to touch her jaw. “Not only will
it
happen again, it
will
happen quite often, so get used to it.”

She ignored the little happy dance her heart started doing. “Are you insane?”

“No.” He let out a chuckle. “Just giving you fair warning, sweet.”

“Fair warning? Of what?”

He nipped her bottom lip. “Of claiming you for my mate. Now I have to go make sure West didn’t drive himself into a ditch again.”

Caleb kissed her again, his lips hard against her open mouth. Then he swiveled on his booted heel and stalked out of the room, leaving Tess to gape after him.

Once she put away the dishes scattered in the drying rack she’d bumped into, Tess trudged up the stairs to her mom’s room. With a quick grin to hide the irritation left behind from Caleb’s declaration, she settled on the bed, legs crossed, and simply looked at the amazing woman who’d given her life. But did said woman want to talk about her upcoming surgery?

Nope. Ruth started in on Tess, with all the love and confusion she’d always shown her oldest daughter.

“So you left with Matt and came home with Caleb. Did something happen?” Tess’s lips turned down. “Nothing other than my own stupidity.”

“Would you like to explain that comment?” Ruth asked with a raised brow.

“Not really.” Tess’s shoulders slumped.

“Well I for one am glad that Caleb brought you home. I’ve never forgiven Matt for hurting you when you two dated in high school. And since then, he’s grown into such a reckless young man.” Ruth turned a hard stare at her daughter. “His behavior is so at odds with his father’s loving nature that one could swear Charles didn’t sire him.”

“He didn’t. I don’t know if Matt even knows who is father is.” Tess answered on auto pilot, thinking more about Caleb then actually listening to her mother.

Ruth clapped her hands startlingly Tess. “I knew it!”

“Uh?” Tess shook her head and focused. “What do you mean?”

“It’s the eyes. The color is very distinctive and he looks so much like…” When her mom paused, Tess leaned in and whispered, “Who?’

But Ruth only shook her head. “It’s only a guess and I’ll not say anything more as I don’t want to influence your thinking. Besides, if you haven’t seen the man I believe to be Matt’s biological father, you will soon.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Tess never could resist a puzzle.

Her mom shook her head. “Not saying anything more about the subject. Though I would like to know if Matt’s cruelty had anything to do with you going all the way to New York for college.”

Tess leaned back against the headboard and closed her eyes. This wasn’t a new discussion. “No, Mom. It was one of the schools that offered me a partial scholarship.”

“And?’ Ruth prompted.

“And I didn’t want to end up with someone like Dad.” Agitated, Tess hopped off the bed and began to pace the room.

“A shifter you mean.”

Tess waved a hand in the air. “Yes, a shifter. A domineering, arrogant and paranoid shifter. Seriously, Mom. What kind of man has a house built that contains a secret entrance?” Ruth answered with slow deliberation. “The kind of man who had his entire family burned alive in their home during the Pack Wars.”

“Exactly. As awful as that was for Dad, and no matter how bad I feel for the plight of the shifter race, I don’t want to have anything to do with that dangerous world. I wanted a normal life. Not one full of fur and fangs.”

Ruth frowned. “And you considered modeling a ”normal” world? I take it you never came across a male who turned into a beast because of stupidity, drink or possessiveness?” Ruth’s voice was quiet and calm, her words hitting a little too close to the truth.

“More than one,” Tess muttered under her breath. Turning, she crossed her arms over her chest in defense. “But that’s different. At least those men were human and only looking to get laid. With shifters, it’s a life long commitment of being a broodmare. And that’s if the woman is unlucky enough to have the compatible genes to carry shifter cubs. If not, she gets dumped at the first sniff of a woman who is, just like Dad did to you. One situation is a rock and the other is a hard place.”

Her arms waved in agitation as she continued. “As the daughter of a wolf, odds are that I carry the right DNA to be a mate. As I find that particular ritual or process or whatever it is both mentally and physically abusive to females, I didn’t want to stick around a known canine territory just in case my “mate” happened along and tried to claim me.” Ruth rolled her eyes. “The odds have nothing to do with it, Tess. Any fertile female could provide a shifter with a child.” She held up a hand to forestall her daughter’s irate comment.

“While it’s true that only a small percentage, whether she be half-wolf or completely human, could give birth to males that can actually change, it really boils down to chemistry, compatibility and fate. I don’t understand where on earth you came up with those crazy notions, but it’s no different than in the human world and you know it. If the physical, mental or emotional attachments aren’t there or they fizzle out, the relationship will not last, period.” She paused, as if mulling over a new train of thought.. “It appears you and one extremely handsome sheriff have some serious chemistry going on.”. I’ve never seen him act around another woman the way he does you which makes me guess you are his true mate. That means more than just having compatible DNA, Tess.” Ruth shook her head. “I don’t understand why you are fretting. You’ll be well taken care of…”

Tess threw up her hands, interrupting the lecture. “Like Dad took care of you? He left you after eight years of marriage. Like a damn dog in heat, he took one whiff of that woman at that business convention and left you high and dry.”