Claws and Effect (6 page)

Something cool and dry touched my hand. I opened my eyes and flinched backward. A massive cougar hovered near the bed, his nose brushing against my skin. I was shocked to see how big he was. I'd known that cougars were large cats, but his head was the size of a basketball, whiskers protruding down each side of his mouth. His eyes were slits of glowing green color, unnaturally bright in his tawny face. He studied me for a moment, and then gave a catlike yawn.

Despite the display of fangs and gaping mouth, that yawn made me relax a bit. It was so very...house-cat like. "Can I...can I touch you?" I whispered.

His nose pushed at my hand, inviting my touch.

Hesitant, I stroked my fingers over the line of short fur down his forehead. It was surprisingly soft, like a mink. I let my fingers trail to the back of his neck and noticed that the fur grew thicker and got coarser on his back. Interesting. I returned to his face and continued to stroke my fingers over his brow. To my surprise, a rumbling purr started low in his throat.

"That...means you're not going to eat me, right?" I asked, the joke sounding more nervous than I would have liked.

The large cat gave me such a look of human disgust that a small giggle escaped my throat again. Then, he lifted a paw and placed it on my leg, his head pushing forward so I could pet it some more.

He was really like the kittens in that aspect, I thought with a faint smile. Just much, much bigger.

"All right," I murmured. "You've convinced me."

I reached out to pet him again but this time he took my hand between his teeth. A flare of panic shot through me, quickly quelled. It was obvious that he was trying to communicate something, and his teeth were very careful not to hurt me despite their large size. When he pushed my hand awkwardly toward my face, I guessed. "You want me to cover my eyes again?"

His head dipped in something like a nod.

"All right," I said, and obliged him. When I covered my eyes, I felt his big furry form move away, and heard the rustling on the far side of the room. Then that awful crack of bones, and nothing but rustling for a long moment. When I heard the shuffle of fabric, I peeked between my fingers again, just in time to see those tight white buttocks disappear back into his jeans. I watched him dress for a moment more, then squeezed my fingers shut so he wouldn't be aware that I was watching him.

A moment later, Ellis spoke. "All clear."

I dropped my hands from my face and made a big show of blinking.

"So, there you go," Ellis said, tucking his shirt in to the waist of his jeans. "We're pretty harmless. We just happen to be people that shift into cats and can't resist a good scratching post." He winked at me.

I snorted. "Harmless."

That mischievous smile returned to his face. "What, you don't think I am?"

I studied him, that roguish smile on his face, the tousled hair now falling over his forehead. He was trying to play it all innocent-like, but the tattoos and tight shirt stretched across his muscular arms weren't exactly selling that story. "I thought Andre was harmless, too," I pointed out. "You'll forgive me if I don't trust my own judgment for a while."

Immediately, Ellis sobered. He came and sat next to me on the bed. Not close, but facing me. "Lily, I just want you to know that I'm nothing like Andre, all right? I want you to trust me."

His expression was so sincere that I wanted to believe him, but I still hesitated. "Why are you trying so hard to be my friend?"

The smile he gave me was wide. "I kinda figured you needed one."

I did. I wasn't sure if he was the best person for the job, but right now he was all that I had.

"We should get some sleep," Ellis told me, heading back toward the bed where I sat. "The kittens are going to need to be fed every two hours, and that's going to make it a long night."

I nodded and laid down in the bed, pulling the blankets up to my chin. I still had questions, but I didn't want to push my luck. As with every night, Ellis got into bed next to me, put his arm over my shoulders, and dragged me close, imprisoning me against him so I couldn't escape. And as with every night, I remained stiff and unresponsive against him until I finally fell asleep.

It seemed I'd barely drifted off before Ellis was nudging me awake, his watch beeping an alarm. "Time to feed the children."

Blearily, I sat up and watched as he sprang toward the stove, putting on water and measuring out more formula. The kittens were mewing in their box, so I went to it and held them against me until the formula was ready. I was still half asleep as we fed them, rubbed tummies to burp them, cleaned up the inevitable kitten poo, and then put them back into their bed.

I tumbled back to sleep moments after I pulled the blankets back over me, only to have Ellis shake me awake again a few hours later for the same routine. We did this three more times, and by the time dawn was cresting on the horizon and the kittens were down for their final nighttime feeding, I was so exhausted that when Ellis rolled into bed and pulled me to him, I tucked my head against him and snuggled my face against his chest. I was too tired to be afraid, and he was warm and kinda cuddly. He didn't say anything, just wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer.

As I went to sleep, I could have sworn I'd heard him inhale deep, as if smelling my hair.

Chapter Four

"Well isn't this cute?" A familiar voice rang in my ear, dragging me out of sleep.

"Fuck off," I heard Ellis mumble, his mouth moving against my hair.

Exhausted, I pried my eyes open and peered at the sunny cabin. Everett was leaning over us, a smirk on his face. It was obvious to tell why he was smirking, too - I was wrapped around Ellis as tightly as he was wrapped around me, my cheek cradled against his chest.

And I didn't mind it. I actually felt...safe. It was nice.

"Time for you to haul ass to work, brother," Everett said to his twin, poking him repeatedly in the shoulder just to be obnoxious. "I'm sure there are goats for you to fondle and cows that need a hand stuck up their ass."

"Fuck off," Ellis mumbled again, and his hand stroked down my back.

I stiffened at that, because it felt more...intimate than his other touches.

Ellis must have realized it, too, because he released me. "Sorry," he murmured against my brow, and then rolled away before I could tell him it was okay. When he got out of bed, I noticed that he had a tent straining the front of his jeans, though he didn't comment on it. Morning wood. He stumbled out of the cabin, heading for the outhouse, leaving me with Everett and the kittens, who were mewing their hunger.

I headed to the box, pushing my messy hair out of my eyes and picked the first one up, tucking it back in to my bra, ignoring Everett as he went to the stove and pulled out a skillet, readying to make me breakfast like usual. By the time I had both kittens in my shirt, Ellis was back.

"You can skip that," he told Everett. "I'm sticking around today."

Everett looked at me, then at his twin, surprised. "You are? You don't have work?"

"Nothing that can't wait, and you have a deadline."

Everett's face bloomed into a smile. "So you'll take over for me this week?"

"This week?" Ellis pretended to be offended, but he gave his brother an affectionate punch in the arm. "Go. I've got things handled here."

Perplexed, I watched as Everett practically raced out of the cabin. I turned to look at Ellis, questioning.

"Deadline," he said.

"For what?"

"He writes crime novels. Has one due in a few weeks and has been bitching and moaning about not having enough time to work on it because babysitting here is eating up all his spare time after work."

"Oh." Well, that explained why Everett was so impatient with her at times, and constantly had his nose buried in a book. "What kind of work does he do?"

"Security. Writes the novels at night."

"Are they any good?"

"I guess?" Ellis shrugged. "I'm not much of a reader."

I nodded, then glanced around the cabin. "Looks like you're stuck with me then."

"More like you're stuck with me," Ellis teased. "Me and my terrible cooking."

I gave a mock groan, but the truth was, I didn't care. At least Ellis talked to me during the day. After my own trip to the outhouse, we both washed up and then Ellis made french toast while I fed the kittens their latest round of formula. Ellis was right; he was a terrible cook. The toast was soggy and a little too eggy-tasting to be any good, but I didn't complain. Instead, I watched Ellis as I ate.

I thought back to last night, and the way he'd curled around me. He always did, but that was the first time he'd sniffed my hair, and he'd woke up this morning with an erection. Was he attracted to me? I'd thought he was just friendly, but now I was starting to wonder. Was his friendliness born out of desire for me? Or just because he was nice and polite?

And better yet, could I use that friendliness and attraction to get him firmly on my side? We both knew Ellis wanted me to go free but his brother Beau was making the decisions. What if I got Ellis so firmly on my side that he'd choose me over his brother? It might take a little feminine wiles, but if it meant freedom...

I'd have to test the waters.

Ellis cleared the table when we were done eating, and then glanced out the windows. "Looks like a nice day outside. You want to shower early while it's warm?"

We both knew 'shower' meant a quick wash with the bucket, but I nodded. "Sounds good."

"Would it bother you if I showered, too?" He looked over at me. "Feel free to tell me no. I can stand the smell of myself for a few more days." And he teasingly lifted an arm and mock-sniffed under it.

I rolled my eyes. "I don't care. You can shower, too."

We gathered up the bathing materials, set the kittens back down in their warm box for them to sleep, and headed outside. This time, Ellis didn't guide me by my elbow - it was more or less understood at this point that I wouldn't run away. For now, I thought to myself. Freedom was always in the back of my mind.

When we got to the pump, Ellis set down the bucket of bathing items and handed me a washcloth. Just like normal. He began to prime the pump, and if this was going to go like every other bathing experience, I'd get water dumped on me while wearing my clothes. My choice, of course.

Except...I needed to suss out how he was feeling about me to see what I could use. So, steeling myself for any kind of reaction, I pulled my top off. Then, face averted, I reached behind me to unhook my bra.

"Uh...Lily?" Ellis cleared his throat. "What are you doing?"

"Oh," I said, feigning innocence. I unhooked my bra and shrugged it off, pretending not to notice the way Ellis's gaze flicked to my breasts and then swiftly back up to my face. I rubbed at my bare belly. "I was still feeling grimy under the clothes so I thought I'd give up on the whole washing with clothes on thing."

"All right," he said, and his voice was easy. He turned back to the pump and primed away like a madman while I undid the knot in my sweatpants and then slid them off, kicking them aside. A moment later, my underwear followed.

Then I was naked and standing in front of him, waiting. I crossed my arms under my breasts and shivered. "Kinda chilly."

"Yeah," he said, and his voice was a little hoarse. Then he turned, grabbed the bucket, and held it over my head. "You ready?"

"Ready," I agreed, squeezing my eyes shut. He dumped it over my head and I gave a miserable little moan at the cold water. Pushing my wet hair off of my face, I shivered and held a hand out for the washcloth.

He placed it into my hand and squirted soap on it, and while I began to soap up my breasts and stomach, he returned to the pump, priming it madly.

I took my sweet time washing my skin. It was cold, the water was cold, and the breeze was making me prickle all over, but I was watching Ellis for cues. Cause and effect, I told myself, parroting his favorite phrase. I wondered if I had any effect on Ellis. I noticed he was paying a lot of attention to the pump and very little to me. It was either politeness, or something else. "You not going to wash with me?"

"Nah."

I smoothed the washcloth down one arm languidly. "But I thought you said you were dirty."

"Changed my mind," he muttered.

"Suit yourself," I said in a sweet voice, noticing that he adjusted himself when he thought I wasn't looking. There was definitely interest there. For some reason, that made me feel better. There was opportunity here. I just needed to seize it. But I couldn't be too obvious. "Um, hey, Ellis?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you wash my back? I can't get to all of it." I turned around and held the washcloth over my shoulder, inviting him. I hid my smile of triumph when he grabbed the cloth from me and began to rub at my back in quick, brisk strokes.

"Looks clean," he announced a brief moment later and slapped the washcloth back over my shoulder.

"Thank you." No sense in pushing.

I shampooed my hair and then conditioned it, taking my sweet time. All the while, Ellis was unusually quiet. For a man that liked to talk simply because he didn't appreciate silence? He was quiet, and that made me think I was getting to him more than he let on. When it was time to rinse, he dumped a bucket of water over my head without notice, and I spluttered.

"Clean enough," he announced cheerfully. "Let's go back in, shall we? Your lips are turning blue." Before I could protest, he wrapped a towel around me and began to shuffle me back toward the cabin.

"What about you?" I asked, dragging my feet.

"I'll do a quick dunk after you're inside," he said. "You should probably check on the kids anyhow."

A giggle escaped my throat at that. "Fine, fine." I let him steer me inside, but I already knew everything I needed to, just from his reactions.

Ellis was attracted to me. Now I just needed to make sure that his desire to be my 'friend' kept heading in a more intense direction. Because if I got Ellis to fall in love with me...how could he not let me escape?