COWBOY ROMANCE: Justin (Western Contemporary Alpha Male Bride Romance) (The Steele Brothers Book 1) (36 page)

Chapter Five
 

The smell of him was all over her. It filled Darren’s nostrils as he sat in the car beside her on their way back to her house. His hands clutched the steering wheel tightly as he tried to control himself. He wanted nothing more than to rip the bastard apart for the fear and pain he had caused her. What made him even angrier was the fact he had let things get personal. Something about Callie made him want to protect her. He had no idea what it was, but he needed to find out.
          Darren pulled his car up onto the empty driveway and climbed out of the car. He rushed around the vehicle before Callie could open her door and opened it for her. Then he held his hand out to her to help her out. When she placed her hand in his, he took a sharp intake of breath. Skin to skin there was electricity between them like nothing he had ever felt before. He suddenly remembered how he had found her, helpless and bleeding on her kitchen floor. The image made him grit his teeth in anger, and again, he wanted to tear at something.
          “How are you feeling?” he asked as he closed the car door behind her and helped her toward the front door of the house. He couldn’t help but notice how pale she had become. She looked completely washed out with hair so dark it was almost ebony.
          “I’m ok,” she replied with a shrug of her shoulders. “Just tired.” Darren nodded in understanding. She had been awake now for nearly eighteen hours, and she had another six before she could safely go to sleep without any risk from her concussion. Darren was determined to keep her awake until then.
          “Why don’t you take a shower, and I’ll fix us some tea and clean up a little?” Darren suggested as he placed her key in the lock and opened the door, gesturing her inside.
          “You don’t have to do that.” She shook her head, and Darren saw her suddenly shrink in pain, gritting her teeth and squinting her eyes as though her head was hurting.
          “I know I don’t but I want to,” he smiled back at her, “I want to do as much as possible to make you feel safe and comfortable again.”
          “The truth is I just don’t want to be alone right now,” she admitted. Darren had to understand that. She must have been scared out of her wits knowing that even in a guarded room in a hospital her attacker had still gotten to her.
          “Why don’t we sit in the front room then and watch some TV?” he suggested. Callie nodded as he closed the door. He noticed her watching as he locked it behind them as though she wanted to be sure that it really was locked.
          “Here,” he told her as he held out the keys, “you take these so that you know nobody has unlocked the door.” She smiled at him then, a smile that warmed his heart, and he longed to touch her cheeks and bring some color back to them.
          “I trust you,” she told him as she pushed the keys back toward him and then headed into the front room. When he followed her inside, she had already dropped down onto the sofa. Darren grabbed the blanket that was folded over the back of the sofa and spread it over her. She smiled at him with gratitude as she pulled it up to her chin and snuggled into the cushions. Darren sat down close by in one of the large plush arm chairs to the right of the sofa.         
           He felt just as tired as she looked. He hadn’t been able to sleep at all that night. He’d lain awake in bed thinking about Callie in her hospital room and wondering exactly who it was who had attacked her. He had a good idea he knew what group the attacker came from and the fact scared him half to death. If he was right, then Callie really was in terrible danger.

Chapter Six
 

Darren finally let her go upstairs once the twenty-four hours were up. She climbed into her bed and pulled the covers up around her. No matter what she did, she could not rid herself of the bone-biting chill that seemed to fill her up inside. Her fear at falling asleep was replaced by her exhaustion, and within minutes of her head hitting the pillow, she was asleep.
          She felt the eyes on her as soon as her own closed. Her heart pounded with fear as the shadow fell across her, and she felt his body pressed against hers. The heat that radiated off his body was like nothing she had felt off any other human before. She almost welcomed it into her chilled body before she was consumed by utter terror.
           Then his eyes were there, looking down into her face, and she breathed a sigh of relief. It was not her attacker. It was Darren. He held her close to him, his heart beating in time with hers as she pressed her ear against his chest. He was warm and inviting, his breath as sweet against her hairline as he kissed her on the forehead.
           “You are safe now,” he whispered, and she knew he was telling the truth. She knew that she would always be safe as long as he was close to her. His hand stroked the back of her head, and she half expected to feel pain. All she felt was the electricity that vibrated from his hand to her. He wrapped his fingers in her hair and gently pulled to force her face up toward his. He leaned down and possessed her lips with his own. He tasted like honey, and his kiss was so tender that she melted inside. Her body pressed against his, and she felt his erection against her stomach. He growled deep in his throat as though he was hungry for her. She knew exactly how he felt.
           Her own hands came up to brush through his sandy hair, and he pulled her closer than ever. Their bodies melded to each other as Darren placed his hands on her hips and gyrated against her. Desire burned in her stomach and she bit his lip hard enough to make his breath catch in his throat. His eyes flashed with desire as she released him, and his hands came up to cup her bare breasts.
           For the first time, she realized that they were both naked. His skin brushed hers, and she felt every hair on her body stand on end. She could feel the pulse of his desire in every inch of her body, and she wanted him to touch her everywhere. She wanted to feel his hands on every inch of her body, feel him tickle down her spine and cup her buttocks. She wanted him to kiss her skin so softly that she screamed with desire.
         Her hand came down between his legs, and she cupped him gently. His eyes flashed, and he growled with pleasure as she gently squeezed and released to squeeze again. His eyes remained on hers as he brought his own hand up her thigh, tickling her so deliciously that she bit her own lip as he cupped her sex and began to rub her gently with his fingers.
          He was gentle and teasing as he dipped his finger inside her to the first knuckle before pulling it away again. She bit her lip harder. He did the same three times before slipping his finger all the way inside. Her head tilted back, and she let out a long gasp of pleasure as he pulled his finger from her and slipped it in again. He touched every nerve of her sex as he moved slowly and gently, causing a knot of pleasure to tighten in her stomach. Before long, she began to feel as though she might explode.
          Just as her climax came. she jumped into a sitting position in bed. Sweat dripped down her forehead and heat pulsed between her thighs as she realized she had been dreaming. She panted as though she had really been at it and her cheeks grew hot with embarrassment. She looked around the room and was glad to see that she was alone. There was no way she would have survived being caught in such a state without dying of embarrassment.
           She could hear Darren moving around downstairs and guessed that he was keeping his promise to tidy up while she rested. She no longer felt chilled to the bone. In fact, she felt quite the opposite. Her entire body was boiling hot, and she had to strip off her sweats before she overheated completely. She could still feel his hands running over her body as she turned over and slammed her face into the pillow, screaming until she could handle her frustration, hoping that with the pillow over her face he wouldn’t be able to hear her from the kitchen.

Chapter Seven

Darren stood at the kitchen sink, staring out of the window at the creature that stared back at him. The huge black bear’s eyes gleamed amber in the darkness. Darren gritted his teeth against the werebear’s confidence.
          He wiped his wet hands on the kitchen towel before heading toward the back door. His heart pounded as he thought of what he was about to do. He was careful not to let the door make any noise as he opened it and slipped out, closing it safely behind him.
          “You need to leave now,” he hissed under his breath at the creature. Its massive black head turned toward him, and there was a grin on its face. It shook from head to toe, and suddenly, a man stood before him. The bear was gone. His thick black hair hung over his face making it hard for Darren to tell what he looked like.
           “She has been chosen.” The bear laughed, but the words sent a shiver down Darren’s spine.
          “She is a human.” He shook his head. “She cannot be chosen.” The man’s mouth turned up in a vicious smile.
          “She has been chosen,” he repeated. Darren’s hands turned into fists, and he gritted his teeth against the urge to throw himself at the man.
         “You will not have here,” he vowed. “She is not to be taken.”
         “You are a gold wolf, are you not?” the man took a step toward him. Darren was not comfortable with his closeness, yet he refused to step back and show any weakness. Instead, he nodded.
         “You should know your place,” the black bear growled. “This is not for you to get involved in.”
         “I am not just a bear,” Darren hissed back at him. “I am a police officer too, and while I am around, nobody is being taken.”
         “Then you may not be around much longer.” The man laughed again. Darren was about to argue when the man turned and suddenly raced away, pouncing over the fence as though it was little more than a few inches.
          He stood there for a few minutes, staring at the place where the man had disappeared before he heard Callie call his name from inside. He turned quickly and rushed inside before she could come out.
         As soon as he closed the door behind him, he told her, “We need to get you out of here now.” Her eyes widened with fear.
         “What’s going on?” she demanded. “What’s happened?”
         “He was here,” Darren explained. “It’s not safe for you here.” He stepped forward as she looked like she was about to break down. When he touched her arm, he could feel that she was shaking like a leaf.
          “Callie, this is more serious than I thought,” he explained to her. “There are things at work here that no human should have to go through.”
          “What do you mean by human?” she demanded as she pulled her arm away from him, suddenly looking like she was frightened of him. He sighed and ran his fingers through his blond hair.
           “Callie, there is something I need to tell you,” he admitted. His heart pounded as he thought of what he was about to do, and he had no idea if she was even going to believe him.
Please believe me!
He prayed as he closed his eyes for a few seconds.
             When he opened them again, she was staring at him with a raised eyebrow. She crossed her arms and looked at him like she was getting frustrated.
            “Callie, I’m not what you think I am,” he sighed, “I am a werebear.” She looked confused then. Her chest inflated, and suddenly, she was laughing. Darren had not expected that reaction. In fact, he felt a little taken aback by it.
          “Is this some kind of joke to try and get my mind off everything?” she asked, still giggling, her green eyes dancing with amusement. Darren felt his heart sink.
She doesn’t believe me,
he thought.
I’ve never told anyone before, and she doesn’t believe me.
          He grabbed hold of her arms and shook her a little, in an attempt to get her to realize how serious he was. “Callie, I am deadly serious. I am a werebear, and the man who has been after you is one too.”
          She stopped laughing then, and her face turned to a deep frown. She pushed him away from her and took a step back.
          “You are seriously crazy.” She shook her head and pulled away as he tried to reach for her again. She turned her face away from him as though she could no longer look him in the eye. Darren felt sick with that comment. He had never imagined she would talk to him in such a way.
           “Callie, it isn’t safe for you here,” Darren insisted. “If he comes back, he is going to trap you and turn you. That’s what he’s wanted all along.”
           “Get out!” she yelled suddenly. Darren’s heart dropped further until he felt as though it was going to drop out of his stomach.
           “Callie, please!” he begged. “You have to believe me.”
           “Well, I don’t, and I’ve heard just about all I can take.” She shook her head as she held on to the counter top as though she was suddenly weak. “I want you to leave.”
          “Callie, I can’t.” He shook his head. “It’s not safe for you here. You’re no match for someone like him.”
          “I said go!” she yelled. When she turned to him, there was fire in her eyes, and he knew he was beaten. He sighed with defeat and headed for the kitchen door. He had no idea what he was going to do, but there was no way he was going to leave her alone.
           “Will you come and let me out?” he asked. “You need to lock the door behind me.” Callie sighed and followed him down the hall. He wanted to turn and grab hold of her and never let her go, but he knew that she was in no mood for anything like that. He knew she would not listen to him, and there was no way he could prove anything to her without scaring the living daylights out of her.
           He was reduced to sitting in his car outside of her house as she locked the door behind him and shut him out of her life. He watched the house as closely as possible, only getting out to check around the back every twenty minutes.