Crimson Sunrise (22 page)

“And what do you think you’re doing?” I murmured, watching as he closed the distance, stalking me from the few feet that separated us. His eyes shifted colors as he reached under my stomach, flipped me over, and sat on the edge of the bed.

“This,” he growled, lowering his head, and pressed his lips against mine.

His body covered me, bringing us chest to chest, hip to hip, as if we had been purposely molded for each other. I groaned and he chuckled, keeping his mouth against mine. His tongue swept past my lips and sent warmth pulsing throughout my body. I met the gentle swirls and laps of his tongue, matching each one in a sensual dance.

I felt the delicious heat from his nearness, the wondrous friction of his body pressed against mine, and I pulled him close. The smell of wolf entered my nose; a mixture of forest, pine and wood. The presence of his other half was more than captivating. It captured all of my senses, becoming a living thing. It swamped my sense of propriety, suffocating my modesty and any hesitation I might have experienced.

I yanked at his shirt, desperate to feel his hot skin pressed against me. He lifted away from my lips, grasping the back of the shirt at the shoulders, and pulled it over his head. I brought my hands up, following the smooth muscles on his shoulders and arms.

“What about the alarm?” I whispered against his chest before I placed a kiss against the tanned skin above his heart.

“It is blessedly silent.” Caleb chuckled, reaching for my shirt. He urged me upright, pulled it away from my body, and tossed it behind him.

His warm skin felt as incredible as it smelled when he returned to me, and I basked in how good he felt, raking my fingers into the muscles along his chest and shoulders. Eager for more, I reached under his arms, grasping at his back. I scraped my nails along his skin, pushing them in slightly, and listened to his ragged groan of approval.

A growl rumbled in his chest as he came over me, pushing my body into the soft mattress with his weight. I moved so he could settle between my legs and wrapped my right leg around his hip, clinging to him. I reveled in the feel of him like this, and reached around, placing my hands on his shoulder blades to pull him closer.

His tantalizingly soft lips found mine, muffling my gasps as he kissed me teasingly. He placed small kisses against my mouth, retreating when I tried to meet his lips, coming back to me when I didn’t expect it. It was an alluring game of cat and mouse that had my patience wearing thin.

I brought my hands to his head and twined my fingers in his silken hair, pulling his face down and forcing him to meet my kiss. He did, opening his mouth and allowing our tongues to merge. My body’s reaction was immediate and intense. Ripples of fire extended from my stomach to my sex. I wasn’t patient or leisurely. I moaned against his mouth, pushing my breasts against his chest, and whimpered at the sensation of my nipples against his warm skin.

I wanted him, and I wanted him
now
.

He laughed, nipping at my throat. “I feel the same way.”

Blushing, I realized I had said I wanted him aloud. The brush of lips against my ear, followed by the cool caress of his tongue and warm heat of his breath, made me forget all about being embarrassed. I never had to be ashamed of the way I felt for Caleb.

“I’ve thought about you like this,” he rasped in my ear, sending spirals of heat through my body. He pressed his pelvis into my sex, rotating his hips, causing me to moan. “Just like this.”

I brought my hands down, grasping at his back, and met the rotation of his hips with ones of my own, coordinating myself with his movements.

“When you move like that,” he growled. “I can’t think straight.”

“Then stop thinking.”

His free hand came up, snarling into my hair, and forced me as close as possible. There was no space between our bodies, no air, even light wouldn’t have been able to find refraction between the two of us.

Suddenly, his arms stiffened and he let me go. Rising above me, he looked into my face in obvious panic. He frowned, his gorgeous blue eyes widening as he turned his head and concentrated. I knew the look. He was listening for something, homing his ears on some sound in the distance.

“Caleb?”

Deep blue eyes flickered inside his face as he listened, going still and silent instead of responding. He moved away from my body, jumped from the bed, and started spinning around in a frantic circle. He snatched his shirt and pulled it over his head.

“What’s wrong?” I sat up, fear removing any traces of the passion we shared, replacing the mind-blowing arousal with dread.

“Put this on.” The teasing husky timbre in his voice was completely gone, taken over by alarm. He tossed my sweater at me, and when I didn’t make an immediate effort to do as he instructed, he snapped at me pointedly. “Put it on!”

“What’s the matter?” I grasped the shirt tightly in my hands.

“Get dressed, Emma.”

I tossed the sweater over my head and spun it around to get it on straight, seeing nothing but long waves of mahogany as my hair covered my eyes. After I got my head through, I pulled the long strands free and breathed a sigh of relief at the lack of static.

“Caleb? What’s wrong?”

He answered by grabbing my hand, pulling me from the bed, and walking to the door. He flipped the lock and yanked the door open, using so much force it banged against the wall. He pulled me behind him, nearly dragging me from the room as he headed for the stairs. He slowed down when we descended, but only enough to keep me from taking a nasty tumble. Then he hooked a right, striding down the hall, toward the basement. The door was already open. I listened, making out the voices below.

I heard Beverly’s hysterical, high-pitched cries. She was speaking quickly, her sentences tumbling together to the point she was almost incoherent. Chris’s deep tenor followed, whispering something I couldn’t make out.

Caleb released my hand and rushed down the stairs two at a time. “Is it her?” I heard him ask hoarsely as he reached the bottom.

I made it down the stairs and noticed my parents standing on the far left wall, their faces concerned. They glanced at me and produced weak smiles, not saying a word. Aidan was reclined against the wall on the right of the room, his arms folded and a nasty frown contorting his face. I noticed his head turn in my direction before he stared straight ahead, his jaw ticcing rhythmically.

I gave my full attention to the couple in the center of the room.

Chris was standing next to Beverly, listening into the phone she held to her ear. Her eyes were blood shot and filled with fresh tears that continued winding down her face.

Stepping over to my mother and father, I glanced around the room until I located Caleb. My heart sank at his expression. He was both hopeful and panic-stricken. His forehead was creased, his irises changing to variegated shades of blue.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“It’s the police station calling about Sammie,” Dad whispered quietly.

“Oh no,” I said softly, feeling as if my legs were going to fold. Blindly, I reached for the wall, using it to keep my balance.

“Is it her?” Caleb growled, leaning against his mother to listen to the phone. Beverly lifted her finger for him to stay quiet and his eyes narrowed “I heard you scream her name upstairs. Is it Sammie?”

“They don’t know for sure, son, but they think so,” Chris answered hoarsely.

“Sammie?” Beverly said suddenly and Caleb and Chris both crowded the phone at the same time.

Beverly’s sobs carried through the room, and Chris wrapped his arm around her. Caleb took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and turned around. He came to me in two long strides, snaking his arms around my waist, and lifted me into his chest. He buried his face into my neck, taking a huge breath against my skin.

“It’s her. She’s on the phone. I just heard her voice.” He squeezed me tightly, his ragged exhale revealing just how terrified he had been.

I twined my arms around his neck as hot tears of relief and happiness burned my eyes. I closed them and felt the wet path they took down my face, uncaring if anyone saw.

“What, Sammie?” Beverly tried to talk through her tears. “Calm down, I can’t understand you.”

“We’re coming, sweetheart.” Chris yelled, his normally stern and composed voice shaken. “We’ll be there soon.”

“Calm down, Sammie.” Beverly cleared her throat and swiped her fingers across a face reddened by tears. Chris moved away and walked across the room. His heavy footsteps became softer as he climbed up the stairs.

Caleb lowered me to my feet and gave a gentle squeeze. I kissed his cheek before I released his neck and stepped back. He hurried up the stairs after his father with Aidan following close behind him.

Turning, my gaze rested on my mother and father. They were smiling, as relieved as we all were. I had spoken of Sammie often with them, feeling as though she had become my own sibling.

“This is wonderful news,” Dad said, moving from the wall, and uncrossed his arms.

I let out muffled cry, stumbled to him, and buried my face into his chest. I hugged him tightly, ready to burst into a fresh round of tears. My mother’s arms came around the back of my body, covering me from behind.

“I was so scared,” I admitted, hoping Beverly wouldn’t overhear. “I thought I’d never see her again.”

They squeezed at the same time. Their arms fell away as my father looked past me. I turned around and watched Beverly pull the phone into her chest, closing her eyes and moving her lips as if she were giving a silent prayer of thanks. She reopened them and looked at us, smiling.

“The officer said she’s fine but completely rattled. She flagged down a State Trooper along the interstate early this afternoon, and he brought her in to the station. They are waiting for us to come and bring her home.”

“Where has she been?”

“She refused to talk over the phone. She was babbling and difficult to understand. She’d better have a damned good reason for scaring the hell out of all of us.”

Beverly shook her head, pretending to be angry, but with obvious relief. She started walking toward the stairs, calling over her shoulder, “Chris and I will go get her. It’s not a long trip into town.”

“I’ll be back.” I smiled at my parents and they nodded simultaneously.

Following Beverly as she swept past the kitchen and into the hall, I hesitated at the obstacle in our path. Aidan was leaning against the wall across from the living room. He stood straight to allow us to pass, lowering his eyes.

I made it inside the living room in time to see Chris pulling on his shoes. He glanced up and then back down again.

“I’ll get my jacket and shoes from upstairs,” Beverly said breathlessly, shouldering her way past me.

“Thank God she’s all right.” Chris’s voice was thick and laden with emotion. He kept his head down, avoiding eye contact. “She gave me premature wrinkles and put twenty years on my life.”

“You and me both,” Caleb said, releasing a shaky laugh.

Beverly reappeared, shuffling a heavy weight jacket around her shoulders. “I’m set, let’s go.”

Chris pushed his hands against his knees, stood, and walked past Caleb to his wife. He hugged her quickly before leading the way to the door. We followed, watching from the doorway as they stepped off the porch. Caleb walked past, starting to follow them, when he stopped.

He turned and came back inside, standing next to me. His gaze was glued to his parents in the distance, and I knew why. He wanted to be there when they retrieved his sister. He wanted to see that she was fine with his own eyes.

“Go with them,” I whispered, giving his shoulder a gentle nudge.

“I’d better stay.” He watched as they got closer to the truck and Chris fumbled with the keys.

“What the hell am I here for? My unbelievably good looks?” Aidan strode toward us. “Go get your sister. I got this shit covered.”

Caleb turned from his parents and grabbed my hand. “Come with me.”

I started forward, but a realization brought me up short. There were other people who would want to know Sammie was fine. I was pretty sure they would be on their way to the house once they got the news.

“I really should call Sarah and Derek. They’ll want to know Sammie is okay. I should also get in touch with Sam.”

His face smoothed in surprise. “I didn’t even think about that.”

“Why should you? Your sister has been missing for over a week, and you just found out she’s all right. Go get her with your mom and dad. I’m sure she’ll want to see you. I’ll make the calls while you’re gone.”

I glanced around him and frowned at the truck.

“Besides, it’s freezing and the middle of winter. I don’t want to die of hypothermia riding in the back of that truck bed, if you don’t mind.”

“I’ll keep you warm.” He tugged on my hand when the truck started.

“Go on.” I encouraged him with a shove that wouldn’t do squat, but it was enough to get my point across.

Caleb looked past me as he spoke to Aidan. “Don’t let anything happen to her. She has a hellacious talent for getting into trouble.”

“Not a problem.”

He kissed me quickly, letting go of my fingers as a smile crossed his face. “I love you. I’ll be back soon.”

“I love you too.” I knew I’d never get tired of telling him how much he meant to me, just as I’d never tire of hearing the feelings reciprocated.

I watched him jump from the porch and run across the driveway. He leapt into the back of the truck effortlessly and waved at his parents. The old Chevy turned in the drive and I watched them go, waving until I could no longer see red rearview lights.

“Come inside, it’s too cold for you out here,” Aidan said quietly. He waited until I was safely inside before closing it.

I hurried to the phone, anxious to call Sarah and Derek. They would be ecstatic and beyond relieved to get the news.

“Emma?”

Aidan’s questioning tone stopped me halfway down the hall, and I turned to face him. “Yes?”

“Is that her?” he asked, speaking softer than I would have ever thought possible.

“Is that who?” I asked, looking in the direction he indicated. He pointed at a framed photo in the living room of Sammie from her senior year.