Diamond Dust (24 page)

Shelley gave him a dirty look. “You won’t allow it?”

Chase met her gaze straight on. “You have skills that are needed far more elsewhere. It might make me an asshole, but having you in danger once was enough. If there’s fighting, and chances are there will be, you’d do more good having a medical base set up somewhere nearby instead of making me crazy.”

When Shelley touched her partner’s cheek tenderly, all her anger washed away, Tyler couldn’t stop from glancing at Caroline. She was watching her sister, longing on her face for a second before she pulled that cloak back in place and became business as usual.

“I’ll organize an RV with medical supplies in the campsite next door.” Caroline turned to Evan. “We might want some wolves to help patrol the campground anyway, to keep any human visitors away from potential trouble.”

“Deal. I’ll talk to the more reliable pack members. The ones who can be trusted to keep their heads.” Evan poked Tyler in the arm. “Head’s up. My pack won’t step in if you guys start fighting, not unless Caroline or anyone other than bears is threatened. It’s the best I can do in terms of keeping my territory safe and not overstepping boundaries.”

Tyler couldn’t believe this was happening. “You guys are really organizing as backup for us?”

Chase sprawled in his chair. “Strange, isn’t it? I don’t know if it’s all wolves or just this pack, but they have some weird attitudes.”

“It’s a potential fight. Since you didn’t send an invitation, we had to arrange one for ourselves.” Evan flashed a grin then checked his watch. “It’s been fun, kids, but I have things to do. Don’t stay up too late.”

He was out the door before Tyler could thank him. Or hit him, he wasn’t sure which he wanted to do more.

“We’re leaving as well.” Shelley loaded the empty takeout boxes into the garbage before giving Caroline a farewell hug and joining Chase at the door. “I’ll call you tomorrow, okay, Caro?”

“Not too early, I hope.” Caroline waved them off. She looked around the room, her lips twisting in resignation. There was only her and Tyler in the room, Justin having vanished into the back of the suite. “Well, that’s that, then. I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Where are you going to sleep?” Tyler leaned on the door. “You don’t have a place with Evan, and your sister is back in her apartment.”

Her mouth tightened.

Justin stepped from his room, small bag in his hand. “I’m headed to the pack house for the night. Frank invited me to play poker with him and the wolves. Said to bring lots of money.”

And there was part of the solution Tyler needed. He opened his wallet and pulled out a roll of bills, pressing them into his friend’s palm.

Justin stared at the wad in confusion. “I wasn’t hinting for a handout.”

Tyler shrugged. “My brother won’t accept cash from me, but he’ll take it in winnings.”

“So you’re telling me to lose?”

Tyler nodded.

“Damn it.” Justin put the money away. “Fine, you owe me a game. Sometime when I can get sweet revenge and prove I’m a shark.”

Justin surprised them both by giving Caroline a hug before heading out, the door clicking behind him. Caroline eyed Tyler as if she’d been left alone in the room with a dangerous beast on the loose.

Which wasn’t one hundred percent inaccurate.

He took a slow step forward, closing the space between them until he could touch her arm. “Will you stay the night?”

Her glare softened. “You’re not going to pull an asshole move and order me to stay? That’s what it sounded like you had planned.”

He shook his head. “I was pointing out you didn’t have a place to go in case you wanted to ask to stay. But hoping you’d realize how much I want you to be with me was taking too long.”

Great, she had him talking in circles.

The situation had changed though, after their impromptu meeting with the others. “We spoke earlier about getting together to make plans. We’re done that part, and I still want you around. Please stay?”

Her slow nod made Tyler smile from ear to ear.

She tugged him to the couch with her, curling up at his side and closing her eyes as she leaned against him. “Part of me wants a do-over of this week. Heck, this summer, even.”

“It’s been stressful?”

“Understatement.” She sighed. “Not your fault. Don’t think I’m blaming you or anything.”

Of course she wouldn’t blame him. From what he’d seen, she didn’t let anyone else do anything without her having time to rescue them.

“Come on.” He pulled her into his arms, pleased she rested her head on his chest and allowed him to carry her into his room. “You want to relax in the hot tub for a while?”

She chuckled. “No thanks. Think I’ll stay away from the thing. I’ll just have a quick shower.”

“Why not indulge yourself?” Tyler set her on the edge of the bed, working on her laces until he could remove her hiking shoes. “If you don’t want to go outside, I spotted this awesome soaker tub in the bathroom. Nice and deep.”

“Big enough for two?” Their hands brushed momentarily.

“If you’d like. No pressure.” He kept undressing her, attempting to make it as nonsexual as possible in case she wanted time alone.

When she tugged his T-shirt free from his jeans, scraping her nails over his abdomen, he shivered.

They both ended up in the tub that, thankfully, was made for shifter-sized dudes. Her ass rested in his lap. His cock must have been an uncomfortable rock pressed to her ass cheek, but she melted back against him as the water rose to chest level.

It would have been a crime not to fondle the delicate skin within his grasp.

They stayed there, silent for the longest time. Just touching her. Thinking. Trying to listen to what she
wasn’t
saying. Remembering what he’d seen of her actions and what he’d seen on her face while talking with her sister, because yes, he’d been staring unashamedly the entire time.

“Caroline?”

“Uh-huh?” Another long exhale, this time accompanied by a small stretch of her back as she pressed her breast more firmly into his hand.

Tyler caressed her nipple with the pad of his thumb. “We never talked about what we did on the trail this morning.”

“Did we need to talk? It was hot. I enjoyed it.”

The sincerity in her words reassured him, as did the flush on her skin and the softening of her body.

“I had fun as well.” He twisted until he could lift her mouth to his, connecting their lips and kissing her deeply. She hummed, a satisfied sound that pleased him as much as her fingers on his chest. When she dug her nails in harder, a growl escaped before he could stop it.

She shivered, her nipple tightening under his palm.

He slowed, lips still moving against hers, but his touch becoming more and more subtle until the tension in her body changed. It seemed she was aroused, but feeling delicate in spite of the cut of her nails into his flesh.

“What do
you
want, Caroline? What do you need? Let me be the one to give to you for a change.”

He whispered the words against her temple. This woman who couldn’t shift forms had more layers to her than he’d suspected, and something urged him on. Not to wrap her in gauze and protect, but to really listen.

Caroline’s breathing picked up.

She cautiously crawled out of his lap and bolted from the bathroom without a word.

Shit.

Tyler followed, holding on to the doorway as he searched her out in the darkened room.

She stood at the window, staring over the mountains. Her blonde hair shone in the streetlights, her spine straight and strong. A thin line of moisture ran down her cheek, and he strode across the room and gathered her in his arms, cradling her against him.

He didn’t ask why. Didn’t demand a reason. Simply held her and waited, and wondered exactly what he’d entwined himself in.

Because it was true. He was hopelessly entangled. With wanting her to be happy, and to be safe. But most importantly, with wanting her to be herself.

He’d done exactly what he’d figured. He’d gone and fallen in love, at least with the parts of herself she was honest about sharing.

Caroline pulled him toward the bed, wiping her eyes with her fingers. “Sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry for.” He lay beside her and let her pet him, her gaze burning his skin. Fingertips like miniature blowtorches scalding identifying marks into his soul as she eased over his hip. As she took his cock into her hand and caressed his length.

Harder than he ever remembered, Tyler let her stay in control. He couldn’t stop his hands from crossing the distance between them, though. Massaging her hips, lightly brushing her clit.

When she straddled him then surrounded him in one smooth motion, Tyler nearly swallowed his tongue. His cock was fully sheathed in her body, heat and moisture driving him mad as she undulated with a sinful rhythm meant to break him.

Her eyes, wild.

He couldn’t look away. Didn’t want to. Didn’t want to miss a single second of her bringing him into her core then languidly sliding up until his cock clung to the lips of her sex.

Tyler wet his fingers in his mouth then went back to her clit, circling with a firm touch. Caroline missed a beat, sexual tension rising on her face as her climax drew near.

He increased the tempo of his fingers, tilted his hips and helped her with the final push into orgasm, her eyes closing as she pulsed hard around him.

He kept watching, although to be honest the view went a touch blurry. When she opened her eyes, he caught her cheeks in his hands, ecstasy taking him as he lost control and came.

Chapter Sixteen

Caroline adjusted her bikini, took a deep breath and headed out the door of the change room. Not a super time to develop nerves regarding the wisdom of the ladies’ get-together, but there was no denying the fear skittering along her spine. It didn’t help that with this much skin on display she had no place for a hidden knife.

Bowling. Why hadn’t she suggested bowling as an activity?

A soft whistle caught her attention, and she looked up to discover Tyler scrutinizing her over the low edge of the viewing gallery wall.

Fear vanished in a blazing swoop of lust. The expression on his face was one step away from ravishment, and she liked it far too much. There was also an additional touch—that something extra that had been there when he’d poured her into the tub. The focused attention that had gotten stronger when he’d whispered so carefully, asking what she wanted.

The part that had sounded as if he really wanted to hear the answer.

And the lovemaking that followed? Caroline had hesitantly taken what she wanted, fully expecting at some point he’d resume control like all shifters did in the bedroom. She loved dominance games, as evidenced by the frenzied lust of the morning’s chase-and-capture fantasy, but…

He’d actually
made love
to her. Not just sexual pleasure, but a very real, very undeniable emotional connection rocking her as his body set fireworks off.

They’d slept for a while, woken up and done it all over for most of the night. She still wasn’t sure what it meant.

Other than there could be no doubt she and Tyler were an item. She might not have shifter senses to smell him on her, but the bite marks on her neck and limbs were hard to hide. Especially in a bikini.

It was time to put the uncertainty of their relationship aside, though. Time to get back into the head of Caroline Bradley who, until recently, was the Alpha bitch of the Takhini wolves. The tough, shifter-savvy woman was the one Tyler needed.

Strolling toward him gave her plenty of time to pull on her armour, to get back into teasing, adding an extra swing to her hips as she moved into position. “Practicing to be a soccer ref?”

His knuckles on the top of the wall were white, he gripped the railing so hard. “You want a sports analogy? I’m looking forward to stripping you out of that outfit with my teeth and scoring as often as you’ll let me.”

“Isn’t that what we did last night?”

Her tease came out far more throaty than she’d intended.

Cars were pulling into the parking lot, and while there had to be wolves watching them from their positions in the trees, the beasts either wouldn’t care or, more likely, were hoping for a show.

Ignoring the divider separating their lower bodies, Caroline patted his suit pocket, reassuring herself he still carried her cell phone. Then she walked her fingers up his broad chest. “After we’re done the political song and dance today, I think you and I should relax until the next shindig. No other people, no shifters—let’s hide for at least twelve hours and not come up for air unless the world explodes.”

“The world seems to have a way of doing that around you. Exploding, I mean.” He seemed mesmerized by her chest. The huge breath he let out like a balloon losing steam made her lips twitch. He pressed his hand over hers, trapping her fingers over his heart. The pounding registered against her palm. “Alone sounds amazing.”

They stared at each other, his eyes shining with more than lust.