Ever Tempted (3 page)

A few minutes later when consciousness found me again, I used my feline legs to lift myself. Animal life in the forest beckoned me. With power and strength veteran only to a panther, I pounded through the forest toward my prey.

* * * *

My clothes were just where I’d left them. In a heap at the edge of the woods.

I slipped my jeans on and slung my T-shirt over my shoulder.

As I rounded the corner of the building, I stopped in front of my room. The door was ajar and the room was dark.

In my haste to get to the woods, I must have left it open.

I held the door facing as some leftover dizziness from the shift muddled my senses. Once in, I shut and double-checked the locks behind me.

The motel room had reeked of smoke, hints of moldy food, and bodily fluids I tried not to identify. I tensed as a distinctly feminine fragrance replaced the foul mixture. Pheromones.

“You’re probably the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen.”

I shot around.

In a dizzy gaze, I tried to make out who’d spoken to me. Had I heard the voice before or had the haze between shifts made it hard to place a voice I knew well? As the dark room came into better focus, I stepped closer to the bed. The form of a woman lay on my bed.

Allie?

Sweat beaded on my forehead and chest. I rushed toward the love of my life, stripping as I went. I knew if I was alone with her this would happen. Drunk from the blood and flesh I’d consumed, I fell into her arms. Scooping her close, I forgot that I should have chastised her for showing up here and lying on my bed without a stitch of clothing to protect her.

Her kisses were different, more demanding.

Trying to focus, I pulled back from her hungry mouth and tight grip.

“My, you do have an appetite. I should have served you what you really wanted this afternoon in the storeroom instead of waiting till now.” The voice was all wrong.

I jerked the blankets between us and dipped closer to her as the cloud around her whisked away.

Holy shit.

It was the waitress.

Pulling blankets with me, I jumped from the bed, leaving her naked and uncovered.

“What’s wrong?” The seductive humor in her voice changed to confusion.

“What the hell are you doing in my room?” I turned my back to her.

“You didn’t seem to mind a minute ago.” Her attempt at manipulation was weak.

That did not just happen. How could I have let it?

“Out. Out of my room.” I turned back to her with my gaze safely diverted. I pointed at the door.

“Really. You can’t say you don’t want this. I could see it in your eyes at the restaurant.” She slinked up from the bed and neared me. Her nakedness didn’t seem to bother her, but it bothered the hell out of me. And not in the way she hoped.

“Get your clothes and leave. Now.” I sidestepped and grabbed a wad of clothes that weren’t mine. I tossed them at her.

“You are loyal. I like that in a man.”

“Just please. Go. Now.”

“Your loss.” She ran a finger down my arm as she passed me.

I kept my gaze on the hideous painting on the wall behind the bed as she unlocked the door and left.

I slapped the locks back into place and overlapped the curtains as far as they’d go.

Red clouded my vision. Not so much at Sage or whatever her name had been, but at myself. With a clenched fist, I punched the wall.

In through the nose, out through the mouth.

How the hell had I made such a mistake?

She had long, brown, wavy hair and was about the same height as Allie. But that was no excuse.

The change between the animal and me hadn’t changed fast enough. My mind not being quite human between shifts might have just lost me the person who mattered to me more than life itself.

I would have to tell Allie. I wasn’t the guy who hid things. Lies had gotten me where I was today, along with the help of a psychotic ghost bitch.

I slammed the wall with my fist again. Drywall crumbled, leaving a hole.

The legs of my jeans were still sprawled across the floor. Boxers close to the bed.

Grace was probably floating around somewhere on a different plane of reality, watching me, laughing at what had just happened.

My mistake gave me more resolve to fight the animal than ever before.

After two weeks of excruciating self-searching, shifting at will, and almost always terminating the shift when it began, I could stay away no longer. Kaitlyn and Thomas had warned me, I had to be home. Ready or not. When I got there, I didn’t know what would happen.

And I never walked into a situation without knowing details and having a plan. This was out of character for me. But then when I’d met Allie, she’d started a change.

The old, crabby guy I’d become from years of separation from her had begun to melt away and that goofy, giddy feeling I’d had in the 1870s had slowly emerged. I hoped that silly but optimistic feeling could continue to grow into all it should have been, after I told Allie the truth. Which was another way I’d matured. Not that I had been a liar, but in my very distinct situation, there had been times when not revealing all the details of a situation had been necessary.

At least I wouldn’t have to be confronted with Allie’s longing gaze for very long when I reached the property. Aggressive attempts at seductions would probably wan to vexing efforts to avoid me at all costs after I told her of my surprise rendezvous with Sage, the naked waitress. As frustrating as it would be, it would give me some more time to tune the animal out and be as close to a normal human male as possible.

Beyond the trees, the sky around the estate was brighter than I’d seen it in over a hundred years. The back of the property glowed like a stadium on Super Bowl Sunday and could be seen from miles on approach. Old Buicks to the shiniest newest sports cars lined the drive.

Not to judge, but old cars probably meant Allie’s biological family.

New shiny cars held the possibility of single male prospects searching for a hot brunette to cling to their arm or fall into their bed.

I hadn’t worked on my insecurities. I had every reason to feel insecure around her. If Allie got mad enough after our talk about my moronic mistake in the hotel, I didn’t think I could handle some guy I didn’t know carting her off to God only knew where.

It was just a party. Deep breathing. In through the nose. Out through the…oh, hell, forget it.

Why would she throw a party with me gone? Maybe she hadn’t missed me as much as I’d hoped she would. There were so many thoughts in the crowd of people, it was hard to pick out her inner voice to get insight on what she might have been thinking.

I wiped my sweaty hands on my pants and stalked through the wooded lot beside my cottage. The ground was soft with leftover moisture from rain that hadn’t seemed to stop for the last two days of my leave. Festive music and laughter invaded my private little piece of heaven as I opened my door.

If Allie felt the need to party, that was fine. I’d stay in my cottage and close my mind off to all the obnoxious cheeriness. After the people were gone, I’d try to approach her.

I flopped on my sofa and stared out the window. White lights strung around the Rose Maze and all over everything that could hold a light up. People clumped in groups. Staffed dressed in penguin suits carted trays of champagne. Chirpy, buoyant music changed tunes every few minutes. Bursts of laughter sliced at my nerves.

Feeling sorry for myself would get me nowhere. I’d spent my life allowing adverse circumstances to dictate every step I took.

Not tonight.

After I stripped, I dropped my clothes into a hamper and stomped to the bathroom Ava had installed in the area where our old back porch had been. We’d washed in a large tub and used an outhouse near the creek just off the edge of the woods for restroom facilities back in the old days. It was nice not to have to bother with all that work just to make a good impression on Allie’s guests.

A quick shower, a decent set of non-shit-shoveling clothes, and I was out the door.

* * * *

The Rose Maze was named after Amber Rose Rollins, Allie’s first mother. It was the only thing in the back yard that hadn’t changed in the last few weeks. Since Allie had arrived on the property, she’d given the house some shifting abilities of its own.

As I approached the crowd, soft music, tinkling glasses, and joyous laughter reminded me of how it had been in the 1870s, except then lanterns would have replaced the electricity. And Allie would have glided gracefully through the crowd in one of her elegant flowing gowns.

She probably donned some troubling little dress that unintentionally gave a nice view of all her endowments. I tugged at my collar.

“…have you seen her? She’s beautiful.” Near the parking garage, a happy little girl in a crowd of other children bubbled over talking with her hands and trembling with excitement.

A little boy stuck his chest out. “Well, Miss Knowles kissed me right on the cheek. She said she hoped if she ever had a little boy that he would look just like me.”

Hmm. She hadn’t struck the idea of having kids out completely. That was a good sign.

“She gave me a necklace.” Another little girl pointed to her flashy necklace and grinned.

The community couldn’t help but fall in love with her. I too had been a victim of her contagious personality.

Slow, deep breaths.

I allowed only thoughts that would keep me from shuddering to infiltrate my mind. Sunshine. Fields of long grass. Non-sensual thoughts.

The limestone exterior of the house was cool against my palm as I steadied myself and waited for an explosion of sensory shockwaves when her thoughts or her voice found me, whichever happened first.

Twenty feet behind the house, her soft voice instigated a natural pull in her direction.

Straightening my tie, I walked around the corner. Smiling people held glasses, discussed life issues, and nodded amicably in my direction.

Who’s that?
one woman thought.

He’s a looker,
another thought.

I wish I had this girl’s money. At least she’s doing something for the community. I really shouldn’t be envious.
A blonde stared toward the right corner of the patio.

Holding a wineglass and smiling, Allie stood in a circle of about twenty people, men in black suits and women in flashy dresses. As much as she had worried about fitting in, she settled nicely with her surroundings. Allie’s benefactor, the late Ava Rollins, would have run the first car out of the drive. She hated visitors.

The whispering crowd hushed, parting like the Dead Sea as I approached Allie.

She hadn’t noticed the decrescendo of voices, as she gestured and nodded.

The women’s thoughts were almost synonymous.

She’s so sweet; you can’t hate her for having it all.

We’ll be great friends. I can tell.

I can’t believe I thought she’d be snooty.

She’s gorgeous. Doesn’t even need that makeup. Pay attention to what she’s saying. Quit lusting, Bill.
The guy’s thoughts were considerably more troubling, but this was something I’d have to contend with in loving a woman as strikingly beautiful as Allie was, inside and out. So tonight I wouldn’t kick anyone in the throat.

Who could blame them? Hadn’t I responded the same way?

I stood five feet behind Allie as she continued in light, happy conversation. She rarely wore her hair up. It was the fashion when we’d first met in the late 1860s, and though it was appealing, tonight, loose curls fell down her back.

Why is everyone looking behind me?
Her heart rate steepened and an instant swell of pheromones thickened the air.
Is he here?
Allie straightened and glanced around.

She turned and my breath caught between my throat and my amazement that she could become even more beautiful in a few weeks’ time.

Two-inch silver stilettos.

Long, toned, tanned legs.

A black dress that cupped every curve as if it had been painted onto her with intimate strokes.

A simple diamond necklace led my gaze straight into the swell of the two most perfectly formed—

In through the nose. Out through the mouth.

Curls framed a look of intrigue tempting me more than she ever had. My imagination had placed her in an infinitely more provocative eveningwear, but her black dress enticed me more than any deep-bodice dress. At twenty-one, she was even more voluptuous and curvy.

Her circle opened and accepted me in. The women, gladly, and the men, a little less eager.

“Is this your fiancé?” One of the ladies gave me a warm but speculative smile and poked out a hand.

Allie’s heart stuttered. The weight of her gaze pressed against me. She stared down at the clear contents of her wineglass.

Fiancé? This was news. I’d planned some elaborate proposal, but this would do just as well. My only concern was whether she’d still want to go through with it after she learned—

“I was beginning to worry he wouldn’t make it back in time for the ceremony. Tina Ari. Pleased to make your acquaintance,” another lady said. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Why do all the hot men have to be either gay or off the market? Or serial killers?

A hint of a grin adorned Allie’s face, but a flash of wrath sparked in her eyes. When we’re alone, I was sure to experience the flame of her anger.

I searched for her thoughts to prepare myself, but I was somehow blocked. She narrowed her gaze as she considered me.

A lady’s elegant hand poked out before me. “I’m Christie Kelly Tutherow. I own the neighboring plantation.”

“Cole Kinsley. Nice to meet you.” I shook her hand. I’d heard of her. The Kellys had married into the Tutherow family, and without an heir to their fortune the family name had changed.

With my gaze darting between the people, I tried my damnedest to dig even further into Allie’s mind. Nothing. Intensifying the pressure of my mind into hers, she was all that existed in my line of view or my depth of hearing.

Allie batted her eyelashes in my direction. Her tone was slightly resentful, yet pleasant. “Hello.”