G.H.O.S.T. Teams (Book 2) Shifters (9 page)

“Oh baby, are we going into the tub?” she asked.

“Nope, something even sexier.”

As you might expect, my bathroom is enormous. There is a Jacuzzi tub and a huge glass walled shower. It is absurdly oversized with dual showerheads and jets in the wall, which allowed you to blast yourself with water from every single direction, if you so desired. As soon as I stepped into the shower she let out a moan of pleasure. It was clear that in her current state she would find any destination sexy. Reaching up and hitting the controls I set every single port to blast us with water all at once. I set the temperature exactly where I wanted it and looked her right in the eyes before I turned it on.

“You’re gonna love this.”

The cold water blasted us from all sides. She cried out and tried to hide from the spray, but there was nowhere to go. I held on tight and let those wonderfully chilling water cover our bodies.  Honestly, I wasn’t sure how much longer I could have held out, so even I shuddered, welcoming the calm of the chilly water. Erika shook her head a bit and closed her eyes. After a few moments her breathing pattern changed and I could feel the tension and excitement leave her body. She looked up at me, clearly trying to make sense of things.

“Why are you? What are we doing?”

“We’re just cooling off. It was getting a bit hot downstairs. I figured this might make it easier to talk.”

She glanced down at our mostly naked bodies before sighing, “Oh crap.”

I just nodded and smiled as a reply. She released her legs from my hips and tried to stand on her own two feet. She was unsteady at first, but I held her against me for support, making sure that she didn’t fall. The cool water was invigorating and I could see the cobwebs clear from her head. She looked up at me, a deep sadness in her eyes. I gave her the most comforting smile that I could possibly provide and she dropped her head into my chest and started to sob. It was a deep cry and her whole body moved with it. I held her tight against my chest and started rocking her slowly back and forth.

“Shhhhh. Everything is gonna be all right. I promise.”

I repeated myself and continued to rock her until she finally relaxed and started to look like herself again. She stared up at me, her moist sad eyes melting my heart. Her voice was soft and her lips actually trembled a bit as she spoke.

“Brrrruce?”

“Yes?”

“I’m freezing,” she shivered, “Can we please get out of the shower now?”

My whole body erupted into laughter. I don’t know why, but her sad face pleading for warmth sent me into a chuckling fit. Before I even had time to feel bad about it, she joined in. I smacked the panel on the wall to turn off the water and we just stood there, drenched and giggling like idiots. I could only imagine what Vlad must be thinking as the healing power of laughter filled my entire house.

We dried off and I got her into some black sweatpants and a burgundy sweatshirt. The clothes were a little baggy and as she rolled the sleeves up I couldn’t help but think how sweet and innocent she looked. There was hardly a glimmer of the woman who had so recently attempted to seduce me. Although, even baggy sweats weren’t enough to hide the fact that she was athletic, sexy, and breathtakingly beautiful. Considering the trouble we’d almost gotten into, I was doing my best to forget just how attractive she truly was. Not an easy feat considering that I now knew exactly what she looked like under those clothes. For the record, my imagination hadn’t done her justice.

I’d also thrown on a pair of black sweat pants, but I’d complimented mine with a green Ninja Turtle tee shirt. What can I say, I relate to their ninja-ness. The shirt was mostly green with a blue mask across the chest. Two large eyes looked as happy as the enormous cartoony smile underneath of them. Erika looked at my shirt and just shook her head.

“Seriously? No Michelangelo?”

“The fact that you know that…please stop being adorable.”

She gave me a sad smile. It was going to be awhile before she felt comfortable around me again. Not that I could blame her. The events of tonight took things a few miles past intense on the life meter. But, now that the situation seemed to be under control, I figured we should get to the bottom of this. We headed downstairs and into the kitchen to grab a drink. I walked next to her and kept an arm at her back, guiding her forward. She didn’t make any moves towards me; in fact, she still seemed to be in a bit of shock.

My kitchen is enormous and far bigger than anything I ever needed, especially considering that my culinary skills consist mostly of
sandwich-making. But the previous owner clearly took his cooking seriously and he built himself a kitchen to reflect that. The stove range was huge, eight burners across the top. It even had one of those metal hoods above it to catch the smoke. There were dual ovens, each of which had their own controls. The stove, like all of the other appliances, was steel. There were two huge refrigerators sitting side by side and a dishwasher next to the giant dual sink. Cherry cabinets surrounded you at every turn and contained more storage space than I’d ever figure out what to do with.

In the middle of the room was an enormous island, with a black marble top, its own sink, and a pair of burners. Five people could comfortably sit down one side and I mostly used it as a breakfast bar. There were five high-backed chairs made from cherry wood to match the cabinets. I helped Erika take a seat and grabbed a couple of large mugs from the cupboard. There was a machine on the counter that always provided hot water, and I made us each a cup of Jasmine tea. I placed one mug in front of Erika and leaned against the island with my own.

“When I was at the temple, the masters would always say that ‘for every problem in life, the solution starts with a cup of tea’. Here’s to solutions.”

I tipped my mug in her direction and she responded with a small smile. Cupping her mug in both hands, she was letting the warmth seep into her palms. After a big sniff she took a sip.

“Not bad.”

“Thanks. One of my many talents.”

She nodded softly, “Do you ever miss it?”

“Miss what?”

“The temple.”

“Sometimes. It was a simple life.”

“Maybe one day you can go back to visit,” she offered.

I knew that she was just trying to be sweet, but my stomach wrenched at the very thought. I didn’t want to imagine what the monks might say about the man I had become. Their views were pretty clear on the value of life. In my pursuit of revenge, I had desecrated every single thing they taught me. I didn’t even want to think about that right now. I cleared my throat and did my best to put a smile back on my face. Erika was kind enough to ignore my brief moment of self-pity.

“So, how are you feeling?”

“Much better. Thank you. I don’t even know what to say,” she tried.

“You don’t have to say anything. Clearly you weren’t yourself.”

“Yeah.”

“Are you ready to talk about it?”

“Not sure I have much of a choice,” she frowned.

“You always have a choice. I don’t want to push you.”

“After what happened tonight…I can’t keep this from you anymore.”

“You did kind of let the cat out of the bag, so to speak. I now know for sure that you have been holding back in our training sessions. You are incredibly strong Erika. Luckily for you, I find that attractive in a lady.”

I raised my eyebrows and gave her a goofy smile. She rewarded me with a real laugh and some of the tension in her shoulders started to fade. Those big beautiful eyes started searching my face, looking for any hint of judgment. But tonight had taught me something I didn’t want to admit. I really liked Erika. After years of keeping my feelings bottled up inside, this was the last thing I expected. Interestingly enough, it was probably one of the big reasons I found the strength to stop her advances. She rolled her mug back and forth in her hands as she tried to figure out how to start.

“Before I explain, will you tell me something?” she asked.

“Of course.”

“Why did you stop me?”

I took a deep breath and a long sip of my tea before I answered. She was in a delicate state and I didn’t want to say anything that might upset her. Plus, I wasn’t sure it was time to declare that I had feelings for her. Especially since those feelings were too new and even I didn’t fully understand them yet. I looked her in the eyes as I responded.

“Believe me when I tell you that I didn’t want to say no. But somehow, deep down, I knew that you weren’t yourself. I couldn’t take advantage of you in that state Erika. I’m not that guy.”

She gave me a half smile, “Thank you. You’re sweet. And, if it makes you feel any better, even in that state I wouldn’t have done anything that I didn’t want to,” she said.

“Now you tell me.”

Her smile reached her eyes and her cheeks even blushed a bit. I took a sip of my tea in a vain attempt to hide how happy her reaction made me. It was cute, but now wasn’t the time. I still needed to understand what happened. She took a slow sip of her tea before laying her mug back down on the counter.

“Thank you for the tea.”

“Anytime. If you’re hungry I can make you a sandwich or pop tarts or something?”

“Wow, so many options,” she laughed.

“I also make a mean bowl of cereal.”

The mood in the room was becoming more comfortable. It was clear that Erika was starting to relax and that in turn helped me feel better. I hated the thought of her being embarrassed or uncomfortable around me. We had to work together and I was planning to do everything I could to keep things from getting awkward. I know, I know, hard to believe that from the guy who constantly hits on his female teammates. Don’t judge me, I’m complicated.

“So, food?”

She shook her head, “No thanks. I should probably start explaining things. I know it can’t be easy to wait for the answers. Thank you for being patient with me, Bruce.”

“No problem. If it makes things any easier, I think I can guess what you’re about to tell me.”

Her expression seemed doubtful as she leaned back in her chair, tea in hand. I took that as my opening to continue.

“It’s funny. Earlier today, in the meeting with Freddy, I would have sworn that you were a Red. You’re strong and fast and obviously had some previous fight training. If you didn’t tell me what was going on soon, I was planning to lure you outside during the full moon and check for a sparkle. But now, thinking things over, I’ve got it completely backwards, don’t I?”

“Yup,” she sighed.

“So, I’m thinking something exotic here. Something awesome. I’ll go with werepanda?”

“I’m not sure that’s a real thing,” she smiled.

“Really? Because it would be pretty cool right?”

“It would be. Sorry to disappoint, but I’m a fox.”

“Yes… you… are.”

“Bruce,” she whispered, “I’m being serious.”

“I know you are. You mean werefox right?”

“Right.”

“Is there some fancy name for that, or do I just call you foxy?”

“Foxy will be fine,” she said, sticking out her tongue.

“Can I see?”

“I would probably have to remove the sweats for the full show and tell.”

“Ah, the proverbial good idea, bad idea. I don’t think I have the resolve to resist you twice.”

“Good to know,” she smirked.

“Hey! Be good.”

She blushed a little and took another sip of her tea. I fought the urge to make a joke and instead prodded her along.

“So, I’m thinking there’s more to what’s happening than just being a fox?”

“You’re right. Bruce, this isn’t easy for me. Please don’t laugh when I tell you this,” she asked.

“I won’t.”

“I’ve gone into heat.”

She waited to see how I would react. Honestly, I was more fascinated than I was giggly. The expression on my face must have conveyed that because she gave me a thankful smile for not making fun of her. I wanted to wait for her to continue, but I had too many questions.

“Does this happen a lot?”

“Normally, once a year, in the winter. It only lasts for a couple of days and I take time off of work so I won’t be around anyone.”

“Okay, so my calendar says late June, why is it happening now?”

“That’s the problem, I have no idea. I’ve never felt anything like this before, this strong. And it has been going on for over a week. Earlier, after the fight in the bar, the adrenaline of the moment, watching you check my chest out, your scent in Vlad on the ride to the office. It took all my strength to keep from jumping you in the car,” she said.

“Hey, I really was looking at your wounds.”

“Even if that were true…”

“Which it mostly is.”

“…The intent was still there,” she said.

“I get no credit for being a gentlemen.”

“That’s because you’re a flirtatious pig,” she smiled.

“Can’t I be both?”

“No. Besides, we’ve both been fighting our attraction to each other for a while now. But after the way I acted tonight, I can’t imagine what you think of me.”

“Stop that. This wasn’t your fault. You’ve already said you don’t normally go into heat right now. Plus, this was more intense than it should be. Obviously something is affecting you. Have you talked to Kara? Maybe there is some type of magical voodoo in the air or something?”

“We’ve talked about it a few times. She doesn’t sense anything strange. No reason that she can see for this to be happening.”

“Okay. Until you figure things out, do you need to take some time off?”

“I’m not leaving you all now. Especially with those Reds in town,” she stated.

“Fair enough. Is there anything I can do to make this easier on you? Some way for me to tone down the sexy?”

“Oh, you can control that, can you?” she smirked.

“Sadly, no. Such is my curse. I’ll have you know that I never asked to be this good looking.”

She stuck her finger in her tea and flicked a bit at me as she shook her head laughing. I wiped the spots of jasmine off of my arm as I smiled. Looking at her it was clear that she felt much better. Obviously, all of this had been weighing heavily on her. I was happy that we finally cleared the air. Since she already talked to Kara, I wondered who else knew.

“Does everybody else know?”

“About me being in heat? No, just Kara,” she said.

“I meant about you being foxy?”

“Oh, of course.”

“Why am I always the last to know?”

“To be fair Bruce, you were kind of a late addition to the party. We were teamed up and training together for a while before we met you.”

“Right. But you could have told me once we got to know each other.”