Ice Moon (17 page)

He steepled his fingers together, all his attention on me. “Did she tell you why not?”

“She wanted to meet for lunch. When we did, she told me Brightwood wasn’t safe for me. She gave me $10,000 in cash and a plane ticket to Reno with a phone number. I was supposed to call the number when I landed.”

He didn’t reply so I went on. “I called Malcolm Sloan, and he showed up with new ID for me and my baby.” I glanced at Jared and back to Sebastian. “I tried to give him the money from Sylvia, but he wouldn’t take it. He bought my place in Tahoe and I rented it from him. I bought it outright a couple of years ago.”

Sebastian tipped his head toward Jared. “Does your…family know about this?”

Jared nodded slowly. “Aren is still checking in Sloan Consulting’s records to see if we can find any notes.”

Sebastian rested back against the seat, staring at the ceiling for a second. “It makes no sense. Why would she have arranged this with Malcolm?”

I felt like there was a huge puzzle piece that Jared and Sebastian hadn’t shown me yet. “I assumed they were friends. She told me he would keep me safe, and he said something about owing Sylvia a favor.”

Both men turned toward me with stunned expressions. Jared squeezed my leg. “He owed her a favor?”

I shrugged. “That’s what he said.”

They stared at each other, again making me wonder what I was missing.

“If my father discovered his wife worked with Malcolm…”

Jared glanced over at me. “Can you think of anything else? Any reason he owed her a favor?”

I shook my head. “No. I only saw him one other time after I signed the loan docs to buy the house from Sloan Consulting. He said he was proud of me.”

Sebastian got up from the booth. “Meet me tomorrow with the phone.” He wrote down an address on a napkin and handed it to Jared, then his gaze bore into me. “My brother isn’t well. He never has been. The new moon is coming, and you are nothing more than a bauble to give to my father. Your son is merely a tool to get you. Never forget that.”

And without a word, he walked away.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Jared

M
y head spun with the implications that Adam’s father, our Alpha, could’ve owed the wife of the head of Nero a favor. What the hell kind of secret had he kept from all of us? My dad grew up with Malcolm. Maybe he knew something.

It didn’t help that the clock was ticking until new moon. Damian would be in jaguar form, a dangerous predator hunting in Lake Tahoe.

The waitress came over, jarring me from the tempest brewing in my head. “The other gentleman paid his tab for the wine. Do you two want anything?”

I glanced at Taryn, and my stomach growled. She almost smiled. I kissed her temple. “Let’s eat a couple steaks and then we’ll get back to the garage and pick up Charlie. Sound good?”

Taryn nodded and we placed our orders. When the waitress walked away, Taryn met my eyes. “What does the new moon have to do with any of this?”

I’d hoped Sebastian’s slip had passed her by. “It’ll be very dark with no moon in the sky, so it’ll be easier for Damian to surprise us.” All true. I just left out he’d also be a hulking black jaguar. I brought her hand to my lips. “You were amazing tonight.”

“I do like negotiating.”

She had no idea she’d just shut down a jaguar assassin on the other side of the table. I chuckled. “I noticed.”

“You are one of the only people who refused to negotiate with me.” Her blue eyes sparkled in the dim light.

“Nothing to compromise on.” I shrugged. “I gave you a fair price.”

She smiled and rested her head on my shoulder. “That was beside the point. You were going to walk away and lose the job completely.”

I lifted her chin to meet my eyes. “Truth was, you intrigued me and I wanted to get to know you.”

“Then why didn’t you negotiate?”

“It’s the principal of the thing. I always give my best work, ideas, and prices right up front so I don’t need to deal with the bullshit of negotiating.”

Her lips caressed my neck, instantly waking the wolf inside of me. “You should let me handle your bids. My deck is worth much more than you charged me for it.”

I turned my head to claim a slow kiss. “I definitely got the better end of that deal.”

Her hand slid up my thigh and suddenly I had to adjust myself in my jeans.

“How’s your back?” She whispered.

The husky sound of her voice tempted me to forget the steak and take her home. “Still sore, but I’ll live.” Her heavy lidded eyes revealed what she was really asking. I leaned in closer, lowering my voice. “I want you, too.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

I shook my head, eyes on hers. “And I don’t have to lie down to take you.”

Her lips parted and with my heightened hearing, there was no missing the way her pulse surged. Yeah, we needed to eat fast and get the hell out of here.

C
harlie talked about motorcycles the whole drive back to my place. I tried to listen, but my mind was stuck on a single track that involved Taryn, naked, pressed against my bedroom wall. I shifted a little in the driver’s seat.

When we got to my house, Taryn took charge of getting Charlie ready for bed on the sofa pull-out, while I took Tank outside for a bathroom break. On the back porch, I took out my cell and gave my Dad a call.

“Jared?”

“Hey, Dad.” Ever since he’d awakened from his coma, hearing him say my name struck a chord. My entire life, he was larger than life. The shock of taking care of him while he lay in a bed, defenseless, changed our relationship. I finally recognized I wouldn’t have him forever. Every moment mattered more.

“What’s up? Everything okay?”

“Yeah.” I had so much to tell him. He hadn’t even met Taryn yet. “But I called because I’ve got a question about Malcolm.”

He chuckled. “How’s the little monster doing?”

I shook my head. “Not little Malcolm. I’m talking about Adam’s dad.”

“Oh.” He cleared his throat, sobering. “What do you want to know?”

“Did he ever mention Sylvia Severino to you?”

Silence.

“Dad?”

“I’m here. I just…” He took a few steps and lowered his voice. “I’ll come by your place tomorrow and we can talk.”

“Okay.” I glanced back at my house. “You can meet Taryn, too.”

“Taryn?”

“Yeah. She owns Goldstone Properties up in Lake Tahoe. Ask Mom, she’s met her before.”

“What’s she doing at your house?”

I stared up at the stars. “She’s my mate, Dad. And she doesn’t know what we are.”

Telling him over the phone I’d finally found my mate hadn’t been my plan, but until this moment, I hadn’t realized how much I wanted to shout it out to the world.

I loved her and the secret was eating me alive.

“Wow.” He whispered, but if my Mom was in the house, she’d still be able to hear. She’d been a werewolf for over thirty-five years now. “Does Mom know…”

“No.”

“When are you going to tell Taryn…”

“I don’t know Dad. Just come over tomorrow and we’ll talk.”

“Fair enough.”

“See you then. I love you, Dad.”

“Love you too, son.”

I put my phone away and opened the door for Tank. The lights were out. In the living room, Charlie was tucked in the sofa bed. I double-checked the deadbolt on the door and helped Tank onto the bed. He snuggled in beside Charlie and commenced snoring. A smile tugged at my mouth. I could definitely get used to this family thing.

Light filtered into the hallway from under the closed bedroom door. When I opened it, cold air blew through the open window and Taryn got up from my bed in nothing but one of my flannel shirts.

Closing the door behind my back, my gaze slid up her body. My work shirt had never looked so damned sexy. It came down just below the juncture between her legs, and exposed her toned thighs on the sides. She only had two buttons in the middle done, teasing me with the curves of her breasts. Finally my eyes met hers. She wet her lips, the corners of her mouth hinting at a smile.

I went to her, claiming those soft lips, tasting her as I explored her body. I slid my hand down her perfect ass and pressed her hips tight against mine. I was hard enough to break the fucking zipper. She moaned and almost undid me completely.

I broke the kiss and pulled my shirt over my head, the bandage on my back tugged at my skin, but the pain of the burn didn’t hold a candle to my hunger for her. Her fingers freed the button on my jeans as I tossed the shirt aside, watching her carefully lower my zipper.

My erection pulsed, finally free of the prison of my pants. I kissed her again, growling into her mouth as she slid her hand into my boxers, stroking me until I ached for more contact. She pushed my underwear down and I stepped out of them without breaking the kiss. I needed her now.

I lifted her from the waist, turning her around so her back was against the wall. She pulled back, breathless. “Condom.”

Fuck. I was so lost in my need for her, I would’ve taken her here and now. In the bathroom, I snagged a packet from my medicine cabinet, tearing it open as I came back over. She took it from me and slid down the wall. Her lips parted and her hot mouth took me in. The contrast between the cold temperature of the room and the warmth of her tongue made my knees wobble.

Placing my hands in front of me on the wall for balance, I worked my hips into her, moaning as I slid in and out of her lips. I brought one hand down, my fingers disappearing into her auburn hair. If she didn’t stop soon, I’d come right here, and I was
not
ready to be done with her yet.

My fist tightened in her hair. “I’m too close.”

She moaned around me as she pulled back and rolled the condom down my shaft. She straightened and I fused my lips to hers as I bent to lift her up. She wrapped her legs around my waist. The passion in her eyes made the wolf howl in my soul. I gripped her hips and buried myself inside of her.

Her body heat shot up, right through the shirt. I didn’t have ice, and I didn’t care. Buttons clattered on the floor behind us as I tore it open. I cupped her breast, holding the weight of it in my palm as I teased her nipple with my thumb. Her back arched toward me. So sexy. And mine. I trailed my kisses down her neck and lifted her a little so I could feast on her, licking over the hardened tip before taking her breast into my mouth.

She gasped, her fingers heating on my shoulders. Not burning me yet, but hot.

I straightened and moved her hands over her head, pinning her wrists to the wall. Working my hips into her faster, I pressed my forehead to hers, staring into the blue depths of her eyes. “I will never get enough of you.”

Her teeth caught my lower lip. “You better not.”

I slid my other hand down her body, rubbing her with each thrust. “Come for me, Taryn.” I kissed her lips, growling against them. “Give yourself to me.”

Her legs tightened around my waist as she trembled and moaned my name. I followed her over the peak, coming so hard, I probably broke the damned condom. I’d been with plenty of women in my life, but sex had never been this intense.

After we caught our breath, I released her hands and carried her over to the bed without allowing our bodies to separate. “I love you.”

She ran her hand down my cheek. “I love you, too.”

Grudgingly I laid her down, sliding free from her. “Don’t go anywhere.”

Her cheeks were flushed, her lips swollen from our urgent kisses, and the shirt was wide open. I wanted to memorize every inch of her. Instead I went in the bathroom and disposed of the condom. When I came back to bed, I carefully laid beside her on my side, keeping myself from aggravating the burn in the center of my back.

I kissed her and met her eyes. “My Dad is coming by tomorrow. He grew up with Malcolm Sloan. I think he might’ve known something about Sylvia too, but he wouldn’t say over the phone.”

She lowered her eyes, but she didn’t move to get out of bed. Beyond that, I couldn’t gauge her reaction. I ran my hand down the back of her hair. “You okay?”

She shrugged and slowly lifted her head. “I don’t know if I’m ready to meet your family yet.”

“You did great tonight with Nadya and Gareth.”

“I also didn’t hug them.”

I caught her chin. “Look at me.” She raised her gaze as I stroked her soft cheek. “You don’t have to hide anymore. You’ve got your power under control.”

Her eyes shone with tears. “You’re still healing from a burn from my hand, and if you hadn’t attacked Damian when you did, the cardboard was about to ignite. We might’ve been killed.”

“He had your son. You were terrified.” I started to smile. “My dad is a lot of things, but scary isn’t one of them.”

“Tell me about him.”

I kissed her forehead. “His name is Wyatt and he’s a semi-retired veterinarian.”
He’s also a werewolf, like me and your son.
But I didn’t speak those words. I kept them buried, telling myself it was for the best. The last thing Taryn needed right now was to get upset and set my house on fire, or run away right into Damian’s clutches. “You’ve met my mom before, right? Did she seem like a woman who would marry an ogre?”

She laughed and I cherished the sound. “Okay, sorry I’m overreacting, my life is changing faster than I can keep up and with every new person who comes into it, I worry I’ll hurt them, or they’ll discover what I did to Charlie and take him away.”

I took her hand, lacing her fingers with mine. “If anyone ever tried to take Charlie, they’d have to get through me first.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Taryn

I
gasped when I took the bandage off of Jared’s back.

He tried to see me behind him. “Is it bad?”

Shaking my head, I traced the edge of what used to be blistered skin. “No, it’s…” I narrowed my eyes, not believing what I was seeing. “It’s still red, but it’s almost gone.”

He let out a pent up breath. “Good.” He turned around to face me. “I told you I heal fast.”

“I don’t know what kind of ointment your brother put on there, but I’d call that pretty miraculous.”

He picked up the hand mirror so he could see the wound on his back. “It’s not like it’s gone.”

“But the blister is.”

“Jason said we wanted my body to absorb it so it didn’t break and get infected.”

I ran a hand up his chest. “Whatever it is, I hope you’re completely healed soon. I don’t like knowing you’re in pain because of me.”

“Nah, it was my own fault. You were just trying to save me from jail.”

A knock on the bedroom door drew my attention. I walked over to find Charlie, dressed with his backpack already on. “I had Pop Tarts, and I’m ready to go.”

I raised a brow. “Why are you in such a hurry to get to school?”

“Because I’m Ms. Nelson’s helper this week, remember?”

I hadn’t until he mentioned it. I rubbed the back of my neck. “Okay, I guess we’d better get out of here.”

Jared came out of the closet pulling a clean shirt over his head. “Let me give Tank a bathroom break and we’ll go.”

“Already done.” Charlie hooked his thumbs on his backpack straps looking extremely proud of himself.

Jared grinned and mussed his hair. “Thanks, Buddy.”

When we opened the front door to leave, there was a white veterinary truck in the driveway. A tall older gentleman got out and waved. Even if Jared hadn’t warned me that his father was coming by, I would’ve guessed. There was no denying the two were related. Wyatt Ayers was about the same height and build as Jared, a little thinner, with grey hair.

He walked over to us, but as he got closer his smiled faltered a little, clearly surprised to see Charlie. “Jared you didn’t tell me about this little guy.”

Jared’s father held his gaze as something unspoken passed between them. Jared grasped Charlie’s shoulder with one hand and gestured to his father with the other. “Charlie, I’d like you to meet my Dad, Wyatt Ayers.”

His dad offered his hand and Charlie took it, his voice full of wonder. “Wyatt is a cowboy name.”

Jared’s father laughed, the sound so similar to his son’s that I had to smile. “I hate to disappoint you, but I’m not so good on horseback. I’m the one they call when their horse is sick.” He winked. “Good to meet you, Charlie.”

He straightened up and Jared clasped his forearms, before pulling him into a hug. “Good to see you Dad.” He pulled back and turned my way. “And this is Taryn.”

I smiled and shook his hand. It still seemed a little foreign to touch people again, but not being a prisoner to the fire inside was a gift in itself. “Great to meet you, Mr. Ayers. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

He chuckled. “Then surely someone’s told you that Mr. Ayers was my father, I’m Wyatt.”

A pang of loneliness stung my heart. I hadn’t seen my father since he dropped me off at Brightwood twenty years ago. Seeing Jared with his dad reminded me of the gaping hole where my family used to be.

As if he could sense my pain, Jared took my hand, his fingers lacing with mine, weaving us together. “Dad, we’ve got to run Charlie to school. Can you wait for us? We won’t be long.”

I shook my head. “I can take Charlie. You stay and talk to your Dad.”

Jared squeezed my hand, meeting my eyes. “Not a good idea. You’re the one Damian wants.”

“Who’s Damian?” Charlie looked up.

I draped my arm around his shoulder. “Someone from work.”

Wyatt tipped his head in my direction. “If you don’t mind, I could keep you company until Jared gets back.”

My pulse raced. “Charlie, go ahead and get in Jared’s truck. I think you forgot something in the house.”

“No I didn’t, Mom. I double checked.”

I sighed. “Get in the truck, okay?”

“Okay.” He jogged over to Jared’s pick-up, and I met Wyatt’s eyes. “I need Jared for just a second.”

Jared followed me back inside the house. It was clumsy, and probably rude, but I needed a minute. I pulled my hair back from my face, lowering my voice. “This is a horrible idea.”

“You can’t take Charlie up there alone. What if Damian’s watching for you?” Jared glanced at the door and back to me. “My dad can hang out here by himself. We’ll be right back.”

“He’ll think I don’t like him.”

“He’ll think you like
me
.” His smile eased my nerves. “I told him you were staying with me.” He cupped my cheek. “I’ve never lived with anyone before, so he knows this is serious.” He paused. “At least it is for me.”

I kissed his palm. “It is for me, too. But that’s your Dad. What if I get upset or…”

“Nothing is going to happen.” He pressed his lips to my forehead. “I’ll be gone less than an hour. You can do this, and you can call my cell phone if you need me.”

I nodded, bracing myself. “You’re right.” I went in the kitchen and came out with a granola bar. “Tell Charlie he forgot his snack.”

He chuckled. “You got it, Beautiful.”

Oh man, I loved this guy. We went back out and Jared gave his Dad a pat on the shoulder as he went to the truck. “No spilling embarrassing stories while I’m gone.”

Wyatt grinned. “That’s like telling a father not to speak.”

He winked at me and turned to wave to Jared and Charlie.

As the truck drove out, I opened the door. “Can I interest you in some coffee?”

He nodded. “That would be grand, thanks.”

“Sorry about before.” I went into the kitchen. Wyatt took a seat on the stool at the island. “I’m not really a people person.”

“I didn’t realize you had a little guy to get to school or I would’ve come later.”

I pushed the button on the coffee maker and took out a couple of mugs. “Sorry, I don’t know what Jared’s told you about me.”

“Other than he’s crazy about you and you’re a property mover up in Tahoe, not much.”

My throat tightened a little, hearing Jared had shared his feelings for me with his father. It made our relationship feel…real. I’d never been introduced to Noah’s family, and for all I knew, they never realized I existed. This was new territory, but I think I liked not being a secret.

“Well, I hired Jared to build my deck. That’s how we met. And you probably noticed Charlie thinks the world of him.”

“I did.” Wyatt nodded with a glint in his eyes. “Where’s your boy’s father?”

My shoulders tightened. “He’s not in the picture. Left before Charlie was born.”

“He’s an idiot.” He frowned shaking his head. “I apologize on behalf of all the men out there. My son is a good man.”

A smile warmed my lips. “Yes, he is. The best.”

He grinned. “We’re agreed on that.”

All of a sudden Tank galloped toward us, jowls flapping. Wyatt got off the stool and bent over with his arms open. Tank launched himself into the air and Wyatt caught him, laughing as he straightened and the bulldog covered his face in wet kisses and snorts.

“I missed you too, boy.” He ran one hand down Tank’s head. “Tell me all about it.”

Tank moaned and groaned while I poured coffee into the two mugs, keeping an eye on Wyatt. He seemed pretty strong for an older guy who had been in a coma recently. Tank was hardly a lap dog.

Wyatt put him down and I handed him a mug. “He likes you.”

He nodded. “The feeling is mutual.”

“Tough not to like Tank.” I chuckled

He took a sip and smiled. “So what do you want to know?”

“About?” I raised a brow.

“Jared, of course.” He glanced at the door and back to me. “This is your chance while he’s not here to defend himself.”

I laughed. Like his son, Wyatt had a knack for getting around my defenses. “Hmmm… Did he go to high school prom?”

“Yes. As I recall, he and his brother switched prom dates that night.”

My jaw dropped. “Did the girls know?”

“Not at first.” He shook his head. “They don’t switch places often, but they joked the tuxedos made them look like matching penguins, and it escalated into seeing if their girls noticed.”

I leaned on the counter with my mug. “And did they figure it out?”

His eyes twinkled with mischief. “Jason blew his cover.”

“How?”

“Well each of them tells a different story, but according to Jared, his date had danced with him before, and when Jason took her out on the dance floor, his skills were lacking.”

Having danced with Jared recently, I could attest to his skill at leading. I grinned. “And what does Jason say happened?”

“If you ask Jason, he says Jared kissed his date, and she jumped back because Jared wasn’t half the kisser Jason was.”

I put the coffee down before I spilled it. No offense to Jason, but I couldn’t imagine anyone being a better kisser than Jared. Laughing, I shook my head. “They must’ve been a handful.”

“Yeah, but we loved every minute of it. Would’ve had more children too if it had been in the stars for us.”

I’d never thought about having more kids. Charlie used to regularly wish for a baby brother to play with. It always hurt too much to consider. His baby brother, Trevor, was fifteen minutes younger, but Charlie didn’t remember him.

We moved to the sofa and chatted about nothing important when Jared came in the front door. “Charlie is in school.” He walked over and kissed the top of my head before coming around to sit beside me. “What did I miss?”

I glanced at his dad and back to Jared. “I’m bummed I missed the prom.”

Jared pointed at Wyatt and laughed. “Really? You told her the prom switch story?”

Wyatt opened his hands and shrugged. “I promised you and your brother I’d never let you live it down.” He got up with his coffee mug. “Taryn it has been delightful, but I’ve got a mule that needs worming, so I’d better get going.”

We stood, and before I could prepare myself, Wyatt wrapped me in a tight embrace. He smelled like the forest, and Tank. I smiled, tightening my hold on him before we stepped back. He turned to Jared. “You’re bringing Taryn and Charlie to Thanksgiving, right?”

Jared and I stared at each other, and gradually he started to nod. “Yeah. As long as they don’t have other plans. I’d love for everyone to meet them.”

“Good.” Wyatt grinned. “I’ll see you soon then, Taryn.” He tipped his head and headed out the door.

Jared kissed my lips, snapping me out of my temporary shock. “I’ll be back in a minute and we can talk about Thanksgiving, okay?”

I nodded and sat back down as he walked out after his father. Thanksgiving. With a big family. Heat flared in my hands and I pulled in a slow breath, counting as I released it.

This was a bad idea.