Masters 02 Master of the Abyss (16 page)

His smile widened. “Yes. I am. Very good.” He ran a finger down her arm and glanced at the dish she held. His voice dropped suggestively. “Cherries. I love a good cherry, you know. Maybe you’d like to see?”

Ew
. Some men looked interesting until they opened their mouths. This one should have stayed in the gutter where he belonged. She took a step away. “Well, I—”

An arm encircled her waist and yanked her back against a rock-hard body. Jake’s baritone sounded rough enough to take someone’s hide off. “If you’re a black-powder reenactor, you should know how to talk to a lady. Apologize.”

The guy’s mouth dropped open, and his face turned the color of his shirt. To her surprise, he manned up and said, “You’re perfectly correct, sir. My apologies, ma’am, for getting out of line.” Not waiting for a response, he gave a short bow and retreated back to his cohorts.

Kallie tried to step away, but the arm around her waist didn’t loosen. Instead Jake swiped her fingers in the leftover cherry filling, lifted her hand to his mouth, and licked her fingers.

The blast of heat swirled from her hand straight to her pussy, and her legs wobbled. His embrace tightened, keeping her shoulders against his chest. She could actually feel his cock thicken and press against her butt, and her lower half grew liquid—ready to be taken.
Damn him.

She pulled in a shaky breath and tried to get her hand back.

“Don’t move.” His sharp nip on her thumb streaked straight to her groin. Taking his time, he finished cleaning her fingers, sucking on one after the other. And she felt each pull of his mouth as if his lips circled her clit instead.

Finally, when her body was in flames, he let her tug her hand away and turn to face him.

“Mmm. Any more pie left?” he asked, his voice so casual she wanted to belt him one.

She glared, dying to drag him to bed…after she punched him a few times. “I can’t believe you gave that man such a rough time, and then you do this.”

“Ah, sprite.” He glided his knuckles over her cheek. “The difference is that we’re not strangers. I know what you taste like…everywhere, what your whimpers sound like. I have your scratch marks on my shoulders, and my sleeping bag carries your scent.”

The air felt like the Mohave Desert, hot and thick, scorching her brain cells until she couldn’t seem to think. The sun lines around his eyes deepened as he smiled. “You know, sometimes you’re drop-dead beautiful…and other times you’re just damned cute.”

Cute
? Chipmunks were cute. Before she really could hit him, he grasped her upper arms, yanked her up on tiptoe, and kissed her so thoroughly every thought in her brain melted into goo.

He tasted like cherries.

He lifted his head slightly and whispered, “By the way, I like the top.”

He’d noticed the sleek blue shirt Rebecca had given her—one formfitting enough to get a frown from Wyatt. Before she could wallow in the compliment, he took her lips again. When he pulled back this time, he had to hold her up or she would have staggered like a drunk. Chuckling, he drew a finger over her wet lips. “So if I promise to help with the cleanup, do you think I can get more of that pie?”

Damn, she really was cute. As Kallie walked toward the house, Jake admired the snug fit of her jeans over her pretty, round ass. He might have thought his efforts had prompted the sexy improvement, but he’d seen Rebecca leave the lodge with a sack full of clothing. He owed her.

He noticed Kallie’s stiff-legged walk and tilted his head. Not used to tight pants? Or she might be a tad sore. He’d taken her a lot the night before last. Wanted to again. He moved and adjusted himself surreptitiously.

Why the hell had he kissed her? But he’d forgotten how quickly she turned him hard. And how she brought out every possessive trait in his dom’s nature. After seeing that asshole coming on to her—
Face it, Hunt, you staked a claim as blatantly as a bear putting claw marks on a tree.

Kallie wasn’t the only one with uncomfortable jeans. Even thinking of cold showers and mountain glaciers didn’t help. Annoyed, he walked across the deck. After grabbing a cold Sierra Nevada Stout from the ice-packed cooler, he leaned on the deck railing festooned with red and white streamers, and hoped his cock would ease eventually.

Nice setup for a gathering. From the wide cedar deck, the lawn sloped down to a tree-lined creek. Picnic tables and patio chairs held various sets of people: a group of local merchants, a few cops flirting with some of Kallie’s friends, the buckskin crowd, and a handful of loggers who lived in the area. A batch of older citizens kept grandchildren running to serve their requests. Teens hung out down at the creek or playing board games, toddlers and moms had taken over the wading pool, older kids used the waterslide or kicked a soccer ball. Some climbed on the hay bales stacked two and three high and scattered around the lawn. Looked like two poker games going on in the shade, and dominoes reigned at a picnic table. He’d heard about the Masterson’s Fourth of July gathering for years but never realized it drew in the entire population of Bear Flat. And more continued to arrive.

Just as he took a hefty drink of beer, something rubbed against his calf. He jerked his leg away and looked down. Kallie’s monster cat sat at his feet.

Jake knelt on one knee and offered a finger. Hopefully the beast wasn’t in a bad mood, or he’d be drawing back a stump. “You know, I like cats, but I think you’re descended from something a lot bigger.” Maybe the tufts on his ears resembled a bobcat’s, but the thick fluffy mane looked more like a lion’s—if lions came in brown tabby coloring. And those paws were huge.

The dark pink nose touched his finger gently. Jake petted it for a bit and started to stand. The cat deliberately lay down on Jake’s boot, all twenty-some pounds of him. “Ah-uh. If I move at this point, I’ll have scratches all the way up my leg, right?”

A snort came from the direction of the beer cooler, and Jake glanced up.

Kallie’s cousin Virgil, clad in jeans and a short-sleeved shirt, opened a can of Coors. “Takes a lot to make him really mad. He’s more mellow than he looks.”

Jake stroked Mufasa and grinned. The beast had a purr like an outboard motor. “You’re the only people I know who keep a guard cat rather than a dog.”

“Yeah, well, Kallie was so upset when my dad’s cat got savaged and died, that he picked one not so tempting to the critters outside.”

“Good choice.” The beast wouldn’t survive a cougar, but any fox or coyote would think twice before taking it on. Jake rose to his feet very, very carefully. His rest disturbed, the cat twitched its fluffy, raccoonlike tail and stalked away. Back to the food, Jake noticed. Not a dumb cat at all.

“So, Hunt. Welcome to the party.” The flat tone didn’t sound welcoming, and Masterson’s eyes were as cold as the icy beer. They weren’t friends, although they’d exchanged greetings a few times. The man had a rep as being an honest, tough cop.

“Thanks. Appreciate the invite.”

“We’ve always invited you. This is the first year you’ve shown.”

Uh-huh
. The man’s voice matched his eyes. Protective family. Jake understood perfectly; he was that way himself. “Rebecca wanted to come.” He wiggled the bottle. “Good beer.”

A corner of Virgil’s mouth drew up slightly. “Kallie likes that brand, so we indulge her, even though the rest of us prefer light. We like her to be happy.” Virgil gave him an unwavering stare. “And that’s why I’m not busting your chops right now. If she kissed you, then that’s what she wanted.”

Jake leaned a hip against a picnic table and waited. There was obviously more to come.

“I know about you and your brother and the games at the lodge. I’m not going to go into that.” Virgil scowled and then drew a figurative line in the sand. “Kallie’s got a soft heart, and she’s collected some hurts in her life. Don’t fuck with her heart, Hunt, or I’ll pitch the badge and beat the shit out of you.”

“You could try,” Jake said mildly. “But I understand your concern. I don’t play games—but sometimes people get hurt anyway.”

“I hear you. Best it not be Kallie.”

“Fair enough.”

As two other cops raided the cooler for beer, Virgil turned to greet them and introduced Jake. Warning delivered, the cop had moved on, shedding the animosity.

Excellent control, Jake thought as he shook hands and listened to the cops complain about an incompetent coroner who apparently had just retired, to everyone’s relief.

He watched her. She laughed often, almost sparkling with energy. She treated the children sweetly, like a mother, but demons could be devious. Sipping a beer, he stood in a group of townspeople, smiling at the jokes and evaluating the woman.

She was small. Sneaky-sized. Black hair showed the darkness in her soul. Surely the evil had taken her. Surely he needed to act, to destroy her face, her body until pain forced the demon to sink back into the depths. He could almost hear the sound of the club striking flesh, feel the impact as it shattered bones. He shuddered at the memory of a demon’s shrieks as it was torn from the physical world—from a body.

His stomach twisted with nausea. Sweat coated his skin. Forcing his muscles to calm, he carefully swallowed some more beer. His job. To save his brothers, his world. He would do it no matter the cost to himself.

He’d have his reward at the end, when he’d triumphed over the demon. His manhood rose, strong and proud, as he watched her.

Chapter Seven

Kallie smiled at the pies lining the kitchen counter, brought by the townswomen.

On the first Fourth of July party, her uncle had been overwhelmed by offers to bring food. A man who loved rules, he created guidelines for what people should bring. Like the party itself, the guidelines turned into tradition. Women brought desserts, men over forty brought beer, men under forty brought munchies. Teens brought soft drinks. The Mastersons provided hamburgers and hot dogs, baked beans, and an appalling amount of potato salad.

She found a cherry pie and cut a hefty slab for Jake, smiling a little. He’d not greeted her coldly today—he’d kissed her in front of everyone. She pressed a hand to her chest. That had been a great kiss. He’d noticed her shirt too. If he hadn’t coaxed—bullied—her into changing how she saw herself, she’d never have considered wearing it.
But I’m really not just one of the guys.

Jake had cared enough to bully her that way. Did that mean he cared a little bit for her?

Dammit, she wanted him to, because he was sucking her willpower away. He made her feel safe. Wanted. Cherished. And dammit, how would she ever find someone like him? She didn’t need gorgeous—although that was wonderful—but who else would have his strength, his intelligence, his sense of humor and honor?

She glanced out the window to indulge in another look at him, and her breath caught. Virgil stood in front of him in a posture that said her cousin wasn’t being polite. He must have seen Jake kiss her, she realized, and her stomach sank.

She’d dated off and on over the years, had a few lovers, but she never, ever brought them back here. It just seemed…safer…to downplay her love life. She didn’t want her cousins to be disappointed in her, to think she didn’t belong with them. She’d sure never tested them with someone who would blatantly kiss her in front of everyone.

When Virgil’s face suddenly turned hard, the air left Kallie’s lungs as if she’d slipped off a trail and belly flopped onto a slab of granite. She took two steps toward the door and stopped.

Nothing she could do would keep Virgil from trying to protect her. And Jake would go his own way no matter what Virgil said. Having lived with a bunch of obstinate men, she knew that intervening only made things worse.

Unable to watch, she abandoned the pie. Heading down to the creek, she was intercepted. Gina grabbed one arm, Serena the other, veering her off to one side.

Hands on hips, Serena gave her a spill-it look. “Okay, girlfriend, it’s confession time.”

Oh, hell. “Well…”

“I’ve never seen Jake come on to someone so blatantly,” Gina said. “Not since his girlfriend died. He’ll buy someone a drink at the tavern and take her home, and that’s about it. He doesn’t attend parties or anything.”

“Died? His girlfriend died?”

“Yeah. Don’t you remember the big deal…? No, you were still in Alaska,” Serena said. “Anyway, when did you start dating Jake?”

“Uh, I’m not sure dating is the right term.” Kallie grimaced. “I got the ‘one night only’ lecture, after all.”

Gina tilted her head at the sun, half-hidden by the western mountains. “Seems like daytime to me.”

“Let’s just say he wants to take it one…um, interaction…at a time.”

“Oh. Gotcha.” Serena snickered. “That was a really nice interaction you had going on there on the deck.”

Kallie tried to glare, but witnessed or not, the memory was sweet. “Yeah, it was.”

“Well, be careful, okay?” Gina clasped Kallie’s hands. “I don’t want you getting hurt.”

Kallie glanced up the slope. Jake had joined the older men. As he threw a horseshoe, the muscles under his shirt flexed in a way that made her mouth water. “It’ll be worth the pain.” Her gaze shifted to the deck. Wyatt stared down at her, then shifted his attention to Jake. “Maybe.”

“By the way…” Serena’s gaze ran over Kallie. “You look fantastic.”

“Way fantastic. If Jake hadn’t branded you, the other guys would be following you around, wagging their tails for attention.” Gina frowned. “I think Serena and I should have pushed harder to fancy you up. Then again, maybe it took a different kind of incentive to get you in girl clothes.”

Kallie laughed, her face heating. “
You have the ugliest underwear I’ve ever seen
.” Interesting type of incentive. But it felt…nice…to know she looked good.

“Kallie,” one of the children yelled from the deck. “The sun’s going down. Morgan said to ask you if we could play now.”

As the little boy jumped up and down in anticipation, Kallie laughed and did a quick visual of the party. In the dimming light, people started to pack up the board and card games. The air had cooled, and the wading pool had emptied of toddlers—it would now become the loading area for weapons. The war would begin as the twilight deepened.