Primal Possession (4 page)

“Come on.” Liam didn’t remove his strong hand from the small of her back as he ushered her into her kitchen.

Despite her desire to keep her distance from him, she found she didn’t want him to pull away. “You checked the whole house?” She didn’t know why she asked. The question just slipped out.

“Of course,” he said absently, and led her to one of the ladder-back chairs at the round table in the corner of
the room. It didn’t cross her mind to argue or ask what he was doing as he practically forced her to sit, then started rummaging through her refrigerator.

With his back to her she couldn’t see his expression, but she was under the impression he was frowning as he stared into the giant stainless steel fridge. It was something about the way his shoulders tensed. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“You have…chick food in here. There’s no meat or…anything.” His voice was incredulous.

“You’re looking in my fridge without permission and complaining about what’s in there?” She was too frazzled to even be offended. She knew she didn’t have much in there. Yogurt, eggs, and some vegetables that probably needed to be thrown out. She lived by herself and ran her own business. Cooking when she got home was not one of her priorities.

He half turned toward her and she was surprised when his expression softened. “Ah, sorry. I wanted to heat something up for you. I doubt you ate at the restaurant and after what happened, I figured it would do some good if you got something warm in you.”

Having
him
in her would probably do her good. Her eyes widened as the unexpected thought sliced through her. Embarrassed, she felt her face flush, but thankfully her stomach growled loudly. It sounded like a loud freight train, so she played off her obvious embarrassment at her wayward thoughts. She knew he couldn’t read her mind, but she was a terrible poker player and Liam just seemed to know what she was thinking sometimes. “Guess I am hungry. There’s some pesto pasta salad in there and you don’t even have to heat it up.”

By his expression it looked as if it was the last thing he wanted to feed her, but he pulled out the container
and filled a bowl. After placing it and a fork in front of her, he proceeded to open a couple cans of soup. The adrenaline that had been racing through her earlier was slowly subsiding and she felt almost sluggish in her movements.

Her hand trembled slightly as she picked up her fork. Frustration surged through her at the action. She didn’t know what was wrong with her. At the sound of the humming microwave she looked up to find Liam leaning against the counter staring at her.

And not bothering to cover up his desire.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she said quietly.

“Like what?” The question was practically a purr.

“Like…” He wanted to take her up against the wall. Or on the kitchen table. Or maybe the floor. Hot and hard. She knew he’d be better than anyone she’d ever experienced. The primal pull she felt toward him scared the crap out of her sometimes. Made her feel totally out of her element. “…like, you know what,” she finished lamely.

When he didn’t respond, she cleared her throat. “Did you call my brother?”

He stared at her for a long moment, those dark eyes seeing something he liked. Finally he spoke. “Yeah. He should be by soon. He sent someone to check out the car and he’ll be here to pick up the keys. Hopefully he’ll get some prints and we’ll know if that guy is who he said he was.”

“Is Parker…did he say if he was staying over?” She stared down at her bowl as she asked the question.

“He can stay over if he wants,” Liam said. Not exactly the answer she was hoping for.

She tried a different tactic. “You don’t have to stay over if Parker is.”

He grunted something incomprehensible as he pulled out a bowl of soup. Normally she’d be more aggravated by his stubbornness, but tonight she
wanted
him to stay over. She wouldn’t admit it aloud but the thought of him under her roof made her feel safer than if she had the best security system on the planet.

Liam placed another bowl in front of her, then sat across from her with a bowl of his own. She inhaled and smiled. Chicken noodle. What her brother had always made for her growing up whenever she was sick. Even though this wasn’t the homemade kind, it still smelled good. After polishing off the pasta, she normally wouldn’t still be hungry, but for some reason she was famished. She felt as if she hadn’t eaten for days. Probably had something to do with her earlier adrenaline rush.

“Thank you for doing this,” she murmured.

He grunted again. It was something he seemed to do often, but she couldn’t figure out his moods or what the grunts meant exactly. Liam did it when he was annoyed, but he also did it when she thanked him for anything. As if her gratitude surprised him. She didn’t understand that.

Silence normally didn’t bother her, but the stillness that stretched between them tonight did. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she’d been out with another guy when she’d known it would hurt him. While she hated that part, she desperately needed to keep her distance from Liam. When she was around him, it was difficult to think straight. Tonight it was even worse. She felt wildly off-balance and that spicy, earthy scent of his was driving her crazy.

“Are you sure you can stay away from the ranch tonight?” she finally asked, just to break the tension.

His dark eyes flashed with something she didn’t recognize.
“I’ve been doing it the past few days. Why would tonight be any different?”

His words slightly rattled her. “Am I supposed to feel guilty about that?”

“No. I’m just pointing it out. I’m staying here and if you want me to sleep in your car, I will.”

“You
are
trying to make me feel guilty.”

He grunted and she dropped her fork.

“Enough with the barely monosyllabic answers.”

Sighing, he placed his utensil down too. “I don’t want to do this tonight.”

“Do what?”

“Argue.”

“And by talking we’ll automatically argue?”

“I didn’t say that. I’m just pissed.” His words were almost a growl, as if he was trying hard to talk normally.

“At me?”

“The whole situation. I’m pissed you went out with that asshole
and
that he attacked you. If you hadn’t reacted the way you did, this night could have ended a lot differently. Most of all, I hate that you won’t let me take care of you. I just want to keep you safe.”

“I’m letting you take care of me now.”

Her words earned a ghost of a smile from Liam. “Heating up canned soup and serving you cold pasta doesn’t count.”

She shrugged and took another bite. Other than her brother she’d never had
anyone
take care of her. Her parents had died when she was eight and she and her brothers had been sent to live with their alcoholic uncle. He hadn’t been physically abusive, just horribly neglectful. So they’d always had to fend for themselves with Parker being her only parental figure. When she was old enough, she’d started taking care of herself. Depending on someone
wasn’t something she wanted to get used to. People left, died, or simply changed. Usually for the worse. She had a lot of friends, but she’d always kept them at a certain distance. It made life easier.

“What are you thinking about?” Liam’s deep voice tore her out of her thoughts.

Placing her spoon in her empty bowl, she shook her head. “Just how full and sleepy I am. It’s not even that late.”

“Your body had a shock tonight. You’re lucky you didn’t go into actual shock, but the adrenaline you felt earlier has likely waned and now you’re feeling tired.” He reached out and placed one of his large hands over hers.

Unlike earlier when her date had touched her, she didn’t cringe or pull away. She liked the feel of him touching her, however slight. He rubbed a callused thumb over the top of her hand. The action was light, soothing, and totally nonerotic. Still, it made her stomach do little flip-flops.

Almost immediately guilt engulfed her. Her younger brother had died—been killed—because of
her
relationship with a shifter. The pain and weight of it all had nearly killed Parker. If she got involved with another one…She tugged her hand back and cleared her throat. “Let me put these in the dishwasher and I’ll show you where the guest room is.”

He stared at her for a long moment, as if he could read her mind. Then she remembered he could read emotions.
Crap.
Liam wouldn’t know why she was feeling guilty, but he’d sense it just the same.

He grabbed her bowls before she could move. “I’ll do it. And I know where the guest room is.” When he spoke, his voice was remote, distant.

In a weird twist of emotional insanity, she didn’t like him pulling away from her. How messed up was that? It was what she wanted, but when he did it, part of her felt lost. She rubbed a hand over her face as she trudged up the stairs. She needed her freaking head examined.

Liam resisted the urge to go after December. She needed to rest and he knew he’d already pushed her enough for one day. Why couldn’t females be more like males? She wanted him physically, but for whatever reason she wouldn’t let herself be with him. And he’d sensed
guilt
earlier when he touched her. Wasn’t sure what that was about.

As he closed the dishwasher, the doorbell rang. With his senses on high alert, he went to answer it. Before he pulled the door open, he was already breathing a sigh of relief. Parker might not like him, but at least December’s brother wasn’t going to try to kill him.

Parker had a scowl on his face as he strode through the front door. His tan and brown polyester uniform was rumpled and dirty. “Where is she?” he demanded.

Thanks to his extrasensory abilities, Liam could faintly hear water running upstairs. “She’s in the shower. What the hell happened to you?”

A small smile played across the sheriff’s face. “A drunk tourist thought it would be fun to throw beer cans at some night skiers. When they brought him in, he tried to…” He trailed off as if he remembered whom he was talking to. “Never mind. I’ve got one of my deputies dusting that car for prints. Didn’t you say you got the keys?”

Liam pulled out the plastic bag from his pocket. He’d put the keys in there earlier so he wouldn’t accidentally touch them.

“December needs to make a statement,” Parker said.

“You gonna drag her down to the station now?” From his limited experience with the man, Liam knew the sheriff was a stickler for the rules. Except where his sister was concerned. For her he’d not only bend them—he’d probably break them in two and run over them with a semitruck.

That was probably the only thing the two men had in common. They both cared deeply for the woman upstairs and would do anything to keep her happy and safe.

Parker raked a hand through his dark red hair. “No.”

“You think she’ll listen about getting that security system now?” Liam asked quietly.

The sheriff shrugged. “Damned if I know. Make the call anyway and send me the bill. They can install it while she’s at work. Did you get a good look at her date?” he asked, quickly changing subjects.

Liam clenched his teeth. He’d be the one paying for her security system, but he didn’t voice that. As he described what December’s date looked like, Parker jotted everything down. He went over everything from what he was wearing right down to the small mole behind his left ear. The man’s image had been seared into Liam’s memory forever.

Once he was finished, the sheriff flipped his notebook shut. His blue eyes were the same bright shade as December’s. They narrowed at Liam. “Where are you sleeping tonight?”

Liam wanted to be offended by the question, but if he had a sister, he wouldn’t be showing as much restraint as the sheriff. “The guest room.”

Parker was silent for a long moment as he eyed Liam. “If you wanted to hurt her, I know you would and could
have by now. I get that you care for her, I really do, but you realize you’ve brought this on her, don’t you?”

Liam fought back a growl at the sheriff’s words. “By existing?”

Parker shook his head. “I don’t mean this is your fault. The people who want to hurt her…well, somehow I doubt they’re alone in their thinking. I’m just saying the more you’re around her, the more she becomes a target for ignorant assholes.”

Liam knew that was true. He also knew that barely half a century ago people of different races would have been ostracized for having a relationship with each other. Racism and hatred never seemed to change and he wouldn’t walk away from December because of it. He wasn’t a coward and wouldn’t let some backwoods idea dictate how he lived. Instead of responding, he stayed silent. There wasn’t much of a response to that anyway.

Parker was the one to break the silence. “I’ve got to get back to work. We’re short staffed this week, but I’m going to send a patrol by to keep an eye on the house.”

So that was the real reason the sheriff didn’t mind Liam staying at December’s place. He needed him to protect her. A completely adolescent part of Liam smiled at the thought. It had to be killing Parker that Liam was watching over his sister.

Once the lawman left, he slid the crappy lock into place, then methodically checked the house again. It didn’t matter that he’d done it earlier—he was driven with the need to protect December. Someone who truly wanted in wouldn’t bother with locks. They’d break a window or smash a door, but Liam wasn’t going to make it easy for them. He slept light anyway and tonight he doubted he’d sleep at all.