Runner's Moon: Yarrolam (12 page)

            He hit the recall button. The phone was answered before the second ring.

            “Yarrolam?”

            “I almost called you earlier. Have you heard anything?”

            “First, if anyone asks how you know Tiron, tell them you’re her cousin.”

            “All right.”

            “Second, I’ve been doing a little snooping. Yarrolam, it’s not good news.”

            “Call me Liam. What did you find out?”

            “Where’s Cherron? She needs to hear this.”

            “I was on a run. She’s back at the motel. I’m heading there now. Want me to call you back when I get there?”

            “No. I’ll give you the short and sweet now. I found out who’s after you. His name is Nicholas Navaez. On the surface, he’s into real estate, and his company’s based out of New Orleans. But for the past eighteen months, he’s been under scrutiny. He’s suspected of selling fake high-end goods. Counterfeit knock-offs he has shipped in to the port there. The Feds haven’t been able to pin anything on him yet, but I’ve learned they’re slowly building a case against him. Anyway, word is he invested closed one point two million dollars with your partner.”

            “Aaron was my employer, not my partner,” Yarrolam quickly amended.

            “Well, it appears your employer created an elaborate Ponzi scheme. The police think he socked away almost four mil before Navaez decided to pull out. That’s what started this whole setup crashing down around Shulcrist. The SEC found too many red flags where the man was cooking the books, and they were days away from shutting you guys down when Navaez took matters into his own hands. One point two mil is probably chump change to a guy like Navaez, who’s probably raking in a hundred times that much a year. But it’s the principal of the thing that made Navaez draw a target on Shulcrist’s back. You’re in a lot of hot water, no thanks to your employer. Watch your ass, Liam.”

            “I am.” He hesitated, then decided to confess. “Thom, Cherron, Aaron’s intended…she’s my mate.”

            There was a soft gasp on the other end of the line. After another couple of seconds, Thom DeGrassi asked, “Does she know?”

            “No.”

            “Why not?”

            “Because she is still Aaron’s intended. Until she dissolves that connection, I cannot tell her. Ask Tiron why. She’ll explain it to you.”

            “But you know for sure she’s meant to be yours?”

            “Yes. I can smell her, and she’s told me she smells me. She senses me. Our connection is already there.”

            “But you haven’t made love to her yet?”

            “No.”

            At the thought of Cherron, he felt her worry for him return like a rolling cloudbank. There was no immediate fear, which was good. It meant she was still safe.

            “Thom, I need to get back to the motel. She’s worried for me.”

            “All right. What’s your next stop?”

            “Atlanta.”

            “Call me when you get settled in. I might have more info.”

            “I will. Thanks, Thom.
Anro mai covu.
”

            “You’re welcome.
Tiso covu.
”

            Yarrolam ended the call and stuffed the phone into his pants pocket. Quickly dressing, he changed into his latest persona and jogged back to the motel.

Chapter 17

Motel

            Cherron alternated between pacing the room and staring out the front window while she waited for Liam’s return. She hated being left alone, afraid one of those men would show up. Or worse, they would take Liam. If they found out what he was, there was no telling what kind of horrendous things they would do to him.

            When she’d come to that conclusion, she’d thought long and hard about why it mattered to her. Why his safety was more important than her own.

            “You’ve gone through so much, and I know practically nothing about you. But you’ve risked everything to help me, and…and I don’t know why. Why, Liam? Why?”

            Leaning against the door, she wrapped her arms around her. A slow warmth crept into her body, sliding under her skin as if she was immersing herself in a hot both. Cherron gave a quick intake of breath.

            “Liam?”

            She’d drifted off momentarily, her thoughts, her worry, centered on him, when she would swear he sent her this momentary calm. Could he do that? Could he…

            “He’s an alien, Cherron. There’s so much I don’t know about him. But when he comes back,
when
he comes back, I’ll find out. I’ll find out who he really is, and what he really looks like. And somehow, once this whole mess is over, I’ll find a way to thank him.”

            She straightened up to begin walking again, when she realized Liam was returning. He was heading for the motel.

            “How do I know that?”

She glanced out the window, out into the parking lot and the street on the other side of the office, when something inside her told her to look in the opposite direction. Switching sides, she peered out to where the motel made an L and stared at the shadows. It wasn’t long before a tall form came into view.

Cherron quickly turned off the bedroom lamp, pitching the room into darkness. The form moved down the narrow walkway, toward her. Or toward the office. A quick glance showed the office lights were off. The owner had shut down for the night.

She started to drop down into a crouch to keep from being seen, when she felt a lifting in her heart. Hurrying over to the door, she unchained it, her fingers resting on the deadbolt.

“Cherron, it’s me.”

Throwing open the door, she barely let him step inside the room when she threw her arms around him. Liam closed the door with one hand, his other hand pressed to her back. The lights came on, and all was right again with the world for the next few moments.

“I hate it when you leave me.” She buried her nose in his shirt and inhaled his cinnamon smell she adored.

“You were never in any danger,” he murmured, stroking her back.

Chuckling, she glanced up at him. “Not me, you idiot. I was worried about you. You have more secrets than the Sphinx in Egypt. If those men catch you, I know you’d have to reveal yourself to them at some point. Then there’s no telling what they’d do to you.”  

He patted her on the shoulder. “I would find a way to get away. Don’t worry about me.”

She tightened her arms around him. “Hold me.”

After a slight hesitation, he put both arms about her, but it wasn’t good enough. She gave him a little jiggle. “Tighter. Hold me like you mean it.”

His embrace tightened slightly, but it still wasn’t what she wanted. Glaring up at him, she stared into those chocolate-brown eyes with their silvery pieces of glitter. His expression was unreadable…until she saw the crack in his façade. Somehow, she knew he wanted to do more. The subtle hunger was evident in the tense lines around his eyes and mouth.

“Like you mean it, Yarrolam,” she whispered. He was holding back, but she had no idea why.

He gave her what appeared to be an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, Cherron.”

“Sorry? For what?”

He let go of her and stepped over to where his salad still sat on the bed. She watched him sit down and take out the carton. His movements were slow and deliberate as he opened the nap pak to remove the plastic fork.

Taking a seat on the bed across from him, she watched him eat. “What’s wrong, Yarrolam? One moment I think there could be something between us. Then the next instant you have the manners of an eighteenth century gentleman. You’re being distant, cool, and too damn polite.”

            “Don’t take this wrong, Cherron, but you’re spoken for. It wouldn’t be right.”

            She glanced at the ring on her hand. “Yeah, but…”

            “We’ll find Aaron. Or he’ll turn up. Somewhere. Sooner or later. But I cannot take advantage of our current situation.”

            “Is it some kind of code with your people?”

            “You could say that. Forgive me.”

            He continued to eat, as if there was nothing wrong. It was obvious he wouldn’t be swayed. She was engaged to Aaron, and to him that meant she was off limits. It explained so much, like why he didn’t make a move on her. Why he was careful where he touched her.

            God, what she wouldn’t give to kiss him.

            Anger flared, hot and intense. Two tugs on the diamond ring, and she held it up for him to see.

            “See this? This means nothing to me, Yarrolam. This symbol means nothing if the two people it’s supposed to connect are not willing to commit to the lasting relationship it’s supposed to represent. Do you see Aaron here, protecting me? No! Do you see Aaron trying to reach me? To warn me? Or at least come clean with me and let me know what’s going on? No!”

            “In all fairness, Cherron, your phone is gone. He couldn’t reach you, even if he tried,” Liam reminded her. She refused to accept it.

            “That’s bullshit, Liam. He had plenty of time to notify me before I reached the airport. He could have left a text message, or a voice mail. I’m also willing to bet he knew this crap was about to come down
before
I left New York! You heard what the detectives said. His apartment was cleared out. That’s not something you can do in just an hour’s time. If he knew this was about to come down, why didn’t he tell me not to board the plane?”

            Her anger and frustration were reaching the boiling point. Liam continued to eat, but he was watching her. Studying her, as if he was waiting for her to make the next move. Cherron swiped at the tears blurring her vision.

            “Damn him! I can’t commit to him now. How could I
ever
commit to a man who’s done what he’s done? How can I be sure he won’t pull something like that again in the future?”

            The tears were too much to battle. Droplets began to slide down her face and cheeks, and her nose was clogging. Throwing the ring across the room, she got up and stomped to the bathroom to grab some toilet paper. Blowing her nose, she faced the man still sitting on the bed.

            “I don’t belong to him, Liam. I never did. When the going got too rough, you saw what he did. He abandoned me. He left me hanging high and dry. Even if those men managed to kidnap me, do you honestly believe he would have done anything to help me?”

            Liam closed his empty container and set it to the side, but remained on the bed. “We don’t know that for sure. Maybe something’s happened to him. Maybe he’s injured…or dead.”

            She vaguely waved at the direction where she’d flung the engagement ring. “Then if he’s dead, it doesn’t matter, does it? I’m no longer bound to him. The promise is null and void.
He
isn’t here.
You
are.
He
never truly gave a flying crap about me, but you
do. I know you do.”

            He got up and retrieved the ring, walking over to hand it back to her. “Keep this. Stick it in your pocket or somewhere. We might need to pawn it later if we run short of money.”

She took the ring and stared at it as she took a deep, shuddering breath. “I thought I cared about him, but I see now it was all the attention he lavished on me. I thought I was special to him, and maybe I was…to a point. But when it came down to the nitty gritty…” A sob shook her, and she softly moaned. “H-he never cared about me…but you do…don’t you, Liam?”

            Without asking him to, he drew her into his embrace and held her tightly. Held her firmly against him, the way she’d wanted him to. Held her protectively and understandingly.

            “Do you care about me, Liam?” she whispered, clutching his shirt with both hands.

            He pressed his cheek to her forehead. “No, Cherron. It’s not caring I feel for you. It’s love. I love you.”

            “Then kiss me. Like you mean it.”

Chapter 18

Truth

            Liam brushed the hair from her face, then lifted her chin as he bowed his head. Cherron watched as his lips touched hers. At the same time, he molded her body along his, one hand firmly pressing her buttocks against him so there was no denying the proof of his longing.

            His mouth covered hers, gliding almost teasingly across her lips. Yet he didn’t try to probe inside, even when she parted them slightly. He kissed her, pulled away a fraction, tilted his head a bit more, then kissed her again. Different angle. A little more pressure. Over and over. Soft, sweet, tender kisses. Not long, not hard. Delicate, yet undeniably passionate.

            Loving.

            Cherron could tell he wasn’t an expert kisser, but neither was he inept. It was as if he knew how to possess her mouth by her reactions. Listening to the quickness of her breathing and the racing of her heart as he continued to place each simple yet gentle kiss on her mouth.     

            She closed her eyes and drew her arms around his waist, rubbing her hands across his back. Feeling the hard muscles. Savoring his warmth.

            He took his time, and she wasn’t complaining. Men normally didn’t like foreplay. When they were hot and horny, they wanted their partner to be ready and waiting for it. As Liam moved from her mouth to caressing her cheek and face with his lips, she moaned softly. A large bulge quivered against her abdomen. He wanted her, the evidence was indisputable, but he wouldn’t rush anything until she was willing. She knew the reason why.

            Grabbing one of his hands, she kissed his knuckles and gazed up at him. “Can you make love to me in your human form?”

            “Yes. At least, that’s what I’ve been told.” His voice was rough with emotion.

            She smiled. “What you’ve been told?”

            “I… I’ve never…”

            “You’ve never had sex?”

            If she didn’t know better, she’d swear he flushed at the question.