Silence that Sizzles (10 page)

Kyle waited anxiously inside the doors to the ballroom for Kelly to arrive. He had received a coy text message from her telling him that she would meet him at the gala, and he wondered what it had been all about. Sophie had been silent, not answering his texts at all.

When he caught sight of Kelly at the top of the staircase before she began her descent, all thoughts of worry flew right out of his mind. Her dress was electric blue and hugged every curve of her lithe form. There was a slit that exposed the length of her leg up to her thigh. The neckline plunged toward her sternum and seemed to skim the deliciousness of her breasts. He was immediately hard. She took his breath away.

He moved to meet her at the bottom of the stairs and barely remembered to offer her his arm. She smiled at him shyly. “Mr. Frost, you clean up quite well, I must admit.”

“You are breathtaking,” he replied. He saw the flush in her cheeks as she ducked her head. It was clear she’d had her hair done. It was swept up at the crown of her head, but tendrils of curls fell unabashedly to her shoulders framing her heart-shaped face. He felt his bear growl as he took in the gentle curve of her neck.

He and his bear wanted the same thing; to claim their mate. To make her theirs forever. But that wasn’t a thing for now, and it was still a subject he had to find a way to broach with her. Tonight, though, he could show her what it was like to be with Kyle, the man.

Kelly slipped her arm into his, and Kyle knew immediately where to go. He led her out onto the dance floor. There was a band on the stage playing soft jazz; which he had learned was Kelly’s favorite as well as his own. Kyle felt as if the evening had somehow turned magical.

He knew when he took Kelly into his arms that she was surprised. He glided out onto the dance floor with her delicately following him. If there was one thing that Kyle’s father had insisted on, it was that both he and his younger brothers knew how to dance. It started with his mother coaching him before he could even walk. As he grew older, he attended the many military balls and galas that had been required of his father’s position. Kyle had always wanted his father to be proud of him. So he had practiced until his movements were near flawless. He warmed at Kelly’s smile of delight as she gazed up at him.

“Well, well, Mr. Frost. It appears that you’ve been hiding a secret from me,” she said with a small chuckle. He loved to make her laugh. He wanted to make her laugh every day.

“It is a Frost family tradition.”

“I have to say it’s quite impressive. There’s nothing quite like a man who knows how to dance,” Kelly said. She followed him with expert steps, and he quickly realized that despite his expertise on the dance floor, Kelly was more than his match. He could hear the comments of the crowd around them as they moved around the floor in time to the music. He could imagine what they probably looked like to all of the people around them. He was holding the most beautiful woman in the room in his arms, and he felt a swell of pride. He would dance the night away with her, and then he wanted to take her home and explore more moves with her in his bed.

“How are you enjoying your stay in Copper City so far?” It was a random question, but he felt the need to say something. Kyle was curious about Kelly and what she was thinking about the future. If she could accept him and agree to be his mate, she had to understand and accept the fact that he had a place and a duty in Copper City. He wasn’t sure what her future held for her, or what she was even thinking about it. It was a topic that he had been afraid to broach.

“You mean apart from the ransacking of my room and someone trying to scare the crap out of me? It’s been good. There have been some parts that have more than made up for it,” Kelly said the words in a slightly teasing tone, but he could hear her heart racing in her chest. He shouldn’t have been so clumsy with the question. He hadn’t meant to remind her of her troubles.

“I heard that there was an opening in Eric’s R&D department,” he said the statement casually, as if he hadn’t scoured the job postings at Eric’s company and called the Human Resources Director himself. If anyone wanted to come to Copper City and stay, the Urban Dwellers went out of their way to help. So it had only required a quick phone call to find the job.

Kelly looked at him in surprise. “I don’t know if I’d want to work for Eric,” she said slowly.

Kyle chuckled. He didn’t think that he would probably want to work for Eric either. But still it was the role that was the best fit. “I already made a call. They would be very interested in talking to someone with your expertise and resume. In fact, I have the hiring manager’s number if you want to give him a call tomorrow.”

“That certainly seems convenient, doesn’t it?” Kelly said. He saw her frown, and he didn’t understand why. If there was something between them, then he wanted her to stay in Copper City. He understood that her job was a big part of her identity. He understood the issues of identity better than anyone especially since he constantly grappled with his own. He had gathered from what he’d heard her talk about that Kelly believed her place in the world was doing research for the greater good. At least this way, she would be able to work knowing that she was on the right side.

“It’s just something to think about. Especially since you’re currently unemployed.”

“I’m flattered that you think of me in such high regard that you would recommend me. But I’m still not sure what I want to do. I may want to think about teaching again,” Kelly said the words hesitantly. This was the first time Kyle had heard of this.

“Teaching?”

Kelly nodded her head vigorously. “It was something that I did very early in my career. I figured if I can’t actually be in a lab, and I’m not sure that I want to do that anymore after seeing how quickly someone else can twist my work, then I could work for a university again. There are several with large programs that I’ve reached out to since I quit, and I’ve gotten a couple calls already. In fact, I was supposed to have an interview in San Francisco next week.”

Kyle’s bear started to growl in his head. He had to tap that down. He had never thought that after what had transpired between him and Kelly the previous evening that she would still be considering leaving Copper City. Hadn’t he already expressed how he felt about her in a way that made her know he thought there could be a future between them?

“I thought that you may want to stay in Copper City for a while.”

“I came to Copper City for help to get out of my current predicament. But once we get this sorted out, I was expecting to go back home and think about a fresh start.” Again Kelly said the words hesitantly.

Kyle wished that he could read her mind. “What about us?”

There it was. The elephant in the room. He guided her off the dance floor. Suddenly he wasn’t feeling much like dancing anymore. He put his hand on the small of her back and led her to the bar. She didn’t answer his question right away, which he wasn’t sure was a good sign or a bad sign. He grabbed two champagne flutes off the tray of a waiter passing by and handed one of them to her. Then he motioned to walk out onto the balcony. He wanted some privacy for this next conversation.

“I wasn’t sure what was going on between us to be quite honest. I mean, it was one night. That doesn’t really make a relationship, does it?”

Kelly’s words hit him like a punch in the gut. How could she not know how he felt about her? He thought he had been more than clear. He tried to stamp down his bear again. If he let the bear surface, he wasn’t sure that he would be able to control it.

“I thought you would at least think that there was something between us to consider. Especially when you’re talking about your future.”

“People have long distance relationships all the time,” Kelly said. She said it so matter-of-factly that he felt as if she had analyzed it, cataloged it, and put it off to the side. “Besides, I’m not even sure if a relationship is what this is. Is it?”

“I thought you said you don’t sleep with random men all the time?” Kyle couldn’t help the acidic words from dropping off his tongue. She was treating this whole situation so nonchalantly. That wasn’t what it was for him. Not at all.

“No, I do not sleep with random men, and I am insulted that you would even say such a thing.” Kelly shoved the champagne flute at him and then whirled around. He grabbed her arm as she moved away.

“Don’t walk away for me. We’re not finished.” The words came out in a low growl.

“Let me go,” Kelly said. There was a slight snarl about her words that he had never heard from her before, and his bear took notice. “If you want to have a conversation, just say so. But let’s act like adults here. You are not my alpha. I am not a shifter that is going to bow to your will just because you say so.”

Kyle’s fingers popped open releasing her arm. The fact that she would even think that he would try to press his will upon her was shattering. He wasn’t that type of person. “I just want you to slow down and talk to me for a minute.”

“Why do we have to talk about this now? Can’t we just have a nice evening? I realize that we have moved things along pretty quickly in whatever this is between us, but it would be wonderful just to have a normal date. We kind of blew right past that.” Kelly wasn’t wrong when she said this.

Kyle felt slightly ashamed. He was ready to move things along at a much quicker pace. Hell, he was ready to bite her to claim her as his once and for all. He had forgotten that she was human. She didn’t feel the same pull to him that he felt to her yet. It took more time for that.

Every fiber of his being wanted to solidify their relationship. But that was not the way things went between humans and shifters. He needed to ask Sheriff Billy Miller more about it the next time he was in town. Thea had seemed to fall into his arms pretty easily, but it didn’t seem to be the same way with Kelly. Maybe there was just a difference with humans to begin with. This was all new territory for him.

He thought because he and Kelly had a connection in the years before that it would somehow amplify and speed up the process for her. Clearly, it hadn’t. He had to slow down. He was going to have to woo her. Although it grated on him to have to admit to himself that Sophie had been right on this point, he knew looking into Kelly’s eyes that he should heed his friend’s advice. Besides, at the end of the day, it was something she deserved. He wasn’t a caveman that was going to throw her over his shoulder and carry her off to force her to be his mate. This was modern times. Shifters acted differently now even when they did find their mates. There was a process that he had to respect.

“Can we start over?” He hoped that she would hear his verbal olive branch and take it.

She crossed her arms over her chest. She seemed to consider his words. His eyes flowed up and down her form. Everything about her body called to him. He was starting to feel warm. Looking at her exposed cleavage and the skin peeking through the slit at her thigh reminded him of the places he wanted to explore. He didn’t want another man to touch her. Ever. He took a deep breath. He had to wait for her answer. As long as she said that she would stay with him, he could wait forever

“What did you have in mind?” She licked her lips and made them glisten in the moonlight. It was an invitation that he couldn’t resist any longer.

He pulled her hard against him and stared down into her eyes. Although they widened slightly as he dug his fingertips into her hips, he enjoyed the sensation of her soft curves against him. “I have some ideas.”

“This isn’t exactly the right time or place for that, is it?” The way that she leaned into him told him that she wasn’t going to resist him.

“Is there ever any such thing?” He ran his hand along the curve of her bare shoulder. He enjoyed feeling the silky smoothness of her skin. Even though he had been with her just the previous evening, Kyle needed her again. He craved her like an addict craved their drugs. Kelly was his drug. There was no point in denying it.

“I think that might be up for debate,” Kelly said with a soft sigh. He moved her into the shadows away from the closest prying eyes. It was bold of him to do this here. He knew that sometime very soon, his name would be called over the loudspeaker, and it would be time for him to give his speech. He had it down pat, but he wasn’t thinking about that anymore. Now there was something else in front of him that was far more intoxicating. He wanted Kelly, and he wanted her now.

“How about we try this?” He leaned down and gently took her earlobe into his mouth for a soft suck. Then he ran his other hand along the side of her body. He felt the swell of her breasts as his fingertips sheered past them, and he felt her quick intake of breath. She still hadn’t moved away. He took that as a positive sign.

Kelly’s hands gripped his biceps. He loved the feeling of her hands on his body. He hoped to enjoy more of that very soon.

“I think you’re starting to convince me of your argument,” she whispered. Her body shuddered.

He chuckled against the crook of her neck. Although he wanted to take her right there in the middle of the gala, he knew that that would be too bold. He needed to keep a level head.

“I think we need to gather more data on the subject,” he said. “For example, I can tell by the way that you smell that you are ready for me.”

Kelly didn’t say anything except give him a low moan that set his bear on fire. He was ready to forget all about his speech. He wanted to get Kelly back to his place as quickly as possible. He cursed the fact that somehow he had ended up as part of this establishment that was requiring him to play the part of a proper gentleman. Kyle was far from a proper gentleman.