The Tempering (The Mackenzie Duncan Series) (16 page)

The bedroom door stood open and Teresa and Natalie were nowhere to be found. Mackenzie hoped that Natalie was managing her wolf mistake better than she was, but she really doubted it. She knew Natalie. Natalie was kind-hearted and soft. The reality she awoke to that morning had really shaken her.

Walking across the room to her bed, she began peeling clothing off, one piece at a time and leaving a trail from the door to the foot of her bed until all she wore was her bra and panties. Climbing under the covers, she fell asleep.

Chapter 18

A gentle rubbing along her back woke her from a dreamless sleep. The view through the window showed a sky that had turned dark with stars shining brightly above the trees. Rolling over expecting to see Teresa or Natalie perched beside her, she nearly screamed when she saw Geoff instead.

Pulling the blankets up to cover herself, even though he had already seen her in the nude on more than one occasion, she scooted back away from him. There was just something much more intimate about him seeing her in bed in just a bra and panties than him seeing her naked in the wild after a change.

“What are you doing in here? I’m not dressed!”

“Yeah, I know. What’s the big deal? I’ve seen you with much less on more than once now. Plus, you left the door wide open.”

“Twice. It’s been twice and it would be never if I had a choice about it. Get out!” With one hand holding onto the blanket, and the other pushing against his chest, that may or may not have been perfectly sculpted beneath his super thin t-shirt, she groaned. It was like trying to move a boulder that had been sitting in the same spot for a hundred years—firmly planted and rock solid.

The grin on his face, while he watched her trying to remove him from her bed, sent her temper flaring. Dropping the blanket to use both hands, she climbed onto her knees and when his eyes went wide with surprise at the site before him, stunning curves, supple breasts, and wild brown locks.

She shoved him.

Falling to the floor with a resounding thud, Mackenzie’s scowl faded into a smile of victory. Geoff never stopped staring at her. The way he looked at her set her body ablaze. Every inch of her was dying to be touched. She knew he wanted her, and she was more than happy to surrender.

Margret took that moment to walk past the door and cleared her throat. Mackenzie looked to the open door and saw her, standing with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. It didn’t take a genius to know she was not happy with the scene before her.

“Margret, it’s not what it looks like!”

“So you are barely covered with Geoff sitting on the floor staring at you like you were made from his favorite candy?”

“Well, yes, but No! He woke me up then wouldn’t get out of my bed so I made him.”

“Yes, that sounds so much better. Geoff, no men are allowed on this floor and you damn well know it. A word, please? Mackenzie, get dressed.”

Geoff stood, still focusing on Mackenzie, licked his lips, and backed out of the room. What had just happened? She was so angry with him, but with a single lustful glance, she had turned to putty. Was this another side effect of the Werewolf thing? Increased strength, speed, temper…and lust? Or was it just as simple as a man and a woman being completely attracted to the other? She laughed at herself. As if it were only sexual attraction? Whatever it was, she needed it to cool off.

Picking her clothing off the floor, she traipsed into the bathroom for a cold shower to remove any lingering thoughts of Geoff.

~*~

Mackenzie felt much calmer after her frigid shower. Dressed in jeans and an oversized sweater, hoping to hide away beneath them, she sat on the floor in front of the large window. She had taken a book from the shelf in the library and was reading, hoping to lose herself in someone else’s romance and drama instead of thinking about her own. And of course, not a Werewolf, vampire, or any other supernatural being involved. Who needed to read about it if they were living it?

Just when the hero was about to ravage his busty blonde heroine with his thirsty eyes and pulsing member, the door behind her creaked open then quickly shut. Knowing exactly who would be sneaking into her room, she quickly hid the book beneath the pillows she had arranged for her “reading nook” as Teresa had started to call it.

“I’m not supposed to be in here.”

“So why are you?”

Each footstep he took closer to her, thundered out and her heart raced. She couldn’t just hear him, but she could feel him getting closer. The instant calming effect that she felt being around the others was null and void when Geoff was in the room.

“To ask you to come up to my room to watch a movie with me, get your mind off things.” She knew she was setting herself up for one of two situations. One, he was being a friend. A friend that would actually watch the movie and want to obey the orders Margret had set forth for the two of them. The other was she was setting herself up for much more than that. Watching a movie in his room. With him. Alone. She wondered exactly how much of the movie they would actually see after the looks he gave her earlier.  

“Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.” At least, she really hoped it was.

He held his hand out to help her stand, but when she was firmly on her feet, he didn’t let go.
Score one for a whole lot more!

. Walking through the halls holding hands with Geoff garnered a whole lot of looks from everyone they passed. Mackenzie couldn’t understand what was so shocking and was more than a little embarrassed by the gawking. She knew of other couples within the house. Was she so horrible that Geoff couldn’t possibly be interested?

“You would think they never saw you hold a girl’s hand before,” she whispered. Moving herself closer to Geoff to go around a little table in the hallway, he slipped his hand from hers and lightly placed it along the small of her back. Thick sweater or not, she could feel the heat.

“That’s because they haven’t. Come on. I have my own room so no more prying eyes.” Geoff opened a door at the end of the hall, allowing her to enter first. His private room was as large as the room she shared with Teresa and Natalie. Not one piece of furniture matched another and there was clothing scattered all over the floor… and chairs… and bed… and dresser. He did have a very large television mounted onto the wall in front of his bed.

“Um, it’s nice?” Mackenzie didn’t know what to say. Should she compliment him on his confidence in himself for not caring what others think of his living space?

“It’s a pig sty. At least I know it. Let me clean off the bed, and you can look through the DVDs and pick out a movie.” Geoff ran over to his bed and began throwing things to the floor. Mackenzie shook her head as she realized his version of cleaning off the bed meant making the floor worse.

His DVD collection was varied and haphazardly thrown onto a bookshelf. As she read the titles, she habitually began standing them up with the titles facing out. Eventually coming across an action movie she had wanted to see, she grabbed the box and turned to see Geoff standing and watching her.

“Organizing for me?”

“Um, no?” She looked anywhere but at him. She was embarrassed at being caught cleaning up after him. Maybe he liked his movies in a disaster of a pile along his bookshelf.

“Forget it. Trust me. I know my habits. No matter who cleans up after me, it will look just the same within a week. Still want to watch the movie with me even though I am a horrible housekeeper?”

“Yeah, just do me a favor and don’t help me with my room,” she chuckled, and then stopped. Looking at him with confusion, she said, “Wait, you helped me with the cleaning in the den before, what was that?”

Mackenzie had sat on the now clear bed and handed Geoff the movie. He began setting up the system and spoke without taking his eyes off the machines in front of him.

“That was me helping out the new girl. I do my chores just like everyone else, but our rooms are ours. So I do as I please in here.”

“Yeah, about that, how did you get out of sharing?”

The bed beside her dipped when Geoff sat down. Even though more than five feet of open space existed between them, he sat close enough that their legs touched.

“I’m sort of third in rank in the pack. Margret then Peter, who stays in the California house, then me.”

“Wow, so that’s why I’m off limits.” Mackenzie looked away, feeling really dumb for thinking she ever had a chance. Chemistry or not, for all intents and purposes, he was a boss and she was an underling.

“Why would you say that? Did Margret say something to you?” His hand reached over and took hers, lacing their fingers together. Turning his body toward her, his eyes darted about her face. Mackenzie could only think he was searching for answers.

“Not to me. I heard her that day with you. Then earlier when she freaked over seeing you in my room.”

“She isn’t happy with the idea of you and me. She thinks I’m letting my “male urges” rush me into things. In our world, we have hundreds of years to decide who will be our mate. We don’t rush into things. And Margret doesn’t believe in ‘lustful unions’ as she calls it.”

“Lustful unions?” Mackenzie couldn’t help but laugh loudly at that. “She seriously thinks sex without being in a long-term, committed relationship is a bad thing. I guess that makes sense, old school views for a woman who is hundreds of years old.”

“You realize I’m old school, too, right? I have no intentions, no matter how tempting, of being more than your friend while we get to know each other. Even if those friends make it clear we are looking to someday be more by doing this,” he held up their joined hands, “or by spending time together watching a movie alone,” pointing to the screen, “or because of this,” and he leaned in and softly placed his lips upon her cheek. “Is that okay?”

Barely being able to speak, she breathed out, “Perfectly.”

The two went from sitting up watching the movie, to laying on their stomachs, to on their backs with Mackenzie’s head on his chest and his arm wrapped around her, laying sideways along the bed to see the movie.

As comfortable as she was, she couldn’t stop thinking about Liam. She knew she was crazy for worrying about another man when she was wrapped around Geoff, but she couldn’t help it.

“Do you think Liam will hate me forever?”

“No. He will see that, while he may not have pictured his life going this way, you gave him a gift.”

Pushing herself up, so she could see his face, she said “A gift? How the hell is this a gift? I ruined his life. He may learn to live with it, to make it work, but it’s no gift.”

Mackenzie could see the anger cross his face, and the breath he took before sitting up himself. He stood from the bed and paced back and forth for a minute that felt like an hour before turning to her.

“You are still young. This life? This is a gift. If you still think so horribly about what you are, and you despise it so, what are you doing here with me? Can’t have a human because you know you can’t be around them? You already nearly broke a little girl, killed another, and now changed a third. Is your interest in me just because you know you won’t kill me?”

“Damn it! NO! And do you have to fucking throw that shit in my face? You don’t think I think about that all the damn time? Why would a life that has me hurting and killing people be a gift? Why would turning into a fucking wolf and not being able to control what I do, or even remember it, be a gift? Do you honestly think I would forgive the one who turned me? I had just hoped that by trying to be there for Liam he would maybe forgive me. I asked you because you have been around a long ass time and seen plenty. I know that Natalie gave in to Teresa, but is that normal? But, instead of answering my questions, you go off on me.”

Geoff didn’t answer her. He began pacing again, back and forth, turning and looking at her like he was going to speak, then shaking his head and pacing again.

“Would you stop and talk to me?” Mackenzie had lowered her voice so she wasn’t yelling anymore. She really didn’t want to fight but she just had no idea how turning Liam would in any way make his life better.

“Think of it this way, you gave him friends and family that won’t die for hundreds of years. You gave him strength and speed. Once he learns to control it, you gave him a new outlook on life. I promise you, once you can control your wolf, you will appreciate this world more than ever before. By turning him, you made our pack stronger. When he comes back to us—and he will—our pack will have one stronger male to defend it. Accidents happen and with the other packs wanting our territory, the more members we have the better. Can we just finish the movie, please?”

Geoff lay back on the bed, but instead of cuddling up to his side again, Mackenzie stayed sitting up, arms wrapped around her knees and stared at the screen although she no longer paid attention to the movie.

~*~

Catcalls and howls followed by rapid knocks on the door woke Mackenzie from her sleep. Groggily, she rubbed her eyes and rolled over, coming face to face with Geoff. Jumping up she looked around and realized she had fallen asleep in Geoff’s room. In his bed. With him. She was thankful for the fact that they were both still fully dressed. With the swirling emotions the night before, she wouldn’t have been surprised if she had mauled him in the middle of the night, acting out her very graphic dream.

She reached out and hit his chest to wake him. “Geoff!” When his only response was to mumble and throw his arm across the bed, she picked up a pillow and hit him in the head. Safe and effective while still allowing her to keep her distance— a good two feet away.

“Gah! What was that for?” Rolling over to finally look at her, Geoff heard the sounds being shouted about in the hallway and sat up. “Shit.”

“Yeah, shit. What the hell am I going to do? They all think that we slept together, Of course, they do. We came in holding hands, shut the door, and never left. What else will they think?”