Treasured Find (Royal Pride Book 1) (18 page)

Which didn’t exactly fit Seth and Levi’s mother. She’d insisted Jazz had to take them and raise them as her own.

“Life’s not black and white. Sometimes tough decisions have to be made.”

“He said it’s all tied into their animals’ instincts. That the only way shifter kids ended up being separated from their parents is if they’re kidnapped.” Josh leveled a hard look her way. “And after he went into graphic detail about what he’d do to the lawyer when he found him, I can’t help but worry how he’ll react if he doesn’t like your story about how you came to be Seth and Levi’s mother.”

She stiffened. “Rafe wouldn’t hurt me.”

“I’m not saying he would. I’m saying if you want to stay a part of their lives, we better come up with a believable story.”

She pushed away from him and crossed her arms. “I didn’t kidnap them, for god’s sake.”

Josh rubbed at his eyes. “I never said you did, but it had to have been something bad for you to feel the need to not only lie to me but dump me.”

She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “I couldn’t let you think they were yours. I had to end things.”

“What? Did you think I wouldn’t want to take care of them because they weren’t mine?” He narrowed his eyes. “Or did you think I wouldn’t love them knowing they were shifters?”

“No.” She turned away. “Of course not.”

He laid his hand on her back. “Then why?”

Because he would’ve turned the world upside-down looking for the men who’d hurt her. They hadn’t raped her, but they had assaulted her. Josh would’ve made them pay for it.

“Because. Just let it go. Okay?”

Josh sighed. “You can trust me with the truth, you know.”

“I know.”

“All right, keep your secrets, but it doesn’t change anything. We should still come up with a lie Rafe will accept.”

“I won’t lie to Rafe.” She was going to tell him the truth, but admitting that right after she refused to share the story with Josh didn’t sit well with her.

“You’re going to have to if you want to stay a part of Seth and Levi’s life. Rafe’s not going to just accept your silence as an answer like I will. He’s going to demand the truth, and when you don’t give it to him, he’s going to assume you stole them or something. He’ll pack up your kids and leave.”

“He wouldn’t do that. I’ve been the only mother they’ve ever known.”

“Are you sure about that? We don’t know them or understand their ways.” He pointed toward the yard. “That little display out there proved it.
Beloved human?
Fucking load of crap is what I say. It’s ownership. I don’t give a shit how they label it.” He pressed his mouth to her ear. “Is that what you want, Jazz? To be
owned
by a shifter, even if he is one you’re fucking?”

Without waiting for an answer, he walked toward the living room.

She dropped her head into her hands. She didn’t fear Rafe but Josh’s words mirrored Xander’s warning. Their cultures were different. The episode in the yard proved it. While
beloved human
made her feel special, it was ownership, no matter how they spun it.

Then there was the way the other shifters had treated Mira. They wouldn’t even allow Josh to talk to her. Really what harm would it have done? It wasn’t as if they were alone.

And what would happen if Rafe caught Jazz talking to Josh? Or if Rafe discovered they’d been lovers? Would she no longer be allowed to associate with Josh? To talk to any man unless Rafe approved it the way Devin did for Mira?

If it does, I’m not sure being Rafe’s
anything
is a good idea.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Rafe ran the perimeter of Jasmine’s property. Twice he’d had to lay low while hikers trampled through the woods. The land might be secluded, but humans still crawled around. It posed a risk to Rafe and his family, but what concerned him more was the danger to any unfortunate human who might stumble over Jon. History proved he had no problems with murdering innocents. Rafe doubted time had changed that.

He shifted, then pulled his clothes out from under a bush were he’d stashed them. Once dressed, he jogged the last few feet to the open yard.

Kade met him halfway. “What did you find?”

“No scent markings, but I did find paw prints.”

“So he is masking his scent completely.” Kade cursed. “Where did he get his hands on that drug?”

“I’d like to know too, but we have other concerns.”

“Yeah. Finding him before he goes after Jasmine or her kids.”

Rafe glanced in the direction the hikers had gone. “True, but they’re not the only innocents we need to worry about. Humans use these woods for hiking.”

“And we both know Jon has no problem with murder.” Kade rolled his shoulders. “We’ll get him. He won’t get away this time.”

“You’re damn right about that.” Rafe just hoped they did so before Jon killed any of the humans in Jasmine’s town.

Rafe pivoted on his heel and made his way to the house. He found Jasmine in the kitchen talking to Mira. They had their heads bent close together and were giggling over something. Jasmine turned with a smile on her face, but the grin drooped before she forced it back in place. The bitter trace of fear tainting her scent exposed the reason behind her fake smile. He had a long way to go in earning her trust.

He leaned over the counter separating them and ran a hand down her arm. “Hey, beautiful. I missed you.”

“Oh Jazz, it must be love. Rafe never used that tone on me when we were lovers.” Mira gasped and covered her mouth. “I’m sorry. I didn’t…I mean, we’re not…”

Rafe flicked his gaze to Mira. “Get out. Now.”

Mira hurried from the room.

Jasmine turned to the stove. She stirred a pot of chili with quick flicks of her wrist. “Any sign of Jon?”

She wasn’t going to ask about Mira? Rafe took in her stiff back and inhaled. Too many different emotions flavored her scent for him to judge her mood. He walked around the counter separating them, took her hand and carefully pulled back her fingers from the ladle. He turned the heat off on the stove and dragged her unyielding body against his.

“This is not the kind of jealousy I like.”

“I’m not jealous.”

Like hell she wasn’t. Her sharp tone, along with the anger darkening her eyes told him the truth.

He kissed from her shoulder to the spot below her ear. She shivered but pressed her lips together. No breathy sigh.

“Liar.” He laved her skin until she swallowed hard. Much better. He nibbled along the length of her throat then soothed his the with his tongue. “There’s no reason to be jealous of Mira. She’s a friend, always has been, even when she shared my bed.”

“Friend with benefits, huh?”

He’d heard of the human expression, but Mira had never quite fit that role either. She had only ever come to him when she needed love and reassurance or when the loneliness had gotten to be too much. He’d never sought her out. He didn’t think the distinction would matter to Jasmine.

“In a way, but we haven’t been intimate in many years.” He turned Jasmine in his arms and ran a hand over her back. “Nor will we ever be again. I don’t want another lover. Only you.”

She rolled her eyes but not before he saw the warmth in them. “Please. Compared to Mira, I’m plain, and you haven’t known me long enough for my personality to have anything to do with it.”

“You’re beautiful. Not plain.” He pressed his lips to hers to stop her denial. “And mine. Mira never captured my attention. You have.”

“Is that true?”

The soft brush of her lips sensitized his mouth. Before he could answer her, she curled her fingers around the back of his neck, holding him in place, and kissed him slowly. The soft stroking of her thumb over his skin skipped energy down his spine, arousing him quicker than he’d thought possible.

Her attention focused on him was welcome, but other needs surfaced the longer they kissed. Those involved Jasmine on her knees, taking him to the brink. The image of her with her ass in the air and his cock glistening with her arousal hardened him instantly.

He swept his hands over her rounded cheeks, squeezing each one. She moaned, and the sound broke his control. He slid his hand under the waistband of her loose shorts. Her warmth lured him closer. He reached between her legs. The amount of arousal already slickening her lower lips pleased him.

He wanted to bend her over the table and take her from behind, but the kitchen wasn’t the right place to fuck her. Too many people might walk in on them.

“Let’s go upstairs. I don’t think I can wait until bedtime. We can be quiet.”

She caught his lower lip between her teeth and tugged. The sharp pain whipped through him. He groaned.

She released him and chuckled. “And whose bed will you be warming tonight? I didn’t invite you into mine.”

She might’ve kissed him, but she hadn’t let go of her jealousy. He pushed his fingers as deep inside her body as their position would allow. He spread them, stretching her, then twisted his wrist so his fingers rolled. Her breath escaped in a rush, and her eyelids drifted closed.

“No, but”—he pulled his fingers from her sex, then laid them against her lips—“you’ll accept me when I come to you. Won’t you?”

“You play dirty. I don’t like it.”

“Yes, you do.” He brought his glistening fingers to his mouth, then licked each one. Slowly. Savoring her flavor. “I have the evidence of your approval right here.”

Half-lidded eyes met his. A small smile graced her face, but it was the wry kind, not one of pleasure. He tensed and waited for her words, knowing they wouldn’t be ones he’d want to hear. The satisfaction in her eyes was bittersweet.

“So I shouldn’t be jealous of Mira because she’s from your past?” She waited until he nodded. “And when I see the two of you together I shouldn’t imagine what you looked like naked and tangled in passion. Is that what you’re telling me? Because it’s over. The past.”

“Yes. Mira and I are over.”

“And you realize I have a past too, right?”

He didn’t want to think of her with other men, but he nodded, knowing she had a point to make.

“And you believe me when I say I’m no longer sexually involved with my old lovers?”

“Yes.”

“And if you see me with one, you’re not going to flip out and tell me I can’t talk to him or remain friends with him, right?” Wide-eyed, she blinked at him. “Because that wouldn’t be fair.”

She led him exactly where she wanted him. No way could he refuse her and not come off as an asshole. He cleared his throat. “I won’t stop you from remaining friends with other men, if that’s what this is about.”

“It is, but only partially.”

“What’s your other reason?”

“Punishment, I suppose.” She pursed her lips. “Every time I see Mira, I’m going to think about the two of you. I’m a big girl, and I’ll get over it, but it’s not fair that you won’t suffer with the same problem.”

Rafe’s cats stirred. They wanted to study Jasmine through his eyes. Something about her words, or maybe her scent, had made them wary. He didn’t think she lied, not exactly, but she wasn’t being completely honest either.

He thought back to her reaction when she’d entered the room. She’d been nervous, slightly afraid even, and she hadn’t even known about Mira then. Something else about him had upset her.

He studied her for some clue. She watched him just as carefully. Trying to read his expression? Yes, that was it. She was testing him.

“I’m assuming you’re still friends with an ex-lover?”

“Yes.” She covered Rafe’s cock with one hand, then slid the other under the waistband of his shorts. He held completely still while she drew a finger down the crack between his butt cheeks. Her exploration stopped at the puckered opening. She pushed her finger into his asshole and squeezed his cock.

His breath escaped on a long exhale. She stimulated him, pumping her finger into his ass and stroking his cock. The sensations doubly assaulted him. His dick hardened more.

“Jasmine.”

“Yes, Rafe?” she purred.

“What are you doing?”

“Just giving you a visual of what I used to do with my very good male friend, the one I refuse to lose.” She moved her hands to his waist and tipped her head back. A challenge shone in her steady gaze. “And just so you know, I only have one male friend.”

Josh.

She slipped from Rafe’s embrace and washed her hands at the sink. Rafe focused on her motions and ignored the angry snarls from his cats echoing in his head.

A door creaked open. Josh’s scent drifted to Rafe, and Rafe’s tiger slammed into his chest, demanding to be released. He fought the animal. No way did he want to do anything to encourage Jasmine to seek out Josh.

Jasmine draped the towel over a shoulder and faced Josh. “Hey, I forgot to tell you. I dug out the old photo albums you asked me for a couple of weeks ago. Found some great pictures of when we went to the prom and all those dances. I thought maybe we could sit out on the swing after dinner and look at them.” She licked her upper lip and dropped her gaze to skim the length of Josh’s body. “You know, remember old times.”

It was too much. Rafe reached for her, but she ducked and scrambled to the other side of the counter. She had the audacity to waggle her finger at him.

“Now, now, I don’t have time for any of that. Dinner is almost ready, then Josh and I are going to reconnect. I’ve had to keep all my friends at arm’s length over the past few years.” She flashed another grin. “That is okay with you, isn’t it?”

He leaned against the counter at his back and crossed his arms. “Sure. It’ll give me time to talk to Seth and Levi about us.”

The color drained from her face. “About us?”

He nodded. “I want to make sure it’s okay with them that we’re involved. You know, get their permission. I don’t want them to be upset when they realize I’m sleeping in their mom’s bed.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. What if this doesn’t work out?”

He cracked his jaw. “Then we part ways gracefully. We’re grownups. We’ve both already proven we can remain friends with an ex-lover, but I don’t think it’ll come to that.”

“You’re pretty confident in yourself, aren’t you?”

He closed the distance between them, but didn’t pull her into his arms. He pressed his lips to hers and just…breathed. A few seconds, that was all, and he eased back, but it was long enough to remind them both they were connected. The hint of lust in her eyes proved she felt their growing bond too.

“No, I’m confident in us. I’ve waited a very long time to find a woman like you. I’ll do what I must to win your heart, and if that means welcoming Josh to our dinner table every damn night, I will.”

It sure didn’t mean he’d be happy about it, but such was life.

He glanced at where Josh stood silently watching the exchange. “I want to talk to you after you’re done reminiscing with Jazz. Evan found out some very interesting things while he was talking to some of the humans in town.”

“About what?”

“Your brother.” And the debt Tony had amassed over the past year gambling on cage fights.