Already Freakn' Mated (7 page)

*

Perturbed at what happened upstairs –
I almost kissed a married woman!
– Chris took up where he left off the day before, letting the calming monotone of work – hold nail, hammer, hold nail, hammer – bring his frenzied state of mind down a notch.

His mate attacked him. A fact his brothers would think was hilarious. In his defense, Chris didn’t smell her approach, not with the scent of her all over the house. And she’d not actually hurt him. Surprised him yes, but as soon as she got the first hit in, he’d guessed who wielded the weapon. Not wanting to frighten her, he’d let her get in a second lick and feigned falling to the floor unconscious. His ploy gave him a great excuse to touch her and he’d almost gotten to kiss her. Almost got to taste the lips haunting his dreams.

Her ill-timed sneeze ruined it, and in a sense saved him from himself. What would she think of a man, a virtual stranger, manhandling her and stealing a kiss? She’d think him a right jerk especially considering he knew she was married.

Still, though, in the heat of the moment, that simple tidbit of sanity fled him. So much for seducing her slowly. Forget discovering more about her situation. One touch of her body against his, and boom, he turned into an idiot.

An idiot who turned her on though.
Yeah, baby.
He’d noted the way she admired his bare chest.
But what about my mind?
Chris snickered to himself. In the past, he’d used his body to get women, counted on his physique actually to do the work. Yet, now that he’d met his mate, was it enough? He couldn’t help recalling his mother’s words about attraction not meaning they’d have anything in common. Did it truly matter? Since when did he care if a female just wanted him because he was hot?

He cared a lot, he realized. He’d met the woman he’d spend his life with, a woman he hoped to convince to leave her husband. He’d need more than good abs and excellent technique if he wanted to claim her.

A clatter of feet on the stairs saw him putting his hammer down. He didn’t need to sniff, or have his wolf yip, to know she came to see him. It was his lucky day. He’d have to remember to buy a lottery ticket when he finished work.

Balancing a tray, Jill wouldn’t look him in the eye as she approached, but her awareness of him showed in the blush on her cheeks. Cuter and cuter.

“I was making myself some coffee and wondered if you’d like some.”

“I’d take it intravenously if I could.”

She set the tray on the worktable he’d set up the day before and busied herself pouring, still not meeting his eyes, nor speaking. Funny, because he’d not taken her for the super shy type.

He broke the silence. “Sorry about what happened before. I think I might have still been groggy from the blow to the head. I usually don’t molest the wives of clients.”

Big brown eyes met his. She looked startled at his boldness. “Oh. No worries. I shouldn’t have hit you in the first place.”

“And I should have knocked longer or harder.”

“Yes, you should have.” Her mischievous smile stole his breath, lighting up her whole face. “Now that we’ve ascertained you’ve won the blame game, how do you like your coffee?”

Cute and sarcastic. He liked her more and more. “Hot. Dark. And in my mouth.” Okay, so he imbued the harmless words with a little more meaning than he should. Totally worth it. The pink in her cheeks heightened, and taut nipples poked through the fabric of her shirt. Damn, but she knew how to tempt a man, even if inadvertently.

“Here you go.” She didn’t reply to his innuendo as she handed him the cup.

He intentionally touched her hand as he grasped it, watching her closely for a reaction. He got one. Her breathing hitched, and her fingers trembled before she yanked them away.

Chris hid a grin by taking a large sip. Damned coffee just about turned him into a furry wolf. Strong didn’t come close to describing it. Something of his shock must have shown because her lips twitched.

“I guess I should have warned you that my coffee sucks. I’m a much better cook than I am a coffeemaker.”

“No, this is great,” he lied taking another gulp. Oh yeah. Strong enough to wake the dead. With the amount of caffeine already coursing through his body, he’d probably have to do a few hundred laps before going to bed in like fourteen hours.

“So how’s it coming?” she asked as she wandered around peering at the two by fours he’d gotten in place against the exterior concrete walls.

So the hot kitty wanted to talk? Excellent. “I’m just getting the framework up first. Then, the insulation followed by drywall. Once that’s done and approved by the city inspectors, I’ll get started on the actual gym itself.”

“Will it take long to build?”

“Depends. I’ve been told I can only work from nine to four thirty.”

A small laugh left her. “Ah yes. My husband wants to make sure you don’t impact our home life, and yet, here you are on a Saturday.”

Time to play dumb. “Was I not supposed to work on weekends? He didn’t mention any specific days, just time.”

Turning to face him, he could see the mirth in her gaze, a look that clearly said she didn’t believe him. “How remiss of him.”

“Indeed. I take it he’s not home?” Chris asked casually as he picked up his tape measure and marked out the next pieces to cut.

“Nope. But he’s coming back soon,” she warned.

“He seems rather protective.” With good reason given Chris wanted his woman.

She shrugged. “I guess. But he has his reasons. What about you? Do you have a wife or girlfriend waiting for you to finish work?”

He ducked his head lest she see his grin at her casual foray into his personal life. “Nah. I’m a single guy. Just waiting to meet the right woman.”

“And when you find her?”

Chris raised his eyes until he caught her gaze, and held it. “When I find my mate, nothing will keep me away. I will seduce her. Mark her. And claim her.”

“What if she’s not available?” she asked in a low voice.

“I won’t let anything stand in my way.”

Caught in a staring match, he could hear her heart pounding. Smell her lust. Craved to clasp her in his arms and show her the truth of his words.

The phone rang and broke the spell. Like a skittish cat, she bounded up the stairs, away from him. But while she could run for now, he’d catch her in the end.
And make her mine.

Of course, that task got harder when Jack, the annoying husband came home, exchanged words with his wife, and then came barreling down the stairs. Thankfully, Jill had tossed down his clean and dry shirt a while before, so at least the husband didn’t have to wonder why a half dressed handyman came in on a Saturday.

“What are you doing here?” Jack barked.

“Working.” Chris powered up the saw and zipped through another piece of wood.

“I see that. But why?”

Chris hefted the cut piece of wood and headed for the wall. “You said to work between nine am and four thirty. It’s currently only just after noon.”

“But it’s Saturday.”

“And?”

“You’re supposed to come Monday to Friday.”

“Well, you never explicitly said that,” Chris replied playing dumb. Something his brother Stu would have claimed he did all too easily.

“I am now.”

“Are you sure? Because, given I can’t start early or work late, that’s going to add at least two weeks to the job. Maybe three.”

Before Jack could yell something, probably to the effect of ‘So what!’, he got saved in an unexpected way.

“Let the man do his work,” Jill admonished coming down the steps.

“This doesn’t concern you,” Jack growled, a tone which put all of Chris’s hackles up.

No one talks to my woman that way.

Forget springing to her defense though, Jill did that all on her own. “Doesn’t concern me?” she snapped, eyes flashing and chin tilted stubbornly. “You promised me this gym before the next full moon. And now I find out you’re sabotaging that by forcing our contractor to work restricted hours.”

“I have my reasons,” Jack muttered.

“I know your reasons and I’m telling you right now, to stuff them. I want this gym. The quicker the better.” Hands on her hip, she glared at her husband, and Chris stifled a grin. Damn but she looked hot when she was irked. Even better, not all was rosy between the couple.

“But –”

“Don’t you but me,
husband.
Or else.”

What the or else was, Chris didn’t know, but Jack and Jill exchanged a look, and the Asian man scowled.

“Very well. You win. He can work whatever days and hours he likes.” The smile of triumph on her face just made Jack’s glower deepen.

Singing inside, Chris pretended to ignore their marital spat as he measured out another crosspiece. His wolf quieted as her footsteps receded. Drawing a line on his next length of wood, he ignored the stare of the man still standing across from him.

“So, am I to expect you tomorrow as well?” Jack finally growled.

Sunday? Hmm. Not this week. “No, actually. It’s Thanksgiving and my mother would shave me bald if I missed the family supper. You got any plans?”

“No.” With his terse reply uttered, Jack spun on his heel and stalked off.

Only then did Chris grin. Married or not, either Jill just gave him the opening he needed, or she truly wanted that gym. According to his ego, and his wolf, it was the former.

Freakn’ awesome.

When Jiao answered the door later that day, just after dinner time, a woman about her height with graying hair pulled into a pony tail, stood there. A familiar scent washed over her. The stranger smelled an awful lot like Chris, which meant…

“Hi. You must be Jill. I’m Meredith Grayson, Chris’s mother, also head of the Shifter Welcome Committee for the Ottawa area. Nice to meet you.”

Jiao clasped the outstretched hand and shook it, wondering at the woman’s presence.
Did she come to warn me away from her son?
Oh please, no. If Sheng heard anything of the sort, he’d have them packed and gone by the morning. “It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.”

“Oh goodness. Call me Meredith. We don’t stand on formalities around here.”

Remembering her manners Jiao opened the door wider. “Would you like to come in for a cup of tea or coffee?”

“Perhaps another time. I’m in full prep mode for Thanksgiving dinner, but I thought I’d take a little break and pop on over to introduce myself and invite you to come tomorrow for supper if you don’t have plans.”

“Oh, I couldn’t impose.” Even if the thought of seeing Chris and meeting his family intrigued.

“But I insist.”

“My husband –”

“Should come along, too.” Meredith’s smile turned almost predatory. “I’d love to meet him as would my husband Geoffrey.”

“He’s not the most social of people,” Jiao admitted.

“Perhaps we can cure him of that.”

Good luck. She’d not had any success. “I’ll ask him.”

“Ask me what?” Sheng asked coming into the room.

“Jack, this is Meredith, head of the Shifter Welcome Committee. She’s invited us to come for Thanksgiving dinner.”

“How kind, but I’m afraid we must decline,” he answered politely. Gee, like she couldn’t have guessed his response on her own. And usually, she would back him, but…

“Why can’t we go?” she asked, pinning him with a stare. “We don’t have any plans, and I’ve yet to master making a turkey.”

“My family is very friendly, as are our friends and neighbors,” Meredith added. “The more the merrier.”

“We wouldn’t want to create more work,” Sheng replied throwing Jiao a warning look.

“What work? I always make a ton of food. It would be a great way for you to meet some of the other shifters in the community.”

Before Sheng could refuse again, Jiao answered, ignoring his wishes. “You know what? We will come. It sounds delightful. Can I bring anything?”

“Just an empty stomach. Say around fourish? Or earlier if your husband likes to watch football. Geoffrey insists on having it blaring the entire day on every television in the house.”

Sheng would hate that. Too bad. “We’ll be there,” Jiao replied brightly, elbowing her brother in the midsection hard enough to make him gasp before he could contradict her.

Jiao saw Meredith to the door and held it open long enough to wave goodbye as she drove away before turning to face a simmering Sheng.

“Exactly what do you think you are doing?” he asked tightly.

“Fitting in. It is what we’re supposed to do so we don’t draw attention to ourselves. Right?”

“By accepting an invitation to a dinner with what sounds like a lot of shifters?”

“What better way to meet the people we live among? Oh come on, Sheng. It’s not like I’m going to change into my cat and announce we’re fugitives from a rich sicko who likes to collect shifters. Stop being so paranoid.”

“I’m not paranoid.”

“Cautious. Paranoid. There’s a fine line, brother. Besides, I want to go. I think it might be fun to meet other people.” To see Chris, but she didn’t mention that for obvious reasons, just like she’d omitted who Meredith was in conjunction to their handyman. Sheng would have never agreed, even reluctantly, if he knew.

“We’ll go, but no alcohol, or staying too late.”

“I am not leaving before dessert.”

“Fine. But if this shindig ends up backfiring –”

“Yeah. Yeah. You can say I told you so. Thanks, Sheng.” Jiao flung her arms around her brother and hugged him tight. Excitement at the coming dinner warred with anxiety. She didn’t fear discovery by Kaleb, or one of his supposed spies. No her fear bore different roots.

What if Chris has a date?

Could she handle the wolf she already thought of as her own, paying attention to another woman? Judging by the claws popping out from her fingertips, no. But she didn’t let it sway her mind from attending the dinner. She sure did hope, though, that Sheng’s attitude would adjust so he didn’t look like he swallowed a crate full of lemons. He took antisocial to a whole new level.

*

Sheng, despite the nagging doubt in his gut, didn’t cancel their dinner plans the next day. He could see how much Jiao wanted to go. How she chafed at their boring existence and he understood how she felt, because their hiding tired him, too. But he preferred a stale existence to captivity.

A part of him understood their chances of discovery were slim despite their unique heritage, after all, Asians were in evidence all over Canada. Heck, he’d even spotted a few shifter ones in this very neighborhood, not spotted leopards of course, but still rare breeds for the climate. On the surface, he and his sister would pass muster. However, he feared them relaxing their guard. Getting too comfortable. Letting the wrong person know or see who they were inside.

One wrong word or observation to someone related to Kaleb and it could all end. One harmless Facebook picture, or Twitter and poof, they could end up back in their cage in the mountains, prized pets brought out to perform, earning their keep lest they lose their usefulness to the man who controlled their lives.

Sweat beaded
Sheng’s
brow as he slid his bare foot along the corded rope suspended so high in the air.

“Don’t look down,” his father advised from the platform behind him. “Keep your eyes in front of you and pretend it’s the balance beam
just
like we practiced.”

Sure, except the balance beam stood only inches from the floor, not a few stories.
His gaze flicked down, far, far down, and he swallowed hard. He should listen to his fathe
r. He brought his gaze back up and pointed it straight ahead.
At the other end
of the rope
,
standing on a small platform,
he saw Jiao watching him, her teeth gnawing her lower lip in worry.
Dammit.
He couldn’t act afraid. Not with his little sister watching. Not when
her turn was
next. They needed to get this right or Kaleb would punish them
– if the fall didn’t kill them first
.

One foot
moved
forward on the
tautly strung rope, his toes curling for grip, while his arms hovered outstretched for balance. With slow steps, he made it to the middle.

“Good. Now, remember how we did it in practice.
Bounce, l
eap, change,
and
land.”
His father’s word
s
emerged smooth
and
encouraging, but he couldn’t completely hide the worry
in his instructions
.

Jiao didn’t even try. She clasped her hands to her chest and watched him with wide eyes.

Sheng
could do this. Just like they’d practiced.
H
e
tried not to think of the plunge if he failed
, or t
he lack of a net to catch him if he slipped. At least his mother wasn’t here to watch, her services required elsewhere. He just wished she’d taken Jiao with her, just in case…

No. He would not fail. Couldn’t.

One deep breath. Two. He pushed his weight down,
and
then sprang up, calling his cat. In midair, his body contorted
,
the pain of the change still so new. But he couldn’t focus on that. Couldn’t focus on anything but the fact he descended, gravity gripping his lithe form. He hit the rope, but his front paws slipped
.
H
is sister gasped
as
he heaved forward, face first. The floor
, so far below,
mocked him
with its hard surface
as his body followed his flailing paws, and he toppled.
But didn’
t fall.

Hind feet hooked around the rope, he hung upside down, swaying slightly.
It was times likes these he thanked the fates his animal had a rare agility.

Muttered
,
but still audible to a shifter with keen ears, Sheng heard his father’s quick prayer of thanks.
“
Good job
, son
. But next time, try and land on your feet instead of giving me a heart attack,” his father joked.

It took lots of practice, and a few more scares, but Sheng did manage that. Plus hand stands, swings, pirouettes and other acrobatic feats meant to please a crowd who came to see the catboy and his sister perform.

The worst part? They weren’t the biggest freaks in the show, and while it wasn’t a great life, they survived. Until the day Sheng overhead Kaleb discussing his plans to breed his sister to the highest bidder. Even without his promise to his father, Sheng would have done anything to get her out of there, and he did.

If only Patricia could have found the compound they escaped from and stopped Kaleb for good. While the shifters didn’t really have an army per se, they did have a governing body that would have put a stop to Kaleb’s crimes if they could find him. However, despite their searches, they came up empty handed. The Rockies they’d fled, too vast for a proper search.

What a shame, because a dead or incarcerated Kaleb would have solved their problem. Sheng knew there weren’t many sickos like him who got off on capturing their kind and using them for his perverse performances, both inside the ring and in the wild for the hunt. Sheng often dreamed of killing the fat bastard himself. A massive bear of a man, and one hundred percent human, Kaleb went nowhere without guards. Guards or not, though, if given a chance, Sheng would try to kill him.

I’d do anything to end this limbo we’re living in.
Anything to stop the nightmares that we might end up back in that sicko’s clutches.

Jiao was right. Something had to change. Running forever wasn’t an option. But damn, it was so hard letting go of the fear and the paranoia, to relax his guard. Did he want to go to this stupid Thanksgiving dinner? No, but did he need to? Yes. And not just for his sister, but himself.

Sheng needed to meet other people. Adjust his thinking that the whole world was out to screw him and his only remaining family over. He needed to learn to trust others, maybe make a friend. A girlfriend.

Well into his twenties, he desired the last most of all. At least he wasn’t a virgin like his sister. He’d taken care of that curiosity while still in captivity. And, despite his stand offish attitude, he never had a problem finding a partner for a bit of between the sheets action. However, those quick, impersonal couplings left him feeling incomplete. Sometimes even lonelier than before. At the same time though, it was all he could allow himself because until he could ascertain the danger was gone, he couldn’t drag another person in to possible danger.

And if I can’t have a woman in my life, then neither can Jiao,
a man that was,
no matter how petty it sounded.