A Love For Lera (Haikon) (3 page)

“You knew it was a torc?”

“I’m Irish, lass, o’ course I’d recognize a
torc,” he said with a deep brogue.

“I like that voice on you.”

He quirked a brow. “I’ll remember that.”

Lera looked away, her cheeks taking on a faint
blush. “The other is a tiger leaping. You can see it if you know what to look
for. Otherwise, it’s just cool. And as far at the torc, I’ve always found them
fascinating.”

“Do your parents know about the bike?”

“Yes. And no, they weren’t happy. Mom thinks I’m
going to hurt myself. I think Daddy understands.”

Kori found himself almost smiling again. She had
that effect on him. He clenched his hand so he didn’t touch her again. Getting
to his feet, he looked down at her. “I’ll be here in the morning; we’ll discuss
how this will play out over breakfast.”

“Okay.” She narrowed her eyes. “You didn’t drive,
did you?”

“No.” Pain flickered in the depths of her eyes
before she could mask it. “Lock the door behind me.”

“Fat lotta good it did me last time,” she
muttered with a pointed look, getting to her feet and pacing him to the door.

Good point, it didn’t keep me out.
He
didn’t want to leave her. He longed to sweep her off her feet and carry her
back to the bed, even if it was only to hold her in his arms.

“Good night, Lera,” he murmured.

“Night.”

She reached out to him but stopped before she
touched him. Kori didn’t move, let her decide if she would complete it or not.
His heart quadrupled in speed when her bare hand landed upon his forearm. He
swallowed against the pulses that coursed through him at the contact. Lera’s
eyes widened, her pupils dilated, and he knew she felt the same thing. Her
heart pounded hard.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Kori couldn’t help it. He placed his hand on her
jaw. “Sleep well,
mo anam
.” His fingers trailed softly along her skin
before he pulled away. Then, he walked out of her hotel room.

Back at his hotel, he stood under the cold spray
of his shower, willing his body to calm down. It throbbed, and Kori struggled
to stay in control. He was still aroused when he got out and dried off. His
skin continued to tingle from where her small hand had rested against him.

“Lera,” he ground out.

The night wasn’t a comfortable one; he woke up just
as painfully hard as he’d been when he’d gone to bed. Sliding behind the wheel
of his truck, he muttered, “Did I say how stupid this is for me to do? Talk
about tempting the devil.”

Chapter Two

Lera raced along the road, shrouded by the
pre-dawn, her bike hugging the curves easily and like a lover at ninety miles
per hour. A huge smile in place, she revved the engine and asked for even more
speed. Drawing to a halt at the top of a hill, she sat there, straddling her
now silent bike, and watched the sun’s first rays begin to peek over the
horizon through her mirrored glasses.

She tried to think about Rissa but her mind kept
going back to Kori. The man had been present even in her dreams last night. It
didn’t make sense. Men she kept at a distance—it was safer that way—but with
Kori, she had begun to realize there were other feelings within her. From the
very first day she met him, he’d been different to her. Unlike others she met,
he didn’t reach for her hand, just held her gaze with those incredible eyes and
nodded.

He looked so much like her angel she almost broke
down and cried. But her angel was comforting; Kori was aloof. There was this
intense vibe she got from him. It didn’t seem to matter if they were in the
same group or not, she always felt his gaze upon her. And, instead of creeping
her out, it made her feel safe and protected. She couldn’t explain the turmoil
seeing him created within her.

“Twice, I touched him twice.”

And it had seemed the right thing to do. It had
been just something that happened, no thought at all. Lera knew he’d been hurt
by her stiffening up before he touched her, but it wasn’t for the reason he
thought. Not by a long shot. She didn’t want him to know how he affected her.

Cormac “Kori” MacLochlainne made her think about
things she put with couples who didn’t have a damaged person, like her.
Undamaged people like her parents, whose love for one another was as strong as
she’d ever seen it. And Kori made her think about something other than a
lonely, solitary life.

Pulling back the sleeve of her riding jacket, she
glanced at her black Suunto watch.
Time to go. I don’t think Kori will be
happy if I am not there when he arrives.
Staring out over the open expanse
of road, Lera sighed. She started the bike and readjusted her glasses. The
powerful machine purred beneath her, and she drove off, going faster and faster
until the landscape flew by.

Cresting a small rise, Lera was in high spirits
until a figure in black appeared on the road a distance from her.
Shit!
Slowing
the bike down, she came to a halt before the scowling man. Shutting off the
motorcycle, Lera removed her glasses and ran a hand through her windblown hair
before hooking the shades on the front of her jacket.

“You do know hanging out in the road isn’t very
safe, don’t you? Especially wearing black this time of the day.” She arched a
single brow with her statement.

Kori’s jaw was clenched, and his eyes burned with
fire as he stared down at her. “What exactly are you doing,
mo chara
?”

Despite his stance, his words were rasped and
husky. Lera felt a flutter in her belly. One that chased away deep-rooted
memories of fear. Doing her best to ignore it, she shrugged easily.

“Well, I was on my back to my hotel to meet this
man for breakfast but I got sidetracked by this one who was standing in the
middle of the road like he has every right to stop traffic.”

“You drive without regard to your safety. Why do
you not wear a helmet?”

Lera rolled her eyes. “I know how to ride my
bike, Kori. Been riding for years now.” She ignored his question about the
helmet; it was none of his business how it made her feel claustrophobic. His
gaze swirled, and she shifted on the seat, suddenly uncertain about the look he
gave and the way it was making her feel. “So,” she said, trying to have
something else to focus on, “where are we eating?”

“Diner,” he said on a whisper.

“Meet you there?”

Lera just assumed he’d want to go in wolf shape
or his Humvee was hidden nearby. Had she the ability to shift, there would be
no way she would willingly travel in a vehicle. Granted, there were times when
showing up as a large animal wouldn’t be advisable but still, she was jealous
of everyone who could shift.

“No.”

“How did you get here?”

“Wolf.”

Man is not very talkative. This is the Kori I
remember.
“Okay, so then how do you plan on getting to the diner? Walking?
Because I’ll be waiting a while for you to get there; it’s a fair distance to
town.”

“I’m riding with you.”

Lera stared at him. If they rode on the bike
together, then she’d have to be pressed up against him.
It’s going to be a
tight fit.
That was way different than touching his arm. Kori reached out
and cupped her jaw, his thumb skimming over her cheekbone. Her insides began
feeling funny again.

“Why?”

“Because if we are going to pull off this couple
thing, you riding into town on a bike and me walking in later, not going to
help.”

His thumb dropped to tease her lower lip. Her
heart pounded hard, and Lera had the urge to draw his digit into her mouth and
suck on it.
Think of Rissa.
Pulling away from his touch, she grunted.

“Fine. I’m assuming you want to drive as well.”
The second his hand touched the bike, she slid back to give him room to sit.
Her eyes lingered over his tight ass below the leather trench he wore as he
lifted a leg over.

“You need to hold onto me, Lera,” he said. “Wrap
your arms around me.”

She shuddered but did as he’d said after slipping
her glasses back on. Her entire body felt tingly. Her face pressed up against
the smooth expanse of his back; the supple material of his trench coat teased
her. The scent of the wild seemed to seep from him, and Lera fought the urge to
burrow deeper into him. All hardness. All powerful. And for the moment, all
hers.

Kori pulled her a bit closer before he started
the motorcycle. “Hang on tight.”

For the first time since ever being on a bike,
Lera didn’t pay attention to the ride. All of her focus was settled on the man
she held onto. He was so warm and comfortable to be against, despite how hard
his body was. She noticed that she also felt safe with him. Her mind was
whirling when he eased them into a parking space.

She met his gaze and longed to sink her hands
into his tousled hair. One corner of his mouth turned up slightly. “You have a
nice ride.”

“A smile?” she asked lightly, removing her
glasses. “A joke yesterday and today a smile?” Lera placed a hand over her
heart. “What will I get tomorrow? Warn me now; I don’t know if I can handle the
shock.”

His eyes narrowed but they sparkled. “Full of it,
aren’t you?”

She blinked innocently. “I’m a morning girl, what
can I say.”

Kori tucked some hair behind her ear. “There’s
more to you than meets the eye, Valera Grace. A lot more.”

She preened at his words, and for the first time,
Lera wished she wore something a bit more feminine. His touch was nice,
comforting, and one she liked. A lot.

“Come on,” he said. “Let’s eat.”

Lera could feel his presence, warm and
protective, behind her even though he never physically touched her. They walked
in, and she headed for a booth which gave her a clear shot of her bike.

“Be right with you,” a woman hollered.

Sliding into the booth, Lera unzipped her jacket
and pulled off her gloves before setting them and her glasses beside her. The
waitress brought coffee and menus. The way the lady smiled at Kori made Lera
feel like snarling at her. But she didn’t. Instead, she focused on fixing her
coffee the way she liked it. A lot of sugar and no creamer. A purr of total
pleasure slipped from her lips as the hot liquid went down.

A growl similar to the one she heard in Kori’s
hotel room reached her, but this one wasn’t dangerous. Well, not in the same
aspect. This one had a much more intimate feel to it. She jerked her gaze to
his and, for a moment, was stunned by the emotion in those gray eyes. It took a
moment and the return of the waitress before they were back to the bland, cold
and impersonal stare she was used to.

“I’ll need to see a picture of Rissa,” he
remarked once they were alone again.

Lera immediately stuck her hand into her jacket
and withdrew the only one she had from her inside pocket. She pushed it across
the table. The photo was one of her and Rissa at a college party.

“You look happy, Lera,” Kori said, staring at the
matte finish.

“I was.” He stared a bit longer before returning
it to her. Lera stuck it back in her jacket.

“You are aware this may not end the way you wish,
right?”

Lera sighed and stirred her coffee as she figured
a way on how to best verbalize her thoughts.

“Kori, I grew up in a world that I’m not a part
of. I’m the weakest one in my family. I have no power. I don’t shift.”

“Your mom doesn’t shift either,” he commented.

“Daddy would
never
let anything happen to
her, neither would any of the rest of us, so by that alone she is damn near the
strongest of us all.” She shrugged. “And I have demons which I can’t seem to
outrun no matter how hard I try. I’m well used to things not turning out how
I’d like. But Rissa is my best friend; her parents deserve to know the truth.
Whatever it is. And I get I’m nothing special but I will see this through.” Her
hand gripped the warm mug in a death grip.

Kori held her gaze. “Two things,” he began. “One,
it is very admirable how you are acting toward Rissa. She is truly lucky to
have a friend like you. And two, do not
ever
put yourself down again.”

She nearly flinched from the icy fury lacing his
tone.
Why does he care? Better yet, why did I just share something like that
with him?
Lera took another drink of coffee, licked her lips and dug deep
for every shred of courage she had not to clam up.

“What does it matter to you, Kori? It’s fact. I
know that’s why Daddy worries so much about me. So much more than Grigori or
Irinah, even though I’m the eldest. I have accepted that, so I can say whatever
the hell I want to about myself.”

“Listen to me carefully,
mo chara
. Verra
carefully.” He refused to release her gaze. “I don’t want to hear you degrading
yourself so every time you say something like it, I’ll kiss you until you don’t
remember your own name.”

Heat pooled in her belly. “That wasn’t part of
the deal.”

One black brow lifted the barest of inches.
“Then, I guess you better not put yourself down.” He drank some coffee. “Unless
you
want
me to kiss you.”

She swallowed hard. That was the problem. She did
want that. And more. And it scared her. Instead of commenting, she picked up
her fork and began to eat. The meal was silent, and all too soon, she walked at
his side toward the door. Lera worried her lower lip while she slipped her arms
around him for a second time. Kori drove slowly, and she jumped off as soon as
possible when he stopped outside the hotel. Not hers…his.

“Why are we here?” she groused, needing some
distance and time to fortify the walls he seemed hell bent on getting beyond.

“Inside, Lera.”

She clamped her jaw shut and followed him into
his sparse room. Waiting right inside the door, she watched him grab a black
bag and sling it over one shoulder. Then, he strode toward her, and Lera locked
her knees to keep them from knocking.

“Let’s go.”

Lera crossed her arms and said, “Do I get to know
where now?”

“Your hotel, of course.”

He meant it when he said he was staying with
me.
Drawing on the ice she knew she had within her, despite Kori’s ability
to melt it, she arched a brow. “Fine. Then, can we stop fucking around and find
my friend?”

Without waiting for an answer, Lera headed to her
bike and swung a leg over. Her fingers moved intimately over the shiny finish,
and she had a slight smile on her face as her eyes drifted closed. A shadow
fell over her and, she refused to open her eyes, knowing full well who stood
there.

“The way you stroke the bike,
mo ghrá
, is
enough to make any man jealous.”

More of those unknown feelings lanced through
her. When Lera did open her eyes, his gray orbs seemed to smolder as he looked
down at her. Slipping on her mirrored shades, Lera started her motorcycle.
Turning her head toward him as she leaned forward on the bike, she said over
the noise, “Lucky for us you’re not just any man then, isn’t it?”

That said, she drove away without a single look
back. Instead of going to her hotel, Lera found herself leaving Winthrop again
and opening up the powerful engine, needing to lose herself in the rush the
speed gave her.

Kori knew she wasn’t headed to the hotel. And he
also knew she wouldn’t go to the bar, at least not without him. So he drove to
her room to wait, determined not to give in and follow her and the daredevil
way of riding that damn bike of hers. He could feel the tension seeping away
from her the faster she went, for he lurked in a dark corner of her mind,
connected to her always. Not that he knew all of her thoughts or anything like
that. It was just a way for him to stay centered, by being linked to her. His
mate. Part of him was bothered she found relief away from him, and yet
somewhere within him, he knew it wasn’t it, not solely.

Lera was running. From her past. From her
feelings of inadequacy. From a lot of things, and the only time it didn’t seem
to affect her was when she drove fast. Parking at the hotel, he grabbed his bag
and let himself into her room, as easily as he had the previous night.

One bed. Visions of laying her back and sliding
his hard shaft into her filled his mind, and he shifted on his feet, trying to
rein in his control. Kori looked around the room and frowned when he realized
there was very little there. In fact, all he saw was a small brown leather
pack. Tossing his bag down, he picked hers up and opened it.