“Easy, Pete. She was adopted by humans when her real family couldn’t be found. You know how some Packs are. So off the radar that it’s hard for their own people to find them-much less humans. I think that’s what happened to Olivia. Good news is she knows her birth name so I’m going to do a little research to see if I can find a Pack member who remembers her family.” Micah stood up. “Let’s go find her. I want you to meet her.”
The sight in the kitchen warmed Micah to his toes. Olivia stood at the stove serving up omelets onto three plates while Talia laid out silverware. Her tongue stuck out slightly as she concentrated on the perfect placement. He could get very used to this.
“Ladies, I have someone I want you to meet.”
Olivia shook hands with Pete while Talia took refuge against Micah’s side. The child’s eyes seemed luminous as she stared at the other man. Her voice carried as she whispered to Micah, “He’s one of us, isn’t he? Is he going to take me away?”
Blonde hair snapped as Olivia oriented on Micah. She offered Talia a reassuring smile. “It’s okay, honey. Your Uncle Micah is not going to send you anywhere. And what do you mean one of us?”
Micah inhaled sharply. He should have considered Talia’s reaction to meeting Pete. And now knowing part of Olivia’s history, her immediate defense of Talia came as no surprise. Pete glanced at the two females then at him. Micah shook his head, easing Talia away from his side so he could pick her up.
“Talia, I told you. Your home is with me now. No one is taking you anywhere.” He rubbed her back as she threw her arms around his neck, hiding her face from both Pete and Olivia. Micah tried to ignore Olivia’s last comment, but knew a reckoning would come.
“Pete is the sheriff around here. He’s based in Howard, just down the road. He and his wife come here to the lodge for dinner now and then. Pete, Olivia is here to do an article on winter sports.”
There, that should get the conversational ball rolling.
He knew Pete could talk for quite some time about ice fishing and snowmobiling. Olivia offered to fix him a plate and Pete grinned at her.
“No thanks. I’ve got to get to the station.” He nodded again at Micah, shook Olivia’s hand and waggled his fingers at Talia as he headed for the front door. Micah stayed in the kitchen. Setting Talia down on her feet, he moved purposely toward Olivia.
She stood in the sunlight, staring out at the woods. Talia raced into the other room, saying something about finding a stuffed animal. Micah stopped right behind Olivia. She didn’t speak, she just leaned back. His hands landed quite naturally on her shoulders and he pulled her even closer to his body, crossing his arms over her chest. She brought her hands up to rest right under her chin on his arms and sighed deeply.
“Sorry, that wasn’t really my business, was it?”
“What?”
“Jumping on your friend like that. I guess Talia’s question about him taking her away just brought up some memories for me. That seems to be happening a lot here.”
“Liv, no one is angry with you, least of all me.” Micah turned her around to face him, tracing her cheeks with his fingertips, touching her mouth and chin.
“You were protecting Talia, nothing more. Why would I be angry at that? And Pete didn’t take offense, believe me.” Lowering his head, he kissed her. Not the way he truly wanted to, but enough to drive his point across. She melted against him, wrapping her arms around his waist and clutching his shirt.
“Micah, what are you doing to me?” Olivia’s whisper reached him and he took a deep breath, savoring the scent of slightly aroused female.
“Not as much as I’d like to.” Micah stepped back slightly and smiled down at her. “Tonight, though, tonight will be quite a different story.”
He stepped away from her as Talia came back into the room. The child didn’t even slow down. Just ran right to the table with a stuffed penguin under her arm.
“Uncle Micah, do we eat penguins?”
“No, Talia. We do not eat penguins.” Watching Olivia smile, Micah moved toward the coffeepot. He refilled his cup and Olivia’s then sat at the table to enjoy his breakfast. He had the woman he wanted for his mate and a child to care for in his home.
Life is good.
Breakfast over, Micah pushed back from the table. “If we all pitch in, we can get this kitchen cleaned up and then…” He wriggled his eyebrows at Talia. “Then maybe we can see about taking the sled dogs out for a run.”
Talia’s squeal of pure delight drew an answering grin from Olivia. The kitchen returned to its normally clean state in no time with all three of them at work. Talia even set her penguin up, declaring, “Emily is supervising.”
Micah felt as if his heart would burst when Olivia reached down and hugged Talia. “Tell Emily to keep a close eye on your Uncle Micah. I think he might be slacking.”
“Hey now.” Micah swung Talia up to sit on his shoulder. “You aren’t on her side, are you, Talia?”
“Uncle Micah, there are no sides in Pack.”
Olivia’s raised eyebrow and studied gaze lasered into Micah. He cleared his throat. “So who wants to go for a dogsled ride? Everyone needs to get dressed. Layers!”
The two females laughed as they raced out of the room. Talia pulled at Olivia’s hand trying to get her to move faster. Olivia glanced back at him and winked. Her gaze dropped from his head to his crotch and back, causing Micah’s heartbeat to increase.
Micah rubbed his chest as he took a very deep breath. Trying to get a normal child to filter their speech was hard enough. A hyper-aware, extremely intelligent shifter kid was a ticking time bomb in this situation. Olivia had to be told and soon before she decided Talia needed intervention or something. Heaving a sigh, he hit the stairs. No time like the present.
Olivia’s scent teased him as he moved up the stairs. He ran a hand along the wall, letting the smoothness of the wood glide under his palm. Memory of Olivia’s skin, of the feel of her body, wrapped around his brain, pulling his cock to attention as he paused outside her door. Unbidden, he remembered the smell of her arousal and that caused him to growl softly.
“Micah? Is that you?”
The door swung open and Olivia tugged him inside.
“Talia is in her room deciding what to wear. I got her started on the layers but I think we have fifteen minutes. I’ve been thinking about you.”
Wrapping her arms around him, she kissed him. Her soft arms rubbed his neck, making Micah fear for the durability of his jeans. Pressing into her, he let her feel how aroused he was. His tongue teased at her sweet lips while he rubbed his hardness into her belly. The supple give and take of her body was driving him crazy.
Micah couldn’t think. A hot, sexy woman he wanted dragged him into her bedroom, who was he to complain? Slipping one hand under her shirt, he spread his hand against the heat of her. God, he wanted to ease up higher to cup that beautiful breast he could see so easily in his mind’s eye.
At his touch she tipped her head back with a soft groan and tangled her fingers in his hair. Her voice caressed him as she whispered low, “Did you come up here to help me get dressed, Micah?”
He shook his head then nipped at her neck and worked his way as far down her shoulder as he could. Finally stopped by cloth that wouldn’t give any more, he bit just a bit harder.
“I need you out of this shirt now, Olivia. I need your nipple in my mouth-your breast in my hand-my cock buried deep inside you. I have never wanted anyone or anything like this in my life. What is it that you do to me?” Micah pressed his rock-hard cock against her more urgently. “Now, Liv.”
Olivia’s eyes grew wider and wider at each statement. Nodding her agreement, she stepped back slightly from him and grabbed the bottom of her shirt. He licked his lips as her pale flesh appeared. Her belly would be the perfect pillow for his head after he made love to her until he couldn’t anymore.
Then her bra appeared. Micah had never considered himself a fan of lingerie-it just got in the way. But the sight of those lacy bits on Olivia made his cock swell until he thought he might be shifting unconsciously.
Shifting.
Micah grabbed her hands and pulled the shirt back down. “Olivia, stop. We can’t do this now. As much as I want to ram myself into you until your voice goes hoarse from screaming my name, we need to talk about something first. Besides we have to remember Talia could show up at any time.”
He flinched at the disappointment in her eyes and the shudder that hit her just after she lowered her shirt. Taking her in his arms, holding her tightly so she could feel his heart racing and his still-hard cock against her body, he laid his head on hers for a moment.
“Don’t think this means I don’t want you because I do. But we need to talk about that night your parents died.”
Her hands hit his chest, shoving herself away in a stiff-arm worthy of any football player. Micah clenched his jaw but held his ground.
“No, Micah. I don’t want to talk about that right now. Please.” She blinked rapidly, turning her head away from his gaze.
“Sweetheart, it’s okay. I know what happened. That’s what I want to talk to you about. It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known. You were taken away from your kind, our kind, too young. Liv, you’re special.”
“Special? Special?” Her voice climbed octaves and decibels as she railed at him. “What is special about being the kind of person who has an insane monster inside? The kind of person who loses it so bad over not going to a damn school dance that she freaks out and causes her dad to lose control of a car, killing her parents? If that’s what you think is special, you need
your
head examined.”
Micah’s heart clenched painfully as her voice cracked. She glared at him. “You need to walk out of here now, Micah. I don’t know what you are playing at, but I’m not special. I am a murderer. And don’t even get me started about scaring my fiancé so badly that not only did he call off the wedding but he never spoke to me again.”
Her face crumpled into tears as she stumbled to sit on the bed. Burying her head in her hands, she whispered, “Please, just go away. Please.”
“I can’t, Liv. Not now. I can’t let you think you are a monster when you aren’t. I mean it when I say you’re special. You share something in common with me-with Gareth-hell, with Talia. You found us for a reason, Olivia. You’ve found your own kind.”
Moving to kneel beside her, he pulled her hands away from her face. “Look at me. Your hearing and sight are really good, aren’t they? And your sense of smell? I’m willing to bet you can identify a person by their scent. What about your coordination, Liv? Did you do better in school at sports than the other kids? Run longer? Jump higher?”
Her mouth gaped more on each statement. Thrusting her chin out, she bit out, “How could you know that? Did you get my medical records? How could you possibly know all of that?”
“Because, sweetheart, I’m like you. Do you dream of wolves?”
O
livia scooted backward on the bed, ignoring the bunching of the spread. She grabbed a pillow, hugging it tightly to her chest.
“What do you mean ‘do I dream of wolves’?” The dull ringing in her ears made her feel as if she’d been hit on the head.
Micah crawled up on the foot of the bed from his position on the floor. She drew her feet up but he simply sat cross-legged in front of her. With his mouth set in a tense line and his eyebrows furrowed, he reminded Olivia of the…
“Wolf? You are telling me that you are…that I am…that everyone…” Her voice trailed off as she stared incredulously at the handsome but apparently crazy man in front of her. What he was intimating could not possibly be true.
Then Olivia remembered a dream she’d had as a small child. The dream had been of a wolf running through her backyard and transforming into her father. That, like the ones she had of herself running with wolves, was just her brain manifesting her internal beast in a way she could understand. Her therapist had assured her of that.
Humans don’t turn into animals.
She shook her head violently.
“No!” Flinging one hand up, Olivia bounced backward on the bed only to hit the wall. “You’re trying to drive me insane, aren’t you? Why, Micah? Was kissing you such a bad thing? Is this how you want to get rid of me?”
Micah dragged one hand through his hair as he shook his head. “No, Olivia. Remember when I said I thought I’d heard your last name before? Volksson? Do you know what that means? It means ‘son of the wolf’, Olivia. Many of our kind have last names that reflect their animal.”
“Reflect? Like a totem or a clan animal?” Her shoulders dropped six inches as she realized that she was overreacting. Giving a nervous laugh, Olivia reached out to pat Micah’s hand. “Oh my! You will never believe what I though you meant!”
“No Olivia, not like a totem or a…” Micah suddenly moved off the bed, his head swiveling toward the door just before it opened.
“Uncle Micah, you said we were going for a sled ride!” Talia oriented on Olivia with a pout. “You aren’t even dressed yet!”
Throwing a look at Olivia, Micah grabbed the child, lifting her high over his head. Turning her upside down, he nuzzled her hair until her giggles rang through the room. Olivia shooed them out so she could get dressed. Leaning against the dresser with one hand, she studied herself in the mirror for a moment.
“Olivia Marie, this is one weird ride you are taking. Get dressed. Write the story. Get out of here. That’s the plan.” Giving herself an emphatic nod, she skimmed out of her clothes and layered from silk long johns up to a thick wool sweater before heading downstairs to join Micah and Talia.
She couldn’t stop the grin when she saw Talia bundled to within an inch of her life. Micah’s look of determination as he wrapped a scarf around the child’s neck warmed Olivia’s heart. The man might not know it, but he was bonkers over the kid. A yearning for that kind of connection tried to make itself known and she ruthlessly pushed it aside. Entering the room, Olivia laughed.
“Trying to make Talia look like the poor kid from that movie?” Olivia staggered around holding her arms straight out from her sides. “I can’t move my arms!”
Infectious giggles erupted from Talia who immediately began mimicking Olivia. Micah grabbed for the trailing scarf but it was too late. He scrambled to his feet, chuckling.
“Fine! You do it then! And,” he waggled his eyebrows at her in a fair “evil villain” impersonation, “you are next, my dear!”
Talia screamed with glee as Olivia flung her hand up to her head. “Oh no! It’s the evil scarf wrapper!”
Micah pounced while she was distracted by Talia. Heat radiated from his arms as he pulled her against his chest. She saw a glint in his eye but before she could react, he kissed her then released her to the sound of Talia clapping her hands.
“Micah!” Olivia’s cheeks were hot and she knew she had to be scarlet.
“Here’s your coat and gloves, Liv. Grab a hat and put a scarf on or I will.” Micah scooped Talia up under one arm and headed out the door as he finished winding her scarf. Talia’s laughter echoed from the porch as Micah pretended to drop her, catching her just before she hit the snow piled by the stairs.
“Why that man!” Olivia couldn’t help it. She started to laugh. If he was trying to keep her off her balance, he was succeeding very well. The kiss he’d just given her had been a total scorcher and then he’d turned around and teased Talia. She pulled on the coat followed by the gloves. Tugging the hat down on her head, she threw the scarf over her shoulder and headed out the door.
Talia stood at the edge of the driveway, watching Micah gather up barking and bouncing dogs. He took them to the sled one at a time, checking each harness before putting it on the dogs. Olivia watched appreciatively as Micah bent over to attach the harnesses to the traces for the wicker sled. The curve of his ass in those tight faded jeans was enough to make her drool. She frowned when he turned to slide into an insulated jumpsuit. What fun was that?
“Okay, you two! Let’s go!”
Olivia followed the running Talia more slowly but her hurried steps reflected her excitement. A twinge struck her. This must be what it felt like to have a real family. Brushing the thought aside, Olivia took up a position in front of Micah. His gaze ran up and down her as he checked what she was wearing. Heat pooled in her belly when his look lingered on her breasts. She remembered what he had said about wanting her.
“This won’t do, Ms. Decatur.” His breath warmed her cheek as he grabbed her scarf to pull her close to him. “We have to make sure that delicate skin is protected.” He lowered his voice, “And I have to imagine what it would be like to have you tied up in my bed using this scarf.”
Before she could draw enough air to scold him, Olivia found herself gently pushed into the sled. The dogs were anchored somehow but she could feel the jerks and tugs as they tried to surge forward. The barking nearly deafened her. Talia clambered in place to rest between her legs and Olivia wrapped her arms around the child to hug her.
Micah covered both of them with a blanket he’d had draped over the sled. The seat under them was just a thin cushion, but no cold came through it from the snow below them.
She focused on the lead dog as Micah shouted, “Away”. Micah ran behind the sled and Olivia felt the impact as he jumped up on the runners. She leaned her head back to look up at Micah, only to get an eyeful of his erection. Olivia jerked her head forward again.
Even wrapped up as she was, Olivia could feel the bite of the wind but she didn’t care. The joy of the dogs as they ran was contagious. She watched as they headed down a path through the trees. All of the scenery seemed strangely familiar then she realized that she’d seen it in her dreams.
“Gorgeous, isn’t it?”
Micah spoke quietly. The dogs had stopped barking as soon as they’d started running. He explained that the animals would use all their energy for pulling the sled, not for barking at one another. She looked back at him, careful not to let her head brush his crotch again and nodded.
He pointed out various things including an immature bald eagle sitting high in the top of one of the trees as they zoomed down the path. Olivia almost wished she’d brought her camera, but knew the sights would stick with her long enough for her to add them to her article.
This was definitely Micah in his element. He was such an obvious part of this landscape and so comfortable here. In spite of the fact that he hadn’t been born here, this was his place in the world. Olivia felt a spurt of jealousy immediately followed by guilt. Micah couldn’t help it that he’d found the perfect home and she hadn’t managed that for herself yet.
Suddenly he pulled on the leads and called the dogs to a halt. He anchored the sled securely in the snow. Some of the dogs started barking again while others curled up to rest, covering their noses with their tails. Olivia could just tell the ones still barking were ready to run some more.
“I want to take you somewhere.” Micah helped Talia then Olivia out of the sled. Olivia watched as he spoke quietly to the dogs, patting some of them on the head, speaking to all of them as he passed them. “Follow me.”
Trees pressed in on them as they navigated a narrow path that Olivia knew she would have never seen. With Talia between them, she drank in the intoxicating scent of balsam mingled with what she now knew was Micah.
How did he know I could do that though? Gotta pin him down when we get back and ask him about that.
“Oh!” A puff of white air accompanied her gasp of delight as she stepped into a huge clearing. On the far edge a large white wolf stood its ground. Olivia knew she’d have to write about how secure these animals were in showing themselves to humans. All this time she thought they’d be difficult to spot and now she was seeing her third one.
Talia glanced up at Micah who held a finger to his mouth while he shook his head. She nodded then reached for Olivia’s hand. The simple gesture brought tears to Olivia’s eyes and the knowledge that she needed to make sure Talia didn’t come to depend on her. This was just a working vacation and her editor needed her back at her desk at the end of it.
Movement caught her attention and she looked at the wolf who still paced restlessly at the edge of the clearing. It seemed uncaring of their presence as it raised its nose to sniff in the air. Olivia squinted. Did that wolf have an injured eye? She saw that the right eye seemed glazed over and there were marks on its face like some sort of scarring.
That’s odd. It looks a bit like Gareth.
“Time to head back.” Micah’s voice snapped her out of her reverie and Olivia took one last look at the animal.
Foolish, Olivia, just foolish. It’s just some weird similarity, that’s all.
She followed Micah and Talia back to the sled.
“Hop in the basket.” Micah waved toward the sled so Olivia assumed that was what he meant. Climbing in, she nestled into the soft blankets and held her arms out for Talia to join her. The trip home seemed shorter because the lodge showed up too soon for Olivia’s liking.
“That was amazing, Micah. Thank you.” She pressed a kiss to the small bit of skin she could see on his cheek then hurried into the lodge with Talia. As soon as she unraveled herself and Talia from the tangle of layers he’d insisted on, she put a kettle on the stove. Micah’s smile when he came in after taking care of the dogs rewarded her efforts.
“I thought we’d need some hot chocolate after that.” Talia danced around the kitchen in agreement.
“What’s this?” Gareth’s voice sounded as he came in from the hallway. “Micah, who is this beauty? Surely she isn’t related to your ugly self.”
Talia screeched when she saw Gareth and buried her head in Olivia’s side. “It’s the boogeyman!”
Micah shook his head wryly. “Talia, this is Gareth. He’s my friend and he works here. Don’t be afraid of him, honey. Gareth, this is Talia. She’s Shelly’s daughter.”
Shaking her head violently, Talia wrapped her arms around Olivia. “No. He’s mean. He’s glaring at me!”
Pulling the little arms off her waist, Olivia picked Talia up. “Honey, Gareth is a good person. He just has a scar on his face. Look at him again. Your Uncle Micah and I both like Gareth a lot. I think you will too if you give him a chance.”
Gareth had stopped in the door, fiddling with the patch over his eye, letting his hair fall forward and turning the scarred side of his face away from them. “It’s okay, Olivia. I’m sorry, Talia. I forgot I might scare you. I’ll go away so you aren’t frightened, okay?”
Pain radiated from the man and Olivia could smell a bitterness in the air that hadn’t been there before. Talia squirmed until Olivia set her down.
Approaching slowly, Talia tilted her head to gaze up at Gareth. “Mr. Gareth, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
The sweetness of the child’s apology caused Olivia to rapidly blink back tears. She moved the kettle off the burner and pulled cups down from the cabinet. She turned to see Gareth going to his knees in front of Talia who stood straight and tall, looking right at him.
“Will you marry me? You are the prettiest thing I’ve seen in my life.” The grin that split his face only made it halfway across because of the scarring, but Talia’s shyness melted away at Gareth’s teasing. Apparently all she’d needed was the go-ahead from Micah and Olivia.
“No! I’m not old ’nough to be mated. Uncle Micah, can I ask him if he is one of us?”
Micah’s wince puzzled Olivia. She spoke then. “Talia, of course he’s one of you. He lives here just like you and your uncle. Now come help me serve everyone, will you?”
Gareth soon had everyone laughing as he told stories he’d heard from Micah’s brother Kajika on one of his visits to the lodge. Apparently Kaj loved telling tales about Micah in his youth.
“And Kaj said their grandfather threatened to skin Micah and use him for a rug when he found out how that pony got into the elders’ meeting.” When Olivia and Talia stopped laughing, Gareth pushed back from the table.
“I’d better get back to work. Micah, can you give me a hand unloading the hay? And Talia?” Gareth reached out to tickle her. “Are you sure you won’t change your mind about marrying me?”
Olivia saw Micah say something to Gareth but couldn’t hear it because of Talia’s giggling response to the proposal.
“Why don’t we go take a nap, Talia?” Olivia stood up and held her hand out to Talia. She didn’t know much about kids, but she knew naps were good. And since the dogsled ride had tired her out, she felt pretty sure Talia was also feeling tired.
“Go on, Talia. I’ll come up later and if you are still awake, I’ll tell you a story about Gareth and a motorcycle.” Micah smiled as he left the kitchen with Gareth on his heels.
Olivia went up the stairs after Talia who trudged up them like her doom awaited her. The room in Micah’s apartment that had Talia’s things in it was cozy with a country charm. As she tucked the child into bed, Olivia brushed some stray hair back from Talia’s face.
“You like Uncle Micah, don’t you? You smell just like Aunt Jane does when she’s looking at her mate.” Earnest eyes stared up at Olivia making her squirm in the intensity.