Finding Chrissten: Legacy, Book 5 (13 page)

“So it’s settled.” Isaiah placed his palms on the table. “Chrissten and her brothers are welcome here for as long as they want to stay.” He turned to Donovan. “You’re welcome to stay and help us search for Brian and the rest of his rogues.” Finally, he smiled at his brother and sister-in-law. “And I’m looking forward to getting all the news from you two.”

Hank gave her shoulder a squeeze to remind her he was still behind her. As if she could ever forget. He was her rock. He gave her the confidence to assert herself. In her heart, she knew he’d stand with her and her brothers against her father if it came to that. It was both comforting and scary to accept that.

Hank was getting too attached to her. And she was beginning to depend way too much on him. There was nothing she could give him. Not now. She had a messed-up family, no permanent home and a death sentence hanging over her head. That’s how she thought of Brian, a death sentence. In spite of her brave words, her life wasn’t her own and wouldn’t be until Brian was dead.

Damek seemed to flow across the floor, all his attention on Craig. “Any luck with those addresses I gave you?”

Craig shook his head. “Not yet.”

“Hmm.” The vampire tapped his finger on his chin. “I may have to do a little hunting after all. I thought you wolves could handle things, but obviously I was mistaken.”

Growls and grumbles rippled through the bar. Damek seemed totally indifferent to the display of dominance and continued as though he’d never been interrupted. “This must be dealt with before I can travel to do what needs to be done with the rest of the information Doctor Morton so generously shared. The military intelligence about werewolves must be found and destroyed and those at the top must be made to forget all about it.”

Damek talked of doing that as if it was no more strenuous than a walk in the park. Chrissten shivered. The vampire might be more powerful than the rest of them put together. It was hard to say.

“I will contact you if I discover anything.”

Chrissten was expecting some kind of dramatic exit. Instead he walked to the front door, opened it and stepped outside. He reached back and closed the door behind him.

Joshua laughed. “Unpredictable bastard.” He turned his regard to Craig. “And he’s taken a special interest in you.”

Chrissten didn’t know whether to be thankful or scared to death. While she appreciated his help and his protection, she didn’t think it was safe to have the regard of such a powerful creature. What would Damek do if he lost interest in them or suddenly decided they were a threat to him?

“I like him,” Craig pronounced, drawing various exclamations from the group. He shrugged. “He’s interesting, cultured, well-traveled and he’s smart.”

There was admiration in her brother’s voice. She couldn’t blame him. Damek was rather impressive. She’d probably have nightmares about him.

Michael pushed back from the table. “I’m for bed. I’ll get up early to clean the bar.” Benjamin joined him and soon the rest were dispersing.

Donovan hovered close by, trying to get her attention. She couldn’t take any more emotional displays tonight. Exhaustion was dragging at her.

“Chrissten.” She couldn’t ignore him when he said her name.

“Yes.”

“I’m glad you’re safe.” Donovan looked as though he might want to say more but refrained.

“Thanks. Me too.”

He cleared his throat. “May I visit you in the morning?”

She wavered back and forth. His lips tightened and she knew he was expecting her to reject him. It might be easier for all of them if they had no relationship. There was a good possibility her life span was very short. She didn’t want to hurt him any more than she already had. He started to turn away and compassion clutched her by the throat. She finally gave in. “Sure.”

He inclined his head. “Thank you. I bid you all good night.” With that, he left the bar and headed out into the darkness.

Chrissten didn’t know how she made it up the stairs. Bethany helped her remove her clothes and pull on a nightgown. Quinn and Craig hovered for a while after she was tucked into bed but finally even they left.

She knew she wasn’t alone. Hank was out in the next room, as always, watching over her.

She pulled the covers tighter and inhaled his scent, sighing as it wrapped around her like another blanket. She lay awake a long time listening to the sound of his breathing in the other room.

She wished she had courage enough to invite him to share the bed with her. Not for sex. Not yet. Maybe not ever. But just so he could hold her.

But that would be selfish on her part.

Chrissten punched her pillow and forced herself to relax. It wasn’t easy. Scenes of the night kept replaying in her mind. Sleep was a long time coming.

Chapter Nine

Chrissten felt the large male body crushing hers against the thin mattress, could smell Brian’s arousal as he ground his erection against her stomach. His hands were rough on her breasts, squeezing and bruising them. Bile churned in her stomach and acid burned her throat. The pungent stench of sweat and fear filled her nostrils.

“You’re mine,” he growled as he ripped at her clothing.

“No!” she cried, fighting back with every ounce of strength she possessed. She raked her nails over his face and he jerked back, fury evident in every line of his body.

“You’ll pay for that, bitch.”

A shiver raced down her spine. That was no idle threat. She struggled to scramble away from him, but Brian was too fast, too strong for her to evade.

She cried out and steeled herself for his attack. But he was suddenly gone.

Chrissten frowned as another voice penetrated her dream, this one rough but gentle at the same time. She knew this voice, trusted the man behind it. More than that, she wanted him.

She heard her name being called again and pulled farther away from Brian, leaving him and the memory of his attack far behind. Her eyelids fluttered open and she realized she wasn’t in her small, dingy cell being attacked. She also wasn’t alone. She recognized the familiar musky scent and the gentle way he touched her. Hank was beside her, his large body wrapped protectively around her.

Heat flashed through Chrissten’s body and she scissored her legs restlessly against the crisp white sheets. She was hot and sweaty. A nice change after feeling as though she was locked in a meat cooler for so many months.

The cotton fabric of her nightgown clung to her body, molding to every dip and curve. She inhaled and a rich enticing scent filled her nostrils. Musky and male, it mixed a hint of sandalwood and a touch of cool spring air. It was intoxicating. She wanted more so she took another breath.

“Mmm.” She tried to move but found herself trapped beneath the sheets.

A broad hand stroked down her side and over her hip. The heat penetrated the layer of her nightgown and sank into her. A wide palm and clever fingers circled her stomach, making it flutter with anticipation.

Sleep still filled her brain, making her a little slow on the uptake. But she wasn’t concerned. Her instincts weren’t screaming for her to run. If anything, they were urging her to get closer.

“Shh,” Hank crooned next to her ear. “You were dreaming and cried out in your sleep.”

She shivered. Not a dream but a nightmare. And not truly a nightmare but a reliving of something that had happened to her. Brian. She could still smell him on her skin and taste him in her mouth.

She hated him more in this moment than she ever had. Even free from his clutches he continued to haunt her days and nights. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right. And she was going to stop it here and now.

Maybe if it were morning and not the dead of the night. Maybe if she was thinking more clearly she’d never have given voice to her deepest thoughts. “Make love to me.”

Even as she said the words she wasn’t certain she could go through with it. Having a man inside her, thrusting hard, hurting her over and over. She whimpered and tensed.

Hank removed his hand slowly from beneath the covers, wrapped his arm around her and hugged her tight. “It’s okay, Chrissten. I’ve got you.”

She rolled onto her back so she could see him. Hank hovered above her, arm bent and head propped up against his hand. His free hand rested on her stomach, not demanding anything, simply resting there and giving comfort.

“I’m sorry.” And she was. She wasn’t a tease, hadn’t meant to say one thing and then have second thoughts.

He shook his head and the light from the streetlamps glinted off the short strands of his blond hair. “There’s no need for you to be sorry about anything.” He looked totally relaxed, not angry or disappointed.

“Are you for real?” She couldn’t believe any male would be totally unaffected by her offer and then its quick withdrawal.

One corner of his mouth kicked up. “Oh yeah, I’m for real. I’m so real my cock is ready to explode.”

She felt her jaw drop and quickly closed her mouth.

He cupped her face in his large hand and rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip. “But, Chrissten, I’d never take anything from you that you didn’t want to give me.”

Her heart swelled and her stomach felt as though it had an entire flock of butterflies fluttering around inside. Did butterflies come in flocks or was there another term for it? And she was obviously losing what little bit of sense she had if she was worried about such a silly thing.

Time to face the music. She owed him the truth. “I wanted to use you to forget,” she blurted out. Her cheeks heated. She knew she was blushing but figured if she ignored that fact he would too. “That wasn’t right and I’m sorry.” There, she felt better for apologizing.

Oh, who was she kidding? She didn’t feel better at all. She was tense, her skin so sensitive to the touch it almost hurt. Her breasts were heavy and taut with need, and she ached between her legs. She wanted Hank, wanted his touch to replace Brian’s but she was too afraid to take that step.

“Was it the dream?”

The man was too astute for her peace of mind. She nodded and rubbed a hand over her face. She was sweaty and completely out of sorts. Aroused and frightened at the same time.

It might be natural to be emotional after the trauma she’d been through over the past year and a half, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. She’d had more than enough of feeling out of control. She wanted some sort of normalcy in her life.

She’d lived in a constant state of stress for so long her body was having a hard time adapting to everyday life. Of course, she couldn’t relax her guard. Not yet. Not until Brian and his band of not-so-merry men were history.

She shivered again and tugged the covers closer.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Hank picked up her thick braid and toyed with it, rubbing the loose end over her chin. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but it might help.”

She didn’t want to talk about it, but maybe he was right. Keeping everything buried inside wasn’t working. It was poisoning her system. “It wasn’t a dream. Not really. More of a memory.”

Beside her, Hank’s muscles tightened and his breathing deepened. “Tell me.” It was more of a demand than a request.

Still, she figured she owed him some kind of explanation. She looked away, not wanting to see his face when she told him. “It was about me and Brian together.” Chrissten struggled to get the words past her constricted throat. “How he hurt me.”

“Fuck.” Hank was practically vibrating with anger now. That was her fault. He’d simply come into her room to wake her from a bad dream and to offer comfort, not to play shrink.

“It’s nothing. It’s over with now. You should go back to bed.” She didn’t take a single breath between sentences. Better for Hank to go now so they could both forget any of this ever happened.

“Let me get this straight.” Obviously he wasn’t going to take her suggestion and leave. She should have known better. He was as stubborn as her brother, which was a roundabout way of acknowledging that he was as stubborn as she was. “You were having bad memories about you and Brian and you wanted me to touch you.”

“Stupid, wasn’t it.” God, if a person could die of embarrassment she’d have already expired. “I had some mixed-up idea that your touch could replace it, kind of cancel it out.” She shrugged. “I know. It doesn’t make any sense. Good night.” She closed her eyes and prayed he would take the hint.

Warm breath feathered across her face and then soft lips brushed hers. Her eyes flew open. Hank was levered above her, his mouth tempting hers.

She parted her lips to ask him what he was doing but he didn’t give her a chance to speak. He slipped his tongue into the moist opening and teased hers in a slow, easy glide that didn’t alarm her in any way. A giving. A sharing, rather than a taking.

Her hand seemed to have a mind of its own as it crept up to cup the back of his neck. He made a low sound of pleasure when her fingers made contact. She knew he liked it when she stroked his nape.

She did it again and could feel his smile against her lips. He didn’t hurry. Didn’t try to do anything other than kiss her. The heat, the slow simmer, the steady rise of passion. It was truly lovely.

Chrissten curled her toes and concentrated on the two places they were touching. Lips to lips and hand to nape. Nothing overtly sexual, yet it was one of the most sensual experiences she’d ever had.