FMR (17 page)

stomach churned with nerves. She grabbed the cup, taking a big sip

of tea to clear her throat.

"Uh, Megan, are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here."

Jac let out a sigh of relief. "Oh good. For a moment I thought – "

"No, you're not nuts." Even though Megan's voice was calm and

soothing, the hair on Jac's neck prickled.

"D-did you just read my mind?" Jac sat up straight on the sofa.

"Are you psychic?"

"You can say I'm highly intuitive," Megan replied with an amused

chuckle. "Now, about Ray, what happened? Tell me everything."

Jac took another sip of tea, and then proceeded to give Megan a

condensed PG-13 version of what had happened earlier in the

bedroom.

Psychic or not,
Jac thought with an amused smirk,
she'll be able to

figure out what we were really doing.

When she finished, there was another long pause on the other end

of the phone. Finally, Megan spoke again.

"He was affected by what's known as 'moon fever'." Meg sighed.

"It runs in our family."

"Your family? Then, that means you're ... you're a wolf, too!" Jac

reached for the cup, gulping down the last drop then took a deep,

calming breath. "Okay, Megan, I wanna know the truth. Please tell

me what's going on. I'm worried about Ray."

"You really care about him, don't you?"

Megan's question caught her off-guard. She went silent. Yes, it

was true. She was attracted to Ray McShaw from the moment she

met him. It was an attraction which tugged on her heart strings.

Something she couldn't explain or rationalize, yet it was mysterious

and magical.

"Yes, I really care for your brother." she replied in a lower voice.

"Now, would you please explain to me what is'moon fever'?"

Raising his head from his forepaws, Ray glanced up at the mid-

afternoon sky. Sunlight broke through the dreary clouds and cast a

golden glow around him. The entire glade was warming and turned

the snow into white, cold mush.

The 'moon fever' which had been brought on by his rapid desire had

subsided. Relieved, he rose up on all-fours, trotting back through the

tree-lined field. Any other time, he would love to run free in the

wooded glade, reeling in the glory of being a male alpha wolf. But,

today, he only wanted to return home.

Home.

His heart ached as he thought of the modest dwelling. He'd bought

the house right after his first big construction job. It was far enough

from the town limits to give him privacy. Yet, it was also close

enough to hurry into town in case his pack needed him. He loved

living alone ... until now. The sight of Jac making herself comfortable

in his surroundings had touched something inside him. Something

more than lunar-induced lust.

Then, it dawned on him.

She
belonged
there.

Jac belonged with
him
.

Ray stopped along the snowy trail and shook his head in disbelief.

No! That's not possible!
A low grumble of irritation escaped from the

back of his throat. However, his gut was telling him otherwise.

A familiar scent snapped his attention back to his surroundings.

The aroma of burning wood was coming from the direction of the

house. Ray picked up his pace, a wave of panic rippling through him.

He galloped up an embankment of white slush then stopped.

From the top of the small hill, he surveyed the property. Nothing

appeared wrong. The house was nestled among the snow-capped

trees in the afternoon sun, looking as warm and cheery as a Yuletide

greeting card. The scent of firewood drifted from the chimney and his

truck was still parked in front of the house, where he'd left it the night

before.

She's still here!
Ray puffed a big breath of relief. He was happy

she'd stayed, but he was dreading having to face her and deal with the

repercussions of his transformation. Then, again, he had to see her.

He had to tell her the truth –even if it meant losing her. Pushing aside

his anxiety, Ray made his way down the slick slope. He was extra

careful to watch his footing. He had no desire to slide his way down

the hill ... tail first.

Reaching the bottom of the slope, he trotted to the backdoor.

Drawing a deep breath, he turned within himself and felt the rapid

metamorphosis take place. The
sithech
retracted while his human-

form rushed forth until the change was complete. Ray rose to his feet.

He cursed under his breath, quivering as an icy chill ran over his

naked body.

Motivated by the cold and without a second thought, he rapped on

the door. Taking a step back, he waited. He heard her quick footsteps

as she raced to the door and swung it open.

"Ray! Thank goodness you're okay!"

There was an expression of relief on her face. His heart skipped a

beat.

"Don't just stand there. Get inside." She gestured with a wave of

her hand. "You must be freezing."

"Uh, not quite," he replied with a smirk. "I had on my fur coat until

a few moments ago."

"Very funny." She shook her head, stepping back to let him enter.

"There's a warm blanket on the sofa. You go wrap up by the fire and

I'll bring you a cup of hot cocoa."

Grateful he was inside, Ray headed for the living room. Just like

she'd said, a blanket was on the sofa. The fire in the hearth filled the

room with warmth while Ray sat down, wrapping up in the soft,

snuggly material.

"You've been gone a couple of hours," Jac said, crossing the room

with a large mug in her hand. "I was getting worried about you."

"You were?" He raised an eyebrow, attempting to sense her mood.

But, being with her again only scrambled his senses. He had to regain

his focus.

"Here." She offered him the steaming mug before she sat down on

the floor, Indian-style, in front of him.

Ray nodded with gratitude then took a big sip of cocoa. The

chocolaty drink, tasting delicious and comforting, slid down his

throat, but Jac held his attention. He focused intently on her from

over the rim of the mug.

She appeared unfrazzled, but, it was as he'd thought. He could

sense faint traces of fear in her aura. After taking a few more sips, he

placed the mug on table and cleared his throat.

"Jac, I'm really sorry if I scared you. That was not my intention.

Please accept my apology for not telling you the whole truth." He

lowered his eyes, staring down at his hands then cast a worried glance

back to her. "I won't blame you if you want to go back to the hotel

tonight. I can call Bruce and get him to – "

"No." Her eyes widened. She seemed offended by his suggestion.

"I'm not leaving. Well, not tonight."

"What? Why not?" He was stunned by her reaction. "Don't lie to

me, Jac. I can also sense things most humans can't ... and I can sense

your fear. You afraid of me."

Jac's heart was hammering in her chest. Afraid or not, she didn't

want to leave him. Drawing a deep breath, she sat up on her knees

and eyed him wearily.

"Well, yeah. Wouldn't you if someone changed into a wolf before

your eyes?" She rubbed her sweaty palms over her lap. "I mean it

may be normal for your family but – "

"My family? How do you know about my family, Jac?" His voice

was low and husky, yet calm.

"Megan called after you ran out. She
knew
something was wrong."

Ray's serious expression changed. The corners of his mouth curled

up into an amused smile. "Yeah, my sister is intuitive. The women in

our family have that ability as an extra bonus, you might say."

Jac nodded, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "She told

me about your family, the ancient wolf blood and the way the moon

effects your ... your kind."

She studied his face, admiring the way his dark hair accented his

features. The quiver of fear inside her dissipated as another feeling

emerged. Desire. True desire for the man seated before her. Her

body hummed to life. The handsome man on the sofa, wrapped in

nothing but a blanket, was having a strange effect on her.

The living room suddenly grew very warm. Like before, the sexual

tension crackled between them. Jac wondered if it was just her, but it

wasn't. Ray held her gaze. There were inklings of lust mirrored in his

eyes. Slowly drawing up on her hands and knees, Jac crawled over to

him and stopped.

"Well, I may not be affected by the moon nor am I a wolf, Ray."

She smiled up into his face. "But you're certainly having an effect on

me."

A serious expression returned to his face. "Jac, you've had two

close encounters in the past twenty-four hours with our kind and – "

"I know. I know." She shrugged, "But with you, it's different."

Ray exhaled a slow, steady breath, but remained silent.

"Okay. Sure, I was frightened when you changed," she confessed,

"But, after your sister explained the
sithech
to me, I understood better.

I still have lots of questions, but that doesn't change how I feel about

you, Ray McShaw."

He quietly studied her face, but Jac could tell he was deep in

thought. Some of the things she'd said had even surprised her, but it'd

been so long since she wanted someone like she wanted Ray. She

only prayed he still felt the same way ... at least for one night.

Her nipples hardened beneath her sweater, responding to the

invisible attraction between them. It was more than chemistry. It was

magical.

"I'm still attracted to you." She smiled up into his face.

Ray shifted on the sofa, letting the blanket fall away from his

shoulders. Jac's heart skipped a beat, admiring his fine-muscled torso.

He leaned forward, offering her a hand.

"Well, why don't you climb up here?" The sexy rumble in his voice

sent goose bumps over her arms.

Jac nodded, placing her hand in his. She reeled in the warmth of

his familiar touch while he effortlessly drew her into his lap. He

smelled like fresh soil, dark and earthy, mingled with the sensual

scent of musk. An untamed aroma which spiked her lust.

"Mmm! You smell good," she giggled. "I just wanna rip off this

blanket and do wild things to you!" To accent her point, she wiggled

her bottom against his taunt thighs.

"Hold on, woman," Ray groaned. "You do realize you're

propositioning a
sithech
?"

Jac raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?" She smirked.

"It's not nice to tease a horny wolf," he added with a playful grin.

"Wolves are known for their vivacious sexual appetites. Especially

during a full moon."

His jovial mood made her laugh out loud. "Yep," she nodded. "It's

called full moon fever."

A lusty expression crossed his face then softened. "But, this time,

Jac, I will control myself better. I don't want to scare you again ...

ever."

Ever
.

It sounded so permanent. Emotion caught in Ray's throat. His own

promise took him off-guard. To his relief, Jac only nodded. With a

seductive gesture, she drew her hands over his bare chest. The heat

radiating from her palms wiped his mind clear of anything but her

close presence.

He'd been reining in his senses, trying to calmly apologize to her

and remain in control, but now he was possessed. Encircling his arms

around her waist, his mouth slanted over hers. His tongue swiped into

her mouth for a deeper, longer kiss. She tasted like chocolate and sex

while her tongue dueled with his. She felt so good his arms. And,

despite her clothing, he could smell her hormonal attraction to him.

The hot, musky scent washed over him, tugging at his heart and his

groin. Ray detected no trace of fear in her anymore. She was just a

vibrant woman who was a perfect match to his passionate nature.

He pulled away, gazing into her dark, dilated eyes. Her cheeks

were flush with desire and her lips swollen from their heated kisses.

"You're amazing," he growled.

Her nipples brushed against his chest, teasing him from beneath her

sweater. Ray snatched the bottom hem of her sweater, swiping it over

her head. To his delight, she was wearing no bra. He lowered his

head, flicking his tongue over the puckered tips. Jac moaned,

writhing wildly against his mouth.

"Oh God!" She panted. "That feels good!"

A wave of smug satisfaction washed over him, knowing he was