In Heat (In Heat Shapeshifter Romance Series #1) (17 page)

Kim rifled in her little bag that was on her lap and he watched as she tied her hair back. She was still on edge. He could see it in her eyes.

Pulling out into the quiet road, he focused on driving and what he was going to do to make things up to her. Things were becoming intense a lot quicker than he'd anticipated. The heat between them, the attraction, was almost unbearable. He wanted to touch her, to reach across and place his hand on her jeans-clad knee to reaffirm their connection. His gaze roamed over her as he pulled the car to a stop at traffic lights. He was guessing that this wasn't what she'd worn into work this morning. The dark blue jeans fitted her loosely, but the black baby doll t-shirt was snug, stretching across her breasts.

He dragged his eyes away from them when the car in front began to move. At least she was coming with him, even if she was saying it was just so she could get some answers.

The drive through London passed in silence. He was lost in his thoughts, going over things repeatedly in his head, searching for the right thing to do and a way of breaking things to her that would see her understanding and not freaking out.

He pulled the car onto the motorway and frowned when the overhead signs warned of heavy traffic ahead. He should have avoided the M25. It was always hell unless you were driving along it after midnight.

Shifting the car up a gear, he shot into the outside lane and sped along.

The breeze the sweeping around him was refreshing.

The silence in the car was stifling.

“Kim?” he said, not wanting to disturb her but needing to.

He felt her look across at him.

“You do believe me don't you?” He glanced at her, just long enough to see that she really was looking at him.

A pause.

“Yes,” she said, her voice quiet and laced with muddled emotions. “She's a bitch like that.”

Relief lightened his heart, making him relax into the seat. His shoulders lowered, his whole body slumping a little as the tension left him. It was good that he'd got that out in the open. He couldn't imagine having to drive over hundred miles with that playing on his mind. Another glance at her revealed that she was still looking at him. She was beautiful. The fine strands of her ponytail were being whipped around by the wind. They danced across her face, making her look mysterious. Her eyes were bright, not hiding anything from him, and he wished he could take a long look into them to see all her feelings for him. What he'd said to her was true. He'd waited his whole damn life to find her, and now that he had, he wasn't going to lose her. Nothing was going to come between them. He wouldn't let it. Fear crept into the corners of his heart as he thought about how she could react to the knowledge that he was a shape-shifter, that inside him was a primal side that he couldn't hold back sometimes. He stared at the road in front of him, hoping that she'd understand. She had to. He couldn't face life without her. He had to tell her how he felt.

He felt her gaze leave him.

He swallowed and considered what he was about to say.

“Kim?” his voice shook.

She turned back to face him.

“Erik?” she said, her tone soft and coaxing, as though she knew what he wanted to say and that he needed gentle encouragement.

He swallowed again.

“Nothing,” he said, losing his nerve. This was no time for declarations of the heart. He had to be sure first. If she left and he hadn't said it, maybe his heart wouldn't break as badly. Maybe it would hurt less.

He was glad she didn't push it, but at the same time, a part of him was disappointed.

He glared at the long row of traffic in front of him and pulled into the next lane over. It was going to be a long journey.

Kim shifted in her seat and he looked over at her. She had her eyes closed, her head resting against the back of the seat and her bag down between her feet now. She looked relaxed, and felt it too. In her, he could sense none of the tension that had been there when she'd opened the door and agreed to go with him.

He pulled the car to a stop behind a dirty white van. A lorry pulled up behind him and he put the roof up. He didn't want Kim having to breathe in all the fumes while boiling in traffic. When the roof was up, he turned the radio on quietly and put the air-conditioning on. He flicked through the stations on the radio, trying to find something soothing. Some classical music came on and he left it on that. Kim smiled, her eyes still closed. He wondered if she knew he was doing all this for her. He'd always take care of her and not let anything happen to her. He'd protect her from the world.

He looked at her, passing the time in traffic by studying her face, watching her as she started to doze. He smiled. She was trying hard not to fall asleep but he could see she was losing the fight. The heat of summer was making her sleepy. It made him sleepy too. He just wanted to stretch out under the sun and let it warm him right down to the bone.

Driving the car forwards a little when the van in front moved, he frowned when he heard sirens and looked in the wing mirror. An ambulance and a police car were coming, fighting their way through the traffic.

It was going to be a long, hot drive.

But at least she was with him.

* * * *

Night had fallen by the time he pulled up in front of the house. He put the handbrake on and looked over at Kim. She was fast asleep. Getting out of the car, he went to the back and opened the boot. He took her luggage out and looked around when a light cut through the darkness. He smiled at the woman coming out to greet him and intimated for her to be quiet when she took the suitcase off his hands.

Going around to the passenger side of the car, he opened the door and leaned in. He unbuckled Kim's seatbelt and slid it carefully off her, trying not to disturb her. He waited a moment before bending down and hooking one arm around her back, and the other under her legs.

She weighed practically nothing in his arms as he lifted her out of the car. She stirred a little, opened her eyes and looked at him sleepily, and then sighed and went back to sleep.

Kicking the car door closed, he decided to take Kim into the house and take care of the car later. He carried her through the broad front door and into the hallway. There weren't many lights on. When Kim had fallen asleep in the car, he'd called ahead to warn the housekeeper of his arrival, but she probably hadn't had the time to get most of the house ready. He didn't mind. He doubted they'd use more than eight of the rooms while they were here.

The housekeeper closed the door behind him and smiled at the sleeping woman in his arms.

“It's good to see you two finally together,” she whispered.

He sighed and looked down at Kim. “Not finally yet. It's still more of a maybe. She doesn't know.”

“She'll understand. I've got a feeling about it.”

“You and your feelings,” he said with a smile. “Give her anything she wants, understood?”

“I've already called and arranged all the necessary food. It will be arriving tomorrow morning. I'll make sure she's not left wanting anything.”

He nodded and carried Kim up the stairs. She stirred a little again, looking up at him with sleep-filled eyes that said she wasn't quite aware of what was happening.

“You need some rest. It's been one hell of a day.” He kept his voice low and soothing, almost purring the words at her.

She smiled slightly and yawned, her eyes roaming the corridor they were walking down before coming back to meet his. They seemed to ask a silent question, and if he was reading it right, she was going to be disappointed by his answer.

Setting her down in front of the door to her bedroom, he opened it for her and waited for her to walk in. He followed her, watching her yawning and taking in the large room. When she looked at him, he could see she was waiting for an answer to her question.

He walked over to her and looked at her for the longest time before pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

“I'll see you in the morning,” he whispered against her mouth and then drew back, adding quietly to himself that he'd see her in his dreams too. It was probably best that she had a night without him, a night alone with only their visions to link them. It would help bring out the bond between them again and hopefully remind her of how good they could be together.

She gave him a tired but confused look as he backed away from her. He wanted to give in to her, but even if he did, he wouldn't give her what she really wanted. The only place he could give her that right now without feeling terrible inside was in their visions. If he got into bed with her, all he'd want to do was hold her.

She stepped towards him.

He smiled, brushed the rogue strands of her hair back into place and touched her cheek.

“Night,” he said, and turned and walked out of the door, closing it behind him.

Tomorrow, he'd see just how open-minded she was and just where their relationship was going to go.

K
im stretched as she woke, feeling relaxed as she sank into the soft mattress beneath her and vaguely recollected her dream. Two things stood out in it. One was the incredibly powerful feeling of connection between her and Erik. She'd felt as though they'd been entwined right down to their souls. The second was the handcuffs.

It hadn't been kinky, not like she'd expected it to get when he'd pulled the handcuffs out. It had been intense and had shown her a different side to this strong man. She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling above her, realising that it wasn't a ceiling at all. It was a canopy.

She sat up and yawned as she looked around the room. She was in a four-poster bed in the middle of what looked like a very expensive room.

A very big expensive room.

Not really the kind of room you'd find in a little place in the country. She got the feeling that Erik had an odd impression of what was little. This looked like a big place in the country. She didn't have a clue whereabouts they were. The moment they'd hit traffic on the motorway, she'd been out like a light. The cool air and calming music had seen to that, and the comforting presence of Erik. Something about him made her feel safe, as though he'd defend her and protect her from anything.

There was something sexy about that. A knight in shining armour.

And his steed?

That car was incredible. When she'd pictured the type of car he'd probably drive, she'd done a good job. It was definitely sleek, curvy and irresistible. She'd never been in an Aston Martin before. She'd give anything if he'd let her drive it. She could just imagine the thrill of being behind the wheel of something so powerful and eye-catching.

Getting out of bed, she investigated the room, pulling the drawers in the dresser out and looking inside them only to find them empty, peering in the cupboards and eventually finding herself in the bathroom. It was more modern than the bedroom, the cream marble tiles contrasting against the darker, more earthy, trim. It was so light with the sun coming in through the etched glass window. She couldn't see out of it, but then she was thankful for that since it meant no one could see in. The toilet and sink were white, and expensive looking. She frowned. There was no shower. Instead, there was a beautiful roll-top bath sitting on ornate iron lion's feet in the middle of the room.

Sumptuous didn't cover it.

All it needed was to be full of water and with red rose petals floating on the surface, and it would be straight out of a dream. Maybe a few candles too.

And Erik.

This place was probably costing him a fortune to put her up in, and they weren't even sharing a room like she'd been expecting them to.

Walking out into the bedroom again, she saw her suitcase on a stand. She went over and opened it, looking at what she'd packed. She'd thrown pretty much everything she could get her hands on into the suitcase, unsure of what to pack and too drained to think straight. It was all there, from a swimming costume to a thick jumper. She looked at the jumper. Why on Earth she'd thought she'd need that, she'd never know.

Pulling out a long cream sundress, she placed it on the side and put some underwear with it. A modest cream bra and knickers. She was here to talk business, not be seduced. She frowned. He didn't seem to want to seduce her anyway. She hazily remembered the chaste kiss last night. She'd felt the passion pushing to get free in that kiss, but he'd kept it so light and almost emotionless.

He was probably just being cautious.

After all, she'd flown off the handle at him about Laura.

She frowned when she thought about her, and then remembered that today was Tuesday and they were supposed to be at the office signing Erik's contract with his brother. Scratch that. Erik was supposed to be there. She was off the case.

She still couldn't believe he'd done that. It infuriated one half of her while the sentiment behind it melted the other. He'd only wanted to make her feel as though she could be with him, but what damage had he done to her career? She hoped he'd done it tactfully and not made her sound incompetent.

Going into the bathroom, she stripped off her underwear and drew herself a warm bath. She stepped into it and sighed, closing her eyes, giving herself a moment to relax before starting to wash herself. She grabbed the soap that was sitting on a little dish attached to the side of the bath and cleaned herself while thinking about Erik.

She wondered where he was. He'd said he'd see her in the morning. She looked through the bathroom doorway to the bedroom beyond. The tall heavy curtains were drawn. She couldn't tell if it was morning or not. For all she knew, it could be mid-afternoon.

Getting out of the bath when she was done, she dried herself off with the fluffy white towels on the rack and then went into the bedroom to get dressed. When she was clothed, she sprayed herself with perfume and pulled her hair up into a ponytail. She glanced at herself in the mirror on the dressing table and realised that she looked quite pretty in the sunny dress.

She went to the curtains covering one of the windows and threw them open. She gasped.