Kiss of Moonlight (4 page)

The idea made him want to hit something.

Shoving the rage back, he focused instead on her pretty face, which made his chest ache and his balls tighten.

As Cat fawned over her, complimenting her clothes and her hair, her pale skin held a flush, as if embarrassed by the exuberant welcome. An inch or two shorter than Cat, and thin as a rail, she had small breasts and no hips at all. He knew from the news articles that she was twenty-three. Not as young as he’d first thought but still too damn young.

Hell, she looked even more like a teenager than Cat, who’d filled out in the past year, more than any father would ever be comfortable with.

And yet…

Tamra’s
eyes held an old soul.

She looked at him at that moment, catching and holding his gaze as Cat led her through the living and dining areas to the kitchen. He tried to look as non-threatening as possible but he’d lost that battle with the first tattoos twenty-five years ago.

Protective runes ran down the length of his left arm, the bold black figures menacing and alien. The others had come later—the stylized wolf paw, the symbol of his unit, on his right shoulder and the Etruscan moon symbol on his right
pec
with its uneven number of small round marks.
His kills.
He hadn’t had time to add the last two.

Another set of protective runes marked the outside of his left thigh, now covered by his shorts.

As
Tamra
came closer, he watched her gaze slip down his arm and keep going, dropping to his feet before starting their way back up. She paused for one heart-stopping second at his groin before slowly raising her gaze back to his.

He stood as still as he could, afraid to startle or scare her in any way. She’d looked ready to bolt when she’d walked through the door.

Now those pale blue eyes caught and held his. Heat boiled up from his gut and through his body. Good thing she wasn’t looking at his crotch now because she’d have noticed the throb his cock made before he got himself under control.

“So I hope you’re hungry, Tam.” Cat’s voice broke through the tension filling the air around them. “We’ve got so much food. And Dad’s
gonna
throw the steaks on now, aren’t you, Dad?”

The command in his daughter’s tone made him smile and he gave her a military salute, right fist to his opposite shoulder.
“As you wish, Princess.”

And there went Cat’s eyes. “My dad thinks he’s a comedian.”

“Yeah, but I know my place.” He glanced back at Tam then couldn’t look away. Her expression had softened, lost some of the hesitation she’d walked in with. Her ice-blue eyes warmed and her lips curved into a small smile.

For one way-too-long second, he felt like he was free-falling. The loss of control didn’t feel as awful as he thought it would.

Forcing
himself
to move, he walked forward, holding out his hand. This time he thought he was ready for the jolt when he touched her.

He
was
ready.
Maybe a little too ready.

His hand swallowed her smaller one, her skin soft and warm against his. He resisted the urge to pull her against his body but he held on a little too long. Not that she seemed to mind.

She kept smiling at him until finally he had to pull back or kiss her. And he didn’t think she’d appreciate that.
At least, not in front of Cat.

“Guess that’s my cue to get moving.” He tried to hold his smile to a friendly grin.
“Hello again.
Thanks for coming.”

Tamra
nodded, her lips curving up even more. “I appreciate the offer. I…haven’t gotten out much lately.”

“We’re glad to have you.”

And I’ll be happier when I have you in my bed.

As if she’d read his mind, her smile got the tiniest bit warmer.

* * * * *

“So, you actually
saw
My Chemical Romance?” Cat asked after she finally put her fork down. “How cool was that concert?”

“They were great.” Tam’s tone held real enthusiasm, her tone lighter than Kyle had heard it all evening. “They performed at a college close to mine.”

They’d sat at the table for the past hour, eating, talking.

Kyle hadn’t said much, hadn’t wanted to get in Cat’s way. His daughter had a gift for drawing people out, getting them to talk.
If they could get a word in edgewise.
Cat had inherited her mother’s gift for gab as well as her Goddess Gift.

“What college did you go to?”

“
Drexell
.”
Tamra
paused. “I still have a semester to finish but…I don’t know when I’m going to go back. So, where do you go to school, Cat?”

“In my village.
I live with my mom and my other dad there and we have our own school. It’s pretty specialized.”

Kyle stilled. Cat knew better than to expose too much of their civilization to outsiders but his daughter had a huge soft spot for this wounded young woman. Who knew what she might reveal?

“Like a charter school?”

Cat nodded.
“Yeah.
I study horticulture mainly.”

“Really?
That sounds cool.”

“It is. So what were you studying at college?”

Tam paused and Kyle forced his expression to stay calm. He scented her hesitation, her anger and her pain over what she’d been forced to give up. Then he practically felt her force herself to relax.

“Nursing.
I plan to go back and finish my RN. I got my licensed practical degree as soon as I finished high school. My mom and I didn’t have a lot of money so I worked and put myself through the program. I finished in a year and a half and got a job right away. I always wanted to be a nurse, to be able to help people. By going for my LPN and then working on the registered nurse degree afterward, I could work as a nurse while I continued my studies.” She stopped and shrugged, as if embarrassed by her declaration. “I don’t just want to make money. When I was young, I wanted to be a writer but you can’t exactly make a living as a writer.”

“What do you want to write?” Cat asked.

Tamra’s
soft laugh was at odds with her expression of equal parts yearning and embarrassment.

“Romance.
I love a story with a happy ending. Too bad real life isn’t more like that.”

Tamra
couldn’t believe she’d revealed her most secret desire to two people she’d only just met.

But Cat was so easy to talk to. She had a way of making Tam feel safe enough to reveal at least a bit of herself.

And Kyle…
Kyle made her feel alive.

As Cat and Kyle began to talk about books, Tam let herself really look at the man. She’d caught herself staring at him several times throughout dinner. And every time she’d had to tear her gaze away before he caught her.

Her first impression of him as a hard-ass still held true. With the tattoos on his arms, the long dark hair and the hard features, he looked like a man a smart girl wouldn’t want to meet alone in a dark alley.

Obviously, she wasn’t very smart because she wanted him in whatever dark corner she could find.

Some of it had to do with the way he treated his daughter. When he looked at Cat, Tam saw his love for her in his eyes. Every word out of Cat’s mouth made him smile. He was proud of her. And he should be. The girl was amazing, able to hold an adult conversation without acting like
a snot
. And she was smart as hell.

Tamra
wanted to spend all night just sitting there, listening to them discuss everything from books and music to global warming.

She joined in when she had something to say and they never made her feel like an outsider.

She felt safe here.
With them.

Until Kyle looked at her.

And he did.
A lot.
But not in any way that made her uncomfortable.

No, he made her hot.

She wanted him.

Which was just so freaking amazing.

“So Tam, do you want coffee with dessert?”

Tam blinked up at Cat, who had started to clear the dishes from the table. Damn, she’d gotten caught this time, but the girl didn’t show any sign that she’d noticed Tam staring at her father like she wanted to jump him.

“Oh sure.
Just let me help you clear—”

“No, no,” the girl waved her back into her seat. “You sit and talk to Dad for a few minutes. I’m just
gonna
throw these in the dishwasher.”

Tam looked across the table at Kyle, who watched his daughter disappear back into the house with a rueful grin. What? Didn’t he want to be left alone with her?

She knew that was so far from the truth the second he caught and held her gaze. He tried to hide it. He really did but he couldn’t completely submerge the heat in his eyes.

Talk, stupid. Don’t just stare at him.

“She’s great, you know. Cat. She’s so mature for her age.”

The heat didn’t leave his eyes but his smile was all proud
daddy
. “Yeah, I think she’s pretty amazing.”

“You get along well.”

He nodded.
“Also amazing because I can be a real pain in the ass.”

Was he warning her away? Did he think she scared that easily?

Well yeah. She did. Lately, she’d become afraid of her own shadow. So what was it about this man that made her feel so safe despite his rough appearance?

“It doesn’t seem to have hurt your relationship with her.”

He finally broke their gaze to look through the patio doors into the kitchen. “And for that I am eternally grateful. ’Course, she might not like me much the first time she brings a boy home.”

Tam didn’t have any experience with that. It’d always just been her and her mom. She’d never met her
father,
another man her mom had said wasn’t worth their time. Her mom had said that a lot.

This man was more than worth her time. She knew it in her heart and in her head.

“Uh, hey, Dad,” Cat called from the kitchen. “We’ve got more company.”

In the blink of an eye, Kyle’s entire demeanor transformed. His eyes narrowed and his expression turned hard.
Predatory.
As if ready to spring into action, his body tensed.

Now here was the true hard-ass, the man she’d sensed lurking under the easy exterior. He should terrify her.

He didn’t.
Not at all.

She’d love to sit and watch him for hours. He fascinated her. There was something…primal about him. Something so intrinsically male that drew her.

Kyle caught her eye.
And froze.

She watched as he blinked and all that intensity bled back behind an impassive mask. He took a deep breath and the easygoing guy he’d been all during dinner made
a reappearance
.

But she wasn’t buying it. Not for a minute.

Had he done that for her benefit? Made
himself
be something he wasn’t?

He smiled, slow and easy, but she knew now he was hiding a part of himself. Why?

“I’ll be right back,” he said. “Cat, why don’t you come out and keep—”

“Hey, Kyle,” a female voice called from the other room. “I hope you don’t mind us dropping by.
Tivr
wanted to go for a run and we thought we’d see if Cat wanted to come too.”

The voice got louder until finally the screen opened and a blonde bombshell walked out onto the back porch.

Kyle shot out of his chair to stand. He almost looked as if he wanted to bow at the woman’s feet but caught himself as he slid a glance at Tam.

And who wouldn’t want to bow at this woman’s feet? She was a goddess. Curly blonde hair to her waist, a body to die for and blue eyes that put Cat’s to shame. And that was a feat. Not to mention her beauty made Tam feel as if she should have a bag over her head.

“La—
Nortia
.
We didn’t expect to see you tonight.”

The blonde shrugged, her smile reaching out to encompass Tam in its glory. Wow, the woman really knew how to smile.
“Didn’t mean to interrupt.
Hi there.”
The woman held out her hand to Tam and she took it, a little dazzled by the woman’s smile. “I’m
Nortia
. I know, weird name but it’s mine so what are you
gonna
do. Anyway, sorry to interrupt but
Tivr
likes to run in Kyle’s forest so here we are.”

The blonde turned back to Kyle. “You don’t mind if we steal Cat away for a little while, do you?”

When Cat appeared in the doorway, her hand on the back of a sleek gray wolf, Tam couldn’t help her involuntary gasp.

That
was definitely a wolf. No mistaking it. He was huge but beautiful and he had a grin that reminded her of the dog she’d seen last night.

“Oh don’t worry.”
Nortia
threw what looked like a mocking glance at the wolf. “He’s perfectly tame.”

Was she mistaken or did the dog stick its tongue out at the woman?

“Sure, Cat can go, if she wants.” Kyle slashed a look at Tam. “Will you stay? Have some coffee and dessert? Don’t want to let Cat’s pie go to waste.”

“Oh please stay until I get back,” Cat practically begged. “We won’t be gone too long.”

Cat looked torn between staying and going with her friends. And Tam was torn between wanting her to stay so she didn’t feel as if she had to leave, and wanting Cat to go so she could spend a little time alone Kyle.

Which really was crazy.
Besides the few smiles he’d given her, she had no idea how he felt about her. She could be reading him completely wrong. But she’d never find out if she didn’t stay.

“Sure, I’d love pie.”

Cat smiled, though she tried to hide it by kneeling down to pet the wolf.
Nortia
didn’t bother to hide her grin before she turned to give Cat a wink. “Did you make that strawberry pie I love, kiddo?”

Cat nodded. “When we get back, I’ll make sure you get a huge piece. Can we go now?”

“Sounds good.”
Nortia
glanced at Cat’s feet. “Ah, aren’t you forgetting something, kiddo?”