Surrounded by Secrets (7 page)

As if she could be fat and covered with warts and it wouldn’t matter.

More importantly, that there were no affectionate feelings on his part. When she’d seen him holding some photo and saw the longing in his eyes, she felt her armor crack.
Maybe I can grow to love him.
But that thought was quickly squashed by his cold treatment of her. She was a warm body to him.

Nothing more.

And she was trapped here, spending her days working in the tree fields and her nights and mornings having sex with Jack.

The sex had been good. He was very methodical and take-charge about it, but what had started out as hot and heavy, just became an itch that needed scratching. If she didn’t get away from here, she feared that she would really lose her heart to him and he’d crush it with his bare paws.

She’d also been avoiding his family. A mistake, she now realized, because if she wanted to break free, she would probably need to form some allies. She could try appealing to Jack’s father’s sense of remorse, but Lillian felt the end result could go either way with him. What if he were to side with his son? No, she needed girl power on her side, which was why this morning she was headed somewhere very specific at the main house.

The office where Mikaela and Krista worked.

She rounded the corner and came up to the cracked door. She lifted her hand to knock, but then hesitated. Girlie chitchat was never her style. What if these were the types of women who’d stab her in the back?

“You gonna stand out there all morning?” Mikaela called out. “We can see you peeking through the door.”

Damn. Lillian took a deep breath and stepped through. “Hi.”

“We were wondering if you were ever going to come talk to us,” Krista said, putting down some wickedly thick book that probably consisted of legal jargon.

Lillian walked over to the ladies and leaned against the desk. “Um, yeah, I’ve been a little angry.”

Mikaela chuckled while rubbing her pregnant belly. “That’s one way to put it. Girl, you have Jack all tied up in knots. It’s actually quite refreshing to see him like this.”

“Refreshing, huh? Well, I’m still mad about what Jack did to me, but I figured I shouldn’t punish everybody else because of what he did.” Lillian shrugged. “Besides, I don’t want to stay cooped up here forever.”

Mikaela half smiled at her. “It’s really not like that, Lillian. If you want to go home, you can.”

Lillian frowned. “That’s easy for you to say. You don’t have a big man demanding you not leave this estate.”

“Oh, we had our own men trying to call the shots. They might wear the pants in the family, but we wear the panties.” She smiled brightly. “God, I love being a woman.”

Krista stood and walked around the desk. “I left before Toby and I mated. I was in love with him, but I couldn’t be sure if he was what I wanted.”

Lillian gaped at her. “And he let you leave? Just like that?”

Krista nodded. “Just like that.”

“You weren’t mated, though, Krista. Could you image living away from Toby now?” Mikaela asked.

“Well, no, but I think deep down our men will live a life of misery if they thought it made us happy to be away from here.” She turned to Lillian. “If you really wanted to go, whether for the day or forever, Jack would let you.”

“Of course, you’d have to promise not to tell our little family secret,” Mikaela said.

This was Lillian’s opportunity, her way out. She’d cast the bait and hooked her fish. Now she needed to reel them in. “And you’d help me? Talk to him, I mean?”

“Absolutely,” Mikaela said. “He only needed you here to help show you that you weren’t a freak of nature and make sure you understood this new part of your life. Even if you don’t stay with Jack, you’ll never be the same again. It would have been careless of him to just let you go around not understanding.”

Lillian tried not to roll her eyes. “I think he kept me around to sate his carnal hunger, not show me the ropes.”

Krista’s eyes narrowed. “Did he force himself on you?”

Her cold tone made Lillian shift into defensive mode. “Hell no. I know how to take care of myself.”

“I’m sorry. There was an incident with him and my sister when she was trying to medicate him and Rob.”

Mikaela nodded solemnly. “Yeah, Jack hadn’t been taking his meds and tried to rape her.”

“He hadn’t been taking his shots like he should’ve been, so he was a danger to her. He should’ve known better.”

Lillian’s hackles rose at Krista’s snippy remark. She leveled Krista with a flat stare. “He told me he attacked her. And he apologized. She doesn’t seem too scared of him when I’ve seen her around.

Maybe you should let it go.” There went her idea of making friends. But Krista’s snarky attitude just pissed her off. If anybody was going to be mad at Jack, it was going to be Lillian. Period. End of discussion.

She turned to leave, but felt a hand grab her arm. She turned around and saw Mikaela holding on to her. “Krista loves her sister. That was a very hard situation for everyone. But I think you’re good for Jack. You obviously care enough about him to defend him.”

Lillian pulled her arm free. She didn’t need girlfriends to speak her case to Jack about leaving. She was insane for even trying to make friends with them. “I’m going home. It was nice meeting you all. Have a nice life.”

She could not care about Jack. She wouldn’t. And she was damn tired of wearing other people’s clothes and brushing with a cheap toothbrush. She wanted her own clothes, toiletries, and bed. Besides, her father would be back soon, and she needed to clean out the fridge and do some laundry.

She had a life back home, and it was time she got back to living it.

* * * *

Jack came barreling up to the dining room door just before dinner. He hadn’t even showered and changed out of his work clothes, so he was still wearing dirty jeans and boots. Not that it mattered. He had one thing on his mind. He was going to paddle Lilly’s ass! She hadn’t returned to work at all that afternoon.

He’d come to expect her little disappearing act in midmornings and not seeing her again until early afternoon. Hell, he’d silently cheered when she would sneak away because it would give him time cool his growing hunger for her. If she really knew how much he wanted her, he’d be embarrassed.

He’d gone from needing her to wanting her.

He was okay with the idea of needing her. His body needed release, and his lion needed its mate.

But wanting her? No, that wasn’t something he was looking forward to. Wanting her company, wanting her touch on him, wanting her snippy little voice bitching at him, he was a glutton for punishment when it came to Lillian Caldwell, and he couldn’t help it. She pissed him off and turned him on, and he could not get enough of her.

Which was why he’d searched everywhere for her when she hadn’t returned to work. He had yet to find her. But when he did . . .

Jack pushed the dining room door open amid the murmurs of his family and quickly scanned the room for his wayward mate, assuming she’d come out of her hidey-hole for dinner.

He’d assumed incorrectly.
Shit.
She wasn’t in here either.

“Where is she?”

“Who?” Mikaela asked coyly.

Jack growled. “You fucking know who.”

“You better back off, bro, or I’ll take you out. You know better than to growl at my mate,” Josh warned.

Jack shook his head and grunted. “Where. Is. Lillian?”

“She went home,” Krista said. “She snapped at me and said she was leaving.”

Mikaela sighed. “She was provoked, Krista,” she said without any judgment. “You’d have acted the same if someone bad-mouthed Toby to you.”

Ariel walked over to Jack, and damn if his shoulders didn’t relax a little.

“Krista told me that the attack came up in conversation earlier.” Jack winced, knowing what attack she was referring to, but Ariel continued. “She said that Lillian stood up for you and went home.

Her intention was to go home anyway, and I think you should give her what she wants.”

Jack felt his blood pressure rise. He knew he should give her what she wanted, but the thought of letting her go—

“But I think you need to talk to her first,” Ariel said. “If she still wants to stay away, then let her, but don’t just let her walk out. Not without at least thanking her for watching your back.”

Lillian had stood up for him? To Krista? Jack was shocked past words. He couldn’t remember anyone ever doing something like that for him before. Not that he’d deserved it where Ariel was concerned, but the fact that his Lilly had done so for him, well, it warmed something deep within his chest.

And he still wanted to spank her ass for running out.

“Yeah, I should go talk to her. Thanks.” He turned to leave, not looking at anybody else.

Once he got outside, he jumped on his wheeler and headed straight for Lillian’s house. When he reached the gate that separated their old property lines, he smiled as he stopped. Unless she went down his driveway, hit the main road, and then drove to her estate on the shoulder of the highway, the little minx must’ve swiped some keys since the gate was locked. And thinking she could keep him away, she’d locked it back. He killed the engine and grabbed his keys. He unlocked it, drove through, and locked it back before proceeding to her father’s house. She’d need to do more than a locked gate to keep him away.

Jack slowed as he neared his destination. Lillian’s four-wheeler was parked out front, and there were lights on in the house. At least she wasn’t trying to pretend she wasn’t home. He parked his wheeler next to hers and walked to the door. He was still irritated that she’d run from him, but after learning that she’d also stood up for him, it made him feel other things he didn’t even want to try to identify.

He knocked on the door, but didn’t have to wait long. It flew open on the second knock.

“No animals allowed.”

God, she was beautiful. Even with her hair all tied up in some crazy-looking knot, rubber gloves, and a ratty T-shirt on, and smelling like lemon-scented cleaner, she still took his breath away.

“Then what are you doing in there,
foxy
mama?”

She snorted, her hands dropping from the doorjamb. “Good one”—she glanced at his shoes—

“Puss in Boots.”

He chuckled because he just couldn’t help it. Her smile was contagious. “You know you really will run out of cat insults eventually.”

She winked at him. “I’ve got a ton of them.” Then she stepped back and motioned for him to come in. “You’re letting all the heat out.”

Jack walked in and turned to face her. “I think you know why I’m here.”

Lillian sighed as she walked to the couch. The cabin was much bigger than it looked on the outside.

“Because I left.”

Jack came over and sat next to her. At least she didn’t jump up and away from him. “Why?”

She looked at him, really looked at him, and he felt naked. “Because I don’t belong with you.”

Her words were a sucker punch, but he schooled his expression, wanting her to continue.

“And you only want me because of the weird mating thing,” she said quickly as she looked away.

Interesting. She almost looked hurt by what she’d said.

“What makes you think that, Lilly?”

She glared at him. “Because when I said I didn’t understand why I was drawn to you, you quickly blamed the lion mating thing. It was as if you didn’t care anything about me specifically.”

Ah, hell.
“I didn’t know you.”

“You still don’t know me, Jack. Hell, I don’t know you either. The one time I tried to talk to you, you shut me out. You just want me for sex and nothing more. The sex is good, but I need more than that from a man. Not that I expect you to be that man.”

“When have I ever shut you out?” Hell, she was in his every waking thought.

She growled at him. “That morning you were looking at some photo. I could tell you were bothered by something, but when I tried to ask, you swatted me away like some pestering fly. I’m good enough to fuck, but not good enough to talk to.”

The photo of his mother. He remembered not wanting to talk to her about it. It was too personal, the news of it changing everything he’d been raised to believe. Hell, he hadn’t even talked to Josh about it yet, so how could he just open up to her about it?

Because you want to.

And as he watched her scanning the room, avoiding eye contact, he knew he was right. Even if it didn’t change things with them, he still wanted to talk to her about that news. Somewhere deep within him, he needed her to know, and he wasn’t going to fight that.

“It was a photo of my mom,” he mumbled, looking down at his clasped hands in his lap. He saw her head turn toward him through the corner of his eye.

She sighed. “You don’t have to do me any favors by telling me.”

“I’m not, Lilly. This is just really hard for me to talk about.”

She shifted on the couch, but didn’t touch him. “How long ago did she die?”

“Not long. A few years.” He was silent for several seconds, not knowing how to continue. Her death wasn’t the issue now. It was her life. Finally, he rubbed his hands together, tilted his head to the side to look at Lillian, and found the strength he needed there. “My brothers and I were led to believe that we are mountain lion shifters because of my father’s heritage, that his parents died when he was little, and the secret of our existence died with them.”

She nodded slowly, seemingly taking it in and understanding what he’d really said. “Led to believe?”

“That’s right. That photo of my mother, Lina Woods, changes that belief. In it, she was younger and standing with several people I don’t recognize. I was in my father’s office having a conference call with you when I stumbled upon it.”

“What about that picture makes you question what you’ve been told about your parents?”

“The note on the back. God, I stared at it for so long that I remember it word for word. It read, ‘To my sister, Felina, please remember the times like this when we were a happy family, and forgive my intrusion with your selection of Thomas as your mate. Your rightful place will always be as the queen of our people. We extend a welcoming hand to you and your chosen mate and hope you make the journey home to your throne.’ It was signed ‘Rodrick Lyons,’ a name I’d never heard before.”