Therian Prize: 5 (Therian Heat) (14 page)

He abandoned the rail and moved in front of her. The sequence of events led to her brother’s death. Why was she asking him about them now? “Your father was desperate to locate Ava before she was defined. He sent Bruce after her and—”

“Bruce rushed in guns blazing and found half of your network here protecting her. I know all of that. Did you see the actual fight? Did Bruce seem shocked or… I don’t know.”

“I wasn’t here. My youngest sister and two of my nieces had disappeared the same day. I was out looking for them when your brother came here.”

“Ava hooked up with Kyle, right?” He nodded. “Then why did he bring her here rather than hiding her at his house?”

“I have better security.” She made a noncommittal sound but didn’t seem satisfied with his answer. “Why all the questions?”

“I’d already gone home that night, so I only know what Dhane told me.”

“Which was?”

“According to Dhane, Bruce insisted that Dad set him up for failure, or worse, sent him on a mission he wasn’t supposed to survive.”

Jake touched her arm and waited until she looked at him again. “What would your father gain by killing his oldest son?” Wolves were even more patriarchal than cats. Most cat clans voted on their leaders while wolf packs still passed the honor down from father to son. Had Nate been dissatisfied with his successor? And was he coldhearted enough to snuff out one of his sons?

“Bruce was out of control. He was making enemies faster than Dad could smooth things over. Dad couldn’t control him and people who oppose my father have a way of disappearing.” Her voice thinned and color drained from her face. She was no longer thinking about her brother.

“Now who sounds paranoid?” He softened the question with a playful smile. “Like Carlos, there’s nothing we can do to help Bruce.”

“I know. It’s just haunted me ever since it happened.”

“Understandable. Regardless of his faults, Bruce was still your brother.”

She tucked her hair behind her ear and looked at her shoes. “Did you find your sister and nieces?”

He started to nod then realized she couldn’t see him. “They were in the mountain lab.”

Her gaze shot back to his, worry evident in her pained expression. “Were they okay?”

He nodded. “They were terrified but physically unharmed. We were all pretty shaken by the incident.”

“I keep hearing about the mountain lab. What was it like? I know the captives were freed but what happened to the people who worked there?”

“I wasn’t part of the actual raid. I was able to examine a lot of the information that was recovered there. The lab was high-tech and extremely isolated. The workers were basically prisoners too.”

Heather shook her head and glanced beyond him. “I don’t buy that. Isolated or not, they had to know what they were doing was wrong. They had people in cages. That should have been their first clue.”

He smiled, warmed by her conviction. “Of course they knew it was wrong.”

“And were they punished for their actions?”

“The Prime Council is handling the investigation, so I don’t know the details. I know they decided against involving human law enforcement. Thought it was too risky. They’re focused on crippling the entire organization rather than each individual worker. Other than that, I don’t know much more than you do.”

“Do they know how many labs there are or how many captives?”

He just shook his head.

“It’s hard to fight an enemy so shrouded in secrecy.”

“That’s a fact, but we’ll keep digging until we’ve uprooted all the weeds.”

Silence enveloped them as Heather resumed her study of her shoes. Jake understood her reticence but wasn’t sure how to reach her. If he touched her she’d likely pull away. And verbal assurances seemed hollow. She was in serious shit and denying the fact only compounded the danger.

She rolled her shoulders and rubbed the back of her neck.

“Stiff?” The word made him smile. He was halfway there himself.

“I feel like I ran back-to-back marathons yesterday.”

“You basically did. The hot tub is on a timer. It should be perfect right about now.”

She looked at the waiting spa and then his face. “I don’t have a swimsuit.”

He grinned at her. “You won’t be the first woman to take a dip in her underwear.”

After a short pause she asked, “Will you come with me?”

Coming with her was exactly what he’d like to do, but he kept the innuendo to himself. “If you like.”

“I would.”

He took her hand and led her to the stairs that led to the lower level. The hot tub cover was on a counterbalanced lifter so it only took a moment to remove. “Why don’t you get in while I go grab some towels and something to drink?”

“Thanks.” She offered him a hesitant smile.

“What would you like?”

“I know it’s early but I’d love a glass of wine.”

“White or red?”

“White, maybe something light and fruity.”

“I’ll see what I can find.”

Heather watched Jake retrace their steps and disappear into the house. He moved with such agile strength it was hard to look away. She shook her head and reached beneath the t-shirt to unzip her jeans. He’d given her a few minutes of privacy. Was she going to stand here like a fool and squander them?

She kicked off her shoes, tucked her socks inside them then wiggled out of the jeans. Luckily the t-shirt was black, but she wasn’t wearing a bra so she’d try to keep her chest below the waterline. The open-sided gazebo was more decoration than protection. Even so, the water felt wonderful as she climbed into the spa and sank beneath its silky warmth. She didn’t know how to activate the jets so she just relaxed and waited for Jake’s return.

He’d changed into a pair of navy-blue swim trunks. Several towels were draped over his shoulder and he carried an open bottle of wine and two glasses. “I tend to stick to beer, so if this sucks you don’t have to drink it.”

“A restaurateur who doesn’t know wine?” She rolled her eyes in mock disdain. “I’m insulted.”

He chuckled and sunlight touched his eyes, making them shine like emeralds. She’d never met anyone whose eyes changed so dramatically. At times they appeared almost black then suddenly they’d shimmer with inner light and the green would shine through. “There’s no lack of pretentiousness in Aspen. I just chose not to play those games. I keep the menu simple and focus on the food.” After draping the towels over one of the gazebo’s rails, he arranged the wine bottle and glasses within easy reach of the hot tub.

She watched him silently, enjoying the bunch and flex of his toned body. “Do any of your sisters still live at home?”

“The youngest moved out last summer.” He climbed into the spa and sat down across from her. “She lived in the dorms for the first two years but found it hard to study. So she and two friends found an apartment in Boulder. I think they’ll all be much happier.” He shook his head and reached for the wine bottle. “I can’t believe she’s old enough to be on her own.”

“She goes to CU?” He nodded and an odd ache surrounded her heart. Of course Jake’s sister would attend university. Heather sank deeper into the water. She’d always wanted to go to college but her father thought education was a waste of money. According to Nate, Therian males knew everything they needed to know instinctively and Therian females only needed to know how to please their males.

Not wanting to dwell on the contrast between their lifestyles, she moved the conversation onward. “What about the other two? Is Enya oldest or in the middle?”

He handed her a glass of wine then turned and activated the jets. The motor rumbled for a moment then air gushed out, creating powerful currents and a blanket of bubbles. “Liz is oldest. She’s been married four years and has two daughters. Enya’s next. As you know, she helps me with Toulouse Tavern. And Tara’s the one who lives in Boulder. She wants to do something in the medical field, nurse, imaging technician or maybe a doctor. It will depend on how long she wants to stay in school.”

“And you were just twenty-one when you lost your parents?” He probably didn’t like to talk about it but she’d always been fascinated by his sacrifice. Few men in their early twenties would take on the responsibility of three teenage girls.

“I was almost twenty-two.” He turned away as he filled his wineglass but she could see the tension in his shoulders. Was he thinking about all he’d missed out on as he struggled to rear his siblings or was he embarrassed by the attention? “Liz was sixteen, Enya fourteen and Tara had just turned twelve. There was no way I was going to let the state split them up or warehouse them in some group home. We’re family and families take care of each other. End of story.”

It was certainly not that simple in her family. There had always been tension in the Fitzroy household. Pack had always come before personal wants or needs. She couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to have her happiness factored into the equation, much less be the top consideration. She took several sips of wine, trying to ignore the heaviness creeping over her heart.

“Do you work at the Clubhouse because you enjoy it or because your father expects it of you?”

She shot him an impatient glance. “Do you really need to ask?”

“Okay. If pack obligations were not an issue, what would you do with the rest of your life?”

She tried to smile and failed. She used to lie in David’s arms daydreaming about what life would be like once her father accepted that they were together. Then David died and everything changed. The future ceased to exist and the present became something she endured day by day. Her father would never allow her to have a life beyond his control, so what was the point in dreaming?

“I don’t know.”

“Come on. You can do better than that.” He splashed her, his tone light and playful. “Where would you live? Bungalow on the beach? Penthouse apartment in Manhattan?”

“No way.” Despite her emotional caution, her imagination engaged and possibilities filled her mind. “I love the mountains. I have no desire to live in a city.”

“Okay, we can work with that.” His gaze softened as it drifted from her eyes to her mouth and back. “Mountain communities depend on tourism, so what can you do to attract tourists?”

“I could open a B&B or a café. Even a bar would be okay, if I could actually manage it.”

“Those are all good choices. The first two would allow you time for yourself in the evening and a bar allows you to sleep all day.”

“You sound like a guidance counselor. You realize that, don’t you?”

He chuckled and stared at her over the rim of his wineglass. “Habit. Sorry. Taking care of my sisters has made me sort of paternal.”

She returned his stare and awareness arced between them, hot and electric. His sisters might see him as a surrogate father but her feelings for him were anything but familial. She wanted to straddle his legs and kiss his mouth while his cock filled her over and over.

“Landon said you love animals.” The statement jarred her out of her sensual haze. What were they talking about? Her mind had completely abandoned the conversation. “Maybe you could open a shelter.”

“I do love animals, but running a shelter would be so sad. Do you realize how many of those animals they end up euthanizing?” She shook her head and paused for another sip of wine. “I couldn’t deal with that.”

“Devon and her mom run a big cat sanctuary. Actually it’s expanded to include all sorts of predators—cats, wolves, bears.”

Why were they still talking? Didn’t he feel this magnetic current swirling around them, drawing them closer together? “I’d love to see it, but I don’t want to bring trouble to their front door. I’d better wait until this thing with my father is resolved one way or the other.”

He set down his mostly empty glass and stretched his arms out along the tub’s rim. The muscles in his shoulders bunched and his pecs rose, forming symmetrical curves. Lust spiraled through her body and congregated between her thighs.

“All right, let’s talk about that.” He went on as if her body temperature weren’t about to evaporate the water surrounding them. “What are your options?”

Top or bottom? Slow and easy or fast and frantic? “Play hide-and-seek for the rest of my life.”

He smiled. “Sounds exhausting.”

“True.” She downed the rest of her wine and took a deep breath. He seemed determined to talk, so she reined in her surging desire. “I can ask someone to define me. That will alleviate the threat from the backers, but my father will still be a problem.”

“What do you need to do to take your father out of the equation?”

She handed him her empty glass as a sad smile parted her lips. “Other than hiring a hit man?”

“I’m willing to leave that option on the table, but I don’t think you could live with the guilt.” Rather than setting the glass aside as she’d expected, he refilled it and passed it back to her.

“I was kidding.” Little by little the subject was eroding her physical longing.

“I know,” he assured, but the lethal gleam in his eyes made her shiver.

They hadn’t had sex last night because she was upset and her future was still undecided. Was that why Jake was keeping his distance? Did he want a concrete plan in place before they indulged their passion? The possibility gave her hope, so she focused on the topic.