“No. That was my fault. If you’ll excuse me, it’s been a long night.” Elliot gathered the rest of his meal and her bowl of ice cream and left the room, closing the door behind him.
October mulled over everything she had learned. It was obvious they were both nursing some pretty deep hurts. Somehow they were connected to her kidnapper. She was the evidence they needed to hunt him down.
Are they bounty hunters? Why haven’t they called in the outside authorities? Why didn’t they tell them about me?
Something was going on, and she was going to get to the bottom of it.
The next morning, she woke up and her stomach hurt from eating so much. A shower was running somewhere in the house. She slid onto the floor and examined the bags that Dawn had brought to her. Inside were three pairs of jeans, some T-shirts, and a dress. There
were a pair
of sneakers and some flats. In the plastic bag were some toiletries and other personal items. At the bottom of the bag was a package of panties, but no bra. Grateful for the clothes, she slipped into the jeans and found they were a size too big. The T-shirt was okay, but it was tight across the chest. Apparently Dominique had had a smaller chest than October, and she considered herself average.
Oh well,
it’s
clothes, and they fit.
She glanced at her swollen ankle and poked it with her finger. Pain grated along her leg. The marks on her skin had turned to a dark purple. At least she was healing. She didn’t bother with the socks or shoes and crawled her way over to the crutches and used those to help her stand. When she was on her feet, she tried the crutches and found after a few tries she was able to walk with them, although it was slow going.
October opened the door and decided it was time to inspect the house instead of the room she had been staring at for the past two days. When she walked down the hall, she noticed it was all wood paneling. The living room was something she expected to see in a man’s house that had no woman’s touch to it. A fireplace was along the back wall. A leather sofa sat along the other wall. In every corner, mounted to the wall, were surround sound speakers. On the wall above the fireplace was a forty-six-inch plasma television that made her imagine the movie watching she could do in here. In the other corner was a stereo with even more speakers attached to it. In the dining room, a sliding glass door revealed a deck that looked out onto the forest below. The house had been built on the side of a mountain. She hobbled over to open the door and walked out onto the deck. Stairs led down to the lawn below. A few wisps of smoke wound along the trees until they mixed with the mist that hung over the forest. The air was crisp. Fall was her favorite season. The smell of the leaves and the thought of hot apple cider always turned her on when she thought of fall. It reminded her of when she had been a kid back in Massachusetts and the large piles of leaves she would jump into. Her mother was always furious with her for scattering them once again. Autumn always held more possibilities for her. The joy that filled her knowing she was going to live to see another season choked her up. Was her life ever going to be normal again?
“You’re up.”
She glanced back and saw Elliot in the doorway with a plateful of pancakes. She licked her lips.
“Yeah.
I couldn’t stay in the bedroom anymore. I hope
it’s
okay that I came out here.”
“It’s fine. You have the run of the house while you’re here. I made some breakfast. I hope you don’t mind pancakes, and I have real maple syrup.” Elliot wagged his eyebrows at her.
October went back inside and sat at the table while he set the flapjacks between the two of them. Then he brought out some orange juice and the syrup. She scooped some up, and they ate in silence.
Finally, Elliot took their plates and set them in the sink, but he came back to sit down with her.
“Those were great. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. I did some shopping this morning. I heard from Mika. He said he was going to be spending some time at his shop and probably wouldn’t be around much. I have to run some errands in town. Do you mind staying here?
Anything that you need?”
“Nothing.
Thanks. I don’t mind. Maybe you can show me which remote goes to what.”
“Glad to.” Elliot helped her up, and she became very aware of his warm body and that she had no bra on.
She inhaled his scent and noticed he smelled like the syrup he had used on the pancakes.
I wonder if he tastes like maple too. Need to get my head out of the gutter. First I kiss his roommate, and then I want to make out with him. I don’t even know these guys.
“Is there something wrong?” Elliot asked.
Shame peppered her cheeks from the heat of where her thoughts were leading. Being against his hard body, she could easily slide her hands over his stomach to feel his six-pack, and lower to cup his cock. If she weren’t hurt, it would be easy to climb on top of him and ride him all night long.
“No, nothing.
Sorry.” She snuggled up to him and barely reached the top of his chest. Elliot was over six feet tall, and she was five-eight. She slipped her hand around his back, feeling the hard muscles there. He sat her down on the couch. October couldn’t help but lean up and brush her lips across his. He stiffened, but didn’t pull back right away.
He was going to say something, when she answered first. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I-I just wanted to say thanks for breakfast and letting me stay here. I was aiming for your cheek and—”
“Don’t worry about it.”
She touched her lips and nodded. Elliot showed her the remote and then turned the television on for her. He left the room, and she flipped through the stations, trying to decide on something to watch. What she really wanted was to kiss Elliot again. October craved to cuddle up to him. Elliot seemed frozen in time. The hurt that hung around him was also reflected in the house. His heart was closed off, and she wondered if he was ever going to be free of the phantom in his soul.
Chapter Six
Mika stared at the makeshift bed he had been sleeping on for the past week. The old, ratty couch had been there when he bought the place. It was more comfortable than it looked. His thoughts turned toward October. Her look had disturbed him. Deep down he knew she saw him as a monster. The numbers on the computer screen blurred while he thought about her. Each night he imagined going back to Elliot’s to see her. Eventually he always talked himself out of it. He ran his fingers through his hair and tugged on the strands.
I have to get her out of my head.
“Dude, when are you coming back to the house? We have to discuss what we’re going to do with October,” Elliot said from the doorway.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea that I come back.”
“Stop being a chicken, and get your ass back home. You don’t want to deal with being attracted to her. Honestly, I can’t be alone with her anymore in the house.”
Mika saw the color in his cheeks.
Did I hear him right?
“What’s the matter?
She getting
under your skin?”
Elliot balked.
“Of course not.
Being alone in the house with her is daunting. She keeps asking what we’re doing to find the man who kidnapped her. I told her that we had hit an elk, but I know she doesn’t believe me. She insists that her captor turned into a wolf. I keep telling her that she imagined that. October told me there was a second abductor. We never thought of that. Dawn’s been over a couple of times to see what else she needs. She’s wearing Dominique’s clothes. All I can see is her, and her perfume is still attached to the fabric. I just . . .” A low growl spilled from his lips.
“She’s not Dominique. Your mind’s playing tricks on you.”
His friend collapsed on the sofa next to him. “I know that. But I didn’t tell you that she kissed me the other day.”
His eyes widened.
“Really?
She kissed me too.”
“Did you enjoy it?” Elliot asked.
His cock moved from the thought of October dressed in only his shirt, showing the dip between her breasts. The way her dark hair cascaded over her shoulders stirred his desire. Her milky calves and the tops of her breasts were something he had to taste. His dick firmed, and he shifted uncomfortably on the couch. Mika met his friend's inquisitive gaze and then looked down at the floor.
“Her lips were sweet. I wanted to take her that very night. I still think about it. Elliot, I haven’t longed for a woman this way since I wanted Dawn. After I hit the wall, I wasn’t sure I could trust myself around her. And the way she looked at me when I exploded, I can’t face her looking at me like that again. Are you attracted to her too?”
“She’s smokin’, I give her that. It’s messed up, her dressing in Dom’s clothes. The lines are blurring together. Yeah, I’m attracted to her. We have to keep our heads straight. She can’t know about us, and she’s been asking a lot of questions. We need to find the bastards and then get her back to her life.”
Mika knew his friend was right. October had a life
of her own
. Once she was healed, she had to return to that life. If they were both drawn to her, then why couldn’t they both try to woo her? That meant he had to go back to the house and apologize for being an ass and losing his temper. He studied his friend and wondered how much October had wormed into his heart. He hadn’t made this much of a fuss over a woman since Dominique, so maybe she was making an impact on him.
“I’ve been going out every night this week, but I haven’t picked up anything. I don’t know how he does it. Or why we haven’t detected the other one. You want to come with me tonight? I sure could use the extra nose.”
“Does that mean you’re coming back to the house?”
He nodded.
“Yup.
The couch is getting lumpy. I really do wish I was in my own bed.”
Elliot clapped him on the back. “Good.
Because dinner’s cooking with October looking over it.
Let’s go.”
Mika turned off the computer and then locked up the bookstore. He rode back with Elliot. As he got out of the car, his stomach tightened in knots thinking about what he would say to October. He strolled into the kitchen and saw her leaning over the stove on one crutch. Her braided hair hung down her back. He smelled the vanilla of her skin over the spices in the food. He licked his lips at the delectable aroma. She was dressed in a pair of jeans and his blue plaid shirt. A smile curled up his mouth when he saw she was wearing it. When she turned around, the surprise of his return was apparent by the light in her eyes.
“H-Hi!”
“Hello. Are you going to be staying here?”
“Yeah.
I wanted to apologize for last week. I lost my temper with Dawn, and you didn’t need to see that. I normally don’t go postal.”
“It’s okay. Elliot told me you and she used to date and it ended badly. Don’t worry about it. Dinner should be ready in a few minutes.” She grabbed another plate from the cabinet and had to reach up on tiptoe to get it.
October lost her balance when she turned. Mika rushed over and caught her before she dropped the plate. He stared into her eyes and felt the instant attraction flare between them. He lowered his mouth to hers and claimed her lips before he could stop. She tasted like everything he had imagined and then some. He pulled her closer until her breasts pushed against his chest. Mika kissed along the line of her jaw,
then
nipped at the column of her throat. October moaned and ran her fingers through his hair. Encouraged, he slid his hand over her shirt and cupped her breast through the material. The nipple tightened at his touch. Everything in him wanted to carry her away and make love to her.
Screw dinner. I need her now.
October quivered from his caresses. Her desire filled his nose like a fine wine. “I want you, October. God help me. I need you.”
She placed a hand on his chest and shook her head. “I can’t. Not right now.”
“Why?”
“What about Elliot?”
“What about him?” He growled and hated the fact that he did. His friend had admitted he was attracted to October as well.
“He’s been here all week. He’s bent over backward to help me out, and there’s something so broken inside of him. I can’t fight this thing between us, but there’s also something between me and Elliot. He denies it. I don’t want to complicate things more than they already are.”
He understood, but that didn’t mean he was going to give up. A strand of her braid had come loose, and he pushed it behind her ear. “Okay.” He backed away and then took the plate that she had in her hand. He brought it out to the table and set another place.
Elliot came in from the garage and smiled at October. Mika noticed how she smiled back and her eyes brightened.
She’s drawn to the both of us and doesn’t want to hurt our feelings. God, why does this happen now?
They sat down together at the table and ate dinner. Their conversation was very stilted and mostly kept to
one- or two-word
answers. Her gaze darted between them. At the end of the meal, Elliot gathered the plates. His hand brushed across hers. Her cheeks filled with color. His friend lingered a moment and returned the smile. Part of Mika was glad the other man had found another woman, but the primal part, the wolf, longed to tear his throat out because he was encroaching on his territory. It took all of his self-control to keep quiet and his temper locked away when October settled down next to Elliot on the couch and laid her head on his shoulder. He muttered something under his breath that caught Elliott’s attention. He shot him a look. Halfway into the movie, he couldn’t take it anymore when he squeezed her knee. Mika got up and walked out onto the deck, hoping the fall air would cool his raging wolf instincts.
Elliot’s my friend, and I’d never hurt him.