Chapter 65 Chapter 65
Gage watched the door close and turned to head back to the shop. He hadn’t meant to kiss her. Hell, he’d said he wasn’t going to touch her, and then he reached out and grabbed her hand a breath after the thought.
Kissing her had been the best, and worst thing he’d ever done, as far as she was concerned. He hadn’t expected them both to ignite. Oh, he’d heard it was all heat with your true mate, but didn’t expect to get burned like that. Stopping had taken every ounce of restraint he could muster, and he had to dig really deep to find it.
His cat had almost ripped him to shreds from the inside. He rubbed a hand over his ribs, as if he expected to feel gouges covering them. It still hurt. It was taking all his restraint to keep walking away from her right now. Her taste was on his lips, her scent was all he could smell, and he could still feel exactly where her body had pressed into his.
He let out an exasperated sigh and looked down at the front of his jeans. Not that it was a new state whenever she was near. Or had thoughts of her. Now he had her flavor on his taste buds and he was damned for sure, because he had no desire to wash it away. He was screwed plain and simple.
With a scowl on his face, he stomped back into the yard. Halfway to the shop he spotted Gary, Jake, and Blair struggling to free up the broken track that was jammed in the wheel assembly of the earth mover. Obviously, the operator had tried to keep going after the links had snapped. That wasn’t unusual around here.
An annoyed hiss left him as he walked over to help.
Blair and Jake were heaving on a long pry bar, and judging by the growls coming out of them, using their human and animal strength. Gary was literally beating the shit out of the wedged link trying to get it free.
He shouldered his way between the two straining men and grasped the bar with both hands. Pouring all his frustration into his efforts, he leaned on the bar and was rewarded with a loud snap as the track let go. Blair stumbled back as Jake hit the ground with a loud gasp.
Straightening slowly, Gary let the hammer slip from his hand as he exhaled loudly.
“Our own hulk,” Jake muttered, trying to catch his breath.
“We just loosened it up for him,” Blair quipped as he reached down to pull Jake to his feet.
Dusting off his jeans, Jake took a deep breath. “I didn’t think the bitch was ever going to let go.”
Blair mopped at the sweat covering his face with his forearm as he eyed Gage. “You take some extra vitamins today, Herc?”
Gary leaned back against the side of the rig, with a large bottle of water resting on his hip; he inhaled deeply and then straightened up, coughing. He gave Gage a wide-eyed look. “I don’t think vitamins are responsible for his sudden increase in strength.”
Gage watched the other two subtly inhale, then look anywhere but at him. He clenched his jaw, cursing the sensitive sense of smell of his kind. He clearly had Kelsey’s scent all over him.
Blair was the first to make eye contact, and knowing how he felt about her, Gage could now see his pain. “So,” Blair rubbed a hand over his sweat drenched chest, “Kelsey feeling better after her walk?”
Gage studied him for a moment; tension plainly visible in the way he held himself. Rubbing the back of his neck, he looked down at the broken track. “I showed her that her sense of smell is now heightened.”
Jake grabbed the bottle of water Gary held out. “How’d she like that?”
Gage smiled as the image of the excited look in her eyes came to him as she explained what she’d been able to smell. “She was awed.”
“Is she all right?” Blair asked quietly.
Turning Gage watched Blair, his jaw was tense. He gave him a serious look. “Yeah. She’s still struggling with everything, though.”
Blair picked up the bottle of water sitting on his shirt, “She’ll get a handle on it,” he took a small sip and hesitated, the bottle held away from his mouth. “There’s nothing she can’t do.” Changing his mind, he capped the bottle and turned toward the shop. “I’ll go grab the shit we need.” The anger in his words hit Gage like a slap.
He watched him walk away, his stride long and not as smooth as it usually was. “Damn,” he muttered under his breath.
“Give him time to adjust.” Jake said quietly standing beside him.
“He had to know it was coming,” running a hand through his hair, Gage looked from one man to the other. “If I could step aside, I would, but…”
Jake shook his head. “He knows it’s not a possibility, Gage. His heart just hasn’t caught up with his head yet.”
“How did I not see this?” Gage said it more to himself then them.
Jake gave his shoulder a light smack. “You were blinded by the sudden drive to mate.” He motioned to the door Blair had gone through. “Otherwise you would have noticed the pain radiating off him when you finally confessed why you were acting like a complete asshole toward Kelsey.”
Glancing at him out of the corner of his eye briefly, he acknowledged his friend’s lack of sugar-coating his words. “But he went to help Bruce…”
“Right after you told us.” Jake shook his head. “That’s why he did.” Exhaling, he glanced at Gary who nodded. “He almost went fucking mad when he realized she was off limits.”
Gage groaned and stood there looking at the ground. “Fuck.” Taking a deep breath, he rolled his shoulders; the pounding desire to go to Kelsey was still riding him. “Let me know if he reaches his breaking point.” He gave both a no-nonsense glare. “Blair in a full-blown rage is something that frightens even me.”
Both men nodded they’re agreement. Pulling out the phone, he checked the time. “When was the last time someone did a sweep of the boundaries?”
Gary motioned to the track. “I was just going to head out when they needed me.”
Nodding, Gage glanced at the shop and then back to him. “I’ll go. I need to burn off some frustration right now.”
Jake squeezed his shoulder. “He’ll get a grip on it, Gage. He doesn’t have a choice; he won’t risk Kelsey, if not being here puts her safety in question.”
Gage closed his eyes, biting down on the anger that flared at the thought of a threat. “Any idiot that would even attempt to come here…”
Jake laughed. “Would be a dead fucking idiot.”
Gage grinned, knowing the other men in Kelsey’s life would all do everything to protect her. “A bloody slaughter could be therapeutic at this point.”
Gary choked on his drink. “Hopefully it won’t come to that.” He waved his hand in the direction of the road. “Go check the perimeter so we can get back to work.”
Giving him a mock salute, Gage started to turn. “Yes, sir!” Stripping off his shirt, he tucked it into his back pocket and turned, jogging out of the yard to the long driveway. Hopefully he’d sweat Kelsey’s scent out of his system. Shaking his head, he knew there was about as much chance of that happening as there was for him to turn into a butterfly.
Passing the window, Gage told himself he was just checking for unknown scents near the house. Even he knew it was a lie. He’d already checked all but one, and hadn’t spotted Kelsey anywhere in the house. Maybe she was in the shower… He came to an abrupt halt at that thought. Don’t think about her naked. Too late. Groaning, he forced his foot to move and inhaled again, searching for unfamiliar scents.
As he passed the kitchen window, his heart stopped in his chest. Kelsey was leaning over the counter, pressing her face against it. Frowning, he stepped closer. What was she doing? She had changed into some sort of sundress that left most of her back bare. His groin tightened again.
Snapping his teeth together, he was just about to step away when she moved and pressed the other side of her face to the counter; a look of pain etched on her face. Without pausing, he was around the corner, leaping up over the railing, and rushing into the kitchen.
Moving toward her, he tried to ignore the bare legs on display beneath the little dress she wore, “Are you all right?”
She continued to press her upper body and face against the cold tiles. “No.” she panted, “no, I think I need to go to the hospital.”
Panic hit him in the gut. “What is it?” He leaned on the counter, afraid to touch her.
“I’m burning up, Gage. I’ve tried everything. My stomach is cramping, my skin is so hot…” she hissed out a breath and spread her arms across the tiles. “My clothes even hurt…” she made a sound of distress.
Gage fought his panic and took a deep breath, the last thing she needed was him freaking out. A scent hit him and his body almost convulsed when he recognized it. Her body was emitting pure female cat scent. It was one he’d only smelled a few times before when he’d been visiting Bruce and it usually meant… his brain shut down as his cat fought him for supremacy. Shit.
Kelsey made another sound of distress and both his man and cat froze. Slowly he went to stand right behind her. She may not shift yet, but he’d learned his lesson years ago when he’d almost lost half his face to a female’s claws. “Let me help you, honey.” He kept his voice soft and gentle.
He blew gently against the bare skin on her back. She stilled beneath him. His hand was shaking as he brushed the tips of his fingers from her shoulder along her stretched arm until he reached her hand. He held her hand flat against the countertop, feeling more confident now that she wouldn’t be able to turn suddenly on him.
“Gage,” her voice was filled with fear.
“Shh,” he leaned forward, trying hard not to press his hips into her as he did. That took willpower he didn’t realize he possessed. “I can make this more bearable for you.” He ran his other hand down her back, blowing softly over the skin across her shoulders as he did.
She made a whining noise.
He knew he’d brought this on by kissing her, which is why he’d tried so hard not to. The dormant cat inside her knew she was near her mate, even if Kelsey refused to admit it.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
He couldn’t believe how badly his hands were shaking; his cat lay just under the surface knowing how cautious they had to be, lest they be rejected. “I do, honey,” he whispered against her shoulder. Her skin was like satin. “Your cat needs something…” he didn’t know how to explain this to her without being vulgar.
She groaned as he brushed his lips over her skin again. “Why? Why now?”
Her voice was riddled with pain and need; he doubted she realized the latter. “The change is close, Kels, she knows I’m near…” he paused as he ran his hand down the heated flesh of her rib cage, gauging her reaction.
She stilled, barely breathing. “I couldn’t handle the water on my skin…” she gasped as he opened his hand and touched her with more than his fingertips. “How can you…” As he touched her hip, she pushed back into him.
Gage had to clench his teeth to fight against his need to pin her against the counter.
“Gage?” She whined, the panic in her tone causing him to sweat.
“Shh, honey, just let me help you.” He lowered his bare chest against her and had to bite back a growl when her soft flesh felt like it was burning. He ran his hand up her bare thigh, Christ, I’m going to die here… placing it under her skirt. When she didn’t freeze under his touch, he kept inching higher until he reached her hip. His fingers skimmed over the edge of the elastic of her underwear, resting over her hip. Swallowing, he traced his way along it to her stomach.
His cat was running wild, wanting to push, but knowing they couldn’t go faster. Brushing his mouth along her throat, he paused against her ear. “Is this helping?”
His only answer was a soft mewling noise that sent more blood rushing to his already painfully throbbing groin. Running his finger under the edge of her underwear, he clamped down on the images flashing through his mind. One wrong move and her cat would reject him, and Kelsey would hate him.
As his hand moved under the material, she started clawing at the counter. Pausing, he released the the hand holding hers, then and grasped both of her wrists firmly. “Easy, honey,” he murmured, moving his lips back to her neck.
Every instinct told him to mark her, but his cat paused knowing what a mistake that would be. Moving his hand between her legs, he cupped her lightly. She tensed and he froze, giving her time to adjust and, hopefully, accept him. When her legs opened further, he took that as consent. Barely able to remember to breathe, he moved his hand over her swollen flesh and almost swallowed his tongue when he felt how wet she was. Soaked would not have adequately described it. She hissed out a breath and pushed into his hand.
Fucking. Killing. Me.
Sliding his finger through her heat, he slid it slowly inside her. Her muscles clamped down. She was so tight his knees shook, her scent enveloping and choking him.
Moving his finger in and out with great care, he pressed his face into her throat, reveling in the incredible scent of her skin. So tight… he bit back a groan. A thought hit him like a splash of cold water. “Are you a virgin, honey?”
She thrust against his hand and moaned what took him a moment to realize was a yes.
Christ…
That helped keep his restraint in check. His heart pounded with an emotion he could only label as triumph. She would only ever be his.
Torturing himself while pleasing her, he thrust two fingers into her tight wetness while trying to keep his mind focused and distracted from taking her right there, right now. His cat was prowling under his skin now, knowing he’d have to show her tenderness before a true mating would happen.
Her erratic breathing and throaty moans were almost his undoing. He bit her shoulder and then froze and turned away quickly. The noises she made as her body clamped tight on his fingers as she came almost brought him to his knees.
Waiting as long as he could, he released her, kissing the side of her neck as he pulled his hand free from beneath her clothes.
Not trusting himself to speak, he straightened and backed up, leaving her sprawled on the counter as she attempted to catch her breath.
He turned and stumbled to the bathroom. He leaned back against the closed door, rubbing his shaking hand over his face, only to pause when he realized it was the same hand that had been inside her.
“Fuck.” The scent made his body shudder. Hastily he kicked off his boots and ripped his jeans from his body. He grasped himself in a tight, almost painful grip as he fumbled to get the shower turned on and get into it as his hand began stroking the rigid flesh. He wasn’t going to survive her change.