Seducing Their Wayfaring Souls [3xtasy Lake 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (3 page)

Tara’s and Jelani’s voices echoed in the hallway and it took everything he had not to rush down the hall to see her. Instead, he forced himself to turn around and walk outside. He took a deep breath of the fresh autumn air. They’d had an unseasonably warm fall, but it looked like the weather might start to turn. Too bad, because he had hoped the warmth would hold out for the kids so they could have a warmer Halloween. Trick-or-treating was always more fun when a kid didn’t have to bundle up.

A flurry of leaves scuttled around his boots as he walked across the parking lot and stopped to lean against a large maple tree. Its dark-yellow, orange, and rust leaves rustled in the soft breeze coming across the lake. He and Cris had gone out for a drive today to enjoy one of the last chances to ride their bikes before storing them for the winter. Lars loved Ontario at this time of year. There wasn’t a more beautiful place in the world, and he was lucky enough to live in the middle of it.

He was relieved they’d been in the right place at the right time. They’d heard the sound of brakes locking up, followed by the unmistakable sound of metal hitting metal. For a moment he would’ve sworn he heard a woman scream. It was a terror-filled sound that had made him gun his engine the exact moment Cris had.

Lars paced across the parking lot a couple times and then headed back toward the door to the medical clinic, unable to stay away any longer. There was something incredibly special about Tara that called to him and made him want to take care of her. Frankly, it was frightening because he knew deep in his heart that she was going to change his life but he couldn’t stay away. He nodded to Jelani, who was talking softly to his wife and Carol at the reception desk.

“They’re with the kittens,” Carol Henderson said as he passed.

Lars gave her a smile and nodded his head. “How’re Jaxon, Kaden, and Sloan?”

“They’re doing great. You should come out to dinner one night.” Carol was an incredible cook, and with three shape-shifters as Mates she was used to cooking lots of food at one time.

“As long as you’re the one cooking, I’m there.” He nodded toward the hallway behind them. “I just want to make sure she’s okay.”

Jelani, Jessica, and Carol stood there and smiled at him as if they knew what was going on in his head. Mated couples tended to think no one was truly happy alone and didn’t understand he preferred to be on his own. He valued his freedom.
Keep lying to yourself and one day you might believe it
.

“I’m going down and seeing Albert about getting her a room for a couple days.” Jessica gave her Mate a kiss and patted Lars on his arm. “Can you bring her and Zack down to the hotel when they’re ready?”

“Meet you there.” Lars passed them and headed down the short hallway. He glanced into the cat room and saw Zack and Lulu playing with the kittens, but Tara wasn’t anywhere in sight.

He followed the sound of her ragged breathing and found her backed into a corner. She jumped when he stepped around the wall and caught her hiding. Her eyes were red and her cheeks glistened with tears. “What’s wrong?” Lars couldn’t stop himself from wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her close. She stood there stiff and unmoving, her entire body shaking with the force of her silent tears. Tara’s tears felt like sandpaper against his skin. He never liked to see any woman crying, but he felt Tara’s pain as acutely as if it’d been his own. A deep, visceral ache throbbed in his chest and pressed against his skin with a need to be closer to her and destroy what had upset her.

“I’m. Sorry,” she hiccupped, trying to catch her breath as she spoke. “I. Can’t…Stop…”

“Shhhhh.” Lars rubbed her back between her shoulder blades and rocked her gently. It was a natural response to her pain and tears, and he prayed he was helping her. “This is a normal reaction to stress. You both are fine, and after a good meal and a solid sleep I bet you feel like a thousand bucks in the morning.”

That made her cry even harder, and Lars tried to figure out what he’d said wrong. “Would a million bucks be better?”

Tara coughed and laughed slightly although there was no real humour in it. “I’d settle for a hundred.” She wiped her face with the backs of her hands and sniffed.

“Don’t worry. We’re going to take care of the two of you.” He reached over to the desk and handed her a box of tissues.

“Why would you do that?”

Lars looked at the tissues and back at her. “Because your face is all wet and you might want to blow your nose?”

She laughed again and this time it sounded a bit more real. “No, why do you all want to take care of us? Everyone has been so incredibly kind.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Ecstasy Lake is a special place. We like to take care of each other.” He pulled a tissue from the box and lifted her chin and wiped the wash of tears from her cheeks. “I don’t like seeing you crying.”

“Why? You don’t even know me.”

How could he explain to her what he feared to admit to himself? Seeing her cry felt like acid dripping on his soul. He wondered what kind of life she’d had up to this point. What would make her so suspicious of a person offering basic human kindness?

“I can’t seem to stop.” She sniffed and her eyes welled up again. This time, she grabbed another tissue and turned her back to him as she blew her nose. Lars reached his hand out to stroke her hair but pulled it back before she noticed. She was trouble, and he was sunk.

He’d put a lot of effort into not allowing his emotions to get the better of him when it came to women. He couldn’t allow himself to love again, and he didn’t want any female to develop feelings for him he would never be able to return. But Tara was different. Something about her drew him in. She awoke things inside of him he hadn’t felt in a century. His first thought was to pat her shoulder and get far away from her, but his feet were rooted to the ground. When he saw the tremors wrack her shoulders again, he moved closer to her and pulled her into his arms.

She wrapped her arms around his waist. Her small hands felt like brands pressed at his lower back, her cheek against his chest over his heartbeat. He felt her tears soak through the front of his T-shirt and seep directly into his heart. She smelled like lush tropical flowers first thing in the morning. He could almost imagine that her skin would feel like silk under his fingertips and fought the urge to find out.
This was the last thing I expected when I woke up this morning.

She was the perfect height. Her head fit perfectly under his chin as he rubbed her back, trying to soothe her. It felt like every muscle in her body was knotted up and that couldn’t be good for her. She needed to be tucked into a large bed and surrounded by men who loved her.
Where did that come from?
“Did you know crying is good for you?” He needed to distract himself from the runaway train his thoughts had turned into.

“Really, says who?” She sniffed and wiped her fingers under her eyes but wouldn’t look up at him.

“It’s true.” He pulled another tissue from the box and handed it to her. “They’ve done studies about how tears cleanse toxins out of your body and releases positive hormones into your system.”

“Yeah, well, all I have is a headache and I feel like I got hit by a truck.” She straightened and put some distance between them. “I’m sorry for blubbering all over you.”

“It’s all right.” He ran his fingers along the side of her face and tucked some wayward hair behind her ear. She reminded him of a pixie with her short, tousled hair and big eyes. She blinked up at him and he forgot what made him want to keep some distance between them. His heart pounded against his ribs and that possessive sense washed over him again. He wanted to keep her safe for the rest of their lives.

He closed the space between them, thankful she didn’t retreat.
Could she be caught in the same spell?
This had to be some sort of magic. A small tear escaped the corner of her eye and slipped over her cheek. He brushed it away with his thumb, but left his hand cupping her cheek. Her lashes drifted down and she turned her face into his touch.

A kiss. One kiss was all he wanted and then he would walk away from her, far away from her. She was a single mother and he had no right to even think of inserting himself into her life. He couldn’t survive the heartbreak again when she grew older and he didn’t. To watch a child grow and be denied the right to claim him as his own. He couldn’t do that again.

One kiss. He leaned down and pressed his lips against the corner of her eye, and then the other, kissing away her tears. He brushed the corner of her mouth next, teasing them both, enjoying the hunger building up in his body. With one hand cupping her face, he pressed against her lower back with his other one, feeling the fine tremble along her skin. His cock thickened and bucked behind his leather pants. A taste. One taste and then he would let her go.

“Mom!”

They both started and she jumped back from him, her eyes wide, her fingers pressing against her cheeks.
What was I about to do?
Lars couldn’t believe how fast the moment had spiraled out of control. He’d had every intention of lifting Tara against the wall and seducing her.

“Zack, you startled me.” Tara quickly stepped to the side and smiled down at her child. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, but thereth a kitten that wanth to come home with me really badly.” He shifted his weight back and forth from foot to foot.

“Oh, sweetheart, we can’t take the kitten with us. Maybe once we settle down we can think about a pet, but it’s a big responsibility.”

“Oh, well, can we live here and then the kitten can come home with uth?”

Lars felt really bad for the kid and this was quickly morphing into an uncomfortable situation for his mother. “I think I remember Brenna saying the kittens were too young to be separated from their mother quite yet. They need to grow up a bit more.”

Zack nodded and grinned. “Oh, okay.”

Tara smiled at him, but Lars could see the exhaustion in every drooping line of her body. Guilt pounded at his thoughts.
What the hell was I thinking?
She was exhausted and possibly injured from an accident. “Why don’t I take you down to the hotel?”

“Can I ride on your bike?” Zack bounced, excitement vibrating off him as only an innocent child can give off. Tara, on the other hand, looked terrified.

“Sorry, buddy, I only have one helmet with me today, but if your mom says it’s okay then we’ll go for a ride another time.”

“There you all are.” Jessica breezed into the room with a grin. “I called down and made arrangements with Albert for the two of you. He’ll have a couple rooms ready for you by the time we get down there.”

“One room will be fine.” Tara stretched out her arm and Zack moved closer and she wrapped her fingers around his hand. Lars imagined Tara had herself on a strict budget.

“They have adjoining doors so it’s like one room.” Jessica ruffled the hair on Zack’s head. “But whatever makes you more comfortable. I also spoke to Officer Walker. He grabbed your suitcases out of the car and will meet us at the hotel.”

Tara had the most expressive face that showed every emotion she battled with. Lars was getting the impression that Tara did everything on her own and didn’t know or trust simple human kindness.

* * * *

Lars gunned the engine of his bike and whipped down the highway, trying to outrun his memories of that morning and the accident. After Jessica took Tara and Zack down to the hotel he and Craig had discussed the accident. From what Tara said, neither of them could understand how it had happened. She hadn’t braked unexpectedly or remembered someone following her closely. It was almost as if someone had deliberately run her off the road. Another ten feet and she would’ve slid down the ravine, and fifty feet from there it was a sheer drop-off to a gorge below. They both would’ve been killed for certain.

Tara reminded him of his wife. Beatrice had been a petite woman but with a core of steel. Tara was taller but still as delicate as Beatrice was, and while she’d been badly shaken he could tell she had the heart of a lion. Obviously a single mom, everything she owned had looked to be in the car and he wondered if they might be living out of it. She’d made a comment about moving to Manitoba, but why would she head out there that time of year? Manitoba weather was notoriously unpredictable and getting settled that time of year would be much more difficult than if she’d headed out at the beginning of the summer.

He checked his watch and flipped on 3XTC. He enjoyed listening to Cris read in the afternoons. The entire town did. At the McGuigan sisters’ request he’d been reading from the
Iliad
this week. Ecstasy Lake was like the kind of community he’d grown up in, a large family that stuck its nose in everyone else’s business but would protect their secrets in a heartbeat. If there was one thing Ecstasy Lake had, it was secrets. Some managed to stay hidden for centuries and others ended up public knowledge whether they wanted it or not.

River McNamara’s secrets had been exposed recently, but she’d bounced back and straight into the arms of her three Mates. Bears, of all the animals to bind herself to. The McNamara brothers were good men and he was happy she had them to watch after her. It would take three men to keep up with River. He made a mental note to give her a call. She was in her third semester of massage therapy and he thought Tara might find River’s skills beneficial. He could take Zack out fishing or for a bike ride while Tara was being taken care of.