“She sure did.” And if he had anything to say about it, she’d stay the hell away from Karla. The woman was clearly vicious. He didn’t like her and neither did his wolf.
“That’s good. She was stressing me earlier.”
“About?” He didn’t really need to ask. He knew she’d been stressed the moment he walked into the room. Her distress had alarmed his animal. He’d scented anxiety and knew he had to find a way to reassure her or he’d never calm his beast.
“I don’t really want to talk about it.” She snuggled in closer, draping her leg over his.
This was it. He had to get her to talk to him. To open up some of those doors she locked all her emotions behind.
“I can tell you that I can’t believe you’re both related.”
She turned her face up to look at him. “Why?”
“She’s nothing like you. You’re a good friend. You care about people. She’s selfish, and she’s not interested in anything unless it concerns her. Nor does she care about hurting others.”
“We’ve been distant for a long time.” She started talking softly. It was what he’d hoped. For her to say something to give him a clue to the internal distress she suffered in her youth. It also explained why she had all that anxiety when it came to a relationship with him. “My family wasn’t the best when I grew up. Mom was…well, let’s just say she taught me what I don’t want out of life.”
“And what about your sister and brother?” He stroked slow lines up and down her spine. The tension seeped from her muscles after a while. She probably didn’t realize it, but it calmed his animal when he got her to relax.
“Kel has always been there for me.” He heard the approval in her voice. “He’s been the only person in the family who worried about me. Who wanted to make sure I was happy. He can sense when I’m upset.”
“Really?”
“Yup. But I don’t think Kass can. It’s like just something he and I share. A special brother sister bond that she was never part of.”
He lifted a hand to caress her long hair. It was still damp from her shower and curling as it dried. “Do you talk to your mother often?”
She laughed, a short bitter sound that broke his heart. “Not if I can help it. She’s never been interested in Kel or me. I don’t know how she deals with Kass. But the minute I was old enough to go away to college, Kel and I hit the road. Laura, my mother, was too busy clinging on to the current man in her life at the time.”
“What do you mean clinging?” He kept his question light. As though he wasn’t really trying to read between the lines of everything she said.
“My mother has a problem with men. I think I told you. She has never been able to have one hang around for long. They make promises, and they say they will stay.” He heard her swallow hard. “But all it takes is a few weeks and they’re gone. She’s gone to many lengths to buy love.”
“Did you say buy love?” His chest felt tight all of a sudden. He knew this had a lot to do with why Karla was emotionally distant. His mother’s words came back to him then. He had to start treating Karla like the woman she was, his mate. He’d have to think of a way, but in order for her to believe in his commitment, she’d have to see it.
“Oh yeah. She will spend every penny she has on her man and think that’s enough for them to stay. That buying them things will get her the love she craves. But I think it’s more of a power trip for her. Only it never seems to work. Kel thinks she’s mental, but I don’t.” She rubbed her cheek on his chest, and he pulled her tighter into his arms. “I think she just likes to be able to see if she’ll get away with keeping a man tied to her.”
He could understand how seeing that would make it hard for Karla to trust in a relationship. “But she had to have at least one long lasting relationship. What happened with your father?”
“He lasted. All of whatever long it took to get her pregnant. Then he came around for bits of time and saw us. Never letting us get too clingy. He explained he had a family and we should understand that it was our mother’s fault for getting pregnant from a married man that couldn’t be around.”
Anger burned in his chest. He wanted to pound the low life to the ground. “He said you had to understand?”
“Oh yes. You see, he was only interested in an affair, but Laura went and got herself knocked up to tie him to her. He didn’t have time for more kids or a neurotic woman who was obsessed with spending all her time stalking him.”