Rescuing Their Virgin Mate(35)
He swallowed and looked off. “Yes, only it wasn’t me or anyone else like me. It was an honest-to-goodness wolf.”
The server came over and placed their order in front of them. “Can I get you anything else?”
Clay smiled. “We’re good.” He pointed his fork at her. “Let’s eat.”
Her stomach grumbled, but she needed to digest what he’d told her. Being different would be hard especially if you thought defending your kind might make things worse. When she finished spreading most of the food around, she pushed her plate to the side. Her appetite had waned after hearing his story.
“Where are you parents now?” She hoped they were still alive.
“In Wyoming. They bought a large spread a few years back and took up ranching.”
She leaned close and whispered. “Does your dad ever shift and herd the cattle himself?”
His eyes widened. “I have no idea, but it sounds like a great idea.”
“Did you move a lot?” There might have been other incidents to prompt the family to change locations.
“Only every year.” He held up a finger. “And before you ask, our family kind of adopted Dirk and his mom. They came with us wherever we went.”
No wonder they kept no secrets between them. A twinge of jealousy surfaced. Even if she decided to be with both men, she’d never play a role as important as the one they’d played in each other’s life.
Clay slipped a hand over hers. “Something wrong?”
“No. Just thinking.”
“Are you worried there isn’t a place in our lives for you because Dirk and I are like brothers?”
Her jaw dropped. “You can read minds.”
He threw back his head and guffawed. Tears brimmed on his lashes. Her comment wasn’t that funny.
He finally straightened. “Oh, sugar, you have no idea about my many talents.”
#
They didn’t linger because the impending storm arrived.
As soon as they stepped inside the beach house, Elena held out her palms. “I really, really need to shower. I have sand everywhere.”
He lifted his arm. The underside was coated in sand. “Me, too.”
He held his breath hoping she’d ask if they could shower together. Dirk’s words came back to him about being his usual aggressive self and seeing if she stopped him.
“You know we have a water shortage in the state.” She’ll never fall for that line.
She laughed. “It’s raining outside.”
That wasn’t a rejection. “True, but not enough to replenish the aquifer.”
Maybe Clay shouldn’t have snapped those photos of Elena, but if she decided she wanted nothing to do with either of them, having her picture might help. Who was he kidding? Staring at her photo when he couldn’t touch her would make him go crazy. His attraction to her wasn’t because she was his mate. Elena was pure of heart, open to accept others, and eager to learn.
She moved closer and his balls turned to steel. “Are you suggesting we shower together?”
He mentally pumped his fist. His normally calm body betrayed him once more with the sound of cracking bones. “Yes.”
Making love with Elena might prevent his body from going haywire every time he was around her, but that wasn’t why he desired her. He was falling in love with this resilient, kind woman.
Her smile nearly did him in, and thoughts of Kurt and Drake’s playroom surfaced. She’d freak if he brought her into a room that had chains coming down from the ceiling and more toys than any local sex shop.
“Clay?”
He had to stop daydreaming. “Coming. Let’s use the shower in the room where I’m staying. It’s bigger.”
“I’m game.”
She’d basically handed him an open invitation to make love with her, and he prayed he didn’t mess it up.
Chapter Ten
Elena hoped she wasn’t making a mistake, but when Clay was photographing her, she swore she saw not only compassion in his eyes, but also a strong yearning ready to burst out of him. He was a good man. Learning about his life growing up shed a new light on the kind of obstacles he’d had to face. She admired a man who made something good out of a bad situation.
“Right this way.” He opened the bedroom door.
While the room was smaller than hers, it had a more comfortable feel, especially since the bed was on a diagonal. She brushed against him and sand trickled down her arm. “Whoops.” They hurried into the bathroom and she held her palm under the sandier of her two arms. She halted. “Wow. This is nice.”
He clasped her hand and led her into the shower stall. “We should undress in here so we don’t track sand everywhere.”