Therian Prize(40)

“And you were just twenty-one when you lost your parents?” He probably didn’t like to talk about it but she’d always been fascinated by his sacrifice. Few men in their early twenties would take on the responsibility of three teenage girls.

“I was almost twenty-two.” He turned away as he filled his wineglass but she could see the tension in his shoulders. Was he thinking about all he’d missed out on as he struggled to rear his siblings or was he embarrassed by the attention? “Liz was sixteen, Enya fourteen and Tara had just turned twelve. There was no way I was going to let the state split them up or warehouse them in some group home. We’re family and families take care of each other. End of story.”

It was certainly not that simple in her family. There had always been tension in the Fitzroy household. Pack had always come before personal wants or needs. She couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to have her happiness factored into the equation, much less be the top consideration. She took several sips of wine, trying to ignore the heaviness creeping over her heart.

“Do you work at the Clubhouse because you enjoy it or because your father expects it of you?”

She shot him an impatient glance. “Do you really need to ask?”

“Okay. If pack obligations were not an issue, what would you do with the rest of your life?”

She tried to smile and failed. She used to lie in David’s arms daydreaming about what life would be like once her father accepted that they were together. Then David died and everything changed. The future ceased to exist and the present became something she endured day by day. Her father would never allow her to have a life beyond his control, so what was the point in dreaming?

“I don’t know.”

“Come on. You can do better than that.” He splashed her, his tone light and playful. “Where would you live? Bungalow on the beach? Penthouse apartment in Manhattan?”

“No way.” Despite her emotional caution, her imagination engaged and possibilities filled her mind. “I love the mountains. I have no desire to live in a city.”

“Okay, we can work with that.” His gaze softened as it drifted from her eyes to her mouth and back. “Mountain communities depend on tourism, so what can you do to attract tourists?”

“I could open a B&B or a café. Even a bar would be okay, if I could actually manage it.”

“Those are all good choices. The first two would allow you time for yourself in the evening and a bar allows you to sleep all day.”

“You sound like a guidance counselor. You realize that, don’t you?”

He chuckled and stared at her over the rim of his wineglass. “Habit. Sorry. Taking care of my sisters has made me sort of paternal.”

She returned his stare and awareness arced between them, hot and electric. His sisters might see him as a surrogate father but her feelings for him were anything but familial. She wanted to straddle his legs and kiss his mouth while his cock filled her over and over.

“Landon said you love animals.” The statement jarred her out of her sensual haze. What were they talking about? Her mind had completely abandoned the conversation. “Maybe you could open a shelter.”

“I do love animals, but running a shelter would be so sad. Do you realize how many of those animals they end up euthanizing?” She shook her head and paused for another sip of wine. “I couldn’t deal with that.”

“Devon and her mom run a big cat sanctuary. Actually it’s expanded to include all sorts of predators—cats, wolves, bears.”

Why were they still talking? Didn’t he feel this magnetic current swirling around them, drawing them closer together? “I’d love to see it, but I don’t want to bring trouble to their front door. I’d better wait until this thing with my father is resolved one way or the other.”

He set down his mostly empty glass and stretched his arms out along the tub’s rim. The muscles in his shoulders bunched and his pecs rose, forming symmetrical curves. Lust spiraled through her body and congregated between her thighs.

“All right, let’s talk about that.” He went on as if her body temperature weren’t about to evaporate the water surrounding them. “What are your options?”

Top or bottom? Slow and easy or fast and frantic? “Play hide-and-seek for the rest of my life.”

He smiled. “Sounds exhausting.”

“True.” She downed the rest of her wine and took a deep breath. He seemed determined to talk, so she reined in her surging desire. “I can ask someone to define me. That will alleviate the threat from the backers, but my father will still be a problem.”