Sanctuary Unbound: Red Rock Pass, Book 4 Read online

  “Then you won’t have the slightest trouble minding my words. Stay away from her.”

  “Yes, sir.” Adam closed his eyes and set his chair to rocking. “Keith’s doing a good job. You trained him well, and that girl of his steadies him. But you should be damned to hell for giving him such a romantic streak. Watching the two of them together is sickening.”

  “Has it really been so long since you got softhearted over a woman, you cranky bastard?”

  So long he couldn’t remember her name or her face, just that she’d had curly golden hair halfway to her hips that he’d gotten to run his fingers through once while he stole a kiss.

  And Astrid—

  He shoved away the thought. His unrequited affection for Astrid hadn’t grown deep enough to qualify, and he’d guarded his feelings closely after her death. “I keep my heart out of it these days. Better for everyone.”

  “The rest of us aren’t so content with that.”

  “The rest of you aren’t vampires. Haven’t you ever considered it? We’re the opposite of werewolves in almost every way. You folk are obsessed with your mates. Vampires aren’t built to live in pairs. Maybe just groups or all alone.”

  His friend frowned. “And I think that’s bullshit, but I’m too old and tired to rehash all our favorite arguments tonight. You win.”

  It didn’t feel like winning. The victory was as hollow as the lonely place inside him, as the hunger that craved any connection it could make. Those brief seconds with Cindy under his hands, under his mouth, had been his hottest, wildest moments in decades. He’d taken to choosing his lovers from the weaker wolves in Bedagi Creek, content to draw what he needed to sustain himself without ever letting it become more. No love, no commitment…

  No power. No passion, except the pleasure he gave them in return for their gift.

  If he didn’t stop thinking about it, Gavin would kill him.

  “Do you have to go back?”

  “To Maine?”

  “Yes.” The word came slowly, like a child’s wind-up toy exhausting its last few cranks. “You could stay here.”

  The only thing he could give his friend now was comfort. “I’m in no hurry to get back.”

  “Good.” Gavin’s eyes drifted shut. “I’m sorry I called you out here like this. It should have been a happier visit.”

  “If it had been a happier visit, I wouldn’t have come. It’s not like you didn’t try.” Adam leaned forward and braced his hand on Gavin’s shoulder. “Rest, old friend. I promise not to woo your doctor or your wife until you’re on your feet and ready to knock me off mine.” And that’s at least half-true.

  “Sam would break your face.” Gavin chuckled quietly.

  “My face is prettier than yours,” Adam countered. “Granted, there’s never been much accounting for your wife’s taste. She might ugly me up if she wanted me to stick around.”

  “Sammie does want you to stick around.”

  “Then she’s a fool and so are you.” Adam squeezed Gavin’s shoulder before sitting back. “You know I’ll be here until you don’t need me anymore. I owe you too much. You helped me save my people…and I’ll help you save yours.” If he spent all of his time thinking about present conflicts, he could ignore the temptation to dwell on the past, to pick at scabs that eighty years had barely healed.

  “Keith.”

  “You want me to save Keith?”

  “No, Keith’s people. They’re his now.” He looked relieved and guilty, all at once.

  As if it was that easy. “They’re his to protect. But they’ll always be yours too.”

  “Mmm.” Gavin smiled. “Yes.”

  “Yes,” Adam echoed. “I promised your sweet little witch that I’d let her ask me any question on blood bonds that struck her fancy, so I’m going to get as much sleep as possible before she grills me.”

  “Hmm.”

  Gavin didn’t believe him and Adam didn’t blame him. “Even if I were planning to go behind your back and woo Cindy, I’d have to wait until you weren’t camped out in her damn house.”

  “People in this town aren’t that prudish, Dubois, and that includes me. We’re used to a certain lack of privacy.”

  Adam rose to his feet. “If I was after sex, I’d pay no mind to who might be listening in. But I prefer to deliver my apologies without an audience. Or are you going to tell me I can’t do that, either?”

  “On the contrary, I quite approve of you having to grovel for forgiveness.”

  “Fine.” It took effort to keep the bite out of the word. “I am going back to your place, and I’ll send Sam here to torment you for the rest of the night. I’ll apologize on my own damn time.”

  Gavin leaned back in his chair. “Good. Tell my wife I said hello. And if you do see Cindy, tell her I want to sleep in my own damn bed tonight.”

  “Will do.” And the sooner Gavin was out of Cindy’s house… No, Dubois. Stay away. Stay far, far away.

  He needed to repay his debt and get the hell back to his cabin and his life, even if that life seemed increasingly empty with every day that passed.

  Even quiet and blessedly empty, the house hummed.

  Cindy tugged on her thermal shirt and flannel pants. She’d never liked wearing pajamas, still didn’t, but the chances that she’d be summoned from her bed in the middle of the night these days were high, even with her house cleared of patients and visitors. Sometimes, she couldn’t afford the extra few seconds it would take her to stop and dress.

  Soon you’ll be sleeping in your shoes. The thought made her laugh as she tried to imagine the damage her heavy boots would do to the densely woven but delicate cotton sheets she preferred. Or maybe not.

  The upstairs hallway was deserted for the first time in days as she walked to the bathroom. Her thoughts raced, and she used the mindless ritual of brushing her teeth to put them in order.

  She owed Adam an apology, especially after spending the whole day immersed in busy work in order to avoid him. He’d nearly killed himself trying to help over the last few days, and she’d given him nothing but grief.

  And blood. Cindy grimaced and rinsed her toothbrush, unsure whether one outweighed the other. Either way, she’d acted like a defensive ass, and it wasn’t in her nature to let it lie and hope he got over it.

  The sound of a knock drifted up the stairs, too gentle to be another emergency but too late to be a casual visit. Halfway down the stairs, she spotted Adam through the window.

  At least it gave her time to brace herself, and to try to think of something to say.

  She opened the door. “Come in.”

  He stepped across the threshold, unease clear in the tense set of his shoulders and the cool wave of power he brought with him.

  It made her want to lay a hand on his shoulder and comfort him, and the realization jarred her. “Would you like some coffee?”

  “Please.”

  He was starting to scare her a little, but she said nothing else until she’d set the coffee to brew and lowered herself to the chair opposite his at the kitchen table. “Is something wrong?”

  “I’m not sure.” He flattened both palms on the table, his wide, blunt fingers sliding absently over the wood, as if testing it for some quality. “I came to apologize.”

  “It’s not necessary.” The words were automatic, habit.

  “That’s for me to decide, not you. And I think I need to apologize.”

  So he wanted to unburden his soul, make himself feel better. She couldn’t fault him for it, since she’d been thinking the same thing not ten minutes ago. “All right.”

  But the words that came were odd. “I’m sorry I tried too hard. I acted like a stupid bastard.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “All that shit I spewed about getting you off…” His voice turned rough. “Not saying I wouldn’t want to. Just…I was trying too hard. Trying not to be a barely verbal fool who’d nearly fucked you against a wall.”

  Just like that, he bared himsel
f. Exposed his vulnerability. Cindy’s mouth went dry, and she clasped her hands together under the table to hide their shaking. “You weren’t the only one who acted like an ass. I felt rejected. It made me mean.”

  His lips tugged up in a smile wicked as sin. “Never did have much luck with alpha wolves. Too bad I have such a weakness for you.”

  An answering smile curved her own mouth. “You’re helpless when faced with crude, difficult blondes?”

  “Deadlier than garlic and crosses.”

  “Don’t tease.” She tried to look away from the full bow of his lower lip. “I could ask you to my bed.”

  “And Gavin would rise from his sickbed to drag me from it by the scruff of my neck like an untrained puppy.” Adam’s smile widened, enough to part his lips and show fang. “He knows I like my blondes feisty.”

  “So he already warned you off, then.”

  “Several times.”

  And yet here he was. “Are you that obstinate, or that fascinated?”

  “Both.” His hand smoothed to the edge of the table then traced along the side. “And I did owe you an apology. Gavin said you’re one of the ones who didn’t come to this life by choice, and I know about that.”

  Cindy stiffened. She didn’t want to think about Preston, much less talk about him. “I appreciate your consideration.”

  He glanced up at her, his eyes narrowed. “Didn’t show you much of that.”

  Tossing his own words back at him was ridiculously satisfying. “I think that’s for me to decide, not you.” The coffeemaker beeped, and she rose to fill two mugs.

  When she turned back, he nodded. “Fair enough. I didn’t show you as much as I’d like.”

  “And you’d like to remedy that.”

  “Maybe. I’ve been a hermit for a long time though. Maybe I’m worried I’ll fuck it up more.”

  She didn’t want him to concern himself with such things. The more care he took with her, the harder it would be to remind herself that she didn’t need another disastrous entanglement. She’d almost forgotten already, drawn in by the heat of his gaze and the memory of his hands in her hair.

  Cindy thumped the mug to the table in front of him with more force than she intended. “We’d be better off avoiding any involvement.”

  “Don’t necessarily disagree on that account, sweetheart. When the great adventure here is over I’m going back home.” But he didn’t sound any more certain than she.

  It shouldn’t have made a difference, but it did. “If we know what it is—and what it isn’t,” she reasoned, “then that’s not really the same thing as getting involved, is it?”

  “Not really.” His voice had dropped, taken on a harsh edge. “Don’t know as all the people who want me to stay away from you will agree, but I’m not sure I care.”

  As long as they laid out the rules, she didn’t either. “No more blood. This is about sex, not food.”

  Only a brief hesitation before he nodded. “How much has Gavin told you about me? Anything?”

  “No.” She swallowed. “And I don’t want to know. Rule number two.”

  “That’s a little reckless, don’t you think? Hopping into bed with a century-old vampire who your alpha thinks you’re safer away from without asking a single question?”

  “If Gavin thought for a moment that you posed a physical threat to any of us, you wouldn’t be here, and you know it. You may be his oldest friend, but we’re his pack. Any warnings to leave me alone would have been for my emotional benefit, not to ensure my safety.” The coffee left a sour taste in her mouth, and Cindy pushed her mug away. “If you want to say no, just say it.”

  Adam shoved his chair back, his expression caught somewhere between anger and the sort of heat that left her knees weak. The sort that made her think of dark corners and raw, panting breaths blowing in her ear, the hard bite of fingers clutching her hips. “No. I don’t want to say no.”

  “It won’t hurt me if you do.” She kept pushing, and the only thing she could think was that maybe she was trying to piss him off. Trying to make him run so she wouldn’t have to.

  He lifted a hand and touched her cheek, his fingers work-roughened but gentle. “It might hurt you if I don’t. If you won’t hear my sins, at least hear this. I don’t have much experience separating sex from blood. Not that I’m not willing to try, but it’ll be…new for me.”

  “I want you to look at me and see a woman, not dinner. That’s all.” It should have terrified her, giving him the unvarnished truth, but she didn’t feel exposed, just excited. Hungry.

  His hand fell away. “I don’t see my lovers as food.”

  “A convenient pick-me-up, then.” Cindy reached for him, then thought better of it. “I don’t want to be that either.”

  His frown tugged down his lips and formed a crease between his brows. “I think I’m learning a great deal about how you view your lovers.”

  His words startled her, and her thigh hit the edge of the table as she took a step back. “I’m acting like an ass again.” And her sinuses and throat burned with tears. “I accept your apology. You should go.”

  “I should.” Adam rose, his bulk filling the small kitchen. “I’m out of touch and I’ve always been a jackass, but I have respect for all the women I bed, whether it’s seduction by candlelight or a hard fuck over a table.”

  “I shouldn’t have said any of it.” Cindy pinched the bridge of her nose and growled softly. “Maybe Gavin warned you about me for you own good. Did you think of that?”

  “Not for a second.”

  “Maybe you need to.”

  “I’ve known Gavin Hamilton a lot longer than you have, sweetheart.” He caught her hand and tugged it away from her face. “The old bastard isn’t the least bit concerned with the state of my heart.”

  She had no idea how she did it, but she willed away the rising tears and stared up at him, acutely aware of his strength as he held her hand. “Now I’m the one trying too hard, and it shows.”

  He didn’t say a word, just drew her against his chest and hooked an arm around her shoulders. “It’s been a long week, and we’re both cranky.”

  Cindy laughed at the assessment. “I stay cranky. I need to let go.” She lifted her face to his. “Maybe even stop thinking.”

  Adam nodded, as if she’d answered some sort of question, then dropped back into his chair, dragging her with him. She ended up sprawled across his lap, straddling his legs with her hips close to his but not quite touching. “No feeding,” he murmured as he lifted one of her hands. “But give me permission. Let me have one drop, just enough to show you.”

  He was hard under her, solid. “Yes.”

  His other arm went around her waist, anchoring her against his body as his lips brushed the tips of her fingers. He licked first, slow and languid, teasing one finger before she felt the prick of one sharp fang. A momentary discomfort, nothing more, and it vanished in a wave of heat as power spilled over her.

  Her head fell back on a moan, and she accidentally ripped the worn flannel of his shirt. Her apology got tangled up in another moan, and Cindy ground her hips against his.

  “Shh.” A soothing sound instead of a command, and his breath tickled over her palm. Magic tightened around her as he turned her hand and pressed his mouth to the pulse inside her wrist. His tongue swept out, dragged across skin, and pleasure tugged low in her abdomen in response. “This isn’t about food. It’s about sex. Dirty, raw pleasure.”

  She could barely speak. “Dirty and raw, I can handle.”

  “I know.” Another lick, another pulse of pleasure.

  She was at a disadvantage, and she didn’t care. He could have her control if he wanted it, as long as it remained in the realm of the physical.

  As long as it didn’t threaten her heart.

  Cindy leaned down and rubbed her cheek against his temple. “What’s your stance on kissing?”

  “That it’s a dying art and people should do it more.”

  “Mmm.” His voice s
ent delicious shivers down her spine. So did brushing her lips lightly over his. “Then you’ll be happy to know I’m pretty good at it.”

  “Not surprised.” He licked her lower lip. “Kiss me. Show me how you like it.”

  She almost lifted her hands to his face to hold him still for a soft, slow kiss. But her hands were shaking, and soft and slow weren’t exactly what she was going for. So she growled and took his mouth, not bothering to disguise the lust she’d been fighting.

  For a few moments he let her kiss him, but soon enough his hand dropped to her hip and tightened. His tongue surged between her lips, stroking with a maddening rhythm, and the magic coiled around them throbbed with every heartbeat.

  Cindy tilted her head to get closer, already buzzing with the possibilities. Adam either knew just how to touch a woman, or he wanted to touch her badly enough for his ardor to overcome the need to learn her body.

  Maybe it was both.

  He pulled away, his hands still hard on her body and his breath hot against her lips. “And that was just a kiss.”

  “Just a kiss.” It didn’t seem like just anything, but Cindy wasn’t about to contradict him. “What other dying arts do you practice?”

  “The art of honorable retreat.” His fingers smoothed through her hair as he brushed his mouth against her ear and dropped his voice to a dark, smooth whisper. “If you still want me tomorrow, I’ll take you slow and hard and we’ll fuck ourselves halfway to dead with no strings attached. But I’m not going to let you tell yourself I’m a late-night mistake.”

  She didn’t know whether to be irritated or relieved that he’d pegged her so quickly. So ruthlessly. “Leave me wound up, and maybe I won’t want you tomorrow,” she told him lightly.

  He didn’t take it lightly. His breath hissed out and his hand dropped to the soft elastic of her flannel pants. “You want an audition?”

  “I was teasing, sweetheart.” She caught his wrist. “Tonight’s a solo performance.”

  He laughed hoarsely. “For both of us. Time for you to take yourself to bed, Dr. Shepherd, because I’m taking you to bed tomorrow.”

  “You make some sweet promises, Mr. Dubois.” Cindy climbed off his lap and crossed the room on shaky legs to turn off the coffeemaker.