Chapter Six

 

They were back in Somerville, the last place that Jennifer had dragged Jeffrey to, the town she’d died in. The early morning sun glowed red and orange behind the tips of the mountain range to their west. It was still a comfortable sixty degrees right now, a little cooler than other parts of Nevada because they were in the shadow of the mountains.

Jeffrey and Celeste yawned and stretched as they climbed out of Grant’s helicopter. He held his hand out protectively to keep them safe from the spinning blades.

Jeffrey looked up at Celeste, confused. “What is this place?”

Grant had rented a house for them to stay in while they got things sorted out in court. Somerville was a small resort city, and there weren’t a lot of choices of places to rent. He’d wanted something impressive, something that screamed “I have a fuck-ton of money and I will drown you in it if you come near my family.”

The house definitely delivered on that front.

It was an eleven-bedroom, fifteen-bathroom nouveau-riche monstrosity, an enormous Spanish-style mansion built by a multi-millionaire who’d gone bust and put the house on the market. Grant had paid three months’ rent, although he hoped they’d be done with the court case and out of there long before that.

He winced as the sunlight glared off the enormous arched windows. The house was too orange, and it clashed with the red barrel-tile roof. The water bill for the enormous manicured lawn would have bankrupted the average homeowner, especially in a parched desert state like Nevada.

“Be it ever so humble,” Grant said to Celeste as Mandy scrambled out of the helicopter carrying a pile of suitcases as effortlessly as if they were feather pillows.

Grant reached over and grabbed one of them, and Celeste took hers. Mandy had agreed to come work for him as security, since he’d just turned his back on his entire pack. He’d have to hire new staff as soon as they got settled in.

“Geez, I don’t know if I’ll be able to fit all my stuff in here, but I’m willing to slum it for a week or two,” Celeste said.

“I can have the rest of your stuff shipped here from your house in…” He trailed off. “Where is it again?”

She gestured at her big, overstuffed suitcase. “This is my house. I call it Casa de Celeste.” He looked at her in disbelief. “Seriously,” she said. “I meant it when I said I lived in motels. Why pay rent when you’re travelling fifty-two weeks out of the year?”

“Okay then. We’ve got a swimming pool here,” Grant said to Jeffrey. “And a bowling alley. And a movie room. And an elevator. Pretty cool, huh?”

Jeffrey refused to meet his eyes. “It’s okay for now, until me and my mom move to our new place,” he said.

Ouch.

Celeste shot Jeffrey a look, but he hurried on ahead as they walked up to the two-story high front door.

“Wow,” Celeste said with a laugh. “The designer of this house had some real self-esteem issues. I bet he drives a teeny red sports car and wears banana hammocks.”

“I know. You’ll like our house in North Dakota much better. I mean, it’s not small and understated, but it’s more authentic. And less orange.” He scowled, then shook his head. “Wait. I’m sorry. It’s still new to me that I’ve left the pack. We’ll have to talk about where we’re going to settle once this court case is over with.”

He’d said we, Celeste noted. Her heart flipped. They hadn’t really talked about the future, or anything other than getting the court case out of the way. She ruthlessly pushed the feeling back down. She needed him to understand that she couldn’t stay, but she couldn’t bring herself to push the issue. The thought of leaving Jeffrey behind brought a lump to her throat. But the fear of trying, and failing, to be part of a family yet again hurt just as badly.

As the helicopter took off, they walked into an enormous entryway, with two spiral staircases leading to the second floor. The décor inside clashed with the Spanish theme of the house. It was all rococo and big, heavy, dark pieces with curly, heavily adorned flourishes.

“Good knight,” Celeste said in astonishment.

“It’s seven a.m. Are you feeling okay?” Mandy asked her. In answer, Celeste pointed to her left.

“Is that a suit of armor?” Mandy gaped at the silvery medieval suit of armor standing in an alcove in the foyer. “Gahh! Stop looking at me, Lance-a-little! It’s freaking me out. I’m going to go find the wine cellar, before I challenge that thing to a duel.” And she set down the suitcases and hurried off.

“I’m starving,” Jeffrey said to Grant. “Can you go order me a pizza from Greasy Gus?”

“Greasy Gus?” Grant stared at him in dismay.

Jeffrey fixed him with an icy glare. “Yes. Me and my mom love it. It’s our favorite.”

“It’s true,” Celeste admitted. “Soggy pizza, bitter coffee…what’s not to love?” It was the familiarity of the chain, not the taste, that really drew her. They had them in every state, and when she and Jennifer were teenagers, it had been the only place they could afford to eat most of the time.

“Is the stuff on the pizza actually cheese?” Grant wondered aloud.

“For ninety-nine cents a slice? At least some of it’s probably cheese.” She looked at Jeffrey. “You know they’re not open this early, though. How about if we just eat there for lunch?”

Grant tried to hide a grimace of distaste. He set his suitcase down. “Sure thing. I’ll go get you something to snack on right now. And how about tonight I cook dinner for us? I cook a mean steak. You like steak?”

“Nope. Hate it.” Jeffrey turned his back on him, and Grant sighed and headed off for the kitchen.

“Jeffrey,” Celeste said, with a note of warning in her voice.

“Is he gone?” Jeffrey asked. “Okay, I heard the door close. This place is great.”

“You like it?” she said in surprise.

“Heck yeah. You can fill up your whole suitcase with stuff. Take the silverware – that’s the easiest to fence. We’re probably going to have to hotwire that car out front, unless you think you can get the keys out of Dad’s— I mean, out of Grant’s pocket.”

Great. Project “Make Jeffrey Love Dad” was going really well.

She pasted a smile on her face. “You plan ahead, and you take initiative,” Celeste said. “I like that about you. Let’s keep the silverware thing as our backup plan. However, we should stick around for at least a little while. Grant says he cooks a good steak, and I want to see if he’s telling the truth.”

“What if he isn’t?” Jeffrey frowned. “What if dinner’s really bad?”

Celeste shrugged. “We’ll order more pizza and know he’s a liar. But I don’t think he is. He hasn’t lied about anything yet. And one more thing.”

“What?” he looked at her suspiciously.

“I want you to be nicer to him.”

“I’m not going to call him Dad,” he said fiercely, his hand tightening on hers.

“I’m not asking that. Just don’t be mean. Don’t say mean things. It’s called the Golden Rule; treat people how you want to be treated. You wouldn’t like it if anybody said mean things to you, so don’t say mean things to other people. You don’t have to even like him, if you don’t want to, but be polite.”

“Maybe.”

“Jeffrey.” Her voice held a warning in it now.

“Fine!” He stamped his foot.

Mandy walked in, holding a bottle of wine in each hand. “Wine cellar is well-stocked, which almost makes up for how creepy this place is.”

Celeste stifled a laugh. “Wine at seven a.m. Impressive. And you’re double-fisting it.”

“Shifter metabolism,” Mandy said. “I’d have to drink about twenty of these to even get a mild buzz.”

“Please don’t,” Celeste suggested. Then she turned her attention back to Jeffrey. “Now, let’s talk about trust. You need to know that Grant and I will not lie to you. I told you I’d come right back to the hotel room last night, and I did. Grant said he’s a good cook, and I believe he’s going to make us a delicious dinner tonight. You told me that you’re going to be nicer to Grant, and I believe you will. Now it’s Mandy’s turn. She told us she’s super-strong, and I believe her. Mandy’s going to watch you while I go talk to Grant for a few minutes, and maybe she can show you how strong she is. No, she can’t throw Grant out a window,” she added quickly.

“Hmm,” Mandy frowned. “Technically, I could.”

“I heard that!” Grant yelled, walking in to the room with a plate full of cold cuts.

“Mandy!” Celeste said, exasperated. “Not helping!”

“Fine, fine. I can pick up a car. Want to see?” she said to Jeffrey.

Jeffrey cheered up considerably, and he took the plate of cold cuts from Grant. “I guess I don’t hate steak,” he said to Grant. He shoved a wad of roast beef into his mouth and followed Mandy out the front door.

“Let’s go check out our bedroom,” Grant said to Celeste. “And then I’ll cook you guys some breakfast and take you shopping.”

“You drive a hard bargain.” Celeste shook her head, trying to hide her smile. There was no way she was going to accept anything from him for herself. She’d been obligated to people before, and she knew where that led. Besides, stuff just tied you down. If she had books and music and closets full of pretty dresses, it would be that much harder when she had to leave.

She’d let him shop for Jeffrey until his credit card whimpered, though. Her nephew deserved toys and games and candy and all the things her sister had been too messed-up or too selfish to give him. And besides, Grant’s obvious excitement was kind of cute.

Cute? She shut that thought down. Hard.

“Okay,” she said. “Lead the way.”

Their bedroom was on the second floor.

When they got there, Grant swept her up in his arms. She stifled a squeak of surprise, then realized the swooping sensation in her belly was arousal. Could he smell that she was turned on? Werewolves had super-senses, right? His arms were strong and muscular, his hands warm against her spine and the back of her thigh, and he smelled musky and good.

At her look of surprise, he said, “What? I got our back-dated marriage certificate emailed to me this morning. We were married in Colorado two days ago, as far as anyone knows. So I’m carrying my wife across the threshold. Isn’t that how it’s done?”

“Traditionally it’s the threshold of the house, not the bedroom, but hey, we’re not a traditional couple.” Or even a couple at all, she thought with a twinge.

“Damn. Well, when we move in to our real house, I’ll do it again, the right way,” he said confidently. Then he strode into the enormous room.

The furniture was all gilded, with ornate legs carved into curves and festooned with scalloped edges. The carpet was ankle-deep, the enormous four-poster bed piled high with overstuffed golden cushions. Every surface that wasn’t gold was mirrored. If magpies worked in interior design, this room would be the result.

“Wow,” Celeste marveled. “I’d say it looks like a French whorehouse, but no respecting French whore would set foot in this place.”

Grant threw back his head and laughed, and the sound of his laughter vibrating in his chest warmed her heart.

He walked across the room with her still in his arms, and set her down by the window.

“Well, hello, husband,” she said.

Grant smiled at her. He had a nice smile. “Is that how humans greet their spouses? I mean, I may be a werewolf, but I’ve seen a sitcom or two. I’m pretty sure no wife says that, ever.”

She grimaced. “Hello, dear. Hello, sweetie. Hey, babe, how was your day?”

He laughed. “And you don’t have to look as if you’re drinking sour milk every time you greet me.”

“Right. No sour milk face. I’ll work on that.”

He was still smiling, and he looked so impossibly sexy and handsome, with rays of sunlight glinting in his thick, dark brown hair, that she wanted to kiss him. To devour him. To feel him inside her. Instead she turned her back to him and stared out the window.

“Relax.” He started massaging her shoulders, and a flood of arousal washed over her like a tidal wave. She stifled a gasp and tensed up. Stop it, Celeste, you can’t have him. This isn’t real.

He stopped massaging her, his hands resting lightly on her shoulders.

“Hey, I might not be your dream man, but you at least have to act as if I don’t make you want to gag when I touch you. Just until the court case is over.” There was a touch of hurt in his voice.

She put her hands on his. “I’m sorry. And you’re everyone’s dream man, believe me. I just… I’m really stressed about this.”

He resumed the massage, and she stifled a moan of pleasure. “You can break into a business or a millionaire’s home without blinking an eye. You talk your way past people for a living. Fooling a county judge and a government employee should be child’s play to you.”

She sighed. “I know. I just never had to worry about anybody else before. This is Jeffrey’s life we’re talking about here. If I screwed things up for myself, it wouldn’t matter to anybody. But Jeffrey’s had a tough, terrible life, and we cannot afford any missteps.”

“It would matter to me if you screwed up your life.”

His hands felt too good. She had to make him stop before she made a total fool of herself.

“Thank you. I need to go to the bathroom.” She hurried away, found the bathroom, and splashed cold water on her face. It didn’t help. She needed to bathe in a tub full of ice cubes. That led to thoughts of being naked, and then she was imagining Grant’s hands on her bare skin again. She shivered and squeezed her thighs tightly together as arousal zinged in her core. She had to get a grip – and not on any part of Grant’s anatomy. If she got involved with him, she knew how badly it would hurt when she had to leave.

When she walked back in to the room, he was unpacking his suitcase. As she moved towards his suitcase, she bumped into a table and almost knocked over a vase. He grabbed for it and caught it.

“Damn,” he laughed. “You are Jennifer’s sister.”

She gave him a puzzled glance. “What do you mean?”

“You know. You’re both clumsy.” He had a twinkle in his eye. “It’s okay, I think it’s cute.”

She shook her head. “Wow, she really pulled the wool over your eyes. I was always the clumsy one. She was as graceful as a cat. If she acted clumsy around you, it was to make herself seem helpless so you’d be there to rescue her. That was a thing she did with guys.” It always worked, too.

“I see.” He bit the words out and turned away, his eyes gone dark and stormy.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You didn’t.” His smile was rueful now. “When I look back on it, I know it was just infatuation. I came from this family where everybody was intent on proving how badass they were, how macho they were, how they never needed anybody. Your sister seemed sweet and helpless and she needed a white knight to rescue her. I met her at a bar. She was waitressing and her ex-boyfriend was there threatening her, and she was so scared. He hit her, right in front of me, and I punched him so hard I knocked his lights out.”

“Boone,” she said. “He wasn’t her ex. They set you up. That’s a classic Jennifer move.”

“Wow.” New understanding dawned on his face. “I was a total chump.”

“Hey,” she shrugged. “I was her sister, I knew her better than anybody, and she took me in all the time. It was a game to her, manipulating people. We were so powerless growing up, it was her way of feeling like she was in control.”

“And what’s your way?”

She frowned, turning away from him and hugging herself. “Moving all the time so I don’t have to depend on anybody, ever. Which is why we should keep our distance from each other. Let’s talk about tomorrow. What’s our game plan?”

“I have lawyers flying in from Reno. Werewolves. We’ll go over the details this afternoon, and be in court tomorrow at nine a.m. I’m getting a paternity test today – the results will be back in a couple of days.”

“How will we pretend I’m Jenny?”

“I’m getting new ID made up for you and that’s what you’ll show them at the courthouse. We’ve contacted the coroner’s office and explained that there was a mistake. Jennifer was burned beyond recognition, so we’ll tell them that your car had been stolen and you didn’t report it because you owed a bunch of money in parking tickets. We’ll tell them you only recently found out about the accident.”

Jennifer was a terrible person and she’d hurt Jeffrey to the core with her neglect, but still, thinking of her like that…Celeste felt sick. Grant must have seen it on her face, because he reached out and brushed his fingers over the back of her hand. The touch felt comforting. Reassuring. Right. She pulled her hand back anyway.

“When you’re in the courthouse or around the CPS, you’ll answer to Jennifer. And we’ll work with Jeffrey today to go over what he tells CPS. I hate to ask him to lie, but it’s for a good cause. I’m also going to work with him on staying calm and under control, so there’s no risk that he’ll shift in public.”

Celeste grimaced. “He’s all too used to lying, I’m afraid. So at least he’ll be good at it.” Then she met his gaze. “Worst-case scenario. Let’s say we’re at the courthouse and they try to take Jeffrey. That CPS bitch really seemed to want to take him into custody. And you never know what kind of judge you’re going to get.”

He nodded, his expression going grim. “I’ve anticipated that. My lawyers are bringing backup. I’ll have a helicopter on standby. If the judge orders him taken into custody, I’ll fight our way out of there if necessary. We’d flee the country and go somewhere the U.S. has no jurisdiction. It’s not just that I don’t trust social services to take care of him, it’s the fact that he’s a werewolf and they’d figure that out quickly. He’d end up in a government testing lab. I will kill anyone who tries to take him from me.”

“You’re hairy again,” she said, reaching out without thinking to stroke the fur on the back of his hand. “Ooh. Silky.”

This time he was the one to snatch his hand away.

“Sorry,” she said, hurt.

“It’s okay, it’s just…when you touch me, it has a certain effect on me.”

“What kind of effect?”

“Don’t look down.”

So of course she looked down. “Oh my God. Is that…a werewolf thing? Are you all proportionally huge?”

“Gah! I said don’t look down! And also, I don’t know, it’s not like I go around checking out human dicks and comparing them for size!” He moved behind a chair.

She stifled a smile. “I can still see you between the slats of the chair. Wow. Sorry, that’s totally crude of me. I’m ashamed of myself.”

“And yet you’re still staring.”

“I can’t help myself. It’s mesmerizing.”

He moved from behind the chair. “Is it really now. Tell me more.”

She felt warm all over. He was going to kiss her. Would she let him?

Could she stop him?

He stepped closer, his eyes intent on her mouth, moving with sleek predatory grace that made her heart beat faster. The heat in her face told her she was blushing and all of a sudden there seemed to be too little air in the room.

Did she want to stop him?

There was a huge crash outside, and the shrill sound of a car alarm.

“Jeffrey!” Grant spun away and ran for the door. Celeste ran after him, taking the steps downstairs two at a time, racing across the expensive Oriental carpets, and out the front door.

When they got there, they found that the shiny black Range Rover that had been parked in the roundabout was now upside down.

Jeffrey was jumping up and down with excitement. “Do it again! Do it again!” He cried out. “Da— I mean, Grant! Look what she can do!”

Mandy smiled sheepishly at them as Grant glared at her. “Oops. That one’s on me.”