Chapter 6

6

H adlee cuddled deeper in the bed, her body rubbing against a soft towel. A towel? What was she doing with a towel in bed? She blinked against the muted light and moved cautiously in the king-size bed. This wasn't Indiana's guestroom. It was his bedroom. Oh God…

Her memory caught up with her and she relived the erotic encounter with Indiana in the shower, sending fresh waves of warmth through her cold limbs. She'd basically humped him like a horny teenager and came harder than she had in years .

It should have been something to celebrate, or be embarrassed by, but the strongest emotion that caught her tight in its hold was guilt. She'd practically had sex with a stranger less than a day after her boyfriend was killed.

What the hell is wrong with me?

Hadlee sat up and grimaced as she realized she was naked beneath the bath towel. When she glanced around the room, she discovered Indiana had moved her suitcase from the guestroom to this room. It sat against the wall by the door. Keeping her towel wrapped around her, she slid out of bed and went over to the suitcase. She opened it up and pulled out some soft gray shorts and an extra-large T-shirt. Her hair was a wavy mess, so she brushed it out and bound it with a hair tie into a bun before she opened the door and padded down the hallway on bare feet. It was strange to be so comfortable in this house. She'd never felt this way in Chad's home, or even her own apartment back in Chicago.

Tantalizing scents teased her nose when she headed into the kitchen. Indiana stood with his back to her as he faced the island counter with the stovetop. He wore blue jeans and a dark-green henley with the sleeves rolled up, exposing tanned, muscled forearms. Her body warmed as she imagined his arms wrapping around her, holding her, pinning her down in bed… Oh boy, that was not the kind of thought she should be having.

"Don't worry, there will be plenty left for you."

She froze. How did he know she was there?

A soft little woof from the kitchen alerted her to who he was really talking to. Jones . The adorable mutt sat at Indiana's feet. His furry face was angled up watching Indiana stirring something on the stovetop. Indiana continued to stir as he turned to reach for a small bottle by the sink that held a fresh sprig of rosemary. As he turned, he spotted her, and his dark-brown hair fell into his eyes. He tossed his head to clear his vision. She wanted to run her hands through his hair, to see if it felt as silky as it looked. The need was so strong, her hands felt like they were almost itching with the need to reach for him.

"Hadlee," he spoke her name softly in that slightly rough way that sent shivers through her. That was how he'd said her name between kisses in the shower, as if the act of saying her name was a prayer to an ancient goddess. It made her feel … honored … cherished. Her heart clenched sharply, making her ribs ache.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you." She glanced bashfully at the ground. She didn't actually feel like she'd interrupted, or even intruded, but this was his house, and they barely knew each other. How would she feel if someone was wandering around her apartment? Hadlee doubted she'd like it, unless she trusted that person.

A small smile curved Indiana's lips. "You weren't interrupting. Why don't you join me? Keep the cook company?" He winked at her and nodded at a barstool facing the stovetop from the other side of island.

She came more fully into the kitchen and Jones rushed to greet her with a furiously wagging tail and a happy huffing sound. He almost pranced on his paws, and she knelt, hugging him around the neck. Jones was one of those rare dogs that didn't just tolerate a hug but seemed to enjoy it.

"What are you making?" she asked as she settled on the barstool.

Indiana's gaze was warm as he examined her. "Meatballs. How are you feeling?" He didn't let her escape his gentle scrutiny. His eyes roved over her, as if seeking evidence of injuries the doctor might have missed. She knew she looked awful. She had bruises all over her face and arms … and she knew she shouldn't have to care about dressing to appeal to a man, even if she liked that man. But the way he looked at her—not in disgust, but in gentle worry—it … it made her feel like a person, not an object. Chad had only ever looked at her as an object and it taken far too long for her to realize the difference.

"I feel sore," she confessed. "Everything hurts. Even the bottoms of my feet." She grumbled as she propped her elbows on the counter and cupped her chin in her hands.

"I have some Epsom salts. Tonight you should take a hot bath in the master bathroom. I've got a good soaking tub. The salts should help with the soreness. Until then, I have Tylenol and you need to take those pain meds the doctor gave you." He fetched her medicine bottle from the counter and passed it to her before getting her a glass of water. She took a pill and studied the pot he'd been stirring.

"You said you were cooking meatballs?" She didn't see any meatballs on the stove. The liquid in the pot was a mix of purple and black blobs. Was that ketchup? It smelled a little like ketchup but also something else she couldn't place.

Indiana laughed as he stirred the contents in the pot again. "You'll laugh, but I swear this tastes amazing."

"What is it?" she asked as she leaned forward to inhale the smells of his questionable culinary skills.

"It's a recipe I learned when I was sixteen. I was working as a logger in Washington, and I was so damn tired every night that I had no energy to cook. I lived in this little trailer that only had a microwave and a small stovetop." As he talked, he removed a bag of meatballs from the freezer. He poured them into a bowl and microwaved them.

"You heat up the meatballs until they're hot and then you heat up a cup of ketchup and a cup of grape jelly in a pot. When the jelly fully melts with the ketchup, like this…" He stirred the now reddish-purple liquid, which was no longer lumpy but nice and smooth. "You add fresh rosemary." He leaned forward and handed her the sprig. "Want to put this in for me?"

She got off the stool and came around to join him at the stove. Their arms brushed and she couldn't help but be aware of how tall he was, how big he was. He wasn't too bulky in the way some men could be. His muscled arms and shoulders were large, but he didn't seem to have any extra weight on him. His hips were lean, but his buttocks were tight. Lord, she remembered that all too well, when she'd wrapped her leg around him in the shower and felt the steel of his ass muscles clenching as he pressed against her.

Face flaming, she plucked the little rosemary leaves from the stem and after inhaling their clean scent, she tossed them into the saucepan. The herbs added a new flavor to the aroma in the air. It smelled wonderful.

"Once the meatballs are ready, we stir them in."

Indiana passed her the large spoon he'd been using so she could stir the sauce while he retrieved the meatballs from the microwave and poured them into the pot. She stirred everything until the sauce covered the meatballs completely. Indiana opened his cabinets and removed two bowls and a large ladle.

"How many balls do you want?" he asked her.

"Four?" she asked hesitantly.

With a chuckle, he spooned six meatballs into a bowl and gave it to her with a fork.

"Now taste," he ordered as he leaned back against the counter to watch her try her first bite. Flavor exploded on her tongue. It didn't taste like ketchup or grape jelly at all. He was right, it tasted amazing .

"Okay wow, this is…" she gushed over a mouthful before she swallowed in embarrassment.

"Told you." He gave another throaty laugh and prepared himself a bowl.

They sat side by side at the kitchen table, enjoying their dinner in a companionable silence, until Jones broke the peace by pawing Hadlee's leg.

"Ouch!" She winced as his claws lightly scratched her leg. She leaned down to pet the dog and check the scrapes on her legs. Thankfully he hadn't opened any of her wounds.

"Jones," Indiana warned with a gentle tone. "Sit and wait your turn, buddy."

Jones moved to a distant spot in the kitchen and made sad puppy eyes at them. He dramatized it further by lying on the ground and letting out a heavy sigh.

"I take it he's a fan of meatballs?" Hadlee asked.

"You have no idea. He pays no rent or other expenses, he's a total freeloader, and he's spoiled as hell." Indiana gave Jones a mock scowl which only made the dog wag his tail.

As she ate, she studied Indiana, taking the time to really look at him without worrying about him noticing her too closely. This man had made her come so hard it had almost hurt in a good way. And he'd asked nothing for himself in return. She wanted to do something for him, to show how much she had truly appreciated what he'd done for her. He'd been selfless and compassionate with her, and she wanted to give some part of herself, however small it might be, to him.

"So you learned to cook at sixteen while you worked as a logger?"

"Yeah. It was a good job." He was quiet a long moment before he continued. "I learned to be strong and rely on myself."

Hadlee reached over and touched his shoulder. "That doesn't mean it wasn't hard or lonely."

Indiana's jaw clenched and unclenched then he sighed. "True. But I can't look back to the past and mourn what I couldn't have. I had to keep moving forward."

Hadlee understood all too well.

"Speaking of moving forward," Indiana said. "What are your plans for when you go home?"

She stared at her half-eaten bowl of meatballs. "I don't know. I sort of feel frozen in place. The second I leave Colorado and return to my life, things will get ugly. I'll have to deal with Chad's family, and face everyone at my job. They will know what happened. It's just going to get complicated."

The truth was she wanted to stay right where she was, in Indy's cabin, a warm mutt's fur brushing against her legs, and a sexy mountain man making her meatballs while she fantasized about everything he could do to her and how she'd beg him to do it over and over again. She'd always heard her friends joke about being with men who broke the bed while fucking them. Hadlee had never experienced that, but looking at Indiana? He was born to break beds, and she wanted to be beneath him when he did it.

But that would be hiding from her real life, and she wasn't a coward. She had survived something truly horrific, and she hadn't died. That meant something, didn't it? That her life was worth fighting for? She couldn't give up just because she knew she'd have to face some seriously uncomfortable situations.

"For what it's worth, Hadlee … you're welcome here for as long as you want to stay." Indiana met her gaze. "I mean it. It's been nice having someone else here with me and Jones."

A flutter of hope blossomed in her chest at his offer. Perhaps because these moments with him felt real in a way so much of her life hadn't in the last few years.

"Thanks." Her appetite returned a little and she finished her meatballs.

"Do you want to watch a movie or something? You should elevate your ankle and rest. I can't think of a better way to do that than relaxing on the couch," Indiana suggested as he claimed her dishes and took them over the sink.

"That sounds fun. I haven't seen a movie in forever." She joined him to help load the dishwasher.

"Seriously?" He raised his dark brows in surprise.

"Chad never liked movies. He liked the news, and he kept it on all the time. I hated listening to the news cycles. It created a steady stream of stress, but he'd complain whenever I changed the channel so I just stopped watching what I like." Her growing list of things she'd given up on while with Chad was staggering. When would she stop starting sentences with "Chad never…?"

"Fuck," Indiana growled, and braced his hands on the sides of the sink. She gulped and stared at him, her pulse spiking. He was mad, really mad. She backed up a step automatically. When he noticed her small movement away from him, he tilted his head back and stared up at the ceiling.

"I'm sorry, honey. But that asshole treated you so badly I wish I could kill him again."

"Again?" she echoed in confusion. What the hell did he mean?

"Men like him don't deserve to be alive. That's all I meant." Indiana turned his back on her as he closed the dishwasher and let out a slow breath, the tension in his broad shoulders easing slightly.

"Why don't you get comfortable on the couch. I'll get some more water for you." He took her water glass and walked over to the fridge. Hadlee sensed he needed a minute to collect himself, so she headed into the main room and settled on the buttery-soft leather sofa and faced the large TV.

Indiana set a small plate of meatballs down for Jones in the kitchen and then he joined her in the den. He turned on the TV, pulled up a streaming service, and handed her the remote.

"You choose what we watch." He settled down beside her on the couch, about a foot separating them, but she could still feel his heat and it reminded her of the way he'd stepped into the shower and saved her with his kiss, his hands, his body.

She'd been spiraling with anxiety, and he'd halted the spinning by pulling her in close to him where the gravity of his very being grounded her and kept her safe, even as he brought her to an intense climax. Did he have any idea of the effect he had on her? Right then she wanted to curl up against him and take comfort in his heat, in his protective hold. But she couldn't do that. She'd just gone through Chad's horrific attack and then his death. Wouldn't it be weird for her to crawl onto his lap and ask to be held by a total stranger? A normal person wouldn't want to be touched, right? But she wanted him to touch her. What was wrong with her?

Indiana stretched an arm behind her on the couch but didn't put it around her shoulders. She swallowed hard and her focus drifted back to the movie selections. She wouldn't ask him to cuddle her, no matter how much she wanted him to. She would pick something tame, something sweet, something that would get her mind to stop thinking about hot showers or Indiana and his wonderfully wicked mouth.

He could feel heat rolling off her in waves. She smelled like sweet feminine desire. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and pull her onto his lap and feel comforted knowing she was safe and unharmed. But he'd meant what he'd said. She'd been through hell with that Parker asshole, and he wouldn't force any kind of intimacy on her. She had to ask him or tell him what she wanted him to do. But damned if she wasn't killing him with the scent of her need.

As the movie started, she was stiff and alert but as the movie progressed her eyes drifted closed and he took advantage of the moment to slide her closer to him and tucked her in the crook of his arm. He argued that he wasn't pushing intimacy on her, just letting her sleep more comfortably.

"Hmmm?" She made a soft, sweet, little sound as her eyes opened.

"You're falling asleep, honey. I wanted you to have a nice place to rest." He carefully put his arm around her shoulder and within a minute she was fast asleep. He let the movie play for another half hour before he lowered the volume and picked her up in his arms. He was going to put her to bed so she could have the benefit of a supportive mattress on her hips and shoulders. He knew from experience that sleeping on a couch when sore and injured was a good way to twinge one's back. Hadlee nuzzled into his chest before she woke when he was halfway down the hallway and gazed up at him with those sweet doe eyes, which were such a brilliant emerald in color. He saw no fear, no shame, just relief at realizing he was the one who held her.

"I feel so safe with you. Why ?" Her voice was soft, breathy, curling around him, making his body hard with a need to take her to his bed and show her what a good man could do to a woman, what a good man could give her.

He wanted to tell her the truth. Because you are my mate, my destiny, my gift from the earth, a creature to be treasured above all else. But she couldn't know that, not yet. He'd have to find a way to tell her, but first he had to earn her trust.

"I'm glad you feel safe," he said instead.

He carried her into his bedroom, giving her a chance to ask why he hadn't taken her to the guest room, but she didn't. If she wanted him to, he would take her there, but he was unable to deny his instincts to put her in his bed, to surround her with his scent, even if it was just to sleep.

She let him lay her down on his bed, and when he started to move away, she caught his hand and pulled him back to her.

"Stay," she whispered, simply holding onto him.

"Stay?" he asked in a soft voice, wanting her to tell him what she wanted of him. He needed the words, or he needed some action to show she desired him.

Their gazes met and held. The drowsiness faded from her eyes and he saw a fresh, true desire sparkling in those emerald depths. She held her breath and gave him a nod.

A tic worked in his jaw as he tried to find some sense of control.

Without a word, she sat up and took her shirt off, letting him see her bare breasts. They were soft, full globes that called for his hands to cup and gently knead, but he stayed where he was.

God, she was fucking beautiful and yet he wanted to roar at the sight of the bruises on her skin. She pulled the hair tie out of her hair and a honey-gold waterfall tumbled down her shoulders in gleaming waves. He stopped himself from reaching out to touch her golden hair and instead fisted his hands at his sides.

A strangled growl escaped his lips when she lifted her hips, her eyes never leaving his as she slid her shorts and panties down her legs, leaving her bare. He swallowed, his whole body tensing, the nails of his hands biting into his palms. She continued to watch him, her gaze intent on his eyes, and she seemed to see whatever she needed to in his face. Then she parted her legs, inviting him to claim her, to mount her and take her to all the heights of pleasure she deserved. He could tell by her trembling that this offering of herself was frightening, given what she'd gone through in the woods with Chad.

"Are you sure you want this?" he asked, his tone low, rough. His bear was rumbling inside him to soothe his female, to show her she had nothing to fear and instead she had only to embrace the abundance of pleasure he could give her.

"Yes." Her voice was steady, and he trusted it more than the way her body shivered.

Her words set him free of the last bit of restraint he'd had on his own passion. He yanked his T-shirt off and his fingers fumbled with the buttons on his jeans. His cock strained against the now overly tight denim, but he didn't remove his pants. If he did, he'd jump her and fuck her wildly. She wasn't ready for that, not yet. His bear roared in displeasure at any barrier between his body and hers, but for now, he was in control of this encounter, not the beast within him.

Indiana gripped Hadlee's hips, being careful not to touch anywhere she was bruised as he sank his fingers into her soft skin and held onto her. He slid her along the sheets so her bottom just touched the edge of the bed. Then he knelt between her parted thighs. His hands braced on the insides of her knees, pushing her open as he bent his head to gaze at her. Her heartbeat was faster than moments before, but it was from excitement rather than fear. Her feminine scent filled his nose, making his bear want to dance with pleasure. She held her breath as he took his fill of her, the pretty picture she painted for him, spread open and ready for his tongue to taste her honey.

Her legs tried to close, and he held them open as gently as he could.

"Easy, sweetheart, I just want to look at you." And he could look at her for days, memorizing the color of her, the shape of her, the scent, imprinting it all on his memory.

Hadlee stared at him down the length of her body, her face flushing. "I don't look pretty down there. I?—"

He chuckled. "This is the prettiest pussy I've ever seen, honey." He knew that some men, especially human males, didn't like to go down on females because it was a selfless act of love that gave pleasure and confidence to women. Yet they expected females to get on their knees and take a male's cock, as if that was pleasurable for the female, when it wasn't. Sex was about sharing pleasure, about giving and receiving in both directions. It was an act meant for two creatures who cared for each other. Each side should give pleasure and receive pleasure as equally as possible.

"I need to taste you," he growled teasingly before he bent his head and licked her.

She was as sweet as any honey he had ever eaten. She moaned and arched as his tongue dragged through her slit and he suckled on her clit, teasing it out of its hood, which made Hadlee gasp and her hips jerk into him. He groaned against her heated flesh, his own body hard and aching for her. He knew she needed to come, and he wanted to be inside her when she did. He licked and sucked on her folds and her clit a few more moments until her legs were shaking with need against his shoulders as she tried to hold his body between them.

"Please, Indy, oh God please, Indy … I need you," she begged, and the sound was a symphony to his ears.

He rose to his feet and removed his jeans and briefs. Then he stood in between her thighs, fully naked, his cock erect as he gripped it and guided it into her with one hand. With his other hand, he held onto her hip, his touch firm but soothing. She was impossibly tight as he entered her. The feel of her gripping him like a fist was almost too good to endure. He paced himself, drawing in and releasing a breath.

"You all right?" he asked.

She nodded and lifted her hips, easing him in deeper. He uttered her name as he pressed in slowly but confidently. Her eyes widened as he claimed her inch by sweet inch. When he fully sank in, his balls lightly tapped her bottom and he let out a shaky breath while keeping his control in check, barely. His bear wanted to mate her fast, to get her to explode with pleasure and then take his time for the second round, but bears and humans didn't always agree. And Indiana knew Hadlee needed a slower, more easy lover this first time.

"You still okay?" he asked her.

"Yes," she replied, her voice breathless.

"Good. Tell me if I do anything you don't like."

Then he started to move.

She moaned as he slid almost fully out of her and then thrust back in. When she took him easily, he grew more certain she could handle more. He leaned over her and braced his hands on either side of her face on the bedding as he watched her eyes while he made love to her. When she started to close her eyes, he stopped her.

"Keep them open, Hadlee. I want to watch you. I want to feel you take all of me inside you and come apart with my cock buried deep."

Her eyes widened in shock and her body twitched around him, clamping down in an involuntary spasm on his shaft. By the stunned look in her eyes, he knew she had assumed he'd be some sort of Boy Scout, but he was half animal, and sometimes he liked to fuck hard and talk dirty. He wasn't afraid of that side of himself because he'd never hurt or frightened any of the females he'd been with before.

"That's it, honey, give me your pretty little body. Let me own it," he whispered, and continued to fuck her hard. She nodded at him, her pupils expanding as she grew more desperate for a climax.

"Yes…" she urged. "Take me." She lifted her hips, meeting him over and over for each exquisite thrust. But she was keening softly with a desperate building cry for a climax just out of reach.

"You want to come?" he asked as he leaned more of his weight to one side so that his other hand could slide between their bodies and caress her clit.

"Uh-huh." She could only pant the words.

She nearly shrieked the second his fingertip touched her clit. Her hips shot up and he pumped deep, his pelvis hammering hers. She tensed, her fingers digging into his biceps as she came apart beneath him. The exquisite look of shock on her face had been worth the wait, worth her trust.

He came a second later with a roar loud enough to rattle the windows and doors in his house. His bear was close to the surface, more than it ever had been with any female before … because Hadlee could be his mate . Her thoughts danced through his head, making him smile as he struggled to breathe.

Never felt this way… Best sex of my life… Almost died… Want it again… Want him again… Don't want to leave this bed… Never leave him…

The breathless whispers teased his mind and filled his heart with a euphoric rush. Perhaps that was how he'd keep her with him. Use his body to love hers, until her heart followed. It wasn't the worst plan he'd come up with.

"Holy hell," he breathed as he relaxed on top of her, but then carefully rolled them so she was sprawled on top of his large frame.

She stared at him with eyes half glazed with satisfaction. The warm mounds of her breasts pressed against his chest, and it felt wonderful, so damn wonderful to have her lie with him like this, that his eyes burned with... Jesus, are those tears ? The last time he cried was the day he buried his parents. He hadn't let himself open up to anything since then.

"Indy." She whispered his name so sweetly, so uncertainly, that his heart clenched. She cupped his cheek and studied his face, and he prayed she couldn't see his tears.

He swallowed and cleared his throat. "Did I hurt you?" He knew he had been moving a little rougher toward the end but he'd tried not to hurt any of her injuries.

The most delicious blush crept across her cheekbones and reddened the tip of her nose as she licked her lips nervously.

"No, you didn't hurt me. I'm worn out … but in a good way." She giggled. "Does that even make sense? Maybe I do hurt but God, it feels good." She was almost rambling, and it was the cutest thing he'd ever seen. "I mean, I am as limp as a noodle and can't move at all …. and now I'm just sounding crazy." She cut herself off, but he continued to grin at her as he brushed a lock of hair behind her ears. She leaned into his touch and her eyes briefly closed as if his touch made her feel good. His cock, still buried deep in her body, twitched with renewed interest. She wriggled her hips in response, making them both groan.

"How are you hard again so soon? I thought you came," she said.

"Oh, I came, honey, so hard I almost blacked out. You were amazing," he praised her.

She moved on top of him again, torturing him sweetly.

"No more wiggling or I'll flip you over onto your stomach and take you again while you lie there," he warned, but his tone was teasing.

She let her chin collapse on his chest and closed her eyes with a little smile on her lips.

"Promises, promises. It'd probably kill me, but what a way to go," she replied, and then yawned. "You want me to get off you?"

"No. I like you right where you are." He shifted his body farther up the bed and she came with him, still lying on him like a hot little blanket. When they were properly on the bed with his head on a pillow, he pulled the sheets up over their bodies and closed his eyes to sleep.

He wasn't sure how long he had rested but when he woke, he used care to slide Hadlee's body off him and tuck her under the blankets. She continued to sleep deeply as he slipped out of the bedroom and moved through the darkened house. Twilight had given way to night when he walked out onto the grass in front of his home. The moon was bright with no clouds in the sky, and he could see easily through the woods. He breathed in the scents of the trees and let his bear free. The ancient magic of the change from human to animal filled his spirit with pure joy.

Soon he would not be able to change like this, not without endangering his life. He would have to abandon the call of the Earth, the pull of the moon and the song of the wind. He would have to be human for a long time until the threat of any hunters coming after him had passed. He dug his claws into the earth and his ears picked up on a sound. Huffing softly, he turned his large body back toward the front of his home and his heart jolted.

Hadlee was standing on the top porch step, the heavy throw blanket he'd tucked her into was wrapped around her shoulders and stared at him, eyes wide and face white as marble. She had seen him change .

Fuck, how could he have been so damned careless! Indiana stared back at her, unsure what to do as he let his bear slide back beneath his skin and became a man once more.

"You... Oh God..." she gasped. "It was you . You killed Chad!"