Finding Chrissten

Chapter Eighteen

Chrissten came awake to the feel of a man’s hands on her, and not just any man, but Hank. She blinked and could make out the pale light pouring in through the window. They’d slept through the rest of yesterday and all night long.

She turned her head on the pillow and was pleased to find it no longer hurt when she moved. In fact, she felt good. Better than good. And sometime while she’d been sleeping Hank must have removed her jeans and socks, leaving her clad only in her panties and top. She must have been totally out it not to remember that.

He was staring at her, his pale blue eyes shining in the morning light. “How are you feeling?”

She curled her toes and tugged the blankets closer around her. She was warm and content and her head no longer ached. “Good. You?”

“Much better.” His voice was a sleepy rumble that vibrated through her. He continued to rub his hand up and down her spine. She arched into it like a drowsy cat. His touch was soothing. Healing.

She pushed back slightly so she could study his chest. The thick cuts were mostly healed and the rest were nothing but scars. They were reddish in color, but she knew within a week they’d fade to almost nothing. In a couple of months they’d mostly disappear. He might have a few reminders of the ordeal they’d been through, but nothing too bad.

Chrissten reached out and touched a five-inch scar on his shoulder. He groaned and she jerked her hand away.

“No, don’t stop.” He leaned closer and nuzzled her temple. After sleeping next to him all night she knew their scents were mingled. “Your brothers were here last night.”

Her head came up so fast she struck the bottom of Hank’s chin. His teeth clinked together and he groaned. “Ohmygod. I’m so sorry.”

He chuckled. “No problem. I’ll live.”

Why didn’t she remember anyone coming into the room last night? She shivered, feeling vulnerable.

“Hey, it’s okay.” As if he knew exactly what she was thinking, he rubbed her arm and back. “I was awake long before they got here. They were worried about you. Quinn wasn’t happy about us sharing the bed but he wouldn’t wake you. He was happy you were sleeping.”

Her twin’s reaction was predictable. “What about Craig?”

Hank gave a lazy shrug. The man was like a blast furnace, radiating vast amounts of heat. She wanted to crawl inside him and never leave. “He didn’t say much. He pulled the cover tighter around you, kissed your forehead and said goodnight.”

She worried her bottom lip with her teeth. Craig would be no problem. He was younger than her and used to her doing what she wanted. Quinn, on the other hand, constantly tried to boss her around. It was his nature to want to protect her. But she wasn’t a little girl any longer. She was a woman and she needed to have a life of her own. After all, he had Bethany. Chrissten was no longer the center of Quinn’s life and that’s how it should be.

As for her father… Well, he didn’t have any say in what she did. If they were going to form any kind of friendship, he’d have to come to terms with that.

Hank used his thumb to gently pull her bottom lip away from her teeth. “Hey, don’t worry so much. It will all work out.”

Easy for him to say. He had a home and a job. He knew what he wanted out of life. She was floundering.

He brushed his lips against hers and she stilled. She knew she should get up and walk away. She needed to figure out her life before she complicated it further by having an affair with Hank.

He pulled her into the cradle of his body and she rested her hands on his shoulders, conscious of his injuries. “We shouldn’t do this.” It wasn’t sensible in the least.

“You could be right.” Even as he conceded the point to her he continued to brush kisses over her lips, her cheeks, her chin and the tip of her nose.

Her skin tingled and her remaining aches disappeared beneath the onslaught of his gentle caresses. His hands were everywhere, stroking her arms, her spine, her neck, her bottom.

He slipped one hand beneath her top and up the front until he found her breast. She wasn’t wearing a bra so he hit bare flesh.

He emitted a low rumble of pleasure as he closed his fingers around the mound and squeezed. Her nipple puckered and the velvety tip became a hard nub a heartbeat later. What was it about this man that made her forget about Brian, about her past? When she was with him there was only room for him. Nothing else and no one intruded.

He continued his leisurely foray into her mouth. His tongue stroked and explored. Soothed and tantalized. He kissed her as though he was in no hurry, as though he could do nothing more than kiss her forever.

Which was a lie if the erection prodding her in the belly was any indication. The man was very aroused.

He eased back, advancing and retreating several times before finally removing his lips from hers. “Will you take this off?” He tugged lightly on her shirt.

Who was she kidding? There was no question what she was going to do. She wanted Hank. She didn’t know what would happen once she left this bed, so she was going to take advantage of the here and now. If the past year and a half had taught her anything it was to seize the moment.

She sat up and slowly removed her shirt. While she was at it she hooked her thumbs into her panties and shoved them down her hips, over her legs and off. She was as naked as he was.

“Oh, baby.” Hank drew her back down beside him and kissed her again. This time her bare breasts pillowed against him, the swollen nipples brushing against the crisp hair on his chest. His erection prodded her stomach and the coarse hair on his legs rubbed against her smooth skin.

Every cell in her body was on fire. She wanted, needed this man. She knew in her soul she wouldn’t be doing this with any other male. Hank was different. Special. For some unknown reason she trusted him beyond all rational explanation.

He took his time, not rushing her at all. He cupped her breast in his hand and thumbed the nipple, teasing it slowly, round and round.

She retaliated by reached down and wrapping her fingers around his cock. He groaned and thrust his hips forward, pushing himself deeper into her grip. She liked knowing he wanted her as much as she wanted him. It made her feel connected to him like she’d never been to anyone else.

His hand left her breast and slid down her belly. It continued on its downward trek until his fingers were sifting through her pubic hair and finding the hard kernel of desire at the apex of her thighs. He lightly brushed her clitoris and she jerked violently. She was already wet and ready for him.

He groaned and pushed his fingers inward, over her slick folds. He didn’t stop until two fingers were buried deep in her core. Her vagina contracted around him.

“If you want to stop it has to be now.”

Her heart felt as though it was being squeezed tight. Even now Hank would stop. He always put her needs ahead of his own. “I don’t want to stop.”

“Thank God,” he muttered, making her laugh. “Hey, that’s no laughing matter, sweetheart. I’m in desperate need here.” He grinned at her and she shook her head in mock disappointment. Really, he was totally adorable and he’d be totally aghast if she told him that.

He removed his finger and rolled until he was lying on his back. He patted his thighs. “Come here, Chrissten. I want you to be in control. Take me. Ride me.”

The covers had fallen away from them, giving her a perfect view of his delectable body. His biceps bulged with muscle and his forearms were thick and corded. She loved his hands. They were so big and callused, making his touch even more sensual. His chest was broad and lightly furred with crisp dark blond hair, his abs rock hard and his torso lean.

His cock rose up toward his bellybutton, long and thick, a blatant reminder of his extreme masculinity. Blue veins ran from base to tip, pulsing with the same beat as his heart. The sac below his shaft was heavy and hung between his spread thighs.

She reached out and ran her fingertip over the bulbous head of his cock. The skin was so soft and slick. A bead of liquid seeped from the slit and she rubbed her finger over it, spreading it around the top.

His legs tensed and the muscles in his arms bulged. “You’re killing me.”

She didn’t answer. There was no need. She climbed on top of him, took him in her hand and guided him into her. An image flashed in her brain, one of her on her hands and knees with Hank taking her from behind. Claiming her. Mating with her in the way of their people.

It was then she suddenly realized what was different. She no longer smelled Brian’s scent on her. Now that he was dead it had dissipated from her skin, leaving only her own unique scent. She was truly free.

She sank down on his cock, pushing downward until she was seated on his groin. His cock pulsed hard and heavy inside her, setting off mini explosions of pleasure. Sex with Hank was an incredible experience, maybe because it was more than sex for her.

Hank cared about her. He wanted her. It was enough.

Hank was close to coming but he grabbed the sheets to anchor him, wanting to prolong the moment, even though he knew it wouldn’t last nearly long enough. His need for Chrissten went beyond civilized boundaries and crossed over into the dark possessive side of his nature. With every breath he took he inhaled the sweet womanly smell of Chrissten. It was no longer tainted with the dark spices of Brian. She was well and truly free of the bastard.

His instinct was to claim her. Now. Before some other male did.

He fought the compulsion. She deserved much better than that. She deserved to choose her mate. Or to remain single if she wished. She’d already had too many choices taken from her.

She looked so incredibly beautiful sitting on him, her long golden hair flowing down her back, her eyes slightly glazed with passion. The bandages on her wrists and several pale scars were the only physical reminders of her ordeal. The mental scars were another thing altogether. They tended to go deeper, to fester. He didn’t want that for her.

Her hands rested on his chest as she rose and fell on his cock. Every time he squeezed back inside her slick pussy he thought he would come. She surrounded him like slick, warm honey, gripping and releasing him in a rhythmic dance of pleasure.

Her breasts swayed as she moved and the red-tipped mounds hypnotized him. She had beautiful breasts, full without being too large. And her nipples, which were normally like velvet, were puckered into raspberry-red nubs, beckoning him to taste.

He pushed himself up onto his hands and took one of the delectable nipples into his mouth. Chrissten gasped and grabbed the back of his head, pulling him closer. She continued to ride him, slowly circling her hips, moving an inch or two up or down at any given time.

Her wetness surrounded him, her body a feast for his senses. Her sweet perfume coated him, her sighs and moans were music to his ears and her skin was spicy and warm against his tongue. He kept his eyes wide open. He could watch her forever. She was so graceful, so incredibly beautiful.

He wanted her flat on her back. He longed to taste her now that her scent was free from Brian’s taint. But this wasn’t about him. Not this time. This was about Chrissten. She needed to understand that she could trust him. No way did he want to do anything that might frighten her. She was still so fragile.

He wrapped his hands around her ribcage to anchor himself. She was still too thin. Whether she knew it or not, Chrissten needed time to recover. She was on the right road but she wasn’t there yet. He’d seen signs of the intelligent, independent woman she was and knew she would be a force to be reckoned with when she was one hundred percent. He couldn’t wait to see her that way.

The sound of their ragged breathing filled the room. Beyond it were the sounds of the city coming awake. Hank heard footsteps in the outer hallway. They didn’t stop outside his apartment door.

He didn’t care who was up and about as long as they stayed out of his place and far away from this room. He released her nipple and kissed his way over to the other, giving it the same treatment. He licked and sucked, nibbled and tasted.

“Hank.” His name was little more than a breathy sigh. He loved the sound of it on her lips.

“Hmm,” he replied. He didn’t want to release the sweet nub he was sucking on to answer her. It tasted better than candy.

“More.”

He gave her nipple one final pull with his lips and let her go. He dropped his head back to the pillow, gripped her hips and began to thrust. He pulled her down to meet him with each arch of his hips.

She was whimpering now, making soft, sexy sounds that had his balls pulling up tight against his body. “Come for me,” he commanded. She had to come soon. He couldn’t last beyond one or two more strokes.

Chrissten closed her eyes, threw her head back and moaned. Her inner muscles gripped him hard, spasming around his cock as she found her release. He came immediately, spurting deep into her core. She milked him until he had nothing left to give her.

When she swayed and began to fall, he caught her and lowered her onto his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. She was his life and his heart, and he had no idea if she was going to stay with him or walk away.

He closed his eyes, breathed in her unique scent and held on to her.

An hour later, Chrissten sat at a small table down in the bar with her brothers. They’d asked to talk with her as soon as she’d come downstairs. Hank was upstairs in the shower. She’d taken her shower first, needing time to herself to assimilate everything that had happened. When Hank headed to the bathroom to clean up, she’d quickly dressed and sneaked downstairs, not quite ready to have the conversation she knew they’d have to have.

Right now she wanted to savor the sense of well being filling her. She was finally free. Everyone involved with her abduction was dead. She was no longer mated. Her life was her own.

Not only that, but she’d also made love to Hank. That was definitely something to smile about. She knew she couldn’t hide from the truth forever, knew they had to discuss the direction of their relationship to see if they were both on the same wavelength. She was afraid that Hank felt a sense of responsibility for her along with a deep sexual need. It could be the basis of a relationship, but Chrissten was quickly learning she wanted more.

“Are you even listening to me?” Quinn’s sharp question brought her back to the conversation at hand.

“Yes. Sorry about that.” She was doubly glad she’d showered and changed before coming downstairs. Quinn would have smelled Hank all over her if she hadn’t. As it was, any lingering smell could be explained away by the fact they’d slept in the same bed.

Just thinking about it made her skin tingle.

“Chrissten?” Impatience tinged Quinn’s voice.

“What?” she snapped back.

“We need to make some plans.” He glanced at the bar and Michael, who was currently counting liquor bottles and jotting notations on a clipboard.

“What kind of plans?” She knew what was coming and it made her stomach ache to even think about it.

“Where we want to live? What we’re going to do?”

Chrissten rubbed her finger over a nonexistent spot marring the tabletop. She didn’t want to leave Hank, but she also had to be realistic. This wasn’t her home. It wasn’t Quinn’s or Craig’s home either. “Do you have any ideas?” Quinn always had ideas.

Quinn glanced at Craig, who took up the reins of the conversation. Once again, she was struck by how much older her younger brother appeared. He was no longer a teenager. His wire-rimmed glasses made him appear studious, but he was more than bookish. Beneath his baggy clothing was a man beginning to fill out with muscle. He’d grown up so much while she was gone.

She blinked back useless tears and forced herself to listen to him. “We have money, so that’s not a problem.”

She frowned, not understanding. “How? I mean, I certainly haven’t contributed to the family funds in almost two years, you’re only two years out of high school and Quinn’s spent the past eighteen months running with paranormal bounty hunters. They don’t exactly pay wages. From what Quinn told me, they pay expenses and little more.”

Craig removed his glasses, polished them and shoved them back on. “I kinda invested the money mom left us.”

“What?” Their mother had left a small ten-thousand-dollar nest egg for them when she’d died. Her insurance policy had covered her funeral, outstanding bills and left them with the small inheritance. They’d vowed to keep it strictly for emergencies.

Craig shrugged. “I started small. I couldn’t exactly get a high-paying job with nothing more than a high-school education. Plus, I spent a lot of time working on stuff to help Quinn find you.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” Craig acted so mature it was easy to forget he’d been a kid when he’d been left all but alone to fend for himself. She reached out and took his hand. He closed his fingers around hers and held on tight. “Why didn’t you use the money to live off of?”

“I could have done that,” he agreed. “But that would have been wasteful. Better to make it work for me.”

“You really invested in the stock market.” Her younger brother was a financial wizard. It was strange to wrap her head around the concept.

“Sure. It’s really only a game of numbers.”

She laughed. “I’m sure there’s a lot more to it than that.” She leaned back in her chair. Quinn was sitting back looking entirely too pleased with himself. Chrissten could also see the twinkle in Craig’s eyes.

“Okay, tell me. How much money do we have?”

“Two million.”

She felt her jaw drop. She’d been expected maybe he’d doubled their money. “How?” she managed to ask when she could get her mouth working.

“I told you. I have a knack for it.” He ran his fingers through his thick blond hair, looking both pleased and slightly embarrassed. “And I might have invented a couple of Apps while I was at it.”

Chrissten burst into laughter. “Oh, is that all.” She shook her head and beamed at her younger brother. “You’re amazing.”

He grinned and it made him look impossibly young. Craig was still only twenty, a big kid and a man all at once. He was one of a kind and she loved him dearly.

“Which leads me back to my original question,” Quinn interjected. “Where do we go from here?”

“I’d like to stay in Chicago.” Chrissten was surprised by Craig’s declaration. She’d assumed both her brothers would like to leave this city where so much bad had happened. Of course, so much good had happened here too. They’d found one another again and that was everything.

“We could buy a building of our own,” Craig continued. “I’m going to keep working with computers and investing. You two could do whatever you wanted. Start a business. Whatever you want.”

“You don’t want to leave the vampire.” Quinn obviously wasn’t happy about Craig’s attachment to the paranormal creature. She figured Craig was old enough to make his own decisions. He’d managed to survive and flourish when most kids his age wouldn’t have. She wanted him to have a stable life, to give him what he wanted. He’d sacrificed so much for her.

It had nothing to do with her wanting to stay close to Hank. Nothing at all. Liar, she silently berated herself.

“I like Damek. I like everyone here.” Beneath Craig’s words, Chrissten heard the thread of loneliness running through it. He’d been alone for so long. Was it any wonder her little brother wanted to stay where he’d been accepted and found such fascinating new friends?

Before Quinn could reply, the door to the stairwell opened and Hank stepped into the room. She had her back to the door but that didn’t matter. She sensed him immediately.

Quinn glared behind her, his dark scowl meant to intimidate. “We need to get away from here.”

“Why?”

“Why? You’ve already been through so much. You need to get your head on straight before you get involved with another male.”

Her twin wasn’t saying anything she hadn’t thought of herself, but she still rebelled against it. “Maybe I need to be here to figure things out?”

Quinn frowned and balled his fists on the table. “You slept with him, didn’t you?”

So much for secrecy. “So what if I did? It’s my business.”

“You’re my sister.”

“Exactly.” She was doing her best to keep her temper but Quinn wasn’t making it easy. “I’m your sister. Not your mate or your daughter.” She knew Hank could hear their entire conversation. Michael probably could too. But there was no stopping it now.

“I spent eighteen month searching for you.” His stark words and the anguish behind them bled her temper dry. Her brother had suffered as much as she had because of her abduction.

“I know.” She got up, went around the table and hugged her brother. “I know. And I love you for it and appreciate it more than you’ll ever know, but that’s behind us now and has nothing to do with the future.”

“How can you say that?” Quinn asked. “It has everything to do with it. You need time to yourself without being pressured by any males. And, make no mistake, if we stay here that’s exactly what you’ll get. They won’t be able to help themselves. All the males want a mate.”

“Maybe I want one too.” She spoke her deepest longings aloud. “Maybe I want one I choose this time, not one forced on me.”

“Oh, Chris.” Quinn stood and took her in his arms.

His hug was so familiar. How many times had they stood like this in their lifetime? Too many to count. But it was all changed now. Quinn had Bethany. She was his mate, his life. As for Craig… Well, her younger brother needed to have a life of his own, one that didn’t revolve around his older siblings.

She felt Hank behind her, hovering like a sentinel, ready to jump in and protect her if it became necessary. She pulled away from Quinn, but before she could say anything to Hank, her twin whisked her behind his back. She thought about kicking his ass but decided to see what he had to say for himself.

“We’re leaving.” Quinn’s statement was nothing less than a lie. They’d decided nothing.

Hank paled slightly, his body tensing. “When?”

“Soon.”

“Where to?”

Quinn shrugged.

Chrissten didn’t know whether to laugh or to hit someone. Honestly, couldn’t they talk in sentences consisting of more than one word? Quinn was baiting Hank for some reason only he knew.

“I’ll be packed and ready to go.”

Chrissten sucked in a breath. That Hank wouldn’t hesitate to leave his pack for her made her chest ache and made her love him even more.

“Who said you were invited?” Quinn snapped.

Enough was enough. Chrissten stepped around her brother before he could take this farce any further. “Your home is here, Hank. With your pack.” No way would she allow him to lose it. To werewolves the pack and family were everything. They needed that closeness, that sense of community, of being among those of their own kind. She knew she’d be lost without her brothers.

His hands were fisted by his sides when he turned to her. “Are you saying you don’t want me to go with you?”

She couldn’t lie to him and simply shook her head.

“Then I’m going.”

“Why?” Quinn asked. “Why is it so important?”

Hank squared his shoulders. “Chrissten is everything to me.” His gaze was steady. He wasn’t looking at her brother but at her. His eyes burned with lust and something else, something that made her heart race.

“What are you saying?” Quinn demanded.

They’d drawn a crowd as the others heard the slightly raised male voices. The rest of the pack stood around them now. Watching. Waiting. Bethany stepped forward, put her hand on her mate’s arm and shook her head. “This is something for Hank and Chrissten to discuss. Alone.”

Quinn started to protest, but Bethany wasn’t having any of it. “You didn’t allow anyone to interfere between us, did you?” That shut her brother up fast. He swallowed his frustration and glared at his mate. Bethany seemed supremely unconcerned. Chrissten was impressed with her new sister-in-law.

Chrissten wanted to be that secure in her relationship with the man she loved. She envied Quinn his mate, his good fortune.

“Chrissten.” Hank held his hand out to her. “It’s time we had a talk.”

She took his hand and let him lead her from the room. She could feel everyone’s eyes on them. Chrissten glanced over her shoulder. Quinn was scowling but Craig smiled at her. He even gave her a thumbs up.

She wanted to smile in return but was too nervous. This was it. Time to lay all the cards on the table.