“And you love me.” She said it with the same strong conviction. “But you don’t want to tell me because you think it makes no sense to say you love someone when you’re leaving for Idaho.”
His heart ached. “How come you’re so smart?”
“It doesn’t take a genius. You aren’t willing to lay down your fortune and your life for some person you sort of care about.”
“No.”
“You may not think you can say the words, but your actions are pretty darned obvious. The thing is, you can love me and still go to Idaho. They’re not mutually exclusive.”
He looked into those amazing eyes of hers for several long seconds and wondered how in the hell he would leave her tomorrow. “I do love you,” he said softly. “And you’re right. I didn’t think I could say it.”
“But see? It’s okay. You can.”
“So I can.” Joy poured through him at being able to speak the words that had been hammering at his heart. “I love you, Rachel Miller.” And he drove deep with a groan of pure happiness.
“Told you so.”
What followed was an enthusiastic bout of wild, loud, and celebratory sex. Jake lost count of how many times he told Rachel he loved her. He even lost count of how many orgasms she had, but it was quite a few.
When he finally came and they collapsed in a sweaty heap, she rocked him in her arms while she crooned I love you, Jake Hunter over and over. But at last, she nestled quietly in his arms and closed her eyes. Her breathing slowed and she sighed in obvious contentment.
Jake’s heart ached more than he’d ever thought possible. He wanted to hold her tight and never let her go, but that was not to be. In his agony, his soul sent out a message. I’ll love you forever, Rachel. No one will ever take your place in my heart.
Her eyes fluttered open and she gazed up at him. “There will be no one else for me, either, Jake.”
He went very still. “What did you say?”
“No one will take your place in my heart, either. Just like you said to me.”
“But I didn’t say anything.”
She frowned. “Yes, you did. I heard you distinctly. I was starting to drift off to sleep, and then you said—”
“I only thought it, Rachel.” His throat went dry and his heart began to pound. “I didn’t say it out loud. Somehow, you heard what I thought.”
She didn’t seem particularly impressed with that information. “I would believe that. It was sort of the way I could hear you when you were in wolf form.”
“You don’t understand. As a wolf, I can mentally communicate with wolves and other wild creatures. Amazingly, I was able to communicate with you, too, after I shifted, which I’m pretty sure is rare. But I have never been able to form that same mental link when I’m in human form. Not with Weres or with humans. I’ve never heard of any werewolf who could.”
“You look a little freaked-out about it, Jake. Is it a problem?”
He tried to get a handle on what had just happened. “Not a problem, exactly, but definitely a phenomenon.”
“I’m not surprised that I can hear your thoughts, no matter what form you take.” She stroked his face. “I’ve never bonded with anyone the way I have with you.”
“Same here.” Dazed as he was by this discovery, he had to know if it went both ways. “Let’s test this. I want you to try and send me a message. Not about us, or anything I would guess easily. Make it more of a challenge.”
“Okay.” She focused her gaze on his.
And he heard Ted desperately needs to find a girlfriend. Jake repeated the message he’d heard.
“That’s it! Word for word.”
“My God.” Jake looked at her in amazement. “This could make werewolf history, but no one will ever find out about it.”
“Oh, well.”
“Is that true? Does Ted need a girlfriend?”
“Oh, Jake, he does. He puts up a good front, but he’s lonely. I’m going to get him signed up for one of the dating sites after . . . after you leave.”
“Good. But I’d rather not think about the leaving part, if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t want to, either, but after you move to Idaho, we’ll be able to communicate with each other and no one will ever know. Isn’t that cool?”
“Yeah.” He leaned over and kissed her, because he didn’t want to dim the sparkle of excitement in her eyes. “It’s very cool.” But he wondered if this was more of a curse than a blessing. The temptation to keep in touch this way would be constant.
And yet, if it was all they had, if they could never hold each other, never share their laughter and tears, then what was that mental connection worth? For their own sanity, they might have to give it up.
But in the meantime, she was still here, and her kisses made him forget that she wouldn’t always be with him. Seeking oblivion, he melted into her.
• • •
They didn’t sleep much that night, which was how Rachel wanted it. Buying a pound of coffee the night before had turned into a three-act play. After all that she’d gone through to get the coffee, they might as well make use of it to counteract their lack of sleep. Loving Jake was far more important than getting a good night’s rest, anyway.
They showered together, which involved more sex, but once they were dressed, the mood shifted. Rachel knew they wouldn’t be getting nak*d again, and that meant the good-bye scene was coming up soon. She went into survival mode.
Jake contacted the Hunters to let them know he’d made his decision and he’d be over at his place within the next hour. Because Rachel needed something to do while he made that call, she threw together an omelet to go with the coffee she’d brewed.
All the blinds were up now because they had nothing to be secretive about. When Jake made his call to the Hunters out on her deck, she was able to sneak glances at him while he talked. He still looked tense, which was a shame if he was about to live his dream.
When he came back in, he seemed surprised to see food on the table but covered his amazement quickly. “Terrific, Rachel. Thanks for fixing breakfast.”
“You didn’t think I could, did you?”
His smile was apologetic. “I didn’t because you kept telling me you weren’t much of a cook.”
“I’m not, but I have to feed myself and I can’t exist totally on candy bars, so I’ve mastered a few basics. Go ahead and sit down. I’ll bring you some coffee.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Although her nerves were stretched tight, she congratulated herself on behaving like a relatively sane person. That was until she almost poured the coffee down the drain instead of carrying it into the dining area. Maybe she wasn’t as cool about this as she liked to think she was.
But Jake wouldn’t have to know that. She’d stopped herself before dumping the coffee in the sink, so she carried it out of the kitchen and poured each of them a steaming mug.
“Smells great.”
“Thanks.” She returned the pot to the kitchen and came back to sit at the table with him. “Is it a burden, dealing with a super nose?”
He laughed, which was her intention. She didn’t want to let the mood dip all the way into gloom and doom.
“I don’t think of it that way,” he said. “But I’m used to it.”
“But you haven’t had that ability all your life, right? Because if you had, that would be a clue that someone had been born Were.”
He put down his coffee and gazed at her. “Good observation. You’re absolutely right. Until young werewolves hit puberty, their senses aren’t any more developed than a human’s.”
“That’s too bad, in a way.” She dug into her omelet, which wasn’t half-bad, if she did say so. “If they showed that tendency earlier, wouldn’t that help sort things out?”
“Maybe for the mixed-species couples, but think about it. A baby is enough of a challenge. What if you had to worry about whether your little baby girl would suddenly turn into a wolf cub as you pushed a buggy through Central Park? Then what?”
“I see how that might be a problem. But if the werewolf tendencies showed up slightly sooner than puberty, that would take the mystery out of situations like the Wallace brothers have.”
His green gaze sharpened. “You got pretty far into MacDowell’s book, I see.”
“Couldn’t help it, Jake. With an imagination like mine, how could I resist something as exotic as rich werewolves? Is it true that Wallace Enterprises owns the Chrysler Building?”
“I believe so. It’s through a dummy corporation, but that sounds right. The Wallaces have major holdings in New York. Howard Wallace was elected president of the Were Council last fall in Denver.”
“And yet both of his sons have mated with humans. I find that amazing.”
Jake sighed. “I find it depressing. Don’t Aidan and Roarke understand that they’re Wallaces? It’s the proudest werewolf name in North America, and they behave as if they have no sense of tradition or solidarity.”
“Apparently they fell in love.” The minute she said it, she wished she hadn’t. Last night had been all about the love between her and Jake, and that statement might make him think she wanted to use that love as an excuse to defy tradition. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”
“I know.” He pushed away his plate, even though he’d eaten only half of his omelet. “The Wallace brothers are a sore spot for me. I grew up hearing about the mighty Wallace dynasty from my mother. I could hardly wait to meet members of the Wallace pack because I just knew we’d hit it off and share common values. Not so much.”
“Jake.” She shouldn’t say anything, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. “I’m trying not to take offense, but you’re sitting at the table with a member of the other species, the one you so object to the Wallace brothers taking up with.”
He glanced at her and had the decency to look embarrassed. “You’re right. I apologize.”
The mood was permanently ruined now. Maybe that was just as well. Anger at his attitude could keep her from feeling the pain when he left. “It’s probably time for me to drive you over to your cabin so you can rendezvous with the Hunters.”
“I’ll help you with the dishes first.”
“Never mind the dishes, Jake. Let’s get this over with.” That was harsh, but damn it, every word out of his mouth since they’d sat down to breakfast had made her feel like a second-class citizen. She wouldn’t tolerate that, not even from the one she loved.
Jake took the hint and left the dishes. The trip over to his cabin was made in silence, a heartbreaking contrast to the closeness they’d felt all through the night. But Rachel felt Jake moving away from her and closer to his new pack. They wouldn’t want him to have close ties to a human female. Jake might choose to give up that little mental telepathy trick they’d discovered last night.
The Hunters’ SUV was parked in front of Jake’s cabin when they arrived, and that irritated Rachel even more. They were too blasted eager, in her estimation. Jake had lived in Polecat for many years, and they seemed ready to pluck him out of there as if he had no roots in the community.
So maybe it was a human community and not one of their precious Were packs. Rachel realized her attitude was deteriorating rapidly, but the sight of that black SUV sitting in front of Jake’s cabin got her back up. They had to know she’d be bringing Jake home, and apparently they didn’t trust her to deposit him and leave.
When she pulled in beside the SUV, Jake cleared his throat. “You can just drop me off.”
“I don’t intend to do that, Jake.”
“Why not?”
“Because if I drop you off and drive away, it’ll look like I turned tail and ran away from those two werewolves. I realize I’m not supposed to know they’re werewolves, but I do, and I don’t want them to think I was intimidated by them.”
“Does it matter what they think?”
She glanced at him. “It does to me. At this point, I represent my fellow humans. I’m an emissary for my species.”
“All right, then. Let’s go over and say hello.” He opened the passenger door, picked up his duffel, and stepped down.
“Fine.” She climbed down from the driver’s side. She hadn’t been expecting to meet the Hunters when she brought Jake back around the lake, so she hadn’t taken much time with her appearance.
But as she walked around the front of her truck toward their vehicle, she reminded herself that she was an internationally recognized artist. Collectors from all over the world, including a few werewolves, according to Jake, gladly paid high sums to have her work in their homes and office buildings.
She didn’t know what the Hunters had going for them, but she refused to let them treat her like some riffraff that the heir to the Hunter throne had been dallying with. Jake loved her, even if he might not ever admit that to them. Maybe he shouldn’t, come to think of it. She was still a little worried about the dungeon and the maggot-infested crusts of bread.
The Hunters, who were apparently gifted with good manners, got out of their SUV to greet Rachel and Jake. They both wore designer sunglasses. Ann smiled at Jake first and Rachel second, but that wasn’t so surprising. She knew Jake better. They had history.
Bruce was more reserved. He shook hands with Jake without smiling and nodded in Rachel’s direction. Bruce telegraphed brisk efficiency, as if he hoped they could dispense with the pleasantries and get this show on the road.
Rachel wasn’t inclined to indulge him in that. “We didn’t have much time to chat yesterday,” she said, directing her conversation mostly to Ann. “But I’m thrilled that Jake is reconnecting with family again. I’m sure he’s missed that.”