Palm Haven Shifters: Complete Five-Part Series Page 6

  Loud popping startled him — gunshots? Fireworks? He scanned the area for any threats. Sarah. She stared at him from far away, her cheeks already burning crimson with embarrassment while ragged shreds of balloons fell at her feet.

  Why did she resist him so much? Her magic clearly wanted them together. So did his tiger, but he didn’t always listen to that asshole. Sarah surely had her own reasons. He needed to know them, to make them insignificant, to convince her he was worth whatever risk she perceived.

  He had every intention of doing just that. Marching over to her, convincing her to go out with him, and hoping for the best. Then Janine beat him to it. He was halfway across the lawn when the women started talking. Instead of interrupting, Sloan decided to use his super shifter hearing to eavesdrop.

  “Please don’t say anything,” Sarah pleaded. Say anything about what? Her magic? Another secret?

  A vendor approached him for payment and Sloan missed most of the rest of the conversation. He caught enough to know about Girls’ Night and the new bar. The thought of Sarah drinking, dancing, uninhibited and free, having fun, made his tiger growl to life. He wanted to know what she was like when she let her hair down. When she stopped trying to control everything.

  He could go. It could look like a coincidence. Sloan felt like a creep for even thinking about following her there and manufacturing a chance encounter. If he just happened to be in the same places as her, that didn’t make him a stalker, right?

  No. He couldn’t do it. She was so easily spooked that something like that could make her afraid of him.

  Somehow, an hour later, he found himself at the bar of the Sable Street Pub, anyway. He’d debated with himself back and forth non-stop for the entire hour that had passed. Even as he sat there with a beer in hand, watching the door, Sloan wondered if he should leave and forget the whole thing. He’d see her at work the next day.

  But she wouldn’t be the same at work. She’d be reserved, nervous and suspicious.

  He spotted Janine and a couple of older women he didn’t recognize, but no Sarah. They giggled and joked, drinks flowing freely between them. Sloan felt like a voyeur. It came naturally to him as a predator, but it wasn’t something that was generally accepted by the human community.

  “Sarah!” Janine shouted, waving her arms wildly.

  For a moment, the scene played out in slow motion like a movie. Sarah wore the same dress, but with her hair down and contacts instead of glasses, she was a completely different woman. Vibrant and radiant. He wanted to approach her right away.

  Instead, he remained in place, waiting for the right moment.

  The moment found him when Sarah spotted him at the bar. He felt suddenly guilty for observing her from a distance. He knew he shouldn’t.

  Then she was on her feet, stalking over to him with murder in her icy blue gaze.

  “Are you following me?”

  Sloan raised his eyebrows in a challenge, “I was already here when you walked in. Someone could say it’s the other way around.”

  She was unsteady on her feet and she narrowed her eyes at him, slurring her words, “Why would I follow you? You’re already everywhere. You think you’re so irresistible with those brooding sexy scowls and your motorcycle and those tight jeans…” she licked her lips, distracted by her own tirade.

  Sloan smirked and kept his lips sealed, willing to let Sarah dig her own grave.

  “Well, let me tell you something, Mister Director,” she said, wavering a bit as she poked a finger in his chest, frowning as she did, “I’m not affected by all those muscles and dark mystery.” Even as she said it, Sarah tilted her head up to him, expecting him to kiss her.

  “You’re not?” he prodded.

  “Not at all,” she breathed, her lips millimeters from his. He smelled the sweet liquor on her breath and resisted the urge to claim her mouth with his. That’s what she clearly wanted, but he wouldn’t do it while she was intoxicated. Not the first kiss.

  “I think you’ve had enough,” he said gently. “Let me call you a cab?”

  She scowled at him, pulling away, clearly hurt by his rejection.

  “Screw you. No. You know what? I won’t screw you. That’ll teach you and my…”

  “Your what?”

  She frowned, “Nothing. It doesn’t matter. Forget it.”

  He saw the fire flash in her eyes, an indication of a temper he didn’t know she had. She started to walk away from him and Sloan pushed back the urge to grab her, pull her into his embrace and kiss her senseless.

  He grit his teeth as she walked past the other women, stomping out of the bar. He couldn’t let her drive home.

  “Sarah! Where are you going?” Janine called after her.

  Sloan sent Janine an apologetic look as he jogged after Sarah, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she gets home okay.”

  “Sarah!” He called once they were outside.

  “What?” she whirled on him and Sloan saw her swipe away a few tears, “Were you not finished humiliating me? Want to knock me down a few more pegs?” She fumbled with her keys and a nearby streetlight exploded in a wash of sparks, startling the handful of people outside smoking.

  “Sarah, I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to humiliate you. We can talk about this when you’re feeling more yourself. Let me take you home.” His hand closed around hers, taking the keys from her as he did.

  “There’s nothing to talk about,” she spat angrily, leading the way to her car. At least she knew she was too impaired to drive.

  After a few minutes in the car, the only words between them hushed turn-by-turn directions, Sarah said “This is me.”

  Sloan stopped the car and let it idle, “Sarah, I—”

  “Save it. Whatever this was… it isn’t. Just leave me alone,” she said, a tremble in her voice betraying the stern tone.

  Sloan nodded without a word and handed her the keys. He felt like he should apologize, but what had he done really? She was the one fighting against something that hadn’t even happened yet.

  Maybe she just needed time to cool off. He hoped that’s all it was.

  He watched her disappear into her house and sat on the curb waiting for a taxi to take him back to his car. Had he ruined everything by going to that bar?

  He thought of Sarah, eyes burning with anger, cheeks flushed with arousal, her hair cascading over her shoulders in soft waves… At least he had those images to keep him company in his loneliness. It wasn’t a total loss.

  Chapter 13

  SARAH

  The next morning was not kind to Sarah. Her alarm started the procession, cheerfully playing birds chirping to wake her. Sarah groaned, the shrill whistles making her brain constrict and recoil. She tried to lick her lips and found her mouth devoid of moisture, only then realizing the awful taste lingering there.

  A dull throb behind her eyes reminded Sarah of the couple of drinks she’d had the previous night. How could she be so hungover from a couple of shots?

  “Rise and shine, Bumblebee.” Her mother entered without knocking, bringing Sarah a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin.

  “You were a little bit of a mess when you got home last night,” she said.

  Sarah counted out a couple of pills and downed the glass of water in three big gulps. Her brain seemed to absorb the liquid like a sponge and she suddenly felt more human. Her mother’s words registered and she groaned again at memories of the previous night.

  Memories of seeing Sloan. Insulting him, trying to kiss him and then telling him to leave her alone. What the hell was wrong with her? She made a complete ass out of herself.

  “Did I interrupt your date?” she asked her mother apologetically.

  Her mother waved a hand in dismissal, “It wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. You saved me actually. Who knew that Reverend McIntyre had such strong opinions about witchcraft?”

  Sarah chuckled. Probably everyone. That wouldn’t stop her mom from trying to make a convert of him.

  “Wan
na tell me what happened?”

  Sarah shook her head, wincing as she did, and pulled the covers over her head. “I feel too crappy to go to work,” she lied.

  In one swift movement her mother whipped the blankets off the bed and fixed her with a scowl.

  “Now I know that something’s going on. You’ve never once turned down and opportunity to go to that smelly old library. What’s going on? Is it that director again?”

  Sarah tried to hide under a pillow, but her mother snatched that away from her too. Her head fell to the mattress.

  “I may have said something about muscles and tight jeans not effecting me…” Sarah mumbled and her mom sat on the edge of the bed.

  “So you had a few too many and let your mouth get the better of you. Now you pick yourself up, put on your big girl panties and face your problems instead of hiding from them. No daughter of mine is a coward,” she said, patting Sarah’s hip in reassurance.

  Sarah knew her mother was right. She couldn’t avoid Sloan — or work — forever. Better to rip the band-aid off now while everything was still fresh. The longer she let the encounter hang between them, the harder it would be to address the elephant in the room.

  With that in mind, Sarah walked into the library with a latte in each hand and knocked on the Director’s door as best she could.

  “Come in.” His voice sent shivers down her spine. Janine gave her a questioning look, but Sarah just shook her head. She was sure she’d tell Janine what was going on eventually, but not at that moment. She needed to do this before she second-guessed herself.

  Using her elbow to push the door handle down, Sarah entered the office to find Sloan lost in a mass of documents once again. He didn’t look up at her.

  “Hi,” she said, feeling foolish. Was that the best she could do?

  He lifted his gaze then, his eyebrows shooting up into his hairline in surprise. Apparently, after the previous night, he didn’t expect her to come bearing gifts.

  “Here,” she said, offering one of the coffees to him.

  “How are you feeling?”

  That handful of words sent tremors all the way to her toes. He didn’t sound angry with her at all. More concerned than anything. She shuffled on her feet, trying to remember the speech she’d rehearsed a hundred times on the drive in. It was a lot harder to think of words with those emerald eyes piercing through her. It was more difficult to form a coherent sentence when his mere presence made her feel dizzy and made her tongue leaden.

  “Foolish,” she finally answered. “I want to apologize for last night. I was way out of line. And thank you for taking me home.”

  He nodded.

  She hadn’t expected silence; Sarah floundered to fill the space between them with words.

  “I also wanted to thank you for your help with the event. It was a huge success and I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  He nodded again.

  Sarah swallowed past a lump in her throat. Why wouldn’t he say something? She’d gone and ruined everything. Well, it was probably for the best, really. That’s what she wanted, anyway, right?

  “Well, okay. That’s all,” she muttered, turning to leave.

  “Sarah, wait,” he called and she turned on her heels in a heartbeat, cursing herself as she did for being so needy.

  He stood and closed the distance between them in two long strides. Suddenly her senses were overwhelmed by Sloan. Sloan’s scent, his warmth, and the effect he had on her magic.

  “There’s more to me, you know.”

  She didn’t quite understand. There were definitely words coming from those perfectly sculpted lips, but something wasn’t clicking in her mind.

  “More than… what did you say? ‘Brooding sexy scowls’?”

  A fresh flush of shame rose through her. “I’m sorry, I can’t believe I said that,” she winced, pinching the bridge of her nose.

  Sloan surprised her by laughing, “Well, you can make it up to me by letting me prove it.”

  “Pardon?” Her pulse quickened, she must have misunderstood him.

  “A date.”

  The ‘no’ was on the tip of her tongue before she even registered what he’d said. She snapped her lips shut, reeling in her refusal before it could escape. Sarah knew she should say no. She knew she shouldn’t put Sloan at risk of becoming her magic’s next victim.

  “Okay,” she heard herself saying, her voice not waiting for the approval of her conscious mind. If given enough time, she’d surely overthink it and turn him down.

  Sloan looked as surprised to hear her agree as Sarah was. He’d clearly expected more of a fight. His expression of shock melted into an easy smile and he nodded. “Perfect. Tonight?”

  Tonight? Sarah’s panic left her mouth tasting sour from bile as she pushed it down. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

  As she walked to the door, still looking slack-jawed over her shoulder at Sloan, the door flew into her hand, willed by her powers. If she didn’t want Sloan to get hurt, she’d need to keep her distance, but it was far too late for that now.

  Chapter 14

  SLOAN

  The work day crawled to an end, clawing and fighting every inch of the way. Sloan couldn’t lock up the place quickly enough and as he raced home, all he could think of was the upcoming date with Sarah. He hopped into the shower and caught himself humming a catchy tune from the radio while he shaved.

  For a moment he was horrified. Singing in the shower? Who was this person? Then he laughed. Long and hard until his stomach hurt. He didn’t know what came over him. He felt positively giddy.

  Of course he knew what had come over him: Sarah. She came out of nowhere and wormed her way under his skin in the best possible way. Everything reminded him of her and they hadn’t even had an official date yet. There was no doubt about it, he was smitten.

  That thought gave him pause. None of this was supposed to happen. He never expected a complication like Sarah. He never expected his tiger to claim a mate so forcefully and he definitely never expected for the interests of the clan to clash so terribly with his own.

  It was all for the clan. He needed to remember that. Sloan wouldn’t be in this position if it weren’t for his clan and the Elder — he owed his loyalty to them first, even if he didn’t always agree with the Elder. Even when the Elder’s decisions sometimes hurt people. People he cared about. People like Dana.

  For the good of the Tigris. It was all for the good of the Tigris Clan, and for the good of the clan, Sloan was going to get through this. He could go out with her, make her fall for him without falling himself. He just had to maintain a healthy distance. And remind himself it was for the clan. Not for his tiger that itched to claim her every time she was near.

  He reached for the keys to his beamer and reconsidered. Sarah’s voice played in his mind, her eyes blue fire as she muttered drunkenly about his sexy motorcycle. The bike it was, then.

  Sarah already waited for him at the curb as he pulled up, her hair falling in an auburn waterfall down her back, her curves comfortably contained in a pair of jeans and a purple t-shirt that said ‘Don’t judge a book by its movie’. Sloan gave her a big smile. For the clan.

  “I heard you coming from a mile away,” she joked over the steady rumble of the bike’s engine.

  He shrugged. “I could have brought the beamer, but then you wouldn’t get to wrap your arms around me and what’s the fun in that?”

  “Charming. Let’s go before my mother wants to meet you,” she said, swinging her leg over the motorcycle as he handed her the spare helmet he’d brought. Energy crackled between them as she settled in behind him.

  Her mother? He’d assumed that Sarah was alone in life — why else would her magic be such a closely guarded secret?

  The further they ventured from Palm Haven — and the Kerris — the more relaxed Sarah seemed. Sloan loved the feel of her arms wrapped around him in a tight embrace, the steady beat of her heart that transferred through the thin layers of fab
ric that separated them. When he went too fast or took a turn too hard for her liking, she’d pinch him and he laughed.

  Laughter came easily with Sarah. It seemed like the natural order of things, them together. Sloan was hard-pressed to remember a time when he’d felt so at ease and so free. Free of obligations and regrets. Free of guilt.

  It was with Dana — the last time he’d felt this open, but even that was different. He had tried his hardest not to think about her for the past decade, but now twice in one day she’d sprung up into his mind. He couldn’t let himself dwell on the past. He had Sarah, now, and wanted to think about the future, instead.

  He turned off to a hidden road that led a winding narrow path through a thicket of pines to the edge of a small pond. When his tiger wanted to be free, he’d often go there and swim, fish, or lounge in the sun as cats were wont to do. Now he wanted to share this spot with Sarah. She was as much a part of him as his tiger, whether he wanted to admit it to himself or not.

  “Where are we?” she asked too loudly as he cut the engine off. Sarah pulled her helmet off and combed through her long tresses with her fingers to smooth the tangles from the wind.

  “Nowhere,” he answered, “just a place I like to go to think, sometimes. To be myself.” He took her hand and nothing cracked, snapped or popped. Sarah stared at their joined hands in a mixture of surprise and confusion. Sloan wasn’t confused. This only confirmed his suspicions. Without the Ley Lines overwhelming her system, Sarah was in control of her magic. There was no doubt: she was the Guardian.

  “Oh,” she said a step behind him.

  Sloan frowned and turned to look at her, “What?”

  She held up her arms in an exaggerated shrug. “I guess I didn’t know what to expect from you and this seems really low-key and…” She hesitated searching for the right word, “...intimate.” He could barely make out the flush in her cheeks in the early twilight.

  “Would you prefer something showier? Five star dining? Private helicopter rides with champagne and caviar? I could give you that.”

  Her eyes widened behind her glasses and she shook her head quickly and emphatically, “No! I mean, no, that’s alright. This is great, we can just… talk,” she said with a quiver of uncertainty in her voice.