Lycan Contempt

Chapter Nine

Georgia was sure she’d paced a trench into the floor by now. Even though Kish had only been gone a few minutes, it felt like hours. In the kitchen, he hadn’t said that anything was wrong, but she’d read his tone clearly enough. He was worried about something outside, something she hadn’t sensed. She’d never met anyone like him. No one had ever been able to sneak up on her. But how did he do it?

“Maybe it’s just a wild animal or something,” she mumbled.

Maybe it was a bear, or would al the bears be hibernating by now? And if so, maybe it was something worse like some type of wildcat. She enjoyed nature, but she was no expert when it came to what lurked in the woods of Wisconsin.

She was worried about Kish. She didn’t like being left here alone, but most of al, she didn’t want him to get hurt.

“Lucy, I can’t take any more. I have to find out what is going on.”

What she needed most was to know that he was okay. Butterflies danced in her bely as she recaled the way Kish had let her touch him in the kitchen. His skin had been smooth, and his jaw had been covered in stubble. She’d liked it, and now that she’d gotten a good look at him with her fingers, she had confirmed that he was every bit as handsome as she’d thought he would be.

She frowned as she let her hand slide down the wal in the halway leading to the living room. She’d wanted to take his face in both of her hands, but when he’d covered her fingers with his, he’d made it clear without speaking a word that he was in control of where she touched him. But why wouldn’t he let her touch the right side of his face? If he had a scar or some type of disfigurement, she couldn’t care less.

His insecurity about whatever he didn’t want her to find out seemed out of character for him.

True, she’d only known him for a short time, but she didn’t get the feeling that he was the insecure type. Unfortunately for him, or her, or maybe both, her curiosity about what he was hiding had only intensified. She didn’t care if he wasn’t perfect. Who the hel was? She certainly wasn’t, but for some reason, she had a deep-seated need for him to trust her.

Her tummy somersaulted when she remembered the way his breath felt against her lips. He’d only been a fraction of a second away from kissing her, and she’d ached for him to do so. When he’d been alerted by whatever it was that had distracted him, she’d almost cried out for him to return to her. She wanted to feel his mouth on her own, wanted to taste him, learn everything about what turned him on, wanted to please him. And oh how she’d wanted him to taste and learn her as wel for she was sure that Kish was a man that would know his way around a woman’s body.

Her instincts told her that he would bring her pleasure like she’d never experienced, pleasure like she’d never encounter again. She didn’t want to admit it, but the longer she was with him, the more sure she became that she’d found her soul mate.

She’d never thought it would happen to her, that she’d find the one man that would complete her, but with every passing moment, her heart knew she was meant to be with this man.

“I thought you didn’t believe in love at first sight, Georgia,” Georgia mumbled, and Lucy whined.

“Sorry, girl. I wasn’t talking to you.”

She nearly snorted. If he was, in fact, her soul mate, what made her think that he’d acknowledge it?

While she thought of herself as normal as the next person, didn’t give much thought to her blindness, she wasn’t under the ilusion that others didn’t view her as handicapped. She wondered if he thought she was less of a person because of her blindness, wondered if he looked at her with pity burning in his eyes. Eyes?

What color were his?

Green. They were green. How did she know that?

She had no answer, but she was positive it was the truth.

The main layout of Kish’s house was similar to the floor plan at Frank’s only on a much bigger scale.

She’d only just made it to the living room when the door opened, and the cold wind whipped inside around her legs and made her shiver.

“I thought I told you to stay in bedroom with the door locked,” Kish said.

“Sorry, but I’ve been this thing you might refer to as an adult for a while now, and I’m not good with people giving me orders,” she huffed with indignation.

“Feisty. I like that.”

She frowned. “Who’s that?”

“Name’s Brady. Had a nasty encounter with a trap in the woods. My leg is fu—um fudged up good.”

“Nice to meet you, Brady. I’m Georgia.”

“You didn’t tel me she was drop-dead gorgeous, Kish.”

“Probably because it’s not any of your damned business.”

“Okay. Okay. I get it. No worries here.”

Georgia listened to the exchange with amusement.

Why would Kish care if Brady found her attractive?

Was he jealous? She didn’t care for jealousy al that much, but for some reason, the thought of Kish being so over another man paying her a tiny bit of attention pleased her.

“Brady is going to be staying on the couch for a day or two until he’s healed enough to head home, or wherever it is he’s heading,” Kish said.

Georgia heard some scuffling then a loud thump folowed by a sigh. Most likely a sigh of relief from Brady after he plopped onto the couch.

“Do you have an open wound that needs attention, Brady?”

“You volunteering, little lady? Because I’d be more than happy to let you tend to my injuries any day.”

She started to smile, but it quickly died when she heard a low rumble that sounded like a growl. It definitely had not come from Lucy.

“Cut it out, Brady.” Kish’s voice was low, menacing, and made the hair on the back of Georgia’s neck stand on end.

“He’s only kidding with me, Kish. Right, Brady?”

“Of course.” Brady answered Georgia with a chuckle.

“Can you get some clean water and a rag, Kish?

Some bandages if you have them as wel?” Georgia worked her way around the couch.

She reached out to find Brady, but before she touched him, strong, warm fingers circled her wrist and puled back.

“Kish. What’s wrong with you? Brady’s wound needs to be cleaned.”

“I’l get the stuff, and he can do it himself.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“He. Can. Do. It. Himself.” Kish’s words were low and laced with warning.

“What is your problem? I’m not a child, and I can make my own decisions.”

“I don’t want you to touch him, Georgia.”

“Kish, you have done nothing but help me since I met you, and I don’t want to seem disrespectful or ungrateful for that, but you are realy pissing me off.

Unless you can give me a realy good explanation why I should not help Brady, I’m going to do so. He is a felow human being in need of help. Now please get the supplies I asked for if you have them so we can get him taken care of before his injury becomes infected.”

Her cheeks heated, but not with embarrassment.

Her annoyance was rising to the surface, and she was finding it hard to understand why Kish didn’t want her to help Brady. He didn’t move or say a word. Finaly, after several minutes, she put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot in agitation.

“Wel?”

Kish sighed. “Fine. But don’t touch him until I get back.”

“Touchy, huh?” Brady snorted.

Georgia frowned. “Yeah. I guess.”

Although Kish had never seemed that way to her until now, but she kept having to remind herself that she’d only known him for a few hours. Why did he seem upset about her helping Brady? She wasn’t sure, but she’d ask him about it later.

Only a couple minutes passed before Kish was back. When she bent in front of Brady to tend his injury, Kish knelt beside her and shoved the bowl of water into her hands while he went to work on the wound.

“Son of a bi—beach, bro. Take it easy,” Brady grunted.

Kish didn’t say a word in response, and Georgia could nearly feel the tension and heat steaming off of him. She’d been wrapped up in his response to her being near Brady and had almost missed the strange scent permeating the air. It was nothing she’d ever smeled before with a hint of the wildness she now associated with Kish.

She simply shrugged it off with Kish, but now that she’d met two men in the span of a few hours that had a scent she’d never smeled before, she began to think on it a little more. The scent was vaguely familiar, yet she couldn’t place it. She racked her brain while Kish continued tending to Brady’s injury.

Just when he’d finished, it hit her. The only time she’d smeled anything close to what she detected on Kish and now Brady was at her one trip to the zoo several years ago. Particularly the predator section that housed the lions, tigers, and wolves and such.

But why in the heck would Kish and Brady have such a scent? Yet another thing she would be questioning Kish about later.

Kish took the bowl from her and helped her stand before walking away probably to discard the water and other stuff he’d tended to Brady’s injury with.

She sat down on the couch next to Brady.

“Better not sit too close. Your boyfriend might hurt me.”

“He’s not my boyfriend.”

“Could have fooled me.”

She frowned.

“Aw. Don’t look so confused. It’s obvious he has a thing for you. And hel, who could blame him? You are beautiful.”

She felt heat rush to her cheeks. “Thank you. I’m sorry you got hurt by the way.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

“I hope you feel better soon.”

“Again, me too, but thank you. If you don’t mind me asking, how did you go blind?”

The question she’d been asked numerous times didn’t phase her. “I was born without my sight. For some reason, my optic nerves did not form properly.”

“Bummer.”

She giggled. “Not realy. You can’t miss something you’ve never had. I have adjusted fine. I don’t feel any different from anyone else.”

Brady admired the woman sitting next to him for her spunk and determination. While she was probably right in thinking that she was no different from anyone else—anyone else being your average, everyday Joe —she would be considered seriously handicapped to his species, hel, any shifter species. Being blind and a predator didn’t mix. His keen sight had saved his ass as many times as his amplified sense of smel and hearing.

If she were lost in the woods, she’d be a sitting duck waiting for a predator to pluck her, hel, inviting a predator to pluck her. A twinge of guilt tickled his gut. And he was the predator that was going to do that plucking.

He scowled. When he’d started down this path, he’d felt no remorse. The woman had been a mere means to getting his sister back, a bargaining chip.

But now she had a name, a beautiful face, and a kind heart. He’d never been a violent man. Had never kiled unless necessary, and while he wouldn’t be the one actualy kiling Georgia, he had no doubt that’s what would end up happening to her once he made the trade.

He was going to wilingly put her into the hands of the rogues that had kidnapped his sister. The beasts that had found Georgia only a week earlier. Two days ago he hadn’t been dumped by a woman. Hel, he’d never been dumped by a woman. He wasn’t a pompous ass, but he knew how to please women, and to be fair, he didn’t usualy stick around long enough to be dumped. Long-term relationships were not his thing.

Two days ago, his sister had been kidnapped right out from under his nose. The lycans had come to him the same night they’d taken her, told him the only way he’d see her alive again was if he brought Georgia to them.

They’d apparently been folowing her, waiting for just the right moment to nab her. When that moment had finaly come, Kish had showed up and foiled it.

He had to give it to the two rogues for not being naive and stupid. Kish was a mean-looking son of a bitch, and he was sure the man could squash the two rogues with no problem.

Truth be told, he could kil the two with little effort, but unfortunately, he’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Once they had his sister, they had his bals in a vice and they knew it. Georgia was his only hope of ever seeing Krista alive again. She was the only family he had left. He hadn’t been lying—wel, much—when he’d said he hadn’t seen another of his kind for years. He’d just omitted that he’d not seen another of his kind besides his sister. As far as he knew, they truly were the last of their species.

Krista was his only family, and he was her protector. He’d let her down. He had to set things right. He had to save her. And even though his damned conscience was starting to rear its ugly head, he had to do what he must. If that meant putting Georgia in the hands of two rogues, he had no choice. The guilt grew from a tinge and now gnawed at his insides. Yes, he had no choice, but he’d regret it for the rest of his life.