Roane

Chapter Four

“Ace, give me back my phone.” Kelly glared at Ace and Zack as she stood before the stove wearing a “Kiss the Cook” apron. “It’s none of your business who I talk to on my own time.”

“Ace, leave her alone,” Zack warned.

“Who the hell is Stephen Folsom? You called him three times yesterday, and he’s in your address book.”

“Let me see that.” Zack caught the phone Ace tossed him. “Answer him, Kelly.” Roane sighed and shared an exasperated look with Hale and Derrick. “Guys, leave her alone.”

“My phone?” Kelly held out her hand like a princess demanding obedience.

To Roane’s amusement, Zack and Ace grumbled their dislike of the entire situation while Zack handed it back. They stuffed their hands in their pockets and returned to the sofa, glaring between each other and Kelly all the while.

Watching the local news with the rest of the squad, they all perked up when someone reported a hit-and-run on Beach Avenue in Cape May.

“That was me,” Ace said proudly. “Fucker was so busy watching Caitlyn’s legs, he slammed into me, not the other way around. ’Course, I was a bit over the yellow lines when we hit, but the distraction worked like a charm.”

“Watch your language.” Zack smacked him in the back of the head.

Roane saw Kelly smother a grin before she turned back to the stove.

“Sorry,” Ace apologized. “Speaking of Caitlyn, where is she?”

“With Doc,” Hale answered. “He’s running tests and answering her bazillion questions.” He glanced at Kelly and leaned in toward the others. “I don’t think it needs repeating, but Caitlyn’s unaware of what went down today. So shut the hell up about it, all right?” Everyone stared at Derrick.

“Shit. Okay. Sorry, I was just surprised earlier.”

“About what?” Kelly said from behind Roane.

Damn, she was getting better at that. Sneaking around like a cat. Roane sent Derrick a warning glare.

“Ah, nothing, Kelly. Just a mix-up when we took Caitlyn in.”

“Forget about it,” Ace agreed. “Nothing for you to worry about, sweetness.” Ace gave her a lingering once-over.

“Yeah. Roane took care of her -- it. The situation,” Zack amended lamely, his gaze also trapped on her body. “Hale and Derrick helped settle her down is all.”

“Hmm,” was all Kelly said, but the tension in her slight frame eased. “Whatever.

Dinner will be ready in a few, so you might want to wash up.” When no one moved, she cleared her throat. “If you want to eat, you might want to wash up.” Growling at the pigheaded woman Roane considered an aggravating part of his little family, he waited for the others before he took his turn. His thoughts were on Caitlyn, as they’d been since he’d first spotted her in that alleyway. She’d been through a lot today. First the PPA, changing , taking him, Hale, and Derrick to bliss. Frankly, he was glad she didn’t remember it. He wanted to forget it as well. No one but Roane would touch her again, dammit. She belonged to him.

“Roane, you need to relax,” Hale murmured and nudged him aside. “Your eyes aren’t right, man. I know the female freaks you out, but hold it together, at least through dinner.” Roane gritted his teeth, not as amused as Hale seemed to be. “What the fuck’s so funny?”

“Not a thing, man. Nothing to laugh about when a tough-ass Circ gets his wires fried by a woman. No sirree.”

“Asshole.” Roane pushed past him and cleaned up. When he returned to the kitchen, he found it empty. Everyone was seated in the large dining room, including Doc and Caitlyn.

She looked worn out, though she put on a smiling face.

“Hi, Kelly. Nice to meet you.” Caitlyn shook Kelly’s hand.

Kelly sat on one side of her, Doc on the other. The jealous beast inside Roane eased as he sat at the foot of the table with the others.

“It’s been a long day. We’ll postpone a full debrief until tomorrow,” Doc said before turning to Caitlyn. “After dinner, Kelly will show you to your room.” Caitlyn put up no protest and shoved a fork into the salad Kelly had prepared. Which made Roane wonder where the cook had gone.

“Doc, what happened to Diego?”

“Family emergency. It checked out.”

Yet Roane sensed the same unease the rest of the men felt. They all stared at Doc until he relented.

“He’s working on something I assigned him. When I’m ready to tell you about it, I will,” he finished coolly.

Roane grinned. “Sure thing, Doc.” Irritating the boss always pleased him. Why, he couldn’t say. But ruffling Doc’s feathers made the man seem more human and less a scientific genius with a limitless wallet.

They spent the rest of the meal as usual. Zack and Ace annoyed one another and flirted with Kelly, who ignored them in favor of someone else -- Caitlyn. Doc and Derrick talked baseball while Hale waxed on and on about the newest hottie waiting tables at The Ugly Mug, one of his favorite stops in town.

Under his breath, he described her with awe. “She has the nicest tits. Really full. Long-ass legs that wrap around a body just right.” Hale groaned and sucked down his beer. “But best of all, she’s actually intelligent under all that blonde hair. Likeable, too, especially while she’s blowing you. Friendlier gal I’ve yet to meet.”

“For God’s sake, Hale, you sound like you’re in heat.” Roane huffed in disgust. All this talk of long legs and big breasts made him think of Caitlyn when he needed to concentrate elsewhere.

“In lust, maybe. I think we already did ‘in heat,’ bro.” Hale smirked.

“You look in her direction again, and I’ll rip that smug grin right off your fucking face,” he whispered harshly, knowing the other Circs could hear him. Caitlyn, thankfully, seemed absorbed in whatever Kelly was saying.

“See, this is what I’m talking about,” Hale whispered. “You’re wrapped too tight. Easy, Roane. I’m just kidding around. I like Caitlyn. She seems like a nice girl.” My nice girl, the beast in Roane snarled.

“Roane, did you see the Cubs beat the Braves today?” Derrick shook his head. “If you’re not careful, you’re gonna lose a shitload of money to me. Betting on the Braves. Man. Then again, no one ever claimed you were the sharpest tool in the shed.” Derrick chuckled, and Roane reluctantly left Hale alone as he finished his dinner.

He caught Caitlyn eyeing him with uncertainty. The small smile he gave her didn’t seem to instill any more confidence.

“Wow, Kelly. That was great.” Caitlyn placed her napkin on the table by her half-eaten plate of food. “It’s been a long day, and I’m beat.” She smiled at Doc. “I really appreciate all you’re doing for me. But if you don’t mind, I’d like to get some rest now.” Doc stood, gentleman that he was. He glared at the rest of the table, and they shot out of their chairs to their feet. “Have a good night’s rest, Caitlyn. We’ll start more testing tomorrow. Sleep in and relax. You’re safe here.” She nodded her good night to the others but paused when she faced Roane. “Good night, and thanks.” Quickly turning on her heel, she joined Kelly and left the room.

Silence lingered. Roane glanced away from the women’s exit to find everyone watching him. “What?”

Doc narrowed his gaze. “A little possessive, aren’t we?” Not “we,” professor. Me. Roane ignored the taunting voice in his head. “Not at all.”

“Good. Because Caitlyn is very new to all this, despite her background. She’s a newly turned Circ, just maturing.” Doc waved them to sit and continued when they did. “I expect she’ll go into heat a few more times this week before she settles.” Roane’s internal temperature skyrocketed at the news.

“And that’s going to cause problems if you’re feeling possessive.”

“It’s just because we’ve found a female.” Roane lied through his teeth, not yet ready to announce how he felt when he didn’t understand it himself. As leader of this ragtag band of genetic anomalies, he was expected to be strong, in control. Battling his inner beast was hard enough. Fighting his new instincts to claim Caitlyn bore close watching.

“Uh-huh.” Hale rolled his eyes. “That’s why any of us even try sniffing in her direction and you’re ready to tear our heads off.”

“Not any of you. Just you, Hale, because you’re an ass.”

Derrick snickered. “He’s got you there. You are an ass.”

“Shut up.”

“No, really,” Zack added with a smile. “You’re too arrogant and too horny. And if you look at Kelly the way you look at Caitlyn, I’m going to rip off your balls --”

“And feed them to you one by one,” Ace ended, smiling though his suddenly sharp teeth.

Doc sighed. “This is getting ugly.”

“It’s too many damned females around,” Derrick muttered. “They’re always trouble.”

“That I agree with.” Hale nodded.

“The addition of a female Circ is bound to cause problems,” Doc said thoughtfully.

“And interesting dynamics. I want the five of you in Lab A first thing in the morning. No arguments.”

The men groaned but agreed. Doc called the shots. The head man at his little “compound,” his money paid for their survival and the roof over their heads. Granted, they fulfilled their end of things by dealing with Pearson Labs and their misfits, but without Doc, it’d be a hell of a lot harder to pool their resources while fighting against Elliot Pearl.

“Yeah, yeah.” Roane stood and stretched, deliberately taking his time. A man in control of his beast and his urges. “I’m turning in. I’ll see you idiots tomorrow.”

“That’s Mr. Idiot to you,” Hale joked. “Later, Romeo.” Roane flipped him and the others off as they gave him crap about going to sleep early.

He walked down the hall to his room. Opposite the passage leading to the elevator shaft, his room was in another wing on the ground floor of the three-storied living quarters.

Doc had spared no expense when building his small fortress. They lived on thirty acres of private land bordered by two farms. A half hour from the ocean, they also had water access should they need an escape route. In the years they’d lived here, they’d made a home for themselves. Despite dealing with Hale’s rabid sex life, Zack and Ace as they irritated the hell out of one another, and Derrick’s cautious approach to anything resembling trust, Roane didn’t want to be anywhere else. Here he had purpose. A family.

He didn’t even mind Doc’s constant prodding. The man had more of Roane’s blood in bags and vials than Roane had in his entire body, but he knew Doc only wanted the best for the squad. Shit, if it weren’t for Doc, they probably wouldn’t have lived through the hell at the end of Project Dawn.

Uncomfortable with the notion, Roane was just about to slam the door shut on his bedroom and his thoughts when the notion to see Caitlyn grabbed him and wouldn’t let go.

The minute he rounded the corner toward her hallway the scent of heaven hit his nose.

He immediately raced toward Caitlyn, sure he’d have to fight off the others, only to see her standing alone with Kelly in the doorway of her room. Her eyes widened when she noticed him, but other than that, she said nothing to alert Kelly to his presence.

“If you need me, I’ll be staying down the hall tonight. Third door on your left past the bathroom. It’s not that confusing, really,” Kelly said with a laugh. “Five rooms total in this hallway. Doc practically lives down in his lab. So I’m the only other one who occupies a room here when necessary. The guys are all by themselves around the corner and down another corridor. Just holler if you need me.”

“Thanks, Kelly. I will.”

Kelly turned to rejoin the others, he assumed. She grinned when she saw him but said nothing and left.

Roane lifted his nose in the air and parted his lips to use all of his olfactory senses. He tasted Caitlyn’s need, yet he remained in control of the change. An odd happenstance, yet she hadn’t changed either, and the others hadn’t seemed to sense her. What the hell was this puzzle? And why did he feel compelled to solve it?

“Hi, Roane.”

He approached slowly, stalking his prey. She didn’t move, though her hands clenched at her sides. Still normal fingernails and small hands, no claws, no large fists.

“Caitlyn.” Up close she smelled like…his. His cock swelled as her scent settled over him. “You called, I came.” Well, not yet. But I’m gonna come all the same. Damn, she’s hot.

His beast had no problem putting aside the fact he didn’t really know this woman. It didn’t care what she’d been through, or how tired she must surely feel. All it knew was that her beast needed, and he was there to sate her hungers, no matter what they might be.

“I…called?” Caitlyn took a step back, one he encouraged by stepping forward. In seconds, they were inside her room.

Roane turned and locked the door behind him. He settled against it and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for her to make the next move.

“Roane?”

“Yeah?” Maybe she’d start with her top, so he could see her nipples. He hadn’t had the concentration to focus on them before, but now he wanted to suckle her. To bite her breasts, marking her tits as his. Then he’d roam down that soft, golden belly flushed with sun. He’d lick his way toward her pussy, the lips he remembered as bare, smooth, and hiding a succulent feast.

Growing harder as he stared, he sensed her nervousness, inflaming the predatory instincts within.

“I didn’t call for you.” Caitlyn swallowed and took another step back, her knees bumping the edge of the bed. “So good night.” She glanced toward the door, as if he should take the hint.

“Why are you wet for me?” he asked bluntly, his fangs piercing his gums as he spoke.

He worked to hold on to his humanity, not wanting to lose control. Not yet.

She blushed a dark red. “I-I… What are you talking about?” Yet she subtly rubbed her thighs together, and her scent wafted over him like a drug.

“Your pussy’s wet. You nipples are hard. You want me, Caitlyn. That’s right, baby, I can smell your need. You called me with it. Now, give it to me.” He lifted his shirt over his head and tossed it to the floor. He’d removed his shoes in his bedroom and now wore only his shorts, the cotton straining over a raging erection she couldn’t help but notice.

“You-you have fangs,” she gasped. “And a…oh, hell. You have a hard-on the size of Texas. I’d have to be blind to miss that,” she said sharply, her belligerence surprising and welcome. Aside from her animalistic acceptance when changing , this was the first time he’d sensed her strong will.

“Look your fill.” He stepped out of his shorts and proffered his cock, holding it for her inspection. “See how my slit fills with cream? How hard and hot I am? Come on, Caitlyn.

Come touch me,” he prodded and began pumping his shaft. “Put those small, warm hands around my cock. Better yet, put those ripe lips around me,” he rasped, imagining it all too easily. And just like that, the room filled with the scent of his lust.

Her eyes narrowed. “You’re doing this to me. Making me want you like this.” He licked his lips, wanting a taste of the cream between her legs. “No, you did this. It’s your scent that brought me here.” His fangs retracted, forced away by his will. “Now, stop playing and fix it. Suck me hard, baby.”

He couldn’t help his dominant tone, but he admitted to himself, he wanted to see how she’d react. He knew she wanted him. But how much?

“How about you suck me instead?” Caitlyn ripped off her shirt, shorts, and undergarments until she stood before him gloriously nude. Her golden hair shimmered over her shoulders, framing a face flushed from arousal, green eyes darkened with need. She stood straight, her chest out, her legs spread wide. With her fingers, she spread herself for his gaze.

“Shit, yeah,” he whispered, drawn to her like a moth to flame. He knelt in front of her before he knew what he was doing.

“Suck me, bite me,” she rasped in a harsh voice. “Make this nightmare disappear, Roane. Make me come.” She ended on a breath as he took the whole of her clit in his mouth and sucked hard.