She would no longer be human. Just as Luc had changed so many years ago, Tia would discover a new self, an entirely new view of the body with which she’d lived her entire life.
She would be Chanku, able to shift from woman to wolf at a moment’s notice. Able to control her breeding if not her cycle…able to choose a mate on her own terms.
The implications practically exploded in his mind.
Luc found the address to Tia’s school and followed the narrow alley between buildings to the apartment in the rear. His hands controlled the wheel, his eyes spotted the address and the tiny apartment tucked in behind the larger school building.
His mind silently repeated the same refrain, over and over again.
Choose me. Choose me. I will be your mate.
Choose me.
Tia turned and smiled at him. A question lurked beneath her dark lashes.
Luc shut down his silent plea. Tia might not be fully Chanku yet, but he had the strange feeling she had just heard every pathetic word crawling through his brain.
Chapter 3
“I never expected anything this nice.” Tia swept her hand over the polished oak windowsill. No dust. The tiny apartment was not only attractively furnished, it was immaculately clean. She’d meet with the school’s administrator in the morning and find out her schedule of classes, but with almost two weeks before school was scheduled to start, she had plenty of time to settle in. Maybe this hadn’t been such a dumb idea after all.
Tia turned away from the window and its view of a sprawling bougainvillea on the building next door and smiled at Luc standing close behind her.
Not nearly close enough.
He held her luggage in both hands. Tia stared at the strong curve of his fingers wrapped around the handles. For a brief, heart-stopping moment, she imagined them cupping the fullness of her breasts. Blinking the image aside, Tia looked up into Luc’s hooded eyes. “How did you know which bags were mine?”
“What?” He set the luggage down on the floor in the middle of the small front room, then straightened up. A thick shock of dark brown hair fell across his forehead. Luc brushed it back from his eyes and stared intently at Tia.
“My bags. You picked them off the baggage carousel without any hesitation. How did you know they were mine?”
Luc shrugged and then grinned. Damn, his smile was dangerous. Tia felt the heat between her legs, heard the catch in her breath.
“Just good, I guess. They are yours, aren’t they?” Luc leaned over and flicked her name tag on the closest piece of luggage. It was printed in bold, felt-tipped pen. “I can read, Tia.”
Tia felt her skin go hot and cold all over. She’d forgotten about the name tags. “Well, of course, I…”
“S’okay.” He waved one hand, as if to dismiss her. “Where do you want these?”
“Uh, right here is fine. I’ll move them later.”
“Why don’t I put them in your bedroom? These two are pretty heavy.”
Bedroom. Tia absentmindedly rubbed at her forearms. The mere thought of Luc in her bedroom made her nervous. “Um, okay. I’m not sure….” She turned toward the first door to her right and opened it. The small bathroom glistened, all new blue tile and shiny white linoleum with bright yellow towels hanging on two racks.
Tia tried the next door and pushed it all the way open. A huge, four-poster bed almost filled the entire room. A shaft of afternoon sunlight cut a brilliant swath across the multicolored, satin spread. Piled high with soft pillows and a down-filled comforter folded at the foot, the bed obviously was more than big enough for two.
An image of herself and Luc, naked, their bodies tangled together amidst the pillows and slick satin, flashed into Tia’s thoughts. The sunbeam showcased Luc’s tightly muscled ass, the dark hair dusting his long legs, the…
Tia’s breath caught once more as Luc nudged her aside. She felt as if she moved on legs made of wood, stepping into the room so he could fit through the door with her bags.
He set them down and turned back to her. “You okay?”
Rubbing at her arms, Tia nodded. “Just tired.”
“Look, you’re dealing with a long flight and a three-hour time difference. Why don’t you rest for a while? I’ll come back later and we can head over to your dad’s for dinner.”
Tia shook her head. “I think I’m too wound up to sleep. It’s been a wild day.”
“I could tell you a bedtime story.”
She blinked, caught off guard by the laughter in Luc’s voice. “I can just imagine your kind of story.”
“No, really. C’mon. Take your shoes off. Lie down and get comfortable. I’ll put you right to sleep.”
“Said the big bad wolf to Little Red Riding Hood.” Tia laughed. Luc in this kind of mood she could handle. When he was serious and quiet, she wasn’t quite sure what went on behind those sexy eyes. “I don’t think so. Besides, I bet you don’t know the best stories.”
Luc went back into the front room and retrieved the rest of Tia’s luggage while she opened the first of her bags and began hanging blouses and pants in the closet. He set the smallest bag on an antique dresser tucked into one corner and leaned back against the top drawer with his arms folded across his chest. Tia noticed he’d rolled the sleeves partway up. Luc’s forearms were muscled and lightly dusted with dark hair.
It looked soft as silk. Tia licked her top lip and blinked at Luc’s knowing grin. Damn. He’d caught her staring again.
“Which stories are the best ones?” His voice sounded deeper, huskier.
Tia knew they weren’t talking about stories at all. She turned her back on Luc and returned to hanging up her blouses. “My favorites. The amazing tales of the ancient and mystical Chanku.”
“What?”
Damn, how did he do that? Tia spun around to find Luc at her elbow. “What do you mean, what?”
His eyes practically glowed with intensity. “The stories. What stories are you talking about?”
Tia blinked and fought the urge to step back, to give herself a bit of space. “Oh. The wolf stories, the ones my mom used to tell me at bedtime. I’d completely forgotten about them until just now. She used to make up stories about mythical creatures she called Chanku. They looked like people during the day but turned into wolves at night. They ran through the forest helping people and animals in need. I got a new story every night before I went to bed. I loved them. I used to dream I was a wolf.”
She almost told him she still dreamed of wolves, but she didn’t. The dreams that awakened her now were much too intimate to share with anyone.
“Oh. I thought…. Never mind.” Tension seemed to melt out of him. Luc’s hand came up and brushed some loose strands of hair away from her face. “I’m sorry about your mother.”
Tia sucked her lips between her teeth, remembering. “Yeah. Well, it was a long time ago.” She turned away. Luc was too close, her mother gone too long.
Life too unsettled.
“Do you still remember the stories?”
“Yeah, I do. Dad used to try to tell me bedtime stories, but no one could do it like my mom. I still miss her. A lot.”
Luc nodded and backed away from her. She wanted to cling to him, to beg him to stay here, in her home, in her bed, but he was moving away, separating himself from her. “You try and rest. I’ll come back in a while.”