Ice Moon Read online

  Taryn cut into the lasagna. “Will you eat it all?”

  “’Course I will.”

  She glanced in my direction. “He’s always eaten like a horse. I have no clue where all the food goes.”

  “Miss Lorna says I have a hole in my leg and the food falls out.”

  Neither one of them would ever guess he had an elevated metabolism because he was a werewolf.

  Once we were all seated around the table, Taryn’s gaze pinned me in my chair. “Since you and Charlie have been spending time together, I’d like to know a little more about you. How did you get into carpentry?”

  “After I dropped out of pre-med in college, I needed to make a living. Math and geometry come pretty easy and I like working outside.” She started to laugh, but I shook my head slowly. “I’m not kidding.”

  Taryn cleared her throat and shifted in her chair. “You gave up being a doctor to become a carpenter?”

  I nodded. Most people had the same reaction, but none of them understood the real reason I gave up my dream and changed course. That was my burden alone.

  She frowned. “Did the blood bother you?”

  “I had my reasons, but seeing blood wasn’t one of them.” I rested my fork on my plate. “My turn.”

  “Your turn?”

  “Yeah. I answered your question. Now you answer mine.” I winked at Charlie before meeting her eyes again. “Why do you think you’re not a people person?”

  Charlie turned toward his mom, too. We waited.

  Taryn set her fork down. “Charlie wasn’t lying when he told you we’ve never had anyone over for dinner.”

  I raised a brow. “I can’t imagine anybody in their right mind turning down your invitation.”

  She took a sip of her water. “I’d rather be alone.”

  “And you don’t like to be touched.” I put another bite in my mouth before I jammed my whole foot in it.

  “I believe that’s two different questions.” She shifted her attention to her son. “Charlie, you haven’t gotten a turn.”

  He swallowed the last piece of his garlic bread and grinned. “When did you get Tank?”

  Hearing his name, Tank wandered over to his new friend, hoping for some snacks from the dinner table.

  “I found Tank in a shelter. His owner moved into an elderly community and he couldn’t come with him. We both needed someone, so we’ve been partners ever since.”

  Charlie grinned and worked on polishing off his dinner. I stared across the table at his mother. I wished she’d let her hair down, literally. Beautiful seemed too generic to describe her. Between her big, blue eyes, full rose lips, and her porcelain skin, if she allowed her long auburn hair to fall loose around her shoulders, it’d be very difficult for me to keep myself from touching her.

  Probably best the dining room table was between us.

  Before I could stoke the conversation again, Charlie clanked his fork onto his empty plate. “May I be excused?”

  Taryn glanced at him and nodded. “Sure. Get your pajamas on and brush your teeth. I’ll be up soon.”

  He bolted from his chair, carrying his dishes into the kitchen. He stopped on his way back by to pat Tank, and smiled up at me. “Thanks for letting me work today.” He ran to his Mom’s side. “Night Mom!”

  I expected him to hug her, or kiss her cheek, he seemed like he wanted to, but she stiffened in her chair. He backed up. “Bye, Jared.”

  “See you later, buddy.”

  He hustled down the hall and up the stairs.

  “He’s a great kid.”

  She nodded. “He’s the only good thing that’s ever happened to me.”

  I should’ve pressed for more, asked about his father. Something. But the thought of reporting back to my Alpha didn’t sit well with me. I was curious, but not for the reasons I should be.

  “Thanks for dinner. I need to get on the road.” I stood up with my plate and walked toward the kitchen.

  She followed, and in the smaller space, her scent surrounded me; not any expensive perfume, she smelled fresh and crisp, like the cool air after a snowstorm. I turned around, giving her room to put her dishes in the sink.

  “Can I say one more thing before you go?”

  I stopped in my tracks. Her deep blue eyes commanded my attention. Although she was probably younger than I was, the shadows in her gaze hinted at the pain she struggled to hide away. “Sure.”

  “Thank you for what you did for Charlie. I was just surprised and…” She crossed her arms, and stared at the floor. “…And I might’ve been abrasive.”

  I suddenly had the urge to laugh and pull her close, but I respected her wishes and kept my distance.

  “Please don’t take this the wrong way, no judgment okay?” I waited, but her attention stayed on the tile and her feet. “Why does the no touching rule extend to Charlie?”

  She lifted her head, her grip tightening around her middle. “Like you said earlier, I have my reasons.”

  I chuckled, rubbing the back of my neck as the temperature in the room rose. “Touché.” I walked into the dining room and woke up Tank. “Time to go buddy.”

  Taryn trailed behind me. “Sorry, I’m pretty unpracticed at playing hostess.”

  I opened the door and Tank headed for the truck, but I stayed behind, turning to face her again. “I’m no master at conversation either, just ask Tank.”

  She smiled, a bashful, real, breathtaking smile that warmed my entire body. I gripped the door tighter to keep from touching her and breaking the spell.

  “Before you go…I need to ask. This is really awkward, and I’ll pay you for your time.” She cleared her throat. “It’s just for show, for my company.”

  I raised a brow. “Sounds great so far.”

  She rolled her eyes. “My firm sponsors the annual Masquerade Ball here in Tahoe every year, and this time I promised my new community relations manager I would go.”

  She stared up at me like she expected me to say something. Problem was, I had no clue what she was talking about.

  “And you need me to…build a stage or…?”

  Color flushed her chest. I could almost feel the heat on my skin.

  “No, I need you to be my date.” I struggled to keep my jaw off the floor while she backpedaled. “Not like a real date. It’s just that tickets are sold per couple, so I can’t go alone, and I don’t want to involve Charlie. I wouldn’t ask, but you probably guessed I don’t really hang out with people. There’s no one else for me to ask. We wouldn’t have to stay long and you’ll be paid for the time…”

  “Yes.” Without thinking, I placed my finger over her lips to quiet her and be sure she heard me. My heart stuttered the instant I touched her skin, and deep inside of me, my wolf howled. The lights brightened as my pupils dilated and contracted. I blinked hard and shook my head. What the hell… “Don’t pay me. I’ll go because I want to, not because it’ll help your business.”

  I dropped my hand, half expecting her to slap me, but she didn’t move away. A fine line creased between her eyebrows. “Are you all right?”

  That definitely depended on her definition.

  From the depths of my soul, my wolf recognized her. Taryn was my mate. Mine. This cool, distant woman, with another wolf’s child. And yet, maybe I’d sensed it before. Maybe that was why I took this job up the goddamn Mt. Rose highway just as winter was coming in. Had I been drawn to her and her little boy?

  I stared down into her eyes, my voice barely a whisper. “If I stay here any longer, I’m not going to be able to stop myself from kissing you.”

  Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, but she didn’t back away. Her blue eyes searched mine. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “You won’t.” I closed the distance between us, my lips claiming hers. Light burst behind my eyelids as I carefully slid my arms around her. Her body was warm right through my clothes, and while her kiss started out tentative, gradually she returned my caresses and her hands glided up over my chest, until I
smoldered to have her even closer.

  Suddenly, she pushed me away. I let her go, struggling to catch my breath. Her eyes welled with tears. Shit. Had I scared her somehow?

  She shook her head. “This was a bad idea.”

  “Nothing about that was bad.”

  Her fingers trembled at her sides. Without my heightened sense of hearing, I never would have been able to make out her words. “Look at your shirt.”

  I tipped my head down and frowned. There were two brown streaks on the front of my shirt, like I’d left an iron on it too long. The heat I’d imagined from her touch hadn’t been in my imagination.

  “This is why you don’t like to be touched.”

  She didn’t acknowledge me, just took another step away. “I’m sorry, Jared. I can’t explain, just…just go.”

  I glanced down the hall. “That’s why you keep your distance with Charlie.”

  “Walk away, Jared.”

  I shook my head. “I’m not afraid.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “You should be.”

  I held her gaze and lifted my shirt. “I’m fine. Look for yourself. Not even a blister.”

  She frowned, and she didn’t come any closer. “You got lucky.”

  “Not lucky.” I pulled my t-shirt back down. “You’re not the only one with secrets, Taryn.” My wolf growled, sensing my retreat, but for now, I was in charge, and my animal instincts would have to wait. “I’m planning on working late tomorrow. If you make it home before I leave, maybe we can talk. Alone.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She crossed her arms and took a step backwards. “No one can know about this.”

  “Who would I tell?” I stepped out and glanced back. “Don’t stay locked in that tower, Taryn.”

  She shook her head. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Tank nudged my leg, probably sensing the dread and anxiety already filling my bloodstream at the thought of taking the switchbacks of the highway in the dark. Shit.

  “I know more than you think.”

  I went to my truck without looking back.

  Chapter Seven

  Taryn

  I closed the door and set the deadbolt. My hands were still shaking. I forced myself to breathe, long and slow. I’d lost control. Jared. What was I thinking? I never should have touched him. After Noah walked out of my life, I hadn’t laid my hands on another man.

  And since the fire, I hadn’t wanted to.

  When I arrived at boarding school as a terrified almost-six-year-old who’d just given her father a third degree burn on his hand, they’d trained me to control the power, the heat. But after I turned thirteen, my education shifted. The administration at Brightwood had reason to believe that after puberty, our powers could grow. Enhance.

  They wanted me to ignite the fire with my mind.

  I’d been so grateful to finally be able to fit in, be normal, I fought them on the new training. Almost daily, I ended up in detention, labeled a troublemaker. By the time I hit fifteen, I was sneaking out at night. And the night I met Noah, I saw an escape and I took it. Even though he was only eighteen, at the time, he seemed much older to me, more mature.

  The more I loved him, the less I cared about Brightwood and their pressure to use my “gift.” When I dropped out, they didn’t fight me. Maybe they were relieved.

  Apparently normal girls were useless to them.

  But I stopped practicing like I should. And after I found Trevor lifeless in his cradle, something inside of me broke and the fire poured out. I nearly lost Charlie, too.

  The fear overwhelmed me. With nowhere to turn, I built walls. If I never touched anyone, and didn’t allow them close enough to hurt me, I couldn’t burn them.

  Until tonight. Shit. What a mess.

  My legs wobbled as I went to my chair at the dining room table. I sat down and plucked the pins from my hair, letting it fall loose around me. Staring at my hands, my barriers tumbled down. Tears rolled freely down my cheeks.

  After a few minutes wallowing in self-pity, I groaned and got up. This wasn’t helping me solve anything. No amount of crying was going to change my fate. There was no one to blame but myself. Inviting Jared to dinner, getting to know him…kissing him. My body warmed at the thought.

  It had been years since I kissed Noah, but I didn’t remember a passionate fire like I experienced tonight. I’d been able to control my powers with Charlie’s father.

  Just one kiss with Jared, and I almost burned his shirt right off his body.

  But he didn’t run away screaming. Why not? I shoved the curiosity aside and got up. It didn’t matter. I’d never see him again, and if he told anyone about the “heated” kiss, I’d deny it.

  Besides who would believe the Ice Queen locked lips with her contractor?

  Wiping my face, I took a slow breath and jogged upstairs. Charlie’s door was ajar. I peered inside and smiled in spite of my crappy evening. My son was sound asleep with a book on his chest. I crept closer and carefully slid it free from his loose grasp. His heavy eyelids fluttered open.

  “Is Jared still here?”

  I sighed, shaking my head. “No. He went home.”

  His dreamy voice melted my heart. “I think he likes you Mom.”

  “He likes you. I hired him. He has to be nice to me.” I placed his bookmark between the pages and closed the book. “Go back to sleep. School tomorrow.”

  He rolled over toward me. “I really like Jared. I hope he stays after the deck is finished.”

  It hurt to breathe. I stared out the window at the moonlight on the lake. Cool. Calm. “You can’t count on that. He’s got a life. We’re only in it while he’s working.”

  Charlie’s eyelashes lay quiet against his cheeks as he surrendered and slept again. I pulled his comforter up a little more and walked over to his desk. He deserved so much better than I could ever give him.

  I picked up his pencil and opened his journal to write my nightly I love you and froze. In his scratchy print he wrote:

  Thank you for tonight, Mom. Having Tank and Jared over for dinner was fun. Maybe next time they could stay over and have pancakes. Yum! Night. I love you. – Charlie

  A tear dropped from my eyelashes onto the journal page. I rolled my eyes, drying my cheeks before picking up the pencil again.

  I love you too, Charlie. I wish I could give you nights like this all the time. Someday you’ll understand. You did a great job on your clubhouse sign. I’m so proud of you. Love, Mom.

  My son had no memories of all the kisses I used to shower on his and his brother’s pudgy cheeks. He didn’t even know he had a brother. How could I tell him his twin had died and my grief caused such an inferno, he was nearly killed, too? I couldn’t bear seeing him afraid of me.

  Instead, I kept him at arm’s length and wrote him notes to be sure he knew I loved him. I didn’t know what else to do. His safety had to come first.

  “Night Charlie,” I whispered as I clicked off his desk lamp and closed his door.

  I walked down the hall to my room and collapsed onto my cold empty bed. But when I shut my eyes, my mind tormented me. Replaying the raw edge in Jared’s voice when he told me he wanted to kiss me.

  That moment made me forget I was a monster.

  The morning passed in a blur, but Charlie got to school on time, I took a shower, grabbed a bagel, and still made it in time to open the office. I spent all morning reading and signing documents, taking phone calls, and wolfing down a ham sandwich for lunch. My next appointment would be here in ten minutes. Usually my agents showed properties, but this account had the potential to be long term and highly profitable, so when he requested a meeting with me personally, I carved out some time.

  Madison poked her head in my door. “Hi, Ms. Goldstone. Any luck on—”

  “No. And I don’t have time to get into it right now.”

  Her smile faded. “Sorry. I didn’t know you were busy.”

  She wandered off before I could soften my
response, but if I had to discuss the damned Masquerade today, I’d fall apart. Jared had said yes, but there was no way I could risk being near him again. What if my self-control slipped again? What if it happened in public?

  They’d take Charlie away.

  I straightened my blazer, pushing the dark thoughts away. I’d leave Jared a message and let him know I wouldn’t need him for the Masquerade after all. Simple.

  Ray knocked on my door frame. “Your one o’clock is here.”

  “Thanks.” I got up, smoothing down my skirt, and checked myself in the small mirror on the back of my office door. Satisfied everything was as it should be, I grabbed my leather portfolio and headed out to our welcome area.

  Grasping the folder in both hands protected me from having to shake hands. “Hello. You must be Mr. Severino…” I glanced at my notes. “Damian Severino?”

  He nodded and picked up his briefcase as he stood. “And you’re Ms. Goldstone?”

  “I am.” I turned before he could offer his hand. “We can chat in my office. I found a few properties that just came on the market and might be perfect for what you’re looking for.”

  He followed me and took the chair across from my desk. I settled in and turned my computer screen so we could both see the PowerPoint I’d prepared.

  Mr. Severino had contacted me via email so I had no idea what he’d look or sound like in person. For some reason, I pictured him much older. In reality, he could’ve walked off the runway at fashion week. His tailored suit fit his broad shoulders perfectly, and his tan skin made his teeth and the whites of his eyes even brighter. The only imperfection was a black splint on his right hand and a limp in his gait.

  “From our emails, I understand you need a large custom home that can be used for your business entertaining, right?”

  He nodded. “Exactly. We’re based on the east coast, but our interests seem to keep drawing us into the area. I’d like to find something to serve as a satellite business hub as well as a temporary residence.”

  I skimmed my notes again. “The Nero Organization, right? I’m sorry, I tried to do my homework and research your company, but not much came up.”