The Blackstone Wolf: Blackstone Mountain Book 4 Read online

  “Good.” She stood up, but Nathan grabbed her hand and pulled her onto his lap. “Nathan, we need to—”

  “We don’t have to do anything right now,” he whispered against her neck. “I also told Jason you were still indisposed. That we needed another day or two for you to recover.”

  “But what about work? I’m perfectly—oh!” His teeth nipped at her lobe. “Uhm, perhaps I could use some time to rest.”

  Nathan pulled her down and laid her flat on her back. “You definitely still look sick,” he said, his lips on her breast.

  “Then I should stay in bed to … recover.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Violet would have been perfectly happy to spend the rest of the week in bed. Nathan was a skilled lover, and the pleasure he gave her was unlike anything she’d experienced before. But she knew they had to come out of his apartment sometime, so the next day she insisted he drive her back to her hotel so she could change clothes and they could go back to work.

  He tried to tempt her into taking off another day. If she gave in, they might never make it out of his place. Nathan sulked, but he didn’t stay too mad, not when she coaxed him into a quickie before they drove off to work.

  She kept busy at the mines, collecting samples and analyzing the results from the previous tests. Since she’d missed two days of collections, she’d have to work double time to make up for it. Plus, she had to go through the stack of resumes that had piled up in her inbox.

  A knot tightened in her stomach. Had she really been so distracted that she had forgotten about her agreement with Ben? And about Antonia and the girls? She hadn’t heard back from Antonia for a while, nor from the non-profit agency she’d been negotiating with to secure funding.

  Before she was forced to leave, she promised Antonia she would find a way to get them out of the village. She was going to bring them down to the nearby town and help them establish a formal orphanage where the girls could be safe and attend school. She used every connection she had and hopped to Switzerland and France, then finally to London where she had a meeting with a non-profit that seemed fruitful. Girl's Liberty Trust, or GLT, focused on helping women and children in war zones. They looked over her proposal and told her they would get back to her, but they were positive they could approve the funding. She felt somewhat relieved but knew it was not over yet. She took the next flight back to the States so she could do her interview in Blackstone.

  “Everything okay, Baby?”

  She nearly jumped out of her seat when she heard Nathan’s voice. He was standing in the doorway of their office.

  “Yes, I’m fine. Just thinking.” The knot in her stomach grew bigger, and her heart felt heavy. He knew about the girls. Surely if the funding came through and she had to leave, he would understand, right? They had made no promises to each other. In any case, it could still be months before she got the money. They could be tired of each other by then and perhaps their relationship, if she could call it that, would fizzle out naturally like her other liaisons.

  Her tiger let out an angry hiss at the thought. Mine.

  She pushed the word down deep inside her along with her tiger. She thought the damn thing would be satisfied by now. It was practically glowing the past two days, especially around Nathan. The tiger was especially happy knowing he thought it was beautiful.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Nathan walked closer to her.

  “These test results are riveting,” she lied, pointing to the screen. “Did you know that blackstone is about twenty times harder than diamonds?”

  He hauled her to her feet and then pulled her to him. “I can think of something that’s getting hard right now.” He gave her a wink before leaning down to kiss her.

  “Eww! Gross!”

  They broke apart and turned their heads toward the door.

  “What are you doing here, Kate?” Nathan asked, his face setting into a scowl.

  “Tsk, tsk, why aren’t you in a better mood? Don’t you know sex boosts endorphins?” She sauntered into the office, then leaned her hip against Violet’s table. “Besides, I’m scheduled to check on the network today. Or did your sex-hazed brain forget that?”

  Nathan crossed his arms over his chest. “Get what you need done, then leave.”

  “What? You’re not happy to see your sister?” She stuck her tongue out at him, then looked at Violet. “Hey, Vi. I’d ask you how you’re doing, but since you’re banging my brother I’d rather not know.”

  “Er, was there something you needed from me?” Violet asked as she sat back down.

  “Why, yes! I was hoping to run into you. We—that’s me and all the girls—are having a baby shower for Penny this weekend.” Kate hopped up and planted herself on top of the desk. “You should come.”

  “I’m not really sure … I mean, I don’t know her very well. I’d be happy to send a gift.”

  “Pshaw. Don’t worry; it’s fine. A couple of other new people are coming. Georgina and her adorable little cub will be there.”

  “Oh.” She did want to see how Georgina and Grayson were doing. “I suppose I could drop by.”

  “Great!” Kate hopped off the desk. “It’s eleven a.m. at Rosie’s. Wear something blue or pink, whichever you think the baby will be.” She shook her head at Nathan. “Sorry, girls only.”

  Nathan rolled his eyes. “I’ll be sad for a bit, but I’ll get over it.”

  “Bye,” Kate said. “Oh and Nathan? Make sure you call Mom and Dad soon.” She looked meaningfully at Violet and winked at him. “Before I do.”

  “Just get out.” Nathan walked to his sister and gently pushed her out the door. “Damn nosy Kate,” he grumbled. “Sorry about that. I don’t know how she knows.”

  “Knows what?”

  “About us. I mean, you and me—”

  “Having sex?”

  “Yeah.”

  She shrugged. “Sex is a natural thing, you know.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, but,” he stalked back to her, “I was hoping to keep you to myself just for a little bit.”

  “Oh.” His words made a thrill run down her spine, and she didn’t know why. So she swiveled her chair back to her monitor. “I should get back to this.”

  “Violet.” He pivoted her chair back around. “Is something the matter?”

  She swallowed a gulp. “Nothing. Not at all.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Nathan frowned as Violet mumbled an excuse and left the trailer. He didn’t know why, but suddenly something had changed. Maybe she just needed some time to herself.

  His wolf whined unhappily.

  Jeez, buddy. She’s not going to Africa, he admonished. But still, there was a creeping feeling in his chest he couldn’t ignore. What could be wrong? Why did chicks act so weird sometimes?

  A thought popped into his head. Weren’t girls always talking about commitment and defining relationships and shit? Maybe that was why she was worked up today. He didn’t know where they stood either, but he was pretty sure from now on she would be the only woman for him.

  “That’s it.”

  Violet wasn’t feeling secure about them. They never did have that conversation before they had sex. She knew about his past, about all the women. Now, she only had to see that she was his only future.

  He knew what he had to do. A grand gesture or some shit like that. To show her he was serious about her.

  It took him all afternoon to think of a plan, but he figured it all out. He couldn’t wait to tell Violet.

  “Huh.” He glanced up at the clock. She’d been gone for hours. Where could she be? He got up from his desk and walked out of the office. Her trace scent was in the air, and he followed his nose, leading him down to one part of the cave they still hadn’t explored. Dr. Philipps had said it had the potential to be a particularly rich vein. Of course that was where she’d be, he thought with a smile. He kept walking until he saw a small figure looking up at the wall.

  “Fascinating,” she exclaimed as she loo
ked up at a large chunk of blackstone stuck in the glittering nitride londaleite.

  “Violet?”

  She jumped at the sound of his voice, then turned around. “Nathan. Thank God it’s you.”

  “Who else would it be?” he asked as he came closer. “Baby, it’s nearly six p.m.”

  She blinked. “I didn’t realize I was gone that long.”

  “Well, it’s time to go. C’mon, let’s go back to your hotel.”

  “Good idea,” she said as they walked out of the cave system.

  He grinned at her. “Glad you think so. I’ll help you pack up and check out and then we can grab some burgers at the diner.”

  She stopped short. “Excuse me?”

  “Or would you prefer pizza?”

  Turning to face him, she put her hands on her hips. “What do you mean pack up and check out?”

  “So you can come home with me,” he said. “To our place.”

  “Our place?” she echoed.

  “Yeah, my place. Our place. It’s all the same now. Now come on—”

  “I’m not moving into your loft.”

  He must have heard her wrong. “Of course you are. Let’s go.”

  “How dare you!” She shrugged his hand off her.

  “Violet.” His voice turned low and serious. “You’re my mate.”

  “No, I’m not. We haven’t even experienced the mating bond.”

  “So? In time we will.” He was sure of it. Jason had said he’d know it when it happened. “Violet, I’m trying to be romantic here.”

  “Romantic?” she scoffed. “How is this romantic? What makes you think I want to move in with you? I hardly know you.”

  Her words slashed at him and made his wolf whimper. How could she even say that? Sure, it had been less than a week since they met, but he knew who she was. His mate. A muscle ticked along his jaw.

  “Nathan let’s be practical.” That cool expression settled on her face. “There’s no reason for me to just pack up and live with you when I’ll be leaving soon anyway.”

  Blood pounded in his temples. “Leaving?”

  “I’ve been saying that since the beginning. I’m only here on a temporary basis. I have plans and—”

  “Right.” His voice turned cold. That’s right; she wasn’t going to stay in Blackstone. He’d been stupid to think she would change her mind just because they slept together.

  “Nathan, you should know—”

  He cut her off. “Of course. I understand. You do have bigger and better things to do than stay in this sad little town, right?” He remembered how it rankled him, the way she breezed into Blackstone and turned her nose up, telling everyone she only here temporarily and rubbing it in his face that she was leaving soon.

  “I never called it sad,” she protested. “But I can’t stay here.”

  His wolf begged him to make her change her mind, but his bruised ego wouldn’t let him. “I wish you well then.” He pivoted and turned around.

  “Nathan! Wait! Can we—”

  “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He didn’t want to hear what she had to say. Not when the pain in his chest was making him want to tear up everything in sight.

  After what they’d been through, he thought things would be different. He had thought Violet put up frosty mask to hide her hurt and trauma. But no; he was wrong. It was the complete opposite. It wasn't a mask.

  She really was an unfeeling bitch.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Violet watched Nathan walk away, her throat burning and the air squeezing out of her lungs. Her tiger slashed at her insides, raging with pain and hurt.

  “Stop,” she hissed. “Get it together. We need to be strong. For the girls.” She pictured their little faces, happy and laughing, and Nadia’s shy gap-toothed grin.

  It was just as she'd thought. This whole mate thing was a distraction. A derailment from her real goals. How dare he, anyway? What the hell made him think he could just control her like that? Like she was some doll he could move around and play with as he pleased. Moving in was a big leap even if they were already sleeping together. He couldn’t just tell her they were going to start living together like it was a fact.

  She took those feelings and put them away for now. Balling her hands into fists, she vowed to get things rolling with the funding. She would follow up with GLT in London as soon as she got to her hotel, and if they didn’t have any positive news, then she’d have to find another way.

  As it turns out, she didn’t even have to call them. The moment she got in, there was already a message waiting for her from Lydia MacPhearson, the coordinator at GLT. She scribbled down the number in the message and immediately called her back.

  “Lydia, it’s Dr. Violet Robichaux.”

  “Oh, Dr. Robichaux,” Lydia greeted in her Scottish brogue. “Thanks for calling back so fast.”

  “Of course. What news do you have?”

  Lydia’s voice turned serious. “I have good news and bad news. Your funding came through.”

  Relief washed over her. “Thank God. But what’s the bad news?”

  “Well …” Violet could hear Lydia chewing her lip. “I’m afraid Marcus, our field coordinator in Eritana who went to confirm your case, had an update for us.”

  "What did he say?”

  “The villagers are forcing Antonia and her orphanage off the mountains. They want them gone soon.”

  Her tiger’s claws came out. “But she never said anything or even called me.”

  “You gave her your phone, correct? Marcus said someone had stolen it.”

  Violet sank down on the bed. “Oh no. How are they?”

  “According to Marcus’ last check in with us, they’re fine but scared. They can’t even go out of the orphanage for fear of retaliation. The villagers are saying they brought the ‘Golden Demon’ into their midst, whatever that means, so now they have to leave.”

  Pure, white hot rage coursed through her veins. Her tiger roared with fury. They would see what the Golden Demon would could really do. “I’ll head there as soon as I can.”

  “You don’t have to; there’s not much you can do until we have the funds released. That could still take up to two weeks.”

  “I’ll be there.” Her voice was determined. “I’ll coordinate with you as soon as I’m on the ground.” She hung up before Lydia could protest.

  Her stomach clenched thinking about Antonia and the girls. She thought she’d warned off the rebels from trying to take them, but soon they’d be vulnerable again. She had to get to them, protect them in any way she could. But she wasn’t sure how. After spending her entire savings to fly around Europe, there wasn’t much left over. Her parents could help but that would mean answering a lot of questions, including why she’d quit her dream job.

  She glanced at the stack of resumes she’d brought home. The agreement. If she could produce some good candidates, Lennox Corp. was going to give her that big bonus Ben promised. With that money, she could keep Antonia and the girls safe now.

  Her thoughts drifted to Nathan, and a vice-like grip tightened around her chest. She grabbed the first resume off the pile, her hastiness sending the rest flying to the ground.

  “Goddamnit!”

  Never mind. There were many in her field who would be eager to study blackstone, so it shouldn’t be hard to find a replacement. She’d start with this first candidate and see where that would lead.

  The next day, Violet marched into Ben’s office with four folders. The bear shifter look startled as she tossed them onto his desk.

  “Good morning,” he said.

  “Here are four excellent candidates. One of them is within driving distance and would be more than happy to be there by this afternoon and start by Monday,” she said.

  Ben looked at the folders, then back to Violet. “Come again?”

  Violet huffed. “I’ve found your candidates, so I’m leaving now. I trust that HR can process my bonus by next week.”

  His blond brows furrowed
together. “Is there something you want to talk about?”

  “There’s nothing to discuss. I’ve completed the terms of our agreement, so I can leave now. I’ve already booked my flight to leave tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Tomorrow?” Ben said in an incredulous voice. “Violet, you can’t—”

  “It’s done,” she said, the words were making her heart grow heavy. “Go ahead and sue me if you want, but I read every word of my contract and I know I’m within my rights.”

  He heaved a sigh. “I’m not going to sue you, Violet. Could we please talk about this? Have a seat.”

  “I’ll keep standing.”

  “Violet, sit down, please.”

  “No, thank you.”

  “Sit down. Please.”

  Her tiger shrank back at the sound of his voice and dominant power of Ben’s bear. That was obviously not a request. She planted herself on the chair.

  “Thank you,” Ben said. “So you’re leaving Blackstone. What does Nathan have to say about this?”

  “What does he have to do with this?”

  Ben rubbed a hand down his face. “I thought you were … Jason told me you were together. As mates.”

  “We’re not,” she said. “Nor were we ever. While we may have slept together, it didn’t mean anything.” The words rang hollow in her ears.

  “What?” The shock was evident in his face and voice. “That’s not … that can’t …”

  “It’s true,” she said. “You can ask him yourself. He was the one who walked away from me yesterday.” Technically true. He didn’t want to hear her explanation at all. A small part of her wanted to believe he would understand.

  “I’m … sorry. And surprised.” He heaved a long sigh. “I guess I have nothing else to say except good luck in your future plans.”

  “Thank you.” She swallowed the burning tears in her throat as she stood up.

  “Wait,” he said. “What time’s your flight?”

  “Five-thirty.” Why would he need to know? “I’ll be returning my rental car to Verona Mills airport so I won’t need a ride.”