BE KELLY
CONTENTS
Lennox
Griffin
Lennox
Griffin
Lennox
Griffin
Lennox
Griffin
Lennox
Griffin
Lennox
Griffin
Lennox
Epilogue
Dunlin
Linnet
About K.L. Ramsey & BE Kelly
K. L. Ramsey’s Social Media
BE Kelly’s Social Media
Works by K. L. Ramsey
Works by BE Kelly (K.L.’s alter ego…)
One Rogue Turn (Elite Enforcers Book 2)
Copyright © 2021 by BE Kelly
Cover Design: Michelle Sewell at RLS Images Graphics & Design
Imprint: Independently published
First Print Edition: May 2021
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.
LENNOX
Lennox Thorsten was down on her luck and out of options. The only one she had left was to turn to her friend, Nena, and take her up on her very generous offer to lay low at her cabin until the dust settled. Hunters had been on her heels for months now and Lennox had depleted her money and her welcome at most of her other friend’s homes. When Nena graciously asked her to come to stay with her, her new husband, and twin girls, she wanted to tell her no. She was already in over her head with the hunters who were tracking her, she didn’t want to bring that trouble with her to Nena’s doorstep. But then, Nena’s husband, Hawk, insisted that she take them up on their kind offer and let him help keep her safe. How could she refuse an offer like that? She couldn’t. So, she moved into one of their guest rooms and had been staying with them for almost two months now.
She had to give up her job as a realtor and got a job at a local diner and was making some pretty good money in tips. Plus, her old man had come through with his promise to send her some cash. She never imagined when he made the offer, he meant that he’d be sending her almost one-hundred thousand dollars to start a new life. He told her that he was going to leave her the money in his will but he wanted to give it to her now that she needed it. Her dad joked that he wasn’t planning on kicking the bucket any time soon and
that giving her a new start, to hopefully break away from the hunters who were constantly on her tail, made him happy. And who was she to deny her father’s happiness?
She told Nena and Hawk about the money and promised to get out of their hair as soon as she figured out where to land and that’s when Hawk offered his help, once again. Since they owned most of the land in the area, including the well-guarded forest, he offered her a piece of land to build on. Bear shifters, like Hawk, lived in cabins sprinkled throughout the woods and he convinced her to build a cabin a little over half a mile from Nena’s house. The best part about all of this was that her new beginning was going to take place less than a mile from her best friend’s house. The cabin would be completely ready in about a week and she couldn’t wait to move into it and begin her fresh start.
She could see herself being happy there and as a seer, that was a big deal. Her nightly visions usually involved seeing other people’s fresh starts and happy endings, never her own. But lately, she was seeing more and more of her future and that seemed to involve a very sexy, big, brooding bear shifter she hadn’t met yet. Still, she saw him night after night in her dreams for the past two months, staying at Nena’s, and waiting for him to pop up in her life was excruciating. She had all but given up on him showing up until last night when she not only saw Griffin Acosta coming for her, but she also knew exactly who he was—Hawk’s younger brother.
She woke up that morning feeling like a kid on Christmas— excited for what was about to happen. She knew that Griffin wasn’t exactly showing up at Hawk and Nena’s place for her, but she wasn’t going to let that get in the way of finally meeting the literal man of her dreams. Lennox went into the kitchen to find Nena giving the girls their breakfast.
“Can I help?” she asked.
Nena handed her a box of cheerios and a bowl. “You can make Ruby’s breakfast. She likes banana cut up in her cereal—no milk,” Nena ordered.
“Got it,” Lennox said. “Where’s Hawk?” she asked. Usually, she found both of them tag-teaming with the twins in the morning. The
girls were a handful.
“He went out for a hunt with some of the other shifters.” There was a whole group of shifters in the area—some bear, a few foxes, and even a few wolves, but they all seemed to find a way to get along and live in peace with each other. Lennox knew from her past experiences in other communities that wasn’t always the case. A lot of times, shifters seemed to stick with their own kind and even had problems with other packs. But up here, everyone just seemed symbiotic.
“Does he have a brother, by any chance?” She was going for casual but Lennox could tell that Nena was seeing straight through her. It didn’t help that she was also a seer and would be able to read Lennox’s every thought.
“You saw him coming too, didn’t you?” Nena mock whispered.
“Yes,” Lennox loudly whispered back. “Why are we whispering about it though?” she asked.
“Sorry,” Nena said. “I feel like I need to do that in front of the girls. I mean, we know that they are seers since they can already dream with me, but that’s about all we know right now. I guess it’s my way of protecting the twins for as long as I possibly can.”
“I get it,” Lennox said. “My mother knew what I could do. Heck, she was a seer too but she forbade me from using my abilities, saying that they would only lead me to trouble. The crazy thing is— she was right. You should protect the twins for as long as possible, Nena. You’re a good mom.” She meant it too. Nena and Hawk were awesome parents—the girls were very lucky to have them as their role models.
“Getting back to Griffin—you saw him, didn’t you?” Nena asked.
“Yes,” Lennox said. “I know he’s coming to see Hawk but I’m not sure why. I also think he’s coming for me. This sounds crazy but I think he’s my destiny.”
Nena giggled and rolled her eyes. “Yeah—those Acosta boys are pretty darn dreamy,” Nena teased. I mean—I see the appeal. They both giggled and the twins joined in, clapping as if something great had just happened, which only made Lennox and Nena giggle more.
“Do me a favor,” Nena said, sobering.
“Anything,” Lennox said.
“Don’t tell Hawk that his brother is on his way here. I think he’s going to get here today and they’ll have some family business to discuss. Griff is going to give Hawk some bad news and we’ll have to give them both some time and space,” Nena said.
“Of course,” Lennox said. “Can I ask a favor in return?”
“Sure,” Nena said, handing both of the girls their bottles.
“Can I be the one to answer the door when he gets here later? I need to see something before I decide,” Lennox said.
“Decide what?” Nena asked.
“Decide if I’m going to trust my visions and make a complete fool of myself chasing after Griffin or if I’m going to try to avoid my destiny and hide away until he leaves Alaska,” she said.
Nena laughed, “Well, this is going to be fun to watch. Either way, I think I’m going to enjoy Griff’s visit,” she teased.
“I hope I feel the same way when I finally meet him today,” Lennox admitted. “If not, destiny and I are officially breaking up, and that bitch and I won’t be getting back together.”
GRIFFIN
Griffin Acosta wasn’t sure how he was going to break the news to his older brother. Having to travel up to Alaska was going to give him plenty of time to come up with the best way to do it though. His mother’s dying wish was to have her whole family together but that wasn’t something that Griffin could make happen for her. The best he was able to do was get his two other brothers there for her, but he also knew that three out of four of her children showing up, wasn’t quite what she hoped for. Hawk was living off-grid with his new wife, Oryana, and their twin daughters, Opal and Ruby. At least he was going to finally be able to meet his one-year-old nieces but it still sucked that the reunion with his brother’s family would also involve him having to deliver the news that his mother had passed away from her long battle with cancer. At least Hawk knew she was sick and he got a chance to properly say goodbye to her. Still, this news was going to be a kick in the gut to his older brother.
Griff had traveled for almost a day and a half, with layovers in towns he didn’t know even existed and now, all he wanted to do was crash someplace warm and quiet for a few days. These winter months took it out of him and all his inner bear wanted to do was sleep. He drove the last two miles and when his GPS told him that he had arrived at his destination, he wanted to laugh out loud. But
nothing about being out in the middle of nowhere was funny. He scanned the landscape and spotted a little cabin that blended into the tree line, hidden by the pine and fir trees that began what looked like a vast forest. Hawk told him that they lived off-grid and were trying to stay hidden away from the public eye to keep Nena and his twins safe. They were all seers and under constant threat of hunters coming for them. A seer with the right abilities went for a shit ton of money on the black market and having three of them under the same roof had to make life a little crazy.
He pulled back to the cabin and parked his truck out of sight. He had been careful not to be followed. Hawk would kill him if he led hunters straight to his family and Griff had been trained better than that. Hell, Hawk had been the one to train him, but that felt like a lifetime ago. Griff grabbed his bag and walked up to the front porch, gently knocking on the heavy wooden door. He was hoping to get a few minutes alone with Hawk to personally deliver the news about their mother.
A pretty blond pulled the door open and looked him up and down, flashing him her sexy smile. “Hey, Griff,” she said.
“Um—hello,” he returned, caught a little off guard by her knowing who he was. He hadn’t told Hawk that he was coming. He didn’t tell anyone where he was heading for fear of attracting attention from the hunters. “You’re not Nena,” he said, holding out his hand. The pretty blond smiled at him and shook her head.
“No,” she said, taking his hand. “I’m not Nena. I’m her friend, Lennox.” She shook his hand and when she made no move to release it, he looked down at her and cocked an eyebrow.
“How’d you know who I am?” he asked.
“I’m like Nena,” she said. “I’m a seer.” He had met some seers in his time and most of them were able to get a read off someone just by touching the person’s hand.
“You’re getting a read off me right now, aren’t you?” he questioned.
She shyly smiled and nodded as if he had caught her doing something she shouldn’t have been doing. Lennox didn’t release his hand and when he started to speak again, she closed her eyes and
held up her finger, as if asking him to give her a minute. Hawk appeared behind her in the doorway and cleared his throat. Lennox made a strange little humming noise and released Griff’s hand.
“Sorry, man,” Hawk said. He brushed past Lennox and pulled his brother in for a quick hug. “I just found out you were here. Nena and Lennox saw you coming and didn’t think it necessary to tell me.” He shot Lennox a look that would make most big, badass, bear shifters cower but she just shrugged and giggled.
“Hope she didn’t give you too much shit,” Hawk said, looking down at her again.
“Not at all,” Griff said. “She was just trying to figure me out, I think. You get what you need, Honey?” he asked.
“I got enough,” she agreed, although he was sure that the pretty little blond was lying to him. He didn’t need to be a seer to know that much about her. “Good to meet you, Griff,” she shouted back over her shoulder as she made her way back into the cabin.
“Sorry about her,” Hawk breathed. “Since my wife kept me in the dark about you coming up here, I guess my next question is: what brought you all the way up to Alaska, Griff?” The sadness he saw in his brother’s eyes gave away the fact that he had guessed why Griff had shown up on his front porch. Hawk was just waiting for Griff to say the words out loud, but he already knew why he was there.
“I’m sorry, Hawk,” Griff whispered. “I wanted to tell you in person and not by text or cell. She’s gone.” Hawk nodded and shoved his hands into his pocket. “She wanted to see you one last time but she just couldn’t hold on. The pain was too much in the end.”
“Well, I knew that it was going to end like this, I just was hoping for some more time,” Hawk said.
“We all were, man,” Griff admitted.
“Can you stay for a bit?” Hawk asked, eyeing Griff’s duffel bag.
“If you have the room,” Griff said. “I’d love to catch up.” That wasn’t a total lie. He was hoping to catch up with Hawk and meet his nieces but he was also hoping to lay low for a bit until he could decide what the hell was next for him. He was looking for his next path in life and he just hoped that hanging out with his big brother
for a bit gave him some purpose and might help him come up with a way forward.
“Of course, the more the merrier. Lennox is staying with us for a few more days too, but we have plenty of room,” Hawk agreed. “Nena made up the spare room and now, I know why. You can catch up with her and meet the twins. I’ve told them all about their crazyass uncles down in New Mexico. They probably didn’t understand a word I was saying, but they’re only one, so give them some time.” Hawk laughed and opened the front door to let him in. “Make yourself at home, Griff,” he offered.
Having to tell his brother that their mother was gone was tough but trying to figure out why sexy Lennox seemed to follow him around like a puppy, not taking her eyes off of him, was even rougher. He couldn’t figure the woman out and all he seemed to be able to do around her was scowl, hoping that it might ward off the sexy seer, but it only seemed to make her more persistent.
The only privacy he had from Lennox was when he went to the guest room to freshen up. He took a quick shower and changed into some clean clothes, something he hadn’t been able to do for a few days. He drove straight up to Alaska from New Mexico, sleeping in his truck at rest stops and laying low. The last thing he wanted to do was lead hunters to Hawk and his new family.
When he asked his brother about their sexy houseguest, Hawk told him that she was Nena’s friend, down on her luck, and running from hunters. He didn’t tell his brother that when he heard just that little bit of Lennox’s story, every protective instinct inside of him roared to life. Griffin couldn’t figure out why that was, but he chalked it up to being dead tired from driving for days. He not only needed a shower and fresh clothes, but he also needed to sleep for about two days. Then, he’d be able to figure out his unspoken draw to the pretty seer.
As soon as he opened the bedroom door, he found Lennox standing on the other side waiting for him. “I’m heading to the kitchen to find Nena,” he explained as if he needed to tell her exactly where he was going and what his plans were. “I’m guessing you want to follow me?” he asked. Lennox rolled her blue eyes at him and smiled.
“I’m just trying to get to know you, Griff,” she said. “Nena and Hawk are like my family now and I figured that we should get acquainted.” He could tell that she wasn’t being completely honest with him again and he wondered why that was.
“I’m not sure that I believe you,” he challenged. “But, I only have a few days here and I plan on spending that time with my family,” he said. “Because Hawk, Nena, and the twins are my family.”
“I’m not trying to keep you from your visit with them, Griff. I’m just trying to figure you out,” she said.
“What the fuck does that mean, Lennox?” he asked. She put her hands on her sexy, curvy hips and he looked her up and down, not hiding the fact that he found every inch of her hot as hell.
“It means that when I try to see you, I can’t,” she whispered. “This is new for me.” He wasn’t following a word she was saying. The more Lennox talked, the more confused he became.
“How can you not see me?” he asked. “I’m standing right here in front of you,” he said, holding his arms wide. Lennox looked him over slowly, giving him the same attention that he had just given her. He had to admit that he liked Lennox looking at him like that. He was intrigued by the desire that he saw in her eyes and the way that her pupils seemed to dilate when they looked back into his own.
“Not what I meant, Griff,” she said, pasting on her best smile. “But, you know what, never mind. I’m going to head down to the kitchen. I’m sure that Nena will still be down there with the girls. Shall we?” she asked, nodding to the stairs.
“Sure,” he agreed, knowing that he wasn’t going to get anywhere with her. Lennox seemed to shut down and there was no way that he’d get a straight answer from the pretty seer. “Let’s go find Nena,” he said. Griff held his arm out as if ushering her down the stairs. “After you.” Lennox rolled her eyes again and brushed past him.
Yeah, he found everything that the sexy seer did to be hot. It was a good thing that he was only going to be sticking around for a couple of days before heading back home, because ending up in bed with Lennox might be a mistake. Hell—it would be more than just a mistake; it would be a huge fucking mess and Griff didn’t have time for that.
LENNOX
Lennox couldn’t take her eyes off of the sexy shifter who played with his twin nieces on the floor. He was hot and made her feel things that she had never felt before. She wasn’t a fool—love at first sight was a myth, at least, that was what she thought until she had the dream about the tall, dark, sexy stranger coming for her. Finding out that it was Hawk’s younger brother threw her for a loop, but then, she never imagined that she’d find her destiny while staying at her friend’s cabin in Alaska.
If it wasn’t for Nena and Hawk taking her in when the hunters tracking her got close, she’d still be on the streets or living in her car. A few nights of sleeping in that old junk heap had her missing the comforts of home. Sleeping in a real bed was one of the things she missed most after two weeks in her car, bathing in sinks at bus stops, and eating from vending machines. Then she met Nena and the rest was history. She and Hawk had become more than Lennox’s friends—they had become her family and she’d never be able to repay them for all of their hospitality.
“You gonna just keep staring at me or you want to tell me what’s going on?” Griffin asked. Yeah—she’d rather just keep staring at him and knowing that it was pissing him off only made her want to do it more. That was part of her quirky, annoying personality—at least that was what her mother used to tell her.
“I think I’ll just stare for a while,” she joked. Griffin rolled his eyes and rolled over to pick up the girls from the floor, standing with a squirming twin under each arm. He was pretty damn cute with the girls, not that she wanted to tell him that.
“Suit yourself,” he breathed. “I’m giving these rugrats back to their mama and then I’m going for a run.”
“You need a running partner?” she asked.
“You’re not a shifter,” he said. Griffin must have picked up on her scent.
“No,” she said. “I’m not. I’ve already told you that I’m a seer like Nena. I was just going to run back to my cabin to check out the progress for the day. I’m moving about a mile down the road and I can get in there in about a week—I hope,” she said. “It depends on if this snow storm, that’s supposed to blow in, holds off for a few days. I’m anxious to get out of Hawk and Nena’s hair.”
“I’m sure that they’ll be happy to be rid of you,” he teased, flashing his sexy smile at her. The dimple that popped out from his left cheek made her want to dip her tongue into it. Lennox was damn happy that Griffin couldn’t read her dirty mind and every delicious thought that she was having about him. Otherwise, he might not still be standing in the same room as her, smiling down unsuspectingly. Ruby started to squirm and fuss and Nena walked into the room as if knowing that her child needed her.
“Griffin,” she almost shouted. “You can’t hold my daughters like footballs,” He handed her a fussy Ruby and looked down to where Opal was just about asleep under his other arm.
“This one doesn’t seem to mind. Maybe she’s just more chill than that fussy one,” he insisted.
“They have names, Griffin,” Nena chided. “This fussy one, as you like to call her, is named Ruby.” The baby seemed to quiet in her mother’s arms and Lennox stood to take Opal from him.
“And, this one is named Opal,” she whispered, taking the sleeping baby from him. Opal snuggled into Lennox’s arms and went back to sleep.
“Geeze,” Griffin grumbled. “Tough crowd.”
“You’ll get used to them,” Hawk promised, coming into the room to kiss his wife. Lennox loved their relationship. She wanted something like what they had, but after watching Griffin with his nieces and dealing with his grumpy ass for the past half hour, she wasn’t sure that destiny had it completely right when she showed Lennox that Griffin Acosta was coming for her. The man might be hot, but he was sending her some serious vibes and every one of them pointed to him not being interested in her. Hell, he seemed to downright dislike her, but that was on him because as far as she was concerned, she was pretty damn awesome.
“I’m going to put Opal down and then take a quick run out to my cabin,” she said to Nena. “I need some air.” Lennox looked back at Griffin and shook her head, causing Nena to giggle.
“Yeah—they might be dreamy, but they do get under your skin, don’t they?” Nena whispered into Lennox’s ear. She shook her head and headed back to the nursery with the sleeping baby in her arms. Nena was right—she had allowed Griffin to get under her skin and a nice run out to her cabin was just what she needed. Maybe she’d be pleasantly surprised and find that her place was just about ready for her. She had a few things that she wanted to put away and a few closets that she needed to organize. The sooner she could get everything finished, the sooner she could move out of Hawk and Nena’s now very crowded cabin. When she finished working the sexy shifter out of her head, she’d run back to Nena’s place to help her with dinner.
Nena was pleasantly surprised by the progress that the construction crew had made over the past day and a half since she last checked out her cabin. They had everything just about ready for her, except for some molding and a few lighting fixtures. She couldn’t wait to start bringing in some of the items that she had picked up at thrift shops in town. She didn’t have much to fill her little place, but that didn’t matter to her. It was going to be all hers, and that was more
than she could ask for and so much more than she ever dreamed of having.
She was able to hang the closet organizers and even put away a few things that Hawk had delivered to her place. Nena had given her some dishes as an early house warming gift and Hawk had a friend in town who was giving away a large sectional—although she had a feeling that they had purchased that for her too. They were the kindest people that she had ever met but she couldn’t rely on their generosity forever. It was time for her to start standing on her own two feet and her father’s money was going to allow her to do that. Well, his money and her new job at the diner. She missed being a realtor but there wasn’t much need for one out in the middle of nowhere. Plus, people didn’t seem to move from their little town once they settled there. Generations of people had been there for so long; they weren’t sure who the first settler was in their little community. Their roots ran deep and Lennox often found herself wondering how that must feel. She had never really belonged anywhere her whole life and now, she was going to put down roots in a place that she’d probably live in for the rest of her life. It made her happy and scared the shit out of her, all at once.
When she was just ten, her mother passed away. Her father told everyone that it was a car accident, but she had seen what happened to her mother—hunters had found out that she was a seer and they took her. When her mom refused to help them, they killed her and that was what would have happened to her if it wasn’t for Hawk and Nena taking her in. They gave her safe harbor from the assholes tracking her and she knew that she couldn’t run forever. But living so close to Hawk, she also knew that she’d be safer than if she was out on her own. Nena promised to keep her mind open and if she saw the hunters coming for Lennox, Hawk would be able to get to her new cabin in a heartbeat. That made her feel a little better because she was sure that a heartbeat was all the time that the hunters would need to take her life, just as they had her mothers.
Once her mom was gone, she couldn’t stick around her small town, waiting for the hunters to put two and two together to come
up with the fact that she was also a seer. Her father worried that if she didn’t get out of their little backward town, she’d meet the same fate as her mom and he told her that he couldn’t handle losing both of them. Her dad made her promise to take off and never look back, and she did. Once she reached eighteen, she was gone, starting over in every sense of the word.
Now, at just twenty-four, Lennox had probably lived more life than someone three times her age. The only thing she hadn’t experienced was being in love. Hell, she was on the run for so long, she didn’t have time for anything as silly as a boyfriend or love. She had never even been with a man, and that worked well with her trust issues. Even if she was lucky enough to meet a nice-looking guy, she’d never be able to trust him. Her brain would always be playing the “What if he’s a hunter,” soundtrack in the back of her mind. It was too much of a risk to even just jump into bed with a man, so she steered clear of them and found other ways to spend her time—namely dreaming about the tall, sexy brooding man back at Nena and Hawk’s place. She had seen Griff’s face so many times in her dreams, but she never really understood who he was or that someday, she’d come face to face with the handsome stranger. Putting a name with that beautiful face didn’t help things much for her, since Griff seemed like kind of an ass.
When she met him at Nena’s front door, shaking his hand was all part of her master plan to get a read on him. The problem was, she got nothing from him. It was as if she was staring into the darkness when she tried to see him—something that she wasn’t used to. Touching people was her way to figure them out, so to speak. It was her way of knowing if that person was worth her time to get to know or out to do her harm. That skill had kept her alive for this long but when she tried to get a read on the sexy bear shifter, she saw nothing. For so long his face was clear to her but touching him made her mind fog over.
When Hawk caught her trying to read his brother, he shooed her off. He teasingly asked if she had, “Gotten what she was looking for,” and she lied and told him she had. Admitting that Griff was just a mystery to her was something she wasn’t willing to admit to anyone
just yet. First, she wanted to do a little more research and then, she’d figure out if he really was her destiny as her dreams insisted.
GRIFFIN
Griffin had decided to shift and head out for a hunt before hitting the sheets. He was dog tired from his trip north and felt about ready to sleep for days. He had gotten himself a little turned around in the woods and was having trouble finding his way back to Hawk’s place. His bear tried sniffing his way back, but all he seemed to be able to pick up was Lennox’s scent. In fact, his bear had found her new little cabin instead of running past it, as Griff begged him to. Just before shifting back to human form, he called his bear a few choice words.
Griff looked up to find Lennox standing on her porch, mouth gaped open, looking at him. “You’re naked,” she almost whispered.
“My bear hates clothes,” he teased. “You do know that shifters don’t wear clothes, right?” he asked. Griff held his cock in his hands, trying to shield himself from her roaming gaze.
“Oh—it’s too late for modesty, Griff,” she taunted. “I’ve already seen you in all your glory.” Lennox disappeared into her cabin and then came back out, tossing him a quilt.
Griff wrapped it around his body and looked back up at her. “Thanks,” he mumbled.
“You’re lucky that I had that here. I’m working on closets and brought over a few things from storage today. Try to be careful with
it,” she said, nodding to the quilt around his body. “It was my grandmother’s.”
“I can just give it back if you’d prefer,” he offered. Griff started to pull it free from his shoulders and she practically leaped off the porch at him.
“No,” she shouted. “I don’t mind you borrowing it. Really, I think it’s for the best,” she said. He felt a little disappointed that she wasn’t begging him to take the quilt back off and stand there completely naked.
“Wow,” he breathed. “You’re the first woman to ever tell me to keep my clothes on, Honey,” he teased. “Most women beg me to take my clothes off for them.”
“Well, I’m sure that can’t be true,” she breathed. “Every woman you’ve ever met has seen you naked?” she challenged.
Griff pretended to think over her question and then nodded, “Pretty much,” he agreed. “Remember, shifters don’t wear clothes. I’m not shy and well, being a shifter, you get used to being naked. It’s a part of who we are I guess.”
“Well, Hawk is a shifter and I’ve never had to see him naked,” she challenged.
“I’m guessing that is more Nena’s doing than Hawks. I’m sure that your friend doesn’t want to share her husband with you or anyone else,” Griff said.
Lennox nodded, “You coming in?” she asked. Lennox turned to go back into her cabin and he considered her question. Was it a good idea to go into her cabin? No, it was a horrible fucking idea for him to go into her place while being shielded by just her grandmother’s quilt. A really bad fucking idea, but he found himself walking in after her and shutting the front door behind himself.
Griff looked around her tiny cabin and he had to admit, it felt homey. “Your place is great,” he offered.
“Thanks,” she said. “I think so. My father gave me the money to build it and Hawk found me the land to build on. I love that I’ll be right down the road from him and Nena. I’ll be able to help out with the twins and will have the protection of the community if the hunters catch up with me.”
“Yeah—Hawk told me that you’ve had some trouble. How long have you been running?” he asked.
Lennox shrugged, “I’ve been running for about six years now, on my own. Hunters killed my mother for being a seer. My father hid me away until I turned eighteen and then, I left him. I didn’t want to put him in any more danger than I already had.”
“Your father isn’t a seer?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “Just my mother. My father is human. So, naturally, hunters wouldn’t go after him unless it was to get to me. He still feels guilty that he wasn’t able to keep me safe,” she said. “I guess that’s why he gave me the money to buy this place. He told me that being here would keep me safe and he wanted to help make that happen. My job at the diner wasn’t ever going to pay me enough to buy a place like this.”
“You work at the diner in town?” he asked.
“Yep,” she said.
“I stopped in there to ask for directions back to Hawk’s place yesterday. I loved their pancakes,” he said.
“Yeah, their food is pretty good, for a local place. I’m sure you have a whole bunch of good places to eat back in New Mexico,” she said.
“A few,” he agreed. “I like it up here though. I can see the appeal of being out in the middle of nowhere and not having people on top of you.” Lennox’s breath hitched and he wondered what he had said to speed her heart up. He could hear her pulse from clear across the room.
“You all right?” he asked. Lennox nodded and pretended to find something that needed her attention in the nearly empty kitchen. She was a peculiar one and Griff wasn’t sure that figuring her out was even possible.
“What did you mean earlier when you said that you couldn’t see me?” he asked.
Lennox turned back to face him and smiled. “Just what I said,” she insisted. “My seeing gift stems from touch. When I make contact with people, I get a read on them. With you, when we shook hands this morning, I saw nothing—only darkness. I couldn’t see you,” she
said. “You’re the first person that’s ever happened with for me,” she admitted.
“Um,” he breathed, not really knowing what to say to her. “I’m not sure what to say to that.”
“You don’t have to say anything. It’s just confusing to me, you know. I saw you coming last night in my dreams. Hell, I’ve seen you in my dreams for so long, but had no clue as to who you were or that you’re Hawk’s brother.”
“Wait, you saw me coming?” he asked. “You’ve been dreaming of me?” he asked, bobbing his eyebrows at her, causing her to giggle. He was teasing her, but Griff wasn’t sure how he felt about her dreaming of him every night. “What was I doing in your dreams?” he asked.
“Not what you're insinuating,” she breathed. “It’s not as big a deal as your making it out to be, Griff.” She was lying again, he could tell, but he wouldn’t call her on her shit. He was afraid that doing so would have her shutting him out. “I saw you coming for me you know, kind of like you showed up at Hawk’s place this morning.”
“All right,” Griff said. “So, I’m here, now what?” he asked. He could offer her a few suggestions as to what he wanted to do now that he was naked, wrapped in a blanket, standing in her cabin.
“No clue,” she admitted.
“Want some suggestions?” he teased. Her breath hitched again and her pulse sped up, letting him know that she was considering all of the things that he was thinking.
“Can you see what people are thinking?” he asked.
“Usually,” she breathed. “But, not with you.”
“Well, thank God for that,” he said.
“Why wouldn’t you want me to see what you’re thinking?” she questioned. Answering her truthfully was going to be tricky, but he decided that it was for the best. If she knew what he was thinking about doing to her, she’d run as far and fast from him as possible and that was what he needed. It was probably the only way to keep them both safe.
Griff closed the distance between them and stared her down. Her breathing turned heavy again and he knew that if he just leaned in, she’d let him kiss her, but that wouldn’t be smart. He had been smart up until this point and that kept him and his family safe from the hunters who were a constant threat to them. Getting involved with a shifter would put them both in danger and he couldn’t do that to Lennox, even if he had only just met her. Fuck it—playing it safe was for pussies and Griff wasn’t a pussy.
“Because I keep thinking about doing this with you.” He gave into everything that he had been thinking, everything that he had been wanting to do, and leaned down to gently brush his lips over hers. It felt like an electric surge coursed through his body and he wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.
Griff didn’t linger, quickly breaking their sweet kiss. Lenox stood in her spot, eyes closed, gently swaying from what he hoped she felt from their shared kiss. “Oh,” she breathed. “How long have you been thinking about doing that?” she questioned.
“Since I found you standing in Hawk’s doorway and you told me that you weren’t his wife,” Griff admitted. “I better get going,” he said, turning to leave her little cabin. “My brother is on his way.”
“How do you know that?” Lennox asked. “Are you a seer?”
“No,” he said. “I’ve picked up on his scent. I’m betting that Nena sent him out here after me.”
Lennox giggled, “Probably,” she agreed. “Nena probably saw everything that just happened between us and sent Hawk out here to make sure that nothing else happens.”
Griff knew that asking her his next question wasn’t playing by the rules, but he needed to know. “Do you want anything else to happen between us, Lennox?” he asked.
“Yes,” she breathed. “I’m not sure why I feel this way about you, since I’ve never felt this way about any other man, but I do.” He heard Hawk’s pick-up pull up to the front of the cabin, his truck tires kicking up gravel. Griff almost missed what Lennox had just admitted to him.
“Wait—you’ve never wanted any other man?” he asked. “Have you ever been with a man, Lennox?” he questioned. He could hear
her heart beating as if it might beat out of her chest and knew that he had guessed correctly.
Hawk rushed into the cabin and groaned. “Tell me that my wife didn’t see all of this too late and you two haven’t done anything stupid. Where are your clothes, Griff?” he asked.
“I shifted and went out to stretch my legs,” Griff said as in way of explanation.
“His bear doesn’t like clothes,” Lennox spoke up from behind him and he rolled his eyes, turning back to face her.
“Don’t help, Honey,” he said, turning back to his brother.
“You’re still using that old line?” Hawk asked him.
“It was a line?” Lennox asked.
“No,” Griff insisted. “I don’t need your help either, Hawk. Why are you here?” he asked his brother.
“Nena told me that I should check on Lennox,” he admitted. “The real question is, what are you doing here?” Hawk asked.
“I told you, I was out for a hunt,” Griff said. Hawk crossed his arms over his chest and stared him down, letting him know that he was willing to wait him out for an answer.
“Fine,” Griff grumbled. “I got a little turned around and my bear scented Lennox. She was familiar to him and well, he stopped here.”
“This was all your bear’s idea?” Hawk asked.
“Yes,” Griff admitted. “Any other questions?” he asked his brother. Being questioned by his brother in front of Lennox wasn’t exactly his idea of a good time.
“No,” Hawk breathed. “Come on, I’ll give you a ride home,” he offered.
“Thank you, but I’ll shift and run back,” Griff said. “I’ll follow your scent and be right behind you.”
Hawk nodded, “You want a ride, Lennox?” he offered.
“No,” she said. “I ran down here and will be fine running back. I could use the exercise.” Griff was pretty sure that telling her that she most definitely didn’t need the exercise was a bad idea. Especially in front of his brother. Hawk didn’t seem very amused about anything that seemed to be happening between the two of them.
“Fine,” Hawk spat. “Looks like my wife sent me out here for nothing then.”
“Yeah,” Lennox said. “A mile is so far,” she teased. Griff chuckled at the way she gave his brother shit. Not many women were brave enough to do shit like that. Hawk was a pretty daunting guy and he was big enough to tower over most people—Lennox included.
“See you both back at my cabin,” he ordered, pointing between both of them. “I don’t need to hear my wife drone on about you two. Don’t be late,” he said. Griff waited until he was out of the front door and turned back to face Lennox.
“Sorry about that,” he said.
“Not a problem. I’m used to Hawk being nosey and getting into my business. Hell, Nena knows everything before it even happens, so Hawk’s usually in the know. They mean well,” she said.
“I’ll try to keep that in mind as they grill the two of us over dinner tonight,” Griff said. He pulled the quilt free from his body, standing completely naked in front of her. He wanted to push the subject and ask her again if she had ever been with a man, but now wasn’t the time for that. If she admitted that she was a virgin, she’d be hands-off to him and he wanted to live with the possibility of her being his. He liked to believe that he had a chance with the sexy seer and from the way she watched him leave her home, shamelessly naked, he at least had a chance.
Nena had made a feast for them and by the time he got back, slipped back into his clothes, and sat down at the table, he could feel the tension hanging in the air. He and Hawk ate in silence while the women went on about Lennox’s cabin and her hopefully being able to move into her new home in the next few days.
Griffin could feel the tension rolling off of his brother and when Hawk laid his fork down on his plate and pushed it back from where he sat, he knew that his dinner was also effectively over. “How about we just get this over with?” Griff asked Hawk.
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