The moment Kylie hit the edge of the porch steps, Della showed up. "Ellie and Fredericka are going at it."
"Why?" Kylie asked.
"Supposedly, Ellie overheard the she-wolf talking bad about you and decided to teach Fredericka a lesson. You know, I hate to admit it, but Ellie's growing on me."
"Oh, crap. Where are they?"
"By Ellie's cabin."
Kylie took off. By the time they got there, Burnett had Fredericka, and Lucas was holding Ellie back. Ellie was bleeding, and from the glow in her eyes, she wasn't finished fighting.
"Let go of me!" she growled at Lucas. "I'll teach that dog-"
"Calm down," Lucas snapped. His own eyes were a bright orange. "She'll tear you apart. You can't win a fight with a were the day before a full moon."
"Watch me!" Ellie tried again to pull away, her fangs showing.
"Stop! Or I'll teach you a lesson myself," Lucas growled, his body growing tenser and his eyes brighter. Obviously, with his own body feeling the effects of the coming full moon, he shouldn't be the one trying to break up a fight.
"Why?" Ellie countered. "Why are you protecting that she-wolf? You should be helping me kick her ass. I thought Kylie was your girlfriend. Where does your loyalty lie? With that she-wolf, or with Kylie?"
Lucas paused; the question seemed to catch him off guard. "I'm trying to save your life, though I'm not sure it's worth much."
"Because I'm not were?" Ellie spit back.
"Enough!" Burnett roared.
Lucas let go of Ellie. The pissed-off vamp stepped back, but her eyes stayed bright. Then her angry gaze found Kylie. "You have definitely chosen the wrong guy. Derek would never defend someone who said those things about you. Never!"
Kylie's gaze locked with Lucas for a moment, and then she turned and walked away.
* * *
That night, Kylie awoke to the smell of roses. Before she opened her eyes, she checked the temperature to make sure it wasn't Jane. Or worse, another vision. But nope. No cold. Just the sweet floral scent.
"Hey, beautiful," said a familiar male voice. She opened her eyes.
Lucas knelt beside her bed, holding a bouquet of roses in his hands. She sat up and saw more roses all around the room. "What did you do, rob a florist?"
He gave her his bad-boy grin, and Kylie felt her heart melt just a little. "No, but let me just say that my grandmother is going to be really pissed when she sees her garden in the morning."
She grinned and then remembered she was mad at him. And yeah, it might not have been fair to be mad when all he'd done was do the right thing by breaking up the fight, but Ellie's words had stung and stung deep. And Kylie had been nursing a bit of a broken heart ever since.
It didn't help that Kylie knew, once he shifted into wolf form, he would run off into the woods with Fredericka fast behind him. So when he'd dropped by earlier that day to see her, she'd told him she'd had a headache and was going to bed.
But he was back now. And this time, he hadn't gotten her permission first to come into her room.
"Scoot over," he said.
Kylie arched a brow, remembering his caution about not getting too close to her before the change. "Is that a good idea?"
"I'll behave. I've made sure of it. I just want to hold you and apologize."
"For what?"
He took a rose and ran it down her nose and over her lips. It felt soft against her skin-a bit like velvet.
"I'm sorry that Fredericka is being such a bitch. Sorry for how things may have looked. I wasn't defending Fredericka. I was trying to keep Ellie from getting hurt."
There it was again. The fact that he'd been doing the right thing. And she knew it was true.
"But..." He set the rose beside her pillow. "I got to thinking about how I'd feel if it were you defending Derek. I really wouldn't like that." He scooped her up in his arms and moved her over and then crawled in beside her.
His warmth came against her side, and his lips brushed against her cheek. "You are the most important thing to me, Kylie. There isn't anything about you that doesn't fascinate me. The way your eyes light up when you smile. The sound of your laughter." He picked up the rose and ran it across her mouth again. "The shape of your lips. The way they feel against mine."
The rose moved up. "Your nose. The way it turns up on the end."
"It doesn't turn up that much." She'd always hated her nose.
"Maybe it does just a little." He grinned. "But it's so damn cute. And I love the way you sneeze."
"Now you're taking it too far." She giggled.
"Seriously, I love the sound you make when you sneeze. It sounds more like a puppy than human. A very cute and sexy puppy."
His smile faded and his blue eyes stared right at her. "For the first time in my entire life, I'm not looking forward to shifting. Because ... then I won't be able to kiss you like this." His lips melted against hers, but he ended the kiss too quickly. "I'll be out there. And you'll be in here. And instead of enjoying the thrill of being free of this body, I'll be missing you."
He kissed her lightly on the lips again. "So, please. Please, don't be angry at me. I didn't mean to make you feel bad, or to make you feel as if anyone else is more important to me than you. Because they aren't. I'd kill for you, Kylie Galen. But more than that, I'd die for you."
She felt a tear roll down her cheek. "You'd better not die on me, Lucas Parker."
He caught the tear and wiped it away. "Am I forgiven?"
"Yes. You're forgiven." She reached up and wrapped her hand around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. His mouth devoured hers, his tongue swept across her lips. After several long, delicious moments, he kissed his way down to her neck. It tickled, it tingled, and before long, she heard the soft humming sound emanating from him. She liked hearing it. Liked knowing she made it happen. Liked how her inhibitions faded while listening to it.
His hand slid up under her tank top, touching bare skin. Touching the edges of her breasts, and then his hands moved higher. His warm hands felt like sunshine against her skin. She closed her eyes, loving how it felt. She wanted this.
He broke the kiss and jerked his hand away. "Okay, it's time for me to go now."