Then they’d played the afternoon away at the amusement park and arcade. He couldn’t remember spending an hour at leisure, not in a very long time, much less a whole day spent in the pursuit of recreation. He had to give Heidi credit for reminding him of the importance of just...living.
She backed the Land Rover out of the parking lot. “Do you like wine?”
“Sure. What do you have in mind?”
“My dads are investors in a local winery, which is a benefit for us.” Her grin brightened. “Free tours and wine tastings—if you think you can handle it.”
“Oh, I think I’ll be just fine.”
Heidi set the wine glass down when her cell phone buzzed, interrupting her for the third time. She couldn’t keep ignoring Axel, so she excused herself and put space between her and Javier as she answered the call.
“Hello, brother.”
“I’ve had the shifter’s car moved from Dads’ driveway to the hotel parking lot.”
She gritted her teeth and bit back the sharp retort on the tip of her tongue. “Why?”
As if she didn’t already know. She didn’t bother asking how he’d known where Javier was staying or how he’d managed to get access to the car. Axel had ingenuity in abundance. And what he couldn’t do through legitimate means, Kelan could do with a lock pick and a little sleight of hand.
She knew she’d been pushing her luck by not returning home at night, not to mention having Beth cover for her at the clinic. Word was sure to get back to Axel. Even at thirty, she would only be allowed to push her independent streak so far when it came to matters of the opposite sex and her overprotective family. And although she’d been glad to see they’d given her some space—after all they hadn’t shown up knocking on the hotel room door yet—she wished that just this once Axel would step down from his alpha perch and have a little more faith in his only sister.
“You’ve had enough time to nurse your stray back to health, Heidi.”
“His name is Javier, not shifter, not stray. And I don’t need you butting in where you don’t belong.”
She was more than capable of taking Javier back to her dads’ to retrieve his car. Or at least she’d intended to do that...when the time was right. Axel might be the alpha of the family now, but that didn’t give him the right to bulldoze over people to get his way on his schedule.
“Heidi—”
“Goddammit, Axel, I mean it.” She tried to keep her volume down. “I love you, brother, but you’ve gone too far this time. Butt out of my life.” She hung up and turned her phone off for good measure.
“What’s wrong?” Javier asked the instant she returned to the wine tasting.
She tried to smile, but knew she didn’t pull it off when concern wrinkled his brow.
“Nothing. Let’s just...where were we?” She grabbed her glass and downed the burgundy sampler in one swig, but when she reached for his glass, he caught her wrist.
“Excuse us, please,” he said to the winery employee. “And thank you for everything. They are all spectacular wines.”
He guided her outside and didn’t release her arm until they were at her vehicle. Opening the door for her in a gentlemanly gesture that made her want to cry, he waited for her to plop in behind the steering wheel before he got in the passenger side.
“Tell me what has happened.”
She tightened her grip on the steering wheel and refused to look at him until she got her emotions under control. “My big brother’s just being an ass. Nothing new.” She dared a glance his way and tried to change the subject. “You hungry? I thought maybe we could grab a bite of dinner before going back to the hotel.”
He stared at her for several nerve-racking seconds. Then, he nodded. “Let’s get drive-thru.”
“Fine by me.” Relieved, she started the engine and pulled out, heading for the nearest fast food place.
When they arrived at his room, however, he made it clear he wasn’t ready to let the phone call go after all. “Your brother arranged to have my car brought here.”
Of course he’d notice his own car. Heidi set the bag of burgers on the dresser and chose to stare out the window at the parking lot. Javier’s Jag stuck out among the rainbow of sedans and SUVs. “Yes,” she admitted reluctantly.
Javier’s chuckle made her spin to face him.
“I don’t find this funny, and I’m surprised you do.”
He cupped her face. “It makes perfect sense.”
She crossed her arms. “Oh, and I suppose all big brothers are arrogant assholes who overstep their bounds.” Her sarcasm apparently amused him because his annoying grin got even bigger.
“If I were your big brother, and trust me, I thank God that I am not, I would do everything in my power to get a man like me as far away from you as possible.”
“A man like you?”
His smile faded, and he released the tender grasp he had on her face. “If I were honorable, I would’ve left at sunup today.”
“But...”
“But I wanted one more day with you.” He nudged her chin up with a fingertip and then kissed her lips with a brief brush of his own. “One more night.”
Moisture stung her eyes. “But...” She hated asking the question, hated knowing their time had to end.
His cheerless smile pained her. “But we can’t always have what we want.”
“It’s not fair,” she muttered, hating the petulance in her defeated tone.
He thumbed her cheek and remained silent, although she could almost hear his thoughts, read them in his eyes. Life’s not fair.
“I don’t want you to go.” There. She’d said it, admitted her heart’s desire, and tried to ignore the replay of what he’d just said in her mind. “We can’t always have what we want.” She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth against the inevitable.
“Heidi...” He waited for her to look at him. “I must.”
His words crushed her hopes and made her body shudder as if from a physical blow. The first teardrop escaped her lower lashes, and she didn’t give a damn.
She’d been born to a shifter line, carried the gene in her DNA, but she got none of the benefits. Her brothers could shift at will while she remained human. Her brothers could find their mates, father future generations, while she was left without any hope of a happy ever after.
No husband.
No children.
And for what?
“Fuck fate.” She threw herself against his strong body and kissed him for all she was worth.
He didn’t shove her away as she feared he might. Instead, he took everything she had to give and returned her passions tenfold. Their clothes disappeared, discarded in haste along a twisted path they took to the bed.
Falling to the mattress, Javier blanketed her nakedness with his own and fingered a lock of hair from her eyes. His expression showed a mix of concern and compassion, need and resolve.
“One more night.”
And then goodbye, she thought but shoved the words from her mind. She didn’t want to think about what would happen tomorrow. If all they had was one final night together, she would take it and pray for time to stand still.
“Then make it last.”
He dipped his head for a surprisingly chaste kiss and then began a slower, gentler journey along every curve and concave of her body. God help her. The way the man could touch her, kiss her... He brushed his thumbs across her pebbled nipples, massaged her breasts and planted a trail of moist kisses along her cleavage. The heat of his breath and feathery touch of his fingertips tantalized her.
When he explored her navel with his tongue, her need grew. Although she raised her hips in a silent plea, she enjoyed how he refused to be prodded into a rushed finale.