“Yeah.” She let out a contented sigh and burrowed into his chest.
“Like I said, we’ll go as slow as you want, but you need to let me touch you.”
She blushed a little. “I know you’re—”
“It’s not about me.” He stroked her arm. “It’s about you not getting what you need. You know any adult female foxes?”
She shook her head. “But I know we need more touch than most shifters. Ted told me it’s normal.”
“It is. And it’s also part of the reason you’re feeling stressed and worn out. So…” He brushed her hair back and kissed her forehead. “You need to let me touch you. A lot. I’d ask you to sleep with me at night, but I know you wouldn’t with the kids in the house, and there’s only so much I’m willing to torture myself while I’m trying to be good.”
“But we can… cuddle?”
“As much as you want.”
She paused. “I’m not sure how much I want to show the kids. About us.”
Ollie tried not to let it sting and remembered that the kids had just lost their dad. Yes, Joe had been gone for a while, but Ollie didn’t need to be throwing this in their faces when they might still be confused and hurting.
“It’s up to you.” He kissed her forehead and rolled away. “But be warned, there’s probably only so long I’m gonna be able to remember not to kiss you now that I can.”
Before she could protest, Ollie bent down and scooped her pile of lingerie into a nearby basket. “Now I’m going to be a stand-up guy and take these home with me so I can wash them.” He smiled. “You can thank me later.”
She giggled, and damn it if he didn’t love that sound.
“You’re going to wash all my panties for me?”
He poked through the basket. “Your nighties in here too?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
“Ollie!”
“What?” He ducked away from a balled-up pair of socks she chucked at him. “You can get them later. They’ll be hanging in my room.”
She busted up laughing. “You will not.”
“Try me.” He backed out of the room. “Your panties are mine, Allison Smith. It’s a good thing I like you so much.”
OKAY, he didn’t hand wash them; he wasn’t some kind of pervert. But he put them on the gentle cycle, and then he pulled some hamburgers out of the freezer to make dinner. It wouldn’t be fancy, but if Allie could make a salad, he could grill. There should be plenty of food after the monumental shopping trip Vicky had excitedly undertaken.
He knew his clan was more than happy that Allie and the kids were staying at the house. They were all hoping it was permanent, just like he was. They’d pestered him for years to settle down, though not as persistently as some of his other cousins, as most had known his pent-up feelings for the little fox and her children.
He wasn’t being dishonest when he told her he liked having them around. When he’d been a kid, the old house had been full of cousins and friends, so having it sit quiet grated on his nerves. His grandparents constantly had extra kids around, either babysitting for someone in the clan or borrowing a kid for Ollie to play with since he was an only child and had a tendency to spend too much time alone. He didn’t always participate in the mayhem, but the sound of it brought happy memories.
It was one of the reasons he liked running the Cave. Ollie liked to see people having a good time, watching to make sure everyone was taken care of even if he wasn’t the one participating. Heck, he didn’t really like talking to people that much, but he loved watching them talk to each other. Telling jokes. Hanging with friends and listening to a great band.
With Allie’s kids, the enjoyment was doubled. He felt like he was taking care of them, and he loved hearing their stories, even when they devolved into arguments. Dinners with the rowdy brood were quickly becoming one of his favorite parts of the day.
Of course, if he could get some cuddling time with Allie, that was going to end up trumping dinner, no doubt in his mind. A quick jog by the creek had gotten his mind off the frustration of holding her that afternoon, and a cold shower had finished the job, but now that he knew he had her permission to touch, the gnawing hunger would only get worse.
Hopefully she wouldn’t ask him to be too patient. He’d wanted the woman for twenty years.
Ollie smiled when he heard the shouts and shrieks of the children when Allie rolled up a little after three. He’d just finished hanging her wash in his bedroom, and he currently had pink, green, and black lace underwear draped over every hook and surface in his bathroom. Which was just fine by him.
“Hey,” he said, standing on the porch. “Where’s Kevin?”
“Doing a few hours at my dad’s store,” she said, hauling a laundry basket out of the back of the minivan. “Since I’m not working tonight. Mark, get this other basket before you start your homework! What were you up to this afternoon?”
The corner of his mouth twitched up. “Laundry.”
She couldn’t stop the smile. “You’re a bad man, Oliver Campbell.”
“I’m helping.” He caught Loralie before she tumbled down the stairs. “Where are you going?” He hung her upside down by her ankles. “Huh? Don’t you have homework?”
She giggled until her little belly shook. “I’m only in kinnergarten, Ollie!”
“Are they slacking off at that school?” He swung her back and forth while she shrieked and laughed. Loralie weighed next to nothing. “No homework at all?”
Allie said, “If you make her puke, I’m not cleaning it up.”
“Good point.” Ollie carefully flipped Loralie right side up. Her eyes were still crossed, but she was grinning. “You all right?”
She nodded and Chris ran out the front door, almost slamming into Ollie’s legs.
“Mom, can we play by the creek?”
“Please!” Loralie shrieked, almost blowing his eardrum. He set her down.
“That’s fine,” Allie said. “Stay together.”
“And take the dog,” Ollie added. He whistled for Murtry, who jogged out of the house and followed Loralie and Chris when they called.
“Such a good dog,” Allie said, bending over to grab her purse from the car.
“Mm-hmm.” He licked his lips and resisted the urge to pick her up and take a quick bite.
“You have a nice afternoon?” she asked.
“Yep.”
“Did you get my text about barbecuing hamburgers?”
“Yep. Meat’s defrosting on the counter unless the dog stole it.” He looked down. “He’s only so good when it comes to temptation.”
Her mouth twitched. “Well, there’s only so much you can expect out of big hungry animals. Especially when something’s right in front of them.” She walked into the house, and if she’d been a fox, her tail would have been twitching.
Ollie grinned. Oh yeah. This was going to be fun.
Chapter Fifteen
WHEN ALLIE GOT BACK TO THE HOUSE after dropping the kids off at the bus stop the next Monday, the last person she expected to see was Maggie Quinn. Sean’s half sister was sitting on the porch with a mutinous expression on her face, her brother standing behind her talking quietly to Ollie.
Allie parked and got out, listening for what the two men were talking about. Her hearing and sense of smell were naturally heightened, especially when she was stressed. She could hear the two men’s voices, even from a distance.
Football scores. Naturally.
“Hey,” she called, knowing this wasn’t any old visit. Maggie was a rosy boa constrictor in her natural form, the same type of snake that had hidden under her house during the break-in. Whatever Sean had discovered about it, he felt the need to drag his sister to the Campbell house, which meant it was serious.
“Hey, honey.” Sean stepped off the porch and gave her a long hug. “Am I driving him crazy?” he whispered.
“Be nice.”
“It’s too much fun to tease him. His scent’s all over you.??
? He winked. “What have you been doing, you vixen?”
Allie rolled her eyes but kept her face from turning red. After Ollie had stated his intention to “cuddle,” he’d grabbed on to the opportunity with enthusiasm, which meant Allie spent her breaks at work making out with Ollie in his office like they were still teenagers. He even slipped into her bedroom the next morning, partly to deliver a pair of pink panties—which he might have been holding hostage in his room—and partly to slide next to her on the bed and ask her what her plans for the day were.
Kissing happened.
But he slipped out of her room long before the kids’ alarms went off. So far, he was respecting her boundaries about telling the children.
He didn’t, however, seem to have any problems staking his claim in front of Sean. He marched down the stairs and put his arm around Allie. “Mine.”
Sean smiled. “And it’s about time too.”
Allie looked past their posturing to Maggie, who was looking more than a little annoyed.
“It’s so nice to see your sister, Sean,” Allie said. “I always miss her cheerful presence when she’s not around.”
“I know.” He walked back to the porch. “I’m sure Maggie would say the same thing. Right, sis?”
She bared her teeth. “Can we get this over with?”
“Maggie has some information about the guys who broke into your house,” Sean said. “She very graciously offered to share it.”
“When you threatened me.”
“I told you”—Sean’s voice dropped dangerously—“I’m done cleaning up your messes, Mags. Now tell her what you told me, or I’ll take you back to the old man and he can deal with you.”
It was only the threat of Old Quinn that wiped the antagonistic expression off her face.
“I set up the game,” she said to Allie, “but I had no idea any of the guys were dangerous.”
“Bullshit,” Ollie said.
“Fine.” She shrugged. “Not that kind of dangerous. I figured, at worst, Joe would get drunk and lose. Not that he didn’t have incentive to stay sober.” The corner of her mouth lifted in a smirk. “He knew what I’d do to him if he drank during the game.”
“Get on with it,” Ollie said. “What happened?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “No girls allowed. I do know that Joe left the game alive. He was supposed to meet me in Palm Desert the next day, but he texted me and said everything was fine, but he’d be a day late.”
“And he didn’t say if he won or not?” Ollie asked.
Maggie crossed her arms. “I’ll admit I was pissed. I assumed he didn’t and he was trying to come up with some excuse to give him more time or find another game. I was busy. When he didn’t show the next day, I texted him but never heard back.”
“And that was the last you talked to him?” Allie asked.
Maggie nodded. “I was furious. But not furious enough to hurt him, you know? Besides, he owed me—”
“Maggie,” Sean interrupted. “Don’t start.”
She lapsed into sullen silence.
“What about the break-in?” Ollie asked. “You were beneath the house.”
“Yeah.”
Allie asked, “Why?”
Maggie didn’t want to talk, but Sean nudged her shoulder. “I was looking for cash. Jewelry. Like I said, Joe owed me.”
“You bitch,” Allie hissed. “I am barely scraping by and you were gonna steal from me and my kids?”
“It wasn’t personal.”
Allie resisted the urge to slap her. “Yeah, it was.”
“Besides, I scooted out of there when the other guys showed up.”
Ollie put a hand on Allie’s shoulder. “Who were they?”
“Don’t know—”
“Maggie!” Sean looked ready to erupt.
“—exactly. I don’t know exactly. I’m pretty sure they worked for the one guy in the game I didn’t know. The other guys…” She shrugged. “They wouldn’t have hired these two.”
“What did they look like?” Ollie asked.
“I was under the house, remember? I didn’t see them. I heard them coming and hid.”
Allie asked, “Where was your car?”
“Someone dropped me off. Someone picked me up the next morning after the bear and the cop were gone.” Maggie glared at Sean. “You know how it works.”
“Yeah, I know exactly how it works,” Sean muttered. “But I grew out of breaking and entering. You didn’t.”
Maggie said, “Well, in this case, it might come in useful. The two guys mentioned a name. Wolf. Any of you know a guy with the last name Wolf?”
Wolf. Lobo?
Allie asked, “Was it Wolf or Lobo?”
Maggie frowned. “You’re right. It was Lobo. I wasn’t remembering right.”
“Lobo?” Sean asked. “Gang name?”
“I guess,” Maggie said. “But this game… it was supposed to be rich guys with too much money, you know? No one serious. Two real estate guys from LA. An Italian from Vegas.”
“And that didn’t raise any red flags?” Sean asked.
“Please,” Maggie said. “I know the Italian. He’s a pussycat. As long as you don’t cheat, he just likes his cards. Didn’t know the real estate guys, but Pinky vouched for them.”
“That was the guy who organized the game?” Ollie asked. “Pinky?”
“Don’t ask,” Maggie said.
“I know Pinky,” Sean muttered. “I’ll fill you in.”
“So there was the ‘sweet’ mafia guy,” Allie said, “the two rich guys from LA, Joe, and who else?”
“I guess this Lobo guy,” Maggie said. “Like I said, I didn’t know him.”
“Did Pinky vouch for him too?” Ollie’s sarcasm was getting harder and harder to veil.
“Yeah, he did.” Maggie frowned. “Kinda. He seemed… nervous. But Pinky always seems nervous.”
Sean said, “I can actually confirm that. Pinky does always seem nervous.”
Maggie said, “Anyway, they broke into Allie’s place, and they sounded like they were making a mess, but I don’t think they took anything. They were looking for cash. I heard that much.”
Allie threw up her hands. “Why does everyone seem to think I have cash? If I had cash, I wouldn’t need to ask the pack for grocery money!”
“Yeah,” Ollie said. “You’re not doing that anymore.”
Allie put her hands on her hips. “Don’t start.”
“I’m not starting anything,” Ollie said. “I’m making a statement.”
Sean said, “Getting back to the intruders, boys and girls, one thing seems pretty clear to me.”
“What?” Allie said. “They were looking for cash and I don’t have any. They looked everywhere. Can we assume it’s safe for me to go back to my house?”
“No,” Sean said. “Just because they didn’t find it doesn’t mean they don’t think it exists. And they might think you’re the one who knows where it is. You are definitely not going anywhere alone.”
Ollie asked, “Are you thinking what I am?”
“Probably.”
Ollie crossed his arms and muttered, “You think Joe won that game, don’t you?”
Sean nodded. “Why else would guys working for this Lobo dude be looking for cash?”
“Hot damn!” Maggie was grinning. “This may turn out after all. So”—she turned to Allie—“where would he put it?”
“You’re asking me?” Allie said.
“You were married to the man for fifteen years or something.”
“And this is why you’re not going anywhere alone,” Ollie told her.
“Hold on.” Sean raised both hands. “We don’t even know if he actually won. It’s just a theory.”
“Well,” Ollie said, “I have an idea about how we might confirm that.”
Allie asked, “Does it involve meeting a guy named Pinky?”
“No. But it does involve your finding a babysitter tonight. I think Sean was about to volunteer.
”
Sean blinked. “I was?”
MONDAY lunch with Jena and Ted had become a tradition after Becca was born. They were all busy, but the three old friends carved out time for each other, which Allie was eternally grateful for. The past few months, she’d felt like it was the only adult conversation she got all week.
She pulled into Jena’s just as Caleb was driving out. He waved but didn’t stop. Allie parked and grabbed a tub of homemade potato salad out of the back. She’d made enough for an army the night before. Miraculously, there were leftovers.
“Jena?” she called out from the porch. The door was open—only the screen door was closed—but Allie didn’t want to intrude.
“Come on in,” a quiet voice said.
Allie walked in to see Jena sneaking from the hallway where the bedrooms were. She nodded toward the kitchen door and followed Allie in.
“Baby down for a nap?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Allie spotted the mismatched buttons on Jena’s shirt and couldn’t hold back a smile. “Caleb have an early lunch?”
“Yeah, but don’t worry.” Jena went to the fridge. “I didn’t eat.”
“Oh, I know you didn’t,” Allie said with a smile. “Might want to straighten that shirt, you hussy.”
“Oh, for the love of…” Jena untucked her shirt as a knock came at the kitchen door.
“Knock, knock,” Ted said. “I brought the sandwiches. Jena, do you have any sweet tea?”
“I don’t know,” Allie said. “But she’s got a hickey on her shoulder.”
Ted cackled. “The perks of morning naptimes and a low crime rate.”
“Shut up, both of you. You’re just jealous.”
“No jealousy here.” Ted sat at the kitchen table. “Mr. McCann gets his share of nooners.”
Jena said, “You do realize that office trailer at the job site rocks, right?”
“That would imply that I care if anyone knows I’m getting laid.”
“Shameless,” Allie joked. “Both of you. I’m embarrassed to be friends with you.”
“Oh, I don’t know…” Ted looked like the cat who got the cream. “Speaking of the sexy times, I heard something interesting just this morning.”