Lina was surprised at how quickly the large house became as familiar to her as her own. Roaming through the rooms when she wasn't doing work or spending time with Kane kept her occupied. There were beautiful paintings and decorations and even a small indoor greenhouse to explore. Strangely enough, there was a desk in one corner between two tables full of some feathery ferns she'd never seen before. When she asked Kane about it he told her that is where he went to work when he was stuck in the city and needed to breathe clean air.
Her werewolf boyfriend was often busy with his betas or stuck in his office dealing with various issues that cropped up from Jacy Industries, but he spent a lot more time with her than she thought he would have. When the weather was too cold to walk in the gardens, he walked her around, telling her little stories about the people in the paintings in the hallway, long lost ancestors, both human and werewolf. He always seemed to find a little nook and would draw her in, teasing her with passionate kisses and caresses, always over her clothes. She was slowly being driven crazy by him, and he knew it.
When he wasn't teasing her body into a state of willing surrender, or telling her more about werewolves, he was easing her into pack life. She had seen several others change into wolves, even watched them play one night in a field behind the house. Kane had given her a reassuring look and then stepped away, changing into a huge silver werewolf with brindled fur. He'd nudged her hand as she had stared at him, a little shocked, and then took a step back when he moved closer. He sat down in front of her and even though he wasn't human, he looked sad. She had bent down, unable to bear that look on his face and buried both her hands in his neck, rubbing the fur behind his ears.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I was just a little. . .I don't know. I'm sorry."
He whined.
"I'll be okay. You go play." She stood up and he nudged her, and then ran off. The other wolves greeted him eagerly and then they ran into the woods. Lina decided to join Carrie inside to watch a movie while they waited for their men to come back. They had another talk about werewolves, and Lina let go of a bit more of her worry, knowing that no matter what form he took, Kane was still the man she knew and cared for.
One of the things Lina liked the least was checking on Carson. She felt responsible for his situation though, so she went with Kane when he checked on Carson every day. Lina was amazed at how much better he was, but he still was locked into cravings for the drug and raving because he couldn't get any. He was lucid for only brief moments when Kane would exert his influence as Alpha.
Sunday rolled around before Lina knew it, and classes were set to resume on Monday. Unsurprisingly, Maggie was planning on skipping the first two days of class to stay a little longer soaking up the Hawaiian sun. Lina had called her on Friday and told her that she was staying with Kane for a few days. Maggie's squeal had been loud enough even he had heard it from across the room.
Lina had eyed him, a smile had lingered around his mouth when Maggie started to ask if she had finally got busy and lost her 'v-card' but Lina had been able to cut her off before the final part came out of her mouth. She was pretty sure Kane could hear everything Maggie was saying, and that would be more humiliating than she could bear if he were to find out that she was a complete virgin. She'd shushed her overly curious friend with the promise of a private ice cream gossip session. Lina knew she'd have to pay up, but she would have to keep out all the wolfish details, so to speak. She wasn't exactly looking forward to the talk much. She wasn't used to having to censor herself so much with Maggie and was worried it would drive a wedge between them.
"What are you thinking about?" Kane asked, coming up behind her. She jumped, turning in his arms.
"Don't sneak up on me like that!" She glared at him.
"I wasn't trying to." He leaned down and nipped at her lips, then soothed the stinging bites with his lips and tongue. His hands slipped down to her ass and pulled her closer to him, his rigid erection pressing against her stomach. He buried his face in her hair, breathing her in with deep breaths before he pulled back with a groan. "You smell so good."
Lina lifted her head from his chest where she'd rested it against the hard muscles."Hmm. . .so do you." She was rubbing his back as she looked up at him, smiling. Her need to touch him seemed to be growing, and she was thinking about those black pajamas. Her heart was racing, but she took a deep breath and tried to calm down. There were hours until they went to bed.
Kane let her go a little reluctantly. "So, what was it?"
"What was what?"
"What you were thinking about. You looked sad." Kane was watching her face and looked a little worried when she frowned. She sat down on the couch, tucking into a small corner with her feet tucked under.
"Just what I'm going to tell Maggie. I've never had to keep a secret from her."
Kane nodded, his expression serious. "I know and I'm sorry. I wouldn't ask it of you if it wasn't a matter of life and death."
Lina sighed. "I understand. I can look at Carrie and all I think about is her baby; what kind of life they would have if the public or the government was to find out?" She knew though. The baby would be taken away; they'd be tested on and treated like animals. "I won't tell anyone, it's just a little hard."
"How about I take your mind off of it for a little while? Would you like to have dinner with me?"
"Dinner?" Lina said as she looked at her jeans and emerald green sweater. "Um, what kind of dinner? I didn't exactly pack a lot of date clothes, though I suppose I could wear my skirt and blouse from Thanksgiving again."
Kane pressed down on her shoulder to keep her sitting down.
"No, the way you are dressed is fine. There is a diner with a fifties retro theme I like to go when I can manage some time away from the pack and business. They have the best burgers and chocolate malts on the menu. You might even be a bit overdressed."
Lina looked up at him with an amused smile.
"What?" he asked.
"Just surprised, you know," she shook her head, "you aren't anything like I expected a multi-millionaire to be. Honestly, you aren't anything like I would have expected a werewolf to be either. You're. . . ." She blinked, considering what word to use.
"Perfect," he finished for her, preening a little and puffing out his chest.
Lina smacked his stomach. "Conceited!"
He laughed, pulling her up into his arms and hugging her. His warm arms around her again stoked the fire inside her even hotter. She was definitely going to pull out those pajamas that night. She was sure of him as anyone could be, as quick as their relationship was progressing and everything she found out. She was attracted to him in ways she had only ever imagined. She couldn't take much more teasing; she was ready for more with him.
"You are a little bit perfect though," she whispered shyly before she leaned up, kissing him. She even dared to dart her tongue out and press it between his relaxed lips, tasting him quickly before she pulled away to bury her face in his neck, inhaling his spicy scent. She pressed her lips under his jaw, kissing his neck.
"Hmmm," he rumbled, his hands pulling her closer. "That's the first time you've done that."
