Serengeti Sunrise Part 12

"The brat thinks she's in love," Julia said, her words laced with disgust. Her gaze met his before it skittered back to her sister.

"I am in love," Meghan retorted. "Just because you're turning into the neighborhood cat lady is no reason to be jealous I've found someone special."

Ty coughed to smother a laugh. "Cat lady?"

"You know, the old lady with no life who lives with like thirty cats for company."

"We like cats," Gabby defended, shooting Meghan a look that surprised Ty. She seemed genuinely annoyed.

Meghan flushed. "I'm just saying Julia blames me for having a s.e.x life."

"I so did not need to hear that," Ty muttered.

Julia's eyes sparkled and her scent grew richer. When angry, the little spitfire turned him hard in a heartbeat. He casually crossed the room to stand behind an oversized chair to hide his erection. Talk about embarra.s.sing, not to mention irritating. The vixen made him crazy like no one could.

"Okay, you want to talk about your s.e.x life? Fine," Julia sneered. "Are you using birth control? Does Jason know what can happen when you go into heat? Is he prepared to help rear your litter?"

Fascinated, Ty watched the family interplay. He'd never seen Julia so impa.s.sioned. Normally she did her job with calm precision and couldn't be described as anything other than cool. But with Meghan, she acted like a virtual firecracker. A sultry redhead with a temper to boot. G.o.d, he wanted her.

Meghan stared from Julia to Ty and back again, her cheeks scarlet. "I am not going to talk about this in front of Ty."

Thank G.o.d.

She continued. "I'm going to call Jason to come get me." Tears filled her eyes. "He's the only one who understands me. The only one who cares." She sobbed and fled the room.

Everyone stared at the slammed door in silence.

After a moment, he asked, "You sure she didn't major in drama?"

Julia's lips curved.

Gabby choked on a laugh. "I'll go talk to her. You deal with him," she said to Julia, a knowing look in her eyes that made Julia blush. Gabby joined Meghan in the bedroom, leaving Julia and Ty alone together.

"Now it's just you and me, honey. Where should we start?"

Julia gnawed on her lower lip, and he wanted to kiss the sting away. She turned her direct amber-eyed gaze on him. "Why are you here?"

"You're welcome for saving you, by the way. Or would you rather I stepped aside so you and Ned can head down the aisle?" he asked dryly.

"Please. I can handle Ned."

"Oh?"

"Granted, he's an a.s.s. But I know how to handle the type." The look she gave him heated his blood to boiling.

"I raced nearly two hundred miles on no sleep and s.h.i.+tty gas station food. I left the raptors in a frenzy, ready to rip out Sarah Duncan's feathers one by one. The cats are at the throats of the gray wolves again, the bears are losing their minds, and half our clan is in favor of inst.i.tuting a new mating policy, whereby the silver foxes will soon have arranged marriages. I left all that behind to save you from Hunters."

"Hunters?" Julia blinked in confusion. "Rip out Sarah's feathers? Is she okay?"

He spoke through gritted teeth. "The Whitefeathers and Gerald have it all under control. Sarah's the one who told me you were having trouble with Hunters."

"What do the Whitefeathers have to do with this?"

"Julia, focus, would you? Why would Sarah think you were dealing with Hunters?" The thought of Julia being hunted down and killed had nearly stopped his heart before he'd managed to bear down and concentrate on finding her.

"Hunters? Where would she get that idea?" Her expression cleared. "Oh. Right. The last time we spoke I mentioned Jason's family's disgusting hobby of mounting dead things in their homes. She might have gotten the wrong impression."

"I'm not sure she did. Ned Williams seems pretty threatening." And he likes you way too much for my liking.

"He is, but he's nothing I can't handle." Now she sounded like the competent legal a.s.sistant he knew her to be. s.e.xy, unruffled, self-contained. "I'm sorry if you rushed out here on our behalf, but we're fine."

"Oh, right. I can see that. Some a.s.shole just shot all of our tires. Your sister is involved with an outsider the clan knows nothing about, and you're getting married to Ned No-Neck Williams."

Julia pinched the bridge of her nose. "I didn't say we weren't having some problems, but it's a family matter. Not your concern, Ty."

He liked her saying his name. He'd like it a whole lot better if she'd cry it out as her body clenched around his in o.r.g.a.s.m. "Oh, but it is my concern. Meghan's in some serious trouble. And it doesn't seem like she's going to drop this Jason anytime soon."

"I know." Julia sighed. "But we'll handle it."

"Yes, we will." Ty made a sudden decision. Maybe he could fix a few issues at once. He had no transportation at the moment. Considering the "long line of Williamses" in Nowhere, he'd venture a guess he'd have a hard time finding spare tires for his truck in town.

Time to match wits with a s.e.xy, conniving adversary. Satisfaction flooded him at the thought of tangling with Julia again. He really had missed her.

"What does 'we will' mean?" Suspicion made her voice husky.

"It means I'm here to fix a few things. But first things first." He took a step closer, pleased when she licked her lips, nervous.

"Ty-"

He answered how he should have the first time she'd asked, four weeks ago. "Yes, Julia. Yes, I'll take you home and make love to you until neither of us can walk."

He kissed her before she could close her pretty mouth.

end.