She forced her eyes open. Brock moved off to the side then swung his legs off the side of the bed, getting to his feet. The bedside clock said four a.m.
“It's so late,” she told him, hoping he would stay the night for once. “You don't have to go. You can stay here.”
He took a long stretch, raising his arms above his head. She could watch that naked body all day long. But not tonight. Leaning over her in the bed, Brock planted a quick kiss on her forehead. “I like to wake up in my own bed.”
A cold hand clenched around Sky's heart. Could he really not bear to sleep in her bed for even a few hours?
“Okay,” she forced herself to say.
She wasn't going to argue. What had she expected anyway? Brock was only being Brock. The man was there one minute and gone the next.
He picked up his clothes and began throwing pieces back on.
“I'll see you out.” Sky searched for her top in the dark.
She followed him out to her side door. The kiss he gave her was sweet but way too short. Then, without a word of goodbye, he turned and left. Sky closed the door and stood there looking at it. No longer tired, she just felt scrambled. Her head and her heart were a jumble of thoughts. She knew Brock well enough not to expect much from him. Didn't she?
He was non-committal, after all. He'd shown her that much, yet their time together was always so passionate. She knew he cared for her, he just wouldn’t get close. The same old story prevailed. He held himself at arm's length. For only the millionth time, she asked herself why.
7
Brock leaned his chair back in his tiny Lieutenant’s office, staring out at the shrubbery across the street. It had been a quiet shift and although he should have been grateful, he was anything but. Down time meant time to think, and time to think after that time a few nights ago meant his head was full of only one recurring cluster of thoughts about Sky.
Their session the other night had been better than the time before that. Getting that close to Sky gave him a ravenous hunger he wasn’t sure could fully be fed until he claimed her as his one true mate. It wasn't just physical either. Being around her led to wanting to be around her more. Which was the problem. He wasn’t up for getting into a relationship half-assed. How could he promise Sky he’d be faithful and honest to her while holding on to the five hundred pound, furry black bear secret of his life? Keeping his true identity from her was as good as lying. She didn’t deserve that, and at the same time, he wasn’t prepared to tell her.
Brock stepped out of this office to check on his team.
“Hey Moody Blues. What's got you in that funk?”
It was Kieran Kyle, one of the human members of his A-shift team. The sandy haired firefighter stood at the kitchen stove watching bacon sizzle. It had been a slow shift without any calls at all and all eight members of the team were ready for some action. They had spent enough time washing down the truck, testing their gear, sharpening power tools they used for more serious rescues, and doing the dreaded drills. Dreaded for the rest of them, not for Brock. He led the drills, and pushed them hard whenever he could. After enough of all that, they were hanging around the firehouse.
“Nothing,” Brock answered.
No way in hell would he blatantly discuss Sky with anyone. Kyle wouldn’t understand. The four humans on the A-shift team knew nothing about the double nature of their team members. If Brock were ever forced to discuss the issues of his complicated life it would be done with another shifter.
“Uh huh. That's what I figured you would say.” Kyle reached over to the second stove-top grill, picked up a pancake, and ladled another to the griddle.
Jax walked into the kitchen, drying his hair with a towel. Steam from his shower still wafted up from his head. “What's up?”
“Just trying to get a word out of Lieutenant Moore here,” Kyle told him.
“How's that going?”
Kyle grinned. “Nothing juicy. The usual…but the boss looks like he’s hiding something. Where’s Nash? He’s the only one brave enough to give Moore the hose-down he needs to drag it out of him.”
Brock gritted his teeth. He was used to the pranks and rowdy behavior around the fire house, and Kyle was just as much a friend as his subordinate, but at the moment Brock was not in the mood for a browbeating about his personal life. That was the problem around here. They were like a family here, and with that came the consequence of people wanting to know everything about everyone.
Jax Carson took a seat across the table from Brock. He laced his hands and gave his friend a quick once over.
“What?” Brock asked.
“You doing all right?”
“Dammit I’m fine.”
Jax slowly twisted his lips. “It’s Winston, isn’t it?”
Doug’s condition was on his mind too. The surgery had gone well, but the fallen firefighter was still unconscious. He nodded. “Has anyone sent word on how he’s doing?”
“Same.”