Layla couldn’t imagine what that must have been like. The reason Hunter hadn’t had sex with her yet was because he insisted the pull would be stronger afterward. It was impossible to imagine how the draw to him could be any stronger than it already was. Maybe it was worse for shifters than humans.
Except now she knew she was half wolf herself.
Obviously her mother had had sex with Anders. And he’d been devastated. So badly that he’d never recovered.
She couldn’t do that to Hunter. Not over something as simple as the order he chose to divulge her life’s information. When would he have told her about Anders though? The only reason she knew now was because her father had gotten tired of waiting.
She leaned back in the swinging chair and stared at the ceiling. “I’m trying to figure out how I trust him going forward. What else should he be telling me? It’s a lot.”
“All I can tell you is that Hunter is a great man. He’s stressed. He’s had to make split-second decisions while managing an emotional overload the likes of which he’s never experienced before. His heart and his mind and his soul are focused on one thing—making sure he convinces you that the two of you belong together. No other option is acceptable.”
“Yeah,” she breathed out.
“You’re my daughter. Believe me, if I thought any man was wrong for you or had anything other than your best interests at heart, I would shoot him first and ask questions later,” he teased. “Even though I only found out I had two daughter’s two days ago, my shotgun is already cocked and loaded. If anyone ever hurts you, he will have to answer to me.”
She chuckled. It was impossible not to.
After a few moments, she sobered. “You deserve to be happy too, you know.”
“Yeah. Believe me, I’ve been thinking hard about that for the last two days—in between planning what I wanted to say to you girls.”
Layla lifted a brow. “Is there someone you’re interested in?”
“Maybe.” His eyes twinkled. “But we’re not going to discuss that now. She has no idea. I’m just saying, I’ve rejoined the living since you arrived. Don’t take that away from me. And please, don’t take it away from Hunter.”
Layla smiled. “Is it true that he’s not controlling me? That your crazy Fate is in charge, and She’s a force of nature that decides who belongs together?”
“Yes,” he responded without hesitation. “I know your mother believed otherwise, and I get that you two were raised by the same woman as her, but please believe me. Hunter is not controlling you. Fate is controlling both of you.”
“I should go talk to him.”
Anders nodded. “I should go meet your sister.” He stood and took a deep breath. “Is she as feisty as you?” he joked.
“Nope. She’s more chill than me. Sensitive. She’ll bawl like a baby.”
His smile spread wider, and she got the distinct impression it had been a long time since he truly smiled or felt pleasure. She rose from the swing and stepped into his arms again. “I’m so glad you found us. Or we found you. Or that we came to Canyon Springs and made it possible for your strange shifter forces to bring us together.”
“Me too, hon. Me too.” He hugged her tight before letting her go. “Hunter is hurting. Go to him.”
She nodded and headed for the front door, looking back over her shoulder to make sure she hadn’t imagined Anders Johansen. That should have been her last name. Not Pierce. Maybe one day she would find a way to acknowledge that fact. “Thank you,” she said before she entered the house and headed toward her future.
Chapter 18
July 30, 2015
* * *
Dear Mabel,
* * *
It’s been a while since I’ve written to you. You probably don’t know if I’m dead or alive. You probably don’t care. That makes me so sad that I have to force myself not to think about it.
I stopped mailing the letters, but how would you know that? My Josiah always humored me about mailing them. He used to tease me about the postage, but I know he was just kidding. And now he’s gone.
In a way, I’m all alone. In other ways, I have an entire community here to keep me strong and hold me up. Canyon Springs is my family. They took me in when I was just twenty-two years old and never once treated me like I didn’t belong.
I’ve considered coming back to Hyde Park a dozen times since we buried Josiah. I want to see you so badly. But I’m afraid I would be devastated if you rejected me.
* * *
Love, Marge
* * *
The sun was dipping low in the sky as Layla stepped inside. The lighting was dim. She drew in a breath and knew Hunter wasn’t inside just as she spotted him through the back windows. He was on the deck, standing at the railing, facing the mountains.
She slid the glass door open. She had no doubt he sensed her, but he didn’t turn around.
She came up behind him, wrapped her arms around his middle and pressed her cheek against his back.
He blew out a breath as he set his hands on top of hers. For a long time they simply stood there, their heartbeats falling into sync. Finally, he spoke. “I know it’s crazy fast and your world is spinning at a rapid pace, but you’re my life, Layla. My entire world.”
“I know.” She hugged him tighter. Her certainty about him was always easy when she touched him. Scary easy, but obvious at the same time.
He slowly turned around in her arms until he faced her. And then he cupped her face, met her gaze, and lowered his lips to hers. The kiss was sweet and gentle and full of emotions. He took his time as if this were their first kiss and he wasn’t sure how she might react.
She sank into the feel of his lips, the taste of him, the scent that filled her with every breath. His hands on her cheeks. His erection pressing against her belly. The hardness of his body. And she knew with certainty she was meant to be his. She had always been meant to be his. From the beginning of time. Fate had sent her to Canyon Springs this week with intent. Purpose. Determination.
Her body came alive with every passing second. There was no putting it off any longer. She didn’t want to. She needed him inside her. She needed to seal this thing with an urgency she’d never felt before.
Before, she hadn’t understood how having sex with him could possibly make a difference in their connection considering all the other sexual activities they’d engaged in. But now she got it. Even before acting on it, she could feel the bond. It would be intense. Far more than before. Just making the decision altered the air between them.
Hunter was gasping for breath when their lips parted. “Layla…”
“Make love to me,” she whispered.
“You’re sure?”
“Positive.”
“I won’t pressure you.”
“You’re not. I promise. I get it.”
“I won’t let you go.”
“I don’t want you to.”
He slowly closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. “I’m in love with you.”
“Thank God. Or Fate. She’s sneaky.”
He chuckled as he spun her around and guided her back through the sliding door. After shutting it, he grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hallway and into his bedroom. He didn’t bother to turn on any lights. The windows in his room showed a view of the setting sun that she imagined was probably amazing.
She didn’t take the time to look, however. She could watch that sunset every day for the rest of her life. Tonight her entire focus was on sex.
As Hunter tugged her shirt up her body, she did the same to his. They got tangled in their urgency, each releasing the other to remove their own. And then his hands were back on her, finding and unhooking her bra before sliding down to her shorts.
She fumbled with the button on his jeans, somehow succeeding in undoing it and lowering the zipper. As she tugged the denim over his hips, she cocked her hips both ways to help him divest her of her shorts and panties.
In moments, they were naked
, and she squealed as Hunter lifted her by the waist and tossed her onto the bed.
She giggled as she scrambled backward, watching him open the bedside table to grab a row of condoms. He dropped them on the bed and crawled over her. “That’s a lot of protection,” she teased.
“I’m thinking once or twice isn’t going to be enough.” He hovered over her, his lips coming down to meet hers for a moment before trailing lower to find and suckle her breast.
She arched into the sensation, her body so aroused already that she couldn’t focus on anything except the desire to have him inside her. “Hunter,” she moaned as he tormented her nipple.
His other hand slid between her legs as he nudged them wider and settled between them on his knees. He ignored her plea, switching to the other breast instead as he found her folds, parted them, and pressed a finger deep inside her.
She bucked her hips, her fingers going to his ass, pulling on him to no avail. There was no way she could possibly get him to budge. He was larger and stronger, but damn she did not need foreplay.
His mouth popped free of her swollen second nipple. He chuckled. “Stop trying to rush me, babe.” He rose onto his knees and pried her fingers off his butt. “Next time we go to your aunt’s house, we’re bringing back that box of scarves. I’m going to need them to keep you from pressuring me while I play.” His grin lit up the room.
She flushed at the idea. “Maybe I like those scarves. Some of them might be valuable.”
“Fine. You pick your favorites, and the rest go in the sex drawer to be used for restraint.”
She rose onto her elbows, eyes widening. “You have a sex drawer?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Not yet. Gonna start one tomorrow. We’re going to need a place to put the suitcase full you apparently brought with you from California.”
“Let’s not get carried away. I don’t own quite that many.”
He remained on his knees, spreading her legs high and wide with his hands. “I wonder how many times I can make you come with a vibrator…”
She shivered. “Pretty sure you’ll never need one. Their purpose was to fill the void in my life that existed before I met you.”
“I like that.” He parted her lower lips with his thumbs. “But I’m still going to use every single one of them, because I also like the idea of watching you come apart while I press them against every sensitive spot.” His gaze remained fixed on hers as he pressed a thumb into her channel.
She moaned, grasping at the sheet on both sides of her hips. When he stopped moving, she lifted both hands and reached for his erection. It was thick and hard and bobbing between them. She smoothed her fingers up and down the shaft, not wrapping her palm around it.
He narrowed his gaze. “Tease.”
“Says the man currently making me squirm with the need for friction.”
He suddenly pulled his hands away, grabbed her hips, and flipped her onto her front. His actions caused her to release his cock as she landed on her hands and knees.
She gasped, instinctively rocking her butt back as his hands went to her hips and held her steady. “So anxious.”
“Mmm,” was her only response.
One hand disappeared, and she heard the tear of the foil wrapper. Thank God.
He tugged her back several inches, causing her to fall onto her elbows. The power was exciting. Every time he surprised her, she grew more aroused. He nudged her knees apart too, and then one hand went between her legs while the other held her hip steady.
His voice was low and gravelly when he spoke. “You look so sexy in this position. So open and vulnerable. I wasn’t sure how you might feel about me taking you from behind, but I don’t have to ask because I can smell your arousal.”
She groaned, her hands fisting at the sides of her face, her mouth open, her eyes shut. She wanted to remember everything. Every detail.
He found her clit and circled it, teasing her forever before finally flicking over the tip.
She cried out, her body rocking toward him. “Please…” She could feel the connection between them, as if they’d been together for months instead of two days, as if they’d been intimate that long too.
He thrust two fingers into her before shifting his attention back to her clit, pinching and pulling and pressing and flicking until she couldn’t stop the wave of her orgasm that slammed into her and made her moan unintelligibly with every pulse.
Before she fully recovered, knees shaking, arms trembling, Hunter grabbed her by the hips and lifted her upright, one hand sliding up her middle until he brought her back against his chest. His fingers gripped her chin, and his lips landed on her ear. “You’re amazing. I’ll never tire of you.”
“You haven’t had me yet, Hunter.”
She could feel his smile against her neck a moment before he turned her around and lowered her onto her back once more. “Decided I wanted to see your eyes our first time.”
She nodded. “’K.”
He nestled between her thighs again and lined up his cock. “Yes?” he asked, his gaze holding hers.
“Yes.”
He thrust into her all the way to the hilt.
She watched his eyes widen and then shutter, the bliss written on his face to match her own. So full. So perfect. So right. She slid her hands over his fantastic ass and wrapped her legs around his thighs.
He cupped her face with both hands and surprised her when he met her gaze again. “I need to see you.”
“I’m right here,” she whispered.
“I hope this isn’t a dream. If so, don’t pinch me.”
“Not a dream.” She caressed his ass.
“You’re mine.”
She nodded. “I’m yours.”
His smile was radiant. It matched the feeling in her heart. Finally, he pulled partway out and slid back into her slowly. The groan he emitted was so sexy. When he did it again, he gritted his teeth. “Not going to last. Damn you feel good.”
She ran her hands up over his ass and back and down again. “You do too.”
As he picked up the pace, her mouth fell open. His eyes went glassy. His hands tightened on her head. She didn’t mind. She loved the possessiveness. It was…right.
Suddenly, he changed the angle a bit, causing the base of his cock to rub against her clit with every thrust. She whimpered, shocked by her body’s response. She was not only going to come again, but from intercourse alone. She’d never done that.
She’d also never been with the right man, someone she was this comfortable and vulnerable with. The emotional overload was intense, and all she could focus on was her rising need to come, to fully join with this gorgeous man.
She gasped as he ground against her, sensations spreading through her body as if they originated in that one small nub of pleasure.
His breathing increased, and still he watched her face. “Come with me, Layla.”
She nodded, trying to keep focused on his eyes. His words alone drew her closer to the edge. She had no doubt she would shatter any second.
He did it again, a slow deliberate thrust that ended with a delicious grind of his hips. That was all she needed to tip over the edge, her pussy clenching his cock, milking it with all the power of her orgasm.
He smiled and picked up the pace, thrusting faster and harder, pounding into her in a way she found she loved. As if this weren’t enough. As if he needed to be deeper. And she agreed. She wanted as much of him inside her as she could get.
When he came, he cried out her name, sending a shiver down her spine. Lord, she loved that sound. Reverent. Passionate.
Hunter’s body remained rigid until he was fully spent, and even then, she suspected he would have remained inside her if his arms would have agreed to hold him aloft. But they were shaking as he eased out of her and dropped to his side next to her, one leg draped over hers, his knee pressing against her sex.
It took a full minute for either of them to catch their breath, every exhale of his hitting her face from
the side. Finally, he drew in a long deep breath and let it out slowly, his hand smoothing up to cup her breast. “Layla, there are no words.”
“I know,” she murmured, fully understanding as she rubbed her hand up and down his forearm.
“I get it now,” he continued, still panting.
“Yeah.” She did too. Shockingly, she understood. “I’ll never understand how my mother left my father.”
Hunter sighed. “Thank God. If you didn’t feel that way, I would be scared out of my mind.”
She turned onto her side to meet his gaze, both of their heads lying on the mattress, neither able to prop themselves up. She slid her palm up his arm and shoulder and cupped his cheek, needing to reassure him. “I won’t leave you.”
He held her gaze, his brows slightly furrowed. His hand went to her butt and squeezed as if he could physically hold on to her so she couldn’t escape.
“I can understand why my mother was unable to accept the claiming. She would have been scared out of her mind. But I’m stronger than her. My grandmother is no longer with us. I don’t have anyone trying to convince me that this is wrong. I would never be whole if I left Canyon Springs.”
His brow smoothed out, and he leaned closer to kiss her gently. “I’m trying to imagine even separating long enough to go clean up, let alone a lifetime.”
“I still feel aroused as if we didn’t just do that, and I still need you inside me.”
He nodded, his fingers grazing up and down her back. “Good thing I grabbed an entire row of condoms.”
She giggled. “Am I supposed to be this horny?”
“That’s what I’ve always heard.”
“I didn’t believe you that our connection would be stronger after we had sex. Seemed preposterous.”
“I didn’t know what to expect either. All I had was legend.”
“And according to wolf shifter legend, you’re now going to lure me into your lair, tie me to a post, and fuck me into submission.”
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