by C. E. Black
“All right,” I said. “I’m on the way to the office now.”
“You need to rest,” Beth pleaded as she reached for my hand. Leo gave me a similar pleading look. “She’s right,” he said.
“I don’t need to rest,” I argued. “I feel fine.”
“At least twenty-four hours, Hawk,” Teij jumped in. “Then you can get your ass to Headquarters and help us track this guy down.”
I ground my teeth together but relented. “Yes, sir,” I replied and ended the call. “Let’s get out of here,” I grumbled.
“Not until Dr. Smalls says it’s okay,” Beth admonished as she climbed out of bed. “I’ll be right back.”
I turned to Leo as she ran out of the room. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he said.
I narrowed my eyes at my best friend and now lover. “You heard Teij. There was a lead on Wolford. Why aren’t you rushing out the door?”
He looked me in the eyes and frowned. “Because I almost lost you and Beth the last time I did something that stupid. I won’t lie and say my need for revenge didn’t hit me a little when I heard his name, but being here is what’s important to me.”
“Good to know,” I said and turned my head to hide my smile. “Do I have any clothes?” I asked.
“Jordan brought you some sweats, I think.” He pulled a plastic bag out of the cabinet and began lifting out garments. I waited for him to hand me the clothes; instead, he set them on the bed and untied my hospital gown. When it fell to the floor, he kicked it out of the way and quietly began to dress me.
I smiled at how careful he handled me. I would have told him I wasn’t made of glass, but his expression said he needed this. I understood. There was a moment where I thought I would never see him again. It had been agony. I couldn’t imagine what he must have gone through thinking I might die.
He slid a white t-shirt over my head and tugged the hem down over the waistband of the borrowed sweats, and I couldn’t stand it anymore. I grabbed him by the hip and pulled him in for a hug. He held me so tightly I gasped.
“I love you,” he whispered against the side of my head. “Don’t almost fucking die on me again.”
I smiled into his shoulder. “I won’t. If you promise me the same.”
We both sighed, knowing neither of us could make such a promise with our job of choice. All we could do was make the most of each day we had.
I kissed him, hesitant at first, then harder when he welcomed me, reveling in the knowledge that I could kiss him. Any time I wanted to.
I moaned when he pulled back to lick his lips.
He rubbed at the reddening skin around his mouth. “You need to shave.”
“I don’t know,” I said, stroking my chin. “I was thinking about growing it out. Do you think Beth would enjoy me having a thigh tickler?”
He sucked on his bottom lip and groaned, the sound going straight to my cock. But I wasn’t the only one affected.
“From the tent in your pants, I gather you like that idea?”
His blue eyes flashed, and he kissed me once more.
“What’s a thigh tickler?” Beth asked from the doorway, as Leo and I slowly broke apart.
“You’ll find out soon enough,” I winked, chuckling when the flush in her cheeks gave her away. “Now, let’s get out of here. We have a lot of catching up to do.”
Epilogue
Leo
Through white, sheer curtains, the full moon illuminated the room in grays and blues. Winter had come and gone, leaving spring in its wake. But the nights were still cold. And as I stood in the doorway and watched my lovers sleep, with their legs and arms intertwined, I shivered with the need to warm and be warmed. But I also couldn’t take my eyes off of the two miracles in front of me.
If someone had told me a month ago I’d be this deliriously happy, I would have laughed in his face and called him a liar. The illusion that all I had waiting for me was a lifetime of misery didn’t hold up. I’d conjured the idea out of fear that whatever people saw in me was only skin deep. Now, I had the love of two people who not only saw past my scars but made me appreciate them. Because without those ugly wrinkled bits of flesh, I probably wouldn’t be here. And I would have missed the best moments of my life.
Almost losing Hawk and Beth was a wake-up call. I couldn’t waste a minute of this life on hatred and revenge. We would make things right when the time came. Wolford couldn’t hide forever, and when we found him, we would do our jobs by defending those who needed our protection.
In the meantime, I had a new relationship I needed to nurture. The dreaded R-word had finally hunted me down. Who knew I’d be such a willing prey?
About the Author
Maggie Award winning author C.E. Black self-published her first book in 2011 and has since published several novels, novellas, and short stories in the Paranormal Romance genre. Though steamy romance, hunky heroes, and feisty heroines are C.E.’s specialty, she enjoys surprising her readers with action-filled plots and exciting twists that make for a fast-paced read.
If you enjoy heart pounding romance with a preternatural twist, stop by her website and sign up for her newsletter so you never miss an update.
Connect Online:
WWW.CEBLACK.ORG
Also by C.E. Black
Alpha Division Series
Shifted Temptations
Shifted Perceptions
A Shifted Wedding
Shifted Obsessions
Shifted Illusions
Beta Division
Shifted Undercover
Shifted Under Construction
Meet Your Alpha Series
How To Meet Your Alpha
Makeshift Mate
Alpha Mine
Jane Thornton Trilogy
Hunger
Starved
Sated
Enduring Kiss Series
Enduring Kiss
The Perfect Mate
Second Chance
Embraced
Standalone Titles
Her Panther for Hire
Behind The Mask
Cursed Desires
The Wolf Who Stole Christmas
Anthologies & Boxed Sets
Alpha Division, Box Set 1
Bite Me
Grave Hauntings
Word Search For Warriors
award winning author
C.E. BLACK
“…the scenes were hot, and there was a glimpse of the awesomeness that surrounds the Alpha Division. I hope there are future books."
- USA Today
As they fight to make wrongs right some find love in the most unlikely places, and have to learn a new way to do their jobs, or LOSE IT ALL.
Shifted Temptations
Shifted Perceptions
A Shifted Wedding
Shifted Obsessions
Shifted Illusions
Shifted Undercover
Shifted Under Construction
coming soon:
Shifted Submission
ceblack.org
