by Scarlett Ray
She had to break our kiss to pant for her breath, but she made up for it by burying her face against my neck and whispering shamelessly, “Mm, God, Noah, that’s—ahh—so good! Yes, yes, yes, honey, give it to me—just like that!”
Lord have mercy. Where’d she learn how to talk like that? It didn’t matter; every word had me eating out of the palm of her hand. Without realizing what I was doing, just trying to make sure I was giving her whatever she needed, I rolled us over so Dani was on her back and I could lift her hips up to meet mine. She took it in stride, arching toward me and tossing her head back. I could hardly get a word out to tell her how incredible she was, too caught up in her body against mine and her voice in my ear.
“Dani, I’m… Fuck. I’m close,” I managed, making sure I was giving it to her hard and deep like she liked, and she nodded quickly.
“Me too,” she breathed. “Just don’t…don’t stop!”
“Yes, ma’am,” I leaned down to cover her throat with hot, open-mouthed kisses, keeping up my rhythm and building up heat for both of us until I couldn’t take any more and came inside her with a deep growl. My teeth clamped onto her shoulder again, but like she asked, I didn’t stop. I fucked her through my own orgasm until she got hers too and let out a whine of overwhelmed pleasure. Her pussy squeezed and tightened around me, forcing another low groan past my lips. “Jesus, Dani. You’re… That was…”
“Mm-hm,” she chuckled airily, finally relaxing against the bed and letting me pull out to lie next to her. It was obvious how distracted she was as she moved closer and rubbed her head into my shoulder, “Ah. Damn it. I wanted to talk about this. Tonight. You know how to tire a girl out, cowboy.”
“Tell you what,” I said with a smile just as exhausted as hers, “I’ll stay over, and we can talk about it in the morning.”
“Deal,” she agreed. For a few minutes longer, her fingertips traced along my shoulder and chest, but she passed out pretty soon after. And my smile slipped. She said she wanted to talk about this. Of course, I knew she would. But what I had to say wasn’t going to satisfy her, so I really wasn’t looking forward to the conversation.
Still, my beast was content that we were so close to her, that she was sleeping happily in my arms. I tried to be content with it as well, while I could.
Chapter Five: Dani
It had been a long time since I’d woken up with someone else in my bed, but I couldn’t recall it ever making me feel more comfortable. But when I realized Noah was the one lying next to me, his arm draped around my waist, I couldn’t help wanting to stay in bed a while longer. Granted, this was only the second time we’d ever been together, and it was still going to take some adjusting, having him back and all, but I knew without a doubt that I liked it. Being around him still felt the same as before, comforting and familiar, and being close to him felt…right in a way I couldn’t explain. A way I’d never felt with anyone else. I wanted to hang onto that feeling.
“Hey, you,” I turned to face him properly and nudged him a little to wake him. He was a heavier sleeper than I expected, but he did eventually blink his eyes open to look at me. And when he saw me, he smiled big enough to fill my chest with an unexpected kind of warmth.
“Morning,” he said, sitting up to prop his head in his hand. His fingers slid up the back of my neck to massage it slowly; every second he spent there made me want this more. “What time is it? Guess we should be getting up?”
“Hang on, mister,” I pushed his hand away so I could focus on talking to him. “You’re not getting out of it this time. We need to talk about this.” His smile quickly faded. Not really encouraging.
“Yeah, I guess we do. So…what do you want to talk about?”
“This?” I gestured to the two of us, naked in my bed. “Unless it’s something you were planning on doing with all your friends once you got back.”
Noah let out something between a scoff and a snort, “No, it’s not like that.”
“I figured. So what is it like?” I rolled over onto my stomach and rested my head on my arms. “You’re home for good now. This doesn’t have to be some kind of awkward one-off. That’s not really the sort of thing I like to do anyway. So is there actually something here or what?”
Still, he was frowning. “Dani, listen,” he started quietly. “I… Yes, there’s something here. But I can’t go through with it.” There was guilt and pain written all over his face, but I tried to struggle past my own sinking heart.
“Why not?” I asked. “You were fine ‘going through with it’ last night. We had dinner because you wanted to. What changed?”
“Nothing. Last night was a mistake,” he must have seen the hurt on my face, because he quickly backpedaled. “I’m not saying I didn’t want it or I regret doing it. But I shouldn’t have, because I can’t do this for real. I can’t be…in a relationship with you.”
“You still aren’t telling me why,” I said through gritted teeth. Getting angry was a lot easier than acknowledging how cold I suddenly felt. Having him there made me feel so warm at first, but hearing all this was quickly erasing that feeling.
“It’s complicated.”
If there was a worse possible answer, I couldn’t think of it, “That’s it? That’s the best you’ve got? You’re gonna sit there and tell me there’s something between us but you ‘can’t,’ and then not even explain why?” Yes, getting angry was a lot easier.
“Dani, I’m sorry. I know this isn’t fair to you. It’s not that I don’t want to be with you—” he tried to touch my shoulder, but I jerked away and got out of bed.
“I understand what you want, Noah. Now you got it, so you can leave,” I snapped. I’m an idiot. I’m a goddamn fool. Why I assumed this meant something other than just sex, I didn’t know. Sure, we were friends once. The fact that we slept together didn’t change that. It didn’t make us anything more than friends. It didn’t mean he felt anything more than that for me. When he said I can’t, what he meant was you’ve got the wrong idea.
“Hey. It’s not like that,” he insisted, climbing out of the bed after me, but I took a step back before he could touch me.
“Will you stop? You don’t have to spare my feelings. I get it. I thought this was something that it’s not. Just leave it at that and go on home before my son wakes up and gets the wrong idea,” I went into the bathroom and locked the door behind me so he couldn’t follow.
“Dani! Would you just listen to me? I’m trying to—”
I turned on the shower to drown out his voice, wishing he would just leave me alone with my embarrassment. And that was exactly what I felt: embarrassed. Humiliated. Because this was my fault as much as his. I was the one who insisted on him staying the night. I was the one thinking that maybe he’d be interested in taking this further. And I was the one who was dead fucking wrong about all of it.
I got into the shower and tried to go about my usual routine, but it was hard to get my mind off Noah. I was supposed to tell him about Nicky. I was supposed to give him the opportunity to be in his son’s life. But if he wasn’t interested in being with me, that was that, wasn’t it? Why should I assume he wanted to be attached to me by a child? And the absolute last thing I wanted was for him to think I was only saying Nicky was his so he would stay with me. I wasn’t about to beg—or let him think I was begging. No. If I was going to tell him, it would have to be after all this had blown over. And even then, I wasn’t sure I wanted to.
When I got out of the shower, Noah was gone and so was his truck. Good. At least he wasn’t still trying to talk to me about this. Just drop it and move on.
Nicky noticed my bad mood on the drive to the daycare. He asked what was wrong, and I tried for his sake to act like I was fine, like I wasn’t still stewing and aching over my own mistakes. He didn’t need to be worrying about his grown-ass mother. Unfortunately, there was still one other person who didn’t know just how badly my dinner with Noah had turned out.
“Sooo?” Maggie called, poking her he
ad into my office door when I’d barely even sat down at my desk. She had a knowing smile stretched across her mouth. “Oh, you look tired, sugar. Up late chatting with Noah?”
“Something like that,” I muttered.
“And?” she insisted. “How did he take the news about Nicky? You two picking out curtains yet?”
“It’s not happening, Maggie,” I snapped, a little sharper than necessary. “Me and Noah. We aren’t good for each other. I know you always figured we would be, but it’s just—it won’t work. He’s not interested.” Every time I had to admit again, out loud or just in my head, it stung more.
“He told you that?” she asked with a frown. “I…well, I just don’t see how that can be true. He’s always cared about you, Dani. Maybe you two just need to talk about—”
“Please,” I took a slow, deep breath and shook my head, unable to look at her. “Just trust me. I mean, I…I thought the same thing. But we talked. And I was wrong. We were both wrong. The easiest thing is just to stop thinking about it now. Okay?”
The room was silent for a few seconds. Mercifully, Maggie didn’t keep talking. She came over to the desk and wrapped her arms around my shoulders, then planted a kiss on my hair. And she left without bringing it up again. As much as I wanted to, I didn’t think that would help me forget it any time soon.
Chapter Six: Noah
Nearly a week after our last disastrous conversation, Dani still wouldn’t speak to me. She wouldn’t even look at me. Even when I went by the Visitor Center, supposedly to say hi to Maggie, Dani acted like I wasn’t even there. Sure, some part of me knew this was for the best. It was what my pack would’ve wanted. And the fact that she apparently hated me now would hypothetically make it easier for me to find my actual mate, some nice shifter girl, maybe from a town nearby.
But nothing about the situation felt right to me. My wolf was miserable, knowing Dani should be in our reach again after so long apart but wanted nothing to do with us, and I wasn’t faring much better. I spent every day on my patrols trying to think of some way around my pack’s rules.
Our leaders, my uncle Jared and aunt Mel, had always been adamant about the whole secret thing above all. They had plenty of stories about other relatives of ours who had made the mistake of admitting to what they were and then suffered the consequences. The way they saw it, humans couldn’t be trusted. Not to that point, anyway. They also forbid us from mating with humans because we supposedly needed to be maintaining our numbers; even though the shifter gene was dominant, there was a possibility that half-human kids would be born without it. Another risk they didn’t want to take.
For years, I’d been quietly trying to think of some way to convince the pack’s leaders to let me pursue Dani. I couldn’t just argue with them outright. Any sign of rebelling against the alphas was a punishable offense. If I had told them their rules were stupid and I was going to be with Dani no matter what they said, I probably would’ve been run out of town—for good this time—by my own family. I was beginning to wonder if they’d change their minds if it turned out Nicky actually was mine. But that seemed like a long shot.
On another uneventful patrol, my brooding was interrupted by the harsh scent of diesel fumes. Who the hell would be driving a diesel around in a nature preserve of all places? My answer quickly showed up in the form of a white BMW crossover rumbling down the gravel trail. It wasn’t the sort of truck you usually saw around Palo Verde, the kind built for work, but a heavy, gas-guzzling luxury car. I took a step back away from the trail and tipped my hat up to look at it properly as it rolled to a stop. Obviously a tourist, meaning I probably shouldn’t tell them off for bringing their clunky ride down a trail meant for hikers and horses.
When the driver got out, he gave me a friendly smile. He was dressed way too warmly for Arizona in July, and his sharp suit made it obvious he didn’t really belong in our town. What he was doing on the preserve in the first place, I couldn’t imagine.
“Good morning,” he said as he came over to meet me. “I hate to bother you, but would you mind pointing me toward the Visitor Center?”
“Did you miss it on your way into the preserve?” I asked. The building might’ve been small, but there were still clearly-marked signs. The guy let out a flat laugh and ran a hand through his blond hair.
“I guess so. I’ve been looking for a while now, so I’ve gotten sort of turned around. Can you help me out?” he asked again. “I’m late for a meeting with Ms. Vasquez.” Meaning he was out here wasting Dani’s time as well as everyone else’s. Asshole. I was about to answer when the wind finally carried off his car’s oppressive scent and I caught his instead. When I did, I had to bite back a reflexive growl.
This guy was a shifter. Not one of my pack, obviously, not any southwest pack I knew of. That made him an enemy. His eyes narrowed slightly as if he was noticing the same about me, and my wolf’s hackles raised, ready for a fight. Of course, I knew I couldn’t attack him without provocation, but I didn’t put it past him to try something.
“I didn’t catch your name,” I said, rather than answering his question.
“Oh, right. I forget that’s something people expect in the South,” he said with another dry laugh. Based on that, his looks, and his accent, it seemed like a safe bet he was from a northern pack. Maybe northeast. “Will Hawthorne. And you are…?”
“Noah Wright. I’m a friend of Ms. Vasquez,” I answered, inwardly grudging every syllable. We didn’t bother shaking hands; you couldn’t have paid me to touch him.
“Right. Meaning you can tell me where to find her?” he prompted, obviously not interested in spending any more time on me. As eager as I was to get rid of him, all my instincts were saying to keep him as far from Dani as possible. He must have sensed my reluctance. He continued, “She is expecting me, after all.” Damn it. She wouldn’t know why he was dangerous, of course, and it wasn’t like I could tell her. If she had some kind of business with him, I could at least be there to make sure it was on the up and up.
“Sure,” I didn’t bother returning his smile as I headed up the trail. “Follow me.” Torn between delaying this meeting as long as possible and not wanting to piss Dani off any more than I already had, I led him back to the Visitor Center in good time and even waited to escort him inside. He observed the place without much interest as he followed along behind me all the way to Dani’s office.
“Dani?” I called. The door was open, so I gave it a quick knock. When she didn’t look up from her computer, I cleared my throat and tried again. “Someone here to see you. Said you were expecting him.” Hearing that, she looked up with a frown. Her eyes caught on me briefly before transferring over to her visitor—who waltzed past me into her office without being invited.
“Good morning, Ms. Vasquez,” he said with a smile, a much more sincere one than he’d given me. “My name is Will Hawthorne. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
“Call me Dani,” she said reservedly as she accepted his handshake. “I don’t remember planning this meeting.”
“Well, I may have exaggerated that,” he laughed.
I couldn’t hide my snarl but somehow kept the growl out of my voice, “You—”
“But I don’t need a lot of your time,” he continued speaking to Dani, ignoring me. “Just a few minutes and I’ll be out of your hair. I’m looking into donating to the preserve, and I was hoping you could tell me a little more about it to help me decide.” So some rich corporate type. Not Dani’s favorite kind of person.
“Maybe set up an actual meeting, then,” she said shortly. “I’m busy at the moment.”
“I understand completely,” he replied, his gaze roaming all over her face, trying to get a read on her. Obviously, her attitude wasn’t doing much to discourage him outright, and it was getting more and more tempting to drag him out of her office myself. “I’ll be in town for the next week or so. Maybe we could discuss this over dinner?”
A hundred red flags went up in my mind all at onc
e, and again I had to fight down a growl. What the hell was this bastard trying to do? What he one of those people trying to buy the preserve from her? For a second, Dani looked just as confused and irritated by the offer as I felt.
But then her eyes shifted over to me. She must have seen the outrage written all over my face, because she turned back to Will with a smile, “That sounds nice, actually.”
Chapter Seven: Dani
Will’s smile brightened when I accepted his invitation, “Great. Are you free tonight?”
“Sure,” I scribbled my cell number down on a sticky note and handed it to him. “Let me know what you have in mind.”
“Will do. Thank you for your time,” Will replied with a wave. He left the room right past Noah’s stunned form, and I had to admit it was a little satisfying to see him caught so off-guard.
“Did you need something else?” I asked coolly, turning my attention back to the work I was pretending to do on my computer. Anything to not look at him.
“Dani. Are you serious about going out with that guy?” he asked, coming over to my desk. “You don’t even know him! What if he’s up to something?”
“Up to something like what? Did he look like a criminal to you?” In fact, he looked a lot more polished than most people in Palo Verde. That made me a little wary, but only because he looked like the kind of rich snob that didn’t really care about people like us. He didn’t look dangerous, though.
“That doesn’t matter. He could still try something. He’s…” Noah bit back whatever insult he was about to spit, looking conflicted. I could guess why he was actually upset.
“You’re being paranoid. Besides, whether I go out with him or not is my business.” I knew I was being a little harsher than necessary, but I was also still hurt over what had passed between us. That made it harder to be civil. “I have work to do, so could you close the door?” Noah frowned hard but didn’t argue with me, pulling the door shut and leaving me alone.
