“Thanks, I really appreciate it.” He smiled and his heart rate picked up at the thought of getting her all to himself for a few days, but first he needed a plan to get her there, and he knew who could help him.
“You want me to pack a bag for my sister without her knowing and then trick her into going away with you.” Imogen stood with her arms folded and stared Garrett down.
“Yes,” he said simply. “I need this time to convince her we were meant to be together.”
She stared at him for a while, tapping her foot, then her face broke into a smile.
“Okay, I’m in. I will tell her that all three of us are going to deliver something, you can come up with that, and then at the last minute, I won’t feel well enough and you will have to go on your own. She will think it's there and back on the same day, you will need to hide the bags in the trunk. Seann will bring India’s to you before breakfast, I will have it packed tonight. Hope and Bree will distract her while I go to her room and get her clothes.”
“Thanks, Imogen, you’re the best. Pack warmer things, it’s cold up there in the higher altitude.”
“Just don’t hurt her, Garrett, she has been through so much already. Tell her about your past, she deserves to know what she is up against.”
Garrett wondered where the last comment came from, but he could hear India coming downstairs so he sat down at the table to eat. India sat next to her father and as usual, Roisin outdid herself with the meal, but Garrett barely tasted it.
He was nervous and excited at the same time and he heard Imogen tell her sister that the three of them were going to take a leisurely drive to pick up some drawings from the architect who was vacationing in the mountains. She glanced at Garrett and then shrugged and agreed and he had to temper his wolf from howling. He had told Imogen to pack for a week, an entire week of just the two of them. He would get what he wanted, or he would leave heartbroken, but one way or another, he would get a result.
Jonathan left and Garrett couldn’t help himself as he pulled India into his side and kept his arm around her. He could sense her emotions and knew she was happy to be here in his arms for the moment, but he suspected that fireworks would ensue tomorrow before the day was over. Resisting the urge to do more, he kissed the top of her head and went home to his cabin.
He had one of the bigger cabins as designated by his pack status as beta, but it was still small when compared to the Den. The master bath was brand new and the kitchen only three years old, but the rest could do with a fresh coat of paint. He pulled a bag from the closet and packed, mostly jeans, shirts and sweaters. He put his handgun in the bag and another clip of ammo and took the rifle down too and added it to the pile, a weapon was a must-have in the mountains. They could go days without seeing another person but there would be other critters around, two-legged critters. Mutts usually hideout in the mountains and he didn’t want to stumble across any of them unarmed. They were mutts for a reason. He packed everything into the trunk of the SUV, easier to hide his stuff than the truck and covered it with a blanket.
He showered and went to bed but knew he wouldn’t sleep a wink tonight, he felt like he was going on a honeymoon with a very reluctant and unwilling bride!
CHAPTER THREE
India
“Imogen, I can’t go with Garrett on my own, you know how things have been between us!” she was whispering but she knew that was no guarantee the others wouldn’t hear her,
“I’m sorry, India, but I just don’t feel very well, and Seann thinks I should stay here and get some rest.”
“I’m sorry, of course you should,” she replied, feeling guilty. “We can go tomorrow then, or the next day when you are feeling better.”
“No!” Imogen raised her voice, “Sorry, but Seann needs those drawings today, love.”
“Garrett can go on his own then.”
“That’s not very nice, India. Go and keep him company, it won’t kill you,” Imogen scolded her.
“It might though,” she mumbled and zipped up her jacket.
Garrett was waiting in the SUV and she hopped in beside him and tried to act like nothing was weird about this whole situation.
“Ready.” He smiled and her heart kicked up a notch. Why did he always have to be so damn nice to her? She didn’t deserve it.
“Sure,” she replied and leaned back and tried to relax, glad he put on the radio since a little music always helped in awkward situations.
The three-hour journey passed in a flash. They talked about her father and Garrett seemed to know just how she was feeling and wished for the hundredth time that things could have been different, wished that Garrett wasn’t still pining for his mate. She knew from talking and listening to other pack members that some people just withered away and died when they lost their mates, the pain went so deep. When she had overheard Roisin talking, she had said that he lost Kali a few years ago, she hurt for him, but she also hurt for them and what they could have been. She just couldn’t be second best to anyone.
She would never tell her sister because she loved her wholeheartedly, but India had always felt she was second place to Imogen too, even with their parents. Maybe that was something all younger siblings felt, she didn’t know but it wasn’t a feeling she liked at all.
The sun was shining and the scenery on the drive up was amazing, the snow-capped mountains the only hint that winter was almost here. The cabin was a picture postcard, she thought as they pulled up in front of it and got out to stretch her legs. She could murder a cup of coffee and hoped their host was accommodating before they had to set off for home again, some food would be welcome too, her stomach growled in agreement.
She was surprised when Garrett just pushed open the door and just walked in, didn’t these wolves ever knock!
“Shouldn’t we wait?” she asked, but he shook his head and when she followed him in, he turned the key in the lock and pocketed the key.
“Garrett, what are you doing?”
“Here’s the thing, the cabin belongs to the pack and we are not here to collect anything from the architect. You and I will be staying up here, for weeks if necessary until we get to the bottom of why you changed your mind about us, Indi.”
“You can’t keep me here, Garrett.” She tried to push past him to the door, but he held her arms and turned her to face him.
“I can and I will. To try and leave on your own would be suicide, you don’t know the area and you would freeze up here in the night. We are stuck together until you mate with me, India, or you tell me to leave you alone forever, which you can’t do because your wolf has already staked her claim to mine. I can feel it and so can you. I don’t know why you suddenly have a problem with me, but we are going to get to the bottom of it.”
She opened her mouth to speak and she winced at the raw emotion in his pale green eyes, he had strong feelings for her, why wasn’t it enough for her.
“It won’t change anything, Garrett, please believe me.”
“It has to, Indi, I’m drowning without you,” he said and she wished that he had never been mated, that she was free to go to him and curl her fingers into his dark blonde hair and pull his mouth towards her. She hadn’t kissed him in weeks, she missed it so much and she missed snuggling up to him in bed at night too, but she kept telling herself if she kept her distance her feelings for him would fade. Why wasn’t it working?
She tore her eyes from his and he unlocked the door to go get their bags.
The cabin was one large room with a bed on one wall, a small kitchen on the other and a huge fireplace in the middle. The floors, walls and ceiling were all wood and had a rustic charm, but the kitchen looked fairly new. She opened the door on the right of the fireplace into a large closet and the one on the left was a bathroom. She said a silent thank you that she didn’t have to go outside to pee in the middle of the night.
Garrett came back in and put her bag on the bed and she knew Imogen was responsible for her clothes, her sister was faking it all along. S
he had planned this with Garrett and probably Seann too. Why was she the only one who thought this was a bad idea?
The fire was already set, and Garrett lit it and stood back as the flames climbed all around the scented logs and her eyes traveled over his fitted jeans. Her hands had roamed over his body many times when they kissed but they had never gone further than that and India had a vision of them tangled up in the sheets with only the light from the fire and her breath caught in her throat. Sex with Garrett would be amazing, she knew it instinctively and her stomach clenched, he was unselfish and patient and had followed her lead every step of the way. Why did she want him so damn much, why couldn’t she have fallen for someone with less emotional baggage?
“I’m going to bring in some more firewood from the shed, it’s going to freeze tonight,” he said and she just nodded, it would be good to be back in his arms tonight tucked up in bed, even if it was only to sleep. She grimaced at how easily she had accepted her predicament and knew her wolf was to blame. She was purring like a fat cat at the thought of spending all this time alone with him.
She unpacked her clothes, put the smaller items in the bedside drawers and hung the rest in the closet. At the bottom of the bag, she found a box of condoms and threw them into the top drawer before Garrett could see them.
“WTF, Imogen!” she said aloud just as Garrett came in through the door with a huge armful of wood, but he didn’t comment.
She closed the door behind him and took off her jacket as the cabin was already warming up. He stacked the wood in a box by the fireplace and went to the refrigerator as Garrett opened up his bag to unpack.
“There is enough food here to feed us for weeks,” she said as she eyed several packets of steaks on the bottom shelf. “Are you hungry?” she called out, but he was beside her before she could finish and turned her to face him.
“Always.” He grinned and his arms snaked around her and pulled her against him. She could feel his arousal pressing against her and she was debating in her head whether to turn away from him again or lean up and taste his perfect, full lips.
He swooped down and kissed her and she gave in and enjoyed the sensations that assaulted her senses when she kissed Garrett. It had been way too long and as she explored him with her tongue, her wolf growled in contentment. Garrett was usually very gentle with her, but his lips were demanding and his hands freely roamed her body. She was never going to make it through the week without having sex with him, hell she would be lucky to make it through the rest of the day.
She reached for his shirt and tugged it over his head and took a moment to study his perfectly sculpted abs before she pulled his mouth toward her again. He lifted her and she wrapped her legs around him and her wolf was almost crowing with delight when he suddenly pulled back and set her back on her feet, then watched her face carefully as he spoke.
“I don’t want a hook up with you, India. If we have sex, I am going to bite you and claim you as mine, we need to be clear on that.”
“Do you have to bite me,”
“Yes, I want you as my mate. My wolf wants you; I can’t stop it from happening, but my wolf would never bite an indifferent mate. I know he wants to bite you desperately, so stop lying to yourself, Indi, you want me as much as I want you.”
“I am just so scared, Garrett. I am terrified of being hurt by you.”
“Why would I hurt you? I’m crazy about you, baby,” he said and pulled her against him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and drew on all of her courage.
“Please don’t make me regret this,” she unsnapped his jeans and, in a flash, he scooped her up and carried her to the bed.
His eyes never left her face as he stripped her naked and climbed onto the bed beside her
She closed her eyes as his mouth latched onto her nipple and a bolt of desire shot through her. Dear God, he had barely touched her and she was coming apart at the seams. He cupped her other breast and she groaned and reached for him, but he held her hands above her head with one hand as he kissed each breast in turn. He moved down the bed and kissed her navel before he lifted her hips and buried his head between her legs and she cried out when his tongue swept along her folds until she was a boneless eel, begging for much more.
“Please, Garrett, I need you,” she pleaded with him when she couldn’t stand it anymore and he grinned as he opened his drawer and took out a condom, quickly sheathing himself.
A growl came from deep in her belly and Garrett chuckled as he gathered her to him and she felt him pressing on her entrance
“Your wolf wants me to impregnate you, that’s why she is unhappy.”
He kissed her again and she wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, urging him forward.
“Look at me, India,” he urged her and when she opened her eyes, his were glowing brightly, and he held her hips as he thrust inside her.
She expected to feel pain or discomfort but instead, her body took on a will of its very own and she moved with him, thrust for thrust until she thought she might explode, desperate for release. Her tiny fangs punched over her bottom lip and when her orgasm hit her hard, she leaned into him and bit down on the soft skin beneath his collarbone. She tasted a little of his coppery blood on her tongue as he cried out in triumph.
She moved her hair to the side to give him access as his fangs pierced her skin and he cried out as he went over the edge with her, holding her as if he would never let her go.
She had bitten him first, Fuck! she hadn’t seen that coming but her wolf was cunning and determined to get her own way. She curled against Garrett’s body and the primal feelings that she had only felt the tip of now assaulted her whole body. He was completely hers and if any other she-wolf thought she could lay a claim on him, she would kill them.
She wrapped her legs around him and guided him inside her again, slapping away the condom he reached for and Garret grinned,
“You bit me first,” he crowed. She growled as she bit him playfully on the shoulder as they rolled around on the huge bed, biting, kissing and making love until, at last, they were sated and fell asleep just as the sun was coming up on the horizon.
CHAPTER FOUR
Garrett
He pulled the sheet up over her naked form and twisted a little of her gorgeous red hair around his finger. He still couldn’t believe she had bitten him first and he couldn’t stop smiling but he knew that in the cold light of day the problems that had been there before would resurface and he needed to deal with them head-on before she had a chance to pull back from him again.
She stirred and he slipped out of bed to add some wood to the fire and put the coffee pot on before climbing back in beside her, pulling her into his side. She was warm and compliant and before the fireworks hit, he wanted one last taste of heaven. He ran his tongue over her nipple and the peak hardened and she moaned in her sleep, he did the same with the other one and she rubbed her body against him. He pulled her on top of him as his arousal coursed through him.
She opened her eyes lazily and sat up stretching and yawning. She smiled as she threw her leg over and lowered herself onto him and he held her hips as she set the pace. Her glorious red hair tumbled around her and her eyes were like polished Jade as she rode him harder and threw back her head as she peaked. He held her in place for his seed to find its mark as he joined her.
He was dumbstruck, never in his wildest dreams did he think he could ever be this happy. He could stay in this cabin for the next hundred years and find absolute contentment as long as she was with him. He never believed he would ever find that much happiness again.
She collapsed beside him and he lay his hand flat on her belly,
“Do you want coffee, or do you want to do this again?” she smiled leaning up to take his nipple between her teeth.
He chuckled.
“I could do this all day, every day, my angel.”
“Then how about breakfast in bed, then sex, then lunch in bed, then sex, then dinner in bed and more sex.”
“I like how you think, but I better feed you first.” He got up and poured them two cups of coffee and carried them back to bed with a plate of snacks.
“This will do for now.” She grinned, sinking her teeth into a chocolate muffin as her stomach rumbled. He ate two pastries and drank his coffee, leaving her stretched out on the bed like a cat as he went to take a shower.
He couldn’t stop his mind from wandering as he replayed their marathon lovemaking session, he knew he would never find the kind of contentment he had right this minute if he lived to be a thousand years old.
He shut off the water, quickly dried and pulled on some shorts. He brushed his teeth and combed his hair before going back to the main room to see if she was ready to get up or if they were going to spend the whole day in bed.
He knew he was on borrowed time when he saw her face, she had been alone with her thoughts for too long and he could see the doubt already creeping in.
“Don’t do that, India, please,” he said softly.
“We need to talk, Garrett. I need to explain why I feel the way I do.” She smiled and went into the bathroom to shower and he concentrated on making breakfast while he waited on the hammer blow to fall. Fuck! Everything had been perfect so far; he should have known that it wouldn’t be that easy.
She was dressed in shorts and a tank top when she came out and he had grilled bacon and scrambled some eggs. She took a seat at the small table and he put a heaped plate in front of her with a mug of coffee. They had missed dinner last night, so they cleaned their plates in record time and talked about unimportant things while they ate. When she picked up her mug and made eye contact with him, he knew the moment of reckoning was here.
“Let me finish before you say anything, please?” she asked him and as if he could refuse her anything, he nodded.
“For most of my life, I have been in my sister’s shadow. I don’t know if that’s in my head or if our parents treated us differently, but I was always being told how wonderful she was, how clever, how pretty. Imogen has no idea that I feel this way and I hate that I do, but there it is.”
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