“Same-old, same-old. Tell me what happened.”
I sighed. “I have to break up with Adam.”
“Yesssss!” She sat up and fist-pumped the air, then leaped to her feet. “That is what I have been telling you!” Her words were punctuated by her index finger as it jabbed the air. She let out a cheer, then seemed to remember herself. Her face dropped into a mock pout that would have fooled no one. “I mean, oh? What’s wrong, dear? Whyever do you think that?”
I hid a grin. “You’re an ass.”
“I’m quite aware of that fact. But we’re discussing you. Tell me why you’ve finally come to your senses.”
“The firefighter. Mac. I almost kissed him.” I held up my thumb and forefinger. “I came this close. Or he almost kissed me. But I almost let him. I wanted him to. Twice.” I sucked in a breath. “Whether anything comes of this, whatever it is between me and Mac, the fact remains I have more feelings for Mac, a guy I’ve known for all of a couple of days, than Adam, whom I’ve been dating for almost a year. Adam Moro is not my future. Mac… Mac… Oh, shit, I don’t even know his last name.”
Ingrid remained silent for a few seconds, leaving me to worry about how she was going to respond.
“That is his last name. His full name is Hamish MacGregor. It’s Scottish, but he’s gone by Mac since he was a child.”
My jaw dropped.
“What? Don’t look at me like that. Did you think I wouldn’t investigate the man? I got the whole scoop, and you could do way worse. In fact, you are doing way worse—with Adam. He’s always been beneath you, and marrying a man because you don’t want to enter your golden years without a partner is rubbish.”
“There’s more to it than that, Ingrid. I was worried about you too. You work for them. I met him through you.”
She scoffed. “You think they’re going to fire me because you’re dumping his whiny, spoiled, privileged arse?”
“Yes, I do. He’s incredibly petty.”
“Finally, you admit it!” She slapped my arm and laughed. “And I thought marrying because you’re getting older was a poor reason. Marrying so your friend doesn’t lose her job is so much worse. Have more faith in me, Melody.”
She was right. It was a stupid reason. If they tried to fire Ingrid for such a stupid reason, I would help her fight it. I sat up and grabbed my phone. “I’m going to do it.”
“What?”
I looked at her and held up my phone waving it in the air. “I’m going to break it off. If you’re sure you’re prepared to handle the fallout. If they fire you, I’ll help. I’ll hire a lawyer. We’ll sue.”
She hid a grin behind her hand and shook her head. “No, no. I won’t be suing if they fire me. I mean, I’ve been nicking office supplies for the last three months and I’m pretty sure they know it. I’ve practically got my own Office Max. I’m fairly certain the only reason I haven’t been fired yet is because of you.”
I shook my head. “That’s criminal behavior, you know that?”
“I need an intervention. I can’t help myself. I hate them and I love office supplies! You know what? It doesn’t matter. Call your boyfriend and make him your ex-boyfriend. Pleeease! I can’t wait to hear this. That tallywacker deserves it.”
“Should we talk about how you’re going to handle any retaliation they might throw at you?”
“Not at the moment, no.”
“Maybe I should wait and do this face to face.”
“Stop procrastinating!”
“Right.” I grabbed my phone again and blew out a shaky breath. “Okay. Here goes nothing.”
The first call went to voicemail. Not wanting to be a complete asshole and break up in a recorded voicemail message, I hung up and called him right back. When he finally answered, he sounded pissed. “Mel? It’s fucking late. What is it?”
I hadn’t thought through what I wanted to say, exactly. How I wanted to say it. I panicked at hearing his voice and just stared at Ingrid with wide eyes. What was I supposed to say?
“Mel?”
My throat constricted like it would rather close than allow words to slip through. I made a distressed face and waved my arm around while Ingrid’s face contorted with a stern, scolding look and she used corresponding hand gestures. She was right. I had to do it. Balls to the wall, Mel.
“She must’ve butt-dialed me.”
Huh? Okay, that was unexpected. Ingrid’s appalled expression spoke doubly for me—who the hell was he talking to?
“Adam?”
My ears listened so hard, I swear I heard the faint rustle of his silk sheets. “Mel, honey. Hey, what’s up?”
“Who’s with you?” A sense of frightening calm flowed through me.
“What? No one. What’s going on, baby?”
“Who were you talking to?”
Ingrid balled up her fist and shook it at my phone.
I could hear the guilty defiance in Adam’s voice. I knew I should feel a sense of outrage, maybe even yell and scream a little, but it would have been such a farce, and I didn’t even want to waste the energy. The truth was, I didn’t care whom Adam was with. No, that wasn’t the truth either. The real truth was I felt relieved. Like the weight of the world had lifted from my shoulders. “You’re not alone.”
He stuttered. “I, uh, there’s no one here. It was the TV.”
“Adam, it’s time we ended this relationship. I think we both know it’s not working.” It felt so good to say the words aloud. “This isn’t what either of us wants. And not even because it’s three in the morning, I recognize that voice, and I’m pretty sure you’re cheating on me. It’s because you and I clearly aren’t happy together.”
“What the fuck?”
“It’s over.” I suddenly felt so light, so free, that a giggle escaped my lips. “You and I are over, and it feels so good to say that. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to laugh, but this was never right. You know that.”
“Oh hell. What the fuck are you talking about? I’ve spent a year of my life trying to please you. Now you’re just gonna walk out because you’re having some fucking midlife crisis.”
When the sound of a woman’s voice in the background became clear, I just grinned. “Call it what you want. I don’t care.” Ingrid and I exchanged glances. “I have plenty of time left to find my path, but I don’t want to waste another second of the time I do have on you. I hope the woman warming your bed right now makes you happy, Adam. Good luck!”
As soon as I hung up, Ingrid all but exploded. “I cannot believe he dared to imply you’re middle-aged. That pig! Oh, I am going to shove my heel so far up his bum when I see him. And he’s cheating on you? But still thinks you should move in and play the next Mrs. Moro? That dirty, rotten bastard! I told you he was a puss-dripping knob, didn’t I?”
I was already up and moving around the room, giggling as I stripped out of my leggings and shirt. “I don’t even care. None of that matters. I feel fantastic—like a new woman.”
She watched as I changed into cute underwear and a sundress. “You’re not angry? Also, what are you doing?”
“I’m not angry. I feel great! I feel like I just lost that last fifteen pounds I’ve been working on for the past ten years. I’m free.” I shoved my feet into my flip-flops and stopped in front of the mirror to see if my hair and makeup were still okay. “You were right. I should’ve washed my hands of that man long ago.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to try to find Mac. I know it’s crazy, but dumping Adam just gave me a new outlook and a new motto—carpe diem. I’m not waiting another second for my life to begin. There’s something there between Mac and me and I want to know what it is.”
She laughed and clapped her hands together. “Yeah! There’s my girl. Go out there and get your world rocked.”
I stood at the bathroom mirror brushing my teeth and talking around the toothpaste foam. “I love you. I’m sorry for SOS-ing you and then ditching you.”
“Forget that. Go shag
your firefighter.”
I spit, rinsed my mouth, ran a quick brush through my hair, then grabbed my purse. “This is going to sound crazy and I’m sorry for dropping this bomb and running, but I think this island is…different.”
“Different how?”
“Magical?”
Ingrid’s brows rose almost to her hairline. “What?”
“Just hear me out. I saw something the other night…” I snickered. “I saw a polar bear walk out of the water. Then the bear…it turned into a man.” I bit my lip and shook my head. “I know it sounds insane, like I’ve lost my mind, but I really saw it. I think some bizarre things are going on here on Sunkissed Key.”
“I knew it! Well, I didn’t know, exactly, but I prayed and prayed for it to be real and it’s finally happened.”
I just stared incredulously at her. This was not the response I expected, but at least she wasn’t talking about having me committed.
“Don’t look at me like that. I read paranormal romance all the time and everyone knows that all fiction is based at least partly on fact. Is it such a stretch to believe that shifters exist? No, it isn’t.”
“It isn’t?”
“Of course not. You saw one yourself. So there really are people who can transform from human form to animal form.”
Ingrid was really taking this much better than I expected.
“My bestie snagged herself a shifter.” She winked. “Now, go get your groove back.”
15
Mac
When the knock sounded at the door, I winced. I was having a hell of a time with Ame. She was a fussy little hellion tonight. She’d started screaming when Mel handed her back to me at Latte Love and hadn’t stopped since.
I made her a bottle, checked her diaper, rocked her, even tried singing to her, but nothing seemed to soothe her. Her cries alternated from loud, angry howls to tired, whiny howls.
When I opened the door, Mel’s scent washed over me, almost bringing me to my knees.
“Mel?” Although she was the person at the forefront of my mind, she was the last person I expected to see at my front door. She’d changed into a sundress, leaving her long legs bare. A compliment was on the tip of my tongue, but then I noticed something miraculous.
The second I’d opened the door and Ame had seen Mel standing there, her fussing ceased. That abruptly.
Ame was flashing Mel a watery three-toothed grin, and reaching for her so hard she almost tumbled out of my grasp. “Meewl.”
Mel gasped. “She said my name!”
Mel snatched Ame out of my arms and wrapped her in a hug. Before I knew it, Ame was being held and cuddled and kissed and showered with attention by Mel.
What just happened?
We’d all been waiting to hear Ame’s first word—mama, dada, nana. Hell, I’d been pushing for Uncle Mac, but Ame hadn’t said an intelligible word yet. It certainly did sound as though she’d just said Mel.
In reality, it was probably just Ame’s typical gibberish that coincidentally sounded like Mel, but I wasn’t about to say so and burst Mel’s bubble.
And, damn, it was really good to see her at my door. Unexpected, but damn good.
Ame was now snuggling into Mel, resting her head on Mel’s chest. It was unusual the way she took to Mel.
“I apologize if I’m interrupting.”
“Not at all. I’m glad you’re here. This is the first time she’s quieted down since we saw you in Latte Love. But how did you—”
“Ben. I called Ben, who was with Hailey. I had him ask Hailey for your address and whether she thought it was weird to stop by.”
“What did Hailey say?”
“She said she only thought it was weird that I wanted to, but she gave me your address. Obviously.”
Ame let out a contented sigh, and her little lids drooped heavily as she sagged against Mel. I suddenly realized we were still standing in the open front doorway.
“Come in! Please, come in.” I stepped aside and extended my arm, gesturing for her to enter.
She took a few steps and turned to face me.
I grinned. “Well, I’ll be damned. You must have magical powers.” I nodded at Ame, who was already sound asleep. “Let me put her down in her crib. I’ll be right back.”
I’d told myself I needed to avoid her. I’d lectured, scolded, and begged my wolf to shut the fuck up. There was no way a mate fit into my life right now, especially not a human mate, and besides, she had a boyfriend. But seeing her here, at my place, she was like a breath of fresh air. I was struck with the overwhelming sense that she belonged here, and that sense overruled every carefully thought-out argument I’d made since she left Latte Love.
When I returned to the living room, the first thing I noticed was her elevated heart rate. She was looking at the framed pictures on my mantle. They were all pictures of Ame. I wanted to say something comforting, but as I searched for the words, she turned nervously.
“I really hope I’m not making a complete fool of myself. This is the boldest thing I’ve ever done, and I feel a little nauseated putting myself out here like this, but… I came to ask… There’s something between us, isn’t there? Tell me I’m not imagining it.” She shifted from foot to foot. “I broke up with my boyfriend tonight. I should’ve done it months ago, but I held on. When I saw you earlier, I realized there’s something between us. I think. You haven’t said anything, though, so maybe it is my imagination. I don’t know. Maybe I’ve lost my mind.”
She took a step back. “Oh god, this is mortifying. And I thought the tree incident was bad. I’m so sorry for bothering you.”
She turned to leave, but I reached out and grabbed her arm. Tugging her back around and pulling her into my chest. When her body met mine with a soft exhale, I had an overwhelming urge to claim her. To brush her hair back, expose the soft, silky skin of her throat, and claim her with a mark to show the world that this woman was mine—that she and I had an unbreakable bond. That I was the only man lucky enough to spend the rest of his days touching, kissing, and pleasuring the incredible woman in my arms.
With a finger, I tilted her chin up and kissed her, softly at first. As her lips parted, I moaned, wanting to drown in her taste, to lick and kiss every inch of her.
I drew her tighter against my erection, proving just how much I wanted her.
Kissing Mel was dizzying. She gasped and clung to the back of my shirt, a little whimper breaking free from her lips. She raked her fingers through my hair and kissed me with the fervent passion, the same hunger with which I devoured her.
When I picked her up in my arms, her legs wrapped around my waist. The heady aroma of her arousal teased and tantalized me. The heat between her thighs pressed against my cock. Damn, that alone was nearly enough to make me lose control.
Gritting my teeth, I carried her to my bedroom and pushed the door shut with my foot. “We have to be quiet. Ame’s sleeping.”
She nodded and stroked her hand down over my face and then behind my head to cup the back of my neck. “You’re the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.”
I growled. “I’m not beautiful.”
She nodded and bit her lip. “You certainly are.”
Tingles of electricity tore through me as I trained my searing gaze on my mate. I needed to be inside her. I wondered if it was possible to ever get enough of her.
Laying her gently on the bed, I slowly undressed her, kissing, tasting, and memorizing every inch of her.
“I need to feel you inside me, Mac. I feel like I won’t be able to take another breath if I don’t have you soon.”
My cock ached to be inside her.
Making quick work of my clothes, I poised above her.
Her eyes were heavy lidded, her lips already red and swollen from my kisses.
I growled. “Are you sure?”
Her eyes flicked up from my belt and she nodded. “I want you in me.”
I buried myself to the hilt. My jaw clenched. I fought for control as the mos
t pleasurable sensation rolled through me. My mate.
Mel was on fire beneath me. Her hips never stopped moving, her core never stopped squeezing me. Her hands were everywhere. She cupped my ass, raked her nails down my back, ran her finger through my hair.
The rest was a blur of passion and pleasure. She cried out, moaned, panted, even begged. Our pace went from tender and slow to hard and fast, until we both cried out, shattered by the intensity of our mutual orgasms.
Gasping for breath, I collapsed next to her, with my face buried in the crook of her neck, at the very spot I’d almost marked her. She clung to me, shivers still snaking through her body.
Time passed, I had no clue how long. Ame was still quiet. I was entranced by Mel, lost to the rest of the world. There was never going to be a world in which I didn’t crave Mel with every single breath in my body. I realized that then. I was damned. Whatever intentions of self-preservation I had were fucked. But with Mel’s soft body curled next to mine, I couldn’t find it in myself to be upset about that.
16
Mel
I’d dozed off for a second, but we were both awake at the same time again, caressing each other in his bed. Mac’s hands on my thighs imbued a confidence I hadn’t felt since I was twenty. If I’d been worried about the size of them, the way Mac was clearly obsessed with not only my thighs but every part of my body, cured me. It was impossible to be self-conscious of anything about myself the way he looked at me and covered every soft curve, every rounded edge, in kisses and heated touches.
“Was I too rough with you?” He was lying with his head in my lap while I sat with my back against his headboard. He traced red marks he’d left on my hips. I couldn’t recall if they were from the first time, or one of the times after. “I’m sorry.”
I ran my fingers through his short hair. “You were perfect with me. I’m not a petite woman. You can be rough.”
He looked up at me and quirked an eyebrow. “You are petite compared to me.”
Craved Mate: Cybermates Page 7
