by Liv Brywood
As she stood to leave, Patrice grabbed her wrist. Shocked by the woman’s strength, Katelyn froze.
Patrice looked up at her through bloodshot blue eyes. “I’m sorry for what I did. I was looking for an excuse to divorce Tony so I could take up with Jack. You and Tony were always hanging out together. I knew it was nothing, that you were just friends. But it gave me the opportunity that I needed to get out of my marriage.”
Katelyn yanked her arm away. “What are you talking about?”
“I shouldn’t have started all those rumors about you two. I was too damn caught up in the affair with Jack. It was his idea to make it look like our divorce was Tony’s fault. You were just an easy target, so we chose you. Jack spread the rumors at the bar. He claimed he’d heard it from Devin. People believed him. God, that was the thing. It was easy, too easy.”
Katelyn’s frown increased. “Are you telling me that you fabricated a total lie and ruined my life just to get out of your marriage?”
“That’s what I’m sayin’, God forgive me.”
She stepped backward as if trying to escape the devil himself. “What kind of person are you?”
“A broken one. I paid for my sins years ago. Jack found a younger woman and left me in the dirt with nothing. By then, Tony had moved to Idaho. As soon as he left, everyone in town figured out what I’d done. I tried to find you to apologize, but you were gone too.”
“Do you have any idea what you put me through?” Katelyn yelled.
She shook with anger and it was all she could do to keep from slapping Patrice across the face.
Patrice nodded. “And for that, I’ll live out the rest of my days doing penance.”
“There’s nothing you can do to make up for this.”
Katelyn rushed out of the bar and turned the corner into a tiny alley. She bent forward as her body shook with dry heaves. All these years, she’d been living apart from Devin. She’d blamed him for the rumor that had ruined her life but he hadn’t started it. Why hadn’t she believed him back then? Why had she let it tear them apart?
She leaned against the building. Gray clouds coalesced in the sky. Another storm would hit tonight. She thought she’d be gone by then, that she’d be on a plane home. But she couldn’t leave now. Not when she knew the truth. She needed to find Devin and apologize for not believing him.
***
Devin swung the crowbar over his head and smashed another thick icicle from the eaves outside his home. The last storm left a fresh blanket of snow that he had to slog through every time he moved. Some days, he wished he lived in Florida, or California, someplace with a lot of sun. But he’d never left.
If he really wanted to be honest with himself, he’d been waiting for Katelyn to come back. After the first few years, he’d given up on ever seeing her again. When Morgana had asked him to come over, the last person he’d expected to see was Katelyn.
He paused and wiped a trickle of sweat from his brow. The day had warmed up to thirty degrees, not much, but he’d been shoveling snow and breaking icicles for over an hour. He needed to do something to get the frustration out of his body.
Katelyn, the beautiful, curvaceous witch who’d broken his heart, had stormed into his life and left just as quickly. After she’d abandoned him in the restaurant, he’d lost his appetite. He’d left shortly after and had been working around his house ever since.
He knocked the final set of icicles down then stalked toward the front of the house. It was his day off, but he could still hop on a snowmobile and head out to Hebgen Lake. He needed to do something to take his mind off Katelyn.
Part of him wanted to chase after her, to keep telling her he hadn’t been the one to start the rumor. But he didn’t know what else he could say to convince her. He’d already given her his word that he hadn’t started the rumor. He thought that’d be enough for her, but apparently not.
He stomped his feet to shake off loose snow then opened the door to the mudroom. He’d just taken off his boots when the doorbell rang. Great, now what? He certainly didn’t need any company right now.
He swung open the door then sucked in a breath. Katelyn stood on the porch. Her cheeks were pink from the cold. Although she wore the right type of clothing for winter, she shivered. He stepped back to let her in.
As she stepped past him, he inhaled the subtle scent of lemons. She always smelled so fresh, and so damn sexy. Even now he couldn’t drink lemonade without thinking about her. Hell, he couldn’t do much of anything without thinking about her.
She stopped just inside the door. “I’m sorry to barge in on you like this.”
“It’s okay,” he said cautiously.
Brown hair jutted out from under the hood on her hunter-green coat. White snow pants hugged her voluptuous hips. Even with all that clothing on, she was as sexy as ever. Maybe even more so now that she’d filled out so well. She’d been a chubby girl in high school but he loved her curves. It had given him something to hold onto as he’d thrust deep into her silky pussy.
She sat on the sofa. He took the recliner across from her.
She said, “I don’t know how you’ll ever forgive me for not believing you, but I do.”
His jaw dropped. He blurted, “Why now?”
Oh, idiot. Who cares why, she believes you.
“I was over at the tavern—”
“At eleven a.m.?”
She frowned. “Well there’s not much else to do here when you have a few hours to kill.”
She had a point.
After a brief pause she said, “I ran into Patrice.”
He tensed. “Did you talk to her?”
“No, but she talked to me. Boy did she talk.” She licked her lips as if they were parched. In his state of shock, he’d forgotten to offer her something to drink.
“Can I get you a soda? Coffee? Beer?”
After a sharp, nervous laugh she said, “Just water. Although, I might need a beer by the end of this.”
His heart thumped in his chest as he hurried to get drinks. What on earth had Patrice said that would have convinced Katelyn to finally believe him?
His fingers trembled as he filled a glass with water. He grabbed a beer out of the fridge. So what if it wasn’t even noon yet, he had a feeling he’d need it.
When he returned, she was standing in front of a wall of photos he’d taken over the years. For a while, he’d considered himself an amateur photographer. But he’d given up the camera after she’d left. It was as if she’d taken all of the good light with her. The camera sat on a shelf in the garage collecting dust.
She turned to take the drink. Her brown eyes met his and the spark they’d shared so many years ago ignited something inside him that had lay dormant for far too long. He longed to tangle his fingers in her hair and kiss her bright red lips. But he held back. He couldn’t just jump her after all this time. And, he wanted to hear what she had to say.
They returned to the couch. She sat on one side of it while he claimed the other. He’d considered returning to the recliner, but he couldn’t stand the idea of being so far away from her.
She took a sip then set the glass on the wooden coffee table. “Patrice was having an affair with Jack Tomlinson.”
“I know. We all found out after Tony divorced her and took off to Idaho.”
As she relayed the rest of her conversation with Patrice, anger flooded his veins. His inner wolf demanded to be freed, but he kept him in check.
When she finished the story, he shook his head. To think of everything they’d lost because one selfish woman had created a life-altering lie.
Katelyn looked at him expectantly. She probably wanted him to take her into her arms and forgive her. But he wouldn’t give in so easily. A part of him still hurt because she hadn’t believed him. He’d been nothing but good to her and yet she’d taken the word of strangers over his.
“I’m glad you finally know the truth,” he said.
Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. Oh, hell. He cou
ldn’t stand to see her cry.
“I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. I was so hurt and angry and everyone in town hated me. I couldn’t walk down the street without people glaring and making comments.” She sniffed.
His arms ached with the need to hold her. They’d both been so hurt by the situation. Wasn’t it time to finally let it go?
***
Katelyn fought against the torrent of tears that threatened to spill out. She’d been such a fool, throwing away the trust of the one man she’d loved her entire life. No one else had come even close to making her feel the way she did with Devin.
After arriving in New York, she’d dated for a few years before giving up. No one could match Devin’s rugged good looks and his huge heart. She knew now that he had to be hurting as much as she did.
She shifted a few inches closer. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but… could you find it in your heart to forgive me?”
She held her breath while she waited for his answer, but she didn’t have to wait long. He scooted closer to her and took her hand in his. The rough scratch of his masculine hands sent a shiver of desire through her body. Her nipples tightened and yearned for his touch.
He rubbed a thumb across her skin. “I’ve thought about you every single day for the last ten years. Every time a new pack of tourists came into town, I searched their faces, hoping to see you. I had to find a way to live without you.”
Her heart sunk. It was too late. God, she’d been so stupid to let a decade pass without talking to him. Her distrust had ruined any chance she had with him. Although, if that was the case, why was he still holding her hand?
“Maybe we could at least be friends?” It was a lame attempt to hold onto something. Any relationship with him would be better than nothing. And maybe in time, they could find a way to get back together.
He shook his head. “I can never be friends with you.”
“Why?” she gasped. She died a little inside at the thought of losing a chance to be in his life.
He leaned toward her, his hand gripped hers. “I can’t be friends with you because even after all this time, even after the way you left, I still love you.”
She blinked back tears. “I still love you too.”
He pulled her into his arms. His hands encircled her waist as he drew her tightly against him. The scent of him enveloped her in a cocoon of desire. His lips brushed against hers, tentative at first, but then growing bolder by the second.
She sighed against him. It was as if time had stood still and they were eighteen years old again. The knife of distrust that had severed their relationship had been buried. She couldn’t believe she was kissing him. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined this happening.
He broke the kiss and smiled. “It’s almost like no time has passed.”
She brushed a lock of his long, brown hair from his eyes. “I know. I feel it too.”
A mischievous grin crossed his face. “I wonder if everything still feels the same.”
She laughed and reached to undo the buttons on his shirt. A tuft of hair covered his muscled chest. Her fingers moved as if touching him for the first time. As she explored the contours of his abs, his belly clenched.
“You’re going to drive me insane if you keep going that slowly.” His husky voice excited the heat between her thighs.
She couldn’t wait to have him inside her. Making love to him would finally heal their broken past. She sensed his growing desire as she peeled the shirt over his broad shoulders.
She leaned forward to plant soft kisses along his chest. Each time she touched her lips to his flesh, he shivered. Even though she wanted to go slow, to drive him wild with need, she couldn’t hold back. She’d been holding back for so long, too long, and it was time to give him everything he wanted.
He stood and pulled her up. His hands made quick work of the zipper on her jacket. After tossing it over the back of the couch, he returned to wrap his huge hand around the back of her neck. He pulled her to him, no longer gentle. She recognized the lusty gaze of his inner wolf. Hopefully they could make it to his bed before the animal broke free.
As he walked her backward down the hall, he unbuttoned her shirt. When her shoulder banged against a doorframe, he frowned. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. The dull throbbing in her shoulder pulsed in time with the waves of desire which radiated up from her pussy. She needed to be filled, to be taken and completely possessed by him.
They stepped into the room. It was exactly the way she remembered it. A huge log-style bed sat in the center of the room. A matching dresser with a mirror reflected their half-naked bodies.
She spotted old photos of them together. Most of them were from various hikes to Fairy Falls. It was their favorite place in the park. The Grand Prismatic Spring shimmered in the background of some of the photos. She was smiling in each of them.
Her heart soared. She’d been waiting her entire life for someone to love her the way Devin had, and now she could finally enjoy the real thing.
She turned to Devin. “You kept all the photos.”
“A way to torture myself. But I couldn’t put them away. I couldn’t give up and hide you away in a box.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her face against his chest. “I’m so sorry. I never should have left you.”
He caressed her hair. “You’re here now, and that’s all that matters.”
Another wave of tears threatened to break free. But these were different, they were tears of happiness.
He smiled and brushed a renegade tear from her cheek. “Shh…”
He slid her shirt off of her shoulders and sucked in a breath. “You’re so beautiful. Even more beautiful than I remembered.”
She blushed. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
He laughed. “Come here.”
As he held her in his arms, he brushed a damp trail of kisses from her lips to her throat. Her skin trembled in his wake. Her untouched flesh tingled in anticipation.
He unhooked her bra. It fell to the floor. As he skimmed the curve of her breasts with his fingers, she trembled. This had to be the most erotic moment of her life. No one had ever looked at her with such hungry eyes.
He knelt before her and kissed a path across her quivering belly to the top of her snow pants. He unzipped them and pushed them past her ample hips. She tensed. She’d packed on a few pounds since the last time he’d seen her.
He groaned. “You’re even sexier than I remembered. I can’t believe you’re still single with such killer curves.”
She smiled and laced her fingers into his hair. “In New York, pencil thin is considered fat. I may as well be a whale there.”
“Well, they’re idiots. Their loss,” he murmured against her thigh.
She stepped out of the pants and stood before him wearing nothing but a pair of panties. Not even sexy panties. She hadn’t anticipated being naked in front of anyone, so she’d worn her most comfortable cotton pair.
He didn’t seem to mind. His fingers curled around the waistband. As he dragged them down, his lips inched closer to the thatch of hair above her pussy. Even though it was below freezing outside, the windows began to fog up.
With her panties around her ankles, and his lips so close to her pussy, she lost her balance. She stepped back and tripped over her pants before landing on the bed.
“I see you’re still as graceful as ever,” he grinned.
“I’m a butterfly.”
He crawled onto the bed and lay between her legs. Hot breath curled against her sex. She squirmed as his hands captured her hips. Oh God, he wasn’t going to… Oh, yes!
After nibbling the insides of her thighs, he licked the length of her pussy from the top to the bottom. His wickedly sexy tongue poked and prodded, exploring every inch of her trembling lips.
She tried to relax but couldn’t. It had been so long, too long. She could count on one hand how many times she’d had sex in the last ten years. It was patheti
c, but she hadn’t been interested in any other men. None of them had awakened the feminine desire she’d kept locked up for so long.
As his tongue touched the hard nub of her clit, she moaned. A spiral of desire coiled in her stomach. She clutched the sheets and rolled her head to one side. Her eyes went wide as she caught their reflection in the mirror. Something about watching him lick her delicate folds threw her over the edge. She wasn’t patient anymore. She wanted him now.
She leaned up and grabbed his arms. “Come here. I need you.”
He shook his head which forced his tongue across her swollen lips. She whimpered. “I need you inside me.”
“Not done yet,” he whispered.
She arched her back in an attempt to escape his glorious tongue. But it was no use. His languorous kisses inflamed the inferno in her belly. White hot ribbons of energy swirled out from her core to fill the room with magenta light.
His mouth closed over her clit. The relentless sucking forced her over the edge. She screamed as rolling waves of orgasmic bliss undulated through her pulsing pussy. She thrashed and cried out with each new blast of erotic energy. But his tongue didn’t stop.
He kissed and licked his way up her body before plunging his rigid cock into her quivering sex. She had no idea how or when he’d taken off his pants. She wasn’t prepared for the sudden invasion which set off another string of explosions. By the time he pulled back and thrust into her again, she was slick with juices.
His cock pushed into her, spreading her, driving her to new heights of ecstasy. The rise and fall of his buttocks reflected in the mirror. She dug her fingers into his ass and pulled him closer. She wanted all of him, every last inch. She’d die if he didn’t fill her completely. But he did, oh Goddess, did he.
Slick with sweat, he worked his cock in deep. His hips rolled and thrust in perfect rhythm until she couldn’t see through the lust-filled haze that surrounded them. His lips fell to her neck, her throat, and her breasts. He devoured her with ardent kisses.
A sea of sensation threatened to drown her. She couldn’t catch her breath. Her heart pounded in her chest. Overwhelmed by him, she summoned all of her strength and rolled him onto his back.
