Danny leaned in and tenderly kissed the bump in her nose, surprising her and causing her eyes to water unexpectedly. She stared at him, mouth open, while trying to hold back the tears. If she started, she’d have a hard time stopping. A single tear spilled over and slid down her cheek, leaving a wet trail in its wake. Danny swiped it away with his thumb, smoothing the wetness into her skin with soft strokes.
No one else had held her while she cried. She’d never let them. Whenever the breakdowns had happened in the past, she’d rush to the shower, hiding her sobs beneath the pounding water. But she didn’t want to hide her emotions from Danny any longer. She didn’t want to hide any piece of herself.
Her breath hitched before she could calm it. She covered her mouth in horror, until Danny wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in tight, cradling her head in his hand. Giving her permission to let go. To lean on him and take comfort. So she did. She fisted her hands in his shirt as the tears poured from her eyes and the sobs tore through her. She clung to him, her only lifeline in an ocean of grief. Counting on him to keep her afloat, and see her through the storm.
His warmth surrounded her. Cocooned her in a protective shell, one filled with his scent. Male, strength, and safety all wrapped into one. It filled her. Comforted her. Grounded her here and now in a way no hypnotist or doctor had done before.
When the memories had shrunk back to the dark abyss of her brain and the tears had tapered down to a slow trickle, Amber released her death grip on his shirt. Not wanting to leave the comfort of Danny’s arms quite yet, she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder.
“I got your shirt all wet,” she whispered.
“Forget the shirt,” he said.
So she did. Revealing her past to Danny felt good. It was a part of her, and she no longer wanted anything to stand between them. Oh, she wasn’t stupid. She knew she couldn’t reveal everything. She did still have a job to do. But beyond that, she saw no reason to hide. And maybe, just maybe she would find some sort of happily-ever-after with him. Once the rest was handled, and her assignment had been completed. Moving to Alpine Woods, for real, was looking better and better.
“I never did find out what he did, the man who lost his hand. He was no longer there when we finally got rescued. I’ve often wondered about him,” she murmured absently.
Danny’s arms tightened around her, and she took the comfort they offered.
She felt drained inside and out, and immediately felt horrible for ruining their date. Danny had gone through so much trouble to set everything up, coming by every day until she agreed to go out with him again.
“I’m sorry to be such a killjoy.”
“Stop that.” The guttural tone to his voice had her gazing at him in surprise. “Never apologize for your emotions, or for sharing them with me. Let me just turn off the car and we’ll go back inside.”
She stopped him before he could leave. “What do you mean?” When he only looked at her in confusion, she continued. “I thought we were going rock climbing.”
His measuring gaze sized her up. “You still want to go? I figured we’d hang out here, maybe make out on the couch a bit.”
The laugh caught her by surprise. “Only you could make me laugh after an episode like that.” She inched closer until her breasts brushed against his chest. “I want to go rock climbing. Then, if you play your cards right, maybe we can discuss that making out. And play your cards really right, and who knows…” She trailed off, running a finger down his chest. What she didn’t tell him was that she’d already decided his cards were a royal flush as far as she was concerned. A guaranteed winner. She saw no reason to hold back any longer.
“If you’re sure.”
She nodded, oddly feeling more steady, more sure of herself, than she had in a long time.
Danny pulled her to her feet, then crossed to her car door and held it open for her.
* * * *
Amber laughed as she stumbled backward, falling into Danny’s waiting arms after her latest climb. He steadied her easily, his hands clutching her waist. When was the last time she’d felt this free? Amazing considering she was still attached to the mountain with the rope tied into her harness, and in turn attached to Danny, who had been controlling the rope from the ground.
Why had she never considered rock climbing before? Her muscles had a healthy burn to them, proving how hard she’d worked to get up the route and her cheeks still hurt from smiling so much. Maybe sometime in the future, she’d ask Danny to take her on what he called a multi-pitch, one that went higher than one length of rope and required the route be tackled in sections.
It took a moment for them to disentangle themselves from the rope, passing the ends off to Brendan and Julie, who’d met them at the location along with his parents.
Danny took her hand and led her away from the group, sneaking around the bend until they were shrouded from view. Then he backed her against the wall, resting his forearm on the rock above her head.
“How’s my hand looking at the moment?” he asked.
Amber started to look up, concerned he’d hurt it in some way, but Danny caught her chin. “No, baby, the cards.”
It took her a moment to glean his meaning. When she did, she smiled and slid her hands behind his neck.
“What do you think?” Leaving no time to second-guess herself, Amber yanked him forward and met his lips with hers.
The first touch was electric, sending a jolt shooting through her system. But then his lips moved against hers, and the jolt became a wave of heat and need that crashed into her. She hugged Danny closer, using him to pull herself away from the wall so she could feel the heat of his body against hers.
She moaned against his mouth, rubbing against him. What had she been thinking to hold herself back from this? All she wanted was to feel him against her. Skin to skin.
Opening her mouth, she let his tongue slide inside. The feel of him inside her, even in such a small way, sent a shiver of awareness down her spine. His tongue brushed against hers in a practiced rhythm. A sensual glide awakening every sense to him. His smell, pure male, surrounded her. The heat of his body. The soft texture of his hair as she wove her fingers into it.
A gasp escaped her as his teeth nibbled at her bottom lip. She tried to crawl closer to him, but they were already as close as possible without removing any clothing. His tongue swept against her swollen lip, easing the nip of pain from his bite. But she didn’t let it get far, before she took it back into her mouth to play with hers.
He groaned against her mouth and her spirits soared. He might be driving her wild with desire, but she had a few tricks of her own.
“Ahem.”
Amber ignored the sound. Nothing could intrude here, in her happy bubble. Encompassed in Danny’s strength, his lips moving against hers with the same frantic energy pulsing through her veins.
“Ahem.” Louder this time, reminding her that they weren’t somewhere private. They were, in fact, just around the corner from his family.
She pushed away, grunting as she hit the wall of rock behind her. Panting, she struggled to catch her breath, and looked wide-eyed over Danny’s shoulder to where his mother stood not ten feet away.
In horror, Amber looked at Danny. “It’s your mother,” she whispered as quietly as possible. Oh God, they’d been practically sucking each other’s faces off. Who knew where things would have been in a few moments. She’d been seconds away from tearing his shirt apart to feel his skin.
“I know,” he whispered back. His eyes were still closed, but a smile played on his mouth. The same smile his mother had on.
Embarrassment crawled over her. She started to pull away, but Danny wrapped an arm around her waist, preventing her escape.
“It’s getting dark. We thought we should probably head in,” his mother said, amusement clear in her voice.
“Thanks Mom, we’ll meet you guys at the restaurant,” Danny said, his eyes still closed.
Amber waited until his mother had vanished from sight before turning on Danny and smacking him in the shoulder. She hit him harder when she realized the shaking in his shoulders was from his own amusement.
“That was mortifying!”
He grabbed her hand before she landed another smack and brought her fingers to his lips, where he proceeded to nibble on them. She gasped as his teeth found the soft pad of her third finger.
“I’m not upset, and she’s my mom.”
“Exactly. She has to like you.” But her argument had lost its heat. She couldn’t stay mad with Danny’s teeth and tongue doing wicked things to her hand, moving upward until he reached the tender skin on her wrist.
“She likes you.” The matter-of-fact tone in his voice pulled her out of her sensual daze.
“How do you know?”
“Because you’re for me.”
The phrasing made her pause. Not perfect for him. But simply “for him.” As if destiny played a part in what was between them. She liked that. Liked the simplicity in it.
“You’re for me, too.”
His smile almost blinded her.
“I know.”
Chapter 11
Danny couldn’t stop smiling. The day had gone off without a hitch. Well, almost. But even Amber’s breakdown after seeing the rope had only brought them closer together. He now understood her better. The moments in the past when she would freeze, or when panic had flashed in her eyes only to be quickly hidden, suddenly made sense. He couldn’t imagine anyone living through that kind of trauma without emotional scars.
He wished he could have spared her that pain, but the knowledge that she had not only lived through it, but come out as perfect and stable as she had, filled him with pride. Here was a mate he could be proud of. A mate who, though human, wouldn’t take shit from anyone in the pack. Not that she’d need to. He’d make sure of that before introducing her around. No one would dare. Because once he marked her, a fight with Amber was a fight with the whole Callahan clan.
He glanced over at her as he drove up the winding road to her cottage. A secretive smile curved her mouth, while the tips of her fingers ran over the bottom lip back and forth.
“What are you thinking about?” Hopefully the same thing he was thinking about. The memory of the kiss they shared had stayed on his mind all evening. When her lips curled farther upward, he knew she’d been thinking the same.
“Of England,” she joked. “And baseball.”
“Me too.”
Her laugh filled the cab of his Explorer. But the happy sound cut off as they rounded the bend in her driveway. Her curtains flapped in the wind through a broken window pane.
Anger pulsed hot behind his eyes as he looked at the damage. Not one, but every pane was broken, a rock-sized hole in them all. All along her porch, orange clay shards mixed with piles of dark dirt. Her flowers and pots ruined.
His growl filled the car as his wolf surged to the surface. He’d kill them. Whoever was responsible for this destruction was a dead man. And he knew where to find his first suspects.
Amber flew out of the car before he’d rolled to a stop.
“Wait, Amber. Damn it.” Didn’t the woman know better than to run into a crime scene like that? They didn’t even know if the guy, or guys, who’d vandalized her house were still around.
Danny threw the car into park and ran after her. She had her key in the lock by the time he grabbed her and pulled her away. The door swung open and he quickly yanked her behind him.
Nothing jumped out at them.
Amber tried to get past him, but he held her firm.
The room was dark, but Danny’s vision was better than most. He scrutinized the long shadows of the room until he was certain no one hid in them. Then eyed the two doors to the left. A coat closet and her bedroom.
“Wait here,” he whispered.
She looked like she wanted to protest, but one glance at his eyes and she backed down without a word. No matter what, he would protect her.
He checked the coat closet first, quickly ruling out the possibility of someone hiding inside. Next, he crept toward her bedroom door. Nothing moved inside. His wolf hearing would have detected the smallest rustle of clothing. But that didn’t mean someone wasn’t inside, standing absolutely still.
Discreetly, he put his nose against the door and sniffed. Nothing but Amber, and the faint traces of the woman who had lived here for years before moving to Florida. But Amber still watched from the doorway, so he’d have to go through the motions of checking the room. He cracked open the door and peered inside, checking every corner before moving to the bathroom. Finally, he strode back to Amber, pulling her against him as he shut and locked the door. He’d have to do something about the windows. But for now, they were safe inside.
He pulled her against him, leaning down to nuzzle her neck. If Amber had been home… A growl tickled his throat. He needed to calm down before he lost it. Danny clutched her closer, breathing in her scent to calm the beast inside. But the knowledge of an attack on her home, even if she hadn’t been inside at the time, burned deep.
“This is not okay.” Danny’s voice was more animal than man, and he desperately grappled for control. Now would not be a good time to lose it.
“Who would do this?” The hurt in her voice was impossible to miss.
“Kids. Stupid kids,” he lied. He’d seen the claw marks beside the doorframe. This hadn’t been kids, but pack mates. “They won’t get away with this.” Danny would make sure of it.
She was silent a moment. “Is there a lot of vandalism around these parts?”
He couldn’t sense the direction of her thoughts. Or her mood.
“No. But all areas have their bad apples.” His voice had gone deep with anger. It was time he dealt with their town’s bad apples. They’d gone too far this time.
Danny turned away as Amber went to inspect the windowsill. White-hot rage rolled through him. Not only had they blatantly gone against an order, flaunting their disregard for his authority, they’d attacked what was his. The world around him altered color, a sure sign that his eyes had shifted, and his claws cut into his palm. The pain steadied him. Gave him a measure of control.
Without looking at Amber, he flipped open the phone and called Jason. As Premier, he’d have to know about this. But after his reaction the last time the wolves had attacked, Danny wasn’t confident he’d take care of this situation. If he didn’t, Danny would. And frankly, Jason would have to deal with the bodies afterward, because Danny was about ready to take the leash off his wolf and say, “Have at it.”
Danny didn’t know what would happen if he unleashed his animal. Even when he took to his fur, he always kept his wolf’s nature under tight control. Not since breaking Julie’s arm when he was eight had the animal had free rein. A loose leash at times, sure. But the man always maintained a level of control. A control he felt slipping as he looked at the destruction around him.
“Amber’s cottage has been vandalized. All the windows are broken and there are some marks around the doorframe as if someone was trying to get inside.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Amber glance at him sharply.
Across the line, Jason let loose a stream of curses. Oddly, the sound reassured Danny as nothing else could have. Jason wouldn’t let this go without retribution, if only due to the disrespect to his leadership.
“Who?” was all he asked.
“Three guesses.”
Another string of curses blistered his ear.
“Take care of her. I’ll take care of them.” The dark promise of violence tinged his voice, calling out to the wolf inside Danny. He smiled as he hung up, feeling better than he had since seeing the broken windows. Those men were about to regret being born. Danny only wished he could be there to see it, but he had more important things to take care of.
Behind him, Amber sucked in a quick breath of pain. Danny whirled around, intent on protecting his mate, but the two of them were still the only ones
around. Amber held her finger to her lips.
“You cut yourself,” he said as he rushed to her side.
“It’s nothing, just a scrat– Oh my God, your hand.”
Danny looked down, not sure what she meant until he saw the trails of blood running down his hands. Cuts from his claws digging into his palms.
She took his arm and led him to the bathroom. He should stop her. Already the wounds were closing, but the concern in her eyes held his tongue. If she wanted to baby him a bit, who was he to say no?
When they’d both been cleaned and bandaged, and her sexy white surgical gloves had been disposed of, Danny pulled her closer to the bathroom counter where he sat.
Heat flared in her eyes as he tugged at her belt loops until she was as close as the counter allowed, his legs dangling on either side of her. She trailed her hands up his chest, around his neck, until finally slipping into his hair, burning a trail of desire along the way. Every instinct urged him to kiss her, to claim her. But his brain kept throwing logic in the way. He needed to clean up the glass so she didn’t get hurt again, and find some way to barricade the broken windows.
But when her eyes drifted closed, and her chin lifted in a clear invitation, all logic fell away. The need to take her rushed over him. Overwhelmed him. His control snapped and he yanked her closer, heard her gasp of surprise.
Her breasts pressed against his chest as he lowered his head and took her lips, thrusting his tongue inside. He wasn’t gentle, but Amber moaned in pleasure as he plundered. Her taste exploded through his senses, fresh and clean.
A haze filled his mind as his wolf took control. Not in body, but in spirit. Animal instinct ruled him, and it had one direction, one purpose. To claim what was his. To mark her so others knew. His mate. His.
Driven by need, he jumped off the counter and spun her around, reversing their positions until her hips balanced on the counter and he stood between her legs. He trailed his lips down her chin, stopping to suck on the edge of her jaw. He moaned even as she gasped, the sound of both their pleasures mixing into one. He’d never sampled anything so decadent. Her skin tasted like paradise. Raw and hot with passion.
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