by T. S. Ryder
Well. If that was the case, he would put aside his personal feelings and pain. He would confront the situation with the resilience that it demanded and he would take whatever came at him. He’d stand strong and protect his pack the way he always did. They came first. Whatever hurt he suffered, he would deal with it.
It was all he could do.
Leo still stared at him, so Devin opened his door. “Stay here.”
Devin headed toward the house. He saw a face briefly in the window, but it was gone before he could tell if it was Charity. Only seconds later, though, the door burst open. Charity flew down the sidewalk, her face lit up.
“Devin!”
His heart nearly burst at the happiness in her voice. He broke into a run. Charity jumped on him when she reached him, and he grabbed her around the waist. Her legs encircled him and he held her tight as he spun her in circles. His heart was so full of joy seeing her happy to see him that it was all he could do.
“You’re okay.” Her hands tangled in his hair. She pulled back to smile down into his eyes. “You’re okay. I was so worried. I lost my stupid phone and I didn’t have your number memorized and I was so afraid. I thought that we were lost to each other forever. I know that sounds silly, but I thought that Honor might hurt you and me—”
Devin cut her off with a kiss. He was too happy to see her to be worried about Honor and her plots. With his arms around her waist, pulling her in tight against him, he kissed her hard and deep. His eyes closed as he moaned. Just being this close to her set everything inside of him on fire. He hardened as she started to roll her hips against him, though it made it difficult to keep holding her. Their tongues tangled, the two of them kissing each other desperately, passionately.
Leo coughing behind him broke them apart. Both Charity and Devin panted as he lowered her back to her feet. Her hands remained on his chest, foreheads pressed together.
“Wow,” she whispered. “I guess distance does make the heart grow fonder.”
Devin laughed. “Let’s not try it out again. I don’t know if I can get much fonder of you.”
Charity slipped an arm around his waist. “Come inside. We have so much to talk about.”
They went into the house, where Hope Gatiss stood looking wary. Devin couldn’t even feel annoyed by her. Let her think what she wanted to think. It didn’t matter. He had his Charity back, and that was all that mattered. He kept his hand in hers, making sure that contact wasn’t broken. Introductions were made, and then Charity tugged him into a bedroom.
His first instinct was to lay her on the bed and rip off all their clothes, but he repressed it. As much as he wanted to kiss every inch of her skin to make sure she was truly unharmed, they needed to talk.
They sat on the bed, hands twined with one another.
“You just disappeared. All I had was one message where I heard you telling Hope to leave me a message.”
Charity wrinkled her nose. “She threw my phone out the window.”
Devin’s brows rose.
“That’s not important. The thing is, Hope came to me in a panic. She was terrified because . . . ” Charity’s eyes widened. “Wait. You don’t know. How could you know, we haven’t been able to talk. But you don’t know!”
Devin had to laugh. “Know what?”
A smile blossomed over Charity’s face. “That I’m pregnant. And you’re my baby daddy.”
Devin’s eyes widened. His breath caught in his throat. Pregnant? Warmth spread through his chest and he caught her tight in his arms. He kissed her, laughed, and kissed her again. A baby. Their child, growing inside of her. He couldn’t believe it. It was too good to be true. He pulled her tight against him again and kissed her neck.
But as he did so, a frown crossed his face. Why would Hope be panicked over Charity’s pregnancy? More importantly, why would Charity tell her before telling him? There was more going on here. He pulled back and gave her a quizzical look.
Apparently, that was enough for her to know what he was asking. She trailed her hands down his chest. “I don’t know how Honor found out, but she did. Hope saw her buying a gun.”
The blood in his veins turned to ice.
“These past few days, I’ve been terrified that she bought it for you, not me.”
Devin made a strangled noise in her throat. Of course, she’d be more worried about him than about herself. So, what if her sister had bought a gun and her other sister immediately ran to her, clearly afraid for her safety. It was obviously him that she needed to be worried about. He shook his head, bemused by her thoughts.
“Don’t shake your head at me.” Charity playfully pushed his shoulder. “I knew I was okay. I didn’t know if Honor had come after you, though. If anything had happened to you—”
“She did approach me,” he said. He shivered as he remembered her cold, dead eyes. “She said she was worried about you. That she didn’t try to hurt me or Leo only means that she is after you.”
Charity swallowed hard, fear rising in her eyes. Devin almost wished he hadn’t said anything. But when had someone not knowing about the potential danger they were in protected them in any way? No, it was best to share everything so both of them knew exactly what they were up against. He wrapped his arms around her.
“I will protect you, Charity. No matter what. You don’t have to be afraid. I’m here now. I’m here.”
He kissed her, then curled his fingers under the hem of her shirt. He tugged it up so he could see her stomach. He kissed her navel before laying her back. Using both his hands and his eyes, he studied her form. Was there a slight roundness to her stomach that hadn’t been there before? He couldn’t quite tell. With a smile, he kissed her navel again, this time sweeping his tongue across the top of her pants. She reacted just the way he had hoped, arching her back towards him.
“How far along are you?”
“Two months.”
Devin thought a moment, then nodded. “So it was probably that night on the beach with the orcas singing.”
“Yeah. That’s what I thought, too.” She smiled. “I was a little nervous about telling you. Excited, but nervous. I’m glad that I finally was able to, though. Seeing your smile . . . that was the best feeling in the world.”
Devin laughed softly. “You think so, do you? I think hearing you say you are pregnant was the best feeling in the world. Or, you know what else might be the best feeling in the world?”
“What?”
He took in a deep breath and said it in a rush before he lost his nerve. “I love you.”
Charity’s eyes widened. Her smile was so big that he thought it might burst. She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him down, kissing him passionately. In response he wormed his hands between her shirt and her body and pulled it up; their kiss broke just long enough for him to take the shirt off. When he started on her bra, he moved to her neck.
“I can beat that,” she gasped, body moving with his to allow him the best access. “I love you, too.”
She was right. Hearing her say those words was the best feeling in the world.
Chapter Eleven – Charity
Her body tingled all over. It was like she had been dashing about in a desert and suddenly an oasis appeared. She drank him in greedily. Her hands were all over him, touching him, pulling him closer, making sure that he was there. He pulled back from their kisses to knead his hands into her breasts and she leaned into his touch.
“Do you mind if I’m on top this time?” she asked him while her hands played with the top of his jeans.
Devin’s eyes darkened and a smile spread across his face. “You know I love it when you’re on top, with all of your teasings.”
Charity giggled at that. There would be very little teasing this time . . . They rolled together so that he was beneath her. She knelt over him and ran her hands over her thighs, knowing he loved watching her touch herself, before tugging her pants off. She focused on him them, massaging him through his heavy jeans.
A thrill wen
t through her when she felt how hard he already was. She licked her fingers and began touching herself while unsnapping his jeans with one hand. Devin lay back watching with a grin on his face. He lifted himself up to remove his shirt before tangling both hands into her hair. He guided her to himself, and she was more than happy to take him into her mouth.
Devin’s head fell back and the familiar moan came from his throat. Charity adjusted herself so that she could comfortably pleasure herself and him at the same time, then started in earnest with both of them. Her pregnancy had made her more sensitive; so sensitive that she soon found she couldn’t apply direct pressure the way she was used to. Devin’s hands remained in her hair and she loved the feeling of him there – not pushing her head down but keeping her hair out of her face.
It didn’t take long for Charity to decide that they were both ready. She kissed her way up Devin’s body, licking his hard muscles as she did so. His body was so beautiful, all golden skin and contoured muscle. As his hands moved up and down her back, his biceps and pectorals rippled. She couldn’t resist nipping at one of them, loving the little shudder combined with a moan that he gave her for her troubles.
“Are you ready?” she whispered huskily.
“For you, always.”
Her face reddened a little at the compliment. Charity straddled his hips and, using one hand to guide him, pushed herself gently down. He entered smoothly, like they were two pieces of a puzzle clicking into place. She rolled her hips up and down a couple times to ensure maximum depth was achieved, then bent over him. Her breasts dangled and he rose himself up to suck on one before stretching his neck so that he could kiss her.
His hands were on her waist, supporting her as she leaned over him. With one hand she balanced herself beside his head while the other pressed against the headboard. The whole bed moved in time with their movements, both of them rocking and grinding. Everything was tight and hot inside of her. Bolts ran down her legs and coiled in her stomach. Her breasts tingled and she had to release the headboard to squeeze them. Devin’s hand met hers and he pulled her down, crushing her body to his.
Both of them thrust with all their might, staring into each other’s eyes. Devin’s breath came in pants. Charity thought hers must be too, but in that moment, she was far more aware of her lover than herself. The salty taste of his kisses, the darkness of his eyes, the intensity of his stares, the way his golden skin took on a red hue. She was so in tune with him that when he came, his head falling back and his eyes rolling, that she felt like she was him. She could feel every muscle in his body tense, then release. Could feel the exploding shockwaves rush up and down his spine, see the darkness wash over his vision.
Charity collapsed over him, crying out as her own orgasm took her. She buried her face in his chest, panting and whimpering.
They lay there like that for a long time, so wrapped up in one another that it was impossible to tell where one ended and the other began. After some time, though, they parted. Charity rolled off him and lay on the bed beside her lover. Her hand drifted down his arm till it found his hand. Their fingers twined, palms pressed together.
“I missed you,” she whispered. “Every day since I left, I have been wondering where you were – whether you were okay or Honor had gone after you. If I wasn’t so worried about something happening to our baby, I would have run back to the island. I would have stayed with you every second, Honor and her hatred be damned.”
Devin rolled over. He pulled her closer to his chest and pressed a kiss to her neck. He shook his head as he gazed into her eyes. “I’m glad you left. During the meeting with your geologist people, Honor and your parents came in. She looked disappointed. I think she was planning to . . . hurt you then. If you hadn’t left, she would have hurt you.” His hand drifted to her stomach. “I want you to be safe. Both of you.”
Charity’s arms tightened around her. She was surprised that a lump rose in her throat and her eyes flooded with tears. They were together. Honor wasn’t going to hurt either of them. So why was she so emotional?
A gentle kiss brought her out of her thoughts. Devin stroked her hair from her face and rested his forehead to hers. He pulled her flush against him again and with a grin nibbled at her collarbone.
“And you left the ocean for me,” Charity whispered. “Even though you can’t shift out here.”
“Charity, I would live in the middle of the desert if it meant I could be with you every day of my life.”
Her eyes widened. “I would never ask you to do that!”
“Love, I was trying to make a grand gesture.” Devin moved to her neck. “What I’m saying is that you are more important to me than anything else in this world. I will do whatever I need to as long as you and I can be together. Forever.”
Charity moaned as she started to tighten again, full of love and promises. Her fingers wrapped into his long hair, but a frown crossed her face. This wasn’t going to be as easy as that. Yes, she was thrilled to hear that he wanted her and wanted to be with her forever. But there was more than her in his life. His family and pack couldn’t just be thrown aside.
She pulled away from him. “We need to figure out what we’re going to do about Honor. I could go to the police and say that I feel like I’m in danger because of her, but as soon as they hear about you and me, they’ll think that I’m just trying to undermine her. Unless we get someone sympathetic to shifters . . . ”
A grunt answered her. Devin rolled up and grabbed his jeans. He started putting them on as he shook his head. “And we both know that there isn’t anybody like that. Not around here, at least. What I wouldn’t give for some proof . . . Right now, all we have is speculation that she intends to hurt you.”
Charity scowled. It was true. All they had was the fact that she was pregnant and that Hope saw Honor buy a gun. If it came to the police, Charity wasn’t certain that Hope would hold up. She had warned Charity, yes, but her lack of self-confidence and the fact that their family was the only support she had in her life would make it difficult for her to take any actual action against their younger sister.
“And your pack.” Charity retrieved her bra and slid it on. The fabric felt constrictive after the touch of Devin’s strong hands. She frowned. She was going to have to start buying new clothes soon . . . but that was the least of their worries. She continued to dress. “Honor’s going after me because I’m involved with you. She wants to make your pack leave the island.”
“Where we lived for far longer than humans,” Devin grumbled. “I know. She’s never been particularly subtle about that. I have to think about my pack, yes, but right now the threat is toward you. Whatever Honor is planning, I’m sure she’s wanting to drag my name through the mud as well.”
Charity flinched. “I forgot. How could I forget?”
Devin pulled his shirt on and stared at her. “What did you forget?”
“My parents. I called them and they have the police looking for you. They think that you raped me and have gotten the police involved already. We have to go to the police right now and get this taken care of before—
A scream pierced through the air. Both of their heads swiveled toward the door. Charity froze to the spot as another scream was cut off abruptly.
Hope. That was Hope. There was a yell, presumably from Leo. Devin smashed open the door, sending shards of wood flying through the air. Charity remained rooted to the spot. Her heart pounded in her chest and even though she screamed at herself to move, she couldn’t place one foot in front of the other. More shouts, more screams. A gunshot.
The spell over her broke. Charity raced from the room. She ran toward the sound of the gunshot. Another broke through the air, then another and another. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that running towards the gunshots was a stupid idea, but she couldn’t stop herself.
She rushed through the front door. Devin fought with someone. Honor. His hand clenched over hers, a silver gun gleaming in her hand. She kneed him between the legs and
he hunched, giving a cry. He threw his whole weight on her, his mouth dropping to her arm. Jagged teeth flashed in the sun then sunk into Honor’s arm. She screamed and the gun dropped. It went off as it hit the ground. The bullet tore into Devin’s leg, making him cry out.
Charity rushed forward. She dove and grabbed the gun as Honor managed to wrest herself away from Devin. She kicked at Charity’s face, but Devin pounced on her again. Honor let loose a furious cry and punched Devin hard. He stumbled back as he released her. Charity raised the gun, but Honor took off, running the opposite direction.
Honor jumped onto a motorcycle. Furious, hateful eyes blazed at Charity. “This is your fault! I hope she dies. Maybe then you’ll see the truth!”
To say she wasn’t tempted to pull the trigger would be a lie. Charity’s hand dropped as Honor drove away. Her heart hammered as she slowly turned.
Hope lay on the grass. Leo knelt over her, his hands pressed against her body. Blood bubbled up through his fingers. Tears ran down Hope’s face. Her lips moved but no sound came from them. The gun slipped from Charity’s grasp; Devin was just able to catch it before it hit the ground again. Every inch of her body felt like ice.
Hope’s eyes rolled toward her. Fear shone from her face. “Help me,” she whispered. “Help me.”
Chapter Twelve – Devin
His leg felt like it was on fire. The initial pain of the bullet ripping through it hurt enough, but everything that came after that was even worse. Sweat broke over his forehead when Leo had dug the bullet out, and his torn flesh knitting itself back together was incredibly painful.
Not, however, as painful as seeing the fear and worry Charity was in. She had been frozen as she stared at her twin, begging for help. It had been Leo who had finally jolted her out of it, yelling at her to phone 911. The ambulance had arrived shortly after, and the paramedics had allowed Charity to ride in the ambulance as they had taken her to the hospital.
Devin and Leo had arrived in time to find Charity in a small waiting room, sobbing. She’d thrown herself into Devin’s arms and he had feared the worst. But Hope was still hanging on. She was in surgery at the moment. It was impossible to know if she was going to pull through or not.
