by Haley Weir
Large palms slid along the milky flesh of her calves before they toyed with the lace trim of her panties. Moisture flooded at her core and her hands slid between the fabric of his suit jacket and dress shirt to feel the contours of hard muscles as they flexed with every movement. "Tell me to stop," he whispered against her neck. "I need to hear those words or else we'll both regret this."
"Please." Casey rocked her hips and felt the hard length of his erection. "Giddeon, please."
"I'm trying to be a good man. Tell me to stop, Casey."
She tried to think through the yearning he summoned within her. Casey shook her head to clear the fog and shoved against his shoulder. "Stop. I can't."
In the blink of an eye, Giddeon sat back in his previous spot with his suit forced into its proper place as if nothing had happened. Casey sat up slowly and adjusted her dress. she ran a hand through her hair and stared down at the floor in embarrassment. "Thank you. I don't know what came over me."
"No need to apologize. I had lost control of myself for a moment," he said softly. "I'm not in the proper state of mind to be intimate just yet, but the desire is there."
"You lost your friend. I understand the need to find comfort in something."
"It's more than that, but something better discussed another time." He turned to her with a smile that was more charming than cunning. "That is...if you would like to see me again after I nearly ravaged you like a beast."
"Of course I'll see you again," she said with a light chuckle. "It's not every day a girl like me gets to make out with a gorgeous man in a museum."
"Girl like you?"
"A big girl." Casey adjusted her dress again, trying to keep the nerves at bay.
Giddeon slid to his knees before her and placed his hands on her hips. "If I had given in to my urges just now, I would have had you laid out like a feast and tasted every succulent inch of your body until you wept with pleasure."
His words caused all sorts of filthy images to flash behind her eyelids. Giddeon stood up and helped her to her feet. Her legs felt like overcooked pasta just after one kiss. They continued their walk through the museum, and then Giddeon escorted Casey to her rental car.
It felt only natural to hold to his waist when he dipped his head to steal a kiss. "Goodnight, Casey. I hope you dream of me."
"Goodnight, Giddeon."
Chapter Six
Castle Black
Destiny, Alaska
Giddeon met with his men the following morning. No one spoke of the empty chair where Malik had sat during their discussions. "They tried to kill Prince Balor. As far as I'm concerned, they've committed an act of war against the royal family," Alore stated firmly. "We lost one of our brothers to this blight that calls themselves the Reckoning."
He raised his hand to silence Alore before he started an uproar. His men were hungry to avenge their fallen brethren, but things had to be handled with a delicate touch. "We have thirteen fully grown warriors and seven in training that will be transitioning for the first time any day now. Do we know what their numbers are?"
None of his men answered.
"Do we at least know where they are camped?” he asked irritably.
Balor stood up from his chair. "They look human, but they're stronger and faster. Without an Alpha from our bloodline leading them, they're unable to shift into their other forms. They make up for it by hunting in packs and hiding in town to throw off their trail."
"But you know they come from Kodiak Island?"
Balor nodded in response. "The one I spoke with briefly seemed almost brainwashed. He was manic and adamant that they had been left to suffer in their weaker forms as a punishment given to them by our father."
"Is there any way we can speak with their leader face to face?"
Seth slapped his hand on the table and stood up with a force that knocked his chair back. "Are you insane? They just ambushed Balor less than twenty-four hours ago and you're thinking about just walking into their camp? How do you know all of this wasn't just an attempt to get to you?"
"They want to be freed from their human forms. I can offer them that in exchange for peace and cooperation," Giddeon explained. "Why fight them if there are other options?"
"They killed Malik."
"We do not kill for revenge. It's a bloody battle that doesn't end until both sides are wiped out. I mean it, Balor." Giddeon stood his ground until his brothers returned to their seats. "We protect our people, track down the Reckoning, and try to establish peace."
When no one questioned his orders, he ended the meeting and went to the library. Giddeon searched through the shelves until he came across the book he needed. He sent a messenger to deliver the book to Casey along with a bouquet of flowers and a diamond necklace. It wasn't much, but he felt the need to show her how much her time meant to him. Casey wasn't the type of woman who cared about expensive jewelry, but he knew she was a lady of fine taste.
His phone rang while he trained in the courtyard. "Hello, Casey. Did you enjoy your gift?"
"It was a great way to start the morning, but you didn't have to get me anything."
"I wanted to," he said. "It makes me happy to know that your day was a little brighter because of me."
"Thank you. The flowers and the necklace are beautiful, but I like the book as well."
"It is the version of my family's story that no one outside of the castle has ever read…I hoped that giving it to you was a clear indication of my intentions."
"I can't wait to read it."
Giddeon sheathed his sword and walked over to a dark corner. He leaned against the wall and asked, "Did you dream of me?" He practically heard the radiance of her blush through the phone.
"I did."
"Was it sweet?"
"At first," she replied honestly. A door closed on her end of the line, and he smiled to himself.
"And then what?"
"Giddeon."
"Talk to me, Casey. I love your voice," he growled.
"The rest of the dream wasn't so sweet. I...imagined what you said at the museum."
Giddeon palmed his erection and hissed. "I bet you tasted as good as I imagined even in a dream. You don't know what you do to me, Casey. I burn for you in ways you will never understand."
She was quiet for several heartbeats. "How soon is too soon when it comes to the whole sex thing? I hear it's three dates for most people."
"I don't want to pressure you into anything you aren't ready for. If anything happens between us, it will be because you want it to happen," he informed her. "I desire your consent most of all."
"I can't stop thinking about it...being with you, I mean."
The breathless notes in her voice made him shudder. Giddeon unzipped his pants to relieve some of the pressure, careful to keep his back turned away from any doors or windows as he curled his fingers around his throbbing member. "Tell me what you've been imagining, Casey."
"Giddeon, are you…masturbating?"
"Would it shock you if I said yes?" he laughed.
"Oh my god."
"Calm down, Casey. I can hear you pacing the floor. Just talk to me." Giddeon tightened his grip just a fraction and growled into the phone.
"I was thinking about how you would look undressed. Spread out beneath me on a bed as I teased you to the brink of tears."
"How would you tease me?"
"With my hands...my lips and my tongue," she whispered.
Giddeon stroked his rigid flesh to the rhythm of her breaths. "What else, Casey?"
"I want to ride you. Slow at first. I want to push you to the edge until your control snaps and you take over." Fabric rustled in his ears, and a distinct snap of elastic followed.
It didn't take long for him to figure out that she had joined his little game. Giddeon reveled in the thrill of being so exposed as she spoke in hushed tones. "And how did it feel when I stretched you open? Did you moan for me?"
"Oh god…"
"I know you would moan so prettily," he
groaned. The sounds of her wetness brought him to the edge. He squeezed the base of his erection to stave off his climax, but he was helpless to resist as she cried out his name in ecstasy. "Fuck…"
~*~
Casey and Giddeon spoke on the phone for hours each day in between kayaking with her friends and him dealing with family affairs. It was a week before Casey saw Giddeon again, but it hadn't been for a date. They ran into each other on his way to work. He stopped in his tracks when he saw her, phone pressed between his shoulder and his ear. A beautiful woman stood beside him with long blond hair and the body of a swimsuit model.
He hung up the phone, and Casey walked in the opposite direction. She felt like a fool. How had she never seen the signs? Phone calls late in the day, putting off dates for one excuse or another, and turning her away every time she offered to meet him at his office for lunch. Casey didn't know whether to laugh or cry her eyes out as she climbed into her car.
Giddeon knocked on the window. "Casey, open the door."
"Go away!"
"You're overreacting."
"I'm overreacting?" she shrieked. "You have a girlfriend or a wife or whatever! How am I overreacting when you're a liar?"
"Alice is my assistant!"
It was as if time had slowed down. Casey covered her face and cried through the waves of humiliation that coursed through her. Giddeon walked away from the car and handed the woman his briefcase and thermos. She watched him as he interacted with the gorgeous blond with nothing more than politeness and professional indifference. He rounded the car and opened the door to the passenger seat.
An uncomfortable silence stretched between them.
"I don't know what that was," he said finally. "But either you don't trust me or there are some personal things you need to work through. Either way, I think it's best if we don't see each other for a while."
"Wait, let me explain."
Giddeon met her gaze and she saw the hurt in his eyes. "What are you going to tell me that I haven't already figured out? We were moving too quickly, Casey. You just got out of a messy divorce and you aren't ready to start a new relationship."
"Where have you been for the past week?" she asked suddenly.
"I told you that I've been dealing with family issues."
"I know what you told me, but I want to know the truth."
Giddeon scoffed. "I might have my fair share of secrets, but I've never lied to you. Someone threatened my brothers and I'm trying to deal with it before things get violent. On top of that, I run an estate that employs half of the town and I own a company that requires my attention on a daily basis."
"I'm sorry. I saw you with her and I felt threatened."
He shook his head. "That's not enough. I can't go any further with you if I'm constantly worried that you'll have an emotional breakdown every time you see me talking to a woman. It isn't healthy for either of us."
"So, this is goodbye?"
"It is for now," Giddeon said. "Talk with your friends, take some time to let go of your past, and figure out what's important to you. I know what I want. I'm willing to wait for you." He kissed her cheek and climbed out of the car without another word.
Casey sat there for two hours with an eerie numbness inside of her. She drove to the cabin once the tears stopped flowing. Diana and Olivia stood outside with their bathing suits on, ready to go for a dip in the lake. Olivia hugged her as she stepped out of the door. "Oh, sweetie, what happened?"
"I screwed it up."
"What? How?"
"I saw him with a woman and freaked out. She was his assistant," Casey explained. "I humiliated myself and I accused him of being a liar and a cheater."
"So, what happens now?"
"I don't know." Casey went into the house and dropped her purse on the floor without care. Rina watched her shuffle up the stairs but said nothing. Casey was grateful she hadn't had to repeat herself for a second time. She pushed open the door to her suite and collapsed onto her bed, rolling into the blankets until only the top of her hair was visible. The silver chain with a teardrop diamond around her neck was a constant reminder of what she had ruined. Giddeon hadn't given her one logical reason to question his loyalty to her, but Casey had been blinded by insecurities.
She sniffled within the confines of her nest of bedding. The door opened and Rina sat on the edge of her bed. "Casey, you have to stop sabotaging yourself and then wallowing in self-pity."
"I don't know how to fix this."
"Yes, you do," she replied. "Get out of this bed and have fun. Forget about Ty and try to remember who you were before that asshole stole your confidence."
"There wasn't much to steal."
"Then you need to find something about yourself to love. I didn't come all the way to Alaska to listen to you cry through our bedroom walls. Get up and make a change."
Casey pulled the blankets from her face and stared up at the ceiling. "It was like I was talking to Ty, but Giddeon was the one sitting in the car beside me. God, you should have seen his face when I called him a liar."
"You've been seeing this guy for only two weeks. Don't cry over something that has barely gotten started."
"It was different with him, Rina."
"Clearly not if you treated him like he was a monster."
Chapter Seven
Kismet Dating Agency
Destiny, Alaska
Giddeon flipped through an endless stack of profiles. Since his run-in with Casey, he had thrown himself into his work and solving the issue with the Reckoning. The rebel faction was harder to get rid of than he originally expected. Their leader was an exceptionally stubborn man who had refused to meet with him face to face for over a month. As the days went by, Giddeon grew increasingly impatient.
Alice knocked on the door to signal the arrival of his afternoon meeting. "Miss Rina Whitely is here to see you, sir."
A rather tall woman with long black hair and a sun-kissed complexion wandered into his office. "Giddeon Black?"
He stood up and offered his hand to one of his newest clients. She accepted his offer, but there was a bit of coldness in her stare as she took a seat across from his desk. "So, tell me what sort of man you're looking for."
"You have to talk to Casey."
"I'm sorry, but what is said between Casey and I should remain private," he said as he clenched his jaw so hard that he tasted iron on his tongue. "If that's why you agreed to see me, then I'll have Alice show you to the door."
"Look, I get it. She messed up, and you don't want her friends in your business, but we love Casey." Rina's posture deflated. "She was happy again when she started seeing you."
"I'm glad I was able to make her happy while it lasted, but Casey needs to work on herself before she can be in a relationship…at least with me."
"Why can't you just help her through it?"
"I won't be pressured into an unhealthy relationship, Miss Whitely." Giddeon stacked the files neatly on his desk and pointedly ignored his client's sigh of frustration.
"She's working on things. I swear she has spent more time on her phone than on the lake with us since we got to Alaska," Rina said. "Casey is working through her issues with Ty. She's finally being honest with him, and I have you to thank for that. Just...don't give up on her."
"I know you mean well, but I gave Casey the time she needed to get through her problems. I'm not giving up on her. I only date with the intention of marriage, Miss Whitely."
Rina sat stunned in the plush leather chair. "Woah…"
"Yeah."
“You’re one of the rare ones, then. Most guys aren’t looking for love or marriage anymore. At least not in my experience.”
“Casey and I share a unique bond,” he confessed. “When she’s ready, we’ll take things slow until we get to a place where we’re both comfortable making a bigger commitment. As for your comment on men not believing in marriage and love, I think your experience with this agency will change your perspective on that. Most of my clients are me
n.”
“Then let’s get this thing started.”
Giddeon put Rina in the system and pulled up a few candidates he thought might have been compatible with the sultry model. They discussed her interests and needs in a partner and then said goodbye an hour or so later. Giddeon had four missed calls from his brothers. Balor had left a voicemail to let him know that the leader of the Reckoning finally agreed to show himself. "Alice, cancel my meetings for the rest of the day. I have some personal matters to attend to." He removed his finger from the com button and texted his brothers to gather at the edge of the forest.
The streets were clear aside from a few stray branches and the occasional soda can despite the mid-day rain that had fallen earlier. He sped along the winding road with wild abandon. Giddeon forced himself not to look towards the cabin that seemed to mock him each time he drove past. In the distance, he saw a large bear crouched beside a tree. The car slowed to a stop and he met his brothers just beyond the treeline. “Where are we supposed to be?”
“He wanted to meet on Kodiak Island, but I told him where to shove it. We need to go up near the mountain,” Caleb answered. “He’ll have the place surrounded. Going in without a plan is too risky. We can’t afford for any of us to get killed during the hunting season.”
“If they have men up on the ridge near the waterfall, then it’ll be perfect for an ambush. We’ll be lucky if they don’t have a sharpshooter.”
"I could go around and scout out the region. Get a count of how many men they have." Caleb's offer sounded logical enough, but Giddeon was hesitant to send his brothers off on their own without knowing more about their enemy.
"What did the scouts have to say when we sent them out to track down the Reckoning?"
