Revealed by Desire

by Melissa Stevens

  Mixed in with the other photos were Rachel with several other people, a Hispanic looking woman, a few with the man they'd met that morning, Neo, and a few other people he didn't recognize. Rachel looked happy in the photos and for some reason that warmed his heart. Chris was glad she'd gotten to grow up with the family life he'd never known. The door down the hall opened again and soft, almost silent, footsteps whispered across the carpet toward him.

  “You've got some great pictures here.” He didn't look towards her or away from the wall of photographs.

  “Thanks, collecting them is a bit of a hobby of mine. Any time we do something fun, or go somewhere new, I try to get a bunch of pictures. I get the best of them printed and rotate them out on the wall so I always have a reminder of the wonderful moments.”

  “Wonderful moments. That's a good way of putting it.” Unable to resist the urge, Chris lifted one hand and ran it along her cheek in one of the photos. “You look so happy.” He couldn't help the soft, wishful tone his voice took.

  “That was a good day.” Rachel spoke from right behind him. “We went out to the lake, rented some jet skis, and made a whole day of it. It was a blast.”

  Chris turned to find her smiling at the memory. “Does your clan do a lot of stuff like that?”

  “Like what?”

  “Like going out to the lake to have fun?”

  “We try to. At least once a year we plan a big event for the whole Fraction. There’s always some kind of food, entertainment for the kids and adults alike, though we don't have a lot of kids right now. Just one baby, and she is barely a few weeks old. There are less than a dozen elementary age kids, a few more teenagers, but our numbers have never been huge and they're not growing.” Rachel looked sad while admitting there aren't a lot of dragon children. “Teya, like her dad before her, says these events keep the clan together, keep us close, despite our tendencies to be loners and want to spend time by ourselves.”

  “I bet they do.” Chris glanced back toward the photos on the wall. “You all look like you enjoy spending time with each other. Like you're all having fun. That's a good thing.” He glanced away, looking for something to make the ache in his chest fade, and found a painting on the wall across the room. “I wish we had something like that in our Fraction, but we've never been close.” He thought about it for a moment or two. There was no reason he couldn't start something like this for the werewolves. Maybe he could bring them together. Could he?

  “Come sit over here for a while. Tell me more about you.” Rachel moved into the living room and sat on one end of the sofa, watching him as he went to the other end and sat. “You said you grew up here, but that's about all you've told me about yourself, the rest was about your Fraction.”

  “I don't know what would be worth telling.” Chris shrugged. “I've been working on taking over the Fraction and putting things back together after Tyrone's dictatorial rule. I'm not saying my dad was a saint, but he looks damn close when compared to Tyrone.”

  “And that's why you're looking for Emily? To help put things back together?” Rachel waved one hand. “Forget I said that. We're not talking about the search for a little bit. So how is it you have so much time to pursue your search?” She glanced away a moment then looked back. “I don't have nearly as much responsibility as you do, and I'm finding it difficult to focus during the day when I'm working.” Chris was quiet a moment. Glancing down at his hands, he tried to find the right words.

  “I am not quite as hands on as you and your Teya are. I have several assistants who each run different parts of the Fraction and the resort. They report to me, and I make big decisions and oversee their work, but they do the day-to-day management. It leaves me more time to focus on my own projects. Right now, that's finding Emily.”

  “Have you noticed that our conversations always seem to circle back to our searches? It's like we can't get away from them, even for a few minutes.” Her head fell, and she looked down at her hands folded in her lap, sadness obvious on her pretty face.

  Go to her. The voice of his wolf was clear and commanding in his head. Unable to resist, Chris scooted closer on the couch until he could reach out and pick up one of her hands.

  “I know having someone you love gone hurts, and finding Ricky is important. That's why you are having a hard time thinking about anything but how to find him.” Silent tears crept down Rachel's cheeks, and the sight drove Chris's wolf crazy. The wolf snarled in his head. Do something. Unsure what else to do, Chris pulled Rachel into his arms where her silent tears turned to sobs as he held her tight.

  Rachel cried until Chris was afraid she was going to make herself sick. About the time he was thinking about calling her leader to make sure she was all right, her sobs began to subside. He didn't know how much time had passed, but she seemed to have exhausted the flood of emotion that had broken through her defenses. While normally Chris hated when women became emotional, he hadn’t minded holding onto Rachel while she cried. The tears and raw emotion let him know she cared deeply about her brother, and she would care just as deeply about him, if he managed to work his way into her heart. After his less than ideal childhood, Chris craved a caring relationship, but not with just anyone. He was waiting for his mate. The same mate his wolf insisted was Rachel.

  When Rachel's tears had passed, she stayed curled in his arms, her head resting against his shoulder as she caught her breath.

  “I'm sorry,” she started to pull away, but Chris tightened his arms just a little. Not enough to keep her from going if she wanted to go, but enough to let her know he wanted her to stay.

  “It's all right.” Chris dropped his cheek to the top of her head and marveled at how well she fit in his arms. “It's never a hardship to wrap my arms around a pretty girl.” Just as he hoped, she snorted then laughed.

  “You're full of it.”

  “Yes, I know, but the question is whether you think I'm full of charm or full of bullshit.”

  “I'm thinking probably both.” Her smile was dazzling, and the tiny drops of moisture still on her eyelashes only added to the sparkle in her eyes. He leaned closer, tired of fighting the urge to kiss her.

  7

  Rachel sat in the circle of Chris's arms, wondering exactly how she'd gotten here and why she didn't want to leave. Normally, she couldn't stand being too close to anyone, well, anyone she didn't know well. And to be touched or held tightly, that usually sent bolts of panic through her. But here in Chris's arms, it felt right somehow. Even when he laid his cheek on top of her head.

  “Yes, I know, but the question is whether you think I'm full of charm or full of bullshit.”

  She thought he was teasing but couldn't tell from his voice alone. Leaning back, she looked up at him and found a playful smile lighting his eyes. “I'm thinking probably both.”

  Chris’s banter was infectious and she couldn't help but respond in like as she smiled back. He leaned closer and the look in his eye changed, his gaze dropping to her mouth.

  Rachel hoped he was going to kiss her. Chris stopped a few inches away, and he glanced up at her eyes. Kiss him. Her dragon's voice whispered through her mind, pushing for what Rachel already wanted. Uncertain why he stopped, she closed the distance between them and closed her eyes as her lips touched his. A jolt of awareness shot through her body, and she wrapped one arm around him as he responded to her kiss, covering her mouth with his.

  Heat flooded her body and lust clouded her mind in a way she'd never experienced in all her life. Her dragon rose and rubbed along the inside of her body as if trying to rub up against Chris. Rachel noted that it was odd but not odd enough to pull her out of the moment or away from the intense rush she felt as her tongue tangled with Chris's. Without thinking about it, she pressed her body closer to his and wrapped one arm around his neck to pull him nearer.

  Chris pulled away and stared down at her a moment.

  “I should go.”

  “Why?” Rachel resisted the urge to curl her fingers into his skin an
d clothes to keep him from moving away.

  “It's getting late, and this isn't what I came for.” Chris gently slid her off his lap and moved back to the far end of the sofa. “I don't want to take advantage of the situation, or you, though I would like to get to know you better.”

  “I'd like to get to know you better, too.” Rachel reached across the empty space but stopped short of touching him. Make him stay. Her dragon wanted him too, but she didn't know how to convince him, and she wasn't going to beg. “Please stay.”

  Chris froze, watching her for several long seconds. “Are you sure this is what you want? I can go now and nothing will change, but if I stay, things may go even farther than they already have.” He watched her carefully, as if he didn't want to miss any small reaction.

  I hope things go farther, way farther. Rachel ignored her dragon and reached out to take Chris's hand. “I'm sure.” She took a deep breath and let it out while still meeting his gaze. “I have wanted you from the moment I first set eyes on you, before we'd even spoken.”

  “At the party?” Chris tilted his head to one side as he waited.

  “Yes.” Rachel glanced away. “I noticed you long before you spoke to me. I tried to ignore you and concentrate on what I was doing, but for some reason I couldn't.” She turned and met his gaze again. “It's only gotten worse since we spoke. I can't keep you out of my head. And my dragon won't stop pushing me toward you,” she sighed, “Please stay.”

  Chris's eyes narrowed when she mentioned her dragon. “Your dragon?”

  Rachel nodded.

  “Has she been more aggressive and possessive than usual? Making demands she doesn't normally?”

  “Yes,” Rachel frowned, wondering where Chris was going with this, “why?” something occurred to her. “Oh, has your wolf been doing the same?”

  “Very close. He's been demanding and restless when I'm not with you since I first scented you last night, and he wants to take a chunk out of my hide for trying to leave right now.”

  Rachel glanced away then looked askance at Chris. “You're gonna tell me this means what I think it does, aren't you?”

  “That depends,” Chris gave a careless shrug, “on what you think it is.”

  “You're going to make me say it, aren't you?” Rachel said with a small laugh.

  “Better you than me.” Chris met her gaze without hesitation.

  Rachel glanced away and gave a nervous laugh as she wondered why the words were so hard to say. “It means we're mates, doesn't it?” She didn't look back to him until after the words were out. She couldn't stand to see the look on his face if he rejected her.

  “I'm pretty sure it does. There's something more though, and I'm not sure what it means.” Chris frowned.

  “What is it?”

  “Last night at the party, I was drawn to you in a way I'd never experience before, it was really disconcerting. I've heard rumors but never experienced anything like it.”

  “I get that, it was the same for me.”

  “But here's the weird part,” his frown grew deeper, “you weren't the only one I was drawn to.”

  “You think you might have another mate?” Rachel frowned. A spike of jealousy shot through her. MINE, her dragon snarled. “I've never heard of someone having two mates. Is that a werewolf thing?”

  “Not that I know of. Besides, the other person I was drawn to was a man, and I don't swing that way. I don't care what anyone else does in their bedrooms but men don't do things for me.”

  “That is odd.” Rachel thought about it for several long seconds. “And you say the draw was the same?”

  “I wouldn't say it was the same, but I was drawn to you both. He doesn't haunt my thoughts the way you do, and my wolf didn't behave the same way, but I never spoke to him.” Chris ended with a shrug.

  “Tell me about him, what did he look like?”

  “Well, he was tall, muscled, I think he was younger than me, but you know how age is with the supernormal.”

  “I'm not sure who that is off hand.”

  “Oh, he was a wolf shifter.” Rachel narrowed her eyes.

  “Wait, a wolf shifter, there were only a few of those there last night. That narrows it down. Let me think about it for a while and see if we can figure it out. In the meantime,” she squeezed his hand, “I'd still like you to stay. We can talk more if you like and see where things go from there.”

  “If you're sure.” Chris slid back against the back of the couch and tugged her close.

  “I’m sure.” She took his hand and pulled him into the bedroom.

  8

  Chris was a bit off kilter. He hadn't planned to be in Rachel's bed, at least not yet, but as he lay on his back staring up at Rachel kneeling over him, he couldn't think of anywhere else he wanted to be. All thoughts of responsibility and the proper way to romance a mate vanished from his mind when her shirt slipped over her head. Every thought that wasn't about the woman above him disappeared when she reached behind her back and unhooked her bra before slipping it off her arms and tossing it aside.

  He licked his lips and pulled her closer as he rose to meet her. Chris couldn't wait to get her in his arms, to feel her against him and put his mouth on her smooth, soft skin. He swirled his tongue around her nipple before pulling it into his mouth and suckling hard.

  Rachel moaned and let her head fall back as she leaned forward and pushed one hand through his hair. Curling her fingers, she pulled him closer and arched her back, pressing her breast deeper into his mouth.

  Chris slid his hands down her torso, absorbing her heat and scent with every touch. The world seemed to disappear, nothing remaining but the two of them. When his hands hit the cloth of her pants, he kept going, moving over the material as he cupped her ass and ground his hips up against her core. His cock throbbed and swelled while his tongue swirled around the taught bud in his mouth. The urge to bite down hard, to mark her and make her his forever, was strong, but he held back. Do it. His wolf was all for the idea, but it was too soon. He and Rachel barely knew each other, and he knew werewolves were hard, nearly impossible, to live with. The last thing he wanted was to trap her into something that would make her miserable or worse, make her leave, making him miserable for the rest of his life.

  Rachel's fingers tugging at his hair, and her hips rocking against his, brought him back to the present. The taste of her skin was intoxicating, and he wanted more. He released one nipple only to move to the other and give it the same treatment. His hands skimmed her legs then went back to her butt, squeezing and kneading the handfuls of flesh.

  Clothing seemed to vanish in their passion and the next thing Chris knew they were skin to skin. They came together in a whirlwind of heavy breathing and slick sweat. It was a battle but Chris managed to keep his wolf from marking her as his own, at least not yet, not without her permission.

  As Chris lay, still breathing hard, with Rachel in his arms, he knew this was where he wanted to be for the rest of his life. The trick would be getting her to agree.

  9

  Rachel woke confused, unable to remember where she was, nor who the body next to her was. She was lying in her own bed, and there was someone there with her. An arm wrapped around her waist like a steel band, and a leg thrown over her own kept her where she was. Her heart raced and blood thundered in her ears as she tried to push the panic back and think.

  Slowly, the night before came back to her. Rachel didn’t know if it was because of the lack of sleep or that her sleep had been so deeply sound, but she couldn’t remember having dreamt the night before either.

  “Are you all right?” Chris's low, husky voice asked from behind her. A shiver passed through her body as flashes of the things they'd done together appeared in her mind. Her heart slowed, and the panic faded as soon as she remembered asking Chris to stay.

  “I am now.” Rachel wiggled away from him. “I'll be right back.” She slipped out of bed and went into the attached bathroom without turning on a light. Once the door clos
ed, she flipped on the light and used the restroom before going back to the bedroom. There, she found Chris sitting on the far edge of the bed. Without hesitation, she climbed up on the bed, crawled across it, and wrapped her arms around his torso as she set her chin on his shoulder. “What's up?”

  Chris turned and kissed her cheek. “Not much, I just thought we might get started.” He rubbed his cheek against hers. “We came up with a few new things to check last night, and I thought I'd help you check Ricky's rooms this morning while we have time.”

  “You don't have to do that.”

  “I know, but it's going to be difficult, and I want to be there for you... Besides, two pair of eyes might find something that one may miss.”

  “All right, I'll let you help.” Rachel sighed. “I guess this means we should get dressed?”

  “It's probably for the best. As much as I like you like this, I don't want anyone else to have the pleasure.” Chris reached back and pulled her around beside him before kissing her square on the mouth. Moving over her, he ran his hands along her body and deepened the kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

  Hot, passionate kisses quickly enflamed both their senses, and Rachel was more than ready when Chris pushed his hard length deep inside her. She cried out with pleasure at the phenomenal sensation of completion as they came together and shared their passion. Chris seemed to know exactly where, and how, to touch her to make every moment better than the last. Rachel’s body tightened with orgasm time and again until Rachel was certain she could take no more.