by L. P. Maxa
“We’ll be at Dom’s house tonight, all of us, including the boys. Come there.” All eyes jerked to Keller. As a group, their expressions said they were more than stunned he’d invited Brooks into the inner circle.
“We’ll be there.” And with that, Brooks hung up.
Linc slumped back in his chair and both Keller and Baze paused their pacing. Dom looked up at the ceiling, his hands resting on the top of his head. “I wish we’d already bought a bigger house. That way everyone could just stay together for the time being. There is safety in numbers.”
Baze pursed his lips. “Or, it’d be easier to take us all out at once. No one alive, no one can talk, seems to be Franklin’s M.O.”
“Between me, Dom, and Madden we have three houses on Faculty Row. McCormick has already upped security on campus. Maybe we should all plan to stay together on campus for the next week or so? Riley at Dom and Coop’s place, Jasper and Jace at my place and Linc at Madden’s.”
“Let’s split up the twins. Linc and Maddi can take one.” Dom got to his feet, pulling his phone out of his pocket.
Baze snorted. “Yeah, right. We put one of the twins with Linc and Madden, there will be a murder taking place for sure.”
Dom’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. “What? Why?”
“That’s right, you missed the drama last night.” Keller settled with his back against the wall. “Madden had some kind of hot flash from hell. It made her emit this scent that woke Jasper up from a dead sleep. The kid basically tried to rape her.” Dom’s eye grew wide. “And then, when Baze tried to get Jace to come help? He tried to go after her too. Linc almost demolished them both.”
“Holy fuck.” Dom turned to look at him. “You okay, man? Is Maddi okay?”
Linc nodded. “Yeah we’re both fine. I tried to convince her to stay home today, but she wasn’t hearing it. She thinks everything was triggered by the hot flash and apparently she could feel it coming on.”
“Because you haven’t completed the bond?” Dom glanced over at Keller. “That ever happen to Molly?”
Kel shook his head. “Nah, she never had that symptom. But it makes sense if you really think about it. It’s the claiming at work. What would set off a bonded male more than anything? Jealousy.” Keller let out a soft, humorless chuckle. “How bad did you want to claim her after all that happened?”
“In the moment? I would have thrown her against the wall and done it in front of everyone.” He shrugged. “After the craziness died down I just felt sort of exhausted. Until, of course, I walked into my bedroom and could smell Jasper and Jace all over her. Then I was wide awake again.”
“Did you complete the bond?” Dom placed his hands on the chair he vacated, leaning forward.
Linc shook his head. “No.”
Baze paused at the door. “You need to. We have enough shit to deal with right now. We don’t need the added worry that you’ll kill one of the kids. Or that they’ll go after each other out of jealousy. This is getting out of hand.”
Linc got to his feet, his shoulders square. “She’s not ready.”
“She’s about to not have a choice.” Baze pulled open the door.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Linc had the sudden urge to jump over his desk and knock Baze out.
He looked over his shoulder, not even bothering to turn around all the way. “We’ll put it to a vote.” And then he walked away. Dropped the mic and strode away.
Linc’s heart was hammering in his chest. “You can’t put me claiming my mate to a fucking vote. Is he insane? She’s not even pack, not yet. What you guys say has no effect on her whatsoever. Hell, half of what I say doesn’t even register with that woman.” There was no way Baze was serious. A claiming was not something they could force on them. If Madden wasn’t ready, Linc wouldn’t take her. End of fucking story.
Keller and Dom shared a look, but it was Dom that spoke. “I get where you’re coming from Linc, I do. But Baze is right too.”
Linc scoffed. “How the fuck do you figure?”
“Those boys go after her, go after each other? That’s a big problem. Someone could die, man.” Keller shook his head sadly. “You want the death of a kid on your hands? I sure as hell don’t. Not to mention the fact we invited the FBI back onto our campus.”
“Jasper and Jace might not technically be pack, but they’re pretty damn close. Their wellbeing matters as much as Riley’s. Especially to my mate.” Dom headed toward the door. “If something happened to one of those guys, Corey will lose her mind. And you heard Maddi, stress on Corey is stress on our baby.”
Linc sat back down in his chair, keeping silent as Dom and Keller quietly left his office.
Fuck. Today was a damn shit show if he ever saw one.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Madden
She’d made it until two o’clock without incident. She’d managed to complete a dozen more physicals and had a nice easy lunch with one of her oldest friends. They didn’t talk about her being Linc’s mate, and they didn’t talk about what happened to Riley. They simply caught up and laughed. It was exactly what each of them needed.
But then, as she finished her last exam for the day, she started to feel heat settle at the base of her spine. She instantly knew what was coming. She rushed through, not sure if the kid in front of her was shifter or not, getting him out of her office as quickly as possible. Then she packed her stuff and bolted back across campus to her house. Luckily since she rode home with Baze yesterday and rode into work with Linc, her car was still parked in the front faculty lot.
Now she was standing in her kitchen, her head in the freezer, sipping on a chilled glass of pinot. She was still hot, and she was sure her face was flushed red. But at least here in the freezer, the heat was manageable.
“Madden?”
“In here.” She took another sip. Linc had happened to call when she was running out the door to her car. When she told him what was going on, he insisted on meeting her at her house. She hadn’t argued with him, because truth be told, she missed him. She wanted to see him.
She felt her body start to relax when he slipped his arms around her waist, putting his face next to hers in the icebox. “Whatcha doin’?”
She shrugged, nonchalantly. “Enjoying an incredibly chilled glass of wine after a long day of work.”
He kissed her neck, smiling against her heated skin. “You need something from me baby?”
She turned in his embrace, casually resting against the refrigerator like it was the most natural thing in the world. “Yes.” Her admission shocked them both. She’d meant to say something sarcastic, something witty. But instead, that one little word slipped past her lips. The worst part was, it wasn’t a lie. She did need him. She craved him.
His eyes narrowed. “Are you okay? Are you hurting?” His gazed traveled the length of her body, like he was checking her for injuries.
She shook her head. “No, no pain. I just…” This wasn’t who she was. She wasn’t the girl that begged the guy. She wasn’t clingy. She wasn’t possessive. She’d never missed a man, ever. She wasn’t ready to hand her life, her freewill, to him. But part of her was feeling ready to hand over her heart. He deserved that much. He truly did. Over the past two days the playful player had started to transform before her eyes. He had a serious side that she was sure few had ever witnessed. He was like a chameleon, constantly changing to be who and what she needed in that moment. “I missed you today.”
His hands cupped her face, his gaze searching hers. “I missed you too, baby.” He placed sweet kisses on her lips. “It was about thirteen hours this time. It’s been that long since the last time I was inside you.” His words made heat pool in her core for an entirely different reason.
He pulled his shirt off, tossing it to the side, and then stepped out of his athletic shorts. In seconds he was standing in front of her, naked and on display. He took her hand in his, dragging her away from the safety of the cool air and toward her bedroom. The h
ot flashes were no joke; she was almost afraid to leave the freezer.
He stripped her of her clothes, goose bumps instantly covering her flushed skin when it was exposed to the cool air. Linc dropped to his knees, helping her step out of her panties. He pushed her legs further apart, covering her core with his mouth, moaning against her clit. “I’ll never be able to get enough of your taste.” He placed kisses on his way back up her body, pushing her backward, laying her out on her bed. Without her asking, he opened her nightstand and grabbed a condom, slipping it on wordlessly.
Tears pricked the back of her eyes again. She couldn’t help it. He knew she still wasn’t ready, and he wasn’t pushing her. He didn’t even question it. She took a deep breath as he entered her. She’d realized in that moment, she’d never trusted another man the way she trusted Linc. She arched her neck, biting her lower lip, and then whispered his name. She grabbed his ass, trying to speed up his movements. She was feeling too much. The slow and sensual fucking felt way too much like making love. “Linc. Harder.”
He pulled back, slowing down even more so he could look at her. “We have time, baby. I’m not leaving this pussy until it’s time to go to dinner.” He dipped down, placing wet kisses along the column of her neck.
She took a deep breath, her chest suddenly feeling tight. “Linc.” She closed her eyes, trying to steady her erratic pulse. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t have him love her like this for the next three hours. She’d break. She knew she would. It was too much heart, too much emotion. “Please, I can’t, you’ve got to…”
He dropped his forehead to her collarbone, stopping his movement completely. He pushed himself up on his arms, peering down at her. He must have seen the fear in her eyes, the rapid pulse in her neck. “You want to be fucked, Madden?”
She nodded, grateful for the smirk that had taken over the adoration on his handsome face.
He pulled out then surged back in, hard. His hip bones drove into her thighs. “This what you want, baby?”
In reality, no, a hard fuck wasn’t what she wanted. It was what she needed. It was all she could handle. All she could stand.
He rested all his weight on one forearm, his free hand going to the base of her neck. He squeezed, gently. “You want rough, I can give you rough, Madden. I can fuck you senseless. I can make you scream. I can fuck you until you’re shaking.” He continued to drive into her, his hand on her throat. She couldn’t contain her moans; she could barely wrap her mind around what he was saying to her. He was giving her exactly what she needed: utter distraction. He rose up on his knees, one hand on her neck, one hand pushing her thigh further toward the mattress. Opening her even more, making her take everything he had. She bit her lip so hard she punctured the skin.
When Linc saw what she’d done to herself his pupils dilated, his eyes becoming darker than she’d ever seen them. He swooped down, taking her flesh into his mouth, sucking at the blood that had pooled there. He growled; his grip on her thigh became punishing. She loved every second of it. She never wanted it to end. “Fuck, Linc. Yes.”
“I can do this for hours, fuck you until you’re begging me to stop.” He moved his mouth to the shell of her ear, panting, making chills rush down her spine. “But what you’re feeling for me will still be there when we’re done, Madden. You want me to love you, you want to be my forever.” He kissed her jaw. “You’re my girl. And no amount of hard fucks is going to change that.” He pulled back, sliding into her slowly once again. Moving on top of her like silk. “Just let go, baby.”
She opened her eyes, a tear escaping as she shattered around him, her body contracting around his in wave after wave of pleasure. Linc groaned as he pulsed his release inside her so hard she came again.
Linc rolled them to the side, leaving only for as long as it took him to throw away the condom. When he climbed back in bed, he wrapped her in his arms.
She didn’t protest.
He was right.
She was his.
Chapter Thirty
Madden
“Madden?”
“Yeah?” Her eyes were closed, her cheek on his chest listening to the steady beat of his heart. They’d been lying together, silent and still for about thirty minutes now.
“Tell me what happened to you. Tell me why you don’t want forever with me.”
She hated the sadness in his voice, but she did owe him an explanation. He’d been patient, and he hadn’t pried. It was time, though. Their connection was undeniable, her feelings for him only growing stronger every time they came together. Literally and figuratively.
She took a deep breath and then began. “I grew up in a really happy household. My dad was an attorney and my mom stayed at home. She had dinner on the table every night at six-thirty sharp. The house was always spotless, the errands always run, laundry done daily. Without fail. She came on every field trip, was at every after-school event. She was like a superhero to me. I wanted to be her when I grew up. I wanted kids. I wanted a husband, and I wanted to take care of them.”
He brushed the hair back from her face, kissing her forehead. “What changed?”
“One day, when I was fourteen, I stayed home from school with a cold. My mom was out running errands. Picking up groceries, my dad’s dry cleaning, her usual stuff.” She started drawing circles on his stomach, distracting herself. “I was feeling better and I was bored, so I went on a walk. We lived in a large old Victorian close to the town square and this little ice cream shop was close enough for me to get there on foot.” She wouldn’t cry. She refused. “I passed by an alley and I saw my dad’s car. He was pulled all the way in. I don’t even know why I looked back there.” She closed her eyes, remembering the green dumpster that was partially blocking his vehicle. “Anyway, I saw him in the backseat, kissing a woman that definitely wasn’t my mother. I threw up on the sidewalk and ran all the way home in tears.”
“I’m so sorry. That must have been awful.” He kissed her head again, wrapping his arms around her tighter.
“That wasn’t the worst part.” If only it had been. “It took me weeks to work up the courage to tell my mom what I saw. And when I did? She pretty much laughed in my face. She told me she knew, she’d always known. She just didn’t care. My dad was a good provider, a good father. She said that was just the way things went, and then she told me to keep my mouth shut about what I’d seen.”
“Are you serious?” Linc drew away so he could see her face.
She nodded. “Yep.” She sent him a small smile. “I was so disgusted with both of them, I could barely look at them over the dinner table. Every time my dad was late for supper, I’d get this horrible feeling in my stomach. Every time my mom went out of her way to do something special for him, I cringed.”
“No wonder happily ever after sounds like a shit deal to you.”
“I went from wanting to be like her to never wanting to be like her. I refused to spend my life loving a man, taking care of a man, who would only fuck me over in the end.” She propped her head on her hand. “I decided at the age of fourteen that I would take a different path. I wanted adventure and freedom. I was never going to fall in love. Why fall for something that doesn’t exist?”
“We aren’t all that different, Madden.” Linc mirrored her posture, both of them facing each other head on. “I came from a happy home, and it’s still a happy home. My parents are so sweet together they’ll give you a toothache. But I grew up wanting something different, wanting something more.” He reached up and tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear. “My reasons may have stemmed from somewhere else, but we both wanted the same thing out of our lives.” He smiled. “The universe knew what it was doing, baby.”
She scoffed. “How do you figure?”
He cupped her cheek in his hand, his grin growing even bigger. “I’ll be your biggest adventure, and you can be mine.”
Yep. She was a goner. When cheese-ball lines started to make tears swell in your eyes? Your life was officially no longer
your own. “Linc.”
“I’ll never hurt you, Madden. I’ll never betray you. I’ll never leave you. I’ll never—”
“That’s not how love works. You don’t set out wanting to hurt each other but… You can’t promise something like that. No one can.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, baby.” His eyes lit up with an excitement she didn’t understand. “I’m not just any guy. I’m a shifter. Don’t you get it? I can’t hurt you. My heart, my brain, my soul, my whatever, it won’t allow me to harm you, ever, in any way. You are mine. You are made for me. There is no one else that will ever make me feel the way you make me feel. You are my forever.”
She knew all about shifter bonding, but hearing those words out of Linc’s mouth was something entirely different. She believed them. For the first time, she actually believed them. There was a calmness that settled in her bones. Linc was her person. Linc was who she’d spend the rest of her life loving. But did forever have to start today? “Can we still wait? Just a little bit longer?”
He bit his lips together, nodding, but not answering her out loud.
“Does that make you mad?” Had she upset him? She wasn’t trying to. There was a lot going on in his pack right now. And only moments ago she had realized that Linc was what she wanted for the rest of her life. She needed time for the crazy to die down. She could only handle so much at once.
He shook his head. “No, not at all.” He placed a sweet kiss on her lips. “Let’s get through tonight at Dom and Corey’s house, and then we’ll go from there. Okay?”
She felt like there was something he wasn’t telling her. Something he wasn’t saying. But she wouldn’t push. They didn’t have time anyway. There was some mob lackey running around campus beating the shit out of kids.
That took priority.
Chapter Thirty-One
Linc
He’d walked to Dom’s house with Madden’s hand in his. He knew that she’d accepted their relationship, their future. He could see the change in her eyes, in the way she looked at him. He’d made love to her, and then she’d opened her heart. She told him about her childhood, which explained so much.
