Wyatt had known there was a distinct possibility that over time the town of Silvertip would discover Antoine had other victims, but finding out this sweet innocent woman who was Wyatt’s mate had been one of them was almost more than he could bear. How many more women had been tortured and raped by Antoine? Why did he never claim any of them, forcing them to bind? Forcing someone to bind was against Arcadian law, but so was rape. Antoine had proven he had no scruples. Why didn’t he bind to one of his victims along the way?
Perhaps he didn’t want to be strapped down to one person.
Perhaps he wanted to remain free to fuck and rape his way across the province.
Underneath all those thoughts and questions was another problem. How was Paige going to handle the stress when she found out she was not Antoine’s only victim? In fact, one of Antoine’s other victims was Wyatt’s brother Isaiah’s mate, Heather. It was going to be difficult for Paige to swallow that knowledge. Later. Not yet.
Wyatt shook the questions from his head, focusing on the woman in his arms as she slowly settled, her stiff body loosening. Her breaths evened out. Her fists released their tight grip. A sigh eventually left her lips. Finally, she slept.
He didn’t move. He would hold her while she slept, perhaps provide some comfort in her rest.
It was going to be difficult, a steep road ahead, but they would survive this. He would get her the help she needed, or if she refused, at least be the shoulder she needed for now. She probably thought no man could endure knowing that saga, but she was wrong.
She was his.
He would never leave.
Never.
For hours he held her, watched her breathe, felt her pulse, sheltered her small frame from the pain. The sun was peeking through the edges of the blinds when she stirred.
For a moment, she wiggled in his lap, and then her eyes shot open, and two seconds later, she bolted off his thighs and scrambled to put some distance between them. She gasped several times and settled on her ass next to him, staring at him, blinking, licking her lips. “How long was I asleep?”
“It’s almost morning,” he responded.
She glanced around, frantic. “Gavin. Oh God. He must be so worried.”
Wyatt reached for her but decided not to touch her yet. “He’s fine. I sent my mom over to tell him you’re okay.”
Her chest rose and fell, her eyes wider and wild. Finally, she lowered her gaze to her lap and blew out a breath. She shivered again. She’d been warm in his arms, but she was cold again now that reality was sinking in.
“How about if I draw you a bath? I have a fantastic tub with jets. You could soak awhile in hot water and work out the kinks.”
She nodded. “That would be nice.”
He slid off the bed and made his way to the bathroom even though he hated to leave her alone even for a moment. After stopping up the tub and starting the water, he returned. She still sat in the same position, staring at her lap and fidgeting with the edge of her pale pink shirt. It was wrinkled and askew.
Moving slowly so that he wouldn’t frighten her with sudden movements, he took her hand. “Come on. I promise you’ll feel better after a soak.”
She slid off the bed and let him lead her to the bathroom. He pulled a fluffy white towel from the linen closet and set it on the edge of the tub. After testing the water with his hand, he pointed to the opposite side. “There’re bubbles, but if you tell anyone, I’ll deny it,” he teased to lighten the tense mood in the room.
She simply nodded.
The only reason he owned bubble bath was because he’d purchased several items for her over the last few months in the hopes she would one day be in his home suddenly needing a toothbrush and shampoo. All of those things were present also, but he didn’t say anything. She would find them.
“Okay, I’ll leave you and go make coffee. If you need anything, just reach out to me.”
“’K. Thank you.” She didn’t make eye contact, but that didn’t surprise him.
He left the room, allowing her to have some privacy. She needed it before he hammered her with questions. She would need to wrap her mind around everything she’d told him and process how she felt. He would give her that.
He headed first to the hall bathroom and took a quick shower. When he returned to his own room in a towel to grab clean clothes, he could hear the soft roar of the jets in the tub.
Dressed in his usual jeans and a navy T-shirt with his brewery logo on the front, he headed next for the kitchen. He was tired. His body was stiff. It was going to be a long day, but he needed to make sure Paige was okay and that she understood where he stood—which was by her side all the way.
He started the coffee next and leaned against the sink to wait for it as his phone buzzed on the counter where he’d dropped it last night.
He recognized the number as a Calgary area code and answered. “Hello?”
“Hey, it’s Gavin.”
“Hi. Did my mom come over last night?”
“Yes. She was very sweet. Is Paige okay?”
“Yes. She’s in the bathroom right now. I’ll have her call you when she’s more alive.” He tried to sound light. Wyatt hardly knew her, but he knew enough to realize she wasn’t a morning person. That would not have escaped Gavin’s attention.
Gavin gave a short chuckle, but it was strained. “Good luck with that. It’s early. She doesn’t do early.”
“Yeah, I’m figuring that out.” As well as so many other things. It was awkward speaking to Gavin like this. After all, Wyatt was completely aware that Gavin wasn’t really Paige’s boyfriend. And, obviously, Gavin would also be aware he wasn’t her boyfriend. But the fact that neither of them had voiced this truth made it feel particularly awkward that Paige had clearly spent the night at Wyatt’s house—not with her fake boyfriend. Nothing could be more convoluted, and yet neither man mentioned the weird pile of facts.
There was a short silence before Gavin spoke again. “I’m worried about her. She’s…vulnerable. You’d tell me if something serious was wrong, right? She doesn’t stay out all night, Wyatt. Ever. I mean never.”
Wyatt softened his voice. “I know. And I’ll never take that for granted.”
Another pause.
Wyatt continued, “There are a lot of things that need to be said, but I’d rather not say anything behind her back, ya know? I mean, could you give me some more time to talk to her, and then I’ll let you have her?”
“Of course. I understand. As long as she’s safe. I don’t know you at all, Wyatt, but she’s the most important person in my life and always will be. I’m trusting you to do the right thing by her. I get a good vibe about you, and I’ve encouraged her to reach out to you repeatedly, so don’t make me regret that.”
“I promise.” Wyatt smiled. Gavin was a good man. He deserved happiness too. Wyatt hoped one day he could fix his own issues and live authentically. But for now, Wyatt was only concerned with Paige. “I’ll have her call you.”
“Thanks.”
Wyatt set the phone down and reached for the mugs, almost dropping one when Paige reached tentatively into his mind. “I would be forever beholden to you if you would bring me coffee.”
He chuckled into her mind. “On it. Can you smell it?”
“Yes. Light sugar. Light cream or milk or whatever you have.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
He fixed her coffee and his own—black—and headed toward the master bedroom. The jets were still running behind that door, and he took a deep breath, wondering how the hell he was going to keep his dick under control knowing she was naked in his tub and covered with bubbles.
Tucking his mug between his forearm and his chest, he knocked softly. “You want me to bring it in?”
“Unless you want me to start shaking from lack of caffeine, yes.”
Damn.
He turned the knob and gave the door a little push before wrapping his fingers around his mug and entering.
She stared up at him fro
m piles of bubbles. “Bless you.”
“If I’d known the way to your heart was through coffee, I would have pushed harder to get you to notice me months ago,” he teased, setting his mug on the counter and then handing her the doctored cup.
She took the coffee and sipped it tentatively to test the heat before moaning around several drinks. “Heaven.”
He smiled down at her, figuring his grin was too wide and goofy, but not caring.
She nodded to the side of the tub when she had finally apparently gotten enough sips in to come alive. “Why do you have women’s shampoo, soap, and bubble bath?”
He grinned even wider. “Yeah, I uh, bought them.”
She lifted a brow. “I would accuse you of inviting all sorts of random women over and pampering them in the mornings, except that none of these products has ever been opened.”
He reached for his coffee, took a sip, and then sat on one thigh on the edge of the tub. “Maybe I put out new ones every time I have a female guest.” He dipped the tips of his fingers in the bubbles and trailed them absently along the edge of the tub, not touching her, but making her suck in a breath. He pulled his hand back and wiped his fingers on his jeans.
When he met her gaze again, he found her staring at him, her bottom lip between her teeth, her expression serious.
He lifted his hand to her face and cupped her cheek. She flinched, but only for half a second before letting out a slow breath. Her hair hung in wet ringlets over her shoulders. It smelled like raspberries and vanilla, matching the picture on the bottle of shampoo. “I like that scent in your hair. Figured I would.”
She sank her teeth deeper into her bottom lip, her clear blue eyes wide as she tipped her head back to meet his gaze more fully. When she released her lip, her voice was gravelly. “When did you buy this stuff, Wyatt?”
“About three months ago.”
“I lived in Calgary three months ago. We’d met three times.”
“Ever the hopeful romantic, I guess.” He didn’t drop her gaze.
She lifted a hand out of the water and settled it over his at her cheek. “I don’t deserve you.”
“And yet you have me anyway.”
Her eyes glanced back and forth between his, and she licked her lips.
If she didn’t stop running her tongue along those full lips, he was going to lose his chivalry. There were a lot of things he could handle, but that habit of hers was testing his control.
She squirmed in the water. “You better get out of here so I can dry off.”
He continued to look at her for several moments before releasing her face reluctantly and standing. “Breakfast?”
She shook her head. “It’s still nighttime in my world. I can’t eat yet. The coffee is fine for now.”
He nodded and backed out of the room.
His cock was harder than ever. Nothing was going to convince it to stand down. That entire exchange had shocked him. Where was the shy, sad woman who’d broken down in his lap hours ago? The same women who had wanted coffee bad enough to permit him to come into the bathroom while she was naked in his tub. He shouldn’t read so much into it.
He settled on the couch in the living room with more coffee, trying not to fidget while he listened to her rustling around in his bedroom. She made little noise, but shifters had above-average hearing.
When he realized she was in the room, he lifted his gaze.
And nearly dropped his mug.
She inched toward him wearing nothing but one of his white T-shirts. Her legs went on and on forever beneath the hem even though she was far shorter than him and the shirt reached halfway down her thighs. The points of her nipples were not hidden. He had no idea if she wore panties under the shirt, but that detail didn’t keep him from almost coming in his pants.
“I borrowed a shirt.”
He nodded. “I see that. And you’re welcome to anytime.”
She headed for his kitchen area with her empty mug while he watched the backside of her. Fuck him. This was above and beyond what Nature intended. Grizzly shifters could not be expected to endure this kind of torture and remain seated.
Her ass was fucking hot in the usual jeans he saw her in, but swaying beneath his shirt, it was sexy as hell. The shirt rose a few inches as she prepared another cup of coffee, and then she turned around and headed in his direction. She aimed for the corner of the sectional two feet from him and climbed up, tucking her legs under her and making herself look much younger than her twenty-four years.
Her hair was still damp and hung in long wavy curls around her shoulders, several locks dancing over her breasts. Drips of water landed on her shirt, not helping matters out at all.
He needed to adjust his stiff length but didn’t dare move an inch.
After a few seconds, she looked at him. “Sorry about last night.”
“Babe, don’t be.”
She nodded. “Still, that was a lot of detail. You weren’t expecting it.”
They needed to face this head on and get it out of the way, so he didn’t hesitate to bring it to the forefront. “And you weren’t expecting to walk into the Tarben home and find a picture of Antoine on the mantel, either.”
“Is that his name? Antoine? Beth said it, but I didn’t remember.”
“Yes. You didn’t know?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I never knew his name. He was just some guy in my mother’s class. I knew he was a shifter, but I didn’t even know he was from Silvertip.” She took a deep breath. “He’s in custody you said?”
Wyatt turned his body to more fully face her and inched closer. “Yes. Forever.” He set an arm on the back of the couch, his fingers extending closer to her shoulder but not touching. He held her gaze and took a deep breath. “We need to turn this in, babe.”
She lowered her gaze, nodding slightly.
“It won’t change anything, but the Arcadian Council needs to know for their records.”
“Okay.” Her voice was weak, understandably. When she lifted her face again, she swallowed. “It seems weird.”
“What seems weird?”
“I spent a decade keeping this secret, and now that I’ve told it, it no longer seems quite so horrifying to tell it again.”
“I’m sure that’s normal.” He ached for her so deeply it caused his chest to tighten.
“Will you call them for me? The Arcadian Council, I mean? I’m not ready to talk about this again yet, but I agree they should be informed.”
“Of course.” He lowered his voice. “Your parents deserve to know too.”
She nodded, dipped her face again, and whispered, “I’m really fucked up, Wyatt.”
“I know, babe. And we’ll get through it.”
Slight nodding. “I don’t want this to be your problem. It’s too much to ask.”
“You didn’t ask. And you’ll never have to ask me for anything because it’s already yours automatically. Anything you need. Anything I can give, I will.”
A tear was running down her cheek when she lifted her face. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
“Do what? Live your life? Move on? Love?”
Her eyes were so damn sad. “Yes.”
“We’re going to do it together.”
Another tear. He would endure so many more in the coming weeks because she needed to purge years of suffering in silence. “I’m not whole. I can’t be what you need. It’s not fair to you. I didn’t tell you all that because I wanted your sympathy. Or your help. I told you so you’d realize why I’m not emotionally available. I’m not right for you. I’m not right for anyone.”
He scooted closer, still not touching her, but close enough to reach out when the time was right. “You don’t have to be anything, Paige. You just are. And you’re mine. So, let’s get that part out of the way so we can move forward. There’s nothing you can say or do to make me turn away from you. It will never happen. And whatever you need from me, you’ll have it. Whatever time and space you need, it’s yours. We
fight this demon together. Starting right now, it’s not yours to bear alone. It’s mine now too.”
She swallowed and wiped several tears from her face with her fingers. “Stop being so…perfect.”
He smiled. “I’m far from perfect, but I do my best.”
He let her sit in silence again. “I wasn’t alone,” she finally admitted.
“Gavin.”
She nodded.
“Is he the only one who knew?”
“Yes.”
“How did he know?”
“He arrived at the tree house as…Antoine was leaving. He saw him shift.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah. As if that weren’t bad enough, he couldn’t even confront that weird new dimension in his world for a while because he had to deal with his best friend who was scrunched in the corner of the tree house naked from the waist down after being raped.”
“And you never told anyone? Why?”
Her voice was high pitched when she straightened her spine and spoke. “That fucker threatened my family, Wyatt. My best friend. I was a kid. I felt responsible for luring him there and flirting with him.”
“You realize you weren’t responsible, right?”
“Yes. But it took me several years to get there.”
“With no help?”
“I had Gavin.”
“He’s not a psychiatrist.”
“He could be for all the research he did on the subject.”
Wyatt nodded, trying hard not to be too critical of her best friend. “How did you get him to keep the secret? He’s so protective of you. I would think he would have insisted on getting you help.”
“He had his own secret. It was a trade. We made a deal.”
Ahhh. Now things were falling into place. “You already knew he was gay.”
“Of course. But no one else did. We were close. His parents…they would never support his lifestyle, so he hid it from them.”
“And you pretended the two of you were an item to keep people from thinking he was gay and keep men at arm’s length from you at the same time.”
“Exactly.”
Wyatt tried to process the depth of this knowledge and what it meant for the two of them. Paige had never been with a man in any way, shape, or form. Her only relationship was pretend. It meant his dick needed to stay in his pants for now.
Grizzly Promise_A Werebear Shifter Romance Page 12
