His fierceness terrified and excited me. Before I could let his words sink in, his hand snaked around to the back of my head and pulled me roughly towards him. When his lips met mine, firm and determined, I was more shocked than anything. My eyes were still wide open, but as my body shuddered at his touch, I sighed and relaxed into him for the first time. His mouth softened against mine and after all that had happened, I couldn't hold back from the connection to the one thing I had so stubbornly withheld from myself. The only thing, the only person, I truly wanted.
As I moaned into him and parted my lips to his, he growled against me and plunged his tongue into mine. I felt desired, needed, and devoured all at once. It was the most intense moment of my life. I kissed him back with a wild abandon, blurring anything and everything else from my mind. There was only Patrick, and my need for him was all-consuming. My lungs burned from the lack of oxygen, causing me to pull back, panting heavily, and sucking in air as I tried to regain some semblance of composure.
Running my tongue across my lips I felt them plump and swollen from his kiss. Staring into his eyes, I was taken aback from the pure desire showing there, and I knew he had been holding back for me. That thought was the only thing that shook me from my lust-induced fog that only saw and wanted my mate. I had valid reasons for keeping my distance. They may have been more from fear than desire, but they were important.
Not wanting to see the disappointment in his beautiful blue eyes once again, I slowly lowered myself back down and repositioned myself next to him, unable to completely deny him or lose the connection I so desperately craved and wouldn't allow myself to have.
He took a deep breath and kissed the top of my head as he played with the tips of my hair, inadvertently rubbing my mid-back in the process. It felt so good, so right. Combined with the steady beating of his heart, I let it lull me into sleep.
Waking with a start, I stared around the room, quickly pulling my arms to me. My heart was racing and there were little beads of sweat covering my body. I gulped in air as anxiety enveloped me.
“Motel. No threat, no handcuffs,” a deep voice rumbled from behind me, and I felt strong arms tighten around me.
In my heightened paranoia I didn't at first recognize them, but my body seemed to and began relaxing before I realized what was happening.
“Patrick?” I whispered.
“I'm here, love. Try and get a little more sleep.”
It wasn't long before we both realized that wasn't going to happen.
“Maybe we should just get on the road,” I suggested.
“Yeah, let's go. No doubt your brother is freaking out by now.”
“You didn't call him?”
“Lost my cell phone when I shifted in the woods. Lost your keys, too. Sorry.”
“How did we get here exactly, then?”
He gave me a smirky smile that made my body warm all over. “I didn't want to risk taking you back to that place. So I carried you back to the parking lot and broke into your car and hot-wired it. I just had to get you as far away from there as possible. The rational side of me knew I should talk to the police and tell them you were okay, but my wolf and I were not thinking rationally.”
“So my family doesn't know where I am or that I'm safe?”
“No.” He cringed as he thought it through.
“Phone,” I said, holding out my hand and waiting for him to pass me the hotel phone on the nightstand next to him.
He set it on his chest and I quickly dialed Dad's number.
“Hello?”
“Dad? It's E. I'm okay and we're coming home.”
I could hear muffled voices on the other end before Mom grabbed the phone away.
“Elise? Baby, is that really you?”
“I'm here, Mom. And I'm fine. Patrick made sure of it.”
At some point they must have put me on speaker phone.
“Patrick's with you?” I heard Kyle ask.
“Yeah, he got me away from there.”
“E, what happened?”
I choked up and couldn't talk. Patrick was watching me closely and slowly took the phone from my shaking hand.
“Kyle? It's Patrick. Sorry I didn't phone sooner. I had to get her away from there and make certain she was safe first.” He sounded apologetic, but also like he knew Kyle would understand, and I guessed if anyone would, it would be my brother. Mating males were not exactly well known for rational thinking when their mates were in trouble.
“We're only about two hours out. I'll explain everything when we get there. In the meantime, tighten up security around San Marco. The Bulgarians were behind this.”
I could hear my brother drop an F-bomb through the phone. It was so out of character for him that it made me giggle nervously.
Patrick quirked one eyebrow at me and I snorted, trying to hold back a full laugh, and smacked him lightly. My playful gesture took some of his worry away as he said goodbye and hung up with my brother.
“Come on, let's hit the road. I think Kyle may have a firing squad waiting for me. I should have called him the second you were safe. I just wasn't thinking about him, only you.” He smiled apologetically and brushed a stray piece of hair behind my ear.
“Can I take a quick shower first?”
His face flushed and his cheeks started spotting red as he looked between me and the bathroom door before nodding. I didn't need to hear his thoughts to understand what he was thinking. I shook my head, laughed, and headed for the bathroom. It felt good, yet wrong, to laugh at a time like that.
I turned on the hot water and watched as the room began to steam. I stripped and stepped into the shower. As the water cleansed me, the emotions of the day overwhelmed me and I sunk to the floor crying. It was a cleansing cry, and as I pulled myself back together, I felt better and stronger because of it and knew I was going to be okay.
Toweling off, I realized I only had my dirty clothes. Wrapped in the towel, I opened the door and stuck my head out. Patrick wasn't there, but a clean set of clothes laid on the bed, waiting for me. I wondered briefly as I began to dress how I had gotten so lucky in the mate department.
Halfway through pulling my shirt on, I froze. My mate. Patrick O'Connell was my mate. It was the first time I had really allowed that thought to sink in. He cared about me. He wanted to protect me. In my time of need, I had let him. I had not considered for one second anything else. When I wasn't stubbornly fighting our destiny, it was so easy to just be with him.
I had let him kiss me. Was it too much? Had I gone too far in kissing him back? All of my fears and concerns were still there, but were they as important today as they had seemed yesterday? I didn't have time to digest it all before a little knock came on the door. I tugged my shirt down the rest of the way and waited as he peeked his head inside.
“Ready?” he asked, flashing me a gorgeous smile.
“Just a sec,” I said, as I ran back to the bathroom and quickly gathered my dirty clothes. Looking around the room, I realized I didn't have anything else.
Patrick escorted me to the passenger door. It felt kind of odd. It was my car and I hadn't considered not driving, but as he opened the door and waited, I couldn't bring myself to argue it either. My car was my baby, and I rarely ever let anyone drive her. A black Ford Mustang convertible I had been given for my sixteenth birthday and nearly a decade later, she still ran like new and I couldn't imagine ever parting with her.
Patrick rummaged some loose wires that were hanging around his knees. Suddenly a small spark ignited when he pressed two of them together and she roared to life.
I gasped. “You are fixing her the second we get home!” I rubbed the dashboard. “I'm so sorry, baby, he's going to make it all better soon. I'll never let him hurt you like that again.”
Patrick stared at me like I'd lost my mind and laughter filled the car. I couldn't stop the grin that spread across my face.
“Don't make fun of us. Betsy and I have been through a lot.”
“Betsy?”<
br />
I nodded.
“The car? You named the car Betsy?”
“Yes, her name is Betsy, and you are fixing that mess you made the second we get home.”
He continued to laugh as he pulled onto the highway and after a short argument over radio rights that I won, we settled into comfortable silence with country music playing in the background. From the occasional scowl on Patrick's face I could tell he was not a fan. If he truly wanted to be with me, he'd have to learn to live with it.
Patrick
Chapter 16
Elise was snoring lightly in the passenger seat, with a tiny bit of drool dribbled on her chin. The sight of her just made me happy inside. We hadn't talked about our bond. She hadn't accepted me as a mate, but last night something had changed between us and it gave me hope.
I was grateful she passed out. If I had to listen to one more song about a dog, a truck, or a cheating spouse, I might have ripped the radio out of Betsy and tossed it out the window.
Betsy? I chuckled. She had named her sports car Betsy. It made me realize I still had a lot to learn about my beautiful, elusive mate.
Pulling into the drive in front of the Alpha's house, I sighed, wondering how much heat I'd take for this. I also worried that Elise would continue to keep me at a distance, and I knew no matter what, the insatiable need to protect her would barely allow her to leave my sight.
I didn't have time to stress over it before the Westin family descended on us the moment the car was in park. Elise woke with a start, nearly tumbling out of the car as the door was flung open. I grabbed for her arm to keep her from falling out. She gave me a sleepy, thankful smile that flipped my heart in my chest.
“Is she okay? What's wrong with her?” Mary Westin demanded.
“Nothing. She had fallen asleep. Give her a little space and a few minutes to wake.” I tried to hold back the growl threatening from my agitated wolf with the commotion and excitement of our arrival.
A fresh layer of snow covered the mountainside of San Marco and the air was crisp as I stood and stretched. Liam and Chase descended on me quickly.
“What happened, dude?” Chase asked.
“Trackers arrived and couldn't find any sign of you. Then an anonymous call came in to the locals and they apprehended two foreigners. They couldn't substantiate the kidnapping, though there were enough signs that they believe that's where she was being kept,” Liam informed. “Why didn't you call and tell them she was safe sooner?”
“I'm sorry,” I said, throwing my hands up in warning for them to back off. “I had to get her to safety first. I knew the trackers were likely there, and I knew the Bulgarians wouldn't come after us, but I just had to get her away from there. I can't explain it, I just had to.”
“Relax, and back off boys. His mate was in danger, and a mating male rarely thinks rationally in such cases.”
A part of me was embarrassed by the description, but also grateful that Jason Westin seemed to understand where I was coming from.
“Dude, you had the trackers going crazy out there.”
“I'm sorry. Really, I'm sorry, but she's fine, and that's all that matters to me.”
Elise looked back and gave me a wary smile as the women fussed over her and escorted her into the house. The second she was out of sight, my wolf began to panic. It must have shown on my face too, because when Kyle came around the car to lay into me on everything I had done wrong in the last twenty-four hours, his father interceded.
“Kyle, he's a mating male. Give him space, and get him in the house quickly. He needs to stay near your sister for now. I can feel how on edge his wolf is with her out of sight.”
They shared a knowing look and I was escorted into the house. Elise was sitting on the large sofa surrounded by her mother and sisters. I was grateful for them, but I needed to touch my mate and assure my wolf she was fine.
“Lily, move and let Patrick have that spot.” I looked at her father in surprise, but he smiled and nodded. “I was a mating male once before, you know. We don't need any unnecessary trouble today. Do what you need to calm yourself.”
I raised an eyebrow at him. The only thing that would absolutely calm my wolf would be to complete the mating bond with his daughter and I knew that wasn't happening anytime soon.
The older man pursed his lips and bit back a grin before clapping me on the shoulder as I lowered next to my mate. I was grateful the Westin family seemed okay with me for Elise. I hadn't discussed it with her father and had never been around her and her family together before. It felt natural, like I belonged, and no one seemed to mind me there.
Elise's back was towards me, but our legs touched at the thighs and that alone began to settle my agitated wolf. As Lily moved to sit on the floor in front of her, Elise shifted to face the women and, likely without realizing it, she settled easily against me. I kept my arm on the back of the sofa, fighting my instincts to wrap it around her waist and pull her even closer to me. I knew she needed her space, but her actions were more accepting than her words and I was elated that as the day progressed and she filled everyone in on our adventures, that she seemed to naturally mold into my side and it just felt right.
After answering everyone's questions and the excitement died down, Mary went off to make lunch and people began to scatter. Kelsey had gone to the bathroom for like the tenth time and Kyle had retreated to his office, though his glare told me we'd have further words later.
Elise relaxed next to me and tugged my hand resting on the back of the couch to wrap it around her small waist. She nestled her head into my shoulder and sighed. I was so shocked I didn't want to move a muscle, but it only took a few minutes for me to hear the soft cadence of my mate sleeping in my arms. I readjusted to get comfortable myself and drifted off to sleep, feeling more content than I ever remembered feeling.
"Aww!"
I startled awake to a screeching noise. Elise shifted in my arms and stretched seductively. "They're sooooo cute."
"Shhhh."
I opened my eyes to see Kelsey trying to quiet Christine Canine.
"You found your mate! I told you it was Elise. How did you not find her sooner?”
E giggled. "Still hide-and-seek champ."
Christine started laughing. "Wow, did you ever do a number on him. I'm glad you guys worked it out."
I felt Elise stiffen next to me. It had felt like we were finally making some progress over the last twenty-four hours, but feeling her change at the mention of us together, I knew we still had a long way to go.
"Oh good, you're awake. E, my office, now. We need to talk," Kyle said as he walked through the room.
I moved to follow.
"Alone."
I bit back the growl as anger fired within. I wasn't ready to let her out of my sight—surely he could understand that.
"It's fine," Elise assured me with a quick hug as she got up and followed her brother. I felt only a small amount of relief in the comfort of her small gesture. I didn't want to get my hopes up, but it felt like she had known exactly what I needed in that moment.
I didn't have long before Kyle returned and summoned me to his office. There was something in his posture that let me know this wasn't going to be a pleasant chat.
"Close the door and take a seat," he said from behind his desk, without making eye contact, and nodding to the chair across from him.
"Rather stand, thanks," I said. My wolf was on high alert and I fought the need to pace the suddenly too small room. "What's this about, Kyle?"
"You and I have been friends for a long time, Patrick, and I'm grateful for you stepping down where Kelsey was concerned, but this isn't about that. I've talked to Elise and heard her side of the story. I know the two of you have not mated. Given her confession of hiding from you, and her attempt to run from you leading to her kidnapping, I can only assume she has no desire to take you as a mate.”
The room spun and my world came crashing in around me. I sat down hard and defeated.
"
She told you that?"
"No, she said enough, though." He paused and I didn't want to hear the next words from his mouth. "Pat, I think it's time you went home."
"Kyle, I can't. You know that. I just found her, and maybe it wasn't the greatest start, but we're getting there. She's coming around, you’ll see."
"You failed to protect your mate." His words felt like a punch to the gut, knocking all the breath from me. "She's my sister, Patrick. How could you let this happen? I know what the mating call feels like. I don't understand how you could let this happen."
Everything inside me hardened into darkness. Kyle Westin couldn't possibly understand something like this. Through gritted teeth I tried to explain.
"You can't possibly understand how it feels to wake up to an empty bed with no idea where your mate is. To be told over and over that she didn't want you, that she chose to leave. To see her feet on surveillance flailing out in fight before going limp as you watch helplessly as she's tossed into the back of a van, unsure if she's dead or alive. To be told to sit and wait for others to come to her rescue. I pray you never know what that feels like."
I could see the pain and even a little sympathy in his eyes as I moved for the door. I couldn't take it any longer. I had to get out of that room.
"Patrick, I'm not sure she's ever going to take you as a mate, but for now, I need you to leave. It was wrong of me to let you stay in Westin territory. You have twenty-four hours. I'm sorry, but it's for the best."
In that moment, with all the stress of the preceding days, I wanted to fight him more than ever, but I held back.
"Best for who?" I asked through gritted teeth.
"My sister."
I slammed the door behind me and ignored all protests at my back as I left the house. The second I was outside I shifted, clothes be damned. I had always had the classic Irish temper. I just did a better job of hiding it than my siblings, but that additional beast inside gnawed at me to be free. I ran and I ran until the hate and anger subsided and I felt slightly more in control before returning to my empty cottage.
Fighting Destiny (Westin Pack Book 2) Page 11
