by Morgan Fox
Silence shifted her bottom jaw, biting into her bottom lip. Scowling, she asked, “I was hoping you had time to think since then.”
She’d had plenty of time to have her heart broken. Again. “It doesn’t really matter anyway,” Shadow murmured, forcing her emotions to remain in check.
Silence leaned forward, her eyes filled with compassion. “Of course it matters. He’s been crazy about you since we were kids.”
Shadow scoffed. “Maybe you should tell him that.”
Silence’s brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?”
Shadow finally met her sister’s gaze. Her throat burned from the bile rushing upward. “I saw him kissing another woman.”
“Are you sure?”
Shadow huffed out a breath. She knew Silence wouldn’t believe her. Shit, she was struggling to comprehend it herself and she’s the one who’d witnessed it.
“I’m sure it wasn’t what you’re thinking it was.”
Shadow’s chest felt as if an elephant were sitting on it. The air in her lungs escaped faster than she could replace it. Her world was crashing in around her and she didn’t know what to do.
“Their intentions looked pretty clear to me,” she told Silence. “They were kissing and touching each other like lovers.”
Silence shook her head. “That doesn’t sound like Gavin.”
Shadow shrugged. “I know what I saw.” Tears stung her eyes.
“Did you talk with him about it?”
“Why would I?” The defensive shield Shadow was infamous for sprung up all around her. “I’m not the one fucking someone else.”
“Wait, you said they were just kissing. How did they suddenly become bed buddies?”
“I told you…they looked like lovers,” Shadow snapped through clenched teeth.
A vision of the redhead making love to Gavin flashed in her mind and she wanted to scream. A wave of nausea overcame her and once again she thought she was going to be sick.
Silence stood abruptly, digging her hands into her loose blonde hair. “Why do you always have to do things the hard way?” She kicked her boot-covered foot on the bottom corner of the desk in a disappointed fashion. “Why couldn’t you just rush into his arms and fall madly in love with him like you’re supposed to?” She growled in frustration. “I just don’t get you.”
“So you think this is my fault?”
Isn’t it?
Silence’s eyes widened as she dug her hands into her hips. “Duh, it is.”
Her temper flaring, Shadow stood. “I didn’t tell him to—” She cut off her own words. She’d been prepared to say that she didn’t tell him to find someone else, but technically she had. She truly was the one to blame. She sat back down.
“There’s nothing I can do about it now. He’s made his decision. And he chose Red over me.” She’d never felt as alone as the moment those words left her lips. She’d given her body to Gavin, but she hadn’t realized that it also included her heart.
Silence moved to stand beside her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, sis. I wish there was something I could do or say that would make things better.”
Shadow shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll be fine. I always am.” How am I going to survive this? I’ve lost the one thing I never realized I had until it was too late.
“You look like hell,” Silence told her. “You should go home and get some rest. I’ll take over here. A group of doctors showed up about the same time I did to relieve your team.” She kissed the top of Shadow’s head. “Go home and clear your head.”
As Silence left, Shadow knew that things would never be the same. She’d taken advantage of Gavin and that selfishness would cost her everything. She was in love with a man that wanted another woman. If she ever needed a reason to leave Silent Falls, she definitely had one now.
* * * *
As Gavin twisted the doorknob to her room, he wondered if he was making another mistake. But even knowing the outcome could be disastrous, he couldn’t stop himself from moving deeper into her bedroom. The pull was too strong to ignore. His feet were on autopilot, while moving to the heavy, steady beat of his heart.
Stepping up alongside her bed, he sucked in a sharp breath.
Damn, she’s beautiful.
A lump the size of Texas swelled in his throat and he swallowed to push it down. Nothing had prepared him for just how hard this was going to be. Staring down at her, his world began to spiral. The memories of the past had haunted him like a never-ending nightmare, and now he had two options. He could forget about the love and future he was so desperate for with Shadow or move on and start over.
He slowly leaned over her and gently brushed his fingertips over the soft skin of her cheek, pushing the sleep-tousled hair behind her ear. He loved the feel of those silken strands between his fingers and the warm vanilla scent of her skin that invaded his senses. He watched as her even breaths switched to a deep, slow intake. He could tell she was awake, so he sat at the edge of her bed beside her.
“What are you doing here, Gavin?”
His heart raced at the huskiness with which Shadow spoke his name. “I couldn’t stay away.”
She scoffed. “Even after your evening with”—she pushed to her elbows—“what’s her name?”
“Alexis,” Gavin murmured. “And no, I didn’t sleep with her.” His gut twisted as pain consumed her gaze. He was a bastard for allowing anyone to see him kissing Alexis. For kissing Alexis, period.
“Well that’s nice to know since you just finished fucking me the night before. I was starting to wonder how much you get around.” Her voice shook. “Now you can go ahead and scratch me off your to-do list.”
A wave of regret smacked him hard. “I guess I deserved that one.”
Shadow flipped over onto her side. “I don’t really care.”
He could tell she didn’t believe him. Why would she? She’d watched as he kissed another woman in front of everyone, and just hours earlier, he’d been ready to claim Shadow as his mate.
He twisted on the bed so that his one leg hung off the side, while his other leg bent at the knee on the mattress. “I came here to explain.”
“You don’t owe me any explanation. You’re a big boy and can fuck whoever you want. Just remember to use a condom next time.”
Anger ripped through him at her coarse words. “I didn’t fuck you,” he said with a thick, heavy growl.
He reached out to touch her bare arm and she yanked it away as she rolled to her back. “Sure seemed that way to me.”
He slowly shook his head. Frustration and anger combined into a knot in his gut. “I don’t know what more to say. I’ve told you how I feel. I want you in my life. I need you in my life.” He swallowed the dryness in his throat. “And even though you know I’m your mate you resist me.” He closed his eyes and took in a cleansing breath. “I need to know if there’s any chance for us.”
She shifted on the bed, timidly eyeing him. “What do you want from me, Gavin?”
He brushed his fingers along the pale skin of her arm. “Do you want me, Shadow? Do you want me like a woman wants a man?” His heart skipped. “Could you ever truly love me?”
Shadow bit her bottom lip, forcing her gaze from his. “I…”
He rose from the bed and faced her. Slowly he began unbuttoning his shirt, shrugging it from his shoulders. Then he tugged his undershirt up over his head. He heard her audibly gasp as he reached for the buckle of his pants.
“Wait,” she ordered, sitting up, reaching her hand out to stop him. “I can’t do this.”
“Do what?” he asked. They were good together. He just had to remind her of that.
“I…”
He pulled his belt free of his pants and tossed it on top of the gathering pile. Then he unbuttoned his slacks and let the zipper slide down. The sound was magnified by the silence of the room.
“Gavin?” she breathed.
He didn’t deserve her, he knew that, but he pray
ed she’d give him a chance. He loved everything about her, including her rotten attitude. “I’ve never wanted anyone in my life like I want you. I’ll die before I stop fighting for you.”
“But if I…”
“If you what?”
Her eyes filled with tears and she covered her face with her hands. The blanket she had tucked up under her arms slipped a little, revealing that she wasn’t wearing a nightshirt. Gavin’s cock pulsed against the fabric of his pants.
He placed one knee on the bed and reached for her. His hands gripped her shoulders, pulling her toward him. The blanket dropped as he hauled her up against him. “Stop crying, Shadow. I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Yes you are,” she whimpered.
He froze. His entire body went rigid. Then he pushed her back enough to look into her eyes. “Why would you think that?”
She sniffled. “I’ll never get out of this place if I allow myself to admit that I want you. I’ve been stuck in Silent Falls for far too long already. I don’t want to be here anymore.”
“Oh, baby,” he purred against her ear. The scent of her body consumed him as he held her close, hugging her as if it was their last night on Earth. He never wanted to let her go. “I want a life with you. I never said it had to be here.”
Her body stilled. “You’d leave Silent Falls with me?”
He nodded. “As long as we belonged to each other, I’d go wherever you wanted.” He cupped her face in his hands. “I want you happy, baby. I could live in a cave if you wanted to.”
She giggled. “Well, I don’t exactly want to do that, but I’d like to live in Dallas or maybe even go to the coast. I don’t know. I just want to be anywhere but here.”
Gavin held her close. “Why do you hate this place so much?”
“Honestly, it’s never felt right since my parents died.” Her hands wrapped around his forearms as she turned into the touch of his hand on her face. “I’ve never given myself a chance to want to be here. I know that. But it’s only because I want to start over somewhere else. A place that doesn’t have constant reminders of all the things I’ve lost.”
The way she looked at him had his heart slamming against his ribs. “You could’ve left,” he said, clearing his throat, hating the idea that he would’ve been left behind without her.
She trembled in his arms, her head shaking slightly. “I’m afraid,” she confessed.
He placed his index finger under her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “What would a beautifully intelligent woman like you be afraid of?”
She tenderly pressed her lips against his. “If I left…I’d be alone.” Her vulnerability was ripping his heart in two. She studied his mouth and slowly raised her eyes to lock with his. “Everyone I know is here.”
She was such a contradiction. “So you never left because you didn’t want to be alone?” Gavin wrapped his arm around her waist, his fingers digging into the soft, warm flesh of her back. She wasn’t being completely truthful with him and he knew it. “I don’t buy it, babe.”
Shadow tensed. Her eyes filled with fear. Her scent revealed so much more than he’d expected. She pushed back onto the bed, balling up on her side, facing away from him. “It’s my wolf,” she finally told him.
His brow furrowed. “What about your wolf?”
Sighing, she admitted, “I’m scared that my wolf won’t let me be normal.”
Normal? Gavin clenched his jaw. He understood the fear of trying to be normal. That was one of the reasons he loved Silent Falls. He could be himself because so many of his kind called it home as well. He also understood the need to venture out and try new things. Shadow was a rare creature and she was suffocating by being caged in. He knew he could help her break free.
He quickly kicked off his shoes and socks and dug his thumbs into the edge of his pants, sliding them down his long legs. He set them aside.
Crawling onto the bed, he pulled Shadow into his arms. She came to him willingly. “I don’t want you to be afraid anymore. I will never allow you to be alone. I would kill anyone who dared hurt you. We can figure out how to be as close to normal as lycans can get.”
Shadow rolled to her back, and her hands captured his face, pulling him down to kiss her. Her tongue speared between his lips and he quickly welcomed her in. Their tongues dueled, sliding against each other with uninhibited passions. Her taste was sweet and wild.
Immediately his hands began caressing her body, exploring the smooth skin of her hip, stomach, and breasts. Stroking his thumb over her erect nipple had his cock harder than a steel spike. She spread her legs as his hand skimmed along the inside of her thigh. She groaned in pleasure as he dipped his finger between her damp folds.
She raised her leg over his hip and rolled him onto his back. Their mouths were still locked in an unbreakable kiss. She rocked her hips up and down, riding the length of his cock, teasing him with the wetness of her pussy. He bucked his hips, trying to shove himself inside her, but she moved to the side.
He narrowed his gaze, studying the wicked gleam in her eyes. She glanced down at his protruding cock and nibbled her bottom lip. Gavin’s mouth watered with anticipation. Smiling, she shifted to straddle his face. Without hesitation, she licked the head of his cock, swirling her tongue around the head and down the long, vein-ridged shaft. She swallowed him deep, sucking and slurping.
“Oh, shit,” he gasped, his head pressing into the pillow.
The pleasure she gave him was nearly too much. His mind was blank of everything except her and the fevered sensation of her tantalizing mouth. Like an offering before him, her pussy played in his vision. The dampness revealed just how aroused she was and suddenly all he wanted to do was taste her, fuck her with his tongue until he wrung every ounce of essence from her body.
He probed her, sliding his tongue into her pussy, rocking his head back and forth, and driving deep. Her sweet honey coated his mouth. She tasted divine, a flavor he would always crave, and a scent he would never forget.
He replaced his tongue with a finger, first one then two as he sucked at her clit. The moment his mouth clamped down on the sensitive bud, she kicked her head back, moaning and crying out. His fingers were drenched in her juices, but he continued to lick and suck until he was sure her orgasm had passed.
The hungry grip of her mouth began sliding up and down his cock once again. His fingers massaged the delicate curves of her hips and ass, kneading the flesh. His body hummed with wild electricity that could only be caused by a woman who belonged to him.
My mate.
Always.
Shadow’s declaration slammed into his skull with a force that had his heart skidding in disbelief. With unyielding strength, he flipped her off of him and onto her back. He shifted to hover above her, moving so fast it was all but a blur. Then the heavy weight of him pressed down between her spread legs and he couldn’t stop himself from needing to hear her say the words aloud. He had to know it wasn’t his imagination playing tricks on him.
His fisted hands rested at the sides of her face. “Say it again,” he breathlessly demanded, his eyes settling on her brilliant blue gaze. “Say it so I can see your face as you do.”
Her soft smile faded as she stared up at him. Her eyes were filled with desire and longing. An expression he’d only prayed he’d see gazing back at him. She ran the tip of her finger over his bottom lip, before arching up to kiss him. The tenderness of her touch had his eyes closing, reveling in the warmth of her caress.
“I don’t know why I was always afraid of this,” she told him, pressing her finger to his mouth before he could speak. “Why I fought so hard not to love you.”
Tears fell down her cheek and she squeezed her eyes shut as if fighting emotions that were preparing to erupt from her soul. Her eyes slowly opened and he knew he was staring into her heart’s desires, exposed and bare for him and only him to see. She gently touched his face.
“I love you, Gavin. I always have and I always will.”
On a
breath, he crushed his mouth over hers and drank in the passion he felt fueling inside her, igniting with his own. Greedily he slid inside her, driving his cock deep. His repeated thrusts were maddening, wild and possessive. He was claiming what belonged to him.
Finally.
She clawed his back. Her nails were like tiny razors upon his flesh, marking his body as they pleasured one another.
“Shadow,” he rasped, thrusting his hips forward.
Her legs were anchored around his hips. The heels of her feet bucked him on as she matched him thrust for thrust. His body and mind burned hot as the need rose up from deep within him.
“Do it,” she told him, biting her bottom lip. “Mark me.”
He instantly pulled out of her and quickly shifted her into position, placing her on all fours. He shoved himself back inside her and rode her hard and fast. His entire body burst with a fierce growl as the moment he’d waited for his entire life arrived. His teeth and claws extended. His nails dug into the soft flesh of her hips and waist, anchoring her in place. With a ferocious cry, he covered her back with his chest, and sank his teeth into the soft tissue of her shoulder.
She cried out as her pussy clamped tight around his cock. “Oh, God,” she shouted.
Her body quivered beneath him as she collapsed onto the bed. He was still deep inside her, pumping his hips like a wild animal. He moved, rolling her to her back.
Once again he covered her body with his, and slid back inside her. The warmth and wetness of her welcoming body was his undoing. With only a few thrusts, he was pushed over the edge. His release was unlike anything he’d ever felt before. This time when he came it wasn’t just because of sexual pleasure. It was love and the mating bond that exploded from deep inside him.
He tenderly kissed her lips, the tip of her nose, and then her forehead before shifting his weight to her side. He’d waited so long to have her in his life, for her to want him just as much as he wanted her, that now that he had her, he feared he’d lose her. The pain stung him deep. He wouldn’t survive a moment without her. Their bond was complete.
