“Could you give me a ride home, please?” Leigh managed to whisper.
“Where’s Matt? What did he do? Talk to me,” Margot ordered.
Leigh just shook her head. “He went for a run. He’ll be back later. I have to go home now. I can’t be here when he…when he…”
Leigh couldn’t finish or she’d burst into tears. If she did that she might never stop crying, and this was the last place she wanted her soft, weak, emotional side to be witnessed. She needed to get home and hide behind the locked door of her bedroom before she allowed herself to give into the pain.
“Okay, honey, I’ll take you home,” Margot said, helping Leigh to her feet and wrapping an arm around her back when her knees wobbled. “But I really wish you’d talk to me.”
“I need to change first. Matt will need his shirt back,” she said, ignoring Margot’s offer. She couldn’t talk now. She might never be able to talk about this.
After changing into the red dress and stiletto heels that she despised but wore per her mother’s direction, she folded Matt’s shirt neatly and laid it on the coffee table in the living room. She still fought the pressure behind her eyes, which was even harder when Margot wrapped a comforting arm around her waist as they walked out the front door and climbed into the long black limousine waiting there.
Chapter 7
Leigh didn’t say a word until Sam pulled to a stop in her parents’ driveway. Only then did she turn from her intense study of the glass beside her to look at Margot.
“I am truly sorry for the way I’ve treated you. I hope someday you’ll be able to forgive me.” She spoke softly and her voice sounded watery even to her own ears.
Margot still looked concerned. “Leigh, I wish you would tell me what happened. Matt is a cop, but he’s also the most decent man I’ve ever met. I’m sure this is all a misunderstanding. Why don’t we go back to the house so the two of you can talk this out?”
Leigh opened the door and was halfway out when a white-hot anger flared inside her. Looking over her shoulder she said, “Your brother doesn’t want me because I have money. As soon as he found out my trust fund is worth about twenty million dollars, he shifted and ran into the woods. I understand he is a Dominant male and has to have everything his way, but he should not have run away. Money is just that, money. It’s nice to have, but it shouldn’t freak anyone out like it did him. You brother is a good man, but I think he was hoping I was penniless, though I don’t understand why. I guess even with my grandfather’s money I’m not good enough for him. Goodbye, Margot. I guess I’ll see you at the next pack gathering, though I doubt you’ll recognize me.”
Before Margot could respond, she closed the door and ran to the house where a uniformed maid was waiting at the open front door.
“I do not want to be disturbed by anyone, but especially my parents,” she said as she stepped inside. The maid nodded silently as she closed the door.
Kicking off her shoes and leaving them where they landed, Leigh ran up the stairs and down the hall to her room. She didn’t care that her mother would be horrified seeing her barefoot and running inside the house. She didn’t care about anything except reaching the solitude of her bedroom. This was the only place in the house that remained safe from her mother’s biannual redecorating. This was her oasis. Here she spent the time she wasn’t at the library or a coffee shop trying to figure out how to get out from under the control of her parents who refused to see her as an adult no matter how old she was.
Once she was in her room and the door securely locked, Leigh stripped off the red dress and threw it into the trash. Going into her closet, she pulled out a pair of red flannel pajama pants with black and white Scottie dogs on them and an oversized orange T-shirt. After pulling on a pair of white cotton panties that were the least sexy thing in her lingerie drawer, she dressed and then crawled into bed.
Opening the bottom drawer of the nightstand, she pulled out a stuffed turtle she’d had since she was twelve. She’d slept with the thing for nearly a dozen years before finally putting him away. Nowadays she only got him out when she needed the comfort only a childhood pal could give.
Only then did she relax the iron-strong control she’d maintained for too long and allowed the tears to flow freely, hoping they would heal her broken heart. She cried until she fell asleep, her arms still wrapped around the fuzzy purple turtle.
* * * *
By the time Matt finally made his way back to the kitchen patio and his clothes, he’d overcome his shock at Leigh’s announcement. He was amazed at her casual attitude, but then so many things about the woman amazed him. The more he learned about her, the more he realized that even Adam, her pack alpha, had no real idea who the woman was.
After he dressed, he went into the kitchen and found a bottle of water which he drank. Then he walked through the house looking for his mate. He didn’t find her, but Adam was in the living room working on a notebook computer.
“Where’s Leigh?”
“She went home,” Adam answered, his voice unusually frosty. “What the hell did you say to her?”
“I hope she knows not to bring too many of those froufrou dresses,” Matt said. “She needs…what’s this doing here?”
He crossed to the coffee table and picked up the shirt Leigh had been wearing earlier.
“Leigh left it for you. Said you would need it when you went home. Now, as the alpha of Leigh’s pack, I’m asking again. What the hell did you say to her?”
Matt picked up the shirt then lifted it to his nose. It still smelled like Leigh, but there was also a sour scent of pain to it as well. “I don’t know. We were talking about whether to accept your offer or not, then she said we could always rent our own plane. When I told her I didn’t have that kind of money, she said that she did. Did you know the woman is worth twenty million dollars?”
Adam looked confused. “So why did she come in here looking like her life had just fallen apart and ask to be taken home?”
“What?”
“She came in white as a sheet and obviously fighting hard to hold herself together. She asked to be taken home, but first changed into the red dress she wore last night and left your shirt there.”
“Oh shit,” Matt said, balling the shirt up before tossing it back onto the table. “How do I get to her house?”
“Come on, I’ll drive while you explain what the hell is going on.”
Ten minutes later, they were stopped at the Kincaid-Thornes’ front door. “I’m sorry, Sir, but Miss Leigh said she didn’t want to be disturbed by anyone.”
The maid was young and human, and the last thing Matt wanted to do was scare the shit out of her by shifting, but she was keeping him from his mate. He couldn’t help but growl in frustration as he tried to think of some way to get past her without hurting her or having the police involved.
Before he completely lost control, Adam stepped in. “Could we come in and talk to Mrs. Kincaid-Thorne? Tell her Adam Thomasson is here.”
“Oh, Mr. Thomasson, of course. Please come in.” The maid stepped back and allowed the two men through the front door. After closing it, she led them to what appeared to be an overdone living room to the right of the entryway. “If you’ll wait here, I’ll get Mrs. Kincaid-Thorne.”
“Thank you,” Adam said with a smile.
Matt prowled the room, unimpressed with the décor. As soon as the maid disappeared to fetch the woman of the house, he looked at his new brother-in-law. “I’m going to find her. Keep her mother busy.”
Adam nodded without saying a word.
Matt stalked across the entry and up the staircase to the second floor as fast as he could without making too much noise. He picked up Leigh’s scent about halfway up, still tainted with sadness. At the top of the stairs he turned one way, but then backtracked and headed in the other direction when it faded. He tracked it all the way down the hall to a closed door.
Trying the knob, he was not surprised to find it locked. He pulled out his wallet an
d the special picks he carried with him at all times. The lock opened and he pushed the door open seconds later. Stepping inside, he closed and relocked the door, not wanting anyone to interrupt them until he and his mate had hashed everything out.
Turning, he looked around the room with interest. Unlike the rest of the house, this room immediately soothed him, calming the agitation that had been building since he’d learned she’d left Adam’s home.
The walls were a pale shade of something he thought women called peach but looked orange to him. He recognized the furniture as Mission style in light woods with lots of straight edges and function in every piece. There were pictures on the walls, both landscapes and abstract paintings, all of which added to the soothing aura of the décor.
He found her asleep in the center of the bed. Though her skin appeared blotchy and her eyes looked puffy she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He crossed to the bed and eased down to sit on the mattress facing her. She looked tired and sad even in sleep. He wished he had taken a few minutes to talk to her before taking the run to clear his overwhelmed thoughts.
* * * *
Leigh woke to a deep voice crooning softly as fingers brushed hair from her face. A feeling of total soul-deep contentment filled her. Rolling onto her back she opened her eyes and looked into sad and worried blue ones.
Matt was here, but something was wrong. Then she remembered what had happened. Gasping, she sat up and crab-walked across the bed until the headboard stopped her.
“What are you doing here? How did you get in? Why?”
He ignored her questions and shifted closer and closer until only a few inches separated them. “Why did you run away?” he asked, his voice softer and gentler than she’d ever heard it before.
“You ran away first,” she pointed out. “I thought you didn’t want me because I had money.” She blinked hard to keep more tears from forming.
“Oh, sweet angel, that wasn’t why I went running. I was in shock. I needed to wrap my head around the fact that my mate isn’t just a beautiful woman, but also a smart one. When I returned, you were gone, and Adam told me you were quite upset.” Matt brushed his right hand up her arm and across her shoulder to play with her hair.
Leigh nodded, but didn’t defend her actions. As she’d already pointed out, he’d left first. She had just responded to what she’d thought was his abandonment.
“I’m sorry I walked away and made you think I didn’t want you,” he said softly as he leaned in to kiss one corner of her lips.
“Me, too,” she murmured, licking her lips, then extending her tongue and licking his as well.
“Will you marry me and come to Santa Fe?” he asked with their lips so close they brushed as he spoke.
“If I shock you again, will you run away again?”
Matt shook his head, brushing his lips against hers. “Even if I do, I will always come back. Sometimes I just need to go furry and run. It helps clear my head and think straight.”
“Hmmm, maybe I should try that sometime. Might keep me from getting so defensive and witchy.”
With that she closed the distance between them. Parting her lips, she thrust her tongue into his mouth and put everything she felt into her kiss. Matt returned it with the passion that assured her he wasn’t going to dump her anytime soon.
Long minutes later, he broke the kiss. They were both panting, and Leigh was trying to figure out how long they could hide out before someone would come looking for them.
“Answer my question,” he demanded in his low, power-filled voice.
Leigh looked at him and blinked. Her mind had gone completely blank. “Question? What question?”
“Will you marry me?”
“Oh yeah, that question,” she said then went silent until he gave her that very Dominant frown that said she’d be in for another spanking if she didn’t answer correctly. “Of course I’ll marry you. You’re my mate and I love you.”
He looked stunned for a moment then smiled and wrapped both arms around her back. Pulling her into his chest, he hugged her tight. “I love you, too, little one. Now, shall we pack your clothes and choose the dress you’ll be married in?”
Leigh closed her eyes and listened to his heart beat under her ear. She savored the feel of strong arms around her back and wondered if she could do what her heart was telling her to try.
“First, I think you should get out of those clothes and fuck me,” she said in a soft, purring tone. “Then we can talk about packing and clothes and getting married.”
Matt smirked at her even as he reached down to pull off his boots. “And why is that?”
Leigh worked her pajama pants off and tossed them out of her way. “Because I’ve always wanted to shock the hell out of my mother by making love in this room, and this might be my last chance,” she said with a flirtatious grin.
Matt stood after pulling his shirt over his head. “I’m not sure this will endear me to her.”
She shrugged as she pulled her shirt over her head and sat back, naked. “We’re going to be in Santa Fe. Do you really care if my mother thinks you’re a saint or a man so in love with her daughter that he has to fuck her at every opportunity?”
“Well, when you put it that way, I guess there’s nothing else I can do,” he said, quickly stripping off the rest of his clothes.
She barely had time to register that his cock was long and hard before he shoved the covers off the bed. Her breathing hitched when he grabbed her ankles and pulled her to lay flat on the mattress. Before she could move, he was over her, crouching like a wolf over its dinner.
“God, angel, you are so damn beautiful,” he said, leaning down and nuzzling the mark on her shoulder that proclaimed to all the world that she belonged to him.
At his touch, she began to tremble, arousal climbing higher and higher. When he bent his arms and brushed his furred chest over her skin, she gasped and then moaned. Lifting her arms, she wrapped them around him and tried to pull him closer. But it was like trying to pick up and move a hundred-year-old live oak tree.
Looking up into smoldering blue eyes, she pursed her lips in a pout that had melted her father from the time she was two. “Please.”
“Please what, little one?”
“Please, come closer. I need to feel your skin against mine. Please fuck me, Sir,” she purred, knowing the last word would be the one to affect him most.
And it did. He immediately dropped to lay over her with his full weight. She held him tighter until refilling her lungs became an issue. She didn’t want to complain, didn’t want to lose the contact, so she ignored her body’s demands and just kept holding the man in her arms.
Spots were forming in front her eyes from lack of oxygen when he lifted his chest enough to allow her to breathe freely. At the same moment, he shifted his hips, brushing the head of his cock against her entrance, eliciting hisses of need from them both.
“It’s going to be fast and hard, angel.”
“Yes, please,” she gasped as he thrust home, seating his cock fully inside her on the first thrust.
She shifted her hold to his shoulders and held on tight as he set up a fast, hard rhythm. His motion sent white-hot pulses of lust through her entire body which proceeded to gather deep between her hips.
She made a whining sound when he stopped and pulled out of her arms. She couldn’t fight him when he moved to kneel on the bed with her ass resting on his thighs. He grabbed a pillow and shoved it under her lower back.
He pushed her knees to her chest, which opened her up fully for his pleasure while at the same time making it impossible for her to move. Then he began to fuck her like the world was coming to an end. All she could do was grab onto his forearms and hang on tight as he began thrusting again.
“Damn, you feel like heaven,” he growled, his voice so low and rumbly she almost couldn’t make out the words.
His eyelids dropped and his face grew tense and she knew he was close. She was as well, but needed
a touch on her clit. Releasing one arm, she slid her hand down between them and stroked her clit. As her eyes drifted shut as she neared her orgasm, she saw his widen and heard a growl of approval. Then the ball of orgasm that had formed in her pelvis exploded. She screamed as her entire body convulsed with the release.
Her cunt tightened around Matt’s cock and then, with his pelvis pressed to hers, he thrust twice more, trying to push even deeper before howling his own completion. His cock jerked and she felt heat fill her as his seed exploded from him in strong pulsations.
When he relaxed, he simply bent forward and laid his forehead in the middle of her chest. She lifted her hands and brushed her hands over his hair, glorying in the feeling of her mate in and around her. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to drift. The intense sadness of just a short time again was completely forgotten as she snuggled with the man she was to marry as soon as they regained their strength.
Chapter 8
“Are you sure this is what you want to do?” Matt asked as the attorney slid the first of a stack of papers in front of her to sign.
He was still in shock at the speed at which all this had transpired. It had only been a few hours since they’d settled their communication differences. Once they’d recovered from an explosive round of hard, fast loving, Leigh turned into a powerhouse of focused organization and activity.
In less than an hour, she’d gone through her entire room and, with the housekeeper’s help, packed one large suitcase with the clothes she would take with her to Santa Fe. They were mostly jeans and casual skirts and tops. She did pack several filmy nightgown type things that Matt couldn’t wait to see her in, as well as slinky, barely-there underwear. She only asked his opinion on one item – a little black dress that looked sexy just hanging from her fingers. It contained more material then some of the other dresses she’d shown him, and he knew she would need something for parties and special events.
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