by Grant, Donna
She moved out of the way as he walked to the stove and stirred the pasta. “I’ve got beef jerky I keep near to snack on if I know I’m going to miss lunch.”
“Which means often.”
The kitchen was small, so she stayed far enough away to give him room, but it felt odd not cooking in her space. “People come on their lunch breaks if they can’t get free any other time. That means I don’t get one.”
“Maybe you should hire someone to help you.”
“I’ve thought of that.”
When he drained the pasta, she got out the plates and utensils and set them on the table. He bade her sit as he dished out the portions for each of them before he joined her.
She took a bite and sighed at the taste. “This is amazing. It’s been a long time since anyone cooked for me. Thank you.”
“My pleasure. Your house is warded, by the way.”
Elise basked in the tasty meal as he explained everything that he’d done to protect her. While Kane was pleasant, the warmth he’d had before was gone. Not that she blamed him. She’d shoved him away without an explanation.
Because she was embarrassed—both of her scars and the fact that she didn’t want to show him her body. He looked at her with passion now. The last thing she wanted was to see his disgust or pity once he saw just what that maniac had done to her.
Their dinner conversation was light, as both kept to safe topics. She spoke of her appointments for the coming days, and he talked about the next storm headed their way.
When the meal was finished, she tried to clean up, but he stopped her.
“I’ve got this,” he said. “Go, relax. Take a hot bath.”
Which actually sounded good. It took her a moment to relent, but she finally did. She walked to the bathroom and started the water while Kane turned on her stereo that had a Michael Bublé CD playing.
Elise dropped in one of the bath bombs she loved and let it dissolve as she took off her clothes and pinned up her hair. Then she climbed into the tub and lay back in the hot water.
Her eyes immediately closed as she realized just how tired she was. The lack of sleep the night before, coupled with her busy day had sapped her of nearly all her strength. If she hadn’t eaten the sandwich Kane had brought her, she would’ve been dragging by dinner.
With the steam rising up around her, she let her mind wander, and it was no surprise that it focused on Kane. Ever since she’d come upon him in werewolf form, he filled her head.
She’d gawked at his fine body that first day, and then became drawn to him once he woke and they talked. There was something enigmatic about Kane that inexplicably pulled her toward him.
Behind those stunning blue eyes of his was a past he attempted to rectify, and a loneliness that he tried hard to ignore. When he spoke of his cousin, Riley, Elise grasped that he had found someone who understood him without placing any demands on him.
Kane’s love for his family was evident in his every word, and every action. He truly thought that what he was doing was for the best.
But it was the way he looked at her that truly touched Elise. He offered friendship without strings, protection without being asked. He didn’t look at her like the victim she was—perhaps because he was a victim himself.
She blinked and realized that the CD was on its second play-through. As she opened her eyes and sat up, she sighed because the water was growing cold. Elise let the water drain before rising and grabbing the nearest towel.
As a habit, she put her back to the mirror and dried off. She didn’t look at her body, her gaze instead locked on a spot on the wall as she completed the task.
She then grabbed her robe off the hook on the back of the door and slipped it on. After unpinning her hair, she exited the bathroom and once again found the living room empty.
Was Kane gone? Had he left without saying good-bye? She hurried to one of the living room windows and looked outside, hoping to find him, but she only spotted a squirrel darting to a nearby tree.
Dejected, Elise turned and walked to her bedroom. She stood in the center for a long time before she faced the mirror atop her dresser. When was the last time she’d looked at her scars? Really looked? She couldn’t remember.
She untied her robe and let it fall open. She held her own gaze in the mirror, afraid to look down, afraid of what she would see. When she first gazed at her scars, they had been red and ugly.
Taking a deep breath, she let her eyes lower to the scar below her right collarbone. It was about three inches long and angled toward her breast. The wound was no longer red but now faded to nearly match her skin.
That gave her courage to look at the next scar and the next. She was examining her stomach when she sensed someone in the doorway. She looked over to find Kane. By his position, he couldn’t see the mirror, only that she stood in her robe with it open.
Their gazes clashed. Her heart did a little flip at the knowledge that he hadn’t left yet. Emotion welled within her when she grasped that he was giving her the option to send him away.
Or invite him in.
She looked back in the mirror at herself. Instead of inspecting each wound separately, she looked at herself as a whole. While she still didn’t like seeing her body riddled with the scars, they would always be a part of her. Either she could learn to accept them as part of who she was and perhaps open herself up, or she couldn’t.
Elise shifted her shoulders to let the robe drop to the floor before she changed her mind. She was terrified that Kane wouldn’t like what he saw, but it was the uncertainty that pushed her to take the chance.
A shadow moved behind her a second before Kane appeared in the mirror. They gazed at each other through the mirror. He reached up and tugged on the curl near her cheek that he favored.
Then he put his hands on her shoulders. “Is this the first time you’ve looked at yourself since the accident?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“You pushed me away because you didn’t want me to see.”
She nodded.
His hands shifted forward so that his fingers brushed the scar at her collarbone. Elise jerked and looked away. Slowly, tenderly, Kane turned her head back toward the mirror with his other hand.
It took a few tries, but she was finally able to meet his gaze again. Only then did his hands travel down to the scars on her forearms.
He caressed her body, moving over each wound before turning her to face him. The desire she saw reflected in his eyes made her stomach quiver with need.
This time, she was the one who pulled him close for a kiss.
And she didn’t intend to push him away.
9
He’d never held anything so beautiful, so precious. Kane’s heart skipped a beat when she kissed him. He wanted to pull her close, grip her tightly, but he feared she would run off again.
He deepened the kiss, letting her decide how close she wanted to be to him. When she wrapped her arms around his neck, her lush body pressing against him, he couldn’t hold back his satisfied moan.
The taste of her was sublime, exquisite. He could barely breathe, the need for her was so intense, commanding.
Compelling.
With one kiss, she stole his will, his very essence.
He didn’t know what it was about Elise that lured him ever closer. Was it her beauty? Her kindness? Her pure soul? Her smile? Or perhaps it was all of those things and more that he couldn’t name.
Her fingers gripped his hair as their kisses grew heated. Their breaths were ragged, harsh, their need fueling the desire that burned ever brighter, ever hotter.
He cupped the back of her head and kissed across her jaw and down her neck. The moment his lips grazed the first scar near her collarbone, Elise stiffened slightly. To prove to her that he saw her, not the marks on her body, he continued moving his lips over her flushed skin until she relaxed once more.
The woman in his arms was mentally and spiritually stronger than anyone he’d ever met—or, he suspect
ed, ever would meet. She was everything beautiful and perfect, untarnished by the evil that he lived with daily. How could he bring her into such a world when he was stained with blood?
How could he dare to even think he deserved such a woman?
But how could he ignore the pull she had on his heart, his very soul?
He lifted his head to look upon her face. Her lips were parted, her chest heaving. Her eyes fluttered open to show her pupils dilated with a passion so deep, so flagrant that his knees threatened to buckle.
Elise was a dream come true. It boggled his mind that he was with her and that she wanted him. He didn’t understand why, but he wasn’t going to question such a gift.
He turned them and maneuvered her backward until she came up against a wall. Her green eyes watched him with curiosity and eagerness. He shot her a grin before he ducked his head to continue kissing her body.
Her nails dug into his shoulders when he reached her breasts. Her rosy nipples were hard when his lips passed over them. She sucked in a sharp breath.
With his mouth hovering over a turgid peak, his hand cupped the other breast and massaged it before he closed his lips over her nipple to tease her.
Breathy moans that made his balls tighten filled the room. By the time he moved his mouth to her other breast, she was panting, soft cries of desire falling from her kiss-swollen lips.
* * *
Elise was caught in the snug, gorgeous arms of rapture. She burned with need, a yearning so fierce that she knew nothing could tear her away from Kane.
Her eyes opened when his lips left a hot, wet trail down her stomach. He dropped to his knees and glanced up at her, his blue eyes blazing with the promise of pleasure.
She drew in a shaky breath when he hooked an arm behind her knee and lifted it over his shoulder. Her gaze was directed across her room to the window, but she didn’t see the curtains or the blinds Mr. Darcy had broken in his attempt to see outside.
Her eyes were open, but her concentration was on Kane and all the wondrous, incredible things he was doing to her.
When his hands gripped her hips, the feeling of his long fingers wrapping around her as if securing her made her stomach flutter in anticipation.
But it was his warm breath on her sex that made her begin to tremble in expectation. He didn’t make her wait long. The first touch of his tongue against her core was electrifying. And hot.
She splayed her hands on the wall in an effort to stay upright as that amazing tongue of his found her clit and relentlessly brought her to the brink of orgasm in seconds.
She remained on the edge until he slid a finger inside her. The force of the climax made her leg buckle. He held her upright and continued to swirl his tongue around her swollen nub until she couldn’t stand.
With her body still shuddering from the powerful orgasm, Kane carried her to the bed and gently laid her down. She rose up on her elbows when he pulled off his shirt.
She’d seen him naked several times now, but she’d never get tired of his magnificent body. The life he led was in every honed muscle, every movement. She’d never known anyone like him. Commanding, compelling, and evocative. And for some unknown reason, he was with her.
Elise shifted onto her knees and watched as he unfastened his jeans and shoved them down his legs. A seductive smile curved his lips as his gaze held hers. Then he put a knee on the bed beside her and seized her lips in a kiss that stole her breath—and her heart.
She’d tried hard not to acknowledge her growing feelings for Kane, but baring her body and soul to him had stripped away all her efforts. And she didn’t even care.
Her arms wrapped around him as he laid them on the bed before rolling onto his back. She straddled his hips and sat up. It was then that she realized he was letting her take control. Kane was a dominant personality, but he was handing the reins to her.
Her eyes teared up as emotion choked her. Unaware of her turmoil, he ran his hands up her thighs to her hips. Elise bent and placed her lips on his. If she hadn’t already fallen for him, she would have tipped stupidly, crazily in love with him at that moment.
She straightened and rose up on her knees before taking his impressive length in hand. She stroked him up and down, watching his gaze darken as need tightened his face.
“Elise,” he ground out in warning.
When was the last time she’d had such control over a man’s body? She honestly didn’t think she had ever brought her lovers to such a state. Just one more difference in Kane versus all the others who could never measure up.
She brought him to her entrance and slowly lowered herself. The feeling of her body stretching to accommodate him was a sensation she would never forget.
* * *
He was burning. The fire scorching him was exquisite, but it didn’t compare to Elise. Her head was thrown back, her curls a beautiful riot around her face.
Her breasts were pushed outward as her back arched, and she began rocking her hips. He skimmed his hands up her back and hooked them on her shoulders as he sat up.
He locked his lips around a nipple and suckled in time with her movements. She let out a groan that he felt all the way to his cock.
He moaned as she scratched her nails down his back. She rocked her hips faster, bringing them ever closer to the pleasure that waited. He both yearned for it and wanted to hold off as long as possible.
Decisions had already been made, and he wasn’t ready to think about the next day—or the battle he knew was coming. But he’d already spent enough days with Elise. Delphine wouldn’t hesitate to kill Elise to make him suffer, and Kane wasn’t going to allow that.
He shoved aside those thoughts and gave himself to Elise. There was a chance they would only have this one night, and he was going to make the most of it.
After watching his brothers each find the women that completed them, Kane had accepted that he wasn’t meant to follow that path. Then Elise came along. It made him wish that his path was a different one, but he couldn’t change what was in his blood.
He lifted his head and gazed at her face. It was filled with such bliss that it made his heart trip over itself. She altered her movements so she was moving up and down his length.
Every time he slid into her tight, wet sheath, he had to fight back his climax. Then he could wait no longer. He flipped her onto her back and thrust deeply inside her.
Elise let out a loud cry and urged him on with her hands. He began pumping his hips, driving into her hard and fast. She screamed his name as her body stiffened and another orgasm took her.
He kept thrusting, prolonging her pleasure as long as he could.
“I love you.”
His gaze jerked to her face at her whispered words, but her eyes were closed. He wasn’t sure if he’d actually heard the words, or if they were a figment of his imagination—of the hope and wishful thinking that filled him.
He rose up on his hands and pumped his hips faster until his own climax approached. Stupidly, he hadn’t thought about protection, but he wouldn’t leave a child behind to be cursed as he was.
Kane pulled out and fell against her as his seed spilled upon Elise’s stomach. He’d done many stupid things in his life. But this was one time he had done the right thing.
He didn’t know how long he lay in Elise’s arms with her hands stroking his hair and back. He rose and cleaned her off before doing the same to himself. Then she pulled him back onto the bed with her.
As if he would’ve denied her anything. She curled against him. This simple moment was one of the most special of his life.
In the times he’d taken a woman since Delphine cursed him, Kane hadn’t allowed any kind of cuddling. He hadn’t wanted that kind of connection with anyone. Yet now, he couldn’t imagine not having it with Elise.
He heard her breathing even out as she fell asleep, but he couldn’t do the same. His mind was on the following day and everything it would bring.
A part of him wanted to speak to his brothers, but
he’d end up telling them what he was doing, and it would defeat his purpose. Instead, he’d leave them a letter. It wouldn’t be the same, but it would be something.
They needed to know that he loved them beyond measure—including the women that were now a part of their family. And Kane would leave Riley a note, as well. His cousin wasn’t just family, she had become his best friend.
The stories the two shared had healed them both of pains neither realized they had. Riley was a beautiful soul who wanted nothing more than the love and acceptance of her family. She had that now.
Kane’s arm tightened around Elise. It would be easier to leave her a letter, as well, but he wouldn’t do that to her. She didn’t have to save him. But by doing it, she’d created a bond that was unexpected and mind-boggling. It was stunning and wonderful, and an experience Kane wasn’t sure he deserved.
He knew the odds of him coming out alive after his attack on Delphine were slim. But if he took the priestess out so she couldn’t hurt anyone else, then it would be worth it. Because he knew Delphine would go after Elise.
That alone propelled Kane to make his decision. He didn’t want to leave Elise. He wanted nothing more than to remain with her forever, basking in her smile and the unconditional love she gave to others.
It was a good thing the asshole who hurt her had been caught. Otherwise, Kane would hunt him down and rip out his throat.
“I love you, too,” he whispered before placing a kiss on her forehead.
10
Elise came awake with a smile, nestled in Kane’s arms. She’d lost count of how many times he woke her during the night to make love.
She sighed contentedly. Her body was lethargic after being loved so thoroughly. She wanted nothing more than to spend the day in bed with Kane. Unfortunately, she had clients coming in to see her.
“Hungry?” he asked as he kissed her temple.
She smiled up at him. “Starving.”
“I’ll start breakfast. How do waffles sound?”
“Amazing.” She watched as he rose from the bed and walked naked to his clothes.
