“Let me finish. Then, you can list all your grievances when I’m done, okay?”
She couldn’t help but smile. “Okay. Continue, please.”
Sawyer theatrically cleared his throat. “As I was saying, my cat knew you belonged to me, and that rat bastard has no clue as to what gender equality or the feminist movement is, so you might just have to live with him the way he is.”
Kenzie bit the inside of her cheek, so she wouldn’t laugh, but she couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across her face. She had never seen this side of Sawyer.
“As I was saying, you got under my skin anyway. And instead of embracing what we could have, I tried to fight any attraction to you or feelings for you, which only led me to do some foolish, jealous things.”
“Like what?” she asked.
He gave her a look. “As if you don’t already know. But I will indulge you and tell you anyway.”
“Okay,” she whispered eagerly.
“There was the time you threatened to fuck Saxon, so I pulled you into the restroom of the nightclub and made you come before marking you.” His brow furrowed as he seemed to be distracted by another thought. “By the way, please don’t ever threaten to fuck my friends again.”
She held up three fingers with one hand and crossed her heart with the other.
“Good. Now, do you remember that night I broke into your apartment to try to find Vaughn?”
She nodded.
“Man, did I want you that night. And you were wearing those pajamas without a bra. It took everything in me not to bend you over the couch.”
“You could see that I wasn’t wearing a bra?” she asked, surprised.
“Of course. I have cat vision after all. I had to hide behind the damn counter, so you wouldn’t see my erection. And then, when you opened your hall door in the same pajamas, the thought of anyone seeing you like that practically drove me crazy.”
“I had no idea.”
“I know. I hid it all behind anger. Anger was my friend, and it was an easy way to push you away.” He rubbed his hand down her arms. “Then, there was the kidnapping, but we don’t want that to be a part of our romantic past, do we?”
“Not really.”
“But after we got away, I lost my memory. When I gained it back, it was really hard to stay away from you and deny myself. I saw what it could be like if I didn’t let my past affect me so much, but apparently, I wasn’t ready to let go of all that bitterness yet.”
“That was the hardest for me. Knowing what it would be like to truly be your mate, if you liked me.”
“I’m so sorry, Kenzie.”
“I know.”
“Anyway, so after we got home and my memory returned, I had to go and get myself injured. I’m sorry that I took advantage of you when I was on narcotics.”
She winced. “When you say it like that, I should be the one to apologize. You were drugged up, and I should have known that something was wrong by the way you were acting. Maybe a part of me did, but I missed being with you so much that I was willing to risk it.”
“So, we’re both sorry. We’ll leave it at that then.” He sighed. “That brings us to the night of the party. I know I already apologized, but I want you to know that the thought of your ex touching you made me crazy. I know it’s not an excuse, but all I could picture was the way you look when you come, but instead of me giving you that look of pleasure, it would be someone else. My cat was definitely in charge that night, but if I hadn’t still been fighting my feelings for you, I never would have treated you like that. Just thinking about it makes me sick to my stomach.”
Kenzie reached up and ran her fingers over his jaw. “I don’t know if it helps, but I never did anything with my ex, and I wasn’t planning to either. He’s more like a brother to me now, and I actually think he’s dating someone. Truth be told, if you hadn’t been so mad that night and hadn’t done what you did for the wrong reason, it would have been the hottest sex I’d ever had.”
Sawyer smiled at her words. “Thanks for that.”
She shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t want you to be completely miserable.”
“Thanks,” he said with a chuckle. “Anyway, then I found out you were moving. I guess a part of me thought you would always be around. I realized that I had been taking you for granted, and if I didn’t step up, man up, I would lose the greatest thing that had ever happened to me.”
She sucked in a breath at his words.
“So, here I am, without anger or jealousy, telling you that I love you, Kenzie Swanson. I know we have a lot to work on, but I want you to stay here with me. I want you to live here in this house with me, I want you to wear my mark, and I want you to yank that stupid birth control out of your arm, so I can give you lots of babies.”
She loved everything that he was saying, and her heart was about to burst, but she had to point out one thing to him. “They’d be half-shifter and half-human babies.”
“No, they will be half Kenzie and half Sawyer, just the way they are meant to be. I love you. The rest doesn’t matter.”
Kenzie grabbed him and kissed him as she moved off the couch and onto his lap.
Sawyer broke their kiss and asked, “Does that mean you’ll stay?”
She nodded her head and grinned. “Yes, I’ll stay. I’ll take the job at the hotel—after I check it out—and I’ll stay here with you. But do you really think we should go from fighting to moving in together?”
He kissed her nose. “The way I see it, we’ve already wasted seven months.”
She raised a brow.
“Okay, I’ve wasted seven months, and I don’t think we should waste any more time. Besides, you already gave up your apartment, and your stuff is all here. I think it was meant to be.”
She considered his words. “You’re probably right.” She held up a finger. “But I think you should wait to mark me. I mean, I know you’ve already done it plenty of times, but I think you should wait this time since it’ll be official.”
He scowled at her. “Fuck that. I’m marking you the second you let me inside your body.”
She loved when he talked dirty to her. “Then, I guess I’d better not let you have your filthy way with me.”
Sawyer growled in protest and went for her neck again as his hand moved between her legs.
She was so easy when it came to this man. “Okay, you can have your filthy way with me.”
He brought his head up and grinned knowingly at her. “Damn straight I can.”
“You’re lucky I love you.”
Sawyer beamed from ear to ear. “You have no idea how lucky.”
Sawyer rocked back on his heels on the bed as he took in his naked mate. Her chest was rapidly rising and falling from the orgasm he’d just given her from going down on her. As she regained her breath, Sawyer stripped off his clothes and placed himself over her, in between her legs.
Kenzie reached up and ran her hands over his chest. “I will never get sick of touching you, and I love the fact that I don’t have to hold back any longer.”
“I love it, too.”
She dragged her hand down his torso until she reached his cock. She squeezed him tight, and he bucked in her hand.
“God, that feels good.”
She smiled coyly at him and squeezed again.
He removed her fist from around him and kissed her palm. Then, he spread her legs wide and placed himself at her entrance. “Are you ready, Kenzie? There’s no going back after this because I will never let you go.”
She bit her lip and nodded. “I’m ready. Make me yours, Sawyer.”
He slowly pushed inside her and closed his eyes. She had the sweetest fucking pussy. He would never tire of this feeling, and he was one lucky asshole for having the privilege of being there.
He began to thrust inside her with hard, deep strokes, and she clutched at his back as he brought her closer to another orgasm. When he knew that she was close, he put his mouth in position and bit down as he slowed his
movements. He wanted her to feel his bite more than what he was doing to her between her legs.
She dug her fingernails into his back and hip, and a slow moan escaped her lips.
He let go of her neck and drew back enough so that he could admire his work for just a second. Then, he picked up his speed again as he whispered in her ear, “Come for me, mate.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
DANTE STRETCHED HIS neck back and forth while he leaned against his SUV and waited for the gas tank to fill. Tonight was his night off, so he was relaxed and not really paying attention to what was going on around him. Yet something caught his attention. He glanced up and was shocked at what he saw.
Gerald Llewelyn was exiting the gas station and making his way toward an old beat-up Ford.
All this time that they had spent searching for the bastard, and here Dante had found Gerald when he wasn’t even trying.
Dante quickly stopped the pump on the gas even though his tank wasn’t full, screwed on the gas cap, and hit No for a receipt. He jumped in his SUV just in time to follow Gerald out of the parking lot.
He stayed far enough away so that Gerald wouldn’t notice that he had a tail, and soon, they came up on an apartment building. Gerald pulled into the parking lot, and Dante parked on the street as he cursed.
There was no way he’d be able to follow Gerald inside without being discovered. Gerald would smell Dante in a second, and going by the age and look of the building, the hallways were probably long and narrow with no place to hide if Gerald suspected that he was being watched.
It would just make finding Gerald that much harder but not impossible.
A second later, a light turned on in an apartment.
Bingo.
Unless someone else had just come home, Dante had found out where Gerald was staying.
Dante picked up his phone and flipped it open. He scrolled down to Vance’s number and paused. He knew that he should be calling the cat-shifter alpha. Gerald was a cat-shifter and Vance’s cousin, and Vance deserved to know what Dante had found. Instead, Dante scrolled back up to the Ps. He didn’t know why he was about to do what he was going to do because, as a leader, Dante felt it was his responsibility to follow the rules and do the right thing.
However, without another moment of hesitation, he hit Send.
Phoenix ignored the vibrating in her pocket for the second time. Saxon and she were busy clearing their last abandoned house, and she didn’t have time to answer the phone. Not that it mattered anyway because the house was empty. After weeks of this, Phoenix was really starting to feel like the whole thing was pointless. They were never going to find Gerald.
She met Saxon back in the living room. “Nothing, right?” she asked.
“Nothing.”
“Let’s go then. The sooner we get through our list, the sooner we can get home.”
A few weeks ago, if they had gotten through their list of uninhabited and foreclosed homes early, she would have asked for more. Now, she just wanted to be done, so she could go home and sleep.
They walked toward their vehicle when her phone went off again. Irritated, Phoenix pulled out her cell and looked at the number. It was Dante. She hadn’t seen or heard from him since New Year’s Eve, and she was very close to not answering. But if he had called three times in the last five minutes, then it must be something important.
“Who is it?” Saxon asked.
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him that it was Dante. After all, the two of them were friends, but for some reason, she didn’t. “Uh...it’s Tegan. Why don’t you go warm up the SUV while I see what she needs?”
“Sure.”
After Saxon was out of hearing distance, she hit Accept on her phone. “Hello?”
“Phoenix, this is Dante.”
As if she didn’t know. Not only had his number come up on her display, there was also no way she would ever mistake his voice for someone else’s. “What do you need?”
“I need you to come to the address I’m about to text to you.”
“What? Why?” He was crazy if he just thought she would drop everything and show up to some random address somewhere. “I’m working.”
“Phoenix,” he stressed her name. “I found Gerald.”
Instantly, her heart began to race, and her palms began to sweat. “Are you sure?” Please don’t let it be a mistake.
“Without a doubt. Now, get your ass over here.”
Phoenix hit End and jogged over to the SUV.
As she climbed inside, Saxon asked, “What did Tegan want?”
“Oh, you know, girl stuff.”
Saxon looked at her like she had two heads. “Girl stuff? You?”
Phoenix knew she wasn’t what someone would call feminine, but she was still insulted. “Yes, girl stuff. In case you didn’t know, I am a girl.”
Saxon put the car in drive. “Yeah, I know you’re a girl. I just wasn’t sure you knew.”
Phoenix held up her middle finger and glared at him. “Fuck you.”
Saxon simply laughed and pulled away from the curb.
She had been wondering how she was going to ditch Saxon without telling him what was going on, but now that she was irritated with her friend, she didn’t care if he questioned her about where she was going.
She pulled up the address Dante had sent her on her GPS and looked for the nearest cross street. “I need you to drop me off somewhere.”
“Where?”
She told him the corner that she needed to go to.
“Phoenix, that isn’t the best neighborhood. Why do you need to go there?”
She wanted to tell him that it was none of his business, but she didn’t want him to question her more. “I’ll explain later, but I can’t say right now.”
“Phoenix,” Saxon said in a parenting tone.
“Saxon, I’m not going to argue with you on this. Either take me or don’t. I’ll just grab my car when we get home.”
He sighed. “I’ll take you. But if something happens, I will kick your ass, girl or no girl.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine.”
They drove the rest of the way in silence, and when Saxon pulled up to her destination, she practically jumped out of the vehicle before he’d even stopped. Right before she closed the door, Saxon grabbed her arm.
“What?” she asked.
“I know you don’t want to tell me what’s going on, but please be careful.”
Despite his worry that she was doing something that she shouldn’t, it was also nice to know that he cared. “I will.”
He let go of her arm, and she slammed the door. She waited for Saxon to pull away before she took off running down the street. With the snow and ice on the sidewalk, it took her longer than she would have liked, but eventually, she made it.
As she approached the address Dante had texted her, a car door opened, and Dante got out of his SUV. He looked amazing, as always, and part of her wanted to run into his arms, to thank him for calling her with his find instead of calling her alpha, but she didn’t.
She stopped before touching him. “So, he’s in there, huh?” She nodded toward the apartment building.
“Yep, basement level.”
Dante’s dark brown eyes studied her, and she had to control the urge to fidget.
“No wonder we never found Gerald. We’ve been concentrating on motels and abandoned houses.”
Dante ran down the plan to apprehend Gerald, and she agreed with his strategy.
“So, you ready to bring this asshole in?” he asked.
“Yes.” More than anyone could ever know.
Dante checked his weapons and nodded at her. “Let’s go then.”
Just before he took off for the building, Phoenix put her hand on his arm.
He looked over his shoulder at her. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just wanted to say thank you.”
Dante turned around. “Phoenix,” he started, his voice tender.
She didn�
�t want to hear any tender words or sentimental thoughts, so she cut him off, “I just wanted to say thank you. Now, let’s go.” She marched past Dante, determined to find Gerald.
She heard Dante sigh, but he followed on her heels.
No other words were spoken as they silently made their way into the building and up to the door of Gerald’s apartment. Not that it mattered how loud they were. Someone close by was having a party and had the music cranked up to full blast.
As they neared the apartment, Phoenix could smell the fucker’s scent outside the door, and it made her sick. She tried not to picture him leaning over her in the motel room where he’d tied her up, but it was hard.
She looked over at Dante’s chiseled features and breathed in his cinnamon scent. She hated the thought of needing anyone, but just knowing that he was there grounded her and gave her the ability to concentrate on what needed to be done.
They each positioned themselves on one side of Gerald’s door, and they nodded to each other to signal they were ready. Dante knocked lightly, and they both moved out of the direct view of the peephole. Gerald would be able to see someone, but he would have no idea it was them. Then, they could push their way in and knock him out. Phoenix would kick him in the balls a couple of times while he was unconscious, and then they would bring him in. Easy and efficient. Of course, Dante hadn’t included the crotch-kicking part, but she figured an extra step in their plan wouldn’t hurt anyone.
Unfortunately, things didn’t always work out as one had intended.
She didn’t know if it was adrenaline or what, but everything happened so fast. Gerald pulled the door ajar, and Dante kicked it open. Phoenix followed right behind him and kicked the door closed before anyone walked by.
She didn’t know how it’d happened, but within seconds, Gerald had pulled out a gun and fired twice.
Dante’s body jolted from the force of the gunshots, and Phoenix screamed. Dante fell to the floor, clutching his chest, and without a second thought, she shifted into her cat and went for Gerald’s throat. A faint thought crossed her mind that she was supposed to be bringing Gerald in alive, but all she could think about was Dante bleeding on the ground.
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