Awaiting Fate

by J. L. Sheppard

  She wants me to stay. A smile spread across his lips. Although he wanted nothing more than to sleep with his mate wrapped around him, he couldn’t and wouldn’t. She was his, but she was a virgin. Waking with him in her bed would probably scare the crap out of her.

  With her hand still firmly grasping his shirt, he pulled it off and let her hold it. Still, he couldn’t summon the courage to leave her. He’d been less than a gentleman that day and wouldn’t blame her for leaving him again but couldn’t fathom waking to find her gone. That fear was overwhelming, earth shattering and undeniable. He’d be destroyed more so than he was already, so instead of heading to the spare bedroom, he lay on the small loveseat in her room. It wasn’t big enough for his six-foot-five frame, but it would do.

  He laid his head on the armrest facing her, so he wouldn’t lose sight, his legs dangling over the other end. Exhausted because he hadn’t slept in days, with his eyes still locked on her, the stress and worry overwhelmed him, and finally, he fell asleep easily comforted with the thought she wouldn’t be able to run because the minute she tried he’d notice even in his sleep.

  ****

  Olivia stirred in her sleep enjoying the comfort of the soft mattress but not nearly as much as the smell of Cain that still lingered. Eyes still closed, the memory of the night before flooded her.

  Cain, he’d come. She was no longer alone hiding from him and how she felt.

  Her lids, heavy-lidded with sleep, drifted open, realizing she lay in her bed instead of on the couch where she’d fallen asleep. He must’ve moved her while she slept. It was so him, considerate and thoughtful.

  She sighed. His scent washed over her once again. Finally, she noticed the shirt clenched in her hand, his shirt, the one he wore last night.

  Sitting up in bed quickly, she scanned the room. At the far end, her eyes landed on a figure of a shirtless Cain sleeping on the small loveseat. What a picture. His size and stature too big for it, his head rested on one armrest and his legs dangled at least a foot over the other. A giggle bubbling inside her, she clamped her mouth shut afraid the smallest noise would arouse him.

  So many questions…Why did she have his shirt? Why was it ripped? Why had he fallen asleep in her room uncomfortably on a couch when he could’ve used the spare room?

  Questions tumbling in her mind and plaguing her, she hopped off the bed and neared. His chiseled features were relaxed in sleep, yet still he was undeniably handsome, too handsome and striking in an obvious way, the type of man every woman wanted, and the type no woman could deny, and she was just “lovely.” That’s what everyone always said: “Olivia’s lovely. Olivia looks lovely tonight. Olivia’s dress is lovely.”

  What she’d give to be more? To be beautiful or sexy or exotic? What she would do to run her fingers through his golden hair then down his muscled chest? What she’d give to place her lips over his?

  Anything. Everything.

  Conscious of her thoughts, Olivia shook her head and berated herself for gawking at a sleeping man, the man she loved but wasn’t hers. I’m hopeless, she thought. Time for Plan B.

  Chapter 11

  Cain’s eyelids slid open the following morning, locked on where Olivia had been. Her bed was now empty.

  Dread and fear prickling through him, he lunged from the sofa, and sprinted toward the bathroom.

  It, too, was empty.

  His breaths coming rapidly, he materialized in each of the bedrooms first. Finding them empty, he searched the first floor living room, bathroom, study and kitchen. It took mere seconds but already full-blown panic seized him.

  She left you again, his conscience sneered.

  He materialized outside; instantly scenting her, his nerves began to soothe. Still, he sprinted toward the sandy beach. There, he found her lying on the sand, sunbathing—topless.

  Mouth gaping open, his eyes devoured her inch by breathtaking inch. Unable to help himself, he stopped dead and stared at her perfectly rounded, plump breasts. His gaze then trailed down her flat stomach to her legs, admiring her smooth, unblemished skin. Only a skimpy hot-pink bikini bottom covered her and barely.

  Mine, he thought, adjusting the bulge in his pants.

  He glanced around the beach wondering who else had been privileged enough to enjoy watching what was only his to see.

  There was no one in sight.

  Good, I won’t have to kill anyone.

  He growled. As if stung, she sat up quickly, covering her breasts with a folded towel beside her. Her eyes were wide as they met his, her face flushing bright red.

  She was a werewolf, part of a pack. Werewolves shifted and hunted in groups, and before they shifted they removed their clothes. Because of it, they were comfortable with nudity. He knew all of this, so the fact she covered herself to hide from him was all it took to snap his control, that now too familiar volatile anger rushing him.

  Looking away from him, she said, “Good morning.”

  Fisting his palms tightly, his eyes hardened then he managed, “Morning.” He hadn’t meant to bark the word, but realized he had when her gaze shot to his as she clutched the towel against her chest tighter.

  Hating her reaction, hating more she’d shielded the body meant for him from him and knowing he was on the verge of turning, he paused, took a deep breath and attempted to rein in his temper. “I thought shifters were comfortable with nudity.”

  Her eyes widened. “It’s different. Landon would protect me. He wouldn’t allow anyone—”

  “You need protection from me?” he asked harshly. Fuck, so much for controlling his temper.

  Looking every which way, she said, “No, it’s just…it’s not like that. I meant when we shift with the pack, I usually shift elsewhere. Landon doesn’t let anyone stare at me.”

  No one had ever seen her naked? How was that even possible? Wait, who cared? The point was no one had ever seen her naked. He already knew she was a virgin, and he doubted she’d ever even been kissed. It meant she was his, all his. He smiled then decided he might start liking Landon after all.

  Still, he found the need to point out, “You’re shifters.”

  “Yes, but you’ve met my brother. You know he’s—”

  “Cain.” Lucas’s voice beckoned from behind him.

  Immediately, he materialized in front of Olivia, covering her from view. He then grabbed the towel unfolded it and wrapped it around her, concealing every inch of her from her shoulders to mid-thigh.

  Then he turned and barked, “What the fuck? Olivia’s—” He sighed.

  Olivia grasped his arm and said, “Cain, stop it.” He looked at her, now standing at his side, realizing then she looked worried.

  Eyes snapping back to Lucas, he schooled his tone then said, “You could’ve called.”

  “Called you on your cell?” Lucas asked, then flung his phone at him. Cain caught it a second before Lucas said, “Your queen was worried about you.”

  “Sorry, Cain,” Jenna said, standing just behind Lucas.

  Too distracted with concealing Olivia, he hadn’t even spotted his queen.

  He was being a dick. He knew it. The thing was he knew nothing would fix it until Olivia was his. Still, he felt bad about it, remorse overwhelmed him.

  He closed the distance between himself and Jenna and kneeled before her. “No, I’m sorry.”

  “Oh God, Cain. You know I hate it when you do that! Get up.”

  He did, and she hugged him then smiled. “We just wanted to make sure you were okay,” Jenna whispered then she turned to Liv and said, “Hi, Liv. Sorry to crash your vacation. We’ll be leaving.”

  “Oh no, why don’t you stay for breakfast?” Olivia asked, much to Cain’s surprise.

  “We can’t stay. We’re headed to Treconomia for the monthly council meeting, but when you come back into town, we’ll have dinner,” Jenna promised.

  Lucas patted Cain on the back then Jenna wrapped her arms around him. Not a moment later, they were gone.

  Olivia closed the d
istance between them then asked, “What was that about?”

  Knowing he couldn’t tell her the truth and hating to lie, he gave her half an answer while avoiding her eyes. “They’re worried about me.”

  “I am, too,” she admitted.

  His gaze shot to her. He didn’t need to use his gift because in her eyes and in her too somber expression, he read the sincerity of her words.

  “I don’t know what happened to you, Cain. You’re so…different. I know you’re not ready to tell me but just know that whenever you are, I’ll be here for you.”

  He knew she meant it because she was perfect, a perfect woman with the perfect smile, perfect body and sweet beyond reason.

  He smiled genuinely. “How about I make you breakfast?”

  “I’d love that.”

  ****

  Sitting on a stool at the kitchen counter, Olivia watched a shirtless Cain make strawberry pancakes, her favorite. As he moved, the muscles in his back stretched and tightened, her greedy gaze devouring him, enthralled. She had the urge to trail her fingers along the outline of his chest down his rock hard abs and then kiss every inch of him.

  Stop dreaming, she thought then exhaled, knowing if she had the chance she wouldn’t even know where to start. She’d never been on a date. She’d never even been asked out…She’d never explored a man’s body, never even been kissed.

  “Are you getting excited?” he asked.

  Her face flushed. Scolding herself for her lascivious thoughts, she mumbled, “W-what?”

  “The pancakes. They’re your favorite, aren’t they?”

  She exhaled, relieved he’d been referring to food. Of course, even if he had sensed her hormones, he was too much of a gentleman to bring them up.

  “Um…yes, of course.”

  He plated the pancakes, poured two cups of coffee and two glasses of orange juice, then sat on a stool beside her.

  “Has Ashley taught you anything new in the kitchen?” she asked. Ashley was Jenna and Jocelyn’s sister. Only recently, she’d been reunited with her sisters. Like them, she was an Elemental.

  “Yeah, some stuff, but you know her and Clyde are official now, so they’ve been spending lots of time alone.”

  “Figures,” she said. “I remember when Jocelyn and Landon first got together. They wouldn’t leave their room…” She laughed. “They still don’t.”

  “I remember, too. I took advantage of that though,” he said and smiled then shoved a large piece of pancake in his mouth.

  Her brows drew together in confusion.

  He swallowed then explained. “I knew Landon would be preoccupied, so I’d swing by to spend time with you.”

  What? That was news to her. “I thought you had official business to discuss with Landon and Joce?”

  “I did.” He shrugged. “Sometimes, but I could have just called them.”

  She took a sip of coffee, forcing herself not to read into what he’d said, forcing herself to remember he spent time with her in a platonic way.

  He took another large bite then asked, “What time did you get up this morning?”

  “Around six, I went for a run then sunbathed, but you already know that part,” she said, her cheeks heating with the memory.

  “Why didn’t you wake me?”

  “I thought you should sleep.” She paused, summoning the courage to ask her next question. “Why were you so upset with Lucas?”

  “I wasn’t upset with him. I was just…” He sighed heavily. His eyes snapped to hers and hardened then he said, “You were naked.”

  She flushed with just the reminder, then pointed out, “Technically, I wasn’t naked.” She hadn’t been, but she had been topless when Cain found her.

  After last night, she didn’t think she could be more humiliated. She was wrong. Him catching her topless was worse. Then again, she supposed she deserved it. She should’ve been paying attention, listening for him. Instead she’d been daydreaming, so deep into one of her fantasies even with her keen senses she hadn’t heard him near.

  He clenched his jaw.

  Looking away from him, she said, “Sometimes, you’re worse than my brother. You do realize Lucas is mated. If he accidentally saw anything, it wouldn’t matter. He’s not interested. He only has eyes for Jenna.”

  This was true. In fact, she would’ve preferred Lucas catching sight of her topless rather than Cain. Because Lucas was mated, he wouldn’t prefer anyone over his mate. His opinion wouldn’t matter. Cain, on the other hand, as an unmated male, mattered. As the man she’d fallen for, he mattered much more, and she knew his opinion wouldn’t be good.

  She had no illusions about her looks. She was average: average height, average-sized breasts and average-length dark hair. The one thing she had going for her—her eyes. They were crystal clear blue. She wasn’t being insecure, it was just a fact of life. She’d never been called anything but “lovely” and that didn’t count because every time she heard someone say it, it wasn’t said directly to her but to her brother. “Olivia looks lovely,” they’d say, barely sparing a glance at her. Besides that, she’d never been asked out on a date, she’d never been kissed, so needless to say, she was a virgin. The first fifty years of her life, she thought it had to do with her brother’s alpha status, overprotective and domineering, but as time passed, she realized it had to be more than that. It had to be her.

  “It matters to me,” he countered, his tone firm.

  It was endearing he cared and, in part, the reason it had been so easy to fall in love with him. The problem was it made her think he cared for her as more than a friend. And although she had decided to stop wallowing in self-pity that she’d fallen for a man who wasn’t hers, she didn’t want him encouraging her feelings for him.

  Her gaze snapped to his and narrowed, she said, “Yeah, I can tell, but here’s the thing, I don’t need another Landon in my life. I already have one overprotective brother. I know it doesn’t look like it, but I can handle myself. You don’t need to attack random drunk mortals because they asked me to dance.”

  He flinched, immediately causing her to regret her snide retort. She didn’t want to hurt him. She hadn’t meant to either. Whatever he’d been through the last several days had been traumatic enough. His king and queen were concerned, and she’d made it worse.

  “Why?” he asked.

  “Because you…You’re making me…” She sighed, then shook her head, shrugged, and mumbled, “Nothing.”

  “I can’t help myself. It’s instinct.”

  It was—for him, protecting was an instinct because he was good, kind, sweet and to top it off—irresistible. And she hurt him, the man she claimed to love.

  She placed her hand over his. “I’m sorry,” she confessed.

  “It’s fine. Hell, it’s nice to know you can lose it, too.”

  A glimpse of the Cain she knew, lighthearted and jesting. She was so relieved to hear it, see it, she threw her head back and laughed.

  When she gazed at him again, the intensity in his eyes had tripled. It seemed his gaze hadn’t left her. For the first time in her life, she felt like the prey instead of the predator. It unnerved her, and yet it felt great because for some inexplicable reason, it made her feel desired, too.

  She couldn’t peel her gaze away, so she stared at him, staring at her, then she was suddenly overcome with emotion, a love so profound and intense it brought tears to her eyes, overwhelming, excruciatingly beautiful, deep and meaningful love.

  She recognized it instantly because it was how she felt for him. Still, she couldn’t explain why she felt it radiate into her as if it wasn’t her own.

  “Liv.” His voice came out hoarse.

  Trembling from emotion streaming through her, making it hard to breathe, her gaze met his, then a tear floated down her cheek. “Kiss me,” she begged. “Just once, please.” After she said it, she couldn’t believe the words had escaped her lips.

  A moment later, he stood. Towering over her, he wrapped his arm around h
er waist and lifted her, placing her butt on the countertop. Standing between her legs, eye to eye, he pressed the palm of one hand against her back, pushing her body against his. She fit, melding perfectly against him. He then cupped her cheek, his thumb caressing her as he stared deep into her eyes. Finally, he leaned in and placed his lips firmly over hers.

  She opened her mouth and his tongue met hers. Their tongues entwined, making her temperature spike and her core grow moist.

  The kiss was passionate, sensual and unnerving, making her toes curl with desire. He tasted sweeter than she’d ever imagined.

  She had no idea what she was doing or if she was doing it right, but she couldn’t find the strength to pull away because it was Cain, the man she loved, and he kissed her like he wanted her to be his.

  Her first kiss was worth the wait. It hadn’t been a random immortal, it was Cain. The man who’d saved her, protected her and befriended her, that she’d remember forever as her first.

  There were no regrets.

  Chapter 12

  Two Months Ago

  The day had drifted by slowly. It didn’t happen often, only the days she didn’t see Cain. Going on four days now, she’d begun to worry.

  Over the course of the last three months, since she’d met him, she hadn’t gone more than a day. They’d become friends who saw each other, not just often, but daily. They talked, laughed, sometimes even shared meals and trained together.

  So it was only natural that she be worried, natural that she was a mess. She couldn’t help it. Day in and day out horrible scenarios filled her mind—all ended with him hurt or worse. She knew it unlikely, considering bad news traveled fast, and she was sure Jocelyn would have told her.

  With certainty she was sure of two probable scenarios: he was busy on an assignment and couldn’t spare time or he didn’t want to see her. Both scared her a bit: the first because he always found time for her before, and the second because she wanted to see him. She couldn’t blame him though, she knew her feelings for him were growing and felt, perhaps, he felt her feelings for him grow. Perhaps, he didn’t want to encourage them and hoped distance would cure that.