They made a quick stop to pick up sandwiches for lunch before returning to the apartment. Lincoln blocked the wind nipping at her back as she unlocked the door and hustled inside. Dropping the sandwich bag on the coffee table, she shucked off her coat and tossed it onto the sofa chair before plopping on the couch.
Lincoln took his time removing his coat and laid it carefully across the back of the couch. His movements were always deliberate, as if he had mentally calculated every possible move and chosen the most direct and efficient one to employ. She appreciated that he wasn’t reactive or impulsive. Simply strong, steady. Solid.
Still, he kept secrets and, if they were going to be mates, Angeline needed to know that she could trust him and show that he could trust her.
“Lincoln, there’s something I need to tell you.”
He met her gaze and worry troubled his eyes. “Same here, Angel.”
“Damien told me about the old photograph of me and I went through your wallet to find it.”
Lincoln sat next to her, then curled his fingers around her hand.
“Tanner took that picture on our first date. How did you get it?”
“He gave it to me,” Lincoln said quietly. “Right before he died.”
“You were with him?” Tears stung Angeline’s eyes, and a caustic knot rose in her throat.
“Yes.”
Suddenly, Angeline felt as if all the strength had drained from her body. Although sitting, she swayed from the dizzying assault.
Lincoln pulled her close, tucking her beneath his arm, and she rested her cheek on his shoulder.
“My first deployment,” Lincoln began, “the team I was on got sent overseas to replace Tanner’s team. There was an overlap so they could bring us up to speed on the protocols and mission plans. We were doing a ride-along with the human forces when Tanner’s Humvee ran over an IED. The convoy took heavy fire. By the time I reached him, there was nothing I could do.”
“Was he in a lot of pain?” The words were barely a whisper because her throat had tightened.
“No,” Lincoln said after a pause. “He was clutching your picture and told me if he had a second chance, he’d choose you.”
Angeline wanted to cry, but so many tears had already been shed that no more were left to fall. All this time she’d believed that Tanner had abandoned her without a second thought. Knowing he hadn’t filled her with a genuine sense of peace.
Lincoln took out his wallet and gave Angeline the picture. “I asked HQ to find you, but no one from Tanner’s pack knew you.”
“He was in his senior year in college when we started dating. I never met his family or pack.” Angeline turned the photo over. On the back, Tanner had written her name, but over time the ink had worn off and only the first few letters—Angel—were readable.
“I couldn’t bring myself to throw away an angel, so I’ve kept her with me ever since. Sometimes, knowing that one day I had to find this woman is what kept me going.” Lincoln stared hard at the picture in her hands and she knew it was much more than a photo to him.
“I want you to keep it.” She handed him the photo. “For good luck.”
“She certainly is.” Lincoln’s finger lightly traced the woman in the picture. His gaze lifted to Angeline. “But you are so much more to me.”
Cupping Angeline’s face, Lincoln pressed his lips against her mouth and kissed her so sweetly, her heart ached because in that moment she absolutely knew that Lincoln was already planning to leave.
Chapter 24
“Do you want to talk about what’s bothering you?” Lincoln asked, watching Angeline shove her barely touched sandwich into the refrigerator. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly when her mood shifted but it had definitely worsened during lunch.
“You’re leaving. I can feel the inevitability of it coming much sooner than later.” Uncertainty shimmering in her eyes, she flattened her hands on the kitchen counter. “How much time do we have?”
Lincoln’s lunch suddenly felt like lead in his stomach. He’d wanted to break the news to her gently and with a lot of reassurances. Instead, he’d have to blurt it all out and hope for the best.
“I’m waiting for HQ to finalize the return flight to Munich. I expect it will be sometime Saturday evening.”
“I see.” She tensed, her muscles tightening to the point of rigidity.
“I don’t think you do.” He gathered the paper his sandwich had been wrapped in and his empty glass, then joined her in the kitchen. “I mentioned there are a few things I have to take care of before my retirement papers were processed.”
“Is your retirement a lie?” She didn’t meet his gaze.
“No.” Lincoln placed his glass in the sink, disposed of the trash, then took the picture of Dayax out of his wallet and handed it Angeline. “I promised this little wolfling that when I left Somalia, I would take him with me. His parents were killed and his pack can’t support him.”
Tears filled Angeline’s eyes as she traced the boy’s outline in the photo, and a lump formed in Lincoln’s throat.
“My final orders are to give him a home.” His voice cracked. “Brice has been helping me with the adoption paperwork, but I have to be the one to go get him.”
“What’s his name?” Angeline’s voice was barely a whisper.
“Dayax.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that you’re going to be a dad?”
“I wasn’t sure how you would feel about the situation.” Lincoln’s heart began to race. “Because if you accept me as your mate, then you become—”
“A mom!” Angeline slipped her arms around his neck and silently sighed against his body. Her essence touched his and he could feel the happiness bubbling inside her.
The tension balled in Lincoln’s stomach eased. “Once HQ gets everything arranged, I’ll pick up Dayax, sign a lot of paperwork and then we’re flying home.” An oversimplification of the truth, but he didn’t want Angeline worrying. If her fears leaked into their strengthening mate-bond, he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on the mission.
“So it’s not dangerous?”
“No.” Lincoln would swear to the lie as many times as it took for her to believe it.
He’d spent years holding on to her photo. Now that he’d found the real woman, nothing would keep him from returning to her.
“Can I call you?” she asked.
“No, it’s against regulations. Everything will be fine, Angel. I promise.” So much had happened in such a short time, Lincoln looked forward to things slowing down once he officially retired. “We should get some rest.”
Angeline’s brow arched in a beautifully delicate curve. “By rest, you mean—”
“Rest,” he said, despite his body’s instant response to her unspoken suggestion.
“I don’t want to sleep away what little time we have.”
“We have a lifetime ahead of us.” He hoped.
“Fine!” She clutched his hand and led him to the couch. “Take off your pants.”
“Angeline.” He growled soft and low, but it didn’t have quite the warning he’d intended and didn’t stop her nimble fingers from unfastening his belt.
Playfully, she tugged his zipper. “If you want me to stop...” Her beautiful blue eyes slowly gazed up at him. “Just say so.”
An impossible feat considering his mouth had gone dry and his tongue felt so thick that forming the word seemed an impossible task, even for a Dogman.
Holding his gaze, she inched down his zipper, taking nearly an eternity to open the fly. A sexy smile widened her luscious mouth a second before her hand cupped his sack and lightly squeezed.
Already hard, his shaft strained against his boxers and his inner wolf prowled anxiously, eager to claim his mate. Lincoln drew a deep, deliberate breath into his lungs. There could be no claiming today. Otherwise he’d never b
e able to leave her and do what needed to be done to get Dayax back.
She stroked his shaft through his clothes. “Last chance to say no.” As she dragged out the last word, a very clear picture of her soft-looking lips taking him into her mouth formed in his mind. His entire body primed to receive the laving attention the vision promised.
If she wasn’t a she-wolf, he might’ve expected to hear her purr as she slid his pants and boxers over his hips and down his legs. Instead, a possessive, feminine growl rumbled softly in her throat.
Oh, boy!
Slowly, Lincoln sat on the couch and clasped the prosthetic.
“You don’t have to take that off,” she said softly.
“I want to be comfortable and this—” he tapped the stump cup “—will only get in the way.”
Angeline perched on the coffee table, giving him seductive smiles and searing glances as he removed the prosthetic and took off his other shoe.
“Mmm.” Her gaze warmed his groin before lifting to his face. “Lose the top, too. I want you completely naked.”
She didn’t need to ask twice. Yanking the sweatshirt over his head, he dropped it behind the couch.
“Now, you.” Lincoln cradle his sack with one hand and slowly stroked his shaft with the other.
Employing the same torturous speed she used to bring down his zipper, she unzipped her boots and tossed them aside.
Lincoln groaned. He’d never make it through the striptease.
After the second boot came off, she took her time inching up her sweater before pulling it off to reveal the lacy bra hugging her creamy breasts. Lincoln squeezed the base of his shaft, stalling the orgasm clamoring for release.
“Angeline.” The menace in his growl warned that his control was waning.
She gave him a perfectly innocent look as she slowly pushed down her leggings. Not once did she break eye contact. Stepping out of the leggings, she moved directly in front of Lincoln.
“I need a little help with the rest,” she said, all breathy and sexy. She turned around and wiggled her lace-clad backside.
Lincoln grasped her waist and pulled her into his lap.
Startled, she let out a small gasp. Instead of pulling away, she relaxed against him.
His hands glided over her smooth abdomen and his fingers toyed with the waistband of her panties before delving beneath the lace to find her wet and wanting.
“Mmm.” She arched and rocked her hips to match the rhythm of his strokes through her folds.
Lincoln smiled against her cheek then nosed her hair aside to pepper her jaw with wet kisses. The slightly salty taste of her skin made him hunger for so much more.
Dipping his finger into her opening caused her to quiver. She was close, so close, to ecstasy because of his touch. He wouldn’t disappoint her.
Teasingly, he slipped two fingers inside her, alternating the rhythm of each stroke. She writhed against him, moaning incomprehensible words that grew louder and louder until her inner walls began to spasm and her body trembled.
Closing his eyes, Lincoln breathed in her scent, allowing her essence to invade to the depths of his soul. Never had he hoped to find such deep and utter contentment. Even becoming a Dogman hadn’t filled him the way she did.
He belonged here with her, he knew that to the marrow of his being. Once he returned with Dayax, they would be a family and nothing would ever separate them again.
* * *
Limp as a wet noodle, Angeline forced her eyes to open. Lincoln’s soft, rhythmic breathing replaced the hum in her ears. And his strong, muscled arms caged her in a way that made her feel safe and treasured.
“Wow,” she sighed. “I needed that.”
“I know you did, Angel.” Lincoln’s words whispered across her ear. Gently nuzzling her neck, he retraced the kisses he’d placed earlier.
She tilted her head, granting more access to his warm lips. Every touch, caress, stroke and kiss, she committed to memory. As much as she wanted to believe Lincoln would come back to her, part of her feared he wouldn’t.
Blinking back unbidden tears, she pushed open his arms and stood in front of him. His gaze freely roamed her body, branding her skin along every inch where it lingered. When he lifted his face to hers, she slowly removed her bra and panties, then returned to straddle his lap.
Needing to be close to him for as long as possible, she held his face between her hands and kissed him deeply, drawing in his essence in the hope he would become a very present part of her soul. She probed the depths of his mouth, wanting to brand his taste on her tongue.
His rough but gentle hands kneaded her buttocks as he took control of the kiss, laying claim to every inch of her mouth before abruptly breaking away. Pulling her closer, he lifted her so that her breasts were but a hairbreadth from his face.
He flashed a wicked grin then blew a breath across her skin. Anticipatory chills ran down her spine and her nipples tightened into rosy buds. In an erotic game, he sucked one peak into his warm, wet mouth, flicked his tongue against the nipple until she squirmed and slowly released it with a noisy pop, only to do the same to the other one.
Angeline drove her fingers through Lincoln’s thick black hair, clutching him to her chest. All the while, his hands roamed her body, warming, teasing, possessing. Claiming her with his touch.
No one had ever turned her into a quivering ball of need and want the way he did. She could think of nothing else but joining with him. Merging completely.
His hands caressed her shoulders then slid down her back until they fastened around her waist to lower her until they were face-to-face again. When he looked into her eyes, she felt the masculine touch of his essence fill her soul.
Trailing her hand down his muscled chest, she felt the warmth of his skin, the beat of his heart and the tremble of desire the closer she came to his groin. Dark and angry-looking, his erect shaft strained toward her open legs.
Gently molding her hand around the base, she rubbed the tip through her folds before guiding him inside her, inch by glorious inch, until he filled her completely.
His groan rolled into a possessive growl. One hand pressed against her lower back while the other snaked up her spine and cupped her neck. She clung to him as his hips lifted with each thrust and hers rocked in tandem.
Earlier, his fingers had teased her to the brink of ecstasy and kept her hovering there until she’d thought she might go mad with need before finally succumbing to orgasmic release. Now, there was no playful torment. Only a hard, fast pace, driving her onward until she shattered.
Ribbons of color dazzled her mind. Lost in the overwhelming sensation of wave upon wave of pleasure pulsing through her body, she would’ve drifted into oblivion if not for Lincoln’s essence tethering her to him.
Groaning with his release, Lincoln tightened his steely arms around her as his hips stilled. His pants synced with hers and gradually eased to soft, even breaths.
“Still with me, Angel?” he said in a hoarse whisper.
“Uh-huh,” was all she could manage to return.
He smiled smugly and she could almost hear him congratulate himself on giving her a bone-melting orgasm.
“Two.” His voice whispered through her mind, a manifestation of their deepening mate-bond. “I gave you two bone-melting orgasms.”
“I was faking,” she answered in kind.
Lincoln laughed out loud. Deep, rich, satisfyingly male. And she loved every arrogant note.
Closing her eyes, she squeezed him tightly, knowing that soon they would say goodbye. “I don’t want this to end.”
“It won’t, Angel.” His deep, masculine voice was a soothing whisper.
Knees beginning to ache, she eased off his lap.
He clasped her hand before she had a chance to stand. “Lie with me for a while.”
In his eyes, she saw that
he wanted her as close as possible for as long as possible. Despite the affirmations that his trip to pick up Dayax would not be a long one, she saw a flicker of doubt.
He stretched out on the couch, turned onto his right side and hooked his arm beneath the sofa pillow. Then he urged Angeline to lie on her right side and snuggle into him. Once she settled, he rested his stump against her thigh and pulled the sofa blanket over them.
“This is nice.” She relaxed in the heat of their bodies and the ebb and flow of their mingling essences.
Lincoln didn’t say anything but she could feel him smile against her head. Angeline also sensed his thoughts turn inward, so she reached for the remote, turned on the television and lowered the volume. After flipping through the channels, she stopped on a home and family talk show.
A few minutes later, Angeline yawned. The lack of sleep over the last couple of days had caught up to her. She closed her eyes, waiting for the commercials to end.
“Hey.” Lincoln nudged her.
Angeline glanced at the clock. Nearly three thirty. “Oh, no. I have to get ready for work.”
She sat up and Lincoln caught her hand.
“I saw a commercial for the Academy of Country Music Awards. Is your song nominated?”
“Two are. Why?”
“You should tell your family and accept the award in person.”
“Um, no.” Angeline reached down to pick up her clothes. “There’s no guarantee that my songs will win. Even if one did, my father and brothers would not be impressed.”
“I am,” Lincoln said quietly. “I’m proud of you and your talent. Your family deserves a chance to be proud, too.”
Angeline kissed Lincoln lightly on the lips. “You’re sweet to think so, but my dad won’t be impressed.”
“What about Miriam and Jimmy?”
“They don’t need to know, either.” Not sharing the musical side of her life with them tweaked Angeline’s heart, but she couldn’t tell them because it would be too hard to keep the news from her father and brothers. She was better off keeping that secret. Besides, her aunt and uncle would insist she quit working at Taylor’s, and they needed her.
Tamed by the She-Wolf Page 21
