by Lacey Thorn
“Wrong. Neither of us have been sleeping which is why we’re here now instead of out there helping everyone. We’re too concerned about saying or doing something to hurt each other.” He walked to her and took her hand in his then pressed it against his chest. “Tell me this. If we had met differently. If we’d met before. Would you want me?”
He watched her swallow, witnessed the display of emotions crossing her face, and knew the moment she decided on the truth. She nodded, slow and a bit unsure, her top teeth worrying at her bottom lip.
“Then we’ll find our way to each other because I want you like I want air to breathe. We’ll find our way, Ariel. Which means we’ll start trying. For today, lets strip down to where we’re both comfortable and go to bed. I’d like to hold you. Just hold you. Nothing will ever happen between us that you’re not a hundred percent onboard with. I promise. Trust me?”
She seemed to consider again but not as long. “I trust you.”
“Thank you,” he whispered. “Why don’t you take your bag into the bathroom. Shower if you want. I’ll change out here and get in bed. When you’re ready, join me.”
She blew out another hard breath and nodded. He never thought he’d appreciate a nod so much, but he did. His heart beat faster with every nod from her. It was a start, and that was what he’d asked for.
He listened as the water turned on and found it far too easy to envision her naked under the spray in the shower. His cock was rock-hard, and he made quick work of changing into his sweats. He thought briefly about giving himself relief but knew it wouldn’t work. There was only one touch he craved, and it wasn’t his own. He refused to let doubts and fears creep in. Slow and steady was definitely the way to go.
The water stopped, and Daniel slid under the covers. They’d set the thermostat to just above arctic temperature. He was hoping the cold would work on deflating things for him. Then the door opened. Steam spilled out first, but Ariel wasn’t far behind. She had on a pair of booty hugging shorts and…his shirt. How did he hold himself together? Did she have any clue what seeing her like that did to him?
She’d let her hair grow out since he’d first met her, and it lay in soft waves to her shoulders. His fingers curled in anticipation of trailing through the blonde tresses. He knew how they felt. A unique scent clung to her skin and hair. It had quickly become his favorite fragrance.
She stared at him for a moment, seeming uncertain and young. Innocent. And so fucking trusting in that moment that it broke his heart. It wasn’t the fact she trusted him. That made him feel like a damn king. It was that fact that the very act of trust was one that made her uncertain. He’d make sure he never did anything to break it…or her.
He tossed back the cover on the side of the bed closest to the bathroom door and patted the spot next to him.
“Come here, baby. Let me hold you while we sleep.”
Chapter Thirteen
Ariel was aroused. It stunned and terrified her. She’d never been aroused around any other man. Only Daniel. And she wasn’t sure what to do with her feelings. Or if she even really wanted to do anything about them. They were curled together with Daniel sprawled on his back and her curled up at his side. Her head rested on his shoulder, one arm lying across his chest, palm flat over his heart. She felt each beat all the way to her core, which was slick with need.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Daniel murmured softly above her.
She tilted her head to meet his gaze. “You should be sleeping.”
“We should be sleeping,” he countered. “What’s going on in that mind of yours?”
There was no way she was admitting what her body felt. Not when she had no idea what she wanted to do about it. Then Daniel turned toward her, shifting his body away while cupping her face and urging it closer.
“How about a goodnight kiss?” he asked then continued when she didn’t answer right away. “I’m dying to taste you.”
She wanted to taste him, too, but her heart raced in her chest.
“You can nod if it’s easier,” he suggested softly, and she latched on to the offer, nodding slowly while managing to hold her breath.
She watched as he lowered his head, coming closer. His eyes dipped closed when he touched his lips to hers. Soft. Slow. Sweet. A gentle brush back and forth as he moved his mouth across hers. Then his lips trailed lower to her jaw before moving up along her cheek toward her ear.
“Close your eyes and trust me,” he urged, drawing back far enough that he could meet her gaze.
Not giving herself a chance to second guess, she dropped her lids, trying to keep them smooth instead of squeezing them tightly shut. She was worried he might have changed his mind, then she felt his lips skim along the side of her face, working back down to her jaw. He feathered kisses over the bridge of her nose, across her closed eyelids, along her temple and forehead. Just when she thought he’d never move back to her lips, she felt his breath mingling with hers. Was she panting? It felt as if she were panting. Would he worry she was panicking? Would he stop? Would he…
His tongue traced along her lower lip. Tasting her. And she felt it deep in her center, a hard contraction sending a surge of liquid to dampen the folds of her sex. What was happening to her? Was it normal? Was this how it was meant to be?
The scruff on his face tickled, but it was his tongue that held her full attention. He traced her lips with it, dipping in at the corners while not pressing for more. He teased and cajoled until she inched her lips apart. Still, he didn’t take the kiss deeper, and she wanted him to. She wanted to taste his tongue on hers.
She licked over her bottom lip and felt him moving across the trail she’d left behind. She did her upper lip, and he followed along. She went back to the bottom, and this time, when he was there, she flicked her tongue back out and caught his lip, moving along it. He shifted his mouth over hers, and as his tongue moved, she instinctively followed until she found the inside of his mouth. She delicately slid along his before exploring the shape and contour. She rubbed along his tongue then sucked gently at it before moving away.
His groan filled the air around them, and she popped her eyes open wide.
“Did I hurt you?” She’d never kissed anyone before. She had no clue what she was doing. Had she done something wrong?
“No.” He shook his head fiercely. “You set me on fire with your touch. I want too much, and I’m afraid of scaring you.”
“I’m not afraid of you, Daniel.” Not a lie. She wasn’t. “Kiss me like you want to.”
“Are you sure?”
There was such need in his gaze. A strong desire that was a little intimidating. A sensuality that beguiled even as it increased her anxiety. Yet overlaying it all was a gentleness that soothed even the most potent of her fears.
“Yes.”
The word barely left her mouth, and he was cupping her face. He brushed his lips across hers again then nipped the bottom curve. She opened on a gasp, and he dove inside, devouring her. She lost her breath, lost her train of thought, then became completely lost in him. She felt the potency of his kiss all the way to her toes and found herself inching closer to him. She pressed her body along his and didn’t shy away at the feel of his very large erection against her. It wasn’t as if they were going to try lovemaking. He wasn’t going to try to touch her there. To force himself inside—
“Shh,” he crooned, interrupting her wayward thoughts. “Just you. Just me. And this amazing kiss.”
He’d eased his hips away from her. She noted that even as he kissed her again, taking her right back to where they’d been moments before and keeping her there. Her hands reached for him, one gripping his upper arm and holding tight while she wove the fingers of her other hand through his thick hair.
He lay slightly on his back, head resting on the pillow. One arm curled around her, his fingers running up and down her spine. The other hand was on her side, his palm just below one breast, his thumb resting along the side, rubbing in and out, each swipe edging
closer to her aching nipple. Her breasts felt heavy and full, and the ache was ungodly.
She used her grip on his hair to urge him closer. He ate at her mouth, breaking away every now and then to trail sucking bites along her jaw and neck. She rose into his touch, searching for something that remained elusive.
“Daniel.” His name was a soft whimper. “I don’t… I can’t…”
He lifted his mouth from her skin long enough to meet her gaze. “Trust me?”
She nodded frantically. She didn’t know what she needed, but he did. He knew, and he alone could give it to her. He dove back to her neck as he shifted his body, rolling to his side and moving so that one hard thigh pressed between hers. He moved the hand on her back lower, to rest along the top curve of her ass and urged her closer until her sex was pressed hard against his muscle. He helped her find a rhythm that had her rocking against him, the pressure building quicker and higher.
His thumb grazed her nipple while his mouth moved lower along her throat, trailing over the shirt she wore. She felt his breath fanning her nipple first. She started to tense, but he chose that moment to rub his thumb in a tight circle over her other nipple. It was too much yet not enough. Then he was moving his thigh, rubbing it against her sex in a way that had her hyperaware of his touch.
Something was happening inside her. It was as if a knot was forming deep in her stomach, one that was twisting tighter and tighter and pulling her closer to the edge of something she’d never known. She knew it would snap. Wanted it to as much as she feared what would happen when it did.
“Daniel!” There was fear in her voice she couldn’t hide. That she wouldn’t hide. Not here. Not with him.
His lips wrapped around her nipple, dampening the material separating them, and he sucked hard, sending a sharp jerk that traveled straight to the knot and had it shattering.
Her mouth fell open on a soundless scream as lights exploded behind her eyelids. Tingles shot from her center outward until every inch of her felt them. Her feet flexed, fingers clenched, body arched, as unbearable pleasure tossed her high, so high she swore she was flying, feared she’d never come back to her body. Black dots floated at the edges of her vision as even her scalp pulsed with sensation.
“Breathe, baby. Breathe.”
Daniel’s words had her realizing she was holding her breath, and she released it with a whoosh that had her body going completely boneless. She swore she melted into him as he turned so she once again lay with her head cuddled on his shoulder. This time, he twined his fingers with hers before resting them over his heart that pounded as hard as hers.
They lay that way for a long while, neither of them moving as he held her. She didn’t know what to say. She’d never explored her body on her own as she’d overhead some of the other mates discussing. She’d never had the desire to. But she wasn’t unaware of what had happened between them. Daniel had given her an orgasm. The first orgasm she’d ever had. And she wanted another.
That thought was followed by a jaw-cracking yawn. His hand began stroking up and down her spine again. She wondered if he knew how soothing she found that, how calming it was. It chased away her fears, grounding her with the knowledge she wasn’t alone. Daniel was with her. And maybe, just maybe, he would be the one who’d stay.
* * * * *
Daniel waited until he was certain Ariel was deeply asleep before easing out from under her. He settled her on the mattress then slid off, grunting at the tacky feel of the cooled ejaculate that had his sweats sticking to his skin. He’d come in his pants moments after Ariel had reached orgasm. God, it had been the most beautiful moment, seeing the uncertainty melt into pure pleasure as she reached her peak. She’d hidden nothing from him, each emotion she felt rolling across her face in vivid display. And he wanted to bring her to that pinnacle again. To immerse her in pleasure so intense that she wouldn’t ever try to leave him again.
He shut the bathroom door with a soft snick and hoped the shower wouldn’t wake her. She needed her sleep. Hell, he did, too, but first, he had to clean up. He hadn’t come in his pants even as a teenager, and the woman sleeping in the bed in the other room had no idea the power she wielded over him. She could destroy him with just a word. He left his sweats on the bathroom floor as he stepped under the spray. He let the cold water wash over his skin, reaching for the bar of hotel soap and rubbing it between his hands.
He made quick work of washing away any lingering residue then shampooed his hair and rinsed before shutting off the water and reaching for a towel. They’d both had an orgasm. Maybe, that would be enough for them both to get the sleep that had been eluding them. He held the towel around his hips and scooped up the soiled sweats in his other hand. Tiptoeing out into the main room, he grabbed a pair of shorts from his bag and pulled them on before wadding up the sweats into the bottom.
Ariel was curled on her side, her head on the edge of his pillow, one arm thrown over it, cuddling it to her. He wanted to believe it was because she craved his scent. Wasn’t that why she wore his shirt to bed? Why she went to his home when he wasn’t around?
He shook his head. Never again. He’d never leave her again. Next time she went to his home, seeking the comfort of his scent, she’d find him. Hopefully, she’d never leave. He wanted her to think of the home he’d made as hers. No, as theirs. He might not have known her when he’d bought and furnished it, but he’d had her in mind the entire time. He’d created a space his mate would find comfort in. And she had. Even if he hadn’t been there.
He glided into bed beside her, voicing a soft groan as she immediately sought him out, slipping closer until her head was on his chest. He cuddled her closer before tugging the covers up and over them. This was how he wanted to sleep every night for the rest of his life. With his mate tucked at his side, feeling the beat of her heart against him.
She woke him a couple of times during the day. All it took was his arms around her and the whispered promise that he was there, that he wouldn’t leave her, and she’d immediately settle against him, her body softening as she fell back into deep slumber.
When his phone vibrated later that evening, he slipped from the bed again and padded out to meet his brother in the hall. Gabriel glanced up as soon as he opened the door then slid down the wall opposite until he sat, knees folded in front of him, hands dangling loosely between.
“I’m a jackass.”
“I’ve known that since we were kids,” Daniel assured him though he understood what his brother was saying. He took a seat beside the door to his room, mirroring his brother’s position.
“Kenzie said to apologize, let you kick my ass, then beg for your forgiveness.”
Daniel snorted. “Are you sure your mate really knows you?”
Gabriel turned serious. “She knows how much you mean to me, and how much I worry about you. Watching you since you and Ariel first met has torn me apart. I like her. She’s a great person. Loyal. Fierce. Exactly who I’d want for you. If she wasn’t so broken.”
“She’s not broken,” Daniel stated with a shake of his head. Damn, but he was tired of hearing that phrase. Especially from his mate.
“She told Laura she’s shattered into so many pieces that she doesn’t think they’ll all fit back together,” Gabriel countered.
“Maybe, she’s never had the right person to help her.” He held up his hand when his brother started to say something else. “She’s the woman I need. The only one I’ll ever want in my life. I need you to hear that and accept it.”
“I wondered if maybe being together would make things better for the two of you, but this morning, you both looked like you hadn’t slept in months. That’s not healthy for either of you.”
“Look at me,” Daniel urged, seeking and holding Gabriel’s gaze. “Really look at me.”
“You look good,” Gabriel allowed after a thorough inspection. “You rested today?”
“We both did.”
“Together?” Gabriel questioned.
“Yes.
” And that was all Daniel would share. What had or hadn’t occurred between him and Ariel would remain between the two of them.
Gabriel sighed. “I don’t want to see you hurt.”
“Then don’t try to keep me away from my mate. We’ll find our way. Trust in that. Trust in me.”
His brother nodded. “I love you, baby brother.”
Daniel snorted. “Love you, too, jackass.”
Gabriel grinned as he pushed to his feet, and Daniel followed suit. They met in the middle, squeezing each other hard as they hugged. He was grateful his father hadn’t been able to drive a wedge between the two of them. He didn’t want anything else to, either.
“Okay, we’re heading out in the morning, so go back to sleep.”
“Another lead?” Daniel asked, wondering where the hell Talbot was leading them.
“Yeah, looks like we’re heading toward Wyoming.”
“The Holloways?” Daniel asked, knowing Laramie, the eldest Holloway brother and alpha of the bear pack, had recently found his mate, a woman who’d turned out to be a lot more than she’d appeared. A female Kodiak bear.
“Maybe. Maybe not,” Gabriel replied. “The truth of the matter is that we don’t have a fucking clue where Talbot is leading us, but make no mistake, he’s definitely leading us.”
“Then maybe, we should stop following,” Daniel advised.
“I can’t. Not just because of what he did to my mate. But Wyoming? I’ll never forget the day I brought the Holloway brothers their father’s body. Even the thought that Talbot might be headed there with the intention of getting his hands on Laramie’s mate makes me see red.”
“We driving or flying?” Daniel asked.
“Tony, Kenzie and I are going to fly ahead. I guess Tony is good buddies with Jensen Holloway. Jonah will fly with us. Aleksy and Lyra are going to stay and drive with you and Ariel. If we find out Talbot’s gone somewhere else once we check in with Laramie, we’ll let you guys know.”
