Heartland Shifters Box Set

by V. Vaughn

  “Can we? How do we explain the fact I’m a waitress and you didn’t give me money for the past five years? That’ll make you look like a jerk.”

  “I’m not worried about me. You and Daniel are the ones I want to protect. We need Rachel. She’s really good at this.”

  Mandy’s brow knits and I think she’s afraid of being railroaded into something she doesn’t want. I say, “Whatever we discuss, you have the final say on what we put out there. Okay?”

  Her expression relaxes. “Okay. Can we do a video call with her?”

  “Sure,” I say as I pull my phone out of my pocket. I send Rachel a quick text letting her know I’m calling with Mandy.

  When Rachel picks up, she says, “Hey there, lovebirds. The press is loving you two.”

  “Rachel, this is Mandy.”

  Mandy waves, “Hi. Griffin and I need some of your magic.”

  Rachel rubs her hands the way I accused her of doing earlier. “I’m your woman. What’s up?”

  Mandy and I exchange a glance, and then I say, “We need to come out about Daniel sooner than we wanted.” I tell her about our earlier exchange with the local press.

  “The thing is,” Mandy says, “I kept Daniel a secret from Griffin all these years, and I think that screams scandal.”

  Rachel frowns at us. “It does. But that detail doesn’t have to be revealed.”

  “How do we explain my less than luxurious lifestyle? Won’t that look like Griffin’s a deadbeat dad?”

  “Are you struggling to pay bills?”

  Mandy shakes her head. “I’m never late, but I’m also only a couple paychecks away from being so.”

  I reach over and grab her hand as my heart aches, wishing I’d been helping her all these years. Rachel says, “Well, nobody’s going to have access to your bank accounts. Let’s spin this in a way that makes you both look like it was all about keeping Daniel safe. We’ll say you, Mandy, love your job serving people and thought a simple, small-town life would be best for your son. One that’s out of the public eye.”

  “Okay,” Mandy says.

  “And you, Griffin, how about we paint Mandy as the amazing girlfriend who wanted you to have every chance at success and insisted you chase that dream?”

  “Wait,” Mandy says. “That makes him out to be selfish.”

  “It’s okay.” I chuckle. “We rock stars are.” Mandy gives me a stern look, and I think of something that will make me look better. “But they won’t think that when we say every song I wrote about love was about you.”

  “I thought you said it was best not to lie?”

  “I wouldn’t be lying, Mandy.”

  “What?”

  “I never stopped loving you, and the truth is you are the subject of every single one of my ballads about love.”

  Mandy blinks quickly, but it doesn’t hide the fact that she’s tearing up. I take the focus off of her. “What do you think, Rachel?

  “It’s perfect. My god, Griffin, you two are better than rainbows and puppies.”

  That makes Mandy snort out a laugh, and she says, “Okay. I like this plan. If Griffin agrees, you can run with it.”

  “I’m in. Thanks, Rachel. I really appreciate it.”

  “The pleasure is all mine. Seriously, guys. It’s not often I get to tell the world about a real love story.”

  After we hang up Mandy smiles. “I think this is going to be okay.”

  “Me too.”

  Mandy runs her finger around the top of her wine glass again and quietly asks, “You wrote all those songs about me?”

  I reach over to grab her arms so she’ll look at me. I gaze into her warm brown eyes and my heart aches over the pain I’ve caused this woman. She’s my mate and someone I’ve treated terribly in the past. But even though I was a selfish jerk for the past decade, I never stopped loving her. “I really did.”

  She blushes and drops her head again. I let go of her and smile. I may not have won her back completely, but it’s a start.

  Chapter 35

  MANDY

  My god, this man. It’s as if he knew just what to say to soften my heart. But I know he didn’t tell Rachel he wrote love songs about me to win me over. He was telling the truth about something that proves to me I’m the woman he’s always loved.

  How can I not forgive him? I look at Griffin. “If we’re going to be together, we need to be partners in all things.”

  His mouth opens in shock, but he quickly recovers. “Agreed. I’m so sorry about what happened, Mandy. Going forward, we will work together.”

  I lift my wine glass to him, and he taps it with his.

  I really shouldn’t be thinking about sex after the day we’ve had, but damn I really want him. I flash to his kisses last night, his mouth between my legs, and his cock inside me. My insides heat up, and when I look at Griffin again, the look in his eyes tells me he can smell my desire.

  I lick my lips, unsure if I should make a move. My wolf makes the decision for me.

  Do it!

  I kiss him. And it’s a really good idea because the way Griffin responds makes my head swim. His lips taste and tease me, darting his tongue into my mouth and meeting mine. I can’t stay mad at him when he’s kissing me like this. I may have started it, but he’s sure as hell going to finish it, and I have a good idea where.

  He pulls back, “Am I really sleeping on the couch?”

  “Yes,” I grin as I stand up and hold out my hand. “Once I’m done with you.”

  I take him to my bedroom, and when I return from a quick trip to the bathroom, Griffin cups my face in his hands. He begins to sing softly, and it’s a melody I recognize as one of his ballads, “Daydream Girl.” It’s one that has made me cry more times than I care to admit. It’s about a woman who is out of reach. He pauses to kiss my lips lightly before releasing my ponytail and runs his fingers through my locks while singing the line about her silky hair.

  Tears fill my eyes as he removes my shirt and then slides his hands down my arms slowly as he sings about the softness of her skin. “Griffin.”

  “Yes, Mandy.” He reaches for the waistband of my jeans and releases the button. “I was singing about you.”

  “But this song,” I sniff and chuckle at my tears. “You say she’s out of your grasp. Don’t you know I was waiting here all along?”

  He shakes his head and lowers himself to his knees to pull my pants down and over my feet. “I wasn’t ready to have you.” He sings the next line that finally makes sense. The obstacle the lyric mentions isn’t the lover’s wall she built. It’s about his.

  He looks up at me as he tugs on my underwear. “I needed to grow up, Mandy. To realize my need to be successful so that I could be worthy of your love.”

  “Oh, Griffin. You always have been,” He nestles his face in my mound and wraps his arms around my hips. I hold on to his shoulders, and I step back and sit on the bed when he nudges me.

  “No,” he says. “I needed to prove to myself I didn’t need you only to find out that I did.” He stands up and begins to remove his clothes.

  It occurs to me that’s exactly what I needed to do, too. “I get it. I think maybe I couldn’t tell you about Daniel because I needed to know I could do it on my own. That the man who didn’t want me wasn’t necessary in my life. But Griffin…”

  “I am. You need me as much as I need you, Mandy.”

  He’s naked now and lowers himself to his knees again. He places his hands low on my inner thighs. “Do you trust we’re ready now?”

  He’s asking more than that. I think Griffin needs to know I trust him completely. Emotions fill my heart with the warm glow of love, and I smile. “Yes, I do.”

  He slides his hands further up my legs, tickling the tender skin of my inner thighs, and I splay my legs to open up to him to allow him into my body and into my heart.

  His places his mouth on me and laps gently, slowly probing deeper until his tongue enters my channel. He works me over with methodical, purposeful str
okes. His tongue teases me with increasing pressure and brings my orgasm forward in a slow, steady burn that threatens to consume me.

  I want to cry out, but I restrain the noise for Daniel’s sake before my body quakes with the sweet surrender of my release. Griffin kisses his way up my body as I tremble with aftershocks. He hovers over me, stroking his thick erection, and reaches for a condom. I press my hand on his chest. “Not yet.”

  I sit up and lean against my headboard to gaze up at him with a sly smile. I glance down at his cock and lick my lips. “My turn.”

  Griffin lets out low groan before moving to place himself before me, his cock level with my mouth. I grip it lightly before I begin to tease him with my tongue. Slowly I lap and nip to bring him the same slow build up I experienced. I savor the smoothness of his skin and the sound of his moans as his climax approaches.

  “Babe,” he whispers. “I’m close.”

  I nod and break away from sucking to look up at him. “Take it all the way.”

  He blinks in surprise before I return to my ministrations. This is a first for me, but it’s something I need to do, want to do, and I open my jaw further to suck more of Griffin in. His hand slaps against the wall as his thighs flex and his thrusting becomes forceful. Then he stills for a moment before moving again. The heat of his essence fills my mouth. I swallow it down greedily, because now that’s he’s mine, I can’t get enough of this man.

  Chapter 36

  GRIFFIN

  Sweat glistens on Mandy’s back as I drag my finger down her spine. She’s nearly asleep on her stomach, and I have a feeling she can barely move after the three orgasms I gave her. I had two and don’t want to leave this bed.

  But I should. I agree that Daniel doesn’t need to know we’re sleeping together yet. It’s good to give the kid time to get used to me being around first.

  I lean in to kiss Mandy’s cheek. “I should go to the couch.”

  She lets out a little noise and then moves to get up. “I’ll get you some bedding.”

  “You can move,” I tease.

  She chuckles. “Baby, I’m just getting in shape. Prepare yourself for what’s to come, because I’ve got a lot of lost time to make up for.”

  “I’ll say,” My cock twitches when I think about how she swallowed me down. “What you did earlier…”

  “Swallowing?” she laughs. “Please, just wait until I ask you for anal.”

  “Wh—wh—Wait. What?”

  Mandy waggles her eyebrows at me before she walks out of the bedroom, and I’m not ashamed to say I scramble after her like a puppy. “I’m good to go again if you’re eager.”

  She shakes her head as she laughs and reaches for linens in the hall closet. “Down boy. We both need sleep.” She glances down at my cock. “Besides, we’ve got the rest of our lives.”

  Chapter 37

  MANDY

  “Mommy.”

  A tiny hand lifts up my eyelid, and I wake to my sweet son’s face in mine. “Hey. What time is it?”

  “I dunno.”

  Griffin’s voice is loud enough to hear in my bedroom when he says, “I don’t think you get it. Call me when you do!”

  Daniel frowns with concern, and I piece together what might be happening. “Did Griffin wake you up?” I ask.

  My son nods. “Somebody is making him mad.”

  “Hmm, that’s not good, is it?”

  Daniel shakes his head. “He’s not being very nice about it.”

  I smile. “No, honey. He’s not. Let me go see if he needs to talk.”

  Fortunately, before I made up a bed for Griffin on the couch, I threw on sleep shorts and a tank top, and I get up to follow Daniel to the living room.

  Griffin is pacing between my kitchen and living room, and his hair is standing on end in a less than sexy way. He rakes his fingers through his locks as he looks at us. “I woke you up. Sorry. The studio called and—”

  He glances at Daniel, and I think he doesn’t want to have this discussion in front of his son. Griffin says, “Sorry I woke you up, buddy. I’m having a little trouble with work.”

  “It’s okay. We all get mad. It’s what we do with our anger that matters.”

  I hold back my laugh as my words of wisdom get doled out to Griffin. He smiles too and squats down to Daniel’s height. “Thank you. I need to remember that.”

  Daniel steps in and wraps his chubby arms around Griffin. “You’ll do better next time.”

  Griffin melts like a popsicle on a hot summer day, and he gazes at me over Daniel’s shoulder with glassy eyes. This should be a touching father-son moment, but my stomach is churning. What if the reason Griffin is teary eyed isn’t because of his son’s empathy? What if it’s because he knows he going to leave Daniel? And me?

  Tears come to my eyes as fear licks at my heart, and Daniel steps back to say, “I’m hungry.”

  Griffin stands up. “I believe I promised someone banana pancakes. C’mon, you can help.”

  I make coffee and sit at the table to drink it while my men cook. The studio called and Griffin is upset about it. What else could it be besides him having to return to work? My fear grows, making it hard for me to enjoy the pleasant exchange between my son and his father. When they sit down to eat, my appetite is gone, and I push bits of pancake around on my plate.

  The moment Griffin has finished his food I ask him, “Can you help me with something out back?”

  “Sure,” he says, and we both go out to my back deck.

  “What’s going on?” I ask as I lean against the railing. It’s damp with morning dew, and moisture is cool on my back as it soaks through my tank top.

  He sighs. “Negotiations.”

  “About going back?”

  “Yes.”

  I blink back my tears as I try to be rational. Just because Griffin plans to return to work doesn’t mean he’s going to leave us. I paste on a smile and find my stern voice. “Don’t back down. You’re Griffin Talbot, and they’re lucky to have you.”

  “My god, Mandy.” Griffin grabs my arms and gazes down at me with what I think is love. I know it is, but… “You’ve always believed in me when it comes to my music.”

  “You’re gifted,” I chuckle as I step back. “But you don’t need me to tell you that anymore.” I take a deep breath and blow it out slowly as I get to the point. “So, when do you go back? We’re going to need to set up a plan for you to talk to Daniel regularly. Kids need structure.”

  Griffin scowls. “I’m not going back.”

  “What?” I blink as what he said takes hold in my brain. Music is his life. And while I’d love to think he really could give up the stage, I know his panther far too well to believe it.

  He steps in close to me again and grabs my hands. “I’m sick of being in the public eye all the time. I want a life with you. Just with you. And with Daniel. I don’t want the baggage that comes with being famous.”

  “But… your panther.”

  “I’ll figure something out for him. Charity concerts, maybe a surprise appearance in a park somewhere. Pop-up concerts, I don’t know. I’m trying to stay with Rock Recordings, but they want me to fly back to LA and record another album right away.”

  “You could do that, Griffin. How long would it take?”

  “Yes, maybe I could do all the legwork here and just record in California, but that’s not all they want.” He drops my hands and rakes his hands through his hair. “They also want me to do an interview about our relationship. They want me to lie, Mandy. To tell everyone we tried to rekindle things because of our son, but that it’s over.”

  “Wow.”

  “Exactly. That’s never going to happen. I love you Mandy.” A smile covers his face. “I’ve always loved you. You’re my mate, and I made a huge mistake not realizing it when I left the first time. And in Vegas.”

  “I made a big mistake too.”

  “Shh,” He presses a finger to my lips. “Let’s wipe the slate clean. Can you do that?”

 
; I frown, because while I trust him and do believe we both learned valuable lessons, I’m not sure I’ll ever forget. Or that we even should. “No,” I say as I place my palm on his chest over his heart. “I don’t think we can, but I also don’t think we need to, Griffin.”

  He tenses as if I’m about to deliver bad news. I reach up to put my hand on his cheek and reassure him. “We’ve become stronger people because of what we’ve experienced. Our love has survived a few storms, and that makes me believe whatever comes our way, we’re going to be able to handle it.”

  He nods and then moves back to drop to a knee. He gazes up at me with his crooked smile. “Tell me this foolish grin of mine still works on you.”

  My heart skips a beat as I wonder if he is about to propose, and his smile does make me melt. I chuckle. “It does.”

  “Good, because Mandy Waters, I want you to be my wife. Will you marry me?”

  It’s about time!

  My wolf wants to howl with her joy, and I nod enthusiastically. “Yes. Absolutely yes.”

  He leaps to his feet and sweeps me off mine as he lets out a whoop.

  I grab his shoulders and gaze down at him as I laugh. I can’t believe this is happening. He loves me. He really, really loves me. As he lowers me to the ground I say, “I love you so much.”

  “Mommy?” Daniel steps out onto to the porch and looks at Griffin and then me before he smiles as if he’s in on a secret. “What’s all the yelling about?”

  Griffin drops down to one knee before him and says, “Your mommy is going to marry me.” He takes Daniel’s little hand. “Can I be your daddy?”

  “Will you live with us?”

  Griffin nods.

  “And make me pancakes every day?”

  “I’m not so sure your mommy will let me do that.”

  Daniel tilts his head and looks at me as if he’s about to try to negotiate. I cut him off at the quick. “No way. But we can have them once a week.”

  Daniel nods and then looks at Griffin. “Okay. But Mommy has a lot of rules. You’re only going to get one hour of TV a day too. Can you live with that?”