Once Upon a Twist

by Michelle Smart

  The instant she wrapped her arms around his neck sobs burst from her mouth. “I want to stay with you. I can’t…”

  “Shhh. It’s okay, Rube.” He lifted her up, carried her into his room and closed the door behind them.

  What he was doing was all kinds of fucked up, but he couldn’t leave her. Not tonight. Not after she’d found out she had to kill the only family she had left. And the selfish fuck that he was, he wanted her with him.

  But he wouldn’t touch her like he used to. Holding her one last night would have to be enough. Tomorrow she’d go back to the city she moved to last year, back to her old life. She’d grieve her loss and move on. Maybe with a new man.

  Jealousy burned through him and he hauled the covers back with more force than necessary. He needed to stop thinking about her with another man right the hell now. They slid into bed and she shuffled closer. His blood ran hot with anger and something else. The smell of lavender filled his senses.

  Shifting to his side, he offered his arm for her to rest her neck on. He expected she’d curl up beside him, back to chest, like she used to and he could cradle her close all night. Pretend for the next few hours she was his, and that he deserved her.

  Ruby turned off the bedside lamp and accepted his invitation, but didn’t turn her back to him. He could make out the heart shape of her face in the shadows, her shiny eyes focused on him. Her warm breath brushed his cheek. Locking his muscles, he forced himself to stay still.

  “You don’t want me anymore, do you?” she asked. Her voice was so small in the darkness it twisted something inside him.

  “Ruby, don’t—”

  “It’s okay.” Her voice broke. “I just…it’s okay.”

  Her defeat cracked him. Pulling her into his arms, his lips met hers with a groan of surrender. The contact brought him back to life: his heart sang, blood pounded, and the dark depths of his soul, frozen for a year, thawed out. But there was no escaping the guilt. He was still hiding things from her. Things that if she knew the truth meant she wouldn’t go near him again.

  Jeremy pulled away, wishing he could tell her everything. The whole truth and nothing but the truth, even though he knew she’d leave him, or worse, end up in an accident like so many others. If he wanted to keep her safe, he couldn’t say a word. Having her in the house was a risk. Agent Parish had surveillance all around the forest so would have seen what happened at her grandma’s place.

  “Jer?” Ruby grabbed his shoulders, hauled herself closer. He planted a hand on her hip to stop her.

  “We can’t, Rube. I can’t. There’s so much I wish I could tell you, but can’t. Keeping things from you feels wrong.”

  “Shhh.” She kissed his chin, jaw, and the tip of his nose. Eyes stinging, he silently cussed, prayed he wouldn’t break down like a little girl. “I know there’s more. And I know it’s not safe to tell me, but it doesn’t matter, Jer. It doesn’t change how I feel about you.”

  He squeezed his eyes shut in the darkness. To know that she still cared, even after everything, made him happier than he’d been since she left.

  But he wasn’t a bastard. She’d been through hell tonight, lost her grandma and was grieving. Taking advantage of people at their most vulnerable was not in his nature. He loved her so much more than he had anyone else, but couldn’t give her what she thought she wanted now.

  In a gentle voice, he said, “Turn around, Rube. We need to sleep.”

  She held her breath for a few moments, then did as he’d asked. He pulled her back, tucked her against his chest and rested his head on the pillow next to hers. Her body was stiff, tense, and he knew it would be a while before she fell asleep, if she ever did.

  Jeremy started humming the same lullaby he used to when she was nervous or stressed, played with her hair and prayed she managed to get some rest. A while later her body relaxed into his and her breathing grew even. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift, his hum trailing off until there was only silence.

  ***

  Everywhere she looked spindly tree trunks, skeletons in the darkness, were all she could see. The forest was dead. Stripped bare like something out of the Blair Witch Project. She stumbled down the formerly overgrown path, her heart pounding and adrenaline roaring through her. She’d lost Jeremy.

  A familiar growl carried to her over the breeze. Ruby sucked in a breath. Without thinking, she bolted toward the sound. If the wolf had him…

  She burst into the clearing at Jeremy’s cottage, caught sight of him on the ground. He lay there naked and covered in blood and bite marks. His normally tan skin was pale in the moonlight.

  The cure doesn’t work.

  Her legs gave out and she fell down on all fours, unable to take her gaze off him, but her stomach heaved at the sight. The wolf sat on its haunches a few feet away, its teeth bared in a sick grin, but she wasn’t scared. She was heartbroken. Lost. Utterly alone…

  Ruby opened her eyes to darkness, her breath coming in short pants, with a barrier around her waist. Struggling, she gasped Jeremy’s name under her breath again and again. It was a dream, had to be a dream. She couldn’t go through losing Jeremy again. Leaving had almost killed her the first time. If he was gone…

  Tears streamed down her face and her incoherent sobs were for him. The barrier tightened and she was pulled back into something warm, comforting.

  “I’ve got you, Red. You’re safe. It was just a dream,” he said.

  His hands were everywhere. Brushing away her tears, stroking her face, her hair. Her heart swelled with relief. If she’d ever doubted her love for him, she couldn’t anymore. She needed him. Now more than ever, and he wanted her too. She’d seen it in his eyes earlier, knew it right down to her bones from the way he treated her with such care.

  The time for talking was over. She had to show him how much she loved him, cared for him. Prove that whatever happened in the past or whatever it was he couldn’t tell her didn’t matter. And she had so much to make up for. That day when she called him down, when he’d just learned he lost his father. God, she had been a bitch.

  Twisting in his hold, she reached an arm around his neck and pulled herself into him. Their lips met and her heart stopped, only to restart at full speed. With her free hand she felt her way down his t-shirt, over sculpted abs and down further to the drawstring of his sweats.

  His hand caught her wrist, his body tensed, his lips stilled.

  “I need this. I need you.” She prayed he didn’t stop her now, didn’t think she could handle the rejection she deserved.

  Silence was all that followed, but she didn’t want him to think this through. Taking her hand back she pushed him until he was flat on the bed. Straddling his hips, she felt his erection, hard and heavy, at the juncture of his thighs and she knew she had him.

  Next she whipped off her fleece, leaving her naked from the waist up. His growl in the darkness reassured her like no other. The control he’d held onto must have snapped, because his hands were on her waist. Teasing their way up to her breasts. She angled her hips so she felt his erection right where she needed it through the thin fabric of their trousers. Rocking against him, sharp jolts of pleasure coursed from her clit and she grabbed his forearms to keep from falling.

  Panting, she kept up the rhythm while Jeremy teased the tips of her breasts, first with his hands then his tongue. The last of the awful nightmare washed away and was replaced with a mounting pressure at her core. Heat swarmed, expanded and then finally burst until she had to stop as the place between her thighs grew too sensitive to bear the contact.

  “Fuck, Ruby—”

  “Get naked.” She wasn’t about to let this stop, not until they’d reconnected. The heat in his voice gave her hope that they could.

  Jeremy lay back against the sheets, panting as hard as her. She rose from the bed and switched the lamp on. His gaze zeroed in on her body. She slipped her sweat pants off her hips and let them hit the floor. His eyes darkened, his jaw strained, but still he held ba
ck.

  “I’m waiting,” she said.

  Chapter Five

  Until five seconds ago he’d been half asleep. Not now, not when she stood by the bed, her naked flesh on show, her nipples pink and puckered from where he’d nipped and sucked.

  Jeremy’s cock throbbed, desperate to join with her. But he’d be a selfish bastard if he did this. There was no future for them, and she’d been through hell today. Plus, he still hid so much. Secrets that would tear them apart.

  “I’m waiting,” she repeated.

  His balls burned at the demand. He loved it when she took control, but he was torn. This would take them somewhere there was no going back from. How could he live with himself if he took advantage of her now? She didn’t even know the real him. Or what he had done.

  Her shoulder’s slumped and those golden eyes showed him how vulnerable she really was. Jeremy could kick himself. She didn’t need another rejection. She needed this, needed him, and he was pushing her away when she had nothing else left.

  “Come here.” He opened his arms, and she came into them willingly. Hugging her close, he asked, “Are you sure this is what you want?”

  Ruby lifted her head and glared at him. “I’m not changing my mind. What’s done is done, and I understand why you can’t tell me. But I need you, Jer. I need you so much it hurts.”

  Fighting with himself seemed pointless. He could give her what she wanted and make sure she enjoyed every second, even if it would break his heart all the more when they went their separate ways again.

  Leaning up, he kissed her gently, a tiny brush of skin on skin. Blood coursed hot and thick through his veins, and all his good intentions of slow and gentle shattered under his own need.

  Ruby tugged at his shirt and he helped her shove it off, then his pants. He had her in a tangle of sheets before he could take a full breath. His fingers sought out the sensitive space between her thighs, finding her soaked and ready for him, but he wanted to make this last.

  He scooted down her body, using his tongue and teeth on her breasts and hips to drag little mewls from her throat. When he reached the apex of her thighs all he could do was stare. Even with almost no light he could see she was smooth, hairless and he had to stop himself from wondering who the fuck she’d done this for before he lost his temper.

  He focused on the smooth flesh with the pretty glistening slit. It was none of his business why she’d done this. Besides, he was going to wipe the reason for it right out of her head until he was all that was left.

  Running his tongue along her opening, he got his first taste of heaven. Ruby’s hands tangled in his hair as she urged him on. Not that he needed the encouragement. He found the hooded nub and circled it, never putting pressure where she wanted him to. Her frustrated grunts, and the jerks of her hips made him smile as he took his sweet time.

  Her nails scratched at his scalp as her hips began to buck and he couldn’t hold back any longer. He teased and aggravated that little nub until she cried out. With his cock pulsing out its own demand, Jeremy didn’t give her time to recover. He climbed up the bed and between her thighs while she was still shuddering.

  Ruby’s gaze met his and he thrust into her in one punishing jerk. Her legs squeezed his hips and her inner muscles rippled over his dick. He didn’t break eye contact, didn’t want to miss an expression on her beautiful face, but he had to slow the fuck down before he embarrassed himself. Rocking into her gently, he caressed her arms, her breasts, her neck while her hands traced the muscles on his back.

  And he was falling, deeper in love with her, so fast and hard he couldn’t stop it. He knew as heat flooded down his spine and spread through his balls that their next separation would cost him, but he accepted that. This was about her, giving Ruby what she needed. If his heart had to shatter all over again then he’d deal with it. It was no less than he deserved.

  ***

  When the clock struck six and the ringing of the alarm filled the air, Ruby was awake and ready to catch it in time. The sun would be rising and Grandma would be burning if they didn’t get to her soon. All night in Jeremy’s arms, the only thing she could see was her grandma lying on the floor, alone, covered in blood.

  That, coupled with the weight of what she had to do, made it hard to breathe. Jeremy’s arms tightened around her, but his warmth didn’t take away the chill in her bones. She freed herself from his embrace, and he stirred.

  She left the bed and grabbed her discarded clothes. “We have to go.”

  Sitting up, he eyed her with worry. “You don’t have to do this. I could—”

  “I’m not putting this on you.” Though she wished she could. With shaking hands, she got dressed.

  In silence Jeremy did the same. Neither spoke while they made their way down the stairs, but he took her hand in his. She was glad for the support. The strength of his hold grounded her in this surreal moment, and the unexpected warmth from him gave her courage. Never had she thought she’d have to face something like this, but like Jeremy said, the alternative was worse.

  He opened a closet and pulled out two shotguns. Before last night she’d never even handled a gun—didn’t know he had any. Now she’d be using one for what she had to do. Her eyes stung but she fought against it. She was done crying. She had a job to do, and breaking down wouldn’t help anyone.

  “You know how to use this?” Jeremy held out the gun.

  Ruby shook her head.

  He cracked it open, checked the barrel and then snapped it shut. Standing behind her he showed her where to place her hands, and where to rest the butt on her shoulder.

  “It’s ready to go. All you do is pull the trigger.” His hands slid down to her hips.

  She trembled, and the coat hanger they were treating as the target kept jerking out of the line of fire. Steadying herself with a deep breath, she managed to line it up perfectly, she hoped.

  She could do this, she could. “I’ve got it.”

  Jeremy released her and picked up his own gun. After punching in the code, the creak of metal groaned through the house, until the barest hint of daylight seeped through the windows. The sun wasn’t high enough yet to hit the floor, and for that she was glad. It meant they had time before Grandma started burning.

  “We have to hurry.” Her voice was strained. Jeremy nodded.

  They left and he locked the door behind them. The rustling of leaves around the meadow was the only sound. Though dim, the sun had definitely started to rise but the air still had a biting freeze to it. Or maybe that was her. She’d been frozen since she found out what she had to do, only warming slightly when she’d reconnected intimately with Jeremy.

  As they entered the forest, she could hear birds sing their morning songs, oblivious to her grandma’s brutal murder—as if it had all been a dream. They neared the cottage, and she knew it hadn’t been. Three bodies with holes in the head were rotting on the lawn next to the flower patch and pebbled path. The front door had a wolf sized hole in it, the splintered wood poking out in all directions and a dark ring of blood soaked the edges.

  She hesitated, but Jeremy’s hand on her back got her feet moving. They went around the back. The trail of blood from the kitchen door led to the earth behind the lawn. She ran for the house, swinging the door open and followed the streaked red to a pool where Grandma had lain the night before.

  They’d taken her away. Claimed Grandma as one of their own. Tears pricked her eyes and the same crushing agony which had nearly knocked her down the night before came flooding back. She sank to her knees beside the puddle and let the tears fall. Shaking, she swiped at her damp face. If they’d come back, if they’d stayed with Grandma. If she’d known last night she could have…

  Jeremy lowered to his knees beside her. Dropping the gun, she launched herself into his arms and sobbed. He stroked her back, murmured words of comfort, but she didn’t hear any of it. Sunlight shone through the windows, illuminating the whole inside of the cottage by the time the last of her tears fell.
They broke apart and she rose, taking the gun with her.

  “She’s, she’s…” Ruby couldn’t finish.

  He wore a pained expression, like someone was physically hurting him. “Ruby, I’m sorry.”

  She shook her head, not wanting pity. They had to think. They had to… “The path. There’s a trail of blood out back. We have to follow it.”

  Ruby headed for the door but he caught her. His face was grim. “I can’t let you. It’s too dangerous.”

  Struggling, she said, “I have to. She’s the only family I have. I can’t let that happen to her.”

  He sucked in a breath, and he was the burning man again. “I’ll follow the trail, but I’m taking you back first.”

  “I’m not going back. I’m coming with you.” Looking him straight in the eye, she showed him how serious she was. If he needed help, she wanted to be there, and if he found Grandma, she’d be able to do what she needed to.

  “No.”

  Ruby opened her mouth to argue, but he grabbed her face and kissed her hard. The world shifted a little beneath her feet and she had to grab his shoulders for support. His kiss was so warm, so passionate it consumed her every thought.

  Too soon, he pulled away.

  “The wolf is in the forest, and it’s still dark enough for it to be out. The search will take longer when I’m watching both our backs.”

  Her heart dropped into her stomach at the thought of Jeremy out there alone with the wolf. “But—”

  “No buts, you’re going home.”

  She didn’t appreciate his tone one bit. “No, I’m not. But I’ll stay here. I need to be close in case…” Swallowing, she started at the ground.

  Jeremy tilted her head up, and studied her for a second. After a quick check of the house, he said, “I don’t like this.”

  “It’s light outside the cottage,” she pointed out. “If they’re allergic to the sun they’ll go back to wherever it is they spend the days. I’ll be fine. Just find her. Please.”

  He didn’t answer, only looked deep into her eyes until she felt dizzy. What he saw on her face must have convinced him. Crushing her close, he lowered his mouth to hers again and devoured her. The kiss was desperate, fearful and felt like goodbye. It wasn’t until he pulled away and left without a word that she realized the danger she was putting Jeremy in. If he got hurt because of her…