He felt the muscles in his lower back begin to tighten as his orgasm barreled toward him, and when Darcey tightened her fingers on his shoulders, that pain only added a layer to his pleasure. Fuck, she felt good.
Darcey panted, “I’m coming.”
He kept pumping into her as she exploded around him, her inner walls tightening like a vice. With a bark, he followed her over the edge, marking her on the inside as he caught her mouth in a vicious kiss.
With his heart pounding in his ears, he waited for his hips to stop pumping, to stop filling her. When he finally stilled, his chest rising and falling with his harsh breaths, he pulled out of her, promptly collapsing beside her.
They both lay there for a moment, catching their breath. Propping himself up onto his elbow, he turned to her, brushing hair off her face. “Hi,” he whispered.
She smiled. “Hi, yourself.” Then, the smile slipped from her face.
“What is it?”
“We forgot to use protection,” she murmured.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. The scent of her worry was a sting in his nose. “It’s okay. I’m clean.”
“Me, too,” she replied. “And…” Shaking her head, she added, “Never mind.”
There was tension in the air that he couldn’t quite figure out, but instead of pushing her to talk, he dropped a kiss to her mouth, then started getting dressed. She sat up, excusing herself to the bathroom.
She emerged about five minutes later, the flush of color on her cheeks lovely, her blonde hair pulled up into a high ponytail.
Holding out his hand to her, he asked, “Are you ready to go?”
“Yeah.”
After she locked up, he followed her down the stairs and out of her building. Placing a hand on the small of her back, he led her out to his car and settled her into the passenger seat. Back around at his side, he got in, started the car, and pulled out into traffic.
“Where are we going?”
“I thought we could go to Icon.”
“Oh, I’ve heard such good things about that place.”
He reached out, resting his hand on her thigh. As soon as that contact was made, his wolf calmed in his head. He’d thought a lot about what Casey had said that morning. If she was his true mate, he needed to tell her everything, but he had no idea how she’d react. They’d only just started seeing each other and dropping the W-bomb on the second date couldn’t go down well. Plus, there was that whole werewolves-aren’t-real thing.
“Is it strange that I feel so connected to you even though we’ve only known each other for quite literally a couple of days?”
He glanced over at her, hoping his wolf stayed where he needed him to. “I feel it, too,” he murmured. Fuck, did he feel it. He felt it in the electric charge in the air, in the way his pulse rocketed in her presence.
“Does that scare you?”
Her question was a soft whisper like she was afraid to ask.
“No, baby. Do you want my honest opinion here?”
“Please.”
“I feel like we’re wasting time with all this dating stuff.” His candor made her gasp, and he took his eyes off the road to gauge her reaction. “Did I say something wrong?”
She shook her head. “No, you didn’t. I was kind of thinking that today, too. But…” she laughed, “… that’s crazy, right? We don’t know each other yet.”
“I know I want to see you every day, take you to bed every night, and wake up with you every morning.”
He kept his attention on the road, giving her the time to process his words.
“I think I want that, too.”
His heart leaped into his throat as his wolf bayed in celebration. “We don’t have to…” he began. Took a breath. “There’s so much we don’t know about each other yet, though.”
She got quiet then. “You’re right. Can I ask you something?”
“Shoot.” He changed lanes, passing a slow-ass Jetta driver. “You can ask me anything, and I’ll try to be as honest as I can with the answer.”
“Do you want…” She ran a hand through her blonde ponytail. “Jesus, I can’t believe I’m bringing this up right now.”
“What is it?”
Sucking in a breath, she let it out. She twisted her fingers together and didn’t look at him again. “Do you see children in your future?”
The scent of her worry filled the car, and her anxiety spiked—the combination of scents turning his stomach. He felt like a lot hinged on his answer here, so he took a moment to really think about it. He’d never dreamed of being a father. It just hadn’t been in his plan. He knew a lot of women longed for children, though, that’s why he thought he’d at least have one because his mate wanted one, and he wanted his mate to be happy.
If it were up to him, though…
… he wouldn’t have children.
“No, I don’t.”
She let out a breath, her anxiety receding, and a sense of relief washing over her. He tightened his fingers where they rested on her thigh. “Why are you relieved by this?”
“How could you tell?”
Shit. Saying he could smell her emotions was out. “Your body was tense, but after I gave you my answer, you relaxed. What’s going on?”
Darcey shook her head, fighting an internal battle. “I can’t lie to you, Oliver.”
“Good. I believe honesty and trust are the cornerstone of a relationship.”
“I agree.” With a resolute nod of her head, she added, “I’m unable to have children.”
He took a moment to let those words settle. He thought his first instinct would be to be upset by this news, but all he felt was sorrow for Darcey. Clearly, this was something she struggled with.
“Okay.”
“This is why my first marriage ended. My ex wanted kids just as much as I did, and when I couldn’t deliver the goods, he cheated on me. He got that woman pregnant after one time. They live together now, raising their son.”
Oliver’s hands tightened around the steering wheel, making the leather creak. “He’s a bastard.”
“I agree,” she replied. “But it doesn’t stop what happened from being true. Could you be with someone who couldn’t give you children… I mean,” she rushed to add, “… if you wanted them and if we were together.”
He took his time answering. Pulling into the lot of the restaurant, he parked his car, then turned off the engine. Waiting was doing nothing for Darcey’s fears, though. They were both bobbing around in it like corks in the ocean. Turning to her, he framed her face in his hands, bringing their mouths together in a searing kiss. He showed her that he still wanted her, would always want her. Pregnancies between humans and werewolves were impossible without the help of Rhett’s mate’s blood so it was a moot point.
“I don’t care about any of that. All I want is you. If I have that, I’ll be happy.”
“But what if—”
He silenced her with another kiss. “There are no what-ifs here. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m a simple man. I want you, and I want you to be happy.”
Nibbling on her bottom lip, she cast her eyes down. “What if I want a child, though? I mean, I still want one, but adoption was never an option for me if I was single. I wanted to be a mom with my husband by my side, with a strong foundation built around us. And I don’t mean to imply that you’d be in my life as anything more than… whatever this is, but I have to know, Oliver.” She clutched at his shirt. “I have to know that you’re truly okay with this.”
He cursed himself. Truth and honesty are the cornerstones of any relationship, he thought derisively. Fuck, he was an idiot. “I think we should enjoy dinner together and discuss this some more.”
She nodded, unbuckling her seat belt. “Okay.”
He opened his door and got out, sweeping the area with a glance. When he couldn’t sense anything, he walked around to the other side to help Darcey from the car. Her palm was warm against his own, her confession to him rolling around in his head. He leane
d in for a kiss, to reassure her that she was still wanted, when a number of scents drifted on the air.
Aggression.
Anger.
Rage.
Tucking Darcey behind him, he focused his attention on the shadowed mouth of the alleyway beside the restaurant.
A growl escaped him when a man stepped out of the dark maw, but he pressed his lips together at the last minute.
“Darcey,” the man said, his eyes soft.
“Jesus, Zac?” she asked, stepping out from behind Oliver. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see you,” he replied. His gaze flickered to Oliver, his expression darkening. Oliver’s wolf’s growling got louder in his head, forcing him to clamp his lips shut to stop any noise from escaping.
“Who’s this?” Zac asked casually.
“None of your business, Zac. I stopped being your business when you cheated on me with Jessica.”
His face contorted at the mention of the other woman’s name, fresh rage filling his eyes. “The boy isn’t mine,” he spat out. “Jessica lied to me.”
Darcey gasped. “What?”
Zac, mistaking her question for interest, stepped closer. Oliver wasn’t having any of it, though. Placing his body in front of hers, he folded his arms.
“Don’t come any closer,” he warned.
“She’s my wife,” he snarled. “I can do what I want.”
“Ex-wife,” Darcey replied, mirroring Oliver’s stance. “You chose someone else over me, and that’s on you.”
“I didn’t know,” he pressed on, edging another step closer. “I didn’t know that bitch had lied to me. She’s been seeing Max’s father since Max was a few months old. Living with me, taking my money for Max, all the while fucking another guy.”
There was a healthy amount of crazy in his eyes, and Oliver judged how long it would take to hustle Darcey into the restaurant. She didn’t need to hear this bullshit.
“Come on,” he said softly when Zac took a breath in his tirade. “Let’s get inside.”
She was looking at her ex-husband with pity, but she did as Oliver asked, turning around and walking toward the front of the restaurant. Behind them, Zac started to advance.
Placing his hand on the small of Darcey’s back, Oliver said in a low voice, “Get inside. Don’t come back out here until I say it’s safe. Okay?”
She looked at him over her shoulder, her eyes wide.
“Okay?” he pressed.
She bobbed her head. “Okay. All right.” She powered up to the door, giving him one last fleeting look before stepping inside. Now she was safely inside, Oliver let out a deep breath and released the reins on his wolf. He let the savage hunter that it was closer to the surface, then he stalked back to where Zac was still lingering.
He didn’t let the bastard get a single word out before he had him pinned against the wall, his forearm over Zac’s throat. Their faces were nose-to-nose, sharing breath, aggression and anger.
“I’m going to say this once and only once… you stay away from Darcey. You already fucked up her life once, and I won’t let it happen again.”
Zac’s eyes sparked with defiance. “She’s damaged goods, you know.”
“So, why do you want her back then, huh?” He pressed in a little harder, cutting off Zac’s air supply. The other male’s eyes bulged. His hands clawed, trying to pry his hands off. The thing was, that wasn’t going to happen.
Oliver smiled, letting his wolf out a little more. “Darcey is mine now, do you understand? And what that means for you is that you are never going to approach her again. Do you understand me, asshole?” And to drive that point home, he pressed his forearm hard into his throat for a second before stepping away.
As the guy sucked in oxygen, Oliver dusted off Zac’s shoulders. “Now, be a good boy and fuck off.”
Chapter Ten
One week later…
Darcey stood, smiled broadly at her sister and Juan, then raised her glass to the newly married couple. Stephanie was glowing, and only part of that had to do with the pregnancy. The other reason was she was so incredibly in love with Juan, and she couldn’t help but glance down at Oliver, who was sitting beside her at the table. He’d come as her date at Steph’s insistence.
For the past seven days, she and Oliver had seen each other every night, their evenings always ending with them at her place, falling into bed together in a rush of teeth and tongues and hands. When they’d arrived at the hotel last night, nothing had been different.
She cleared her throat. “To the beautiful bride and her equally beautiful sugar daddy. Sorry! I meant to say husband,” she called, her words echoing around her as the room erupted into cheers, claps, and a few wolf whistles. She laughed and swallowed the rest of her champagne.
Her sister got up, rounded the table, and dragged her into a hug. “Thank you.”
“What for? Embarrassing your new husband?”
Steph snorted. “No. For being here and for throwing me an awesome bachelorette party at such short notice.”
By some miracle, Darcey had pulled it off. She’d called in favors from friends and created the most perfect celebration for her sister’s final days as a bachelorette. They’d had it in Greenville since most of Steph’s childhood friends still lived there.
Darcey accepted a fresh glass of champagne from a passing waiter and took a sip. “I think I’m still hungover from that even though it was two days ago.” She grinned. “And there’s nothing to say thank you for. You know I’ve got your back.”
“I also want to tell you that I’m really happy for you, too.” Her sister’s eyes darted in Oliver’s direction. “I already love him, and he’s well on the way to being head-over-heels in love with you.”
Her words stunned Darcey. Her mouth popped open, then closed. “I don’t know about that…” she hedged.
“Trust me, sis. He’s falling for you.”
Before she could formulate a reply, they were interrupted by their father, who slung his arms over both their shoulders. “And how are my two beautiful daughters?” By the strength of the fumes coming off him, he’d had more than enough to drink tonight.
“We’re good, Daddy,” Darcey replied. “Has Mom cut you off yet?”
He tapped the side of his nose twice and winked. “Not yet.”
They both laughed when he stumbled off, grabbing their mom by the arm as she passed and sweeping her onto the dance floor. Then it was Darcey’s turn to laugh when Juan pulled the same move on Steph.
Darcey stood there for a moment, nursing her champagne and watching her parents along with her sister and her new husband moving around sinuously on the polished dance floor.
“Would you like to dance?” Oliver murmured into her ear, the heat of his body like a blanket against her back.
She felt his arm band around her waist, the sense of security she always felt with him coming along with it. Taking another sip of her champagne, she turned to face him, tilting her face up slightly to meet his.
“You know how to dance?”
He dropped a kiss to her nose. “There’s a lot of things I can do.” Taking the champagne flute from her hand, he placed it on a nearby table and led her onto the dance floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck while he settled both hands on the small of her back and dragged her a little closer. They were touching from chest to hip, the swell behind his zipper telling her just how happy he was to have her close.
Leaning in, he nibbled the side of her neck with his teeth and kissed the sensitive flesh. “I’ll never get tired of having you in my arms.”
Darcey tipped her head back, giving him better access. “Me, too.”
She became lost in the music then, lost in the way Oliver moved his hips and the scent of his cologne, and the way adoration shone from his eyes. All the noise of the room receded, the sound of chatter, of champagne glasses clinking together—hell, even the music seemed to disappear as she happily got lost in Oliver’s strong arms.
&nb
sp; Her skin was flushed when they finally pulled away from one another, the heat of the room getting to her. Or maybe it was all the champagne.
“I think I need some air,” she said, eying the French doors that led out into the garden.
“I’ll get your coat,” Oliver said, kissing her sweetly before moving around the room back to their table. Darcey pushed open one of the doors and slipped outside into the beautifully manicured garden.
The instant she drew in a breath of that clean, crisp air, she felt ten times better. She wiped the fine sheen of sweat from her brow, being careful not to ruin her makeup. No doubt Steph would want some more pictures of them together before she and Juan left.
String lights were suspended in all the trees, a path of buttery light leading her farther down the gravel path. Her breath hovered in front of her mouth with each exhale, fluttering there for a moment before being swept into a dance with the cool breeze.
When she came upon the gazebo, she sat down and waited for Oliver.
“Darcey,” a familiar voice said.
She stood and spun around. “Zac? What are you doing here?”
Her ex-husband took a few long steps forward, his serious blue eyes fixated on her. “I had to see you again. I had to have a chance to explain how sorry I am without your damn fuck buddy getting in the way.”
“He’s not my fuck buddy, Zac. He’s my…” She paused because she didn’t know what to call him. ‘Lover’ wasn’t strong enough, but ‘boyfriend’ was presumptuous. Throwing back her shoulders, she said, “Whatever you have to say to me, I don’t want to hear.”
“I want to apologize for what I did.”
“A little too late for that.”
He ran his hands through his hair, pulling at it. “Jessica lied to me,” he mumbled. “For two years, she lied to me.”
Her eyes widened at his declaration, but she locked down her shock. Maybe now he’d understand how she’d felt. “Betrayal never feels good, Zac. I should know.”
He looked at her with a flicker of annoyance, tightening his jaw. “I said I’m sorry.”
The Helheim Wolf Pack Novellas: The Complete Collection Page 27