by Kamryn Hart
Casey winced. “Fated Mate. Soulmate? Don’t you feel anything for me?”
Fated Mate. If it was true, it did explain her strange fondness for Casey. It explained the night she first met him and why she had let him kiss her like that. She never would have done that if she was listening to the part of her brain that had kept her distant all this time. Casey broke through her defensive wall on that first night. Now that they had really spent time together, he had almost shattered it, and it had all happened in the matter of a few days.
“I don’t,” she stuttered. “I mean, I do.” She wrung her hands together. “This is just happening super fast.”
Casey touched her left earlobe, sending that warm shiver through her body. She turned her head in his direction and he caught her eye. His hand fell to her cheek and brushed her lips before he brought his hand back to his lap.
“Nothing has to go any faster than you want it to,” he assured her. “I just wanted to be honest with you, and I couldn’t do that if I was hiding what I am or what I’ve done.”
“You mean the Willow thing?”
He nodded. “I broke her heart, and she’ll probably never know how sorry I am about that.”
Casey really cared that he had hurt this girl. In Karol’s opinion, it wasn’t entirely his fault, seeing how his “Alpha” basically made an arranged marriage. She didn’t blame him for running away from that—but he still cared. This was why she liked him. It wasn’t just this Moon mumbo-jumbo, Fated Mate or whatever. Casey was honest, earnest, and kind.
“If you really think I’m your Fated Mate, I guess it makes sense why you’ve been sticking your neck out for me. My family too,” Karol commented.
“And you left a big impression on me.” He chuckled softly. “In a way, you and your family remind me of a wolf pack. Your kid brothers and sisters are great, by the way. I really enjoyed dinner. Even though I didn’t get to do much eating.”
Karol’s heart swelled in her chest. “I enjoyed it too. We all did.” She grabbed one of his hands and laced her fingers through his. “I like you, Casey. A lot. This shifter and magic stuff is going to take some getting used to though. And I don’t know… how patient you’re willing to be. But I don’t want you to leave. I’ve been so stuck and unhappy for so long, and I judged you because of that, but you broke through to me somehow. For the first time in a long time, I’m happy. When you started talking to me about the future the other day, you made me remember I had one. You made me feel like maybe I can be more and live a different life than the one I resigned myself to. Last night, you made my brothers and sisters a lot happier than I’ve seen them in a long time too.”
Casey grabbed the back of her neck with his free hand and pressed his forehead to hers. “Let me show you how much you mean to me.”
“I will. I’d be stupid to tell you to leave based on the few days we’ve spent together. I feel like you want to get to know me. You don’t just want to get inside my pants.”
“I do want to know you. Better than anyone. But I also really do want to get inside your pants,” he teased, angling his lips down to her lips where he kissed her lightly, causing her thighs to squeeze with need. “I can smell it. Every time you want me.”
Karol pushed away from him, surprised. But she saw the humor in his eyes. He wasn’t going to do anything unless she wanted him to. “You can smell that?!” she asked, semi-horrified.
Casey tapped his nose. “I’ve got a wolf’s sense of smell.”
Karol laughed nervously, feeling slightly embarrassed. Awkward. She felt awkward about this whole thing. She didn’t know what the hell she was doing. She had never liked a guy like this before, or at all really, even though she was a grown-ass woman. She wanted him so badly, but she didn’t know what to do about it.
Casey kissed her again. His lips must have been magic too because her fears dissipated, and all she could feel was him along with the reassurance and warmth he brought with him. He bit at her lips, bitey like a dog. His teeth seemed extra sharp, but he was careful with her, and she found herself enjoying it. His tongue tangled in hers and she couldn’t help but moan in complete pleasure. Her body and mind were relaxed, surrendering to him like she had been wanting to but had been too afraid to allow.
He stopped their kiss when she was getting drunk off it. He planted his lips on her left cheek and slid them across her skin to her left earlobe, and sucked. She gasped, shocked by his wet mouth on her skin. The shock dispersed in little electrical tingles all throughout her body. She gripped his shoulders, trying to contain her unbearable need to have him.
“I do want you, Casey,” she said breathlessly. “Badly. But I’m not on the pill, and I don’t have any condoms on me. Or am I wrong in assuming a wolf shifter like you could get me pregnant?”
“No need for pills or condoms,” he said, his voice all raspy and sexy. “Today is all about you.”
She was about to ask him what that meant exactly, but her brain short-circuited when he trailed kisses down her neck to her collar bone.
“Is that okay?” he asked, stopping for a moment.
“If what you’re talking about involves more kisses like that, then yes,” Karol replied, already wishing his lips were back on her.
Was he actually planning on going down on her? He was going to drown her in pleasure, but he wasn’t going to take any himself? Was this guy for real? Men would never do something like that. At least, that was what she used to believe.
Casey’s lips were back on hers. She caught his strong face in her hands, begging him for more, begging him to keep kissing her. When he pulled away, she reluctantly let him go. He went for her dress shirt and started unbuttoning it with deft hands. She was happy to let him. The sudden show of skin should have cooled her off, but it raised her body temperature higher.
Casey hummed. “You’ve got those freckles everywhere,” he said. “I love your freckles.”
He kissed the parts of her breasts showing above her bra. Her eyes fluttered, and she instinctively grabbed the back of his head, hiding her fingers in his short brown hair, urging him on. His arms were at her back, and the pressure of her bra faded as he undid the clasp. She gasped in pain and went rigid when his hands pressed down to the small of her back.
“What’s wrong?” Casey asked quickly as he drew back so he wasn’t touching her.
Karol shook her head as she finished taking off her bra for him. She threw it onto the ground along with her shirt. “Nothing. Just bruised my back that night when that alligator shifter decided to be a dick.”
Casey growled. Like a wild animal. “I’m going to kill him.”
Before Karol could tell him she was pretty sure there was no reason for such drastic measures since Casey seemed to have taken care of things that same night, Casey got off the couch and walked around her so he could see her back. The gleam in his bright yellow-green eyes and the snarl on his lips were aggressive as he gently ran his hand down her spine.
“Does this hurt?” he asked.
“N-no,” Karol replied. “It only hurts if I put too much pressure on it or something. I can sleep on my back again and everything. It’s fine.”
“What else did he do to you?”
“Nothing. This is the only thing I have to show for that night. You’ve got me beat.” She was doing her best to keep her tone light. She should have been scared to hell with the sudden shift in Casey’s disposition. She must have said the right words though. He was starting to calm down again.
Feeling brave, Karol grabbed his hands and guided him back to the other side of the couch so he was facing her again. When he was seated in front of her, her skin flushed as she thought about what she wanted him to do to her. Casey had totally forgotten about sex the moment he realized she had been hurt. His concern for her made her want this even more. It was like he truly loved her.
“No more talk about that shitty night,” she said soothingly as she let go of Casey’s hands so she could hold hers behind his thick neck. “I w
ant to move forward with you.”
That brought him back to this beautiful moment between him and her. His eyes were overcome with lust and he kissed her lips again. This time he urged her gently onto her back so she was lying flush on the couch. He went right for her shoes, socks, and slacks, tearing them off seemingly in one quick motion. The one thing left hiding her naked body from him was her underwear. He seemed so confident, she was surprised when he paused there.
“Have you done this before?” he asked.
“I thought it was obvious,” she replied. “Of course, I haven’t.”
“Good. That’ll make this even better.”
He ripped off her underwear and threw the fabric onto the discarded pile of clothes on the floor. Karol wanted to spread her legs wider, it was more of an instinct than anything like that was what she should do, but there wasn’t much room on the couch. She didn’t know how Casey was on top of her right now and how she still managed to have her legs partly spread.
He moved up, hovering directly over her. He leaned down and kissed her again. He kissed her hard this time, with a bruising intent that ratcheted up the energy already coursing through her body. She tore at his shirt, angry about the barrier. She wanted to feel his skin. Casey got the message because he took breaks in between kissing her to throw the thing onto the growing pile on the floor. Karol greedily explored his chest, but she did her best to keep her touch light because of his bruise.
His skin was warm and smooth, addicting. He was so firm too. She didn’t know if there was a soft spot on his body.
Casey broke away from her lips and trailed kisses down to her exposed breasts. They were the lightest part of her skin because her freckles seemed to disappear the closer they got to her hard pink nipples. The electrical pulses in her body focused on her chest, anywhere Casey’s mouth was. His lips were hot and wet against her skin, static shocks of ecstasy.
“So beautiful,” Casey whispered.
He caught her right nipple in his mouth and sucked hard, making her body jolt. She said his name, pleading. The flick of his tongue was driving her crazy. Her sex was so hot it felt like it was on fire. She had definitely never been this wet in her life. Her own juices were dripping down her thighs. She wiggled underneath him, but there was nowhere to go since his legs trapped hers—not that she wanted to go anywhere.
She moaned when he released her nipple and continued his merciless trail of scorching kisses across her stomach and to her hip where he bit at her skin. She liked the feel of his teeth. She stiffened, hands buried into the couch at her sides, as his mouth moved to her sex. He was half off the couch at this point, but he maintained a perfect balance. She was expecting another kiss, but the first thing he did was give her a big, slow lick. She nearly screamed. Her body was already pulsing, begging to come so she could release this pent up energy.
“Casey,” she said, panting, “I think you’re trying to kill me.”
He only chuckled and kept going. He licked her slit and stopped at her clit. He started nibbling and biting, reducing Karol to begging. Somehow the energy in her body was continuing to grow. She still hadn’t come, and she didn’t know how that was possible when she felt like this. Then Casey buried a finger inside of her. She arched her back and breathed heavily as he slid in and out of her pussy with easy motions at first. Then he added a second finger and pumped into her faster as he stayed hunched over, working on her clit with his tongue. Now she was screaming. She didn’t care who might overhear her in the apartments. She couldn’t contain herself.
Her orgasm hit like a tsunami. She felt it through her entire body. The pulsing energy, Casey pumping his fingers through her aftershocks. She felt like she was floating on clouds when it was over.
Her cheeks were wet. Confused, she brought her hands to her face. She was crying. Suddenly, she was overcome with immense emotion. She cried harder, the sniffling unattractive kind. And God, did she feel like an idiot.
“I-I’m sorry,” she tried to say through her sobs.
Casey moved so he was directly over her again, and he kissed her tears away.
Karol couldn’t speak as she cried harder. She couldn’t describe what she was feeling. It was as if the dam she had built up for years was finally broken, and now she was crying for everything that had ever hurt her. She was crying because of these intense feelings she had for Casey. She was crying because she was so damn happy.
Casey got off the couch, gathered her up in his arms, and then sat back down on the couch with her in his arms. She buried her face into his chest as she curled up into him. She wanted to be this close to him forever.
When she had calmed down enough to speak, she said, “Sorry. I don’t know where that came from. I’m not upset or anything, okay? I really enjoyed that.” She buried her face into his broad shoulder. “Thank you.”
“I enjoyed it too,” he said.
She liked feeling the rumble of his chest against hers as he spoke. She liked having her bare skin on his.
“Is it really okay to just… leave it at that for today?” she asked, uncertain. “What about you?”
“You come before me,” he replied.
“I did come,” she reminded. “Hard.”
He laughed. “I mean in everything. I’ll say it and show it as many times as I need to until you believe me. And then I’ll keep doing it.”
“I do believe you.”
“You’re starting to.”
He was right. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was afraid this was too good to be true. The horrible broken part of her wondered if now Casey would expect things from her. If he would plague her with guilt. If he would use her like so many men used her mother.
She wiped away a few stray tears that emerged at her own disappointment in herself. She didn’t want to lose this man because of her fears.
“You can’t be real, Casey. No one is that selfless. At the very least, no one is that patient,” she whimpered.
“Wrong. You’re that person. Your family comes before you in everything. You would do anything for them. You have endless patience.”
Karol shook her head. She moved so she was straddling him, determined to be as close to him as possible. She wrapped her arms around him in a hug. It was impossible not to feel his erection through his jeans, teasing her sex. And yet he wasn’t asking for more.
“Today is all about you.”
“I’m going to do better, Casey. You’ll see,” she said resolutely.
“Karol, I’m here for you. If you ever need me, all you have to do is ask, and I’ll come running.” He kissed her forehead. “I love you. Whatever you end up deciding in the end, you’ll always be my Fated Mate. That’s never going to change for me. I will always love you.”
Karol hugged him tighter because she couldn’t bring herself to say those same words. She suspected she already loved him as well, but she couldn’t say it yet. But, one day, she wanted to. She wanted to be able to say she loved him and that she would do the same things for him. Because she was sure of one thing.
Casey was true.
Epilogue
EIGHT MONTHS LATER.
It was a hot summer day. The best kind of day for swimming. The Lee family was enjoying the Tree Creek river to cool off, and Casey was with them.
“What do you think of the layout, Cora?” Casey asked. He and Cora were sitting off the river bank, under the shade of a large oak tree while looking at house plans. With Casey’s skills, Karol’s money and his combined, they were going to start building a new much more suitable house for the family’s size. The renovations Isabelle was overseeing for the city were stretching farther and farther into Old Tree Creek. Casey and Karol bought some land that was cleared when a condemned building was removed, and eventually, the old house the Lee family had been living in would be demolished too.
“I think we should switch these two rooms. It’ll flow better,” Cora replied as she studied the plans intensely.
Casey looked over her suggestio
n, drawing out a 3D map of the layout in his head. “I think you’re right,” he replied.
He ruffled the top of her thick orange hair. She laughed and grabbed his hand to make him stop. Her hair was out of control enough as it was, she didn’t need Casey making it worse. But it was always so tempting.
“Good thing I have an architect buddy,” he said.
Cora grinned.
“C’mon, you two,” Karol called from the river. “We came here to take a break from work and the heat and you two are still working.” She threw water in their direction splashing them and getting the plans wet.
“It’s a good thing these are copies!” Casey called back, waving the wet papers in the air.
Karol stuck out her tongue in a childish manner. Cora ran screaming to the river where she tackled the oldest boy in the family. He caught her and dunked her into the water, and all of the kids started a splashing war.
Casey smiled as he shook his head. He placed the wet plans in a backpack leaning against the oak tree’s trunk. His excellent hearing told him Karol was walking up behind him with each soft squish of wet dirt. Her arms went around him and her hands explored the muscled ridges of his stomach. He was glad he didn’t have a shirt on. Karol shifted her hands farther down his stomach until they were at the front of his jeans, teasing him.
“You do remember we’re out with the kids, right?” Casey asked, but he didn’t stop her. They weren’t facing the kids so they couldn’t see what Karol was doing. And it felt so good. He was getting hard just thinking about all the naughty things they could do together when they got some time alone tonight.
She stopped what she was doing, much to Casey’s disappointment, and grabbed his hand. He turned to face her, leaned down, and kissed her.
“Thanks for everything you’ve been doing,” she said against his lips. “Everyone’s really excited about the new house.”
“It’ll be nice,” Casey agreed.
He was especially looking forward to having a room for him and Karol where they’d have some privacy. He and Karol hung out at his place pretty regularly at night, but Karol never stayed the whole night because she was too worried about her siblings. That meant Casey hardly ever got to wake up to her in his arms like he wished he could. Most of the time, he basically lived at the house with Karol and the rest of the family. He had grown attached to them and hated being away for long. They were his pack now. They all knew what he was, and they accepted him all the same. They agreed to keep his secret. He couldn’t have asked for anything more.