by Sam Crescent
She tilted her head back, giving in to the heat within her cheeks. “I want to take a shower. I can’t seem to put any pressure on my foot. I tried to. It won’t take it.”
He looked at the shower. “I know what to do.” He turned on the shower and climbed in.
“What are you doing?”
“You want to shower. I’d strip down naked, but if you can’t handle being naked in front of me without that distance thing you’re talking about, you couldn’t handle me in all my glory.”
She rolled her eyes. “You and your damn ego.”
“You love it.”
“You wish.”
“I do.”
She didn’t respond. The yearning in his voice was clear, and pain struck her body.
You’re hurting him.
Closing her eyes, she tried to fight off the guilt. Giving in to him wasn’t an option, but what was she to do? They were stuck here for another eleven months.
Lucas took the towel from her grip and threw it out of the shower as he picked her up. She released a yelp, but he placed her on the floor.
“There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”
She glared at him, not saying a word.
He spun her around and had her under the water.
Tilting her head back, she basked in the spray of the water. It felt so good.
Lucas’s hands on her body were a distraction. He held her waist and her back was to him.
“I’ve got you.”
One of his hands left her waist, and she watched as he reached past her to grab the soap and a sponge. She didn’t turn to see what he was doing. She expected him to give her the soaped sponge. That didn’t happen.
He put the soap back into the dish, then his hand with the sponge glided down her neck, going to the base of her back.
“Trust me, Mabel.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him he hadn’t earned her trust. She kept the words locked up inside, not spoiling the moment.
He turned her to face him, and he put her hands on his shoulders. “Hold on to me. Don’t let me go.”
Lucas slid the soap over her highly sensitive skin, and she sank her teeth into her lip, trying to contain her excitement. The sponge brushed across her flesh, and his knuckles followed suit. She lived for those sweet touches he gave her, nothing else.
While she waited for him to take it further, he didn’t. He washed her body, being careful with her.
When it came to her hair, he turned her back toward the wall, putting her hands on the wall as he massaged the soap into her hair.
“I love your hair,” he said. “I’ve imagined tugging it as I drive inside you.”
She whimpered.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to do anything to you. Even though I’d love nothing more than licking your cunt and making you feel better.”
She couldn’t help but press her thighs together to try to stem the pleasure.
With her hair cleaned, he spun her around. “I know I’ve got work to make you trust me, but I’ve got to kiss you, Mabel. Let me, please.”
She didn’t say anything, staring into his eyes.
Kissing was sweet. There was nothing sexual in it.
“Okay,” he said.
She gripped his arm as he went to leave the bathroom. There was no reason for him to leave.
“Kiss me,” she said. She never expected those two words to be spoken from her lips, especially not directed at Lucas, but she suddenly realized she wanted him to kiss her. They were both soaked. She was naked, he fully clothed.
Lucas’s hands went to her face, stroking down to cup her beneath her chin, and then his lips were on hers.
The instant they touched, she couldn’t help but close her eyes and enjoy the moment. Lust flooded her body.
Mine.
Her wolf was so close to the surface. The need to claim him was strong, but she held herself in check, not giving in to the basic instinct to take him.
With her hands on his shoulders, she opened her mouth, sliding her tongue against his.
One of Lucas’s went to grip the back of her head, deepening the kiss.
He pressed her up against the corner of the shower and before she knew what was happening, he’d lifted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist.
This wasn’t just a kiss.
The hardness of his cock was right against her pussy.
She couldn’t seem to stop. Even as she wanted to push him away, she couldn’t because she loved feeling him surround her.
“So fucking good,” he said, breaking from her lips to trail his down to her neck. When his teeth nipped into her flesh, she moaned and then screamed.
“Get off.”
“Mabel.”
“Get the fuck off.” She started to thrash in his arms. Anger consumed her, replacing the lust.
“Wait, wait, don’t hurt yourself. I’m getting off. Please, Mabel,” he said.
She stopped struggling against him.
Lucas climbed out of the shower and then helped her to her feet. She grabbed the towel and hobbled past him, going to her bedroom, being careful not to put too much pressure on her injured foot.
“What the hell, Mabel?”
She spun toward him. “What the hell? I felt what you were doing. That’s not what I want.”
“What?”
“Your teeth! On my neck. You think I don’t know what that means? I’m not going to be mated to you.” She started to pant, the anger taking her by surprise.
“You think that was what I was doing?”
“You used your teeth.”
“Fuck, Mabel! Your neck is a zone known to turn women on. I was trying to make you feel good.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“Yes.”
“You’re the one who brought us here.”
“Because you didn’t give me a chance. We’ve been over this, and I’m not going to repeat myself. When it’s time to claim you, you’re going to be riding my dick, and you’ll be marking me at the same time. I don’t have to manipulate you, and quite frankly, I’m insulted, but what do I expect? You’re a fucking virgin with no experience and no way of understanding that I was doing something to make you feel good.” Lucas shook his head.
“Where are you going?” she asked as he moved toward the door.
“I’m going for a run and giving you whatever space you need. I will never take that out of your hands. When we mate, Mabel, and we will, you’re going to be willing, and better yet, you’re going to be begging me for it. I’m many things, but taking your choice away—I’m not like that.”
He slammed the door closed and she collapsed against the wall, sliding down until she hit the ground. She’d messed up.
Her hand went to her neck. She’d enjoyed his kisses so much, but when his teeth had grazed across her skin, she’d been so certain he intended to take what she wasn’t willing to give.
Dropping her head, she hit it against her knees, feeling so stupid.
Everything with Lucas was so messed up. The man he was now wasn’t the same guy who’d hurt her, even though they were one and the same.
****
“Everything is okay. It will take some time to heal because the glass was so deeply embedded, and it looks like you ran on it for a couple of feet as well,” the pack medic said.
Lucas listened. His father had called last night, and he’d told him about the storm and the accident and how Mabel didn’t appear to be healing.
He didn’t like her foot not healing quick enough.
“It’s been cleaned well and dressed,” the medic said.
“Lucas did it for me,” Mabel said.
The medic turned toward him. “It’s good to know all the scrapes you got into as a boy paid off, huh?”
He smiled. The medic was in his seventies but didn’t look a day over forty. It was a good thing to have a werewolf gene. The aging process slowed down.
With his arms folded, he saw the medic ou
t. There was no sign of how he’d get home, but he had no doubt the man would find his way.
Rather than go and see Mabel, he went to the kitchen to make them some lunch. The fridge had once again been restocked and they had a lot of choices. He settled on a cheese and pickle sandwich.
After laying out the slices of bread, he spread them with butter and sprinkled on some of the cheese he’d grated.
“You didn’t come back up,” Mabel said, entering the kitchen.
“As you can see, I’m making us some lunch.”
“How did the medic know to come?”
He glanced up at her. “I told my dad.”
“You got a call?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh.”
“I’m sure your parents will call the moment they can.”
“But at least your dad was ready to call you.”
Lucas cut the bread into triangles and moved toward the dining room. He wanted to carry Mabel, but he also wanted to keep his distance after the accusations she’d thrown at him last night. There had been no intention of forcing his mark on her, or initiating the proper mating.
They were destined mates. The pull, the lust, the drive were all there, telling them both they were meant to be together. However, they hadn’t truly mated yet.
“I’m sorry,” Mabel said.
“Apology accepted.”
“Then why won’t you look at me?”
He lifted his gaze up as he sat down. “I’m looking at you now.”
“You’re not the same.”
“So you can throw around your insults, and I take it, but you don’t like being on the receiving end when you were wrong about last night.”
“I know. I shouldn’t have—”
“I get that you don’t want to have anything to do with me. I was an asshole, but I’m trying to make it up to you. I’ve given you three years. I didn’t push for this before then and I gave you time and space. This is all on you, Mabel.” He slammed his hand on the table.
“I don’t want to fight with you.”
“Well, maybe I want to fight with you. Have you ever thought about that?” He stood up and started to pace the length of the dining room. “I get it. I fucked up. I was the big fucking bully back in high school. I’m the one to stick my hand in the air and admit I was a giant prick to you. So much so, I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but here’s the thing… I can’t let you go. I don’t want to let you go. You’re my mate. The woman who above everyone else has been destined to me, and I can’t turn my back on that no matter how much I want to.”
“You don’t want to be mated to me.”
“Yes. No, I mean … fuck! Now I’m just getting confused. I’m not the same guy, okay? The dick who was mean to you, he wasn’t taking his role as an Alpha seriously. He was a bastard. He’s the one who would have bit you to get what he wanted. I don’t know what happened to me. All I know is that I’ll do anything for you. I’d never hurt you. I’d never lie to you, and I won’t bite you without your fucking permission.” He ran fingers through his hair, feeling his anger start to abate. “You know, you pretty much accused me of almost raping you.”
“No, I didn’t.” Her voice was so small.
“Even when you want me, crave me, you’re going to fight it, aren’t you?”
She lifted her head and looked at him. “I … this is hard.”
“Yeah, tell me about it.” He dropped down into his chair. All of his appetite was gone. He didn’t want to argue, not really. “I need to go out for a walk.” Getting to his feet, he pushed away from the table and walked toward the doorway.
“Have you ever thought that it’s because of our mating that you’ve changed?” she asked.
He stopped and turned to look at her. “Yes, I do.”
“If you hadn’t gone through the transition, you’d probably still find me fat and ugly.”
“For fuck’s sake, Mabel. I didn’t think you were fat and ugly back then.”
She snorted. “Yeah, right.”
“I said bad shit because … you were always a stuck-up little bitch.”
“Excuse me? You didn’t even know me.”
“You had your nose up in the sky.”
“I love to look at the sky, asshole. That doesn’t make me stuck-up.”
He glared at her. “Who does that? Who stares at the sky for most of the day? It’s weird.”
“Five-year-olds do. Go for your walk. I can’t believe I even felt sorry for making you upset. The only reason you care right now is because of the mating. We don’t have feelings for us. It’s purely physical, but we can end this. Both of us can demand to have this mating severed. You hate me, and I can’t stand you. Why prolong the inevitable?”
Lucas advanced toward her. She sat down in her chair. There was nowhere else for her to go. The look in his eyes sent a shiver down her spine. There were no other words for it. He gripped the handles and moved in close to her face.
“I don’t hate you, Mabel. I never have. Far from it.” He stood up, and without another word, he was gone.
She stayed in her chair and growled. “Fuck!”
This was the last thing she wanted.
Running a hand down her face, she tried to think of all the reasons she should hate him, but at that moment, she was only pissed off with herself. There was no one else to blame. She’d done this.
She placed a hand on her neck, right where he’d kissed her last night. It still felt a little sensitive, but the pleasure had been out of this world.
Get a grip.
Standing up, she hobbled toward the door and opened it. Lucas was at the edge of the water, staring up at the sky. She heard the growls and angry cries falling from his lips.
The wolf inside her stirred.
Their mate was in pain.
Go to him.
Mabel held on to the door, refusing to go any further.
Go to him.
He needs us.
She watched Lucas a little more. The feelings stirring within her were too great to ignore.
Leaving the door open, she hobbled down toward the beach. The angle she held her foot made it very awkward.
He tensed up the moment she was close to him.
“I’m sorry. I don’t … I don’t know how I feel about you.”
Lucas spun around to her. “I don’t hate you.”
“I don’t hate you completely, but I don’t love you either,” she said, looking down at the ground. “I’m willing to make this work. To see where this goes.” She pressed her lips together.
“Mabel, I can promise you two things. One, I will always take care of you from here on out, and second, I will never do anything you don’t want me to do.” He walked toward her, grabbing her face. “Please believe that.”
“I do.” She couldn’t resist glancing at his lips. Was he going to kiss her?
He pulled away, and the moment he stopped touching her, she missed him.
“Did the screaming help?” she asked.
“It did.”
“I didn’t mean to make you angry.”
He shrugged, and then she cried out as he picked her up. “You should be resting your foot.”
“I needed to set this right with us.”
“And you’ve done that. Now it’s time to rest your foot.”
“Do you forgive me?” she asked.
“There’s nothing to forgive.”
She cupped his cheek, forcing him to look at her. He slowed down as he did. “I mean it, Lucas. I am sorry.”
“Forgiven.”
The temptation to kiss him was so strong, but she held back. Like all things in life, it seemed all she ever had to do was freaking hold back.
****
And so a routine began for the next month. Not that Lucas could complain. Rather than live separately, Mabel sought him out every single day.
They’d go for long walks. It took nearly a week for her foot to be completely healed before she was able to walk again. He
didn’t like that. He loved having an excuse to hold her in his arms and carry her everywhere.
At nights, they watched some television or talked about what they’d seen the previous day.
Mabel often cooked breakfast while he handled lunch.
All in all, it was … humble.
“And you’re complaining about that?” Duke asked on one of his calls.
“No, I’m not complaining. It’s good, right? We’re developing a relationship together.”
“It is good progress. You have to be happy with that.”
“I am.”
“You’re impatient?” his father asked.
“No. I’m happy with how things are progressing.”
What he refused to talk to his father about were the touches, the lingering looks. He’d noticed Mabel had started to become highly aroused around him, and he was a little unnerved about what that meant when the full moon was high up in the sky. They were close to a second. The first had ended with them watching each other, and that had happened even when they’d been distant.
He’d gotten closer to her these past few weeks and there was no denying the tension constantly falling between them. It was always there, waiting to burst free.
“Son, I’m getting the sense that something isn’t right.”
He ran fingers through his hair as he glanced through the window to see his woman on the phone as well. She spotted him and gave him a small wave. He lifted his fingers up as well.
“You know the full moon is tonight.”
“Yes.”
“Is it possible to be in the power of the full moon but also to keep control of yourself from biting your mate during it?”
“Lucas, please do not worry.”
“I promised her, Dad. I promised her I wouldn’t bite her until she was ready for it.”
His father sighed over the line, which instantly sent his gut twisting. “You’ll bite her when you know she’s ready.”
He breathed a sigh of relief.
“However, it has also been known to mistake her wolf’s willingness for being ready.”
“You’re shitting me.” This wasn’t good. “Are you telling me I’ve got to come up with some excuse not to run with her?”
They’d agreed, and it may sound childish, but he’d been looking forward to taking a run with her for so long.
“There is no magic cure. This is not an illness, Lucas. Finding your mate is a gift.”