Secrets We Keep

by Mandy M. Roth

  Dane kissed the tip of her finger and winked at her. “I’m fine, babe. Are you sure you don’t want to go to the movie? I don’t mind taking you. I always enjoy spending time with you.”

  Trish moved closer to him and every bone in him ached to wrap his body around her and fuck her until she screamed his name and acknowledged she was his.

  “I’m positive. Home and a movie sound perfect.”

  “Home, huh?” He gave her a questioning look. “Would that be your place or mine?”

  She shrugged. “Either. But remember what happened the last time we tried to watch movies at that penthouse you try to play off as an apartment?”

  Dane laughed. Oh, he not only remembered what had happened that night, he jacked off to it on a regular basis. It was rare that he had guests over. Any woman he fucked, he fucked at a hotel. The idea of their smell being in his apartment appalled him and with his heightened senses, he’d pick up on them long after they were gone. Trisha had been the only woman he ever took directly home with him.

  His furniture had all been selected by an interior designer. He’d left all the decisions up to the woman. Trisha had made comments about his home looking more like a showcase than a place someone lived, but it hadn’t been until they attempted to get comfy on his sofas that he realized just how very right she was. After a half hour and no luck finding a relaxing way to watch the movie, Trish suggested his bed. For a few seconds, he couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. Those were the very words he’d longed to hear fall from her lips. Too bad she’d only suggested his room as an alternate movie viewing location.

  The bedroom worked wonders and the next thing he knew, he woke to find himself holding a sleeping Trish, still fully clothed, but with his hand on her breast and hers between his legs. Massaging the soft mound of flesh beneath his fingertips, he was shocked when Trish began to cup his sac. The need to come was overwhelming and the last thing he wanted to do was cream his jeans in front of Trish. It was that moment that he woke her with a tiny kiss on the tip of her nose.

  He would have relished the experience if Trish hadn’t have become so upset about being an hour late for work. After that, they’d taken to hanging out at her apartment. It was small, but cozy.

  As much as he wanted to wake to find Trish beside him, he wanted her to be happy more. Being with her was forbidden because she was human and breaking the Lycan law would put her in danger as well as leave her brokenhearted again. Refusing to be another in the line of scum she dated, Dane held back the urge to kiss her now. “I think your place would be better.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought too.”

  Chapter Three

  Dane watched Trish as she finished the last of her pizza. It was her favorite food. She washed it down with diet soda and pushed her plate away. Sliding closer to him on the oversized couch, she nudged his plate. “You’ve barely eaten. What’s wrong? You normally eat a whole pizza by yourself.”

  Glancing down, he saw that she was right. He’d only taken a few bites. Watching her laugh and eat as the movie played had captivated him. Dane set his plate on the coffee table and leaned back on the couch. Trish grabbed an end pillow and plopped it on his lap. He froze. If she put her head in his lap, he’d never be able to control the raging hard-on he’d get. Her cheek grazed his cock and it sprang to life. She adjusted her head and the action caused him to squirm. The thought of her sucking him off was almost too much. Picturing those hazel eyes looking up at him while he laced his fingers in her loose, long curls was just one of the many fantasies he had concerning Trisha.

  Feeling her shiver, he reached back and grabbed a white throw off the back of the couch. He covered her and she snuggled closer to him, deeper to his groin. God, she smelled so good. And the feel of her hand on his upper thigh drove him mad with lust. The tiny white tank top and baby blue loose pajama bottoms she’d changed into weren’t helping him keep hold of himself. Her nipples were hard from the cold and he could clearly see their pink outline. The urge to taste them was strong. He fought hard to hold back.

  Dane couldn’t stop himself as he ran his hand up her tiny arm and into her hair. He knew she used a shampoo that smelled of roses and that she used the faintest bit of baby powder daily. Years ago, he’d memorized her scent, her face, every tiny detail, wanting to file it away for the rest of his life. Whoever his chosen mate would be could never compare to Trisha. He could only hope that they would stay in touch even after he finally mated and she married.

  Trisha married? The thought of that had ripped at his gut for the past three weeks. That’s how long she’d been engaged to Bill. The moment Dane heard the news, he did his best to act excited when all he really wanted to do was tear Bill’s throat out and pull his heart from his chest. The thought of punishing Trisha for betraying him had entered his mind as well, though the punishment he’d had in mind ran more towards pleasurable bedroom activities. Spanking her ass cheeks while he slid his dick in and out of her sounded like the perfect form of discipline. Dane was sure he’d be able to think up even more ways to “teach her a lesson”.

  It will never happen. I’m an animal and she’s human. It’s forbidden.

  “Oh, I love this part,” Trisha said, patting his inner thigh.

  He would have acknowledged what she’d said but it was then he caught a whiff of the enemy—Bill. He listened as the man walked down the hallway. Dane’s body tightened. He’d only been around Bill a dozen or so times, but that was more than enough to want to smash the guy’s face in. He was a well-known chiropractor who’d hired the firm Trish worked for to do some promotional material for him. It had taken him less than a week to ask Trish out and less than a month to break her heart for the first time of many. Dane hated him from the word go but it wasn’t his place to be possessive. Just because he couldn’t have her didn’t mean no one else could either. Did it?

  Bill knocked on the door and Dane fought the growl in his throat back down. Trish sat up fast and glanced at him.

  “I’m not expecting anyone.”

  “I’ll get it.” Dane managed to keep the sneer off his face as he stood. The tension in his shoulders was great and he wanted to relieve it by annihilating Bill’s face. Trish didn’t stop him as he went to the door and he couldn’t have been happier. Intimidating Bill with hard looks was one of his favorite things to do.

  Tossing the door open, Dane stared into the Bill’s pale gray eyes. “Yeah?”

  Bill looked stunned and Dane smiled. “Umm…I’m looking for Trisha. We were supposed to have dinner tonight but I got held up.”

  Dane caught the whiff of women’s perfume and then the heady smell of sex. None of the scents Bill wore were Trish’s. The scumbag had been fucking another woman while he was supposed to be meeting Trisha. Clutching his hands into tight fists, Dane narrowed his gaze on the man. “So, Bill, what is it that kept you after work so late? Was it traffic, a client, or some other pressing matter?”

  “I…umm…it was an emergency,” Bill muttered.

  Dane gave him a knowing smile. “Right, a chiropractor’s job is never done. Especially when someone needs a good, hard late-night…adjustment.”

  Dane sensed Trish moving up behind him. Waiting for her to scold him for his behavior, he stood tall. There was a lot he’d kowtow to for Trish, but Bill wasn’t one of them. When Trish wrapped her tiny arms around the man’s waist and reached up to stroke his chest, Dane’s heart stopped. She rubbed her body against him and purred softly. Visions of sinking into her hit him. Knowing she’d be tight and passionate only made it worse. His cock dug painfully into his zipper. If he didn’t free it soon, he would go insane and fuck her against the wall if need be. Glancing towards the living room wall, Dane smiled.

  Oh, the wall would work perfect.

  “Trish, you told me he wasn’t into women. From the look on his face now, he’s more than fucking into them!” Bill shouted.

  Dane’s mouth dropped open. He’d been called a lot of things in his life but that wa
s not one of them. Coming from the twit in front of him made it even worse. “I am not…”

  Trish swept her hand down over his ass before moving to stand at his side. “No, Bill. I never claimed anything of the sort and you know it. You’re the one who made the snide comment that he couldn’t be into women if he’d been my friend for so long and never tried anything with me. Anytime I mention his name you get defensive and start trying to tear him down when you don’t even know him. And you do the same to me when you don’t get your way. I’m tired of it.”

  Anger, rage, hate rolled off Bill and Dane couldn’t help but pull Trish behind him slightly. If the dumbass laid one hand on Trish, he’d never get it back. Suddenly, Dane really hoped he’d try to touch her. It was sick and he knew it but it was also the nature of the beast. Currently, the beast wanted flesh and blood from Bill.

  “You told me there was nothing between the two of you. You said you’d never in a million years sleep with him.” Bill poked Dane in the chest and Dane smiled. The need to rip the man’s finger off was great. He held back.

  Trish tensed. “There isn’t anything between Dane and I. We’re friends. In fact, he’s like family to me.”

  “Into that sort of thing, are you, Trish?” Bill sneered at her. “I could call myself Uncle Bill and we could do all sorts of kinky things. Not that it would satisfy me though. You’re dead from the neck down in bed anyways.”

  Dane growled but Bill paid him no mind. The man was a bigger idiot than Dane had first imagined. The minute he sensed Bill’s blood pressure increase, Dane slid his body directly between the prick and Trish. It was a good thing because Bill picked that very second to try to lunge forward. Dane put one hand up and thrust the man into the hallway so hard that he bounced off the opposite wall.

  “Never try to touch her again,” Dane snapped.

  Chapter Four

  “Dane!” Trisha shouted, pushing past him. She couldn’t believe he’d just struck Bill. Sure, the guy was an ass, but that didn’t give Dane the right to hit him. Violence was never the answer to anything.

  Dane grabbed her arm lightly, pulling her back into her apartment. “Leave him alone, Trish. He was going to strike you and that’s not acceptable.”

  “What?” she asked, staring into his blue eyes in disbelief. “How do you know what he intended? Bill would never hit me.”

  Bill staggered to his feet and glared at Dane. “You’ll be hearing from my lawyer!”

  Trish was about to make a comment when Dane suddenly interrupted. “Is that before or after you fuck the woman you reek of again? I get that some men can’t be with just one woman, but to fuck one who wears cheap perfume and smells like a smokehouse when you had a woman as perfect as Trish is sick. I can tell you right now, the minute I get to sample her sweet flesh and fuck her, I’ll never let her go.”

  A woman as perfect as Trish? Had he really said that aloud? Had her ears deceived her, or had he talked about fucking her like it was a sure thing?

  Bill’s eyes widened. “How did you know who I just fucked…?” He stopped and stared at Trisha. “I didn’t mean…I don’t know what he’s talking about.”

  Trisha should have felt angry, betrayed, even enraged, but all she felt was Dane as he pulled her into his arms and rocked her gently. Pulling the engagement ring from her finger, she sighed as she handed it to Bill. “Take it and go. Don’t bother calling me or trying to make this better. I’m dead from the neck down and wouldn’t be able to answer the phone anyway. You’ve done nothing but hurt me since the moment we met and I’m tired of thinking you’ll change. Having someone by my side forever isn’t worth putting up with you.”

  “Don’t do this, Trisha. Don’t throw away what we have. It was just one girl. I swear. It was late and she was there. And you know you’re not a lame screw, sweetness. I was hurt, that was the anger talking. Not me.”

  Trisha cringed, not wanting to hear the lies fall from Bill’s lips any longer. “Just go.”

  “Why, so you can fuck a man you said couldn’t keep a woman more than a week? What was it you said? Oh, right…his dick was too small and his ego was too big to make any woman want to put up with him.” Bill spat each ugly word out at her.

  Infuriated by his lies, Trish launched herself out of Dane’s warm embrace and smacked Bill hard across the face. Violence might not solve anything, but it felt good. “I would never say that! You’re just jealous that Dane did what you never could—he made me love him by just being himself. Hell, from the first moment I laid eyes on him, I’ve been in love with him and the only damn reason I ever even went out with you is because I’m clearly not his type. Because trust me, buddy, if I was the kind of woman Dane wanted, I’d sure the hell give him all of me. Don’t think for one second that it was you I saw while you were screwing me. Every minute with you, I thought of Dane, not you. The only problem with that was I’m sure his is bigger and I’d bet my life he knows how to use it a hell of a lot better than you. A friggin’ dog humping a leg knows how to screw better than you!”

  With that, she turned and walked towards the bathroom, leaving Dane to get rid of Bill. With any luck, he’d toss the prick through the wall this time. Bill would have to fend for himself, there was no way she’d stop Dane again.

  Chapter Five

  “Trish, baby, are you okay?”

  She didn’t move from the edge of the bathtub. Having planted herself there some twenty minutes earlier, she’d only just got the flow of tears to stop. Hearing the concern in Dane’s voice warmed her heart. It also embarrassed her. After running over all the harsh words that had been thrown out, Trisha realized that she’d not only admitted that she loved Dane, but also confessed to fantasizing about him while being with another man. Facing him now would be beyond awkward. In fact, the idea of never laying eyes on him again sounded better than having to explain herself. She was head over heels in love with Dane. A man who’d kept his distance from her in the romantic sense from day one. A man who dated tall, beautiful women, with rock-hard bodies and icy cold stares. A man who had come right out and laughed in her face at the idea of dating her.

  We’re a breed apart…

  “Trish?”

  Wiping her cheeks, she fought for control. “I’m fine, Dane. You should probably head home. It’s getting late.”

  “If you think I’m leaving you alone tonight then you don’t know me at all.”

  “Really, I’m fine.”

  “Trisha,” Dane droned out. Rarely did he use her full name. He was aggravated.

  “Just go. I need to be alone.”

  “Fine.” His sudden acceptance of her wishes took her by surprise but she didn’t question him. If he was willing to go so she didn’t have to face him, that suited her.

  Trisha sat on the edge of the tub waiting until she was sure Dane had gone. Sighing, she stood slowly and stripped out of her comfy pajamas. The evening had her neck and back so tight that nothing short of a hot bath would help. Gathering up her bath supplies, she rolled her eyes when she found her towel shelf empty.

  She tossed the bathroom door open and came face-to-face with Dane. His blue eyes raked over her and his jaw clenched. The hard look that passed over his face not only made her feel as though she were most hideous woman in the world, it also scared her. Quickly, Trisha tried to slam the door shut, but Dane threw out his hand and held it open.

  His nostrils flared and he looked so intent, so lethal that she yelped.

  “Dane?”

  “Damn you, woman.” He closed the distance between them fast. “I’ve spent years fighting what I feel for you and when I’m at my weakest, you not only say the words I’ve only dreamt of hearing you say, you walk out and flaunt that gorgeous fucking body of yours too! Do you have any idea how hard you make me? My dick aches for release every moment I’m around you.”

  “Wh-at?” Trisha shook her head and tried to step back.

  He grabbed her arm and held it as he brought his face down to meet hers. Skimming his free h
and over her breast, he smiled as her nipple hardened. “You like that, don’t you, Trish? Look how quickly you react to me. Why the hell do you have to be human?”

  “Human?” His comment was so odd that she wasn’t sure what else to say to him.

  Dane didn’t respond. Instead he seized her waist and lifted her high into the air. She bit back a scream only because she knew Dane would never hurt her. When he set her on the icy cold sink the need to cry out returned. The hard feel of the porcelain against her hot pussy made her ache for him to fill her with his warm cock. He dropped down fast and pushed her legs apart. Any attempt she made at closing them failed.

  “Dane. Please, you don’t have to do this. I didn’t mean what I said,” she looked away, knowing she could never lie to his face, “I don’t love you. I don’t think about you sexually. I just said it to make Bill angry enough to leave me alone. So please get up before it’s too late to save our friendship.”

  He growled fiercely and stared up at her, his blue eyes seemed to swirl for a quick second. “Don’t lie to me, Trish. I’m sick of the lies and the walls between us. I’ve wanted you…this,” he said, running his long thick fingers over her mound, “for seven years and I’m sick of it. It’s high time I claimed you for my own. There’s no point in denying you’re my true mate.”

  “Claimed me? Dane?”

  “Yeah, baby, claimed you. Damn, if you had ever hinted that your cunt was hairless, I’d have tossed you down on the floor and fucked you like an animal. My control’s been hanging by a string for years, Trish, and knowing that would have done me in…is doing me in.”

  One of his thick fingers darted into her tight channel and she drew in a sharp breath. Instantly, her cunt soaked him, causing little sucking sounds to come from her as he finger-fucked her. She watched as his long tongue darted out. The minute it came into contact with her clit, she was helpless to fend him off. Grabbing him closer, she cried out, “Oh God, there, yes, there.”