by Owens, C. M.
“Cute,” Hale says with a tempting smirk, and he pulls me to his body before sipping his coffee.
He tries to stifle his grin behind his cup, but it’s all too obvious.
“I suppose last night’s party extended on into the night after the dance,” Clay muses, his own grin growing.
“Just slightly,” Hale softly adds, and then he leans over to kiss my forehead.
“I’m going to go put on some shorts,” I murmur through a strained tone as I throb for his touch.
“Why?” he teases. “I just got here.”
I laugh lightly, and then I playfully shove him before walking into the bedroom. Clay laughs with Hale, and it just feels so natural to be like this with him. There’s no secrets hiding behind his eyes anymore. I feel like he’s the Hale I fell in love with… the first time.
Another knock rings out, and I hear the front door opening to the new arrival.
“Have you seen Araya? That creep is in her room. He said she darted out in the middle of the night and he hasn’t seen her since.”
“She’s in the guest room. She spent the night here… well sort of. She got here at around four or so,” Clay answers, and I walk out to see the suspicious eyes of Brazen staring at Clay expectantly.
“Whoa. No. Not like that. She didn’t want to stay in the room with Ty,” Clay adds with a chuckle, and I hide my smile with my hand as Brazen’s eyes catch sight of me.
“I told you that you could stay with me,” he says so gently, and Hale’s jaw tenses.
I sigh out, and then Hale and Brazen exchange a dueling stare down.
“Did you stay here too?” Brazen growls.
“What if I did?” Hale antagonizes.
The standoff continues until I finally step in between them to stop the fight that isn’t far from breaking out.
“Hale just got here a few minutes ago. Don’t fight,” I caution.
“They’re not going to fight because they’ll lose their stripes,” Clay warns as he walks over to pick up his phone.
Hale walks over to flop down on the couch, and Brazen props up on the bar while tugging at the front of my shirt to bring me closer to him.
“I’ll go get your stuff ready so you don’t have to deal with the creep,” he offers so sincerely.
“It’s fine. You need to get on the road, and I’m not scared of Ty. I just hate him.”
Hale walks over to stand beside me, and his arm drapes over my shoulder as he stakes his claim. I don’t know whether to smile or roll my eyes to be honest. If it was anyone other than Brazen, I would smile. With Brazen though… it’s Brazen.
“I’ll get her stuff. I have to speak with him anyhow. He has to learn boundaries with the women here, and I’ll be happy to inform him of that,” Hale huffs, his eyes still burning into my full blood’s pale ones.
Brazen’s eyes narrow at the possessive gesture, and then he looks back to me.
“You really dated that guy?” he asks in disbelief.
I’m a little embarrassed now to say the least, and I fidget uncomfortably as I answer, “Briefly. He wasn’t that bad when we dated. I think a lot of it is my fault. He’s almost overcompensating.”
“Almost?” Hale scoffs.
“He’s trying to be the way he viewed Hale to be,” Clay adds. “Hale walked in, and Araya was done with Ty that instant. He didn’t take it so well, but it’s not anyone’s fault but his own. I think you should also mention the hands-off area with Araya and Angelica. The less contact he has with either of them, the better.”
“He’s messing with Angelica?” Brazen gasps.
“He was,” I snark. “She’s back with Grayson now, so that shouldn’t be an issue from here on out.”
He smirks, apparently realizing I somewhat made amends with the girl I share DNA with. Damn smug full blood.
“I should get going, but I’ll see you later,” he murmurs softly while pulling me away from Hale’s touch.
“I suppose you will,” I say a little too flirty, and Hale grumbles under his breath as Brazen gives me that daring wink.
He disappears out the door, and Hale’s body closes in behind me while Clay continues to pound away on his phone.
“I’d like for you to have dinner with me at my apartment when you get back,” he murmurs into my ear, and those damn betraying chills emerge the moment his delicious breath finds my skin.
“I think we should talk about it when I get back,” I say while stifling a grin, and I can feel him smiling against my shoulder as his lips run over it.
“Will you answer when I call?” he asks softly.
“Her phone will have to be cut off due to security purposes,” Clay interjects, and Hale sighs.
“So I’m expected to go a week without any contact?” He groans, and now my grin has to be hidden behind my hand.
“I’m not taking any chances - especially with Araya being out there. Brazen will be there in case something goes wrong, and she can turn her phone on if there is a problem. Other than that, there will be minimal contact with them. Brazen will drive to the nearest town every two days to update me on their status and their progress.”
“Then you’ll call me as soon as you can?” he asks while staring into my eyes.
“I’ll call you as soon as I can,” I say to comfort his worry.
His lips graze mine, and then he pulls back with a teasing smirk.
“Then I’ll eagerly wait by the phone. Right now I’ll go get your things,” he murmurs softly, and my foolish grin continues to grow.
“Thanks.”
His thumb brushes my lips before his lips barely touch them, and then he walks away.
Clay is doing his best to hide his own grin.
“I don’t want to hear it,” I grumble, and then his face turns more serious.
“Just be careful with him, Araya. This secret has been eating him up for years, and now he’s finally free again. He’s been dying without you. I just hope it’s him you choose.”
I sigh as I crash to the couch, and then he hands me my cup of coffee.
“I’m trying to be careful with both of them. I was so fucking pissed just a couple of days ago, but it’s as if I’ve almost forgotten they were both scheming. Now I’m torn between them. I love them both, but in different ways. Hale is… he’s Hale. I would have married him three years ago if he hadn’t left. I would have married him not long ago if he hadn’t left. His timing sucks ass because I’ll dread every birthday I have for the rest of my life span.”
Clay stifles a chuckle on that last note, and I sigh out while continuing.
“Brazen, well, he’s completely different while exactly the same. He’s always there for me no matter what he has going on. He was there during the worst of my nightmares, and he stayed with me despite my fucked up relationship that kept dragging me back to Hale. It’s hard to just forget all that. When I’m with Hale, I’m sure I’m going to be with him. When I’m with Brazen, I’m sure I’m going to be with him. It’s so frigging frustrating.”
“So who do you want when you’re all alone?” he asks with an insightful air.
That puzzles me, and I’m forced to think despite my sleep deprived headache.
“I really don’t know. I was too pissed to even consider going back to either of them over the last two weeks, and I’ve barely had a moment alone since they found me. Now I’ll be spending a week alone with Brazen after having an incredible connection with Hale last night. I just wish they’d both give me some space to sort this out.”
“If it’ll help, I’ll meet Hale half way to acquire your clothes,” he kindly offers.
“What are you going to do to keep Brazen at bay for this entire next week?” I mumble.
“I won’t have to do anything. Brazen will be swamped with finding these suspects for you to grill. You’ll be at camp, he’ll be blazing through the inner cities we don’t usually go in. It’s doubtful you’ll even have a moment alone together. Plus, he promised me he’d be a complete profess
ional if I sent him with you.”
Well at least that’s some relief.
I jump in the shower, and the eerie feeling of someone watching me sends creeped-out chills all over my body. I jerk the shower curtain open, but there’s no one there. I look around, but there’s no trace of anyone having been in there. I continue with washing my hair, but I can’t shake the thought of eyes being on me. I rinse my sudsy hair quickly, and then I look out once more.
Something feels off, odd, and out of place. I clutch my towel to me as I slip out of the shower. I know there is someone lurking even if I can’t see them, but there’s no one in the room with me at all. The steam caused from the scalding shower forces a fogged surface over what seems to be only air. I tilt my head curiously, and then I use my gift to find what I can’t see.
The moment the fogged surface is ripped free from the wall, I gasp loudly.
It’s a fucking micro-camera.
I rush out of the room holding the wireless contraption, and Hale walks in to see my panic.
“What the hell?” he prompts while dropping my bag to the floor.
“Where’s Clay?” I gush out.
“I just passed him. He’s heading downstairs. What’s wrong?”
I don’t say anything. I just hand him my small findings, and his eyes grow as panicked and worried as mine while cautioning me to stay quiet. He grabs my bag, and then he pulls me out of the apartment in my towel-wrapped state.
“What if-”
“Not here. My office has constant screenings and scans to ensure privacy, and it’s soundproof. Wait until we get there. I’ll text Clay to tell him where to meet us.”
I cling to his side as he dials a number, and then I catch a few nasty looks from some of the girls walking through the hallway. I’m sure this looks far more scandalous than it actually is.
Hale’s arm slides back around me after he puts his phone away, and I’m relieved no one else is going to be checking me out in my towel when we dart into his office.
“Now, where the hell did you find this?” he asks with fear still slightly etched in his tone.
“It was inside the bathroom wall with the small lens being the only thing exposed. I wouldn’t have found it at all if it hadn’t fogged up in the bathroom,” I reveal while pulling some clothes from my bag.
“How in the hell did you even think to look for it?”
“I felt eyes on me. After spending so many weeks in solitude, I learned to feel when someone was watching.”
He grips his head in frustration, and then his eyes drift over to me as I pull my underwear on under the towel.
“I’ll call Brazen and tell him there has been a change in plans. I don’t want you out there at all now,” he murmurs with a touch of breathlessness, and then my eyes look up to meet his.
“It was meant to spy on Clay, not me. They need me to interrogate.”
His eyes stay focused on mine, and I know that look hiding within their hybrid blue ravaging promise.
Oh fuck.
His lips are on mine before I can think anymore, and I feel my back pressed against the desk as he jerks my hips against him. I don’t fight it… I can’t.
My legs are wrapped around his waist, and I hear the tearing of my underwear as the towel finally exhausts its efforts to stay on me. It unfolds to reveal my body, and I feel his clothes dampening against my still wet skin. His lips savagely cover mine, and the throbbing I’ve been fighting begs to be fully sated. I physically ache for him right now, and I rise up to jerk his pants free from his body.
His salaciously grinning lips close over mine again as he slams into me. I moan out my pleasure as his lips continue stroking mine, and he slams into me again. His breath pours into my mouth as it brings me to his oasis taste.
I have to stop this. It’ll just confuse him. It’ll confuse me.
His lips consuming mine as his body continues its incredible thrashing silences my wandering, concerned mind. He continues jerking my hips against him, and my nails slide up his back as his lips move to my neck. The crashing sound of the once dormant objects piled on his desk rattle throughout the soundproof room.
He jerks me back up before throwing me against his overstuffed bookcase, and the scent of old pages mingles with the stench of hot sex. His lips curl against mine for a second, and then his teeth tug at my bottom lip as his panting breaths become savage. I grip the back of his neck while holding myself up, and his hands cling to the backs of my thighs as he surges into me with his delicious power.
“You want me?” he asks in a grunted, sexy-as-Hale sort of way.
“I want you,” I gush out through my vicious moans.
His lips attack mine again, and it’s almost impossible to breathe anymore. Between his soft, perfect, and devilishly divine lips entangled with mine and the exhilaratingly exhausting pace he has set, there are very few bursts of air entering my lungs. Each time his grip tightens, I get that much more turned on.
His need for me is the most exciting, fulfilling, and incredible feeling. His desire for me is enough to heat me to the core. It’s beyond anything every described by anyone, and it’s enough to send my ragged breaths into even more savage gasps.
“I need you baby,” he growls against my lips, and my tears threaten to fall as I begin to feel the building.
I only kiss him that much harder to keep myself from shouting out I love you. His punishing rhythm continues until I can’t hold my screams back any longer. His perfect thrusts have caused too much pleasure for me to deny any longer, and I cry out my ecstasy.
He doesn’t slow right away, and my over sensitized body shivers and convulses against his merciless pounding. His lips attack my neck, and then they find the spot between my shoulder and neck he loves so much. I’m terrified he’s about to break the skin as he bites down, but he keeps his blood bringers sheathed. It shouldn’t disappoint me considering I didn’t want to let things get this out of hand, but I actually have to fight the urge to beg him to do it.
He finally surges into me one last time, and I shiver delightfully as his warmth fills me. He holds me to his body as he gasps for air, and his dampened forehead presses against mine as my quivering legs stay wrapped around him.
His lips graze mine, but he’s too out of breath to try and kiss me right now. I’m grateful for the fresh, cool air refreshing my lungs as it rushes in. I keep my arms wrapped around his neck while resisting the urge to beg for more.
“That was-”
“Unexpected and very, very bad,” I say to interrupt what ever wonderful thing he was about to say.
“I suppose I was a little rusty. At least it wasn’t a three year sabbatical this time though,” he jokes.
I roll my eyes, and his lips finally do find mine once more.
“That’s not what I mean,” I grumble, my words muffled by the sensational kiss.
“Stop. Don’t ruin this moment. I know you’re not falling back into my arms just yet, but let me enjoy this right now. I’ve been desperate to be with you for so fucking long, and I don’t want to hear how badly you regret it because you don’t. I know you loved it as much as I did, and I know that means you’re not far away from finally seeing how perfect we are together. Don’t take that away from me, please,” he gently pleads in a slightly scolding tone.
“You’re right. I wanted it - I quite possibly needed it - but don’t get too far ahead. Nothing has changed between us. I don’t want to hurt you the way I was hurt, Hale. It would kill me to rush into anything when I’m still so fucking confused,” I whimper, and he pulls me tighter while kissing my forehead.
“I know you’re confused, I know I pushed you down this road, and I know Brazen still poses some threat, but that doesn’t mean you and I won’t be together again. I’m allowed to love you, I’m allowed to wait for you to figure it out, and I’m allowed to hope. That’s what I’ll do until you make your decision.”
I sigh despairingly, and then I offer him one last sweet kiss before walking over
to my bag.
“We should get dressed before Clay gets here. I’m surprised it’s taking him so long,” I murmur to derail the conversation.
“He was in the middle of a meeting with some of the full bloods and humans.”
I can hear the sadness in his tone, and it aches to know I’m the reason for that. I avoid eye contact while pulling on a pair of underwear which hasn’t been shredded to pieces. I see Hale smirking as he buttons his pants back up. He removes the shirt I’ve shredded while clawing up his back and tosses it into the trash before pulling out a fresh one from his office closet.
I narrow my eyes at the suspicious amount of shirts and ties hanging in the small space.
“So you get a lot of action in your office?” I snark while pulling on my shirt a little angrily.
He laughs upon hearing my little remark as he tucks his shirt in.
“No. I keep clothes on hand in case of spontaneous business meetings. I do all my work in here due to security purposes, and I’m not always dressed professionally when I’m here. In the event I’m needed for an impromptu meeting, I can change without having to go back to my apartment. I told you I haven’t been with anyone but you since the day I met you.”
His amusement only agitates me, and the fact he has been so loyal makes me feel guilty for loving Brazen. I’m so fucked up.
Clay walks in the second I finish dressing. Hale has reassembled his desk, and he’s sitting behind it while dissecting the small camera.
“Someone has been fucking spying on me?” Clay growls.
“Yes, and there could be more of these. I’ll have a cleaning staff swing by your place after while. Stay out of it until they get there. If you have anything you want confidential, move it down here or to the lab where only you have access to. Since it’s Araya’s blood you’re working with, I’ve deleted all other access codes to that section other than my own. It’ll be even safer than my office probably.”
“I’ll do it, I just hope they haven’t already seen more than I wanted disclosed. I’ll have to sit down and think about everything I’ve had out while in the room. I’ll also need to call Brazen to change the rendezvous points since we spoke of them in my room. The whole itinerary will have to change, but at least we caught it in time. Fucking shit. How did they bug my room?”