Riley's Torment, A Moon's Glow Novel #2

by Christina Smith

  "I want to be with you too," I whispered.

  His eyes widened. "Are you sure? I don't want to pressure you."

  I nodded, confident in my decision. I wanted this man; he was kind, loving and so incredibly hot. "I'm sure," I began, about to add that I loved him, but I couldn't speak; his mouth was once again covering mine. In an instant, I was in his arms as he whisked me into the bedroom. His intoxicating scent washed over me.

  He sat me down on the bed and kissed me again, opening his mouth to make the kiss deeper. My stomach twisted with need. I didn't know how much I wanted this until it was happening, and now that it was, I couldn't wait. I reached out and started to unbutton his shirt. As I worked, he pulled away and began to kiss my neck, running his tongue along my heated skin. I gasped, feeling so much emotion that my hands shook as I undid the last button. I tugged it down over his shoulders and stared at his smooth, muscular chest. A noise came out of him that could only be described as a growl when I ran my hands down his soft skin. My palms burned hot where our skin touched. I gazed into his eyes and smiled, loving that I had the power to make a man who usually fought his wolf side growl. His eyes were wild, as he gazed back at me, but I wasn't afraid. He would never hurt me—he couldn't. I was his mate for life. He reached out, his arm shaking slightly as he pushed my dress down over my shoulders until the wide collar rested at my elbows. His eyes turned yellow as he stared at me.

  "You’re incredible," he said roughly, his gaze raking over me. I was breathlessly silent. I didn’t know what to say. My cheeks warmed as he studied me.

  Slowly, he reached out to wrap me in his arms and nuzzled my neck. The touch of his lips, his tongue, and his gentle hands on my bare skin felt so good. My mind was filled with a pleasure haze. I could not hold a coherent thought as he nibbled, caressed, and kissed my fevered skin. The feel of his teeth scraping my flesh made my body hum. I felt drunk with sensations. I didn’t know what he was doing to me, but I didn’t want him to stop. A low rumble came out of Nate's chest as he explored my neck, my collar bone, and up to my ear. I gasped as he flicked his tongue on my earlobe. He drew away and stared up at me with glazed eyes. I wasn't sure who had control right now—the wolf or the man. He smiled lovingly, leaning down to kiss my lips, and stiffened.

  "Damn it," he snarled.

  Did I do something wrong? I know I was new at this, but all I was doing was sitting here enjoying the feel of his lips on my bare skin.

  "Someone's here." His eyes became yellow, and his arms were shaking. The wolf was taking over.

  I watched him clench his jaw and ball his hands into fists as he fought the urge to turn. "Why are you changing?" I asked, just a hint of fear in my voice.

  He sighed heavily staring at the side of my neck. "I'll tell you later." He ran his hand over his face in frustration. "Get dressed. It's Lauren."

  I couldn't hear anything beyond the low music playing in the living room. "How can you tell?" I asked as I yanked my dress back up.

  "I can hear her car motor; it has a specific sound. Can you answer the door? I'm not fit for company." He smiled sadly, unhappy that we were interrupted. His eyes were still yellow, but he was no longer shaking. His jaw clenched; he was looking at my neck with dismay.

  "What?" I asked, curious at his expression.

  "Later," was all he said, shaking his head.

  I leaned into him, giving him a kiss on the lips and wanting to linger, but knowing I couldn’t. "I'll get rid of her, and we can continue where we left off." I touched his cheek with the tip of my finger, and slid it down over his jaw. "I love you," I whispered before leaving him in the room. I heard a frustrated growl as I closed the door behind me.

  Chapter Three

  Lauren and Joe

  I was grinning as I entered the living room. I smoothed my hair, turned off my iPod, and went to open the door.

  Lauren stood on the porch. Her sandy colored hair was plastered to her head and face. It was raining, and I hadn't even noticed. She looked awful—her face was red, her eyes puffy with tears mixed with the rain. Her chest heaved as she sobbed.

  "What's wrong," I cried, grabbing her hand and pulling her inside out of the wind and rain.

  I led her to the couch, took her coat, and handed her a throw blanket to wrap around her. She kicked off her heels, and I shoved them near the door out of the way. As she sat down next to me, I could smell her guava shampoo enhanced by the wet weather.

  "Tell me, what's wrong," I said again.

  "Jo...seph," she sobbed, her body shivering.

  Not understanding, I reached out and placed my hand on her arm—her red sweater was a soft cashmere. "How did you see him? I thought you went to Manic with the girls?"

  She nodded her head, her face scrunched up in pain. "He was there..." her lip quivered. “With another girl. They danced all night." She closed her eyes and put her head in her hands, her shoulders shook as she sobbed.

  White hot anger rushed through me; I could kill Joe. What was he thinking?

  "He was with another girl?" I asked, sure I had heard wrong. I had been begging Joseph to tell Lauren the truth about them. I knew Lauren would not be as hurt if she understood what was going on. Before I got together with Nate, he ran hot and cold for reasons I couldn’t understand at the time. It was so confusing.

  Now that we were together, I certainly didn't miss the constant sting of rejection. The thought of what we had been doing just a few minutes ago entered my mind, and my face became hot. Lauren didn't notice though—she was covering her own face with the throw blanket.

  The bedroom door swung open, and Nate popped his head out. "Is everything okay?" he asked softly. His eyes were filled with concern. He was wearing a white t-shirt instead of the dress shirt he wore to dinner. His thick wavy hair was tousled from our previous encounter. My cheeks started to redden as I recalled Nate’s tender kisses on my neck. Thankfully, no one was looking at me.

  Lauren lifted her head up to face him and smiled softly. "I'll be okay, Nate. I just need to talk to a girlfriend, and Megan's the only one I can really do that with." She reached out and touched my arm. Her hand was cold and damp from the rain. "Do you mind if I borrow her for a little while?"

  Nate glanced at me and smiled, letting me know he understood why I couldn't just get rid of her like I had planned. Her heart was broken—we couldn't throw her out. "Sure, you can borrow her. I'll just be in the bedroom catching up on some paperwork." He glanced at me, and his eyes moved to the ring box on the table. His hand went out and grabbed it so subtly I barely noticed the move. I understood why he did it. He didn't want to flaunt our happiness when Lauren was in so much pain. With a nod, he grabbed his briefcase and disappeared.

  I sank back on the sofa. "Okay, he's gone. Now tell me what happened."

  She stretched her legs out over my lap. I couldn’t help but notice the tiny hole in her tights just above her left pinky toe with the purple nail polish shining through.

  "Like I said, I went to the club with the girls. Ally said she was tired of seeing me moping at school. She told me that I had to go out."

  I knew that Lauren was depressed because of the situation with Joe and had decided to focus on college. According to Ally, her roommate, Lauren hardly ever left the room in the two months since they started school. She constantly studied and never went out for fun. Ally, although not the most observant of our group, had been worried.

  Lauren sighed, leaning her arm against the top of the sofa. "Anyway, I had decided to forget about Joe and enjoy the night. Since Eddie and Lilly are joined at the hip, he came with us and brought a couple friends. We were dancing, the music was great, and we were having fun—until I spotted him. He looked so good. I thought he was going to finally tell me how he really felt." She frowned, her eyes starting to water. "And then I saw him holding some blond chick’s hand. When he noticed us, he turned away and kissed the girl, right in front of me. Like he was waiting until I saw him. He didn't even come over and speak to me." She took i
n a ragged breath. "I was devastated. I wanted to leave right then, but I drove. I couldn't ruin Ally's fun."

  I placed my hand on her knee. The words, "You're his mate,” burned on my tongue. I wanted to tell her so badly that my chest ached. She was my best friend, and she helped me through one of the hardest times in my life. Now I knew how she felt when I was pining for Nate, and she couldn't tell me his secret. I opened my mouth; the words were itching to be said, until I heard Nate cough in the bedroom. I knew he could hear everything we'd been saying, and he must have guessed that it was killing me to see her in so much pain.

  "He's a jerk, and I intend to give him hell." It wasn't what I wanted to say, but it would have to do for now.

  She smiled sadly. "Thanks, but I don't want him to know he upset me." She glanced toward the kitchen where our dishes were still out on the table. "Oh my god. I forgot about the dinner you were planning for Nate. I'm so sorry. I must be interrupting" She stood up, tossing the blanket back onto the couch. "I'll leave you guys alone."

  I grabbed her arm, and pulled her back down, the cushions made a pff sound as she fell into the sofa. "No, you're not going anywhere. Nate and I have every night to be together. You're only here for the weekend. Besides, did you leave me the night I was upset at Manic?" I asked, thinking back to months before when Nate was being as much of a jerk as Joe.

  She shook her head and smiled softly with her eyes still filled with pain. "No."

  "Exactly. So you're going to stay the night, and we're going to talk if you want to, or we can watch a movie. Anything you want." I felt a twinge of guilt thinking of Nate in the bedroom waiting for me. But I knew he would understand.

  She leaned back on the couch and reached for the throw again. "Thank you. I really don't want to be alone." A tear slid down her cheek, it dropped on the blanket that covered her lap, leaving a wet dot.

  "He's just so confusing. Last week, he was so nice. He took me out to lunch in between classes, and when we finished eating, he leaned towards me, and I was sure he was about to kiss me. Of course, he didn't. Instead, he stood up abruptly and made an excuse that he had to get back home.”

  Joe lived on the Riley estate in a small house where the gardener used to live. It was also the former home of my ancestor Lucy, Nate’s first fiancée, the girl that was killed when Nate was bitten.

  "Wait. He went to see you at school?" I asked, surprised and a little ticked off.

  "Yes, last Friday. I thought I told you that."

  I shook my head, my anger returning. I had told Joe to stop stringing her along. I knew it was hard for him to be away from his mate, but knowing how it felt to be led on, I asked him to leave her alone if he wasn't going to tell her the truth. He didn’t say anything in response.

  "It doesn't matter. I have to stop pining for him. He's never going to want me." Lauren rubbed her eyes.

  Instead of answering, I jumped up rushing to the freezer to get a container of ice cream. After grabbing two spoons, I settled back on the couch and we dug in. We stayed up the rest of the night bashing werewolves.

  The soft click of a door brought me out of my peaceful slumber. I heard the sound of an engine starting and then driving away. Remembering the night before, I opened my eyes. I was curled at one end of the couch, while Lauren was sprawled at the other. My blue duvet I had brought from home when I moved in four months ago was spread out over us. Nate must have covered us in the night. As that thought entered my mind, disappointment settled over me. Our night hadn't gone how either of us planned, but Lauren was important to us. There was no way we could have turned her away. As I turned on my side, I heard the sound of paper crinkling. I sat up and looked around. A piece of paper was lying on the couch next to me. I opened it and smiled.

  Meg,

  Although our night didn't turn out how we planned, my thoughts continue to drift to your soft touch and the taste of your skin. I can't wait to pick up where we left off. Until tonight...

  By the way, thank you for taking care of my cousin.

  I love you so much,

  Nate

  I held the paper to my heart and sighed. Happiness swelled in my chest. God, I loved him. I couldn't wait to tell everyone that we were engaged.

  I stumbled off of the couch, trying to avoid waking Lauren, and headed to the bedroom. I called my financial advisor and then the executer of my inheritance. It was my grandmother’s lawyer and old family friend. When I told him that I wanted to buy the house and what I wanted it for, he told me he was proud of me and would take care of it. He said it would be mine by the end of the day. I was so excited; I was humming when I hopped in the shower.

  “Hey, Meg. I'm sorry I dumped all over you last night. But I had no one else to talk to.” Lauren’s voice came from right outside the shower stall.

  I popped my head out of the curtain. My long, strawberry-blond hair appeared dark brown since it was soaking wet, and it dripped onto the tiled floor. "Stop apologizing. I told you it was fine. I'm here for you anytime."

  She smiled, looking much better than she had last night despite her bed-head and smudged makeup. "Does that mean I can borrow your jeans?"

  Closing the curtain, I rinsed the conditioner out of my hair. "Sure, take what you want. We have to be at the shelter in a couple of hours, and I still have to clean up the dishes from last night."

  "Nate must have done that. Because the table’s clean and so is the sink." I could see her silhouette through the curtain. She was sitting on the closed toilet seat.

  I hadn't noticed the table as I walked by earlier. I was too busy replaying my time with Nate before Lauren showed up.

  Once I finished my shower, I stood in front of the mirror and pulled out the blow dryer. When I turned it on and tipped my head, exposing the right side of my neck, I noticed a red mark.

  “Is that a hickey?” Lauren asked, walking up behind me in a borrowed robe and a towel hanging over her arm.

  My face turned fiery red. I was so embarrassed. “Uh…” I rubbed the mark and felt puckered skin. “No, I don’t think so. It feels more like a scratch.”

  Lauren smirked at me with a hand on her hip. “I interrupted something last night, didn’t I?”

  If I thought my face felt like it was on fire before, I now felt like it was about to explode. I turned on the dryer, effectively ending the conversation. She rolled her eyes and hopped into the shower.

  How did Nate scratch my neck? He had nibbled a few times, but I didn’t feel anything more. Although with all the sensations that were swirling around in my head, I was lucky that I could remember my name let alone notice what he was doing. Since the idea of asking him about it made my face flame again, I figured I’d just drop it.

  When I finished my hair and makeup, I stood in the closet looking for some clothes to wear. Even though the weather had been warm for the end of October, there was still a slight chill in the morning. With that in mind, I chose a long gray short-sleeved sweater and black tights. Just as I was finishing up, Lauren walked out of the washroom. Steam billowed out, along with the scent of my raspberry shampoo. She was wearing a towel turban on her head.

  I tossed her a pair of my jeans and a blue silk blouse so we wouldn't have to stop by her house, not that it was far—it was just up the driveway. Nate's cottage was located by the lake at the back of the Rileys' property. His father had built it for him after he was turned into a werewolf to hide his visits from the town. Everyone thought he was away at college and eventually dead. They had to lie because he would no longer age.

  "I won't be long," Lauren assured me, heading back into the bathroom.

  "No worries," I answered absently, noticing the ring box on my night stand. I opened the lid and grinned. It was just as beautiful as I remembered. The main diamond was a princess cut with smaller stones lining the band. At the sound of Lauren moving around in the bathroom, I quickly closed the box and tucked it into my drawer. I wasn't ready to tell her yet. I held the pendant I was wearing around my neck in my hand an
d admired the blue-green gem. It was so beautiful, and the diamonds surrounding it sparkled in the sun that shone through the window. The fact that it had once belonged to my ancestor made it even more special. I had worn the silver necklace ever since he gave it to me, only taking it off at night to avoid burning Nate in his sleep. I had learned months ago that silver burned a werewolf’s skin, and a silver bullet was the only way to kill one. That was how we got rid of Rowan.

  Lauren emerged a few minutes later with her sandy hair dry and flowing down her shoulders. The color of the blouse brought out specks of blue in her hazel eyes.

  "I'm ready," she said smiling.

  "You're in a better mood."

  Her fingers fidgeted with a button on her blouse. "I am. I'm done with Joe. I'm tired of waiting for him, and I'm wasting my life being depressed."

  "Good for you. Don't let a guy do that to you." We both knew she was just putting on a brave front, but if it was what she had to do to get by, then so be it.

  As we gathered our purses and headed back into the living room, there was a knock at the door. Lauren was rifling through her bag as I passed her to open it. The rain had ceased, and now the sun was shining, doing nothing to stop the chill in the air. A girl about a year or two older than me stood on the porch. She was my height with flaming red curly hair that hung almost to her waist. Her eyes were gray and narrowed at me. She was wearing tight dark blue jeans and a black leather jacket. When she saw me, her nostrils flared, and her lips turned up into a sneer.

  "Can I help you?" I asked, feeling somewhat affronted by her irritated expression.

  She folded her arms in front of her. "I knew he was seeing someone, but I didn’t know you were his mate.” She sniffed hard, her eyes shifting over my shoulder. Her voice had a lilt to it, remnants of an old accent, Irish maybe?