He remembered the one time she’d sat next to him in class during an exam back in high school. She’d forgotten to bring a pencil for the test and had asked him if she could borrow one. He hadn’t brought an extra, so he’d ended up giving the one he’d had to her and failing the test as a result. Not that he’d cared much about that—she’d been so distraught about not showing up with a pencil he would have done anything to make her happy again. And the grin she’d had on her face when she got the test back the next week with an A had made it completely worth it.
Or the time that he had noticed her walking home, knowing full well that her parent’s house was miles from school property. He had pulled over that day pretending to be headed in the same direction only to have to turn back after dropping her off and drive ten miles out of town where he ended up missing an important job interview.
None of that mattered as far as she was concerned. He would always put himself second, his needs last. She was all that he cared about and he’d do it all over again in a heartbeat.
You’re so completely hopeless.
Finally, he decided he couldn’t wait any longer. Stopping only to pick up some flowers, he drove to her house, arriving a good twenty minutes early. He stepped up to the door, flowers in hand, and gently knocked, holding his breath as he waited for her beautiful face to appear. When nobody answered, he frowned and looked over at the driveway, but her car was parked in its usual spot, so she had to be there.
Suddenly, his sensitive ears became aware of the sound of running water—she was taking a shower. Instantly, he was assailed by an image of a naked Paige standing under the showerhead, rivulets of water running down her bare skin, her hands in her hair as she rinsed off her fiery tresses beneath the powerful, hot spray.
Oh dear God.
Before he could stop himself, he tried the doorknob, and found to both his horror and delight that she’d left it unlocked. He let himself in, and was instantly hit by the scent of potpourri and flowers. Everything was very tasteful and feminine, from the lacy pillows on the living room couch to the fruit and flower centerpiece on the dining room table. The water had stopped, but he could hear her humming softly, and so followed the sound to the bathroom.
She’d left the door open and was standing in front of the sink stark naked, the glow of the bathroom lights washing over her creamy skin. He stopped dead in his tracks, but stepped straight onto a creaky floorboard. The loud noise gave him away, and she turned toward him, those green eyes going wide the way they’d done last night.
“Fuck.”
“Caleb!” Paige grabbed a towel and clutched it to the front of her body, her cheeks flushing scarlet. “What are you doing here?”
“I knocked,” he said, his voice low and guttural. “You didn’t answer, so I let myself in.”
“Well, you’re early.” She crossed her arms over her chest, which only served to push the plump mounds of her breasts even higher.
“Do you mind if I go and get dressed?”
She really should. It might help reroute some of the blood back to his brain.
“Yes.”
“I’ll be right—what?”
Fighting back a low growl, he crossed the distance between them. “Yes, I do mind.” He could smell her arousal, strong and potent, through the steam and perfume, and he couldn’t stop himself.
“What are you—”
“I want you, Paige.” He yanked the towel out of her hands, then pulled her flush against him and kissed the breath out of her.
Her soft, slightly damp curves molded perfectly to his hard body, making him erupt into a raging inferno of desire. He swept his tongue inside her mouth, drinking in her sweetness, as though he could soak her into his system if only he tried hard enough. She resisted very briefly, then sank into him with a moan that sizzled his nerve endings. He wanted to be inside her. Now.
Apparently she had a similar thought, because her hands began tugging at his suit jacket insistently. He unwrapped his arms from around her, but refused to break the kiss as he shrugged it off. Within seconds his shirt was open, those hands raking their fingernails down his chest. With a deep growl, he pushed her back against the wall and began kissing his way down her neck.
“Caleb,” Paige panted, “what’s happening here?”
“I’m devouring you.” He sank his teeth into her neck. “And you’re going to like it…”
“I thought… but I thought we were going to dinner…” she moaned when his thumbs found her nipples, flicking back and forth gently, but firmly.
“Later,” he groaned, teeth nipping at her smooth flesh.
They dragged each other to the floor, Caleb losing most of his clothes along the way. By the time she’d finally managed to wrestle him beneath her, he was clad only in black boxer briefs and a single sock.
“You’re killing me,” he gasped as she boldly rubbed herself against his cock, all self-consciousness abandoned. He could feel how wet she was even though the material between them.
“Serves you right, making me wait this long.” She moaned when he latched his teeth onto her left nipple, suckling hard. “Oh God.” She rubbed herself more insistently. “Oh God, yes please, don’t stop…” her cries became more incoherent as he clamped one hand against her ass, grinding her more firmly against his cock. Her wet heat, the moans of pleasure, the taste of her hard nipple in his mouth, all of it was nearly enough to make him come right then and there. But he wanted to be inside her when it happened, so he let her ride him until she shuddered in orgasm, breathlessly crying out.
When she was done, he flipped her onto her back, then tossed her legs over his shoulders. “My turn,” he said, pushing his briefs down to his knees, and then he was inside her, plunging into her tight, wet heat.
“Fuck,” he hissed between gritted teeth, his fingers digging into the floor so hard, he wondered if there would be gouge marks. “You feel better than I ever imagined.”
He rocked his hips against hers, trying to set a steady pace, but it quickly turned into a frenzy of movement as he pounded himself inside of her tightness, with relentless, steady strokes. Paige didn’t complain; on the contrary she clawed at him, begging him to keep going, crying out for mercy before returning to the groveling that he must continue…must please give her more, and not ever dare stop. He pushed them both to the edge, and she went over into the deep, dark abyss, crying out his name. It didn’t take long before he followed, coming harder than he had ever before, his body shuddering against her, his panting breath hot against her neck.
Seconds later, he rolled onto his back exhausted, and they lay on the hardwood floor together, their rapid breathing the only sound echoing throughout the house.
“So,” Paige said after a moment. “Pizza?”
They ordered in, and not too long after were enjoying slices of pepperoni pizza at the kitchen table. Paige watched with amusement as he wolfed down six slices of pizza in as many minutes. “You always did eat like a wild beast,” she teased.
She didn’t know the half of it. Shifters burned an insane amount of calories even when they weren’t active simply because they had such dense muscle mass.
“Gotta keep up my strength. We’ve still got the rest of the night to go.” He replied, his impossibly blue eyes lit up like that of a mischievous boy.
Paige arched a brow. “I don’t remember inviting you to stay.”
Caleb reached under the table, his fingertips slowly etching up the inside of her leg before gripping her skin tightly. Instantly, her pupils dilated and her breathing picked up. “I’m sure I can get an invitation out of you.”
“How do you do that?” She captured his hand in hers and propped it up on her knee before he could go any further.
Caleb chuckled. “Chemistry.” He stood up, stopping behind her chair so he could settle his hands on her shoulders. “And you have the same effect on me,” he murmured in her ear as he kneaded her shoulders with his strong, masculine hands.
“Don’t
you know what you do to me, with those sexy green eyes of yours and that luscious, curvy body? I’m going to spend all night wringing every single drop of pleasure I can from you. You’ll say my name so many times you’ll forget your own.”
“You’re a cocky bastard,” she said breathlessly, tilting her head back for a kiss as his hand trailed downward. “Are you so certain I’m going to give you what you want?”
“Yes,” he replied without hesitation, his voice a deep growl, “and you’re going to love it.”
Chapter Three
“I’ve found his weakness,” the man murmured into the phone as he watched the shifter and his woman from the rooftop. “A human woman.”
“Really?” His master laughed. “What a complete and utter fool. He should know better than that.”
“Do you want me move forward?”
“No, not just yet. He’s too strong. Wait until the woman is alone, or at the very least away from him.”
The man swallowed back a retort—he’d taken on shifters before, and won. But he was a soldier at heart, and he followed orders. “Yes sir. I’ll keep watch.”
“Take the night off,” his master suggested. “Just be back by seven a.m. sharp.”
“Are you sure?”
His master chuckled. “Yes. Caleb will not be leaving that woman’s house tonight.” His voice darkened. “But if you don’t have that woman delivered to me, alive, by nightfall tomorrow, I will personally make sure that you are punished.”
There was a click, followed by a dial tone, and the man stared at his phone for a moment before flipping it closed and shoving it into his pocket. He would do the job. After all, it was what he did best.
*
When Paige woke at 6 am sharp, Caleb was already gone. She tried her best to swallow back her disappointment as she struggled out of bed and into the shower. After all, it wasn’t as if they were a couple. They’d simply had a wonderful, long, uninterrupted night of mind-blowing sex. No big deal. Right?
Please, girl. You know you were having happily ever after visions in your head when it finally hit the pillow last night.
Sighing, Paige leaned her head against the wet tile of the shower and closed her eyes. It was true. And maybe she was getting ahead of herself by allowing her imagination to run wild like that. But really, was it too much to ask for a little more courtesy? He could have left a note, at least. What kind of guy leaves in the middle of the night like that, unless he’s sending a message that he’s done with her?
Maybe he is. Maybe to him, this was just a one-time deal.
She certainly wouldn’t put it past him. After all, he’d made a career out of keeping the distance between them since their freshman year in high school. The first time she’d seen him standing in front of his locker and struggling with the combination, something had drawn her to him. They’d shared homeroom and several other classes together, and somehow always ended up seated next to each other. And to her delight, they’d hit it off instantly. He’d been charming and attentive, and she’d felt instantly comfortable with him. Not to mention the other girls had been insanely jealous of her for attracting one of the most eligible boys in the school to her.
But one afternoon, when they’d been hanging out in the park after school, he’d come perilously close to kissing her. She remembered the day clearly—they’d been sitting under a tree, engaged in a light-hearted debate about Plato, and all of a sudden it had turned into a giggling, rolling-in-the-grass tickling match.
The sunlight had been shining down through the leaves as he’d rolled her onto her back. His face had been inches from hers, his breath softly fanning her face, and her own breathing had hitched. Her heart had pounded wildly as they’d stared at one another, the tension between them palpable. His gold-flecked brown eyes had flashed, then darkened, his hard, muscular body pressing her into the dirt and no doubt ruining her jeans. She’d seen it happen in so many movies just like this, and she’d been so sure he was going to kiss her.
Instead, he’d rolled away and helped her to her feet, then pretended as though it had never happened. She’d figured maybe he just hadn’t been ready, but after that day he’d grown more distant, becoming scrupulously polite. It had hurt unbelievably, the way he’d erected a wall between them so quickly just when she thought they were actually getting somewhere. But she’d refused to mope around about it; her mother had told her never to let herself get hung up about a man. She’d held her head high and two weeks later had another popular heartthrob on her arm.
Yet here she was, nearly a decade later, still hung up on Caleb.
“I should have never let him into my bed,” she snarled as she towel-dried her hair vigorously. When she looked up into the mirror, her mane of curls sprang wildly around her head like a lion’s mane, her eyes sparking with fury and pain. How could she let him do this to her?
But then, how could she have resisted? Her mind spun as she rushed through her morning rituals and drove down to her office, angry with both herself and with him. The bastard had walked into her house like he’d owned the place, and liquefied her bones with a single glance. He hadn’t asked, hadn’t even bothered to seduce. He had simply taken from her what he wanted…all that he wanted. But then, it had been as if he’d known exactly what she wanted, needed, craved, and he’d done an excellent job delivering. Those orgasms had been mind-bending.
But it was more than sex, far more than the usual one night stand. She felt a connection when she was in his arms that nearly took over all conscious thought. It was as though she belonged to him, his possession to do with as he pleased. She couldn’t refuse him, not because she was vulnerable, she wasn’t – but because she simply didn’t want to. The idea of not letting him have his way with her, of not allowing him to kiss her, to hold her, to push himself deep inside of her as if he were marking her as his own…she couldn’t bear it. Not when he had her pinned against the wall, not when he had her kneeling on the floor in front of him, and certainly not when he had made soft, gentle love to her while cradling her against his broad, strong chest.
What was it about Caleb? How did this man have such incredible power over her, and what exactly was she looking for? Did she even want a long-term relationship?
Two meetings later (and several hours of wading through paperwork with her assistant) she was off to the courthouse again for yet another meeting. The work hadn’t improved her mood much, but she did get a lot done, which was a sign of how pissed-off she was. The more revved she got; the more intensely she tended to tackle her work. She’d probably scared her assistant half to death with the way she’d whirled through the office, determined, insistent and driven to do the best with what she could control.
If they only knew just how little control I had otherwise…
Grumbling under her breath, she hunted for a parking spot, but to her dismay couldn’t find anything close to the building. She ended up parking nearly three blocks away, which only soured her mood further because she’d chosen stiletto heels instead of the sensible pumps sitting on her closet rack. Taking a deep breath and one last swig of coffee, she forced herself to calm down as she trotted up the steps to the courthouse. If she walked into that courtroom looking even a tiny bit frazzled, the defense would tear her apart and she’d be nothing more than a vile of blood in piranha infested waters.
She would drive Caleb from her mind one way or another. No man should have this much control over a woman. She was determined to make sure he never did again.
Chapter Four
When she walked out of the courtroom several hours later, her stride was more confident, and there was a smile on her face—a grim one, but a smile nonetheless. She had the defense on the run, and there was no doubt in her mind that the jury would rip him to shreds by the time this trial was finished.
Checking her watch, she decided to stop for food along the way back to her office. Normally she would have gone home by now, but there were a few things that still needed taking care of. They could
have waited until tomorrow, but she had the time now, so why not?
Plus, if she kept herself busy with work she wouldn’t have time to think of Caleb.
“Miss Martin!” A man in a leather jacket, tight black t-shirt and faded old jeans hurried up to her. His blonde hair was windswept back from a strong face with sharp blue –grey eyes that were fixated on her with an unsettling intensity. “Just the woman I’ve been looking for.”
“Excuse me?”
“Please, come with me.” He hooked her arm through his. “I have something important to discuss with you.”
“I’m not going anywhere—” she stopped at the icy feel of a metal gun barrel pressing against her rib.
“Just keep walking,” he advised, “if you don’t want your blood staining the sidewalk.
Paige mightily resisted the urge to scream for help, not knowing what would happen if she did. Even if he didn’t decide to shoot her, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t shoot someone else. Her mind whirled as she tried to figure out what was going on. Who was this man? What did he want with her? What had she done to attract this kind of attention? Had she pissed off a client, or someone she’d gone head-to-head with in the courtroom before? It wasn’t as if she’d never gotten threatening letters or emails before… but she never thought she was in enough danger to end up in this position.
Panic began to well up in her throat when he steered her into an alleyway. The sun had just disappeared over the horizon, and not a lot of people were walking these streets right now. Hyperventilating, she began to struggle. “Who are you? What do you want? Let me g—”
The man clamped a hand across her face, and holstered his gun so that he could reach into his pocket. “Quiet, woman. Listen, this isn’t personal… but it is necessary, and you don’t have a choice but to cooperate with me, you understand? If you don’t it’s going to get real messy.”
“Is this her?” Another man stepped out from the shadows of the alley, dressed in jeans and a collared shirt. He was beefier than the man who’d taken her, and a lot more rough looking, with a shaven head and a scruffy face. A scar slashed over his left eye, giving him a frightening appearance.
Better Mate Than Never (New Adult Werewolf Romance) Page 2