Egan shot Cambria another pleading look, but she wasn’t budging. “Fine. If you change your mind, I’ll be back in Florida.” He eyes bored into her when he said, “It’s no good having you unless you want to be with me anyway. I’ll wait for you until the day I die if I have to. But I’ll never stop loving you.”
The paramedic closed the door and rapped on the wall, signaling the okay for the driver to head out to the hospital. Egan turned, stunned to see the crowd still lingering. Didn’t they know he was a dangerous shifter? That he was a barbarian incapable of fitting in with humans?
A man in the front of the crowd stepped forward and Egan braced himself. The man reached out, taking Egan’s hand and shaking it.
“You did good, Son. That man got what he had coming to him.”
Egan was shocked. After years of being treated like some vicious outcasts, this man was actually congratulating him on a job well done. One by one, each of the bystanders acknowledged his bravery, thanking him protecting one of their own from another human.
Egan waited for the police to arrive, giving his statement and leaving his contact information before getting into the car and heading down the road in the direction the ambulance went. Cambria might not want to see him now, but she couldn’t stop him from renting a hotel room for the night and trying again in the morning.
*
Egan sat at the breakfast table, trying to keep his gloomy mood at bay while he watched his nephew playing with his toy cars on the dining room table. In the short amount of time he’d been gone, Morgan had already grown.
Sable had welcomed him back with open arms, making room in their new home for him as he always had. After a week of going to the hospital daily, Cambria had still refused visitors in the hospital. He tried everything, even leaving her a note reiterating that he would wait for her, but he would no longer attempt to force her. He’d been wrong and he knew it.
Even though kidnapping her had ended up saving her life, he’d been a fool to believe that any relationship started in that way could last through the ups and downs. At the first sign of trouble, he’d been so ready to believe that she’d walked away. His accusations had hurt her, and he didn’t blame her for being angry. Not one bit.
The last day he’d gone to see her, he’d been told she’d been released the night before and had already left, leaving no forwarding address. Egan paid her bill in full, leaving the hospital with a broken heart that would never be whole again. A shifter without his fated mate was just a shell of a man after all.
Egan noticed that Morgan chattered ceaselessly, as he always had, but Egan wasn’t listening. His inattention didn’t deter the little boy at all, and he continued on, talking about the treehouse he and his father, Sable were building.
Egan had been home a month, and he’d heard nothing from Cambria. The private investigator he’d hired to try and locate her had come up empty. Cambria had gone off the grid and there was no way for Egan to track her down. But it was just as well. He’d promised he would never again force her to be with him, and he’d meant it. He just wanted to know that she was safe and happy wherever she was so he could have some type of closure.
Though he’d made that promise to himself and to Cambria, Egan still felt magnetism that pulled him towards her energy. But now, it was different and something was preventing him from using that to track her down on his own. Confused and feeling lost, he’d looked into it, poring g over every internet article about fated mates he could get his hands on.
The only explanation he had found suggested that they were no longer meant to be. There was no mention of how something like that could happen, and Egan could only guess that it would have to be something major. Like telling the woman you love that you didn’t trust her.
But Egan couldn’t accept that. He had to believe that they would be together one day, even if the waiting tore him up inside. So he pushed through his days, throwing his energy into helping his brother and his wife prepare to welcome another addition to their family. Try as he might, Egan just couldn’t get excited about Sable and Olivia’s happiness. Not while he was dead inside and missing Cambria.
A knock at the door yanked him out of his thoughts, but he didn’t move to get it. Sable and Olivia’s house was like a revolving door. Between old friends and new, there was almost always someone coming or going from the house. Egan got up from the table, heading away from the door and into the hallway. He was in no mood for visitors. The new nursery still needed to be painted, and Egan had volunteered for the job to give himself something to do.
“I’ll get it!” Morgan cried, racing for the door eagerly as Egan disappeared around the corner. He had his hand on the stair rail and his foot on the first step when his heart skipped a beat.
“Do you know a man named Egan?” a familiar voice asked.
“Yes. He’s my uncle. He’s here. You should come in.”
“No. I don’t think that’s a good idea, can you get him for me?”
Egan turned back to the dining room, his large frame filling up the doorway that led to the hall behind him. “Egan, there’s a lady here to see you.”
“Thanks, sport. Can you go play outside for a little bit?”
“Sure can!” He ran past them and down the hallway in a flash, letting the back door slam as he bounded down the steps.
Cambria stood on the porch steps. Egan longed to touch her, but he was afraid if he did, she would disappear and prove to be just a dream. She brushed her hair back, revealing the edge the gash that was almost healed. Egan didn’t say a word, just stood there, waiting for her to speak. The last time he’d said what was on his mind, he’d ruined everything.
“You’re a hard man to find, Egan James.” She smiled softly but didn’t move.
Egan wanted to say something clever, anything to make her stay. But his mind was mush and all he could think about was holding her in his arms and never letting go. He took a step towards her and Cambria held up her hand.
“I’ve thought about what you said, and what you wrote. Is it true? If I want to walk away that you won’t hunt me down, and I’m free to go on without fear of being kidnapped again?” Her words hurt, but he couldn’t fault her for feeling like she’d been kidnapped rather than saved. He kicked himself again for not thinking things through and just reacting.
“I’m sorry. I should have talked to you instead of just taking you like that. I’d intended to talk to you, but things just got crazy and…” He stopped, his shoulders sagging slightly. “No excuses. I should have given you a choice and let you have a say, no matter what the circumstances.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
“Yes. Yes it’s true. I want you as I’ve never wanted anyone or anything in my entire life but only if it’s your choice to stay with me. I’m not going to force you, and I’m not going to chase you.”
“Just like you’re not going to send a private investigator to try and hunt me down.” She said it deadpan, with no inflection in her voice, but there was a twinkle in her eye that said she was hardly mad about that.
“You knew about that?” Egan chuckled.
“Of course I did. How do you think I found you?”
Egan chuckled. So, the man who was touted as “the best” hadn’t failed to find her, he’d just kept the information to himself at her request. “I’ll have to dock his pay.” Egan was joking, but Cambria was suddenly serious.
“I’d give him a raise if I were you. He’s most of the reason I decided to give you, to give us a second chance.” She looked down at her hands, gathering herself for what she had to say next. “He told me about how you paid all my hospital bills and came back a broken man. We talked a lot when he found me last week, and at some point he opened my eyes.”
She crossed her arms, her face scrunching up in defiance before she said, “That doesn’t mean I’m not still upset about you not trusting me. And it doesn’t mean that I’m going to marry you tomorrow just because you think that we’re soul mates.
But it does mean that I’m willing to give this a chance, and to see where we go from here.”
Cambria waited, watching the emotions play across his face. She could tell that he was struggling with so much and her heart ached a little for him.
Egan noticed the bag on the porch beside her for the first time. “What’s that?” he asked, pointing to the bag.
“It’s everything I own. I figured if I was going to give us a chance, I should probably move closer than Oklahoma.”
“Is that where you’ve been?”
“Yes. I’ve been at our campsite. You left everything there. All I had to do was bring the food.”
With everything that had happened, Egan totally forgot that he’d left everything the way it was in the woods. He hadn’t been able to think of anything with her gone.
“I’ll have to go back and take care of that. I wasn’t thinking.”
“I already did.”
Egan imagined her, roughing it in the wilderness for weeks alone, and still having the fortitude to hike out of there with what was left of their gear. He was constantly amazed by this women and her strength.
“You’re something else, Cambria. All my life, I’ve never met a woman like you.”
“So are you going to invite me in, or am I going to stand on this porch all day?”
Her question surprised him, but he was elated. It was a small step, but it was a step. He grabbed her bag and led her inside, offering her a seat in the large family room. The north wall had a large sliding glass door and they could see Morgan running around the yard in the sunshine. Cambria sighed heavily as she sat down on the plush sofa.
Taking a chance that she wouldn’t shy away from him, Egan sat beside Cambria. He longed to pull her into his arms, to hold her tight and tell her over and over how much he’d missed her, but he refrained. Now wasn’t the time. She needed time to adjust, and he wasn’t going to push her too fast. He’d already made that mistake once.
Cambria watched Morgan as he laughed at nothing in particular, just simply enjoying the day and being a kid. “What I wouldn’t give to have had the life this little boy has.”
Egan grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently and bringing her knuckles to his lips. He kissed her hand and lingered. “I would give you that childhood all over again if I could, but money can’t buy everything.”
The door opened and voices drifted into the family room from the kitchen. “Hello?” a pleasant, female voice called out.
“We’re in here,” Egan replied.
Olivia walked through the doorway moments later, followed closely behind by Egan’s brother Sable. Olivia’s belly was already swelling, the birth of their second child close. Olivia smiled when she saw Cambria, introducing herself with a friendly hug when Cambria stood. Sable followed suit, whispering something into Cambria’s ear that made her smile.
The adults sat down, chatting comfortably as if they’d been friends their entire life. When Egan mentioned Cambria staying close by, Olivia insisted that Cambria stay with them.
“You’ll be over here all the time anyway, you might as well already be here.”
Cambria tried to turn down their generous offer, but Olivia wasn’t prepared to take no for an answer.
“If you don’t want to share a room with Egan, we have a guest room. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”
Cambria was overwhelmed by their generosity. She didn’t feel like she deserved such kindness and she said as much.
Olivia waved away her concerns. “Don’t be ridiculous. Egan is happier than he’s been in weeks. You’re good for him. He needs a woman who keeps him on his toes and doesn’t take any crap from him.” She winked at Cambria and laughed at the expression on Egan’s face.
Sable stood, holding his hand out to his wife and helping her from the chair. “Egan, could you show Cambria to her room and give her the grand tour? I’m taking my wife and son out while we still have a few days without a newborn left.” Sable paused, giving Egan a look that was far from subtle. “We’ll be awhile.”
Cambria blushed. She didn’t need him to spell it out. Olivia elbowed her husband in the ribs before calling out to Morgan and saying their goodbyes.
Egan led her up the stairs, giving her a tour of the house and carrying her heavy bag to the spacious guest room. “My room is just through there, so if you ever need me-”
Cambria didn’t let him finish, kissing him passionately and pulling him towards the bed. He fell on top of her, rolling easily to face her while he laid on his side. Egan stroked her face, looking for all the world like he still couldn’t believe she was there.
“I thought I’d lost you,” he admitted.
“You almost did.”
“I’m so sorry.” He meant it. He would give anything to take back what he said, even though he’d never meant to hurt her.
“I don’t want to talk about it right now.”
She pulled him in for another kiss. He groaned at the sweet taste of her after so long. When she broke the kiss, he held her close, fighting back the tears.
“I can’t believe you’re actually here.” His voice caught and he kissed the top of her head and squeezed her even tighter.
She pulled away, hands on his shoulders and pushing him back down onto the bed. She climbed on top of him, straddling his hips and leaning down for another kiss. She didn’t have to tell him what she was after, her passionate kiss said it all.
Cambria pulled her shirt over her head, letting it fall where it may while she unclasped her bra. Egan was pinned beneath her, breath held, large hands holding her hips while he watched her. Her breasts fell heavily from their trappings and Egan couldn’t stop himself from reaching up and tenderly caressing each one in his hands.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said.
She slipped out of the rest of her clothes, pulling at his pants until he raised his hips from the bed and helped her remove them. She unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders.
“You can’t imagine what torture it is to sleep in that tent night after night and smell you without having you near.” She bent down and trailed tender kisses down his chest. She paused, looking up at him and smiling. “I missed you so much.”
Cambria worked her sweet mouth down his chiseled abs, the heat of her causing him to shiver. She didn’t relent, forcing a moan of pleasure from him when she wrapped her long fingers around him and squeezed. He wanted to be inside her, but she took her sweet time with him. She teased him until he was almost frantic with need when she finally lowered herself onto him.
She moved against him quickly, her arousal already nearly out of control. Egan grabbed her breasts, squeezing them while she worked herself into a frenzy. He watched her face and the way her hair fell around it in large, open curls. He gasped when he realized that this was it. The dream that he’d had of her that had finally pushed him to seek her out.
He watched in amazement as each motion, every expression on her face mirrored his dream so precisely. She writhed above him, taking her pleasure from him with no apologies. Oh, how he loved this woman. He had known from the moment he saw her alone in that cabin that she was “the one”.
The only thing he’d gotten wrong was her name.
When she gave herself over to the pleasure, he let himself ride the climax with her. She called out his name as her heat drew the last of his passion out of him. Exhausted, she fell onto his chest and burrowed into his strong embrace.
Egan fought to catch his breath, loathe to let her go. When she sighed and rolled off Egan to lay beside him on the bed, he cupped her cheek and kissed her softly. Her eyes were growing heavy and she was moments away from sleep. Egan pulled the blankets around them and tucked her in, snuggling against her until they were nose to nose.
He didn’t want to let this moment end, but he had a question that had been pestering him since his brother had left the house earlier.
“So, are you going to tell me what my brother said to you?” he asked, cur
iosity eating him alive.
Cambria smiled, her eyes bright with emotion even as she fought off sleep. “He said, ‘Welcome to the family.’”
Epilogue
Three months later
Cambria sat on the plush chair, trying to focus on the papers in front of her. She wore a soft, blue dress that was tailor-made for her. The fabric was light and airy, almost like a second skin. It was like nothing she’d ever felt before. When Egan had taken her shopping and she’d tried on the first dress, a purple one exactly like the one today, she’d fallen in love with the way the fabric felt against her skin. She’d bought one in every color.
When a seamstress had come from a back room to measure her, Cambria hadn’t understood. Growing up in poverty, she wasn’t accustomed to anyone making a fuss over her, or the clothes she wore. She couldn’t honestly remember ever getting to choose her clothing, and she didn’t think she’d ever worn a dress.
Her clothes were delivered at the end of that same week, with each outfit altered slightly to fit her perfectly. Cambria had never had so much fun getting dressed each morning. Along with the dresses, she had a closet full of sturdy designer jeans, shirts and shoes. So many shoes.
She’d had no idea how much money Egan’s family had. It had been a shock to say the least. Yet Egan was so down to earth, still enjoying the simpler things more than the lavish parties and expensive foods that his peers did.
He’d taken her house hunting, looking at home after home until they’d settled on this one. It was not a mansion by any means, but there was plenty of room to grow, and the house sat on a large property. They didn’t have any neighbors for as far as the eye could see, which was what had drawn them both to the place. Having ten rooms and a large kitchen had been the icing on the cake.
Egan let her decorate the entire place herself, turning away more than one interior decorator in favor of turning Cambria loose with a catalog and a limitless budget. Cambria hadn’t disappointed and was quite proud of the results. The house was huge, but somehow felt very homey and very inviting. She was looking forward to raising a large family in it someday.
CORAM Page 35