“She really thought she could take control of Radley and put his spirit in my body.” He shook his head. “That’s crazy. Even if she would’ve succeeded, Radley wouldn’t love her.”
“Maybe she thought by giving him the gift of a new youthful body, he might fall in love with her.”
“Youthful, huh?” Logan laughed. “I’m not that young.”
“And you’re not that old.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “I guess it helps that you are smoking hot, too.”
“Smoking hot. Are you getting me confused with that dragon shifter?” Logan’s cheeks flushed pink as he chuckled.
“No, I know exactly who I am talking about. I’m just glad Sophie didn’t get her delusional hands on you.” She leaned across and kissed his cheek. “I like that you are all mine.”
“And always will be.” He leaned back on the sofa as she ate her food. “Do you want a drink? I could make you some coffee, or cocoa, or I have some whiskey.”
“I think we deserve a whiskey. Don’t you?”
“I think we deserve whatever we want.” Logan pushed himself to his feet, defeating the urge to stay with his mate and not let her out of his sight. The hours she’d been missing were the hardest of his life.
And the longest, his wolf added.
And the longest. The thought of life without Penny and Milo was enough to bring him to his knees. He didn’t want to let either of them out of his sight ever again. But he couldn’t smother them either.
He pushed out his senses, locating Milo in the room above them, while making sure Penny was still seated on the sofa, eating her meal. Satisfied they were safe, he took two glasses out of the kitchen cabinet and retrieved his stash of whiskey, which he hid at the back of the cupboard where Valerie stored the cans of vegetables.
The whiskey wasn’t hidden there because he was ashamed of drinking, but because his brothers would have quite happily drunk the whole bottle between them and left it empty. Logan had learned that from experience.
“Here.” He took the two large glasses of whiskey back to the living room.
“Thanks.” Penny reached out for the glass. She’d eaten her lasagna and garlic bread and had moved onto her dessert. “I’m going to struggle to keep my eyes open once I’ve finished this.”
“Don’t worry, if you fall asleep, I’ll carry you up to your room,” he promised.
“Now that is an offer I can’t refuse.” She placed the glass down on her tray and spooned her dessert into her mouth, savoring the taste. “This is so good.”
“I can’t remember the last time Ivan cooked something that wasn’t good. He is a masterful chef.”
“He is.” Penny placed her spoon on the tray and then lifted the tray and put it on the table before retrieving her whiskey. “Here’s to us and to those we love. May they always stay safe and be loved.”
“I will drink to that.” He touched her glass and they sat in silence, savoring their drinks.
“I can’t believe how fast things have changed for us since we came here,” Penny eventually said. “When I was driving to Helena’s, I felt so alone. So weighed down by everything. Even though I know Helena loves us, it’s not where my heart belongs.”
“You’re not on your own,” Logan assured her. “I will always be there for you.”
“I hope so because now I know where my heart belongs. With you, Logan.” She took a swig of whiskey and then placed the glass on the table. “My home is here in Wishing Moon Bay. I know I said I needed time to think it over, but that’s changed. I’ve changed.”
“I love you, Penny. I know it’s too soon and too sudden.”
She put her finger to his lips. “No, it’s not too soon and it’s not too sudden. I love you. I don’t know where it came from, but I know it without any doubt. You fill my heart with happiness.”
“That is a relief.” He let out the breath he’d been holding in.
“You have cast your spell over me, and I know Milo will be happy here. And he’ll have five uncles who will play with him and probably spoil him a little too much. But I also know he’ll have a father who will be there for him and will never leave.” She cupped his face in her hands. “And that father is you.”
“Does that mean we can live together as a family?” Logan wanted nothing else in the world than to wake up every morning with Penny beside him.
“I think it does.” She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. “I’d like to kiss your lips last thing at night and first thing in the morning for the rest of my life.”
“That can be arranged.” He threaded his arm around her waist and pulled her close.
“Do you have a bedroom in the apartment? Somewhere a little more private?” She looked up at him through her lashes as color crept across her cheeks.
“I do.” He eased himself away from her. “Are you sure? You must be exhausted.” He opened his mouth and then closed it again. “Or am I jumping to the wrong conclusion?”
“You have jumped to the right conclusion, but now that I’ve eaten, I have just about enough energy to ravish you.” She giggled nervously. “That sounded much better in my head.”
“It sounds wonderful to my ears.” Logan downed his whiskey in one gulp and as the liquor infused his veins with warmth, he leaned down, scooped Penny up in his arms, and carried her out of the living room, along a corridor to his room.
“Was this your room when you were a child?” Penny asked as he carried her to the bed in the center of the room.
“It was but I had to share with Rift. My side of the room was next to the window and Rift had that side of the room. We argued sometimes but we spent so much time outside that we never really fell out.” Logan straightened up and cast a glance around the room. “I never imagined this would be the room I’d bring my mate to.”
Penny reached for his hand. “You didn’t ever dream of bringing your mate back here?”
“Maybe when I was a teenager, not long after I had my first shift and hormones raged inside. But as I grew older, I dreamed of a place of my own, of building a home for my mate and our kids.”
“The cabin?” Penny pulled him down onto the bed next to her.
“No, the cabin was the place I ran away to when I figured that I might never find my mate and I had to learn to live with that. I retreated into myself, in some ways I regressed into the lonely boy who missed running with his wolf pack.” He brushed her hair back from her face. “That’s all behind me now. You are my future, and we’ll find a place to live closer to town, somewhere we’ll be happy. Where Milo will be happy.”
“And where we could raise another child or two.” The hope in her expression brought tears to his eyes.
“I would love to make babies with you, Penny.” He leaned forward and kissed her lips. He wanted her so much it hurt, his stomach twisted in knots as his longing intensified.
“We could start trying now.” She tugged at the buttons of his shirt, undoing each one with trembling fingers.
“Shall I help?” He took hold of his shirt and ripped it off. The buttons flew across the room and the remainder of the shirt followed.
“You have an impatient streak.” She pressed her lips to his chest and heat flared across his skin.
“I want to be naked with you.” He tugged at the hem of her sweater and she held up her arms so he could drag it over her head. “And the rest.”
She wriggled out of her long-sleeved shirt, then covered herself with her hands, before diving under the sheets.
Logan fumbled with the clasp of her bra as she tensed. “Are you okay? If we’re going too fast, we can stop.”
Penny didn’t meet his eyes. “No man has seen me naked except Kelvin for years. After giving birth to Milo, my body was never quite as…pert. As Kelvin often reminded me.”
“None of that matters to me.” He stroked her cheek with his thumb. “I love you just the way you are. We’re both old enough and wise enough to know we have scars and imperfections.” His mouth twitched at the
corners. “That’s what makes you so perfect to me.”
“I’m perfect because I’m not perfect.” She tilted her head to the side. “You say just the right things.”
“Only to you.” He chuckled. “To everyone else, the words come out wrong.”
Penny eased her hand down, letting the sheet drop away. “You want to try taking my bra off again, or do you want me to do it?”
“I am not going to be beaten by a bra.” He reached for the clasp and flicked it open. “I still have it.” He winked at her and she laughed as she leaned closer to him.
“I think you most definitely still have it.” Penny flicked her tongue over his nipple and the breath hissed between his teeth. Inching closer, she grazed her teeth over the taut bud while he unzipped her jeans and slipped them down over her hips. “I think you need to be naked, too.”
Logan slid out of the bed and stood up. In a flash, he unbuckled his belt and slid his pants to the floor. Stepping out of them, he slipped into bed and pulled the covers over them both as Penny shivered. “I’ll warm you up.”
“I was hoping you might say that.” She trailed her fingertips over his chest and pressed her lips to his, their kiss deepening as his arousal increased. He was hard, his body desperate for release, but he wanted to take things slow, he needed Penny to enjoy every moment of this.
However, as Penny trailed her fingers down his body, inching lower as she tempted and teased him, it seemed she had no intention of taking things slow.
“Oh.” Her hand curled around his hard length and she squeezed him, stroking her fingers up and down until he couldn’t think straight.
Somewhere in the fog of his brain brought on by the touch of his mate, he galvanized himself into action. Logan cupped her breast in the palm of his hand and lowered his head, nipping her soft flesh before sucking the taut bud into his mouth and swirling his tongue around and around until she whimpered in need.
“Make love to me, Logan.” She slid her foot up and down the inside of his leg and his thighs tensed.
Penny drove him wild, awakening the primal beast in him. Pressing the palm of his hand to her shoulder, he pushed her down onto her back before sliding between her thighs. She eased her legs apart, guiding him inside of her.
The feel of her around him, her warm slick heat enveloping him was too much. He fisted the pillow beneath his mate’s head, his breath labored as he fought for control. Inhaling deeply, he let the breath out slowly, grounding himself before he exploded inside her. He had to hang on.
Slowly, he regained his control and thrust deeper inside her. Skin against skin they moved, her inner walls gripping him as he filled her. Penny stroked his back, her touch light as she kissed his neck, sending shivers down his spine.
They were joined together, a wolf and his mate. This was so right. So damn right.
He lunged forward, groaning as he filled her completely, burying himself in his mate. As he lay still for a moment, he stroked her hair back from her face before kissing her lips.
Her teeth grazed his bottom lip, before her tongue snaked out and soothed the bruised flesh. Penny opened her mouth and their tongues entwined, tasting, teasing as they enjoyed a moment of calm. But the heat between them grew, a heat that would only be quenched when they reached a climax.
Penny tilted her pelvis, changing the angle of her body and pressed her hand onto his butt. Logan didn’t need any more encouragement as he slid out of her, only to lunge deep inside her again and again.
They raced together, their bodies moving in perfect sync as they inched toward a shattering orgasm.
His body jerked forward, and his essence filled her. Penny raked her fingernails down his back as she cried out his name, her body tense as she came. Logan groaned, jerking into her, filling her with his seed, hoping that they might conceive a child their first time together.
A brother or sister for Milo, a celebration of their love. Could they be that blessed?
“Tomorrow night, we should go down to the bay and make a wish,” Logan murmured as Penny lay in his arms.
“I think my wishes have already come true,” she whispered sleepily. “All I ever wanted was for Milo and me to be happy. And right now, we are.” She lifted her head off the pillow. “I should go check on him.”
“I’ll come with you.” He closed his arms around her and pulled her back down onto the bed. “But first, let’s just lie here for a couple of minutes longer. I want to know you are real and this isn’t a dream.”
“This is real,” she assured him. “And it’s forever.”
Logan kissed her skin and inhaled her scent. He no longer felt the pull of the wild. His old life was gone but he could not wait to start a new life with his mate and her child.
Epilogue
“Good morning.” Logan carried a tray of food into Penny’s hotel room and set it down on the small table by the window.
“Déjà vu.” She slid out of bed and pulled on a robe as Milo stirred, dragging himself out of his long slumber.
“Do I smell Ivan’s pancakes?” Milo opened his eyes and stretched before scrambling out of bed. “I am starving.”
“That’s because you went to sleep last night before you ate. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so tired.” She held out her arms and he jumped into them. “We had quite an adventure. Are you okay?”
“I will be when I’ve eaten some of those pancakes.” He kissed his mom on the cheek and wriggled out of her arms.
“I wish a plate of pancakes was all I needed to forget what happened last night.” She smoothed her hands over her hair. “My head is filled with what-ifs.”
“Hey, it’s okay. Sophie can’t hurt you anymore.” Logan reached for her hand and pulled her toward him.
“It was you she was trying to hurt. All she wanted from me was my body.” She smiled wryly and he grinned.
“There we go. Once you have eaten pancakes and drunk coffee, you’ll feel like your normal self. I guarantee it.” He kissed her cheek. “And I can’t lie, remember?”
“I do remember. I remember it all, vividly.” Penny ran a hand through her hair. “Maybe pancakes, coffee, and a hot shower will do the trick.”
“I can watch Milo for an hour if you want to soak in a bath. I thought we could go play in the snow.”
“It snowed!” Milo ran to the window and looked out. “The roads are covered in white. It’s all over the cars and everything. Can we go out now?”
“Not until we’ve eaten our breakfast and put on our warmest clothes.”
“Your Mom is right.” Logan led her to the chair next to the table laden with food. “But first, sit and eat.”
“Yes, sir.” She gave him a mock salute as Milo continued to stare out of the window. “Are you going to join us for breakfast?”
“I’ve already eaten, but I’d love a cup of coffee. Jeremy is coming in later so I can assess him. I’m still not sure he’s hotel material.”
Penny nearly choked on the piece of food in her mouth. “And you are?”
“This isn’t about me,” he reminded her. “I’m only here temporarily.”
“Are you sure? Valerie is going to need help for some time. Even when she says she’s strong enough, taking care of the hotel is a hard job with long days on her feet. I’ve seen the way you run around after the guests.” Penny ate thoughtfully. “What if we made this our permanent job?”
“You’ll work here with me?” Logan straightened up.
“Possibly. We could give it a trial run and see if we get along okay. We might hate working together.”
“Believe me, there is nothing about you I could ever hate.” His mouth twitched up at the corners as he poured the coffee.
“Does that mean we’re going to live here in the hotel?” Milo’s excitement brimmed over as he finally sat down to eat.
“I don’t think there is room for us to live here,” Penny told him. “We need more than one room, and the only apartment belongs to Valerie.” She glanced up at Logan. �
�I’d like a house of our own. Somewhere we can escape to, just the three of us, and forget all about work.”
“I like that idea. I like it a lot.” His eyes darkened as he gazed at her and her heart fluttered in her chest. She was in love with this man. It was a deep love, one she could trust in even though they had only known each other for a few days. It was as if loving Logan was the most natural thing in the world, as natural as breathing.
Maybe the town had cast its spell on her, but she was ready to take a chance with him. Logan placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it lightly, the warmth from his touch spread out through her body.
“I like that idea a lot, too.” She placed her hand over his.
“My phone.” He jumped as his phone rang and he stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out the device. “Hello.” He glanced down at Penny, his eyes wide as he listened to the voice on the other end of the phone.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered.
“Thanks, Rift. Tell her Penny and Milo will be right down.” Logan ended the call.
“Tell who?” Penny stood up abruptly and covered her mouth with her hands before tugging off her robe and grabbing an armful of clothes. “Milo, you need to get dressed.”
“Why?” Milo asked through a mouthful of food.
“Aunt Helena.” She glanced at Logan for confirmation.
“She’s in the hotel reception area.”
“I completely forgot she was coming.” Penny grabbed her phone. “Oh my goodness, I didn’t realize it was so late.”
“I let you both sleep in since you were so tired last night.” Logan helped Milo find some clothes as Penny lingered in the bathroom doorway. “How did she get here?”
Logan looked up and shrugged. “We can ask her when you’re dressed.”
Penny nodded and went into the bathroom and closed the door. As she got ready, she checked her phone. Ten missed messages and three missed calls. When they went to bed last night, she’d switched her phone to silent, so nothing disturbed her sleeping son.
She tapped the screen, ready to compose a reply but then placed it down on the chair situated in the corner of the bathroom. What could she say? Sorry, I forgot you were coming because a crazy witch kidnapped me and Milo because she wanted to take over my body?
The White Wolf of Wishing Moon Bay Page 23