She squeezed him back. “I love you, dear.”
“Love you, too,” he muttered, pecking her on the cheek and heading back towards his room. Before the tea got as cold as his father’s heart was lately. And to think he used to look up to the man.
When he got back to his room, he found Autumn rocking in the corner behind his bed. He frowned as he set the two mugs of tea on the bedside table. Jaxon Bearpaw had done this. Turned her into this frightened woman who couldn’t even hear his name without shaking (literally) with fear. Couldn’t handle the touch of another man for fear of being hurt. Couldn’t speak for fear her voice may cause her pain. He had never laid eyes on a more damaged human being. It made his heart ache and his blood boil. Wanting to cause just as much damage to the man --- NO, the beast--- who did this to her.
“Autumn,” he called softly, but she clamped her hands over her ears, rocking harder. Shit, why did he have to sound like a man right now?
“Autumn,” he called again, raising his pitch as high as it would go. He sounded ridiculous, but it got her to stop rocking. He called her again in the ridiculous, high-pitched voice.
She lifted her head, looking around with confused eyes. As if searching for another person.
“No, it’s me,” he said in the funny voice again.
She quirked a brow as she scanned his face.
“Well, if this is the only way you’ll talk to me, then I guess I have to sound like a complete clown,” he said.
Her mouth fell open as her hands fell away from her ears. She shook her head at him.
“What? You don’t like the way I sound? Well, that makes two of us, gorgeous.”
She shook her head again slowly, her eyes still glued to his face.
“Can I talk normally now?”
Her throat moved as she swallowed hard. But she nodded a second later.
He sighed, his pitch dropping back to normal. “Oh, thank gods. That was hurting my own ears.”
She stared at him a moment longer, shaking her head in amazement, just before she closed her eyes and laughed at him. Music to his ears. And worth every moment of making an ass out of himself.
“Look, I’m not sure how you’re going to feel about this. But I need to stay in here with you tonight, okay?”
Her laughter stopped as she pointed at the room and the two of them.
He nodded. “Yes, both of us will be sleeping in here tonight. I understand if that makes you uncomfortable. I’m sorry, but with ---ummm---the Blackmoon Alpha nearby, it’s the only way I’ll know you’re safe.”
She studied him for a moment, her eyes roaming over his face. Then, out of nowhere, she put her palm on his cheek, nodding her head.
He put her hand over hers, smiling at her. “I’m glad you agree.”
They drank their tea by the fireplace where Torin told her all about the Blackmoon warriors he’d fought earlier that day. He even gave Nessie the credit she deserved for swooping in and *cough* saving them. Not that he’d ever tell his half-sister that.
She fell asleep listening to him banter on, her body curled on the rug in front of the fireplace, mug still clutched in her tiny hand. He smiled down at her as he swept the stray piece of hair from her face. After covering her with a blanket, he climbed into his bed. He normally slept naked, but he made sure to keep his t-shirt and boxers in place tonight. Autumn didn’t need that nasty shock first thing in the morning.
And thank gods he did. Because the next morning, he woke up to find the woman who’d occupied his dreams that night, sleeping right there next to him. Her wild curls splayed across his pillows as she snored softly into the comforter. His heart skipped a beat to see her laying there. In his bed. With him still in it. Miracles do come true.
***
When Autumn woke the next morning, she could hear Torin in the shower. She really should try that shower thing out. She’d hadn’t been willing to get naked that long, but maybe today was the day. She probably needed it. Sponge-bathing only got you so clean.
She pushed the comforter off her, stretching in the big bed and sighing at how good that simple pleasure felt. Then, she froze. Wait, why was she in his bed?
She’d fallen asleep on the rug last night. She was sure of it. So, how did she end up in the bed? Did he put her there?
She mentally smacked herself as the hazy memory came back to her. No, he hadn’t put her there. She’d put herself there. After waking up from one of her signature nightmares, for some reason, she’d wanted to be close to him. But why?
Well, he did say he wanted to make sure you’re safe.
Autumn nodded, agreeing with herself. That was true. Torin had only intruded on her privacy for her safety. That must be it then. Safety. I mean, what else could it be?
Then, she caught a glimpse of Torin in the bathroom mirror. Because he’d left the door wide open. And her breath hitched. Scratch that, she’d forgotten how to breathe, period.
A towel hung low on his hips, the hard ridges of his abs accentuated by the sharp v-curve of his hipbones. A little trail of hair dipped into the towel and out of sight. And Autumn found herself wanting to know where that little trail led.
The little voice in her head snickered. What else could it be, indeed.
Somehow, she found herself leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom, staring at the mirror with wide, hungry eyes. She needed to douse the flames in the hearth because it was getting way too hot in here. And yet, despite the heat, her body shivered. What was going on with her?
Torin’s hazel eyes found hers in the reflection of the mirror, locking together in the steamy room. For long moments, they just stared at each other. Unmoving. Eyes darkening with every second.
“You are even more gorgeous in the morning,” he murmured in a low, husky voice, breaking the heated silence.
Autumn blinked, trying to get her mind to focus on anything but Torin’s half-naked body. And the droplets running down his chest. What she’d give to be one of those droplets.
She shook herself, finally pulling her gaze away. Where did that come from? Torin was a friend. A protector. That was it. Why in the world would she want anything more?
Torin walked over to stand right in front of her. Still clad in his towel...and nothing else. Good gods, she was about to hyperventilate as the smell of him engulfed her in heaven. So fresh. So clean. So delicious. Seriously, what was wrong with her?
Torin gazed down at her with those dreamy eyes of every color. A giant smirk planted on his smug face. “Did you need something?”
She cleared her throat. Focus, woman. Focus. She pointed a hand at the toilet behind him. A shaking hand. Damn it to Hades, pull yourself together!
Torin nodded. “Ah, of course.” He brushed past her, his bare chest rubbing against her arm. The small contact felt like fire licking up her arm, scorching any chance she had of focusing.
She found herself following him as he moved into the bedroom, pulling clothes from his dresser and throwing them onto the bed. He glanced up at her, quirking a brow. His smirk still firmly in place. “The bathroom’s open. In case you haven’t noticed.”
Oh, right. Her bladder needed attention. So did other areas of that body region apparently. Which made no sense. She hated sex. Obviously. It was a smelly, sweaty, painful experience that she had endured because she’d had no choice. There was no way she would choose to do the dirty deed. No way. No. Way.
But as the day wore on, each touch of his hand, each heated look, each husky whisper of his voice sent waves of desire coursing through her. He caught her staring at his scrumptious-looking lips on more than one occasion. It was getting ridiculous really, but she seemed to have no control of her thoughts. No matter what she did, they always circled back to him. And his made-to-kiss mouth. The image of his half-naked body seemed to be permanently seared to her brain.
And Torin was, of course, eating up every second of appreciation. She tried to hide it, but it was useless. She’d never actually appreciated anything about th
e opposite sex before. So, how was she to know how to hide it?
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Finally. Finally he was beginning to peel away the many layers of protection that Autumn seemed to keep herself so tightly wrapped in. Until today, he hadn’t even been sure the woman was capable of being attracted to him. Or any man for that matter. But after their little encounter in the bathroom this morning, he had no doubt. She had taken in every inch of his naked torso. And she had liked it. Her eyes of jade had sparkled with lust, and they hadn’t dimmed much since.
But as seconds turned to minutes and minutes turned to hours, Torin could feel the dark clouds rolling in to rain all over his good fortune. Because tonight...was the full moon.
The village always got a little crazy this time of the month. Thanks in large part to every lycan beneath its luminous rays shifting with its rise. And unlike other nights, tonight there would be no choice in the matter. And no shifting back until dawn.
He glanced down at Autumn as they walked hand-in-hand through the buzzing village. He’d been sneaking little brushes of contact all day to test her tolerance. No flinching. No quick drawbacks. No jumping ten feet away. If anything, she was beginning to lean into his “accidental” brushes. So, at last, he’d plucked up the courage to take her hand in his own. And she hadn’t yanked it back out. Awww, sweet progress.
Kayline stopped to chat with them as she carried a basketful of wild nuts and berries.
“You really shouldn’t go out in the woods alone, Kay. Not with those Blackmoon beasts roaming around.” Torin knew she’d been out alone by the state of her soiled dress and the fact that Mum wasn’t loping along after her with another basket. He hardly ever saw Kayline outside the house without Mum or Pop with her. “They’ve already snuck into our territory more than once. I wouldn’t put it past them to resort to kidnapping women from our village.”
Kayline rolled her eyes at him and shooed off his worried with a flick of her wrist. “It’s a walk in the woods, not a bush party. Besides, I’m fine, as you can see.”
Torin gave her a stern look. “Now, Kay,”
But she shoved a finger in his face. “Don’t you ‘Now, Kay’ me. That’s all you and Mum and Pop ever do is boss me around and smother me. I am not a child anymore, for gods’ sakes! I am an adult whether you all want to accept it or not. And I don’t need a goddamn babysitter!” With that, she turned on her heel and stalked toward the house.
He stared after his “little” sister. Unbenownst to her, she was actually older than he was. Male lycans tended to mature faster than their human counterparts. By ten, he’d been fully matured. And by twelve, he’d been inducted into the Whitemoon Warriors. He’d made his first kill at thirteen. Bed his first woman at fourteen. Broken more than a few hearts by sixteen. At just shy of eighteen, he’d had a lifetime of experiences.
It was probably a good thing Kayline had no clue of their true ages. Otherwise, Mum and Pop would be in for the fight of their lives. In a way, he felt sorry for his “little” sister. Sheltered and protected her whole life, she’d had so few chances to really get out and make friends. Autumn was probably the first friend she’d made around her own age.
He glanced down, seeing Autumn trying to hide a smile. “I take it you agree with her, then?”
Her eyebrows raised as her smile faded. She mulled it over for a few seconds before shrugging her shoulders.
He led her back inside the house as the afternoon sun began to inch closer to the treetops.
“It’s best you stay in here tonight.”
Autumn didn’t argue about it, just nodded at him with wide frightened eyes.
When he turned to leave, she wrapped a hand around his arm, shaking her head. She tried to tug him back away from the door.
Frowning, he stated, “You want me stay with you?”
She didn’t hesitate as she nodded, wrapping herself around him in a tight embrace. He closed his eyes as he hugged her back, loving the feel of her body flush against his own. He’d been fighting an erection around her all day. And that was just holding her hand. Now, with her body pressed against him, there was no controlling his own body’s response.
Finally, after relishing the blissful moment, he pulled back enough to run his fingers over her cheeks as she stared up at him. He could lose himself forever in those deep pools of jade. “I wish I could,” he whispered.
Her fingers clamped down on his arm as he pulled away.
“I...I want to,” he continued, forcing himself to peel her off of him. Her need for him was eating through his resistance. An invisible string pulling him back to her. He could see the genuine fear on her face. She knew what the full moon meant. And she wanted him to protect her. Dear gods, he wished he could.
But he didn’t trust himself. While his kind didn’t lose all sense of self during the shift, their inhibitions were severely compromised. And their basic and primal needs took precedence. And Autumn lit up his libido like a matchstick.
He shook his head as he backed away from her, the tears glistening in her frightful eyes like a knife to the heart.
Stay, stay with her. That little voice inside him whispered, tugging that string to bring him back to her.
“No,” he murmured. “I...can’t.”
And despite everything inside him telling him to stay, he fled.
***
Autumn sat in the corner of the room, rocking as tears slid down her cheeks. He left her. After all this time. All those moments of him wanting to get closer, he chose now, tonight of all nights, to abandon her.
She glanced at the window, seeing the last rays of sun get swallowed up by the impending night. Dusk had fallen. If she recalled from last month, the moon would rise in about an hour. And then the monsters would be out to play.
And she was left to rock in the corner of a room alone. Again. Sniffling, she swiped at her wet face. Screw that. Not this time.
She was tired of being left alone to shake in fear, wondering when the next attack would come. This wasn’t Blackmoon. She wasn’t a slave here.
Picking her sorry ass up from the floor, she marched out the door. Someone was going to get a piece of her mind. Screw her vow of silence.
Downstairs, she heard voices coming from Talon’s den.
“I can’t find Kay,” Lauren screeched, and Autumn could hear pacing inside the room. “It’s nearly moonrise. Where is she?”
Talon growled. “She knows the rules. You both remain inside during the full moon. No exceptions.”
Lauren flicked a hand through the air. “Of course she knows that! She’s been getting locked in her room every full moon since she was six years old.”
“Then, why isn’t she here?” Talon snapped.
“Something’s going on with her. She’s been sneaking off more and more often this past year. And now this.”
“Too rebellious. You shouldn’t have babied her so much.”
“Don’t you blame me for this!”
Autumn shook her head as she forced herself to move on. She wasn’t down here to eavesdrop. For once. She rounded into the kitchen, halting in her tracks as she spotted who she’d been looking for.
There he stood, clad in only a pair of leather pants as he shoved a half-eaten sandwich into his mouth. He’d abandoned her for a fucking sandwich!
But as he reached to put a loaf of bread back in a high cupboard, her anger dissipated like a wisp. His muscles flexed with each movement as he tidied up the counter, captivating her, flushing her with heat. She never knew that simply watching someone could make her feel like this.
Imagine what doing more than watching could do.
And then he turned, catching her in the act. Again. His eyes hooded, darkening as their gazes locked.
“You shouldn’t be down here,” he whispered, his voice sending shivers through her. Another wave of heat swept over her in response.
He took a step toward her. But it looked to be a struggle to stop himself. “You need to get back upstairs, Au
tumn.”
Her name on his lips did strange things to her. There was no way she was going back upstairs. Not without him.
He took another step, clenching his fists at his sides. “I’m not kidding. Get upstairs.”
She shook her head at him but never took her greedy eyes from his.
Another step. “Autumn,” he growled.
He was struggling not to get too close. Which meant he wanted to get close. He’d been wanting to get close to her for days. Holding her hand. Touching her cheek.
And she wanted his protection. Especially tonight. With monsters roaming right outside the door. And if getting close was what it took to keep him with her through this night, then so be it. She knew what she needed to do.
What you want to do, you mean.
Autumn took those last few steps, closing the distance between them with lightning speed. Confusion flitted across his face, his mouth parting ever-so-slightly as he gaped at her purposeful steps.
Perfect invitation.
She grasped the back of his head with one hand, raising on her toes as she pulled his open mouth down on hers.
A million times she’d been kissed in her lifetime. But none of them had prepared her for the perfection that was Torin’s lips. Soft and firm at the same time, his breath catching as her lips latched onto his. He smelled amazing. He felt even better.
And then the flood gates opened.
She may have started the kiss, but he swiftly took over. Pressing his mouth more firmly against hers, he wrapped her up in his arms. Her free hand splayed across his bare chest, the feel of his fevered skin like a beacon to her starving senses.
He groaned as he slid his tongue across her lip, sending a shockwave of lust straight to her core. His masterful mouth tried to coax her lips open, and gods help her, she complied. She found her fingers clenching in his hair of their own accord and he growled inside her mouth. Liquid heat pooled and she had the urge to rub herself against his leathered thigh. This nagging need was foreign to her. She never wanted to be touched. Never.
Kiss of Fire: A Dystopian Shifter Romance (The Whitemoon Warriors #2) (The Whitemoon Warriors Series) Page 10