But the authorities couldn’t confiscate it, because they had no proof of where it came from. I didn’t want it. Tucker didn’t want it. But I thought Tucker should have the same opportunity as I had. I wanted him to make something of his life.
Rather than use the money, he decided to join law enforcement and entered the police academy in Seattle. Maybe after his graduation, he’d find a spot here in Dark Moon Falls.
We donated some of the money to a women’s domestic violence organization and gave some to a women’s shelter a couple of towns over. I also wanted to atone for my father’s misdoings by offering the women who had been rescued from captivity a fresh start on life. There were about sixteen of them that were freed. The FBI is still trying to track down the ones who’d already been sold but managed to save the ones waiting and reunited them with their families with enough money to hopefully aid in their recovery from the ordeal.
I sat next to Skye and placed the two glasses on the table. We’d just finished eating a fantastic dish of lobster ravioli in a rosé cream sauce that we’d prepared together.
We’d been experimenting with cooking. Skye was an amazing cook, and I loved our time together in her small kitchen as we worked to create the perfect meal. She was beyond everything I’d ever hoped for, and it struck me how much our relationship had grown over the months while we tried to let the hurt and the anger subside. Being with Skye made the ache in my heart not hurt so much.
I’d been staying with her most of the time, only going to my mom’s for clothes every once in a while. Although recently, it seemed I had moved most of my belongings to Skye’s.
She stood beside the tan sofa that I’d become very fond of. My wolf stirred inside at the thought of being with her, of bending her over the armrest and taking her from behind like I’d thought about that first night. For the life of me, I cannot fathom why we hadn’t done that yet.
I set the wine down on the table and pivoted back to her, stepping up behind her and wrapping my arm around her waist. Kissing the soft skin at the back of her neck, I reached inside the plush terry cloth robe she wore and caressed her firm, perky nipples. My other hand skating up the inside of her thigh. It never failed to amaze me how this woman could always be ready for me.
“Mmmm …” she moaned. “You have magic fingers, Mr. Hart.”
“That’s not all I have that’s magical.”
She let out a sexy laugh. “Is that so? Prove it.”
I dropped my pants to the floor, quickly stepping out of them. My cock was already rock hard from thinking about this. Without another thought, I lifted her robe from behind her and gently bent her forward over the armrest.
She glanced back at me and laughed. “It all makes perfect sense now.”
“What does?” I was perplexed as I positioned myself at her sex.
“You’ve been thinking about this since that very first night.”
“What makes you say that?” I slid into her slowly, waiting to hear her answer.
She groaned out a sexy moan as I pulled out just as slow and pushed in again. “I saw how you were checking out the armrest that night. I wondered what you were doing.”
I pulled out again. “The woman gets a gold star.” I thrust into her hard this time. “Now, be quiet, please, while I fuck you.”
“Please,” she groaned.
I pumped into her hard and fast, fisting my hand in her hair, yanking it just a little, exposing the side of her neck. My arm was around her waist, hugging her as I pounded into her.
A part of my brain closed off all coherent thoughts, losing myself in the softness surrounding me. My wolf howled inside me, wanting to claim her. Hell, I wanted that too. And my intuition told me she wanted it also.
23
SKYE
Milo was a man with many talents, and his skills with the armrest of a sofa were top of the list. I had to admit when I saw him checking out my couch that first night, I couldn’t imagine what he’d been doing. I thought he was a bit loony, in fact. But when he bent me over that thing tonight, I just about came right then, realizing what he had in mind. After we both climaxed, we stumbled over to the other side of the sofa and did it again, just for good measure.
Now, sitting on the couch, my robe wide open, exposing my nakedness, I picked up one of the glasses of wine from the table and sank against the back, swirling the delicious burgundy around in the bottom of the globe-shaped stemware.
Milo sank down beside me. “That was one worth repeating.” He sipped his wine before pivoting to face me, his eyes full of passion. The man was a sex god.
“Which one, the meal or the sex?”
“Both.” Even his chuckle was sexy. “Well, the sex was hot and on a whole different level.”
I had to agree.
I loved having sex with him. I loved cooking with him, too. Cooking was an understatement when we were both in the kitchen preparing a meal. Together we heated up the cottage in more ways than one.
“Skye, I want you to live with me.”
“You’re already living with me. I mean, you’ve been staying here all the time. Your clothes are here.”
“Baby, my clothes are in a duffle bag in the hallway by the bathroom.”
“I know this cottage is tiny.” I smiled. The air in my lungs was heavy with the prospect of a life with him. A life I never in a million years thought I’d ever want. But Milo has shown me that there is good in a world I thought was nothing but dangerous.
“It’s not only the size of the cottage. Well, that is an issue, but I want you to live with me in a place we can call home. Our home. A home where we can live and love together. A home where we can grow old together.”
I’d come to Dark Moon Falls at the request of my parents. A place to hide out temporarily. Or so I thought. I’d never intended to make it a permanent home.
The lease on this cottage would be up soon. I did have the option to renew it, but was that what I wanted? I studied the wine in the glass and let Milo talk. He seemed so excited about something.
“And I have the perfect solution.” He leaned over and reached into a computer case and pulled out a laptop. Setting it in front of us on the table, he opened it to reveal a picture of a charming, light gray, single-story house. Three steps led up to a covered wraparound porch bordered by a bed of red carpet roses. A small stream separated the front yard and sported a white wooden bridge over it. “I found this last week. I think it’s perfect for us, so I put in an offer.”
“An offer? As in you want to buy it?”
“Yeah. And the sellers accepted my offer. It’s ours.”
“Ours?”
“Yes, ours, if you agree to move in with me.”
“How did you get the money for this? I thought you donated all the money that your father had left to you and Tucker?”
“We did. The money I used for this house was money I’d earned working odd jobs while I was in college. And I took summer internships at a law firm while I was attending law school. It took me a total of seven years to get through all that education, and I always had a job while doing it. I’d saved most of what I made since I hadn’t needed much. So that’s seven years of steady savings that enabled me to put a hefty down payment on this place, which means the mortgage is very reasonable.”
It was good to see him proud of himself. That ordeal with his father’s tainted money paying for his education had almost ruined him. For the past two months, I watched him struggle with hostile feelings, thinking he hadn’t deserved what he’d accomplished because of having had his father’s help. But now, he looked genuinely happy sitting here with me as he flipped through the rest of the pictures of the house on the computer. “It’s perfect for us, Skye. It has a large granite island in the center of the kitchen. You’ll love it.”
His lips twitched with a sexy grin that made my heart melt with the prospect of what else we might do on that island. God, his handsome face was almost too beautiful to gaze at, and I couldn’t help reaching out
and splaying my hand over it, kissing his lips lightly.
He smiled. “What was that for?”
“Just because.”
“I like your just because.” He kissed me, a bit more intensely. Then he pulled back. “I’ll be working at a firm in Summermire for a couple of years. I interviewed with them a few weeks ago. I got the call yesterday. I start Monday. Eventually, I want to have an office here in Dark Moon Falls.”
“That all sounds wonderful. But …”
“But what?”
I turned to face him. “Milo, this is beautiful. And I’m thrilled for you. I really am. I think you’re going to make a wonderful attorney. And this house is amazing.” As much as I wanted to say yes to him, as much as I wanted him, trusted him, and loved him, I couldn’t burden him with my affliction to the sun.
The differences between us scared me, and I was frightened that he would feel confined during the daytime when I couldn’t join him. Or worse, resentful of me. I didn’t want to be his crutch. Except, I didn’t know how to convey all of that without making him think I didn’t want to be with him. I had a feeling that no matter what I said, he would take it the wrong way. So, I went with the practical. “But we haven’t really known each other all that long. Not nearly long enough to consider venturing into this kind of commitment together.”
He shook his head and faced me, brushing his lips gently over mine again, then sat back and held my hand. “Skye, we may not have known each other very long, but I’ve fallen in love with you. I don’t think I could live without you. I need you, and I want to make you mine. Today and always.”
Biting my bottom lip, I sighed. “I’m so sorry, Milo, but I can’t.” I wanted him so badly. I wanted a life with him, but I knew it would never work. It would be much better if we had our own places. The only reason I’d let him stay with me this long was that I knew he had to heal from what his father had done, and I’d wanted to help. And quite honestly, I needed to heal too. I needed him to help me through it.
He stood and stalked to the kitchen and slammed his fist against the counter. “That’s not it, is it, Skye?” He turned his head back at me, his eyes narrowing in a glare.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s not the time we’ve known each other that’s keeping you from moving in with me.”
“It is.” I started to approach him.
“No.” He shot his hand out to stop me. “It’s because of my father and what he did, isn’t it?”
“What?” I couldn’t believe that he would think something like that; well, I could understand why he’d feel that way, but it wasn’t true.
“I honestly can’t blame you for that, but I’m not my father, Skye. I will never be like him.”
“I know that.” I walked to him and reached out my hand, and he stared at it as though it would electrocute him if he touched it. That look killed me. Just killed me. “Don’t think that, Milo. Please. I know you’re nothing like him.”
“Then it’s my wolf. You hide it well, but I know you’re still afraid of him.”
“Now you’re being ridiculous. If I were afraid, do you honestly think I would let you bend me over that armrest?” I pointed to the sofa.
Milo’s lip twitched a little. Hopefully, I was getting through to him. All my life, I’d wanted an ordinary life and here was Milo standing right in front of me offering me everything I’d always wanted. Maybe if I came clean and told him the reason I was hesitant.
“Milo, if you want to know the truth, I—”
“Yes. Dammit. Tell me the goddamn truth. Because I’m standing here pouring my heart out to you, and you’re acting as if there’s nothing between us.”
“I love you, Milo. I do. But I … I’m afraid you’ll get bored with me.”
“What?” His eyes grew wide and his forehead wrinkled.
“We live two different lives. I would never be able to go out with you in the day time. I know it’s been difficult for you. I see it each time you leave here during the day to do something. I know you want me to join you, and I can’t. I don’t want you to have to change your life for me. I wouldn’t want you to have to sacrifice things you love to do. I know you’ll start to feel guilty over time. You’ll start to resent me.”
“I could never. I don’t need that. Honestly.” He stepped toward me, took my hands in his. “Yes, I’d love for you to go out in the daylight with me, but that’s not important.” He held my hands between us. “What’s important is how I feel about you when I’m with you. How I ache here”—he splayed his free hand over his heart—“when we’re not together.”
I’d felt that ache too, but I didn’t understand it. I wanted to be with him. I needed to feel the beat of his heart when he lay next to me. “Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been more certain about anything in my entire life. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” He glanced back at the laptop. “There’s another thing about this house I haven’t mentioned yet.”
“What is it?”
“I’m having all the windows replaced.”
I narrowed my eyes. “With what?”
“A special tempered one-way glass that will let you look outside during the daytime without the sunlight filtering in.”
“That’s an option?”
“It’s unusual for residential properties, but yes. They are installing them now as we speak.”
“You did that for me?”
“Yes. I would do anything for you. Don’t you know that by now?”
There was such a bubble of excitement building up in me; I couldn’t find the right words to tell him how cherished he made me feel. I’d lived my life with a vampire father. Now I was going to live in the same house with a beautiful wolf shifter.
“I want to be with you, too.” Almost from the beginning, when I arrived in Dark Moon Falls, Milo had been there helping me, protecting me. And I had to admit, I loved the idea of living with him and spending the rest of my life with him.
“You mean it?”
“Yes, I mean it with every breath, every cell of my body and mind. I’ll move in with you.”
“I’m not sure you understand. I don’t want you to just move in with me. I want you as my mate.”
24
MILO
“Your mate?”
“Yes. Wolves take mates when we fall in love.”
“I knew that.”
“I want you to be mine. If we’re going to live together, I want us to be mated. I know it’s soon into our relationship, but I don’t care if it’s been two days or two months or two years, my feelings for you aren’t going to change. I love you, Skye, and my wolf and I want you for our mate.”
“I know it’s too soon, too, but … I love you, Milo Hart,” she finally managed.
“So, you’ll mate me and live in that house with me?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?” I frowned, hoping she understood. “Skye, you do know that wolves mate for life, right?”
“Yes, I do know that. And yes, I want to be your mate. There’s no one I’d rather spend the rest of my life with other than you.”
I pulled her against me, twirling her around as I held her, never wanting to let her go. “You’ve just made me the happiest and luckiest man alive. You’re going to love this house. It has three bedrooms and a great big kitchen. And I’m going to love cooking with you in it.”
“Be quiet and kiss me,” she moaned against my lips, and my heart swirled with desire.
I slipped my arms under her, cradling her against me as I picked her up and carried her over to the bed and placed her down. Gently untying the robe she wore, I opened it to reveal the most gorgeous naked body in the entire world. I stood back, my gaze flaring with desire for this woman.
Heat soared through my cock when my hand pressed against her mound, my fingers drifting between her thighs, feeling the wetness accumulating there. “Baby, I love how you are always so ready for me.”
“That’s what y
ou do to me.”
It never took long for me to turn her on. I slipped off my pants, kicking them to the corner, and splayed my naked body over her.
“God, that feels amazing,” I growled out when her hand fisted around my cock. My eyes closed, and my tongue slipped out to moisten my lips. When I opened my eyes, I watched her tongue licking her lips, making them glisten. “I can’t believe you’re here with me.”
“I’ll always be with you.”
A moment later, I kissed my way down to her core. “Baby, I bet you taste as good now as you did earlier.”
She arched her hips as my tongue slid up the center of her core before teasing the nub as my fingers dove inside her.
“I love the way you taste, Skye. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get enough,” I ground out before my tongue darted inside her and I sucked and licked as she cried out with pleasure.
“Milo, please.”
I kissed my way back up her stomach, licking the firm peeks at her breasts, scraping my teeth against them. My rock-hard cock rubbed against her clit before plunging inside of her.
Her eyes closed as pleasure soared through her, through me.
“Open your eyes, Skye. I need to see the blueness of them so they can take me to that special place I love.”
She did as I asked and gazed into mine with a passion and desire I’d never seen on her before. She was so fucking beautiful; I almost came right then.
“You’re mine, Skye,” I uttered as my lips gently pressed against her neck. I wanted to claim her right then, but I held back, needing her to reach that point of ecstasy first.
When I felt her pulse beneath me, I knew it was time, and I grazed my teeth against her neck before sinking my fangs into her. She gasped, then bucked her hips as she climaxed along with me.
Skye taught me what it felt like to love someone unconditionally. I would never leave her. Never be the man my father was. She was my life, my best friend, my lover. Now she was my mate.
Dark Moon Falls: Volume 2 Page 68