Her disappointment is palpable. My wolf wants to howl, to fix it. He wants to make her happy for the rest of our lives. So do I.
I tug her back onto my lap. “I want you for my mate.” I need to make it clear.
She touches my face. “I want that, too. I mean, I think I do. I want you, Deke.”
“Then we’ll work this out. We’ll figure it out, together. All right?”
Her smile is brighter than the morning sun. She presses her lips over mine. “I love you.”
“Fuck, Sadie. I love you, too.”
I detect the sound of voices coming up the trail. Scott may have returned after his supreme show of cowardice to “rescue” Sadie.
“Someone’s coming, Sadie-girl.”
She kisses me again. “I don’t care.”
“I’m naked.”
“Oh!” She laughs and scrambles off me.
“I’ll meet you back at the resort in twenty. Okay? Are you all right on your own?”
She lets out a soft scoff. “Of course.”
Of course. She was the one prepared to fight off a giant wolf with nothing but a branch. My Sadie can handle herself.
I shift, my wolf preening when Sadie gasps and buries her fingers in my fur. I risk another moment to let her stroke my ears and rub my head, then I bound up the mountain in the direction of my clothes.
When I reach the top, I turn and look down at Sadie, unable to keep my back to her for long.
She’s still standing there, watching me with a wondrous expression on her face. She waves, and I lift my snout. But Scott and two resort employees are rounding the bend, so I take off, getting out of site as quickly as I can.
Chapter 14
Sadie
“Well, that was fun,” I say as the resort grows smaller in the Mercedes rear view window. “Sex in the forest. Guess I can cross that off my bucket list. Sex with a werewolf, too.”
Deke’s eyes crinkle, but—characteristically—he says nothing.
After he met me back at the resort, we stayed and had another round of epic sex in the room, skipping the farewell wedding lunch.
I called for a late check-out, and we showered together then had a very late lunch before packing our bags and checking out. As much as the resort and the crowds aren’t his scene, I got the feeling Deke didn’t want to leave.
Like, maybe he doesn’t want to get back to the real world yet. Maybe he’s worried about us.
Something suddenly occurs to me. “So the no mixing with civilians thing, was that really, no mixing with… humans?”
He hesitates. “Yes and no. The thing about me being dangerous, Sadie.” He looks over and my stomach cinches up. “It’s real.”
“We already talked that through,” I say stubbornly.
“Yes, but what you didn’t understand when we talked it through is that I have a wild animal inside me. And sometimes, I lose control of him.”
I suddenly want to cry. Not for myself but for him. His pain is palpable.
“You didn’t lose control this morning. I mean, you tackled Scott, but you didn’t hurt him. You definitely wouldn’t have hurt me.”
He seems to consider this. His shoulders relax a bit. “Yeah. You’re right. I think my fear over hurting you kept me in control.”
“So you’re safe. I know you’re safe.”
I do. I know it to my bones. There’s no other man—werewolf—on the planet more safe for me.
As we come down a mountain and back into cell service range, my phone wakes up. It chirps at me, announcing a missed call and voicemail.
“Is that Scott?” Deke growls low. His hands instantly white-knuckle the steering wheel. It had taken me a while to shake off Scott after he so gallantly—(not)—came to my rescue with resort security. Deke showed up, though, and showed a touch of menace when he told Scott to stay away from me, or there would be trouble.
“No. My dad.” I click off my phone, ignoring my missed messages. He’s probably calling to see if Scott and I got back together.
It’s evening when we pull up to my townhouse. It feels later than it is. The sky is dark and heavy with clouds. Deke parks, and I climb out of his ride. Before I can ask, Deke grabs my suitcase and walks me to my door. He sets my bag inside but remains outside. His big hand grips the doorframe, and he leans closer like he wants to come in but needs permission.
“I should get back to headquarters.”
I don’t want to pressure him, but I suddenly have this irrational fear that once he gets back to his own kind, they’ll talk him out of being with me.
“Can you just spend the night tonight? Go back tomorrow?”
He scrubs a hand over his face. “I want to, baby.”
“Please?” I might be doing puppy-eyes.
“Fuck, you’re hard to say no to.”
I smile.
He follows me inside.
Okay, you got him inside. Now what? “Wine?” I offer, in an attempt at hospitality.
Deke shakes his head.
Since I’m already in the kitchen, I head to the outlet I use as a charging station. I plug in my phone, and it turns on, buzzing like an angry hornet.
“Ugh,” I growl when I see who’s been calling me. “It’s not Scott,” I say to Deke, who’s lurking in my living room, a giant, gloomy shadow. “Hang on.” I hold up a finger, and I call my father back. It goes straight to his voicemail.
I hold Deke’s gaze as I leave a message. “Hello, Dad? I’m not in the mood to talk to you. Not today and probably not for a while. Scott and I are broken up. He’s a creep, and we’re done. And if you don’t stop trying to control me, I’m done with you too.” And I hang up.
“Fuck him,” I mutter and toss my phone back on the kitchen counter.
Deke blows out a breath that sounds like a laugh.
“Did you like that?” I approach him slowly, like he’s a wild animal ready to run.
“Yeah.” Up close, his eyes twinkle.
“I should’ve set boundaries years ago,” I say. Step by step, I get closer. “I just needed help.” When I’m close enough to touch Deke. He hasn’t moved. His hands are by his sides.
“You help me, Deke. You make me brave.”
“You don’t need me. You’re brave all on your own. You were going to rescue Scott from a wild wolf this morning.”
I laugh, remembering. I still can’t believe he’s a wolf. I mean, I can—it seems exactly right—but it’s all so fantastical.
“Well, that wild wolf likes me,” I say, batting my lashes.
His eyes crinkle again.
“What about your friends? Are you worried they won’t accept me?”
He hesitates, tension returning to his shoulders.
I take his hand and tug him toward the bedroom. “We can figure this out,” I whisper. He follows, scooping me into the air as I cross the threshold and carrying me to the bed.
“Yeah. We’ll figure it out.”
Deke
I somehow manage to go slow with Sadie. I guess the fact that I’ve already had her three times in the last twenty-four hours has soothed my wolf enough that he stays under control. I climb over my beautiful female and undress her, kissing down her neck, between her breasts, to her belly button. I avoid the most erotic zones, saving them for after the build-up. With my tongue, I trace a circle around her belly button. Then I skip to her inner thigh, flicking my tongue in a path toward home, but not touching her where I know she needs it most.