Sam, I care about you.”
In that clichéd second before he bought the farm, so to
speak, the only thing he could think of was Sam. Of making her his. Of what a
jackass he was. Now he’d been given a second chance.
Jeremiah had appeared like a hallucination of yellow
sunshine. As Trent lay there fighting death, he’d thought it was a figment of
his twisted imagination. A shot had rent out. The smell had stung his nose. The
wolf at his throat had released, snarling. It had found a new target. Sam.
She’d saved his ass. As she’d backed up, her brown eyes wide, lower lip
trembling, he’d felt her heart exploding with fear. The gun had wavered in her
hand, too heavy for her frame. Another shot, another burst of acrid gunpowder.
The wolf took it, kept on moving.
He’d never been good around others. Kill, fight and fuck. He
was one hell of a selfish bastard. He was top cat and everyone else was beneath
him. As he’d laid on the ground, there had been one spark left inside him.
Shifting would have saved his life. Forcing his body upright, he’d known he
needed to throw every ounce of strength he had left to protect his mate—to save
her life.
When he rose from the ground and pushed forward, there’d
never been a choice. Without her, he was nothing.
Grasping the bundle of keys hanging from her ignition, she
cranked. The motor roared to life—tires squealed. The truck bounced over the
grass until it smoothed under the pavement. She sped through the rain, pressing
the pedal all the way down.
“Forget it. I’m not going through with it. Right now, you
don’t know what you want. I saw the look in your eyes when I told you that you
were my familiar. That doesn’t go away because you’ve had a near-death
experience.”
The urge to smash his fist through the window surely wasn’t
going to win him any points. Never in all his life had he met someone who
frustrated him the way she did.
“Damn it, woman, stop being so stubborn! I know exactly what
I want. It’s you who’s having the issue. Sure, I was scared, still am. But I’m
more terrified of losing you. So what if it took me almost dying to realize
that? There might not be another chance. We’ll grow into each other. I’ll be
what you need.”
The truck veered off the highway, onto the long stretch of
bumpy road his property was set on. She took the driveway at forty miles per
hour, making his teeth rattle. He waited, stomach starting to knot with a sick
feeling. She’d been silent too long.
A moment later, the modest, one-story cabin he and his
brother had lived in all their lives came into view. A lake formed around the
back of the house and surrounded the property like a peninsula. The surface was
normally calm. Tonight, it rippled from the rain. Sam pulled to a stop, killed
the engine but didn’t move. Over her breathing, the only thing he heard was the
rain pelting the roof.
He dropped the blanket he clutched around his shoulders. The
wool pooled around his waist, scratchy and abrasive on his skin. Trent reached
across the seat and cupped the side of her face that was pointed to her window.
He turned her head, slid near, and closed the distance between them. He moved
his finger along her face, cradling her cheek and the back of her neck.
When he ran his tongue across her lower lip, the taste of
her tears broke his heart. Capturing her mouth, he pushed his need for her into
their kiss. Desperate. He held her tight. Wet, tangling strands of hair covered
his fingers. Every ounce of love and frustration he had, he poured into that
moment. She responded, curved into him, her hands trailing over his chest, over
the fresh scars.
She moaned into him. His stomach coiled, muscles jumping.
Their heads turned, pressed together in a new angle that made his brain shut
off. He dropped his hands from her face and cupped her shoulders before sliding
around her back. Despite his injuries, his cock grew stiff against her thigh.
At least something worked. She froze
In that clichéd second before he bought the farm, so to
speak, the only thing he could think of was Sam. Of making her his. Of what a
jackass he was. Now he’d been given a second chance.
Jeremiah had appeared like a hallucination of yellow
sunshine. As Trent lay there fighting death, he’d thought it was a figment of
his twisted imagination. A shot had rent out. The smell had stung his nose. The
wolf at his throat had released, snarling. It had found a new target. Sam.
She’d saved his ass. As she’d backed up, her brown eyes wide, lower lip
trembling, he’d felt her heart exploding with fear. The gun had wavered in her
hand, too heavy for her frame. Another shot, another burst of acrid gunpowder.
The wolf took it, kept on moving.
He’d never been good around others. Kill, fight and fuck. He
was one hell of a selfish bastard. He was top cat and everyone else was beneath
him. As he’d laid on the ground, there had been one spark left inside him.
Shifting would have saved his life. Forcing his body upright, he’d known he
needed to throw every ounce of strength he had left to protect his mate—to save
her life.
When he rose from the ground and pushed forward, there’d
never been a choice. Without her, he was nothing.
Grasping the bundle of keys hanging from her ignition, she
cranked. The motor roared to life—tires squealed. The truck bounced over the
grass until it smoothed under the pavement. She sped through the rain, pressing
the pedal all the way down.
“Forget it. I’m not going through with it. Right now, you
don’t know what you want. I saw the look in your eyes when I told you that you
were my familiar. That doesn’t go away because you’ve had a near-death
experience.”
The urge to smash his fist through the window surely wasn’t
going to win him any points. Never in all his life had he met someone who
frustrated him the way she did.
“Damn it, woman, stop being so stubborn! I know exactly what
I want. It’s you who’s having the issue. Sure, I was scared, still am. But I’m
more terrified of losing you. So what if it took me almost dying to realize
that? There might not be another chance. We’ll grow into each other. I’ll be
what you need.”
The truck veered off the highway, onto the long stretch of
bumpy road his property was set on. She took the driveway at forty miles per
hour, making his teeth rattle. He waited, stomach starting to knot with a sick
feeling. She’d been silent too long.
A moment later, the modest, one-story cabin he and his
brother had lived in all their lives came into view. A lake formed around the
back of the house and surrounded the property like a peninsula. The surface was
normally calm. Tonight, it rippled from the rain. Sam pulled to a stop, killed
the engine but didn’t move. Over her breathing, the only thing he heard was the
rain pelting the roof.
He dropped the blanket he clutched around his shoulders. The
wool pooled around his waist, scratchy and abrasive on his skin. Trent reached
across the seat and cupped the side of her face that was pointed to her window.
He turned her head, slid near, and closed the distance between them. He moved
his finger along her face, cradling her cheek and the back of her neck.
When he ran his tongue across her lower lip, the taste of
her tears broke his heart. Capturing her mouth, he pushed his need for her into
their kiss. Desperate. He held her tight. Wet, tangling strands of hair covered
his fingers. Every ounce of love and frustration he had, he poured into that
moment. She responded, curved into him, her hands trailing over his chest, over
the fresh scars.
She moaned into him. His stomach coiled, muscles jumping.
Their heads turned, pressed together in a new angle that made his brain shut
off. He dropped his hands from her face and cupped her shoulders before sliding
around her back. Despite his injuries, his cock grew stiff against her thigh.
At least something worked. She froze
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