As I sit here staring into James’ sparkling green eyes, I see they’re blown wide with lust. His hands hold a punishing grip on my hips, keeping me in place, not that I’d want to be anywhere other than right here. I’ve never been more turned on in my life. For years I questioned if James found me attractive. If I’d ever be the woman that he looks at and feels that undeniable desire like I have. I’ve undressed him hundreds of times in my head. Imagined what it would be like to have his body hovering above me. Sweat glistening off our skin. I’ve even wondered what he tastes like. But never have I thought those thoughts would be reciprocated…. Until now. “You might be my wife, Rosalind. But I will not take you,” he pulled back, jerking his hips again, “Until you call off the divorce.”It felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over my body. I’d entirely forgotten about the impending divorce. The one that I’d initiated. A perfectly straight, white row of teeth pulled Jame
James stood in the doorway of the bathroom; his lips slightly parted as he adjusted the bulge in his pants. My eyes widened when the realization that he’d just seen me pleasure myself. Did he hear me moan his name?Embarrassment washed over me like a tidal wave. I tried to cover my body with my hands, but James growled, “Don’t you dare.”Once again, my eyes widened as they met his. He continued palming at his length straining against the zipper of his pants.“Wha…. What are you doing here?” The words left my lips as more of a squeak. “Do I need an excuse to come back home to my wife?” his words reignited the heat in my core, and my legs squeezed together beneath the water. James stepped closer, his eyes leaving a trail of fire over my body. Bubbles concealed most of my nudeness, but my nipples peaked just about the surface. “The image of you coming from your fingers is going to be burned into my mind forever, Rosalind,” he ran his fingers through his hair, “The way your lips parte
“Are we going to talk about last night?” I chewed on my lower lip, staring at James. He’d just climbed out of a shower. A towel hung low on his hips, stealing my attention.Whatever happened yesterday changed something between us. His movements froze mid reach for a dress shirt, “Do you have something you’d like to talk about?”That was the million-dollar question. Did I want to bring attention to the obvious shift in our relationship, or pretend like this is how it’s always been and ignore the obvious Elephant in the room? I’ve dreamed of moments like these for years. And it all started with a kiss on the couch last night. This morning, I’m laying on my stomach in James’ bed, watching him get ready for work. His head appeared around the door frame, “You obviously have something on your mind, Rosalind.”A heavy breath slipped from my lips as they pulled down, “I guess I just feel like we went from zero to one hundred really fast….” I paused, completely forgetting what I was going t
Marina’s patchouli scent filled the room, suffocating me with the mixture of her and Rosalind. It had almost faded from my memory after all this time, but now that she’s here; it’s stronger than ever. Her words were angry, but in her face, I could see the pain that she hid behind a snarl. I’d hurt her with my actions. I’ve been so worried about finding a way to keep Rosa in my life that I’d completely pushed her aside and threatened to reject her. I knew she wouldn’t leave. I knew she’d be mine no matter what. It’s why she didn’t fight me in my office. The woman was a firecracker, but for me, she’d fall at my feet. Because she loved me. And despite that, I’d found myself falling for Rosalind over my first mate. The pull with Marina hadn’t been there for so long. That was so selfish of me, but I couldn’t help it. Every time I got closer to Rosalind, Onyx seemed to react. Marina didn’t have a wolf, so she couldn’t understand the piece of me that was lost when Onyx was taken from
Fear encapsulated my mind each time that James spoke. But Marina's words kept replaying in my mind.If you don't tell her, I will.
“When my pack was attacked, something happened to my wolf, and he’s been trapped in some sort of holding cell in my head ever since,” James finally walked over, sitting next to me on the bed. His elbows rested on his knees and his face fell into his hands, “I’ve been without him for over three years and you,” he glanced to his right, “You somehow hold the key to him coming back to me.”“None of this makes any sense, James.”“Whoever attacked my pack, personally attacked me by locking away my wolf. I’ve not been able to make sense of it all myself,” James opened his mouth to continue, but his phone blared from his pocket. He ignored the call before another came through. “What?” he snapped answering the second call. A woman’s voice timidly told him that investors were all sitting in his conference room, impatiently awaiting his arrival. “Tell them to get the fuck out. I’ll deal with it later.”Her gasp had me placing my hand on his knee, “Go,” I whispered, “We will talk as soon as yo
The memory was so vivid, almost like a movie playing in my mind.I remember being shocked at his recovery. I’d never seen a human heal so fast. But that was only the tip of the iceberg.When he’d finally woken up, he was fully prepared to tear the hospital apart to get to Marina.He’d called her his mate. Which could only mean that when she said we were both his soulmates, that’s what he had meant all those years ago.“Trying to wrack that pretty little head for anything to dispute what he’s saying?” Marina snickered, waltzing into the room like she owned the place.I lifted my head, staring into her icy blue eyes. They lacked warmth, and I wondered why she hated me so much when I had been the one kept in the dark all this time.“Nothing to say?” she shook her head, arching a brow.“Why would you do that to him?”The question had been burning in the back of my mind. In all honesty, Marina had consistently done things that would hurt the man that she claims to love in an attempt to hu
I couldn’t speak coherent words at the moment, so I chose silence. Each time I thought I might try to speak; sobs rocked my body. I hated that this was the moment that James chose to come home.For years, I’ve managed to keep my feelings in check. I never wanted him to see me as weak. Not only that, but I needed to harness every ounce of strength I possessed just to make it through those years.After a while, James sat across from me on the floor of our kitchen. His long legs stretched all the way from the island to the opposite counters. He didn’t try to force me to talk or ask any questions, he just kept me company in the silence.“I forgot the sugar in my shortbread cookies,” I whispered, needing to break that silence that stretched between us. It was the first thing that came to my mind, despite the looming bomb that James had dropped on me earlier in the day.“Can’t you just add it now?” James questioned, sounding genuinely confused.My lip quivered as I finally raised my face fr
Confusion swims in my gut.Marina smells intoxicating, her scent swirling around me as fresh as the day I’d turned eighteen. I’m fighting the war inside my mind to keep my distance, but I’m weak, and Onyx feels trapped.Rosalind is watching our interaction, and the combination is making my head throb.“I don’t get it,” Marina whispers, shaking her head. Her pale blue eyes shimmer, and I know she’s hurting. The urge to wrap my arms around her is compelling, but I fight that too.“Rosalind is my mate. I have no doubt in my mind. Neither of you are willing to share, so I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.”The engine to my Audi roars to life, and before I can fully process what’s happening, my eyes widen on Rosa’s tear-filled gaze in the driver’s seat.Gravel flies in every direction, some hitting my shin, but I don’t give a fuck. I’m chasing the car, “Rosa, wait!”“James!” Marina shouts at my back, her voice laced with fear, when Rosalind almost hits me putting the car in drive.I
One of my leggings was cut to the knee and the other was soaking wet, clinging to my thigh like a second skin. Normally, I’d use the opposite leg for leverage, but at the risk of popping my fresh stitches, I fall back onto the bed.Shawn returns with the scissors, moving to kneel in front of me for the third time today before our eyes lock and he offers me a small smile, “I won’t look.”My chest flutters as I stare into eyes I’ve known all my life.“It’s not like you haven’t seen me before, Shawn.”He chuckles, “That’s fair. But I know you, and I won’t look.”The backs of my eyes burn with unshed tears, and I pull my teeth between my lips, nodding.Shawn grips my pants at my ankle, carefully sliding the sharp end of the scissors beneath the hem. An involuntary shiver sends goosebumps spreading across my skin.His brows pinch together with concern as his movements halt, “I didn’t poke you, did I?”“The scissors are just cold.”Shawn lets out a relieved chuckle, “Once we get you out of
“What were you thinking, Rosie?” Shawn easily scooped me up, carrying me to his bathroom, and carefully deposited me onto the porcelain countertop.I feel the warm sticky sensation of blood against my foot, and I know my wound is worse than I initially thought.Shawn squats down, his large frame crowding the bathroom despite the fact that it’s the size of a small bedroom. He removed my shoe first, reaching beneath me to dig out a first aid kit, and dug out scissors.Our eyes met, his asking for permission, to which I nodded, and he cut a line down the seam of my leggings, revealing my very bloody leg.“Shit, Rosie,” he mutters, “This might be something you need to go back to the hospital for.”I grimaced at the thought. I knew for a fact that would be one of the few places James would check in his search for where I’d gone. Unless he already knows I’m here, which would be really bad for Shawn.“Nonsense,” I grit my teeth, the adrenaline of stealing James’ car wearing off, and allowing
“James,” Marina coos, “Baby, they won’t let me through.”Her voice grates against my eardrums and I fight the rising anger that simmers beneath my skin.“What are you doing here?” James’ tone is lethal, startling even to me. I’ve never heard him speak to Marina in such a tone, but I won’t lie when I say it filled me with satisfaction.Her pale blue eyes shift to me sitting in the front seat, narrowing for a fraction of a second before she returns her gaze to James. Her bottom lip trembles, and I watch as the actress puts on the perfect performance, “I came to check on you and Raslind,” she whispered, pronouncing my name incorrectly. “I came by the hospital, but you weren’t there. She didn’t tell you?”James ran his hands through his hair, and I was desperate to know what was going through his mind. I knew from experience that once he started showing his nervous tic, I was never sure what was going to come next.“I made it very clear that you weren’t welcome here any longer,” James sur
“You should have called, Rosa,” James glanced over at me. His hand rested atop my thigh while the other gripped the steering wheel, “I was worried sick.”“I didn’t think about it,” I whispered, feeling guilt seep beneath my skin. I hated lying to him, and I felt even worse that I’d dragged Dante and Joanne into lying with me. “I’m sorry.”The words tasted bitter on my tongue. I wasn’t a liar, but the last few months I’d found myself keeping more to myself. Hiding things that I wouldn’t normally hide.I didn’t like it.James squeezed my thigh, “Don’t be. Dante was right,” he sighed, “I overthink and you’re an independent woman. It’s something I love about you.”I bring my hand to his, interlocking our fingers, “I get it. Especially with everything that just happened. I assumed I was safe with them.”Another lie. The pit in my stomach grows with every understanding word he speaks, and every lie that rolls with ease off my tongue.“You are,” he chuckled, “I have great family. And they lo
I’ve dialed Rosa at least ten times.Ten fucking times my calls have gone unanswered.Even my earlier text asking her if she wanted her regular from her favorite Chinese restaurant went unanswered.Pulling up her contact, I click on the map of her location.“What the fuck?”My knuckles grow white as I grip the steering wheel with new force. Why the hell is she with Dante and Joanne? Did something happen at the house?A lethal combination of fear and fury floods my veins, and I press my foot against the accelerator, zipping around cars without caution. I don’t fucking care.‘I would have felt if she was in danger,’ Onyx tries to reason with me, but I tune him out. I’ve relied on him in the past and look where that got me….. And when was he the voice of reason? He’s an animal with one thing on his mind and that’s making sure Rosalind is kept safe and sound within the walls of our home.He expressed interest in chaining her up a few times, which I shut down for obvious reasons. But if sh
“You brought your idiot brother?” Dante groaned as he opened the front door.“Nice to see you again, too,” Chris muttered.“I’m sorry, Rosalind,” Dante dipped down, whispering in my ear, “He asks far too many stupid questions.”“What is that delicious smell?” Chris has long forgotten Dante’s comment as he heads towards the kitchen, inhaling deeply.“My lovely mate is baking. Something about keeping Rosa happy,” Dante shrugged, “I’m starting to think it’s a ploy to get me fattened up, though.”“Hey now,” Joanne calls from the kitchen, “You can’t blame me for all that.”Dante gasps, “Woman, don’t you start insulting me in front of my daughter in law.”Joanne rounds the corner of the kitchen, wrapping me in a tight hug, “I’m so sorry about what happened to you,” she pulls away, keeping her hands on my shoulders, “If you need to stay here to feel safe, there is always space for you.”“Thank you,” I whisper, my emotions flooding me as I stare into her motherly gaze.“Pumpkin,” Dante chirps
Dante sighed on the other end of the line, and I bit my lip, wondering if he would actually turn me down. There was a good chance that he did, and fear gripped my heart at the thought.“Are you trying to get me on James’ bad side?” he grumbled, his voice laced with irritation.“Will you do it, or not?”If I spent all day explaining the reasons that James might be upset, I would certainly talk myself out of taking charge, but I needed answers.“Can you meet me at the cabin?” Dante groaned, and I gasped in surprise, which he must have picked up on because he grunted, “I’m not agreeing to anything yet, but I’ll hear you out.”“I’ll be there asap.”******“What’s with the rush?” Chris groans, wiping the tiredness from his eyes.“I can’t drive and my driver is in the hospital. You were my only option.”Chris turned towards me, narrowing his eyes, “Gee, thanks. You could have called an Uber driver!” he shook his head, “I don’t get paid enough for this.”“It’s clearly stated in your brotherly
“I’ve increased security and will be checking in hourly. Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” James held my annoyed stare, knowing that nothing was getting in or out of these walls without him knowing.He held up his hands in mock surrender, “Fine. FINE. I get it,” he stepped towards me, his large frame crowding my space. My butt hit the counter and my crutches fell to the ground. James lifted me with ease and placing me atop the cool, granite countertop. A shiver rolled through my body as the chill seeped into my skin, “I’m allowed to worry about you, you know?”“Worry all you want, but don’t stop letting me live. Please. I’ll be fine and I trust that all of the additional security measures you’ve put in place will keep me extra safe,” I pecked his lips, attempting to pull away quickly, but he grabbed my face, crashing our lips together in a searing kiss.James held me there until we were both breathless, and my chest ached from the lack of oxygen.“The office can wait,” he growled