Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Maisy
For the second day in a row, I wake in a strange bed.
But this time, I know I’m safe even before I open my eyes.
I smell Matthias’ scent all around me. The memory of being cradled in his arms last night–well, technically this morning, but I’m calling it last night since I’ve slept between then and now–still makes me tingle all over.
I still feel amazing. The sun shines bright, high in the sky. I’m in a light, clean room that’s decorated in light brown and soft blue colors to match the blue water sparkling outside the big bay window.
I’m wearing the wedding ring and the diamonds, but I’m wrapped in a fluffy bathrobe. The wedding dress hangs by the closet.
I guess I fell asleep on Matthias’ lap last night. He must have carried me here and tucked me in.
The opposite side of the bed is still made, but there’s a big dent in it, like a giant bear-man lounged there. He lay on top of the blankets, like a gentleman.
Maybe today I’ll have the courage to ask him to take my V-card. Or at least find out why he’s so afraid he’ll hurt me.
“Good morning.” Matthias walks in with two blue mugs of steaming coffee.
“Is it still morning? It was morning when I fell asleep.”
“It’s eleven.” He offers me a mug.
“For me?” I accept it with a sigh.
“It’s not as good as what you make, but I figured I’d start the day doing my duty as your husband.”
Oh. My. God. He’s calling himself my husband. I mean, he is legally my husband, but it was just to save me from my dad’s scheme. Except now I don’t ever want this to end.
I am definitely jumping this man’s bones. I’m adding it to my New Year’s resolution list. “Thanks, husband.” I grin at him.
“Anytime, wife.”
I pat the bed next to me, and he takes a seat. His weight makes the bed sink around him and tips me towards him.
“Did you sleep okay?” He peers at me like he wants to make sure I’m not going keel over.
“Yes. Where are we?”
“Lake Las Vegas, just outside the city. I didn’t want to go far. I need to monitor you in case you have an adverse reaction to the medicine I gave you.”
“I feel great. Better than great, actually.” I feel ridiculously glamorous, lying in a mansion bed with a fortune in diamonds on my finger and around my neck.
Talk about a glow-up.
With a flash of guilt, I remember my real life. “Did Daisy call?”
“Not yet. She’s probably still sleeping. Everest is with her, and Wren and Paloma promised to entertain her today.”
That makes me feel better. “I’ll video conference her later, when she’s awake. Are your brothers staying here too?”
“They’re still in town, keeping an eye on things.” He keeps it vague, and I don’t pry.
I should probably ask about Lucky Lou and my dad, but I don’t want to. I just want to pretend everything’s fine for a few hours.
“We’re safe here.”
“It’s like we’re on our honeymoon,” I tease, but my face heats.
“That’s right.” The corners of his lips quirk, and I’m struck momentarily speechless by his handsomeness. He’s not wearing his glasses, and while he’s unspeakably hot with the black frames, seeing his face up close and unhindered makes me swoon.
I realize he’s still talking.
“Pardon?”
“I said, you probably don’t get a lot of time off from the cafe.”
“No,” I say. “I pretty much run things these days. Daisy’s still the owner, and we have some great staff but…”
“You’re the one who keeps things moving. I’ve noticed that. You also help Daisy with all her civic projects. Like Winterfest.”
He…noticed that? He’s noticed me?
The dreamy teen inside me squeals, I knew it! I mean something to him. He cares.
I squash her down before I embarrass myself.
“Don’t get me started on Winterfest,” I say lightly to cover my fluster.
Matthias chuckles.
“But you’re one to talk. You work all the time. When you’re not doing shifts at the hospital, you’re volunteering at the clinic.”
“Guilty.” He raises his hands. “I prescribe a day off. A real vacation. Doctor’s orders.”
“Yes, sir,” I throw him a cheeky salute.
His eyes flash blue. Just for a second, but the color shift is so uncanny, it stuns me. Calling him sir affects him. Just like it does all those dommy heroes in the books I love.
But he continues talking, like nothing happened. “All right, little wife. What do you want to do on your honeymoon?”
Matthias
My gorgeous wife is going to be the death of me. We’ve only been married a few hours, and the first thing she wants to do after eating is…swim in the pool.
With me.
This morning on the party bus I nearly lost control. Maisy was rocking that sweet pussy over my lap. The scent of her arousal had my bear turning wild.
I wanted to throw her down on the bus bench and feast between her legs. Make her scream my name as I sank my teeth into her shoulder and marked her forever as mine.
But that would be wrong. So wrong. Her first kiss was at the altar! She may be legally of age, but she’s still so very innocent.
And I want to do all manner of filthy things with her.
I learned some disturbing things about myself when trying to find ways to blow off steam during med school.
I learned I like to inflict pain. I love the sound of a leather strap across flesh.
I like to hear the pained cry of a submissive in bondage.
I need to play rough. I’ve imagined doing those things to Maisy… which is wrong.
So wrong.
Maisy doesn’t deserve that kind of treatment. She’s not ready for me and my bear.
I can’t trust myself with her.
I wrap a band around my arm to get the vein to stand out, then inject a dulling dose of Moon Cure, change into a swimsuit, and head outside.
Lana had a whole wardrobe delivered, so Maisy has something to wear. But when she emerges from the house in a tiny yellow polka-dot bikini that flatters her curves, I nearly lose control. She’s taken off the diamond necklace but is still wearing her wedding ring.
As she should be. If she were really mine, I’d order her to wear nothing but barely-there lingerie and her wedding ring when we’re at home. It would mean cranking up the thermostat and paying a fortune in heating costs, but it’d be worth it.
Her shoulders hunch as she picks at the bikini strings as if wishing there were more fabric. She’s probably nervous because usually she doesn’t show so much skin.
“Maisy,” I growl.
Her blue eyes fly to mine like she’s alarmed at my tone.
I’ll try to dial back the lust. The desire. The need to throw her down and lick between her legs until she screams. I clear my throat. “You look delicious,” I say.
Oops. So much for dialing back. Nice would’ve been a better word choice. But it’s true that I want to eat her up. Consume her.
She whispers, “Thank you.”
Then she takes in my outfit. I’m in a brand new pair of board shorts that I found in the pool house. My friends Lucius and Selene keep extra swimwear on hand for guests.
I’m a shifter, so it’s nothing to be naked. But Maisy has probably never seen me shirtless.
She’s getting an eyeful now, and my bear smugly notes the spots of color on her cheeks. The scent of her arousal.
Oh, fuck–that scent. How will I ever maintain control?
“Is that blood on your arm?” She points to the inside of my elbow where a drop of blood remains from my injection of Moon Cure.
I scrub it off. “Probably a mosquito bite,” I lie. I don’t want to upset her. Her mother died of an overdose in front of her.
Then she clears her throat and looks away–at the lake, the sky, the pool, anywhere but me. “Um, yeah, you look nice too. More than nice.”
I realize I’m staring at her cleavage, imagining gripping her fleshy hips and pulling her against me. What would it be like to pinch those taut nipples and tug a little? To make her whimper with the mixture of pain and pleasure?
No!
Nope. No. No way. Not happening. I can’t think that way about Maisy.
Last night was her first kiss. Her. First. Kiss.
So she’s not even close to ready for the torrent of aggression and lust I would unleash on her if I don’t hold myself in check.
I gotta get a hold of myself. “So…let me show you around the house.”
“I’d love that,” Maisy murmurs.
The mansion design is a faux-Classical style with Corinthian columns and balanced proportions. It’s a little less gaudy than the surrounding homes because of the little details like the imported marble floors and mosaic tile around the pool. Even the landscaping is tasteful, designed for privacy.
“This place is amazing,” Maisy says.
We’re both not looking at each other, but all I want to do is look at her.
“A friend of mine owns it.” Lucius, the vampire king of Tucson, isn’t friends with many people, but he made an exception for me since I’ve treated his mate.
Lucius’s soulmate, Selene, is a creature that defies legend.
Lucius reached out to me and asked me to perform some discreet medical tests to make sure she’s healthy.
The shifter community has a deficit when it comes to doctors up to speed on the latest medical modalities and an even smaller amount doing the type of research I am.
I obliged and pronounced her the healthiest person on the planet.
And that’s saying something because Lucius is immortal.
Since then, Lucius has become a benefactor of sorts. His funding of my research allowed me to pay off all my student loans and sock away the savings that I used this morning to buy Maisy the ring and necklace.
Our partnership has borne a lot of fruit.
Lucius gave me permission to run experiments on his blood, experiments that led to me developing the healing serum I developed for my mom’s condition and used on Maisy last night.
He’s my main donor, so he’s more than repaid the favor for private medical care.
And now he’s provided us with a safe house.
I’ll have to send him and Selene a thank you gift.
I extend my hand to Maisy. “Shall we, wife?” I don’t get to call her mate, but my dick gets hard every time I call her that. Even if it’s only temporary.