Chapter 23 #2
He swung himself onto the ladder and, like a cat burglar, he descended until he was at the same height as the window to Charlotte’s room.
He leaned over, continuing to hold onto the ladder with one hand.
With his other hand, he gently tapped on the window, loud enough so Charlotte would hear him, but quiet enough so the men guarding her room wouldn’t be alerted.
He noticed movement in the room and finally saw Charlotte, dressed in a short red nightgown, approach the window.
When her gaze fell onto him, her eyes widened, and she quickly opened the sash window.
“Byron,” she whispered.
“Hey, babe,” he replied just as quietly. “Move to the side a bit, so I can get in.”
She did as he’d asked, and he heaved himself through the opening. A moment later, he was in the room. He instantly closed the window and the curtains so that nobody outside the house would be able to see them.
Charlotte put her arms around him. “We have to be careful. Jude put somebody outside the door.”
“I know,” he whispered. “I already tried that. But I thought getting into a fight with two of his men wouldn’t help our cause.”
“Two men? One wasn’t enough? Damn it, I’ll rip Jude’s head off in the morning.”
“Shh.” He put a finger over her lips. “It doesn’t matter right now. I found a way to be with you anyway.”
He dipped his head and slid his lips over hers and kissed her.
She responded to the kiss, pressing her warm body to his.
Through the thin fabric of her nightdress, he could feel every curve of her body.
His own body awoke instantly, ready for more than just a kiss, but he had to talk to her first. Reluctantly, he severed the kiss.
“I spoke to Tim, the bounty hunter, earlier this evening.”
Her eyes widened with excitement. “He found something?”
“He has a lead. Not sure yet, whether it’ll pan out, but I’m hopeful.”
“What kind of lead?”
“A fatal car accident that might not have been an accident after all. The Leon pack is somehow involved. Tim is digging into it. He’ll let me know as soon as he has more information.”
Charlotte nodded, though he could see the disappointment written on her face. He shelved her chin on his hand and tipped her face up.
“Trust me. If anybody can find dirt, it’s Tim. He’s the best.”
A hesitant smile spread around her lips. “Thank you. For everything you’re doing. Jude and Austin are also looking into the Leons, but they haven’t found anything yet. At least, they haven’t told me anything yet.”
“I don’t want you to worry. Even if we can’t find anything that we can prove, I’ll never give up on you. And if your parents and the Alliance insist that you mate with Steve Leon, we have other options left. He’ll never touch you, I promise you that.”
Byron’s words gave her hope. She knew she could count on him. Byron wasn’t the kind of man who gave up just because there was a little hurdle. He was stronger and smarter than that. And knowing that he did all this for her made her heart overflow with love for him.
“I don’t know what I would do without you,” Charlotte murmured.
He pulled her closer to him and chuckled softly. “For starters, you’d get a good night’s sleep without me.”
She liked the way he was thinking. “I’m not getting any sleep?”
“Not a wink,” he promised.
Charlotte went on her tiptoes and brought her lips to his. “Kiss me, baby.”
Without a word, he followed her demand. His lips were firm and warm, while his hands already roamed her body, caressing her, exploring her. Through the thin nightgown, she felt as if he was stoking the flame inside her with every touch. As if he infused her with liquid fire wherever he touched her.
Byron’s kiss was hungry as if they hadn’t seen each other in weeks or months, when it was only a few hours ago that they’d lain in each other’s arms in San Francisco.
Perhaps the fact that they were doing this despite Jude and Austin’s objections made her feel like she was committing a crime.
A beautiful crime, one that felt better than anything she’d ever done in her life.
If this was forbidden, a sin, or whatever else they would call it, then she would go to hell.
But as long as Byron was there beside her, she didn’t care where she ended up.
Charlotte began to tug on Byron’s T-shirt, and he interrupted the kiss to pull it over his head and toss it on the floor.
His jogging pants followed. To her delight, he wore nothing beneath them.
She ran her eyes over his glorious body.
He was like a statue of a Greek god, a very well-endowed Greek god with defined muscles.
“My turn now,” he whispered.
She lifted her gaze to his face and noticed the desire in his eyes. There was a golden ring around his irises, an indication that his inner wolf was lurking just beneath the surface, ready to emerge at a moment’s notice. She felt her womb clench in anticipation.
Byron’s hands were gentle when he slid first one spaghetti strap off her shoulder, then the other one. The lace along her decolletage caught on her stiff nipples, the contact sending an electrical charge through her. An involuntary moan released from her throat.
“Oh, babe,” Byron murmured. “You are so sexy.”
He pushed the garment down with both hands, and it fell to the floor, pooling around her bare feet.
“I need you,” she replied, sliding her hands to his shoulders, pulling him closer once more.
“Not as much as I need you,” Byron claimed and lifted her into his arms.
He carried her the few steps to the king-sized bed and laid her down onto the sheets. She reached for him, when he suddenly hesitated.
“Oh crap. I forgot the condoms upstairs. I’ll have to go climb back into my room. I’ll be right back.”
“I have more here,” she assured him, and pointed to the nightstand.
“Thank God.”
He opened the drawer and pulled a condom from it. She watched him as he ripped open the package and removed the condom. He rolled it over his erection, and it seemed so tight that it looked as if it would rip any second. Then he rolled over her, bracing himself on his elbows and knees.
“So, where were we?”
She smirked. “I think you were about to make love to me.”
“Ahh, how could I forget?”
Byron seemed to be in a playful mood, and she liked that.
He was relaxed, rather than tense, about the fact that Jude’s men had tried to prevent them from seeing each other.
This revelation was the exact opposite of how Jude had described him: hot-headed and short-tempered.
Nothing of the like was now evident in Byron’s behavior.
“Something wrong, babe?” he asked, a frown building on his forehead.
She quickly shook her head. “I was just thinking that you’re nothing like Jude described you.”
“I hope that’s a good thing.”
“A very good thing.”
Charlotte spread her legs and wrapped them around Byron’s thighs, drawing him closer.
“Oh, I see, my little vixen is impatient.”
“You would be too if somebody had locked you in a high tower.”
He chuckled softly, and she loved the little dimples in his cheeks. They made him look much younger than he was.
“Alright, then I’d better give you what you need.”
He shifted, and a moment later, she felt his cock slide into her slowly until he was fully submerged.
At the sensual feeling, all the air rushed from her lungs.
He felt bigger than the last time, almost as if he’d grown larger.
Or perhaps it felt like this because he was moving as if in slow-motion.
With every cell of her body, she could feel their connection.
Not just the physical one, but also the intangible one.
As if their hearts connected on a different plane.
Their gazes locked, and they moved in synch with each other’s breaths.
Charlotte felt perspiration spread on her skin, mirroring the sheen on Byron’s naked skin.
With every thrust, their bodies came together, the contact smooth and seamless, in perfect harmony.
She felt her arousal mount, increasing with every movement.
Her heart rate spiked, and her breathing became ragged, her chest heaving.
Byron’s tempo increased, plunging harder and deeper into her.
She welcomed his thrusts. With her hands on his hips, she forced him to move even faster.
“Fuck, babe,” he let out on a ragged breath.
“I’m almost there, baby,” she assured him.
Another few breaths, and she felt her clitoris tingle in the familiar way that announced the approach of her orgasm.
She shut her eyes and let herself go, allowing all air to leave her lungs and her climax to wash over her.
In the next instant, she felt Byron’s cock spasm inside her.
She opened her eyes and saw the change in his face as his orgasm claimed him.
It took several more seconds before all their movements stilled, and Byron collapsed on top of her.
Before he could roll off her, she put her arms around him, her legs still wrapped around his thighs.
“Let me feel you,” she whispered to him. “Stay inside me.”
He let out a contented sigh. “I don’t think I could move right now, even if I wanted to.”
Charlotte gazed into his eyes. “It feels so good to be with you.”
He smiled at her, then brushed his lips over hers in a featherlight kiss. “You feel even better. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of you. I love you.”
She felt tears brimming in her eyes, overwhelmed by her emotions, even though Byron had already told her he loved her.
“Don’t cry, my love,” he murmured softly.
“I’m sorry.”
He shook his head. “You’ll never have to apologize to me. It’s the hormones, isn’t it? There’s nothing you can do about that.”
She sniffled, surprised that he understood what was going on inside her. “I wasn’t expecting you to…” She couldn’t find the right words to finish her sentence.
“…to know what a woman goes through when she’s in heat?” He smiled and gave her another tender kiss. “With you, I can feel it. As if it was happening to me, not just to you. But I have bad news for you.”
His last words sent a shockwave through her. Her heart stopped for a beat before restarting at double the speed.
“You’ll be going into heat longer and more frequently from now on. Because you’re with me. Your body recognizes me as your intended mate.”
Relieved, she let out the breath she was holding. She punched her fist into his shoulder.
“That wasn’t funny!” Nevertheless, she had to smile.
“It wasn’t supposed to be funny. I’m just saying: with you going into heat and staying in heat for longer than normal, you’re gonna have to toss me out of your bed if you want to get any rest at all. There’s nothing more enticing than making love to a woman in heat.”
“So what you’re saying is that you have no self-control.”
He laughed. “Not when it comes to you.”
“That’s gonna be a problem…” She paused just long enough for the expression on his face to change. “’cause I don’t have any self-control either when it comes to you.”
He chuckled, visibly relieved. “Well, we’re a pair, aren’t we?”
Before she could say anything else, he kissed her, and this time, it wasn’t a short peck but a passionate kiss that robbed her of her breath. But she wouldn’t have it any other way.