Chapter 14
As I get ready the next morning, I mull over the conversations I had last night with Aiden and Brent.
Brent came over and Aiden connected over the phone.
Brent scoped out Kinley’s house, cataloging all the scents using his beast’s incredible sense of smell.
Not even he could place the smell, but he did mention there were similarities to some of the scents he picked up the night Kinley had the intruder at the lake house.
Much to my frustration, we hadn’t been able to come to any conclusions.
What we did realize was that something much bigger was going on with her.
They both kept bringing up my need to be around her and how that was potentially linked.
I’m still not sure, but I’m convinced that meeting her can no longer be considered a coincidence.
It feels like a brush of fate, as my Grandmother would call it, and I’m not going to ignore it.
The guys busted my balls about it, but I’m looking forward to seeing her again today. I miss her in my bed, in my arms, the uncontrollable sounds she makes when I’m inside her.
My beast rears his head up and snorts in agreement at that thought. I’m really going to have to figure out how to reveal him to her. I know it’s only a matter of time before he breaks free. It’s a battle of wills with myself and the creature I share a soul with whenever Kinley is around.
But how can I bring her into my world without utterly terrifying her?
I tug at my hair in frustration. It’s much too soon to be thinking about this. I dread calling my Aunt, but if these urges keep up, I’m going to need help.
Swiping a hand over my face, I sit down in my sitting room, looking out into my wooded back yard. It’s still early, and dew coats the grass and the trees making everything shimmer. I sip my coffee, savoring the taste. It’s going to start getting cold soon. With the cold, comes ice.
I’m going to have to take some more trips up to the lake house before the freeze sets in.
It’s the only place close by that I can safely fully enjoy myself.
I sigh, thinking how much time that will take away from seeing Kinley if I don’t let her in on my big secret first. This is going to get complicated.
I check my GPS again, squinting through my windshield. Where the hell am I going?
I swear I’m in the middle of nowhere, and I’m really praying my signal holds strong.
I’m seriously contemplatingcalling Don, and begging for him to come find me.
I even double-checked with him before I left to make sure I had the correct address.
But I’m straight up in the woods, on a tiny ass dirt road.
At this point, I don’t even care if I do sound like a damsel in distress. I hate being lost. I pick up my phone and begin to slow my car, when I see a break in the trees up a little ways. Even if it isn’t a house, maybe I will have enough space to turn around.
Luck is on my side, though. As I pull through the longest driveway in history, I see a massive modern style cabin and several cars parked out front.
Seeing Don’s truck, I sigh in relief and pull up to the nearest space.
Thank god I found it, because now that the anxiety is wearing off, I really need to pee.
Hopping out of the car, I move around to grab the treats I baked the night before. Hearing a leaf crunch behind me makes me whirl around, fully prepared to sacrifice the treats by throwing them at whatever is coming up behind me.
But it’s just Brent, sporting a very devilish smirk.
“Jesus, Brent, you almost made me chuck brownies at you!”
Or piss myself—thank god for Kegels.
His forest-green eyes light up as he zeroes in on the sweets I have in my arms.
“You baked?”
I nod.
“Damn, Don has all the luck.”
A blush spreads across my face at the compliment, and at the look of hunger that flashes across his face.
I pray that look is purely for the baked goods, because I don’t want to dive into that train of thought.
I’m relieved when Don walks down the front stairs, his long stride quickly eating up the distance between us.
Even though it has been less than twenty-four hours since I last saw him, my heart pounds in my chest.
A somewhat predatory grin spreads across his face as he gets closer to me. Smoothly taking the containers out of my hands and passing them off to Brent, he then pins me up against my SUV and kisses me senseless.
I barely register the bark of laughter from Brent before I respond in kind.
My hands grab onto Don’s shoulders to keep myself from melting into a puddle, my lips desperate for his.
His large hands find their way down to my ass and lift me up.
I gasp, giving him the perfect opportunity to thrust his tongue into my mouth.
We cling to each other, our bodies burning for one another, completely tuning out our surroundings.
Nothing matters more in that moment than being in his arms, his mouth on mine, and his body pressed between my legs.
A deep voice calls out, maybe Aiden’s.
“If you start getting each other naked, I’m totally watching.”
Laughter follows, quickly dousing the flames of our lust. I disentangle myself from Don, hiding my head in his chest, embarrassed that I let myself get so swept up in the moment.
Jesus, Kinley, you’re out in the open, and you were practically dry humping this man.
Donovan breathes in deeply for a moment, as if he too is composing himself.
He tilts my head up gently with a finger under my chin.“Hey, don’t be embarrassed. It’s fine. They are just giving me a hard time. It’s all good.”
I can tell my face is still flushed, so I nod up at him, still not able to find my voice. Leaning down, he places a gentle but swift kiss on my lips before pulling me into his side and guiding me up to the house.
“Are you hungry? We’ve got food on the grill out back. Aiden is the grill master; according to him, anything can be grilled with enough effort.”
I giggle at that. “Yes, I am actually starving. I thought I might have to eat what I brought because I was getting worried that I was lost.”
“Baby, you should have called me. I would have made sure you weren’t lost.”
“I was actually about to when I saw the trees open up.”
“Good girl.”
My mouth drops slightly. My goodness, this man gets me all riled up.
Shaking myself out of my lust brain, I follow his lead up the stairs.
As soon as we enter the door, I’m greeted with the sight of Camden perched on the arm of a very rugged leather couch.
His gray eyes twinkle with mischief as we walk inside.
I can sense Donovan about to scold him and put him in check but, feeling a little sassy, I beat him to it.
“I will take back all of my brownies and cookies if you say what I think you’re going to say, and no one will get any of them.”
I hear panicked shouts just before Brent and Aiden bolt around the corner, of what I assume leads into the kitchen, both with a brownie in hand. They give Camden death glares and he mimes zipping his lips.
Not willing to let a little embarrassing situation get the best of me, I dive into helping with food, or at least I try to. The majority is already done, and the guys seem to have everything under control, so I ask where the plates and silverware are.
Brent, who is close by, helps me get the plates down—short girl problems—and shows me where the silverware is. With my arms full of dinnerware, I follow Aiden outside to set the table on the deck.
The view from the deck is beautiful. Large deciduous trees line the whole property.
The leaves of the trees are just starting to get hints of red, orange, and yellow.
It’s so peaceful out here. I take a deep breath and just breathe in the nature that surrounds me.
The closing of the grill lid jars me out of my slight trance, and I get back to setting the table.
The food the guys make is delicious—stuffed burgers with all the toppings, grilled corn, and an antipasto salad.
With as much food as they pile onto my plate, I’m not going to need to eat dinner later, let alone be able to walk out of here.
We eat, drink beers, and the guys tell hilarious stories about each other.
They have graciously allowed me into their world, and I really don’t want to leave.
Camden holds out the bowl of pasta. “You want more, Kinley?”
I lean back in my chair and groan.“I literally can’t eat another bite, so full.”
Donovan leans over, kissing my forehead. “Let me get your plate.”
“I can get it.”
“Nope, I got this.”
“Yeah, Kinley, you hang out. We have a system down for clean up. It won’t take long,”Aiden tells me as he grabs a few plates and heads in.
Brent and Camden follow, laden with trays and bowls, leaving me on my own. Well, if that’s what they want, who am I to get in their way?
Groaning, I stand up, stretching like that will suddenly relieve me of that too-full feeling.
Walking over to the railing, I admire the scenery.
It’s so beautiful here, so peaceful. I close my eyes, feeling the cool breeze brush against my face.
A whisper of fabric is all the warning I get as strong arms wrap around me.
I automatically know it is Donovan. His tantalizing scent wraps around me just like his arms do.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmurs as he leans down and nuzzles my neck, placing a kiss there.
I never realized how much of an erogenous zone my neck was until Don.
“How are you doing? I know the guys can be a lot.”
“I’m having a great time, Don; they are great guys. I like that you have such a close relationship with all of them.”
He nuzzles my neck with affection.
“Good, I’m glad you are having a good time. Kinley, I want to keep seeing you. Exclusively. Would that be ok with you?”
I turn around in his arms, gazing up into his deep blue eyes.
“I would like that so much. Can I tell you something? It might be too much because we haven’t known each other for long, but I need you to know how I’m feeling.”
“Of course, you can tell me anything.”
I take a deep breath, keeping my eyes trained on his to see any potential change in emotion. I’m nervous to say this to him, but something pushes me to tell him.
“I’ve never felt the way I do for you with anyone else in my entire life. I can’t explain it; it doesn’t make any sense. But I…I need…ugh, this is sounding crazy.”
He smiles softly. “It’s not crazy, Kinley. Remember when I was talking about how my people believe in a Goddess?”
I nod my head.
“In my culture, we believe that when we meet the one that is meant to complete our soul, we form an immediate connection with them. An emotional and physical connection. We don’t question it; it is Goddess-blessed, this connection. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Are you saying that what I’m feeling is because we were meant to find each other? That our souls are connected?”
“In a way, yes. Kinley, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since we first met at that gas station. You’re in my every waking thought. I need to be near you.”
Oh god, he does feel the same way.
“So you don’t think I’m crazy for feeling this strongly so soon?”
He chuckles and shakes his head. “If you’re crazy, then we are crazy together. I don’t think there is anyone more perfect than you, Kinley. I truly think we were meant to meet and be together.”
“I’m not good with emotions. I’m not good at expressing my feelings. With you I want to, but it’s hard for me to believe that it’s real. Megan is the only person I have let in, and it scares me that I want to do that with you.”
“I understand; I know this is a lot. We just met, and it probably didn’t help that we were intimate, but Goddess, help me, I wouldn’t change a damn thing.
No matter how much I want to push and go the speed of light with you, I can be patient, Kinley.
If you ever feel overwhelmed, or if I’m pushing you too fast, just tell me, ok? ”
I smile up at him shyly. He is such a good man.
More than what I think I deserve, but in my heart, I know that he is the one I have been waiting for, the one I need in my life.
Standing on my tiptoes, I reach up and place my lips gently on Don’s.
His arms come around me, cradling me to him as he deepens our kiss ever so slightly.
A throat clearing behind us pops our little intimate bubble.
“We leave you two alone for even a minute and you’re already all over her, Don,” Camden jokes from behind us.
This time the interruption only makes me grin before I push away from the railing, purposefully brushing my body up against Don.
Hearing him growl only makes me grin further, and I side-step out of his hold.
I’m feeling really good about everything.
“So, what do you guys usually do when a woman isn’t crashing your guy time?”
“We sacrifice ripe young Maidens under the Moon,” a gruff voice whispers behind me.
I faintly hear Donovan reprimand Brent before my mind goes black and I’m transported to somewhere else.