19. Nineteen
When I got back into the room, Lincoln was staring at his phone, flipping it from one palm to the other. I shut the door behind me and reached out to him through the bond as I made my way over to the bed.
He seemed nervous, and I had a feeling that it wasn’t just about Sheriff Adam. The bed dipped beneath my weight, and I put an arm around his waist and rested my head on his shoulder.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
He set his head on top of mine. “I’m not sure. I feel like Sawyer is keeping something from us.”
I perked up, snapping my gaze around the room, like I could have possibly missed him. “He was here?”
I hadn’t felt him.
Lincoln held up his phone. “He called.”
I shifted and met Lincoln’s eyes. “Is he all right?”
His brows knitted together. “I’m not sure. He didn’t say anything was wrong, but it’s a feeling. Twin intuition, I guess.”
I swallowed and nodded, hoping he would elaborate, but he didn’t.
I picked up his hand. “Did he say anything to you? How was he able to call?”
He looked up and met my eyes, a solemn expression on his face. “Alpha Charles’s pack fell.”
“Oh.” My shoulders slumped, and I looked at the worn black comforter.
My heart pinched. The alpha had been ignorant, but he hadn’t deserved to die. He’d thought he was doing what was best for his men.
Lincoln gripped my hand. “There were a few survivors. It’s unclear how many made it out. Sawyer was sent to meet up with the team and dispatch the survivors.”
I shook my head, my eyes widening. “We can’t let that happen. We have to send out a rescue team.”
Lincoln growled. “Except my dad is expecting that. It’s a trap. I got that much out of Sawyer.”
Of course it was a trap. “That doesn’t mean they should just be left there and slaughtered. We have to go help them.”
I couldn’t leave them out there to be caught and executed. That went against everything we were trying to build here.
Lincoln shook his head. “No one is saying we will let that happen. Promise. Just that we need to be careful.”
I pressed my lips together. “Right. Did he give you any other clues as to where they might be?”
He looked away. “No, he was pretty vague. He said he would call with details when he had them. Maybe he doesn’t know enough yet. My father went after the pack. Not Sawyer.”
I arched a brow. “Is it weird he’s sending Sawyer out too, then?”
Lincoln tilted his head from side to side like he was thinking. “Not really. I assume Dad is going back. He doesn’t like to be gone long. It was Mikey’s job to go hunt down strays.”
“And now it’s Sawyer’s.” A lump formed in my throat.
He would put himself at risk if his teams always pulled up short when Mikey had been highly successful.
Lincoln must have read my mind. “He doesn’t have an exit strategy for himself yet. I think it’s time.”
I flopped back on the bed and grabbed one of the pillows to hug it to my chest. “So do I. But how do we convince him?”
Lincoln fell back so he lay next to me. “I’m not sure. Maybe when we go to rescue Alpha Charles’s men, we can convince him to come back with us.”
Hope bubbled up in my chest. “We could all finally be together.”
I missed him. The three of us needed each other to feel complete. He was the missing piece to our puzzle. Together, we could do so many great things.
Lincoln rolled to his side. “I want him here with us, too.”
Tears pricked my eyes. “Then why doesn’t he join us?”
That was the million-dollar question.
Lincoln kissed my forehead. “Sawyer has always been the protector at the cost of himself. I don’t think he knows how to put himself first.”
I tucked my bottom lip between my teeth. “I’m worried it’s going to get him killed.”
Lincoln tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. “Sawyer knows what he’s doing. If he says he has things under control, I believe him.”
I blinked up at him. “I’m worried about him. Everyone thinks they have things under control until they don’t. By then, it’s too late.”
He closed his eyes and sighed. “We have to trust that he knows what he’s doing.”
I pushed up to my side too, only a few inches separating us. “Sawyer isn’t the one I have trust issues with. It’s your father. One wrong move, and Sawyer might not even see it coming. Promise me you’ll help me convince him to stay.”
The resolve on his face began to fade, and finally, he nodded. “Okay. You’re right. He needs to stay this time. We won’t let him get away, even if we have to knock him over the head and drag him back here ourselves.”
I laughed and shoved him playfully. “You’re assuming we could get the upper hand on him?”
Lincoln chuckled. “I can be as stealthy as he can.”
I lifted my brow in question. “Oh, really?” I said teasingly.
He surged forward and caught my lips in an intense kiss, leaving me breathless.
When he pulled back, he asked, “Did you see that coming?”
I giggled, only to have him cut me off again with another searing kiss.
“Or that?”
I yanked him back to me and pulled him so he lay on top of me. He ran his fingers through my hair as he shifted his weight so his length pressed right where I needed him to be. I whimpered at the contact and lifted my hips, needing to get some friction.
Too many clothes separated us. I needed to remedy that, and fast. I tugged at his shirt until he lifted enough so I could pull it up and over his head. Then I ran my hands up and down his chiseled chest, loving the way it felt beneath my fingers.
He grinned at me and then winked. “Like what you see, sweetheart?”
I heaved in a deep breath as I stared up at him. He was mesmerizing, absolutely fantastic in every way.
I tugged on his arm, yanking him back down to me. His lips collided with mine in a searing kiss.
His fingers slipped up my oversized shirt and cupped my breast. He tweaked the nipple between his thumb and forefinger, pinching lightly. I moaned, bucking against him. I needed more.
“Lincoln, please!” I sounded desperate. Maybe because I was.
He kissed the side of my mouth and then down to my jaw, working his way to my ear. “Shhh. I’m going to make you feel real good, sweetheart.”
I clenched my thighs around him as heat enveloped me. It was sinful that someone’s voice could sound that damn sexy.
Thankfully, he didn’t make me wait long. His hands went to the hem of my shirt and rolled it up and over my head. I had never put a bra back on, and Lincoln took advantage, diving for my left breast. He sucked the tight bud between his teeth and nibbled gently.
I rocked against him, spreading my legs wider, bringing him closer to where I needed him. Lincoln worked his way down my body, placing open-mouthed kisses as he went. He found the edge of my pants and tore them down my legs, dragging my panties down with them. Then he buried his face between my thighs.
I threaded my fingers through his hair as he kissed my core. When he ran his tongue across my slit, I had to clamp my mouth shut to keep from screaming so loud the whole house would hear.
I yanked on his hair. “Lincoln, I need you.”
He flicked his tongue against my clit. “You have me.”
I gave him another playful tug. “Please!”
I needed to feel his length inside me, to be full of him.
He pressed his thumb to my clit and then licked my sweet spot. “Come on my mouth for me, sweetheart. I want to taste you.”
I shivered. Gooseflesh pimpled my skin, and I whimpered as he thrust his tongue against me. I rotated my hips, timing them with his movements. This was bliss.
He pushed two fingers inside as he continued to lick. He curled them just right so he hit that magical spot. Stars burst behind my eyes, and I called out his name as my orgasm washed over me like a tidal wave. He lapped it up, taking in everything I had to give him.
I went lax on the bed and let my eyes flutter shut as I tried to control my breathing. I didn’t have long. He worked his way up my body and guided his warm, thick length home.
I lifted my hands to his shoulders as I stretched to accommodate him. He buried himself to the hilt and caught my lips. I could taste my juices on him when he swept his tongue across mine.
I fought to catch my breath, but when he started moving inside me, I knew it was a lost cause. He pulled out to the tip and then slid back home. When he pulled back again, I lifted my hips, creating the most beautiful friction. We both cried out.
He mumbled against my lips, “You’re perfect, sweetheart. I wish we could spend all day in bed together. The things Sawyer and I could do to you…”
I gasped as he drove himself deeper. There was a promise there, one I wanted to come to fruition so badly. “I want that too. So bad.”
He grunted as he went deeper. He pushed up, his hand going to my thigh and lifting it onto his shoulder. This gave him a whole new angle, and I felt so full of him. His ministrations grew faster, deeper.
I fisted the sheets in my hands as my body tensed. It was almost too much. I was so close, teetering on the edge, and with one last thrust, he sent me over. I came so hard, white spots burst behind my eyes. He kept up the pace, drawing out my orgasm until he came with a roar, stiffening against me as his seed spilled inside.
He kissed my leg before lowering it gingerly back onto the bed. Even though he was already softening, he pumped into me a few more times, making me whimper.
“How are you feeling, sweetheart?” he asked.
My eyes fluttered shut, and I worked to control my breathing.
He rolled off me and nuzzled my neck as he pulled me into his arms. “Sleepy?”
I couldn’t find the strength to open my eyes. “Two orgasms like that would make any girl tired.”
He chuckled, and then I must have dozed because the next thing I knew, Sawyer was shaking us awake.
I blinked up at him, and then Lincoln and I must have realized at the same time that he shouldn’t be here because we both sat up.
I reached out to him, skimming my fingers down his arm. Goodness, he was so warm, and I wished he were really here.
“Sawyer, what is it?” I asked.
“We’ve found the Dennings. We have to hurry before it’s too late.”