Bridged by Love (14 page)

Chapter Sixteen

Riley’s hands shook and her heart pounded. Her first instinct was to call Nic, but she didn’t move from her spot in the middle of her bedroom. Her cell phone sat on the table near the front door with her keys. Besides, what could he do for her? If the pack protector guarding her house hadn’t stopped her intruder, there’d be nobody close to intervene. She was on her own.

After a long moment, the door opened. Nic’s wide chest filled the space. Relief swept through her, followed by confusion. Droplets of water marked paths down his bare chest to his drenched sweats and wet sneakers.

Nic hadn’t come to her after a run as he had last time or else he’d be naked. Had he walked here? The thought struck her as odd, especially in a rainstorm, but no matter how he’d gotten to her house, one glance at the thick erection molded by his wet pants told her the reason why he’d come.

Sex.

Part of her was annoyed by the fact. The rest of her was glad. She’d take Nic any way she could get him. She let her gaze caress his body while the air between them sizzled. Her breathing quickened. So did his, expanding his chest and drawing attention to the muscles packed onto his frame. Unable to delay any longer, she focused on his face. Wet, tangled hair framed the harsh cut of his jawline. Hunger darkened his eyes. The soft glow to his blue orbs added to the raw look he wore and heightened his predatory aura.

He bent and took off one shoe, then the other, tossing them down the hall.

“What are you doing here, Nic?”

He didn’t answer her. He shifted his piercing stare from her face to the towel loosely tied around her body. She didn’t have to look to know what drew his eye. The thin material barely covered her nipples and reached just past her ass. She’d poured her money into her clinic, not unnecessary items for her house. The hand-me-down towel served its purpose: to dry her. It was good enough.

A low sound crawled up his throat, not a groan or a growl but something more primal. It whipped through her, and her body reacted to the primitive noise. Her nipples pebbled, rubbing against the cotton, and moisture flooded her sex, readying her for his possession. He dragged in a deep breath, no doubt scenting her arousal on the air. Lips parted, he closed his eyes and panted.

Trying to get himself under control? Not if she could help it. He needed to lose it, both the tight grip he held over his sexual needs and the ones stopping him from fighting for her and their pack. Because his appearance in her bedroom proved her right. He was torn between love and responsibility.

Didn’t he realize he’d never be able to give his pack what they needed when he was broken? He’d end up being a shell of a man, one who no longer held any passion for life. Without it, he wouldn’t feel, not love or sympathy. How could he fight for those he’d sworn to protect if he didn’t care about them? Or life?

She took a step forward, gun still leveled on him. “Answer me. Why are you here?”

Her order had its desired effect. He popped his eyelids open and raised his lip on a silent snarl. Not good enough. She wanted him to snap.

She approached him, gun pointed at his chest. The ruse was for his benefit. She hadn’t even taken the safety off. Even if he had been an intruder, she wasn’t positive she’d be able to shoot him. The oath she’d taken to protect was one she held close, much like her love for Nic.

A few feet separating them, he growled. “Put the gun down, Riley.”

The deep rumble to his voice matched the almost feral look he wore, one that warned he was about to lose control.

“No, you see, I’m the one with the power”—she waved the gun—“and I just ordered you to tell me why you’re here.”

He looked from her eyes to her lips and back. A smile spread over his face. It added to the wicked vibe he gave off. Her pulse quickened, and body heated. She locked her knees and held her ground.

“Have you forgotten who I am?” He stepped into the room, kicking the door shut behind him. Another step pushed the gun’s barrel into his chest. “Or what I am?”

“How could I? You’ve made a point of reminding me every time I see you. You’re the alpha wolf, and”—she flashed him an equally taunting grin—“a fool.”

In a quick move she could barely follow, he grasped her wrists in one hand and fisted the edge of her towel with the other. She gasped, and he chuckled. “You’re right on both accounts.”

“So you admit you’re a fool?”

“Oh yes, Riley. I’m a fool.” He tugged on her towel. The cotton slipped from her body, pooling at her feet. He swept his gaze over her in a heated perusal that left fire in his wake. He finally dragged his gaze to hers. “I’m a fool for falling in love with you, and then—”

“So you lied to me?”

His gaze skimmed over her features before focusing on her mouth. “About what?”

She dragged the tip of her tongue across her upper lip and then her lower one, leaving a tempting sheen of wetness, one she knew would entice him to kiss her. It worked. He leaned closer. She turned her head and his lips skimmed over her cheek. “Loving me.”

“I never said I—”

“Don’t deny it.”

The corner of his mouth rose on a low growl, his annoyance showing over being interrupted. The sound whipped through her, weakening her knees. Her air rushed out on a surge of lust, but she sucked in a rough breath, ignored the heaviness in her breasts, and glared at him.

“Every time you fucked me, you whispered those words into my ear. You lied. Told me what you thought I wanted to hear so you could get off.” At least that was what he’d said to her the night he’d left. She didn’t believe it, but she’d use the tools available to her. The intense glow to his blue eyes and the rumble deep in his chest warned her she’d pushed him closer to his limit. Was it enough to crack him?

He took a step forward, then another and another, forcing her to move with him. Her back hit the wall on the opposite side of the room. He raised her arms, pinning her against the wall with his body, and plucked the gun from her hands. A few flicks of his fingers, and the bullets tinged against the hardwood floor. He tossed the empty gun and focused on her face.

“You did get me off, baby.” He skimmed his free hand over her side and around to her bottom. She held her breath, waiting for him to squeeze her butt cheeks or run a finger down the crack of her ass. He did neither. He pulled her closer, his wet sweatpants chilling her and tempting her to snuggle closer. It was impossible. Held by her wrists above her head and his hips to hers, she couldn’t wrap herself around him the way she’d like.

“What about you? Did I”—he brushed his lips across her cheek to her ear—“get you off?”

The warmth of his heated breath spread tingles over her skin. She squirmed, rubbing her groin against his. He didn’t counter her restless motions. His body remained stiff, much too far from hers with only their hips touching. Not good enough. She tugged her arms, trying to free them from his firm grip and failing. A frustrated groan crawled up her throat. “You know you did.”

“Do I?”

Her breathing quickened. “Yes. You always made me come multiple times before you ever would.”

“Did I? Or did you lie?” He chuckled. “I’ve heard human females do that. Fake their pleasure so their lovers aren’t hurt, or maybe to get the sex over with quicker.”

He nibbled on her earlobe. The tiny bites heightened her arousal, making her focus on every sensory detail he offered. She closed her eyes and tried to get herself under control. “Don’t be ridiculous. Our physical attraction isn’t in question. Our emotional ties, on the other hand, are. You’re lied to me, saying you…”

He slid his fingers to the edge of her cleft. Her thoughts scattered. Her attention once more centered on Nic. He didn’t disappoint her. A slow stroke of his finger parted her folds on an upward swipe, but he stopped before reaching her clit. He dragged his finger back, dipping the tip into her opening and stilling his hand. Her sex clenched, an attempt to draw him inside. He didn’t move, not to push his fingertip into her achy core or to pull it away.

“You know, I never questioned your attraction or affection, but maybe I was wrong.” He nipped her jaw and nibbled his way to her lips. She parted them, silently begging him to kiss her. He continued his teasing bites across her other cheek to her ear instead. “Maybe you didn’t love me.”

“I do.”

She felt his smile against her skin. It lightened her heart and excited her at the same time.

“Then why didn’t you ever tell me?”

She swallowed hard. “I did.”

He eased his hand away from her sex. “Twice.”

She nodded and hoped he didn’t ask why.

“Do you remember when, baby?”

She squeezed her eyelids shut. “Yes, I remember.”

“Tell me.”

“The night you bit me.”

He slipped his forefinger through her drenched lower lips and dipped the tip into her sex, swirling his finger in her arousal. “And the other time?”

Her breathing quickened. Sitting in the ceremonial circle earlier had brought the memory back of their first time together. Emotion choked her. He’d teased her, aroused her and worshipped her until she’d orgasmed multiple times before taking her virginity. Their loving had cracked her heart open, ensuring only Nic would own it.

He pushed two fingers into her body, parting her muscles on a controlled slow thrust the way he had that night. “Well, angel?”

“The first night we made love.”

“Why not every time I told you?”

Tears pricked at her eyes while heaviness settled low in her belly. She didn’t want to tell him the true reason. Voicing her fears might make them real, and she was fighting to stop it from happening. “Because.”

He grunted in response and turned his attention to arousing her. He worked her body with deep strokes, loosening her muscles the way he had that night. As a teenager, Nic had been large. Taking him in for the first time had stretched her to the point of pain even with the attention he’d given to prepare her body. He’d been conscious of her comfort, loving her slowly and reverently until she’d adjusted to his size before taking her to heights she hadn’t known possible. She’d been his first too. They’d discovered heaven together.

He tightened his hold on her wrists, yanking them higher. Her back arched with the move, her nipples brushing against his chest. He eased back, breaking their slight contact. She whimpered. “Nic, please.”

“Please?” He stilled his pumping strokes with his fingers lodged deep inside her body. “So, you want me to keep touching you?”

She squirmed as much as possible over him, needing relief from his sweet torture. “Yes.”

“Then answer me. Why didn’t you tell me you loved me too when I gave you the words? That is what most couples do, express their love with words and actions.”

She stared into his eyes, unsure of what to make of their conversation. Nic’s visit wasn’t turning out the way she’d expected it. He was on edge, a little crazed even, but he wasn’t in her bedroom for sex only. He wanted to talk as much as she did. Hope spread. “We were never a couple. Not officially.”

“In our hearts, we were. Do you deny it?”

She shook her head. “But why there, Nic? Why did you insist we make love for the first time in the ceremonial circle?”

He held her gaze, the truth stamped onto his face. She needed him to say it. Acknowledge what she was to him.

“I wanted it to be special, to mean more than just fucking.”

Emotions choked her. She licked her lips, giving her precious seconds to put her thoughts into words. “By tradition, only pack alphas have sex on the sacred grounds. Am I right? Humans aren’t even allowed near the area, let alone within the ring.”

He pulled his fingers from her body, and she shuddered with the loss of him.

“Yes, you’re right.”

“Then why did—”

“Why did I claim you as I would my mate?”

She nodded, not trusting her voice. A lump had formed in her throat.

He tugged at his sweats, freeing his cock. His thick erection pressed between them. The sensation of his silken hardness against her skin pushed her lust a little higher. Her womb squeezed and released on air.

“Because I love you.” He tilted his hips, sliding his erection along her cleft and spreading her arousal over his length. Another back and forth stroke over her folds, and her breath rushed out, her needs spiraling out of control. He lined the head of his cock up to her opening. “Do you remember what I said to you after I spilled myself inside you?”

She glanced away. “Yes.”

“Tell me.”

His order hit her. She couldn’t deny him the words. She met his gaze. “You said you’d love me forever, that no matter what happened in the future, I would own your heart.”

“What else, Riley? What did I say before taking you a second time?”

“That our souls would be reunited in heaven.” The reason she’d withheld her declaration of love came out on a sob that ripped her heart open. “That our love would tie us together and be stronger than any bond you would form in life.”

Her sadness overwhelmed her. She needed space. Just a couple of minutes. She yanked her arms hard. He released her hands, and she pushed at his shoulders. He didn’t move. He held her gaze, the demand in his eyes clear.

She dug her nails into his skin, no longer shoving him away but holding him in place and letting him see the hurt he’d caused her. “I always knew you’d become pack alpha, but hadn’t realized what that meant until then. How was I supposed to tell you I loved you when I knew it wouldn’t matter in the end?”

“Yet you felt it. You just withheld the words.”

“Yes. I felt it.” She pulled him closer. The head of his cock dipped into the mouth of her womb. Her eyelashes fluttered, but she held them open. “I
feel
it, Nic.”

“Tell me.”

She shook her head. “Not until you give me the rest of the reason why you took my virginity in the ceremonial circle.”

He flashed her a smile. “You took mine too, angel.”

“You planned it that way. For weeks, we’d teased each other, but you stopped us from having sex every time I tried to initiate it. I’d started to think you didn’t want me.”