It wouldn’t mean I forgave him if I happened to fall asleep . . .
15
Iinched myself higher on the bed, leaning back to watch her sleep. When had she come into my bedroom?
Josephine lay on her side, arms sprawled out. Her chest rose and fell in a soft rhythm. My mate was beautiful.
With a curl of her hair around my finger, I slid it behind her ear. She hummed, rubbing her face into the silk pillow.
She’d worked hard to take care of me. I’d taken advantage of it, but each time she left my sight, I itched for her return. My pretty little mate. I missed her, and she would never understand just how much.
She owned every bit of me.
So slowly as not to wake her, I scooted to the edge of the bed and shoved off, balancing on my good foot. The pain was easy to ignore now. I grabbed my phone and limped to the bathroom, dialing Bruno.
He didn’t answer. He’d get a raise for all the shit I’d had to put him through since Duane and Cierra’s defection.
A betrayal I hadn’t expected from Duane. We’d also grown up together. He’d always been quiet, but I never thought he’d be likethis. He was another I needed to be found. What role did he play in harming my mate?
All these questions would be answered.
I had various shifters surrounding the estate, including Toby, the male who took Cierra’s position. They were not to let anyone past and would contact me if Josephine attempted to escape.
I shuffled over to Josephine with an uneven gait, placed the phone on the nightstand, and shifted my weight onto my stronger foot. Hovering next to her, I rubbed the back of my finger along the crest of her cheek. My beautiful mate. Josephine slept peacefully, her lips set in a serene smile.
Shadows darkened beneath her eyes. She was clearly exhausted, but I kept pushing and pushing.
I reached over to pull the blanket over her and tuck her in. She groaned in her sleep and expelled a deep sigh.
My heart throbbed. Guilt continued to live as a thick, painful ball in my throat. Letting her go or giving her space would probably help her calm down, but I didn’t have the strength to be away from her.
I limped over to the other side of the bed, sharp stabs of pain working through my broken ankle. My knee buckled, and I quickly lifted it, balancing on my good one. I breathed through the pain and slowed my pace so they were tiny shuffles until I slid in beside her, pulling her into the cradle of my arms. She hummed and nestled against me, releasing a long breath.
She groaned and rolled onto her side, her lips turning down harshly. I gingerly pulled the blanket to her neck.
Just watching her made the bridge of my nose sting. Nothing could have ever caused me to hurt other than her. And that was why I understood her anger with me. It was rightfully directed to me, but I couldn’t let her go.
Slowly, I lowered next to her, keeping the blanket between us. She was too fucking tempting.
My cock throbbed at the sight of her, at her scent. Sweet vanilla. The same scent I’d hungered for while she’d been gone. It had haunted me. Because of it, I’d needed it just to get hard.
She’d made her sly comment about lingerie. The same one after Samantha showed her where Cierra used to live.
The bitch had left her shit behind, and my mate had seen it. She wouldn’t know I hadn’t fucked her since Josephine disappeared. Cierra specifically caused my stomach to roil each time she’d come on to me.It likely had to do with her being the one I’d used to hurt Josephine right after my rejection—and so she repelled me, some instinctual urge to get away from her. I studied her slack face in her peaceful slumber. Something I could do forever. I was so fucking in love it was sickening. The concept had always eluded me. She rolled away from me and onto her back. I inched down on the mattress until I hovered over her waist to press my cheek against her belly.
Josephine groaned, her head moving from side to side. I froze, waiting for her to be aware and push me away as she had been doing, but she settled back into sleep. I inched the hem of her shirt up.
I couldn’t help nuzzling her belly. She grunted, and her thighs twitched wider, allowing me space to settle against her.
Her effort to get more space only spread her legs, so her warm heat pressed against my torso. She hummed and her hips hiked up, as if asking for more.
I reached down to press my cock into the waistband to keep it out of the way. The needy throb only elevated.
After creeping even lower, I settled between her parted thighs. Her warm heat radiated, and my fingers played along the top of her shorts. I tugged the fabric down, bringing her panties with it. Propped on my hands, I dragged them to her ankles and removed the garment from one of them, so she wasn’t hindered.
She remained sleeping, the moonlight spilling over her peaceful expression. Slowly, I spread her thighs. Her sex glistened with her slick. I leaned to get closer to her warmth and inhaled.
A shiver zipped down my spine. Delicious, earthy, needy flesh. It mingled with her potent vanilla. As if with a mind of their own, my hips pumped against the bed. With a slow glide of my tongue, I dragged it up to the bundle of nerves. A few flicks had her clit stiff and throbbing. My mate was reactive. I returned to my slow, gliding caresses.
