“Don’t make me beg for help.”
“Never beg. I’ll train you. Everything you said is valid. I should have thought of it myself. You’ll stay here with me, where no one will bother you and I’ll teach you everything you need.”
Her arms tighten around me. It’s hard not breathing in her scent, getting caught up in a female who has more courage than anyone I know.
I’ll make sure she’s never vulnerable again.
With her hands locked behind my neck, Angel throws me a quizzical look. “Are you sure you want me staying here while I train? You’re the one who worried about others judging me for associating with you.”
“That still worries me, but this is important to you.”
“Don’t let it worry you,” she says with a determination that makes her eyes shine. “I don’t give a damn what others think about me. And I’d be so damn proud for them to talk about us in the same breath, Garrett, because you’re a wonderful male whose only flaw is that he cares too deeply.”
“That’s my only flaw?” I flirt because as long as I’m talking, I can’t be kissing her, which is what I want to do more than anything right now.
“More or less,” she says with a smile that quickly disappears. “I won’t stay where I’m not wanted.” She looks around my small cabin, then swallows again. “Not with this pack or with you.”
My wolf claws me, not in disgust or anger, but panic—a sentiment I share. The very thought of her leaving utterly terrifies me.
Despite all those promises I made to myself, I kiss her. She opens for me so readily. When I hold her head steady and slip my tongue in between those lush lips, a velvety tongue meets mine. Our kiss turns into the most erotic dance of my life. There is no Angel or Garrett at this point, only…us.
And my wolf purrs like he’s floating on a cloud in heaven. He is. We both are. That lilac scent caresses every part of my soul… until she eases out of the kiss. A smile teases her lips. No confusion, no disappointment or vulnerability. Only strength, certainty… and acceptance for everything that I am.
I don’t have to hide who I am from her. Not any longer.
Angel grips my shirt and pulls me into her, her lips sinking against mine to continue a kiss that ended too soon. Her body molds to mine and I let my cock press against her bottom. There’ll be no more hiding how hard she makes me, how she wakens every part of me.
My wolf’s no longer just purring. He’s eager to taste his female… our female. And yet it’s too soon. My heart and body are racing ahead of my brain.
I break the kiss as suddenly as it started, and lean my forehead against hers while I catch my breath. “I don’t want to take advantage of you.”
“And here I thought I was taking advantage of you.”
I laugh, with a freedom that has eluded me for years, not just the weeks I’ve known Angel.
“Will you stay, with me, Angel? Let me train you. Anything to keep you from leaving our pack.”
“This isn’t my pack, Garrett. It’s yours. I don’t know if I can ever fit in here, but I’ll stay with you. At least for a while.”
I can’t push for more or let my desire get in the way of what is important… keeping her safe. And right now, that means training her. Maybe, if I can build up her confidence, she’ll decide to stay and make this her pack.
If not, I’ll go with her.
My wolf bites me deep and hard at that thought. I pull Angel into my arms and hold her tight while I still can, because I know exactly what my wolf is saying, and he’s right. I can’t abandon my pack. I’ve sworn an oath to my alpha and to every shifter here. They are as much my responsibility as Angel is, which means I have only one option here… convincing her to stay.
Or lose the only female who’s ever made me feel whole.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
ANGEL
Istare up at the ceiling because it’s safer than looking at Garrett lying on the floor in front of the fireplace. Three layers of blankets, pillows, and a roaring fire to keep him warm… I thought after our kiss, he’d be happy to share his bed with me.
“You’re still awake, aren’t you?” he asks.
“How can you tell?”
“Your breathing isn’t relaxed.”
