b221 /bbCaine/bb: /bSneaking In

    221 Caine: Sneaking In

    I’d love to, but if I start down that road, I might end up being the horny, rutting bbeast /bI just told myself I’m not.

    Her eyes flicker. “You’re already here,” she says evasively.

    Sneaking through the dark hall of her camper is starting to be a habit. Sneaking through the dark hall of her can

    “I have a key.”

    iYes/ii, /ibut iI /isuggested imarking /iiher/ii, /iinot /iicreeping /iaround and istealing /iher ipillows/ibi. /i/b

    “I’m leaving,” I hiss, tired of his constant prattling.

    “Do you want to look at the stars?” I ask, unsurprised to see her blinking owlishly at me again.

    Brilliant. He has his uses.

    Tempting.

    “The kids will be happy to see you in the morning. And it’s safer if you’re here.”

    “You can stay, if you want.”

    Tell her you missed her.

    “I couldn’t sleep and wanted to make sure everything was okay here.”

    Sara and Bun are fast asleep, cuddled on either side of Grace. The fan’s on, blowing strands of golden hair across her nose, and yet the woman’s oblivious.

    I’d been so distracted with my own imagination I hadn’t heard her getting out of bed.

    “What are you doing in here?” she asks, her voice so tiny my enhanced hearing barely catches her words.

    “Yes. I mean, no.” Damn it. “I’ll/go.”

    Damn him and his good points. I scrub a hand over my scruffy cheeks and inhale deeply, soaking in her blueberry muffin scent and consoling myself it’s better bthan /bbnot /bsmelling it at all. 2

    221 bCaine/b: bSneaking /bbIn /b

    b“/bOh, right.” She crosses her arms over her chest and leans a little harder bagainst /bthe bwall/b, blinking her big green eyes at me and doing absolutely nothing to get my berection /bto stop erecting. “Are you nning to make this a habit?”

    iShut /i

    iup/ii, /i

    iFenris/ii. /i

    But that would be terrible.

    I pause, still awkwardly sping a pillow over my dick and hoping she doesn’t ask me why I’m carrying one.

    My fingers twitch at my sides, the urge to step further into the room nearly overwhelming.

    It isn’t like I haven’t thought about it, but stealing her pillow somehow seemed a little less creepy at the time I made my n.

    This has gone too far. My need for her has crossed from inconvenient to unhinged. While not abnormal in a mating bond, Grace has a slightly different view of boundaries, and I’m supposed to be respecting her needs.

    I have exactly zero good exnations for why I’m in her camper at three in the morning with a pillow under my arm and a growing hard–on in my pants.

    Such loyalty from the other part of my soul.

    1

    The mental image of Grace’s neck marked by me sends a wee rush of heat through my body, but I force it away quickly. She’s not ready for it yet, and I’ve already pushed her into too much intimate contact. She needs to recuperate without me

    pawing at her like a horny, rutting beast.

    Every step away from her bedroom makes the ache in my chest grow heavier, among other things.

    iThis /iis pathetic even for iyou/ii, /iFenris agrees. iThe /iimighty /iiking /iireduced /iito /istealing ipillows/i. iHow /ithe legends iwill /ising of this heroic questi. /i3

    iYou /iiknow/i, iyou /iicould /ijust sleep here and stop itorturing yourself/ii. /i

    iIf /ishe icatches /iiyou/ii, /iiI /iwas never ihere/i.

    b3 /b

    “Then I’ll stay.”

    b221 /bbCaine/b: bSneaking /bin

    Grace tilts her head slightly, studying me with sleep–bsoft /beyes, even as her beyebrows /bgo up quizzically. “So you decided to break in?”

    Sighing, I turn away from the doorway, forcing myself to retreat. Tomorrow bI’ll /bbe /bback when she’s awake, exin how important scent is to a mate, and arrange a bmore /bnormal, consensual pillow swap instead of sneaking in like a thief.

    I turn, then remember the pillow and my hard–on and freeze, craning my neck bover /bbmy /bshoulder again. “Are you sure?”

    “Riching from you,” I retort, still mindful of keeping my voice low to avoid waking the children. “You’ve been trying to get me to im her since the day we met her.

    Put that way, it sounds even worse.

    At first, her presence and touch soothed me, its effects longsting. And now bit /bfeels like I need to see her every hour just to keep calm.

    Without thinking, I ce the pillow over my crotch and turn away to awkwardly look at her over my shoulder. 1

    iNot /iia /igreat onei, /ieitheri. /i

    iAfter /istanding there for five ifull /iminutes breathing like ia /istalker.

    My entire body freezes. Grace’s voice, heavy with sleep but unmistakably alert, sends heat straight through my veins. I turn slowly, finding her silhouette in the hallway, one hand braced against the wall for support.

    My original n–swapping out the unused pillow under my arm for one carrying Grace’s scent–suddenly seems not just desperate but genuinely disturbing. What would she think if she woke to find me looming over her bed?

    What the fuck am I doing here, lurking in the darkness like some kind of deranged stalker because I can’t sleep without her goddamn scent?

    She doesn’t say she wants me here, but she doesn’t have to. The invitation itself is enough to ease the knot in my chest, even though I’m now struggling with the idea of sneaking Bun and Sara out of her bed and taking over it myself.

    Have iyou /iiconsidered /iexining iit /ito her?

    “Caine.”

    **b221 /bbCaine/bb: /bSneaking in

    bThat /bblie /bfeels too transparent.

    iSay /iiyes/ii. /i

    iIf /iyou ijust /iiexin/ii, /iI’m isure /iishe’ll /iibe /iihappy /iito /iisend her /iipillows /iito /iiyou/i. iGrace /ibis /bbvery /biunderstanding/i.

    Her hair is tousled from sleep, her oversized t–shirt sliding off one shoulder. Even in the dim light, I can see the confusion in her eyes, the wariness in her posture.

    iYou’re /iiwhipped/ii. /i

    And send her into a panic? No..

    iYou /iicould /iijust /iiask /iiher /ifor a ishirt /ilike a normal person.

    Tell iher /iiyou /isensed dangeri? /i

    Of course I want to, but I don’t have permission. And for some reason, Grace seems less than pleased with how I’ve been handling things. 1

    Tell iher /iiyou /iwere making sure ishe /iwas safe.

    “…Caine?”

    iOh/i, noi. /iiSay /iino/i, iGrace/i. He has ulterior imotives/i. 2

    I sneak another deep inhale as I step out of her room.

    Gritting my teeth against his brazenly perfidious nature, I manage to avoid creaking or shaking the RV as I sneak my way into the master bedroom.

    And it wouldn’t even be the first time.

    CAINE

    I take a step back.

    Awful.

    Not helping.

    I turn toward the door, swallowing down the bitter taste of rejection before biit’s /i/bbeven /b

    offered.

    221 Caine: Sneaking In

    It’s how she always does things when she doesn’t want to be too forward, pushing bthe /bresponsibility on me and acting passive. I don’t mind; it’s rather cute.

    Fenris sounds sour from his ce beneath the RV, where he’s been keeping watch since Dn and Randy left after the children were put to bed. He was less than enthused with my idea, but at least he isn’t getting in my way.

    Just itake /iwhat you came for and igo/i. Or idon’t/ii. /iiEither /iway, I’m not the one igetting /iihit /iwhen ishe /iwakes iup/i.

    The scene’s so peaceful and perfect, it makes my little plot for a night of peace seem… dirty and mildly perverted.

    You can always say iyou /iwanted ito /isleep herei, /iFenris points out.

    “Shut up,” I growl under my breath.

    66

    i*/ihee*