The Beast (Wicked Villains 4)

“That’s enough.” I inject my voice with confidence I don’t feel. “I’m safe. I’ll bring them both home when this is finished. Please don’t try to interfere before then.” I keep talking over my sisters’ protests. No matter what they think, seeing this through to the end is what I have to do. For them. For the territory. And maybe even for me, too. “I love you both. Be safe.” I hang up and switch my phone to silent.

Gaeton rumbles out a laugh. “Was that supposed to reassure them or incite them to come rescue you?”

I close my eyes and press the heels of my hands to them. “You’re not helping.”

“Wasn’t trying to.”

“They’ll be content enough once we’re back to fight against the Sea Witch threat.” I open my eyes in time to see Beast move my purse and phone to the heavy wooden nightstand. Part of me expects him to lock them out of reach, but that seems silly now. As they keep reminding me, I’m here because I chose to be here. I could walk out that door right now if I needed to.

I glance down at my bare chest. Well, there are some things impeding that plan, but the fact remains that this is my choice and I’ll stand by it.

No matter what tomorrow brings.

Chapter 9

Beast

I don’t expect to sleep. Rest and I aren’t on good terms, haven’t been since I took what little I owned and fled Sabine Valley, leaving the only family I’ve ever known behind. Leaving the only man I ever loved. Eight years later, and I still have no fucking idea if they’re alive or dead, if he’s alive or dead. I have to assume the latter. We were supposed to meet in Carver City, but if Cohen ever showed up here, I would know about it. He hasn’t. He never will now.

I was supposed to protect him and his brothers. I wasn’t good enough. Over the years, I’ve come up with half a dozen things I should have done differently, half a dozen opportunities I alone had to shift the tide. I failed him. His blood is on my hands, and that knowledge still haunts me in both waking and dreaming. Most nights are a slow ticking of seconds marking the path of the moon across the sky interspersed with restless dreams. I expect tonight to be more of the same.

So when I wake in a strange bed to Isabelle’s ass rocking against my hard cock, I’m disoriented as fuck. It feels like a dream, though mine are usually soaked in blood and loss. This is something else altogether, more like this moment something too good to be real. I don’t trust it, but I also can’t help myself.

I don’t want it to end.

I keep my eyes shut, unwilling to break the sleepy spell wrapped around me, and coast my hands up her body, tracing the curve of her hips, the dip of her waist, the fullness of her breasts. She grinds her ass more insistently against me. Like she needs my cock, but she’s just as caught in the dream as I am. Move too much and it all becomes real. Real motivation. Real consequences.

Another slow stroke down her body and she catches my hand, guiding it between her thighs. If I don’t think too hard, this could almost be a memory, rather than something playing out in real time. She didn’t sleep over nearly as often as I would have liked, but every time it happened, we woke up just like this. Her body moving restlessly against mine, my cock sliding into her before either of us was fully awake.

I cup her pussy and have to fight back a curse when I find her wet. Slowly, oh so slowly, I trace her opening. Teasing us both.

She goes perfectly still except to spread her thighs to allow me better access. Good girl. I drag my mouth over the line of her shoulder and shift down the slightest amount. She rocks her hips again and then my cock is there, pressing against her entrance.

I shouldn’t.

I can pretend this is a dream until the end of time, but there’s no mistaking the way Gaeton’s weight dips the mattress on the other side of Isabelle. We entered into this bargain together, and it feels too close to what we had before to just fuck her now while he sleeps on beside us. Too separate.

I circle her clit and open my eyes. And find Gaeton staring directly at me.

Shock freezes me. This is no dream. But then, I knew that the moment Isabelle moved against me. It’s been over a year since we woke up like this, except we never woke up like this, with Gaeton watching us with a lazy pleasure building in his eyes.