Chapter 20

Remi never really spent a lot of time in Darien’s room. Other than to lock him up, she hadn’t been inside the door. Most of their conversations or disagreements were always in her apartment. Looking around, she turned on the bathroom light to not be in complete darkness. There was no lamp; she supposed a werewolf’s sight in the dark was better than hers.

Turning off the overhead light, she kicked off her boots and shoved them with her foot to rest beside the door. She checked the lock for the third time and then went to the bed. It wasn’t a huge bed. How could a man the size of Darien be comfortable in such a small bed? With a grin, she pulled back the covers. Maybe she was a little spoiled having a king-size bed all to herself upstairs.

A growling noise from behind the wall had her jumping. What did he do in there all night? Unless he had a jackhammer, he couldn’t get through the floor. If he managed to damage the stone wall, the bars would stop him. She knew this because of the new, improved cage design from a few years ago. The first few tries had held him but hadn’t fared well against his beasts’ onslaught.

Going over to the curtain, she pulled it back to place her hand against the steel. There was a rumbling sound from the other side, loud enough that she could hear it through the thick barrier. Scratching against the hard metal sent a shiver down her spine, and it was quiet again. Backing away, she stared at the door. Only four more hours, Dare, and then you’ll be on this side again.

She went back to the bed and stripped off her jeans. So tired, she took her bra off through the sleeves of her t-shirt, dropping it to the floor. Setting her phone and keys on the bedside table, she climbed under the covers and laid back. The pillow was soft and smelled of Darien. She smiled as the scent brought her the same peaceful feeling as he did.

She burrowed under the covers and closed her eyes. Things hadn’t always been peaceful between them. The first few years, they did nothing but bicker and fight. She grinned, even though that hadn’t been all bad. Mostly it was annoying. When she’d wanted to waitress at after dark, he said no. Anytime she tried to lay out back by the river and soak up some sun, he said no. She gave up trying to date because he always found a reason she was needed at the last minute. They could tear each other down six different ways, but if someone else were to try it, they’d face an attack. That’s what Darien was; her verbal sparring partner, her sense of calm when she was freaking out, and that went both ways. The few times that Darien had lost control, she’d always been able to reel him in.

Where were they when he’d completely lost it and half changed? She was so tired. It had been a celebration or picnic of some sort. She must be tired when she couldn’t remember one of the rare events away from Serenity. Thinking about everyone, it was only them that didn’t have much of a life on the outside. Serenity was her life, and she really didn’t mind all the time it required of her. Thinking of where she came from, what she’d had before walking through the door to owning every inch of a place that housed so many, and giving all, paras and normals, somewhere safe to be, was overwhelming and humbling all at once.

When Doyle had told her it was all hers, she’d thought he was crazy. She’d even argued for Serenity to go to Darien, she wasn’t sure how long he’d been here before she’d arrived, but it felt right that his name be on the deed. Doyle told her that he’d asked Darien to be co-owner, and he’d declined. For the longest time, Remi was afraid that without Serenity to tie him here, he’d leave. There were still days when he seemed so preoccupied that she wondered if he was thinking of moving on.

Werewolves were supposed to be plagued by wanderlust; she hoped he was the exception. She couldn’t do any of this without Darien, and hopefully, he knew that. Turning her face into the pillow, she inhaled his scent, that musky smell that calmed and excited at the same time. With a sigh, she wrapped her arms around the pillow and let her body relax.

A buzzing phone woke her. Lifting her head, she looked around and tried to figure out where she was—Darien’s room. Picking up the phone, she squinted at the screen; it was the alarm letting her know it was time to open the cage.

Remi flipped the covers back and got up. Grabbing the keys, she went to unlock the steel door as quietly as possible. Darien was usually passed out on the floor after his shift.

Pushing the door open, she looked for him in the dark space. Sure enough, he was curled up on the floor. If he couldn’t feel how cold it was, she wasn’t going to wake him up to tell him.

As quietly as she could manage, she unlocked the door to the cage and then turned and jumped back into the bed. She didn’t want to wake anyone upstairs, so the only option was to try to grab a few more minutes of rest. Grabbing the pillow, she curled her body into it and closed her eyes.

The next thing she knew, a warm body pressed into her back.

“Why are you in my bed?” Darien’s voice rumbled quietly in her ear.

She smiled. “Was told to sleep here,” she mumbled, “so the girls could have my bed.”

His arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her tight against him. “I’ll get up in a minute.” She could feel his breath on her cheek. He must have been looking down at her, but she didn’t want to open her eyes to check.

“No.” His mouth brushed over her jaw. “Stay.”

Remi felt him relax and put his head on the pillow behind hers. “I like seeing you here when I step out of the cage.” His mouth moved over her neck.

She sighed. It felt good.

“I knew you were here.” His lips brushed over her skin again. “Even under the thrall of the moon, I could sense you on the other side of the door.”

Turning onto her back, she opened her eyes and looked at him. His hair was damp; he must have had a shower when he woke up. “I hope it didn’t bother you.”

He pulled her so she was against his body again. “No, I liked knowing you were close. Safe.”

With each breath she inhaled, all she could smell was him. Even with a shower, that scent that was pure Darien was still strong. Turning into the warmth, she moved closer to his chest and relaxed in his arms.

“What fun did I miss last night?”

She could feel the rumbling in his chest against her cheek as he spoke softly. “Stripping, wrestling, crying faeries, almost sex in the bathroom…”

He chuckled. “Do I want to know who?”

Rubbing her face against the softness of his chest, she smiled. “I didn’t know them. Thank the gods for that.” His warm hand began moving in slow circles, caressing her back.

“Rem,” he breathed into her hair as he shifted and moved her closer, “I want you to think about us.” His bare leg moved between hers as he pulled her tighter into his body.

It felt so right, even though her brain told her no. They had to run Serenity together. “Dare, you’re one of the most important people in my life.” Knowing she should be moving away and getting up, she was clinging to the feeling of being close after too long being alone. Sliding her hand down his chest, she rested it against his waist. “Without you, Serenity…”

He cupped her chin and tipped her head back, holding his thumb over her lips so she couldn’t finish what she was saying. “We could have more than just Serenity.” Sliding his thumb off her mouth, he leaned down and brushed his lips over hers.

She took a shaky breath, trying to find the words as he did it again, lingering longer this time. When he kissed her, she always forgot why it was a bad idea to go beyond what they had. Her head told her to move away that the sleepy haze contributing to the slow, simmering heat building inside. Instead of slipping out of the bed, she moved closer and tilted her head back, giving him better access to her mouth.

Darien didn’t waste time before his mouth covered hers, erasing all her thoughts as he did. With a quiet growl, he shifted her hips so she was completely against him. His kiss grew more demanding, making her head swim with lust. Tearing his mouth from hers, he looked into her eyes. Yellow eyes searched hers.

“Why do your eyes go yellow when you kiss me?” Her voice was breathless.

His eyes flicked to her mouth and then back to hers. “My wolf wants you.” Leaning down, he nipped her jaw with sharp teeth; it sent shivers of need through her. “I want you, A ghrá.” Reaching to grasp her leg above the knee, he jerked her against him. There was no mistaking his arousal pushing against the dampness between her legs. A wave of heat went through her. She tried to find a reason to move away, even as her arms wrapped around his neck and her fingers burrowed into his hair, his mouth working its way up her jaw back to her lips.

He rolled to pin her beneath him, kissing her with such passion she was sure she’d ignite at any second. A rumbling growl sent a rush of heat to her groin, and she forgot all the reasons they shouldn’t do this. It felt so hot, so out of control, and all they’d done was kiss.

Darien tore his mouth from hers, and she gasped, trying to drag air back into her lungs as his teeth traced along her throat. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she realized that there was only thin material between their heated flesh.

Rocking his hips into her, he groaned. “I can feel your need,” he growled against her neck. “Smell how wet you are.” Reaching between them, he jerked her t-shirt up so their bare skin was touching.

The feel of his weight on her, his flesh burning hers, made her gasp. This was Darien… Her thoughts shattered as he reached underneath her and lifted her hips into his body. The friction of his hard erection against her swollen flesh made her moan. All she could think was that she’d never been this close, this ready in her life. She’d always thought she was a slow-building lover, needing the attention of foreplay to reach any completion, and Darien had her on the edge with a few kisses and grinding.

With each motion of his hips, breathless mewling noises came out of her mouth. She didn’t want it to end. His lips crushed hers, his teeth scraping along her tongue, and need crashed through her. With a growl, he lifted his head, and she felt sharp claws trailing along her waist, causing the muscles of her womb to clench. She heard fabric tearing and realized he’d just cut her underwear off her body…and she didn’t care.

With a whimper, she stretched up and bit the hard cords of muscle in his neck. He groaned and shifted on top of her with jerky movements. “Can’t stop,” he growled and crushed her mouth again as he pushed inside her with one powerful stroke. Remi moaned into his mouth as he filled her completely. It felt so good. She gripped his hips with her knees, biting his tongue as he rocked gently against her allowing her body to adjust to his size. She’d never been stretched like this before.

Tearing his mouth away, he lifted his head and looked down at her; his eyes were yellow, sending a jolt of excitement through her. Reaching down, he gripped her hips and slowly pulled out; her muscles tightened his length, not wanting him to leave her. With his jaw clenched, he thrust into her as her whole body quivered in response. She whined as he released her hips and took an arm, stretching it over her head. With a soft growl, he did the same with the other and held them in one of his strong hands. Pulling out of her gently, he reached under her and lifted her hips before plunging back into her with a force that shifted her up the bed.

She couldn’t move as he began to pound into her, taking her breath away each time their bodies collided. Remi was spiraling out of control and was utterly helpless as he rode her. Lifting her hips further off the bed, he leaned down and gently bit one nipple. She cried out and crashed over the edge into a powerful orgasm that tightened every muscle in her body. Darien continued to thrust into her as she gasped and moaned, trying to catch her breath.

With the whole room spinning, she fought to catch her breath. He released her hands, letting her body drop back to the bed, but didn’t stop thrusting into her. Before she could do anything, her body began to climb again, her muscles clenching tight, milking him. Grasping her hair, he covered her mouth and kissed her with desperation, shortening his thrusts and rocking into her tender flesh.

Another orgasm exploded through her, and she moaned into his mouth, her hands clinging to his shoulders. Darien released her mouth and slammed into her, his body tensing as he groaned through his own completion. She couldn’t find enough air to speak. Her whole body was quivering; her head felt too light as he kept rocking into her, causing wave after wave of spasms to course through her.

The only sound in the room was their panting, trying to bring enough oxygen back into their lungs. Remi tried to gather her thoughts, but she couldn’t focus. Darien shifted, taking some of his weight off her.

Her phone blared out, breaking the silence. She tensed and looked over at it. Resting one hand on his chest, she reached over and picked it up. It was the café’s number. Not knowing what time it was, she answered it with a breathless hello.

“Sorry to wake you.” It was Berk. “Kyran just hammered on the door and scared the hell out of me.” She could hear him talking in the background. “You need to come up here. Now.”

Berk’s tone cleared the fog from her brain immediately. “Give me five,” she gasped into the phone and hung up. Darien looked down at her, his eyes still streaked with yellow. “Something’s wrong.” A look of sadness filled his eyes as he moved and pulled out of her body. Without a word, he moved off to sit on the edge of the bed.

Pulling her shirt down, she sat up and took a deep breath. She saw her torn underwear, and the air left her lungs all at once. Scrambling off the opposite side of the bed, she stood up with shaky legs and weak knees. Darien stood up on the other side, reaching down and picking her jeans up off the floor. He held them up, giving her no choice but to walk around the bed and face him.

With shaking hands, she took them and turned to pull them on. She’d have to go up to her room and change, but right now, she had to go see what was going on. Darien came up behind her, holding out her bra. With flushed cheeks, she put it on under her shirt and pulled the straps out of the sleeves to get her arms through them. Running her hands through her hair, she combed it back from her face and hoped she didn’t look like she’d just had earth-shattering sex with Darien.

“Hey.” He gripped her arm gently and made her turn to face him. His eyes were chocolate brown again, and searched hers. “Don’t you dare regret what just happened.”

She opened her mouth to deny it but couldn’t say the words.

“I mean it, Remi.” He pulled her into his arms and held her there. She realized he was dressed already and wondered how long she’d been standing there, lost in her own thoughts. “I didn’t plan it to happen like that, but it wasn’t a mistake.” He dropped a firm kiss on her lips and then released her. Going over to the door, he picked up her boots and brought them to her. “We’ll talk about it later.”

Taking her boots, she looked up at him. There was a vulnerability in his eyes she’d never seen before, and it made her heart jerk. She’d had sex with him and broke her number one rule, but it was still Darien. “Okay,” she whispered and nodded briefly.

He watched her put her boots on and then pulled her back to her feet, grasping her chin lightly and forcing her to hold his gaze. When he winked and smiled as he released her, it was the last thing she’d expected. Sighing, she gave him a small smile. “Let’s go see what’s going on.”