Chapter 87

Chapter 87
I scoffed, shaking my head at the sheer audacity. I know I have heard him bare out his heart to my parents, but when it comes to Toby, I will never assume.

I need to hear it from his mouth.

“Why are you here?” I demanded, my voice trembling with so much contained fury. “Have you finally come to reject me? If so, you can just do that quickly and get the hell out of my life!” I snapped. It was better like this; the anger would mask whatever emotion that was still brewing inside me.

I took a deep breath, blinking back the tears that were threatening to come down because I refuse to be a crybaby in front of him, and honestly, I blame the hormones.

Toby wasn’t just stubborn; he was also cruel. Leaving me wasn’t enough for him, but he had to come and say the forbidden words in my presence.

“I am here, love, finally.” He was too calm, his voice steady like I had not just yelled at him. “I know I am late—maybe too late—but I am here now, and I have no plans of going anywhere.”

I eyed him from down to top, finally choosing to focus on the brown eyes that were staring at me—they seemed to have gotten lighter now. I could see a hint of Adrian peeking out as if to reassure me that he was telling the truth, but they must have connived together to scam me.

I was wiser than that.

“Now look here.” I squared my chin, glaring at him, even though I wasn’t actually seeing him. “I have played this game before—where you will come and we will begin another round of lovey-dovey, and one day it is all gone. I am not going to do that again, Toby. So just save yourself from all that and get out!” I paused for air, ready to stop, but I was too riled up, the words not enough to contain the anger that had been shimmering in me, and now that the source was here, I just had to let it go.

“I know you are too attached to your pack to ever leave it, and I used to be so mad about it, but I don’t care about that anymore. I will not leave my pack to yours, and you can choose to do so too. I will respect your decision because…”

My voice trailed off because his lips had met mine, silencing me with those soft lips. The shock of it had heat surging through my body, his action scattering my thoughts and my carefully planned words. He finally pulled away from me, and I stared at him with an open mouth, caught between the urge to slap him and pull him closer for another one.

“I have always wanted to do this.” He murmured, his gaze softening as he looked at me. “I thought it was every lady's desire to be silenced with a kiss.”

“You are mistaken; I am not just someone that you can silence with a kiss.” I held out my hands, giving him a little distance because you cannot tell what he would do again. “And I was saying something actually important; you cannot...”

Toby actually closed the distance between us, his lips brushing mine with a soft and delicate kiss. I actually saw it coming, but I couldn’t stop it—I didn’t want to.

Instead, I wanted more, because those damn pecks he was giving me were not enough to curb the anger inside of me or even the horniness that was slowly building.

“What do you say about..." I growled, grabbing him by his shirt and pulling him closer.

“Shut up and kiss me better…” Gah! I huffed, grabbing him by his shirt and pulling him closer. He was so frustrating, but he was a damn good kisser, and there was no way I could be satisfied with just that teasing.

Toby chuckled, his laughter sending a warm flutter through my stomach, but he sobered up as he saw me, and he slipped his arms around my waist, pulling me close and kissing me softly with a tenderness that stole my breath away.



“Why didn’t you come sooner?” I asked Toby as we lay on the bed, naked and with no space between us. I was cuddled up by his side, occasionally taking deep breaths and inhaling the air that had a mix of our scents together.

Yeah, I know. Sleeping with a man that you have supposedly sworn off wasn’t a good look, but we have agreed to blame it on hormones, right?

“Why didn’t you say anything when I was leaving?” I demanded, shifting to get a better look at him. “It would have saved me all the stress.”

“And risk coming after you like Prince Charming?” He teased, a grin spreading across his face, and it earned him a slight pull of the hair on his chest.

“Toby! Be serious!” I slapped his chest gently, an excuse to also feel the hardness of his pecs. “Why didn’t you stop me?”

“The truth was, your question stunned me, and I wasn’t expecting that you would think of rejection.”

“Hmm.” I made a noise at the back of my throat. I was not fully convinced, but I guess I could manage that. “And why didn’t you pursue me when you had gotten yourself?”

“Because I knew you needed action more than words,” he told me, staring at me with an intensity that had every trace of doubt fleeing. “Even if you believed my words, there was no way I could leave immediately, and I knew you weren’t in a state to understand that.”

“You should have said something.” I protested. “I am reasonable enough to agree with you.”

“I doubt that, baby.” He shook his head, gently caressing my cheeks. “I had no idea when I would be able to finish up the things I had to do before I left, and I had to be sure before I came to you.”

“Okay.” I murmured grudgingly. There was no need to get angry again when he was here with me. Instead, I squeezed his hand tight, and he reciprocated the gesture, bringing my wrist to his lips and kissing it gently. “So what were you doing when I left?”

“A lot. Kane must have known I would leave because he had begun to look up replacements, and I had to go through them all until I was sure I could leave such a position for my successor.” My heart lurched because I knew the role he played for his pack and how important it was. But it wasn’t my concern anymore. He was here with me, and that is all that matters.

“You are here now, and you will not be going anywhere again.” I stated, drumming it into his ears in case he had forgotten.

“I am sorry, love. I realized how much I have caused you hurt, and I promise to do better.” His voice was soft, filled with a sincerity that made my chest tighten. These were the words I had always longed to hear.

“Hmm.” I nodded, trying to steady myself before the waterworks would come again. But Toby, ever the observant one, saw right through me, and he gently cupped my face, his thumb gently rubbing under my right eye.

“I love you, Maddie.” His words, spoken with so much conviction, made my heart swell and drove away the lingering fear.

“I love you, Toby.”