Unchained Page 17

  “I know there’s nothing between you and Jacob, but I hope it explains some of my apprehensions. The whole thing with Savannah nearly ruined my relationship with my twin brother. We were so close before. Breaking up with Savannah was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. It nearly broke me to watch the two of them together, day in and day out. In many ways, what I had with Savannah was young love. It was first love stuff and it still hurt me so bad. I have a feeling we could have so much more, but that would mean taking a serious risk. Taking a leap of faith.” Gage took both her hands in his. “I know I pushed you away when I should have pulled. I was stupid and blind and scared. Truth is, I still am but I want this more than anything. I’m lost without you, Curls.”

  Edith licked her lips, wanting so badly to jump into his arms.

  “I know I hurt you. I wish I could take it back, but I can’t. Give us a chance. Take a leap of faith with me. I’m falling desperately and totally in love with you, that’s why I’m so afraid. What I’m trying to say is, let me be your Band-Aid.” He cupped her cheeks and she let him.

  Her heart was beating wildly in her chest. “I’m afraid,” she said, wanting so much to trust him. “I don’t know if …” She wanted to jump into his arms and throw caution to the wind. “I just don’t know.”

  "I do." He smiled, letting her go so that he could tug on a strand of her hair. "I see you left your hair the way I like it."

  Edith tried to smooth the riot of unruly curls. No such luck. She shook her head. "I didn't have time to straighten it this morning."

  “Bullshit, Curls. You haven’t straightened it once since you came back.”

  She felt her eyes flare wide. “Have you been spying on me?”

  “I knew it.” He moved in a little closer, not actually touching her. “You haven’t given up on me … on us. Please, Curls.”

  His eyes. His smile. Him. “Please don’t hurt me,” she whispered.

  “I won’t.” He cupped her cheeks again; his hands were warm on her skin. “Hurting you would be hurting myself. One and the same.”

  “I never expected this to happen. That you would be here. That …” She forced herself to stop blabbing. “I’m falling for you too,” she all but whispered.

  “Thank god!” He put his forehead against hers for a second. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear that.” Gage pulled back, looking deep into her eyes. “So, you agree to give us a chance?”

  Edith bit down on her lower lip and nodded. “Yes, I do. I don’t have a choice because I’m miserable without you.”

  “This is the part where I kiss you all better.” He clasped her cheeks firmer.

  Edith smiled. “And I get to kiss you all better as well.” She looked at his lips. Oh, what a mouth.

  “I sure hope so.” He moved in, his lips hovering just shy of hers.

  Oh shit! “Wait.” Her eyes flew open and she pulled back.

  “What is it?”

  “My client will be here any second. This place is a mess.” She lowered her voice. “We can’t be kissing each other better in case he arrives.”

  Gage laughed. “Mister Carnivore?”

  “Yes, Mister Carnivore … he’s due to …” What? Wait just a minute. “How do you know his name?” She could guess. The little shit.

  “With a name like that, I thought you would have guessed.” Gage looked sheepish. “You put me on the spot when you asked for my name, I made one up and sent it. In hindsight the name was stupid.” He chuckled. “I thought you would’ve put two and two together.”

  Edith had to laugh. “Well, I didn’t. This means I don’t have an actual viewing. I thought Mister Carnivore seemed really nice. I thought it was sweet that he wanted to buy his girlfriend this house. He told me he loved its charm and that he hoped they’d be happy here for many years.”

  “I do.” Soft and timid.

  “What?” She must have heard wrong. That, or she had this all wrong.

  “I’m not on that list. I’m not technically allowed to date. They’re probably scrapping the whole list thing long-term but I’m not sure when, or what the new arrangement would be. I want to buy this house for us.” He shrugged. “I want you and me to work. I want it more than anything. I'm going to move here and when you're ready, you can move in with me. I'm hoping you'll agree to eventually move to the village with me. Especially if we're going to have kids. Shifter young would be safer—”

  “Wow. This is suddenly moving fast. You’re giving me whiplash here.”

  “I’m trying to show you how serious I am. I don’t believe in long distance relationships. I’m sure we would make it work but it’s not what I want for us. I’m moving to Sweetwater and then we’ll figure it out.”

  Gage, kids, him moving here. It all sounded fantastic. It made her a bit nervous too. “Okay. I want you to move to Sweetwater. You know I love this house.” She walked in a small circle, ending with him in front of her. Jeans and a tight tee. “I don’t want a long-distance relationship, but we need to take things slow.”

  “That’s why I’m buying this house instead of throwing you over my shoulder. You do know that every instinct is making me want to do the latter?”

  “Oh really?” She swallowed thickly, her body doing its own thing again. Good thing she was fully onboard this time.

  Gage’s nostrils flared. “About that kiss …”

  “Yes, about that kiss.”

  He closed the distance between them and crushed his lips to hers. Edith could barely think coherently when he finally came up for air.

  “I think you need to show me every room in this house.” Gage was breathing heavily.

  “Every room?” She quirked an eyebrow.

  “We can start with the main bedroom and work our way through the rest of the house.” He bobbed his brows.

  “I must warn you, there’s no bed.”

  Gage’s eyes seemed to darken. “Since when do we need a bed, Curls?”

  Edith laughed. “You’re so right.”

  21

  Six weeks later …

  Honey, I’m home.” Edith used her elbow to close the door. “I come bearing gifts.” Edith rounded the corner and had to stop in her tracks.

  Wowza.

  Hubba Hubba.

  Her mouth went dry and her heart sped up a whole hell of a lot. Gage was about halfway up the ladder wearing just a pair of faded blue jeans and nothing else. Not only that, he was painting the wall, using long even strokes with the roller. Watching him work these last few weeks had been like watching porn. It got her going every time. His muscles popped and his jeans rode low on his hips.

  “Are you checking me out?” He glanced over his shoulder, his face lighting up with a smile.

  “Maybe.” She smiled back.

  “We’re nearly done with the renovations. I reckon another day or two should do it.” Gage stepped down off the ladder, putting the roller onto the tray, placing both on the floor. He wiped his hands on his jeans as he walked towards her. There was a smudge of paint on one of his cheeks and another on his chest, just above his left pec. “Have you given any thought to my suggestion.” Gage took the pizza boxes out of her hands and placed them on the nearby table.

  “Moving in you mean?”

  Gage nodded. “Yeah, moving in. We may as well live together since we either sleep here or back at your place anyway.”

  There hadn’t been a single night they hadn’t spent together since he had put a Band-Aid on her heart and had kissed her all better. As in, kissed every inch of her body until she couldn’t remember her own name, let alone why she was mad at him.

  Edith pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and gently bit down on it, looking up at him through her lashes. “I’m still thinking about it.” Of course she was moving in. They’d been furniture shopping together. Had picked everything out for the house. They had their whole future ahead of them. There was no way she was sleeping anywhere but in the arms of the shifter of her dreams.

  “So,”
he pulled her into said arms and kissed her, his hands sliding down to cup her ass, which he squeezed, ending the kiss with a low rumble, “that means I haven’t convinced you that moving in with me would be a fantastic idea.” His lips were a breath away from hers.

  Biting back a giggle she nodded. “I guess not.”

  “I haven’t worked hard enough.”

  “I guess not.”

  "Haven't pleased you nearly enough." He buried his head into her neck and kissed her on her pulse.

  She giggled and shrugged. "Nope."

  "I see you're wearing one of your fancy business suits." He pulled back and gave her the once-over. "Wouldn't want to get any paint or dirt on you. We might need to take this off." He touched the lapel of her jacket.

  Edith nodded. "You might be right." She allowed him to peel her jacket off. His big hands cupped her boobs and then her ass. His breathing becoming more labored with every second. Edith loved that she had this kind of effect on him. He pulled the zipper on her skirt down and pulled that off too, his touch becoming quicker, firmer, more urgent.

  Edith quickly unbuttoned her blouse, yanking that off. Good lord! His cock was hard and peeking out the top of his low-riding jeans. Making her mouth water and her pussy clench all at the same time.

  Gage unsnapped her bra, immediately dipping his head so that he could nip at her nipples. Oh, that mouth, his teeth, his wicked tongue. Edith moaned.

  Gage rubbed her through her underwear. Zoning in on her clit through the material. It felt good. She moaned again, feeling her body ready itself for him. Excitement coursed through her. “You lose the pantyhose and the underwear while I fetch a condom.” He gestured towards the bedroom. His voice was thick with desire. A deep rasp of need.

  Edith shook her head. “We don’t need to use a condom.”

  “What?” His head shot up, his eyes locking with hers.

  Edith shook her head. “I’ve been back on the pill for a full cycle so …” She looked him in the eyes.

  “You realize that no birth control is foolproof?” He raised his brows. “Not even my nose.”

  “I know. I’ve never had sex without a condom before.”

  "You know my take on this, on us." He gave her a sweet half-smile. "I'm all in, Curls. Hopefully, literally as well as figuratively."

  “I know,” she shrugged, “and I’m ready to take this step.”

  His eyes widened and brightened. “I get to come inside you?” He didn’t wait for a reply, Gage picked her up and began to walk. There was a ripping sound. Goodbye pantyhose. There was another tug and he was placing her on the edge of the kitchen counter. Goodbye lace panties. Edith wrapped her legs around him. When had he opened his jeans? They were hanging halfway down his thighs, his cock proud and ready.

  Then he was lining up and driving into her. One hard thrust put him balls deep. Gage growled and her mind turned mushy. Her whole body came alive. “You feel amazing, Curls.” His eyes drifted shut. The skin of his face pulled tight and his jaw clenched. “So damned good.”

  Edith was panting. “You do too,” she pushed out.

  “You have to agree to this. To us. I want to wake up with you every day.” He eased out before pushing back in. “Sleep with you every night.” He held onto her, holding her in place, changing the angle. “I want you, only you, I want this.” His thrusts were harder, more intense. Hitting every spot inside her. It was them, skin to skin. No holding back this time. No stopping.

  Edith couldn’t talk, she could only feel. That and breathe. Hard pants that filled the still mostly empty house. Pants that quickly turned to moans and moans to yells.

  Then she was throwing her head back and screaming as her orgasm took her. Carrying her higher and higher. “Yes,” she yelled as Gage tensed, bending slightly over the middle, his fingers digging in deeper, his movements becoming jerky. He groaned. She could feel him come inside her in hot bursts. He was pulling her close and breathing her in as he found his completion. It felt real. It felt right. It felt like everything fell into place.

  He was breathing heavily. Still deep inside her. His head in the crook of her neck. “I can’t wait to bite you.”

  She laughed. “That’s not very nice.” She still sounded out of breath.

  “Oh …” Gage nipped at her neck and her pussy clenched. Edith sucked in a ragged breath. “I think you might like it very much.” He nipped her again and she moaned.

  “That feels so good.” She pulled back so that she could look into his eyes. “That yes I yelled earlier …”

  Gage kissed her. He made a sound of acknowledgment.

  “Well, it was my answer.”

  Gage pulled back his eyes wide. “You’ll move in with me?”

  Edith nodded. “Of course I’ll move in with you.”

  “Oh, Curls.” Gage pulled her in close for a hug. “You have no idea how happy I am.”

  “I think I might have an inkling,” she said on a smile.

  Hunger Awakened: Book 1 of The Feral Series is on pre-order now

  About the Author

  Charlene Hartnady is a USA Today Bestselling author. She loves to write about all things paranormal including vampires, elves and shifters of all kinds. Charlene lives on an acre in the country with her gorgeous husband and three sons. They have an array of pets including a couple of horses.

  She is lucky enough to be able to write full time, so most days you can find her at her computer writing up a storm. Charlene believes that it is the small things that truly matter like that feeling you get when you start a new book, or a particularly beautiful sunset.

  If you want to be kept updated on new releases please sign up to my Latest Release Newsletter to ensure that you don’t miss out http://mad.ly/signups/96708/join. I promise not to spam you or divulge your email address to a third party. I send my mailing list an exclusive sneak peek prior to release as well as info on sales and freebies.

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  Also by Charlene Hartnady

  The Chosen Series:

  1# Chosen by the Vampire Kings

  2# Stolen by the Alpha Wolf

  3# Unlikely Mates

  4# Awakened by the Vampire Prince

  5#Mated to the Vampire Kings (Short Novel)

  6#Wolf Whisperer (Novella)

  7# Wanted by the Elven King

  The Program Series (Vampire Novels):

  Book 1: A Mate for York

  Book 2: A Mate for Gideon

  Book 3: A Mate for Lazarus

  Book 4: A Mate for Griffin

  Book 5: A Mate for Lance

  Book 6: A Mate for Kai

  Book 7: A Mate for Titan

  The Bride Hunt Series (Dragon Shifter Novels):

  Book 1: Royal Dragon

  Book 2: Water Dragon

  Book 3: Dragon King

  Book 4: Lightning Dragon

  Book 5: Forbidden Dragon

  Book 6: Dragon Prince

  The Shifter Night Series:

  1# Untethered

  2# Unbound

  3# Unchained

  Demon Chaser Series (No cliffhangers):

  Book 1 Omega

  Book 2 Alpha

  Book 3 Hybrid

  Book 4 Skin

  Demon Chaser Boxed Set Book 1-3

  Excerpt

  The Program Series: Book 1

  A Mate for York

  Chapter 1

  Cassidy’s hands were clammy and shaking. She had just retyped the same thing three times. At this rate, she would have to work even later than normal to get everything completed. She sighed heavily.

  Pull yourself together.

  With shaking hands, she grabbed her purse from the floor next to her and pulled out the folded up newspaper article.

  Have you ever wanted to date a va
mpire?

  Human women required. Must be enthusiastic about interactions with vampires. Must be willing to undergo a stringent medical exam. Must be prepared to sign a contractual agreement, which would include a non-disclosure clause. This will be a temporary position. Limited spaces available within the program. Successful candidates can earn up to $45,000 per day over a three day period.

  All she needed was three days leave.

  Cassidy wasn’t sure whether her hands were shaking because she had to ask for the leave and her boss was a total douchebag or because the thought of vampires drinking her blood wasn’t exactly a welcome one.

  More than likely, it was a combination of both.

  This was a major opportunity for her though. She had already been accepted into the trial phase of the program the vampires were running. What was three days in her life? So there was a little risk involved. Okay, a lot of risk, but it would all be worth it in the end. She was drowning in debt and stuck in a dead-end job in this godforsaken town. This was her chance, her golden opportunity, and she planned on seizing it with both hands.

  To remind herself what she was working toward, or at least running away from, she let her eyes roam around her cluttered desk. There were several piles of documents needing to be filed, and a stack of orders lay next to her cranky old laptop. Hopefully it wouldn’t freeze on her this time while she was uploading them into the system.

  There used to be two of them performing her job, but it had been months since Sarah had left, and she was never replaced, so it was just Cassidy. She found herself coming to work way earlier and staying later just to get the job done.

  To add insult to injury, there were many days when her a-hole boss still had the audacity to come down on her for not meeting a deadline. He refused to listen to reason and would not accept being understaffed as an excuse. She’d never been one to shy away from hard work, but the expectations were ridiculous. Her only saving grace was that she didn’t have much of a life.