Authors: Jess Buffett
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” His voice cracked, from fear or anger he wasn’t sure, as he and allowed Chase to pull him into a hug.
“It’s okay, man. She is gonna be okay,” his friend soothed. “Let’s go to the hospital. Mum and dad are already there and we can get more answers, okay?”
Evan didn’t say anything as Chase led him out to the other man’s car. The whole ride there all he could think of was how surreal everything felt. He had finally pulled his head out of his arse, and now he might lose her. It was a thought he couldn’t bear.
Summer came awake slowly, the pain pulling her out of her sleep. She blinked up at the unfamiliar ceiling, not recognizing where she was. Her eyes roamed the room, and she was careful not to move her head that currently felt like it had a herd of elephants doing the conga in it. Summer grimaced when she realized she was in a hospital room. She hated hospitals.
Deep heavy breathing drew her attention to her right. Expecting it to be her father or one of her brothers, Summer’s eyes widened when she saw it was Evan who sat slouched in the chair beside her bed.
What on earth?
The man looked ragged, dark rings standing out under his eyes and the heavy growth along his jaw suggested he hadn’t shaved in a while. What could have possibly happened to make the perfectly groomed and unshakable Evan MacKenzie look as if he’d been dragged through hell and back?
She racked her brain trying to remember what had happened. Summer recalled attending the Christmas party with Brad, and there was a vague memory of a conversation with Evan, but everything after that was a blank. It was as if everything had just stopped for a while. Given the fact she was now lying in a hospital bed, Summer had a feeling she didn’t want to remember.
Needing some answers, Summer tried to wake the man. “Evan?”
She barely contained a laugh as Evan’s head shot up, his bleary eyes trying to focus in on the room. When his gaze turned to hers, he sucked in a breath. Summer was shocked to see tears well in his silver eyes as he looked her over, as if making sure she was really there.
“Hey,” Evan’s hoarse whispers washed over her, sending frissons of heat through her body.
Damn, the man. He could twist her up, even as she lay broken in a bed. And that was exactly how she felt—broken.
“Hey,” she croaked, her throat dry. “What am I doing here?”
Evan leaned forward, bringing a cup of water to her lips. “You fell down a set of stairs. The doctors said you were pretty lucky.”
Summer pulled a face at him. She didn’t feel too lucky at the moment. “Anything broken?”
“There was and possibly still is a hairline fracture in your wrist, and you received a concussion. You also had a number of cuts and bruises but they have mostly already healed,” Evan sighed, brushing his knuckles over her cheek. “All in all, you came out pretty well.”
She’d say she had come out pretty damn well, if Evan was touching her like that.
Something wasn’t right. The Evan she knew wouldn’t even think to be affectionate with her, let alone sit at her bedside waiting for her to wake up.
“Evan. What’s going on? How did I end up here?” Summer didn’t like the way he visibly paled. “Evan?”
“Do you remember the party?” he asked, reaching for her hand.
“Kind of. Not much.” Evan’s avoidance of the question was worrying her. “I’m really starting to freak out here, so I just need you to be straight with me. Please.”
She watched his face crumble. “It was my fault,” Evan whispered.
She lay there momentarily stunned. His fault? If there was one thing Summer knew for sure, it was that Evan would never physically harm her. Emotionally she had never received more blows from one person, but physically...no.
Feeling brave, Summer flipped her hand over to twine their fingers. “What happened, Evan? I know it couldn’t be your fault.”
Evan shook his head in utter dissolution. “But it was. If I hadn’t acted like such an arse, then you wouldn’t have left with Brad. And if you hadn’t left with him, then—”
The poor man was struggling, but Summer didn’t know how to make it easier for him. Obviously something had happened between them, an argument of some sort and she had chosen to leave with Brad. Maybe they had been in an accident. Was the other man okay? She hadn’t been a fan of the guy, but she hardly wished him harm.
“Is Brad all right?” Summer was amazed when Evan’s eyes darkened, a fierce expression playing on his face.
“Nothing happened to him. However, when I get my hands on that bastard, it will be a whole other story.”
Okay, wow.
“Want to tell me why?”
He pressed his lips together, seeming to visibly calm himself. “We had a fight. I was an arse. You ran outside and he must have followed and offered you a lift home from the party.” His eyes slide closed, a deep, shaky breath slipping past his lips. “Somehow he was able to get a drug into your system, one designed for shifters.”
She blinked up at him. “He drugged me? Why?”
“Why do you think?” he bit out and she flinched at the aggression pouring off him. “Sorry. I’m sorry. I just...it’s my fault, sunshine. If I hadn’t upset you then you wouldn’t have left the way you did with him, and he never would have gotten a chance to hurt you.”
Her heart skipped a beat as she registered the nickname he had given her a long time ago. A play on her name, which she had no doubt had been meant to annoy her, but it had always left her smiling. She'd been hurt when Evan had stopped calling her that around her eighteenth birthday.
“Evan. I don’t remember being upset with you, but either way, you couldn’t have stopped me from getting a lift home with him. He was my date for the evening.”
Evan growled. “Still...”
“Still nothing. You had no way of knowing what he had planned. So stop, Evan.” She squeezed his hand, trying to comfort him.
He stared at her, confusion marring his handsome face. “How can you be so calm after what he tried to do? You know what his end game had been, right?”
She gave him a small smile. He looked so fierce, so strong. It was as if he was ready to fight all battles for her. “I know. However, nothing happened.”
“How do you know? I thought you couldn’t remember?”
“Because you wouldn’t just be sitting around waiting for me to wake up if he had,” she responded, her conviction clear in her voice.
Evan’s eyes remained fixed on her as she slowly sat up, her body already feeling better since waking. Maybe it had something to do with having her mate so close. Or maybe it was because she could finally see something like recognition in Evan’s gray eyes.
“You’re so sure?” he asked.
“Yes.” She bit her lip, hesitating for only a moment before she asked him, “You know, don’t you?”
Evan’s eyes left hers briefly but returned quickly, a dark, soul-searing lust pinning her where she sat on the edge of the bed. “Am I?”
“Are you what?” Her pulse quickened as she waited for his answer. After all the years she had waited for this man to wake up and realize, she refused to make it easy on him.
He growled, leaning in close, his lips a hair's breadth away from hers. “Am I your mate, Summer?”
Her breath caught and her eyes slid closed as whispered, “Yes.”
All thought left him as he closed the miniscule distance between them, capturing her lips with his own. The taste of her on his lips once again caused him to groan. Nothing had ever tasted better.
His hands came up to cup her head between them, ensuring that even if Summer wanted to, she couldn’t pull away. However, the way Summer leaned into the caress was anything to go by, she wasn’t going anywhere.
He nudged open her legs, maneuvring between them. His cock throbbed as it brushed up against her, the hospital gown having slid up her thighs. All he wanted to do in that moment was be buried balls deep inside of her, feeling her intense heat surround him. He thrust forward a little, still mindful that she hadn’t fully healed yet.
“Evan,” she gasped, pulling back from the kiss when it became paramount to breathe.
“Summer,” he murmured against her lips. He lifted his head, tracing his thumb over her swollen bottom lip. “Why?”
He didn’t need to say anything else, he could tell Summer knew what he meant. Her pale blue eyes left his, dropping to the floor. She had always been so confident, so sure and full of life. To shy away from him was totally unlike her and it broke his heart.
“I wanted you to want
me
.” Her eyes met his again and he could see it. The doubt and uncertainty she must have been hiding all these years from him. How could he have never noticed? “You only ever saw me as a child. Richard Ashcroft’s daughter. I didn’t want your only reason to be with me was because fate told you so.” Her eyes shut as her hands rested on his chest. “I wanted you to choose me.”
The last part was said so quietly, Evan wasn’t sure if it had been meant for his ears.
He sighed, cupping her cheek lightly. “I’ll be honest, your age is difficult for me, but only because I allowed my stupid fears of caring for someone else get in the way. I realize you don’t need me to take care of you, but when I thought of your age, and how close it was to Amber’s...”
“All you could do was see the similarities,” she finished for him, nuzzling into his hand.
That was exactly it, but there was more. “Yes. More importantly though, is the fact I knew you were a shifter. Shifter’s have mates, Summer. Could you see how me
not
knowing I was yours would worry me?”
Summer nodded, opening her eyes once more. “Yeah, I do. So where does that leave us?”
“This leaves us with you coming to stay with me while your brothers and father hunt Bradley,” he said without hesitating.
He may be doing an about face, but as far as he was concerned, if fate said they were meant to be together, he wasn’t willing to let this woman out of his site while that bastard was on the loose.
Her eyes widened. “They’re hunting him?”
Evan frowned, confused by her shock. He wasn’t a shifter and even he understood. “He drugged you, forced himself on you. God knows what would have happened if I hadn’t turned up.”
“No, you’re right.” She shivered and he didn’t think it had anything to do with being cold. “I guess it hasn’t sunk in. I mean, I remember arriving at the party with him, but not much else. Is that normal?”
He shrugged with one arm, refusing to let go of her with the other. “I don’t know. I think it is in humans.”
“Wait. How was he able to drug me?” she asked suddenly. Her eyes narrowed. “It shouldn’t have been able to work and he would have known that. My tiger should have suppressed any chemical.”
Evan grimaced. “Whatever it was, was enhanced specifically for shifters.”
“Oh shit. I had no idea such drugs existed.” She twirled her hand around to indicate the room. “You know, except for the kinds they use here in this hospital for those rare injuries we struggle to heal from. And even then, the list of people with access is smaller than the size of my family.”
Maybe so, though he fought the urge to point out that her family was bloody huge.
“Listen, how about I go get a doctor to look at you,” he suggested, eager to get her out of there and somewhere he knew she’d be safe. “There are plenty on staff that are used to dealing with the shifters in the town. So healing won’t be a problem. By the time they are ready to discharge you, you should be mostly healed.”
He watched a frown form on her beautiful face. “Why haven’t I healed already? And what took me so long to wake up?”
“The drugs. They slowed everything down, it’s how they work. Now that you’re awake, it means the drugs are working their way out of your system. By the time the doctor gets here, they should be mostly gone.” Evan took a step back, knowing if he didn’t break contact soon, then he wouldn’t leave. “So I’ll go find one, okay?”
“Yeah, I’d like that. I don’t like hospitals,” she said quietly.
He smiled at her. “I remember. I’ll be as quick as possible.”
Leaving Summer to track down a doctor had been one of the hardest things he had ever done. Everything was screaming inside of him to stay by her, in case Bradley showed back up. Not that Evan thought he would, the man had a death sentence hanging over his head. There was no way the Alpha, Sage, would let the bastard live. Sage may want some answers first, like where the hell Bradley had gotten those drugs but in the end he’d still end up dead. And surprisingly, Evan was okay with that.
If you had asked him even the day before if he would be capable of taking a life, he would have said no. But now...hell, he’d be more than happy to help. Damn. He really was her mate.
Summer glanced around the beautiful single-level home she had entered. It always surprised her at how homey the house felt given he was the only one who lived there now. The walls of the huge room were a crisp white, with a smoky gray feature wall. Family photos hung from the walls, and dark chocolate furniture lay throughout. A giant bookcase sat to one side, and the avid reader in her itched to see what novels her mate had.
Something soft and furry brushed across her leg, and Summer smiled down at Evan’s cat. “Hey, Ally. Long time no see.”
The gorgeous, gray feline purred in response, the animal’s coat reminding Summer of her owner’s eyes. She adored the cat. Ally had always been so affectionate toward Summer, as if sensing the tiger within her. The unusual spark of knowledge in the pet’s eyes intrigued Summer.
“Looks like she missed you. I was going to make us a coffee or something,” he said abruptly, almost awkwardly. She had sensed him tensing the closer they had gotten, and hadn’t known what to do or say to relieve it. “Did you want me to get you something more comfortable to wear?”
She looked down at the dress she was wearing. The satin outfit was the same one she had worn to the party, having slipped back into it after being discharged. Summer hadn’t bothered putting her shoes back on however, and dropped them on the floor near the door. “In a moment, but I could really go for a cup of coffee first.”
He smiled, waving a hand in the direction she assumed was the kitchen. “Coffee it is.”
Summer followed behind him, her eyebrows raising at the mess cluttered in the dining room just off the kitchen. Papers were strewn all about the place, pens and markers littered the floor as if they had been flicked away when they no longer worked. She struggled to contain her amusement, having never seen this side of the organized and put together man.
Evan clearly noticed anyway. “Sorry, haven’t had much time for cleaning.”
“Things been busy at the office?”
He shrugged. “That, and helping Sage organize everything for his new tenant.”
“Yeah, Ella’s friend from Uni.” She nodded. “She was telling me about Tessa and her siblings. So sad what happened to their parents.”
When her sister and littermate, Ella, rang to tell the family of her friend, Tessa, and the trouble the girl was in, her older brother, Sage, had offered the small three bedroom flat out back of his own house to Tessa and her siblings. Who knew the tough, sometimes gruff Alpha could be so sweet?
“I did some investigation into that. Her parents weren’t clean, although it’s pretty obvious Tessa didn’t know,” Evan said, reaching into the cupboard for the mugs. “The father was in deep with the wrong people.”
“Oh wow.” Summer couldn’t imagine what the poor girl was going through. “Ella said she has five siblings coming with her. Since most will be attending the school where I teach at, I offered to help them adjust”
Evan paused what he was doing, his shoulders tensing. “Yeah. That’s a lot for one person, especially so young.”
“But she won’t be alone. She’ll have the Pride.” That was why Sage had offered his flat. Every tiger shifter in New Hope would be willing to help.
As if he read her thoughts, he asked, “Does she know about shifters?”
“Yeah, I asked Ella. She said Tessa and the second eldest, a brother, know about shifters. The others don’t though.”
He nodded as he finished making their drinks. “Makes sense. At their age things can easily slip out, and while that would be safe here in New Hope...”
“It could cause serious problems elsewhere,” she finished for him.
He handed her the hot beverage, taking a sip of his own as he leaned his hip against the counter. “Yeah. Still, it’s a lot of responsibility. Caring for one person can be difficult enough.”
Summer’s heart broke. They were no longer talking about Tessa, but about Amber. She knew it had been hard on him, losing his sister like that, Summer had just never realized how much he struggled. “You did the best you could.”
“I don’t always feel that way,” he whispered, not able to meet her eye.
She took a step toward him, placing a hand gently on his shoulder. “What else could you have done? You loved her, cared for her. You were amazing.”
He cupped her cheek, smiling sadly. “But in the end it hadn’t been enough.”
Evan’s words were so simple, and yet they said so much to her. “Evan. Is that what you’re worried about?”
His gray eyes shimmered with lust, desire, and something else she was afraid to hope for.
“What if I’m not enough for you? I’m only human.” His words were no more than a whisper, but he didn’t drop his hand. She moved the last inch that separated them, her thighs brushing against his. Summer felt breathless this close to her mate. She lifted her hand and ran her thumb along his full bottom lip. “Summer.”
Her name, a strangled groan from his lips was the last thing she was aware of before he gripped her waist and spun her around. Her back was to his chest and she could feel the defined length of his cock along the crease of her arse. Pressed between him and the counter, Summer could feel every muscle in his rock hard body. Her pussy grew wet, and all she wanted to do was tell him, to let him know that she was so ready for him. Licking her lips, she looked over her shoulder, gasping at the predatory gleam in his eyes. “You’ll always be enough for me, my mate.”
“Christ, I want you so bad, Summer.” She could hear the raw desire in his hoarse whisper. “But I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I’m fine, I promise. Completely healed,” she panted.
He ran his hand along the sides of her breasts and over her hips. He gripped her tightly and pulled her more fully back against him. As if her arse against his thick erection was too much for him, he turned her around and lifted her easily onto the counter. Her dress rode up her thighs and the chill of the tile beneath her arse was a shock to her overheated body.
Evan’s lips slammed down on hers with all the built up passion and desire they both felt. Summer spread her legs wider to accommodate his larger frame and felt her panties rub along her too swollen pussy lips. Slowly, he ground his cock into her folds, teasing her until the words for him to fuck her fell from her lips.
“Please, please let me feel you inside of me.” She didn’t care if she begged for it, didn’t care at this point if she sounded pathetic. Summer was on the verge of climaxing just from the feel of that jean clad cock pulsing against her body and she needed her mate once and for all. Evan growled against her mouth, fiercer than any shifter and quickly went for the button of his jeans. The sound of the button popping free and of the zipper sliding down sent shivers throughout her body. She leaned back and braced her weight on her hands.
“Summer?” She could tell he was having second thoughts, could tell he was trying to talk himself out of it. She wouldn’t have any of that, couldn’t breathe if she didn’t feel his cock buried inside of her. She may be a virgin, but she knew what she wanted.
She wanted her mate. She had waited long enough.
Evan had his pants pushed down his hips in the next second. She felt her eyes widen when she finally got a look at what had been hidden behind his jeans. His cock was huge, thick and long, the head was flared and bulbous, already wet from his arousal. She licked her lips and heard him groan.
However, when her eyes slid a little higher and to the right, her breath hitched. Eyes widening at what she saw, Summer glanced up at the man she had known for years, searching for any sign of deception. Her confusion mounting when she found none. Yet the proof was there right in front of her in the shape of a small pentagram, positioned on his right hip. A mark only found on one species. And it wasn’t human.
“Evan?” her voice wavered as her mind searched for a possible answer.
His expression still clouded with lust, Evan tilted his head to the side and frowned. “What is it? Do you want to stop?”
Her tiger snarled, telling her not to care, overriding all of her senses. Stopping was the last thing either of them wanted, but she attempted one last time to stay in control. “That mark, Evan, there on your hip. Have you always had it? Do you...”
His eyes flicked to the mark in question, then back up to hers and she could read the confusion in them. “Summer, do you really want to talk about some weird birthmark I was born with? Does it make you that uncomfortable?”
“No, but—”
“No buts then, not anymore.” He took a step toward her and dropped down on his knees to bury his face between her thighs. The force of his mouth on her pussy, of his lips rubbing along her labia had her leaning back and bracing herself once more on the counter. The sound of fabric tearing pierced her lust induced brain and she watched as Evan tossed the remnants of her panties to the side.
Summer cried out as he licked and sucked, probed and teased her. He spread her pussy lips apart with his thumbs and sucked her clit into his mouth. Summer ground her pussy against his mouth, and he growled in response.
Damn, she loved that sound coming from him.
A sudden spark, almost like an electrical current, zapped her.
What the hell was that?
She threw her head back and cried out in pleasure as her orgasm slammed into her. He didn’t stop sucking on her and that only made it seem to go on longer. After letting go of her clit, he licked a path down her slit and speared her pussy with his tongue. In and out he probed her body with his tongue while he moved his thumb back to her clit and rubbed small, quick circles around the bundle of nerves. She could feel another intense orgasm approach and felt her whole body tighten in response.
“Come again, honey. I want to taste you, Summer. I want your cream down my throat.” She was shocked at what he said, but those few words sent pleasure through her like a freight train. The intensity of what was happening had her whole body shaking and she closed her eyes as she let it wash through her.
He gave one last lingering kiss to her inner thigh, and she opened her eyes to watch him stand. She dropped her gaze to his prick, standing stiff from the thatch of dark hair and knew she wouldn’t be truly satisfied until she finally had it inside of her. Evan stepped between her legs once again and ran his hands over her thighs, over her stomach, and up her arms. She shivered at the sensual caress.
Evan snagged his fingers under the straps of her dress and slowly pulled them down her arms. She hadn’t worn a bra, and when the material slid over her breasts they fell free, the nipples hardening as the cool air hit them.
“Oh God, Summer. You are so fucking beautiful.” He sounded in awe and she couldn’t help the flush that swept through her whole body at his praise. Never had a man looked at her as if she was his next breath.
She gasped when she felt the hard, hot length of his erection rub against her cleft. Summer stared wide-eyed at Evan. They didn’t speak or move for the longest time, and Summer feared he was about to change his mind.
“Evan?”
He blinked several times as if to clear his mind and then stepped back. Defeat claimed her and she sagged.
“Not here, Summer. I won’t claim you on a cold, marbled bench.”
His words had her lifting her head and staring at him.
Oh, thank
God
!
He helped her off the counter and pulled his pants up haphazardly before adjusting her dress for her. His arms around her were secure and made her feel safe and protected. Despite this small reprieve, the fire that coursed through her body didn’t relent.
“Let’s go to the bedroom,” she murmured against his chest.
He pulled back and stared into her eyes before he nodded and led the way.
As they went down the hallway, Summer feared he could hear her heart beating. Hell, she could hear it all the way in her ears, could even feel it pounding in her throat.
Evan stopped in front of his closed door but didn’t make any movement to open it. She gripped his hand and led him inside. The room was dark and the light from the moon illuminated the bed. It gave everything a sexual, almost hazy feel. When he stepped inside she shut the door and they both stood there in silence. His back was to her and she could see how tense he was again. She tentatively ran her finger down his spine. The material moulded into the long indent and she could see his muscles flex, as if her touch was filled with electricity. He turned when her fingers stopped at the small of his back.
“If we’re doing this, then we’re doing this all the way, Summer,” he whispered, his gaze pinning her where she stood. “You’re mine. I won’t give you up and I won’t live without you. Do you understand?”
“All I’ve ever wanted was for you to want me back, Evan. Now I can see that was never the problem, doubt was. But for me there is no more doubt. You are my mate.”
“I know. Somehow I think I have always known. I used to think my lack of desire for anyone else was because of losing my family. Why put myself through more heartache? Then, you turned eighteen and suddenly all I could do was think of you. I figured that was because I saw you as unattainable. You were safe. When that didn’t seem to be enough to stay away from you, I fixated on the fact you were younger than me. God, I had myself so twisted up I didn’t even see that you were everything I had been looking for, until it was almost too late.”
His words, so endearing and raw, had tears forming in her eyes. She had nothing to say in response, didn’t even know what to say. She opened her mouth but all that came out was a soft sigh. “You don’t need to say anything. Just know that you are the single most important person in the world to me.”
Oh God
.
Tears finally fell down her cheeks. “I love you, Evan.”
Not waiting for him to respond, she lowered the zipper of her dress and shimmied out of it, standing completely nude in front of him. Arousal still coursed through her as Evan followed suit and removed his shirt. Her mouth went dry when she saw his chest. This wasn’t the first time she had seen the hard, wide expanse of his defined chest, but now, knowing what was about to happen, made everything feel so different.