Authors: Morgan Fox
“Even though you know you can never have a mate,” Nolan told him without hesitation. “Our family can’t have mates.”
“I can’t explain it, but she is,” Reyes said adamantly.
“Impossible,” he spat. “She’s just a piece of ass that you’re fucking, and that’s about all she is to you. Figure it out, boy. Get her with child and send her on her way if you wish to have a son, but end this charade before I do it for you.”
Megan’s lower lip quivered, and Dominic could feel she was close to tears. He bore down on her like a man possessed. “Come with me,” he gruffly said, stabbing her with his glance.
“That’s right. At least one of you has the right frame of mind to get out of my sight, where she’s clearly not welcome. Truly, son, have I taught you nothing? You fuck them, breed with them, but you don’t get attached to them, and you certainly never fall in love with them. Females serve a purpose, and once that purpose has been satisfied, they are of no further use to us.”
It all happened so fast. Reyes was on his father, his hands gripping the collar of his father’s shirt, pinning him against the door. “Never speak of my mate again. You don’t have the right to talk about her.”
Nolan laughed. “She’s already fucked up your brain, boy, and you can’t even see clear enough to know it.”
“Come,” Dominic said to her, taking her hand in his. “We don’t need to be here for this.”
She shuddered, fighting back a sob. Her eyes glistened with unspent tears.
Reyes released his hold on his father and abruptly grabbed hold of Megan’s hand, stopping Dominic from taking her away. “I’m sorry, Megan.”
She didn’t say anything, simply pulled her hand away from Reyes and allowed Dominic to take her with him. He led her to his truck, and she hopped inside without questioning where they were going. Honestly, he didn’t know. He only knew he had to get her out of there, had to get her away from the vileness of Reyes’s father. That man had a way of insulting a person just by breathing.
Megan sobbed softly, and like a knife to his heart, hearing and seeing her pain was killing him. He reached for her, his arm sliding around her shoulder. He pulled her against him and cradled her in his strong arm, molding her body securely against him. She didn’t fight his need to comfort her, didn’t push him away. In fact, she desperately clung to him, and for the first time, someone needing him the way she did felt better than anything else in his life ever had. It might take him longer than most to figure out the obvious, but when he finally did it was like the aha moment of a lifetime.
He was in love with Megan Shaw. Maybe he always had been, and had he been anything but an arrogant fool all those years ago, he never would have thought otherwise. Never would have questioned her loyalty to him. The reflection of adoration that shone in her eyes should’ve told him everything he needed to know about her feelings for him and, looking back, it had.
The mating bond between them had been so overwhelming it had actually frightened him, and that was the reason he ran and the reason he offered his best friend the woman that should have been his and his alone.
What a fucking idiot, he inwardly scolded himself.
At that time in his life, he hadn’t wanted to need someone as much as his instincts told him he needed Megan. She was a vital part of him, and since the moment their eyes had locked, he had known deep in his soul that she belonged with him. Now, he only had to figure out how to win her trust, and maybe with a little help from the heavens, she would fall in love with him, too.
Chapter Eleven
They had driven for hours, and Megan could tell by the direction they were heading that Dominic was taking her back to McCarthy Ranch. Dallas was only a few hours west and currently the safest place for them to go, especially now that Reyes’s home was off-limits to her. Fist clenched tight in her lap, she inwardly screamed, the nerve of that man. Who did Nolan Rodale think he was storming into Reyes’s home like he owned the place, tossing insults around like he was the ruler of all? The arrogant, pompous pig was definitely off her Christmas list.
Breathing deeply, she understood that, regardless of what had transpired at Reyes’s home, for some reason the idea of not having more alone time with either Dominic or Reyes was unsettling. She had just started to enjoy their company, and for the first time, she and Dominic weren’t fighting or bickering at each other. Instead, he held her like a man who held his lover, a tight grip around her, securing her firmly to his side. He seemed unwilling to release her, and that was okay with her because that was truly the last thing she wanted him to do.
Even though they had slept together twice, she knew better than to assume he wanted more from her than sex. He was merely easing her mind after Reyes’s father had been so cold to her. So, she would take Dominic’s comforting embrace and enjoy it while it lasted.
The powerful security his arms offered did strange things to her belly, twisting and flipping it about like a young girl’s on her first date. Odd that she would feel this for Dominic after knowing him for so long. Then again, did she really know this man? Everything she had once thought about him seemed skewed and incorrect. He cared about her. That much was obvious. Not to mention, she could sense the connection between them brewing and charging with more and more energy.
Sadly, she considered that it was just the mating instinct chipping away at them, making them feel more impressionable than they otherwise would be. Was this what her gut was sensing? She was on shaky ground when it came to Dominic. Shit, she was on shaky ground pretty much with everything in her life.
Dominic’s dark gaze filled Megan’s mind as she tried harder to pretend his exotic scent wasn’t surrounding her, invading her nostrils and alarming her senses. This might not be the best time for them to sort out their one-night stand and a threesome desk fuck, but she couldn’t stop her heart from racing. Closing her eyes, she wished she could resist the temptation and find the control her body needed to withstand him, unless there was more to be found between them.
Her eyes opened wide, startled by her thoughts. Did she want more? Did he? Could he?
She tried to concentrate even harder to ignore the presence of his magnificent body as it lingered beside her like a welcoming burst of sunlight on a cold, frigid day. It was useless. He was too much for her to simply disregard, and that meant he already had control, total and complete mastery over her, and strangely she wasn’t concerned in the slightest that he possessed so much of her.
As if reading her mind, Dominic said, “I think we should talk.” His voice sounded thick with tension.
Swallowing down the thump in her throat, feigning ignorance, she asked, “About what?”
“About us…Reyes,” Dominic said, and blew out a heavy sigh, casting a glance her way.
Her heart revved up for a moment and then sank quickly to her stomach. “Look, Dominic, maybe it was a mistake we slept together.”
It wasn’t for me, but maybe it was for you. Stop. Protect your heart…
“Sweetheart, we didn’t do much sleeping last I remember, and for someone who claims to hate me, you did a lousy job of showing it while you were sucking my cock.”
She gasped, appalled that he would resort to such a comment. Wasn’t Dominic trying to protect her from a cold-hearted bastard already? Well, who was protecting her from Dominic? “Leave it to you to be an asshole about this.” She folded her arms over her chest and stared out the side window, anger swirling in her belly.
Dominic growled, and she inclined her head to see tension around his eyes and mouth that showed a deep level of frustration and anxiety. He sighed. “I’m really trying hard not to be,” he said. “When it comes to you…I just never know what to say. You make me crazy, Megan.”
She didn’t know what to say because she didn’t really know what he meant. Why did she make him crazy? Since when was he at a loss for words when it came to insulting her or digging at her? He never was.
“Do you love Reyes?”
Startled by his question, her heart jumped into her throat. She hadn’t really thought about her sentiments concerning Reyes since she’d hopped into Dominic’s truck. Talking about Reyes with Dominic suddenly felt wrong. Why would it? For whatever reason, she possessed feelings of guilt, like she had betrayed Dominic by making love with Reyes.
Swallowing hard, she confessed, “I care about him.”
“Do you love him?”
Do I love him?
Her hands twisted in her lap as if wringing water from a towel.
I think I am in love with him, but how can I be sure when my heart is telling me to love you, too?
“I don’t know.”
“If you ask me, I think you do.”
She wanted to rebut his words and deny them to the bitter end, not because they weren’t true, but because she didn’t want to lose him, didn’t want to see him hurt. “Dominic—”
“Megan,” he quickly said, distracting her from our own thoughts. “How do you feel about me? Do you still hate me?”
“No,” she retorted immediately. She didn’t. She’d never hated him. Well, maybe for a little while, but he’d deserved no less from her then. He’d made her feel inadequate, unworthy. “I don’t hate you.”
There was a small silence as Dominic pulled off the road and into a rest stop a few miles from the last turn to reach McCarthy Ranch. His voice was shaky as he asked, “Could you ever care for me? Really and truly care for me as much as you care for Reyes?”
Her chest tight, her body warming, she admitted with heartfelt longing and all-consuming clarity, “I already do.” Her need to reveal her heart was just as paramount as her need to breathe.
Dominic moved so quickly that she only had time to blink as he cupped the back of her head and he pulled her effortlessly into his lap, causing her to straddle him. In seconds, his mouth covered hers. She instantly wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close. He kissed her hard, his tongue gluttonous, and she kissed him back in the same pleasure-starved manner. He explored her body with wild hands, touching her breasts, nipples, and waist. He cupped her ass, pressing her throbbing pussy against his hard erection.
Of their own accord, her hips rocked back and forth, gliding up and down his swollen cock that struggled beneath the fabric of his pants. Heat gathered between her legs as his rough jeans scraped against the soft mound of her cunt. She was incredibly turned on and aroused by his power and possession. Amazed by his strength and desire, she thought she might actually come just fucking him through his clothing.
With her tongue wedged deep into his mouth, her phone rang, startling her out of her hungered passion for Dominic. He growled, and she giggled.
The signature ringtone designated specifically for her alpha told her who the caller was without having to glance at the phone. “Sorry, but it’s Sebastian.”
He nipped at her lips. “There will come a day when you take me over his calls…I hope.”
Kissing him back, she conceded, “That day is already here.” She spoke in a hushed tone. “If it wasn’t for Brie’s pregnancy or our Lilly situation, I wouldn’t even considering answering.”
She kissed him one last time before flipping open her phone. “Sebastian?”
“Are you all right? Reyes called and told me what happened with his father.” The concern in his voice warmed her.
“Yes, Dominic’s with me.” She gazed into Dominic’s sensual but devious eyes.
His stern voice was low, almost a whisper as Sebastian repeated, “Again I ask, are you all right?”
Suppressing her need to laugh, she continued to gaze deeply into Dominic’s hypnotic eyes. “Yes, Sebastian, I’m in good hands.”
Dominic smirked, flicking open several buttons on her shirt, pulling her breasts free to massage and suck on her sensitive mounds and nipples. Then he moved his lips to the hollow of her neck and began kissing her throat, shoulders, and the valley between her breasts, licking and circling her nipples once more.
Oh, God in heaven.