In Deeper (17 page)

She hit the sand hard, rolling on the ground until she landed sprawled on her stomach. Heavy weight landed on her, and a growl echoed in her ear before teeth clamped down on her throat. The bite didn’t break her skin, but was hard enough to force her to remain still beneath Micah.

He growled again. Somewhere deep inside, she knew she should struggle, fight for her freedom, but her body stopped resisting. She was too tired to continue. She pressed her cheek into the sand and closed her eyes. Without thinking about it, she shifted into human form. Micah’s fur tickled her back, but it was soon replaced by skin and soft hair. His mouth remained on her neck, but the teeth no longer held her in place.

“Why?”

The one-word question should be easy to answer. It was obvious she wanted independence. Only a fool would think she’d concede to them. Instead, she remained silent and let him think what he would.

The sand was rough against her breasts and thighs, especially with the added weight of his body. One thigh was inserted between hers, holding her pinned to the damp ground. Water reached her toes and sucked at the sand around her feet. She shouldn’t want him still, but the evidence of his arousal against her buttocks sent longing through her system.

“Goddamn it, Celeste!” He shoved away from her. “Do you always have to be so fucking stubborn? We’re trying to help you. But if you’re determined to let them finish what they started, be my guest.”

She wanted to lie there, keep her face buried in the sand, but it wasn’t in her to allow someone else to make decisions for her. She rolled over and sat up, balancing on her elbows and not trusting her legs to hold her. “Why do you care, Micah? Huh? You’ve made it clear that you’re not willing to commit. Let me go then. Stop doing what your brother tells you to, and let me go home!”

He took a step back, away from her. “For once, Drake has the right idea. I’m not doing this because he tells me to. I’m doing this because I don’t want to see you hurt. Can’t you understand that? I’m not willing to let anyone take you away from me.”

She clutched a handful of sand and tossed it at his feet. “Fuck you, Micah Randolph. You can’t keep giving me mixed signals. Either you want me or you don’t. You don’t get to string me along.”

He crouched before her, his face a mixture of amusement and mockery. “Isn’t that what you’ve always done? Pretended you hated me, while simultaneously picking fights with me just to bring me closer to my breaking point? Newsflash, Celeste. I’m already broken. You’ve broken me.”

Damn the tears that crowded her throat and made it hard to speak. She swallowed past the lump and knelt before him. The fog thickened, bringing with it the scent of rain, but she saw him clearly. His beautiful body, banded with muscle and darkened by hours spent in the sunlight. She was weak for wanting him but couldn’t help it. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that I love you. Goddamn it, Celeste. I love you. It’s the last thing I wanted, but it’s the truth.”

Thank God she was kneeling, else she would’ve fallen. “You love me?”

He shifted closer, mimicking her position, and reached for her hand. “Yeah, I do. I don’t want you to leave. Not because you may be killed, although that’s a big area of concern for me, but because I can’t bear to be apart from you. Why do you think I flew home every night? It wasn’t easy, nor was it cheap. I came here every night because I couldn’t stand not having you in my bed. You walked out of my dreams and into my life, and I’m not letting anyone stand in my way now.”

“I…” She coughed to clear her throat. “I can’t stand by and do nothing. I can’t. Don’t ask me to.”

He slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Let me help you. Trust me. You’re not alone anymore. You have a family, and we want to help you.”

As he spoke, he traced the curve of her breast. She doubted he was even aware he did it. With every stroke of his fingertip, lust unfolded within her. The energy of the run, combined with his shocking admission, pumped warm honey through her veins. She wanted to get lost with him, tossed about in the fire of his kiss. “I love you too. I think you should know.”

He lifted a hand to her cheek and cupped it. His palm warmed her from the inside out. “You drive me crazy. You do it on purpose. Don’t you?”

She bit her lip to keep from smiling. “Perhaps.”

He hauled her into his arms and covered her mouth with his. He tasted tangy and salty, like the ocean. She touched his shoulders, running her palms over the defined muscles and marveling at the ease of his touch. He turned so that he was flat on the sand, and she perched upon his hips. She stared down at him, at the flat brown nipples and ridged abdomen and allowed desire to direct her actions.

She tilted her hips and took his cock inside her. A harsh breath pulled his lips away from his teeth, and he hissed when she sank fully onto his length. She didn’t go slowly. Too much had happened for her to be patient. She arched her back and rode him hard, her body tightening as it came closer to the peak.

Micah dug his fingers into her hips and held on, allowing her to set the pace. The tide came in, and water splashed around them, soaking her legs and the ends of her loose hair. The tug of the water leaving the shore forced her to adjust her position. She spread her thighs and took him even deeper. Micah drew up his knees, providing a balance for her to rest upon, and thrust upward.

She cried out when the orgasm ripped through her body. She took in a lungful of air and continued to rock her body against his. Micah was right behind her. With a harsh groan, he climaxed. His cock jerked inside her, coating her with the warmth of his release.

The water swirled around their legs. She shifted to lie atop him and trailed her fingers through the inky water. What was it like to be Emma and be able to control such a force of nature? Envy filled her until she realized she’d done the same. She’d been the one to tame Micah, and she didn’t plan on ever letting him go.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Dawn peered over the horizon as Micah sneaked Celeste back into the beach house. They’d spent the night on the beach, tangled in each other’s arms. Sand caked both of their bodies, and saltwater stiffened their hair.

Even naked, her body reddened by his stubble and the scratchy sand, Celeste had never looked more beautiful to him. Because this morning, she was his and his alone. She loved him.

Amazing.

He carried her to his room. From now on, there would be no pretense between them. She would stay in his bedroom. He didn’t care what Drake thought. He wasn’t hiding his feelings for her anymore.

“Micah?” she mumbled sleepily into his chest as he placed her on his bed.

“Shh,” he whispered and drew the blankets over her. “Sleep. I’ll be back soon.”

He pulled on a pair of shorts and a sleeveless shirt. Leaving the room, he went in search of Drake. His brother had probably been awake half the night waiting for them to return. As expected, he found Drake in his office. The alpha’s hair was tousled and his T-shirt wrinkled. It was the least put together Micah remembered ever seeing Drake.

“Rough night?” Micah teased.

Drake narrowed his eyes and pointed at the chair near his desk. “Sit.”

Micah did as commanded but moved slowly enough to let his brother discern he wasn’t intimidated. “I found her.”

“I figured you did.” Drake cocked an eyebrow. “You didn’t think to call and inform me that you were OK?”

“There wasn’t time to grab my phone in the mad dash to chase Celeste.”

Drake nodded. “Point taken. You brought her back with you?”

“Of course.” Micah leaned forward and planted his elbows on the desk. “Look, Drake. I won’t bullshit around. I love Celeste, and from now on she’s my responsibility, not yours.”

Drake leaned back in his chair. Consideration crossed his face. “Is that so?”

“Yes.” Micah held his brother’s gaze. “I would like your approval, of course, but it isn’t necessary.”

“My approval?” Drake smiled. “You have it. I’m happy for the both of you. Lord knows you two tiptoed around each other all of these months.”

Micah wasn’t surprised his brother knew. “I don’t want her to cancel the gala. We’ll find this fucker and put an end to it. Did your men find a lead on the lion shifter?”

Drake turned his laptop around so Micah could view the man’s image on the screen. “His name is Leo. My men tracked him to Macon, but he gave them the slip.”

“Leo? Seriously?” Micah scoffed at the ridiculous name and studied the image. “Any idea who he’s working for?”

Drake shrugged. “He has connections in Savannah apparently. Several calls he’s made to someone in the area but on an unlisted number, and the trace hasn’t come back yet. We think he’s based in Atlanta. There’s a high lion presence there.”

“Who would know Celeste well enough to figure a lion shifter would be needed to attack her?”

Drake steepled his fingers together. “Good question, and one I plan to find the answer to. Whoever is behind this is risking the Society. I think it’s time we involve them.”

Micah shook his head before Drake had finished speaking. “No. Two months ago, the Society was ready to toss you out. I’m not ready to trust them to defend Celeste.”

“They’re our friends,” Drake corrected. “We need their help. They may have information that can help us. Our identities are in danger of being revealed. It’s only fair to warn them. We need this over and done with as quickly as possible. The more people we involve, the faster we can find a resolution.”

Drake’s suggestion would make perfect sense if not for the attempted overthrow when Drake had fallen for Emma, a human. “And the Owenses? You think we should trust them?”

The elder Owens had challenged Drake and lost. Drake’s mouth tightened at the mention of his staunchest competitors. “Peter is banned from the meetings, and Paul has given us no reason to not trust him. It’s our best shot. The only shot, if we want Celeste to have her gala.”

Micah glared at the man on the screen, as if he were the one responsible for the problem. “I want Leo found and brought to me. We’ll get the truth from him.”

“I’m working on it.” Drake scratched at his unshaven jaw. “Max is here.”

Micah was halfway out of his chair, but Drake’s announcement gave him pause. “I thought he’d returned to Nashville.”

Drake returned the laptop to its original position and clicked a few keys. He glanced at Micah over the top of the screen. “He said he needed to get away from it all.”

Micah sighed. “Probably Amber. I’ll talk to him.”

Max’s latest girlfriend wasn’t Micah’s favorite. She’d joined them at the end of the tour, claiming she’d keep Max company after Micah flew home after every show. The bottled blonde was nothing like Max’s normal choice, and he’d suspected she would drag his brother down.

Drake nodded, but he seemed distracted by whatever he read on the computer screen. “He mentioned he was getting up early to go for a jog. If you hurry, you may catch him.”

The last thing Micah wanted to do was confront his twin about his horrible taste in women, but it wasn’t like Drake to mention something unless he thought it significant. The smell of bacon lingered in the air, so he headed for the kitchen and found Max sitting at the island with a half-eaten plate before him.

“Hey,” Micah said and took the stool next to him. “What’s going on?”

Max had cut his hair. The buzzed style suited him, gave him more of an edge than most singer songwriters. “I needed a break. I can write here just as well as Nashville, so I came for a visit. Plus the rumor is y’all need my help to find a villain.”

“And Amber?” Micah prodded. “Is she joining us?”

“Over and done,” Max breezily replied. “I’m trying the single life for a while.”

Micah knew his brother. If something was bothering him, he couldn’t push him if he didn’t want to be pushed. He put a hand on Max’s shoulder and squeezed. “Well, I’m here if you want to talk.”

“Thanks, but I’m fine,” Max mumbled around the strip of bacon he’d placed in his mouth. “It’s never much fun to be the lone man out.”

Micah had suspected his brother was lonely and was glad to know that’s all it was and nothing serious. “Don’t worry, man. You’ll find the right girl soon.”

“Maybe,” Max answered, but he began to jot into a notebook, and Micah knew he’d lost his brother to his songwriting.

Micah piled a plate high and carried it upstairs to his room. Celeste would be hungry when she woke. After the run she’d given him the night before, she’d need the protein. She was still asleep, curled into a small ball in the center of the bed and gripping his pillow to her chest.

Placing the plate on the bedside table, he climbed in beside her and snuggled against her back. It felt good to hold her, and when she woke, she wouldn’t sneak out of their room like he was a dirty secret she had to brush under the rug. Things had changed, altered in a way he wasn’t ready to fathom. Drake accepted their relationship. Emma had no reason not to. Max was bummed, which sucked, but he would be happy to know Micah really was head over heels for Celeste.

The only person who remained out of the loop was Alyssa, their recently married sister. He trusted Emma would get the word to her soon enough. Relieved to have everything out in the open, he closed his eyes, prepared to drift off. A shrill beep disturbed the silence, and his eyes popped open.

Celeste stirred beside him. She yawned, stretching until the blanket fell away from her bare breasts. “Hmm…what is that?”

He reached over and grabbed his phone, silencing the alarm he’d forgotten he’d set. “It’s nothing. Go back to sleep.”

She rolled onto her back and rubbed at her eyes. “I’m awake now. Where did you go?”

He moved, placing his arm beneath her shoulders and pulling her against him, wanting to hold onto her warmth for a while longer. “To see Drake.”

“Any news?”

He shook his head. “Not yet. We’re working on it. Drake’s going to involve the Society.”

Celeste’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Micah touched her stomach with his palm. “You think it’s a good idea?”