ShiftinDirty-ElizaGayle (17 page)

Her friend started laughing. “For a smart girl you are easily played. Now stop whining and go get your man. Apparently I have a date with a witch and I don’t want to miss it.”

 
Calder cleared his throat.
 

Marcy smiled bigger. “Gotta go. Be good. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

Sienna laughed. Which meant go crazy because she didn’t think there was anything Marcy wouldn’t do.

With that her friend disappeared through the front door and Calder followed her out. She returned her attention back to Bhric.

“Gage?” she asked again.

“He’s not coming with us and neither are you?”

Her body jolted at the finality in his voice, bringing some of her earlier anger along with it. “What the hell am I supposed to do? Stay here and become a prisoner? Or am I going to end up some shifter groupie who gets groped and passed around you little shifter club?”

Bhric shook his head. “I’m not sure you’re friend was right when she called you smart.”

“Screw you.” She was mad and getting madder by the second. “I’m not the one who did the rejecting.”

“You sure about that?”

She really wanted to scream. These shifters were either too stubborn for their own good or too stupid to know better. “Trust me, I have lots of experience with rejection so I know a good dumping when I hear one.”

“He wasn’t dumping you. He was making a sacrifice. He wanted you to make the choice, not him and not nature. So he lied. Cut you loose. Now he’s come to his senses.”

Sienna rolled her eyes. “We’ll see.” She really hoped he didn’t think it would be that easy.
 

* * *

After the bar cleared out and she went and checked on Nikki and the baby, Sienna had nowhere else to go to stall any longer. It was time. She entered his room without knocking, surprised to find it empty. Then she heard the water running and realized he was in the shower.
 

She sat down on the bed and collapsed onto her back. The party had gone on all through the night and they were now facing the wee hours of the morning. Not long and the sun would rise.
 

The water went off in the bathroom and her stomach clutched. She turned on her side and pulled her knees about to her stomach as Gage entered the room with a towel draped around his hips. Funny, now he decides to get modest.

“Hey,” he sat down and pushed his hand through her hair. “You okay?”

“I think we need to talk,” Sienna said.

“I don’t want to talk. I just want you to hear what I have to say.”

Honestly, since she didn’t have the energy to argue she nodded her head.

“What I said to you outside was complete bullshit. I heard you and Marcy talking and it twisted me up inside to think you didn’t want me to be here. This mate thing can be pretty complicated when only one of the couple feels it. It’s intense and consuming and completely unexpected. The thing is, I know it sounds crazy that we were in some way predestined to be together, but I don’t know how else to explain it. I feel everything with you. Pain. Pleasure. Joy. God, so much joy.” Gage clasped their hands and drew hers to his lips. “Mating, just like human love is a leap of faith. Please stay.”

Sienna didn’t know what to say. His words earlier had cut her to the bone and she didn’t understand it. Tears were burning in her eyes and she was afraid if she opened her mouth she’d burst out crying.
 

“You hurt me. I don’t know how to handle that.” As she guessed, tears followed her words.
 

Gage reached forward and wiped them from her cheeks. “I know babe, and you have no idea how sick it makes me to know that. All I can say is I’m sorry. I’d promise not to hurt you again, but if you stay, we’re bound to disagree again. It won’t be about you being my mate because that’s never going to change. But we’ll find something to fight about.”

Sienna smiled. “You calling me ornery?”

Gage skimmed his hands over her hips and down her legs. “Babe, after watching you beat the hell out of that tracker I ain’t calling you anything but sweet.”

Sienna already knew what she wanted to say to him, but she liked the idea of drawing this out. She rolled to her back and let him keep stroking her body. The friction and heat generated by his hand was making her hungry.

He must have seen the hunger in her eyes as he changed tactics pretty damn quick. “We both need some sleep,” he said. His hands came up to the waistband of her pants. “You gotta get comfortable to sleep.”

He pulled the pants off and quickly did the same with the shirts until she was sitting in his bed completely naked. He leaned in, pushing her to her back. The rest of the tears she tried to restrain slid from her eyes.
 

He rolled to his back, pulling her on top of him. He wiped the tears away before tugging her down for a kiss. “I hurt you. Trust that I plan to do everything I can to make you forget.

She shook her head. “Not why I’m crying now.”

“Then why?”

“Because despite how impossible this should be, I’m falling in love with you.”

He froze.

Sienna held her breath.
Fuck. Too soon. Too soon.

Suddenly we were rolling and the instant she hit her back his mouth descended on hers. Hands went everywhere as he cupped my breasts and squeezed my nipples. She moaned. It felt so damn good when he did that.
 

His fingers traveled between her legs and slid inside. Her back arched as sensitive spots were stroked and kissed everywhere.
 

“You’re killing me, Gage.” No sooner did the words come out that he released her and flipped her to her back. He spread her legs and moved in between them. Hard hands grasped her hips and yanked her to her knees. Then he was inside, pounding hard, a feral growl bursting out of him.

She felt the need in his deep thrusts and it made her rear back to meet him each time. This was what they needed and she loved it.
 

He leaned forward and wrapped his right arm around her so he could use his fingers as well as his cock. The extra effort did her in as it didn’t take long before she came. Hard.

Gage leaned forward and thrust deeper, scraping his teeth over her shoulder. The need to bite and mark her nearly overwhelmed him. He wanted to complete the mating process more than anything ever before.
 

“Need to bite.”

“Do it,” she whispered.

He shook his head. They had no idea if it would hurt her. “Can’t, baby. Don’t want to hurt you.” Except this time something was different. The minute she said she was falling in love, his body went mad with desire that now consumed him. He wanted to stay in control but couldn’t.

“Sienna, babe. Shit. I can’t stop.”

“Then don’t!” she cried. “Let go and give me everything. Please.” She trashed beneath him, driving them both higher.
 

He needed to come and couldn’t. He swelled to the point of pain. He had his skin between his teeth and he knew what he had to do. If he didn’t they were both going to burn alive.
 

“Do it, Gage. Now.”
 

Her plea did him in. He sank his fangs into her skin and locked his mouth to her flesh, as his release poured into her. She screamed and bucked, her body clenching tight around him. Need feeding need until his mouth popped free and they collapsed together into the bed.

“Jesus, what the hell was that?” he asked, panting.
 

She giggled. “I don’t know but I think you broke me.”

“We broke each other.”

He eased gently from her body and walked on wobbly legs to his bathroom. He returned with a warm cloth and bathed his beautiful mate.
 

Taking particular care with her shoulder, he pressed down gently. “Does it hurt?”

She shook her head. “It was amazing.”

“Typically you carry that mark for life. Although I don’t know if it will be different for you.”

She rolled and stretched next to him, snuggling against his side. “I hope not. I really like the idea of carrying your mark.”

He pulled her tighter to his side and closed his eyes. The last couple of days has been, well, going on three now, had been insane and he was looking forward to waking up tomorrow with nothing more to do than making his baby come again. Her whole body shook when she did and the look on her face was a dream.

Hey babe,” he started.
 

“Yeah?” Her voice already sounded drowsy.

“I know you don’t believe in love at first sight. But I gotta tell you, I think you’re one hundred percent wrong. I knew as soon as I saw you.”

“I know you did, baby. Just try to remember that six months from now when I’m driving you crazy.”

He smiled. “Deal.”

Epilogue

Gage walked Sienna forward keeping his hands over her eyes at all times. “You’re not peeking right?”

“How would I peek? It’s your hands covering my eyes.”

He laughed. “Just making sure. I want this to be a surprise.”

“Well, hurry up I’m tired of waiting.”

He laughed. “Bossy babe.” Three months of togetherness and he still couldn’t get enough. His beautiful mate had not only fit in with the shifters, she blossomed. Everyone loved her almost as much as he did, especially baby Anya.
 

Nikki and Dean’s little girl lit up whenever Sienna walked into the room, her little baby smile almost as bright as her stunning blue eyes. They were all pretty certain the two of them shared a special connection because she coaxed the baby into this crazy, weird world.

“Okay, now just stand still. Are you ready?”

“Oh my God, stop teasing me already.”

Gage leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to his mark still showing on her shoulder. “Open your eyes, beautiful.”

They were standing in the middle of a tiny old store room that he and Calder had recently transformed into a store front by removing the front wall and installing glass. On the glass they’d painted a possible name for her new bakery—Sweet Retreat.

She turned to face him. “What is this?”

“This, Sienna, is your very own bakery. Of course if you don’t like the name we came up with, feel free to change it. I just wanted to have something that looked like a real shop before we showed you.”

“But—why—I mean how did you know?”

“Shifter hearing. You and Marcy talked about it and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.
 

She threw her arms around his neck and started jumping up and down. “Oh my God. Holy crap. I can’t believe you did this. Robert Gage!” Her tone turned stern when she said his name. “You aren’t supposed to make me love you more than I already do. I told you my heart couldn’t take it.”

He grinned. “You might have to get used to it cause seeing you this happy looks good. And if you’re this happy, then I’m guessing later I’m going to be
real
happy.”

She leaned forward and pressed her body to his. “You did all this so I’d do that thing with my mouth again didn’t you?”

“The minute we get home, babe,” he whispered, tugging at her nipples, already hard under her lacy bra.

“Deal.” She gave him a quick kiss and pulled away, practically vibrating with excitement.
 

“How soon can I open for business?” She disappeared into the kitchen.
 

“Whenever you’re ready. Everyone’s already agreed to pitch in and help you get this place clean and decorated however you want it.”

She stopped banging around and appeared back in the doorway. “Your family wants to help me?”

“Our family, Sienna.” He pointed to the window where everyone from Dark Moon was peering through the window waiting for the signal to come in. “And of course they do. They love you almost as much as I do.”

She looked at them and then back at him. “No fair making me cry.” He hooked her around the waist and pulled her close. That was one thing he couldn’t get enough of. Touching her.
 

Another kiss and she was gone again, rushing to the front door to let everyone in. He loved seeing her this excited about something so small.
 

* * *
 

“Your woman has been bouncing off the walls all day. Is she okay?
 

Gage turned with Bhric to watch Sienna take her turn at a game of pool. It was tournament night and they had a packed house.
 

“As far as I know. Things are going really well down at the bakery. She clearly underestimated how much shifters love sweets. I hear it’s a sell out every day.”

“Glad to hear it. I think her talent has managed to sway a lot of shifters to her side of the cause? Although getting her pregnant would make her case even stronger.”

“It’ll happen. When she’s ready.”

“Any news on Simon?”

“Simon is still with the Blackwood pack. He and Rafe are cooking up something.”

Gage frowned. He didn’t like the sound of that.