A Broken Bond (4 page)

Blaine hadn’t disappointed on the headcount. His request for members of the pack to come within the hour had gained nearly all of the Montana pack, including Cash’s sister. Now, behind Blaine’s home in his back garden under the late night sky, more than a hundred wolves had joined them. Cash suspected most of them were here to see him rejoin the pack. Add in a mate bond and it was a hell of a show.

The pack welcomed him back with open arms, which he suspected would be the case. He couldn’t deny the fact the pack magic felt wonderful as it swept across him. To be alone for so long, now he was home again. A certain peace settled within him.

And the reason for all of this was the little woman presently hugging his sister. He snorted at the display. If he didn’t know better, Taya acted like she’d just gained a sister. Not that the idea of having a mate didn’t appeal to him. There was a feeling of rightness that lived in his heart, but Rylie wasn’t emotionally his to keep. He had recognized desire in her, smelled it run thick through the air, but he could stir that reaction in most women. As for emotions, she hadn’t shown an interest further than being grateful he was getting her out of a tight bind.

After their embrace, Taya left Rylie for Blaine to introduce her to the pack and strode toward Cash. When she reached him, she said, “Mated man.”

“Nothing to get excited over.” He reminded her. “It’s only an arrangement to seal the broken bond with her mate.”

Taya gave a knowing grin. “So you keep on saying.”

Cash guffawed at his twin’s mysterious look. “What the hell is that look for?”

Taya shook her head innocently, as if she knew something he didn’t. “Oh please, you don’t see it?”

“See what?” he asked curiously.

“That Rylie is smitten over you.”

Cash arched a brow. “You say that about every woman I’m with.”

“That’s because they always are.” Taya laughed and kissed his cheek. Then, her gaze became serious. “Now, let’s talk about tonight.”

“What about tonight?” Taya glanced to Rylie as she said, “You are going to have be gentle with her.”

Cash followed her gaze. Rylie looked slightly uncomfortable as she was surrounded by women who began to drill her. He met his sister’s gaze again. “You are not about to instruct me in the ways of making love, are you?”

She nodded, totally unashamed. “You’ve never been with a woman like her. She has been through a lot.”

“I know that,” he snapped.

“I’m just saying, don’t go all tough guy on her.”

“Taya,” he snapped again. “I do not need my younger sister¯”

“Only by ten minutes,” she injected.

He grinned at her stance on the matter. She never had enjoyed that he was older, and she pointed out as often as she could that it wasn’t by much. “I do not need my
younger
sister to tell me how to make love to a woman.”

She reached up and put her hand on his arm. “Just be tender with her.” Her hands rose to stop him when his mouth opened. “I’m not saying anything else, just that. Don’t bite my head off.”

His mouth closed, he leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “She’ll be fine.” So like his sister to worry of others. It was that quality he’d missed the most when he’d been away. Her tender heart could not be matched.

When he backed away, she gave him a warm smile. “It’s nice to feel you back in the pack.”

He nodded. Enough said. She would understand by the look in his eye that he felt the same.

Just then, Blaine’s voice came beside him. “Take her home, Cash.”

He spun around to meet his Alpha’s gaze. “Now?” His voice came out more hesitant than he liked. Never had bedding a woman been a problem, but Rylie was not like any other woman he had met. He didn’t want to disappoint her.

Blaine laughed. “You waiting for the sun to come up?”

He shook his head. Fuck, he was actually nervous. Him. Scared to death of a little woman. His hesitation lingered on the fact that Taya was right. She did need someone to be gentle with her, considering what her experience had been. One thing Cash wasn’t was a careful lover. He liked it hard, dirty and intense. His only hope was that he would control himself once he got her naked. “The cabin then?”

“That is your home,” Blaine replied, and he didn’t bother to hide the fact it thrilled him to say it.

Cash sighed, gave his sister a hug good-bye and left the grinning Blaine behind him. Rylie stood quietly in the midst of a hoard of women as they chatted their lives away. He smiled to himself, pleased to see she wasn’t a gabber. Suddenly, it dawned on him there was nothing about her he didn’t like. He hadn’t seen a single flaw in her character. As he drew closer, she raised her head and connected with his gaze.

A sweet smile spread across her face, and his groin grew at the sight of it. It hadn’t been long since he’d taken a woman, but the truth was, he had been more intereste
d in their bodies than anything else¯only slept with them when the need overtook him. With Rylie, there was a connection there, partly due to the mate bond they now shared, but more than that. Something he had yet to figure out.

When he reached the women, they all hushed. “I’m sorry to interrupt,” he told the group. “But Rylie and I must be off.” The women all giggled around him and Rylie blushed. A trait he thought endearing.

When he reached his hand out, Rylie took it with no uncertainty and laced her fingers within his. She kept her gaze to the ground as he pulled her away and began to walk down toward the cabin. When the crowd behind him erupted into loud hoots and hollers, Cash couldn’t withhold his smile and joined the amusement by letting out a loud shout of laughter.

The walk toward the cabin was met with silence. The night air was crisp and the mountains stood like dark shadows around them. Rylie still had yet to look up, and even though Cash continued to look at her, demanding she acknowledge him, she never did.

Just past the lone standing maple tree, the small cabin¯half wood, half stone¯appeared. Warmth touched him to be back here. Never had he thought he’d return. Once at the door, he opened it and Rylie quickly stepped in. He followed in
behind her and closed the door. His hand nearly trembled on the handle. In response, he gripped it tightly, demanding that he get a hold of himself. With a deep breath, he turned around to find Rylie sitting on the bed, still not looking at him.

Blaine hadn’t changed a thing about the cabin. The king-sized bed rested against the back wall with a thick patterned quilt resting atop, the kitchen off to the right, which held a simple oak table and crisp, white cabinets, and the living room sat to the left wit
h the big screen TV angled in the corner surrounded by sage cotton couches. Jaclyn had decorated the space here¯her touches in every piece of it. It had been cleaned recently, which also told him Blaine had been waiting for his return.

His first reaction startled him. He expected to feel misery seeing a part of Jaclyn again, but none of that swept through him. All that lived in him was happiness that he was home. He glanced back to Rylie, who still had yet to meet his eyes. “Get comfortable,” he told her. “I’ll be back.” Then, he headed in lengthy strides toward the bathroom.

Once there, the door slammed behind him, he walked to the white antique sink and grasped the sides with his hands. Slowly, he raised his head to the mirror. It’d been a long time since this image had stared back at him in this mirror. He noticed he’d changed, aged slightly. Lines surrounded his eyes that hadn’t been there the last time he’d looked at himself from here. Without looking away, he turned the faucet on, then cupped the cold water in his hands. Lowering his head, he splashed the water against his skin.

He repeated the gesture a few times just to settle himself. Then, he looked back up to the mirror with water dripping off his face. “Be gentle,” he told himself firmly. He grabbed the hand towel, dried his skin, and threw it to the ground as he opened the bathroom door to make his way back out to Rylie.

The moment he cleared the door, he froze¯stone solid.

Rylie lay on the bed, naked. Her sun-kissed skin glowed against the white sheets, and her long mocha hair lay around her body as if to accentuate her beauty. Cash ran his gaze up from her toes. Long, slender legs filled his gaze, which came as a surprise since she was so petite. Her hips curved around a belly that had a little pot, which he found undeniably sexy. Her waist was small since her body was mostly made up of legs. Her breasts would fill his palms perfectly, and her nipples were dark, small and presently erect, as if inviting his mouth to suck on them. His cock went from soft to hard so fast, he groaned.

Sense returned to him and he spun around, turning his back to her. “Put your clothes back on,” he demanded.

Rylie gasped.

He waited for the shuffling to stop before he turned around. When he did, he found her clothed, head bowed, knees drawn up and cheeks entirely crimson.

He swore and instantly went to her. His hand went under her chin and he brought her gaze to his, horrified to find tears. He swore again, reached for her arms, took them away from her legs and brought her up to stand in front of him. “I want the luxury of undressing you myself,” he told her.

Her embarrassment melted away to confusion. “You want to take off my clothes?”

“Indeed, I do.” Rage flared through Cash. He should find this mate of hers and tear him to pieces, just for this very reason. Now, he knew really how bad her experience with love-making had been. The fucker hadn’t even bothered to undress her.

“Why?” She sounded as baffled as she looked.

Cash stepped in closer to her. The warm, soft curves of her body pressed against his. His cock settled along her stomach and he did nothing to hide it. She needed to know how much he wanted her.

At first contact, she gasped. “Oh.” Her grin came shyly. “You want me.”

He arched a brow. “Intensely so.” Then, he reached for the hem of her shirt and raised it until it came over her head. He followed by removing her bra. “I like the way your body teases me when I get to remove your clothing.” His tone had deepened and he hadn’t heard his voice so aroused in a long time.

Her eyes went wide. “My body teases you?”

He nodded, his jaw clenched tightly. With her bra on the floor, he ran his hand across her shoulder to her neck, down the center of her chest, pleased to notice she shivered beneath his touch. Her eyes grew darker as he traced the way of her body. Once at her waist, he tucked his finger beneath the rim of her jeans to let her adjust to his hand being there. He wanted her ready. She was close, but he needed to be patient. To encourage her, he brought his other hand up to her chin, tilted her mouth up and pressed his lips against hers.

He discovered Heaven. Her kisses were exactly what he expected to find. Soft. He leaned back and gave her nose a little rub with his, inviting her to want more of him. She didn’t disappoint as her mouth angled up toward him, and he didn’t make her reach any further. His lips met hers again. This time, he deepened the kiss, pressing in hard and lightly licking out for permission. Her mouth immediately parted and his tongue swept with hers in a slow, intimate embrace.

When she backed away from him, he let her, only because he knew he would get more. If he thought that was the last, her lips never would have left his. Her lips were parted, her eyes hooded, and her desire came rich with lust. His cock stiffened further and the strain made him reach down to adjust himself.

She hadn’t missed the move. “You look uncomfortable,” she whispered, reaching for his shirt, pulling it up. He would have let her undress him, but he doubted she could reach high enough to finish the job. In a quick move, he had his T-shirt over his head and dropped it to the floor. Her tiny hands ran the lines of his abs up to his chest as her eyes followed the path. When she reached for the button of his pants, his cock throbbed. With a flick, he was free from his pants as they settled at his ankles. “Oh,” she gasped.

Cash glanced down to his erection. Fuck, it was harder than steel and looked as strained as it felt. He glanced back up to her with an arched brow. “Problem?”

“No,” she said in an exhaled breath. “You’re just big.”

He grinned, his brow lowered. “Is that a concern?”

“It might be,” she said, reaching toward him. Her hand moved slowly in trepidation. When she took him in her hand, his breath hissed through his teeth as she began to stroke him softly. “Does that feel good?” she asked.

“You think it wouldn’t?” He chuckled huskily. She shrugged. “You’ve never touched a man?”

She blushed. “No¯never.”

He wouldn’t have her embarrassed. It pleased him he was the one teaching her this. “Yes, it feels amazing when you do that.”

She smiled, raised her other hand to his hip and pulled him forward as she sat on the bed. The move helped him out of his shoes, then his pants. For a woman who had never pleasured a man with her hand, she held some talent. Instead of just using one hand, she used two and the opposing sensations had his hips thrusting forward with each stroke.

“I see you like that,” she said proudly.

Hell, she should have been proud. His gaze was focused on her hands working his cock in a way that pleased her. When he looked away from her hands and met her gaze, the fire burning in her eyes, the beauty of her, all of it made him step back. The sexy woman before him almost made him come by one glance.