Destiny's Choice (9 page)

C
hapter Five

Rivera awoke slowly. Her nose told her she wasn’t in her own bed and food was cooking. Her ears picked up movement along with the music of
Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini playing softly. One of her favorites, coincidently.
Blinking open still puffy and scratchy eyes, the room she found herself in was done in brown and light blue with very masculine furniture. The bedside clock read two after ten in the evening.

Concentrating on the info she was picking up kept her mind from replaying the events from that afternoon. Specifically
,
the betrayal of her parents. She really wasn’t sure what hurt the most, showing no remorse for nearly killing her a dozen times as a child or tryin
g to weasel their way out of paying for that crime
.
Even
after they had confessed to it. Her whole life, she
’d
  been lied to and made to pay the price for her parents deception. Now that she was free and knew the truth, it was, well, a relief actually
.
B
ecause all her questions now had answers. Why was she different? Why couldn’t she be around other Pack members? Why was she encouraged to be around humans? Why had none of the Pack doctors ever talked to her personally after she got older? Simple, her parents and their lies. Not an easy feat when a Lupus could smell a lie.
However,
bending the truth to suit yourself was still lying no matter how you looked at it.

Sitting up, Rivera brushed her hair back then took a deep breath. In the aftermath of her breakdown, a dull ache remained where the sharp pain of loss and betrayal had lodged. It was a deep cut
that
would be with her for some time.
But
she had to move on. Not the first time she had done so. Her entire adult life was about hurting in some way and finding something else to overcome it with. The Pack doesn’t want you? Simple, go to school and
loose yourself in your studies. You’ll never shift? Easy, go overseas and learn a new language. Your parents don’t seem to care? That’s okay, go to graduate school. You feel alone and unloved? Well then, take an internship at a foreign university. She had become an expert at letting it all go and focusing her mind on something else.
This time was no different.
Although
instead of something, it was someone. Never did she imagine that such a gorgeous male would want her. The short conversation by the waterfall assured her of that and despite the bond, Roan had been truthful about his attraction to her. She couldn’t see it. Having been aware of her own shortcomings for decades, she would just have to
take his word for it.
Still, it did something to her, deep inside.
It
m
ade her feel desired. And not by a mere human but a Pack member where before she was shunned or simply ignored.
Now
,
she felt…she felt as if she had finally come home. All these long years had been spent on pursuits to occupy her mind, to try and fill the void or forget that she wasn’t a part of something where she had always longed to be. It had been lonely, oh so lonely, without the Pack. A part of her,
the wolf
she had vaguely felt over the years
despite not being able to shift
, had felt that separation and loss deeply.
But
then
she had a
Mate
, a
True
Mate
that was sexy and
strong and smart and all hers. Him b
eing Pack Alpha really didn’t mean much to her. She never was one to think overmuch about status. A position didn’t define a person, it was the person who defined the position. No, Roan being Alpha was of little consequence. It was the man who had Rivera’s attention. In fact,
since
her mind was on him, getting his attention seemed just what she needed.

With that thought firmly implanted, she hopped out of bed.
Spying the in-suite bathroom, then
her bag by the door, she quickly
ran over and
grabbed it.

“Rivera! Dinner’s ready, sweetheart.” Roan’s voice came to her from the other room.

She smiled as she took her bag over to the bed and rummaged through it, taking out her green and gold silk robe. “Be out in a minute. I want to wash up first.”

“That’s fine, sweetheart. Take your time while I set the table.” The sounds of dishes and utensils rattling followed those words.

“Thanks.” She couldn’t help the flutter in her stomach every time he called her sweetheart. Coming from him, the word sounded as if it were more than just an endearment. It made her feel special, wanted. Beautiful.

She went to the in-suite, turning on the shower, and quickly stripping. A glance in the mirror showed a pink nose and slightly puffy eyes with a bad case of bed head.
Ugh, what a sight!
Turning her back on the image, she stepped into the shower and washed with the herbal soap and shampoo she found. After a thorough rinse, she turned off the water and stepped out. A big white, fluffy towel was hanging on a rack by the stall. She grabbed it, drying off then wrapping her hair up.
Going back to the bedroom, she put her robe on then went through her bag again for her hairbrush. Unwrapping her hair, she used the towel to get more of the moisture out
. She
us
ed
the brush to smooth out the tangles and leave it flowing loose down her back. The warm silk and coolness of her hair felt good against her smooth skin. Sensual, even.
Since
the robe came to mid-thigh, she felt sexy as well. She just hoped Roan would feel the same.

With a
deep breath to steady her nerves, she stood and went to the door, stepping out of the bedroom. That breath came back out in a rush.

“Oh, Roan.”

Candles were scattered around the living room and kitchen, the table holding two tall tapers, their golden glow soft and warm. The table was set with fine white china, spar
kling crystal, and gold flatware. Silver was a no-no. A bouquet of white and yellow roses made a beautiful centerpiece. But the man standing by the table with the shy smile was what really took her breath away. He seemed a little uncertain, his scent conveying nervousness. For this very confident and strong man to be nervous about pleasing her made Rivera feel like a queen. No one had ever gone out of their way to make her happy before. To see the effort Roan took made her more than just happy. Because
she had a feeling
this moment would be forever etched into her brain as the night she began to fall for Roan LeGuer.

She padded quietly up to Roan and stood before him. His light eyes held a dim glow as they traveled over her
silk
clad
body. The
scent of his arousal bec
ame
strong in the room.

“You look…edible, Rivera.” His voice was gruff as he reached out, took a lock of her hair, and rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger. “
And
I’m quite…hungry.”

A shiver of pure desire raced down her spine with those words. The
softness
of her robe rubbed deliciously over her hardening nipples, her core beginning to dampen with her need. Oh yes, this was what she wanted, this was…Her stomach chose that exact moment to let them both know it was empty.

“Seems we need to feed one hunger before we can satisfy the other.” His grin was charming
even though
Rivera fe
lt
as if her face was going to catch on fire.

“Sorry. It’s been a while since breakfast.” Her smile was sheepish.

Pulling her close, he
placed
a gentle kiss on her lips. “No need to apologize, sweetheart. Although, I have to ask.” He looked down into her eyes, his own very serious. “Are you sure about this? We can wait. It doesn’t have to be tonight.”

Rivera couldn’t help but laugh. “It was the robe, wasn’t it?”

“That and the sweet smell of your need.” He chuckled. “Still-“

She placed a finger over his warm lips. “This has been the worst day of my life
,
a
nd trust me, I
’ve
  had some doozies.
If it wasn’t for you and your support, I’m sure that trying to deal with it all would have taken more strength than I posses.” Her finger traced his bottom lip with feather light strokes. “My past is filled with days I want to forget, memories I would gladly give up. I want to make new memories
with you
. I want to be able to look back at this day and not remember how it started. I want to remember how it ended.
In the midst of
your candles and table, your meal and soft music. And most of all, us. Just us and our beginning. Can you give that to me, Roan?”

“Our beginning. I like that.” His smile was full of joy as he held her close, his erection pushing against the soft silk against her stomach. “Of course, since this will be our first time together, I will defer to you. But after, well, after, I’
ll make sure to give you a memory that will never fade
.” His lips then crashed down on hers, taking what was left of her breath.

Surrendering to Roan’s kiss, Rivera let him devour her. She clung to him, needing, for the moment, his strength and utter dominance over her. It felt good. The kiss was deep and masterful with just a hint of roughness. The kind of kiss to
get
you revved up and wanting. She couldn’t wait to
acquire
more.

When the kiss finally ended, they were both breathing heavy, the scent of musk, pine, and roses
were
heavy in the air. Her hands wandered lightly down his chest as she stepped out of his arms.

“I’m glad you’ll defer to me this first
time. I think it makes this night even more special
.” She
gently tapped her fingers against the erection trapped behind his zipper.
”But I do want to take my time.”

“Rivera,” he gasped.

“
I hope we’ll both be shouting to the heavens before the night is over
.” Giving the tent in his pants a light squeeze, she moved away, went to the first place setting, and sat down as a growling moan filled the room.

Several moments later, Roan followed, taking the seat next to hers. His eyes held a brighter glow,
his
jaw clenched, and expression tight. His smile was genuine though as he served them both and poured two glassed of red wine. But Rivera could detect the faint scent of uncertainty again. It was subtle, letting her know that her True
Mate
was a little uneasy about not being in total control of their First Mating.
It probably didn’t he
lp that she was being more aggressive now that she knew he would be in her control
. Not surprising, really. Being Alpha, Roan would be more dominant than any male in the Pack. He would have to be to keep everyone in line. Having that control taken away and yet needing to be claimed by his True
Mate
was no doubt making him feel a bit un-balanced. She sympathized, but that still wasn’t going to stop her from taking him.

They ate in companionable
silence. The
tension buil
t
slowly between them with each bite
of food
and sip of wine. When the meal was finally over, Rivera was near vibrating,
and
her thighs
were
slick with arousal. But she helped him clear the table and put everything away and in the dishwasher. That done, she left him to blow out all the candles then went to the bedroom. Turning the covers back, she waited by the bed. She didn’t have to wait long. He stiffly came to her side,
his
face unreadable, body tense, and the scent of his emotions
were
too jumbled together to sort through. He was adorable.

“Rivera –
.”

“Shh.” She laid her palm against his warm cheek. “I’ll take care of you, alright?”

His lightly glowing gaze searched hers for a moment before he nodded, the tension finally leaving his body.

Giving him a tender smile, she began to undress him. Each article of clothing was slowly peeled away; the warm skin it revealed was kissed and caressed, licked and fondled. When he was finally nude, she couldn’t help the deep moan that escaped. He was a work of art.

The glimpses she caught at the waterfall and watching him get dressed after
was
nothing compared to the glorious male before her. She let her hands wander over
what seemed
acres of tanned skin covering hard and cut muscles. Her lips
nipped
at a hairless chest, stopping at each nipple to give them a reverent kiss. Going lower, she found his treasure trail, following it down to the true prize. A very hard cock that wasn’t too long but nicely thick. When she tried to wrap her fingers around it, they didn’t touch.