“That’s why you stayed by my side when you came back from school that summer. You were working a case?” Gavin demanded.
“Did you find him?” Rebecca asked in a small voice.
“Yes. I shot him between the eyes at the edge of the perimeter next to a broken block of cement,” Connor said quietly, hanging his head.
“Harvey Miller,” Bran whispered.
“We had to demolish every house in that development. You see, he had been working construction on those houses since they broke ground. In the end we found forty-two bodies. None of it made the news, of course. Sentinel and the council kept that quiet. But that was the case where Sentinel decided it needed a shifter profiler. So I took the job. It was my way of atoning for not taking care of Harvey Miller when I had the chance. If I had those boys wouldn’t have died.” Connor stared at his clasped hands.
“The trip to Vegas that summer?” Aleks asked in a tight voice.
“I was recovering from the case. I had a bit of a breakdown. Depression, insomnia, nightmares. When I do this work I get inside the mind of the killer. While working the case I’m haunted by the images of the dead, after the case I have nightmares where they blame me for not doing more. Then as more time goes by it gets better. After a while I couldn’t do the work anymore, so I came home. They only contact me when it’s bad,” he explained. He felt hands grab the front of his suit jacket. He was easily lifted out of his chair before a large fist connected with his jaw. Stumbling backward, he was caught by Mojo, who helped him to stand. When he looked up he saw Aleks breathing heavily, rubbing his fist.
“How could you keep this a secret? I’m your brother, I could have helped you!” Aleks yelled. Connor took three steps and got in his eldest brother’s face.
“What about you? You don’t think I don’t know what happened in Raleigh? You never said a word either, so don’t give me shit,” Connor said, bumping chests with Aleks.
“That was different. That was one case. How many have you had that have pushed you to the brink of hell and spat you back out?” Aleks demanded.
“I couldn’t say anything, Aleks. You of all people know that. I couldn’t bring this to our home, our doorstep. That’s not even taking into consideration most of these cases are classified,” Connor said, stepping back. Aleks took a deep breath and pulled Connor into a hug.
“This is your get-out-of-jail-free card. You try to pull this Lone Ranger shit again and so help me,” Aleks threatened. Someone blew their nose loudly and Connor turned to see Rian wiping his eyes on a wad of napkins.
“Ri, it’s okay, buddy,” he said. Rian twisted the napkins in his hands as Damian rubbed his shoulder.
“It’s not okay. If you couldn’t go to your family, you could have come to me. I could have baked you a cake or given you a blow job or something.”
Connor buried his face in his hands.
“I have that covered now, thanks, Rian,” Madison said, smiling up at Connor. He stopped and looked down at his mate. For the first time since they had met, she was looking at him with none of her normal defenses in place. He could see love and pride in her eyes.
“But he was all alone.” Rian sniffled, breaking the moment as he dabbed his eyes.
“With all those awful images,” Rebecca said, her eyes spilling over.
“Carrying that heavy burden.” Ashby hiccupped as he cried.
“All those years,” Sebastian whispered, burying his face in Liam’s chest.
Connor looked around and was at a loss as to who he was going to calm down first. Rian had set off that damn Inner Court, emotional, pregnant wavelength. As if on cue, Kate and Nicholas came into the diner together, Caleb and Bran right behind them.
“Why are we crying? I was making a decaf vanilla frappe for Kate when the next thing I know we’re both crying,” Nic demanded. He and Kate sat next to Rebecca and Ashby, asking what happened.
“Shoot me now,” Connor groaned.
“Everyone just found out how amazing my man is. Tonight I’m going to do my best to start alleviating some of that stress he has accumulated over the years.” Madison winked and looked down at his jacket pocket. He patted his jacket and felt a distinct lump there. He looked down at the hem of her dress.
“You get him, gurrrlll!” Rian cheered, wiping his eyes.
“Sex him up!” Felix cheered. Madison looked over to Felix and winked.
“Of course. Gingers are sex gods.”
Felix’s mouth dropped and his head whipped around to Claybourne’s.
“See! See! I told you.” Felix pumped both of his arms in the air. Connor took advantage of the distraction and sauntered over to where Madison sat. He dropped his voice an octave.
“Ma’am, you’re under suspicion of contemplating public indecency. I’m going to have to strip search you.” He put his hands on his hips, displaying his Sentinel badge and gun. He heard his mate’s breath catch.
“Lord have mercy. That just went into the spank bank.” Rian sighed. Connor looked over to Rian and, with a straight face, eyed the man up and down.
“Now don’t you cause any trouble, I know men who would love to do a full cavity search on a pretty boy like you.” Connor gave him his best cop face. Rian’s mouth dropped and he swayed in his chair. Damian began to fan him with some napkins. Connor turned his attention back to Madison, who was biting her lower lip and laughing. He grinned at her.
“Wow, Connor, like wow,” Kate said dreamily. He winked at his friend and both Bran and Caleb growled.
“I can’t believe you have been hiding this all these years. Do you have a Sentinel windbreaker? They are hot!” Damian asked. And just like that his good mood evaporated. Madison stood and took his hand in hers.
“What? What did I say?” Damian asked, concern on his face.
“Nothing, sweetie, it’s just he learned of a friend’s death tonight and it involved the agent’s windbreaker, that’s all. Come on, Robocop. It’s time for good little fry cooks to go to bed,” Madison said, kissing the back of his hand.
“Call us, Connor, if it gets too bad. We’ll come over with comfort food any time day or night!” Rebecca vowed.
“We know you can’t tell us everything, but sometimes not being alone helps,” Felix offered.
“Even with all the shit you’ve dealt with over the years you were always there for us. You always made time to listen,” Bran said, admiration in his eyes.
“I can handle y’all’s problems. They are a relief after some of the stuff I have seen,” Connor admitted.
“Go home and make me some grandbabies,” Ma said, grinning at her son. Connor nearly tripped over his feet.
“Ma!” he said, blushing.
“Come on, stud, before you short-circuit Rian again,” Madison said, blowing kisses at Rian.
“Seriously though, Connor, if you know some guys that need a shoulder to cry on, or any other body part, send them my way,” Rian offered magnanimously.
* * * *
Connor walked into the house behind Madison and locked the door behind him. When he turned back around, his mate had slipped out of her dress and was walking up the stairs naked except for a pair of thigh-high stockings and her high heels.
Connor jogged up the stairs behind her. He had plans for his wildcat. She was going to be giving herself to him tonight, all of herself. Her heart included.
When he walked into the bedroom she lay back on her elbows, watching him with a sexy smile.
“Want to frisk me?” she asked. He shook his head. Instead, he went to the closet and pulled out four silk ties. She watched him come back into the room and looked at the ties.
“What are they for?” she asked.
“You’ll see. Lie back, baby. I would cuff you, but the metal would hurt that gorgeous ivory skin of yours.” Connor walked over to the far side of the bed.
Lazily, he secured one wrist to the solid oak bedpost then the ankle. He walked around to the foot of the bed and secured her other ankle and then fina
lly her other wrist. He walked to the foot of the bed and stood there looking at his mate.
“You know this is doing nothing for me,” Madison said, shaking her wrist at him. He smiled wickedly at her.
“Connor?”
“I may not have told you everything there was to know about me, but I never lied to you. You, however, have been a very bad mate. You lied to me about something important.” Connor crossed his arms and watched her face. As predicted, she got angry.
“I never lied to you,” she seethed.
“Yes you did. I asked you if you were ready to be claimed and you said yes. That means opening your heart to your mate. You held that back. I said I love you earlier and you brushed me off. Now you’re at my mercy.” Connor slowly removed his jacket.
“Connor, what are you going to do?”
“I will have my mate, all of her. I won’t be satisfied until I have your complete surrender.” Connor untucked his shirt and started to unbutton it one button at a time.
“Okay this isn’t funny, untie me,” Madison demanded.
“Are you uncomfortable? Have some place to go?” Connor asked, slipping another button through a buttonhole.
“No, I just don’t like this,” she admitted. He paused and watched her face carefully.
“Are you afraid I will hurt you?” “Are you afraid I will do something you don’t like and won’t stop?”
“Aren’t you kinda doing that right now? I’m asking to be untied.”
“You have to learn to trust me, Madison. I will never hurt you, never betray you. Can you give up some of that control?”
Her eyes went from defiant to troubled. He undid the final button and walked to the side of the bed. Gently, he trailed a finger around her collarbone between her breasts and down to her belly button. He bent over the bed and placed a soft kiss on her lower belly right above her mons.
“What if I can’t?” she asked quietly.
“Close your eyes, I’m going to talk to you, and you’ll have to listen to what I say,” he said. She nodded and closed her eyes.
Quietly, he removed his shirt and his pants. He pulled off his boxer briefs and let them fall to the floor before climbing onto the bed with his mate. Slowly, he began to make love to her. First he lay beside her and placed a hand over her heart. He wanted to feel what got her heart racing. She smiled at his touch.
He leaned in and began at the top of her ear and traced the delicate curve before trailing down her neck. She shivered. He kissed his way down, paying special attention to the place where he had bit her in their claiming. Carefully, he nipped the bite mark. Her heart rate picked up and the scent of her arousal increased slightly.
He bit down her neck and ran his tongue along her collarbone. Moving lower, he nudged the side of her breast with his nose. He ran his nose around the light-pink areola, ignoring the hardened nub. She tried shifting her upper body to move closer to him, but he moved back. He waited until she settled back down before continuing his quest.
““Do you know what I love the most about you? Your unfailing loyalty and your deep sense of right and wrong. The way you look after your brother and sister, I can tell you have always watched over them. The work you do. Taking cases where people couldn’t pay, but you made sure they had justice. You are amazing.” He slowly ran his tongue over her nipple. She moaned.
“When you stuck up for me in Griffin’s office, putting Wendall in his place. Baby, you got me so hard, I was afraid I would forget my own notes. I’m not asking you to change who you are. I love when you are ball-busting people, as long as it’s not me.” He smiled and moved to her other breast. He repeated the same torturous pattern.
“In the diner, I knew you wanted to put me in my place but you didn’t. You would never go against me in public. You listened patiently and took my hand when I needed you. You made sure we appeared to be a united front. I wanted you so badly I could almost taste that sweet honey you give only to me.” He nipped playfully at her nipple.
“When you saw my pain you put everything you were feeling aside to comfort me. Do you have any idea how rare that is?” Connor looked up to see a trail of tears dripping down from the sides of both of her closed eyes. He ran his hand down her belly and rested his palm over her womb.
“Someday, we’ll have a baby. He’ll grow right here. I hope he is as strong as his mother,” he whispered. She began to cry harder.
He crawled between her legs and began to kiss down the inside of her right leg from her ankle bone to the silky skin of her inner thighs.
“You use these legs to stand up for what you believe in. But they still aren’t my favorite part of you,” he said softly. He parted her dripping folds and ran his tongue from her pulsating slit up to her clit. Slowly, he circled each, never quite touching either.
“Your sweet honey shows me how much you want me, but that still isn’t my favorite part.” He got to his knees and reached behind him to free both her ankles. He opened her legs wide and began to tongue fuck his mate. With each dip inside her, she released more of her sweetness. When she began bucking her hips he stopped. He watched her face carefully. She shook her head from side to side in frustration.
He wrapped her legs loosely around his waist and leaned forward so that he lay nestled between her thighs. He lay there patiently admiring her delicate features until she opened her eyes. He smiled at her.
“Do you know what my favorite part is?” he asked. She shook her head.
“Your heart. It’s the part of you that you are keeping from me. Will you leave me cold and alone much longer, my mate? Is surrendering to me a fate worse than death?” he asked. She shook her head, crying.
“I love you,” she sobbed.
“Are you sure, my wildcat? There’s no going back. You’ll be mine, forever,” Connor said, his heart swelling. She nodded her head over and over again.
“I love you, you stubborn idiot,” she said and opened her eyes. Her bottom lip trembled.
“I love you so completely it scares me. You can never leave me now,” she said, her face growing fierce.
“Finally!” he whispered and let his tears fall on her chest. He reached down between them and guided himself to her saturated opening. He slid home in one thrust.
“Connor, oh god. It’s never felt so good before,” Madison wept, tightening her legs around his waist.
Slowly, with a lazy pace, he plunged deep inside her pussy. He pulled back, dragging the head of his cock along her inner walls before slamming home again. She screamed out her pleasure. He mercilessly kept them both on the edge of orgasm until she was screaming his name over and over again.
“Connor, my love, please,” she yelled, her voice strained. There! That was what he was waiting for. He went to his knees, grabbed her hips, and began to slam into her. He felt the head of his cock tap her cervix and she went wild. His mate was gorgeous as she cried and begged for release. He thrust twice more before she clamped down on his prick and screamed wordlessly, her entire body shaking. Roaring, he pushed as far inside her as he would go and leaned down to savagely bite the side of her neck. Stream after stream of cum emptied from his body.
Breathing heavily, he slowly pulled out of his mate and she moaned with every inch. On unsteady legs he went to the bathroom and quickly wiped himself clean. He gently untied her wrist restraints and kissed each palm. He made sure she was clean and dropped the washcloth in the bathroom sink. When he got back into bed she instantly wrapped herself around him.
“God I love you,” she said as she ran her hands over his chest.
“That’s all I wanted,” he said and kissed her hair and fell asleep with his mate in his arms.
Chapter 6
“So this is what you do all day? Sit in the diner?” she asked, playing with the sweetener packets.
“Pretty much. It’s either this or sit at home. Alone. So I come in here and Connor feeds me,” Rebecca said, patting her belly.
Connor watched as Madison slowly got to meet eve
ryone from town. The townspeople had been stopping in all morning to say hello. His mate turned to him, panic on her face.
“I’m going to lose my damn mind!” she said, waving her hands.
He winced. She may be right. Arkadia was a small town. It had one theater, which was usually months behind everyone else for movie releases, no real shopping to speak of, and only the diner and Mojo’s to choose from for food. His city girl was going to start flipping her shit soon. He needed to think of something fast.
“Damian and I help plan events for the town. It helps us to stay busy, you can help if you want,” Rian offered. Madison shook her head.
“I don’t have a lick of creativity in my body. That all went to my sister Madelyne, she sucked Maddox and me dry of any artistic sense when we were in the womb.”
“You got all of the contrariness,” Claybourne said, smiling at his sister.
“You got all of the fastidiousness.” She stuck her tongue out at him.
“You look happy. I’m glad. I was kind of nervous when Connor carried you out of here caveman style, but it looks like everything worked out okay,” Claybourne said, taking a bite of his sandwich. Felix snorted.
“He was up and pacing practically that whole night. I had to damn near suck his balls up through his cock to get him to go to sleep,” Felix chimed in, popping a chip into his mouth.
Claybourne immediately began to choke on his sandwich. Madison and Rebecca giggled as Claybourne glared at his mate and tried to sip on his water.
“Baby, one of these days that mouth of yours will get you into trouble you won’t be able to get out of,” Claybourne warned. Felix batted his eyes at his mate.
“That type of trouble doesn’t exist. My mouth is exactly what will save me and get me out of whatever trouble I stir up,” Felix said, sticking his pickle in his mouth. He rotated it provocatively, winked at his mate, and then bit down.