If he asked her to go with him, she would. She’d put up with the disapproval of werewolves like Ann and Bruce, just to be by his side. If he didn’t ask—and he wouldn’t—then she would let him go without a single word of protest. She was a proud woman, and he cherished that about her, too.
“I’ll miss touching you here,” he murmured as he brushed his mouth over the hollow of her throat. “And here.” He pressed his lips to her full breast, right above her heart. He could feel it beating as he nuzzled her velvety skin and tugged on the firm peak of her nipple. Each caress made her heart beat faster.
She spoke his name on a sigh, then drew in a long, quivering breath and shuddered beneath him.
Returning to her lips, he drank the sweetness of her exhale. Her eyes remained closed, as if she couldn’t bear to watch their story end. Or maybe she didn’t want him to see the sadness in those stormy depths.
So he wouldn’t ask her to look at him. If she wanted to hide, he understood. Trembling with the need to sink into her, he nevertheless held back. No one had ever welcomed him the way she did, and he suspected no one ever would again. He wanted to take his time.
“And I’ll miss this most of all,” he said. Gently he probed her moist center with the blunt tip of his cock, but he resisted the urge to push forward. “I love the anticipation right before I thrust, when I’m balanced above you and your heat reaches out to me. Your scent drives me crazy right now, but I’m going to wait.”
Her eyelids fluttered and she moaned.
“I’m going to wait so that I can admire the flush on your cheeks. Now it’s moved to your breasts, and your nipples have tightened even more. Your skin is glowing with a special sheen, like early-morning dew.”
With a soft whimper of need, she moved restlessly beneath him.
“Soon, very soon. But this is my favorite moment of making love to you and I don’t want to rush it. Not tonight. My climax is a wonderful moment, too, and yours is even better, but . . . this is the best, right now, before it all begins.”
Her eyelids lifted, and he sucked in a breath. Instead of being shadowed with misery, her silvery eyes blazed with light.
Cradling his face in both hands, she locked her gaze with his. “That’s the most beautiful speech I’ve ever heard.”
“I meant every word of it.”
“I could tell. And here’s my response. I love you, Jake Hunter.” She said the words clearly, as if she didn’t want him to misunderstand. There was no request buried in those words, no expectation lurking in those magnificent eyes. “I thought you should know.”
He was humbled by her courage. Declaring her love now, when she knew it was over, took guts. But it didn’t surprise him. Her next words did.
“And you love me.” She said it with the same strong conviction. “But you don’t want to tell me because you think it makes no sense to say you love someone when you’re leaving for Idaho.”
His heart ached. “How come you’re so smart?”
“It doesn’t take a genius. You aren’t willing to lay down your fortune and your life for some person you sort of care about.”
“No.”
“You may not think you can say the words, but your actions are pretty darned obvious. The thing is, you can love me and still go to Idaho. They’re not mutually exclusive.”
He looked into those amazing eyes of hers for several long seconds and wondered how in the hell he would leave her tomorrow. “I do love you,” he said softly. “And you’re right. I didn’t think I could say it.”
“But see? It’s okay. You can.”
“So I can.” Joy poured through him at being able to speak the words that had been hammering at his heart. “I love you, Rachel Miller.” And he drove deep with a groan of pure happiness.
“Told you so.”
What followed was an enthusiastic bout of wild, loud, and celebratory sex. Jake lost count of how many times he told Rachel he loved her. He even lost count of how many orgasms she had, but it was quite a few.
When he finally came and they collapsed in a sweaty heap, she rocked him in her arms while she crooned I love you, Jake Hunter over and over. But at last, she nestled quietly in his arms and closed her eyes. Her breathing slowed and she sighed in obvious contentment.
Jake’s heart ached more than he’d ever thought possible. He wanted to hold her tight and never let her go, but that was not to be. In his agony, his soul sent out a message. I’ll love you forever, Rachel. No one will ever take your place in my heart.
Her eyes fluttered open and she gazed up at him. “There will be no one else for me, either, Jake.”
He went very still. “What did you say?”
“No one will take your place in my heart, either. Just like you said to me.”
“But I didn’t say anything.”
She frowned. “Yes, you did. I heard you distinctly. I was starting to drift off to sleep, and then you said—”
“I only thought it, Rachel.” His throat went dry and his heart began to pound. “I didn’t say it out loud. Somehow, you heard what I thought.”
She didn’t seem particularly impressed with that information. “I would believe that. It was sort of the way I could hear you when you were in wolf form.”
“You don’t understand. As a wolf, I can mentally communicate with wolves and other wild creatures. Amazingly, I was able to communicate with you, too, after I shifted, which I’m pretty sure is rare. But I have never been able to form that same mental link when I’m in human form. Not with Weres or with humans. I’ve never heard of any werewolf who could.”
“You look a little freaked-out about it, Jake. Is it a problem?”
He tried to get a handle on what had just happened. “Not a problem, exactly, but definitely a phenomenon.”
“I’m not surprised that I can hear your thoughts, no matter what form you take.” She stroked his face. “I’ve never bonded with anyone the way I have with you.”
“Same here.” Dazed as he was by this discovery, he had to know if it went both ways. “Let’s test this. I want you to try and send me a message. Not about us, or anything I would guess easily. Make it more of a challenge.”
“Okay.” She focused her gaze on his.
And he heard Ted desperately needs to find a girlfriend. Jake repeated the message he’d heard.
“That’s it! Word for word.”
“My God.” Jake looked at her in amazement. “This could make werewolf history, but no one will ever find out about it.”
“Oh, well.”
“Is that true? Does Ted need a girlfriend?”
“Oh, Jake, he does. He puts up a good front, but he’s lonely. I’m going to get him signed up for one of the dating sites after . . . after you leave.”
“Good. But I’d rather not think about the leaving part, if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t want to, either, but after you move to Idaho, we’ll be able to communicate with each other and no one will ever know. Isn’t that cool?”
“Yeah.” He leaned over and kissed her, because he didn’t want to dim the sparkle of excitement in her eyes. “It’s very cool.” But he wondered if this was more of a curse than a blessing. The temptation to keep in touch this way would be constant.
And yet, if it was all they had, if they could never hold each other, never share their laughter and tears, then what was that mental connection worth? For their own sanity, they might have to give it up.
But in the meantime, she was still here, and her kisses made him forget that she wouldn’t always be with him. Seeking oblivion, he melted into her.
• • •