Page 29

The realization that he’s right despite the madness that brought me here is disconcerting, even if hearing him say it aloud gives me some strange sense of relief. Now that I don’t have a giant beast tearing me to shreds, and instead, have a gorgeous and remarkably caring human male doting on me… I don’t want to go back.

“I’m not, no…”

His brow pinches. “And you’re sure there isn’t anyone there who might be worried about you?”

A sardonic laugh escapes. “Doubtful.”

In reality, my absence, if anything, is a relief.

GIDEON

I’m fucked. Completely and utterly fucked.As hard as I may try to ignore it, I feel an undeniable pull toward this woman. Even if she might be crazy. Foolishly, I thought I could ice her out and that eventually, the clawing need in my chest would fizzle out and follow suit. But the second I saw her tear-streaked face, it put a fissure in the gargantuan wall I’ve built around myself. It’s only a matter of time before the whole fucking thing crumbles.

And I know better than anyone what it’s like to not wanna go back home. Despite her not going into any detail, I won’t force it from her. God knows, I sure as shit don’t wanna share anything about my past. There are far too many clawed and vicious skeletons that I’ve spent years burying but remain eager to rise from their unmarked graves and strangle me.

So long as we can co-exist with a healthy amount of respect and build one another’s trust for however long she needs to stay here… I can’t exactly think of a reason I can’t be the helping hand she needs.

So long as you can keep your dick in your pants.

A few of the aforementioned skeletons attempt to wave their bony hands in greeting to the ever-present beast of my anxiety,but somehow, it doesn’t have the intended effect because my mind is so focused on the female in front of me.

Before I can think better of it, I find the words tumbling out of me.

“I know what it’s like to not wanna go home. I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want. All I ask is that you respect me, my dog, and my home. I’ve been alone for a long time, so you might have to be patient with me, but I’ll try my best to be… good. So long as you can do the same.”

Her delicate throat dips as she looks up at me with such open vulnerability, and the gratitude filling her eyes is so palpable it fucking hurts.

It makes every savior-protector instinct in me roar to life.

Christ almighty, if I had a bottle to spray myself in the face with, I would.

Winnow’s tongue sweeps over her lips before she continues to give me that earnest, almost eager-to-please look as she fucking nods and says, “I’ll be good. I promise.”

My cock twitches, dutifully ignoring the fact she’s simply replying to my request that we respect one another. With my jaw clenching hard enough to crack a tooth, I stifle a groan.

“And I’ll do whatever I can to help around your home or… farm.”

“I appreciate the offer more than you know, darlin’, but as I mentioned before, let’s just get you some rest for now, and if you get bored at some point, then we can talk about ways to occupy your time.”

GIDEON

The second I finally step beneath the hot water of my shower, my fist closes over my aching length and begins to stroke. With no intentional thought behind it, my mind instantly conjures images of Winnow—her big, ocean blues looking up at me as her full, pouty lips and pink tongue wrap around my cock.

Her long, curvy legs bent at the knees and parted wide for me.

Her pussy dripping with need as I ease the fat head of my dick inside her, gradually pumping into her as she stretches around me, adjusting to my size, before I slide all the way home.

What the fuck am I doing?

Forcing the thoughts away, I try to summon nearly any other female, and my dick immediately starts to soften in response. There’s a throbbing in my chest that has nothing to do with my heartbeat and when I finally give into it, succumbing to every depraved vision my mind illustrates of Winnow, only then does my dick harden to the point of pain and my orgasm begins to rise.

It’s honestly just plain fuckingrudethat she refuses to leave my mind. That she’s the only one I can think about asa thundering orgasm washes over me, cock pulsing as my cum splatters the tile wall in front of me.

God damn infuriating that I can’t help but imagine it’s her pussy I’m filling with my seed. With a groaned curse, my dick gives its final spasm, and I’m left leaning with both hands against the wall, panting and more frustrated than I’ve been in a long fucking time.

Apparently,jerking off once wasn’t enough to soften my dick in the slightest, but after two nearly back-to-back sessions it dimmed my arousal to a half-chub instead of a full-blown erection.

I stop in my tracks when I reach the living room. Winnow is curled up on the pull-out bed with Trigger beside her. He lifts his head, tail thumping against the blankets as he looks up at me.