Page 82 of Beneath the Blue Moon

***Ethan***

I see it before Charlie does. The twinkle in her eye and the

Cheshire cat grin—she’s up to something. Before either of us can react, she

grabs Charlie’s shirt and pulls him toward her, planting her lips on his. When

he tries to pull away, she grabs his shoulders, holding him in place. This is

no innocent kiss; I can see her tongue darting between his lips. Charlie seems

to be frozen in surprise. By the time I get to them, she releases him and gently

trails her fingers down his cheek. He steps back and looks away in

embarrassment.

“Casey.”

“Oh… Hey, Sheriff. Sorry, but I’m on break. You’ll have to

join Sandy’s line.”

That earns her a poke in the side from Sandy.

“I need to talk to you,” I tell her.

“What is it with cops and talking today? Did I do something

wrong?”

“Yes. You left me.”

“Aww.”

“Shut it, Sandy,” she scolds her friend.

“Can’t you talk some sense into her?” I ask Sandy, realizing

I have an ally in her.

“I’ve tried. She won’t listen, and she won’t tell me what

happened, either.”

“Nothing happened. I made a decision, and I wish everyone

would just accept it!”

I won’t. But I do need to talk to her. To buy myself some

time while I try to win her back, I’ve agreed to court Shae to get The Council

off my ass. To get her back, I need to know what happened. Some sheriff I am; I

can’t even figure out who said what in my own home. That’s the problem. I’ve

been trying to get her to talk, but maybe I should approach this like I would a

normal investigation. I might finally get some answers.

“Casey, please… Would you just talk to me?”

“No!” she yells.

“What did you say to me?”

She crosses her arms under her breasts and stares at me

indignantly.

“I said no. N-O.”

That does it. Her eyes widen in realization and a protest

forms on her lips. I grab her waist and toss her over my shoulder.

“I told you before. Never tell me no.”

“You caveman! Put me down!”

I brave the stares and pointed fingers as I haul her off to

my truck. She’s struggling against me, punching me in the back.

“Ethan McKenzie, put me down this instant!”

“That feels good. Keep doing it.”

The punching stops instantly. She goes limp on my shoulder,

and I don’t hear another sound out of her. I stop in my tracks when I feel that

presence again. It’s not like the feelings I get when I sense a human or

another wolf. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but they’re close. Who or what

could it be? I look around, but I can’t seem to pinpoint where it’s coming from.

Shaking it off, I turn my attention back to Casey.

Dropping the tailgate on the truck, I set her down. I notice

she’s wearing the crescent moon necklace I gave her. It must have come loose

when she was on my shoulder because it wasn’t visible before. She catches me

looking at it and tucks it back under her top.

“Don’t read too much into it. Diamonds are a girl’s

best friend, after all.”

“Yes, but this one means a lot to you, or you wouldn’t be

wearing it.” Her gaze falls to my wrist and the watch she gave me. “Yes, that’s

why I’m wearing it. It’s the only one I wear now.”

“What do you want?”

“What do I want?” I ask in frustration.

I’ll show you what I want. I grab the back of her

neck, pull her to me and crush her lips beneath mine. Caught off guard, she

does nothing.

“Eth—”

The moment she opens her mouth to protest, I seize the

opportunity. When my tongue moves forcefully against hers, she begins to

struggle. She pounds on my chest, trying to push me away. I hold her to me,

grab her hip, and position her crotch against mine. Her hands go still, and she

lets out a soft moan as she kisses me back. She wraps her legs around me,

fisting her hands in my shirt. Her tongue lashes out, swirling over mine. Then,

her hands are all over me—my shoulders, back, my hair. She moves against me as

we release our frustrations in this wild, licentious kiss. We’re both gasping

for breath when I pull back, resting my forehead on hers.

“Jesus, Casey.”

She releases me instantly, pushing me away. I see it on her

face that she’s chiding herself for losing control.

“When are you going to stop this?” she asks.

“When you stop.”

“Can’t you see that I did it for you?”

“What did you do for me, Casey? I sure don’t see it.”

“You will.”

“You want me to just move on and forget about you?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t. How many times and how many ways do I have to tell

you? My heart is yours, Casey. At any point in any day, if someone asked me

what I’m thinking about, my answer would be you. My answer will always

be you.”

“Please… please, don’t do this to me. Why can’t you just

leave me alone?”

“Because I love you!”

I would give my life for you! I’ve killed to protect you!

Do you have any idea how many wolves we’ve tracked and killed? All for you, to

keep you safe! Stone has been eluding us so far, but I’ll get him if it’s

the last thing I do.

“You’ll get over it… Me,” she chokes out.

I run my fingers through my hair in frustration and gaze

down at her. She’s avoiding my eyes, staring at her hands in her lap. Placing

my finger beneath her chin, I raise her face to mine.

“No, I won’t. I’d rather die than lose you.” She blinks and

the tears in her eyes roll down her cheeks. All this heartbreak because of some

dumb fuck interfering in our lives. I pull her into my arms and hold her as she

cries into my chest. “Baby, you’re my center… my compass. You’re my true north.

Without you, I’m lost.”

She sobs, curling her fingers in my shirt. I hold her

tighter as she shakes against me. When she finally breaks away, the hurt in her

eyes turns to desperation.

“Please, Ethan, just let it go. Let me go.”

I can’t stand to see her like this. I need to figure a way

out of this situation. I’ll just give her the space she needs in the meantime.

“If you’re sure that this is what you want… I’ll leave you

alone.”

I brush a tear away as it slides down her cheek.

“Thank you.”

I lift her down and step aside, giving her room to leave.

“Good-bye, Ethan.”

She spins on her good heel, poised to run away. I take her hand,

but she doesn’t turn around.

“It doesn’t matter who I end up with, Casey. You will always

have my heart.”

I release her, leaning against the truck as I watch her walk

away, favoring her ankle. It’s time to get to the bottom of this once and for

all.