Page 55

Vince

Being alone with Scarlett without the others nearby felt intimidating.

He was left to please all her needs and though he knew she only wanted his company, he was afraid that it wouldn’t be enough.

On top of that, the idea that he wouldn’t be able to retreat and have alone time when he needed it made him nervous.

And the moment he’d thought it, he hated himself for it. Scarlett wasn’t a burden, nor was he displeased by her presence, but he was used to his time alone.

“Vince?”

He turned and looked down at his mate. They were on their way back to the cabin after spending the morning in the village, having lunch before they deemed themselves spent. “Yes?”

“We can set boundaries for the next few days. I know Mateo was just joking this morning, but I don’t want to be overbearing.

” She shook her head as if to scold herself.

“It’s not just you actually. I’ve gone from often spending my days alone in the penthouse to being spoiled by all three of you with all your affection.

I don’t mean to complain, it just can be… ”

“Overwhelming,” he helped out.

“Yes, but in the best way.”

“I think setting boundaries would be a good idea.”

At the cabin, Scarlett pulled out her sketchbook and spent the afternoon on the porch. He stayed inside, keeping an eye on her and anyone who might be bold enough to approach the cabin. He’d taken out his rifle, intending to disassemble and clean it, but he just couldn’t take his eyes off Scarlett.

Closer to the evening, Scarlett set down her sketch and came inside. “I was thinking, we can still cook four portions for tonight and have leftovers tomorrow? Unless you don’t want a repeat meal.”

Vince smiled. “I don’t mind leftovers.”

“Do you mind if we wait for food just a little longer? I’m still full from lunch earlier and those pretzels I’ve been snacking on.”

“Just let me know when you’re hungry and I’ll start cooking.”

Scarlett’s brows nearly hit her hairline. “You’ll cook?”

“Yes, Scarlett. I’m a grown man and can cook.”

“T-that’s not what… Well, Mateo always cooks.”

“He does, because he enjoys it very much. Frankly, he’s better at it.”

“Oh… Well, I’ll be outside trying to wipe the awkwardness of this conversation from my memory.”

He chuckled as Scarlett stumbled back to the porch rather hastily with red-hot cheeks. She only popped her head in once she was ready to eat, and Vince happily started on dinner.

He had Scarlett sitting on the counter next to him, keeping her hydrated with her favourite juice as he cooked the meat for the spaghetti sauce. Suddenly, an alarm ripped through the house, making Scarlett’s body tense.

“Is it them? Are they alright?”

“It’s the house alarm.” Vince unlocked his phone screen, making sure she could see his passcode. “Someone passed the gate’s sensors.”

Scarlett looked down on the screen, but that didn’t seem to ease her mind. “That’s a pack SUV.” They both waited for the car to appear on the camera in front of the house, then watched as her brother approached the front door and knocked. “Maybe I should call him.”

“Of course.” Vince handed her his phone and retrieved hers from the coffee table.

Scarlett dialled and put the phone on speaker, watching through the camera as her brother answered the call.

“Yes?”

“It’s Scarlett.”

“Where are you?”

“We took a little trip and will be gone for a while.”

Maximilian looked around, found the camera, and stared directly at them.

“Everything okay?” she asked, her voice shaking.

“Just needed to be sure that you’re still alive.”

“You don’t have to worry about me.” She paused, and finally Vince saw that sparkle return to her eyes. “We are spending the summer in a mountain cabin and it’s really gorgeous. The hikes are amazing, and the village is breathtakingly beautiful.”

“Scarlett…” He pulled her name out in a long sigh and scrubbed a hand over his face. “You must hate us.”

“I don’t hate you. I just wish you could be here with me. That you could’ve been the one to show me the world.”

“We did it to protect you.”

“I don’t blame you.”

Maximilian nodded and returned to the SUV. “Be sure to call when you’re back.” And with that, the line went dead.

Scarlett stared at the screen, and Vince swiped to the gate’s camera so she could watch the SUV leave their property.

Dinner was a quiet affair, and Scarlett retreated to her bedroom shortly after.

He didn’t follow, sensing that she might need some space.

Maybe she’d tried to forget losing her family but the visual reminder had dampened her mood again.

Or maybe it had brought her hope that she would be able to keep contact with her family after all, but she was clever enough to know that hope was also dangerous.

Vince busied himself with actually cleaning his rifle, only setting it aside once she reappeared a few hours later.

“Do you mind sleeping with me tonight? You can say no. I wasn’t sure how you felt about it. You always let Mateo and Ezra come to bed with me at night.”

“It would be my pleasure.”

“Thank you.” Scarlett turned back towards the bedroom, but looked over her shoulder at the last second. “You don’t have to come right away—whenever you feel ready to go to sleep.”

But Vince was snuggled up to her before either of them knew it. Her small body pressed up against his, and he couldn’t help but admire how good she felt in his arms. With Scarlett on his chest, he drifted off much easier than he ever had before.

It took two more days for Ezra and Mateo to update them, and it seemed to be a great relief for Scarlett. She had tears in her eyes as she held the phone to her ear and listened to their voices for the first time in forty-eight hours.

“We’ve been hiking, and down to the village. I’ve been drawing a lot too.” There was a pause in which she smiled and wiped her tears away. “Yes, but only because I’m so glad you’re okay.”

She chuckled before handing Vince the phone. “You have a map?” Mateo asked.

He pulled it closer and grabbed a pen. “Yes.”

Following Mateo’s coordinates, he marked the area they’d covered with one colour, and various landmarks and traces of large wildlife with another. They weren’t sure if the marks were left by lycans, but he thought they should mark anything at this stage.

“The terrain is getting wilder and the paths we’ve taken are fading out.”

“That will make recovery harder.”

“And our ambush,” Mateo added, with slight annoyance in his voice. “The only positive is that no one will disturb us.”

He didn’t say it out loud, but Vince knew that getting rid of potential innocent bystanders was also easier. They didn’t want to hurt humans, but if it were to go wrong and they couldn’t kill the lycans as planned, anyone nearby would potentially end up dead anyway.

“We’re not even close to the caves yet, so we have to figure out a way to bring them back. Selling them in one piece will be wiser but shit, that will be a ton of work.”

“Not looking forward to that,” Ezra mumbled in the background.

“We only need one to prove their existence. We can harvest the others for parts,” Vince thought out loud, catching the way Scarlett wrinkled her nose before masking her disgust again.

Mateo had mentioned that she didn’t feel comfortable seeing it.

Maybe talking about it was a delicate subject as well.

“Nah, two whole ones,” Ezra protested. “I want one for us, and the witches will want a full one too.”

Vince could practically hear Mateo’s eyes roll through the phone. “Fine, Ezra can haul his own back to the trucks.”

Vince let his finger run over the map. “Maybe we can find closer access once we lock down their location.”

“Depending on the terrain, dirt bikes could do the trick to a certain point.”

They talked a little longer about strategy, then he handed the phone over to Scarlett again. She was visibly joyous to hear them and proudly told them about her encounter with the man in the village.

To Vince’s delight, her smile held strong when she ended the call. “I’m glad they’re okay, and you’re making progress.”

“Slowly but surely.”

She crossed the room and sat in Vince’s lap as he studied the map again, as if he would find the lycan’s by just staring at the paper. Part of him wanted to be out there, covering the ground, while another, much larger part of him dreaded leaving Scarlett behind.

“I know it’s raining, but do you think we can go back to that lake today?”

“Of course.”

The two of them packed for their day’s hike and left for their adventure, but only after Vince agreed to let Scarlett carry her own pack.

Unlike last time, it wasn’t pouring down which made it a little easier, though no less wet.

Scarlett’s strength and endurance had clearly improved as she took on the trail with less breaks and more regular breathing.

By the time they arrived at the lake, she didn’t look nearly as exhausted as before.

As he’d hoped, they were the only ones around.

While he set up their lunch, Scarlett untied her boots and stripped down to her t-shirt and underwear.

She was off like a flash, splashing into the water.

With a laugh, Vince undressed and followed her lead.

When she saw him walking down to her, hungry, greedy eyes trailed over his chest. Though they had shared close and intimate moments the past few days, they hadn’t had sex since they’d been left alone.

He’d refrained from any attempt to assure her things weren’t solely physical for him.

But now there was no denying his arousal, his cock swelling under Scarlett’s rapt attention.

He came to a stop in front of Scarlett, thigh-deep in the water, and took her chin in his hand, dipping her head back to meet her eyes—and his lungs ceased to function.

He didn’t have words to tell her how breathtaking she looked, with water dripping from her wet hair down her body and her big, round eyes matching the clouds above them.

His thumb brushed over her lips as her lungs slowly filled with air, lifting her chest beneath the soaked black fabric.

What he would have given for it to be a lighter colour.

Scarlett reached out for him, one hand flattening over his heart while the other cupped his jaw.

The sheer desire in her eyes sent a shiver down his spine, striking goosebumps up all over.

She wanted him, adored him—Vince knew that.

But standing there in front of him, his heart swelled knowing that she was visibly aroused by him.

With one strong sweep, she was up in his arms. Scarlett gasped, wrapping her thighs tightly around his waist while her pussy pressed against his cock.

She brought her lips down softly on his, her fingernails scraping over his neck as she ground her hips over his erection.

There was no holding back. Vince needed her and there was no time to wait.

Holding her with one arm, his free hand trailed over her ass, between her thighs, and into her panties.

He circled her clit before pulling out and spitting down onto his fingers.

With his lubricated fingers it was easier dipping into her pussy. He repeated it a few times then he growled out a slow demand. “Free my cock.”

With wide eyes Scarlett scanned their surroundings. “I-I…”

“Trust me,” Vince rumbled.

Scarlett’s breathing picked up speed, and she let her delicate fingers slip between them, pushing his briefs down until his erection sprang free.

She gave him one firm stroke, but dropped him to hold onto his shoulders as he lifted her up.

Slowly, carefully, he lowered his mate over his shaft, gritting his teeth with the effort not to thrust. Scarlett’s mouth found his again, swallowing the groan he fed her.

She was tight, and warm, and fuck, she felt like heaven.

Their tongues danced, obscene sounds mixing in the air between them as he slowly began to move.

Her body relaxed in his arms, letting him use her as he pleased.

He pumped into her and days of pent up lust had his orgasm trickling down his spine in record time.

He cherished this moment. Not only was she trusting him intimately, but she knew that he’d never let anything happen to her—even if that something was getting caught. This was new for her, but she trusted him anyway and that made it so much more special.

He took her ass cheeks in each hand, pulling her down on his cock with each thrust. Scarlett clenched tightly to his hair, moaning shamelessly into their kiss.

The rain fell heavier, his hips moving faster as his lungs struggled to keep up.

When she caught his lower lip and tucked it between her teeth, that was it.

He burst, pulsing his cum inside of her.

His eyes closed and his head rolled back, breaking their kiss. “Scarlett,” he grunted, wrapping his arms tightly around her petite frame. She leaned down and lovingly kissed his exposed throat, the cool raindrops mixing with the beads of sweat along his forehead. “Sweet… sweet Scarlett.”

“That was scary and thrilling,” she laughed rather breathless herself.

He withdrew from her, wading deeper into the water to cool their heated skin. He found her lips again and trailed kisses along her jaw until he brushed over her ear. “Thank you for trusting me.”

Scarlett melted into him, her cheek nuzzling against his neck as he held her tight.

The water calmed both of them, bringing their breathing back down to normal.

After a while, Vince carried her back to their belongings.

He sat her on the bench, encouraging her to start on lunch after he wrapped her in a dry towel.

While she did, Vince dropped to his knees and began to dry every inch of her body, cherishing each inch of her as he did so.