Page 14 of Midnight Whispers (Forbidden Entanglements #1)

Chapter Fourteen

R iley thought about how he snapped at Cass and his dad the whole way to Cass’s house. He felt bad because they didn’t earn it. For his dad, it was more about him dropping a bit of a bombshell onto Riley about being a warlock and not doing anything to help him. That was the real reason he’d been angry.

Dad wasn’t breaking his promises. In fact, the exact opposite was happening. It turned out Iven Palmer was a good dad. And Riley needed to stop treating him as though he wasn’t.

A fresh start meant the past was behind him. It seemed like a simple concept, except the past kept creeping up in small ways. He tried to forget about it. Survival mode had made him push down his emotions. It was how he’d coped. But he didn’t have to be in survival mode anymore. He could live, which meant he could feel again. And maybe that meant he had some lingering anger. And maybe it also meant it was okay to think his dad was a good person. And it was okay to want something substantial with Cass.

Riley knocked on Cass’s door. He had another paper sack with a muffin inside—this one was banana nut flavored. As apology gifts went, Riley wasn’t sure how the muffin measured up, but he had other ideas too.

His whole body was on board. He practically vibrated with anticipation.

He knocked again and then tensed when he heard an unnatural rustling of leaves, as if something was in the forest behind Cass’s house.

The wolf sighting from earlier had him spooked. And Riley wasn’t fond of the dark. The streetlights cast too many shadows for Riley’s comfort. The tree line hid dark secrets.

Cass’s front door didn’t face the road. Instead, it faced the inn. The expanse of the yard and Cass’s driveway separated the properties. On Riley’s left was the forest, and on his right was the road.

Riley’s gaze never left the tree line. So he saw the wolf when it came out of the dark as if it were a phantom being. It was bigger than Riley’s imagination had conjured. He’d never seen a wolf in real life, so he wasn’t sure what he expected, but the beast who seemed to walk straight to him wasn’t it.

It had black fur and gold eyes. He was pretty in a dark sort of way.

Riley stopped breathing when his eyes locked with the wolf’s. His heart felt as though it would pound out of his chest.

He took a step back.

It stopped a few feet away and sat.

Running was a bad idea, right? The wolf had a lot more speed than Riley. It would catch up with him in no time. But what if the wolf wasn’t an animal, but the murderer?

Riley held up his hand and began talking to it. Nonsensical words, but everything fled his mind when the wolf’s body distorted and bulged in places. Its skin seemed to suck in its fur until it was bare. Bones cracked. It had to be painful.

Riley turned to run.

“You’re safe. I won’t hurt you.” Cass’s voice was nothing more than a whisper, but it went a long way to easing Riley’s fear.

Riley stopped. His knees were weak when his body lost all tension.

Before Riley could turn around, he felt Cass against him, and then an arm came around his waist, anchoring him to a reality that seemed far fetched. Riley had a difficult time believing it.

“Holy shit.” A part of Riley didn’t believe Cass could shift into a wolf. His canine eyes didn’t matter to the delusional thought. “You looked just like the animal.”

“I have three forms,” Cass whispered in Riley’s ears. “Your heart’s racing.”

Yeah, Riley knew it was. He could feel it. “Three forms?”

“Mm-hmm. Human, wolf, and a form that is somewhere between the two. Like they depict us in the movies.” Was Cass sniffing Riley’s hair? Cass moved to Riley’s neck. He felt Cass’s breath against his skin.

Riley’s heart pounded for a different reason, and it definitely wasn’t fear. He had a sudden urge to touch Cass. He tried to turn in Cass’s arms so he could face him and wrap his arms around him. Cass held him in place.

“Not yet, mate. Let’s go inside first.” Cass’s whispered words confused Riley.

“Why?”

“Because I don’t have clothes on. We should go inside so I can get dressed.” But did Cass really have to?

Cass would be naked. Where would his clothing go when he changed forms? Of course, it made sense for him to take them off before shifting. And then something else occurred to him. “You must be freezing.” Riley tried to pull away, but Cass held on as he duck-walked them to the door.

“It’s cold. Especially on my feet.”

Cass opened the door, which was unlocked. Because, of course, it was. It wasn’t like a murderer ran around in the forest thirty feet from the door. Riley rolled his eyes at Cass’s lack of security measures.

“Shouldn’t you keep it locked? I mean, anyone can come in and surprise you.” Maybe Riley needed to apply for the job of Cass’s keeper. Cass needed one.

Cass chuckled. “I can smell everything and everyone who gets close, including you and your muffin. Smells like bananas and walnuts.”

“The muffin is my way of apologizing.” Warmth washed over him the second they entered.

The cabin had an open concept with a living room and kitchen separated by a small table.

The door clicked shut, and Cass released him. “I’ll be right back, baby. Make yourself comfortable.”

Actually, Riley felt the loss of all those hard muscles in his soul the second Cass released him.

Riley set the bag on the table and wandered over to the bookshelf. All the while, he tried to keep Cass’s privacy by not getting a peek at his naked body.

Riley pulled a book from the shelf. It seemed Cass liked the fantasy genre of the epic variety. The books were big enough to be door stops. Someone could use it as a weapon. The cause of death would be blunt force trauma.

Riley chuckled to himself. Not that murder was funny. But Cass’s giant books were the stuff of nightmares for Riley. He was more of a romance person. And he liked cozy mysteries a lot. None of the blood and gore or magic so epic it wiped someone off the face of the earth. Or whatever happened in the books Cass liked.

“What’s so funny?”

Riley whipped around with his hand on his chest, holding his heart in his chest. “You light-footed bastard.”

Cass snorted. “Sneaking up on people is how I can tell I have good wolf genes.”

“What’s the alternative to good wolf genes?”

“Bad ones.” The words probably encompassed a lot of sorry stories. “Wolves can be aggressive sometimes. Violence is still the way some packs handle things.”

“Not Fortune Falls?”

“No, usually. The murder case notwithstanding.”

“So, sneaking up behind people makes you better than other wolves.”

Cass chuckled. “Absolutely. But I can tell you have a different opinion.”

Instead of answering, Riley smirked.

Cass stepped closer, cupping Riley’s cheek. “You don’t owe me an apology.”

“Yeah, I do.” Riley offered Cass the truth behind the angry comment. “I just don’t want you to see me as a kid.”

Cass’s eyebrows raised. “I definitely don’t. Do not. See you as a kid.”

“But I’m Iven’s kid. You and my dad are tight. I can tell.” They were far tighter than Riley had realized. Cass had called Iven his best friend. It was one thing to hear him contextualize their relationship in that way, but seeing how they interacted really brought home how close they were. “You finish each other’s sentences.”

“We do not.” Cass didn’t realize it, but they absolutely did. “My friendship with your dad doesn’t change how I feel about you.”

“And how is that, exactly?”

“Protective. That’s where I was coming from earlier.” Cass narrowed his eyes. “And you walked across the yard alone to get here, didn’t you?”

“Yeah.” Riley wanted to have strong feelings about Cass chastising him, but Cass ran his thumb across Riley’s cheek and down to the corner of his mouth. It was the most intimate experience Riley had ever had.

He’d had sexual experiences, but he wouldn’t call them intimate. He would call them scratching an itch. He met some random guy. They had sex. The end. He had a regular thing with a co-worker a couple of years ago, but it had never been more than fucking. Riley had never had time for love and romance. He hadn’t had the emotional capacity for it either.

But Cass was different. Riley felt a connection with him. And he wanted things with Cass. He wanted sex. But he craved how Cass touched him and how he seemed to see Riley. He especially saw through Riley’s crap.

“Call me next time, or have Zinnie or Griffin watch for threats as you walk over.” Cass framed it gently.

Was Riley bothered because Cass’s tone worked? Maybe a little. He’d get over it a lot quicker if Cass kissed him.

“So, you only feel protective, then? Nothing else?” Riley bit his lip to keep from smiling.

Cass’s amusement reached his eyes. “I feel other things.”

“What other things?” Riley thought he knew the answer.

“You’re fishing, but that’s okay. I’m going to tell you anyway.” And then Cass kissed him. It didn’t start out as a press of the lips. Riley wasn’t sure what passion tasted like, but he was pretty sure Cass intended for him to find out. At first, the kisses came with a hint of tongue. Each one melted Riley more than the last. Riley was a pile of desperation and need, and it hadn’t taken very long.

When Cass stopped pretending to go slow, Riley found himself pressed against the epic fantasy genre. The heavy books and the shelf they sat on pressed into his back, but not for long. Cass ran his hand up Riley’s back and moved them without ending the kiss. Riley found himself on his back, on the couch, with Cass lying over him. Their bodies pressed together.

That was when Cass stopped the assault on Riley’s mouth. He trailed kisses along his jaw to his neck. In between the kisses were little licks that set Riley on fire, especially when Cass got to Riley’s neck.

“Mmm. You smell so good.” Teeth grazed his neck. Cass didn’t bite him, but there was a promise of it. Maybe wolves got all bitey during sex.

Riley had an urge to press his palm against Cass’s skin. His hand itched with the need for it.

Cass seemed to know because he grabbed Riley’s wrist and stared at his palm. “You want to mark me as yours.”

Instead of answering, Riley tried to lift Cass’s shirt away with his free hand, but Cass stopped with a shake of his head. “No bonding. Not yet. We need to talk before we make it permanent.”

Riley couldn’t help but feel a little deflated. “Permanent?”

“If you put your mark on me and I put mine on you…” Cass ran a finger along Riley’s neck in a gentle caress. “We’ll have a permanent bond. Lifelong. Only death can break it.”

“Oh.” Riley wrapped his arms around Cass’s shoulders and held on. He didn’t want to stop kissing, but he felt like maybe they would.

Cass returned the hug, kissing Riley’s temple and into his hair. “Shh, I’m not saying no, baby.”

Riley didn’t realize he’d whimpered until Cass had spoken. He forced himself to stop. Showing weakness wasn’t an option, especially to a guy who wasn’t ready to make a commitment.

Not that Riley was ready, either. They barely knew each other. Or that was what he told himself.

But he wanted to leave a mark on Cass. Was that possessive? It felt a little like it was, and that made no sense, considering Cass was a person, not something that belonged to Riley.

If he stripped away the weird possessive feeling, what did Riley’s reaction really mean? It meant he wanted a commitment. He was ready for one, but only with Cass. And knowing that made his stomach twist into knots.

Cass’s reaction felt more like a rejection upon Riley examining his own feelings. While Riley knew Cass hadn’t meant it that way, the illogical part of Riley that always waited for the next big disaster twisted Cass’s meaning until it fit that mold.

Riley let go of Cass. “Can I get up, please?”

Cass moved off him.

Riley stood so fast he probably appeared as if he thought his ass was on fire.

He headed for the door.

It took him a second to put on his shoes and, in that time, Cass had closed the distance. “Riley.”

Riley shook his head. “It’s okay.”

“What’s okay, baby? What’s going through that pretty head of yours?”

“Nothing. I just need to get home.”

“I can drive you.”

Riley shook his head. “No thanks. Griffin’s still at the inn. I’ll catch a ride from him.”

That was a lie. Griffin had left Riley at the inn, stipulating that he would get a ride from Zinnie or Cass. Riley didn’t intend to do either. He needed fresh air and to clear his head. Or, more precisely, he needed to get rid of the voice that told him he wasn’t good enough for someone like Cass.

As soon as Riley had his shoes on, he was out the door.

“Riley. Please.”

Riley just raised his hand in a goodbye gesture. “Catch ya later, Cass.”

God, Riley was failing at starting over. Who failed at that? But Riley seemed to be the master. At least where romance was concerned.

Riley pulled his coat around himself when the chill set in and made his way to the sidewalk in front of the inn. He had a three-mile walk ahead of him where he had to trudge through snow. He probably should have let Cass drive him home, especially considering he was no closer to shutting off his inner critic.

A garage light on a passing house illuminated the area enough for him to glimpse black fur and that smooth gait. Cass was on the back side of the houses.

“I’m fine. Go back home, Cass.”

Of course, Cass couldn’t say anything while in wolf form.

He came to the front of the house and eventually began walking beside Riley.

The entire way home, the silence was comfortable. Riley felt better about not being alone. What quieted Riley’s negativity the most was Cass’s presence. He even waited for Riley to enter the house before he left. Riley waved and watched Cass head back the way they had come.

It felt more like a beginning than an end as he shut the door.