Three
CORNELIUS
The main town portion of Fate’s Falls is walkable to almost everywhere. Beyond that is a much larger area, including fields, forests, rocky outcroppings, and a small but thundering waterfall, all of which is encompassed by the Oracle’s magically protected boundary. Inaccessible and essentially invisible to all outsiders, human and nonhuman alike. Only those who are meant to be here can traverse the boundary. That’s how it is with all the Oracle’s secret towns around the world.
When I felt the pull to Fate’s Falls, I hoped it was a sign that my mate would be waiting for me. Why else would I want to leave my home in Kenya and move to a mountain in British Columbia, Canada? At that point, I’d long since reached the age of maturity, yet felt no pull to bond with any of the females in my town. For a decade, I coupled with females, hoping to feel more than fleeting gratification, only to question whether I would even recognize the mate bond if it happened.
The question was answered when I met Rose. Sweet little Rose, that’s how her father figure introduced her to me. Every instinct awakened inside me at the sight and scent of the young human woman. I was nearly twice her age and double her size. We were too different, yet I didn’t doubt for a single second that she was my mate. Knowing it and accepting it—not the same thing.
I’ve successfully fought my instincts for five years. Today, I nearly succumbed. All afternoon, I felt her eyes on me from across the street. Gods, I wanted to give her something to look at. To preen and roar for my mate. Except, what’s under my clothing would terrify her, not turn her on.
Maybe that’s what I should do—let her see how different rhino men are from humans. She wouldn’t want me anymore. It wouldn’t change my deep-seated yearning for her, but it would be better if she turned away, moved on. Ignoring and rejecting her gets more difficult each time I do it.
Given the hour, I shouldn’t have to rein myself in again today. The timeline excuse I gave Rose earlier wasn’t a lie, and it was well past her shop’s closing time when I finally got away from the jobsite.
My home, along with the one Rose shares with her gargoyle father, are on the outskirts of town. By the time I pull into the driveway, the sun is making its descent, bathing the western skyline in swaths of soft orange and pink that remind me of Rose’s hair, Rose’s dress, Rose’s panties. Thoughts of her are inescapable. I need a stiff drink and a firm grip on my cock. Maybe more than once.
“Cornelius.” Garion’s voice carries across the still evening air as I close the door of my truck. The gargoyle appears seemingly out of nowhere, his large wings folding behind his back. “Sorry to catch you on your way in from work. Do you have a minute?”
“Of course.” I’ve done nothing wrong, yet guilt curdles my stomach as if it were full of sour milk.
I’m aware that before bringing Rose to the safety of Fate’s Falls, Garion served as sentry, watching over her family for generations. In the eleven years he’s lived here, not only has Garion taken on a parental role in Rose’s life, he’s become part of the Oracle’s security maintenance team. Even with magic as old and powerful as the Oracle’s protecting us, nonmagical backups are in place, as are pre-emptive sweeps. Garion is aware of everything going on within the Fate’s Falls boundary.
Making his timing for wanting a chat anything but coincidental. Frankly, it’s surprising he hasn’t previously pulled me aside to warn me point-blank to stay away from his daughter.
I would have, if I were him.
My stomach tightens further when Garion glances back at the old stone house he chose to make a home for Rose. With my mediocre eyesight and the twilight hour, it’s nearly impossible for me to see beyond the windows. Gargoyles have heightened vision, particularly at night, and I don’t have to be a mind reader to know he’s checking to see if Rose has eyes or ears on this conversation.
Whatever Garion sees or doesn’t see must satisfy him, because his yellow-eyed gaze returns to my face. “I’m needed back in Sicily for a while, shouldn’t be more than a couple of weeks, but I have to leave tonight. Rose is twenty-four and very capable of taking care of herself, but I hoped you’d keep an eye on things while I’m gone. Maybe check in on her every day, if that’s not too much to ask. I know she’s shy around you and that might inhibit her from asking for help, even if she needs it. I hate to inconvenience you; I know you’re busy with that remodel downtown.”
“No inconvenience. I’m happy to help,” I say as I withdraw my wallet from a back pocket. I pluck out a business card and hand it to him. “Give that to Rose and tell her she can call or text anytime, day or night, if she needs anything.”
“Will do.” He offers his hand to shake, gripping mine firmly when I accept. “Thanks for taking care of my little girl. Leaving her in the hands of someone I trust makes taking this trip less stressful.”
The knot inside me that eased a few seconds ago cinches tight. If he knew all the ways I’d like to have my hands on Rose, I’m the last person in town he’d ask to take care of her.
CORNELIUS
It’s just shy of ten o’clock when my phone pings on the table beside my bed. Without checking, I know it’s Rose. I’m not much of a texter with friends and family, and it’s too late to be anyone in the business.
After offering to be available, I can’t ignore the text. Nor do I want to. I must have a masochist side. Though, after the way Rose looked when she walked away from the jobsite, I doubt she’d message me if she didn’t legitimately need help. Either way, I’m obligated to answer.
I reach over to the nightstand and collect the phone, my pulse picking up at the text preview that says “Hi Cornelius, this is Rose.” In the seconds it takes to swipe my big thumb across the screen and open the full message, my cock is ready to make a tent out of the thin sheet covering my naked body.
Rose
Hi Cornelius, this is Rose. I hate to bother you again (especially after making a fool of myself earlier), but I was about to take a bath and there’s no hot water. Is that something quick and easy to fix, or should I call the plumber tomorrow?
About to take a bath. About to be naked and slippery, the hot water turning her fair skin pink. Groaning, I throw the sheet off and wrap my fingers around my cock, giving it a firm stroke from balls to tip. I jerked off in the shower earlier, but my body feels like it hasn’t shot a load in a year. Before I get another full stroke in, my phone pings again.
Rose
No need to answer, I’m going to call the plumber in the morning. Sorry if I disturbed you. I know you had a long day.
I should send a quick “Okay” and let it go. But it won’t hurt to send something friendlier than a single word reply.
I was still awake, and even I if wasn’t, I said you could call me anytime and I meant it. If you can’t get the plumber over there tomorrow, let me know. I’ll ask him as a favor to take a few minutes off the renovation and pop over to your house to take a look.
Rose
Okay, thank you.
It’s just a text message, but I swear I can feel her disappointment in those three short words.
You’re welcome to use my tub. It’s a big one, and there’s plenty of hot water.
I don’t expect her to take me up on the offer, but when the message shows as read but no reply follows, regret settles in the pit of my stomach. First, I’m dismissive, then I’m a creepy old monster. My big fingers fumbling over the tiny alphabet, I’m in the middle of explaining that it wasn’t meant suggestively when a new message pops up on her side of the screen.
Rose
Is now good?
Come on over. I’ll meet you at the patio door.
Rose
Be there in a couple of minutes. rose emoji blushing face emoji
Two emojis. The rose one makes sense—it’s her name. But the blushing face one? Does it mean something, or is that just how humans text each other? Do I want it to mean something? Yes, but also no. I’m a fucking mess.
The priority now is getting my cock under control before Rose is at the door. Fat chance of that when my mind is running wild with scenarios, all of which include my naked, willing Rose. A couple of minutes isn’t enough time to rub one out, and I’m not convinced that’d keep my cock down, anyway. All I can do is get dressed and hope for the best.
I spring out of bed and into the walk-in closet, grabbing the jeans I put on after my shower. The belt is still through the loops, and the jangle of the buckle gives me what’ll either be the best or worst idea I’ve ever had.
Clothes in one fist, I head for the Jack and Jill bathroom vanity and rifle through the drawer for the roll of first-aid tape.
When the options are to deflate or get pushed down and taped to the inside of a leg, you’d think a hard-on would soften up pretty quickly. Not the case. Multiple loops of tape later, I pull my pants on over the uncomfortable solution, throw on a t-shirt, and make it to the back door just as Rose is raising her hand to knock.
Rose always looks pretty. Tonight, waving her fingers from the other side of the glass, her hair up in a loose bun, and dressed in a tiny pink robe that accents her hourglass curves, she’s mouthwateringly sexy.
Sandwiched between my thigh and pant leg, my cock puts that first-aid tape to the test.
I slide the door open and motion her into the house without saying a word. If it’s rude, I can’t help it. It’s a miracle I keep my hungry mating rumble from rattling the windows. Especially when she passes close enough in front of me that the minimal amount of silky fabric she’s wearing brushes against my outstretched arm. The urge to grab hold of the material and tug it off her body is like nothing I’ve experienced. Every urge and thought is focused on one thing, one truth, one goal: mate.
“Thank you for the offer,” she says, her voice snapping me out of the narrow funnel. “I didn’t need a bath before bed, but it always helps me relax and…” Standing in front of me, her cheeks brighten to cherry-blossom pink, and she shakes her head, making tendrils of red dance against her shoulders. “Never mind.”
“Tell me.” It comes out deeper than intended. Not a demand, exactly, but firm. I can’t take care of her if I don’t know what she needs.
“I know it’s literally impossible for anyone from my old life to find me, or breach the boundary even if they did, but this is the first time I’ve been alone in the house. All the normal sounds and shadows are different without Garion there. You probably think that’s another example of me being sweet little Rose .”
The tone she uses to mimic the term I use makes it clear she doesn’t like it. More important in this moment, though, is that she’s not here with seduction in mind. She’s here for security and comfort. Those are things I can provide without crossing a line.
“I think it’s completely normal to feel uneasy when you’re not accustomed to being alone. And if it’ll help, I can do a walk-through of the house when you go back after your bath.”
“It might help,” she says, then pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. “Until I’m lying in the dark, listening to all the noises.”
Do it , the voice deep inside urges. Your mate needs you .
“I have a guest room. You’re welcome to stay here as many nights as you want.” Just making the offer unlocks some of the tension inside me.
“Really? You—” She cuts herself off with a headshake. “I’m sure I’ll be fine at home.”
Instinct demands I insist, but I push it down. “Whatever makes you comfortable.” I force a generic smile into place, then gesture for her to follow me. “Just have one bathroom here, but it’s spacious and someone your size could float like a starfish in the tub.”
Her soft laugh becomes a gasp when she enters the bathroom. “It’s so big!”
“I need a tub large enough for wallowing during the months when the backyard pool isn’t an option.”
Wrinkles form at the top of her cute nose as she tilts her head. “Wallowing?”
“Much like our wild rhinoceros relatives, my species doesn’t sweat. We rely on hydration and submersion to cool our body temperature. Wallowing is our word for a long, deep soak in moderately cool water.”
“That explains why you spend so much time in your pool.” Again, her cheeks flood with a delicious pink. “Not that I spy on you.”
“Of course not.” The urge to wink is strong, but I don’t want to embarrass her. Especially now that she’s getting comfortable talking to me.
She steps farther into the bathroom, her eyes opening wide when she trails her fingers along the smooth, curved lip of the eight-foot-diameter bathtub, then down the outer side of the freestanding structure. “Is this stone? Did you make this?”
“It is, and I did. The stone is local, each one handpicked from the mountain. Since I couldn’t have a natural pool to wallow in, I decided to bring some of the nature indoors.”
“It’s stunning.” Leaning over the side, she runs her palm along the interior. “So smooth. I’m sure there are seams, but I can’t feel any.”
My chest puffs out at her praise. “There are many, but you won’t find or feel them.”
“It’s really beautiful.”
“I’m happy you like it.” Consciously deciding not to pursue my mate hasn’t removed the innate desire to please her. That motivation will stay with me the rest of my life, even after she finds someone to love. An inevitable future I’m not going to think about tonight. “It will take some time to fill the tub for someone your size—since you won’t displace water the way I do—so let me get it started and then I’ll leave you to enjoy your soak.”
“You mean, my wallow ,” she says, smiling up at me as I step closer to start the water.
Thoughts of joining her in the tub, sharing a long, sensual wallow, rush through my mind. Inside my pant leg, my cock strains against its confinement. “Yes,” is all I manage to choke out. Being near her, and this new rapport, makes me feel lighter than I have in my adult life. But it can’t lead to anything more than casual friendship .
After showing her where everything is and telling her to use my home as it were her own, I exit the bathroom and head for the kitchen because the living room is out of the question. Sitting with my cock taped to the inside of my thigh would be uncomfortable, if not impossible. The damn thing is still hard. Still fighting the binding. Releasing it from the wrapping is out of the question while Rose is in the house. She can’t know how she affects me. What I feel for her.
The sound of lapping water isn’t helping my situation. It means she’s now naked in my tub. Soft humming triggers my hearing, and my ears twitch as I automatically hone in on her vocalizations. Listening intently, it’s clearly not melodic humming, it’s the distinct mmm of pleasure, accompanied by shallow breathing and quiet, high-pitched gasps.
Unable to resist, I go into my bedroom, hovering beside the closed secondary door to the bathroom so I can better hear every gasp and moan. But that’s not the worst I do. Hell no. I open my pants and shove them down so I can free my cock. Grabbing a t-shirt from the laundry hamper, I stuff it into my mouth, then lean against the wall and take the first firm stroke up my rock-hard shaft.
What I’m doing is beyond inappropriate. It’s unforgiveable, even if I don’t get caught. I’ll have to leave town. Get as far from Fate’s Falls as possible. Maybe somewhere in the middle of nowhere, to grow old and die alone, because there’s no way the Oracle will want me in any protected area after I violate Rose’s privacy this way.
I know I should stop, but every second she takes her pleasure in the next room makes my hand stroke faster, harder. As if it has a mind of its own and my brain is no longer in control of my actions. And when she gasps and moans, clearly reaching her climax, mine hits too, sending ropes of thick cum shooting across the bedroom floor.
Everything goes silent and still in the room next door. My heart pounding inside my chest and my muffled, heavy breathing are the only sounds in my ears.
“Cornelius…are you…out there?” Rose’s quiet, tentative question shatters the illusion that my presence—and actions—went unnoticed.
I toss the t-shirt over the mess I made and quietly make my way out of the bedroom while stuffing my cock into my pants. When I’m safely in the living room, I take purposely heavy steps toward the bathroom’s main door. “Everything okay? Thought I heard you say my name.”
For a couple of beats, she doesn’t answer. Then there’s water lapping, enough to indicate she’s repositioning in the tub, followed by a deep inhalation of breath she probably thinks I can’t hear.
This is where I give her peace of mind. “I must’ve been mistaken. Sorry to disturb you. Enjoy your wallow.”
“Oh, I’m enjoying it very much,” she says with a light laugh. “Thank you.”
Maybe everything will be okay—as much as that’s possible after what I did. I obviously can’t be this close to Rose, since I’m incapable of controlling my desire for her. I’d pack up tonight and head out of town if I hadn’t promised Garion that I’d keep an eye on things and be available to help her if needed. I’m committed to staying put until he gets back.
My gross overstep of boundaries can’t happen again. I’ll make sure her plumbing gets fixed tomorrow, no matter what it costs. This is the only time she’ll be inside my house. When she goes home after her bath tonight, things will go back to the way they were. Neighbors who occasionally cross paths in the driveway. A wave here, a hello there. Then, when her father returns, I’ll leave town and never come back. Right now, though, I need to put space between us.
I’m on my way to the backyard when a shriek, then a thud and cry of pain, fill the air. In a blink, I shift directions, thundering through the house to the bathroom door. “Are you okay?”
“I—” A pained whimper replaces her voice. “I slipped and fell getting out of the tub.”
Hands balled into fists at my sides, I have to take a step back so I don’t barge in. “Tell me how I can help. Whatever you need.”
“My leg hurts to move it.”
Fuck. “What about when you’re not moving it?”
“Just throbbing, not sharp,” she says, then, “it’s puffing up, but it’s not bleeding or bent weird.”
“Good, that’s good. Try to stay still. I’m calling Dr. Schaefer right now.”
In my few minutes on the phone with Fate’s Falls’ primary physician, multiple soft whimpers and pained hisses come from the other side of the bathroom. It’s a miracle I make it through the call because my instinct is to crush the phone in my fist and rush to my mate’s aid.
Keeping my hands jammed inside my pockets, I stand a safe distance from the bathroom door when I give Rose the update. “Dr. Schaefer will be here in half an hour.”
“Half an hour?” The frustration in her voice is unmistakable. As is resignation when she sighs and says, “Okay.”
This is my fault. The sides of the tub are too high for someone Rose’s size, especially when things are slippery. I should’ve taken measures to ensure she could get out safely. Instead, I was consumed with thoughts of her naked body and the ways I’m desperate to claim her. “Is there anything I can do for you until the doctor arrives?”
“Um…” Her pause lasts long enough to draw my feet closer to the door and my hands from my pockets.
“Whatever it is, Rose, I’m here to help.”
“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“Yours is the only comfort that matters,” I say, bracing my palms on either side of the door.
“I tried moving toward where the towels are, but it hurt and… I’m kind of cold.”
Gods, is she asking me to go in there while she’s lying naked on the floor? Lying injured on the floor, that’s the detail I need to focus on.
“I’ll get a blanket and bring it in, but I’ll close my eyes, Rose. I won’t look; I give you my word.” My cock is not a fan of my word. My cock needs to accept the hard—very hard—truth that it will never get anywhere near Rose.
“Okay,” she says with what I swear is that same disappointment I heard earlier, when I brushed her off at the jobsite.
In under a minute, I’m back at the bathroom door with a soft throw blanket hanging over one forearm. After five years in this house, moving around one room blindly won’t be a problem. It’s basically what I do every night because my mediocre vision is further diminished in the dark.
“I’m at the door with a blanket. My eyes are closed. Tell me when you’re ready for me to come in, then which direction to walk and when to stop, so I don’t step on you.” Not that I think I could. Pretty sure the mate pull I feel toward Rose would prevent me from causing her any kind of physical harm. But she doesn’t know that.
“You can come in. I’m beside the tub.”
Stepping into the room, I’m bombarded by her scent. Because there are no layers of clothing preventing it from emanating from her beautiful body. Because she pleasured herself mere minutes ago. The mating urge wails inside me, my cock thickens, battling to rise inside the confines of my pants, and it takes conscious effort to keep my eyes closed.
“Keep coming,” she says in her soft voice.
If only she meant that invitation another way.
“I’m about a meter in front of you.”
I take one more careful step, then stop. Without visual confirmation, I know I’m close, that she’s looking up at me. I feel her attention on me. I don’t know if the huge hard-on I’m sporting is evident from her position, but if I had to wager, I’d put money on yes. And there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.
“Here,” I say, extending the arm with the blanket. The soft material slides over my forearm as she draws it down.
“Okay, I uh, I think I’m covered.”
She thinks? Not exactly the guarantee I need with my cock threatening to punch a hole through my pants. But that’s my problem, not hers. She’s innocent in all this. And I will send her home with that innocence intact.
“Cornelius? You can open your eyes.”
I blink them open, my full focus falling immediately to Rose. Thank gods she successfully covered the majority of her body. Even like this, in a moment when I absolutely should not be having personal, intimate thoughts about her, just looking at her is like gasoline on the constant fire she incites within me.
“Could you get a towel for under my head?” Her question snaps me out of my self-centered longing.
“Of course.” Turning away to retrieve a clean, folded towel from the cabinet doesn’t give me enough time to fully pull myself together, but a few seconds are better than none. The pinch of reprieve goes up in smoke when I crouch beside her.
Though she lifts her head without asking, making space for me to slide the towel underneath, she doesn’t raise a finger to help. Probably out of fear that I’ll see her nakedness if the blanket shifts. Her lack of assistance means my hands brush against her hair, damp from her wallow in the tub, and the warm skin at the back of her neck. Sparks run from my fingertips directly to my cock, and I don’t react quickly enough to stifle a deep rumble.
Her gaze locks with mine, her perfect copper eyebrows rising over wide-open blue eyes.
“I apologize.”
“For what?” she asks.
For the sound of my endless hunger for you, my mate, the only woman I crave and the one I can’t have. Not exactly the answer I can give, now or ever. “Stomach noise. Ate a bit too much at dinnertime and I guess it’s still digesting.”
“Oh.” There it is again, the disappointment. “You don’t have to apologize for that. Or for anything.”
If she knew I just stroked off to the sound of her masturbating in the tub, she wouldn’t be so generous.
Maybe she’d be excited, says the part of me that knows she’s attracted to me. Tell her how you feel. Make her yours. It’s what fate wants. It’s what Rose wants.
The front doorbell jerks me backward and to a stand. “Dr. Schaefer must’ve made it earlier than expected,” I say on my way out of the room, not waiting for Rose to respond. Saved by the bell, literally. All I can do now is hope that Rose’s injury is minor, so I can send her home before I do something I can’t cover up.