Page 13 of Wolf’s Providence (The Shadowridge Peak #3)

TWELVE

Caleb

Her words shattered the last of my resolve, but I was hanging on to my control. Barely.

Touch me. I’m yours.

I stood frozen, as if time had stopped, the words echoing in my head. On replay. Over and over, searing into my skin like a brand. She was offering me everything, trusting me despite what I’d done—despite the darkness that lived within me.

She trusted me. But I didn’t trust myself. Not with her. Not with this.

I stared at her, my chest heaving as my instincts to claim her warred with the guilt that gnawed at me from the inside. Willow stood before me, bare, vulnerable, yet her gaze was steady, her posture straight and proud. But all I could see were the scars I’d caused. They marred her perfect skin because I’d failed her. And yet, here she was, asking me to touch her as if none of it mattered.

“Willow…” I couldn’t even finish the sentence. I didn’t even know what I was trying to say. My head was spinning. My body was torn between the need to cover her body with mine or to turn away and talk sense into her.

She shouldn’t be asking this. She shouldn’t want this.

Her hand reached out, taking hold of my right hand, and she guided it slowly and deliberately to the scar on her abdomen. The deepest one, the one that had almost taken her life. Her skin was warm beneath my fingers, but I could only feel the cold rush of fear. The memory of her blood on my hands, of that moment when I thought she was gone forever, it haunted me.

And now she wanted me to touch her?

“I won’t break, Caleb,” she whispered, her breath shaky but her gaze warm and steady. She wanted to convince me, but I wasn’t convinced.

Pulling back, I didn’t expect her grip to tighten, keeping my hand where it was, forcing me to feel her.

See her.

“Look at me,” she directed softly, her gaze locking with mine. “I’m right here. I survived. We survived.”

“You don’t understand,” I protested, my heart hammering against my ribs. “You shouldn’t have needed to survive.”

“But I did.” Her tone was firm. “And now, I need this , I need you .”

Her voice was filled with so much certainty, like she could see right through me, like she knew I was falling apart inside. And maybe she did. The bond between us had begun to feel like a living thing, threading between us, tying us to each other in ways I didn’t understand.

I hated the tremble in my fingers as they rested against her skin, feeling the ridges of the scar beneath them. She was soft, warm, and alive. My memory raced with the night I almost lost her. The night I failed her.

“Willow, you can’t?—”

“Yes, I can,” she spoke over me. Her palm pushed my hand into her skin firmer. Making sure my touch held. “You need to believe in us, believe that you won’t hurt me.” Her voice sounded a little breathless, and I realized how vulnerable she was too.

She was being strong, and she was asking me to be the same. I couldn’t breathe. I wasn’t safe. I knew that. She had to know it too. The animal in me, the part that wanted to claim her, to mark her as mine, was there, and I knew it would always be there, lurking beneath the surface. And after everything, having lost control before, did I really trust myself not to lose it again?

I knew she could see the doubt in my eyes, feel it through the bond, and yet she never wavered. Gently, she guided my hand across her stomach, up over her side, and along her ribs, showing me that she wasn’t afraid of my touch.

“I’m yours,” she said again, her voice barely a whisper, although it had the power to wrap around me like a noose. “You know I am.”

A low growl rumbled in my chest, my instincts reacting to her words before my mind could catch up. The bond flickered, pulling us closer, and the need to possess her once more roared to life. My hand moved on its own, tracing over the curve of her waist, relishing the softness of her skin beneath my calloused touch.

My fingers ghosted over her hip, rising higher, brushing over the curve of her breast. Willow sucked in a breath, her eyes fluttering closed for a moment, and the sound of it shot straight to my cock like a lightning bolt. I could feel my resolve unraveling bit by bit, my control slipping as the sense of wildness rose to the surface.

My eyes closed tight as my instincts screamed at me to step back. What if I lost control again?

Lips brushed mine, causing my eyes to fly wide open. I met her gaze, her eyes wide and full of certainty. “Kiss me.”

That was all it took for the last of my restraint to snap.

Her mouth opened willingly, my fingers dug into her soft flesh, and I was already pushing her pants down.

“Get on the bed,” I ordered, pulling my shirt over my head and tossing it to the side. Willow did as she was told, and I grabbed the bottom of her nightwear and tugged them down. I could smell her arousal, and I couldn’t get enough. Her taste, her scent, everything about her drove me to the brink of madness, and I was done fighting it.

Following her onto the bed, my hands roamed over her body, learning every dip and bump of her skin, memorizing the feel of her, the way her body arched against me. The breathless gasps she made as I kissed her deeper, harder. My lips captured the swollen peak of her breast, and I loved the throaty moan that spilled from her lips as I licked and sucked.

Willow’s head tilted back, her eyes closed in appreciation as I feasted on her breasts, switching from one to the other, savoring the taste of her skin. The small desperate sounds that escaped from her lips only fueled my fire. My hand trailed down her body, teasing, until my fingers found their way between her legs. I couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across my face when her body jerked at my touch, her legs falling open as I stroked her. She was already slick with need, and the realization that my girl was ready for me sent a wave of primal satisfaction through me.

Her hands tangled in my hair, her body moving, seeking more. The bond between us pulsed with an energy that made the very air around us crackle with it.

Willow’s hips lifted. Her hand slid down her body, resting on top of mine, pressing against it, and I growled low in my throat, the sound vibrating through me as I slipped a finger inside her. Her sharp intake of breath was followed by a soft moan, her body tightening around me, and I felt myself losing myself in her as I watched her writhe with pleasure. Every movement, every inhale, every plea for more fed the beast inside me. The wild part of me that had always craved her, even before I realized what this was between us.

“You’re so fucking perfect,” I murmured against her skin, my lips trailing down her neck as my fingers continued to move inside her, slow and sure, coaxing her higher with every stroke.

Willow’s grip tightened on my forearm, a soft whimper on her lips as her body arched up into my hand, trying to get closer to me, pulling me even deeper inside her. “Caleb…more…please…”

It was too much, and I couldn’t resist her. I wanted her to have everything, and I added another finger, stroking her deeper, faster, watching as her face contorted in pleasure, her breathing even more rapid now, her body tightening around my fingers with every movement. Her slick heat coated my fingers, I was drowning in her scent, and her moans filled the room. All of it was driving me to the edge, right along with her.

I pressed my thumb against her clit, circling it slowly, a contrast to the rhythm of my fingers. “Oh my God, Caleb.” Her voice was thick with need, her body close to release. So close.

I dipped my head, my mouth returning to her breast, sucking and nipping at her sensitive skin as my fingers plunged into her over and over, bringing her to the brink. Her muscles tightened, and her legs trembled as the climax built inside her. Her hands clutched at anything—me, the bed, her hair. She was on the edge, and I was right there, waiting for her to fall apart.

And then she peaked, her back bowing off the bed as she came, her cries filling the air as her body convulsed around my fingers. I held her through it, my lips brushing against her skin, murmuring soothing platitudes as her pleasure rippled through her. Willow clung to me, her breath coming in broken gulps, her body shaking in the aftermath.

She coated my fingers with her climax, and I pulled my fingers from her slowly, savoring the way her walls still quivered. Bringing my fingers to my mouth, I tasted her, watching her come down from her high. Willow’s eyes fluttered open, her gaze heavy-lidded as she watched me hungrily lick my fingers clean of her.

“Caleb…” Her voice was barely above a whisper, her eyes locked on mine, the bond between us alive and electric.

My lips found hers in a kiss that was both gentle and possessive. Willow kissed me back with the same intensity, her fingers threading through my hair, pulling me closer over her body until I was settled between her legs.

I broke the kiss just long enough to rest my forehead against hers, my breathing heavy as I tried to calm down the wild storm inside me. “You’re so fucking beautiful,” I whispered, dipping in to take another kiss. “You’re mine,” I whispered against her lips, my voice rough, filled with the truth of it.

I kissed her again, deeper this time, pouring everything I couldn’t say into the press of my lips, the brush of my tongue. She responded instantly, her body soft and pliant beneath me, her fingers clutching at my shoulders as if she were afraid I’d pull away.

But I wasn’t running from her anymore.

My body moved, the heat of her still radiating through me. Her legs wrapped around me, pulling me closer, her hips lifting, telling me her desire.

“You need to take your jeans off,” Willow said as she kissed along my jawline. “Now. Like, right now.”

The scent of her arousal filled the air, surrounding me, making it almost impossible to think of anything but her. The way she tasted on my fingers, the way her body moved under mine, the way our bond was singing in my blood, pushing me to madness.

Moving down her body, I kissed her skin. I could feel her heartbeat on my lips as I kissed her chest. The desire to claim her in every way possible tore through me. My movement hesitated at her scars, seeing the visible signs of what my loss of control could do.

And here I was, on the brink of making the same mistake.

She deserved so much more than this. More than me.

But Willow sensed my hesitation, and with a roll of her hips and a firm push against my head, she shoved me down her body. My mouth tasted her, her pussy so wet my tongue glided through her wetness. Covering her clit with my mouth, I moved my tongue over it. Looking up, I saw Willow propped up on her elbows, watching me as my tongue slid over her clit slowly. Pushing two fingers into her, I continued to tease her clit as I watched her chest heaving, her walls contracting around my fingers.

“Caleb.” Her moan was throaty, heavy with lust.

Pushing her legs wider apart, I replaced my fingers with my tongue, tasting her sweetness as it painted my tongue. Willow’s hands were twisted into my hair as she rocked against my face.

“Oh God…” Her whispered pleas went unanswered. “Oh shit, Caleb, oh fuck, there…” Her body squirmed under my tongue, and I moved back to her clit, my fingers sliding inside her pussy easily because she was so soaked. “Caleb!”

My mouth wrapped around her clit, and I sucked hard while my girl cried out as her climax swept through her. Her legs clenched, squeezing my head as she thrust her hips against me, and then just as suddenly, she pushed me away, whispering it was too good.

Grinning, I took a moment to shed my jeans, the need to be inside her driving me forward. She had already reached for me, not giving me time to think as she pulled me back down to her. A soft moan escaped her when she felt my cock rub against her.

My control was close to snapping.

“Willow,” I rasped, my voice barely recognizable. I wanted to warn her, tell her I was close to losing it, how badly I needed her, but I couldn’t think. All I could do was feel.

I thrust against her, and her nails dug into my shoulders as her hips lifted, seeking more. I needed to slow down and give her time, but she wasn’t asking for that. She was meeting me with equal hunger, her hands roaming over my back, clutching at me.

I knew I couldn’t deny her. Not now. Not ever.

My mouth moved down her neck, tasting the salt of her skin as my hands gripped her hips, holding her steady as I positioned myself at her entrance. I felt her trembling beneath me, her breath coming in shallow pants, and I could feel the same tension building inside of me, threatening to break me apart.

“I need you,” she whispered, her voice heavy with desperation, and the sound of it drove me past my final limit.

“I’ve got you,” I promised, my voice hoarse.

I pushed inside her, slow and steady, savoring the feel of her around me, the way she gasped, the way her body tensed before she relaxed. The way her legs tightened around my waist as I sank into her completely. My vision blurred, and the sensation of being inside her again, of being so connected to her, threatened to overwhelm me.

I paused, giving her a moment, my forehead pressed against hers as we both caught our breath. Willow’s hands cradled my face, her eyes locking onto mine, and in that moment, I could see everything. Her trust, her desire, the love she’d hinted at, all of it was there, and it echoed through our bond, binding us together in a way words never could.

“Caleb.” Her voice was shaking, and I kissed her again, biting her bottom lip, dragging it between my teeth, unable to stop myself.

Then I started to move.

Slow at first, relishing every inch of being inside her, the way her body clenched around me, the way she breathed my name like a prayer. I moved against her until the need grew more intense, more consuming, and I couldn’t hold back.

I picked up the pace, my hips driving into her, each thrust sending a shockwave of pleasure through both of us. Her moans filled the air, her fingers digging into my back as her body moved in perfect rhythm with mine. Her legs tightened around me, squeezing me.

“Willow,” I groaned, burying my face in the curve of her neck as the pressure built inside of me, threatening to consume me. She was everything—everything I ever wanted, ever needed—and having her under me like this, completely and utterly mine, was more than I could ever have imagined.

I felt her pussy as it tightened around me, her breath coming in short, broken puffs of air, and I knew she was close. I could feel it in the way her body moved, the way her nails raked down my back. Her soft cries turned into something more desperate, more primal.

“Come for me,” I whispered, my voice gruff with command, and she shattered.

Her back arched off the bed. Her pussy clenched around my cock as she screamed my name. Wave after wave of pleasure rocked through her as her walls gripped me tight. The sight and feel of her coming undone was enough to send me over the edge right along with her.

I thrust into her one last time, my body tensing as my release ripped through me, everything else fading around me, as the pleasure hit me like a bolt of lightning. I pressed close, breathing in the warmth of her skin, as I groaned her name, emptying myself inside her, her pussy milking my cock, the bond flaring with an intensity that added to the pleasure.

We stayed like that, tangled together, as our bodies trembled in the aftermath. I could feel her heartbeat slowing, matching the rhythm of mine, and I felt contentment.

This was everything.

It was trust and love, and even as I held her, the weight of it settled over me. With a groan, I rolled us so I was spooning her and she was curled up in front of me.

Placing a kiss on the top of her head, I heard her sleepy yawn, the sound soft and content. My wolf rumbled his approval, a deep vibration that echoed through my chest as I held her, sated and safe in my arms. All that mattered right now was this.

Tomorrow, we’d face our next challenge, but for tonight, she was mine.

And I wasn’t letting go.