Waves of her pain surrounded them. He had a hard time yanking back the animal who wanted to offer her comfort. He bit back the growl threatening to escape and pulled her closer to his side. “What did she say?”
“She said that cheating comes natural to everyone. That it was my responsibility to accept it and let it go. That if I wanted a marriage to work I would have to understand my place as a woman.” She shook her head. “I don’t buy that for a second. I refuse to believe it and I won’t settle for it.”
“So she feels it’s okay to have a relationship with a partner that isn’t committed to being with only one person?”
She nodded. “It gets better. She said the only way she’s stayed married this long is by having affairs herself. All her time away with family and friends allowed her the ability to meet up with men and do her own thing.”
His chest ached with the bitterness spilling from her lips. She hurt badly and he didn’t know how to stop it. “You have to understand not everyone thinks that way.”
She shrugged. “I know. I’ve met other couples who don’t have that as part of their lives. But the truth is, I have bad luck with men.” She veered off the main park path and crossed to a desolate hill with a thick grassy patch. She stopped, glanced down at the view of the forest and sat down. “I have awful luck with men. Hell, I have terrible luck in general. You both don’t need my bad luck in your lives.”
“Let us be the judge of what we need. All we want from you is a chance.”
She gazed out in the distance. “I have no experience with shifters other than Gerri. And she’s a handful.”
He grinned at the sound of her soft laugh. “That she is. She has been like a mother to me and Connor.”
Tally folded her legs under her and turned to him. “How do you do it?”
He saw interest and curiosity spark in her eyes. “Do what?”
“How do you share a woman and not worry that she will fall in love with one over the other or more than the other?”
That was tough. “In an ideal world, you’d fall in love with both of us. We want you to have the emotional link with both of us to create a strong bond.”
She nodded slowly but said nothing.
The breeze swirled strands of her hair forward. He leaned close and placed the strand sticking to her lips behind her ear. Her eyes widened behind her glasses. Then, to tantalize and drive him completely crazy, the scent of her arousal drifted into his lungs. Her heartbeat accelerated under his touch. Her skin heated and she licked her lips.
“I hope you understand.” He moved closer, pushing her to lean back on the grass, until her back hit the ground.
“Understand?” Her voice quivered.
“I can’t stop myself.” He stared at her mouth and allowed the hunger he felt inside to show itself a bit in his features.
Her eyes widened and she gasped.
“I can’t control my need to feel your body under me,” he said and leaned over her. He groaned as he lay between her legs, his cock nestled over her pussy. “You are so soft, Tally.”
She gulped. “Theron, I don’t think—”
“That’s right, darling. Don’t think. Just go with your instinct.” He leaned down and crushed their mouths together. She tasted divine. Like the sweetest honey and ripest fruit. Her body cradled him with her softness. He almost came on the spot at the first swipe of her tongue over his. No longer tentative with her touches, she thrust into his mouth and moaned. The sound was sexy as hell. For every groan, she moaned. For every thrust, she curled her tongue over his. He pulled at the hem of her skirt, pushing it up her thigh. He needed to feel her smooth skin under his palms.
She yanked her face sideways, whimpering, “Oh, Theron. Christ that feels good.”
His cock jerked in his jeans. There was little he could do to stop the thrusting between her legs. She spread her legs wider and glanced into his eyes. “Do it. Now. Here.”
Normally he wouldn’t let himself get carried away this way. But her eyes, dark with desire, and her lips, swollen with his kisses, had his wolf pushing at the skin. Everything inside him shifted into pleasure mode. It was all about getting her off right now.
He kissed a path down her neck, to the neckline of her dress. With a single tug, her bra popped above the dress. The sheer lace holding her breasts showed off her puckered brown nipples.
She wiggled under him, the heat of her core driving his cock to painful hardness.
“Please...” she moaned a husky little plea that sent shudders down his back. She probably didn’t realize how much she affected them. At that moment, all he wanted was to please her. To see her smile and watch her body unravel when pleasure hit.