“Wolf, you’re squishing me.”
“Shh, go to sleep, baby doll.”
His body was like a furnace, and the heat of it soon relaxed her. She listened to him breathe. Four or five breaths in, his breathing changed and his muscles began to relax, his body settling deeply into the mattress. She felt his hold on her loosen as he drifted off.
Wiggling, and twisting, she managed to turn in his arms and snuggled down into his chest, her face pressed into the curve of his neck. His arms tightened around her for a moment, and then he relaxed back into slumber. She could feel the steady beat of his heart, and she soon drifted off as well, secure in the warmth of his embrace, exactly where she wanted to be. Where she would always want to be.
CHAPTER TWO
Wolf stood staring down at Crystal as she slept. God she was beautiful, the early morning light casting her in soft shadows. His eyes moved over her body, exposed where she’d kicked off the sheet. He noticed the small bruises from the little nips he’d given her on her inner thigh. Perhaps he’d been too rough with her, but Crystal never complained. She seemed to enjoy their rough play as much as he did, to crave it almost as much as he did.
He was tempted to wake her, but he didn’t. He thought about leaving her a note. Telling her how beautiful she was. Telling her he’d gotten called out. Club business. But he figured she’d know. She’d been around the club long enough to know that when the club called, the brothers answered the call. Always.
So he didn’t wake her, and he didn’t leave a note. It was a decision he’d come to regret. Because if he’d known the events that would transpire, he would never have walked out that door.
But he hadn’t known, so he bent and brushed a soft kiss on her forehead and whispered, “Love you, babe.”
A kiss she never felt. A note she never saw. A sentiment she never heard.
****
Crystal felt the warmth of the sun on her bare back as it poured in through the white sheers that covered her bedroom window. It felt delicious. For a moment she imagined herself lying on a beach in the sun. She shifted in the bed and immediately felt the aching soreness in her thighs, and memories of last night came flooding back.
Wolf.
Her eyes popped open, and she turned her head on the pillow, her arm reaching out, her hand finding only empty bed and cold sheets.
“Wolf?” she called.
Only silence replied.
She lifted up, her eyes glancing around the room. Any trace of him was gone. As if he’d never been there at all. And she could have convinced herself it was all a dream if not for the aching soreness between her legs.
And once again she felt the emptiness return, like it always did. That feeling of being used. Used and cast aside until the next time he needed to scratch his itch.
She flung the sheet back and swung her legs out of bed. Picking up her cell phone from the nightstand, she checked it for any texts or missed calls from him. Nothing. Rising, she jerked on a short robe, jammed her phone in the pocket and headed toward the kitchen. After starting the coffee, she stood at the sink, staring out the window, her fingers drumming on the counter. It was times like this, when the agitation and pent up anger boiled through her, that she wished she still smoked.
Yanking open the cabinet, she pulled down a mug. Coffee would have to do. Coffee and maybe a shot of Baileys. She lifted the carafe and filled her cup. As she retu
rned it to the burner, her phone rang. She dug it out of her pocket and looked at the screen. Angel.
Pressing receive, she put it to her ear. “Hi.”
“Morning, doll. What are you up to?”
“Just got up. Working my way through my first cup of coffee,” Crystal replied, tucking the phone between her ear and shoulder as she reached for the Baileys and unscrewed the cap to pour a hefty shot in her mug. “What’s up?”
“We’re all over at Crash and Shannon’s. Since the boys left at the crack of dawn this morning, the girls decided to get together for some Bloody Marys. And they beat coffee any day, so get your butt over here.”
“You and Shannon?”
“Mary is here, too. Natalie’s watching the kids.”
“I’ve got a bathroom to scour,” Crystal threw out the excuse.
“Who are you? June Cleaver? It’s Saturday. Get your butt over here, now. You know with three kids I rarely get out,” Angel whined.
Crystal heard Shannon in the background. “Is she coming over?”