All characters that are from the TWILIGHT saga by Stephanie Meyer belong to Stephanie Meyer. All others belong to me. I do not receive profit for these stories except for the joyous enjoyment of reviews.
This story follows right after When I'm Gone: Third Installment to GONE Saga, so if you haven't read that one or the two before, please do.
The timeline of the story will coincide with Gabriel Michael Laskaris' growing up years, starting at Seth and Rosa's wedding day, April 12th and will progress from there.
AN: This is a Bailey/Brady heavy chapter but it's not all them. Hope y'all enjoy as you read and remember, reviews are like manna to me.
Chapter Seventy-Nine (16 yrs old)
August 6th
"Did you find the bag?"
"Yep. Got it right here."
"Does it have everything?"
"Yes. I checked, not that I needed to. He hasn't opened it all summer. What about you?"
"Got the keys right here."
"How'd you manage that?"
"Told mama what we needed them for. Plus, I explicitly promised neither you nor I would attempt to drive."
"Hey, maybe we can get Gabe to teach us on the way back."
"Did you not hear me? I explicitly promised."
"Alright, fine. We won't try to drive. So are we ready?"
"We're ready. Remember –rush him, don't give him time to think."
"Where is he?"
"In the living room –where he's been for the past week."
"Oh Zeus. Is he staring at the blank TV again?"
"Yah. So let's do this."
"Let Operation Touchdown commence."
They bumped fists before getting out of the older boys' bedroom and heading down the stairs, finding their older brother just where Andrey had said.
For the past week, Gabe had been unusually quiet and uncommunicative, completely lost in thoughts he wasn't sharing with anyone. The only time he seemed to come close to being the big brother they'd grown up with was when he phased for the purpose of working with his new pack.
Despite how young he was, Gabriel was turning out to be a good Alpha –no surprise, being their Dad had been grooming him for a position that would be his: the question always being whether it would be the Quileute or the Laskaris pack.
It was strange, not having Gabriel as part of their pack anymore but he was still their brother –with the added strain of commanding the respect an Alpha deserved.
It was something the twins were having a bit of a struggle with but they knew, with time, they would figure out the fine line between annoying their older brother and respecting the Alpha, despite him not being their Alpha.
No, they were still under their father's command, as were the rest of their brothers and Embry –which came with being Emmie's imprint. The good part, this time around, was a feeling of partnership and understanding between the two Alphas, one which had never existed between Dad and Uncle Sam despite the friendship they had outside of full moon nights.
Looking at each other, they gave a simultaneous nod before rushing into the living room, Andrey grabbing Gabe's hand, which he successfully closed over that damn marble he carried around with him wherever he went, "Come on, lets' go."
"What," Gabe looked at his younger brothers in confusion as Alyx opened the front door, Andrey pushing and shoving him towards it, "Where are we going?"
"Football try-outs," Alyx answered, patting the duffel bag he'd slung over his shoulder as Andrey closed the door behind them.
"You guys don't play football," Gabe caught the keys Andrey tossed at him, barely keeping himself from dropping the marble as Andrey ran to the curb where the mini-van their mama drove them all in was parked, Alyx pushing and shoving him from behind.
"We don't," Andrey opened the side panel, easily catching the duffel bag Alyx threw at him before he went back to the shoving and pushing, successfully getting Gabe on the driver's side of the dark blue kid-mobile.
Opening the door, Alyx gave his brother a cheeky grin, "But you do. And try-outs are today."
Gabe looked at his younger brother, air rushing out of his lungs at the hard shove into the seat he got, the other terror reaching from behind and around him to grab the seatbelt from the first and clicking it into place, practically strangling him along the way, "I'm not playing this year."
"Like hell you're not," the twins responded simultaneously, Alyx slamming the door shut before climbing into the back of the mini-van, Andrey taking the keys from Gabe and leaning forward to shove the correct one into the ignition as he looked at his older brother, "Not only are you playing but you're going to be MVP."
"MVP?"
"Most Valued Player," Alyx stuck his head between the van's door frame and Gabe's face, pulling the seatbelt out of the way, which had Gabe gasping for air, "Duh."
Yanking the seatbelt away from Alyx, he glared at him as he took in a deep breath, "I know what MVP stands for."
"Sure could have fooled us," they both rolled their eyes before turning to look at their older brother's face, Alyx expounding on their plans, "You are going to try-out, get into the team then take it all out on the opposition."
"Exactly," Andrey nodded along to his twin's words, "Sack the bastards, sack 'em hard and you'll be MVP and the school will throw a party for you. I've heard you can bring your entire family to the party."
"And they have really good food."
Gabe's eyebrows lowered as he set his foot on the brake pedal before shifting the van into drive, "You guys are doing this for the food?"
The terrors looked at each other, letting out simultaneous sighs of disgust before they both whacked the back of Gabe's head, "We're doing this for you, ya idiot."
"Me?"
"Yes," Andrey pointed to the street, both he and Alyx sitting back into the seat and buckling on their seatbelts, "Now go. Go! Go! Go!"
Two Days Later
"We're doing alright…haven't found a place to stop yet."
Marc let out a sigh as he leaned against the side of the public phone, only half listening to his aunt's worries as he looked to where his Camaro was parked, his sister sitting in the passenger seat.
"Somewhere outside San Francisco. We might stop there for a bit. How are the boys?"
Marc nodded, even though his aunt couldn't see him, his chest feeling oddly tight and his eyes burning as she told him of how Carlos and Harry kept asking for them, "Yeah, we miss them too. Tell them we said hi and we'll send them something soon."
Resting his head against the metal siding of the open phone booth, he worked hard at not letting the overwhelming emotions get to him without success. Wiping away at an escaped tear, he looked over at the yellow sports car, eyes locking with his sister's, the flat emptiness in them having him almost choke with the guilt and loneliness that kept welling up in him at odd times.
"Actually, she's asleep," Marc denied his aunt's request to talk to Vivi, voice husky with emotion as he tore his gaze away from hers, turning his back to her and working on focusing on his aunt's words, wishing –not for the first time since they left –there had been a different way to deal with this.
Talking with his aunt another few minutes before saying good-bye, he let out a breath as he hung up the phone, keeping a hold on it for another few seconds then heading back to his car.
Awkward silence greeted him as soon as he got into the car, something he should have been used to by now considering she hadn't said a single word since they left La Push some days ago.
"Need anything before we leave?"
He took the silence as a negative answer, letting out a sigh of frustration before throwing the car in reverse and pulling out of the gas station, wondering how much longer he was going to have to suffer the silent treatment.
It wasn't easy, mostly because he'd never had to deal with a silent treatment from his sister –no, fights between them had always been vocal, loud and explosive, never this deep freeze thickening between them.
"I was thinking we could find a place in San Francisco," Marc merged onto the highway, glancing quickly at his sister who had her eyes trained on the view outside her window, "What do you think?"
No answer.
"Tia Rosa said the boys are missing us," he easily changed lanes to get to the fast one, tapping the buttons on his steering wheel to turn on the radio, the volume low enough to hear his sister if she said anything, "I was thinking we should send them something –Harry's birthday is in two months."
Again –no answer.
"Will you say something?"
He glanced her way as she looked his, their eyes locking as a shiver ran down his spine at the lack of emotion in her eyes, guilt and an overwhelming sense of loneliness flooding him as she spoke up, her words flat and meaningless, "We're fifty miles outside the city limit."
Looking away, he leaned his elbow onto the window ledge of the door, rubbing his forehead with shaky fingers, deciding the silence was definitely better than hearing the nothingness in her voice.
For how long, he wasn't sure but it was better for now.
August 13th
She applied eyeliner with an expert hand as her stereo blasted P!nk at full volume, telling her how she was fucking perfect.
Pulling back from the mirror, she studied her face with a critical eye before smiling. The lessons with that makeup artist in New York had definitely paid off.
Since she hadn't been blessed with her mother's beautiful slanted eyes –lucky Lili –she had to resort to creating the illusion with black eyeliner and smoky gray eyeshadow.
Quickly applying mascara, she placed all her make up stuff in its case, snapping it shut and taking it along with her to the bedroom she still shared with Lili. Putting the professional make up case away (gift from the makeup artist they'd hired for the coming fall fashion show), she removed the oversized t-shirt she was wearing over her black lace strapless bra and hipster panty set.
There was a party going on down at First Beach –the party she had originally organized to send off her brother Bradley to college had somehow gotten high-jacked by their senior class and now it was a massive party to celebrate all those heading off to college or basic training (Maze having been one of two guys who joined the military). She even heard several of the Forks High School graduates would be in attendance.
Taking the flower printed off the shoulder dress from where she had draped it over their desk chair, she slipped it up her long legs, the fabric hugging every single curve and dip of her toned body: the short hem showed off her long, sleek legs, the fitted sleeves emphasized her toned arms, while her shoulders and a hint of a cleavage were left on display.
The dress had been designed by her sister –now that she was the 'face' to her sister's fashion line, she wore nothing but Liliandra's designs –and it came with a wide black belt meant to accentuate a narrow waistline, which is exactly what it did once she snapped it on.
Slipping on a pair of black four inch stiletto platform ankle boots, she gave her reflection a once over, pleased with the overall effect of the white dress with the large printed blue, pink, and purple flower, the black belt an exact material match to the leather boots, her elbow length blue-black hair falling in curls that were already relaxing.
Running her fingers through the thick mass, she vaguely wondered if she should cut it or wait until she absolutely had too –from what she'd heard, a shaggy wolf was not a good thing, especially in a fight.
Shaking her head, she pushed the thoughts of phasing out of her mind –with Gabriel now in charge of the pack, she knew it was a matter of time for her, she just didn't know when exactly it was going to happen.
After all, the sudden growth spurt, the defined lines of her toned body and the appearance of what can only be described as supernatural abilities came at a price –one she wasn't asked if she was willing to pay.
Working harder at muffling her thoughts, she gave herself one last look before grabbing the keys to her Jeep, glad her parents were out on a date –shudder –and that her brother was already at the beach. This way, none of them could make a big deal about what she was wearing.
As for Lili –her little sister was over at Nika's place, helping with her costume for some ballet recital she was having before school started.
On the drive to the beach, she thought back on their two week trip to New York, recalling the nasty things those skinny bitches the creative manager had hired to model had said about her little sister and the way she looked –she could still see the look of devastation on her pretty round face, the anger she had felt then just as prevalent now, causing her long fingered hands to shake.
Taking in a deep breath, she worked at calming down, reminding herself she would be there at all times –as Lili's partner and top model, she had plans to keep the body shaming away from her little sister.
In Bailey's opinion, fourteen was too young of an age for her sister to be thinking negatively about the way she looked –especially when Bailey knew, without a doubt, her sister was everything beautiful a young girl should be.
Parking her Jeep beside Bradley's faded blue Toyota, she easily picked her way around the cars and onto the pebbled beach, the volume of the music increasing the closer she got, the light from the blazing bonfire as good as a neon sign declaring where the party was.
She wasn't sure how she knew he was there –what with so many people, pressed up against each other in a pretense of dancing as they laughed and drank, generally having themselves a good time –but a shiver of awareness ran down her back, her hot skin tingling with what felt like electric currents.
Making her way around the dancing bodies, she glared at Tania, a fellow cheerleader; glad the skank got the message and left without putting up a fight, she turned to the object of her irritation, "What are you doing here?"
The smirk on Brady's face –when the hell had he gotten so hot? –made her palm itch, her body shaking slightly as it flushed in a totally unfamiliar, not to mention uncomfortable, way as his eyes travelled down to her feet then back up.
"Your dad asked me to come."
"My dad?"
"Yeah," Brady cocked an eyebrow as he crossed massive arms over an even broader chest, the black cotton t-shirt he wore stretching along with the smirk on his face, "He needed someone to babysit you so Gabriel gave him the go ahead to send me."
"B-baby s-sit me?"
"That's right," he tilted his head to the side, giving her a condescending smile, "So why don't you run along and go play with your little friends?"
He watched as she fought to say something, his keen eyesight catching the way the muscles of her throat contracted but nothing came out of her mouth.
He vaguely wondered if he'd pushed her too far –made her angry enough to lose it and phase.
Stupid of him if she did, being they were surrounded by teenagers from both the reservation and nearby Forks, but he hadn't been able to help himself. There was something about her –something he'd never scented before –that had the hairs on the back of his neck standing up along with his snarky attitude.
A snarky attitude he wasn't even aware of possessing.
He held back a grin as she gave up the fight with her absent voice, watching with amusement as she stomped away, very much like a five year old girl in a snit.
Oh, he knew she was going to make him pay for his snarky babysitting comment but this time around, he was actually looking forward to it.
Something told him he was no longer going to have to take it lying down.
She was going to get herself into some serious trouble.
She knew this but she couldn't stop herself, tossing back another shot of vodka, laughing as Maze leaned in to lick a drop that had escaped to roll down her chin.
Letting him pull her in closer as they dance –such a mild word for what was actually vertical foreplay –she looked over his shoulder, quickly zeroing in on Brady and some blond bitch from Forks.
He was laughing and talking with her, letting her touch his arm, his chest…her bastard babysitter was too busy having fun with the bimbo to even pay attention to what she was doing with Maze.
To hell with him, Bailey thought angrily as she let Maze run his hands over her body, his mouth at her throat making her shiver but not in a good way.
Definitely not the way it had felt when Brady have given her that thorough once over look –the anger she had been feeling had seemed a lot more like desire.
It had completely thrown her for a loop, making it impossible to find the words to express how angry she was at his uninvited presence in her life.
"Let's go for a walk, baby," Maze whispered into her ear, his breath hot and gross against her skin as he reached up and squeezed her breast.
She would have gladly kneed him in the balls for taking that liberty but she caught Brady looking their way so instead, she decided two could play the 'having fun' game.
"Sure."
The stupid girl was going to get herself into a shitload of trouble.
He easily distracted his companion –what the hell was her name again? –telling her he would go get them a couple of drinks, making his way around the perimeter of what was the dancing area, his eyes on the two shadows moving away from the beach towards the forest line.
Bailey and the poor schmuck that was getting dragged along to play her little game –the guy was going to end up high and dry but only if he got there in time.
Because Brady had noticed something when Bailey thought he'd been too focused on the faceless blond he'd been talking to.
Those last two shots hadn't all been vodka.
She stumbled, Maze's arm around her waist keeping her from going down. She was feeling strange –and not in a 'she threw back six shots of vodka in half an hour' kind of strange.
"I don't feel so good," she muttered, her tongue so thick in her mouth her words came out slurred. She tried pushing away from Maze but he dug his fingers into her waist, his other hand grabbing tightly on to her upper arm, "You're hurting me."
"We're almost there."
She stumbled over a rock, her ankle twisting painfully, the yelp of pain that escaped her drowning in the sounds of the loud music and crashing waves.
Once again, Maze kept her from going down, Bailey letting out another yelp as he dragged her a bit before helping her up on her feet, her hair tangling on his fingers, which just had her cry out in shock and pain as he pushed her, several strands pulled by the roots from her scalp.
She managed to catch herself on a tree, the bark scraping painfully at her palms and forearms. Leaning against it, she looked over at Maze, her bottom lip bleeding slightly where she had bit it, her vision blurry as she tried to focus but her brain was just one big fuzzy nothing, "What are you doing?"
Maze smiled at her, at least she thought he did because his face was all fuzzy and distorted and his voice sounded strangely echo-e and far away, "I think someone needs to teach you a lesson, Bailey."
She tried to pull away when he grabbed her by the back of her neck and pulled her in for a tongue thrusting kiss, his thumb catching on the dangling silver earring on her ear and ripping it out of the lobe.
She screamed out in pain, pushing him away hard enough for him to stumble, her hand reaching up to touch her throbbing ear, the blood on her fingers having her shaking as she looked up at him, "You asshole!"
"You know what you are," he asked in a snarl, grabbing her by the arms, ripping one of the sleeves of her dress, "You're a cock-tease, Bailey. You lead guys around by their dicks, letting them think they have a chance with you but then turn up your nose as if you're too good for us poor Indian boys."
"Shut up," she shoved against his chest with both hands, her body vibrating with growing anger, the heat under her skin increasing every second as she unsuccessfully tried to get out of his grip, his fingers digging painfully into the muscles of her arms, "It's not poor Indian boys I'm too good for –it's you!"
He slapped her across the face, the shock stilling her body as she stared up at him in wide-eyed wonder, her muddled brain trying to connect the dots of what was going on, his next words setting something off inside her, kind of like flipping a switch, "Everyone in the reservation knows how your mother slept with her cousin's fiancée –you know what that makes her? A slut. And I plan on proving you're one too."
She slapped him, her nails dragging down and across his face, leaving behind deep furrows that quickly filled with blood, "Don't you dare talk about my mother that way!"
"Run."
Maze looked to his left where a tall broad shadow stood, the blood flowing between his fingers as he held his hand against his burning cheek, "This isn't your problem."
There was a dark edge of amusement to the words as he moved closer, the moonlight throwing his face in shadows so Maze couldn't tell who he was, "It will be in about two minutes if you don't run."
Looking over at Bailey, he blinked, wondering if blood had gotten into his eyes without him realizing it because she was looking somewhat blurry. Shaking his head back, his sense of danger had him stepping back, his eyes swinging back to the strange guy then Bailey before he muttered as he turned away, "I don't need this shit…not for this bitch."
Brady watched the asshole run off, turning his attention to Bailey as he realized she was past the point of no return and if he didn't get her deeper into the woods, she was going to chase after the S.O.B. and scare the shit out of all those kids along the way.
Grabbing her hot arm, he pushed and shoved her further into the forest, flinging her away from him just as she burst into midnight black fur, sharp claws and snarling teeth, her wolf's body lithe and lean as she landed on all fours, sliding across the forest ground as she fought to get some balance, turning dark eyes towards him, muzzle pulled back in a long drawn out growl.
In the ten seconds it took him to realize he needed to shift or deal with some massive pain, he noted the beauty of her –black fur long and sleek, shiny under the moonlight beams breaking through the thick foliage above them.
He kicked off his shoes, shifting as he simultaneously turned out of the way as she launched herself at him, his jaws clamping on her back leg and dragging her down, snarls and growls ripping the silence apart as they fought for dominance.
You bastard! Why would you let him get away?
Brady let go of her leg, nimbly dancing out of the way as she snapped at him, What did you want me to do? Let you kill him?
Yes!
She tried to get past him, intent on hunting Maze down but he tackled her, easily maneuvering her deeper into the woods, the far off music effectively drowning the sounds of their fight.
And have ARMY recruiters here, looking for him? This is why your father wanted you looked after. You never use your head to think.
Bailey twisted, biting into his shoulder, feeling equal parts satisfaction and guilt at the taste of blood, his yelp of pain causing her to let go.
In that split second, he turned the tables on her, easily trapping her and closing his massive jaws over the back of her neck.
Lesson number one –never give up the advantage.
Growling, she tried to wiggle out of his grasp, letting out a snarl when she couldn't.
Get off me, you asshole!
I'm sure you know how this works, Bailey.
She could feel his amusement, could hear it in her head, her ire rising as she tried to shake him off again, I'm not crying Uncle!
Then I guess we're staying here all night.
Without warning, she twisted, using the momentum –and his hunched body besides hers –to flip over, grappling with him for a few seconds before pinning him down on his back, her paw resting on his soft under belly, claws dimpling the soft skin.
Lesson number two –don't underestimate the girl.
Well played.
He looked up into her dark eyes, seeing what he already knew. The world as she knew it had shifted on her and now she was struggling with the changes, trying to find her emotional balance when her sense of being was no longer attached to her but to him.
Are you willing to follow through?
She could hear the underlying message in his words, her heart beating frantically as she fought to grasp this new facet of herself, feeling overwhelmed –it was too much too fast.
She skipped back to keep from eviscerating him as he rolled onto his feet, his dark brown fur covered in dirt and pine needles but it didn't detract from his impressive stature, especially when he cornered her, noses touching as they stared into each other's eyes, the silence heavy and rife with a strange kind of tension that had never been between them before.
I guess you got what you wanted.
Brady scoffed, his words heavy with sarcasm, You think this is what I wanted? After you already made the choice to kick me out of your life?
Bailey swallowed, realizing this was where karma was going to show her how much of a bitch she could be, So what now?
They stared at each other, neither willing to be the first to walk away…nor the first to give in.
Friday Night
"How do you think they're doing?"
Sam let out a sigh, staring up at the ceiling as he absentmindedly stroked his wife's arm, "I'm not sure. Gabe said they spent most of last night and this morning fighting. He's been giving them their privacy, giving us time off patrols but he'll eventually have to get us back on schedule."
"We've never had two shifters imprint on each other."
"That's because, before Leah, there's never been a female shifter."
Emily let out a soft sigh, snuggling closer to her husband. They were in bed, the house quiet with only Lili in her bedroom, Bradley having left for Oregon early that morning.
He had wanted to wait for his twin sister but no one knew how long it would take for her to phase back and he needed the weekend to settle before starting classes on Monday.
"You would think, with Marc and Vivi gone, Bailey would have been spared."
Sam knew Emily hadn't wanted this for their daughter, and in all honesty, neither had he, "Bailey has been exhibiting symptoms for a long time now, unlike Bradley. Once its set in motion, there's no stopping it."
"Do you think Bradley will ever phase?"
"I don't know, baby;" he wrapped his arms around her, turning on his side to face her, his lips brushing over hers, "Only time will tell."
The silence lasted for all of two minutes before Emily looked up into his dark brown eyes, "What do you think it's like for them? I remember you explaining it as gravity moving."
Sam chuckled, gently stroking his fingers over her scarred cheek, "Gravity is the simple way to explain it. There's so much more to it, there's no actual words to give a clearer explanation than that."
"Can you imagine," Emily placed a kiss in the center of his palm, her own hands busy drawing invisible designs on the hot skin of his bare back, "She's his gravity and now he's hers. Two sources of gravity coming together in the same space continuum…isn't that how black holes are made?"
Sam chuckled, kissing her mouth, "You'll have to ask Emmie about that one."
Emily laughed, reaching up to touch the sharp angles of his face, thinking how much their two oldest resembled him; "Do you think they'll find a balance?"
Sam was fast losing focus on the current topic of conversation, his body coming to attention as his wife's lush curves shifted and rubbed against him, "There are several possible outcomes. They can become one of those nauseatingly lovey-dovey couples –"
"Highly unlikely since Bailey's involved."
"They could end up killing each other –"
"A definite possibility."
"Or they might end up trying to fuck each other into submission."
"Sam Uley! That's your daughter you're talking about!"
"And I'm well aware of that," Sam ran his fingers through her long hair as he stared into her dark eyes, "But she's eighteen and I'm sure…there's hormones involved."
"I'm sure there are but still…"
The silence stretched for several minutes as they held each other, Emily's eyebrows dipping as she felt Sam's body start shaking, looking up to see her husband fighting laughter, "What's so funny?"
"Just thinking about Brady," he grinned at his wife, "Having to deal with our daughter. Poor kid."
"Why?"
"Come on, Em," Sam tightened his arms around her, knowing there was a possibility she might get angry on their daughter's behalf at what he was going to say, "I love her, you know I do, but this is our daughter we're talking about."
"What do you mean?"
"The girl's a pain in the ass on a good day and a total bitch the rest of the time."
"Sam!"
"No use keeping our heads in the sand about this. Boy's going to have his hands full with her."
Emily let out a sigh, knowing there was no use arguing, "I don't know where she gets it from. At times, she's a lot like you but mostly…she reminds me of Leah –back before she left La Push."
Sam arched an eyebrow, realizing how accurate his wife's statement was, "Never thought of that…I wonder what she's so angry about."
"Hopefully she'll find some peace now."
"We can only hope, baby. From here on out, it's all on her and Brady."
Sunday Morning
He groaned, reaching under him to remove whatever had imbedded itself into his ass, his muscles groaning at the abuse he'd take the past three days, all of it compounded by a night spent sleeping in the forest ground.
It had been years since he last woke up in the forest ground, falling asleep wolf and waking up buck naked human, the state of relaxation sleep required somehow triggering the phasing, which usually required conscious thought to do, whether going to wolf or to human.
Another groan made its way out but he swallowed it halfway, becoming conscious of a soft warm body beside him, the early morning chirping of birds nearly drowning the soft even breathing that was definitely not his.
Opening his eyes, he slowly rolled to his side, the full length of his body coming into contact with a naked female body for the first time in his life. Swallowing in an attempt to get some moisture in his suddenly dry mouth, he let his eyes travel down the long lines and curves, taking note of the differences between his body and hers, wondering if her dusky skin was as soft as it looked, if her dark nipples tasted as sweet as they promised.
Having imprinted right when he hit puberty, Brady had never been interested in the female body before, naked or clothed, but now here he was, lying beside his imprint –yeah, she was eighteen but as clear as can be, a full grown woman, and he was reacting to the visual feast of luscious curves and sleek toned limbs with supple soft looking skin.
He knew he shouldn't touch her but couldn't stop himself, softly skimming his fingers over the soft skin of her flat stomach, his pinky gently probing her belly button before he moved up to gently cup one of her full breasts, his thumb stroking over her nipple, his mouth suddenly watering as it puckered up in invitation.
Dipping his head, he was about to have a taste when her voice, husky and warm with sleep, stopped him, "Shouldn't you kiss me first?"
Lifting his head, he looked into dark brown eyes, tangled hair spread across the forest ground, arms stretched over her head, her entire body relaxed yet he could feel the vibrating awareness, could smell a scent new to him, one he instinctively identified as arousal.
Rising over her, he kept his weight on one elbow, his other hand still curled over the swell of her breast, his thumb brushing back and forth over her pebbled nipple. He slowly slipped his thigh between hers, their noses brushing as his breath washed over her parted lips, her own breath tantalizingly sweet against his.
"I wonder," he gently nipped at her bottom lip, his own dark eyes twinkling as he studied the beautiful curves and angles of her face, "How many guys have you kissed with that mouth?"
The anger flashing in her dark eyes had his arousal hiking up exponentially as he instinctively grabbed her hand before she could make contact with his face, covering her mouth with his. He groaned as she sunk her teeth into his bottom lip, his tongue tasting blood but he didn't pull back.
Instead, he deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue into her mouth, coaxing her own into a dance filled with hot lust and raw passion, her body molding to his.
Letting go of her wrist, he moved his hands down her body, touching every inch of her as he took possession of her mouth with an intensity he'd never felt before.
Her own hands weren't still –as he branded her his, she too staked her claim, digging her fingernails into his muscles, scoring his skin, her mouth devouring him.
Breaking off the kiss, he attached his mouth to the rapidly beating pulse on her neck, nipping and licking before he sucked hard, an overwhelming desire to mark her as his flooding through him.
"You gonna pee on me too?"
Letting go of the wet patch of skin, he smiled at the dark red mark left behind, nipping at her bottom lip as he looked into her near black eyes, "Don't tempt me."
Bowing his head, he caught a nipple between his teeth, giving it a tug before sucking it into his mouth. Bailey let out a moan, the sensations his mouth evoked rushing through her like wildfire, her body arching, pushing more of her breast into his mouth, moaning as he eagerly took what was on offer.
She shifted restlessly under him, the knot she felt low in her belly tightening with every pull of his mouth, her legs rubbing against his until she had him between them, the feel of him hot and hard against her moist center causing another hard tremor to rock her from the inside out.
Brady groaned at the feel of her, hot and slick against his hardness, her fingernails dragging hard down his back –the girl was leaving some marks of her own.
Letting go of her nipple, he turned his attention to her other breast, his cock rubbing against her wet heat, his own temperature hiking up with every moan escaping her lips, her body undulating under his in a silent plea for him to keep going.
Bailey knew without a doubt she was going to shatter if she didn't find some relief to the tightening sensation drawing every part of her into the very center of who she was; she also knew only he would give her what she so desperately needed and since she was used to going after what she wanted, she wasn't shy to make her demands.
"I want you," she tugged at his hips, lifting her own in demand as she bit the side of his neck, "Now."
Chuckling, he let go of the morsel of flesh he had been enjoying, teasingly shifting his hips against hers without going any further, his eyes looking into hers as he smirked, "A little begging can get you a whole lot more than demands."
Bailey's dark eyes flashed, knowing what he was really saying, "I don't beg."
A rumbling hum vibrated along his throat as he dipped his head to nip at her bottom lip, "I think I can change that."
Without warning, he found himself flat on his back with Bailey straddling him, her long hair falling in tangles over her shoulders and back, a triumphant smile slowly stretching her swollen lips as she reached down to grasp his hard flesh in her hand, "Maybe you should do the begging."
Swallowing back a groan as she gave him a firm tug, he reached up to push her hair over her shoulders, brushing his fingers over the dusky tips of her breasts before gripping her hips as she positioned him at her opening, "Intriguing thought."
Rolling her onto her back, the momentum had him slipping partly into her, a low growl rippling in his throat at the feel of her tight muscles clamping onto him. Taking in a couple of deep breaths, he was able to articulate a few words, his voice rough with the effort at keeping himself still, "Is that how it's going to be, Bailey? The one who begs first is the loser?"
She didn't respond, taking him by surprise as she lifted her hips up, taking him deep into her body, a soft gasp of pain escaping her lips as he broke through the delicate membrane of her virginity.
Brady would have stayed still, would have taking it slow knowing now she'd never done this before but she wrapped her long legs around him, her fingers fisting in his hair and her mouth ravishing his with undiluted need and desire, effectively flipping the switch off his mind, allowing his body to take what it so desperately craved.
It was hard and hot and fast, over much too quickly for his liking but both were left trying to suck air into their deprived lungs as they tried to assimilate themselves to the new shared universe resulting from their merged souls.
Closing her eyes, she felt the lassitude spreading throughout her body, marveling at the way her racing heart was in perfect synchronization with his.
Resting his forehead against her shoulder, he finally got his brain working, the quivering mess that was his sated body slowly regaining stability.
It hit him hard, the realization he'd just taken his imprint's virginity, not only without the consideration and tenderness she deserved but out in the forest on the rock strewn ground.
What the hell was wrong with him?
"Bailey, I'm sor –"
The loud crack of her hand connecting with the side of his face echoed throughout the forest, the pain following a few seconds after, his eyes wide with shock as he stared down at her.
Her eyes glittered with defiance as she stared back, "I didn't ask for an apology."
Looking into her dark brown eyes, he could see the damage a spoken apology would make so instead of forcing the issue, because one way or another an apology needed to be made, he gently kissed the corner of her full mouth; nibbling along her bottom lip, he touched her upper lip with the tip of his tongue in a silent request for entrance.
Bailey's eyes closed in an effort to keep the sting of tears at bay, moving her arms over his shoulders and around his neck as she opened her mouth for him, her heart lurching painfully as her soul basked in the sweetness of his kiss.
She needed time to herself so after persuading her to come to his place to clean up, he'd let her have the bathroom first, giving her some of his clothes to wear along with one of his three clean towels.
He knew giving her time to think –overthink, as she was wont to do –was going to come back and bite him in the ass but he had no other choice. At this point in time, he had no idea what how to deal with whatever was coming their way.
She had been his reason for being for over a decade, and now, he was hers…did that negate the whole imprinting thing or was it going to end up being a whole different kind of difficult?
They were each other's gravity…
Each other's purpose…
A shared imprinting…would it make all this easier? Since they were both on the same page, so to speak?
"What are you going to tell your girlfriend?"
He looked over his shoulder, watching as she stopped by the couch, fingers combing through her damp hair, "What girlfriend?"
"Sandra."
She smelled like his soap and yet, he was able to smell her subtle scent underneath, his body reacting violently despite the state of confusion his brain was currently in, "How do you know about Sandra?"
He could see the flush on her cheeks despite the copper hue of her skin, could actually feel her growing anger, which was not helping with his confusion.
"I called some months ago and she answered your phone."
Dark eyebrows dipped, creating a furrow between them, "She never told me you called."
"Are you saying I'm lying?"
"No, I'm not," Brady could see she was building up to a temper tantrum, which seemed to be triggering his own temper, something he'd experienced only once before, "Sandra's a co-worker, not my girlfriend."
An angry snort escaped her as she made her way to the front door, giving him a glare over her shoulder as he followed after her, "A co-worker who answers your cell phone at one in the morning while you're showering? Do you think I'm stupid?"
"You've been known to have your moments."
The front door banged against the wall, swinging back and hitting his arm as she stormed down the porch steps, "Where the hell are you going?"
"Home."
"Home?"
"Yes," Bailey refused to look at him, her body shaking but somehow, she managed to keep herself from flying apart, "Where I live. Just because you fucked me doesn't mean you own me."
Rubbing the back of his neck, he watched as she quickly made her way down the street, disappearing around the corner seconds later. Leaning against the doorframe, he took in a deep breath in an effort to calm himself, wondering what the hell he'd been thinking in considering this whole thing might be easy.
By now, he should damn well know, when it came to Bailey, nothing was every easy.
