Page 47 of Wolf's Redemption

She sighed and started massaging my bicep.

"Don't do that again," she exclaimed.

"Only if you admit you're head over heels in love with me," I challenged her.

Her pulse quickened. She leaned against my chest, letting her hair brush against my face, and looked up at me with her stormy gray eyes. "I like you, and I can't explain how I feel about you," she confessed. "All these years, I tried to forget you, but I always dreamed about you, or you came to my mind whenever you could."

She couldn't tell because her wolf hadn't woken up, but I had felt that feeling every day during those six years, an emptiness inside that nothing and no one could fill, the longing to meet her and take her with me. So many times, I dreamed of her, and when I woke up, I implored the Moon Goddess to bring her to my side, even if it was only for an instant to feel her body next to mine and kiss her lips.

"Cathy, I want all of you. I need you," I told her.

She smiled and prepared her lips. I kissed her tenderly, and she let go. I stood and picked her up, and walked to my room, thinking of the different ways I would make her mine.

Chapter 16 Cathy

Eric carried me in his arms to his bed, laid me on it, and took off his green-stained blue coat on his back across the grass in the garden.

"Cathy, you don't know how hard it is to be near you and hold back the urge to kiss you," he said, lying next to me.

I unconsciously moved away from him and put my hand on his chest to keep him from getting closer.

"I know, I feel the same way," I said, holding my arm steady. "But we can't get carried away. We're not the same as we were six years ago. We have responsibilities."

Eric subtly circled my wrist with his hand and moved it to the side. He came closer to me, close enough to increase the tension and desire we felt for one another.

"Why are you trying so hard to keep me away from you? What are you afraid of?" he asked, piercing my eyes with his deep gaze that, with the absence of light, looked darker and somewhat mysterious.

My mouth and throat felt dry. I swallowed and settled back.

"I don't want any commitments, not now," I said.

My pressure rose, making me hear my own pulse, my head throbbed, and I began to feel a slight ache.

"I know you’re not being honest," he said, putting his palms together, covering his mouth and nose, and sighing heavily. "I can tell just by looking at you."

Eric was making me nervous so much that I couldn't lie to him. My own body was giving me away, turning me into an open book to him. At this point, I knew I couldn't keep lying, but I also didn't want to give in so easily.

"What will you do when I'm gone?" I said, tightening my grip on the sheets. "Will you leave everything behind and come with me?"

He sighed again and placed his palms against my cheeks, pinning my face to his.

"You know I can't leave the pack, let alone my responsibilities. I can't just run away as you did," he told me slowly, counting his words. I relaxed and let him hold me in his hands.

"I can't stay here and give up everything either," I replied, "I made my life, built my own identity. Cathy North, the fragrance designer, is who I am."

After this, I expected him to ask me to leave his room, but instead, he moved even closer to me.

"I know, and I'll never ask you to give up your life," he said soothingly in his voice. "But together, we can strike a balance. We could at least try. We won't lose anything by just trying."

Eric was not a man easy to evade. I did long to be with him, I fantasized about it, but the thought of all that would happen made my skin tingle and itch all over my body.

"Are you sure you want to give it a try?" I asked him. "What will happen with Candy or when your father finds out I'm a Sith?"

He pressed his lips together in a thin line. "I already told you that Candy means nothing to me. I'll tell her that I no longer intend to date her nor be more than allies. And as for my father, he is no fool. He must suspect that you are a Sith, and surely one of his informants has already told him something," he added.

My heart stopped suddenly, and I found it hard to breathe.

"And why didn't he say anything? Why did he allow me to be here?"