Page 15 of Mates & Mercenaries

“That’s Creed.” Sam looks at me in horror. “We better go back.”

I nod in agreement, although I’m very anxious about it. I don’t think Creed is going to be happy that I snuck out, breaking his rules. Plus, if he finds out that I was with Sam, then he might kill us both.

“I’ll sneak away,” Sam reassures me. “I’ll go through the back of the house. No one will ever know that we were ever together, okay?”

He can see what I’m going through without me even needing to tell him. Sam must have a lot of empathy and great intuition. I like that about him. I like it even more when he grabs me by the small of my back and drags me to him so we can kiss one more time before we leave.

I hope this isn’t the last time I get to kiss Sam. I need those lips pressed against mine again.

He shifts and runs off before I do the same. There is something a little different about my wolf form this time. Or maybe it’s just how I feel inside. I don’t feel bad about the fact that Sam and I are clearly drawn to one another. I don’t know how Creed will take it, but I don’t see why I don’t deserve this.

That doesn’t stop my body from pulsing with nerves as I run towards the cabin, though. The more panic I can hear in Creed’s voice, the more worried I become. What if me sneaking out means he doesn’t want to look after me anymore? What if he returns me to my father? That’s the last thing I want.

Thankfully, this fear isn’t enough to stop me from running back to the house. I know I’ll be safer inside the cabin than running away. With a bit of luck, Sam is already inside, so I don’t need to worry about us getting caught on top of everything else.

I’m going to be having a lot of dreams and fantasies about Sam now. Especially since our time got cut short. I wonder if we will ever be able to pick things up where we left off, because I have so much more to do with that man.

The safe house comes into view and I spot Creed in front of it, yelling for me some more. He really does look worried, and I do feel guilty about that, but he has to understand that I need freedom.

8

CREED

Waking up to find Skylar’s bed empty is the most terrifying moment of my whole life. I never want to go through something like this again. It actually forces me to accept just how important she is to me. I know we have a great connection, but I definitely think it’s so much more. This makes me realize that I’m going to really struggle with what comes next.

I’ve been trying to think of Evan, trying to impress him, and now…well, now I don’t know what to do. Now I can’t stop thinking about her.

A dark wolf I don’t recognize approaches the house and I’m instantly on edge. I could easily lose myself in the worry that this is a stranger, but I keep getting the feeling that this is no threat. “Oh my God, is that…?”

It is. The closer she gets to the house, the more she transforms into her human self. Her gorgeous, sexy human form. It’s Skylar. Naked Skylar, practically glowing in the moon light. Holy shit, she is gorgeous. My mouth is watering.

I probably should have known that she could shift as well, because all the mob bosses are shifters. Although they definitely consider themselves as so much better than mere wolves. But that doesn’t stop the intense surprise from reverberating through my system.

“Skylar, I was so worried about you, is everything alright?”

The words fall apart on my lips the moment the color drains from her cheeks and she does her best to cover herself up. I’ve already seen her naked and know how freaking hot she is. Why would I be worried now? But I quickly realize that she isn’t looking at me, her eyes are beyond me. I follow her gaze to find Rex absolutely ogling her. I don’t think I’ve ever seen his eyes so hooded and looking so turned on before.

Considering how I’ve been feeling for Skylar, I should be feeling jealousy. I should be annoyed that he’s staring at her like she’s the most beautiful person on the planet. But I don’t feel that way at all. I’m not jealous, I’m just kind of proud. I mean, she’s mine. Rex doesn’t know it, but she already belongs to me. He can look, but he’s never going to touch. And why wouldn’t he look? She’s lovely.

“Sorry I ran out.” Skylar tugs at my tee shirt, and I take it off give it to her to wear. She shouldn’t have even needed to ask for that. I should have just done it instinctively. If I’m really going to be with Skylar, then I need to get a bit better at things like that. “I just had a lot of pent-up energy, I’m sure you know what that’s like, and I needed to run.”

I nod. Again. I should have thought about this. I should have considered her wolf side and thought about her stretching her legs. I curse myself internally for everything.

“Right, well, next time maybe just take one of us with you, or at least leave a note. I didn’t know what had happened to you and I freaked out. I thought something had happened.”

“I’m sure if you guys are monitoring the perimeter, then I will be fine.”

“Speaking of which, did you see Sam out there? He’s on watch at the moment.”

She walks past me inside the cabin, not offering any kind of answer. I can only assume that she’s being a bit standoffish and weird because Rex has seen her naked. It must be a little awkward for her. I will make sure Rex never brings it up so we don’t upset her.

“Whoa,” Rex mouths at me as I strut passed him behind Skylar, but I shoot him a warning glance. I need him out here, continuing to pack up the truck for our trip to Chicago.

That isn’t going to go down well. Not when everything is weird between us. I can already feel Skylar freaking out because she’s going to be left with two of us watching over her.

“Skylar, wait.”

She stops and spins around, but she doesn’t look at me. Not really. She nervously rakes her fingers through her hair, then bites down on her thumb nail. Her body language is screaming discomfort. Most likely at being caught running away.

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