Page 29 of Redemption in the Dark (The Righteous 5)
They were quiet for a long time. Maeve watched Texas’s scenery go by and replayed her time with Wolf and how different it was from any other interaction she’d ever had. He wasn’t a lover despite her best efforts. He wasn’t family, at least not that she knew of—coming from foster care, she gave everyone a side look and wondered if they were potential family members. She wasn’t sure he fit into the friend category either. So, what exactly was he?
“Wolf?”
“Mmmhmm,” he said, and the vibration against her back reminded her just how close they actually were all over again.
With every step the horse made, their bodies swayed back and forth like a slow dance, and all she could think about was wrapping her legs around him. She couldn't tell whether it was simply biology, attraction, or her demons pushing her to feel this way, but it didn’t matter. The urge was there, so she sucked in a ragged breath, her hands squeezing the saddle's horn harder to keep from following through.
“I want to know what you did to me last night,” she finally asked.
“I didn’t do anything to you. The song that I sang was a simple lullaby that my mother used to sing to me when I was little. It’s about resting well and allowing the spirits to take you on a journey while you sleep.”
“Then why did I have such a strange reaction to it?” She looked over her shoulder to see Wolf’s face. As always, his eyes gave nothing away.
“Because Walela, your heart, and spirit are restless. They are looking for reasons to break free.”
A shiver snaked down her spine as something from her memory tried to surface. It was something that she’d gotten glimpses of like a ghost in her mind, and she grabbed her head as she tried to grasp the image before it vanished.
“Don’t force it. It’ll come when it’s ready to show itself and when your mind feels you’re ready to deal with what you see.”
“Why do you talk like that, like you understand, or speak like you’re…I don’t know what…some sort of witch doctor?”
He laughed and shook his head, not bothering to answer. She wanted to cross her arms and huff like a child. His reaction was infuriating. How was it possible that her feelings and the shit in her mind could be so clearly seen by him when she could barely look at herself in the mirror. She could feel his eyes on her, but she refused to look at him. She didn’t let anyone under her skin. No one, not even Morry, had penetrated the deepest parts of her heart and soul, but Wolf saw them no matter how hard she clamped down and tried to block him out.
She wanted to slam the fucking door in his face and yell at him to get out of her mind, but that would’ve made her look like she was in need of a white jacket with straps and a padded room. Who the fuck was she trying to kid? She probably still needed the jacket, even without the rant.
“We’re almost there, about an hour out. Did you want to take a break or push on through?”
“My ass ain’t gonna get any sorer than it already is, might as well continue on,” she said.She wanted a shower with real hot water and a bar of soap, but she needed to get off, which would require a bit of privacy. The friction of the constant moving back and forth and the feel of Wolf’s hard body pressed against her was hitting all the right places.
She started naming the types of trees she saw to distract herself from the continued assault of desire stirring in her gut yet again. Her nails dug into the thick leather on the front of the saddle. Maeve closed her eyes and swallowed hard as another wave of need washed over her body.
One, two, three, four, purple, puppies, margaritas, beach.
It didn’t matter how many times she thought about the tall trees or said her calming words over and over in her head—the feeling wouldn’t subside. The little thrum of need was beginning to prickle in her clit, and she knew without the ability to touch herself that it would only intensify. Every time the horse’s movement brought her body forward, her clit brushed the front of the saddle.
Maeve bit down hard on her lip but couldn’t stop the moan as they crested a small hill, and Viho walked down the other side. Fucking gravity pushed her tender pussy into the saddle hard and Wolf into her ass. She was trapped between the best kind of heaven and hell.
“Are you okay?” She couldn’t answer and prayed he didn’t pry as she nodded her head yes. “Are you sure? We can stop if you’re in pain.”
She shook her head quickly, no. How had she managed to end up in a situation where she was dry humping a saddle and fantasizing about the man behind her?
Oh wait, that’s because he refused to touch her.
This was ridiculous. She needed to get control, or she needed a release. Like light and dark battling for the same space, so were the two warring sides of her mind and body.
“Fight it, Maeve,” Wolf whispered, and she jerked as if he’d physically touched her. His breath was warm and feathered across her ear.
“What do you think I’m trying to do?” She clenched her teeth as her muscles constricted. “It would help if you weren’t whispering like you’re fucking purring in my ear.”
She sucked in a deep breath and wanted to peel off her skin to escape the sensation. The tingling had turned to an all-over body itch, like insects crawling underneath her skin. This was Wolf’s fault. This curse had been mostly under control, but the sensation had grown again since she’d met him.
“Breathe, Maeve. You’re going to pass out if you keep holding your breath.”
“Make it stop,” she whimpered and didn’t care if she sounded pathetic. Once the demon took hold, she didn’t care about anything else other than the feel of hands on her body.
“Shit,” Wolf growled. “You’re burning up.”
The pain was spreading throughout her body, her bones ached, and her head pounded with the building pressure. She cried out when she opened her mouth to order Wolf to stop Viho so she could run. She needed to get away from him.
