Chapter Twenty: Torin

His mind was on the phone call from Ted that he’d just hung up from when she walked out of the bathroom, wrapped only in a towel, and he couldn’t help but wonder if she was trying to drive him to an early grave. If she was she then was doing a Hell of a job. Torin didn’t have anything better for her to wear, but he wasn’t about to say no to anything else she asked from him now that he’d denied her other requests. Turning away fast, so that she wouldn’t catch him staring, he strode towards the staircase that led to his bedroom, motioning for her to follow.

Halfway up the staircase he realized that bringing her upstairs, into his bedroom, particularly while she was wrapped only in a towel, might not be the best idea he’d ever had in his life, but by then it was too late to change his mind without making things even more awkward than they already were.

The petite, dark haired She-Wolf let out a small gasp the moment she reached the top of the stairs and he swung around to make sure that she was alright, afraid that she was on the verge of another painful attack. Instead he found her staring around the large, open space that was his bedroom, her chocolate brown eyes wide as they moved from the enormous windows, with their gorgeous views of the mountains, to the huge bed, where he’d slept alone for too many years.

Objectively Torin knew that the master bedroom of his cabin was the most impressive space in the entire beautiful getaway that he had created. He’d designed and built the house himself, before he met his mate, with the idea that one day he would find her and that together they would raise a family here, filling this space with love and laughter. Of course, nothing had turned out the way that he had planned. But still he had stayed, unable to leave the place that had held so much promise and so many dreams.

His friends had tried to convince him to sell the cabin, or at least to move someplace else for a few years, but he couldn’t bring himself to let it go. Any time he even left for a weekend he couldn’t wait to get back. This place was in his blood, these mountains were where he had grown up, and he had no intention of leaving them, at least not permanently.

“Your home is beautiful. But especially this room. The way the light comes in through the windows. And this view of the mountains. It’s spectacular.” Torin watched as she wandered over towards the windows, taking in her beauty and the natural grace in her movements. Turning away he forced his eyes back towards the other side of the room. He couldn’t keep doing this.

The more he allowed himself to feel for her, and while he’d tried to lie to himself in the beginning, he was failing more and more abysmally every single day at keeping his distance, the more dangerous this game that they were playing would become. There was only one possible outcome and it was painful for both of them.

Maybe if he was the only one who could get hurt, he would have taken the chance and allowed himself to fall for the little She-Wolf with the dark, round eyes who was now turning away from his picture windows and was trailing after him, ready to ransack his closet to find something she liked better than his old favorite t-shirt to wear. But he knew that wasn’t the case.

If he let himself take what he wanted she would get hurt too. Fuck, with all the enemies he’d made over the years, she might not even survive. Look what had happened to Aria.

“This closet is amazing,” her breathless exclamation pulled him from his thoughts and for a moment she walked along the edge of the neat line of clothes where the bulk of his clothing hung, letting her fingertips run lightly over the edges of the fabric. “So what did your friend say on the phone? It looked like the snow let up. Is he going to be able to get through?”

“He’s on his way. And he’s bringing Oaklyn with him. She’s the one who’s got all the clothes for you. And I guess there was another girl that Oaklyn is friends with who wanted to come along. She is a She-Wolf with experience being away from her pack.”

“She got caught at the diner because of the storm, but she and Oaklyn go way back and she’s visiting from the lower 48. Ted explained that she was originally from a pack up here, from Alaska, before she relocated to Nevada, and that she wanted to meet you, if that’s alright with you.”

“They assured me that she isn’t from your pack. She’s from someplace down near the coast. Maybe outside of Anchorage. Ted said the pack name but I’m not familiar with anything that far from here, not when it comes to Wolves.”

Briar pressed her lips together, and as Torin watched her closely, observing her reaction to all the news he’d learned during that phone call with one of his oldest friends. He saw her shrink in on herself, her face paling, before her brow furrowed and she squared her shoulders, taking a deep breath as she turned her back on him altogether, her eyes surveying the room.

She was strong, he thought as he continued to watch her, wishing he could gather her in his arms and reassure her that he would protect her and that she had nothing to worry about. He wouldn’t do that both because she wasn’t his to reassure and because he knew that wasn’t a promise he could in good conscience make and keep. He’d do his damndest to keep it, but Torin knew he couldn’t swear to it. He’d done that once and then he’d watched as the person he’d made that sacred promise to, had bled out on the ground in front of him.

While Torin had explained the plan to Briar like he was entirely onboard with what was happening, he wasn’t thrilled that Ted was bringing a friend of Oaklyn’s along with them. He wasn’t surprised that Ted had invited Oaklyn along for the ride. He’d known that his friend had had feelings for the diner owner for years and if she gave him the smallest sign of reciprocating he would have been ready to drop everything to go all in with the vibrant and wild blonde. But Oaklyn had made it clear to everyone who even looked her way, that she wasn’t looking for anything long term after her mate had been killed and Ted wouldn’t have been the first man to try to change her mind who finally moved on with a broken heart, while the spirited woman insisted that they were still friends.

Torin could relate to Oaklyn’s reluctance to commit after what she’d been through, but he also knew that Ted made an excuse to stop and see her every time he passed through. And while he knew that the other man would have been more than willing to come up and check out Briar, based solely on their friendship, he also knew that Ted now did it enthusiastically because it gave him a believable excuse to stop by and see Oaklyn.

Now that she’d agreed to come with him out to Torin’s place, meaning two car rides together, plus the visit at his home? Torin was sure that his friend would be riding the high from their time together for weeks.

Briar made a small, gasping sound as her fingers found a luxuriously soft peacock blue cashmere sweater that his mother had given him for Christmas a few years earlier, folded on a shelf. She’d ordered the largest size available, but it still hadn’t been large enough to stretch across his broad shoulders. Still he’d set it on the shelf, almost forgotten until Briar’s fingertips ran across it and she made yet another sound that had his body responding in entirely inappropriate ways.

“It’s so soft. But it’s probably dry clean only.” Her lips turned down into a frown as she left it in place and continued to look around the enormous space. She was next to his suits, which he hardly wore at all anymore. “Where are your t-shirts?”

“That sweater is too small for me. It will probably still be enormous on you, but you’re welcome to have it. And at the very least it should fit better than the t-shirt I gave you yesterday. Here, I’ll let you change.” Before he could turn to step away he heard the towel that had been wrapped around her body hit the floor, and he cursed quietly, under his breath.

Turn around, Torin. He gave himself the order, but his feet stayed planted and he didn’t move a muscle, or even turn his head, as his eyes focused on her naked form. She hadn’t made a move to pick up the sweater yet. Instead she stared back at him, the pupils in her dark eyes wide, the scent of her desire thick in the air.

“Wolfling.” His voice was a growl, low and rough, but still he didn’t make a move to leave the room.

“Do you not want this as much as I do?” She closed half the distance between them and the intoxicating scent that had become so familiar nearly brought him to his knees. He’d been there twice already, touching her, feeling her, watching her squirm, and quiver, and gasp as he stroked and licked and did so many things he wanted to do again and again to her, and now she was offering herself up when she wasn’t in pain or in desperate need of being saved. She was asking him for this simply because she wanted it.

“Fuck, Wolfling. Of course I do. But it’s so wrong. You’ll get hurt. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Briar closed the distance between them, her tongue darting out to moisten her full, plump lips as her hands came up to rest on his chest.

“No you won’t. I promise. I know I have to leave. Just let me say thank you and goodbye first, Torin. Please. Let me remember you like this.”