I never imagined having such an attentive lover, and never once could I have expected him to be as contemptuous a man as Lorenzo was in public. We shared stories, shared our meal, and then shared our bodies. He savored me, explored my curves with a trail of kisses, and rubbed my thigh whenever it gave me trouble. Lorenzo showed me the assertive nature of an alpha, but he also offered me tenderness and patience. When a flashback had slammed into me, Lorenzo didn’t allow me to leave like I wanted to. He understood that some wounds would never heal, because he had a few of his own. I luxuriated in his arms as he whispered words in his native tongue. He told me he had a powerful spirit wolf and that bad dreams could never reach me as long as he was by my side.
He was right.
It was the longest and shortest day and night of my life—one that was pressed in my memory like a rose in a book. He said he’d never allowed a woman to stay the whole night, and he definitely didn’t hold a woman as she slept. I also got the feeling he’d never shown this side of himself to anyone—drawing more than just pleasure from intimacy, but emotional comfort as well.
“Will you cuddle me while I sleep?” I asked when he stood naked before me, drinking a bottle of water.
“I’m one of the most respected Packmasters in the territory. I’ve killed men for disloyalty, and those who follow me do so out of fear. I don’t cuddle,” was all he said.
So my Thunder Wolf crossed his arms and lay on his back, watching me in the mirror above the bed as I rolled on my side and went to sleep. When my breathing became heavy and he thought I’d drifted off, he scooted close behind me and nuzzled his face against the nape of my neck. I took more pleasure in those secret gestures than when he kissed me while awake. I’d always known that the way a man treats a woman when no one is watching showed his true colors, but I’d never given it thought beyond that. There is something pure and honest in the way a man treats a woman when he thinks she isn’t aware. It shows the kind of man he truly is.
Now I knew with absolute certainty that despite his stony presence and arrogant superiority, he possessed a compassionate heart. Lorenzo Church was a man with two sides to his life, like a coin.
One I wished I could keep in my pocket.
When the sunshine made an unexpected appearance and crept into the room, Lorenzo stretched his impressive body and got out of bed. My heart sank listening to his bare feet padding on the flat surface as he went into the bathroom. Those bad thoughts vanished when he returned and abruptly stripped my warm covers away.
“Rise and shine, my sweet,” he said, voice sliding over me like silk. “It’s time for you to get tangled with me in the shower.”
I’d never had a man wash me, and Lorenzo treated my body like a precious stone. In turn, I lathered up the soap and used my hands to clean his body. I learned the way he liked to be touched, and I wondered if he had ever invited other women to touch him in the same intimate manner. Did she kneel and take extra care when washing his ankles? Did she place feathery kisses against his wet chest when he embraced her? Did he get on bended knee to wash her legs?
We spent every moment in silent reverence of one another. Some couples live a lifetime together and still never learn who they are because they guard their secrets and fears too closely, never lowering their walls. And in just four days, I felt like I knew more about Lorenzo than his own pack did. We both accepted that we’d soon return to our separate lives. He had a pack to run, and I had to confront my Packmaster with the truth about my past.
I also had to find the courage to live with a disability, something I didn’t talk about with Lorenzo. I had the rest of my life to deal with how much or how little it would affect my relationships.
Someone had left a change of clothes outside the door—a pair of black cotton pants with a drawstring, and a brown sweater. But Lorenzo didn’t let me put on the sweater. He dressed me in his red flannel shirt and made sure each button was secure before bundling me in his leather coat. For himself, he tugged on a pair of dark green cargo pants and a black sweater. I said good-bye to the few pack members I’d gotten to know, and Caleb invited me over for dinner. He glanced at Lorenzo, uncertain of what kind of relationship existed between us, but left the offer on the table.
My thoughts were scattered on the drive home. All I could think about was Lakota. Fox could have been bluffing, but what if he knew how to find him? What if he already had?
“Where are you?” Lorenzo asked as we turned up Austin’s driveway.