Filed to story: The Healer and The Wolf PDF Free
He wrapped his arms around my waist, brush forgotten, and held me while his chin rested on my shoulder. Once more, I was struck by how incredibly simple it was, and yet it meant so much to me. It was like the kiss of domesticity I’d always thought would be denied to me forever. But no. Despite losing my mother. Despite what my aunt had said. Despite the evil warlocks so eager to spread harm. Despite all of them, I was loved, and I had a future to look forward to.
Eventually, Leo shifted so he could brush my hair and, goodness, he was right about my scalp needing a break. It felt like heaven as he moved the brush through my hair, working out knots, starting from the bottom and then going up. Clearly, he had some experience with this, and I couldn’t help but wonder if it was because he’d done this for an ex-girlfriend, or if it was a pack thing. Either way, I was quite grateful for it.
Tears welled in my eyes, but I kept them from falling. While I had no problem expressing emotions, I didn’t want to deal with the runny nose and itchy eyes that usually came after tears. That meant I would have to get up to get a tissue, and I was pretty sure all the money in the world couldn’t convince me to move my ass.
“Your hair is getting longer,” Leo remarked as he ran the brush through one more time, then set it to the side. He’d probably gotten the last knot out half an hour earlier, but had continued to gently run the brush through my hair. It was pure bliss.
“Is it?” I murmured. I really didn’t pay much attention to my hair. I cut it short in the summer, then let it grow the rest of the year, but with everything going on, I hadn’t given it the usual trim.
“Yeah. If you want, I can cut it for you. But if you’re growing it out, I like it.”
“You know how to cut hair?”
“I’m a shifter. Of course, I do.”
I furrowed my brow at that, trying to recall if there was a tidbit of data I’d been told and was currently forgetting. “I don’t understand the correlation.”
“Our hair grows incredibly fast. Probably two or three times faster than a human’s, so frequent haircuts are a necessity, especially if we’re interacting with the human world. I’m not amazing or anywhere near hairdresser level, but I kept mine, Ricky’s, and even Andromeda’s hair presentable for quite a while after the usurper took out most of our parents.”
That was a lot to digest. I knew Leo had become alpha quite early, and that there was a lot of strife in his pack when he was younger, but it made it so much more real to hear how he’d had to resort to cutting his and his friends’ hair so any humans they’d had to interact with didn’t get suspicious about so many young people running around with obviously no one to take care of them. I couldn’t imagine being in their shoes. Yeah, my home life hadn’t been great, with my aunt making it clear what she thought of me, but at least I’d had ahome.I was never worried about some rival alpha coming and killing everyone I loved.
Though that was probably because everyone I loved was already dead.
“If that’s the case, I wouldn’t mind it at all. A trim would be nice. But I do wanna grow it out. Now that I don’t have work stressing me out so much, I have a bit more time to take care of my hair.”
“I’m really glad you were able to take a step back from that place. I know I’m one to talk, considering I’ve never had a job in the human world, but it did seem especially awful.”
“Oh, it was. Is. But, yeah, I’m glad, too.”
We sat there for quite a while, returning to our previous position of his arms around my waist and chin on my shoulder. It was so warm, so secure, that all traces of that awful nightmare left my mind. I was safe. I was cared for.
There was silence between us, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. No, it was the epitome of peace. Enough so that I nearly jumped out of my own skin when someone gently knocked on the door.
“Who is it?” Leo asked in a tone that told whoever was on the other side this interruption better be damn important.
It was Ricky, who sounded quite enthused.
“I’ll make it quick, boss. I’ve organized a run for most of our visitors here, so the house will be pretty empty, and those who are sticking around have some tasks they’re going to do outside. Just thought you might want to know that you’ll have this place to yourself for a little while.”
The subtext of what he was saying was so blatantly clear I had to hang my head and breathe through my nose to keep myself from breaking into hysterics. What a good wingman. No wonder Leo trusted the guy so much as his beta. Not only did they know each other incredibly well, but they looked after each other. Maybe one day, I’d have a friend like that, too. One who wouldn’t move to Europe, end up in a whirlwind romance, and forget to reply to my text messages.
“That’s good to know, Ricky. Thank you.” Although Leo’s tone was still quite serious, I didn’t miss how the corner of his lip quirked up.
“No problem. See you guys later. Hope you feel better, Ven.”
“Thanks. I’m sure I will.”
That time, Leo did actually choke on the laugh, and I was grinning like a Cheshire cat as Ricky’s footsteps faded.
“You know,” Leo said after swallowing a few times, trying to shake off the laughter. While it wasn’t the most hilarious thing that had ever happened, it was pretty amusing that his bestfriend basically kicked everyone out of my house so we could hook up. I supposed some things were consistent across species. “We don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to. I’m fine staying like this.”
I thought about it for a moment. I didn’t want to rush into anything just because we had the time and privacy. But I desperately missed the intimacy Leo and I had shared before, and it would be silly to waste an opportunity now. Besides, being close to Leo always made me so acutely aware of his body and how physically attracted I was to him. It was pretty rare for me to swoon over someone’s personality, their mind, their heart, and their looks, but Leo had aces in every category.
I tilted my head back, looking up at him with the best doe eyes I could muster.
“But what if I want to?”
That was apparently therightthing to say.
Abruptly, Leo spun me around, which was a physical feat that happened so fast I had a visceral reaction to it. I’d never realized that I enjoyed being manhandled so much, but, God, when Leo did it, it turned me on. I didn’t know if it was the display of strength or because it made me feel petite like other women, but whatever the reason, it definitely got me going in the best way possible.
“Then, I think we’re on the same page,” Leo growled.
God, I loved when his voice got like that. It gave me legitimate goosebumps and made me feel so incredibly desired. Crazy how a simple change in octave could do that.
And then he kissed me.
It wasn’t anything like those sweet, romantic pecks we sometimes shared, or the stolen, lingering kisses we tried to make time for whenever we had a spare moment of privacy. This kiss was all heat and passion. A ravenous desire that made me want to squeeze my thighs together, but they were on either sideof Leo’s hips, making me all too aware of the strength in his legs and the heat radiating from him.
He kissed me like a man starved, and I answered back with the same urgency. My hands started on those firm shoulders of his, but quickly slid down the front of his shirt, reveling in the landscape of all that he was. I didn’t know why the incredible heat he radiated always enticed me, but it did. It fueled the fire brewing within me.
Leo’s hands weren’t idle either. They’d started at my waist, gripping me tightly, but then they started roaming. At first, they slid up and down my back, somewhere between a massage and something else, but then they went down to my ass and squeezed possessively. I moaned into his mouth, and he greedily swallowed it down.
The world narrowed to our heated lips and fervent touches, as if we were indulging ourselves with all the simple, physical touch we hadn’t been able to share with the house as crowded as it was. It was greedy, but I loved it. I loved that both of uswantedto be greedy with each other.
As blissful as kissing Leo was, I was hungry for more. So, when I felt his erection hardening beneath me, I rocked against him. Not too hard, considering that both of us were still wearing clothes, but enough for it to be a promise of what was to come.
The hiss I got out of Leo was so damn satisfying. I loved that I could affect him like this, and from the heated look in his eyes, I wasreallyaffecting him. It really did wonders for my ego.