She planned, and hoped, to keep seeing himfor a long time. She’d gone to health services on campus, got aprescription for the pill, and started taking it yesterday.
“My childhood was really different,” shesaid.
Kyle didn’t dare breathe when she said this.He’d stopped asking about her past and decided to wait for her toopen up to him. However, he didn’t know if he should ask her aboutit or let her continue at her own pace.
In the end, he decided not to speak. Hissilence over the past week had finally gotten her to open up, andhe couldn’t ruin that.
“And it wasn’t good,” she continued. “Neitherwere my teen years. I don’t like—no, Idon’ttalk aboutthem. Lucy knows about it because she was there, but she’s the onlyone. I’ve never told anyone else.”
He needed to say something now. “Iunderstand.”
“Maybe one day….”
Her voice trailed off as she shrugged. Maybeone day, she would tell him some of it. She could never tell himallof it, but perhaps she could revealsomethingwithout scaring him away or making him think she was a freak.
“My mom was murdered when I was four. Theynever caught her killer. My father raised me,” she said.
Before he could respond, she stood up andstrode over to the edge of the pond. Her toes touched the edge ofthe water. She didn’t have to say anything more; he knew herrevelations were over.
But she’d given him this much, and she wouldgive him more, over time. It would take patience, and he had plentyof that when it came to her. They both had their secrets, and oneday, they would reveal all.
When that day came, it would either tear themapart forever or bring them closer together.
Rising, he walked up behind her and wrappedhis arms around her waist. He hugged her against his chest as herested his chin on her shoulder and kissed her cheek.
“Did you ever look to see if there was adifference between blush and coral?” he asked.
Melanie laughed as she turned her head tolook at him. His beautiful blue eyes twinkled with amusement as hegrinned at her.
“As far as I can tell,” she said, “there isno difference.”
“I knew it!”
CHAPTER 14
Kyle propped his headon his hand as he walked his fingers up Melanie’s belly toward herbreasts. She watched his fingers with an amused expression thatwarmed his heart. Another week had passed, July had given way toAugust, and her summer class was ending soon.
And with every passing day, his need to makeher his mate increased. However, it still wasn’t the incessantcompulsionhe heard his siblings discuss. He didn’t knowwhat would happen if he reached maturity and their bond stillwasn’t complete, but it was a problem he’d faceifitarose.
Until then, he was happy to let this continuethe way it was. And he was enjoying every second of it.
Melanie ran her fingers down Kyle’s chest andfrowned when she noticed a faint, white mark on his chest, almostdirectly over his heart. She’d seen him naked alotover thepast couple of weeks, and she’d greedily explored his body duringthose times, but she’d never noticed the mark before.
“What’s this?” she asked.
Kyle glanced at where her fingers rested onhis chest. He’d sustained the injury, which was only a faint scarnow, when he fell in an abandoned bear trap as a kid. If it weren’tfor his brother-in-law, Stefan, he would have died.
“A childhood accident,” he replied.
To distract her from asking more, he kissedher as a knock sounded on the apartment door.
“I’ve got it!” Lucy yelled from the livingroom. “Don’t let anything interrupt your fun!”
Kyle snorted as he broke off the kiss. “She’ssubtle.”
“About as subtle as a hammer to the head,”Melanie agreed.
The door creaked open as he kissed her again.The distant murmur of voices drifted through the door, but hedidn’t pay any attention to them until a knock sounded on it.
