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None of them moved, and tension filled the air. There was definitely something brewing, and the urge to kiss her and seal what was between them, was tugging at the shifter inside Reese. It was already getting possessive, and there would be a point where he couldn’t control it any longer.
Panic crossed the redhead’s face, and she turned, fleeing through their home and back out into the world. He just hoped they could find her again. Otherwise their mating would never be fulfilling.
Chapter Eight
She shouldn’t have run. She was already feeling guilty for running. But the air had been so full of promise it’d been hard to ignore, and had she stayed...she dreaded to think what she’d have done. Well, not dreaded. She knew exactly what would have happened. And despite the concerns running around her head, it wouldn’t have been too soon. It would have been just when it was supposed to be.
The only problem was that it scared her a little. The feeling, the promise, the seriousness. And she knew that would lead to conversations. Like what she was, how her kind mated. The real answer was that they didn’t. Or they never had before. Her kind were made, not born. And by made, she meant cursed. None of them had any choice in being made into what they were. In fact, it even overrode their original DNA. It also made them forget what they’d been born as. Penny had often found herself wondering what she really was, but there was no point spending too much time dwelling on it. She’d never know. And she’d certainly never be able to get back what she was.
Now, the only thing she could hope for was that she never came across a dying child with the right combination of factors. So, basically, she just avoided children as much as she possibly could. It was the only way when she didn’t know anymore about what the circumstances had to be for that to happen. Just another curse her kind seemed to bear.
Glancing at her watch, she cursed. Why was there so much time between now and when her yoga class was? At least while she was teaching, she didn’t have to think about what’d just happened. As it stood, there were hours for her to dwell on the two people she’d left behind. And they were distracting her majorly. Seeing the two of them kiss had woken something within her she’d just assumed was dead. It wasn’t desire. She’d felt that plenty of times. It was something more fundamental than that. It went bone deep.
She liked that. She hoped they did too. Which just made her question why she’d run away. In that split second, it’d seemed like a great idea. Now she was out in the cold, not quite so much. But she couldn’t go back now. Not without looking like the fool she was. They were probably laughing at her now, wondering what was wrong with her for running away from two such perfect people. They’d be right to. She was wondering what was wrong with her too.
“Penny?” a soft female voice called out into the night. One she recognised. Her heart skipped a beat. They’d come to look for her? No, that couldn’t be possible. No one had ever come to look for her. At least, she didn’t think they had. No one had attempted to ever tell her that they’d known her before she became...this. She’d only been a child then too. Surely she’d had parents who missed her? Apparently not.
“Here,” she replied, not speaking above a whisper. She wasn’t sure why. She wanted to be found. She thought, anyway. Being found meant that someone cared. Someone wanted her. But she didn’t want to risk the rejection it would entail if she spoke louder and they didn’t actually want her. Maybe she’d just forgotten something when she’d left.
“There you are,” Faye sounded relieved, but Penny still didn’t turn around. She couldn’t, not without risking letting the other woman see the tears in her eyes. Despite Penny’s best efforts, Faye dipped around her so she was stood in front of her. “Hey, what’s wrong?” Her voice was soft and caring, confusing Penny no end. No one had ever been like this with her. Faye leaned forward and wiped the tears from her cheeks.
“I’m sorry I freaked out,” Penny muttered.
“Don’t be sorry. It’s completely understandable.”
But why was this woman being so nice? Other than the fact she thought Penny was her mate. Though that was probably it. “But...”
“You don’t know what you’ve given me already, Penny.” Earnestness shone through Faye’s eyes as she spoke, and Penny met her gaze, almost getting lost in the other woman’s. “I couldn’t even touch my mate until I met you. Well, one of my mates. But I’ve known Reese since I was five years old. Then when we were eighteen, and finally able to act on what we knew was between us, we couldn’t. We tried to kiss once. It ended up in Reese staying away for a week. He only came back because it was too painful for his shifter side to be away from me for so long.”
“It’s true,” Reese’s voice rumbled, his hand touching the small of Penny’s back. It was only a gentle touch, a tentative one to check she was okay with it, which she appreciated more than she could actually say. “Please don’t put me through that again.”
“Sorry?” Penny didn’t think she understood. He was looking at her, not Faye, which implied he was talking to her and not the blonde. But that didn’t make any sense. None at all. She couldn’t make him feel like that.
“You should,” Faye said to him softly. Reese nodded once.
He turned her ever so slightly so they were facing each other, and with an unrivalled tenderness, he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. It took her a mere second to respond, even if she hadn’t intended to. There was a tension in the air that was nothing like she’d ever experienced before. It filled her with anticipation, and with want. Pure, unadulterated want. She pressed her body against his, and he deepened their kiss, but kept it tender. It was so different from Faye’s kiss before, and yet it held the same depth of potential emotion.
Disappointment engulfed Penny as the kiss ended, and she was left already yearning for more. He breathing was kind of laboured, and she knew both of them could tell how affected she was by them. The question was, did she really care? She glanced between the two of them, seeing the intense looks on their faces.
No. She didn’t mind at all. Not if it led to two people like this in her life. She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by Faye holding up a hand.
“Don’t say anything, we know it’s a lot to take in, you can take a
ll the time you want to think about it.” She smiled softly, but Penny still caught her eyes glancing down to her lips.
“I know but—”
“How about a coffee?” Reese asked, his hand still pressed against Penny’s back. She leaned back into his hand, appreciating the comfort he was giving her.
“Is there anywhere open at this time of night?” she asked, her voice shaking slightly.
“There’s a little place, just down the street.”
“That’d be good.” A coffee sounded like a good plan. And being in public. She needed some time to process, even if she was sure about the two of them. Rushing into something, especially with two people who’d known each other for so long, sounded like a terrible idea.
Chapter Nine
Faye watched as Penny leaned back in her chair, seeming far more at ease now she had her hands around a steaming cup of coffee. Faye took a sip of her own, enjoying the bitter tones through the sweetness of the milk. She hadn’t had a decent coffee in ages. Reese had bought a coffee machine a couple of months back in an attempt to make them, but he’d managed to break it accidentally. Much to her amusement. He could be a little clumsy like that.
