Desert Bound (Cambio Springs) by Elizabeth Hunter Page A

her, enjoying the familiar rhythm that took over their bodies. They rocked together, hands grasping harder, the friction of the sheets maddening against his skin. Their lips never parted. His hands sank into her hair, tugging her mouth back to his when she pulled away to gasp his name.
    “Alex—”
    “Shh,” he murmured, taking deep breaths, forcing his body away from her and closing his eyes as he rested his cheek against hers. They were flush with desire. She was hot and wet. He could smell it around her. Alex ached to take her like that. Sink into her and sate the need that clawed them both, but he pulled back.
    Too much too fast would only come back to bite him. And not in a good way.
    “Thank you,” he whispered. 
    I miss you so much. 
    His wolf growled at him to claim her.
    She said nothing, and his heart hurt a little. 
    Ted didn’t need him. Not like he needed her. Her life was full. Work she loved. Family. Friends. But cracks had appeared in her walls with the shock of Marcus’s death, and he was trying ease closer without her shutting down. She hadn’t clawed at him when he and Caleb almost came to blows. She’d comforted him. Soothed both the man and the wolf with her touch. And so far, she hadn’t raised her guard again. It was an advantage he didn’t plan to waste, and he didn’t think his old friend would mind.
    “You know… I’m sorry,” he said, still pressing his cheek to hers. His thumb stroked the side of her neck. “For hurting you. Sorry that you didn’t know how much it hurt for me to lose you. Even if it had to happen, you should have known—”
    “I should go.”
    He closed his eyes. Too much. Slowly, he nodded and rolled to the side, but she didn’t get up right away. Just stared at the ceiling while he watched her in profile.
    “This place is tiny,” she said.
    “It’s decent for a trailer.”
    She’d pulled the sheet up to her neck.
    “If you’re really staying, why didn’t you just get a house? There’s a few in town that are nice. And you could always fix one up.”
    Dammit, his sister had been right.
    “I like the old places like yours,” he said. “There’s none of those right now. I can wait.”
    “For what? Why not just build a new one in the old style?”
    “You really want to know?”
    She said nothing, but he could feel her tense.
    “I didn’t want to buy one by myself, Tea. Or build one. Not alone. I always wanted—”
    He broke off when he felt her shift. Seconds later, the mountain lion was out the door. He could hear the wind whipping through the trees that shaded the trailer. He listened for a few moments, then stood and walked to the door, looking out into the black night. He didn’t see her, of course. He didn’t expect to.
    Alex sighed. “I wanted our house, not mine.”

Chapter Seven
     
     
     
     
    Hating someone was easy. Trying to understand their motives was harder.
    Never in a million years would Ted have expected Alex to let her go without a fight like he had the night before. He’d have persuaded. Tried to coax her into staying in his bed. Nudged her to have sex, because he’d known she wanted it. He wouldn’t have had to nudge much. He’d have known that too.
    She’d never wanted anyone like she wanted him. It’s what made moving on so completely impossible. Shifters were sensual by nature. Physical connection was crucial for Ted, and no one had ever come close to Alex. He could read her body like his own personal map. More than that, he’d never taken advantage of it. Never used her physical need for him against her. No, he was the lover who laughed with her. The one who teased her to the point of madness, then gave himself over completely.
    “I didn’t want to buy one by myself, Tea. Or build one. Not alone. I always wanted—”
    He wanted their home. She didn’t need to hear him say it, because that had been her dream, too. Even though they’d never said it. 
    There was a lot they’d left unsaid. 
    “You’re