She moved in front of him and strode ahead in case she started crying again. He trailed behind obediently, not saying a word. She walked for quite a ways until she found a spot far enough away from her family to allow privacy and secluded enough for her to effectively manage the barrage of emotions shredding her to ribbons.
Abram spread the blanket on the ground. She sat down while he got the wine and glasses out of the basket before pouring the fragrant, red beverage. He attempted to hand one to her, but she was shaking so hard she couldn’t grasp it.
“Oh.” Abram set the glass down. “Are you okay?”
As she studied his naked form, her eyes glazed over and his pheromone-laden scent enticed her. An unbearable hot, horny lust seized control of her body. She’d thought he smelled marvelous before but now his fragrance lured and ensnared her. His beautiful green eyes mesmerized her while the sight of the amazing V-shape definition framing his lower abs and running down toward his groin ignited a searing desire within her. Even as her body threatened surrender, her heart was breaking. She met his gaze and burst into tears. “You hurt me!”
“Baby, I’m so sorry.” Abram smoothed her hair back away from her face.
She sniffled and Abram retrieved a napkin from the basket before dabbing at her face. “I liked you a lot, so much that I made myself vulnerable to you. I showed you all of me. We sort of made love. I was giddy with excitement. I couldn’t sleep, and my cat was scratching and clawing to get out so I let her go on a run. I trusted you enough to show you who I was and you were grossed out.” She balled up her fist and pounded on his chest.
“Go ahead. Beat me until you kill me because I can’t keep on living this way. I can’t sleep at night without dreaming of you. Just thinking about you makes my heart feel as if it’s swelling out of my chest. I’ve been going out of my mind trying to figure out a way to win you back. I did everything Davis told me to so I could understand what it means to be a shifter and—“
Maddie’s ears perked up and she put her hand up as she interrupted him. “What did he make you do?”
Abram covered his face with his hand. “All kinds of humbling stuff but now I know what it means to be part of a sacred trust…that and I’m much more comfortable with nudity.”
Her eyes widened and she smiled. “Oh, my.”
“No kidding. I had to shift in front of a bunch of my aunts, uncles, and cousins.”
She crinkled her nose. “Melly?”
He nodded. “Yeah, eventually, her too, but my cousin, Brady, was the worst with all of his hooting and hollering. Still, it didn’t matter. If there was any chance you would forgive me, I was willing to do it and more. Hell, I’ll go back and dance the Macarena in front of your whole family if that’s what it takes.” Maddie put her hand over her mouth to hide her dropped jaw. “Look at this.”
He reached into the basket and then pulled out his phone before pushing a few buttons. He turned the screen around to show her a picture of him holding a black-and-white bicolor cat. She lifted an eyebrow. “Who’s the cow?”
Abram squinted as his lips pursed in reflection. “Cow?”
“That’s what you call a cat of that color and pattern, a cow-cat or a moo-cat.” She bit back the jealously scratching under the surface of her resolve.
“Oh, this is Nacho.” He grinned.
Maddie breathed a sigh of relief. No one names their daughter Nacho unless they hate her.
“She’s Scarlett’s cat but I took care of her for the past few days.” He lifted his chin and his eyes closed as he smiled, beaming with pride.
She repressed the urge to laugh. “So you made nice with a cat?”
His eyelids popped open and he nodded. “We made friends, and I learned I was pushing cats away before they could reject me.”
“Who told you that psycho-babble?”
His happy expression melted away, replaced by pouting lips. “Gram,” he answered in a small voice.
Maddie snickered. “Well, your gram is a smart lady.”
The corners of Abram’s lips curved upward. “Look at this one of me and Nacho playing with the mouse teaser.” He swiped the screen again. “And Davis snapped this one of Nacho and me napping on the couch.” His expression grew serious and he put the phone down before turning to look at her. “Will you forgive me?”
Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, and her body trembled. “You did all that stuff for me?”
“I’d do anything for you. The moment I set eyes on you, something inside me clicked into place. I could feel a deep, burning need. It scared me how much I wanted you. It still does a little.”
“Ever since we parted on bad terms, I’ve barely slept. My stomach has been in knots.”
“Me too—I can’t let you go. Please forgive me for being a chicken-shit idiot.” As he delivered his last sentence, their gazes synced up and Maddie laughed, covering the bottom portion of her face with both hands as she nodded.
He threw her arms around him and pulled her closer, his body heat surrounding her. As she caressed his pectorals, his heart pounded against her palm. He guided her down on the blanket while kissing her. Her back pressed against the ground, and she slid her arms around his waist, enjoying the firmness of his lats and obliques as she traced the sinewy tissue with her fingertips.
Maddie opened her lips, beckoning deeper exploration. He pushed his tongue
