Skin Walkers: Gauge (15 page)

What?
  Ella couldn’t hide the quiver in her voice.  “G-Gauge?”    

One strong hand gripped her behind the neck and pulled her up,
and then he was kissing her.  Shocked at first, she didn’t move, but when his vibrating growl commanded response she opened her mouth to his and did the one thing she’d been wanting to do since she’d met him.  Ella kissed him back.   

She felt his hand working between them and then his cock was probing for entrance at the mouth of her tight, untried, pussy.  Ella spread her legs wider in invitation
, still wet, still needy.  She wanted this.  She wanted him.

Gauge inched slowly in, stretching her.  He pulled out and worked back in slowly feeding her more and more of his length until he stopped at her maiden’s barrier.  He pulled back and
left just the tip of his cock inside her.  His mouth found the side of her throat and he knew he’d found the mark when he felt goose bumps rise on her flesh in response to his heated breath.  He licked and suckled at her neck before opening his mouth wide and releasing his long incisors. 

Ella rolled her hips,
trying to force him deep inside and when he held her hips in place, she begged, “Gauge, please?”

The plea was his undoing.  He struck simultaneously.  His teeth sunk into her satiny flesh just as he thrust his cock in to the hilt.  Beneath him
, Ella’s body jerked and she screamed beneath him.  He didn’t move as her warm blood poured over his fangs and his cock.  He waited, giving her time to adjust to the pain and size of him having breached her.  Like his cock, his teeth still remained deep inside her.  He was hopeful that the bite would have distracted her.

After a few moments, Ella began to work her hips.  Still, Gauge refused to move.  He’d let her lead.  Let her show him that she was ready.
  Slowly, she worked herself on him until her breathing grew harsh and her body slickened against his.  Her sex wept over the length of him, coating him with her virginity and the proof of her desire.

Finally, sure she was no longer in pain
, Gauge took control and fucked into her slow and easy.  He could feel her muscles tightening with her impending release.

“S-stop!” she pleaded breathlessly.

“What’s wrong,” he growled at her throat, continuing to work into her.

“Something’s wrong,” she stammered even as her hips continued to meet his.  “S-something’s happening!”

He felt her channel fisting him and knew she was experiencing the sensual tension of her first climax.  He smiled and fucked into her harder, deeper, faster, demanding she experience her first with him even as pride at the thought seized him.

Ella
cried out and speared her fingers into his hair, arching her back hard as her pussy clamped on the steely length of him.  Gauge sunk his teeth back home and finally allowed himself to drink from her, when he did he couldn’t stop himself from erupting deep inside her. 

Hot jets of his release shot deep inside her
pussy and had her crying out again as she wrapped her arms around his sweat-slickened shoulders and clung to him for dear life as soft mewling sounds left her parted lips.  Riding out the last tendrils of her orgasm as the erotic sensation unfurled through her limbs in satiny ribbons of ecstasy, she clung to him as if he were her last vestige of hope.

Hearing a slight hiss, she pulled back to find Gauge staring at her with what she could only describe as pure determination.  He thrust something toward her and she realized it was his halo just as it clicked in place around her throat.
  There was another bright flashing of ethereal light and a high-pitched whine.

Warm breath whispered
over her face, “You are
mine
, Ella.”  Gauge was fully aware of the physiological mutation that would begin instantaneously and render his angel unconscious.  When Ella next woke, her very essence would be marked by his own, she’d scent of him always, and she’d have the ability to contact him through the mist—once she learned to hone the skill.

Ella
wanted to protest, but didn’t.  The moment was too pure, too true to ruin it with a heated exchange.  She’d let him believe it…for now.  Sapped from what she thought was her first time of lovemaking, her eyes drifted closed and she went lax in Gauge’s arms with blood seeping from the wound at her neck and from between her legs as she felt him harden, still buried deep inside her.

Chapter
25

Ella
slowly woke, becoming instantly aware of two things.  One, she was gloriously warm and two, she felt like she could sleep forever, contentedly safe.  Slowly, her eyes opened as she nestled into the source of the warmth.  She heard a soft rumble and peered up to find Gauge smiling down at her. 

“
Good morning, gorgeous.”

She smiled shyly and dropped her eyes, remembering that they’d been wed under a ruse and yet she’d still allowed him to
claim her virginity.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” he clucked his tongue, using a strong finger to force her eyes to meet his.
  “No more of that hiding nonsense.  Your mine now and I want to know you. 
All
of you.”

She merely blinked, unsure what to say to the sudden profession.  She licked her lips and regretted it when his eyes dropped to her mouth and suddenly darkened with hea
t.  “Gauge, about last night, I’m sorry I passed out on you.”

A corner of his mouth lifted as he stroked a thumb over her cheek.  “You didn’t pass out.  It was from the claiming.  It happens to all angels when their Walker binds them with his halo.”

Delicate brows speared down and she reached up and latched onto the band around her neck.  “Gauge!  No,” she shook her head.  “I don’t want you to do this out of obligation.  The ceremony and rings were too much, but
this
…” she tugged at the halo.  “It’s out of control.”

Anger flashed in his eyes but vanished when he turned his attention to the door and smiled as it was pushed open and Alysa tromped through the door.
  Hair in a fuss, she padded to the bed and stopped at the side nearest Gauge.   Wordlessly, she held up her arms and Gauge smiled as he rolled and lifted her. 

“Good morning, pretty girl.” He climbed from the bed still holding her, “How about some pancakes?”

Alysa nodded and Ella seethed as she watched them leave the room.  She wasn’t finished with her argument, and knew that Gauge was glad to use Alysa as an excuse to avoid the confrontation.

Ella remained in bed and went over the previous night’s
events.  Shifting under the sheets, she winced at the tenderness between her legs and then smiled with the memory of how she’d got that way.  Making love to Gauge had been delicious, but wrong.  She shouldn’t have given herself so freely to him when she knew their nuptials were a ruse to protect Alysa. 

Reaching over, she clutched Gauge’s pillow before crushing it to her face.  She wanted to scream into it, but satisfied herself with just letting loose a string of expletives before she tossed the pillow aside, blew the bangs out of her face and stalked to the bathroom where she showered, brushed, and dressed before making her way to the heavenly scent of warm syrup wafting from the kitchen.

A plate was already waiting for her and she plopped down in her seat and winced at the pain the action brought.  She blushed when Gauge grinned at her knowingly. 

“You feeling okay this morning, gorgeous?” he drawled as he eyed her mischievously.

“Fine,” she reached for her cup of coffee and feigned indifference, “Just a little sore.”

“Well,” Gauge smiled at her over his own mug, “if you need a massage later, I
volunteer.”

Her cheeks flamed because she knew that he was well aware just where it was that she was sore.
  She opted to ignore the comment and the wicked smile that was doing funny things to her insides.  She glanced at Alysa who was watching them curiously.  “Eat, baby.”

Alysa focused back on her food and Ella did the same.  She hadn’t realized how hungry she’d grown until she was halfway through her plate of fluffy pancakes, steaming scrambled eggs, and thick-sliced bacon. 
Gauge topped off her coffee and she murmured, “Thank you,” realizing she must look like a starved fool.

Setting down her fork, she noticed that Alysa was no longer eating, but smearing the syrup around her plate with her fork.

“You done, baby?”

Alysa nodded.

Ella retrieved a wet paper towel from the kitchen and made short work of wiping the evidence of breakfast from Alysa’s lips and tiny hands.  “Baby, why don’t you go in and start making the bed and I’ll be in to help in two seconds.”

Obediently, Alysa nodded and trudged toward Gauge’s room.  Making the bed each morning was their ritual, and Ella was glad for it now that it afforded her the opportunity to be alone with Gauge.

Watching Alysa disappear into the other room, she cleared her throat and looked at Gauge.  “Now that we’re alone, I’d like to discuss…”

He didn’t let her finish.  “No.”

“No?” her eyes rounded.  “You don’t even know what I was going to say.”

“Yes I do,” he shoved his chair back and stood to take his plate to the sink.  “You want to demean what happened between us last night.  You want to continue pretending that there’s nothing between us.  You want to act as though you don’t understand what the fact of
my
halo around
your
neck means.”  He set his dishes in the sink with a loud clatter before turning to pin her with angry eyes.  “You want to insult me by failing to trust me.”

“Trust?” she hurled the word at him, her own gray eyes sparking in fury as she fought to keep her voice from carrying to the next room.  “
I
don’t trust
you
!” she crossed the room to jab him the chest as she hissed.  “Did you even think to tell me that you were going to spring a shotgun wedding on me?  Did you trust me enough to tell me your plan to keep Monroe from tossing us out?”  She planted hands on her hips.  “No!  You didn’t trust me, but now you expect me to blindly offer my trust up to you?  No way, buddy!”  She shook her head.  “Trust comes with reciprocity; it’s not a one-sided venture!”

Her argument didn’t appear to move him any.  Instead, his brows arched sardonically.  “If I’d have told you of my plan to mate you, you’d have run.  You’ve already proven that.  Besides, it’s my job to do what’s right by you and
Alysa.”

“Your
job
!”  The words stung.  Had he done all of this out of some misguided sense of duty?  Why?  Because he was her boss?  She felt her heart clench and humiliation sear her cheeks at the realization of the gift she’d given last night. 
Proper payment for services rendered?
 

She wouldn’t say more.  She couldn’t.  Turning, she stormed to the room and slammed the door behind her.
 

Chapter 26

Ella stomped to the bedroom,
startling little Alysa who was attempting to right the thick comforter that was sprawled across the bed. 

Ella dropped
to sit on the edge of the bed and raised both fisted hands with an aggravated, “Ewwww!”

“What’s wrong
wis’ you, momma?” Alysa asked, crossing to stand between Ella’s knees and peer up with a mirror image of Ella’s own gray eyes. 

“Nothing, love.  I’m just mad right now.”

“At Gauge?”

“Yes.” Ella huffed and took in a deep breath trying to cool her temper.

“Is he a bad man like the one we’s hidin’ from?”

Ella’s gaze jerked to the child’s. 
She knew Gauge was eavesdropping when she heard a low growl come from the other room. 

“No!”  She inched Alysa back so she could drop to a knee, making her eye level as she rubbed
the child’s arms.  “No, love.  Gauge is a
good
man.  He protects us and keeps us safe, and he’d never hurt us.” 

“Then why
’s we mad at him?”

Ella’s heart
melted at Alysa’s loyalty.  “
We’re
not made at him. 
I’m
mad at him.”

“But why?”

“Because he won’t let me make any decisions.”  She knew this was her chance to explain it for Gauge’s ears without him being able to cut her off with his possessive and protective bullshit.  “He wants me to do as he says without trusting that I might know what’s best for us.  You and I, have been on our own for a very long time. I think I did an okay job keeping us safe.  I can take care of us.”

“But you don’t has
to, momma.”  Alysa’s little brows speared down.  “That’s what daddy’s is for.”

Ella huffed and closed her
eyes, swearing she heard Gauge’s sharp inhalation in the other room.  “I know, baby; it’s just hard to learn to let someone else take care of us.  Sometimes when he doesn’t listen I feel like…like he doesn’t trust me.”

“Oh!”  Alysa pulled back, he
r eyes suddenly bright.  “I fix it.”  She tromped from the room all matter-of-fact and Ella sat in confusion a moment before she hurriedly rose to follow. 

In the
other room, Gauge sat leaning forward in a chair with his elbows braced on his knees as he watched them enter the room.  His sandy blond hair tousled into his dreamy hazel eyes.  Ella stopped just inside the door to watch Alysa pace right up to him.

***

Gauge had listened to the exchange between Ella and Alysa and finally understood her side.  She didn’t feel that he trusted her, but Alysa had been right and Ella needed to realize that it was
his
duty and his honor to keep his family safe. 

He
was curious as hell when he heard Alysa declare that she would fix it.  He didn’t move as the child entered the room and walked right up to him before lifting chubby little hands and placing them on either side of his face.  Alysa inched close until she was staring right in his eyes.  “Daddy?” 

The soft puff of her breath fanned against his
nose and the word had his heart melting as it did every time she addressed him as such. 

“Yes,
pretty girl?”  He couldn’t keep from reaching out to lift her onto his lap.

“Me an
’ momma is safe wis’ you?”

He nodded.  “
Always!”

She leaned in closer until her nose touched his.  “Did yo
u know you is safe wis’ me an momma?”

He heard Ella’s sobbed, “Oh!”
 

Long moments passed as he stared at his child, unable to speak.  He’d never been safe anywhere, and for his two females to offer him what he’d needed most was humbling beyond words.  He swallowed hard and heard t
he bedroom door clicked closed leaving him alone with Alysa.  Unsure what else to do, he followed his instincts and crushed the child to him, hugging her tightly as moisture pooled in his eyes.  As a Skin Walker male, he’d never needed protection.  But it wasn’t until that moment that he realized he’d never been safe anywhere because he’d never stayed anywhere long enough to set down roots.  He’d never had a reason before, had never really
wanted
to.  But now, with his mate, Ella, and their daughter in his life he realized that he felt safe at StoneCrow because of them.  He felt warm and content; for the first time in his existence he no longer felt cursed, but blessed, and the longing to keep Alysa and Ella was so overpowering that it stole his breath.

He broke the hug when Alysa whispered at his ear, “Daddy, is’ you
kiss momma she won’t be mad to you.”

He smiled through the emotion clogging his throat and swallowed back his tears.  He was in fucking love with his family.  “Let’s go find her.”

Hoisting Alysa into his arms, he beamed at the child’s approving smile.  At the bedroom door, he let Alysa knock before he pushed it open to find the room empty.  “Wait here, pretty girl.”  He gently placed Alysa on the bed and she scrambled to her knees then up and began jumping on the mattress.

Inside the bathroom he found Ella
sitting on the edge of the tub with her face buried in a tissue.

“Ella?”

She sniffed and wiped at her eyes, “I’ll be right out.  Give me minute?”

He didn’t.  Kneeling on the tile floor, he pulled her hands down to study her tear-soaked cheeks and red eyes.  “I’m sorry I made you feel
like I don’t trust you.  I want you to know my reaction was my flaw and not any fault of yours.  I’ll do better.”  He’d hoped his proclamation would soothe her but when she began crying harder he grew alarmed.  “Ella!  What is it?”  He partially shifted and scented the room, but there was only emotional turmoil.  He pulled her down and sat, pulling her onto his lap.  “Tell me, gorgeous.  What’s wrong?” he crooned as his hand rubbed over her back.

“I-I can’t do this, Gauge!”

“Do what?”

“I
can’t pretend with you anymore.”  Her fragile looking hand fisted around the tissue she was holding and she sniffed back her tears.  “You have to let us go
now
.”

His belly dropped and he snarled an instinctual, “
Never!”

Her eyes filled with tears again and her face crumpled as she buried
it in his chest, one hand gripping the front of his shirt.  “Please, Gauge!  You need to let us go…before it’s too late.”  Then as if she were speaking to herself, “Oh, God!  It’s already too late!”

“Too late? 
Too late for what?”

Tear soaked eyes found his and the agony there had him tensing with the need to protect, the need to find the source of
her pain and extinguish it.

Ella licked her lips and shook her head, her eyes turning imploring.  “I-I’m…” she dropped her head as if attempting to formulate the right words befor
e she finally pinned him with a look of pure anguish.  “I’m in love with you, Gauge.”

His heart soared.

“Please,” she begged, “you have to let us go before Alysa ends up getting hurt as well.”

“As well?” his high spirits plummeted.  “How would she get hurt?  Why are you hurt?”

“Why?” Ella’s tone rose an octave.  “Because I’ve fallen into bed and into love with a man that’s only faked a marriage to keep me and my child safe.  You never wanted this,” she shook her head staring at his chest as her voice lowered, “You can’t possibly want this.  I’ve brought you nothing but trouble.” 

A large hand cupped her cheek, forcing her to meet his eyes.  “
You’ve brought me nothing but joy.  I meant the vows I made to you.”  His hand slid down to grip the halo resting around her throat.  “And I gave you this with true intentions.”  She blinked up at him in confusion and he couldn’t help but chuckle.  “Your love is not unrequited, gorgeous.  I love you too,” he chuffed a laugh, “probably more.”  He shook his head and inched toward her lips, “
Definitely
more.” 

He claimed her mouth with a feral possession.  He kissed her like she was the last breath of air and for him she was.  There’d be no surviving without her now.  No.  Surviving wasn’t right word.  He was done surviving.  He wanted to live and he wanted the same for his angel and their daughter.

“See, daddy,” he broke the kiss to beam up at Alysa as she stood in the doorway, swinging one leg back and forth.  “I said is’ you kiss momma, she won’t be mad to you.”

Ella laughed through her tears as Gauge reached to grab Alysa’s shirt causing her to squeal in delight as she was hauled onto Ella’s lap where he held them both and felt his heart
burst with the love he felt for the two females that now belonged to him.  He’d had no idea that a love this strong was possible.  Nuzzling the top of Alysa’s hair he rumbled, “
Mine
!”

His eyes met Ella’s and her lower lip trembled as she sobered and smoothed a hand down his cheek.  “Yours,” she confirmed with hope and trust shining brightly in her eyes.