A year later...
Hayley's POV
I feel something glide over my skin irritatingly for the hundredth time this morning. I turn my head the other way and place the pillow on top of my head, trying not to wake up. I feel a hand glide up and down my bare back, sparks erupt everywhere like a blissful wild fire spreading throughout my body. "I'm... tired." I mumble in my sleepy state, not comprehending on the fact if I was audible or not.
Clearly not getting the message, little delectable sparks erupt almost every between the back of my ear to my shoulder blades. Squirming under the torturous and thrilling movement onto my skin, I shift a bit but try not to make it obvious to Christopher how much I'm loving his touch. Starting to give into his touch as he focuses on my sweet spot, I voluntarily shiver as he lightly pinches the back of my ear.
My uncontrollable twitching comes to a halt when the sparks suddenly disappear. Oh hell no... Did he really just tease me? Pushing the pillow away, I turn and face Christopher while still being careful not to let the bedsheets drop from where I wrapped them. I raise my eyebrows at him, my lips struggling to remain in a thin line. Can he not be this gorgeous every single waking moment. He shakes his head and slightly chuckles before speaking. "You don't have to cover your self you know," he leans in extremely close to my ear.
Christopher's POV
I've been messing around with Hayley for the past hour and yet, she hasn't bulged in any way. I've been poking her arm, tickling her nose, blowing in her ear, playing with her cheek, you name it. I think she's ignoring it on purpose.
Shrugging at the thought, I pick a rose petal from the bed side table and begin to glide it up and down her arm, chuckling when she whines and groans. Oh she is definitely awake now. She turns her head away from me and coves it with a pillow mumbling something to do with screaming ducks and a field.
Shaking my head, I chuckle silently as another idea pops into my head. I raise my hand and lightly glide it down the exposed creamy skin of her back. Sparks shoot up my fingers and spresad through out my body, the echoing pleasure drowning me. I feel her shiver underneath my touch."I'm... tired." She mumbles into the pillow, not turning to face me.
My grin stretches even further when one of the worst, if not the worst way of getting to wake her up pops into my head. I lightly nip at the skin on her heck and shoulders with my fingers. Her squirming encourages me even more as I start to target her sweet spot. I linger on the spot behind her ear, right above her mark and immediately pull away. She is definitely going to get me back for teasing her... Still worth it.
She abruptly stops twitching once my hand retracts from her neck. She whines in annoyance before pulling the pillow off her face. She faces me looking irritated but quite amused. Her attempt to hide her smile goes noticed by both my wolf and I. I notice her fumble with the bedsheets covering her chest as she fully faces me. Looking back at her face, she raises a perfectly arched eyebrow at me as she struggles even more when trying not to smile. Can he not be this gorgeous every single waking moment. I read her thoughts and chuckle more to myself at her comment. If only she really knew how easily she takes my breath away.
Noticing her hold on the bedsheets around her tighten even more, my brows furrow in thought. "You don't have to cover yourself you know." I lean in extremely close to her ear and whisper, keeping my tone light hearted in attempt to not make what I'm saying seem like it disturbs me. "It's not like I've never seen any of it before." I smirk as she blushes intensely.
Raising my hand, I flick her nose and watch as she wrinkles it adorably in disturbance. I trail my finger along her jawline and end below her chin, tilting her head and captivating her lips as though it was the first time. I feel her immediately respond as her arms take hold of my neck. I flip us over and support my weight with my arms propped on each side of her. She plays around with the hairs at the nape of my neck, earning a growl from my wolf. Seeing it as an encouragement, she tangles her fingers more into my hair and tugs on it slightly harder. I let out a throaty groan and gently bite at her lower, asking for entrance.
I feel her smile into the kiss but doesn't grant me access. She pulls away slightly, flipping us over and rests over me. The bed sheets separating us much to my dismay. My eyes open to find hers looking at me intently, cunning smile intact. She starts to lean in once more as my eyes begin to shut. Her lips graze mine but slightly pull away. Her tongue grazes my lip which immediately hangs open in instinct but nothing happens. Leaning in closer to her, she slightly pulls away then leans in again, pecking my lips shortly then pulls away.
Opening my eyes once more, I find her staring at me with a victorious grin and playfully winks. "Think again before trying to tease me." She seductively murmurs, her hand lingering on my cheek as she pats it as if I was a child. Climbing off the bed, she slowly strolls to the bathroom, bed sheet still firmly wrapped around her, sending another wink as she shuts the door and turns the lock. Great, now I have to wait a good twenty minutes before having a cold shower.
*****
I watch Hayley closely as she spreads jam on her toast. She swallows nervously almost every five seconds and plays am round with the crust of her toast. Her eyes roam around everything in the kitchen except me which is quite odd considering the fact that we're the only people that live in here. A few months after Hayley started living with me, we realized how chaotic it was living in the pack house so we decided to get a place of our own. Some of the pack members volunteered to build a house for us as a thank you gift to the Luna for accepting the pack.
My hands drum at the prickly skin on my jawline as I focus my attention on Hayley. She's barely touched her food in the past hour. Come to think about it, she hasn't been eating well for quite some time now. I thought about asking her if she's slipped off the rails again but the last time that happened, I had to break down the bathroom door before she could do anything drastic. I'd learned about her problems some time ago and it still hurts me to see her like this. If only she knew how amazing she truly was, all this wasted time trying to look 'perfect' wouldn't be wasted. I've tried telling her countless times how beautiful she is but very time I say it, she shrugs and smiles, trying to be polite but still dismisses it.
I almost shatter as a heavy tear drop trickles down her check, splashing on to the granite counter. Without another second being wasted, I rush to her side and pick her up, placing her on my lap as I sit on the stool she was on. She ducks her head between my shoulder and neck. Silent sobs emit from her, sounding almost...exhausted. My jaw starts to twitch in anger when she begins shaking, her crying taking complete control over her body. My hold on her tightens as I gently rub her back and head.
*****
We both stay still as we both have been for some time now. Her breathing is calm and even now, as though she was asleep. I swallow the lump in my throat as my fingers twitch,trying not to get angry at the fact that my mate has suffered this much for far too long.
"I'm sorry." She croaks our in a whisper. Her head still buried at the crook,of my neck. My arm instantly rubs at her back in a calming manner. "I'm a mess almost all the time and you're the only person that's ever left to pick up the pieces." She raises her head and looks into my eyes momentarily before looking away. Her nose and ears burn brightly with a red color in them as she exhales. Her breath, hot to the touch.
"You don't have to apologize to me for anything. As long as I'm alive, you should never feel obligated to be sorrowful over anything, especially about yourself." She sniffles and plays with her light violet coated nails. "Aren't...aren't you tired of me." She stutters slightly, as though asking that question drained everything out of her. My eyes soften as they meet hers, my heart shattering even more at the sight of my mate so helpless.
"I don't care about the size of your issues. Whether smaller than a spec of dust or big enough to cause the next world war. None of that matters to me. All I need is you, no matter what you look like or do. I'm madly in love with you because you're you. Every breaking point, every joyous moment, all of it counts in my book. As long as your heart is mine, I'll always be here with you, till the end... And even after that." Her head raises as she stares at me completely awestruck.
Stroking her cheek lightly, I embrace her lips in mine, spilling every emotion going through my head; love, pain, acceptance. A tear slips out of her eye, landing on my cheek. However, this one is different, it's not filled with pain but simply contentment. 'I love you.' I say to her through our mind link and she responds with an 'I love you too.'
Pulling away, I glide my thumb across her cheek, wiping away a stray tear. I lean in, making our foreheads touch and with a released breath mumble. "One day at a time."
AN
Ta dah! There it is ladies and gentlemen. It's been long overdue ( well to me it has ) but the book is over. It's exactly 2:13 am ( East African time ) but I just had to get this chapter up. I'm so going to regret this in the morning but that's alright. Life can never be too easy
It's five days until Christmas so happy holidays lovelies. May the good Lord be with you as we close the year off and start the next with hopefully even better memories to come ( goodness this is getting too emotional for me ).
It's been great, truly but I must now retire to bed and get ready to have my hair yanked on in a couple of hours ( I have to go to the salon ).
Until we meet again lovelies ✌🏾️💕💕💋😊