Luna Junction 2 Forbidden Mate (W) by Sage Domini Read Free Book Online Page B

feral look I’d briefly seen in his brother. He bared his sharp
teeth in a hideous smile and waved. I didn’t look back as I pulled
the truck back to the road and aimed for Max’s house.
    I managed to compose myself by the time
I had to face Max. He seemed to accept my bright summary of dinner
at the Landon home. Conspicuously left out of my falsely bubbly
account was any mention of either Casteel brother.
    I showered before bed, trying to banish
the memory of Michael Casteel’s unwelcome touch. As the hot water
ran down my skin I turned my face up into the steam. My mind kept
unwittingly returning to the hard lines of Gideon’s powerful body.
The more I tried to shake it off the more my hands itched to feel
the hard muscles of his broad shoulders. My breath quickened as I
imagined him settling on top of me. Guiltily I reached between my
legs and began to massage slowly. I’d learned to pleasure myself
years ago, when the brief events of sex left me feeling lonely and
discouraged. My imagined lover was strong, even overpowering. Yet
he knew to slide inside of me and linger there with purposeful
thrusts which brought me to shattering heights. As I reached an
intense climax, I leaned against the bathroom wall for support,
visions of Gideon’s bronzed naked skin behind my eyes.
    Afterwards, I threw on an oversized
t-shirt, feeling rather mortified. What was wrong with me? Hadn’t I
had my fill of men who treated me like dirt? Lusting after Gideon
was out of the question. I turned off the bedside lamp and rolled
restlessly around on the pillow. On impulse, I grabbed my handbag
and fished around for my phone. After instantly deleting
nauseatingly apologetic texts from my last mistake, I Googled
‘Gideon Casteel’. His name popped up in a slew of football
references. And one news item.
    Gideon Casteel, Offensive
Guard for the UCLA Bruins, was arrested March 29 for disorderly
conduct. Witnesses at the off campus party recounted how Casteel
became inexplicably enraged and attacked a group of young men who
had arrived moments before. Freshman Kylie Garcia described the
attack. “He just went freaking berserk. It was like he became an
animal.” Assault charges were not pressed as those attacked quickly
left the scene. Despite one victim being thrown against a wall
roughly enough to crack the plaster and another sailing through a
plate glass window, local hospitals did not report admitting any
patients whose injuries matched the victims’. Casteel could not be
reached for comment and an anonymous source within UCLA reports he
has left the program.
    I put the phone down and pulled the
cool musty sheet up to my chin. At least I understood why school
had been such a touchy subject. I felt mildly sorry for Gideon,
wondering what it was that had set him off so violently. It had
been so bad he felt as if he had to leave college and return to
Luna Junction. Then I recalled the terrifying moment earlier in the
evening when he had shifted into something halfway between human
and wolf. He had deliberately been trying to frighten me. Bitterly,
I realized it was something Michael would do. I rolled over,
hardening my heart and wishing for sleep. Eventually, it
came.

Chapter Six
    My head felled a bit heavy when I awoke
the next morning. I wasn’t sure what day it was until I found Max
reading the Sunday paper at the breakfast table. He had done some
grocery shopping the day before and the fridge looked nearly
normal. I buttered a piece of toast and poured a glass of
juice.
    Max watched me settle into a chair, my
knees pulled childishly up as I nibbled some toast. “Hey, how would
you feel about working at the store?”
    “ Sure,” I shrugged. After
all there was only so many times I could industriously scrub the
bathroom grout. I needed to do something and employment in Luna
Junction appeared to be slim pickings.
    He smiled. “You’ll start tomorrow. Be
dressed and ready by nine.”
    “ I think I can handle
that.”
    A shadow