Chapter 246

Third Person POV

8 years ago.

Rachel hugged the satin bedsheets close to her naked form as she waited for Gavin to join her. Her dark hair crowning her features messily after their night of fun. Gavin was probably the most passionate lover she has ever had, and she has had many in the past, not that Gavin knew about any of them. As far as he knew, he was her first serious lover. The only one who was able to make her cum in such a way, though he wasn’t far off.

As he returned to the bedroom, a towel wrapped around his waist, hanging low on his hips, his hair wet from his shower and beads of water dripping off his chest, he grinned when he saw her wrapped like a burrito, naked and ready for another round with him.

“It’s amazing that you can never tire of me,” he tells her as he bends to her level, brushing his lips against her sweet and plump mouth. She breathed him in, admittedly loving his scent. She never expected to love his scent as much as she does, but her heart was beating against her chest at a rapid speed as she took him in.

He was handsome and his looks alone made her knees weak. She had always been drawn to his looks and though getting into his bed would be easy, though that proved to be wrong. It took a long time for him to open up to her enough to finally have this intimacy.

She ran her fingers through his wet hair as he deepened the kiss, his tongue dancing with hers in a heated moment of passion. He moaned against her mouth, loving her taste just as she loved his.

For a moment, her mission was the furthest thing from her mind, as it always was whenever they were together. It was a lot easier to remember what it was she had to do when she didn’t have to look at him.

He pressed her into the bed, wrapping her like a gift, and when he finally revealed her completely naked body, a low growl escaped his throat. She giggled as she wrapped herself around him, pulling off his towel.

Another round later, they were both sweaty and breathless, laughing like two kids who were caught doing something naughty.

“I’m going to need another shower,” he laughed, pulling her into his arms.

Since his wife’s death, almost 12 years ago, Gavin hadn’t allowed himself to open up to another woman. He’s had plenty of meaningless sex, sure, but there was something different about Rachel. She understood him in a way that nobody else did; she got him. She cared for his sister while she was recovering from drugs and alcohol… she took care of his sister during her pregnancy.

She would still be taking care of his sister if Cassie hadn’t run off with her boyfriend and baby. Gavin had been searching for months for any signs of them, but he’s come up empty every time. He actively has men in search of his sister and nephew, and throughout it all, Rachel has been by his side.

She snuck up on him… wedged her way into his heart and made him feel things he hadn’t felt in a long time. Though, his wolf was still warming up to her, he also understands that his human side needed a companion… someone to keep his bed warm and heart happy, so he allowed Gavin to explore this thing with Rachel… have a real relationship with her and love her in a way that only Gavin could love her.

His wolf hated the thought of marking her, though, but Gavin knew without a doubt in his mind that Rachel would one day where his mark… and his ring.

As the thought popped into his head, he found himself playing with her ring finger idly, a contented smile on his face as he held her close to his chest. She nuzzled against him, breathing in his comforting scent and basking in his warmth.

“What is on your mind?” She asked him, peeking up at him through her lashes.

“How much I love you,” he admitted. “I love you more than I ever thought possible.”

His wolf scoffed, but he swallowed it down, ignoring that aging feeling in the pit of his stomach. He thought this was only infatuation and signs of Gavin’s true loneliness, but Gavin disagreed.

Rachel smiled at his words, closing her eyes and allowing them to wash over her. A guilt hit her in the middle of her chest, but she swallowed it down.

“I love you too,” she whispered the words that her heart was speaking, though her mind was telling her what she was doing was wrong… because it was. But she couldn’t help herself; she had grown feelings for him. Strong feelings.

What was once an assignment turned into something much more… complicated.

“I have to get to work,” she told him, kissing his chest as she sat up. He nodded, running his fingers through his hair as he too sat up, reluctantly releasing his hold on her. “And you have work to do today, too, Alpha.”

She winked at him.

He grinned as he watched her slide out of the bed, completely naked and unashamed. She was used to him seeing her body like this, so she walked around him naked all the time, which he didn’t mind in the least.

He got out of bed, too, and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the bathroom with a playful wink.

“Not before we shower,” he teased.

She giggled as she let him pull her into the shower, where they not only washed each other, but also and another round.

By the time they were done, they were breathless and giggling, unable to pull apart from one another. They eventually had to go to their respectful jobs.

….

“A ring??” Taylor asked, his eyes wide as he stared at the diamond ring that Gavin presented.

Gavin nodded, closing the little black box.

“I’m going to propose to her,” he replied, a smile on his face.

“Are you sure you’re ready for that?” Taylor asked. “That’s a huge step, and didn’t you swear off relationships?”

“Rachel is different,” Gavin told him. “We are different. She’s the real deal, and I’d like it if I had my best friend's support.”

Taylor patted him on the back.

“You know you’ll always have my support. So, when are you going to do it?”

“Tonight,” Gavin replied. “I’m taking her to her favorite restaurant and then I’ll pop the question.”

“Congratulations, Man,” Taylor said.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Rachel continues her work in her office. She’s pretending to work on a clinical trial, but in reality, she’s putting together some of the new information she found out about Gavin’s company, getting ready to send it to her real boss.

She could hear the chatter of some of the doctors outside of her office door; she knew one of them to be Elizabeth Pierce, the mate of Beta Taylor.

“Yeah, he told me he saw the ring and everything,” Elizabeth said to her coworker. “I never thought I’d see the day that Gavin Landry actually got married again.”

Married?!

Rachel’s heart dropped deep into her stomach.

Was Gavin really planning on proposing to her?

Guilt started to eat away at her because Gavin didn’t truly know her. She couldn’t marry him under these fault pretenses, though she’s starting to realize that she wanted nothing more than to be his wife. She truly did love him more than words could express, but he deserved so much better than her… someone who was sent to him as a spy… someone who was releasing company and personal information to his enemy. She had to get out of here before she got stuck marrying him under these fake pretenses.

Without a word, she packed up her office stuff and hurried out of the hospital. Her heart was racing as she got into her car, tears pricking the corner of her eyes. She knew she couldn’t go back to the villa and see him because she would change her mind immediately. She would fall into the trap of marriage and marry a man who knew next to nothing real about her.

It wasn’t fair to him.

She pulled out her phone and called her boss.

“I have to return,” she told him before he could get a word in. “I’ve fallen too hard, and things got way more complicated. I can’t keep this up anymore. I sent you more information via your email, but that’s all I can get you…”

There was silence on the other end.

“Okay,” he finally said after a long pause. “Return as soon as you can.”

He hung up without another word; relief flooded her that he wasn’t going to put up a fight. But now she needed to figure out how she was going to get out of this without Gavin knowing something was up. She wasn’t the only spy in this pack… or working in the hospital, so she knew she could enlist for some help if needed.

Then, a thought came to her… the only thought she could have at that moment.

She sent out some text messages on her burner phone, her heart racing in her chest. After she received the reply she wanted, she took a deep breath, put her car in drive, and peeled away from the hospital as fast as she could… this was the only option.