Slater

I didn’t know if my plan would work, but I figured it was worth a shot. Izzy had been feeling down after her mother’s death, which was only to be expected. But I needed to try to cheer her up. Seeing her look so sad and forlorn made me want to take care of her and make her happy again—and at the moment, I was hoping that some furry friends would be just the thing to bump her out of her sadness.

I pulled into the parking lot of the shelter that my mom spent almost all her time at, especially now that my father was gone. Luckily, with grandchildren finally making their way into my mother’s life as my brothers all started families of their own, there was a lot more joy than there had been in recent years. Not that it stopped my mother’s pack of rescue animals from growing. “Hope you don’t mind. My mom volunteers here, and every few weeks they get a new shipment in of animals that have come from high-kill shelters all over the country. Figured we could maybe give them a hand.”

Her eyes lit up as she smiled at me—the first smile I had seen since her mother’s death. “I think I’d really enjoy that. My father had a few dogs when he was a bachelor. I remember them being so much fun though I was still quite young. And then…”

“And then, once those animals were gone, your mother refused to have any more animals around?” I hated to think ill of the dead, but that woman had been a manipulative bitch. I hated that she’d controlled and influenced so much of Izzy’s life—and not for the better, unfortunately.

She shrugged, looking down at her hands in her lap. “I could make excuses for her, but I won’t. And though I love her and miss her terribly, I know that she wasn’t the easiest person to live with. So much of my life has been about what she wanted, my every move made only after I’d thought out just how my mother would react, and whether or not it would be worth dealing with the fallout of her anger or disappointment. I hate to say it, but I feel like I haven’t really lived my life as a result. I’ve only lived some mediocre version of what my life could have been. I know I shouldn’t be blaming my mother when she was just murdered, but I can’t help feeling the way I feel.”

“Izzy… I know you’re wrestling with a whole lot of emotions, but you’re not a horrible person for wanting to live your life and finally being able to do so.” I shifted in my seat and took her hand in mine as I cupped her cheek with my other hand, needing her to know that she wasn’t alone, and I truly did care about her. “I know I didn’t know your mother long, and maybe it’s not my place to say this, but…it was clear that she ruled with an iron fist, and took only her own needs and wants into account. You shouldn’t feel guilty for wanting to finally live your life the way you’ve always wanted to. And doing so may not have made your mother happy, but I think your father would have been ecstatic for you.”

“I know you’re right, Slater. But I still feel like a horrible daughter, especially when it’s only been weeks since she passed away.” Her voice was thick with emotion, and I found myself pulling her into my arms and holding her to me as I felt my heart slip just a little down an awfully precarious slope.

“Hush, love. Your mother was lucky to have you as a daughter, and I won’t have you thinking otherwise. You loved her, and you did your best to make her happy. No one could ask anything more of you.” I pulled away just enough to look at her, and tilted her chin up so that her eyes would meet mine, and so she’d know that I was here for her. “It’s now time for you to live your life the way you want to live it—guilt-free. No matter what you want to do, no matter what you want to try, I’ll be right here. I’ll have your back, Izzy.”

She must’ve taken my words to heart, because the next thing I knew, she was closing the distance between us, her lips on mine in a tentative kiss filled with question and uncertainty.

Except that there was nothing uncertain about the way she made me feel.

I sank my fingers into her hair, deepening our kiss, my tongue sweeping over hers as I tried not to lose all control, my heart hammering inside my chest. Never had I wanted anyone as much as I wanted her, even if I knew the situation was less than ideal. But none of that mattered at this very moment when I had her in my arms, and when she tasted sweet as honey.

Yet she’d been through so much… I paused, giving her an out. But she didn’t take it, deepening our kiss until I was helpless to do anything but give in to what was between us.

By the time we pulled away, my breathing was heavy and I wanted to do a whole lot more than simply kiss her. When I finally managed to mutter her name, there was no hiding how badly I wanted her, my voice thick with need. “Izzy…”

“I’m so sorry, Slater. I shouldn’t have—”

I stopped her words with another kiss, refusing to let her question her impulse to kiss me, when it’d been all I could do to hold back from the moment I first laid eyes on her.

Before meeting Izzy, I thought I’d never fall in love. Yet it was becoming clear that I just hadn’t met the right woman—until now. And I may be jumping the gun when it came to Izzy, since I’d only known her for a few weeks, but I’d spent each day with her, and there was very little not to like. She was smart, sweet, and interesting—and now, with her mother gone, I was hoping to coax her out of her shell to see what other amazing things she was capable of.

I somehow managed to end our kiss before I took things too far and scared her off. Yet I couldn’t pull away from her, my head bent to hers as we caught our breath. “I don’t want to hear any nonsense about how you shouldn’t have kissed me. And just so you know, you can feel free to kiss me whenever you damn please.”

Although she blushed, her lips curled into a shy smile. “I think I’d like that.”

“Come on then. We have a busy day ahead of us—though I have to warn you. There’s a good chance my mother will be here.” Unfortunately, my mother was far too smart and tuned in to her kids to not pick up on the fact that I was completely smitten with Izzy—although even a blind person could probably see it.

“It’ll be nice to meet your mother.” She gave me an easy smile before I went around to her door and helped her hop down from my SUV, fully aware that it was a bit of a climb to get in and out of the vehicle. “Even though we’ve spent the last several weeks together, I still feel like I don’t know a whole lot about you.”

“I don’t know that there’s a whole lot to know.” Not that I’d be telling her about my family’s past business ventures anytime soon, even though it made me feel like a shit for keeping things from her. “All you need to know is that there are far too many of us Blackthorns around, since I’m the youngest of six brothers.”

“Wow…I can’t even imagine. I always wanted a brother or sister, but it never happened. That said, six total—and all boys? I bet you were all a handful.” She let out a little laugh, as if imagining the trouble and mischief that we had gotten up to while growing up.

I leaned over and stole another kiss, knowing it’d have to last me awhile. “You have no idea. Although, if you stick around long enough, I’m sure my mother will be happy to embarrass me with all sorts of stories from my youth.”

“I think I’d like that.”