Page 51 of Shattered

Aurora shrugged her shoulder. “Not by that much. I, ahh…” Her gaze darted around the room while she wrapped her arms around herself, almost as if she was trying to protect herself. “I wanted to talk to you, I’ll only be a minute.”

“Have a seat.” He gestured to the couch.

Her pace was slower than normal as she crossed to the large couch that dominated the front room. The wince of discomfort etched on her features when she sat down, concerned him. Add in the fact Aurora wasn’t looking him in the eye when she spoke to him was disconcerting, to say the least. What the hell was he missing? Even with the awkwardness between them whenever they were together, she could look him in the eye and hold his gaze. He hoped to hell, he hadn’t done something to hurt her while he was blacking out.

Unable to take the silence any longer, he asked, “Everything okay?”

Urgh. No, it’s not.

Aurora was all discombobulated, and her stomach was tied in knots. Muscles she was never aware of existing were sore, and sitting down had been a slow and uneasy process. Mackenzie hadn’t been gentle with her either time they’d made love. They’d no sooner finished the first time, when he rolled her to her belly, pulled her hips up, and pounded into her from behind.

The experience had been so intense, Aurora had passed out right after she came. She woke up cold and alone. Mackenzie was nowhere to be found in her tiny apartment. She’d figured it had to do with the fact Abby was due home from school. But now, seeing him, he acted like they hadn’t spent several pleasure-filled hours together.

Aurora couldn’t get a read on the shifter. His lack of emotion was worrying her. Maybe he realized she’d been a virgin and was pissed she’d lied to him about Abby being her daughter. It hadn’t ever been her intention to lie about Abby. First off, it was really no one’s business, and secondly, as far as Aurora was concerned, Abby might not have come from her body, but she was the little girl’s mom in every sense of the word.

She hoped, because Mackenzie had adopted Riley and Liam, he’d understand. She folded her hands in her lap and gathered her thoughts. She decided, after Kalkin gave her the night off, maybe she and Mackenzie could talk everything through. Now, once she saw him, he might not listen to her.

“You’re awful anxious,” Mackenzie murmured. “Everything okay?”

No, nothing was okay. Or, well, maybe, but not in the most conventional way. “Kalkin gave me the night off. He said, it would give us time.”

Mackenzie growled. “My damn brother needs to keep his matchmaking ways to himself.” He placed his hand on hers. “I’m sorry.”

She shook her head and rushed to say, “Don’t be. We should talk about earlier. I mean, I-I think we should. You see I was trying to tell you and-and things got out of control pretty quick.”

Mackenzie narrowed his eyes. “What are you trying to say?”

“Well, us. Earlier. My apartment?” He acted like he couldn’t remember what they’d done together.

He sucked in a breath and sat back. “I was with you. We had sex.”

“Yes. Of course, we did. It’s-it’s what we should talk about.” God, she hated feeling inadequate.

He scrubbed his face. “I hurt you.”

Well...sort of. But she chalked it up to it being her first time and all the different muscles being used and sensations battering her body. However, she’d also been left with a pleasant throb, like she’d been thoroughly relaxed, if a bit confused. “No. Well, I guess you could say you did, but it was bound to happen.” She sighed. “This is difficult to say.”

“I think it might be best if we stay apart from each other. I can’t be trusted right now. I’ve been losing time, and if I forced you, I’ll turn myself in and take whatever punishment is given to me. I probably deserve it.” The sadness and regret in his eyes, turned Aurora’s stomach and caused the knot of anxiety to clinch down more.

“No!” she snapped, surprising him. “You didn’t rape me if that’s what you’ve feared. We did everything consensually. What I can’t, better yet, couldn’t understand until now, is why you didn’t—don’t remember.”

It made sense, though. The way he didn’t remember visiting her as a wolf. The mark he left behind. Aurora figured he’d be the one to understand the situation more than she would have. Nonetheless, it appeared Mackenzie couldn’t see the forest for all the trees. A sense of relief filled her, which didn’t make sense because it was accompanied by worry. She figured it’d been due to what she had to tell him next. “Mac, you should know something. It isn’t something I am proud of by any means. But I’m—”

“Hey, Dad,” Riley called out from the staircase. “We’re starving. Can Abby and I have a snack before dinner?”

He held up his finger and stood. “Sure, there’s still some of those cookies you and Charisma made the other night. Get you and Abby some and a glass of milk.”

“Thank you, Daddy,” Riley answered as she ambled down the stairs.

Aurora bit her bottom lip as she waited for the girl to go back up to her room. It shouldn’t have been this hard to tell him the truth. He deserved it, like she deserved an explanation on why he’d left so suddenly. When she spied Riley heading back toward her room, Mackenzie joined her again.

“You were saying,” he said, sitting beside her.

She took a deep breath and let it out.Rip the bandage off. It would have come out sooner or later.“Mac, I-I was a virgin. I-I tried to tell you when we were, you know, but it was happening so fast, and it felt so good I couldn’t-I didn’t-tell you the truth.”

He frowned. “You’ve lost me here, Aurora. What’s going on?”

She wanted to kick herself for being a bumbling fool. “I was a virgin, Mac.”

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