She screamed, but instead of a human noise, it was purely animal—her wolf. Collapsing onto the ground, she felt every stick and rock beneath her body, but she couldn’t bring herself to give a fuck. Her lungs were working overtime dragging in precious oxygen as the last of the pain tapered off into a dull ache. Hunter whined softly and she turned her attention to him. He was on his feet, his head lowered so they were eye to eye. Exhaustion rolled through her. It was as if she’d just run a marathon and was expected to get up and do it all again.
He nudged her with his nose, urging her to stand. Maybe she’d feel better once she was on her feet—her four feet. Man, she could not get used to this. Last month she was human. This month she was a werewolf, a shifter, a lycanthrope. She was the stuff of myth and legend, but she was nothing like the glossy Hollywood version most people knew. She was not lost to her wolf; rather, her wolf complemented her and made her whole.
With one final push, she willed herself onto her feet, drawing in deep lungfuls of air as she waited for the last of the pain to ebb away. Turning her head, Ava looked at Hunter. Cautiously—slowly—he approached, licking at her muzzle.
Was he apologizing for being such an asshole before? She pulled away, unsure what to make of his actions. Regret shimmered in his eyes for a moment before he turned around and started to walk into the forest. Hesitantly, Ava just watched him, relief flooding her when he stopped and looked at her over his shoulder.
Slowly, she began to follow. He led her through the forest, his feet light where hers were still clumsy and obvious. He was like a shadow, his black coat disappearing between one breath and reappearing in the next. She realized then that he was a lethal creature, one that could very easily have you by the throat before you had a chance to blink. For what felt like hours, they wandered through the forest, Hunter teaching her how to use her improved senses to track and hunt.
Ava wasn’t so sure about killing another animal, but she also found that her reservations didn’t transfer over to her wolf. Every time she hesitated, her wolf stepped forward, taking a little more control from her so she wouldn’t second guess her instincts.
He eventually began walking with purpose, rather than the aimless wandering she knew he’d been doing. When they arrived at the side of a lake, he took a few steps away from her, his whole body shivering as if he was cold. She soon realized he was shifting back. So this is what they were doing now? Turning, she found a bit of cover behind some bushes then started to work on her own shift back.
Pain seemed to be the common theme, although it was less than shifting into her wolf’s body. Once it was over, her skin was slick with sweat. Ava eyed that lake, longing to take a dip. Peering over the top of the bushes, she couldn’t see any sign of Hunter yet. She walked to the edge of the water, wading in slowly until she was fully submerged.
“How is it?” he called from the shore after a few moments.
She turned to face him. “Heaven.”
He grinned, then motioned that he was coming in. But he didn’t right away. He was waiting for her permission. She nodded slightly and the tension in his broad muscular shoulders eased. It took her a moment to realize he was buck naked, which was a stupid realization to have since she was also in the same state.
He kept his eyes on her as he walked closer and closer, the water lapping at his knees, his thighs, his hips. She wasn’t ashamed to admit that she watched him too, taking him in, wondering what version of the alpha she was going to get this time.
He stopped a few feet from her, his eyes shifting from yellow to blue. “How are you feeling? Sore?”
She nodded. “And tired.”
“That’s completely normal.” His gaze dropped to her shoulder, and she peered down at the scar that was almost completely gone now too. Fascinating. “How did you find the shift back?”
“Nearly as painful as the shift into my wolf.” She looked down at the surface of the lake, rippling with each movement of her arms as she tread water. “Does it... Does it hurt less the more times you do it?”
He shook his head. “No, but you’ll learn to control it better. Soon, it’ll be like breathing.”
She wondered how long that was actually going to take. Looking around, she took in her surroundings—the lake, the small rock pool at the far end, the sheer cliff faces forming a protecting ring of stone around them.
“Where are we?”
He smiled. “Lake Hunter,” he replied proudly.
“Ah, you can’t be serious.”
“I am. I discovered this. It’s mine.”
Frowning, she said, “I’m going to have to call bullshit on that.”
Throwing his head back, he laughed. She got the feeling that he didn’t do that very often. “When I was seven or eight, my younger brothers and I often had free rein to come and go as we pleased. My mother wanted us out of the house as often as possible, so we would go on adventures.”
His eyes lit up as he spoke, revealing another side to the Alfheim alpha to her. Is this the real Hunter? she wondered. Was this the man before the burdens of life were forced on him?
“So, we were all out running one day when I came across this lake.” Spreading his arms out, he proudly displayed it to her and she smiled at how carefree he looked.
“I hate to burst your bubble, but this lake probably has its own official name.”
He clutched his chest, looking wounded. “You’re killing me here, Ava. Can’t a man dream?”
“What is a man without a dream in his head?” she mused softly. She watched as he closed the distance between them. There was some hesitancy in his eyes, some sort of lack of self-confidence. She found it...enthralling.
“I want to say something to you.”
She felt her cheeks flush and she turned around. “If it’s about what happened before, I clearly misread the signs.” She hadn’t though, had she? She knew when a man was interested in her, so why was she giving him an out? Spinning back around, she added, “Actually, you can apologize to me. What you did was a dick move.”
He actually grinned at her. “That’s what I like about you, Ava—you’re direct.” He sucked in a deep breath and let it out. “I want to apologize for kissing you.”
“You make it sound as if you didn’t want to do it.”
“Believe me, I wanted to, but I shouldn’t have.”
Interest piqued, she said, “If we’re going to have this talk, I think it should be on dry land.”
9
Hunter swam to shore, emerging from the water resolute. Ava wasn’t far behind him, but he knew she’d want to have some form of clothing on for this. Scanning the tree line, he found the hollowed out oak he used as a hiding place and went to check out what was still there. Inside, he found a pair of sweats, one of his t-shirts and a blanket. Putting on the pants, he took the blanket and shirt and returned to the lakeshore.
He found Ava standing on the bank, shivering. His eyes drifted down her body, drinking her in. She was a little thinner than Natasha had been, but he supposed that was because she worked all the time and hardly ate. With her arms wrapped around her breasts, Ava didn’t look anything like the feisty woman he’d learned she could be.
When she saw him staring, she jerked her chin forward and dropped her arms. His eyes—goddamn them—dropped to her breasts. They were small and lovely, just a handful by his estimation, and his fingers ached to reach for her. Instead of giving in to his baser instincts, he calmly—casually—walked toward her, offering her the shirt.
She took it, their fingers brushing briefly and her eyes widened in surprise.
So, she’d felt it too...
The electric current. The heat. The spark that arced between them.
“Thank you,” she murmured, sliding her arms into the shirt and pulling it over her head. Unashamedly, he watched the fabric fall down her body, disappointed when it stopped at her mid-thigh.
“Where did you find the clothes?” she asked as he spread the blanket out on the grass.
>
He gestured for her to sit. “I always keep a set here. You know, just in case.”
“Just in case,” she repeated.
He took a seat opposite her, closing his eyes and turning his face toward the sun. He’d forgotten how long it had been since he’d just enjoyed being outside in the sun with nothing to worry about but living in the moment.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile like that.”
His eyelids flew open and he stared at Ava. “What?”
She stretched her legs out in front of her, crossing them at the ankles.
“I smile,” he shot back, leaning back on his hands.
“You smile at Grace. You hardly smile at anything or anyone else.”
Hunter was quiet for a moment, wondering if this assessment was truly accurate. He knew he’d been...difficult for the past year, but he hadn’t thought he’d been that bad. If a near stranger could pick it up after a couple of weeks of being forced to live with him…
Letting out a breath, he shrugged. “I’m not sure I’m ready to find joy in anything else.”
“You’re talking about losing Natasha?” He nodded. “You can’t live like that, Hunter. If you think you can, you’re going to be miserable for the rest of your life.”
“I know,” he said, finally realizing the weight of those words. Is that what he wanted, though? To be a complete asshole to everyone but his own daughter? Christ, even Grace would get sick of that when she was older—her perpetually hovering and over-protective father, holding on to the last piece of his dead mate. “I’m scared of living another way.”
There. He’d said the words he’d been dancing around for the last twelve months.
Ava crossed her legs beneath her, the shirt barely covering her hips. “And where do I come into that?”
Blowing out a breath, he looked her in the eye. “Honestly, Ava, I don’t know.”
“You want me.” Wow. She’d just said that. “I know you want me.”
He had to admire her. “I do,” he replied.
She studied him for a long while. “So why do you keep pushing me away?”
“I don’t know,” he repeated.
She scoffed quietly under her breath before getting to her feet. He jumped to his too, catching her by the arm before she could walk away.
“I don’t know,” he started, “but I don’t want to do it anymore.”
“Actions speak louder than words, Hunter, and all I’ve seen from you is a whole lot of actions that you regret in the next breath.”
“I don’t regret anything, Ava,” he told her, making sure to hold her gaze so she could see just how serious he was. “I only wish I could take it all back and try again.”
She looked down at his fingers wrapped around her forearm. “Life is all about second chances. All you have to do is take them.”
She was right.
This was his second chance.
Uncurling his fingers, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. Goddamn, she fit so perfectly into the line of his body. He stared into her intense green eyes, knowing without a doubt that this is what he wanted to do. Without thought, he kissed her, sliding his tongue into her mouth. He was rewarded a second later when her arms wrapped around his neck and she pressed herself closer. Fuck, she tasted good—felt good—and he wondered why he’d resisted for so long.
Ava broke the kiss, pressing her forehead to his. “You got your second chance. What are you going to do with it?”
What was he going to do? He was going to make sure she never forgot his name. With a soft, possessive growl, he scooped her up into his arms and laid her down on the blanket. He kissed her again, laying claim to her in the most basic of ways. Everything about this female was driving him crazy, from the way she moaned to the way she panted his name. He trailed his lips down her jaw, her neck, his tongue darting out to rim the neck of the shirt. He needed more—more contact, more everything.
He pulled up the hem, gliding his hands under the fabric, moving up, up, up. He skimmed the underside of her breast, his palm engulfing the whole thing. She moaned a little at the touch, and he was determined to get a little more. Running his thumb over her nipple, he drew the sensitive flesh into a taut peak before giving the other breast the same treatment.
He was stunned when Ava started to push at his chest. Immediately, he broke the kiss. Wordlessly, she pushed him farther and farther until he was on his back and she was straddling his waist.
Fuck. Me.
Stripping off her shirt, she dropped it beside them and he took a moment just to stare at her. She was…
“Beautiful.”
She smiled. “There’s no need for flattery now.”
He smiled back, cupping her breasts, plucking her nipples into hard peaks. Her head rolled back, eyes sliding shut. He snaked one of his hands down, finding her clit and drawing small circles with his thumb. Her hips jerked forward at that first contact and he groaned. He wanted to be buried so deeply within her that it was the strongest emotion he’d felt since his descent into grief.
“You’re still wearing sweats,” Ava breathed. “That’s a problem.”
He smiled. “You’d best get rid of them then.”
Lifting herself up, she helped divest him of his clothes, her eyes gravitating to his hips. His cock twitched at the attention. Ava’s tongue darted out, swiping at her bottom lip. Her gaze slowly moved up his body until they were on his face.
“Be gentle with me, okay?” she said.
He sat up, rubbing her arms. “Of course,” he replied. He had a feeling she was talking about more than just her body. He kissed her, igniting a passion neither of them could ignore.
10
Ava was putty in Hunter’s hands. She moaned when he laid back, settling her onto his hips. She ground into him, unable to stop herself really. It seemed wherever Hunter was concerned, she lost all ability to curb her more animalistic instincts. For example, right now, her wolf was baying inside her head, demanding she ride the alpha like a goddamn bucking bronco.
He kneaded her breasts, rubbing the pads of his thumbs over her sensitive nipples again and again and again. She arched her back, thrusting her upper body forward and creating an oh so delicious friction between her thighs. Leaning down, she kissed him, enjoying the way his tongue mimicked what his cock should be doing.
“You’re driving me insane right now, Ava,” he breathed.
“Ditto.”
There was a soft growl before he flipped her onto her back. She welcomed him into the cradle of his hips, reveling in the weight of him. She hadn’t ever dated, let alone slept with a man like him. It wasn’t just his imposing size. It was his very presence that made women pay attention to him. His hips jerked forward a little, the head of his cock brushing against her wet opening.
Ava’s head dropped back. Fuck, this felt too good. Hunter took advantage of her position, his lips finding her neck, his tongue licking at the column of her throat. She let out a surprised hiss when his teeth grazed her jugular, and instead of inspiring fear, all she felt was ecstasy. Moving lower, he kissed her shoulder, tracking his mouth across her collarbones, inching down, down, down.
He sucked one of her breasts into his mouth, biting at her nipple gently. Ava’s hands balled into fists at her sides, riding the line between pleasure and pain. When he shifted his attention to the other breast, she bit her lip to stop from moaning his name.
She must’ve made some sort of noise because he looked up and grinned at her wickedly.
“Do you like that, Ava?”
“Stop talking,” she replied. “More…” she made a vague circular gesture with her hands, “doing what you were doing.”
His eyes flashed yellow for a moment before he returned his attention back to her. He moved lower, taking his time kissing her stomach, her thighs, but never touching her where she needed to be touched. Frustrated, she tilted her hips up, angling them toward him. He placed his large palm between her hip bones and
pressed gently, forcing her back to down.
“Be patient,” he murmured, moving his hand to her inner thigh, his fingers digging into her flesh.
Yes, just a little closer, she begged him silently. Just a little more.
“You’re doing this on purpose,” she ground out.
“Tell me what you want then, Ava.” He spoke the words against her pussy, his hot breath teasing her.
She arched her back. “Right there,” she moaned. When he chuckled, she threaded her fingers through his hair and pulled him down.
He laughed again. “You know what you want.”
“I want you, Hunter,” she replied, panting. She sucked in a breath as his tongue darted out, dragging through her folds in slow, agonizing strokes. He settled into a steady rhythm, bringing Ava to the point of orgasm but not sending her over.
“Please,” she panted. “Please.”
Hunter’s mouth was suddenly back on hers and she could taste herself on him. His cock was once again nudging her pussy, sliding through her folds, through her arousal. Tilting her hips, she invited him in, throwing her head back when he slid inside her fully. Full. That’s how she felt when he was inside her. With his hands braced on either side of her head, he held himself above her, waiting. She stared into his blue eyes, seeing his wolf step forward for just a moment before sliding back into his mind.
“Are you ready?”
She nodded, anticipation riding her. She was more than ready for this. When he started moving, she felt every single inch of him.
“Holy...fuck,” Hunter hissed, his pace increasing until he was slamming into her. “I’m sorry,” he said, kissing her. He must’ve seen her frown, because he added, “I don’t think I’ll last that long.”
She felt a smile tug at her lips. “Just don’t stop.”
He grinned fiercely at her. “I don’t intend to.”
Hunter thrust in her, pushing them both closer and closer to the edge. Her orgasm caught her by surprise, making her scream out his name, her fingers digging into his shoulders. Dropping his head to her shoulder, he placed a kiss there before his hips flexed into her one more time. He came with a groan, his release triggering yet another one for her. She’d never had that happen before—coming after a man had come. Usually she was a come before or not at all kind of girl, but with Hunter, things were different. She could feel that, even now.
Then There Was You: A Single Parent Collection Page 176