When he finally lifted his head, there was a fine sheen of sweat on his brow, his cheeks flushed. She kissed him softly and sweetly, savoring this moment. He rolled off her, tucking her against his side. Stroking her arm, they just laid there, staring up at the blue sky above them, the clouds rolling across it lazily.
“Thank you,” he murmured.
“For what?”
“For calling me out on my own shit.”
She smiled. “I get it. I’ve seen grief. I know what it looks like. But I’ve also seen acceptance and forgiveness and resolution. The death of a loved one might seem like the end of your life, but it’s really just the start of a new chapter in the book you call life.”
“Huh,” he replied. “I hadn’t thought of it that way.”
Turning into the line of his body, she threw her arm over his stomach and laid her head on his chest. They both fell silent, each of them lost in their own thoughts.
Hunter asked, “When would you like to return to Seattle?”
Ava propped herself up on to her elbow. “Are you letting me leave?”
He eyed her. “I’ve seen how much control you have over your wolf. I think you’re ready.”
Did he want her to go? Hell, did she want to go? She’d never considered staying behind, never thought there was anything worth staying behind for.
“Great,” she replied, although her heart wasn't in it. She was afraid her heart suddenly belonged to him.
11
Hunter threaded his fingers with Ava’s, a searing heat forming between their clasped palms. They were on their way back to his cottage after spending a couple of hours laid out on that blanket, switching between making love and just...talking.
She was an intelligent woman, one driven not by her emotions as most females were. Whip-smart and funny, she challenged him and made him laugh, even though he’d only known her for a matter of weeks. Thinking back to how it was with Natasha, maybe a few weeks was all it took.
He cleared his throat, torturing himself with what he was about to ask her. “When do you think you’ll leave?” He felt her staring at him, her gaze stripping him bare.
“Do you want me to go?”
His head jerked around. “No. Of course not.”
Her eyes moved over his face, looking for something he wasn’t sure was there. She opened her mouth to speak, closed it then looked away.
“Ava?”
She sucked in a breath. “Tomorrow.” She looked at him. “I’ll leave tomorrow.”
He nodded slowly, turning to face forward once more. She squeezed his hand, making him turn to look at her.
“What are you thinking?”
“I didn’t think you would leave so soon.” He didn’t want her to leave so soon—not when he finally threw off his doubts and guilt.
Ava studied him with such intensity before shrugging. “There’s nothing for me here, is there?”
What did she want from him? His body—yes, clearly—but was he ready to give her more? “We could use a doctor in the pack,” he offered weakly.
Why couldn’t he just tell her he wanted her to stay, to be with him, to learn to love him and his scarred soul.
She shrugged, her face going perfectly blank and unreadable. “I don’t think that’s a good enough reason.”
He bit the inside of his cheek. “I’ll miss having you around then.”
A small crease formed between her eyes before disappearing. “I’ll miss you and Grace too.”
She let go of his hand and walked ahead. He watched the hem of his shirt swinging with her gait, revealing glimpses of her tight ass and the remnants of his fingers digging into her flesh.
When they arrived back at the cottage, Ava walked straight inside and up the stairs. No doubt she was going to pack now that he’d given her the all clear. He supposed he could always rescind his permission for her to leave but dismissed the thought as soon as it had appeared. He had to start acting like the alpha he was.
Swiping up his shirt from the bench beside the door, he pulled it over his head, bundled the rest of his clothes under his arm and went inside.
“How was it?” his mom asked, bringing Grace through to him.
Dumping his clothes onto the back of the couch, he held out his arms for Grace, peppering her face with kisses and making her laugh.
His mom touched Gracey on the head lovingly. “Did you find the answers you were looking for?”
He frowned over his daughter’s head. “I didn’t ask any questions.”
“Oh?” she replied. “I could’ve sworn you did.”
Hunter glanced up at the mezzanine, wondering what Ava was doing right now. Was she packing, or was she considering his offer of staying as the pack’s physician? She herself had said she was passionate about postnatal care and women’s health. His pack needed her.
“How are we going with finding a doctor for the pack?” he asked his mother.
“Well, we’re not, Hunter. What are our options, get a human in here and swear them to secrecy?”
His eyes found their way back to Ava’s space in his house. His bed should’ve been her space, but he couldn’t seem to summon the courage to ask her to stay.
His mom touched his face, breaking his thoughts. “Where were you?” She looked up at the mezzanine. “Ah, I see,” she replied, answering her own question. “How are things going with Ava?”
“There’s nothing going on between me and Ava,” he said sharply. When his mom’s brows rose in question, he sighed, adding, “I think I blew it.”
She nodded in the direction of the door, telling him they should step outside. He took a seat on the porch swing, sitting Grace beside him, while his mother sat on an adjacent bench.
“Tell me what happened.”
His eyes darted to her, but somehow telling his own mother he’d just had sex multiple times with their temporary visitor seemed wrong.
“Oh, I see,” she murmured, looking out onto the grass in front of them. “Tell me something, son, how do you feel when you’re with Ava?”
“Frustrated and irritated,” he began. “But also like the weight of my responsibilities and my grief isn’t as heavy at the same time.”
His mother hummed in understanding. “And how is her wolf? Is she in control of her?”
“Yes. I didn’t expect anything less from her, though. Her professionalism translates well to her control.”
“And what of her reaction to you, son?”
He began shaking his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Does her wolf submit to you?”
Submit? “No,” he replied softly. She didn’t submit to him, yet she wasn’t a threat to him either. This had only happened once before—with Natasha.
“Have you seen how her wolf reacts to me?”
He stared at her. “No.”
“She won’t look me in the eye. She supplicates herself to me like any low-ranking wolf would.”
Hunter shook his head, trying to ignore the truth. “That doesn’t mean anything.”
“Doesn’t it?”
Shaking his head, he focused his attention on Grace, who was happily inspecting a ladybug that had flown onto her bare toes.
“When is she leaving?”
Clearing his throat, he said, “Tomorrow.”
“And are you planning on stopping her at all?”
“Why would I do that?”
She scoffed softly and stood up. Hunter watched her walk to the edge of the balcony, her hands resting on the railing. “You need her, Hunter.” Turning around, she pinned him with a stare that only a mother could deliver. “You need her and she needs to hear it from your lips.”
“I can’t, Mom.”
“Why not?”
If only life were that simple. “I can’t ask her to stay here when she has a life in Seattle. She’s a top surgeon. She wouldn’t want to stay here with us.”
“Not even if you asked her?”
He sighed. “It’s
going to be just me and Grace, I think. That’s all I need.”
Ava stepped away from the door. She’d never been one to eavesdrop on conversations, and truly, that hadn’t been her intention, but she’d heard every single word spoken between Hunter and his mother. He wanted her to stay—she’d heard as much—but the stubborn fool would never tell her. He was right about one thing, though. She did have a life and a job in Seattle that she needed to return to. She just wasn’t sure that’s what she wanted to do now.
She retreated back to the safety of her room, pulling out the clothes she’d bought... Christ, only a week ago. So much had happened. So much had changed. Folding one of Casey’s borrowed shirts, she placed it on the bed and sat down. Her and Hunter’s relationship was a strange one, although relationship might be the wrong word.
It felt as if whatever they had shared was an intensified, pressure-cooker version. She had to face it, she’d only known him for a matter of weeks. Feelings and emotions didn’t develop that quickly, did they?
Mate.
Ava wanted to roll her eyes, but somehow, instinctively, she knew her wolf was whispering the truth. Which made things even more difficult Grabbing a pair of underwear, she folded them and added them to the pile. Downstairs, she heard the front door open and close.
Her stomach growled too loudly in her quiet little corner of the house. She supposed shifting and having sex multiple times did burn some calories. Ignoring the desire to eat and get Hunter on his back again, she continued to pack, ducking downstairs quickly to retrieve her shampoo and conditioner from the shower stall. When her eyes lingered on Hunter’s body wash, she wondered what her life would look like if seeing that on a daily basis became normal.
She heaved a sigh and turned around, only to find him waiting for her in the doorway.
“Are you packing?”
She glanced down at the bottles in her hand. “As you can see.”
“Right. Well, I was wondering if you’d join me for dinner tonight.”
She frowned. “Don’t we normally have dinner together?”
“I meant alone. We won’t go to the main house.”
Oh. “And you’re cooking?”
He smiled slightly. “I can cook. So will you join me? My mother is taking Grace for me.”
Hugging the bottles closer to her body, she asked, “Like a date?”
That statement seemed to shock him before he recovered smoothly with a smile. “If you’d like it to be.”
She did want it to be a date, but he’d already made his mind up. He wouldn’t pursue her. “It seems kind of strange.”
“In what way?”
“Well, we’d be working backward. We already did living together and sex. Now we’re going to have a date?”
He chuckled softly, bringing a smile to her face. “I guess so… Still, will you join me?”
She nodded; afraid her voice might betray her. Clearing her throat, Ava said, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to finish packing.”
She brushed past him on her way out, a frisson of heat slamming into her body. She stopped, turning her head to face him. Hunter was staring at her, his wolf front and center. Licking her lips, her eyes darted to his mouth just as a low growl rumbled from his chest.
“Tell me you feel it, Ava. Tell me I’m not the only one.”
She swallowed. “You’re not.”
He stared at her for an interminable amount of time, a thousand thoughts clearly running through his head. His arm snaked around her waist as he turned and pressed her against the doorframe. The shampoo bottles fell from her arms, clattering to the floor at her feet. The sharp angles of the jamb bit into her back, but with the wall of muscle standing in front her, she couldn’t bring herself to care.
Very slowly, he leaned in, claiming her mouth. His kiss was punishing, dominating all her senses. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers running through his hair at the base of his skull. There was another growl, possessive and holding so much promise. When his mouth trailed down her neck, she moaned, urging him to go lower, to take what he wanted from her. If this was going to be their last time together, he was going to make it count, damn it.
Wrapping his hands around her thighs, he picked her up, positioning her legs around his waist. His erection pushed persistently against her core, causing her to moan once again. He walked them into the living room, sitting her down on the couch. He hovered above her, his eyes dancing from blue to yellow then back again. Lifting his arms, he pulled his shirt up over his head, her eyes drifting down to take him all in, her tongue darting out when they reached the V in his hips. With a wicked grin, he dropped his sweats and dropped to his knees in front of her.
“Lift,” he murmured, indicating she needed to lose the pants she’d slid on as soon as she’d come back to the cottage. Pressing down on her hands, she lifted her hips into the air, sucking in a breath when he pulled on the waistband and slid them down her legs. His eyes were fixed on the juncture between her thighs, his nostrils flaring to take in her scent. God, she could smell it herself—her arousal, her absolute desire for this male.
Spreading her wide, he just stared at her for a moment, a feral look in his eyes.
“I could spend hours here,” he told her in a low voice edged with lust.
Her head rolled back when his tongue darted out to taste her for the first time. He slid through her folds, sucking in her clit and humming in satisfaction. The vibrations shot through her, forcing a moan from her throat. At her sides, she balled her hands into fists, trying to suppress her screams. Her hips jerked off the couch, forcing Hunter to spread his hand across her abdomen and ease her back down again. His hand was so large that his thumb and little finger touched her from hip bone to hip bone.
Hunter settled in, hooking her legs over his shoulders and concentrating his efforts between her thighs. She never really enjoyed this. Most of the men she’d been intimate with either avoided going down there altogether or were so clumsy that she forbid them to go down on her again. Hunter, though... He was something else. He could stay down there for as long as he wanted.
Sliding one finger into her, he started to pump, matching the pace with his tongue. Ava’s back bowed, her body trying to keep up with his punishing tempo. Her orgasm surprised her, though. She thought it would take a lot more, but as soon as Hunter bit down and sucked on her clit while simultaneously curling the finger inside her up into a hook shape, she came apart. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, seeing stars. When they finally opened again, she gasped, staring down her body to find Hunter rubbing the head of his cock through her slick folds.
His eyes tracked its movement for a moment before they lifted to her face. She stood up on shaky legs, taking off her shirt and turning around. She kneeled on the couch, resting her arms on the back, and spread her knees out wide. Hunter didn’t do anything for a moment. She peered over her shoulder at him. He was just staring at her. Reaching out, he ran his index finger down her spine, making her shiver. In the next breath, he reached out and wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, his fingers firm. Ava gasped, surprised by how her body reacted to that pressure. She was turned on by this. Hunter pressed a kiss to her shoulder, biting the space between her shoulder and neck.
In one smooth motion, he sank inside her, driving himself to the hilt. Every single inch of her was alight, her senses firing with the overload of absolute pleasure. Withdrawing from her, she felt his absence before he was filling her once again. She braced herself, absorbing every single thrust, every grunt of pleasure.
His free hand slid along her ribs, coming up to cup one of her breasts, kneading her sensitive flesh in time to his thrusts. He pulled her to him, kissing her neck and back, whispering words she couldn’t decipher. Honestly, she didn’t care. This was pure ecstasy. Her eyes slid shut, her mind lost in pleasure until she felt something sharp press against her throat. There was a swipe of something wet, and she realized it was Hunter’s tongue, his mouth clamped on the column o
f her throat.
She tilted her head to the side, giving him more access. Ava sucked in a hiss when his teeth sank home, the sharp tang of blood hanging on the air. He groaned, his hips jerking unsteadily for a moment before he was spilling inside of her. He lapped at the wound he’d created, stopping the bleeding and deadening the sting of his bite.
She didn’t know what this meant—this mark he’d given her. All she knew was she’d let him do it again and again and again. Willingly.
12
Ava slid from Hunter’s bed early the next morning. After they’d made love, he’d doted on her, cooking her dinner while insisting she take a long soak in the claw-foot bath. She’d done as he’d asked, only to give her some space to breathe and think. Last night, she’d made up her mind about leaving the Alfheim territory, but now, she wasn’t sure that’s what she wanted to do. At least, not permanently.
Padding from his room, she crept up the stairs, finding some clothes to put on. She glanced over at the wad of bills Hunter gave her last night while they were having dinner. It was money she could use to buy a plane or train ticket so she could return to Seattle. He’d said there were no strings attached to that money; it was simply for her to get back home.
But what if this now felt like home?
She looked around the room, smiling. Despite her horrible start in this life, everything had worked out so beautifully that she couldn’t dismiss the idea that it was almost meant to be. Shaking the thoughts from her head, she started to pack her clothes into the spare bag Hunter had given her. There was no use second-guessing things now. She’d booked a taxi to come and get her in ten minutes.
She zipped up the bag, hauling it downstairs as quietly as she could. She took a moment to tame her hair and wash her face. She just hoped Hunter would understand.
Then There Was You: A Single Parent Collection Page 177