Every muscle he had tensed and sweat poured down his temples. His balls emptied into his mate’s willing body, and a numbing sensation shot up his spine. He sputtered and gasped at the intensity, trying to catch his breath, but the pleasure went on and on.
When he could finally think again, he let go of Matt’s legs and collapsed onto his hands to keep from crushing Matt.
Matt’s eyes were closed, and his chest heaved up and down with each ragged breath. His pulse beat visibly in his neck, and he looked more breathtaking than a man had a right to. When he opened his eyes, they were shiny, brimming with moisture. Again his love shined through.
It stabbed Aubrey right in the heart.
With a featherlight touch, Matt’s fingers met Aubrey’s cheek.
Closing his eyes against the intense feelings, Aubrey rested his forehead on Matt’s. It was going to kill him to let go of this man. “Thank you, sugar.”
Chapter Twelve
Aubrey hadn’t wanted to leave Reynolds Hall Sunday afternoon. They’d spent most of the weekend seeing how many places they could fuck inside the mansion and out. By the time they’d gotten back to Atlanta Sunday evening, they’d both fallen into bed exhausted. But this morning…
Grinning from ear to ear, Aubrey rubbed his shoulder and leaned back in his chair. He took off his glasses and laid them on the desk. He still couldn’t believe Matt had bitten him. His cock perked right up thinking about those sexy dark-blue wolf eyes and the blissed-out expression—half-dazed, half-surprised—Matt always made before he climaxed. He’d gotten so wound up when they’d jerked each other off that he’d sunk his teeth into Aubrey’s deltoid. It had healed, since it was two hours ago, but the memory had kept him horny all morning.
He sighed and turned back to his laptop. This wasn’t a way to be productive, but daydreaming about Matt when he wasn’t around was habit-forming.
Where was Carson with the coffee? Aubrey sniffed, not smelling his EA or Starbucks. Carson was probably flirting with the barista boys. Good thing there wasn’t a coffee shop in the hotel, Aubrey would never get his assistant to work. Or maybe he’d get his coffee faster. Hmmm…now there was an idea, a coffee bar right in the hotel. It was trendy, catered to young as well as old and was another source of revenue.
After putting his glasses back on, Aubrey opened Safari and typed in coffee shops. Who did he know in that business? Obviously it would raise the cost of the renovations, but it might be worth it.
The chime rang indicating he had a text.
Digging into his coat pocket, he retrieved his phone, feeling all warm inside when he saw the message was from Matt.
aced my eng. exam, the message read.
Oh, a celebration was in order for tonight. They’d have a nice big dinner, something for dessert and then spend the rest of the night naked. Or maybe they’d get naked first, then dinner, then naked, then dessert and naked again. Aubrey rubbed his cock through his slacks. Naked was definitely on the agenda. Now that he’d had Matt he didn’t think he’d ever get enough.
Aubrey groaned. His erection wasn’t going away anytime soon if he kept thinking like that. Matt was inspiring. Not just that, he was uplifting, pun intended. No matter what else was going on with pack and work, the thought of his mate made him smile.
Aubrey texted back, congrats. knew u could do it. 2night we celebrate.
Matt responded with, yep. we celebrate u being promoted 2 alpha 2.
Aubrey set his phone down and went back to his computer. He didn’t even want to think about taking over the pack. What he wanted at the moment was to congratulate Matt in person. A celebratory kiss would really hit the spot right about now. Maybe he’d have Carson buy Matt something, like gourmet chocolates, to celebrate his success. Matt had a sweet tooth. Aubrey had found that out the hard way the other night. He’d gone to get a piece of chocolate out of his stash—that he’d hidden from Tara—only to learn that Matt had found it. Matt made Tara look like an amateur when it came to decimating chocolate stashes.
Picking up his phone to send his missing assistant a message, Aubrey caught a familiar scent. “Son of a bitch.” Maybe that was why Carson was MIA. Had he seen Boskie from across the street and decided to hang out in the coffee shop? Aubrey set his phone down and listened.
Boskie’s anger was obvious, not just from his scent, but his heavy footfalls. A confrontation was about to commence whether Aubrey wanted one or not. He supposed this finally answered the question of whether Boskie knew Carson was Aubrey’s new assistant.
The door banged open.
Aubrey took his glasses off and leaned back in his chair, crossing his hands over his abdomen. He’d like to kick Boskie’s ass for the rudeness. Not only was he the man’s boss but his Alpha as well. Who the fuck did Boskie think he was? He definitely needed to be put in his place.
“Where is he?” Adding to his rudeness, Boskie strode forward, planted his hands on Aubrey’s desk and glowered down at him.
“Who?” Aubrey wasn’t going to make this easy. “I assume you have a very good reason for your disrespect?”
“Don’t fuck with me. Where’s Carson?” He looked around before sticking his nose in the air and inhaling. “Whatever he told you is a lie. I demand you fire him this instant, or you will sorely regret it.”
It took every bit of self-control Aubrey had not to react. He’d be damned if a lower-ranking wolf gave him orders. He gave all of himself to his pack and employees. He expected at least a measure of respect in return. Only his knowledge that restraint and composure spoke of power more than giving into the emotional urge to do violence kept him rooted in his seat.
Giving the man a chance to compose himself and a few seconds to realize just who he was shouting at, Aubrey raised a brow, daring Boskie to continue.
“He has slandered my reputation, Aubrey.” Boskie’s tone softened marginally, but he retained his threatening stance. “What has he told you? Why in the hell did you hire him? You owe me an explanation.”
“I don’t owe you anything, Orin.” Keeping his voice and tone steady as though the confrontation meant nothing to him, Aubrey caught the older wolf’s gaze. He allowed his eyes to shift and shift back. It was only a small taste, but he knew Boskie would understand the show of power. Not many wolves could voluntarily shift body parts and certainly not that quickly. Aubrey had always tried to hide his abilities, but it was a moot point now. Orin obviously needed proof that Aubrey was capable of stepping into his dad’s shoes in pack issues as well as in business.
Boskie blinked, bowed his head and dropped into the chair opposite Aubrey. “I’m sorry.” His tone took on a more civil cadence and volume. “He’s lying about me. I was in the process of getting him fired from the Macon Buchanan. The next thing I know he quits, and I find out you’ve hired him as your executive assistant.”
That was more like it. “I needed a new assistant, and Carson applied for the job. He’s more than qualified, and I hired him. Whatever is going on between the two of you stops here and now. I will not have your personal problems affecting Reynolds Inc.”
Anger and resentment seeped back into Boskie’s posture, scent and expression. He pointed his finger. “Listen, Aub—”
Aubrey let more of the power he’d concealed for most of his life leak out, giving his fellow pack member a slightly bigger taste. He knew exactly what Boskie would feel, because he’d felt his dad’s and brother’s power. Theirs felt tingly, but by letting his power out suddenly it was probably more like a jolt, akin to being zapped. All werewolves could sense one another’s power. It was an ability unique to them, a way of determining hierarchy amongst themselves. It was a sort of sixth sense, like an aura. A wolf’s power hummed like an electric field. It was hard to hide one’s power, but it could be done.
It did the job. Lurching away, Boskie backed down.
“Do we have an understanding?”
Orin gave a crisp nod, stood and turned to leave. His spine stiffened, and his fist clenched at his s
ide before he faced Aubrey again. “You may be my Alpha, but this is a business matter.”
“Meaning?” Aubrey arched a brow. “Are you threatening me?”
Boskie didn’t say anything else, he just turned and walked away.
Carson had the unfortunate timing of entering with the coffees at that exact moment. When he spotted Orin, he gasped and backpedaled. His eyes widened.
Aubrey frowned at Carson’s sudden and intense reaction. Surely Carson knew Boskie couldn’t hurt him here.
Boskie didn’t say a word to Carson, just grabbed him by the throat and shoved as he walked past.
Son of a bitch. Aubrey jumped up and raced around the desk.
Carson’s back hit the open door with a thud and propelled it into the wall behind. He juggled the cups, only sloshing a little coffee out before catching his balance. As it was, the door hitting the wall was what saved him from landing on his ass. He ended up with his back pressed up against the door and his feet out wide about three feet in front of his body.
Aubrey took the cups from Carson, allowing him to right himself. “Are you okay?” He glanced out the door at Boskie’s retreating back. Bastard.
“Yeah.” Carson didn’t sound okay. His voice shook.
Aubrey closed the door and crossed the room to his desk. He set the cups down and motioned to Carson to join him. Sitting in his chair, he waited for Carson to take the seat Boskie had vacated. What a clusterfuck.
“What the hell was he doing here?” After pushing Aubrey’s cup toward him, Carson grabbed his own and sat.
“He wanted me to know you’re lying and that I should fire you.”
Carson hung his head. “Yeah, I kinda figured. He left me a message last night saying if I didn’t quit, he’d make sure you never got those votes for the improvements.”
Big surprise there. Aubrey took a sip of coffee, letting the rich dark taste flow over his tongue. What he wouldn’t do for a swig of scotch right now. “I’m not worried about it. My proposal is a good one. Boskie’s only hope is to call in favors.” Which was a possibility. Maybe Aubrey should try and find out what Boskie had on all the other CEOs.
“I’m sorry, Aubrey. I should resign. I don’t want to cause you problems.”
No way in hell would Aubrey allow Carson to resign now. He wasn’t giving in to Boskie. It had become a principle thing. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a little worried, but he was determined. When he put his mind to something, he did it, end of story. “Not a chance. In fact, I’m adding more work on your plate. I need you to find out what you can about running coffee shops.”
Turning his coffee around and around in his hand, Carson grinned. His frightened scent eased up. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Go get to work. I want to look into adding a coffee bar in the Atlanta Buchanan. I need to know everything about coffee shops.”
“That’s a great idea.” Carson stood. “I’m on it. By the end of the day you’ll know more about coffee than you ever wanted to.” He made it all the way to the door before turning back. “One more thing. Don’t forget that you have that shareholders’ party next week. You need to get your tux cleaned.”
Damn. He’d forgotten all about that. It was the perfect opportunity to talk up his proposal. “Do me a favor and make an appointment for Matt to get fitted for a tux. Call his cell and make sure you find a good time for him. I’ll let him know to expect your call.”
Carson’s smile was beatific, and Aubrey swore he heard a dreamy sigh.
“What?”
“You’re taking Matt as your date? Does this mean…”
Aubrey groaned. “No, it does not mean that.” Come to think of it, it would look odd if he showed up with just Matt. Shit. “Call Tara and tell her about the party. See if she can wrangle up a date for Matt too.”
“Oh.” Carson’s smile slipped. “Okay. I’ll get on it.”
“What?” Aubrey growled.
Carson shrugged. “Nothing. I was just hoping this meant you were settling down. I really like him. He feels right for you.”
Aubrey grinned before he thought better of it. Matt was perfect for him. “You know better. When did you become such a romantic?”
Again, Carson shrugged. “He’s not going to be upset that you’re taking Tara as a date, is he?”
“No.” Why would he? Aubrey frowned. He hadn’t even considered that. There could be no hint of his relationship with Matt now. There never could be, but especially not now. He needed the shareholders on his side. Boskie wasn’t going to let up. This was going to become an all-out war. Orin would be out for blood.
Matt tossed his backpack on the couch and stood in the middle of the living room for several minutes. Raking his hands through his hair, he stared at the closed blinds. The darkness did nothing to make him feel better. He was on edge. His skin actually crawled with it. After tossing the motorcycle keys on the end table, he picked up the window remote and opened the blinds. The view wasn’t as beautiful and peaceful as in the country, but it was still pretty cool. It didn’t improve his mood much though.
He wandered into the kitchen. Sugar made everything better. Someone forgot to tell his mom that though. Why did she act so callous? Was starting a fight with their dad in front of the younger boys really necessary? Couldn’t it wait until they were in bed? He, Logan and Chris could handle it, but the little ones didn’t understand. To them she was still Mommy. Now that she wasn’t working, Eddie even spent time with her during the day when the others were at school.
Turning on the pantry light, Matt did a halfhearted search. His dad, at least, took the arguments outside or sent everyone off for ice cream. Matt moved a box of Wheat Thins aside.
Where was Aubrey? Matt turned his head to see the clock on the microwave above the stove. 5:22. He went back to his search. Aubrey ate too healthy. All his snacks were sort of good, like granola bars, Triscuits and cashews. Where were all the chips and cookies? Matt needed chips and cookies.
Abandoning his hunt, he closed the pantry door and grabbed a water bottle out of the fridge. He snagged a pillow off the couch and parked his butt in front of the dining-room table to look out the window.
He loved it here, loved being with Aubrey. He should be happy. Why did Logan have to call and ruin his day? Matt had passed his English exam. He was getting closer to his mate. Everything was going well except now he felt guilty. He should be home to take care of his brothers. Distance was supposed to rid him of that responsibility, but it hadn’t. It only meant that he was too far away to do anything about it.
According to Logan, last night their mom had thrown a hissy fit at dinner when their dad had told her she needed to stay home. She’d thrown her fork across the table at him and barely missed Scott with it. Then she’d told Dad to go to hell and that she wanted a divorce.
Lying on his stomach, Matt folded his hands together and rested his chin on them. He pressed his forehead against the glass and closed his eyes. Mom bringing up divorce was nothing new, but the violence was escalating. More and more it was her initiating the fights instead of both of them. How could two people live like that? They were both miserable.
A honk made Matt open his eyes. He gazed down at the traffic without really seeing it, then turned his head to the side and rested it on the pillow. He stared into the distance at the clouds. They were so white and puffy. It was a pretty day, or it would be if his stomach didn’t hurt. His parents were going to give him gray hair. How ironic. He nearly laughed at that.
Maybe in a few years, when Aubrey told everyone they were mates, Matt could bring his brothers to live with them. There was plenty of room at Reynolds Hall. Martha and Joanna would spoil them rotten. He, Aubrey and Howard could teach them to be wolves. Dad would never willingly give them up though. He may suck as a husband, but he was a hell of a father. Unfortunately, their mom was neither a good wife nor a good mother.
Matt sighed, trying not to let his frustration get to him. It wouldn’t be fair to stick Aubr
ey with a bunch of kids anyway.
As if the thought conjured him, the front door clicked open.
Matt rolled to his side to see his mate. He looked untouchable and stuffy in that sleek dark suit, but Matt knew better. Boy, did Matt know better. This weekend had been every fantasy Matt had ever had rolled into one. Making love surpassed his imagination. He didn’t know if it was because they were mates or because Aubrey was very sensual, but it had been sublime.
Strolling into the living room with his laptop case and a grocery bag, Aubrey looked around. He caught sight of Matt and grinned as he dropped his laptop bag next to Matt’s backpack. “Hi.”
“Hi. Is that dinner?”
“This?” Aubrey lifted the plastic bag and started across the living room. “Nope. Tonight is pizza night. This is for you.” He held the bag out to Matt and jiggled it until Matt sat up. “And from the looks of you, you need it.” After Matt took the bag, Aubrey sat down. “What happened?”
The bag held lots and lots of chocolate. There were M&M’s, Hershey’s Kisses, Snickers, Reese’s and several other brands. The sack bulged with bags of the fun-sized candies.
“You rock.” Matt smiled and pulled out the Snickers. His foul mood lightened. It wasn’t that he had chocolate—chocolate was balm for the soul—but because Aubrey had thought of him. This was the second time he’d come home with something especially for Matt.
“I was going to send Carson to the gourmet chocolate shop down the street from the office, but Boskie came in and fucked that up. So I went by the grocery store on the way home. Thought you deserved something for acing your English exam.” Aubrey cupped Matt’s cheek, leaned forward and kissed his nose. He lingered, rubbing Matt’s cheekbone with his thumb. “What’s wrong, sugar?”
“What did Boskie want?”
“Forget that. I’ll tell you about it later. What happened between this afternoon and now that has you in a funk?”
With Abandon: With or Without, Book 4 Page 15