by Vella Day
Easy woman.
She patted his shoulder. “That was awesome,” she said.
As much as he wanted to keep licking her, she’d weakened his control. Dalton crawled on top of her, putting his weight on his elbows. “I hope you aren’t done?”
She winked. “Never. Just taking a breather.”
*
Anna should never have questioned Dalton’s integrity. He had two good reasons for not telling her about Meredith being her mother. And to think he understood her well enough to know she’d be upset was beyond wonderful. No doubt about it, she loved Dalton Garner. His bringing over the picnic lunch was even more proof that they belonged together.
She stroked his head as he played with her hair. He lifted the strands to his nose and inhaled. “You smell so good,” he whispered.
His tender touch and wonderful words excited her as much as any lick could. “Would you like some reciprocating love?” she asked.
He looked up, his brows pinched. “Does that mean you want to suck on my dick?”
She had to work hard not to laugh. “Yes, I want to make love to your hard tumescent shaft.”
He cracked up, just as she’d hoped. His glow ebbed for a moment and then grew again. “Only if you want to, but I’m ready to burst as it is.”
She loved his taste and how much power she felt when she pumped her fist and sucked on him hard.
Dalton rolled over and folded his hands behind his head, looking super sexy. Already his chest hair was sprinkled with his tiger’s white hairs, and his teeth had sharpened.
Don’t get distracted. He won’t last long. Even Anna could sense his urgency.
“You got that right,” he telepathed back.
Damn, she needed to remember he could hear her thoughts when she was thinking about him.
When she drew him into her mouth, her inner walls cramped with need. Ever since the first time he bit her, her body had slowly been changing, and she could almost feel her own tiger growing from within. With every day that passed, she yearned to be with him more and more.
On the next stroke and lick of her tongue, a dribble of cum trickled into her mouth. He was so about to explode. As Anna readied to crawl on top of him, he slipped out from under her and growled. Ooh, she’d excited the Alpha in him.
“Get on your elbows and knees,” he commanded.
Oh, how she loved when he came from behind. Obeying, she did as he asked. As he leaned over her, he widened her legs and pressed his cock against her opening. Her heart swelled with love for him.
Cupping her breasts and rolling her nipples between his fingers, he plunged in, stretching her way too wide. “Ah, it’s too big,” she managed to eke out.
“All the better to love you with, my dear,” answered Dalton.
When he kissed her neck, she relaxed those inner muscles that had a firm grip on him, and the slight pain subsided. Slowly he withdrew, but continued to nibble on her neck all the while gently pinching and pulling on her sensitive nipples. His tender touch, along with his scent and his larger-than-life presence made her wild with need. Anna pressed her hips back to signal she was ready, and the next thrust sent spikes of lust all over her body. Her hands and arms pulsed blue as he drove into her again and again. The hairs on his chest turned coarser and his palms on her breasts, rougher.
Maybe it was her imagination, but when she ran her tongue along her teeth, they’d sharpened too. Holy hell.
“Anna, I love you,” he whispered, his lips pressed against the shell of her ear.
The emotion from today along with his loving words caused tears of joy to well up in her eyes. “Back at you.” she telepathed, unable to speak.
She did love him, but saying the words was so very hard for her.
Dalton scraped his teeth against her neck as he tunneled into her, and joy spread over every inch of her body.
“Oh, baby.” Dalton wrapped his arms around her waist and sunk his teeth into her neck. A moment later, his hot seed filled her, and her orgasm claimed her hard, taking her to new heights.
Grabbing her elbows to keep balanced, a strong vision of the two of them racing in a field filled her head. As they loped together, total bliss came rushing into her. Never had she been so happy. They were mates forever.
Chapter Twenty-Two
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For the next few days, Anna remained beyond happy. She’d found her birth mother, and Dalton told her he loved her. Life couldn’t get any better than that. To quell the naysayers, she and Merry—Mom—decided to have their blood tested, but Anna wasn’t worried. She was confident it would prove she was Merry’s daughter.
The only negative right now was that Dalton had to spend a lot of time keeping a close eye on the remaining suspects for Crystal Wedgewood’s murder. She understood he had a job to do, but the timing sucked since she didn’t like being away from him when their relationship was still in its infancy. While the white moon had yet to appear, she swore her tiger was developing, which meant her intense desire for him was hard to deny.
It was close to four o’clock and because business had slowed so much, Elana decided to leave early. She said she was missing Aiden. Anna was okay with that. It gave her more time to dream about Dalton while she cleaned up.
Close to closing, her cell rang. It was Jillian. “Hey, stranger,” Anna said, hopping up onto the back counter.
“I know, right? Work has been crazy, but I thought if I wait until work slows down, I’d never call. I was wondering if you wanted to grab some dinner and a drink tonight. I know Dalton is working crazy late hours.”
“He is. I’d love to do dinner,” Anna said. “Where and when?”
“You okay with McKinnon’s Pub and Pool?”
“Sure.”
“How about tonight at 7:00? Or is that too late? I have a ton of work I want to finish before I relax,” Jillian said.
“Sounds perfect.” Returning to the pub would bring back a happy memory, since it was where she and Dalton had their first date. Because of his busy schedule, they had yet to return and play another game.
As soon as Jillian disconnected, she texted Dalton to say she was going to practice at the shooting range and then go out with his sister. Anna wouldn’t be surprised if he had been instrumental in setting up the date since he was always saying how guilty he felt when he had to work late.
After she closed up the shop, Anna rushed upstairs to her apartment to change. While she was meeting Jillian for drinks and some dinner, afterward she planned to stop over and see Dalton, so she wanted to look her best. Yesterday, she’d splurged and bought this cute turquoise bra and panty set that matched the roses on her tattoo, and she couldn’t wait to model it for him.
To mask the surprise, she pulled on a pair of jeans and a rather plain, body-fitting pink top. Once ready, she headed to the shooting range, hoping to feel closer to him. It was where he’d first asked her out, yet Anna hadn’t been back since that time. Even though no one had threatened her life recently, it wouldn’t hurt to hone her skills.
The image of those snarling wolves at the bookstore surfaced, and she decided to revamp her opinion about not having been threatened. Thank goodness Sam had shown up when he did and performed his mind voodoo on those Changelings, or she might have been injured or killed, especially since she’d been too freaked out to run. Even if she had a gun with her, she doubted she would have had the time to draw the pistol and shoot.
Once at the range, she rushed inside, excited to practice since it might be something she and Dalton could do together in the future. Most of the stations were free, so she stepped to the end lane and set her gun on the counter. Once she loaded it, she tried to remember everything Dalton had taught her about the grip and her stance.
Confident she was ready, she shot off a round. However, when she checked her success, it wasn’t as good as she’d hoped. For the next half hour, Anna focused more, pretending those snarling wolves were the target instead of a black outline of a man.
&n
bsp; When her arms grew tired, she set down her weapon. Only then did she notice that Linda Darnell was practicing in one of the booths. That was cool. It was nice to see another woman at the range honing her skills.
Anna had to meet Jillian in ten minutes, so she stashed her gun and headgear and stepped to the rear to watch Linda shoot for a few seconds. She had nice form, but her accuracy needed work. Not wanting to disturb her concentration, Anna left.
Her Jetta was parked near the street, and as she wove her way through the cars in the lot, some sixth sense shot up. It was the same creepy feeling she had when she and Dalton had approached the bookstore the night the Clan dug up the sardonyx.
Suddenly, a wave of dizziness assaulted her, forcing her to stop for a moment to regain her balance. It was warm outside compared to the shooting range, but not so hot to make her woozy. Had she stepped on a place where sardonyx was located? She’d have to ask Jackson about it later. Needing the calming effect of the pink quartz stone, she shoved a hand into her pocket, only to remember she’d left it at home. Great.
Move. Jillian is waiting. Anna looked around, but didn’t see anything that screamed danger. Stepping away from this area that made her ill, her composure returned. As she neared her car, she spotted three men in a black SUV two spots from where she was parked. Something about them set her on edge, so she dug her hand into her purse and clutched the gun.
“Anna, are you okay?” Dalton telepathed.
She nearly jumped out of her skin, but then remembered that she and Dalton could communicate telepathically. “I’m not sure.” He might have sensed her short-lived illness. “Three men are just sitting in a car near mine.”
“Where are you? What are they doing?” His tone came out almost strangled.
“I was just leaving the shooting range when I sensed something that made me dizzy. I think it might have been some sardonyx. As I was trying to compose myself, I noticed the black SUV with them watching me, but they aren’t doing anything. Oh shit, I take that back. One of them is opening his door.”
“Casually turn around and act as if you forgot something inside the range,” Dalton commanded. “I need time to get there.”
The other two men jumped out of the car and came toward her. “Ah, I don’t think I have time.”
Not waiting for Dalton to give her further instructions, Anna took off and was in the woods behind the building before she bet they’d even reached where she’d been standing. Given her speed, she could evade them better being in the open.
Heart pounding from the exertion and sheer panic, she was rather pleased with herself for evading them. The trees were thick and the underbrush dense, making it hard to move about. Well, this sucks.
Shouts sounded, and she swore one of them called her by name. Her pulse shot sky high. “Ah…Dalton, what should I do?”
“Where are you now?”
Duh, he might be able to hear her, but he couldn’t see her. “I’m in the woods behind the building, but it’s really dense in here. I can’t move about very well.”
“Hide somewhere, but don’t make any noise. They’ll be able to trace your whereabouts if you do.”
Really? She couldn’t take a step without crushing a downed branch. “Okay.”
“She went this way,” one of the men said as they rounded the building. “Let’s split up.”
Well, that wasn’t good. Think, think. At least this time she had a gun and could move fast—real fast.
“Dalton, if I shoot one, will I get into trouble?” she asked.
“No, baby, but let’s not resort to that. I’m on my way now.”
She might not have a choice. They were closing in on her. Hiding didn’t seem to be an option either. She’d have to make a run for it—assuming she didn’t impale herself on a branch.
If they shifted, she didn’t think she’d be able to shoot all of them before one of them attacked. From what Elana had said, bullets didn’t affect the shifters like they did people or regular animals. Well, crap.
Anna studied the terrain trying to decide which way to go. North seemed to be her best option. She’d make noise but that couldn’t be helped. As Anna took off, the whizzing of a gunshot close to her head nearly stopped her heart. Bastards.
“Are you okay?,” Dalton asked.
Not emotionally. “Someone shot at me. Should I try to shoot my way out?”
“Crap. You’re not ready for a showdown.”
He might be right.
Because she’d moved so fast, she had a good minute to think things through before they caught up with her again. If she managed to climb a tree in time, she wouldn’t be able to really hide. Even in their human form, their sense of smell would be acute.
She wished she knew why they were after her, though knowing the reason wouldn’t help her out of this dilemma. It had to be those Changelings. They probably wanted retribution after the failed attempt at retrieving the sardonyx.
Indecision about her next move assaulted her. If she ran too far from the gun range, Dalton might not be able to find her. Her best bet would be to take a wide path to the west and circle back. She might even be able to reach her car before they gave up looking for her.
“I’m at the shooting range now,” Dalton telepathed. “I’ll head north.”
She told him her plan, but just as she was about to take off again, three wolves appeared. “Ah, Dalton, they’re here. And they’ve shifted.”
“Stay where you are.”
What? They were gaining ground. “Why?”
“So I can use you to find them and take them down.”
He better know what he was talking about. “I’ll try.”
Her heart lodged solidly in her throat, Anna hid behind a tree, all the while keeping the animals in sight. They were coming at her from three different directions. Damn. Dalton would never make it here in time.
With her gun hand pressed up against the tree for better support, she waited for them to reach her. Her plan was to kill the closest one before taking off.
A slight sound behind her had her heart dropping to her stomach. She spun around and aimed the gun at the noise. Two of the most beautiful white tigers approached, and she nearly dropped to her knees.
“I didn’t know you would bring Jillian,” she telepathed.
The smaller of the two swiped a paw in the air.
“Stay where you are, and for goddess sake, don’t shoot,” Dalton said.
At his rather lighthearted comment she nearly laughed from the relief.
“I promise.”
“You might not want to look either.”
At that comment, she didn’t respond. As the two tigers emerged into a small clearing, the three wolves stopped and glanced at each other. She expected the cowards to turn tail and run, but instead they remained where they were, their chests puffed out and their heads high. Having seen what Dalton did against the wolves at the bookstore, these wolves didn’t stand a chance, especially since there were two tigers. The Changelings had to know this was a suicide mission. On the other hand, they seemed arrogant enough to think they could win.
Dalton’s and Jillian’s tigers didn’t move. Instead, they waited, probably to see what the wolves would do. Then, as if the three wolves could communicate telepathically, they charged Dalton and Jillian. Anna closed her eyes.
Yelps and growls sounded, forcing her to look. She winced a few times when one of the wolf’s claws gouged Dalton’s side, but for the most part, the wolves didn’t stand a chance. In less than a minute, all three wolves were collapsed onto the ground, blood covering their bodies. None had died however.
The two victorious tigers turned and headed back toward her. “Why didn’t you finish them off?” she telepathed.
“It would only bring more. Besides, I want them to return to their leaders and tell them not to mess with you ever again or death would be guaranteed.”
He did have a point. “What should I do now? The wolves will recover, and I don’t want to head back
and then have them find me.”
“Follow us,” Dalton telepathed.
Both of them shot forward so fast, she lost them for a second. Anna rushed after them, and by the time she reached them, both had shifted and were pulling on their clothes.
She placed a hand on Jillian’s arm. “Thank you. I guess this wasn’t what you meant when you said you wanted to get together and catch up.”
“No, but I’m glad I came.”
Dalton embraced Anna. “You sure you’re okay?”
“I am now, though admittedly I was scared shitless.”
He smiled. “I could tell.”
Dalton kissed her forehead and stepped back. “I asked Jillian to come because I didn’t want a fight. I was hoping they’d take one look at us and run.”
“They were stupid not to.”
“Agreed,” he and Jillian said in unison.
“So, anyone up for dinner?” Anna asked. “I’m starving.”
“Absolutely,” Dalton said.
Blood was seeping through his pants. “You’re bleeding.”
Dalton waved an arm. “I know. I’ll have to stop at home first.” He turned to his sister. “You want to join us?”
“Don’t you two want to be alone?”
“I always want to be alone with Anna, but since she’s hungry, I need a reason not to ravish her. Why don’t you ask Brian to join us?”
“I will. Hopefully, I can pull him away from the dresser he’s making.”
“Meet us at the pub in say twenty minutes.”
Jillian smiled then shot off. Dalton turned to her. “Ready?”
“You bet.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
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