by Olivia Arran
I ended the phone call, grabbed my purse, and ran out into the rain-slicked streets of London. If I was being completely honest with myself, it was heaven to escape the house. My auntie still hadn’t recovered since finding out about her part in the abductions, and my uncle was devoting every minute of his day to trying to break through the emotional wall she had thrown up.
They’d be fine. He was reaching out to her through the bond they shared, flooding her with love and understanding.
Which was more than could be said for the people who had been taken. Elle had boarded a flight back to the US within hours of the rescue, everyone desperate to get home and to try and forget. But I couldn’t forget—their eyes had haunted my dreams last night, the horrors Elle had hinted at taking on a life of their own and morphing into unimaginable things. Sometimes, I wished she had told me everything, but I hadn’t been able to bring myself to press her, and she hadn’t volunteered. Surprisingly, it had been Freddie who’d volunteered to escort her home. I had called my cousin James, as promised, and pulled some strings. Freddie was going to spend some time with the Colstone Pack over in America, a pack James just happened to be the alpha of.
I hurried up the street, passing the many storefronts that were now closed for the day. Grabbing my hood as the wind tried to tear it from my head, I skirted around a large puddle.
The weather matched my mood: dark and volatile. I knew why I was in a funk. Vin hadn’t called. Twenty-four hours and not a single word from him. No note. Nothing.
On the odd occasion my uncle had ventured from his bedroom, he’d told me everything. Corbin had sent word that the situation was contained, though I was pretty sure I didn’t want to know exactly how. Tamara was being questioned about Sid’s death, but it was unlikely she’d be convicted because the evidence was circumstantial at best. But my uncle had stated for the record that Vin hadn’t been at fault and he’d put the rumors and gossip to bed for good. On the other hand, Vin’s cover was blown and everyone knew who he really was and what he did for a living. The general consensus was mild surprise with a touch of distaste thrown in for good measure. What Vin did was a little too uncouth for some of the older generation. I stifled a snort. Wolf shifters calling violence uncouth?
But what my uncle couldn’t tell me was where Vin was. Nobody had seen him; the man had vanished.
I couldn’t summon up the energy to be angry. I was too worried. And hurt. How could he do this to me? Make me believe that we had something? For all I knew he was halfway across the Atlantic and penning me a letter. Probably full of excuses…
Another gust of wind nearly knocked me off my feet, the rain like ice slicing into my skin with relentless determination. I shivered, hunching down into my coat. For once, I’m going to be grateful for Astrid’s weird tea. At least it’ll be warm. I still couldn’t believe I’d forgotten to tell her. After everything she’d done for me, it was the least I owed her.
Squinting through the wall of rain, I spied the flickering light of her shop. Jumping over another puddle, I shoved the door open.
Warmth hit me, bringing with it the delicate scent of herbs and tea. I slid off my coat, water pooling on the floor. Hanging it on a hook, I made my way through to the back. “Astrid!” I called, rubbing my hands together in an effort to warm up. That was something I didn’t think I’d ever get used to. The weather turned on a dime over here. Gorgeous sunshine one day, the next bitter cold and pouring with rain. “Astrid?” I called again. I’d come over as fast as I could, but maybe she’d stepped out.
Stepping into the back room, I ran into a solid wall. I stuck out a hand, steadying myself. Wait a minute… The wall was warm, covered in soft cotton, and was that a— A steady thump-thump reached my ears. My hand slid over the wall, my finger tracing hard lines of muscle.
I looked up. “Vin?”
His low chuckle teased my senses. “I should hope so with the way you were feeling me up.”
“But…what are you doing here?” I could barely get the words out. My heart was doing a yo-yo inside my chest.
“That depends on you.”
I glared at him. “Enough with the cryptic comments, already! Where’s Astrid?”
The corner of his lips lifted. “Out.”
Oh. Which meant we were alone. I swallowed, using every ounce of willpower to resist throwing myself into his arms and tackling him to the floor. “I thought you’d gone home.” Shit. That sounded suspiciously like a whine. “Uh, what I meant is—”
“I have.”
This time I whacked him on the chest, studiously ignoring the fact that my fingers lingered. “You don’t have to do it, you know,” I blurted out.
“Do what?” His brow creased in obvious confusion. “Now you’re the one who’s being cryptic.”
“Mate me.”
“I intend to.” The amusement was gone, replaced by a look that sent heat arrowing down my spine and straight to my core.
“What?”
He cursed under his breath, rubbing a hand over his chin. “I’m not very good at this, am I?”
I blinked at him, my mind firmly in the gutter. I could think of quite a few things he was very good at.
“The look in your eyes, Grace…” he growled, his eyes narrowing.
“Why didn’t you call?” The question came out all breathy, his eyes trapping and holding me.
“I wanted to, believe me. But I thought it would be better to do this in person. Then again, I might have been overestimating my ability to communicate,” he replied with a grimace. His hand shot out and slid around my waist, dragging me to him. “I’m better with actions.”
His mouth stifled my squeak of surprise, his tongue stroking deep inside and tangling with mine.
I moaned, falling against him, my hands digging into his back and smoothing down to his ass. A very fine ass, I thought, giving it a squeeze.
The next thing I knew I was in the air, nestled in his arms as he carried me across the room and laid me down on what felt like a cloud of feathers.
Ripping my gaze from his I realized that I was lying on a couch. “Where did this come from?”
He shrugged, rising up from me and tugging his T-shirt off over his head.
Damn! The man knew how to change the topic of a conversation. I licked my lips, surreptitiously checking for drool. His broad chest was tanned a light bronze with a dusting of dark hair scattered over pecs that looked like they were sculpted from steel. The dark hair arrowed down, disappearing while my eye skipped over ridges of abs then reappearing just above the low-slung waistband of his jeans. Denim strained over the largest bulge I had ever seen. My eyes shot back up to his face. “This is nice and all, but what does it mean?”
“Nice?” he growled, leaning over me.
“Very nice,” I amended, my voice rising to a squeak as he lowered his weight onto me.
“It means: will you be my mate?”
“Really?”
He bit back a sigh. “Yes. Really.”
“Because you want to, or because you think you have to?” I wasn’t sure why I was belaboring the point. The second he’d asked every part of me had screamed yes! There was no way I could say no to him, even if I wanted to. My heart demanded him.
“Because I love you.”
“You...you do?” I stuttered. Shouldn’t there be a choir of angels singing or fireworks going off, or something?
“And you’re my true mate.”
“I am?” Jeez, I was starting to sound like a broken record! “I love you too,” I blurted out.
A slow smile spread over his face, the corners of his eyes creasing with happiness. “You do?” he said with a low, gentle tease. “Is that a yes, then?”
He kissed the corner of my mouth, his stubble scratching against my cheek with delicious friction as his lips moved to my throat.
I tilted my head, giving him room. “Yes…” I whispered. I wanted nothing more. Just him.
Pressure danced across my chest, then down my stoma
ch, and then cool air drifted across my skin. I glanced down at my dress, which was now completely unbuttoned, leaving me clad only in a bra and panties.
His eyes were already there, drinking me in as if mesmerized. “Beautiful,” he murmured in a hoarse voice, his hand drifting down my throat and tracing across my chest. His finger circled my breast, his work-roughened skin catching on the delicate lace.
My back arched of its own accord, pushing my breast toward his hand.
“So eager…” he murmured, his eyes never leaving his finger. The circles drew smaller, tighter, until he grazed the stiff peak of my nipple, sending liquid need shooting through me.
To my disappointment his hand left my breast, tracing a path down my ribs and over my soft, rounded stomach, circling around my belly button and across each hip in tortuous slow motion. Finally, his finger grazed the lace of my panties, dipping under and sifting through the soft hairs.
My hips bucked, desperate to drive him lower.
“Tell me what you want.”
Heat flooded my face, my hands clenching at my sides.
His hand froze. “Tell me. I won’t bite…not yet anyway,” he coaxed.
Dammit, the man was a tease! “I-I want your hand down there,” I forced out, wanting to hide my face in my hands, but the heat pooling inside me pushed me on. “I want you inside me.”
A satisfied smile tugged at his lips, then my panties were whipped off and thrown across the room. I spread my legs and his tongue licked into my pussy in long lashes. His finger thrust deep inside, spearing and rubbing in relentless circles.
A strangled cry left my lips, the sensations too much, too quick, my hips bucking beneath his mouth and hands flying to cling onto his head.
His mouth latched onto my clit, sucking the sensitive nub between his teeth as his finger drove me higher.
I came with a scream, my thighs clenching around his head and holding him in place, liquid heat pouring from me in waves as my vision blurred, the room dimming around me.
His weight lifted, then the sound of a zipper reached my ears. Boots thudded onto the floor followed by denim sliding down.
I forced my eyes open, not wanting to miss a second. The first thing that hit me was there wasn’t a tan line in sight. I almost demanded that he turn around, just so I could check. His legs were a work of art, lightly dusted with hair and with the kind of definition seen on professional athletes. My eyes kept skipping over his body, circling like the finger he had used to drive me crazy, narrowing, until I was just gaping.
It was the first time I’d seen him naked, my first glimpse of what I had already taken inside of me. Fuck!
“Is everything all right, Grace?” Amusement tinged a voice already thick with desire.
I nodded, unable to manage a single word. Long and thick with a slight curve, his cock jutted out proudly, almost reaching his belly button.
And he was all mine. I opened my arms.
He fell onto me like a man starved, his mouth crushing down on mine as his hips nestled between my legs. The tip of his cock brushed between my curls, seeking entrance.
I arched my hips in a silent plea. “Wait,” I gasped out against his mouth, “what about the mating hunt?” Traditionally shifter males chased their mates in a mating hunt that ended with the ultimate climax.
“A bit late to ask that now,” he grunted, his cock notching just inside my pussy.
“You don’t mind?” My hips danced forward, sliding him home another inch.
“Mind? Are you out of your damn mind?” To prove his point he thrust deep inside, his cock stretching and filling me completely.
“I take it back, this is absolutely fine,” I gasped out as my back arched up off the couch.
“There you go again with the fine. I’m going to have to wipe that word from your vocabulary,” he growled, his hips snapping back and then powering forward with a pounding force.
The next thrust tore a groan from my lips, my legs falling open completely in a silent offer for him to give it his best shot.
A claw flashed in the corner of my eye and then my breasts spilled free from their lace cage. Shifting back onto his knees, he surveyed me like I was a favorite meal he couldn’t wait to devour. Hand sliding behind my back, he raised me up and held me in place as his mouth latched onto a nipple, sucking it deep into his hot, wet mouth, his tongue swirling around the peak and teeth nipping. Hips speeding up, he was relentless in his punishing rhythm, driving his cock deeper and deeper with each stroke, pushing me higher and higher.
The churning started low in my stomach, swirling and building with each thrust, with each tug at my breast. My skin tingled and burned with each lick and kiss.
His eyes met mine, the dark brown bleeding to bronze. He fell forward, bracing himself above me.
Swiveling his hips, his cock plunged in and out as sweat beaded on his chest, his abs flexing with each powerful dig, his arms bulging where they held him rigid above me.
My nails carved a path down his back and dug into his ass, riding the flex and curve of his muscles. Heat sparked, sending shockwaves shooting out through my body, my nails digging in harder, my head rocking back as my mouth opened on a hoarse scream.
“Grace, you are my true mate. I love you and will follow you anywhere. Always.”
His words drifted to me through the fog of my orgasm, sinking into my soul. Teeth slid into my throat, at the hollow dip just above my chest. I barely felt it, the slight sting eclipsed by the knowledge that this gorgeous, honorable man had committed himself to me, and bound his soul to mine.
I met his eyes, holding them as I whispered the words, “I love you, Vin. You are my true mate and I’ll follow you to the end of the earth and back. Always.” What felt like a second shockwave hit me, my chest radiating with heat as the bond completed. Emotions flooded me, but these weren’t mine, these were distinctly male and mentally tasted of my mate. “Wow!” I gasped, as another wave crashed into me.
He grinned at me, his eyes tender and loving, but a muscle jumped in his jaw, and his shoulders tensed with the strain of holding back.
Pulling him down for a kiss, I whispered in his ear, “Now I want you to come.”
With a growl he reared back onto his knees and grabbed my hips, his fingers digging in and pinning me in place.
I could feel him through the bond, his ferocious need, his desire, and his overwhelming love for me. I cried out, accepting every thrust powering his cock in and out, the friction building and building, until he jerked above me, his whole body tensing and shaking as he came with a guttural roar.
The echo of emotion picked me up and thrust me directly into the middle of a full-blown orgasm, writhing and bucking beneath him.
Collapsing in a sweaty tangle, he rolled, promptly pulling me on top of him. “How would you describe that, then?”
I had laid my head against his chest, but at his words I pulled away to look at him. “F—” I winked at him, “—antastic,” I finished, kissing away his mock scowl until he groaned beneath me. “Again?” I asked, breathless. At his hungry look, I quirked an eyebrow. “A woman could get used to this.”
“You’d better,” he murmured, his hand sliding between my legs and stealing the last of my breath.
“Wait!” I stilled his hand with my own.
“What now?”
“When will Astrid be back?” No way was I getting caught buck-naked mid-coital by my friend.
“She said she’d be gone all night.” If he hadn’t been a wolf, I’d have said it was almost a purr.
“Carry on then,” I ordered with a wide grin, releasing his hand and giving it a shove in the right direction for good measure.
“As my lady wishes…”
Epilogue
Grace
Five days later…
The plane landed on the tarmac with a jolt, pressing me back into my seat. A round of applause broke out in the cabin, sighs of relief all around. I couldn’t blame them; it had been a turbulent flig
ht with storms coasting our tail all the way across the Atlantic. Not that I’d noticed much. Vin had kept me occupied introducing me to the Mile High Club. Several times over.
Actually, now we were on solid ground butterflies were having a tequila party in my stomach.
“Stop worrying.”
I flashed him a weak smile. “That’s going to take some getting used to,” I admitted. Having him being able to read my mood so well had both its upsides and its downsides. Like, I wouldn’t be planning any surprises anytime soon and he wouldn’t let me wallow. He didn’t get it that sometimes all a woman wanted was to wallow in a big funk, with ice cream and soppy movies. No, he insisted on cheering me up. I fought back a grin as a memory flashed in front of my eyes—turns out ice cream had more than one use for cheering a woman up.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about…”
I whacked him over the shoulder, following him off the plane and into the terminal. “Stop it!”
He caught my hand and tucked it around his waist, throwing his arm across my shoulder. “Seriously, my teammates are going to love you.”
I couldn’t help the frown. “You think?”
“I know.”
Grinding to a halt, I turned to look at him. People flowed around us, all nationalities and races, old and young, families and business travelers. All in a hurry to get somewhere. “I love you,” I whispered. I’d come the full circle. I still couldn’t believe we were here. I was back in America, and this time it was for good. Turns out, we’d both meant what we’d said—we would follow each other anywhere. Even better, both our hearts were rooted here.
“I love you too.” He pressed his lips to mine and the crowd melted away, leaving only us.
We were home.
If you’d like to know when Enforcer, Book 4 in the Alpha Protectors series, releases, please sign up for Olivia’s newsletter!
Also by Olivia Arran
Read Cole & Natasha’s story
Guardian: Alpha Protectors Book 1 is out now!