Her lower lip trembled and she threw herself against him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He gathered her close for a hug. She stepped back a moment later, swiping at her eye makeup and sniffing self-consciously. “I must look a mess.”
He smiled as she dug a tissue out of her pocket and tried to wipe the smudged mascara from her eyes. “Yeah, you do.” She laughed as he’d intended. “Just do me one favor and wait at least two weeks before you move in. Everything should be taken care of by then and there should be no danger to you or anyone else.”
“Okay.” She nodded. “We’ll just keep an eye on the place. As far as anyone is concerned, you’re on vacation.”
“You okay to get home on your own?”
Divine laughed. “Honey, I’m as safe on the streets as I am in my own bed.” She strutted to the door, papers and key ring clutched tightly in her hands. When she reached the door, she turned. “You take care of yourself, James Riley. And take care of that girl of yours. Alex is special.”
“I will, Divine. You take care of yourself too.”
“You know. For the first time in my life, I think I will.” With those parting words, she was gone, the door closing heavily behind her.
James walked over to the door and eased it open, watching as she strode down the street. In spite of her assurance she was perfectly safe on her own, he kept a close eye on her until she was inside her building at the end of the street. Shutting the garage door, he bolted it and headed upstairs.
Grabbing a duffle bag from the bedroom closet, he tossed in some clothing and the few pictures and mementos that were precious to him before carrying it out to the living room. He pulled open the bookcase and removed the remaining weapons and money, stuffing them in the bag. He had the keys to a car he had stashed in another location for just such an emergency and the key to his safety deposit box in his pocket. The safety deposit box contained bankbooks for every major bank in the city.
James had money. A lot of it. He’d had decades to accumulate it and was good at making more. He had investments all across the country. He supposed it was time he taught Alex how to manage some of this stuff. Most of it was a nest egg for her future. He only hoped there was time to tell her about all of it.
Zipping the bag closed, he pushed the bookcase shut and headed out the door. He never looked back as he descended the stairs, leaving his home of over twenty years behind him. If there was one thing life had taught him, it was there was no use in looking back. It changed nothing and only brought sorrow and regrets.
The future was ahead of him. All that mattered now was Alex’s safety. After that, he’d figure out what he was going to do with the rest of his life.
Shoving open the back entrance of the garage, he left the building and his former life behind him.
Chapter Twelve
Dawn hadn’t yet broken when Joshua opened his eyes, although the room was getting lighter as it approached. Sometime during the night, Alex had kicked off the covers and crawled on top of him and was sleeping soundly with her arms and legs sprawled on either side of him.
How she’d managed to do that without waking him was a mystery. He was used to sleeping with one eye open, his senses attuned to anything out of the ordinary. Obviously, his wolf knew and accepted her as his rightful mate. She was intelligent, brave, kind and giving. Everything a man could want, everything he’d given up hoping for. Her place was with him. Now and always.
He groaned as he buried his face in her hair. She smelled of soap and that indefinable womanly scent that was uniquely hers. His cock was already swollen and hard, pressing against the zipper of his jeans. She shifted the smallest bit, her sex rubbing against the large bulge. Joshua gripped her hips with his hands to hold her steady. Sweat broke out on his forehead and he struggled for control. Only Alex had this effect on him.
She settled again, emitting a soft, satisfied sigh. He loosened his grip, becoming suddenly aware of the bare flesh beneath his fingers. Memories of her pink bikini panties hanging to dry in the bathroom made him groan again. There was nothing to stop him from touching her slick folds, from stroking her.
Even as he told himself he shouldn’t, he slid his fingers downward, skimming the edges of the firm globes of her behind. The shirt had ridden up during the night and was bunched around her waist. He kept his touch soft, not wanting her to wake. Light was barely beginning to filter in through the thin drapes. They didn’t have to get out of bed quite yet. Alex needed her rest.
His hands cupped her behind, kneading the pliant flesh. Damn, she had a fine ass. He wanted to mount her from behind, wanted to hear the slap of his stomach against her bottom as he fucked her. His chest was rising and falling rapidly now, his heart thudding heavily. Although he wasn’t wearing a shirt, his torso was damp with perspiration.
He slid his fingers down the dark cleft of her behind to the treasure beyond. She moaned in her sleep, shifting again. Joshua gritted his teeth against the throbbing ache of his erection. He moved his hand lower until he was stroking her warm, moist folds. He closed his eyes and sucked in a breath. It would be so easy to just undo the button of his jeans and slide the zipper down. Within about five seconds after that, he could be buried deep in her heat.
It would feel so damn good.
Why not? a small voice in the back of his head demanded. He’d all but given his life to the pack, protecting it always against all threats. And the cost had been high. Sometimes, he wondered if he had any humanity left inside him at all. Kill or be killed had been his life for so long.
And then he’d seen Alex.
She’d reawakened something deep inside him, given him hope for the future. His brother’s words echoed in his head and he could hear Isaiah encouraging him to take her, to mark her as his.
No! That wouldn’t be fair to her.
Why not? that insidious voice whispered. No one would take better care of Alex or cherish her as he would. Why shouldn’t he claim her?
Because she deserved a choice. Because, after everything she’d been through, Alex deserved at least that much.
Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes and peered into large silvery gray eyes that almost swallowed him whole. They were deep and fathomless, dark pools of comfort just waiting to envelope him.
“Hi.” She gave him a soft, sleepy smile that made his heart clench.
“Good morning.” He barely recognized the low rumble of his own voice. He cleared his throat. “How did you sleep?”
She stretched, making him groan. “I didn’t think I’d sleep at all, but I slept well.” Alex leaned down and rubbed her nose against his. “Thanks to you.”
His hand moved of its own volition, stroking the soft folds of her pussy. She arched against him, all but purring. “Mmm, that feels wonderful.”
“This is not a good idea, Alex.” He wanted to stop, but somehow couldn’t tear his hand away.
“I think it’s a wonderful idea, Joshua.” The way she said his name had his balls clenching against his body. He wanted to hear her scream his name as she came.
She reached up and traced her fingers over his face, examining every feature. He knew he was a rough-looking bastard, but for the first time in his life, he wished his face was a bit more pleasing. That made him angry. “It won’t get any better no matter how long you stare at it,” he growled.
Totally unconcerned by his outburst of anger, she continued to stroke her fingers over his forehead and down his nose. “How did you break it?” She lightly touched the bump that protruded from the center.
“Fight with my older brother.”
Alex laughed. “I always wanted siblings, but that doesn’t sound like much fun.”
Joshua shrugged, trying to act nonchalant, which was hard with his dick poking her in the stomach. “We play hard, we fight hard, but there’s no one else I’d want at my back in any kind of situation.”
“Mmm,” she intoned as she slid her finger across his bottom lip.
Joshua didn’t know what t
hat meant, but he didn’t care. He parted his lips and nipped at the tip of her finger before sucking it into his mouth. His teeth scraped gently down to the base and then he licked at the sensitive webbing between her fingers. She moaned, her hips sliding hungrily against his erection.
He pulled his head away, letting her finger slip from his mouth. “Let me touch you. Let me taste you. Pleasure you.” He wouldn’t take her, wouldn’t claim her. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t taste her. Touch her in other ways.
“Yes.” Her reply was little more than a whisper, but it was enough for Joshua.
“Sit up,” he urged as he helped her. The motion drove her sex hard against his erection and he had to fight to keep from coming in his jeans. He shifted her so she was seated on his belly and sighed as this new position allowed him to gain control of himself again. “Let’s get this off you.” He grabbed the tails of her T-shirt and lifted it over her head. She raised her arms and let him tug it off her, leaving her warm and naked in his arms.
Her hair was tousled, her eyes still soft and sleepy. Her breasts weren’t overly large, but they were well shaped and firm. Their rosy tips puckered, begging for his mouth. Her skin was warm and he could feel her cream seeping out of her core and dampening his stomach.
Joshua rested his hands on her thighs and slid them upward. He circled her belly button with his finger, admiring the smoothness of her skin. It made him very aware of the rough calluses on his hands and he tried to be extra gentle with her. His hands went higher, teasing the undersides of her breasts.
Alex covered his hands with hers and pushed them higher until they were covering the soft mounds, her turgid nipples poking the center of his palms. “That feels so good, Joshua,” she whispered breathlessly.
“Put your hands behind your neck.” She stilled for a moment and then slipped her hands away from his and placed them at her nape. The movement pushed her breasts forward, inviting him to play.
“Beautiful,” he intoned as he traced his thumbs around the swollen tips. Her eyes started to close. “Watch me.” Her lids rose, allowing him to see the desire burning within her. “Watch me touch you.” He lightly pinched her nipples and she cried out, her eyes locked onto his hands where they were touching her. He could feel his stomach getting damper.
She started to move her hands, reaching out to him. “No,” he dropped his hands from her breasts, resting them on her thighs. “If you want me to pleasure you, you have to do as I say.” Her eyes narrowed and for a moment he thought she might tell him to go to hell. He kept his face impassive even though his heart was pounding.
He felt like tipping back his head and howling his pleasure when she slid her hands back behind her neck and waited. She might not understand the ways of their people, but the fact that she’d given in and accepted his dominance at this time, was the first step in his claiming her. She might be an alpha female, but between the two of them he was still the alpha male and would not be denied. He knew he couldn’t take her yet, but he could subtly tie her to him with bonds of emotional and physical intimacy.
“Perfect.” He gave both her nipples a teasing tweak with his fingers before levering himself up to a semi-sitting position. “I’m going to taste you, Alex. Watch.” His tongue snaked out to twine around one erect nub. Her back bowed, pushing her chest closer. He glanced up and her eyes were glued to what he was doing to her. The gray in her eyes deepened as he swiped his tongue over the hard peak. “That’s it. I’m going to lick every inch of your breasts and then…” he nuzzled his way over to her other breast and rasped his rough tongue over it. “And then, I’m going to eat your pussy until you scream with pleasure.”
Alex could barely breathe. She certainly couldn’t talk. All she could do was sit there and absorb the pleasure rocketing through her body. She’d never liked dominant men, had always fought against any kind of domineering male overtures, but with Joshua everything was different. A part of her wanted to submit to him, to allow him to do whatever he wished with her. Another part of her knew her time would come and then it would be she who would have the upper hand.
For now, all she wanted to do was soak up every ounce of pleasure. He’d been touching her when she’d awoken. His soft, gentle caress had already built the heat inside her. She was so close to coming. She wanted this. Knew this kind of closeness now would make it harder for him to leave her down the road.
It was funny, she didn’t mind being naked in front of him this morning. Having his hands already stroking her body when she first opened her eyes had made it all seem so natural. Until he’d asked her to put her hands behind her head, that is. That left her feeling exposed and vulnerable.
But she no longer cared. His clever tongue lapped at her nipples. First one. Then the other. Alex locked her fingers together, squeezing tight. She wanted to clutch his head to her breast, demand he do something more. But she didn’t, knowing instinctively he’d stop as soon as she moved her hands away from where he wanted them.
What he was doing felt wonderful, but she needed something else. Her core was throbbing with emptiness, demanding to be filled by him. She licked her lips, watching intently as his mouth opened to cover her nipple. “Yes,” she cried as she pushed forward, shoving her breast toward him. He closed his mouth over the tip and sucked. The sensation shot straight to between her thighs and she spread her legs further, rubbing her swollen clit over his belly.
Her hands itched to touch his chest. Bands of muscle were prominently displayed, stretched across tanned flesh. A thick covering of black hair stretched from nipple to nipple before arrowing downward toward his groin. She wanted to thread her fingers through it and feel its crispness against her breasts.
Joshua released her nipple, blowing softly across the damp flesh. Alex shivered, goose bumps forming on her arms and belly. “Joshua,” she pleaded.
“What, my sweet?” He nuzzled the plump mound of one breast, the stubble on his jaw abrading it slightly.
Her heart expanded at the endearment and she savored the sound of it. “I need more.”
“What do you need?” He carefully tugged a nipple into his mouth and played with it with his teeth.
Alex’s sex was clenching rhythmically. Her blood was pounding through her veins. Her skin felt tight and she had to swallow the urge to growl. Growl? She began to sweat as she sensed the female wolf within her for the first time. It frightened her even as it made her feel stronger, more desirable.
As if sensing her momentary distraction, Joshua pulled back and blew on her damp flesh again. “Tell me what you need.”
“You.” Everything she was feeling came out in the emotion attached to that one small word. Joshua was all she wanted and she wanted him right now.
He lay back down on the bed and slid lower on the pillows. She started to fall forward, but he caught her easily, holding her steady. “Shift upward, Alex. I want to taste your pussy.”
Her entire body seemed to clench and release as she scooted forward. She started to remove her hands to use them for support, but glanced down at him. Deciding that she wasn’t going to take any chances, she kept them where they were. His deep brown eyes gleamed with pleasure as she shifted into place with her thighs on either side of his head.
“You’re so beautiful. So pink and wet and sexy.” His finger stroked over the slick folds, ignoring the hard nub at the apex of her sex. He sucked in a deep breath. “You smell hot, like woman and sex.”
Alex bit her lip to keep from moaning aloud. She was going to come with him just talking to her. His words were almost a physical caress against her skin. Heat rocketed through her as though she were burning up with a fever. Need unlike anything she’d ever experienced shook her.
He slipped one of his hands around her, caressing her behind while the other one continued to explore her sex. “I’ll bet your pussy is tight and hot.” His finger dipped just inside her slit before withdrawing. Her vagina contracted and her thighs trembled. Alex swallowed back a cry when his finger slippe
d away.
Wrapping his hands around her hips, he pulled her downward until she could feel his warm breath brushing against the moist folds of her sex. Her breath was coming in hard gasps now, making her breasts quiver with every mouthful of air she sucked in. He snaked his tongue out, lapping at her sensitive flesh and this time she could not suppress the groan of pure pleasure that was drawn from deep within her.
“You like that, do you?” She could hear the sheer male satisfaction in his tone. If she liked it any more she’d explode. But she wasn’t going to tell him that.
She closed her eyes and tipped back her head when his tongue began to taste her again. He captured her clitoris between his lips and sucked gently on it. Alex began to whimper. The stubble on his jaw brushed against her inner thighs and the sensitive flesh of her labia, sending tendrils of heat rushing though her. Every time Joshua touched her she was bombarded with a new depth of sensation. She seemed to want him more and more with each passing minute.
Alex was alive in a way she’d never been before. She felt weak and powerful at the same time, feminine yet strong. Every fiber of her being strained for completion. Tension built low in her pelvis, gathering strength, waiting for just the right touch to ignite it.
He gave one last suck on her clitoris and licked a path straight to her opening, stabbing his tongue inside her. Almost blind with pleasure, her hands flailed out to grab onto the headboard, digging her fingers into the cheap wood veneer for support, as Joshua continued to stoke the flames of desire within her.
“Joshua.” It was more a demand then a plea. She was suspended on the edge of desire, unable to go back, but not yet able to go over into release.
His tongue stabbed deeper as his finger stroked over her clit. Alex cried out as the first spasm struck. Her entire body jerked and heaved as she came. At some point, she released her grasp on the headboard and gripped Joshua’s head, holding it to her. He continued to lap and suck and pleasure her until she couldn’t bear it any longer. The fingers that had been holding him to her so tightly now began to push him away.
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