“Sorry Michael, I seemed to have gone somewhere else for a moment there.”
“Ya, no kidding. What is up with you?”
I chuckled and just shook my head.
“Look, Cole, you need to wake up here and get your head straight, seriously. The state of the company is hanging by a thread here, and it's all up to you to change that. The sleuth needs their leader and that's you.”
“God, Michael, you think I don't know that?” I growled, and I felt my eyes burn as they changed from their normal brown to a bright amber.
He took a step back from my desk respectfully. “I know you do, I'm sorry. I just don't really think your head is in the game lately. The sleuth members are chomping at the bit for your position. You have to find a mate like now. If you don't find one soon you will not be considered Alpha any longer. Then we fall apart, everything we have built so far will fall and crumble before us. Do you really want to have to fight for the Alpha position? I sure as hell wouldn't. It's rightfully yours, all you have to do is take a mate.”
“Michael, trust your Alpha, you have nothing to worry about here. My head is in the game, I just didn't get much sleep the night before.” I chuckled, “You know those wolf bitches always seem to keep me up all night. Just one round is never enough for them.”
Michael laughed with me, “Those ladies can't seem to get enough of the Alpha, do they?”
“Hell, let’s peace out early here and go get ourselves a drink.”
“Sounds good to me, boss, whatever you say.”
Chapter Thirteen
Avery
“Well, I have an early morning, so I think I'm going to head home,” Zoey said. I nodded and watched as she slid off the stool and retrieved her purse. Considering the conversation I had just been through, I decided to stick around and have another drink. I deserved it. Though I didn't want to stay at that particular bar. We said our goodbyes at the entrance and I headed home. There was a bar attached to my building and I often went there for drinks.
When I walked in to my familiar spot, however, I froze in my tracks, unable to move. There was Cole and his friend sitting at the end of the bar. I found it odd since I had never seen them in there before, and I would have remembered someone like Cole. I stood there unsure of what to do. Should I just leave? Was that really fair? I wasn't sure if I should or stick around. Screw it, I thought. I really wanted to get another drink, and I was not about to let asshole Cole stop me from taking a moment to relax.
I was not going to let some stupid guy get in my way. He may have dismissed me, but this was my regular hangout and I wasn't going to leave just because he was there. He could get used to me being around, if he didn't like it then he could leave. I would be fine with that, just get out of my sight. I would love to tell him that...but I wouldn't, of course. I didn't want to even go near him because it hurt to be close to him.
I made my way to the bar and settled down on a stool. The bartender approached me quickly and I ordered a Sauvignon Blanc. I watched as he poured me a glass and set it before me. He knew me well and just started a tab for me. I took a sip of the wine and closed my eyes. Damn, that was good.
From where I was seated I could easily see Cole and the guy that Zoey had been flirting with the night before. It's only a matter of time before Cole would look my way and spot me as well. A small smile played on my face as I thought about how he would react.
The bartender returned to me and started chatting.
“How are you doing, Avery? I haven't seen you in a while.”
I leaned closer to him to hear him better and as I did I could swear there were eyes on me.
“Oh, you know, Evan, same old story for me. Nothing new.”
I smiled to myself knowing that Cole had finally spotted me and was checking me out. From the angle they were at Cole would get a great view of my chest, which I had to admit looked incredible in the dress that I was wearing. In fact, I looked smoking hot that night.
I settled back in my seat and took another sip of my wine. I looked up and not only had I caught Cole 's attention but another gentleman's attention a few seats down from me. I looked at him and smiled, hoping that it was probably killing Cole that I was there. How much fun would it be to make Cole jealous? Make him think that I couldn’t have cared less about him in the first place. Maybe that would teach him a much-deserved lesson.
Smiling at the guy, he instantly took the bait and got up from his seat. I continued smiling at him as he walked towards me. He stood there behind me, so close that he was almost a part of me.
I could feel Cole 's eyes on my every move, and it made me wonder why he even cared. Men were funny creatures. They put their scent on you and then toss you aside but even when they don't want you they still don't want anyone else to have you either.
I turned to the man behind me and noticed that he was cuter up close. What the hell, I thought. Getting some much-needed attention from him would help my bruised ego.
“That's a fantastic tie you're wearing, it really brings out those handsome blue eyes of yours,” I said with a wink. Hook, line and sinker.
Chapter Fourteen
Cole
I could barely restrain myself from going over there and punching that pretty boy in the face. I had been shocked to see Avery on the other side of the bar from us, and my reaction to seeing her was startling. I thought that I could just forget the human, but seeing her caused such a chemical mix-up in my brain that I thought I would go crazy. As soon as I saw her I longed to be beside her. There was that intense chemistry again and I wasn't even near her. What was wrong with me? She was hands down the worst possible person for me to be attracted to, and there I was insanely jealous that another guy was making her laugh and blush. Seeing her was bad enough, but seeing another man hit on her was almost too much for me.
It took everything that I had to rein in my anger, but all I wanted to do was rip the guy apart. Literally from limb to limb just rip him apart. Michael touched my shoulder and I nearly jumped out of my skin.
“Man, are you okay?” he asked.
I nodded quickly, unable to respond. I needed to focus on anyone or anything else other than Avery. If I didn't I knew I would lose all sense of control and then things would get really ugly. I looked down at my beer and tried to focus on the conversation that Michael was having without me. I could barely even focus on the words coming out of his mouth. It sounded like babble to me and I almost told him so.
I looked up at Avery again and felt my blood boiling. No matter how hard I tried to distract myself, I found myself looking back at her every few minutes and wishing that I was the guy standing behind her. I was losing it for sure, that much was evident.
Her laughter rang out into the room and I couldn't help but look over at her. Avery was touching the guy’s arm and laughing at something he said. Watching them was sheer torture. I had no idea I would feel this way when I saw her again. It was like sleeping with her had made her mine and now she wasn't. I was falling apart inside fighting the urge not to kill that guy. I was holding the beer in my hand and I realized that I was holding it so tightly that I could feel the bottle starting to crack in my bare hands. I released my grip on my beer and took a few deep breaths. I slowly took a swig, willing myself not to look at her. I couldn't help myself though, and I looked up once again. To my surprise Avery looked over at me, made eye contact and smirked. I felt my alpha instincts take over and I slammed down my bottle, shattering it on the bar, and turned to walk away. I needed to take a breather in the bathroom away from Avery. I needed to get a handle on myself before I did much worse than break a glass. I heard Michael calling after me but I just ignored him.
As I started to walk away I couldn’t help myself and I zeroed in on the conversation between Avery and the guy. I had incredible hearing for a bear and if I focused on someone I could hear them from quite a distance.
I heard Avery chuckle and turn away from the man after I had stormed off. Was it a game she was playing? Had she gotten
the reaction from me that she wanted?
I stopped and turned around to look at her. She hadn't noticed I had stopped, and I saw her turn away from the guy and dismiss him. He didn't seem to take the hint that she was no longer interested in him, however. He grabbed her arm roughly and she half turned and told him to let go of her arm. She tried to shake his arm off her but he won't budge. He looked angry and he gripped her arm tighter. Anger welled up inside of me as I heard her tell him that his grip was hurting her. When I heard the guy respond with, “Oh, now when I'm forceful you decide to pay attention to me,” it was enough for me to make my way over to them. I walked by Michael, who was gaping at me in confusion. Avery continued to pull her hand away from him when suddenly he was yanked away from her.
I grabbed a hold of the guy by his neck and pushed him away from her. “I think the lady told you to let her go, didn't she?”
“What the hell is your problem man?” There was still anger in the guy’s face and he obviously had no idea who he was dealing with.
“My problem man, is assholes like you. You think you can just take what you want and treat a lady so disrespectfully like that?”
The guy tried swinging a punch at me and I grabbed it mid-punch and threw the guy down on the ground. There was a gasp from behind me but I ignored it. My temper was hitting ultimate highs and I knew I was close to shifting. My eyes turned bright amber as my anger got the best of me.
“Holy shit man, what the fuck is wrong with your eyes?”
I let him go abruptly and the guy got up and tore out of the bar, not looking back for a minute. I knew I needed to calm myself down, otherwise the bar would suddenly have a large black bear right in the middle of it. I was breathing heavily as I tried to calm myself down but it wasn’t working. I turned to Avery, who was still on her stool but now she was staring at me in disbelief. I knew that my eyes still shone a vibrant amber, and it was too late to hide it from her. I grabbed her by the hand and she whispered, “Cole, what are you?”
“Please, just come with me. I can explain,” I growled.
***
We remained silent for the drive to my place. There were no words to even begin to explain my behavior to her. She remained silent as well, lost in her own thoughts.
When we got into my apartment Avery went straight for the couch and sat down. She looked like she was in shock, and I couldn't really blame her for feeling that way. I retrieved two beers from the fridge and handed her one. She took one long swig from it and it made me smile.
“Cole, what happened back there? What's going on? What happened to your eyes?” My eyes had returned to normal by the time we reached my apartment. She was peppering me with questions but I really didn't know how to explain things to her. She would never understand.
“Trust me, Avery, you wouldn't believe me even if I tried to explain things to you.”
“Cole, what the hell is going on? I’ve never seen anyone just grab a punch like that. You're starting to scare me.”
I went to her side immediately and sat on the couch with her. I put my arms around her and comforted her. I was scaring her, and that certainly wasn't my intention. I looked down at her and she looked up at me. There was concern in her eyes, but there was something else there too. Fuck it, I thought. Fuck the rules of the Sleuth society. I pushed her beautiful hair behind her ears and I bent down and placed my lips against hers. Electricity coursed through me and I knew that kissing her was the only thing I ever wanted to do.
Our kiss became more heated as I quickly pulled her onto my lap. I felt her hips lock around mine. I felt myself get hard instantly and I growled against her mouth. I pulled her body closer to mine and I deepened out kiss. A quiet moan escaped her lips and my whole body tingled in response. I broke our kiss and started kissing down her neck. As my lips reached her collarbone I reached behind her back and moved down the zipper of her dress. I felt her push her hips harder down on my own.
“Fuck, Cole…” she breathed.
I smirked as I moved my hands up her back to her bra and unclasped it. I gently kissed her bare skin as I removed the straps of her dress and bra with my teeth. I moved my mouth down to her ample breast and gently nibbled on her hard nipple. Another moan escaped from her lips and I swear I wanted nothing more to have her make the sound for the rest of my life.
I grasped her ass and stood up while holding her and then gently placed her back on the ottoman. She sat up slightly as I removed my shirt and unzipped my pants.
“I don’t know what is going on with you Cole, but I want you so badly right now,” she said. I felt the bear inside me growl at her words. My senses heightened as she grabbed me by the waist of my jeans, pulled me closer to her and then pushed them down along with my boxers to my feet. Every trace of her hands along my body sent a fire coursing through my veins.
I leaned my head slightly back and closed my eyes as I felt her run her hands down my hard shaft. I let out a hiss when I felt her lick the tip and then pulled me slightly into her mouth. I ran my hands through her hair as I felt her mouth explore me. I could feel ever lick of her tongue and every suck from her lips. Another growl escaped my lips as I felt her take me all into her mouth.
“Lay back down on the ottoman,” I commanded. She slightly chuckled. I could feel my eyes change color as the bear inside liked that she was challenging my commands. As she lay down I gave her clit a slow lick and then pushed myself inside her. I felt her gasp as I entered and then she let out a seductive moan.
“ I could listen to you moan like that all night,” I told her honestly.
“You keep doing what you’re doing and you just might,” she said.
I pushed my hips harder into hers as I felt her legs tighten around my waist. I grabbed onto her hips using her angle on the ottoman as leverage and started to pump my hips faster. Her moans started to get louder and I continued to pump harder. I could tell by the way she was tightening her hips around me that she was getting close to the edge. I licked my right thumb and started to rub her clit as I continued to thrust. I felt her entire body tighten as her orgasm exploded through her body. When she was finished I put her hips back down on the ottoman, flipped her around and brought her up on her hands and knees.
I gave her beautiful voluptuous ass a hard smack and I pushed myself back inside her. I guided her hips back and forth as I ran my right hand up her back and I tangled it up in her long blonde hair. I slightly pulled back on it and she let out a loud moan.
“I see you like it a bit rougher than I thought, Avery,” I chuckled. I heard her laugh as I pulled on her hair again and continued to pump my hips. I could tell she was teetering over the edge of ecstasy, and I wanted nothing more than to see her face when I pushed her there. I quickly pulled out and turned her around and straddled myself over her and the ottoman. I teased her with my tip on her clit, rubbing it slowly back and forth.
“Quit teasing me!” she gasped.
“But what if I enjoy teasing you?” I asked as I continued to rub her.
She gave me a seductive smile as she grabbed a hold of me and pushed me inside her. I let out a carnal growl and pressed my hips inside her. Her hips tilted up to my own and I felt the heat emanate off her body. I felt all of my senses heighten and as I continued to pump harder I could only think one thing in my mind, mate. At that moment in our throes of passion, I knew she meant more to me than Zoey ever could.
Her cries became louder as I pressed up harder into her. She arched her back up and grabbed her hands around my neck. I felt her whole body begin to shake as we both fell into ecstasy. When we were done I pulled her back onto the couch and held her in my arms, never wanting to let her go.
***
We awoke to a banging on the door and I realized that Avery and I had fallen asleep together. I wasn't sure who was at the door, but I was pissed that they would interrupt anything to do with Avery and I. I headed to the bathroom and grabbed a towel. I threw it around me as I sleepily made my way to the door. When I opened
it, Michael immediately barged in looking angry.
“You want to explain to me what the hell happened tonight?” Michael started searching around the apartment until he opened my bedroom door and saw Avery sleeping in my bed.
He charged back towards me and asked, “Is she human, Cole?”
I looked down at my feet. I didn't know what to say, and I knew that what I was doing would be seen as wrong in his eyes.
“Do you know what the society will do if they find out about this?”
I took a deep breath and looked up at Michael. “Yes I do. They will kill her.”
Chapter Fifteen
Avery
I tore out of my sleep, a scream caught in my throat. Nightmares, God I hated them. I had dreamed about Cole and his amber eyes. Those eyes were not normal eyes, and I wasn't sure what they meant. Who was Cole? Was he dangerous to me? When we were together things seemed so perfect, and yet there was something important that Cole was keeping from me. What did those eyes mean? They were terrifying, and when he was attacking that man, he seemed not himself. Like Jekyll and Hyde. Was there another part of Cole? Something dark? I couldn't imagine, and yet I saw the eyes for myself. The guy had been scared to death and had torn his way out of the bar. He saw something dark in Cole as well. What could it be? I couldn't even begin to fathom on my own what was going on, and yet I knew I needed some answers. Cole would have to come clean with me and tell me what was going on.
I realized then that Cole was not in the bed, and then I heard it. Voices were coming from the next room. I got out of bed and grabbed a robe off the shirt hanger in the room and walked out into the living room to see what all the commotion was about.
When I walked in the room I saw that Cole was sitting with his friend Michael and two other very large men. They seemed to be having a very serious conversation and I realized too late that it was probably personal. It was possible that I had accidentally walked into a very important business meeting and I did not want them to realize it. I tried to back away slowly and sneak out unnoticed but then a voice stopped me.
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