Just when I thought I might need to beg him for a little break, he paused and then delivered one final cracking swat to each of my rear cheeks, his hand the hardest it had been yet, making me gasp, the sound tapering off into whimpering. He caressed my sore, stinging bottom for a short while, his hand rubbing firm, slow circles on each hot cheek. When he finally spoke, his voice came out in a low rumble.
"And that, Kyla, is what happens to girls who tease their soon-to-be husbands. You may get up now."
Panting, I stood, the ache low in my belly literally almost unbearable. While Aaron practically tore down his jeans and underwear and sat back down, I kicked off my shoes and ripped off my jeans and underwear. I then hopped onto his lap, straddling him. I moaned, sliding the throbbing bud at the center of my womanhood up the long length of his rock-hard shaft. With a growl, he took his manhood by the base and positioned the thick head of it at my slick entrance. I slid onto it, crying out at the sensation of being completely filled by his hardness. He gripped my thighs with trembling hands, and I began rocking my hips, unable to even wait to fully get used to the size of him like I usually did.
Before very long at all, I approached my climax, riding Aaron harder and faster than I probably ever had. I made no attempt to slow or delay myself. I couldn't. I soon cried out, throwing my head back, sliding down the length of his granite-hard shaft while every muscle in my body seemed to clench and release. Aaron cried out with me, his hands gripping my still-very-warm bottom. I rested my head on his shoulder, absolutely dazed. And absolutely satisfied.
Several minutes later, we'd both managed to get dressed, and we began walking back to the cabins, hand in hand.
After a short while, I looked over at Aaron. "Well, this little walk has certainly stretched my legs. How about you?"
He chuckled, the sound rumbling in his chest. "Yeah. You could say that."
That evening, Emily and I stood doing dishes in the kitchen of the communal meeting cabin.
She glanced over at me while rinsing a plate, her gray eyes twinkling. "So you and Aaron must have had a nice walk today. We all noticed how you came back with rosy cheeks."
I nodded, thinking about how rosy my rear cheeks probably still were. A little heat sprang to my face.
"Yup. We had a...."
My face got even hotter, and I cleared my throat.
"We had a really nice little walk."
Emily grabbed another plate, her mouth twitching with a smile. "It's amazing how invigorating a little fresh autumn air can be."
I nodded, and my voice came out in a squeak.
"Mm-hmm."
A while later, in Aaron's and my cabin, he rubbed lotion all over my sore bottom and we made love again. And then we made love once more again around midnight. I fell asleep cradled in the strength and safety of his strong arms.
Everyone in the family continued working to unearth the money jars over the weekend, and by Sunday night, all the cash and gold had been unearthed, counted, and organized into several big suitcases, which would be left hidden at the cabin settlement until we found out for sure at the meeting the next day whether we would be buying the land from the Blakelys and at what price.
Monday morning, it was decided that Jasmine, Andrew, Sarah, Lucas, Samuel, and Cole would stay behind at the cabin settlement to guard the money while Calvin, Emily, Seth, Aaron, and I would go into Houghton to meet old Mr. Blakely. The five of us took my car into Houghton and arrived just a little before nine.
When we all stepped into the small office rented by Mr. Blakely, we were greeted by a brunette woman appearing to be in her mid-twenties. Smiling, she introduced herself as Alexandra Blakely, Mr. Blakely's granddaughter. She had a pretty smile, wide and sparkling, but for some reason, her big blue eyes seemed to hold an expression of pain. And I didn't have to wait long to find out why.
CHAPTER FOUR
Mr. Blakely's granddaughter led us down a short hallway to a conference room, still smiling, but her big blue eyes still holding an expression of sadness or pain. Mr. Blakely sat at the head of a long, rectangular conference table, and Alexandra introduced us all to him. He didn't rise from his chair, although considering his very advanced age and gaunt frame, I didn't blame him at all, but he didn't even say “nice to meet you” or shake anyone's hand. He only acknowledged our presence with a grunt, glaring, his bushy white eyebrows knitting together.
Alexandra seated Calvin, Emily, Seth, Aaron, and me around the table, asking if any of us would like some coffee.
"Or, we also have bottled water if any of you would like that instead."
"They don't need any coffee! They don't need any bottled water!"
Alexandra cowered, flinching, as if her grandfathers words were blows. Calvin, Emily, Seth, Aaron, and I sat in stunned silence.
"They've already been living on my land for free; do you think I want to give them any more freebies?"
"No, Grandfather."
He glared at her. "Idiot girl. Good-for-nothing imbecile."
Emily and I both made little gasping noises, and Seth flew up from his seat, his hazel eyes narrowed.
"Hey! Do you really need to talk to her like that?"
"I'll talk to her any way I damn well please! She's an idiot! She knows it. You're dumber than a box of rocks, aren't you, girl?"
Alexandra cast her gaze downward, her face reddening. "Yes, Grandfather.”
Seth's eyes became slits.
"Well, you won't talk to her that way while I'm around."
Mr. Blakely's bushy white eyebrows drew together they so close they were almost touching.
"She's my granddaughter, boy, and as I said before, I'll talk to her any way I damn well please."
Seth had been turned into a bear shifter at the age of twenty-nine, and he was fairly tall and muscular. He definitely didn't look like a boy.
"And if you don't shut your damn yap about the way I talk to my granddaughter, we'll never get this meeting started. So I suggest you sit the hell down and let us begin."
Seth continued glowering at Mr. Blakely for a long moment, his jaw clenched, before slowly sitting back down. Alexandra sank into a chair against the wall, away from the table, glancing at her grandfather as if afraid she would be yelled at again for the simple act of sitting.
Mr. Blakely folded his gnarled, liver-spotted hands on top of the table and turned his gaze to Aaron. "I've heard you're the patriarch, or leader of sorts of this family, is that correct?"
Aaron nodded once, stony-faced, his brawny arms folded across his chest. "It is."
"Not surprising. 'Might makes right.' That's an old expression, and I can see it's probably true in this case."
"Why I'm the designated head of my family is none of your concern."
"Ah. A strong, assertive leader. Of course. A man much like I was in my glory days."
For some reason, I could just tell that Mr. Blakely had never been anything like Aaron. Aaron was kind and treated people with respect.
Mr. Blakely continued, his cloudy eyes on Aaron. "Now. Leaders like us are always pressed for time, so I'll get right to it. This meeting is to reiterate what I said in the letter I sent you. I'm selling the land your cabin settlement sits on, as well as several square miles of land around it. I want you and your family gone within a week. Now, you may move your cabins, or dismantle them and take the lumber with you or whatever have you, though I don't know how you'll get everything out of the forest with no road leading out of where I've been told your settlement sits. But that's not my problem, anyway. I want you and your family gone, plain and simple, so I can sell the land to a developer. And I summoned you here today to get a promise that you'll leave and stay gone with no hassles. After all, it is my land."
Aaron dipped his head in a nod. "Yes, it is. However, my family has no interest in leaving. We're interested in buying the land from you."
"Well, I'm not interested in selling my land to anyone other than the developer I've already agreed to sell it to. You see, we'v
e worked out quite an amicable deal. A deal that is more than agreeable to us both."
"Whatever they've offered you, we'll pay you double."
Mr. Blakely's wrinkled face didn't even register a hint of surprise.
"I'm still not interested. As I've said before, I'm only interested in selling the land to the developer I've already promised it to. I want your family gone, and I want none of you to ever return. And in fact, as I'm a kindhearted, generous man, I'm even willing to pay you a 'relocation fee.' How does one million dollars in cash strike you?"
Aaron's face remained stony. "We're not interested in moving from our wilds, Alistair."
"My wilds." Mr. Blakely lifted the sides of his mouth in some semblance of a smile, revealing yellowed, cracked teeth. "My wilds. They've been in my family for generations, since the eighteen-hundreds. And although I've somewhat forgotten about them in the past fifty years or so, they're still mine. And unlike my simple-minded father, I don't intend to let people enjoy use of the land for free."
"That's why we're offering to buy the land from you at a more than generous price."
Mr. Blakely steepled his knotty fingers. "Ah, yes. But you see, I am a man of the highest character. I am a man of honor."
Seth openly made a face of disgust.
"I am a businessman of the highest moral quality. With whom I do business is just as important to me as the business itself. And I have already agreed to sell the land to a developer I respect and admire. We're forming a partnership of sorts. A very mutually beneficial partnership. But this partnership is dependent on you and your family leaving the wilds and staying gone. So I now offer you two million dollars to dismantle your cabins and leave. And I'll even tell you what, just because I am so very kind. You needn't even bother with moving or dismantling your cabins. Just leave. Plain and simple. You and your family simply agree to get out, and you'll leave here today two million dollars richer."
His arms still folded across his broad chest, Aaron clenched his square jaw, studying Mr. Blakely. "Ten million dollars for the title to the land. I know that's got to be at least five times what the developer is offering you. You'd be a fool not to take this deal, for whatever reason."
Mr. Blakely leaned over the table, his red-rimmed eyes narrowing at Aaron. "And you'd be a fool not to take my two million to leave peacefully. I'm selling the land to the developer I've formed a partnership with, and that's final. I'll send the police, a few hired guns, and the entire military to escort you off the land if I have to!"
My stomach twisted into knots. I'd been so sure that Aaron would be able to buy the land for our family and we'd all live happily-ever-after. I'd been so sure that Mr. Blakely would take our family's money gladly. And immediately, too. I wondered what Aaron's plan of action would be now. If he'd go with Emily's plan of trying to intimidate the developer off the land while in bear form, or what.
Aaron met Mr. Blakely's gaze unwaveringly, his deep green eyes unblinking. "I think I'd like to speak with this developer of yours. You're intent on selling the land to him, and that's fine. But I think I'd like to speak to him and see if he's a more reasonable and business-savvy individual than you are."
Mr. Blakely snorted. "A more business-savvy individual than me? None exists. Do you think I've made over a quarter billion dollars in my lifetime by acting like an imbecile? Do you think I've come to own half the oilfields in eastern Texas by making business decisions that the average man would make?"
"I've offered you ten million dollars for a parcel of land that was appraised not too long ago at about one million dollars. You've refused my offer. Tell me what I should think about that decision."
Mr. Blakely snorted again. "Do you think I came to own over four hundred properties in the state of Michigan by-"
"I'd like to speak to the developer you're intent on selling the land to, Alistair."
Mr. Blakely studied Aaron, scowling. "As you wish, then. But I don't think you'll find him any more accommodating than I have been. And in fact, I'm sure you'll find him less so. Much less so. I believe you'll wish you'd taken my two million dollars and moved your whole family to Argentina."
"What's his name, and how do I find him?"
"Well, if you're so damn eager, you can speak to him right now. How's that?"
Aaron nodded once. "Perfect."
"You'll regret not taking my two million. I'm a generous man, and you'll regret not taking me up on my token of goodwill. You'll regret-"
"I'll take my chances."
After a final glare at Aaron, Mr. Blakely turned his gaze to Alexandra, who still sat in a chair against the wall, her expression seeming to be even more pained and sadder than it had been before.
"Make yourself useful and go get my new business partner."
"Yes, Grandfather.”
She sprang up and began scurrying toward the door, her big blue eyes downcast. But before she even got there, and a somewhat small man with dark hair and eyes that appeared nearly black stepped through the doorway, his gaze on Aaron.
"Eh, I didn't think the old man rambling at you and offering you money would work. Figured we'd give it a try, though. Just on the off-chance. Life can be strange and unpredictable sometimes, you know."
The man spoke with a British accent and a voice I was all too familiar with. It was Victor. Victor, the shifter wolf, who was supposed to be dead.
CHAPTER FIVE
Victor strolled into the conference room twirling a gold pocket watch on a chain. "I just bought this at an antique shop a few blocks from here earlier today, and I think it's pretty neat. In fact, I've even been wrapping the chain around the watch and trying it out as a yo-yo, which has been pretty fun. But...that's not what it's intended to be used for, is it? And I'm not very good at it, anyway. Yet, though. But just give me a little time. Just give me a little time, and soon I'll be the pocket watch yo-yo-ing champion of the world."
Calvin, Emily, Seth, Aaron, and I sat stunned and speechless. Aaron had killed Victor by biting him directly in the heart while both of them had battled in shifter form about two months earlier. And then I had destroyed the wolf-shifters' family amulet, which their shadowy forms had come out of even though every single one of them had been destroyed with a bite to the heart. And then all their shadowy forms had disappeared. We'd thought Victor had been destroyed, along with his wolf-shifter brothers, once and for all.
He took a seat at the end of the table opposite Mr. Blakely and set his pocket watch on the polished surface, surveying everyone's faces. "You all look rather impressed, and that makes me gratified. Although this shouldn't surprise me. It's not every day that people get to witness a pocket watch yo-yo-ing champion of the world in the making. I imagine it's quite a thrill. Or...." Victor studied all our faces more intently, frowning. "Or am I reading you all wrong? Is the reason you all look so profoundly shocked and speechless really because you're so impressed to witness a pocket watch yo-yo-ing champion of the world in the making? Or is it...." He sighed. "Ah, yes. I should have known. You all are shocked simply to see me alive. Stupid me. Stupid, idiot me for even daring to think that I might impress my old friends with the exciting news that I might someday become the pocket watch yo-yo-ing champion of the world. Stupid, idiot me for thinking that their expressions might be reflections of happiness, approval, or encouragement. Maybe even a little respect and pride in me. No, they're just stunned that I'm alive. Well, I've learned my lesson about daring to hope that anyone might ever believe in me and my silly dreams. And I suppose I have some explaining to do. You see, as we've discussed before, there was much Six Clouds didn't tell us when he turned us into shifters. And maybe he didn't even know everything. Just because a person uses magic, doesn't necessarily mean they understand it all. But at any rate, we're now finding out more and more about what happens to shifters at various stages. Stage one, they exist. Stage two, when they are 'killed', and I'm very definitely putting quotes around that word, from a bite directly to the heart, their shifter bodies die, but
their shadowy little shifter souls get drawn into their family amulet, which becomes their new little home, from which they can come and go as they please, still enjoying some semblance of being 'alive', so to speak, as long as the amulet still exists. Stage three, when that amulet is destroyed, as happened to my family amulet during an unfortunate run-in with a boulder some two months ago...remember that, Kyla and Aaron?"
Aaron sat staring at Victor, his deep green eyes narrowed and dark and his chest rising and falling a little more rapidly than usual. He didn't respond to Victor, and neither did I.
"All right, then, you two. I'll take your silence as reflection and not as amnesia, because I'm quite sure you both remember the day you destroyed my family amulet. Now, where was I? Stage three. And do listen carefully, everyone, because this is fairly interesting. When a family amulet is destroyed, the shadow-shifters who've been enjoying it as a home base of sorts cease to be shifters of any kind and instead reappear some hours later, naked in a ditch in human form, to live out the rest of their natural lives in human bodies, same as they would have if they'd never been made shifters. Or at least this is what I'm just assuming happens...the living out the rest of their natural lives in human bodies part. The naked in a ditch in human form part, I'm quite certain of. I believe I still have a handful of twigs, stones, and leaves wedged in between my ass cheeks. And of course I'm kidding, everyone. I removed them after enjoying the sensation for a few days."
Her Bear Protector Trilogy Page 16