by Lisa Lace
“I still need to taste him,” she whispered to the empty room around her, and licked at her lips before rolling onto her side and sitting up. She would call him later, but the first order of business was to figure a few things out. Her father was brilliant and had always known exactly what he was doing. Whatever he saw in Alec had begun to blossom.
“Thank you, Dad.” Sonya ran her fingers through her hair and let the sadness that she had pushed to the edges of her mind wash over her again. She loved her father and had a special relationship with him. Laughing softly through her tears, she let herself be enveloped by the great loss.
She couldn’t imagine a time she wouldn’t feel sorrow about missing her greatest supporter, but she hoped Alec might fill the gap. She needed to know what her father did to help them. That would be the final parts of the puzzle.
Getting out of bed, she stretched and groaned. She wiped at her tears with her T-shirt and padded into the kitchen, heading for the fridge. A loud growl came from her stomach and she got busy making a sandwich out of anything and everything in the fridge. A quick glance at the clock on the stove told her that it was early afternoon.
The lazy day had proven good for her mental health so far, her sadness dimmed slightly by the promise of solving a riddle, and the prospect of sex with the best looking man she’d ever laid eyes on later.
Her phone buzzed and she picked it up, smiling at Alec’s text.
Alec: Sleeping all day? Takes a big man to put a woman in a 24-hour coma.
Sonya: Just got up. Making food. No coma but will try if you’re “up” for it.
Alec: Good. At door.
“No, you aren’t.” Sonya put the phone down and walked to the door in her T-shirt and panties. She pressed her hands to the wood and leaned in to look out the peephole. Alec stood there in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, sunglasses on his face and his hair a dark mess. She purred softly at the sight of him.
He was sexy when they were younger, but he was wickedly delicious now.
She opened the door and leaned against it as his eyes rolled over her, the hunger in his gaze searing her. “I guess this means you expect me to share my sandwich?”
He walked into the house, pulling her into his arms and sliding his hands down to cup her barely clad butt. “I don’t want anything but you in my mouth.”
She pressed him to the door behind him and hooked one of her legs over his hip as she pressed her lips to his. Sugary sweetness rolled over her tongue as she licked at his mouth. He slipped his hands into her hair and locked her in place as he kissed her hard. She pulled away breathless, her heart beating so hard it hurt.
How was he able to do that every time?
“I’m starving. Come eat with me.” She tugged away from him and walked into the kitchen, careful to shake her hips far more than she usually would. He moved in behind her and caressed the part of her ass the panties didn’t cover, his deep panting driving her mad.
“No way you’re going to be able to eat that whole sandwich. Cut it in half and I’ll save you from embarrassing yourself.” He leaned against the counter.
“No way. I’ll make you one too, but this one is all mine. I’m starving. Some large bear stole all of my energy last night and I’m not sure how I made it home.” She moved to the counter and put a few more pieces of ham on her creation.
Alec shifted in behind her, sliding his hands around her hips and up her torso to her breasts. He bent down and kissed the side of her neck softly as she rubbed her rear against him.
“That bear would have brought you home and tucked you into bed if you weren’t so hell bent on running the minute the sex was over.”
“Is the sex over?” She turned her head toward him, her voice soft and questioning.
He squeezed her breasts harder and ground into her. “The bear says fuck no. Make your sandwich and let’s revisit what it means to lick someone to death. You’ve been so needy lately that I haven’t gotten the chance to properly spend time exploring your sexy body.”
“Me? Needy? I think you’re referring to yourself.” Sonya cut the sandwich in half and picked one part of it up, leaning over and taking a huge bite. She groaned and chewed slowly, letting the various flavors wash over her tongue. The only thing better than sex was power, and food was a close third.
“I agree, actually. I’ve never been needy for anything or anyone since you and here I find myself with that same problem again.” He moved back, turning her a little and reaching around her to grab the other half of the sandwich. She growled a warning at him as he took a deep bite of it.
“You’re lucky there’s more bread and meat or I would have to kill you.” She shrugged and took another bite, watching him closely. He was powerful and big, his size and stamina leaving her almost dizzy. She reached out with her free hand and slid it under his shirt, running her fingers over the thick swell of his chest. She played with his nipple before taking another bite of her sandwich.
Juice from the tomato dripped down the side of her mouth and she moved back to wipe it, but Alec trapped her hand against him and leaned forward. Her breath caught in her chest as he licked the contents away and nipped at her mouth.
“Why is it so hot that I know you could kill me if you wanted to?” He kissed the side of her mouth and moved back, leaning over and taking another bite of her sandwich.
“Because you’re the Alpha of a large pack. Threats are imminent and me being vicious and independent means that you won’t have to worry about my safety as your woman.” She shrugged and took another bite.
“Does this mean you’re going to stop fighting me so hard and relent?” He finished his sandwich, his mouth filled with the contents as he made quick work of it and licked at his fingers.
“Do I have a choice?” She extended her half-eaten meal to him and he took it, finishing it off too.
“Not at all. You mated with me last night. You’re mine forever.” He wagged his eyebrows and moved closer as he licked at the side of his mouth. “Why was that the best thing I’ve ever eaten?”
“Because your body needed sustenance. Some hot brown bear took full advantage of you and milked you dry ten times last night. She’s a beast. Be careful of that one.” She winked and pulled him close as he wrapped his hands around her waist and hoisted her up on the counter.
Sonya put her arms around him and tightened her thighs around his middle as he kissed and licked at her mouth.
“Fuck, you taste good,” he whispered against her lips before moving his kisses to her neck. “Take off your shirt. I want to lick your tits.”
“No. I have a few things I need to do today.” She pushed at his shoulder.
“Yeah. Me.” He moved back up, pressing his teeth carefully to her jaw and sliding his fingers down the side of her panties until his fingers slipped in and brushed by her sex. She groaned, needing the contact with him. Her body was swollen and wet, needy and aching as he petted her.
“Stop, you horny bastard. I need to take care of something and then I’m all yours.”
He slipped his fingers into her and looked up, his eyes hooded as the smell of his need wrapped around them. “Hurry then. I want in here again.”
“Yes,” she whispered and nipped at his lips before pushing his hand away. He licked at his fingers as she slid from the countertop and walked to her father’s office.
“I’m eating that pussy when you’re done with whatever you think is more important than me.”
“I know you are. I was going to tie you down and ride your face if you didn’t get to it soon.” She glanced over her shoulder and yelped as he barreled toward her.
“Dirty little thing.” He reached for her and she spun, jogging to her father’s office as he barked. The sound caused her heart to race. He was everything she wanted and more. How was she going to keep up her facade enough not to fall head over heels with him?
Being his partner in life and at the company was one thing, but completely getting lost and needing him every day ��
��� all the time? It was terrifying.
“What are we doing in here?” Alec stopped by the door as Sonya looked over her shoulder at him. His erection pulled his jeans forward and left him looking like a teenage boy with far too many issues.
“Parik told me that I need to get into the safe in my father’s office. I’m doing it today.” She moved to the large cabinet in the office and knelt before it, opening the cabinet and leaning in to work on the safe.
“I think you should put some pants on, my love. Your ass is barely covered and I’m about to take full advantage of being an Alpha if you’re not careful.” Alec’s voice was tight and pinched.
“Third door on the left down the hall is my bedroom. Grab my pants from beside the bed and I’ll put them on, but…” She looked over her shoulder again as the safe swung open. “You don’t scare me at all. Your threats are nothing when they happen to be the core of my desires. I’m thinking about taking the panties off just to tease you properly.”
“Fuck me.” He turned and walked out as Sonya laughed. It was good to let him in a little more, to relent and let her guard down enough for them to work on a friendship.
She pulled out a large folder with her name on it and stood up, walking to her father’s desk and setting everything down. Sonya felt a great weight on her shoulders; could she handle going through the contents of the folder?
Alec walked back into the office and handed her the pants before popping her hard on the butt and leaning over to growl against her neck. “Make this quick.”
“Hush.” She took the pants and slipped them on before flipping through the birth records for her and her brother.
Her mom and dad’s marriage license was next. She picked it up and smiled, running her fingers along her mother’s name. Alec moved in behind her, wrapping his arms around her again.
“I want one of those.”
“A marriage license?” She turned her face a little, pressing into his hold.
“Yeah, with our names on it.” He sucked her earlobe into his mouth and she groaned softly.
“Are you asking me to marry you?”
“Not yet. I want it to be special because you deserve it.” He licked at her neck, pressing his teeth to the column of her throat. His words rolled through her and she shuddered. Would they get married and have a life together? Was she ready to commit to something like that?
He wasn’t asking yet, so nothing to be too concerned with yet. Right?
She put the license down and tried to concentrate on the documents below her, but Alec’s assault at her back made it difficult. Her body purred as blood began to flow faster, her breathing becoming labored. The next folder helped to douse her desire.
Alec DePort.
She pulled from him and turned, nodding to the small round table in her father’s office. “This is what we wanted. Come on.”
She moved to the table and took a seat, reaching over and pulling an empty chair closer to her so that they could read the documents together. He stopped by her chair and knelt down in front of her.
“I don’t want to do this right now. I’m not ready for this, Sonya.”
“What? Why?” She reached out and touched the side of his face, his expression breaking her heart. The strength of his position sat like a heavy cloak on him, but sadness brushed across his features.
“I was abandoned as a child. I have no idea who my mother and father are and I’m not prepared to find out today if Victor has that information as part of the file on me.” He turned his face and kissed her hand. “I’m going home, but come over later and let me make us dinner.”
“I can do this later. I don’t want you to go.” She dropped her hand and moved toward him. He slid his hands along her face and brought her in for a long, passionate kiss. The folder could wait. It was him she wanted. He broke the kiss and breathed in deeply.
“Come over later, baby. Do this for you right now. Hold the truth about me in your heart until I ask for it. I want to hear it from you, not read it from a file.” He kissed her again quickly and moved back. Sonya reached out and stopped him, her hand clamping down on his shoulder.
“You trust me that much?”
He pulled from her and stood, brushing his fingers down the side of her hair and smiling. “I love you that much.”
Chapter 20
His pulse raced as he walked out of Victor’s large house. The information in the folder was crippling. How long had he run from his past? Since he was nothing more than a pup himself.
He let out a shaky breath and got into his car, his body throbbing for time with Sonya naked and sweaty below him. He would fuck her long and hard that night, but for now, he had some decisions to make.
Dax would recover from his ass whooping and the male would want a proper fight. The fight would be with Sonya if he didn’t move fast. The way of their people wouldn’t allow for Alec to fight on her behalf for the pack.
Dax would take the girl down and he would be left with murderous intent to fuck him up and anyone else that came near them. It wasn’t a good set up for a healthy future.
He growled loudly in the car and hit his hands on the wheel, the metal denting slightly. He would talk things over with Jared and then call a council meeting. The time to lay his plans out in front of his people had arrived. They could agree with him and back him, or they could cower in the corner. Nothing was changing his mind.
The sweet look on Sonya’s face melted him completely when he told her that he loved her. She hadn’t repeated the words, but he knew she felt them. It was only a matter of time. Words were fleeting and her actions spoke volumes.
He trusted her completely, something that most people that knew their recent history would be appalled by. He smiled at the thought and turned up the music on his radio, letting everything go but the words of the song.
*
Jared was waiting in the house when he got back and for the first time in a long time, he was grateful for the company. The thought of digging into his past left him on edge. He climbed out of the car and walked into the house, not needing to call out to Jared. He could smell the other male as if he were right in front of him.
“Alec?” Jared walked out of the kitchen. “Hope you don’t mind. This place was starting to look like shit, so I had some of the girls come over and clean it up.”
“Did you pay them for their time?” Alec asked, dropping his keys on the kitchen table before walking to the refrigerator.
“No?” Jared laughed and sat down at the table. “They’re part of the pack. Pack life means sharing in common duties and giving of yourself to others in your pack.”
“Oh.” Alec pulled out a Tupperware of leftover steak and opened it, eating it cold from the container. “I’m not used to pack life, remember?”
“No, actually you’ve yet to tell any of us about your past. We’re not a people that need a resume, remember? You’re strong enough to take down the last Alpha, so the pack belongs to you now.”
Alec nodded and extended the container toward Jared. “I’m a lone bear. I don’t know who my parents are and I’ve spent my whole life roaming the world in search of something to make me complete.”
“Have you found it?” Jared took a large chunk of the meat and started to tear at it with his teeth.
“Yeah. At first the pack felt like it might be a part of that need inside of me, and it was ��� it is, really. Sonya is the rest of it. I need her by my side and then I’ll be complete.” Alec shrugged and sat down at the table. “Call a meeting today. I’m going to take ownership of the brown bears from Victor’s daughter. Dax isn’t going to relent and I’ll not have him attacking my mate.”
“Oh shit. That’s huge.” Jared picked up his phone and started pressing buttons.
Alec admired that quality in the other man above all else. He might not understand or agree with what Alec was up to, but he didn’t question it. He simply did it.
“Done.” Jared looked up and shrugged. “Not sure how th
at’s going to go over, but I’ll be there with you. The ultimate decision lies with you, so whatever you say goes.”
“Yeah, but this is big. I’m hoping that I can convince them. I’m not ready to throw caution to the wind and dominate them in everything yet. I enjoy the idea of a collection of voices in decision making. I don’t want a dictatorship like Victor had. He was a different type of man and it worked for him, but I’m not that humble. The power of being the supreme decision maker would corrupt me fast.”
“But you are already.” Jared took another piece of meat and leaned back. “The supreme decision maker, I mean.”
“I don’t see it like that.” Alec crossed his arms over his chest. “Victor had a file on me that most likely tells all of my history, including who birthed me. I’m not ready to know that yet.”
“That’s heavy. I can’t imagine how that would feel.” Jared picked up his phone as it buzzed. “Drago is pulling together the others. We need to be there in two hours.”
“Good. I’m going to take a shower.” Alec stood and picked up the last piece of meat, popping it in his mouth and walking languidly toward his bathroom.
“Hey, did you whoop Dax’s ass today?” Jared’s voice followed him.
“Him and three of his biggest guys.”
“No shit? In bear form?”
“Nope. In this puny human body. He’s pissed, so I’m not sure I did us any good.” Alec walked into his bedroom, Jared’s comments lost in the distance between them.
It didn’t matter what anyone thought about it. Dax was a threat to Sonya and had to be beaten back or taken out. The bastard was out of warnings.
*
“Why are we here, Sir?” One of the younger council members stopped beside Alec as the others took their seats.
“I’ll discuss it shortly, Marcus. Take your seat please.”
“Of course, it’s just that Leah is going into labor today. I want to make sure…”
Alec cut the other man off, reaching out and squeezing his shoulder. “Then get out of here. This is nothing compared to your pup being born today.”