by Jodi Vaugn
“Please, Braxton. Please don’t stop.”
“I couldn’t stop even if I wanted, baby.” Her body fit him like a silk glove, threatening to make him come too fast.
He moved slowly at first, grinding against her in a torturous dance. Every moan and hitch in her breath urged him to slow down to make it last and make it good for her.
Her legs locked around his ankles and she bucked. Pleasure raced down the base of his spine, threatening his self-control. He moved faster, thrusting in and out, until their bodies were wet with sweat and sex.
“Oh, God, Braxton.” She moaned out his name as she climaxed, tightening around him like a vise.
He moved faster, thrusting harder. His balls tightened, pleasure streaking through his body straight to the end of his cock, exploding in the hardest orgasm he’d ever experienced.
When the last tremor left, he collapsed on top of her. She wrapped her arms around his back, holding him close.
“You okay?” he whispered in the crook of her neck as he inhaled her scent.
“Yeah, though I’m not exactly sure what you did to my body. That’s never happened before.”
He lifted his head and gazed down at her. “You’ve never had an orgasm before?” He grinned, knowing that he’d given her something no other man had.
“No.”
Braxton stilled, watching her face flush with embarrassment.
“Have you ever given yourself an orgasm?”
She squeezed her eyes shut. “No. I guess I wasn’t sure how to work the equipment.”
“I may not know anything about appliances, but I know how to work your equipment just fine.” Braxton kissed her neck and rolled off. Laying on his back, he pulled her close and tucked her into his arms.
Caressing her cheek, he forced her gaze to meet his. “I’m glad that I was the one to give you your first orgasm.” He pressed his lips to hers.
His hand drifted down her back to rest on her hip. He let his eyes drift shut, savoring the sweetness of being wrapped in her arms.
“Braxton?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“Do you think that guy I ran into in town is still looking for you?”
He stopped his caress, every muscle in his body stiffening. He didn’t want to lie, but he didn’t want to upset her either. Werewolf laws were strict and could be viewed by humans as cruel. In the end, he decided on telling her the truth.
“Assassins don’t give up until they have the body of their target. They always need confirmation.”
Kate buried deeper into his chest and shivered against him. He tightened his hold.
Braxton frowned. “I’m surprised they tracked me this far. I would have thought the snow would have covered my trail. I’m not sure that it’s safe for me to even stay here.”
Kate raised up on her elbows. “I don’t think they know you’re here. From the conversation I had, it made me think they are just back-tracking. That big guy said you might have come through Eureka Springs. I don’t think they found your tracks.” Her eyes softened. “So you don’t have to leave. Not yet.”
Braxton’s heart caught in his chest. He didn’t want to leave her. Not ever. For the first time in his life, he felt like he was home. “Then I’ll stay. For a little longer at least. But if it looks like you’ll be in danger, for any reason at all, I’ll leave.”
She pressed her mouth to his lips. The gentle kiss soon turned hungry.
This time when he slid inside her, he took his time, loving every inch of her, like it was their last moment on earth.
***
Kate sat on the kitchen stool as Braxton flipped the pancake in the air and caught it in the skillet. His chest muscles flexed with each movement.
With the next flip, he caught the pancake on a dainty pink plate, stacked two more on top, and set it in front of her. “Hope you’re hungry.”
She was hungry, just not for food.
“How is it?” Braxton looked over his shoulder as she took a bite.
“It’s good, really good.” She held back an appreciative moan. “How’d you learn to cook?”
Braxton shrugged, the muscles playing across his shoulders with the movement. “I learned pretty early. When I was younger, my mom would tell me to stay out of my father’s way whenever he was around. So I usually waited until they were out of the house to get something to eat.”
Kate’s fork froze halfway to her mouth. “Your mom made you miss eating meals? Just to appease your father?”
Braxton shook his head. “It wasn’t like that.”
Trembling with anger, Kate sucked in a breath and carefully laid her fork on the plate. “Then, what was it like?”
“I don’t know. She just didn’t want me to upset my father and end up getting hit.” Braxton slid his plate next to hers and sat. “It doesn’t matter. It was so long ago.”
It did matter. She wanted to wrap her arms around Braxton and show him how much he mattered. How could a mother neglect her own child? What kind of mother did that?
She looked at him under her lashes as he quietly ate his breakfast. She didn’t want to bring up painful memories, so she let the issue go.
She gave him a playful elbow to the side. “I’ve never had a guy cook me breakfast before.”
“Yeah?” Braxton gave her a devastating grin. “Looks like you are having a lot of firsts today.”
Her face heated. He was right. He’d given her a lot of firsts today.
“Do you do this all the time? Cook for women after ravishing them?” She waved her fork over her plate.
Braxton’s grin slipped, his gaze boring straight to her heart. “I’ve never cooked for a woman before.”
Her heart melted like a snow cone in the middle of July. “Looks like there are a lot of firsts for both of us today.”
Bam! Bam! Bam! Three sharp knocks to the front door had Braxton grabbing his shirt and heading for the living room.
She grabbed his arm and dug in her heels, holding him back. “What are you doing? You can’t answer the door. What if it’s the Assassins?”
He took another step and she tightened her fingers on his bicep. Her heart pounded in her chest.
“If you get caught now, you won’t have a chance to find your father’s killer.”
Braxton thinned his lips, and she knew he was contemplating his options.
“Braxton, please. I don’t know what I’d do if you got hurt, or worse.” She swallowed the lump in the back of her throat. She was an idiot. She was falling for a guy who wouldn’t be around much longer. Even if he did find the killer and things were resolved, Braxton would want to go back to Shreveport to be with his mom. His home was in Louisanna, not here with her.
He cupped her face between his massive hands and stared down at her with such tenderness it made her chest tighten.
The visitor pounded out three more hard knocks.
Kate gripped his wrist. “Please, let me answer the door. If it’s those guys, you can have a chance of escaping out the back door.”
He brought his mouth down on hers and kissed her hard. As much as she wanted the kiss to never end, she pulled away and shoved at his chest. “Go.”
She waited until Braxton was out the kitchen door before making her way slowly to the front door. Kate glanced at her reflection in the mirror over the table. Damn, she looked like she’d been rolling around in bed with a hot man.
She tightened the belt on her robe and counted to ten before opening the front door.
Her heart dropped to the floor. Standing right in front of her was the same man that had approached her in the parking lot. She thought she had been so careful about not being followed back to the Bella Luna.
The stranger whipped off his Oakleys and glared at her with intense blue eyes.
“Where is he?” he growled.
“Where is who?” She suddenly wished she was a gun owner. Here she was, standing in front of a guy who outweighed her by at least a hundred and fifty pounds, and she had nothi
ng to defend herself with.
The dark stranger blew out an impatient breath. “Braxton. Where is he?”
Holy shit. “I don’t know any Braxton.” She gave him her best poker face. She sucked at poker. She sucked at lying in general.
The Assassin stuck his hand through his jet-black hair and closed his eyes.“I know Braxton is here. I can smell him all over you.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Kate lifted a lock of hair and sniffed. Smelled like mango and apricots to her.
The stranger growled. “I don’t mean your hair. I mean I can smell his scent on your body.”
She opened her mouth and clamped it shut, both embarrassed and outraged.
“Listen, I’m…”
A growl rumbled through the house. She turned just as Braxton rushed past her and tackled the stranger, knocking him to the hardwood floor.
***
“You know I can’t let you live,” Braxton growled. “If I do, you’ll have the other Assassins on Kate’s doorstep within the hour.” Braxton twisted the stranger’s hands behind his back as he held him down.
“Braxton, get your large ass off me before you really piss me off.”
Braxton stilled, the familiar voice catching him off guard. Slowly he released his hold and rolled off. Damon leaped to his feet in a front flip.
“Damon?” Braxton narrowed his eyes.
“Yeah, it’s me you dumb fuck.” Damon dusted the imaginary dirt off his leather jacket with a scowl.
“Wait, you know him?” Kate stuck her thumb in Damon’s general direction.
“Yeah.” Braxton nodded slowly.
“Is he one of the Assassins?” Kate gave him a wide-eyed look.
Damon scowled. “I’m no fucking Assassin.”
“He’s a friend.” Or so he hoped.
“Well, don’t start having a Lifetime movie moment with me. I’m already mated, dickwad,” Damon snarled.
Braxton gave him a fist bump and laughed. “Don’t worry. You’re not my type. By the way, how is Ava? Is she still playing Little Red Riding Hood?”
“Only in my bed.” Damon cut his suspicious gaze at Kate. “And you are…”
Braxton placed his hand on the small of Kate’s back. “Damon, this is Kate. She owns the Bella Luna.”
Kate cast a wary glance at Damon before she accepted his outstretched hand. “Nice to meet you. I think.”
Braxton snorted. “You won’t think so once you’ve seen him get angry.”
Damon glared at Braxton and then turned his attention to Kate. “Pleasure to meet you.”
Kate motioned toward the kitchen. “Would you like some coffee?”
“Yes, thank you. I see you have better manners than Braxton.” Damon jerked his thumb in Braxton’s direction as he followed them into the kitchen.
Braxton rested his arms on the kitchen island and cut his eyes at Damon. “I suppose you know what happened in Louisiana. I need to know something. Are you here to start trouble?”
Damon snorted. “Actually, I think you already took care of that.” Damon muttered his thanks to Kate as she offered him a hot mug of coffee. “I’m here because the powers that be aren’t very happy with what you’ve done.”
Braxton straightened. “I didn’t kill my father.”
Damon shrugged. “From what you told me I wouldn’t blame you if you did. He sounded like a prick.” He lifted the mug to his lips.
“Then why are you here?” Braxton caught the hesitancy in his friend’s expression as Damon’s gaze flickered over Kate. “You can speak in front of her. She knows what I am, what we are.”
Damon eased onto a kitchen stool and nodded for them to sit. “Barrett sent me here because those Assassins have broken Arkansas Pack Law. The moment they crossed the Arkansas border, they failed to inform Barrett they were in the territory. That’s a big no-no. Then they shoot you in our state—in broad daylight—risking exposing us to humans. Needless to say my Pack Master isn’t exactly feeling rainbows and puppies toward the Louisiana Pack.”
Hope swelled in Braxton’s chest. Maybe Barrett could help him. He didn’t know the Pack Master that well, but he did know that Barrett was fair. “Did Barrett send you to help find my father’s killer?”
Damon shook his head, looking pained. “He’s gone to Louisiana to raise hell with their Pack Master about letting those Assassins loose on Arkansas territory. He’s working on getting you a formal Tribunal in Louisiana. He sent me here to bring you to Little Rock and make sure they don’t kill you before that happens.”
“What’s a Tribunal?” Kate looked between him and Damon.
“It’s kind of like a court for our kind.”
“A court for werewolves?” Kate cocked her head.
“Yeah.” Damon cringed. “No offense, but it feels weird discussing this with a human.”
“Kate’s cool.” Braxton wrapped his arm around her shoulder and tugged her into his chest. She relaxed against him.
Damon nodded. “A Tribunal is a court for Weres when there is a dispute or a law is broken. There are certain laws that, once they are broken, carry an immediate judgment.”
“Sounds like a lively bunch,” Kate deadpanned.
“It’s a fucking barrel of monkeys.” Damon took another sip and nodded. “You make good coffee. Better than Ava.” Damon cut his eyes at Braxton. “Don’t ever tell her I said that.”
“Is Ava your wife?” Kate asked.
“She’s my mate.”
Braxton turned to her. “Being mated is a stronger bond than being married. Once you are mated, you are bound together for life.”
“What happens if there is infidelity?” Kate looked from him to Damon.
“There is no infidelity. We are not like humans, Kate. Once we find our mates, it is impossible for mated couples to have sex with anyone else.” Braxton had never considered being mated. But now, looking into Kate’s eyes, he couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like.
“So the equipment doesn’t work.” Kate raised her eyebrow.
“Right.” Damon grinned.
“Back to the topic at hand. Look, Damon, I appreciate you coming all this way, but I can’t leave with you. If I leave, the Assassins will find me. I don’t mind dying. But I’m not ready to die for something I sure as hell didn’t do.”
Damon set the coffee cup down with a clink. “Doesn’t matter what you want. I have my orders. You have to come back with me.”
“And I have to find the killer. At least that’s what I was trying to do before those assholes put a hole in me.” He absently rubbed his shoulder. The pain had eased up a day or two ago, leaving behind a slight ache.
Damon lifted his chin, a frown creasing his brow. “How the hell did you survive a silver bullet, anyway?”
“Kate’s friend is a vet. He dug it out of my shoulder and patched me up.” Braxton pulled his shirt up to his almost fully healed wound.
“Nice job. I take it he’s a Were too?” Damon asked.
“Yes.” Braxton squeezed Kate’s shoulder.
“I’ve got to hand it to you guys. You know how to keep your paranormal species a secret. Until I found Braxton on my porch, I had no idea werewolves even existed.” Kate snorted.
Braxton nodded at his friend. “Looks like you came all this way for nothing.”
Damon glared. “I still have my orders.”
“We both know how much you hate following orders, Damon. Besides, you kind of owe me.”
Damon straightened. “Owe you? For what?”
“For helping you get Jayden out of that trouble down in Shreveport.”
“Help? All you did was handcuff me to the bar in that strip club,” Damon growled.
Kate’s mouth dropped open. “Braxton handcuffed you to a bar?”
Damon lifted his brow. “With a pair of fuzzy pink handcuffs.”
Kate grinned. “Okay. I’m afraid to even ask.”
“Hey, they weren’t mine. Someone left them at the bar.” Braxton held up his hand
s. Fucking Damon.
“So you keep saying.” Damon’s expression grew grim. “Since you managed to hide out here without the Assassins finding you, it might be wise for you to stay put.”
Braxton relaxed. That would give him more time with Kate. Even if it was just one more day, he’d take it.
“And since you’re staying here, that means I’ll be staying here, too.” Damon stood.
“Wait a minute.” Braxton shook his head, not liking where this conversation was going.
“This is a bed and breakfast, isn’t it?” Damon glanced at Kate.
“Yes.”
“Good. How much is it a night?” Damon reached for his wallet. Guilt and jealousy stung Braxton’s gut. He didn’t have the funds to pay Kate for her hospitality and everything she’d done for him. Yet, here was Damon, pulling out cash earned from his highly profitable position as one of Arkansas’s Guardians. He had to hand it to Barrett for paying his employees so well.
“The usual rate is two hundred dollars a night, but since it’s the slow season, I charge a hundred and nineteen.”
Damon shook his head. “I’ll pay the full price. You have no idea how much I can eat. Ava has to buy groceries twice a week.” He pulled out a wad of hundred dollar bills. “Cash okay?”
Kate nodded, her eyes widening. “Cash is great.”
“Good. Put me down for a week.” He counted off eleven hundred dollars and handed it to her.
She looked up at Damon and shook her head. “This is too much.”
“The extra should cover any additional expenses, like food. I wasn’t kidding about eating a lot.”
Kate stared at the wad of cash in her hands. “Thanks. I’ll just put this up.” She grinned and then headed to her bedroom.
Making sure she was out of earshot, Braxton gave Damon a pointed look. “You can’t stay.”
“Why not? It’s a bed and breakfast and she apparently needs the money.” Damon looked over his shoulder and out the window. “I didn’t notice any cars outside. Since I’ve been here, I haven’t exactly heard the phone ringing off the hook with people booking a room.”
Braxton gritted his teeth. Damon was right. Kate could use the money. He just wished he had the money to help her out and not Damon.