by Jodi Vaugn
“How long have they been together?” Her heart melted as he rubbed his bristled chin against her cheek.
“A few months, I think.”
“So they are still in the honeymoon stage.”
Braxton chuckled. “The honeymoon stage is never over between mated Weres.”
She tilted her head back to meet his gaze. “You mean they never get tired of being around each other?”
“Nope. Not to mention the sex gets better every year.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Better? How can it get better than when we…” Her words drifted off as his hand found her breast. She moaned and arched into his greedy hand.
“You feel so damn good.” His hoarse voice sent delicious electricity straight to her core.
“Son of a bitch,” Damon snarled as he strode into the kitchen.
Braxton quickly moved his hand and shot Damon a dirty look.
“What’s wrong?” Kate pulled away from Braxton’s arms and hurried to the refrigerator, pretending to search for something in order to give her body time to cool down.
“Ava’s really pissed. She thought I’d be home by now.” Damon propped his hands on his hips and sighed. “Jesus, she flipped when I told her I was at a bed and breakfast. I told her I was here on a mission. It’s not like I’m sitting around playing footsie with Braxton and eating bonbons.”
Kate giggled at the image of the two males. “I don’t have bonbons, but I do have some cookies and some wine.”
Damon brightened a little. “Almost forgot about that.”
Braxton snarled. “Save your cookies and wine for that writer group. Don’t waste them on him.”
“Damon’s a paying guest too, Braxton,” Kate admonished.
“Yeah, Braxton.” Damon flipped him the bird.
Braxton arched an eyebrow. “I doubt he even drinks wine.”
“For your information, I drink Pinot Noir.”
“Are you fucking with me?” Braxton widened his eyes.
“It’s Ava’s favorite.” Braxton laughed.
“You’re so mated.”
Kate grinned and pulled out a bottle of wine. “I’m out of red wine. But I do have Pinot Grigio.”
“I’ll try it. Just so you know, I’m not as sophisticated as your boy there.” Damon shoved a finger in Braxton’s direction. “He’s the expert on all things alcoholic.”
“Fuck off.” Braxton scowled.
“Thanks.” Damon straightened when she handed him a platter with cookies and a glass of white wine.
***
Killian stared out of the window, his gaze skittering across the yard in search of some kind—any kind of movement. If he had to stay one more day in this cabin, he was going to fucking lose it. He flexed his fingers and leaned his neck side to side in an attempt to release some of the anxiety and anger that was slowly building up. He hadn’t expected a bartender to give him so much trouble. He was an Assassin, and he’d never let a contract kill get away. He hated lose ends.
He turned as Brutus came out of his bedroom.
Brutus nodded for Killian and Lorcan to follow him into the next room.
“I’ve heard from the Pack Master of Louisiana.” Brutus’s deadly voice bounced off the walls. “We seem to have pissed off a lot of people by not getting that bartender.”
“Who would have thought a civilian would be so hard to kill?” Killian eased himself into a chair and steepled his fingers.
“Who have we pissed off?” Lorcan cocked his head.
“Other than our Louisiana council, we now have the Arkansas Pack Master raising hell about shooting a werewolf during the day.” Brutus glared at Killian
Killian shifted uncomfortably.
“Now more than ever, it’s important that we find that fucker and take him out. The longer he’s out there, the more we risk exposing our race to the humans. Then we’ll be the ones with silver in our asses.”
“I might have a lead,” Lorcan offered.
“What is it?” Brutus asked, his eyes doing that “changing from blue to green” thing they did when he was getting all amped.
“I overheard a group of ladies at a restaurant down in Eureka Springs. They were talking about some bed and breakfast where they were staying. She was describing some guy that was staying there. Could be our guy.”
“Which bed and breakfast?” Brutus scowled.
Lorcan frowned. “She never said the name.”
Brutus let out a slow breath. “Do you have any fucking idea how many bed and breakfasts there are in Eureka Springs?”
“A fucking lot.” Lorcan arched a brow with his signature smart-ass reply.
“We need to leave within the hour. It could take days to find the right one.”
***
Braxton couldn’t take his eyes off Kate, completely in awe of everything she’d accomplished on her own. She’d managed to get a three-course breakfast cooked by the time the writers came down to eat the next morning.
“Damn, this is good,” Damon said around a mouthful of eggs Benedict.
“Thanks. I could give you the recipe for Ava.” Kate took a sip of her coffee.
Damon snorted. “Ava only cooks in the bedroom.”
“Ahhh. Isn’t that sweet, girls!” Barbara cast moon eyes at Damon. Damon scowled and ducked his head.
Braxton snorted. Since the writers had come down for breakfast, they’d constantly flirted with both him and Damon.
Braxton had choked on his coffee when Lynn had asked him to lift his shirt so she could see his abs. Though they seemed harmless enough, Braxton wanted the women to know that he only had eyes for Kate. She was the only one allowed to see his abs.
Since the writers arrived, he hadn’t had much time alone with Kate. She’d been a constant blur of activity, going from one task to another as she efficiently ran her business.
After breakfast, they had loaded the dishwasher and turned it on. Whatever part she’d gotten at the hardware store, she’d replaced and gotten the appliance working again. His respect for her grew immensely.
His stomach warmed as she moved upstairs to make the beds. He followed to give her a hand.
“They’ve only been here one night and already the rooms are a mess.” Clothes and books were scattered along the floor, while two laptops were plugged into an outlet by the door. He arched his eyebrow. “I had no idea women were so messy.”
Kate smiled, walked around the side of the bed and positioned the comforter. “Pull your side up.”
Braxton tugged the comforter to the top of the bed and smoothed out a wrinkle. She tossed him a pillow and he caught it midair.
“The solid color pillows down first. Then the striped.” Kate lined up pillows on her side of the bed and Braxton followed her lead until there were ten pillows in place.
“Why do women insist on having so many pillows on a bed? You only need one to put your head on.”
Kate laughed, the sound rippling through him like waves. “We want the bed to be cozy and inviting.”
His heated gaze fixed on her. “Your bed is always inviting.”
Kate’s smile faltered and her pupils dilated. She licked her lips as her gaze traveled down the length of his body and stopped at his crotch.
That was all the encouragement he needed.
***
Kate’s breath caught in her throat as Braxton stalked around the bed until he was face to face with her, closing the distance between them. Her nipples peaked against her shirt, the heat radiating off his hard body too much to ignore.
She needed to stop him before things went too far. They shouldn’t be looking at each other like they were. They weren’t even in her bedroom.
Somehow her head didn’t relay any of that information to the rest of her sex-starved body.
Braxton wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her against him. His dilated gray eyes stared down at her like she was the prey to his predator. His mouth came down on hers, possessive and hard. She didn’t even have time
to draw in a breath before his tongue was inside her mouth.
Kate fisted her hands in his silky, blue-tipped hair and clung to him, wishing they didn’t have clothes between them. She needed him inside her now.
He lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his narrow waist. He pressed her back against the wall, grinding against her already damp panties.
“Braxton,” she panted. Her heart beat loudly in her ears as her stomach quivered. “This is a bad idea.”
“Feels like a pretty good idea to me.” His teeth nipped at the sensitive spot beneath her ear.
“Looks pretty good, too.”
Braxton stilled. Kate held her breath. Looking across his shoulder, she saw Felicity standing there with her fellow writers behind her, all looking very entertained.
“Oh, my God.” Kate buried her face in Braxton’s shoulder. How could she face her clients now?
“Well, don’t stop now,” Danielle whined as she held up a pen and notepad. “You were just getting to the good stuff.”
She lifted her face and unwrapped her legs from Braxton as he let her slide to the floor. She averted her gaze as she smoothed down her clothes.
“Damn it, Felicity. I told you not to interrupt them. Now how am I going to write my sex scene?” Myrtis scowled.
“You’re going to have to do more than just watch someone have sex to write a good sex scene, Myrtis.” Felicity snorted.
Myrtis glared at the younger girl. “Just because I’m older doesn’t mean I don’t know what goes on in a bedroom.”
“Knowing what goes on and getting it down on paper to make women hot are two different things. I’ve told you a hundred times, when you write a sex scene you need a deeper point of view. Stop telling what he’s doing and start showing what he’s doing. You know with his hand, his mouth, his cock.”
Braxton paled. “I’ve got to go help Damon.”
Kate scowled at Braxton’s retreating back, irritated that he was leaving her alone with these women.
“So how long have you two been a thing?” Felicity smiled.
“Are you two going to get married?” Danielle cocked her head.
“How’s the sex?” Lynn pushed her glasses up on her nose.
Kate stared at the group as her face heated. “Please, don’t hold anything back.”
Barbara chuckled. “You’ve got to forgive us, Kate. Writers are a different breed. We like to live in our heads, our own fantasy worlds. When we actually see the love and chemistry between a couple like you and Braxton, it gets us all excited.”
Her stomach bottomed out. “Like me and Braxton?”
“It’s not just the way he touches you. It’s the way he looks at you.” Felicity sighed. “Wish a guy would look at me like that.”
Kate bit her lip trying to stifle the words, but her curiousity got the better of her. “How does Braxton look at me?”
“Like you’re his everything.” Barbara smiled.
Hot tears burned the backs of her eyes. If that was true then maybe, just maybe, Braxton wanted her just as much as she wanted him. And not just in bed.
“I don’t know what to say.” Kate busied herself by picking up a wet towel and avoided meeting their eyes.
“How long have you two known each other?” Myrtis asked.
“Not that long.”
“Say, he’s not in any kind of trouble, is he?” Myrtis narrowed her eyes.
Kate jerked her head up. “Of course not. What makes you ask that?”
Myrtis’ gaze relaxed and she shrugged. “Just making sure he’s not the killer that’s running around town.”
Kate felt the blood leave her face.
“Good grief, Myrtis, leave Kate alone. Of course Braxton’s not a murderer.” Felicity snorted.
“That’s good to know. I would hate to write my next book based on a murderer.” Lynn unplugged her computer and settled in the middle of the bed.
“You want to write about Braxton?” Kate wasn’t sure how she felt about this.
“Yeah. I’m thinking an erotica involving the hero and heroine who get snowed in together at an isolated cabin. He’s the hero and you’re the heroine, of course.”
“Me?”
“Of course, you. You guys look great together.” Barbara picked a book off the floor and shuffled through the pages. “So, ladies, what do you say we settle in for some productive writing time?”
Kate left the ladies to their writing and headed downstairs. Between the guests and her two werewolves, she had exhausted her food supply.
She needed the drive to clear her head and put things back in perspective.
***
“Mother fucker.” Barrett Middleton walked out of the Louisiana Pack Master’s house and into the cold darkness, seething. His breath came in white puffs as he stormed back to his Harley Davidson Streetglide. He’d gone into the meeting with the Louisiana Pack Master expecting Edward Boudier to at least try to make amends for letting his Assassin dogs loose in Arkansas territory without asking permission. What Barrett got was a Pack Master who didn’t give two shits about stepping all over another state’s boundaries. Edward hadn’t even cared that his Assassins had shot a Were in broad daylight. All Boudier wanted to know was if Braxton was dead.
Edward Boudier was lucky that Barrett didn’t knock him the fuck out.
Gritting his teeth, he pulled out his phone. It rang before he could punch in a phone number.
Growling, he held the phone up to his ear. “Hello?”
“Barrett, I need to talk to you.”
“Ava, how’d you get this number?” He narrowed his eyes and made a mental note to get his number changed ASAP. Only the Guardians were allowed access to his direct line.
“Damon gave it to me in case of an emergency.”
Barrett stopped in his tracks. “What’s wrong? What’s the emergency?”
“Damon’s not home. That’s the emergency.”
Barrett ran his hand down his face. He had enough problems without having to listen to Ava bitch about missing her mate. Every time they were in the same room, they were on each other like dogs in heat. Damon probably couldn’t take a piss without Ava holding his dick.
He snarled. “Look, Ava, Damon’s on a mission. He’ll be home as soon as it’s over.”
“Nope. Not good enough. I need him home now.” He envisioned her standing there pouting, her arms crossed over her chest like a child who didn’t get her way. “Either get him home now or tell me where he is so I can go to him.”
Barrett growled. “What part of ‘on a mission’ did you not understand? I can’t have you compromising his position just because you want some cuddle time.”
Ava snorted. “I need more than just cuddle time, Barrett.”
“I could have lived my life without ever having an image of Damon’s hairy ass and you going at it like two rats in a wool sock.”
“Damon doesn’t have a hairy ass. In fact, it’s quite...”
“Enough.” He straddled his Harley. “You’re just going to have to sit still until Damon has completed his mission.”
“I can’t do that. I’m going crazy waiting around for him.”
“Why don’t you go over to Granny’s? I heard she’s having a party tonight. That will take your mind off things.” Barrett chuckled.
Barrett disconnected before Ava could say another word. No doubt her comments wouldn’t be very ladylike.
***
“Son of a bitch.” Ava glared at her cell phone after Barrett hung up.
“Ava. Such language from a pretty girl. You should be ashamed.” Granny gave her a disapproving look before licking a wrinkled finger and turning a page in her new sex toy catalogue.
Ava raised an eyebrow as Granny turned to the edible underwear page. The old lady saw nothing wrong with selling sex toys until the cows came home, but she took exception to cursing. The irony was laughable.
“Barrett won’t tell me where Damon is.” She flounced down on the sofa, feeling restless
and irritated.
“Damon’s working, dear.”
“Yeah, and he’s staying at a bed and breakfast.” It was totally not fair.
Granny looked up with a wistful look in her eye. “A bed and breakfast. I always wanted to stay at a bed and breakfast.”
“You and me both.” Ava shook her head. “What kind of mission is it when you have to stay at a bed and breakfast? That doesn’t make sense to me.”
Granny tapped a bony finger to her lip. “Maybe if you check Damon’s tracking device, you can find out where he’s at.”
Ava stilled. “Damon has a tracking device?”
“Of course. Barrett puts them on all his Guardian’s phones just in case they get hurt—or worse.”
Ava frowned. “So how do I check the device if it’s on his phone?’
“It’s connected to his computer. Look for an icon shaped like a footprint. Click on that and it should pinpoint his location.”
Ava’s face broke into a wide grin. “Where do you get all your information, Granny? You should totally be a private investigator.”
Granny waggled her eyebrows. “I keep my ear to the ground. Nobody expects an old lady to be listening. They always underestimate us geriatrics.”
Ava stood and pulled Granny into a hug. “I don’t underestimate you. I think you’re wonderful.”
“Well, thank you, dear.” Granny smirked. “Don’t think you’re going to that bed and breakfast by yourself.”
CHAPTER NINE
“Don’t leave me alone with them,” Damon said as soon as Braxton walked in the back door.
Braxton had gone into town to see if he could find anything out about the murder. Although he couldn’t prove it, he had a feeling that his father’s murder was somehow connected.
“With who? The scary writers?” Braxton smirked. He couldn’t help it. Damon was built to intimidate, but once those writers cornered him in the living room to ask him questions it was like someone asked him to skin his granny.
“Keep laughing, pretty boy. They’ll be on you next.”
“I doubt that. They know I’m with Kate.” Braxton slid onto the stool at the kitchen island and reached for a cookie. The oatmeal raisin sugary confection melted in his mouth.
Damon’s lip quirked up. “They actually have a topic that is right up your alley.”