by Cecilia Lane
When he moved, stars exploded behind his eyelids and his bear roared with victory. Liv clamped down around him, taking every inch of his cock, clawing and clinging to him just like he remembered.
No. Better than he remembered. Because she was really there.
He pressed his nose into the crook of her neck and licked her slick skin. “That’s it, Liv. Strangle my dick. Want to know how good this is for you.”
“Too long,” she panted.
Alex thrust into her again, harder. She whimpered and writhed in his hands. “Too long since someone fucked you the way you need to be fucked?”
Her answer was lost on a sharp breath as he bucked into her. He slid a hand between their bodies and stroked her clit, loving the way she threw her head back and moaned. For him. All for him and what he did to her.
“I pictured this so many times. Imagined how you sounded and felt.” He pressed his mouth to her throat. Her heart beat under his lips, urging him faster.
“Here now,” she whimpered.
Fucking right. His fantasy had come to life.
Alex groaned with every savage thrust. His balls drew up high and tight as Liv fluttered around him. Red spread over her cheeks and down her chest. Her eyes were hot and hungry when she rolled them open to peek at him. Those delicious little glances were almost his undoing as much as Liv herself.
Her heart thundered in her chest. Even over their grunts and groans, their mingled cries, he could hear her beating like a drum. Alex drove into her again, harder. Faster. Until he lost himself in the sensations spiraling off Liv and her panting, incoherent babble. Then she tensed, her hips rolling against him and her mouth dropping open for the one final, perfect cry.
“Fuck,” he hissed, every cell in his body demanding that final connection as she exploded around him. Alex ground his teeth together to keep from letting go and claiming her. He thrust into her once, twice more, holding deep and spilling warmth in a release that stole his breath.
Liv nodded. After a moment of standing with their foreheads pressed together and breath mingling, Liv pressed his fingertips to the hollow of his throat.
“You’re purring,” she said softly.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Alex huffed. “Bears don’t purr.”
“Maybe bears don’t. But you do.” She kissed the corner of his mouth. “It’s cute.”
“I’m a bear. Ferocious. Not cute.”
“Except for your fluffy, ticklish ears.”
Alex growled and pulled away from the wall. Quick steps took him into her bedroom. He laid her gently on the bed and followed her down, not wanting to break their connection. Her soft laugh turned to a pleased sigh.
“No more talk about my fluffy ears or purrs,” he mouthed against her neck.
Liv wound her arms around his neck and drew him closer. Her legs wrapped around him again and her eyes heated. “Only if you’re staying.”
Alex grinned against her skin. “Made the mistake of leaving before. Don’t want a repeat.”
His heart unlocked. Melted. What-fucking-ever. He’d spent six fucking years without the taste of her on his tongue or the feel of her in his arms.
One single truth branded itself across his mind.
He couldn’t lose her again.
Chapter 16
Liv rummaged in her purse. No key. She checked through her wallet and all the pockets and still came up empty. A peek through the lab windows showed no one else had arrived for the day. Balls.
She retraced her steps from the night before. She’d swiped herself out of the office portion of the team’s area, then stuffed her key into the same pocket as always. She and Jenny took the elevator together and put both their bags through the security search. Jenny handed Liv her bag and then they went their separate ways.
The elevator dinged and Liv turned. Leela and Jenny both stepped out with broad smiles.
“Morning,” they greeted at the same time.
“You stuck?” Leela asked.
It must have slipped out when she tossed her purse to a table when Alex surprised her. It hadn’t been the only thing hastily scooped up and placed elsewhere. An entire load of laundry was dumped back in the basket and stuffed into her closet before she met him outside.
“Forgot my damn pass at the cabin this morning,” Liv said before her brain continued that train of thought.
Jenny grinned. “Something else on your mind?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
Leela snickered. “Our little neighborhood is a small town within a small town. It’s hard not to notice a big truck parked outside a cabin.”
Well, the cat was out of the bag. Or bear.
“We need details,” Jenny demanded as she swiped her card in the door.
“It was...” Great. Wonderful. Abso-fucking-lutely amazing. She doubted she’d had as many orgasms in a single night. All the dirty rumors about shifter virility were true. Alex had been insatiable.
Even beyond that, the entire night tugged at her heartstrings. She wasn’t naive enough to believe they’d picked up right where they left off, but there was something to be said about intimacy with someone she knew. They were already past the trial-and-error stage and well into knowing how and where to touch. All those little unspoken cues were acted upon and made everything that much better.
Heat simmered in her core. Alex had kissed her goodbye that morning before making dirty promises to have her coming again before dinner. Her mouth dried at the memory of his deep voice whispering in her ear as he drew another release from her body.
“It was unexpected,” she said at last.
That was the truth. The night was unexpected, and she didn’t know what to expect from the future. Sleeping together didn’t change the past. He’d made his apologies for hurting her and gave his reasoning. His damage was still on display. Knowing a rogue attacked him and still tortured him from afar wasn’t something she knew how to navigate. He had six years to come to terms with it and hadn’t. She was still stuck on processing the information.
Jenny waved a hand in front of her face. “And she’s back. Unexpected, my ass. Wipe the drool off your chin, Liv.”
“And for that, no details for you.” Liv strode straight for her desk, struggling to keep her shoulders from shaking with a laugh.
“Prude!” Jenny called after her.
The rest of the team slowly filtered in and started their day. Coffee and snacks were brought to desks for polite chatting and checking for any messages that may have come in overnight. Once they were settled, Dr. Franco called them together for a quick morning meeting to plan out the rest of their day. Results were highlighted and assignments given, then they were dismissed to continue working on their projects.
Liv had just settled into a workstation in the lab area when the doors buzzed for a new entry. Dr. Rylee Strathorn entered the office space and made a beeline right for Dr. Franco’s office. Outside the doors, two big-shouldered security guards waited. Everyone glanced up at once before ducking their eyes back down in mock dismissal.
Just a few minutes later, both Dr. Strathorn and Dr. Franco entered the lab with seriousness written across their faces. Rylee looked around the room and settled a stern look on Liv.
“Liv, can you come with me, please?”
Liv pushed to her feet. No one said a word, but the back of her neck prickled with all the eyes focused on her. She felt like she was twelve and had been called to the principal’s office instead of an adult with a degree and a place on a highly prestigious team of scientists.
Together, they walked out into the hall. Liv jumped when the security guards fell into step behind them. “What’s this about?” she asked once they reached the elevator.
Rylee glanced in her direction before looking straight ahead and pressed the floor number. “There’s been another leak,” she answered in a clipped tone.
Liv’s heart pounded. Another leak, and she was pulled from the lab for questioning. She fought the urge to stuff h
er hands in her pockets to keep them from shaking. Better to let them hang free than hide them away and look guilty. She’d done nothing wrong.
She followed Rylee out of the elevator and straight into her office with security right on their heels.
“I’m sorry to do this, but prompt action is needed.” Rylee rubbed at her temples the moment she settled into her desk. “Sometimes I wish I could just give this all up and find a space in the labs.”
Liv glanced over her shoulder. The men didn’t hold any weapons she could see, but she didn’t doubt they could have her knocked to the floor in half a second if they deemed her a threat. Their presence set her nerves on edge. “I’m still a little confused why I’m here.”
“There was a leak last night,” Rylee repeated. “A data dump traced back to our servers. As you know, we’ve put extra security measures in place to detect any unusual activity.”
“Precautions. I understand.”
“Then you’ll understand when I ask what you were doing logging in last night at,” she glanced at the paperwork, “9:56.”
Liv stared at her for a long second before comprehending the words. Not just words. Accusation. “I didn’t.” A little more forcefully, she added, “I had company over. You can ask him. I wasn’t out of sight at any moment long enough to pull off any espionage.”
“His name?”
“Alex Carter.” Well, the bear was out of the bag again.
Rylee’s eyebrows rose, but she only asked, “What time did he arrive at your place?”
“He was waiting for me when I got home.”
“Did he have access to your key card or laptop at any time?”
“No. Believe me, Alex is not the leak.” Liv leaned forward, lips pursing. “My pass was missing this morning, though. I thought I’d misplaced it, but maybe it was taken by whoever did this.”
Behind her, the security officers shifted where they stood. “You can ask Jenny and Leela, they let me into the lab today.”
Rylee shot a look over her head. “Take me through your timeline yesterday. Let’s see if we can pinpoint what happened.”
“I came to work and logged in, per policy.” Liv watched Rylee’s finger trail down the page. Her card access and computer codes were documented anytime she used them. “Lunch out, then lunch back in. That’d have been around noon and one. Then I left with everyone else. Jenny and I rode the elevator down together.”
“And sometime between leaving last night and this morning, your pass went missing.”
“That’s right.”
Rylee made a star next to one line. “Has anyone on your team been acting strangely, in your opinion? This is purely confidential, of course.”
Liv thought for a moment then shook her head. “I can’t really say. I’ve only been here for a few weeks. My baseline for normal could be someone’s overall weird.”
Rylee stepped back from her desk and followed one of the security guards into the hallway. Liv’s lungs refused to work while the two conferred. She held tightly to the fact that she’d done nothing remotely like stealing information. The accusation stung. She couldn’t be blamed for something she didn’t do.
She hoped.
The longer she was left alone with the one security guard, though, the more she began to doubt. Worry slithered through her head and slicked her palms. Maybe there was just too much evidence against her. Someone thought her a useful tool to meet their nefarious goal. All she had in her defense was her word.
Finally, the door opened again and Rylee stepped back through. Time slowed to a crawl as Rylee crossed the room.
This was it. No more dream job.
Liv prepared to throw herself at Rylee’s mercy. She’d fight for a second chance. If that failed, she’d beg for mercy. Anything but being thrown out of the facility.
Rylee favored her with a gracious smile. “Thanks for coming down, Liv. I recommend you head straight to the security office and get your pass replaced.”
Liv opened and closed her mouth twice as the words filtered through her brain. She sank back in her chair. Relief flooded her veins and made her head swim. “That’s it?” she blurted.
“I had my doubts since these troubles started before you arrived. These gentlemen here say they can’t smell any lie. You’re free to go back to the office and we’ll continue our investigation.”
She didn’t need to be told twice. She also didn’t want any other questions fired her way and raising any doubts. She’d been given a reprieve, and she freaking took it.
Once she made it back to the lab—new key card and computer passcode in hand—she successfully fobbed off questions about some forgotten paperwork. The entire line of questioning put her on the outside all over again.
She wasn’t just the newbie on the team. Someone targeted her to cover up their crimes. She didn’t even know if it was someone in the room with her at that moment, but the odds pointed in that direction.
Liv plugged in her earbuds, cranked up the volume of her music, and threw herself spitefully into her work. She wouldn’t be someone’s patsy. The thought of it made her furious. She’d worked her ass off in college and every single job she’d had after to prove her worth in the science world. Blaming her for leaking information stripped away all her accomplishments and credibility. It was a career ender.
Carefully handling samples when she wanted to slam down trays and cause a fuss, Liv loaded up a slide in the microscope as part of a routine check.
She and everyone else on the team collected samples from bitten shifters in Bearden and from satellite locations. Those samples were split and edited, then introduced back together. The new material was given time to work, hopefully with great results. Most edits were busts and showed little to no changes. Others had scary results and wiped out the entire sample. All required monitoring and copious notes.
But this one...
“Guys, come look,” Liv urged.
“You got something?” Barry asked from his station.
Liv peeked again. She hadn’t imagined a thing. “Yeah. I got something.”
Bitten shifter blood cells had ridges all around like some jagged castle wall. Normal human cells and born shifters didn’t have those markers. That’d been the major clue that perhaps there was something on the genetic level that could be changed.
The cells she looked at came from a bitten shifter, but none of the ridges were present.
Liv stepped back as Matt took the first look. When he made room, Barry took his place. Soon they’d all taken double and triple looks.
Questions fired her way. What she’d deleted, added, manipulated. Length of time she’d let the sample rest. Age of the sample before she processed it, how long the donor had been a shifter. They grilled her about every last detail in their excitement before scattering and demanding she upload her findings for their own continued experiments.
They were so far from successfully reversing a change, but Liv couldn’t help but feel a little proud. For those like Alex who’d been unwillingly turned into a shifter, help was on the horizon. Hopefully.
But a single doubt cooled her excitement.
One member of the team worked to put the information in the wrong hands.
Chapter 17
Alex wiped a hand across his forehead and settled his Stetson. The days were growing warmer as spring marched toward summer. The heat usually irritated his bear—another item on a very long list—but there was hardly a rumble from the beast as he leaned against the fence and watched Daisy try to force one of the barn cats to play.
No, the bear had been content all damn week. Liv did that to him. A balm on his soul. Sandpaper over his rough edges. Every night with her was better than the last. He’d only gotten into seven fights since she took him to her bed, which had to be some sort of record. That alone was a reason to keep her around, even if he didn’t already have purely selfish desires to do so.
Heat flared in the base of his spine. His bear flashed a lazy sending of Liv with a
mate mark on her skin.
Alex scowled and shoved the beast aside. He knew what the bear wanted. Hell, he wanted it, too. But those wants didn’t change who he was or how he was made. Mating her wasn’t an option. Not yet.
Not with his monster still drawing breath in the world.
Not until she could truly forgive him for hurting her.
Not until he could get himself under control.
He squeezed his eyes closed and pressed back on the rolling irritation from his other side.
Behind him, the door to the main house banged open. Last in and first out was usually how he handled lunch and it seemed the rest of the clan were finishing up. An afternoon of work still needed to be done before he could taste Liv again. He craved her like air and water and everything else needed to keep him alive.
Ethan approached, polishing off the remains of a final sandwich Tansey had provided the clan for lunch. Without preamble, he launched into new orders. “I need you to take over on the trail today.”
Alex jerked upright. “Hell no.”
Ethan spread his hands wide. “Hunter and Joss are still at the midwife’s. There’s a hole in the fence from the damn lion pride brawling again that needs closing before the herds start mixing.”
“So I’ll finish up here and go mend the fence.”
“After the amazing time you had on your last ride? I wouldn’t want you to miss it.”
“Ethan.”
“I should have thrown you in the deep end long ago.” Ethan fixed him with a flat look. “It’s an hour here on the ranch. A small group of two families. This should be easy.”
He wanted to snarl and deny the assignment. Give way to his bear and run off for the rest of the day. But that wasn’t what someone steady would do. For Liv, he had to grit his teeth and make himself work. She wanted kids one day—if she hadn’t changed her mind from before they fell apart—and he couldn’t be a father if he snapped at every little thing.