by L. P. Maxa
“Uh, yeah sure, I’m due for a break.”
“I’m Corey Cooper.” Cory held her hand out to the waitress.
“It’s nice to meet you, Corey, I’m Molly Page.” She shook Corey’s extended hand.
“So, Molly, since you haven’t slept with Keller, you must be new in town?”
“I am. I’ve been here for about a week. My aunt lives here. She retired and opened a yoga studio. I have been doing yoga my whole life so I came here to help her. We don’t have that many students yet, so I took a job waiting tables to pay my bills.”
“You got one more. I love yoga. I’ll join your studio first thing tomorrow.”
“Really? Oh that’s great, thank you.”
“Are you kidding? Thank you. I’ve missed it so much since I left home. I’m not disciplined enough to practice by myself. I need someone standing over me telling me what to do.”
“Where was home?”
Corey swallowed a large bite of food before answering. “Louisiana. How about you?”
“I’m from southern California. But my aunt has always lived here, and we are close so I’ve been visiting Haxton as long as I can remember. It’s my home away from home. What brought you to Colorado?”
“Work. And a bad breakup. I needed a change of scenery so I took a job at St. Leasing. I’m the guidance counselor. I work at an all-boys’ boarding school, and as you can see”—Corey gestured with her burger to the guys gathered around a pool table—“I’ve only made male friends since I’ve been here.”
“Well then, consider me your first female friend in Colorado.” Molly smiled at Corey. “And as your friend, I’m going to tell you that you have ketchup on your chin.” She handed her a napkin.
Corey laughed. “Thanks. So the waitresses warned you about Keller?”
“Keller and some guy named Linc. Apparently they’ve all slept with both, but they seem pissed at Keller and enamored with whoever Linc is.”
“Did I hear my name?” Linc walked up, apparently tired of dry humping the bartender.
Here we go. “Molly, this is Linc, Linc, this is Molly Page. She moved here from southern California.”
“Oh yeah? Where in SoCal? I grew up in Carlsbad.”
“Laguna.”
“A little up the coast from me.” Linc studied her, interest in his eyes. “Could I get your number? Maybe I could show you around town?”
“Thanks, but I’ve had family here my whole life, I know my way around. Probably better than you do.” Molly grinned at him and Corey liked her even more. “My aunt opened a yoga studio in town.”
Linc didn’t let up. “Dinner? Drinks? You could introduce me to yoga?”
Molly put her hand on Corey’s shoulder. “Corey is coming to the studio tomorrow for class. If you’re interested, you should come with her.”
Corey was watching the two of them like they were a tennis match. Linc’s skills with the ladies seemed to be tanking pretty quick. Molly didn’t seem to want anything to do with the guy. “Okay, uh, yeah maybe I’ll come by with Corey.”
“Food. All I’ve eaten today were cupcakes.” Keller sat down next to Corey and was positioned to take a big bite when he stopped and put his burger back down. “Uh, who brought this out? Was it the redhead? She really wants to punish me, I don’t trust her.”
Molly laughed. “Actually I trashed your burger and made you a new one myself. Spit-free.”
“Oh wow, that’s so nice. Thank you.” He took a massive bite of his untarnished burger, moaning at how good it was.
“I need to get back to work. Corey, it was wonderful to meet you, I’ll see you tomorrow morning? Our first class is a sunrise yoga, at seven o’clock.”
“Yep, I’ll be there at seven sharp.”
“What? Seven in the fucking a.m.? I’m not going to yoga at seven no matter how hot the instructor is.”
Molly stopped and turned back around. “What was that?”
“Oh uh, I was, uh, saying that I probably wouldn’t be making class tomorrow after all.” Linc stammered his way through, and Corey almost choked on a fry.
“I’ll go,” Keller offered around a mouth full of beef.
“You will?” Corey looked over at him, surprised.
“Yeah, I like sunrise yoga. I’ll go with you, no worries.”
“Great. I’m looking forward to seeing you guys tomorrow morning.” Corey watched as Molly smiled at Keller, staring at him for a few seconds before turning her back on them.
“Since when do you do yoga, Kell?” Linc was now tearing into his steak, which looked more like half a cow.
“My mom was really into yoga. She went every morning without fail. When I was in trouble, she woke me up and made me go with her. I actually grew to enjoy it. Plus, watching chicks do yoga, if it’s the right chick, is hot. Cat/cow and happy baby, those are the best.”
Corey shook her head and backhanded his leg.
“Will everyone please stop hitting me?”
“Better not let Dom hear you talk about how hot watching girls do yoga is or he won’t let you go with Corey.” Linc spit some food out trying to talk around it.
“He will because he won’t want to get up that early to go with me, and he won’t like me going alone.” Corey passed Linc a napkin. “Don’t talk with your mouth full. Maybe those bad manners are why Molly shot you down.”
Keller’s eyes got big. “What? Lincoln Sumner got shot down? Tell me it’s true.”
“It’s true. He asked for Molly’s number and she straight up denied him.” Corey took a long gulp of beer to wash down her massive burger. Good thing she was going to yoga in the morning, she had consumed a million calories.
“She didn’t deny me. She’s playing hard to get.” Linc managed to keep all the food in his mouth that time.
“Shot down on your birthday. That’s a shame, my man.” Keller shrugged. “But hey, at least you still get to take the bartender home.”
Dom and Baze came over and joined them, and they all ate in silence for a few minutes. Then Keller shouted, louder than necessary and out of nowhere, “Hey, did y’all hear Linc got shot down?”
Corey started laughing as Linc reached behind her and popped Keller in the head.
Keller’s nostrils flared. “Seriously, guys, stop hitting me. I’m about to get pissed.”
“Who turned him down?” Dom asked.
“The new waitress slash yoga instructor, Molly Page.” Corey stole an onion ring off Dom’s plate. She’d ordered fries but his rings looked to-die-for.
Dom moved his plate out of her reach. “If you wanted onion rings, you should have ordered them. Wolves don’t share.”
“This wolf better learn.” Corey jabbed him in the ribs and took another one.
Dom gasped when he saw her peel the onion away and toss it to the side, eating only the fried batter. “What are you doing?”
“I only like the batter. I hate onions.” Corey dipped the batter in ketchup and popped it in her mouth. The horrified look on Dom’s face was priceless. “Calm down, babe, it’s an onion ring.”
“Linc never gets shot down.” Baze took another bite of his grilled chicken. Corey eyed his plate, feeling like a gluttonous pig for eating so poorly when he hadn’t.
“He did tonight,” Corey confirmed. “He asked for her number and she said nope. Keller and I are going to sunrise yoga in the morning, anyone else want to come?”
“Sure, sweetheart, I’ll go with you.” Dom put his hand on her thigh. “What time does it start?”
“Seven.”
“In the fucking a.m.? Nope. Not gonna happen, sorry, baby.”
She giggled at his response. “I said sunrise yoga, what time did you think it was going to start?”
“I don’t know, nine? I thought sunrise was an exaggeration. Keller, you’ll really go with her?” Dom looked down the bar at his friend.
Keller nodded. “Sure. I’ll go.”
All of a sudden they were surrounded by waitresses singing happy
birthday. One of them was holding a huge cake with more candles than necessary for Linc’s thirty-three years. After the singing was done Corey whispered to Dom, “Did y’all get him a cake?”
He chuckled. “Not a chance. Told you he was a hit with women, even ones he’s screwed over. They keep coming back for more.”
After the last beer was drunk (Linc) and the last piece of cake was eaten (Keller), they paid their tabs and headed out. Corey waved bye to Molly, and Linc grabbed his bartender so she could give him a ride home. When they got back to Corey’s house and to their cars, Dom quickly grabbed her and started to head for the front door.
“I feel like going for a run.” Keller stretched his arms over his head.
“Yeah? I could use a run,” Baze answered. “Hardy, you in?”
“Nah, you guys go ahead.” Dom kept up his brisk pace, pulling her toward the front porch. “Stay in the woods though. The dean has a few parents visiting the campus this week.”
“Ooooooo. Are y’all going to shift? I want to watch.” Corey stopped short, causing Dom to yank on her arm before he stopped too.
“Corey, please, baby, you’re killing me. You can see them shift later. They need to go into the woods to do it anyway.”
“Fine.” Corey hung her head and let Dom take her hand once again. “Y’all have a good time. Don’t kill any rabbits behind my house though, it’s a mood killer for Dom.” She waved bye and headed into the house with her wolf close behind.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Dominic
Corey shut the door and Dom threw the dead bolt in place. When she headed in the direction of her bathroom, he reached out and grabbed her hand to stop her. “Baby.” He’d waited all night to get her alone, to have her all to himself.
“Dom, I know what you need, and I’ll give it to you, I promise. But I really want to take a shower first. I ran this afternoon and spent three hours in a dirty bar.”
He didn’t drop her hand, but instead he walked with her into her bathroom. He reached inside the shower and turned on the hot water, getting it ready for her. He sat on the edge of the tub and pulled her close to him. He stripped off her shirt slowly, grazing the sides of her breast with his palms. Then he unbuttoned her jeans.
She kicked off her boots and he dragged her tight pants down her toned, tan legs. She stepped out of them and pulled off her socks. He unclasped her bra and took the rubber band out of her hair, letting it cascade down her beautiful back. Then he wrapped his hands around her waist and brought her to him so he could kiss her chest and stomach. Reaching down, he moved around her body to grip her ass and hold her tighter against his mouth. As his kisses began to trail lower, he helped her out of her panties, finally getting what he wanted all fucking day long.
His mate, naked in his arms.
He slid one of his hands down her leg until he reached her knee, then he bent it and placed her foot on the edge of the bathtub next to him. Positioning her exactly the way he wanted her, slowly, he ran his hand up and down her calf, causing chill bumps to break out on her skin. He continued to kiss her stomach and sides as he slid two fingers inside her. He smirked when her head fell back.
She was already dripping for him. Her knees buckled slightly when he started to move his fingers in and out. She placed her hands on his shoulders in an attempt to steady herself. In and out. She dug her nails into his flesh, making him growl in pleasure. In and out. He dipped his head lower to taste her. She moved her hands to his hair and started to push and pull, urging him on. She wanted faster and he continued to take his time and enjoy her. In and out.
A soft moan left her mouth. “Dom, please.”
Corey gasped as he suddenly stood up. He grabbed her bent leg and wrapped it around his waist and started to kiss her hot, delicious mouth. His kisses were rough and his tongue was mimicking the movements of her hips as she rubbed against him. She broke the kiss long enough to rip his shirt open, buttons went flying and he couldn’t help but smile.
“God, I want you. Please, Dom, now.”
Kissing again, they fumbled to get his jeans off. He picked her up and stepped into the shower, crushing her against the tiled wall. Her legs wrapped around his waist and he once again had her right where he wanted her. “Are you ready, baby?”
“God yes.”
He drove into her, all the way to the hilt in one smooth motion. God that first thrust, that first hit home was the most intense amazing feeling he had ever felt. He didn’t start moving right away; he stayed there connected to her and took a few deep breaths. This was exactly where he was supposed to be, he felt it to his core. She was his everything.
Corey started to wiggle a little. “Dom, please, fuck me.”
Her words brought him back to reality, and what a sweet reality it was. “Yes, ma’am.” He had her pinned against the wall with his body and his hands under her ass. He kept a firm grip as he hammered into her over and over again. “Corey, you feel so good, baby, always so tight for me.”
“Oh god, Dom, don’t stop, please don’t stop.”
He was barely holding on, he needed her to finish, now. “Baby, I have waited all day to be inside you. It’s all I’ve thought about.” He took her breast in his mouth and bit her nipple, then sucked on it to ease the pain. That seemed to send her over the edge, that small mix of pleasure and pain. She screamed her release and he slipped out of her, grabbed his dick, and came all over her stomach. It took them both a few minutes to come down from their highs. He looked down at her, out of breath from that workout, and smiled. “My baby likes it a little rough, huh?”
“Apparently I do like it a little rough. You like it a little dirty, I’m guessing, since you love to look at me covered in your cum. At least me liking it a little rough isn’t degrading.” She stepped under the hot spray of the shower to wet her hair.
Dom grabbed the soap and started to wash her body. Any excuse to touch her. “It’s not degrading. I’m your mate, your forever. If you’d rather, I can stop pulling out.”
Corey laughed as she rinsed the shampoo from her hair and reached for the conditioner. “Nice try. No ring, no babies.”
They finished showering in silence. He bet both of them were thinking about all the crazy stuff that was going on with the team and Jace and Henderson. They dried off and got ready for bed. Once they were snuggled together under the covers, Dom took her face in his hands. “I’m so sorry, baby. I’m sorry that you are having to deal with Henderson’s mess, and I’m sorry you had to be the one to finally speak up about Jace. Not to mention, I dropped the shifter bombshell. It’s been so crazy since you got here. But I love you, and I am so glad that you found me.”
“I love you too, Dom. I really do. It’s insane since I’ve known you for all of two seconds. But there are no words to describe how I feel about you. I’m so glad I found you too. Every day is better than the last. You make me laugh, you make me scream.” She winked. “I’m so happy.” She turned on her side and backed her body up until it was against Dom’s. He curled around her, big-spoon-little-spoon style.
“Will you sing me a song?” He buried his nose in her delightful-smelling hair.
“Uh, okay. What do you want to hear?”
“Blow Job Betty.”
Corey elbowed him in the ribs, causing him to yelp. But then, “Too Short Baby I’m so hard, pimpin’ these hoes on the boulevard—”
Dom started to laugh. He had the best soul mate in the whole world.
“If you are going to laugh at me, I’m not going to do this.”
“I’m sorry, hearing words like pimp and hoe come out of your beautiful mouth is funny. I heard the song today, baby, you don’t actually have to rap it for me. I love that you would though.”
“Oh yeah? Did you have another idea of what I should do with my beautiful mouth?”
Was she serious? Please let her be serious. “I have a few other things you could try, you know, if you wanted to.”
“I want to.” Corey turned around to face
him again and fused her mouth with his. She let their tongues dance for a few minutes before pulling away and ducking down under the covers.
Dom rolled onto his back and folded his hands behind his head, thinking it couldn’t get any better than this.
And then she did something with her tongue that made him change his mind.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Corey
The next week flew by. Corey’s nights were spent getting to know the man she loved, and her days were filled with endless interviews. The nights were amazing and mind-blowing. She had learned so much about shifters, like they didn’t shift for the first time until they were sixteen. Poor guys, it was like they went through puberty twice. They didn’t have to shift if they didn’t want to once they learned to control that side of them. Dom compared it to sex. They never had to but they wanted to. If they waited too long in between shifts, they would start to feel edgy and restless.
Dom also opened up and told her about how his mom leaving ultimately led to his dad’s death. She felt so horrible for him. She couldn’t imagine ever wanting to leave Dom and wondered what motivated his mother to abandon her mate.
Corey and Keller made it to yoga every morning, which was a miracle at seven a.m., but she was really starting to look forward to their classes together. She was able to get to know a whole different side to Keller. And Keller and Molly seemed to be hitting it off in a completely friends sort of way. He never propositioned her; he talked to Molly like he talked to Corey. It was nice. They always went for coffee after class, and it was one of the best parts of her day.
Then there were the interviews. Ugh. No good news there. It turned out that the only players Henderson had interrogated for hours were juniors and seniors. Since it had become clear that he hadn’t been interested in anyone under the age of sixteen, they were starting to believe he was fishing around for information about shifters.
None of the boys said much about Jace though. Most said they never really spent any time with him, and he didn’t put in much effort to be nice to anyone. Dom’s detective buddy hadn’t found Henderson yet, and Corey was trying to not get too nervous about it since the detective had only been looking for about a week.