by Sydney Addae
“Mmm,” he said but didn’t stop licking or kissing her.
“We shouldn’t do this,” she said fighting back a delightful moan.
“Yes, we should.”
He slipped a finger inside her and pulled her down further. “So fucking tight, and wet and juicy and sweet and…mine.”
Despite feelings of shame, she loved when he talked to her in that deep, gravelly voice. He sounded as if he were holding on by a thread and would break free at any moment. The idea of him breaking free of whatever held him, thrilled a secret section of her mind. She wanted to be the one to unlock him.
Bella paused.
Where had that thought come from? She didn’t want to see him as a wolf-person, or think of him in that way, did she? Just knowing he could, scared her. So why push or think to push him? She didn’t know. But there was something just beyond her grasp that seemed intent on reaching that irresponsible goal and she couldn’t shut it down.
“Stay with me.” He hooked the finger inside and exited slow, increasing the pressure against her walls. Then he inserted it again with another.
“Oh,” she shuddered and twitched against him. He pistoned his fingers in and out, her walls flexed against his fingers, holding them tight. She rolled and bucked against his fingers, but it wasn’t enough, not nearly enough. “Now Adam,” she growled taking a page from his playbook. She stopped his hand, lifted her head and met his golden gaze. “Give it to me now.”
“I am.” He tried to look innocent, but she saw the wolf in him. His hunger matched hers, but he made her wait. She didn’t understand games or rationale when it came to this, only this insane need to have him inside, giving her the release she desperately needed.
“Either put your penis inside me now or get up.” She had no idea where that bold statement came from, because him getting up was the last thing she wanted. But something insisted she stand up to him.
Gazes locked, he licked her pussy and stroked inside her core without moving. It sent tingles through her body and almost prompted her to take back the challenge she’d issued.
Almost.
Inside, strips of warm of energy unfurled and seeped through her. “You don’t want to challenge me in this Adam.” Her voice sounded calm as if her body weren’t on fire for him. It was as if there were two parts to her personality. One that still burned to be taken by him and the other that refused to beg any man for anything. That one worried her.
He frowned. “I’m not challenging you, just trying to make you feel good.”
“I told you what I wanted.”
He leaned on his forearms and watched her for a few seconds. “Yes. Yes, you did. Please forgive me for not giving myself to you immediately. I won’t make that mistake again.” He crawled forward until he covered her.
She grabbed his cock and squeezed.
He hissed and closed his eyes.
Pleased by his actions, she guided the tip of his head to her entrance. He slid forward until fully seated inside her.
“Whatever changed inside you, please don’t stop,” he said as he eased out and thrust inside again and again.
Bella closed her eyes as she met him thrust for thrust. “I won’t,” she thought as she rode the rising tide of ecstasy.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Moonlight filtered through the windows, casting a warm glow over the room. Adam stared at the top of Bella’s head resting on his chest and thanked the Goddess for bringing this firebrand into his life. When he learned she’d been in a religious group, he thought the Goddess had made a mistake sending him a virgin who quoted scriptures with music in her head.
Never in a million years would he have thought she could handle him. Quench his fiery need. Leave him completely satisfied.
Inhaling their combined scents, he shuddered at how she had completely handled both parts of him. No matter how many times he reached for her, she took him. Not only did she accept his animalistic nature, he suspected she loved bringing him to the edge, almost to the brink of unleashing his beast. No one had ever done that to him before. He loved the way she teased and challenged him in a way both he and his wolf now rested at ease.
His stomach grumbled and he debated whether to have someone bring them food or to get it himself. His fingertips slid down her arm and stopped on the soft skin of her belly. When she didn’t wake or move his hand, he slid them lower, between her thighs. His stomach growled again.
Bella chuckled. “Feed me.” She removed his hand and pulled the sheet over her nakedness. “Food. Now.”
“Bossy lady.” Adam rolled out the bed with a smile and good outlook on life. Bella accepted him, physically at least. They hadn’t talked much last night so he hadn’t made much progress with all the mental stuff his dad suggested.
“Win her mind,” he muttered as he turned into the kitchen from the hall. Empty aluminum pans littered the counter, bags were on the floor and empty water bottles were in the sink. Adam stared at the mess, while wondering what he’d feed Bella since they ate the food his mom sent through the night.
“You’ve got this,” he said, as he straightened his shoulders and strode to the double door refrigerator. Inside, covered bowls of mango, cherries, coconuts, melons and blueberries lined the top shelf. Individual cups of yogurt and a large tub of plain vanilla yogurt was on another. All kinds of meats, cheeses and condiments filled other shelves. Adam washed his hands in the sink, pulled out a tray, plate and utensils. He filled the plate with a little bit of everything and grabbed several croissants from a container on the counter. Pleased, he stuck two bottles of water into his pockets and returned to their room.
Bella hadn’t moved but lifted her head when he entered. Her eyes lit at the sight of the tray. “Looks good.” She sat up and leaned against the headboard. “Yogurt. I haven’t had this since I stayed with Astrid.” She grabbed a cup and spoon. “Thanks.”
He nodded. “Eat some fruit too. The melon’s really sweet.” He popped a chunk of pineapple into his mouth. “Mmm, this is good too.” He pointed to the fruit.
Bella scooped blueberries into her yogurt and stirred them. “Will do, after I finish this.”
They ate in companionable silence.
“Adam?”
“Alpha Barticus?” Adam glanced at Bella who continued eating.
“There’s been a problem.” Barticus explained what happened to Peter and his current condition.
Adam’s stomach twisted in knots at the news. “She’s gonna want to return to see him.” He knew that with the same certainty he’d have if it was his father.
“Have the pheromones stopped?”
Unsure if he felt like a failure for not correcting the problem or a king for the way his mate received him, he hesitated in responding.
“Adam?”
“No, it hasn’t stopped.” When Barticus didn’t say anything, Adam continued. “It’s frustrating in a way because she’s accepted me sexually. We’ve spent the last two nights together and it’s been the best ever. I think we’re making progress.”
“But she will return trailing pheromones, calling wolves to her to fuck? To mate? What’s the call? I don’t understand,” Barticus said.
Adam winked at Bella as she grabbed a croissant and chunks of fruit. “Neither do I. Dad is just as confused, he says no one knows a lot about breeders. Mom got pregnant, which stopped the pheromones. But Bella doesn’t want babies right now. I don’t know what the trigger is to help her shut down the emissions.”
“Her returning here is going to be a problem.”
“I can’t stop her if she wants to go,” Adam said plainly.
“I know.” Barticus paused. “Maybe if you come by helicopter instead of driving through town.”
Adam took a long drink of cold water and tapped his pant pocket. It was empty. “Whatever you think best. Call me.”
“What?”
“Call me. I haven’t explained mind-speak to her yet. Right now, I don’t want to spring more of our world on her. No
t while she’s dealing with her dad being shot.”
“Smart thinking. I’ll call after I set up transportation. Leon and Brix will travel with you. Jarcee will meet you there.”
“Is security in place?” He glanced at Bella licking the juices from the fruit off her fingers.
“Yes, the humans are safe, nothing else has happened.”
“Who would want to shoot him? Does this have anything to do with Bella’s mom? Is Matt okay?”
“No one has any idea why he was targeted, other than he had some sort of supernatural visitation a few years back.”
“What?” Adam stuffed the croissant into his mouth to keep from speaking aloud.
“My reaction as well. No accounting for what people believe. Important thing is he’ll survive and Matt has started the research. We should know something soon. I’ll call you in a few minutes. You will need to leave to meet the helicopter shortly after.”
“Thanks, we appreciate all of your help.” Adam meant it. From the moment he arrived on the continent, Alpha Barticus treated him like family.
“Take care of your mate, I’ll call you directly.” Barticus disconnected.
Adam slowly chewed the croissant while thinking how to share the news with Bella.
“You okay?” she asked.
He looked over his shoulder at her and swallowed. “Yeah, it’s a little dry.” He took another long pull from the bottle. Finished, he tossed it in the trash and picked up a piece of melon.
“You were right, that was good,” she said pointing at the plate.
“Must’ve been since you only left me two pieces.” He smiled and ate the last piece.
“At least I left something for you.” She stood, stretched and walked to the bathroom.
Adam finished the fruit and returned the empty tray to the kitchen. He picked up the pans and bags and tossed them in the trash. Moments later, Bella found him wiping down granite counter tops in silence.
“I didn’t know you did stuff like this.” She sat on a stool and watched as he took the broom from the closet and started to sweep.
“Don’t let my Mama hear you say that. She tried to teach all of us to be independent.” He smiled but kept his gaze on the floor.
“Independent? What else did she teach you? Cooking?”
He shrugged. “What can I say, she tried. It’s just not my thing. The others cook better.”
“Then you’re not independent?”
He heard the laughter in her voice and hugged it close. “Can’t you tell I need a woman to take care of me? I’ve been trying to show you that for the past two days.”
She laughed. “That’s not what you’ve been showing me. But I’ll let it pass.”
His cell phone rang.
Bella turned in the direction of their room.
“I better get that,” Adam said handing her the broom.
She shook her head, took the broom and slid off the stool. “Did you plan that?”
“What?” he asked as he moved quickly to their room and answered the call. A few minutes later he returned to the kitchen. Bella hummed as she looked into cabinets. A package of ground beef and vegetables lay on the counter.
“You cook?” That hadn’t been what he intended to say but seeing the meat surprised him.
“Yes.” She smiled at him over her shoulder. “I paid attention to my mom’s lessons.”
He tried to smile and couldn’t. Something must’ve shown on his face. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
He inhaled and faced her. “Your father was shot. He’s in stable condition.”
Bella blinked and continued staring at Adam. “What?” No way did he say what she thought he said.
“That was Alpha Barticus. He’s at the Order with Matt doing the research. Someone fired shots and your father was hit. The Priestess was nearby, but wasn’t hurt.” He spoke so fast it took a moment for the words to catch up.
“My Daddy?” She whispered as the meaning slammed into her. “Shot?” she whispered while groping for the counter.
Adam wrapped his arms around her and turned her face into his chest. “Baby, I’m so sorry. So sorry,” he murmured. “Tell me what you want to do. We’ll do it.”
Shaking her head, she pushed him away. “People fired guns after we left? What about that explosion? What was that? A bomb?”
“I don’t —”
She shoved him harder and pointed in his face. “Don’t you dare lie to me! Don’t you dare.”
“I can’t lie to you.”
The simplicity of his words, coupled with the sincerity she heard behind them siphoned her anger, leaving only despair. “Why? Who would do that?” She looked up at him, searching his eyes for answers and read only sorrow.
“I don’t know.” He folded her in his embrace again, kissed the top of her head and rocked her gently.
Chaotic thoughts raced through her mind. First her mama, now daddy. What was going on? “Does this have anything to do with the wolf-people thing?” He stopped rocking.
“Huh?”
She swallowed hard and tried to make sense out of non-sense. “Mama died. Daddy shot. Does this have anything to do with me and Mama being different?” She squeezed her eyes tight to avoid seeing his face but she had to ask.
“No. Not that I know of. Why shoot your father after you left? Plus, your mom only told three people about her being a breeder.”
“And one of them was shot,” she whispered.
“True, but I don’t think it’s related,” he said.
She pushed back and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “How can you say that? You don’t know.”
Adam held both her much smaller hands in his and met her teary gaze. “Whoever fired the gun was human, not dual-natured. Alpha Barticus arrived just after it happened and searched the area. He told me they were human.”
She frowned. “But if he didn’t see them —”
“Smell. We have a highly evolved sense of smell.”
Heat rushed to her face as she recalled him warning her that everyone would smell him on her. She returned to his embrace, and took comfort from the steady beat of his heart. Seconds passed where images of her dad and mom rolled through her mind. Lord, she missed her mama. The idea of losing her daddy was too much.
“I want to go see him,” she said in a broken whisper. “Right now. I need to be there for him.”
“Okay. Shh, we’ll go. Do you want me to pack your things? We can buy whatever we need once we’re there. Whatever you want to do…” Adam said, his calm voice a soothing balm on her tattered nerves.
“No. It’ll only take a minute to get these things together and I’ll be ready.” She stepped back.
He took her hand and threaded his fingers between them. “We do this together. I’m here for you.”
She looked down at their hands, squeezed his and nodded as they headed to the bedroom to gather their things. As she’d predicted, it hadn’t taken long. She and Adam met Leo and Brix out front.
“Everything okay?” Adam asked as he looked around.
“Yeah. The copter’s ready when you are.” Leo strode toward the vehicle. Brix waited until she and Adam passed and walked behind them.
Once inside, Bella leaned toward Adam’s ear. “Copter?”
“Helicopter. Alpha Barticus thought it would be faster than driving.”
She nodded slowly. “Is that it? The whole reason we’re flying this time?”
Adam squeezed her hand and leaned close. “Pheromones.”
Bella closed her eyes. “No. I thought sex would fix that.”
“It still may, but it hasn’t yet.”
“What if they follow me to the Compound? Someone could get hurt.” She shook her head even though her gut burned with regret. “I can’t take that chance. Can’t be the reason strangers find the Order. Our work is too important.”
Adam touched her chin with his finger and turned her to face him. For several seconds they stared into each other’s eyes. The color of his ey
es changed to a shimmering gold. A strange feeling trickled down the center of her back as he took her hand in his.
“If you want to see your father, we will see him. No harm will come to the Order or anyone inside. I give you my word on this.”
She swallowed hard as her grip tightened on his hand. Questions, doubts, and fear swirled with cyclonic force in her mind. How could he make such a promise? What if he failed and someone got hurt? What if someone died? She needed to see her father, make sure he was alright. Maybe if they stayed for an hour, no more than two, everything would be fine. She had to try.
Unable to speak around her concerns, she nodded without realizing the jeep had stopped.
“Let’s go,” Adam said sliding out on his side and running to her to assist her. The blades on the copter started as Leo and Brix grabbed the bags and walked behind them.
“Thank you for trusting me,” Adam said against her ear before they reached the copter.
Since she wasn’t sure her agreement was based on the need to see her dad or Adam’s promise to protect everyone, she nodded and prayed God would make everything right.
CHAPTER TWENTY
The helicopter touched down a few miles from the Order’s Compound. Eager to see her father, Bella accepted Adam’s hand and ran with him to the waiting SUV. Leo and Brix took the front seats and another vehicle pulled out behind them.
Adam wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. “You okay?”
She nodded and leaned into his shoulder. “Did Alpha Barticus say if he was alert or still out?”
“No, he didn’t say.”
She sighed and gripped his shirt. “He’s got to pull through this.” Guilt over her lack of faith, her being so different, and bringing danger to the Compound all but drowned her. Please don’t punish him because of me she prayed.
He covered her fist. “He will. I believe he will.”