Celeste thought she’d choke. “I am not leaving you!” she called out to him. “And neither is Grant!”
“Nobody is leaving you,” Mandy said. “If you want, I’ll sleep in your room. There’s a couch in there.”
Celeste let out a long, shuddering breath as they walked to their room. “This is all so messed up,” she said. “Everything that he’s been through. Us lying to him. Should I go back and sleep in his room tonight?”
He sighed. “That lady really is spying on us. At the very least we need to stand in front of the bedroom window and let her see us. Then we can pull the shades, and you can sneak downstairs if you want. At some point he has to get used to sleeping on his own.”
“I know.”
They turned on a lamp in their bedroom and stood in front of the window, facing each other.
“What should we do now?” she asked.
“Well, I could kiss you.”
Celeste tipped her head back up to look into his gorgeous face. “Eww, gross. Boy cooties.”
“I know.” Grant rolled his eyes with an exaggerated comic look. “Kissing a girl. Nasty. We’ll just do it long enough to convince her that we’re legit. We’ll do it for Jeffrey.”
Well, if it was for Jeffrey…
Her heart stuttered in her chest as Grant leaned in and she closed her eyes and just let herself feel. He pressed his lips against hers, firmly and sweetly, and she melted into his embrace. Of their own accord, her hands came up and she wound her fingers into the curls at the nape of his neck.
When his hand wandered down her spine to cup her derriere, she gasped and pressed closer against him, and he took advantage of her parted lips to slide his tongue against hers with sinful skill.
His hands slid under her clothes.
“For our son,” he murmured into her ear, and she was too distracted to argue with him. Or maybe she didn’t want to. Jeffrey, Grant, people who cared about her, a family to wake up to every morning… Maybe there was a part of her that wished this fairytale were her real life.
Chapter Eight
She moaned when he pulled back, then gasped when he swung her into his arms. Anyone watching would be in doubt about what he intended to do to her as he strode towards the bed and deposited her on the covers, then started to unbutton his shirt. Delicious anticipation pulsed between her thighs, and her nipples were tight, aching beads against the fabric of her bra.
Grant dropped onto the bed and crawled towards her, shirtless, the denim of his jeans moulded intimately against his muscular thighs and the taut curve of his ass. He was breathtaking. She couldn’t resist reaching out to touch him, smoothing her palms over his shoulders and down his chest, enjoying the rough feel of his scattering of chest hair against her fingertips.
He growled low in his throat, a feral sound that made the hair prickle on the back of her neck, not from fear but from arousal. Then he dove in for a kiss that had her toes curling as he pressed her back on the bed. His skin was hot and satin-smooth over hard muscle. His lips were firm and sweet against hers, and he slid his tongue against hers in a seductive rhythm that made her think about what it would feel like to have his cock inside her. Made her ache for it.
Unconsciously, she parted her thighs, and he settled between them, rolling his hips to press his erection against her molten core. Her pussy clenched hungrily and she moaned into his mouth as he worked his tongue against hers, mimicking the motion of fucking, giving her a taste of what was to come.
“You are so damn beautiful,” he growled into her ear, and he flicked his tongue over the end of the scar that touched the side of her mouth, and she knew she was beautiful to him, the scar that she had always been so self-conscious about a mark of bravery, of resilience.
He moved down her body, unbuttoning her blouse as he went, trailing kisses down her throat, over her collarbone and down her sternum. He drew her nipple into his mouth through the fabric of her bra, sucking on it until the satin was soaked and every sensual stroke of his tongue sent a bolt of lust directly to her core. She moaned and wriggled against him, then caught her breath as he yanked her into a sitting position so he could peel off her blouse and bra. Then he popped open the button on her fly and drew her pants and panties down her legs. She wriggled to help him, then kicked them off as he drew them over her feet.
She shrieked a surprised laugh when he feathered a kiss over her instep, but it changed to a moan of pleasure as he traced patterns on her calf with his tongue then moved further up, pressing kisses to the inside of her thigh as he guided her legs apart.
He parted her folds gently, exposing her clit, then went to work on it with his clever tongue, flicking and stroking and massaging. She groaned and dug her fingers into the comforter, bracing her feet on the mattress as he lapped greedily at her pussy. Orgasm coiled tighter and tighter right where he was kissing her, tantalizingly out of reach until he pushed two fingers inside her, thrusting into her wetness and sending her tumbling into a blissful climax. She gasped and writhed, thighs trembling as he lashed her with his tongue until he’d wrung every last spasm from her.
He worked his way back up her body, and she eagerly helped him to strip off his jeans, making a hungry sound of pleasure as his cock sprang free and she wrapped her fingers around its solid length.
He groaned. “Don’t touch me. It feels too good. I want to be inside you when I come.”
She eagerly assented, helping him to guide himself to her entrance, then hooked her leg over his hip so he could push all the way inside her, deep and hard.
They both gasped for breath at the sharpness of the pleasure, and Grant shuddered for a moment, eyes closed, eyebrows drawn together in concentration as he grappled for self-control.
He dug his fingers into her hips as he drew out then pushed back inside her again, stroking her G-spot and catching the last tatters of her orgasm, pulling it back and winding it tighter again.
When she was almost there, breath coming quickly and an aroused flush coloring her throat and chest a blushing pink, he rolled over, pulling her with him so he was straddling him, so she could ride him until she came. She lowered herself onto his erection, working herself up and down, moaning lustily as she came. Her pussy spasmed and pulsed around him, and his cock twitched. His muscles locked and he shouted helplessly as he came, emptying himself into her body.
She watched his face, his features twisted with pleasure and passion, and the sight of it made her come again, collapsing against his chest as bliss surged through her body on a flood of happy hormones.
They lay in tangle of sweat-slick limbs, breathing hard, wrung out by exertion and pleasure. Celeste felt so light she might float away, except that Grant was holding her in his arms, anchoring her to Earth.
“We make a lot of sacrifices for our son, don’t we?” Grant grinned at her.
“We do. We’re incredibly noble. Also, I see how you keep calling him our son. That’s not slipping past me,” she said, with mild reproof.
She rolled out of bed with great regret, looking down at him. The sheets were rucked up around his waist, leaving his flat stomach and muscular chest exposed, and she let her eyes linger. His body would have made Michelangelo weep. The treasure trail of hair leading beneath the sheet tempted her fingers, just the memory of the way he’d touched her making her wet. She wanted him again. Wanted him inside her.
“Subliminal messaging.” He stifled a yawn. “And also it’s very important for us to get into character. We need to be convincing for the case worker, don’t we? If you were my mate – I mean my wife – I’d be having sex with you every night, and sneaking in a quickie every time Jeffrey was otherwise occupied. Of course, that’s not going to happen, since you’re Miss Independent Lone Wolf. But that’s the role we need to play for the next few weeks.” He looked so adorably rumpled that it took everything she had not to crawl back into bed with him.
I can’t sleep with him. Jeffrey needs me. And I won’t let myself get used to this.
He reached out for her. “In fact, since we’re staying in character, my character at this point would be having sex with you again right now. There are a few parts of your body that I haven’t tasted.”
She backed away. “Shame on you, sir. There is a small boy downstairs who needs me.”
“Ouch. Low blow.”
She turned and hurried to the bathroom, summoning up scenes of her horrible childhood to fortify her resolve. Sleeping with a can of pepper spray to keep her foster “brothers” out of her bed in the group home. Family after family sending her and her sister back – because they could see something ugly and unlovable in her. What was it they’d seen? She didn’t know. She stood there in the shower and scrubbed and scrubbed, but still couldn’t scrub away the bone-deep feeling of unworthiness.
When she got to Jeffrey’s room, Mandy was sitting on the couch with headphones in her ears listening to an audiobook, and Jeffrey was in bed under a pile of pillows and blankets. Celeste tiptoed in and settled into an armchair.
“He fell asleep an hour ago,” Mandy whispered to Celeste.
“No I didn’t,” Jeffrey said from under his pillow.
“Jeffrey! Dang, you’re good,” Mandy said.
“See, we’re still here. I didn’t lie,” Celeste called out.
“Tonight you didn’t,” he conceded, his voice muffled.
When she woke up in the morning, he was curled up in a ball on the floor by her feet. Celeste looked down at him.
How can I ever leave you? she wondered.
Chapter Nine
The lawyers Pete and Reynaldo had called in reinforcements from their Reno pack, and they’d arrived by helicopter early the next morning. There were fifteen of them. Gustav, Leonard and Dennis were the names that Celeste remembered. They were ready to do whatever it took to ensure that Jeffrey wasn’t taken away by the state. He was a werewolf cub who still changed uncontrollably, and if he was in CPS care, their secret would be out.
Grant had spent a considerable amount of time working with Jeffrey the day before, helping him do some meditation exercises to lessen the chance that he’d shift when they were in front of humans. Still, the mood was tense as their small fleet of cars pulled in to a parking lot a block away from the courthouse.
Mandy shaded her gaze with her hand, scanning the area.
“Something’s weird,” she said to Celeste and Grant. “I just have this feeling that we’re being watched, at the house last night, and now. And I don’t just mean by that bitch Marian.” She glanced at Jeffrey. “I said witch.”
He snorted. “No you didn’t.” He tapped the side of his head. “I have super-hearing, remember? Because I’m a werewolf.” He glanced at Grant. “I know, I know. We’re not telling anyone that, because if they knew they would take me away and I would never see you again. There’s no humans around here right now – I looked before I said anything.”
“Good boy,” Grant said approvingly.
“Are you thinking of joining the Reno pack?” Mandy asked Grant.
He shook his head. “They have an Alpha, and he and I don’t really get along. They’re sending me pack members to help me keep Jeffrey safe because it keeps us all safe, but it wouldn’t work out in the long run. Once the court case is settled, I’ll figure out something.”
“Or you could stay with your pack.”
Grant gave her a look. “Don’t start.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Cliff has called a number of times. So has Taylor.”
Grant tensed. “What did you tell them?”
“I told them that Jeffrey was fine, and adjusting really well.”
His voice went harsh. “You work for me. I am paying you to help watch my son, not give out information about him when I asked you not to.”
She met his gaze icily. “You never asked me not to speak to your family. If my work is unsatisfactory, let me know and I’ll be out of here before you can blink. Good luck in court.” She turned and walked away.
“Grant.” Celeste looked at him reprovingly.
He stifled a growl. Jeffrey scowled at him and took Celeste’s hand. Celeste sighed.
“Jeffrey, I need to talk to Grant for a minute. Will you go with Pete and Reynaldo? Just to the end of the block.”
She watched him walk with the two lawyers and the rest of their pack members. He looked back over his shoulder and shot Grant an annoyed look.
She turned her attention back to Grant. “Don’t growl at me,” she snapped. “You’re throwing your family away and being an absolute dick to a woman who’s a very good friend to you. I have no doubt that if someone attacked Jeffrey, she’d die to protect him. That is not a small thing, and it’s not to be taken for granted.” She met his gaze, eyes blazing.
He threw his hands up in frustration. “I know. It’s not. But she shouldn’t have given any information about him to Cliff and Taylor. She shouldn’t speak to them at all. I’m trying to protect Jeffrey from a family that tried to kill him before he was even born and attempted to run you and my son off when you reached out to me for help.”
She shook her head. “First of all, they’re her friends. And secondly, I’m not completely convinced that Cliff was behind that. And I absolutely don’t believe Taylor was. They came with you to my motel as soon as they found out that Jeffrey really was yours, right?”
He snorted. “Damage control. Same reason the Reno Pack is here. None of us can afford for Jeffrey to be taken into custody.”
She sighed. “Look. I don’t know what Cliff did or didn’t do in the past. Yeah, my sister claimed that your family tried to make her get rid of Jeffrey. If that’s true, that’s absolutely godawful, and frankly, I’d hate them for it. But remember, my sister lied more frequently than she breathed. And also keep in mind the unique circumstances here. What if something happens to you? Wouldn’t Jeffrey need a pack to take him and protect him and raise him somewhere safe? Cliff and Taylor and those guys are his actual family, and they’re reaching out to you. Like it or not, you need them.”
He turned around and kicked a garbage can so hard it flew twenty feet across the parking lot, landing with a metallic clang.
“What the heck was that for?” Celeste demanded, exasperated.
“Because you’re right and I don’t want you to be!” Grant snarled, and she could see him shudder with the effort of keeping his beast under his skin.
But as they headed over to get Jeffrey, he smiled.
“What are you smiling about?” she asked.
“You think you’re no good at family. You just argued with me back there when I was being a real ass, and you stood your ground and made me see reason. Just remember that. Even if you decide to leave us…remember that.”
She tried to ignore the stabbing pain she felt at the thought of leaving. “Does that mean you’ll talk to Cliff and Taylor?”
“It means that after we leave here, I’ll contact my connections around the country to make sure that Jeffrey is protected and cared for no matter what, even if something does happen to me. And I will consider my former pack, as an absolute last resort.”
“And you will apologize to Mandy?”
“Yeah, I’ll apologize to her.”
“Now?” she prodded.
“Yes, Princess Nag-ella, now.” He made a quick cell phone call, but it went straight to voicemail. “I’m sorry,” he said with a scowl, and hung up.
* * * * *
The court hearing was every bit as excruciating as they’d expected.
Celeste and Grant were put under a microscope and queried relentlessly by the judge about their relationship and their fitness as parents.
They stifled their tempers and spun a tale of former lovers who had separated for years, but who had just recently decided to reunite for the sake of their child.
Rhona trotted in the neighbors who had reported Jennifer, but Rhona was forced to admit that when she’d gone to the house, it had been spotless, and Jeffrey had not been left alone. She tried to argue that bec
ause Jeffrey had bitten her, he was clearly emotionally disturbed. However, Reynaldo successfully defended him, saying that his mother had taught him that as a way to defend himself. After all, how else could a six-year-old boy fight off an adult?
Then Rhona complained to Judge Fletcher that her sister had been viciously attacked by a wild animal at Grant’s house, and she demanded that Jeffrey be taken into CPS custody immediately.
It backfired when Grant’s lawyer complained about Rhona’s sister being sent to spy on Grant, and also pointed out that the police had visited the house and had not found a wild animal. He also forced Rhona to admit that the alleged “vicious attack” had merely been Marian getting piddled on.
Judge Fletcher angrily told Rhona off for sending her sister to the house, and told her that Grant had every right to file a complaint with the CPS office.
Finally, Rhona tried to insist on interviewing Jeffrey alone. If his parents were in the room, he’d be too terrified to talk about the abuse that he was suffering, she said in a deeply worried voice, her eyes as huge as saucers.
Judge Fletcher pointed out that there was no proof of abuse. He did remonstrate with Celeste about the lack of medical records for Jeffrey – Jennifer had never taken Jeffrey to the doctor.
Grant’s lawyers had prepared her for that. She told the judge that she was a religious woman who believed in prayer healing, but she would respect the wishes of the court and take Jeffrey to get his physical and follow doctor’s orders for him from now on. The judge ordered that they take Jeffrey for a checkup that afternoon, and give the results of the checkup to his office by the end of the week.
Finally, Judge Fletcher said that the CPS worker would interview Jeffrey without his parents present, which was standard procedure, but a court-appointed attorney, and Grant’s attorneys, would remain in the room.
After that, they had to agree to several drop in visits from CPS, and then the judge would re-evaluate the case in a few weeks.
A Cub For The Billion-were (Alpha Billion-weres Book 2) Page 7