by Avery Gale
Staring into the darkened room, letting his thoughts wander, Israel saw his phone flash on the nightstand. He’d silenced the device but had obviously forgotten to turn the damned thing over, so it didn’t light up the damned room every time a message popped up. Curious who would send a message at this hour, he reached for it, then wished he hadn’t.
What is your connection to Clovia Williams?
Austin’s question caught him off guard. The name sounded familiar, but Israel wasn’t sure why. He would ask his brother for details later. Israel didn’t want to risk disturbing the woman sleeping peacefully in his arms by tapping out a response. Whatever the issue, it would have to wait until he had a few free minutes.
When Israel woke up, the fingers of one hand were closed around Bristol’s breast, and his other hand was spread over her lower abdomen, the tips of his fingers pressed against her pubic bone. The heat from her pussy was luring him closer, but he was determined to stick to his new plan.
Bristol’s mind was still quiet, blissfully unaware of how her body was expressing its need for his touch. Resisting the urge to roll her budding nipple between the pads of his fingers was difficult, but fighting the temptation to slip the tips of his fingers between her legs was harder than anything he’d had to do in a long time. He knew the moment she woke—her entire body stiffened.
Leaving his hand over her breast, Israel skimmed his other hand up until his arm wrapped possessively around Bristol’s waist. Giving her a quick hug before releasing her, Israel moved back until he could sit on the edge of the bed. He didn’t have to wait long for her to turn to face him. Goddess above, she was even more stunning in the morning. Her sleepy eyes and disheveled hair, a riot of blonde waves, made him long for the time when he’d see this view every morning. Sometime during the night, the loose braid he’d done in her hair had come undone, though he wasn’t sure how, when she’d barely moved all night.
“Thank you for taking such good care of me last night.” A pink stain of embarrassment colored her cheeks.
“It was my pleasure, Beautiful. Your safety will always be my number one priority. It would have been irresponsible for me to let you try to get home on your own.” On some level, she trusted him enough to let go last night. He wasn’t naïve enough to believe she couldn’t have got home on her own. Would she have been vulnerable? Absolutely and that was the reason he’d been determined to escort her.
“I don’t usually have such a strong reaction to fatigue. Honestly, after medical school, internship, and residency, I would have sworn I was immune to exhaustion.”
“You trusted me to keep you safe. Your mind may not understand, but your heart does. I know you don’t want to be tied down with a mate.” He held up his hand when she started to argue. “Save yourself the swats, lying will earn. You need to can the denial, Bristol. I’m an empath, and my skills are even more enhanced with you.” Her eyes widened, and he wanted to laugh at how quickly she mentally reviewed their interactions since he’d approached her at the wedding reception.
“Come back to me, Sweetheart.” Bristol blinked a couple of times as if she were trying to refocus her attention. He could see where others might mistake her blank look for something other than her mind moving at warp speed. She’d endured a lot of heartache because she was brilliant. He was anxious for her to get to know his family, who would appreciate her sharp mind. London would have a unique understanding of being academically accelerated.
“Come on.” Holding out his hand, Israel nodded his approval when she took it without hesitation. “Let’s make breakfast and talk.” When her eyes flickered to the master bath, he chuckled. “Do what you need to do, then join me. You’ll find button-down shirts in the closet. You can wear one of the white ones with one button closed. No panties. There is a new toothbrush in the top right drawer. Don’t stall. I will know.” He grabbed a pair of boxers on his way to the door, leaving her standing in the middle of the room, staring as he walked naked out of the room.
Israel wasn’t concerned about using the guest bathroom since it was kept well stocked with extra toiletries. Even though there were other suites available for visiting guests, his brothers and sisters often opted to stay with him if they were in town. He made a quick stop before moving to the kitchen, barely having enough time to get the coffee started before he noticed Bristol standing by the breakfast bar. It looked as if she’d tried to tame her hair, but the sexy waves reminded him of the expression ‘organized chaos.’ Her face was scrubbed clean, and her cheeks were pink with embarrassment from her lack of clothing. Gorgeous. Waving her to one of the bar stools, he turned back to the stove.
“I’m hungry, so I’ll make breakfast while you tell me about yourself.” She pulled her lower lip between her teeth, biting down hard enough, he hoped she wouldn’t break the skin. “Before you ask, yes, I re-read the investigative report my company did on you, but I want to know about the woman behind the diplomas. Let’s try this… What was it like, starting your own practice in a new city? How long did it take you to get patients, etc.?” He didn’t know how the process worked, so it was a legitimate inquiry.
With a quick nod, Bristol explained the process of getting her medical credentials transferred to Texas. He was impressed with the deal she’d negotiated with a couple of medical facilities, agreeing to refer patients to their facilities in return for the use of office space in their busier clinics.
“What made you build your own facility?” He’d never wanted the added hassle of owning the building. Operations and sales were Bronx’s areas of expertise, not Israel’s.
“Financial security. Medical centers are struggling, and I couldn’t risk getting sucked into the money drain. Building is insanely expensive, and the maintenance is a nightmare, but being able to control my overhead makes all the difference. I don’t have to worry about kissing the asses of shareholders or paying dividends, and I’m able to pass more of the profits on to my employees in the form of bonuses and other incentives.”
He was impressed with her business savvy and told her so.
“Thank you. When I graduated, one of my biggest worries was the business side of operating a medical practice. Charlotte told me I should talk to your brother, Bronx. She said he is an incredible businessman, but it seems to me, you are all remarkably successful.”
“You’re right about my siblings’ success. We’ve been damned lucky.” When she frowned, he laughed. “Why do I think my earlier ‘be honest with everyone, especially yourself’ speech is about to come back and bite me in the ass?”
“I understand humility… but calling everything you’ve done luck is pushing that boundary way past the point of believability.”
Israel didn’t try to hold back his laughter. She was right, and he didn’t mind being called out—unless they were in a scene. He watched her closely as she seemed to study him with matching intensity.
“I’m calling bullshit, Israel. As far as I can tell, all the Adler siblings are intelligent and driven. Some of you probably wanted to prove to the world you’d recovered after the heartbreaking loss you suffered, but let’s be honest… motivation coming from the outside rarely lasts. It’s the inner voice that challenges you to continue improving every day, that fuels lasting success, lighting the fires, driving you to get better and better at what you do. It’s the raging inferno in your soul that wakes you up in the middle of the night with an idea you can’t wait to implement because it’s the answer you were sure you’d never find. It’s the whisper in the wind pushing you forward, continually reminding you failure is temporary and faithfully encouraging you to try again.”
Israel was speechless. She’d described him so perfectly, it was like she’d read the words fate had written on his heart.
Fate never makes a mistake.
He wasn’t sure where the words came from, but he understood their truth. Bristol was perfect for him. He just had to convince her, fate’s timing was as flawless as its mating.
Chapter Six
The reference hadn’t meant anything to Austin, but a quick internet search promptly cleared up his confusion. The comparison was especially meaningful since she’d been trying to help her family and friends when she took the job as his assistant. Hell, he’d finally hired two people to replace her, and together, they didn’t match her level of organization.
Charlotte offered to return to work, but Austin knew she wanted to stay home until Marshall started school. If she changed her mind, he would be thrilled to have her back in the office. Bending her over his desk and pushing himself balls deep into her slick heat would be the highlight of each workday. Looking down to see her rounded ass framed by a lace garter belt holding up silk stockings, his cock shuttling in and out, shining with her cream, would make work far more interesting. Who was he kidding? Adler Oil would sink like the Titanic because he’d never get anything done.
“I had to tune you out at garter belt. I was starting to feel flushed and needy… really needy.”
“Little Star, you just gave birth. I can’t imagine you feel up to what went through my mind.” She gave an inelegant snort and had the audacity to roll her eyes. “You’re running up a hell of a tab on swats, my love. That eye roll added a solid ten to the tally.” His palm ached to connect with her bare ass, but the punishment would have to wait until he’d fucked them both into a coma.
It wasn’t as if they hadn’t had sex during her pregnancy. Hell, she’d been in a hormone-fueled sexual frenzy for months, but for the last several weeks, action had been scarce because he worried, she was doing too much. Hell, she’d overseen a major remodeling project, creating a nanny suite in addition to the nursery. He’d come home from work one night to find her asleep in the middle of the nursery floor, surrounded by animals she’d meticulously cut from a wallpaper mural. When he’d asked her why she was sleeping on the floor, her bright green eyes filled with tears.
“I couldn’t get up. I’m a Weeble failure—I wobbled, but I couldn’t get up.”
Austin had almost bitten his tongue in two trying to keep from laughing. The whole scenario was funny until he found out how long she’d been stranded. She’d left her phone on the kitchen counter, so she had been unable to call anyone for help.
Austin heard a sniffle, the soft sound brought him back to the moment. He was horrified to see tears streaming down his mate’s cheeks. What the hell? Pushing away from the doorframe, he across the room to kneel in front of the two most important people in the world.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart? Talk to me.”
“I want to be wanted again. I want to feel pretty. I’m tired of being a blimp. I already had the baby, and I’m still huge. I know I need to exercise, but I’m too tired. Why don’t babies sleep longer than a couple of hours? And he eats all the time. My nipples hurt so bad, I’d go topless, but I’m terrified I might accidentally walk past a mirror. If it wasn’t for Lindy, I’d have thrown myself off the damned balcony. I don’t know how women do this… it’s exhausting.”
Fucking hell. How had he missed all these signs, despite every Dom he knew warning him about the baby blues? Sure, he knew the condition didn’t typically start this soon, but with Charlotte’s unique healing ability, it was no surprise she was well ahead of schedule.
The nanny they’d hired wasn’t scheduled to arrive for a few days, so Cam Barnes suggested they hire Lindy Timish in the interim. Since she’d been at the reception, Lindy had already known Charlotte had given birth, and bless her heart, she’d been waiting for them when they arrived home. Stepping into the room, Lindy looked more like a recent high school graduate than a young woman studying for the bar exam. Austin grinned at her, wondering if any of the younger Doms at the club would ever brave Cam Barnes wrath and claim the pretty brunette as their own. Everyone at the club knew she was under Cam’s protection, and if that wasn’t enough, Dr. Cecelia Barnes was standing right beside him. CeCe might be submissive to Cam, but she was hell on wheels when it came to her family and patients.
CeCe called Austin when she’d learned Lindy would be helping out until their nanny arrived. He joked later, the interrogation involved a hundred questions fired at him so quickly, his damned head was spinning by the time she’d finally been satisfied they weren’t going to keep Lindy locked in a dungeon or planning to steal her away from their employ.
Lindy bounced into the room and grinned. “I saw the little bags of milk in the freezer. You’re doing a great job with your pump. Y’all weren’t kidding when you said Charlotte’s body healed quickly. I know a lot of first-time mamas have trouble getting into the rhythm of nursing. Little man is set for the rest of the night and most of tomorrow, as well. Get some rest, Charlotte. Spend some time with your husband. Let him pamper you a little. You’ve earned it.” Lindy lifted Marshall from Charlotte’s arms, giving him a soft kiss on his forehead. Austin could have sworn the boy smiled—the little flirt. “Come on, handsome. Let’s get you settled. My granny said babies grow when they’re sleeping, so you better get to it. You have so many wonderful things to learn.”
Lindy’s voice trailed off as she moved down the hall. Cam and CeCe both stressed how much they appreciated the way she talked to their children. Lindy always said, “Babies are little people and deserve better than the nonsense-talk people subject them to. How are they supposed to grow up to be functioning adults if their brains are fed gibberish? It’s insulting.” Austin agreed and hoped the nanny they’d hired would be as forward-thinking as Lindy.
Austin looked at his wife, wondering how he was going to prove he wanted her just as much now as he had the first time he’d taken her to bed. When her image started to shimmer, he shook his head.
“Don’t you dare disappear, Little Star. Your punishment swats are going to have to wait. I have something else in mind for tonight.” He was flying by the seat of his pants. For the first time in years, he was going to walk into an evening with his sub and let her responses paint the scene without him leading.
Pulling Charlotte to her feet, he led her down the hall to the master suite. He’d have her naked and flat on her back in ten seconds flat if it were up to him, but, tonight, he wanted to touch her heart as well as her body. It was time for a little romance.
Spending the day with Bristol had been enlightening and fun. Israel loved how her sharp mind functioned on multiple levels at the same time. Smiling to himself, he thought about how quickly she saw through any smokescreen he threw in her direction. At one point during lunch, she’d shaken her head and sighed.
“I don’t understand it. I’m not usually this good at reading people. Most of the time, I’m borderline dim… or at the very least, I’m considered naïve when I’m dealing with anyone outside the office.” She’d paused, watching him for any sign she was pushing too far before finally adding. “But with you… it seems like I know when you are trying to throw me off. I know shifters can speak telepathically while they are in their animal, but this feels different. I’m not sure how to put it into words.”
Israel understood what she’d been unable to explain, but he didn’t respond—some things are better left to the other person to sort through on their own. Any explanation he’d give her would fall short, so he decided it was best to simply redirect the conversation.
Dusk was settling outside the large window leading to his balcony. The glass railings and floor made it the perfect place to begin pushing the boundaries of the submissive side of Bristol’s personality.
After spending the day talking with her, it hadn’t come as a surp
rise when she admitted listing complete nudity as a hard limit at the club. He’d been pleased to learned Bristol had refused to have sex with any of the Doms she’d scened with. It was humbling to realize how pleased he was she hadn’t been seriously involved with anyone at the club. Hell, from what he could tell, she wasn’t getting much, period.
Opening the accordion-style glass doors to the patio, Israel crooked his finger, beckoning Bristol to join him. He’d given her another shirt to wear after her bubble bath that afternoon, and the thin white cotton did little to hide the outline of her areolas or the peaking of her nipples, anytime she noticed his appreciative gaze. A light breeze drifted around him, separating the front placket of the shirt, the two sides moving far enough apart to reveal her smooth mound. He shook his head when her hands moved to close the shirt. Bristol’s hands fell to her sides, her face blushing his new favorite shade of scarlet. Her sex was lasered smooth, and the tantalizing glimpses revealed the outer folds of her labia were already glistening with arousal.
Gasping when she stepped out onto the balcony, Bristol forgot she was flashing anyone lucky enough to be looking up. When she settled her hands on the polished steel rail atop the glass panels, Israel moved close, caging her in by placing his hands on the rail, his arms framing her.
“Watching your expression as you take in the beauty surrounding us is like seeing it for the first time. Seeing the world through your eyes is a treat, baby.” Pressing himself against her, he smiled to himself when he heard her soft gasp.
“I’ve never thought about how beautiful the downtown skyline would be. I’m living in a small second-floor apartment. I’ve paid off the student loans I had to take out to pay the living expenses my scholarships didn’t cover. I’ve stayed in my little hovel, so I can save enough money to build my dream house. I already bought a large lot by the lake.”