by Terry Spear
Lexi grabbed the card off the flowers and read, “Hoping to patch things up with you. Dinner tomorrow? Benjamin.”
“Do you want to tell him the good news? Or do you want me to?” Ryder asked. At least the guy spent some money on the flowers.
Lexi smiled at Kate and Mike as they applied sunscreen. Kate was wearing a pink-and-black-floral one-piece suit, and Mike was wearing bright-yellow board shorts.
Lexi patted Ryder on the chest. “You tell him, since he doesn’t seem to want to listen to me.”
“Phone number?”
Lexi handed over her phone. Ryder called up Benjamin.
“Lexi, thank God you called. Did you get the roses? That’s probably why you’re calling. Does dinner tomorrow night sound good to you?” Benjamin asked.
“Hey, Benjamin, you probably remember me. I’m the guy you told to get lost.” Ryder’s voice was dark and wolfish.
“Hell, does Lexi know you’re using her phone?” Benjamin was irate.
“We’re mated. Thanks for the roses. She thought they were lovely. We have them taking center stage on the bar. Sorry you didn’t make the cut.”
“Let me talk to Lexi.”
“Sure.” Ryder handed the phone over to her.
Lexi smiled at him. “Hey, Benjamin, yeah, Ryder and I are mated. We just decided on it, or I would have told you about it when I saw you. Thanks for the roses. They’re beautiful… No, it has nothing to do with not getting me something from Venice. Good luck with finding the right she-wolf for you. And thanks again for the roses. Bye.”
Ryder handed her a margarita. “All done with him?”
“Yeah. Thanks.” She took the drink. “Maybe after the pool party, the word will get out and anyone else who still thinks I’m available will get the message.”
“I forget you are in the news a lot, so that should work.” Ryder set a margarita on one of the lounge tables for Kate and a cold beer for Mike.
Kate and Mike were tossing a beach ball back and forth to each other in the pool. Lexi sat down on one of the barstools and watched them. Ryder grabbed a bottle of beer and sat next to her, getting a kick out of Kate and Mike. He wished something would come between them, but it appeared they were just having fun, nothing serious.
“What do you want to do about our surnames?” Ryder asked Lexi.
She smiled and leaned over to kiss his cheek. “You know, only three percent of men take their wife’s name during marriage. I’m more of a traditionalist. Summerfield will continue to be equated with my cosmetics, but Gallagher will be my surname now. I feel more connected to you that way. And unlike with humans, we’ll always be together, so I’m eager to make this happen.”
Ryder was glad. He would have changed his name if Lexi had wanted him to, but he was glad to carry on his family name.
“Come on, Kate.” Lexi sipped on her margarita. “Who’s the guy you’re interested in? You’ve never mentioned anything about him to me before.”
Kate laughed and dove underneath the water. When she came up for air, she wiped the water from her eyes. “I am absolutely not saying.”
“Ohmigod, Kate, are you kidding? Now you have made me really curious.”
Ryder had thought Kate would say when he and Mike weren’t around. But something about Kate’s tone of voice told him that wasn’t happening anytime soon. He knew Lexi was dying to learn the truth. He couldn’t help being curious too.
* * *
Kate never took off time to be with anyone, so who in the world was the mystery man?
Lexi would have to ask her again later, hoping Kate would finally tell her. “You wouldn’t know who it would be, would you?” Lexi whispered to Ryder.
“No. I hadn’t met the two of you before.”
Lexi let out her breath. She had to know. Ryder was smiling at Lexi, appearing to be amused at her for being so interested. He winked at Lexi.
She shook her head and sighed.
Ryder glanced in the direction of the water, then walked to the edge of the patio and watched a couple of boats bobbing up and down on the ocean.
“See anything?” Mike was treading water in the pool.
“Just a couple motorboats out there. Can anyone reach the house from the ocean?” Ryder asked.
“No, it’s too rocky and the waves are too dangerous,” Lexi said. “Do you think Tremaine might send men by way of the ocean?”
“Possibly, figuring we wouldn’t assume they would for that very reason. Just keeping a lookout from a boat like that, they might be able to tell if you were home or not,” Ryder said. “Like now.”
“Could they shoot us from that distance?” Lexi had always believed they were safe out here with the ocean at their back.
“Most likely not,” Ryder said.
After Mike and Kate finished swimming, they went inside to shower and dress and then fixed dinner—regular fare: roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, and carrots.
Lexi was eager to join Ryder in bed after dinner, but he was going to take first guard watch.
Before she went to bed, Lexi said to Kate, “I need to talk to you.” She couldn’t help it; she wanted to know so badly about Kate’s love interest. Didn’t Kate need time off to be with him? Now that Lexi had two more bodyguards, she could make time for him.
“Sure.”
“Night, Mike, Ryder. I’ll see you on shift change,” Kate said.
“Night, Mike, Kate,” Ryder said. “I’ll see you when we switch off.” He gave Lexi a kiss and a hug though. “I’ll see you soon.”
Lexi smiled at him, knowing he’d wake her for some more loving when he came to bed.
“Okay, come on, Kate.” Lexi went to the sunroom and Kate joined her.
“If you want to talk about marketing, great. If you want to ask who I’m interested in, I can’t say,” Kate said as they took seats on the floral cushioned chairs.
“He’s not married or engaged or human, is he?” Normally Lexi wouldn’t have considered any of those options, but Kate was being so secretive.
“None of the above, but I’m not saying anything more.”
“You’re going to have to tell me sooner or later. I will lie awake at night wondering.”
Kate chuckled. “Really, it’s no big deal.”
“Sure it’s a big deal. I want you to be able to take off time to go on dates with him. Now that Ryder and Mike are here, I’ve got protection so you can date.”
“And I will, when I meet someone who I can date.”
“But you already have someone you’re interested in.”
Kate just smiled at her. “Are you ready to go to bed?”
“Yeah, sure, but if you ever want to talk, you know I’m available.”
“You’ll be the first to know. Hey, do you mind if I move my stuff to Ryder’s guest room? That will give you two more privacy.”
Lexi smiled. “Sure. With your wolf hearing, we wouldn’t want to keep you awake at night, or wake you in the middle of the night.”
“Yeah, you know me. If I don’t get enough sleep, I’m cranky.”
“More like quiet and spaced-out,” Lexi said. Kate was only cranky when she was starving. “Okay, I’m off to bed.”
Lexi went to bed naked and finally fell asleep, but when Mike took over guard duty, Ryder hurried to join her, waking her as soon as he walked into the room.
He stripped out of his clothes, climbed into bed, and didn’t hesitate to begin kissing her. “All’s well.”
“I’ll say.” Their hearts were both beating out of control before long, and all she could think of was kissing him back, stroking every bit of him, and climaxing with him.
His thumbs brushed over her nipples and she arched her back, wanting him to move his touch lower. She ran her hands over his arms, feeling his muscles tighten. He smiled at her, then moved his hot mou
th to her breast and licked the tip of one of her nipples. She let out a pleasurable moan. He feasted on her nipples, taut and expectant. A surge of rife passion raced through her like lightning, igniting a white-hot fire in her veins. He suckled one nipple and then the other, the sensual storm building, their breathing already erratic.
His stiff cock pressed against her, and she wanted him inside her now. Everything about him felt so incredibly good—his mouth, his tongue, his male hardness throbbing against her mound, telling her just how eager he was to have her too.
He moved his mouth from between her breasts, seeking her mouth again. They kissed, his tongue delving deep, then dancing intimately with hers. His leisurely method of seduction was killing her in the most pleasurable of ways.
But then the urgency returned, and he kissed her hard, his hand running over the other breast, cupping and massaging, enjoying the feel of her as much as she was enjoying his touch. She breathed in his musky scent, mixing with her own. He was one hot wolf. She was glad she hadn’t let the other male wolves keep her from seeing the good in a male wolf like him. He was perfect for her and all hers. And she was glad she hadn’t waited for this either.
He swept his hand downward, his questing fingers finding her sensitive nub. He started slowly, but then his caress intensified, and she arched her pelvis, feeling the heat surging through every bit of her. The ache intensified in her nether region, the sensation building as he kissed her belly with his hot mouth, his breath warming her.
She was so wet for him, and then she dug her heels into the mattress, trying to hold on to the heady sensation building inside of her, trying to let go. “Oh,” she moaned, “hurry.”
He covered her mouth with his, kissing her deeply again, and then inserted a finger between her legs, swirling and pushing, and then she was coming. Before she knew it, he was pushing into her, and she was relishing every thrust of his hard cock and meeting his thrusts. She loved how powerful and kind and considerate he was. He rocked her world.
* * *
Ryder couldn’t believe a trip to the redwoods had come to this—a beautiful mate, writhing to his touch and loving him like he loved her. He was thrusting, enjoying her warm, wet heat wrapped around him. He pounded into her, the air filled with their musky scents, encouraging the intimacy to continue between them.
Heat filled every pore, and he couldn’t get enough of her. He paused in his thrusts to kiss her again. She was just the person he’d needed to make his life complete.
He resisted coming too soon, but the way she was stroking his ass, he couldn’t slow down the rampant need washing over him. He pushed until the end, his blood pumping just as hard, her breath a soft moan as he felt her come again, this time her inner muscles contracting around his cock.
He released, loving how they were in sync, and wanting to do this all over again as soon as they were both ready.
“Hmm, I love you, you hot old wolf.” She snuggled against him and he loved the feel of her soft body against his, basking in the afterglow.
“Man, did I luck out when Mike wasn’t able to come with me on the hike. I love you, honey.”
“Oh, don’t tell me you think he would have won me over. You and I were meant for each other.” She sighed deeply and kissed his chest. “I never knew it could be this good.”
“I feel the same way about you.” He combed his fingers through her soft, silky hair. He slid his hand down to her breast and cupped it. “You make my world complete.” He just had to make sure he didn’t lose focus while trying to keep Lexi safe.
Chapter 25
After making love a couple more times and sleeping in late that morning, Ryder slipped out of the room before Lexi finished her shower, and she knew he’d left to help Mike make another special meal for them.
Every meal was a surprise for Lexi and Kate, now that Mike and Ryder had taken over the cooking. Lexi and Kate loved it! But Mike and Ryder had as much fun surprising them.
This morning, they sat down to cinnamon-sugar waffles. Lexi loved cinnamon buns, so these were out of this world. “You guys outdid yourselves. I’m in heaven.”
“Kate told us how much you love cinnamon, so we figured we’d give it a shot,” Ryder said.
“You both have gone above and beyond. I feel like every meal is a Christmas surprise.” Lexi took another bite of her waffle. “I’m so glad we stole you away from Aidan.”
Everyone laughed.
“Okay, so next up is the pool party for the new cosmetic line, Summer Breeze. The women are reviewers for magazines, models, actresses, and our very own wolves—Rafe’s mate, Jade, and Aidan’s mate, Holly. Some of the human females are wealthy and feel entitled. I only invite them because they’re important in promoting the new cosmetic line. I try to invite different women each time, but some of the reviewers are the same. Some of the women we’ve invited in the past were catty and vindictive. Because of my wealth, they’re mostly careful not to give me any trouble. But some of them look down their noses on the caterers and Kate. Don’t be surprised if one or two of them hit on you guys.”
“How do you want us to handle that?” Ryder sounded like he was ready to serve as the bouncer of a club.
Lexi had given this business considerable thought. “I think the best way to go about this is to have Mike greeting them at the front door, and then he remains there, watching for trouble if any of Tremaine’s people show up. That will keep Mike out of harm’s way, unless Tremaine’s thugs show up.”
“You have all the fun, Ryder,” Mike joked.
“Unless Tremaine’s men turn up,” Ryder reminded him, smiling. “What do you want me to do, Lexi?”
“You’re my mate—to them, my husband—and because of that, I’m hoping they mind their p’s and q’s with you. If it comes up, we were married in a private ceremony and we’ll have the formal wedding where they’ll be invited later,” Lexi said. “But you know how it is when people start to drink. My goal is to have fun, promote my products, and try to keep the peace. Hopefully, we’ll get some good reviews out of it. Because the products are waterproof and have a built-in sunscreen, I’ve made this one a pool party to prove the products live up to expectations. I doubt everyone will be swimming, but whoever wants to can. Hopefully, they won’t smear their makeup when they wipe the pool water from their eyes, or it will ruin the promotional effort we’re going for here. Of course, we’ve tested for that, but you know how things go.”
“Agreed,” Ryder said.
“What’s the attire?” Mike asked.
“Casual. We can figure out something else to wear for later parties—holiday, et cetera, but since you only brought clothes for hiking in the redwoods, just wear whatever you feel comfortable in. Shorts. Jeans. Muscle shirts. T-shirts. The choice is yours.” Lexi drank some more of her coffee. “And that brings up another subject. You’ll need to move your stuff over here from Aidan’s place.”
“Aidan said he’s having our stuff packed up so we don’t have to leave you unprotected,” Ryder said. “And a couple of the guys are dropping off our vehicles too.”
“Okay, good.”
“I need to tell my folks we’re mated, and you said you want to have a wedding, right?” Ryder asked.
“Yeah, because of the kind of business I’m in, I’ll have to invite everyone I can, hoping I don’t snub anyone accidentally.” Lexi could just imagine alienating someone important, which could have a ripple effect.
“You’re not going to invite that one reviewer who always gives your products mediocre reviews, are you?” Kate asked.
“Yeah, I am. And Silky Spring too.”
“All right. Sounds like a good idea,” Kate said. “I’ll go over the list a few times so we make sure everyone’s been invited that we think should be there.”
Everyone finished breakfast, and then Kate took charge of setting up the makeup stands under the patio cover out b
ack while Mike and Ryder helped. Lexi hadn’t considered what a boon it would be for her to have all this extra help and muscle when she and Kate needed it.
Lexi called her dad in the meantime. “Hey, Dad, are you and Mom working yet?”
“Not yet. We ordered our cars from a dealership, and they should be ready for us at the end of the week. We went on another buying trip. It’s amazing what you miss when you can’t take everything with you.”
“Can you have someone from the pack pick up the things you have where you were staying in the Witness Protection Program?”
“Yeah, Edward said he’d take care of it. We really need to thank Rafe for all of their help,” her dad said.
“We will. I’ll see his wife and his sister-in-law at a cosmetic party in a little while and mention it too. So you’re all settled in?”
“Yeah, we are. We’ve barely had any time for ourselves, but last night I took your mom to the Silver Town Tavern for a special dinner. The tavern only serves wolves, which was a new experience for us. We can barely do anything, though, without the pack getting involved.” Her father’s voice was thick with emotion. “You don’t know how wonderful it is. Sam and Silva, the owners, brought over champagne and a cake, just to welcome us to the pack. It’s like that everywhere. They’re thrilled we can help out at the clinic, but it’s more than that. They have shared how heroic they think we both are—me for putting a crime boss in prison, and your mother for taking care of the Mexican wolf children and her ordeal after that.”
Lexi wiped away tears and sniffled. “I’m so glad, Dad. You both deserve this. And, um, I called to check on you, but I also wanted to tell you Ryder and I are mated.”
“Sounds like we need to have another celebration.”
“We do. As soon as we can manage it. Oh, and a wedding. I don’t know how we’re going to do this. Of course I want you and Mom to attend, but it would be too dangerous. I’m thinking we might have two weddings. One there for you and your pack in Silver Town, and one here for friends and associates.”
“I’m sure that would work fine for all of us. And I’m glad to hear it. I like Ryder. I think you’ll do well with him.”