He locked his eyes on hers again and palmed his thick shaft. “This what you want, sweetheart?” he asked in a voice coated in gravel and silk.
She didn’t trust her voice to work, so she simply nodded. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth as he crossed the final steps to the end of the bed.
Holy hell, he was gorgeous. Sexy. Wild. He’d been made and molded somewhere between pretty and rough. A smattering of marks covered his skin in proof of his strength. He’d won fights. Lost them. And still got up for more.
The bed dipped with his weight. Kyla let her knees butterfly open and grinned when a feral growl rattled in his throat. Power, again. The dominant male let her hold power over him.
His arms bulged as he settled between her legs. She pressed her palms to his skin. Heat licked through her from every spot their bodies met and it still wasn’t enough. A deep ache welled inside her, calling out for him.
Kyla dragged him down into another consuming kiss. Another growl worked out of him. She added her own groan to the mix as he rolled his hips against her. So good. He felt so damn good working her up until she thought she’d combust.
“Fuck… Kyla…” Lindley thrust into her on a harsh groan.
They froze. Eyes locked, breath panting, they were caught in each other.
Slowly, so slowly, he eased out of her. Kyla’s let her head fall back and her eyes slide closed when he thrust into her again.
Perfect. He stretched her completely, rasping against nerves never treated so reverently. He held himself up on one hand, but the other roamed over her. Touching. Pressing. Smoothing, cupping, massaging her. Her hips, her ribs, her breast. He didn’t leave any part of her without attention.
It felt like worship.
Kyla arched against him. He bucked into her faster, harder. Losing his control. She felt it slipping and fraying, the same as her own. Her hips were out of control, meeting him, retreating away, always seeking. More, always more, always Lindley.
“Good girl. Sexy girl. Feel so fucking good,” he growled.
The pressure in her middle built higher and higher. His growl sawed in and out with each breath, vibrating through her, spiraling more heat through her middle. She dug her nails into his back, into his hair, anywhere to ground herself in that moment. She wanted to commit every last second to memory.
“Lindley,” she moaned. “Almost. So close.”
He crashed his mouth against hers, stroking into her with the same needy ferocity as his cock. She wound her arms around his neck to hold him close and take everything he offered, absorb all the pleasure swaying back and forth between them.
He slid a hand between them and stroked her clit. Kyla cried out, shattering under the extra pressure.
Lindley pulled back with a roar and drove deep inside her. His release throbbed on and on, mingling with hers, until they were both left panting in the ebbing tidal wave of pleasure.
“Kyla,” he rumbled softly, satisfied.
She matched the noise with one of her own.
He rolled to his side, but he didn’t let her go entirely. His fingers moved over her arm, tucked a bit of hair behind her ear, and trailed back down her neck.
She liked that he didn’t immediately rush for his clothes or go for the door. He stayed with her, touched her. She wasn’t someone to be used and cast aside. He wanted to be with her.
Kyla leaned up on her elbow and pressed a small kiss to his cheek. “I trust you, too,” she said softly.
Chapter 17
Lindley stepped back from the completed frame where the ruined hole in his wall had once been. With the bones in place, he could kick off the next phase of repairs. Insulation, sheathing, siding, drywall, installing the window…
He frowned at the sun making its way across the sky. So maybe it wasn’t as quick of a job as he intended, but at least he was finally getting it done.
Really, Rhys should have been paws deep in the work. Asshole was partly responsible, having shoved Garrett through the window in the first place. With Garrett banished for all of eternity, Rhys was the only one left to shoulder the blame. Fucker had made himself scarce as soon as the lumber and tools came out to play.
Whatever. Working with his hands felt good. Putting his den to rights felt even better.
Lindley slipped out his front door and touched his fingers to his forehead in greeting. “Ladies.”
Kyla and Hailey, seated under blankets on Trent’s front porch, waved back. “Lindley,” they answered in unison.
Yeah, that was trouble waiting to happen. He needed to hurry up and find Sage so—
So he could send her and Kyla off? His lion slashed at his insides at the automatic thought. Not happening. Not anymore. His inner animal got his taste of the sexy woman, and now there was no letting go.
Hell, he felt like a new person. Something had shifted overnight. The world didn’t seem so dark and his lion wasn’t out for blood. Random blood, anyway. His father’s pride still topped a kill list. Jasper, his little henchman, Ira, the rest of their consortium pals. They all had to go.
Lindley growled as he lugged a sheet of plywood out of the bed of his truck. Making sure all the edges lined up properly with the frame, he drove in the first few nails, imagining each one as a stake through the heart of the circling vultures.
Unease rippled down his spine. The silence from that entire group was deafening. Kyla was a target, sure, but he didn’t like the lack of moves. Sage’s warning call the night Kyla jumped into his life had been the last any of the Crowleys heard of consortium activity.
They weren’t making it easy to find, either. Heatherglen was a bust. The other prides had pulled disappearing acts. The whole thing stunk like burning garbage.
“I’m surprised you know how to do this.”
Lindley straightened from driving home the last nail. He sidestepped Trent to grab the next sheet. “I worked some construction jobs before winding up here. Enough to be dangerous.”
“Well, now I know who I’m sending up on the barn roof next time we get a leak.”
“Fuck off,” he said without any heat. Once the second sheet was in place, he pointed in the vague direction of his door. “I noticed some wear to the siding. I can probably fix that up while I’m doing the new section.”
Trent folded his arms over his chest. He kept his face blank, but amusement coated his scent. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with your guest, would it? Because you’ve been freezing your balls off for two months without a hint of taking down the tarp.”
Lindley scowled. “It’s safer this way.”
And warmer. He could turn the heat on to the whole damn den instead of the heater running in the bedroom. Kyla wouldn't freeze her toes off in the late-night sprints to the bathroom, or send him jumping out of his skin when she tucked her feet under his leg at three in the freaking morning.
Still, his lion rumbled with pleasure. The beast had acted high as a kite all morning and afternoon any time Kyla pranced across his line of vision or a stray thought rolled through his head.
“Hm.” Trent nodded. His infuriating half-smile shouted his disbelief.
Lindley’s scowl deepened. First Rhys, now Trent. He’d murder them all if Dash opened his mouth with relationship advice. “We can hear anyone who sneaks up better without the wind rustling in the plastic. I don’t want a repeat of that fucker sneaking into my den,” he growled.
“Reasonable,” Trent said, nodding again. “Very reasonable. For the ‘we’ of you.”
“Fuck off,” he growled.
Trent laughed. “Oh, hell no. You guys gave me so much shit for bringing Hailey here. It’s my right—nay, my responsibility—to dish it back.”
Lindley dropped his hammer into his toolbox. The good of the night dumped right out of his chest and all the worries he’d tried to keep at bay flooded back into place. There were no guarantees in life. Hell, by keeping Kyla there, he may as well have erected a blinking, neon sign pointing right at them.
He was scared. Bone-deep, spine-tingling, piss-in-his-pants terrified. Him. Who saw his entire fucking world crash and burn, then moved and moved and kept moving just to stop thinking about it. Who'd been raised not to show weakness by a man capable of smelling it like a shark scented blood in the water. He fought as hard as the others, worked to keep his lion steady, and he was still frightened.
Jasper came close to taking Hailey out. Trent nearly lost himself. Lindley knew deep down, past skin and bone, into the marrow, every single cell in sync, he knew he’d snap. Dead mother, missing sister, lost mate? He didn’t stand a fucking chance.
And even if they survived and avoided consortium lions mowing down innocent lives, what chance did he stand? His lion still ate him up inside. He was still an asshole surrounded by even bigger assholes. How the hell did he keep the Levine darkness at bay and treat Kyla the way she should have been treated all the years they’d been apart?
“I don’t know how to do this,” he muttered.
Trent shot the giggling pair of women a look. “She didn’t scream at you from your front step again, so that’s an improvement.”
“When my models for romantic relationships are my father who killed my mother, and you, I’ll call that a win,” Lindley sniped back.
“You’re not him, Lin.” Trent quieted long enough for Lindley to turn to him. The man had his head cocked and an unreadable expression on his face. “Maybe there’s a reason we were brought together. The son of a Levine and a Crowley?”
“You getting sentimental on me? That almost sounds like you believe in fate.”
“Fate? Oh, she exists. Fucking bitch.” His alpha grimaced. “Just because she shuffles people around like chess pieces doesn’t mean they’ll be winning moves.”
Lindley leaned against the back of his truck and folded his arms over his chest. “So then, what? We stop playing? Turn the board over? What cliché advice do you have for me?”
“Hailey wants cubs, you know.”
Lindley blinked at the sudden drop of information. Fuck. Cubs. In their pride. They really would need to turn the cave into a locked and sealed daycare for the little marauders. “And you don’t?”
“I do. I never thought I would, but with her... I don’t know. She makes everything different. Colorful. Like I was living black-and-white, then she started throwing red and blues and bright yellows all over the place.” His fond smile faded. “I can’t. Not yet. Not until I know she’ll be safe. Fuck fate. I’m keeping my mate and cubs safe from whatever games that bitch wants to play with our lives. Starting with Jasper and his whole damn consortium.
“We fight. That’s what we do. As long and as hard as is needed to make sure the ones we love are safe. For whatever reason, those two like us. Can’t go disappointing them, can we?”
Lindley glanced at Kyla and Hailey. Kyla laughed at something Hailey furiously whispered. Her round cheeks dusted with the soft red he’d brought there over and over again last night.
The lion prowling through his center calmed a fraction with the scent carried over the air. Apples, baked earth, crisp sweetness, every note twisting and turning together into something mouthwatering.
“Yeah,” he agreed. “They can’t be disappointed.”
“Good. We’re going out tonight. I’m sick of feeling cooped up.”
“What? No. Last time we left the ranch, those fucks tried to take her.”
“Last time you didn’t have two crews watching over her.” Trent knocked his knuckles against the side of his truck and started walking towards his den. “This time you will.”
“What are you talking about?” Lindley called after him. “Trent? You better not mean the damn bears!”
Chapter 18
“Oh, I should go help. It’s a live band night. They’re already so busy,” Nora muttered, throwing a glance toward the back of Hogshead where two servers worked to push together tables. “Yeah, I’m going to go help.”
She made it two steps before a hand around her wrist spun her back into the arms of her mate, Jesse. “It’s your day off,” he said. “You’re contractually obliged to spend it with me.”
Nora bit her lip as a smile worked across her face. “But I’m getting really good at mixing drinks. I can even do the cocktail shaker without spilling. Well, mostly. I did accidentally open the canister on Kenny last week. He only fired me for ten minutes, though, so I don’t think I screwed up that badly.”
Kyla ducked her face to hide her smile. They were freaking adorable. All of them were, in fact. She swept a look across the group crowding the waiting area. Every member of the Crowley pride mixed in with the neighboring Ashford clan, minus the two at home caring for a fussy baby and keeping a watch for any lion incursions. Carry the five, multiply by an unknown number of stiff drinks, divide by bellies soon to be full of barbecue, and they were left with an increasingly rowdy group lobbing an equal number of jokes and insults at one another.
She had no trouble keeping track of the mated pairs. Both halves of the happy wholes kept each other close even when they weren’t physically near. Whether they mingled across the waiting area or strode over to the bar for a fresh drink, long looks and secretive smiles gave away their unearthly awareness of where the other stood.
Kyla glanced up and immediately locked eyes with Lindley. Butterflies took flight in her middle and her lioness purred at the stroke of recognition. He stood with Trent and Ethan, the Ashford alpha, but he made her feel the center of his attention. That man, that amazing, complicated, tempting man, flashed her a smile hot enough to melt her core before turning back to something Trent said.
Hailey and Tansey, Ethan’s mate, plopped down on either side of her. “So,” Hailey began, “we’ve been talking.”
“Uh-oh,” Kyla grinned.
“The Ashford mates are doing a movie night soon. By virtue of being the most awesome Crowley they’ve met thus far,” Hailey continued, ignoring Trent’s frown, “and in the name of neighbor-relations, they invite me.”
“And now you,” Tansey finished. “Because we need to give someone else a chance to claim the Most Awesome Crowley title. Please take it. I think it’s the only way to make her stop calling herself that.”
“Fat chance,” Hailey snorted.
Kyla blinked. “That sounds lovely, but I’m not sure—”
“We’ve figured that out already,” Hailey jumped in. “If we don’t kick lion ass before then, it’ll be just like this. Bear clan and lion pride, coming together to make sure no one dares disturb us until our nail polish dries.”
Tansey’s eyes brightened. “I’m itching for a good fight, anyway.”
Kyla couldn’t help but grin again. They were guardians and protectors, not jailors. They kept watch of one another, but not in the controlling way she’d grown accustomed to inside the Levine pride. There was no suspicion or desire to keep anyone in their place. Lions and bears—where was the tiger to complete the ‘oh my’ trifecta?—just wanted to make sure their people stayed safe and happy.
“I’d love to,” she said.
Holy heck. A party! A small one, but still a larger gathering than anything she’d attended for fun in years. And with a mixed crowd of lions, bears, wolves, and who knew what else. Roland and Jasper and all their stupid ideas could shove it. Lion purity wasn’t the way the world worked.
Lindley excused himself from his group and squeezed around a small blockade of people until he stood in front of her. “I’m going to get a drink while we wait,” Lindley said. He held out his hand. “You need anything?”
“What do you suggest?” Kyla slid her palm into his and squeaked when he pulled her sharply to her feet. Purposefully, she thought, since she pitched forward and needed to catch herself against his chest. He wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her, sending a shiver of delight down her spine.
Her cat purred with delight as he led her through the busy restaurant. The stools up and down the bar were packed, the same as the tables. Everyone seemed excited to clear
away some of their winter blues with good drinks, food, and music.
The activity was intoxicating and a little overwhelming, but in a good way. The butterflies in her stomach never really disappeared and the prickle of being watched itched the back of her neck, but excitement carried her from one second to the next. This was living. Friends and music and fun was the way to a full existence.
“Thought you might need a minute,” Lindley said once they made their way as close to the bar as possible without elbowing others aside. “Plus, I wanted to do this.” He stepped into her space, leaning down to slowly sip at her lips.
“Excuse me!” Dash harrumphed behind them. “If I wanted a show, I’d have stayed home with the internet.”
“Don’t mind him,” Lindley said. “He’s just jealous his lady friend left town again.”
“She’s not my lady friend.” Dash flicked him off and tried to sidle past into the space that opened at the bar.
Lindley pressed his lips to hers again, but snaked an arm out and grabbed Dash around the shoulders. The other lion howled over being dragged into their middle. Soft, pulled punches were fired off from both sides as she danced out of their squabble.
“We still love you, Dashy,” Kyla teased over the noise of the band firing up their first song.
Over the heads of the diners rushing to fill the tiny dance floor, it was hard to spot the hand waving in their direction. Hailey hopped with another big wave to summon them and the rest of their wandering group to the tables scrunched together for their party.
“Is it always this packed?” Kyla asked. She pulled up short as a server rushed by with a full tray. A quick look behind her showed Lindley stuck at another intersection by a family of five making their way toward the door.
“Weekend nights during the offseason,” he said when he was behind her again. “This is pretty much every night when the tourists flock into town.”
Savage Claim: Lion Hearts Book Two Page 11
