Tyler smiled up at her. “Good. Because that is what I want, too, Bernice Gardener. You and me, forever against the world. Your mate, Xavier’s dad. The dad to all your kids.”
Bernie caught his face in her hands and gave him a deep, passionate kiss that lasted several minutes. “You will be.”
She pressed her hands to his shoulders, encouraging him to lie down. He did so and she removed her robe entirely to drop to the floor. Next, she undid the belt of his and knelt back. He was already hard but she knew she could make him harder. With a saucy grin, she took him in her hand. Tyler moaned, rolling his hips gently, as she bent over him.
He tasted a little of smoke and a lot of man. Bernie sucked up the taste eagerly, loving the soft sounds coming from his throat. She felt him growing bigger and harder. Heat rushed through her in anticipation as she imagined having his size inside of her. Building her pleasure.
Tyler half sat-up as she worked on him and gripped her thigh. She moved with him as he tugged gently, bringing her backside closer to him. Using his hand, he focused in on her target. Bernie couldn’t stop a gasp as pleasure shot through her. It made her legs tremble already and her eyes widened. Tyler, seeing the effect, laughed and moved in with his tongue. Bernie arched to him. She increased her own efforts, determined that she wasn’t going to lose this friendly little battle.
Her lover’s tongue did wicked things to her and at times she forgot what she was doing altogether. The consolation was that she could tell she was having the same effect on Tyler. Every so often he collapsed back on the bed and a loud moan erupted from him.
When he pushed his fingers inside of her and stretched them apart, making shudders take over her whole body, she couldn’t stop herself from crying out. She squeezed him, eliciting the same cry but knew that she wasn’t going to last much longer.
Panting, she pulled away from him. Her core was already so tight she wasn’t sure how much she could take, but she grinned at him. His eyes were dark with desire as he smiled back. Slowly she straddled his hips and guided him inside.
“Bernie,” he moaned as she got him fully in.
She started grinding at first, making sure that they were both ready for more intensive things. Tyler sighed, his hands on her hips. Then she rose and fell, bouncing gently. His eyes widened and his mouth became an ‘o’. All the memories of when she’d been on top rushed back to her, filling her inside out with fire and warmth.
“I love you,” she whispered as she thrust down on him, harder and harder.
He was already too far gone to reply. All his muscles taut. His head pressed into the pillows, his face red as he grunted. Her own pleasure increased to the point where she was crying out with every thrust. Tyler’s hands suddenly latched onto her hips. He brought her down firmly and held her there. His one hand slipped between her thighs as she ground against him. Fingers found their target.
Everything came undone. Bernie’s head flung back. She braced herself against his legs as the tension inside of her exploded. Galaxies and stars spun around her head, blinding her. She was hardly aware of what her own body was doing as first a cry and then a scream tore from her lips. She was falling, pitching to the side and suddenly Tyler was on top of her. His mouth was over hers and he grunted again and again. Fires burned between them, joining them together.
When they were both spent, they laid on the bed with their arms wrapped around one another. Bernie smiled as she panted. Her fingers tangled in his damp hair as they traded soft kisses.
“I think I got my touch back,” Tyler sighed. “I’m pretty sure I saw the stars in your eyes.’
“I know I did.” Bernie cuddled into his chest. She was glad. Even though she hadn’t been disappointed, per se, by their last time, she was grateful that there was still that intensity that they could hold onto. A grin spread over her face. “There’s something else I need to say.”
Tyler rose his brows, waiting for her to continue.
“I love you, Tyler.”
He kissed her shoulder and then her cheek. “I love you, too. God. I thought my heart would explode when you first said that. And then I thought, what if I never hear you say it again? I kept thinking of you in those twenty-four hours that I was locked away.”
Bernie shivered and tried to bury herself deeper into his heat. “I didn’t sleep. I cried the whole time. They let me come home to Xavier, but didn’t let me tell Polly anything. I can’t believe that you consider them friends.”
“Leopold’s an asshole. And most of them aren’t what I’d call friends.” Tyler frowned. “But they were there for me when it was just me. I do have friends in the group.”
She looked up at him and wet her lips. “If we do end up running around the world on archeological digs—”
“There’s no if. You’re not giving up your dreams, Bernie.”
“But it’ll mean that you won’t be there anymore. You won’t have your club or be near your friends. I don’t want to make you give up—”
He cut her off with another kiss and rolled over her again. Impossibly, he was hard against her stomach once more. “You’re not making me give up anything, my beloved one. I’m choosing what I give up and what I keep. And what I keep is you and Xavier.”
“Beloved one?”
He kissed her again, a hand slipping between her legs.
***
Bernie knew that Polly was waiting for answers, so as soon as she could walk, she showered again and dressed. Tyler cleaned himself up, avoiding getting the bandages wet and held her hand as they headed downstairs. Halfway down they heard voices. Bernie’s eyes widened as she recognized them.
A grin broke over her face and she charged down the stairs. Tyler yelped as she pulled him off balance, but he managed to catch up with her quick enough. In the entrance hall were a couple of large suitcases.
Polly stood holding Xavier in the living room, facing two newcomers, a man and a woman. Bernie rushed in and grabbed the woman. Kayla let out a squeal but it quickly turned to laughter when she saw who it was. The two started to jump up and down several times before finally stilling enough to actually hug. Kayla squeezed her tight and stepped back. She looked her up and down and then glanced at Tyler, who was standing nearby.
Kayla grinned. “Pots and pans?”
“More like cauldrons and cast iron,” Bernie quipped. “Because they’re bigger.”
Shane frowned at her. “I don’t need to know that.”
“Me either,” Polly added.
Tyler smiled and slapped Shane on the back. “What are you doing here anyway?”
Shane rolled his eyes. “This is my house, Tyler. You’re just a freeloader.”
“Actually,” Bernie said as she narrowed her eyes, “Tyler is a sensitive soul who happens to be very, very good at being a dad. And, if the position is still available, the two of us have worked it out that I can still work at the dig. Everything I was worried about is negated if Xavier has his dad around to help out.”
Xavier clapped and blew bubbles through his nose.
Bernie took her son back and nuzzled him gently. “My beautiful little baby boy.”
Kayla embraced her again. “We’d love to have you back. Honestly, things have been so boring without you. And my Shane is building a lab in town for radiocarbon dating and other things, so we’re going to be much, much more efficient. Oh! There is so much to tell you. Esther and her friend Dominique are both talking about getting a new dig going off the coast of Belize. An underwater dig. And Esther’s twins are getting so big and they’re so cute!”
It was a bit more than Bernie could take in all at once, but she still nodded excitedly. She and Kayla started talking rapidly about the dig and everything else that was happening. They were so engrossed with each other that Bernie almost missed Shane putting an arm around Tyler.
“So, you finally found your mate, did you?”
Bernie glanced over. Her gaze met Tyler’s and they both grinned. Tyler nodded. “Yup. I guess I did.”
*****
THE END
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Alpha’s Awakening
Description
What if her fated mate was a banished Prince who sworn off love? And what if he didn't belong among the pack?
Gorgeous Olivia has always been restless and needing to break away from the pack life. She sees her chance when she goes away for school but is quickly brought back by the sexy new member when the danger of poachers draws near.
Dominic, a reckless prince too rebellious for the crown, is scorned when his twin brother is chosen over him to succeed their father. Dominic's revenge proves to be too much for the King to handle and Dominic is sent away to a protection pack outside of the kingdom.
The only thing that can make it worse is when the pack Alpha— who happens to be Olivia's father, Atticus, commands Dominic to watch over Olivia until they can ensure their safety. But once the two are alone, the heat between them becomes more intense than the danger outside.
Can sexy Dominic settle down, and leave the mistakes of the past behind him? Can Olivia finally find her place in life with the pack? And can they survive it all among the dangers of the lurking poachers?
Chapter One
Dominic
A log in the fireplace shifted, falling into burning clumps of embers as Dominic put a fresh log on the fire. He rubbed his hands together in an attempt to keep warm. How far he’d fallen, he’d thought, from his place in a warm and dazzling castle in the mountains, to a small, damp log cabin in the woods.
A scowl sat on Dominic’s face as he watched the flames lick at the new log, charring it, burning it like it had the others. He still couldn’t believe that his parents had decided to side with his older brother and kick Dominic out of the castle. His twin brother, Ronald, was always getting everything he whined about simply because he was the favorite and recently named the next in line to take the throne and become King once their father’s reign was over. Dominic was a prince too though, and in his own opinion a better one, and his parents should have been more understanding of what had taken place.
After all, it hadn’t been his fault that Cherise, Ronald’s betrothed woman of the pack, had wanted a tryst with Dominic. He was stronger, bigger, more enticing, than his bland brother, and most girls had chosen Dominic’s brawn over Ronald’s meekness. It had been that way since they were kids.
A dripping sound came from Dominic’s little kitchen, the rain seeping in through the roof and leaking down to leave wet splatters on the floor. He rolled his eyes at his destitute situation. Even the view from his window was bleak with dark mud and wet trees out in the woods instead of the lush greenery and houses that dotted the inside of the kingdom.
But after his “inappropriate transgression,” as his father had labeled it, Dominic had been sent away to live with a pack that was just on the outskirts of the kingdom in the dense woods.
“Your strength will be more useful there, protecting the kingdom, than it is here acting as prince.” That’s what his father had told him the day he had sent him away.
Dominic supposed it was true, that his large stature and ripping muscles were better used protecting the kingdom from the mass killings that had been taking place on packs throughout the country than sitting in some fancy kingdom listening to policies and rules. Out in the woods he was allowed to live in more solitude, acting as a lone wolf.
Of course, the pack that he was sent to had called on him from time to time to help with things, but for the most part, Dominic was spending his time as he pleased. Though he was missing the female attention he used to get from living in the kingdom, out in the woods he wasn’t getting much action.
A knock sounded from the front door and Dominic glanced out the window, surprised to have a visitor. But with the blackness of the night, he couldn’t see anything outside.
“Come in,” he called to the visitor.
The wooden door to the small cabin opened and from out of the rain stepped Atticus, the pack Alpha. Closing the door behind him, he shook the rain from his coat, sending more droplets of water flying in his already damp home.
“Atticus, this is a surprise. Is something wrong?”
It was rare for the older Alpha to make a house call to anyone, unless it was absolutely necessary. Like most Alphas, anyone else in the pack was supposed to go to him when called, but Atticus rarely went to anyone himself.
“There’s been another attack,” he told Dominic without hesitation.
Quickly, Dominic stood from his stool by the fireplace and pulled up another one, gesturing for Atticus to have a seat and warm himself while he filled him in on the details.
“Where?” he asked the older man.
“Not far from here actually. Which means that they’re getting closer to the kingdom.”
Dominic felt his chest puff out. “When they get here, I’ll be ready for the fight,” he assured him. After all, it wasn’t just his brute strength but also his knack for wining a brawl that had made his parents decide that he should be protecting the kingdom instead of living in it.
Well, his ability to protect as well as his affinity for getting himself in trouble was what had gotten him sent to the outskirts of the kingdom.
Atticus nodded at him, he knew that Dominic would be ready when the time came. And it was certain that the time would come.
“It was a horrible attack, wiped out much of the pack.” The man shook his head sadly. “Whoever is doing this— these night time attacks— is taking too many of our lives. No one is safe.”
He may not feel like a prince anymore, but Dominic still took pride in his kingdom, it was still home, and the people that lived in it were part of that home. He was going to do whatever he could to keep them safe.
“I’ll start keeping guard at night,” he told Atticus. “I’ll be ready.”
Atticus nodded at the boy’s offer. “Your fighting skills are legendary, there is no doubt about that. But I need you to do something before it is too late.”
“What do you need me to do?”
“No one from any pack is safe, even if they are no longer living among other shifters. In fact, I fear that there are more dangers for those living alone without the safety of a pack. My daughter is away at college, alone, without any members there. I need to ask you to go and get her and bring her to the safety of us. That’s the only way I can be sure that she is ok.”
“Why can’t someone else go? Someone who knows her?”
“Patrick and Ernest would be the other two that I would trust implicitly to go and get her, but you’re the fastest and I want her back here right away.”
It wasn’t exactly the heroic act Dominic was hoping he was going to be assigned; but Atticus was the Alpha and it was his decision what role Dominic was to play in the pack. A shunned prince was little match for an Alpha, and even less of a match for an Alpha as notorious as Atticus. There was a reason Atticus’ pack lived at the outer edge of the kingdom. They were the silent protectors, the brooders, the fighters, the ones who kept the people of the kingdom safe. Dominic fits right in, but still he knew that he was the strongest of them, though young with a lot to learn, all and had been hoping for a bigger task.
“Where is she?” Dominic asked. Hopefully it was close by so he could go get the girl and come b
ack.
“She’s just through the woods— away at school. On foot it should take you a matter of hours to get her and bring her home.”
Dominic nodded at the command. Shifting and racing through the woods would at least give him a chance to stretch his legs. Of course, he didn’t know why the girl just didn’t shift and come home herself, the danger hadn’t yet reached the inside of the kingdom so she’d be safe alone for the time being. But it didn’t matter, he was happy to have something to do rather than sit in the cabin waiting for trouble to strike.
“I’ll leave in the morning.”
“Good, then I’ll expect her home by dinner time.”
Atticus slowly stood from the stool, the age beginning to show in his movements, and walked toward the door.
His grasp was on the door knob before he turned back to Dominic. “Just one more thing, my daughter…she’s not like other women in the pack—or in most packs for that matter.”
“Why’s that?”
“She has a tendency to be a bit stubborn and resentful at her life in the pack. She was the one who chose to go away from us all and attend school further in the reaches of the kingdom.”
Atticus took out a pink scarf from his pocket and threw it towards Dominic. It floated toward him and he caught the silky material in his hands, getting a strong waft of the scent of Atticus’ daughter. She smelled sweet, like vanilla and roses, and something about how intoxicating the mix was made Dominic momentarily dizzy.
“It’ll be easier to find her if you follow her scent,” Atticus told him.
Suddenly feeling at a loss for words, Dominic just nodded. With a scent like hers, Dominic was sure he’d be able to find her immediately. Atticus stepped out of the cabin and into the night and Dominic threw another log onto the fire to keep the home warm. He laid down on the couch and let himself drift off, the cabin feeling suddenly a bit warmer than it had before.
The Dragon's Secret Son Page 10
