Strange Brew

by Angela Colsin

  Aislinn forgot everything else as his hard chest pressed against her, the warmth of his body seeping into her skin. Like a dam had burst, she couldn't think of anything but returning it, and parted her lips to let their tongues meet for the first time, rubbing together in a wet caress that made Troy growl in complete enjoyment.

  The sound was erotic, like he'd been waiting his entire life just to experience this single moment, and she sagged against him. In response, he tightened his grip, supporting her as his tongue slowly thrust into her mouth, making her body tingle with sensation.

  Some part of her she normally would've listened to cried stop!, but when she felt his big hands slipping down to grasp her ass with a feral groan into her mouth, reason didn't matter. Aislinn latched onto him tightly, moaning as arousal took over completely. She was starved for this kind of attention, and as if he sensed it, she soon found herself lifted from the floor and settled on the counter, her legs parting as Troy wedged his hips between them while hungrily mating his tongue with hers.

  She met him stroke for stroke, barely able to keep up. But his intensity only fed her own need, and she'd never once become this aroused from simply kissing—though she knew there was a good reason for it she couldn't quite recall.

  Troy leaned over her, gently pushing her back until his body covered hers, exciting her even more. Aislinn eagerly ran her hands over his chest, tracing the contours of his muscle and marveling at his size as he growled, a deep rumble in the back of his throat while one of his hands swept up her side until it covered her breast and squeezed.

  She arched into it wantonly, aching for more so badly she could feel her panties sticking to her from the desire pooling between her thighs—and the warnings she'd ignored before were nothing more than a distant memory.

  Everyone said the desire for a mate was different from the desire to simply fuck, and Troy had instinctively known this was true—but he hadn't understood.

  Though Aislinn had tempered emotions he thought he'd long lost control over, she'd roused others so strong he couldn't reign them in. His need for this witch made his past lusts seem laughable, and went far beyond the physical—though physical needs were definitely a driving urge in that moment.

  She tasted so sweet, and felt so soft against him, curiously tracing her fingers over his skin, and Troy wondered how he'd ever get enough. Greedily cupping her breast, which easily filled his hand, Aislinn only strengthened his want by desperately clawing his back with her nails and moaning into his mouth.

  The reaction was telling, as was her scent. His witch seemed to be suffering from a particularly potent need, and the thought of all the ways he could give her exactly what she wanted heated his blood until he broke his mouth from hers to growl, “All I can think about is ripping your clothes off and spending hours worshiping every inch of your sweet body with my mouth. Would you like that, darlin'?”

  Panting, her cheeks were stained pink as she stared up at him with wild abandon in her crystal blue eyes—a look that shook him to his core. Troy wondered if she'd ever even had sex before, and if not, he was going to savor every moment showing her just how good he'd make her feel—

  “Oh goddess! I'm so sorry!”

  The sudden exclamation grabbed Troy's complete attention. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a young blonde woman in the doorway for only a split second before she rushed out of the room—and her interruption changed everything.

  Where Aislinn had melted at his attention before, she now shoved at him, demanding, “Get off!”

  Those were the very last words Troy wanted to hear, but he wouldn't deny her, particularly when she seemed so panicked. Standing back, he relinquished his hold, watching Aislinn immediately scramble away to go stand near the door where she directed, “I want you to leave.”

  Troy took a slow breath, trying to wrap his mind around her sudden change of heart. Perhaps she was simply embarrassed by the intrusion, however, and he remained casual for her sakes. “Can I ask—”

  “No,” she interrupted. “You can't ask me anything. Just go.”

  “If you're embarrassed—”

  “I'm not embarrassed, I just don't like where this was going.”

  That obviously wasn't the truth, and out of habit, Troy paused in wait of the irrational anger he'd been dealing with for the past decade to surface so he could get a hold on himself before offending her without meaning to.

  Then he waited a little longer.

  The impulsive urge to argue never came. Aislinn's presence had pacified his beast to the point that, for the first time in over a decade, he could actually think for himself and make a rational decision—and damned if Troy didn't want to thank her for it. Again and again.

  But she was pushing him away.

  Frowning, he asked calmly, “Then why didn't you protest from the start?”

  “Everyone makes mistakes,” she muttered. “Now I asked you to leave, so please do.”

  He wanted to reassure her that he'd never allow this to be a mistake. But Aislinn didn't sound completely upset, and he didn't want to get her to that point despite the fact that he couldn't figure out what, exactly, had just happened.

  She's a human witch, he thought again, meaning he'd probably moved much too soon for her comfort after revealing the fact that she was his mate. It also reminded him of Trisha's advice. You have to be patient, Troy. Push it too soon, and you'll push her away. But if you wait, she'll come around and give you exactly what you're looking for.

  That being the case, he had no real choice but to do as Aislinn asked. Besides, she needed rest, and now that he knew where to find her, they could pick up where they'd left off at a later time.

  So he started toward the door, but made sure to stop not far from where she stood in order to hold her gaze with the promise, “We'll see each other again. Soon.”

  Troy didn't give her a chance to respond, temporarily leaving his witch and her shop behind.

  Walking home wasn't a bother when the distance from Strange Brew to the estate didn't exceed what he normally covered during a hunt under the full moon. But all he could think about the entire way was Aislinn, making it difficult to fight the urge to turn around and go back. Because of this, it took almost an hour to reach the manor.

  Thankfully, the renovation crew wasn't too busy sawing or hammering that morning, leaving things mostly quiet. Andi was in the yard overseeing some work being done to the front entryway, and when she saw her cousin coming, she immediately walked over, calling, “Troy! Where the hell have you been?”

  Once they were closer, she toned her volume down in adding, “Alec's out looking for you. We thought you might've turned Savage when you didn't come back this morning. Or did you happen to find … ?”

  She trailed, looking hopeful, and Troy knew what she wanted to hear. “I did,” he confirmed without hesitation, keeping his own voice quiet to avoid being overheard. “My mate's a human witch living in the city.”

  Immediately, his cousin grinned, asking, “What happened? Where is she now?”

  “She's getting some rest, and it's a long story. Does Alec have his phone? I'll call and get him back here.”

  “Yeah,” she nodded, grabbing her phone from her pocket. “Luther's been calling for you all morning, too.”

  That wasn't surprising, and coincidentally, as Troy took the device in hand, it rang with the ID bringing up Luther's name. “So I see,” he mentioned aloud, answering with a simple, “Yeah?”

  “ … Troy?”

  “None other than.”

  There was relief in his grandfather's voice when he said, “I've been trying to call you all morning. Andi said you never came back, so I assumed you'd found your mate, but I wasn't sure.”

  “I did, don't worry. Her name's Aislinn Carmichael. She's a human witch, so it'll take some time to win her over, but it's done. My turning's been slowed.”

  He thought he heard a faint sigh on the other end before Luther replied, “Good. Keep us informed on the progre
ss, and I'll give Trisha the news.”

  “Okay, was there anything else you needed?”

  Luther explained that he'd only called to get an update, so Troy let him go, then got in touch with Alec to direct him back to the manor. Once that task was taken care of, he handed the phone to Andi, asking, “Is Bryant still around?”

  “Oh,” she started as if recalling something particular. “Yeah, he's actually out looking around the grounds. You remember that reporter that visited yesterday wanting to do a story about haunted places?”

  “Yeah, Sally Gordon,” Troy confirmed, wondering where this was going.

  “She came back,” Andi announced. “We were checking out the old servant's quarters about half an hour ago, and Bryant caught her scent at the cellar doors. It was strong, meaning she was just here, probably snooping around. So he's out with Adriana making sure she's actually gone.”

  The news was unexpected, particularly when Troy hadn't given the reporter a second thought since she'd left the previous day. Bryant thought her offer to look around the manor was strange, but he'd brushed it off, too impatient at the time to give a shit.

  Now, he wondered what Sally Gordon might've really wanted, musing aloud, “What the hell would she be doing at the cellar?”

  “I guess she's just nosy and can't take no for an answer,” Andi suggested. “You know how humans can be, especially reporters.”

  “Maybe,” Troy muttered. Some humans really didn't know when to quit, but this seemed too odd to chalk up to a simple solution.

  Andi sighed as if having the same thought, mentioning, “Whatever she wants, Bryant will find her if she's still around, so don't worry about it for now. I'll let him know everything when he gets back.”

  “Alright,” Troy agreed. Even if Bryant didn't find the nosy human, they'd catch her when she returned—and she seemed determined enough to do just that. So he put the strange occurrence out of his mind and headed inside to his bedroom.

  After washing up in one of only three working tubs in the entire manor, Troy peeled off his jeans and laid back on his bed, lapsing into a thoughtful daze that was haunted by images of his mate. Recalling her beautiful blue eyes and red hair, he was stunned yet again to know she was the one he'd been seeking.

  He had so many questions about her, and no idea how to proceed. Aislinn seemed to be a shy one—or at least, that was the simplest reason explaining why she'd pushed him away once the untimely interruption had broken through her haze of enjoyment. Not to mention she was a human who didn't see him as a mate in return.

  So the most important question was how he might gain her interest without scaring her off.

  Furthermore, he wondered how long he should stay away, or even could, anxious to be close to the beautiful witch again. He could still scent her on his skin, even taste her lips, unable to forget how she'd felt beneath him, or the way she'd clawed his back so desperately for those brief, blissful moments—and damned if she wasn't built perfectly to suit his tastes.

  The mere thought of her curves had his cock hard and throbbing in no time. Troy grasped it, squeezing with a low groan, unable to remember the last time he'd been aroused enough to feel an actual need to take the edge off. But it seemed thoughts of his witch was going to keep him there.

  Stroking his shaft, he fantasized over having Aislinn in all kinds of positions, wondering how she'd move, or what kinds of things she enjoyed best. For him, the thought of pleasuring her with his mouth before taking her on her hands and knees brought him to a climax in almost record time.

  He groaned, stroking his shaft faster to those erotic images until streams of hot seed spilled over his torso. His back arched as he grunted with the last of his release, then fell back fully against the mattress, chest heaving in temporary gratification.

  Still, through that haze of euphoria, there was a deeper yearning left unfulfilled, and while it was questionable just how long it might take to win Aislinn's interest, Troy knew he wouldn't last the evening without returning to her shop.

  Chapter 9

  “A werewolf says you're his mate?”

  The music playing wasn't quite so loud in that moment, but it drowned out Cade Hodgins' incredulous question from the passing ears of Blue Moon's patrons. It was Friday night, business was booming, and as always, Aislinn stood at the door, acting as hostess while Cade watched the crowd's behavior—a necessary task when several of Blue Moon's customers were lupines who could get rowdy.

  She offered the Alpha a nod, stating, “Yeah, and you guys were right, he's living with a few others at Braddock's Estate. But the thing is, he wasn't hostile, so I don't think you need to worry.”

  After Troy departed Strange Brew that morning, Aislinn explained what was going on to Heather, who'd merely been trying to open for the business day when she'd happened upon them in the back. Though mortified by the incident, it was a stroke of luck that she'd shown up, because if things had gone much farther with Troy, Aislinn might've had to kiss her ritual goodbye.

  Not that she was desperate for the added strength the rite provided. Still, it would be a huge pain in the ass to have staved off sex for almost two months and have nothing to show for it.

  But the damage was done. Troy's advances left Aislinn incredibly frustrated, and after his departure, she'd retreated to her apartment to meditate and attempt forgetting the ridiculously hot werewolf and his greedy hands, not to mention his wicked words. I wanna rip your clothes off and spend hours worshiping every inch of your sweet body with my mouth.

  When he'd asked if she'd like that, Aislinn wanted to show him. Even now, the memory made her shiver, and she forced it away before her arousal spiked and Cade noticed a change in her scent. But thankfully, he was temporarily distracted when Ashley walked by, staring the way any lupine would at his woman.

  Idly, Aislinn wondered if Troy might look at her the same way, wishing he was present so she could find out.

  Though she'd kicked him out that morning, she wasn't entirely disinterested. She'd simply needed rest and time to think about what had happened before forming a decent opinion over the matter of being his mate. Now that she'd done so, and despite knowing little about him, she realized the werewolf was actually an adequate prospect.

  It would take time, and she'd have to wait until her birthday passed before giving into her interest, but Aislinn could think of one very big reason to consider him a viable option.

  Troy wasn't human.

  This was a huge point in his favor when her interest in dating human men had waned over the years. Even Miranda and Helen thought it would take a supernatural of some type to make Aislinn truly content because of her track record of dumping boyfriends early on regardless of how much she'd liked them.

  This all stemmed from her fear that a human would get up and leave her whenever the mood suited, the same way her father had done when she was five years old. Thanks for the abandonment issues, Dad.

  Derick's desertion was still painful in some ways, and a part of her she'd unsuccessfully attempted to bury over the years wanted to find him just to ask if she'd actually done anything to drive him away. But whatever his reasons, the memory of how heartbroken Miranda had been was something Aislinn never wanted to go through.

  So having a relationship where there was no divorce or breakup was definitely preferable, such as bonding with a lupine. Or having an incredibly hot werewolf claim I'm his mate.

  Not that Aislinn wasn't stunned over the development, nor did she have any idea of how to proceed whenever Troy returned—and she knew he'd show up again soon, just like he'd promised. But that still left the trouble with her temporary abstinence, and yet again, she wondered why he couldn't have shown up next week.

  At least then, she wouldn't have fallen asleep during her meditation that day only to wake up on the floor later with a crick in her neck, still sexually frustrated, and late for work. Instead, she would've slaked her lust and passed out with her alarm clock prepared to wake her at the right time.
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br />   It was a good thing Cade was a friend who let her get away with being half an hour late, and he drew her from the thoughts when he mentioned, “I'll let my wolves know, and hope you're right that there's not some kind of fight brewing on the horizon.”

  “I really don't think there is. From what I can tell, they're just here to start a new life. Troy even said he has no quarrel with you.”

  “Troy?”

  “Yeah, Troy Ashland. Anyway, that was my stupid night.”

  “Do you need someone to keep an eye on your shop?” Cade offered. “Make sure nothing goes wrong?”

  Aislinn smiled at his concern, shaking her head, “Nah, I'm pretty sure I'll be alright. But I'll keep your number on speed dial in case something comes up.”

  Nodding, the Alpha started to respond, but was interrupted by the door opening with a new customer's arrival. Out of habit, Aislinn automatically reached for some menus and looked to see how many needed to be seated. But her thoughts came to a halt the moment her gaze landed on the newcomer, who was none other than Troy Ashland. Oh shit.

  He looked much more civilized than he had that morning, though there was still a ruggedness to his appearance that she appreciated. His tawny hair was tied back at the nape of his neck, he'd shaved, and his clothing consisted of jeans, a white shirt, and a brown suede coat, including a pair of brown leather boots that made him look like a working class kind of guy. An extremely sexy working class kind of guy.

  To top it off, the gash in his forehead was gone now. Not even her healing tonic could've mended it so quickly, meaning he definitely regenerated faster than a lupine.

  But Aislinn pushed the thoughts away when she noticed Troy was staring at Cade—and Cade was staring right back.

  Still, Troy's countenance remained casual as he noted, “This is the first time I've run into your kind face to face since I've been here.”

  “That's fitting,” Cade answered, “since you're the first of yours I've ever seen around at all.”