by Tasha Black
Tears prickled at Ainsley’s eyelids. She nodded.
“No crying. No crying tonight.”
Erik kissed her eyelids and her forehead. He kissed her chest, pressing her breasts together so that they surrounded his face.
He buried his face in her belly, kissing her and rubbing his rough stubble against her skin until she giggled and bucked under him.
He lifted his face up to grin triumphantly. He was so sexy with his dimples and his eyes crinkled up. He looked so happy, so playful, so confident.
Without warning he dove back down, pressing her thighs open.
Ainsley caught her breath and waited in a haze of anticipation.
At last she felt his tongue lightly caress her opening.
Instantly her hips were moving and she heard a sound that she realized was her own desperate moan.
Erik responded with more pressure and long, leisurely strokes of his tongue.
His slow, steady pace was driving Ainsley insane.
“Please,” she whispered.
“Please, what?”
“Please, I need more.”
He smiled against her thigh.
A moment later she felt his warm rough finger against her. He worked it between her delicate folds unhurriedly.
Ainsley’s vagina convulsed on itself, as if trying to lure his finger deeper.
“Insatiable girl,” he said, and allowed her another inch of his finger.
Ainsley cried out in frustration.
Erik laughed.
“Can’t we take it slow tonight?”
“No!”
“Okay, give me one more minute.”
He didn’t wait for her answer, but instead continued his game.
By the time Erik’s finger was hovering near the magical place inside her, Ainsley was on the edge.
“First you’re going to come for me, baby.”
He lowered his head again and licked her distended clitoris into his mouth. His finger inside her circled the place that made her moan. Hooking his finger into her he sucked hard.
Ainsley came in a dizzying rush.
As soon as the pleasure started to fade he began to work her again.
“No, no I can’t, not again. Please…”
“Shhhh…”
Within moments he had her worked into a feverish state again. Her hips bucked convulsively and she clenched his hair in her hands.
He replaced his tongue with a hand and looked up into her eyes.
“You’re so beautiful, Ainsley.”
She could only pant and whimper in reply.
“I want to make love to you now, please.”
“Yes,” Ainsley begged.
“Yes,” he said with a smile as he crawled up to her.
Once again Erik’s arms framed Ainsley’s head. His heart was thundering and he smelled like Ainsley and sweat and his wonderful self.
Ainsley wrapped her arms around his neck.
“I love you, Erik.”
“I love you, forever, Ainsley Connor.”
He locked eyes with her and entered her so slowly. The pleasure was so sweet, but the love in his eyes was sweeter. Tears threatened again and Ainsley didn’t try to fight them.
“Are you crying?” he whispered.
She nodded.
“I’m so happy,” she whispered.
His answering smile melted her heart.
“Come for me again, baby.”
She wanted to protest.
Before she could, Erik eased his rigid penis into her. He held himself motionless, growling with pleasure, but trying to give her time to stretch and accommodate him.
And Ainsley knew that she would come again – it was inevitable.
As soon as she began to tremble he thrust into her deeply.
“Look into my eyes,” he demanded.
She opened her eyes, shy about letting him see into her soul the moment when she fell apart, but knowing it was his to see – she was his.
He sped up his pace. She could feel him swell and throb inside her and his eyes took on a pleading quality.
It pushed Ainsley over the edge. She came in a thousand tiny pieces, screaming his name.
Erik’s face went still and suddenly she could feel him swell and pulse inside her. His pleasure seemed to go on and on and on. His eyes were angelic. He looked lost and found all at once. Ainsley was mesmerized.
At long last, he collapsed on her chest. The last thing she remembered was the feel of his fingers twining in her hair as she drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 20
Ainsley awoke suddenly. Her wolf senses had been alerted to footsteps on the porch a second before the knock came.
Cressida.
And food.
Somehow, they had forgotten to eat last night. She was ravenous.
She was also tangled in Erik’s embrace. It reminded her of real wolves sleeping in a big heap and she almost giggled.
Her stomach growled, reminding her there was time to giggle later. She went about trying to slip out of the bed without disturbing him.
Ainsley padded down the stairs to find her friend.
She supposed Cressida was her friend now, although she wasn’t altogether sure.
It was an odd relationship at best.
Cressida seemed completely unconcerned. As soon as Ainsley came to the door she handed her a grocery bag.
“Good morning!”
“Hi, Cressida.”
Cressida headed right for the kitchen. She banged the refrigerator door open against the cabinets and began rummaging around.
Finding what she needed, Cressida made a small sound of victory and grabbed a pan off the stove.
“I’m gonna make you the best steak you ever had!”
“Let me guess – Pittsburg style?” Ainsley ventured.
“You’ve had it before.”
Cressida’s mouth formed the cutest little pout.
“I didn’t like it then. But I might like it now.”
It seemed the most natural thing in the world to sit at the counter and watch Cressida work. There was a time, not so long ago, when Ainsley would have insisted on helping. Being alpha had its perks. Cressida was clearly proud to be feeding her superior.
In no time, the steak was steaming on plates.
“Go wake your man,” Cressida said, grabbing juice out of the fridge.
Ainsley’s stomach was knotted in hunger, but she had another plan.
“Hold the steak warm, I need a minute,” Ainsley said.
Cressida shrugged and turned back to the meal.
Ainsley headed up the steps.
Erik was right where she’d left him.
His too long hair was splayed on the pillow behind him. A five o’clock shadow defined his strong jaw line. His bulging biceps were thrown behind his head, and his abs were rock hard, even as he lay sleeping. The morning glow through the skylight gave him an otherworldly quality. He looked like a sleeping angel.
The sheet was tented below his waist, telling Ainsley he was ripe for the little surprise she had planned.
Slowly she drew back the sheet.
He didn’t move, so she eased herself onto the mattress.
She lowered her head and took him into her mouth.
He awoke with a low moan.
“Ainsley.”
“Mmm…”
“Oh god, woman, that’s good…”
Chapter 21
They arrived downstairs breathless and bright-eyed, but if Cressida noticed she didn’t let on.
“Steak and eggs are on the counter.”
When Erik lifted the bowls that covered their plates the steam that unfurled was so fragrant Ainsley’s mouth watered.
She tried her best to appreciate the meal in a way that was worthy of Cressida’s generosity. But mostly she just bolted it down – blood and all.
“You liked it,” Cressida said proudly.
“I could eat three more,” Ainsley said with a smile.
She was horrified to admit to herself that she really would have liked to eat at least one more.
“I’m going to need to get a better job if you keep eating like that!”
What did Cressida do for a living? Was it possible to share the level of intimacy they had and not know something as basic about her as how she spent her days?
“What do you do, Cressida?”
“I’m a waitress. It’s a job. Not what I wanted, but it pays the bills. At least it used to,” Cressida looked significantly at Ainsley’s plate.
Ainsley laughed.
“I’ll reimburse you for the steak, Cressida. I’ve got loads of money. God only knows what I’ll do with it now.”
There was silence.
“That makes you guys uncomfortable? After all we just went through?”
“Sorry, Ainsley, it’s just weird to talk about money, I guess,” Erik said.
Ainsley shrugged.
“I worked really hard for it, at the expense of everything else in life. I had a plan to buy my broker’s business when she retired. Now I guess I don’t need it for that. And that was the only thing I wanted. We’ll spend it all on steak, instead!”
“Everyone said you were really rich, but I didn’t believe it. How rich are you, exactly?” Cressida asked.
“I won’t have to work again if I’m careful with it. Though I’ll work anyway.”
“Why?” Cressida asked.
“I like to work. Haven’t you ever had a job you liked?”
Cressida shook her head slowly.
Ainsley immediately wanted to offer to help her friend, but she sensed Cressida would want to save face in front of Erik.
“You will one day, and then you’ll understand,” she said instead.
The phone rang.
“Hello,” Erik said in his lovely deep voice.
Ainsley smiled at him and he winked back, long lashes kissing his cheek.
“For you, baby,” he said, handing her the receiver.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Ainsley, it’s Grace.”
“Grace! I’m so glad you called. I owe you my life!”
“Ainsley, I’m calling about the house.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I think you need to just come,” Grace said carefully.
Ainsley’s heart sank.
“I’ll be right there.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
They had already stolen all her stuff and painted graffiti all over the living room. What else could be so bad she had to see it in person?
The thought of her family home burned down or bulldozed was too much.
And if people were still pulling that kind of stuff, it must mean that her new role as alpha wasn’t really as undisputed as they told her it was.
Ainsley’s stomach lurched.
She replaced the phone in the cradle and turned to Erik.
“I have to go. There’s something wrong at the house.”
“We’re coming with you,” Cressida said immediately.
They climbed into Erik’s truck, Ainsley smashed cozily between Erik and Cressida.
Erik’s thumb tapped the steering wheel nervously on the short drive. Cressida held Ainsley’s hand and patted it in a grandmotherly way.
When they pulled out front everything seemed normal. They hopped out of the cab and headed for the front porch, where Grace waited.
“Ainsley!” Grace embraced her warmly.
“Grace, thank God for what you did that night! How did you know to come?”
“I’ll tell you all about it over coffee before we talk about The Mockingbird Next Door next week!”
Ainsley remembered her promise to have a weekly book club with Grace and laughed. She had nowhere else to be for a while.
“It’s a date.”
“Are you ready to go inside?”
“How bad is it?”
“You’re going to want to see this for yourself.”
Ainsley took a deep breath.
Erik grabbed her hand in his. The warm pressure made her feel better immediately. Cressida fell in step naturally behind them.
The door opened and Ainsley stood in the doorway, frozen with amazement.
It was as though the events of the last few days had never occurred.
The furniture was all back. The books were back on the shelves. The walls were free of graffiti and freshly painted.
She ran to the kitchen.
There was the old oak table with its familiar rings.
She ran upstairs.
The rooms were full again. The window in her father’s study had been repaired. All his books were back on the shelves. She peeked out. Someone had even planted new rhododendrons to replace the ones Julian had squashed in his hasty exit.
The others had followed behind her quietly.
“How? Who?” Ainsley asked incoherently.
“People were returning stuff all day yesterday,” Grace replied. “Mr. MacGregor sent people from the hardware store with supplies for repairs and cleaning. They worked all night. Sadie Epstein-Walker was fussing over your rhododendrons until a few minutes ago. The rest of them just cleared out.”
Ainsley sank into her father’s chair.
“Ainsley, this is big,” Erik said, crouching at her feet.
“I know. I can’t believe it’s all back,” she breathed.
“It’s not just your stuff, Ainsley,” Erik said quietly.
She raised an eyebrow.
“Any alpha could have demanded their stuff back and it would have reappeared,” Cressida explained. “They did this on their own. This means they accept you.”
“They love you, Ainsley,” Erik said with a smile.
Chapter 22
Long after Grace had left and Erik had begun a massive round of phone calls, Ainsley wandered the house, lightly caressing each doorframe and piece of furniture. It felt almost like having her family back.
She supposed Erik and Cressida were her family now. Erik sat in her father’s chair, listening and typing notes into his iPad between giving orders to the person on the other end.
Cressida lay on her back on the sofa, trying to read a National Geographic. Never one to sit still for long, Cressida’s limbs were already in constant motion and she moved from her back to her belly to her back again as Ainsley watched.
“What?” she asked.
“Oh, nothing, just wondering what you’re reading about.”
“Arctic wolves!” She held up the magazine to show Ainsley a picture of a beautiful, white wolf.
Sounded about right.
Ainsley cocked her head to listen. Someone was approaching the front door.
She knew it was Julian before he even rang the bell.
Sighing, she opened the door.
Julian stood before her with a chagrined expression. His sandy hair was ruffled as though he had just run his fingers through it. His blue eyes were full of apology.
Erik must have hung up the phone. He stood behind her, a low growl building inside.
“Stand down, Erik,” she said.
“Ainsley, I know you’re angry, but I am not the enemy,” Julian said.
“I know.”
Ainsley reached out with her wolf. Julian’s heart rate was even. His breathing was normal. He was telling the truth. But she didn’t need her wolf to tell her that. She had known for a while that Julian wasn’t the one causing trouble. It didn’t add up.
But he sure had some explaining to do.
“Come in,” she said.
Julian eyed Cressida, who was sitting up on the sofa. She met his gaze with fire in her eyes, and he turned quickly back to Ainsley.
“Sit down,” she said.
He sat on a wooden chair. Ainsley seated herself next to Cressida on the sofa. He looked at his hands, unsure where to begin.
“Better if you just spill it all,” Ainsley said.
“Right then.” Julian took a deep breath. “I was working with your father before h
e died, Ainsley. He told me about a magical text he had encountered in his rare book dealings. He’d tried to decipher it with your mother, and what they could make out was bad. They called me in, because that is my area of expertise. Unfortunately, your father died before he could show me the book.”
“So you broke in and trashed Ainsley’s house and her father’s office looking for it?” Cressida asked.
“He’s not the one who did that,” Ainsley answered for him.
“I should think not,” Julian said. “I had ample access to your father’s office. And no need to break in here, as you well know.”
He smiled at Ainsley.
Cressida laughed.
Erik shot her a terrible look and she stifled herself.
Julian cleared his throat and went on.
“Ainsley, our meeting was purely by chance, and I promise you that everything that happened between us was real.”
Erik bared his teeth.
“Look,” Julian said. “I didn’t come here to cause trouble. Not that sort, anyway. I understand that you’ve chosen a mate now.” He eyed Cressida. “Or two?”
“One,” Eric said.
“And one…lieutenant.” Ainsley added.
Cressida visibly puffed up with pride.
“At any rate, I didn’t need you to get in here. I was already in once while you were away. Locked doors don’t present much of a barrier to me. Unfortunately, I didn’t find anything.”
“So, who tossed the shelves?” Cressida asked.
“That was someone else. I would never disrespect your father’s books that way. My methods are not so crude. It could have been Clive, but he would not have wanted the book for himself.”
“What were you doing when I walked in on you?” Ainsley asked.
“I was casting a locating spell to search for the book one last time.”
“But it pointed at me.”
“I must admit, that bit confused me at first, as well. Come with me, I want to show you something.”
Ainsley stood and Erik shadowed her instantly. Cressida shrugged and hopped up.
They followed Julian upstairs to the study.
“Stand where you were that night, please, Ainsley.”
