by Ellis Leigh
I raced full out for the window, diving through it just as I heard a door open somewhere in the house. Thankfully, Shiloh stood ready on the other side of the glass, her hand at the top. She slammed the window closed as soon as I rolled into the bushes outside. Two seconds later, the hum of the alarm going on made my ears twitch.
But I had the correct idol in my hand. “That was close.”
Shiloh huffed, ducking into the bushes next to me. “Yeah. Just a bit.”
“So seven minutes for tea, huh?”
“So you killed the electrical to the entire building where his office is, huh?”
“Guilty.” I rolled to a sitting position, clutching the idol to my chest. “Shit, I need to get back to the original job site.”
“You can’t. He’ll be down there, looking for anyone suspicious. And no offense, wolf. You’re suspicious as hell dressed like that.”
Okay, yeah. Skintight, all black, and a cross-body tool kit wasn’t exactly a fashion statement. “I have to. My mate is waiting for me close by.” Waiting…without a way to reach me. I blew out a breath, dreading the fight I was sure would be coming my way. “Julian’s going to be freaking out.”
“Julian passed freaking out forty-five minutes ago.”
My mate stepped into the bushes, followed closely by Scarlett. Shadow stood back, nearer to the tree line and living up to his road name as he almost blended into the darkness. Harley stood at his side, scowling my way. Not blending at all. And looking as if he was about to shift and go for blood. Thankfully, all that ire seemed to be directed at his sister. Sucked to be her, but I had my own issues to contend with.
Namely, one very pissed-off mate.
SIXTEEN
Julian
We left Scarlett and Shadow on the island as we followed the bears to their hotel. Something about finalizing the details, though I was in no mood for such things. I just wanted—no, needed—to get Angelita home. To run my hands over every inch of her and make sure she was safe. To deal with the fact that she’d casually knifed me in the heart by leaving me behind.
So yeah, no time to deal with the bears. And yet, there we stood.
“Thank you so much for all your help. You’ve honestly given me such a gift with this.” Shiloh sounded genuine, completely satisfied with Angelita’s work. Good. She damn well should be considering the girl technically did two jobs for her and her brother. “I hope to see you again sometime.”
Never, but Angelita was more diplomatic than I was at the moment.
“A mate for a mate, that was the deal,” Angelita said. “But next time, try to get the habits of the guy we’re stealing from right.”
“Or try not to knock out an entire building’s electricity.”
“I make no promises.”
Harley huffed, his voice like gravel. “Yeah, thanks for getting the idol, little wolf.”
Nope. Not getting away with that. “Two idols.”
“Two idols.” At least he agreed with me. The sound of clothes rustling reached my ears, and then the bear sighed. “A deal is a deal, though two events make this a more valuable transaction.”
“How valuable?” Angelita asked. There wasn’t an answer, just the scratchy sound of fingers on something rough. And then her breath whooshed out of her. “Okay, so really valuable.”
Money. Harley must have paid her for her work.
He laughed, the roughness of his voice grating. “Don’t be so obvious next time, kid. I’d have paid you more if you’d asked for it.”
“I could ask for it now.”
“Don’t push your luck.” His voice changed, and his footsteps drew nearer to me. “Goodbye, Julian. It was nice to meet you.”
Angelita touched my elbow, and I reached forward, offering my hand. Harley grabbed it in his meaty one, surrounding mine completely, and shook.
“You’ve got quite a mate there,” he said, but he had no idea.
“Yeah, I know.”
“Be thankful, son. The fates don’t bless all of us so easily.” He withdrew his hand. “Take care of her.”
And wasn’t that like pouring gasoline on a flame? “I would if she’d ever let me.”
Angelita grabbed my hand, holding tight as the three of them finished up their small talk and said their goodbyes. Me? I burned beside her. Something dark and scary bubbling up inside me. Something that had taken hold and drowned out the fear the moment I knew Angelita was all right. And I was ready to let it boil over.
We were headed down to the parking lot where the car we’d borrowed again from Rebel sat waiting for us when Angelita asked, “Are you really mad?”
I had no words for how much. “Furious.”
“I wasn’t trying to keep you from the job.”
“Yes, you were.” When we reached the car, I opened Angelita’s door for her, even though she would be driving, then hurried to the passenger side to get in, keeping my fingers on the warm hood since I’d forgotten how many steps I needed to move across the vehicle. Counting was such a habit at this point, practically an instinct. The fact that I hadn’t only exemplified how thrown off I’d been by her actions earlier.
As I slipped inside, Angelita whispered, “Do you need me to—”
And the chain around my temper broke. “I’m not fucking helpless, Angelita. I don’t need you protecting me all the time.”
She didn’t respond at first. Didn’t acknowledge my words as she started the car and pulled out of the lot. She didn’t speak again until we made it to the bridge.
“I know I was wrong, Julian. I shouldn’t have left without you, and I’m sorry.”
The boiling eased, but I held fast to my anger. I wasn’t ready to give in yet, to accept. Or maybe I was just ready for something else. Another form of hashing things out. If the fact that my cock was so hard it leaked were any indication, then we’d deal with our disagreement in bed.
She needed to drive faster.
“Do you want to know how much money we made?” Angelita asked as she made a turn that had to be onto the lake road.
“No.” Three minutes. We’d be home in three minutes, then she was mine. I could lay out how much she hurt me, give her a chance to apologize, then sink deep inside her and prove to that instinctual part of me that she was all right. Whole. And mine. Always fucking mine.
Angelita sighed, her voice practically trembling. “Do you want—”
“Can we not? I can’t pretend I’m not so fucking mad at you right now. If you don’t give me a minute, I’m going to have you pull over this car and I’ll fuck you right on the side of the road because I can’t hold myself back. Just get us home.”
Angelita went quiet. Completely, utterly silent other than the quickening rasp of her breath. She knew what I needed, how much I wanted her. Hell, I always wanted her. Wanted to feel her skin under mine as I touched and tasted every inch of her. I’d been terrified that something had happened to her when Scarlett had told me she’d left the job site. Terrified and completely helpless all at once. I’d never felt the loss of my sight as a burden until that moment, sitting in the coffee shop, knowing I couldn’t track her down without help. And now, the adrenaline those moments had caused to swell was well on the way to crashing, and my need to prove I could handle her, to reclaim her as mine and fuck her through the mattress, was too strong to resist. There was no way we weren’t having sex as soon as we got home. I could practically smell her arousal already, could hear how fast her breaths came. She was in the same boat—needy, desperate, and turned on after the jobs she’d done tonight.
When the sound of gravel under the tires met my ears, I shifted in my seat. I only had about a minute left to wait for her. My cock twitched, ready to bust out of my pants all on its own. Aching and wet with need for my mate. Fuck, I’d never been so turned on, which made everything about the delay that much harder to deal with. Seconds felt like hours, every mile endless.
Until they weren’t.
Angelita pulled onto pavement and slowed to a st
op. Home. I threw open my door and rushed out of the car, but then I froze. I’d been distracted as she’d pulled in and couldn’t figure out which way to go. I closed my useless fucking eyes and sighed.
“Lee. Which way?”
She stood at my side in a second, giving me her elbow and leading me toward the garage. Without a word, she put my hand on the railing of the stairs. Relief settled over me, but that didn’t last long. I still wanted, still needed her. I still couldn’t wait to taste her all over. I didn’t need to see her to give her pleasure, didn’t need sight to make her come. To suck on her little clit and fill her pussy until she became a writhing, screaming mess. Which was exactly what I was going to do…once we got inside my place.
We climbed the stairs in unison, my hand brushing hers with every step. About halfway up, she whimpered, the sound going straight to my cock. So I smacked her ass.
“Faster.”
Angelita practically ran up the last of the steps while I followed right behind her. Yeah, she was just as ready as I was. Just as primed. Thank God for that.
When I got to the door, I didn’t reach for my keys. Instead, I pinned Angelita against it, using my hips to hold her in place. Caging her in with my arms.
I couldn’t keep the growl from my voice. “You really pissed me off tonight.”
“I know.” She trembled under me, the scent of her need telling me it wasn’t fear making her do so. It was need. For me.
Slowing down for just a moment, I took the time to run a finger down her face, over her chin, and along her bottom lip. Tugging there just to hear her gasp. “I was so scared and fucking angry that you didn’t trust me to help you. That you didn’t even tell me you were changing locations.”
“I know that too.”
I slipped my thumb inside her mouth, nearly groaning when she bit down before sucking it inside. Jesus, fuck, she was going to make me come in my pants if she kept that up. “Don’t ever fucking leave me out again.”
She released my thumb, whispering, “Never.”
I’d take her word…for now. So I handed her my keys, grabbed her hips, and flipped her until she faced the door. Her quiet squeak turned into a throaty moan when I leaned into her body, pressing my cock against her ass.
“Good. Now open this door so I can fuck you until you can’t walk.”
SEVENTEEN
Angelita
A shiver rocked my body, my inner wolf howling in my head. Julian wanted to… By the fates, I couldn’t even think it. I couldn’t move either. Or speak. Who needed words at that point? Julian stood before me, chest heaving, eyes dark and needy as he stared blankly in my direction. And me?
I’d been set on fire by his dirty mouth.
He hadn’t touched me, hadn’t kissed me. Hadn’t done anything but tell me what he wanted to do, and I was soaking wet. Wanting in a way I never had before—so strong, so desperate. But I kept my distance. Held myself still. The tension blanketed us, practically suffocating me, and still, I waited. For what? I had no idea, but Julian waited too. Both of us on edge. Breathing hard and ready.
I cracked though, when the very tip of his pink tongue flashed. A little lick of his bottom lip. Probably not even something he realized he did. But I saw. I felt that tiny flick right over my clit. And I whimpered.
Julian pounced, his arms wrapping around me and his mouth landing on mine. He offered no lead-in, no gentle touches or softness. He’d become the animal I’d always been, his sexual attraction to me an instinct. One he wouldn’t deny.
I tugged his shirt up and over his head, my head falling back as he fastened his lips—and teeth—to my neck. Hands everywhere, he stripped me as well. Both of us rushing, fumbling, backing toward the bed as pants fell and shirts landed across the room. And when we stood naked before each other, bodies pressed so close there was no air between us, I took one moment to make sure he knew how I felt.
“I love you, Julian.”
A smile curved one side of his mouth, and he cupped my cheek gently. Lovingly. “I know, and I love you too, Lee. But I’m still mad, and I can’t be sweet right now.”
I nodded, sinking my teeth into his thumb when he dragged it across my lower lip. With a growl that could have made several grown wolf shifters jealous, Julian picked me up and tossed me on the bed, dragging me to the edge by my ankles before settling on his knees.
“Do you have any idea how panicked I was?” He pushed my knees wide, spreading me before him. Massaging my thighs roughly as he leaned in. “You weren’t where you were supposed to be—no word, no info on where to find you. And me?” He licked a long line along the side of my pussy, teasing me. Making me arch and moan before pulling away again. “I was forced to rely on Scarlett and Shadow to take me to the client so I could figure out what had happened. My very heart had disappeared, and I couldn’t do anything about it.”
“Julian—” I bit my lip as he flicked his tongue against my clit. Each pass rougher, more brutal. Pushing me straight toward my orgasm.
“You want to do this sort of work? You know I’ll support you.” He slipped a finger inside me, and my legs began to shake. In and out, he dragged that digit, adding pressure where I needed it. Where I wanted it. Where I wanted him. “But, next time?”
Another brush of his tongue against my clit, but this time, he didn’t stop. Finger deep in my pussy, he latched on to my clit and sucked. I arched off the bed, practically screaming his name as my orgasm raced through me unexpectedly. But Julian didn’t stop; he kept pumping his hand, adding another finger to drag me through that pleasure. Keeping his mouth on my clit to force it higher. And when I was done, when I had to push his head away because everything had become oversensitive, he still didn’t stop. Kept his fingers buried and his mouth close enough to feel his breath as he picked up right where he’d left off.
“Next time, we go in with full communication. We invest in technology for me to talk to you, to track you, and to always find you. Because if you change the plans again, and go off on some mission without anyone knowing how to save your ass if things go south?” Quicker than I would have expected, he grabbed my hips and flipped me, pulling my ass into the air as he stood behind me. As he buried himself inside me in one thrust. As he owned my pussy. “If you run off again, I’ll still chase you. I’ll always fucking find you. But my anger won’t be as much fun as this time.”
Julian thrust harder, practically pushing me up the bed. Spreading my legs wider and thrusting harder. I grunted with every stroke, clawing at the sheets as I sought purchase. Every muscle tingling, every inch of me ready for another orgasm. For more.
His hand landing in an open-palm smack against my ass was just the more I’d been craving. I came screaming into a pillow, shaking and jerking as lights exploded behind my eyes. Julian kept pumping, kept hitting me in all the right spots, even dropping a hand under me to tweak my clit. That little hit caused another smaller orgasm to roll through me, and I collapsed on the mattress. A sated, swollen mess.
Julian pulled out, his hand fisting his cock, still wet from me. Two strokes, and he came all over my ass and back. Grunting through his release as he kept one hand on my hip. As he held my body in place and dominated me. I’d probably have bruises from how hard he pushed me down, but I liked that idea. Liked it enough to be sad about how fast they’d fade.
“Fuck.” Julian collapsed beside me, pulling me into his arms. I went willingly, curling around him and using his arm as a pillow. “Angry sex is sort of fun.”
I chuckled, my fingers tracing a pattern along his chest. “Are you still mad?”
He grabbed my hand, bringing it to his mouth to kiss my palm. “Furious. But only because I was so scared.” He leaned closer, bringing his mouth to mine for a soft, slow kiss that I felt all the way down to my toes. “I can’t lose you, Leelee. You’re my heart. Without you, even breathing would be impossible.”
“Julian…”
But he didn’t let me finish. Instead, he rolled on top of me and kissed me de
eply. Stoking another flame only our bodies coming together could put out. And I was fine with that. We needed the connection, needed to be sure the other was safe. And I needed to finally surrender to what we both wanted, even if I was terrified of it going wrong. So when he broke from the kiss to run his lips along my jaw, I took a deep breath. And I gave him forever with me.
“I want to give you your wolf.”
He froze, muscles stiffening. “Angelita—”
“I want to. To make you a wolf shifter, like me. I want to claim you as my mate in every way.”
He relaxed slightly, running his nose along mine. “What changed your mind?”
“You. This job tonight. Shiloh. I don’t know…but I don’t want to keep pushing this off because I’m afraid things will go wrong. I want you as my equal, and that means giving you this gift.” I rolled him onto his back, straddling his hips. Running my pussy along his already hard cock just to tease. “If that’s still what you want.”
Julian grabbed my hips, holding me tight. “You. I want you. Always. I’ve never wanted or been so sure of anything in my life.”
So I took him inside me, and I rocked. Lifted. Made love to him slowly. Watched as he arched his back and bit his lip, as he gripped me harder, trying to take control of my actions. But I kept my pace, doing everything I could to hide the tears I couldn’t hold back. The fear. If I lost him, I’d die. I knew it, and I think somewhere deep down, he knew it. But it was time for us to take a chance. Together.
I leaned over him, pressing a kiss to his neck before whispering, “You’re my heart, too, you know. And we do this together.”
Hands tight, he thrust up into me. “Always.”
And then, with a growl everyone on the island probably heard, with my wolf side taking over enough to grow fur across my body, I shoved us right into our future together.
With my teeth in his neck for the first of our mating bites.
