by Meg Ripley
Audra ran her hands across the smooth granite of the breakfast bar. “I’m really sorry, Dad.”
He lifted her chin with his finger. “Don’t you dare be sorry, girl. This isn’t your fault. Everyone should be thanking you. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that if they aren’t expressing their gratitude out loud, they’re at least doing it in their heads. There’s no telling what would’ve happened to all of us if you hadn’t stopped him. I’m just ashamed that it went on for so long without any of us being the wiser.”
She appreciated his words, and she knew he was right, but she still felt bad. “I just feel guilty.”
Mr. Larson leaned forward. His eyes had wrinkles around the edges these days, but their deep blue irises were just as vibrant as always. “Let me tell you something, kiddo. You can feel bad for your brother. You can love him and wish that he’d made better choices. But don’t you dare go feeling guilty. He made those decisions, and he knew better. It’s not fair that you should feel bad simply because you decided to do the right thing. If everyone in history had that sort of thought process, well then I hate to think of where we’d be. It all turns out the way it’s supposed to. I’m convinced of that.”
Audra smiled. Her father wasn’t a man of many words. He always seemed so content to just kick back and watch television instead of joining in on a conversation. But when he did decide to finally speak up, he always had something significant to say. “Thanks, Dad. I’ll do my best.”
He gestured at the beautiful house around them. “Seems to me like you already are. You seem happy, and so does Randy. That young man coming in through the back door looks happy, too.” He pointed behind her to where Flint was entering with an armload of wood.
Audra’s heart leapt in her throat at the sight of her mate. It’d taken her far too long to admit the fact that she and Flint were fated to be together, but she knew now that was only because she was just as stubborn as the rest of her family. Flint could be plenty stubborn, too, but they were working it out. “You’re just in time,” she said as she crossed the kitchen to close the door behind him. “Dinner’s almost ready.”
“Good. I’m starving.” Flint laid his load down with a clatter near the hearth before turning to kiss Audra, regardless of who might be around to see. He was like that with her, she noticed. No one else mattered, because it wasn’t about them.
The scent of cooking stew made Audra think again of that first night with Flint when he’d captured her and fed her with a spoon. At the time, it’d been infuriating. Now, Audra reflected on that meal with fondness. No matter what the circumstances were, Flint would always take care of her. He’d proved it on the first night, and he was continuing to prove it every day.
“Mommy, I had a good day with you,” Randy said sleepily when Audra tucked him later that evening.
She looked at him, his little body in his big boy bed with the dinosaur comforter. She’d taken such pains to create a room that he’d be happy in, but it wasn’t just the room. It was her, too. She wanted to give him absolutely everything in life, and if that big, sleepy smile on his face was any indication, then she was doing all right. “I had a good day with you, too. And I think Grandma and Grandpa really enjoyed their time with you.”
“Sometimes I miss staying at their house, but I like my own bed better.” He snuggled down under the fluffy blankets as proof.
“I completely understand that.” She kissed him goodnight just as Flint came in.
“Goodnight, little man.” He bent down to give Randy a hug. No matter how many times she saw it, Audra couldn’t get over how sweet it was that such a rough man could be so gentle. Her heart soared when she saw her son’s little arms wrap around Flint’s neck and Flint close his eyes in full reception of that hug.
“Goodnight. I love you!”
Flint straightened and tweaked the boy’s nose. “I love you, too, pup.” He turned off the lamp next to Randy’s bed, and the two of them headed out into the loft and down the stairs.
“I hope dinner wasn’t too bad for you tonight,” Audra said as she stepped into the kitchen to put the remainder of the stew into a glass container and wrap up the last remaining biscuit. “I wasn’t sure how you felt about my parents coming over.”
“Hey.” Flint stepped up behind her as his fingers skimmed over her hips and closed around them, his body pressing against her back and his breath warm on her neck. “I’m happy to do anything that makes you happy, and I’m starting to really like your parents.”
She leaned back against him. “Was there any good reason not to like them?”
“Just the fact that they’re parents, and I know they weren’t certain about me at first.” He kissed the tender flesh where her neck met her shoulder.
Audra closed her eyes. “Oh, trust me. They’ve come around to you.”
“That’s good.” Another kiss, and then he pulled her shirt aside to reveal more skin to enjoy. “Because you’re stuck with me.”
It was a little joke between them: now that she’d asked him to stay, he’d never leave. He said it with light in his eyes, but she knew he meant it. Audra loved that, because she didn’t want him anywhere but at her side. “Works for me.”
In one swift movement, he turned her around in his arms and pushed her up against the counter. His hardness was evident through his jeans as he kissed her on the lips this time, his stubble brushing against her skin in a way that made her nipples stand at attention. “But if we’re stuck here together, we might need a little bit of entertainment.”
Audra ran her hands over his chest and bit her lip as she studied him. That dark hair was always a little wild, which matched the feral look in his eyes that told her just how much he wanted her. The shadow of growth on his chin led down to a strong neck, wide shoulders, and a tempting chest. She could feel the hardness of his stomach through his shirt, and she knew what treasure lay waiting impatiently for her under his pants. He was damn sexy.
She giggled despite herself. “Yeah? What kind of entertainment did you have in mind?”
Flint had a way of moving quickly, and the next thing she knew, she was being thrown over his shoulder. He stalked through the house toward their bedroom. “I think I can come up with a few ideas.”
Audra laughed harder as he stepped through the doorway and shoved the door closed with his foot. He dumped her on the bed, eliciting another laugh, and then climbed on top of her. “I think I’m starting to get the picture.”
“Think it’s something we’ll both enjoy?” he asked as he sprinkled kisses down her neck, his fingers deftly unbuttoning her blouse until he exposed her bra.
She felt that thrill of being near her mate as he cupped her breasts in his capable hands. Flint had a way of making her want to rip all her clothes off and jump on top of him. Sometimes she did. But this would be one of those nights where he took his time with her and she did the same for him. The world could burn around them, and they’d never know because they were so distracted in each other’s arms. “Definitely.”
Flint’s hands made short work of her bra, and he moved his mouth down to enjoy each of her nipples separately. His fingers swept gently around her waistband and her navel, teasing her, before he worked on the button of her jeans.
Audra’s breath was already catching in her throat as she grabbed the hem of his shirt. “You don’t know what you do to me.”
“Mm, I have an idea.” He shimmied her jeans off her hips and then let his lips move even further down to appreciate the planes of her stomach and then even lower. Flint tongued the area between her legs in much the same way he had her breasts, with long slow strokes that spread heat throughout her entire body.
She gasped, still always surprised at how quickly her body reacted to him. Once Flint did something to her, and she never wanted it to end. “Is that why you keep torturing me like this?”
He responded by taking her clit into his mouth and slipping a finger inside, then two. He worked them in slow unison with his tongue, knowin
g just what she liked and just how to make both her human side and her wolf side go absolutely crazy. “Torture? I thought I was doing something else.” Flint paused only long enough to ask before he returned his attention to her body.
Audra writhed on the bed as she held her breasts in her hands, thumbing the buds at the center and getting lost in the deep shivers that were rippling through the most hidden parts of her body. Her thighs were quivering now, touching his whiskers and creating even more sensations to adore. “Oh, it’s definitely torture,” she breathed. It was pleasure twisted with pain to feel all the potential in what they could do with each other and the way her body demanded him. She wanted more. She wanted him inside her. She wanted to feel him pounding against her, taking her, and the mere thought of it was enough to cause a rippling contraction between her legs.
Flint moaned with the pleasure of knowing he’d brought that reaction around in her, and it only inspired him to keep working her over. “I want to make you come,” he whispered against her.
Audra grabbed a pillow and threw it over her face, wailing into the stuffing as a hurricane of sensation took over her body. Her hips bucked against him as her muscles tightened and then released. There would be holes in the pillowcases in the morning, but neither one of them would mind.
He finally gave her a break as he left her secret flesh to drop kisses all down the length of each leg, seemingly fascinated by every muscle and every inch of skin. “I adore you, Audra.”
It didn’t matter how many times they did this. She could never get enough of him. Audra pushed herself up on her elbows and launched herself at him, pinning him to the mattress at the foot of the bed. She returned the favor as she took him into her mouth, running her tongue up and down the length of the underside of his shaft. Audra felt him melt into the bed.
“Have I ever told you how good you are at that?” he asked gruffly. Flint’s hands grabbed the hair on either side of her head and pulled it back until he was holding all of it in a rough ponytail.
“A couple of times.” She let go of him long enough to brush her breasts against his shaft, enjoying the way the velvety skin of his erection felt against her. Audra bent her head to take him in again, and his hips moved beneath her to take full advantage of all she was offering.
“Fuck, Audra.” She could feel him move against the mattress, sitting up a little in order to watch her. His guttural noises of delight only turned her on even more.
Audra pulled him into the back of her throat, wanting to give him everything and anything he wanted. She felt yet another thrill shoot through her and knew she couldn’t last much longer. He’d already brought her to a climax, but she wanted more. And on her own terms. Audra let him go and moved up the bed so that her body was over his. Flint’s arousal found her entrance easily, and she sighed as he filled her. “God that’s what I needed,” she said as she threw her head back.
Their bodies moved as one, each of them searching for a way to bring the most luxurious pleasure to the other. The inside of her body swirled and churned like the sea, her mind drifting off to some place of abstract beauty as she began to contract around him. Flint’s hands skimmed over her curves, and she slammed her hips down as she felt the tempestuous current of their lovemaking take her away.
“Tell me what you want,” she breathed as she glided smoothly along his member, euphoria smoldering throughout her body. He gave her such thrills, and she wanted to do the same for him.
Flint grinned as he held one finger in the air and spun it in a circle.
Audra understood. She turned around, still straddling him but bracing herself on his ankles as he entered her once again. She moved up and down, slightly rocking back and forth as her body took in the length of him again and again. He felt completely different inside her this way, and she closed her eyes to focus on it.
Flint caressed the curves of her backside with his rough hands. “You’re so fucking sexy,” he groaned as he gently squeezed her flesh. He could say it all he wanted, but the truth was that he made her feel sexy. When his eyes or his hands or both were on her, she felt like the only woman in the world that mattered, as though the two of them had truly been made for each other, maybe even out of the same stardust. His hand wrapped around her hair once again and pulled gently, and the prickling of her scalp sent her reeling inside once again.
Flint’s arousal tightened inside her, and she moved faster. Audra took just as much pleasure in sending him over the edge as when she was getting it herself, and she cried out as he gave one final tug to her hair and let himself go. His hot jet filled her, and she welcomed it with a deep and untamed need.
Audra snuggled up against his side, her fingers tracing his hard muscles as he pulled the blankets over them. She could feel the deepest sense of relaxation coming over her body, knowing that Flint was at her side and her baby boy was upstairs fast asleep.
He pressed his lips to her forehead, his kiss slow and meaningful. “I love you, Audra.”
A heavy snow was beginning to fall on the skylight overhead, the white flakes quickly accumulating on the glass. Let it fall. She had everything she needed right there.
Christmas With The Soldier Dragon
Special Ops Shifters
1
“Listen, Roy, it really doesn’t matter if those sinks are on backorder. Mrs. Shively can’t have a big hole in her bathroom while she waits for it. Find something that’s similar, install it, and tell her we’ll come back with the right one as soon as we have it.” Garrison Stokes shook his head as he shot down the street, weaving his work truck through the thickening holiday traffic. It really wasn’t that hard of a problem to figure out, was it?
“But the only sink I can find is rectangular, and the one she wants is round. The entire countertop will be ruined if I put this sink in,” Roy complained.
Garrison sighed. He could easily envision his client roasting him over the absence of a single bathroom sink, even though she had five fully functional bathrooms in her elaborate home. No doubt, she was planning some elite party where she invited every friend, family member, and business associate she and her husband had ever known, and she wouldn’t hesitate to tell all of them just what a terrible job Stokes Construction had done on her remodel over one small thing that he couldn’t control. This was exactly why he preferred corporate jobs to ones in the private sector. Executives in suits might put on a big show, but they were never as high maintenance as rich housewives.
“We’ve got plenty of material in storage. Make a counter that will work, and put the sink in it. Tell Mrs. Shively that both the correct counter and sink will be installed as soon as they come in, but she’s not going to complain as long as she’s got running water. And if she does complain, then just have her call me. I can smooth it all over.” If there was one talent Garrison had other than construction and engineering, it was sweet-talking his female clients. It might not be a talent he was particularly proud of, but he used it when he needed to. Plus, he knew he had enough room in the budget for Mrs. Shively’s house that even if he had to pay for a whole new countertop to make her happy, he could do it and still make plenty of profit.
“Okay, Boss. I’ll do what I can. Oh, I wanted to remind you about the gift exchange. I haven’t seen your name put in the hat yet.”
Garrison exhaled. “No, don’t worry about me. You guys have fun, and let me know if you have any trouble with Mrs. Shively. I’ve got to go.” He pressed the button on his headset to end the call. It was great that his employees wanted to get together to enjoy the holidays, as long as it didn’t include him. He didn’t need to take part in the holiday games or the gift exchange where someone would undoubtedly get him some crap he didn’t need. He certainly didn’t need to see his workers get a little too far gone on spiked eggnog while asking him if he liked the toolbox-shaped ornament they’d gotten him.
Whipping into the private garage beneath the Special Ops Shifter Force’s D.C. headquarters, Garrison brought his truck to a halt. Som
ething pulled at his belt loop as he hopped out. He untangled the tool belt that was reaching for him from the passenger seat and slammed the door.
The rest of the Force was already waiting for him. “I was starting to wonder if you were going to show up.” This came from their Alpha, Drake, who’d recently settled in California.
“Easy for you to say since we’re used to seeing your face on a screen,” Garrison retorted as he eased into a chair, realizing just how much his feet ached. He’d been on them all day, and mostly on concrete. “I thought you’d headed back home.”
“I had a few things to take care of here after that last mission, and considering how things have been, I knew there’d be another one soon.” The SOS Force had been in high demand lately. “I’ll be leaving soon, though. Lindy has a Christmas program at school, and I can’t miss that.”
“Sounds thrilling,” remarked Flint. The weapons specialist was tipped back in his chair with his feet on the table, distracted as he carefully sharpened one of his many knives. After every few strokes, the wolf shifter checked the blade against the skin of his thumb.
“You’ll be going to things like that, too, once Randy gets old enough,” Drake reminded him, speaking of the little boy that belonged to Flint’s mate. “Just you wait. You’ll love it.”
The slightest hint of a smile turned up one corner of Flint’s mouth at the mention of the child, but he quickly quelled it. “Right. I’ll be bawling my eyes out, I’m sure.”
“Now that’s something I’d like to see.” This came from Leona, who stood just behind Hudson’s chair with a bottle of water in her hand. The lioness was dressed in leggings and a sweatshirt, and Garrison guessed she’d just come from the gym. “If there’s anything I hadn’t predicted, it was Flint falling in love.”
The hard man across the table shot her a look, but they all knew there was no real animosity between them. The SOS Force was as close as any group could get, and they always had each other’s backs. “Things happen.”
