by Kate Rudolph
"Oh my God!" She bounced up and down on the cushion in excitement. "I didn't know you had it in you."
"Shut up." She wanted to swear Em to secrecy, but that was likely to have the story spread around the family out of spite. Em was eight years and two marriages younger than Stasia, and they'd only gotten close when Stasia lived in the same property as Em while she was in med school and Em in high school. Out of all her siblings, she was closest to Em, and she only saw the others on rare occasions when the lawyers pulled them together or there was a big gathering.
That reminded her. "Are you going to the birthday party?" It was a bit evil to ask, and the grin she had from kissing Owen turned into the kind of maniacal smile only an older sister could give.
"I hate you," Em scowled.
Score one for Stasia. "You love me."
It was enough to set Em off and to have her stop asking about Owen. Win-win as far as Stasia was concerned. "She stole my name. There is room for one Emerald Selby in this family and it's me. She can change the baby's name and then I'll go meet it."
Stasia winced at "it." "I think you're going a little too far." She didn't need to play peacemaker, but she didn't want her sister stuck in a grudge forever.
"I'm not going far enough." Em's scowl got even darker, like she was planning something vile for Riley.
"It's a baby. And it's not the baby's fault." They'd been over this conversation any time the family came up in the last three years, and Stasia had her part memorized by now.
"Doesn't it have a middle name it can go by?"
"I think you're being more childish than Riley. You can't force her to change the name now. When the baby's old enough maybe she'll want to go by something else. Just like you do." Stasia and the family were just about the only people who called Em by her name; even Riley usually referred to her by her stage name, Mercy. Naming the kids was up to his wives, and that little misunderstanding was how their father ended up with two daughters named Emerald.
Em deflated since Stasia wasn't commiserating enough. "Are you going to the birthday party?"
She might have been the only Stasia in the family, but that didn't mean she wanted to go to a toddler's shindig. "I'm trying to claim attempted kidnapping. AR doesn't want to buy it. If I can avoid it I will."
Em scrunched up her face. "Are we terrible?"
"We might be." But Stasia was pretty sure it was normal to want to avoid family occasions. Every movie and TV show about normal families seemed to have some sort of plot revolving around it. The Selbys weren't normal, but they could fake it.
Em grew concerned and curious. "So was the kidnapping because of Dad's bullshit this time? Again?"
"Can't imagine it was anything else." Safe in her own home with her sister by her side and Owen somewhere in the building, she wasn't freaked out, she was angry. Selby Group had a finger in every pie, many of them completely illegal. The first kidnapping attempt back in Bermeja had been about ransom. Stasia didn't know if it was the same thing now or something worse. She chose not to use the Selby name to honor her mother and for the slight anonymity it gave her. Apparently it wasn't enough.
"You sound sure they'll have it taken care of."
AR had sounded confident, and Stasia was trusting him for now. "I don't want a bodyguard for the rest of my life."
"It's not as bad as it sounds," Em tried to reassure her. She normally traveled with half a dozen hulking men who kept her from the public, so it was almost strange to see her alone.
"But some of us are not in the public eye." Doctors didn't need the same protection as rock stars.
Em shrugged. "It's a living."
"Are you ready for the new tour to start?" Now that Em was here, Stasia remembered that she was about to embark on a nationwide tour for months. This week was her last chance at anything approaching free time for awhile.
Em nodded. "I'm excited. We had a stupid delay on the album. Some of the files got corrupted on one of the masters. Had to completely re-record. But it's all fixed now and only delayed the album release by a month. But I'll be ready to start the tour soon."
"You sound happy." And Stasia was glad for it. Em had worked hard to climb to the top and Stasia couldn't wait to hear what the new music sounded like.
She shrugged. "Happy enough." She was done talking about herself. "Now dish about that Owen guy. Because if you don't want him I'll take him."
"He's mine." It came out so fast and fierce that it shocked her. Stasia was not a possessive person. She'd had a couple of boyfriends before and only one she'd call serious. That had ended in disaster. She had no claim to Owen, not really, but she'd fight her sister to keep him.
That got Em excited. "I knew you were going to fall for someone sometime. This is going to be good. Front row tickets."
"I know what you charge for front row tickets." Out the nose. Crazy. And the fans happily paid. "So if you want them you’re going to have to pay the same price."
Em stuck her tongue out. "Like you care about money."
"I care about privacy." The thing with Owen was new and fragile and she wasn't an exhibitionist, especially not when it was her sister who was watching.
"Would it really be that bad to let someone in?" Em asked.
"I don't know. Last time I tried it didn't go so well." Her last, only, serious relationship had been back in college and med school.
"You're not over Julian? That guy sucked." Em didn't know the half of it.
Julian had wanted money and access to the Selbys more than he wanted Stasia. It had taken her way too long to figure that out. "I'm over him. It just still sometimes hurts to remember." Was there any chance Owen was like that? She knew he thought she was a spoiled rich girl, or he had, but what was under that?
"I say you give this guy a chance. Maybe he'll surprise you."
She didn't know if he was going to turn on her, but her heart was already engaged. "I don't know if I could stop myself if I wanted to."
Chapter Thirteen
Owen was happy not to be banished forever. After a few hours of catching up, they invited him to share dinner and watch a movie. The best place for that was back in the library, and though the couch was more than big enough for the three of them, Em opted to sit in one of the chairs, leaving him and Stasia alone.
Could he have left space between them? Sure.
But the taste of Stasia was imprinted on Owen's memory, and he didn't want to be an inch further from her than he had to be. He didn't know if she'd kiss him again; he could barely hope for it. But sitting next to her was a good start.
He'd done a sweep of the perimeter and checked in with the surveillance team. He couldn't let his hormones get in the way of his job, and no one was getting close to Stasia on his watch.
He had to keep his mate safe.
The thought came from deep in his mind, where his wolf was prowling, demanding that he claim her, human sensibilities be damned. Owen was ignoring him. For now. He'd have to figure something else out if the wolf got more insistent.
But he was growing to like the sound of the word mate.
He considered checking in with Gibson, but there was no change from the day before, and he didn't need his boss thinking that he needed his hand held. He could do the job.
Stasia shivered and Owen pulled a nearby blanket over both of them. He couldn't quite read the look she gave him, and if Em's sputtering cough was anything, she saw right through his moves.
Too bad.
Andre sent him a text to let him know that the job Vega and Rowe were on was going long and they'd hit a slight snag. Apparently the happy couple hadn't made it to their honeymoon after all and needed guards for another few days. The follow up text told him not to worry.
Owen filed the information away. If Andre was updating him, it had to be at least a little serious, but it didn't sound like they needed him to abandon Stasia and this job. And it would take a lot more than a little difficulty to get him to leave her.
Where did his l
oyalties lie?
He knew they should be with his pack, the people he'd worked with for years and who'd gone through hell right alongside him. But he could feel the warmth of Stasia's body pressed against his side and he didn't know if he'd ever be able to walk away from her.
The emotions should have been scary, too intense, too fast, but Owen had never run away from emotion before, and he wasn't about to start now.
He had no idea what they were supposed to be watching. Some comedy starring actors he didn't recognize telling jokes that would probably be funnier if he was paying attention.
Instead he paid attention to the way Stasia's scent wrapped around him and the heat of her thigh.
Em said something about a canary which set Stasia off, her face open and laughing with abandon.
Owen's heartbeat kicked up at the sight. She was serious by nature, even a bit grumpy, but she'd opened up when her sister appeared and now she was all contentment. He wanted her to smile at him that way and he got a hint of it when she looked over at him, as if she was checking that he got the joke.
He couldn't have stopped the smile he gave her if he tried.
He knew her grumpy face would come back when the movie ended or when Em left, but it had its own charm. Everything about his brilliant doctor charmed him, and he wanted to learn all there was to know about her.
And then she shocked the living shit out of him by casually placing her hand on his leg, her fingers teasing his inner thigh, all hidden by the blanket. It wasn't an accident, not given the gentle squeeze she gave him.
Owen let out a shuddering breath. His mind might not have paid any attention, but now his cock was perking up and he was thankful that the blanket hid it all from view.
With deceptive calm, he placed his arm along the back of the sofa and slid it onto Stasia's shoulders.
Em made another noise, and if he knew her better he might have glared, but he had a feeling that things would go better for him if Stasia's sister liked him.
He wanted to trail his lips up Stasia's neck and taste her soft skin, but that was going too far and no blanket would hide the sin. He tried to think of a reason, any reason, to get Em out of the room, but it wasn't going to happen.
Stasia traced her fingers on his thigh, the small movement driving him crazy. She was a wicked temptress.
The movie went on for longer, and Owen followed along as well as he could, laughing along with the sisters while Stasia tortured him with her fingers, at one point getting brave enough to brush up against his cock.
And then the credits began to roll and the streaming service prompted them to watch the movie's sequel.
"Do you want to keep watching?" Stasia looked over at Em as if she didn't have her fingers half an inch from Owen's balls.
Em stared at both of them like they were crazy. "Ew, no, I can practically smell the pheromones. You two are like teenagers."
Maybe that was true, but she didn't have to say it.
Stasia stiffened against him, and he feared she was going to pull away. But she didn't even move her hand when she responded. "You're just jealous I've got a hot guy."
She thought he was hot. Yeah, he liked that. A lot.
Em rolled her eyes. "I'm going to bed." She left the two of them on the couch without another word.
All alone. Finally. Now Owen could take what he'd craved all night. He leaned in, but Stasia stopped him with a hand on his chest.
"No?" Had he misread the situation?
But Stasia ran her hand up his thigh again, brushing against his cock, and he groaned, no longer worried about Em figuring out what they were doing.
Stasia nodded to the library's entrance. "My sister will pass right by the door if she needs to go downstairs." The doors were glass paneled and hid nothing. "Why don't we head to my room?"
Fuck yes. He didn't bother to ask her if she was sure. The look on her face and the feel of her hand told him that. They both wanted this, they'd wanted it for what seemed like forever, even if they'd only known each other for two days.
Two days? Two centuries? It didn't matter. Owen knew what he was feeling was real, and he wasn't going to worry about it being too fast. He only hoped she was feeling just as strongly as he was.
They let the blanket fall away as they stood, and Owen couldn't resist it, his wolf surfacing just enough to have him scooping Stasia off her feet and marching her to her room.
Chapter Fourteen
Stasia was a woman possessed.
She clung to Owen as he carried her to her room and made a sound of surprise when he slammed the door with a less than gentle kick. This wasn't her. She didn't do things like this. But when it came to Owen, there was a wild thing inside of her that demanded to be let out.
She wanted to play.
She wanted him.
And she was sick of denying herself.
Her life was going crazy. She didn't know who was after her or what the next week would bring. She couldn't count on anything, but she was going to count on this. Even if all the heat boiling between them fizzled out in the morning, she'd have tonight. She'd know what it felt like for Owen to be hers.
He let her drop down to the bed and loomed over her. Stasia stared up at him, wondering how she'd gotten so lucky.
Her whole body was tight with want, breasts heavy, sex aching to be filled. She was already wet and they'd barely done anything. Owen had cast a spell, and she never wanted it to be broken, not if it felt like this.
He was about to climb on top of her when something took hold of Stasia and she grinned. "Wait."
"What?" He didn't exactly look concerned, but she sensed a thread of worry, as if he thought she might call this whole thing off before it got started.
Yeah, right. The building would need to be on fire, seriously on fire, for her to stop now. "I want to see you naked." She'd been imagining it since she'd seen him in the towel. Hell, since she'd first laid eyes on him, but now she was sure it was going to happen and she wanted to look her fill. She scooted back on the bed and rested on her elbows, a queen in repose.
He took a step closer, almost on the bed. "That's the goal." His voice had gone gruff, full of sensual promise.
"No. Now." It felt a little wrong to take control like this. She was his boss, sort of. But, if anything, the wrongness made this whole thing ten times hotter.
Was she discovering a new kink? Or was it just Owen?
His eyes lit up when she gave the command. If this was a kink, at least Owen was right there with her. He reached a hand behind his head and pulled off his black t-shirt to reveal that chest that had been driving her crazy. His muscles rippled, and she was almost certain he was flexing, showing off.
Stasia loved it.
His hair was long enough to hang in front of his eyes, having lost the hold of whatever gel he used, and it gave him a playful air. He wasn't a playboy set on seduction. No playboy smiled that openly.
And then his pants came off and Stasia forgot how to breathe.
She'd seen cocks before. She'd had boyfriends. And she was an emergency room doctor. People did weird things with their private parts and she'd seen it all.
But Owen still made her mouth water.
He was plumping up, not completely hard yet but getting close, his thick length nestled in dark hair. She couldn't stop staring. She wanted him inside her. She wanted to taste him. She wanted it all.
Now would be the right time for her to strip. Owen stood before her, fully naked, cock in hand and ready for more, but there was something powerful to laying clothed while her man was fully naked and standing before her. She didn't want to give up the power just yet.
All it took was a crook of her finger to bring him forward.
"Don't I get to see you?" he asked. His eyes looked brighter than brown after a shift of his head moved his hair out of the way. He looked hungry, like some kind of predator, and she was his prey, but she was going to bring him to his knees.
"You're looking at me." He was close e
nough to touch now, and she ran a hand up one of his thighs and over the curve of his spectacular ass.
Owen groaned. "You know that's not what I mean."
Stasia could respond. There was probably some tart reply that would be perfect for the moment.
Instead she licked the length of his cock and then took the head into her mouth, swirling her tongue around and memorizing his taste, earthy, masculine, and Owen.
He gasped and nearly fell over in surprise and Stasia took that for a win. Did he still think she was some stuck up princess? She'd show him.
Though there weren't actually any losers in this game.
She couldn't take him fully in without gagging. It had been a long time since she'd done this, and even if she had the practice, Owen was big. But her hand took care of what her mouth did, sucking him to fullness and luxuriating in the desperate sounds of pleasure he was making.
She could make him come like this. It wouldn't take that much work.
Just the thought of it had her own body shaking with want. She reached down, sneaking one hand into her pants and stroking her slick clit.
She didn't want Owen coming down her throat. She needed him inside of her.
And though it was torture to back up, she let go of him and laid back, leaving the hand in her pants for him to see.
Owen's eyes looked yellow, and there was a pointedness to his face that looked off, but Stasia blinked and it was gone. She gasped as she stroked herself, Owen's gaze a hot caress, even if he could only see the outline of her hand.
"You're evil," he said, his own hand back on his cock, but rather than stroking he was holding it tight at the base, too close to coming to do more.
Stasia had to pull her hand out of her pants. "Want me to stop?" There was no chance of stopping. Not now that Owen was there and hard and perfect.
"Never." It was a vow.
"Come here." She pulled him down on top of her and their lips crashed together in a kiss more intimate than sex. If he cared about where her mouth had been a moment ago, he didn't say a word.
