Alpha Guardians Series - The Complete Collection: 650+ Pages Of Sizzling, Fast-Paced Bear and Dragon Shifter Romance

by Vivian Wood

  Echo laughed.

  “Yeah, of course. I waited tables in college, so I know a little about wine.”

  Rhys looked relieved.

  “I’ve only been on one date since I came to New Orleans, and the girl didn’t drink wine. She only liked amaretto liqueur with sour mix in it.”

  Rhys shuddered, and Echo burst into laughter.

  “That’s horrible,” she said as she accepted a glass from him. She watched him struggle with the wine key for a moment, trying to pull the cork from the bottle. “Here, let me. I’m a pro.”

  Rhys lifted a skeptical brow but handed the bottle and corkscrew over. When Echo smoothly uncorked the wine and poured it into their glasses, Rhys gave her an appraising glance.

  “Useful skill,” he said.

  “The worse the day I’ve had, the more useful it gets,” she joked, setting the bottle aside and taking a sip of the wine. It was a bold and fruity Cabernet Sauvignon, and Echo could tell that it was an excellent and expensive vintage.

  “You got this from downstairs?” she asked, surprised.

  “Ah…” Rhys flashed her another devilish grin. “Actually, I nicked it from Gabriel’s rooms. He always has a fully stocked bar in case he brings a girl home.”

  “I can’t judge,” Echo said. “He does have great taste in wine, at least.”

  “It’s a world away from the wines I had back in Tighnabruaich. I always liked wine, but this is so much clearer and smoother,” Rhys said, swirling the Cabernet in his glass. “Did you pick a film?”

  “I saw that Harry Potter was on your list. Have you seen them?” Echo asked.

  “Never.”

  “Oh, well we have to watch it, then.”

  “I’d think a witch would find them too silly,” Rhys said, giving her a speculative glance. “I thought most young witches devoted themselves to hours of magical practice a day, so I figured you wouldn’t like watching something that made light of that.”

  “I like them because they’re silly. Magic wasn’t really something I practiced growing up, so it was still fun for me. Actually… if I were going to be honest, Rhys, I don’t have much control over my powers.”

  Rhys sipped his wine and nodded.

  “I noticed that you seemed unsure of yourself in the fight,” he said. “I figured you’d tell me if you wanted me to know.”

  Echo didn’t respond as the movie started, so Rhys dished her up a plate of steak and vegetables without pushing her further. They ate quietly, growing engrossed in the movie and the food. Duverjay’s cooking had been nothing short of excellent since Echo stepped foot on the Manor’s grounds, and this meal did not disappoint.

  After they finished eating, Rhys took the whole tray back to the table and pulled a few oversized pillows off the couch, leaning them against the sofa to create a comfortable spot to lounge.

  Without interrupting to movie, he drew Echo to his side, tucking her in beside him and slinging a brawny arm over her shoulders. She leaned into him instinctively, and the combination of the filling meal and his body warmth lulled her to sleep.

  When she woke, Harry Potter was long over and Rhys was watching a documentary about Martin Luther King Jr., his expression one of intense focus. Echo’s face was buried in Rhys’s neck, the curtain of her hair flowing over them both. Echo was a little embarrassed that she’d clung to him so in her sleep, though it was to be expected. They’d shared a bed for several nights now, and Echo was pretty sure that she and Rhys were entwined most of those sleeping hours.

  Echo allowed herself to take in a few drowsing drags of his wonderful scent before she pulled away, rubbing her face. Thankfully, she hadn’t drooled on him during her steak-induced nap.

  “Uh… hey,” she said, feeling a little sheepish.

  “Hey to you,” Rhys said. Distracted, he turned his head and brushed his lips over Echo’s cheek, close to her ear. A casual enough touch, but Echo was still sleep-addled. Not to mention that her hormones were completely out of whack because of him; currently her gutter-dwelling mind was urging her to discover what his lips felt like on literally any other part of her body.

  Echo stiffened at the touch of his lips, and Rhys dragged his attention away from the movie, looking down at her with a frown of concern. His arm tightened around her shoulders the barest fraction, and their gazes caught and held.

  Echo gazed up at Rhys, curiosity welling in her chest. She licked her lips and lifted her chin the barest inch, and Rhys’s bright green eyes darkened with carnal interest. He shifted and leaned down, surprising her by dropping a second kiss on her cheek, just beside her ear again.

  Then another, his lips brushing her earlobe this time, the soft bristle of his beard teasing her neck. Rhys brought a hand up, fingers cupping the back of her neck, thumb braced against her jaw. He rolled her head back to expose her throat before pressing his nose and lips to her pulse, a deep rumble escaping from his chest.

  His lips and teeth teased her neck at the sensitive spot where it met her shoulder, and Echo’s body truly responded this time. She could feel her breasts tightening with need, nipples drawing to sharp points. Her skin felt too tight, too hot; a gentle throb began to strum low in her body, matching the rising beat of her pulse.

  And yet Rhys had barely touched her. He trailed quick, damp kisses over her neck and shoulder, strong, calloused fingers holding her head in place. Echo let out a pent-up breath and hooked a hand over his shoulder, trying to pull his lips to hers.

  Rhys didn’t give an inch, instead brushing his lips along her jawline from her chin up to her ear. He teased her ear with the tip of his tongue, nipping her earlobe and blowing a gentle breath into her ear, driving her crazy. Echo bit her lip and pressed closer to him, clenching her thighs against the ache growing there.

  Rhys kissed the very corner of her mouth and her lips parted on a sigh. He tightened his grip on her neck, stopping her restless movements as he dragged his bottom lip over hers, then pulled back when she tried to kiss him back.

  “Relax, Echo,” Rhys said. She opened her eyes and gazed up at him, blushing at the intense male satisfaction on his face. She wanted him, yes. And he was toying with her, making sure she knew he was in control.

  “Just kiss me,” she demanded, her gaze narrowing to a glare.

  “Mmm,” Rhys murmured, noncommittal. “Patience.”

  He released her instead, shocking her to the core when he grabbed the hem of her shirt and tugged it up over her head, tossing it aside. He didn’t ask for permission, but his gaze never left her face as he stroked her arms, her hips, her ribs.

  Rhys licked his lower lip as he slid his fingers under her bra straps, pulling and releasing them with a soft snap. Echo’s breathing grew ragged as he skimmed his fingertips over the cups of her bra, and she couldn’t resist arching in to his touch.

  “I want to take this off,” Rhys said, hooking one of the cups with a finger and tugging it away from her body.

  Echo swallowed, raising her chin to issue her challenge.

  “Not unless you kiss me first,” she insisted.

  Rhys grinned, and Echo knew she’d said just the right thing.

  10

  Chapter Ten

  Rhys

  If Rhys had been trying to evoke a response from Echo, he’d succeeded. His sultry blonde would-be mate was stripped down to a filmy pink brassiere, her lips plush and pouty and begging for his kiss. Just this moment, Echo was staring at him with a distinctly hungry look in her eyes, and Rhys was struggling to keep his more primal impulses in check.

  He blamed the lingerie she wore; in his day, women were either fully clothed or completely naked, and as it turned out, there was nothing so enticing as a woman who hovered in between. Though Rhys had seen photos of models in such clothing and had researched modern women’s garments online, seeing Echo in lingerie was infinitely more exciting. He tried not to stare at her brassiere, but the way the thin fabric clung to her body made him want to see what lay under her tightly-fitted jeans.<
br />
  He wanted nothing more than to strip her bare, flip her over so her undoubtedly perfect ass was in the air, and fuck her until she was hoarse from screaming his name. If he had ever been this tempted by a lass back in Scotland, he would’ve no doubt already taken her in a dark castle hallway.

  Unfortunately, Echo wasn’t some lusty serving wench. She was modern, first off. Second, she was going to be his mate, and the last thing Rhys wanted was to sour things between them by moving too fast.

  Just because he knew they were going to end up together was no reason for impatience. The lass who would carry his bairns deserved the sun and the moon, not some rushed and unsatisfying rutting.

  “Not unless you kiss me first,” she’d fired back as he toyed with her bra.

  Well, if it was a kiss she wanted…

  Rhys slid his hands around Echo’s waist and yanked her closer, dropping his mouth to hers. He waited, his lips a heartbeat from hers, stretching the moment as long as he could. Echo sighed against his lips, her hunger and desire reflecting his exactly. She leaned against him, her bare skin warm against his arms, and her eyes fluttered shut.

  The perfect moment.

  Rhys fused his lips to hers, devouring the soft sound of pleasure that Echo released. Her mouth was everything he could want, so warm and sweet as she welcomed him in. Rhys coaxed her lips with his own, using the kiss to test her responsiveness. Echo met him stroke for stroke, the movement of her clever tongue making his cock throb.

  Rhys slid his hand up her back to her bra, trying not to lose his focus on Echo as he worked out how to unclasp the flimsy silken material. He managed it after a moment, then brought both hands up to her shoulders to draw the straps across her shoulders and down her arms. He watched her face the whole while, enjoying the blush that spread over her cheeks even as the desire in her eyes grew.

  Rhys kissed her deeply once more before he pulled the garment from her body, taking a moment to admire her bared breasts. They were high and full, perfectly round and tipped in dusky rose nipples that made his cock twitch even as his mouth watered.

  Reaching out, Rhys watched Echo’s face as he brushed the pad on his thumb over one pebbled nipple. Her eyes were dark with lust, skin flushed with excitement. She swept her tongue over her lips as she watched him watching her, and Rhys was suddenly overwhelmed by the need to watch her find release, to brand her in an unforgettable way.

  Rhys settled Echo back onto the pillows propped against the couch, bowing her back and thrusting her breasts higher. He slid his hands up from her waist, teasing her ribcage, and shaped her breasts with his hands. The creamy globes were more than a handful each, firm and warm to the touch.

  Rhys shifted and lowered his mouth to her breast, building the anticipation for both of them as he explored the valley between her breasts with his lips. Echo squirmed, and Rhys caught a hint of her excitement despite her remaining clothing.

  Unable to wait another moment, Rhys closed his lips over her nipple, tonguing it slowly. Echo’s throaty cry of pleasure nearly killed him. Rhys didn’t stop for a second, tormenting both her breasts with his lips, tongue, and teeth until she begged him for more.

  “Rhys, please…” Echo said, her fingers clutching at his t-shirt.

  “Please, what?” he asked, releasing her nipple.

  Echo pulled back a few inches and practically ripped his shirt off, which made him grin. His smile only grew wider when he saw her blatant admiration of his body. She bit her lip and explored his shoulders, chest, and stomach with gentle touches.

  When her fingers trailed down his abs toward the waistband of his jeans, his body clenched involuntarily, muscles flexing. Echo licked her lips again, and Rhys lost his patience.

  “Lick your lips again while you’re staring at my cock,” Rhys challenged. “I dare you, lass.”

  Echo’s gaze jumped up to his and she went completely red.

  “I—” she started, but Rhys had no patience for it now. He got to his feet and swept Echo up in his arms, carrying her through the living room and into his bedroom.

  Tossing Echo to his bed, he unzipped his jeans but left them on. He’d never quite got the hang of underwear, finding them too restrictive, and he didn’t think Echo was ready for the full show just yet.

  Her jeans, on the other hand, were unzipped and removed immediately. True to his fantasy, she wore a tiny scrap of pink gossamer underneath. Rhys rubbed his hand over his abs and groaned to himself, trying to emblazon the image in his memory.

  “Turn over,” he said, twirling his finger in the air. “I think I need to see the whole thing.”

  Echo’s brows shot up, her chest rising and falling a couple of times. After a moment, she rolled over onto her stomach, instantly giving Rhys a lifetime’s worth of fantasy material.

  Her rear was broadly formed, her legs long and lush, and a tiny strip of pink silk peeked out from between the twin globes of her ass.

  “Fuck, woman. You’re killing me,” Rhys said.

  He knelt on the bed, trapping her legs between his knees. Running his hands up the backs of her inner thighs, he noticed that she trembled under his attentions. He cupped and squeezed her buttocks, spreading them a little to admire her lingerie once more.

  He plucked at the band of her panties where they nestled near the top of her buttocks.

  “I’m going to take these off,” he told Echo.

  She turned her head for a moment to glance at him, then nodded. She’d gone quiet at his display of dominance, but the fevered longing in her eyes was crystal clear. As was the dampness of her panties as Rhys peeled them from her body.

  Finally Echo was naked before him, spread out on his bed, ready for his touch. Rhys leaned down and kissed her upper back, then the side of her buttock, suppressing a little smile when she tensed, unsure of his intentions.

  He moved back for a moment, releasing her legs.

  “Roll over, lass. I want to see your face,” he told her.

  Echo rolled over, watching him closely. Rhys guided her to move as he wished, raising her knees off the bed. He nudged her knees apart, giving a little smirk when she resisted, looking abashed.

  “Rhys…” she said, looking uncomfortable for the first time since he’d met her.

  “I want to see you, Echo. All of you,” Rhys said. “I want to make you feel very, very good.”

  Echo’s mouth pressed into a firm line, but she let him spread her knees wide, her thighs parting to reveal her glistening pink sex. Rhys admired her for several long moments before stretching out beside her. He lay on his side, facing Echo, and hooked her knee over his hip to give himself full access to her body.

  “You are exquisite,” Rhys murmured to Echo. “I hope you know that.”

  He trailed his fingertips from her navel to her hip, down to her knee, then traced a line back up her inner thigh. She tensed a little, but Rhys took his time, building up the moment, teasing her dark blonde curls, running touch his over her mons in light strokes.

  The air filled with her scent, an intoxicating musk that had Rhys’s bear clawing wildly for escape. He ignored the filthy images streaming through his mind, images of him filling and fucking his mate in every imaginable position, and focused on coaxing her release first.

  Rhys traced her outer lips with two fingertips, watching Echo’s hunger build, noticing when a fine sheen of perspiration broke out over her skin. He longed to have her stroke him in the same manner, but when her searching fingers found his waistband, he gently pushed her hand away.

  Echo shot him a look of utter frustration, but Rhys only smiled and ran a single fingertip up and down her slick slit, keeping the pressure too light for any real stimulation.

  When Echo’s body began to dampen the sheets below, when she was breathing hard and groaning with frustration, only then did Rhys find and circle her clit with his thumb.

  “Ah!” Echo cried, her hips jerking up to meet his touch.

  “Easy,” Rhys chided, moving her leg and shifting to
kneel between her legs.

  He hadn’t done this before, but he’d watched plenty of modern pornography. He hadn’t understood the desire until about five minutes ago, but he suddenly needed to taste his mate… intimately.

  Echo shot him a look that was somewhere between wild desire and utter fear, and Rhys was shocked to realize that this might actually be an important moment between them. Echo had surrendered control to him, and in exchange, he must fulfill his promise to bring her to climax.

  To his surprise, exploring Echo with his mouth came naturally. He buried his face in the juncture of her thigh, inhaling a deep dose of her scent, dropping teasing kisses on her sensitive skin.

  When he spread her lips wide with two fingers, she was already soaked for him. He exposed the small bud at the very top of her sex, tracing the delicate folds with the tip of his tongue. Echo nearly shot off the bed, her back arching as she cried out. One of her hands cradled the side of Rhys’s head, the other clutched the sheets.

  Rhys let his eyes close as he swirled his tongue around her most tender flesh. He kept his pace slow, his touch soft. He knew precisely how he wanted her to finish, and he didn’t want to rush to get there.

  As he tongued her clit, he slowly pressed one thick finger into her core. Her body was slick with need, accepting first one and then two fingers with ease, her muscles fluttering and gripping him in a way that made his cock throb with need.

  When he finally had his mate, she would be incredible; in all likelihood, she would unman him in moments unless he kept himself tightly controlled.

  Rhys had never tasted a woman like this before, but pleasing one with his hands was nothing new to him. As he kissed and lapped at her clit, he rotated his hand just so, fingertips curling up toward her navel, seeking…

  “AH!” Echo cried, writhing against his hand. “Rhys, yes! Oh, oh…”

  Rhys closed his lips over her clit and sucked gently, tapping an insistent tattoo with his fingertips, working his fingers in and out of her tightness. Echo lasted less than a minute more before she exploded, a sob escaping her lips as her body tensed and gushed against Rhys’s mouth and fingers. Her release went on and on, and Rhys helped her ride and crest the wave, drawing out her pleasure until she finally dragged him away.