by Haley Weir
“Do all chats with you end up in one person having smeared lipstick?” asked a voice behind him. Brock turned to see Corey looking much better than he had before leaving Haden Springs.
“No, just chats with your sister.”
Everyone laughed at Corey’s expense when the jaguar’s mood shifted from sarcastic to bloodthirsty in a split second. Brock clapped him on the back and eased the tension by telling the story of his embarrassing two month hiatus. “I’m serious, I looked like a troll that crawled out from under a bridge. It was not pretty.”
“That’s what love does to you,” Anders said. “I look like that every morning I wake up next to Sapphire because I know the day won’t end until I’m shouting at her and she’s ripping my clothes off. It’s exhausting, but man is it worth it.”
“Sorry, fellas. I don’t think Jenny has ever made me feel like a bridge troll. If anything she makes me feel like a fire-breathing dragon every time we argue. She does this thing where she cries even when she’s wrong and I end up apologizing for something I didn’t do.” Dorian received a round of sympathy pats from each of the guys.
Brock then spent the rest of the party talking to his brother and hovering around Destiny as she socialized with her friends. Sapphire never failed to remind him how “creepy” he looked whenever he got too close.
***
Each time she turned around the sight of him struck her. Brock rarely left her side for more than a few minutes and when he did, she still felt his eyes on her from across the room. Destiny wanted to behave, but she had a secret that she knew would set the tone for the rest of the night. She was pulled aside by Jenny suddenly.
"You look so beautiful. I mean, you always do, but you're literally glowing now that Brock is back." Her friend looked happy for her and it meant the world to Destiny that they had repaired their relationship. “Now all we have to do is get Tilly a man.”
“We would need to find someone who wouldn’t mind that her first love will always be her job,” she joked. “But you’re right. Tilly needs love just as much as the rest of us and I can’t wait until someone tames that feistiness for themself.”
“I hear she isn’t the only one in need of taming.”
Destiny rolled her eyes, but she failed to conceal her smile. “Does Sapphire feel the need to spread everyone’s business?”
“You know how she is. Bored and pregnant.”
She chuckled and turned to look at the green-haired spitfire they all adored. “Yeah, but she was like that before she was pregnant,” Destiny reminded Jenny. “Although, I don’t think either of us would be with our mates right now if it wasn’t for her.”
“I know.” Jenny’s response sounded a bit slurred from the singer’s third martini. “She’s the glue that holds this little family together. Without Sapphire, a lot of us would be quite miserable. To Saph…”
Destiny raised her glass and clicked it against Jenny’s. “Do you think you and Dorian will every have kids?” she asked.
Jenny chewed the inside of her cheek for a second. “Yes, but maybe after we work a few more things out. I’m sure you know by now that our relationship still has it’s problems. We’ll get our happy ever after moment soon, but we’re just being careful. Love is a battlefield and neither of us want anything blowing up in our faces.”
Destiny tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "We had a really good conversation about our expectations of the future, Brock and I, but now I'm ready to just get him out of that suit." Her boldness shocked Jenny, but Destiny didn't care at the moment. She weaved her way through the masses of people to find her mate.
Dorian, Anders, Michael, and Corey didn't notice her approach until they realized that Brock had stopped talking. Their heads turned as she got on the tips of her heels, using his shoulders to steady herself, and whispered her dirty little secret. "I'm not wearing anything under this dress."
“If you think this is the way to get rid of me or convince me to stop trying to get you to submit, then you’re a terrible judge of character. Because anyone who knows me will tell you that I’m a hopeless romantic. Out of all of us, I was the one ready for love.”
He gave her a look that caused her body to weep for him. She walked her fingers up his chest and kissed his bearded jaw. “I think we both deserve something special tonight, don’t you agree?”
Brock pointed to the exit and she went without needing to be told twice. Destiny could tell that Brock had had a few drinks, so she called a cab to take them to their sanctuary. He was all over her the second they got in the back of the taxi. She clutched his shoulders and let him take what he needed. "Don't forget that I still get to retaliate for your little comment earlier."
She began to quiver as his hand left her throat to slide up her thigh, dragging the hem of her black dress as it journeyed higher and higher. The tips of his fingers ghosted along the damp fabric of her panties. Destiny tried to slam her thighs shut, but his hips kept her open for his exploration. His teasing touches caused her breath to come in shallow gasps.
His teeth grazed her sensitive skin. She kissed and caressed every inch of skin that she dared to reach in the back seat of a taxi. Just like before, his hand made his way up her dress and she was forced to bite down on his shoulder to keep from screaming. He teased her toward the edge before backing off over and over again. She didn’t know whether to scream at him or cry, but she didn’t want it to stop.
Destiny felt the vehicle pull to a stop only seconds before she was yanked out by her waist. Her feet didn’t even hit the ground. Brock tossed her over his shoulder like a caveman and unlocked the one place they could be alone without interruptions. He set her down only to open the elevator and then kissed her like he wanted to meld his soul to hers. Destiny’s body responded instantly. She climbed him until she was the perfect height to battle his kiss for dominance.
But they both knew who would submit in the end.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Her back hit the door hard enough to bruise, but Destiny didn’t care. She wrapped her legs around the waist of her lover and sucked his bottom lip between her teeth. Brock’s chest vibrated with a suppressed growl that filled her body with a white-hot lust. Destiny reached between their bodies to grip him through his dress slacks. His hand circled her wrist and pinned it above her head.
The needy whimper that came out of her mouth would have been embarrassing if not for the answering sound from her mate. “I’ve missed you so much,” she moaned. Brock’s hands gripped her bottom before he claimed her mouth in a searing kiss. Destiny barely registered being carried over to the other side of the room.
Her eyes flew open when her back hit the bed. Brock moved away from her. The faint light played across the planes of his gorgeous face as he unbuttoned his shirt. Destiny licked her lips, wanting a taste of the sun-kissed skin that was revealed with each button. Her hands scrambled for purchase when the look in his eyes filled her blood with a fiery yearning. “Please, my King.”
Brock took his time no matter how much she begged. Deft fingers unbuckled his belt and tossed it aside without a care. “I’m not going to make love to you,” he rasped. “What this is has nothing to do with sex. This is a claiming, Dezzy. From this night forward you will know only my touch. You will beg for it when we are apart and sigh in memory of me taking you with a possessive force.”
Her breath came out it a puff of hot air. Brock had his pants down and thrown to the other side of the room. Destiny was speechless. Somehow he seemed bigger than he had been their first time together. She swallowed instinctively when a drop of his essence beaded at the tip. Fingers tilted her head up as he approached. “Knees on the floor with your torso across the bed.”
Destiny scrambled to her knees and did as he commanded. She was rewarded with a kiss to the back of her neck. Her heart thundered in her chest when she felt the dress being unzipped. It took some maneuvering to remove it entirely, but the groan that filled her ears was worth the discomfort of not wearing an
y underwear all night. A feather-light touch caressed her folds. “Always so ready for me,” he whispered.
“Only for you, my King.”
“Mouth open,” Brock demanded.
Destiny opened her mouth without hesitation. The obedience surprised her as much as it did him, but desire pooled between her thighs when a silk scrap of fabric was slid between her teeth and tied at the back of her head. Brock checked to make sure she was comfortable before restraining her arms with his necktie.
Her entire body trembled with need as he held her hand. “Squeeze my hand once for yes, twice to stop, and three times to check in.”
She recited the instructions in her head over and over as though it was a shelter from the storm. Brock’s hand smacked her bottom, redding the flesh and causing a delicious sting that radiated across her skin. Destiny squeezed his hand once. She trembled with anticipation as she felt him nudge her legs apart with his knees.
“You look so lovely like this…tied up and at my mercy. I think I’ll keep you this way for a few days,” he growled in her ear. “My instincts tell me that you want me to. You want me to use your body for my pleasure, to claim you until you can’t walk straight.”
Destiny swallowed the last of her pride and squeezed his hand once. Brock’s hand slipped between her upper body and the mattress, coming to a rest against her mound. She cried out around her gag as his fingers spread her open. His other hand reached her tender flesh from behind and danced across her nerves. Destiny fought against the urge to rock her hips, knowing it would only result in her punishment.
But on the other hand, she was thrilled by the thought of being disciplined by him.
“I love you beneath me, around me, screaming for me.” Just the sound of that deep, gruff voice made her body clench around his probing fingers. “You’re so good for me, my Queen. So sweet and soft.”
His praise ran through her like a jolt of electricity and suddenly Destiny felt as though she was perched upon a cliff. She mewled pathetically into the mattress and jumped when he spanked her again. “Don’t come until I give you permission.”
Couldn’t he see that he was driving her crazy? Destiny never thought a real man would be able to compete with the fantasies that her books had given her. But she was wrong. Brock Wasting was the perfect man even if he came with the added bonus of being a shifter. Each touch of his hand pushed a painful memory to the back of her mind until only love and pure adoration existed in her heart.
***
The moment he entered her body felt like finding heaven and home. Brock heard the glorious sound of her scream harmonize with an angelic choir as he experienced bliss. She was so close that he could feel each flutter of her muscles. Brock licked her shoulder blade and removed his weight from her back. Destiny tensed, waiting for his next thrust, but he waited until she melted into the mattress.
He climbed up the ladder on the side of the abandoned building and looked around the roof. Destiny sat on the edge in a thin black dress. Brock had to slow down and catch his breath. Her beautiful pale skin looked stunning in the moonlight.
But it looked even more beautiful covered in the bites and small marks that he littered all over her body. Each one had elicited a new sound of enjoyment from his beautiful mate along with a reassuring squeeze to his hand.
Long black hair blew in the warm summer breeze and Brock’s fingers itched to wrap around the strands. He wanted to kiss her until they both needed to break away in fear of passing out. She turned and the blue light cast from the starry sky illuminated the profile of her face. Hazel eyes flickered over to him and the heat he saw in their depths stole what was left of the air in his lungs.
And her profile was exquisite as he wrapped his hands in her hair and rode her to the brink of destruction. Whenever she tossed a lustful gaze over her shoulder, he felt an answering spark in the pit of his stomach. Lighting coiled around the base of his spine.
Destiny stood up and walked toward him like a goddess, all curves and elegant beauty. He set his bag on the ground and strutted over to his mate. She let him lift her into his arms as he tasted that sweet smile of hers. The sound of her heartbeat brought him a peace that had only ever seemed like a dream.
Her screams of pleasure were muffled, but they brought him so much joy. Only he could do this to her, reduce her to tears as he marked her inside and out. Not once did she ask him to stop. Not once did she fight against her restraints. His mate was perfect in every sense of the word. “I love you,” he said.
Brock repeated that phrase until it was lost in the erotic sound of their bodies colliding in a euphoric dance. He picked up speed and reached down to stroke her once more. “Let go, my queen. You’ve been so good for me. You can let go now.” The power of her release was more intense than the first time. In fact, it was enough to keep him erect for the rest of the night.
He loved her until she couldn’t stand it anymore and even after that. Brock took her to new heights in every position that had been known to mankind up until that moment. Four orgasms blended into five and five blurred into countless others. By the time he was sated, Destiny could barely open her eyes. Brock did, however, bathe and dress her for the night and light a fire so she was comfortable.
In the morning, he left to fetch her some breakfast and then returned with a bouquet of flowers. The rest of the afternoon, they househunted with Corey to find their new home. Sadly, most of the really nice places in town were already taken, but they settled on a house that they could make their own. It was a project, but it was also something for Corey and Destiny to do with their time until they decided what they wanted to do.
Brock nearly had a heart attack each time she joked with Sapphire about wanting to write books about their lives. He made it a point to remind them that everyone had enough problems to worry about for the moment.
Chapter Twenty-Three
All he remembered was the cold. He had felt so cold that his eyes wouldn’t open as he tried to claw his way out of the darkness. There were voices, flashes of a young girl’s face that cried out for him as he was carried away. Destiny. The young girl had been his sister, the sister he now knew better than ever, but she knew nothing of the monster their father had made him. And yet she loved him.
Corey waited for the cold to come back, the cold that came with blank spots in his memory from when they had shocked him until he remembered nothing but darkness. It was strange how it was in those moments when he chose to think of Vanessa and his old crew. There had been times when he purposely sought her out just to be cruel. The love in her eyes made it easier to get what he wanted.
Nightfall spread through the valley and the hunters let the cold from the wind soak into their weary bones. For far too long they hunted down dead-end legends of bear shifters. It wasn’t until an anonymous tip was called into a conspiracy theory hotline that they learned of the protectors of Haden Springs.
What caught Corey’s attention was that the caller hadn’t sounded like the usual nut jobs who phoned the hotline. There was an air of intelligence and pride in the man’s voice that caused chill-bumps to appear on his arms. “We’re coming for you,” Corey vowed to no one at all. He crawled into his tent and rested his head beside Vanessa.
That voice had been Brock Wasting. Fate had a cruel way of messing with the bears he had become acquainted with in the previous months. There was something about them that made it seem like the world revolved around them, as if the universe had been designed specifically for the purpose of making them who they were.
Did that mean Vanessa’s death had been part of the plan all along?
Corey kicked the chair out from under Vanessa and towered over her. “You will not compromise my mission,” he said darkly. “Go against my direct orders and I will kill you faster than you can blink.”
“Corey? What the hell?” Vanessa climbed to her feet with a wounded expression on her pretty face. “We always joke about killing those things!”
“Are you going to insu
lt my intelligence by implying that what you said was to be taken as a joke?” Corey wrapped his fingers around Vanessa’s throat and squeezed. “You are nothing, do you understand me?”
Vanessa nodded, though he could see the pain in her eyes, Corey knew worse things were in store for those who disobeyed a direct order, for he felt the devastating shocks of electricity and numbing cold each time he tried.
“I understand, Corey.”
“Good. Now get to your post.”
He couldn’t help the stab of seething guilt that overcame him. That was the last time he had seen her alive and he had chosen to belittle her with his rank. Corey slammed his fist into the wall of the elevator and the rest his head against the steel. Why couldn't he remember the important things? He knew there were secrets locked away in his mind, secrets his father didn't want revealed.
The door opened with an annoying buzz and he stepped up to the front door of Michael Adair's loft. He pounded on the door and waited outside until a cute girl sauntered past. She closed the elevator gate and rode down without a backwards glance. "You coming in or are you going to just stand here?"
He followed the bear into the loft and took the seat offered to him. "Dorian told me about the time you chained him to this floor and electrocuted him...but didn't say why."
"What's this about?"
"The only thing that I remember before my training is cold, darkness, and electricity," Corey explained. "Everything else was just lies that I was told so that I didn't ask too many questions. I want you to try and reverse it. To give me my memory back."
"You know there's no guarantee that it'll work. There's a possibility that you could get worse." Michael pulled his long hair back into a ponytail and reclined on the couch. "Then again, nothing could happen and your memory would be lost forever."
"It's worth the risk."
