by Lola Gabriel
Am I imagining things? she wondered, offering Angie a weak smile and sinking back into her seat. She still continued to look over her shoulder, expecting the pale stranger to be there. However, she did not see him again.
As the ceremony progressed without incident, Lisa willed herself to remain calm.
You’re acting paranoid for no reason, she thought, shaking her head at the realization. You need to keep it together for Angie.
Still Lisa could not shake the feeling that she was not fantasizing. Avison had been there, she was absolutely sure of it—for some reason, though, he had decided not to interrupt the wedding.
Of course, there was always the reception.
In the reception hall, Lisa headed straight for the bar.
“What the hell happened at the wedding?” Angie hissed as the brunette chugged down a glass of champagne with one sip.
“He was there!” Lisa whispered, her eyes darting around. “I saw him there, but then he was gone!”
Angie stared dubiously at Lisa. “Are you sure? Why would he come here if he wasn’t looking for Brian or for me?”
Lisa shook her head, since she had no answer for her friend. As the party continued, she could not let go of the sensation that Avison was still nearby.
That’s ridiculous, she chided herself. He’s not here, and it’s not like you can feel his presence or anything crazy like that. Just forget about him. Angie and Brian are married now, and the crisis has been averted. There is security here if anything happens. I can finally exhale and enjoy the party.
“You look very gloomy, considering you’re at a wedding,” Jasmin commented, approaching her. “Come on and dance. I love this song!”
Reluctantly, Lisa followed the bridesmaid.
Dancing always makes me feel better, she thought, and the two headed onto the floor, the effects of the alcohol beginning to make their way into Lisa’s body. She allowed the music to take over her, and she was soon rocking her slender body to the music, closing her eyes to embrace the feeling.
Someone snaked his arms around her waist, pressing his frame against hers, and Lisa allowed herself to melt back into the arms currently holding her, partially turning her head to look up at the stranger’s face.
She immediately stepped away, putting as much distance as she could between herself and the stranger on the crowded dance floor.
“You are more beautiful than I thought you would be in person,” Avison said, smiling gently at her.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Lisa muttered through clenched teeth. “I won’t let you ruin this wedding.”
Avison rolled his eyes. “I’m not here for Brian or Angie, and I’m not here to ruin anything.”
Lisa glared at him. “So why are you here?”
He smiled again, and his expression made Lisa feel like she had nothing to worry about, like he hadn’t come here with the purpose of getting back at his old friend and his now wife.
“I’m here for you, Lisa,” Avison answered.
Something about the way he said her name sent shivers down Lisa’s spine. She suddenly wondered if Avison being there was really as bad as Angie had made it out to be. Lisa kind of wanted to keep dancing with him, like she had been before realizing who he was, but the promise she had made to her friend was still in her mind. She had to make sure neither Angie nor Brian saw Avison here.
I need to get him out of here, Lisa thought.
“C’mon,” she told Avison, grabbing him by the arm and leading him away from the dance floor. He followed her without complaints, and soon they were standing in the far end of the hall, away from all the other wedding guests.
Lisa turned back to Avison, but whatever words she was going to say died in her throat when she saw how close he was standing to her. Seeing him this closely, she realized how attractive he was, and she vaguely recalled what Angie had said yesterday about wanting to introduce Avison to her.
Avison took a step forward, closing the distance between them. He lifted his hand to gently caress Lisa’s cheek with his knuckles, and Lisa almost melted into the contact.
“I have been waiting for you,” he murmured, once more sending shivers down Lisa’s back. Avison’s gaze bore into hers, and Lisa trembled beneath the depths of his iridescent blue eyes.
She felt drawn to him, like she was meant to meet him at some point, and circumstances had forced them to find each other here.
When Avison leaned forward, Lisa did as well, and when his mouth touched hers, Lisa threw her arms around him as sparks ignited within her, setting her body on fire. Her lips parted to let his tongue lick into her mouth, his hands gripping her hips and squeezing at her flesh beneath the fabric of her dress.
Lisa moaned as Avison pulled away to kiss at the soft, exposed skin of her neck. Goosebumps erupted over Lisa, and Avison’s palm peeled her dress up along her thigh. He embraced her more tightly, and Lisa’s head fell back, sighing softly as his kisses on her skin grew more urgent.
Avison’s other hand still gripped tightly at her waist, but the one on her thigh made its way between her legs, and his fingers teased at the pulsating nub at her center through her thong. Lisa moaned aloud, jerking forward to try to rub against his crotch, feeling his erection through his pants. She grew lightheaded from the erotic sensations flowing through her.
When his first digit slid beneath her underwear and entered her, Lisa gasped, her arms tightening around his neck. She leaned back against the wall, pulling him with her, and Lisa cried out as his one finger became two, his strokes becoming more deliberate. They were entangled in a passionate embrace as Lisa’s body began to shake with pleasure.
“Let yourself go, sweet Lisa,” Avison whispered, his mouth brushing hers, creating an instant flow of her release between her legs and over his thrusting fingers.
Still breathing heavily after her climax, Lisa’s hands reached for his pants, fumbling to undo them. Her legs buckled underneath her, and she fell to the ground, Avison following right behind her. The hand he had been using to grip at her waist moved to her back, his fingers playing with her wet middle.
Lisa got to her knees, spreading herself wide as she felt Avison mount her from behind, his erection rubbing against her bare buttocks. She pressed her face to the coolness of the floor, pushing her hips back against him.
Avison plunged inside her, deep and fast, keeping with the pace of her already fired desire, and she knew that she would climax again within seconds. As she suspected, she spilled against him, and her body was about to collapse against the floor when Avison wrapped an arm around her and pulled her up to press her back against his chest, his other hand firmly holding her hips, determined to finish as hard as she had.
“I have waited so long for you, Lisa,” Avison moaned. “Oh, you were worth the wait. Every painful moment—” His words trailed off as Lisa felt him release inside of her, quivering in jerking, hard movements.
Avison slowly pulled out of her, nuzzling his face into the back of her neck, softly kissing her skin. Lisa shivered against him, and he helped her to her feet so that she could turn around and stare at him.
A small part of her couldn’t believe what she had done, but the bigger part of her mind wondered why she hadn’t done it before. She remembered the words Avison had spoken in the midst of their passion, as well as the ones he had said earlier.
“You were looking for me,” Lisa muttered. She meant for her sentence to be a question, but she didn’t need to ask to know the answer.
“I was, and I’ve finally found you,” Avison said, lovingly cupping her cheek. He smiled tenderly at her, his eyes alight with desire. “Unfortunately, now I must go.”
“What?” Lisa demanded.
She was about to ask him why, but then she recalled exactly where she was, and the answer became obvious: she was in Angie and Brian’s wedding, where neither the groom nor the bride wanted Avison to be there, and he should probably leave before either of them encountered him.
But Lisa didn
’t want him to go, and she couldn’t find the words to express why without sounding silly and unbelievable.
Avison seemed to read her disappointment. He grasped her hands in his and kissed the back of her palms.
“I will see you again very soon,” he said.
“Will you?” Lisa pressed.
Avison nodded his head.
“Now that I’ve found you, it won’t take me as long to do it again,” he promised, kissing her cheek. His fingers trailed across her face, and then he disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving Lisa to stare after him, her mouth agape.
“Lisa!”
Lisa turned toward the source of the voice to see Jasmin running up to her.
“Oh, my God!” she squealed when she was in front of Lisa. “You just vanished from the dance floor! I could’ve sworn you were right behind me, and then you were gone!”
Lisa let out a small laugh, holding her head with her hand.
“Sorry,” she replied. “I just… needed some fresh air.”
Her eyes scanned the room, as if she expected to see Avison. But she realized that he had indeed left, and she had no idea of when she would see him again.
She would, though. He had promised her as much.
“Oh!” Jasmin gasped suddenly, her mouth parting in worry as the smile faded from her lips. “What happened to your neck?”
“What?”
Jasmin reached out to touch the spot where Avison had been sucking on her skin, and Lisa cringed at the feeling. Her own hand flew up to touch, and she could feel two puncture marks at the base of her throat.
The women stared at each other, with Jasmin waiting for a response while Lisa could only hear Avison’s words echoing through her mind.
I have been waiting for you. I have waited so long for you, Lisa, he had told her. Now that I’ve found you, it won’t take me as long to do it again.
That was why she had felt so drawn to him as soon as they were alone. They had been meant to find each other, and now they were bound together, ensuring that he would keep his promise to her.
Lisa turned away from Jasmin, dizziness flooding through her as a small smile formed across her lips. When she moved, she felt her gums begin to throb, and her eyes grew sharper against the dim lighting of the hall.
Senior year is going to be epic, she thought, striding toward the bar. I wonder if Kappa Mu Pi has ever had a president who is immortal.
THE END
Click Here to Read the Entire Shifter Pursuit Series
5
Summer Holiday
It was smoldering hot, only enhancing Sarah’s already foul mood. She parked the car and scowled at the sea of green assaulting her eyes.
This is ridiculous. It’s July. It’s offensive, she silently grumbled, but she willed herself to get out of the vehicle. She also stifled the urge to fly out of the parking lot and run for the hills. This should be illegal until after Thanksgiving
“Sarah!” Justine cried, and Sarah cringed internally. She had not even made it inside the building without being recognized.
Why did I agree to this? she wondered, even though she knew the answer; beggars could not be choosers. She needed the job, and in the town of Cashmere, the pickings were slim.
Sarah plastered a smile on her serenely pretty face and waved at the manager, who seemed unreasonably pleased to see her.
“You’re early!” Justine called, closing the short space between them.
“Better early than late,” Sarah chirped, trying not to show her utter disdain for the situation. After all, it wasn’t Justine’s fault.
“Come on inside! I’ll introduce you to Ever and Lexa. They’re going to be relieved you’re here.”
Sarah nodded, taking a deep breath as Justine turned to lead the way into the brightly-lit cottage that served as the shop. Everywhere she looked, her eyes were met with reds and greens, elves and Santa in various stages of work or play. The Christmas store was dream come true for anyone who loved the holiday. The store consisted of eight different rooms—each decorated with a specific Christmas theme. After Thanksgiving, Justine had told her that is was the go-to place for everyone within a hundred miles to get their Christmas trees.
Sarah had always despised garish Christmas decorations. In her mind, it was not a religious holiday, but rather a commercial event filled with forced cheer and insane people.
And here I am, Sarah thought, working at a Christmas tree farm in the middle of the summer. I am an enabler.
She walked inside the wooden cottage, the scent of cedar and pine wafting up to meet her nostrils, and for a fleeting second, Sarah did not feel so grumpy. It was almost impossible to be in a bad mood with the fresh aroma of coniferous trees in the air.
I’ll find a way, she vowed to herself.
“Ever! Lex! Sarah’s here!” Justine called, her voice reaching a nasal pitch, which sent Sarah back into her dark place.
Sarah removed her mirrored sunglasses and looked around the small store, wondering how such a business survived in the summer.
Not only is it sustaining itself, she thought incredulously. It’s actually in need of extra employees. Unbelievable.
Sarah didn’t have time to ponder on the strangeness of a Christmas business thriving during the summer—she was distracted by a handsome man who wandered out from the shop’s back room, a slightly sardonic smile on his face.
Someone who exuded that aura of arrogance—someone with such a cocky profile—would usually repel Sarah, but she was surprisingly transfixed by his swarthy complexion and glimmering black eyes.
“Ah! Another glutton for punishment,” he declared, sauntering toward her. “Let me guess, you’re one of those impossibly happy people who thinks working on a Christmas tree farm will put you on the good list and off the naughty?”
Sarah blushed under his scrutiny and shook her blonde curls, lowering her blue eyes.
“No,” she mumbled. “I just need the job.”
The man whooped and glanced at Justine. “At least she’s honest,” he said. “I guess you didn’t tell her who I am.”
Sarah wondered what that had to do with anything. She looked up at the manager, who shook her head ruefully.
“No, I did not,” Justine admitted. “Sarah, Ever is the heir to this place. His father is the owner.”
Oh, you have got to be kidding me, Sarah thought, her eyes widening in panic.
“I-I mean, of course I like Christmas!” she stuttered, and Ever chortled.
“Don’t worry. No one likes Christmas so much that they want it in their face 365 days a year,” he quipped. “We’re known around the world for the unique holiday décor we carry. We stay busy in the summer months because it’s when professional tree decorators and interior designers who specialize in Christmas place their orders for their busy season.”
“Professional tree decorators? Who would want to do that?” Sarah inwardly chastised herself again for talking down the holiday.
Ever laughed again. “You’d be surprised. It’s a big business for hotels, corporate buildings, and people with mansions who can’t be bothered with the arduous task of decorating.”
“Interesting,” was all Sarah said, wanting to keep her response short so she didn’t risk saying anything else she’d regret.
Sarah hoped he would not relay her words to his father. Otherwise, she might lose her job before it even began
The front door opened, and Sarah whirled, grateful for the distraction.
A stunningly beautiful brunette walked inside, work gloves covering her hands. She was wearing khaki shorts, and her legs seemed to be impossibly long beneath them.
“I need help,” the girl announced, bushing her hands against her sultry hips. Her eyebrows rose when she noticed the other three occupants of the room all staring at her. Her eyes rested on Sarah for a moment; then she turned to Ever and Justine. “What are you both doing in here?”
“Lexa, this is Sarah,” Justine offered. “She’s starting today.�
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Lexa glanced at Sarah and grinned disarmingly, a brilliant display of ivory teeth.
“Hey! That’s great!” she declared, ripping off a glove to extend her hand. “We could definitely do with some help!”
Sarah quickly accepted the outstretched palm before pulling back, sure that her own hand was slick wet with sweat. She was suddenly feeling self-conscious.
“Come on, Sarah,” Justine instructed. “I’ll give you the layout and put you to work. Will one of you mind the front while we’re gone?”
It was more of an order than a request, since Justine didn’t bother to wait for a reply, gesturing for Sarah to follow her.
“Is he going to tell his dad what I said?” Sarah asked worriedly when they were out of earshot.
Justine chuckled loudly. “I wouldn’t worry about that. I like Carlos more than Ever does,” she replied, and Sarah caught the sly note in her voice.
She couldn’t suppress a groan from escaping her lips, but to her relief, Justine only laughed. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. Anyway, you might find this place growing on you. It has all the magic of Christmas, you know.”
Sarah clamped down on her lip to keep from responding.
If that isn’t a terrible foreshadow, nothing is. I should run while I have the chance.
But of course, that wasn’t an option. She had started looking for a summer job even before she left school, sending out resumes online to every job she had the ability to do. Every year, Sarah tried to get a job for the summer, and every year, she faced the exact same problem: the job market in Cashmere simply didn’t seem to need someone like her.
After months of futile searching and job-hunting, her father had finally managed to get her this job, and so Sarah tried to reassure herself that she could do it.
It was only a couple of months before she left the beauty of Washington and traded it in for Colorado. Even so, she was already dreading what lay ahead.
Justine chirped away in her ear, explaining her job, and Sarah did her best to listen. The more the manager spoke to her, though, the tauter Sarah’s nerves became.
