“I’ll find her,” Jonah said. He barely made it out the door before his wolf took over, and with that, he was gone.
18.
“Good morning, Benjamin Jonah Lucas,” Lyla cooed over the cradle in her son’s tiny bedroom. “It’s a beautiful day to celebrate your half-birthday.”
Ben had been born exactly six months ago…which meant it had been about a year since she had seen Jonah last. The thought nearly made her cry.
She lifted her son carefully and cradled him to her chest, smiling down into his face. He was the most beautiful child she had ever seen. He had his father’s dark features, but with her clear blue-green eyes. Never had a person ever looked so perfect. Except for his father.
“Let’s go to the park today,” Lyla decided, taking Ben into the kitchen to feed him. After they were both fed and dressed, she pulled a tiny jacket over Benjamin’s little arms and unfolded the stroller.
“Have a good walk!” Mrs. Nelson called from across the street.
“Thank you! It’s Ben’s first half-birthday!”
“Oh, the precious little dear,” Mrs. Nelson cried.
Lyla laughed and continued on her way. Mrs. Nelson was a warm-hearted young woman, and, just as Lyla had suspected, she was a wolf through and through. She had been there to coach her throughout her son’s difficult birth, about two and a half months earlier than she had expected to have him, and had done everything in her power to make sure the two were well provided for; even taking over the cost of utilities in the apartment just so she could sleep better at night knowing they were all right.
Ben gurgled in pleasure when they reached the park and she lifted him out of his stroller to sit him in the baby swing. He laughed so hard that Lyla couldn’t help but laugh along with him. He was everything she had ever wanted. Her life would be perfect, if only…
“Lyla!”
Lyla’s heart lurched at the familiar sound of Jonah’s deep voice. “You’re kidding…” she whispered, whipping around.
Although she had thought she’d heard Jonah’s voice many times before, this time, it was unmistakably real. Jonah was standing in front of her, his dark eyes flashing at her.
“Jonah, I can explain…I’m so sorry! Please, don’t blame Benny…”
But to her surprise, the first thing Jonah did, instead of yelling or demanding to take his child, was embrace her tightly. His soft lips were suddenly on hers, and the wolf’s claim became unmistakable. No matter what, they had been fated to be together.
“Come meet your son,” Lyla said, dazed, pulling Jonah by the hand to the swing, where Ben was watching them curiously.
Jonah stood in front of the swing, staring intently at the child. Lyla’s stomach knotted. If Jonah rejected her son, it would be devastating. Finally, after several moments of silence, as Jonah and her son stared at one another, he walked forward and picked Ben up.
Lyla rushed forward–Ben always burst into tears when any stranger approached him, let alone picked him up–but stopped short. A surge of warmth coursed through her body. Ben wasn’t screaming. He wasn’t even nervous. He was smiling widely at Jonah, and Jonah was smiling at him.
“He’s perfect,” Jonah whispered.
***
Lyla and Jonah spent the rest of the afternoon at the park together, playing with Ben. Nothing in the world made her feel as full of love as seeing her son bonding with his father, and when Jonah asked if she was ready to go home, she took his arm and smiled.
They walked together arm in arm until they reached her small apartment, and she hesitated, checking for Mrs. Nelson before inviting him inside.
“Wow,” Jonah said with a low whistle. “This is tiny.”
Lyla blushed and turned away as she pulled Benny’s coat off. “I know. We don’t need much space.”
“It’s still better than that rundown little bungalow of yours,” Jonah said.
“Yeah,” Lyla agreed, carrying Ben to his room. He was yawning deeply, and had been dozing blissfully in the stroller on the way home. “That place was a dump. I’m still waiting for it to sell.”
Jonah nodded and stayed quiet until she returned from their son’s bedroom.
“I missed you,” Jonah said, his dark eyes boring into hers. She was electrified by his presence, and shocked by the liberating realization that there was no longer anything that they had to keep from each other. They could be honest.
“I missed you,” Lyla said, tears welling in her eyes. “You wouldn’t believe me if I tried to tell you how much.”
“I just might,” Jonah said, suddenly closing the space between them and holding her tightly in his arms. She had longed for him to hold her for so long that it almost didn’t feel real.
“I can’t believe you aren’t angry,” Lyla said, pulling away. She couldn’t forgive herself so easily. “You can tell me if you are, you know. It’s not good to hide that kind of thing.”
Jonah stared at her incredulously. “Why would I be angry?! I know why you did it. You were scared. For me, for yourself…for the baby…why would I be angry at you for just trying to do the right thing?”
Lyla collapsed against him in tears and Jonah caught her, holding her tenderly until she was done crying.
“I love you, Lyla. I always will. Nothing could ever change that, because I love you for a reason.”
Lyla squealed in surprise when her body suddenly became weightless and Jonah pressed her against his body, his need for her apparent through his clothes. She gasped in surprise and pleasure as he buried his face in the nape of her neck and slammed her against the wall, tearing her shirt off and taking her breast into his mouth. She shuddered in ecstasy as he continued to strip her as she was suspended in the air by his powerful arms, and ran her hand down his broad chest, urging him to take his own clothes off as well.
He obliged, and soon, his naked body was pressed sweetly against her. Lyla closed her eyes; she could feel every inch of his member pressing against her, and, with a swift and sudden thrust, he was inside her.
Her body was electrified as Jonah unleashed the ferocity of his desire upon her, assaulting her again and again with slow, sensual strokes of her nipples and the deep, gratifying rhythm of his hips. It felt so good; so right, and she held him close, almost afraid that if she let go, Jonah would be gone.
When she opened her eyes, however, Jonah was looking at her hard, present and reliable; her rock in a tumultuous ocean of pain and loneliness.
He loved her fiercely, with the same tenderness that she felt for him, and as they made love, she nearly cried from the weight of emotion she had been holding back all this time.
But before even a single tear could fall, she cried out in bliss as Jonah quickened his pace, pleasuring her body fervently as they sampled each other’s sweet lips again and again, each of them coming closer to the height of their desire. Jonah let out a deep growl in her ear which made her tremble in his arms, and suddenly, she saw the flash of the wolf in his eyes. Tender time was over. Now, it was time to truly feel.
Jonah’s strong body took over and before she knew what was happening, she was on her back on the small living room couch and Jonah was on top of her, his entire body pressed against hers. He parted her legs with his hands and was suddenly inside her again, prying her open and entering her again and again, until, with a power unlike anything she had ever felt before, she could feel the build of her climax reach its breaking point.
Jonah seemed to sense her resistance fading, and the powerful contraction of her orgasm pulled him closer to her. They gazed at each other, need–and love–creating a thrall that somehow gave her more pleasure than the sex itself ever could. Finally, with a passionate, languid kiss and a rapid thrust, Jonah plunged into her one last time and together, they reached an earth-shattering climax. He emptied himself into her as she cried out in bliss, their bodies entwined in a sacred dance that nearly took everything she had out of her.
When they were finished, Jonah pulled her up and held her close
to his chest, caressing her hair and kissing her forehead gently.
“You know, you can move back to Stonybrooke if you’d like,” he said softly. “Betsy would be really happy to see you.”
“But what about your job? Isn’t it too dangerous?” Lyla asked, quickly pulling away. “And Ben…”
“Actually,” Jonah said carefully. “I talked to my commanding officer, and he said it would be better for Stonybrooke if the team and I stayed put to keep an eye on things. So…I’m moving back home.”
Lyla’s heart thudded powerfully and she threw her arms around Jonah.
“You mean it?”
“I mean it,” Jonah said, kissing her deeply. “And I think Betsy’s sick of minding that old house herself anyway. It would do her some good to get out a bit and see that boyfriend of hers.”
“Boyfriend?!” Lyla exclaimed.
Jonah grinned. “You and the baby come back to Stonybrooke with me, and I’ll explain everything.”
Jonah touched her lips gently, a tender smile creasing his face, and Lyla sighed. All was right in the world again. And now, finally, she could go back home.
THE END
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Oak Mountain Shifters
Her Billionaire Shifter Boss
Leela Ash
Copyright ©2017 by Leela Ash. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic of mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Thank you so much for your interest in my work!
1.
“Come on, Blaine, this isn’t a competition.”
Blaine glared hard at Harris, who shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny of his boss. Blaine was thirty-nine years old, and starting to look it, but his body and mind were still impressive enough to command the attention of anybody near him.
“You do realize that we have shit to do and a limited amount of time to do it in, right? So, maybe next time, when I tell you you’re behind, you’re going to make it a priority not to be so fuckin’ behind anymore, right?”
“Whatever, man,” Harris mumbled.
“That’s more like it,” Blaine said. “It doesn’t matter how much better other people are doing. What matters is that you’re fuckin’ around and not doing as much as you’re supposed to. If you don’t like the work I’m giving you here, there’s always bathroom duty.”
“I said I was sorry!” Harris exclaimed.
“Actually, you didn’t,” Blaine said, shaking his head. He was getting sick of Harris anyway. He was the kind of immature man who could never take responsibility for his actions and always had to blame someone else when he dropped the ball. But the bear shifters were counting on Blaine and his team to dig through Oak Mountain and find the portals that had been missing for far too long. Harris understood how important it was, but he still managed to slack off. He was fed up.
“Well, I’m sorry, boss. I’ll do better.”
Harris and Blaine glared at each other for a moment, and Blaine sighed.
“If you don’t, you know what’s going to happen. Get the fuck out of my office.”
Harris’ face darkened but he obeyed, and Blaine was left alone in his office. He stared at the map on the wall, marked in red where the mines were being dug. He needed all the help he could get. It was hard enough organizing all this shit without anybody else’s help, let alone keeping everybody motivated to succeed before the dragon shifters found their way to the portals. This was bear turf, and he was going to keep it that way.
“Blaine!”
Blaine rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. “Just what I need.”
“What’s this I hear about putting Harris on toilet duty?” Jack Pearson demanded, slamming his fist on Blaine’s desk. He had been the mechanic heading operations since Blaine was just a teenager. “That man works himself to the bone every day! Maybe if you came to his mine you’d know that instead of just taking whatever it is that crawled up your ass a few years back out on everyone who takes your shit.”
“You’re walking a fine line, Jack,” Blaine growled. But Jack’s eyes flashed. They had known each other for years at this point, had always been pretty close. Jack knew Blaine wouldn’t take his temper out on him, and so he felt comfortable telling him whatever he felt like. Blaine respected him for it. He was the only straight shooter of the whole lowly bunch of misfits he had on the team.
“You need to lay off these guys,” Jack said. “Seriously. We’re all tired as hell and still showing up every morning to work sixteen-hour days. So what if Harris didn’t meet the quota! This isn’t even about the quartz!”
“You know how powerful quartz is,” Blaine growled, lowering his voice. He could never tell who might be around the corner to overhear. “And you best close that door before you start shooting your mouth off about that. We’re not just employing bear shifters anymore, you know.”
Jack glared at him, but he closed the door.
“That’s the whole point, man. We’re not just employing bear shifters anymore. That means there are people out there who are desecrating the sacred sites of the portals.”
“Nobody is going to desecrate the portals,” Blaine said. “And anyway, we’d have to find them first.”
“We didn’t come all the way back here from the arctic just to have the portals tainted before they were even able to be activated again,” Jack said. He was angry. Really angry. But Blaine didn’t care. He knew what needed to be done, and having anybody there preaching at him about how to do his job was just a waste of precious time.
“Well, no shit,” Blaine said. “But you need to start paying attention. There’s something you don’t know, believe it or not, and if you don’t trust me then you’re welcome to leave. But I hope you realize that it means you’re not going to be joining us when we make it back to our own world.”
“It’s not that I don’t trust you,” Jack said, sighing. “It’s that you’ve changed, man. When we first met, you were so down to earth and, I dunno, man. Maybe more patient? But it’s like something happened to you that just changed you.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Blaine snapped, standing up and staring hard at Jack. “What I do know is, I’ve been seeing more and more dragons where they probably shouldn’t be. You and I both know the agreement is that they don’t bother us and we don’t bother them, but you know we’re not exactly allies.”
“I get it. Trust me. But you know what? The bear shifters who are out here every day busting our asses? They are your allies. And you’d better start fuckin’ treating them like they are. Because you’re not irreplaceable.”
Blaine lost control at this point, and the bear inside him roared at Jack, who flinched and backed away toward the door.
“Keep it in mind, man. You can’t bully us forever. We trust and respect you, but if you’re going to take your own shit out on people who don’t deserve it, then you might just end up regretting it. There are more of us than there are of you.”
“Get out of my office and get to work,” Blaine said, doing his best to keep his temper under control. Jack didn’t deserve it. He was just telling the truth. Still, Blaine wasn’t in the mood to hear it.
“All right, man,” Jack said, turning away and opening the door. “Just remember what I said. And think about Harris. He does his best for the cause and you’re going to regret it if you send him on some shitty task when he could be getting something done.”
Jack disappeared out the door and Blaine sat back down in his chair heavily. There was nothing he wanted more than to go easier on his men, but if they weren’t going to get done what needed done, then he didn’t see any alternative. Besides, maybe Jack was right. Maybe he had changed after…
But Blaine shook the thought away. If he was going to get anything done today,
he would have to stay focused, not think about things that happened years ago that shouldn’t even be relevant right now. What he had to do was get focused.
The door slammed behind Blaine as he walked outside and headed to the peak of the mountains. Headquarters was right in the center of the mountain, making it more easily accessible for people who weren’t used to the conditions of living and driving in high altitudes. But the bear shifters had created their own settlement right at the peak of Oak Mountain, where they had continued to mine faithfully for the past six years.
They were closer than ever before, Blaine knew. The quartz was an incredible omen. Quartz was one of the most powerful stones, and tended to harness energy very easily. If quartz was growing in droves, that probably meant there was something very powerful nearby. Something like a portal.
“What are you doing here?”
Blaine froze for a moment, ready to fight, but when Geron emerged from the trees, he relaxed a little bit. Geron was the advocate for the dragon shifters who lived further down the valley, on a mountain they liked to call Mount Argon.
“Geron,” Blaine said to the aged but rugged man. “I just thought I’d get out for a while. How can I help you?”
Geron didn’t look very happy, and Blaine could hardly blame him. The dragon shifters were constantly hanging around Oak Mountain, and although the bear shifters had officially been at peace with the dragon shifters for the past fifty years, the miners had a tendency to haze them whenever they had the chance.
“Do you think you could ask your boys to lay off?” Geron asked. “I was just on my way up the mountain to talk to you about it.”
“I would but, you know, they’re not really supposed to be out this way.”
“It’s not really something that can be helped. The ancient caves are all interconnected. You know that as well as I do. Mount Argon has tunnels that lead right to the tip of this mountain. And we can’t fully explore them with you guys treating the place like it’s your property.”
SNAKE Page 25
