I made a promise to myself that if I ever saw Alec again, I would maul him to ribbons.
Imagine my surprise when I answered a knock on my door and stood face to face with the devil himself. Alec. Looking hot as ever, smiling down at me with a huge grin on his face. I stood there, stupefied, as he dragged me into his chest for a hug.
“I’ve missed you, cupcake.”
I was frozen, a tray of burned muffins in my hand, my face a mask of shock and horror. He was back. He was there, standing on my porch, smelling like spiced cake heaven.
Fury coursed through me and I smacked him upside the head with the tray of muffins. They rolled out on him and fell to the porch floor around us. I shoved the tray against his chest and shoved him and the tray back a step and slammed the door shut.
“Carter?” Alec knocked on the door and tried to open it, but I’d locked it. “That’s not funny.”
“What’s not funny is you thinking you can come back here after dumping me the way you did! Did Chelsie get tired of you, too?”
“What the hell are you talking about? Dumping…? I didn’t du… open up so we can talk, Carter. I don’t want to yell through the door.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not opening any doors for you, you big dumb… flea bitten… tail chasing… butt licker!”
“I didn’t want to leave for a few days either, believe me, but I had to get some things in order. I’m back for good now. I’m sorry I left the letter and didn’t stick around to talk to you in person, but I needed to get everything taken care of right away.”
What the fuck was he talking about? I jerked the door open and gave him my meanest stink eye. “What letter?”
He frowned. “The letter I left at the front desk of Muddy’s. I couldn’t find you when I was leaving, and I didn’t have your cell number to text, so I explained in the letter.”
“I didn’t get a letter.” I crossed my arms over my chest, but I was softening a little. “I did get a personalized greeting from Chelsie, telling me that you were back together and that I was a low-rent maid and way out of your league.”
He growled and yanked me into him. “Chelsie stayed? What did she do? I left a letter. Carter, you had to know I damn sure wouldn’t have gone back to her. And you’re definitely not low-rent anything, whatever that means. And you’re not in my league. You’re much too good for me.”
I felt some of the despair I’d been feeling fade. “You seriously left a letter?”
“Yes. I thought it would be romantic. Bad idea?” He leaned down and brushed his lips over mine. “What happened with Chelsie.”
I groaned. “I don’t want to talk about it. I’ll tell you some other time. It wasn’t pretty.”
“I’m so sorry, cupcake. I feel like I keep messing things up with you. You thought the worst of me right away. Can’t say I blame you, but I need to prove myself. Please give me a chance to do that.”
I bit my lip. I suddenly felt as though I’d been acting like a histrionic drama queen. “That Chelsie is a real number.”
“Good riddance.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the house and into the street towards a rental car. “I need to show you something. I want to show you what I’ve been doing while I was away. You and me, this is the real deal. I’m here and I want you to learn to trust me, Carter.”
“I want you to learn to use a phone.”
He grinned. “You say that like you’re warming up to the idea of forever with me.”
My heart fluttered and I forced an easy shrug. “Maybe.”
24
Alec
“Are you taking me to your secret lair?” Carter looked over at me from the passenger’s seat, the sun caught her hair and formed a bright golden halo. Her eyes were sparkling blue as she studied me through thick lashes.
“Something like that. Just be patient.”
She laughed. “You have so much to learn about me.”
I drove to the edge of town and then turned down a dirt road that led a couple of miles through a forested area to a clearing. In the center of the clearing was a dumpster next to an old but sturdy, and well-constructed barn.
When I parked in front of it, Carter’s eyes grew wide. She got out and stood in front of the car, blinking a few times before looking back at me. “What is it?”
“This is the soon to be factory and warehouse of Patterson Furniture, the Handmade, Custom-Pieces Division. The name needs some work yet.”
I led her into the shop. The place was huge and still need clean-up, but the bones were amazing. Wood working equipment would start arriving in the following weeks. I was excited to start getting it in shape and then start working with my dad again. The two of us working on handcrafted pieces together would be like going back to what had captivated me about the family business in the first place.
“Actually, I brought you here to meet someone.” I took her by the hand and pulled her after me as I crossed the space weaving around piles of old boards, broken tractor parts, and vermin-infested hay bales. I didn’t slow down until I spotted the shock of silver hair poking up from what looked like a stack of moldy, rotten bags of grain near the rear of the large space.
He spotted us at the same time and waved. “There you are. Carter, meet my dad. Dad, meet Carter. My beautiful mate.”
I found an incredible joy watching my dad’s reaction to my mate. His eyes crinkled as his smile stretched broadly across his face. “And beautiful she is, son. I’m so happy to meet you, Carter! Finally, a woman able to knock some sense into my boy.”
Dad embraced her in a tight hug that made her laugh. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”
“Call me Duncan.” He patted her on the back a few times before pulling back and looking her over. “I hope my son deserves someone as fine as you.”
I pulled my mate against my chest and pressed my lips to the side of her head. “I can assure you that I don’t. I’m going to spend my lifetime trying to, though. We’re going to run out to the other place, Dad. I’ll be back later to help out.”
Duncan waved us away. “Take the day off. I’ve got it handled here.”
I didn’t give her much of a chance to wave goodbye to Dad before I dragged her back out of the “barn-slash-warehouse” and into the car. I saved the best for last, and I couldn’t wait to see her reaction.
I’d fucked up so much with her already, I hoped I hadn’t been wrong about this, too.
25
Alec
She looked over at me and raised her eyebrows while she fastened her seatbelt. “Where to now?”
“I want to show you how serious I am. I’m here with you. Forever. Dad moving here, and the two of us getting our new venture up and running is only the tip of the iceberg I’ve been working on. The big reveal, the thing I’m most excited about, is what’s coming up.”
I’d missed her so much in the two days I was away. Knowing that she’d spent the whole time thinking I’d left her crushed me.
I was terrified I wouldn’t be enough for her. She was too good for me on every level. I wanted to do everything possible to prove to her that I was real and I was staying. I couldn’t let her slip away.
When I pulled up to the vacant storefront on Main Street and parked at the curb, she looked confused. “What is this place, Alec?”
“Yours.” Her face was a mask of bewilderment when I opened the passenger door for her, but she got out and followed. I unlocked the front door, then ushered her into the space ahead of me.
As we entered the dusty space, I realized once again that I’d taken a lot of liberties, and made many assumptions. I hoped to hell I wasn’t wrong. This whole thing could blow up in my face if I was. When I’d heard her say that the B&B guests raved about her baking, well that’s when the plan was formulated.
“I’m waiting. What are we doing here?” Carter’s hands were on her hips, her brow wrinkled. “What is this dusty old place?”
“I told you. Yours. If you want it. Some might see it as a dusty old
place, but others would see it as a bakery in its early stages. Very early.”
Her jaw dropped open, but her eyes shone like diamonds. I took that as a good sign.
“I have a contractor and an architect on call to meet with this week, and you’ll have to make selections on appliances. Make sure the walk-in has a properly working latch. You’ve got a lot of work to do before it’ll be ready for a grand opening, but it’s all yours.”
“How did you know I’d—I mean, what made you—Alec how’d you know?”
I swallowed. “I was just hoping.”
She caught my face in her hands and smiled up at me. “Just this morning, I thought you were never coming back. A week and a half ago, I didn’t even know you existed. This is all so fast.”
“I get it. We can take our time.”
“It’s fast, but when you know, you know? No?”
I grabbed her and spun her around, feeling pure joy surge through me. “Yes!”
She let her head fall back and when she looked up at me, there was something in her eyes that hit me hard. Love? She was right there with me.
I cleared my throat to get rid of the emotion threatening to thicken my voice. “Let’s look around.”
I’d taken most of the time away trying to finalize the sale of the storefront space, and figure out how exactly a bakery was supposed be outfitted. The owner had smelled a desperate man and had played hardball with me. I’d overpaid by a lot, but it was worth it.
We toured the store, Carter excitedly pointing out all the changes that would need to be made to outfit it as a bakery. I was overjoyed. I finally felt like I’d done right by my mate. “I love this space! Alec, it will be perfect.” Her face fell. “But, there’s one important thing we need to do. Come on.”
I caught a hint of her arousal as she passed me, headed towards the kitchen. She looked back at me over her shoulder and sent me a seductive, come-hither smile that let me know what was up. She wanted me. “We have to break the place in.”
I rushed after her, eager to get my hands on her. When she ran, I chased. Her billowing laughter urged me on and I grabbed her as soon as we reached the back room. Wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her back against my chest, I rocked my hips against her ass and ran my tongue up the side of her neck. “I missed you.”
I spun her around, picked her up by the waist, and slid her on the counter. I devoured her mouth fiercely, showing her how much I’d missed her. I tasted her, running my hands over her body as I did. I shoved my hands down the back of her jeans and roughly tugged them down her hips as she wiggled to free them. “I missed you, too. More than you know.”
She worked at my belt and growled when she couldn’t get it. “Stop wearing these!”
I yanked the belt off and grabbed the hem of her shirt up and over her head. I couldn’t get her bra off fast enough. I was starving to taste her breasts.
Carter unbuttoned my pants and made enough room to slip her hand inside. She grasped my cock and squeezed. “More.”
I dipped my head and captured her nipple in my mouth, moving from one to the other. Licking and sucking, I teased her into a ball of needy demands. As her hand pumped me, I groaned and then pulled back completely.
“Stand still.”
Carter shivered and watched me with heavily lidded eyes.
I knelt in front of her and helped her out of her underwear. I stared up at her as I lifted one knee over my shoulder and leaned into her. When my mouth was just inches away from her core, I breathed lightly and watched as she shivered before I closed the gap and tasted her.
Carter moaned my name and locked her fingers in my hair as I swiped my tongue up her slit and then delved inside. I took my time, slowly driving her crazy, as I fucked her with my mouth. I found her clit and sucked it gently, flicking my tongue over it faster and faster until she was screaming above me, so close that I knew one more flick of my tongue would send her over the edge.
Being the bastard that I was, I stepped back and ignored her desperate cries as I pulled her off the counter and stood with her positioned just over my cock, her legs wrapped around me. I wanted to watch her face as I slid into her, as she came apart around me.
She didn’t disappoint. When I slid into her tight body, she convulsed around me and dug her nails into my forearm as her neck pulled tight and her face burned red. She came on me like a freight train and didn’t stop as I pulled out and then slid back in.
Carter rocked her hips into my thrusts and I watched as she tossed her head from side to side, her body still pulsing around me. I leaned down and kissed her, hungrily tasting her and letting her see what she did to me.
She locked her legs around me and dragged her nails down my back until she was grabbing my ass, urging me into her faster and harder. “Yes, Alec!”
I held her ass and used it to pump her body up and down my shaft. I was close, but when she shifted her head and bared her neck to me, I lost all semblance of control.
Pounding into her body, I leaned forward and sank my teeth into her neck, marking her as my own and forging a bond between us that could never be broken. Seconds later, I felt her teeth sink into my neck and I came undone.
Spilling my seed into her body as she came harder than before, I found nirvana. It was too great to be anything else. Holding her in my arms, I relished the start of our new life together. “Mate.”
Carter looked at me with glassy eyes,“Mate.”
26
Carter
Progress was coming along on the bakery. There would be a painter coming within the following week to stencil the name on the front: Carter’s Cupcakes and Cookies. I assured Muddy that I would still make sure her B&B was stocked with baked goods delivered for her guests every morning.
I looked out of the kitchen window and watched a tiny bear cub running at top speed chasing after a large, older, graying wolf who slowed his pace to let the cub almost catch him. Almost. I laughed when the wolf turned and started chasing the cub. Their growls and chuffs of laughter could be heard clear into the kitchen, where I was pulling out a pan of perfectly baked birthday cupcakes for Alec.
We were having a party for him that night. All our friends were coming to wish Alec a happy birthday. I’d heard through the grapevine that a lot of older women in town were coming to check out Duncan. Needless to say, the men in the family got along quite well.
I turned the cupcakes out on a cooling rack and put the finishing touches on the potato salad before turning back to the window. Jellybean was still playing in the yard with Duncan and she’d been joined by the massive furry bodies of Cannon and Matt. I didn’t see Alec anywhere, although I knew he’d been out there a few minutes prior.
The panic I would have felt in the beginning was gone, though. The claiming marks we’d given one another hadn’t just brought the hottest orgasms of my life, they’d also brought a new level of bonding between us. One that allowed me to rest easy. Alec was mine.
Speaking of the man in question, a large body curved around mine against the sink only a split second after I’d scented him. My mouth watered and I turned to face him. He was naked as the day he was born and standing at attention.
“Sneak away with me, cupcake.”
I looked around the kitchen. “The guests will be here soon.”
He grinned. “You didn’t say no.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but when he kissed me, I was a goner. There was magic in that man’s kiss. I sighed happily against him and gripped his ass in my hands. “We have to make it quick. People will be here in no time and I still need to ice the cupcakes.”
He laughed and slapped my ass as I hurried past him towards our bedroom. “They’ll understand.”
“Alec!”
He easily tossed me over his shoulder and hurried up the stairs. “Fine, fine. I’ll skip that thing with my tongue that you like so much.”
I lifted my head. “No, let’s not skip that. You’re right. They’ll understand.”
&n
bsp; Billionaire Bear’s Bride
Kodiak Island shifters (COLTON)
Sneak Peak
1
“Take a seat Doctor Cooper.” Hannah’s lawyer proffered a chair opposite his paper-strewn desk. He adjusted his spectacles before continuing, “It’s all fairly straight forward—all monetary assets are to be transferred from your uncle’s estate at your earliest convenience.”
Hannah smiled tightly, not really knowing what to say. It had been an overwhelming week. It began with her uncle’s funeral, a man she hadn’t spoken to in years and only vaguely recollected. It was now ending, on a warm Friday afternoon, in her lawyer’s office, discussing the deposit of a large inheritance into her bank account.
“I have to say,” the lawyer continued, “it’s a rare pleasure allocating such large funds to someone so risk-adverse. You have a very healthy credit record, Doctor Cooper.”
“Well. I don’t come from a wealthy background, Mr. Moore. I think that helps.”
“Indeed.” He nodded, “There is, however, another matter I wanted to discuss with you today.” He cleared his throat before continuing, “Your marriage to a Mr…” He peered down at the document in his hand, “Bradley…”
“Brad Crawford,” Hannah interrupted him. “Yes. We’re not actually married. I mean, we’re married, technically, but… well, haven’t been together for many years now. We just never got around to a divorce.”
“I suggest that you do. You understand, of course, that he could cause,” he hesitated, looking for the right word, “issues as your legal husband if you were to receive the inheritance and then opt for a divorce. My suggestion to you would be to obtain signed divorce papers before the transfer proceeds.”
Wolf Boss (She-Shifters of Hell's Corner Book 1) Page 10
