by Crissy Smith
He lifted his muzzle to lick at her free hand, causing her to laugh. He panted happily at the sound. Dropping down to join him on the ground, she buried her face in his neck. He could feel her taking deep breaths. Worry filled him. Taking a few steps away, he started his change back to his human form. Crouched down, naked, while drawing huge gulps of air, he shook his head to try to clear his vision. Angel was reaching for him as soon as he was fully human.
“You’re such a beautiful wolf,” she said in awe.
Bringing her into his embrace, he held her tight against his chest. “I know you’re hurting.”
She was already starting to shake her head. He growled softly, letting her know he wasn’t buying it. “Do you need to feed?”
“I…” She pulled back. “Not here.”
Understanding dawned on him. “Okay, let’s get these guys secure and we’ll go back to the house.”
“I’ve got them tucked back into one of the empty stalls,” Max told them as he walked up. He passed Alex the clothes that he’d quickly shed right inside the door.
“Thanks, man.” Alex nodded in appreciation. “What should we do with them?”
“I’ll call Kieran and see where he and Remy are,” Angel offered.
“Sound good,” he agreed.
Angel climbed out of his lap. Clenching his fist so he didn’t yank her back down, Alex had to work on calming himself. The threat to the Pack was over but that didn’t mean he wasn’t still worried. He needed to get Angel back upstairs so he could check out her wounds. Standing, he redressed while Angel pulled out her cell phone from her boot. Alex glanced over at Max, seeing his brother-in-law grin.
“What?” he asked suspiciously.
“Your woman can kick ass,” Max said while lifting his eyebrows.
“Yeah, she can,” he agreed. Alex had known, hadn’t he? She was a Guardian, which turned out to be a pretty bad-ass organization. While he was worrying about her injuries she was actually the most experienced of all of them.
“It’ll be nice to have some extra help around here until things die down and we know everything’s over,” Max continued.
“We’re… We haven’t…” Alex trailed off in panic. He hadn’t asked about Angel’s plans after the rogues were captured. Would she be taking their prisoners back or was that why she was calling Kieran?
“Hey.” Max’s hand came down on his shoulder. “Don’t worry—you have time to discuss things with her.”
“I just didn’t expect to have to think about her leaving yet,” he confessed.
Angel was leaning against the wall with her cell phone to her ear. Long black hair that had been tied back fell in strands around her face. She was so beautiful. He didn’t know how he was going to let her leave when the time came.
“If you’re mates then it’ll work out. I couldn’t have left Cassie no matter what. The same will be true for you both.”
Max was right. Angel had a dangerous job and if she wanted to keep her employment with the organization he would find a way to make it work. He spent most of his time on his ranch since he had a great staff that ran the businesses he owned in town. He didn’t actually have to live there. He could move to wherever Angel called home.
How fucked up was it that he didn’t even know where her house was? Sure it’d only been a couple of days as they’d gotten to know each other but he already had deep feelings for her. Hell, he was halfway in love. Angel was his mate and it was his job to make her happy.
He’d make damn sure he took that responsibility seriously. So he could go with Angel when she left. They could work out a schedule for him to return to the ranch and spend time with his family and Pack. It made him sick even to think about leaving the only home he’d ever known. Still Angel’s needs were more important than his own.
“Kieran and Remy are on their way back. They’ll be here in a couple of hours. Caspar is also flying in. He’ll take care of these three when he gets here,” Angel said as she strolled up to them.
“Good.” Alex tried to sound normal but the frown on Angel’s face told him he wasn’t successful.
“What’s wrong?” she questioned, stepping closer to him as she ran her gaze over his body. “Are you hurt?”
He laughed. Really, what else could he do? Angel was the one bleeding and limping yet she was concerned with him being injured. Damn, what a couple they made.
“I’m calling some of the guards to come and watch over these three while we wait on your men,” Max said before Alex could respond to Angel’s questions. “Why don’t you two head inside and clean up. You’ll be pretty busy when the others get here.”
“If you’re sure—” Angel started.
“Thanks, man,” Alex spoke over her. He needed to get his mate in private. Putting his arm around her shoulder, he made certain that he was gentle enough that she could follow along without aggravating her knee.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked as they exited the stables.
He nodded, not trusting his voice just yet. The trek back to the house was a lot slower than when they’d left. Finally they reached the back door and he ushered her inside. After flipping on the kitchen light, he turned Angel to face him. He pushed back the hair that had fallen into her face, then leaned close enough to brush his lips against a bruise forming on her cheek.
She released a long breath.
“I hated seeing you fight but damn you’re good,” he confessed.
“You’re pretty bad ass yourself. And your wolf is gorgeous,” she said, cupping his face.
He was glad she thought so. His animal was such a big part of him. “Come up here.” He lifted her to sit on the counter in front of him.
“I’m not hurting you, am I?” he asked while running his palms down her neck.
“No, your hands feel good on me.”
Alex took that as permission and continued exploring her body, checking her over. Her T-shirt was easily removed since it was already ripped and hanging off her slim form. There were bruises on her stomach and arms so he bent down to place soft kisses on the small hurts.
Angel sucked in a breath while sliding her hands in his hair. He would have loved to comply with what she wanted but he had to finish inspecting her. Stepping back, he looked down at her leg. The tear in her jeans was open where the blood had been coming from. Taking the worn material between two hands, he tore it. She gasped out a laugh. The cut wasn’t as bad as he’d thought. While the wound needed to be cleaned and bandaged, the bleeding had stopped. Satisfied she was really going to be okay, he smiled.
“Are you done?” she asked, amusement obvious.
“Yeah.”
“Kiss me then,” she ordered.
Moving in between her legs, he brought his mouth down on hers. Angel gripped his shoulders, bringing him closer as their tongues twined and rubbed against each other. His cock hardened, making him have to shift his stance to relieve some of the pressure.
“We should go upstairs and shower,” he told her as he finally backed away.
Cupping his erection, she squeezed him while leaning forward to nip his chin. “After.”
What fool would argue with that? Luckily the cabinet put Angel at the perfect level for what he wanted. Unsnapping her pants, he slowly removed the fabric. Once she was bared for him, he kissed her chin before pushing her back.
Angel spread her legs wide, giving him better access. Licking at her folds, he used his fingers to reveal her. She was already wet for him as he dove down to start pleasuring her. Each lick over her sweet pussy had her cries gaining in volume. It was music to his ears. He knew he was making her feel good. He was the one who could drown her in ecstasy until she couldn’t hold back any longer.
Using his tongue, he devoured her. Spurred on by her moans, he took her closer and closer to the edge. Pushing two fingers deep inside, he mouthed her clit until she yelled and climaxed. She was still panting as he straightened, yanking off his own clothing. Grasping his hard cock, he jacked him
self a few times before settling against her. Pushing just the head of his cock inside, he paused. “Look at me.”
She blinked her blue eyes open to gaze up at him as he carefully pressed inside. Fuck! It felt so good to have her inner muscles clamp down on him.
“Yes,” he hissed while withdrawing, before slamming back inside.
Crying out, she bowed her back, clawing at the cabinet under her.
Sliding through her juices over and over again, Alex was already too close to exploding.
Thrusting with long and deep plunges, he ran his hands over Angel’s full breasts, enjoying touching what was his. With her head thrown up, Angel’s orgasm rocked through her, causing her to arch and hold his cock tight. His pace grew erratic until he bent over and came. He sped up, yelling, coming and filling her with his seed.
His entire body shook as he tried to get himself under control. He couldn’t give this up. They needed to shower and talk.
Chapter Nine
After a long, hot shower and applying bandages, Angel sat on Alex’s bedroom couch in a pair of sweat pants and a tank top. She’d pulled on a thick pair of gray socks to keep her feet warm.
As soon as they’d finished cleaning up, Alex’s phone started to ring. The Alpha, Chase, Marcus and even Caspar had all called to check on the situation.
Knowing something was on his mind, Angel waited until Alex had finished with answering questions. Alex had grown quiet while they’d bathed together. Unsure if it was just the excitement or if there was more bothering her mate, she was worried. She wanted to make things easier on Alex. Now that all the rogue Guardians had been captured, Alex’s Pack should be able to get back to living their lives.
Clamping her hands together, she warily watched as Alex approached her.
“Everyone is excited that all this is over,” he told her.
She nodded. “Aren’t you?”
“I’m happy that my friends and family are safe.”
“But?” She just knew there was more.
“But I don’t have a reason to keep you here with me,” he said, looking away.
Angel couldn’t contain her gasp. Was Alex kicking her out? After all they’d been through in just a few short days—was he no longer interested in being with her?
Standing while trying to control her emotions, she wasn’t sure what to do.
“I just…” Alex was still talking but she hadn’t heard a word.
Instead of letting him break her heart any more, she jumped for the bedroom door just as her tears started to fall.
Strong arms gripped her around her waist. “Hey.”
She struggled out of his hold but couldn’t hide her face.
“Angel? What the hell?”
“Just let me go,” she ordered. “I won’t bother you anymore.”
“You want to leave?”
“I promise you never have to see me again,” she replied. Of course she never planned to come anywhere near the entire state of Texas.
“What are you…?”
Still attempting her escape, she sucked in a breath as she found herself lifted off her feet.
“Fuck this,” Alex growled.
“I…” She didn’t get any further before he tossed her onto his large dark bed before following to pin her.
“You’re mine,” he stated, peering down at her.
She tilted her head in a show of submission. “I’ll always be yours,” she confessed. “Even if you don’t want me.”
“Don’t want you?” he repeated.
“You said you didn’t have a reason to keep me here,” she told him, trying her best to keep the hurt and anger out of her voice. Now that she’d started to calm, her hurt was taking a back seat to the fury swamping her.
“We need to communicate better,” he demanded.
“Okay.” What in the hell was she agreeing to?
His hands were gentle as he cupped her face while wiping away the traces of wetness. “How could you think I would want you to go?”
Blinking rapidly at the sudden turn of events, she opened her mouth to reply but no words came.
“My mate belongs by my side. I know you have a job to do. I’ve been thinking about how to make things between us work. I’ll talk to my brother and sister today to see how much they can take over here at the ranch for me and what we’ll need to hire out for.”
“You’re leaving the ranch?” She was missing something big. Damn it, why couldn’t she think straight. Oh yeah, Alex had her pinned to the bed with his hard cock brushing her stomach. She couldn’t concentrate because she wanted him so badly.
Wait, he had an erection. Shaking her head almost violently, she forced herself to really listen to his words. “Say that again.”
“I said.” He paused to smile. “That I go where you go. If you have to leave then I’ll be at your side.”
“Oh, oh!” She shoved up and wrapped her arms around his neck. “But we don’t have to!” Her laughter released the ball of dread in her gut.
Alex was chuckling along with her. “Care to explain that?”
She pulled back enough to gaze into his eyes. “I live in one of the dorm rooms but I don’t have to stay there. I’ve just never had a place of my own. I thought you’d want to wait and get to know each other better so I was going to stay with Justin in Lubbock until I found a place of my own. That way whenever I’m not working I’ll be close by.”
“See!” Alex barked. “We need to talk about these things. That’s almost a perfect plan.”
“Almost?” she teased.
“Other than you staying with Justin I totally agree with you. You’ll stay here with me. I won’t have my mate living two hours away.”
“Are you sure you’re ready for that?” she had to ask.
“Yes, are you? I’m kind of a bear to live with. I have to have my coffee before I can string together a full sentence.”
“I can deal with that,” she promised. “I might sleep some weird hours. Especially when I come back from an assignment.”
“Lucky for me I work from home so I can take naps if you keep me up,” he replied. “My sister and brother live in houses on the property. They’re over here a lot.”
“I like your family. But if I’m staying here you’ll see a lot of Remy and Kieran.”
“I like Remy and I guess Kieran will grow on me.”
She punched his shoulder. “I can already tell you like Kieran too.”
He held his hands up. “Fine, just don’t tell him.”
“It’ll be our secret,” she vowed. “Anything else you think you’ll scare me off with?”
He scrunched his nose as he thought. “I’ll have to have you…a lot. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of touching you, being inside you.”
Angel was already nodding. “If you don’t, then I’ll just jump you.”
Grinning, he leaned forward. “I want you to stay. We’ll figure everything else out.”
She brushed her lips over his. “I want to stay.”
Gripping his shoulders tightly, she tugged him to cover her body. As she slid her hand down his back the muscles beneath her palm moved while he rocked against her. It felt good to have his weight pinning her down.
“I want to feel your skin,” he demanded, sitting back on his heels. He yanked off his shirt then reached for hers. She brushed away his hands so she could speed things along.
Alex refusing to stop touching her didn’t help, but she was determined to get naked with him. By the time she unhooked her bra his hands where on her breasts, kneading.
Reaching for the button of his jeans, he lifted up but kissed her neck.
“We should have just stayed naked,” she told him.
“I couldn’t talk to you without clothes on,” he confided.
Well, he had a point there. Wrapping herself around him, she pushed until he flipped back. Straddling his legs, she tugged off her pants before finishing removing his.
Already hot and hard for her, he moaned a
s she grasped his cock, pumping several times.
“Are you going to ride me?” he asked as his eyes gleamed in anticipation.
“Is that what you want?” she teased. “Or maybe…” Leaning forward, she licked at the head of his cock.
He moaned.
“That’s what I thought,” she said smugly, before taking him deeply into her mouth.
Wrapping her fist around the base of him, she set an easy pace that was sure to drive him wild. Alex pumped his hips, trying to get her to stop teasing, but Angel wasn’t having any of that.
“Please! Angel, I need more.”
Popping off, she grinned up at him. “What do you want?”
“You, always you.”
He deserved a reward for that answer. She straddled his waist. As she reached back to position him at her entrance she locked gazes with him.
Sliding down, she didn’t look away. “You’re mine,” she claimed him.
“Yes,” he hissed.
That’s all she wanted. Everything else would work itself out. Raising and falling, she took him hard and fast. With his nails digging into her hips, she knew she would have bruises but she didn’t care.
All that mattered was the connection she felt as she made love to her mate.
* * * *
Sunlight was barely breaking over the horizon when everyone gathered in his den. Alex kept his arm around Angel’s shoulder once they’d settled on the couch together.
Kieran and Remy had arrived from Lubbock to take over guarding the rogue Guardians. With his Alpha and Caspar speaking quietly about how’d they transfer their prisoners, Alex and content where he was.
“I take it you’re staying here?” Caspar asked, glancing over at Angel.
“Unless you need me?”
“No, it should be fine. Keep your phone on just in case, but we can handle getting these three back,” he told her.
“Then I’d like to stay.” Angel peeked over at Alex. “We still have some things to work out but I’ll return soon to get my stuff.”
