“How many?”
“Almost a hundred, give or take. Probably every nut job in the state who knew how to handle a gun, if they haven’t brought in reinforcements to pull this off. They’ve been planning this from the shadows for a long time before they ever showed their faces. We thought we were dealing with a fledgling grassroots movement. Instead, we’ve got an organized, funded, group of like-minded whack jobs with a purpose and a lot of guns.”
She stopped chewing her lower lip and said, “You know you can’t resign, right?”
“Not at their insistence, no. I could call for a general election and invite all the candidates from the election to put their names back on the ballot for a recount, prove to them that the city still wants me as their mayor.”
“No. That’s what they want. They’ll probably rig it. They may use force or intimidation to throw the vote.”
“Shit. You’re right. I never thought of that. When I called Marsha, she said something but everything else happened so quickly I didn’t give it much thought. They threatened her sister, told her to quit her job and get out of town. It wouldn’t take much for them to intimidate enough people to swing the election.”
“They threatened her? Why?”
“Because she’s sympathetic to shifters. When my ex-girlfriend revealed my secrets to the media a lot of my campaign staff resigned, but not Marsha. She made it very clear that she didn’t care what I turned into on full moons—she still thought I would make the best mayor for New Orleans. That’s another reason for you to stay here. They can’t threaten you too.”
“It doesn’t make sense. What do they gain by pushing her out of the way like that? Wouldn’t they want her by your side so they could make an example out of her? Humans who like shifters are going to get it too, that sort of thing?”
Brock stared at Gia for a long time as emotions warred inside him. He trusted her, gods he wanted to trust her, needed to. Fear, anger, suspicion, disbelieve, hope—he was sure he’d be sick all over the antique rug. She was handing him the answer, so it couldn’t be the right answer, could it?
“Brock, what’s…”
“Are you with The Human Order?”
“No.”
It was the way her voice went flat, that quick change from concern for him to ‘fuck you,’ that set his mind at rest. He smelled no lie on her, saw nothing in her face to suggest she had anything to hide, and she met his eyes, holding his gaze. She was pissed. Angry was good.
“What do they gain, Gia?”
“You think I’m a spy?”
Oh yes, she was really angry with him. “No. You weren’t lying. You aren’t with Human Order. But I needed to know, needed to be sure. If you had been…” He stopped, took a deep breath, looked away from her.
“What? If I was with The Human Order, then what?”
“Then it would all have been a lie. And I didn’t want that.”
“Then what would all have been a lie?”
He moved fast and deliberate and crouched in front of the chair, his hands on the arms, his body in that vulnerable, intimate spot between her legs, blocking her in. Before she could protest or react at all he was kissing her. From the way he had moved, she expected passion—she expected him to bruise her lips and she expected to be left breathless. Her heart was already pounding in response. But the kiss was gentle, almost chaste, and very short.
“This. Us. Your reaction to me. I told you I would pursue you, Gia, that I would wait for all this to be over, for Marsha to come back, but I was wrong. I don’t think I can wait. I need you.”
She reached out and touched his face and felt tears spring to her eyes. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a steady relationship. When you kissed me in the warehouse, I wanted to be kissed. Afterward I tried to tell myself I was just lonely—that dating you, falling for you, was a bad idea. You said it yourself, we didn’t want a scandal in City Hall. Now there are terrorists in City Hall and I want you to kiss me.”
He leaned forward and kissed her, another short, chaste kiss that tasted too much of restraint.
She leaned her forehead against his, her eyes closed. “Not like that,” she whispered.
“Don’t,” he growled. “You’ll snap my control if you ask for more.”
“And then what will happen?”
“I’ll do more than kiss you.”
She ran her hand along his jaw and smiled. And then she kissed him. She slid forward on the chair, wrapping her legs around him. For a moment, he was stiff against her, and then he reached out and grabbed her ass, pulling her off the chair and onto his lap. There was only one part of him that was stiff now. He ran his hands over her back and thighs, up and down and up again. She had one hand in his hair, the other on the side of his neck. She bit his lower lip and he groaned.
Somehow, they ended up stretched out on the floor, their hands and lips exploring each other’s bodies. They stopped touching each other only long enough to pull clothes off. Her shirt went first, a quick tug over her head and it was gone, revealing a lightly toned body and firm breasts. They fit perfectly in his hands, and he cupped them as she straddled him, working on his buttons.
“Don’t you own anything but button up shirts,” she growled.
He sat up and pulled the shirt over his head. It was snug—she should have undone another button or two—but it was off and that was enough for her. She touched his chest, marveling again at how smooth and strong he was. It was hard to imagine that twelve hours ago he’d been a bear.
Straddling him as she was, sitting on his lap, it was impossible to ignore his need. She reached down and undid the button on his pants. “How do we get these off you?” she asked with a wicked little smile, and she ground her body against his.
His movements were fast but controlled and she ended up on her back. She laughed as he shoved the pants down past his ass, taking his underwear with them, and suddenly his cock was free and too close to her face. She looked up at him then back at his cock. Technically, she’d seen him naked before, but she hadn’t really taken that close a look. Now she took the time to appreciate the view.
She reached out and wrapped one hand around his shaft, looking up into his eyes as she did so. His gaze was intense. He nodded slowly and she started moving her hand up and down. His eyes fluttered shut. She shifted back away from him a few inches so she wasn’t sitting uncomfortably on her tailbone all the while stroking his cock. And then, since she was right there anyway, she leaned forward and licked the tip of it.
His eyes snapped open and he touched her face. They stared at each other for a long time, and then she licked him again without breaking eye contact. He shuddered. She was loving it.
Slowly, deliberately, she licked the tip again and then brought her lips against him. He waited, letting her set the pace even though she could see his body trembling with the strain of keeping his desire leashed. She didn’t relish the idea of his control snapping. She liked giving head, but she liked being in control when she did it. Teasing him now, when he was already on the edge, wouldn’t do any good. She took him into her mouth and closed her lips around him.
He groaned. His hand slid into her hair and stayed there, but he didn’t push her or direct her. She started sucking and moving her head up and down his shaft, enjoying the size of him. He was easily the biggest man she’d ever been intimate with.
She only stopped when her jaw began to ache. He was panting by that time, his eyes closed and his body rigid. She sat back, gasping, and he dropped down and kissed her hard. There were no words after that. He kept kissing her, his tongue exploring her mouth before he kissed his way down her jaw and her throat.
He kicked free of his pants and then pulled hers down over her hips. She got tangled trying to kick free, his legs kept getting in her way, but finally she was naked. He lay down against her, careful to keep his full weight off her but letting his whole body touch hers from shoulder to knee.
She spread her legs for him, pushing herself off the flo
or and pressing her body against his. She thought he would take her then and there, but he kept kissing her, seeming to ignore what she was offering. Instead, he kissed her shoulders and then down to her breasts where he paused to tease her for a while.
One breast disappeared under his hand while he sucked on the other. When her nipple was hard in his mouth he switched. After a long time spent playing with her breasts while she moaned and ran her hands through his hair and over his neck and shoulders and arms, he moved lower, trailing kisses over her stomach.
By the time he reached her hips she was moaning. He worked his way down one thigh, all the way to her knee and then back up the other.
His breath was hot between her legs, and she could feel her whole body trembling. Every time his lips touched her skin she moaned softly. She couldn’t reach anything more than his hair, so she touched herself instead, her hands kneading her breasts and stroking her stomach while he teased her thighs with slow, hot kisses.
He brushed his lips against the heat between her legs and her moaning got louder. He teased her, keeping his touch light and fleeting. Her fingers curled in his hair and she pushed her hips up, urging him to go further.
The scent of her was intoxicating, and he could no longer resist her. He planted a firm kiss between her legs and then began to explore her soft folds with his tongue. The eager, desperate noises she made encouraged him, and he was exceedingly thorough.
She shut her eyes tight and threw her head back. It had been far too long since any man had paid any sort of intimate attention to her, but this was more than she had expected, more than she had dared to hope for. She loved this, the feel of his tongue on her skin, dipping inside of her, the way her fingers dug into her thighs and hips.
She wanted more, but words were beyond her. She reached down, fumbling with his hand, pushing his fingers away from her hip. He released her hip and dragged his fingers down her leg. It felt wonderful, but it wasn’t what she wanted. She made frustrated grunting sounds and thrust her hips up. Frustration quickly gave way to pleading as her body twisted in pleasure as his tongue flicked over her again.
He brought his hand up her leg again and gently touched her where he was kissing her. She nodded and whimpered. Thankfully he didn’t tease her this time and gently slid a finger inside her. She moaned in delight, her hips moving against him, urging him on and seeking an angle that would give her the greatest pleasure.
With tongue and finger, he pushed through pleasure toward her climax. He could feel her heat, smell her arousal, and he wanted to push her over that edge; he craved her release as much as he craved his own. She reached down and grabbed his hair in both hands. Her shoulders came up off the floor and she climaxed, a groan escaping between hard breaths. When she slumped back, he came up gasping for air. He wiped his chin and grinned at her. She smiled back, giggling. He crawled up, positioning himself between her legs. He paused, searching her face. She nodded.
He took himself in hand and pushed the head of his cock inside her. She sighed and bit her lower lip. The first time he went slowly, sliding his whole length into her. Each thrust after that gained speed and strength until he was pounding her. She moaned and grabbed his arms, her nails biting into his skin. Her legs were wrapped around his waist. He lifted her hips trying to get a better angle, but on the floor it was too hard to keep her up like that.
He pulled out and she whimpered, pouting. He moved her where he wanted her, rolling her on her stomach and tucking her knees up. She obeyed the directions without resistance, even wiggling her ass in the air, looking over her shoulder at him with a smirk. He bit his lip and restrained the urge to spank her. Instead he pushed inside her again and grabbed her hips.
In just a few thrusts he had her screaming, and he held her tight, enjoying the slap of skin on skin every time he bottomed out in her. Her screaming was pushing him toward that edge in a dizzying rush, and it didn’t take long before he felt the pressure signaling his climax.
“I’m going to come,” he said. She slammed her ass back against him and sent him over the edge.
He collapsed on top of her for a moment, and then they both rolled onto their sides, their legs tangled together.
“I hope Connie was outside,” he muttered.
“Can’t be the first girl you’ve had in this house,” she said.
“First one in the library.” He kissed the back of her shoulder. “I don’t want to talk about them. I just want to hold you.”
She nodded and snuggled back against his chest.
Chapter 15
Gia sat at the island enjoying the view of Brock puttering around the kitchen in nothing but a pair of jeans. “What are you making again?” she asked.
“Omelets,” he said. “Do you like peppers?”
“Yup.”
He turned and pulled one from the fridge and returned to the cutting board. The diced pepper joined the onion and white mushrooms in the frying pan. “Meat? I have some nice garlic sausage.”
She made a face. “Not in an omelet.”
“Vegetarian for the lady. I hope you like cheese in yours.”
“Of course.”
He smiled at her and turned to stir the veggies before dicing up just enough sausage for his egg. He seemed so intent that she watched him work in silence. It was nice to watch a man putter in the kitchen, looking like he belonged there, like he knew what he was doing. Not that she didn’t like cooking, but it was fun to imagine the two of them working in this big kitchen to make something spectacular together. At least the daydream kept her occupied while he cooked.
He flipped her egg out of the pan onto a plate and presented it to her with a flourish. “It looks delicious, thanks.” Her stomach growled loud enough that he heard from across the island.
He laughed. “Eat up before you eat me.”
“You didn’t like it?” she said, arching her eyebrows.
He mock growled and went back to cooking while she ate. They were just finishing their brunch when his cell phone rang. “Might be important,” he said.
“Go on. I can clean up a bit.”
He nodded and answered the call. A moment later she heard him jogging up the stairs.
She got the dishes into the sink and ran the water. Dish soap was easy to find under the sink, and thankfully cloths were right next to the bottle of fluorescent yellow liquid. She switched the faucet over to fill the rinse sink and her phone rang.
“Gia, it’s your father. Where are you?”
“Not at work,” she said.
“Oh, thank God. Your phone at the condo went to voicemail and so did your cell phone.”
“Sorry, it was a busy morning,” she said, blushing. She was glad he couldn’t see her.
“Are you safe where you are?”
“Yes. And I can stay a while. When they get those terrorists out of City Hall, I’ll come over and reassure Mom, okay?”
“Gia, where are you exactly?”
“I’m at Brock’s.”
“Gia, get out of there. Please.”
“Dad, we have police outside and the house is plenty big enough. Brock’s not going to hurt me, and nothing is going on between us.” Now, that was a lie, but she didn’t need anyone going to the papers with their —and she certainly wasn’t going to admit to her dad that she was sleeping with her boss.
“Gia, just get out of there. Get away from Brock. Oh shit, honey, I have to go. I’m sorry.”
MUNDO (BBW Bear Shifter MC Romance) (MC Bear Mates Book 2) Page 49
