by Juniper Hart
Then again, where was the fun in that?
She laughed as she poured herself a glass of wine. Nothing like a big glass of merlot at the end of the day to take the edge off. She hoped the wine would alleviate some of the guilt she’d felt earlier about even pretending to be interested in hiring some security firm to protect her. She would tell Ryder about it later, even though it had been nothing.
A guy like Ryder couldn’t be threatened. He couldn’t be controlled or even reasoned with.
And it was terrifying how irresistible Lola found that.
“So, have you got him naked yet?”
Lola almost choked on her wine. She’d sat down and called Lisa to chat with her for a while, and of course that was the first thing her friend wanted to know.
“You’re terrible!” Lola gasped.
“Oh, so why is that a shock?” Lisa teased on the other end of the line.
“What in the world makes you think I’d even tell you about that?”
“Because I know you just a little bit,” Lisa retorted.
Lola bit her lip to stop the smile from overcoming her mouth. “Well, it’s just not going to happen. Not now anyway… I have too much going on with my life.”
“Why not?” Lisa demanded. “You have this perfect specimen of a guy in your house, ready for the taking, and you’re going to do nothing? I just don’t get you at all.”
“Would you listen to yourself?” Lola replied. “You’re talking about my love life! Besides, did you forget there’s a psycho who wants to kill me over a building? If Ryder wasn’t guarding me, then I wouldn’t be alive.”
“Listen, if this guy is as dangerous as you say, you might think about hiring a professional team instead of having your boyfriend guarding you,” Lisa pleaded.
“Now you sound like my mom. I’ve considered that, but Ryder actually has a security background,” Lola lied. It seemed like a plausible story to tell her friends. She loved them dearly, of course she did, but that was not her secret to tell. “You really need to stop focusing on Ryder and me, okay? Right now, I just need to focus on the other things happening in my life.”
“I get it. I really do. But, why not have a little fun in the meantime? I looked him up online, and he’s so hot!” Lisa said.
“Are you aware of how creepy that is?”
A pause on the line. “No.”
Lola laughed. She finished off her wine and set her glass down.
“Well, I’m going to bed soon. I’m exhausted. I was just checking in because I knew how curious you would be about it all.”
“Well, you were right,” Lisa told her. “In fact, I’m so curious I may have to stop by totally unannounced soon.”
“Suit yourself,” Lola said. “I’d love it if you visited again. Just don’t hit on my boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend, huh? Fine, I’ll just look.”
Lola rolled her eyes. “He isn’t here to be eye candy.”
“But he is eye candy,” Lisa reminded her. “You have to admit that.”
Lola sighed. “I think we have made that abundantly clear. Did you happen to forget there’s a lunatic trying to kill me?”
Lisa was silent for a moment. “Have you heard anything from him?”
“No,” Lola answered. She took a deep breath. “I’m starting to think that everyone is right and I’m just being paranoid. He must have gotten spooked and moved on.”
“Yeah,” Lisa agreed, “but psychopaths aren’t the best decision makers.”
“You know,” said Lola, “I really hate it when you say smart things.”
“It’s a gift,” Lisa said. “I wish I’d wise up and dump that deadbeat man of mine.”
Lola chuckled. “Hey, you could do a lot worse. He doesn’t mess around on you, he has a job, and he loves you. Count your blessings.”
Lisa groaned. “I really hate it when you say smart things.”
9
Lola screamed at the top of her lungs. Her body was fighting as hard as she could to get away, but she was trapped. She knew it was all over and that it was futile to run, but she had to try. It couldn’t end this way. Her entire life was flashing before her eyes, and it was like watching time standing still while falling off a cliff. Her life was over.
She saw Roger Myers standing only a few feet away from her. He was at the foot of her bed, pointing a gun at her with a wide, evil grin on his face. He was going to relish taking her life. There was nothing she could do.
She’d thought he was gone. Surely he’d realized that his own safety was now at risk if he kept coming after her. Surely he’d put two and two together after what he’d seen with Piper and after Ryder had beaten one of his henchmen within an inch of his life.
Yet there he was, standing in her room, ready to kill her. How had he gotten past the security system? Where was Ryder? Was he dead? Had Myers done something to him?
Lola didn’t have time to figure out the answer to any of her questions before Myers pulled the trigger.
“NO!” Lola screamed.
She felt like her throat was going to burst into pieces. Her body was violently thrashing violently against something, or against someone. What was happening? Why was the bullet not hitting her? Had it already reached her? Was she dead?
“It’s okay!” a loud voice cried. “It’s okay!”
The world began to flip-flop in front of Lola’s eyes. Hands cupped her face and brushed her cheeks.
And suddenly there was Ryder. He was there. He was okay and he was going to keep her safe. She knew this without a doubt. He would never let harm befall her.
“It’s okay,” Ryder whispered as Lola’s heartbeat began to return to normal. Her body was no longer thrashing around. Her breathing slowed down. It had all been a dream. It had all just been a horrible dream.
Lola lay her head on Ryder’s shoulder and began to cry. She hated crying in front of other people, but in that moment, she needed to let it out. She was so tired of being strong and facing this fear every single day. It was eating her away from the inside.
“Hey, it’s okay,” Ryder whispered in her ear. “I’m here. You’re safe.”
Lola pulled away from him and looked into his eyes. She could tell by the determination and devotion in his gaze that he was telling the truth. As long as he was around, as long as he was with her, she was safe. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her.
His lips suddenly found hers, his mouth hot and warm and beautiful against hers. She surrendered to the kiss and pressed forward. The sexual tension had been building for weeks, but neither one had made the move. It was time to relinquish control and allow herself to be totally vulnerable.
Ryder cradled her body in his powerful arms and pulled her closer to him. He was shirtless, and his rippling body was on full display. Oh, the contours of his chest and abs instantly turned Lola on. She could feel the wetness between her legs, lubricating everything for the perfect moment that was soon to come.
Her lips parted to let Ryder suckle at her tongue, teasing it with his own as he pressed his mouth harder against hers and began to move his hands under the tank top she’d worn to bed. His thick fingers massaged her lower back, kneading deeply into her muscles and caressing her tenderly.
Ryder quickly removed her shirt in one swift swipe, revealing her bare chest to him. He smiled at the sight of her naked bosom and cupped her breasts with his strong hands before burying his face in her chest, licking, sucking, and kissing her with built-up passion. His touch felt so sweet, its tingling sensation reverberating throughout her entire body.
“Oh, Ryder,” Lola moaned.
Ryder began to slowly move his mouth downward, edging along the smooth skin of her stomach. Once his mouth reached the waistband of her black lace thong, he continued pulling the garment down with his teeth until she was completely naked. He slowly kissed her inner thigh, biting her gently to intensify the pleasure. Lola cried out, as the anticipation was too much. Her core throbbed, longing for his touch. When she could
n’t take it anymore, Ryder pressed his tongue firmly to her pink bud, expertly licking and caressing her bundle of nerves.
She almost came immediately, letting her body adjust to the sudden overwhelming sensation of total bliss that poured out of the center of her femininity.
Lola wasn’t done. She needed more.
As if reading her mind, Ryder yanked his own boxer shorts off with one hand as he climbed into position between her legs. A moment later, he parted her sweet lips with his huge member, thrusting into her with unabated vigor. The walls of her core hugged his member tightly as he moved in and out. He fit inside her perfectly, as if his body was designed for hers.
Lola closed her eyes as she rocked back and forth, moving in sync with Ryder’s intense rhythm. The pleasure she felt was beyond her realm of experience, and she never wanted it to end.
When it did end, though, it was beautiful, with both Lola and Ryder climaxing together.
10
Ryder woke up to the sound of his phone ringing.
At first, he wasn’t entirely sure where he was, but as soon as he saw Lola’s sweet face against his shoulder, everything came back to him.
The previous night had been perhaps the most magical night of his entire life. If he’d had any doubts before about how much he loved this woman, then those doubts were forever silenced. Lola was perfect, and Ryder made up his mind to ask her to be his mate. The thought made him nervous; it was a feeling he wasn’t used to.
Ryder answered the phone before the ringing woke up Lola.
“The target has been taken care of,” said the voice on the other end of the line. Ryder recognized it as Ian’s, one of his closest cousins. It had taken them weeks to snuff out where Roger Myers was hiding. He was aware that the pack was on to him and that they had picked up his scent. He could have left town and given himself a chance, but a man like him, with his king-sized ego, would never admit defeat.
And now he was a goner.
“You’re sure?” Ryder asked.
“Affirmative,” Ian answered. “The threat has been neutralized.”
Ryder smiled. It wasn’t until that moment that he realized how worried and anxious he’d been. A weight had been lifted off his shoulders, for sure. And now Lola had nothing to worry about.
He gently nudged her to wake her. She snuggled against his chest and yawned into his skin.
“What’s going on?” she asked in a groggy voice.
“Roger Myers is done,” Ryder said.
Lola sat up in the bed almost immediately. Tears of joy were already starting to dampen her eyes, and a huge grin appeared on her face.
“You mean it?” she asked in a whisper, like she couldn’t believe it. “He’s gone?”
“He won’t be able to hurt you or anyone else ever again,” Ryder answered. “And it’s unlikely that any of his associates will try to bother you.”
Lola kissed him hard on the mouth and then fell against him in a warm embrace. He was so happy for her. He knew how strong she’d been and how much of a toll this had taken on her. But she was a fighter, and he knew that she was going to bounce back from all of this very soon. That was the thing he probably loved most about her: her fighting spirit. It drew him to her like a magnet.
“I think this calls for a celebration,” Lola said.
Ryder was about to tell her it was a little early for drinks, but Lola had a different idea in mind altogether.
She pulled the sheet down to his knees and smiled sweetly at him. Then she put her delicious mouth around him, and Ryder let the pleasure take him away.
11
I’m going to go get the mail,” Lola said.
Ryder stuffed another bite of pancakes into his mouth and mumbled, “Okay!”
Through the kitchen window, he watched Lola exit the house and head towards the congregation of mailboxes for the neighborhood, which stood at the end of the block. He really liked Lola’s neighborhood. He loved his own house, but it was so isolated, so dark, that sometimes he wished he lived in a house like hers—a house that was part of the neighborhood. Even though it was a lot smaller, he still preferred it.
He was glad that Lola had decided to stay in her house during this whole ordeal instead of hiding in his. She kept saying that she was not going to let anyone run her out of her house and he admired that.
Ryder realized that he was out of maple syrup and grabbed a new bottle from the pantry. When it came to pancakes, the syrup ratio was key to their enjoyment. You could not have enough, and since it kept soaking up, you had to add more.
He was swallowing a syrup-dripping bite when he heard the tires squealing outside. He turned his head towards the window just in time to see a red car running a stop sign and crashing right into a pickup truck coming from the other side. The pickup flipped over on its side and started rapidly sliding along the street.
Ryder’s first thought was, Lola!
She was walking across the street, heading towards the house. She never saw it coming until it was too late. Ryder watched in absolute horror as the pickup truck smashed into Lola’s body, sending her flying several feet in the air until she landed on the pavement with a sickening crack.
Ryder sat completely paralyzed for a few seconds. He kept waiting for her to get up and laugh it off as a small accident. Surely this wasn’t really happening.
No, he thought. No, no, no, no, no, no…!
He leapt up from the table and burst through the front door. He charged down the street towards where Lola was lying in a bloody and crumpled heap on the ground. This was real. She was… she was right there. She was hurt. His… his angel—all of this was happening to his love.
But she was still alive. Ryder’s werewolf senses went into an adrenaline-fueled overload, and he was able to quickly assess that Lola’s pulse was rapidly decreasing, she had several broken bones, internal bleeding, probably some ruptured organs, and a cracked skull. If she managed to survive, she would have brain damage, for sure. But her heartbeat was getting weaker by the second. She was dying.
“No!” Ryder roared. The voice of his alpha wolf shook the sky above him, echoing for miles in the distance. His pack would hear his cries and come running soon. She’d be dead before they got there. She’d be dead before an ambulance arrived. Even if this had happened in front of an emergency room, there was nothing anyone could have done to fix this. The love of his life was going to die.
Unless Ryder did the one thing he could do to stop it.
But it was forbidden. It was forbidden to turn a mortal into a shifter. He might be kicked out of the pack entirely for doing this. He might be judged by the Order of Elders. He didn’t care. Would Lola? Would she care that she might spend the rest of her life as a werewolf? It was the only way to save her, though.
She… she would hopefully be grateful. And she would be with him forever. Ryder hadn’t had the opportunity to officially ask her to be his mate yet, but he knew she was going to say yes. He loved her, and she loved him. He couldn’t live without her, and he refused to accept that he was going to.
Ryder looked around to make sure no one else had arrived at the scene. The coast was clear. He grabbed Lola’s delicate hand. He could feel her body going cold as the life slipped away from her.
Without wasting any more time, he bit deeply into her flesh.
Epilogue
Three Months Later
“Welcome to the family!”
Piper finished her toast, and everyone drank from their glasses and gave a few whoops and hollers.
Lola reached over and hugged her new sister-in-law.
“That was incredible!” Lola cried. “Thank you so much.”
“Hey, I meant every word of it,” Piper said. “We’re lucky to have you joining us.”
“Well done, sis,” Ryder added.
“Aw, thanks, big bro!” Piper exclaimed. “I actually worked hard on that speech.”
“I can tell,” Ryder joked.
Lola shook her head. With thos
e two, the banter never stopped, and it was often difficult to tell when they were joking or when they were being serious. Sometimes it was both, which could be highly entertaining.
Lola snuggled up to Ryder’s arm and slipped her hand into his. “How are you, babe?” Ryder asked.
“I’m perfect,” Lola answered. “I honestly couldn’t be better. This is my third plate of food! I love being able to eat incessantly without worrying about gaining any weight.”
Ryder smiled. “Oh, I’ve created a monster.”
Lola kissed him sweetly.
Their wedding day had been perfect. It had surpassed her expectations and truly surprised her. The way Ryder’s pack had accepted her into their family was beautiful, and they’d all been so wonderful to her.
It had been a magical three months since Ryder had bitten her, and Lola knew just how lucky she was that she was there to enjoy the day.
When she’d awakened in the hospital, she’d had no recollection of what had happened. But Ryder had been beside her, and he’d been in tears. The look on his face when she awoke was a sight she would never forget. His tears, although joyful, were heartbreaking. She had never meant to cause him that kind of pain.
He explained the accident to her, and as he pieced it together, she slowly remembered hearing the screeching tires and a crash right next to her. Then it had all gone blank. She remembered nothing else.
After seeing the doctor, Ryder had told her the truth. He’d told her that she had been almost dead when he’d gotten to her. There had been no other way to save her. She would have been gone if he hadn’t given her the bite.
Lola immediately realized what that meant: she was no longer a mortal woman. She was a shifter, a werewolf, just like Ryder. The emotions that had gone through her head were dizzying. Ryder had no choice, and she was eternally grateful to him for saving her life. She knew that his guilt over it was overwhelming, though, and she’d done her best to alleviate those feelings. She loved him and wanted to spend her life with him.
