Page 17

“You’re sure this is a good idea?” Christa asked.

We had just arrived at Alpha Vitali’s pack house for a meeting of the Dark Alphas, and I could tell that she was nervous. It was true that none of her previous interactions with the group had been positive, but I felt this was a necessary step toward smoothing things out between them.

“We need to show them that we are a united front,” I reminded her. “If Gage thinks he can keep cornering us and making threats when the other person isn’t there, it’s going to be a long road.”

“I’m not worried about him but about the rest of them,” Christa admitted.

“We need to make sure they aren’t buying into the lies Gage is spreading about you—about us,” I pointed out. “The only way to do that is for them to get to know you and see that you aren’t working for Sparkle Hollow.”

Christa sighed, bracing herself for the confrontation as we entered the room where the other alphas were already assembled. Alphas Julian Wentworth and Dominic Charles sat on either side of a large, rectangular table with Axel Vitali at the head.

“There you are,” Axel said. “And I see you’ve brought a guest.”

“I think you all remember Christa,” I said, pulling a chair out next to Wentworth so she could take a seat before I sat next to her. “I see that we’re missing a few.”

“Rutherford and Desmond are busy today. They said we could go ahead without them,” Axel explained.

“What’s on the agenda for today?” Wentworth asked, fidgeting loudly in his chair.

“First, I’m curious why we have a non-member present at one of our meetings,” Alpha Rutherford asked. “Don’t you think that’s a bit of a security risk?”

“Christa is my guest, as you know,” I said pointedly. I was hoping to avoid using the word “mate” since that wasn’t something I had discussed with her prior, but if I needed to bring it up, I would. Right now, I was hoping that they would all remember my instructions when I first brought her back to Pack Marsden.

“She can stay,” Axel said. “As long as she knows there will be consequences if she shares anything she learns outside this room.”

“ She is right here,” Christa said pointedly. “You can address me directly. I won’t bite.”

“Pity,” Rutherford said with a sly smile.

I growled in a low warning, and he shrugged before turning back to Axel. But Christa’s ferocity seemed to be endearing her to the group, and I squeezed her leg in encouragement as the meeting began.

***

By the time we were wrapping up, Christa had the alphas wrapped around her finger. With Gage missing from the proceedings, we didn’t have any snide remarks or threats to deal with. We had been able to show them who Christa was and that she was a supportive and fierce warrior who was on my side. In short, she had charmed them.

“Let me take you out to dinner,” I said as we drove away from the pack house. “There’s a great little spot down the road. You hungry?”

“Absolutely,” she said.

We arrived at a small Italian place that was halfway between the Vitali and Marsden communities. It was nestled into a hill and surrounded by trees strung with soft yellow lights.

“Nice place,” Christa said appreciatively. “You bring all the ladies here?”

“No. Only the most beautiful ones,” I said.

“Such a charmer,” she teased. “I bet you call them all the most beautiful.”

“I reserve the term beautiful for only one woman,” I assured her.

Christa blushed as I held open the door for her and we walked inside. Quiet music filled the air as the hostess seated us at a table by the window and brought us drinks and appetizers. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been out on a date. It made me feel awkward and uncomfortable, but it was important to me that Christa understood just how appreciative I was of what she had done for me by attending the meeting.

“What did you think of the alpha group, now that you’ve had the chance to meet them all properly?” I asked.

“You were right about them,” she admitted. “They’re brash and violent, but the group does have its uses. I see that now, and that you’re just doing the best you can for your packs. I just wish it could be done in a slightly more… civilized way.”

“Unfortunately, this is the way we’ve always been,” I said. “I agree that a future of peace sounds amazing, but we aren’t there yet. This is the way we protect our packs so we can create the future we want for our children.”

“I can see that,” she said diplomatically.

“Thank you,” I said quietly. “For being patient with me and for playing nice with the group. That meeting could have gone way differently if it weren’t for your ability to charm everyone you meet.”

“You think I charmed them, eh?”

“Are you kidding? I think if I hadn’t been there, Rutherford would have asked you to go home with him. You’re practically his dream woman.”

“And what about you?” she asked, using a sultry voice as she looked up at me through dark lashes. For the first time, I understood what people meant when they described their heart skipping a beat.

“M-me?” I stuttered.

“Am I your dream woman?” she asked in the same tone.

I stared at her, stunned by the turn the conversation was taking. She smiled, and a twinkle came into her eyes. I realized she was teasing me.

“Oh no,” I laughed. “Your charms won’t work on me. You better cut that out before you get us into trouble.”

“Maybe trouble is what I’m looking for,” she continued, taking a sip of her wine.

I cleared my throat as the waitress brought our entrees, and we began to eat in silence.

“You never did answer my question, though,” Christa said after a moment. “What does your dream woman look like?”

“I think you already know the answer to that question,” I said.

She bit her lip and twirled her fork in her pasta as we stared into each other’s eyes.

“Not hungry?” I asked.

“On the contrary, I’m starving,” she said. “But I’d like to get some to-go boxes for our food, if that’s okay with you.”

“Check, please,” I said, flagging down the waitress.

By the time we got to the car, my head was spinning. Christa placed her hand on my knee, and I swallowed hard. Things had taken a turn I didn’t expect, and I wasn’t at all sure what to do about it.

“What’s wrong?” Christa asked. “Is my charm working on you after all?”

“I want to say no, but I can’t lie to you,” I admitted.

“Good,” she grinned.

She angled her body toward me from the passenger seat and began to unbutton my pants. My breathing grew heavy as she pulled my erect cock out of my jeans and began playing with it delicately. She wrapped her hand around the shaft and began to tug. My breathing became shallow as I watched her roll her hand up and down its length, and a glisten of precum appeared at the tip.

“Wait,” I said, stilling her hands as I struggled to explain what I was thinking. “As much as I’ve enjoyed the teasing, this can’t go further. I can’t. Not as part of a game. Not unless you mean it.”

“No games,” she assured me quietly. “This is what I want. The teasing was just a bonus.”

“You’re positive?”

Her eyes answered for her as she lowered her mouth to my cock and wrapped her lips around the tip. I groaned with pleasure and wrapped my fingers in the hair at the base of her scalp. I could feel her tongue run the length of my shaft as she took me into her mouth.

“God, Chris,” I panted. “That feels so good.”

“Mm,” she moaned, mouth still full of my engorged member. The vibrations transferred through her mouth, causing my erection to thrum in response.

My mouth opened as I breathed heavily and closed my eyes. With my hand on her head, I could feel as she moved back and forth, teasing me closer and closer to completion with each movement she made.

I felt her hand cup my balls, and I moaned again. She rolled them gently and then suddenly switched places, her mouth moving to my balls as her hand moved up and down my penis.

“Goddess,” I breathed, looking into her eyes as she toyed with me. She smiled at my expression and returned her mouth to my cock, opening wide to take in as much of me as she could fit.

“Yes,” I moaned, using my hand to increase the speed of her ministrations until I could barely contain my release.

It had been so long since we had been together, though, and I didn’t want it to end too quickly. I tried to pull her head away, but she was fully committed to the act.

“Chris,” I pleaded. “Wait.”

Finally, she sat back, and I looked into her eyes. Saliva and precum had mixed in her mouth, spilling over and down her chin. She wiped it away, and I pulled her close so I could kiss her lips.

“That was amazing,” I told her as I pulled back. “But what I really want is to be inside you. I want to feel your tight lips pulsing around my cock while you ride me.”

She hiked her dress up and removed her underwear, dropping them on the floor of the car. I moved my seat back, and she straddled my lap. Her hips gyrated as she rubbed her pussy against my cock. She parted her lips with one hand, and I saw my penis glide between them.

“I missed the feeling of your dick between my legs,” Christa said.

“Let me in, then,” I whispered, angling her hips so that I could slide into her wet opening.

She exclaimed passionately as she took in my length and wrapped her arms around my neck. I reached down with my thumb and found her clitoris, rubbing it gently in a circular motion as she rocked back and forth. Her breathing became more erratic as I continued.

“Yes, Colson,” she whispered into my ear.

The combination of internal and external stimulation was driving her wild, and she began to ride harder and faster. I clenched my free hand on her hip, feeling the soft curve of her ass under my fingertips.

“Fuck, Chris,” I murmured. “You’re so tight.”

Our bodies slammed together as the car rocked back and forth. The parking lot was full of other cars, and I prayed that no one interrupted us before we were finished. I wanted nothing more than to finish inside her, but I refused to come first.

“Cum for me, baby,” I whispered into her ear, nibbling her earlobe gently. “Let me hear you.”

“Faster,” she ordered me breathlessly.

I moved my thumb faster, pressing her higher and higher toward climax.

“Yes, yes, yes!” she screamed as she orgasmed.

On her final “yes,” I allowed myself to come, ejaculating inside her as her body shook with her own release. She collapsed forward and rested on my shoulder, and I breathed in the sweet scent of her vanilla perfume. I could hear my heart beat in my ears as I sighed deeply, feeling completely at peace.

A moment later, I saw someone heading towards the car parked next to us.

“Um, Chris,” I said, clearing my throat. “We gotta go.”

She looked behind her, out the front windshield, and scurried off my lap and into the passenger seat.

“Yep, definitely time to go,” she agreed.