Page 41 of Brock
The last thing Brock wanted was for his sweet mate to pull away from him the way Arion had experienced with Jezebel. Brock wanted to acknowledge her rightful place by his side as his intellectual equal, while at the same time, ensuring she understood that in all other aspects of her life she would submit to his will.
He wanted to lift her out of that damn highchair and settle her on his lap. His desire to touch her wasn’t unreasonable. It was perfectly normal. Ordinarily newly mated couples spent the first month of their union shut off from the rest of the world while they got to know each other and spent a great deal of that time naked.
Circumstances in this case were beyond his control, though. Someone had abducted his mate on the morning of their ceremony, and that someone was still at large. Until the suspect was apprehended and Brock was sure the threat was eliminated, he couldn’t take the risk of holing up in his home indefinitely with his sweet mate. Her safety was top priority. He needed torein in his natural inclination to take her back to bed for the time being.
He couldn’t resist touching her, though, so he reached to set his palm on her thigh under the tray while he continued to devour his breakfast.
Her skin was warm, her pulse beating rapidly, and the soft whimper that escaped her mouth didn’t go unnoticed by him. Her thigh muscles tightened as he let his thumb trail up toward her pussy. He could smell her arousal. Everyone in the room would be able to also, but no one would comment. Her need was natural and expected.
“I sense she completed her first shift,” Talon commented.
Brock pushed his empty plate away and took a sip of coffee. “Yes, in the early morning before the sun came up.”
“Good,” Talon continued, “That will make her stronger. Her senses will heighten and sharpen with every passing hour.”
Brock nodded. “Have there been any new developments?”
His father set his mug down and put his elbows on the table. “No. Several of the Alphas, including a few elders, met last night and again early this morning. We’re stumped, and you know we don’t like to be taken unaware like this.”
Brock was well aware of the truth of his father’s acknowledgment. The Alpha Protectors had been tasked with keeping the valley safe for centuries. A breach like this had not occurred in longer than anyone alive had first-hand knowledge of, but Brock also knew there were possibilities, most of which no one would ordinarily want to voice out loud.
He leaned back. “Has anyone seriously considered we might be dealing with a human?” Though he and Arion had tossed that idea around earlier, it seemed important to revisit it.
Talon nodded. “It would have to be a human with super powers. We have to assume he carried Suzette up to that cave. Itwas a considerable distance, and there are no tire marks or other indications that he used another vehicle.”
“No fucking scent either,” Elias reminded everyone as he rubbed the back of his head where he’d been struck yesterday. His wound would have healed by now, but not his pride.
When Suzette flinched, Elias glanced at her. “I’m sorry for my language, Little one.”
She was trembling. “It’s okay. I’m sorry you got injured guarding me,” she said softly. She looked like she was close to tears.
“It’s nothing, Little one,” Elias insisted. “All healed. I’m just sorry for what you went through. It was my job to protect you.”
Suzette let out a little sob.
Brock could feel how upsetting this was to her. They all could.
He couldn’t stand the distance another moment. He popped the tray off her highchair, unfastened her, and lifted her onto his lap, settling her legs between his and being careful to ensure her dress covered her panties.
He was definitely going to get used to these dresses. He liked the feel of her on his thigh without the layers of material common among women in the valley. The only things between her bottom and his bare thigh were his jeans and her panties.
Her warmth radiated through to his leg. Her arousal leaked onto him also, soaking that spot on his jeans. And the best part was the plug he could feel where it nestled in her sweet bottom.
She squirmed, but he settled her quickly with a hand to her thighs. “Sit still, Little doll,” he commanded as he ran a palm up her arm and around to her back, encouraging her to lean closer to his chest. He kept her tight against him with an arm around her back, lifted his opposite hip so he could reach into his pocket, and pulled out her pacifier.
Without a word, he tapped her lips and waited for her to accept the soothing device.
She glanced at the men first but finally opened her pretty mouth and let the nipple in.
Brock rocked her gently, holding the pacifier in her mouth while she slowly began to suckle. When she found her rhythm, he kissed the top of her head. “Good girl.”
She may be strong and smart, but she was also sensitive and needed her Daddy to calm her.
He turned his attention back to the men at the table, but half of his awareness was on his mate, her breathing, her heart rate, the stiffness of her muscles, the way she whimpered softly, and overall the scent of her arousal that grew as she submitted to him.
He set his free hand on her thigh and absently rubbed up and down, always letting his fingers graze under the hem of her dress, his thumb coming too close to her pussy.
“So”—Brock said when he had most of his attention refocused on his guests—“the man had no scent or he was blocking it.”