Page 33

Ashton’s head almost popped off from nodding his head so vigorously. “That would be awesome.”

Avery didn’t look enthused at the prospect, but she must have seen the excitement on Ashton’s face. She gave me a loaded look that said we’d be discussing this later.

“How about this,” Trent said. He was looking at his phone as he spoke.

“What if, instead of selling the rental properties, we get rid of a couple of these businesses? The car wash in Jefferson City, and that storage unit complex. You said a year ago you were tired of dealing with those.” He waved the phone at me.

“I’ve got the numbers here. Neither of those places are paid off, but with real estate what it is right now, I think we can pay off both business and property loans and still have more than enough to pay off Kyle. ”

“I’m good with it if you are,” I said. “Get on the phone with a commercial realtor out there tomorrow. See if we can get some sort of cash sale done this week. We can take bottom dollar. I’m not trying to get rich. All I want is to get this guy off my ass.”

“Consider it done. I’ll call them first thing in the morning.”

“That’s all I wanted to talk about,” I said. “Avery, can I give you and Ashton a ride back home?”

“Sure,” she said with a nod.

When we arrived back at her house, she sent Ashton inside with all of his new clothes and shoes, and the conversation I knew was coming began.

“Fighting?” Avery said once the front door was closed. “Are you out of your fucking mind?”

“Avery, there is danger around here. I have no clue what Kyle might do. For all I know, he’ll change his mind tomorrow and decide to screw with one of you.”

Avery sighed and crossed her arms. “I know. It’s just so weird. He’s young. So young.” She gave me a furtive look. “But he’s an alpha, too. You told me once that alphas are born fighters.”

“True,” I said, happy she’d remembered.

“I guess I’m okay with it, but I don’t want him turning into Trent. I love the guy like a brother, but I can tell he’s not the same as he used to be. And the way he talked… I don’t know. I’d rather Ash not end up like that.”

“I doubt Ashton wants a career in the special forces, but I can promise you we won’t turn him into some killing machine.

Trent is well-trained, and if I’m honest?

Yeah, he’s dangerous. There’s no one I’d rather have on my side in a fight, that’s for sure.

There also isn’t a better person to teach Ashton how to defend himself than Trent. And me.”

“I’m fine with it as long as he doesn’t get hurt and doesn’t start acting like he can fight anyone he sees. I don’t want all this to change my boy for the worse.”

How did I tell her what I really wanted to say? Did I come right out and say it? Usually, the best way to take a Band-Aid off was to rip it off quickly.

Putting an arm around her shoulders, I said, “It probably will change him. I can’t lie about that, but it’s not just the fighting. It will spike his testosterone, but the closer he gets to his shift, the more he’s going to change. He already looks like he’s closer to an adult than a child.”

“I know,” she said, and there was a heartbroken misery to the word.

Turning her to face me, I gazed into her eyes.

“It’s okay. I’ll be here with you. I’ll be right by your side the whole way.

I’ll help you learn how to raise a kid who has just gone through his first shift, and maybe you can help me figure out how to be a pack alpha and defend my pack from scumbags like Kyle. Deal?”

She chuckled. “Deal.”

For a few seconds, I seemed to fall into her eyes, a connection that pulled at me the way a black hole pulled at matter, sucking me in. Rather than scaring me, I felt as though I’d come home. It was like I could peer directly into her soul, and she into mine.

Our bond kindled as we gazed at each other.

I needed her. Then, before I could talk myself out of it, I pulled her to me.

Our lips crashed together, and like that, we became one.

Avery didn’t pull away. She sank into the kiss, our breath mingling, tongues dancing.

My inner wolf surged forward, urging me closer.

He wanted to feel her skin on ours, to experience the wet warmth of her as I slid my cock into her pussy.

Most of all, he wanted to sink his teeth into her shoulder and claim her the way I should have all those years ago.

It was too soon for that. I had to hold back, and I did by mentally wrestling my wolf back into the lower recesses of my mind.

Avery and I were barely getting back on good footing.

It was too soon to claim her. She had to know that it was okay to choose me again.

If and when we were back where I wanted us to be, I’d bring up claiming.

When we finally broke apart, we were both breathless and smiling shyly.

“I hope that was okay,” I said.

Avery ran a finger across her lips and nodded. “Um, yeah. It was okay.”

Taking backward steps toward my truck, I said, “I’ll see you later?”

“See you soon, Cole.”

The entire drive back to my house was spent in a haze of sexual frustration.

My cock strained against my pants, aching to get out.

Once I was home, the need hadn’t dissipated.

I had to take care of it. I locked the door and headed straight for my bathroom.

Images of Avery filled my mind as I turned the shower on and stripped off.

I stepped in under the stream of water, steaming hot liquid pouring over my head and down my body.

It didn’t help. All I could see was Avery.

Not the young Avery from before. The mature and gorgeous woman she was now.

A woman I’d never had the pleasure of having.

Groaning, I wrapped my hand around my throbbing cock, closed my eyes, and let a fantasy play out in the movie screen of my mind.

Avery’s eyes looked up at me, lust and desire oozing from them as she stared into my eyes. She was on her knees, unzipping my jeans and thrusting her hand into the fly. A moment later, her cool and soft fingers tugged me free.

“I missed this,” she whispered as she stroked me.

“I missed you,” I managed to say, then she sank my cock into her mouth, and I groaned in pleasure.

Her lips slid down, farther and farther, until her lips brushed the hair at the base. She pulled back, sucking as she did, then swirled her tongue around the tip.

“Oh my God,” I moaned.

Taking my words as a command to go on, Avery wrapped her hand around the base of my cock and slid her head back and forth, fucking me with her mouth. My hips jerked forward, pushing deeper down her throat, unable to stop myself.

While she worked me into a frenzy, I ran my fingers lovingly through her hair. She was so beautiful, so amazing. Avery stroked me hard as she sucked, and my climax built. Avery, sensing my approaching orgasm, let go of my cock and clutched at my ass.

“I’m coming,” I hissed through clenched teeth.

Avery grunted in acknowledgment and suckled at the head of my cock as I exploded. I cried out in pleasure as wave after wave pushed through me. Avery kept sucking, her lips moving over my shaft until I was fully spent.

I needed no time to recharge. I lifted her up and tore her clothes off her body until her breasts stood out, nipples hard, milky skin smooth and soft.

I bent her over the bed and sank to my knees behind her.

Pulling her ass cheeks apart, I shoved my tongue into her pussy.

She tasted of salt, flesh, honey, and life—a life I’d missed and would never lose again.

She writhed beneath me, moaning as I sucked at her clit, my cock hard, twitching in time with my pulse.

Pulling my face away, I stood and gripped Avery’s hips. She looked back over her shoulder.

“Fuck me, Cole. Please.”

With one quick thrust of my hips, I sheathed myself in her. Wet, tight, and hot. I shouted out a cry of delighted surprise at the feel of her and moved my hips in desperate desire.

Avery moaned, crying out as I slammed into her over and over. Her fingers grazed my cock as she reached under her to rub at her clit while I fucked her.

“Come for me, baby,” I hissed.

“Harder!”

Doing as she asked, I reached forward, grabbed her shoulders, and crashed into her, pulling her onto my cock with each thrust. Avery’s breathing turned into quick, almost panicked gasps.

Her fingers moved furiously on her clit.

A moment later, her back arched, and she screamed out, bouncing her hips against me as she clenched around me.

With two more quick thrusts, I came again, spurting cum into her as a new and even more powerful climax took me.

The water began to cool, and I jerked my cock, the spasm of orgasm twitching deep inside me.

I sucked in a breath, my hips moving of their own accord as the pleasure built like a bomb, ready to detonate.

My hand slid up and down my shaft until my climax came like a thunderclap.

I grunted, resting my head on the wall of the shower as waves of ecstasy throbbed within my balls, cock, and pelvis.

Heaving a breath, I let the cool water cascade over me as I tried to recover. It had been the most powerful orgasm I’d had in… well, since the last night I spent with Avery.

“Holy fuck,” I muttered, then slammed the handle down, turning the water off.

Stepping out of the shower on shaky legs, I grabbed a towel and dried off. The whole time, I thought about the fantasy that had just played through my mind. No matter what I did, I couldn’t stop hoping and wishing it had been real instead of a vivid movie playing in my head.

I walked to the mirror, wiped the condensation off the glass, and stared into my own eyes.

“What the hell am I gonna do?”