curse of the alpha - episode 05 & 06 (13 page)

She looked up into his eyes. He often had a shy way of looking down, leaving her to admire his inky lashes.

Tonight he met her eyes. They told her a story of trust and love so powerful she wanted to look away.

Instead she closed her eyes and raised herself for a kiss.

He responded immediately. He had been treating her like she was so delicate all night. But this kiss spoke of barely restrained hunger.

One of his hands fisted in the sheets above her head. The other thumbed her jaw, opening her mouth wider so that he could devour her mouth.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, pressing him harder against herself. It felt as if she could actually melt into him if she could just get close enough.

He responded with a growl and ground his hips into her. She could feel the length of him, hard and hot against her thigh.

Why was he not inside her already? She would die if he didn’t make love to her now. Ainsley whimpered and tried to work herself into a position to receive him.

“Slow, baby, slow,” he whispered, “I’ll take care of you, don’t worry.”

But he pulled out of her hold.

As she moved to protest, he slid down on the bed. Leaning on his side, he wrapped one hand in her hair and used the other to stroke her breasts.

“You’re so beautiful,” he said dreamily.

He dipped his head down to cover her breasts with tender kisses.

Her nipples stiffened immediately but he took his time, cuddling and cooing over each breast before taking her aching nipples in his mouth - soothing and teasing her all at once.

Too soon, he pulled away again and ran his fingertips down to her belly.

Ainsley instinctively sucked in her tummy.

“No,” he said firmly, moving his hand to her chin and forcing her to look him in the eye.

Ainsley cringed.

“Is there something about you that you don’t want me to see?” he asked.

“I…I…”

“I adore you, Ainsley, and I worship every inch of that hot body of yours. I’m going to fill this gorgeous belly with my babies one day. You can be buttoned up tight with everyone else in the world if you want to. But not with me. You
will
let me in.”

Tears prickled at Ainsley’s eyelids. She nodded.

“No crying. No crying tonight.”

Erik kissed her eyelids and her forehead. He kissed her chest, pressing her breasts together so that they surrounded his face.

He buried his face in her belly, kissing her and rubbing his rough stubble against her skin until she giggled and bucked under him.

He lifted his face up to grin triumphantly. He was so sexy with his dimples and his eyes crinkled up. He looked so happy, so playful, so confident.

Without warning he dove back down, pressing her thighs open.

Ainsley caught her breath and waited in a haze of anticipation.

At last she felt his tongue lightly caress her opening.

Instantly her hips were moving and she heard a sound that she realized was her own desperate moan.

Erik responded with more pressure and long, leisurely strokes of his tongue.

His slow, steady pace was driving Ainsley insane.

“Please,” she whispered.

“Please, what?”

“Please, I need more.”

He smiled against her thigh.

A moment later she felt his warm rough finger against her. He worked it between her delicate folds unhurriedly.

Ainsley’s vagina convulsed on itself, as if trying to lure his finger deeper.

“Insatiable girl,” he said, and allowed her another inch of his finger.

Ainsley cried out in frustration.

Erik laughed.

“Can’t we take it slow tonight?”

“
No
!”

“Okay, give me one more minute.”

He didn’t wait for her answer, but instead continued his game.

By the time Erik’s finger was hovering near the magical place inside her, Ainsley was on the edge.

“First you’re going to come for me, baby.”

He lowered his head again and licked her distended clitoris into his mouth. His finger inside her circled the place that made her moan. Hooking his finger into her he sucked hard.

Ainsley came in a dizzying rush.

As soon as the pleasure started to fade he began to work her again.

“No, no I can’t, not again. Please…”

“Shhhh…”

Within moments he had her worked into a feverish state again. Her hips bucked convulsively and she clenched his hair in her hands.

He replaced his tongue with a hand and looked up into her eyes.

“You’re so beautiful, Ainsley.”

She could only pant and whimper in reply.

“I want to make love to you now, please.”

“Yes,” Ainsley begged.

“Yes,” he said with a smile as he crawled up to her.

Once again Erik’s arms framed Ainsley’s head. His heart was thundering and he smelled like Ainsley and sweat and his wonderful self.

Ainsley wrapped her arms around his neck.

“I love you, Erik.”

“I love you, forever, Ainsley Connor.”

He locked eyes with her and entered her so slowly. The pleasure was so sweet, but the love in his eyes was sweeter. Tears threatened again and Ainsley didn’t try to fight them.

“Are you crying?” he whispered.

She nodded.

“I’m so happy,” she whispered.

His answering smile melted her heart.

“Come for me again, baby.”

She wanted to protest.

Before she could, Erik eased his rigid penis into her. He held himself motionless, growling with pleasure, but trying to give her time to stretch and accommodate him.

And Ainsley knew that she would come again – it was inevitable.

As soon as she began to tremble he thrust into her deeply.

“Look into my eyes,” he demanded.

She opened her eyes, shy about letting him see into her soul the moment when she fell apart, but knowing it was his to see – she was his.

He sped up his pace. She could feel him swell and throb inside her and his eyes took on a pleading quality.

It pushed Ainsley over the edge. She came in a thousand tiny pieces, screaming his name.

Erik’s face went still and suddenly she could feel him swell and pulse inside her. His pleasure seemed to go on and on and on. His eyes were angelic. He looked lost and found all at once. Ainsley was mesmerized.

At long last, he collapsed on her chest. The last thing she remembered was the feel of his fingers twining in her hair as she drifted off to sleep.

CHAPTER 20

A 
insley awoke suddenly. Her wolf senses had been alerted to footsteps on the porch a second before the knock came.

Cressida.

And food.

Somehow, they had forgotten to eat last night. She was ravenous.

She was also tangled in Erik’s embrace. It reminded her of real wolves sleeping in a big heap and she almost giggled.

Her stomach growled, reminding her there was time to giggle later. She went about trying to slip out of the bed without disturbing him.

Ainsley padded down the stairs to find her friend.

She supposed Cressida was her friend now, although she wasn’t altogether sure.

It was an odd relationship at best.

Cressida seemed completely unconcerned. As soon as Ainsley came to the door she handed her a grocery bag.

“Good morning!”

“Hi, Cressida.”

Cressida headed right for the kitchen. She banged the refrigerator door open against the cabinets and began rummaging around.

Finding what she needed, Cressida made a small sound of victory and grabbed a pan off the stove.

“I’m gonna make you the best steak you ever had!”

“Let me guess – Pittsburg style?” Ainsley ventured.

“You’ve had it before.”

Cressida’s mouth formed the cutest little pout.

“I didn’t like it then. But I might like it now.”

It seemed the most natural thing in the world to sit at the counter and watch Cressida work. There was a time, not so long ago, when Ainsley would have insisted on helping. Being alpha had its perks. Cressida was clearly proud to be feeding her superior.

In no time, the steak was steaming on plates.

“Go wake your man,” Cressida said, grabbing juice out of the fridge.

Ainsley’s stomach was knotted in hunger, but she had another plan.

“Hold the steak warm, I need a minute,” Ainsley said.

Cressida shrugged and turned back to the meal.

Ainsley headed up the steps.

Erik was right where she’d left him.

His too long hair was splayed on the pillow behind him. A five o’clock shadow defined his strong jaw line. His bulging biceps were thrown behind his head, and his abs were rock hard, even as he lay sleeping. The morning glow through the skylight gave him an otherworldly quality. He looked like a sleeping angel.

The sheet was tented below his waist, telling Ainsley he was ripe for the little surprise she had planned.

Slowly she drew back the sheet.

He didn’t move, so she eased herself onto the mattress.

She lowered her head and took him into her mouth.

He awoke with a low moan.

“Ainsley.”

“Mmm…”

“Oh god, woman, that’s good…”

CHAPTER 21

T
hey arrived downstairs breathless and bright-eyed, but if Cressida noticed she didn’t let on.

“Steak and eggs are on the counter.”

When Erik lifted the bowls that covered their plates the steam that unfurled was so fragrant Ainsley’s mouth watered.

She tried her best to appreciate the meal in a way that was worthy of Cressida’s generosity. But mostly she just bolted it down – blood and all.

“You liked it,” Cressida said proudly.

“I could eat three more,” Ainsley said with a smile.

She was horrified to admit to herself that she really would have liked to eat at least one more.

“I’m going to need to get a better job if you keep eating like that!”

What did Cressida do for a living? Was it possible to share the level of intimacy they had and not know something as basic about her as how she spent her days?

“What do you do, Cressida?”

“I’m a waitress. It’s a job. Not what I wanted, but it pays the bills. At least it used to,” Cressida looked significantly at Ainsley’s plate.

Ainsley laughed.

“I’ll reimburse you for the steak, Cressida. I’ve got loads of money. God only knows what I’ll do with it now.”

There was silence.

“
That
makes you guys uncomfortable? After all we just went through?”

“Sorry, Ainsley, it’s just weird to talk about money, I guess,” Erik said.

Ainsley shrugged.

“I worked really hard for it, at the expense of everything else in life. I had a plan to buy my broker’s business when she retired. Now I guess I don’t need it for that. And that was the only thing I wanted. We’ll spend it all on steak, instead!”

“Everyone said you were really rich, but I didn’t believe it. How rich are you, exactly?” Cressida asked.

“I won’t have to work again if I’m careful with it. Though I’ll work anyway.”

“
Why?”
Cressida asked.

“I like to work. Haven’t you ever had a job you liked?”

Cressida shook her head slowly.

Ainsley immediately wanted to offer to help her friend, but she sensed Cressida would want to save face in front of Erik.

“You will one day, and then you’ll understand,” she said instead.

The phone rang.

“Hello,” Erik said in his lovely deep voice.

Ainsley smiled at him and he winked back, long lashes kissing his cheek.

“For you, baby,” he said, handing her the receiver.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Ainsley, it’s Grace.”

“Grace! I’m so glad you called. I owe you my life!”

“Ainsley, I’m calling about the house.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I think you need to just come,” Grace said carefully.

Ainsley’s heart sank.

“I’ll be right there.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

They had already stolen all her stuff and painted graffiti all over the living room. What else could be so bad she had to see it in person?

The thought of her family home burned down or bulldozed was too much.

And if people were still pulling that kind of stuff, it must mean that her new role as alpha wasn’t really as undisputed as they told her it was.

Ainsley’s stomach lurched.

She replaced the phone in the cradle and turned to Erik.

“I have to go. There’s something wrong at the house.”

“We’re coming with you,” Cressida said immediately.

They climbed into Erik’s truck, Ainsley smashed cozily between Erik and Cressida.

Erik’s thumb tapped the steering wheel nervously on the short drive. Cressida held Ainsley’s hand and patted it in a grandmotherly way.

When they pulled out front everything seemed normal. They hopped out of the cab and headed for the front porch, where Grace waited.

“Ainsley!” Grace embraced her warmly.

“Grace, thank God for what you did that night! How did you know to come?”

“I’ll tell you all about it over coffee before we talk about
The Mockingbird Next Door
next week!”

Ainsley remembered her promise to have a weekly book club with Grace and laughed. She had nowhere else to be for a while.

“It’s a date.”

“Are you ready to go inside?”

“How bad is it?”

“You’re going to want to see this for yourself.”

Ainsley took a deep breath.

Erik grabbed her hand in his. The warm pressure made her feel better immediately. Cressida fell in step naturally behind them.

The door opened and Ainsley stood in the doorway, frozen with amazement.

It was as though the events of the last few days had never occurred.

The furniture was all back. The books were back on the shelves. The walls were free of graffiti and freshly painted.

She ran to the kitchen.

There was the old oak table with its familiar rings.

She ran upstairs.

The rooms were full again. The window in her father’s study had been repaired. All his books were back on the shelves. She peeked out. Someone had even planted new rhododendrons to replace the ones Julian had squashed in his hasty exit.