Reluctant Alpha (12 page)

That was another weird stepping point. Mrs. Wolff had asked her if she’d like a glass of iced tea, that she had made a fresh pitcher just today, and when she had said yes, several people had rolled their eyes. When she had taken her first sip, thank God it was only a sip, she gagged.

“
Wow, that’s sweet! I can’t possibly drink that; I don’t know how anyone could.” With tears in her eyes, she noticed that it was just her and Mrs. Wolff in the room. Shit! They had cleared out fast!

“
Yes, it is incredibly sweet, isn’t it? I’ve been trying for years, and I mean years, to find someone brave enough who would tell me that. I kept making it sweeter and sweeter thinking someone would say, ‘hey, this is awful.’ I hate making it. I hate drinking it. Thank you.” She sat down at the table and started peeling potatoes again.

“
Well why didn’t you just tell someone that instead of trying to put them into a sugar coma?” Airic dumped the whole pitcher in the sink and put water on to boil. While that was working, she found the tea bags and counted out what she needed. No sugar, not in her tea. It was always easier to add more than to take away she thought.

“
But this was so much more fun. You should see the ways they’ve come up with to dump it. Most of the time it was in that big plant by the dining room, or over the railing when they thought I wasn’t looking. The poor plant had to be transplanted last fall because there was something wrong with the soil, the lady said. Too much sugar byproducts, I would guess.”

Airic couldn’t help it. She leaned over and kissed the woman on her cheek and laughed. One by one, the women returned to the kitchen to resume work.

Airic was still smiling when she felt him. Bradley. He was coming home, err here, she thought. She looked behind her because it had felt as if he had run his fingers down her spine. Closing her eyes, she saw him, running. He was a wolf and coming with the others. When she opened her eyes, Donna was smiling at her.

“
Neat, huh? The first time I felt David it damn near made me jump off the ladder I was on. Do you know how long?”

“
Maybe thirty minutes…how did you know? I mean, I’ve never…” Airic cut out the last biscuit in the last batch and went to the oven. She was embarrassed and frustrated. He shouldn’t be doing these things to her, she was leaving soon.

“
You’re his mate; you’ll always be able to feel him. Especially when he wants you specifically to know he’s coming.” With a pat on her shoulder, Donna waddled away.

What the hell was that supposed to mean? But she didn’t have time to ask. Donna announced that the alpha and men were thirty minutes away and to hop to it.

The kitchen became an artist palate of smells and sounds to her. From the ham and beef cooking, sizzling in the pans, the eggs cracked on the side of the bowl for omelets to the coffee being brewed in the giant urn on the counter. Each woman knew her job and the small sounds of ice tinkling in the glasses to the juicer squeezing oranges, the air perfumed with their sweetness, all came together as a musical telling of love and respect for each other. Airic wished again for her sketch pad and a few minutes to capture the room, but she’d have to wait until she got home to put it to paper.

***

By the time they were less than hundred yards from the house, they could smell the food. Each wolf stopped and sniffed the air; meat, and the sweet smell of other foods cooking scented the very air around them. They took off much faster then, running and romping to the house. Several of the younger wolves nipped at the older ones’ tails and ran when they gave chase. Tumbling and jumping, he thought one would never know what a grizzly discovery they had just made. This is what they needed and he’d have to make sure his grandmother knew how much he appreciated it.

As each wolf shifted, they went to the outdoor showers to clean up and dress. His wolves weren’t very modest, and being naked most of the time didn’t bother them at all, but Bradley had made sure they all knew that there was a stranger in the house and to behave. He hoped that she was up; he wanted them all to meet her.

He felt her the moment he walked into the house. His body hardened in response to her scent. He needed to find her, to touch her. He followed her scent into the kitchen and was almost bowled over by two women coming out with platters of food. He saw her across the room and strode toward her, unmindful of the chaos he was creating in his wake. The master just didn’t come into the kitchen at meal times.

He watched her hand the bowl of food to the woman standing next to her and come toward him, never breaking eye contact with him. When he reached her, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her, devoured her, tasted her. Both of them forgot about the room full of people and the dining room full of more.

He pulled her tight against him, loving the feel of her warmth and strength. She opened her mouth beneath his and he swept his tongue inside her sweet heat, tasting the honey she’d just eaten. When he felt the tug at his arm, he slapped out at it. When it continued to pull and yank, he turned to snarl at the nuisance. Grandda.

“
Go away. I’m busy.” He growled at the older man. And was turning back to kiss her again when he felt him pull again. “I mean it, old man, go away.”

“
Bradley, my boy, you need to let the little girl go so she can feed the others too. If you stay in this kitchen kissing her, then the rest of the food won’t get served.” Bradley looked at the now vacant kitchen with all the serving platters and bowls just sitting ready to be taken in the other room. With a sigh of regret, he let her go, but not without another quick kiss and a promised “later” did he walk away, grabbing a platter and taking it with him.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

There were sixteen wolves and two vampires at the table that morning. The one vamp Airic had met and she tried to ignore him. Aaron, he had told her, was the man from her house. The other was a big man too, and just as gorgeous as the others. Bradley had called him Dominic; he was a tracker.

The breakfast had been a good idea, the men were starved. It got a little dicey there for a few minutes when she began pouring tea in everyone’s glasses. She hadn’t asked if they wanted it, just poured. When two of them looked around for the potted plant that she’d had moved outside to the deck in deference to the large crowd, she nearly laughed out loud. Bradley looked panicky and nervous, especially when his grams, as he called her, told him she was trying a different way to brew the tea, and she wanted him to taste it for her. He cautiously put the glass to his lips and pretended to take a drink.

“
Oh come on now, take a healthy drink. I need to know if I should add more sugar or not.” She watched in amazement as he put the brew to his mouth and took a big swallow. The look on his face was priceless. He had expected it to be so sweet, as she had always brewed it, but was surprised by no sugar at all.

“
Hey, hey, this is really good. Really, really good.” She watched as he realized what he had said and his face flamed red. His grams took pity on him and kissed his cheek and told him that Airic had made it, and she was handing the tea brewing over to her in the future.

After all the food was eaten and the plates cleared away, Bradley asked to speak to her. She told him she was drying dishes, but if he wanted to come in and help, she’d get it done a lot faster. She didn’t think he would, but he followed her in the kitchen and took a towel out of the drawer. After the others realized he wasn’t kidding and he was going to help, clean up began.

“
Grams, thanks so much for getting this done. I didn’t realize how hungry everyone was until we smelled the food coming across the field.” He was drying one of the large plates that wouldn’t fit in one of the two dishwashers.

“
I didn’t do it, Airic did. She said you guys would want a fine meal and told us what to do.”

Airic glared at her. All she had said was they’d be hungry.
Fine meal indeed,
she thought with a huff.

“
You did this, all of this?”

She looked at his shocked expression and got even madder. “You know, I can think beyond the wheel, you moronic ass. And that’s another thing. I’d like for someone to take me home. Today.” She had just finished drying the last pot and hung the towel over the oven door like her mother had always done.

“
I can take you; you must be running out of clothes. I should have thought of that. But my shirt on you looks mighty delicious. I can’t wait to take it off you, button by button, inch by inch. Tasting you as I go.” He had moved closer once he had set his towel aside, his voice getting deeper and warmer. Her body responded to it, nipples hardening, breasts tightening. Need, she felt his need for her touch her in very intimate and seductive ways.

“
No, not you. You…you must be tired. I can have one…don’t do that, Bradley.” He was touching her again. She could not think when he touched her. “Please, you have to…”

“
Yes, I do. I have to very badly, love. I want you, Alastriona. I need to bury myself deep inside of you.” His mouth moved along her jaw and to her ear. He nipped at her lobe and she felt the room tilt. He moved his hands up her ribs and cupped her bare breasts, his thumbs finding her nipples and caressing them. He moaned deep from his chest. It vibrated along her skin like a caress. She noticed that they were alone again. Everyone had cleared out without a sound.

“
Unbutton your shirt. Unbutton it for me.” With shaky fingers, she moved to do what he asked. When it was undone, she looked at him and closed her eyes when she felt the cool breeze touch her. “Look at me, Alastriona; I want you to watch me as I take you into my mouth.” She opened her eyes again and he lifted her up off the floor, lifting her by her ass and along his body to have her wrap her legs around his waist. When her breasts were level with his mouth, she opened the shirt and cupping her own breasts, fed him them.

“
Oh Bradley, yes!” She watched as he suckled at one breast then the other, nipping harder and harder with each pass of his mouth. She was rocking into him now; her release was close, so close she could almost taste it.

“
I want you, to be inside of you. Now, Alastriona, now.” While she tightened her legs around him, she felt him move to his pants. The zipper moving down, each tooth opened was like a sensual stroke along her clit. Running her fingers through his hair and gripping it tightly between her fingers, she pulled his mouth up and to hers. Her tongue invaded his mouth, taking and dueling with his, tasting his heat, his need.

“
Please, hurry, please.” She was begging, begging him to complete her, fill her. Her body wasn’t just on fire; it felt like molten lava was running through her veins.

This time it was she who heard the person at the door, she who snarled at him to go the fuck away.

“
You really need to come out here, my lord. There is a man here who says he’s here because of a rogue wolf that they have tracked to our territory. I thought it could be the one from yesterday.” The man on the other side of the door sounded terrified. He fucking well should be, she thought.

Her body hurt, ached like it never had before. Bradley was still holding her, his pants not quite all the way open, and she wondered if he felt the same way. When he didn’t answer the man, she heard him clear his throat again and she answered for the alpha.

“
Tell him that he’ll be right there, please. Put him in the small room off the front door, the one with the pretty blue vase on the table.” She leaned her head back against the cabinet behind her when he sat her down on it.

“
Small salon, Samuel, put him in the small salon as the mistress said.” He was still looking at her hungrily as he pulled the tab back up on his trousers and redid his belt. With that look, she started panting again. “You keep looking at me like that, love, and that man could good and well rot away in there for all I care.”

“
I hope he does rot. Fucking dick head.” She didn’t get down, but watched him get dressed and straighten his clothes. He was grinning now, the arrogant ass.

“
We are going to have to find a place where no one knows where we are. Then I’m going to fuck your brains out. Then when I’m finished, I’m going to do it again. Then maybe a couple more times for good measure.” He placed both hands on either side of her, trapping her where she was. As if she needed to be trapped, she thought. He kissed her. Pulling away much too soon for her, he pulled her shirt closed, picked her up, and stood her on the floor. With a stern, “get dressed,” and a hard swat on the ass, he left the room.

Tossing another “arrogant asshole” his way, she went to the laundry room. She knew he heard her, because she heard him laugh as he went.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

He stared at the man across from him. Donna had brought in iced tea for each of the three men, the man who said his name was Peter Alastair, Dom who was acting bodyguard for Bradley, and himself. The story he had told them did not set well with Bradley.

“
We have come into your territory without notice, sire. And I want to extend my master’s apologies. We have tracked a rogue male into this region who we believe to be dangerous and quite mad. He has killed before, humans and weres alike without discrimination, and had now gotten the taste of human blood. We will destroy him as is our way.” Peter recited this speech. Recited it because, Bradley thought, he’d done this many times before.

“
Where do you think this rogue wolf is, and why come into my territory?” The man wasn’t lying, not really. He did believe the wolf to be dangerous and maybe even mad, but not about him being destroyed.