He leaned down and yelled, “Why the hell was Romano here?”
“Be glad he was, because someone needed to remind me why I love you, asshole!”
Alex’s hand shot out and grabbed the nape of her neck, pulling her head up as his mouth slammed down on hers. Her back arched as he gripped her hair, pulling it back and twisting the long strands in his fist. She gasped when he let her mouth go, only to dive to her neck, kissing, biting her with sharp nips she knew would leave a mark.
Her body was on fire, and his hunger consumed her.
She turned her head, but couldn’t move an inch because his left arm had welded her torso to his. Her arms twisted around his neck and pulled him closer as Alex’s teeth sank into the soft curve where her neck met her shoulder.
Burn, burn, burn.
She closed her eyes and felt it. The curling heat spread from her middle, filling her limbs with a strange weight. She wasn’t a weak woman, but had the feeling she would fall if he didn’t hold her up.
Alex walked him backward and she started tearing at the buttons on his shirt.
“Tea?” he panted.
“Yes.” There it was. She felt the buttons start to pop and his shirt was gone, falling to the floor like so much ash. He let go of her to yank it off as he continued to walk them backward to the bed.
“Mmm…” He pulled his mouth from her neck and claimed her mouth again, drinking her in deep gulps as their breaths mingled and their lips danced. Touching. Teasing. He caught her lower lip with his teeth. She licked at his tongue.
“Need—”
“I know.”
He fell on top of her, bracing himself with his forearms for a second before his mouth was on her again. She struggled to unbuckle his belt, then sucked in a deep breath, back arching as Alex pulled down the top of her camisole, baring her breasts to the cold of the air-conditioned room. They didn’t remain uncovered for long because he was on them.
His mouth descended to her left breast, taking it in his mouth as his teeth scraped the edge of her nipple before he pulled, sucking the tip in his mouth as his fingers teased the other. Her back arched off the bed at the sensation. Raw hunger seared through her and she needed—needed more.
“Alex!”
“Shhh.” He took one more deep pull, so hard he probably left a mark before his mouth was on her again. Twisting farther up the bed, Alex quickly unbuckled his belt. Then struggled with his pants while Ted pulled off her top.
Alex growled, on her in seconds, but this time his burning skin hit hers and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, digging her nails into his shoulders as he lifted her in his arms, bringing her up to straddle his lap. He fisted a hand in her hair again and she let him, baring her neck to his teeth.
Only with him. Only ever with him.
He laid her back on the pillows, chest heaving. His cheeks were red with hunger, and his jaw clenched as his eyes narrowed on her pants. He reached down and ripped them off, along with her panties.
She lay there, bared to him. His eyes drank her in. Every inch. Their eyes met, and Ted’s heart almost stopped.
Alex. Her mouth moved to form his name, but she couldn’t say it. Couldn’t say anything. The sheer hunger in his gaze leveled her.
And she needed him. Needed his touch. His hands. His mouth. More than she’d ever needed anything in her life.
She was his.
He closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath, tasting the weight of the air around them. Then he bowed between her legs and put his mouth to her.
She cried out at his kiss. His tongue. His teeth on the soft inside of her thigh. He devoured her. She was lost, her eyes closing as she slipped closer to the edge, but then he was gone. She opened her eyes to see him watching her, crouched over her like the predator he was, his eyes never left hers as he bent his head to her skin.
“Alex.”
“Watch.” His voice was feral.
He kept her eyes when his teeth closed over the flesh of her belly. He kept them when his tongue licked up her ribs. He watched her as his teeth scraped over her breast again, then his lips touched hers. Not kissing. His breath kissed hers as their gazes locked and he surged inside.
Ted gasped and her eyes fluttered, but he growled out, “Eyes!” as his hips nudged deeper.
They made love with eyes locked on each other, Alex braced over her. Her legs wrapped around him. And when she came, he watched her face and the flush on his cheeks grew dark. It was hard and raw and fast. It was everything and nothing like it had been before.
She saw him start to fall over the edge.
“Eyes,” she said, and his gaze sharpened on her.
“Tea.”
“Yes,” she whispered, arching back to bare her neck to him, eyes still locked with his.
“Baby.”
“Let go.”
And he did. His mouth touching hers as he came with a groan. When he finally stopped moving, he let her eyes go and buried his face in her neck.
“I love you, too,” he whispered.
Her arms were around him, long strokes up and down his back as she felt the tension seep away. The waxing moon, nearly full, shone through the high arched windows. Her cat stretched beneath her skin, soothed by the fierce love-making and the weight of her mate’s body.
Alex moved to her side, pulling her with him, chest to chest, he lifted her thigh to lay over his and locked her to him. His left arm came around her waist and pulled her close and she rested her head on the hard curve of his bicep. It was surprisingly comfortable.
“Alex,” she whispered, “I need—”
“Shhh,” he kissed her temple. “Leave it. Just stay here. Stay with me.”
She hesitated for only a moment before her body relaxed into his. “Okay.”
“Sleep, Tea.”
She thought she’d still be wired, but with his hand playing in the curls of her hair, her arms wrapped the massive burn of his body, she felt herself start to slip away.
Within minutes, she was asleep.
She woke later to feel a warm washcloth, cleaning her up.
“Alex?”
“Shhh, Tea. Go back to sleep.” He tugged the cool sheets over her and walked back to the bathroom, his body outlined in the light that glowed over the sink. Then he turned off the light and the room was pitch black except for the moonlight that still shone.
She’d had sex with Alex. Fighting, then sex. And right in the middle of that, she’d told him she loved him.
If that wasn’t a familiar pattern, she didn’t know what was.
She looked for the anxiety she’d expected. Looked for the fear, but he’d worked it out of her. His hunger had burned so hot, there wasn’t room for any doubt. She was exhausted, physically and emotionally. Any second-guessing could wait for the next day.
Or maybe the day after.
He came back and slipped beneath the covers with her, pulling her into his arms again, sliding her leg over his thigh so they were tangled together.
She pressed her face into his chest, her eyes barely open. “We didn’t use a condom,” she whispered, “but I’m on the pill.”
His hand didn’t stop playing her hair. “I’ve only ever not used one with you.”
“Me too,” she murmured, then her eyes closed completely.
Her mind drifted, but her body was content. The cat in her had stopped prowling hours ago, the minute Alex had pulled her into his arms and taken her. She was sated. Safe. A drowsy voice came to her through the haze of sleep, but it barely registered.
“It’s only ever been you.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Did you really think something happened between me and the concierge?”
“Did you really think I put you in the same category as Cam’s girl?”
She was quiet for a minute. They were curled up in bed together, the sunlight touching the shear drapes that hid them from the rest of the world. He’d pulled her back to his chest and rested his stubbled chin on her
shoulder as they dozed.
“No. I don’t think you put me in the same category as ‘Laura-en.’ My boobs aren’t nearly fake enough.”
He chuckled against her back. “Your boobs are great. That’s why Romano was checking them out when he met you.” He was. Asshole. Even if he was an asshole that kept Ted in Vegas and not driving down the road pissed out of her mind the night before a full moon.
“Seriously? Romano?” Ted reached down and grabbed both of his hands from around her waist, crossing them over her chest so he cupped her breasts. “Feel better now? Marked your territory, alpha boy?”
He gave them a squeeze. Then another. “I feel a little better. And don’t pretend you didn’t mark some territory yourself. I have the scratches on my back to prove it.”
“There’s bite marks on your neck, too.”
“Some on you too, baby.”
“Don’t call me baby.”
At that, his arms tightened, and when he spoke, his voice was raw. “I missed mornings with you.”
She said nothing, but grabbed his hands and squeezed them in her own.
Alex took a deep breath and asked the question that had haunted him all morning. “Are we back? I need to know. You told me you love me, but—”
“Love was never the problem, was it?”
“No.”
She turned in his arms and looked at him, bringing her hands up to stroke his cheeks. He nuzzled into her hand and scraped his chin across her palm, content to let her pet him. But he turned his eyes to hers, locking into her as he had the night before.
“You want the job?” she asked softly.
“What?”
“The job. Taking my back. Putting up with my crazy family and their bullshit. Putting up with me when I’m a raging bitch, because you know I can be. Not giving up when I’m stubborn. When I’m angry.” She paused, but just like when they’d made love, his eyes never left hers. “Sticking with me,” she continued. “Making the Springs home, all the messy—”
“I want the job.”
No questions. No hesitation. The tightness that had creeped up on him when he woke eased away even as she blinked in surprise.
“Alex—”
“Best job in the world.”
“But—”
“No buts. I’ve got just as much baggage as you do. Maybe more, considering my pack. So Teodora Vasquez, if you’re willing to take me on…” He rolled over and trapped her under him. “Then I’ll take you on. Are we back?”
He could read her answer in her eyes.
“Querido,” she whispered.
Querido. Dearest.
They were back.
Holy shit, they were back.
She smiled, a soft sweet smile that made him want to take her again. The night before had been intense and fast and hot as hell, but he needed to drink deep. He’d missed her for too long. Missed their mornings together, when they would talk about random stuff. Some of it serious. Some of it silly. Talk and pet and kiss.
He bent down, working soft lips from her jawline up to her mouth, then he held it, suspended in the sunlight that crossed their skin.
They were back.
A soft growl left his throat as the wolf inside stretched in approval.
“That said—” Ted broke from him. “—we still have shit to talk about. So no growling.”
He laughed and rolled her back into the pillows with him, settling her on his chest so he could play with her hair.
“Fine,” he said. “As long as the shit we need to talk about is how we’re going to be together, not if we’re going to be together.”
“Deal.”
He kissed her again. Longer. Sweeter. Just a lick of his tongue against her lower lip. “Deal.”
“Mmm,” she hummed in quiet contentment.
“You know, Jena told me I needed to charm you.”
“Oh really?”
“Romance you.”
Her shoulders started to shake. “Was the ‘Did you hop in bed with the concierge?’ argument part of the charm and romance strategy? If so, that wasn’t very effective.”
“No. I think I just figured charm and romance wasn’t working, so I’d go with pissing you off.”
“It’s probably not a healthy sign that it actually worked for you, is it?”
“It’s us,” he said. “What can I say, Ted? It’s just… us.”
They drove out to the Di Stefano’s house in Alex’s truck, and the dusty scratched Ford looked just as out of place in the luxurious gated community as it had on the Las Vegas strip. He pulled in behind Cam’s Jaguar and walked around to help Ted out of the cab. He’d asked Cam the night before if he should bring her or if it was just going to cause another fight. Cam had laughed and said to bring her.
Alex didn’t know if that was because Cam and his dad wanted to see Ted, or if Cam just thought Alex and Ted fights were fun to watch.
“So, we’re meeting his dad. That’s all you got out of him?”
“That was an hour long negotiation, Ted. Cam does not like crossing wires.”
“Crossing wires?”
“He has family life and business life. And they don’t often meet.”
She nodded and took his hand. “And you’re business life.”
“And a little bit family life, since I’ve known him a long time.”
“I can see the conflict.”
“His dad’s very old school, so if he asks to speak to me alone—”
“I got it.” She turned as they walked up the walk-way and tugged on his collar. “I won’t go off half-cocked.”
He smiled. “It’s not that you’re a woman, it’s that you’re sort of like a cop.”
She laughed and started walking again. “Me? A cop?”
“In their minds? Yeah.”
By the time they reached the front door, it was already opening, and Cam stood, tan and smiling in a golf shirt with a drink in his hand.
“Alex. Ted. Just in time for drinks.”
“Hey, Cam.” Putting his hand on the small of Ted’s back, he ushered her into the house. He saw her chest rise as she took a deep breath. Testing the scent of the room. Scanning for threats. Her sense of smell in human skin had always been better than his. She had to focus her attention, but when she did, it was almost as good as her natural form.
The corner of his mouth turned up as Cam shut the door. Alex bent to tuck a curl of her hair behind an ear and whisper, “Anything I should know?”
She smiled at him and put her mouth to his ear, giving the impression to anyone else that they were flirting. “Five men, two women by scent. But the air conditioning is blasting, so that’s messing me up.”
“Got it.” Alex was guessing that the two women were Cam’s mom and younger sister. If Constance and Yvette were there, Alex and Ted had nothing to worry about. Frank and Cam were both intensely, almost obsessively, protective of the women in their family. Most likely because Frank’s sister, according to Jolene’s research, had been murdered at sixteen by a business rival of Cam’s grandfather.
They stopped in a huge living room with a view of the golf course behind Frank and Yvette’s house. Massive double pane plate glass windows looked over the ninth green, and in the distance, Alex saw a group teeing off at the tenth. He felt a moment of longing for his clubs before he focused on the people sitting in the room.
“Alex!” Frank said with a huge smile. “How long has it been? My god, look at you. You’re an adult, just like my kids. What’s the world coming to?”
“Frank, good to see you again.” He held out his hand and shook Frank’s.
Frank Di Stefano was clearly on the way to building a solidly legitimate reputation. The dark tan and stylish clothes spoke of a healthy professional in late middle age. Successful. Active. The house on the golf course, along with the distinct lack of the typical “wise guy” accent, were only part of his carefully constructed identity. His wife was Catholic, but not from Jersey, where he’d been born. His children went
to private schools on the West Coast. And his house looked like a page from Architectural Digest.
Yvette Di Stefano rose and came to Frank’s side.
“Alex. So good to see you. I hope your family is well.”
“They are, Yvette. Thank you.” He nodded to Cam’s sister Constance, who stood silently, but politely, behind her parents. “Connie.”
“Hey, Alex.”
Stylish, trim, and still holding on to a hint of a French accent, Yvette gave Alex a quick kiss on the cheek before she held out a graceful hand to Ted. “You must be Doctor Vasquez. Welcome. It’s very nice to meet you.”
“Thank you. Please, call me Ted.”
“Ted?” Yvette’s laugh sounded like bells.
She grinned. “My mother was out of it when my dad named me after his grandmother. So my name is actually Teodora. Ted was the nickname that stuck.”
“I think that’s delightful.”
Alex pinched her waist and said, “I think it fits.”
“It does,” Cam said. “Have no idea why, but it does.”
“Are we still talking about my name?” She gave Cam an arch look. “Or are you going to get me a drink?”
“You’re still pissed about last night, aren’t you?”
“Cam!” Yvette said. “Language, please.”
Ted just grinned. “I am. So, vodka tonic or it’s gonna get ugly, Di Stefano.”
Cam laughed as he sauntered to a marble topped bar in the corner while the rest of them sat down near the windows.
“Ted,” Yvette nodded at her, “you seem like such an interesting woman. Cam said you’re a medical doctor?”
“I am. Family practice.” Ted gave him a confused glance, but Alex only tried to hide the grin. “Strep throat. Colds. Exciting stuff like that.”
“That’s wonderful.” Yvette turned to Alex. “Your parents must be thrilled you’ve found such a bright girlfriend.”