Every Night Forever Page 17

  Rolling off the bed, he stalked to Alyssa and caught her up in his arms. She squeaked in surprise and then gasped as he pressed her back into the wall. Automatically, her legs wrapped around his waist and he pressed her hands against the wall. “You guys aren’t very creative.” He tossed a glance over his shoulder to his brothers who were grinning with amusement.

  Dante and Cairo joined them, and Alyssa’s eyes, which had been wide with surprise, were now heavy-lidded with desire. He loved that look. He tilted his pelvis and ground his erection against the apex of her thighs. A moan caught in her throat.

  Just as his brothers began to tug on the ribbon that tied up the front of her dress, their father Anthony called up the stairs.

  “Dante, Cairo? Can you help us move some things from the basement?”

  Cairo’s eye ticked and he sighed before calling, “Yeah, we’ll be right down.”

  “Damn it.” Dante grinned, turning her head gently and kissing her.

  Cairo kissed her, too, and they left, leaving the room empty save for the two of them. He released her arms and pulled her close, moving away from the wall and sitting down on the bed. Kissing her neck, he hugged her close and said, “Want to go for a walk?”

  Her brow furrowed slightly and she said, “Sure.”

  He found her tennis shoes in one of their suitcases and, after saying goodbye to their mother, he took her hand and they stepped off the back deck and out into the neatly landscaped backyard. Each home in the baro had a small backyard which overlooked the wild woods in the center of their large territory.

  Alyssa’s fair skin and light purple dress made her stand out in the woods as they moved deeper and the sun became obscured. As they picked their way through paths and moved further into the trees, she asked him questions about his childhood and growing up with his extended family so close. He realized, as he told her about how close he and his cousins, his grandparents, and aunts and uncles were that she had really missed out on a lot.

  “It wasn’t even the pack, you know,” she said somberly. “It wasn’t as if they were the ones who rejected me or forced me to behave the way I did. It was my mom and the steady string of men that paraded through the house when I was growing up. I just wanted someone to love me, but they had to do it on my terms. I was so terrified of being hurt that I wouldn’t let anyone get close.”

  They stopped in front of the lake and looked across the glassy surface. “It scares me to think I might not have ever known you, if I hadn’t been so unhappy and decided to leave.”

  He pulled her close with one arm and kissed the top of her head. “It scares me, too, love.”

  He tugged her around to a golden willow tree, ducking under the long limbs and sitting down on the soft moss that covered the ground. He pulled her down into his lap and she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Did you know I was your mate right away?” She kissed his ear, tugging gently on the lobe.

  “Yeah.” He pressed a kiss to her shoulder as he pulled the ribbon holding the front of her dress closed. “I wanted to grab hold of you and never let go, the minute I met you.” He nipped at her pulse as he worked the ribbon loose and opened the front of her dress. “Did you?”

  She wiggled in his arms when he freed her breasts and cupped one firm globe in his hand. “I was really attracted to you all, but I was afraid to come between you, even though I didn’t think I’d be able to choose anyway. It was getting harder and harder for me to stay away from you, though. My wolf knew, but I was trying to ignore her.”

  He chuckled, kissing one nipple and then slowly drawing it into his mouth. Her hands squeezed his shoulders and she made a soft, pleased humming noise in her throat. He felt like he hadn’t been alone with her in ages. Even though there were plenty of times when just the two of them made love, one or both of his brothers were often around somewhere. This time, in his favorite place, with just her in his arms and no one else nearby, was a little slice of heaven in his already charmed life.

  He urged her to stand and he stretched out on his back, undoing his slacks until his cock sprang free. She stood over him, breasts bared, skin flushed, and eyes bright with passion. He sat up and ran his hands up under the full skirt of her dress until he reached her panties. Drawing them down, she balanced on one foot at a time with her hands on his shoulders for support and he tossed them aside.

  She gathered her skirt up and he kissed her thighs before she went to her knees. Grasping his cock, he closed his eyes and let out a long sigh as her moist heat enclosed him and her slight weight settled on him.

  “Oh, baby.” He held her hips and pulled her in tighter. “You feel so good.”

  Her hands clutched his shoulders as she began to lift herself off him before lowering slowly back down. She rested her forehead against his. “So do you, Mase.”

  She moved on him, slowly, leisurely, putting pressure on his shoulders until he laid flat on the ground. Leaning forward, she pushed his shirt up and kissed his chest, swirling her tongue across his nipples and biting them gently. Her body moved on his like a dream, drawing him closer to completion.

  With a swipe of her tongue across his sensitive nipples, she gave him a devilish look and sat up, grinding her body down against his. He groaned as she lifted her skirt slowly, gathering the soft cotton material up to her waist and pushing it behind her. One hand grasped her breast and thumbed across the tight nipple and the other slipped between her swollen lower lips and then touched her clit.

  Nothing turned him on more than watching her touch herself. As her fingers rubbed circles around her plump clit, he squeezed her hips and thrust up into her. Her body began to clench around his cock as she drove herself towards climax. Her head dropped forward and she began to grind into him as her fingers flew across her clit and her body trembled. Panting whimpers of pleasure slipped past her parted lips as her body squeezed him tight and she lifted her head, crying out to the treetops as pleasure rolled over her. Grasping her hips, he pumped into her as her pussy milked his cock and he came, deep inside her.

  With a contented groan, she eased down into his arms, her body sprawled on top of his. “I love you, baby.” He smoothed the hair from her shoulder and kissed her.

  “I love you,” she said softly, a small smile touching the corner of her mouth. Sunlight broke through the leaves as they rustled with the spring wind, and danced across her fair skin, and he hugged his arms around her tightly and thanked his lucky stars that she’d left the wolf pack and found her home with them.

  * * * * *

  Several days after they had arrived at their parents’ home, Dante was glad to see that Alyssa was becoming more comfortable with his family. Their mated cousins had a she-wolf for their bride named Kelli, and she was bubbly and sweet and friendly, and seemed determined to bring Alyssa out of her shell.

  Kelli had apparently come from a similar situation, where she had grown tired of the males always pawing at her on the full moon but not wanting anything to do with her at other times. The blonde pixie-sized young woman had an infectious smile and a tender heart, and Alyssa took to her right away.

  That Friday evening, they drove with their mated cousins to a new mall complex that boasted several restaurants, bars, and a twenty-five screen movie theater. They’d been out with Alyssa many times, but it was interesting to double-date, especially when that meant eight of them. They squeezed into the Escalade, Mason in the passenger seat, Alyssa sitting on Cairo’s lap in the second row with Kelli sitting on Paul’s lap next to them, with Dante in the middle, and Manny and Luke in the back. The SUV was filled with conversation, as they talked to their cousins about their family construction business, and Alyssa and Kelli made plans to make brunch for everyone on Sunday.

  The girls chose a restaurant called Auggie’s, a steak and seafood place. He was aware that people were looking at them curiously and he tensed, growing wary. Humans tended to ignore things they didn’t understand, like shifters, but seeing a group like theirs could push the boundaries of the th
ings they could overlook. He suddenly wondered if coming out like they had now, with another clan, was a mistake.

  Manny, the eldest of their clan, clapped his hand on Dante’s shoulder. “If you choose to live among the humans, you have to learn to deal with their prejudices. In Gorge, the humans accept us, and from what I heard about the town you live in, the people accept your lifestyle there as well. But this is the “big city” compared to Gorge or Dalton, and safety in numbers like this gives humans the idea that they can be loudly obnoxious about their opinions. I doubt they’ll say anything, but if they do, then we’ll handle it.”

  Dante glanced at his cousin. “I just don’t like seeing her hurt.”

  “Of course you don’t. It’s like a stab through my heart when something bothers my Kelli, but I have a feeling that Alyssa is stronger than you’re giving her credit for. And just wait until she has your cub. I’ve never seen anyone as ferocious as a she-wolf with her cubs, and that’s just judging from Kelli’s mom, who threatened to skin us alive if we ever hurt Kelli.”

  “Ouch.” Dante laughed. “Thanks, Manny. She suffered a lot with her pack; I hate to think about her ever being upset or unhappy now.”

  Dante watched as Cairo pulled out Alyssa’s chair and tucked her in close to the table, and then stroked his finger down her jaw with a tender look. Mason snagged the seat next to her, and kissed the top of her hand. If Alyssa had noticed that the humans in the restaurant were watching their interaction, she didn’t let on. Manny was right, though. Alyssa was strong. But that didn’t mean that Dante wouldn’t smash in someone’s face for upsetting her.

  He and Manny joined the large table, and Dante sat next to Cairo and reached around him to stroke Alyssa’s shoulder. She smiled at him, snagged his wrist and kissed his palm with a wink, and then went back to speaking to Kelli about what movie they were going to see.

  Later that evening, as he carried his sleeping sweetheart upstairs to the bedroom and undressed her before tucking her into bed, he was certain that he’d never been happier in his life.

  * * * * *

  As he watched Alyssa help his mother pull weeds in her garden to get ready for spring planting, Cairo leaned back in the chair on the back porch and sipped at his coffee. They were leaving tomorrow to head back to Dalton. Next week, things were going to return to normal. Each of them working different shifts, snagging precious moments with their sweetheart instead of reveling in her twenty-four hours a day as they had been these last two weeks. Suddenly feeling depressed, he concentrated on watching her shapely butt as she bent over and pulled at a weed.

  “Cairo?” His cousin Orion’s voice broke through his lust-hazed thoughts.

  Glancing up, he smiled at him and gestured to the empty chair next to him. Orion was the eldest of his clan of three and they were unmated. “What’s up, man?”

  “I wanted to ask you a question.” Orion was a few years younger than him, and Cairo studied his face, wondering why he looked nervous.

  “Shoot.” Cairo eased the front two legs of the handmade chair down onto the porch and turned to give his cousin his full attention.

  “Me and the guys wanted to know if there was any room for us at your gym.”

  Surprised, Cairo said, “To join, like members?”

  Shaking his head, Orion ran his hand through his blond hair and said, “No, to work. We’re all tired of living here on the outside of everything, Cai. Our mates aren’t here in Gorge, and we just can’t face the thought of going through another winter without them.”

  Confused, Cairo frowned. “You keep saying ‘mates’? Who are you talking about?”

  Orion’s brows rose. “All of us. My clan and Nyte’s clan.”

  Nyte and his brothers were Cairo’s other unmated cousins. “All six of you want to leave Gorge and move to Dalton? To work with us at the gym?”

  Orion smiled and glanced towards Alyssa for a moment before returning his blue-green gaze to Cairo. “Yeah. I know you guys are hating being away from Alyssa like you are. It would be cool if you guys worked the same shift, right? With our two clans coming in to help you, we could take over the other shifts. I’m not much for early mornings, but I am a night owl. And maybe we’ll find ourselves a sweet rogue wolf or a human to complete our clans. I went to college for accounting, and I could run the office. Crux and Sterling like working out and could take classes to get certified. And Nyte, Azrael, and Fade are willing to learn, too.”

  Suddenly things weren’t looking so depressing after all. “I need to talk to Dante, Mason, and Lys.”

  Nodding eagerly, Orion stood up and brushed his hands down his jeans. “We’d really love to join you guys. Let me know.”

  “You’re going to talk to me about what?” Lys asked, drawing his attention from Orion to where she stood in front of him on the porch.

  Keeping his hot coffee away, he pulled her into his lap with his free hand and kissed her neck, breathing in the sweet scent of her skin. She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck. In between kisses, he told her what Orion had said.

  Planting her hands on either side of his face, she looked as serious as he had ever seen her. “Are you saying that we could actually have a semi-normal life if they came to work for you?”

  “For us, baby. The gym is yours, too. All we have is yours,” he reminded her.

  “I know, Cai. I want that.”

  “What, sweetheart?”

  “For us to be together. I’m dreading the separate hours and us all feeling stretched so thin trying to spend time together.” She was the one stretched the most, he knew, as she tried to spend time with all of them equally.

  “Then let’s go talk to Dante and Mason.” Scooping her up in one arm, he walked into the house, deposited his mug on the counter, and carried her into the family room where Dante and Mason were talking to Fade, who was a talented graphics artist.

  Dante glanced up and smiled as Cairo sat down on the couch next to them and settled Alyssa on his lap. A sketchbook was open on the coffee table, and a sketch of what looked like a sign had been drawn in pencil. On closer inspection, he realized it was a sign for their gym.

  Mason leaned over and kissed Alyssa’s cheek. “Fade’s going to redo the sign for the gym and work on some brochures and flyers for us.”

  “Cool.” Alyssa smiled approvingly. “Fade, can you excuse us for a couple minutes? I need to speak to my husbands.”

  “You bet,” Fade said, leaving the sketchbook and walking out of the room.

  “Yes, lovely?” Dante settled back on the couch.

  Cairo and Alyssa shared the news about the clans’ desire to join them in Dalton and work at the gym. Mason stroked the top of Alyssa’s hand with his thumb and grinned. “I absolutely want them to join us. The ones who want to become trainers can take classes but still work at the gym, and we can shift around the other trainers we have and they can work the office and do other things around the gym until they’re ready.”

  “I think we need to expand a bit, too, add some more offices,” Alyssa added.

  “Good idea, baby.” Dante nodded.

  They spoke for a while longer about the two clans joining them in Dalton, and then they called their cousins to join them in the family room.

  Dante cleared his throat. “We’d like to welcome you to join our baro in Dalton.”

  Nyte, oldest of his clan, looked surprised. “You really want to start a new baro?”

  “Absolutely,” Cairo said. “We’re not planning to move back here to live, and starting our own baro with your clans will be a good way to join our families together.”

  The plan would be for the clans to scout a private piece of land on their property in Dalton and build their own homes. In the meantime, they could find apartments or homes to rent in Dalton. Although they loved their cousins, they didn’t want six unmated males hanging around in their home.

  Alyssa’s face beamed with happiness as she wiggled off Cairo’s lap to crawl across Mason and Dante so she could
kiss them. He hadn’t realized just how much she wanted to have them all together until the opportunity to do that presented itself with their cousins. Now that the ability to be like a real family together and not constantly separated by shifts was within reach, Cairo realized just how much he wanted it, too.

  It was still dark when Alyssa rolled over in bed and snuggled into his chest, shivering under the covers. “Cold, sweetheart?” he said softly so he wouldn’t wake up Mason, who snored lightly on her other side. Dante was up and talking to several of the cousins about moving to Dalton. They’d spent all day yesterday discussing the gym and the changes that inviting the clans to join them would entail. Both clans were happy with their shift choices, Nyte and his clan taking second shift and Orion and his clan taking the later shift. Until training licenses were achieved for the two that wanted them, they’d handle spotting for the weight lifters and keeping an eye on the floor. One member of each clan would man the phones and front desk during their shift and the other would handle office work.