Sedona Sin –
I’d known Asher long enough to know he was usually a man of few words, and he was as far from a player as you could get. If he dated at all, I didn’t know about it. I also never caught him in a lie. So when he told me his attraction to me was about who I was, not because of some primal wolf instinct, I believed him. I wanted to pinch myself.
But then he kissed me. Only this wasn’t a sweet, chaste kiss like the one we’d had in the snow. This was a hungry, possessive kiss. I surrendered to the passion, my desire for him consuming me. My fingers slid back into his long, silky hair, clutching fistfuls and enjoying the growl rumbling his chest. He got up from his stool without breaking the kiss and lifted me into his arms as though I weighed nothing.
My teeth grazed his lower lip as he carried me down the hall toward the master bedroom. Holding me with one arm, he closed the door and then lowered me until my feet touched the ground. I slid my hands under his shirt, lifting it over his head, and he did the same to mine before claiming my lips again. The heat from his body warmed me all over as he held me tight against him, and I suddenly needed to get rid of my bra, my pants— Hell, everything had to go. I didn’t want anything coming between us. Ever.
“Need you naked,” I gasped into the kiss, my voice so breathless I almost didn’t recognize it.
Dear god, I’d never seen such a sexy smile on Asher’s face before. Wolfish. Damn, if he ever discovered the power of that grin, I was in trouble.
“You first.” His voice was deep, raw, and even sexier than his smile, if that was possible. He had my bra unhooked and off in record time. His fingers worked on my jeans as he kissed me again. My hardened nipples brushed his chest and I moaned, heat curling low in my belly. I ran my hands down his chiseled abs and unbuttoned his pants. I slid his boxers and jeans down over his perfect ass. He caught the front before his erection got in the way, and his pants fell to the floor.
I wriggled out of my own, and suddenly, insecurity swamped me. I hadn’t been naked with a man of my own choosing since before I was bitten, and with no one at all since I gave birth to twins in that storage facility. The last time I’d had a boyfriend, I didn’t have stretch marks right below my belly button, my boobs were probably perkier, and although I was still fit, my bikini body was long gone.
Asher’s gaze wandered over me, and I fought the urge to cover myself. His head cocked slightly. “What’s wrong?”
I walked my fingers up his tan, rock-hard abs and finally met his eyes. “Truth?”
“Always.” His large hand slid up my back as he drew me closer to him. His touch was reassuring, and while his erection pulsed between us, his gaze remained patient. The desire was there, but he clearly wasn’t going to rush me.
And I loved him for that.
Wait, I what?
He frowned. “We can slow this down. I’m not going anywhere.”
I shook my head, pushing the shock of my revelation away. “No, I want this.” I chuckled, rolling my eyes. “It’s just…I wish I was as hot as you are.”
“You’re shitting me.” His smile made my heart skip. “You are so beautiful, Naomi.” For a moment, he seemed to be searching for words, then finally chuckled. “I have never in my life wanted a woman more than I want you right now. I…” He shook his head. “Sorry, it’s tough to get the blood back up to my brain.” His admission made me laugh, and his brow rose. “I’m not kidding. I wouldn’t change a single thing about you.”
Sedona Seduction –
The scent of Vance’s blood hit my nostrils, alerting my wolf that her mate was injured before he entered the house behind Asher.
“Where are Naomi and the boys?” Asher asked.
“Locked in the safe room.” I moved past him, frowning at the dark-red stain on Vance’s shirt. “What happened?”
Vance peered down at his chest and shook his head. “It’s nothing. Are you all right?”
“Yeah.” As he got closer, it was impossible to miss the hole in his shirt. And unlike the scratch he’d gotten in my parking lot the other night, this bullet hit its target. “This isn’t nothing. You got shot again.”
I wrapped my arm around his waist and walked him down the hallway toward the guest bathroom.
“Keep Vance in there,” Asher said. “The police are almost here. I don’t want to have to explain a gunshot wound.”
I would never get used to this part of my life.
“What about the others?” I asked Asher as Vance went into the bathroom.
“We’ll have to wing it.” Red lights flashed on the walls through the large picture window. “We’ve got company.”
I followed Vance inside and closed the door, engaging the lock. He already had his shirt off when I turned around, treating me to the sight of his well-muscled torso, but the blood dripping down from a new hole in his shoulder lowered the sexy factor substantially. Flashbacks of my ex-boyfriend’s mangled body on the floor filled my head. Chet had died because of me. I couldn’t let Vance do the same thing.
My hands trembled as I opened the cabinet under the sink and took out the first aid kit. “Sit on the toilet and I’ll see if I can clean up the wound.”
Anything to stop thinking about what might have been tonight. He could have died more than once. My mate had a death wish.
My mate.
Focus.
Cole had filled all of the pack first aid kits with enough supplies and equipment to complete minor surgeries if necessary. He hadn’t trained all of us on how to perform them, though. I was a master at treating burns in the kitchen, but gunshot wounds? Not so much.
“What happened?” I kept my voice low as I took out the gauze pads and hydrogen peroxide.
“I found Duane, but he had backup.” Vance caught my hand. “Look at me. Please?”
The second my eyes met his, the reality that I could have lost him forever hit me like a ton of bricks. My vision wavered as I shook my head. “If you had died—”
“But I didn’t.” He cupped my cheek, his thumb stroking my skin, warming my blood. “I’ve always been tough to kill, but I’m bulletproof right now.”
I rolled my eyes. “How do you figure that?”
“Because I never had a reason to live before.” He searched my eyes. “I want to be around long enough to earn your forgiveness. I’ll admit, tonight I almost lost myself in the killing, but you pulled me back from the dark. Don’t give up on me, kitten.”
Sedona Scandal –
Radio chatter filled the cockpit, and she glanced my way. “Who are you talking to? I don’t see an air traffic control tower down there.”
“All the pilots in the area are on the same frequency. When there’s no tower, we all watch out for each other. There are usually a few people listening on the ground, too.” I pressed the coms button on final approach to let everyone know we were coming in, then I gripped the yolk with both hands. “Here we go…”
Landings offered a delicious spike of adrenaline as I leveled the wings with the ground below and activated the hydraulic power. The landing gear dropped, and the indicator lights came to life. I lowered the flaps by ten degrees as I approached the threshold markings showing the beginning of the runway and then adjusted them again to keep the wings level. Flaring for landing, I kept the nose up slightly and pulled back on the yoke. The landing gear made contact with the pavement, jerking us out of weightless flight. I engaged the brakes until we slowed to a crawl.
Back to Earth, to reality.
She squeezed my thigh. “Nice work.”
I chuckled. “Not my first landing.”
My first with a copilot, though. And I liked it.
We rode in silence as I taxied down to my parking spot and turned off the engine. I leaned over to kiss her cheek, but she turned and pressed her soft lips to mine. I slid my hand back into her hair, tasting her as her lips parted. Damn, I couldn’t get enough of her.
She hummed as she broke the kiss and opened her eyes. “That was amazing. Thank you.”
I rested my forehead against hers. “The kiss or the flight?”
She laughed, a sexy playful spark in her eyes. “Both.”
“Hope you’ll come fly with me again sometime.”
“Deal.” She smiled and looked down at the ground outside. “So how do we get out?”
I unlatched the canopy and slid it open. “Give me a second.” I climbed out of the cockpit and dropped to the ground. If I were still human, I would’ve taken it in steps, climbing out and onto the wing before using the step. But I wasn’t human, and neither was my copilot, even though she was still learning to embrace it.
I walked over to her side and smiled up at her. “Are you coming?”
She grinned. “Did you seriously just jump down?”
“Yeah.” I gestured for her to follow. “Your turn.”
“I’ll break my leg.”
“It’s not that far.” I scanned the empty airstrip before meeting her eyes again. “You’re a badass werewolf, remember. This is nothing. You can make it.”
She didn’t look convinced, but she got out and hung onto the edge, laughing and kicking her feet. “It’s too far.”
“You’re practically on the ground.” I grinned. “You’ve got this.”
She let go and landed on both feet. I didn’t even need to steady her. She turned around with her eyes shining. “Made it.”
God, I loved seeing her smile.
I bottled it up and took out my phone. Asher, Vance, and Kaya wouldn’t be back from Phoenix for almost an hour so I sent a text to Cole to pick us up.
Finishing up at a ranch call. Should be to the airport in about an hour.
I thanked him and stuffed my phone in my pocket. “Want to hike to the vortex?”
Sedona was the mecca for energy vortexes, places where ley lines deep in the Earth crossed. Tourists from around the world came to town searching for spiritual meaning, and the vortices were a big draw. The vortex near the airport was only a short hike along rocky, uneven terrain.
Wendy peered down at her shiny black flats and sighed. “I wish I’d worn hiking shoes.”
“No problem.” I turned around and crouched down. “Hop on.”
“You’re going to carry me?” She laughed. “No. You’ll twist your ankle.”
I looked over my shoulder, trying not to laugh. “I’m a jaguar, remember? Cat’s always land on their feet.”
She rolled her eyes and hopped onto my back. I caught her knees, enjoying the feel of her breasts pressed against my back. Her lips brushed my ear as she wrapped her arms around my neck. “If you think I’m going to make out with you at the vortex…you’re right.”
I started to run, making her squeak in surprise. Her laughter echoed off the rocks, and just as it did when flying in my plane, the rest of the world faded away.
“You’re going to get heat stroke,” she cautioned.
“Nah. I’m just desperate for another kiss.” I slowed my pace to a walk, keeping my eye on the rocky trail ahead. The elevation in Sedona made the temperature more moderate than the unforgiving desert of Phoenix.
She rested her chin on my shoulder, her cheek against mine, and my fucking heart was in her hands. I never wanted to lose this closeness, this fun, this amazing, badass werewolf on my back. A selfish part of me hoped she’d never find her mate.
