Damn kid brother. He was a nuisance.

  I walked in the back door after a long, boring shift to a kitchen full of family. I’d forgotten it was family dinner night.

  “Hey, get in here,” Dad called. “You’re late.”

  “Carlos was running behind,” I explained. After I hung my gun belt on the hooks by the back door, I joined them at the table. Tacos were laid out, buffet style. “This looks great, Mom.”

  Charlotte cleared her throat and gave me a haughty look. “What?”

  “Charlotte made dinner,” Mom said. “I took the evening off and had a long bath.”

  “It’s great,” Maddox said around a mouth full of meat, cheese, and who knew what all ingredients the human vacuum had piled on his taco. “Fanks.”

  Charlotte laughed and shoved his shoulder. “Don’t be rude.”

  “Well, I’m sure it’s delicious.” I dug into the bowls and piled ingredients on a softshell.

  “Axel, you haven’t said hello to our guest,” my mother chided.

  I looked up in surprise and looked down the long table to find Stefan sitting on the other side of Maddox. “Sorry, man, I totally didn’t see you there! This family is so big you just blend in as one of us. You’ll have to come more often.” I got up and walked around the table to shake his hand. I wanted him to feel at home with us and welcome.

  I moved my plate across from Stefan, on the other side of Maverick so I could include him in the conversation, but Maverick had something more private to speak of first. It wasn’t a secret, and of course Stefan could hear us, as a dragon himself. But it wasn’t something we wanted to blast out and worry Charlotte with.

  Maverick leaned in. “Any news?”

  I shook my head. “No, not from New Mexico. Anything on the trail cams?” Of course, every time we said trail cameras, what we really meant was us and Carlos’s pack patrolling the property. Their noses were better than ours, but still, if a stranger was on our land, we could smell it within a mile. That’s why our driveway was so long, to keep the smells of town from confusing our sniffers. I wasn’t sure originally how Ava’s grandmother had ended up with her acre of land and cottage bordering ours. The Kingston land wrapped around Ava’s all the way to the area that belonged to the government and town.

  As soon as Ava and Maverick were married it would all be Kingston land since Dad had signed everything over to Mav when he became alpha, but it would probably always feel like Ava’s. And Mav would never dream of making her feel like it belonged to anyone but her.

  “The longer we go without any news, the more nervous I get.” We spoke in hushed tones. I knew the dragons at the table heard us loud and clear, but the humans didn’t. I didn’t want to risk alarming Charlotte after all she’d been through.

  She’s been coming out of her shell more and more. I’d hate for anything to make her revert to the terrified state she was in when she arrived.

  “I need a little cover,” I whispered. “I need to shift.”

  Maverick nodded. He knew the feeling. There were times we weren’t able to shift, and it wasn’t usually a big deal. But if we went long enough, we started feeling anxious.

  I was beyond anxious. My nerves were shot from fighting boredom and worry while at work and trying not to slam Charlotte’s bedroom door open and claim her every night. I wouldn’t dream of doing it before she was ready, but the slow pace was driving Asher nuts.

  “Axel, do you think you could come down to the cabin tonight and help me with something on my truck?” Maverick asked in a loud voice. Everyone looked at us, but the men knew what we were up to.

  “Sure. When?” I took a big bite of taco and hoped he said soon.

  “As soon as you’re done eating, if you can.”

  “I can come help,” Stefan offered. He probably overheard that we needed to shift.

  “Sure,” Maverick said. “The more the merrier.”

  I nodded, casual. Hopefully, Charlotte didn’t offer to come down, too.

  “Oh, you’re going out?” she asked.

  I nodded and wished I could wait to go shift, but I had to go. If I waited much longer, Asher would force it. She looked disappointed, which was a knife straight to the gut.

  Mom must’ve realized what we were up to. “Ava, Hailey, Charlotte, let’s make cupcakes after dinner.”

  Ava and Charlotte looked less than enthused, but neither of them were rude enough to refuse my mother anything. Of course, Hailey was instantly excited and began chattering about how to decorate them.

  I wasn’t upset, myself. It would be nice to go shift, have a good flight, then come home to fresh cupcakes.

  As soon as I took my last bite, Maverick stood. “Ready?”

  I looked at Charlotte, still taking dainty bites of her dinner. “Have a good night.” I wanted to make sure she knew I spoke to her especially.

  Her cheeks pinkened. She knew I wasn’t addressing the entire room, but mainly only her. Good.

  We walked out of the house and into the woods, taking the same path I’d brought Charlotte to the house with. This time we didn’t take any random detours. The only reason I’d done that was I caught a faint whiff of a stranger. As soon as we got to the house, I’d texted Mav and Carlos, and they’d checked it out but found nothing. Sometimes stray scents carried in the air from farther away and threw us off. As a tracker, Jury was able to better discern those scents, as were the wolves.

  We jogged down the path, sure-footed even on the snow. Stefan kept up like a champ. When we reached the clearing of the cabin’s backyard, I stripped, handing my brother my clothes. I knew Mav would take my clothes inside for me, so they’d be clean when I returned. “Keep an eye on her,” I said. “I’ll hurry as much as Asher will let me.” Stefan watched with his mouth open. Maverick would explain.

  He nodded and pursed his lips. “Go, brother. I’ve got your back.”

  I urged Asher to take a wide circuit up the mountain, deeper into our property while avoiding the manor on the off chance Charlotte stepped outside or looked out the back windows.

  Every mile Asher flew away from Charlotte, I encouraged him to turn back. I knew he needed his time to stretch and explore, and usually, I gave him all the time he needed. I loved flying with him. But right now, we were needed most at home.

  After about an hour, he grumbled, his voice box rumbling his enormous body. But he turned back. Thanks, buddy.

  Maverick was gone when we landed in the backyard. Asher allowed me to shift back, and even I was cold being completely naked in the snow. I scampered in the back door and changed, listening. Nobody in the house. They must’ve all been up at the manor.

  It took only minutes to run back. When I went full speed, I could’ve beaten the best human. Of course, no dragon would ever do that.

  Charlotte’s face greeted me through the back door as I approached the house. She stood at the sink, in front of the window, probably washing dishes by the movement of what I could see of her body.

  The snow on the back porch muffled my footfalls as I peered in the window on the back door. The rest of the kitchen was empty.

  As soon as I opened the door, I knew why. I heard a movie going in the other room.

  “Hey,” Charlotte said. She turned from the sink and dried her hands. “Did you finish changing that belt thing?”

  I nodded. Eventually, I’d need to confess I didn’t know how to change a belt. Mechanics weren’t my strong suit. I could change a tire and oil, but that was about it. “Mav watching the movie?”

  She nodded. “I felt restless and excused myself. I figured I could do the dishes, so your mom didn’t have to.”

  Cupcakes covered the island, decorated in bright pinks, greens, and blues. “I see Hailey’s been at it.”

  “I had to have her make another batch,” she said, looking down and fiddling with the cakes. “Your brothers and dad and Madd ate them all.”

  She’d made a second batch. For me? “You didn’t have to do that.”

  Her blue eyes met mine when I said that. “I saw how you licked your lips when your mom mentioned cupcakes. I wanted to make sure you got some.”

  My breath caught in my throat. She’d thought of me.

  Before I second-guessed it, my feet moved me forward, into her space. So close I could reach up and cup her cheek.

  So, I did.

  Her breathing shallowed as she looked up into my eyes. Then, she licked her lips.

  And it was over for me. I lowered my mouth to hers, barely touching her lips with mine. I gave her all the time she needed to pull away or tell me to buzz off.

  She stepped closer.

  Asher panted inside me, eager for me to deepen the kiss.

  So, I did.

  And she responded, pressing her body against mine as my lips explored hers.

  To my intense delight, her small tongue darted out and traced the seam of my lips.

  I met it with mine, teasing it, caressing it.

  When my hands itched to move around and pull her harder into me, I pulled back.

  This was progress, amazing progress. But I couldn’t push it too far too fast. She’d run and that would take even more time to recover from.

  One step at a time. “Goodnight,” I said, my voice husky. I pressed one more soft kiss to her lips, then made my exit, leaving her panting in the middle of the kitchen.

  One step at a time.

  12

  Charlotte

  Ava’s car door slammed behind me. “I’m in so much trouble,” I wailed. “Ava, what am I going to do?”

  After Axel left me high and dry in the kitchen, kissing me senseless then walking away like nothing happened, it took me exactly five seconds to decide I had to have advice. I’d grabbed Ava from the living room and hauled her out the door and into her SUV.

  “Turn on the car, it’s freezing!” She turned over the ignition, but it had been off for too long. It would take a minute to warm up.

  She looked scared as she turned to me. “What’s wrong? Is it Logan?” Her voice went high-pitched. “Did he contact you?”

  I had to grab her hand to get her to calm down. “No, it’s not Logan. It’s Axel. I think I like him. Like him.”

  Her jaw dropped and eyes widened. “Oh. Oh.” She relaxed and gave me a knowing look that made me laugh. “Well, you could do worse. You certainly have done worse.”

  “I know, but it’s so fast. My bruises aren’t even totally faded from Logan. It’s been two weeks, Ava! I promised myself I wouldn’t do this, but…” I moaned. “He’s amazing. I can’t get him off my mind.” The heat finally kicked in, so I reached over and cranked it up. “Ava, I don’t want to end up with another failed relationship and a pile of regret.”

  Ava sighed and looked out the front window at the snow. The nights here were lighter than the nights in Santa Fe. The snow reflected everything, so it didn’t seem so pitch black out here in the open. “I think Axel is nothing like any of the guys you’ve ever dated. He could be good for you.”

  I leaned back and thought about that. She wouldn’t say it if she didn’t believe it. She was usually the one preaching caution when I tried to slide headfirst into a relationship like this.

  “Char, there’s no rush, right?”

  There wasn’t. I had nowhere to go, especially while they hadn’t found Logan yet. “No.”

  “So, take your time, get to know him, and do what your heart tells you to do.” She tapped the steering wheel. “Bam. That easy.”

  She grabbed my hand. “I’m still freezing, even with the heat working. Come on, let’s go eat another cupcake.”

  She turned the SUV off, then we made a run for the house. When we walked into the kitchen, Axel had returned. His gaze found mine the moment I walked in the room. “Oh, geez,” Ava muttered. I ignored her. “You could cut the sexual tension with a dull knife.” She looked from me to Axel, then whirled around. “I’m going back in here.”

  That left Axel and me alone. He approached me, his gaze moving from mine to my lips. “I wanted another cupcake. Did you save me some?”

  Without looking away from the gorgeous man, I shuffled sideways to the kitchen island and grabbed a cupcake off the plate. “Here you go.”

  He cupped my hand in one of his, heat spreading across the back of my fingers and up my arm and took the cupcake with the other. Letting go of me, he put one finger in the frosting, scooped up a fingerful, then put it in his mouth.

  I thought this was what women were supposed to do to men to get them all hot and bothered, but as he sucked the icing off of his finger, I realized my breaths were coming out pretty damn fast.

  The sexual nature of sucking frosting off of his finger sent goosebumps all over my body and made me swell in places that only an orgasm could fix.

  I didn’t know what possessed me, but I reached up and scooped a blob of icing onto my finger. Sticking it in my mouth, I gave him a moan to match his own when the flavors of the icing exploded on my tongue. I closed my eyes and tilted my head back as I sucked every morsel of flavor off of my finger. When I opened them, Axel’s expression had turned from teasingly sexual to outright sensual.

  “You’re testing my patience.” His voice was low, quiet, and hit me at my core, dampening my panties as effectively as if he’d caressed my nipples. “You’re looking at me like you want to eat me, not this cupcake,” he said.

  Again, a line I would’ve used. Was he reading my mind? “I wouldn’t mind taking a big bite out of that muscular chest I saw last night.” And now I’d let him know I remembered our encounter in the hall the night before, even if I’d had far too many drinks.

  I barely got the words out of my mouth when he was on me. I had no idea where the cupcake ended up, but Axel’s hands went around me, yanking my body into his. He claimed my mouth. It wasn’t a kiss. It wasn’t a caress. His mouth descended on mine and possessed it in a way I’d never experienced.

  After this, I never wanted to be kissed any other way, either. Damn.

  His tongue danced with my own, tasting, teasing, tantalizing. His soft lips moved on mine, sucking my bottom lip in, then moving against both, then pressing kisses against me. He kissed the corner of my lips, the tops, the sides. If he could’ve climbed inside my mouth and massaged my gums, he would’ve.

  My knees buckled as I leaned against Axel. If I had my way, he’d never let me go. Logan who? He didn’t matter. Nobody mattered but Axel.

  “Say the word,” he whispered against my lips after several minutes of taking my breath away. “Say it, and I’ll devour you.” He growled after saying those words. Well, probably more of a hum low in his throat. People didn’t just growl.

  Devouring me was such an odd way to phrase it, but I found myself dying for him to devour every inch of me. From my ears to my toes, with special concentration on some of the middle parts.

  “I’m in no rush, Charlotte.” My name dripped off his tongue like melted chocolate.

  Fuuuuuuck.

  “I’ll wait as long as you need to get over what you’ve been through. But when you’re ready, I’m here, and I want you.”

  His consideration of my emotions and my needs tugged at my heartstrings the way his kiss tugged at my… libido strings. I grabbed his face and drew him to my mouth again, earning another zinger of a kiss.

  Several minutes later, when my lips were raw and throbbing—as if that was enough to make me stop—I panted and stepped back a few feet. “As hot as that was, including the things you said, I do need more time. I’m terrified of plunging face-first into another bad relationship.”

  Axel smiled, and his eyes reflected something I didn’t quite pick up. Affection, maybe. Certainly not love. We’d only known each other for a couple of weeks. “I’ll be here when you’re ready. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “I’m scared that I feel anything for you this fast after what I went through. I like you, Axel, and it feels too soon.”

  His smile turned mischievous. “I’ll endeavor to make you like me even more, then.” He stepped forward and pressed another kiss to my lips, this one more chaste. Sort of goodbye. Axel grabbed the cupcake he’d somehow managed to put on the island, then stopped as if he’d had another thought. He grabbed one last kiss after giving me a longing look, then went out the door that led to the foyer and stairs.

  Holy shit. That was one of the hottest things I’d ever experienced. I’d be making a huge deposit in the spank bank as soon as I got to my room. If I tried to go up right then, I’d walk into his room instead of mine, and that wouldn’t do anything to alleviate my fears of moving too fast. Even as my body wanted me to do just that, my heart squeezed in fear.

  I didn’t need any more failed relationships, especially not as bad as Logan’s, but I didn’t know how much longer I could fight these feelings.

  Somehow, I knew, though, that Axel would never hurt me. Emotionally or physically. My hesitation was entirely my own. I knew it as surely as I knew my own name.

  He didn’t have a violent bone in his body.

  13

  Axel

  “Come on, Axel. Come have a drink with me.” Carlos slapped his hand down on my desk. “You look like someone offed your best friend.”

  Black Claw was as busy as I’d seen it in a while, making my shift fly by. That was the good news. But now it was time to go home, and it was still too soon. I didn’t know that I could stay away from Charlotte if I went home right now.

  Which meant a beer with the guys sounded perfect. Maybe I’d relax a little and it would give me more time to chill the hell out.

  We walked to the Dragon’s Breath, the only bar in Black Claw. It had been named by a great-great—many generations back—grandmother or aunt or something. She’d opened the bar, as a human relative of dragons, and married a human. She ran the bar until she died, then her son took over. It was still owned by a distant human cousin. I doubted he realized we were related, though. He’d never mentioned it.

  “Hey, Zane,” I called. He waved as we walked to the corner of the room where Maverick and I had cornered Stefan last year. Felt like so long ago. Carlos and I settled in and were soon joined by several bar regulars, come for a chat.

 

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