Ashlee’s mouth was so gentle beneath his, so soft. He worried the days-old growth of stubble on his face might irritate her soft skin, but when he tried to pull away, she pushed her face harder against him. Then all thoughts of gentleness faded. In the past when they had kissed, he had been able to differentiate the tastes of Ashlee, the flavors that made her who she was, but now his wolf roared inside of him that she tasted like his, like home, and Tristan had to agree.
Tristan pulled himself off his feeding frenzy on her mouth to kiss down her neck towards her stomach. His hands stroked the tender skin of her abdomen. He tongued her belly button and she laughed out loud.
He raised an eyebrow to look at her. “I’m amusing you?”
“Just ticklish.”
He slid her pants down her legs and looked at her panties. He inhaled, his wolf senses telling him that she was as turned on as he was. Tristan closed his eyes at the scent. When he opened them, Ashlee’s eyes had gone wolf.
“Think you’re the only one who can do that?”
She reached out and cupped him through his pants and he almost lost it right there.
He growled at her and pulled her panties down her legs.
She cocked an eyebrow at him as he leaned down to devour her soft, wet core. “Not that I’m complaining, Tristan, but I’m completely naked and you have your pants on.”
When his tongue tasted her sweetness, she cried out and her head fell back against the pillows. He loved the way she tasted and he was happy to devote himself to his task. Her orgasm overtook her and it was the most beautiful sight he’d ever witnessed.
He quickly shed his pants and his briefs, desperate to be inside of her heat. As the last tremors of her orgasm rocked her, he slid himself inside. It was heaven and for a moment, he closed his eyes and let himself enjoy the feel of being nestled inside of her.
Ashlee lifted her hips and he was lost. She arched and he plunged, enjoying the dance, loving the rhythm until he spent himself inside of her in a moment of pure bliss the likes of which he hadn’t known was possible.
Careful not to hurt her, he withdrew from her and lay down on the bed, pulling her into his arms. She shivered gently, but her face, eyes closed, her mouth relaxed in a contented smile, told him she was happy and not injured in any way. He leaned over to kiss the top of her head and inhaled the smell of their lovemaking.
Tristan let himself close his eyes and fall asleep.
Ashlee awoke later and judged from the angle of the sun that came through the window that it was morning. Where on earth was she? She looked around and decided that it had to be one of the abandoned cabins, based on the old wooden walls and the furniture that was clearly out of the 1970s, coupled with the orange shag rug. It made sense. Where else would they be, considering that Tristan had burned down the Institute?
She rolled over to look at him. His eyes closed, he looked peaceful and her heart jumped in delight. Tears filled her eyes. Perhaps she hadn’t been the one to rescue him—
he’d all but saved himself—but he was back and that was all that mattered.
He opened one eye to look at her. She swallowed hard. It was going to take some time to get used to the wolf eyes always being with her. And truthfully, she would miss the depths of Tristan’s human gaze.
She reached out to stroke his cheek. “We can’t take you off this island if you’re not wearing sunglasses.”
He smiled and she leaned over to kiss his lips. He cleared his throat. “I know.”
“Where are my parents?” She suddenly wondered if she should cover up in case they burst through the door.
Tristan sat up in bed, the lower half of his body covered by a thin sheet. Ashlee smiled, knowing quite well what hid beneath and thinking that in another moment she might grab him and start their fun again. “Well, Summer couldn’t get out of here fast enough. She left with your parents several hours ago. I don’t know how much you remember, but she is clearly Cullen’s mate.”
Ashlee’s mouth fell open in surprise. She hadn’t seen that coming. “Oh, poor Cullen.”
Tristan laughed out loud. “Your mother is somewhat freaked out because she has a rather difficult history with Cullen. She used to get in trouble all the time. She informed him in no uncertain terms that Summer will be finishing college over the next two years and he’s to leave her alone. Cullen is so freaked out about having a mate he doesn’t know which direction is up or down, and he has disappeared to wherever he goes. In the meantime, your sister, who is terrified about her first shift—it was rather dramatic—has announced that she’s not going to back to college, and that she intends to pursue a career in singing. This got your father all distraught and the three of them left in a huff about an hour before I moved you here, assured you would be fine.”
Ashlee shook her head in disbelief. “Wow. Singing, really? Summer was always the one they thought would take after Dad and go to medical school.”
“I’ve decided not to get involved in Cullen’s mating issues. It’s private; they will work it out eventually.”
“So do you want to hear how we’re going to bring back all the women?”
He nodded his head, “Absolutely.”
“You’re going to get really adept at using the architecture software.”
He raised one eyebrow, one of the top ten looks Tristan gave, Ashlee decided.
“I am?”
“Yes and you’re going to rebuild the Institute in the next six months.”
He shook his head. “That might be pushing things; winter’s coming.”
“You’ll get it done.” It wasn’t a question, she was sure he would.
He shrugged. “Okay.”
“Then you are going to consult with my parents about opening a resort on that island right over there.” She pointed at the island two over from Westervelt. Tristan got up and crossed to the window to look out at it. “You’re going to need to design and build that too.”
He whirled around to look at her. “A lot of building going on here.”
“It will be a huge success. My father will do surgeries there; we’ll market it as a high-class private getaway where people can recover from their nips and tucks, like a spa.
Dad’s pretty famous in his profession, so I know people will come.”
“Do you think we’re going to bring the female shifters, their children, and mates back with promises of plastic surgery?”
Wasn’t she being perfectly clear? Ashlee groaned. “Why would people who are eternally thirty need plastic surgery?”
Tristan choked on a laugh. “Being forever thirty does not guarantee beauty, little Ashlee.”
Ashlee put her hands on her hips. “Some might come for the surgery, some might come for a vacation, some might come to work at the resort, but humans and shifters alike will all come because I’m going to place a spell on the advertisement.”
“How can we be sure they’ll see it?”
“We’re going to run the ad everywhere and for a long time, and eventually everyone who needs to see it will see it.”
Tristan moved to her and put his hands on her shoulders. “This is a lot of building.
Are you sure this is going to work? Have you asked your father?”
“Yes to the first question, no to the second, but don’t worry, he’ll do it. I’m his Alpha’s mate and his oldest daughter.” Ashlee looked down for a second, not wanting to tell him the next part. “In the meantime, Gabriel and Michael can train the pack for the war that’s coming, a war that will be harder for your father to conduct in plain sight of a major functioning resort.”