Diskant understood the concern. This was the ninth shifter to go missing in three weeks. Each case was eerily similar—abandoned vehicles and no trace of the occupant.
“It’s probably best to send a few of our best noses over to see if they can pick up a scent as a precaution.”
“We won’t find anything,” Trey said. “Whoever is responsible cleans house like a pro.”
“All the more reason to send someone. I wanted to spend the morning with Ava, but I can take the trip after we have the opportunity to talk. I’m sure she’ll want to retrieve some of her things to make herself comfortable here, so I can stop by while she packs.”
Trey didn’t bother masking a grin. “Are you sure she’s looking to relocate?”
“Does it sound like I’m giving her a choice?”
“Fair enough.” Trey pushed Oscar aside and rose from the chair. “Don’t worry about Kinsley. I’ll take care of it.” The Alpha combed his fingers through his hair and sighed, shifting his feet. “I guess its best you hear this from me before word gets out. Emory showed up on Minxy’s doorstep this morning. She called after he crashed in the guest bedroom. I wanted to stop by before I made my way over there. I’ll borrow his nose while we work out our issues.”
Diskant knew his shock at the revelation was obvious. “Emory’s back?”
“Don’t ask me, man.” Trey shrugged. “Something bad must’ve gone down for him to show up here. I can’t exactly turn my back on him. It’s not like he’s a mutt.”
No, Emory wasn’t a mutt. Not by any stretch. Trey’s younger brother was a powerful Alpha in his own right—which was one of the many reasons he’d left New York in the first place.
The sound of water traveling through the pipes upstairs had Trey glancing at the ceiling as Diskant’s entire body came to life. His blood rushed from one head to the other.
Finally, she was awake.
“Guess that’s my cue.” Trey walked to the kitchen entrance and stopped. Meeting Diskant’s eyes, he grinned. “Take it easy on her. It’s your job to make sure she doesn’t wear herself down.”
Diskant snagged the tray and ignored the comment. “You know the way out.”
“That I do.” Trey smirked before he vanished around the corner.
When Ava roused from sleep, she braced herself to experience some level of shame or remorse for her behavior when sultry images of the night before flashed through her head. How would she explain herself in the light of day? Would Diskant want another one for the road? If so, would she give it to him?
Her body hummed with sexual fulfillment and satiation, answering her question.
There was no way she could pass up the opportunity to partake in the greatest sex she’d ever had in her life, only this time she fully intended to explore his body as thoroughly as he had hers.
A chill shot down her spine as another, less appealing thought surfaced.
What should she say if he wasn’t interested and told her to get the hell out?
“Thanks for the great lay.” She envisioned herself stammering in embarrassment as she stumbled out the door. “Maybe we can do it again sometime.”
Her worry over dealing with the morning-after song and dance was short-lived when she opened her eyes and discovered she was alone. She was surprised at the hurt that arose at Diskant’s absence but immediately chastised herself for it. She had never engaged in a one-night stand but was certain the protocol with shifter and human men was the same.
Shifter or no, Diskant was a man, and men always made sure they were the first to flee from the scene of a possible commitment. Now that the lust had left the building, he could happily admit what had happened between them was nothing more than another meaningless sexual encounter. It was a damn shame too, because the man had rocked her world in so many ways he would become the unachievable standard every other hapless suitor would be held to.
A flicker of the nightmare she’d had appeared in her head—darkness, pain, odd odors and sensations—and she tried to recall what had happened after that final mind-blowing orgasm that sent her into a deep, unshakable sleep. The dream and the reality seemed to merge at that point but she was so exhausted she couldn’t piece when one vanished and became the other.
“Maybe it was the wine,” she murmured and sat upright.
Holding her breath, she extended her limbs and stretched, bringing the sore muscles to life. To her shock, the world didn’t tilt or spin. In fact, she felt absolutely fantastic. Apparently a night of excellent sex was just what the doctor ordered.
She hadn’t felt so good in years.
Shoving aside the toasty-warm sheets and comforter, she climbed from the bed, retrieved her strewn clothing minus her savaged undergarments and walked to the open door next to what she already knew was the closet. A large master bathroom beckoned, the beautiful whitewash tile gleaming when she flipped the light switch. A clawed tub was situated against the far wall, a walk-in shower stall was at the right and a small matching sink was to the left.
Placing her clothing on the counter, she made a beeline for the walk-in. A quick shower to wash away the events from the night before and she’d be on her way. She waited until the heavy stream from the showerhead was good and hot before she stepped inside. The sensation of the scorching water against her skin caused her to gasp and then groan in pleasure. Tilting her chin back, she drenched her hair under the spray, keeping her eyes closed.
First things first.
She would finish taking a shower, get dressed, bid adieu to her host and take her ass home. No sense in delaying the inevitable. Besides, the trip to Tennessee was still a go. She had to meet with Thomas, get the deed and keys to the cabin and then…
Cold air brought her back to reality as the stall door was opened. Swiping the water from her eyes, she yipped in alarm when a pair of large hands wrapped around her stomach and brought her back against a very hard, warm and nude body.
Diskant’s head came down until his hair brushed against her shoulder. “You ruined my plans, Ava mine,” he breathed into her ear.
“Plans?” She wanted to cringe at how husky her voice was.
“Breakfast in bed, for starters.”
Her legs quaked and her pussy moistened at the mention of the word bed.
So he does want one for the road.
“That’s okay.” She cleared her throat and attempted to regain her composure. “I’ll pick something up on the way home.”
“You are home.”
He nipped at her ear and a floodgate opened between her thighs. The world seemed to shift and distort, eyes seeing everything yet nothing at all. Desire overcame logic, the need to feel the thick, heavy length of his cock buried inside her eradicating rational thought. Her nipples hardened, throbbing as the skin went taut and the areolas pebbled.
Diskant’s hands surrounded the mounds and he began plucking the peaks, pressing his body flush against her until his cock was nestled at the cleft of her ass. “Do you want something, Ava?”
“I don’t…I need…I want…” She tried to clear her head. She was drowning in this man. If she didn’t do something soon, she wouldn’t be able to deny him or herself.
“To come?” he offered, licking her nape. “I’d love to make you come. Just tell me how you want it.”
Nothing made sense. There was only a haze of sexual frenzy. She plopped her hands onto the tile in front of her and wriggled her ass in invitation. Heaven help her, she wanted nothing more than him lodged inside her.
Hard, fast, frenzied. No foreplay, no warm-up.
Just him.
He released her breasts and wrapped an arm around her waist. He lifted her easily and used his free hand to guide the head of his cock to the drenched folds of her pussy, which felt both electrified and impossibly sensitive.