Ella and the Beast (More Than Human Book 1) (18 page)

He held her against his chest as he walked down the hallway to their bedroom. Once inside, he walked over to the bed and carefully leaned down. He grabbed the covers between two fingers and pulled them back before he placed her on the mattress. She briefly stirred before rolling over onto her side.

Another soft chuckle escaped him. She loved it when he held her and from the way she had pushed her butt out, she was expecting him to snuggle up behind her and wrap his arm around her. With a sigh of regret, he pulled the covers over her. He needed to grab a quick shower before he could do that.

Ten minutes later, he was climbing into bed next to her and pulling her against him. He sighed when she snuggled back against him and wrapped her arm over his to hold him close. Fatigue quickly dragged him down into its inky depths and he didn’t even remember closing his eyes.

A smile tugged at Ty’s lips. He was having the most amazing dream. His body arched in pleasure when he felt the delicious wave of heat sweep through him. He was aching in a very, very good way.

His eyes flew open when he felt warmth surrounding his cock at the same time as his balls were gently being stroked. His fingers curled into the bed covers and his breath caught. It took only a few seconds for his brain to catch up with his body and realize he wasn’t dreaming, but what he was feeling was very, very real.

“Ella!” He gasped, closing his eyes as another sharp shaft of need swept through him. “Goddess woman, you are going to drive me insane if you keep stroking me like this!”

The vibration of a husky chuckle teased his cock. He slowly looked down. He could see the silky light brown strands of Ella’s hair spread out over her shoulders and his thighs. It was one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen.

When she looked up at him with her lips wrapped around his cock, he damn near came right then and there. His hips began rocking, his gaze locked on her lips. With each stroke, he slid a little deeper into her hot mouth.

“You look so damn beautiful with your lips wrapped around my cock,” he muttered in a husky, hoarse voice.

Her answer was to gently squeeze his balls. The feeling of being completely in her power was both exhilarating and awe inspiring. His heart, his soul, was totally wrapped around Ella’s slender fingers.

“My turn now!” He growled.

Ella gasped when he suddenly sat up and wrapped his hands around her waist. Before she could protest, he was behind her. His body spooned hers and his arm held her steady as his left hand slid down over her smooth buttock so he could see if she was ready for him. He released a long sigh of relief when he felt her moist curls.

“I was dreaming of you,” she moaned, lowering her head when he slid his fingers deeper inside her. “It’s your fault.”

“I’ll accept full responsibility,” he muttered, pulling his fingers free and licking them. “Now, let’s see if this was part of your dream.”

*.*.*

Ella glanced over her shoulder and watched as Ty wrapped his fingers around his cock. He aligned it with her channel before he entered her with a slow, steady thrust. She hissed loudly when her body closed in around him.

Ella glanced at him when he gently applied pressure between her shoulder blades. Realizing what he wanted her to do, she bent her elbows and lowered her upper body until it was pressed to the bed. A soft moan escaped her when she felt his hand slide along the line of her spine.

“You are an incredibly sensual woman, Ella,” Ty groaned.

“Why… Why do you say that?” Ella asked in a husky voice, turning her head to look up at him.

“If you could see what I’m seeing, you’d know why,” Ty replied in a strained voice.

“Tell me,” Ella demanded, both curious and excited to know. “Tell me what you are seeing.”

“Goddess, Ella!” Ty choked. “Watching my cock disappear into you has to be one of the most erotic things I’ve ever seen. Describing it as it happens – damn woman, but I think that will be the end of me.”

Ella began rocking, her body pulling away and pushing back against him in a primitive dance designed to drive them both out of control. “And this? What do you see?” She asked, a smile curved her lips and power surged through her at his rasping oath.

Ella slid her hand down between her legs and began rubbing the spot that Ty had touched with his lips and tongue on a previous occasion. She found it turned her on to the point she craved the intense relief that built up inside her. Spreading her legs further, she began stroking her clitoris at the same time as she rocked back and forth.

Ty’s fingers tightened on her hips, digging into her flesh, as he increased the pace. Ella rocked forward from the force of his powerful thrust, her finger moving in rapid circles over the swelling nub until she erupted around him. She came so hard she could feel the liquid of her release coating his cock and sliding down the inside of her thighs.

She released a loud sob, clutching at the covers in front of her. Sensitive from the continuing pulse of her orgasm, she desperately held on as he drove into her swollen channel, burying every inch of his cock inside her. Ty smothered a shout as his body locked with hers and he gripped her hips to keep her from moving.

Ella reeled from the force of his orgasm, feeling the flood of his seed warming her. She swore from the feel of him that he was touching her womb. Her body felt stretched, full, and impossibly connected, as if they were one being instead of two.

“I love you, Ella,” Ty finally choked out, bending forward and wrapping his arm around her waist as he fell to the side.

“I… love you, too,” Ella whispered, cradled against his body.

She stared at their reflection in the mirror across from the bed. Ty’s eyes were closed and she watched as his breathing slowed and he fell back to sleep. Their bodies were still connected. Exhausted but relaxed, Ella’s eyelids began to droop as well. This was more than she had ever expected – and much more wonderful.

“I love you, my unusual beast,” Ella whispered sleepily.

*.*.*

Ty muttered another series of curses under his breath as he surveyed the empty case. He was alerted earlier this evening before he was about to leave that six additional artifacts turned up missing. Overall, twenty priceless pieces had disappeared from the archives storage area.

“I swear the items were there earlier,” the technician insisted.

Ty glanced at the young man who was nervously twisting his hands. The technician was one of the interns who worked with the university as part of his degree program. He remembered interviewing him a few months back.

“Chan, is it?” Ty asked, trying to keep his temper from erupting.

“Yes… Yes, sir,” Chan replied. “It’s really Chanler, but everyone calls me Chan.”

“Chan, did you see anyone else come into the research or storage area today?” Ty asked.

“No, sir. No one except for Dr. Badger,” Chan replied.

Ty gritted his teeth. He wanted to point out that Theodore Badger was someone. Drawing in a deep breath, Ty released it before speaking again.

“What was he doing here?” Ty asked in a harsh tone.

Chan flinched and took a nervous step backwards. “He… He said he just needed… that he just needed to see a few pieces that were in storage for an… for an article he was writing,” Chan stuttered. “

“Do you know which pieces he was looking at?” Ty asked in aggravation.

“Yes, sir,” Chan said, perking up and standing straight. “It was in Vault B. I stayed with him the whole time like I was supposed to. He came in, pulled out the pieces he needed to look at, then handed them to me so I could return them to their proper shelf.”

“He wasn’t out of your sight at all?” Ty insisted.

“No, sir, not at all, well, except for a few minutes when he said he needed to use the bathroom. I stayed with the items he had out,” Chan explained with a frown.

“Then, you weren’t with him the entire time,” Ty pointed out, clenching his fists.

“I guess not,” Chan muttered in confusion. “But, it was only just a few minutes. I mean, he went to the bathroom on the same floor, then he came right back.”

Ty slowly counted to ten before he spoke again. “Thank you, Chan. You may go,” Ty finally said.

“Sorry, Mr. Bearclaw. Are you going to fire me? I really need this job,” Chan nervously asked.

Ty shook his head. “No, Chan,” he replied. “I’m not going to fire you. Just – until we find out what is going on, I don’t want anyone else down here except for the technicians, Rhyanna, and myself. That includes the Board of Directors.”

“No one else. Yes, sir! Not even Dr. Badger,” Chan repeated with an eager nod. “Thank you, sir.”

“Goodnight, Chan,” Ty said with a pointed look toward the door.

“Oh, goodnight, Mr. Bearclaw. Thank you again,” Chan said with a broad grin.

Ty watched as the eager young technician hurried away. He had to remind himself that he hadn’t been all that different ten or so years ago. Shaking his head, he grimaced and hoped he hadn’t been quite that bad when his dad had started training him to take over the Observatory.

He returned his attention to the matter at hand. His gaze lifted to the cameras positioned outside of the room. It had never been necessary to have security cameras in each of the rooms. Ten years ago, the security systems were modified, and cameras were installed in the basement, but only in the corridors. It appeared that he would have to get the system upgraded once again.

His hand automatically went to his pocket when he felt his cell phone vibrate. Pulling it out, a smile curved his lips. Ella had learned how to send him texts. Her favorite thing at the moment was the emoticons. This text contained a series of hearts and smiling faces with hearts in them, as well as a bear. Despite everything that was going on, he felt the tension melt from his body.

His fingers flew over the keypad.
What are you doing?
He typed.

Shopping. Rhyanna showed me how to use a computer,
Ella responded.

He chuckled. Ella and Rhyanna had hit it off the morning after Rhyanna had spent the night. They had been wary of each other at first, but the moment they had discovered they both loved Martha’s pancakes and eggs, the tension had melted away. The past week, Rhyanna had practically lived at his house. Ty wasn’t sure if it was because she wanted to learn more about humans or because she liked showing Ella how to use his credit card.

Buy something sexy,
he typed.

A few seconds later, a soft groan escaped him when a picture of a sexy, and very sheer, nightgown appeared from one of the famous retailers. He could just imagine Ella wearing the light green silk – for a short while before he tore it off of her.

You’d better order two of them,
he advised.

That’s what Rhyanna said,
Ella typed back.
See you when you get home.

See you soon,
he typed.
Love you.

Love you, too,
Ella responded, followed by a string of hearts.

It took a few minutes for Ty to realize he was just standing in the empty room grinning like a loon. He returned the phone to his pocket and looked around. Turning in a slow circle, his gaze narrowed on the camera in the hallway again. A ruthless smile curved his lips. If the door had been left opened, it might have caught what happened in the room.

Turning, he quietly left the room, locking it behind him. He wanted to check the security tapes before he left for the evening. Ignoring the elevator, he pushed the door to the stairwell open. He took the steps, two at a time, to the third floor. He stepped out onto the main floor and turned left. Walking down the short hallway, he paused outside the security office. Swiping his badge, he pushed the door open.

A frown creased his brow when he saw the monitors were black. His gaze swept around the room. Concern darkened his eyes when he saw the slumped figure of the night guard. He instinctively he took a step toward the man when his bear suddenly roared out a warning.

Ty twisted and raised his arm as a dark object swung toward his head from behind the door. A grunt escaped him when he felt a knee connect with his side. The force of the blow knocked the wind out of him. He was off balance as he struggled to grab at the figure attacking him. His fingers closed around the black material covering the thick forearm, even as his head jerked back when the man’s elbow struck him in the jaw.

Ty stumbled backwards. In the narrow confines of the room, he couldn’t call forth his bear. He cursed when he felt the booted foot strike him again, this time in the chest. The blow knocked him backwards into the control panel. The dark figure turned and grabbed the door. Before Ty could straighten, the figure had disappeared through the door, slamming it behind him.

“Son of a bitch,” Ty growled, pushing up from the console.

He hurried to the door, cursing even louder when he realized that he needed his badge to open it. Fumbling for it, he pulled it forward, swiped it against the pad, and jerked the door open. He stepped out into the hallway and glanced both ways in frustration. He was about to pick a direction when he heard a soft moan behind him. Torn between chasing his attacker and taking care of the guard. A second moan and the crash of the chair in the room behind him made the decision for him. His first concern was for the employees. He slowly backed into the room, rubbing his side and turned. The guard sat on the floor now instead of draped over the console.

“What happened?” Ty demanded, striding forward to kneel next to the man who was rubbing the back of his head.

“I don’t know,” the man said, wincing when he tried to shake his head. “I thought it was Benie when the door opened and I didn’t turn around. The next thing I know, I’m out cold.”

Ty pulled out his cell phone and hit the emergency button. His gaze flashed to the bank of drives. All of them were empty. Whoever had come in here had done so with the sole purpose of one thing and one thing only – covering the theft of the artifacts. Whoever had stolen them must have realized the same thing that he had – the camera was aimed at the doorway of the downstairs vault.