Protect Me (Sawtooth Shifters, #3) (9 page)

Baron’s expression softened, but the fire in his eyes could melt me into a puddle of goo. “Absolutely.” He hardly waited for me to finish my request before climbing off my lap. He stopped in the doorway of my bedroom, turning back to me, scraping his teeth against his lip. Who was supposed to be in control again? “This is going to be fucking awesome, Kiera.”

It took everything I had to not follow Baron and watch him undress. Hell, to do it myself. But the thought of Baron standing in my bedroom, naked as the day he was born, anticipating my arrival, what I was going to do to that body... I was so turned on I could barely stand up. So naturally, I took my sweet ass time getting in there. Fluffy watched his crickets drown before eating them, any trauma from the trip forgotten. I peeked at the mail, and washed the coffee cup I left in the sink this morning. I almost broke it; my hands were shaking so hard I dropped it on the counter. Now I was ready.

I thought about knocking, but I didn’t want to give him any warning. I wanted to see how well he followed direction. Instead I opened the door slowly, my breath catching in my throat when I saw Baron. He was barely more than a silhouette in the low light of my lamp. His head tipped down, dark hair covering his face. He held his hands behind his back, offering me his body like the gift it was. He said nothing, but his chest trembled with prospect of what my instructions promised. And whatever idea he’d come up with, he liked it. A lot.

He gasped when I brushed his hair away from his face. “I think we need to talk about this before we go any further,” I said softly. He nodded. “You can talk. I don’t want this to be all about me, I want to make sure you’re getting what you need, too. I like to be in control. Being told what to do does nothing for me, but someone doing what I ask makes me absolutely crazy. I might tell you not to talk, I might tie you up, but I won’t do anything too crazy, like whip you. Unless you want me to do that.”

One side of his mouth slid up in smile that said more than a book full of words. Baron practically had me on my knees. “So you are into that?” I gulped. This was just as scary for me as it was for him. “Tell me, Baron.”

“I’ll try anything, Kiera. That’s what makes this so hot for me. The unknown. If we do something I don’t like, I’ll speak up. But we won’t know if we rule it out without doing it.”

“You’re like my dream come true.” I kissed him, still holding his hair away from his face but otherwise not touching him. Slow and shy, it wasn’t without hunger. Baron kept his hands behind his back. “Now I want you to undress me.”

He took a deep breath, licking his lips while he considered his strategy. Baron twisted the fabric of my top in his hands like he didn’t know his own strength. I was afraid he’d rip it like he’d done to my underwear the other night. I liked this top. I liked Baron better, so if that was his plan, I wouldn’t bitch. Still, I was relieved when he pulled up, and I raised my arms above my head. He let the shirt fall to the ground, sliding his fingers under my bra strap, tracing the curve of my shoulder. I hadn’t expected him to tease—now it was my turn to pulse with the promise of what followed. Baron moved the straps down my arms so when he unhooked my bra, it automatically dropped from my body. The little pad I wore to even me out bounced off my foot. He brushed his lips, open-mouthed, against my nipple, but I caught him by the chin, stilling him.

“Not until I say so.” His eyes flickered with disappointment, but he nodded, resuming his mission. Baron slid my jeans down my legs slowly, fingers lightly circling against my ass and thighs on the way down. Sitting at my feet, he lifted one then the other, pushing the denim away, and taking off my socks.

Looking for my approval, those amazing eyes swirled with fervor and devotion. My lips curled up. I was desperately trying to keep my cool with this man kneeling at my feet. The slightest hint of a nod gave him the greenlight to continue. Baron rose, still on his knees, biting the strap of my bikini underwear, and pulling them down my legs with his teeth.

I already missed the heat of his mouth near my pussy. Burying my hand in his hair, I massaged his scalp, giving him a couple tugs because I loved the way his face lit up when I did it. “What do you want to do, Baron?”

He blinked, not expecting a choice. “I want to fuck you with my mouth.”

My knees buckled, and I almost fell on top of him. “I’d like that,” I managed. “A lot.”

Nudging my legs open, Baron licked his lips as he rose to his knees. He moaned on contact, the hot vibration making me drip with arousal, and I almost lost my balance once again. Baron traced his tongue along the outline of my slit, the movement slow, to make sure he didn’t miss a thing. He darted inward, bumping against my clit, and he might as well have tasered me. The same amount of electricity shot through my body. But he went back to work on my slit, only touching me with his tongue, getting closer and closer to my swollen clit each time. The mix of anticipation and sensation made me crazy. I pulled my own hair, biting my lip to keep from crying out. I had no idea when Lyssie would be back, and I didn’t need her barging in here, thinking something was wrong and trying to help, ruining the most perfect night of my life.

Baron rolled his tongue over my clit, taking the whole thing in his mouth and sucking on it hard. I trembled, but he didn’t stop his deliberate exploration. This time I almost fell. He had me completely open, his body between my legs as he licked and probed. He pushed his tongue inside me, and the pulsing erupted, driving me down on my knees.

He still didn’t stop, leaning back in a fluid movement, catching me and positioning me over his face. I was a quivering mess controlled by Baron’s mouth, his every move my central nervous system. I contracted, trying to catch his tongue, my only chance for relief unless I ordered him to stop. And I’d never do that.

My back arched, the orgasm rolling through me in a violent wave crashing against my skin. Baron didn’t give me any mercy, probing deeper and groaning as my body throbbed around his tongue and mouth.

I lay on top of him, a breathless, vibrating heap. Baron eased out from underneath my body, pushing my hair back from my dewy skin. “What do you want me to do next, Kiera?”

Like I even knew he was talking to me. I was having an out of body experience, floating above our bodies tangled on my bedroom floor, thinking that was one lucky bitch down there. But I had an idea.

“I want you to tell me a story,” I said, and Baron looked puzzled. “I want to know everything that happened to you when you were captured. But no talking. Use your body.”

Baron’s eyes darkened, but he nodded. He’d still been stroking my hair but that came to an abrupt stop, yanking a big handful of it. He lifted my face to his, and consumed me in a kiss. Everything about it was ravenous, the way he explored my mouth like he wasn’t sure if he’d ever eat again. His tongue was everywhere, pushing hard against the inside of my top lip, tangling with my tongue. Unable to breathe on my own, I stole oxygen, letting his pain and desperation flow into me. This scared the hell out of me, but in facing Baron’s fears, I was facing my own.

His teeth scraped against the throbbing artery in my neck, stubble tickling my skin. Baron settled in the crook of my neck, just above my collarbone, nipping and sucking. This time, his hands were everywhere, running over my arms hard, then finding my breast, kneading it, rolling it, using his palm with the same intensity. For the first time, I didn’t even fucking miss the other one.

I was pinned down from the weight of his body, no way to escape. Baron licked the edge of my scar tissue, and I squirmed. He didn’t like that, growling and holding me harder, honing in on the damaged area, licking and scraping his teeth against the ridges. Tears burned my eyes. I never cried, but there was no other response. The wolves had been whipped and beaten. Every single one of them had thought they were too strong to be broken like that, but they’d been wrong. It was torture, having someone bring out the worst in you, then use it as a weapon. I would’ve begged him to stop, but if Baron could endure that for six months, I could take it.

He’d reduced me to a quivering mass of emotion. Baron sat back, watching it happen like he wasn’t the star of the show. Running his fingers lightly over the scars, I jumped and whimpered when his lips landed on my nipple. He barely licked the hard tip. I shuddered, expecting him to bite, but it didn’t come.

Baron rolled back off my body, slicked with sweat. I shivered, missing his heat. He separated my legs, hooking one over each shoulder, pushing forward and folding me almost in half. His lips brushed against mine. It wasn’t enough—I wanted another taste but he wouldn’t let me have it. In this position, there was only so far I could chase him. He positioned his cock over my opening. It was crazy how aroused I was, desperate for comfort, shelter from the storm. He stretched me open, his balls against my skin, and then he rolled back, and slammed inside me.

I knew this was going to be rough, but my body went haywire. I clamped down on him, as hard as I could, but I was no match for his long, frenzied thrusts. I fucking loved it. Baron was giving me absolutely everything he had, and that’s exactly what I admired about him.

Baron swelled inside me, pulling out before he reached his peak. He came on my stomach, hot ribbons marking me. Once he was completely spent, he dragged his finger through it, then brought them to my mouth, letting me suck him clean.

He collapsed next to me, never breaking his vow of silence. I kissed him. It was lazy, we were both completely exhausted, and the emotional hangover was going to set in soon for both of us. I nestled my head on his shoulder. With his arms around me, nothing could ever hurt either of us. “That was pretty intense. Are you okay?” I asked.

I panicked, Baron didn’t answer right away. It hadn’t been my intention to break him. I’d only wanted to give him control over something he’d been powerless to stop. A chance to make all those
what ifs
his bitch. Ryker was dead; he and his brothers were free. But I knew it didn’t go away just because it was over.

“If it makes you feel any better, you helped me,” I said. “I had to face some shit there, too. But I knew you’d protect me, and we’d get through this together.”

“It did make it better.” Baron was still a million miles away. “I have to talk to you about something.”

My heart dropped into my stomach. Every worst case scenario exploded in my brain. “Please don’t tell me this is goodbye.”

B
aron

“Fuck no.” I laughed, but stopped abruptly when I registered the naked fear on Kiera’s face. I kissed her immediately. My beautiful girl wasn’t afraid of anything, and she wasn’t going to start with me. “I’m not going anywhere. It’s about the pack.”

“Neither am I.” Her frown didn’t fade. “But Shadow imposed our little house arrest sessions, and he can make them stop, too.”

“My brother’s not that much of an asshole.” At least he never used to be. It reinforced my decision. “We don’t have to worry about what he says anymore.”

“We don’t? Then what the hell is the purpose of being alpha, if no one listens to what he says?”

She didn’t mind this laugh so much. “Everyone else has to listen to him, but I don’t.” I swallowed hard. “I left the pack.”

She sat up, her mouth hanging open. “How is that even possible?”

I pushed off the floor, sitting on the bed. Kiera joined me, our bodies magnetized. “I love my family. I love the pack, and everything that it stands for. Like I told you before, the Channings are peacekeepers. Right now, we aren’t. I can’t support that. Shadow’s bullshit about it, I know that’s you’re next question, but I’m hoping once he cools down he’ll see things my way. Understand that there’s more than one way to lead. He’s been so busy competing with Major, he’s trying to beat him at his own game, instead of making Major play his.”

“You’re fucking brave, standing up for what you believe in. And smart. I don’t know much about the packs, but it sounds like Shadow’s a little off the rails right now. I don’t blame him, he’s got a lot on his shoulders. But this is wise. You’re going to save his ass in the long run.” She cupped my face, rewarding me with a long, hot kiss. She’d never tasted so sweet. I may have lost my pack, put everything on the line, but I had this incredible woman by my side. With her, I was invincible. “What do you think is going to happen?” she asked.

I wished I had an answer for her.

**

T
he second incarnation of Channing Custom Builders started the same way the first one did—at my mother’s kitchen table. I’d thrown myself into getting our business back together. It should be easier this time. We just had to figure out how to come back from the dead.

I’d only been into Granger Falls a few times in the last month, each time met with horrified stares, much like someone would approach a ghost. Many of them had gone to our memorial service. Most people smiled and nodded politely when we told them we’d been far out of town, out of touch. Too politely, silently telling us that they thought we were full of shit. But they would’ve recoiled in terror if we’d told them we were the dogs Ryker had been fighting.

Shadow and Dallas were at the farm, working with Trina to figure out what to do with the animals. There weren’t many there, they’d all been confiscated in the raid, but he’d been quick to reload his arsenal. We all agreed on one thing. The restoration of Ryker’s farm was our first order of business. Shadow had proposed we build our new houses there. We all wanted a place of our own. To share with our mates. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, and also to send a message to anyone who wanted to challenge him: The Channings obliterated their enemies.

It was a huge plot of land, over a hundred acres. A stream ran through the back half, full of chinook and sockeye. Close to Baldy, and as with anywhere in Sun Valley, the views were breathtaking. I wanted to make it a reserve, a place that shifters would always have a place to go no matter what happened in Sawtooth. We could take tourists too, to make sure the packs always had money. Shadow suggested a rescue for the bigger animals that Trina couldn’t take at the shelter. We were rewriting the future of that land, and it felt damn good.