Scorpio Sons 1: Colton (9 page)

Once they hit the main living quarters, the hallway grew larger, with a series of doors opening off it. Chase chose the closest door and led the way into the common room.

Colt wasn't sure having them all here was a good idea. It was one thing to bring one of the Sons in to meet the others, it was another to bring one lone female into their midst of forty males who all might want to claim her.

But Chase had obviously thought this through, and the common room was empty except for those that now followed him into it. Colt noticed a circle of sofas had been arranged not far from the door and it was to these that Chase led them.

Once they'd all taken their seats, Chase got down to business. "I need you to be very honest with me, Miss Aimes. This is no time for girlish modesty. Colt has explained what we are, and what you are to us. What we need to ascertain is what dynamic exists between us and you. Are you willing to help us determine the nature of that connection?"

Alyssa nodded, swallowing audibly. Colt squeezed her fingers in support.

"You are strongly attracted to Colt, so I'm led to believe. Is that so?"

She nodded again, looking up at Colt as if hoping he'd take up the burden of this interview for her. But he couldn't. She had to do this alone.

"And you have been in Connor's company for an extended period, and yet feel nothing toward him?"

Clearing her throat, she started to speak. "I find him an attractive man but have no special feelings toward him. I'm not drawn to him in any way."

Chase nodded thoughtfully and looked at Connor. "And you?"

"Nothing more than the attraction I feel for any pretty girl."

"Would you mind if the rest of us came closer, to test out our reaction to you, and yours to us?" Chase asked slowly, eyeing Colt as if expecting him to go ballistic.

Colt looked down at the floor and hunched his shoulders. This was going to get hard, really hard. He wasn't sure he could contain his cat if he had to watch a line of guys sniffing at his woman. But this was why they'd brought her here: To find out. So he took deep breaths and tried to talk himself down from his escalating rage.

"Fine. What do you want me to do?"

"Colt, would you step out of the room for a few minutes?" Chase told him.

"Fuck no. I'm going to have a hard enough time watching this. It would be fucking worse if I had to imagine it from outside. Just get it done will you? Shit, this was a bad idea!"

"All right. Connor, be ready to grab him if he loses it. Now, Miss Aimes, if you'd stand in the centre of the space and breathe in a few times when one of us comes in close. Can you do that? None of us will touch you. Colt, did you hear that? None of us will touch her."

"Got it. Just fucking get on with it," he got out between clenched teeth.

Alyssa climbed slowly to her feet and went to the centre of the space. She seemed uncomfortable being the focus of eleven males' attention. Nervously she pulled at an errant curl that had escaped her plait. Her eyes darted from each male back to him, as if he was her anchor, her safe harbour. He forced himself to smile reassuringly at her, even though it was the last thing he was feeling.

One by one, the other versions of Colt went to meet his woman.

Caleb was first, and he prowled up to Alyssa, lowered his head so his nose almost touched her neck, and breathed her in. The bristles of his Mohawk stroked her cheek and she seemed flustered by the butterfly caress.

Colt growled and felt his incisors lowering.

After several seconds that felt more like hours, Caleb stepped back and grinned across at Colt. "You're safe, buddy boy, I'm not going to be fighting you for the little lady." His southern accent was broader than usual, knowing it would drive him nuts.

Instead, Colt breathed a sigh of relief and noticed Connor doing the same. One down. It was a good sign.

Alyssa nodded her agreement. "Love the tribal patterns cut into your hair but I'm not attracted to you."

After that, they all followed Caleb's lead, and each time the answer was the same. Nothing more than mild attraction normally experienced between good-looking members of the opposite sex.

But there was still Chase to go, and this was the true test for Colt. In his opinion, Chase was by far the best man for Alyssa, far superior to himself in every way. Surely the dominant alpha would attract the female? That's how nature worked, wasn't it?

Reluctantly, Chase rose and took his place in front of Alyssa. He didn't lean down or invade her personal space in any other way. After a moment, he drew back, his face stark.

"There's something there. Had I met her first I might have explored it. But it isn't strong enough to challenge your claim, Colt, nor to disrupt our cohesion." He sent a regretful smile in Alyssa's direction.

"I would have called you my type, before I met Colt. But now I only have one type. I feel no strong attraction to you," Alyssa said, and Colt felt his heart break free of his chest and soar. He was her type. She chose the rough diamond over the polished stone. He felt almost dizzy with relief and happiness.

Alyssa returned to his side and he wrapped his arm around her. Her arousal drifted up to him in a welcome, fragrant whiff, as she smiled up at him.

"Excellent. That should put all of our concerns to rest. She is one of ours, but only meant for one of us. I say again, welcome to our ranks, Miss Aimes."

"Please, call me Alyssa. Now that the experiment is over maybe we can all calm down and get on with clarifying what you actually want me to do?"

"Ah, a down-to-business kind of girl. I'm half disappointed that you aren't my mate. But I can still like you." Chase grinned flirtatiously at Alyssa, now the pressure was off.

"I'll like you too, if you stop trying to bait Colt. You were all about keeping the peace right up until now." Alyssa tutted at him good-naturedly. He could see that she was going to create the same sort of bond with Chase as she had with Connor. Could he call it brotherly? He hoped that was all it was.

"Okay, fair enough. It's just a relief to know you women are not going to cause dissent in the ranks. Guys, you can go now. Thanks for taking the time to help us out."

"No hardship. We wanted to know as much as you did," said Chris A, who probably looked the most like Colt of all the men. Sometimes he caught a glimpse of Chris in passing and felt like he'd just seen himself on a surveillance vid. Dislocating.

Once all but D Unit had left the room, Chase got down to it. "We need you to get as close to Akabar as you can without compromising yourself. I don't want Colt tearing him to pieces before we can get him to trial. How much do you know about his business dealings?"

"Not a lot. Since Colt told me what Alzhir is I've been thinking back over every conversation I've overheard. I know he makes people very uncomfortable. They're all scared of him, especially his double. I know I heard him ordering a hit, I think that's what you call it. But I don't know any details. At the moment there's a committee he's anxious to join. I thought it was a business group, but the word Guild did come up. He has to prove himself to them, as some of the members are sitting on the fence. That makes him angry."

"How does he have to prove himself?" Chase asked, edging forwards on his seat, his light-brown eyes intent.

"It has something to do with a venture in Brazil. I think… I may be completely off target here, putting the scraps of info together all wrong…but he said his contact in Rio was sure that for the right price he could make it happen. Whatever it is that needs to happen. Alzhir then said, 'I don't care what it costs, I need the city brought to its knees on festival day. Everything hinges on it.'"

Chase nodded. "That sounds like the sort of evidence we need. But it could simply be an economic collapse. It might not be a terrorist plot. What festival is coming up soon in Rio?"

Caleb had his iPad out and was busy gathering information. "New Year's Eve. Copacabana Beach plays host to two million people seeing in the New Year. An attack at that event would bring the city to its knees. It would have a detrimental effect on the tourist industry, if nothing else."

"That's only a couple of weeks away. I'm assuming this was a recent conversation you overheard, Alyssa?"

"Yes, just the other day. And I wouldn't be surprised if he thought the attack on me is somehow connected to this position he's jockeying for. Last night at my hotel room he got a call and he said something like, 'I want everyone on this. I want the source of this attack and I want it now. If it's Jorgan, and he thinks that taking what's mine will put me off my game leading up to the vote, then he's got another thing coming.' I assumed I was what he was claiming as his."

Colt couldn't help the growl that rumbled up from deep in chest. Nobody claimed Lyss. Especially not that piece of shit!

"Do we know of a
Jorgan
connected to the Guild?" Chase again looked to Caleb for answers.

"Jorgan Trask is high up in the Guild, but not part of the inner sanctum. Could he be vying for the seat Akabar is after? That would be interesting. Maybe we should put a team on him. If he's trying to prove himself to the Top Dogs he might be planning to bring down some other small country to prove his worth."

"Hmmm, yes. Get Carl and his team on it. They're all German speakers and have infiltrated the country before."

Chase turned back to Alyssa and smiled. "You have already given us substantial intel. Are you willing to try for more? Maybe suggest going to Rio for that New Year's celebration? We could probably send you an invitation to perform. How's that sound? If he reacts badly to the idea we'll know we have the right festival."

Alyssa nodded confidently. "No problem. I can do that. The competition will be over by then and I have no gigs booked for New Year. It would be a perfect way to celebrate the end of the contest. I'll go home to my parents for Christmas and suggest Rio for New Year."

"Good. And of course Colt and Connor will be on hand to listen in on conversations while you're with him. Just don't give him any hints that you know what he is. Can you act as well as sing?" Chase smiled at his little joke.

"A singer has to sell a song, so acting is part of the package. It'll be hard keeping my revulsion to myself, but I can do it. This is too important to mess up."

"You're right there. Far too important."

CHAPTER EIGHT

Alyssa felt drained. It had been the longest and most tension-filled day of her life. She'd thought it was bad waiting for the results of each round of the contest, but going to the Son's headquarters, feeling Colt's unease and her own fears as she waited to meet the males who might want her, had been far worse. When they'd all taken their turn sniffing at her, she'd barely kept still. Her legs had told her to run, get as far away from these strangers as she could. But her brain had over-ruled the urge and she'd completed the task as confidently as she could.

During the drive back to LA she'd fallen asleep in Colt's arms, but then she was right back into the last coaching session before the contest the next night. Now, as she staggered through the hotel lobby, her brain was in melt-down. All she could think about was a hot shower and a soft bed.

Connor checked her room while Colt held her up at the door. Literally held her up. Her legs had turned to sponge and refused to support her weight.

"All clear," Connor announced as he exited the room.

That's when her cell went off. She recognised the ring. It was Alzhir. Part of her had been expecting the call all day. How could she have expected to drop off the radar for almost a whole day and not arouse his suspicions? After all, Colt was still not officially her bodyguard and it was only yesterday that she'd been attacked.

"Where have you been Alyssa?" The imperious demand got her back up immediately.

"Been? Why, to my coaching session, of course." She intentionally misunderstood him, letting her voice carry the tone of bemused innocence.

"Earlier today, Alyssa. You didn't take the limo. Where did you go?"

"Oh, yeah, I see what you mean. I went to Frisco on a spur of the moment thing. My friend Sam called to tell me she'd gotten engaged. Her fiancé was about to fly out to Europe and it was the only chance I'd have of meeting him before the wedding. As I had the day free except for the interview, I had Colt and Connor to drive me up there. They said it was safer to travel in a private vehicle than to take the rented limo, which whoever wants me would be looking for."

She heard the uncertainty coming down the line at her. He'd been furious, but now her story was calming him. "You should have told me what you were doing. You're too trusting. Those men could have taken you anywhere, and I would have been none-the-wiser."

"Men? You mean Colt and Connor? No, they're great. I couldn't be safer. And now I'm back at the hotel and ready for a good night's sleep. I barely closed my eyes last night; I was still so wound up over the attack."

"Yes, get some sleep. You need to be fresh for the contest tomorrow. But do not do that again. Do you understand me? Do not go off without telling me."

"I'm sorry, Alzhir. It didn't enter my head. I'm so used to doing my own thing; it's hard to remember I'm part of a couple now. Have my bodyguards been approved yet?" She knew she was buttering him up using the word
couple
but it seemed the only way to ease the last of his concerns. And it worked. She heard it in his voice when he spoke again.

"Yes, dear girl, they have been approved. You get what you want, as always with me. I will see you tomorrow after the contest. We will go out and celebrate."

"I may not get into the finals…"

"You will get in. We will celebrate. No arguments. Go to bed, Alyssa. Be fresh and ready to sing your heart out."

"Goodnight, Alzhir. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow night." She put longing into her voice and felt Colt bristling. It was a hell of a lot easier buttering-up to the mogul when she wasn't with him. But clearly Colt didn't like the game she was being forced to play.

They'd entered the room as she'd talked to Alzhir and Colt had shut Connor out and pushed her gently onto the bed. Then he'd removed her ankle-boots one at a time and placed them on the floor. When she ended the call with her soft tone, he smothered his growl against her thigh. The vibration had her wet in seconds. All tiredness evaporated as she looked down at the huge male with his head pressed into her jean-covered lap. His hair was an enticement she couldn't deny.

Gently, she stroked that riot of sandy curls back from his forehead. The growl became a purr.

"Today was the hardest day of my life, but I'm glad we now know that our chemistry is ours alone." Her voice was soft as she matched her movement to her words, intentionally weaving a web of longing into the air between them.

"Fuck, Alyssa, your voice…" he choked out, rearing up onto the bed and her in one smooth, fluid action. It still shocked her when he moved so fast.

With his weight pinning her to the soft bed, his eyes all cat, she should have been afraid. Instead, she felt her desire burn higher. The now-familiar sensation of her cat rising only increased her arousal.

"God, your eyes are the most beautiful things I've ever seen," he growled out, just before he claimed her mouth with his own.

Then there were no thoughts; only desperate mouths and hands moving everywhere at once.

"Clothes…" she managed to get out between hungry kisses. His growl was all the answer she got as he took her word as a call to action. Almost faster than her eye could see, he removed her jeans and jacket. Then he pulled her soft, woollen sweater over her head, leaving her wearing only a skimpy white lace bra and matching thong. What had made her wear the sexy underwear today she didn't quite know. Or maybe she did. Maybe she'd hoped to find herself just where she was now.

But she needed a shower. If this was going to go where she hoped it would, she needed to smell better than the long tense day allowed.

Colt's eyes glowed as he took her in. She held her breath. Would he find her attractive? She was too thin and her breasts too small. One of the reasons she kept her hair long was so nobody would mistake her for a boy. If not for the push-up bra, she'd barely have a cleavage.

Almost reverently, Colt began to run his hands over her body. His purr became a loud mechanical vibration in the room.

"I need to eat more, I know. But the contest makes me nervous and I can't seem to stomach food…"

"I noticed. You barely eat enough to keep a bird alive." His words were barely audible as he continued to stroke and explore every revealed inch of her skin.

"If I ate more, I'd have a bit of flesh on me. I'm not always so skinny…"

His mouth latched onto her nipple through the lace of her bra and she gasped. Oh, my, god, how did he do this to her? How did he turn the frigid virgin into a panting sex-fiend so quickly? Whoever designed her chemistry really got it right.

"Not too skinny… just right… beautiful. You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Colt's words were muffled as he spoke them against her breast while lifting her small mounds and sucked one nipple into his hot, wet mouth. She couldn't hold back the gasp, or the moan that followed it immediately. Was she arching her back, trying to get more of that mouth on her? When had she got so sexually demanding?

Her hands wanted to feel skin beneath them. She wanted to feel the heat of his naked flesh. As he continued to suckle her, Alyssa scrambled to pull the shirt from his slacks so she could get her hands under it.

But his belt was too tight and the shirt anchored under it. In frustration, she hit him on the back. That got his attention. He left off sucking her nipple to look up at her, eyes glazed.

"What?" Colt sound like one pissed-off male.

She felt her anger rising to match her sexual frustration. "Shirt off! Slacks too. You're not the only one who wants skin."

The smile that curled his lips was pure feline. In mere seconds he was gone from her and then back, every stitch of clothing removed. My god, he was gorgeous! How did a male body get to look so beautiful? Every muscle, every line of him was a feast for her eyes. And she loved the line of his hips and the flat belly that lay just below a six-pack of hard flesh. He was too beautiful for her. Someone like this needed to be with a woman with soft curves that would fit against those hard angles.

He must have seen the uncertainty in her eyes, because he cupped her face in his hands and forced her to meet his burning gaze. "You're as delicately formed as a flower. Every fragile inch of feminine flesh I see excites me like no other. Do you understand?"

She nodded, trying to believe him. But the insidious thought wouldn't go away. This was only chemistry created in a lab. If it wasn't influencing him, he wouldn't have looked twice at her. Sure she had a pretty face and nice hair. And her eyes were lovely, she'd been told on many occasions, but her body was little more than pre-pubescent. A man who looked like this wouldn't normally want someone who looked like her.

But he was kissing her again, and the thoughts faded away under the deluge of desire he communicated to her in those kisses. His tongue thrust into her mouth, seeking hers, moaning when he found it and coaxed her into dancing with his. Then he was sucking her tongue into his mouth, and that move had her clawing at his back, desperate for more.

As if sensing her need, Colt's mouth released hers and began its journey down her body, licking, kissing and nipping every trembling inch until he reached her thong. That's when she knew his incisors had lowered because in one sharp tug the elasticised lace that rode her hip was gone, severed as effectively as a knife.

But there was no time to wonder about that. His mouth was closing in on her neatly cropped maidenhair, and before she could stop him, his nose was pressing into the folds. Even as the sensation drove her wild, more insecurity arose. She needed to shower. He had to stop so she could shower first.

Desperately she struggled to get away from him. "Colt…no, please. I'm not clean..."

"Woman, you smell fucking great. You aren't washing away this mouth-watering scent." His tongue slipped in to taste her swollen folds. "This taste. Fuck, you taste so good. I've never done this before. Never wanted to do this before. But right now… I can't get enough of you. Let me eat my fill, Alyssa. Let me do what my beast wants…"

His tongue was hot and wet against her sensitive flesh. The feel of his breath against her core was blindingly erotic. Something primal rose up inside her and gave its consent. Relaxing her legs so they fell apart, she gave him full entry.

For a time he indulged himself, licking and sucking and rubbing his cheeks against her inner thighs. His cheek was abrasive and the sensation was a perfect counterpoint to the sleek sensation of his tongue and the feathered softness of his hair.

As her hunger increased, and she writhed beneath him, he suddenly left off his ministrations and sank his teeth into the soft flesh at the top of her inner thigh. The sting shot her off the pinnacle she'd been climbing and starbursts exploded behind her closed eyelids. She cried out and arched her hips off the bed as he clamped his hands to each of her cheeks and held her in place.

It was like a fire burned through every nerve-ending radiating out from that bite. She felt her own canines dropping. Dear God what
was
she? This was insane. Caught between ecstasy and terror, she could do nothing but feel the fire spreading, burning hotter with each passing second. It should have reduced, after her orgasm. Surely she should be coming down. But instead, whatever was fuelling this arousal was building.

Then she felt something push into her virgin core. Something hard and thick: his fingers? She welcomed the invasion even when it caused her pain. But the fire burning her to ash allowed for no pain. The invasion withdrew, and she hated it, fought to keep him inside. But he withdrew all the same.

And that's when his teeth released her. Licking the wounds lavishly before he reared up and stared down at her. She barely recognised his face. It was barely human.

"I always use protection, even though Coop says we can't get human STDS or impregnate anyone."

Why was he telling her this? Why was he stopping? Surely he knew that she wanted him inside her so desperately that she was beyond rational thought. The fire had receded a little when he broke away, but it still flamed high, seeking more.

"Colt…" she pleaded.

"I don't want to use protection with you, Lyss. Tell me you're okay with that. Tell me…"

Her hands reached for his pulsing cock, and directed it to where she needed it most. He took that as agreement. On a deep guttural growl, he took himself in hand and directed his hot, hard flesh to the very entrance of her core. Instinctively, Alyssa shifted her hips to align with him. Then, closing her eyes, she waited to feel the fullness that his fingers had only hinted at.

Slowly, almost painfully slowly, he eased into her body. She was wet, and the slick feel of him sliding into her was the most erotic sensation she had ever experienced. Opening her eyes, she stared up at him in wonder. Colt's face was a mask of concentration, sweat beading his forehead, his muscular shoulders trembling. A blue vein pulsed in his neck. And those eyes, good god, those eyes were shooting fire at her, golden fire.

Panting, Colt finished his slow entry. "You okay?"

"Yes. I feel…amazing. But…"

"But?" He was gasping now, as if the very fact that he was keeping himself still required massive amounts of energy.