Series: Shifter Ops Series by Renee Rose
Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 65371 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65371 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
Oh. Oh, Fates.
“IneedyouIneedyouIneedyouIneedyou.”
My favorite words.
“You have me,” I croak.
And then it all happens at once. My climax. Hers. My teeth snapping down and scoring the place where shoulder meets neck. She screams. We keep moving. Keep dancing. I keep thrusting until it’s over. Until we both finish coming. Until I’ve licked her wounds closed and kissed all the flesh around it.
“I’m sorry,” I croon. “I’m so sorry. I know it hurts.”
“It’s okay,” she whispers. “I’m okay. It feels good. I mean, right.” She nods, her head wobbly. “It feels right.”
Julia
Channing stands out on my deck grilling hamburgers. Shirtless, as usual. We invited over his pack members, so Buddy, Rafe, Lance, Deke, and Teddy are gathered outside, too, talking in loud, friendly voices. Giving each other shit. Laughing.
I’m in the kitchen putting together a salad when Geo comes in from outside. “Need any help, Mom?”
I overheard Channing prompt him to come in and ask me, but even so, my heart melts. Because Geo is so transformed. That awkward, defensive middle school persona has dropped away.
He seems more comfortable in his skin.
Or maybe it’s the fur.
I strongly suspect Geo’s comfort is about finding his wolf and feeling part of a pack. Despite the terror of last night, I’ve never seen Geo so bright. He loved the dramatic action. Thrived on it, really.
“Can you get some napkins and paper plates out? And stay here, I wanted to talk to you for a minute.” I look over my shoulder, so I can make eye contact. “Channing and I…”
“I know,” he cuts in. “He claimed you.”
I nod. “You can tell?”
“Yeah.”
“Mom, I’m okay with it.”
“With what?”
“You and Uncle Channing. I think it’s good. He’s great.”
My legs give out under me with relief. “Sweetheart, no one will replace your dad, but–”
“It’s okay. I like you two together. ”
“Thanks, mijo.” I set a red onion on the cutting board and start slicing it for the burgers. “So that brings me to the next topic.”
Geo comes over and leans against the counter. “What, Mom?”
“It’s not something we have to decide right this second. It’s just something I’d like you to think about. Do you want to stay here in Flagstaff, or should we move to Taos to be with Channing’s pack?”
I expected Geo to balk at leaving his friends. Getting him to agree to change schools had been a major endeavor. But it seems Geo knows his own mind. “Taos. Definitely.”
I suck in a surprised breath. There’s a buoyancy in my chest. Around Geo.
“Yeah?” I set down my knife and wrap Geo in a tight hug.
Instead of pushing me away the way he’s been doing over the last year or two, he chuckles and pats me awkwardly on the back. “Is that what you want, too?”
“Well, I think a change might be good for us. A fresh start after everything we’ve been through.” I mean more than what happened with van den Berg. I mean losing Geoffrey. The loneliness and isolation I experienced, in addition to the love.
I release Geo as Channing comes in with a platter piled high with burgers and the five men follow behind, making the house feel absolutely tiny.
I wave them toward the plates, buns, and hamburger fixings on the center island. “Geo and I talked, and we’d like to move to Taos with you,” I blurt.
“Yeah?” Channing’s face breaks into a broad grin.
“That’s great,” Rafe says. “We were hoping you would say that. Not that I planned on letting Channing off the team. But we’d miss the fuu-dge out of having him on base.” Rafe corrects his language at the last second. His gaze sweeps over Geo. “It’d be good to have some young blood around, too.”
“Absolutely not,” I say immediately. “I mean, nothing dangerous. Not my kid.” I set the salad on the center island with the rest of the fixings.
Rafe assembles three hamburgers. “Of course not. He’s under my watch. The pack will protect him–and you–with our lives.”
I suck in a breath. I still hate the idea of the danger they take on. I can’t even think about losing Channing like I lost Geoffrey. But after seeing how badly-injured Channing was and yet, how quickly he recovered, I do feel better.
And I can’t deny him what he is–a thrill-seeking warrior who will probably always make me nervous. Still, I can live with that anxiety. It’s far better than the alternative. I never want to relive those horrible hours after I told Channing to leave. When I made the biggest mistake of my life.
As if he guesses at my thoughts, he loops an arm around my waist and pulls me against his rock-hard abs. “Geo’s far safer in a pack,” Channing murmurs, and I nod.
My gut had already told me that.
“I’ll watch this place for you if you decide to keep it,” Buddy offers.