Chapter 35
One month later.
While Krys gathered plastic bags from the back seat of Hope’s car, I admired his splendid ass. My mate looked sinfully hot in leathers, so whenever he wore them, I let him know exactly how much they turned me on. And if there was one thing he loved to do, it was tease me.
He set the heavy bags on the driveway and reached for a box.
“Those pants should be a moving violation,” I remarked.
After setting the box on the hood, he threw a sexy look over his shoulder. His wolfish eyebrows sank over those delicious blue eyes, and a smile curved up the side of his cheek. “Don’t tempt me.”
His words felt like a dare.
When he faced me, I grabbed his ass with both hands. “Then don’t tempt me.” I gave him a crushing kiss that was even better than the first time. His lips dragged down to my neck. I loved the scratch of his goatee, his quiet grunts, and the heady fragrance of a new cologne I’d bought for him.
Before I knew what was happening, he kicked the door shut and pinned me against the car. I sucked in a sharp breath when he rocked his hips against mine. “You like the way my leathers feel? Hmm? Touch me again and see what happens.”
My knees weakened at the possessive way he gripped my wrists. I loved his power plays even outside the bedroom.
“I should’ve known!” Mercy shouted. “Y’all quit fooling around. They’re almost here.”
Ignoring her, I nibbled on Krys’s earlobe and stroked it suggestively with my tongue. “You should put something cooler on, Krystopher. It’s July.”
“What do you suggest?” His words rumbled in my ear.
“Bikini bottoms.”
He laughed and grabbed the box from the hood. “Let’s hurry before they get here.”
I gathered the sacks and excitedly followed him to the backyard.
The tables were set up in preparation for Cleo’s surprise birthday party.
While Breed didn’t care about birthdays after a certain age, we went all out with the kids.
Cleo had no memories prior to us, not that her shitty excuse for a mother would’ve celebrated her birthday.
Now that we knew the exact date, a party seemed long overdue.
“My fingers are falling off!” The plastic handles of the heavy sacks dug into my hands and wrists. One bag ripped and sent juice bottles onto the grass. “Help!”
Bear jogged over and snatched them all up. “Did they remember the tablecloths?”
“I don’t know, Hercules. They loaded up the car and kicked us out.”
Lakota had put in a last-minute order with a couple who made money picking up miscellaneous orders from neighboring cities and delivering them. Lakota didn’t trust them to deliver on time, so we met them at their house to collect the additional supplies ordered the previous night.
As if the balloons and streamers flapping from the deck railing weren’t enough.
I squinted at the trees. “Did someone hang the lights?”
Lucian sat on the steps leading to the upper deck. “I’ve never put up lights that fast in my life. These females keep piling on last-minute ideas.”
I gave him a sly smile. “That one was mine. I’m gonna test the karaoke machine after dark, so I needed to create ambience.”
“You’re a diva.”
“Turn that frown upside down.”
When I reached the back door, I kicked off my shoes and socks, grabbed my fedora from the hat hook, and headed onto the back deck to soak in the rays. I loved parties. Music, laughter, dancing, food, frivolous conversations—that was what life was all about.
After putting the decorative tablecloths on the tables we had pushed together, Bear jogged up the steps to check on his grill. When he lifted the lid, a plume of smoke hit him in the face.
Tak was sprawled out in a chair, looking as deflated as the limp balloon dangling between his fingers. “I don’t have any more air left in my lungs.”
I leaned against the railing. “That’s what you get for not buying a helium tank.”
He frowned. “Then it floats into the sky and rains litter on the world. One of our wolves could choke on the rubber.”
I sat on the railing and watched everyone bustling in and out with snacks, ice, and drinks.
Melody and Cleo had driven to Austin earlier to get Cleo fitted for winter clothes to accommodate her new tail and ears.
While that was the plan, it was also a way to get her out of the house so we could set up the festivities, bake the cake, cook, and wrap presents.
Lakota and Archer were tossing the axe at a target board to kill time, and Lakota’s throw hit dead center.
My handsome partner hiked up the steps.
“Your legs will cook in those leather pants,” Tak said with a lopsided grin.
Mercy fanned herself from another chair. “I’m melting like a stick of butter in the hot sun.”
Krys snatched the bag of balloons from Tak. With a deep breath, he blew them up and tied the rubber ends faster than a comedy act.
Tak chuckled. “You need to quit your new job at Dragonfly’s and be the balloon guy at parties.”
Krys flicked a red one at Mercy, who caught it. “Not a chance. I like kicking ass too much.”
“We finally found a way to harness your skill.”
My heels tapped against the balusters while Krys demonstrated his lung capacity.
Tak looked between us, and a smile broadened across his face. He finally stood and stretched his back. “I like the change I see. You two are a good match.”
“Next thing you know, you’ll be wanting us to have kids,” I quipped. “Sorry to inform you, but my uterus is nonexistent.”
Tak picked up a yellow balloon from the ground. “Kids are a blessing, but I’m not running a baby farm. All I want are loyal packmates who care for each other, do their chores, and don’t leave muddy paw prints on the kitchen floor.”
He bopped my hat with the balloon and headed down to the yard to help his mate unwrap paper plates, napkins, and utensils. While he wasn’t a fan of waste, he capitulated when it came to parties.
Eden’s tiger roared before lying down in the shade to cool off. Since she could remember her entire shift, she’d decided to surprise Cleo by having her cat at the party. Cleo got along famously with her animal since they were both felines.
When I saw Krys was running out of breath, I extended my hand. “Give me that.”
He stood and handed me the bag.
“You people don’t appreciate the best part about balloons.” I blew one up as big as I could, then let go. It zigzagged through the air, sounding like a continual fart before landing on the roof.
Krys sat beside me on the rail as we faced the house. “Did you hear the latest about Cleo’s mom?”
“Why does everyone leave me out of the important meetings?”
“Because you sleep late.” He flipped his hair out of his eyes. “Tak decided he didn’t want to take it to the higher authority because it could open up a can of worms with Cleo. He doesn’t trust them.”
“Nor should he. Corruption exists in the highest places.”
“Yeah. Cleo’s not keeping her animal a secret, but Tak doesn’t want to put out the word while she’s still a kid. I think he was also worried they might punish me.”
“For what? Doing them a favor by giving those Vamps what they deserved?”
“He gave me a lecture about how a leader’s job is to protect his people.”
“So they’re going to do nothing about that woman?”
“Not exactly. He spoke with Eden, and they came up with a solution. There’s a Breed jail outside the purview of the law.
It’s run by a separate organization that handles unique cases.
This qualifies. Eden reviewed the facts and delivered a sentence the other Councilmen agreed to, so they’re sending her there. ”
“For how long?”
Krys squinted at the bright sky. “I don’t know. They kept that secret. All that matters is that bitch is where she belongs.”
“They should do a memory wipe.”
“Maybe I’ll suggest it.”
I stretched my arms and decided to switch to a lighter topic. “We should get matching tattoos.”
“What the fuck?” Krys got down and faced me.
I tilted my head to the side, wondering how he would feel about inking himself.
“I’m not putting a cat on my body,” he grumped. “Where’s this coming from?”
I shooed a fly away from my face. “Humans swap rings when they get married. I used to think it was stupid, but maybe I want people to know we’re mated.”
“You think they don’t?”
I shrugged.
Krys and I had signed the official papers but didn’t have a big ceremony.
We exchanged meaningful promises in front of the pack.
Afterward, we drove to Padre Island, and I forced him into a pair of swim trunks.
He balked about how he looked like an asshole, but he was the sexiest man on the beach, albeit the palest. We hit a few dive bars, browsed the shops, and laughed our asses off while seagulls dive-bombed me when I attempted to eat on the hotel balcony.
It was the best.
Krys tossed my hat in the chair. Then he caged me by placing his hands on the railing and wedging between my legs. “If you want everyone to know you’re mine, I’ll hire a guy to fly one of those planes with a banner every day for a month.”
I didn’t need him to get a tattoo, but I loved his creativity. “Maybe we can make a sex tape and accidentally leak it.”
“Maybe not.” He stole a kiss. “You asked me on our trip to Cognito what you smell like, and I didn’t tell you.”
My eyebrows popped up. “Do I need a shower?”
Krys rubbed his nose against my neck and inhaled. “Even my wolf knows your scent. You gonna ask me?”
I leaned back and admired how the sunlight caught in his pale eyes. “What do I smell like?”
A crooked smile touched his lips. “Home. You smell like home to me.”
I put my arms around his neck. “Now that’s how you seduce Virgil Nightingale.”
“She’s here!” Lakota boomed. He stuffed his phone in his back pocket and left the axe in the target board. “They’re in the driveway.”
Bear went into panic mode with his grill while everyone finished setting up the tables. The cake was covered, streamers blew in the breeze, and wind chimes tinkled in a nearby tree. Tak’s horse hung out by the fence and bobbed her head and whinnied as if she knew what was going on.