Alpha Protector Read online

  Asher!

  3

  Asher walked around the front of the car and stepped onto the sidewalk, not saying a word, just surveying.

  “Go away, friend. Nothing to see here,” one of the men at the rear of the group said, walking up to Asher and waving his hands.

  Asher responded by driving his fist into the man’s nose, then grabbing him by the back of the neck and throwing a knee quickly into his skull before tossing him onto the pavement, speechless.

  The other men said nothing. Just watched, stunned.

  The whole thing had transpired in less than a second.

  “Who the hell are you?” the alpha said, turning to face Asher.

  “I’m here for the lady.” Asher’s voice was cool, confident—unlike any tone she’d heard him use before.

  The alpha laughed, a soulless sound that was joined by the other men. “You and what army?”

  “The fucking army right in fucking front of you,” Asher growled.

  The men laughed again.

  Laurel gulped. She was glad Asher was here, but looking around her again, she realized this was suicide. There were still at least eight or nine of them, and all of them looked like they were no stranger to violence.

  Asher was unfazed. “This is your last warning. Let her go now and I might decide to only break half the bones in your body,” he threatened, completely serious.

  “Well, if those are the terms, get ‘em, boys,” the alpha called out.

  The men around him rushed at Asher, and Asher became a whirlwind of punches and kicks. He jabbed the first man that reached him in the face, then used his momentum to throw the man past him and tumbling into the street. The next he kicked straight in the stomach, pushing him backward, just as he spun and threw a perfect uppercut into another behind him.

  Laurel was speechless. She’d seen Asher do demonstrations. Had seen him work out for countless hours. Had even seen him spar with his older brothers, who were professional fighters. But this was something else entirely. The speed and strength with which he moved was uncanny, bringing one man down, then another, then another.

  One man let go of Laurel to join the fight, and she used her free hand to pop her remaining captor in the eye, then kicked at the man’s knee, bringing him to the ground so she could throw an elbow into his face. Jacob too had joined and was wrestling with one of the thugs on the side, though she couldn’t tell how much headway he was actually making, if any.

  But at the center of it all was Asher, deftly moving as if he were always able to anticipate the next strike.

  The pack alpha grunted with anger and grabbed a loose pipe lying on the ground near them. With a shout, he ran full speed at Asher, who was in the middle of beating someone’s face to a pulp. Laurel tried to call to Asher to warn him, but it was too late. The pipe came slashing downward with a whoosh, but Asher turned just in time to catch it with his forearm. There was a loud clang as the pipe connected against flesh. But to Laurel’s surprise, Asher stood his ground, holding his one arm against the now-bent metal cylinder.

  She was shocked. From the look of it, the force of that impact could have broken a cinderblock in half. Yet Asher had been able to stop it.

  “You’ll regret doing that,” Asher said, pushing off from the confused shifter.

  “Nobody takes what’s mine,” the alpha snarled.

  “You mean nobody takes what’s mine, fucker,” Asher replied. He leapt forward and threw his fist into the man’s face, sending him flying backward into a metal dumpster, which he ricocheted off of and onto the ground in a motionless pile.

  Asher stood in the middle of an array of unconscious bodies around him, daring anyone to stand and challenge him. When he was satisfied, he turned to Laurel, his eyes quickly turning from rage and anger to an almost tender worry.

  For a moment, everything was silent in the small alley.

  “You okay?” Asher asked.

  His voice soothed her; it was calm and collected.

  So Asher had come for her. In spite of his anger earlier today, in spite of her trying to push him away, he’d still come. Had put his life on the line to protect her, like he always promised he would.

  All Laurel could muster in response was a weak nod.

  “Good, let’s get you out of here,” Asher said, walking toward her.

  In that moment, they were interrupted by a cough from someone to the side. Laurel looked and saw Jacob, who had finally finished beating down the man he was on top of. He got up, brushed himself off, and walked to them.

  Laurel guessed there was a hint of alpha in him after all.

  But he wasn’t the alpha for her.

  “Well, I guess that’s enough fun for one night,” Jacob said with a huff. “You okay getting home?” he asked Laurel and Asher, still catching his breath.

  “Yeah, I’ll get her home,” Asher said.

  “Good, because I don’t want to spend another second here,” he said, picking up his wallet and walking away in a hurry.

  Asher shrugged, then turned to Laurel and reached out his hand to her. Laurel tried to move, but she still felt frozen in place from all that had just happened.

  With one swift motion, Asher swept Laurel off her feet and carried her back to his car, opening the front door and placing her in the passenger seat. Asher slid across the hood of the car and jumped into the driver’s side, started the engine, and drove off.

  For a minute, they rode in complete silence, only the sound of the car’s gears shifting as they wound through the city’s back roads toward home.

  The quiet was interrupted by a cough, and Laurel turned to Asher.

  “So what the hell were you two doing in a place like that at this time of night?” Asher was angry now, back to his usual indignant self.

  “I…” Laurel was at a loss for words.

  “Don’t you know that place is dangerous? There are rogue shifters, dangerous packs, and even worse, mobsters in that part of town,” Asher said, focusing on the road. He was trying to sound calm, but Laurel could see deep stress lines under his eyes. “Do you know how worried you made me when you didn’t come back?”

  She had no answer for him. There was no explanation.

  “I mean, what kind of alpha male lets a woman get into a situation like that?” he ranted.

  Laurel couldn’t hold it back any longer.

  She burst into tears.

  * * *

  Shit, that was definitely not what Asher meant to do.

  Laurel’s crying started as a quiet whimper, then quickly turned to soft sobs.

  “I’m sorry, Asher. I didn’t mean to…” she cried.

  “Whoa, it’s okay. I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad,” he said, backpedaling quickly, wishing he could take back what he’d said.

  Asher hated it when women cried. He felt like a complete asshole.

  Probably because he’d been acting like one just a second ago.

  The truth was Asher had been so incredibly worried when she didn’t come back. And his worry only turned to primal fear when he drove to the restaurant Laurel had said they were going to, only to find out Laurel and her date had already left. After that, he’d combed the surrounding streets at breakneck speed, praying he would find her before something happened.

  And then he’d seen her, cornered and being threatened by that pack. It almost broke him. Even now, the sight of those shifters holding her, realizing what they were going to do to her, seeing the pure evil in their eyes, was still burned into his mind.

  Things had been close tonight. Way too close.

  Asher slowly pulled to the side of the road and turned off the car. They were in a sleepy, suburban neighborhood that was all but dead at this time of night, so he wasn’t worried about anything happening.

  Asher reached an arm around Laurel, hoping to comfort her. Hoping to ease her pain in any way possible. She hugged him close, nestling into him and holding him tight.

  “I was so scared,” she cri
ed, her words muffled in his shoulder.

  “It’s okay. You’re safe now. Everything is all right,” Asher tried to say calmly, bringing his other arm around her and stroking her back.

  He wanted very badly to go back to that alley and really teach those shifters a lesson they’d never forget. Wanted to tear them limb from limb. But Laurel was his number-one priority right now.

  For a few minutes, Asher just held her, listening as her cries slowly subsided and her breathing returned to normal, surrounded only by darkness and silence. The only witnesses were the scattered streetlights lining the road.

  It had been a hell of a night for them both, but Asher had no doubt it had been much worse for Laurel than for him.

  “Thank you, Asher, for coming for me,” she said between sniffles.

  “Always,” he replied softly.

  “I’m feeling much better now. Just needed to get that out of my system,” she said, sitting up and looking a million times more relaxed than she had five minutes ago. Like her normal self again.

  It was something Asher had always admired about Laurel. Her toughness. Even in the face of terrible things, she could take a lot more than most people would assume from such a sweet, beautiful woman.

  “I’m glad you’re feeling better. Sorry again for acting like a dick,” Asher apologized, starting the car and pulling out of the quiet neighborhood.

  “No, don’t be. You were just worried. I get it,” Laurel replied. “But there was something you said back there that I wanted to ask you about.”

  “Sure, what about?” Asher said.

  “What was that you said about me being yours?” she queried.

  Asher replayed the words in his mind. Shit, he really had said that, hadn’t he? Damn his lack of filter.

  “I mean, you’re under my care. My protection. That’s what I meant,” he stuttered, trying his best to sound convincing.

  “Uh-huh. I see.”

  Asher could feel Laurel’s eyes boring into him. But she was silent for the rest of the drive home.

  When they pulled up to the rear lot of the dojo, it was completely empty. Asher was the only person nowadays that could ever be seen here at this hour.

  “You were right, Laurel. About what you said earlier. This is all my fault. I pushed you into this by making you feel like you couldn’t be with anyone,” Asher admitted, finally cognizant of what all his meddling had resulted in. “I’ll find someone who can protect you—someone worthy of you. I promise.”

  Laurel didn’t flinch. Instead, she sat up, kneeling on her seat, leaned over to Asher, and kissed him, her lips soft and sweet against his.

  Asher was too stunned to react. It was the last response he expected from her.

  “Asher Vale, why can’t it be you?” she asked, her dark eyes beautiful in the low light.

  Asher turned away. “You’re confused, Laurel. You’re mistaking protection for love.”

  “You’re so damn dense sometimes, Asher,” Laurel replied, moving back to her seat and folding her arms.

  “I’m just trying to do what’s best,” Asher replied, trying not to think about the feel of her lips against his and what else he’d like to do to her.

  “I get it. You get to protect me, watch out for me, whatever, but you’re not interested at all.” She huffed.

  “What are you talking about?” Asher asked, confused.

  “It’s me. You’re not at all interested in me. I guess I’m not sexy enough or beautiful enough for you, Asher. But don’t worry about me. Pretty soon, you’ll have found the ‘right’ guy, and then you can forget all about me.”

  Asher finally got it.

  He reached across her, to her surprise, and pulled on the seat release. The chair reclined suddenly, and Laurel landed back against it with a soft thud.

  Asher gripped the steering wheel with one hand and with his other, leaned directly over Laurel lying back in the passenger seat.

  “Oh, you have no idea what you’re saying,” Asher said, trying to contain himself.

  Asher had known Laurel for years. And every year, she got more beautiful and sexier to him. Her luscious curves begged to be touched, to be held by him. Her scent drove him crazy every time he got even the slightest hint of it. Her smile and her personality were the only thing he looked forward to seeing each passing day.

  “Yes, I do. You’re not attracted to me. That’s the only explanation,” she said indignantly, but her eyes wandered down to his lips, giving her away.

  “I’ll show you just how not attracted to you I really am,” Asher said.

  In an instant, he brought his lips down over hers in a forceful, dominating kiss. Every part of him ached for her, and his kiss showed just that, moving against her lips as he brought his free hand behind her head and let his lips enmesh with hers.

  She moaned, and the sound made him instantly hard. This time he was the one to open his mouth first to go inside hers, and she obeyed, letting his tongue rove inside her. He licked, he caressed, he moved inside her mouth, exploring and owning her with the kiss, each stroke making her body move and squirm deliciously with pleasure.

  The wetness of her mouth made him think of somewhere else that was wet and ached for his attention.

  He backed away and looked at Laurel. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes glowing with desire.

  “You have no clue how hot you are, Laurel,” Asher said, moving to her ear to place a kiss there. He loved the feel of her soft skin on his lips. Loved how each kiss, each touch, made her gasp lightly as he kissed her ear, her neck.

  “Then why don’t you show me, Asher?” she challenged, her voice sultry and breathless.

  “My pleasure,” he whispered against her ear as he bit down on it softly, evoking a gasp from Laurel’s lips. His left hand still held the wheel of the car, anchoring him above her, but with his right hand, he pulled back the corner of her blouse, revealing her shoulder and her tantalizing cleavage. He placed rough kisses from her shoulder down to the top of her breasts where her bra began.

  Just a taste wouldn’t hurt.

  He moved his hand slowly behind her back and under her shirt and undid the strap of her bra, loosening it. Then he slowly lowered the bra down her body, revealing her perfect, soft, delicious breasts. He placed a kiss on the one closest to him, then ran his tongue around the center, teasing it until it came to a hardened tip. Then, filling his hand with it and squeezing softly, he sucked on it, lightly at first, then harder, each second drawing more frenzied gasps and moans from Laurel.

  “Damn, Asher, I—”

  But she was interrupted as he leaned over, giving the other breast the same treatment. Teasing it and licking with his tongue, then gathering the soft flesh with his hand and sucking on it, over and over again, rewarded with Laurel’s sounds of pleasure.

  The car felt at least ten degrees warmer, and Asher bathed in the heady scent that surrounded him. It was wild, flowery, like a mountainside of beautiful and aromatic plants he didn’t know the names of.

  He continued kissing her breast, teasing it with his tongue, then gently biting on her nipple. His free hand came back to the first though, massaging it and savoring the feel of it as he ran his finger over it’s erect tip.

  Asher couldn’t count how many times he’d dreamed of doing this to her. How much his wolf had howled for her, wanted her. The ecstasy of finally pleasuring her like this was beyond his wildest imagination, though, the reality so much sweeter than fiction.

  “I still think you’re missing a spot,” Laurel gasped out before he covered her mouth again with a deep kiss. Asher wanted to kiss her everywhere, kiss her until she could bear no more.

  Asher loved how confident she was, how she fought back and stood on her own. The very opposite of a wilting flower.

  A true alpha.

  His hand went down to the button of her pants and, with a deft motion, flicked the button undone and lowered the zipper. His fingers played with the silky edge of her panties, which made her breath cat
ch with anticipation.

  “Asher, don’t stop, please,” she begged.

  He felt along the soft curve of her hips as he dipped down to the apex of her thighs, aroused by the feel of her soft skin. Then he brought his hand lower, feeling and caressing her soft folds. She was so warm down there, so wet. He felt down the center until he found her clit, begging for his attention.

  Asher intended to give it.

  He moved his finger slowly along it, testing her sensitivity. With one stroke, Laurel gasped and grabbed onto him, eyes wide, breathing hoarse.

  Asher grinned. Better than he could have hoped.

  He didn’t waste a second, moving into a slow rhythm as he teased and stroked the soft nub, listening to Laurel’s ragged breathing grow more and more intense. As he did that, he returned to kissing her breast.

  In an instant, Laurel’s thighs tensed and her breathing stopped, then released as she screamed his name in the car, coming apart in his arms. Asher smiled as she dug her nails into his back, going with incredible force. The experience was euphoric, rapturous.

  It was the closest Asher had ever been to heaven.

  Laurel’s breathing slowed gradually, and she held him tightly. The back lot of the dojo was usually empty, but at two o’clock in the morning, nobody would be anywhere nearby to hear or see Laurel go. Which is exactly the way Asher wanted it.

  He couldn’t help but bring his hand back down to her thighs again, wanting to see her come again and again. Her eyes stared at him with shock as he rubbed against her clit again, this time with slow, agonizingly long strokes, running the entire length of his finger across it.

  As Laurel moaned, Asher kissed up her neck to her ear, more roughly this time, enjoying the response each touch extracted from her lips.

  When she was about to come, Asher stopped, hoping to draw this one out, making the pleasure sweeter.

  “What are you…?” Laurel asked but stopped when Asher raised an eyebrow at her.

  He brought his hand even lower, to her entrance, and felt the sweet, slick wetness there. Felt just how aroused she was by him. He was painfully hard from the sound and feel and smell of her all around him.