Alpha Hero (Wolf Protectors #2) Read online

  The air was warming rapidly with each kiss. Each stroke of his hands as he ran them up and down her body while he kissed and lightly bit the sensitive areas on her neck tantalized her. And she could pick out his scent perfectly mingled with the clean, post-shower smell of soap and shampoo.

  He worked his way up the other side of her neck while he held her breasts, feeling and massaging them and playing with them. The sensation was magnificent. His hands were powerful and deft. Everywhere he touched came alive and filled her with heat that was building faster and faster.

  Senna could hear her wolf howling its approval. It seemed an odd thing to her but somehow natural. Perha artural. ps it was some sort of sign the person she was with was a viable potential mate. Or maybe her wolf was just horny. But regardless, listening to her wolf so far had taken her magnificent places.

  Even if this has to end, at least I’ll have memories like this to remember it by.

  Jordan came down and began to kiss one breast while his hand massaged the other. He licked and laved and loved each one, lightly pinching the puckered nipples, which sent shocks of pleasure going through her.

  Senna could feel the tension building quickly inside. And while Jordan continued to kiss on and around her beasts, he brought his hand down to the center of her hips, feeling between her soft folds and slowly stroking her.

  It was too much. The combination of great kissing and massaging and his other hand working down lower completely overwhelmed her, and her breath caught as she felt an explosion of agonizing, almost painfully good pleasure sweep over her as he held her with his arms.

  Being with Jordan Vale like this was ecstasy. The other night had felt like a dream to her. It was so good. But now she knew she wasn’t dreaming, and all of this only verified what she knew in the back of her mind.

  She was falling for this man.

  * * *

  Nothing in the world compared to seeing Senna go. The tense pause he could feel in her body the second before, the way her hands dug into his back, how she screamed his name and came apart in his arms… It was all ecstasy.

  It aroused him unlike anything ever before had or ever could.

  As soon as her breathing abated, Jordan couldn’t resist going back to what he was doing before, this time moving more slowly with his finger over her clit. Making her feel the agonizing ecstasy he could give her to its fullest. And as he stroked her slowly, feeling her body quiver and hearing her breath catch and grow faster with each movement, he continued to worship her body with his mouth. He loved each soft curve. Her breasts, her belly, her hips, her legs. Everything was perfect.

  Holy hell, I really do want this woman forever, don’t I?

  The realization didn’t surprise him, and he didn’t skip a beat when it came to pleasuring his woman.

  His woman. It had the sort of ring to it he liked. Mine. Mine forever, his wolf growled.

  Jordan knew Senna was close again, so he brought his lips to a desperately hard nipple begging for his attention and sucked it gently as he stroked her one more time, slowly, making sure the entire length of his finger came across her clit. He wanted her pleasure as intense as possible before she came.

  She orgasmed again, and as she screamed his name, he bathed in the ecstasy of feeling her soft body entwined with his and her delicious scent filling the air in the room.

  “Jordan, I don’t think I can handle much more,” she gasped, her voice slightly hoarse. Jordan brought his finger to his lips with a playful, “Shush,” and brought his lips down to where his hand had been a moment ago. He looked up and saw Senna go wide-eyed with anticipation.

  Surely one or two more wouldn’t hurt.

  He brought his tongue down between her legs and felt for the small spot he knew would drive her crazy with arousal. He licked once, hearing her gasp in shock, then held there, breathing lightly and intentionally over her, the wetness there increasing the sensation.

  “You’re torturing me,” she said, her voice husky, her hands coiled in the sheets at her sides.

  Jordan loved it when she did that. When she looked like she was holding on for dear life, the feelings were so strong.

  He also loved the view of her beautiful body from urvl body down here.

  “Would you like me to stop?” he asked mischievously.

  Senna shook her head, and he returned to what he was doing. He brought his tongue over her again, but this time, he also went inside her with his finger, feeling her wetness while his tongue laved the center of her desire.

  She was so ready for him it made him painfully hard. The feel of her body, the marvelous touch of her soft skin, her scent, and oh, the sweet, sweet taste of Senna in his mouth.

  He could feel her tense inside each time his tongue crossed over her, and each time he did, he felt a little deeper inside, stroking and moving in time with his tongue.

  Senna arched her back in arousal at the sensation, her hips bucking toward the source of her pleasure.

  Jordan was satisfied that she was ready and, with a final motion, brought his tongue over her one last time as he held her hips with both hands, feeling for her body’s signals that she was going to come.

  Senna came again, and Jordan brought his body over hers so she could anchor herself to him as the sweet sound of his name on her lips as she went filled his ears.

  He would never get tired of doing that to her. Ever.

  This was truly the happiest Jordan had ever been in his thus far lonely life. The possibility that Senna was the one for him had always been there. It was there from the beginning. But the undeniable truth that he loved nothing more than making her happy, protecting her, and pleasuring her was getting clearer by the second.

  If he had Senna for the rest of his life, he would be the luckiest man on the earth.

  But did she want him forever too?

  Jordan was interrupted by Senna’s hands stroking him now, the sensation surprising him.

  “You know what I want now. Give it to me,” she said in a sultry, provocative tone. His woman knew what she wanted, and he liked that.

  Jordan leapt off the bed and grabbed a condom. He put it on quickly as he walked back to Senna and came over her on the bed.

  Senna’s eyes were alight with passion and desire. Jordan had loved that about her from the moment they’d met—that inner spark she possessed.

  He would always want to guard her and keep that safe from anyone else.

  Jordan spent no time teasing his woman, and he slowly slipped inside her, the soft, wet velvet of her warmth encompassing him with sweet ecstasy. He savored the sight of Senna as she gasped and her eyes rolled back as he came inside and waited, letting her adjust to his sheer size.

  It felt so unfathomably good, feeling like one person with this beautiful, luscious, intelligent woman who had somehow been able to surprise him at every turn. Had been able to captivate him from the second he’d seen her.

  Once her breathing slowed a bit and Jordan was satisfied she was ready, he began to move out slowly, gauging her reaction, watching closely how she responded as he moved.

  It was important to him that everything he did satisfied her.

  She let out a soft, aroused sigh that made him shudder from how much it turned him on. He began to move more quickly, falling into a steady rhythm that made his nerves explode from just how damn good it felt. He couldn’t help bringing a hand up and cupping her face, gathering stray strands and bringing them behind her ear, then running his thumb over her cheek.

  He felt oddly connected to Senna, almost as if they were already mated, even if they weren’t. And as he looked into her pretty blue eyes, he could sense a similar feeling from her.

  She nestled against his hand and then let out another moan as he drove into her, the sound filling his ears and getting him closer and closer to the edge.

  The heat k tm">The and passion of the moment was at a fever pitch, and Jordan was ready to send them both cascading over the precipice of pleasure to face whatever ha
ppened next.

  He reached his other hand down to her center, refusing to go without her, and stroked the small point that made Senna gasp loudly and grasp onto him tightly. With one final thrust, he gave one last flick along her that caused her entire body to tense in his arms as she came.

  That brought him to his limit, and Jordan met her all the way inside, hip to hip, as he could feel his entire body ignite with fire that radiated from the tips of his fingers, down his arms, and back all the way to his toes.

  Powerful sensation after sensation surged through him as he went. He held Senna closely, aware of her orgasm and pleased she was fully satisfied by it. The release was so incredible, so intoxicatingly good.

  Even after he was finished, he stayed next to Senna, just enjoying the sound of her breathing as it slowed, enjoyed the warmth of their two bodies so close together.

  How was he going to tell her how he really felt? The first time he’d been with her had been amazing. They’d been new to each other, still exploring and getting to know one another. This time had been an awakening, exposing him to feelings so strong he didn’t know how to handle them.

  He wanted Senna. Not just for now, but forever.

  But what i

  f she rejected him and decided to just move on?

  His wolf couldn’t take it.

  He tried to put the thought out of his mind as he got up, cleaned up, and came back to the bed to lie next to Senna, but he couldn’t shake it.

  He had no idea what to do now.

  8

  The next day, Senna woke in Jordan’s arms, happy and content and safe. But when he got up to make her breakfast, they got a phone call that changed everything. It was Ken, asking Jordan if he and Senna could meet with him to talk business, and Senna couldn’t help worrying about what the meeting meant for them.

  Last night had been complicated, had stirred up emotions in her and made her realize just how much she cared for Jordan. It had also made her worried it would be that much more devastating if they couldn’t figure out a way to work things out.

  After last night, she felt Jordan clearly had feelings for her, but the question remained if they were stronger than his desire to get back to focusing on his career.

  When that happened, he’d be training every day with his teammates at the team dojo, and Senna would never be able to stay with him then.

  In the past few years, she’d only felt safe by never staying too long in the same place. She’d felt safe here because Jordan was with her, but if he started training again, it would require full-time focus, and she’d need to go back to watching out for herself. Which meant staying mobile.

  Still, last night, she’d just wanted to stay in his arms and enjoy the warmth and safety there for a little bit longer.

  She’d decided to deal with the more complicated issues when their time was over.

  The problem was she had a feeling this meeting with Ken might mean their time was over sooner than she’d thought.

  When they arrived, Ken met them both with a warm smile and ordered coffee for them. He looked particularly happy today to see them both.

  “So how are things going with my best fighter and the best PR consultant in the business?” he asked flatteringly.

  “Good. What did you need to call us in for T

  “Huge news for the both of you. So I spoke with the league and with the sponsors and told them about the progress you’ve been making with Ms. Christy the past little while, and they’ve agreed to host a fight to welcome you back into the pro tour. Well, you’ll have the one fight and then you’ll need to focus on training full time with the team before tour season.”

  Jordan nodded, his expression neutral. Ken continued. “They’ve already gotten a fighter to agree to face you, and they’ve set up everything—the venue, the press release. They’ve even gotten several sports stations to come out and record it live.” Ken was clearly very excited.

  “So what will happen to Senna?” Jordan asked.

  “Ms. Christy will be paid for the full three weeks, plus a bonus. All she has to do is make an appearance at the promotional fight to fulfill her contract, and then she’s finished. You won’t have to worry about her following you around anymore. And you, Senna, can take some paid time off from dealing with him. How does that sound?” he asked, turning and looking at her and then back at Jordan.

  Jordan paused, showing no discernible emotions at Ken’s words.

  In the back of her mind, Senna was filled with dread. There were still so many things left unsaid that she’d assumed could be worked out if given enough time.

  But the countdown timer on their reason to be together had just been set to zero.

  “I think it would be a huge surprise for the fans to have you back so soon. And all your sponsors are excited to see you in the ring,” he added, sounding pleased with himself.

  Senna saw Jordan wince for a split second, then smile weakly at his boss, who was, by most accounts, giving them both incredible news.

  The only problem was things were a lot different now than back when they’d first met.

  “Well, regardless, Jordan, I have to head out right now to meet a few people. The press release is at the team dojo in an hour, and you need to be there, so I suggest you leave soon as well,” he said, looking at his watch, then standing to leave. “Mind getting the tab?” he said without asking, then left before any answer could be given.

  As the door to the cafe swung shut, Senna was intensely aware of how quiet Jordan was. He seemed to be deeper in thought than he’d ever been before.

  “So are you excited?” Senna asked weakly. “Looks like you’ll be back on the road sooner than we thought.” She tried to keep her spirits up, tried to remind herself this was going to just be a passing thing anyway, that it couldn’t have lasted, even if they’d had more time. But her brain was sending messages her heart wasn’t receiving.

  Jordan turned abruptly to Senna, studying her intently.

  “If I had you hired as the team’s public relations manager, would you stay here with me?”

  The words shocked her. She hadn’t expected something like that to come from his lips.

  “I, well…” She trailed off, trying to think things through.

  “I want to be with you, Senna. I should have said it sooner, and all this has complicated things. I know the past couple of weeks have been crazy for you—finding out you’re a shifter, your ex coming back, our relationship. But I won’t just let you disappear out of my life when you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

  Her heart leapt at his words, but Senna was still reeling from the news Ken had given.

  “I’m not just asking you to be my girlfriend. I want to be mated to you,” he said.

  essage"2em">“Mated?”

  “It’s the shifter version of marriage. Only it doesn’t end, like marriages can end in divorce. It means we’ll always have each other.”

  “So you just want me to stay here, waiting while you train?”

  His expression fell slightly. “Do you not want to?”

  She sighed and brushed hair behind her ears. “It’s not that. It’s just… Look. You’ll have your career, and I need to look out for myself. I can’t do that if I’m pinned down to one location.”

  He looked panicked. “You want me to walk away from my career, my team? MMA is the one thing I’ve known. It’s all I was able to eat, sleep, or breathe since I was a kid. Do you want me to leave that all behind, then?” he asked.

  “No,” she said. “I don’t want you to walk away.” She fought back tears. “But I have to do what’s right for me too.”

  “What’s right for you is to stay by my side. I would be there for you. I promise. Senna, what do you want from me?” he asked, exasperated.

  Senna didn’t know what she wanted. She knew she felt very strongly for Jordan. Probably even loved him. But she also knew her sense of security, her sense of self, had been dependent on mobility for such a long time
.

  She couldn’t just stay in an office here, writing press releases and going home alone while Jordan stayed late or even overnight.

  He was caring and protective, but he’d quickly be caught up in training. As he should be. It wasn’t fair of her to stay around and be a burden, not now that he’d been given everything back.

  Senna perked herself up, trying to be as formal and impersonal as possible. “You are no longer in need of my services. I’ve seen to that personally. Now you go take care of your business, Mr. Vale. I’ll see you tomorrow at the fight, and then our business is finished,” Senna said. She could take no more, mentally or emotionally.

  Maybe if she had more time, things could have been different. Maybe if there were some way of knowing unequivocally that things would work out.

  But life was never that simple.

  “Now take me home, Mr. Vale. You have a press release to be at,” she said, sounding colder than she’d intended.

  Jordan frowned, pulled out his keys, and dropped several high-value bills on the cafe table.

  Best to end things quickly and move on to the next place.

  Tomorrow would be the last she saw of Jordan Vale.

  * * *

  The day of the fight came on like a freight train. Jordan was upset. Angry. Frustrated that Senna wouldn’t take a chance with him. Frustrated with himself that he’d been unable to convince her what they felt for each other was real, so much more real than anything else either of their careers or their lives apart could offer.

  But he would be an idiot to think she didn’t have reasons for what she did. He knew she was afraid, that she didn’t trust easily.

  But his damn wolf wouldn’t stop howling for her. It was there, constantly, fighting for what it wanted more than anything.

  He could only hope Senna would somehow change her mind, because he wasn’t going to be the one to force something on her against her will. She’d gotten enough of that shit in her life already.

  The event was relatively small compared to most of the fights he’d participated in over the years. Clearly, it had been thrown together fairly last minute, but the turnout was still good. The promoters had done a good job of getting the word out, and anything with his name on it tended to attract attention, both good and bad.