Page 23 of Outnumbered

“There are going to be people out there taking pictures,” I explained, “and I don’t want H.E. to have the satisfaction of seeing me carried out, like they might have been successful. I want them to see pictures of us perfectly healthy so they know they failed.”

Caleb smiled.

Riddick reluctantly set me down, but kept a hand on my lower back.

Once I was sure I could walk, I smoothed my dress and hair, and nodded. “Ready.”

Caleb led the way with Riddick and I behind him. Triston walked on my other side while Branson brought up the rear, his large body providing full coverage of mine.

Cameras flashed and reporters called out questions, but we ignored them all, piling into the SUV.

The pictures and news articles the next day were exactly what I wanted. Us, confident and picture perfect exiting the club and not a single mention of H.E., only a crazed mage attacking us and being defeated.

I hoped my adoptive parents were fuming in whatever hole they were hiding in.

Chapter

Seven

Branson stayed with me the night after the dance club attack. Since he was so large, there wasn’t enough room for anyone else, but they all seemed to want to leave me with Branson to give us time together, since he’d been gone a lot recently.

Waking up the next morning, drenched in sweat thanks to the burning hot bear shifter was not what I expected, though.

“Shower,” I breathed as I swung the covers off.

He chuckled. “A little too hot, huh?”

I glanced behind me at the broad-shouldered, muscular man and licked my lips. “More than a little.”

His smile widened and he climbed out of bed to follow me into the bathroom.

We both brushed our teeth first, then I turned on the shower and stripped out of my sweaty tank top and underwear.

One of his large hands slid around to rest on my stomach, his palm as wide as my entire stomach, and he pulled me backwards, his erection against my back. “I’ve missed you, Ember.”

I rubbed the forearm that was wrapped around me, tilted my head back, and looked up at him. “I’ve missed you, too, Branny Boy.”

His lip twitched into a smirk, but it disappeared as he leaned down to kiss me. “Everything has changed so much.”

Stepping out of his hold and into the shower, I nodded my agreement. “But it’s also better, right?”

He joined me, letting the water drench him before he put a hand on either side of me, pinning me against the shower wall. He left a trail of kisses from my temple, down my cheek, to my jaw, and down my neck, to the shoulder where his mark was. “This is definitely better than pining for you and wondering if you felt the same.”

Reaching forward, I gripped his erection and stroked him slowly. “Same,” I breathed, my heart beating faster as he licked his mark and a shot of desire went through me.

One hand dropped from beside my head, palmed one of my breasts, and kneaded it before pulling back to squeeze my nipple.

I hissed in a breath and stroked him faster.

He moaned and dropped his hand down, nudging my legs wider apart, and then slid two fingers through my folds and into my wet core. “So wet,” he moaned. “You want me, EmandEm?”

I nodded, bent forward and kissed his chest.

“How do you want me?” he asked and pumped his fingers faster in and out of me then inserted a third finger, stretching me more.

“Against the wall.”

“You want me to eat you or fuck you?” he asked, pulling his fingers out to rub circles around my aching clit.

---