Page 46 of Wrestling With Werewolves

I nod, forcing my hackles not to rise. I’m not ready for a confrontation with him, and he’s intuitive enough that he’ll take one look at Lola and me and suspect something. We need a plan, fast. “Of course.”

He smiles at Lola. “You’re glowing, mija. Are you enjoying Ever?”

She returns his loving smile. “Sí, Papá, everyone has been very welcoming, and I feel perfectly safe. Don’t worry about me at all.”

“Good, good,” Marco murmurs. Worried eyes move to me. “I’ll need a new Second after the challenge, brother. Come back home. Please, I’ll beg if I have to.”

Shock steals through me. Leave Ever? Could I do that? And then I consider the connection between Lola and me, and I suspect Marco’s opinion will change the second he finds out.

I shake my head with a laugh. “I don’t miss that life, and?—”

He cuts me off with a sharp growl. “Consider it, Richard.” It’s an obvious command, and I bristle against it even as Big Daddy and I both dip our heads respectfully at our king’s power.

“I’ll talk to you both soon,” he says in a softer tone. He clicks off before either of us get a chance to respond.

When I look across the island at Lola, her chest rises and falls with heavy, deep breaths. Her wolf’s amber flashes through her irises. They’re both worried. I turn the stovetop off and round the island, grabbing her hand. She follows easily as I cross to where the treehouse has moved the furniture back to its original position.

Falling onto my deep sofa, I pull her with me to straddle my lap. I scoot us until I hit the back, then slide my hands up her jean-clad thighs. Dark ringlets fall over her shoulders, dangling down to touch my chest. I grab a handful of stunning curls and lift them to my nose, inhaling deeply. Whatever she washes her hair with smells like the jasmine vines from back home.

Smiling, I tuck the hair over her shoulder and press my nose to the side of her neck. She slides both arms around my neck and starts humming, long fingers carding through my waves. Sharp nails scratch down my scalp, pulling goose bumps onto my skin. Closing my mouth over a spot below her ear, I suck until she yelps and squirms in my lap.

“So,” I murmur into her skin, “you know what you are to me, and what I am to you. How do you want to proceed, Lola?”

She slips back, bringing those gorgeous eyes to mine. “You mean because our situation is complicated? Or because Eliel might come for me?”

I nod. “I’d never allow that bastard anywhere near you. I told your father the truth when I said I’d protect you until my last breath. I would have done that despite our connection. I mean about us. You being Marco’s daughter presents a challenge. Even then, I’m prepared to face that music. But beyond that, there’s a lot for you to think about.”

Her eyes narrow, nails clacking against my scalp. “Tell me exactly what you mean, Richard.”

Big Daddy shoves forward, about to berate me, I’m sure.

“You heard your father; he wants me to move ‘home’ to Santa Alaya. But that hasn’t been my home in a long time. If we accept our connection, it means being together. You have hopes and dreams, Lola, and those things would be possible if your father won his challenge. Being tied to me might limit you.”

She scoffs. “Are you saying you wouldn’t come with me if I toured or traveled?”

I sigh. “I can do some of that easily, yeah. But can I travel nine months out of the year and shirk my duties here? Not really.” I grip her throat to feel the steady thrum of blood through her veins. “If you wanted me to come with you, I’d figure it out, but these conversations get harder when one person is as settled as I am.”

Lola frowns. “I think you underestimate yourself.”

“Perhaps,” I say softly. “But at the very least, for now, maybe we should take things slowly.”

Fuck that, Big Daddy snaps. You are ruining everything!

Lola grips my chin, forcing me to stare deep into her eyes. “What are you saying in there? I wish I could talk to you.”

Bite her and solve that problem. I wanna tell her precisely what we want to do to her, since you seem so fucking disinclined.

“He wants me to bite you,” I admit, “so you can hear him.”

She gives me a slow, seductive grin that turns my dick into a rock between us. “Tell him I’d love to hear his opinion on this whole ‘take it slowly’ concept.”

I growl, relishing the way it pebbles her nipples when my tone hits her sensitive ears. “Slow isn’t his way. To be frank, it would never be mine either if there weren’t considerations.”

Lola rocks her hips against mine, pulling a whine from my throat. “It makes sense to me to keep this under wraps until things are settled with my father.” She leans forward until her lips brush mine. “But after that…” Her words trail off.

Everything in me tightens at her insinuation. I tilt my head up, capturing her lips softly. For a moment, the world stops spinning, every one of my senses rewiring to her and only her.

And then our lips collide with all the force of a storm. I’m more insistent and rougher than I should be, but she gives back just as hard, little growls from deep in her throat sending my lust sky high. Her hips thrust against mine, her heat dragging along my rigid length even though we’re fully clothed.

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