Page 340 of Secret Shifters Next Door

The letter had been well-researched. One of Dad’s guys had studied hundreds of samples of Antonio’s handwriting and used some of Antonio’s vocabulary quirks to make it as legitimate as possible. Without a body, and with no motive, there was no way his death could be traced back to us—at least, we were ninety-nine percent sure that was the case. We’d never know for sure. We had to hope that we’d covered our tracks as much as possible.

Uncle Sam said our FBI contact had assured us that none of the government agencies really gave a shit about Antonio being dead. Especially not after we showed them all the dirt they’d dug up on him. They looked at it as a good trade-off.

The only good thing to come of his death was that his will had a clause stating that his fortune was to be donated to charity. In reality, Antonio hadn’t had a will. The fucker probably thought he’d never die. He seemed like the type who thought he could buy his way out of anything—including death.

Dad had forged the will. He’d paid off a notary to help, then had it checked by one of his own lawyers. It should hold up, especially seeing as how Antonio had no blood relatives to dispute it.

The rest of the news report went on making him sound like some kind of saint. The second coming of Mother Teresa or something. Disgusted, I turned the television off.

Blayne got back an hour later, looking excited. “Hey. How was it while I was gone?”

“Fine. You look like you have news. Spill it.”

He grinned and sat beside me. “I talked to Tate and your uncles. Several of the hunters had outstanding warrants and are officially in custody. The rest, though they were involved, will probably get off with even a halfway-decent lawyer. The feds and your dad put the fear of God into them and sent them on their way with a hefty pay-off from Antonio’s funds.”

“What about the ones who got away?” I asked.

Antonio had sent almost his entire army of hunters to Lilly Valley for the final showdown, but there’d been a few who were in other parts of the country, and some who’d escaped the final battle when they saw we were winning.

“Haven’t heard anything. They’re still out there, but without Antonio’s fortune, contacts, and resources, they won’t be much trouble. I can’t see them mounting any type of secondary attack. They’ll lay low. Hopefully, it’ll stay that way.”

That was a relief to hear. It would be nice to live without looking over our shoulders. “Are you hungry?” I asked. “I was gonna make something for dinner.”

“Oh my God, I’m ravenous.”

We spent the next hour relaxing as we made dinner. Blayne helped chop vegetables and make a salad. The whole time we were in the kitchen, a question kept nagging at me. I wanted to ask him, but wasn’t sure about the best way to bring the subject up.

Once we were eating, I decided that I’d need to spit it out the way I did when I asked about having babies.

“Blayne?”

“Yeah?” He set his wine glass down and took a bite of the roast chicken.

“Do you plan on claiming me?”

Blayne almost choked on his food. He coughed and swallowed once he’d recovered. He wiped his mouth andgrinned. “Christ, Ava, you’ve gotta stop springing shit like that on me while I’m eating.”

My cheeks went red. “Uh, yeah, sorry. I just had to get it out.”

Blayne tossed his napkin down on his plate and looked at me across the table. He raised an eyebrow. “The answer is yes. I do. I’d planned on making it really romantic and a surprise, but since you seem eager…” He raised an eyebrow.

He stared at me, and the hunger in his eyes smoldered with a fiery desire I didn’t typically see from him. This was something more.

My lips twitched into a faint smile. I giggled and leaped up from the table.

Blayne slid his chair back and chased me around the table. We were laughing by the time he play-tackled me onto the couch. He rolled me over and looked deeply into my eyes, the smile fading from his lips.

“I love you so much, Ava. I hope you know how much I mean that.”

Raising a hand, I caressed his cheek, the heat of desire already pulsing between my legs. “I do. I love you. More than anything.”

With a growl, he leaned forward and kissed me. There was urgency and need in that kiss that reciprocated what I felt.

I grabbed at his belt, tugging the leather and pulling down the metal tab. Within seconds, I had his cock in my hands, feeling his heartbeat through the warm flesh.

Blayne groaned as I stroked him. He was throbbing and rock-hard beneath my touch.

He tugged at my shirt, lifting it up until my breasts were free. He bent his head, and the warm slippery sensation of his tongue and lips on my nipples made me gasp. Pleasure tickled across my skin like static electricity. I wriggled until Blayne’s cock was rubbing against the thin fabric of my leggings, stroking my clitthrough the material. God, I was desperate to have him inside me.

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