Page 48 of Assisting the Alpha
“Sweet thing, Teo and his prowl are not the angels you think they are. I’m not saying they’re all in on this, because I don’t think that’s true, but we’ve done enough digging to uncover hints of his prowl being a criminal organisation.”
Nothing provable, of course, but I think that might be why they have so many arrests. The task force just haven’t been able to make any charges stick.
Ayo sighs and fiddles with the fabric of my T-shirt. “I don’t like the idea that you might be right. Even if what you’re saying is true, I really don’t think Teo would condone murder. Not of innocent people.”
I don’t know Teo well enough to agree, but I get the definite impression the jaguar shifter at the head of the Alejo Prowl knows every single innocent and not-so-innocent thing that happens in his territory.
When I don’t reply, Ayo turns back to the fridge. “What are you hungry for?”
With Ayo’s deliciously round arse right in front of me, food is no longer my top priority. I bend down and kiss the skin of his neck just above his collar. “You.”
He’s been in a much better frame of mind today, and while he might still turn me down, I can’t help trying my luck.
His scent fills with lust, but he doesn’t abandon the fridge yet. “You don’t want to eat first?”
I wrap an arm around his waist and splay my hand just above his belt, pressing up against him as I harden in my cargo trousers. “Do you?”
All he has to do is ask me to back off and I will, but thankfully that’s not what he does. He leans back against me, his breaths growing shorter and his pulse picking up. “Um… I don’t think… Fuck it.”
He turns and leaps into my arms, wrapping his legs around my waist and his arms around my neck. He kisses me like his life depends on it and I kiss him back just as urgently. I turn and sit him on the island so I can whip off his tie, then work on unbuttoning his shirt. I get impatient with all the stupid, fiddly little buttons, growling against his mouth when it takes me far too long to get the damn thing off him.
“Fuck, Ethan,” he mumbles against my mouth. He yanks my T-shirt up and we break our kiss long enough to get the restrictive material over my head.
I press close again, relishing the feeling of his smooth skin against me, his mouth just as hungry as mine. His focus is cool where it presses against me, although I swear it’s… pulsing?
I break away from his swollen lips to kiss my way down his neck. “Ayo, I have a confession.”
“Hmm?” Ayo’s deft fingers are working on my belt already.
“When you said you wanted to stroke Jet… I got really fucking jealous.”
Ayo pauses, then leans back as he bursts out laughing. I try not to pout. It wasn’t supposed to be funny.
He grins and presses a firm kiss to my lips. “You’re the only one I’m interested in.”
“Good,” I growl, then I pick him up off the island and move us to the sofa so I have better access to get the rest of his clothes off. “I don’t want anyone else, either.”
Ayo seems to hesitate, so I stop with him on my lap, releasing him in case he wants to get off me. “What? Have you changed your mind?”
“No!” He bites that gorgeous, full lower lip. “Um, it’s just…”
“Hey, you can tell me anything, okay?”
“Right. I know. Right.” He exhales. “It sounds a lot like we’re having an exclusivity conversation.”
Huh. I guess it does. “Is that something you’d be interested in? Remember, no pressure. It doesn’t affect your job or you staying with me.”
His eyes soften and he plays with the hair at the back of my head. “Yeah, Ethan. I’m interested.”
A smile splits my face and my wolf jumps for joy, the ridiculous creature. “Will you be my boyfriend?”
Ayo lets out this cute-as-fuck little giggle. “Yes. Absolutely, yes.”
I go to kiss him again, ready to show him the benefits of being with an older, much more experienced man, but he holds out a hand. “Wait.”
I pause, tantalisingly close to his mouth.
He cringes. “Uh, I know literally every shifter can tell we’re together, but do you think we can maybe keep this kind of on the DL? I hate to ask this of you because it’s really shitty, and it’s not that I’m not proud to be with you, but I really don’t want to get kicked out of my coven. And fuck knows how Nyoka would react if he found out. I mean, his cousin sleeping with his rival? I’d be toast.”
