27. Blayne

TWENTY-SEVEN

BLAYNE

I choked, gagging and coughing to the side of the table. It took a minute before I was able to speak again. I looked up, and Ava was blushing furiously, her head hanging low.

"Forget about it. Forget I said anything," she said.

"No, wait." I coughed again, clearing my throat. "I'm sorry. That…looked really bad, but you caught me off-guard. That came outta nowhere. Let's talk about it. Where did that thought come from?"

Ava seemed to be working her courage back up. I was trying to calm my breathing and my pounding heart.

"Well, April and I were talking today…about a bunch of stuff, but also about the curse. Like how she, Harley, and Celina became shifters and were able to have babies with shifters. I was wondering if that would still happen to me, even though I rejected you. I wondered…well, do you have some insight? That's all. Sorry, I didn't mean to spring it on you."

I sighed with relief. For a minute, I'd been a little worried she was wanting to start popping out babies immediately. I'd always wanted to be a father, and my panther yearned to make a pack of our own. We'd always been waiting around until we found the right one. There was no doubt in my mind that Ava was the one. But to answer her question? I had no clue. We were in uncharted waters.

Pushing my plate aside, I leaned forward and took her hand. "I really don't know if it will be possible. We broke the magical bond. Even if and when I claim you, you might not become a panther shifter."

Ava's face sagged with disappointment. There was a sudden burst of guilt and shame in my heart. I'd done this. I'd forced her to reject me because I couldn't look past some old wounds. She looked devastated, and I was the cause. My panther mewled inside my head, angry at me for making this happen, for upsetting Ava.

I squeezed her hand tighter. "That doesn't mean we can't still have a family. Right? There's other options. Adoption, or a surrogate. Stuff like that. Once all this is over and we can really start our life, we can plan all that."

Ava's face lit up with a smile. "I like the idea of adopting. That might be nice if we can't have our own kids."

I raised an eyebrow and slid a thumb across her fingers. "Although, this doesn't mean we can't have fun practicing making a baby."

She looked at me and a knowing smile bloomed on her lips. "Oh, really? I have to admit, I'm very na?ve. What is it you do to make a baby?" She quirked an eyebrow.

"Um, well. First things first. I have to get you naked."

Ava leaned forward and whispered. "You have to catch me first."

She was up and running without another word. I laughed and chased her to the bedroom. She already had her shirt off when I got there. As I fumbled with my boots and jeans, I watched her strip. The olive complexion of her skin looked almost bronze in the light. Her nipples were so dark they were almost brown. My cock stiffened.

Ava, naked, turned and lay down on the bed. She smiled at me and spread her legs, sliding her hands across her breasts. My breath shuddered in and out of me as I watched her touching herself. Christ, I wanted her. I was aching to take her, hard and fast, but I wanted to go slow. I needed to show her that once all this was over, I was going to claim her and make her mine.

Once I'd stripped down, I strode over to the bed, and looked down upon her. My cock was rock-hard and twitching with the beat of my pulse. Ava sat up and wrapped a cool hand around my shaft. I sighed and watched her lips wrap onto me. The warm, wet softness of her mouth sent shivers up my spine. I ran my fingers through her hair gently as she sucked my cock. Her mouth was slippery, hot, and delicious as it worked across my shaft.

Pulling myself away, I nudged her onto her back. Once I was on the bed with her, I kissed her neck, her collarbone, working my way down to her breasts. My lips drifted and slid across her flesh, but I didn't touch her nipples. Not yet.

Ava caressed my back and sighed with pleasure as I teased her. I trailed my fingers trailed across her stomach and down her thighs. I swept my tongue across a nipple and blew on it. The cool air from my mouth caused the skin to pucker and harden. Ava groaned as I did it again. I latched onto her and licked and sucked at both nipples, kissing the skin of her chest as I moved back and forth. My cock throbbed, and I let it rest in the cleft between her legs. Ava's back arched as she tried to slide it into her, but I pulled away at the last second.

"Not yet," I whispered.

She bit her lower lip and looked at me. "I want you inside me."

"Soon." I lowered my head and kissed my way down her stomach.

With gentle hands, I spread her legs apart and knelt between them. I kissed the inside of her thighs, working my way higher with each touch of my lips. Heat radiated off her pussy. Her clit was swollen and my panther was screaming at me to take her. I slid my tongue across her, so soft that it barely touched. Ava's breath caught in her throat and arched her back. When I finally slid my tongue deep into her, the groan that escaped her lips almost made me come.

Clasping her hips, I devoured her. Pressing my tongue deep into her pussy, then flicking it across her clit. Sucking at her clit, then moving down to slide my tongue across her anus and back up to her clit. She writhed under me, and her legs were wrapped around my head, pulling my face in, urging me to keep going.

The tremors in her body escalated and her breathing became heavy and erratic. She was close. I latched my lips onto her clit and gently sucked as I flicked my tongue over the swollen bundle of nerves. Ava almost sat up in bed as her orgasm rocked through her, shuddering and quivering as I released her. I ran my hands across her body as she recovered, massaging her legs.

With a smile, I nestled between her legs and grabbed my cock, slowly guiding it into her.

"Oh…Christ…yes," she murmured as she watched me enter her.

I thrust into her deep and slow, pulling her hips toward me with each push. Being inside her felt like coming home. It was where I was always supposed to be. I leaned down and rested my weight on my elbows, kissing her as I thrust into her. Ava reached up and grabbed my face, kissing me harder as my speed increased.

With her breasts pressing up against my chest, I grinded my hips against her. Her tongue probed desperately into my mouth. All the sensations sent me into a frenzy. My own orgasm was building—a thick and heavy pressure in my balls and pelvis. I was close.

Ava stopped kissing me, her eyes closing and her mouth dropping open. "Oh fuck, oh fuck." Her body bucked and jerked as another orgasm slammed into her.

That sent me over the edge. Ecstasy exploded inside me. Grinding my hips into her over and over until the waves of pleasure finally stopped, I cried out.

After Ava caught her breath she turned her head. "I don't think we did it right. We need to practice more."

The laugh burst out of me before I could think. All I could think while we laughed was that my life had never been better. Even with all the danger lurking around us, things were still pretty damn good.

The next morning, Ava and I were awoken by my phone ringing. Groggily, I groped for the nightstand. The phone slid to the floor, and I had to sit up to get it. My sleepiness vanished when I saw that it wasn't even seven in the morning, and Tate was calling.

"Yo," I said, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"It's happening." The tension in Tate's voice was unmistakable.

My heart skipped a beat. I turned to look at Ava, who mouthed the words, what's wrong?

"What's happening? What's going on?"

"Luis called me this morning. Some of his guys were patrolling the area during the night. They saw a bunch of trucks and vans moving into town. They're pretty sure it's Antonio's hunters. There was a limo following behind. Blayne, I think Antonio is here. I have a feeling this is all coming to a head."

"Okay. I'll be there in ten."

I turned to look at Ava. Worry clouded her eyes, matching the terror that had suddenly burst into flames in my mind. It was finally happening. My fear palpated in my chest and sent my panther into fits of anxiety.

"Who was that?" she asked.

"Tate. He says Antonio and his men are moving into Lilly Valley."