Hope Awakened by Charlene Hartnady

Chapter 23

The next day…

Reece knocked on the door.He knocked again, and Locke answered. The male grinned. “Heeey, here to chew the fat?”

“I can’t stay for dinner.”

“Chew the fat means, are you here to talk? I’m sure you want to know all about my weekend away. Perhaps I can convince you to have a beer with me.”

“I don’t like alcohol.”

“It’s an acquired taste. That means you have to actually drink it to start liking it.” He lifted his brows, moving to the side so that Reece could enter.

“I don’t see the point. I don’t like alcohol, so why force myself to drink it until I do like it? It makes no sense whatsoever and therefore, I won’t do it.” Reece shook his head as he walked inside. “Actually, I don’t have much time. I can’t have dinner or drinks. I’m still technically on duty. The queen is with her mates, and Zaire is watching the perimeter. I’m—”

“You’re here to see Dr. Bristol?” Locke grinned all over again. Why was he grinning so damned much?

Reece needed to keep it together and to act naturally. “Yes. I want to talk to her…to apologize.”

“I must say, that’s big of you. You’re normally not the type to back down first.” He narrowed his eyes. “That was clearly some fight you guys had on Sunday. Neither of you will tell me much about it.”

“There’s not much to tell. I was a jolt…a jerk. I was a jerk. I said some things I regret and,” he pushed out a breath, “I can admit when I’m in the wrong. I just don’t happen to be in the wrong very often.”

Locke laughed. “You were wrong this time?” Locke asked.

“Very wrong.” He paused for effect. “Where is Dr. Bristol?” He looked around the room. He knew full well that she was in her bedroom. This was all planned. They really didn’t have long. He didn’t like leaving the Royals, even though he knew that the queen was safe for the moment.

“She’s in her bedroom. I’ll go and fetch her,” Locke said. “I’m sure she’ll—”

“No, wait,” Reece called after Locke, who was already on his way, his hand on the wall that led down the hallway.

Locke stopped and turned. He was frowning.

“I will go to Dr. Bristol. I’ll knock first and let her know it’s me. Hopefully, she’ll hear me out.”

Locke’s frown deepened. “You want to apologize in her bedroom?”

“Yes, I wouldn’t mind some privacy. Unless you want to leave for ten or fifteen minutes? That’ll work too.”

“No.” Locke shook his head. “I’m about to cook dinner. Dr. Bristol cooked last night. It’s my turn.”

“You go and start dinner. Wish me luck.” Reece stayed completely neutral. “If you hear shouting, feel sorry for me.” He widened his eyes.

“I’m not sure that you going into Dr. Bristol’s bedroom is appropriate. I mean, if we take into account all the things you’ve said about being respectful.”

Reece frowned. “What do you mean? I can still be respectful inside Dr. Bristol’s bedroom.”

“I mean, you’re a male and she’s a female. I don’t know if it’s appropriate. The two of you could—” he shrugged.

“Could what?” Reece folded his arms. “We’re not going to do anything.” He shook his head hard. “I will attempt to make things right, that’s all.”

Locke narrowed his eyes. Reece wondered if this was a mistake. He’d never been this desperate for a female before. To leave his post! He was taking risks. It was wrong!

At the same time, it was a calculated risk. Both Magnar and the king were with Claire. Zaire was there, too. This was the best possible time. He had said that he would choose when to mount Hope. When the risk was at its lowest. The time was right now. Leukos was leaving straight after dinner to go and spend a few days at a conference with the kings from the other species. They more than likely wouldn’t get a chance until he got back. It was now, or…wait until Friday. Friday seemed too far away. Locke was fishing for clues, but the male didn’t know what was going on. Reece was sure of it. He needed to keep his cool and stand his ground. “You know me, Locke. Nothing will happen in that bedroom. Now stop with this line of conversation. It is unnecessary.”

Finally, Locke relaxed his stance; he rolled his eyes. “I was only teasing you.” He laughed. “Like you would do anything against one of the rules.” He rolled his eyes. “In fact, I wish you’d live a little, once in a while.”

“I will live a little when I get my promotion. Right now, I will talk things through with Dr. Bristol. I’ll apologize and all will be well. The queen picked up on animosity between us. Or should I say, from Dr. Bristol directed at me. I need to fix this. I can’t have any blemishes on my record. Shard might end up taking the head guard position, and that can’t be allowed to happen.” It wasn’t an outright lie. Reece was straddling a fine line. One that could end in disaster. And yet, he couldn’t stop this. He had to see Hope. He had to touch her.

“Agreed!” Locke nodded. “You’d better go. Let me know if you need anything. Perhaps I could be your wingman.”

Reece frowned. He was sure it was another one of those human sayings. He just nodded. “I will let you know. You concentrate on dinner. I’ll concentrate on Dr. Bristol.” His cock started to harden just thinking about the delectable human female. “I need to stop being so hard on her.” That was just it; Hope loved it hard. He’d never had a softer, tighter, more receptive female in his life. Reece had always been a good warrior. He’d risen in the ranks quickly, and from a young age. He hadn’t had a shortage of interested females. He just happened to pick the wrong one.

“I honestly… Don’t bite my head off when I tell you this, but I think you’re jealous of Dr. Bristol when it comes to other males. I think you should be honest with her. Explain that to her.”

“I won’t tell her that,” Reece snorted.

“Even if it’s true? I’m telling you what I see. It explains your actions when it comes to her. You’re attracted to her. It’s normal. You’re a male and she’s a beautiful female. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

“It’s certainly something to think about.” Reece pulled in a breath. “It won’t be something I tell the female…ever.”

“I already told her my thoughts.”

“Why would you do that?” he practically snarled, but only because it’s what he would’ve done in this situation.

Locke shrugged. “She needed to know. She doesn’t believe me. For the record, I think she’s attracted to you, too.”

“Even if it were true, there’s absolutely nothing we could do about it. Not right now.” If he had more willpower, he would stay away, but he couldn’t. “Not until the threat of Ekon has been neutralized.”

“You do know that you can have a relationship with someone and do your job all at the same time. Millions of people all over the world do it quite successfully every day.”

“Dr. Bristol is my charge. Until that is no longer the case, we cannot be together in any way, shape, or form. I am in a leadership role; what I do and don’t do sets a precedent for others and for the future. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to apologize. I won’t be long.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“I know I am.” The crazy thing was that he believed every word of what he had just said, and yet his balls were pulling tight in anticipation of what was to come. What the hell was he going to do? This couldn’t go on.

“I’ll see you in a few.” Locke jogged over to the kitchen.

Reece didn’t wait. There was no time. He made his way to her bedroom and knocked on the door. “Um…Dr. Bristol, it’s me, Reece. Can I come in?” He felt like an idiot, but they needed to take every precaution. Mounting during a shift. There was a part of him that wanted to leave right now, to stop this insanity. The other – bigger – part wanted to see Hope. Needed to see her.

“Reece?” Hope sounded truly shocked. “What are you doing here?”

“I want to talk. I need five minutes of your time…please.”

“Okay, fine!” she pushed out, opening the door. “You have five minutes and not a—” She closed the door.

Reece pulled her into his arms. “I missed you. Make that…I missed this.” He cupped her ass and kissed her hard for a few seconds before pulling away. He noticed that she seemed tense. Not herself. Her eyes held a sadness. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. All good. What about you?”

He shrugged. “Nothing to report. Boring…it’s just the way I like it. No signs of Ekon, but the laying will be upon us soon.” He noted that her eyes were definitely a little clouded. She didn’t seem like her jovial self. He slid his hands onto her back. “What’s going on? You look upset.”

“It’s nothing. We don’t have time.” She reached up to kiss him.

“It’s not nothing,” he said before her lips could touch his. “Speak to me. I can see you’re upset.”

“If we don’t do this right now, there won’t be time.” She started undoing his pants. “You said that the king only gets back on Friday.”

He put his hand over hers. “You are upset. I don’t like seeing you this way. Is there anything I can do to help?”

Hope pulled away. She went and sat on the edge of the bed. It squeaked, which made her smile. “I told you it’s noisy.”

“I ordered you a new one. It should arrive tomorrow.”

Her eyes widened. “You did? That’s so sweet. Then again, I suppose you did it so that we can fool around in bed without getting busted.” Her smile died, which he hated.

Reece nodded once, even though it wasn’t true. He didn’t want her trying to sleep in a squeaky bed. At the end of the day, her comfort was most important, but he didn’t want to give her the wrong impression; he didn’t tell her any of that.

“My sister, Lizzie, is worried that Emmet is cheating on her.”

He frowned. “That’s terrible! What a bastard. That male doesn’t deserve to have anyone in his life.”

“She’s not sure.” Hope shrugged. “She asked me if there are any signs she should look out for.” Hope sighed. “I mean, can you believe that? The two of them cheated while Emmet and I were married, and now she wants to know what the warning signs were. At the same time, I’m worried about her and the baby. She found out that they’re having a boy.” Her eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them away. “I hope she’s wrong, but a leopard doesn’t usually change its spots…” She widened her eyes. “As in, once a cheater, usually always a cheater. It would make me feel better if he was cheating on her, because then the affair wouldn’t be my fault. Something I did or didn’t do. That line of thinking makes me feel incredibly guilty because, despite everything she did, I still love her.”

“It was nothing you did.” He kneeled on the ground in front of her, putting his hand on her thigh.

“For a while there I thought it might be. I’m not super adventurous in bed.”

He frowned. “Aren’t you?” Reece found that hard to believe.

“No…I’m not. I second-guessed myself a lot after I found out about the affair. About whether I’m pretty enough, sexy enough. Whether I should have agreed to sex when I turned Emmet down. We were together for years. I did get a headache sometimes. I wasn’t adventurous at all with Emmet.” She shook her head.

“You said it, Hope. You weren’t adventurous with him.” He cocked his head. “Maybe the two of you weren’t that compatible. That’s not on you. You’re so damned sexy.” His voice dropped a few dozen octaves. “You’re incredibly receptive. I wish we had more time, and that we didn’t have to sneak around. I reckon you’d be plenty adventurous. You’re amazing.”

She gave him a fake dirty look. “You’re just saying that because it’s been so long.” She giggled.

“Listen to me, Dr. Bristol. I may not have had sex for a long time before you, but I can safely say that you’re amazing. Better than amazing, and I’m not just saying that.” He wanted to tell her that she was the best. Hands-down, the best mount he had ever had, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He wasn’t sure how she would take it. “I have been with a few females in my time. I also happen to have a good memory…you’re plenty sexy enough,” he growled the last part, feeling heat coil in his belly. He felt his skin tighten. Just thinking of this female made him hot and needy.

“You’re so sweet.” She licked her lips. “I’m going to tell Lizzie to do what I should have done. She needs to get a private investigator. She needs to get his cellphone records. That way she’ll know exactly who he’s been in contact with. I’m staying out of it otherwise.” Hope pulled her plump lip between her teeth. “We’re not talking about Lizzie anymore, and we’re definitely not talking about that asshole Emmet. We’ve wasted enough time on them.”

“That’s the right attitude to have.” Reece stood up. “I’d better go, Hope. Don’t take all of this on yourself. You’re…” Wonderful, amazing, kind, gorgeous…a whole lot more. He couldn’t say it. It wasn’t like that between them. “You’re so much more than you know. If that asshole didn’t realize what he had, that’s not on you. If he’s doing more of the same to your sister, that’s not on you either. I think you’re incredibly compassionate to still be so worried about Lizzie. That’s something special.” She was something special, but thinking like that was dangerous.

Hope dropped to her knees in front of him. “I think we might still have a minute or two.” She pulled down his zipper and then pulled on his jeans, which slipped down his thighs. His prick filled within one second flat. Heat flooded him. His balls pulled tight watching her lick her lips. Her full, glistening lips.

“Um… What…what are…” She took his cock in her hand. Feather and tar!

“I’m going to give you a blow job. Suck you off. Give you head. Suck on your dick. I’m not sure what the Feral term is.”

His heart started racing. His mouth went completely dry in an instant. “Suck me? You want to take me into your mouth?”

“You look shocked.” She narrowed her eyes. “You have had a blow job before, haven’t you?”

He shook his head; excitement coursed through his veins. They were totally out of time. They really shouldn’t do this. “No.” He shook his head.

She frowned. “Really? Never?”

“Feral females only suck their mates…” He swallowed thickly, feeling his Adam’s apple bounce.

“You’re in for a treat, big boy.”

Big boy?

What was that?

Hope pulled her dress over her head. She had pretty, filmy coverings on. They were pink. He could see her nipples and the fur on her snatch. Her cleavage was deep. Her breasts spilled over the tops of the coverings. Beautiful…simply spectacular. He couldn’t take his eyes off her…off her mouth. She licked her lips again. Her eyes looked greedy, they were focused on his prick.

Hope cupped his heavy balls. He felt his eyes roll back in his skull and he made a soft groaning noise. It couldn’t be helped. He was already feeling his balls pull tight.

“You really don’t have to,” he said, his breathing harder than it had been seconds before.

Instead of answering, she shuffled closer, her hand around his thick girth. “I can’t wait to deep throat you.” He watched as her cheeks heated. She clearly wasn’t used to talking in this way. Reece liked it. He liked it a whole lot. He liked her a whole lot! Not just because she was doing this. Because of her…she was spectacular.

He made a noise of approval. It was all he could muster as her soft hand stroked his length.

Thankfully, Hope didn’t make him wait. Any thoughts of Ekon, Shard, ramifications of what they were doing fled his brain as she took his tip into her mouth and swirled her tongue over his head. Blast! He groaned and threaded a hand through her hair. Then Hope took him deeper, using her other hand to work his shaft. Up and down. So warm and wet. It felt different from a snatch. It felt… He rocked his hips forward, his eyes wide; it felt fucking amazing. He watched as her mouth stretched around him. It was the most erotic thing he had ever seen.

Reece made a grunting noise, having to work to keep quiet. “Not going to last.” He gritted his teeth to keep from moaning. “You are so sexy. Your mouth…your… Arghhh—” He twisted his fingers into her hair, working at keeping still. She was small, and he was so big. He didn’t want to cause her discomfort by forcing himself into her mouth.

Hope kept it slow and easy, even though she should be rushing him to the finish. They didn’t have time. He found that he didn’t care; the world could go to hell. He wanted this to last. Looking on in amazement, he watched her pump her hand in time with her mouth and tongue.

A minute later and he was panting, making small circular motions with his hips. It couldn’t be helped. True to her word, she sucked him as deep as he would go, taking the head of his cock to the back of her throat. At the same time, she fisted him quicker, using more pressure.

“By feather… By…oh…by—!” He gave a harsh growl.

She released him. “Shhh. You need to be quiet.” Her hand kept working his shaft.

Hope took him back into her warm mouth. Hard and deep.

Reece muttered a soft curse. His fingers splayed on her scalp, they tangled a little deeper in her hair, and yet he remained careful not to hurt her or force her. He felt his balls pulling ever tighter. He could swear they were just about in his throat. He felt that coiling sensation deep within him.

“I’m going to come,” he muttered as she increased the pace.

His hand gripped her tighter, almost against his will, and so he let go. “Hope,” he choked out. “Hope!”

He knew he was being too loud. Hope worked him harder…deeper. Her hand pumping. Her breasts bounced a little despite being in the coverings. Her mouth…her hand…her tongue on his rim…her—

He clasped a hand over his mouth. His eyes rolled back as his seed erupted. He groaned into his hand as pleasure coursed through him.

She kept milking him. Drawing out his pleasure. He ran his hand through her hair as she released him. Reece was still hard. He still wanted her. Wanted to please her as much as she had pleased him. “Thank you,” he whispered.

“Any time.” She smiled up at him, looking at him through long lashes.

“You’re incredible. I want you so badly, I—”

“Today was about you.”

He shook his head. “It shouldn’t be like that. You need…”

“I got exactly what I needed, don’t you worry.”

“I wish we had more time.” His jaw clenched as he gritted his teeth for a moment. “I wish things were different.”

“In a way…this is better.” She licked her lips as she rose to her feet, making him want to cream all over again.

Instead, Reece pulled up his pants. He adjusted himself, pulling up his fly. “I’m holding you to it, Hope. Next time, it’s all about you. I’m going to make you come so hard you’ll forget your own name.”

“Sounds good to me.” She stepped forward, putting her hand on his chest. He leaned back. “As much as I want to, we can’t kiss. Ferals don’t have a great sense of smell, but Locke might smell my seed. You should brush your teeth and use mouthwash. We can’t be too careful.”

“Can we tell Locke that we’re good now?” She let go of him.

“Yes, I still have a lot of work to do to fix things but…I’d say we’re doing much better.”

She giggled. “Okay then.”

“I’ll see you in a couple of days?” He lifted his brows.

“Yes…for sure.”

Reece left, leaving her door slightly ajar.

“All good?” Locke shouted from the kitchen; it smelled like he was frying something delicious.

“All good.” Reece put up a thumb.

“Took long enough.” Locke lifted his brows.

Reece shrugged. “I need to get back.” He pointed at the door, not waiting for Locke’s reply. He removed his pants and shifted. They could do this. It would work for a while. The world wouldn’t end just because he was mounting the doctor.