Black Market Bear (A BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance) (Genesis Valley Book 2) (11 page)

“Yes?” she gasped, her breathing coming in short breaths, making her feel almost lightheaded as she worked his cock hard.

“I’m not sure how much longer I can last if you keep doing this,” he managed to get out.

She knew that. She could feel him straining inside of her, ready to burst. Which was perfectly fine with her. After the exhaustion of the day, she knew she would be just as happy cuddling up after a vigorous session.

“Then don’t,” she told him. “But I want it as hard as you can,” she told him, making no move to get off of him.

“With pleasure,” he growled, his hands closing around her waist. He lifted her slightly above him and held her there. Then his hips began to thrust into her from below at a pace far faster than she had yet experienced with him.

“Holy shit,” she swore aloud. “Don’t you dare fucking stop,” she cried as he moved faster and faster.

“I’m going to cum again!” she yelped as Ajax’s hips slammed into her faster than she could see.

A split second before he began to groan, she felt his cock swell. The extra pressure inside of her tipped Arianna over the edge and she felt a loud cry rip from her throat as her body went crazy, shaking violently in Ajax’s firm grip as she came with him. Each jet of his seed that exploded deep within her was met by an answering spasm of her walls as they tightened around his thick cock, before exploding out into her body with a force that left her unable to stay upright.

She sagged in his arms, overwhelmed, as he pulled her tight to him, his cock continuing to shoot his hot cum deep inside of her.

“Ari,” he gasped as his arms finally gave way.

She tried to stay aloft, but her arms were too unsteady, and so instead she just draped herself across his chest, feeling his lungs heaving as they sucked in huge amounts of air.

“Ajax,” she whispered, finding just enough energy to nibble on his ear. He squirmed, bringing an exhausted smile to both of their faces.

As the adrenaline faded and the post-sex glow descended over both of them, she felt her eyelids getting droopy.

“Ajax,” she said again, a little more forcefully.

“Yes, Ari?” he replied sleepily.

“I’m just going to fall asleep here, okay?”

She was asleep before he responded.

They weren’t out of the woods yet, but the rest of the world could wait until the morning.

Ajax

He walked back and forth, trying to appear as calm as he could. Which was nearly impossible, because he was more nervous than he had been in years. No, nervous wasn’t the right word to use. He was
excited
.

Pacing up and down the sidewalk, he listened to the excited voices of those up the grassy hill behind him. It was a short hill, elevated perhaps five feet from the sidewalk and road. Hedges obscured his view, but he knew what lay in the parking lot beyond.

It was the same club they had been at two days before. Route Fifty. They were going back, but this time they knew what and who they were looking for. Ajax and Arianna had spent a full day planning out what to do next. Unfortunately, no matter how they approached it, they couldn’t execute the plan alone. They needed help.

So here they were, coming back to the place they had half-destroyed. That would make a lot of people nervous, but Ajax wasn’t concerned in the slightest. He had taken a measure of Flint. He was a good man. Not willing to risk confrontation with his organization, but he also wasn’t going to stand idly by and let bad things happen to those he cared about.

The prospect of returning to the building in the core didn’t scare him either. It was clear that this group hadn’t encountered any shifters like him before. Dealing with a city shifter was completely different. They were rarely in tune with their bears compared to someone like Ajax, nor did they have any sort of combat training or experience. Their pain tolerance would be lower, and they would be weaker. He grinned at the idea of being able to assault a place like that with his Emerald Crew. They would slice through it like butter.

Unfortunately he couldn’t call upon them. Not in time anyway. After their escape, he and Ari had agreed that the agency wouldn’t take long before they pulled up roots and moved to a new location, which would likely include disposing of any remaining prisoners they might have, including Benjamin Martin. So they had to act swiftly if they hoped to achieve any sort of success. Rescuing Benjamin was a priority, but so was finding out more information about this agency.

None of that was what was making him pace agitatedly back and forth down the street. Ajax was used to conflict and combat. He wished he wasn’t, but life had a funny way of giving him the experiences he’d needed to survive it.

No, he was nervous because Arianna had told him she had a surprise in store. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it made him excited to see her. He could practically imagine her glasses falling down her nose as she smiled in delight upon seeing him. For now though, he had to wait for her to arrive.

The past day hadn’t been just about planning their next steps in terms of rescuing Benjamin. It had also included a lot of talk about the two of them and their next steps with each other. They had avoided talking about the future, instead further reaffirming their desire to spend time with each other even after the adrenaline of their escape wore off.

Something was different about Arianna ever since he found her in the complex. Ajax wasn’t sure what it was, but she just seemed…better. Not to him, but to herself. He couldn’t place it, and he wasn’t sure she even noticed it. But there certainly was a noticeable air of... perhaps confidence around her that he hadn’t sensed before.

A black and white taxi pulled up to the curb, and Ajax felt his heart stop the moment the vehicle did. Swallowing hard, he prepared himself for whatever her surprise might be. Did she have a boyfriend, or husband perhaps? No, that was stupid. They had talked about that. What the hell was she hiding?

Then he saw it.

“Wow,” he said, knowing that his jaw was hanging wide open. “Ari?” he asked skeptically at the woman who emerged from the car.

She smiled in delight, her cheeks going full blush. At that moment, despite the change, Ajax knew it was her. He would recognize that smile anywhere. Even if there were no glasses to slide down her nose when she did.

“You look—” Words failed him as he stared at her in shock.

Gone were the normal thick-rimmed glasses that slightly distorted her eyes. Gone was the strict ponytail and the loose-fitting shirt with pencil tucked into front pocket. The baggy pants were history as well.

In their place she wore a blood-red dress with matching heels—
heels!
Ajax goggled over her, his jaw moving but no sound escaping from it. The dress was tight, but it wasn’t form-fitting. The hemline stopped just past her knees, but the plunging neckline that stopped in the middle of her breasts exposed copious amounts of cleavage for any and all to see.

“Do you like it?” she asked, twirling far more gracefully than he would have ever imagined she was capable of.

“Do I?” he managed to get out, the noise sounding more like a gasp than anything. His throat constricted as he noticed the back wasn’t solid, but in fact spaghetti strapped down to just below her waist. “You look stunning,” was all he could get out before she walked up to him.

“Good,” she said with a sly smile, pouting her lipstick-stained lips at him. “Now kiss me.”

“Uh-huh,” he agreed, following her instructions.

“Better,” she sighed a minute later, before reaching into her clutch and pulling out a cloth. She dabbed at his face, removing her lipstick.

“Where did you pull this number from?” he asked, finally managing to get his brain to coordinate with his mouth while ignoring his cock. It was a challenge, to say the least.

“I had some money saved up for a rainy day,” she admitted shyly. “This seemed to work.”

He had told her they were going to go to the club, but he hadn’t meant to imply she needed to dress for it. Ajax tried to tell her that.

“Nonsense,” she said with a wave of her hand. “It’s been far too long since I dressed up. It’s not a bad thing for you to bring the girly side of me out. I so often bury it because of work, but every girl likes to look good. Besides, I have to compete with this,” she joked, taking a few steps back and waving her hand at the fresh suit Ajax had procured.

“I—” he stumbled over the words again as she strolled up to him once more, the sway of her hips mesmerizing. “Just so you know, I like glasses-and-pencil-in-the-pocket you just as much,” he found himself saying.

Arianna’s face seemed to crumple. “You don’t like me like this?”

He shook his head violently. “That’s not what I meant,” he protested. “You look amazing. I just want you to know that you don’t have to do this all the time for me to care for you.” Ajax winked. “But if you’re hoping to provoke a reaction later with this, well, I think it’s safe to say you succeeded.” He finished by bouncing his eyebrows suggestively.

Arianna giggled, much to his delight. “Okay, good.” She turned to face up the sidewalk toward the path that led into the club. “Shall we?” she asked.

“We shall,” he replied, holding out his arm.

Her arm tucked into his, her head resting lightly on his shoulder, they casually made their way up to the front door. Ajax made no sudden movements, nor did he stand up straight to challenge the security men in the timeless fashion of one man trying to outdo another. He’d demonstrated he could take them at any time he pleased—he didn’t need another dick-measuring contest, as he was sure Arianna would term it. She just didn’t understand these things. He shrugged mentally, putting it out of his mind.

That didn’t mean the security guards did the same. They all stiffened as the pair approached, eyes darting back and forth between them. Ajax was surprised their red shirts didn’t begin to darken as they sweated nervously.

“Hello sir,” one of them said cautiously as they bypassed the line.

“Evening,” he replied politely. “He’s expecting us.”

Ajax didn’t say which “he.” There would only be one. It was a bit of a lie, as Flint wasn’t actually expecting them. But there came a time when one had to choose whether they sat on the sidelines, or stood up and fought for what they believed in. This was that time, and Ajax knew that Flint wouldn’t be able to say no. This was his city, and he, despite being human, thoroughly cared for all its inhabitants.

“I wasn’t made aware of that,” the guard said.

“Well, this can go one of two ways,” Ajax said, admiring the man’s willingness to do his job to the letter. “Either you can let me in so I can go talk to him. Peacefully, I promise. Or you can radio someone and then get chewed out for not letting me in already.” He shrugged. “Your choice really. We’ll wait.”

He put his arm fully around Arianna’s shoulder, holding her close to him as the guard looked back and forth between the two of them, trying to make a decision.

“Do you really want to try and stop him, Chad?” one of the other guards asked with a sigh, pulling the door open before the first guard could respond.

Ajax, out of respect for the man who had been willing to stand up to him, looked at the first guard and waited for him to nod his okay before he escorted Arianna inside.

“See, now was that that bad?” she teased as the door closed behind them.

“What’s
that
supposed to mean?” he asked carefully.

“Doing things peacefully,” she replied, trying to keep a straight face.

Ajax’s jaw dropped open. “I am not some kind of...of thug!” he protested, searching for the right word.

“Of course not,” she said patronizingly, patting him gently on the chest while she was at it.

“The last time I was in a fight,
they
started it, I’ll have you remember that,” he told her with a smile.

Arianna shrugged. “I didn’t see how it went down. Besides, that’s how thugs often feel. They think they’re always the aggrieved party.” She stopped talking and burst into laughter at the look of disbelief he knew was plastered across his face.

“You’re going to pay for that,” he promised, guiding her expertly through the crowd toward the VIP area. Once there, they played the same bluff game he had played outside. Just like the first time, these guards weren’t willing to call him on it, so they let him pass.

“And just how are you planning on ‘making me pay’?” she asked, using her fingers to quote the last few words as they settled down into chairs and waited for Flint to return. He was apparently in another room on business, but one of the servers promised he would be right back.

“That would spoil the surprise,” he told her. “But trust me, it’s going to be good, and you won’t even see it coming.”

Arianna rolled her eyes.

“I don’t recall giving you permission to come back,” Flint said as he returned, slipping easily into one of the chairs across from them, forming the third point of a triangle.

“Sure you did,” Ajax said. “You said, ‘You two are always welcome back, anytime you please, as long as you don’t break anything.’ We didn’t break anything!”

Flint frowned. “I don’t recall saying that.”

“Whatever.” Ajax shrugged. “I’m sure you thought it. You just probably forgot to say it because of all the other goings-on. You’re a gentleman Flint. I knew you wouldn’t mind.”

The shifter-smuggling overlord rolled his eyes. “What do you want?” he asked, getting straight to the point.

“We found their base in the city,” Arianna said just as bluntly. “But we didn’t have time to rescue anyone or even search the entire complex. We’re going back. We need reinforcements.”

Flint had leaned back into his chair as she spoke, eyes focused intently on Arianna as he heard the words she was telling him. But at the mention of needing support, his eyebrows rose upward.

“You came to me for help?” he asked incredulously. “After all the damage you did here, you expect me to help you?”

“Yes,” Ajax replied, the single word cutting through Flint’s act. “If you need money, you’ll get it, though I suspect that you’re so used to this persona that you don’t know how to talk straight and without always trying to take advantage of those who you work with.”

Flint sighed at the chastisement. “I am sorry, actually. It has been a rather stressful day for unrelated reasons. Tell me everything.”

Ajax and Arianna began to speak, telling the story as they went, interjecting easily and weaving the tale of their escapade in the shipyard into a cohesive story that surprised all three parties in its flow.

At the end of it, Flint sat back, his lips pursed in thought as he considered everything they had told him.

“How many men do you need?” he asked.

Ajax looked over at Arianna, then back to Flint. “I think we can do with two, if they have actual combat or fighting experience.”

“Just two?” Flint looked back and forth at them in disbelief. “You really think that you can handle the rest of them?”

The big shifter didn’t reply; instead he just leveled his gaze at Flint.

The smuggler, flustered by the confident stare, waved him off. “Oh, very well then. Anything else you need?”

There were a few small things, and they spent the next twenty minutes going over the details of the plan again. Flint helped change a few things once he knew for certain which building they were targeting, but for the most part, it was a straight forward smash and grab, using the strength of the shifters as brutally as possible to overwhelm their opponents.