Stryker (Boys of Wynter Book 1)

  I clung to him, still rubbing my naked crotch against his cock as it strained against his buckskins. He pushed me up against the wall in the front room. I gasped as the cold plaster touched my back, providing a stark contrast with the molten hot waves coming off his body.

  His large hand gripped my ass, his fingers digging in to my flesh as he tore at the leather drawstring on his pants. He nearly crushed me between his body and the wall as he yanked the pants down.

  "Willow," my name left his throat as a growl. I could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he pressed his mouth hard over mine.

  He opened his eyes long enough to watch my face as he drove his cock into me. My pussy nearly exploded in relief at the feel of him filling me with his thick erection. It was as if a terrible hollow feeling had always existed between my legs and Stryker was the only person who could fill it. He was the only person who could relieve the urgent ache.

  It felt as if the entire beach house might fall down around us as Stryker shook the wall with his driving thrusts. My pussy absorbed him as if I was made for him. As his deep groans rumbled through the room, I felt my body tighten and brace itself for the coming explosion.

  "Stryker," I cried out as my pussy tightened and writhed around his cock.

  My hold on him weakened as all my energy was focused on the hot, raging orgasm in my pussy. Stryker sensed that I was unable to hang on, and he tightened his powerful arms around me.

  "I've got you, Willow. You're mine and I'm yours." He pushed his impossibly large cock deeper. It felt as if I would be split in two as he rocked inside of me, each time reaching a new depth and awakening new sensations. I worried now that I'd started something I wouldn't be able to control. My nymph's appetite had been whet, and it seemed that Stryker was the only person who could satisfy the gnawing hunger.

  A guttural growl that sounded half man, half beast filled the air as Stryker's body stiffened. He lifted me off of his cock. I felt his hot seed coat my belly as he pressed his erection against me.

  The pounding drumbeat of our hearts slowed, and Stryker's hold on me lightened. His eyes cooled back to jade green. The full man had returned but the scented heat of his animal lust still filled the air between us.

  The bare skin on my back, now glued against the wall by the hot, sticky afterglow of sex, peeled away from the smooth plaster as Stryker lifted me higher into his arms. He carried me down a short hallway and into his bedroom.

  A tangle of blankets and sheets were twisted across the bed. Mudstained boots and buckskin pants littered the floor at the foot of the bed.

  "Sorry about the mess," he lowered me onto the bed and quickly set to work untangling the bed covers.

  I leaned back into the pillows. "I just realized how tired I am from my walk down the mountain. I still can't believe what has happened."

  I watched with unabashed interest as Stryker stripped naked. It wasn't the first time I'd seen him head to toe naked, but it took my breath away nonetheless. He climbed in next to me and drew me against him as he pulled the covers up over us.

  I pressed my face against his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and smoothed his palm over my back. The comfort and security of his arms brought on a drowsiness, and I could barely keep my eyes open.

  "What am I going to do now, Stryker?" I asked with long, sleepy words.

  "It's simple. You are mine. And I will kill anyone who tries to take you away."

  "But Feenix has been given immortality," I yawned.

  "Sleep, love. You're safe in my arms."

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Stryker

  "Surf's up, you assholes." Maximus's loud yell from the beach woke me from a deep sleep.

  My head rolled to the side, and I smiled at the sleeping angel next to me. Wilder had stopped by after his night at the Seven Sins to let me know that Paygon had shown up at the bar but that he seemed more interested in drinking and getting laid than doing his brother's bidding. Paygon had the attention span of a puppy on espresso. I was glad that Feenix couldn't step into the mortal world himself.

  Willow mewled quietly in her sleep. Her black lashes twittered, and I briefly wondered what she might be dreaming about. I hoped it was me. I decided, with a little help, I could steer her sleep fantasies in the right direction.

  I lifted the covers and slipped under them, trying not to wake her as I scooted down between her legs. The scent of sex was still fresh on her pussy after I'd taken her three more times during the night. I was sure I'd never have my fill of Willow, and it seemed she was just as ravenous for me.

  I pressed a kiss against the inside of her thigh. Her stunned gasp was muffled by the blanket over my head. Daylight flowed in as she lifted the covers and stared down at me between her legs.

  "Morning," I said with a wide grin. "A little breakfast in bed if you don't mind." I punctuated my offer by pressing a hot kiss against her pussy.

  Her body tightened, then she quickly relaxed against the feel of my mouth and tongue on her. As badly as I wanted to fuck her, I knew she needed a little reprieve and I was sure my kisses were the perfect cure for a tender pussy.

  Willow's long fingers tangled in my hair. She bent her knees and lifted her ass off the mattress so I could taste more of her. I could have stayed right there, between her legs, my face buried in her pussy for the rest of my fucking days. She was sweet as honey and responded to every touch and kiss and lick.

  Her legs fell open. Her sensual moans drifted around the room as I kissed her clit and impaled her with my finger. I scooped my hand beneath her ass and held her tightly against my mouth. She pulled my hair and pushed harder against my penetrating fingers.

  My cock was rock hard as her thighs pressed together and she came against my mouth. I stayed there warm and content between her legs, kissing her lightly, breathing in her intoxicating scent and trying to cool my own blood. It wasn't easy with a woman like Willow, who was as much angel as she was nymph.

  I swam back up through the covers and rested my face against her breasts. She stroked my hair as I listened to the steady beat of her heart.

  "I liked that," she sighed. "There is something so incredibly intimate about what you just did with your mouth that I'm nearly dizzy just thinking about it. But what about you?" She moved her hip to brush against my erection.

  I lifted my face and put my chin against her. She giggled at the feel of my beard on her skin. "I thought I'd give you a short break."

  She smiled at me. "Very thoughtful, my Wynter guard. But I've quickly discovered, I'm happiest when you're inside of me." She ran her fingers through my hair and winked at me.

  "Well, as far as I'm concerned, my new job in life is to keep you happy." I pulled myself up to bring my mouth to hers. She gripped my arms and pushed her head back into the pillow as I eased my cock into her. I stared down at her incredible face, relaxed and beautiful, as I pumped into her. I'd assured her that I would kill anyone who tried to take her from me, and there was truth in every word. Even Feenix. If he tried to take her from me, I would create a whole new definition for the word immortal.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Willow

  Gunner was still sticking to my ankles like fuzzy white socks as I walked out onto the beach. A hot shower had been just what I needed, that and a sandwich, which was waiting for me on the beach, along with the man who had stolen my heart. All my life I'd told myself I would never fall in love. I would never go down the same self-destructive path my mother had followed, but now I could see what happened to her had been unavoidable. When someone stole your heart there was nothing you could do except sit helplessly by and let it happen. I only hoped that my ending would be happier than hers. But there were no guarantees, and I knew that. And yet, I still headed across the sand and straight into Stryker's arms.

  He kissed me and brushed a wet strand of my hair back. "You always smell good, but you are extra delicious right out of a hot shower."

  I laughed. "Have you been working hard on that on
e?"

  "I'm pretty well known for my pick up lines." He lowered his face to my neck and kissed it. "Nevertheless, you smell fantastic. Sandwich?" He pointed to the ice chest that was wedged in the sand between Wilder and Flint. Maximus was sitting on a surfboard just past the breaking water. He was easy to spot, even with the waves swelling in front of him.

  "I'm starved." Gunner circled around in front of me as I knelt on the edge of the beach towel Stryker had stretched out on the sand.

  Wilder leaned forward and stroked Gunner's fur. "Do you think his coat will stay white now that you're down from the snow?"

  I rubbed Gunner's plush ear. "That's a good question. I'm not sure. He definitely doesn't fit the beach landscape with his snow white coloring."

  Stryker handed me a chicken salad sandwich, which quickly earned Gunner's undivided attention. I broke off a piece and fed it to him.

  "I guess he's just a little bit domesticated," Flint noted as he watched the fox lick the mayonnaise off his paw.

  I laughed. "What gave it away?"

  I glanced around at the scenic but slightly treacherous coastline. The water glistened under the sunlight, but jutting rocks and steep cliffs made it less than ideal for swimming. "You guys really have this piece of the beach to yourself."

  Wilder leaned forward on the creaky beach chair and pulled a beer out of the ice chest. "Whitecrest Beach is usually socked in by fog so it's not a big draw for the casual beach crowd. The sun only just poked through an hour ago, and it'll be back behind a fog curtain before sundown."

  Flint stretched his legs out in front of him. It seemed every inch of his skin was covered in ink, even his calves. "Yep, no annoying families with runaway umbrellas or kids whining about sunburn or sand in their bathing suits. The only drawback is that there aren't any bikinis either. But it's a good tradeoff for having the place to ourselves."

  "Damn, Max just caught one of the best waves of the day." Stryker stared out at the water as he unwrapped his sandwich.

  I was facing away from the water, toward the guys, when I noticed that all of them had their attention suddenly pulled toward the ocean. Wilder hopped up, nearly upending his beer, and Flint jumped up next, having to struggle first with one leg that looked as if it had recently been in a splint.

  "Shit." Stryker shot to his feet.

  I turned around to catch the last few seconds of Maximus plowing head first into the churning white water that circled a large set of jagged rocks. All three men raced toward the water and I followed. I craned my neck to see past them to the rocks. There was no sign of Maximus, but his board shot up through the surface and then coasted toward shore.

  "Max!" Stryker shouted through cupped hands. He was the first to reach the water and waded right into the frothy tide.

  "There!" Flint yelled and pointed straight ahead.

  Maximus's big head bobbed up over the water. He waved a massive arm in the air to let them know he was all right. I hadn't realized I'd been holding my breath until it ushered out of my lungs.

  "Shit, the last thing that big, dumb idiot needs is to crown his head on some rocks," Flint quipped.

  "I'll say. Hell if I'm spending the rest of my days spoon feeding him baby food," Wilder added.

  I smiled at the exchange. They were tossing around jokes, but I'd seen the tension in their tanned backs and shoulders as the three of them raced to the water. They'd been scared as heck that they might lose their friend. Just like when the three wolves showed up at the cabin to make sure their pack mate was in good hands. They kept up a good pretext of being invincible badasses, but it was obvious they were very attached to each other.

  It made me sad to think I'd never been able to form any kind of lasting friendship other than the ones I had with animals. But then, maybe I was better off. I'd never fit in with the angels or the nymphs. Maybe I'd find a place to belong in the human world.

  Maximus waded out of the water looking somewhat like the god Poseidon with his long blond hair and massive build. If his board had been in the shape of a triton, it would have been easy to believe that he was actually the ruler of the sea. Although, judging by the deep bleeding gash on his shoulder, it seemed the ocean had gotten the best of him on this round.

  "Do you have something in the house I can use to clean that?" I asked Stryker.

  "There's a box of stuff under the bathroom sink."

  I rushed back up to the house and pulled the box, that was more a trunk, out from under the sink. There was an impressive supply of bandages, sterile gauze, antiseptic and a bottle of some homemade solution that looked like it was a mixture of dishwashing soap and something pungent like turpentine. The handwritten label said "use for wraith bites". I put that bottle back into the trunk and pulled out some clean gauze and antiseptic. Maximus didn't strike me as the type of man who relished the idea of walking around with a bandage on his arm. Hopefully some cleaning and a little pressure was all that was needed.

  I hurried back out to the beach. Wilder had given Maximus his beach chair, and he'd stretched out on a towel to sun his back. It seemed to me they had it just right. A long day on the beach listening to the waves and feeling the breeze would be a perfect way to prepare for a night in Wynter chasing monstrous beasts. They had a stressful job, a job they never would have chosen under normal circumstances. Yet they all seemed happy and content.

  I reached the towels. Stryker was sitting on a towel, leaned back on his hands and facing Flint and Maximus.

  I knelt down next to the chair. Maximus lifted his dark sunglasses to look at me. "I'm only allowing medical treatment because I've heard very good reviews about the nurse."

  I cleared my throat. "Doctor," I corrected.

  "Right. And after what you did for this chopped up guy here, I think we could add miracle worker to that title. An exceptionally hot one at that."

  Stryker kicked the bottom of Maximus's foot. "Shut up and let her do her thing."

  "Yeah, yeah." Maximus lowered his glasses and leaned back while I wiped antiseptic on his arm.

  Flint leaned into the ice chest for a beer. "Stryker says you've been up on the mountain for a few years. Are we the first Boys of Wynter you've met?"

  "You are." I continued with my first aid task. It was a big arm and a fairly big cut but not deep enough for stitches.

  Wilder lifted his head up. "So what do you think? Do we live up to everything you've no doubt heard?"

  I cast a half smile Stryker's direction. He, too, waited for a response. "Let's just say you guys are everything I expected, and you are nothing I expected."

  Maximus laughed. "Not sure how we should take that."

  "Just like it sounds." I patted his shoulder. "Looks like we won't have to amputate." I cleaned up the supplies and went over to sit next to Stryker. Gunner had gone back up to the house to sit in the shade of the overhang. His winter coat was too much for a sunny beach.

  Flint pushed his sunglasses up on his head. He had an unusual eye color that reminded me of smoke. "Are you going to leave us hanging, Willow?"

  I grabbed my sandwich out of the ice chest and sat back next to Stryker. "Well, the usual stories about your less than savory reputations seem to hold true after I had the opportunity to sit in the back of the Seven Sins like an invisible fly on the wall." I flicked a glance at Stryker. "And because I've been spending some time with this guy. But just now, the way you three guys ran toward the water, tight with worry that Maximus might be in trouble—that wasn't something I expected. I wasn't expecting a—" I paused looking for the right word.

  "A human side?" Wilder filled in the blank.

  "Yes. It's a nice surprise."

  "I think we can credit Nessa with that unexpected quality." Stryker reached up and absently combed some strands of hair back from my face.

  I looked over at him and for a quiet second our gazes stuck together. We looked at each other as if we were all alone, silently declaring our love for each other. The lid of the ice chest popping open reminded us that we
weren't alone.

  I pulled off a piece of sandwich. "Nessa, I've heard of her. She's half witch, right? She raised you? All together? That sounds like a tough job."

  "You could say that." Flint tipped back the beer and sighed after he swallowed. "We managed to get kicked out of school by the time we were eleven. Although, it wasn't really a school, just a couple of rooms in an old building on the east side of Oldfall Island."

  "Oldfall Island? I've heard they have wild boars on that island." That added detail earned a laugh from all of them. When the four of them laughed, it sounded like a full set of bass drums being beaten all at once.

  "Now you have to tell me what's so funny." I knew I couldn't finish the whole sandwich, so I broke off half and handed it to Stryker.

  Stryker took a bite and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "A wild boar was the final offense that got us kicked out of school for good. There was this ornery old boar who liked to snuffle in the garbage outside of Nessa's cottage. She had named his Rasputin because she was sure he was evil. One morning we were running late for school, but Nessa never let us leave without finishing breakfast. Flint is a slow eater, so Nessa wrapped up a couple of boiled eggs for him to eat on the way to school. Well, Rasputin smelled those eggs with his gristly old snout, and he decided to follow us. By the time we got to the schoolhouse, we'd hatched a plan to sneak Rasputin into the school room. We thought it'd be a fun little surprise for the teacher. That damn wild pig went nuts inside the school. He destroyed half the desks and even tore up the library books."

  Wilder sat up on the towel. "I just want to say I was not part of the pig plan. I wasn't even walking with these guys that morning."

  Maximus shook his head. "No, you were at school early so you could hide behind the building kissing Tracy Rothman." Maximus turned toward me. "Which he got caught doing. Did I mention that Tracy Rothman was the teacher's daughter? Yep, that was a morning of big mistakes. They called Nessa and told her we were just to wild for a regular classroom. They let Danique stay, but she wasn't too happy to be there without us."