While I had been holed up in my parlor on conference calls most of the morning, I had no idea what Dustin was doing. I dismissed my last call and went in search of him, hoping he was in the estate, so I didn’t have to go hunting for him in the forest beyond the garden. Though, hunting my darling young alpha sounded quite fun. I dared to think that Dustin might have approved, too.
But when I neared the gym, I heard his heavy footfalls as he ran on one of the treadmills. When I entered, his scent surrounded me—clove, clean sweat, and musk. Gods, I wanted to get lost in his scent.
He glanced over and grinned at me. “See something you like?”
I chuckled and leaned against the wall next to the door. “I do. Should I show you how much I like what I see?”
Dustin winked at me as he stopped the treadmill. He wiped down his face with the towel hanging on one of the arms and sauntered toward me with a sure, confident stride. I loved the way he made me feel hunted. And I would always want him to capture me. He already had.
“What’s up?”
Grinning, I stepped closer and stole a sweet kiss that made Dustin sigh and made our bond sing between us. “I thought we might go on a date. Go get into something comfortable that you won’t mind getting dirty. And pack a bag with toiletries, towels, shorts and a t-shirt, and warm things you don’t mind getting filthy.”
“Are you taking me to another gym?” he asked, his eyes narrowed.
I chuckled. “No. But you will be showering after, and you’ll need a nice pair of slacks and a sweater for the last half of our date. You’ll also need very warm clothes that you don’t mind getting filthy. And layers. Add as many as you can while still allowing you to move freely. So, pack a bag, and I’ll meet you at your door in twenty minutes.”
He kissed me, licked into my mouth, and drank down my moan. Then he pulled back and kissed the side of my neck. “Showering there or not, I’d better take one here before we go doing anything. I stink.”
I leaned in and sniffed his neck. His scent wrapped around me like a comforting blanket, and I purred. “I quite like the way you smell after working out.”
He rolled his eyes and fought off a smile. “You’re weird.”
Grinning, I playfully pushed him toward the door. “Go on. Shower quickly.”
He kissed me again and left me feeling lightheaded from the love that flowed through our bond. It was a heady thing, one that made me feel lighter than air as I went to my room, following my trotting mate more sedately since I had already showered.
Twenty minutes later, I stood outside Dustin’s door in the hall. I only waited half a minute before he opened the door and gasped. I had changed into a pair of warm, woolen pants, scuffed up boots, a thick sweatshirt I had borrowed from Don, of all people, and had my hair braided down my back, the tail disappearing into the back of my sweatshirt to ensure it wouldn’t get caught on anything.
Dustin stared, slack-jawed, for a long moment before he remembered how to work his jaw. “Cass… I didn’t know you even owned a sweatshirt.”
“Don’s.”
He snorted and hefted his duffel bag over his shoulder and toed at mine that lay at my feet. It was about as heavy as his seemed. And before I could bend down and pick it up, Dustin had it over his other shoulder and gave me a sunny smile that lit up his entire face, making his silver eyes sparkle. “Come on. I’m dying to know what you have up your sleeves.”
“Oh, you shall see soon enough.” I leaned into him and sniffed his neck again with a purr. “You still smell good.”
He laughed and pushed me toward the front door, keeping his hand on my back until we reached the coat closet, where he switched from my back to my ass. If he kept that up, I might have to postpone until tomorrow and have my alpha take exquisite care of me.
When I glanced back, heat in my eyes, he squawked, “Oh, no, you don’t! We’re going!”
“Then keep your hands in safe places, beauty. I cannot be held responsible for my actions if you keep feeling me up.”
He winked at me as he set down the two bags and slipped into his winter coat. I hated for him to wear it where we were going, but at least it would keep him warmer than the leather jacket he was so fond of, and it wasn’t as “fancy” as the camel undercoat trench coat he had first worn.
“Cass? What’s that?”
The low whine from outside grew closer, and I grinned. “Our transport. Come, or we’ll be late.”
Dustin picked up both bags, threw the door open, and sprinted outside to see our transportation for the evening. A state-of-the-art shuttle hovered over the grass in the front lawn, the propulsion systems keeping it at just the right height to board the craft without it ruining the grass.
My beauty gawked until I poked him in the side. The oblong craft’s side opened into a set of carpeted stairs. The pilot stood aside with a pleasant smile and took the bags from Dustin. “Welcome aboard the Iris. Please watch your step and get comfortable. We will arrive at our destination in twenty minutes.”
As I expected, the moment the shuttle took off, Dustin was everywhere as if he couldn’t help himself but move from one window to the next, check out the lavatory, the refreshments bar where he grabbed a can of soda, and finally, the cockpit to talk with the pilot. And by the time we landed, he was on an adrenaline high and bouncing around with endless energy that I found endearing.
“Why are we in the mountains?” he asked excitedly. “How did this thing land in the middle of a forest without killing trees?
“A surprise,” I said, “a because I hired the best shuttle pilot on the east coast.”
“So cool!” he practically squealed.
We left our bags in the shuttle, and it took off as I led Dustin through a well-worn trail toward the cliff not far ahead. When we got there, Dustin did squeal. “Zip lining? Are you fucking serious?” He bounced on the balls of his feet and pumped a fist in the air. “Yes!”
Laughing, I pulled him close and kissed his smiling lips. “Yes. I thought you might enjoy it.”
“I’ve always wanted to go!”
“Well, now is your chance. Let us get in line.”
“You are so getting laid tonight,” he said quietly as he stuffed his hand in my ass pocket. “Hell, you may get laid in the shuttle. This may qualify for exhibitionism.”
I snickered but remained quiet until it was our turn. “Do you want to go first?”
“Fuck, yes!”
The person manning the zip line helped Dustin into the harness and gave him the rundown of the rules, safe practices, and dangers, making sure Dustin understood before hooking him up to the line that dropped down and disappeared into the dense fog below.
When the man gave him the okay to jump off, my heart thudded in my stomach, and I almost cried out for him. His ecstatic “Wooooo! Yeeeaaaah!” echoed through the canyon, buoying my resolve. He wasn’t going to die. And neither would I.
Some minutes later, the guide’s CommLink dinged, and he motioned me forward. “Your turn. Are you ready?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And you heard everything and understood everything I said to your boyfriend?”
“Yes,” I replied. I recited the instructions back to him, and he nodded his assent as he helped me into the harness and checked me over to make sure everything was in place and in working condition.
Without any preamble, he shoved me off the cliff, and I zipped down the line with my heart in my throat and my stomach right behind it. Now I understood why Dustin sounded so excited. Even though it felt like my insides would exit through my spine, I let out a whoop that echoed back to me and let the adrenaline rush sweep me under.
The scenery moved past so swiftly that I was only able to steal glances through fog-shrouded forest and craggy rock formations that lined the canyon below and around me. Trees zipped by, some hanging precariously from the rock face. I passed inches from treetops, between trees that I felt would be too close together but just barely fit me past.
The ride, however, was all-too-short, and soon I stood on solid ground again. And the moment I was out of the harness, I had arms full of my beautiful alpha excitedly jumping up and down while hugging me before Dustin settled and kissed me breathless while those who had taken the zip line before us catcalled and made a good-natured fuss.
“Oh, my God,” he said when he finally released my lips so we could breathe. “That was the best thing ever! I’ve never had that much fun! Can we go again?”
Laughing, I pulled him against me and led him toward where the shuttle waited in the clearing a few hundred yards into the forest. “Not today, or we won’t get to the next part of our date!”
He bounced all the way back to the shuttle, and we settled down with a snack of apples and cheddar cheese with saltine crackers while Dustin relayed his trip down the zip line in great detail, entertaining the pilot between bites of his cheesy apple goodness.
“Seriously,” Dustin said once he’d finished his story. “I think you’ll never be able to top that date.”
I lifted a single brow and said as seriously as I was able, “Is that a challenge, beauty?”
“Fuck, yes, it is!”
The easy laughter brightened my soul, and I relaxed back in my seat for the twenty-minute flight to our next destination. The great thing about these shuttles was that they were cleared to land anywhere, even parking lots, so long as the lot had enough room to land.
When we disembarked, Dustin looked at the nondescript building while shouldering our bags. “A gym?”
“Oh, don’t sound so downtrodden,” I said, poking him in the ribs. “Let us go and see what is inside.”
He followed me inside, and we went into the men’s locker area, where I prodded Dustin to get into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. And when we exited without our shoes into the building’s interior, he clutched my hand and looked back at me with a grin that nearly split his face in half.
“Rock climbing?” He kissed my cheek. “Yeah. Yep. You’re definitely getting laid tonight.”
“Let’s get outfitted and get to the wall,” I said against his neck. I nibbled lightly at the flesh there before heading over to the desk to sign in and sign the waivers that would absolve the rock-climbing company from any liability if we fell and hurt ourselves.
Once we were harnessed and kitted out with special rented shoes, Dustin stood at the base of the wall and bit his lip.
“Race to the top?” I challenged.
He gave me a calculating stare, and after a moment, he said, “Go!” and started climbing with surprising speed and agility considering his size and warrior physique.
I kept in pace with him, my chalked hands finding purchase with ease as if I had been doing this for ages. In reality, I was barely hanging on. Letting Dustin know that, though, was a recipe for disaster. I had to remember that there were men on the ground, keeping tension on our lines in case one or both of us fell.
By the time I reached the top, Dustin was waiting for me, and his eyes twinkled with amusement. “You did well.”
“Not good enough, I fear,” I said in exaggerated dismay.
“You let me win, didn’t you?” he accused.
I gave him a look that had him holding his sides as he laughed while he hung from the line. “Okay. Maybe you didn’t let me win. Think you can get up the advanced wall?”
I blinked at him. “Advanced wall?” Looking down, then back at Dustin, my face must have shown my confusion because he just grinned and started climbing down. “This was the baby wall, Cass.”
“It was… what?”
He pointed around, and my heart thudded. We were surrounded by children.
“This is the kiddie wall.”
“Oh, gods…”
Dustin gave me a sympathetic smile and climbed over to me. “You don’t have to, Cass. I’d never ask you to do something you’re uncomfortable with unless you needed a kick in the ass for something important. We can stick to the amateur walls. This is still a kick-ass date.”
I looked down at the blue wall covered in multicolored “rocks” and looked back up to Dustin. “I’d like to stick to the easy walls. I may be able to go on the intermediate ones once I get accustomed to climbing.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do.”
“Though, if you want to go on the more challenging walls, I won’t mind watching. You are very easy on the eyes, and your muscles make me weak.”
He gave me a lopsided grin as we finally got back onto solid ground. He really did have a warrior’s build—muscular with broad shoulders leading down to a narrow waist and powerful legs. It made me think that when he completed his transformation, he would be defunct—unable to use higher level magics other than light wisps and other simple things that every elf could do.
My train of thought eroded when he went to a wall that had not only vertical areas but also handholds on the ceiling and at steep angles that made my stomach somersault. He chalked up his hands and headed straight for one that had a rounded top so that it was in the rough shape of the letter P. His arm and leg muscles bulged as he climbed, and I had to think of some truly disturbing things to ensure I didn’t get expelled for public indecency, especially with children running around.
When Dustin came back down and finished a few other challenging walls, his shirt was soaked, his arms glistened, and he had a healthy, happy glow to his face that made my heart melt when he grinned at me and stalked forward, grabbing me and nipping at the corner of my jaw. “I love you,” he said in a dark, growly voice. “This is the best date ever.”
“And it’s not even over,” I teased. “It’s almost time to go. Let us return our gear, get showered, dressed, and back to the shuttle.”
“You won’t get any argument out of me,” he said with a happy sigh. “Too bad there’s the pilot to consider. Otherwise, I’d blow you in the shuttle.”
A whine got stuck in my throat. “Dustin!”
“Not even sorry,” he said, laughing. “Not even a little bit.”
And when we finished showering, dressing, and got into the shuttle, Dustin grinned devilishly at me when he realized there was a door to the cockpit. He spoke quietly with the pilot, closed the door, and dropped to his knees in front of me.
“Beauty…”
The vision of him kneeling at my feet made me feel powerful at the same time it humbled me. My alpha was on his knees for me. And while I was in a daze, he quickly undid the front of my trousers, pulled my cock out, and swallowed it down to the root almost in a single, fluid motion.
I let out a strangled sound that made Dustin look up at me, holding my gaze as he swirled his tongue along the underside of my shaft and nibbled at my frenulum until my entire body twitched and writhed for him.
He held my hips down and set a quick pace that had me at the edge all too quickly. Dustin grinned around my cock, most likely sensing how close I was from our soulbond. He sucked on the head so hard I saw stars, flicked his tongue into the slit, and when he hummed, I crashed onto the other side with a shout.
Dustin drank me down and licked his lips with a satisfied smile before getting up and leaning in to whisper into my ear. “You might want to go get cleaned up, kitten. I can smell your slick, and we wouldn’t want you to ruin those pants.”
“Perhaps you should come with me,” I said breathlessly. “I may not be able to do it on my own. You sucked the strength right out of me through my dick. I shall never recover.”
He laughed—a joyful sound—and pulled me to my feet before propelling me toward the back of the shuttle to clean up. And the moment he entered the small bathroom and shut the door, I was on my knees and on his cock in record time. I couldn’t fathom leaving him unfulfilled when I could see his cock straining against the zipper in the sweats he wore. We still wore clothing we wouldn’t mind getting destroyed. I had plans. But my alpha came first. Literally.
We didn’t have time for me to tease him as I desperately wanted, so I sucked his cock like my life depended on it, and when he came with a grunt, I still wanted more. But that would have to wait until the last part of our date.
Still dazed, I sat back on my heels until Dustin tucked himself back in and gently hauled me to my feet. He was so careful when disrobing me, so loving in every stroke of his hand over my hot flesh. There were clean, white washcloths and towels hung on the wall near a small shower. He wet one of the cloths with warm water and cleaned my ass from all the slick he’d caused.
When he finished, he kissed the back of my neck, pulled up my pants and fastened them for me, then whispered, “Don’t worry, kitten. I’ll get you wet again later.”
I groaned but melted against the counter as he slowly wound my braided hair around his fist and tugged gently until I exposed my throat to his questing lips.
“So,” he said after we’d gone back to our seats, and Dustin had spoken quietly to the pilot again. “What’s next?”
I just grinned at him.
