“You’re going to have to get a handle on delegating before you find a woman, or you’re never going to keep one. You work all the time.”
She was right. Hell, he’d only recently started delegating more of the responsibility to Cleveland, and he was his damned brother.
Settling his exhausted mate in his car gave Israel an odd sense of familiarity, almost like a preview of coming attractions. In a flash of insight, he knew this wouldn’t be the last time he carried his sweet, overworked mate out of the hospital. He planned to help her learn how to bring more balance into her life. Israel rolled his eyes at the irony of him teaching his mate to work less. Bristol was young, but she’d been on her own for a long time, so it would be hard for her to loosen the tight grip she kept on her control. It wouldn’t be an easy transition, and he hoped she’d learn to trust him sooner rather than later.
Reaching over her, Israel fastened her seat belt, then brushed his lips across hers and reclined her seat. “Rest, Beautiful. We’ll be home in no time.”
“I’m just going to close my eyes for a few minutes.” I liked the kiss. Wish I wasn’t so tired. I wanted more.
Smiling to himself, Israel closed the door and moved to the driver’s side. Slipping behind the wheel, he was surprised to see Bristol had pulled off the skull cap she’d been wearing, the brightly colored cloth clutched loosely in her hand. Taking her hand in his, Israel placed the cap in his lap before leaning close and pulling her fingers to his lips. Rest, Dr. B, I’m going to take such good care of you, you’ll never want to leave.
Driving to Adler Oil didn’t take long. This early in the pre-dawn morning, traffic was practically nonexistent. Israel enjoyed watching the soft amber light from the overhead streetlights fan over his sleeping passenger. The light danced over her wild tumble of blonde hair, glinting off the waves, giving her an ethereal appearance.
Israel wanted to commit the moment to memory. He kept her hand in his, enjoying the feel of her slender fingers against his palm. Parking in the private parking lot under his family’s building, he took a moment to enjoy the view. Bristol reminded him of the classic pin-up girls of the 1940s. She was perfect. Damn, he’d loved having her in his arms. She was a soft armful. He’d never been attracted to women who were supermodel thin, preferring those with breasts and curves.
The pictures in her file didn’t begin to do her justice. Bristol Banks was gorgeous on the outside, and the past few hours, she’d proven she was even more attractive on the inside. Sitting outside the club’s first aid station, he’d tried hard to filter what he was hearing from her. Israel hadn’t wanted to know all the details of his sister-in-law’s childbirth experience, but he’d wanted to track how well Bristol was holding up once it became clear she was running on fumes.
Moving around the car, he made a quick call upstairs to where the night crew manned a large bank of monitors. His staff not only helped secure all the public areas of Adler Oil, they also watched for any signs of trouble at any of the clients’ properties. The guys in the control room could operate the elevators with a few keystrokes, and Israel wanted to be able to carry his precious cargo without worrying about juggling her to insert key cards or tap in codes.
“Come on, Beautiful, let’s get you upstairs and settled.” She barely stirred when he lifted her from the car. The warmth of her soft sigh moved over the side of his neck, sending a surge of blood to his cock. Dandy, just what he needed his staff to see—him sporting a hard-on as he carried an unconscious woman into his suite.
It didn’t take long to get her out of her scrubs and into the shower. Israel decided the loose-fitting clothing was his new second favorite attire. He’d always favor short dresses worn without panties, but drawstring pants weren’t bad. Easy access was at the top of his priority list. Thankfully, Bristol was a natural submissive, which meant she responded perfectly to his instructions spoken in his Dom voice.
“I can’t believe I’m in the shower with a man I barely know. Frickity frack, I don’t even know who’s shower this is.” The words were spoken out loud—barely—but she hadn’t bothered to open her eyes.
“It’s my shower, my precious, exhausted mate. I wanted to take care of you, and I can do it better here.” Reaching around her to turn off the water, he pulled a towel from the warming rack. She sighed in contentment when he wrapped the thick bath sheet around her.
Spoiling. Flogger. Babies are sweet, but they sure like to put a kink in my kink.
Just when he thought he was winning the battle to keep his unruly cock under control, she mentions kink, sending a surge of blood south.
You’re playing with fire, baby. He sat her between his splayed legs on the padded bench at the end of the bed to comb the tangles from her hair. Pulling the long locks into a loose braid, he tied the bottom with an elastic tie, one of his sisters had left at some point. The suite he was currently using had been occupied by several of the Adler siblings at various times, so the bathroom drawers held a strange mix of abandoned accessories.
“Come on, Beautiful, let’s get you comfortable.” After settling her in bed, Israel took time to make sure the suite was secured, throwing the extra lock that would ensure none of his siblings could enter using their master key. They all had an electronic key, which allowed them access to any Adler owned space, but there were also special locks in case someone wanted privacy. Slipping between the cool sheets, Israel pulled his mate close, closing his arms around her. Bristol fit perfectly against him, her back pressed against his chest, skin to skin, shoulders to hips.
The position was comfortable and torture at the same time. Her scent surrounded him, and when he leaned forward to skim his lips over the top of her shoulder, the urge to claim her was almost more than he could resist. Israel knew it would be easy to get a yes from her—hell, she was so tired, she would likely agree to anything that would get him to leave her alone, so she could sleep. But as much as he wanted her, he also wanted her to make an informed decision.
Her mind went silent within seconds, and he knew she was asleep—it took him a lot longer to let go. It had been an amazing twenty-four hours. Kensington and Denali were finally legally man and wife, Austin and Charlotte had a healthy son, thanks to the woman in his arms, and he’d found his mate.
Fucking amazing.
Clovia Williams watched Master Israel lead Dr. Banks out of the hospital and frowned. She was hidden in the shadows, but the darkness wouldn’t have mattered if the wind hadn’t been in her favor. The scene Clovia shared with Master Israel had been months ago, but as a shifter, he would recognize her from scent alone. To boost Israel’s scent memory, Clovia had made certain he got regular reminders. Standing near vents when he was playing at the club, spraying the door handle of his car with her perfume, and tucking a perfume-soaked piece of fabric in his locker at the club were a few of the ways she’d helped imprint sensory receptors with reminders of their time together. Every time she remembered the night he’d shown her all the ways a Dom could please a submissive, her body launched into sexual overdrive. It had been their only night together—so far.
Since Clovia’s scene with Master Israel, he’d proven why he was a sought-after tracker. The damned man had been as elusive as smoke, drifting in and out of the Prairie Winds Club. Asking some of the other submissives at the club about him had been discouraging, but Clovia wasn’t one to give in easily. Israel Adler was more than a skilled sexual Dominant; he was also a highly regarded tracker. His reputation among the multiple shifter packs in North America was impeccable. He was widely considered by many to be Austin Adler’s chosen successor, despite being the seventh in age. Clovia had done her research after she’d realized Master Israel was her mate.