Alpha Province Sweet Miracle Read online

  He released the nipple he was suckling on and sucked the other one into his mouth. This time instead of drawing on the sensitive peak, he bit down gently, caging it between his teeth. Tami moaned, her hips surging up to meet his again. When he felt the fiery heat touch his balls, Jace knew it was all over. He lifted his mouth from her breast, stuck his thumb into his mouth, coating it with saliva, and then shoved his hand under her ass. After caressing his wet thumb over her star, he pressed the tip inside, drove his cock back into her cunt as deeply as he could, and pressed his stomach against her clit.

  Tami screamed as she began to orgasm.

  He growled as he withdrew from her convulsing, wet pussy and roared with rapture as he shoved back in hard and fast. Tami shook and shivered beneath him, still caught up in the throes of ecstasy, and he was right there with her. His cock pulsed and twitched as cum spumed up his shaft and out the tip of his dick, spurting deeply into his mate’s pussy and womb. Bright white lights streaked in front of his eyes but quickly turned to darkness. Jace sucked in breath after breath, his lungs working hard as he started to come back down from such a climactic high.

  His wolf leaped forward, his canines elongating, and the next second his teeth were embedded deep into his mate’s flesh.

  Tami made a soft groaning sound as she shot straight back up into nirvana, and Jace was right behind her. He quivered and quaked in rapturous splendor as load after load of cum spurted from his cock. By the time he started to come back down to earth, his balls were totally empty with nothing left to give.

  After a few moments Jace realized he wasn’t bracing his weight anymore and quickly rolled them over until Tami was lying over him. Her breathing was still fast and shallow, and her pussy continued to twitch with aftershocks. He caressed his hands up and down her back until their breathing regulated and finally lifted his head to stare at his gorgeous mate’s face. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were closed, but it was the satisfied smile gracing her lips that cut straight to his heart.

  Tamika Darnel was entrenched in his heart and soul for all time. She was the sweet miracle he’d dreamed about when he was young but never dared to hope for.

  Tami had saved him and his brothers from a long lonely existence in the dark. She’d brought laughter, sunshine, and love into their lives, and he was going to make damn sure she knew how much she meant to him. He was going to tell her how much he cared every day until it was their last.

  Tami opened her eyes and lifted her gaze toward his. They both groaned when she brought her knees up toward his hips, his softening cock slipping from the hot confines of her wet heat. Their combined juices trickled from her cunt and coated his groin. He loved the sexy smell of their mixed scents, loved that she would never have another shifter hit on her since she was taken, since she smelled like him and his brothers as well as herself.

  He pushed his thoughts aside when she cupped his cheek, leaned forward, and pressed a soft, tender kiss to his lips. “I love you, Jace.”

  Jace’s eyes burned with emotional tears. He blinked them back as he wrapped his arms around her and tugged her back down to his chest. After clearing his throat and swallowing around the constrictive lump, he replied, “I love you, too, darlin’. So fucking much.” He kissed her with all the love swelling his heart, hoping she realized just how much she meant to him. Those three words just didn’t seem adequate enough for what she made him feel, but he was going to try and show her with actions throughout the rest of his life how priceless she was to him.

  He’d give his life without a qualm if it meant she kept hers.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chad’s gut fluttered with excitement the closer he got to Ambrose. He wouldn’t arrive until later that day or early tomorrow morning, but for some reason, he felt that he was going to find her. Tamika Darnel had been the bane of his existence for weeks, and when he thought he was going to fail, he’d finally found her trail.

  He checked his mirrors and switched lanes and tried to calculate the approximate time he’d hit the outskirts of Ambrose. If he continued driving through the night, only stopping for the restroom as well as coffee and food breaks, he’d might be able to get their sooner than he’d estimated. Chad nodded and smiled. He has a very good feeling about all of this. He’d have Tamika in his clutches sooner rather than later, and then he’d get his hands on all that money.

  He was surprised that the law officers hadn’t been able to follow the trail, but he hadn’t found it easy either. The bitch’s father or the fucker who’d hired him had been smart. Instead of putting the money in the cunt’s bank account under her name, the dad had used his daughter’s first name and his deceased wife’s maiden name. Luckily for him, he wasn’t stupid. He’d investigated as deeply as he could into Tamika’s life and had been surprised over her occupation as a hairdresser. He wondered if her old man had been happy about her chosen profession. Not that it mattered since he was now dead.

  What mattered to Chad was getting his hands on all the money squirrelled away. Then he’d never have to work another day in his life.

  * * * *

  Tami sank back in her seat with a contented sigh. Her guys had cooked her a delicious dinner of steak, a loaded hot potato with sour cream, and salad. She’d helped of course, telling them how long to cook things for. If she hadn’t the meat would have been charcoal. After all the physical activity she’d gotten today making love to her guys at intervals throughout the duration, she’d been starving. Now she was so full, she didn’t want to move. However, she was going to clean up since her mates had done most of the hard work of preparing such a wonderful meal.

  She drained the last of her white wine from her glass and rose.

  “What’s wrong, baby?” Zayn asked before sipping on his beer.

  “Nothing’s wrong.” She smiled at him. “In fact, everything’s right with the world.” As she finished saying those words, a shiver of apprehension skated up her spine, but she quickly pushed it away. She wasn’t about to let trepidation regarding an unknown danger take away the happiness and love in her heart. She had three amazing men to spend the rest of her life with, and she wasn’t about to let anything jeopardize that.

  “What are you doing, honey?” Karter asked.

  “I thought since you all cooked such a wonderful dinner, I’d clean up.”

  Jace shoved to his feet. “You don’t have to do that, darlin’.”

  “I know.” Tami clasped his hand. “I want to.”

  “We can help,” Zayn said as he stood.

  Tami shook her head. “Let me do this. Please? I need to feel as if I’m contributing to the household chores, even if it’s just this small thing. On Sunday I want to clean, as well.”

  “We’ll all pitch in,” Karter said.

  “We will.” Zayn crossed his arms over his chest. “There’s no way in hell we’re letting you exhaust yourself on your one day off cleaning the whole house by yourself.”

  “I only work a half-day on Saturday,” Tami replied.

  “You still need time to rest and relax after such a busy week, darlin’.” Jace squeezed her hand.

  “Do you all work on Saturday?” She frowned.

  “Yes, but like you, we only work till lunch time,” Zayn explained.

  “Then why don’t we make a pact that the house cleaning will be done on Saturday afternoons? That way we can have Sunday to do whatever we want.”

  “That’s a good idea, honey.” Karter winked at her. “We can all sleep in and, if we want, laze about in bed all day.”

  Tami knew by the twinkle of heat in his eyes why he wanted to stay in bed. Her pussy clenched, and cream coated her folds. She was on board with making love with her mates until she was too exhausted to do more. “I think we have a deal.”

  “Good,” Zayn rasped out.

  Tami was so happy her heart felt like it was about to soar right out of her chest. She began to gather up the dishes and carried them to the kitchen. After rinsing everything and load
ing the dishwasher, she grabbed the cloth, wiped down the table, and kitchen counter. She’d just put coffee on to brew when the doorbell rang. She had no idea if her mates were expecting visitors, but she hoped it was one of the women and their men.

  Zayn left to answer the door, and just as she was getting some coffee mugs out of the cupboard, he returned with the Louis brothers following him into the kitchen. “Come and have a seat. Would you like some coffee, or would you prefer a beer?”

  “Coffee would be great,” Preston answered as he, Gabriel, and Liam sat around the dining room table.

  “Let me help you, darlin’,” Jace said as he came up behind her. He wrapped an arm around her waist before reaching above her head to the cupboard and more mugs.

  She and Jace poured the coffee, and while he carried the steaming cups to the table, she got out the jug of milk and grabbed the sugar bowl before taking them over for the others.

  “How’s the house renovations going?” Karter asked after sipping his coffee.

  “We’re almost done. We just have to paint the Gyprock inside and the outside walls,” Liam said.

  “We have to set up the landscaping, too,” Gabriel explained. “I hate gardening.”

  “Stop your whining.” Preston scowled at his brother. “Once all the hard work is done, all we’ll have to do is maintain it. Thank your lucky stars we don’t do landscaping as a business.”

  Tami couldn’t quite suppress her giggle as she sat down next to Jace. All three of the Louis men had expressions of disgust on their faces. “I like gardening. I’m sure my mates and I could come out and help you.”

  “Bite your tongue, darlin’.” Jace sighed.

  She turned to gaze at him. “Don’t you like tending to the garden?”

  “It’s okay, I guess. I do it because we have to so that our place looks nice, but if I could hire someone to do it for me, I would.”

  “I find gardening therapeutic. It’s peaceful to be out in the sunshine and fresh air while working. I didn’t get to do it often when I lived with my dad because he always had staff to do everything, but whenever I found the time, I used to love trimming the rose bushes and pulling the weeds.”

  “We might just take you up on that offer,” Liam said. “We’ve never really had the opportunity to garden since we lived in the city, but maybe we’ll find we like it.”

  “Don’t hold your breath.” Preston frowned at Liam.

  “So, what brings you all out tonight? Were you just hankering for a bit of company?” Jace asked.

  When all three of the Louis brothers glanced her way, Tami’s heart flipped in her chest and her breathing hitched. A knot of dread formed in her gut, and as much as she tried to dispel it, the trepidation wouldn’t budge.

  Gabe rubbed a hand over his face. Preston sighed, and the smile on Liam’s face changed to a frown.

  Tami looked at Preston when he started speaking. “We’ve heard back from our contact at the FBI.” She tensed as she waited for him to continue. Jace must have seen her tighten up, or he felt her anxiety through their mating bond. Or maybe it was both. He scooted his chair back, grasped her waist, and lifted her over onto his lap.

  “The money trail’s been found,” Preston explained.

  “That’s good, isn’t it?” Tami asked. She could feel the tension in the air, and from the way the Louis brothers were looking at her, what was said next wasn’t going to be good.

  “Yes and no.” Gabriel leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table as he watched her intently. “The money is in an offshore Swiss account in your name.”

  “What?” Tami whispered her question as she lifted her hand to her throat. She couldn’t believe what Gabriel had just said. She didn’t have a Swiss bank account. All the blood drained from her face as the implications settled in her gut like a ton of bricks. If the stolen money was in her name, the only person who could have done that was her father. “No.” She shook her head and gasped air into her burning lungs. Why would her dad steal from his own company? As far as she knew, it wouldn’t have benefitted him at all. Not if he’d tried to hide it and wasn’t spending it. None of it made sense. If her father had been struggling financially, all he had to do was give himself a pay rise. Wouldn’t he?

  “Actually,” Preston said, drawing her blurry gaze. “The money is in the name of Tamika Spencer.”

  “Spencer? That was my mom’s maiden name.”

  “Exactly,” Gabriel said. “Only someone close to you, your family would have known that.”

  “That’s not true,” Preston said. “It’d be on public record.”

  From the way Gabe was looking at her, he suspected that she’d known about the money and where it was all along. Her shock quickly dissipated, and anger took its place. “You think I knew about it? If that was the case, why the hell wouldn’t I have tried to access it? You have no idea how hard it was trying to flee Vegas with just a few thousand dollars in my pocket. I worked in cafes, diners, and hairdressers for cash so whoever had been following me wouldn’t know where I was. Someone broke into my house, goddamn it.”

  Tami slid from Jace’s lap and began to pace. Her emotions were all over the place. She was in shock, angry, and hurt. Why would her father, in essence, steal money from his own company and incite an investigation from the IRS, the FBI, and other authorities? There was no reason for him to as far as she knew.

  Surely, he wouldn’t have offered to buy her a hairdressing salon if he’d been struggling monetarily. She stopped pacing and spun back around to meet Preston’s, Gabriel’s, and Liam’s gazes. “He didn’t do it, and there is no fucking way he killed himself either. Someone must have set him up to make it look like he was embezzling, and maybe my dad found out. Whoever stole that money killed my father. He wouldn’t steal from himself. What would be the purpose?” She covered her mouth to stifle the sob building in her chest and waited for one or all of the retired agents to start arguing with her. Her mind was racing as she tried to think of countermeasures to their accusations.

  Zayn stood and hurried over to her. He pulled her into his arms, hugging her against his big, strong body. Tami quelled the urge to cry. She wasn’t about to give the other men the satisfaction of knowing they were close to breaking her. The silence that followed her outburst was fraught with tension. Now that she had her grief and anger under control, she wanted to step away from Zayn’s embrace and glare at the Louis brothers, but she didn’t want to see skepticism on their faces either. Maybe they weren’t impartial and had already found her deceased father guilty. If that was so, she wasn’t going to be able to accept them back into her salon again. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to treat them with respect.

  “You’re right,” Preston said.

  “What?” She drew out of Zayn’s arms and turned to face the retired agents.

  “I said you’re right. There’s no reason for your father to steal money from his own company. There’s no evidence as to who took that money, but our source thinks he knows who did.”

  “Who?” Tami flung her arms up in the air with frustration.

  Zayn looped an arm around her waist from behind before pulling her back against him. “Calm down, baby. Take a few deep breaths. I can hear how fast your heart is beating.”

  Tami did as Zayn ordered and regulated her breathing until her heartrate slowed somewhat. “Who and why?” Tami asked.

  Gabriel answered. “The agent thinks that Jeremy Browning is the culprit.”

  “Jeremy Browning? Is this person sure?” Tami asked. “He’s been my father’s right-hand man from almost the beginning. If he was in financial trouble, all he had to do was ask my dad for help.”

  “Would your dad have given the money to Browning or loaned it to him?” Gabriel asked.

  Tami frowned as she thought over her answer. “I think that would have depended on the situation and how Jeremy had gotten himself into trouble. If Browning lost money due to a bad investment, I think my father would have just handed over the cash
as a gift. If Jeremy was gambling or something similar, my father would have loaned him the cash.” Tami shook her head. “No, I think my dad would have paid whoever Jeremy owed and then got his friend the help he needed.”

  “What if Browning was spending money, living the high life as if he had all the cash in the world?” Liam asked.

  Tami opened her mouth to answer but quickly closed it again as her mind raced. “If Jeremy was squandering his earnings, I don’t think my father would have given him more money just to flit away on whatever whim took his fancy.”

  “We think you’re right,” Preston said. “Our fellow agent had all of the higher management investigated. The only person without a decent nest egg in the bank was Jeremy Browning. He likes to spend money as if it’s about to go out of style. He has two mistresses as well as a wife and two adult children. From the way his own kids are living, they haven’t seen a dime of Browning’s earnings. He wines and dines his two floozies, buying them expensive jewelry. He recently bought his wife a brand-new car and paid cash for it.”

  “He also paid thirty thousand dollars to a man who’s using a false name,” Gabriel explained. “From what our friend said, Browning hasn’t interacted with this guy over the last couple of months.”

  “What’s that got to do with me?” Tami asked.

  Liam wrapped his large hands around the now empty coffee mug. “We think Jeremy Browning hired a merc to find you, so he can get that money.”

  “But…but I didn’t set up the Swiss bank account. He had to have done that. Why would he need me to access money he stole and hid?”

  “We think he’s used your information and maybe even some of your DNA when he initially set up the account,” Preston explained.

  Gabriel nodded. “He didn’t think things through far enough ahead. He was being cagey and hoped to implicate your father as the embezzler.”