Dax: Single Daddy Shifters #4 Read online

  She stepped out on the crunchy snow of the meadow and headed for the drive.

  The enormous white pine lay prone. The melting snow on it made it look like a dying mammoth.

  Ava reached out.

  She felt the quickening of a tiny seedling pressing through damp soil to find the sunlight.

  She felt the bend and sway of a sapling on a warm summer afternoon.

  She felt the majesty of towering over the forest, branches outstretched in triumphant glory.

  And then she felt the terrible weight of the years and the weight of the snow, and the slender roots beneath giving way in a pain so terrible she wanted to disengage.

  But she held the tree in her mind, knowing it fully, honoring every part of it.

  Until at last, she opened her eyes again and lifted her hands.

  It was crazy to try something so hard. If she failed, it would be spectacular. But if she succeeded…

  “Ava?” Dax called to her. She could hear his footsteps behind her, but she was not distracted. She was glad that he would be there to see - one way or the other.

  There was a groan and then a shiver of branches and they shed the snow and ice.

  She lifted the tree with all her might. It moved slowly but steadily into the air until it was high enough that it could overlook the whole forest below one last time.

  Then she pulled it toward her, just off the path of the drive, and laid it gently in the meadow.

  “Ava,” Dax breathed.

  She dropped her arms to her sides, expecting exhaustion. Even the smallest feat of magic had worn her out ever since she first got sick.

  But all she felt was exhilaration. Her whole body was alive with delight, as if it had been caged and longed to stretch.

  “Come on, let’s go,” she cried, turning to him. “We have to save Christmas!”

  20

  Dax

  Dax drove all the way back to Tarker’s Hollow in a sort of happy haze.

  Ava sat beside him, delighting in her rediscovered magic. Every time he glanced over, she was lifting coins or toll receipts, once it was even a collection of pretzels hovering over her open palm.

  “Oh, sorry,” she said.

  One of the pretzels floated over to him.

  He snatched it out of the air with his mouth, crunching loudly, while she cracked up.

  They had regained cell service once they were about twenty minutes out from the cabin.

  Ben and a bunch of the guys from the fire station would be waiting to meet them and help unload. Everything was going to work out for tomorrow’s sale.

  And Carol already had the babies fast asleep at her house. She had encouraged Dax to take Ava home and relax. She would bring the kids by in the morning.

  Eager as he was to see the little ones, he knew better than to wake them once they were down for the count.

  He would have to have a talk with Carol about Ava. It killed him to think of how she might feel about her daughter being replaced in his affections.

  But it wasn’t like that, not at all. Hopefully she would see that.

  Carol cared about him in his own right, not just as her grandchildren’s father. Deep down, he was sure she would want him to be happy.

  “Penny for your thoughts,” Ava said, lifting a penny from her palm and spinning it in midair.

  “Oh, I’m just missing the kids,” he said. “But we’ll see them in the morning.”

  “I can’t wait,” Ava said. “I wish we’d brought them presents.”

  “They’re too little to worry about that,” Dax told her. “They just want lots of attention.”

  “Well, they’re going to get it,” Ava said with a big smile.

  He pulled up at the firehouse and saw that the lights were on inside, and half a dozen cars were parked in the lot.

  “I guess they weren’t kidding about being here to help,” he said.

  “Dax,” Ben called to him, jogging over as Dax hopped out of the truck.

  “Hey, Ben,” he replied, heading over to help Ava out.

  “Man, I am so sorry,” Ben said. “I got about ten messages from Matt at the tree farm yesterday morning. But you were already long gone.”

  “It’s fine,” Dax said. “It was no big deal. I’m just glad we got them here on time.”

  The other guys were filing out. Ethan Chambers gave him a wave and Dax waved back.

  “Well, we’re all just glad you made it back safely,” Ben said. “We don’t really care about the trees. Hey, Ava, good to see you again.”

  “Hi, Ben,” she said with a grin.

  “So, are we ready to unload?” Dax asked.

  “No, no, no, I don’t think so,” Ben said, putting an arm around him and walking him toward the parking lot. “I think it’s time for you two to get home. You’ve done enough.”

  “We don’t mind,” Dax told him. “It will go faster with more hands.”

  “Not a chance,” Ben told him. “We’ve got plenty of hands. Get out of here. Maybe we’ll see you tomorrow night at the tree lighting.”

  “Thanks, Ben,” Dax said.

  “Bye, Dax,” the other guys yelled to him. “Bye, Ava.”

  They turned back to wave.

  Ava looked really happy. Her shyness was gone, replaced with a sort of fearless optimism that suited her. It seemed like everyone took to her as quickly as he had.

  “Ready to go home?” he asked, realizing too late that he had called it home. It wasn’t her home - at least not officially - not yet.

  “Yes,” she said. “Very, very ready.”

  He caught the sparkle in her eyes and his wolf roared with lust, urging him to claim his woman.

  “Aren’t you tired?” he teased her.

  She shook her head, still smiling.

  “You’d better be glad we’re only a block from home,” he admonished her.

  She giggled and he grabbed her hand and pulled her close.

  “I love to hear that sound,” he told her. “If anything ever makes you sad again, I want you to tell me, so I can try to help.”

  “You can’t fix everything, Dax,” she told him, her eyes serious again.

  “Of course I can,” he told her. “I can make you feel better by having your back, even if I can’t solve the problem, and that’s what mates are for. But only if we trust each other. Do you trust me, Ava?”

  “Of course I trust you,” she told him, going up on her toes to kiss him.

  His senses were reeling as her mouth met his and she kissed him, long and slow.

  “Let’s go home,” she whispered at last, pulling away.

  They barely made it in the door of the house before he was peeling her clothing off as fast as he could.

  In between passionate kisses, they littered their shoes, socks, pants and shirts all the way up the stairs.

  For a moment he was reminded of the kids and their toys just a few days ago when he’d been trying to get the house ready for her visit.

  “What are you smiling about?” she teased.

  “What do you think I’m smiling about?” he asked, looking her up and down.

  She was so beautiful to him. He loved every inch of her, every curve and dip, from the shine of her hair to the tips of her toes and everything in between.

  “Let’s move,” he said. “I’m afraid I’m not going to make it to the bed.”

  “But it’s right th--” she began.

  He stopped her with another kiss, lifting her into his arms and carrying her the last two steps to his bed.

  She smiled up at him as he broke their kiss to lay her gently down on the bed.

  “Ava,” he said, lying down beside her. “There’s something we need to talk about.”

  “Okay,” she said, leaning up on her elbows. “But I can’t have kids, so birth control isn’t an issue.”

  “That isn’t it, but wow, there’s an upside to everything isn’t there?” he asked.

  She quirked an eyebrow at him and he leaned over and kissed
the corner of her mouth.

  “I wanted to talk to you about me being a shifter,” he told her. “There’s no easy way to say it. We mate for life. Period.”

  She nodded, eyeing him with sudden seriousness.

  “You can’t just change your mind,” he told her. “Well, you might be able to change your mind. But I can’t. Are you ready for that kind of commitment? We can try to take it slower if you want.”

  “I’m ready,” she said simply.

  “Are you sure?” he asked.

  “Are you sure?” she asked him teasingly.

  “I’ve never been more sure of anything,” he told her. “My bond to you is already so strong I’m not sure I could let go even if you wanted me to.”

  “I don’t want you to,” she said.

  “Then it’s time,” he said, joy rising in his chest.

  “Time for what?” she asked.

  “It’s time for me to claim you,” he told her. “To mark you as my mate.”

  “Is there biting involved?” she asked, sounding unsure.

  “Yes,” he said. “Though I’m told it’s more pleasurable than painful.”

  “I’m ready,” she said, turning her face to the side and exposing the delicate column of her neck.

  “First let me kiss you,” he said, his voice unsteady as he fought not to bite her instantly. “No need to rush.”

  She turned her chin up to him and he fell on her, kissing her with everything he had, hoping it made her feel half as good as she made him feel.

  When he felt her nipples go stiff against his chest, he slid down her body, massaging her breasts gently and tenderly licking her nipples until she whimpered for more.

  “Easy, my love,” he crooned, kissing his way down her belly and pressing her thighs apart.

  Ava lay back against the bed, her eyes closed in anticipation.

  He didn’t make her wait.

  She cried out when he pressed his face to her mound and ran his tongue along her opening.

  She tasted like heaven and the scent of her was intoxicating.

  He lost himself in her, lapping and lashing at her with long strokes of his tongue.

  When her hips began to lift to meet his mouth, he knew she was ready.

  She moaned in frustration when he abandoned her pulsing sex.

  “I love you, Ava,” he whispered to her as he crawled up to cage her head between his arms.

  She felt so good pinned under him, warm and quivering.

  He prayed for the strength to hold back until she was ready to be fully claimed.

  21

  Ava

  Ava trembled with need.

  Dax was holding her, his warm, strong body pressed to hers.

  She could feel the flex of every muscle, the swell of his ribcage with each breath, and the huge rigid swell of him against her belly.

  “Are you sure, Ava?” he was asking her.

  But she had been sure since the moment she’d arrived here, she realized. She might have always been sure, somehow.

  The events of her life rearranged themselves like puzzle pieces falling into place.

  This was the culmination of who she was meant to be.

  “Yes,” she managed to tell him over the swell of emotion and physical need that threatened to drown her. “I’m sure. I want you, Dax. I need to be yours.”

  His expression darkened.

  Then he was kissing her again, and she didn’t have time to fear the moment when he thrust inside her.

  He stilled for a moment, giving her a chance to accommodate his girth.

  Then he began to move with long, slow thrusts that made her see stars.

  “Dax,” she whined, letting her nails sink into his upper arms.

  “So good,” he whispered to her. “You feel so good.”

  She moaned brokenly, not caring what she sounded like. Her bliss was so close…

  She felt him slid a hand between them.

  He strummed the pad of his thumb against her clitoris.

  His mouth on her neck somehow accentuated her ecstasy.

  She didn’t notice when he bit down, only the pure pleasure when he let go and licked her neck as if to soothe her.

  Suddenly she was flying.

  “God, Ava,” he groaned, and she felt him swell impossibly inside her, jetting out his own pleasure as she lost herself in wave after wave of ecstasy.

  When it was done, he collapsed in her arms and she held him close, stroking his hair.

  She felt the same, and yet utterly different too. She was still herself, but elevated by their union. The feeling was exhilarating.

  But soon enough, his warm arms and the soft bed won out over her sense of wonder and self-realization.

  As she drifted to sleep, she swore she felt a joyful presence watching over her.

  22

  Ava

  Ava awoke the next morning to the smell of coffee and the sound of Christmas carols on the radio.

  She slipped out of bed and grabbed one of Dax’s t-shirts, putting it on quickly before heading into the hallway.

  Dax was just stepping out of the bathroom as she arrived in front of the door.

  He looked magnificent, drops of water still clinging to his hair, towel slung low around his hips.

  “Good morning,” he said, his deep voice doing things to her insides.

  “Good morning,” she replied, feeling the blood rush to her cheeks.

  “Don’t tell me you’re getting shy on me,” he teased.

  “The opposite, I think,” she told him. “But I need a shower.”

  “If Carol weren’t coming in twenty minutes, I’d get in there with you,” he told her.

  Carol.

  They hadn’t really had a chance to talk about how they were going to handle things with Jill’s mom.

  “I’ll be quick,” she said, making a beeline for the bathroom door.

  He stepped out of her way with a chuckle.

  “Don’t worry,” he said, as Ava shut the door behind her. “Carol loves us individually. She’ll come to accept us as a couple even if this morning doesn't go well.”

  “Mmm,” Ava said loudly enough for him to hear outside the door.

  Truth be told, she wasn’t sure how Carol would react. Ava didn’t have any kids, but she was pretty sure if she did, she wouldn’t want anyone moving in on their husbands, under any circumstances.

  “Enjoy your shower,” he called to her. “Coffee’s on and I’m about to cook.”

  Ava shook herself out of her slump of worry and got down to business brushing her teeth and cleaning up.

  By the time she came out of the shower a few minutes later, she was feeling more like herself.

  She slipped back into her room and dressed, then headed downstairs to find Dax.

  He was sliding fresh biscuits from the pan into a towel-lined basket.

  “They’re from a can,” he confided. “Don’t tell Carol.”

  There was a soft tap on the front door, as if on cue.

  Dax headed for the door and Ava followed.

  When he opened the door, Carol was on the other side, a finger pressed to her lips.

  Two click-in car seats rested on the porch on either side of her, a sleeping twin in each.

  “They do this every time we’re in the car,” Carol whispered to Ava. “It’s incredible. I live like four minutes from here.”

  “Come on in, Carol,” Dax whispered. “I’ll get them.”

  Ava watched helplessly as Dax grabbed the two car seats and headed upstairs with them.

  “How was the drive?” Carol asked. “When you were finally able to make it, that is. I still can’t believe you two dragged a tree off the driveway. Talk about commitment.”

  “It was fine,” Ava said, hoping she could keep Carol busy with small talk until Dax returned. She really didn’t want to have the heart-to-heart without him here.

  She was searching her mind for something, anything, to talk about when she heard his footsteps
on the steps.

  “We probably don’t have long,” he said softly as he joined them. “They go out cold in the car, but it doesn’t last. Let’s all have some coffee. There’s something we wanted to talk to you about, Carol.”

  Ava marveled at the easy way he had, even in a potentially stressful situation. Being able to turn into a giant wolf was probably a pretty god confidence booster.

  They headed for the kitchen and he poured steaming coffee into three mugs and doled them out, placing a carton of milk and a bowl of sugar on the counter.

  Ava grabbed plates from the cupboard and snagged a jar of honey and the butter Dax had left on the counter to soften.

  When they each had a nice cup of coffee and a buttered biscuit, Dax leaned back against the counter and smiled at Carol and Ava.

  “So, what did you kids want to tell me?” Carol asked, looking back and forth between them.

  “This isn’t easy,” Dax said. “But I think you and I knew this day would come.”

  Carol nodded and waited, giving him time to find his words.

  “I miss Jill every day, and I always will,” he said slowly. “But I’m ready to share my life again. And I’ve found someone to share it with. Someone who understands.”

  Carol, who had been nodding, froze in place.

  Ava held her breath.

  Carol turned her head slowly to meet Ava’s eyes, a question in her own.

  Ava nodded, gulping in her effort not to fall all over herself apologizing and begging for forgiveness.

  “Oh, honey,” Carol sighed, throwing her arms out and embracing Ava with a strength that belied her small stature. “I’m so happy for you. I’m so happy for you both.”

  “You’re not upset?” Ava stammered, hugging her back.

  Carol held her back at arm’s length. “No, honey, heavens no. Of course not. Jill loved you so much.”

  Ava fought back the tears. She had loved her so much, too.

  “Her only sadness was that you were alone,” Carol went on. “If you could hear how many times she would say, Mom, I just wish Ava had someone good in her life- someone like Dax.”