Sedona Suspect Read online

  Her nipples were tight, begging me to lick them. I wet my lips as I ran my hands up her body. “I couldn’t shower without imagining taking you from behind, feeling you milking me when you came.” I kneaded her breasts, watching her mouth. “And your lips sucking on me has kept me up late, too.”

  She moved back, lifting her hips over my erection. She slid a finger into herself and then circled it around my tip. I could hardly breathe as I gripped her thighs hard enough to leave marks on her skin.

  “I missed the way you fill me.” She slowly settled over me, taking me in one inch at a time.

  “You feel incredible,” I whispered.

  She rolled her hips and leaned down over me, her eyes locked on mine. “I love you.”

  I wrapped my arms around her. “I love you, too.”

  And I did, with all my heart, soul, and body. It had taken me forever to find her and then to let her find herself, but she was worth every single second of waiting.

  EPILOGUE

  Natasha

  Three months later

  “Stewart Brothers Design and Construction, can I help you?” I said into my phone while keeping my eyes on Dex’s ass as he bent down to finish painting the doorjamb in my new office. I jotted down the carpet delivery date for the Leneer project and ended the call.

  After I’d finished my interior design program, I had gone ahead and signed up for more courses at the local community college to continue my training. In the meantime, Dex had talked me into joining his business, and although I had been nervous about it, it had been great so far. With my first design project under my belt and a glowing review on Yelp, I felt like I was on my way to a new career, one that involved much less bloodshed and a lot more beauty. My first try at reading my client’s aura and pulling just the right amounts of color from the energy around them into their living space had been a success.

  Never in my life had I even dared imagine I could be this happy.

  And it didn’t end there. Asher had welcomed me into the Sedona Pack. I was now their third jaguar shifter, and I’d carved out a little extra time to help Vance and General Sloan keep shielding the judge’s death from the papers. We wouldn’t be able to keep it up much longer. Vance was working on a death certificate and falsifying some crematorium paperwork. I worked on the will leaving all his assets to Becca, his niece. Once we had everything ready, we could announce the passing of Justice Jones, and then I could breathe a little easier.

  Sloan still seemed concerned about how the death of Judge Jones might affect Senator Hanson, but I couldn’t let it worry me. I was too damned happy. We even found someone to take over the lease on my little apartment in Phoenix.

  And tonight, Dex had asked me to save time for a date. I struggled not to pinch myself at least once or twice a day.

  He turned around, paintbrush in hand. “I think I’m finished here. I’m going to grab a shower and start getting ready.”

  “Should I dress up for tonight?”

  “No.” He shook his head. “You’re fine as you are.”

  I had to admit, I was very curious about what he had planned.

  He disappeared, and I tried to focus on an upholstery order on the computer. The next time I looked up, Dex was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, giving me an eyeful of his chiseled forearms.

  “Tell your boss you need to clock out now.”

  I chuckled and closed my laptop. “Okay, I’m done for now.”

  The doorbell rang, and I raised a brow. “Are we expecting anyone?”

  His grin made me laugh. Obviously, he had been expecting someone. I stood up, and the scent of carnitas and carne asada assaulted me in the best way. My stomach growled in agreement. I came into the kitchen to find Kaya and Vance unloading a catered dinner onto the counter.

  Vance glanced my way. “Don’t mind us. We’ll be out of here in just a second.”

  Kaya came over to hug me. I still wasn’t used to being part of a pack, but I embraced her and grinned. “It smells amazing.”

  Kaya stepped back with a playful spark in her eyes. “Hope you enjoy everything.” She looked over at Dex. “Those are my lucky tongs so I expect them back.”

  Dex chuckled, crossing his heart. “You have my word.”

  They left, and Dex lit candles. My pulse was already pounding. “This is fancy.”

  He shook his head. “Not done yet.”

  He brushed a kiss to my cheek and disappeared into the den. He came back out with a dozen red roses, but before I could say anything, he picked up the remote from the bar and the TV came to life on the wall across the living room, illuminating Pride & Prejudice.

  My eyes welled with tears as I covered my hand with my mouth. He came back to my side and took my hand. “Come here. I need to tell you something.”

  I followed him through the kitchen into the spacious living area. He sat on the sofa and pulled me onto his lap. “Happy three-month anniversary.”

  “Is that what this is?” I pressed a kiss to his neck, taking in his scent. “I feel bad I didn’t get you anything.”

  “Yes, you did.”

  I raised a brow. “I did?”

  He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles. “You gave me your heart, and you made this house a home. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  We ate our candlelit dinner and talked about everything and nothing, and when we finished, Dex made a bowl of movie popcorn. We settled in on the couch, and he put his arm around me, then brushed his lips to my temple. “I figured we needed a do-over on your dream date since the last time I brought you a dozen red roses, we didn’t get to watch your movie.”

  I smiled and hooked my legs over his. “This is perfect.”

  He pressed the “play” button, and I rested my head on his chest as Pride and Prejudice filled the screen. His fingers traced slow, lazy circles on my shoulder, and I listened to his heartbeat under my ear. My gaze fell to my wrist, to the tattoo of the lion’s head with the N emblazoned in the middle, and for the first time, it seemed foreign, a distant memory, a lifetime ago.

  Dex caught my hand and brought it to his lips, kissing my fingers. He peered down at me. “Are you okay?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. Better than okay.”

  I was finally, finally home.

  Acknowledgments

  Thanks for reading my books. If you enjoyed the story, I hope you’ll leave a review. Even short ones help new readers find the wolf pack.

  This was an emotional book that made me weep at the keyboard multiple times, but I was so inspired by the Pack’s journey as we head into the final two books that I couldn’t stop writing until I finished it.

  Big thanks to my fellow wordmakers! We challenged ourselves to write 20,000 words in five days and cheered each other across that finish line. I love writing with all of you!

  I’m in love with the cover for this book! Thanks to Fiona Jayde for taking the blurb for Suspect and fashioning a cover that caught the vibe perfectly. And I couldn’t send these books out into the world without the watchful eyes of my fantastic editor, Danielle Poiesz-Luby from Double Vision Editorial. Thanks for helping me polish this one!

  To my intrepid beta readers Denise Fluhr, Heather Cox, and Heather Hand thanks for reading this one so quickly for me and always inspiring me to write the next chapter! You rock!

  This book wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my amazing Patrons on Patreon! I hope you loved Suspect. Thanks for all your support and encouragement for my books.

  Thanks to my amazing Night Angel reader group on Facebook. You really are the BEST readers in the world! Bringing you Dex and Natasha’s story was an adventure. Thanks for cheering me on and posting reviews. I couldn’t do this without you!

  And to my husband Ken, thank you for your faith in me and for holding me while I bawl over fictional characters. You’re the best partner I could ever hope for. I love you!

  Other Novels by Lisa Kessler

  The
Muse Chronicles

  LURE OF OBSESSION

  LEGEND OF LOVE

  BREATH OF PASSION

  LIGHT OF THE SPIRIT

  DEVOTED TO DESTINY

  DANCE OF THE HEART

  SONG OF THE SOUL

  The Night Series

  NIGHT WALKER

  NIGHT DEMON

  NIGHT NOVELLAS

  NIGHT CHILD

  The Moon Series

  MOONLIGHT

  HUNTER’S MOON

  BLOOD MOON

  HARVEST MOON

  ICE MOON

  BLUE MOON

  WOLF MOON

  NEW MOON

  The Sedona Pack

  THE LONE WOLF’S WISH

  SEDONA SIN

  SEDONA SEDUCTION

  SEDONA SCANDAL

  SEDONA SURRENDER

  SEDONA SERENITY

  SEDONA SACRIFICE

  SEDONA SUSPECT

  SEDONA SANCTUARY

  The Sentinels of Savannah

  MAGNOLIA MYSTIC

  PIRATE’S PASSION

  PIRATE’S PLEASURE

  PIRATE’S PERSUASION

  PIRATE’S PROMISE

  Summerland Stories

  ACROSS THE VEIL

  FORBIDDEN HEARTS

  Standalone Works

  BEG ME TO SLAY

  FORGOTTEN TREASURES

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  https://goo.gl/56lDla

  Lisa Kessler is a Best Selling author of dark paranormal fiction. She’s a two-time San Diego Book Award winner for Best Published Fantasy-Sci-fi-Horror and Best Published Romance. Her books have also won the PRISM award, the Award of Excellence, the National Excellence in Romantic Fiction Award, the Award of Merit from the Holt Medallion, and an International Digital Award for Best Paranormal.

  Her short stories have been published in print anthologies and magazines, and her vampire story, Immortal Beloved, was a finalist for a Bram Stoker award.

  When she’s not writing, Lisa is a professional vocalist, and has performed with San Diego Opera as well as other musical theater companies in San Diego.

  You can learn more at Lisa-Kessler.com.