Paris (The Adlers Book 4) Read online

  Paris

  By

  Avery Gale

  PARIS

  Copyright © 2019 by Avery Gale

  ISBN: 978-1-944472-78-8

  EPUB Edition

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER

  Avery Gale

  averygale.com

  Cover Design by Jess Buffett at Sinfully Sweet Designs

  Editing by Sandy Ebel at Personal Touch Editing

  Proofreading and Second Edits by Karen Bailey

  The Adlers

  The siblings. Their occupations and ages at the beginning of the series:

  Austin – 31 – CEO of the family oil conglomerate based in Austin, TX. Married to magical, Charlotte, who is expecting at the end of Austin’s book.

  Asia – 30 – Ruthless legal eagle for the family business. Shifter.

  Bronx – 29 – Owns a string of car dealerships in partnership with brother, Cleveland.

  Cleveland – 28 – Race car driver.

  Brooklyn – 27 – Retrieval expert for big insurance companies. Semi-retired in subsequent books. Security consultant. Married to Luke Grayson, lives in New Mexico.

  Catalina – 26 – Freelance intelligent agent, working with the CIA, MI6, Mossad, and others. Travels the world as a successful jewelry designer.

  Israel – 25 – Security expert and tracker.

  Kensington – 24 – Actor.

  London – 23 – Chemist/Researcher. Married to shifters, Elijah & Evan Monroe, lives outside Boston.

  Paris – 22 – Recent College Graduate.

  Watch this page for updates in subsequent books in this series.

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  About the Adlers

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Epilogue

  Other Books by Avery Gale

  Chapter One

  Fuckity Fuck. Paris Adler felt like she’d replaced one stalker with another. For Goddess’ sake, what kind of cop stood in the shadows watching a woman swim naked? Mentally rolling her eyes, Paris had to admit there were several significant differences between the man who’d sent her life in California spiraling out of control and the hot Sheriff currently standing in the shadows, shrouded in semi-darkness. Get it together, Paris. Real stalker versus cop stalker. Giving herself a mental forehead slap, Paris decided it was entirely possible she was losing her mind. I’m going to end up in some fancy sanitarium, eating checkers and watching classic movies all day if I don’t yank my head out of my backside.

  The whole situation in California was a textbook case of what, Paris later learned, was referred to as victim grooming. The man and the fiasco she’d run from on the west coast had snuck up on her. Her friendship with David Lamb had been easy—too easy as it turned out. He’d slipped past her well-honed defenses, befriending her their freshman year. David had been her biggest supporter and the shoulder she cried on when her life started spiraling out of control her senior year. Yeah, no irony there!

  Agreeing to house-sit for her sister, London, and her two husbands, Elijah and Evan Monroe, while they were on their honeymoon had been an easy yes. As far as her family knew, she was on a short break, awaiting graduation when, in fact, she was finished with school and had already been presented her diploma. There wasn’t a chance in hell she was going back to California for a ceremony that would put her anywhere near her former friend. Hell, his messages—and she’d received a lot of them—had sworn he would kill her before he let her go.

  For the first time since she dove naked into the Monroe’s sheltered pool, Paris was so distracted, she lost the rhythm of her stroke. Recovering quickly, she flipped in time to turn and shove off the wall into another lap. The man lurking in the dark watched her with such intensity, it radiated off him in waves. She hadn’t realized he was close until she’d already stripped, diving cleanly into the refreshing water.

  All she’d wanted to do was push her body to the point of exhaustion, hoping her mind would follow suit and she could finally sleep without the nightmares that had returned after her trip to the Caribbean. Now, she had a new stalker to contend with, and if she wasn’t careful, Sheriff Stone could do more damage to her heart than David. The fear and betrayal she’d felt over the past year were devastating but losing her best friend had crushed her. Fucking hell, she’d better pay attention, or she was going to swim into the damned wall.

  Oh yeah, I’m sure Sheriff Stone will be monumentally impressed if you plow headfirst into the concrete wall of the pool.

  He’d been her assigned bodyguard during the Monroe’s wedding week. Paris honestly believed Sheriff Stone had tried to blend into the background, but when you are nearly seven frick-fracking feet tall, blending is damned difficult. Their last night in the Caribbean, her future sister-in-law had nearly been kidnapped right out from under their noses. Mr. I’m the Boss of You standing like a damned sentinel at the end of the pool had ordered her to stay with London. Of course, Paris being Paris meant she’d promptly done the exact opposite… and the good sheriff had been incensed. She wasn’t sure what he’d been angrier about—that she’d put herself in danger or because she’d blatantly ignored his edict. Damn it all to hell, as the youngest of ten, she’d been bossed around her entire life, and she was just fucking over it.

  She’d once again taken a mental road trip, losing herself in her musings and wondering where the world’s hottest ass had gone, when she was unceremoniously yanked from the water.

  “What the fuck? You can’t just yank me out of the water like an errant child.” Fuck a one-legged duck, she was naked, dripping wet, and so mad she could barely see straight. Swiping long blonde strands of hair from her eyes, Paris glared at the sheriff. She was already teetering on an emotional edge, the strain of the past several months was finally catching up with her. Damn, it frosted her cookies to admit it, but the simple truth was, if she didn’t manage to get some blessed sleep, she was going to implode.

  Going to the island resort ahead of her family to make sure everything was arranged to her sister’s liking had been both a blessing and a curse. She’d appreciated getting out of the country and knowing she was safe. Her sister, Brooklyn’s fiancé, Luke Grayson, wasn’t the only one who could do research. She’d quickly discovered the resort hosting the wedding was owned and operated by a former Special Agent. The entire facility was described in reviews as a virtual fortress, making her feel safe for the first time in over a year.

  Shaking her head, trying to refocus on the man whose monster mitt was wrapped around her bicep, Paris tried to push back the memory of how that same hand had felt slapping her bare ass, but her libido wasn’t cooperating. When he’d pulled her over his lap, she’d quickly discovered the man wasn’t just freaking tall… he was big everywhere. Feeling his enormous and rock-hard cock pres
sing against her side, combined with the heated slaps to her ass cheeks had been enough to send her sailing over the edge into the most intense orgasm of her life.

  Sneaking out after Sheriff Stone was asleep hadn’t been easy since they were sharing a villa. Damn her family for believing she needed a bodyguard. Her sisters better fucking stop all their daredevil bullshit because Paris was tired of having a net dropped over her when one of them stirred up some kind of trouble. Every time there was a threat to one of the Adler women, they were all suddenly on lock-down. But Paris had been so embarrassed by her explosive reaction to the spanking, she’d pulled out all the stops to ensure she traveled alone back Boston.

  Hell, she hadn’t left the secured compound of Evan Monroe’s medical facility since she’d arrived a week ago. She’d even used the underground tunnel connecting the home Evan lived in before mating with London to the family’s palatial residence next door. A large part of the neighboring mansion was used by pack members, including the commercially equipped kitchen, an Olympic sized pool, and a wide array of offices. The rest of the impressive structure was the private residence of the pack’s Alphas, Elijah and Dr. Evan Monroe, and their new mate, Paris’ sister, London.

  London had laughed when she’d told Paris how she’d gotten lost in her new home one night after taking a wrong turn. The irony of the situation couldn’t be overstated since London Adler was one of the most gifted medical researchers in the world. Her discoveries were going to change the face of medicine forever and knowing the woman with a mind that processed information at the speed of light had gotten lost in her own home was one of the funniest things Paris had heard in a very long time.

  Damn it, Paris, pull your head out of your ass and focus.

  “We need to have a chat, Paris.” Trinity Stone saw her eyes widen in surprise when he used her given name. He had a variety of pet names for her, some of them less flattering than others. Smiling to himself, Trinity took a few seconds to savor the moment—he knew Paris Adler well enough to feel certain rendering her momentary speechless was a sweet victory, but would undoubtedly be fleeting.

  “You could have just called.” Her mutinous tone might have been amusing if her body wasn’t playing from an entirely different sheet of music. And a sweet song, it is. The scent of her arousal was already masking the burning stench of the chlorine. The reminder of how his fingers had carried the sweet aroma of her cream, after she’d come for him after four swats, sent a damn-bursting surge of blood to his already aching cock. Fuck me, she is spectacular; it should be a fucking crime to wrap her in a towel. He’d pulled a bath sheet from the nearby warmer, but he was damned hesitant to use it, preferring the unobstructed view of the sex goddess standing before him.

  “Are you sure this is the way you want this to go, Beautiful? Hell, I’d like nothing better than to keep you stark naked while we talk—I assure you, the view is spectacular.” His eyes moved over the body he was sure would taste every bit as sweet as it looked. Trinity kept his eyes moving in a sensual slide he hoped she felt to the depths of her soul.

  “Baby, the moonlight loves you. It highlights your perfectly formed breasts, drawing my eyes to the beads of water racing to their sweet tips. Watching those drops let go of your candy-pink nipples might just become my new favorite pastime.” Truer words have never been spoken. When she finally belongs to me, I may keep her naked all the time.

  Trinity knew the first time he met wild child Paris Adler, she belonged to him. He’d stopped the little hellion for speeding and felt his knees weaken when she’d rolled down the window of her sporty rental. The phony look of innocence on her heart-shaped face had almost made him burst out laughing. Trinity hadn’t needed a mirror to know his nostrils flared as the scent of his mate reached out, the addictive aroma’s tentacles wrapping themselves around his heart. He’d been determined to hold back his desire until he was confident she was ready for what a relationship with him would entail. Who am I kidding? I’m not that fucking righteous—I’d just been afraid I’d scare her off. Everything about this woman makes me want to push myself balls deep and never leave her sweet heat.

  “Tell me about David Lamb, Paris.” Trinity felt a tidal wave of emotion slam into him like a tsunami. A virtual playbook of mixed reactions moved over her expressive face. Trin knew the youngest Adler was close to losing her battle with an internal flight or fight response, finely honed by generations of shifters who preceded her. Softening his stance and hoping his voice would reflect his worry, he continued, “Talk to me, sweetheart.”

  As the moon peeked out from behind a cloud, Trin could see the dark circles under her ocean-blue eyes and wondered if fear of her damned stalker was keeping her from sleeping. Baby, what you need is some wild, swinging from the chandelier sex, complete with three or four bone-melting orgasms—the perfect cure for insomnia.

  Trinity had learned quickly to expect anything from the youngest Adler, but seeing the towel he’d started to wrap around her slender shoulders fall away as she launched herself into his arms completely threw him for a loop. As much as he loved having the naked imp plastered against him like a second skin, the gut-wrenching sobs that followed were breaking his heart. Pulling another dry bath sheet from the warmer, Trinity wrapped it securely around Paris’ petite frame before moving into the house, his long legs eating up the distance to the master bath in no time.

  “I’m sleeping in the guest room down the hall.” He already knew the defiant little wench hadn’t used the room she was supposed to, but he wasn’t going to share that tidbit.

  “Didn’t Evan tell you to use the master bedroom?” Trinity knew dammed well his cousin made it crystal clear which room to use before instructing his security team to monitor the outside of the room but to forward the inside feed to Trinity. Trin had quickly phoned Evan’s people the first night to make sure they switched the feed; there was no way he was letting the guys in the control booth ogle what he considered his.

  He felt her warm breath on the side of his neck when she sighed softly in acknowledgment she’d defied her new brother-in-law’s instruction. Oh yeah, she knew she’d just given him another reason to bring the flat of his hand down on her perfect ass. Trinity had no idea how he was going to do it, but he was going to convince Paris Adler she belonged to him.

  Showing her they belonged together was beginning to look like it would be a hell of a challenge since Paris battled her attraction to him like it was her damned job. Tonight, was the first time she’d let him see her vulnerability, but he wasn’t foolish enough to believe it would last—and he didn’t want it to. Her pain was piercing his heart. Bring back the feisty woman who went up in flames over my knees a week ago.

  Before setting her on her feet, Trinity turned on the shower in the master suite’s opulent ensuite bath, quickly adjusting the temperature and pressure. He made a mental note to teach her how to run the damned thing before he left. Trinity had helped Evan install the high-tech spa, laughing when the brilliant surgeon called him every day for a week, asking how to turn on his own shower. Setting her down beside the rock and marble enclosure, Trinity was careful to keep his hands on her until he thought she was steady on her feet. Quickly setting out everything they needed before checking the water temperature one last time, he turned to find Paris sliding down the glass wall.

  “What the hell?” Scooping her up, Trinity settled her on the smooth marble bench inside the shower. He didn’t claim to know everything about women but knew they always insisted on showering after swimming—something about how the chlorine screwed up their hair and skin. As a teen, Trin had spent far too much time hanging around the pool and for reasons he probably shouldn’t mention, knew the women’s dressing room had a variety of hair and skin products the men’s locker lacked.

  Toeing off his boots and tucking his socks inside, Trinity kept an eye on the quickly fading sprite staring blankly at the rock and plant-covered waterfall in front of her. He could feel her coming apart and hated knowing he’d pushed
her to this point. Even more, he hated knowing he wasn’t going to be able to resist if she gave voice to the need he sensed pulsing through her. Unbuttoning his shirt and tossing it aside before slipping out of his jeans, Trinity knelt in front of her. Tipping her face up to his with a touch so gentle, he saw her eyes widen in surprise, Trinity locked his gaze on hers before speaking.

  “Are you sure, baby? Be very sure, Paris, because if I get in the shower with you, we both know where it’s going to end, and that means you’ll belong to me.” He wasn’t going to take what he knew she was going to offer unless she understood how it would change things between them.

  Every shifter was blessed with unique gifts, and one of his was the ability to understand another person’s motivations and needs. Trinity had always been able to sense the truth buried within someone—often before they knew it themselves. Any attempt to lie to him was futile—not only could he feel their authenticity, he could also smell the change in the person’s physiological makeup when they lied.

  “Please. I want you.”

  Paris’ whispered words went straight to his heart, then promptly detoured to his rapidly inflating cock. Damn, she was going to make him lose his mind. Standing, he pulled a condom from his pocket and laid it on top of the shower’s glass wall. Trinity leaned down to lift the petite beauty into his arms. Fuck me, she is so small. He needed to remember to go slow but wasn’t sure he had that much control.

  “Come on, Sprite, let’s get the pool water out of your pretty hair first, then I’m going to enjoy washing it from every inch of your hot little body.” He bit back a smile when she sputtered after he set her on her feet under the overhead showerhead. Moving behind her, Trinity squirted shampoo into his palm before pulling her out from under the spray. Washing her long locks, Trinity used his strong fingers to massage her scalp, smiling at her soft sighs and deep groans. Using the handheld sprayer to rinse her hair before adding conditioner to the long strands. The color of her hair reminded him of the waving fields of summer wheat he’d seen once years ago while driving across the country.