The Wolf and His Wife

by Penelope Sky

  “If Maverick wants to repair his relationship with me, then he needs to put a bullet between your eyes and leave your body in a ditch. Then we can talk.”

  “What good will that accomplish?”

  “Justice—for me.”

  “I didn’t hurt your wife. I had nothing to do with it.”

  “You had everything to do with it when you took those girls away from me.” He was singular in his thoughts, only focusing on one thing to the exclusion of all else.

  “Would you have felt any better if you’d raped and murdered them?” I questioned. “Would it really have made all that much of a difference? Would the reality of her death be less bitter to swallow?”

  His eyes began to narrow once more. “Yes.”

  “Liar.” My hostility began to rise. “It would have made no difference. I’m sorry that your wife is dead, Caspian. But she is dead. Killing more people won’t bring her back. Spilled blood won’t make you sleep better at night. If you want to honor her memory, keep your family together. You’ve been doing a terrible job so far.”

  His hands came together, and his fingers tightened forcefully.

  “You need to let this go. You need to focus on the family you have left. Maverick won’t say this to your face, but he’s hurt… He’s hurt that things have gotten this bad. He misses having a father. He misses spending time with his family on Sundays. Now all he has is a father who is only disappointed in him. He has a father who doesn’t care that his sister is in rehab—”

  “Don’t sit there and tell me my faults. Your father was a worthless scumbag who didn’t give a damn about you. If he had, he wouldn’t have pissed away every penny he had so his daughter would be left destitute and married off to a stranger. Judge me all you want, but I can do the same to you.”

  “I’m not judging you—”

  “You are judging me—and I don’t like it.” He rose to his feet and got out of the booth. “Your little ploy worked this time, but if I see you again, I won’t hesitate to put a bullet in that pretty mouth of yours.”

  My good intentions evaporated in my face, and I seemed to have made everything worse, not better. I’d made Caspian feel insulted, and I only boiled his rage at a higher temperature. “I want my husband to have his father. Forget about me…and think about him.”

  He stayed near the table as he looked down at me. “You’re the wedge between us. You’re the reason my wife didn’t get the justice she deserved. If you want to make this right, if you want your husband to have some kind of relationship with his father, then you’ll do the right thing.”

  “Even if the right thing would devastate him?” I challenged. “I’m the best thing that’s ever happened to your son…and he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Tearing us apart would accomplish nothing. Your son’s happiness should be the most important thing to you.”

  “No,” he said coldly. “My wife’s memory is the most important thing to me—not the opinion of a whore.”

  The curtains fell, and I headed backstage to dab at the sweat that marked my forehead. I pulled the pins out of my hair and let it come loose from my scalp. People gave their congratulations as they passed by on their way to their stations.

  I looked in the mirror and wiped off the bright lipstick with a tissue. I tore off the fake eyelashes too. As more pieces of my stage makeup came off, I started to look like myself, like the person I actually knew.

  The second I stopped hustling, I thought about my conversation with Caspian yesterday.

  Nothing had changed.

  If anything, that man wanted to kill me even more.

  I didn’t risk my neck to save my own ass. I wanted to fix the broken relationship between father and son, to give Maverick what he wanted more than anything. But it blew up in my face…because Caspian was the biggest asshole on the planet.

  I felt a presence in my vanity mirror, a dark expression that followed me everywhere I went, even in my dreams. My gaze lifted, and I spotted the espresso-colored eyes staring into mine. With a slight smirk on his handsome face, he was delighted to catch a glimpse of me when I hadn’t noticed.

  My heart raced as I stared at Maverick, the butterflies soaring in my stomach and my blood running hot. He made me feel weak in the knees but strong everywhere else. He made my breath hitch slightly, like I didn’t get quite enough air with every single breath. My hands pushed against the vanity as I rose to my feet, feeling the faint smile form on my lips as I met his gaze.

  Even in heels, he was still taller than me. With that dark hair and those dark eyes, he was lethal in his charm. When he wore a black suit, it only made him more appealing. His smile widened as he stepped toward me, his arms circling my petite waist as he pulled me into his chest. My husband held me tightly then kissed me.

  Kissed me good.

  His hand gave my ass a gentle squeeze before he pulled away.

  I liked it when he did that—even in public.

  “You were great, Sheep.”

  “Thank you…”

  He stepped to the side and revealed his friend Kent. “You remember Kent. You met a couple of months ago.”

  “Yes, I remember.” We hadn’t talked much, but I remember him sitting across the table, his lips locked with a pretty girl’s. He was Maverick’s height with the same level of attractiveness—even though he wasn’t my type. “Nice to see you again.”

  “You too.” He smiled before he leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. “Damn, you can sing. It’s incredible that such a small woman can make such loud music. You must be tired after singing for two hours.”

  “I usually have some lemon and water after a night like that, but I love every minute of it.” I felt Maverick come to my side and wrap his arm around my waist, playing the dutiful husband in the public eye. But his affection didn’t feel forced or fake. Now it felt natural…like he wanted to hold me at his side.

  “Do what you love and never work a day in your life, huh?” Kent stood with his hands in his pockets, glancing at the pretty girls as they walked by. He turned his attention back to me. “Maverick and I were going out for drinks but decided to stop by and see the show.”

  Last time Maverick went to a bar, he came home alone. I felt relieved when there wasn’t another woman on his arm. It’d been a while since he’d brought a stranger home, and I’d gotten used to the exclusivity. I liked it just being us…no one else. But if he was going out for drinks tonight, then maybe our exclusivity had come to an end. “That’s nice. Thanks for stopping by.”

  “Want to come with us?” Maverick tilted his gaze down so he could look at me, his cologne fragrant. It immediately reminded me of sex, when the sweat from his body made it release from his pores. “We can watch Kent make an idiot out of himself.”

  “I never make an idiot out of myself,” Kent argued. “I always go home with someone.”

  “But you get slapped too,” Maverick teased.

  Kent rolled his eyes. “That happened one time. I was a little drunk and tired, and I just wanted to get to the point.”

  “What does that mean?” I asked.

  Maverick turned to me. “He walked up to a woman and, point-blank, asked if she wanted to come over to fuck. Didn’t buy her a drink or even ask her name.”

  Kent sighed. “Like I said, I was tired…”

  I could understand why that would be a turn-off for any woman. It was impersonal and rude. “I’m sure it would work if you did it…” If I saw Maverick across the room, I’d do anything to get him to come home with me. I’d be the one buying him a drink. I’d be the one pushing the other girls out of the way so I could have his attention.

  He stared at me for several seconds, his stony expression absorbing my words like it took a few moments to process them. I just gave him the biggest compliment of his life. “Doesn’t mean much unless it worked with the right woman.”

  I held his gaze, the pulse loud in my ears and rampant in my neck. “I still think it would work…”

&nbs
p; “You drink scotch?” Kent asked in surprise.

  “She smokes cigars too.” Maverick brought his glass to his lips and took a drink.

  I swirled my glass before I brought it to my lips. “My father drank and smoked a lot, so I just picked it up…”

  Kent gave me a look of approval before he pivoted his body in the booth and examined the women in the bar. With predatory eyes, he scanned the room for a warm body to take home.

  I imagined Maverick did the same thing—but tonight, he wasn’t.

  His arm was around my shoulders, and his body was pressed close to mine. Sometimes his fingers dug into my hair gently, the touch light and sexy. With his thighs spread apart under the table and his shoulders looking broad in his suit, he was the hottest man in the joint.

  And he was my husband.

  “What about her?” Kent nodded to the blonde in the corner. “She doesn’t look like a weirdo who will ask for my number later.”

  “Asking for a number makes a woman a weirdo?” I asked.

  Kent shrugged. “You meet a woman in a bar to hook up. Pretty self-explanatory.”

  “But you might want to hook up again. And you’ll be glad you have that number.”

  “I doubt it.” Kent looked at me before he turned back to the girls. “What do you think, Maverick?”

  He stared at the girls and shrugged. “They all look the same to me. I would just pick one and go for it.”

  “You know…” Kent turned back to Maverick. “You’re a lot more boring as a married man.” He finished his drink and left the glass on the table before he scooted out of the booth and buttoned the front of his jacket. Then he walked up to a brunette standing at the edge of the bar and initiated a conversation.

  Maverick turned back to me. “Want another?”

  “I’ve had enough for tonight.” I pushed my glass away so I couldn’t be tempted anymore.

  “You don’t seem drunk.”

  “I hold my liquor well—like a lady.”

  “I think ladies don’t drink much in the first place.”

  “Then I’m not a lady.”

  He chuckled as he looked at me, the smile reaching the corners of his mouth.

  My hand moved to his thigh under the table, and I resisted the urge to press my face into his neck and close my eyes. My body wanted to relax into this man, to be as affectionate as I wanted. It was past midnight, and I’d already had such a long evening…and he looked as comfortable as a pillow. “You can join Kent if you want. You don’t have to stay here because of me…”

  Maverick looked into my gaze and watched me for a long time, his eyes focused like nothing would interrupt his concentration. His fingers moved in my hair slightly, and his thumb brushed against my cheek. He was a rough man, but he could be so gentle when he wanted to be. He could be anything he wanted to be…if that’s what he wanted. “You know this is the only place I want to be.”

  My eyes were locked on to his beautiful brown eyes, and my entire body was on fire. I could come a million more times if he lasted that long, but I’d already enjoyed myself plenty of times to get through the night. My nails clawed at his muscular torso, and I got off on watching his perfect body work to fuck me.

  His muscular arms were pinned behind my knees, and his strong back arched to pound into me at an ideal pace, kissing my clit with his hard stomach and then doing it again just a second later. His enormous dick buried itself deep inside me every time, hitting the perfect spot like a finger to a button. He kept tapping it over and over again, making my body convulse in euphoria.

  He’d worked long enough to please me, and it was time for him to reap his reward. I grabbed his hips and directed his pace. “Your turn…” I bit my bottom lip as I guided him back and forward, forcing him to slow and down and finish. He thickened slightly inside me, his dick pressing hard against every side of my channel and giving it a final stretch before he released.

  His body relaxed before the final shudder, the final bucks of his hips that were accompanied by a sexy moan that filled the bedroom. It was the sexiest noise he’d ever made, a masculine hum that complemented the dark furniture and deep tones of his bedroom. He rested his forehead against mine as he finished filling the tip of the condom, his chest more beautiful when it was covered with a shiny gleam of sweat.

  My hands moved to his ass, and I gripped both cheeks just as he did to me.

  He smiled slightly before he pulled out of me and walked into the bathroom to dispose of the condom.

  I’d considered asking him to stop wearing condoms altogether. I’d been on the pill for a long time, and I didn’t see the point in wearing something if we were both clean. But if we wanted to do that, it would mean monogamy. It seemed like Maverick was already in that place, but what if he wasn’t? What if I pushed for more and got his rejection instead? I decided to let him make the decision when he was ready.

  My eyes felt heavy because it was already after one in the morning. It’d been such a long night, but so deeply magical that I wouldn’t change anything. I sang my heart out at the opera, having no idea that my husband was sitting in the audience watching me.

  Maverick came to bed, turned off the light, and then got under the covers with me.

  I knew he wasn’t on speaking terms with his father, but I expected Maverick to figure out what I’d done eventually. He hadn’t mentioned it, so I assumed Caspian had kept that information to himself.

  What would Maverick think once he found out?

  He pressed his hard chest against my back and wrapped his arm around my waist. His face rested against the back of my neck, his nose buried in my hair. The darkness surrounded us both, our bodies warm in the luxurious bed.

  I was so tired, but I didn’t want to sleep. I wanted to stay there forever, to live in the moment. Wordlessly, we snuggled together, his fingers resting against my left hand where my wedding ring sat on my finger. I’d gotten so used to his bed that I never wanted to sleep in mine alone.

  There was never a more comfortable place other than the one right here—next to him.

  10

  Maverick

  “You’re so pussy-whipped.”

  I sat at my desk in the office across the hall from my bedroom. With a cigar in my mouth and my laptop in front of me, I worked while Kent talked on speakerphone. “I’m pussy-whipped, but not in the way you’re suggesting.”

  “I disagree. You’re so hung up on her.”

  “I am married to her…”

  Kent chuckled. “Man, I remember when you told me you didn’t give a damn about her. It would be easier if she got hit by a car and died or something.”

  Hearing that sentiment repeated back to me made me sick. It was hard to believe I’d said those words—and meant them. But now, I didn’t want anything bad to ever happen to her. She wasn’t a burden in my life. She was the one thing I looked forward to the most. “Things change.”

  “Which is why I’m saying you’re pussy-whipped.”

  “I wouldn’t take it that far. I’ve always been obsessed with pussy.”

  “But you’re obsessed with just one, specifically.”

  “Whatever. My libido is the same.” I took a puff and let the smoke float from my mouth. It was midafternoon, a little early for a cigar, but the urge had hit me. “What happened with your lady?”

  “We humped, then she left.”

  I chuckled. “That’s a nice way to put it.”

  “Paints a vivid picture, huh?” His laugh echoed back at me. “So, are your bachelor days over? If so, I need to find a new wingman.”

  Technically, I was married. My bachelor days ended a long time ago. “I don’t know… I wouldn’t put it like that.”

  “You seem committed to her. It would be stupid to argue.”

  “I am committed to her. She’s my wife, and it’s my job to take care of her. But I wouldn’t say I’m committed to her sexually. We’ll have our fun, but it’ll eventually burn out like all other relationships. We’ll go back to sl
eeping with other people. Then we’ll do it all over again…”

  “That’s romantic,” he said sarcastically.

  “A lot of men have mistresses. Keeps the relationship healthy. There’s no man on earth who can honestly say he’s happy with monogamy that spans decades. It’s not natural. It makes everything stale.”

  “If that’s how you really feel, you might want to tell her that.”

  “She knows.” We’d talked about it in the past, about casual sex between husband and wife. She would have her lovers, and I would have mine.

  “I don’t think she does, man. I see the way she looks at you…”

  I was tired of talking about my love life. “I’ll swing by later today for the game. Talk to you then.”

  “Fine, blow me off.” He hung up.

  I hit the button on the speaker and kept working, the cigar still sitting in my mouth.

  A few minutes later, Arwen poked her head into the room. “Working in here today?”

  “Just paperwork.” I set the cigar on the rim of the ashtray.

  She strode into the room while swaying her hips, looking sexy in a sweater dress with black leggings underneath. She had the kind of body that could pull off any kind of outfit. Right now, she looked like a perfect ten.

  I kept staring at her instead of my computer.

  She grabbed the cigar and smashed it into the glass bowl. “You smoke too much.”

  “Occasionally.”

  “If you smoke too much occasionally, you still smoke too much.”

  I grinned slightly at her wit.

  “I’m serious. Cancer is a real thing.”

  “I’m not scared of cancer.”

  Her face suddenly turned cold.

  I didn’t realize what I’d said until the idiotic words were already out of my mouth. They were insensitive and stupid. “I didn’t mean it like that… I’m sorry.” Her father passed away from lung cancer, and he wasn’t a heavy smoker. There was no reason why the same thing wouldn’t happen to me.

  She dropped her glare. “I don’t want you smoking anymore.”