by Abby Knox
Vann laughed. “So glad to hear that I have your permission to date whomever I please.”
Turning back to GiGi, he noticed the apprehensive look all over her face again. “I was going to try to meet you outside. How did you get in here? The front door is supposed to be locked.” GiGi said.
Had he been thinking more clearly, and not distracted by that too-sexy-to-be-legal dress she was wearing, he would have worded his reply more carefully. “It was locked, but then some of your staff recognized me and let me. They were very … chatty … and giggly.”
The pink flush across GiGi’s chest told him she didn’t like the idea of her staff flirting with him.
Was she jealous? She was indeed. Her heart rate had sped up, just slightly. He could hear it.
Vann resisted the urge to smile about her reaction. He hadn’t intended to make her jealous; he did not enjoy her feeling that way, but he could not deny how much her twinge of possessiveness excited him. Their souls could tamp down the curse of their inner beasts as much as they wanted, but they could not deny each other’s most base instincts. The jealousy, excitement, and heat hung in the air between them for several seconds before GiGi awkwardly cleared her throat, stood up, and smoothed down the front of her dress.
Vann’s throat went dry as he watched her, his eyes gorging on the visual feast that was GiGi in that dress. He was pleased. Surprised that she’d done exactly as he’d requested, but pleased. Even better: he could see how pleased she was with her own body. There was absolutely nothing sexier than that.
“Sorry for barging in on your makeup session, but I couldn’t wait another minute to see you. Hope you’re hungry.”
GiGi
On the outside, Vann’s house was an unassuming, tidy little restored bungalow, tucked into a row of similar homes, some turned into art galleries, some into bars, and others as rental homes.
On the inside, GiGi could hardly believe this was the home of a celebrity bachelor. She was surprised by how traditional and inviting it was. Against one long wall were built-in shelves filled with books. There was a reading nook in the window overlooking the neighborhood street. There was a cozy seating area with overstuffed couches, floor pillows, and antique tables. The kitchen was enormous, as she would have expected. Warm, and a built-in brick oven in the wall. “This house is…quaint!” she exclaimed.
Vann chuckled. “Thanks, I think. I wanted a soft place to land, where I could relax, and be a creative space but also good for raising a family. I’m not much for the modern bachelor pad style.”
She goggled at the wall of books. “I can see that. I mean, I can see this room decorated for Christmas. No joke.”
He helped her slide off her coat, and one of the straps of her dress fell off her shoulder. His hand was warm as he fixed the strap back into place. “That’s what I was going for,” he said huskily.
GiGi could feel his eyes on hers. His deadly serious gaze made her feel both unsettled and excited.
“I smell fresh meat,” she said, glancing toward the kitchen area. I smell fresh meat? Really, GiGi?
Vann gestured for her to have a seat at the breakfast island and took out of the warming oven a tray of appetizers to feed a family of five. She didn’t know what to try first.
GiGi settled on a smoked salmon and asparagus puff pastry thing. She pulled it apart just to check his technique, and could see the layers. This was fresh and made with real butter. It melted in her mouth.
Oh my God, that is good. Then she felt his eyes watching her again. “Enough love in that for your liking?” he asked, pouring her a glass of wine.
“You win. You deserve the wedding contract.”
“I know.”
“Cocky much?”
“I worked hard to get here, and I’m not shy about claiming what’s mine. You should take a lesson. You’re a great chef and you should own that.”
“I do,” she said. “I’m a fucking awesome chef. Pastry and otherwise.”
“Good. Then I think we could be a good match.”
She looked in his eyes and knew it was true. She also saw something else there, but it seemed so ridiculous. “I’m going out on a limb here, but…you look like somebody else I know.”
He smiled. “And so do you,” he said, sipping his wine.
“What was it that Rosemary was about to tell me when you showed up tonight?”
Vann set out a board of baked Brie, pears, and nuts. “That you and I have met before,” he said.
“When?” she said through a mouthful of food.
“Behind your restaurant.”
She cocked her head at him and chewed her food.
“You mean in the kitchen?”
He shook his head and leveled her with his eyes. A strange otherworldly quality appeared in them that sent chills tracking up and down her arms.
The dog. The dog that she fed in the back alley wasn’t a dog after all, but a wolf, just as she’d expected.
“So when you say you’ve eaten my food, met me before…”
“When you called me Buster the other night, I remembered. We usually don’t remember what happens during the hunt, but you triggered something.”
She poked at the gooey Brie on her plate, deciding how to process this information.
“You’re the stray. The big goofy, gray stray I’ve been feeding every…”
“Thirty days, more or less,” he answered. “Yes. That’s me.”
GiGi nodded. “So when you said the way to your heart was through your stomach, you were not exaggerating.”
“I never exaggerate.”
GiGi sat and stared at her empty wine glass, thinking.
Vann refilled it for her, saying, “You’re going to need more of this.”
Chapter Eight
GiGi
“GiGi, tell me what you’re thinking.”
She met his eyes and said, “I’m thinking that I’m afraid you’ve already imprinted on me, and I’m dead meat.”
“What? I’m not going to eat you.”
Gigi sighed heavily and sipped her wine. “I think everyone in my life tends to get serious about their inner beasties mating for life when all I want to do is date. This is why I don’t date much. Does that make sense?”
Vann, to her surprise, laughed. It was a kind laugh, not a mocking one. She blew out a breath.
“That makes total sense. Do you want to talk about something else?”
She nodded, sipping her wine again. Then she watched as he reached across the island, his hand closing in on her face. “May I?” he asked.
GiGi wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but she decided to find out. All he did was tuck her lock of hair back behind her ear.
She smiled.
“See? People can just behave like humans and date like humans and touch each other like humans. Not everything is about mating and biting and destiny,” she posited.
Vann smiled but looked a little bit sad, in a way that made her a little scared. “Then let’s be human and get to know each other. What do you do for fun?”
“I spend almost every waking moment at the café.”
Vann pressed. “Let’s say by some miracle you had two days entirely to yourself. What would be your perfect weekend?”
GiGi sighed and said, “I would love to just get away. Get out of the city. Go out to sea, where no people are calling my phone and popping in front of me to ask questions. Just do nothing but watch the sun rise and then, I don’t know, read a book. I would love to just sit down and read a book.”
“Done,” he said.
“What does that mean?” she asked.
“It means I’m going to make that happen for you.”
“You can’t whisk me away. I’ve got a restaurant to run and a wedding cake to plan.”
“The café is fine without you for a few days, and you have months to plan the cake. Shit, woman, we both know if Rosemary and Ash announced they wanted to get married tomorrow—“
She interrupted him,
“I’d produce the best damn cake anyone in this town had ever seen. Without question.”
It was then she noticed that he was so close, the heat from his body rose off his skin and mingled with hers. He was so close she felt his breath when he replied, “Yes, and you’d nearly kill yourself in the process.”
“And who are you, my life coach? You here to save me from myself?”
“No,” he said, now nearly whispering and running his hands brazenly through her hair, his eyes traveling over what felt like every inch of her. “I’m here because you need to get fucked.”
GiGi, for her part, felt every sex muscle in her body contract with a fresh wave of anxious arousal.
Chapter Nine
Vann
She looked a little bit scared, with a glint of thoughtfulness in her eyes.
Of course, if she pushed him away, said no, he would go no further.
He hugged her small waist with his beefy arms and held her tight against him. The heat in her blood called out to him. She might want to take it slow, casually date. But there was nothing casual about Vann. As much as he put on a carefree persona for public consumption, he was a single-minded man, and that mind was all about GiGi.
“And you think you’re the one for the job,” she said with a smirk.
“The only one,” he said. His fingertips grazed her cheek. He traced a thumb across her cheekbone, and he detected the slightest of sighs and flutter of eyelashes. At this response, he took it a step further and laced his fingers into her locks of dark, wavy hair. He tilted his head close and brought her temple to his nose. He breathed her in. Her scent was strong but homey, like browned butter and spice. He closed his eyes and pressed his cheek against hers. The feel of her skin reminded him of bed, waking up underneath cozy flannel sheets on a frosty morning. How he would love to wake up just like that and reach over under the covers and feel her there, lying on her side, the curve of her hips calling to him…her rolling over to say good morning…her limbs reaching out to pretzel around him. Allowing him to wake her up with his mouth, plunging into her core, still warm from sleep.
GiGi sucked in her breath. It was just at the moment when he was thinking about what it would be like to taste her sex in the morning. Had he somehow whispered his desire into her ear? Had she somehow felt his thoughts?
“What are you thinking about?”
“I was just noticing how you seem very…happy.” He pulled back a bit to look at her face. Her eyes were open, and she was glancing downward. Then he realized why she’d gasped; his cock was hard as granite and pressing against her.
“Peaches, I’d be lying if I denied you were the cause of that.”
“I have to say…nobody’s ever used a term of endearment with me before you.”
“That’s a shame, ‘cause you are downright endearing. Didn’t you know?”
She laughed. “Rosie tells me that all the time. And…I guess I can’t be all that bad to look at if Vann West is getting a boner.”
“Don’t do that,” he said, slightly letting go of her.
“Do what?”
“Don’t put me in this untouchable box where I’m only a celebrity. I’m a human man with needs. And I need you.”
She scoffed gently. “You need me.”
“I need you in all kinds of ways, most of them in my bed.”
Her face flushed deeper. “You said you weren’t into one-night stands. I thought you were safe.”
“For the record, I’m anything but safe. I’m going to make you come undone, little one. Can you handle that?”
GiGi’s body shivered against him.
“I’m a fucking panther,” she said, squaring her shoulders. “Do your worst.”
Her pulse quickened. The animal in her rose to the surface, he could feel it. He stared at her lips as she spoke. They were thick and luscious and aching to be kissed. “GiGi, I have zero chill when it comes to you, so if you mean that, I don’t know if I’ll be able to control myself.”
Chapter Ten
GiGi
She froze.
But before she could run away, Vann wiped the fight-or-flight expression off her face with a deep, forceful but slow kiss. Her blood flooded all her dormant nooks and crannies with urgent, dark desires, but also relief. She had been aching for his lips all night.
While they kissed, he tugged up the front of her dress and pushed one thick thigh in between hers. She gasped at her body’s reaction to this. Her dress hiked up around her hips, she suddenly found herself riding his thigh, her body’s building need demanding not just contact but friction.
“I want to smell and taste every inch of you,” he said.
Her breath was a little shaky as she responded, “I want that too.”
God, she was so sweet and innocent underneath the tough exterior.
“I don’t want to hurt you, so we’re going to go slow…I’m going to make sure you’re totally ready for me.”
“It’s not that… I’m worried that I might hurt you,” she said.
He quieted her with another kiss, then smiled. “I trust you. Do you trust me?”
She bit her lip and nodded.
Vann slipped his fingers under the hem of her dress and hiked it up even higher, stroking her thigh. She let out a small sigh as they kissed, her gooseflesh rising at the touch of his fingers. He ran his hands upward and over her breast, squeezed a little, and felt her breath catch. She pressed herself closer into his hands. His thumbs worked over her nipples, and they became hard little buttons at his touch.
“God, you’re so damn sexy, did you know that?”
“I didn’t,” she said, her ragged breath causing her breasts to heave closer to him.
“I need to touch you,” she said.
“You’re going to let me taste you first.”
GiGi smiled. “I kind of like it when you tell me what to do.”
He returned her smile with a wicked one, scooped her up in his arms, and carried her across the room, thundering through the door to his bedroom.
His rough hands scraped against her sides, her ribs, and the sides of her breasts as he helped her off with her dress. They were so big, his hands. She looked down and saw how small her breasts looked inside his hands and felt slightly embarrassed.
But then she looked at his face and saw the way he was looking at them, at her body. Her average body with hips a little wider than they should be, breasts a little smaller than they ought to be, shoulders too sloped, neck too short. She saw none of that reflected in Vann’s eyes.
He had the look of someone who didn’t know which delicious morsel to take first from her. He finally chose to sit down on the edge of the bed and held out his hand for her to stand between his thighs.
She put her hand in his and stepped in close. Vann closed his eyes and inhaled her scent. Nipped at the fabric of her bra. Kissed her belly. Smoothed his palm over the front of her panties, causing her body to twitch with excitement.
“Closer,” he whispered, not waiting for her to respond but bracing her with his arm, pulling her so close he buried his face in her panties and inhaled deeply, then exhaled a low, throaty moan against her skin.
She pressed into his face, weaving her fingers through his golden locks. The thick mane felt good in her hands, and absolutely erotic the way they brushed against her legs as she mused at the thought that he was a wolf. He’s built to be a lion.
Vann reached around and cupped her ass with both hands, squeezing her cheeks while kissing over every inch of the skin of her lower belly, her upper thighs, every bit of skin showing.
“Vann, please,” she begged. GiGi barely recognized herself; she did not beg for it. Something was lighting her on fire from the inside out, whether it is being nearly naked while he was fully dressed and making demands, she didn’t know. She just knew everything he was doing and saying was some kind of magic deeper than the shifter curses, if she dared think that.
Vann whispered praise about her body and continued in this ma
nner while exploring between her legs with his fingers.
GiGi slipped one thumb under the waistband at her hip; she desperately needed them to come off now. But Vann gently stopped her hand.
“That’s my job. Those are mine,” he said gruffly.
She nearly roared at him in her need, then moaned in her pleasure at the sensation of his fingers teasing her folds.
“That’s it, Peaches. Be in the moment. There’s no destination. It’s just me and you, and we have all the time in the world. Enjoy it.”
She bucked when he found her clit. “Oh my God! Take my fucking panties off, please.”
His devilish laugh fanned her flames of desperation. “Is this good, GiGi?”
“So good I might die if you don’t take them off.”
“Relax.”
“Tell me to relax one more time and I might not be able to control my claws.”
The guttural growl underlined the tearing of her stretchy lace panties.
“Spread your legs for me, GiGi,” he moaned. As soon as she obeyed, he rewarded her with the softest pressure of his lips against the bare flesh in front of him. Her breathing grew louder and more rapid. She ached for more pressure, more contact, and pressed back. He insisted on going slow. She warned him, “Please, I can’t take it, I need you to be rough. You don’t know what you’re dealing with, Buster.”
The beast inside her was so hungry and so was his, by the looks of it. He was holding back so much, torturing the both of them, his forehead glistened with sweat.
She made a noise that came from the back of her throat, and then she was raking his back with her nails and fisting her hands in his thick golden hair.
The hair-pulling did something to him. The man lifted her with his two beefy arms, splayed himself back on the mattress, and planted her on his face.
GiGi squealed in surprise, but the pressure, the fucking pressure she had been begging for, was finally happening.
Chapter Eleven
