“Off to the diner and then home. Unless you need something else in town?”
“Nope. That sounds perfect.” She glanced out the window for a second, but she whipped her face toward him again. “Unless…”
A deep, rosy blush stole up her neck and across her cheekbones. “Unless what?”
“I, ah… I’m on birth control. And I’m clean. But maybe we should hit a pharmacy before going back.”
Jesus, she’s perfect. He rolled to a stop at the corner and looked her in the eyes. Some things needed to be said straight, and this was one of them. “Already taken care of, but just so you know, I’m clean, too. Had a checkup a few months ago, and I’ve been celibate since.”
Every wolf had a healthy sexual appetite, and he was no different, but putting himself into situations around a lot of people just to hook up with someone wasn’t his idea of fun. He’d done it out of necessity to keep his wolf calm—usually when he was on a mission out of town and the chance of meeting up with the girl afterward was zero. He’d wait until later in the evening and head into a bar, which posed a whole different challenge in and of itself. He’d never take someone who was so drunk that they didn’t know what they were doing, but there were usually one or two females around who were sober enough to make smart decisions. It wasn’t ideal, but it worked well enough.
Her eyebrows rose, and her mouth formed a cute little O he would have kissed had he not been driving.
“Really?”
There was no point in denying it, and why would he want to? “Really. I’ve been too busy playing online games with this Loviatar9 chick to go out and meet people. She’s a cutie. I think you’d like her,” he teased.
The smile she’d sported for most of their time together turned sultry, hitting him right in the chest, the heat of it spreading through him like wildfire.
“I’m sure I would. I think it’s time we broke our dry spells then. What do you say?” Kaitlin suggested, reaching over and giving his thigh a light squeeze. Each breath he took drew more of her tantalizing scent into him.
If he wasn’t careful, he’d end up taking her like an animal right there in the car in the middle of town. Of course, he wouldn’t do that. She deserved a soft bed. He pulled into a spot in front of the diner. Intent on dashing in and out again, he tore his seatbelt off. “Stay in the car where it’s warm. I’ll be right back.” Leaning over, he pressed his lips to hers, groaning when her tongue slipped from between her lips to stroke at his, demanding entrance.
Fuck the food. He’d fix them sandwiches at the farm. Luca could feast on his mate all day and be satisfied. Giving in to her command, he issued one of his own as he swept his tongue inside her mouth. A few hours with his mate, and Luca’s hard-earned self-control had gone out the window. He couldn’t bring himself to care.
Kaitlin slid her hands beneath the open flaps of his jacket and up his chest, making him moan when her palms smoothed over his nipples. Her fingers dug into his pecs for a second before she dragged them down again, scraping the turgid peaks with her nails.
A sharp rap on the glass next to Kaitlin sent them flying apart like teenagers caught in the act. Kaitlin bit her bottom lip, her eyes glistening as she tried to keep from laughing. She chanced a peek at whoever had interrupted them.
“A friend of yours?” she asked as she reached for the crank handle for the window.
All he could see was someone’s crotch through the glass—jeans, a belt buckle, but not much else. Leaning toward her again, he let his lungs fill with her enticing scent and moaned when it went straight to his groin. “God, you smell good.”
“You’re horrible,” she said, giggling as she rolled the window down, then focused her attention on whoever had dared interrupt them. “Can I help you?”
“That depends on what you’re offering, sweet thing.” The voice held nothing but humor, and Luca recognized it the second he’d uttered the first sound, but that didn’t stop the growl in his throat from breaking free. Only the fact that Jax was his Alpha and happily mated kept Luca in his seat—and from teaching the male a lesson in respect.
Kaitlin straightened her posture and cocked her head to the side, pausing. She assessed the man then shrugged. “Unfortunately, you don’t have anything I need. Was there a reason you wanted to speak with us, or did you just want to ruin our fun?” she asked, her tone cooler than Luca had ever heard it.
Nothing but the steady hum of the motor filled the silence for a moment. Luca stiffened. No one spoke to the Alpha like that except his own mate, Maple. She gave him all kinds of hell, and most of the time, he took it in stride.
Jaxon’s laughter boomed from outside as he clasped the door and leaned down to peer over at him in the driver’s seat. “She’s got some spunk. You might want to hold on to this one, Luca.”
Shit. He couldn’t very well pretend Kaitlin was just another girl. The Alpha knew he didn’t entertain females on a regular basis. Not introducing his mate at the first opportunity would be like a slap in the face. Jaxon didn’t take crap, but he was fair. He deserved a measure of respect for that alone.
Might as well get it over with. No doubt, this would start the socializing wheels—in other words, Luca’s personal hell—rolling. Groaning, he climbed out of the car and came around the other side. “Jaxon,” he gave the man a nod before opening Kaitlin’s door.
When he held his hand out to her, she didn’t hesitate to take it and come out with him.
He glanced around, making sure no humans were within earshot. “I’d like you to meet Kaitlin, my mate, or she will be if she’ll have me.”
Jaxon’s eyes rounded, and he sucked in a breath.
“Kaitlin, this is Jaxon, our pack Alpha,” he finished the introduction before the twenty questions began.
Jaxon struck his hand out, and Luca took it. Before he could give it a good shake, though, the Alpha dragged him in for a hug and a rough pat on the back. “I’m happy for you, man.”
“Happy for what? Hey, Luca,” Maple said as she came up the sidewalk to stand next to Jaxon. Her friendly smile, not to mention her candies, always set him at ease, but this was different. She’d want to plan things—events—they’d have to attend.
Jaxon pulled his mate into his side, draping an arm around her shoulder. “Luca has just introduced me to—”
The jingle of the bell above the diner rang out, letting a human couple out onto the sidewalk near them.
“His girlfriend, Kaitlin.”
Maple gave her the genial smile Luca recognized as the one she reserved for strangers. “Pleased to meet you, Kaitlin.”
Kaitlin, who’d yet to say a word since exiting the Mustang, scooted closer so that the two inches of space between them disappeared. “I’m not sure if I’m supposed to bow or curtsy or something,” she whispered.
Maple’s brows furrowed, and her mouth dropped open a little.
“Just a sec, love,” Jaxon told her as he watched the humans walk further away. When they were out of earshot, he kissed the tip of her nose. “Kaitlin is his mate.”
The Alpha female gasped, then squealed, clapping her hands. One second, he was standing there with Kaitlin in his arms, and the next, Maple had him in hers, hugging him tightly.
“What? When? I’m so happy for you,” she exclaimed. In the next breath, she grabbed Kaitlin, who remained stiff in her embrace. “Welcome to the family. Oh, we’re going to have a party to celebrate. Rylee and Bonnie will help us organize it.”
Luca’s heart pounded. Jesus. It was starting.
“We may need to take a rain check. I mean… I don’t know the rules—Luca and I have a lot to talk about—but I’m here for work. My employer wouldn’t appreciate me partying it up when I’m supposed to be getting a job done,” Kaitlin said once Maple paused to take a breath.
“Oh, okay.” Disappointment echoed in her words, making Jaxon frown, and Luca didn’t like it much better. Maple wasn’t just the sweeter part of the Alpha pair. She was a friend—and his candy supp
lier.
“Maybe we can do it after we complete the job?” he offered.
“Yeah, maybe I can stay an extra day or two, and we can do something, so I can get to know your friends,” Kaitlin agreed.
Those words didn’t give him the warm fuzzies, either. It made his wolf prowl to the surface. The beast’s fur bristled against his skin. It wanted to mate her—claim her—so that she’d never leave them.
“Oh, so you’re not here for good? Where are you from?” Maple asked, filling the suddenly tense silence.
“Philadelphia, so it’s not too far. I’ll be back to visit—well, if Luca wants me to, that is—and maybe he can come to see me in Philly, too,” she added quickly, her nervousness evident in the way the words rushed from her lips.
“Of course, I’d want you to, and I’d travel to Philly if that’s what you needed,” he added, reassuring her. Luca hadn’t even mated her yet, but if she decided to leave, he wouldn’t think twice about following her. It would suck being away from Niko, Rylee, and the rest of the pack, but he’d survive.
Maple opened her mouth to say something, but Jax shook his head, and she snapped it shut again.
“We’ll let these two figure these things out on their own,” he told her before clapping Luca on the shoulder. “Everything will work out.”
Whether he meant the words for him, Maple, or both, Luca couldn’t be sure. One thing was certain, though. Going back to only online gaming after having had even one taste of her lips would be impossible. No matter what, he wasn’t letting Kaitlin walk out of his life without a fight.
Seven
Kaitlin would be the first to admit she didn’t know that much about shifter life, and even less about how things ran in a pack. The Alpha was boss, that she knew—of everyone and everything. And she’d just given him some sass. She hoped to hell she hadn’t gotten herself—and by association, Luca—in trouble for letting her tongue get away from her.
Maybe she should have agreed to let Maple host a party for them, but that was a little premature. Wasn’t it? She and Luca had only just met a couple of hours ago, in person, at least. According to him, she was his mate, and she had no reason to doubt him, but that didn’t mean the world stopped on its axis and she became a doting housewife. She had a life outside of Dexter. Not an exciting one, but a life, nonetheless.
After Jaxon and Maple had left, Luca had settled Kaitlin back into the warm car before heading into the diner. She peered through the restaurant’s window to the sexy man buying her food. He was just as delicious from the back as he was from the front. Whatever this magnetism was between them, it was hot and potent. Never had she been so crazed with lust that she’d considered doing more than kiss in a public place in broad daylight.
She could blame it on the fact she’d wanted him for months from afar, or that it had been a long time since she’d had a lover, but it was more than that. The chemistry between them was off the charts. Each time he touched her, as innocent as the caress was, she felt it throughout her entire body.
Maybe she should follow Luca’s lead and get Rylee a gift, too, for keeping things somewhat PG when Luca was around. The woman had to have a will of steel to be able to resist the temptation when it was presented to her.
Luca handed an older woman some bills, then took the bag she’d set on the counter, grasping the two takeout cups in one hand. He left the change. With a courteous nod, he turned and headed for the door, but then paused for a second before looking over his shoulder to the woman again. They exchanged a few words, then Luca came out, a wicked grin on his face and a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“What did you do?” she asked as she placed their takeout order on her lap and took the drinks from him.
Luca scrubbed a hand over his five-o’clock-shadowed jaw and chuckled. “I ratted Frank out.”
“The nice guy at the store? What for?”
“Maggie, that woman in there, is his mate. He shouldn’t have winked at you.”
She sucked in a breath, which only made Luca laugh harder.
“He didn’t mean anything by it.”
“I know. And so does Maggie. But it’ll give her something to harp on him about, and then a reason for them to make up.”
She tried to stop the image of the other couple from entering her mind, but it was too late. “Ugh. I did not need that in my head. And you’re horrible. Poor Frank didn’t do anything wrong.”
“He flirted with you. Kind of. Besides, he’ll thank me for it the next time I see him. I guarantee it.” Luca looked over his shoulder and pulled out onto the road. “Let’s get home so we can eat before it gets cold. That smells almost as good as you do.”
It wasn’t a lie—at least, the part of the food smelling good. Her early breakfast before heading to the airport was long gone, and she’d missed lunch in transit. As though hearing her internal reminder, her stomach rumbled at the aroma drifting from her lap, making her want to melt into her seat. Maybe Luca was too busy driving to notice.
Luca glanced her way. “I’m not off to a great start if I’ve already neglected to keep you fed when you were hungry,” he said, his expression more serious than the situation warranted.
“I’m fine. There just wasn’t any time to grab something on the way out to the farm. Emmet mentioned having some work to do.”
“Open it up. We can snag a couple of fries to tide us over until we get there,” Luca suggested before lifting one of the milkshakes from the holder and taking a drink.
She hesitated only for a second before reaching into the bag and pulling a fry out. As hot as it was, she popped it into her already watering mouth, then closed her eyes and moaned. Fresh cut potatoes? When was the last time she’d had any that hadn’t come from a freezer first? The salty greasiness brought her back to her childhood when her parents had taken her and her sister to the chip stand across town for a treat.
“Good, right?” Luca asked, drawing her back to the present.
“Delicious. Try one,” she said as she pulled a second from the bag. When he didn’t reach over to take one, she arched a brow at him.
“I don’t want to get grease on the steering wheel,” he said in that deep, satiny voice of his that sent little sparks of heat shooting through her.
She chewed and reached for another. The inside of the car was spotless. Not a speck of dust anywhere. “You don’t let anyone eat in your car normally, do you?”
He shook his head as he made a left turn, heading them toward the outskirts of town. “I’ll make an exception for you.”
“Since it’s my fingers that are getting greasy, then I guess I’ll just have to feed them to you. Careful, it’s hot,” she warned, lifting the deep-fried goodness to his waiting mouth. But before she could pull her hand away, he wrapped his fingers around her wrist and brought it up, sucking her thumb between his lips to the first knuckle, then her finger.
Wrinkling her nose, she cast him a mock horrified stare.
“The salt is the best part,” he said when he released her digit. “They’ll be even better once I pour some vinegar on them.”
“You’d desecrate perfectly good fries with vinegar? I don’t know you at all, do I? Maybe I should keep what’s left for myself so they don’t get ruined.”
“Babe, if you want all the fries, you can have them. No need to get all defensive about the vinegar,” he teased right back.
Luca sat at the last intersection leading out of town, waiting for a white truck to make its turn. The vehicle hesitated for a moment too long, drawing her attention. Her heart rate kicked up a notch at the face staring back at her through the windshield as the truck drove off.
She lost hold of the fry she’d grabbed to feed to Luca. Thankfully, her hand hadn’t come all the way out of the bag, and the food landed at the bottom.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Luca asked, not yet moving from the stop sign.
She glanced from him to the retreating truck and back again. “Oh, nothing. The guy in that truck looked fa
miliar. Eerily so. I guess the creep from my office has a doppelganger here in Dexter. For a second, I thought it was him, but he’s back in Philly.”
Luca pulled through the intersection before speaking. “So, why’s this guy a creep?”
“Same old, same old. Male chauvinist who thinks he’s God’s gift to women. I put him in his place, though. He won’t bother me again.” Kaitlin shrugged. She didn’t want to talk about Jeff the Asshole. Not while she was with Luca.
The leather on the steering wheel squeaked under the pressure of his tightening fists. “Did he hurt you?”
Luca’s sweet smile and relaxed attitude were gone. The muscle in his jaw jumped as he ground his teeth. She’d keep the fact that he’d gotten into her space and tried to intimidate her to herself. No point in upsetting Luca over something in the past. “No, Jeff is all talk, no balls—which is what he would have ended up with if he’d tried to lay a hand on me. I don’t take crap from anyone.”
She could almost see the tension seeping out of him. His shoulders lowered, and his grip eased. He took a deep breath, then finally, his smile came back.
“Good. That’s what I like to hear.”
Eight
Luca drove straight into the barn when they got home. If the weather forecast hadn’t called for snow, he might have left the Mustang out for the night. It was only a couple of inches, but enough that he preferred not to have to scrape it off his new paint job. He didn’t bother putting her in her designated stall, though. Instead, he pulled up as close as he could to the stairs leading to the loft.
“Head on up. I’ll bring the food, then come for the other stuff.”
Kaitlin shook her head at him. “That’s silly. I can carry something. I’m stronger than I look. I bet I could even handle not one, but both of these shakes and the food.”
“I’m happy to do it. Maybe I should carry you along with all that so you don’t have to exert yourself,” Luca teased, loving the shock that registered in his mate’s eyes and the pink color staining her cheeks. He hoped to have her blushing for entirely different reasons soon enough.
Hacking That Sass: Sassy Ever After Page 4
