by Haley Weir
“Because he wouldn’t have been you.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The picnic was a fine place for a date, but Michael wanted to get her somewhere where they could talk. He looked around to see if there were eyes on them and then whisked her away. They ran across the street to a nice little family restaurant that was all but empty due to the event at the park. The waiter set down the menu and disappeared after they took their seats. “What’s all this about?” she asked.
Michael smirked and offered her his hand. “My name is Michael Adair.” It didn’t take more than a second for Tilly to have caught on to his little game. She shook the proffered hand with a smile that made the air catch in his lungs.
“Tilly Riker.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Miss Riker. Thank you for joining me this evening.”
They looked over the menu, content to pretend that they had never met before tonight and Michael was thrilled at the prospect of a fresh start. He selected his items and then folded his hands upon the table. “So, what do you do for a living?”
The question was routine first date material, but why change a classic?
“I teach second grade.”
“Sounds horrifying,” he remarked dryly, causing a surprised bubble of laughter to burst from her mouth. Michael loved the way her eyes shone in the dim lights.
“Yeah, well if you intent to kill me and hide the body in the basement, there’s about thirty small children that will hunt you down and make you pay. I am, after all, their favorite-est teacher in all the world.” Tilly’s impression of her students made Michael smile until his cheeks hurt. “Do you like children?”
“You might find this hard to believe, but I love children. I always complain and make a big scene, but deep down I adore them. No one can make me smile more.”
“That...is surprising.”
“Messes, however,” he said with a frown. “They drive me insane.”
“I remember your face when you saw the inside of my trunk for the first time.” She snorted a little and Michael found it insanely endearing. He remembered as well.
“You are forever cursed to struggle with that car.”
“I was thinking of having it restored,” she revealed. “Know anyone who can do it that won’t require three souls, a virginal sacrifice, and half my savings?”
“I can make a call.”
...She had one foot braced on the door of her car while the other was planted firmly on the ground. Michael watched as she yanked back on the handle as far as it could go and then shook her entire body to give it a jiggle without releasing the tension. He took the opportunity to admire her figure. It worked until he was rudely interrupted by the sound of her grating voice. “Hey! Don’t just stand there. Help me. Please.”
Michael rolled his eyes with an ungentlemanly scuff. He assisted her as best he could without wrinkling his suit, but it was impossible. Actually, he could have torn the handle off entirely if he wanted. Though seeing her struggle was fun -that was before she insisted he give her a ride home for his earlier insults.
“What’s your name so I can bill you for the gas and inconvenience?”
“People call me Tilly and that’s all you’re getting,” she snapped.
The trunk opened, but the sight of rainbow-colored pipe cleaners, confetti, noodle art, and even more glitter made him want to call the whole thing off. Tilly ignored his protests and shoved the boxes into his trunk space. She even wiped something sticky on his hand. “Don’t be such a drama queen.”
“Excuse me?!”
“Look, I get it Mr. Scrooge. You don’t want to share your money. Thank you for the ride home and all, but you act like you’ve never seen arts and craft supplies.”
Michael had been attracted to Tilly from the beginning. They had just been too stubborn to admit it to themselves as well as each other. He took a sip from his water glass and rattled off their order to the waiter. When the young man disappeared through the kitchen doors once more, Michael took a long look at Tilly. “I hear there’s a fundraiser coming up soon. Do you have enough sponsors?”
“Actually, an angel decided to bestow a miracle a few weeks ago and set everything up for me. All I have to do is iron out the details and get the committee working on things while I wrangle the children.”
“So it’s taking place the first week the children are back from vacation?”
“I’ll have new students and the teachers thought it would be a fun way to get to know everyone,” she replied. “What about you? What do you do?”
“I help people fall in love.”
“Sounds terrifying.”
Oh, it is,” he admitted. “I’m the founder and CEO of Kodiak Dating Agency.”
“Kodiak?”
Michael leaned forward in his chair and held Tilly’s gaze. “Do you believe in the supernatural?” he asked with an air of mystery that caused her eyes to widen comically.
“I might. Perhaps you could soothe my skepticism.”
“What if I told you that my agency specializes in finding mates for shape shifters?”
Tilly leaned into his space and Michael didn’t think she was even aware of it. She had worn some sort of cherry scented perfume with notes of rose and mint. It caused his nose to tingle and heat to course through his veins. Michael licked his lips absentmindedly before sitting back in his seat. Tilly’s cheeks were flushed as she answered, “I would say you might be a little bit crazy.”
The waiter brought out their drinks and set out a breadbasket. Michael wasn’t big on bread, but he followed Tilly’s lead so she didn’t feel uncomfortable. In fact, it was Michael who became uncomfortable. Though they had lived with one another for a short period of time, he had never witnessed the erotic nature of the way she tasted her food.
When the rest of their meal was brought out, Michael wondered if the sound of her little curious moans would be the death of him. Seeing no end in sight to his torture, he reached beneath the table to adjust himself in order to avoid the permanent imprint of a zipper on his manhood. Tilly licked her lips and slid her tongue along the fork.
Michael had had enough. “Are you doing this on purpose?”
“Doing what?”
“Every time you put something in your mouth you start to moan and sigh and...please, just each quieter so that I don’t have to embarrass myself when we leave?”
Tilly caught on to the situation and her blush deepened. “Sorry. I’ve never been here before. The food is quite nice, actually.”
“As if that dress wasn’t tormenting enough,” he grumbled. “Slick lips, hair pulled back to show off your beautiful face, those tantalizing curves, and the way you smell even puts me on edge. I can’t pretend that I don’t know you when I’ve tasted every inch of your body and I know what you sound like when you—”
“Stop!” she gasped, face red and her hands trembled. “We’re in public.”
“You should have thought about that before you decided to be a tease.”
“I wasn’t teasing,” Tilly argued. “I wasn’t even aware I had this affect on you.”
Michael swallowed a bite of food and closed his eyes for a moment. He tried to focus on the scent of his meal and the sounds around him, but all he knew was Tilly. His senses betrayed him to the fullest extent. “How would you feel if I did the same?”
She snickered bitterly. “Have you seen the way you look, Michael?”
“Many times.”
“Then you know it’s a personal triumph every time I don’t fall on my face and drool when you walk by. Seriously, I don’t think you’re aware of just how perfect you are. Nice hair, gorgeous smile, flawless complexion, beautiful eyes, and a body that would make the gods tremble with envy. It’s just not fair.”
“There are times when I wish I looked like Brock,” Michael confessed. “I look at him and I think of raw masculinity in the same sense Corey has some sort of...ethereal beauty. When I look in the mirror, all I see is an average man hiding behind expens
ive clothing. I see a need for improvement that will never come.”
Tilly looked genuinely upset by his words. Michael shifted in his seat and took another bite as she observed him. “You could literally tell me that pigs were flying and I wouldn’t think you’ve ever said anything more ridiculous than what you think about yourself. What’s the matter with you? Our second date better be to the optometrist because I think your eyesight might be failing you.”
“Matilda, how can you look at me and say that? I’m not good enough for you. I know this and so do you, which is why you’ve avoided me for this long. But I don’t think I can ever give up trying, not when you’re close enough to reach out and touch.”
“If that’s true, then why do our friends think you deserve better?”
Michael’s head snapped back. He hadn’t heard a word about Tilly from any of their friends. “Why would they think that? The only thing I’ve heard was the exact opposite. Anders told me that everyone thinks it would be best if we stayed away from each other. Jenny was scared I was going to hurt you.”
Michael stared at the floor with his shoulders set in a tense line. “What I do in my personal time does not concern you and your wives. Stop meddling in everyone’s business or else you won’t like the results,” he shot back. “Tilly has no intentions of getting involved with me. She said so herself on the phone less than an hour ago.”
“I hurt you, Michael. Sapphire, Destiny, and even Jenny have insinuated that I took advantage of you. They’re right. I did. I took advantage of you and then made you feel like you weren’t worthy or something by seeing other people, but that’s not the case. The problem was that I was so pulled toward you that I felt like it was outside of my control and that scared me,” she explained. “I love you, Michael. And I have to live with the fact that I hurt you out of fear.”
He sat stunned for what felt like forever. “I’ve never told anyone that I loved them. Not even my family. Those words...they don’t come easy for me.”
“You don’t have to say them. Just think about it, ok? There’s no pressure for you to say it right now. I thought you might want to know.”
“Does this mean we can stop trying to fight this?”
Tilly nibbled her bottom lip and nodded. “Sure.”
A spark of something beautiful spread through him. They finished their supper and walked back to the park with their hands entwined. Brock and the others looked over at them with smiles on their faces. “It’s about damn time,” his brother retorted. “I was getting hives just thinking of going through another month of you two being in denial.”
Anders shook his hand and congratulated him. Dorian did the same as Tilly spoke with her friends. Michael was pulled aside by Sapphire and they sat on a bench with their shoulders touching. “Can you believe everything that’s happened in the past few years? You and I used to hate each other. Childish pranks and a decade long feud that drove our friends insane. I kind of miss it.”
“I don’t miss having egg removed from my paint job or thinking there’s a bomb in my elevator,” Michael groused. “I’m actually glad that we can consider each other a friend now. And for the record, I’m sorry. I know I never really said it before, but I am. Sincerely. You could have been by those protesters and I had no right to dismiss you like that.” He wrapped his arms around Sapphire and pulled her into an uncharacteristic hug. She placed her arms around his waist and sighed.
“You’re not too bad, Papa Bear.”
“Says the crazy cat-lady.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
The lift came to a stop and Tilly swallowed thickly. Michael’s suit jacket was off and tucked into the crook of his elbow as he opened the gate and walked over to the front door of the loft. She hovered nearby, watching the muscles of his back and shoulders work as he unlocked the door. Her hands itched to stroke those hard planes of sleek flesh that twitched with each movement. Michael glanced over his shoulder just as her eyes slid to his thick thighs and the glorious curve of his glutes.
The man was mouthwatering. Tilly reached out to grope the parts of his body that she yearned to get her hands on for months. Michael cleared his throat as her hands slipped around to cup his pectoral muscles and down his abdomen. Tilly’s fingers pulled his belt from the buckle and flipped open the top button of his trousers. In the blink of an eye, Michael had her back to the door.
His hands gripped her bottom and lifted her off her feet. Tilly wrapped her legs around his waist just as his hands slipped beneath the fabric of her dress to stroke the tender flesh of her thighs. His teeth captured her bottom lip and tugged, eliciting a moan that vibrated against his lips as he kissed her. Tilly rocked her pelvis against him and felt him harden further. A little throb against her mound made ecstasy pool between her legs. “Please…”
Michael’s lips moved to her neck where he grazed his bite mark with his teeth, causing her to shiver. His hand fisted his erection slip between her folds as he pushed her panties aside. Michael groaned as Tilly began to grind her hips. He turned the handle and carried her past the threshold. The entire loft was empty aside from a mattress on the floor. He lowered to his knees and laid her down.
Tilly’s muscles clenched in appreciation of his strength. She licked her palm and stroked him. Michael thrust between the circle of her hand unbuttoned his shirt, revealing an inch of tan skin at a time. Tilly watched his abs clench when she twisted her wrist toward his weeping tip. He tossed the shirt aside and moved her hands above her head so he could remove her dress. Michael looked down at her with hunger and—though he hadn’t said it yet—love. “Beautiful.”
He dipped his head low and licked up the length of her neck. Kisses peppered her face as he said, “every inch.” Deft fingers traced the lace that cupped her breasts. The contrast of her skin against the white swirling pattern of flowers seemed to catch his attention. He pulled one of the straps down her shoulder, following it with his lips. Tilly gasped and arched off the bed when he kissed the swell of her breast.
She pulled the band from her hair and set her curls free as he showered her with affection. Tilly loved that she was the only person in the world that saw this side of him. She knew he had known other lovers, but Michael Adair didn’t make love to just anyone. This wasn’t hard fucking to make the pain go away or a random tryst in his office with someone who didn’t care about what came next. Between them, there was only passion and adoration.
The clasp at the front of her bra snapped open and Michael kissed down the softness of her belly. Tilly closed her eyes and tried to shut out her insecurities, but he moved back to her face. “Don’t you dare. Look at me, Matilda.” She opened her eyes and was struck by the raw emotion in his eyes. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, just keep your eyes on me. Your eyes are so lovely and I want to look up and see them staring back at me, got it?”
Tilly nodded her head obediently as he resumed his descent down her body. His belt and slacks were dumped beside his shirt and her dress. She wanted to feel him, to feel his weight pressing her into the bed, but Tilly needed something else as well. She needed to give him the same pleasure that he had given her the night they were first intimate. Her hands pulled at his shoulders impatiently until he crawled up her body.
“What is it, love?”
She couldn’t put it into words, so she shoved him onto his side and pushed his back against the bed as she straddled his hips. His eyes widened and Tilly sucked a bruise into the curve of his neck. Michael’s large body shuddered, making her feel a wave of heady power. She kissed and licked his chest as she brushed her thumbs over dusky nipples. He hissed through his teeth. Hips bucked so hard she nearly landed fully on top of him. Michael’s mouth gaped as she moved lower.
“Y-you don’t have to…”
“Want to.” She planted an open mouthed kiss at the delicious v-line and lowered his briefs, trailing her tongue along the crease where his leg met his hip. He tasted of salt, soap, and Michael. Tilly’s nails ran through the metic
ulously groomed curls at the base of his erection. She looked into his eyes as she promised and enveloped him in her mouth. His hips lifted off the mattress with a loud roar that sent tingles racing through her body. The air seemed to crackle with tension. “Tilly!”
She watched him struggle for control. His eyes flickered between the vivid green that she adored and the glowing emeralds that appeared whenever he shifted form. It was something unique to Michael that none of the other bears had and she loved it. It drove her to take him deeper and to fill him with such a deep satisfaction that his body went limp and all he could do was growl in his chest.
***
He couldn’t take it anymore. Michael flipped Tilly onto her back and buried his length inside of her with one fluid thrust. Her nails scraped down his back as her walls fluttered around his pulsating flesh. The shock of his claim pushed her to the edge, but it was Michael’s fingers against her heat that sent her careening over. His hips stuttered for a moment as the feeling of her muscles milking him nearly sent him hurling after her. Tilly held on for dear life as he began to move once more.
The scream that punctuated his next hard thrust caused his ears to twitch. He set a rhythm that had her attempting to scramble away from the intensity of her pleasure, but Michael pinned her hips to the mattress and rode her to the brink once more. Tears streamed from her eyes and Michael licked the drops from her face. Sweat slickened his movements, filling the cavernous space of his loft with the sounds of their love. Never once did her eyes stray from his.
“Say it again,” he demanded with a brutal thrust that caused her body to tighten around him. Her thighs quivered as he repeated his order. “Say it again.”
“I love you.”
Michael let go of the last of his control. He lifted her legs onto his shoulders and used his weight to hold her steady as he pounded into her. Tilly’s moans caused fire to coil in the pit of his stomach. “You’re mine. No one else can have you. Say it...tell me who you belong to, Matilda.”
