Hunger Awakened

by Charlene Hartnady

  “He looked at me like he wanted to break both my kneecaps.”

  “He wouldn’t hurt a fly.” Vicky shook her head.

  “Why don’t you tell him to join us.” John smiled at Talon who glowered back. What was his problem?

  “No way, I’m out with you and three’s a crowd. He shouldn’t even be here.” Vicky took a sip of her wine. “Again, I’m really sorry.” She snuck a quick look at Talon.

  Great!

  Just great!

  One of the women from the twenty-something crowd looked like she was making her way over to the still brooding shifter. It didn’t matter. Vicky was on a date. She was going to enjoy herself. Talon could do whatever the hell he wanted with whomever he wanted.

  “Okay, so where were we then?” she said, trying hard to concentrate on the man in front of her. On her date.

  “Can I get you another drink?” Just then, the waitress stopped by, picking up John’s empty bottle.

  “I’ll have another beer.” He raised his brows looking her way.

  “I’m still good.” Vicky nodded once.

  Yup! She was right. The pretty young lady in the tiny black dress was talking to Talon. They were both laughing. So much for him keeping an eye on her. What an asshole!

  “Are you okay?”

  “Just a little worried about my cousin. He’s from a small, rural town in Switzerland. He’s not used to …” she shrugged, “being in the city and … well … I guess women. I’m afraid he might get eaten alive.” Or blow his cover. Or get himself arrested. Or something. It was the ‘or something’ that worried her the most.

  John grinned. “I’m sure he’ll be just fine. Gets him off our backs, right?”

  “Yes. You are absolutely right.” She was going to ignore Talon and focus on her date.

  “You said you’re a relationship therapist but that you are thinking of a career change. What type of change?”

  “That’s just it, I have no idea what I want to do with my life.”

  “None? Come on, you have to have some sort of an idea.”

  Vicky shook her head as she took another sip of her wine. “The only thing I know for sure is that I don’t want to keep on doing what I’ve been doing. I’m tying up a few loose ends …” She glanced at Talon.

  What?

  Was Talon blowing her off?

  That gorgeous young thing? All legs in that short dress.

  The pretty lady he’d been flirting with moments earlier was frowning heavily as Talon said something to her. She responded and Talon nodded, then she up and left. Turned and walked back to her friends. Talon looked Vicky head-on. He held her gaze for a few moments before his full lips broke into a quick half-smile. It made her blood run just that little bit hotter. Made her whole body tingle with awareness. “Once things are sorted,” she forced her gaze off Talon, who was still staring at her, “I’m sure I’ll think of something to do with my life,” she quickly said when she realized she’d been quiet for too long.

  John nodded. “Sounds like—”

  The waitress interrupted them again when she brought his beer over, placing it on the table with a light thud. “Would you like to order something to eat?” She took out her pen and a notepad, looking from John, back to her.

  “I could eat,” she quickly blurted, feeling guilty all of a sudden. Her focus was not on her date. Not even close. Even now she could feel the pull of Talon’s stare. “You?” She struggled to keep her concentration on the man in front of her instead of the brooding one at the bar.

  “Yeah, that sounds good.” He glanced over at her. “Let me guess, a burger and fries?” He winked.

  "A cheeseburger would be amazing." She sounded too chipper to her own ears.

  “I’ll have the same.” John handed his menu to the waitress.

  “That won’t be too long. Would you like another glass of wine?” Vicky looked down at her almost empty glass.

  When had she drunk all of that? “Yes, that would be great. I’ll also have a glass of water.”

  The waitress nodded and headed to the bar.

  “Did you know you’d made the right decision once you got on that plane?” she asked.

  John shook his head. “I was sick to my stomach and convinced I’d made the biggest mistake of my life, but it was too late to turn back.”

  Vicky turned her gaze back to him. They locked stares. His groin instantly tightened as he watched the column of her throat work. Even now, in a room full of people, he was becoming aroused. Feeling a hunger inside he wasn’t sure he could fight for much longer.

  He hated the male at the table with her. Everything in him told him to go over there and fight for Vicky. To challenge the human for the female. For what was his.

  Blast.

  Hellfire!

  He had no right to say such things. He should be greatly ashamed. What would his mate say if she was here now? That was just it, Lark wasn’t here. She was gone and he was still very much here. Very much alive. More shame and guilt rose in him for those kinds of thoughts.

  “Hi.”

  Damnation. It was another female. This one had lighter-colored hair than the previous one who had approached him. She was a wisp of a female. Nothing like Vicky, no lushness or fullness to her frame. No dare written in her eyes.

  “Hello.” He felt he had to at least respond. Now he would ignore her and hopefully she would go away.

  “My name is Kelly.”

  Great! An introduction. What now? He didn’t have time for this. He needed to keep a close eye on Vicky. He needed to protect her. “Talon.” He glanced into her wide, brown eyes. “I am sorry. I am not going to waste either of our time. I don’t wish to sleep with you. It’s not that there is anything wrong with you. I am sure you are a lovely fem— woman. Thank you, Kelly.”

  Surprise flared in her eyes. “I was going to ask if you wanted a drink.”

  “That’s where these things lead. There is only one female for me.”

  Vicky.

  Panic rocked him to his core. Not Vicky. His mate. He still belonged to her. What in fur’s name was he thinking?

  The female raised her brows and followed his line of vision. “Looks to me like she’s here with another guy.”

  He sighed, feeling like the biggest ass alive.

  “If it’s any consolation. I’d take you over him any day.” She smiled and headed back to her friends.

  It was no consolation. Not even close. Talon watched them eat. He knew he should grab some dinner as well, but he couldn’t.

  Vicky laughed every so often. So did the male. What were they talking about? Her glances in his direction diminished until she was ignoring him completely. It ate at him.

  “Another ginger ale?” the male behind the bar asked.

  He nodded absently, handing over some paper money.

  Their plates had only just been cleared and the male called for the check.

  When it came, they argued over who was going to pay. Finally, they agreed to split the tab in half. The male paid with cash and Vicky used her card.

  He grit his teeth, rising to his feet. Damnation! His hands fisted in tight knots at his sides. He needed to calm down. Needed to get a grip. It seemed early for Vicky to be leaving already.

  Was she going to leave with that male? Talon started to walk over to them. He needed to talk some sense into her.

  They hugged, the male’s arms banding around Vicky, pulling her in close. Then he was releasing her. Not just that, he was jumping away and she was gasping. They both turned to him. Her face pale. That vibration deep in his chest. Oh well! It was concern. That was why he had growled like that. Part growl, part screech. It had been loud. Everyone in the bar was staring in his direction. His hands were still fists, his feet planted in such a way as to show he was ready for battle. He felt everything in him bristle, preparing. Let the male come at him. He was ready.

  “I’m so sorry, John, I don’t know what’s come over him …” Vicky touched the side of the male
’s arm.

  Another deep rumble shook through him and his eyes narrowed on her fingers as they brushed against the other male.

  “That’s fine. No worries. It’s …” The male back-peddled while he spoke. Yellow-belly! Not willing to fight. Not even willing to stand his ground. Then the door slammed and the male was gone. Coward!

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Her eyes blazed. She planted her hands on her hips, her breasts heaving.

  Magnificent. His skin tightened with awareness.

  Then she turned and walked out, thrusting hands through her the sleeves of her coat as she did. Talon followed closely on her heels.

  She stopped in her tracks and turned, finger pointing at him. “You just ruined a perfectly good date with a perfectly nice guy.”

  “I didn’t like him,” Talon growled.

  “It wasn’t for you to decide.” Some people stopped what they were doing to stare at them. “We’ll talk about this another time,” she said under her breath.

  “I was just trying to help,” he spoke softly.

  “Help?” she yelled. “Help?” she said again, more quietly this time. “Next time, don’t do me any favors.”

  A vehicle pulled up to the curb. Vicky waved her hand. “I’m done talking to you. You can find your own way home. If you’re lucky I will have calmed down enough to let you in.”

  “Vicky,” he began as she got into the vehicle. “Let me—” The door to the car closed and it pulled away, leaving him standing there.

  Chapter 17

  There was a knock at the door. Soft at first, becoming harder and more insistent.

  Talon.

  The asshole.

  She still could not believe what had gone down. He’d scared off a great guy. A perfectly decent … She yanked the door open and almost slammed it back in his sexy-as-sin face. Talon had both hands up on the jamb. That snug-fitting, soft-looking sweater rode up, almost showing a set of abs that was sure to make her mouth water. Almost inched up enough. Almost. Nothing better than almost to whet the appetite. It made her want to punch him in the jaw. His sexy chiseled jaw, the one covered in a half-shadow of stubble. Made her want to blacken each of his eyes. His smoldering, intense stare seemed to burn straight through her. “I’m sorry.” Even his voice was sexy. Maybe a punch to the throat was in order. She wouldn’t have to listen to him then.

  “You’re not.” She turned, heading to her room.

  The door clicked shut. “Okay, I’m not.”

  That did it. She turned, hands on her hips ‒ safer that way lest she punch him for real. “Well you should be. You ruined my night.”

  “I’m sorry for ruining your night but,” he frowned, “I’m not sorry for scaring that sorry excuse for a male off.”

  “He wasn’t a sorry excuse. He was nice.”

  “For a yellow-belly. That coward couldn’t run away quick enough. He doesn’t deserve a female like you. He should have been willing to fight.”

  “That’s not how humans do things, Talon.” She took a step towards him. What really pissed her off the most was how sexy she had found that growl of his. The very growl that had scared John off. The way his muscles had bulged, especially the ones on either side of his neck.

  No!

  There was nothing sexy about it! She was angry with him. He had ruined her evening.

  “He didn’t even try.” Talon’s eyes blazed.

  "Have you seen yourself? You're twice the size of him. You would squash poor John like a bug. I don't blame him for being petrified. You sat there and stared at us the entire time. He eventually told me it was making him uncomfortable and asked if we could get the check. Thank you! I appreciate it. I'm never going to hear from him again."

  “I did you a favor then.” His frown deepened. “Fear of failure is no reason to back down. Even fear of death. He should have been willing to face me, even with the odds stacked so greatly against him. Why would you even consider seeing a male like that again? I don’t understand.”

  “Maybe because I’m lonely, Talon.” Her eyes welled with tears and she blinked them away. Shit! She didn’t want to cry. Not now. Not in front of him.

  “That does not mean that you should let the first male who looks your way, into your bed.”

  “I had no plans of sleeping with John, I just met the guy. Not that it’s any of your damned business. If things had gone well ‒ and they were going great until you showed up ‒ I would have gone out with him again. Maybe at some point in the future …” Why was she even having this discussion? “It’s none of your business who I sleep with. Except in my case, I’m not sleeping with anyone, am I? I have a feeling you’ll come with me on any date I end up going on. So what’s the point of even trying?” Great! She was trapped in a house with a guy she was falling for.

  Falling for?

  Hold up! That wasn’t true. She had the hots for Talon. Big time. Stuck with a guy she had the hots for and unable to direct these feelings elsewhere. In short, she was stuck.

  “Yes,” he folded his arms across his chest, “I will go with you if you set up a date with a male you have never met. You are not very good at protecting yourself. We will need many more sparring sessions to get to that point and in the meanwhile, I would need to assess if—”

  “Great, so no sex for me then,” she blurted. It wasn’t fair. It was he who was making her feel all needy, all achy and it was he who was driving away any chance at some sort of relief. “I have needs, Talon. It’s been over a year since my marriage ended. I’m ready to move on. I need … you need—” She groaned in frustration. “You obviously don’t understand …” The sentence died on her lips as he closed the distance between them.

  He was standing right against her. So close, her chest flattened against his. So close she had to crane her neck to maintain eye contact. “I will take care of it.” A low growl that sucker-punched her straight where it mattered. There. Right there. “I will take care of you.”

  “Um …” A squeak. “What do you mean by—” She yelped when he picked her up, his arms banding around her waist, crushing her to him. The door to her bedroom knocked hard against the wall when he kicked it open as he entered her room.

  His breathing was ragged. His chest expanding and contracting against hers. Her nipples tightened. Then she was on the bed. The mattress dipping under both their weight. He straddled her. Close and yet not touching. He looked down at her. Those two hard lines back between his eyes in a deep frown. His mouth pulled tight. His jaw looked clenched. His eyes … Wow, those eyes seemed to eat her up. “I’m going to make you cream.”

  “I don’t understand.” Maybe she had misunderstood what that meant. Surely she had misunderstood.

  “I will take care of your need.” He crouched over her.

  Vicky dropped from her elbows onto her back, sucking in a breath as his eyes locked with hers. Pure shock coursed through her.

  “Open your legs.”

  This wasn’t happening. “Wait … I don’t think—”

  She gasped when he gripped her hips in his hands. “You want release. I can help you, Vicky.” He looked down at her breasts.

  She looked down as well. Shit, but they were trying to spill out over the top of her dress. It was probably a size too small. She should never have worn it. He swallowed thickly, actually looking turned on. Desire burned in his eyes. “I want to give you pleasure.” His eyes dipped lower, to the junction of her thighs. To where she ached.

  Oh, good lord! Talon wanted her. He wanted her. She could hardly believe it. He was her client. What about her rule?

  “I will make you feel good.” He began to push her dress up. “Just say yes. All you have to do is—”

  Screw that stupid rule. “Yes!” More of a strangled cry.

  Talon growled, yanking her dress up over her hips. Vicky remembered too late that she was wearing her hold-it-together panties. He growled again. “Stupid human coverings,” he mumbled.

  There was a tearing noise as he
tore through her undergarments, ripping them to shreds. It only served to make her more wet. More needy. Vicky moaned.

  Talon was poised above her, his gaze fixed firmly on her … well there. He touched her inner thigh and she jumped. Shit! She hadn’t been expecting action either, so it was a little bit of a war zone down there. Who would have thought though? Who? Not her.

  “Very pink.” Talon ran the tip of his thumb along her seam.

  Vicky gasped. Even that small touch felt good. Just having his eyes on her made her want to jump on him. Especially considering he seemed to like what he saw.

  “And wet.” His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. Then he was bending down between her legs, his warm mouth closing over her clit.

  A hard, drawn-out groan was torn from her. He suckled and licked at her in such a way that had her back bowing. She was panting noisily. She yelled when one of Talon’s thick fingers breached her opening.

  “And tight. So very tight.” He spoke against her nub. Even that felt good. This was not going to last. No way, no how.

  His finger worked her. His tongue really worked the hell out of her. Oh, and his mouth. That mouth. Vicky grabbed at the bedding. She was trying so hard not to come and failing. Her moans reverberated around her small bedroom. When Talon crooked his finger inside, everything seemed to still. Her whole body tightened. With a loud shout, her body spasmed. His tongue kept moving. His finger kept working its magic as her orgasm moved through her … and not just any orgasm. The orgasm to rival all orgasms. Her whole body shook as he finally pulled away. She felt languid. Her limbs felt heavy, and yet she still wanted him. Badly.

  Talon licked his lips, like she was the best thing he had ever tasted. She sat up and reached for his jeans. Talon gripped her hands in his. He shook his head.

  What?

  She felt herself frown. “What? Why not?”

  “This was about you, not me.” He pulled her dress back down over her hips.

  “No, it’s about us. Two people who—”

  “No.” He shook his head. “Unless, of course, you would like to cream again.” He began to push her dress back up.