by Lisa Emme
***
The water was the perfect temperature, just on the right side of scalding. I washed my hair and scrubbed my body clean of any blood splatter, imaginary or otherwise, and then stood under the spray, letting it wash the events of the night away. Suddenly I felt a waft of cool air and I found myself pressed face first against the shower wall by Nash’s hard body. He captured my hands, pulling them up above my head, pressing me against the cold tiles, his warm breath on my neck.
“You drive me crazy,” he growled. He nipped my ear lobe and I yelped in surprise. He flattened my hands against the tiles. “Leave them there,” he commanded, sliding his own hands down my arms to my shoulders. He pushed my wet hair off my neck, his mouth latching onto the mate mark. I groaned as he suctioned his mouth against the sensitive skin, my knees going out from under me. With a laugh, he wrapped an arm around my waist, spinning me to face him. His mouth captured mine in another crushing kiss, his tongue thrusting into my mouth. He fisted his hand in my hair as he pulled his mouth from mine and tipped my head back to look me in the eye. “I hate that you put yourself in danger like that. You almost gave me a heart attack.” There was a look of pain in his eyes and I felt guilty for worrying him.
“I’m sorry.” I reached up and put my hand on his cheek. “I didn’t know you’d be there and it came together so fast I didn’t have time to let you know what was going on.” Nash looked at me with narrowed eyes and the corner of his mouth twitched. He slowly raised one eyebrow, waiting. “Alright, alright. I didn’t think to tell you what was going on.” He snorted and I went on the defensive. “This,” I pointed to him and then back to me, “this is new for me, you know.” I frowned, trying to find the right words. “I’m not used to having someone in my life.”
Nash finally nodded, satisfied with my response, and then leaned down to kiss me gently. I twined my hand through his hair, pulling him closer, and deepened the kiss. Growling, he backed me up against the shower wall again. I put a hand on his chest, running my fingers through his curly hair, following it south. He was hard and ready as I reached down to wrap my hand around him. Nash groaned again, reaching out to grab my hand, preventing me from exploring further as he captured my lips with his, devouring them.
Finally, I pulled my mouth from his. “I have to get out of the water. I’m turning into a prune.” I gave him an impish grin and stepped out of the shower. He wasn’t the only one that could leave a body all hot and bothered. I grabbed my towel, quickly dried off and applied some body lotion, and then padded barefoot and naked to the bedroom to curl up in my bed to wait.
I didn’t have to wait long. I had barely closed my eyes when a hand wrapped around my ankle pulling me over onto my back. Nash knelt between my legs, still soaking wet. He bent over me, water dripping from his hair onto my bare skin. “Hey!” I gave him a little scowl. “That’s cold.”
Ignoring me, Nash took a deep breath, his face hovering over my bare abdomen. “I love how you smell. You smell like mine.” His voice was low and rough. He took another deep breath, placing his hands on my thighs, spreading them apart. “You smell delicious,” he whispered as he buried his face between my legs and I gasped in surprise. My legs quivered, suddenly feeling like they were made out of jelly. Nash laughed and teased me with his tongue. With every nip and lick, my hips would twitch, trying to rise up off the bed, but he put a hand on my belly, holding me still while his mouth continued its exploration. I moaned, my breath coming in quick, shallow breaths as I neared my climax.
“Cian!” I cried out, calling his name over and over. His lips grazed against my inner thighs, raining little kisses down on the flushed skin. The bed dipped and I heard a rustling sound. I lifted my head to see Nash rolling on a condom. “Oh, thank god,” I moaned. “I need you inside me right now.”
Nash laughed. “Bossy minx.” He scooped a hand under my back, flipping me onto my stomach and then grabbed my hips, pulling me to my knees. I felt him press against me and then with one thrust, he slammed himself deep inside of me.
“Yes! Oh god, yes.”
Nash pumped slowly, in and out, his fingers digging into my hips. I groaned, reveling in the feel of him, stretching me, filling me. His rhythm increased and I moaned, feeling my orgasm reaching the precipice once again.
Slap! Nash’s hand came down on my ass, hard enough to leave a red handprint.
“Ow! Hey! What the hell?” I turned to look over my shoulder at him. He put a hand flat against my back holding me down.
“That’s for not telling me about your plan,” he growled.
Slap! The other cheek flamed red beneath his hand.
“And that’s for scaring the shit out me.”
Slap!
“And that’s so you damn well remember I’m part of the team next time.”
“Ow! Alright, alright! I’ll remember! I’ll remember.” I blew out a long breath. “I said I was sorry.”
Nash rubbed my tender bottom. I could feel the heat rising from my bare skin. “I know, minx. I’m new to this relationship thing too, you know. We’ll just have to work it out together.”
“Works for me. Now just fuck me, Cian. I need you. I need this.”
Nash gave my ass a little pat and my body responded. He laughed and pulled himself almost out before slamming back in again. His groin brushed against my tender ass and I hissed at the pleasurable pain. Nash leaned over me, his chest rubbing against my back. He wrapped an arm around me and grabbed a handful of breast, his fingers pinching my nipple.
He pounded into me until his thrusts became more erratic. Just when I thought I was about to go over, his mouth latched onto the back of my neck, his tongue laving against the mate mark. My body went supernova and I screamed out my release. A second later, Nash shuddered with his own.
I fell forward onto the bed. “Fuck me,” I moaned.
“I just did, minx. Give me a second, will you? I need a break.”
I giggled and Nash disappeared for a minute into the bathroom then came back, snuggling in beside me.
My eyes drooped shut. I was exhausted. “So much for the three date rule,” I mumbled. Nash snorted and pulled me closer, spooning up to me.
“Go to sleep, little minx,” he said. And I did.
Chapter Fourteen
I awoke hours later, alone in bed. I rolled over, feeling the vacant spot with my hand. The sheets were cool to the touch. Nash must have been gone for a while. I was so dead to the world, I didn’t even notice him leave. I looked around the room and saw that daylight was filtering in through the curtains. Swinging my legs out of bed, I sat up, still yawning and wiping the sleep out of my eyes. I was in mid-stretch, arms above my head, when I discovered the note on the bedside table.
“Harry,” it read, “I had to go in early. Another murder last night. All hell’s going to break loose. I don’t know when I’ll have time but I’ll call when I can. Cian.”
Ahhh, it made me feel all warm and tingly. Of course then I had to go and ruin it by flipping the damn page over and reading the ‘p.s.’
“Try to stay out of trouble while I’m gone. C.”
The bossy bastard. How was it possible to be so turned on by the alpha male routine yet ticked off by it at the same time? I shook my head. I doubted that I’d ever figure that one out.
***
“I love it!” I ran my hand across the smooth, chocolate brown leather. “It’s perfect, don’t you think?” I looked at Tiffy who nodded her head vigorously in agreement. I had spent my day down in the coffee shop, accepting deliveries and stocking things away. The biggest delivery of the day had been the shop’s new ‘conversation corner’ made up of the low L-shaped sectional I was currently petting and a series of leather cubes that could be moved around and reconfigured however customers needed. At the centre of the seating area, there was a low coffee table made from rec
laimed barn board, a gift from Morris and the boys. “The coffee table is fantastic. It really suits the space.” At my words, Morris dipped his head down bashfully.
I surveyed the room. It had really come together. The windows sported newly applied gold decals featuring a large stylized coffee cup with steam rising up. They were subtle but worked as a way to dress up the windows and let customers walking past know what was inside without obstructing the view or the natural light coming in.
The shop was your typical storefront for the area – a single entrance right in the middle of the street facing wall, framed on either side by two large windows. We had salvaged two four tops (restaurant speak for tables for four) from all the detritus that had been left behind over the years. Tiffy had cleaned them up and refinished them in no time and they fit perfectly in front of one of the windows. Now when people walked into the shop they could either sit in the conversation area to the right or get a table to the left. The booths were straight ahead and on the left hand wall, the one shared with the flower shop. The counter with its retro stools and the coffee service area were along the outside, right hand wall. Towards the back, we had put in a prep area for making sandwiches to order. It was delineated from the public space by another display case for bakery items and a service counter. Morris had also built a rack for us to display bread. There was a small window opening into the kitchen to load dirty dishes to the back room. A central hall ran to the back of the shop leading to the kitchen on the left and to the right there was the public restroom and the storeroom.
I waved to Morris and the boys, ushering them towards the sandwich area. “Well, step right up, boys. What would you like? I have ham, turkey or pastrami.” They were wrapping up the last of the work in the courtyard and I had offered to make them lunch. It was the least I could do for all their hard work. Besides, Hilde and Isaac had obviously been baking up a storm and I had more baked goods than I knew what to do with. I had already started selling some things off to curious neighbours who poked their heads in during the day.
Hilde hadn’t exaggerated. She was an excellent baker. The bread was fantastic. She had made three different kinds: a dark brown, rich with molasses; a multi-grain full of flax and sunflower seeds, and basic whole wheat. There were four loaves of each, and that wasn’t all. There were also huge, crusty brown rolls, croissants and pain au chocolat, which after my first bite made me feel like I had died and gone to heaven. Isaac had obviously been busy too, whipping up his famous butter tarts and two different types of brownies.
I had just sorted the boys all out with their lunches when the bell above the door rang. I looked up as three men, obviously dressed for construction, walked in.
“Hi. Are you open?” One of them stepped forward, swiping his hair out of his eyes.
I looked around at Morris and the boys chowing down. I couldn’t really say no. Good thing Isaac and I had already taken a stab at pricing. “Sure, but cash only and we are down to ham or pastrami.”
“Sounds good. Do you got any coffee to go with that?”
I smiled. “Oh, yeah. Coffee we can definitely do.”
***
In the end they not only had two cappuccinos, poured expertly by Tiffy, and an Americano, but each had both a butter tart and a brownie to go with their sandwiches. It turns out the building across the street was being renovated into condos; another sign that the neighbourhood was being revitalized. I couldn’t believe my luck. A whole building full of potential customers would soon be moving in. The men didn’t know much about the building’s owner but the apartments were all being upgraded with high-end security systems and top of the line fittings. All the windows in the building were being replaced with the low UV windows similar to what we had put in when we had redone the firehall. It sounded like the owner was sinking a chunk of change into the place. All the better for the neighbourhood I guess.
I looked around the shop. It was busy and half of them were even paying customers. I guess we were having what they call a ‘soft opening’. The thought gave me an idea. I texted Nash and told him to put the word out to the teams on patrol that the shop would be open late for anyone who needed a coffee or snack.
I had two interviews that afternoon, one of the girls, a werewolf named Barbie - seriously, that was her name - really seemed to stand out. She had experience, a bubbly personality and she didn’t seem to harbour any vampire prejudices. I thought that was important since besides the fact that we had two vampires working in the shop, we would probably also start to have vampire clientele.
“So, would you like to start tonight?” I was joking, but her face lit up.
“Sure! I’d love to.” Barbie nodded her head.
“Okay then. Why don’t you come back at six and you can pull a four-hour shift? We’ll get you trained up on the Deco and go over the menu and pricing. We haven’t officially opened, but I expect it might be kind of busy tonight.”
“I heard about the stepped up patrols. My brother Martin is with the SRU.” Barbie leaned in, talking quietly. “He was there the night you raised the wolves.”
“Oh, right. Okay then.” I was uncomfortable thinking about that night.
“I think you did a tremendous thing, getting justice for all those poor souls.” Barbie beamed at me. I studied her for a moment. She seemed to genuinely feel that way and wasn’t merely sucking up to her new boss.
“Thanks.” I cleared my throat. “So listen, we don’t have any sort of uniform yet. We’re getting some shirts made once we figure out a logo. In the meantime, jeans or khakis and a plain dark shirt would be fine.”
“No problem, Miss Russo. I have a couple of shirts that would do.”
“Great. And you can just call me Harry.”
“Sure thing, Harry.” She smiled at me again. “I’ll see you at six.”
***
Isaac and Hilde made their appearance just as the sun was setting, which at this time of year was around five-thirty. After raving to Hilde about the bread and the buns and the pain au chocolat, most of which we had sold out of by this point, I had impressed Isaac with the receipts from our first real sales. I brought him up to speed with the day’s events, at least those concerning the shop, and Isaac in turn offered to give Barbie a tutorial on the coffee machine when she arrived, leaving me to take my first break of the day to go upstairs.
I nipped out the back, the shortest route to the entrance to my apartment, and nearly collided with Nash as he jogged down the stairs.
“Nash!” I yelped as I found myself scooped into his arms and pulled in hard against his chest.
“Hey minx. I was just looking for you.” He flashed me a smile.
“You found me.” I stood on my toes and gave him a quick peck on the lips. Nash was having none of that and he put his hands on either side of my head as I tried to pull away, holding my lips against his. I parted my lips in surprise and his tongue snaked in. Mmmmm, the man could kiss.
I pulled away a few minutes later, my lips feeling well used and my face a little raw from Nash’s five o’clock shadow. “I was just going to get something to eat. Do you want to join me?”
“I can’t, minx. I have a damn meeting with the mayor in half an hour or so. I figured this might be my only chance to stop by though and I wanted to see you.”
“Mmmmm, lucky me.” I smiled and wrapped my hand around the back of his head, pulling him down for another kiss. Nash slid his arms around me and I could feel that he was more than just happy to see me. He grabbed a handful of my ass, reminding me that it was still a little tender from the night before and a tiny moan escaped my lips. Nash growled and then pulled away. “You really are a little minx, you know that right?”
I smiled wickedly at him. “Guess that’s why I have you to keep me out of trouble.” I wiggled my eyebrows at him, running my hand across the bulge in his jeans.
N
ash grabbed my wrist and held my hand firm against his erection. “Seems like you’re just asking for trouble.”
I gave him a fake pout. “No time for trouble right now.” I looked at my non-existent watch. “Tick tock, the mayor’s waiting.” I turned to head up the stairs with a little chuckle.
Nash gave my ass a slap on the way past. “How’s them cheeks, minx?” He winked at me. He knew damn well how they were.
I wrinkled my nose up at him. “Hmph! Wouldn’t you like to know.” I put my hands on my hips, looking down on him from a couple of steps above. I eyed him critically, frowning. He really looked beat. “Have you eaten anything today?”
“Yeah, I had something at lunch.”
“Well, go around front and get yourself a sandwich. The new girl, Barbie, will make you one. Tell her I said it was on the house.” I winked at him. “One of the perks of dating the owner.” I turned and jogged up the stairs, Nash’s laugh following me up.
***
I chowed down on leftover fried chicken, spinach casserole and mashed potatoes. I didn't know where Tess was, probably with that guy she hooked up with the night of the meteor shower. The message she had left was rather vague, something about needing to see a man about putting up some shelves. It didn’t make any sense to me until I remembered an episode of an old TV show called Three’s Company that we had watched together. I’d have to give her the third degree next time I saw her.
I was enjoying the peace and quiet, until Gran showed up. I hadn’t seen her in almost two weeks. I had begun to think that she had finally crossed over - she’s a spirit that technically haunts me, in case you weren’t aware of that fact. Maybe Gran crossing over would be a good thing, because all we ever seemed to do these days was argue.
