by Kate Wendley
He glanced away. “You were always nice, I was just shy around girls once they hit my radar. And once they did, well, it wasn’t all that long before I developed my nightmarish power, so there went my social life.”
Her heart instantly hurt and she stepped towards him and put her hand on his shoulder. She opened her mouth to say something, anything to comfort him, but she honestly didn’t know what to say.
He put his hand on hers and looked up with those beautiful brown eyes. “I don’t know why I mentioned that.”
She sighed. “Because it’s part of who you are. A big part. You can’t pretend it’s not.”
He huffed quietly, but gave her a thoughtful look. “I suppose not.”
Her heart beat erratically as his warm hand held hers, his gaze intent on her. She studied his face for a moment, then awkwardly stepped away.
She sat down across the table from him feeling jittery, though she had to force herself not to gawk at how perfect he looked sitting in her kitchen for real instead of just in her fantasies. His presence filled the room, making it seem like he belonged here with her, Torin and his friends be damned. “So how are you today? You’re up a little earlier than usual, huh?”
His gaze lazily trailed to her neck and his eyes brightened as little flecks of gold started shining through. After a moment he took a deep breath and casually said, “I’m good. It’s not all that early for me, I just don’t usually start working until around six most nights.” He looked her straight in the eyes then. “It’s nice to get out of my usual routine, especially to spend time with someone I’d like to get to know better.”
Her heart did a flip flop. He had a relaxed smile on his face, but the emotions she felt from him were anything but. The feeling she got was that he was trying to restrain himself, and she had no idea how to handle that. So she pretended to be calm and casual.
“I’m glad you came over. I see you so often in the restaurant, but you’re always working.”
The buzzer on her stove went off and she yipped in alarm, then jumped up to turn it off.
“Do you need help with anything?” Sebastian looked like he was trying not to laugh.
She put on her oven mitts and wondered what he thought was so funny. She heaved the roast out of the oven and said, “If you wouldn’t mind helping me carve this up, that would be nice.”
He was by her side in an instant, and dove right in to help her with things. She quickly realized her kitchen was a little small for two people, or at least too small for her and larger than life Sebastian. They were kind of close as they both worked on the food together, and he even chuckled as they bumped into each other a couple times.
She awkwardly said, “Sorry, I’m not used to someone else in here.”
He cocked his head and smiled enough for his dimples to show again. “No worries. I’m probably in your way more than anything.”
“No, it’s good, it’s good. Really.” She had to force herself to pay attention to what she was doing instead of getting lost in his eyes. It still felt unreal that the man from her fantasies was actually here in her apartment with her.
They somehow managed to get everything to the table without a catastrophe and had a nice lunch while they talked about totally inane things like where she bought the venison, what kinds of things they both liked to cook, and other things that had nothing to do with him putting his hands on her again.
She eventually realized, though, that no matter how relaxed he looked, he was completely wound up. She was about to ask him if anything was wrong when there was a knock at her door. They both looked curiously at it before she got up to answer it.
She almost died of embarrassment to find her parents and brother on the other side. And of course her mom started talking and wouldn’t stop as soon as the door opened.
She gave Jade a hug and then walked right on inside. “Honey! We were just going home from our doctor’s appointments and thought we’d stop by because we bought your favorite desert from Shirley up on the sixth floor. She made a bunch more of those peanut butter rice crispy bars you love and I just knew you’d want one. Well who do we have here?” Her eyes lit up and she made a beeline straight for Sebastian.
Jade glanced back at him as he stood up and stared at everyone with wide eyes, looking like a scared rabbit. He stood stock still as her mom walked right up to him and handed him the tray of bars while she took her sweater off and put her purse down, all the while chatting about nothing at all.
Her dad and brother came in next and lazily told her about the doctor, and Shirley, and how they were just stopping by but weren’t going to stay long. They both did a double take when they saw Sebastian, who was now standing with the tray of snacks looking like he had no idea what was going on and wasn’t sure what to do next.
Jade quickly went to his rescue and took the sweets from him. “Sebastian, this is my mom, Ruby, my dad, Walter, and my brother, Micah.”
There was dead silence for a moment before her mom squealed, “Sebastian! Well Jade just doesn’t keep us in the loop of who she’s seeing these days. It’s so nice to meet you!” And then Jade watched in growing horror and embarrassment as her mother grabbed him by the shoulders and gave him a big hug.
Sebastian stood stiff as a board with wide eyes as Jade curiously watched him. She got the impression he was trying his hardest to stay calm, but she wasn’t exactly sure why this situation freaked him out so much. It was awkward, yeah, but he looked like he was on the edge of bolting out of the room.
Her mom pulled away from him and he awkwardly said, “Nice to meet you, Ruby. Wait, your name’s Ruby? And Jade?” He chuckled nervously. “That’s cute.”
Her mom casually chuckled as she started unwrapping the treats. “Yes, I just had to continue the tradition in our family of naming the girls after gemstones. My sister’s name is Pearl and my mother’s name was Amber, and her sister was Jewel.”
Sebastian chuckled curiously at her, then looked a little more calmly back at the rest of the group. Jade wondered what her dad and brother would do because she had no doubt they knew who Sebastian was. She wasn’t sure yet if her mom realized who he was.
She could tell by the look on her dad’s face what was going through his mind, and she’d never been more proud of him when he came forward and introduced himself. He put his hand out and said, “Sebastian is it? Nice to meet you. Sorry for the missus interrupting your afternoon. I told her we should’ve called first, but no…”
Her mom squealed, “It’ll only be a few minutes and we’ll be out her hair. Now come have a bar. These aren’t going to last long you know!”
Jade could feel Sebastian’s stress as he reached out and shook her dad’s hand. “It’s ok, sir. Nice to meet you. We were just finishing lunch.”
“Now, say, are you the Sebastian that works down in the restaurant? The Alpha Wolf?”
Jade cringed at the sudden silence in the room.
Sebastian looked straight into her dad’s eyes and very firmly said, “That’s me, sir.”
Her dad locked eyes with him, nodded once, then smiled and pat Sebastian on the shoulder. “Well, Jade here needs a good man you know, and you better try a bar or I’m afraid you’ll never be rid of us, son.”
Sebastian stared at him for a moment, then smiled one of his real smiles and the tension in the air disappeared. “Yes sir.” She wondered which statement he was agreeing to, but was too embarrassed to ask.
Micah took her dad’s spot when he wandered over to join her mom in fussing over the stupid, completely delicious bars. “Hi, I’m Micah. Jade’s brother, when she’ll acknowledge me.” Micah smirked and Jade rolled her eyes.
Sebastian shook his hand and wasn’t quite as stiff when he said, “Micah. Nice to meet you.”
“If you want some advice, don’t eat those things. At least half the ingredients are some form of sugar. They’ll make you fat.”
Jade bellowed in exasperation, “Oh, stop! They’re good and one won’t hurt anybody. Be
sides, Sebastian doesn’t seem like he needs to worry about getting fat anytime soon.”
Sebastian shot her an intimate look that instantly made her wish they were alone. His gaze abruptly trailed down her body before he just as quickly looked away and her brother started barraging him with questions.
“So do you work out at the gym here in the complex?”
Micah kept Sebastian busy for a time talking about weight lifting and maximizing their work outs, so Jade pulled herself away from staring at Sebastian’s awesome body and reluctantly joined her parents in having a peanut butter bar that was totally full of sugary goodness.
She caught the tail end of one of Micah’s questions and listened more carefully. He quietly asked Sebastian, “So you two are dating? I hadn’t heard that.”
Jade barely noticed Sebastian tense up and she immediately broke up the conversation. “Micah, I saved you a big bar to take home.”
With an exaggerated sigh, he trudged over to the tray of treats. “I told you I don’t want to eat these things anymore.” He snagged a bar and ate the whole thing while complaining about it.
Sebastian seemed amused as he watched everyone, then flicked another intimate glance at Jade before pulling his gaze away again. He chuckled at her mom’s ramblings and joined everyone around the tray of sweets, taking the bar that was offered him. He took a bite and chewed and chewed… and chewed some more. “These are a little tough, but wow are they good.”
Her mom piped up, “See, what did I tell you? Now no more complaints. Jade, I’m leaving half of these for you and Sebastian, and we’ll take the rest with us.”
Jade sighed dramatically. “Ok mom. I’m sure the doctor will like to hear that you’re eating these things.”
“Don’t you dare tell him that!”
Jade was already wrapping up the tray and trying to shoo everyone out. “I’m just kidding. I won’t say a word. I promise.”
Her dad thankfully got the hint and helped wrangle her mom out the door, all of them leaving in a whirlwind, just like they’d come in. She was eternally grateful they didn’t embarrass her any more before they left.
Once she closed the door and the sounds of their voices grew faint, she turned around to find Sebastian standing incredibly close.
“I’m soooo sorry about that. I had no idea they were coming by today.”
He smiled playfully at her. “Your parents are cute. You have a nice family.”
“Thanks.”
The mood between them was intense as he edged closer. Fear washed through her and she had no idea why.
He stepped back, a look of frustration on his face. “I’m scaring you.”
She slumped against the door and tried to calm her racing pulse. He looked so innocent and sweet standing unsure in front of her. It made her feel guilty for her anxiousness.
She uneasily said, “You’re the Alpha Wolf, and I’m… I’m a nobody shifter.”
He studied her for a time, then took a slow step closer. His voice was warm and teasing when he said, “I’m Sebastian and you’re Jade, the girl who wore pink from head to foot for a month in the eighth grade.”
Her eyes went wide in embarrassment. “What? It was only two weeks. Besides, you’re the one who dated Mary McKenna that year.”
He smirked as he edged even closer, then slid his arm around her waist as if it was his right to, and solidly prodded her into his arms. His eyes quickly turned golden as he gazed at her neck and mumbled in disinterest, “Hmm? Who’s Mary McKenna?”
That was a good answer. She let out a heavy breath as she put her arms around him, forgetting about her fear and instead longing for more of the passion they’d shared once before. A shiver of desire raced through her when he snaked his hand up the back of her neck and into her hair.
Her voice felt far away when she said, “She was the girl all the boys dated. The girl who streaked across the football field in eleventh grade.”
He responded with another disinterested, “Mmm hmm,” and she couldn’t help but feel good in his arms while he wickedly trailed his lips over the tender skin of her neck. Her body remembered his touch, though she still felt overwhelmed by his presence. He exuded Alpha Wolf, a feeling she’d never experienced before last Sunday. It was dominant, scary, and intoxicating.
She whimpered when he slowly nibbled on her, his mouth suckling her flesh while his teeth lightly bit down with ever changing, sensuous pressure. She briefly tensed when he nudged her closer to his own neck. She felt nervous and out of her league with him, but her body wanted more no matter how confused her brain was, so she calmed down and leaned closer.
He smelled good, his masculine scent making sexy thoughts run though her mind. She trailed her lips along his skin and he lightly gasped. His arms were firm and unyielding around her, his incredibly hard body letting her know he was no one to be messed with, yet he was so gentle with her that it was easy to forget she was actually afraid of him.
He nibbled on down to the sweet spot at the base of her neck and she let out another whimper before quickly deciding she wanted to know the taste of him as well. He stilled when she lightly kissed his neck before cautiously licking him, far off realizing it was her cat that liked to lick, not her. As soon as the deed was done, though, she was glad she did it.
His masculine gasps urged her on as she took her time tasting him, judiciously kissing him all over. His body began slowly rocking against hers, and she quickly realized he was completely hard. It made another shiver of desire race through her.
When he bit her flesh more firmly and nudged her head again, she reluctantly touched her teeth to his skin even though it made her feel like an animal, which she definitely wasn’t. Mostly. Even so, it turned her on when he sucked in a breath, then trembled against her.
She liked that she felt safe to explore within his strong arms, unafraid of hurting him since he wasn’t human. The intensity between them quickly grew as their bodies pulsed in time with each other’s growing need. His hands began to freely roam and her body heated up even more. When he finally kissed her full and lush on the mouth, she whimpered. His kiss was so incredibly sensual, she almost wanted to throw caution to the wind and give herself completely over to him.
They grew hot and anxious, their bodies rocking feverishly against each other now, but his alpha presence was intense. He had such strength, emanated such power, it was exhilarating to have such a dominant man so excited by her. But if she gave an inch would he insist on taking things too far and ignore what she wanted, or worse, would he end up hurting her? What might he do to her because he always got his way? Did alphas get whatever they wanted? What did he want from her?
She worked her mind into a frenzy, getting more and more scared as she felt his hard erection pressed firmly against her… trapped in his powerful, unyielding arms…
She huskily stammered, “Stop, stop. Please stop.”
Sebastian froze and she briefly worried he’d turn violent. She’d seen how vicious some wolves could get when they fought each other, and Sebastian was the most vicious of them all. Was she stupid for thinking he’d actually care about being careful with her?
He took deep, panting breaths, then slowly, slowly pulled back from her. It seemed like it took an incredible effort for him to unwrap himself from her body, and she missed the warmth of him once he did. But her fear far outweighed anything else. When he finally looked at her, she felt petrified by his intense, golden gaze.
He blinked and looked down at the ground for a time. When he lifted his eyes again, the bright gold of his wolf was quickly drowned out by his brown, human eyes.
He held her hands carefully in his and said, “I’m still scaring you.”
“No, I mean, yes. I mean, I’m just not sure I’m ready yet.”
“For what? What do you mean?”
She trembled as she worriedly said, “For this. I want to take it slow.”
He nodded with a frown and stepped back even further, releasing her hands. “I pushed th
ings too far.”
Her heart hurt as she watched him. “It’s not that. Well, sort of.”
“It’s me. You’re scared of me. Of who I am. What I am.”
He looked so vulnerable as he watched her, she wanted to tear away all the hurt he’d had in his life. But when she took a brave step closer, she couldn’t make herself touch him again. “No, it’s…” She sighed and finally said, “I’m a virgin. I just want to feel like it’s right when I’m with someone.”
His eyes went wide and he visibly tensed. “I, uh, wasn’t expecting things to go that far today, but it’s flattering to know sex was an option.”
“What?” She frowned in dismay. He was flippantly teasing her about her personal admission?
He cocked his head and playfully smirked, soothing her hurt feelings.
He relaxed as he stepped closer and gingerly placed his hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry I pushed things too far. I’m not looking for a quickie with you. I’d like to get to know you better. I really would.”
Her heart skipped a beat. He was sounding more like the Sebastian of her fantasies now, though she was a bit meek when she said, “Ok.”
After a few lovely moments of them standing there, Jade self-consciously pulled away. Sebastian followed her to the kitchen and together they silently cleaned up the food and dishes from lunch. Her nerves ate at her, but the longer she pretended she hadn’t just been on an emotional roller coaster, the more at ease she felt. One of her favorite songs came on the streaming music channel and she focused on it, trying to calm down.
Sebastian ran water for the dishes and she settled in beside him to rinse and dry.
“So why did you go steady with Mary McKenna?”
He looked at her with a small smile. “She gave me a card with two squirrels holding hands. Inside the card she asked if I’d go steady with her.”
“She gave you a card? That’s why you went out with her?”
He shrugged and bashfully said, “I thought it was cute. It was sweet.”
She chided him, “Sweet? Aww… you’re a romantic, aren’t you?” She giggled.
