“Nope.” We started walking. “What’s your favorite thing to get there?”
Her entire demeanor changed. Lighter, freer, like any time she opened the door and let me in. “They have this sweet corn bread that makes the most amazing French toast. Sometimes Kiera and I pick up some champagne from one of the local vineyards. We hang out in our pajamas and toast...whatever.”
I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. The town was busy with skiers who’d spent the day on Bald Mountain. People had to walk around us, but I didn’t care. I had to kiss Lyssie, right then and there. “You’re amazing, you know that?”
“Well, yeah.” She smiled, but furrowed her eyebrows. “What makes you say that?”
“Because you can find happiness in the simplest things. The stuff other people overlook because they’re too busy complaining about what they have and don’t need. That’s what’s life’s about. Dancing around in your pajamas with your best friend and celebrating absolutely nothing. It’s the good stuff.”
“We can do that.” She tugged on my hand. “Let’s keep walking.”
Something was making her uncomfortable. “We will. But we’ll skip the pajamas,” I said. Her shoulders slumped. “What’s the matter?”
“I don’t want to talk about this here.” Lyssie picked up her pace. “Everyone can hear us.”
“No one’s listening, I promise you.” I stopped walking, pulling her back into me. “It’s just us. Tell me so I can fix it.”
Lyssie drew a deep breath. “Dallas, I love you, but I swear I could hear your thoughts upstairs. That you want to flaunt me in front of Ember. I’m not worried about losing you, but I am worried...” Her words trailed off and she looked away from me.
I only heard every other word after the first four, anyway. “What did you just say?” I wrapped my arms around her and drew her into a long, hot kiss that rivaled the one on the couch. I couldn’t fucking help myself.
Lyssie claimed me with those four little words.
“I love you, too.” I said, my lips brushing against hers. “And you better believe I want Ember to see us together. But it has nothing to do with her. Hell, I want to show you off to everyone. I want every person who passes us by to think ‘how’d that lucky bastard land the most beautiful girl in the world?’”
She pushed against my chest. “You said no one was paying attention to us.”
“I said they weren’t listening.” I snuck another kiss. “You know as wolves, we can communicate in any form. Our thoughts are the same, human or wolf. If you can pick up on what I’m thinking, you might actually be my mate. This is a good thing, Lyssie. A very good thing.”
Lyssie shook her head and broke away from me. “I’m not a wolf.”
“I don’t care.”
“What if it’s not enough? Years of tradition can’t erase what we all know. And science, can’t exactly argue with that. I’m not like you. She is. What should I do? Wave goodbye as she takes you away from me? Not knowing why it happened almost ruined my life, but knowing damn well why it’s happening and not being able to do a thing about it may kill me.”
“Don’t give the worst case scenario that kind of power over you. You’re so afraid of losing you won’t entertain the idea of winning.” I stopped to give her a chance to think about that. “My brothers and your friends were together for months, and you kept pushing me away. Why?”
“I was scared.” I expected her to look away, but instead she surprised me. She held my gaze.
“Stop putting the ending before the beginning. You’ll miss all the stuff in the middle. Like the part when we have brunch at midnight in the middle of the living room floor.” I moved closer to her, I didn’t want anyone to hear the rest of it. “And then I’m going to fuck you so hard you won’t be able to walk tomorrow. Good thing it’s your day off.”
Lyssie’s mouth fell open. It took her a minute, but the smile that convinced me there was a little bit of wolf buried deep inside her appeared. Later, there would be a whole lot of wolf inside her. “You never asked me what I had planned.”
“Tell me.”
She pulled me down the sidewalk. “Nope, I want you to think about what it could be while we’re shopping. This is my favorite place in town and I haven’t been here in weeks. We might be here a while.”
This woman was going to kill me. I actually loved watching her pick up the candles and soaps to sniff them, and seeing her light up when she talked to the vendors. Lyssie cared so much about people, listening to what every one of them had to say, even if they were giving her a sales pitch. True to her word, she told everyone about Ember’s donation. She didn’t make it sound like gossip. Instead, she phrased it in such a way she had a handful of donations to bring to Trina on Monday.
“Did you hear the bad news?” The woman who made the sweet corn bread frowned after pulling away from Lyssie’s hug. “We’re losing the lease.”
Lyssie’s mouth dropped. “What? Why? This place is packed every weekend.”
“Someone wants the land. Rumor is they’re planning a huge resort. We can’t compete with that. I’m sure we’ll find another space, but it won’t be the same. We’ll lose some people, and there’s something to be said about being in the heart of downtown.”
Lyssie glanced back at me, my shock mirrored on her face. Everything started to make a whole lot of sense. Ember planned to bulldoze Granger Falls and build hotels. Major’s shop was adjacent to the farmer’s market.
“No,” Lyssie snapped. “I refuse to let that happen. This is why people come here. Not just the farmer’s market, but for the heart and soul of this town. They can stay in some big, gross resort anywhere. But they’ll never have an experience like this.”
The vendor shook her head. “They offered way above market value for the land.”
“We might know some people.” Lyssie winked at me, handing me the bag with the loaves of bread in them. “Don’t count us out yet.”
Chapter Thirteen
Lyssie
“I hate her.” I tossed my keys on the kitchen table and switched everything on with too much force. “I refuse to let that bitch take everything from me because she’s got money and fangs.”
We bought the bread and the bubbly, as well as some cherries and honey. I slammed the bowl on the counter. This tantrum wasn’t satisfying at all, and that pissed me off more. I was surprised Kiera didn’t come out of her room. She must’ve left or was otherwise very engaged.
Dallas set the bag on the table. He came up behind me and slid his arms around my waist. The chill had followed us inside, but Dallas was warm again. Maybe too warm—the fever crept back every few days until I cured him with my body. Believe me, I didn’t mind making Dallas feel better, but it was an exhausting reminder that I was only borrowing him. I didn’t know one other claimed wolf. Major and Cass had a mating ceremony planned, but they had yet to mark each other. The fever could be completely normal or a sign that things were horribly wrong.
“We’ve got this,” Dallas murmured against my neck before kissing up to my earlobe, ending in a nip. My bones turned to jelly any time he did that. “Why will you fight so hard for these places, but you’re willing to hand me over to Ember?”
Ouch. His body heat ratcheted from comforting to excruciating in the time it took to ask his question. I pulled away from him, needing to hold on to the counter. The jelly feeling was still there, but for all the wrong reasons. “I thought this was something we were doing together.”
“It is.” Dallas’ incredible blue eyes had never looked so dark. He reached for me but stopped before touching me. It was even more painful than the heat. “But you didn’t answer the question.”
“Maybe to see if you’ll go.” I barely heard my own words. My deepest, darkest fears had a way of playing tricks on me. They were so strong inside my head, but they were thin and brittle when released into the universe.
Dallas shook his head. “This is the only place I want to be.” He put his hands on either sid
e of me. I was about to beg him to touch me, I needed the pain. Everything hurt and I needed an explanation. But I didn’t have to ask. He nudged his knee between my legs and captured my mouth in a kiss.
With his lips moving against mine, there were no questions to answer. We surrendered to and claimed one another. There was no fight, only a union. All of my fear melted away as his power, his passion, his love flowed into my body. He’d been so patient with me, all the times I’d pushed him away, with all my questions about myself and us. He was still here.
No, he wasn’t going anywhere. I’d claimed him. Dallas was mine.
“I know that,” I said, needing to catch my breath but not ready to stop kissing. His hands covered mine on the edge of the counter. We gripped on to each other for dear life, hanging on to the last shred of the universe before we lost everything we knew. No matter what happened, win or lose, it would change everything. “And it’s the most incredible feeling in the world. I didn’t know what real happiness was until I met you.”
“Me neither.” Dallas kissed my forehead. “Let’s cook this stuff. But don’t think I’ve forgotten about this plan of yours. I can’t stop thinking about it.”
My cheeks flushed, and I turned to the bag, trying to conceal my smile. I was terrible at keeping secrets. “I hope you’re not disappointed. All this buildup and then...”
“Impossible.” Dallas picked up the bag of cherries. “What can I do to help?”
“Do you know how to pit cherries?” I asked.
The light returned to Dallas’ eyes. “Nope.”
“Good, let me show you.” I unhooked my apron from the pantry door and dropped the neck strap over his head. “Remember, I promised to wear this with pearls and nothing else.”
Dallas loosened his belt. “I can do that. Get me some pearls. Although, I can think of other things to do with those.”
My whole body throbbed and I pretended there was absolutely nothing suggestive about that comment. “I use a straw to get the pits out. Push it in the end and wiggle it. Make sure you do it over the bowl, because it gets messy.” Wiggling the straw into the end of the cherry felt dirty, too. And I was hungry for something else now. Trina and Kiera had completely corrupted me. I was as red as the cherries when I handed Dallas the straw.
He was a quick student, and by the time I had the rest of the ingredients simmering, he finished pitting the cherries. “I still made a mess.” He held up his juice-stained hand, and licked his pointer finger.
“Let me get that for you.” I reached for his wrist and angled his finger into my mouth. I sucked the sweet juice from it, swirling my tongue up and down the length of it. Dallas moaned, curling his clean hand around my neck and holding me in place as he slipped the next sticky finger into my mouth.
“Damn. Is that a preview of the coming attractions?”
I nodded, his finger still between my lips. “I have an idea,” I said, letting go of him. “This will be even better if we let the cherries marinate in the bourbon. And we’re going to be starving later on.”
I looped the apron up over his head and hung it up. Dallas’ hand still glistened from its tongue bath. He watched, open mouthed, as I peeled my sweater up over my head and walked into my bedroom.
He followed me, but I closed the door before he had a chance to come in. “What are you doing?” he asked. His hand held the door open so he could still see my face.
“Not ready yet.” My heart thundered in my ears. I should’ve taken a swig of that bourbon. I had no reason to be nervous. I pushed the door closed.
My hands shook as I took the lingerie out of the tissue. Kiera had suggested I hook the stockings into the holders before I put it on, and I wished I’d listened to her. These little plastic things were impossible to work. I shimmied out of my jeans and underwear and slid into the teddy. Now that it was all one piece it was more of a contraption, making me glad I didn’t drink. I would’ve gotten hopelessly tangled in it, fallen flat on my ass, and Dallas would’ve come in to find me playing a losing game of Twister with my fancy underwear.
Not exactly the tone I was hoping to set.
I didn’t recognize myself. Straps of lace crossed over the front of my body. My nipples eagerly poked through the pattern. The thong covered nothing and it was already soaked. I finger-combed my curls and slipped into the heels and robe I ordered. The girl who wore this didn’t have time for any of that self-doubt shit. She was fierce, confident, didn’t give a flying fuck about some she-bitch from Montana, and was ready to rock the world of the wolf waiting on the other side of the door.
“Holy shit,” Dallas said, more of a breath than a statement. He hadn’t moved from where I left him. I leaned against the door frame, letting the robe fall open. “You look like a goddess.”
“You like?” I asked.
“I love.” He picked up the open lapel of the robe, drinking in the lace and bare flesh. Heat rolled off his body, but I had goosebumps. “Now how are we going to get this off of you?”
“I was thinking I’d keep some of it on.” I bit my lip and lowered my gaze so he watched me pull the tiny strap of my thong away from my hip. “Otherwise, I thought I’d leave the rest up to you.”
“I like the way you think.” Dallas pulled the loose belt away from the robe. “We can’t let this go to waste. Step back in the room, Lyssie. We need to close the door.”
Excitement thrummed through my body. The energy between us had become supercharged, filling my little room. Dallas sat on the bed, his belt still hanging loose from when he jokingly opened it in the kitchen. He folded my satin belt, pulling it tight between his fingers before setting it beside him.
“You didn’t get that outfit at the farmer’s market.” His words had a low rumble.
I shook my head, trying to suppress my grin. “Nope. Ordered it online.”
“God, I love the internet.” He smirked. “Take off the robe and let me see you. Leave the heels on.”
Letting the robe slip from my shoulders to the floor, I met Dallas’ gaze. He hadn’t touched the bourbon, but the way he looked at me, I’d swear he was lust drunk. He wasn’t suffering from Full Moon Fever, but he needed my body all the same.
And he was going to get it.
“I’m not going to be sweet with you, Lyssie. You’ve been teasing me all night and I’ve had a lot of time to think about what I want to do to you. I’m not holding anything back. I’m going to fuck you like crazy.”
My knees buckled. “What are you waiting for?”
Every so often, Dallas looked more like a wolf than a man. This was one of those times. “For you to get over here.”
I dropped to my knees—I’d never make it over there upright—and crawled to him.
His mouth fell open. He wasn’t the only one shocked. I couldn’t believe I was doing this, but there was no turning back now. “You have no idea how gorgeous you look doing that, with your tits swaying and your ass in the air,” he growled. My arousal was already dripping down the inside of my thighs. We were getting close to the full moon, and I was willing to bet Dallas could smell it. At one point, that would’ve embarrassed me, but now it turned me on even more, that we could share something so primal. I knelt in front of him and he grabbed a handful of my hair, our gazes locked once again. “Be wild with me tonight,” he said.
I almost told him he read my mind, but I licked my lips instead. Dallas’ belt hung open, from when we joked about the apron. I pulled it out of the loops, hitting him in the stomach with the unexpected velocity.
Dallas put his hands over mine. “What did you have planned with that?”
I froze, because I didn’t have one. I shook my head, and he took the belt from me, placing it next to its satin counterpart on the comforter. “I could’ve come up with something.”
“Nope. Stick to original. And I’ve got some plans of my own.” Dallas leaned back, his heavy-lidded gaze made everything inside me pulse.
Dallas was hard inside his jeans. I brushed the back of
my knuckles along the outline of his erection and he squeezed his eyes closed, shifting his legs on the bed. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to get away from me or make my job easier. Either way, he needed relief.
I unzipped his fly. Dallas didn’t bother with underwear most days, and his cock sprung out, ready for me. I was still shy about blow jobs. I’d built them up in my head to be something gross, but they weren’t that bad after all. Wrapping my hand around his shaft, I started slow, rubbing my thumb over the tip. It was a little wet. I loved that we could do this to each other’s bodies. And even more, I loved that the big, bad wolf had surrendered to me. His breathing changed, like he had to remind himself to do it, and our gazes locked as I lowered my mouth down on him.
“Fuck, that feels so good,” he moaned. His fingers tangled in my hair, cupping the back of my head, guiding me. I was glad he did it, not only so I knew what he liked. His moans were a sweet reward for hitting the right spot. There was still a little piece of me wanted to chicken out. Run. This wasn’t me. But it was so much fun, watching Dallas turn practically inside out as my tongue moved up and down his cock. “And you look incredible like this.”
I wanted to smile, but it was kind of hard to do with a mouth full of his shaft. Our gazes locked, and he pulled me away from him by my hair. Now it was my turn to groan.
“You like that, don’t you?” Dallas asked, pulling harder, exposing the line of my neck. I wished he’d sink his teeth into my skin, claim me. I wanted to feel the fire inside my body that could only be quelled by desire. I wanted to give Dallas that kind of power over me. Be hypnotized with fever, so blinded by passion that I wasn’t sure if it was real or if I’d lost my mind.
That’s what forever meant to me.
Dallas didn’t let go of my hair. “Stand up, Lyssie.”
I rolled back on my heels, wobbling, and glad that Dallas held me. I rose slowly, brushing against his cock, our bodies inches apart. Dallas cupped the back of my head again, pulling me into a kiss. I was dizzy as our lips moved against each other, desperate for some sort of center. Dallas ran his tongue along my top lip and my knees buckled. He rumbled, and his animal didn’t scare me anymore. I couldn’t wait for him to shift.
Shelter Me (Sawtooth Shifters, #6) Page 8
