Ryan inclined his head in a silent gesture of respect. Kudos to her for mastering such a skill. Though he could easily understand why she drew so much masculine attention. Everything about her, from the sensual way she moved to her devastating curves and the perfect pout of her mouth, screamed sex.
Only he knew she was so much more than that.
Oblivious, Jeff got two beers and returned to her, nearly tripping over himself in his hurry to rejoin her.
Though normally not a sucker for punishment, Ryan couldn’t make himself leave. He sat there, aching, and watched as the woman he craved flirted and made small talk with one of his employees.
Inside, the smoldering embers became an inferno. He’d been foolish to think he could do this. How could he help her find somebody else when he still wanted her for himself?
Again, his wolf fought to break free. Ryan subdued the urge to change and tried to get himself under control. In the back corner of the room, he recognized the two men who were her guards.
His chest felt as though it could burst. Aware he took quick, shallow breaths, he watched her the way a wolf watches a rabbit. When Jeff got up to go somewhere, whether for more drinks or to use the restroom, Ryan seized his chance. Though he knew he shouldn’t, he had to go to her.
As he wove his way through the crowd, keeping his eye on the prize, he watched her repel a second wave of admirers. And then, just as he came around to her side of the packed room, she looked up and met his gaze.
Electricity, desire, need, a thousand powerful emotions flared when their eyes locked. He stood still, his nostrils flaring, realizing he needed to smell her scent, taste her tawny skin, touch her...possess her. Right now, if he could have ordered the bar to empty, he would have.
Her lovely caramel eyes widened slightly, letting him know she recognized him, despite his disguise.
“Ryan?” She pushed to her feet, one hand to her slender throat. “What are you doing here?”
Everything he meant to say to her vanished. In one swift, almost violent motion, he had her in his arms. And then he kissed her.
Mouth hard and demanding, he tried to show her what he couldn’t say. Mine. You belong with me, no one else.
Parting her lips, she raised herself to meet him halfway.
Everything else ceased to exist. Everything but her and him and the desire electrifying his blood. When she pressed her body into his, her curves fitting as if they’d been made for him, his sudden and violent arousal made him grin savagely.
His. At least for tonight.
“Um? Excuse me.” Jeff had returned. He cleared his throat, the sound like a dash of ice water on Ryan’s head. When they broke apart to look at him, Ryan had to throttle the urge to snarl at the other man to get the hell away.
“Maria?” Jeff asked, his gaze going from her to Ryan and back again. “Is this man bothering you?”
After a second of startled silence, Ryan threw back his head and laughed. He couldn’t help it. “Did it look like I was bothering her?” he asked, his tone mocking.
Maria’s gentle touch on his arm stopped him. “Stop.” She turned to face her date, her expression apologetic. “Jeff, I’m sorry. It looks like I still have some things to work out with my ex.”
Ex? Jaw tight, Ryan kept his mouth shut.
“Your ex?” Jeff shook his head. “Ryan didn’t tell me about any of this,” he muttered, which made Ryan realize the other man hadn’t recognized him.
“Here.” Ryan passed Jeff two twenties. “Catch a cab back to wherever you’re staying. Maria and I have a lot to talk about.”
Jeff’s expression tightened. Part of Ryan wondered if the other man might be willing to fight for her. He knew he would have, if the situation were reversed. Except that kiss made a statement all its own.
Taking the money, Jeff spun around and stalked out.
Chapter 12
“What’s wrong with you?” Maria rounded on Ryan, hands on her hips. “Why are you acting like you just caught me cheating on you?”
“I can’t do this,” he told her, fighting the urge to touch her again. “This is crazy.”
She watched him closely. When she finally nodded, the relief flooding through him nearly sent him to his knees. “I agree,” she said. “We need to talk. Let’s get out of here.”
Figuring they’d take a walk on the beach while hammering out the parameters of their relationship, he stepped aside to allow her to precede him. “Lead the way.”
With his hand on the small of her back as they navigated the packed room, he couldn’t help but notice how many people watched her. Men with blatant desire, women with envy. Without even trying, Maria evoked a visceral response in everyone she passed.
As they stepped outside into the humid air, he steered her down the steps toward the seawall. Beyond that was the sandy beach. Moonlight highlighted silver waves ghosting across the water, just as they had the night they first met.
He fought the urge to take her, right there on the sand, even as his inner wolf growled approval. His.
“Beautiful,” he said, gazing at her rather than the landscape. “This night is suddenly full of potential.”
“Maybe.” Her noncommittal response made him smile. “I still don’t understand why you interrupted my date.”
Was she kidding? Narrow-eyed, he cocked his head, wondering how to put it into words if his kiss hadn’t been enough to convince her.
“I can’t do this, Maria.” He gestured back at the noisy bar. “I know I promised to help you, but there’s no way I can stand by and watch you with another man. We belong together.”
He wasn’t good at flowery speeches or poetry. He hoped she understood what he was trying to say.
Instead, she pulled away. “I’m serious. What are you doing? I get that I’m attractive to you because I’m probably the first woman in all of creation who isn’t falling all over herself to be with you. But you need to understand me. I’m looking for something else. Something permanent.” The sea breeze ruffled her long dark hair, making the silky strands appear to be caressing her face the way his fingers ached to.
“You can’t deny how good we are together. Our kisses could fuse metal.”
Even in the moonlight, he could see how her dusky skin colored at his words. Her quickened breathing and the delightful way her nipples pebbled against her dress told him he aroused her as much as she did him. As if either of them needed confirmation.
“Be with me. Explore this thing between us, for however long it lasts.” He realized his mistake as soon as he finished speaking.
Her caramel-colored gaze swept over him, as sensual as a caress. “No,” she replied, her tone furious. “And, Ryan, I agree. We can’t do this. I release you from your promise to help me find someone. I’ll manage on my own.”
Her quiet refusal felt like a knife in the heart. Narrowing his eyes, he studied her, trying to figure out why he couldn’t seem to just walk away and wash his hands of her. “What do you want from me?”
She shook her head. “Something you’re not able to give. It’s okay, Ryan. We had a good fling.” She spoke the last word as if it was a curse.
“Look,” he said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
She sighed heavily. “I know. You’re just being who you are.”
In the end, it all boiled down to this. They wanted different things. She’d said she needed commitment, which meant marriage, a house with a white picket fence, and most importantly, kids. While he wanted...he realized he wasn’t sure what he wanted. The only thing he knew with absolute certainty was that he wanted her. At least right now. No one could foresee the future. Not even someone with magic.
Noise from down the beach drew their attention. A group of partiers, drunk from the sound of it, headed down the sand directly toward them.
Though his heart felt as though it might be breaking, he knew he should agree with her and let her go. It wasn’t as if he was about to drop to his knee and propose marriage. Even
the very word made him shudder.
He managed to look her in the eye and smile. “You’re right. I’ll leave you alone from now on. Can we at least be...friends?”
Though he’d nearly choked on the last word, she returned his smile and nodded. “I’d like that very much. As long as you promise not to show up on any of my dates ever again.”
“That’s one promise I can definitely keep,” he swore vehemently. Maybe if she didn’t have any luck finding her perfect, mind-reading man, she’d let their relationship be more like a friends-with-benefits type thing. In the meantime, he needed to get busy finding her replacement.
* * *
Ryan showing up on her date with Jeff had stunned Maria. Even with his ridiculous disguise on, she’d recognized him the instant his gaze met hers. She’d tried to curb the dizzying current that had electrified her at his appearance.
And then...he’d kissed her. The kiss had rocked her world. Everything about the moment his mouth touched her, the salt of the sea-scented air on his lips, his hard muscular body and that particular way he had of looking at her as if she were more precious than gold, turned her into a puddle of need.
She loved him. The certainty of it brought her pain rather than joy. She may have been lurching along, unsure and unsteady in her path, wondering how in the world she’d manage to complete her destiny, but Ryan’s lips on hers made her feel more alive than she ever had.
Watching him walk away, she stood on the beach and wanted to weep. The drunken revelers reached her, swirled around her, tried to coax her into a dance or a smile, but she only shook her head, the darkness in her expression warning them away.
Yes, she loved him. Ryan Howard, billionaire playboy. A man who never wanted for anything. Right at that moment, she wished desperately that he wasn’t rich or famous, that he was an ordinary man who might have been able to conceive of a future with someone like her.
She wanted one thing in a man, and clearly Ryan wasn’t capable of it.
All her life she’d understood her love was a precious gift, not to be bestowed carelessly. When she’d pictured her future, she’d never really understood what love would feel like. She’d envisioned it like some romantic comedy. Lots of laughter, lighthearted kisses and an easy path full of welcoming yellow light, homemade bread and a bright future.
Loving Ryan had opened her eyes to the truth. The way she felt about him was messy and complicated. And painful.
In a daze, she walked back to her car. If she’d had a choice, she would have accepted what Ryan offered and taken as long with him as he could give.
But she couldn’t. Because her love alone wouldn’t enable her to conceive.
Not for the first time, she hated her destiny.
Because until recently the Drakkor had believed the women were sterile, Maria had grown up without the awful shadow of this fate hanging over her. Quite frankly, she’d adjusted to the idea she’d be childless. The disease had left few women, but Drakkor men had long gone outside their own species.
Somehow it hadn’t dawned on any of them that they might be the ones with an inability to procreate, despite the fact that none of the men had been able to get any of their girlfriends or wives pregnant since Maria had been a child.
Pride, she guessed. She knew her father had been devastated when he’d learned the news.
Tammy, one of the other Drakkor females remaining, and also the oldest who had managed to escape the ravages of the disease that had taken Maria’s mother, had miraculously been able to conceive. She’d fallen in love with a Fae man, and despite having worked with Polacek at one point, was now considered to be the mother of the continuation of the Drakkor species.
Focus had immediately shifted to the other females. Initially, it was believed there were only three, but then Stephanie had been located on a secluded Greek island.
After learning that everything she’d been told about her body had been false, Maria had come to realize nothing in life was absolutely certain. Okay, maybe a few things, like the fact that she could shape-shift into a dragon and fly high above the clouds, out into the ocean where no one could see her.
But the new knowledge, the truth about what she needed from a mate, at least according to Tammy, had frustrated her. Despite her relatively young age, Maria had enough wisdom to understand love couldn’t be ordered up like a pizza.
Now that she’d found love, she wondered if she’d be graced with the ability to find it again. And she simply had to, and soon. The Council constantly badgered her father, which in turn made him push her.
He’d been hopeful when he’d seen her with Ryan, despite the notoriety that went with being a billionaire. “Just think of all he can do to keep you and your children safe,” he’d said. “And maybe he’d be willing to fund our existing research so we can learn why all our males are sterile.”
When she’d finally gotten up the courage to tell him the truth about Ryan—that he didn’t believe in commitment or love—her father had been devastated.
The next few days passed in a sort of a daze. She went to work and came home, she ate and drank and showered and breathed. But in her determination to stay away from Ryan Howard, she learned something else. Love hurt. Like hell. Clearly love wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns.
Rhonda called to check on her. As soon as she learned Maria felt depressed, she arrange a girls’ night out. “We’ll go out to eat, then dancing and drinking. Who knows, since the island is packed with tourists, maybe you’ll meet someone.”
Maria’s first reaction was to decline. But the time had come to rouse herself and do something, even if it was just getting out with a friend. Any distraction might help her stop thinking about a man she couldn’t have.
They made plans to meet on the coming Friday. For the first time since she’d last seen Ryan, Maria felt a bit of sunshine shining through the gloom. When she finished up work Friday afternoon, she hurried home. She notified Colton Richards, who promised he would remain in the shadows and claimed she wouldn’t even notice him following her.
With a sigh, Maria thanked him and headed inside her house to get ready. When she and Rhonda went out, they both wore jeans, heels and cute tops. Redoing her makeup, Maria got dressed, checking her watch impatiently. They’d decided to eat at Willie G’s Steakhouse on Harborside Drive. It had been a while since she’d had red meat, and her dragon had begun to crave it.
Though Maria arrived early, Rhonda had already been seated and waved her over.
“You look amazing,” Maria said, after she hugged her friend. “Marriage and motherhood clearly agree with you.”
“Thanks!” Rhonda cocked her head, studying Maria. “You look wonderful, too. What have you been doing? You’re positively glowing.”
“Hah.” Pulling out her chair, Maria grinned at her best friend. “Since I’ve been feeling absolutely miserable, I appreciate your attempt to be kind.”
“I’m serious, you dolt.” Whatever else Rhonda might have been about to say was interrupted by the arrival of their waiter. They ordered the crab, avocado and mango tower to share and each ordered a glass of merlot. For dinner, they both had the eight-ounce filet. Maria ordered hers rare, while Rhonda’s was medium.
They talked about everything and anything, with one exception. Maria really appreciated her friend steering clear of the painful subject of her short-lived fling with Ryan Howard.
After they ate, Rhonda said she wanted to go back to the same bar where Maria and Ryan had met. At first, the pang of longing she felt had Maria considering suggesting somewhere else, but there were only a few really good places on the island.
“Sure,” she finally said, hoping her expression didn’t reveal her inner turmoil. Since they’d be arriving well before the hordes of younger tourists descended on the place, she figured it would be fine. And who knew, maybe Rhonda would be her good luck charm and she’d actually meet someone.
Despite their fairly early arrival, the place seemed packed. Maria pushed through th
e crowd of gyrating bodies, scanning the perimeter for an empty table. There were none, but two seats had just opened up at the bar.
Maria and Rhonda reached them before anyone else could snag them.
“Whew,” Rhonda said. “I’d forgotten how much work this is.”
They both ordered wine, figuring to keep up the trend they’d started at dinner. Maria took a lazy look around the place but, as usual, didn’t see anyone even remotely interesting.
When she swiveled back to face Rhonda, her friend laughed. “I looked for you, too. Maybe someone will come in later.”
“Maybe. At least I have you to dance with.” Long ago, both women had stopped worrying about what other people might think. If they wanted to have fun, then they would. Plus, since Rhonda had gotten married, she wasn’t comfortable dancing with other men. Maria admired that.
A commotion over by the entrance made them both look. Maria’s heart plummeted to her feet as Ryan strolled in, his arm around a stunning and slender blonde woman who had to be a model. Behind the two of them were several other young and beautiful couples, her friends, no doubt.
“Uh-oh.” Rhonda winced. “I can see from your expression that you’re still not over him.”
“I’m fine.” Maria almost snarled the words, watching as the man who’d claimed to be over the moon about her laughed down into the gorgeous face of his companion.
He couldn’t see her. Not here, without a date. Biting down panic, she swiveled her chair so she faced the bar again, keeping her back to the rest of the room and him.
“Do you want to leave?” Bless her heart, Rhonda had gotten out her credit card to pay their tab.
“No.” Deep breaths should help her calm down. “I refuse to let him ruin our night.”
Luckily Ryan and his entourage headed for some sort of private room the manager must have reserved for them. They disappeared behind a door.
“Thank goodness.” She gave Rhonda a weak smile.
Rhonda shook her head. “When you’re ready to leave, just say the word and we’re gone.”
Billionaire Wolf (The Pack 17) (Nocturne) Page 16
