by Michele Hauf
“They’re fine.” She surprised herself with that answer.
“You wish to have one more before I leave? Be decisive, no maybes.”
“Yes.”
He did love this woman’s daring.
Severo swept her into his arms and kissed her soundly. She accepted his command and answered with an eager reply. Plunging in deeply, he explored her, noting the texture of her tongue, the soft insides of her mouth. Her sweet breath. Every moan she murmured only made him all the more determined to possess her. To win her.
To get the hell out of here before he couldn’t resist the desire to rip away those loose clothes and lave his tongue all over her flesh.
“Tonight.” Severo kissed her on the forehead and walked out the patio door.
Chapter 6
S evero arrived home to find a turkey sandwich on the kitchen counter. Actually, it was like a Thanksgiving feast stuffed between two innocent slices of French bread. Stuffing, cranberries, gravy and loads of meat.
Heloise, the cook/housekeeper, had worked for him twenty years, and he dreaded the day she considered retirement.
Not only was she a great cook, but Heloise also understood his foibles and knew what he was. She knew when not to press and when a defiant tone would be tolerated. She worked Monday through Thursday, noon to whenever, and would never move in, despite his frequent suggestion she do so. She had a family; he understood.
Demolishing the sandwich, he then tipped back a couple glasses of water. His appetite never waned. He loved meat. He ran off the calories nightly, so he needed not fear a gut. Besides, he was still young.
At ninety-some years, Severo was only about a third through the usual werewolf’s life expectancy. Three centuries were more than enough. He wasn’t immortal, and he was thankful for that.
He’d endured much in his near century of life. He’d seen unspeakable horrors, and he’d participated in the horror himself. He’d loved but once—an unrequited love. And that had taught him to be wary of future love.
Until he’d caught the lovely Belladonna Reynolds in his arms. He’d only intended to keep her safe from the vamps, then release her, never to see her again.
Setting the empty plate in the sink, he headed for the office.
Funny how life never follows the plans a man makes, he thought. He didn’t need the distraction of a sexy human woman. He lived a simple life, yet he was always busy with real estate purchases. He systematically purchased forested land in the upper northern areas of the state. Much was state forest release.
If Severo had his way, he’d buy it all. But there were the Indian reservations, and he would not deny them their bid to reclaim some of the land. He was getting close to beginning construction on the wolf preserve. At this moment an architect in Minneapolis was designing the project to Severo’s specifications.
A lifelong dream, the preserve would protect those he considered his closest relatives in the animal kingdom. The wolf packs were few in Minnesota, thanks to frightened farmers shooting wildly at wolves that strayed from the pack, and hunters seeking a prize to mount and display for friends.
If only there was a way to protect his kind from the vampires. Beyond their banding together in multiple packs and standing strong against the longtooths, or allying themselves with the bloody bastards, it was better that a werewolf kept to himself.
There were some packs who participated in the blood sport—a vicious retaliation against the vampires—but Severo did not condone senseless violence.
Though a member, Severo had not attended the Council for years. It was a conglomeration of representatives from the various paranormal nations. Vampires, witches, werewolves, faeries, elementals and others. They tried for peace amongst the nations but accepted tolerance.
No humans served on the Council. Humans were but distractions to the paranormals. To be avoided by the werewolves. Few considered them a necessity, save the vamps.
And yet, Severo would not fight his body’s attraction to the human female. He hadn’t experienced such a powerful pull since, well, not even since Aby.
Aby had been different. Theirs had been a close, friendly bond, like family. Yet not. He’d been more sexually attracted to her than she had been to him. But she had felt it. He knew it.
Picking up the picture frame from the shelf behind the document-littered mahogany desk, he tilted it to erase the reflection from the window. Bold red hair spiked about a pixie face with a smile so bright, it hurt him to know she was no longer a big part of his life.
He tapped the glass over her face. “Miss you.”
Aby was but a phone call away. Ten numbers. Three states.
And one wedding ring.
He set the picture down and heaved out a sigh.
Had he not walked this earth long enough that love should finally be his? He did desire it. He craved the connection and emotional bond that accompanied what he believed love to be.
But most of all, he wanted to hold another in his arms and know he was loved in return. That he was not merely a friend.
Could Bella be the mate this tired werewolf had dreamed to find?
For a human, she impressed him with her acceptance, her teasing foray into discovering him. It was as if she dared herself to step over the cliff, to take the plunge into the unknown. He suspected she lived a neat, orderly life within her jungle of a loft. Yet she fed on adrenaline more than she realized.
He liked that about her. Any woman who got involved with him would need to be comfortable with the adrenaline rush. Introducing chaos into her life would please him immensely.
But it worried him that Elvira and her mindless sycophants might be after Bella. If her friend Seth was involved with Elvira, it made sense that the female vampire would seek to remove all human connections the idiot boyfriend had. That’s how the longtooth worked.
Severo growled in disgust. He punched a fist into his open palm with a smack. He cared little for the man. But no one would harm a hair on Bella’s head.
It mattered little what she thought about him. All that mattered was that he had to follow this feeling of desire. If she was the one for him, he would not relent until she was his.
An hour before she intended to meet Seth, teacup in hand, Bella peeked out the window. Like clockwork, he again was sitting on the bus-stop bench. Silently stalwart. Clothed in leather and looking like something no fool would want to mess with. A force not to be overlooked.
A force whose black boxer briefs had hung like a blatant you’ve-been-naughty flag in her bathroom. She’d plucked them down and folded them neatly. How did she return such a thing to someone she hardly knew? Discreetly slip them from her purse and mutter, “You forgot these”?
Bella rolled her eyes. Wasn’t it usually the woman who slipped her underwear into the man’s things? She bet Mr. Big Bad Werewolf would love to find her panties among his things. But not when he was dutifully guarding her from the other Big Bads.
She wondered about the relationship between vampires and werewolves. Severo had made it clear he didn’t like vampires. But was that just him, or did they all battle and clash?
Either way, with vampires after her, she was glad to have a vampire hater on her side.
Although when he was around, no real sides existed. He had no respect for her personal space. He got close enough to breathe her air, and she his.
Initially it had disturbed her. Now it felt…nice.
Had she really gotten close to naked with him in the pool?
She didn’t think she’d ever touched hard muscles like his before. And his kisses…
There weren’t words for the way his kiss made her feel. Instead, a sensual shiver whispered over her shoulders, reminding her of his power.
Clinking her spoon against the porcelain teacup, she wandered across the room. It was the perfect evening to sit outside on the lounge chair and watch the sun disappear on the horizon. Glamorous light glittered across the pool. But she wondered if her protector would have her back
if she was out of view.
Surely he’d smell them coming a mile away, she realized, and decided outside it was.
Three minutes passed before her fence jumper appeared. Bella didn’t even startle. She merely glanced over the rim of her teacup at the imposing hunk of male.
“You shouldn’t be outside at night,” he told her.
“It’s evening. The sun hasn’t set.”
“Do you always correct people, Bella?”
“I—” She did. It was a bad habit. “You can’t keep away from me, can you?”
“I’m going to take that comment as an invitation. Mind if I join you?”
She slid her knees up on the lounge chair so he could sit on the other end. Naturally, he chose the middle, stretching his legs before him. A deft slide of his arm put her legs over his lap. He stroked her skin above the anklebone and grinned at her.
“Chai?” he asked.
“Good guess.”
“I could smell the cardamom, cinnamon and honey from the bench out front. Anise, too, I think. Or is that your clove perfume?”
“Okay, you’ve impressed me with your olfactory superpowers. Tell me something I don’t know. You tracked me to my home? So you can pick out anyone and find them if you have their scent?”
“Usually. Within a range. The suburbs are spread out, so the range is not so difficult. But in the city proper so many people are wedged into every nook, cranny, car and house that it takes a while to detect some.”
“But you followed me like a bloodhound to the bone, eh?”
“Something like that.”
He bent and kissed her ankle. The ends of his hair tickled the top of her foot. Bella curled her toes. Had she been thinking that long hair didn’t attract her?
“You’re more comfortable with my presence now.” It wasn’t a question.
“Apparently. I may even invite you in to watch a movie.”
“I enjoy movies. But let me guess. A werewolf flick?”
“No, it’s a romance I picked up the other day. Probably a tearjerker.”
“And you want me to watch it with you? I’ll take a rain check.”
“Ah, I’ve uncovered a weakness. The man doesn’t do emotional scenes.”
“This man prefers action, gun fights and explosions. Besides, I don’t need a movie. I’m plenty entertained sitting right here, watching you sip tea. Your lips purse and look like candy treats when you sip. I’d love to nibble on that thick upper lip right now.”
“You’ll spill my tea.”
“Set it down.”
“You’re bossing me again.”
“And you’re going to listen.”
He held his hand out for the teacup.
With but a two-second pause to consider her options, Bella set the cup on his palm. He set it on the patio.
The man’s body glided along hers. His fingers raked through her hair and his mouth met hers in a soft collision. The throaty sound of his pleasure rumbled against her senses, bruising them, opening them to every soft breath, touch and sound. The air changed, as it usually did when Severo kissed her. It became light and heady and so unnecessary.
A dash of his tongue to the underside of her upper lip stirred up a pleasure-drenched moan from Bella.
“Angry you succumbed?” he asked against her mouth.
“When do I get to boss you around?”
“Whenever you wish, I shall do as you command. Except leave or stop watching out for you.”
“Anything I ask?”
“Within the realm of the possible. I’ll not humiliate myself for you, so don’t ask me to do something silly.” The brush of his beard across her collarbone drew a sigh from her. “And just so you know, I prefer anything having to do with touching you and making you feel good.”
She did, too. But what could she ask of him? What dare she ask of him? This was a fantasy come true. Only, she’d never fantasized about a paranormal lover. Just a commanding one. A man sure of himself and what he could do for her.
And wasn’t that the opposite of how she envisioned herself? Bella Reynolds, strong, capable, not about to take shit from anyone.
Unless he asked with that mischievous glint to his eyes.
He still leaned over her. She touched the base of his neck where the fine hairs flowed down and across his chest. She twirled her fingertip among them, liking the silky play of them across the whorls of her skin. He stretched his neck, as if he were a cat coaxing her to stroke him.
“You like that?” she asked.
“I should not admit this, but your touch…It gentles me.”
She liked the sound of that. Of taming a wild and wicked stranger. Because she still considered him a stranger.
Heck, she didn’t know his full name. By now she should have looked him up on Google. Was Severo even a name? It was probably his last name. She couldn’t decide if she wanted to know his whole name. Might spoil the adventure, which, he’d correctly guessed, she loved so much.
“Take off your shirt,” she decided. Bella grinned, savoring the empowerment she hadn’t thought he would allow her.
The small black buttons slid from their slots faster than she thought possible. Shirt abandoned on the ground before the lounge chair, her wicked stranger smiled in anticipation and waited for direction.
This was too easy. This wasn’t empowerment. The man was just plain horny. He’d strip naked for her if she asked.
However, nothing was wrong with a better view of this guy’s ripped body.
She ran her fingers across his chest, raking her nails over his tiny rigid nipples. He clenched his jaw and gave her quick kisses to her chin and at her earlobe.
“I’ve never touched a man with chest hair before. I like it. It’s so masculine.”
“Your touch renders me hungry for more, sweet. What is your next command?”
“Hmm, take off my shirt,” she said, sliding up a knee to hug his hip. “And that’s it for tonight. Deal? Shirts off, nothing else.”
“Second base. I can live with that.”
“You’d better not make me regret it.”
“Never.”
She lifted her arms as he tugged off her T-shirt. The air swirled across her bare breasts, only to be quickly replaced by his hot mouth on her nipple.
Arching her back lifted her breast up against his mouth, and he answered her plea with insistent suckling and a gentle tweak to the other one with his thumb.
“Your breasts are gorgeous. I could feast upon them all day and night and never wish for more.”
“Sweet talker, you. Oh, mercy, that’s good. That tongue of yours makes me tingle all over.”
“Tingles are for amateurs. I’m going to make you come, sweet.”
“But we agreed second base was it.”
“I don’t need to go further.” He lashed his tongue across her nipple and dipped his head to the left to pay the other breast its due. “Mmm, your breasts fit my hands as if they were made for them. I like them this size. Small yet so round.”
With a hand behind her back, he lifted her and pressed her groin against his. The intense tugging and laving at her nipples sent exotic shivers scurrying through her body in all directions. He alternated between quick laps with the pointed tip of his tongue and long, sweeping tastes all about her rigid flesh.
Her breasts were so sensitive to a man’s touch, but more so at Severo’s attentions. Bella felt his tongue all the way through her body as the delicious sensations traveled up, down and everywhere in between.
He dizzied her with his talent. And he was making her so wet that she clenched her thighs to capture the feeling, to increase the intensity that hummed there.
“Yes, squeeze your thighs together to make it happen, sweet. Come for me.”
No man had ever talked to her like that. But the words sounded so sexy coming out in his husky voice and in a wanting, deep tone that hummed against her flesh.
Pushing her fingers through his hair, she dug in and tugged.
He laved across her nipple slowly. “Hot and…receptive. God, you are so sensitive, Bella. Do you feel this in your—?”
He used a word that startled her yet at the same time made her gasp with desire. Because he was right on target. The man knew what his touch was capable of. He could make her come merely by—
Could he? She might have an orgasm if he slicked his tongue a little to the right.
A soft nip at the outer edge of her areola was what did it.
Bella cried out as an orgasm utterly blindsided her and swept her up. Her body shook beneath his powerful torso. His hands glided across her breasts. He kissed them slowly, dragging his tongue around them and then up to her mouth, where he caught her surrendering sigh in his mouth.
Bella clung to him, gripping his hard muscles, as if letting go would make her fall endlessly.
He let out a smirking chuff next to her ear. “You’ve never come that way before, have you?”
“Are you kidding? That was amazing. How’d you do that?”
“You’re very sensitive to my touch.”
“No shit. Oops.”
He smiled against her breast. “You don’t use language like that, do you?”
“Never.”
“Do the things I say offend you?”
“A little. No. I mean, they sound good the way you say them. Oh.” She moaned again, catching a lingering wave of orgasm. Muscles languid, she melted in his strong embrace.
“I like the sound of your pleasure. You cry out to the heavens. Feel how hard you’ve made me?”
Despite her resolve to stay planted on second base, she reached down and stroked his hardness through the snug leather pants.
Bella wanted to feel him. To stroke him. To give him return pleasure.
She unzipped his pants, but he caught her hand in a clutch. “What happened to second base?”
“I think I slid over the plate. I want to touch, to feel you.”
“You can’t just touch, sweet. You know how things work. You’re a big girl.”
“And you’re a big boy.”
He growled and gave her a bite on the neck, softened with his lips stretched over his teeth. “Very well, but you were the one to break the rules. I want that one to go on the record. Aaah.”
