by Kym Grosso
She cursed, rolling her eyes. Here she was in a hotel room with two shifters, knowing full well they’d scent her arousal the second she opened the door. She had to get her shit together, or at least try not to throw herself at Dimitri…again. For the love of the Goddess, stop thinking about sex. Her libido was in overdrive, making her feel as if she was a hot-air balloon about to take off into the wild blue yonder.
Gillian toweled her hair dry and pulled on a white cotton spa robe. She tightened the belt around her waist and pulled the collar tight, as if it would keep her grounded. Slipping on the matching terry slippers, she shuffled over to the door. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. Wrapping her hand around the knob, she opened it, praying she could resist the delicious beta in the next room.
Nothing had prepared Gillian for the heavenly scent of steak teasing her nose. Her stomach grumbled and she laughed, catching Dimitri’s hungry gaze, one that she suspected had nothing to do with the food. She noticed how Jake tensed his grip on his fork as if he was expecting a wild animal to leap at him. She laughed, finding it comical that such a strong wolf would be afraid of her.
“Hey, darlin’. Why don’t ya come sit down here?” Dimitri pulled out a chair for her and eyed Jake. “Relax, man. She’s just this itty bitty thing of a woman. She’s not going to hurt you.”
“Shut it,” Jake grumbled, not fond of being on the end of the ribbing. “Maybe I’m just allergic to cats.”
“It’s okay, really. I know that some people aren’t used to seeing me,” Gillian said softly, placing a soft hand on his forearm.
“You were really cool looking, I’ll give you that. It was a clean kill if I’ve ever seen one.” He gave her a sideways grin, beginning to feel more at ease.
“She’s one badass kitty cat, that’s for damn sure,” Dimitri added proudly.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” She paused and picked up her fork. “I just want to thank you both again. I know I kind of asked you not to follow me, but I’m really glad you did. I’d be dead if you hadn’t.”
“Well, to be technically correct about it, you held a gun on us, but okay, we’ll go with asked,” Dimitri laughed.
“Threatened to shoot us,” Jake interjected.
“I know and I’m sorry.” She cut up her steak while continuing to speak. “It’s just that you saw Chaz. They’re crazy. I knew they’d follow me and I didn’t want you to get hurt. It was already my fault that…”
“Bygones, cher,” Dimitri assured her. “Tomorrow’s a new day.”
“Speaking of tomorrow, the plane should be here around twelve. We’ll fly to New York and then we’ll be back home, hopefully later tomorrow night.” Jake picked up his glass of wine and took a deep sip.
“I’ve gotta call Ilsbeth,” Dimitri said, his voice growing serious.
“I’m sure she’s got some spell that’ll help you,” Jake offered.
“What’s wrong with you?” Gillian asked quietly, almost regretting her choice of words. She’d felt a touch of the evil on his wolf. She’d healed him but knew it was only temporary.
“Nothing’s wrong with me…nothin’ date number three won’t fix, anyway,” Dimitri joked.
“No, there’s something. Your wolf…there’s something in you…”
“I don’t know,” Dimitri said, cutting her off. “I helped a friend with a bit of otherworldly business. Seems I’ve picked up some kind of traveler, for lack of a better term. I couldn’t shift that night on the beach. I’d had trouble before that, though. I thought that by getting away on vacay…maybe I’d get my mojo back. Didn’t work out so well…except for you.”
“Whatever it is, the witch better send it the fuck back because this not shifting bullshit isn’t going to go over too well in a pack. I hate to break it to you, D, but it’s not like you can go on being beta if you can’t shift.”
Silence fell as Jake laid the cards on the table.
“Now’s not the time or place to discuss this,” Dimitri growled.
“Just sayin’….maybe we should go to New Orleans first.”
“We’ve gotta get Gilly home and then we can go home.”
“I can get a ticket at the airport and fly by myself,” she suggested. Gillian didn’t want to see the two friends fight. She could get back to New York just as easily on a commercial flight. She had to see Jax as soon as possible. As painful and awkward as she expected it to be, she had to talk to him in person.
“No,” both wolves said at the same time.
“Why not? Nothing’s going to happen to me on a plane.” She bit down on another piece of the rare meat.
“We have no idea who’s going to be on that plane or who’s going to be waiting for you when you get off. Not happening,” Dimitri said flatly.
“After what I just saw back in that desert…just no,” Jake agreed.
“Jake’s right. I’ve been around a long time, and I’m tellin’ ya that what that Alpha did…he was going to beat you…with a bull whip. And it wasn’t some kink fest out there…no, he meant to torture you.”
“So you’d submit?” Jake asked, attempting to conceal the utter disgust on his face.
“Yeah, that and he wanted to punish me for killing his wolves. But it was self-defense. When he’d captured me…” Her voice faltered and she lowered her eyes.
“I’m not sure what’s so important about you. Sorry, don’t take that the wrong way. It’s just that it doesn’t make much sense…a pack of wolves goin’ after a tiger.” Jake paused. “Hell, I guess it doesn’t matter. You traveling alone back to New York isn’t an option. But D can’t travel alone either. No way am I leaving him after what just happened.”
“Okay,” she said calmly and took another bite of her meal.
Gillian sat quietly listening to the two wolves plan, all the while plotting how she could catch a flight. She reasoned she could use her cell phone to call the airline. In the morning, she’d skip out of the hotel, catch a cab to the airport and be in New York by the afternoon.
As much as Gillian wanted to go with them to New Orleans, she didn’t want Dimitri sacrificing any more time helping her. She hated lying to him, but if he didn’t seek a witch soon, his wolf would falter to the evil within. Gillian finished eating and looked up, to see both wolves staring at her. They’d stopped talking.
“What?” she asked innocently. Gillian pushed away from the table and stood up, smoothing down her robe. “I’m tired.”
“Go ahead, I’ll be there in a minute,” Dimitri urged.
“What do you mean?” she replied in surprise. Does he think he’s sleeping with me? A grin crossed his face, and she knew that was exactly what he meant. A date.
“I’ll be there in a minute,” he repeated, his gaze smoldering.
Gillian took a deep breath, heat rippling over her skin. Whatever they’d started earlier with the kiss was far from over, and damn, if she didn’t want to take it further. After everything she’d been through, the thought of being within Dimitri’s arms comforted her. She caught a glint of amusement in Jake’s eyes and knew that no matter how much he wanted Dimitri home, he also found their emerging relationship entertaining.
“Gilly,” Dimitri called as she reached the door.
“Yeah?” She swallowed. Her tiger paced, aware of the sexual anticipation that edged her mind.
“Don’t fall asleep without me. I’m bringing you dessert,” Dimitri commented with a grin.
“Dessert,” she stammered. What was he trying to do to her?
“You know, something sweet before bed. Mama always told me a little sugar washes out the bitter taste of a bad day. I thought you could use some.”
“Yeah, okay,” she answered, caught off-kilter by his provocative comment. Oh my God, this man is making me lose every last brain cell. Kinda hard to think when all that’s in your head is sex. He was teasing her, enjoying making her blush in front of Jake. Before she could stop the words, she heard herself flirting in return. “Well, I guess I shouldn�
�t argue with your mama. Hope whatever you bring me has some whipped cream on top.”
Gillian held her breath as she entered the bedroom. The door closed, and she rested the back of her head against it, taking a deep cleansing breath. Holy shit. This was exactly why she shouldn’t be around wolves. Dimitri excited her, but the thought of being with a wolf, making love to him, was beyond her comprehension. She had to fight off her desire to touch him. I should make him sleep on the couch. Yes, that would save her from the temptation of entertaining the carnal fantasies that danced in her mind.
Better yet, I should tell him to sleep in Jake’s room. Immediately, she pictured the two hot men together in bed and sucked a breath. The image of her wedged between them flashed in her mind. Her pussy tightened and she swore, admonishing herself for indulging the idea for even one second. How long had it been since she’d had sex? Too damn long. Her lack of male contact had to be what was driving her wild thoughts. Get with the program, girl. No wolves. No Dimitri. No sex.
Gillian spied her bag that was sitting on the floor. She needed to get home and work things out with Jax. As she picked up her cell phone and looked up the airline, she knew Dimitri would be pissed. But she’d rather him be angry as a healthy wolf, than risk his very being just for her.
Chapter Five
Dimitri cracked open the door, cupping chocolate mousse in one hand as he entered the bedroom. He spotted Gillian’s robe, which was lying across the guest chair, and wondered if she’d gone to take another shower. But as he glanced to the bed, Gillian pushed upward to sit, bunching the covers over what he believed to be her naked body.
“What do you have?” Her eyes went wide, spying the decadent confection.
“Ah, cher, if there’s one thing you can count on with me, it’s that I’m true to my word. Dessert in bed is something we all should experience,” he said, climbing onto the comforter. The mattress dipped as he walked across the surface on his knees until he was at her side. He laughed, attempting to balance himself and the delicacy he’d brought.
“You’re funny, you know that?” she grinned.
“I’m determined.” With surprising grace, he settled next to her. He crossed his legs and gave her a sexy smile.
“I thought you were a beta, not an Alpha,” she observed. Despite his status, everything about him screamed dominance. She wondered if he was even capable of submitting.
“I’m beta of Acadian wolves, but then again, you already know that.” Dimitri dipped the spoon into the creamy mixture and held it up to her lips. “Eat.”
She parted her lips at his demand. Her eyes met his as he slid the mousse into her mouth. She moaned in delight as the rich cocoa coated her tongue. Closing her eyes, she savored the taste and then quickly opened them, realizing the way she must have looked. He’d practically just given her a food orgasm in under ten seconds. Clever, clever wolf.
“You distract me,” she admitted.
“You like?”
“What’s not to like?” Her eyes fell to his mouth and she swiftly looked away. She nervously plowed her fingers through her hair. “You could have killed Chaz…but you didn’t.”
“And?” He took a bite and licked his lips.
“You could have been Alpha,” she stated, accepting another spoonful.
“I’m good right where I’m at in New Orleans. Cali is nice, but it isn’t home.”
“Don’t all wolves want to be Alpha?”
“No. Sometimes being Alpha chooses us, but it’s not something we always choose. My Alpha, Logan, didn’t want to be Alpha…but that’s a story for another day.”
“But out there in the desert tonight, it was clear to me that you were the smartest, the strongest…”
“You’re goin’ to make me blush,” he teased, shaking his head. It wasn’t that he didn’t know what he was capable of; he knew all right. So did every wolf in Acadian wolves. “Let’s just leave it at this, shall we? I wasn’t about to kill Chaz so I could run his pack. I don’t want to leave home. I’ve got my own Alpha and pack.”
“Do you submit?” she asked softly. The question seemed innocent enough when she’d thought it yet the air was laced with sexual tension. Her lips curled in amusement.
“The question is, ‘do you?’” he replied in turn. “Open.”
“Never,” she promptly answered, yet her lips widened at his demand.
Dimitri laughed, watching her obey his command. He supposed tigers didn’t submit, but things were not always as they seemed.
“What?” she asked. The tip of her tongue traced over her bottom lip. “What’s so funny? Do I have chocolate on my face?”
“So you never submit?”
“Of course not. I mean, it’s not like I don’t take directions when I’m working but I’m not a doormat.”
“What about in other ways?”
“What other ways? Wait…are we talking about, you know?” Gillian blushed.
“What do you think we’re talking about? Last bite…here you go. Open.” Dimitri smiled as she listened to him once again. Perhaps she was incapable of seeing what she was doing. “To answer your original question, I will submit, but only to my Alpha. I do it for the pack. It benefits all of us. We are more powerful collectively than we could ever be on our own.”
“Well, I guess that makes sense, but I’m not in a pack. Tigers don’t do packs.”
“But wolves do.”
“Yeah, but I’m not…”
“You’re hybrid. Somewhere inside you, your wolf lies in wait.”
“No. No, she doesn’t,” she said flatly. Gillian felt her pulse race at the thought of turning wolf. “I’m a tiger.”
Dimitri considered Gillian’s denial of her wolf. Maybe she was right. He’d never met a tiger hybrid. It was rare. He’d seen her shift, and she was one hundred percent feline, yet his gut told him there was more. Something about the way she’d already submitted without intending to do so.
“Well, my little kitten, you know what you are. But the lesson for you is that often the strongest submit for reward. Within a pack and in other areas of life as well.” I’d like you to submit to me, he thought. Hell, yes…on your hands and knees, with me driving into you from behind. The fleeting thought was all it took to stiffen his dick.
Noticing a smudge, he reached out, cupping her chin. He dragged his thumb across her bottom lip, catching the chocolate. When she wrapped her fingers around his wrist, Dimitri hesitated, wondering if she would stop him. Instead of resisting, she pressed her cheek into his hand and closed her eyes. Her lips took his thumb into her mouth, licking its tip.
The temptation was too great, Dimitri knew. He’d be taking advantage if he made love to her. His stomach churned, aware that with any other female, he’d bed her and leave her without a second thought. Wolves were sexual creatures, yet Gillian wasn’t truly lupine. It wasn’t fair to her to let her think that they could have some kind of a long-distance relationship. Exercising what he didn’t know existed in control, Dimitri gently pulled his hand away.
Gillian’s heavy lids opened, her chest heaving slightly from the exchange. The delicious taste of his skin lingered in her mouth. Where is he going? She clung to the sheet as he pushed off the bed. She opened her mouth to speak but held back the words that faltered on her tongue. Never before had she felt so drawn to a man. And for the first time in her life, she didn’t care what kind of shifter he was, nor did she care if all she felt was pure lust and nothing more. All that mattered was that this beta called to her heart, causing her breath to catch. The nervous butterflies in her stomach weren’t just dancing; these babies were moving full tilt into a heated Paso Doble.
“Where’re you going?” Gillian breathed. She blinked her eyes, disbelieving that he’d left her alone.
“I’m just gonna sleep over here for a while, let you get some rest. You’ve had a tough day,” Dimitri mumbled, gesturing to the couch. He set the bowl on the night table.
“Okay,” she said softly, disappoint
ed that he hadn’t continued.
She settled back down into the mattress, bringing the fluffy white cotton down comforter up to her chin. The weight of the blanket did little to ameliorate the tingling that singed her skin. But she felt as if it somehow hid her true feelings, the desire to make love to the wolf. A deep breath centered her thoughts. It was short lived as she took sight of Dimitri stripping off his pants.
His curved glutes flexed in the dim light. Even though she’d seen him nearly nude when she’d dragged him into bed after he’d been injured, sex had been the furthest thing on her mind. But now? Lust was paramount, coursing through her veins. It was so wrong…so very, very wrong.
She knew she’d be breaking her rules. But it was only one teensy weensy night, she reasoned. Her tiger couldn’t possibly have time to decide if she wished to submit, to give herself over to a wolf. In the morning, she’d be off on a plane, never seeing him again. Jax would provide her with protection, and she’d go back to her safe but otherwise uneventful life.
By the time her eyes switched over to night vision, Dimitri had yanked a spare blanket off the shelf, shielding his yummy man-bits, and she threw her head back onto the pillow in a huff. Seriously? It was as if someone had just laid him out on a platter and handcuffed her wrists. Even then, she supposed she’d happily use her tongue. Her fists pounded the bed in frustration.
“Can you throw me a…” He was about to say, ‘pillow’ when a large white mass launched across the room at him. Catching it with one hand, he smirked. My little kitten has her own case of blue balls? Satisfaction that he wasn’t the only suffering party made his painful erection slightly more tolerable.
Dimitri curled his legs, attempting to jam his six-foot-five body onto the cramped sofa. How the hell am I supposed to sleep like this all night? He caught the glint of amusement in her eyes as he struggled to make himself fit into the small space. Just punishment, he supposed.
