by Kym Grosso
“Well, folks, uh, now that we’ve had our first performance of the night, let the real show begin. I give you the Lyceum Philharmonic,” Jax introduced and walked off the stage.
Chapter Nine
Dimitri didn’t need more than one kiss to confirm that Gillian was his mate. Goddess, the woman looked stunning in her gown, but all he could think about was peeling it off of her. When Jax had called him with his plan, he hadn’t been convinced it was the best course of action. He wanted to see Gillian again and had planned on coming to see her already, but to tell the world he’d found a mate? That pushed him straight out of his comfort zone, not to mention he wasn’t sure how Gillian would react to the news.
Just the scent of her had turned his shaft harder than concrete. By the time he’d touched her, it took every ounce of restraint not to make love to her with the lights on. The touch of her hands burned through the thin fabric of his dress shirt and as the lights dimmed, he knew self-control was a lost cause.
The music roared to life and Dimitri guided them to their chairs in the private booth. His hand found her thigh and he gently squeezed.
“Did you just purr?” he whispered.
“Maybe,” Gillian laughed.
“You missed me, didn’t you?”
“I plead the fifth.”
“Something tells me I’m going to enjoy being your mate.” He waggled his eyebrows at her.
“I, um, did Jax tell you about…”
“Ah, yes, our great hoax. I’m here, aren’t I?” And it’s no hoax, cher. You’re my mate.
Dimitri knew it’d only be a matter of days before the urge to mark her would surface. Fortunately for them both, she’d have to make a conscious choice to accept him, otherwise their mating would never happen. He was torn about this dilemma. On the one hand, he wasn’t terribly thrilled about giving up his fun-loving bachelor days. On the other, Gillian drew him like no other woman; the attraction was unbearable. The fact that he’d flown up to New York City to engage in a public fake mating was proof of that.
“I’m surprised Jax called you. My brother…”
“Whoa, step back a second…you have a brother?”
“Jax.”
“What about Jax? He’s the Alpha of the New York pack. I had Logan call him, to protect you. Then Jax texted me last night.”
“Yes, Jax.” She looked out into the theater for Jax. He caught her gaze, nodded and gave her a knowing smile. She leaned back into her seat, realizing that Dimitri hadn’t known about her family ties. “Dimitri…you do know that Jax is my brother?”
“Now that is an interesting development,” he quipped.
When Jax had contacted Dimitri directly, asking him to assist with Gillian’s protection, he’d suspected that the Alpha knew she’d met her mate. Even if she’d taken a shower, it was likely his scent was all over her skin. He’d have known they’d been intimate, that their relationship involved more than saving each other’s lives. But Jax was her brother? That was a surprise. Nonetheless, it wouldn’t deter him in the least from pursuing her.
“I take it you didn’t know,” she said softly.
“You guessed correctly, but it doesn’t matter. Jax asked me to be here, and I already had the flight plan in before he called.”
“You were coming…to see me?”
“Hell, yeah. Date number four. Although I’m afraid I won’t be able to find out your secrets while we’re here.”
“No? Why not?” She smiled.
“Because making love to you is the only thing on my mind, cher.”
“Here?” she whispered, her eyes widened.
“Here and now,” he confirmed.
“But there’re people down there…shifters…Jax. He’ll know.”
“And the problem is?” His fingers began to bunch up the fabric of her dress.
“Someone could hear us…scent us.”
“You know what I love about these booths? They’re nice and private. The folks across from us can barely see us…and so what if they do? This wall here in front of us, it’s very handy.” He tapped his palm on the rail.
Dimitri stood and lifted her chair, sliding it into the shadows. A deafening crescendo filled the air as the orchestra finished their first piece. As it ended, the theater went dark and Dimitri knelt before her. He gripped the hem of her dress and slid it upward, exposing her legs. Pressing his forehead against her knees, he heard himself groan in delight.
“Open,” he ordered, his fingers pressing between her legs.
Dimitri caught the look of surprise in her eyes, but she obeyed, her thighs falling outward. His hands drifted over her smooth skin until he reached the edge of her lace panties. With his forefingers, he traced the rim down to her core, finding her drenched with arousal. Slipping under the fabric, he glided his fingertips over her mound until he was at her hips. Slowly, he dragged her thong down, until it hooked over her heels and he shoved it into his suit pocket.
“You’re beautiful,” he said, pressing his nose into her sex. “And mine.”
Using only his tongue, he licked open her pussy, dragging the tip over her clit. With his thumbs, he separated her folds so that he could have better access to his prize. He laved around her swollen nub, never directly making contact. As her hips began to undulate in response, he hummed against her flesh.
Removing a hand, he sucked two of his fingers, and swiftly plunged them deep into her hot channel. In tandem with the music, he licked at her clitoris, curling his fingers against the thin strip of nerves inside of her. Her fingernails dug into his shoulders. He glanced up to her face, and caught her staring at him, lost in ecstasy. There was no one in the room as far as either of them was concerned.
Taking her swollen bead into his lips, he gently sucked and tugged. Gillian moaned as her pussy tightened around his fingers. Adding a third finger, he plunged in and out of her, until he felt her shake in release. Her juices flooded into his mouth as she clutched the back of his head, pressing his face to her clit.
Wrenching himself away from her, he stood, took her hand and led her to the back corner of the darkened room. In a theater full of shifters, they’d be heard, but in the recesses of the alcove, they wouldn’t be seen. Roughly spinning her around, he unbuckled his pants and took out his rock-hard arousal. Gillian braced her hands against the wall, panting with desire. Dimitri stroked his dick, seed leaking from its tip.
“I’m going to fuck you, Gilly. You want this?” Dimitri prayed she’d say yes, but he wouldn’t go forward if she didn’t agree.
“Yes, please….don’t stop,” Gillian found herself begging. Her head spinning with lust, she needed him inside her.
Dimitri wrapped his hand around her waist, bending her ass toward him. Finding her wet opening, he guided his cock to her entrance and plunged into her in one smooth stroke. Her hot lubricated core immediately tightened around him almost making him come.
“Jesus, darlin’. You feel so good. Don’t move…just hold it a sec.” Dimitri felt as if he was a virgin, afraid he’d explode inside of her right away. He took a deep breath, regaining control, and began to slowly move, gradually increasing his pace.
“Dimitri…yes,” Gillian breathed.
“You’ve been a very bad kitty, leaving me in Las Vegas.” Dimitri pounded into her, sweat forming on his brow. “I’m looking forward to punishing you for taking off on me.”
“Oh God, Dimitri. What? I’m sorry,” she said, gasping.
“Goddess, you’re incredible. So tight. And your pussy…” He reached to cup her mound, sliding his middle finger through her lips. Using the tip, he flicked at her clitoris.
“Ah yes, there. Don’t stop…yes…yes.”
Dimitri bent his knees, pumping up into her, harder and harder. His left hand pulled down the front of her dress, exposing her breasts. Gentle wasn’t on the menu as he cupped her soft flesh, pinching her hardened nipple. She cried out, and reached to cover his hand, encouraging him to continue.
“Shhh, bab
y. You want everyone to hear?”
“You started this,” she bit back at him, pressing her bottom into his thrusts.
“That I did, my little wild cat. How about we finish it together?” With his thumb, he applied pressure to her hooded pearl, circling and caressing.
“Dimitri…Dimitri…yes,” she began to scream, despite his warning to quiet her moans.
He laughed, moving his hand from her breast to cover her mouth. But as he got near her lips, she bit him, sucking his fingers into her mouth and swirling her tongue around them as if she was giving him head. Between her pussy and mouth, he lost it, thrusting, heaving up into her. She contracted around his cock and his orgasm slammed into him.
Gillian wasn’t sure whether it was the taste of him or his touch to her clit, but her senses crashed into overdrive. Her climax spread from her toes to the top of her head. She shook with ecstasy, incognizant of space and time. All that mattered was Dimitri. Her tiger begged her to submit, to let this man make her his. Only a thread of sanity remained, allowing her to refuse the beast.
As the last of the tremors left her body, Dimitri withdrew himself from her. Strong arms turned her around, taking her lips once again. This time, however, his searing kiss was gentle and all too intimate. As their lips lost contact and he carefully guided them to the floor, she rested her head on his chest.
Gillian couldn’t believe she’d just made love with Dimitri. It was all supposed to be a great deception, one to lead her to safety. Yet within his loving embrace, she knew this was much more than just a passing one night stand. She craved him, mesmerized by his charming personality and dominant demeanor.
“You okay?” he asked, still catching his breath.
“More than okay. You?” she replied, not at all convinced that what she was saying was true. Sexually, she was spectacular. Emotionally, not so much. Stunned with the knowledge that she was officially addicted to a southern beta, she attempted to hide her obsession, praying it was just a chemical reaction.
Dimitri kept her comfortably wrapped in his arms, but released her hand to look at his own. Finding a perfect set of teeth marks indented into his skin, he laughed. And he’d thought he’d been too rough with her?
“Damn girl, you bit me!”
“Let me see.” She took his palm and examined the damage. Kissing it, she spoke softly into his hand. “I’m so sorry I left marks on you. Are you bleeding?”
As soon as the words left her lips, she went still. Marks. I marked him. Not in the true sense of the word that a shifter would consider for mating, but she’d taken a step toward it.
“It’s nothin’,” Dimitri lied. His tiger had bitten him. In her defense, he’d put his fingers in her mouth, but the implications were that she’d considered claiming him. Despite the innocent nip, he suspected she had no idea she was his mate.
They lay quiet for several minutes, allowing the lull of contemplation to set into their minds. Rodgers and Hammerstein floated through the air and Dimitri closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of his mate against his chest. As Some Enchanted Evening came to a close, he sighed, deciding it was time to find out the truth.
“Why don’t you want to be around wolves?”
“I can’t.”
“You just did.”
“You’re the first shifter I’ve ever been with,” she admitted quietly.
“No other wolf? Not even a tiger?”
“Nope.” She shook her head, still keeping her cheek close to his shirt.
“We’re goin’ to be spendin’ a lot of time together.”
“I suppose we are. This plan of Jax’s. I’m not sure it’s going to work.”
“We’ve gotta smoke em’ out. Chaz is a bad guy. If he hadn’t sent those thugs here to find you, this would be a different conversation. I’ve been around a long time, and it’s rare that someone’s got the balls to send his pack onto another Alpha’s territory. This guy, there’s something not right with him. You’re not safe.”
“I’m glad you came.”
“I told you we were going on another date. And as I recall, you said yes.”
“I was under duress.”
“Since when is coming considered duress?” he asked, his hand stroking over her stomach. Shit, he’d just made love to her and his cock was stirring once again.
“That was amazing.”
“Now or then?”
“Both,” she laughed. “I’ve never been able to just let go. I really am sorry that I bit you.”
“We’re just getting started, cher. I assure you. We’re goin’ to be doin’ all kinds of things.”
“I wish I could say I wasn’t looking forward to it, but I am.” She kissed his chest.
“That’s the spirit,” he cheered. Dimitri reached up and untied his bow tie, unbuttoning the first few buttons of his shirt. “You’re avoiding my question.”
“I know. Too many ears here in the theater.”
“Fair enough, but you owe me, understood?”
“Yes.” She smiled, aware that she wanted to tell him, not because he was asking, but because she wanted a solution to her problem. The beta had been relentless, and now, she feared she couldn’t go back to the lonely life she’d once led. In the course of a week, her entire perspective on life had shifted.
It was no use to lie. They’d be pretending to be mates. Gillian had no idea what that really meant. But the warning of her mother’s words rang in her ears. Mate a wolf, your tiger will die.
Chapter Ten
Gillian raised her head, gazing into Dimitri’s eyes. When the music stopped, the curtains to their booth flew open. Jax, the devastatingly handsome Nordic wolf, leered down on the lovers, who smiled up at him in amusement.
“I said pretend to be her mate. At any point, did you hear me say, ‘Come up to New York and fuck my sister in public…during one of my company events?’ Did I say that? I really don’t recall saying that.” Jax scrubbed his fingers over his tightly cropped hair. He moved to the balcony, overlooking the patrons who were shuffling into the lobby for the intermission.
“Sorry.” Dimitri laughed. He knew that they should have been slightly less conspicuous but the draw of his mate had been too much to resist.
“Sorry? Really? That’s all you’ve got?” He turned to Gillian, who scrambled up to her feet, adjusting her dress. “And you? What’s your excuse, little sister? Seriously, every shifter in the room could hear you.”
“Um, well, yeah, sorry about that. But technically this is your fault. I mean, what did you expect? You asked Dimitri to come here…to pretend to be my mate.” Gillian reasoned that her comeback sounded solid, inexperienced in dealing with her Alpha brother.
“This isn’t funny, Gilly,” he growled.
Dimitri put himself between Jax and his sister, hiding his grin.
“It’s cool, man. Look, the only ones who could have possibly heard us were shifters. You just announced us as mates. You know full well that any shifters wouldn’t think twice about us puttin’ a little rhythm into a musical number. No harm, no foul.”
“You don’t know what harm you can do to my sister…”
“Jax.” Gillian shot her brother a glare in warning. It was her place to tell Dimitri her secret, not his.
Jax sighed, reconsidering his words. “I asked you up here because it was obvious to me that you already had a relationship with my sister. That, and that you can protect her. Don’t make me regret it.”
“I swear it on my life, but I’d like to remind you that even though I saved her, she saved me. She’s badass when she goes cat.”
“I’m sorry, it’s just that some of the folks in my pack aren’t too crazy about having a tiger stay with the Alpha. They don’t trust her. I haven’t seen hide nor hair of Chaz’s pack and…” Jax paused. Retrieving his cell phone from his inner jacket pocket, he swiped at it with the pad of his finger. “Goddammit.”
“What’s up?” Dimitri asked. The hard crease in the Alpha’s forehead told him something bad
was going down. He’d seen that look too many times from Logan, and he knew the shit was about to hit the fan.
“Drive-by shooting in front of my building.”
“Not good.”
“But this is the city…I know you live uptown, but still…” Gillian argued.
“Something’s off. I can’t explain this to you, sis, but I just know. It’s part of the reason I asked Dimitri to come for you.”
“But you killed that wolf yesterday.”
“Yes, but the fact that they were able to get in the city unnoticed…it’s not safe for you here. I need to stay and sort things out as best I can, and then I’ll come for you.”
“It could be internal,” Dimitri theorized. Someone within Jax’s own pack may have known about Chaz’s wolves, allowed them to get close to his home.
“I’d like to think it’s too early to speculate. As much as I trust you to take care of Gilly, you’re not from our pack. So this discussion’s done.”
“No worries. I hear ya.” Dimitri knew that Jax would keep his cards close to the vest. No matter how cordial he’d been so far, Jax was an Alpha for a reason. Dimitri had almost killed one Alpha on the west coast, the last thing he needed was to challenge Jax.
“What are you trying to say?” Dimitri heard Gillian ask. He felt a tinge of sympathy for her. She hadn’t grown up around pack, and was clearly having trouble seeing the picture that Jax was drawing.
“You’re leaving. Now,” Jax said, putting his phone away.
“What do you mean I’m leaving? I just got here. You said I had a job with ZANE. I’ve gotta work. You can’t just cart me around.” Her voice grew louder.
