by Nora Snowdon
“All right. That will be our first order of business,” his father agreed. “But I still require penance from you after the assimilation.”
“Fair enough, Father.”
The meeting quickly dissolved into various smaller discussions until Lucas’ father dismissed the meeting. Many of the clan seemed reluctant to meet Lucas’ gaze as they filed out of the mansion.
“So the huma—”
“Rosie.” Lucas interrupted his father.
“Rosie.” A smile started to form at the edge of his father’s mouth. Was he doing that on purpose? “So this Rosie, are you sure she isn’t going to go to the police or media?”
“She wouldn’t do that. She’s very nice.” Lucas walked to the door. “Plus she’s now a werewolf too so she’d be at risk.”
“Good. Ask her to dinner Wednesday.” His father turned to Robert. “And make sure you and Anna are here, too. Then we’ll start introducing her to the others. If she doesn’t want you, Lucas, then we’ll have to find her another mate within the pack.”
****
The evening wasn’t going as badly as it could’ve. Rosie had worried a lot beforehand about what you wear to dinner with a bunch of werewolves. Probably not fur or animal prints. She ended up wearing her blue dress again as it seemed the safest. Lucas would probably think she only owned one dress but what did it matter? She didn’t have to worry about impressing him anymore. His family was another matter. Would they look down on her for her lack of experience at howling at the moon? And did they know she’d been the one Lucas had cheated on his fiancée with?
In the end she thought she’d handled herself quite well. She hadn’t fallen on her face when she saw the incredible mansion they lived in, or embarrassed herself—much—in front of the impressive number of serving staff. She’d even managed an end run around the mother’s pointed question about her late father’s career by saying he was “a speculator.” She didn’t mention he mostly speculated about how to scam the government.
And even though she’d been cowed by his mother, Rosie had found the rest of his family pleasant. His younger sister, Anna was really sweet. Rosie had jumped at the chance when Anna offered a tour of the property while Lucas and his father discussed business.
“So it must be strange suddenly being a werewolf at such an old age—I mean, not that you’re old but, did your joints hurt after transitioning?”
“No.” Rosie thought about it. “Actually they felt much better, like I’d had a great massage.”
“And you really didn’t believe in werewolves before you became one?” She sounded incredulous.
“God, no.”
“Wow. I’d always assumed most people knew, but pretended not to. You know, like they do with senior sex and teen drug use?”
Rosie laughed. “Well what about zombies and vampires?”
“I’ve never met any that I know of, but then again I’ve never met Meryl Streep and I’m pretty sure she exists.” Anna opened a door and flicked on the lights. “That’s the swimming pool.” She closed the lights and door and continued walking. “So Lucas said I was supposed to answer any female questions you might have about being a werewolf. I mean, not anything too technical please, but was there anything you wondered?”
“I don’t know. Oh I guess, um, this is probably really stupid but… Do, um, werewolves give birth as people or wolves? And how many kids do they have at a time?”
“Well as wolves, of course. The gestation period is shorter and it’s much easier. But we only produce one or two pups at most.” She pointed down the hill. “That’s the run to the ravine. Our moonlight circles and solstice celebrations happen down there.”
“But with the early births… how do you…?”
“We have our own clinics, doctors and government people and we just fudge the conception and birthdates to fit. The World Health Organization recently said that far more children are being born early these days and I think maybe that’s our fault.” Anna smiled. “But with our healing abilities, we have very little difficulties with childbirth.”
“Oh.”
“Can I ask you something?” Rosie nodded and Anna continued, “Did Annabelle really try to push you into traffic?”
“Annabelle? No it was a…” Rosie looked at Anna in shock. “You mean that was Lucas’ fiancée?”
“Yeah. Didn’t you know?
“No, I just thought it was a rabid dog.”
“Boy, I should tell her that. She’d be so pissed off. I mean… that you thought she was a dog.”
“But why would she want to hurt me?”
“Jealousy, of course.”
Rosie snorted. “Yeah, right. She’s the one he’s engaged to.”
“Not anymore.”
“Why not?”
“Well she’s being shunned for trying to hurt you.”
“Oh.”
“Didn’t Lucas explain any of this?”
“I don’t think so. But I was in denial for the first while, so I might’ve forgotten.” Rosie shook her head.
“What a freak.”
“Excuse me?”
“Not you, my brother.” She pointed off in another direction. “And that’s the orchards.”
Rosie couldn’t see much in the darkness but nodded.
“So do you believe in ghosts?” Anna asked.
“Right now I’m not sure about anything.”
“I just don’t get it. If they don’t really have bodies then how are they supposed to lift things and rattle chains and all that?”
“I have no idea.”
“Well that’s the whole tour. It’s more impressive in the daylight when you can actually see stuff, but maybe another day you can come back for a swim?”
“Thanks. I’d like that.” Rosie followed Anna back into the house.
“Good. There you are.” Lucas met them at the door. “We should probably be going. I know you’ve got work early tomorrow and must be tired.”
“A little,” Rosie admitted. “Thanks for the tour, Anna.”
“Sure. No prob. Nice meeting you.” She turned to Lucas. “See you at work, freak.”
“Right.” He led Rosie back through the house and knocked on the door to the massive parlor.
“Yes?” His mother’s voice rang with authority.
“We’ll be off now,” Lucas told his parents. “Thanks for the dinner.”
“Yes, thank you. And it was nice meeting you.” Rosie had the feeling she should curtsey, given how formal the pair looked in their stiff-backed armchairs.
She breathed a long sigh of relief when Lucas finally pulled the car out of his parent’s driveway.
“That bad?” Lucas asked.
“They’re very nice. It’s just…”
“Overwhelming. I know.” He put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “You did great. Dad loved you.”
“Your mother wasn’t so keen.”
“She’s a tough nut to crack,” he admitted. “She likes to organize things, and you hadn’t been part of her agenda. But she’ll come around.”
Rosie leaned back into the seat, closed her eyes and inhaled the wonderful scent that had gotten her into this whole mess. How could his odor still have such a powerful effect on her? She wanted to bathe herself in his essence, bury her nose into the crook of his neck, taste his skin and feel his body embracing her. But despite how patient he’d been with her since the wolf bite last Sunday, he still must wish he’d never met her. Because of their one night stand, his wedding plans had gone up in flames and his gorgeous fiancée was being shunned by his relatives. She wasn’t sure how it was with werewolves, but with the religious groups she’d heard of, shunning was a pretty harsh punishment.
And here she was still lusting after him. She might as well crave Taylor Lautner, at least the actor didn’t have any reason to hate her, yet. But she should think of a way to apologize to Lucas.
“You’re awfully quiet. Did you and Anna have a good talk?”
“Yeah. W
e got discussing all sorts of things from werewolves to ghosts and zombies.”
He groaned. “She is a little unpredictable. Do you still have any questions or concerns?” He pulled into her parking lot. “We could go out for coffee if you’d like to talk some more?”
“That’s okay. I mean unless you want to talk. I could make us some coffee?”
“I’d like that.” He got out of the car quickly as if worried she’d change her mind. Maybe he didn’t want the night to end either?
“Oh.” Rosie remembered suddenly as she opened the glass door. “My apartment is a mess.”
“Don’t worry about it. I know you’ve had a lot on your mind lately.”
“Well actually it’s always a mess. I don’t suppose being a werewolf will make me a tidier person?”
“I doubt it.” He chuckled then sniffed as they walked down the hallway. “Hey you can tell what all your neighbors have been cooking.”
“Yeah, the joys of an apartment building. Sometimes it smells so good you just want to invite yourself for dinner.” She unlocked her apartment. “So try not to notice the pigsty.”
“Oh my God, this is disgusting!” Lucas threw up his hands in mock horror. He followed her example and kicked off his shoes at the door. “Now where’s my coffee?”
“Coming right up.” Even with her embarrassment over the place, it still felt nice having him there. He brought in a warmth she’d been missing. She ground the coffee beans.
“Look, Rosie.” His voice was close behind her. She didn’t dare turn around. “I’m really sorry I brought you into all this. I had no right messing up your life like I did. I keep wishing there was some way I could make it up to you.”
“That’s funny.” She carefully counted the scoops of coffee grounds as she put them in the filter. Then she turned to him. “I wanted to apologize to you for mucking up your engagement. I mean, not that I meant any of it to happen, but I know you must be devastated.”
“About Annabelle? No. That’s the one good thing. Now the rest of the clan knows how deceptive she is and I don’t have to marry her.”
“But I thought…?” Rosie added water to the pot while she absorbed his answer.
“That she and I…? God no!”
“But she’s so beautiful.”
“She is,” he agreed. “And she almost fooled me once, but after I met you, I couldn’t think of being with anyone else.”
“But why…?”
“We’re not allowed to mate with humans.”
“But we had sex.”
“I know. I shouldn’t have, but from the first second I saw you I had to have you. But I couldn’t marry you and have kids because we don’t know what would happen genetically, among other things.”
“Oh.” Rosie looked at him suspiciously. “But if you aren’t in love with Annabelle, and you can have sex with other werewolves?”
“Yesss?” His expression was equally wary.
“Then why wouldn’t you have sex with me on the night of the full moon?” Rosie’s face flushed with embarrassment that she’d actually voiced the question out loud.
“Because you’d said you hated me. I didn’t want you to regret it afterward.”
Rosie fiddled with the settings on the coffee pot. “I thought you weren’t attracted to me.”
“No. That was one of the most difficult evenings of my life not breaking down and making love to you.” He turned her around to look at him. “I’ve never stopped wanting you.”
Rosie stepped into his arms and pulled his head down to hers. “Well prove it,” she whispered.
She gasped as he pulled her body hard against his and his mouth crushed hers in a bruising kiss. He lifted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist.
“Which way to your bedroom?” Lucas murmured, carrying her out of the kitchen.
“First door on the left but…”
Lucas pushed the door open and was surprised when it started to swing shut again. A wad of discarded clothes were determined to impede their entry to the room. He shoved their way into the room and turned on the light.
“Um, sorry. I can just shove those…”
He silenced her with another kiss. Putting her down beside the bed, he unzipped her blue dress. From the surprised look on his face, Rosie could tell he’d been anticipating sexier underwear. Her white bra and granny-panties swiftly joined her dress on the floor. She reached up to undo his shirt, aching to taste his skin again. Was that a werewolf thing? No, she’d done that to him before she’d been bitten.
He undressed and her mouth watered. Seeing his delectable, perfect body in the fully lit room was amazing. She traced her hand down the corded muscles of his abdomen to his thigh.
“Now,” he growled. He flipped her bedspread with the accompanying clothes to the other side of her bed and pushed her back on it. “I want all of you now.” His body covered hers like a human duvet, hot, but not too heavy. She moaned as she felt his lips on her neck and his hand massaging her breast. She snuck one leg out from beneath him and wrapped it around his thigh.
He jerked in response to her rubbing herself along the hard ridge of his erection. He pulled himself back and slid down her body; his mouth now tugging at her aching breast and his hand sliding gently between her thighs. She pushed up against his fingers but he wouldn’t be rushed. She groaned at the light touch, taunting but not fulfilling her needs. He slid down again and his tongue was now tantalizing her where his finger had been.
“Please,” she begged.
The thrill of the feathery light touch of his tongue and the frustration were driving her crazy. He slid one finger deep inside her then another. She could feel his smile as she gasped at the sensation of his fingers stroking her flame. Then his tongue licked faster and harder. Her hands gripped the sheets in near agony, a scream building in her throat. His lips centered on her spot and pulled. In an instant, her body exploded into a thousand eruptions; wave after wave of shuddering release until she collapsed back on her pillow, gasping for air. Her body jumped again as he planted one last kiss between her thighs then kissed his way back up her body.
“Thank you,” he whispered. He lay on his back and pulled her over to rest on his chest.
“I think that’s my line.” She chuckled between panting breaths.
“No. I’ve been dying to taste you since that first night at the club. It’s more… intimate, somehow.” His hand stroked a calming rhythm down the side of her body.
She spread her legs to straddle him and edged up his body so she could kiss him. “Any requests?” she murmured into his mouth.
“Uh-huh. I want to make you howl with desire.”
“It’s not a full moon.”
“I don’t care.”
His fingers began stroking between her legs and had her moaning in seconds. His other hand caressing her nipple sent even more electrical impulses crashing through her brain. It was almost sensory overload when he scraped his teeth against her neck then lightly pulled the skin into his mouth. She thrust her hips against him, needing more.
Sliding over him was like coming home as he filled her inch by glorious inch. It felt as though she’d never really had sex before as he possessed her body completely, totally dominating all her senses.
He pulled her down to him and his tongue took over her mouth as well, mirroring the pulse as she rose to almost release him then slid back down capturing and conquering. His fingers were driving her need to ride him faster and harder. Breathing seemed impossible as she arched up against the rising tide. A low note was ripped from her throat as she pulled him up into her, thighs clenching, her body demanding all of him. She slapped her hand over her mouth as the note became a wail of ecstasy. There were no thoughts, only blind passion as he thrust up into her convulsing body. She collapsed onto him feeling like she was crashing down from an out of body experience.
“You’re mine,” he groaned as his last seed emptied into her. His arms held her tightly to him as if he was afraid she’d
leave.
She didn’t want to move. She felt so content and protected in his embrace. But she couldn’t resist sticking her tongue out to taste the salty sheen covering his chest. Mmm.
“Not again?” His chuckle rumbled against her ear.
“No. But I’m not done with you either,” she warned him.
“Good.”
She lay there for a while enjoying the beat of his heart and rise and fall of his chest with every breath. Usually sex made her so sleepy.
“Um?” She didn’t want to wake him if he was drifting off.
“Yes?” He sounded alert.
“This is going to sound crazy, but…”
“You feel wired and desperately need to move?” he asked innocently.
“Yeah. Is that another werewolf thing?”
“Not every werewolf has it, but come on. Let’s go for a run.”
****
Lucas looked at Rosie running beside him. This was the first time they’d run together with him in human form. He got a lot better perspective and could have some say in their direction. Watching her jiggle in all the right places was another nice aspect of running with her. She was a fantastic mixture of muscle and feminine curves. He led her up the path to his house.
“But both our cars are at my place,” Rosie puffed between words.
“Yeah. We’ll go back. I just wanted to get something.”
“It figures, now I’m tired.”
Lucas left her yawning in the foyer while he ran upstairs. His heart was pounding from more than the exertion of the run. After checking a couple of drawers, he finally found it. Please don’t let her think it stupid or childish. He clutched it in his hand and ran back down to her.
“Rosie?” His voice felt strangled and she looked at him strangely. He knelt down on the marble tile before her. “Will you marry me and be my mate forever?”
She looked at him like he was crazy and for a moment he wondered if he was. Could he have misread the depth of her feelings for him? Maybe it was only lust? He swallowed hard trying to think of what else to say when she suddenly dropped down to the floor in front of him.
“Yes. Oh God, Yes!” With a mischievous look on her face, Rosie let out a long howl and then burst out laughing.
