“So, not lacking, then?” she asked, keeping her face impassive, while hoping her sudden flood of anxiety hadn’t crept into her tone. If Eli thought that, it was game over before it ever had a chance.
“No. Never.”
She let out a breath, relieved as he steered them back toward the table.
“You’re just inexperienced.” He looked at her across their linked arms. “Didn’t your pack have elders? Didn’t your parents tell you about our kind?”
“Nope. My mother died when I was young, and my dad never bothered. Lack of interest. Not in me, but in being a part of a pack or coven or whatever. I’ve never even shifted.”
“So much for being beatniks and the natural order.”
“I know. I think it was easier for my father to ignore that side of our world since my mother was no longer around. I know next to nothing about being dual-natured, except to trust my gut and my nose when it comes to people in general. You know, gauging if they mean what they say and say what they mean.”
He slowed their pace. “If that’s your skill, then what’s your verdict on me?”
She grinned. “Jury’s still out.”
“Really.”
He picked up speed, twirling her around. With a quick kiss he let go of her hands.
“ELI!” Mikki flailed, earlier laughter turning to quick panic as she careened toward the café table in front of God and everyone.
With finessed speed, Eli swooped past, catching her around the waist, before righting her on her feet.
She punched his shoulder. “Trust me, he said…I won’t let go, he said.”
Waltzing her backwards, he let a roguish grin tug at his mouth. “Sorry, not sorry, gorgeous. I got a taste of you in my arms this afternoon, so I decided to do it again. In fact, I think I’d like to do more than just catch you.”
Breathless, her fingers gripped his shoulders. Strong, wide, utterly masculine shoulders. She cocked her head, matching him tease for tease. “You make me sound like a lake trout. You know. Catch and release.”
Sliding a gloved hand lower on her back, his leaned in, letting his lips hover a breath from hers. “Catch, yes. But I’d have to be crazy to let you go.”
Mikki stifled an inner squeal. His words were too much, too soon, and way too fast, but man they felt good to hear.
They stopped at the café table. “Okay, then.” She let go of Eli just long enough to reach for the arm of the padded wrought iron chair and sit. “That was a little stalkerish for a first date—”
“Second date,” he corrected.
Mikki rolled her eyes. “But—” The tease of a grin stayed on her lips. “Like the song says, faster, faster…the lights are turning red.”
“Life in the Fast Lane.”
Her teasing grin spread ear to ear. Chalk up another point for wolf-boy. “Now that’s an unexpected plus.”
“What is?”
“We like the same music.”
“Don’t sound so surprised. You know, there is a reason for this push and pull between us. A reason we’re so drawn to each other.”
She laughed. “Yeah. It’s chemical or hormonal, whatever. Otherwise known as pheromones.”
“That’s very true, but it goes deeper than random attraction. Scent is a big proponent, but not in the human sense you mean. You don’t recognize the signs because you weren’t taught, but that’s the thing about shifters. When we find our mate we know it’s a done deal.”
Mate? Done deal?
Holy Shifter Love Connection!
The sincerity on his face killed the retort on her tongue. “Look, Eli.” She began, not wanting to hurt his feelings. “I appreciate the sentiment tonight, and all the romance, but can we not talk about mates and done deals? Way, way too heavy for a Friday night, not to mention way, way too soon.”
“I’m sorry, Mikki. I probably do sound a bit stalkerish and creepy, but I’m not.” He sat across from her at the table and held up both gloved hands. “No fingers crossed, so no catch and release tricks. I promise.”
“Again, feeling a little like a prize fish.”
Eli’s chuckle reached his brown eyes, and his gaze was warm and appealing. Like melted chocolate. “No hooks. No sinkers. And definitely no lines. When you crash into something wonderful, the last thing you want to do is let it slip away.”
Someone catcalled from the upper railing, and she spared a quick glance in the general direction.
“Uhm, do you think we could move this conversation inside or something? People are looking at us from the gallery like they expect you to propose or something. I may not be up for the shifter mating game, yet, but I am game for a glass of champagne or two…or ten.”
Eli nodded, reaching for her hands, when someone from the gallery yelled, “Say yes to the dress!”
With another mischievous grin, he scraped his chair back from the table and walked around to her chair. The gallery whooped and cheered as he knelt in front of her, but all he did was tighten her skate lace.
“You are evil, you know that?” she said with an exasperated laugh.
“All part of my charm.”
Chapter Twelve
Despite all the humor, an awkward silence dropped once Eli stepped inside. They took off their skates, waiting for Terrence and his staff to move the evening’s goodies inside from the ice.
Eli poured the champagne into two flutes before putting the heart-shaped donut on a china plate and holding it out to Mikki.
“Peace offering.” He lingered but didn’t hover. Almost as if he waited for some sort of permission. “I’m sorry the ice skating turned out to be a bust.”
Taking the plate from his hand, she angled her head his way. “This has been amazing, Eli. Why would you think it’s a bust?”
“When your date uses the word stalkerish to describe your conversation skills, it’s not exactly a Match.com moment.” He exhaled a sheepish chuckle, before pointing to the donut on the plate. “You’d better eat that. One of the staff has been eyeing it since the box arrived from the bakery.”
He licked residual frosting from his thumb, and she involuntarily licked her own lips watching his mouth. If Eli was looking for a green light, he just got it.
The staff hurried back and forth, setting up the VIP room. So far, the night had been something to rival an episode of the Bachelor. Eli’s date and mate scenario notwithstanding.
The level of detail and the time he took planning everything was impressive, and in less than an afternoon.
“Tonight has been nothing but wonderful. Just slow it down a little. You do that, and everything else will fall into place.”
She put the plate down and took his hand. There was no way she was turning this from the most romantic night of her life to date, into an old wet blanket. “Trust me. You haven’t reached creeper critical mass. Yet.”
He had to laugh. “I love how witty you are. I think I might have met my snark monkey match.”
“Snark monkey.” She lifted and eyebrow. “Is that another shifter thing?”
“Nope. Just a fun nickname for someone quick on the uptake.”
“If you like that, you should see my resting bitch face.”
Eli grinned, but before he could comment, Terence walked over with a set of keys.
“The VIP room is all set. You know the drill, so shut the lights and lock up when you’re done.” He handed Eli the key ring. “Don’t worry about cleaning up. We’ll get that in the morning.”
Eli clapped his cousin on the shoulder before pulling him into a hug, and Mikki was sure something passed between them.
“Was that just a thank you, or are you two up to something?” She watched Terrence and the rest of the staff shut the door as they left. “I hope your cousin doesn’t think I’m a sure thing, or I might have to treat him to my not so resting bitch face.”
“Now that sounds scary.”
“You don’t want to know. My brother still carries the scars from when he and his friends tried to prank
me.”
“Jeez, what did they do?”
“When I was about thirteen years old, they ambushed me on Halloween, you know…Jason-style. Jordan got himself a hockey mask and he and his friends waited for me to come home from a friend’s house. They scared me so badly, my fear nearly forced a shift. I didn’t, of course, and I haven’t come close since, but that night, claws showed up where my fingernails were, and BAM! That night I gave new meaning to the term slasher film for my brother and his buddies.”
“First rule when it comes to pubescent shifters. Fright always leads to a fight.” He held up three fingers. “Scout’s honor. I cover the rink for Terrence from time to time, so nothing’s up.” Eli jangled the keys before putting them in his pocket. “As for you being a sure thing, Terrence would never insult you that way. He’d never insult any woman in that manner. None of us would. Our mothers raised us to be better than that.”
Chalk another one up for the man.
“So,” he began. “That night was the closest you’ve came to shifting.”
She shrugged. “Other than what comes benignly, I suppose. Like I said, I have a pretty good nose these days, but that’s all.”
“You really haven’t experienced much about our abilities, then.”
“I guess not, but then again, you can’t miss what you never had.” Mikki held out her hand, and Eli took it, giving her fingers a squeeze. “Oh, you have. You just don’t know it yet.”
Taking her donut plate, she got up from the tufted couch and followed him toward the door marked private. Half of her hoped there’d be a couch large enough for them to roll around, while the other half cringed at the thought.
Wow. Fickle much?
I told you I can’t juggle.
Eli opened the door and stood to one side. “Pretty cool, huh?”
Mikki walked in and her lips parted, surprised. The room was like a fairytale. White sheers embroidered with crystals draped from the ceiling, and in the candlelight, they made the room shimmer. Crystal icicles hung from chandelier at the center, and others edged the darkened windows on either side of a gorgeous chrome bar.
A large leather couch sat perpendicular to a woodburning fireplace, where a fire crackled in the hearth. The room smelled like pine and cherrywood.
Terrence had set a low table between the couch and the fireplace, and a linen-draped cart stood beside the bar loaded with food.
“Terrence didn’t just set this up,” she said, still stunned. “This would have taken hours if not days.”
“I told him you deserved the royal treatment. Can you tell he got his inspiration from Frozen?”
“Clearly. Then again, I’m a sucker for fairytale romance, so it’s perfect.”
Eli walked to push the cart closer to the couch. “Friday night at Junior’s usually means over an hour wait for a table. I figured it was better to call ahead and order food. I hope you don’t mind. Standing in a cold lobby waiting for a table isn’t the best way to get to know each other.”
He stepped back, gesturing. “Please. Help yourself. We can sit on the couch or on the cushions by the table. Either way, it’s fine as long as we’re together.”
The food smelled amazing. Deli sandwiches, hot soup, chicken pot pie, roast turkey and mashed potatoes, fried chicken, beef brisket, ribs and more. Every kind of comfort food imaginable.
Handing her a plate, he took one for himself and started heaping food onto the china surface. “I have a shifter’s appetite. So I never skimp on food.”
“It looks like you ordered the entire menu. Not that I mind. Food is my drug of choice.” She took a piece of fried chicken and some mashed potatoes, leaving room for a small cup of homemade soup.
“Especially donuts, right?”
She laughed. “Don’t be eyeing my Boston Creme heart. That donut is mine!”
He caught her eye for a moment. “Not quite the heart I had in mind, but message received.”
She broke eye contact. “This looks great, Eli. Comfort food at its best.”
Ignoring his implied meaning, she headed for a cushion in front of the fireplace. She put her plate on the low table, but instead of reaching for a fork, she reached for her champagne. She downed her glass in one gulp, wincing as the bubbles scored her throat before doing the same with Eli’s glass.
“Easy there, killer. Champagne has been known to cause a headache when drank too fast.” He put his plate down beside hers so he could refill her glass.
“You okay?” he asked, as she stifled a burp.
“I’m fine, why?”
Moving a cushion next to hers, he sat. “You said food was your drug of choice, but you drank three glasses of champagne in ten seconds flat, including the one I just poured. I’m not judging or anything. I just want to make sure you’re okay. I can take you home if you’re uncomfortable.”
“I’m not usually one for liquid courage. Not that I need any. Though, as date nights go, this isn’t exactly average.”
“Really. Because my nose tells me otherwise. It’s telling me you’re anxious.”
“I’m fine, Eli. Honestly. I’m not worried about anything.”
“Not anxious as in worried. Anxious as in nervous.”
Eli reached out a hand to tuck a stray tendril behind Mikki’s ear. He let his fingers linger at the base by her pulse. “Do I make you nervous, Mikki?”
He was so close his body heat rivaled the fireplace. She couldn’t breathe. Not because she felt stifled, but because he let his hand drop to her thigh, and the mere touch made her heart pound in her chest.
Strong fingers caressed her flesh through the thin nylon encasing her legs. Why didn’t she wear thicker tights? Amish thick.
Tiny electric sparks zinged straight to her nether bits with every stroke. “Eli—”
“I know you’re not ready for what I sense in you. What I know exists.” His lips took hers in a kiss that muddled her brain and killed the argument on her tongue.
“I want you to revel in the sheer decadence of your senses. To awaken that sleeping shifter deep inside until you know the kind of pleasure that awaits.”
His words intoxicated her even more than the champagne had on an empty stomach.
“Let me make tonight about you, Mikki.” He kissed her again. “Just you. Your appetites.”
He whispered his words into his kiss, and she gasped as the hand circling her pulse slid to her breast.
“Let me touch you, Mikki.”
His words buzzed in her ears, making her breath catch. Her head dropped back, giving him entrée, as he feathered kisses from her lips to her throat and below.
Eli loosened the scarf around her neck, freeing it from her décolleté so his lips could delve into the scoop of her sweater. There was no one else around, and the curtains had been drawn on the darkened windows.
She had known the man for a day, but somehow this felt right. Maybe it was hormones. Or just poor judgment. Either way, she didn’t care. At this moment in time, if this was wrong, she didn’t want to be right.
“Are you sure there’s no one here? What if we get caught?” She could barely form the words as one of his hands found her nipple while the other skimmed her thigh toward the juncture between her legs.
“Can you imagine?” he asked, circling her nub through the thin material. “Just the idea makes this even hotter, don’tcha think?”
Her back arched as he licked the seam of her bottom lip. “You’re so wet, Mikki. Your drenched scent is making my mouth water.” He nipped the tender skin under her chin.
His fingers slid beneath the band at her waist, and he wiggled her clingy tights past her hips before rolling them the rest of the way down, thong and all.
Naked underneath her skirt, she shivered, knowing if he touched her again, she’d come. Knowing if he unzipped his fly, she’d spread herself wide without question.
“Put these on.” He handed her the black stiletto boots she kicked off earlier. “They’re too sexy to go to waste.”
&
nbsp; Eli helped her slip the knee-length leather onto each foot. Throbbing jolts pulsed in her lower belly in anticipation, as she lay back on the cushions. She stretched cat-like, decadent in the knowledge she was bare-assed less than twelve inches from where his hand rested.
“My God, you’re sexy,” he murmured, pushing her knees up and wide. He slid his hands over her thighs, letting his thumbs graze her sex as he shoved her skirt to her hips.
“Eli—” she whispered, watching as he dipped his head to her slick folds.
Closing her eyes, her skin vibrated with sensation. She drew breath through her teeth and one hand found his hair, not to guide him or shove him, but so she knew he was real. That this was real.
It was happening.
To her.
On a first date.
Eli said there was more to their instant connection. A connection well beneath the surface. On an animal level.
She had only half listened. Now she wasn’t so sure there wasn’t something to his theory.
Mikki’s knees dropped wider, and she lifted her hips. She dug her fingers into the thick rug with her free hand.
She held her breath, not wanting to say anything stupid, but when his teeth grazed her hard nub, biting down, she cried out. Pleasure and pain blurred in a line so sizzling and sensual all thought stopped.
Slipping his fingers into her slick cleft, he curled them higher to circle her spot. She opened her mouth, but no words came. Instead, the sound that left her lips was half growl, half purr.
“Fuck, yes!” Eli’s lips spread into a smile against her slick flesh and he bit her clit again. “Wakey, wakey, my kitty baby.”
Mikki opened her mouth again, but he lifted his face from her wet slit to silence her with a kiss.
He tasted sweet and salty, and she devoured his lips and tongue as his fingers curled deeper inside.
Speed built, as she fisted the back of his head, deepening their kiss, demanding more as he ground his hand further, faster.
Her hips moved against his hand. In, out, round and round, up and down. Grinding the friction higher and higher as tension coiled in her belly.
With a ragged gasp, she tore her mouth away, throwing her head back with a ragged cry.
Torn Between Two Alphas: Howls Romance Page 9
