Her body went taut, ready to snap. A kaleidoscope of color exploded behind her eyes as her climax ripped through. Torrid spasms spread from the pit of her belly and down her thighs, curling her toes.
Her legs shook with the surge of pleasure as waves crashed, then ebbed. Eli gripped her sex, letting her ride the aftershocks, rocking her again and again. She held on until she went boneless, flesh puddling in a spent sag.
“You have a very generous and talented tongue,” she said with a weak chuckle. “Give me a sec to catch my breath, and I’ll return the favor.”
He pulled his hand from her body, licking what was left of her wetness from his fingers. “Nope. Tonight was all about you.”
Mikki sat up but had to reach for the edge of the table. “Whoa. Dizzy.”
“That’s the champagne.”
She took a moment and then eased back against the cushions. “Nope, I think this is all you. All my blood is in my crotch, and I don’t think my legs work.”
“Well, I aim to please.” He winked.
“I’m serious. You may have to carry me out of here. And believe me, the pleasure was all mine.” She put a hand on her chest, puffing out a breath. “My heart is still racing.”
“You purr-growled.”
She blinked at him as he poured himself a glass of champagne. “You mean that was for real?”
Mikki blinked again. The only other time she purred was when Nick kissed her at the zoo. It was a different kind of purr, but there it was. Clearly, both men affected her inner cat. But what did that say about her? There was Eli, and there was Nick. They both affected her. Both made her inner cat react. What the hell did that mean and what was she supposed to do?
Nodding, he chuckled. “Yes, love. That was very real. It means your inner animal was linked to what we did. Very linked.”
“What you did. I was on the receiving end.”
“Doesn’t matter. Your animal connected on a visceral level. Strong, primal emotions are important when it comes to dual natures. Fear, sex, anger. Those are the first things teenage shifters are taught to control. Adolescent emotions are erratic, so anything can be a trigger. That’s what you experienced when your claws emerged, and you slashed your brother. Your inner animal felt threatened, so it reacted. I bet you don’t even remember it happening. Only the aftermath.”
She nodded. “It’s true. I don’t remember what happened, exactly. All I know is it scared the bejesus out of my brother’s friends. They had no idea we were dual-natured.” She watched him sip his drink. “Was your inner wolf around when you…when I...you know.”
“Yes.” His reply was matter-of-fact. “Right now my inner wolf is pacing, circling like never before. He recognized you. Connected. If you dug deep enough, your inner animal would as well.”
Nervous laughter bubbled, but she tamped it down to a soft chuckle. “Which one? My inner cat, yeah, but I know I have others walking around as well. Maybe they’ll need to take a vote.”
Kissing her again, he held her hand. “Then I’ll need time to make my case.”
“For what?”
“Date and mate.”
Mikki didn’t reply. Her head was spinning. She reached for her empty glass, and Eli filled it with the last of the champagne.
“Don’t say anything. Just tell me you’ll give me the chance to prove I’m right.”
The champagne and sex fog had cleared enough for her to think clearly. She barely knew Eli. Not that she was sorry she let him do what he did. Making tonight about her meant a lot. Despite her subconscious sparring, she wasn’t the shifter slut her inner voice said, and she didn’t do spontaneous. Not usually, anyway.
Eli frowned, searching her face with his eyes. “I know I said not to say anything, but complete radio silence isn’t what I meant. You okay?”
Meeting his eyes, she nodded. “I really enjoyed myself tonight, Eli.”
“But?” He put his glass down on the table.
Mikki opened her mouth, but then closed it again. Instead, she lifted a hand, gesturing to her state of undress. “This isn’t me. I’m not the one-night-stand type.”
“Who said this was a one-night stand? Are you telling me you don’t want to see me again?”
She shook her head, surprised he went there. “No. I only meant...” She exhaled. “Oh, hell. I don’t want you to think this,” she gestured to her rumpled state and her panties and tights in a ball beside the table, “…is something that happens with everyone I go out with.”
You mean like what might happen with Nick tomorrow?
I’m canceling that.
No you’re not.
Shut up.
Her inner voice had put the gloves on and was spoiling for a fight. Not because she hadn’t thought of Nick, but because she had, and the truth of it made her cringe.
“I mean, I don’t usually…” she repeated, drowning out her subconscious sparring partner.
What was wrong with her? Her thighs were still slick from Eli’s talented fingers. Maybe she was a shifter slut. She shook her head silently. Nope. She was canceling her date with Nick first thing.
“I know that, Mikki.” He took her hand and brought it to his lips. “Even if you had been with someone else, it doesn’t change how I feel. What I know you’ll end up feeling, as well, if you let yourself tap into your inner animal.”
He let go of her hand and picked up a strawberry from his plate. “Why don’t I pick you up tomorrow and take you some place special.” He held the berry out for her to bite. “There’s something I’d like to show you.”
She took the strawberry from him but didn’t eat it. “I can’t. I already have plans for tomorrow, but I’m free Sunday.” Canceling on Nick was one thing, but she wasn’t about to trade one set of plans for another.
Eli pushed her uneaten plate of food close to her end of the table. “Then Sunday is a date.” He handed her a fork. “Number three, just for the record.”
“You are very persistent.”
“All part of my charm.”
“So you keep saying.” She put the fork down and picked up her chicken leg. The food was cold, but still delicious. “So where is this special place? Is there a dress code?”
“Dress warm. Boots, hat, scarf. Definitely no skirts, though I’m willing to warm you up if you insist.”
She laughed, wiping her mouth. “Where are we going? The Tundra?”
“Close. The Adirondacks.”
“Eli, that’s like a six-hour drive. I’m not sure I can do that kind of a trek in one day. I have work on Monday.”
Not to mention a lawyer to possibly see.
Don’t remind me.
Nick’s lawyer.
What did I say?
“The southern Adirondacks. Outside Lake George. Where we’re going is only a three and a half hour drive from Manhattan, give or take.”
“What’s outside of Lake George besides ski areas?”
“My family history.”
Chapter Thirteen
“Someone got in late last night.” Carmela stood at the kitchen counter stirring her coffee. “I’m not a shifter, but it doesn’t take one to know you were doing the walk of shame.”
Mikki slid onto one of the two barstools across from her friend. “It wasn’t that late, and I did no such thing.” She scrubbed her eyes with an exhale. “If you’re going to give me the star chamber inquisition, then let me get my eyes open first. Coffee. Large. Please.”
Mel poured, sliding the deep mug onto the counter. “I suppose sugar and cream are part of the deal, too.”
“What do you think?”
With a chuckle, Mel opened the fridge for the half-n-half and then grabbed the sugar bowl. “Get those neurons firing, because mama wants details.”
Mikki spooned two heaping teaspoons of sugar into her coffee, stirring as she added the cream. “There are no details to tell. Eli and I did not have sex.”
“Semantics, lovey. I saw your tights in the laundry hamper. Your thong was t
wisted inside, and that tells me they were tugged off at some point, and not by you.”
Mikki dropped her chin to her chest, concentrating on her caffeine.
“Miks! You are every shade of red on the color wheel. Tell me or I might have to get physical!”
Licking a drop of coffee from her bottom lip, she inhaled, lifting her head.
“Well? It’s no big deal if you did the nasty with that boy. His ass is fine, but it is a big deal if you don’t tell me.” She put up her hand, stopping Mikki’s protest in its tracks. “Don’t tell me it’s private, because you tell me every other time. This is me. Your best friend and confidant. So spill.”
“We didn’t have sex, but we…or I should say, he…was very generous with his mouth and his hands.”
A smile cracked across Carmela’s face. “You let Eli go down on you? You dirty girl.” She chuckled, a little stunned. “I expected you to tell me you did him.”
Mikki snorted. “Now that’s sexist. Why would you think that? Is it because he knows the landlord? Jesus, Mel. Give me some credit. In fact, give your fellow females some credit.”
“Oh no. Don’t get on your feminist high horse, because I know you’ve gone down on guys before they returned the favor. It’s very heartening to hear there are men out there willing and able…and I say able because you look like the cat that ate the canary…able to satisfy a woman first.”
Mikki picked in the leftover donuts, breaking a glazed cruller in half before plopping a piece in her mouth. “Funny you should say cat,” she said, chewing. “The man made me purr…well, actually growl and purr, sort of at the same time.”
“That good, huh?”
Shaking her head, Mikki smiled. “I don’t mean metaphorically, Mel. I mean I truly, actually growl purred. As in inner animal.”
Carmela’s lips parted, but she just blinked.
“I know. It sounds crazy, but Eli managed to wake the dual part of my nature. I mean he rocked my world, toes curled, come to Jesus, rocked my world.”
“And you didn’t…”
Mikki shook her head again. “I offered, but he said last night was all about me.” She polished off the rest of the donut and reached for another. “I’m seeing him again tomorrow. Which reminds me. I have to call Nick and cancel our date for today.”
She checked the clock above the stove, and then swiveled around on the barstool to grab the phone. “I should have texted him last night when I got home, but I wasn’t thinking.”
“And you’re still not thinking.” Carmela snatched the phone out of her hand. “You are not canceling your date with Nick. Why should you?”
“Why? Weren’t you paying attention? Eli—”
Her friend nodded. “I heard every detail, but what has one got to do with the other? You made plans with Nick. It’s rude to cancel last minute. Besides, I’m guessing Eli didn’t mention our creepy new landlord once, did he?”
Mikki crumbled the edge of the day-old donut onto a napkin. “No, he didn’t. But then again, I didn’t ask.”
“Then you have to go out with Nick, if only to thank him for having his lawyer call.”
Mikki opened her mouth, but then closed it, shaking her head instead. “I don’t like how this feels, Mel. It feels icky.”
“Now who’s reading dirt into the situation? You don’t owe Nick anything but to keep your word and deliver a simple thank you.”
“Yeah, that’s still a little fishy. I mean, how did Nick’s attorney find me? We still never figured that one out.”
“So you ask Nick when you see him. Easy peasy.”
“I don’t know, Mel. Keeping my date with him feels almost mercenary, and that’s not me and you know it.”
Mel put the phone down and went to lean against the sink. She crossed her arms at her chest, eyeing her friend.
“I know what this is, Miks. When you came home from your afternoon at the zoo, you were on cloud nine. You waxed euphoric about how Nick made your inner cat purr, and he did so with a simple kiss. In fact, you said it was all you could do not to straddle the boy next to your French fries.” She nodded. “This has nothing to do with Eli or being mercenary. It has nothing to do with what you did or didn’t do with him last night. You don’t trust yourself around Nick.”
Mikki pushed her coffee and the rest of her donut away. “And what if you’re right? What if he’s as amazing as he was at the zoo? What if he makes my cat purr again and things get carried away like they did with Eli? Nick is a shifter. What if he smells Eli on me? What then?”
“He won’t. Not if you soak in a strong bubble bath. Besides, like I said. You don’t owe him anything, let alone celibacy. Don’t forget. He’s the one whose girlfriend called while he was chatting you up.”
“True.”
“Damn straight. Now go get in the tub and spend a little TLC on Miss Kitty.”
“Who?”
“Ugh. Your vajajay, Miks.”
She snorted a laugh, getting up from the barstool. “Anyone ever mention you missed your calling as a pimp?”
“Ha, ha. Now scrub-a-dub-dub.”
***
“So where are we going?” Mikki asked, as she walked with Nick out the front entrance of her apartment building.
Despite Carmela summing up for the jury, she called Nick anyway. She had every intention of canceling their date. Instead, the man talked her into meeting him for lunch and spending the entire day.
No willpower. That’s what it boiled down to. Her love life had been as dry as a bone for the better part of a year, so even with her Machiavellian misgivings, she couldn’t bring herself to say no thanks.
Nick was as charismatic and sexy as he was freezing with her at the zoo that afternoon. Of course, she didn’t bring up the girlfriend factor, and wouldn’t unless he made another move. In that respect, Eli had him on that.
“We are heading to a place near and dear to my heart. It’s in South Salem. About two hours outside of the city, give or take.”
“Salem. As in notorious for the witch trials?”
“Nope.” A sleek, black sedan waited at the curb. Nick pulled a key fob from his pocket, clicking open the lock. “Salem Center as in a hamlet on the Connecticut border with New York.”
Mikki slid into the front passenger seat, waiting as Nick walked around to the driver’s side.
“Hamlet. Isn’t that code for a teeny, tiny village?”
“It’s also a Shakespearean play, but yeah. South Salem is really small, but it’s also home to the Wolf Conservancy. A place I cherish.” Nick started the car, merging into light weekend traffic. “I’ve arranged a private tour. I figured you like the zoo in winter, so you’d probably enjoy meeting some of my pals.”
“Pals,” she repeated. “Are we talking real wolves, or dual-natured friends?”
He laughed. “Real wolves. I’m a patron of the Conservancy, so I pulled a few strings. They do so much toward wolf preservation. Some species have been hunted to near extinction. Trust me, I’ve lived raw. It’s not easy.
“Food is hard to find. Ranchers and farmers think it’s their divine right to shoot to kill. Packs are being decimated all over the country, so I do what I can to fund organizations dedicated to reeducating the public and saving these majestic creatures.”
“Not to mention your shared lineage,” Mikki added.
Nick looked across at her. “My dual nature is Lupine, but there’s no shared lineage between real wolves and shifters.”
“Not same tree, different branch?”
“Nope.” Nick checked his side-view mirror before merging onto the West Side Highway northbound. “You’re family really did you a disservice not teaching you about our kind.”
“Growing up, my brother and I were pretty much left to our own devices. I mean, don’t get me wrong. We were loved. Unconditionally. Mom passed when I was eleven and my brother just thirteen. Dad retreated into himself after that until he passed.”
“What about your grandparents?”
&nb
sp; Mikki shrugged. “They were around, but they weren’t into the whole pack thing, either. There was some connection upstate by the Canadian border, but infighting left a bad taste in my great-grandfather’s mouth, so he packed up the family and moved south to New York City. That’s all I know. He and my great-grandmother opened the bookshop and we’ve been there ever since.”
“So no one ever talked about where you came from, or where your roots began?”
“Bohemians, beatniks and hippies. Those are my roots. My people wanted nothing to do with hierarchy and power plays.” Mikki watched the white caps on the dark Hudson as they headed toward the city’s outskirts. “Still, sometimes I wonder.”
“Wonder what?”
She looked at Nick. Taking in the strong curve of his jawline, and the way his dark hair swept back. Superman’s twin. It was what she thought when she first saw him at the zoo. Would his wolf be as black as his hair, and would his eyes be as piercing blue?
“What my animal would be like if I shifted. What would manifest? I mean, I know there’s a cat in there chuffing and butting me at times, but I know it’s not alone.” She exhaled a jaded laugh. “God, I sound like a split personality. Dissociative Identity Disorder shifter-style.”
Nick grinned. “That’s funny. Scary, but funny.” Sliding his eyes toward her, he winked. “Unless a pack has pledged itself to species purity, shifters can have any number of traits, but usually one is most dominant. Two at the most. With you, I sense your cat is the most dominant, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s something else lurking as well.”
“Ugh. You make me sound like s science experiment. Dr. Frankenstein’s other monster.”
“It’s pronounced Fronkensteen.”
Mikki blinked for a moment, then burst out laughing. “Oh my God! I love that move. Abby…Abby normal!”
“It’s my go to classic.” He grinned. “Best line ever…Wow, what knockers.”
“Vhy zank you, doctor.”
Nick gave her an appreciative smile. “I mean it, actually. Not so crudely, of course. But you’re beautiful, Mikki.”
Heat climbed to her cheeks. “You’re not so bad yourself.” She looked away, not wanting to escalate the conversation in its current direction. “So, what’s in store for us on this private tour? Can we get up close and personal with the wolves?”
Torn Between Two Alphas: Howls Romance Page 10
