by Dana Archer
Hear my lover whisper my name as he spills himself inside me.
On a sigh of longing, I close my eyes. Warmth spreads through me. Contentment follows. Mine or my wolf’s happiness? I can’t tell, but right in this moment, I feel incredibly good. Maybe I should let myself fantasize more often.
Right. I’ll squeeze that into my free time.
Chuckling, I open my eyes. The drunk I’d served Death’s Fire to last night is sitting at the table I’m clearing. The rag I’m holding flops to the table. He’s more gorgeous than he was last night.
He still looks as wild and primitive as he did yesterday with the dusting of hair covering his neck and jaw, but the beanie he’s wearing contains the mop of mussed brown hair instead of sending the ends into disarray as they had been yesterday, sticking every which way. Now there’s nothing obscuring his blue eyes. Or hazing the hunger in his gaze.
A slow, lazy, and incredibly sexy smile spreads over his rugged face. “You’re absolutely beautiful with your guard down.”
“Rick.” I say his name, but my voice doesn’t sound like me. It’s huskier or something. I almost sound sexy. Must be the naughty thoughts whirling around in my head.
Rick pushes to his feet. His muscles flex. The tight gray T-shirt stretched over his chest clings to his body. Jeans cover his legs. Not tight, not loose, his pants fit him perfectly, drawing my gaze to his strong thighs, his narrow hips, his…
Oh goddesses… I yank my gaze to his face, but it’s too late. The image of the impressive bulge in his jeans is seared into my mind. My cheeks feel warm. Dang it. I’m probably blushing like a schoolgirl. I can’t help it. The man isn’t even aroused and he’s a sight to behold.
With a pleased glint in his eyes, he rounds the table. Frozen in place, I follow his every move with my gaze. I couldn’t run if I tried. My knees feel weak. My skin feels hot…sensitive. Even the bite Todd left on my shoulder tingles. Must be my shirt rubbing against it. Only Todd can touch the raised scar and make my body come alive, whether or not I want to be excited. That’s what everyone has told me anyway.
Rick steps next to me. Inches separate us. His rich scent tempts me closer. He smells like a man should, a mix of strength and vitality. Like the forest on a warm, lazy afternoon. My eyelids drift lower. I lean toward him.
“Did you get my thank-you?”
I move my hand to the side pocket where I stashed the money. My knuckles brush against Rick’s thigh. My lower belly quivers. I breathe slowly, trying to tamp down my arousal. Standing as close as he is, Rick will be able to smell my excitement.
More warmth settles low. I step away from him. The distance doesn’t help. I feel him…his hunger, his need. I’ve managed to arouse him too. “Yes, I got the tip you left for me, but you shouldn’t have. That’s a lot of money.”
Rick steps closer, destroying the small space I’d put between our bodies. “It’s just money. I would’ve wasted it on booze anyway.”
With his choice of drink and the amount he could obviously consume, I don’t doubt that. “Why did you leave it? Our bartender told me you sent the bottle back basically untouched.”
“Didn’t he tell you?”
His voice wraps around me, touching me in a way I’ve never experienced. I want to press my body to his so I can feel the vibrations of his chest as he speaks. I lick my lips. “Yes.”
Rick bends closer. His breath teases my skin. The scent of cinnamon and his personal fragrance seeps into me. “Why did I leave it for you, then?”
“To thank me for saving you.” I tip my head back to look into his face. Lust gives his eyes a drowsy quality as if he was thinking about stroking me slowly from the inside out, stimulating me until I come apart, trembling and shaking, in his arms. “But I didn’t save you. All I did was serve you bourbon you ended up not drinking.”
“You walked into my life when I was at the lowest point I’ve been in years.” Rick settles a hand on my hip. “And pulled me back from the brink.”
My skin burns as if his touch branded me. I don’t understand my reaction to him. “I…I…”
Rick rubs the thumb of his free hand over my lower lip, tugging slightly on the center, before dropping his hand. “You saved me from myself, from the lying voices in my head. I’ll never forget that.”
I swipe my tongue over the path his thumb took. I swear I can taste him. I press my palm to his stomach, unsure if I want to push him away or pull him closer.
“Rick…” I curl my fingers around his shirt, fisting the material.
Rick’s open mouth heats a path along my cheek to my ear. “I smell a male on you. Is he important?”
Ilan. He scent marked my cheek not long ago.
“No…yes.” The words rush out. “He’s a friend. Only.”
“Friends are important. They protect us. Watch our backs.”
I smile. That’s exactly what Ilan does. “Yes, they do. I have some wonderful friends. I’m lucky.”
Rick slides his hand to my lower back. “What’s your name?”
The question he’d asked me yesterday jerks me back from this sexual spell he’s cast over me. This man is dangerous. I have no business drinking in his scent. I’m worthless. A vessel. Nothing more.
“I need to go.” I step around him and hurry toward the safety of the bar. The lights from the dance floor blind me. I shake my head. My legs wobble under me. Dizziness grips me. I press my lips together.
I need fresh air.
Scanning the room, I flag Ilan down. I mouth the word break, then make my way outside.
The moment I escape through the employee exit, I drag in deep lungfuls of the cool December air. It doesn’t help. My body feels too hot. I close the door behind me and move to the corner of the building, closest to the woods, where I’ll get a breeze.
Leaning against the wall, I close my eyes. The wind tosses my hair across my face. I don’t bother pushing the strands back. Each inhale cools my body, easing the arousal that blindsided me.
After a moment, the delicious scent of the man who left me in this crazed state drifts to me. I open my eyes. Rick’s standing a few feet from me.
“Are you okay?”
I nod. I can’t speak. With the light of the moon behind him, he’s even more impressive, as if the goddesses carved him out of marble and breathed life into him.
Rick approaches slowly, giving me plenty of time to run or scream for help. I don’t. I drink in his masculine beauty for the fantasies I’ll indulge in later tonight.
A foot away, he stops. “I didn’t mean to send you running.”
The sincerity in his statement blends with the concern etched into his features. I map his face with my gaze, looking for some sign he means me harm. I don’t find any. He reminds me of a guy who’d lay down his life for another person. Doesn’t mean he’s an angel. At least not a pure one. More like the wicked kind.
Staring into the eyes I wouldn’t mind looking into while he’s deep inside me, I say the only thing I can to end this moment. As wonderful as it is to drink in Rick’s beauty and bask in his goodness, I don’t have the right. “Just because you left me a good tip doesn’t give you the right to touch me.”
Rick’s mouth curves into a small smile. “If it wasn’t horribly rude, I’d ask for it back.”
My spine goes ramrod straight. Darn him. I guess my instinct was wrong. Why should I be surprised? I did once think Todd was sweet to offer to walk with me across town so I could meet up with a friend. Look where that led me.
I pull the cash from my pocket and hold the bills out to Rick. “Take it. My kisses are not for sale.”
Rick curls his long fingers around mine. He takes a small step closer to me, then another one until he’s standing in front of me, a hairbreadth from my chest. He pries my fingers apart, retrieving the money, then slips it into my pocket. “Neither are mine.”
I don’t know what to say. I don’t get the chance to come up with anything. Rick lifts my chin with a single finger and bends down
. His lips brush mine. Our breaths mix. He inhales audibly, taking my air into himself, a shifter custom only the closest lovers share.
Shocked by his boldness, I draw in a deep breath too. Energy skips along my spine, racing in a line of fire to settle deep in the bite on my shoulder. It aches in a way it never has before, as if I’ll die if I don’t feel Rick’s lips on the scar. I don’t understand the reaction. Don’t understand any of this.
My heart races as my anxiety spikes. A thump settles in the raised scar, echoing my quicker heartbeat. It’s never done that. Not even with Todd.
I fist Rick’s shirt, holding him tight. “Rick?”
“I feel it.” Rick slides a hand to cradle the back of my head. “I feel you.”
Before I can ask what he means, he kisses me, gently urging me into a slow exploration of passion. His flavor hits me. Spicy cinnamon. Pure fire. All man.
A low moan escapes his throat. Hearing the sound weakens me. Excites me. Unleashes me. I tip my head back slightly, welcoming his possession. Rick takes what I offer, kissing me more completely than I’ve ever experienced.
I arch into him. He slides a hand up my spine, supporting me, and kisses me harder. Our teeth bang. The bite on my shoulder aches more. It shouldn’t be possible. I don’t want to think about why. Maybe I’m just imagining it. Whatever. I don’t care. I want to feel. Nothing more.
“Everything okay out here?”
Ilan’s booming voice tears a gasp from me. I look into Rick’s face. He’s smiling at me, looking both pleased and amused. If he knew he’d been kissing another man’s breeding partner, he wouldn’t feel the same. He’d probably think something horrible about me. That I’m a dirty whore or a tease or something worse.
I slip under Rick’s arm and rub my upper arm against my lips, trying the get his flavor out of my mouth. It’s no good. I can still taste him on my tongue, scent him with every breath I take, feel him as if he’d touched my soul.
“Yes, yes, everything’s fine.” I don’t sound fine. I sound as if Rick shattered me with his kiss.
Ilan snags my wrist in a gentle grasp. I don’t look at him. I’m afraid what’ll show in my eyes. “Do you need me to carry out my promise to you?”
“No! Everything’s good.” I shake off Ilan’s hold. “I’m good. Rick’s good. We’re all good.” I hurry to the employee entrance.
Before I open the door, I glance over my shoulder. Rick has one hand braced against the wall where he’d kissed me. He peeks under his arm at me. His gaze snags mine. Neither anger nor annoyance shows on his face. He looks like a primitive male who’s set his sights on what he wants.
Me.
Oh boy. I really screwed up. I open my mouth, but I don’t know what to say to make this better. I should never have kissed Rick Lyall. Too late. I did. And I think it just might’ve been my worst mess-up yet. ’Cause I want to do it again.
Six
Rick
Drumming my fingers against the steering wheel of my rental car, I go over every nuance of the past two nights in my redheaded waitress’s presence. I can recall with perfect clarity how I calmed the moment she spoke. How an awareness whipped through me the second I touched her hand. How her scent wrapped around me, pulling me from my depression.
I’d thought myself lucky to find a female I could use as a distraction. Someone I could sleep with when I needed relief. Tonight…the kiss we shared…it shattered my convictions, destroying my plans.
My path is set. It’s selfish. No doubt about it. As a widower, I can’t give her everything she deserves. I have no choice, though. I can’t let her go. There’s no mistaking our connection. I know it in my soul.
She’s my true mate.
All shifters grow up hearing the stories of a love so pure and right, it transcends time. It’s a gift from the goddesses themselves, something to be fought for and treasured. It’s why the goddesses allowed shifters the ability to soul-bond, so true mates could tie their souls together for eternity.
I even remember a pair of shifters from my birth pack who’d gravitated to each other as children. They were inseparable: best friends, then devoted lovers. They mated, soul-bonding the moment they’d matured, and lived out their short lives together. When the female died in childbirth, so did her mate. He went with a smile on his face, saying he’d follow her anywhere.
The elders of the pack claimed that since their devotion was so beautiful and unbreakable, they must’ve soul-bonded in a previous lifetime and only renewed their bond in this lifetime. I don’t know if that’s true or not. Never gave love much thought until I took a breeding partner. Then, I’d wondered what the difference was between the supposedly rare and special love true mates felt and what everyone else experienced. ’Cause, I did love the female I’d picked to walk through the centuries with. Actually, I still do. I miss her too. It’s just…
I fold my arms over the top of the steering wheel and drop my forehead against them. When she made me promise to live and love again, I agreed. Only after the life faded from her eyes did I think I should follow her. That it was the right thing to do. Tonight, I learned why I never did, even when the guilt manifested into a tempting voice that haunted my every waking moment.
I raise my head and study the employee parking lot of the Black Widow. The spot where my waitress’s old van sat is empty. I’m not sure when she left. Sometime between when I went to look at the apartment out back and when I left with a key to my temporary home. But my soul and my body yearn for her. I want to touch her again. Learn her name. Listen to her talk about her life before me. Then I want to claim her future.
First, I need to find her.
I dig out my cell and debate my choices. Josh would be the logical person to hit up for information about her. By now, he’s probably home. He left right after handing me my key. He’s got a pregnant mate, though. A young kid too. I can’t call and risk waking them up. I don’t have phone numbers of anyone else who works at the bar either.
I do have Uri’s number, however.
His pride has a special interest in the Black Widow. Josh’s mate, Mira, was a member of Uri’s pride before she mated Josh. It wouldn’t surprise me if Uri knew the life story of everyone who works at the Black Widow. Or at least where they live. Feline shifters are excessively protective of their family and friends. An employee of the bar might not make that list, but it’s worth a try.
I select his contact information and dial.
Uri answers on the first ring. “Hello.”
“I need information.”
“For the case?”
Uri’s voice sounds groggy. I must’ve woken him. I guess I should feel bad about that, but I don’t. I need to learn my hot waitress’s name and where she lives. Now. She’s out there somewhere without me protecting her. There’re already guys sniffing around her. She carried their stench. Friends, she’d called them. That’s fine. They need to learn that’s all they can ever be.
“No, personal, but it’s important.” My gaze drifts to the section of the wall where my life changed. “Do you remember seeing the waitress who brought me the bourbon you sent back?”
“Mya? Yes, I remember.”
Mya.
I close my eyes. The name fits her. It’s strong, yet soft. Perfect.
“Do you know where Mya lives?”
“No. I’ve never spoken to her.”
Great. “Do you know anyone who does?”
“Why don’t you ask her tomorrow? She seems to work a lot. She’s been there every day I have.”
“It can’t wait. She left something important at the bar. I want to get it to her.” Not technically a lie. I am important. At least to her. No man will be able to love her the way I can. Now that she’s touched me, she won’t ever be satisfied with anyone else. Neither will I.
“I’ll text Josh, then send you the address.”
“Wai—” The call ends before I can finish the word. I could’ve texted Josh myself. Too late now.
After a couple o
f minutes, a text pops up with Mya’s address. It’s only a few minutes from here. I start the car and head out there.
The time displayed on the dashboard catches my eye: 11:27 p.m. It’s not exactly late, but she might be in bed. No matter how much I want to see Mya, I don’t want to wake her. I slow the car. Her needs come before mine. If she works a lot, she should get a good night’s sleep. Doesn’t mean I can’t check on her. I can watch over the place tonight and catch her in the morning. Besides, it’ll give me time to figure out how I’m going to approach her.
Yeah, the time sitting in this car might be essential. I have to come up with enough reasons she’d want to give me a chance. It’s not as if I can ever be the male she deserves, one who can provide her with babies and a soul-bond that’ll guarantee we’ll find each other again. All I can offer her is my commitment and passion.
For some females, that’s enough. I won’t know what type of woman Mya is until I talk to her. Just because she’s my true mate doesn’t mean she’s perfect. It just means she’s my gift from the goddess, the one female who can bring me peace. My only shot at heaven on earth.
Her apartment building comes into view. My gaze zeroes in on Mya standing in the lot with a guy. My wolf stirs. His snarl rumbles within me. He slams into my chest. My body jerks with the force of his demand to be set free. Never before has he asserted his will on me so fiercely. My wolf wants blood. This guy’s blood. He means our true mate harm.
Maybe he does. Maybe not. My wolf’s randomly violent behavior isn’t new. I take my foot off the gas pedal, letting the car drift to a stop, and turn my attention to the parking lot.
Hands planted on her hips, Mya stands on her tiptoes and says something to the guy. She points to the woods. Anger tightens her features, but rage contorts his face. He shoves Mya, knocking her backward a few feet. She lands on her backside and moves her hands to her stomach, cradling herself as if she’s hurt. With his hands fisted, he stands over Mya, looking down at her.
Screaming at my true mate.
