“It does kind of stink,” I agreed. “But like your dad said, it has to be done. No two ways about it.”
A waiter brought our pizza over and we all grabbed a slice. As I was trying to disentangle my slice from a molten web of stringy cheese, I glanced at Linc and realizing I didn't know much about him.
“What do you do for work, Linc?” I asked, hungrily feasting on his amazing bone structure and toffee-colored eyes as he turned his head to look at me. His radiant smile widened more than I thought appropriate for the mundane question I’d asked, but I had to admit, his smile was pretty stunning.
“Construction,” Linc said. “I'm the site manager for a project over on Growling Oak Way right now. It's a major renovation, so it should keep me busy through next year. Gets a little quiet over Christmas, but there are plenty of odd jobs around town.”
That explains the giant muscles and machismo.
“Is it a far commute for you?” I asked.
“Nah, I live on the grounds of the uh, the Country Club,” he said, hesitating just a bit.
“We do too,” Cole added.
“I’ve never been there. I hear it’s kind of…nice.” Actually, I heard only the richest people in town lived there. It was an exclusive gated community.
“Well, it’s just where we live. Our whole pa—uh…family lives there. You should come up one day to check out my telescope,” Cole suggested. “It's not as high-tech as yours but I know a good spot for stargazing too. There’s a place up in the woods.”
“That sounds great, I’d love to,” I said, smiling at him. He was a nice kid, if a little cocky. “We'll have to get some other adults to come with us, though. I might get scared being in the woods just the two of us! Hey, are any of you gonna go out and look at the full moon tonight?”
“Oh yeah, we always go out on the full moon,” Cole said, then broke into a fit of giggles.
“Why's that?” I asked.
“It's a, uh, kind of family tradition,” Linc explained, darting his eyes over to the boys.
“Huh. Interesting. Are your families ritualists or something?” I asked.
“Not exactly…” Linc shook his head as the boys started giggling again.
“Well, I've heard rumors about wolves on your side of town. I've never actually seen them myself but apparently there's a few of them. Or so my friend Trevor says, anyway.”
Cole and Liam broke down giggling.
“I've heard those rumors, too,” Linc replied, rubbing the back of his neck with visible agitation.
“Wolves looooove the full moon,” Liam said with a mouthful of pizza, almost choking on the last few words and falling off his seat as he started laughing even harder. Linc shot him a look.
“Chew your food, please,” Linc said in a stern, fatherly voice. Warmth flooded my chest as I saw him gaze at Liam with an expression at once adoring and concerned. Linc’s paternal instincts, even to a child who wasn’t his, were very attractive, and I couldn't help but feel that familiar longing to be a father. I tamped it down because now wasn’t the time to be envious.
“So, be careful out there when you're looking at the moon,” I said.
“We, uh… We will,” Linc said, giving me a sweet smile.
“Maybe you could bring Paco out with you. But… Would he even protect you against a wolf?”
Now it was Linc's turn to burst out laughing, the deep timbre incredibly sexy. I watched with amusement as he wiped a tear from his eye and collected himself.
“Paco would probably think a wolf was his friend,” Linc said with a smirk. “I don't know if his loyalty to humans runs that deep.”
“Well, I'd offer up LuLu but she'd be even more useless,” I said with a laugh.
“Yeah, I think she'd be more of a liability in that situation,” Linc said, laughing along with me.
“She's so little!” Liam stated. “She probably can't even run very fast on her tiny legs!”
“You'd be surprised. I bet if she saw a wolf she'd run so fast in the opposite direction you wouldn't know where she went.”
All of the sudden, Liam let out a shout. “Ouch! You butthead!”
“What's the problem?” Linc asked him.
“Cole pinched my arm, and it really hurt!”
“You started it!” Cole shouted back at Liam.
“Okay, cranky boys. Enough. Nicole should be here to pick you up any minute. Does anyone need the bathroom?” Linc asked.
“Yes,” both boys said simultaneously, pouting at Linc.
“Okay, go take care of that now so you're ready to go when Nicole pulls up, please.”
“You started it,” Liam grumbled back at Cole as they stalked off to the back of the restaurant.
“Behave yourselves in there!” Linc called after them. Then he sighed and turned to me.
“Sorry about that,” he said with a smile. He took a sip of his soda, never breaking eye contact with me.
“It’s fine, I deal with kids all day long. Younger ones, but still… Same screaming,” I said, smiling back at him and meeting his gaze. “I'm impressed two boys their age lasted this long without a meltdown.”
“Actually, they usually get along great. Nicole is uh, Cole’s mom. We were only together for a brief…time. Good friends now, though.”
A moment of silence hung between us. Gazing into his eyes, I felt an undeniable connection with him. My heart felt tingly and a rush of lust flooded my veins. My breath caught, but I reminded myself this wasn't necessarily going to go anywhere, and if it did, it might not last. I pulled my focus away from Linc's enticing eyes to look out the window of the pizzeria. Sparse raindrops were streaking the window and the wind seemed to be picking up.
“The weather doesn't seem ideal for your full moon festivities,” I said quietly.
Linc cracked his knuckles and pulled out his cell phone. “Yeah, it's only supposed to last another hour.” He read the forecast off his phone, then he put it down and looked up to meet my gaze again. “After the boys have left, I’ll drive you home.”
He looked so intently into my eyes it seemed he was trying to read my mind. I hadn’t expected him to take me home without the boys. That kind of went beyond a not-date, but I was so curious to see what would happen if we had some time alone that I agreed.
“That would be nice, thank you,” I said.
A blue SUV pulled up just as the boys were coming back from the bathroom. The driver waved through the windshield and Linc waved back through the pizzeria window.
“There's my mom!” Cole said, nudging Liam's elbow as they came up to the table.
“Thanks for pizza, Linc,” Liam said politely.
“Sure thing, buddy.” Linc ruffled Liam's hair, and then kissed Cole on his head.
“I’ll see you later, boys,” Linc said as the kids scampered out the door and into Nicole's waiting car. Linc paid the bill, then we headed out to his truck.
“Thank you for bringing me here. It was nice. Cole and Liam are great kids,” I said as he pulled open the door for me.
“Well, Cole can be a little…enthusiastic, especially when talking about stargazing, so thank you for sharing your interest with him. Just to let you know, I’ve liked your company too.” Linc’s warm smile started butterflies in my stomach, and I found myself dreading saying goodbye. I didn't want the night to end. Linc's mysterious intensity had me dying to know more about him, and I wondered if I should invite him inside when we got to my place.
What is going on with me? I just met this guy. Don't get carried away. He doesn't know everything about you and might not like want you once he finds out.
Still… I wanted to see what might happen between us, and I’d made a decision to invite him when we pulled up to the front of the house.
Linc turned to look at me. “Let me walk you to your door?”
“Sure, if you don't mind getting a little wet,” I said, smirking at the slight innuendo, surprised a little at my audacity. I wasn’t used to making advances, even subtle ones.
&
nbsp; “Not at all,” Linc said, his own smirk growing into a grin as he got out of the truck to open my door for me again.
At my front stoop I noticed a few raindrops caught on the stubble on Linc's upper lip. I felt a longing in my heart as I got carried away imagining what it would like to kiss a handsome, burly alpha who was already such a father figure. He seemed to notice me looking and smiled.
“Could I get your number?” he asked sweetly.
I nodded, and he handed me his phone. As I took it from him, my fingers grazed his and I felt something like an electric spark jump between us, as if I’d been rubbing a fleece blanket on the way over. I shivered, then laughed self-consciously.
“Are you cold?” Linc asked, warm concern darting across his face.
“No, you shocked me. Didn't you feel that?”
“Oh yeah, I did. I didn't realize you felt it too.” He looked down and pushed his hands into his coat pockets. The moment of slight awkwardness made the longing in my chest grow stronger. My body was aching to touch him, and the feeling grew stronger by the millisecond. I made a split-second decision and leaned in to kiss his cheek. Just a friendly, appreciative gesture. It didn’t have to be serious right away… But he looked up at the exact moment.
“Well, have a nice night…”
His sudden movement meant my kiss landed slightly off my original target. My lips made contact with the edge of his mouth, and his lips parted in surprise as I pulled away. We stared at each other for a moment. Desire churned even stronger in my stomach—like a washing machine that had reached the spin cycle. The scent of his cologne filled my nose, peppered and spiced like a strong dark rum. There was something else too, musky and feral. Before I knew it, I heard myself saying, “Want to come in for a drink or a…coffee, maybe?”
Linc's eyes brightened. “Yeah, I do.”
As soon as I pushed the door open, LuLu bounced up and down in the doorway, almost pushing herself through the opening and onto the street.
“Hi baby!” She licked my hands enthusiastically.
“Hello again, LuLu,” Linc said, reaching down so she could sniff his hands once we were inside. She ran full-speed across the kitchen in the opposite direction, slipping slightly on the kitchen tiles, and disappeared into the living room.
Linc laughed awkwardly. “What did I do?”
“Beats me,” I said with a shrug. “Maybe she doesn't like your cologne.”
“Hm. I hope that’s not it. That stuff is expensive.”
“Don’t take it personally. She’s a fussy princess. Anyway, I think the smell suits you. Can I take your coat?”
Linc unzipped his black wool coat. I enjoyed the sight of him shrugging it off his massive shoulders. As I reached to hang Linc's coat on a hook by the door, LuLu came bounding back into the room with her red and white rope toy in her mouth.
“Oh, I see,” Linc said, grinning as he gripped the rope. “Play time, is it?”
LuLu started growling and tugging on the rope with all her might.
“You're tough for such a little dog.” Linc mercifully let her gain some traction considering one of his arms was the size of her whole body.
“What can I offer you? Coffee? Wine? Beer?” I asked, wiggling out of my own coat. I noticed Linc's eyes narrow as he watched me. I turned around, secretly hoping he would be checking out my ass as I hung my coat up. My tight jeans would have given him a pretty clear view of what I was working with.
“A beer would be great.”
I pulled two beers out of the fridge, and then opened a drawer to look for a bottle opener. As I rummaged around I realized how much being here with him and LuLu playing happily was nice. Really nice. Then I remembered; if this got anywhere near serious I'd have to tell him about being infertile. If he was looking for someone to have a new family with, then I was unfairly leading him on if I didn’t let him know.
Then again, he already has a son. Maybe he doesn't want any more kids.
Finally finding the bottle opener I slid the drawer closed. I shouldn’t be thinking that far ahead, but I really liked him. I sighed. I needed to take a step back and just enjoy the vibe we had going on right now. With that in mind I opened the beers, but when I spun around, I saw Linc standing next to me. Searching his eyes for what felt like the millionth time that day, I felt time slip away. It felt like I was moving through molasses as I ever so slowly handed him the bottle.
Once he had it in his hand, Linc raised his bottle to toast. I brought my bottle up to his and our knuckles grazed. “What are we toasting to?” I asked.
“Hmm… To the full moon?”
“Yes. Complete madness. I'll drink to that,” I said, smiling and holding eye contact as I took a sip. I wanted to get closer to him, breathe in his scent. “Do you want to sit down?” I suggested.
Linc nodded and made a beeline for the living room. He beat me to the couch and plopped down on it, placing his beer bottle on the coffee table. I sat next to him and angled myself so I could look at him, without being too far away. It felt like he had a glow surrounding him, and I wanted to be in it.
“You were really good with the Cole and Liam. I should have warned you about them being terrors sometimes. It’s a tricky age.” He picked at the label on his beer. “And, you know. Not everyone likes kids.”
I swallowed nervously. It felt like he’d said it as bait. I guessed it mattered to him that I was fond of kids, especially his son. “Oh, I like kids. I like them a lot.” I left it at that, but I could hear the sadness in my voice and I’d be shocked if Linc hadn’t heard it too.
“That’s nice to know. Either way, I'd love to see you again soon,” Linc said. “Without the kids.”
“Um, are you sure? Because Cole really wants to see my telescope,” I said, poking fun at him.
“I know, and I’m sure he’ll get his chance. But yeah, I'd like to just…spend some time getting to know you better. If you want that,” he said quietly.
“Yeah, that would be nice.”
“So how about a real date on Friday night?”
“I work the evening shift on Friday, but I'm free after that. I get off at nine, so if that's not too late I can meet you then?”
“Nine is perfectly fine,” Linc said.
Silence fell between us. Not tense, but there was something in the air that had me swallowing hard.
“Can I kiss you?” Linc suddenly asked, his eyelids looking heavy as his dark lashes swept downward. He was looking longingly at my lips. He was asking with blunt confidence, but he was at least polite enough to ask rather than just lean in. And if I was honest, he was just too sexy for me to resist.
I didn't waste any time on answering his question. I just leaned forward and planted my lips on him. It felt amazingly good, so different to the accidental peck I had pulled off on my doorstep. This time I could take my time, pay attention, and enjoy. And I did.
He pressed his lips to mine with considerable force, as if he’d been holding back a long time from doing just that. The firmness of his kiss wasn’t too surprising, but when he put one of his big hands on my shoulder and pulled me closer, he did so gently. He parted his lips and caressed the seam of mine with the tip of his tongue, sending a tingle straight to my cock. I moaned and inhaled sharply through my nose. Linc nibbled at my lower lip briefly, then pulled back and took a deep breath. He stared at me, his eyes blown wide with lust, which I was sure mirrored my own. I wanted him to kiss me again, to pull me onto his lap, hold me, caress me. Instead, Linc shook his head.
“I better get going. With you having an early shift tomorrow and all.”
A little shocked and a lot disappointed, I blinked at him. He’d been following me like a scent hound all day, and he had me willing in his arms. Why stop now? Maybe he didn’t like the way I kissed. I didn’t think I was that bad, but I had been out of practice for some time. Unless his leaving was his way of showing amazing will power.
“Okay,” I said, not sure what else I could say.
�
�Thanks for the drink, Shawn,” he said, standing up.
“I'll see you on Friday?” I hated that I made it sound like a question, but I didn’t know what was going through Linc’s mind.
“Friday,” he repeated with a smile. “I'll be looking forward to that for the rest of the week.”
My heart surged in both relief and joy that he still wanted to see me. I grinned like an idiot, and then walked him to the door. I handed him his coat, and pressed one more passionate kiss on his lips before he left.
I watched Linc walk to his truck and felt an odd tugging in my chest, as if something had caught around my heart—and the farther he walked away, the stronger the tug. It felt like he was wrapping up my heart and taking it with him.
5
Linc
The clouds had moved over the sky by the time I stepped outside and the full moon lit up Pack Lane and the dog park across the way. The light reflected brightly from the puddles the rain had left, and I wondered if they'd freeze overnight. I pulled my jacket tight across my chest and turned back to take one final glance at Shawn as he held the door open.
The kiss he’d given me still lingered on my lips, and just like the first kiss in his living room I’d felt a warm tingle warm me from the inside out. I took that warmth with me as I walked down his driveway, my wolf whining and pawing at my chest, begging me to stay with Shawn, even as it wanted to run under the moon. The feeling of Shawn’s mouth against mine had already become addictive, and it had taken all of my willpower to pull away. I wished I could spend the night melting into his kiss, but there was somewhere I needed to be.
I drove straight up Pack Lane from Shawn's house and felt the blood in my veins pumping a little harder and faster as I neared the homestead. The full moon was pulling on me just as hard as my connection with Shawn had tugged at me earlier.
The gates to the homestead opened as I approached, and as I drove up to Wolf Lodge I wondered if I really would be able to bring Shawn into this world with me one day. A human amongst shifters was often a tricky combination. Though I knew Jaxon had managed it with Bryce, it didn’t always go to plan.
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