by C. D. Gorri
He’d been determined to make a success out of Graves Enterprises. Nowadays, it was rare for him to spend time outdoors in the daylight. Hell, when was the last time he felt the sun on his face and the wind in his hair? He’d been hiding away with nothing, but computer code for company for so long, maybe he’d forgotten to take time and live.
His reaction to the fine woman sitting next to him was proof that he needed to get out more. He felt like a freaking puppy around her. He couldn’t remember a time when his body had reacted so quickly to a member of the opposite sex. Dammit, he may owe Dib a thank you for this trip after all.
They rolled into the driveway of The Sea Mist Bed & Breakfast. The wooden sign outside was thickly lacquered and hung from a post surrounded by newly planted flowers. It was larger than he expected for a seaside B&B.
The ranch style house was painted a bright white with pale yellow shutters and plenty of potted plants dotted the gravel driveway and the window sills. An old-fashioned mailbox sat at the end of the drive. That too was cared for with little yellow and white flowers planted all around the post. He was charmed and intrigued. He almost felt guilty for the Chromebook he had smuggled in his backpack, but maybe it was for the best.
He found himself looking too often at the curvaceous Ms. Nirvelli on the ride over. He may be a Wolf, but he wasn’t a scoundrel. The woman had a son. He needed to be sure she knew the rules before he became more than a guest while staying here.
Maybe a little flirting, maybe a little more, but he wasn’t going to get in over his head. A ready-made family wasn’t what he signed up for. Hell, he didn’t even want a a vacation, but here he was just the same. Might was well enjoy it.
He grabbed his bags and followed the sway of Ms. Nirvelli’s hips all the way inside. When she opened the door the smell of something good made his stomach rumble again. He was hungry. And not just for food.
“I put you here in the Blue Room. It’s the largest and has a jacuzzi bath tub as well as a sliding door that opens up to a small wooden deck with a wrap around fence that overlooks the sand dunes, but you get a great view of the ocean as well,” Tulla turned around expecting to see pleasure on his face, but he was unreadable.
She put a hand to her stomach and continued, “Of course, you are welcome to any of the other rooms as they won’t be occupied while you are here,”
“No, this is fine, real fine,” he said quietly. He wasn’t smiling because he was too focused on the way she moved when she spoke.
The woman was a beauty. He couldn’t help but watch the expression of her face as she smoothed a hand over the sky-blue coverlet on the king-sized bed. She turned and opened the matching curtains to reveal the sliding door to the patio she spoke of. The white sandy beach and the blue of the Atlantic behind her was dazzling to his eyes, but not quite as dazzling as the woman in front of him. The sun was low in the sky and its rays shone through her hair, lighting it as if she were some sort of ethereal being. A sea nymph right here on Earth. Just for him.
“Good, I’m glad. Would you like me to bring you a tray with a snack before supper? I have some fresh made cookies?”
“Uh, nope. I’ll just settle in first.”
“Sure thing, see you at dinner, then. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything.”
Tulla walked quickly out of the room. She had to squeeze past him as he had not moved since entering the bedroom. Her heart pounded as she brushed lightly against his chest and muscular thighs. Oh my!
He was enormous. She wondered if that were true everywhere. Oh Lord, forgive me. It’d been so long since she experienced anything other than mild attraction for a man. And the sparks that were flying between her and Randall Graves were much more than just mild attraction. Tulla was in trouble!
She exhaled and walked to the kitchen. Her son was waiting on his promised snack of cookies and milk before going off to his scout meeting with the neighbor’s boys. He had already eaten a grilled cheese with sliced tomatoes and cucumbers on the side before they left to pick up their guest.
Tulla was proud of his love for vegetables and added another cookie to his plate. He needed to be quick or he’d miss his ride. Mrs. White often took Danny with her twins, Mark and Matthew, to their weekly scout meetings.
They were one of the only other families in the area and the twins were in Danny’s class. Mrs. White was friendly though a good fifteen years older than Tulla. She and her husband had their children later in life. Still, they were always willing to help with carpooling and she liked to reciprocate with fresh baked goodies and things like that.
She smiled as she packed some cookies for them as well. Danny was out the door five minutes later with his scout bag and the goodies she packed. Tulla waved to Mrs. White from the doorway.
Now, what was she going to do for two hours while he was gone? Think, Tulla, you have a new guest. What do you always do? She scolded herself for her behavior, she would not be a bumbling idiot for anyone. Especially not a guest.
But she felt like a high school girl again. Mr. Graves was just so big, and not just his size, but his very vitality. It was if he spoke to her without saying a word. How was she going to get through a month of him without throwing herself at his feet?
It was going to be a very long month.
CHAPTER 5
“Um, Ms. Nirvelli?”
“What?” She gasped as Mr. Graves placed a long-fingered hand on her shoulder.
“Oh, Mr. Graves! You startled me.”
“I’m sorry, I called you twice, but you seem to have drifted away for a moment,” his concerned gaze was nearly her undoing.
“I apologize. Wa-, was there something you needed?”
“Well, I stubbed my toe putting my things away and I may have used a word or two I shouldn’t have. Since I promised to keep my language PG while I’m here, I believe I owe that swear jar of yours a couple more dollars. Where is Danny?”
“Oh, you just missed him,” she laughed and shook her head.
Of course, he wanted put money in the swear jar because of Danny. He did not want her for anything. That explained it. She continued when he stood waiting for what she could only assume was an explanation.
“Oh, uh, he went to his scout meeting, but don’t worry about it. I won’t rat you out.”
“No, please, I insist, a promise is a promise.”
“Okay, I admire you keeping a promise to a boy when he’s not even here. It’s this way,” she walked across the kitchen to the part of the house that was reserved for herself and her son.
She opened a door right off the kitchen to reveal a small living room area that looked more playroom than anything else. There were drawings hung up with care, a half dozen fluffy colorful pillows on a snug loveseat, and a black teddy bear with one eye that looked extremely loved sat waiting loyally for his boy.
“Nice,” he said looking about the place.
“Oh, hardly, but thank you.”
“Hey, you have a computer, oh good. I’d like the WI-FI info and password when you have a second.”
Tulla turned around after rummaging around on a small bookshelf with a large mason jar filled with coins and singles. She could have kicked herself for inadvertently showing him the computer, especially when he hadn’t asked about it before. Randall walked close to her and stuffed the folded bills he carried into the jar in her hand. Oh well, it was show time.
“Oh, uh, the modem is broken. I won’t have time to get a replacement for a few days.”
“Days?” Randall realized he should be angrier about this, but honestly what was a few days. He’d certainly have enough to distract him here.
Like right now for instance, he was distracted by the dusky pink of Tulla’s unpainted full lips. Come to think of it she wore no makeup at all. He liked that about her. She was real.
The golden glow of her skin was all natural and appealed to his senses. She smelled like sunshine, salty sea air, and a hint of coconut underneath it all. He wanted to get close
r. To smell her all over.
“Please, um, let me get you a glass of sweet tea.”
She turned abruptly and he was left to follow in her wake. A trail of sunshine and maybe a hint of sadness underneath. He wanted to take whatever it was that made her sad and crush it under his boot.
This woman should never be sad, he decided. She should smile all damn day. If only he could be the one to ensure that she did. If only it was his right to make her happy. Dangerous thoughts for a Wolf who was alone as long as he was.
“Would you like me to serve you outside or in the sitting room?”
“Thank you, but I’d much rather you join me. Please, sit with me and have a glass yourself. It is very warm out.”
“Alright, thank you, I, uh, have to tend dinner so if you’d like my company it has to be in the kitchen.”
“Perfect,” he said and she nodded her head and poured.
They sat at the kitchen counter with two glasses of homemade sweet tea and a plate of fresh baked cookies between them. Randall groaned when he bit into one. They were delicious.
“Mmm, these are good. I love walnuts.”
“Oh, thank you.”
“So, tell me about yourself.” Smooth, dude, real smooth, he rolled his eyes at what obviously sounded like a line coming from his lips.
“Oh, there’s not much to tell,” she was clearly uncomfortable talking about herself, but he was interested.
“Come on, beautiful young woman like you, great kid, the two of you all alone on this island? How’d you come to be here, anyway?”
“Oh, my great-aunt lived here.”
“So, you used to visit her often? This great-aunt of yours?”
“No, actually I didn’t know her until after I lost my husband.”
“Damn, I’m sorry, you don’t have to talk about that.”
What an idiot! How could I bring that up?
“No that’s, alright. I don’t mind. It’s really not a unique story, I mean I married young, had a baby, and then he died. I came out here to live with my aunt. She passed a little while later and left me the house.”
“And now you run a Bed & Breakfast. Did you always want to do that?”
“We needed to live, to eat. It just sort of fell together, I guess. I mean, I’m a born nurturer,” she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked down at her tea glass as she spoke, “I mean I was always taking care of things when I was a kid. Mending birds with broken wings, taking in strays, that sort of thing.”
“I can see that about you. What about family?” he said willing her to look up at him. When she did, her eyes held that sparkle of silver he glimpsed before. Beautiful. His eyes took in every inch of her from head to toe.
“Thanks. Anyway, my parents, they had me late in life. They uh, died in a car accident before I started my freshman year at college. I was alone for a while, I worked various places and went to classes, then I met Tom.”
“Tom?” he couldn’t help the jealous feeling that welled up inside of him.
“My husband. I admit I was foolish, I didn’t know him very well.”
“But you married him,” he wanted her to continue.
“Um, yeah, I’m sorry, I am talking way too much right now. Let me just go check on dinner.”
“Please don’t stop, I’d like to know more about you.”
“Why?” She looked directly into his eyes and asked her question.
There were a million reasons why, he thought to himself, but before he got a chance to speak she narrowed her eyes. He smelled her anger and raised his eyebrows.
“What is it, huh? Why do you want to know about me? You want me to tell you how I got pregnant, quit school, and stayed home to keep house like a good little girl? I married my husband because that’s what I was taught girls did when they got pregnant,” she pushed back her hair angrily, but turned to face him as she continued.
“I didn’t know him very well. He was some kind of bookkeeper. He was gone so much of the time I never really got to know him either. I liked reading and cooking so I took a few culinary classes at the local community college where we lived. One or two adult education classes on business management and of course child care and CPR. I never did pick a major. I just like learning about everything, but to answer your original question, as I am sure you are so interested in the answer, yes, I run a B&B because I want to raise my son and here I can do that and earn a living. But before you get any ideas you rented my rooms, Mr. Graves, not me,” she pointed a finger at him and continued her tirade.
“I am not part of the attractions here and neither is my son. I’m aware that a man that looks like you must be used to getting his way, but I am telling you now that I am not on the list of activities for you to enjoy on this trip. Leave the plate and glass right there when you are finished,” she broke eye contact and turned her back on him. Randall was almost embarrassed to admit how much her little speech had turned him on.
“Holy Shit, you are fucking amazing,” and can I add I think I just fell in love with you, but that part he kept to himself.
“No, I’m not. I’m just a mom who wants the best for her son. Nothing amazing about it. It’s nature. All parents feel that way. And you owe the swear jar two more dollars.”
“No, you’re wrong. Trust me. But I hope you understand that I do not think about you as some means to tickle my fancy. I want to get to know you. Hell, just about everything about you intrigues me. And it’s not some diversion or vacation attraction. I want to know about you.”
“All you need to know is that I serve meals on time, I’ll make up the bed and do the laundry if you leave it in the right basket and I will do my best to keep things between us professional for the next few weeks. If you are so interested in me personally, then here’s some trivia about me, if I could while away the hours studying classical literature I would. I like Keats, Byron, and Shelley. I read the Bronte sisters when it’s raining outside and I usually cry when I do so. I have neither the time nor the inclination to have an affair with you or anyone. Now, I hope you enjoy yourself while you are here, Mr. Graves, excuse me.”
Oh, my Lord, I have gone and lost my mind, Tulla’s heart was pounded as her tirade came to an end. She couldn’t help herself. The second she saw the man step off that boat she knew she was in for trouble. Everything about him breathed sex appeal, but she was gun shy and not in the market to be seduced by the likes of him.
He was what her Aunt Mildred would have called too damned good-looking for anybody’s good! Tulla thought for sure he was going to walk out the door and she’d lose the whole month’s income, but if that’s what it took to preserve what was left of her sanity and her heart, so be it. She didn’t hear him walk over to her so it was something of a surprise when she felt his hands on her waist.
“My name is Randall,” he turned her around and pulled her up against his hard body. Then his lips crashed down on hers and Tulla held on for dear life. He tasted like the dark chocolate she used in her cookies and sweet tea and mint. He broke the kiss abruptly and steadied her with his hands. Thank goodness for that, she thought, or else she’d be in a heap on the floor. And just from a kiss.
“Okay then, Randall. As long as we understand each other,” she tugged down the hem of her shirt it had somehow crept up her stomach revealing the underside of her white lace bra, “I’ve, uh, got some laundry to take care of. Dinner is in a half hour.”
“Of course, I’ll just unpack my things then. Here’s the two dollars for the swear jar. Until dinner, Ms. Nirvelli.”
CHAPTER 6
Randall walked to his room with the taste of her still on his lips. It had been touch and go there for a second. He didn’t think he’d be able to stop, but then he remembered the boy. It wouldn’t do for Daniel to come home to find his mother and him, well, anyway.
He went back to his room and forced himself to shut the door even though his body was screaming for him to go back and claim that woman for his own. The growling voice of his
Wolf echoed inside his head. Mine.
Randall distracted himself with the the cardboard box that had been shipped to The Sea Mist by some of his more daring Packmates. The bastards! He grinned as he tossed the contents onto the bed and shook his long hair back.
The first thing he pulled out of the box was a bright yellow swimming thong wrapped in blue tissue paper. As if he’d be caught dead in that! He chuckled and unwrapped the next surprise. It was a superhero themed mask and snorkel set, more appropriate for a kid than for a grown man. Perhaps that could be passed on to Danny.
Next, he opened a large envelope. Inside was a porno magazine inside, a small tube of lotion, and a mini pack of tissues. He guessed that was from Dib. The son-of-a-bitch had gotten a good look at Tulla on the video chat! Probably figured Randall would be in dire need of some relief the second he saw her. Wait till he got a hold of him. He tossed the contents on the bed with the rest of the stuff.
Finally, he pulled out a hard, plastic box that was sitting on the bottom. He opened it to find a salon worthy grooming kit for men. It included scissors, clippers, shaving cream and a brand-new razor. He tugged on his beard and raised an eyebrow. Maybe it was time.
The spacious bathroom was clean and well-lit. The faint smell of bleach lingered in the air underneath the fresh linen scented pot pourri that sat in a glass bowl above the toilet seat. He opened the window to the sound of the surf, but he still felt as if he was in a shoe box. He’d had the beard for about two decades. He wondered if he’d even recognize his face anymore without it.
“Fuck it,” he said and grabbed a handful of dark facial hair. He took the scissors and went to town. Once it was short enough, Randall held the clippers to his face and began clearing away the hair that had been his constant companion out of sheer neglect.
He’d never been overly concerned with his looks. He knew he was physically attractive to the opposite sex. It was a Werewolf thing. His body was muscular and fit without him even trying. He did love to jog, but he rarely hit the gym for anything other than the treadmill.