by Amanda LeMay
“That looks painful.” I nodded toward his groin. “You gonna be okay? We don’t have to go inside.”
“Hurts like a motherf—” His eyes widened as he caught himself.
“Really?” I smiled up at him and batted my eyes as innocently as possible. “Would you like me to take care of that for you?”
His dark eyes sparkled for a second as he seemed to consider my offer.
“Damn female, you tempt me.” He smiled, flashing me those sweet dimples of his, then shook his head. “I’ll be fine. Besides, this will be the only time anyone else ever sees you in that dress.”
“Really? And why is that?”
He pulled my hand and helped me out, shutting the door behind me. Leaning down he whispered in my ear, “When we get home, I’m afraid that dress will be ruined, with all I plan on doing with you.”
I shivered, and not from the cold. Somehow we made it to the entrance. I must have floated because I damn sure didn’t remember walking there. Dain stopped short and leaned down to me again.
“Right now it wouldn’t matter if you were wearing a dirty old rag you dug out of a Dumpster. Every male in there is gonna be able to smell you.”
I swept my hair to one side of my neck, revealing my mating mark. “Maybe you better mark me up a bit more so no one steps out of line.”
A growl sounded deep in his chest as his gaze locked on my neck. “Jessy, I mean it. Don’t tempt me.”
I smiled brightly, stood up on my tiptoes, and kissed him quick. “Try not to hurt anyone, okay?” I took his hand I led him inside.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
SHADOWED COUPLES WHIRLED around us, their fancy boots thudding softly against the hardwood floor.
The club wasn’t some hollowed-out building dressed up to resemble a country-western bar and dance joint—no—this place was the real thing. They didn’t depend on the over-usage of neon to make a statement. In fact, besides the few, small beer signs lighting the wall behind the highly polished mile-long wooden bar, there were only two other signs that made use of neon—one huge yellow outline of the state of Texas, and the other, a mammoth, red silhouette of a longhorn steer.
Every other surface, wall, and corner were fully decked out for the holiday season—lighted pine and cedar garland swags draped from one corner to the next, filling the room with their fresh-cut perfume. The high shine on the wooden plank dance floor reflected the festive Christmas lights twinkling around us.
From what I saw, everyone wore jeans, cowboy hats, and boots, fancy or otherwise, with two exceptions: Dain and me.
The black linen dress slacks Dain wore were soft as the black silk shirt covering his muscular upper body. It was all I could do not to run my hands over his fine, round ass each time we got close.
One thing about working with a bunch of poser males in a high-rise, I’d picked up on their favorite clothing and shoe designers. Where women would squeal excitedly over their latest pair of designer heels, men silently flaunted their newest purchase to one another, gracefully leaning back in a desk chair, crossing one leg over the other, purposely shoving their size elevens in your face. Dain only shrugged when I commented about the absence of boots, but I recognized a pair of comfy Martin Dingmans when I saw them. They must have been custom made, because Dain was no size eleven.
The four-inch-heeled glittery red sling-backs I’d slipped my toes into didn’t elevate me to the point where Dain and I were eye to eye, but they did bring his luscious mouth that much closer to mine. The luscious mouth that now showed a hint of red lipstick from our little, interrupted make-out session in the truck. I wasn’t going to point that out, though. I wanted everyone to see my lips had been on his.
When he’d first laid eyes on me as I strolled into the living room, ready to go on our first date, he didn’t bother disguising his appreciation of my outfit, and for a split second, I wondered if he would let me leave the house dressed as I was. It wasn’t so much that he didn’t want others to see me—more that he wanted to strip me of that little red dress and have me all to himself, or possibly ravish me, dress and all, as I was. Either way, ravishing would occur sooner or later. If it wasn’t for Dad and Maygan urging us toward the front door, we might’ve never left the house.
Anyone looking at Dain would see how he felt about me—he practically glowed from within. And even though I hadn’t actually said the words yet, I hoped they could see how much I loved him right back.
I sang the first few verses of the sweet, Lonestar song while basking in the warmth of Dain’s dark eyes. He sang the chorus with me, his lips inching closer and closer to mine until we touched softly through the last few words. His arm squeezed a little tighter, fitting our bodies closer.
“I bet this doesn’t hold a candle to some of the fancy nightclubs you’re used to.” He murmured in my ear. “Do you miss the city life?”
“Not one bit.” And I didn’t. I really, really didn’t. Albuquerque may be a big city, but it was a completely different kind of big city. “San Francisco is noisy. Crowded. Stinks, at least to my overly sensitive nose. Too damn bright to see the stars at night and even though there were more than enough places to run without being seen by humans, I didn’t dare break pack law.”
And the little sex I’d had there didn’t compare in the least.
I didn’t say that, though.
“I don’t mind this new routine. In fact, I kind of look forward to it. Feeding the animals, cleaning up after them, working in the garden even though there’s not much left growing in it. Your mom has included me in all she does...well, except for the cooking.”
Dain laughed. “Yeah, she owns the kitchen. That’s her territory.”
“Oh yeah. I’m pretty sure she lets me stay in there because I stay out of her way, mostly. I can see how my dad would enjoy her company so much. Besides being a great cook, so smart and so beautiful, she’s comfortable to be around.”
I had missed my dad while I was in San Francisco, and simply being around him seemed to heal that rip I’d created in my heart by my own stubbornness.
And Dain.
I’d missed him, too.
I should have recognized the signs: the way my heart raced when I saw him, how my mouth watered and my hands trembled, how I could hardly breathe and couldn’t think straight, how my body instinctively made itself ready to breed at the slightest hint of his fresh, clean scent.
But I’d been too damn busy refusing to believe in love at first sight, refusing to accept the truth my dad had been blessed with a second sakana bond. I hadn’t considered my feelings toward Dain might be more than simple, pure animal lust.
Deep in my heart, my wolf half knew different.
My brain, on the other hand, took a while to come around.
By moving away, avoiding any contact with him, spending two hellish years in Rule’s restricted and restrained pack, I’d forced my wolf side to submit to my will instead of surrendering to the sacred sakana bond Dain and I shared.
I gazed into his dark eyes and sighed. “And what a sweet surrender it was.”
“What did you ever surrender to?”
“This. You. Us.” I laid my forehead against Dain’s shoulder. “I always considered myself a pretty sociable person, but I didn’t make one friend in San Francisco. Maybe I was in the wrong frame of mind, you know, being a blind idiot and all.”
“Maybe you were scared.”
“Yeah.” Part of that fear was admitting how wrong I’d been, and coming back home to say so in person. Leaving San Francisco was the easy part.
“You know, I’ve never seen a pack with so many absolutely stunning females, but damn, they are so stuck up. The males are just...mean, manipulative. And the way Rule runs his pack is weird. Not like a big family. More secretive, like you have to be part of his club. I never met him. Never even saw him. He lives in a big mansion and his pack only sees him by invitation.” I turned my cheek into Dain’s chest. “I was miserable the entire time I lived there.”
/> “I’m sorry.” He held me a little tighter and whispered, “Gunner isn’t like that. He’s extremely protective of the pack. He treats us like one big, extended family. He’s open—accessible. Well, you met him. He’s a good male.”
I smiled. “Yeah, I met him.”
And it pissed you way the hell off.
I didn’t say that out loud.
“Did Gunner know how abusive Rand had been?”
“No. Rand came from the Denver pack and took a computer job over in San Antonio. He hated the ranch. Didn’t want anything to do with it besides a bed to sleep in, I guess. Whenever we had pack get-togethers, he always put on the loving mate and father show. After he died, Gunner asked if Mom wanted the pack to help with the Ceremony of Grace, the cremation, hunt and burial, and Mom refused. Spilled everything out to him over the phone, crying so hard she could barely speak. Gunner and Ralph came out anyway and helped me bury Rand’s worthless body out in the hills. No Grace. No words. No honor.”
Dain steered us closer to the edge of the dance floor, keeping to the fringe of the slow-moving crowd.
“Jess, I know Gunner wasn’t hitting on you in the store. Dad told me how Gunner ran Bobby off.”
“He did?” Exactly how much of our conversation had Dad shared with Dain?
“Yeah. You gotta know, I was never angry with you. I was...jealous...I guess.” He chuckled. “But I swear, if Seff Weylan would’ve come any closer, I woulda knocked the shit out of him.”
I giggled thinking back on poor Seff. The wolf-boy couldn’t help it.
Little, flashing stars sprinkled the shiny dance floor with their light. Dain’s large, warm hand held me firmly against him as we moved together to the slow beat of the love song. He was actually a fantastic slow dancer. Just as his natural grace and rhythm while making love had surprised me, he had a way of molding my body to his with a simple touch.
Anything other than a slow dance and both of us were lost. The rest of the crowd seemed to know all the newest western dance moves, so we stayed off to the side and out of the way. Didn’t matter to me: all I needed was his arms around me and to dance as if no one else was in the room.
“So this is it, Jessy, this is Comfort. Not much goes on here. Sounds like you went from one extreme to another. Kinda boring, huh?”
“Nah. Not boring.”
But yes, I had gone from one extreme to another. From the torments of hell to the utter joy of heaven. It was certainly different from anything I’d ever done before.
I looked into his face, a worry crease had formed between his eyes like he was afraid there was little here to hold my attention. I didn’t need excitement or a fast-paced life.
“I enjoy the quiet and the stars and the miles and miles I can run without seeing a streetlight or hearing some stupid car alarm blaring for no reason.”
“Is that all?” The flashing lights sparkled in his anxious gaze.
I dug my fingers gently into the back of his neck. “Well, if I start talking about all the other things that keep me from being bored here, I’m afraid we’ll have to slow dance ourselves right out the door.”
He flashed his dimples and I melted a little more into his arms. He didn’t need me to say the words. I knew for a fact he’d been aroused most of the night by the way he never left my side, always strategically angling his body against mine, either in an effort to hide the bulge in his slacks after every slow dance or to make sure I understood what I was doing to him. Lucky for me, my desire for him was much easier to conceal.
“There’s no mall and only about ten real restaurants to speak of and not one of them is fancy enough for a real date. Three bars that are always packed. Hell, we have to drive all the way to Kerrville to catch a movie.”
I pulled his head down and whisper in his ear, “If you are trying to get rid of me, just say so.” Even teasing about him not wanting me made me cringe. Though I’d made commitments somewhere else, I didn’t want to leave. I didn’t want to be anywhere but in Comfort with Dain.
Wrapping me in a tight embrace, he whispered back, “The last thing I ever want is to get rid of you. I guess it’s more of a warning. There isn’t much here to satisfy a city wolf.”
“Don’t think for a second what I feel for you is just gonna go away because I might miss a few conveniences like a mall. If I’m that hard up for a new pair of shoes, San Antonio is not that far away. Besides, sakana bond.” I waved my hand between the two of us. “I’m pretty sure I can live without new shoes, but—I can’t live without you.” I leaned up on my tiptoes and kissed him. “And you satisfy this city wolf in more ways than I could’ve ever dreamed.”
His lips were soft against my neck, his breath warm as it traveled back to my ear. “I love you, Jessy.”
I love you, Jessy.
All the voices, the music, the scuffling boots were suddenly muffled beneath the hard, thumping rhythm of my heart. The flashing stars from the mirrored disco ball turned into millions of little lens flares as tears filled my eyes. Emotion tightened my throat to the point where the one word I managed to say was little more than a whisper of air.
“Dain...”
“I love you.” His teeth nipped gently at my neck, at the curve where he had marked me before. “Take me as your mate in front of my pack and I promise to honor you forever.”
Mating was inevitable—and not only because of our sakana bond, but because there was no way I would let him get away.
Yes, sexually, he was extremely open and adventurous. As for conversations, he didn’t talk a lot, but he had opened up in ways I hadn’t imagined. I had fully believed with his shy, quiet ways, it would take him months to get up the courage to take the next step, especially since I made it more than clear that I had made other plans and staying in Comfort wasn’t part of those plans. Yet.
And that made me tear up even more.
“Dain—”
“I’m not messing with you, Jessy. When I marked you that first time, and every time I’ve put my teeth to your sweet skin since, it wasn’t just some random primitive act I didn’t have any control over. I want you to be with me. I love you.”
Elation radiated throughout my body and I fought the urge to either giggle like an idiot or cry my eyes out because he’d made my decision to leave so damned difficult.
The last thing I wanted to do was ruin the moment so I sucked up my tears and teased him instead. “Was it the dress?”
“What?” He stopped dancing and stared down at me as if I had spoken a foreign language.
“The dress? Or the shoes?” I teased again. “When we get home, you are not tearing this dress off of me.”
“What?” He stood looking at me with utter confusion in his dark eyes.
“I’m keeping this dress and these shoes for-freaking-ever. Whenever I want something from you, I’m going to put this outfit on and wear it until you give in.”
He smiled, finally, as understanding seemed to fill his face. His gaze traveled up and down my body in a warm caress, sending a wave of heat wherever his gaze roamed. He wrapped me back up in his arms and we started swaying again.
“Okay, I’ll admit it, it was both—the dress and the shoes.” His eyes locked on to my mouth. “And the lipstick.”
“You noticed.” I smiled as I took a quick look at his lips. “Good thing it’s dark; you’re wearing a little of my lipstick right here.” I tapped his bottom lip with my finger.
His tongue slid out and caught my finger and sucked in it for a brief moment.
“Don’t care who sees it.” His dimples made an appearance. “I want everyone to know my mouth has been on you.”
I smiled and whispered, “When we get home, I’m gonna get lipstick all over you.”
“I’m counting on it.” A wicked little glint flashed in his dark eyes as he lowered his voice. “And listen, here’s the deal—you can have anything you want from me as long as no one else ever sees you wearing this dress or those shoes again, because, damn, Jessy—your legs l
ook a mile long and that dress is sexier than any lacy lingerie I could ever imagine.”
“Deal. And as far as mating with you goes—it would be my honor.” Pulling his mouth down to mine, I kissed him full and deep and he didn’t have any problem whatsoever kissing me right back in front of the ancient gods and all of Texas.
After a few whistles from the crowd we put enough space between our lips for Dain to whisper, “Time to go home.”
“Definitely.”
“There are a few other places I want to put my lips, too.” That wickedly sexy glint in his eyes burned a trail down my body. “And you’re keeping the shoes on.”
His arms pulled me in tighter. I could feel how much he needed to get me out of there, out away from everyone else. The new awareness we shared through our bond never failed to make my skin tingle. His emotions were like a lingering touch, barely there, and always leaving me reaching for more. We moved off the dance floor toward the exit. A blast of cold air hit my skin as Dain opened the door for me. Once outside, I pulled him to a stop. The music inside the bar had changed to something fast and was buried in the noise of stomping boots.
Wrapping my arms around Dain, I breathed him in and sighed. There was no time like the present to bring up my plans and how we’d have to work around them.
“I was miserable without you and I know I’ll be even more so while I’m in Albuquerque.”
“What?”
“It’s going to be so freaking hard to be away from you, but we can talk every day and I’ll come here whenever I get a few days off in a row and you can come see me whenever you’re on break from your classes. And I’ll save all my money—I had a nice amount saved already, but I had to use so much of it for the first three months’ rent on the house.” I was babbling when Dain unwrapped his arms, grabbed my shoulders, and looked me in the eye.
“You don’t need to save your money. I have money. Plenty of money.” His dimples made shadows in his cheeks when he smiled down at me. “And you are insane if you think I’m gonna let you out of my sight.”