Lucy burst out laughing. “Not precisely what I had in mind.”
He shrugged, then offered her his arm and led her onto a path that snaked through the woods. Their voices carried, arguments tempered with laughter.
****
Two weeks later, Lucy paced her apartment as she waited for Graham’s car. The man had his own driver. It still shocked her to discover he was as rich as Bryce was, if not richer. She shook her head. She’d never forget the first sight of his house or his furnishings. Even his kitchen was a dream. No mismatched plates, glasses, or silverware like she had. He even had a gleaming, copper cappuccino machine and knew how to make the yummiest lattes.
She peered out the window and saw the limo pull up. She grabbed her purse and briefcase and left her apartment. In the car, she found a go cup, a platter of fruit, and a single daisy, her favorite flower. Sighing, she leaned back.
“I could get spoiled,” she muttered and took a sip of the latte with a hint of rich mocha and caramel added.
Yawning, she pulled out her notes, but her neat handwriting blurred so she tucked it back into her purse. She was too tired. “What you get for being out till two. And not just last night.”
Every night for the last two weeks had been spent with The Wolf. She shifted on the leather seat. Sex last night had been utterly fantastic. As always.
Yet, something was missing. Sex was all she had with her wolf. At Bryce’s mansion, she’d had her Dom for three, wondrous days. She’d enjoyed the sex and games, of course, but she’d also enjoyed simply being with her wolf day and night.
They’d talked about normal everyday things like movies, books, and discovered common interests—museums, roller coaster rides, and dancing. When they met at the club, there wasn’t time for normal dating rituals. Their time together was intense. And sexual. With a start, she realized that sex wasn’t enough. She needed more. Most of all, she wanted to go to sleep with him at night and wake beside him each morning.
Noticing they’d arrived at Graham’s, she put her wolf from her mind. It took everything in her to keep up with Graham when he was in full geek mode.
He met her at the door. As was his habit, he wore a tee with a faded design and jeans, reminding her of a college boy, not a rich-as-sin man, but she had to admit the shirt clung to him and emphasized his broad shoulders and lean, tapered torso. His jeans might have a hole in the knee, but they were tight in the ass. As she followed him to the office, she wondered what he’d do if she reached out and dug her fingers into that tempting ass.
Lucy nearly dropped her coffee. Holy hell. She must really be tired to be tempted into ruining their working relationship. It was one thing to admire his body, after all, she was a woman who appreciated a good-looking man, but to actually think about taking it further? Especially with this man? No, not a good idea. Not good at all.
But as they set to work, she realized she’d softened toward Graham. He was attentive, made sure she understood what they were doing without resorting to geek speak, and during breaks, she discovered they had a lot in common.
Each day, after lunch, he took her for a walk in his woods where they discussed—or argued—about books, movies, and even politics. It surprised her that they had so much in common, even some of the same things she and her wolf both enjoyed. At least with Graham, she could, if she wanted, ride a roller coaster or go to a museum. Not so with her wolf, who showed no sign of ever revealing his identity.
She took another sip of her coffee. Another thing in common. She and her nerdy co-worker were both addicted to caramel. Too bad her geek wasn’t into dancing or spanking. Those were deal breakers. But he loved hiking and camping, loved Yosemite.
Putting both men from her mind, Lucy took her seat, flipped on her computer, took her notepad from her purse, and worked in silence, listening with a grin as Graham alternated between muttering and cursing, his fingers flying over the keys. Engrossed in her part of the project, she eventually tuned him out until he set a fresh cup of coffee in front of her.
“I’m taking you to dinner tonight. In the city.” He sat on her desk, which she now found endearing rather than annoying.
She set her purse into an empty cabinet and lifted a brow. “You’re telling me?”
He shrugged. “If I ask, you’ll say no.”
“I have plans.” With The Wolf.
He tipped her chin up. “Cancel them.” His lips brushed hers, then he deepened the kiss.
Lucy’s insides clenched at the feel of his warm mouth against hers and the taste of coffee with a hint of caramel, his favorite kind. She closed her eyes, her lips moving with his. His tongue dipped into her mouth, and she moaned, leaning into him.
Then he broke the kiss and walked away.
Lucy gaped at him. Her insides melted, and that familiar longing zeroed in on her center and pooled between her legs. Shit. She was attracted to her geek. Very attracted. Too bad he wasn’t her wolf. Now, if Graham were as good as her wolf in bed, she’d have found the perfect man.
She sighed. Yep, too bad. So what now? Two dates, two men equaled complications.
Her lips turned downward tightly as she got to work. She loved her wolf-lover, but their relationship was not completely satisfying or fulfilling. Not rounded and balanced. Graham, on the other hand, was open. She knew who he was, shared many common interests, and most of all, Graham didn’t have any secrets. What she saw was what she got with him. In a way, she preferred that to the mysterious and secretive.
“All right,” she said.
Graham glanced up, his eyes unfocused. “Huh?”
Realizing three hours had passed, and he was totally immersed in Geekland, Lucy wadded up a sheet of paper and tossed it at him. “Come back to earth, Graham. Dinner. Date. You. Me.”
His eyes cleared, and a huge grin lit his entire face. His blue eyes shone with pleasure. “Great.”
His smile slipped into a frown when she stretched her arms and back. “You tired? Need to stop?”
“Yeah, need to cancel my plans for tonight and stretch my legs. Want to walk outside with me?” His grounds were beautiful. Calm and restful with formal groupings, waterfalls, and a small forest that reminded her of the woods surrounding Bryce’s mansion, the woods where she and her wolf had played and strolled. She shook off the memories.
“Give me ten. You can go explore the house if you want. I forgot to give you the tour.” He grinned. “My bedroom is up the stairs, straight ahead.”
Lucy had been dying to see the rest of the house, and yes, that included the man’s bedroom, but she rolled her eyes for good form. Didn’t want him to know how eager she’d been to see the upstairs. “Okay. Twisted my arm.”
She left the office and headed for the stairs. She’d seen most of the downstairs from the formal living and dining rooms, the open, airy kitchen, a small, cozy family room, and of course, his huge office. The idea of seeing the man’s bedroom made her feel excited and sinful. What would it tell her about the man? She smirked. He probably had satin sheets and mirrors on the ceiling. Geeky. And clothes all over the floor.
No. If she’d learned one thing, the man was neat. The long corridor went both left and right, and beckoning in front of her, a shorter hall led to double doors. She decided to check out the other rooms first. She opened each one and found bedrooms, bathrooms, and at each end of the hall, a large, three room suite.
“Wow.” She walked around a suite done in peaches and creams. Leaving the room, she spotted a narrow staircase and climbed. The door at the end was locked. “Attic,” she decided.
Back on the second level, she took a deep breath, opened the double doors to Graham’s bedroom and stepped into another era, a very romantic era. A huge postered bed on a pedestal dominated the room. She ran her hand over the crimson and black satin spread. Matching curtains in a sheer fabric were tied to each post. The canopy matched.
An image of her wearing only heels with her hands tied to the bedpost sent her heart racing. “Down, girl. But damn
, that’s a bed fit for a king.”
She peeked at the sheets. No cheap satin. Gray Egyptian cotton. She groaned at the feel. She should have known he’d have pricy, high-quality sheets that would feel like satin against her naked body. No, not hers. His.
Shit. Her body grew hot and uncomfortable thinking about Graham naked on those sheets, so she tore her gaze from the bed and noted the large sitting area in front of a fireplace. She wandered into not one, but two dressing areas and the biggest master bath she’d ever seen.
Another staircase led to the next floor. Attic again, she assumed. Back in the bedroom, she couldn’t resist testing out the bed. She stretched out, let the bed engulf her in silky satin and Graham’s scent. Immediately, images of her wolf came to mind, him leaning of her, spreading her thighs, and shoving his hard cock inside her. Then came images of Graham, slipping in beside her, his smiling eyes holding hers.
Two men. Light and dark. God, she was falling in love with two men.
“Well, that’s a sight for sore eyes,” a voice drawled from the corner post of the bed.
Horrified, Lucy jerked up. “Oh, my god, I’m sorry. It looked so comfortable I had to try it out.” She scooted off the bed and almost tripped down the pedestal steps.
Graham’s eyes held a predatory gleam that again reminded her of her wolf.
“God, Graham. I’m sorry—”
His mouth closed over hers, and he kissed her hard and deep. Shocked, her lips parted, letting him in. His tongue took control, dancing and twining with hers, setting her mouth and body on fire. He ended the kiss way too soon. “Don’t be sorry. You looked damn good stretched out on my bed, Lucy.”
Her mind was numb. He was one hell of a kisser for a geek. He backed her against the bed post, his hands planted beside her head. “I’m going to kiss you again.”
She should stop him. They were coworkers. But as soon as their mouths mated, she was lost. She wrapped her arms around his neck, wove her fingers through his hair, and pulled him closer. She slid her tongue into his mouth and tasted to her heart’s content. His silky, blond hair teased her palms, and her nails scraped across his skull as they made their way to his neck.
And that was when she felt it. That hard knot on the back of his head.
What the fuck? Her wolf had the same bump. She loved to play with it when he kissed her. With his mask, she didn’t have hair to run her fingers through so she’d learned the shape of his head.
With her mind whirling, her body lost in the passion of Graham’s kiss, she deliberately explored his head, imagining a slick mask instead of hair. No doubt. No way could two men have the same shape, the same bump, and even that bit of a ridge at the top of the skull. She concentrated on his mouth, his scent, the feel of his body pressed against hers and accepted the glaring truth.
Graham Winters was her man in black. Her wolf.
She pulled back, breathing hard. Normally, her wolf was the only man who could reduce her to this level of need with a single kiss, yet her panties were soaked.
Her big, bad wolf. Her pain-in-the-ass geek. They were the same damn man.
Graham was breathing hard. “Gee, I’m sorry, Lucy. I shouldn’t have kissed you.”
Lucy lifted a brow. How easily he fell back into the role of a fumbling geek. She opened her mouth to tell him she knew the truth but changed her mind and decided not to reveal what she knew. She needed to think.
The sound of an alarm drew his attention. “I’ve got to get back downstairs.”
She nodded. “I’m going to freshen up if it’s okay.” She had one more thing to check out.
As soon as Graham left, Lucy raced on light feet for the stairs and ran up them to the door. She turned the knob, expecting it to be locked like the other door. It opened. She peeked in and gasped.
Her wolf had told her he had a playroom, and if Graham was her Dom, then it stood to reason that he’d have one. And by god, here it was. Her nipples tightened, and her panties went from wet to soaked as she took in the huge bed with mirrors on the ceiling, the wall with assorted whips and cuffs, and the spanking bench in the corner. A swing hung from the other corner.
“God,” she whispered as she hurried out of her wolf’s lair. Back on the first floor, she went to the office, and just stared at Graham, a hand to her stomach.
He glanced up and stood. “Ready for that walk?”
Walk, hell. She wanted to jump him, get him naked, and fuck him senseless right where he stood. But no. He had to tell her the truth first. “I’m not feeling well, Graham. Didn’t get much sleep last night. I need to go.”
She had plans to make. A laugh bubbled up in her throat, but she swallowed it down. Plans with two very different men. And that gave her a glimmer of an idea.
Graham hurried to her side. “Are you all right? If it was my kissing you—”
“No.” Hell, yes, it was his kiss. That and learning she wasn’t in love with one man and was falling in love with another. It was learning that two men, each lacking in some way were one and the same. And when she put them both together, she had the whole of all she’d ever wanted in a man. “No. Just tired.”
And if everything went as planned, she’d be totally exhausted by morning.
“I’ll take you.” He fished keys out of his pocket.
“No. You have a deadline. I’ll be fine with your driver.”
“I’ll pick you up for dinner.” He ran his hands along her arms.
She heard the desperation in his voice and took a deep breath. Here goes. She put deep regret in her voice and let it tremble. “I have to be fair to you, Graham. It won’t work between us.” She glanced up through her lashes. “There’s someone else. My nights belong to him. I’m sorry. I love him with all my heart. I’ve got to go. I’ll see you in the morning.”
She hated to put that stunned disbelief on his face, but hopefully, by tonight, his little ruse would be over. She ran from the office and out the front door to the waiting limo before he could try to change her mind. If he took her back into his arms, she’d confess she knew the truth.
As the car pulled away, she leaned her head back and planned her next phone call. If this didn’t work, she was going to have to head-slap her geek into telling her the truth.
Now that she knew Graham was The Wolf, her wolf, she didn’t want to wait for him to end the game. She wanted all of her Dom—his Dominant side and shockingly, the geeky part of him, too.
****
Graham paced in his bedroom. He should be downstairs manning his computer, but as soon as Lucy left, he’d come up here where her scent lingered, as well as the image of her stretched out on his bed.
“You blew it,” he said to the empty room. “Shouldn’t have kissed her.”
The wolf had gotten him the girl, and the geek just scared her away. He flopped onto the bed. Dammit, he wanted Lucy in his life, needed to share with her both his geeky and the wolf sides. He was a Dom and she was the perfect submissive, but she was also perfect for daytime Graham—long walks, going to the movies, dancing, and roller coaster rides.
But damn it to hell and back, once he’d seen her stretched out on his bed as though she belonged there, every sane thought flew from his head.
And damn it again, but she did belong here, with him. In his bed, sharing this huge monstrosity he called home, and exploring his dungeon with him. Him. Graham Winters. Not some made-up persona.
He laughed without humor when he recalled her saying her nights belonged to another. His Red loved her wolf, and she was well on her way to falling in love with him, Graham, the man who worked with her. These last two weeks had changed their relationship.
Thank you, Bryce! He owed his friend more than he could repay for giving him Lucy for this project. She had warmed up to him, and together, they discovered many common interests, besides sex and dancing.
He sat up. How the hell was the geek going to compete with the wolf? Getting to his feet, he headed downstairs. He had a date with her as her wolf. He’d t
ell her the truth tonight, bring her here, show her the room upstairs, and prove that even a geek could be a wolf in disguise.
Hours later, after he’d made use of his home gym and swum laps in his pool, he was back in his playroom, planning out his evening with Lucy. He’d reserved a room at their favorite club. Tonight, he’d reveal the truth.
The vibrating ring on his phone went off in his pocket. He pulled out his phone—his wolf’s phone. Lucy!
He deepened his voice. “Yes, pet?”
“I can’t meet you tonight.” She sounded tearful.
“What’s wrong?” Worry sharpened his voice.
She sniffed. “I can’t see you ever again, my big, bad wolf.”
Graham’s gut twisted like the string of a yo-yo. He dropped the mask he’d pulled out of a drawer. “What the hell is wrong?”
“I love someone else, and that means I can no longer play with you at night. I’ll miss you, Mr. Wolf.” With a sob, the phone went dead.
“What the fuck!”
She’d told him, Graham, she loved someone else, and now she was telling him, The Wolf, she was in love with someone. His mind whirled. Did she have someone else besides the geek and her wolf?
Graham picked up his keys, opened the garage door, and in minutes, he was racing down the mountain.
****
Lucy was nervous as a mouse being stalked by a cat with an owl swooping overhead. The old caught between a rock and a hard place. If the mouse ran to escape the cat, it ran the risk of being caught by the owl.
She glanced at the clock and ran into the bedroom. If she knew Graham, or her wolf, at all, she figured she had thirty minutes before he was pounding on her door like the wolf in the three little pigs’ story. She’d already showered and put her makeup on before calling her Dom to cancel their date.
She lit the candles she’d gone out to buy after the limo dropped her off, put on some music, and turned off all but one light, one she’d arranged to fall upon her newest piece of furniture.
With the scene set, she shrugged out of the robe and swung a cape over her shoulders. Staring at herself in the mirror, she frowned. Something was missing. Shoes! She grabbed her heels, the pair her wolf loved, slipped her feet into them, and studied her reflection. Perfect!
Red & Her Big Bad Dom Page 10