“All right, can you stay for breakfast?”
“Is Ellen cooking?”
“Yes,” he answered with one raised brow.
Lily gave him a big smile, “then I’d love to,” soft laughter followed her answer.
Max smiled again and then pulled her close for a hug. He needed to go see his Dad. Then he would show up at her apartment after. Maybe they could spend the day together. He was ready to see he apartment, see her in her own surroundings.
“I’ll leave after breakfast then,” she whispered against his neck, she felt so happy right now.
“Okay, let’s go find Ellen then, she probably already has something ready for us.”
After breakfast Max walked her to her car and kissed her goodbye, pinning her against it before he opened the door for her. He flashed a grin when he saw her dazed expression.
He ran his thumb across her soft cheek, “I’ll see you in a little while.” He watched as she got inside. After he closed her door for her he backed up and watched as she drove away.
Lily drove down the long driveway and waved to the guard at the gate. If someone would have told her she would fall in love with a great guy this weekend, she would have told them they were crazy. She popped in a CD and Three Doors Down soon blared through the speakers, she decided to take the long way into town. She rolled her window down and jammed all the way home.
“Dad I think I have a problem.”
“Is it Lily?” Nathan asked.
“Sort of,” Max ran a hand through his dark hair, barely mussing it. “I took her into the woods last night to show her the meadow. We were followed there by a pack. If the wind wouldn’t have shifted I would have had no idea they were there. They managed to stay downwind from me or else I’d have known sooner.”
“Really, that’s unusual, anyone you know?”
“I don’t think so, they were too far away to tell, but I knew they were there for her.” He gave his dad a sheepish smile, “she has a very tantalizing scent when she is aroused.”
Nathan raised both his brows and then smiled. “You weren’t messing around out in the woods were you? Your mother would have a fit.”
Max chuckled, “no, all I did was kiss her, that’s all it takes.”
Nathan stood up and then walked around the room, deep in thought. He had never heard of a pack doing this before. Max had been around for a while; they obviously knew what he was, but Lily. It had to be her they were after. Somehow they would have to dig a little deeper into her past.
Max smiled and answered his father’s unspoken question. “I took Lily to meet Ellen last night and she said she got her red hair from her great-grandmother, who was born in France. I guess from what she says she looks like her too.”
“Le cadeau,” Nathan said amazed. The gift.
Max frowned as he looked at his father. “The gift, what’s that?”
“It’s a painting based on a French myth. There is a painting that had sold in New York a year or so ago. Our information tells us that a tall, willowy brunette bought it.”
“So that’s why you’ve been setting me up with brunettes? I don’t understand Dad.”
“Max you know you are different than the others, you can hear people’s thoughts, where most of us can only sense emotions. You can shift at will, while others can only shift during the full moon. Your mother and I had hoped that whoever bought the painting would be your soul mate.”
Max shook his head, “that explains a lot, but what does that have to do with Lily?”
“If her great-grandmother is real, then there is truth to the myth that I was raised on. Lily is very rare; you may have to fight the pack for her. They don’t usually interfere with soul mates, but if she is who I think she is you‘ll have to make her yours soon. You’ll no longer have the two years that I did with your mother.”
Nathan sat back down and looked at his son, he nodded to him. He knew he wanted more answers. “According to legend ‘the gift’ becomes a loving mate and will breed you the ultimate male alpha, he would have all your abilities, but would be stronger and faster than any other wolf, but she would have to be yours by the full moon.”
“So how do I find out if it’s really her?”
“Legend has it that the painting is drawn to her, but we only know that she didn’t buy it.”
“Okay, what does the painting look like?”
“I don’t know that either, it’s different for every woman who’s had it. Not all were destined to be mates. That’s why the painting is so hard to keep track of.”
Max frowned for a second, “how do you know so much about this dad?”
“I was raised on the legend; I had hoped to have her when I was your age, along with every other male my age,” he smiled. “Then I met your mother, she was my gift, I didn’t need anyone else.”
Max smiled at his father, he knew that his parents loved each other deeply. That was all he wanted, but now he didn’t know what to think.
“Would you die for her Max?”
“Yes,” Max didn’t hesitate with his answer. “I know she is my true mate, I would fight all who would try to take her from me.”
“Good luck son, if you need me, you know where I am. I can’t help you fight the pack, but I can help in other ways.”
“Thanks dad,” Max said as he hugged his father and then he left to go to Lily.
It was a little after three when he arrived at her apartment. He stopped to get her some fresh flowers on the way. He picked up some calla lilies, he always liked the way they smelled.
Lily opened her door with a smile. He kissed her cheek as he handed her the flowers. He pulled back and saw the soft smile she wore as she looked at the fresh blooms and then back at him. Ah, man, that was so worth it, just to put that look on her face.
“Oh Max, they are beautiful. Thank you.” She stood back to let him inside, and then she closed the door and went into the kitchen to find a vase.
Max tipped his nose into the air as he followed her, whatever she was cooking smelled great. He couldn’t help but watch her walk in front of him. She moved so gracefully, but at the same time, so very sexy. She was wearing a pair of thin cotton pants that hugged her curves and the blue oversized shirt she wore looked soft and comfortable. She glanced at him over her shoulder and he saw her blush when she realized he was checking out her ass.
“What are you cooking Lily? It smells great.”
“Just a beef roast, it sounded good.”
“Mm, I can’t wait. Did you get all your work done yet?”
“Almost, I have a few more chapters to read, I’m sorry, I would blow it off, but Mondays are always so hectic for me. I’m not usually done before eight.”
“That’s late; does your building have security?”
“Some, why?”
“I’m just worried about you, that’s all.”
Lily looked at him for a second; he seemed so protective of her. It was nice to have someone care about her other than her family. It had been a long time since she’d had that.
“Do you have family nearby Lily?”
She had just started to arrange her flowers in a crystal vase and she glanced at him as she answered. “My Mom lives about a half hour away, both my sisters live on the other side of the state. My brother lives close to my Mom so I don’t have to worry about her. I try to see them as often as I can, but I’ve been so busy lately. One of my coworkers quit and I have been assigned her clients till they find a replacement for her. I would have volunteered if they hadn’t offered it to me though. I love my work, and I am the only one who isn’t married with children. It only seemed right to take the extra work, everyone helps me out, but I still have to work part of my days off.”
“Why did she leave?”
“I’m not sure, she never said, but I think it was bad, she left in quite a hurry. She almost seemed…scared.”
“No one ever found out why?”
She shrugged her shoulders as she looked at him. “I
know she had been seeing someone, but I don’t know for sure who it was. She kept it pretty quiet.” She let out a breath and she brushed her bangs out of her eyes, she needed to make an appointment with Jess. She was going to have a cow when she found out she’d been trimming her own bangs for the last month. “Max, do you have any work you need to do? I don’t want to be rude, but I really need to finish what I brought home.”
“Lily you don’t need to entertain me. I have my laptop in my car. I’ll go get it and we can just sit together. How does that sound?”
“It sounds really nice, I like spending time with you.”
Max gave her a smile and touched her cheek with the backs of his fingers. He enjoyed the shiver she couldn’t control; he liked how he affected her. When he came back inside he found her sitting in an overstuffed leather chair by the window. She had her feet tucked up under her and an afghan around her shoulders.
“I like that chair, but how can we sit in it together?” Max asked.
She smiled up at him, “something tells me that we wouldn’t get any work done if we were actually touching. Sorry, I need an hour tops.”
He gave her a quick grin as he sat in an arm chair and opened his lap top. “I see your point. We’ll have plenty of time for that after dinner.”
Max surprisingly was able to get a lot of work done. He had a few mergers and acquisitions to go over for Monday. He felt her presence; it was nice, just being around her made him happy. He knew if he sent some sexual vibes her way that she wouldn’t be able to resist him. Maybe he’d do that later. He was aware of her moving around her apartment a little later, he could hear her washer and dryer running, and then she would sit back down in her chair. She stopped by him once and set an ice water beside him as she leaned down to kiss his forehead. Then she sighed happily as she once again sat down in her overstuffed chair. It really was a nice chair, not conducive for work, but for play, it had a lot of possibilities. Oh yeah, it had a lot of potential. He felt her beside him again a while later.
“Max I hate to bother you while you are working, but dinner is ready.”
He looked up at her, he had heard her moving around again, but he had been in the middle of something. He quickly closed his computer and stood, he stretched a little as he followed her into the kitchen. She had a nice place, the kitchen was good sized, and they had been sitting in her office, which was cozy. He had yet to see her living room or bedroom. The outside of the building was deceiving, the apartments inside were more like condos.
“Everything smells really good.”
Lily flashed him a smile and then handed him a bottle of wine and an opener. She found herself watching his hands as he expertly opened it. She flushed thinking about what those hands could do to her. She looked up and found him watching her. His eyes were glittering, and her body started to quiver, recognizing the look in his eyes.
“Did you finish your work beautiful?” He asked her softly.
“Yes…I did, did you finish yours?” She answered huskily.
“I’m all caught up now, I have some notes to finish, but I don’t need them till later in the week. I’m all yours Lily.”
Ooh, she liked the sound of that. She gave him a smile as she made them each a plate and set them down on the table. She heard Max’s chair protest a little as he sat down. They were well built chairs, she wasn’t worried about that. It was just that they were hardly ever used. It seemed like she was always alone. She watched him as he poured her a glass of wine and then he started to cut his meat. She couldn’t wait to have his hands on her later. She clenched her thighs together under the table as she looked up at him. He gave her a knowing smile and she felt heat pool inside her. She blushed and then looked down at her plate to concentrate on her meal.
Max didn’t need to listen to her thoughts to know that she wanted him. Her chest was flushed and she took deep breaths trying to control her breathing. He was amused by her reaction to him. He hadn’t sent any vibes her way at all, just being around her did it. He could tell she wanted him bad, he was curious to find out how much. He could smell her scent, there was no way she could hide it from him. She gave him a cool look, but there was no way she could fool him. Just knowing she was ready for him made him rock hard.
“So, what do you want to do after dinner?” He asked her innocently.
“Uh…I don’t know,” she answered huskily. Lily tried to clear her throat a little, but it still sounded husky when she spoke again. “We could watch a movie if you’d like.”
“What kind of movies do you have Lily?”
“All kinds, but I don’t have any westerns.”
“Good to know,” he smiled. He looked at her lips when her tongue suddenly darted out to wet them. “I’ll look at your collection after dinner and pick something out. I like action movies myself.”
Lily looked at him for a second, it seemed so unfair. She was totally turned on by him, but he seemed so cool and in control. She wondered what he’d be like if he lost it completely.
Max listened to her for a minute. That was his biggest fear for her. If she saw him lose control over what he really was. It would kill him if he hurt her, or if she became afraid of him. That was something he couldn’t allow. If she knew what he really was that would be different. He never wanted her to be afraid of him.
They finished eating and Lily shoed him from the kitchen while she cleaned up. She sent him into the living room to pick out a movie for them to watch.
She filled their wine glasses and then went to find him. He stood in the middle of the room; he stood so still, like he was waiting for something. He hadn’t even picked out a movie yet, what was up with him?
“Max are you okay?” she asked as she approached him, she lightly touched his arm as she stopped beside him.
“I was admiring your painting.”
“It’s wonderful isn’t it,” Lily stepped past him irresistibly drawn closer to it. “My friend Kristi bought it for me. I’ve always loved wolves, even when I was a kid. The weird thing is that I notice something different in it every time I look at it.” She rubbed her arms as she stood in front of the painting.
“Like what?” He asked her curiously, he came up behind her and put his arms around her and then slowly rubbed her arms for her, as if to warm her from a chill he knew she didn’t have. He looked back up at the painting, trying to see what she saw.
“Well I only saw the white wolf at first. It’s like the painting is so dark and your eyes have to adjust to see it. Then I saw the smaller wolf later. Now I see pairs scattered through the painting. I tried to do some research on it, but there isn’t any information available on it. I can’t find out who painted it either, there is no signature on the painting anywhere. I called the gallery that she bought it from, but they don’t remember having it there, they said they have no record of her even buying it from them. Isn’t that weird?”
“Yep, I like it though.” he said as he moved her hair from her neck and rubbed his nose along the smooth skin he had uncovered. He felt her shiver and he smiled, “are you cold?”
“Uh…no,” she turned in his arms and looked up at him. “Did you decide what movie you want to watch?”
“Not yet, I’m a little busy right now,” he said into her neck, softly blowing his hot breath into the sensitive swirls of her ear.
“Would you like to stay with me tonight Max?” She asked hesitantly as she blushed.
He looked down into her beautiful blue eyes, like he would ever be able to be away from her for very long now. This was the painting his father had talked about. Lily was ‘the gift’, just wait till his mom and dad found out. All this time they had been looking for the wrong woman, he would bet her friend Kristi was a tall, willowy brunette. “I’d love to stay Lily,” he gave her a sheepish smile. “I have a bag in my car; I was hoping you would ask me.”
She gave him a big smile, “why don’t you go out and get your bag and I’ll pick out a movie for us while you are gone?” She shivered again
as he slowly trailed one fingertip along her jaw and down her throat, ending just shy of her cleavage. She slowly closed her eyes as he leaned down to kiss her softly, not even realizing that she let out a soft sigh before his lips touched hers.
He went to the door with a quick smile and she moved toward the shelves that held her movies. She was a big movie buff, she loved to read and immerse herself in a story, but she enjoyed the visual part of a movie and how close they could get to her imagination. Kristi had encouraged her to write while they were in school, but she had a hard time with it. She knew writing wasn’t for her, but editing, she loved it.
As soon as Max left her apartment he called his father and left a message. ‘Dad, hey I can’t talk long, I’ll see you in the morning, but it’s her, Lily has the painting. I’m staying at her place tonight. I’ll come see you after she leaves for work.’ He quickly closed his phone and got his bag out of the trunk, he didn’t want to miss a single minute of being with her.
Chapter Four
Lily rolled over to shut off the alarm. She glanced over at Max; he had turned over onto his back, effectively releasing her. He was still asleep, snoring softly. She smiled as she watched him, even in his sleep he growled every once in a while. She rubbed her neck where he had bitten her last night, it was bruised and sore. She would have to find something that would cover her neck today for work.
They had never watched the movie she had chosen, the opening credits hadn’t even finished rolling and he had her pants and shirt off. Then she was naked and trembling in his arms as he licked every inch of her body. He had spent quite a bit of time running the tip of his tongue around the base of her spine, just above her buttocks. She had no idea what had intrigued him so much there, she would have to look in the mirror to see. He hadn’t let her touch him at all. He had finally flipped her over, she had been so ready for him; she had begged him to take her. Only he had pushed her thighs apart with her legs over his shoulders and he had devoured her. There was no other word for it, she had felt truly ravished. She had been laid out for him like a sexual buffet. After two earth shattering orgasms he had carried her boneless body to her bedroom. He had laid her on her belly and pulled her hips up, and then he had entered her in one deep thrust. She had cried out when he almost bottomed out inside her.
Look At Your Future Page 5