by Vella Day
“I’ll be in the living room waiting.” He turned and slipped out the door.
She’d seen the bulge in his pants. So why hadn’t he at least attempted to kiss her? She’d forgotten for a moment. Kurt was the one with control.
Get dressed.
She hoped the fresh air would clear her head. She got ready and met him in the living room.
“You good?” His gaze shot to her tits then off to the side.
Her body sizzled under his scrutiny. As soon as they stepped outside, she sucked in the ocean air.
“Nice, huh?” he asked.
“It feels so good to be outside.” She took in her surroundings. The oak trees and palms secluding their home prevented her from seeing any neighbors. On the plus side, they couldn’t see her, either.
Kurt pointed west. “We’ll have to cross the road to get to the beach.”
So, they weren’t on the ocean. In a way, that was better, since it made access to the house more difficult. They walked on a shell drive to reach the main road. Once across the street, they reached an access trail in about three minutes. During their walk, Kurt seemed to have a lot of pent-up energy. His stride was actually springy.
She looked up at him. “Where did you go this morning?”
His lips pressed together as if he was deciding what to tell her. “I went to my brother’s condo to see what I could find out about Mendez’s organization.”
That couldn’t have been fun. Touching his brother’s possessions had to have dredged up a lot of pain. “Jeffrey was a realtor. Why would he know anything about Mendez?”
“It’s complicated.”
That was not-so-subtle code for “you don’t need to know.” These men pissed her off. “Mendez is after me, you know. The more I know, the more I can be on alert.”
They reached the beach, and except for a few people in the distance, the long stretch of sand was basically theirs.
“You want to dip your feet in the water?”
“What I want are answers.”
He stopped and moved in front of her, so close their lips were inches from each other. “Honey, don’t ask me to explain. All you need to know is that until Mendez is caught, you aren’t safe.”
She inhaled and blew out a breath. “Well, honey, I’m worried about the rest of the people at the real estate firm where I work. First, Liz is targeted. Okay, she did try to poison Harvey Couch, so I guess he had every right to want to come after her. And I did witness a murder, so I get why Mendez wants me dead. But your poor brother was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Who’s next?”
He clasped her bare shoulders. “That’s not how it works.”
His warm fingers sent tingles up her spine.
How could she make him talk? Her sexual prowess took over. She rubbed his crotch with one hand and tugged on his shirt with the other. As their lips touched, a fire ignited inside her.
Kurt lowered his hand to her wrist and stepped back. “You just entered very dangerous territory, honey. If you’re trying to get me to tell you all of Jeffrey’s dirty little secrets, you better be prepared for the consequences.”
“What are you going to do? Tie me up and spank me?”
I so didn’t say that. Drake already tried that and I liked it. Kurt will be more demanding.
He tilted his head back and laughed. “You have no idea what I really want to do with you.”
Suddenly, the topic of why her coworker was targeted took a back seat. “Tell me.”
Kurt grabbed her hand and walked her toward the water. “I’ll play your little game. From what Drake told me, he explained how he and I like to operate, right?”
“Yes.”
“Well, Drake is the nice one.”
She rolled her eyes. “He’s the mean one. Would you ever leave a woman on the precipice of an orgasm?”
His grip tightened. “No. That was inexcusable behavior. He said he apologized.”
“He did.” But her pussy still hadn’t forgiven him. “He claimed if he had given in and come inside me that our fate to be together would have been sealed.”
Werewolf or no werewolf, that still sounded like hooey. He’d thrown around the term their mate, but she still didn’t understand what that entailed.
“I would not have handled your insolence the same way.”
She slipped her hands from his. If she thought she had a chance of being with these men, she wanted to understand them. “Define insolence.”
“Drake and I believe that making love is an art form. It takes years to develop a trust between the parties, but we base the foundation of a relationship on making sure the woman, in this case, you, has the best experience possible.”
“News flash. Women, in this case, me, expect to climax at the end of having sexual intercourse.”
They’d walked into the water up to their ankles. The water was refreshing, but soon her toes turned cold, and she stepped back to the warm sand.
“I can see it will take a long time before you trust Drake again. I know him well. He was trying to teach you that if you do as we say, your sexual experience will be unparalleled.”
“That’s a laugh. It might have started out wonderfully, but in the end, he failed.”
Kurt cleared his throat. “What do you say we go back and get something to eat?”
That was so typical of a man to shift the subject just when it was getting dicey. “Fine.”
“Do you mind taking a trip to the grocery store? We haven’t been here in a while, and there’s not much to eat.”
“I’d like that.” Being around other non-werewolves would be nice.
They walked back in silence. At least Kurt didn’t make an excuse for Drake’s behavior. That put him one step above his partner.
He held open the back door for her. “Why don’t you go wash your feet and put on something more—”
She had to laugh at his discomfort. “Decent?”
“Honey, if I had my way, I’d make you walk around naked, but I’m afraid the good folks of Orangeburg would have heart attacks.” His chuckle made it sound like a compliment.
“I get it.”
As soon as she had changed into a thicker T-shirt and washed the sand and grit from between her toes, she reentered the living room. Kurt was waiting with a piece of paper and a pen in hand.
He looked up. “What do you like to eat?”
“The better question is, what do you like to cook?”
“I know how to cook about eight things and all by a recipe. Drake just throws shit together and it comes out good.”
They were more alike than she thought. “I need directions, too.”
“Then let me show you my options and you can pick a few.” Once in the kitchen, he pulled down a decoupage box that contained three-by-five note cards. “My, ah, mom made this for me.”
She figured it had been a gift. “That’s sweet.”
He cocked a brow. “Sweet would have been decorating it with something more manly than butterflies.”
“It takes a man who’s secure in his masculinity to even pull that out.”
He puffed out his chest. “You’re right. I am secure in my masculinity.”
That seemed to break the ice. “Let’s see what you got, cowboy.”
For the next few minutes, they studied the cards to decide what would be easy to make and taste good. In the end, they chose a chicken casserole, a lasagna dish, and salmon coated in a teriyaki glaze. They agreed that would last them several days.
Kurt’s logical analysis of each meal impressed her. They appeared to be on the same wavelength.
“Ready to battle the old folks at the store?”
“You bet.”
This time when they left the house, the strain between them was no longer an issue. The grocery store was small by Gulfside standards, but they were able to find all of the necessary ingredients. The only hitch was that Kurt insisted on reading the label for each item he purchased. Instead of a twenty-minute trip, it took the
m over an hour. In the end, she was sure they had the healthiest ingredients the store had to offer.
When they returned to the beach house, she was a little surprised Drake wasn’t there yet. “Is Drake coming back tonight?”
“Probably not. He had to take care of some business near Gulfside. I wouldn’t be surprised if he waits until dark to do what he needs to do.”
This time, she was smart enough not to question what this business entailed. For sure, it related to capturing Mendez, and probably bordered on being illegal. Hell, they appeared to avoid the authorities at all cost.
“Which meal do you want to tackle first?” he asked.
“How about the chicken casserole?” The other two meals would probably come out better under Drake’s hand.
“You got it.”
After they removed the food from the bags, Kurt set aside the ingredients they needed. He handed her the packaged salmon. “How about you put the other groceries away, and I’ll start chopping the chicken breasts?”
She was happy to have something constructive to do. When she opened the refrigerator to store the salmon, she was impressed with how neatly everything was stacked. “I’m guessing you organized the fridge?”
“Hell yeah. If I allowed Drake any control in here, I’d never find anything.”
She laughed and was careful to keep the labels faced out, as Kurt seemed quite particular. When she finished, she stepped over to the center island. He’d only cut up half the chicken breast, but each cut appeared to be the exact size as the previous cut.
“Do you need a ruler to measure that piece?”
He tossed her an exaggerated frown. “I’ll have you know that if the pieces aren’t the same size, they won’t cook evenly.”
“Okay…” She’d never considered that before. “What should I do?”
“Cut up the mushrooms.”
Oh, boy. What would he do if she haphazardly chopped them? As much as she wanted to tease him, she took her time to make the slices as even as possible. She caught him checking her out and spent more time being precise. She actually finished the same time he did.
They consulted the recipe again and worked on the sauce together. When the pot was heating on the stove, he asked her to chop the broccoli.
She brought the head over to the cutting board and broke off the pieces from the stem.
“What are you doing?” There was a hint of horror in his eyes.
That did it. If he expected her to chop the stems into tiny pieces, he could do it himself. She didn’t know what came over her, but she tossed a piece of cut broccoli at him.
He grabbed a large piece and beaned her in the chest. It bounced off her tit and dropped to the floor.
“You so did not do that.” That constituted an act of war.
She grabbed a handful of the broccoli and threw it at his face. He stepped back, picked up one sliver of chicken and came at her. He pulled her neckline forward and slid the gooey mess down her shirt. She tried to stop him, but he overpowered her. She might have been able to grab his wrist if she hadn’t been laughing so hard. He got another piece of chicken down her pants. Truthfully, she surmised he’d never let her catch him. He was too damned fast.
She stepped back. “Ew, that’s disgusting.”
Kurt laughed and gathered her in his arms, and when he kissed her, the joking suddenly turned lustful. He trailed kisses down her neck, and her damned pussy shot into overdrive. She probably should have stopped him, but the man had intrigued her since the first time they’d met. Although it would normally seem odd to think about making love with one man one night and another the next, these two came as a package.
When he lifted her shirt and her sports bra above her breasts, the piece of chicken dropped to the floor. “I’m gooey.”
“Let me lick you clean. After all, I did make a mess.” Instead of him bending over, he lifted her onto the center island. “Mmm. Much better.”
His tongue zeroed in on her nipple that was about three inches from the goo, but she was not about to complain. When he licked her tit, streaks of joy shot through her. Her nipples were still a little sore from Drake sucking on them, so each touch made her reaction more intense.
Even though he didn’t give her the instructions for behaving, she wanted to make him happy. Hell, if what he said were true, she’d be in heaven soon. This time she wasn’t taking any chances of being short-changed.
His tongue swirled around the tip. She wanted to run her hands through his hair, and then work her way down his body. Instead, she decided to lean back on her hands.
“You are so amazing.”
His compliment went a long way to soothe her uncertainty about what they were about to do. As he drew one nipple into his mouth, he rubbed the other one. Pleasure bubbled inside her. His rough tongue incited a riot between her legs, and with each suck, she turned more desperate. Without thinking, she arched her back to give him more access.
“I hate to break this amazing connection, but I’m not eating raw chicken juice.” He got a paper towel, wet it, and swiped her clean. “I mistakenly slid one down your pants.”
“No, you totally did that on purpose.” She wore shorts, and the chicken had gone across her belly and out through the leg hole, creating a sticky mess. Decision time. Aw, hell. She wanted him and he seemed to want her. She was about to undo the button on her shorts when he stopped her.
“Let me. But first, I need you to stand.” He grabbed her by the waist and eased her off the counter.
With sure fingers, he lifted her tee and bra over her head and seemed to make every effort to brush his knuckles across her skin. Next, he tackled her shorts. He managed to get her zipper down quickly, but lowering the shorts took longer. Once he slid them past her hips, he let go and they pooled at her ankles.
He picked up the wet towel and rubbed her belly clean. “All good.”
She hoped he wasn’t planning on putting her shorts back on. If he were, she might have to take control.
He placed the paper towel in the trash, removed the simmering sauce from the stove, and covered the chopped chicken with clear wrap. He exercised no haste in his movements, which served to heighten her desire. Did he expect her to stand there wearing nothing but her panties, with her shorts at her ankles?
“Step out of your shorts.”
Thank you! She was happy to oblige.
He ogled her and bit down on his bottom lip. “I am so tempted to turn you around and fuck your pussy, but I want to consider your needs.”
“My needs would be totally met if you did that.”
He rubbed her cheek lightly with the pad of his thumb. “My cock wants that, too, but if we are to be together, I want to start us off the right way. Do you understand?”
Not really. “Yes.” Kind of. She liked the part about them being together and him being considerate of her desires. That was all good.
He walked over to the preparation area. As if it was all in a day’s work, he put the chicken in the fridge and returned. “Now, where were we?”
You were about to have uncontrollable sex with me and drive me wild. “I can’t remember.”
“You can’t remember what?”
The meaning of his cocked brow was inconclusive, so she chose the safest answer. “I can’t remember, Master.”
He grinned. “I love a woman who knows how to obey.” He held up a finger. “Please note, I did not say I wanted a woman who knew her place.”
There was that. His smile came out slightly crooked, making him more charming than she remembered. He picked her up, and she let her head fall against his chest. She assumed he would take her to his bedroom, where she imagined all sorts of wonderful sex toys. Instead of heading down the hall, he carried her out the front door.
“What the hell?”
He immediately set her down, held onto her shoulder, and spanked her ass really hard four times. “Do not question me.”
She would have turned around right away, but she needed time
to blink back the water brimming on her lashes. The ache hadn’t been that bad. In fact, the shot of pain had already rushed from her ass down to her needy cunt. Traitor.
Chapter Eight
The front porch had a doublewide lounge chair, two rocking chairs, and one hammock strung up between two posts. Chelsea pictured herself lounging out here for hours, sipping her tea, and reading a good book.
The front door opened, and Kurt stepped out waving a plastic bag. Her mind exploded imagining what delights he’d brought. Without saying a word, he lowered the back on the lounger.
“You were good not to move. I see Drake has trained you well.”
“I’m glad I pleased you, Master.”
All of this master stuff seemed so surreal, but for some odd reason, it worked for her. Having someone take control, when so much was happening in her life, helped keep her centered.
“Let’s get you comfortable.” He guided her down to the lounge chair. He then stepped over to the rocker, removed two pillows, and placed one under her head and one under her hips. “How does that feel?”
“Wonderful.”
“Good. Now, if your arm isn’t too sore, lift both of them over your head.”
This time, she was pleased the wound no longer ached, and she did as he requested. Kurt pulled a long silk scarf from his bag and tied her hands together. She liked having them above her head.
“We have neighbors, so I really can’t have you scream. I’m going to put a gag in your mouth.” He didn’t move. “Drake told me your safe word was Mendez. If the gag is too much, you can say it now.”
She shook her head. Her embarrassment would be a lot less if she could scream and not be heard. He ripped open a package that contained a purple bit that had holes in it, presumably to allow her to breath.
“Let me know if you freak out. I don’t need you having a panic attack.”
She held up her hand. “How can I say my safe word with that in my mouth?”
He grinned. “Got you covered.” He withdrew a pretty bell. “Just ring this.” He placed it in her hand, and she tried it out. She barely had to swing it for it to make a sound.