“Can you get me a … mineral water?”
Without a glance in his direction, the waiter placed a green bottle in front of Justin.
“It’s on the house.”
Justin reached behind himself with his free hand and grasped the cold drink, sweat dripping off the label to coat his heated palm.
Sparks once again tingled up Justin’s arm when their fingers met to pass off the beverage. He didn’t want to stop touching her. In fact, he wanted to pull her closer again.
Flatten her against his chest. Tuck her head against him and run his hands through her golden hair…
“Thanks.” She pulled away from him. Before he could even form a sentence, she had retreated toward her friends, her back to him, her fantastic ass swaying enticingly.
Justin smiled from his perch at the bar. Thank God the sturdy edge was there to hold him up. The sweet scent of her arousal stirred his senses. He grinned. She was just as turned on as he. His skin heated. He would need to run miles in the woods tonight to work off the sexual tension building in his body. There was no way in hell he was going to be able to take her tonight. No. It would take some gentle courting to steer her in the right direction. His earlier stress had faded however. His fate was sealed. She was his.
Chapter Two
Kara sauntered back to her friends with a grin on her face, her head held a little higher than before. Whoever that guy was, he was hot. And, he found her attractive. The thought made her pulse race and gave her a little more pep in her step, perhaps a slight sway to her hips as she walked.
There was no way to tell if the cowboy get-up was just for tonight, or if he woke up every day to pull his boots on under his Levi’s. Whatever the case may be, the result was one hunk of sexy manhood. Heat crept up her cheeks with the memory of his firm erection pressed into her stomach when she fell into him. Did I do that?
Lindsey eyed her suspiciously. “What happened to you? It took forever and—” She paused. “Why are you smiling?” Her perfectly arched eyebrows rose.
What? Did her friends not think her capable of luring a man? Kara was feeling far too smug to be slighted by either of their shocked expressions.
“Did you just flirt with that guy at the bar?” Jessica’s jaw dropped at the question.
She glanced back and forth between Kara and the bar behind her.
“What guy?” Surely they hadn’t seen her or even paid attention.
“The one still staring at your ass with drool running down his chin,” Lindsey continued.
Kara jerked her head around to confirm he was indeed still ogling her like a piece of candy. She gave a flirtatious smile in his direction and turned back to face her roommates. “I guess I did.”
Heat radiated from her toes to her cheeks, probably making embarrassing splotchy patterns on her face and neck. Her pale skin always had that reaction at the first sign of stress.
“Well, see? I rest my case. I told you. You need to get out more often. The men in here are itching to get a chance. And we just got here.” Jess gave a cute little fake pout.
Kara would have sworn she heard the faint sound of jealousy in her friend’s voice.
Jess was the most outgoing of the three women. She lived life much closer to the edge than Kara ever dreamed. Her stylish hair was cropped short and spiked with blond highlights tipping the ends. Several earrings dangled from the piercings in both ears. Her flirtatious laugh always managed to draw men close to her.
Lindsey, on the other hand, was more like Kara. Her long straight brown hair reached midway down her back and her big brown eyes could lure anyone in, but she was softer spoken than Jess, a perfect balance.
“I dare you to go dance with him.” Jess bubbled over with excitement.
“No way. We just got here. I don’t even know how to two-step.” Kara was shaking her head, unable to stop the motion. Her ears heated at the forward thought.
“Double dare you.” Now Lindsey was ganging up on her, too.
“How about…” Jess paused, her fingers tapping her chin, to ponder the ceiling. “I’ve got it. How about a bet? If you can get him to dance with you, which is a shoo-in by the way, we’ll do all the household chores for a week.” Oh, she looks so proud of herself.
“Seriously? You two would clean the bathroom and the kitchen for an entire week just to get me to ask a guy to dance?” It sounded crazy, but then again, these two knew the likelihood of Kara being so bold was slim to none. On the flip side, this was the last week of school. A few less duties would free her up to study for finals.
They both nodded in unison and folded their arms across their chests.
What harm could it do? What was the worst that could happen?
Kara slowly turned her gaze in the direction of the man still perched against the bar to find him staring straight at her with a smile on his face. His stance looked stiff. He was trying too hard. She smiled to herself and couldn’t help the slow perusal of his body her eyes seemed to insist upon. His face was shaded from this angle with his suede cowboy hat leaning over his forehead. He had surely just picked up his pressed charcoal shirt from the drycleaners. As her gaze moved south, she found his jeans hugged him to perfection. And what perfection. A shiver ran through her as she remembered having been plastered to him only moments before. Kara tried to shake the image by continuing her meandering gaze to his boots. Worn. Not brand-new, purchased-today, stiff and shiny, like her own.
Could she go through with this? Shit. Why not? An entire week of rest and relaxation from apartment duties for just one dance with a hot hunk? Who wouldn’t?
“Fine.” Without turning back to face her friends, Kara set her bottle on the edge of the table and traipsed back in the direction of the hottest guy in the bar. Did he have to be such a stud? It would have been so much easier if he had been just a regular patron.
*
Damn. The little pixie was heading back his way with a slightly hesitant look on her face, her sexy, full bottom lip between her teeth. Justin’s dick jumped to attention. He wanted to pull that soft lip into his mouth and worry it a little with his own teeth.
When she stood before him, she began to stammer. “Um… I can’t… I mean, I can’t dance…”
Why is she telling me this?
“What I mean is… You see…” She began to chew on her bottom lip.
He loved the flustered look on her face and had no intention whatsoever of putting her out of her misery, even if he could decipher what she was trying desperately to communicate.
A sudden spark of electricity raised the hairs on his arms. His skin crawled with the need to touch her again; to verify the sparks had not been his imagination. Patience, Justin. You’re going to need a bucket full of patience for the next several days.
She was going to gnaw a hole in her lip if she kept that up.
Justin smiled at her and waited.
“My friends,” she turned to point in the direction she had clearly come from, “bet me I couldn’t get you to dance with me.”
Justin chuckled. Really? How convenient. They had no idea what was about to happen to their sweet, innocent friend and they had bet her to dance with him? Nice.
“I mean… You don’t have to … of course.” She rolled her eyes toward the ceiling, clearly flustered. “Are you waiting on someone?” She glanced around the bar as it dawned on her that perhaps he wasn’t alone.
Time to put her out of her misery. “I would be honored, ma’am.” Justin gave a short bow and reached out to grasp the dainty fingers of the woman he was going to spend the rest of his life loving. The sparks kept flying.
Without further preamble, Justin whispered a prayer of gratitude to whatever gods were hanging around the dance floor tonight and gently pulled his sweet little mate toward the circle of two-steppers.
“I um … don’t actually … know how to dance,” she mumbled behind him as they reached the edge of the wood floor.
“You mentioned that.” Pulling her in front of him
, he tucked one finger under her chin and tilted her face up to stare directly into her glorious eyes. “Don’t worry. I do.” She swallowed. Justin’s heart squeezed.
“Just follow my lead.” His double entendre was only for himself.
At the edge of the dance floor, Justin placed the cool palm of her left hand on his shoulder and grasped her right hand in his left. His giant fingers completely swallowed her tiny ones. He stared for a moment at her smooth fair skin contrasting against his rough, sun-darkened tones. Short clipped fingernails, filed to perfection, graced her dainty hand, but her palm was callused. Does she work in construction? He almost laughed out loud at the thought and then decided she must surely enjoy gardening or something.
When Justin wrapped his right arm around Kara’s shoulder, he noticed she was not a fragile rose by any stretch of the imagination. She may have been small, but she was incredibly muscular. How did this wisp of a woman manage to maintain such strength?
“Um, what do I do now?” Kara was staring up at him again, her eyes questioning.
How long had they been standing there? He wasn’t sure.
“Right. Well, the basic steps are very simple. It’s a series of slow, slow, quick, quick.” Justin edged them into the line of traffic. “Our feet will move together. When I step back, you step forward on the same side. Feel the music. The beat is always a steady slow, slow, quick, quick.”
Kara caught on fast. She didn’t seem to falter at his instructions. Thank God, because he could barely think with her in his arms, her face so close to his chest, her scent permeating the air around him.
“You’re a natural. Didn’t you say you’d never two-stepped before?”
“Yes… I mean no, I haven’t. I’ll probably step on you in a minute.” Her smile sucked the air out of Justin. Time to bump this relationship up a notch.
“I’m Justin, by the way. Justin Masters.”
“Kara Shepherd. Do you, um, go to school here?”
“No. I mean, I did.” Don’t tell her your age yet, you doofus. “But, I graduated. I work on a dairy farm now, just outside of town. You?”
“I graduate this May. Teaching degree.”
Sexy and educated. Why haven’t I ever seen her before?
The music switched to a slow song and Justin let his right hand trail down Kara’s back to rest on her bare waist and draw her closer. He could reach so far around her his fingers grazed her firm abs. Her skin felt cool beneath his touch and she gave a short gasp at the contact with his warm hands.
“Kara…” He loved that name. Delicate, but strong. It suited her perfectly.
“Yes?”
Had he spoken out loud?
Justin chuckled to himself just as someone graciously bumped into Kara from behind, forcing her body flush against his. For the second time tonight. He held her tighter, causing the vibrations of laughter to run through his chest and into hers.
He had always prided himself on being firm and fit—most of his kind were—but this tiny lady could rival him in the fitness department. She was rock solid. Her small breasts brushed against his chest as he laughed at himself.
“Sorry, I was just trying out your name. Didn’t realize I had spoken out loud.” Justin cautiously set Kara’s right hand on his shoulder, freeing himself to reach around her with both hands at her waist, trapping her in a slow sensuous dance. Their movements were barely existent among the crowd. Justin didn’t care. If he died right now, it would be worth it.
“Well, Justin Masters,” she peered up at him, a soft curl falling across her face, “you are a fantastic dancer. Thanks for showing me the ropes.” Honey, you haven’t even begun to experience my ropes.
Justin cleared his throat, trying to shake the image of Kara with her delicate wrists tied to his bedposts while he held her legs apart and sucked on her clit. The vision included his buddy Trevor pinching her nipples into tight buds above him. Would she be a screamer?
“No problem.” Justin found himself physically shaking the image from his head. His mate was completely unaware she was about to be claimed. By at least one man. The images of him and Trevor sharing her would not shake. Was it possible she would belong to them both?
One song ended and another sultry ballad began. Shania Twain’s voice filled the room now, her words caressing them as they swayed to the beat. Justin’s chest swelled when she didn’t seem to notice they were now moving on to a third song. If she hadn’t been interested, she would have quickly pulled away after the first. Of course, there was no way she could “not be interested”. It was fated after all.
“So, Kara. What do you do when you are not in class? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you here before.”
“Actually, I’m a gymnast. Well, until next week anyway. My career is about to come to an end.”
Ah, that explains the physique. Wait … a gymnast? As in flipping around on the ground, flying through the air, attempting suicidal feats not meant for womankind to endure? Justin sucked in a breath, his fingers gripping her waist. Why did visions of her tumbling cause him distress?
“Really?” He couldn’t eek out any other syllables at the moment. Tendrils of horrible images flitted through his mind.
“I’ve been working in the gym several hours a day for almost my entire life. Next weekend I’ll have my last gymnastics meet and become a free woman. That’s why I’m here tonight actually. My roommates think they need to indoctrinate me into society, so to speak.” A sexy giggle bubbled from her chest. “They say I never have any fun. So, they dragged me out here and then bribed me to get on the dance floor. And here we are.” She made it sound so simple. Just a few more days of school and gymnastics, and she would be all his. He shivered at the thought. Trevor was definitely not going to like this new twist. Justin may be a doting protective man to have around, but Trevor was off the charts when it came to safety. Maybe he could manage to keep the two of them from meeting for a few weeks, buy some time?
Not a chance in hell.
Justin’s mind was so connected to Trevor’s, he was probably on his way here now, just buzzing with the mental vibrations rushing through their link. He tried to block their connection as best he could.
“Do you have any free time? I’d sure like to take you out on a proper date.” What if she says no? Justin didn’t want to have to force the issue, but the reality was she was his now and he was not going to take kindly to letting her out of his sight very often.
“Well…” she appeared to be pondering the idea, nibbling once again on that lower lip of hers “…I guess I do eat, occasionally. Perhaps dinner sometime?” Thank God she wasn’t just going to blow him off. “How’s tomorrow? Six o’clock?
I’ll pick you up?” Justin held his breath waiting on her response.
“Tomorrow? Hmm…” She glanced up at him and he read unease in her eyes. “I hardly know you at all. Maybe I could meet you somewhere?”
“Sure.” It had been a while since Justin had spent any real time with a human woman. He’d forgotten they could be a little nervous about dating. Secretly, he was glad to find she would be a little cautious. He and Trevor did frequently sleep with non-shifters, but not the timid type standing before him right now, gnawing on a lip he badly wanted to soothe with his own tongue. “How about we meet at the Steak House on First Street. Do you know it?” A steak could go a long way toward soothing his need to sink his teeth into Kara’s supple young skin, perhaps chew on a nipple or nip her tight little clit between his teeth.
“Steak?” There was a hint of surprise in her voice. “Um, okay.” What? Don’t tell me she’s a vegetarian. That would be disastrous.
“I can find it. First Street you said?” Her tongue darted out to lick the edges of her mouth nervously.
Justin craved to kiss the worry from her. “Yes, just a block down from the mall.” He held his breath, knowing she was in control of this situation, but he had to make some concessions to ease her mind. She was a human. New territory for him. He wasn’t used to tip
toeing around a woman. At least now that he’d found her, he knew she could never escape him. With his sense of smell he could track her wherever she might go. Her essence now permeated his soul.
Someone bumped them from behind and Justin realized they had stopped moving.
With a short sidestep, he moved them off the dance floor.
Kara looked up at him with questioning eyes.
He couldn’t stand being this close to her another moment without tasting her. He cupped the side of Kara’s face. “God, I want to kiss you.” Justin half-expected her to turn and walk away. Instead, she gazed into his eyes and whispered, “Yes,” so softly he almost didn’t hear her.
“Not here. Outside. Do you trust me?” He didn’t want their first glorious kiss to be in this crowded room.
“Uhm, hm. I don’t know why…” She looked at him with such faith, a shiver coursed through him. He had no idea what the effect of finding a mate would be on a human. Was she as entranced as he?
“Come on…” Justin grabbed her by the hand and led her across the room. He was going to combust if he didn’t at least get a taste of her before he allowed her to leave this evening.
She didn’t yank her hand away. He could smell the slight tinge of fear, but she was also aroused by him, her body already taking control of her reactions. Once they actually mated, she would never be able to deny him again. Her pussy would beg and plead for his cock. But for now, she was just getting a taste of the need that would soon drive her bonkers.
*
Kara wanted to pull from the grasp Justin had on her hand, really she did. Her mind was shouting “No”, but her traitorous body was screaming “Yes”.
She was mesmerized by the way he looked into her eyes, seemed to peer into her soul, the way he held her possessively in his arms and stroked her bare skin beneath her blouse, the way his low rumbling voice reached into her heart… She was unable to stop herself from following him to whatever destination he had in mind. It was mad. That was a fact. No woman in their right mind would allow a strange man to lead them away from the safety of their friends and … out into the night? Shit.
Kara's Wolves Page 2