“Yeah, they took several pints from me. Probably why I got so shaky so fast.” And she needed to replenish her emergency stash of protein bars and crackers pronto.
“Makes sense.”
Instead of opening her door for her, Ryan handed her purse over while she tried not to gawk at him. He exited the car and sauntered to his front door, never looking back at her to see if she’d follow him or not. Oh, her gaze never left his sculpted backside.
He disappeared inside his house, leaving the door wide open.
Was he that arrogant to think she’d just come running? Hell yes, he was.
After she scrambled out of her car, she tucked her purse over her shoulder and went inside. Pitch blackness surrounded her. Where was the light switch? I swear it’s darker in here than outside.
“Ryan?” Her voice echoed around her.
The feeling of someone watching made her spin around. Nothing. Her hands in front of her, she groped around for a lamp. To her left, glowing eyes blinked from six feet or higher. A scream stuck in her throat. She backed away, tripping on a rug and crashing to the floor.
Rustling sounded from the direction of the being, then bright lights flooded her vision.
“Hey, you okay? I forget some people can’t see in the dark.” Ryan was beside her, dressed in cargo shorts, and held a hand out to her.
She waved it away and stood. “Yes, well, I don’t think anyone can walk around in total darkness without running into something.”
“Really?” He scratched his chin. “I can get around just fine.”
“And you live here, so it’s easier to know where everything is.” That had to be the explanation. Or maybe his vision adjusted to the lack of light faster.
“Are you tired?” Ryan stepped closer to her and his scent of oranges and almost a licorice smell made her want to bury her nose against his neck and inhale.
Would he tuck her into bed if she said she was? “Not really. The food revived me a bit. Besides, I don’t sleep until well after midnight.” Her voice was husky. Why did I tell him that?
“Me too. I’ve got a pool table, do you play?”
Her dad was a previous pool shark and had taught her well. Never let your opponent know how good you are. She set her purse down on the side table beside the couch. “Sure, I haven’t played in ages.” Since her father died three years ago.
“Follow me.” He paused at the wet bar and pulled out two bottles of wine. Did he wonder if she drank or just assumed she would?
The walked down the hallway and entered another room at the back of the house. This one was narrower, with abstract art sprinkled along the path and closed doors.
At the end of the hall, in a room with a vaulted ceiling, three big-screen TVs were hooked up to the latest Xboxes and a stereo on one side of the room. A dozen video game chairs were in front of them. But the bulk of the room was the pool table. Blue light glowed underneath the gilded majestic table crafted by Vincent Facquet, a world winning billiard’s champion. The black wood was etched with silver vines. The crimson-colored felt top was striking.
“It’s beautiful.” Her dad would’ve sold his soul to play on something this fine.
He popped open both bottles of wine, then handed her one. When she raised an eyebrow at him, he gave her a lopsided smile. “In case you get thirsty.”
“Or are you that bad a player, you plan to get me drunk so you win?” She took a swig of the wine. It was smooth and sweet. She didn’t think it was for him, but probably the many women he must entertain.
“Sweetheart, I could beat anyone while drunk with one hand behind my back.”
“You’re that good?” She glanced down at the table, hoping to appear demure. “All right, how about we play for stakes then?”
His smile widened. “Now you’re talking. Winner gets one wish.”
She set her wine bottle down on the small table beside the bay window. “Would you mind breaking the balls? I haven’t played in a while.”
Placing his bottle on the side of the pool table, he racked the balls, then broke them, sending a striped one into the side pocket.
“Solids for you then.” He sunk two more balls before pulling down a stick and handing it to her.
“Mind moving your drink?” She nodded. “In case my ball goes askew.”
“Then you’d have a foul.”
Frowning, she leaned over the table, lining up her shot. She hit the cue ball, sending a ball straight toward his wine. Faster than she blinked, he snatched up the bottle and took a swig.
“You’re right. My bottle gave you an advantage in making the shot. A bigger target.”
Batting her eyelashes, she shrugged a shoulder. Advantage indeed. Still, she purposely missed her next shot.
He tsked. “And you were doing so well for your first go. And you’ve left me a good leave. Maybe you’re a potter, not a player. I won’t burn you too much.”
As if. Two balls were pointing to the far corner. His shot knocked both into the pocket.
“My win in two more stripes, then the eight ball.” As though toying with her, his next shot didn’t place any balls in the pockets but did leave the cue ball with no good angles. Man, when he wanted to win, he wasn’t kidding.
“Since we’ve already got stakes in the game,” she measured each spot for the best position. “Care to up the wager?”
He drank. “Sure. What do you have in mind?”
“For each ball I sink, you’ve got to answer a question.”
“That’s it?” He sounded disappointed. “I thought it would be something more exciting. Like playing for sexual favors.” He waggled his eyebrows.
“You would go there.” The idea made her giddy inside though. The thought of kissing Ryan made her take a deep gulp of her wine. “I am a reporter and hardly have anything newsworthy for a story.”
He stalked to her, getting so close she had to drop the pool stick on the table. His gaze was fierce and her heart hammered in her chest. “You can write whatever you want about me. But you leave my team and my brother out of it. Understood?”
“Right.” She swallowed. His protectiveness surprised her. This was a side of him she never expected. He actually cared for them. “I-I hadn’t planned on using them.”
His gaze softened a bit, but the way he kept staring at her lips made her breath catch. “Good.” Cooler than gliding on ice, he moved away from her. “Your move.”
Easy for him to say. Her best bet was to send the cue ball around some angles to get a good position for her next shot. It couldn’t be helped and might make Ryan suspicious, but she had to get some answers. She sunk the purple ball and grinned. “First question, when did you decide to become a Rugby player?”
“I’ve been playing since I could walk.” He cocked his head to the side. “Darling, if you’re going to waste your shots on questions I’ve answered a million times, might as well end this and google me.”
Damn, he was right. What was wrong with her? She needed to be smart about this. Once he figured out she could really play, he might bail and she would’ve wasted this opportunity. Her next move was an easy one that any rookie could make. “I win again.” She added more enthusiasm to her voice, hoping he wouldn’t notice her hidden glee. “What would you do if you couldn’t play anymore?”
He took a long drag from his wine bottle, then wiped his mouth. “Rescue damsels in distress I guess.”
“Seriously.” She spun back to the table and the cue ball kissed off the back of the eight ball to get her ball into the side pocket. A much more difficult move. “What have you changed this year, besides the death of your team’s manager last year, to sail up through the ranks the way you have?”
“Listen, I don’t know what you’re trying to pull here, but me and my team have worked hard to get where we are today.” His knuckles turned white as he clutched the wine bottle. “When Barney and Sam died on our trip, I had to take over as a leader. I pushed us. I didn’t wallow in self-pity or excuses. Together,
we made ourselves better. I’ve taken half a dozen drug and steroid tests if you don’t believe me.”
Her pulse accelerated. She’d touched a raw nerve and the thought of that both sickened and excited her. If she got something juicy on him, it would make her career. But watching the growing dismay in his eyes made her stomach roll.
The wine bottle shattered in his hand.
“Fuck!” he said.
“It’s okay. Let me get a towel.” She dashed to a closet, hoping there were rags or something. Finding a stack of small towels, she grabbed several and jogged back to him.
He was already picking up the bigger pieces.
“Here, you might have cut your hand.” She wiped his outstretched palm, coated with wine, but there were no cuts.
“Just lucky.” His mouth set in a firm line.
She wished she could say the same. Under the surface, Ryan was hiding something. Something that, one way or another, she’d expose. She had to land her dream job.
Untitled
Chapter Eleven
Ryan
Rage boiled in Ryan’s veins like spikes of acid. He was sick of reporters and speculations about him and his team. So what if he and the others were werewolves in hiding? They’d worked hard for years, without much fame or fortune. Now that they’d succeeded, everyone wanted a piece of them. Was Jessica different? She seemed content at first just being in his presence and having fun.
Ryan helped Jessica clean up the spilled wine and broken bottle. What was he thinking inviting her to stay? But after her fainting spell, he couldn’t bring himself to leave her alone. His protective nature insisted he cared for her.
He couldn’t go back on his word now.
“I can’t believe you didn’t get one cut.” She held out the soaked towels. “Where do I put these?”
“Just in the trash. The wine will never wash out, plus they’re filled with glass fragments.” He pointed to the silver can in the corner.
After she dumped the debris, she turned to him. “Do you want to pick the game up another time?”
He pulled his emotions in tow, forcing down his desires. No matter how much he yearned to draw her into his arms and kiss her until she melted against him, he couldn’t. It was too dangerous to let anyone into his life while he was so fucked up and ran around on all fours, covered with fur.
“No.” When her brow pinched, he softened his voice. “It’s still your ball.” Earlier, he’d taken it easy on her, but the girl had some pool skills. He’d been a shortstop as a teen, but never pursued any championships. Rugby had been his passion, despite playing billiards any chance he got.
She lined up her shot, her ass begging to be grasped, and she barely missed the outside pocket. Had she done that on purpose? He wouldn’t take it easy on her and let her win. No one learned that way. Besides, he was pretty sure she was much better than she pretended.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were setting me up for a hustle.” He shook his head. Not many people knew he was good at pool, and he’d kept that fact out of the limelight. Would she blast it to all the media after this? Even before the werewolf bite, he’d kept parts of himself private, away from the media. A smile touched his lips, remembering how his brother craved the limelight and would do anything to get attention. Ryan needed her to focus on something else as he didn’t want people to know any more about him than necessary. And why wasn’t she trying to seduce him like most women he came in contact with?
“I told you the truth.” She lifted her chin. “I’ve not played in years, so I’m a bit rusty.”
“Might be a real challenge when you get warmed up.” Ryan wanted her out of her comfort zone. She’d crashed through his with her questions and smiles that brightened her moss-colored eyes. Would she still be able to play as well if she was breathless from kissing?
Quickly, he took his shots and his remaining colors slid off the table into the pockets.
“Are we playing a set? I don’t want to say I’ve been skunked.”
“Ambitious much?” Yes, he wanted to kiss her into a stupor. Lining up the eight ball, he sat on the edge of the billiard table, making the shot behind his back.
“Guess I’m not the only one who has been hiding their talent.” She leaned against the opposite side, the pole between her legs.
“Looks that way.” He rested his pool stick against the window and strolled over to her. “I won this round and I want to claim my prize.” When he reached her, he moved the wood out of the way and placed his legs where it had been.
She placed her palms on his chest and glided her hands up and across in teasing circles. “I don’t recall this being the winner’s reward.”
“Sure it is. It’s mine and, if I do it right, yours too.” He lightly brushed his lips across hers, ready to move back if she protested. But she didn’t. Her lips parted, and he kissed her harder. His mouth tasted hers, reveling in the softness and sweetness of her.
He lifted her hips, placing her ass on the edge of the table. When she wrapped her legs around his hips, he eased her down onto the top of the pool table. Her kisses were making him heady like he’d drunk way too much. He’d only meant to knock her down a few pegs, not this, not feed a growing need inside him. But the fog in his mind drowned out all thoughts and only his wolf pushed forward, demanding the girl was his.
Curling her fingers into his hair, she stroked his tongue, making his shorts too tight. He sucked on her lips, drawing up her white blouse above her breasts. His fingertips brushed the edges of her breasts. When she squirmed underneath him, he reigned down his wolf, who wanted to rip all her clothes off and taste every inch of her. Know if her nipples and clit tasted as sweet as her luscious mouth.
He palmed her breast, the nipple hardening from his touch, and pressing against the lacy bra. The fabric of her shirt restricted his movements. He had to feel her skin against his. Yanking the front of her shirt apart, her buttons flew in different directions. Her mouth opened in a gasp, but he swallowed the sound with his mouth. Their hearts pounded in sync. Her hands dug into his shoulders, and her body fit against his like she was meant for him.
Wiggling her ass on the table, her left breast nearly popped out of her bra. Divine, perfection. He freed both, kneading one while his head dipped to taste the rosy bud of the other.
She let out a moan as her hands shifted from his shoulders to his hair. When he nibbled at the other breast, she dipped her hand toward her skirt that had ridden up her tanned thighs.
God, she was beautiful in elegant lines and long legs. Breaking their contact, he smiled, seeing she’d taken off her shoes and wore no stockings.
Did she want this as much as him? He could drown in her. In her scent, her touch. Never wanting to let go, but sinking deep inside her. Their breaths mingled. It was too soon to have sex since the wolf attack, even for him, to let himself go this far so fast.
Reluctantly, he eased away from her. The air cooled between them as she leaned up on her elbows. Her skin was flushed and her lips were swollen from his kisses. Shit, he wanted to fuck her here and now. Take her on the table and listen to her moans and cries of pleasure. He longed for pride to fill her gaze, like when she’d thanked him for the food earlier. Except how could he? Last time he’d been with a girl, he’d lost control and transformed into a wolf. It was only because she’d been high and drunk that he’d been able to convince the woman she had imagined a two hundred pound white wolf in her bed. And there was the danger of his wolf being hungry for the hunt… for blood. If Jessica freaked out and ran, he’d chase her, his predator instincts kicking in.
“Sorry about your blouse. I’ll pay for the damages.” He backed away further. What would she do? Slap him? Yell?
Calmly, she tucked her boobs back into her bra, then removed her shirt. “Yeah, I guess it would be an unfair advantage for me to play with the boobs hanging out.” Her sultry voice and deep blush teased him. “So, want another game so I can whip your ass?”
They were h
alfway through the second round of pool and his dick still hadn’t gone back down. At this rate, he was going to have to excuse himself to go masturbate. True to her word, she’d played hard, the game lasting almost an hour already. And she pranced around in that lacy bra that revealed her nipples. It was intoxicating and distracting.
“I’ll be right back.” He huffed under his breath.
She rested a hip against the table. “Anything I can do to help?”
“No.” He marched down the hall to his closet, then yanked out a T-shirt. When he returned to the room, he tossed it over to her. “Put that on.”
“What about you?” She batted her eyelashes but didn’t move to pull his shirt over her half-naked chest. “If you want me to cover up, shouldn’t you do the same?”
“My lack of clothing didn’t faze you before.”
“Yeah, well fair is fair, right?” She winked. “If you want me to wear this, you’ve got to cover up too.”
Don’t get involved. Don’t think about her naked underneath you. She was right though, he needed to put more distance between them. Keep acting disinterested.
“Fine.” Moments later, he returned wearing a wife-beater and smiled that she was wearing his shirt. It hung to her thighs, but he liked it on her. The image of her in his bed with just that shirt on tantalized him. He should’ve refused the extra games and just gone to sleep. Would she curl against him after sex? Her dark hair spread out across his pillow? Stop it, focus.
“You didn’t finish your move.”
That’s not all he hadn’t finished. He took his shot but scratched.
“Too bad.” She bent over, picking up the cue ball from the floor. “And you were winning.”
He had to get his mind off sex and she was more alluring wearing more clothes than when she’d been laying on the pool table with him between her legs. His cock twitched. Damn it all. “So who taught you to play?” Please don’t say an old boyfriend. The thought of her being with someone else tore through him. Why? He barely knew her.
Falling for Shifters: A Limited Edition Autumn Shifters Collection Page 63