by Haley Weir
It was the sound that warned the townsfolk not to enter the forests, lest they wish to encounter one of the great bear protectors of the region. Michael darted through the trees at an impossible speed, feeling the cool night air burn his lungs. The world seemed much larger in this form. It felt as though he could run forever and never reach the end of the forest. When he stopped, chest heaving with steam bursting from his nostrils, Michael looked up at the endless starry sky and rolled onto his back in the grass.
Dragonflies buzzed all around as Michael slowly morphed back. The fever rolled over him as usual, but not in the same way it did the others. He experienced the heat that radiated through his body as well as headaches, but not the waves of nausea or searing in his core. Michael then walked back to the tattered remnants of his clothes and pulled on his pants before running to the Kodiak Dating Agency.
He used his code to get through the rear entrance and took the private elevator up to his office at the highest point of the building. Though he was the creator of the company, Michael had never actually used his own services. But with Tilly Riker invading his thoughts, he knew he had to get over her by getting under someone else. So, Michael Adair registered with his own company under a false name and bypassed the orientation requirement. The survey was long, but insightful and he was curious on what sort of matches would come as a result.
CHAPTER FIVE
Tilly hid behind one of the stone columns in the lobby of Kodiak Dating Agency with her heart in her throat and her stomach in her shoes. She peered around anxiously for Michael Adair like a frightened little mouse trying to avoid the wicked cat. Lori Stevens spied her from afar and rolled her eyes. Tilly came out of hiding only when she was sure he wouldn’t appear. “Don’t roll your eyes at me. I don’t want to see him.”
“And I hear he’s just as eager to avoid you,” she retorted dryly. “I’m glad you made it this time. Orientation is the most important part of joining our services. Without it, we wouldn’t know who to pair you with.”
“Come on, let’s get this over with.” Tilly shuffled behind Lori as she was led toward an elevator. The co-owner of KDA handed her a pamphlet and a badge to access the member’s only areas of the building.
“The company focuses on self-love before romantic relationships. We need to know if you’re ready to take on the responsibilities and commitments required of you in order to get you into a compatible match. Emotionally unavailable, just looking for hookups, or it’s complicated are not acceptable mindsets.”
“What about desperate or mentally dating one of the Hemsworths?”
Lori narrowed her eyes at Tilly. “You need to take this seriously.”
“Fine,” she huffed. “I think I’m ready for a relationship. Self-love isn’t exactly my strong suit. I’m insecure and can barely stand on my own two feet. Maybe someone else can fix that for me?” She felt a little discouraged when Lori shook her head.
“Codependency isn’t healthy in a relationship. Neither is the need for validation to feel loved. We offer counseling, health and wellness consultation, etiquette training, hobby exploration, self-improvement courses, personal pampering, confidence building, and help with any lifestyle changes.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah,” Lori chuckled. “And that’s not even touching on the love and romance part of the service. Everything you need to know is included in your welcome pamphlet, but every membership includes text message notifications to ease the communication between pairs. Texting, emailing, or talking on the phone with your match is against the safety regulations of the company and will result in termination of your contract.”
“What about internet dating or getting to know someone before you meet?”
“As partners, Michael and I agreed that our members were not going to become statistics on some crime report. Thorough background checks are a must and we verify all identification before the orientation process can even begin, which is why it takes a while to get an appointment. Michael’s a bit old fashioned when it comes to dating. He believes the only way to really get to know someone is to talk to them and gauge their body language,” Lori explained. “We provide a safe atmosphere for our clients.”
Through the orientation process, Tilly asked questions and got answers with an unwavering confidence from her friend. She learned everything she could about the service and then sat in a dark room to fill out her survey. Most members chose to take the survey home to give it more thought, but Lori suggested doing it at the headquarters to avoid distractions or lying. The more detailed answer, the better the match.
Tilly never realized how picky she was about dating until that moment. She clearly had a type and was thankful that there was an option to try something new. The others were right about the dating agency being impressive, but Tilly tried not to think of what that said about the man behind the company. Though the others used the service, they clearly didn’t realize what it meant for Michael. He was a true romantic at heart.
Sapphire said that he liked to ramble on for hours about algorithms and marketing in the industry of love and romance, but that couldn’t be the entire truth. Lori wasn’t the sort of woman to put up with a business partner who used love to exploit people’s emotions in order to make money. When the survey was complete, Tilly ran out to her car to avoid the rain. The door opened on the first try and she shouted victoriously as she slipped into the driver’s seat.
Gray clouds rolled across the sky as a curtain of rain soaked the town. She turned the key in the ignition and her little tin can roared to life. It sputtered, banged, and clanged as she pulled out of the parking lot. Tilly drove right over to rebuilt Books & Baubles for the Ladies In Waiting Book Club meeting. The bell above the door chimed upon entrance and Destiny came shuffling out of the back. “You’re late,” she said with her thick English accent. “Sapphire’s about to finish the last of the cupcakes.”
Tilly followed Destiny into the meeting room decorated like an eighteenth century drawing room. Most of the original pieces had been ruined in the far that claimed the first bookshop, but Destiny and Brock managed to hunt down some more authentic antiques to redecorate the space to Destiny’s liking. When all of the ladies arrived, they opened their notes to the things they wanted to discuss about the book.
Jenny, Destiny, Sapphire, Tilly, and Lori each took turns discussing what they didn’t like about the book. Tilly’s list was quite short, so she went first. “I’m going to say it...I hated the alpha. He seemed weaker than the other males in the pack and would hide like a coward when his mate called him out about being a bad leader. I know you guys might defend him by saying he was damaged, but I’m not buying it—”
“Let’s talk about this trip Michael and Corey are supposed to be taking instead.”
Tilly bit her lip and closed her eyes, breathing deeply to summon the last of her patience. But when her friends began chatting about the things going on in town, Tilly lost it. “Enough! I’m so sick and tired of you inviting me to a book club meeting when all you want to talk about is your husbands and their problems.”
“This is sort of important to us…”
“I might be single and you might think that I live a boring life of a school teacher, but I could have done something else if this was all you had in mind,” she snapped. “Every week it’s the same thing and I’m over it already. I understand that this is important and that you care about what happens to the shifters and this town, but I’m done with it all. This is the only time I ever get to see you anymore. I feel like I don’t even have friends. We barely even talk on the phone. If we aren’t going to talk about books, then call it something other than a book club. And make sure I’m no longer a member.”
Tilly stood up and slipped her bag on before storming out the door. This time her car refused to start, so she began walking home in the rain. Her teeth chattered as water slithered down her spine and soaked through her clothes. Blond hair clung to her face and whipped around in the wind as she hurried u
p the path to the front door. Tilly didn’t hesitate once she was locked inside. She ran up the stairs, dropped her bag, stepped into the shower with her clothes on, and turned on the hot spray.
Moans of pure happiness reverberated off the tile. She nearly missed the sound of her phone vibrating in her bag on the floor. Tilly’s hand poked out of the curtain and scrambled around until she pulled her phone out of the bag. A text message popped up from Kodiak Dating Agency. “Already?” she asked out loud. Her wet thumb had difficulty swiping the message open, but she got it eventually.
TILLY, after careful deliberation, we at KDA believe that we have found the perfect match for you. If DEREK agrees to the date, the two of you will enjoy a wonderful evening at the SUNSET DINER tomorrow night. Reply ‘YES’ to this message if you would like to go on a date with the match we’ve chosen for you.
She felt the urge to ignore the message, trying to think of an excuse why she shouldn’t go, but stopped herself. If Tilly wanted to get over the past and look beyond Michael Adair, then she would have to take initiative. Her hands trembled as she typed out her reply. YES.
Perfect! Head to the SUNSET DINER tomorrow night at 6PM dressed casually for your date. If he agrees, DEREK will be waiting for you in his favorite booth. Identify your date by his green sweater.
There was no going back now. Tilly removed her soaking wet clothes and turned off the water before wringing them out in the tub. She tiptoed down the stairs with wet hair to toss them into the dryer. On her way up the stairs, the doorbell rang. Fear caused Tilly to freeze in place like a meerkat sensing danger. She closed her eyes and silently prayed that whoever it was would go away.
No such luck. The bell rang again. She threw on her winter coat by the door that fell to her knees and slid cracked open the door. Michael Adair stood on her front porch with a smile that made her remember just how naked she was under the jacket. Tilly felt just how red-hot her cheeks were. “What?” she barked. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting anyone. What can I do for you?”
“I wanted to discuss the fundraiser. You have Saturdays off, so I thought this was the best time to do it.” His logic was sound, but Tilly didn’t like uninvited guests just showing up on her doorstep.
“You could have called.”
“I did,” Michael replied. “Twice. You didn’t answer, so I called Sapphire. She said you ladies had a falling out at the meeting and that you might be home. I decided to stop by with a bit of work to distract you.”
“Oh…” Without thinking, Tilly opened the door to let him in. She caught his beautiful gaze slide over her body starting from her bare feet all the way up her legs, straying to her hips and thighs before slowly making their way up to her eyes. Tilly wanted to slam the door, feeling as though her body had spontaneously caught fire. She licked her lips and motioned for him to step into the living room. “I need to go change. I got caught out in the rain and I need to put some dry clothes on.”
“Please...don’t rush on my account.” The deep timber of his voice caused goose bumps to prickle on her skin. Tilly closed the door and ran up the stairs, feeling his eyes on her retreating figure like lasers. She retreated to the comfort of her bedroom and pressed her back to the door. The sound of his footsteps through her house was more welcome than it had any right to be.
Her legs just barely carried her over to the dresser. Tilly pulled out a white tank top and a pair of pajama pants. Why Michael Adair insisted on making an appearance whenever she was less than presentable, Tilly would never know. She pulled on some socks and the rest of her clothes before returning to the living room. What she saw when she rounded the corner burned itself into her mind forever.
Michael reclined on her couch with his suit jacket tossed over the arm and his sleeves rolled up, revealing tanned forearms that she wanted to sink her teeth into. His hair was rumpled and his usually immaculate tie was askew. A pair of black shoes were neatly placed beside the door and those green eyes were glaring at her as though she had committed some sort of offense. “W-what are you staring at?”
The heat in his gaze was unmistakable when she took note of his lust-blown pupils and the way he swallowed. “White looks good on you. Brings out the color of your skin, but...that tank top should be illegal.”
Tilly glanced down and noticed that the material clung to her damp curves like a second skin, making her wish she had put on a bra. She crossed her arms and walked over to the other sofa. “Could you not? The staring is a bit much.”
CHAPTER SIX
Michael tried not to make Tilly uncomfortable, but the flawlessness of her sun-kissed complexion beckoned him like a moth to flame. He wanted to pounce on her and sink his teeth into that beautiful skin until she moaned in his ear and clutched his back. The more he looked, the more lecherous his thoughts became. Michael didn’t care what she thought of him for looking. Damn her for making such a delicious sight.
“You know what?” she began. “Why don’t we just screw each other’s brains out and get it over with?” Her words failed to register for a moment as his eyes were glued to her chest when she uncrossed her arms. Michael only looked up when she sauntered over to him with a sway to her hips that would make a belly dancer envious. Before he could make heads or tails of the situation, Tilly pushed his shoulders back against the couch and straddled his hips.
Michael snapped back to reality and the weight of her words finally sank it. She was bluffing. She had to be...right? But when he looked into her stunning chestnut eyes, he saw nothing but raw emotion calling out to him. Michael tangled his fingers in her hair and tilted her head back until her neck was exposed. He licked a stripe up the column of her throat before whispering in her ear. “Toy with me and you’ll be the one getting played, Matilda Riker. But if your offer is genuine...I’d love to.”
She shivered, but Michael did not mistake her reaction for submission. No, not Tilly. He knew she would fight him until they were both writhing with pleasure and he could hardly wait. She rolled her hips and he took that as consent. Before she could blink, Michael stood up with her in his arms, causing her to squeak. Tilly’s eyes widened at his show of strength, but desire quickly replaced any shock.
Her pearly white teeth captured her bottom lip in a look so sultry that he nearly tossed her on the floor and claimed her right then and there. But no. Michael wanted to be in her bed, to mark her sanctuary with his scent so that even when she returned from her dates it was him filling her senses. He wanted to ruin her for any other male. She sank her nails into his shoulder as he carried her up the stairs.
With her guidance, they made it to the bedroom and he laid her gently upon the bed. Michael loomed over her and braced his arms on either side of her head. A lock of light brown hair fell over his brow. “This is your last chance,” he warned. “There will be no going back once I start. Be sure this is what you want.”
She licked her swollen lips and nodded. “Whatever this is between us will go away once the mystery of it is gone. We won’t be sitting up at night wondering what it’s like. We’ll know and that’ll be enough.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” he growled before claiming her lips. Michael’s tongue delved into her warm, willing mouth only to chase down by hers. He tasted every corner of her, drinking in her essence until he had to pull back to breathe. Michael gripped the front of his shirt and tore it open. Buttons popped off and skittered across the floor. Tilly’s hands were on his chest immediately and he let out a roar that shook the walls.
His hands yanked that insufferable tank top over her head. For a moment, he was caught between staring at the glory of her generous curves and needing to get the rest of her clothes off. Tilly caught him staring and tried to cover herself up, cheeks turning pink with embarrassment instead of pleasure. “No. Don’t hide from me.”
“I know I’m fat, but you don’t have to stare like I’m repulsive.”
“I’m staring because you’re beautiful, not because I find you unattractive.” To prove that he wasn’t
just trying to woo her, Michael dipped low and slotted himself between her thighs. His painfully hard erection rested against her core. The desire that had nearly dwindled came roaring back and it was Tilly who initiated the kiss. She bucked her hips against him until he could hardly concentrate. Clearly gentle lovemaking had no place between them at the moment.
“Please. Give it to me...it’s been so long.”
Michael didn’t want to admit that he had been thinking the same thing, so he shifted his claws and shredded the fabric of her pajama pants. Tilly moaned and he had a suspicion that she liked his feral side more than his previous partners. Her hands roamed the contours of his rippling muscles until she yanked on his hair. “Michael, if you don’t move it along I’ll have to finish this myself. Without you.”
Her threat made him chuckle. “I think I’d like to watch, but maybe another time.” He moved down the mattress and held his breath until he was eye-level with the part of her that yearned for his touch. Michael traced her folds with a finger and watched her melt. He leaned forward and planted a wet kiss on her pulsating flesh until she cried out, hands scrambling for purchase in the pillows.
“Oh, god!”
Michael lifted her legs over his shoulders and tasted her flavor ran down his chin and soaked the sheets. He knew the second that her climax rolled through her, for the tightening of her thighs around his head and the fingers that tangled in his hair made him growl against her. Tilly yanked him up by his hair and Michael wiped his mouth and gave her a wicked smile. “Think you can handle more? Or have I worn you out?”
“It takes more than one time to satisfy me,” she retorted. He loved her fire. Michael realized then that he still wore his pants. Tilly groaned in frustration as he wrestled with his slacks, tossing them to the floor haphazardly. He hooked his thumbs into the waistline of his briefs and ordered, “Eyes on me.”