“Yeah, well.” Justin shrugged. “I just wanted to make it clear that I’m not gay.” He smiled. “I’ve also got a low tolerance for bullies. I don’t care who they are, they don’t have the right to come in here and start giving you shit while you’re working, and in front of customers.”
“Well…I appreciate it.” Savannah reached over and picked up a package of hamburger buns sitting in full view next to the grill. “Looking for these?” she asked, and tossed them at him and he caught them. “Although that burger’s got to be cold, now. Gonna need to fire up another one.”
“No problem.” Justin snagged the spatula before Savannah could reach for it. He twirled it around his fingers like a baton and waggled his eyebrows. “I’ve got this.”
Savannah chuckled and shook her head. “Thanks again,” she said. “For everything.”
Justin nodded. “You’re welcome.”
Chapter Eleven
They finished out the day, cleaned up, and then headed back to the apartment. Savannah had fallen into a deep funk ever since the visit from Ceara and Tynice. Two weeks, she thought. There’s no way I could come up with enough money to hire a lawyer of my own in that time. She went to her room and traded her work clothes for a flowing, full-length skirt and no bra under a soft, oversized T-shirt. She still felt constricted, however, caught in the grip of her future’s uncertainty. Returning to the living room, she dropped onto one end of the sofa and hugged a throw pillow to her chest.
Justin picked up on her mood instantly. “Are you okay?” he asked, as he sat on the end of the sofa opposite her.
“Not really,” she admitted with a sad chuckle. “I’m probably going to wind up living on the streets in the dead of winter, if Tynice and Ceara have anything to say about it.” She sighed and shook her head. “You know…all my life, they told me I was ugly, that no one would ever look at me and see me as attractive. I got that a lot at school, too. ‘Oh, Savannah, you’d be pretty if you’d just lose a few pounds.’ Or, ‘it’s a good thing you can cook, because that’s the only way you’re ever going to get a man.’”
Justin frowned at this. “Seriously?” At her nod, he let out a derisive grunt. “Well, whoever told you that is just stupid. And you’re stupid, if you believe them.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” Justin jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “I just spent the whole day down in that restaurant watching you interact with people. I saw guys flirting with you and you flirting right back.”
Savannah rolled her eyes. “Please,” she said. “None of that was real – it was all just play. Most of those guys are married and the rest spoken for. When they finish eating, they pay their bill and they go home. Not one has ever asked me out, or wanted to see me outside of this place.” She pushed herself up from the couch again and headed for the kitchen. “I’m going to drown my sorrows in a cup of chamomile and lavender tea. You want some?”
He got up and followed her. “You can’t let those skinny bitches get to you,” he said.
Savannah raised a hand for silence. “Now, hold up,” she said, her voice quiet yet stern. “My sisters may like to pick on me for my size, but I refuse to lower myself to their level and engage in any form of body shaming.”
Justin grimaced. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I guess I just get defensive when I see a beautiful woman being convinced that she’s unattractive based on her size.”
She raised her eyebrows and blinked. “Did you just call me ‘beautiful?’”
“Yeah.” Justin rolled his shoulders. “My people tend to see full-figured women as highly desirable. Generally, they’re believed to be stronger, more confident…” He licked his lips and leered. “And there’s more to grab onto, if you get my drift.”
Savannah leaned back against the counter and folded her arms under her breasts. “Uh-huh. So, you’re saying if we’d met under different circumstances…?”
“I would’ve looked twice, and asked for your number,” he finished for her. He took a step toward her, slowly closing the distance between them. “You really are beautiful, Savannah.” Reaching out, he brushed the backs of his fingers against her cheek, trailing down to cup her chin and tip it gently. “You have the most incredible eyes,” he murmured. His thumb stroked across her lower lip. “I’ll bet your mouth tastes as sweet as it looks, too.”
Savannah felt her heart start to thump faster. She could not deny she felt a strong attraction to Justin the moment she saw him, even in spite of disrupting her ceremony. Because she shared the Familiar bond with his wolf half, she experienced a powerful attachment to him…but she also found herself drawn to his human side. That’s why she did not resist when he leaned down suddenly and kissed her.
It started slow, just the press and slide of lips. Justin coaxed her to open up with the tip of his tongue and with a sigh Savannah complied. She felt one of his hands slide down around her waist and pull her up close to his lean, hard body. She raised her arms and wound them around his neck as he sealed his mouth over hers.
Desire continued to build at a rapid pace. Savannah did not protest when Justin’s hand found its way inside her shirt. She inhaled softly as he cupped her breast, kneading it as her nipple hardened against his palm. She arched into it with a groan. It had been at least three years since she had been touched by a man, a brief reunion with a college friend that started off as just meeting for coffee and wound up in a quick fuck in the back seat of his minivan. He had been separated from his wife at the time, but had since reconciled. She had liked him, but only on a surface level, so she had considered herself lucky that it never went beyond that. Scratching an itch, she told herself. That’s all it was.
The same could not be said about right now. Savannah gasped when Justin pulled her shirt off over her head and bent to suckle at her tits. He pressed his face into them, held one up against his cheek while tonguing and lightly biting the nipple on the other. “Oh, yeah, baby,” she murmured. “You get those titties.” She could feel heat gathering between her legs, her panties growing damp with excitement. She dug her fingers into his soft, dark blond hair and cooed. She loved having her breasts fondled and she could tell Justin enjoyed it just as much. Boy was never properly weaned, she thought. Lucky me…
She felt him reach up under her skirt, stroking her through her underwear before hooking the waistband with his thumbs and tugging them down. Her panties dropped to her ankles and she kicked them off, spreading her legs as she gave him better access. She pressed her open mouth against his shoulder when his fingers teased her clit. “Oh God, baby,” she breathed, her hips bucking against his hand. “You’re gonna make me come!”
“Yeah,” he said, his voice low and rough with hunger. “But not like this.” He withdrew his hand and she could feel him fumbling around, then heard the telltale sound of a zipper being lowered. Stooping slightly, he hooked her behind the knees and lifted her off her feet with ease, as though she weighed nothing. Savannah reached between their bodies and found his cock, now freed from his jeans, thick and hot and ready for her. “Guide me in,” he told her, and she nodded and brought him to her slick entrance. The moment she had him in position he surged up, filling her in one smooth, hard stroke.
Savannah cried out. She grabbed onto the counter behind her with one hand to brace herself and his shoulder with the other. Her head dropped back and her tits bounced heavily with every quick, deep thrust. “Yes!” she wailed. “Yes, yes, yes!” Justin kept pounding into her, mouth hovering at her throat, panting and growling. Savannah grabbed his face and brought their lips together again, needing his kiss.
It did not take long for either of them to reach climax. Savannah didn’t know if it had something to do with the fact that she hadn’t been with a man in so long – after all, she had a few toys in her bedside drawer and she knew how to take care of herself – or if it could be contributed to their bond. She just knew that she could feel that delicious molten pressure building up, making her whole body quiver start
ing at her thighs and working its way up through her belly. She whined, her hips jerking, and then with a shout she let go. Justin, likewise, continued to slam into her at that near-frantic pace, his fingers digging into the backs of her thighs as he spread her legs wider and pushed her up against the counter to hold her in place. His cock throbbed inside her and he grunted, breath hitching, until he had emptied out completely.
In the aftermath, both of them panting, Justin pushed his mouth up against Savannah’s in a sloppy kiss. “Can you stand?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yeah. I think.” She felt him ease out and then lowered her until she felt the cool linoleum under her bare feet once more. Savannah’s legs felt weak but otherwise she managed to remain upright.
“You good?” he asked.
She let out a soft laugh. “Yeah. I’m good. I’m…yeah.” In truth, she was better than good. Sweaty, her shirt rucked up over her tits, her pussy well-fucked –
“Aw, shit,” Savannah muttered, pressing her hand to her forehead before pushing her hair back from her face. She looked up at Justin. “We just had unprotected sex.”
“Don’t worry,” he said with a smug smile. He tucked his cock away and zipped up his jeans. “Werewolves don’t get sexually-transmitted diseases. We don’t get them, and we can’t spread them.” He winked. “You’re safe.”
A wave of relief washed over Savannah and she huffed out a sigh. “Good to know.” Not more than twenty minutes ago, she had been feeling bad about herself and her situation. Then Justin told her she was beautiful, and desirable, and he backed those words up with actions. Now, Savannah felt empowered, like she could take on any problem. And she knew where she had to start. “So,” she said. “I guess we should get to work, now.”
Justin gave her a puzzled frown. “’Get to work?’”
“Yeah.” She looked at him and smiled. “I’m going to help prove your innocence.”
Chapter Twelve
“What did you call this, again?” Justin asked. He sat on the edge of Savannah’s bed, watching as she walked around the room lighting candles.
“Astral projection,” she replied. “It’s kind of like going into a trance. My spirit will leave my body but I’ll still be alive, just in a state of multi-level awareness. I can only do it for a few minutes at a time. If I don’t return to my body, I could discorporate.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means my body will go into a coma and eventually die, because my spirit can’t get back in.” She lit a stick of incense and set it in a bowl fashioned from a large seashell. Dimming the lights, she climbed onto the bed and reached for a digital timer on the nightstand. “I’m setting this for ten minutes. If I don’t wake up on my own when this goes off, I need you to bring me back. Call my name, shake me, whatever it takes to pull me back in. Okay?”
Justin nodded. “Got it.”
She stretched out on her back. “I have no idea where I’m going, so I’m going to have to use you as my guide.”
“What do I have to do?”
“Just hold my hand and think about the place where your father died. The physical contact will give me focus.”
“Oh, you know I like getting physical with you,” he said with a sly smile. She snorted and gave his knee a light, admonishing shove, which made him laugh. “Sorry, couldn’t resist.” Smiling, Justin gathered her hand in his. As he linked their fingers together, his brow furrowed. “What exactly are you looking for?”
“Anything to prove you didn’t kill your father.” Savannah settled in and gave his hand a squeeze. “Wish me luck.”
As Justin watched, Savannah closed her eyes. She began to breathe deeply and evenly. All the tension left her body. Even her grip on his hand relaxed but their fingers remained entwined. Her dark, curly hair fanned out around her head on the pillow like a black halo. Her long lashes rested on the smooth rounds of her cheeks and her lips parted slightly. She really is beautiful, Justin thought, gazing down at her in wonder. I’ve lived in the Chicago area all my life. I used to come down to this side of town all the time when I was younger, but I never knew she existed – not until last night. He looked at their joined hands, hers small and soft in the protective cradle of his larger palm, brown contrasting with white. Over the past few years, his werewolf libido had kicked into overdrive with the need to find a mate and breed. But it had to be the right mate, someone from his race who would become his partner for life or what his people referred to as “The One.” Of course, Justin had resisted, uninterested in the women of his species, and instead sought out Human women for gratification. He had been with so many; some he never bothered to learn their names.
But now, one name seemed to ring in his mind: Savannah. Her name conjured images of African veldts, exotic and beautiful and wild. It suits her, Justin thought, smiling. All day long in the restaurant, Justin could not take his eyes off her. When Savannah had come under attack by her sisters, Justin had turned protective, filled with the need to defend her. I could feel her pain, too…the fear and worry and worthlessness. And when he took her in the kitchen just an hour ago, it had been the most incredibly satisfying sex he had ever experienced.
Is she The One?
Or was it this whole Familiar thing making him feel this way? You just met twenty-four hours ago, he reminded himself. And don’t forget where you were, before that. Now, Savannah was willing to risk her life to help him. What if she can’t? The Pack is still going to come looking for me. He considered his original plan to leave Chicago and hide out in the mountains in Colorado. This time, however, he thought about asking Savannah to go with him. Her sisters want to take this place from her – maybe we should both go somewhere else and make a new start.
The timer went off, the soft electronic beep making Justin jump in surprise. He reached over to turn it off. “Savannah?” He wrapped both hands around hers and bent to press his lips to her knuckles. “Come on, baby. Wake up.”
He watched her eyes track under their lids before her lashes fluttered open. He smiled. “Welcome back,” he said. “How did it go?”
“Good – I think.” She freed her hand from his and rubbed her temples. “I was in a room, like a library. There were shelves full of books, and a fireplace, and antique furniture.”
“Dad’s study,” Justin said. He had not described the room to Savannah before she began, so for her to get that much right surprised him. “What else did you see?”
“Well, I didn’t get much of a chance.” She pushed herself up in a sitting position. “These two guys came in – I recognized one of them, he was one of the men who got into a car that stopped out in front of the restaurant last night. I heard them say they had to ‘hurry up and find it,’ whatever ‘it’ was. Then they started to look around on the floor, moving furniture and searching under it.” She shook her head. “I don’t know if the found what they were looking for, I had to leave.” She pushed her hair back from her face. “But I did hear one of them say that if anyone else found the thing, ‘they’d know the truth.’”
Justin’s brows came together at this. “What do you think they were talking about? ‘The truth?’ What, like the truth about who really killed my dad?”
“That’s what I figured,” Savannah said. She sighed. “I need to go back. I have to know what they were after, and see if they found it.”
She started to lie back again but Justin caught her shoulder. “Maybe you should wait,” he said. “You’ve been working all day, you look exhausted.” He shook his head and chuckled. “Wow – listen to me. Dad used to tell me I wasn’t capable of caring about anyone but myself, and yet here I am, worried about you endangering yourself on my behalf.”
Smiling, Savannah reached up and placed her palm against his cheek. “With respect to your dad, he was wrong about you. You’re a good person, Justin.” She glanced around. “The wards on this property protect against anyone bad getting in.”
He smirked. “What about your sisters?”
She waved of
f the question. “Ceara and Tynice aren’t evil. They were just hurt at a real young age and it planted bitter seeds in their hearts. You know that old saying about ‘killing with kindness?’ I’m good to them because I hold out hope that one day they’d change.”
“Well,” Justin said, bemused, “Dad thought I could never change, and I did.” He found her hand and gripped it gently. “I want you to take a break, though. Get some rest, and try that – what did you call it? – astral projection thing again, later.”
Savannah wet her lips, sucking the lower one between her teeth. “Maybe you can rest with me,” she suggested, and patted the spot beside her.
The husky timbre of her voice made Justin perk up. A grin stretched across his face. “If I lie down with you,” he said, “I don’t think either of us is going to get much rest.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Savannah smiled impishly. She walked her fingers up the front of his shirt and twisted up a fistful of his collar before dragging him in for a kiss.
Justin let out a soft laugh but still allowed himself to be pulled close and was more than happy to kiss those voluptuous lips. Savannah leaned back and he followed her down. He felt her arms and legs wrap around him as he stretched out on top of her, her body so plush beneath him. Her tongue welcomed his, her fingers threading through his hair.
What happened earlier in the kitchen had been rushed, an urgency driven by primal need. Now, Justin wanted to take his time. He wanted to pleasure this amazing woman, to savor every moment with her. He sat up long enough to strip off his shirt and throw it aside. Savannah seemed to appreciate the view, her eyes widening slightly before her hands pressed against the hard muscle of his chest. She followed the path of his body hair down to the button on his jeans, taking the initiative to get them open.
Bonded to the Alpha Wolf: Paranormal Bad Boy Werewolf Interracial BBW BWWM Witch Romance Page 8