Wolf Charming (Iron Hills Pack, #1)

by Jessica Coulter Smith

“I can do that. Will you be at the diner in the morning?”

  “That’s not a date, Weston.”

  He smiled. “I just wondered if I’d get to see you again. I don’t see how you work in that place. I always need dead silence to get anything done, or I get a headache.”

  “The chatter around me is just background noise. It’s like the hum of a white noise machine or something. Once I’m focused on my book, not much bothers me. It’s like the world around me ceases to exist during the hours I’m working.”

  “Then I’ll see you in the morning.” He paused a moment and leaned down to brush a kiss against her cheek. Her skin hummed from the contact, and she had to force herself to remain strong and not melt into his arms like some lovesick fool.

  She locked up behind him and rested her head against the door. The man had ignored her for years, and suddenly, he was everywhere she went. The complete turnaround was enough to give her whiplash, but she had to admit that having Weston’s attention wasn’t so bad. A career killer maybe, but he’d meant well. And if his strategy about her writing worked, then maybe she could be a full-time author before the end of the year.

  Chapter Six

  Weston couldn’t believe how badly he’d fucked up. Abril was an independent woman, and he’d cost her a job that was essential to her. It hadn’t been his intention, and he couldn’t say he was really all that sorry she wouldn’t be working at the Blue Coyote anymore. No way did she enjoy getting groped by drunks every night. He just needed to come up with another way for her to make money to cover her expenses until he could convince her to move in with him.

  Now that he’d determined he was going to accept Abril as his mate, and not avoid her anymore, it seemed that things wouldn’t move fast enough. He’d wanted to do more than kiss her cheek, but he was trying to take things slow. She deserved a bit of romancing. They had their entire lives together so taking a few extra days to show her a little attention wasn’t going to hurt anything. He might have the worst case of blue balls ever, but he’d manage.

  Never before had he realized how empty his home felt. It was large and comfortable, but the four-bedroom space was far too large for just one wolf. When he’d bought the place, he’d had visions of having a family. Then he’d discovered how young his mate was and he’d killed the idea of having a family. But if things went well with Abril, maybe those rooms would be filled before too long. Not that he was going to treat her like a brood mare, but he hoped she wanted kids.

  He spent several hours trying to come up with ways for Abril to earn a living. Her writing was her best option, but he knew it would be a while before she saw the money from those efforts. She obviously needed a more immediate solution. Something that would give her time to write, but give her a steady income. Nothing part-time around town would pay very much, and she had to remain close to home since she didn’t have a car.

  “What the fuck am I going to do about you, Abril?” he muttered.

  He took in the chaos of his office and an idea started to form. She was creative and understood the writing process. What if he hired her as his personal assistant? It would give them more time together, give her a steady paycheck, and he could let her set her own hours. It wasn’t like he had a 9-5 job. He could adapt his schedule to hers without any problem.

  Not having a first clue what the standard pay was for a PA, he did a little research and came up with a list of tasks and a monetary amount he thought was fair. Or rather, something she would actually accept. He’d have paid her twice as much, but something told him she’d balk. He was proud of her for wanting to take care of herself, but her stubborn pride could cause issues.

  The clock on the wall told him that she’d already been at the diner for a few hours and would possibly be leaving soon. Pitching his idea in neutral territory was probably his best bet. He snatched his keys off the hall table and hauled ass to the diner. She was just closing her laptop when he slid into the seat across from her.

  “I thought you weren’t coming,” she said.

  “I had some stuff to do this morning. And I have a job offer for you.”

  She arched a brow. “Sex slave is not on my resume.”

  Weston cracked a smile. “I was thinking more along the lines of personal assistant. I spend so much time working that I never have the time to organize my office. You could help with that, keep me on track as far as deadlines go, and I could walk you through updating my social media accounts. It would free up a lot of my time and let me focus on my books. And you could set your own hours.”

  “This sounds like a job you made up to ease your guilty conscience.”

  She wasn’t too far off.

  “It’s a legitimate job, and if you look online, you’ll see a lot of authors use assistants. I also thought it would give us some time to get better acquainted. I have no problem taking you on dates, but if you worked for me, then we’d spend time with each other every day.”

  “You’re serious?”

  He pulled out his phone and entered a number on the screen before showing it to her. “I’ll pay you this much per hour, and you can determine how many hours you want to work each week. I think you’ll need at least fifteen hours to get everything done. If you like the job, I’ll put you in contact with my marketing person, and the two of you can work together to set up some book tours for me. I know you’d make more at the bar, but you won’t have to worry about guys grabbing your ass with this job.”

  She smiled a little. “Well, I wouldn’t mind my boss grabbing my ass every now and then.”

  “So you’ll do it?”

  She nodded.

  “You let me know what hours you want to work, and I’ll pick you up and take you to my place. Then I’ll drop you back home when you’re done.”

  “I don’t usually do anything when I get home from working here every morning. I know you like to have breakfast with your brother here, why don’t you just plan to take me home from here? I could work four hours at your place then go home for the night.”

  Or he could convince her to stay for dinner. He hadn’t told her as much, but being his PA would help her out as well. She would learn the tools she needed to help her books succeed since it seemed her publisher wasn’t giving her much in the way of support. But then every company worked differently from each other. And he’d be willing to bet that Abril hadn’t learned the lesson he’d been taught with his first book. You can’t trust everyone, and you shouldn’t necessarily sign the first contract you receive.

  The more he thought about a future with her, the more excited he became. And not just because he wanted her in his bed. He looked forward to the nights or mornings when they could write together, and the discussions they could have about current market trends. He’d never really shared that part of his life with anyone before. The women who had graced his bed over the years had been after a good time, and a few had been after something more, but none had been intellectually stimulating. With Abril, he not only had a sexy mate, but he’d found someone he could talk to.

  “Why don’t you come home with me now and you can check out my office to get an idea of what you’re going to face tomorrow? If you want to swing by your place first and pick up a swimsuit, we can hang out by the pool afterward and maybe order some pizza for lunch.”

  She smiled. “Is this your way of luring me to your home so you can have your wicked way with me?”

  He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “If I wanted to have my wicked way with you, I wouldn’t necessarily wait until we were at my home.”

  Her cheeks flushed, and she squirmed in her seat. He liked watching her blush and wondered if any other parts of her turned red.

  “I don’t have a swimsuit,” she admitted.

  He bounced his eyebrows up and down. “You could always go skinny dipping.”

  She laughed and shook her head, probably unsure if he was serious or not. Weston smiled at her and winked.

  “We’ll stop by the store on the way to the house a
nd let you pick out something. The skimpier, the better, of course. And the offer to skinny dip still stands. Hell, feel free to wander the house naked at any time.”

  He wasn’t opposed to the idea, that was for sure. Hell, he’d never get another word written if she decided to work naked, but he’d enjoy the view. In all his dealings with women, he’d never felt as playful as he did with Abril. Now that he’d decided to let go, to stop fighting his feelings and the urgent need to claim her, he felt freer than he had in a long time. The revolving bedroom door had only allowed one type of woman to enter. The vapid type who never questioned him, didn’t care if he smiled or laughed with them, and never wanted more than his wallet and a good time. Abril, with her innocence, was breaking down all of his barriers. One by one, the walls around his heart were crumbling to dust. One crook of her finger and he worship at her feet.

  “All right. It sounds like fun.” She finished packing her stuff and stood. “But if you’re ordering pizza, I’m demanding breadsticks too. And a few gallons of soda. I haven’t had ­anything but water and coffee for longer than I can remember.”

  “You can get soda at the store and pick any kind you want. I’ve never developed a taste for it, but you tell me what kind you like, and I’ll keep the fridge stocked.”

  She could have whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted it. He didn’t care if he had to special order some rare fruit that only grew on a mountain in China during the first rain of spring when it fell on April 1st. And the thing he loved most was that even if she knew that he would give her anything she wanted, she still probably would want to earn the money to buy it herself. He could offer her every cent in his bank account, and she wouldn’t take it. Abril didn’t want him for his wallet. If she came to his bed, it would only be because she truly wanted to be there.

  Despite their age difference, he was quickly learning that the fates had chosen wisely when they had selected his mate.

  Chapter Seven

  Abril surveyed the mess that Weston called an office and wondered if maybe she should have asked for more money. She’d never seen such chaos before, and had no idea how he functioned. All she had at home was a rickety desk in the corner of her living room, but it was neat and tidy. It looked like a volcano had erupted, spewing papers over every flat surface in Weston’s office, even spilling over onto the floor. Books, some opened and some closed, were stacked all over the place. Multi-hued sticky notes plastered the walls and piles.

  “You actually work in here?” she asked. How could he even find his keyboard in this mess?

  “I suppose it’s gotten a bit out of hand. Whatever you need to get it organized, I can order and have delivered the next day. A lot of this is research from previous novels, and some of it is research for my current book. I’ll have to help you figure out which is which.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Once this place is cleaned up, I think there’s room for another desk in here. You could have your own workplace, that way if you have questions about anything, I’m right here to answer them.”

  She looked around the room again. He was right, once it was cleaned up, there would be plenty of room for another desk. She was a little giddy over the prospect of getting to work so closely with him. Weston was the first author she’d ever met in person. She couldn’t wait to discuss books with him or talk about his writing process. Although looking at his office, she would assume his process wasn’t as organized as hers.

  “Why don’t you go change and we’ll hang out by the pool for a bit. Whenever you’re ready for lunch, I’ll order the pizza. You can have whatever kind you want.” He placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her through the house. “Bathroom is through here.”

  His downstairs bath, even just holding a toilet and sink, was almost as big as her only bathroom. His home was impressive and more spacious than any home she’d visited before. Abril changed into her new two-piece swimsuit and wandered through the house until she found the French doors leading out to the pool. Weston was nowhere to be seen, and she assumed he was changing.

  Pushing open the doors, she stepped out onto the flagstones and marveled at his lush backyard. She’d never seen so many plants in one place before. Abril fingered the pretty purple blossoms of the closest one and smiled. She walked around the yard before dipping her toes into the shallow end of the pool. The water was nice and cool, the exact opposite of the sultry September day. She’d hoped the temperature would have dropped by now, but it seemed Mother Nature had other ideas.

  “Are you one of those types who ease into a pool?” Weston asked as he came up behind her.

  “I don’t know. I’ve never been in one before.”

  His eyes widened. “Never? You mean you can’t swim?”

  She shook her head. “I won’t venture out of the shallow end, though. No worries about me drowning.”

  Abril walked down the pool steps until she was waist deep in the water. Weston sat on the edge and dangled his feet into the blue depths, watching her. She supposed she was something of a freak for reaching the age of twenty-one and never having been in a pool. There hadn’t exactly been an opportunity at the trailer park, and her apartment building didn’t have one.

  The water swirled around her body, and she skimmed her hands over the surface. The ripples created small waves that lapped against the sides of the pool. As covertly as possible, she studied Weston. She’d been correct in assuming his polo shirts were hiding some serious muscles. His broad chest led to a tapered waist with washboard abs. While his biceps had strained the sleeves of his shirts, she hadn’t realized exactly how big they were until now. If he wanted, he could probably snap her in two.

  Abril ventured a little closer, her fingers itching to touch him. His gaze warmed as she drew closer, but he held perfectly still, almost as if he were afraid he’d spook her if he moved. She didn’t stop until she stood between his legs, looking up at him. Her hands trembled as she placed them on his thighs and she felt him tense.

  “Weston, you said I’m your mate, right?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “But you haven’t tried to kiss me.”

  “Do you want me to? I figured you’d need more time.”

  Abril reached up and tugged until he slid off the side and into the pool. She braced her hands on his waist and wondered if she had the guts to make the first move. Weston was going to be her first real kiss. She didn’t count the slobbery assault that Parker Evans had forced on her in high school.

  Weston touched her reverently, his callused fingers skimming her sides. Abril moved closer until her body was brushing his. It was the closest she’d ever been to a man before, and her heart raced in her chest. She licked her lips as he lowered his head, and the moment his mouth brushed hers, her knees went weak.

  His arms came around her, holding her close as he deepened the kiss. Abril’s breath caught in her throat as his tongue stroked hers. His taste was addicting, and she wished the kiss could last forever. It suddenly felt much hotter than it had before. Weston pulled away, and Abril fought to remain upright. There was such heat in his eyes that she wished he’d take things further.

  With shaky hands, she reached up and untied her top, letting it drop to the water’s surface. His lips parted, and his eyes darkened. Weston cupped her breasts and stroked her nipples with his thumbs; they peaked from his touch. Weston sank to his knees and took a hardened tip into his mouth, laving it with his tongue. Abril sank her fingers into his hair and held him closer. She’d never felt anything so wonderful before, and she didn’t want the sensations to end. Weston lavished attention on first one side and then the other. Her core pulsed with need, and she squeezed her thighs together to ease the ache.

  “Th-there’s something you need to know,” she stammered. “I’ve never done this before.”

  He stopped to meet her gaze. “Never?”

  She shook her head. “Until you, I’ve never even kissed anyone. I hope I did it right.”

  Weston pressed a kiss to
her lips. “You did it just right. But one thing is for certain, I’m not going to let your first time be in a pool. I’m going to take care of you, but I’m not claiming you out here.”

  She didn’t know what he meant by “take care of her,” but she was anxious to find out. Weston slid his hands down her sides and removed her bottoms before lifting her onto the side of the pool. He pushed her thighs wide and stared at her a moment.

  “So beautiful,” he murmured.

  His fingers stroked her, and Abril hoped he’d never stop. Her own fingers didn’t feel half as incredible as his did. His fingers held her open as he leaned forward and fastened his mouth on her clit. Abril cried out and leaned back on her hands, thrusting her hips forward. Weston pulled her ass to the edge of the pool and feasted on her like a starving man.

  Her body trembled as her orgasm crested. Abril cried out his name as she rode his tongue. Having come harder than ever before, she blinked at Weston and wondered why he was a little blurry. For a moment, she’d have sworn she saw stars. So that’s what he’d meant about taking care of her. She’d read about men doing that to a woman, but she’d never thought she would experience it. And now that she had, she wanted more.

  Weston kissed her thigh, her belly, and then claimed her lips. She could taste herself on him and desire curled low in her belly. It didn’t matter to her if her first time was in a bed or out amongst the flowering plants. All she knew was that she wanted Weston, and she wanted him now.

  “Make love to me,” she said softly. “I don’t need a bed or anything special. I just need you.”

  “There are things about me you should probably know before we take things any further. If you’re expecting vanilla rated sex, you’re not going to find that with me.”

  She arched a brow. “Are you into whips or chains?”

  “No.” He smiled. “But I would like to restrain you, then feed you my cock until I come down your throat and make you suck me until I’m hard again.”