by Layla Nash
She started to say something but instead he moved into the dance, the footwork coming naturally even though she jumped to catch up. Her face reddened and her eyes widened, and Ruby again started to chastise him, so Carter dipped her.
She laughed in surprise and some of the other patrons started to pay attention. Ruby's fingers dug into his shoulder as he whipped her back up and spun her out to the end of his grip. She gave him a look, and he winked before yanking her back toward him. Carter breathed her in, reveled in the feeling of her pressed against him, the way her breath caught when his hand at her back and the rest of his body prevented her from taking the lead. She wanted to lead – he could feel it with practically every step. Especially on the slow part of the dance, when they were pressed face to face– she tried for distance or to force him to go contrary to the dance. But he met every challenge and led her through every beat, occasionally letting himself appreciate the soft strength of her body and the hint of vanilla perfume. His lion purred, very low so it blended in with the music, but he knew she heard it.
As he pulled her close once more, her cheek brushed his and she whispered, "Kaiser said you were more dangerous for me than Evershaw. I think he's right."
Carter moved through the dance and then carefully dipped her once more as the tango ended, so he was looking down at her as the applause started and he could say, "Love is uncertain, not dangerous."
"You don't love me," she said, but she blushed as he pulled her upright and smiled at the other patrons. A few others decided to try the dance floor, so Carter led the way back to their table.
He pulled out her chair and studied her flushed cheeks, the way her hands trembled as she reached for her napkin. His fingers trailed across her forearm as he went back to his seat, the faint sound of her pulse thrumming in her throat distracting him. "How do you know?"
"Carter." The way she said his name, half laughing and half exasperated, drove him crazy. Drove the lion almost into a frenzy. He wanted to hear her say his name with breathy moans of desperation, calling for him to take her. Ruby didn't seem to notice, only shaking her head. "In literally a day and a half, you decide you love me?"
"I've loved you a lot longer than that," he said, more than a little nervous that admitting this would backfire on him. But nothing ventured, nothing gained. He just prayed the waiter didn't interrupt again. "I chose not to say something because you focused on the pack and building your business and it wasn't a good time."
"What changed?"
He tried not to smile. "You did."
Ruby snorted but patted under her eyes quickly, shaking her head. "Now I know you're crazy."
"Crazy about you, maybe." Carter sipped his wine and just watched her, content to have her close.
She couldn't tolerate the unfilled silence and abruptly stood. "Excuse me for a moment."
He half-stood from the table as she turned on her heel and marched toward the ladies' room, and Carter watched her go. She still projected confidence. She owned that room, and only deigned to let everyone else sit there because she didn't mind. He smiled and ordered another bottle of wine.
Chapter 7
I thanked my lucky stars there wasn't a bathroom attendant, so at least I could pee and compose myself in peace. The tango stayed with me, though – the feeling of Carter's hand on my back, the strength in him as he took control and led through the dance. My heart still raced from the music, the warmth of his body, the scent of his cologne.
I paced inside the bathroom, unable to look at myself in the mirror. I'd bought the black dress months ago for a formal event but never wore it. I chickened out at the last minute and wore an old standby outfit, much more utilitarian and far less sexy. Some fit of craziness had me pull the sexy black dress, low cut and clingy, out of the back of the closet for my date with Carter.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid," I chanted, squeezing my eyes shut. I'd planned to break it off, to tell Carter it wouldn't work and we shouldn't even pretend to give this a shot. But part of me wanted what he offered. He was right, at least. A non-wolf wouldn't challenge my status in the pack. I took a deep breath and tried to get myself together. Just because he wasn't a wolf didn't mean this would work. He made me vulnerable. He made me think and do things I wouldn't normally do, and that would jeopardize my standing with the pack. It would give Evershaw another way to undermine us in front of the Council and the rest of the wolves. Publicly dating Carter could be the beginning of the end.
Except he said he loved me. Said he'd loved me for a while but didn't dare say anything. My mouth dried as panic surged in my chest. He loved me. Carter Chase loved me. Quiet, sweet, Carter. Who actually looked at the spreadsheets I'd brought from the bar. Who asked me to dance, and stood up from the table when I fled like a coward. Polite Carter, who never boasted, or blustered, or beat his chest to get attention. Who was fine with not being alpha — who didn't want to be alpha. I couldn't swallow.
It didn't make sense, he and I being together. It didn't. Edgar, maybe. But Carter was too nice. I washed my hands for the second time to buy time to think. I hated feeling so off-balance, and I knew if I went back to the table without getting my shit together, I'd say or do something I would regret later. But my thoughts kept drifting back to the feeling of being in his arms, his hips and shoulders whirling us across the dance floor. It had been a long time since I felt so delicate and protected. Charmed.
"Get it together," I told myself in the mirror. For fuck's sake, I was the alpha of BloodMoon pack. I couldn't afford to be indecisive and off-balance. Make a decision. Just make a decision and commit to it. I wanted to splash water on my face to knock some sense into me, but didn't dare.
I double-checked my cleavage in the mirror, glanced over my shoulder to make sure the dress wasn't tucked in itself and leaving my ass hanging out, and strode back into the restaurant. I could handle this.
But as I approached the table and Carter stood once more to pull out my chair, my resolve and my knees wobbled. He looked like perfection in his tailored suit. Like arm candy I'd custom-ordered, with sandy blonde hair and milk chocolate eyes and a mischievous half-smile that made my heart speed up. Damn it. And for the first time, my wolf sat up and took notice. She liked him, too. Wanted him to chase us.
Heat rushed to my face as I sat, muttering a thank you to him, and I braced my hands on the table as I stared down at my plate. My resolve wavered as I looked up.
Carter nodded at the food. "They just brought the entrees, so everything should be hot. If it isn't, I'll call him back."
I didn't want to talk about the food, but my stomach rumbled and I cut into the steak. Maybe a little protein would magic up some fortitude for me. He watched me as he tasted his own food, and for a moment, his mouth distracted me, and I wondered what it would feel like to have his lips pressed against my throat. On my breasts, my stomach.
I cleared my throat and tried not to think of that as I patted my lips with the napkin. "Here's the thing."
His smile grew a touch, and he arranged the utensils on his plate. "Oh?"
"I like you, too." The words slipped out before I could second-guess myself as my heart tried to break through my ribs. Even though he'd already said he loved me, admitting I liked him as well still terrified the shit out of me. I gripped the table so I wouldn't fly apart from nervous energy. "And I think…I think I want to give this a try. But there have to be rules. I have to protect my pack first, and everything else comes second."
Carter frowned in thought as he studied me, head tilted to the side. "I would never do anything to harm your pack, Ruby."
God, I loved when he said my name. It made shivers run all the way through me, landing like a caress against my thigh. "Not deliberately. But things happen. If people know we're close, they might try to use you against me. Or use you to get to me. So I'd rather we have a…trial run. Private. Not openly be together but try it out to see if it might actually work."
"I don't like the idea of keeping secrets from my family o
r yours," he said. "And while I understand your hesitation, I've had enough experience keeping people away from Logan and Edgar that I'm pretty sure I'll recognize if someone tries to use me to get to you."
"Please," I said, and hated the uncertainty. I wanted him. I wanted to feel like I had during the tango, when his heart beat against my chest, his fingers were rough on my back, his legs turning and twisting me until I was totally lost. I wanted to be tangled up with him, wanted the promise of what he'd said the night before – letting someone else take control. Letting him take control. I took a deep breath. "Carter, I need a little time before I go public. Okay? If only to figure out the pack stuff."
"I'll go with it," he said, rubbing his jaw. "But we should set a time limit, okay? Give it two weeks, and if we're still in it, we go public. If not, we agree to part ways, no feelings hurt, and nothing left unsaid. Agreed?"
"Agreed." I finished the rest of my wine and loved him even more when he picked up the new bottle to refill my glass. Bless his little heart. Liquid courage helped me get the next part out. "And I don't want you to interfere in any pack business."
"Why would you think I would —"
"Because I know how you lions work." I leveled a no-bullshit look at him. "And if something comes up, you won't be able to help yourself if you think your mate is in trouble. Except the second you involve yourself on my behalf, you undermine my standing in the pack. You absolutely cannot…what?"
He'd started smiling and heat kindled in his gaze. "If my mate is in trouble, no, I won't be able to help myself."
Shit. I swallowed an immediate denial and fumbled for new words, furious with myself that he could put me so off-balance with just a look. My wolf didn't mind. She wanted to test how much he wanted us. "You know what I meant, Carter."
"I do." His smile twitched a little wider even as he tried to hide it behind his wine glass. "And I promise I won't interfere with any of your pack business. Unless your life is threatened. Then, I will absolutely do everything in my power to defend you, and there is nothing in the universe you could say that would convince me to watch you die. Mates protect each other."
My cheeks burned. I looked away as a knot grew in my throat. After getting accustomed to every single man I ran into being a threat, or a challenge, or just an obstacle, to have him say with such calm confidence that I was his mate and he would protect me, shifted the foundation under me. He re-set the world with just a sentence and a smile. I cleared my throat and managed to go on. "Fine. But I can't have you interfering with pack business, especially since Logan is so involved with the Council. If there's a dispute, I stand on my own."
He sighed and sat back in his chair. "Ruby, you're killing me. What good am I as a mate unless I can stand with you?"
"I need to know you're..." I trailed off, uncertain. I rubbed my temples and leaned forward, dropping my voice in case any shifters were mixed in among the humans, and someone might overhear. "I don't need an attack dog, Carter. Rafe is that. He stands beside me when I need to be a total bitch and alpha over the pack, and with the rest of the Council. What I need more, what I need from…you is…a safe place, a soft place to land. Some place where I can relax, where I can be weak or hurt or sad and not have to conceal it. Not have to hide anything. I need someone who will take care of me, and shelter me, and not resent it. Won't lord it over me in public or make jokes about it in front of his friends. I don't know if that's you, if that's something you want to take on, but —"
"I don't know how it is with you wolves," he said, interrupting me so calmly I blinked instead of firing back about him being a rude lion. "But lions groom to show affection. We provide food to show love. We build dens and soft nests for our families."
A knot grew in my throat and my sinuses seemed to have caught fire.
He leaned forward, large hands resting on the table next to mine – not touching, but close enough if I wanted. His voice rumbled in his chest, practically a purr, as he went on. "Since you're upset right now and I don't entirely understand why, I want to take you to my den. I want to run you a hot bath, and get in there with you and clean you. Soap you up until you smell like me. Take you to my bed and put you in it, and sleep next to you. Sleep on top of you so no one will ever hurt you. And then make you food and watch you eat every bite. Give you my clothes to wear. Nap all day long in the hammock on the porch when the sun is just right. Give you a soft place to rest whenever you want it."
My heart thumped. My hands shook a little as I reached for my wine, wondering if I was out of my mind. "Is that all you would do with me?"
The smile fell away but the heat remained in his eyes, until they practically threw sparks. His voice dropped as he touched my fingers. "Not at all, but I don't know if that falls into the ‘soft place to land’ category. That's more along the lines of the ‘nice kind of spanking’ or the ‘fuzzy restraints instead of handcuffs’. Just so you know."
I clenched my thighs against a surge of desire as I imagined him taking me across his knee and spanking my bare ass, blindfolding me, tying my hands to the headboard so he could do whatever he wanted to me. I swallowed and tried for nonchalance. "I'm not sure that —"
"You're turned on by just the thought," he said under his breath, drinking more wine as the waiter approached to ask about dessert. Carter didn't take his eyes off me as he said to the man, "We'll take two of the berries sabayon. To go."
My heart climbed to my throat. As soon as the waiter retreated, Carter leaned across the table to murmur, "I'll be eating most of my dessert off you, but if you want to try yours, you'll have to be a very good girl."
I laughed, more from surprise than amusement, and pressed the tips of my fingers to my mouth to hold the sound back. I managed to say, "I'm not usually good."
"That's okay," he said. He even winked. "More fun for me if you're not."
I choked on the sip of wine I'd dared, and braced myself on the table as I coughed. When he said things like that, I almost couldn't reconcile him with the Carter who just said he wanted to draw me a hot bath and make me breakfast. My voice turned into a croak as I tried to take control back. "My place or yours?"
"Since you don't want the family to know, my place isn't an option. And it's thirty minutes back to the mansion. Your place is closer, but I'm guessing the walls aren't sound-proof."
"No, they're not." I rested my chin on my fist, watching him. This was insane. Absolutely insane. "But I don't really like my neighbors, so I don't mind if we keep them up."
He shook his head in mock disappointment. "So rude and inconsiderate. We might have to adjust your attitude, Ruby."
And again my heart thrilled, my insides tingled, my skin prickled. All I could think of was that tango. The wolf demanded we bite him. Cut to the chase and mark him so every other bitch in the city would know this one was off-limits. We might play around with him and pretend we were helpless, but if anyone looked at him twice, we'd defend our claim. When I smiled, I showed all my teeth so he'd know I meant it.
Chapter 8
Carter drove back to Ruby's apartment as she sat quiet in the seat next to him and held the to-go boxes. Even though the apartment was only a couple of blocks away, it felt like an eternity. She smelled so damn good he could barely keep his hands on the wheel. A hint of lust wafted from her and curled through his senses, driving the lion to near madness. As soon as he started telling her what to do, she got a glint in her eyes that promised a hell of a night. The steering wheel creaked in his grip.
Her phone rang and she answered, listening before she said, "Just leaving dinner. Carter looked at the records. He's going to come up with a plan."
He'd promised no such thing, but she slid him a sideways look and bit her lip, so he knew he would. Carter nodded, trying to hide his smile, and concentrated on the road. She lived downtown, but on the edge of safe neighborhoods. He wondered why she didn't just live over the bar with Rafe. Although he was grateful she didn't, since they would have had to get a hotel room and explaining
that to Logan might have gotten dicey.
Still, he'd meant it when he talked about making her a safe den. And the neighborhood where she lived was not safe. After the two weeks, they'd find some place nicer. A place for both of them, together. He was tired of living in the mansion full-time, and wanted to escape to the city when he needed space.
Ruby shifted in the seat and the skirt of that sexy dress rode up, exposing more of her creamy white thigh. A hint of a tattoo teased. Carter focused on parking the car next to a moderately crappy apartment building. He liked that dress. He really didn't want to ruin it, but his lion wanted to shred the fabric until every naked inch of her was exposed. Covered in berries and chocolate and whipped cream – his dessert.
A growl escaped before he could control himself, and Ruby started to grin. Her fingers trailed across the back of his hand, sending a shock through his entire body. "Penny for your thoughts?"
He put the car in park, killed the engine, and leaned over to drag her mouth to his. He kissed her, hungry, and she made a soft sound and braced her hand against his shoulder. His growl increased as he tasted her, felt the slick heat of her tongue against his, and slid his hand up her side to her cleavage, warm and soft against his palm. Ruby reached for him and almost dumped the dessert on the floorboard. Carter broke the kiss and sat back, struggling to sound normal as he opened his door. "Sorry. Didn't have any pennies."
He took a deep breath of the cool night air, ran a hand through his hair, and walked around the car to open her door. She hadn't bothered to wait, and was half out of the car already. Carter fought back irritation but captured her hand and tucked it in the crook of his arm, keeping her warm for the walk up to her apartment. The wind caught her perfume and it tangled in his brain. He could hear her heart racing as she jiggled the key in the lock and shoved the door open, and he followed close behind.