As Derrick started to pull out of the driveway, Grant scooped Talia up and carried her inside. She buried her face against his chest and sighed deeply.
Shaking his head, he took her to her bedroom and stretched her out on her bed. Wearing that skin tight dress and fuck-me heels, she looked like pure sex. It was hard not to stare or to imagine how differently tonight should have turned ou. The woman was absolute perfection. With her eyes closed and her steady breathing, she looked so peaceful, innocent even. Not raging mad at him at least.
His chest ached as he stared at her so he tore his gaze from her face and focused on what he needed to do. After taking off her heels, he pulled the cover up over her. He didn’t bother with taking her dress off. Not because he didn’t trust himself, but because he didn’t want to be faced with the torture of seeing her naked body and not being able to do a thing about it. Hell, even if she was awake he wouldn’t be able to do anything about it anyway considering how pissed she was at him.
He’d wanted to talk to her, but that obviously wasn’t happening tonight. Though he was tempted to stretch out next to her, he headed for the living room. He wasn’t going to piss her off even more and if she woke up and saw his face, he knew exactly what kind of reaction he’d get. But damn, if they didn’t fix this soon he’d go crazy.
Chapter Two
Talia opened her eyes and groaned. Her head ached and when she looked down at herself she realized she still wore the dress she’d gone out in last night. Freaking perfect. Trying not to move her head too much, she sat up and stripped off her clothes. The place they’d gone to last night had been high end—even if some of the things she’d seen had freaked her out a little—but it had still been a smoking bar and she reeked of smoke. After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she slipped on her comfy terrycloth robe. For a moment she thought about jumping in the shower but decided to find coffee instead.
The second she stepped into her kitchen, she froze. Grant sat at her kitchen table sipping a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper. He looked up at her and the heat in his eyes nearly made her stumble. Frowning, she realized there was a bouquet of colorful flowers in the middle of the table. She didn’t remember buying any. No, she hadn’t so those must be from him. That was weird. He never bought her flowers. Blinking, she shook her head. Wasn’t she supposed to be mad at him? As the events of last night and then very early this morning came rushing back, she cringed. She was mad at him. And he was sitting at her table like he totally belonged there. “What are you doing here?” she asked as she stumbled toward the counter and her waiting coffee. At least he’d had the decency to brew a fresh pot.
Inhaling, she savored the scent of the rich Colombian roast.
“I think I should be asking you what the hell you were doing at Klub Kink last night.” There was an edge to his voice she’d never heard before. It was dangerous and almost angry and for some reason she totally wasn’t going to examine, she kind of liked the possessive note in his voice.
She swiveled to look at him then cursed herself for moving too fast. The world spun for a moment but she gained her balance. “Excuse me?” He had no right to question her.
“You heard my question,” he growled, his jaw set.
Okay, now his tone annoyed her. Adrenaline spiked through her, knocking some of her hangover right out of her system. “What I do in my free time is none of your business.”
“Oh, it most definitely is.” Slowly, he stood up and set his cup on the table. His voice might be angry, but the way his gaze roved her robed body—like he was hungry for her—made her falter slightly.
In an effort to mask her insecurity, she snorted and turned back to the coffee. “I don’t know why you’re here and I don’t really care,” she said as she poured a cup. “I said everything I needed to say last night. Those flowers are nice but they don’t change anything.” Talia might be pleased he’d bought them for her, but she wasn’t going to tell him that.
She turned around to find him less than a foot away from her. She sucked in a deep breath. Nearly sloshing the coffee, she set it back down with a shaky hand. She hadn’t even heard him move. Why did he have to smell so good? Her eyes grew heavy for a moment as his scent messed with her head. It was earthy and spicy and made her dream about sex. Hot, raw primal sex that left her panting for more.
“Did you enjoy yourself last night?” he asked in a deceptively soft voice as he stepped closer. Using his big body, he effectively caged her in. When he placed both hands on either side of her, she hated that the first instinct she had was to hoist herself up against him and wrap her legs around his waist. Then she’d run her fingers up and down that muscular chest of his with abandon. She inwardly groaned at her thoughts. Her body was a traitorous bitch.
Instead of doing that, she placed a hand on his chest and slightly pushed. He didn’t budge, and his heart was racing beneath her palm. She wasn’t sure what that was about but she didn’t push again. Instead she yanked her hand back and glared at him. “I had a great time last night.”
Something predatory flashed in his eyes. “I’ll just bet you did. If it wasn’t for Derrick bringing you home, God knows how you’d have gotten here. Anything could have happened to you. Anyone could have taken you home! What the hell were you thinking?” Now he was shouting.
She hated that he was right because she’d had the very same thoughts last night as she slid into the passenger seat of Derrick’s car. Sarah had decided to hook up with some guy and if Derrick hadn’t been there, Talia would have called Grant. He might be a lot of things but he’d never have left her stranded at a club.
She still couldn’t believe how fast she’d gotten drunk, but she hadn’t eaten dinner and it had been a long time since she’d had that much to drink. Usually her life was so consumed with work, school and lately, Grant, so everything else took a back seat. But she sure as hell didn’t need a lecture from him, especially when her skull was threatening to come apart. “I was thinking I’m a grown-ass woman and can do whatever I want.”
“Oh yeah, when I carried you to bed last night you really seemed like a grownup.”
Gritting her teeth, she didn’t back down. “You’re not my father and you’re sure as hell not my boyfriend so what the hell is your problem? If you stuck around to lecture me this morning you can get out. Actually, I don’t care why you’re here. Get out anyway. I’ve got a massive headache and just looking at you right now makes me so mad.”
His dark eyes flared and for a moment it almost looked like they changed to dark amber. Sometimes they seemed to do that, usually when he was turned on, and it always stunned her. But when she blinked, she realized it was the light playing tricks on her.
“If I’m not your boyfriend, then what am I?” Oh yeah. He was definitely growling now.
She shrugged and for the first time since he’d caged her in with his body, she was nervous. Not because she was afraid of him, but because she didn’t like where this conversation was going and she felt trapped. “You’re my boss,” she whispered and instantly hated how shaky her voice was.
He didn’t speak for a long moment. Just stared at her with those dark eyes, as if searching her face for something. Her heart pounded wildly against her chest and she cursed the heat that pooled low in her belly. Whenever he shifted that hot gaze her way, she turned to absolute mush. Even now was no different.
She sucked in a deep breath when he leaned closer. His erection pressed against her belly but it was the only part of him that touched her. His face slid close to hers and his breath was hot against her cheek. But he still didn’t touch her anywhere else.
“If you’d wanted to go to a bondage club, I’d have gladly taken you,” he murmured against her ear.
Her nipples tingled at his words. She had no interest in ever going back there but the sudden vision of her tied up and at Grant’s mercy made heat surge through her like a tidal wave. He was so close she had to restrain herself from leaning in farther and inhaling that spicy,
earthy scent that was all Grant and rubbing up against him like some sort of cat in heat.
Before she could respond, he’d backed up and was across the room in seconds. She had to blink, he’d moved so fast. It almost seemed like the man moved with a supernatural grace and speed. Blinking, she shook her head. He palmed his keys and fixed those dark eyes on her again. “I’ll see you at the bar tonight.”
Then he was gone.
Her heart pounded erratically long after he’d left. She wasn’t sure what to make of his last couple comments. She hadn’t wanted to go to that bondage club last night and while it had been fun and something new, she had no desire to go again. Unless of course, she was with Grant. Then things might get interesting.
But what the hell did he mean he’d see her at the bar tonight? She bartended Saturdays but he rarely came in. He had too many places to oversee. Yet something about his tone put her on edge. He’d sounded like he planned to hang out there but that had to be wrong.
Or at least she hoped it was. Right now she felt so off-kilter the thought of being under that watchful gaze all night was too much to deal with.
* * * * *
Grant wasn’t looking directly at the bar Talia was working behind but he could see her in his peripheral vision. And he didn’t like what he saw. Sometimes he came in to see her on the weekends but it usually served a dual purpose. He liked checking up on all his businesses even though he trusted his various managers.
When he and Talia had gotten involved he’d promised he wouldn’t bug her at work. Mainly for his own sanity. Even when they hadn’t been sleeping together he’d avoided visiting where she worked too much because watching her was addictive. He didn’t like the way men stared at her and his inner wolf always threatened to take over when he witnessed it.
Normally she engaged in light flirting—which she denied and instead called being friendly to customers—but tonight, she was definitely flirting. Outrageously. With everyone. Because she damn well knew he was watching.
“You and Talia have a fight or something?” Max, the manager, and one of his oldest friends, came to stand next to Grant as he lounged at one of the high-top tables near the main bar.
He flicked a glance at him. “Is it that obvious?”
A smile tugged at the corner of Max’s normally grim lips. “You’ve been glaring holes into the backs of anyone who gets too close to her all night. And she’s been effectively ignoring you—all night. Normally she can’t keep her eyes off you when you’re in here. Even before you guys started sleeping together she used to stare at you when she thought you weren’t looking.”
“We’re more than just sleeping together.” He took a quick swig of the beer that had turned warm well over twenty minutes ago. Cringing, he slammed it down with more force than necessary.
“Are you?”
He glared at his friend. “What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”
Max shrugged in that maddeningly calm way of his. “Women, regardless of species, like to know they matter for more than just sex.”
What the fuck? “I don’t need advice from you.” He clenched and unclenched his fists as he stared out at the people gyrating across the dance floor. It didn’t matter that he tried to use the sight of their writhing bodies as a distraction; he could still see Talia moving around behind the bar. And all he wanted to do was go over and talk to her. Apologize for being an ass and make things right between them. But the thought of her rejection pierced him in a way he didn’t fully understand.
Max snorted then glanced at his watch. “I’m going to send Talia to the cooler to grab a case of beer.”
Immediately Grant turned. “Get one of the bouncers to do it.” Max might be the manager but Grant owned the place. He didn’t care if it was part of her job description and he didn’t care if it was totally archaic. He just wanted to take care of her. She shouldn’t be lifting heavy shit from the back.
“If I send her I can have one of the guys cover the bar for a while.” He lifted a dark eyebrow and looked at Grant pointedly.
Grant kept his face impassive and shrugged even though inside his inner wolf howled in approval. He needed to talk to Talia and if he had to corner her in the cooler to do it, he would. Whatever was going on with them was definitely his fault, but if he could remind her how good things had been between them he had a chance to make it up to her and convince her to give them another shot.
Somehow he kept his attention away from the bar while Max walked over and inspected the mini coolers beneath it. Even with the noise of the crowd and a loud Garth Brooks song playing in the background he could hear Max ask Talia to head to the cooler in the back.
The moment he saw her disappear through the swinging doors toward the kitchen, he was off his seat and making a beeline for the back. One of the employees said hi and tried to stop him but he ignored everyone as he shoved through the doors.
The silver cooler door was slightly propped open so he slipped inside and silently pulled it shut behind him. For a moment all he could do was stare at Talia’s beautiful round ass as she bent over. She wore black, body-hugging pants and a skintight black tank top tonight. Her long midnight hair was tied in a ponytail that fell down her back in a soft, shiny waterfall that almost touched her ass.
She grunted as she started to pull out one of the cases on the bottom shelf and he couldn’t help it.
He groaned.
Immediately she swiveled and stood up. Her green eyes briefly flashed with lust before she masked it. Well, her face became a mask, but the sweet scent of desire she emanated wrapped around him like a soft caress. “What are you going in here?” Her voice was a husky whisper.
Despite the heat and need racing through him, he casually leaned against one of the metal shelves lining the enclosed space. “I wanted to see you.”
“Oh.” She bit her bottom lip and compared to this morning, she seemed almost nervous.
“Remember our first kiss?” He dropped his own voice a couple octaves.
Nodding slowly, she wrapped her arms around herself as her cheeks tinged bright pink.
Their first kiss had been in this cooler of all places. After dancing around their attraction to each other for almost a full year he’d decided to stake his claim on her. She’d been getting something from the back and he’d come in here under the guise of doing the same. He still wasn’t sure who’d made the first move. One instant she’d been staring at him with those big green eyes and for the first time since he’d met her, the scent of her lust had nearly bowled him over.
Then they were all over each other. Touching, kissing, groping like two teenagers. That night had been the first night they’d had sex too. After she’d made him promise that whatever was going on between them wouldn’t affect her job if things ended. She’d made him swear and when he’d given his word, the trust he’d seen in her eyes had nearly undone him.
After he’d tasted her, he’d known she was it for him. He wasn’t sure how he knew, but his inner wolf and his human side had been in full agreement. Talia was the only one for him.
He hadn’t realized he’d covered the distance between them but suddenly he was standing directly in front of her. Reaching out, he cupped her smooth cheek and thankfully she didn’t pull away.
Her arms dropped from their defensive stance but nervousness filled her gaze. “I can’t do this with you.” There was a desperation in her voice that shredded his insides.
God, had he treated her so bad this past month? But deep down he knew he needed to make some changes and actually show her how much she meant to him. “I can smell your desire.”
For a fraction of a second she looked confused, then she shook her head. Her lips pulled up in slight amusement. “You so cannot,” she whispered, but she didn’t pull away when he leaned even closer.
Oh, but he could. It made his canines ache with the need to take her hard and fast and sink his canines into the soft flesh of her neck and mark her as his. That need had been building insid
e him from the moment they’d met. He’d always held off, kept his control. Until now. Now he was barely hanging on.
Knowing Talia might walk away from him, something dark inside him told him to claim her, mark her. Take what he wanted before it was too late. But he couldn’t. Not if he wanted to live with himself.
Wordlessly, he kept moving until his lips touched hers. When she moaned into his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck, something primal inside him calmed. At least she still wanted him physically. If he had to use that to his advantage, so be it.
Her tongue dipped inside his mouth frantically as their bodies meshed and his own tongue fervently stroked against hers. As her fingers dug into his shoulders, he blindly reached for the hem of her top. “I need to see you,” he rasped out.
Now probably wasn’t the time or place but he hoped Max had enough sense to deter anyone from coming to the cooler. If he didn’t, Grant would be kicking some serious ass later.
In seconds he had her tank top pulled over her head. Sucking in a breath, he stared at the lace cups covering her small breasts. It didn’t matter that he’d seen them too many times to count, every time she bared herself to him, his entire body flared to life. He wanted to take all she had to offer, then give her the pleasure she deserved.
“We can’t do this in here.” Talia’s urgent whisper brought his gaze back up to her face. Her green eyes were wide but he could see the lie in her eyes. She wanted this as much as he did.
Keeping his eyes on her, he reached behind her and unclasped the bra. Sliding it down her arms, he sucked in another breath once those perfect pink nipples were revealed to him. They were rock hard, probably partially from the cold, but the hitch in her breathing and the increase in her heartbeat told him how turned on she was. And she didn’t make a move to cover herself as he tossed the bra away.
“I own this place, sweetheart. We can do whatever the hell we want.” In his lust-clouded brain he figured those were the most words he was going to get out tonight.
Taming the Alpha Page 2