by Ashlyn Chase
“Work.” Anxious to get rid of him, she said, “Well, you have a good evening.”
“Yeah, I will. My job must be a lot easier than yours, and sometimes I come home dead tired.”
She didn’t care what he meant by that comment. She slogged past him to her apartment door, still looking for her keys. Before she had the key in the lock, she remembered scheduling her girl time with Morgaine for that evening.
“Aw, crap.” All she wanted to do was fall face first on her bed and sleep until morning. But when she thought about it, a nice massage and some aromatherapy might do her a lot of good.
Once in the door, she dropped her purse on the sideboard and hung up her coat, keeping her keys in her hand. She’d ride the elevator to the third floor today, even though ordinarily she’d walk the three flights of stairs and call it exercise.
Heavy footsteps sounded on the stairs. She no sooner relocked her door and spun around than Konrad came into view. First his thick, muscled thighs, then his taut black T-shirt that showed off his abs and pecs, and then his—“What the…”
Konrad’s long, blond hair was gone! His chest and shoulders were no longer covered with a curtain of gold. Instead he sported a tousled style, still longer than most men wore, along with his always present facial scruff.
Holy heck…Roz had never seen him looking so good. Ugh. She must look all the worse because of it.
“Roz!”
Oh no. He spotted me. No chance to duck back in and close the door quietly so he’d never know I was here.
“How’s the ankle?”
“Oh, uh…much better. Thanks.”
“Why do you look so nervous? Is everything all right?”
“You cut your hair. I almost didn’t recognize you.”
He grinned. “Yeah, you like?” He turned his head left and right so she could take in the whole thing. The sides were swept back, but it was hard to say where the rest was going. It certainly wasn’t parted anywhere.
“I love it. When and why did you cut it?”
“A couple hours ago. I was just in the mood for something different.”
“I hope you sent the rest off to Locks of Love. They makes wigs for children with cancer. I’d hate to think of all that gorgeous hair just going into the trash.”
“Actually I have it upstairs. I figured I’d donate it, but I didn’t know where to send it.”
“Morgaine and I were about to go to a day spa and salon. I’ll ask if the people there know. Maybe we can send yours and Morgaine’s at the same time.”
His eyes widened. “Morgaine’s cutting her hair too?”
“Maybe. She’s getting a whole makeover and asked me to go with her. I can’t wait!”
“Oh.” His face fell.
“What’s wrong? We weren’t planning to go out until tomorrow morning’s date, skydiving, right?”
“Yeah, but I thought maybe I’d see if you were free tonight.”
Her heart leapt. He couldn’t wait until tomorrow to see her? Suddenly it occurred to her why, and she gasped. “Were you going to tell me your secret? Is that why you cleaned up?”
He smiled. “It’s no big deal. Go have your fun, and I’ll see you tomorrow. You still want to try jumping out of a perfectly good airplane?”
Roz bit her lower lip, but smiled. “I committed, so I’ll see it through. I mean, it would be too easy to chicken out, right?”
“Right. Well then, give me a kiss, and I’ll see you in the morning.”
“I could come up tonight after I’m all relaxed and cleaned up. I figured I’d get some pampering while Morgaine is going through her transformation. Then maybe I’ll look as good as you do.”
He laughed. “You look fine, but I’d love to see you.” He framed her face with his big hands. “I’ve missed you.”
“But it’s only been a couple of days.”
“Really? It feels like a couple of weeks.”
“Awww…”
He slanted his mouth over hers and lowered his lips for a warm kiss. When he pulled back, he whispered, “I love you.”
She smiled, but still didn’t know what to say, knowing he was keeping a secret. “We need to resolve this, if for no other reason than to feel comfortable saying it back…or not.”
He pulled her into his arms and held her. “It’s enough to know you want to.”
“Are you two at it again?”
Morgaine came up behind them, and Roz hadn’t even heard her approach. I guess that’s how distracted I am when this man kisses me.
“Hi, Morgaine.” Konrad stepped away.
Morgaine folded her arms. “I hardly recognized you without your hair. If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought Roz was kissing another guy.”
“Ha. She’d better not.”
That was a little presumptuous.
“I just meant that you’d break my heart.”
Oh, you heard that?
“Yup.” Konrad faced Morgaine. “I understand you’re going out for some pampering?”
He may have been changing the subject, but the girls had to get going anyway. She could talk to him about it later. It seemed like they had a lot to talk about later.
“Yes, I made an appointment at a beauty school. It’s cheaper, since the students get a chance to practice on real volunteers.”
“In other words, you’re guinea pigs?” Konrad scrunched his eyes shut. “Sorry. That didn’t come out right.”
Roz and Morgaine laughed.
“Don’t worry.” Roz patted his arm. “I knew what you meant. It’ll be okay, though. Their instructors are right there, so they can’t screw up. Besides, I can’t look much worse.”
“Hey, cut that out. You’re always beautiful.”
“You don’t have to pretend. I know I’m a little bedraggled. Nathan told me I looked like I’d been hit by a truck.”
“Sounds like something he’d say. What’s going on? Bad day at the courtroom?”
“Yeah, but I’d rather just put that behind me and get to my massage.”
“If all you wanted was a massage…”
Roz held up her hand. “Too much information! Quick, let’s go, Morgaine, before he says something I’ll regret.”
***
Later that evening, Konrad lay in bed reading. He was using his clip-on reading light so his apartment would appear dark. He hated to deceive Roz and avoid her, but he still didn’t know how to tell her what she deserved to know. She’s dating a werewolf.
He hoped she’d still be dating him after he dropped his bombshell, but something else had him worried. What if she didn’t believe him? How could he prove it to her?
She had laughed at the possibility of vampires and werewolves. But legends don’t evolve out of nothing.
He could shift, but that would scare her to death. Hell, it scared him the first several times he witnessed it. Maybe he could demonstrate his super-human strength. But what if she didn’t know werewolves had that kind of strength? She might only think he was freakishly strong, and that would reopen the memory of his arrest. If he was capable of, say, lifting his upright piano by himself, perhaps she’d realize he could also lift a freezer.
A knock at the door snapped him into high alert.
“Konrad?”
Roz’s voice seemed excited…expectant.
He froze, not daring to move a muscle. A few seconds ticked by.
Maybe she’d gotten all dolled up just for him. How could he leave her standing out there?
She knocked again. “Konrad? Are you home?”
Crap. He couldn’t ignore her.
“Hang on a minute,” he called out. Jumping out of bed, he messed up his already tousled hair as if he’d been asleep. Then he tossed on his velour robe and plodded to the door. As he opened it, he stretched and yawned.
“Oh, I must have woken you up. I’m sorry. I thought you were expecting me.”
“I was…I mean, I am. I must have dozed off. Come in.”
She walked past him, a
nd Konrad did a double take.
“You look different.”
“Yeah, while Morgaine was getting her makeover, I had my hair highlighted.” She turned side to side so he could admire the results.
He almost growled his approval, and his robe began tenting. “It looks good. What’s Morgaine look like now?”
“She’s a blonde.”
Konrad took a step back. “You’re kidding! How the heck did they take her from black to blonde?”
“It was quite an ordeal. They had to strip out all the color, put in one overall color, then add highlights and lowlights. That’s what took so long. The instructors were thrilled to get such a challenge, and the students did a really great job.”
Konrad laughed. “I’ll have to see it to believe it.”
“They left it long and just trimmed the ends. After all the chemicals, I was afraid her hair might fall out. I found out how to send yours to Locks of Love. It has to be at least ten inches long.”
“Mmm. I have ten inches for you.”
She laughed. “Are we still talking about hair?”
He reached out and touched her hair. “I’m glad you left yours long.”
“You call this long?”
“Longish.” He slid his hand behind her neck and leaned down to kiss her.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. Good. Maybe she’d decided to love him regardless of his secret. Could he have been given a reprieve by some giant miracle?
Without waiting to find out, he tossed her over his shoulder and hastened to the bedroom as she laughed. He remembered her ankle, so he gently placed her on his unmade bed and asked, “Are you sure your ankle is healed enough for some bedroom aerobics?”
She shot him an impish grin. “We can always try it and see what happens.”
That time he did growl, but it was low and came from the back of his throat. He crawled over her like the predator he was. Her grin suggested she wasn’t afraid of him one whit. Thank God. He wanted her to trust him as much or more than he wanted to have sex with her. Almost.
Bending down, he kissed her deep and slow. He held himself up with one hand and unbuttoned her blouse with the other. Roz’s cooperation had calmed the urgency he experienced in the beginning of their sexual relationship. Knowing he would be rewarded in the end made going slower tolerable.
She threaded her fingers through his hair. Now that she could do that without getting caught in a snarl along the way, he was glad he cut it. The scalp massage felt incredibly pleasant.
He popped open her bra, captured her plump breast in his hand, and squeezed it gently. She moaned.
Konrad backed down the bed until his mouth was level with her breast, and suckled. She arched and moaned some more. Her responsiveness turned him on every bit as much as her beauty.
I can’t believe how much I love her. Why do I have to tell her what I really am? I don’t want this to end.
Roz suddenly retracted her fingers from his hair. “What do you mean?”
Konrad looked up into her expectant eyes. Something like fear brewed behind them.
“Tell me what you heard.”
“Why? Can’t you just tell me what this big secret is?”
He hung his head. Realizing he’d have to tell her something, he decided to divulge the less frightening of the secrets he’d been keeping. She’d probably be angry, but he’d prefer anger to her being frightened of him.
He scooted up beside her and pulled her into his arms. “You’re apt to be disappointed with me. Are you sure you want to know?”
After a long pause, she finally said, “Yes.” He’d hoped she might change her mind, at least until after they’d made love. Oh well. It seemed like that ship had sailed for the moment. He hoped it was only temporary.
“Roz, I don’t know how to say this without…well, hear me out before you get angry, all right?”
She took a deep breath. “I’ll try.”
She broke out of his embrace and sat up, leaning against the headboard. The loss of her warmth made his job that much harder, but she was expecting an explanation, so he had to press on.
“Okay, you know I have a brother, right?”
“Yes, your twin.”
“Nicholas.” He sat up and scooted next to her.
She nodded.
“We tried to start our own business together, selling alarm systems.”
“Tried to? I thought you still did.”
“Yes, we do. But it’s a tough time for any small business, and unless people feel security is absolutely necessary, they won’t pay for an expensive alarm system.” He dragged a hand over his face.
She nodded. “Go on.”
“You could say my job was to drum up business.”
She frowned and shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
He took a deep breath. “I’m a thief, Roz. Well, not a real thief. I don’t actually steal anything of value. I just jimmy a lock or break a window, something to make business owners realize they need to be better protected. In a way I’m doing them a service.”
She snorted. “Is that what you tell yourself so you can sleep at night?”
He hung his head. “Kind of, yeah.”
“So that night you were arrested, you weren’t just taking a walk, were you?”
“No. I—”
“Shhh.” She hurriedly put her finger against his lips. “Don’t say any more.”
He figured she might have to turn him in. There might be some kind of lawyer’s pledge or something, but he was willing to go to jail if she did. By stopping him, maybe she didn’t want to hear the details and wouldn’t have to take any action.
“Are you still…taking late night walks?” she asked.
“No. I haven’t taken any walks like that since, and I don’t plan to. I really do want to…change my career.”
She remained quiet.
“You’re not upset?”
“I didn’t say that. Look…” She sighed. “I understand desperation. The cost of living in this city is one of the highest in the country. Plenty of people I defend are pushed to do things they wouldn’t have attempted ordinarily.”
“But you’re disappointed.”
“Sad, disappointed, but not angry. I get it. You probably left teaching to make more money, and as soon as you started your business, the economy tanked.”
He nodded. He didn’t exactly leave teaching. He was the dean of students—and a disgraced alpha, run out of town.
Roz was right. He would never have started down his path otherwise, but when business had started to flounder, he and Nick had to resort to desperate measures.
“Was your brother a cop all along? Or did he get into it as a result of the business failing?”
“The latter. He knew a couple of guys on the force, and they thought he might be well suited to the job.”
“How about you? Did you ever think about going into law enforcement?”
“No, that’s not for me. Or, as my brother would say, I’m too much of a softie.”
Roz stroked his erection and said, “You don’t feel very soft to me.” She finally smiled and reached for him.
He practically dove into her arms and held her tight. “Do you forgive me?”
“As long as it’s all in the past…”
“It is. I swear on every book in my library.”
She grinned. “That’s a lot of swearing.”
He let out a deep breath. “I can’t tell you how relieved I am.”
“I guess I am too. When I heard you telepathically worrying about telling me what you really were…well, I didn’t know what to think, but I assumed it was something really terrible.”
Before they went too far down that road, he tackled her and set out to finish what they’d started.
Chapter 11
Roz was glad he’d finally told her his secret, without exactly telling her. She still had her values to maintain. Was associating with a known thief a problem? She hadn’t witne
ssed him stealing anything, right?
Konrad nibbled her ear, and she moaned.
Problem? What problem? Had she just been puzzled about something?
He swirled his tongue in her ear and whispered, “I love you so much. I love you more than my life. I mean it, Roz. You’re everything to me.”
The combination of his hot breath and tender words made her quiver.
He kissed her neck, nipped her jaw, and licked her collarbone. “Can you say it back yet?”
“Yes,” she murmured. “I love you too.”
“You don’t know how much I’ve wanted to hear that.”
He stopped to deliver a masterful kiss. Deep and meaningful. When he drew away, he kissed her forehead, her checks, her nose, and her chin.
He makes me feel like he cherishes every inch of me.
“I do.” He slid down and cupped her breast. “Do you trust me now?” He found her nipple and sucked.
“I…ohhh.” She arched as the pleasurable sensation shot straight to her womb.
He suckled the other breast thoroughly then asked, “Well?”
“What?” What did he say? “Did you ask me something?”
“I asked if you trusted me.” He kissed his way down her middle and swirled his tongue in her belly button.
“Y-yes, I trust you.”
“Good. Because there’s something I’d like to try.”
“What’s that?”
“You’ll see.” He made quick work of her skirt and underwear and flung them across the room. Sliding down, he licked her slit, and then he slid his tongue down over one ridge and up the other.
“Ohhh…” She moaned. “But you’ve already done that. Why would you need to ask if I trust you?”
“Because of this…” He jumped out of bed and stripped out of his clothes quickly, crossed to his closet, and came back with two neckties.
Roz blinked. “What exactly do you plan to do with those?”
“Bind you to my bedposts, so I can do whatever I want to you.”
Holy moly. “I see where the trust comes in.”
He sat beside her on the bed. “So can you allow me to do that?”
She bit her bottom lip and thought it over. “Can I ask why you want to? Will it turn you on to know I’m helpless?”
“Of course not. I thought it might turn you on, though.” He grinned at her. “I’ll untie you the minute you ask me to.”