by Milly Taiden
He kissed her cheek. “You don’t need to. All that matters is what’s in this bed right now.”
Jaylon scooted up, stuffing two pillows behind his back. “Are you hungry? I’m starving.”
Becca laughed, tucking herself under his arm. “How can you be hungry? We just ate.”
He growled, nuzzling her neck. “I’m a wolf, remember. There are three things you should know about having a wolf shifter for a lover. Especially right after sex.”
Becca smirked. “Okay, I’ll bite.”
Nipping at her shoulder, he worked his mouth from her lips to the hollow above her collarbone. “One, we are always hungry—”
“And?”
He feathered his lips to the valley between her breasts. “Two, we are always ready for a fight.”
Jaylon trailed his tongue over the curve of one full mound, flicking her nipple before drawing the stiff peak into his mouth.
Becca sucked in a breath. “I think I can guess number three.
Letting go of her nipple, he straddled her, slipping one knee between her legs, pushing her thighs apart with the other. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips as his thick cock pressed against her wet sex.
“—we’re always horny.”
11
Becca’s eyes fluttered open. The room was dark but for the flickering light from the TV. She saw the room service tray with their half-eaten dinner still on the table in the adjacent room.
She rolled over and winced at the sore muscles in her thighs. She hadn’t been worked out like that in forever.
“Number three. We’re always horny,” she mumbled to herself. That was the understatement of the century.
She squinted across Jaylon’s sleeping body to the clock on the night table. 7:45 p.m. Shit! Ms. Wilder would be waiting for her in the Oak Bar in fifteen minutes.
Becca slid from the bed to hunt for her clothes in the relative darkness. She grimaced at the idea of meeting Ms. Wilder commando, but she had no choice. Jaylon saw to that when he shredded her underwear in the elevator. At least the rest of her clothing survived.
She needed a shower and whatever makeup she had in her purse. Gathering everything, she slipped into the bathroom. The last thing she needed was Jaylon following her downstairs.
Closing the door, she snapped on the light and surveyed the damage in the mirror. All the telltale signs of an afternoon delight were written on her face.
With a bittersweet sigh, she turned on the spray and stepped into the warm water, letting it soak into her bones. She did a quick wash and rinse and then turned off the shower, squeezing the excess water from her hair before reaching for the towel she threw over the inside rack.
“Aren’t you a quiet little kitty?”
Becca jumped, dropping her towel. “Jaylon!” She jerked the shower curtain back. “You scared me half to death. I could have slipped in here.”
He shook his head. “You’re a cat, Becca. You don’t slip unless it’s an escalator.” Gathering her clean, wet body to his dirty nakedness, he licked the droplets from her shoulder. “You smell even more amazing than before. It’s a shame to waste all this fresh skin, so why not get down and dirty with me while we wash each other clean?”
Her nether regions throbbed despite the aching flesh between her legs, and when he hiked her knee up for easy access she nearly puddled in his arms.
She pushed back, shaking her head. “I need to take a rain check or shower check—whatever. It’s nearly 8 p.m. and I have my meeting, remember?”
He paused, and then nodded. “Right. I forgot.” He slapped her wet butt. “Finish getting ready and I’ll meet you afterward for a drink. I have a couple of calls to make myself.”
Giving him a quick smile, Becca scooted under Jaylon’s arm and grabbed her things. She left the bathroom door ajar as she threw on her clothes and picked out her hair. Having no straightener was a bitch, so she finger curled her waves as best she could and dashed a little make-up on her face.
A quick check in the mirror and she was ready. Jaylon was in the shower, so she grabbed one of the keycards from his pants pocket and headed for the door, his off-key vocals putting a smile on her face as she slipped into the hall.
Becca scanned the bar, her eyes tracking every middle-aged woman in the place. Ms. Wilder said she’d have a red flowered brooch on her shoulder.
“Becca Duran?”
Bec whirled on her heel to see a middle-aged woman standing behind her, petite, yet very chic, with chin length platinum hair and sparkling eyes. Unnerving eyes. Like they could see right through you to your past and future.
Gerri Wilder. It had to be. No one else knew she was here.
Becca’s mouth dropped open at the sight of the well-dressed woman. Wearing a fitted black crepe Valentino with a gorgeous pair of Louboutin stilettos, her only pop of color was her ruby red lips and the red brooch she wore to help identify her.
“Close your mouth, dear, or the men will stare for all the wrong reasons.” The older woman chuckled.
Becca snapped her lips together, quickly composing herself. “I’m sorry, Ms. Wilder. I guess I expected someone a little more—” She searched for a polite word.
“Drab?” The older woman laughed and then held out her hand toward a table set with three glasses of champagne. “Please, take a seat. And call me Gerri.”
Becca slipped into a chair, not quite sure what to make of the third glass at the conspicuously empty seat. “Are you expecting someone else?” she asked.
Gerri raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that why you’re here? To meet a potential mate? Champagne always sets the right tone for success, don’t you think?”
Becca swallowed. “Uhm…yes, but.”
Gerri shook her head. “Don’t stutter, dear. You’re the Prowl Leader of your Leap. Always a confident appearance. Remember that.” She winked, smoothing the front of her dress. “Of course, wearing a wonderful designer doesn’t hurt the process, either.”
The older woman sipped her champagne. “You seem—” she lifted one hand. “Halfhearted. Would you mind telling me why?”
Becca twirled the long-stemmed champagne flute, mindful of the older woman’s knowing gaze. It was as though she already knew Becca’s answer and was just waiting for her to blurt it out.
“I—”
Gerri’s phone buzzed and her eyes skimmed at the notification, but she didn’t answer. Caller I.D. flashed on the screen leaving Becca’s mouth hanging again.
“Jaylon Ross? You know Jaylon?”
The woman nodded. “Yes, dear. He’s a client. In fact, he stood me up this afternoon as well. He called just before you arrived and I told him to meet me here. I hope you don’t mind. He should be here any moment.”
Jaylon walked through the door and it was as though Becca could hear a pin drop. His eyes found hers and then he spared a glance for Ms. Wilder. Becca didn’t know whether to confess or crawl under the table.
He walked toward them and Becca expected to see the same disbelief on his face that she had, but all he did was smile that gorgeous full grin.
“You seem a little thrown, Becca. What’s wrong?” Gerri asked, taking another sip from her bubbly.
She looked between the two as Jaylon took the third seat. “I’m sorry, Ms. Wilder. I’m just a little stunned. Again, this isn’t what I expected.”
The older woman eyed her. “You seem to have a lot of preconceived expectations. You both do. It’s one of the reasons I put you together.”
Both Jaylon and Becca froze, exchanging looks with each other before shifting their collective gaze to Gerri.
12
“Wait—he’s the guy you chose to match me with?” Becca gasped.
Jaylon met Becca’s skepticism with a disgruntled scowl. “He’s the guy? Jeez, Becca. Fickle much? You didn’t have a problem when you left the train station with me this afternoon, and you didn’t have a problem when we went to lunch or anything we did together.”
High color invaded Becca�
��s neck and cheeks. Jaylon’s insinuation was loud and clear, not only to her but to anyone within earshot. Claws burned in her fingertips. Kiss and tell? Neanderthal shifter jerk! Try kiss and kill.
“It’s not the same, Jaylon. I didn’t come into the city to pick up some random dude. I came to meet Ms. Wilder because I had no choice. My Leap and our council need me to marry. When I met you, it was my last stand before I bound myself to a loveless political alliance.”
“Last stand? Oh, please. You mean One-Night Stand.” The muscle in his jaw clenched. “And for the record, I never suggested that. I said the opposite, in fact.”
Bec shook her head. “Uhm, I don’t think so.”
“Yes, I did.”
She lifted her chin and eyed at him. “When?”
“Didn’t I say, ‘when something good crashes into you, it makes you wonder?’” He jerked his thumb toward the hotel lobby. “We were standing at the reception desk when I said it.”
Becca threw a hand up. “How am I supposed to know what you meant? You could be wondering about anything.”
“What the hell else could that mean except I wondered where this thing between us would lead?”
“I. Don’t. Know! Do I look like I read minds?” Becca’s eyes burned and she knew they flashed jungle yellow, and not for the same reasons they did in the hotel room.
Gerri watched the two of them spar and Becca noticed her eyes soft with humor.
Jaylon caught the older woman’s amused expression as well. “And when do you get involved? When the fur flies or do you wait for blood?” He exhaled, pushing his champagne away. “I need a real drink.”
“Don’t you pick on Ms. Wilder, you big ass! It’s not her fault you and I are the complete opposite of what she expected.”
Gerri tsked. “There’s that word again. Expected. It’s not a word I use. I don’t expect. I know. You both took great pains to tell me what you wanted in a mate—what you expected—but you never thought to consider what you both needed. It’s my job to see to that aspect for all my clients. They rarely ever know what they need, and as for what they want, it’s usually what they tell themselves and nothing more.”
Becca eyed the older woman. “How do you know?”
She shrugged in reply. “It’s a gift and I’m never wrong.” Gerri leaned in and pointed to them both. “And I’m not wrong about you two. Sometimes, I have to take some matters into my own hands to get couples to see what they refuse to. It’s quite vexing. But you two, you found each other without much of a push from me. I love when that happens.”
Becca’s brows knotted and she spared a glance for Jaylon. Did Ms. Wilder push her on the escalator or was she merely being metaphoric? “Uhm, what do you mean by push, exactly?”
Gerri lifted one perfectly manicured hand. “Does it matter, dear? You and Jaylon are a match, just as I predicted. Just as I,” she chuckled, “—expected.”
The older woman’s face sobered and she eyed them both. “Now, it’s up to you to figure out the rest. Be honest with each other. Talk. Connect in whatever ways you can tonight, because tomorrow it is game on with the rest. Both separately and together.”
Gerri pushed back from the table and stood, smoothing the front of her dress. “A little push is easy. The hard part is holding on, so when you fall, you fall together.” She winked at Jaylon. “Give your father my best.”
The stylish woman walked out of the bar, more than one head turning as she left.
Jaylon signaled to a passing waiter.
“Sir?” the server asked.
“Scotch. Neat.” Jaylon exhaled, barely looking up.
The server looked at Becca. “Anything for you, miss?”
Mouth open, she nodded. She wanted to ask for fifteen minutes alone with Jaylon, so she could kick his ass, but doubted the server could give her that, so she went for something easier. “Same, but make mine a double.”
“Becca! Where the hell are you?” Lyssa’s voice crackled through the phone.
Becca blinked, trying to get out of the daydream of Jaylon licking her to orgasm. That was so not conducive to relaxation at that moment. “What? Uhm…yeah…I’m still in the city.”
“Why? We expected you back hours ago.” Lyssa’s worried voice raised an octave through the phone. “Did you meet Ms. Wilder?”
Becca worried her lip, trying to figure out how to break the news to her friend. “Yes, but the meeting was pushed back.”
“Until when? Tomorrow?”
“No. She and I met this evening.” Becca paused. “Listen, Lys—”
Lyssa’s confused tone only worried her more. Would her friend think she’d lost her mind after she told her?
“So, did she find someone suitable?”
Ah, what the hell? Might as well just tell her and be done with it. “Lys, that’s what I’m trying to tell you. I met someone. It’s complicated, and yes, Ms. Wilder is involved, but I need to stay overnight to try and sort things.”
“What things? Oh God. Is he that bad?” Lys asked in a panic.
Becca chuckled. “No, he’s gorgeous, actually. That’s not what’s complicating things.”
“Then what? Lucilla and the rest are going to want to know.” Now Lyssa’s voice was curious.
“He’s a wolf.”
Lyssa snorted, but when Becca didn’t reply she audibly sucked in a breath. “You can’t be serious!”
“Like a heart attack.” Becca held her breath.
“But, Bec, you specifically asked for a cat! Any kind of cat. Lion, bobcat, tiger. Not a canine.”
“Gerri doesn’t work that way. That’s what’s complicated. I’m sure it’s going to be just as bad on his end.”
“What’s his name?” her friend asked.
“Jaylon Ross.”
Lyssa exhaled on the other end of the phone. “Okay. I’m going to google his ass, but in the meantime, don’t do anything stupid like sleep with him.”
Becca chewed on her lip, staying silent again.
“Did you hear me?”
“I heard you, Lys, but—”
Lyssa gave a loud gasp. “Oh, no. Please tell me you didn’t let that dog sniff around the goodies.”
Becca chuckled. “He did a lot more than sniff.”
Lyssa’s groan made her grin even wider. “It’ll be fine, Lys.”
“You lay down with dogs, Bec, you wake up with fleas.”
She gave her friend a halfhearted laugh. “Who on the council came up with that bullshit line?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
Becca smirked at her phone. “Well, lying down with this dog had me waking with a smile. Lys, I could barely walk!”
“Eew! Bec! No more, please.”
“C’mon. You’re my best friend. Have a little faith. At least wait until you meet him before you jump to conclusions. He’s got a strong pack and that’s what we need.”
“So you told him what happened?”
Becca hesitated. “Not really.”
“What do you mean not really?”
Lyssa’s question was pointed and Becca winced. “No. Okay? I didn’t tell him. But I will, tonight. It’ll be fine. Jaylon’s not a hidebound pack leader with archaic ideas. He’s a modern Alpha. He won’t care.”
“A modern Alpha. How did it go over when you told him you were Prowl Leader? Or didn’t you get to that, either? Could it be he’s not as modern as you think?”
Becca didn’t answer. Maybe Lyssa was right. After all, Jaylon did make that stupid comment about pups and cubs being a female’s domain.
“Listen, I gotta go. You can grill me more tomorrow. I’ll be at the station at noon. Can you pick me up?”
“Sure.”
“Thanks, Lys.”
“No worries, love—and Bec?”
“Yeah?”
“Be careful, okay?”
“I love you, too.”
13
Jaylon closed the door and snapped on the light. Their room was empty, which meant Becca wasn’t
back from her run to the store.
She refused to let him go, saying it didn’t take two people to pick out toothbrushes and deodorant.
He exhaled, scrubbing his face. At least she didn’t bolt after tonight’s revelations. That was something.
Why did Becca hire a matchmaker? Were her reasons the same as his? He told her about his issues with his pack, but he had no idea about her or her Leap or their motivations. However much his body craved Becca, however much her scent drove his wolf crazy, he needed to know.
She used the words political alliance. In what context, though? She didn’t elaborate when she went off on him about her one-night stand thing, and that was the perfect opening to shed light on her reasons.
Did her Leap need money or protection? Or maybe they needed both. If her Leap was so small, what did they have to offer if they were after some kind of pact? Jaylon shook his head. So much didn’t add up.
The door snicked open and Becca walked in carrying more than just a pharmacy bag.
“I wondered what took you so long. Now I see you decided to hit 5th Avenue.” He chuckled from his spot on the edge of the bed.
She put the bags on the desk and shrugged out of her jacket. “You ripped my underwear, so I needed to pick up a few essentials.” Opening one of the bags, she tossed him a package.
“Crew socks? What, no BVDs?” He grinned, turning the package over in his hand.
Lifting his jeans from the chair, she dangled them in front of her. “You liked it so much when I went commando, I figured what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”
Dropping the pack of socks on the bed, he swung his arm around her waist and pulled her down next to him. “What else did you buy?”
“Another skirt and cami for tomorrow,” she replied, tossing his jeans onto the chair again.
Her delicious scent filled his nose and that same word filled his mind. MINE. The certainty of it rocked him and all hesitation about motives vanished.
Jaylon’s wolf pushed. “Good, because this one’s going the same way as your underwear.” Fisting her lace neckline, he shredded her top with a fierce tug, freeing her breasts. He took one nipple in his mouth and swirled his tongue around the puckering flesh.