He rolled his eyes. “Are you at least going to buy something more practical than those ankle breakers you have on?”
“Hey, I happen to like theses shoes, a lot. They also make my legs look long and sexy. Don’t you think so?”
Skylar’s heated gaze ran down the length of her legs, leaving a trail of warmth behind. It also had her body standing up and begging for some attention. He really was gorgeous with his heavily muscled body, light blue eyes, and long, light brown hair he wore pulled back in a ponytail that hung between his shoulder blades. His chiseled good looks matched those of any male model, but unlike them, Skylar didn’t act as if his face would land him any woman he wanted.
If anything, he’d stayed completely focused on her, not really looking at another woman, for the hour they’d been shopping together. She was used to men making her the center of their attention, but Skylar’s was different. He didn’t just look at her with lust in his eyes—though he did do a fair amount of that. He looked at her as if he’d found some great treasure. The combination of those two types of looks left her feeling edgy with arousal. His heated stares made her pussy ache and her nipples tauten beneath her shirt. And when he happened to stand behind her, she felt the warmth of his body seep into hers. That sensation only increased the desire that built inside her.
Braelyn broke out of her thoughts when Skylar spoke in a husky voice. “Do you really want me to answer that? Because if you do, you’ll find yourself thrown up against the nearest wall and kissed senseless.”
Her heart beat a little faster, and she swallowed as they both stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, facing each other. She had to lick her suddenly dry lips. Skylar’s gaze locked onto her mouth. “Is that a threat or a promise?” she asked, her voice a bit breathless.
“It depends on what you want it to be.”
For a split second, Braelyn thought she saw Skylar’s eyes take on a strange, muted glow. But it disappeared so quickly she could only assume it was her eyes playing tricks on her.
“And if I took it as a promise?” She played with fire, but with the turn of their conversation, she’d become more turned-on.
He shifted as close as the bags he held allowed. “Skip the shoe store and let’s go someplace more private and I’ll show you.”
Tempting, so tempting, but she wasn’t ready to take him up on his offer just yet. She’d had too many men think she was easy in the past. If Skylar wanted to get to first base, he had to prove he was interested in her for more than a quick lay or because she had a pretty face. That being the case, he would have to jump through some hoops first. Some of her friends thought she was just being a bitch when she did this with the men she’d become attracted to, but it was no surprise to Braelyn how well it worked to weed out the ones who really weren’t interested in forming a relationship with her.
She took a step back. “Oh no, I’m not going to give up the shoe store.” Braelyn started walking again, and Skylar fell into step beside her.
“All right. You can do the shoe store, but I get a kiss for being so cooperative.”
Braelyn shook her head. “No kiss. Not until after you take me out for dinner tonight.”
“How about this? We go to the shoe store, you give me that kiss and then I’ll take you out to dinner.”
She felt herself weakening when Skylar’s arm brushed up against hers as he moved out of the way of a pedestrian coming toward him. Every time he accidently brushed up against or touched her, she felt a tingly sensation as if a low voltage of electricity had passed between them. This time, like all the others, she managed not to show any kind of reaction to his touch.
Braelyn cleared her throat, making sure any huskiness from the arousal she felt didn’t show, and said, “Shoe shopping, one kiss where you can touch me only with your lips and nothing else, then you take me out for dinner tonight.”
“Deal,” Skylar answered quickly.
At the shoe store, he rushed her inside.
“You know, it’s still early in the day. Since you won’t be taking me out for that meal for hours, we can take our time,” she said as he gave her an impatient stare.
“That may be so, but I get to claim that kiss as soon as you’re done in here.”
“I never said when you’d get your kiss.”
Skylar shook his head. “I think I deserve to get it when I want it, especially after you tortured me with all those bras and panties.”
She chuckled. “You didn’t appear to be suffering too much at the time.”
Actually, she’d known she’d put him through hell. She’d selected some of the slinkiest bras and panties the store had to offer and had Skylar tell her if they would suit her as she held them up against her body. Even though she really didn’t know him that well, she felt comfortable enough to play with him a bit. And not once had he lost his cool with her. In some ways, it almost felt as if they’d been made for each other. Their personalities seemed to be basically the same and seemed to mesh. Then there was the sexual attraction between them. She couldn’t deny that the thought of getting naked and having some mind-blowing sex with Skylar hadn’t crossed her mind. Braelyn would have to be dead not to be affected by him. The man practically oozed testosterone.
Skylar took a noticeably deep breath. “Can we just hurry it up? Talking about the lingerie store has made me want that kiss even more.”
Braelyn sighed dramatically. “If you insist.”
She turned from Skylar and walked to the section of the store that held the expensive designer shoes. Looking at the ones out on display, she stopped when she came to a light brown high-heeled ankle boot in suede. It had a lattice detail that would wrap around her ankle with a zipper up the back of it. The heel was almost four inches, just the way she liked her heels. The designer was Manolo Blahnik, and after looking at the price tag, she saw it was also on sale.
Grabbing the boot off the shelf, Braelyn turned in search of a salesperson, catching the eye of the woman who stood behind the counter not too far away. When she came over, Braelyn asked for a pair of the boots in her size. The saleswoman nodded, then walked to the backroom to get them.
Skylar made a choking noise, drawing Braelyn’s attention. He stood in front of the display where she’d gotten the boot. “What?”
“Are you seriously thinking of buying those?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Did you look at the price?” he asked incredulously.
“Of course. That’s why I’m more than likely going to get them. They’re on sale.”
“Maybe so but they’re still over seven hundred dollars. What the hell would the price be if they weren’t discounted?”
She shook her head over his naiveté. “Over a thousand dollars. The boots are Manolo Blahniks.” When Skylar gave her a blank look, she sighed. “Manolo Blahnik is one of the top shoe designers.”
“That would have no bearing to me. I still wouldn’t pay that price.” He looked down and stuck out his foot, giving her a good view of the black shit-kicker boot he wore. “These are what I call boots, and they sure as hell didn’t cost as much as that heeled contraption you want to try on.”
Just then the saleswoman returned. She put the box she carried on the floor in front of one of the chairs against a nearby wall and opened the lid. Braelyn went and sat as the woman pulled the boots out. She slipped off her shoes and put on the boots. Standing, she walked back and forth before she stopped at the small mirror sitting on the floor. The angle of it gave her a perfect view of her feet and legs. Braelyn nodded. The boots looked really good with her skinny jeans, and they were comfortable to wear.
She walked back to the chair and slipped them off. “I’ll take these.”
The saleswoman took the boots, put them back in the box and headed for the register near the front of the store while Braelyn slipped her shoes back on. At the counter, she opened her purse and took out her credit card.
Skylar had followed her. “I just did the mental math, adding up what you
bought today. Do you spend this kind of money every time you go shopping?”
Braelyn shrugged. “Sometimes. It’s not as if I spend beyond my means. And the business I’m in, it’s all about keeping up with the latest fashion. I think of it as a work expense.”
“A very expensive work expense,” Skylar grumbled.
With the boots rung in and the credit receipt signed, Braelyn took the bag from the saleswoman and headed out of the store with Skylar in her wake. “I guess that’s it.”
“Good. Let’s get all these bags put in your car. Where are you parked?”
“In one of the lots a couple blocks from where you parked your motorcycle.” She’d seen it at the curb when they’d left the lingerie store.
With a nod, Skylar got them moving in that direction. He also seemed to be in a hurry. Braelyn found herself having to almost trot in her heels just to keep up with his long strides. But that didn’t cause Skylar to slow any.
* * *
Skylar kept up the quick pace until he saw the lot where Braelyn had parked her car. A short glance around showed they were the only ones there, which suited his purposes. He intended to get his kiss from Braelyn as soon as they reached her car. His mating urge had been pushing him to kiss her, take her in his arms and show her exactly what she did to his body, and to his peace of mind.
And he knew it would only get worse until he finally claimed her as his own. His mating urge would continue to ride him until the mating bond formed between them. That would only happen when they made love for the first time. Once bonded, werewolf mates couldn’t stand to be away from each other for any length of time. One hour apart felt like months. Their minds would play tricks on them and make them think something had happened to the other. And, once they were together again, hot, intense sex followed shortly thereafter.
Never having been mated before, Skylar so far hadn’t experienced what mates went through when separated. But with his sister-in-arms, Saskia, his true brothers Roan and Jager, and his brother-in-arms, Leif, all mated, they’d done a pretty good job of describing it. Apparently it was a bitch to go through, and an experience that should be avoided at all costs, especially when it came to the newly mated. Over time, the separation would become easier to handle, but that took over a year at least.
As soon as they entered the parking lot, he asked, “Which one is your car?”
He would be more than happy to get rid of all the shopping bags he’d been toting around for the last hour and get Braelyn into his arms. She’d promised him a kiss, and he intended to get it.
She pointed to the end of the line of cars in the aisle where they walked. “Mine is the blue BMW.”
Skylar looked where Braelyn had indicated and spotted the dark blue BMW M3 coupe. The car was obviously a newer model, and something he totally expected his soon-to-be mate to drive. Braelyn liked the best things out of life, be it clothes, shoes or cars. It was a good thing he had more money than he knew what to do with—being alive for a little over a thousand years had allowed him to amass a fortune—and would be able to provide Braelyn with whatever her heart desired.
At her car, she reached into her purse and pulled out a ring of keys. She pushed a button on the remote, and the BMW’s trunk popped open. Braelyn lifted the lid all the way up and stepped aside for Skylar to put the bags inside. She put the single one she held next to the others and closed the trunk.
Before she could turn around, Skylar stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against his body. He nuzzled the side of her neck with his nose. “Now about that kiss,” he said.
“Are you sure you don’t want to wait until after dinner to claim it?”
She leaned into him and put her hands on top of his arms. Skylar bit back a moan of need as a rush of intense arousal surged through him. Her scent wrapped around him, making him drunk on it. His cock, now fully erect, pressed against the small of her back. She had to be able to feel it. He wasn’t exactly small by any means.
“No,” he said, barely managing to keep a growl from his voice.
Braelyn spun in his arms and put her hands on his chest. She lifted her gaze to his. “One kiss only. For now.”
Skylar tightened his arms around her and did what he’d been dying to do since he’d first seen her crossing the street. He took her lips in a heated kiss, angling his mouth until he had a tighter fit. Her lips softened under his when he swept the seam of her mouth with his tongue, begging for entrance. Once she let him in, he groaned deep in his throat at his first real taste of her. Their tongues twined, tasting and stroking. Braelyn moaned softly as he rocked his hips into her, his cock throbbing in time with the surging of his blood through his veins.
The kiss seemed to go on and on. Skylar knew one taste of her would never be enough. It took a considerable amount of control not to take the kiss further, regardless of them being outside in a public place. And, when her hands balled into the front of his t-shirt as she deepened their kiss, he found himself hanging on by a mere thread. He’d finally found his mate, and having her in his arms, he wanted to claim her, make her irrevocably his.
If Braelyn had been a female of his kind and not a mortal, they’d have already been well on the way to becoming mates. Since she wasn’t, it meant he’d have to take things a little slower, no matter how hard his mating urge pushed him to make her his.
Finding the willpower to break the kiss, Skylar lifted his head. They were both breathing at a quick pace. With each deep breath Braelyn took, it brushed her taut nipples against his chest. Meeting her gaze, he saw a dazed look in her eyes. She might not be a werewolf and she might have been unable to sense his mating urge, but that didn’t mean she was any less affected by their kiss. The smell of her arousal wafted around them, giving proof to the fact she was as hungry for him as he was for her.
Skylar loosened his hold on Braelyn slightly, not yet ready to let go of her completely. “Where would you like to go for dinner?”
She blinked at him. “What…what?”
“I promised I’d take you out for dinner tonight. We need to decide where and what time. I have to work tonight so it can’t be too late.”
Braelyn released her hold on his shirt and leaned back into the circle of his embrace. “Right. Okay. How about you pick me up at seven? And why don’t we eat at the Supperclub? You know the restaurant where you get to recline on beds while you eat instead of sitting at tables?”
Skylar wasn’t sure if it would be such a good idea to be anywhere near a bed with Braelyn when they would be doing nothing more than eating. He’d be more tempted by her than the food.
At his hesitation, Braelyn asked, “Have you ever been there before?”
“No. I can say I have never eaten food on a bed in a restaurant.”
She smiled. “Then we should go.” Braelyn used a finger to draw circles on his chest. “It’ll be fun. We could take turns lying down and feeding each other.” Her eyes took on a sexy, slumberous look. “Wouldn’t you like me to hand feed you, Skylar?”
Could his cock get any harder? Her words, and seeing the look in her eyes, were enough to have his dick hard enough to leave a permanent mark of his zipper on it. And the idea of her feeding him while he lay on a bed next to her made him want to throw back his head in a long, loud howl.
“The Supperclub it is then,” he said.
“Great.” Braelyn rattled off her address. “I’ll see you at seven.”
As she stepped back, Skylar dropped his arms and followed her to the driver side of the BMW. Once Braelyn got in, he moved out of the way when she drove out of the parking lot. After the BMW disappeared from sight, he walked out to the sidewalk and headed in the direction where he’d parked his motorcycle. He had more than enough time to return to the Protectors’ mansion and get ready for his date. And, if he were lucky, leave again with his family being none the wiser about him finding his mate.
Chapter Three
When Skylar arrived at the mansion in
Marin County, he groaned when he saw the black Mercedes-Benz parked in the drive near the large detached garage. The car belonged to Beowulf, Roxie’s mate, which more than likely meant the pair of them was there. With Roxie’s due date a week away, Beowulf accompanied his mate wherever she went.
Skylar parked his motorcycle in the garage and then headed for the front door. Roxie’s presence would make things a little more difficult for him to slip back out unnoticed. She’d see him dressed for his date and would start with the third degree. Actually, he’d be lucky if he could even make it to his room before she cornered him. With Braelyn’s scent all over him, the others would be able to smell it. Werewolf sense of smell was three times stronger than a mortal’s. His family might let him get away without questioning him about whom he’d been with, but the same couldn’t be said about Roxie.
If she realized his mating urge rode him, she’d try to lay down the law in regards to how he should act around his mate. Roxie had come up with a bunch of rules she expected the males in the house to follow when it came to claiming their mortal mates. If her rules weren’t followed, she tended to get pissed.
Skylar walked into the mansion and quietly shut the door behind him. No one was in the large open-concept foyer. He crossed the black and white checked marble floor and made a beeline line for the blond oak staircase that curved to the upper level. He’d just managed to put one foot on the bottom step when someone behind him loudly cleared their throat.
Recognizing that someone’s scent, Skylar stepped back down and turned to face the one person he’d hoped to avoid. “Hey, Roxie. Where’s Beowulf?”
She put a hand on her distended belly. “He’s with the others in the kitchen.”
In an attempt to shoo Roxie off before she started to ask questions he really didn’t want to answer, he said, “Then don’t let me stop you from going to him.”
Roxie narrowed her eyes. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”
“No. I’m just in a bit of a hurry is all. I have to go back out soon.”
Skylar’s Devotion Page 2