Red Velvet Moon

by Theodora Lane

  She decided to leave it alone, let the tension continue to build until Tony released it. Her pussy clenched, and the wetness between her legs made her feel even more wanton than her choice of going commando. She ran her hand over her breasts, giving one nipple a hard tweak, the charge of pleasure shooting straight to a place deep inside her.

  Damn, she wanted him.

  »»•««

  Damn, he wanted her.

  Tony had never felt so drawn to a woman before, so protective and so sure. As if his inner wolf had inhabited his human side, he felt powerful and dominant. Hell, if this was how Max felt all the time, no wonder he was their alpha.

  It was heady stuff. A feeling of invincibility surged through him, knowing he could take what he wanted, yet he held that power in check, smoldering beneath the surface.

  If Daphne gave him the chance, he’d show her that side of him.

  Tonight, he’d sweep her off her feet, turn on the Lobos charm, and make her his. One thing he knew, if he didn’t claim her tonight, he’d be a fool. She pushed every button on his body and in his brain, and the certainty that she was his mate beat steady in his heart.

  Even if his mind was unsure, the rhythm matched the throbbing of his dick— insistent, relentless, and needing. He’d known it would last all day, ever since their encounter at the shop. His entire body had gone tight, hard, and wanting. Only one thing to do to put his body at ease, and Tony knew what he had to do.

  He strode over to his bed, pulled open the drawer, and got out his bottle of slick. He glanced at the bed, then over to the full-length mirror across the room. He tossed the bottle onto the bed, then went to the mirror and tilted it to the right angle. Then he returned to the bed, stretched out, and pushed his black briefs down, just far enough to cup his balls and expose his cock.

  Damn, he was hard, and the first touch of his lubricated hand sent a wave of pleasure shooting through his body. Down the shaft in a slow push, up in a fast drag, then a quick swipe of his thumb over the head to smear the cum leaking from the tip.

  He shuddered and pushed a pillow under his shoulders so he could watch in the mirror. He couldn’t wait to see Daphne’s reflection and all the things they’d do to and for each other. She’d use her mouth on him, lick and tease him with her tongue.

  Closing his eyes for a moment, he pictured her, stretched between his legs, her full lips surrounding his cock as she sucked him. He worked his hand up and down his shaft, a tight grip that mimicked how her mouth would feel, but not so wet and warm.

  His arousal flew higher, as if it had wings. “Daphne!” he cried out as he opened his eyes. He watched his heavy balls pull up as white ropes of cum shot from his dick, bathing his belly.

  Breathless, he fell back, panting as his heartbeat slowed to normal.

  Tony glanced at the clock. Nearly time to leave. He’d needed that release, especially if he didn’t want to explode when she touched him. He sat up and exhaled, then headed to the bathroom to clean up.

  He dressed, slipped on his jacket over his best black jeans, and checked the shine on his boots. In the background, his computer played “Smooth”—one of his favorite tunes by Rob Thomas and Carlos Santana.

  He closed his eyes and moved his body to the music, doing a few freestyle salsa steps, feeling good and sexy and ready to do more than just dance with Daphne. He hoped she enjoyed dancing, because despite his geek looks, he loved to dance. Country, salsa, even swing, if the music moved him, he’d move to it.

  After dinner, if all went well, he’d take her to BootTown—Sleeping Dog’s finest country-and-western dancehall for some boot-scootin’ boogie. After he took her two-steppin’ around the floor a few times, she’d be breathless, and the thought of her in that state reawakened his dick. Once again, it begged to be let out of his jeans, to stand stiff and hard and ready to mate.

  His cell phone rang, and he ended his dance with a heel spin as he swooped down to pick it up.

  “Talk to me,” he sang out, before checking the caller ID.

  “Hola, baby bro,” Max boomed into his ear. “Sounds like someone’s in a good mood, and that can only mean one thing.”

  Tony winced. Damn, he didn’t want Max or Diego to know he was going out tonight.

  “That I’m pleased with the quarterly report on the store?” He tried to derail Max’s interest.

  “No, that you’re going out with Daphne.” Max chuckled. “’Bout time, amigo.”

  “Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “You. Her. Dinner.” He paused. “And if I know you, and I do, a little dancing afterward.”

  Tony exhaled. Max had him, dead to rights.

  “Don’t tell Diego. Swear to me you won’t tell him. I want this to go well, and I don’t need his or your help.”

  “Hey, would I interfere?” Max sounded innocent enough, but Tony knew his brother.

  “That’s not a promise, Max. Ever since you found your mate, you’ve really been putting the pressure on Diego and me. Now that he’s found his, your combined pressure is coming to rest on me. It’s killing me, I tell you.” Tony ran a hand through his hair, pushing bangs off his forehead.

  “Me?”

  “And Diego is even worse. I swear, you two are like reformed alcoholics, insisting everyone stop drinking.”

  Max laughed. “Good one, Tony.”

  “Please. I’m begging you. Leave me alone and don’t tell Diego anything.” Tony threw himself on his brother’s mercy.

  There was a long pause. A sigh. “You’re no fun, Antonio. But I love you, and I only want you to be happy.”

  “I know. And I love you too, but seriously, you guys are going to mess this up for me, and if you do, I’ll have to kill you both.”

  “Abuela won’t like that.”

  “I’m her favorite. She’ll forget about you two in no time,” Tony teased.

  “Okay, I promise I won’t interfere.”

  “And you won’t tell Diego.”

  “I won’t tell him.”

  Tony exhaled. “Thanks. I have to get going.”

  “Where are you taking her? Steaks or Mexican?”

  “None of your business.” He hung up on his brother before the man managed to wheedle any more info out of him.

  He snatched up the keys to his new car and headed out the door.

  Chapter Four

  Tony pulled into the driveway of the address Daphne had given him. Her car—a silver SUV—sat farther up the drive, near the front of the small house. He looked the cottage over. Painted white with dark-green shutters, the small raised house looked charming and homey, and a far cry from his modern one-bedroom apartment.

  He got out and walked up the stairs to the porch. A glider sat to the side, with a wicker table in front of it. He smiled as he pictured Daphne in the summer, sitting there, reading, two glasses of iced tea on the table, and a child snuggled against her side. The dark-haired boy looked up and gave Tony a mischievous grin.

  “What the hell?” He gasped, blinked, and shook his head, but when he looked again, the glider sat empty. Had he seen a ghost? A vision of the future? Or had he just lost his mind?

  For a moment, he nearly bolted back to his car, but it passed. If everything he’d felt about Daphne was right, there was nothing to fear, nothing to run from, and everything to run toward.

  With a quick rap on the door, he gave his breath a last check and relaxed his shoulders. The door opened. Daphne stood there as if framed by the dark-green woodwork, his own personal goddess, and any doubts he held vanished.

  “You look gorgeous,” he blurted out. She did. Like a masterpiece. Soft and plush and so goddamned sexy he couldn’t stand it. He wanted to push her onto the glider and take her right then and there. His wolf growled its hunger.

  Not the best way to start a first date.

  She smiled, a touch of pink rising on her cheeks. “Hola, Antonio.” Even the way she said his name, softly accented in a sexy voice, drove him wild. He could ima
gine her whispering his name, calling to him as he made love to her.

  “Are you ready?” He stepped aside and motioned to his car.

  “Yes. Give me a moment.” She ducked back inside, retrieved her purse, and stepped out, locking the door behind her.

  He held out his arm for her to take. Old-fashioned, but their grandmother had insisted on teaching her grandsons their manners, and he’d never forgotten them.

  “Oh,” she said, linking her arm in his. The warmth of her next to him, the soft weight of her arm, made him feel protective and even more aroused. And her scent? He inhaled as if it were the finest, most delicious aroma he’d ever smelled.

  Something about this woman screamed at him, and his wolf howled back, demanded she was the one. His mate. Was this how Max and Diego had felt when they’d met their mates? He’d ask, but it would just get his brothers worked up, and he didn’t want to deal with them right now.

  “I thought we’d try the steakhouse. I made reservations.” Not really necessary, but he wanted to insure he’d get a good table for this occasion. He had the feeling this night would be the start of something special.

  “That sounds wonderful. I love steak.”

  He opened the car door for her, got her seated, keeping his ogling of her legs in those sleek black boots to a minimum. Then he trotted around the car and got in.

  They were on their way to the restaurant before either of them spoke, and when they did, it was at the same time.

  “So, about the dress…” Tony said.

  “Tell me about yourself…” Daphne started. They laughed.

  “You first.” Tony nodded at her.

  She clasped her hands on her lap. “I don’t know much about you, really. I know you and your brothers own and operate the cleaners. I’ve heard news recently that they’re both engaged.”

  “That’s right.”

  “How do you feel about that?” She cocked her head.

  “I’m happy for them.”

  “I hear a ‘but’ on the end of that,” she urged him to continue.

  “But now they want me to be as happy as they are.”

  She frowned. “And you don’t want to be?”

  “No, it’s not that. I want a ma—wife. I do. I just don’t want all the pressure, all the hell my brothers would give me; that’s all.” He’d nearly let the “mate” word slip out, and they were nowhere near ready for that.

  “Yeah, brothers can be a pain, I suppose.”

  “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

  “No, I’m an only child. My parents died a few years ago.” She fell silent as she watched the side of the road fly by.

  They pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant and parked.

  He turned to her as he unbuckled his seat belt.

  “I’m sorry. I understand. My parents are gone too. It’s just my brothers and grandmother now.”

  She smiled. “A grandmother? That’s wonderful. All my family is gone now.”

  He opened his door, came around to hers, and opened it. “Well, you can have my family if you want, especially my brothers,” he said, then wished he could take back the words. God, it was too soon for that sort of comment. Of course, he’d stick his foot in his mouth; he was a complete geek, after all.

  She got out and laughed. “Oh no, don’t try to push them off on me! Not until I meet them all. I want approval rights.” She didn’t act upset by the comment at all.

  He laughed. “Well, you’d love my abuela, but as for Max and Diego?” He shook his head. “All bets are off on those two.”

  He led the way to the front door, and then held it open for her.

  “Good evening. Do you have reservations?” the hostess asked.

  “Yes. Lobos, for two,” Tony replied.

  “Lobos?” She checked her reservation book. “I have a table for you, sir. Right this way.” They followed her to a cozy table for two near the fireplace. A small fire burned behind the black iron screen, giving the room a gentle warmth.

  “Nice.” Daphne looked around as Tony held out her seat. She sat and opened her menu. “Usually, I eat at the restaurant when I’m working, but I took tonight off. I’ve been here once or twice before. Their steaks are to die for.”

  Instead of sitting across from her, he took the chair to her right, to be as close as he could be.

  “My favorite is the prime rib.” Tony didn’t bother to open his menu. He knew it by heart. This was his favorite place to eat in Sleeping Dog, other than his grandmother’s house.

  “I’m partial to their surf and turf. For a steakhouse, they do a great lobster tail.”

  The waiter approached, lit the candle on their table, took drink orders, and left a basket of the restaurant’s signature cheddar cheese biscuits. Each of them took one and placed it on the small plates. Tony took a bite, but Daphne left hers. He wondered how she could resist them. They smelled heavenly.

  “So, tell me about your place, Daphne. I’ve ordered delivery pizza from there a few times since you opened, but I’ve never been in. I understand it’s doing quite well.” Tony guided the conversation to her and sat back, eager to hear all about her. He wanted to know about the dress and the stain, but that would come in due time.

  “Well, it’s been my dream to open an Italian restaurant. My family is Italian, on my mother’s side. I use a lot of hers and my grandmother’s recipes like lasagna, chicken cacciatore, and even her pizza sauce recipe. So, when my parents died in a car accident, I inherited the house and some money. It’s made all this possible.” She smiled; then her eyes grew sad.

  Tony put his hand over hers as it rested on the table. “I’m sorry if this is painful.”

  She looked up and blinked back tears. “I’d give it all up just to have them back.”

  He gave her hand a squeeze. “I know you would. There isn’t a day that goes by I don’t wish my parents were alive.” God, he wanted to make everything right for her, but where to start?

  “It’s okay.” She sniffed and blotted at her eyes with the edge of her napkin. “I’m happy, really. I knew I couldn’t afford a place in Houston—where I’m from—and I knew I wanted to live in a small town. So, after doing some research, I found Sleeping Dog, and the rest is history.” She smiled at him now, and he felt some of her distress lessen.

  “I’m glad you did, or we’d never have met.”

  They stared into each other’s eyes. Time slowed down to a soft heartbeat, shared between them. Her lips slowly turned up in a smile that rivaled the Mona Lisa.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked.

  “About…” She shrugged. “About life and the roads we go down, never knowing what waits for us at the end.”

  Tony nodded. “I hear you. Every decision is a crossroad, and each way holds something different.”

  “Do you believe in destiny, Antonio?” She leaned closer, gazing deep into his eyes.

  “I do,” he whispered. Their hands were still together, warm and comfortable. He threaded his fingers between hers. “Do you believe in love at first sight?” The question slipped from his lips as he lost himself in the depths of her eyes.

  “Yes. Guess I’m just a romantic. What about you?” She rubbed her thumb across the back of his hand in a gentle caress.

  “Not really.”

  She parted her lips and her eyebrows rose at his answer.

  “Until now. Until I saw you the first time at the store.” Until her scent had made him drunk and hard, bringing out his wolf, howling and whimpering.

  She leaned forward and opened her mouth to speak, but the waiter appeared.

  “Are you ready to order, or do you need more time?”

  ∙•∙

  And just like that the spell broke, and Daphne sat back.

  Damn the waiter’s timing.

  “I’m ready.” Tony nodded. “Prime rib, rare, please. The au gratin potatoes and asparagus.”

  She’d barely taken a look at the menu. She needed to find something small t
o order. Giving it a quick once-over, she decided.

  “I’ll have the small house salad and the French onion soup.” She closed the menu and handed it back to the waiter.

  “That’s all?” Tony frowned. “But I thought you loved the lobster?”

  She blushed, unwilling to explain. “Well, I’m…” She looked up at the waiter as he stood there, pen and pad in hand, waiting for her decision. She couldn’t say, “I’m dieting,” or “I’m too fat to eat,” or even, “I’m not hungry.” Tony would never believe that. She was a big girl, of course she was hungry, and she ran a restaurant, so he knew she had to love food.

  She looked at Tony, and he gave her hand another squeeze. “Surf and turf for the lady,” Tony ordered. “We can split the potato casserole and veggies, all right?” He looked a little insulted.

  God, she’d messed up, anyway.

  The waiter disappeared.

  “Did you think I couldn’t afford this place?” His lips turned down. Oh God, she had insulted him. Leave it up to her to ruin what could have been a wonderful evening.

  “No, Antonio. I didn’t mean that.”

  He waited for her to explain. She should have known his Hispanic heritage would come with a heaping dose of pride. The look in his eyes demanded she tell the truth, no matter how embarrassing it might be for her.

  “The truth is I didn’t want to eat in front of you.” She lowered her head and stared at the uneaten biscuit on her bread plate.

  He sat back and pushed his glasses up his nose to seat them, then exhaled.

  “Let’s get this straight right now. I want you to eat.” He leaned closer and lowered his voice to a sexy drawl. “I want to watch you eat. I want to feed you, let you take the butter-drenched lobster from my fingers with your teeth, feel your tongue on my skin.”

  Daphne shuddered. “Good Lord,” she whispered, aroused and shaken by his blunt aggression. She’d thought him sexy before, but now she could see something animal about him. His eyes, dark brown before, now glowed amber in the candlelight.

  Her pussy ached.

  “Maybe I could eat a little something.” She smiled.

  Chapter Five