by Leilani Love
Damien stood outside the hotel, his mind playing over the dream about his mother. His mother had told him once that the Fates would send him a warrior who would fight by his side. He wondered if his mother knew that first, he would have to fight to win her.
The sound of the door opening drew Damien’s attention, and he turned to see her walk out in a dark blue blouse, painted-on jeans, and familiar black-heeled boots.
“Can I take your bag?” he asked.
“Sure,” she said. He carefully placed it in the backseat, and opened the door for her. Damien watched as she got into the truck. Everything Kassandra did, she did with a grace that he couldn’t help but watch. Damien was a fan of the female body. He loved them all. As he watched Kassandra he was aware of her strength wrapped in the soft curves that his hands itched to touch.
Damien had never had to try and win over a girl. He was used to them falling at his feet. If he was honest, Damien had always been wary of imprinting. Warrick had easily betrayed his sister and he thought they were doomed to live alone. But the moment he smelled Kassandra, he began to wonder how, with this pull Kassandra had on him, could his sister’s mate betray her.
Getting into the truck, he smiled. “You look like a nervous rabbit about to jump; surely I’ve proven I’m not going to hurt you. Why are you so scared, Kitty Kat?”
She rolled her eyes. “Not scared, just trying to count down the hours until I can go home and never see you again.”
Damien gave her a look of disbelief. “That’s a lie, my love; you now owe me three kisses, of which I have every intention of collecting. But for now, I thought maybe we could spend the day just being together.”
He started the truck, still unsure about his plans for winning her over. His mother had told him to be honest with her, and let her be around the people who mattered to him. He couldn’t even begin to imagine telling her that wolves existed, and that the second he smelled her, he knew she was going to be the woman he spent the rest of his life with. If he was to be honest, the few times he imagined having a serious mate, she was a wolf.
“So what do you normally do on your days off with your female friends?” Kassandra asked him, snapping him out of his thoughts.
“To be honest, the only females I spend my time with are my sister, who you met, Robert’s wife, Alyssa, and the staff from the bar.” Bringing up Robert’s mate gave him an idea. He smiled. “How would you like to help me bring some baby stuff to Robert?”
He could feel Kassandra’s eyes on him as he turned out of the hotel parking lot. Damien had made a crib for Robert and had paid an elderly lady to paint it. He was supposed to pick it up today, and he thought that Kassandra seeing him outside the bar might make a more favorable impression.
They drove in a comfortable silence and Damien kept checking on her out of the corner of his eye. Most of the girls he knew were from the bar, and they always seemed to need to talk about something. The conversations he overheard were shallow and superficial. There was no denying Kassandra was beautiful on the outside, but when he looked at her he saw a strong woman who was willing to stand up to him every chance she got. Her quick mind would keep him on his toes for the long years to come.
When he pulled up to the front of an older house, he saw her frown in confusion. “I thought you said we were picking up baby stuff?”
Damien got out and quickly walked around the truck to open her door. He gave her a reassuring smile when he noticed the look on her face. “We are. I had something painted for them, and this is the best painter I know.”
Damien spotted Edna sitting on the porch swing he’d built for her last year. Edna, who’d walked past his bar when he’d been cleaning up the outside, had her purse stolen right in front of him. Damien had made the young thieves apologize, and instead of turning them in, had them paint the bar and help Edna around the house. They took care of her yard work and helped repair her roof. Damien supervised and Edna had made them all lunch. He kept an eye on the kids who were both now in college. Since then, Damien had started visiting Enda once a week to help around the house.
As he approached Edna, he saw the smile on her face as she looked at Kassandra. “Good morning, Edna,” he managed to get out as Edna opened the screen door and ushered them in. “I want you to meet my new friend, Kassandra. Kassandra, this is Edna.”
Kassandra’s eyes widened in surprise as Edna pulled her down to kiss her on both cheeks. “She’s beautiful, Damien. It’s about time you brought a young lady for me to meet. I knew you’d settle down, despite your protest.”
Damien put an arm around her waist, pulling her close. “Kassandra seems to be under the impression I’m a dog, Edna. I need to convince her she’s wrong and to stick around.”
Edna cackled as she turned and walked to the front door. “Oh honey, all men are dogs before they meet the love of their lives. It takes a strong woman to make them heel.”
Kassandra looked over her shoulder at him. The smile she gave him made his heart stop for a moment. “So you’re saying I should look past all the females he slept with before me?”
“Oh, I didn’t say that. But you can’t blame a man for enjoying what’s thrown at him before he met you. It’s what he does once he meets you that matters,” Edna said as she patted the couch next to her. “Damien, would you be a dear and make us some tea, while I talk to your girl?”
He grinned, wondering what his staff would say if they saw him making tea and using delicate china. Carrying the tray into the living room, he couldn’t help but smile as Edna told Kasandra about how her husband, when he met her, thought he was God’s gift to women and how she proved him wrong. There was laughter in her voice when she finished the story about how jealous he got when he saw her with another man and how that brought him to heel.
“Edna, don’t be giving Kat any ideas. I’d hate to have to fight a guy just to prove to her what I already know.” Kasandra arched her eyebrow and he winked at her. “I’m a jealous guy, Kitty Kat. I never share what I consider mine.”
Edna cackled and patted Kassandra on the knee before pouring their cups of tea. “Damien, the crib is dry and in the garage waiting for you. I’ve got a list of errands for you on the fridge.”
***
Damien got up and kissed Edna on the cheek. “Let’s see if I can make a dent on that list before lunch so I can bring the crib to Robert’s house before he leaves for work.”
Edna smiled, shushing him away before taking Kassandra’s hand. “Come, I want to show you what he made for his friend’s baby.”
Edna stood up, went to open the garage door, and turned on the light. “Apparently the people at the DMV have decided I’m too old to drive, so I have plenty of room to paint in here.”
Kasandra bit her lip to keep from grinning as she followed Edna into the garage. Edna stood back and watched her as she walked up to the crib and gently touched the beautiful woodwork. On the headboard Damien had carved two wolves looking down, and the foot of the crib featured the same wolves playing in the forest under a full moon with several little cubs. The detail was incredible. “This is beautiful,” Kassandra whispered as she fingered the engravings, brought to life by Edna’s paint job.
“Damien has a true skill. I tell him all the time he’s wasting his time by running a bar and he should be making furniture instead,” Edna said, pride evident in her voice.
Kassandra continued to smile at the crib. At first glance, the rails of the crib were vines of roses, but at closer inspection she could spot the occasional wolf pup peeking out between the vines. The amount of time and effort it must have taken Damien to make this showed true devotion to his friend.
The sound of footsteps above them let her know that Damien was working on the roof. Edna chatted away bringing her back to the living room so they could watch her stories. Edna turned up the television so they could hear over Damien’s hammer.
“Would you be a dear and let him know lunch will be ready soon?” Edna asked.
“Sure,” Kassandra sai
d.
Stepping into the middle of the yard, her heart stopped when she saw that Damien had taken off his shirt as he worked. She watched his muscles flex as he hammered in a shingle. When he straightened up to wipe the sweat off his brow, Kassandra followed a bead of sweat as it slowly trickled down his back.
Damien grinned wickedly. “Can I help you?”
“Edna wanted me to tell you lunch would be…” she started to say as he easily jumped down from the roof.
Without losing eye contact, Damien stepped toward her and pulled her close. He surrounded her with his scent, smelling of sandalwood and male plus a little bit of tar.
“You look at me like you want to eat me, my dear Kitty Kat,” Damien said, his voice husky. “Why do you deny you want me as much as I want you?”
Her nipples hardened and she knew that the animal in him could smell her need. Denying it would be pointless, but she was never one to admit defeat. “There’s no denying you’re attractive, Damien, but if you want to warm my bed, you need more than a handsome face.”
“Then I guess I’ll just need to prove it to you.” His lips lightly trailed along the side of her neck. Kassandra closed her eyes, her breath catching when he nipped gently at the crook of her neck before he continued, “I can’t wait to make you purr, Kitty Kat.”
As he stepped back, she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from whimpering. Her pride kept her in place and kept her from following him. He winked at her. “Edna’s coming.”
With that, he strolled to the house, kissing Edna on the cheek before stepping inside. She noticed Edna’s light blush and how the elderly lady turned to check him out. Edna might be older, but she wasn’t blind.
“Lunch is done,” said Edna. “I thought I would get you before you two started something that might get my neighbor too excited. That old horn dog barely leaves me alone.”
Kassandra giggled as she followed Edna back into the house. “We weren’t doing anything,” she said as she helped set plates on the table.
The look on Edna’s face clearly said she wasn’t buying it. “I didn’t take you for a fool, but I guess you never can tell just by looking at a girl.”
“Am I interrupting anything?” Damien asked as he stepped into the dining room.
Edna made a tsking noise. “I think you’re losing your appeal, young man. Why don’t you cut the chicken for me while I try to figure out if this girl is truly worthy of you?”
“Yes ma’am,” Damien replied with a smirk before heading back into the kitchen.
Edna studied her. Kassandra squirmed under her knowing stare. “Fate has a way of bringing us exactly what we need. Give him a chance, sweetie. Sometimes all it takes is a leap of faith.
After lunch, Damien went to load up the truck. Kassandra watched as he easily lifted the crib into the back, making sure to secure it. Kassandra watched as Edna slowly made her way to her whispering something in his ear that made Damien nod while blushing. Curious what it was, she smiled politely when Edna approached her to tell her goodbye. Before Kassandra got in the car, Edna kissed her on the cheek. “You only get one life, my dear,” she whispered. “Don’t let your pride get in the way of your happiness.”
CHAPTER 12
Damien hadn’t been able to stop smiling since Edna had told him that earning Kassandra’s heart would make her his forever. Normally, those words would have sent him running for the hills. To be honest, he wasn’t certain which feelings were his and which came from imprinting on her. That scared him, but not as much as the thought of her walking away.
As they drove to Robert’s house, Damien looked over at her. “We’re just going to stop long enough to drop off the crib at Robert’s, and then I thought maybe the two of us could go for a hike,” said Damien. “That is, if you can keep up in those heels.”
The look she shot him was priceless, “Well if you need any help, I could always carry you.”
Her only reply was a snort, which made him laugh. They drove in a comfortable silence until Kassandra finally spoke up. “So are you just going to parade the people that love you in front of me, so I see what a great guy you are?”
Damien gave her a wink. “I don’t know, is it working?”
She shook her head and he grinned. “I made these plans before you drugged me and broke into my house,” he said. “The least you could do is help me run errands. Besides, isn’t the best way to learn about a person to see what kind of company he keeps?”
“So you’re what, more than a sexy bar owner who sleeps with all his female patrons?” Kassandra asked, a distinctive edge to her voice. He didn’t think she’d appreciate him smiling at the hint of jealousy she displayed.
“I’ll admit to not being totally innocent, but I never took anything that wasn’t freely offered. And I never made any promises that I didn’t keep. Also, I want to point out that I really don’t think I slept with them all.”
Kassandra’s sea-green catlike eyes narrowed and his ears picked up the softest growl coming from her. He knew from the anger coming off her that he should hold back his amusement.
As he stopped at a light, he studied her. She was sexy as hell when she was angry. Unable to help himself, he put the truck in park and put a hand behind her neck. He leaned over, gently forcing her closer to him. “You are so beautiful when you’re thinking about how to skin me alive,” he whispered, brushing his lips back and forth against hers.
The touch was meant to be light, but when she parted her lips he took it as an invitation to deepen the kiss. He was unable to stifle a moan at the taste of her on his tongue. As he felt her starting to relax, the sound of a horn startled them both. Chuckling softly, he pulled back, started the truck, and managed to go before the light turned red again.
He wanted to reach over and put his hand on her thigh, but wasn’t sure if she would welcome the touch. Damien never really thought of himself as being confident, but Kassandra made him feel like an unsure schoolboy trying to seduce his first real girlfriend.
They didn’t say anything the rest of the drive. When he pulled up to Robert’s house, he wasn’t surprised to see the yard full of small children. Even though this would be his and Alyssa’s first kid, the entire neighborhood had declared him to be Uncle Robert. When he stepped out of the car, several of the kids screamed in greeting.
Damien laughed as the kids threw themselves at him. He growled, causing the kids to squeal and scatter in multiple directions. Damien smiled as he opened the door for a confused-looking Kassandra. “The neighbor’s kids like to play over here at Uncle Robert’s house, since he always has cookies and spends his time with them.”
Damien closed the door and ushered Kassandra up the walkway, his hand on her lower back. Before they could even get halfway, the door flew open and a very pregnant Alyssa stepped out with Robert right behind her. Alyssa’s belly looked even bigger since the last time he saw her and he wondered if it was possible that the baby just might pop out right here. Her long dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail. As she walked, her belly swayed back and forth. She was barely five feet tall and Robert stood over her like an over protective wolf.
“Damien, can you just make Robert stay at the bar until I have the baby? He won’t leave me alone and I’m going crazy.” Alyssa said as she waddled up to him, hugging him tight.
Laughing, he kissed her cheek. “Don’t be too hard on him, Alyssa. If he gets too irritating, just tell him you have a weird craving and make him go find it.”
Robert glared at Damien. “I thought you were supposed to be on my side, man. I can’t wait until you’re having one of your own. I want to watch how well you handle it.”
Damien shrugged, putting his arm around Kassandra and pulling her closer to him. “I look forward to the day, but for right now I’d love to introduce you both to Kassandra. Kasandra, I believe you might have met Robert the other night at the bar and this is his beautiful pregnant wife, Alyssa.”
Alyssa grinned before wobbling over to Kassandra and kissing h
er cheek. Robert shot him a look before grinning away, “It’s good to see you again,” Robert said as he gave her a small kiss on the cheek when his wife backed away.
“It’s nice to meet you Kasandra. My husband forgot to mention he met such a beautiful woman at the bar.” Alyssa pretended to glare at her husband before taking Kasandra’s arm and pulling her toward the house. “Bring the crib into the house while I get your new friend a drink.”
“Be nice,” Damien made sure to say as he watched Alyssa lead her away. Kassandra glanced over her shoulder at him, her expression filled with panic.
Chuckling, he looked back at Robert, who was watching him with his typical shit-eating grin.
“I take it she’s the reason you were so cranky the other morning,” said Robert.
Damien punched him in the arm before he lowered the back of the truck bed. “You’re going to give me a hard time. I remember when you were trying to court Alyssa. She refused to speak to you for a month after you told her you were a wolf. I’m simply trying to avoid that.”
Robert grinned. “She was worth it.”
Damien hopped up into the back of the truck to untie the rope he’d used to hold the crib down. Once it was untied he picked it up and carried it to the edge of the truck giving him just enough room to jump down. They each took an end, lifting the crib up and off the back of the truck. Adjusting their hold, they began to carry it to the house, “Damien, this is amazing. She’s going to love it.”
One of the older neighbor kids ran ahead of them and held open the door. Robert thanked him, telling him that they could come over later to play in the backyard. The kid smiled brightly as he closed the door behind them. Robert led them down the hall to the future nursery. Damien was impressed with the work that they had done. Alyssa had thought it would be cute to decorate the room using wolf pups. Since they didn’t know if it was a girl or boy they painted the walls to look like the woods and throughout the space, there were playful pups getting into mischief. When the guys brought the crib into the nursery, Alyssa’s eyes filled with tears.