by Lori King
Clinging to Luke’s hand Tavi followed him into the booth and shrugged off her coat.
“Tavi, this is Ryley, his brother Rafe, and their wife Shandi.”
Her confusion must have shown on her face as she took in the voluptuous redhead surrounded by the pair of matching blond bookends.
“Did you say their wife?” she asked.
Shandi gave her a smile and a wink. “Yep, I lucked out and got a two-for-one deal.”
“Oh wow.” Tavi wasn’t sure what to say to that so she decided to stay quiet. What kind of woman married two men, and they were brothers no less!
“Who’s got the kids while you three are out partying?” Luke asked.
“They’re crashing with Liam and Tina tonight. I think Li is trying to convince Tina they need to start their own family by borrowing ours,” Ryley, answered rolling his eyes. “I wish him luck with it because Tina swears she’s never having kids.”
“How many kids do you have?” Tavi asked.
“Two boys, Axel and Jordan. We actually just took them in after their parents died. We’re still in the adoption process,” Shandi answered.
“Tavi has a daughter,” Luke interjected. He almost sounded proud of that fact.
Shandi’s eyes lit up. “Really? How old?”
“Sonny is ten going on twenty-five. She certainly acts older than ten,” Tavi said with a laugh.
“Sonny? That’s an interesting name. So is Tavi come to think of it,” Shandi said, and Tavi nodded.
“Sonny is short for Sonora. I was born and raised in Sonora, California, and I was homesick when I had her,” Tavi answered.
Luke wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and joked, “And don’t ask what Tavi is short for because it makes her wrinkle her nose.”
Tavi joined in the laughter. It was nice sitting around having a conversation with adults. She was introduced to more cousins and friends, and she began to wonder at the good genes that seemed to be running in Luke’s bloodline. All of these people were beautiful. So beautiful it left her feeling a little out of place.
“Do you want a drink, baby?” Luke said near her ear, his warm breath making her shiver.
“Yeah, um, I’ll take a ginger ale.”
He frowned at her. “You can have something stronger if you like. I’m driving tonight.”
“I know, but I’m really not much of a drinker. And I want to save my energy up for that dancing you promised me,” she said, smiling as confidently as she could.
Luke seemed pleased with her answer, and he pressed a sweet kiss to her lips before he headed for the bar to secure their drinks, leaving her alone with people she barely knew. Ryley and Shandi headed out onto the dance floor, and she found herself sitting with Rafe and a cousin named Owen.
“So, do you guys all work together, too?” she asked, letting her normally friendly waitress self take over.
“Not yet,” Rafe answered. “We’ll work together when Luke passes his CPAT test. Or at least I will. Owen is a desk jockey nowadays.”
Owen Gray had neatly styled reddish brown hair and hazel eyes which he rolled at Rafe. He looked like he’d just stepped out of a GQ magazine in his button-down dress shirt and slacks. “I’m actually an attorney, but I do volunteer work for the KCFD.”
“I’m sorry, CPAT? KCFD?” she asked in confusion.
“The Kansas City Fire Department, and the CPAT is the test new fire fighters have to pass. Luke’s taking it at the end of February,” Rafe supplied.
“Oh.” Yet again she was at a loss as to how to respond. She’d had no idea that Luke wanted to be a fire fighter, but then why would she? They’d only just met, and it’s not like they’d spent a lot of time talking about their careers or ambitions. “How long have you been a fireman?”
Rafe smiled warmly. “Seems like forever. My brother and I both joined the Marines after high school—actually most of us did—Devin, Damon, Liam, Cash, and Owen, anyways, when we all got out it felt like we were wasting our lives to just take any old job. We liked the adrenaline of the military, but we needed to be back home for our pack—er—family.”
“That’s noble of you guys to give up being in the military in order to care for your family,” she said.
“It’s not exactly noble to give up being shot at every day.” Ryley and Shandi had appeared at her elbow, and she rose to let them climb back into the booth.
“You’ve exchanged gun fire for real fire. I’d say that’s still heroic,” she answered back. “It’s a more noble gig than being a waitress. Of course I’m not really a waitress as of today…”
Concern filled the faces around her as Luke joined them and set her glass in front of her.
“Oh no!” Shandi said. “Did you lose your job?”
“You could say that.”
Luke made a noise at her side and she frowned at him. Was he growling?
“Tavi was attacked today by her boss.” Luke responded to Shandi’s question and suddenly Tavi felt surrounded by angry male testosterone.
“What?”
“Are you fucking kidding?”
“Is that where the bruise came from?”
“Did you kick the fucker’s ass, Luke?”
Tavi held her hands up. “Whoa! Hold on, I’m okay! Yes, the bruise is from my former boss, Shane, and no Luke didn’t kick his ass, because I asked him not to. Look, it’s over and done with. I hated that job, and clearly it was the right time to get out of it. No worries, but thank you all for your concern.”
Her words clearly didn’t set any better with the other men at the table than they had with Luke, but they stopped asking questions, and allowed the subject to change to lighter topics. As they ordered and ate their dinner, Tavi was regaled with stories of Luke as a child. She found out about his nickname, and his habit of sleeping with his eyes open, as well as the fact that he was generally thought of as a serious kinda guy. That struck her as funny because she hadn’t seen much in the way of serious from him yet. Most of the time he was flirting with her trying to get into her bed.
The more she learned about him, the more she liked. He obviously cared about the people around him, although he did seem rather distant from Shandi in particular. It was unusual considering how protective he was of Tavi. He also wasn’t the most open about his past. She could relate to that, but it brought up some questions in her mind. Every time one of the guys mentioned bringing her around the family den as they called it, Luke would clam up and change the subject. She was beginning to wonder if he still thought of all of this as a one-night stand.
Owen briefly spoke with her about filing a hostile work environment and wrongful termination lawsuit against the owner of the diner, and she promised to give him a call later in the week to discuss it. Perhaps she and Oren could at least have the termination expunged from the record so that it wouldn’t hurt her chances of getting a new job.
When the band started playing, Luke pointed out his older brother, Noah, playing guitar, and the lead singer turned out to be his cousin, Cash. She recognized both men from the diner, and she would have seen the resemblance in Noah even without Luke telling her who he was. They shared a similar bone structure in the face, and some of their physical gestures were identical. According to Luke those were the only similarities though.
“You almost sound like you don’t like your brother? Don’t you guys live together?”
Luke frowned. “I like him…I mean, we’re just very different people. He’s in school, and he’s focused on being a musician. I’m training to be a firefighter. I guess we just aren’t walking the same path anymore.”
“What made you want to be a firefighter?” she asked.
Luke was quiet for a minute before he answered. “I need to feel like I’m making a difference. I need to be needed I guess.”
Tavi instantly understood. How often had she thanked God for giving her Sonny and finally clearing a path for her that she could walk down? If it weren’t for the fact that her daughter needed her, she
wasn’t sure what would have happened to her when Jason bailed on her ten years ago.
“I think it’s an admirable goal,” she said, leaning into the curve of his body, and accepting the arm he draped over her shoulder.
“Well, thank you. Any chance I can convince you to dance now that I’ve fed you, Ms. Reid?” he asked.
“Ms. Reid is it? What happened to baby?” she teased.
Luke cocked one thick eyebrow and smiled. “I was just trying to be polite, but I can think of lots of less polite things to whisper in your ear if you want me to, baby.”
A shiver of desire tingled all the way down her spine and centered between her thighs. When he spoke in that low growly voice she wanted to just strip off her clothes and jump him.
“Let’s dance, sweet talker.” She gave him a little shove and he laughed as he climbed out of the booth and took her hand.
They danced one fast dance before the music shifted tempo to the slower softer notes of a popular song by Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson. Tavi hummed the song as she wrapped her arms around Luke’s waist and let him hold her close, swaying to the music. It was a beautiful moment, and like the words of the song, she wanted nothing more than to stay in that place in that time, and hold onto him.
“Thank you, Tavi,” Luke murmured.
“For what?”
“For giving me a chance. Tonight’s been perfect.”
She couldn’t speak past the lump of emotion stuck in her throat, so she just nodded, and tightened her grip. She could feel the hard muscles of his lean body, and the steady thump of his heart, and all she wanted was to press against him—skin to skin.
Together they danced several more dances, enjoying the swing and sway of the fast-paced country music, and then the subtle melancholy of a few bluesy tunes that Cash Gray seemed to belt out from the soles of his feet. The band was phenomenal, and the evening truly felt perfect. Tavi was almost afraid of going to bed tonight because she might wake up and find out it was all a dream.
Luke felt like he was in a dream. A dream that he never wanted to wake up from. Tavi felt absolutely perfect in his arms, and his wolf almost seemed content to just dance with her all night. Of course, it was getting harder and harder to avoid pressing his throbbing erection against her stomach as they held each other closer with each dance.
He hadn’t made a secret of the fact that he wanted her, but he was trying hard to go slow. He knew now that this woman was the one that his wolf wanted as its mate, but the fact that she was human still rankled the hell out of his conscience. If they mated, he would be a hypocrite, but he couldn’t see how to convince his wolf that his pride meant more to him than his heart, because at this moment, it didn’t.
It was becoming more and more real to him that Tavi’s lack of werewolf blood wasn’t the problem, it was his own closed mind that was. There were still so many things to overcome for them though. Hell, she was a single mom, and he was nowhere near ready to be a dad.
“Luke?” Tavi asked, startling him from his thoughts.
“Yeah, baby?”
The way she looked up at him, with her blue-gray eyes shining and soft made him feel like a king. “My feet are getting tired, and I’ve had a really long day. Do you think we could head out pretty soon?”
Disappointment filled his chest. He wasn’t ready for this night to end. Swallowing hard, he nodded. “Of course. I’m sorry to keep you out so late. I’ll take you home if you’re ready.”
“Do you…um…” She hesitated and bit her plump lip making his balls tighten. God her lips would look amazing wrapped around his cock. “Well I was thinking that maybe you’d want to come back to my place and talk some more. You know, where it’s quieter?”
Instantly his wolf went wild inside of him, and his exuberance must have reflected in his smile because she relaxed and smiled back. “Absolutely, baby. Let me say a quick goodbye to the guys and we’ll head out.”
Luke said the fastest goodbyes of his life to his friends and family members, and bundled his woman out the door. Now that he knew he didn’t have to say goodbye yet, he was desperate to get her alone.
Chapter 9
By the time Luke parked in her driveway, Tavi’s red hair was disheveled from running her fingers through it, and she clutched the clip she’d been wearing tightly in her hands.
“Luke, I—”
Before she could tell him to leave, that she’d changed her mind, he reached for her, drawing her against him. “Don’t, baby. I know you’ve probably talked yourself out of this, and back into it a dozen times in the last ten minutes, but I’m asking you to trust me.”
“One night, Luke. I can’t afford to let you break my heart, so you only get this one night,” she whispered, tucking her head under his chin, and nuzzling his throat.
“What are you saying, Tavi?” he asked, swallowing back a groan. His wolf liked that feeling a lot. Almost too much. She fit perfectly against him, and simultaneously a wave of protectiveness and a surge of lust hit him. It was an awkward feeling to be caught between the two sides of his nature.
“Let’s just go inside.”
When she pulled away, he had to fight the urge to growl at her, and drag her back against his body. Logically he knew she was just opening the door, but everything inside of him wanted to continue holding her. Loving her. Mating her.
What the fuck? His hands were shaking as the word kept playing in his head.
Mate.
Mate.
Mate.
There was no doubt that’s what his wolf wanted, but there was no way he could allow it to happen.
Tavi led him into the house via the side door, dropping her purse on the kitchen counter, and her keys in a small oddly shaped bowl that had a painted pink handprint in the center.
“A gift from Sonny a few years ago. She made it in school,” she supplied, moving to the refrigerator.
Luke wasn’t sure how to respond. What would it feel like to own something that his child’s hands had created? Something that said, “I love you, Dad.” Shaking the thought off he responded with a gruff, “It’s cute.”
“Do you want a soda? I don’t keep alcohol in the house, but I have water and juice if you’re not a—”
Luke smiled and pulled her away from the appliance. The door whooshed closed with a click. “I don’t need anything to drink. Now tell me why you invited me in, Tavi?”
“I’ve tried to tell myself that I don’t want this…” She hesitated, and Luke held his breath as he waited for her to finish. “But the truth is, I want you, and…”
Without waiting for her to complete her answer, he captured her lips.
Tavi couldn’t think when Luke’s lips were on hers. He made her mindless with desire. It sizzled up her spine and back down centering in her clenching pussy. She wanted him so much it hurt. Pushing aside all of her fears and doubts about this encounter, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him back.
His arms came around her, and he pulled her tight against his body. Not even light could have slipped between them as they melted into each other, feasting on their sexual desires. Tavi didn’t notice them moving, but suddenly her back was pressed against the front of the refrigerator. Magnets and colorful drawings scattered along with photographs and takeout menus as they writhed together against the stainless steel surface. She heard the sounds, but she couldn’t make herself care. All that mattered was Luke, and keeping in contact with him. She wanted his hands all over her body, and his cock deep inside of her.
“Bedroom?” he said in a husky voice.
She pointed down the hallway opposite them. “First door on the right.”
His hands slid under her ass, and he lifted her in the air as he moved that direction. She tossed her head back, giggling at the move.
“What?” he asked, with a wry grin.
“I don’t remember the last time someone carried me somewhere. I was probably four.” Adrenaline racing through her system, she couldn’t stop her giggles
, and he dropped her on her back on the bed, staring down at her with those sexy eyes of his.
“I’m not used to women laughing when I have them in bed,” he teased, his dark black eyebrow lifting as he reached for the hem of his shirt. It slid up over his head revealing his tight muscular torso, and she lost all ability to speak. Golden caramel-colored skin covered ropes of muscle, and a line of black hair pointed the way from his nipples to the top of his jeans. “Hey, you stopped laughing.”
She felt her mouth open and shut a couple of times like a fish gasping for water, and then he was the one laughing. “That’s a first. I don’t think I’ve ever left a woman speechless before I even took my pants off.”
“You’re beautiful,” she whispered. Awe and desire battled with self-doubt as she remembered the stretch marks and loose skin that covered her own abdomen. Surely Luke was the type of man used to having perfection in his bed. What would he say when he saw her flaws?
He slid his hands up the sides of her body under her shirt, pushing it off before she could comment. A plain white bra covered her B-cup breasts, but he looked down at her like she was some sort of pin-up queen. “Fuck. You’re the one who’s beautiful, baby.”
Hot breath coursed over her skin, as he bent and kissed the upper swells of her breasts. The move pressed his cock against her pussy, and she arched her back up off of the mattress with a moan of need.
The sudden sound of a door clicking closed down the hall made them both freeze, and Luke’s eyes went from dark with lust to dangerously primal in a flash. “What was that?”
“Este.”
For just a moment they hung there in a strange balance of indecision. Luke bent over her body on the bed, her legs spread to welcome him. She could tell him to leave, and she knew he would, but she didn’t want that. Making her decision, she smiled as seductively as she knew how. “It’s okay, just shut the bedroom door and she’ll leave us alone.”
“Are you sure, baby?” he asked. The question comforted her with the knowledge that she’d been right about him.
“Yes, Luke, please. I need you.”