by Michele Hauf
She gripped his erection and tugged it out from the tight confines of his pants. He shifted his hips and pushed down his pants to offer her easier access.
He was big and Bella delighted at the feel of the soft velvet skin. It was like suede covering steel. The smooth head snuggled against her palm as she stroked over it lightly, gauging the funny little bobs and jerks it made with her every touch.
“You’d better mean business,” he hissed at her ear. He nipped the lobe and sucked it hard. He pinched her nipple.
Bella gripped her prize firmly and stroked up and down. Flesh shrugged along the hard column. He breathed heavily against her neck, loving her work, which she knew from his lack of commands or comments.
Severo pressed both hands to the chair arm over her head. The flimsy wicker creaked. She didn’t stop.
And he met her eyes, branding her with his deep, dark intensity, which still managed to frighten her, yet also gave her confidence. She stroked the beast, taming him to her command. He loved it. He touched her with his eyes. Pleading. Thanking. Promising. Daring.
Shudders racked his immense shoulders, and as he came, he maintained eye contact. His seed warmed her belly, over and over.
When he was finished, he reached for a towel and wiped off her stomach, then tossed it aside and collapsed on top of her.
“I like third base the best,” he said on a satisfied huff. “Your turn?”
“I’ve already had a turn. That was…”
“Worth doing again?”
And again. The weight of him upon her made her giddy. This powerful man was so relaxed and comfortable with her. A man who was more than human.
“I hate to be a spoilsport, but I’m meeting Seth tonight. I probably should get ready.”
“You have a date?”
“It’s not a date. It’s a ‘what the hell are you doing dating a vampire?’ kind of meeting with my friend.”
“And what if he asks about your werewolf?”
“I’m not dating you. You are not mine.”
“No, but we’re involved in something here, Bella.” He stroked her neck like a cat. The sticky head of his penis nudged her belly. “This is not two people being casual.”
“You’re my protector.”
“And you—” he bent to kiss each breast and smoothed his hand down her stomach and adjusted his new erection so that it lay straight along her belly “—are my destroyer.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“It’s a good destruction, trust me. I want it over and over, if you’ll give it. But I’m not sure about you going anywhere alone. It’s night. Will you allow me to escort you?”
“Do I have an option?”
Seth expected only her. But if Severo’s guess about Seth’s girlfriend siccing vampire slaves on her was anywhere near correct, then she’d like to have him along for support.
You want the werewolf to go along because you’re not ready to say goodbye to him.
How could she after what they’d just shared?
Chapter 7
S he’d dressed sexy to meet her friend Seth. A body-hugging black top and skirt with white polka dots decorating the double layer of ruffles at the hem. Bella claimed it was her dance-practice skirt. Whatever it was, it showed every curve!
She’d tugged her hair into a sleek ponytail that emphasized her sharp cheekbones and narrow face. And her eyes were all dark and smoky with makeup.
Severo wanted to eat her alive, suck her until she moaned for him to stop. He wanted to feel those short, glossy fingernails dig into his muscles again and to capture her climaxing cry in his mouth.
God, he loved holding her body when it shuddered beneath him.
But she gave him the excuse that she had to dance at the club this evening, after she met with Seth. Part of her dance-class requirements.
They strolled along the boulevard, heading toward the Moonstone. He knew it was a family diner that served well past midnight. Steaks, fries and lots of grease. Heart attack on a plate. His kind of watering hole.
“So I’m not invited to watch you dance?” he asked.
“You can come along if you like.”
“But you’d rather I not.”
“I didn’t say that. Do you want to sit and watch me beat the floor with my feet? Or would you rather play security outside the back door?”
“Now you’re taking advantage of me. Did you consider I might have something to do after your little meeting?”
“Like watching me?”
She had him there.
He didn’t like being a third wheel. Just who was this Seth, and how had the mortal attracted attention from the likes of the insufferable Elvira? She normally didn’t do mortals. Not for long.
“He’s already inside. I can see him.” Bella waved and then touched Severo’s chest.
Severo knew what was coming. “I can stay outside if you prefer to keep your dog tied up on the leash.”
“Now look who’s getting snarky.” She toyed with the collar of his leather jacket. The dark shadowing around her eyes made the green irises so bold, like sweets to be devoured. “I was going to invite you in.”
“I’d like that. But?”
“But let me do the talking, okay? This is weird enough introducing you to Seth.”
“Weirder than him confessing to you that he’s dating the mistress of the night?”
“I suppose not. Are we dating?”
“I consider you the only woman in my life. But if we must do some sort of ritual involving movies and dinner and roses, I confess I’ve fallen short.”
Her shy smile made him want to kiss her, to show the world how she had captured him. But they were in the parking lot of a family restaurant. He had a sense of decorum. Unlike vampires, he could control his animal instincts. Most of the time.
The hostess directed Bella and Severo to a table at the back of the restaurant that was lit by a flickering plastic Tiffany reject hanging overhead.
Already standing in wait, Seth hugged Bella and kissed her on the mouth. A quick kiss, but a kiss all the same. Some friend. Severo’s hackles prickled, but he played the cool one, waiting until the jerk noticed him.
“This is Severo,” said Bella, introducing them.
Severo offered his hand, but the twerp stumbled backward and landed in the booth.
“You didn’t tell me you were bringing him along. Bella, what the hell? Three days ago you learn about paranormals, and now you’re dating one?”
“We’re not dating,” Severo said as he slid onto the vinyl booth behind Bella. He made a point of leaning over to kiss her cheek, then tilted her jaw so he could kiss her fully on the mouth. He glanced to Seth. “We’re just exploring mating possibilities.”
The man’s stunned gape served Severo a satisfying victory. “Christ, Bella, you said this guy almost raped you.”
“I would never. Did you say that to him?” asked Severo.
“He’s cool, Seth. And no, I didn’t say you raped me. But I wasn’t sure what you were capable of that night.” She patted his hand. Severo didn’t like the condescending move, so he pulled back his hand and slipped it, fisted, inside his jacket pocket. “Seth, Severo has been keeping an eye on me in case the vampires come back.”
“What? Why would they? Like, come back for you?” Seth quizzed.
Severo did not like the tone in the man’s voice. Hell, he was hardly a man. Lanky and pale, he looked like a teenager. Why did young men think that wearing their hair in their eyes was attractive?
“Has he been filling your mind with stupid fairy tales to get you to forgive his callous treatment?” Seth asked. “What’s your deal, man?”
“You’re a testy one, aren’t you? Elvira’s lovers are usually more subdued. Drained, actually,” Severo replied.
Seth blinked. “Elvira?”
“He calls your girlfriend that,” Bella offered.
“Her name is Evie,” Seth snapped. “And how do you know her?”
�
��Oh, we go back a long way, me and the mistress of the night,” said Severo.
“The mistress…”
Seth’s sputtering affront did not impress Severo. The idiot mortal was caught up in the vampire’s allure. Actually, he was probably heavily under vampire persuasion and unable to resist the longtooth bitch.
“Just listen, will you?” Bella pleaded with her friend. “Tell him what you suspect, Severo. Why the vampires are after me.”
He did not owe this mortal a thing, but Bella asked so nicely that he wanted to please her. “I believe Evie is jealous of you and Bella. That’s why she sicced her sycophants on her the other night.”
“Jealous? Of what?” asked Seth.
“Of your relationship with Bella,” Severo said calmly. He scented the man’s growing rage. It wasn’t a normal reaction. The vampire bitch had been drinking from him; he could smell the vile longtooth oozing from his pores. “She’s seen the two of you together, I’m sure.”
“We’re just friends,” Seth hissed.
Severo nodded. “But you love Bella, yes?”
“Of course I do.”
“Vampires are pernicious creatures. While they toy with love as if it were meant to be batted about like a volleyball, they will also smash it to oblivion if it serves their pleasure,” Severo explained.
“Yeah? What about werewolves? I thought you guys were the ones who were so protective of your mates?” Seth challenged.
“We are.” Severo slid a hand around Bella’s shoulder and pulled her against him. “You want to try me?”
“Jeez, Bella.” Seth shoved his glass of ice water to the center of the table and slammed his arms across his chest. “I don’t want to talk to this creep.” He sneered at Severo. “What made you think you could invite yourself along?”
“Because you don’t have Bella’s best interests in mind,” Severo stated calmly.
“That’s it, man. I’m out of here,” Seth thundered.
“Back to your vampire mistress?” Severo asked as the guy slid out from the booth. He was but a kid. Couldn’t be a day over twenty. Which made him wonder how Bella had ever hooked up with him in the first place. “She’s seen you interact with Bella. My guess is she doesn’t want the competition.”
“Bella means nothing to me,” Seth spat. He shrugged his fingers through his hair. “Well, you know, Bella. We’re not like that. We don’t ‘explore mating possibilities.’ Christ, now I’ll never get the image out of my head of you and wolf boy here—”
In less than a breath Severo held the man by the shirt lapels. He didn’t lift him so high that his feet left the ground. Didn’t want to cause a scene. “You tell your mistress to back off.”
“Severo.” Bella’s quiet plea calmed the elevating rage that threatened to obliterate Severo’s patience.
Seth nodded agreeably, and Severo set him down.
“Call me, Bella,” Seth said. “You’re dancing tonight? I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I’ve got plans.”
“I forgot to tell you, Seth. You can catch me next time,” replied Bella.
Seth nodded and vacated the restaurant quickly.
“Why did you have to do that?” she said as Severo slid into the booth seat next to her. “Always playing he-man. Gotta be the alpha dog.”
Instead of berating her for her uncouth word choice, Severo leaned in and kissed her silent. The high booth granted them privacy. The kiss did the trick, and he enjoyed it much more than chastising her. Her fingers slipped between the buttons of his silk shirt and he felt her nails dig into his chest. Yes, hurt me. Mark me. Mmm, she was exquisite.
“Still feel the need for dancing?” he asked.
“I have to. It’s part of dance class.”
“Would you entertain the idea of returning to your home and allowing me to undress you, starting with those wicked shoes, and lick my way all the way up to your mouth?”
“I think I’ve lost the mood. I’m still angry with you for being so mean to Seth.”
“Very well.”
With a resolute sigh, Severo toyed with the flatware that had been placed squarely before him. His thigh touched Bella’s thigh, and his shoulder hugged hers.
Her presence did not cease to still him like a muzzle on a raging beast. He would have liked to shove the idiot Seth through the window, but Bella had gentled him again. What a wonder.
Tilting his head, he laid it upon her shoulder. A smirking breath escaped her. She slid a palm along his cheek. It didn’t matter if she was angry with him. This quiet moment meant the world to him. Just him and Bella together.
Must he wait for her to dance before taking her home and having his way with her?
He asked, “How about now? Change your mind about being angry with me?”
“Yes, werewolf.” She laughed softly. “You win. Let’s head to the club and get this dance over with.”
Severo was familiar with the flamenco style of music. He enjoyed the intricate guitar rhythm and understood some Spanish words the cantor sang. But he’d never watched a flamenco dance performance before. Bella hypnotized him.
She danced with a female partner, each mirroring the other and then at times breaking off to do their own thing upon the small wooden dance floor. The intensity between the two blazed through the small room.
He sat in the back of the club, which was no more than twenty feet from the makeshift dance floor.
The craggy-faced man next to Severo reeked strongly of menthol. He clapped his veiny, long-fingered hands in rhythm, matching the others in the crowd, who encouraged the dancers with their clapping and occasional shouts of olé.
Settling against the wall, he observed through narrowed eyes as his woman seduced the crowd. His woman. Dating wasn’t necessary. Claiming her was, though. He’d already learned her climax. But he wouldn’t truly claim her until he’d made love to her completely.
And then there was the werewolf. That part of him would provide the final test of whether or not Bella could be his true mate.
A rapid rasgueado by the guitarist brought the women together in a floor-pounding explosion of stomps and hand claps. The crowd’s enthusiasm increased.
The man next to him voiced his approval, and Severo found the beat with all the rest.
Bella strode ahead, leaving Severo to close the door behind him. She opened the patio door. A soft night breeze drifted through the screen, tickling the chiffon that hung from the ceiling down the center of her loft. A flowery aroma steeped the air, but she couldn’t guess what it was. Mrs. Jones had a wild and abundant garden on the other side of the fence. Wolf boy might know.
She chided herself for thinking of him that way. He was a man, as he’d explained. But she was curious about the wolf part. Yet curiosity led to dread. Vampires with sharp, shiny fangs were bad enough. What would a fully wolfed-out werewolf be like?
Maybe she wasn’t so curious, after all.
“Want something to drink?” she offered when he wandered back and forth before the couch. “I have vodka and Sprite.”
“No beer?”
“I’m not into the icky stuff.”
He grinned. “I’ll take a swig of vodka, neat. But don’t slip any of that fruity stuff in there.”
“Gotcha. One anti-cosmo coming right up.”
Tossing his jacket on the couch, he dodged the bamboo plant and stretched his broad shoulders and flexed his arms. He didn’t stop moving, striding across the floor as if he were measuring for a marriage bed.
Oh, stop, Bella. That’s the wrong image. A caged animal was more appropriate and intriguing.
Was he nervous now that they were alone and sex might be the next step? Full-on sex, that is. Wasn’t like he hadn’t already rocked her world.
If he could bring her to climax merely by licking her nipples, Bella could not guess how wondrous getting naked with him would be. On the other hand, she could imagine such a scenario. But why imagine when all the elements to the fantasy were at hand?
Severo had told
Seth that they were “exploring mating possibilities.” But it hadn’t sounded as disgusting to her as she thought it should. Mating? With the virile man who filled the room with his presence?
Bring it on.
Vodka straight had never appealed to her, but she took a sip before handing the tumbler to Severo. He downed it in one swallow, set the tumbler on the birch coffee table and tugged her into his embrace.
“I needed that,” he said.
“I have difficulty believing you require a drink to loosen up.”
“Oh, I’m loose.”
“I know that. I saw you doing palmas while I was dancing.”
“The what? I wasn’t doing anything untoward, sweet.”
She smiled at his teasing allusion. “Palmas is the clapping of hands, which are as much a musical instrument to flamencos as their feet.”
“Ah. Yes, I think I picked it up.” He tapped a rapid rhythm with three fingers against her collarbone. “Yes?”
“Very good for a newbie.”
“You dance often?”
“Couple times a week at the studio. Then I try to pick up at least one performance a week at the club. Next week I have an important audition at the studio. If I can pass, I’ll become an apprentice. After a few years of intense study, perhaps they’ll allow me to start teaching.”
“Impressive. You are a marvelous dancer.” He swayed, prompting her to move with him. “But I thought that wasn’t your job?”
“It isn’t. I do Web design to pay the bills. But teaching a couple days a week would be awesome.” She shifted her hips into a sway and the ruffled hem of her skirt swung out. “You dance, Severo?”
“Nope.”
“Never?”
Without a word, he tugged her to him and traced a finger along the low-cut V-neck of her top.
“Not in all your…How old are you, exactly? Are you immortal?” With the slightest push from him, Bella spun out and did a half twirl.
“Close to one hundred years,” he said. “But not immortal.”
“A hundred? I’m dating an older man.”
“So we are dating?”
“I think so.” She did a double golpe foot stomp to punctuate her decision.