by V. Vaughn
The magnetic pull to touch him is strong, and I don’t want to fight it. I believe him, because I feel the same way. I no longer care about anything except physical pleasure with Warren, and my skin is warm as I slide my fingers under the waistband of my shorts and tug down my one piece of remaining clothing.
He steps forward and drops to his knees before me. I lean into him as he grips my hips and pulls me against his body. His breath is hot on my belly as he whispers, “So gorgeous.” Warren pushes me gently, and I walk backward to sit on the edge of my bed. When he lifts my legs over his shoulders, I lie back and squirm in response to his tongue as it strokes my sex.
Warren seems to know just how to pleasure me, and there is nothing awkward about his ministrations. I’m close to my orgasm when I gaze down at him to see he’s watching me. His chin glistens with my juices when he lifts up and works me with his fingers. He says, “Look at me, Sophie. Let me see you come.”
I begin to quake with my impending release, and Warren lowers his mouth to suck hard on my clit. The movement sends me through the roof, and I cry out. When I crash back down to earth, Warren is kissing his way up my torso. He’s still clothed, and I ask, “I don’t suppose we could finagle you out of that shirt?”
He grins as he stands up to undress. He reveals the chest that makes my knees weak, and when he lowers his shorts, I stare at a glorious cock. I let out a low growl of my own and repeat what I said about Warren the first time I saw him. “The things I could teach you.”
He stalks over to the bed to stare down at me with an intensity that fills me with warmth. Its heat is beyond sexual desire and almost makes my heart hurt as if he’s laid my soul bare. I realize what I’m experiencing is love, and I scramble back on the bed as if I can escape the emotions that overwhelm me. I shake my head.
The bed sinks as Warren crawls over me. He slides his hands up my sides, and goose bumps form on my skin as he says, “It’s just sex.”
I whisper, “Right. That’s good.” But I think he’s trying to give himself an excuse for doing this too.
Warren holds my face with his strong fingers as he lowers himself to my mouth. “This is fate. We can’t fight it.” He kisses me lightly and lifts back up to say, “No. It’s destiny. We have a choice.”
Do we? He gazes at me as he waits for my decision. I can’t imagine being without this man I’ve only known for a few days. No matter what I decide to do, at the moment, I can’t fight my need to have him fill me. I reach for his cock as I say, “Right now, I choose you.”
Silky skin is hot in my hand as I grip him tight and stroke him. Warren groans and rocks his hips with the motion. He’s propped up on his arms, and muscles ripple beneath skin as he basks in pleasure. A low rumble comes from his chest, and he reaches between my legs to thrust two fingers into me. “I want to be in you.”
“Yes.” I reach my hand out for the bedside table drawer where I keep condoms and bat at it as I begin to lose the ability to function while I melt in Warren’s touch.
He removes his hand, and the drawer scrapes open as he tugs at it. I watch as he rolls the prophylactic on, and my insides twitch in anticipation. Warren kisses me quickly and grabs my hips to flip me over.
I let out a squeal as he places an arm under my pelvis and lifts my butt up into the air. I say, “Just put me where you want me.”
Any annoyance I had at being manhandled disappears the moment he swipes his tongue over my sensitive slit, and I mewl for more when he stops. He grunts as he thrusts into me, and I moan loudly as his cock stretches my channel. He sighs as he holds still for a moment and asks, “I need you hard, is that okay?”
My hand smacks against the headboard as I grab on to the edge and say, “God, yes.”
Warren pumps quickly, and the bed squeaks and then bangs against the wall with the force of his motions. He reaches around with his hand to rub my clit, and I’m close to my release when he explodes with his. The sound of Warren’s ecstasy makes me quake, and I fall with him.
My fall is so much more than physical. I’ve jumped off a cliff head first, and the water must be freezing, because panic is flooding my veins. As we lay tangled up in each other’s limbs, I inhale our musk as if it’s the oxygen I need to survive before I crash, and I realize what I’ve done. I’ve fallen for a man that doesn’t trust me. And I don’t trust him.
Our skin is slick as I slide out from under Warren, and I say, “I have to get ready for work.” While the truth is that I still have plenty of time, I need to distance myself from this guy. Maybe now that I’ve satisfied my sexual need for him, I can put him where he needs to be, which is somewhere other than in my bed. I gaze at Warren and find him watching me with his arms up behind his head as he smiles at me. He’s got the alpha-male pose down, and I imagine he’s purring with contentment on the inside. I frown before I pad my way into the bathroom and flip on the shower.
Searing heat pours down on me when I step in, and I adjust the water to a cooler temperature. I just had sex with a werewolf. One that is drawn to me because of fate, not because he likes who I am. Oh god, what have I done? I recall my ex-husband, Dave, telling me he never loved me the way I deserved, and that he hadn’t meant to hurt me. And here I am in the same situation all over again.
I shiver despite the heat of my shower. I can’t seem to get warm, and I turn the water to scalding hot. Steam rolls out to fill the bathroom as I imagine what just happened with Warren and me is going to be hard to forget, and I vow that I’m not going to be the stupid girl I used to be. I’ll stand strong no matter how much I’m attracted to the guy that waits in my bedroom.
The towel I dry myself with is rough on my limbs as I rub hard. I glance at my flushed skin as I do. I just had the best sex of my life, and now I wish I hadn’t, because it will stay with me forever. I hear Warren’s voice in my memory to seal my resolve. “It’s just sex.”
Everything about a relationship with the werewolf next door is so wrong. I yank a comb through my wet hair in anger at myself for being such an idiot. Again. I turn to the door, and dread is a lump in my stomach as I reach for the handle to go face what I’ve done. That’s what you get, Sophie, when you jump in.
33
When I return to my bedroom, Warren is gone. My knee-jerk reaction is disappointment, but I quickly replace it with a sigh of relief as I tug at the sheets to remove them. At least he’s not trying to pretend this is more. Warren doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy that plays games, and I appreciate it. Maybe we’re on the same page and can make this work after all.
I wad up the dirty linens, and residual warmth from our bodies is infused with the odor of our musk. It’s enticing, and I find myself inhaling it longer than I should before I toss the heap toward the stairs to grab when I’m ready.
I put on a simple shift dress that I’ll glam up later for the wedding with a beaded blazer. My chunky heels that allow me to wear them for hours without pain thud on the steps as I make my way to the kitchen with the sheets in my arms. I breathe through my mouth to avoid the scent, but it doesn’t work. Shame at my lack of self-control manages to take over by the time I get to the living room, and my ears burn.
I notice Warren brought the coffee and muffins inside to set them on the breakfast bar that separates my kitchen from the living room. I’ve still got an hour before I need to be at the country club, so I dig my phone out of my purse and call my sister.
“Is Paul at work?” I ask.
“Yes,” says Caroline. “Want to talk?”
I snap a plastic bag open and drop two muffins into it. “I’ll be right over.”
Ten minutes later, I enter Caroline and Paul’s house without knocking. My sister is at their kitchen table, and the bag of baked goods I toss thumps when it lands in front of her. I say, “Compliments of Warren. I slept with him.”
Caroline gazes up at me with a frown. “And he made you muffins as a thank-you?”
“No. Those were to seduce me.” I snort. “Like I needed convincin
g.”
My sister gets up, and the cabinet clicks open as she gets me a mug. Coffee splashes into it as Caroline pours. She says, “Start at the beginning.”
My bottom thuds into a chair as I plop myself down. “He came over this morning to tell me he doesn’t trust humans. So I told him I didn’t trust men. And then we screwed each other’s brains out.”
“Hate sex?”
I shrug, because I don’t hate Warren. Far from it. “I couldn’t help myself, Caro. It was like some strange force made me do it.” I wonder if I’d still be attracted to Warren if we were both human.
“That force doesn’t go away. You can’t help it. Mating season and the true mate attraction made you do it.” She picks up the plastic bag and pulls out a muffin. Caroline twists it in her hand as she inspects it as she says, “Trust me. I know how it feels.”
My chuckle is reluctant, because she’s told me how insatiable she’s been since Paul bit her.
She asks, “Was it the best you’ve ever had?”
I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Above and beyond the best.”
Caroline smiles at me. “You want more.”
“Yes.” I grab the plastic bag as I say, “No.”
I pull out the muffin and take a big bite off the top as my sister speaks over the food in her mouth. “Oh my god, this is amazing.”
I nod as I chew and let the delicious flavor distract me for a moment.
She swallows and says, “You’re his true mate, which means you can’t help the way you feel, Soph. Fate has made you want him even if you’d rather not.”
I close my eyes and huff. “Wonderful.”
Caro says, “I’m glad you hooked up with him. Everyone should get that kind of sex.” She takes another bite. “You should do it again.”
“Really?” I ask. “You don’t see a problem with this?”
Caroline shakes her head as she chews.
“Okay, how about the fact that we don’t trust each other. And how about the part where he doesn’t even like me?” Tears prick at my eyes as I recall how painful my divorce from Dave was. I blink them back as I say, “I can’t do that again.”
My sister’s hand is warm on my arm as she touches me. “He likes you, Soph. Hell, he loves you.”
“No. It was just sex. He said so.”
“That’s not how true mates work.” She peels paper off the bottom of her muffin as she says, “Even if Warren won’t admit it, he’s head-over-heels in love with you.” Caroline places her arms on the table to lean toward me. “So it’s not about what he wants anymore. It’s all about you, Sophie. What do you want?”
What do I want? I lean back in my chair and replay the face of a recent groom that saw nothing but his bride as she walked down the aisle toward him. I want someone to look at me like that. “I want someone who adores me. Not someone who can’t help but love me because of fate.”
Compassion clouds my sister’s face. “You should have it. Give Warren a chance to show you how he feels. I think he’s struggling with your humanity.”
I recall that he said that humans put the wolves in peril, and I say, “He told me that the wolves are in danger.”
Caroline says, “We’re safe now, but a while back the government suspected werewolves live here and tried to capture some for research.”
A TV-show version of alien testing flashes in my mind, and I picture my sister strapped to a table with wires attached to her body. “Oh my god, Caro. That’s scary.”
“Yeah. So you can understand why Warren might not be too keen on humans.”
“But wouldn’t his mother have been a human?”
“She was,” says Caro. “But I don’t know much about her. She’s no longer around.”
I lift my coffee to take a sip. I imagine loving my enemy. I glance at the clock on the stove to discover I have to leave, and I stand. “I’ve got to get to work. Thanks for the coffee.”
Caroline has the muffin paper in her hand and is picking at the tiny bits stuck to it. “Thanks for breakfast. This was really good.”
“Sure.” A tiny shudder races through me as I recall my morning activities. My body neglects to remember my mind’s confusion and lusts for more of Warren. I glance out over the lake and notice someone paddle boarding, and I let the memory of how chilly my swim was a couple days ago shake off the heat of my desire. A few more warm days, and the water will be pleasant for swimming. Too bad Warren’s hatred for what I am couldn’t fade that quickly too.
34
Outdoor receptions at the country club are beautiful. The event tent is adorned with hundreds of tiny lights that sparkle, and the expanse of the green golf course in the distance is like a lush carpet. I take in white chairs and linens topped with lilac-colored napkins and iris centerpieces. A hand truck rattles as it goes by me, announcing that the band has arrived. I search for my contact in the group as my phone rings.
I glance at the screen, and my heart jumps into my throat. It’s my ex-husband, Dave. We haven’t spoken in almost a year, and I take a deep breath to gather my wits before I answer.
Dave says, “Sophie. It’s so good to hear your voice.”
I hate myself, because the sound of his voice feels good to me too. I focus on staying strong against his charms. “Hey, I’ve only got a minute. I’m working. What is it?”
“I want to see you again.” He chortles for a moment and then says, “It’s more than want. I need to.”
“Why? Are you pregnant with my child?”
Dave laughs again. “You still crack me up, Sophie girl.”
His nickname for me is bittersweet. When things were good with us, that’s what he called me. But when he stopped saying it, I should have seen it was the beginning of our end. “That’s me. A laugh a minute. But seriously, you’ve got thirty seconds before I have to go.”
“I tracked you down, and I know you’re the wedding planner at the Winter Valley Country Club. I’m in the area and would like to meet you for a drink tonight.”
“I can’t. I have a reception, and it will be late before I’m done.”
“Then I’ll come to you. Surely once the dancing starts and the guests get too drunk to care, you can give me a few minutes of your time.”
Dave is in sales, and I know any attempt at dissuading him is futile. I ask, “What is this about?”
“It’s not something I want to do over the phone. Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad. In fact, it could be really good.”
I sigh in annoyance, because I don’t have time to deal with the emotions that are swimming to the surface over seeing my ex again. “Fine,” I say. “How about sometime around nine?”
“I’ll be there. I can’t wait to see you, Sophie.”
Damn it if he doesn’t sound genuinely excited about it. “Sure. Bye.”
My phone clicks, and I close my eyes to process what just happened. My insecurities rush in, and I wonder if my hair looks good or if he’ll think my outfit is attractive. “Sophie, don’t.” I snap my eyes open and make a beeline for the band. I’ve got too much to do to make sure this wedding is everything the bride dreamed of. She still has hopes it’s forever.
A few hours later, I stand apart from the reception to admire my handiwork. Even though I’ve only got a few receptions under my belt, I think I’ve done an amazing job. I gaze out at the wedding guests to find happy faces, and I hone in on the bride and groom. Their heads are together, and I imagine the sweet words that are being exchanged. Warren’s face comes to mind before I push it away. My fantasy needs to be about someone that adores me. I sigh as I replace him with a generic man, and I say, “Maybe someday.”
I’m startled when the weight of a hand lands on my shoulder, and I turn to Dave as he says, “Sophie.”
His brown eyes glisten with the reflection of the tent lights, and I glance at the mouth I used to love to kiss. “Hi.”
Dave scans my body with his eyes, and he gives me the smirk I recognize as the I-want-in-your-pants grin. “Y
ou look luscious.”
He’s in dress slacks and an Oxford shirt. He’s handsome, in a way I used to find sexy before the vision of a soaking-wet Warren in just shorts replaced it in my mind. “Thank you.”
He says, “You did a nice job.”
I turn to scan the crowd with him. “I think so.” I don’t look at him as I ask, “So what did you need to see me about?”
Dave touches my elbow, and I gaze up at him. He reaches for a lock of my hair and twists it in his finger. “God, you’re still so beautiful.” My hackles go up as I wonder if this is a booty call, and he says, “I’ve missed you.”
I sigh when he places his hand on my cheek. I lean into his palm as the familiar feelings of love for him come back. But I’m not that stupid, so I step back. “Spit it out, Dave. I have things to check on.”
“I made a huge mistake divorcing you, Sophie girl.”
I take one more step back. “Oh no you don’t. No way do you get to say this to me.”
“I know. After everything I did, I don’t have the right.” I see regret in his eyes as he says, “But I need you to know I still love you. I’ve spent two years trying to forget you, and I can’t.”
I shake my head. I want to believe him, but the pain of our breakup is not easily forgotten. “No. You never loved me the way I needed you to. And I don’t believe you do now.”
He steps toward me and grabs my hands. His touch is cool on my fingers, and Warren’s searing heat comes to mind as Dave says, “But I do, Sophie. I was too afraid to admit it before.” Now he gives me the pleading puppy-dog eyes that used to make me cave to his requests. “I was afraid to be so vulnerable, but I’m not any longer.”
I tug my hands away. “Say I believe you, which I don’t. What is it you expect me to do?”
“I want you to give me a chance to make things up to you. Go out with me, Sophie girl.”
My emotions are cycling through anger, sadness, and hope, but my head is telling me anything to do with Dave is a bad idea. I ask, “Go out with you?” I sigh. “No.”