sweetling,” he murmured as his head moved back and forth in the negative. A wry chuckle slipped past his lips as he added, “You see, I wasn’t always this way and I fear my vanity is still very fragile.”
She grinned at his teasing tone, wondering if she was intrigued by him because he was so mysterious or if it was something more. “Then how do you propose we get to know one another?”
His broad, broad shoulders lifted and dropped in a shrug before he said, “We could stay here and talk.”
“Well,” she pursed her lips, searching the shadows for any glimpse of his face and seeing nothing. “The world isn’t the same place as it was ten years ago. We can go to one of the creature-friendly bars and have drinks maybe?”
“I don’t think I’d enjoy watching all of the other wolves sniffing around your skirts.”
“They only thrust their nose in your crotch or ass if they’re in wolf form,” she dead panned, wanting to hear his laugh. When he stiffened further, she let a smile curve her lips and murmured, “I’m teasing. After all, we’re not complete animals… well, I’m not an animal at all. And there are plenty of other bars out there….”
“I want to see you in the moonlight,” he said abruptly. “I imagine you are breathtaking beneath the moonlight.”
“Probably more attractive than beneath this harsh fluorescent light,” she returned, pleasantly embarrassed by his words. Looking at their joined hands, studying the contrast between her slender, peach-colored skin and his much larger, stone gray flesh, she sighed, “The wolves are beautiful in the moonlight but that’s to be expected, isn’t it? I mean, they’re wolves and I’m me.”
“I think you’re wonderful just the way you are.”
Huffing out a laugh, she twinkled her eyes at him and smiled, “But you don’t really know me yet. Isn’t that why we’re, um, courting?”
Slowly, he raised his hand and cupped her cheek in his large, stony palm and it was like she was able to breathe for the first time in her life. The world slowed down as time held its breath, waiting for the next moment. In an even rougher voice than usual, he rasped, “I know what I need to know, Daisy.”
A shaft of low light illuminated the lower curve of his unusually wide chin and she was able to see that his face was the same stone gray color of his hands. She was transfixed by the heat in his palm, the low timbre of his voice, and in that moment she knew that he was her soul mate. Licking her lower lip, she asked, “Are you going to seduce me?”
“Yes,” he answered without hesitation, the word coming out as a low growl. “I’m going to take your virginity and I’m going to give you so much pleasure, you’ll scream and beg for more. You’re mine, Daisy, and you know it. Deep inside, you know it.”
Her eyes slid closed at the heated promise in his words, the verbal claiming of her soul. Taking a shuddering breath, she pried her eyelids open until she was gazing at him through hooded eyes, “Will I ever be able to see your face?”
He paused for a moment before he answered, “Someday, perhaps.”
Turning her head slightly, she kissed his palm and he hissed in response. Covering his hand with hers, she pressed it harder against her cheek, “I wish to see you.”
Somehow, she felt his smile and she smiled in return, though she wasn’t sure why she was smiling. But then his hand was gone and she mourned the loss. Until she realized he had pulled his arms out of his sleeves and was pushing the material of his cloak away from his body, deliberately leaving the concealing hood in place. Massive, stone shoulders gleamed in the low light as a chest with slabs of carved muscles, heavily grooved abs, arms of corded sinew were slowly revealed. She held her breath as she stared at his naked torso, her fingers twitching to feel the hard flesh. Other than the stone gray color, his body looked human and perfect.
It took her a moment to
She grinned at his teasing tone, wondering if she was intrigued by him because he was so mysterious or if it was something more. “Then how do you propose we get to know one another?”
His broad, broad shoulders lifted and dropped in a shrug before he said, “We could stay here and talk.”
“Well,” she pursed her lips, searching the shadows for any glimpse of his face and seeing nothing. “The world isn’t the same place as it was ten years ago. We can go to one of the creature-friendly bars and have drinks maybe?”
“I don’t think I’d enjoy watching all of the other wolves sniffing around your skirts.”
“They only thrust their nose in your crotch or ass if they’re in wolf form,” she dead panned, wanting to hear his laugh. When he stiffened further, she let a smile curve her lips and murmured, “I’m teasing. After all, we’re not complete animals… well, I’m not an animal at all. And there are plenty of other bars out there….”
“I want to see you in the moonlight,” he said abruptly. “I imagine you are breathtaking beneath the moonlight.”
“Probably more attractive than beneath this harsh fluorescent light,” she returned, pleasantly embarrassed by his words. Looking at their joined hands, studying the contrast between her slender, peach-colored skin and his much larger, stone gray flesh, she sighed, “The wolves are beautiful in the moonlight but that’s to be expected, isn’t it? I mean, they’re wolves and I’m me.”
“I think you’re wonderful just the way you are.”
Huffing out a laugh, she twinkled her eyes at him and smiled, “But you don’t really know me yet. Isn’t that why we’re, um, courting?”
Slowly, he raised his hand and cupped her cheek in his large, stony palm and it was like she was able to breathe for the first time in her life. The world slowed down as time held its breath, waiting for the next moment. In an even rougher voice than usual, he rasped, “I know what I need to know, Daisy.”
A shaft of low light illuminated the lower curve of his unusually wide chin and she was able to see that his face was the same stone gray color of his hands. She was transfixed by the heat in his palm, the low timbre of his voice, and in that moment she knew that he was her soul mate. Licking her lower lip, she asked, “Are you going to seduce me?”
“Yes,” he answered without hesitation, the word coming out as a low growl. “I’m going to take your virginity and I’m going to give you so much pleasure, you’ll scream and beg for more. You’re mine, Daisy, and you know it. Deep inside, you know it.”
Her eyes slid closed at the heated promise in his words, the verbal claiming of her soul. Taking a shuddering breath, she pried her eyelids open until she was gazing at him through hooded eyes, “Will I ever be able to see your face?”
He paused for a moment before he answered, “Someday, perhaps.”
Turning her head slightly, she kissed his palm and he hissed in response. Covering his hand with hers, she pressed it harder against her cheek, “I wish to see you.”
Somehow, she felt his smile and she smiled in return, though she wasn’t sure why she was smiling. But then his hand was gone and she mourned the loss. Until she realized he had pulled his arms out of his sleeves and was pushing the material of his cloak away from his body, deliberately leaving the concealing hood in place. Massive, stone shoulders gleamed in the low light as a chest with slabs of carved muscles, heavily grooved abs, arms of corded sinew were slowly revealed. She held her breath as she stared at his naked torso, her fingers twitching to feel the hard flesh. Other than the stone gray color, his body looked human and perfect.
It took her a moment to
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