To my surprise, a certain smexy werewolf was waiting outside city hall for me. I approached him slowly, taking in all six and a half feet of him. He knew I was ogling him, but he made no move to interrupt. In fact, I think he preened under my lustful stare.
Bone deep hunger welled inside of me, and it had nothing to do with the familiar white paper and cellophane bag in his hand. I recognized the logo. It was from The Tasty Tart.
Smart. Very smart.
“Thought you might want something sweet to take the edge off before dinner, darlin’,” Jaxson said, and handed me the small sack.
I opened it greedily and inhaled the delicious scents of raspberry mousse filled Double Devil’s Food Delights. Without even saying thanks, I grabbed the delectable treat and finished it off in two bites.
“These are my favorite,” I said, once I’d swallowed.
“I know, and dammit woman, I have never been jealous of a pastry before,” he mumbled.
“Huh?” I replied, licking my fingers so as not to miss a drop.
“Never mind,” he replied, but I noticed he was having trouble standing straight till he readjusted his pants.
“So,” I began, feeling a little embarrassed now that I’d made a pig of myself. “What did you have in mind for dinner?”
“Well, I thought I’d cook dinner for you. Some food, wine, conversation, you know, get to know you a bit. That is, if you’re amenable, darlin’.”
That huskily whispered darlin’ was gonna get me every time, wasn’t it? Yep. It sure as hell was.
“Sounds good, but you, uh, have no kitchen,” I reminded him.
“Thought I’d borrow yours,” he returned with a grin, siding up close and taking my hand in his enormous one.
Shivers ran up my arm at the casual way he touched me, like he’d always done so, and I’d always allowed it. Wasn’t that interesting? I’d never really had what I would call a boyfriend. Dates, sure. Sex, yes. But not someone who walked with me right through the middle of town holding my hand and chatting about the weather, the sad state of the New York Giants, and the wealth of value country singers lent to the music industry. I was dubious about that last bit, but the whole holding hands like we were sweethearts thing that I could get used to. The sexy wolf grinned, very aware of his affect on me, but I was too greedy for his touch to pull away.
The words starved for affection came to mind, and I didn’t mean in a familial way. My childhood was fine. My family was great. But my love life was lacking.
Just one night, I repeated to myself. One fabulous night of banging the werewolf senseless and I would be right as rain. I just had to get a handle on the handholding and whispered darlin’s he kept dropping. A guy like this was dangerous to my peace of mind.
It would do no good for me to get wrapped up in ideas of forever. Jaxson was not from here. And outsiders never fared well in Castor’s Corner. Besides, I was a loner. A career woman. The mayor, for fuck’s sake. I had no time for a mate.
Just because other witches, a certain redhead came to mind, had found their happy ever afters, didn’t mean I would. I was Evelyn Castor. Mayor of Castor’s Corner with tons of responsibilities and no short supply of insanity in my life. Who would want any of this for keeps?
Me.
“What did you say?” I whipped my head up to ask Jaxson.
The werewolf was staring at me intently, but he didn’t repeat the word I’d thought I heard him say. His lemon and basil scents wafted over to me, and I sighed, calming immediately.
“Mind if we stop at the market?” he asked.
“Sure,” I replied, since we were passing it, anyway.
He kept hold of my hand as we walked down the aisles, pushing the mini cart with the other.
“You’re not a vegetarian, are you?” he asked, dubiously.
“Who me? No. I am not a vegetarian.”
I laughed when he exhaled, his relief clear as he selected two enormous porterhouses. Next, he grabbed two large potatoes, some broccoli, a block of cheddar cheese, a pound of thick cut bacon, and a bottle of red.
Nice.
I wholeheartedly approved of his selections. Especially when he stopped and grabbed a carton of strawberries, a block of dark chocolate, a bag of confectioner’s sugar, and a quart of heavy cream.
Oh my.
By the time we walked back to my house, my skin was buzzing with awareness. Jaxson Reid was one smooth talking, mouthwatering, handholding, sexy as sin wolf man who I wanted to know better.
“Why don’t you go set your things down? I know it might be odd, since this is your house and all, but I’d really like you to be comfortable with me, Evelyn Castor.”
“If I wasn’t comfortable, you wouldn’t have made it through the front door,” I informed him, stepping into his personal space.
I admit, I liked the way his eyes darkened from silver lightning to steel when my body pressed against his. And that little rumble in his chest as he bit back his growl. My panties got damp at the very first grr. Dinner sounded great, but I never was the kind of girl to eat in order.
“You keep looking at me like that, darlin’ and I’m liable to want my dessert right now.”
“Hungry are you?”
“Wolves are always hungry for some things,” he growled, eyes flashing.
“What’s wrong with eating dessert first?” I asked.
“Normally I’d say nothin’ was wrong with it. Nothin’ at all, Evelyn,” Jaxson rumbled, pulling me closer to his long, hard body.
I felt my legs go weak at his nearness, reveled in his strength as he held me upright while I breathed in his lemon basil scent. I wanted to kiss him. Hell, I wanted more than that. But good things come to those who wait.
If only I had even a drop of patience. Sigh.
“Evie,” he moaned, dropping his forehead to mine.
By then, I was desperate for him to kiss me. It was all I could do to not rub myself all over him like a cat in heat. It had been a long time for me. So very long since I’d wanted someone this much. Hell, truth be told, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever wanted anyone the way I wanted him.
He was like a magnet, pulling me closer every time I got near him. So gorgeous. But more than that, he was funny, fierce, honest, patient, sexy as fuck, and he could cook. Plus, he seemed to like me. He was the perfect man, er, wolf.
“I think this thing between us might be bigger than we think, Evelyn. And much as it pains me to say this, I think we should talk first. Learn something about each other. Come on now, be a good girl and let me feed you, darlin’,” he said, his lips a hair’s breadth from mine.
A crash from upstairs had me jumping out of his arms, and I turned to see Jaxson’s face had changed from almost lover to would be protector. He took the stairs two at a time, with me right behind him.
“You do not touch my witch without permission,” a certain hairy little creature brandishing a full set of claws sparking with green magic hissed at Jaxson.
The werewolf crouched and growled, but I stopped him before things got all furry and fangy. How cute. Ivan was protecting me. The cockblocking little fucker.
“Wait! This is my familiar,” I said, my hands on Jaxson’s very hard, muscular chest.
Oooh. Note to self: check those bad boys out in depth later.
“You know this hairy little bugger?” Jaxson snarled.
“I do,” I replied and turned to my new familiar with the bad attitude.
Sheetrock and debris littered the floor. It looked like he’d torn open a chunk of the wall to reveal an old dumbwaiter. Hmm. I didn’t even know that was there. But that was irrelevant, since he seemed to be making some sort of nest inside of it.
“Ivan? What are you doing here?”
“I live here now,” he grumbled. “Familiar, remember? Idyot.”
“Hey! Be nice,” I said to the little shit. “And FYI Jaxson has permission. Okay, now for formal introductions, Jaxson Reid, this is Ivan, I don’t know his last name.”
“I am Ivan Boris Helios Godwyn Corbett Arnold Buchka Furmanovich,” he muttered.
“Uh. Okay then. Anyway, Ivan here is my familiar.”
“What is he?”
“He is a domyno. No, wait. Um, he’s a, a dominatrix, a dumbledorian, a domasomething? Fuck, I have no idea what he is,” I admitted, the word simply gone from my brain.
“I am a Domovyk! And I am her familiar now. You beware, wolf man. One word and I turn your balls to green dust,” he grunted and dove headfirst into the dumbwaiter, sending the ancient thing down to the basement with a crash.
“Uh.” Jaxson scratched his head.
“Yeah, that went well,” I muttered, covering my eyes.
Jaxson’s husky little laugh had me right back to where I was before Ivan’s little entrance. Horny and impatient. I peeked through my fingers to see that panty melting grin of his and covered my eyes once more.
“Come on out now, darlin’,” he growled softly.
He peeled my hands away, then framed my face with his larger ones.
“I was going to wait, but I don’t think I can,” he murmured, pressing his lips to mine.
The kiss was perfect. Unbelievably soft, and undeniably passionate. The last thing I expected from a big, growly Shifter was tenderness. But he gave it to me. In spades.
I moaned, parting my lips for him, and allowing his tongue entrance to my mouth. We stood like that, close as could be, just kissing for who knows how long.
It was warm and wonderful. Like lying in the cool grass beneath a shady tree on a summer’s day. I liked it very much. Wanted it to last. But to my horror, my stomach grumbled.
“That’s my cue to start the grill, darlin’.” Jaxson kissed me once more and turned me around to face my bedroom. Then, with a pat on my rear and a kiss to my neck, he gently pressed me forward.
“Off you go, darlin’. Go on and get yourself comfortable, then join me in the kitchen when you’re ready,” he whispered against my earlobe.
His warm breath against my skin tickled and aroused, but I managed to walk to my bedroom door without falling on my face. That alone was a miracle. I closed the door and leaned against it, eyes closed. I’m not sure how long I stood there listening to the heavy tread of his booted feet as he walked down my stairs and invaded my kitchen.
“What the frig? Take it slow? Is he kidding me? This way too good looking werewolf is making me nuts,” I muttered and shook my head.
OMG. I was talking to myself. The man had reduced me to a mumbling mess. I turned around and caught my reflection in the mirror.
“Good Goddess!” I squeaked.
What had started out as a rather cute outfit had wilted under the pressures of my job. And that was being generous. I was a hot mess. My once gorgeous locks were now a frizzy, dry bird’s nest.
I didn’t want to be too hard on myself. After all, I’d been dealing with one thing or other the entire day. Exhaustion threatened to buckle me, but I was not giving in.
No way.
I really wanted to enjoy this dinner with this man. A man who cooked. A man who also turned into a wolf whenever he wanted to. It was time to put on my big girl panties, metaphorically that is, I fully intended to wear the see through lacy ones I had in my secret drawer. Anyway, it was time for me to address the real issue at hand.
I wanted that werewolf downstairs. Period. And when I said I wanted him, I meant I wanted to jump his bones.
Twenty minutes later, having showered, scrubbed, deodorized, and refreshed my whole appearance in record time, I walked downstairs. A myriad of heavenly aromas greeted me as I entered my kitchen and dammit, I almost stubbed my toe on the heavy wood table that had been in my family for ages.
Jaxson had opened the sliding door leading to the attached wooden deck and my seldom used but enormous gas grill. He was currently placing two very beautifully seasoned steaks onto the heated grate with way more confidence than I had ever felt when using the gargantuan appliance.
I was more a microwave it and pray for the best kinda gal. But this, this was something else. Forget about a stomach being the way to a man’s heart, this witch was a sucker for a juicy steak.
“There you are, darlin’,” Jaxson said, smiling as he turned and took my hand.
He was a very touchy, handsy, feely kinda guy. Typically, I’d zap a fucker for thinking he could put his hands on me. But with him, I wanted all the touches I could get. Biting my lip, I raised an eyebrow and allowed him to lead me to the outdoor table he’d set with my mismatched dishes and silverware. I blushed at my obvious deficiencies, but he didn’t seem to mind. Jaxson handed me a stemless wine glass and poured some of the good red he’d bought.
“Thanks,” I replied and took a healthy sip.
I was going to need it if the temperature between us got any higher. And let’s face it, it was looking fairly probable. I admired his tight-fitting jeans when he turned to tend to our dinner. Conversation flowed freely, and I have to admit I was shocked at how easy it was just to be with him.
“This is nice,” I said when he set a full plate in front of me.
“That it is,” he replied.
“Wow! Where did you learn to cook?” I asked, digging into my fully loaded baked potato that dripped with cheese and homemade bacon bits.
“My mama,” he said easily.
“I appreciate a man who listens to his mama.”
“That’s nice of you to say so.” He grinned and took an enormous bite of steak.
Was it strange that I got chills watching him bite down in the juicy flesh? Oh well. There was no helping it. He had impeccable table manners, and I was pleasantly surprised. I mean, he was a werewolf. I didn’t know very many of them and couldn’t have said for certain whether he would snarl and gnaw on his food like some rabid dog.
Okay. That wasn’t nice. So, sue me. I never said I was the epitome of kindness. Just a witch trying to keep her town safe. And dammit, that was the root of all my problems.
“So, how did you decide to run for mayor of this little town?” Jaxson asked, pressing his back against one of my outdoor chairs.
They could definitely use a strip and paint job. The chairs, not the man. Though, come to think of it, I would not mind stripping the smexy wolf and smearing myself all over him. Fuck. I had issues. Sexual frustration was at the top of the list.
“I didn’t. This job more or less chose me.”
“How do you mean?”
He cocked his head to the side and looked at me, his eyes wide and guileless, a beautiful shade of silver-gray I’d never seen on a man before. Probably because he wasn’t a man. He was a wolf. But that did not make me want him any less.
“Castor’s Corner is named after my great grandfather, who founded the town. He was a warlock, and his wife was a witch. They came from Italy, fleeing their village after a bunch of humans decided they were the reason the harvest had failed for the sixth year in a row,” I began, sharing my family history with the gorgeous stranger.
I probably scared him off in the process. But it was all for the best, really. If being mayor taught me anything, it was I had no time for a love life.
“The mausoleum said Castorini. I take it that is your family name?”
“It was. Like most immigrants, it was shortened when they got here by people who couldn’t spell it or were just not interested in learning how.”
I shrugged. History was full of little quirks like that. Humanity was a puzzle, for sure. Not that the supernatural world was any better. I’d found that prejudice and ignorance ran amok regardless of species. My Nonna always said it was up to each person to do their very best in this life. She was right, too. It was all any of us could do.
“Your Nonna was a wise woman,” Jaxson said, thoughtfully.
“Did you read my mind?” I asked, the smile falling from my face.
I’d only spent a few hours in the werewolf’s company and already I felt my entire world shift. Shit. What if I was right and the lemon basil scented Shifter was mine? I almost started hyperventilating, but Jaxson reached out and grabbed my hand, squeezing it tight.
“You know why, darlin’. But I don’t want you to be scared. We can go as slow as you want.”
Well, fuck. Any ideas I had about waiting flew right out the window. How could I resist a man willing to wait for me?
“What if what I want is fast and hard?” I asked, barely above a whisper.
“Then I’ll give it to you, darlin’,” he drawled, standing up and tugging me to my feet. “Just as fast and hard as you want it.”
Turns out, I wanted it all. Fast, hard, slow, and thorough. But only with him. He kissed me once, then handed me my wine and started to clean. Everything the man did was magic, I thought, and took a healthy swig of the delicious red. Jaxson tidied the kitchen, leaving a plate out for Ivan at my instruction. He locked the screen door and turned around to see me watching him.
I’d changed into a simple button down dress while he’d been preparing our meal, and I was glad now that I went commando beneath the soft folds of the skirt. My heart was beating me to death, but never before had I felt so brazen. It was delicious. He made me feel ultrafeminine and desirable. Made me feel wanted in the heated way he stared.
“What now?” he asked, throwing the ball firmly in my court.
“Now? I was hoping you knew, wolf man.” I grinned, and my hands went to my buttons.
I could’ve used magic, but why rush things? The delicious rumble coming from his chest sent spirals of pleasure straight to my girly bits. I wanted him and lifted my gaze to his. Jaxson’s eyes were back to that deep steel color that told me he was aroused. If that wasn’t evidence, then the bulge in his tightly fitted blue jeans sure as fuck was.
So much for just talking, I thought with a smirk. Looked like the wolf was big and bad after all.
Thank the Goddess.