Dib observed Aleeza carefully. Searching for any sign of anger or panic at his revelation. Dick. You could have done a better job.
All his experience and education and he’d grunted at her like a caveman. You. Me. Mates. Fucking hell! He should have practiced in his head or something before just blurting it out.
“I already told them you were mated to me.”
Wide, brown eyes framed in thick, dark lashes stared at him as he let the truth of their situation drop. Still, no crying or screaming. That was good. Right? Shit.
Mated to me. The phrase repeated in his head over and over. He growled and ran his hand through his hair again. At this rate, he was going to wind up pulling it all out. Nerves were not something he was used to.
Dib had argued in front of the toughest judges on the circuit. He’d battled against other supernaturals and Dark Witches. He’d stood under the heavy gaze of his alpha when the man was angry. He’d done any number of things that proved he was one tough Werewolf. But get him within five feet of his tiny paralegal and he broke out into a sweat.
Not just any paralegal. His mate. Well, his pretend mate for the duration according to what he just told her. Fuck. Just thinking the word mate had him hardening in his pants. A constant state whenever he was around the tempting little normal. Except. Well. She wasn’t a normal anymore.
That news was surprising to say the least. Not unlike the bomb he just dropped on her. Her bow of a mouth hung open. Hmm. Shock. Not exactly flattering, but hey, she wasn’t screaming and running away so that was something.
Dib had no illusions about himself. He was straight-laced and business oriented. A real no-nonsense kind of guy, er, Wolf. He wasn’t bad to look at, tall and decently muscled with a good face. But he was intimidating to most, or so he’d been told on more than one occasion. Usually from his brother.
All the humor in their family had gone to Kurt. Dib knew damn well he was the more serious twin. Almost to the point of being severe. He never took a day off. Never simply blew off work to let his hair down and relax. Especially not with his sexy paralegal, despite the number of times he wanted to simply say fuck it and ask her out.
Aleeza Marlowe had worked for the brothers for three years now. He valued her as an employee and as a person. Yes, she was beautiful and sexy, but he didn’t want her thinking he was abusing his position as her boss by hitting on her. So, he had kept his distance for three long years.
Still, he watched her. Boy, did he ever watch her. Like a hawk. How could he not? She was kind and graceful. Truly beautiful from head to toe.
Her curves were drool worthy. A body beyond compare to be sure, but it was her eyes that wrecked him. Big and soulful. So expressive.
She could wrap a man around her little finger just by batting those gorgeous eyes. No man. Just me. Grrr. Okay, so his Wolf was a little possessive where she was concerned. Growing more so every day actually. Dib was a serious kind of guy, but he wasn’t dead.
He had admitted to himself the second he laid eyes on her that Aleeza Marlowe had the power to destroy him. The petite woman was a perfect, tiny bundle of fuck-tastic-ness with her heart-shaped face and big brown eyes with long, thick, dark lashes.
Her mouth, a perfect bow, naturally dark pink in color, was begging to be kissed. She never wore heavy lipstick either, which was a huge plus for him. He hated artificial things.
Nope. Aleeza preferred natural too. Just a clear lip balm every now and then. Cherry flavor. The smell drove him wild whenever she applied it to her perfect lips.
Yet, he’d never made a move. Never. He told himself he was honor bound to protect her, as her boss, from anything that might hurt her. That included him. But that didn’t stop him from thinking about her.
How many nights had he dreamt about chasing the trail of her Chapstick with his tongue? Fuck. That wasn’t helping him with the sudden, hard problem in his pants.
Aleeza’s wide eyes turned glassy. Oh shit. He’d made her cry! The realization shocked him into action. He moved in quickly. Gathering her in his arms, Dib sat down on the bed with a lapful of woman.
“Macushla, don’t cry. Please, sweet, don’t cry,” he rubbed her back, attempting to soothe her as she sobbed softly against his chest.
Way to go. Fucking idiot. She just found out she was a Werewolf after years of being a normal. She was probably overwrought with emotions. Then he goes and lays another one on her. And to top it off, here he was fantasizing about her! Jerk.
“I am so sorry I got us into this mess! I feel like such an idiot! You must be furious with me!”
“No, sweetheart, don’t talk about yourself like that! I’m not mad. It’s all gonna be fine,” the pet names just kept slipping from his lips as easily as the Irish endearment he’d been calling her since they’d landed. He couldn’t help it, he realized. The words just felt right.
His Wolf stood tall inside his mind’s eye. He had to admit, it felt good to hold her, to call her sweet little nicknames. The kind lovers reserved for one another.
He wondered briefly if she’d had many. Lovers that is. The thought set his Wolf to growling possessively and she huddled closer to him as if drawing strength from his body. Yes. Good. Mine.
“But they’ll know,” she mumbled against his chest. His attention drifted from his stray thoughts back to the gorgeous woman on his lap.
“They’ll know what, sweetheart?”
“They’ll know we aren’t, you know,” she sat back, and his arms tightened. No go. Stay. Going bad.
As if, she was suddenly aware of where she was and embarrassed by it, her cheeks flamed a dark shade of red. Damn, she looked cute. He squeezed her tighter for a moment before relaxing his hold.
She eased back to look at him, but he didn’t let her go far. Her nose was red and her eyes still glassy, but she sniffed and sat straight. An action that unfortunately brought her soft bottom into solid contact with a certain hardness he was unable to hide.
“I need you to tell me how we’re going to get through this,” she said trusting him to tell her the truth. And he would.
“The Alpha here is older and set in his ways. The Black Sea Pack Werewolves have a grossly primitive view of their females. Physical displays of mating, such as she-Wolves sitting on their mates’ laps when in public is expected. So, this right here is good. You need to get used to this. To being physical with me,” he began slowly.
“Oh, okay,” she said and relaxed her weight on him. Her hand rested on his shoulder as she wiggled that sumptuous bottom of hers once more before settling into a comfortable position.
His Wolf reveled in the feel of her as she pressed and relaxed against his thighs. He’d always thought of her as tiny because of her height, but he had to admit she felt perfect in this position. Her curves were all woman, enough to fill even his large hands. Grrr.
She squirmed, perhaps in response to the rumble coming from his chest, and he froze. His already hard shaft had another rather predictable reaction to her closeness. It throbbed and pulsed with need beneath her, and, yup, her shocked expression told him she’d just realized it.
“Oh! Oh, um, should I move now?” The delightful scent of her embarrassment tickled his nose, but he didn’t want her to move. Not yet. Not ever.
“Aleeza, I’d apologize, but truthfully-”
“No, I get it. You’re a man. What man wouldn’t react to a woman sitting on his lap?” She shrugged self-consciously and looked down, stilling all movement.
Dib growled. That wasn’t it at all! He didn’t like the way she talked down about herself. Didn’t she know how tempting she was? Clearly not as she worried her lower lip and attempted to cover her stomach with her hands. He’d have to fix that.
“How will we handle it if my Wolf, that is, if I Change here?”
He allowed her to change the subject, figuring he’d explain his attraction to her later. First, he needed her to understand how they needed to act to keep her safe.
“Experiencing your first Change isn’t a problem. In fact, it should make it easier for you to tell someone’s intentions. Heck, you might even help us ferret out where they are keeping Rafe’s mother.”
“You think so?” Hope shone in her brown eyes and he nodded to assure her.
That was an expression he could get used to seeing. Not the scared and upset Aleeza of five seconds ago, no, this one was hopeful and content. It was a good look on her. Note to self, keep that happy look on her face.
“Absolutely, macushla.”
“What if,” she nibbled her lip before focusing her brown eyes on him again, “What if I have questions about the Change, should I ask Liam?”
“No. You ask me. I mean, you can ask me anything, sweet, I can give you any answers you need,” he couldn’t quite contain the rumble of jealousy that leapt to his lips at her mention of another Wolf. Even if it was a member of his own Pack.
“Okay, I’ll ask you,” she murmured, that same becoming blush travelled deeper down her neck to the visible line of her cleavage.
He wondered how far that pink would go and hoped like hell he’d get to find out. Shit. Snap out of it. She needs reassurance not some Wolfy Don Juan.
“They’re going to come get us soon and I need to go over a few things,” his hands were moving in slow, circles across her back.
She leaned in closer, relaxing in his touch. The feel of her soft and relaxed in his arms was hypnotizing, but he needed to focus.
“Those pills that doc gave you?”
“Yeah?”
“Stop taking them. Chances are you won’t Change until the Full Moon and that’s a few days off. In the meantime, I want to apologize if this is making you uncomfortable,” he looked at their position and he even had the grace to blush.
“Oh, no. I’m not uncomfortable, Dib,” she said his name hesitantly.
Her eyes took in the intimate embrace, and there it was again, that becoming hint of red highlighting her cheekbones. Her pink tongue darted out to lick across her lower lip and he closed his eyes against the tempting sight.
Dib was a dead man. She was so close, her warm scent washing over him like a thousand sweet wishes he’d made as a child. Full of hope and possibilities. Beautiful and tempting, way too tempting.
“Truth is, I kind of like being on your lap.” Her admission hit him like a ton of bricks.
“You do?”
“Surely you noticed, Dib? In fact, it’s a position I’ve thought about a lot, for years,” she shrugged.
Aleeza looked up. Her brown eyes so close they looked like molten chocolate. The expensive kind, rich and so flavorful you could only eat a tiny nibble here and there. But he didn’t want a tiny nibble. He wanted the whole damn thing.
“What are you saying, sweetheart?”
“I’m saying that I like being close to you,” she confessed.
Dib couldn’t breathe. A smile tugged at his lips as he pondered the shocking revelation. Sooo. Aleeza had noticed him. Him. The quiet, staid brother. Not the charmer.
Could she be telling the truth? His Wolf certainly seemed to think so. He could’ve spent all day debating the pros and cons of her shocking acknowledgement, but he had more important things to focus on.
“That brings me to another point. I don’t think they’re going to ask for proof of a mating mark, but they will be able to scent, um, that we haven’t,” his voice trailed off as he stared at her mouth.
“That we haven’t? Oh, you mean, that we haven’t been intimate?” Aleeza whispered, her words easily discernible to his Wolfish ears.
“Yes,” his voice deepened.
Dib lowered his head, drawn to her in a way he’d never experienced before. She was so beautiful. So soft. Their breaths mingled, breathing slowly in time.
Talking about sex wasn’t particularly comfortable for him. He was a bit old-fashioned compared to the rest of the Guard. Not a virgin, but he’d never been much of a player either. He relied on logic and honor to see him through pesky urges whenever they cropped up.
He didn’t believe in using random women for a night’s pleasure. In fact, it had been years since he’d indulged. But lately, he acknowledged reluctantly, he wanted Aleeza. More and more every minute.
His hands kept drawing circles on her body. He smoothed her clothing over her hips and back, loving the feel of her heat through the fabric. His fingers moved slowly, giving her plenty of time to withdraw, but to his surprise, she didn’t.
Her breath hitched as he skimmed the underwire of her bra. Picturing her full breasts in his hands made him groan and suddenly, he was pulling her closer.
“This okay?”
“Uh huh,” she whispered.
Her hands clutched his shoulders. Her eyes half-closed. Aleeza’s mouth hung slightly open as he petted and caressed her through her clothing. She felt so good beneath his searching fingers. He wanted more.
Dib was hardly aware of anything else. Just her. Only her. He was falling more and more under the sensual spell that fate had cast on them. Need. Want. Her.
“Dib?” He heard the question in her voice as he stared at her luscious lips.
He wanted to kiss her, to glory in the taste of her, but should stay away. So many reasons to deny his feelings. What were they again? He had to protect her from this foreign Pack and their barbaric and archaic views of women.
Okay, yes, he could do that. His honor would never allow for her to fall victim to that Ivan or any of the male Wolves here. Hell, he’d rip the fucker apart first. But why shouldn’t he kiss her?
Saying she was already mated had been Liam’s idea. A good one, he had to admit. But Wolves could tell. They could scent a mated couple. She needed to carry his scent. Would she be willing to allow him to mark her in that way?
Her body moved against his, in time with his exploring hands. She arched and wiggled, leaning into his touch. She seemed responsive enough. And he was more than willing. He’d certainly been thinking about it long enough.
“Aleeza?”
“Yes, Dib?” Fuck. He loved the sound of his name on her lips. Needed a taste. Now.
“I’m going to take your mouth now,” the words were thick with his Wolf and he knew the beast lurked near the surface.
“Yes, oh yes,” she sighed.
He swallowed the sound down, capturing her lips with his. Dib wrapped one arm around her waist securing her firmly to his lap while turning her body so that she was even more fully against him.
Yes. Mine. His Wolf wanted to rub himself all over her body, to ensure she carried his scent. His human side acknowledged it would be a good thing. Necessary even, in order for them to pull this off. And if he happened to enjoy putting it there, well, at least he could make sure she enjoyed it as well.
With his other hand, he cupped her face, delving his tongue between her plump lips. Mmm. Cherries. Tasting her in the flesh was better than anything he’d ever imagined. If he was being honest with himself, he’d imagined quite a bit over the years. She shuddered in his arms, winding herself around him without any inhibitions at all.
“I’m going to touch you now, macushla,” he growled into her mouth.
He wanted her aware of his intentions. He wanted to tell her every single decadent thing he wanted to do to her body as he did them. Giving her every opportunity to refuse him. Please don’t say no.
He got his answer when she dug her short fingernails into his shoulders and wiggled closer. Fuck yes. His Wolf liked that, the small, sharp bite of pain that accompanied the sweet taste of her on his mouth.
She moaned and ran her hands over his neck and through his hair. He growled when she pulled on the strands, liking the bite of her fingers as she moved his face to where she wanted him. Then she kissed him. Sealed her plump lips to his, she licked, and nibbled, and kissed him again. Deep, so deep, her kiss seared him. He’d be tasting her for days.
Dib loved it. Her show of aggression, her desire for him. His Wolf allowed it, when he’d never let another dominate him like that. His fingers gripped and tugged as they melted together in passion.
Whether he moved her, or she did it herself, he was unsure. He growled as one luscious leg skirted over his hips. Aleeza straddled him, pressing her moist heat up against the hard ridge of his desire. Her straight skirt was in the way, so he pushed it up to her waist revealing her sumptuous bottom.
“Fuck, you’re wearing thigh highs, and a thong,” he groaned tracing the lacy tops of her stockings to the bare skin that heated under his palms.
“Yes, I prefer them to tights. Otherwise, I get too warm,” she moaned into his mouth as his fingers traced the valley between her cheeks.
Damn. I am one lucky fucker. She was perfect. He kissed and nibbled, licked and lapped at her mouth while his greedy fingers squeezed the plump globes of her ass and the soft flesh of her thighs.
She arched her back, grinding her sex against his cloth covered length. The sensations drawing groans from the two of them. She was like a livewire in his arms. Responsive to his attentions and more passionate than he’d dreamed. Aleeza. Mine.
He wanted to savor every breath and moan, each nonsensical syllable, every flavor of her. Tongues tangled and teeth mashed, too many clothes separated them, but he didn’t push his luck.
The circumstances of their coming together was tenuous at best. The last thing he wanted to do was allow his Wolf free reign. The beast was already clamoring for him to flip her over, to sink inside her sweet flesh, and finally, to claim her as his own.
No! Too soon. Back off. She’d think it was all because of where they were. In the heart of the Black Sea Pack on a mission for his, no their, Alpha.
Nothing could have been farther from the truth, of course. Years of lusting after his paralegal had left Dib with far too many images of this very moment etched into his mind. He was gonna blow in his pants if he didn’t focus.
The reality of it, of her in his arms, outshone all of his fantasies. She was hot as a flame. Burning him alive. Her untutored seduction left him breathless. So good together. She was unbridled passion. Living, breathing desire in his arms. Mine. Grrr.
“Oh yes. More, please,” she murmured and captured his lips, grinding her pelvis in a slow, hard roll that made him shudder.
Dib growled into her mouth. Possessiveness like he’d never felt before registered in his mind. His image of Aleeza Marlowe, the timid little paralegal whose grace and beauty lured him like a moth to a flame was a thing of the past.
This was a flesh and blood woman in his arms. He never wanted anything as much as he wanted to glory in this moment. To make her his. To come together with Aleeza.
Her fingers were busy unbuttoning his shirt while his roamed the naked flesh of her ass and thighs. He shifted his hips, thrusting upwards, pressing his cock against her moist heat. The feel of her through the thin panties she wore was almost enough to make him come in his pants like a pup.
She was so soft against his hardness, so hot and wet. The perfect foil for him. All dips and curves, tasting of cherries and spice as he delved his tongue into the warm cavern of her mouth.
Dib’s senses sharpened. His focus on his macushla and her alone. He forgot all his previous motivations as he laid down, pulling her gently along with him. In this position, she could ride him. He could slip inside her heat, satisfy her with his thick cock. Yes. Only a few measly clothes were in the way.
He gripped her ass, pressing her sweet flesh down against his shaft. He was thick and hard, pulsing for her. She wiggled and writhed against him. Her moans grew louder, or was that him? Fuck. He was gonna explode in his briefs if they kept this up.
But damn him, if he wasn’t going to make sure she enjoyed it too. Her hard nipples rubbed against his chest tormenting him through the thin blouse she wore. The tight nubs bit into his flesh reminding him of the delights he’d yet to taste. He wanted more of her. Needed more.
The sudden pounding on the door broke them apart like nothing else could have. Shock flooded her hazy brown eyes as she took in their positions. Dib wouldn’t let her run away.
“Easy, macushla,” he took a moment to soothe her, straightening her clothing and dropping tiny kisses on her mouth, across her cheek, and forehead.
When she looked calm enough, and only then, did he leave her. He stood up to answer the door wondering briefly who he was going to kill for interrupting them at such a time.
Shielding her with his body, he cautiously opened the door a sliver. A deep, accented voice spoke, and Dib replied to the newcomer curtly.
“Ten minutes, da,” he closed the door taking a moment to breathe deeply. Fuck. He almost hadn’t stopped in time.
When he turned around Aleeza was no longer disheveled. Her skirt was back covering her soft skin and those naughty little thigh-highs she wore. A secret only he knew. The knowledge made him want to strut. No other male was going to try and discover his little paralegal’s wild side. No one but me. Mine.
Those thigh highs were his. The treasure they led up to as well. His alone. He wanted to peel them down her legs with his teeth. Lick every single inch of her delectable skin. The idea held merit. Mm. Later.
What a shame, hiding such lovely decadence. But it was for him to enjoy alone. He just had to tell her that. Hmm. The possibilities of how that conversation would go were endless.
“Dib?” She asked. Her tempting lips were swollen with that just been kissed look.
He couldn’t wait to have them again. Fuck. Ten minutes of making out with her and he was at the mercy of his raging hormones.
Not that she was doing anything right now besides looking at him with her big, soft eyes. He fucking loved her eyes. For a few precious moments, he’d let himself drift in them. So beautiful, macushla. Mine.
“We’ve, uh,” he cleared his throat, “We’ve been called to meet with the Alpha.”
“Now?”
“Aleeza, about what just happened-”
“No, it’s okay. I understand.”
“We should talk,” he tried to force the words past his lips but found himself inarticulate for the first time in his life.
Him. The brilliant attorney couldn’t tell her, the only woman he’d wanted since they’d met, how he felt. Fuck. He’d need to fix that. And soon.
“Don’t worry, boss, I know it doesn’t mean anything.”
“The hell it doesn’t,” he growled.
Words might have failed him, but actions wouldn’t. He pulled her flush against him, tilting her head up till she was forced to look into his eyes. His chest was heaving with each breath. Cherries and spice filled his nostrils. So sweet, so mine.
“Aleeza I want you to understand something. This might have started for reasons beyond our control, but what just happened between us wasn’t calculated, and it wasn’t some damned fluke. Or is this normal for you?”
“Normal for me? Are you kidding? I don’t know how to play this kind of game,” she answered quietly.
“What makes you think I’m playing?”
Her breath caught and he pressed his mouth firmly against hers. He slid his hands over the length of her body, cupping her ass and pressing her closer.
Her soft body molded to his hardness, he gripped her hips and lifted her, rubbing his scent all over her. Marking her in the only way he could before their audience with the Alpha.
“We should stop now,” he moaned between kisses.
“Yes,” she gasped as one of his hands found her breast. He kneaded the soft mound through her blouse and bra, teasing the nipple until she was writhing in his arms.
“Hey, you guys ready?” Liam pounded the door and called from the hall way.
“Fuck,” said Dib. He breathed heavy against her neck and stood up straight, easing her from his arms.
“You okay?”
She nodded and slid her hand in his. The simple act of trust made him feel ten-feet tall. She put her faith in him, and he’d see them through this. He had to.