Moonlit Embrace (7 page)

“Just thinking about how much it’s going to cost to outfit your place with real food.”

“Again with this?” She raised a brow.

“It’s a big deal. I’m hungry.” Johanna perused the headlines while he sipped his re-warmed coffee at the foot of the bed. “They have e-readers for that.”

“The old tenants must have had a subscription, I think. So, umm, while you were at work yesterday, Kate came over.”

“Did you let her in?”

“Of course.”

“On purpose?”

“Just listen, okay? She’s a realtor and has some design contacts through a staging company she uses. They might be able to help us with some décor at the restaurant.”

“Us?”

“I meant...”

“Us is fine.” He rolled onto his back and threw his arm over his eyes. “Us is good. I’ve been living in a long-term hotel for a while. My plan was to stay in or near whichever restaurant I closed on. I lucked out. That small side door on the way to the roof? It leads to a loft. No kitchen, of course, but it has the basics. Once I get it settled, we could take turns with staying over.”

“You move fast.”

“I pinch and bite too. Anyway, something to think about while I’m gone.”

“More painting?”

He got up, cracked his neck and examined the still healing scars on his biceps from their earlier lovemaking. “Nah. Phone calls have been coming in for the front of house job listings. Sounds like most of the workers of the previous owner want to come back.”

“Cool. If Kate and I finish early, we’ll stop by.”

He shivered at the thought of The Dark Lord and slipped into the bathroom.

*****

K
ate started in on her as soon as Johanna buckled her seatbelt.

“You look...”

“What, Kate?”

“Fucked.”

That’s new. She waited for Kate to say something more, but her sister only reapplied her lipstick in the rearview mirror.

“Sorry you don’t approve, but I’m happy.”

“Who said I wasn’t happy?” Kate swerved into traffic, cutting off and swearing at a group of elderly pedestrians. “I approve of anything that leaves you looking like that. You could have bathed though.”

“I did.”

Kate inhaled audibly. “Did he get it in your hair?”

“You’re as bad as he is.”

“Look at you, grinning like a lunatic. Must be good.” Her honking horn punctuated this, along with a middle finger toward a shocked school bus driver. The children inside pressed little noses to the window and slapped their hands over their mouths.

Johanna sunk low into the seat and put on her sunglasses.

“I know I’m tough, but I’ve always looked after you. Any man who hangs around after meeting me is worth checking out. I can be a bit much.”

“Say it ain’t so, Kathryn.”

Kate dragged her sunglasses down her nose and looked over the rim. “I know me. I’m fine with me. I don’t mind him so much either. That’s a lie. I do, but you’re happy. So, whatever.”

“That means a lot.”

Her sister shrugged and ran a No Turn on Red sign. “He’s a wolf with a job and you like him. You could do worse.”

“He has a great sense of humor too.”

“Debatable. But he’s good in bed, isn’t he?”

“If I say yes, can we leave it at that?”

“Only if you love me. I don’t need to know how far up your leg he humps.”

After another middle finger and two yellow lights sped through, miraculously they arrived at their destination without police choppers flying overhead.

She had prepared herself for drama, but despite the bickering that came from breathing the same air as Kate, they had a good time. Maybe she was less stressed or who knows, perhaps Kate had finally come to accept her independence. Either way, Johanna was grateful.

She tried to hold on to that goodwill throughout the shopping process. The longer they stayed, however, the more Kate became...well...Kate. She pushed Johanna to the tables and chairs she thought best. Every time Johanna reminded her that it was neither her money, nor her restaurant, nor her call, her sister waved it off and zipped over to another part of the warehouse. It got old.

“And over here they have—”

“We’re not shopping for you, Kate.”

Her sister stopped in her patent leather tracks. Arms crossed, Kate’s eyes flittered from her to the wall and back again. “Fine then. I’ll just sit over there next to those wretched chairs you insist on buying. Don’t mind me.”

In the past, she’d have apologized to Kate. Today, in a post-Baron world, she shrugged it off. And what happened? No stomach flipping. No heart skipping. She felt just fine and not at all like someone who’d disobeyed a higher ranked wolf.

Johanna smiled, added a stack of vases to her list and moved on to the next aisle, leaving her sister mumbling in the corner.

With Kate not hovering over her shoulder, she finished early, but didn’t want to go to the restaurant. Baron would be doing interviews for some time to go. Instead, she convinced a still sulking Kate to go for ice cream. It was the woman’s one weakness and had smoothed over many a fight. They sat on a bench under a sky almost as blue as Baron’s eyes.

Kate’s eyebrow shot up. “What?”

“We did it in the park.”

“This one?” Kate drew in her arms close to her chest, as if afraid of touching the air around them.

“No, no, the protected lands outside of town.”

“That’s a little out of character.”

“On the second day we met.”

“You’re full of it.”

“I know. It’s strange. He makes me...”

“Wolfy?”

She nodded and licked at her cone where the vanilla trailed off into sugary rivulets. “When I’m with him, I want him to take me. I love him on top of me and behind me. He lets me take control sometimes, but I love it when he grabs my hair and bites my neck. He’s very good at shifting too. Certain parts, if you know what I mean. I want...I can’t even think about him without...”

“Got it. Down, girl.”

“Sorry. Don’t laugh at me.”

“I’m not. I’m just not used to seeing my little baby grown up. I’m proud of you, Sis.”

“Sometimes he takes his fingers and—”

Kate threw her napkin on the table and straightened her pearl necklace. “That’s enough sharing for today.”

“Kate—”

“I said—”

“Thank you for listening.”

She wouldn’t quite call what Kate did a smile, but Lord it was beautiful to see. This was the type of relationship she’d longed to have with her sister. As equals. As friends.

Kate pulled out a moist wipe and dabbed around her mouth. “Whatever. All right, you little hot box. Let’s get moving.”

“I love you.”

“I’m aware.”

Kate didn’t swear half as much on the drive back and threw up her middle finger only once. She even used a non-screeching voice for most of the trip. Why hadn’t it always been this way between them?

The truth of it hit her as they blew through a red light. Kate had treated her like a child, because she’d lived as a child. Kate protected what needed protecting. The problem wasn’t Kate. It was her! She turned to her sister and gave Kate’s arm a squeeze. “You don’t have to take care of me anymore.”

“What? Because of Baron?”

“Because of myself.”

“Let go of my arm. And good answer.”

They made it to the restaurant by mid-afternoon. The line of hopeful employees stood twelve people deep, baking in the sun with sweat darkening their collars. Baron caught her eye over an interviewee’s head and put her right to work. “I’ve got water bottles in the back. Can you pass them out?”

“No problem.”

“Thanks.” Then he turned to her sister. “Hey, Maleficent, I need you too.”

“My name is Kate, you ungrateful—”

Johanna aborted her mission to stop whatever fight was about to start, but she caught Baron handing her sister a sheet of paper. “Kate, I need you to call in the next applicant.”

“I’m not your secretary. I’m only here because—”

“I’m not asking you to be. I am, however, begging you to weed through these applicants. Something tells me you’re good at crushing dreams.” He dodged a swing and kept on talking. “I’m opening up sooner than planned. I’m not asking for your advice, just a little help. For this first round of hires, I need staff who already know how to handle people and work the point of sales system.”

“Don’t look at me like I know what that is.”

“Please? Do you want me to beg?”

“It’ll help.”

Johanna started to step in again, but before she could, Baron dropped to one knee and Kate snatched the sheet from his hand.

Of course he wouldn’t let his pride get in the way of what needed to be done. Bless him.

Kate barked out a name. One small, mousy man stepped from the line. The poor guy’s smile wilted under her sister’s scrutiny. It was almost too painful to watch and she turned away.

As the sun began its descent hours later, they were all dragging on their feet. Work hadn’t stopped at hiring. The furniture company, eager to keep Kate happy, had half of the goods delivered by the end of the day with promises of the rest within the next three. Baron made good use of the new help, keeping two of the waiters behind to start early and assist with the setup. As a thank you and introduction, he cooked the group a feast so mouthwatering that he left no room for even Kate to complain.

Not that she didn’t try.

“M
aybe if I don’t move, it won’t be Monday.”

Johanna kept her eyes cinched shut and her hand resting on top of the furry chest she’d fallen asleep on last night. This vacation had been too short. Even though she’d spent the last few days of it working on her apartment or his restaurant, she loved it. She couldn’t help but worry that with the end of it, so too would end the magic she and Baron had created here. “I’ll miss this.”

The chest beneath her rumbled with husky laughter. “You kicking me out? Use me up, then toss me away?”

“Baron—”

“Begging for crumbs of your attention.”

She flicked his nipple. “I love how normal and undramatic you are.”

In turn, he rubbed his chin against the top of her head and traced the outline of her shoulder. “You don’t have to go to the office. The job offer still stands.”

His voice vibrated, but not with its usual levity. She’d only heard him this serious when talking about his business. She propped on her elbow to see if his face matched his voice. Yep. A furrowed brow and clenched jaw from the man who’d filled her with such unexpected laughter, warmth and passion. For both their sakes, she had to reject his offer. “Now more than ever, I can’t. We’re too close.”

“At least you’re admitting it now.”

“Don’t be that way.”

“What way? Sexy? Caring? Delightful?”

And
that
Baron was back, the one who couldn’t seem to not joke around, but she smelled his arousal starting to pop up. If she didn’t get out of this bed now, she wouldn’t at all. More proof of what she’d just said.

She scooted from under the covers and shuffled to the shower, careful not to run or even walk too fast. The last time she did, it kicked off his tracking instinct and he’d jumped her in the hallway.

Not that she’d minded then, but she didn’t have the time now. Baron grunted out a pitiful, pleading mew, but she shook her head and kept walking.

The locked bathroom door would do piss all to physically keep him out, but the man respected her enough not to intrude once he heard the lock shift. She took her time, preparing herself for a day of clients, sly looks and Belinda. And a day without him.

When she got out of the shower, she padded down the hall with a towel wrapped around her.

Baron sat on the edge of the bed, cock in his hand and pumping. “Don’t move.”

She did. She walked straight to the top drawer of her dresser and pulled out a small pink box. “I have to show you something. My sister Michelle got this for me.”

Baron sucked in his breath as she pulled out the tiny, silver toy. His leg started tapping and he cleared his throat every few milliseconds.

“It comes in two parts connected by this wire. This part goes inside me and this is the controller.”

Muscled hands worked overtime. Through slotted eyes and clenched lips he grunted out, “Show me.”

“You’re jumping ahead of yourself. There’s a way to do this.” She put on her bra and shirt, both from five pounds ago. They were tight and although the bra dug a little in the back, it pushed her girls to the sky. She found black boy shorts next, but didn’t slip her panties on just yet.

Items in hand, she walked over to bed. It, and the man on it, were enveloped in the scents of last night’s lovemaking and this morning’s lust. More fuel for the fire.

“Can I—”

“No, Baron. I told you. I have to go to work.”

“I really don’t want this to be your day in control.”

“Shhh...”

“I’ll make you pay for this tomorrow.”

She sure hoped so, but for now, she still held the reigns. “Lie down on the bed. No, not like that. Upside down, bring your head here, over the edge. I want to make sure you see me put my toy in.”

It was officially that fastest she’d ever seen him move, scrambling like an eager moth to a flame – a big, bad wolf rendered powerless by her. When his head hung right where it should be, she put one foot on the mattress beside him and ruffled his hair. “Can you see it?”

“Let me taste you.” It was less of a question and more of a growl. He was close to finishing. His chest rose and fell like little sparrow’s wings, but she assumed he’d wait, in hopes of being inside her when the time came. She wouldn’t let him.

“No.” Legs spread, she pushed the toy inside, taking a moment to enjoy the rush of something cool and metallic, so different from that throbbing, heated, perfect thing she’d grown accustomed to having inside her body since meeting Baron.

She didn’t dare turn the toy on, but that didn’t seem to matter to Baron. He grunted low in his chest and his eyes glowed feral. A heartbeat later, he emptied himself onto her bed. Breath ragged and heaving, he sat up, balanced on his knees. Strength she didn’t know she had kept her talking.

“I put my panties on next and tuck the controller here for quick access.” She said it in the exact tone she’d use if someone came up to her line to pay for a registration renewal. Then she slid on her red skirt and turned around. “Voilà. Can’t see a thing.”