Seduced By A Wolf (5 page)

Derrick made another restless move. Deciding he’d pushed enough, Sean got his former army buddy talking about his church and his time in seminary.

The waitress came and cleared the plates from the table and asked if anyone wanted dessert. Derrick and Von both declined, but remembering Von mentioning once that she loved cheesecake, Sean ordered a slice. When it arrived, she gazed at it hungrily.

“I love cheesecake but it’s so rich, I can never eat the whole thing by myself,” he lied. “Are you sure you two don’t want any? I’m willing to share.”

“No, I’m sure,” Derrick answered.

“What about you, Von? You gonna do the charitable thing and help me out?”

Torn, her gaze bounced back and forth between the dessert and Derrick.

Sean gave her another verbal nudge. “You know, gluttony is a sin. So is waste. Think of all those starving children in Africa,” he teased. “I’d hate to leave half of this on my plate because I was too greedy to resist.” He forked a piece of the semi-sweet confection and put it in his mouth. “Mmm, so good.”

That was all the prompting she needed. Von picked up her spoon, stating, “What kind of woman would I be if I didn’t save you from yourself?”

She spooned a piece of the pie and swirled it in the strawberry glaze before bringing it to her mouth. The sound she made was so orgasmic, he wondered if she’d make the same noise when she was coming around his cock. He bit back a triumphant smile, pleased to be giving pleasure to the woman he loved, in even such a small way.

“Derrick, you sure you won’t have any, man? There’s plenty.”

Derrick flicked a glance his way. “No, I’m fine,” he said while watching his fiancé with a frown.

Von took two bites of the cheesecake and stopped. “Thank you. That was good.”

He nudged the plate in her direction. “Here, have some more. I insist.”

She shook her head. “Two bites were enough to satisfy.”

Derrick seemed to relax at this sign of her self-control. Sean shrugged, disappointed but trying to appear unconcerned. Since he’d ordered it for Von, he took another bite or two and set his fork to the side.

“That was good.” He picked up the check and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket.

“How much do we owe?” Von asked.

“I’m paying,” he reminded her.

“Oh but—”

“The man said he’s got it. Say thank you and accept this as a blessing from God,” Derrick told her.

“At least let us pay the tip,” she countered.

“Totally unnecessary,” Sean said, trying to dissuade her, but she already had her purse open, and wallet out. She placed a ten on the table.

“That’s too much,” Derrick protested, reaching for the bill.

“It’s not. She gave good service and we’ve been here a long time, cutting into other tips she might have received,” she told him, placing a staying hand on Derrick’s.

Inwardly, Sean shook his head. Not only was Derrick controlling, he was cheap. His friend had changed, and not for the better.

“What time are we meeting tomorrow? And you never said where.”

His question distracted Derrick from the tip and the next several minutes were spent finalizing the details of tomorrow’s one-on-one basketball game at a court near Derrick’s apartment complex. Outside the restaurant, before they parted ways, he shook Derrick’s hand and gave Von a very brief hug, thanking her again for taking pity on a soldier like him and thanking Derrick for being the one to initiate their correspondence.

Since he was parked closer to the entrance, he watched as Derrick escorted Von to his car, solicitously opening the door for her, making sure she was securely inside before shutting it and going around to the driver’s side. As they pulled off, Sean sat drumming his fingers on the steering wheel.

After seeing the two of them together, Sean was more convinced than ever that Hooch didn’t deserve Von. She was too good for the likes of him. But did that knowledge give him the right to try and take her away? He just didn’t know.

His conscience said to leave her alone, but that new, untamed part of him demanded he take her. Von was deeply attracted to him, whether she wanted to be or not. He could use their years of friendship and her interest to get closer. It would be fascinating to see which side won.

Sean started the truck and headed for the base. He’d start by emailing Von. See if he could convince her to see him alone. If not at her apartment, then maybe for lunch somewhere private. He could entice her by telling her he wanted to discuss what happened on his last mission, but not in front of Derrick, since doing so would reveal they’d kept in touch. Which was the absolute truth. Von he’d tell everything. And maybe, just maybe, while he was at it, he’d tell her how much she meant to him.

As they pulled out of the parking lot, Von dug in her purse for her phone. There was a patient whose progress she was extremely interested in—a young child. Her coworker Sharon promised to contact her if there’d been any changes.

She turned it on and saw that while she hadn’t missed any calls, two text messages had come through. One was Marketta wanting to know how her evening had gone. The other was from Sharon. Little Philip was progressing well and the doctors were hopeful that he’d be moved from ICU in the morning. Von briefed a sigh of relief and gave a silent prayer of thanks for prayers answered.

“He seemed mighty interested in you.” Inside the dark interior of the car, Derrick’s voice broke the silence.

“Who?” she asked absently, her mind at work and on what needed to be done when she started rotation again.

“Sean.”

“He was being polite,” she said dismissively as she tucked her phone back into the side pocket of her purse and then turned to watch the streetlights flash by.

“Hmm...”

Quiet descended between them once more. The radio played softly in the background. A song came and went before Derrick said, “You certainly were talkative. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so animated. You two were so into each other, I might as well not have been at the table.”

That caught her attention. She turned and stared at his profile in disbelief. “You’re kidding, right? Sean is
your
friend. He came in town specifically to see you.”

“I know that,” he said, a frown marring his handsome face.

“You invited me along to meet him. I didn’t ask to come—”

“I’m aware of how you came to be there,” he said shortly.

“...and now you’re upset because I was
friendly
? What did you expect me to do when he started asking questions, sit there and say nothing?” she finished doggedly.

“No,” he denied. “I just didn’t expect you two to hit it off so well.”

“Why wouldn’t we?” she asked, honestly confused. “We may never have met in person before but we spent almost four years exchanging letters. I feel like he’s a friend. Maybe as much mine as yours. I mean, that’s the whole reason you asked me to be there tonight, isn’t it? So we could finally meet face-to-face?”

“You’re being friendly isn’t the problem,” he said in an annoyed tone of voice.

At a lost, she asked, “Then what is?”

“It’s just, you never told me half the stuff about your job that you did Sean,” he complained.

Von sorted through the various responses she could give to his statement and finally settled on, “He asked. You never have other than to see what my schedule is.”

“That’s because I didn’t think this job was all that important to you. I mean, it is only temporary. Once we’re married, the hospital will no longer be an issue.”

Incredulous, she asked, “Says who?”

Derrick tapped an impatient tattoo on the steering wheel with his fingers. “Von, after we’re married, you won’t have time to work. You’ll be busy helping me with the ministry.”

She took a deep breath and then in a quiet but firm voice said, “I’m not quitting my job.”

“Of course you are,” he said confidently.

“No, I’m not.”

The tapping stopped. He cast a glance in her direction, probably to determine how serious she was. “Von, baby, you work twelve hour shifts. With your current schedule, when do you expect us to spend any time together? You’re so tired when you get home all you want to do is sleep. You spend your days off catching up on all the things you couldn’t do while working.”

While she was considering what he said, he continued in a soft voice, “Is it so strange that I would want my wife by my side? You know how single women target ministers. If they see a ring but no wife they’ll think I’m fair game. They won’t care that you’re working.”

She’d never thought about it like that. But still...

“Derrick, I hear and understand what you’re saying, but I
love
my job. When we have a family, maybe I can see myself staying home full-time to raise them, if we can afford for me to do so.”

“So what you’re saying is you’ll give up your job for our children, but I don’t mean enough to you for you to give it up for me.”

“No! That’s not what I’m saying at all!”

“Von, that’s exactly what you’re saying. Your position at Mercy Hospital is more important than our relationship,” he concluded, sounding hurt.

Is it
? Suddenly she wasn’t as sure of herself as she’d been.

Von sat in deep thought as their changing surroundings showed she was close to home. In no time at all, Derrick had the car parked and was escorting her to her door. Out of habit, while she fumbled around the bottom of her purse for her keys, Von asked, “Are you coming in?”

“Yes, I think I will.”

Derrick stood close behind, almost looming over her. Feeling the need to hurry, Von shook her bag impatiently, heard a jingle, and breathed a sigh of relief when she managed to snag them. She pushed the key into the lock and twisted the doorknob, almost in the same motion. Pausing only long enough to lock the door behind them, Von kicked off her shoes into the nearby closet and walked through the living room into the kitchen, calling over her shoulder, “I don’t know about you, but I’m thirsty. You want anything?”

She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and stood at the counter drinking it.

Derrick came and stood close, releasing her hair from its bun. “I love your hair,” he murmured, gathering the mass in his hand and burying his face in it. There was a slight tug as he pushed it to the side, then his mouth was on her neck, nibbling the tender skin.

Von automatically leaned her head to the side to give him easier access. He voiced his approval and she felt the light scraping of his teeth in the bend where her shoulder met her nape. He pressed closer and she felt his erection against the small of her back.

“You are so beautiful. No wonder Sean couldn’t keep his eyes off you.”

Suddenly irritated, she set her bottle down on the cabinet with a snap. “Derrick, don’t be ridicu—”

Derrick spun her around and thrust his tongue into her mouth, his kiss deep and forceful. His grip on her arms a painful reminder of earlier in the car. Alarmed by his rough handling, Von tried pulling away but he followed, switching his hold to her face while pinning her body to the counter with his aroused one. She wanted him, but not like this.

She brought her hands up and pushed at his shoulders, finally managing to pry enough space to turn away, breaking the kiss. “Derrick, stop. You’re hurting me.”

His touch immediately gentled. “I’m sorry, baby. I can’t get the image of you in that negligee out of my mind, though I’ve tried. You were so sexy. So beautiful. I was a fool to leave,” he murmured as he nibbled on her right earlobe. He ran the tip of his tongue around the outer shell of her ear, briefly dipping inside before tracing the delicate skin behind it with the tip of his forefinger.

Von shivered and goose bumps broke out over her flesh.

Using his thumbs, he tilted her chin so that he could gaze into her eyes. “I want you. I go to bed at night thinking of you. My dreams are full of you and I tangled together. I wake up in the morning hurting, in need of
you
,” he said in a deep, mesmerizing voice.

He lowered his mouth to hers, and this time she was ready, having melted inwardly with his words. Again, there was no slow, sensual build up of passion like she was used to from Derrick. While not as forceful as the first one, this kiss still packed a powerful, passionate punch. Von wrapped her arms around Derrick’s neck and gave herself over to his control.

Maybe, she thought hazily, her seduction routine the week before had actually borne fruit. Derrick certainly wasn’t behaving as his normally restrained self, she noted, as his hands roamed over her body. He pulled her shirt free of the waistband of her skirt and slid it higher, seeking her bra, loosening the catch once he found it.

Derrick stepped back and pulled her shirt over her head and Von obligingly raised her hands to assist. Another tug and her bra slid down her dangling arms and fell to the floor. The chill from the air conditioning immediately caused her nipples to tauten and pucker into hard little nubs. He visually examined them. His intent perusal lasted so long, Von fought the urge to cover her breasts and simply stood there and allowed him to take as much time as he needed. Finally, a strangled sound that ended in a groan emerged from his throat and he lowered his mouth to her left breast, engulfing it.

Von arched her back, gripped Derrick by the sides of his head and held him to her, afraid he’d stop. The suctioning tugs felt so good she moaned her approval. Derrick switched sides, and toyed with her abandoned breast with his fingers, twisting and tugging it until she was whimpering and thrusting against him.

“Derrick, please,” she begged.

“What do you need?” he asked in a husky voice.

“You. I need you,” she told him. With this skirt on, she couldn’t get his erection positioned where she needed it to do the most good.

Resting his forehead against hers, Derrick gripped her skirt by the sides and began edging it up, watching as it rose. “Do you have on one of those sexy bits of underwear you like to wear?”

“Look and see for yourself,” she shyly tempted.

“Oh, I plan to,” he promised.