She eyed the box, and her smile spread as I removed the lid and pulled a dainty gold chain from the white, satin cushion. I held it up to the light. A small, circular diamond pendant hung from the chain.
“Oh, Ty. It’s beautiful.” She reached out to touch it but withdrew her hand. Instead of turning so I could fasten it around her, she shook her head. “I can’t accept that. It’s too expensive, Ty.”
“You can and you will.” I moved forward and clasped it around her elegant neck. “Can’t you let a guy spoil his mate?”
She smiled and turned to face me. “What’s all this for? You know I can’t wear any of this to work.”
“I’m taking you out. On a date. Just you and me with no interruptions, no out-of-town business meetings, and you certainly won’t be doing the cooking. How does steak sound?” She was a woman after my heart. Not one of those tofu and hummus kinds of girls, and thank goodness for that.
“Delicious.” She giggled with excitement and took her new dress into the bathroom to get ready.
When we walked into the restaurant, all heads turned to see Liza. Any other woman could spend a million dollars to look good and not be one tenth as beautiful as Liza, and I was so proud to have her on my arm. Not just because she was drop-dead gorgeous, but because she was everything I ever wanted and more in a mate.
Her hot ass didn’t hurt, either.
I’d ordered earlier in the day, so we received our food quickly. Presumably because the owner and staff wanted to impress the next alpha. Liza and I took our time eating and staring out over the dark, running waters of the river.
“I missed you so much this week.” I reached across the table and twined my fingers through hers, stroking her palm with my thumb. Sometimes, I just needed to touch her. “I don’t like not getting to debrief you on my days and not hearing about all the ins and outs and ups and downs of your catering business. How was your week?”
Liza swallowed her food and took a sip of wine. “I didn’t especially enjoy slipping out of the house before you were awake. It wasn’t fun for me.” Her smile was everything I needed after my long week. “Honestly, it was a busy week, which kept my mind off you-know-who.” I certainly didn’t have to guess who that was. “I have a few new clients who seem nice enough.” She squeezed my hand. “What about you? How did all your meetings go?”
I shrugged. I didn’t really want to talk about the meeting, but what I wanted to talk about wasn’t necessarily appropriate for a restaurant. “As well as it could have. I’m happy to report that the alphas I met up with weren’t total bastards, so that’s a plus.”
Laughing, we looked at the dessert menu the waitress dropped by our table, finally deciding to split a slice of cheesecake drizzled with a silky, strawberry sauce.
Liza’s bare foot brushed against mine, sending shockwaves up my leg and directly to my dick. She glanced up at me with a longing that I recognized in a split second.
By the time our dessert arrived, we’d eye-fucked each other, scooted our chairs closer together, and kissed twice. It took every ounce of restraint I had not to join her on the opposite side of the table so I could run my hands over her deliciously perfect body. I watched as she slowly bit into the strawberry that garnished the top of our cheesecake, her eyes rolling back in pleasure.
I leaned forward and whispered, “It’s a good thing we’re out in public or you would be naked on this table, and I would be licking cheesecake from your nipples.”
Liza laughed, and her cheeks turned a light shade of pink. “You’re the future alpha. Tell these people to leave.” She dipped her finger in the whipped cream and slowly inserted it into her mouth, her lips encircling her finger as she closed her mouth andmoaned so softly that I barely heard her. But Iheardher. My cock strained against my pants.
Fuck. My dick was hard enough to cut glass as I imagined it taking the place of her finger.
I drove home fast as I caressed Liza as best I could while paying attention to the road. Heat emanated from her, her pheromones filling the car. I needed her. Now.
The second we reached Liza’s front porch, I swung her up into my arms, crushing her against my chest as I devoured her mouth. She moaned and tightened her grip around my neck, twisting to press her breasts into my chest. I set her down, though I would rather have held on to her, pressed her against the wall, and thrust into her until she cried out my name in pleasure.
Instead, I fumbled with my house key, trying to open the door without ruining the moment. “Shit.” I pulled away and spent the next fifteen seconds trying to get us through the door.
Finally, she laid her hand over mine and stilled my trembling fingers. “Here, let me.” Liza took the key from my hand. A second later, she pushed the door open, then looked up at me and smiled. “Shall we?”
She certainly didn’t have to tell me twice. I slammed the door behind me, and then we were all over each other. Liza kicked her shoes off and stepped in front of me, her hands sliding up my chest, then back down and back up again. Without the heels, she was a good four inches shorter, so I had to lean down to bite her lower lip gently.
A low growl escaped her throat, and my wolf reacted with a reply of his own. I scooped her back into my arms and carried her to the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind me.
“I need to be inside of you,” I whispered into her ear, nipping at the lobe as she raked her hands down my back.
Liza understood my urgency, possibly shared it, so instead of walking toward the bed once I set her on her feet, she turned and faced the wall. “I want you to fuck me right here. Right now.” Something in her voice made my body vibrate with need and made my cock swell until it was almost painful with pent-up desire and want.
She inched her dress up her legs and over her ass, leaned forward, pressed her hands flat against the wall, tilted her head back, and gave a slight tip of her hips, allowing me to see a glimpse of that sexy, black lacy thong.
Holy fuck. The sight was too hot for me to keep my wits about me, but I didn’t need fucking wits for what I was about to do.
I pulled my shirt off and tossed it behind me as I walked toward her, kicking my shoes away in the process. Once I reached her, I pressed my body against hers, hard and hot, ready to push inside of her. I put my hands over hers and used my hips to show her how much I wanted her. My cock was hot and hard against her ass.
“Your dick’s so fucking perfect,” she whispered breathlessly. “Come on, baby, touch me.”
