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No other wolf’s scent had ever caused my wolf to react in this almost violent manner. I ignored the Greenthornes as I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. Who was this little wolf, and what was this power she held over me?
Chapter3
Tori
I snuggled in closer to Ridge and forced myself to stay composed. His warmth and strength made me want to just cuddle with him for hours. The scent of his skin, the little shocks that catapulted up my arms and jumped into my heart, were not something I could ignore. Nor could I ignore the molten heat pooling between my legs. I’d never had such an instantaneous attraction to a man before.
Images of ravenous hands touching and caressing, our bodies intertwined, flashed through my mind like my own personal erotic movie, and I was all for it. Even though I’d soon need a new pair of panties.
Stopping my wild imagination from escalating to the point I’d forget we were in public, I stared back at the snobbish couple. If I were Ridge, I’d also want to avoid them. Their stuck-up noses, high-end couture, and ridiculous showcase of bling came with an air of authority wrapped around them like a cloak. How did people evolve into such a loathsome form of being? I’d pay to have them live a day in my life—they wouldn’t last an hour.
Mrs. Greenthorne’s haughty voice grated on my nerves, and that was before I registered what she had to say. “Mayor, you have a sworn duty to this town, and it’s not sitting here drinking with some random, hitchhiking trollop.” She sniffed at me and scrunched up her face as if I was an unpleasant smell.
Wow, word got out fast. They must have heard about me getting out of the Ashworths’ car earlier. Well, I’d heard worse.
I nestled in closer to Ridge. He toyed with the loose strands of hair that floated around my neck, his touch searing a trail on the skin along my collarbone. I glanced up at him, waiting for him to say something, but he wasn’t paying the woman any mind. He stared at me with his unique gray eyes flecked with blue and silver. They were like dark, turbulent clouds, a thunderstorm all on their own.
His gaze roamed over my face, and my belly warmed when he brushed the hair off my face and tucked it behind my ear. No one had ever looked at me like that—like I was dessert, and he wasn’t about to share. I relished the attention, which was weird because I usually hated it, especially when it came from strangers. This felt very different, though. It felt right.
The couple started huffing at the fact that Ridge had so successfully ignored them, and I was about to tell off the old hag. I would have laughed because I found it so hilarious, but I knew I probably shouldn’t let it go on for too long.
Ridge didn’t seem to mind, but I had come across people like this couple before, ones who thought they were the most important people in every room. I wouldn’t have been surprised if they caused an obnoxious scene. The mayor shouldn’t have to deal with that. On one hand, I couldn’t wait for them to go. On the other hand, if they left, then so did my reason for sitting so close. I wanted to play around with this man some more and see where the evening might head.
“It’s well past business hours, Mrs...” I began.
The woman opened her mouth to speak.
I waved my hand lazily. “Never mind, I don’t care. It doesn’t matter who you are.”
The woman clamped her mouth shut as venomous hate seethed from her body.
“As I was saying. It’s well past business hours on an average workday, and it doesn’t matter how badly you want some extra attention. You’ll just have to make do with the ‘attentions’ of your”—I slowly scanned her husband, showing that he was lacking with my eyes—“husband there. Mayor Blackwood can pencil you into his calendar in the morning, during the aforementioned business hours of nine to five, to hear your no doubt endless complaints about whatever has your high-priced panties in a twist.”
The Greenthornes started blustering. Evidently, they’d never been spoken to in such a manner. It was high time that somebody did. I had no problem with it being me.
I lowered my voice into a loud whisper. “Now, if you would kindly leave us alone, I was getting better acquainted with this luscious man right here, and your presence here is ruining our evening.” I winked at her. The whispering didn’t fool anybody. Everyone in the room who’d turned to stare at us heard every word.
Mateo’s laugh burst out from behind the bar, and several of the other patrons joined. The tavern had gone quiet as everybody took in the show. I’d bet they eagerly awaited what the self-involved couple would do next.
The older lady clutched at her absent pearls as the husband’s face boiled red. Poor guy looked like his head might explode.
“Seriously, Blackwood. Are you going to let this”—the husband’s scolding eyes scanned over me with disgust—“thisnobodyspeak to us this way?”
I turned my back to the overbearing couple, giving Ridge a shit-eating smile and winking. His grin lit up his face, but when he turned his attention to the couple, the smile dimmed significantly until it more resembled a scowl.
“She can say anything she wants because this is a public establishment and I’m not worried about controlling everything, unlike you two. I’m also not at your beck and call. The lovely lady has made a good point—make an appointment with my assistant tomorrow. During office hours. I will no doubt hear about everything at our scheduled appointment.” He looked at me, smiled, wagged his eyebrows, then turned back to the couple.
The Greenthornes’ faces went cherry red. They sputtered, words obviously escaping them before they turned and stomped out of the tavern, muttering something about respect and the mayor’s lack of decorum.
Ridge’s arm tightened around my shoulders, and shocks jolted down my body. That had been a lot of fun, and with the way everyone was laughing, it felt good to be part of something bigger than just myself for a small moment. It had been ages since I’d felt so carefree.
The door slammed shut, and I glanced back at Ridge. His smile was blinding and made him ten times more attractive, which I never would have deemed possible.
“You must be my good luck charm because I’ve been trying in vain to get them to leave me alone all day.”
Something about this guy made my belly and everything below it clench. Could have been his smile. Could have been his voice. Could’ve been that he was gorgeous. Any of those things were enough to explain the clenching, but together, they were probably responsible for many a damp panty.
Then he continued talking, and I could have swooned if I was the swooning type. “Whereas you have them not only gone but running in less than ten minutes.” He shook his head and drank the last of his whiskey.
