“‘Authentic Fossil Mosasaur Halisaurus Arambourgi Skeleton,’” I read off the card that had come with the gift now being assembled by a team of two on my cheap coffee table. “Holy shit, is he serious?”

The two men setting up the seventy-million-year-old marine reptile didn’t answer, but I hadn’t expected them to. I fished my cell out of my pocket and called the man who only hours ago I’d been sneaking off with at the museum gala. My lips still burned at the memory.

“Good afternoon, little lamb,” Salvatore said when he answered, his voice smooth and unassuming, like he didn’t know I was calling to discuss the overly extravagant gift he’d sent.

“This is too much,” I said. “It costs more than my apartment and car and student loans combined.”

“Then I suppose we’ll have to get you a nicer place to live, won’t we?”

“What? No. Don’t you dare.”

“Really, Jesse. Do you think there’s anything I wouldn’t dare to do?”

In the short time I’d known Salvatore, I’d learned that the answer was probably not. “Please don’t buy me a house. Or a car, or whatever else you’ve got up your sleeve.”

“I won’t. At least not until after our third date.”

“Salvatore—”

A rare throaty chuckle left him. “Do you like it?”

“Do I…” I shook my head. An authentic fossil of one of the top marine predators in the Late Cretaceous period? What wasn’t to love? “It’s unbelievable,” I said, watching as the men carefully pieced together the long tail. “What made you choose this one?”

“I have a thing for hunters,” he said. “And a T-Rex wouldn’t fit in your apartment.”

The thought of that made me laugh, only because I knew he was serious. “You’re crazy.”

“I am. Did you get the rest of the gift?”

“The rest? There’s more?”

“It was in the envelope.”

I walked back over to the table and peered inside the envelope his note had come in. At the bottom was a round tube of ChapStick.

As if Salvatore could sense my confusion, he said, “I thought you might need that this morning. You might want to keep it handy.”

I touched my still-bruised lips, swollen from last night’s sensual assault, and smiled. So there would be a next time, and possibly a time after that…

“Thank you,” I said. “But really, this is too much—”

“You’re welcome. And from now on, if I decide to gift you with something, a simple ‘thank you’ will suffice.”

“But—”

“No buts.”

I rubbed a hand over my face and swallowed down the protests that wanted to come out. “Okay. You know you’re bossy, right?”

“Are you complaining?”

“After last night? Uh, definitely not.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” he said, and I imagined that pleased smile crossing his handsome face the way it did when I followed his commands. And that is so damn hot.

“Your note said to be ready by seven tonight. What should I wear?”

“Whatever you’d like.”

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

“No.”

“Do I get a hint?”

“No.”

“Should I be hungry?”

“You ask too many questions. Seven o’clock. I’ll pick you up.”

I sighed, but couldn’t help the cheese-tastic grin on my face. I’d never been swept off my feet before, but Salvatore made me feel like I was someone special. Someone more than just Jesse Clark, penniless college grad.

“Thank you,” I said again. “I’ll be ready. Wait, one sec.” The men assembling the fossil had gotten to their feet, and I put Salvatore on hold as they went over instructions on how to put it together again should anything happen. Each piece was numbered, and I was familiar enough with the process that I knew it wouldn’t be too hard to figure out. Not that I planned on even touching it. I’d be guarding this thing with my life.

Shit, I really need better security with something this expensive in here.

Once they were gone, I lifted the phone back to my ear and sat on my secondhand couch to get a closer look at the reptile. “You’ve got to see this thing. It’s unbelievable. Do you treat all of your boyfriends this well?” As soon as the question was out of my mouth, I cringed. I didn’t actually want to know about anyone else Salvatore had been with, but I was curious. Or maybe I just wanted to feel like someone special to him.

“I don’t do boyfriends,” Salvatore said.

“You’ve never had a boyfriend…ever?”

There was a long silence before he answered. “I did in high school, but no one since.”

“And it was enough to scare you off from relationships for the rest of your life?” I joked.

“Yes.”

That was all he said, and I felt like I’d just accidentally stumbled into forbidden territory. “Okay…”

Salvatore cleared his throat. “And what about you? Any…lovers, boyfriends, or girlfriends I need to talk to?”

“Talk to?” I said, chuckling. “What would you talk to them about?”

“Ah, so there are boyfriends…”

“What? No, I didn’t say that. I mean…” I bit my lip, not wanting to admit my love life had been more than a little lackluster. Lovers? Few and far between. The relationship stuff? Never. “I’ve never had a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend.”

“But you’d like that.” He didn’t phrase it as a question, but as an observation.

“I suppose I would. I haven’t really thought about it before now because I’ve been so busy, but I guess if the right person came along…”

“And is that what you think I am? The right person?”

“Uh…” My first instinct was to say yes. That I wanted him to be, even though I knew it was laughable and I was nowhere near on his level. But kids grew up with fairy tales in their heads, and so far Salvatore seemed like a page ripped from one of those books, so why not? Why not pretend this was my very own fairy tale come true?

When I didn’t answer, what sounded like a low growl came through the phone.

“Be careful thinking of me that way, Jesse,” Salvatore said, his voice full of gravel. “I’m no knight in shining armor.”

* * *

I rocked back in the chair behind the desk in my home study and waited for my words to sink in. It needed to be crystal clear exactly what this arrangement was to me. I didn’t want Jesse building any hopes and dreams on the promise of me being someone I wasn’t. That wasn’t what this was about.

This was about want. This was about desire. It was about feeding a craving he had provoked in me after I had buried it for so many years.

I stared at the photograph in my hand and sat forward, resting my forearms on the desk as I studied the two boys that had been captured in it years ago—the original lamb, and the same Wolfe.

“Oh, I didn’t mean that,” Jesse said, and a nervous laugh followed. “Not that you’re wrong in any way. You’re actually pretty right in every way, but I mean, in general. Not for me, like, as a boyfriend. I wasn’t over here thinking about that or picking out matching his-and-his towels or anything, and, umm… I’m going to shut up now.”

A smile crept across my lips at Jesse’s rambling. “Don’t do that. This has been rather…amusing.”

“Awesome. Now I’m amusing.”

“Is there something wrong with that?”

“Well, no, but I’d rather be—”

“Jesse?”

“Yes?”

My cock reacted to his immediate response. “What did I tell you last night about lying to me?” I heard him suck in a breath at the reminder of the museum, and when he said nothing, I said, “What did I say, Jesse?”

“You said never to lie to you.”

As his hushed voice filtered into my ear, I stroked my finger over the image I held in my hand. Two boys. One light. One dark. And I remembered a time when lies had ruined my life.

“That’s right. So what’s wrong with me finding this exchange amusing?”

Jesse sighed. “Ugh, you know, that rule just makes me have to do and say things that are embarrassing.”

“Is what you’re thinking embarrassing?”

“It is if I have to say it out loud.”

The indignant way he said that made me more determined than ever. “Nothing you say can shock me. You do know that, right? And I’m not going to ask you again.”

“Fine. But just know, I’m only saying this because you bought me a dinosaur.”

“Duly noted.”

“I just wish you found me, like, sexy…not funny.”

I placed the photo down on the desk and picked up the remote. Pivoting in my chair until I faced the wall of screens behind me, I hit the on button and stared up at the images of Jesse. “You don’t think I find you sexy?”

“Well, uhh…”

“I thought we settled that last night. You need a lesson in confidence.” I stretched my legs out in front of me and crossed my legs at the ankles. “Tell me, what are you wearing right now?”

“What am I wearing?”

“That was the question.” I studied the image of Jesse from the lobby of the Wolfe’s Den and zoomed the image in so his divine face filled the screen.

“I’m in khaki shorts and a t-shirt, why?”

“So many questions… Don’t you know by now it’s your job to answer, not ask the questions, little lamb?”

“Sorry.”

“Hmm. It’s so natural for you. To obey. You do it so beautifully. It makes me hard.”

There was a two-second pause, then, “Oh my God.”

“Jesse?”

“Yes?” he said eagerly now, and I reached down to unbutton my pants.

“Go to your bed and take off all your clothes. And once you’re done, get back on the phone and tell me so.”

“Shit. Umm, okay. That’s… One second.”

I heard rustling, and uncrossed my legs. I unzipped my pants and waited for Jesse to get back on the phone, and a minute or so later, he returned.

“Okay, I did what you said. I’m on my bed. Naked.”

“Good little lamb,” I said, and shifted a little further down in my seat. “Now, the first thing about having confidence is being able to tell me what you like…what you don’t like…what’s on your mind…what you look like…” As my words faded, I could hear the sound of Jesse’s excited breath in my ear. “Let’s start from the top, shall we?”

“Okay.”

I smiled at his quick acquiescence and palmed my dick. “Last night, at the museum, did you like what happened?”

“Yes.”

His breathless response made me more than aware Jesse was likely touching himself, and that was fine by me as long as… “Jesse?”

“Yes?”

“You are not to come until I say so. Do you understand?”

Several seconds passed. “Yes.”

“Good. Now let’s continue. Tell me what you liked best about last night.”

The moan in my ear had me shoving my hand inside my boxer briefs as I waited for Jesse’s answer. My eyes were trained to the face on the screen, my ears greedily taking in every noise he made.

“I ah, I liked that I was doing something I knew I shouldn’t be doing.”

“Ohh…you’re a naughty little lamb,” I said, and the groan that met my ears was an agreement if ever I’d heard one. “What else?”

There was no hesitation after that—Jesse was right there at the ready with his answer. “The way you touched me. You were kind of…”

“Yes?”

“Terrifying. But exciting. You were…” He stopped and whimpered, and I knew he’d just stroked that delicious cock of his. “So hot and strong. The way you held me in place and told me what to do, it was really…”

As his words seemed to leave him, I suggested, “Sexy?”

“Yes. Damn. It was so fucking sexy.”

I wrapped my fingers around the root of my shaft and gave it a long, slow stroke. “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you say that.”

“What?”

“Fucking.”

“Uh…”

“I was starting to worry I’d have to teach it to you, because Jesse? We are going to do a lot of that.” The curse that hit my ears then was satisfying. So damn satisfying. “Okay. What didn’t you like?”

“When it was over.”

I chuckled at the quick response. Jesse was surprising me, and that took some effort. “Oh, we are far from over. I promise you that.”

The heavy panting in my ear had my fist working my length harder and faster.

“Are you…”

“Ask me, Jesse.” And we both knew what he wanted to ask.

“Are you touching yourself too?”

“Yes.”

“Oh fuck.”

“There’s that word again.”

Jesse groaned, and I spread my legs a little wider.

“I wish I could see you,” he said, and a smile curved my lips.

“Best not be greedy. If you get everything all at once, what’s there to look forward to?” I jacked my hips up and used the pre-cum at the head of my cock to aid the slide of my pumping hand. “Lamb?”

“Yes…”

“Put your phone by your ear and your hands behind your head.”

“But then I can’t…” He stopped, and when no words came from me, it must’ve registered this was an order. Because a second later, he said, “Okay. It’s done.”

“Good. Now I want you to lie back and listen. And do not come.”

He hesitated again, but then said, “I won’t.”

“If I was there,” I said, stroking myself faster, “I’d have you tied to that bed, and I’d be straddling your naked waist looking down at you. And then, Jesse?”

I could hear his soft pants. He was struggling to keep his hands where I’d told him to. “Yes?” he whispered.

“I’d come all the fuck over you. Your face, your neck, your chest. And then? You’d beg me to let you come, but I’d take my time licking you clean, making you wait for it. And you would. Because you’re my submissive little lamb and you know it would be worth it.”

“Oh yes,” he said, a tortured sound ripping from his chest. “I want that too. Please…”

“Just remember, I told you before I’m no knight. I’m the Wolfe. I don’t want to save you or marry you. I don’t want to be your boyfriend. I want to eat you. Fuck you. Make you feel things you never have before, and most of all, I want you to beg me for more.”

“Yesss,” Jesse said, moaning again.

I stared at the face on the screen, and as my climax roared, I clenched my teeth and came all over my hand. My cock throbbed for more, an insatiable beast, but it would have to wait until tonight. Just like Jesse would.

“Your hands are still behind your head? You haven’t touched yourself?” I said.

“They are. And I haven’t yet.”

“Good. Keep it that way. Now get dressed and I’ll see you tonight.”