Chapter 1
DAPHNE JADE stared at the business card she held in her trembling hands. One of her colleagues had told her that Gerri Wilder would find her the perfect man for any occasion.
First, there was no such thing as perfect.
And second, she didn’t want perfect. She wanted an untamable man. One that didn’t define his success by a white picket fence, a sports car, a summer vacation home, a dog, a couple of kids, and a wife who greeted him at the front door with a hug and a kiss, asking him how his day was, because you know, it’s all about him.
For a couple of weeks, she wanted a wild animal that would ravish her body at night and worship her during the day. She wanted the kind of man that turned heads and could break hearts. The kind of man she’d never approach in a bar, nor would they come anywhere near her and not because she wasn’t pretty. She didn’t even think the few extra pounds she carried, giving her more curves than most, turned any man off. Only, when the wild ones saw her, they all figured she wanted that diamond ring and a promise that they wouldn’t be able to give the sweet, kind, school-teacher who lived a straight and narrow kind of life.
She dropped the card into her purse and clutched the handle of her suitcase. Gerri Wilder had promised her that Chaz Ferguson was the right man for her to spend two-weeks with in upstate New York for a long overdue vacation, even if it included attending her family reunion in the middle.
Someday Daphne wanted to settle down and have it all. But for now, she wanted to be wild and have the kind of sex she fantasized about.
Daphne shivered at the thought. Her past lovers, while mostly satisfying, didn’t offer a plethora of options and certainly weren’t very creative.
And she’d never introduced any of them to her crazy-ass, uptight, no-one will ever be good enough, family.
She peered through the sea of people, looking for Chaz. They’d spoken on the phone earlier and he’d said he’d be wearing a light green button-down shirt and jeans. He’d mentioned he had short brown hair with matching eyes.
Someone tapped her shoulder, causing her to jump, knocking over her suitcase.
“Sorry,” a deep husky voice with a hint of a growl said.
When she turned, she gasped, staring into a pair of eyes that looked like a combination of the night sky just before dawn and a raven’s wings.
“Are you Daphne?”
She blinked, trying to break free from his captivating gaze, so she could check out the color of his shirt, and perhaps how he filled out the fabric.
“Chaz?”
“In the flesh.” He bent over, lifting the handle of her carry-on bag, setting it upright on its wheels.
“I expected you to come through the main doors of the airport,” she said, tucking a blonde strand of hair behind her ears. She should have worn her untamable, long hair in a ponytail.
“I did, but I wanted to get a cup of coffee.” He raised the paper cup. “Late night at work.”
“I’ve already checked my bag,” she said.
He turned his shoulder, showing off a backpack. “Me too. I was about an hour early, so I figured why not.”
“Well, shall we go through security?” She wondered if he could hear the slight tremble in her voice that matched the twitching of her fingers. She’d seen her share of attractive men over the years, but Chaz, with his well-defined cheekbones, square jaw, and eyes that looked like a combination of the devil and a little piece of heaven, and his tall, lean frame, made all men appear inferior.
“Might as well.”
Heat rippled across her skin as he placed his hand on her lower back, giving her a quick shock. She jumped.
“Sorry,” he said, shaking out his hand before trying again. He barely touched her, but there was something primal about the way his fingers sprawled across her body. Her heart pounded in her chest.
She handed the security guard her boarding pass and ID. She hated the way they looked at your license, then up at your face, judging either you, your picture, or both. Half the time she wanted to stick out her tongue, but figured that wouldn’t go over very well. Besides, she constantly told her fifth-grade students that kind of behavior was childish.
Feeling self-conscious around men like Chaz wasn’t an uncommon occurrence, mostly because they didn’t notice her. Back in high school, she’d had the biggest crush on the goalie for the hockey team. She tried everything from bumping into him, to dressing differently, and she even sent him a Valentine’s Day note, but all she got was a thank you and a slight smile. At least the boy hadn’t been mean, like some others had been to girls like her.
“Let me get that for you.” Chaz reached down and circled his fingers over the handle of her suitcase. He gently placed it on the table before the conveyor belt.
“Thank you.” There couldn’t possibly be anything more awkward than meeting a man for the first time at the airport to take a trip together. What had she been thinking? Of course, the two times she’d suggested they meet for coffee or something, he canceled because of his job.
She stepped through the scanner, glancing back at Chaz. He smiled, giving her a slight nod before he strode through the metal detector with a confidant swagger that made her tingle all over. Looking around, she suspected every female with a pulse was checking him out.
They walked toward the gate, making small talk, stopping to pick up some snacks and water. She was pleasantly surprised when he liked all the same things, so they just got king size bags to share. Of course, he could have just been being nice, agreeing with her on everything. God, she hoped not. She hated men like that because it usually meant they had an agenda.
She almost laughed out loud. They both had an agenda.
A long, awkward silence took over as they boarded the plane. When she’d gone to Gerri she’d been a bit shocked at how direct the woman was regarding the type of man Daphne desired in the bedroom. Gerri’s questions were enough to flush Daphne’s cheeks, but what shocked Daphne even more were her own responses.
“Do you want the aisle or window?” Chaz asked.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like the window.” When she’d made the reservations, he was adamant that he pay for his own ticket, which she appreciated, but the entire trip was her idea and all about saving face at her family reunion.
“I don’t mind at all.”
She slipped into her seat, kicked off her shoes and buckled herself in, doing her best to calm her nerves. Flying wasn’t one of her favorite things to do and she couldn’t wait for the first-class flight attendant to come by and offer her a drink.
“So, are you originally from Lake George?” Chaz asked. He’d turned his head, facing her, and those intense dark eyes captured her gaze and nearly sucked her onto his lap.
“Actually, I grew up in Hudson Falls, which is just south of where we are staying until the reunion. What about you?”
“Believe it or not, Vermont. If we have time, maybe we could take a trip over? Do some hiking. Do you like to hike?”
“I love it. Have you ever hiked any of the Long Trail before?”
He nodded. “My family has a place in Killington.”
“Wow. That’s nice.” She purposely blinked a few times, desperate to break eye contact. He could offer to toss her out of the plane for fun, and she’d probably agree to it simply because of his gorgeous, but dangerous eyes.
“Excuse me,” the flight attendant said. “Can I get you a drink?”
“I’d like a glass of red wine,” Daphne said.
“Same here.” He smiled, nodding his head.
Daphne glanced out the window. This had to be the dumbest idea she’d ever had. Who took a perfect stranger home to meet the family?
The better question: who went to a dating service to find a man mostly based on their sexual tastes.
Or in her case: fantasies.
Shit.
Did he really expect her to jump into his bed?
Right now, she wished she’d never answered Gerri’s questions about her past love life and her desires for what she wanted to do with a man.
“You must know upstate pretty well if you grew up in Vermont,” Daphne said.
“I do. My sister attended the University at Albany and I visited frequently.”
“I graduated from U/Albany.” Daphne took her plastic glass of wine and sipped, rolling Chaz’s last name around in her brain, knowing it sounded familiar but it was such a common name. “What’s her name?”
“Cheryl Ferguson, but everyone knew her as Fergie partly because of her name, but she also has red hair.”
Daphne swallowed, hoping she didn’t choke. If it was the same Fergie who had been two graduating classes ahead of her, and if the rumors were true… Fergie was a werewolf, or shifter, or whatever those non-human creatures called themselves.
Daphne had lived a sheltered life in a small town just outside of Hudson Falls. The community was its own little bubble, protected from the insanity of the rest of the world. Away from big cities, but not so secluded that the evils of darkness lurked in the shadows. So, when she’d first gone to college, she’d been overwhelmed by it all, including the idea of paranormal creatures living among them, going to school with them. Her parents warned her to stay clear of them at all costs.
“Was she an art history major and really into drama club?”
“That would be her.”
“Small world. I think she graduated two years before me.”
“Did you know her?” he asked.
“No. Not really.” She wanted to add: because my parents had me brainwashed that anything that wasn’t human, was evil, but she refrained. “I joined the drama club my freshman year, but dropped out before it really began. What does your sister do now?” That was a stupid thing to ask when you wanted to get off the subject because she’d only stopped participating out of fear of Cheryl and her friends.
“She’s an art historian and works in the New York City Museum.”
“Do you visit her often?” Geez, she needed to shut her trap. It didn’t matter how easily small talk came to her, this was not the direction the conversation needed to be headed.
“Nope. I’m not a fan of big cities. She usually comes to me, or we meet at our parent’s old farm house in Vermont.”
She was about to ask if he had other siblings, and if they howled at the moon, but caught herself before the words spewed like water from a fire hydrant.
He wasn’t a werewolf, or any other creature of the night.
He was a man.
And a good looking one at that.
The engines roared and the hunk of metal rattled as it pulled from the gate. She finished her last sip of wine before setting the cup on the arm rest, willing her hand to remain steady.
Chaz circled his long, strong fingers over hers. “You’re trembling.”
“You don’t like cities, I don’t like planes.”
He had the nerve to let out a slight chuckle. “Look at me.”
“I’d rather look out the window.”
“That’s only going to make you more anxious.” He reached with his free hand, his index finger gently touching her chin, turning her head. His thumb caressed the skin just above her neck, sending her heart fluttering, only not out of fear.
“I’ll be fine once we get up in the air,” she said in a faint whisper. Her lungs burning with desire with every breath she took.
“Stay focused on me and you’ll be fine.”
She wondered if he knew the kind of power he had over anyone who looked into his devastatingly sexy eyes. The sound of the flight attendant’s voice ringing over the loudspeaker faded away into a soft muffle. The jerking of the plane became the gentle rocking of a hammock swaying back and forth under the sweet summer sun.
His warm palm glided across her cheek. Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t tear herself from his embrace.
Her eyes shifted to his full lips as he licked them, slowly, and intently. Her chest rose as she inhaled the smell of the cold spring water running down Black Mountain.
The plane jutted forward, racing down the runway. He cupped the back of her neck, drawing her mouth to his. “Focus on me,” he whispered right before he pressed his soft lips against hers, gently probing the inside of her mouth.
Reaching up, she clutched his shirt, deepening the kiss that she should have ended. His heart beat against her palm in a rhythmic dance meant to seduce.
She’d asked Gerri to match her with a man she’d be compatible with in front of her family at the reunion and one that she’d be attracted to and who would be willing to have a wild, yet passionate fling. Chaz was a gentlemen through and through, but hot damn, he was sexy.
A woman would have to be dead not to notice Chaz. Hell, Daphne figured gay women would be into Chaz.
He tasted like a piece of dark chocolate dipped in a full bodied red wine and smelled like a thick forest at dawn.
He circled his fingers around her neck, massaging gently. A warm tingle shot down the center of her back and she arched into him.
The lights flickered and two dings sounded just before the captain’s voice boomed over the airplane speakers.
She could have sworn he growled before breaking off the kiss.
“Better?”
Before she could come up with an answer, the flight attendant stood over them with two glasses of red wine in her hands. “I thought you love birds could use some more wine.”
“Thanks.” Chaz took them, handing one to Daphne with a smile. Her cheeks burned like a little girl with a crush on the teacher.
“Sorry,” Daphne muttered. Public displays of affection were something she thought should be avoided at all costs.
“Don’t be,” the flight attendant said. “So, where is the happy couple off to and why? If you don’t mind me asking?”
Chaz laced his fingers through hers, squeezing gently. “I get to meet my girlfriend’s family for the first time, all at once, at a family reunion.”
“You’re a brave man.” The flight attended laughed.
“I’m a man in love.”
Cough.
Gag.
Daphne covered her mouth, preventing the red wine from spilling out between her lips, all over her clothes. Though some did trickle between her fingers. “Sorry,” she said. “Went down the wrong pipe.”
Thankfully, the flight attendant went about serving the other passengers.
“What was that all about?” she asked, staring into her glass.
“Isn’t that what you want from me at your family reunion?”
The way he focused all his attention on her was exactly what she wanted, only from him, it knocked her off kilter, rendering her a pile of muddled hormones. “The love part might have been a bit over the top. Just saying.”
He laughed. “I just thought I’d get some practice in. You know. To make it real. You said how important it was to get them off your back.”
She nodded. “We probably need to work on our story.” She glanced in his direction, swallowing her pride. “We both know why I went to the dating agency, but why did you? What is it that you are looking for?”