Chapter 2
CHAZ FERGUSON RAISED the wine glass to his lips, taking in a large gulp, letting the rich flavor burn his throat, kicking up his heartburn. He had no idea what had possessed him to kiss Daphne like that. He’d spoken to her twice on the phone and had known her all of an hour, and yet, all he could think about was getting her out of her clothes.
Which wasn’t very gentleman-like.
And that was another thing. When did he become such a gentleman? Then again, the women he dated—no slept with—weren’t looking for anything other than a romp in the sack. He had a couple of women he turned to when he had the time or inclination, but that was about it, and even that didn’t happen often.
He worked too much and he liked living alone.
“Do you want to know the truth?” he asked.
“That sounds ominous,” Daphne said, with her even-toned voice that drifted like soft silk over his ears.
He swirled his wine, contemplating how honest he should be. “My mother contacted Gerri Wilder on my behalf. Then she talked to my boss, who happens to be my uncle, as in my dad’s brother, to force me into taking a leave of absence from work. The condition of my return, follow through with whatever date Gerri came up with.”
Daphne laughed. Out loud. As in, loud enough that people looked at them.
“So, am I dating your parents, or you?”
That response brought a smile to his lips. Nothing better than a woman with a sense of humor. Only, he’d said that to shock her and perhaps gain some distance in a situation that made no sense to him at all.
“I mean, did Gerri interview your parents or you?”
“Me,” he admitted, remembering how desperately he tried to make the spunky old lady blush with his sexual prowess, but to no avail. “She said she wouldn’t find the right person unless I came to her and since my job is more important than anything else, here I am.”
“At least we’re in the same boat.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, though he knew the answer, but wanted to hear the words, so there was no question that they would go their separate ways in two weeks.
“We’re both doing this to get people to back off, but we are also… well… looking to have a little fun in the process.”
He loved the way her cheeks glowed pink when she referenced sex without ever mentioning it, though he wasn’t too happy with how his body responded as he shifted in his seat, trying to keep himself from becoming totally aroused. “I think we’re off to a positive start with the fun stuff.”
“Were you honest with what you want in a partner?” Her gaze darted everywhere but in his eyes and that amused and concerned him.
He liked things spicy in the bedroom. No pain. Nothing too kinky, but he liked things wild and a little rough. Raw would be a better descriptor. “I was.” Maybe a little too honest, he thought.
Daphne lowered her chin, lifting her eyelids, showing off the bright teal color that looked more like a perfect gem than anything else. “So, you only did this to have a one-night stand and get reinstated as a detective?”
“That sounds pretty shallow when you put it like that.”
“No more than me wanting a hot, sexy, man to toss in the faces of my too-perfect-sister and all of my female cousins. Not to mention getting my parents off my back about getting married and settling down, moving back home, having kids and blah, blah, blah.”
“You don’t want all of that?” He rubbed his hand over his thigh, keeping his fingers to himself instead of fisting that golden fountain of lush hair, tilting her head back and licking her neck.
“Maybe someday, but not right now.”
He leaned in, cupping her chin. “And what do you want right now?” He took her mouth a little too harshly, but she responded in earnest. Her hot tongue wrapped around his, sucking it into her mouth, demanding she be able to control the kiss.
The plane bounced and he accidentally bit her lip, cracking it open a tad. The metallic taste assaulting his senses. “Sorry,” he whispered, rubbing his thumb over her plump lip. There was something sweet and innocent in her gaze.
He knew without a shadow of a doubt that she had no idea he was a werewolf, which made him wonder what she’d told Gerri about what she was looking for in a man.
And how she’d respond to him when she found out.
“We really should stop meeting this way.” She smiled weakly, leaning back in her seat, fingers on her lips. “Besides, I think we have an audience.”
He nodded. “Want to watch a movie? I downloaded a few on my laptop and I’ve got a splitter and two sets of headphones.”
“You came prepared.”
He shrugged, pulling out his computer. He needed to regroup and get his libido in check. He hadn’t a clue as to what to expect when he’d agreed to this trip. He figured he’d have a little fun in the sun, pretend to be a boyfriend. He’d done that before. And maybe, just maybe, get laid.
Now that he suspected the latter would actually happen, a wave of nausea rolled around in his gut. He’d made a deal with the old man, that he’d go out with whoever Gerri fixed him up with. It was his mother who’d tossed in the idea of a vacation, making this the longest date he’d ever been on.
As long as the cosmos didn’t choose her as his mate, which he suspected he’d feel something other than hunger to devour her body as if it were his last meal, this would all be over in two weeks.
He just needed to relax.
“Pick a movie,” he said, tilting his laptop so she could see.
She tucked her hair behind her ears, leaning over, scrolling with the trackpad.
The inner wolf growled with desire.
From birth, he’d been pre-destined to be his pack’s leader and his father was itching to step down. Only, his first-born son needed to mate in order to step into his father’s shoes, something Chaz hoped would never happen. His little brother, Nico, would make a fine pack leader, and he currently had a steady girlfriend, though she wasn’t necessarily family material, and they hadn’t mated, so she probably wasn’t his chosen one. Still, Nico would settle before him. Hell, his baby brother, Drew, would settle way before him.
Even his sister, Cheryl, had a better chance of finding her right mate than he did.
“This one.” She tapped the screen, picking out an action flick.
“You sure? There are chick—”
“Nope. I’ve been dying to see that one.” She ripped open the airline blanket and covered her legs.
“You’ve got it.”
He covered his ears with his headphones and leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest, his mind wandering off to what the next two weeks might hold, versus the explosion happening on the screen.
He’d told Gerri that he didn’t want to settle down, but if he did, he’d want a human mate, like his mother, and not another wolf. Not that he didn’t appreciate the female sex of his own kind. Far from it. But something about the thought of the soft, gentleness of a human woman could tame his wild heart.
But that was only if he wanted a mate, which he didn’t. His job didn’t lend itself well to being a family man.
Gerri reminded him that the majority of the time, mating happened without the wolf having any control over it. That mates, especially those in line to lead, happened when fate preordained it. His parents had told him the same thing. Chaz wanted to believe that you mated when you fell in love, not the other way around, and that was something he wasn’t going to ever do.
He glanced at Daphne, who sat with her feet tucked up under her in the big, first-class seat with her index finger in her mouth. Her skin glowed as if it had been kissed by the sun and then sprinkled with Fairy dust. She wasn’t overly tan, but she wasn’t pale either. The first thing he’d noticed about her when she’d walked into the airport had been her curves. Round where every woman should be. She wasn’t short, but she stood at least five inches shorter than his six-foot-one inch frame. She carried herself with confidence, even though he could tell she had some anxiety.
For the next hour, he barely paid any attention to the movie. His mind kept thinking about what she could have possibly said to Gerri that matched her with him on a sexual level. She seemed so sweet and innocent, but not naive. He figured she would be more attracted to a lover who was gentle and giving, not demanding and rough, like he tended to be.
He let out a long, slow breath.
This was a mistake.
By the time the plane had landed at the Albany airport, he’d kissed her three more times and held her hand as they made their way to the car rental. The entire time he kept telling himself to pull away, but for the love of all creatures, he couldn’t.
“I rented a mid-size car,” she said.
“Let’s upgrade.”
“I wish. I’ve spent way beyond my budget to ride first-class, and on the cabin.”
“This one is on me.” He pulled out his wallet. “I insist.” He didn’t splurge on much, but there was nothing like a good muscle convertible. The young man behind the counter found the keys to a dark grey, convertible Camaro. Perfect for a ride up to Lake George on a warm summer evening.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
“Famished.”
“Ever hear of a restaurant called George’s?”
“On New Scotland? Right by the hospital.” Her eyes brightened like a beam of light cutting through the darkness. “Best pizza west of the Hudson.”
He laughed, remembering the sign above the little hole in the wall with those exact words.
The last time he’d been in Albany was for his sister’s college graduation. Other than that, when he came back to this neck of the woods, it was always to his parent’s house in Vermont. If they knew he was this close, and he didn’t come to visit, they’d have his head on a platter.
Ironic that his meeting with Gerri took him back to the place his parents wanted him to return.
With a mate.