Her heartbeat sped like a rabbit in a snare. I trailed one hand down her neck to wrap the base of her throat, my thumb resting on her pulse-point.

“You could’ve made someone up. Some beauty from your imagination.”

I smiled, sliding my lips against hers. “Why bother? When I know a woman, now intimately, who I can’t get out of my head. Who haunts me all day, every night. Who makes me feel—” I pressed my forehead to hers. “Fuck, Evie, the things you make me feel.”

Her hands fisted in my T-shirt on my chest. “What do I make you feel?”

Gripping her waist, I lifted her onto the table and pushed my body between her legs. She opened wider, so I pulled her to the edge, wedging myself as close as I could, the skirt of her dress hiking high.

“You make me feel strong.” I grazed my nose up the side of her neck, inhaling her heavenly scent. “And hopeful.” I nipped my way up her jaw to her mouth, my heart about to pound right through my rib cage, knowing I was going to confess it. I kept hold of her eyes, refusing to be a coward, accepting whatever response I saw there. “And love, Evie.”

Her mouth fell open, her expression full of something sweet, then she blinked rapidly. “Mateo…”

“Don’t say anything.” I kissed her hard, prying her lips open and stroking inside with hot intent.

Her moaning response was all I needed right now. That she was with me where this was going. Skating my palms up her bare thighs under her dress, my thumbs brushed against her pelvis, finding skin, not lace. Then I remembered I’d snapped her panties. Or actually, Alpha had.

Fuckin’ right I did. She doesn’t need panties anymore. I’m just gonna rip them all off anyway.

I would’ve argued that Evie wasn’t only there for his pleasure, but at the moment, all I could think of was hers. She’d be too sore to take me right now after last night, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t give her pleasure. With a concerted effort, I pushed him out of my head and focused on Evie.

Her sweet tongue stroking against mine, the mewling sounds she made as I brushed the pad of my thumb down her slit, already slick and wet for me. Her fingers clawed into my hair, raking my scalp. I clamped one hand on her thigh to keep her in place and found her swollen clit with my thumb, spreading her wetness in a lapping circle.

“Mateo.” It was a breathy protest at the same time she was clawing me closer.

“Don’t worry.” Skating to her neck, I licked a line down to the hollow of her throat. “I just want to make you come.” A slide of my tongue. “Need to hear you come, baby.”

Her moans grew louder, my fingers got wetter, then her scent hit me like a sledgehammer.

“Christ,” I ground out.

With a hand right below her throat, I pushed her back to the table—thankful that I cleaned my station daily—and jerked the skirt of her dress up to her waist. Scooping her ass into both hands, I lifted her off the table, leaned over, and feasted on her wet slit.

The breakfast of champions.

Go away.

Just enjoying the ride now that we’re finally on the same page.

Out.

Sweetest fucking pussy in the whole fucking world.

Out!

With a mental push, I shoved him. Then it was just Evie and me. I circled her clit then flattened my tongue and licked through her folds. She squirmed, trying to get closer, trying to get away. But I was having none of it. I wanted her screams. I wanted my name on her lips. I wanted her shaking from an orgasm on my workshop table.

Something about her in this space where I worked, where I created and molded steel into something beautiful, made me fucking crazy to have her spread for me here. Panting for me. Some day in the near future, I was going to make love to her right here. Right now, I just needed to watch her come apart, hear her moans bouncing off the walls. Her pretty cheeks were flushed pink, her bright green gaze slanted down at me while I ate her thoroughly. I paused, lifting my head, to take her in.

“Whuh? No, Mateo. Don’t you dare stop.”

She wasn’t smiling. She was desperate. I reached up and slid two of my fingers into her mouth, pumping twice to get them good and wet. She clamped her lips down and moaned, tonguing my fingers.

“There you go,” I murmured, my pulse pounding hard at the sight of her like this.

I went back to work, licking from her clit down to her entrance, thrusting twice with my tongue before I switched and pressed two fingers inside her.

“Yes, Mateo. Please.” Her hips lifted off the table, pumping up against me. “Harder.”

I groaned and stroked harder like she wanted, my knuckles hitting the sensitive flesh with each thrust. Then I clamped my lips over her tight nub and slightly curled my fingers up, finding that perfect spot.

“Mateo!”

That was a big one.

No way could I keep him out. Damn, he was right. She came hard that time. I licked and kissed her pussy, avoiding her sensitive clit, till she drifted down from the climax.

“Mmm.” I couldn’t help but let my appreciation slide out as I stared down at her, all pink and pretty from my attentions. “Shit.” I shook my head and hissed in a breath, then dragged her skirt down to hide it from my sight.

Taking her hands, I hauled her up where she fell limp against my chest.

“Okay,” she said, out of breath. “I’m going back to bed.”

I laughed, pressing a kiss to her beautiful mouth. “You could hang with me today.”

She looked so sad. “Dammit, I wish I could. But I really want to meet with Jules about that book.”

“The book from Ruben? You got it?”

She hit herself on the head. “I totally forgot to tell you.”

I’m sure my grin looked like the devil. “I’m glad you were so preoccupied that you forgot. Means I’m doing something right.”

She clasped her hands behind my neck and said with such sincerity my heart thudded hard, “You’re doing everything right.”

You’re welcome! Again. Give me some credit over here.

“Good to know.” I helped her down. “So you and Jules are working on it today?”

“Yeah. I need to focus on the counter-spell for you. The next full moon is just a few days away.” She quirked her brow. “It’s funny that you don’t seem agitated anymore. I mean with the need to shift like you did before.”

I cleared my throat. “Yeah. It is, I guess.”

“What do you mean you guess?”

Yeah, I might’ve just admitted that I loved her in a roundabout way, but I wasn’t going to tell her that Alpha was dead set on her as our one and only. She was the only reason he wasn’t still trying to claw out of my skin and make me feel like a paranoid schizophrenic on a daily basis. She was literally keeping the beast at bay.

“So…” Time to change the subject. “I guess that’s a good enough reason not to spend the day with me. Since you’ll be thinking of me anyway. Right?”

She shook her head. “I’m always thinking about you.”

“You are?” Her admission shot a jolt of adrenaline through my veins.

“You know I am.”

“Well, now I do.”

“I’ll be over tonight to pay you back for this.” She glanced back at my worktable while doing a whole body shiver. My hard dick pushing at my zipper twitched a happy response.

I grinned, molding my hands over her perfect ass. “Pack a bag tonight.”

“You want me to sleep over?”

I want you to never leave.

“Yeah. Dinner and a movie.”

“More meat pie?”

“Nah. I can cook other things.”

She pressed her body delectably against mine. “But I like your meat pie.”

Yeah, you do.

“God, Evie. Stop it.” I bit her bottom lip. “I only have so much control.”

She laughed and pushed out of my arms, heading for the door that led across the courtyard and through the gallery. “Is seven good?”

“Perfect. You want me to drop you off at home?”

“No, I’m good. It’s a short walk.”

“In that?” High heels and my hoodie that not-quite-covered the hem of her cocktail dress.

“Doesn’t bother me.”

Crossing my arms, I stared at her disheveled outfit. “I was afraid you wouldn’t want to do the walk of shame all the way down Magazine Street.”

She tossed her head back with bubbly laughter. Again, that sound squeezed my heart tight. I could get used to that sound.

She opened the door to the courtyard and pulled up the neck of my hoodie, inhaling deep, taking in the smell of me with a little moan, giving me those eyes that made my dick swell even more.

“This isn’t a walk of shame, Mateo. It’s a walk of pride.”

“That’s it.” I jogged over and took her hand, lacing our fingers together, then walked ahead of her.

“Where are we going?” she asked, smiling so bright my heart stuttered.

“I’m walking you home, and we’re stopping for espresso at French Truck Coffee.”

“We had coffee upstairs, Mateo.” We passed through the courtyard and into the gallery. “Are you just finding excuses to be with me longer?”

“Of course, I am,” I admitted, tugging her closer to my side, catching sight of Missy opening up the register. “Hi, Missy.”

“Hi, Missy,” said Evie with a friendly wave, her face glowing with joy.

Damn, I loved her.

Missy blinked, a little confused, then gave a half-hearted wave. “Hi?”

Then we were out the door as Evie waved over my shoulder with her free hand, “Bye, Missy.”

The walk was short and quiet since we did nothing but smile and gaze at each other. She had it as bad as me, but I was perfectly content to wait for her to say the words. It was shining in her eyes as clear as the blue sky above us.

Not surprisingly, no one glanced twice at Evie’s strange attire when we entered the coffee shop. Actually, there were one or two others tucked into booths who might be having similar morning-afters. Though I highly doubt theirs was as fantastic as our night together.