Wolf's Kiss Ch. 03

Gesturing toward a far corner of the room, he said simply, "Ladies' Room."

Barely glancing at Jake, who was listening to his caller, she excused herself from the table and went to the restroom on shaky legs. Once there, she spotted Monica standing in front of a long vanity with a long wall mirror checking her reflection.

"You could have told me you were going to the restroom," Shayna said accusingly.

Monica stopped fussing with her hair and grinned at Shayna. "You and Jake seemed to be having a moment and I didn't want to be rude."

"Humph!" Shayna snorted, then checked her own reflection. She almost didn't recognize herself. Her face seemed softer, rounder than usual, her eyes were bright and glossy, and her lips were fuller.

As if reading her thoughts, Monica commented, "You do look a little different, even softer than usual. It suits you though." She gave Shayna a head-to-toe once over. "Must be all that fantastic sex you've been having," she chuckled.

Shayna blushed and turned away from her reflection. "Oh shut up, Monnie. Get your mind out of the gutter." Then a little imp on her shoulder made her say, "You and Sebastian seem to be getting quite chummy."

Monica didn't deny it. "Yeah it does look that way, doesn't it? He's sexy as hell and he's fun to talk to but I don't know. There's something strange about them. Something different that I can't seem to put my finger on."

Shayna leaned against the vanity. "You think so too? I thought it was just my overactive imagination. Do you think they could be dangerous?"

Monica considered that for a moment. "I don't think you or I have anything to fear. But by the way Jake is with you, he'd probably murder any man who came too close to you. What did you do to that man to get him so wrapped up so fast?"

"I have no idea," Shayna answered. "I honestly don't understand it myself. But I have to admit, I feel like I'm falling for him. And that's scaring the shit out of me!"

Monica gave Shayna a reassuring hug. "Just be careful, little cousin. I don't think you really have anything to fear. Just take your time getting to know him before you get in too deep," she advised.

After a last check in the mirror, the cousins headed back to their table. Jake and Sebastian stood at their approach and asked if they were ready to leave. As they headed to the car, Jake told them something came up that he and Sebastian had to handle but they'd drop them off anywhere they wanted to go.

"We'll be fine from here," Monica said. "There are some boutiques nearby that we can walk to. Thanks for lunch guys." She turned to Sebastian and held out her hand, "It was nice meeting you, Sebastian."

Shayna watched with amused interest as Sebastian pulled Monica in for a hug and whispered something in her ear that had her grinning like a schoolgirl. She felt Jake tug on her arm and she turned her attention to him. Pulling her close, he pressed his lips to hers in a leisurely kiss. In spite of her misgivings, her arms slid around his neck and he deepened the kiss, slowly exploring her mouth with his tongue. When she became aware of his hands caressing her ass, she eased away from his mouth and gave him a stern look. His innocent expression made her smile and shake her head.

Leaning down for a quick peck, Jake said, "I'll call you as soon as we've dealt with the problem. Have you made your decision yet?"

"Decision?" Shayna asked frowning. "Decision about what?"

"About staying with me tonight," he replied warily. "And I'll take you to the airport tomorrow," he added as further enticement.

Guessing that he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer yet not really wanting to commit, Shayna said, "I'll call you after dinner." Taking that as a 'yes', Jake grinned broadly, flashing his perfect teeth. After another quick kiss, he and Sebastian got into their SUV and drove off.

Monica hooked her arm through Shayna's and said brightly, "Okay, little cousin. My credit card is primed and ready. Let's go do some damage!"

********************

Jake and Sebastian drove away from the restaurant in silence. Jake was thinking of Shayna and how she was quickly turning his life upside down. He'd known her less than a day but he already knew there was no turning back. He wanted her with him always and he was determined to make it so. Sure there were a few major obstacles but he was confident they could be overcome. He would have to deal with his parents and the elders but he didn't think it would be difficult to persuade them. And once they met Shayna they would fall in love with her too.

But that brought him to the biggest obstacle he faced: Shayna herself. He could feel her trying to withdraw from him and he had to take action. He knew they were moving too fast for her liking and it would be easy to slow things down a little. She needed time to get used to being with him but he was inclined to keep the pressure on by using her body against her. It was incredible how she responded so wantonly to him and it filled him with pride that he was her first. And he was determined to be the only lover she ever had. That was it, he would take advantage of every opportunity to fuck her senseless. And tonight he would show her no mercy.

However, sex wasn't really the problem. That just solved his physical need to possess Shayna. It was also possible that what she'd witnessed was scaring her yet he was afraid that telling her the truth so soon would push her away for good. But he may not have a choice. She'd seen a hint of his nature more than once and had questioned him about it. If she asked him again he wouldn't lie to her so he just had to find a way to keep that particular topic off the table. It had taken a huge amount of self-control to keep from claiming her the previous night when he'd first tasted her virgin blood. And today, her passionate response as they made love, and not to mention how angry she made him had his emotions all over the place. He couldn't remember ever coming so close to losing control so much in such a short time span.

Sebastian let out a long-suffering sigh. "Okay," he said. "You've been brooding over Shayna long enough. Now tell me what's up? What's the deal with her?"

"I want her," Jake stated simply. "But I think I may have come on too strong. Now I'm not sure what to do about it." He thought about it for a moment. "I guess I have to slow it down a little, but not too much. And she's starting to ask questions."

"Like what?" Sebastian asked.

"I almost lost control a couple of times and she saw the change in my eyes," Jake answered. "She asked me how I did it."

Sebastian's brows rose. "So what did you say?"

"Nothing. Thankfully we were interrupted. But I'm sure she's not going to let it drop." Jake groaned. "I have to figure out a way to put her off until the time is right."

"So you're going to ask the Council to allow her to become one of us? Is that what you're planning?" Sebastian asked.

Jake understood his concern. It was rare that the Council allowed such a thing to happen. They were notoriously strict about turning humans. After he won his parents and the pack Elders over, he would plead his case to the Council. He would have to convince them that Shayna was meant to be his lifemate. Then he would have to convince her. In answer to his brother's question, he said, "Yeah. That's the plan."

Sebastian could see that his brother was serious. Jake wouldn't enter into something like this lightly and everyone who knew him would know this was for real. He just hoped Shayna appreciated all the trouble he was preparing to go through for her. Sebastian nodded at Jake. "Just let me know if I can be of any help, brother." Another thought occurred to him just then. "What are you going to do about Claire?"

Jake looked at him curiously. "Why do you ask?"

Sebastian shook his head. "Please don't tell me you can't see she has plans for you. She's been trying to reel you in forever."

Claire, his latest fling, was in fact beginning to show her true colors. From the start he'd made it clear that he wasn't looking for a mate. She readily agreed and seemed satisfied by whatever time he spent with her. That suddenly changed last night when the brunette demanded to know where he'd gone when he disappeared with Shayna. Some things he kept private and Claire didn't know about his suite behind the VIP lounge. His immediate and forceful response to her demands was for her to "mind her damned business." But Shayna's scent was all over him and that infuriated Claire. He dumped her in his limo and told the driver to take her home, but not before reminding her that theirs was a casual arrangement - an arrangement that was now over. Of course she didn't heed his warning and somehow followed him to Shayna's hotel that afternoon. He'd been so distracted by thoughts of Shayna that he didn't catch Claire's scent until he was almost at Shayna's door.

When he relayed the incident to his brother, Sebastian doubled over in laughter and bumped his head on the dashboard. Unfazed, he kept laughing until they pulled up at their destination a short while later. Reluctantly, he sobered as he recalled why they were visiting their parents' brownstone. Any other time he wouldn't dread seeing his father, but today's visit wasn't a social call. His call to Jake while they were at lunch brought disturbing news and now they had to figure out what to do next.