Asking For Trouble (6 page)

“Yes.” Orion pulled her to her feet. “I can’t believe you
did that. You know how important a client Dan is.”

“I couldn’t believe it either.” She giggled again. “Your
cock was just too tempting.”

He shook his head. “You are just undisciplined.”

“Definitely,” she said, deadpan.

Remembering how he had planned to punish her, Orion bent her
forward on the desk, not allowing her to protest. A flip of her gray skirt
revealed a thong that covered little of her flesh. Her pert cheeks were
inclined, beckoning, and he flexed his hand before bringing it down on her ass
with a resounding crack. She squirmed and cried out, but not with pain. “You
need to learn self-control.” He punctuated each word with his palm against her
butt. Each spank made her writhe and moan. It was hypnotic watching his hand
connecting firmly with her cheeks and he couldn’t cease until a rosy glow
appeared. At that point, he stopped spanking and started rubbing the flesh. “I
love your ass.”

“There’s so much to love.” She sounded amused.

He frowned, not liking her self-mockery. Natalie wasn’t
supermodel material and he liked that. He’d been with his share of perfect
women. They made beautiful pictures and silhouettes, but were often poor
lovers. For him, there was nothing like sinking into his lover’s soft body,
running his hands over her curves and knowing he held a real woman. Natalie was
the epitome of the kind of woman he loved to love, and he was determined to
make sure she knew that.

Bending his head, he kissed her cheeks, laughing when she
jumped in surprise. Natalie tensed when he blew a draft of air down her cleft.
The white thong provided no resistance when he breached the side of it to dip a
finger into her pussy, testing for wetness. She was slick and hot, clearly
ready for him, and enjoying his ass-play.

Orion kept his finger inside her as he licked her crevice,
eliciting a gasp from her. He reveled in feeling her squirm as he licked and
kissed her taboo areas. She moaned and arched against him when he swept his
tongue from her anus to her pussy, bypassing her opening, where his finger
plunged in and out of her, in favor of her clit. The nub was a siren calling to
him, and he swirled his tongue around her, lapping up her feminine moisture.
She was sweet on his tongue and he had to have more. With single-minded
determination, he focused on her clitoris, sucking and licking on the little bud
as she pumped her hips and tried to find release.

With one hand stroking her and his face buried between her
thighs, Orion found it difficult to reach the bottom drawer of his desk. He
fumbled sightlessly for the handle, forgetting to pull open the drawer for a
moment once he found it as her thighs clenched, drawing him deeper. Tremors
racked her body and he knew she was close to coming. That brought him back to
his task, and he opened the drawer, grasping the item he sought from where he’d
left it atop a pile of papers.

The sight of Natalie’s ass tilted in the air, with her skirt
pooled around her waist, pleased him immensely when he lifted his head. Her
sound of protest and look of annoyance amused him, but he held in the laugh.
She didn’t look like she would appreciate him laughing right then.

“What are you doing? I’m about to come.”

“Be patient. Close your eyes.” To his surprise, she obeyed
his instructions. Orion looked down at the toy he had smuggled from Natalie’s
nightstand, hoping it was one of her favorites. She twitched when he dipped the
smaller end of the toy into her pussy to wet it.

“What is that?” A hint of outrage colored her tone.

He slapped her butt just once. “Wait and see.” Orion twirled
the toy inside her pussy to tease her before withdrawing it completely. He
waited for her to protest, but she didn’t speak. With a satisfied grunt, he
filled her pussy slowly with the larger side of the vibrator, until he reached
the shorter piece. It nestled against her anus and the small bud yielded to the
toy with an ease that seemed born of experience. “So, do you like having your
pussy and ass filled, love?”

Natalie arched her hips, moaning a sound that could be
interpreted as affirmative. “What is that?”

“You should know.” He turned on the wireless remote at the
medium setting, making the toy vibrate inside her. “It’s yours.”

Natalie’s head snapped around and her eyes were wide when
she looked at him. “Mine? What do you mean?”

“I stole this little toy from your stash last night.” Orion
grinned. “I grabbed a couple of other things too, but there was no time to hide
them in my briefcase this morning before you brought me coffee in the bedroom.”

“Orion, I…” Her voice faded away when he increased the speed
of the vibrations. She twisted and jerked as the toy worked its magic. Orion
dropped the control on the desk and stretched over her to cup her breasts
through the cotton shirt. He squeezed the generous orbs and fingered her
nipples. Carefully, so as not to dislodge the vibrator, he positioned Natalie
so that her vibrating pussy cradled his cock. He couldn’t enter her without
removing the toy, so he contented himself by just rubbing the head against her
clit, nearly climaxing just from her slick heat enfolding the head of his cock.
When she convulsed with release, he gritted his teeth to keep from coming,
determined to take her as he had imagined doing so earlier.

As her orgasm faded, he brought a hand between them to
remove the toy. It fell on the floor, vibrating against the wheel of his chair
with a buzzing sound that wasn’t annoying enough to distract him from her
waiting pussy.

Orion sank to the hilt inside her sheath. Natalie cried out,
pushing back against him. He lifted her hips to plunge deeper still and she
clawed at the desk, clearly in need of something to hold on to as he thrust
into her. He couldn’t keep the pace slow and smooth as he’d hoped. His animal
side took over and he pushed inside her heat frantically, lost completely in
the sensations she evoked. Her cries and moans spurred him on, helping him hold
out against the passionate onslaught. He refused to allow himself to come
before Natalie did again.

“Orion, oh, I love you.” The spontaneous confession burst
from her lips as her pussy tightened around him and convulsions signaled her
climax. Orion surrendered to his own release, finding her declaration more
erotic than her pussy squeezed tightly around him like a vise.

Spent, he collapsed atop her for a moment, hugging her
before leaning back. Orion dropped into his chair, taking Natalie with him. She
cuddled into him, but wouldn’t meet his eyes. With gentle fingers, he tipped up
her chin, forcing her to look at him. “What’s wrong?”

“I didn’t mean it,” she said in a rush. “I’m sorry. Heat of
the moment…” Natalie trailed off, her eyes teary.

Her words hurt him more than he expected. Orion’s first
instinct was to push her off his lap, but he hesitated. She was trying so hard
to look detached but he could see the other emotions peeking
through—uncertainty and resignation. His nose detected her fear from the way
her scent changed. “Liar.”

Natalie’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry?”

“You’re a liar.” Orion brushed a tender kiss against her
cheek. “You meant every word.”

A tear trailed down her cheek. “I didn’t mean to fall for
you. I know this isn’t what you want. Please just forget I said anything,
okay?”

Orion shook his head. “I can’t do that. It would be so
awkward to see you every day, knowing how you feel without hearing you say it.”

Her mouth drooped and moisture from suppressed tears made
her brown eyes gleam. “Do you want me to resign?”

“Why would I do that? I love you, Natalie.” Orion’s heart
squeezed painfully in his chest at the way her expression brightened. Her love
for him was as obvious as if she had painted a sign on her forehead. He held
her close to him, savoring holding his mate in his arms.

A trace of fear marred the perfection of the moment. How was
he going to explain to Natalie what he was? Would she be able to accept he was
a werewolf? Not only that, but he was the Beta of the Sundown Pack and would
someday have to return to Evergreen Island permanently to support Jared, the
Alpha. He imagined her on the island as his mate, mother of his children, and
running a pet bakery in her spare time, but didn’t know if she would be willing
to try such an existence. Most importantly, could Natalie still love him once
she saw his animal side? A glint of humor made him smile as he hoped her love
of animals would carry over to him when he revealed the truth.

Orion didn’t know when he would tell her about his true
nature, but he knew it had to be soon. It wasn’t fair to either of them to keep
getting closer and plan a future if she wasn’t going to stay once she found out
he was a werewolf. Nor could he tell her too quickly and risk having her run
from him while she was still in danger. Until those killers were locked up, she
wasn’t leaving his side. Looking inside himself, he acknowledged he had no idea
how he would let her go if she wanted to when the danger passed. Wolves mated
for life, and he was wolf enough to feel that way. Natalie was the other half
of his heart. How could he carry on with only half a heart? Pulling her even
closer, he prayed he would never have to find out.

Chapter Five

Due to an afternoon spent indulging in lovemaking between
appointments, Natalie and Orion ended up working late in order to finish up the
day’s work. She knew they would have to behave themselves tomorrow, or they
would never get out the door. Another day like today and she might not
physically be able to walk out of the office anyway. Tender spots made
themselves known as she strode beside Orion out of the elevator, headed toward
his sports car. Places that hadn’t ached this way in years, if ever, and the
flush of satisfaction coloring her minimized the discomfort.

At his car, she walked around to the passenger side, not
giving him a chance to be chivalrous. After a hesitation, Orion went to the
driver’s side, clearly nonplussed that she hadn’t allowed him to open her door.
He pushed the button on his key fob, but she didn’t open her side when the lock
disengaged with a soft click. Movement from the corner of her eye made her turn
her head just in time to see three men emerge from the shadows. The one who had
grinned so coldly at her last night held a gun in his left hand, pointed right
at her. “Secure him,” he said to his two partners, jerking his head in Orion’s
direction. “I’ll take care of her.”

Natalie backed up as he neared, until the car bumper against
her legs kept her from going any farther. She couldn’t tear her gaze from the
gun until Orion grunted. She jerked in his direction, shocked to see one of the
two goons go flying through the air. The concrete connecting with his body made
her wince when the man landed, not uttering even a groan before succumbing to unconsciousness.
She took a step toward Orion as the other man circled him, a switchblade in
hand.

“Stop right there.” Automatically, she froze, but the gunman
was pointing his pistol at Orion.

“Why should I?” He sounded bored, though his watchful eyes
darted between Mr. Knife and Mr. Gun. “None of you are wearing masks, so you
don’t care if we see your faces. That means you’re going to kill us.” With
speed that made him almost a blur, Orion lunged at the man holding the knife,
knocking him down to the concrete and smashing his fist into the side of his
head with a sickening thud. Still crouched on all fours over the man, he looked
up at the one holding the gun. “Why should we let you do that?”

Natalie was stunned by how quickly Orion had dealt with the
two men. Apparently, the one holding the gun hadn’t expected it either. Seconds
before, he had seemed to be darkly thrilled with the forthcoming violence. Now
a sheen of sweat made his pale face glisten in the weak illumination from the
nearest light. The gun in his hand trembled noticeably for a moment before he
secured it with his right hand, gripping the pistol in a professional shooter’s
stance. “Don’t move. I damn well mean it.”

Orion leaned back to shove aside the body of the gunman’s
fallen comrade. “Shoot me if you’re going to. Why draw it out?”

“How about I shoot
her
?” Natalie flinched when he
trained the gun on her again. “I could splatter her guts all over your
eighty-thousand-dollar car. How’s that sound, man?”

As though it didn’t concern him at all, Orion got to his
feet, stretching to his full height. “You’re planning to anyway. It all comes
down to speed, doesn’t it? Can you shoot her before I get to you? Or are you
fast enough to shoot her and then me? That will be the only way you walk out of
here.”

“You’re crazy.” A bead of sweat coursed down the man’s face.
“Why’d you have to be there on that street, lady? You weren’t supposed to be
there. It was supposed to be an easy robbery. Fucking guy had to fight back and
then you saw me deal with it.” He thrust the gun at Natalie. “This is all your
fault, bitch.”

Orion’s strength and calm supported her, and she faced the
barrel of the pistol with what she hoped was cool disinterest, while praying
her lover had a plan. “If you’re going to do this, just get it over with. I
really don’t want to hear you talk us to death first.”

At that moment, Orion moved. Natalie and the gunman noticed
simultaneously. As he moved the pistol toward her lover, his finger already
depressing the trigger, she jumped at him. Her momentum knocked him off his
feet and she landed atop the gunman, clawing at his hand for the gun. He swung
blindly, connecting with her temple, and pain exploded in her head. Her vision
blurred before coming back into focus but she didn’t let go. Tenaciously, she
clung to the gun, determined to pry it from his hand as he tried to shove her
away.

When the wolf appeared, Natalie was certain it was a
hallucination brought on by the blow to the head. Though she hadn’t lost
consciousness, hadn’t even come close, the injury must be more severe than she
thought. Reflexively, she released the gunman’s hand and reeled backward,
bringing a hand to her head. The spot was tender, but seemed superficial.