Moonlit Embrace (3 page)

It put him in a weird situation. It wasn’t his place to set some woman straight for a woman he’d just met. He had an overwhelming urge to protect Johanna and yet, an intense desire to see her stand up for herself. She could take out any one of them. Where was her wolf?

Belinda flipped her hair and cackled out a thin laugh. “You’re so sensitive. But, um, for the sake of conversation, can you better explain how it was that you two—”

“Excuse us.” He rose without waiting for a response, pulled out Johanna’s chair and led her to the bar area. “If I stay, it’ll be bad. I’m sorry if what I said puts you in a weird position, but that woman is a piece of work.”

“I know and thank you.”

He caught the waiter and grabbed their drinks from his tray. “These two are separate. I’ll be sick if I owe that woman anything.” He took a long swig before addressing Johanna again. “I’m happy to hear you don’t hate me.”

Johanna took three massive gulps of her own. “Well, you’re not Belinda.”

“That’s not setting the bar too high. Why do you let her talk to you like that?”

“She signs the checks.” Another gulp.

“I’m pretty sure a corporate office in NYC signs them. You want to slow down there?”

Another long swig. “Nope and same difference.” She winked at him, took
his
glass from
his
hands and started drinking it.

“I’m so pissed that I can’t even bring up how hot you are working that straw. And you just stole my drink. Add that to the list of reasons I hate your boss. How can you shrug her off?”

“My mother’s like that. And my sister. Well, one of them. The other was smart enough to leave as soon as she could. After a while, you get used to people telling you what to do.”

“A lack of self-worth ain’t attractive.”

Johanna’s chin dropped to her chest. The pretty thing’s whole face fell. She picked the skin around her nails and looked as if she wanted to jump into her glass. Great. He was acting no better than the rest of them. That look on her face had to go. Why couldn’t she understand how much power she had? There wasn’t a single thing on Earth more powerful than a she-wolf. He just had to help her figure that out. “You need to learn how to take control.”

“It’s fine. Really, it is.”

“Tell you what. You get to tell me what to do. Your way, your rules.”

She blinked, shook her head and blinked again. “What does that mean?”

“Calm down. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I’m not trying to get chained and have my balls squashed. I’m just saying that I know I came on heavy and from here on out, you lead the way.”

“You still want to do this? Even after all this craziness?”

“That I started? Do you remember why I started it? Because you smell like something that deserves to be licked from head to toe.”

“So do it. Right now. Right here.”

It’d been a long time since a woman had him choking on his words. He could already picture it. Still, now wasn’t the best time. “There’s no way that you’re already drunk.”

“I know that.”

“But you’re not exactly sober either. You’re just buzzed enough to go sit at that table and let Belinda know you’re not afraid of her.”

“Lick. Me.”

“Baby, I hear what you’re staying, but I think I need you one hundred percent sober when I do.”

She sat straight up, ordered a tequila shot and downed it in the span of thirty seconds. “You’re a liar. You told me you’d do whatever I asked.”

“Annnnnd you’re done.” Baron tabbed out and eased the last drink out of her hands. She didn’t exactly fight him, but he had to pry her fingers off the glass one by one. “We should go.”

“I’m going to give her a piece of my mind.”

“Johanna, I’m not sure it’ll be as effective with you slurring your words and stuff.”

“But you said—”

“My bad. That was a tequila ago and I think your fourth rum is finally catching up with you.”

“No ssss’not.”

He ignored her zombie shuffle and eased them over to the table where the praying mantis held court. All conversation stopped at their arrival. Only Belinda dared look him in the eye.

“We weren’t sure if you were coming back. We figured you needed some alone time and ordered without you. Tony, go get the waiter.”

“Don’t bother. We’re leaving.” Baron hoped everything about his expression told Belinda she could fuck off. Lines clearly drawn in the sand, he escorted a giggling Johanna out the door.

“I don’t want to go home. And...and...you promised to do what I want. I want to go out. Take me to the club down the street. I want to dance. I never dance. Ten minutes. That’s it. What’s the harm in ten minutes?”

No harm for her, seeing as how he carried her drunk tail all the way over. He needed to take her home, but she laughed with such abandon that he couldn’t stand the loss of ending it.

Maybe it was good they got this out of the way now, because he learned something very important over the next half hour.

She should never, ever, ever, dance again. Horrible. The worst. Her jerky movements were so god-awful that the only decent thing to do was swipe her phone and record the whole catastrophe from start to finish. Yet, even as the little light blinked red, she kickstepped and running-manned her way into his heart. When she turned around to do something that
might
be mistaken for twerking if he squinted hard enough, he deleted the recording. She looked too happy for him to embarrass her with this later on.

Johanna sashayed her way off the dance floor with a lopsided grin and melted into the chair beside him. “This is fun. Where are we going next time?”

Certainly not dancing.
“I’m just glad there is a next time. I hope you remember tomorrow.”

“I’m actually not drunk. Well, not anymore. Ish.”

“Ish?”

“The dancing helped. And the gallons of water you’ve been forcing my way. Work is going to suck tomorrow.” She slid further and further into the chair until just her head was visible above the table.

“Ditto. I start renovations.”

She popped straight up, mouth hanging open. Lobster red was only way to describe her face. “Of course you do! This whole night has been about me. I’m so freaking rude. I do want to hear about it. You must think I’m the worst person ever.”

“No. I’ve met her. Her name’s Belinda.”

Johanna snorted into her glass of water and traced the rim. “No you haven’t. Her name’s Kate. Hey, pick me up for lunch at two and tell me about your renovations. Those are my orders.”

“Done.”

“Promise?”

“I’ll always come when you call.”

––––––––

S
he woke up the same way she’d fallen asleep, thinking about Baron Wyatt. He’d been the perfect gentleman, driving her home and leaving her with a chaste peck on the cheek. Something about him...

And his scent...

And the hardness of what pressed against her belly when he gave her that kiss, told her chaste pecks weren’t to be considered routine. She swore to herself that the drinking wouldn’t be either. She knew she’d be safe with him, physically at least, but the only way to protect her heart was to stay perfectly sober. Too many times last night she’d almost believed their charade had been real.

She’d play it smarter today.

It took five cups of coffee and eight hundred dog years to find something to wear. It needed to be business appropriate, but hot for her lunch date. Even more important was what she’d wear underneath. Pickings were slim: Granny Panties, Period Panties, Holey Panties and Panties with Questionable Teddy Bears.

Going commando wasn’t an option. Just thinking about the man did things to her.

Wet things...and she wasn’t alone in this. It’d been impossible to miss the desire cascading off Tony, Belinda and the other girls for Baron.

“Baron.” She said his name aloud, tingling at the way it rolled off her tongue. Felt natural. The man was a rare creature – a wolf, without an attitude. One willing to cede power.

For the first time in ages, she didn’t begin her workday with a sense of dread. Even having to take a cab to the office didn’t bother her. What would her coworkers think about that?

Did it matter?

Nope.

Well...

No!

What mattered was that she’d met a man willing to make her smile. When she looked at him, excuses sorta fell away. All muscle, dark hair and midnight eyes, he looked like the kind of guy who worked his way through women. Maybe he was.

But for now, he brought a little much needed excitement to her life. She didn’t trust him to stay interested, no man ever did, but that knowledge somehow freed her. Why not enjoy him? There was no good reason to reject what he offered. She just had to keep a little emotional distance.

Walking into work went mostly how she expected it would. Hushed whispers and sidelong glances greeted her before she put her bag down. What she hadn’t anticipated were the ‘embarrassed
for
you’ looks.

Tony eagerly filled her in as to the cause. He tugged at the hem of his pinstriped jacket and straightened his neon pink tie. The man’s pale face reddened all the way up to his bleached blond roots.

“Belinda’s telling people you paid him to say those things. I defended you, of course, but it is going around. I thought you should know what you’re walking into.”

His eyes widened in hopeful expectation of her response. She didn’t give him one.
Flipping traitor
. She’d prepared herself for every question or comment but this one and made a mental note never to underestimate the bitchy pettiness of Belinda again.

“You do realize she’s lying, right?”

“She says the same thing about you, girl.”

“Try not to enjoy this so much.”

“I’m not. Hey, I stood up for you.”

Maybe he had. Tony came loaded for drama, but deep down she knew he cared. Still, the image of being talked about and laughed at behind her back turned her stomach to knots. Made her defensive. So long, confidence.

The first customers of the day provided welcome distraction and she threw herself into her work. Still, the eyes of her coworkers burned holes in her skull. If they’d watched her this hard in the past, she’d have had that promotion already.

It would probably never happen now.

Baron was right. She needed to put as much distance between herself and this place as possible. Kate had said as much for ages, but from Baron, it meant a little more. He hadn’t spent every year of his life telling her what to do. He’d simply spoken about how he saw things.

This whole mess was his fault and yet she couldn’t quite blame him for any of it. His weird interruption in her life rushed along a realization she was bound to come to at some point. While Miles wasn’t the size of New York City or Albany, the town wasn’t tiny. She had financial skills. There were tons of banks or other county offices she could slip an application in, and would, as soon as she got the chance.

Her eyes drifted to the clock on her computer between customers. Every timestamp brought her closer to Baron.

She scented him around one thirty. He reeked of sweat, but sported a bright grin from ear to ear. He didn’t bother coming in - he just sorta waved to her from the door, paint smeared hands and all. She wasted no time in closing her till and clocking out.

“I wasn’t sure you’d come.”

“Ditto, but I’m glad you did. I could use a bit of un-stressing,” he said and locked his arm around her waist.

It was too familiar a move for someone she just met, but something deep inside her inner wolf told her this felt all right for now. She even dropped her head on his shoulder, content to let this fantasy play out. “Tough day? You smell.”

“Like a man? And yes. I spent the first half of the morning getting a new loan package. That took forever. Then I had to rush it over to the scumbag realtor – never trust a Connecticut elf – but at least the thing is closed and I’ve got the keys. Been cleaning for the last two hours. I don’t care, at least it’s mine, ya know? My business, my rules. I don’t know how you do it. It’s crazy to work at a place you hate.”

She stopped in her tracks. The truth did that sometimes...just slapped you upside the head.

Baron jerked to a stop right along with her. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Doesn’t matter how you meant it. You said it and you’re right. I was considering my exit strategy this morning. Don’t take this in a weird way, but maybe I needed your brand of crazy to shake things up.”

“Really? Then we both have something to celebrate. Let’s go.”

“Where to?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“A surprise?

“Eh, okay, I’m making it up as I go.”

“But what about lunch?”

“Oh c’mon. We’ll grab something.” His warm hand locked onto hers and he ran, looking back with a fool’s grin. She was sure she matched it and followed him to his black Jeep a few streets away. They drove to the park on the edge of town, one backed up against acres of forest. The day was too beautiful for it to have not been packed with families, many of them eating on blankets and chairs. “A picnic?”

“I was thinking a run.”

“Are you insane? It’s the middle of the day! I have work.” But she may as well talk to the trees. He shook his head harder than the wind moved the branches above them.

“I’ve already checked out these woods. We go in deep.” He slid his palms across each other. “And then we take off. Unless you know a better place for this?”

“Not this close to town. Anyway, I don’t really have time for that these days.”

“For what?”

“Runs.”

Baron’s nostrils flared. His cleft jaw clenched. In full few view of at least two dozen men, women and children, he pulled her close and sniffed. “That’s what we do. How long since you’ve been in your fur?”

Of the crazy things that had happened to her over the past forty-eight hours, this was sure to be the most humiliating. So she punted.“ A while.”

He didn’t let her get away with it. “Try again. Days? Weeks? Aw, come on! Months? Holy hell.”

“It’s not my fault.”

“Pretty sure it is.”

“I used to shift all the time, but you know, people grow up.”