Page 10

Ten

Emily

Wolf pays our bill and we both ignore the highly amused stares of Lilah, Kincaid, Sadie, and Shane. I’m sure they saw everything, but I’m too achy and fizzy from my first kiss to care about anything but Wolf and this pulsing connection between us.

Once our tab is paid, we rush out into the cold and get into the waiting car, where Wolf practically barks his address at the driver and then orders him to put the partition up. That earns us yet another amused smirk.

The car is still sitting curbside when Wolf kisses me again, pulling me tight against him. His mouth is hot and hungry, his lips firm but soft. His beard prickles my skin, contrasting beautifully with the soft warmth of his mouth. I gasp into the kiss, and his tongue sweeps into my mouth, stroking against mine in a way that has me rubbing my thighs together. I can taste the whiskey on his tongue, and I suck at it tentatively. The groan he lets out makes me feel like I’m glowing from the inside out. I want to know what I else I can do to make him groan like that.

His huge hands cradle my face, his fingers brushing with a surprising gentleness over my jaw, and I shiver at the rough texture of his skin against mine. By the time he pulls away, the bar is long behind us and our ragged breaths fill the space between us. “Emily.” He says my name like a prayer, like a wish, like a hope, and I lean into him.

“Was that…okay? I don’t really know what I’m doing here,” I say, blood rushing to my already overheated face.

He pulls back slightly, frowning. “What do you mean?”

I shrug, suddenly feeling self-conscious. “At the bar…that was my first kiss.”

His eyes go molten and then he presses his forehead to mine. “That was your first kiss?”

“Mmmhmm. And I’m glad it was with you and not anyone else.”

Wolf’s eyes look like storm clouds, gray and glittering with dark promises. “Which means you’re a virgin.”

I bite my lip and nod. “I’ve never done anything. Never dated. Never had a boyfriend. You’re the only man I’ve ever wanted like this. I’ve had little crushes in the past, but this…is more.”

A low groan rumbles in his chest and then he’s kissing me again, this time with a tenderness that makes an ache bloom right in the middle of my chest. He kisses me like I’m a precious thing, something to be protected and cherished. My nipples bead and my clit throbs as his tongue slowly slides against mine, the kiss deep and hot.

“Wanted you from the moment I saw you,” he says, burying his face in my neck and kissing a path from my ear to my collarbone. His voice is rough with emotion as he licks and sucks at my sensitive skin. “Tried to ignore it, push it away, but it was impossible. I can’t. I need you, little one. Need you like I need air.”

My heart pounds crazily in my chest, matching the pulse in my clit. My panties are soaked from our kisses, from his touches. God, if I’m this much of a mess from kissing, doing anything more will probably destroy me.

“I feel the same way,” I admit, my voice a breathy whisper as he sucks on the skin just below my ear. “I want you. I’ve wanted you since the day we met. I didn’t think…”

At that, he pulls back, cradling my face again. “Didn’t think what, Em?”

I suck in a shuddery breath. “That a man like you—older, experienced, successful—would be interested in a nothing girl like me, with no experience, no real life outside of ballet, no—“

He cuts me off with a scorching hot kiss, licking into my mouth and shutting my brain off. All I can do is feel as Wolf kisses the absolute daylights out of me, working me into a writhing little mess with his mouth.

“Don’t ever call yourself a nothing girl again,” he growls against my lips, and my spine arches with an intense shiver. “You’re not nothing. You’re the opposite. You’re my everything, Emily. I don’t care about the age difference. And if you think I’m mad or disappointed that you’re a virgin…” He scoffs quietly, shaking his head. “I’m glad that I’ll be the only man on the entire planet who knows just how fucking good you feel. What you look like when you come. The sounds you make when you’re getting fucked good and hard. That’s all mine. Only mine.” His words make me melt as my clit throbs, and he drags his lips over mine. “I’m more than interested in you, Emily. A hell of a lot more.”

It’s my turn to pull back, to search his face as my heart races. Is he saying what I think he is? “What do you mean?”

He slides his hands into my hair, brushing his nose against my cheek. He inhales deeply, as though he’s smelling me. “I mean, I’ve been halfway in love with you since the day you showed up at my apartment. I mean, I’ve been gone for you since I heard you moan my name. I mean, I was ready to kill that guy just for touching what’s mine .”

My heart stutters to a stop and then restarts at double time. “Me?” I squeak out, not able to wrap my mind around what Wolf just said. He’s halfway in love with me ?

He grins at me, slow and sexy. “Yes, you. Emily David. There’s no one else for me. It’s you, little one. It’s only you.”

I suck in a shuddery breath. How is this my life right now? It feels surreal to hear these words coming from Wolf. Surreal and perfect. Right.

His thumb feathers over my cheek, my skin hot, my body aching. I’ve never felt this way before. Never been so aware of my breasts, my nipples, my clit, my empty pussy. “I’ve got you, Em. We’ll go as slow as you need. I’m not going anywhere.” He kisses my neck again. “I just want to make you feel good. Take care of you.”

I tilt my head to the side, my eyes fluttering closed. But thoughts start to push through, no matter how good Wolf’s making me feel with his mouth on my skin.

“What about Mike? I know he told you to stay away from me. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I heard that phone call.” I sigh and then moan softly as Wolf scrapes his teeth over my earlobe. “What about the fact that I don’t live here?” I ask, my voice high and breathy.

Wolf growls softly against my skin. “We’ll figure everything out, Emily. All of it. If you’ll have me, there’s nothing I won’t do for us to be together. No problem I won’t face, no issue I won’t solve. I need you . Everything else is extra.”

“Wolf,” I sigh, tears of sheer happiness pricking at my eyes. “Yes. Yes to everything. Yes to you. To us. To being yours and facing whatever comes our way.” I laugh as he licks my neck. “This is crazy.”

“I know. You make me crazy.”

His words wrap around me like the softest blanket, chasing away any doubts or fears I was holding onto. I lean into his touch, desperate for more. His fingertips trail down my neck, brushing against my collarbone and I let out a small whimper. I feel like every nerve ending in my body is alive, sparkling, glittering at Wolf’s touch. I feel like a mirrorball.

Wolf’s gaze drops to my mouth and he leans in, capturing my lips again. I melt into him as he devours me, my body pressing against his. He’s so much bigger than me. So strong and gruff, and it’s heady to be the center of his attention. His hands roam over my body, curling into my ribs, tracing the dip of my waist, the slight flare of my hips. I moan into his mouth and he nips at my lips.

“Tell me how you’re feeling right now, little one,” he says, threading his hands into my hair.

“Overwhelmed, but in a good way. Very turned on. Very happy. A little nervous about…about sex.”

He studies my face, his eyes peering into mine so intently it’s as though he can read my thoughts. “You don’t need to be nervous with me, Em. We’ll go as slow as you want. If you want to spend the night kissing, then that’s what we’ll do.”

My chest is rising and falling rapidly. “I want to do more than kiss.” But I don’t know what I want or what I need. This is all so new to me. “But I don’t…”

Wolf starts kissing my neck again, and I’m already addicted to the rasp of his beard on my skin. “Can I touch your breasts? Suck on your nipples?”

I moan and nod. “Yes. Yes.”

“So responsive. Such a sweet, good girl.”

His words set off an explosion inside me, and I gasp at the way my body responds to being called his sweet good girl.

“What about more?” He traces the tip of his tongue over the outer shell of my ear, making me writhe against him. “Can I touch your pussy? Can I stroke your clit and make you come?”

He drops one hand from my hair and slides it between my thighs, resting just inches from where I’m wet and aching for him.

“Yes,” I breathe. “I want to touch you, too. Teach me how to make you feel good.”

Wolf groans and guides one of my hands to the massive bulge tenting his pants. “I’m losing my fucking mind just thinking about your fingers wrapped around me.”

The car stops, pulling up in front of Wolf’s building, and we scramble out of the back seat, the chilly night air doing nothing to cool my overheated body.

We rush into the lobby, my hand in Wolf’s, and make a beeline for the elevator, the tension between us taut like a bowstring. Like my muscles when I dance on pointe. The elevator doors slide open smoothly, revealing an empty car.

The moment the doors close, Wolf cages me in against the wall, towering over me. But I don’t feel intimidated. I feel safe. Protected. I tilt my head up, my breath hitching at the hunger in his steely eyes. His huge hand cups my cheek, making my skin tingle.

“You’re so fucking beautiful, Emily,” he murmurs, dragging his thumb over my lower lip. I dart my tongue out, brushing against the tip of his thumb. He groans and then he’s kissing me again.

His mouth is hot and demanding, his tongue sliding against mine in a way that makes my legs shake and my stomach dip and swirl. I clutch at his shirt, pulling him closer. He groans again, his hands sliding down to cup my ass, lifting me off the ground. My legs slide around his waist as though we’ve done this a hundred times, and I moan when I feel the press of his hard cock against me.

I hear the elevator doors slide open, but Wolf doesn’t stop kissing me. He walks us out, his mouth still devouring mine. I feel like I’m floating, vaguely aware of the sound of keys, of his door opening, of him kicking the door shut behind us. I hear his keys thunk to the floor and then we’re moving again, his steps fast and sure as he carries me towards his bedroom.