Page 9

Nine

Wolf

“We’ll continue our conversation later, little one,” I bend down and whisper in Emily’s ear. She shivers and then looks up at me with what can only be described as melty heart eyes at the endearment.

Good.

We enter the bar, where conversation buzzes around us and jazz music floats on the air. A few heads swivel in our direction, but no one bothers us as we’re shown to a table for six tucked into a cozy back corner. Large windows look out onto the city, the CN Tower lit up in shades of red and white, glowing against the night sky. I hold Emily’s chair out of her, watching as she gracefully sinks down, and then take the empty seat next to her. Our table is round, and I’ve got Kincaid on my right, while Sadie takes the seat next to Emily.

Under the table, I lay a hand on Emily’s thigh, drawing small circles with my fingers. Everyone here already thinks she’s my girlfriend, so I might as well act like the obsessed boyfriend I’m sure I’ll be. I’m not trying to keep my hands to myself, but I don’t think she wants me to, either. Not with the way she’s pressing her thigh into my hand, her cheeks pink.

The server comes by to take our drink orders, and immediately asks for ID from all three girls. She squints a little harder at Emily’s Manitoba driver’s licence, but then nods perfunctorily, handing it back.

The sight of the out-of-province licence hits me like a punch in the gut, a reminder that she doesn’t live here. It deflates me slightly, but I also know that I’m not going to let something as petty as kilometers keep me from her.

We order our drinks and settle in, the conversation flowing easily. We chat about the game, and I love watching Emily chime in, talking about how much fun she had watching from the box.

“You had quite the game tonight, Wolf,” says Sadie, eyeing me knowingly from across the table. “Feeling inspired?”

I glance over at Emily, watching as she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and then takes a sip of her wine.

“You could say that.”

Shane laughs. “We may need to get Emily tickets to every home game if that’s the way you play when she’s watching.”

“I wish I could come to every game,” she says wistfully, toying with the stem of her wine glass. I feel her leg shift beneath my hand, her sleek muscles tensing. “But I’ve got to go back to Winnipeg next month.”

Kincaid looks at me, a slight frown on his face. “Oh? What’s going to happen…” His eyebrows raise, and I shrug.

“Haven’t figured that part out yet. But we will.” I make sure I’m looking at Emily when I say that. Because I mean it. We’ll figure something out. I’ll do anything to keep her in my life.

God. I haven’t even kissed this girl and I already know I’m going to marry her. I know it in my bones. I know it like I know the sky is blue, like I know my own name.

Emily holds my gaze as she takes a sip of her drink, pulling my attention to her mouth. Immediately, I’m imagining her pretty lips wrapped around my cock.

Shit. Now I’m hard again. I shift in my seat, trying to ease some of the pressure as my cock presses hard against the seam of my fly. I take my hand from Emily’s thigh, adjust myself, and then drape it over the back of her chair, letting my fingers play in the ends of her silky hair. She leans in a bit closer, and when she looks up at me, her pupils are blown, eyes bright with desire.

I want to drag her somewhere private where we can finish our conversation. Where I can tell her that I liked hearing her moan my name because I’ve wanted her from the moment I laid eyes on her. Where I tell her that I don’t give a fuck about our age difference or Mike or the fact that we live in different provinces.

That I’m halfway in love with her.

“What do you think of Toronto so far, Emily?” asks Lilah, dragging Emily’s attention away from me. I both hate it and love it. I want her all to myself, but I also want her to make friends. And I’m curious to hear the answer to her question. Toronto’s come to feel like home to me, and I want to know what she thinks, too.

Emily grins, once again tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I love it. It’s so vibrant and full of life, and so pretty with Lake Ontario right there. I’m looking forward to exploring while I’m here.”

“I’ll show you around,” I say, twisting a fiery lock around my finger and tugging gently. “Make sure you hit all the highlights.”

She smiles and blushes slightly, and the conversation moves on to other topics, but I’m not listening. I’m watching Emily, my mind filled with filthy thoughts. Thoughts about watching my cum drip down her creamy thighs, about green eyes watering as I fuck her mouth, about how perfect she sounds when she moans my name.

I take a long sip of my beer, trying to cool down, but it’s no use. I feel like my body’s on fire. I’m so hard that I’m aching. Dripping. I’m a mess over this tiny slip of a girl.

Lilah and Sadie have taken over the conversation, so I lean in, my lips brushing against Emily’s ear. “You look fucking gorgeous tonight, Em,” I murmur, my voice low and rough. She shivers slightly, her breath hitching.

“Thank you. I sort of wished I’d gotten myself a Hartley jersey to wear before the game.”

“You want to wear my jersey?” I ask, warmth blooming inside me.

“Of course I do,” she says, her eyes bright, her cheeks pink. She catches her bottom lip between her teeth. “I want everyone to know who I’m cheering for.”

I grin, my heart pounding crazily against my ribs. “That’s perfect, because I want everyone to know whose girl you are.”

She opens her mouth to say something, but closes it as the conversation re-directs to us.

“So, Emily,” says Shane, once again stealing her attention from me. Fucker. “How is your dance internship going?”

“Well, I think,” she says, inclining her head and taking another sip of her wine. “It’s intense and demanding, but I’m learning a lot. There’s a performance at the end that we’ll have to rehearse for, and a select few might be asked to try out if that goes well.”

My ears—and my heart—perk up at that. “Try out? As in become a member of the ballet company here, in Toronto?”

She bites her lip again and nods. “Yeah. It’s extremely competitive, so I don’t want to get my hopes up.”

She may not want to get hers up, but I’ll gladly hoist mine to the skies. There’s a chance she could stay in my city to pursue her dreams? Hell, yes.

“You’re stunningly talented, Em. I believe in you,” I say quietly, coasting my thumb over her shoulder. “Anything I can do to support you, I’ll do. Anything in the world.”

“Aw, you guys are so cute together!” says Lilah, grinning at us. “I had my doubts about Wolf with a girlfriend, but she’s got you wrapped around her finger.”

We all laugh while Emily blushes ruby red, and I shrug. “That she does.”

We chat some more while we finish our drinks and nibble on appetizers. A couple of fans stop by the table to ask for pictures, which we oblige. Once our drinks are gone, the girls excuse themselves to use the ladies’ room. A few moments later, Lilah and Sadie return.

“Where’s Emily?” I ask immediately, muscles tensing.

Sadie points over my shoulder. “She’s just getting a water from the bar. Said she was feeling a little warm.” My head swivels over my shoulder, my heart thumping erratically until I can get eyes on my girl. My pulse settles when I see her standing at the bar with her sexy-as-fuck impeccable posture, thanking the bartender for the glass of water she’s just handed her.

I see it the moment it happens—a man steps up to the bar right next to Emily. He’s close. Too close. He’s got a mullet and a mustache, sporting the greaseball look that seems to be in with the university crowd. She shifts at his presence, and I watch as she goes tense, the smile vanishing from her face. I’m already out of my seat, my heart a war drum in my chest.

I’m almost there when the asshole says something to her, she shakes her head, and then he reaches for her hip. She steps away, but he crowds her, this time aiming for her waist.

Over my dead fucking body is going to touch my girl.

I grab the back of his shirt and yank him away from the bar, then give him a shove in the opposite direction. He stumbles back, a mixture of surprise and rage on his face. He makes the mistake of taking a step towards me, and I meet him halfway so that we’re toe to toe. I could break this little fucker in half. I’m not going to, because I want to spend the night with Emily, not in a jail cell. But I could.

“Get. Your. Fucking. Hands. Off. My. Girl,” I growl, my voice low and menacing. I don’t give a fuck about making a scene. All I care about is getting this smarmy prick away from her.

He blanches, swallows thickly, and then mutters something under his breath as he backs away. I think he called me an asshole caveman. I don’t care.

Everyone’s still watching us as I turn to Emily, her eyes wide, her lips parted. She’s clutching her glass of water so tightly that her knuckles are white. I take it from her and set it down gently on the bar.

“You okay?” I ask, searching her face. She’s gone so pale that her freckles stand out in stark relief, little constellations dotting her forehead, her nose, her cheeks.

She nods, swallowing hard. “Yeah, I—I’m fine. Thank you. I’m fine.”

I lead her away from the bar, into a quiet corner so that she can catch her breath.

“You’re welcome. Just take a couple of breaths. You’re okay. I’m here, and you’re okay.”

She nods shakily, taking a breath, then another. She reaches out for me but then stops herself.

I don’t think. I just act on what my body needs, on what I know her body needs. I step closer, wrap an arm around her waist and lift her off her feet. She’s so tiny, so light. I pull her tight against me, feeling her press into my body, as though she desperately needs this closeness right now, too. Her breath stutters, and her arms wind around my neck as I cage her in against the wall.

“Wolf,” she whispers. “This isn’t fake, is it?”

I shake my head slowly. “Never was for me.”

“Me neither.”

Our gazes lock. Hold. A current passes between us, fusing us together in a way I’ve never experienced.

“Kiss me,” she whispers, her voice shaking.

So I do. Right in the middle of the fucking bar. I claim her mouth the way I’ve fantasized about doing dozens of times, maybe even hundreds, even though I’ve only known her for a couple of days. My lips press firmly against hers, and electricity shoots through me at the contact, forever changing me. She melts into me instantly, her body going soft, her lips parting. I slide my tongue into her mouth, tasting her for the first time, and she’s even sweeter and hotter than I imagined.

It’s perfection.

Her tongue slides against mine hesitantly, almost shyly, and the world fades away. It’s just me and Emily, our bodies pressed together, our mouths fused.

She moans softly, and the kiss turns dirty. Intense. Her fingers tug at my hair as I fuck her mouth with my tongue. She moans again, opening for me so I can take more. So I can kiss her deeper. Taste every inch of her sweet mouth. I groan, pulling her tight against me and grinding slightly. She gasps into my mouth when she feels how hard I am.

“You see what you do to me, little one? Never been so fucking hard in my life.”

She moans and wraps her legs around my waist. Even through our layers of clothing, I can feel the heat of her pussy, and it drives me wild. I feel like a man possessed as I suck on her tongue, bite at her kiss-swollen lips. She whimpers, writhing against me, her body begging for more.

I could devour her, right here, right now. All that matters is Emily. Her sweet mouth, the feel of her against me, her sunshine scent, her soft moans.

“Let’s go home,” she whispers against my mouth, fingers scratching over my cheeks.

I’ve never heard a better idea in my life.