OUTSMARTING THE MOON

Cheryl Dragon

Dedication

Thanks to MA Ellis who prompted me to get this book written☺

Trademarks Acknowledgement

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

Animal Planet: Discovery Communications, Inc.

Brookfield Zoo: Chicago Zoological Society Not-For-Profit Corp.

Honda Civic: Honda Motor Co. Ltd.

Chapter One

Charlie Hiller was a near-perfect specimen of the human male animal. Every time she looked at him, her fantasies grew more intense. She wasn’t exactly sure why she was drawn to him. But Laura had been following him for two weeks and couldn’t get enough of the man.

She was actually getting good at trailing him without looking suspicious or feeling like a stalker. He had a fairly predictable routine. Charlie got up early, ate and hit the gym. That was where Laura had the highlight of her day, seeing his hard body sweat. He was long and muscled with dark hair and crystal-blue eyes. Eventually Charlie went to work as chef at a trendy Chicago restaurant and then back home.

Sitting in her car down the street half a block from his duplex, Laura tried not to fantasize about the sexy creature. Men were the one thing Laura was really bad at. A zoologist at the Brookfield Zoo—Laura Blake was better with animals than with people. Colleagues were different. She knew how to talk to them. Men never noticed her beyond her brain.

Her friends were all married but Laura, at thirty-five, was terminally single. Her friends wanted to set her up and she panicked at the thought. Then there was her mother who complained that Laura wasn’t trying. Mom’s philosophy was that plain girls like her could find someone with a little extra effort.

Laura felt safer in her lab at the zoo. Animals were so much more honest and straightforward. She wanted to help animals coexist with people. Charlie Hiller was the ultimate challenge of that coexistence.

Charlie Hiller needed her help.

He was a werewolf.

That fact should’ve made him easy for Laura to approach but she wanted to keep watching. He was the first man to haunt her dreams—before her fantasies had been of famous or fictional men. No one she met connected so intensely. Every detail of Charlie Hiller appeared in her dreams from the scar on his chin to the yin-yang tattoo on his left shoulder blade. He made her nights restless and the time she followed him an arousing torture. She hadn’t officially met him but eventually she’d have to.

As the moon began to rise, Laura knew she’d waited too long. She should’ve talked to him and explained her plan to help him. Laura could help. But part of her didn’t want to ruin the fantasy. As soon as she introduced herself, Laura knew he’d look at her like a mad scientist and not a woman. It was selfish and stupid but he made her feel like a woman and she hadn’t even met him. Once they were working together it’d change.

She grabbed her cell phone and dialed her brother.

“Hello,” he answered.

“You’re sure Charlie knows the werewolf that bit him?” She wasn’t gifted with small talk or good at the pleasantries.

“Laura. You still haven’t talked to Charlie? I told you, yes. He knows the werewolf who did it and he knows that he is a werewolf. You’re offering him the cure—you’re an angel. Just be careful.”

“It’s a bit late now. I’m going to see how he contains himself and how he acts.” She tried to make it sound like a plan.

“He’s a werewolf, sis. He’ll kill anyone who gets in his way. It’s the night before the full moon—he’ll turn tonight and for two more nights. You need to stay far away from him.”

“I know. I just want to take a quick look. I swear, I’ll talk to him tomorrow and explain everything.” She didn’t believe it but needed to see Charlie in werewolf form. Maybe that would stop the intense attraction and fantasy? She doubted it. He was a man ninety percent of his nights. That’s what she wanted.

“You cured me, Laura. I’m not turning into a werewolf three nights a month anymore. I’m not terrorizing my neighbors or hurting myself trying to escape a cage. You know it works.”

“What if we can’t find the wolf that bit him? What if he’s dead? I don’t want to give someone false hope and then snatch it away.” Laura hated to disappoint people and at times that’s all her life felt like. Mom wanted her to be a beauty queen and she was a short, science geek. Laura wanted a personal life but couldn’t be someone she wasn’t in order to get it. She was a bad liar. And nothing was perfect. It’d taken her three tries to cure her brother’s condition.

“You won’t know until you talk to Charlie. We had no clue it’d even work on me and you did it.”

“You’re my brother. I had to do something. What’d you have to lose? You trusted me. Plus the odds were my cure wouldn’t kill you. I don’t know this guy. He’ll think I’m crazy.”

“The man turns into a werewolf three nights a week and you know it’s real. The rest of the world thinks he’s crazy. You can fix it. Just think of him as an experiment. You can’t make it worse and there’s a chance you can put him back to all-human, all the time. The man is part animal. A danger to himself and the world. I’ve been there. He’ll try anything to escape that hell.”

“Okay, thanks for the pep talk.” She closed her phone and slid it in her jeans pocket where she could get at it easily in case of emergency. Then she took a deep breath.

Laura put her Honda Civic in drive and pulled up in front of Charlie’s place. There she waited until it was a bit darker. Not letting her courage falter, she turned off the engine, slipped from the car and went around the back of the house.

Several times while he’d been at work, she’d snooped around to get the layout. The basement had a cage so Charlie knew what he was and contained the werewolf. On her hands and knees at the basement window set low in a dip, she leaned down and watched.

He was there and already setting up for a full-moon night. A few gallons of water sat in the corner, a blanket and what looked like a fair amount of jerky. Laura had some flashbacks to her brother’s moon nights.

Until her brother was tranquilized by an animal control officer, Laura had no idea werewolves were real. It took watching him turn from human to werewolf and back while inside a cage to believe it. That’s when her life had gotten weird. Really otherworldly weird. She’d had to get her basement outfitted with a tiger cage from the zoo.

Big cities like Chicago did have a rough underworld that came out at night but the fact that true creatures of the night existed in a very real way shocked Laura. Her brother, a cop and former military guy, was thrown into the painful animal existence after a call one night. Since then her life had been strictly about curing her brother. When she hit on the formula three months back it was a huge thrill and quite a breakthrough.

Her academic credibility would be ruined if she tried to publicize this. Claiming to have cured werewolves would cost her her job. And probably a check of her mental health. Of course she couldn’t write a definitive paper for publication. Her work was done here, in the shadows at night with tortured creatures like Charlie who turned into the deadly werewolf.

No one believed it. They were real and there was proof. She pulled her left sleeve up and four claw slashes stared back at her. If her own brother did that on the night of a full moon—there was no doubt in her mind what Charlie could do to her if she let her guard down. Wanting the man didn’t negate the fear she had of the werewolf.

Forcing herself to be on guard, she silently went back to her car’s trunk and got the tranquilizer gun she’d used on her brother a dozen times. And at least three times on the werewolf that had turned him. It was a critical tool she shouldn’t be without. Laura could load it and fire it in her sleep. Her aim was getting more accurate after having hit her brother in the foot, ribs and hip a few times. Werewolves tended to move a lot. They weren’t easy to hit when agitated.

What had her life become? It was scary and yet the thrill of scientific success was unmatched. The knowledge that she could save people and put things right between the animal and human world was rewarding. Laura could do this! She could offer Charlie the cure tomorrow, once he was human again. But she’d do it with poise and confidence because she had the goods. Odds were she could cure him.

In her work, she was strong. But looking into the basement, she saw Charlie take off his shirt and felt the animal desire within her own body. His strong back muscles tapered. She knelt down to get a closer look. She wanted to see him without the pants. For all her gym spying, she’d yet to see him naked.

The shame washed over her. What a sick, peeping, geeky girl she was. He had a right to privacy but still she couldn’t stop looking. Laura was supposed to help him, not ogle the man. But visual research was part of the job. Whoever said humans were evolved was crazy. Laura felt a deep animal desire for this man—the arousal nagged at her. But she couldn’t let her guard down. Not on the full moon or the day before or the day after. That could cost her her life.

She leaned over the window well to get a better look at him and how he changed. Leaning farther with one hand on the gun, she heard a loud clatter right under her. She grabbed for her cell phone that had fallen and clutched the gun, hoping Charlie hadn’t heard her.

Another full moon and Charlie hated his life. What he’d become was an animal—a danger that no one understood or even believed in. It took him months to put together what’d happened to him. Now he faced a life of hiding in solitude. So far he’d survived two years of this nightmare existence—still not sure how he’d face a lifetime of it.

So far he’d dealt with the basics of his new life. He’d figured out how to keep himself from harming others. So many local pets had been mauled his first moon that people thought there was a pit bull on the loose. The guilt still stabbed him in the gut when he remembered the pictures in the paper and the fur in his hands. The only solace was no humans were hurt.

He peeled off his shirt and stretched. This was always the hardest night, the first one he resisted with everything he had. Once he’d figured it out, Charlie caged himself every night he’d change with enough food and water to keep him alive. The animal in him had thrown itself against the bars all night the first cycle. At least the bruises had healed so his coworkers at the restaurant where he was head chef no longer wondered if he was dating a woman who abused him.

Charlie had to laugh. No girlfriend, no wife. No nothing in his future. His whole life had been changed and he’d be alone. All because of what he became three nights out of every month. But that animal was vicious and the cage worked. A lone werewolf, Charlie was ruled by the pull of the moon. He’d always loved looking at the stars before, now he hated the night sky.

A sound right outside the window caught his attention. Charlie turned and saw movement. That woman was still following him. Her scent followed him everywhere. He should just lock himself up and deal with her tomorrow because the change was already starting inside him. The urge to protect his territory, however, overwhelmed his human senses.

His blood pounded as he tore up the stairs and out the back door. Racing toward her, he pinned her to her car and fought the animal in him. He’d watched her as much as she’d stalked him. She was no match for him but she was too close.

The lush woman was in grass-stained jeans and a white T-shirt. He could smell her—the scent he’d unconsciously sought out for the last two weeks turned him on. It put him on edge. Charlie clung to his reality. This woman was following him. Why? With the tranquilizer gun in her hand she clearly knew his secret but had yet to shoot.

“What do you want?” he growled. The pain of the change had begun. His hair and teeth were lengthening. As he stared into her soft green eyes the pain seemed a bit less. She was on guard but it wasn’t fear that dripped from her. He inhaled her scent deeply.

“I want to help.” She clutched her gun.

The heat of her body, the scent of her arousal and the drive to mate, which overtook him at every moon, all pulled him to press to her. The sliver of humanity screamed at him not to hurt her and wanted her for himself. It was too much—too confusing. He grabbed at her neck, tearing her shirt to reveal more of her skin.

Charlie didn’t want to change. He really didn’t want to hurt anyone. With her eyes fixed on him, he leaned closer so he could smell her neck. Then he felt the gun press to his rib cage. He struggled to fight the change. The man in him could talk to her, the werewolf wanted to take her right there.

As the final transformation blew all his human thoughts away and ravaged his body, Charlie howled at the moon. The instrument of hell that made his life a living nightmare.

Then he felt a sharp pain in his stomach. She’d shot him. The world went dark in an instant.

* * * * *

Laura had called her brother and tried to make the werewolf Charlie comfortable. He’d managed to scratch her but it wasn’t bleeding. He could’ve killed her but he hadn’t.

With her brother’s help, she had managed to get him home and into the cage in her basement. It was a weird thing to have in common with Charlie but Laura had needed a safe place to keep her brother during his changes. Now it was Charlie’s home for the night.

“What happened?” her brother asked.

“He heard me. I had to tranquilize him. He ran out and pinned me during his change. It was freaky.” Laura locked the cage with Charlie inside. Without her brother’s help she would never have been able to lift the large werewolf.

“You should’ve talked to him earlier. Why were you hanging around so close to the change?” A big brother’s job was never done.

“I don’t know.” Laura headed up the stairs. “At first I couldn’t talk to him because I don’t really know him and it’s such a personal thing. So I followed him a bit.”

“Being a werewolf sucks. It’s not personal. It happens to you out of the blue. I had no idea they existed. As a werewolf he’s likely to kill you just because you get in his way. But when you offer the man the cure, he’ll kiss your feet.” Brian looked at his watch. “I gotta go. Call me if you need more help with him.”

“Okay, thanks.” Laura walked him out and locked up the house. Then she set the alarm just in case.

Laura showered and slipped on an oversized T-shirt from the Brookfield Zoo before climbing into bed. Charlie was tranquilized enough for most of the night. All she could do was sleep but her nerves made it hard. The dreams of him were vivid. She hadn’t gotten a good glimpse of him nude before he fully changed to a hairy beast but her mind filled in the blanks.

She woke early and headed down to the basement with a bottle of water and a pair of pants she’d grabbed from Charlie’s bedroom last night when she locked up his house. She wanted to see him change back. A professional fascination and the deep desire to see him naked. It was a little real satisfaction after all of the nasty things he’d done in her dreams.

Thick steel bars were bolted to her basement. It’d been weird to have someone install a cage but the investment was clearly paying off. Somewhere between her brother being cured and realizing she could never share that success with others, Laura decided to help as many of the werewolves out there that she could. Her brother knew Charlie through his work. He was a good first non-family project. She could help him. She hoped.

She saw him lying there. The werewolf was naked on his back. The pants he’d been wearing had torn off in the transformation. The animal body was not attractive in the least. The temptation to run upstairs and get her digital camera was strong. Documentation was critical in any scientific process but she needed his permission before taking pictures. This really wasn’t a werewolf study either. Hers was a project to cure them.

Quietly, Laura set the bottle of water within reach of the bars and stepped back to a small table and chairs out of range. She sat down and opened her notebook—beginning detailed notes on his case. The more she wrote down now the more it might help her with a future case.

When she heard a soft whining from the cage, she looked over. The werewolf twitched and jerked as his body, hair and teeth returned to human. All she could do was stare as he transformed.

Charlie, naked and human, was the best thing she’d ever seen. A broad chest with a thick layer of dark hair trailed down his flat abs and lower to his hard cock. The werewolf had been aroused but that was default around a female—except for her brother who preferred other males. But the wolf that had turned her brother did have a nonstop erection when she was in the room. Both werewolves had done nothing but try to feed, fight or mate.

Back in human form, Charlie’s early morning erection had Laura’s attention despite the knowledge that it was just a standard male response. He could be dreaming about supermodels for all she knew.

A low groan came from the six-foot-three-inch man. He sat up and looked around. Charlie’s eyes fixed on her and then he spotted the water. Grabbing the bottle, he drank it fast.

But then his eyes were on her again. “Where am I?”

“My basement. I’m sorry it came to the tranquilizer gun. I just wanted to talk.” Laura tried to keep her eyes above his shoulders but he seemed not to care that he was naked on a cold concrete floor. At some point he’d kicked away the flannel blanket she’d left on him.

“You’ve been watching me.” He recapped the empty bottle and set it down.

“Yes. Darn, I thought I was being discreet. I didn’t want to disrupt your life.” She licked her lips and wished she’d brought a cold bottle of water down for herself. The heat of his body and the scent of his sweat permeated the basement.

“So you know about me.”

“Yes.” She shrugged.

He glared at her. “Are you a reporter? The restaurant doesn’t deserve the negative press. No one will believe you.”

Laura shot to her feet. “No. No I’m not a reporter. It’s nothing like that. I want to help you.” Just then it occurred to her that an oversized Brookfield Zoo T-shirt didn’t scream professional. She should’ve dressed first.

Charlie rubbed his hands over his eyes and rolled his shoulders. “Yeah. Now I remember you saying something like that. What can you do about this?”

“It’s a bit complicated.” She folded her arms over her hard nipples. The floor was cold on her bare feet but the effect Charlie had on her was strong.

“Okay. Let’s start with who you are.”

“I’m sorry. I’m Laura Blake. My brother is Brian Blake, a lieutenant in the Chicago Police Department. He said he’s met you at the restaurant where you work a few times. There was a problem with a former employee.”

“Yeah, I remember him.”

“He told me about your condition. I can help.” She gestured to the cage.

Charlie lifted an eyebrow. “You got a weird kink for werewolves? Last night was a close call. You’ll be dead, lady.”

She rolled her eyes. “No, I can help you not to be a werewolf. There’s a cure.”

“What are you, some weird werewolf doctor?” He frowned.

He didn’t believe her? Laura had been right. Somehow she’d have to convince him. “My brother used to be a werewolf and now he’s not. You can call him if you want proof. As for my job, I’m a zoologist. Lucky for my brother. Of course if you don’t want my help…” She headed for the stairs. Clearly he needed to settle down before they talked more.

He jumped to his feet. “Hold on. Look, the effects of this hang in there. Until two minutes ago all I could think about was ripping off your clothes. And I’m still saying anything that comes into my head. Shit. It takes an hour to shake this off fully.”

Laura walked back but stayed out of range. “I understand. I saw my brother go through this for a few months before I found the key to the cure. It’s not easy but it works. He helped me get you back here last night. I can make you completely human again. Interested?”

He looked around with clearer eyes. “First I’d be really interested in getting some pants. Then I’d like to hear everything you have to say.” His eyes moved up her body and back down.

The smoldering sensation around him was back. Laura wanted him—he could stay naked forever and she’d be happy. Cage optional though—it had played into her dreams off and on. But first she needed to tell him how the cure worked and all the work they had ahead of them. Her gaze trailed down his body and he was still turned-on.

With a blush so deep that she felt the heat on her cheeks, Laura grabbed his pants and approached the cage.

He reached for the pants and closed his hand around hers. Over the past two years he’d been naked in far weirder and more dangerous places than a woman’s basement. He locked himself up most times but on those rare instances he’d get out. There was no hurry to cover up when she stared so willingly at him. Charlie tried to restrain the pent-up desire—the frustration.

The mix of her soft skin under his palm and the scent of her made him slip. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the bars. “Why?”

“What?” Her eyes held shock but her body pressed to the cage.

Too aroused to articulate, he captured her small pouty mouth with his through the bars. Laura didn’t scream or pull away—she teased her tongue along his lower lip and leaned closer.

He reached out and ran his free hand up her round hip to cup a warm breast. Laura rewarded him with a groan. Unable to think, he dropped the pants and used his other hand to dig into her wavy copper hair that hung down past her shoulders. Suddenly both of her hands were on his chest, combing through his chest hair and then stroking around back to hold on to him. The woman was fearless and seductive. His own personal goddess. She was lucky there were bars between them or she’d be on the floor already.

What little control he had left was slipping as Charlie filled up on her scent, natural and arousing. His hard cock pressed to her soft hip and he rubbed it to ease his need.

Charlie lifted his head but kept their bodies pressed to the bars. For a moment, he studied her haunting green eyes. “Why were you torturing me?” he asked.

The arousal in her face was tempered with offense. “No torture. I had to tranquilize you or you’d be running loose. I’m sorry, it was my fault you didn’t lock yourself up in time but you could’ve hurt others.” Her fingernails dug into his back gently.

He grinned for the first time in months. How did this woman do that to him? So innocent yet direct. “Not the tranquilizer. You’ve been following me for two weeks.”

“How did you know?” She frowned and her lush lips pouted further. “I thought I was doing well. You never approached me.”

“I thought you were a reporter or someone wanting to expose me. You could be distant from sight but never from the strong sense of smell werewolves possess even in human form. I aroused you before you even met me—your scent was torture. Is this some odd zoologist experiment?” He didn’t quite believe the story of the cure. Everyone he knew in the werewolf world, which granted was very few, said there was no hope for a cure. No choice but to join a pack for protection or lock yourself away every month.

“No, no experiments. The werewolf is a fascinating specimen but you’re not my prisoner. I caged you for safety. I’m offering you a chance for a cure. I won’t deny an attraction but I can control myself better than you can.” She looked down at her breast and Charlie realized he was still groping her. Not that he’d stop. Charlie massaged it firmly until she gasped.

He wanted to believe her about the cure. He’d do anything to have his life and control back all the time. But at the moment, he’d do anything to have this woman as well. Could he even trust her? On some level he already did.

“Is it the werewolf or the man that makes you wet?” Charlie released her breast and slid his hand down over her ass.

“Don’t be sick. I followed the man for two weeks. I felt ridiculous but I was drawn to you. The scientist in me needed to know you. To believe you wanted the cure and would help me to help you. I never expected this.” Her hands slid up to his shoulders. “You could smell me?”

“Always.” Charlie pulled the shirt up over her hips and ripped the white cotton panties until they fell to the floor. Then he caressed her bare hip, ass and stomach. Her copper curls taunted him. “The sense of smell remains heightened even when I’m a man. I smelled you before I saw you.”

She shivered as he lifted the shirt over her head. The freckles on her face were delicate and sparse but lower on her body she had the occasional wave of freckles here and swirls there. Charlie fought the urge to trace each path with his tongue. Instead he sucked her pale nipple.

“Do I smell good?” Her voice cracked as he nipped her tender flesh.

“What?” he asked.

“The smell? It’s good?” She didn’t look him in the eye.

“Could I be this close to you if it were bad?” He kissed her hard. “You wanted me from the beginning.”

“Yes,” she said.

His hand moved lower to tease her curls and she gasped. The slick folds told Charlie all he needed to know. He lifted one of her legs through the bars and up over his hip, pressing her to the bars and off balance, but now she was fully open to his touch. Laura’s hands clung to his shoulders for stability. She tilted herself toward him with no fear or hesitation.

Charlie fought to hold on to his control as his fingers sank into her inner folds that scorched him. Slowly he touched and teased until he knew her pussy from base to clit. As he smeared the excess juices over her curls, she shivered and rested her head on his shoulder wedged between the bars. Laura’s entire body trembled slightly and Charlie decided to push her to the edge where he was. His cock throbbed for her and he had to wonder when he’d gotten so lucky.

His thumb circled her clit and her body instantly tensed. Without pause he thumbed up each side of her clit then swirled directly on the nub until she screamed in a small climax. That was a start.

“More?” he asked.

“Please.” Her hips snapped and he could tell she was on that edge right with him. She’d come for him so easily but wasn’t done. He didn’t want it over with either. In the full light of day, she might not be so willing. There was a hesitation about her. The woman wasn’t wild yet.

Gently he slid one long finger into her wetness and watched her eyes light up as her body arched.

“More please, Charlie,” she whispered.

The use of his name almost broke him. Her sweet politeness made his hard cock throb to be inside her. But her finger eased in fully and curled. She was built for more and he gave her a second finger.

Laura’s hips began to fuck his fingers but he knew there was room. He slid a third finger inside her and felt Laura squeeze and hold on to his fingers. Her hips moved faster. “Fuck me.” She reached down and stroked his balls.

“Not now.” The first time he fucked her wouldn’t be through bars, locked up like an animal. Neither of them could operate the lock in their current condition. It was all he could do to hold her up.

She moaned in frustration and ran her hand up his cock. Apparently not satisfied with his answer, she grabbed his hand from her body and curled it around his erection.

Catching on to her plan, he deposited her wetness on his cock and when she was content, Laura pulled his hand back to pleasure her.

Laura’s hand stroked him slowly with delicate pressure. Almost unsure of her effect on him now. As Charlie slid three fingers deep within her again, she groaned and stroked him harder. They built the pace and matched each other.

In no time, his fingers were again covered with her cream and Laura’s hips were meeting his touch as his cock pulsed to feel as much of her soft palm as it could.

He wanted to see her, feel her and hear her come against him. With an increased pace and pressure, he didn’t let up and she responded with moans and encouraging mutters. When his thumb pressed to her clit, Laura exploded around his three fingers.

Her hands fell away from him as she braced herself. Squeezing his fingers with her deep convulsions, Laura slumped against him with relief and kissed him. Laura finally bucked a few times before pulling his hand from her and using the wetness on his cock again. Charlie steadied himself and watched as her small hand stroked him. Her other hand rolled his balls slowly.

Charlie grabbed the bars for support as he watched her breasts bounce with her efforts. No longer under a sexual haze, her green eyes were clear and watching him. Wanting to please and release him. There was a blush on her cheeks—was it arousal or embarrassment?

His body pressed to the bars, he felt all control and thoughts disappeared. But this time it wasn’t the painful change to a werewolf but the pure ecstasy of coming in the hands of a sexy woman. The release shook him. His cum landed on her stomach yet her hands kept milking him.

Laura’s mouth kissed his chest, shoulders and then his mouth. “We should get cleaned up and eat something. I’ll explain about the cure over breakfast.”

“So you’ll unlock the cage now?” he asked.

“Oh, the key. I forgot you were even in here. I don’t usually do that sort of thing.” She moved across the room to the stairway and retrieved the key.

He missed her touch. “You didn’t realize you were humping me through bars?”

Laura licked her lips and studied him as she unlocked the cage. “You made a far bigger impression than any bars. That type of thing doesn’t happen to me.”

The soft blush on her cheeks stroked his ego. He stepped out of the cage and followed her, still naked, up the stairs. A shower sounded perfect. His need for her hadn’t begun to be filled.

Chapter Two

Laura felt his warm body behind her. His closeness kept her wanting more despite the little voice in her head that was shocked at what she’d done. Until now her sex life had been dull and predictable, but in Charlie’s hands she’d felt different. On the edge of wild and not the least bit self-conscious. His confidence flowed to her. But the moment was gone and she was uneasy again.

Grabbing two large towels from the linen closet, Laura was ready to point him to the guest bath. His hard body naked in her hallway rendered her speechless. She handed him a towel and headed to the master bath in her bedroom.

Charlie followed and closed the bathroom door behind him as Laura ran the shower. “You okay?” she asked.

“Never better.” He smiled.

“I meant where I got you with the dart.” She ran her hand along his side and lightly circled the small wound. “You surprised me. I’m usually a much better shot.”

“I’ve had a lot worse. It’ll heal.” He held her hand and pulled it up to kiss her fingers. “I don’t have a lot of control before and after the change. Especially on the first night. And with you around.”

She smiled. “You’re blaming the werewolf for what we did against the bars? What’s my excuse? I never do things like that.”

“I’m irresistible.”

“Good, because the werewolf excuse will not work on me. Some impulse or heightened senses may linger but you had control.” Laura ran her hands over his lean yet strong arms.

Charlie’s hands caught her wrists. “But the closer I am to the change the less control I have. I don’t want to hurt you. Even if I look human, at times I feel the animal still.”

“Humans are animals and men are especially so when it comes to sex. You don’t scare me.” Maybe he did just a little but there was something of a thrill in it. She’d never been like this before. Never thought of herself as desirable or wild in bed. Maybe she could be?

“You kept up pretty well down there. But what I had in mind when you first walked down was pulling you through those bars and pinning you to the floor. Doing you five different ways. The mating instinct is strong.” He held her close and stared her in the eye.

Laura knew he was trying to warn her. Two more nights of this lay ahead. His ethics and concern for others was admirable but she also felt a spark of power. No one had ever said those things to her. Wanted her like that. “So you don’t want to pin me to the floor and have me five different ways now?” She teased him to try to relax the tense male. This type of talk was not normal in her world.

“I want you every way, but now I can handle it.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “Be careful.”

She leaned up to kiss him. “The water is going to get cold.” Laura pulled him by the arm into the shower.

Unable to resist, she lathered him—exploring every muscle. His hands soaped her body as well and Laura gasped as his long fingers thoroughly washed her pussy and spread her ass cheeks under the powerful spray. Charlie’s fingers teased both holes.

She waited for him to play, to penetrate or even to suck any part of her throbbing body but his hands moved up to scrub her back. Was he a tease or just not into her as much now? With the change complete, she should’ve known he’d be less interested.

“Is this a contest of wills? Who breaks first?” Laura massaged a soapy washcloth over his balls—more than ready to give in and go down on his beautiful erection. He couldn’t hide his need and she knew she was wet from her own desire and not the shower. But she’d never been that bold.

“Are you sure you want to play like that? You barely know me. That isn’t how I dated before.” He rinsed them and turned off the water. They both stepped out.

“Me either. But I didn’t hear anyone complaining downstairs. Attraction isn’t rational and it doesn’t follow rules. It sure as hell worked for us though. I’ve never had that before. Not something I want to miss from now on.”

Charlie took the towel and rubbed her dry from head to toe. The sensation made her body tingle with need for his touch. As he knelt down to get behind her knees, Laura ran her fingers through his hair. “You regret it?” Rejection already? She hadn’t even had a chance to bore him with technical talk of the cure yet.

He shook his head. “My life is a nightmare now. I’m not dragging anyone into it to ease the pain. It’s not fair.”

“What about my pain?” She spread her stance so he could smell her arousal even more. Rarely aggressive, she had to take the lead. Her hand pressed to the back of his head and pulled him to her pussy. Laura had to know if he still wanted her. Was her smell really arousing to him or was it a line?

His tongue plunged between her lips, snaking and swirling for her juices. The intense pleasure threw her into weak-kneed relief but Charlie caught her. In one motion he lifted her up on the sink and ate her like no man had. His teeth tugged on her folds until she squealed with need for release.

“Please,” she said. “Charlie, we both need this.”

His tongue pressed hard and repeatedly to her clit until she shuddered. Laura kicked the soap dispenser off the sink and held on as she came on his face. He never stopped licking her even as she caught her breath.

Laura raked her fingers through his hair and tugged. In response he sucked both outer lips into his mouth and slowly let them go.

“You don’t want to fuck me?” she asked.

He rested his forehead on her stomach. “If I do I’ll never stop.”

She was okay with that option. Laura needed him deep inside her. His fingers were no substitute for the erection she’d held. Sitting up, she reached in a drawer and produced a foil packet. She hopped off the sink and pulled him by the arm to the bed.

Landing flat on her back on the flowered bedspread, she tossed him the packet. If he didn’t get the hint, she might have to pin him and use him but she wanted to see what he’d do. One way or another, his cock would be deep inside her before breakfast. Laura was shocked by the new side of herself. The animal might be in her too.

Without a word he crawled on the bed and kissed her mouth. Then he moved lower to devour her breasts. Her average cleavage never got that much attention before but Charlie stayed there for a solid five minutes, making her aware of how sensitive that area could be when treated right.

When Laura heard the packet open, she moaned.

They both needed it. She pulled his head up so he could look at her. “Please, now. Stop denying yourself. And me.” Her hand reached down to guide him forward.

That gesture seemed to break whatever held him back. Charlie drove deep inside her and Laura arched with pleasure. He filled and stretched her. But he didn’t stay long—thrusting in and out fast. The male animal was unleashed and she felt herself snap free as well. She didn’t care what he thought—she needed to be satisfied.

Laura whispered encouragement. This was what she needed. What she’d wanted and never known. She craved a man who wanted her like an animal.

His body grated along hers, his chest hair rubbing her breasts. But his cock had her entire body at his disposal. She held on to him—never wanting to lose the feeling of Charlie inside her. The hunger never eased.

The longer he drove her, the more blurry her thoughts became, until she was focused on that spot deep within her where his cock connected. Each time pushing her to the edge. And with one final thrust she found herself thrown over. Lifting wildly for more and scratching his back with her nails—she nipped at his shoulders.

He was still buried inside her as she caught her breath. Laura’s body felt used for its real and full purpose but she knew it wasn’t over. He was still hard. She squeezed him gently. “How do you want me now?” she teased.

“Stop playing. I need to get a grip.” He took a few breaths and held incredibly still.

“I already have one.” She carefully squeezed him and held his cock deep inside her, lifting her hips.

“Don’t,” he warned. “You’re a wild and dangerous temptation.”

“I want you to come. Here. Now. There’s plenty of time for more. Fuck me or I’ll squeeze it out of you.” She wanted him to come so she could see his face. And he was too close to stop. Her tongue teased the scar on his chin and traced his jawline.

He began with slow thrusts and Laura moaned. There was nothing better than a good fit and Charlie was excellent. Propping herself up on her hands, Laura lifted and the new angle brought new pleasure. Charlie had to approve because he fucked her faster. This man knew what he was doing—all her previous boyfriends could take lessons from him.

Laura could feel the shaking and tension building in his body. She lay flat and wrapped her legs around him as she felt him freeze and pulse deep within her. Her body spasmed around him as he released.

“That was perfect.” She slid her hands up and down his back—unable to believe him capable of changing into a deadly creature. He was so beautiful and powerful like this.

“It’s a start.” He rolled off her.

Laura grinned. “Glad you’re not bored with me already.”

A rough hand closed over her left breast. “Never. Never enough. I have no control with you.”

“Yes you do. But you really don’t need to. I won’t break. I’ve never had anything like this before.” She rolled on top of him. “You’re not so big and tough.”

“You’re baiting me.” He smiled.

“Don’t worry. I don’t promise what I can’t deliver. But first we need to get your cure going.” She wondered in a flash if he’d still want her if he was cured. Would it be the same? She wanted this man but would he want her? She got off him and ran her hands nervously through her hair. “We should get dressed and eat something.”

“Good plan.” He nodded.

* * * * *

Charlie ran down and grabbed his pants. The cage mocked him and yet how his life had flipped around in one night by meeting this woman! She had a cure? He wanted to believe it but what could a zoologist do to cure this? A cage and a tranquilizer gun wouldn’t cure anything. But she knew what he was and wasn’t afraid or turned-off by it.

Making it to the kitchen before Laura, he rummaged through her cupboards and fridge for food. After what they’d done, a gourmet breakfast was the least he could do. But she didn’t have a lot of supplies. He grabbed a pan, some eggs and cheese.

“We can swing by your place and you can get more clothes. Then we can go out for breakfast,” she called as she came down the hallway.

“Too late.” He smiled and got a good look at her close-up and actually in clothes. Jeans that fit her well enough to make him drool and a pale green blouse that set off her eyes were a sexy combination he wanted to rip off her now. And later.

“Oh, I forgot you’re a chef.” She poured herself a cup of coffee. “Not much to work with here.”

He flipped the omelet. “You like breakfast. More types of cereal than I’ve seen anyone have. A good supply of eggs. Do you have bread?”

“Bread? Yes. I’ll make some toast.” She dug into a drawer then popped four slices into the toaster.

Charlie found two plates and deposited half the omelet on each. “We’re ready.”

Laura grabbed silverware, juice and the toast before she sat down. She dug in quickly and groaned. “You’re very good. I’m a terrible cook. You can cook for me anytime.”

“Glad you like it.” It was nice to feel appreciated. A woman who ate was another turn-on. “So tell me about the cure.”

“Right. Well, basically we create the antibodies to counter the infection from the saliva of the werewolf that turned you.” She liberally buttered a piece of toast and bit into it.

Charlie tried to eat slowly but the werewolf change had drained his energy. And Laura had used up the rest. He finished off his eggs and was ready for another round. “Want more?”

“Not yet. You go ahead. My brother ate like a maniac every morning after the moon nights. Are you interested in the cure?” she asked.

“Absolutely.” He whipped more eggs and added shredded cheddar cheese. “But it’s a bit more than I can wrap my mind around. Werewolf saliva can cure me? That’s what did it.” He shook his head.

She sipped her juice and smiled. “I know. That’s the whole point. You have to think about it like antivenin for a snakebite. They use real venom to make the antivenin that is injected to counteract the negative effects when someone gets bit.”

Charlie flipped the eggs as he leaned on the counter. “I’m not sure I follow.”

“You clearly don’t watch Animal Planet.”

“Guilty.” The woman had her quirks.

“I know we don’t get a lot of venomous snakes around here. If someone gets bit by, say a rattlesnake, doctors can inject the antivenin and it stops the venom. So when my brother turned into a werewolf, I hypothesized that I could use the same process to counteract the werewolf infection transmitted in the saliva. It worked.” She smiled with enthusiasm.

Putting a second omelet on his plate, Charlie tried to get the concept. “So you need the saliva of a werewolf?”

“Not just any werewolf. The werewolf. The one that bit you. You can’t give rattlesnake antivenin to someone bitten by a cobra. You need to counteract the specific properties of the infection. That’s why I’m trying to be discreet. I can’t cure a werewolf who doesn’t know who bit him.” Laura chewed on her toast.

“Yeah, I know who did it.” He didn’t want to remember the night his world changed. “He was a regular customer at the restaurant. A businessman downtown. Brought in clients. One night he had car trouble. I was leaving and offered to give him a jump. He started changing before my eyes. I tried to run but he tackled me.” It wasn’t a story he told often—Charlie hated thinking about it. If he’d left the restaurant ten minutes later the werewolf might’ve been gone.

“He bit you?” She leaned forward and rested her elbows on the small round table.

“Yep. Got me in the arm. We were in the alley next to the restaurant but no one heard us so I grabbed for whatever I had. I stabbed him in the eye with my keys and kicked him in the crotch.”

“You survived.”

He nodded. “Thought I was fine. The next month I felt weird. The change. I had no idea. I woke up covered in blood. The next night I locked myself in the basement. It’s a heavy metal door and the windows are too small to fit through. I set up a video camera and I waited.”

“It worked?” she asked.

“The door held. Bruised the hell out of myself trying to break it. The lock was bent. So badly I had to replace the whole doorknob. I watched the video and couldn’t believe it. That’s when I had the cage installed. I didn’t know how long it’d last or who to contact about it. I tracked it and did research on the Internet.”

“Did you try to call that businessman?”

“I tried. He never called back. Never came back to the restaurant either.”

“Maybe he died?” She dropped her toast on the plate.

“No, he’s not dead. I called and got his wife once. She said he was out of town. He never returned the message. After a few months I got in the routine. I thought it’d just be the full moon but no—three full nights a month.”

Laura nodded. “I know. My brother and I learned about the night before and after the full moon the hard way.” She pulled up her sleeve.

He’d seen the scar earlier. Charlie had been relieved it was too old for him to have done it. “Your brother did that to you?”

“Yes, the night after the full moon. Luckily his boyfriend heard us and ran in with a tranquilizer gun. In this line of work it really helps that he’s in animal control.”

Charlie stared at her in awe.

“What?” She sipped her juice.

“You really know this stuff. You’ve lived it. And you’ve cured it.” She was the dream and not just his body’s desire but she also had everything he needed to live again.

“That’s what I’ve been telling you. And so far no one has turned me into a hairy beast so I’m doing something right. You’re in?” she asked.

He stared at her from across the small table. “Why are you doing this for me?”

Laura’s face went hard. “I watched my brother suffer. No one deserves that. I can’t cure everyone. A lot of werewolves don’t know who bit them. Some don’t even know they’re werewolves. But I want to help those I can. Otherwise all the work I’ve done and those answers I found will go to waste. My brother is cured but there are more.”

“You could get hurt.” Charlie didn’t want to see her mauled or beaten—especially by him.

“Exactly. It could’ve been me and not my brother. This could happen to anyone. I’ve got the skills to fix it and I want some people to know about it. Brian and his boyfriend back me up when I need them. They’re both big guys who know how to use tranquilizer guns.” She waved off the concern.

“So we need to get hold of the werewolf who bit me and get a saliva sample?” Charlie wanted to focus on what they could do and not on the idea that she’d be in danger because of helping him.

Clearly Laura was a walking werewolf charity. He had to accept the cure but what was this happening between them? The desire to keep her hadn’t faded with his teeth and claws.

“We need the saliva while he’s in werewolf form. So we’ll need to get him tonight or tomorrow night or else we’ll have to wait an entire month.”

“How long does it take to make this antivenin?” he asked.

“A few weeks.”

“This could be my last month like this?” He tried not to let himself hope.

“Absolutely.” Her green eyes sparkled.

“How do you make it?” Charlie was no scientist or zoologist but if it was going into his body, he wanted to know about it.

“So far I’m using the same procedure as the snake antivenin. They inject a small amount of the venom into a sheep that then builds up a natural resistance to the venom. It happens fairly quickly with the werewolf saliva. So after about three weeks we draw blood from the sheep and distill the antibodies into werewolf antivenin. We introduce that into your bloodstream and it counteracts the werewolf in you.”

“Just like that?” It sounded too good to be true.

“Pretty much. It takes a little while to work. You’ll feel really crappy for one day but then no more dangerous werewolf transformations.”

The woman certainly seemed to have all the answers. “How long was your brother a werewolf?”

“About six months—we think. The first few months he thought he’d blacked out, someone had spiked his drink or he was going crazy. At about month three, he was brought down by animal control. Luckily he was wearing enough of his uniform with identification so they contacted me and not the precinct he works out of. He’d have been fired for sure.”

“Being a werewolf is a problem with that sort of thing. I can’t work for three nights out of the month because of it.”

“Neither could he. I had the cage installed and after a couple of months with trial and error, I hit on the cure.”

He suspected a problem. “I’ve been a werewolf for two years. Will it still work for me?” he asked.

Her face went blank. “I’ve only done the one. But with the infection still active in you, I don’t know why it wouldn’t work.”

“You can give snake antivenin at any point to reverse it?” Charlie put the dishes in the sink to keep his hands busy.

“Not necessarily. It needs to be administered within two hours of the bite to be most effective. But they’ll do it later—anything to help counteract it. My brother was like this for six months. There’s no reason to believe it won’t work for you. I don’t want to give you too much but if it doesn’t take the first month, we can dose you again at month two.”

He felt her come up behind him and hug him. Charlie turned so he was facing her. “Thank you.” He kissed her forehead and continued down her face. It might not work but she believed it could. She’d put herself in danger for it.

“Don’t start.” She kissed him back. “We’ve got to convince this man who bit you to let us cage him tonight and get his werewolf saliva. It could be awkward.”

Charlie pulled away. “You know how to kill a mood. Talk of werewolf spit and injecting me with sheep’s blood.”

“Actually they used to use horses instead of sheep but there is a greater risk of a reaction in humans with the horse blood.” She smiled.

That’d definitely ruined it. “Come on, I need to get some clothes and the guy’s address from my house.” The focus on the cure was good because he got sick thinking of her caging him and another werewolf tonight. Nothing bad could happen to her—he wouldn’t let it. No one would be hurt because of him. He’d promised himself that when he’d realized what he was. Werewolf or human—Charlie had to be able to live with himself.

If only he could believe the werewolf in him would also feel that protective of her. Or that the werewolf in him would really go away.

Chapter Three

She walked into his house for the first time. It was small and functional. The kitchen gleamed with the best of everything. Obviously cooking was his passion.

Before anything else, Charlie went for his address book in a desk drawer. “That’s him.” He pointed to a page.

“He lives up in the northern suburbs—want to call first?” she asked.

“No, he avoided me in the past. We need to visit in person. We’ll go to his office downtown if we have to.”

Laura saw the determination in his face. “Okay. We’ll personally track him down.” The muscle in his arm twitched and her hand reached out instinctively to soothe him.

He nodded and turned on his heel. “Clothes.”

She followed him down the hall despite the fact that more than anything she wanted for him not to put on more clothes. When had she started thinking about sex more than her work? It was him. There was no guarantee how long it’d last so she wasn’t going to waste time worrying.

As he dug through his closet, Laura walked up behind him and ran her hands up his chest. “Relax. It’s rush hour. By the time we get there, he’ll be at the office.”

His hands closed over hers. “The sooner we get him to cooperate the better.”

Laura knew he didn’t believe her—not yet. Not fully. There was no guarantee but she had faith in the science of her work. “If we have to sit outside his house or follow him tonight and tranquilize him to get it—we’ll get it.”

Suddenly he pulled away and moved to sit on the bed. “No. You’ll follow him and tranquilize him. I’ll be locked in a cage so I don’t maul the neighbors.”

She’d forgotten. How had she forgotten? With him all she saw was the gorgeous man she wanted. For some crazy reason, he seemed to want her back and she wasn’t about to question it. But she had to remember he had those limitations for now.

Laura stood in front of him. “Sorry. I don’t think of you as a werewolf. You’re a man—I’ve never felt connected to someone like this before. I’m not the type who jumps into bed. Or who stalks men. I’ve always been better with animals than people. But around you it fits. I don’t know why but I don’t want it to go away.” Her hands stroked over his shoulders and down his chest.

She kissed him, afraid she’d say something to ruin the dream she was living. A long-distance girlfriend. An attraction but not interested in a relationship or anything serious. Most men had a commitment issue, at least from what she’d heard.

“I’m better with food than people.” Charlie looked at her carefully. “Maybe you’re just attracted to the animal?”

She laughed. “No. I’ve seen it. Not pretty and not sexy. I want this.” Laura’s hands lowered over his hard abs and she drew a lazy pattern down to his cock.

“I can’t promise you anything, Laura. This is amazing but I can’t do this to anyone. As long as I’m a werewolf, I can’t do the relationship thing. It’s not fair to you.”

Part of her wanted to scream she didn’t care. She wouldn’t have turned her back on her brother if she hadn’t cured him. Instead Laura knelt down and pressed her lips to Charlie’s stomach. “Nothing about this is fair. We’ll get you cured and worry about it then. But we can still have the great sex while you’re human, right?” Laura unbuttoned and unzipped his pants and freed his swollen cock.

She darted her tongue over him until he was fully hard. Only then did she suck the head of it—taking him as deep into her mouth as she could. Her hands teased the balance of his erection as she took her time to enjoy the flavor and girth of his cock. Charlie might turn into a beast but she had a little power too.

The moans and curses coming from Charlie only encouraged her. The need to mate was alive in the human animal and Laura had neglected her own needs for far too long. Finally she had the right man. Her body ached for his touch.

“I can smell you. You were after this from the minute we left your house.” He fell back on the bed in surrender.

His super sense of smell was right as always—but she wanted him to come. No control and no restraint. She sucked his balls and jerked his cock in her fist faster and faster.

“No. Slow down.” Charlie pressed his hips down into the bed.

“Come for me.” She danced her tongue around the tip until he groaned her name.

Laura leaned back and watched—her hand still kneaded his hard flesh as he came in two hard jerks. Releasing him, she kissed her way up his body and connected with his mouth.

“Your turn,” he whispered.

“No. We’ve got to get going.” She pulled away to give him a two-foot radius.

Laura was still fully clothed and she wasn’t going to give in until they had done their work for the cure.

“I can smell you. You’re killing me.” He stripped off the old pants.

“More motivation for us to get this done and get me home so you can play until the moon comes up.” She stepped out of the way so he could reach the closet without obstacles or temptation.

She loved the fact that she was a temptation. No one had ever made her want to be wild. Before Charlie she’d always worried she’d look foolish if she let go. Not with this man. Charlie unleashed the animal within her. Laura watched as he put on fresh clothes and glared at her as though he’d get even later. She couldn’t wait!

An hour later, they were at the reception desk of a large architecture firm in Chicago’s Loop.

“Good morning!” called the cheery receptionist with a headset.

“Hi. I’m an old college friend of Bill Myers. Is he in today? I’m visiting and wanted to surprise him.” Charlie played it off with true enthusiasm and a genuine smile.

Laura was impressed and simply smiled—assuming that her cover was that of wife of the college friend. Either way she kept her mouth shut. Lying wasn’t a skill she possessed. Animals could always tell.

“Oh I’m sorry. Mr. Myers is out of the office today on business. He’s returning tomorrow around noon. I’ll tell him you stopped by.” She hit a button on the phone and was answering another call before they had a chance to say thank you.

They walked out to the car and sat with time on the meter. “Damn,” Charlie said.

“He’ll be back tomorrow. We can grab him then. Or talk, we can try talking.” She smiled.

“You like kidnapping men?” He glanced at her sideways.

“Just you. If we can get the saliva and leave him somewhere safe, that’s fine with me. But if he doesn’t know he’s a werewolf then we really should prove it to him. Explain everything. What does his wife think he does, disappearing for three nights out of the month?” She shook her head. How could someone not notice the change if they lived with a person? Her brother had slipped by her but he worked nights—he lived in Wrigleyville while she preferred the ‘burbs.

“We’ll figure it out. Let’s go back to your place.” He gripped the steering wheel.

She put on her seat belt. “Relax, we’ve got tomorrow.”

“I can still smell you.”

Laura smiled. “How do I know that’s true? I mean, you did a great job of lying to that receptionist. Maybe you’re faking attraction to me to get the cure and then you’ll dump me?” It came out as a tease but she did wonder.

Quick as a cat, or maybe a wolf, he pulled her head to his in a raw kiss that made her hold on to his neck or she’d climb into the driver’s seat after him.

Charlie released her just as quickly. “I’ve learned to fake the pleasantries and enthusiasm for my job. Chefs have to have a bit of personality these days. But you can’t fake what we have.”

“Prove it.” Her body was one tense ball of arousal.

“I intend to.” He merged into the traffic.

Three hours and four orgasms later, Laura couldn’t accuse Charlie of faking it anymore. As she lay in bed, he’d run off to his restaurant to get food and she suspected to get groceries so he could cook in her house. Laura was extremely glad she’d taken off these days of the full moon. Charlie had her full focus and plenty of time for the great sex. And his great cooking!

She hopped in the shower and freshened up. This brief glimpse of bliss with a man in the house and in her was going to change tonight when he did. She knew it and did everything she could to ignore it.

Toweling off, she heard him in the kitchen. Laura slipped on a robe and joined him—the amount of bags on her counters stunned her. The fabulous aroma made her stomach growl. “Stocking up for the winter? Hope you can find room for everything.”

“I eat like crazy when I change, remember?” He found places to stash the stuff.

“Right.” Another reminder. “What’s for dinner?”

“I got pasta with garlic bread from the restaurant. Just let me put some stuff away.” He put veggies in the fridge.

“Take your time. A man who cooks, shops and is great in bed. I am not about to complain.” She enjoyed just watching him so intent on his food.

In half an hour they were stuffed with pasta and garlic bread. Laura had never felt so content. “Dessert?” she offered.

He grinned. “Take off the robe.”

She rolled her eyes and walked to the fridge. “I meant ice cream. Cookie dough or butter pecan?”

“I’m not really a pastry chef but I could whip up something.”

“No, no more work in the kitchen tonight. Besides I’m not big on pastries but I love ice cream. Usually I can eat a whole pint by myself but after all that dinner we can share. Cookie dough?”

He nodded. “Whatever makes you happy.”

Laura grabbed two spoons and sat boldly on his lap. “What about you? What’s your favorite?”

“Favorite dessert?” He opened the ice cream and took a spoonful.

“Favorite anything.” She dug in and let the cool ice cream and gooey cookie dough pacify her for now.

“Dutch apple pie for dessert. My favorite movie is Star Wars. My favorite food is pasta and you are my favorite Peeping Tom.” He hugged her to him. “Your turn.”

“You’re worth peeping at.” She took another spoonful. “Pasta is good. I really love lasagna. As for a movie…”

“If you say Beauty and the Beast, I’m taking this ice cream away.” He grabbed the carton.

“No. I promise if you end up staying a werewolf I’ll lock you up for those three nights of every month. I’d say Little Women. I only had one brother and wanted that sort of bond.”

He fed her ice cream. “I’ve got one sister who lives in Michigan. She loves living on a lake but prefers a less urban area than Chicago.”

Laura leaned in and kissed him while putting the empty cardboard container on the table. “Want the real dessert now?”

His eyes went to the clock and to the window. “We better hurry.”

She untied her robe and let it fall. His sticky hands were all over her as she pulled off his shirt and tossed it on the table. When his mouth caught one nipple, Laura’s body went limp with need. Her fingernails dug into his scalp as her body pressed for more of him.

The wetness between her legs made Laura shift to straddle him. Her fingers teased down his solid chest to his jeans and freed his hard cock.

“Here?” he groaned.

“I think we’re in too deep to relocate.” Her fingers stroked him tenderly until he pulled her whole body to his. The rustle of a condom packet told her he’d thought ahead.

She lifted up and held him steady as she lowered herself on his erection. The relief and need he caused made her feel dizzy. The more of him she had, the more she wanted. Bracing herself on his shoulders, Laura rode him with fast thrusts. As much as she wanted it to last, she didn’t want him to worry about the timing and his change. She was building to orgasm fast already when his long finger slid between them and tapped her clit.

The unexpected attention threw her into a hard release. Laura thrust down hard as she came. Before she could recover, he lifted her hips and tilted them forward

Date: 2015-02-03; view: 946