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CHAPTER FOUR: HARVEST MOON - PART THREE
Dawn nudged Russ with her shoulder. “You didn’t have to walk me to my door.”
He flushed and shrugged, tugging a bit on the hand he held. “I wanted to. And it’s not like it’s out of my way.”
She supposed, but it was still nice. Like a proper end to a proper date.
Well, almost. She supposed a goodnight kiss would be the real, proper ending. She pursed her lips together. Did she want that?
Who was she kidding? Of course she did. She’d been thinking about it for a long time now. Definitely since the end of dinner but, she knew, it’d been a thought simmering between them for much longer than that.
She felt her heart race as they approached her apartment. She stopped in front of her door and turned to him, still holding his hand. “I had a really nice night.”
She was pleased when he didn’t move away or let go of her hand. He just looked at her with those intense eyes. “Me too.”
She stepped closer to him, just shy of touching, feeling her tail grow fuller with each intimate inch. “I’d like to do it again.” She looked up at him through her lashes as she felt her tail stretch to its full height, making her feel both vulnerable and daring at the same time. “If you’re interested.”
She watched his chest rise and fall with deep breaths as he nodded. “Very.”
Smiling, she tipped her head up. “Good. Then maybe we should—”
She gasped when she heard his stomach rumble loudly. Her eyes widened and she stepped back. “What was that?”
She tried not to giggle as he blushed and scratched behind his ear shyly. “Sorry.” He shook his head. “Just… bad timing.”
“Are you okay?” Was it something he’d eaten? She’d been to the diner several times now and had never had a problem before. She frowned at him. He looked fine and she had a hard time imagining anything hurting him, but she didn’t want to make light of it, if he was actually in pain.
He cracked his neck nervously. “Yeah, just…” He sighed and winced. “Hungry.”
She frowned. He was hungry? But they just ate. “I’m sorry.” God, she was an awful date, wasn’t she? “You could have ordered more, if you wanted to.” It hadn’t even occurred to her to offer, at the time. He’d had a huge steak dinner, with a baked potato and broccoli. But, if he’d wanted more, she wished he’d said something. “You could have gotten anything you wanted. This was my thank you to you.”
He shook his head. “No, no.” He waved his hand. “Dinner was great. I swear.” He shrugged. “It’s just, since I turned…” His cheeks flamed. “Werewolf metabolism is just obscenely high, so we’re always eating. Always hungry, you know?” He squeezed her hand. “It’s not you. Really, dinner was great.”
Good to know. “Well…” she said, tugging him toward her door, “I could make us some dessert, if you want?”
He raised an eyebrow. “You’ll make something? Really?”
She nodded, trying to remember what she had on hand. “If you want.” She almost always had enough ingredients around for the basics, like brownies, cookies, or a simple cake.
He nodded. “If you’re offering, that sounds amazing.”
She smiled and dug out her keys. “Great!” In what had become her routine now, she gripped the doorknob in her hand and yanked it up and toward her, to realign the tumblers and the frame.
“What are you doing?”
She looked at him wryly. “The door’s been weird.” Still holding the door in place, she slid her key in and tried to turn it, only to have her clumsy fingers fumble. She jerked the knob again. “Sorry, it sometimes takes a little…” She pulled again only to stumble as the door gave way.
Russ reached out and steadied her shoulders, his huge hands holding her sweetly sure. “You okay?”
She straightened, but didn’t move away. Didn’t want to move away. Her body thrilled at the feel of his large, calloused hands on her shoulders, his long, lean arm around her back, and his warm, strong body up against hers. She looked up at him, her lips parted slightly. “Yep. Great.” God, he smelled good. Like heat and sweat and man. She leaned in a bit, so her breasts pressed against his chest. “So, should we head inside?”
His eyes blazed and his breath hitched as they stared at each other. Then that hot gaze traveled down the length of her body, making her shiver with want, before making his way back up to her face. He licked his lips and she began to practically pant. She watched him inhale deeply, a small smile tugging at his thin lips. She arched into his touch as he slid his hand down to the small of her back. “After you.” His low voice rumbled through her.
She walked into her kitchen and nervously, distractedly, started to pull out ingredients. “How do chocolate chip cookies sound?” Wait. “You can eat chocolate, right?”
He grinned at her. “Yes.” He gave her a teasing look. “After all, I’m not a dog, right?”
She blushed as she preheated the oven. “Of course. Right. Sorry.” She needed to calm down. She didn’t know why she was so anxious. They’d just had an amazing night. This was just them continuing to do so, right? “Cookies coming up.”
As she began to measure out ingredients, she watched him examine her door. Frowning, he ran his hands up and down the frame, making her think of the feel of those hands on her shoulders and back. “How long has your door been like this?”
She shrugged. “For a while now. I keep meaning to mention it, but…” She shrugged. She would have had to tell Tucker and she’d been avoiding that as much as possible.
He nodded, like he understood. She had the feeling like he did. “Next time, let me know; I’ll take care of it.” Like he was doing right now. He shook his head and shut the door. “Looks like your frame was damaged somehow. I’ll put in an order for a new frame and door for you tomorrow. We’ll get a contractor out here to replace it as soon as possible.”
She gave him a playful look. “So you won’t be the one replacing it?”
He shrugged and stood next to her table, watching her as she mixed the dough. “I’m handy, but some jobs are bigger than my skills.”
Dawn took him in slowly, from his large feet to his long legs to his broad chest and strong arms and felt her body heat. “Can’t imagine anything being too big for you.”
She watched him drag in another deep breath. Fire flared in his eyes. “Smells good.”
She bit her lips as she rolled and shaped the dough into tiny balls, her hands sticky with the dough. He stared at her hands like he wanted to lick them clean. She swallowed hard, her tense tail curving up as if for a touch. “I haven’t even put them in the oven yet.”
He looked at her. And the way that he did… it made her imagine his tongue — his hands and teeth — all over her. She felt sweat trickle down her neck. She watched him watch the drop trail over her skin. Kiss me. The words beat in her chest. Touch me.
But he just stood there, watching her. Devouring her with his eyes, when she wanted…
What? To be devoured by him. That sounded so wrong. She was a deer; he was a wolf. He was a predator and she was prey. They shouldn’t belong. She shouldn’t long for him. But she did. And she knew — she knew deep down in the place where wordless instinct churned within her, warning her of things her mind couldn’t perceive — that he did too.
She should be scared. Panicked. A wreck.
But she wasn’t. Even though her nerves raced just under her skin, it wasn’t with fear. It wasn’t cold or sharp. Even though her tail felt pulled taut, the white fur full, it wasn’t because she felt hunted. She felt hungry. Hurried desire burned through her veins and all she wanted was more. “Russ…”
He leaned forward, the small wooden table wobbling, a weak shield hardly enough to hold him back. “Yes?”
She jumped as the oven timer went off, letting her know it was ready. “Oh!” Cookies. Right. She was making cookies. Not ogling the man currently taking up so much space in her kitchen. “Cookies should be done in about eight minutes, if you can wait that long,” she teased, mostly to ease her own discomfort. “Sorry, I don’t have anywhere for you to sit. I can’t really sit comfortably in most chairs, so I don’t keep them around.” She should though, if she wanted to have company around. Which she suddenly very much did.
“I don’t mind waiting,” he said, his hands gripping the edge of the table as his gaze took her in. “Long as it takes.”
But could she? Did she want to wait even a moment longer?
She couldn’t stop wondering, even as they ate cookies together at her table. Her body buzzed as she watched him bite into the sweet treat, lick the crumbs from his lips, and suck melted chocolate from his fingers. A small, satisfied, downright wolfish smile played with his lips as he watched her struggle.
By the time he stood on her doorstep again, a parcel of cookies in his hand, bidding her goodnight, she felt like her whole body wanted to pounce on him. Wanted to drag him back inside.
He looked at her like he could read that desire in her eyes, in the touch of her hand on his arm. “Goodnight, Dawn.”
“Goodnight, Russ.” They stood like that, in her archway only a breath apart, for a long moment. Kiss me. Touch me. She inhaled sharply as he raised his hand toward her. She tipped her head up and closed her eyes, waiting for him. She groaned as she felt his thumb brush her lips softly. She parted her lips, letting that thick, rough digit in. His breath hissed and his body tensed as the tip of her tongue touched — tasted — him.
On a broken moan, he kissed her, cupping her head in his massive hand. His kiss was hot, consuming, but his hand was so gentle. He massaged her scalp, stroked her jaw, coaxed her lips open. Quiet, encouraging sounds rumbled from his throat into hers and she swallowed them greedily. She pressed closer to him, letting him wrap her up in his arms. “Russ.”
He kissed her mouth, her chin, her nose, her forehead. Laying his head atop hers, he held her, breathing so hard. She felt his heart pound against hers. Pressed so close, she could feel his body’s reaction, hard and long, against her, making her own body grown slick and hot just for him. She shivered in anticipation. “Russ?”
He squeezed her once more, making her squeal and her tail to curl impossibly tighter, before letting her go. Dawn wanted to pull him back. He ruffled his hair awkwardly. “Well, it’s getting late. I should… you know.”
“Okay.” She couldn’t keep the disappointment from her voice.
“Can I see you again?” His hand brushed her cheek, the stroke yearning before he pulled back, like he couldn’t help touching her.
She nodded. “You’d better.” She wouldn’t let him disappear on her again. Not now that she’d had a taste of him. “Next time, I’ll cook you dinner. As much as you can eat.” Her voice dropped as she imagined him eating his fill. Of her.
His eyes traced her body as if he could see it too. “Next time.”
She couldn’t wait.
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