Beauty and the Wolf (8 page)

Jake growled.

Robert chuckled. “That’s not going to be easy. You’re going to have to wear down her resistance. She’ll be convince
d you’re only after her for sex and sex just for something new.
”

Again, another frown from his son.

Robert sighed, how had his boy lived
so long
and not realize what made women tick. “Do I have to spell it out for you?”

Jake tossed the whiskey down in one gulp. “Apparently so,” he snapped.

“
Sophie thinks you’re just
bored
. Trying something different in the bedroom. She doesn’t believe you find her attractive.
Women have hang ups about what they look like. Skinny women want big boobs, big boobed women want small waists. Short women want to be tall, tall women want to be short, women with curly hair
–
”

Jake held up a hand. “Okay, I get it. Sophie has some major hang ups because she’s not Cosmos’s body ty
pe of choice for women. She’s
g
oddamn better looking than those skinny twigs they put on the covers.”

“Those skinny twigs are
what you’ve been dating since you came to
Anderson
’s
. Especially the last four months. Skinny twigs no doubt Mary Ann has told her about in detail.”

“Well, shit.”

Jake
motioned for another
whiskey
, a double
this time
. He t
old the
man to keep
‘
em coming.

* * * * *

Jake arrived on Sophie’s doorstep sometime after
midnight
. He’d spent the night in the restaurant drinking. His father had spent the night watching him drink. And grinning. The bastard had grinned at him all night. The whisky had done nothing more tha
n
irritate him. When a wolf wanted to forget
,
he ran. Too damn bad Jake had no where to run.

That wasn’t true. He had the perfect place to run. Straight to his mate.

The mate who was hurting. Because of him.

He pounded on the door, uncaring if he woke the entire apartment complex. He wanted to see Sophie. He wanted to see her now.

“Who’s there?”

He heard her voice through the panel door and the soft click of a lock being undone.

“You damn well better be checking to see who’s at the door, woman.” How dare she even think about opening a door before findin
g out who was on the other side?
His blood boiled.

The door was flung open. “Well, I guess I don’t need to ask now, do I?”

She was dressed in
pajamas and
scuffed
up bunny slippers.

She was
so
beautiful.

He was so screwed.

He stalked
inside
making her
back away. “Why did you run
?”

“I didn’t run away. I left. There’s a big difference.” How she wished she had stopped to
put on her thick chenille
robe. She needed
that extra layer of protection, any protection she could get, against this man.

After
a pint of chocolate ice cream and
a bitch session followed by a crying jag both women had went to bed. Sophie awake
and
thinking of Jake. Mary Ann
had
accused her of running away
too
.
But Sophie
knew she
’d done the right thing.
She wasn’t for Jake Anderson. She was too curvy, too plain, too, well, too just
not
what he wanted.

“I don’t know why you’re here. I would think you’d be glad to be rid of me.”

The
breath was knocked out of her
as he pushed
her roughly against the wall. She found herself in the same position she’d been in earlier at the restaurant.
One big man pressing against her. Damn, it felt good.

“Rid of you?
” he laughed harshly. “I’ll never be rid of you.”

She looked up, trying to decide what he meant. His lids lowered over his eyes, hiding his expression.

“Did you eat?”

Sophie grunted and pushed against his chest, trying to
maneuver
him away. “Don’t start that again.”

“I didn’t start it again, it was never finished.”

When she just stood there, a
mutinous
expression on her beautiful face, he didn’t know whether to laugh or growl. Lord, she was stubborn.

“It is my responsibility to see to your needs.”

“Your responsibility? What do you think this
is a romance novel?”

Sophie
looked at him as if he’d suddenly developed two heads. At least she wasn’t looking at him as if he had a tail. His ani
mal was on a short leash, but he
was under control. There would be no partial shifting again tonight.

“I’m thinking more on the lines of a
n
erotic novel.
” He grinned at her, enjoying the flush that spread across her cheeks. He stepped closer and placed his hands
beside her head,
lean
ing
into her even more. He felt each breath that she took, her large full breast
s
pushing against him. Lord, he couldn’t wait to push his cock between those luscious mounds, making her suck his head with each stroke.
“What would you like to eat?”

Sophie
shook her head. “I just don’t understand.”

He pulled her closer, letting their bodies touch, letting her feel his heat
, his erection
. He wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her and absorb her. “You don’t have to, not yet. Tell me what you want.”

Sophie
bit her lip. Oh, boy was that a loaded questions. What she wanted was for him to strip her naked and take her on the entry way rug. She had no idea what was going on – her boss had showed up on her doorstep and apologized. What for, she really didn’t know.
She’d been the one to behave badly.
“I’m not really hungry.”

“Little li
a
r.”

He bent his head and nuzzled her ear. “Tell me,
Sophie
, I’ll give you anything you want.”

Even as naive as
Mary Ann
was always accusing her of being,
Sophie
knew he was referring to more than food. She felt her pussy flood.

Sophie’s scent of
arousal filled the air.
Jake
took her mouth without mercy, grinding his cock against her soft belly. His hands slipped between her ass and the wall,
and cupped
the generous curves. If it wouldn’t scare her to death, he’d turn her around and take her. Hard and fast, fucking her until she was raw, just like he’d warned her
he wanted to do
earlier.

The woman was going to be the death of him.
He hadn’t had sex since he’d smelled her scent
four months ago
and he couldn’t have sex until he convinced her she was his. Forever.

Yeah, he was so
totally
screwed.

He broke off the kiss and
moved his hands to her waist,
a safer location.
His thumbs
stroked the lower curve of her breasts. Soon he’d be feasting on that
flesh. Apparently t
here was no safe place on Sophie’s body he could touch without going up in flames. Everything, every curve, enticed him and made his imagination run wild.

The woman was going to be the death of him. He jerked away and scrubbed his
hands across his face
, trying to stay in control
. “Stay here. I’ll be back with some food.”

Before
Sophie
could say anything, he had opened the door and disappeared down the hallway.

* * * * *

Jake came back thirt
y minutes latter laden with take out bags
.
Unfortunately
for Sophie they were from her
favorite
Chinese restaurant. She’d told herself she was going to be strong and not eat anything, but the smell wafting from the white bags
weakened
her resolve. She
was
hungry, damn it.

“What did you do, mug a delivery boy
on his way to a frat party
?”

Jake grinned
. “I didn’t know what you liked so I got a little bit of everything. Next time I’ll know.
Let’s eat in here.” He motioned with the bags to the sma
ll room that served as the girl
s
’
living room. Inside sat
a three cushion sofa, a beat up recliner
,
and a big assed television with all the
latest
electronic gadgets.
They did love to watch movies on a big screen.

He whistled when he caught sight of their set-up. “I am impressed with you Sophie.”

She
followed him to the sofa, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“You need to thank Mary Ann. She’s the electronic guru.”

Hooking a foot beneath the coffee table he pulled it closer, depositing his bounty. He took off his suit jacket and tie and unbuttoned his shirt, yanking it from his trousers.

When he saw Sophie watching him with wide eyes he laughed. “Didn’t you say to make myself more comfortable? I wouldn’t mind if you wanted to change
into something more comfortable too.
”

Sophie stiffened. “I don’t even remember inviting you in.”

Which was a damn good thing he wasn’t a vampire. He’d been determined to get to his mate and nothing would have stopped him.

He sat down and leaned back against the cushions. She looked like she wanted to turn tail and run again. Which would have suited his wolf just fine. There was nothing like a
little hunting
before a night of fucking.

“If you don’t like what I’m wearing, Mr. Anderson, you can leave.” Her voice trembled and if he wasn’t mistaken, tears were forming in her eyes.

Damn it. His father had warned him. He knew he had to pull out all the stops and pour on the charm.

“Come
here, Sophie.” His voice was gentle. He held out his hand willing her to obey.

He was rewarded seconds later when she placed her hand in his.

Gotcha.

Jake jerked her forward, twisting her when she would have landed face first in his lap. Not that that would have been a bad thing.
He planned on convincing her to bring his shower fantasy to life quit
e
soon.

“Jake!”

Her ass landed on his lap. Landed on his semi-erect cock. He
grimaced
. M
aybe that hadn’t been such a smooth move
after all
. He pulled her forward taking her weight
off him and
adjust
ing
hi
mself into a more comfortable position. The move pushed her breast
s
into his chest. Another win, win for him.

He cupped the back of her neck with his hand
and
forc
ed
her head up so he could steal a hard, sweet kiss.

“Now who said anything about what you were wear
ing?
” His gaze racked over her. The jostling had twisted her shirt bunch
ing it
around her waist. It exposed the soft folds of her stomach and the swell of her hips.
He thought of her be
lly swollen with his child and
his dick hardened to the point of pain. The rigid flesh dug into the flesh of her ass.

“Jake.”
She whimpered now, feeling the ridge, feeling his need.

God, she was beautiful. He’d always thought t
he dissatisfaction he’d felt
in
the arms of the women over the years was because the women in his life weren’t his mate. Now he knew.
Curvy women with love in their eyes
were just so much better than skinny bitches
with money bags for hearts.

He pushed the hair back
from her face. She’d removed what
little m
akeup she’d worn on their date and
her face
was
as fresh
ly
scrubbed as a child’s.