Can't Touch This (7 page)

“Yes, I wanted to be the first.”

“You are.”

“How’s that?”

“You’re the first one I’ve brought to Big Bear.” And the
first human to bite him.
Shit
!

That silenced her as well as the ball gag had. It made her
ecstatic to hear she was the first he had touched with his toys in Big Bear,
the only one to have felt the little bullet vibrate and take her to the edge of
heaven. She understood she wasn’t the first woman he had taken with such force
but who was supposed to appreciate and satisfy all his needs and desires in
this room? The thought of someone else in this bed, his bed, annoyed her. The
man, or beast, holding her had opened up a completely new world for Harlow.
What if there was someone else?

Harlow had fallen in…lust. That’s all it was.

She remembered thinking she loved Jeff but they were both
young and inexperienced when they married. After wasting years trying to build
a life, they drifted apart, which could not have happened if their foundation
had been stronger and he had not tried to buy her at every turn. With Castle,
it was even flimsier.

They shared bits and pieces of pain.

“Darlin’, I practically hear the wheels turning.” He sighed.
“I have but one expectation, Harlow, and that’s honesty.”

“I can promise that.”

“It’s enough for now.”

“For now?”

“This is forever—I will not let you go.”

“I like what you do to me and how you make me feel. More
than anything, I love how you allow me to be me.”

“Damn, I hear
but
in there somewhere.”

“But this mating thing, I don’t understand it.”

“It’s older than time itself.”

“I’m the one at a disadvantage—you’re a goddamn werewolf.”

“Shifter.”

“I’m human, Castle.”

“Odd a human feels disadvantaged. My kind spent thousands of
years hiding from humans who tend to kill anything they don’t understand.”

“It would be useless for me to argue that point.” She
snuggled deeper into his arms. “Cass, the wolves will accept me because you’ll
make them. I’ll never know if they
really
like me.”

“Animals are many things, including deadly, cunning and
they’re great protectors that die defending home or family. Still, we maintain
a very ordered and simple existence. If they don’t like you, Harlow, my kind
will simply steer clear of you no matter what I tell them.” She yawned. “Go to
sleep, darlin’. Tomorrow’s another day.”

“Hold me tonight.”

“Every night.”

Castle should have told her about Brigadier when she
confided about her marriage. He had let the moment slip away.

Upon their return from Big Bear, Harlow insisted on going
home to get a good night’s sleep in preparation for work, and Castle had spent
practically every weeknight for the last two weeks at her place, leaving at the
crack of dawn when she headed to work. A few days were eaten up with pack shit
and he didn’t like it. Hell, Castle didn’t like anything that kept Harlow from
him.

Waiting was not something he handled well.

To top it all off, Castle couldn’t stop thinking about her
marriage. Wolves mated for life. He had told her it didn’t matter but it bugged
the shit out of Cass and forced him to move cautiously because her husband was
alive. “Jesus, if he ever appears on Harlow’s doorstep, I’ll kill him.” He’d
already set wheels in motion to find out more about the bastard and when their
divorce would be final. Harlow never voiced it, but Castle guessed the man was
responsible for her earlier shyness and fear of feelings that ran rampant
through her luscious body. Initially he’d figured the culprit was someone she’d
dated in the past, not a husband. The son of a bitch had made her feel like a
freak.

Cass had signed some contracts, finished up a proposal and
waited
again
, for Harlow’s call. Cass’s fingers drummed the desk. He had
had enough. He was used to taking action and this shit had to end.

Picking up the phone, he punched in a number. “It’s Castle Briggs,
put him on.” He rubbed the growth on his cheek, listening to canned music.
“Goddamn it, everyone’s busy but me!”

“Cass, what can I do for you?”

“Jeremiah, glad you could scrounge out a minute for me.”

“Next time I’ll poop with the phone on my lap. What do
you need?”

Jeremiah Breton had one of the sharpest legal minds around.
He was a modern-day Machiavelli who happened to be a shifter with connections
to every shady politician and unscrupulous organization in the world. He had
the utmost respect of every alpha he worked with and he frequently supplied
identities or simply brokered deals for most of the packs on the west coast. He
was one wolf Castle knew who rarely shifted anymore, and he managed to stay
under the radar and not be identified as years passed. Jeremiah surrounded
himself with savvy young shifters who followed in his footsteps. Cass and he
had become friends over a hundred years ago when they both decided to attend
university on a lark. Jeremiah secured paperwork and completed enrollment
arrangements after which he garnered a degree in law while Castle received his
in engineering. Jeremiah was the only person Castle trusted with his holdings.

Without Jeremiah’s handiwork, Castle wouldn’t have an
identity, nor would he be able to move about in the world of humans.

“I pay you to be available and it’s… Never mind. Look into a
company called Overnight Success and get back to me with figures.” His fingers
continued to tap highly polished wood.

“Sounds like you’re interested in acquiring? You want a
report on the other thing?”

“Exactly.” Castle had reached the end of his rope, and he
wanted Harlow to himself. “Make Overnight Success happen, and fast. You can
give me a report on the other thing later.”

He placed the phone back in the cradle and looked up to see
Hatch lounging against his doorjamb. “What?”

“Cass, what are you doing?”

“This doesn’t concern you.”

“Don’t do something rash.” Hatch walked in and sat in the
seat in front of Cass’s desk. “You’ve brooded for weeks and I know you. You’re
up to something that will piss her off.”

“Grisom, again, it’s no concern of yours.”

“I fucking
hate
when you call me that.” He leaned
over the desk. “You’re annoyed because I’m right.”

“Go to hell.”

“I’m not a stranger. I’m your second. No, I’m your friend. Don’t
chase Harlow away.”

“That won’t happen. If it does, you’re not responsible.”

“The pack can’t survive another vanishing act.
I
can’t survive it.” Hatch sat back in the seat, closed his eyes. “I’m not cut
out for the alpha shit, man. I don’t like dominating and running the pack.” A
long sigh passed through his lips. “After the last time, I can’t do it.”

Cass stood and moved to the window. He stared into the
street but saw nothing as memories regarding the time Hatch alluded to crowded
into his mind. He had run into a female shifter he hadn’t seen for over a
decade and spent damn near a month fucking her brains out. It was after a
rather grueling business trip and he welcomed the reprieve she provided though
Castle knew she tolerated his rough treatment just to keep him at her side for
as long as she could. He shook his head to clear it as he twisted to study his
best friend.

“Shit, Hatch, I’m sorry. I’ll never be gone that long
again.” It was pure luck he’d been in the Valley when Harlow appeared at The Moat.

He strode around the desk and placed a hand on the beta’s
shoulder. “Hatch, Jeremiah’s working on more than a business deal.” Cass ran a
hand through his hair. “She’s married.”

“Holy shit, that explains it.”

“Explains what?”

“You’ve been a fucking mess.”

The phone rang and Cass pounced on it. “Jeremiah.”

“You need to know about that other thing first. The name
is Jeff Hardison and he’s on his way from Michigan to pick up a car before
divorce papers are signed in a couple weeks.”

“He’s coming here?” He’d handle that problem when it cropped
up. “What about the business?”

“Overnight Success is solidly in the black and the
owner’s older. He put out a few feelers recently and I think he’d be interested
in selling if the price is right.”

“Buy it.”

“Have you thought this through? It won’t mesh well with
any of your holdings.”

“Hotels need products they provide, might be easier having
one company to deal with.”

Jeremiah grunted in Cass’s ear.
“May I remind you you’re
primarily in the aerospace business, not printing brochures, picture cards and
trendy trinkets?”

“Okay, I’ve been reminded, now buy it. I’ll run down to Los
Angeles tonight and deliver the contracts and proposals I’ve been working on.
You can meet Harlow.”

“You want a car at the airport?”

“I’m riding in.”

“See you later.”

He’d barely gotten the phone in its cradle when his cell
buzzed. “Harli, hey.” He watched Hatch as he let her talk. “Glad your day went
well. Throw on some jeans, a warm jacket, and meet me here. I want to ride down
to LA for the weekend. Couple things I need to look into.”

Hatch gaped. “I always thought you were the smart one.”

“I’ll keep her away from anyone who…”

“Might tell her the truth before you do?”

“I wasn’t the only one keeping secrets.”

“She did tell you though.”

“Get the fuck out.”

“Ride easy, man.”

The Valley had closed in on Castle, making him antsy. In
addition, his woman never missed a day of work or took time off so his meeting
with Jeremiah would be a pleasant break for her. No matter how deep he dug, he
couldn’t figure why he knew telling her would go badly. Trusting his instincts,
Castle tried to push the thought away. “I didn’t lie.” But buying the company
she worked for so she could be at his beck and call was some devious shit. “So
much for trusting my ass.”

* * * * *

Harlow whistled softly when they walked into the hotel
Brigadier’s lobby. “I’m underdressed.”

“We’ll grab something from one of the shops.”

“I’m fairly sure I can’t afford anything they’d sell here.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

“I don’t need your money, I’m perfectly capable of paying my
way.”

Castle pulled her into his arms and kissed her so long she
had to push him away to breathe. One hand gripped her ass; the other grasped
her chin and made her look at him. “You will wear what I buy. Understand?”

The glint in his eyes, the swell of cock pressed into her
belly caused her to whisper, “Yes.”

“Good.” He swatted her behind. “Now I’ve got to register
with a bulge in my pants.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be.” He planted a softer kiss on her mouth. “You’ll
pay for it later. Wait here.”

As Harlow glanced around the massive lobby, she noted a few
people look away. Color flushed her cheeks. Finding a chair, she sat and picked
up a magazine boasting of the amenities found within the hotel. She stopped at
a page featuring a couple dressed to the nines in front of a window undoubtedly
belonging to one of the better suites as the buildings behind them towered into
the night sky. The woman’s black dinner dress was short and fitted without
straps. The black heels she wore had to be at least five inches and if the
designer’s name under the picture was anything to go by, Harlow would never own
a single item represented on the page.

Castle returned much sooner than expected and took the
publication from her hand. Eyeing the picture, he smiled before closing and
placing it back on the table. “Come on.” He coaxed her through the lobby and
down a wide hallway filled with guests peeping into shop windows. When he
stopped in front of an elegant shop, Harlow resisted his nudge toward the door.
“Do we have to discuss this again?” He tweaked one of her nipples hard.

“Castle!”

He opened the door and pushed her in. “Sit, I’ll be right
back.”

Cass walked to the counter and briefly spoke with a woman
who peered in her direction with a bright smile. She approached Harlow, and
Castle instructed, “Give Miss Kelly your dress and shoe size, she’ll take care
of everything.”

“I may need to try it on.”

Reaching under her arms, he lifted her from the chair and
snaked fingers beneath her shirt. Castle rubbed the base of her spine and
Harlow’s knees buckled when his scent wafted around her head. “Trust me, babe.”
Taking her hand, he led her from the shop. “Let’s have a drink before we go to
our suite.”

“A suite, Cass?”

“Did you expect less?”

“I thought we’d grab a burger and fries at In and Out, spend
the night at some little out-of-the-way motel, screw our brains out, wake up,
eat eggs and bacon, ride back toward the Valley, find a grassy spot to fuck
some more, and then go home.”

“Damn, darlin’, guess I better find you a burger joint.”

“Highly unlikely that will happen here.”

Castle leaned and bit her earlobe. “Do you believe in
werewolves?”

Harlow narrowed her eyes. “What’s that mean?”

“Nothing, Harli, let’s have that drink.”

They finished their cocktails and took the elevator, which
she noticed needed a code, to the top floor. “Cass, Jesus, the penthouse. Can
you afford this?” Harlow figured a night in this room reached into the
thousands.

* * * * *

“Babe, do me a favor.” The way Harlow reacted to him purchasing
one outfit dashed his hopes of opening up to her about his businesses. In fact,
it solidified in Castle’s mind he had done the right thing by not telling her.
Who the hell had fucked her up and took the joy out of receiving a simple gift?
He couldn’t keep himself from mentally laying the blame for this at her
husband’s feet also. He punched in a code that automatically opened the door.
“Let me worry about finances and you just have a good time. You work too
fucking much.”

“I’m here, Cass.”

He grinned. “You’re right.”

Harlow glanced around and sucked in a draft of air. “Damn.
I’d swear this was the same view I noted in the catalogue I was looking
through.”

“Maybe they use it for photo shoots.” Cass was well aware
they did. “You should take one of those luxury baths women are famous for.”

“What will you do?”

“Shower and wait for you.” He waited for her to close the
door of the largest bedroom before he made his first call.

It was to check on his purchases. Harlow had only been gone
about ten minutes when Castle answered the door and ushered Miss Kelly into the
room. “Is everything here?”

“Dress, shoes and lingerie as requested. I have your suit,
shirt and shoes also. Everything has been charged to your account.”

“You’re a gem.”

“Anytime, Mr. Briggs, it’s a pleasure to have you in
residence.”

He laid the clothes across the back of a nearby sofa. “Would
you give this to the chef for me?” Cass slipped a folded note into her hand.

“Should I tell him what time to expect you?”

“Tell him my usual table at nine.”

“Yes sir.”

“There’s something in the note for you and thanks, Miss
Kelly.”

“My pleasure.” She closed the door softly behind her.

Castle called Jeremiah to let him know he had arrived, then
he took Harlow’s things to the bedroom she used. He opened and placed
everything on the bed and smiled as he snagged the elastic band of a tiny pair
of black thongs and brought them to his cheek where he rubbed them. “Jesus, I’m
putting my scent on her fucking panties.” He couldn’t wait to see Harli in the
outfit she’d ogled in the catalogue. His things he carried to the second
bedroom where he shucked his clothes and took a quick shower. He wanted to be
in the main sitting area when she came out.

Waiting, Cass enjoyed a rye whiskey behind a fully stocked
bar. When she opened the door and walked out, he gripped the counter.
Jesusfuckingchrist!
He’d seen her in the outfits she wore to work, but this—beautiful didn’t do
Harlow justice; she was goddamn magnificent looking. “Damn, babe, you’re
gorgeous.” He saluted her with his drink and swallowed every drop. Castle
needed something to dampen his libido.

* * * * *

Castle in a black suit, a crisp white shirt with two or
three buttons undone, his long hair free of its leather tie—Harlow’s fate was
sealed.