Sex Symbol (11 page)

“When the change is complete, he will become a wolf entirely, at least in appearance.”

“So, he’ll look just like a real wolf except bigger?”

“Yes.”

“But why is he turning now, wasn’t the full moon last night?”

“Yes. He’s not strong enough to resist yet when the moon is still this close to full.”

“Oh.” I pretended that made sense to me and forced myself to pull away from the window. Watching that creature in my yard was sort of like driving by a car wreck. I didn’t want to look, but couldn’t seem to stop myself. Morbid curiosity, I suppose.

No matter how much I tried to remain calm I must have been visibly shaken, because Eramus pulled me closer. I was shivering and now it was from cold. My hair was wet and my bare feet felt like ice against the wooden floors. My bedroom shoes were sopping wet, so I’d left them in the bathroom downstairs without remembering to dry my feet.

Eramus opened his robe and wrapped me in his warmth. He smelled of fresh rain, soap and leather. But underneath that there was something more. Something I couldn’t identify, but loved. His scent moved me the way watching a really good movie or reading a romantic poem usually did. There is no way to put into words what being near him did to my heart. The moment was undeniably real and yet it was magic all at the same time. I barely knew him, but being in his arms came as naturally to me as breathing. And it felt just as necessary. I ran my hands around his sides and hugged him back. Eramus lowered his face to rest against my head, effectively tucking me away from the rest of the world. It felt like going home after a long vacation and finding everything still there, right where you left it. It was a comfort unlike anything I had ever known. I was safe.

“You can sleep with me tonight if you want to,” he said. His voice had taken on a husky quality and it made me shiver again.

His words made me pull back just a little bit, but not enough to let go completely.

“Eramus, I barely know you. I can’t believe I’m standing here like this—”

“For comfort,” he added, “and for warmth. I haven’t unpacked all my blankets yet. I don’t have any firewood and my heat is broken.”

“That’s kind of you, but I don’t know. I don’t usually act like this.” I laughed at my words. “That’s such a cliché. What I’m trying to say is that I don’t go around spending the night with men I just met, for comfort or otherwise.”

His smile was warmer than any blanket and suddenly, I couldn’t understand the need for a heater at all.

“Then let’s go downstairs and have some tea. Maybe if you get to know me a little better, you’ll let me keep you warm tonight.”

I was so taken aback by his words that I stood there with my mouth open for a full ten seconds before following him back downstairs. When I reached the kitchen he was already straining his tea. The situation felt intimate, but not awkward in any way. Even though I’d been watching him for three weeks, I’d only just “met” him today. And here I was more than half naked, sitting in his kitchen while he made tea. It was positively cozy. I sat there for a moment, wondering why the circumstances didn’t bother me, but they didn’t. It felt natural that I should be there and that he should be in his pajamas. I felt like I had known him for years instead of hours.

“Would you care for some English tea? I’ve got an assortment in the cabinet here.”

His robe was almost completely dry and made a slippery, swishing noise when he opened the door for me to have a look. Once again this revealed his chest and I couldn’t hide my smile of pleasure at the sight. I moved to stand beside him and glanced at all the neatly arranged boxes. There was lots of chamomile.

“Do you have trouble sleeping?” I asked.

“Sometimes.”

As he brought the tea to his lips he made a face. Not a bad one, just enough that I noticed.

“What kind are you drinking?”

He took another big gulp. It looked more like he was taking medicine than enjoying a cup of tea.

“It’s an acquired taste,” he said, obviously forcing a smile. “May I suggest the Breakfast Blend?”

“All right.”

I handed him the box.

“Depending on how shaken up you are, it also goes well with a shot of whiskey.”

“I look that nervous, huh?” I propped against the counter beside him and crossed my arms to keep the large robe from falling open. It smelled like him and I tried to pretend that the scent wasn’t driving me wild.

He shrugged. “Most people aren’t used to getting chased by werewolves.” As he poured steaming water into a dainty red cup he added, “And that’s a good thing.”

Eramus handed me the cup after adding the whiskey and I stirred it thoughtfully with the little spoon he’d left in.

“So, now that you know what I used to do, and I know what you do, let me ask you something else.” He made it sound like more of a request than a statement, which was nice.

“Okay.”

“Are you sure you aren’t dating Ozzy?”

I nearly choked on my first sip of tea.

“No,” I said, clearing my throat, “we’re not dating.”

He refilled his cup, straining the tea from the same batch of herbs. While his back was to me he asked, “Have you ever slept together?”

His line of questioning was not something I’d normally put up with. But I liked Eramus and I sensed there was no malice behind his words. He just wanted to know. When I would have slapped anyone else, to him I answered, “Yes. As a matter of fact he spent the night at my house last night for that very purpose.” Well, that was certainly more than I meant to tell. I had only intended to say “yes”.

The more tea he drank, the more his eyes seemed to darken back to a warm brown. And those dark eyes met me straight on without flinching. The next thing I knew I was launching into a long story about my failed relationship with James, about Chase and all his advice, and how it was his idea for me to sleep with Ozzy. But I also didn’t deny that I’d wanted him. I did, however, make sure to point out that such was not my normal behavior. I just needed to blow off some steam with someone I trusted.

“But Ozzy is all right with it because he’s a sociopath and I couldn’t possibly hurt his feelings.” I could have crawled under the table. How crazy did I sound? “I mean, I had no expectation of ever getting to know you and…” I paused again and slapped my palm against my forehead as if that would stop this horrible episode. “What I meant was if I had known that I would start talking to you the next day and we would hit it off so well, maybe I would have…hell. I wanted to sleep with Ozzy. Who am I kidding? And now I find myself very attracted to you and I don’t know if my reacting this way after having sex with him just the night before makes me a slut or—”

“A woman,” he interrupted. The smile on his face was to die for. “You’re only flesh and blood, Lucy, and Ozzy’s not a bad-looking man.” His smile grew wider at the shocked look I gave. “Of course, he’s not my type.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Eramus, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, going on like this. I haven’t been myself lately. It’s like my hormones are in overdrive and—” HOLY SHIT! Had I just said that out loud?! “Jesus, what the hell is wrong with me?”

I walked over to the table and sat down, staring into my tea. If I refused to open my mouth again, I couldn’t possibly make a bigger ass of myself. I felt Eramus sit down beside me and when his hand touched mine my resistance was gone.

“They say that confession is good for the soul. You can say whatever you like to me.”

I took a deep breath. “I have no idea why I told you all that. I’m a very private person. I keep to myself, honest.”

He sat back and his robe fell open. I found myself transfixed by the way his abdomen flexed with every breath.

“There is a legend among the lycans that says when one finds their mate, they have the need to bare their soul.”

That was not what I expected to hear. Actually, I expected him to call me a crazy bitch and send me on my way, no matter what was outside. Instead he was talking about legends…and did he just say mate?

“You mean a werewolf legend?”

“Yes. I don’t know if it applies to us, but I thought it might make you feel better.”

“You mean to think that what I did was out of some sort of need rather than idiotic rambling.”

“You’re not an idiot.”

He leaned forward and brushed the hair back from my face, tucking it gently behind my ear. Our lips were so close that when he pulled away I almost followed him this time. I wanted so much to know what he tasted like.

“Are you saying that you’re my mate?”

He laughed. “I’m saying that I like you too and maybe the attraction you described is why you—”

“Can’t shut up,” I supplied. “That’s kind of you. It’s all right to just agree that I’ve made an ass of myself.”

He laughed again and I couldn’t help but return his smile.

“What happened to the woman who gave as good as she got earlier this evening?”

That comment sounded so dirty that it took me a while to realize he was referring to our clever banter about whether or not he should wear pants.

“Well, that was before I was chased by a werewolf,” I countered. “Things like that can shake someone up pretty good.”

I think the wink was involuntary as he said, “Why can’t you just admit that I get to you?”

I tried to stare him down, but it wasn’t working.

“Go out with me sometime,” he said suddenly.

“What?”

“Don’t say ‘what,’ say ‘yes’.”

Of course I wanted to date him, but after the way I’d just acted I wouldn’t blame him if he thought I was mental.

“Why would you want to go out with me?”

The look he gave scorched me to the core. How the hell did he do that with just a look?

“Why wouldn’t I?” he replied smoothly. His deep baritone voice was unlike any aphrodisiac I had ever known. I was about to say that I’d let him keep me warm any time when he changed the subject.

“So, tell me about this ex of yours.”

That startled me. James was the last person I wanted to think about right now.

“What’s there to tell? We dated, lived together for a while, it didn’t work out.”

There was no lying to those eyes. “He hurt you.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yes.” After a slight hesitation I confessed, “I’ve never loved anyone the way I loved James. But…he didn’t want to be with me. So I let him go. Now he’s dating someone else and there are rumors he might start a family.”

He rubbed my shoulder and I felt like I was melting. “That has to hurt.”

“It hurts like hell, but why do you want to know all this stuff?”

I’d never met a man who wanted to hear about the other men in my life. Most guys wanted to block out the fact that you’d ever slept with anyone else. What was up with him?

“Knowing who you care about helps me to know you.” He smiled. “And I would like to know you.”

We spent the next hour or so talking about anything and everything. But, Eramus did most of the questioning. Until finally I asked, “Have you ever been married, Eramus?”

“Nope.”

“Ever been engaged?”

“No, but I came close once.”

“What happened?”

“She was killed many years ago. She lived with me and as a result she was attacked by a werewolf.”

I gasped. “How awful. Did she turn?”

“Yes.”

I could tell it hurt him to talk about her, but I wanted to hear more. After all, I’d just spilled my guts about James and that wasn’t exactly easy.

“What happened?” I couldn’t bring myself to ask what I really wanted to know—had he been the one to kill her?

“I tried to hide what had happened to her, but there was no hope for it. She got out of control one night and attacked my grandfather. He killed her in self-defense. After that night, he retired.”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

He shook off the pain like a cloak and turned a warm smile toward me. “Don’t be. You answered all my nosy questions, it was only fair.”

“Was your grandfather all right? After the attack, I mean.”

He took another sip of tea and made another slight grimace. “Fine. He was scratched, but my grandpa is immune to the lycanthropy virus.”

“Really?” I was surprised to hear that.

He shrugged. “Some people have a natural immunity. They’ve been working for years on a vaccine so that everyone else could be immunized. But I don’t think it will ever work.”

“You said that you were retired too. How long since you quit?”

He finished the tea and with a look of triumph set down the empty cup. “Two years.”

“What prompted you to quit? I don’t mean to be too nosy, but you still look young. I guess I just associate retirement with someone older.”

“I’m thirty-eight and I decided to stop hunting werewolves when I became one.”

I put down the little red teacup and moved for the door faster than I had thought possible. And even faster Eramus followed.

“Please, don’t be afraid of me.”

He reached for me and I pulled back. The look in his eyes made me wish I had died instead of refuse his touch. Did I really hurt his feelings that badly?

His hand dropped to his side defeatedly and he lowered his head as he moved back to the table. “I was looking for a way to tell you. Obviously, that was not the right way. I’m not going to wolf out and decide to eat you or anything.” He lifted the empty cup as he spoke. “This god-awful mixture I just forced down is made from wolfsbane. It suppresses the beast. Besides that, after two years I have learned a good deal of control on my own.” He met my eyes again as he added, “And before you ask, no, I don’t know the wolf outside and I have no idea what he’s doing here.”

He stood up again and extended a hand toward me. “Tell me you didn’t feel safe with me before you knew and I’ll escort you back home myself. But you should know I’d rather not get into a fight tonight. So if you trust me then take my hand and let’s finish our tea.”

We sat in silence for several minutes while he drank another cup of tea and I continued to sip mine.

“You’re dangerous.” When I finally found my voice again, that was all I could think to say.