City Wolf 2 Read online

  So life as usual. It wasn’t so bad.

  Chapter Three

  Nita sat daydreaming about the night before while chewing on a thumbnail. Her professor’s voice droned on, and while usually she was riveted to the lecture, having a great love of ancient history, today she couldn’t concentrate. A pair of dark eyes filled her mind, eyes that were almost black and lips so firm and good, she could feast on them for months without taking a breath.

  She had been flip with that woman. What was her name? Gloria. She’d been flip with her about not letting herself get into Lucas, but the truth was, she wanted more. Even if it was for one night of wild hot sex. That would be more than what she had come to expect in her life. Her lovers had been few and far between, and none of them were above average looking.

  With effort, she shifted her thoughts to Deandre. He was cute, but young. She was not at an age yet where she wanted to date younger men, to see if she still had it kind of thing. Then again, two men after her in one night was a rarity indeed. A girl would be out of her mind not to play it up a little, just for the fun of it.

  She grinned thinking of the train of her thoughts. Zandrea and Stacy would be rolling around on the floor laughing if they heard how she had picked up more of the relaxed way of speaking and thinking like they did. How could she not? Her life had been damn dull and filled with endless books before she met her two best girlfriends. She liked to think she was more down to earth now, and there wasn’t a thing wrong with it.

  “Ms. James?”

  Nita coughed and sat up straight. Her professor repeated his question, and she was clueless as to what he was talking about. Her cell rang. She held up a finger and gave an apologetic smile before darting out of the room. From the corner of her eye on her way out, she spotted Deandre. He winked. She didn’t acknowledge him beyond a nod but pressed her connect button to answer the phone.

  “Hello?” she whispered, shutting the lecture room door behind her.

  “Hey, girl. What are you doing?” Zandrea called through the phone.

  Nita grinned. “Z, you’re alive. I can’t believe it.”

  “Haha. Funny. Want to have lunch with me today?”

  Nita checked her watch. “It’s like eleven thirty. You don’t plan ahead, do you?”

  “No, you do enough of that for us all. Besides, I just managed to crawl out of my man’s bed for five minutes. I missed my girls, but that damn Stacy isn’t answering her cell. Probably forgot to charge it and she’s off in Timbuktu somewhere delivering a car.”

  Nita nodded. “Probably. Okay, where and what time? I had another half hour in this class, but I can just leave if I have to go any distance. This is my second time through it anyway.”

  “Damn, girl,” Zandrea complained. “Let the schooling go. Get a real job like everybody else. Or just lay around spending your money like regular rich folk.”

  Nita burst out laughing. “I’m not that rich. I have to live on a budget like everybody else. Plus I love learning. I was thinking about traveling next year, visit all the places I’ve only learned about in a classroom setting. The problem is, I don’t have anyone to go with me, and I’m a little nervous about going alone.” Inspiration hit her. “Maybe if I can secure a boyfriend he could go with me. That reminds me that I have to talk to you about something, and it’s a good thing Stacy won’t be there. She won’t think rationally if she knew.”

  “Oh, do tell,” Zandrea gushed.

  “In person. Where?”

  Zandrea gave her the details, and they agreed on the time before she hung up the phone. She had just enough time to run over to her room, shower and change before jumping on the highway to get to the restaurant where Zandrea wanted to meet. She had said they had some amazing steak dishes, which she wanted since it seemed to be all that Brant ever craved to eat.

  Nita couldn’t wait to hear about how things were going with Zandrea’s man and if she felt like he was the one. She doubted it because it seemed like all he wanted to do was have sex. That was good and all, but how did they learn more about each other and if they had common interests if their lips were locked together twenty-four seven?

  As Nita stepped into her shower securing a cap around her shoulder length chestnut curls, she recognized the green-eyed beast for what it was. She wanted a steady man in the bed just like anyone else, and if they had a lot in common that would be great too. She wouldn’t begrudge Zandrea for fulfilling one of those desires in her own life.

  * * * *

  “Nita!” Zandrea screamed as she ran up to her. Her friend’s arms wrapped around her in a hug that threatened crack a few ribs and squeeze out the last bit of air in Nita’s lungs. “I’ve missed you so much, sweetie.”

  Nita groaned. “I can tell. Easy. What did you do, go on steroids or what? You’re so strong and buff. I thought you’d have gained a little not leaving the bed all this time.”

  Zandrea chuckled and ran her fingers through her hair. It was several inches longer than when Nita had last seen it. Her friend’s hair never grew that fast before. It was a tad freaky.

  “Oh sorry. No, I’m used to Brant’s roughness. The man is insatiable, and I admit I love it. Plus, he has an exercise routine you wouldn’t believe to keep in shape.” She waved a hand in the air and rolled her eyes as she pulled Nita to a table. “But never mind that. Spill. I want to know what you have to say that you didn’t think it would be a good idea for Stacy to know. She’s like a mother hen to you, so what’s the baby bird been up to behind mama’s back?”

  Nita squirmed in her chair, looking down at her hands. Of the three of them, Stacy was the bold one, Zandrea was the wildest, but still bold, and Nita was the studious one, the woman with the least amount of experience with men. She knew that was why Stacy watched over her. Especially after she had nearly tied the knot with a broke guy who had just been after her money a few years ago. She would do well to be cautious, but she wasn’t looking for a husband or to hand over any money. She just wanted companionship. That wasn’t such a bad thing.

  “Well it’s about men,” she began. “Two of them.”

  “Two!” Zandrea whooped, drawing the attention of several other patrons, and Nita sank lower in her seat. Her friend laughed. “Sorry, girl. I just got excited. Okay, so who are they? You get busy with either of them yet? Are you sure you want to take on two at once?”

  Nita held up her hands laughing. “Slow down. No and no. I haven’t gotten busy yet, and no, I’m not sure about either one. One is named Deandre, and he’s cute. Younger, but I don’t know. Something mysterious about him that just draws me. Weird I know. And then there’s Lucas. He kissed me last night at the club—”

  “Lucas!” Zandrea’s eyes grew wide. “My Lucas? I mean Brant’s brother, Lucas? Which club?”

  Nita chewed her lip. “The one we always go to of course.”

  “Oh goodness, no baby. No way. Not him.” Zandrea shook her head back and forth so vigorously, her hair swung across her face. “Go with the other guy. Trust me. Lucas is the last man you want to take into your bed.”

  The same jealousy Nita had felt earlier came creeping back. Had Zandrea been intimate with Lucas and not liked it for some reason? But then again, when would she have? None of them had a man for a long while until Zandrea had gotten with Brant. And from what she’d heard about the man’s appetite, there was no way Zandrea could handle two sex hungry men.

  “What’s the big deal, Z? You...uh... you haven’t slept with him, have you?” Nita hated how she sounded like she was pleading for it not to be true.”

  “Fuck, no!” Zandrea exclaimed. “Not on your life. That cold bastard? In fact, I find it hard to believe he kissed you. He’d have to chip away the ice to meet your lips.”

  Nita smirked. “A lot of love for your brother-in-law.”

  Zandrea rolled her eyes. “Girl, don’t even.” She leaned back to study her menu a few minutes before laying it down and reaching across the table for Nita’s hands. “I’m sorry to be like Stacy wo
uld be on this one, sweetie, but she’d be right on the money. Lucas is bad news. You’re sweet and sensitive, and I know for a fact that his kind...I mean, the men in his family are charmers. They’ll get you naked in five seconds, before you even know what happened to you.”

  Nita considered that. It was true. One minute she had been telling Lucas off for thinking he could just rub up on her and kiss her neck, and the next she had thrown her head back and was letting him slide his tongue down her throat. A shiver ran over her body at the memory. She couldn’t help it. She wanted so much more. And she was pretty sure that woman who had warned her off of him just wanted more as well. Nita wasn’t looking for love with Lucas. Just sex. From the looks of things, she would have to keep her relationship with him a secret from her girlfriends. If it got serious, then would get their advice.

  She squeezed Zandrea’s hands. “Okay, I will take your advice and concentrate on the other guy. He seems safer anyway.”

  Zandrea beamed. “All right. Now, let me order because I’m famished, and you can tell me all about him.”

  Chapter Four

  Irritation rode Lucas’ back like a growth, and he shifted his shoulders for the hundredth time trying to get a release. For the last week, he had been avoiding Gloria with the last crumbs of willpower he had, but today he knew he would go to her. Why? Why the hell couldn’t he get her out of his damn system? Why her of all women?

  He had been leaning against the outside wall of the club he frequented trying not to look like he was waiting for her to show up. She’d taken to bouncing around from place to place, and he had no idea where she was staying. Tonight a long sleek black limo rolled up to the door, and when the driver opened the back door, he wasn’t surprised that Gloria stepped out. Her date, from the scent of him, was human. Lucas frowned. If a human female couldn’t normally handle a male shifter, a human man damn well couldn’t. And definitely not Gloria.

  Squinting his eyes, Lucas noted the puffiness around the man’s eyes and the way he shuffled slightly when he walked. He smirked. Gloria had worn the man to a frazzle, and he was only holding onto her for how she looked dangling from his arm.

  As they passed, Gloria caught his eye. The invitation was clear. She hadn’t gotten enough the night before and wanted him. Like the whipped puppy he was beginning to feel like around her, he started forward and then stopped at the fragrance that hit his nostrils. He turned his head toward the street to spot another car and another set of long sexy legs that were just unfolding from its interior.

  Thoughts of Gloria floated away when he spotted Nita. She couldn’t possibly satisfy him and yet, his mouth watered to have her, to hold her and look into those big warm eyes. Idiot, he chastised himself. She might not be of Gloria’s caliber, but she wouldn’t be any different. The proof was in the way she melded herself to the man whose arm she was on, those small soft breasts pressing against him, and the man practically drooling over the offering.

  Suddenly feeling worse than he did knowing he would give into Gloria, Lucas pushed off the wall and rudely slid ahead of the advancing couple to enter the club. He ignored the curse the guy threw at his back and the sharp gasp from Nita’s sweet lips. He needed a drink or several right now.

  His drink in his hand and his eyes on Nita’s hips, Lucas leaned an elbow on a table and tried not to be too obvious in his desires. It wasn’t working.

  “Whoa, dude, you want that? She’s human you know?” Nash, one of the men in his pack strolled up with a wide grin on his face. “You’ve been staring her down all night. That idiot she’s with isn’t much, scrawny. Why don’t you go over and take her?”

  Lucas suppressed a growl. “What I do or don’t do with her is none of your business.” He played with his glass a few minutes before speaking again. “Have you noticed he doesn’t smell human?”

  Nash frowned. “Huh? I haven’t noticed anything. I try to tone it down as much as possible in here. Sweat and other scents on people’s bodies can get to be a bit much in this atmosphere. So if he doesn’t smell human, what does he smell like?”

  Lucas shrugged. “Not sure. I thought I’d leave it alone, but...well, I’m curious.”

  “Just curious, huh?”

  Lucas gave him a look that said leave it alone. He would have no qualms about dragging the floor with his friend’s sorry ass to make a point about not fucking with him, especially when he was in the mood he was in tonight. If his damn brother would drag his ass out from between his mate’s legs for five minutes, he could talk to him about this guy, but Brant wouldn’t surface for a while. Lucas knew he damn sure wouldn’t if he had a mate.

  Shaking his head to clear it of those dangerous thoughts, Lucas frowned and redirected his gaze to sweep the club, checking out who was in attendance tonight. Right away, he spotted Gloria in a corner booth on the lap of her lover. The man looked like he was passed out, and Gloria appeared to be ready to explode in anger at not having her needs met. She liked public sex. He considered going over there and must have moved as if to go because Nash caught his arm.

  “Do you really want to do that, man?”

  Lucas eyed the other man’s hand on his sleeve. “Do you want to interfere with your pack leader?”

  Nash didn’t back down, one of the reasons Lucas kept him close. He didn’t kiss anyone’s ass, least of all Lucas’, and he told it like it was. “We both know how it was the time you found her in bed with another wolf. You hunted until you were nearly dead and didn’t shift out of your wolf form for two weeks. Brant and I went through a lot of shit to get your head screwed back on straight. You don’t want to go that route again.”

  Lucas shook his arm off. “And I don’t need to remind you that I am your Alpha. You don’t tell me, I tell you. Now step aside.”

  Nash didn’t move for a full thirty seconds, and then he seemed to think better of crossing Lucas. He bowed his head slightly and swept his arm out as an usher would. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  Ignoring the remark, Lucas threaded through the crowd, headed for Gloria. Sensing his approach, she glanced up, and the knowing look that came over her lovely face did not slow Lucas’ steps despite the resentment of her hold over him increasing inside of him. When he was within feet of her table, Lucas found his attention shifting again. Someone rushed through the crowd, jostling another person into his chest. Without a thought, his hands came up to steady the woman before she fell, and he found himself nose to nose with Nita. Or not quite nose to nose. For the second time he was struck by her tall lithe figure. Why did she appeal to him so much? And how could she be the only woman able to break the spell Gloria seemed to have over him?

  “Oh, excuse me.” She paused noting it was him, and her lips parted in a soft gasp.

  Lucas stared down at those warm chocolate lips, remembering how they tasted. His fingers tightened on her hips. They stared at one another for a long time before they were interrupted by an angry voice.

  “I suggest you get your get your hands off my woman, chief.”

  Nita was obviously irritated by the possessiveness in her date’s words. “I am not your woman, Deandre. But”—she glared at Lucas—“you do have a habit of putting your hands and your body where they don’t belong.”

  He grinned, his heart light for the first time that evening. “Oh, I don’t know. My hands feel like they belong right where they are. Don’t you agree?” He continued before she could answer. “In fact, my lips are thinking my hands have the right idea.”

  Deandre’s brows crashed low over his eyebrows, his lips tightened, and he laid a heavy hand on Nita’s arm. All the feelings of possessiveness that Lucas had felt that first night he’d kissed her came pouring down over him now. A growl started in his throat, and while he knew he must protect the secret of what he was above all else, he couldn’t think of anything beyond tearing Deandre’s arm off with his teeth.

  Two men stumbled up, both seeming to be drunk and unsteady on their feet, but Lucas knew differently since they were both
shifters, and one of them was Nash. With a loud hiccup in Deandre’s face and an arm thrown around his shoulders, Nash and his buddy noisily invited the mystery man to a round of drinks at the bar. Lucas, knowing what a steel barrier it appeared to be to resist against the shifter’s muscle, watched as Deandre was dragged away.

  He turned his attention back to Nita. “Dance with me, beautiful.”

  She scoffed. “Sounds like a command. I don’t obey orders. I’m a grown woman.”

  “Wouldn’t know it by how much time you’ve spent in school without focus.”

  She gasped. “If that’s your way of charming a woman, you have a lot to learn yourself.”

  He stepped closer to her and lifted her chin to bring her lips up to his. “Let’s get this straight right from the start, sweetness. I want one thing and one thing only from you.” He lightly touched her lips with his own and was gratified to find them trembling. Not with fear alone but with desire. He could sense that a mile off, from any woman. “I want to fuck you. If you prefer, I want to make love to you. Either way, I want into your bed. I have no doubt that I can please you. If it’s really good, we can continue in that capacity for a few sessions. What do you say?”

  Lucas knew he had released pheromones. In the shifters it was extremely powerful and potentially dangerous. He could lure a woman he did not mean to and cause all kinds of trouble. Younger shifters had that kind of trouble more often than the older ones, but sometimes he could forget if he was too focused on the object of his desire. Like he was now. With effort, he attempted to calm his raging desire in an effort to allow Nita to make her own decision regarding whether she accepted him as her lover. If he didn’t, she would be drawn to him like a bee to honey and wake up tomorrow wondering when she had consented. In a human, that could be devastating. Shifters were used to wild nights and mornings after. It came with the territory which had been what led to his conflict with Gloria.