Big Bad Beast
Page 30
All of it. Because none of those things mattered to Dee-Ann Smith. Words, money, glamourto Dee, he might as well be speaking Cantonese. In fact, Ric was pretty sure doing any of that would only make his She-wolf run from him faster than a gazelle from a cheetah.
While his mind turned, he thought about the woman currently in his arms. This woman, this female, was a predator. A hardened predator that appreciated a meal more when it put up a fight. And that was true about Dee-Ann in every other facet of her life. Shed accept the easy meal, the half-eaten carcass lying in her path, waiting to be devoured. But that wasnt nearly as fun as the moose calf hiding behind its pissed off mother.
No, if Ric merely bent Dee over the stainless-steel island in the middle of his kitchen, took her from behind, and told her she was his and they would be together forever, shed laugh, take her orgasm, and go. Hed never see her again, even if he marked her with every fang in his head. He knew that with the same certainty as he knew how to breathe.
And that left only one option for the first phase of making Dee-Ann a permanent part of Rics life. A risky option Ric really didnt want to take, but he had no choice. He wanted Dee forever, not just now, for tonight.
So Ric did the last thing he ever wanted to do.
He pulled away.
Dee, he forced himself to say around all that panting and a cock that was so hard it hurt and made it almost impossible to think straight. We really shouldnt be doing this. Yellow, predatory eyes watched him for a moment, her brain trying to wrap itself around the idea of a male, any male, stepping away from what shed clearly been offering. First, it was confusion he saw in her eyes. Then, it was realization. But it wasnt until those cold eyes narrowed the slightest bit, her gaze locking on Ric with an intensity that took his breath away that he understood something very important . . .
He was now running away simply so he could be caught.
CHAPTER 10
D ee had to admit she was damned confused. What was Ric doing? He was panting, had a hard-on, and looked ready to eat her alive. So why was he pulling away? Someone else might guess he didnt want the good Van Holtz name sullied by having a Smith in his bed, but she knew that was not Rics way of thinking. This had nothing to do with money or lack of money or fancy names or any other prestige bullshit. Besides, who had to ever know? They were two people in this apartment, alone, and horny. It all seemed perfect to her but still . . . here was Ric, pulling away.
If she thought for a second he simply didnt want her, she wouldnt worry about it. Shed head off to bed and quietly masturbate. In her estimation it was one of the reasons the Lord gave them all fingersjust for this scenario.
But he did want her.
So maybe he was shy? Shed known him quite a few months now and although he spent a lot of his timearound other females, from what Dee could tell, he hadnt put a move on any of them. Good, ol friendly Ric. Kind of funny since a good chunk of these women went after Van Holtz like a wild dog went after a tennis ball. Canines, felines, full-humansthey all went after Ric and that perfectly sculpted face. They all wanted him but none had been able to get him.
This was usually where Dee would assume that maybe Ric was gay. With a father like he had, she could totally understand the man hiding it. Yet that didnt make sense either because more than once shed looked over at him and found him peering at her like she was a piece of Japanese beef begging to be sauted in one of his pans.
No. She felt pretty certain that being gay wasnt the issue. Neither was Dees miniscule bank account and less-than-reputable family name.
So then . . . what?
Dee decided to ask. We shouldnt do thiswhy?
Ric took a step back. We work together, Dee. Yet he was always trying to talk her into getting naked. Damn it, the man was confusing!
Dee took a step forward. Well be discrete.
He cleared his throat, took another step back. Im your supervisor. It would be grossly inappropriate of me to take advantage of our situation.
She took another step forward. Were not full-humans who dont understand boundaries, Ric.
We both know we would never ruin our working relationship over sex. And thats all this is . . . just sex. Really hot, sweaty sex, she was betting. Something that she hadnt realized until this moment she needed a good dose of.
Right, he said, taking another step back, and slamming his perfect ass into the counter behind him. Just sex. Thats great. Just sex, he rambled on. Its just that Dee slammed her hands against the counter behind him on either side of his hips, caging him in with her arms and body. Its just . . . what?
Im more a . . . uh . . . relationship kind of guy.
Dee almost rolled her eyes. Was that it? He wanted a relationship? Well, they already had a relationship, right? They were friendly . . . damn near friends some would say. And that was good enough, wasnt it? It had to be, because when she stepped in closer, pressing her groin into his, and she felt the length and width of the steel pipe waiting for her behind that zipper . . . she knew it would damn well have to be good enough.
Were friends, Ric.
Im friends with Lock, but weve never
Right. Lord, the man could be literal. But were . . . special friends. She leaned in a little closer. And thats the best kind of friends of all.
While his mind turned, he thought about the woman currently in his arms. This woman, this female, was a predator. A hardened predator that appreciated a meal more when it put up a fight. And that was true about Dee-Ann in every other facet of her life. Shed accept the easy meal, the half-eaten carcass lying in her path, waiting to be devoured. But that wasnt nearly as fun as the moose calf hiding behind its pissed off mother.
No, if Ric merely bent Dee over the stainless-steel island in the middle of his kitchen, took her from behind, and told her she was his and they would be together forever, shed laugh, take her orgasm, and go. Hed never see her again, even if he marked her with every fang in his head. He knew that with the same certainty as he knew how to breathe.
And that left only one option for the first phase of making Dee-Ann a permanent part of Rics life. A risky option Ric really didnt want to take, but he had no choice. He wanted Dee forever, not just now, for tonight.
So Ric did the last thing he ever wanted to do.
He pulled away.
Dee, he forced himself to say around all that panting and a cock that was so hard it hurt and made it almost impossible to think straight. We really shouldnt be doing this. Yellow, predatory eyes watched him for a moment, her brain trying to wrap itself around the idea of a male, any male, stepping away from what shed clearly been offering. First, it was confusion he saw in her eyes. Then, it was realization. But it wasnt until those cold eyes narrowed the slightest bit, her gaze locking on Ric with an intensity that took his breath away that he understood something very important . . .
He was now running away simply so he could be caught.
CHAPTER 10
D ee had to admit she was damned confused. What was Ric doing? He was panting, had a hard-on, and looked ready to eat her alive. So why was he pulling away? Someone else might guess he didnt want the good Van Holtz name sullied by having a Smith in his bed, but she knew that was not Rics way of thinking. This had nothing to do with money or lack of money or fancy names or any other prestige bullshit. Besides, who had to ever know? They were two people in this apartment, alone, and horny. It all seemed perfect to her but still . . . here was Ric, pulling away.
If she thought for a second he simply didnt want her, she wouldnt worry about it. Shed head off to bed and quietly masturbate. In her estimation it was one of the reasons the Lord gave them all fingersjust for this scenario.
But he did want her.
So maybe he was shy? Shed known him quite a few months now and although he spent a lot of his timearound other females, from what Dee could tell, he hadnt put a move on any of them. Good, ol friendly Ric. Kind of funny since a good chunk of these women went after Van Holtz like a wild dog went after a tennis ball. Canines, felines, full-humansthey all went after Ric and that perfectly sculpted face. They all wanted him but none had been able to get him.
This was usually where Dee would assume that maybe Ric was gay. With a father like he had, she could totally understand the man hiding it. Yet that didnt make sense either because more than once shed looked over at him and found him peering at her like she was a piece of Japanese beef begging to be sauted in one of his pans.
No. She felt pretty certain that being gay wasnt the issue. Neither was Dees miniscule bank account and less-than-reputable family name.
So then . . . what?
Dee decided to ask. We shouldnt do thiswhy?
Ric took a step back. We work together, Dee. Yet he was always trying to talk her into getting naked. Damn it, the man was confusing!
Dee took a step forward. Well be discrete.
He cleared his throat, took another step back. Im your supervisor. It would be grossly inappropriate of me to take advantage of our situation.
She took another step forward. Were not full-humans who dont understand boundaries, Ric.
We both know we would never ruin our working relationship over sex. And thats all this is . . . just sex. Really hot, sweaty sex, she was betting. Something that she hadnt realized until this moment she needed a good dose of.
Right, he said, taking another step back, and slamming his perfect ass into the counter behind him. Just sex. Thats great. Just sex, he rambled on. Its just that Dee slammed her hands against the counter behind him on either side of his hips, caging him in with her arms and body. Its just . . . what?
Im more a . . . uh . . . relationship kind of guy.
Dee almost rolled her eyes. Was that it? He wanted a relationship? Well, they already had a relationship, right? They were friendly . . . damn near friends some would say. And that was good enough, wasnt it? It had to be, because when she stepped in closer, pressing her groin into his, and she felt the length and width of the steel pipe waiting for her behind that zipper . . . she knew it would damn well have to be good enough.
Were friends, Ric.
Im friends with Lock, but weve never
Right. Lord, the man could be literal. But were . . . special friends. She leaned in a little closer. And thats the best kind of friends of all.
