Wolf Me Baby Read online

  She laughed slamming her glass down. “Hit me, girl.”

  By the time the Uber came, we were on our way to being suitably sauced. The driver looked at us and shook his head, but neither of us cared. We climbed into the backseat of the Prius he was driving and told him where we were going.

  “So what do you think of your trainer—what was his name again?” Kayla asked.

  “Nicholas,” I replied. “He’s great. He’s not too soft on me, but not too hard either.”

  “Oh, so you don’t like hard?” she joked giving me a wink. “I seem to remember hearing someone mention how her ex wasn’t hard enough in the bedroom and—”

  I covered her mouth with my hand. “Yes, that’s quite enough out of you.” I could feel her giggling underneath my palm, and I rolled my eyes with a helpless grin. She lifted a hand up and moved mine out of the way.

  “But seriously, how is he? I mean, I know he’s a total hottie and everything, but is it working out okay training wise?”

  I shrugged. “He’s fine. I don’t really have anything to compare him to since I’ve never even had a personal trainer before, but I think I’m making good progress. I haven’t tried on any old clothes so I don’t know if it’s working or not, but I’ve cut back one cup of coffee in the morning so at least the endorphins are helping somehow.”

  Kayla smiled. “That’s a relief. I still shudder when I remember coming to your house and finding you spread eagle on the floor in the living room. You scared me half to death!”

  I chuckled as I remembered that particular moment in history. I’d been working on my most recent novel and had been writing for thirty-two hours straight and consuming nothing but coffee and Redbull. By the time I called Kayla to come over, I was crashing hard to the point that I was nearly comatose when she arrived. “Yeah…I’ll make sure there’s not a repeat of that one.”

  “Good. I am far too young to start getting gray hairs due to your over-reliance on caffeinated beverages and energy drinks.”

  “Deadlines, babe. Deadlines.”

  Kayla sighed and we were quiet the rest of the way there, and I made sure to avoid the Uber driver’s gaze when he let us out. I was never sure whether or not the drivers paid much attention to their fares’ conversations, but I’d seen his gaze wander to mine when Kayla mentioned my desire for rougher play in bed. I didn’t want some stranger knowing the intimate details of what I did behind closed doors. There were too many crazy people out there who might take that as an invitation.

  The bar was further down the street than the gym, though I could see it from where we stood on the curb. The lights were all on and I wondered if Nicholas was still there. Maybe he was giving some bombshell private nightly lessons. I frowned and shook my head. It was pointless to think about him right now. I turned away and followed Kayla to the front entrance of the bar. The bouncer gave Kayla a lingering once-over before waving her in, and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at how obvious he was being. When it was my turn, he tersely checked my license before letting me in. I sighed at that. Tonight was apparently going to be one of those kinds of nights.

  “Come on, don’t look so grumpy,” Kayla said slinging her arm through mine. “We’re here on a mission of carnal need and desire.”

  I couldn’t help but chuckle at her antics. She always did know how to make me feel better. “You’re ridiculous,” I replied, but I followed her to the bar without arguing. We stood there for a moment and I tried to ignore the lustful stares random men were throwing her way. It always annoyed me that the noticeably large ring on her finger didn’t dissuade men from undressing my friend with their eyes. Didn’t anyone have manners anymore?

  Kayla thrust another shot glass in my hand and I looked at it. “Oh no.” I looked up into her mischievous expression. “You know I do not do tequila.”

  “Oh come on,” she replied turning more fully towards me with her own shot glass filled to the brim with the amber liquid. “Tequila is awesome.”

  “Tequila makes me vomit. I have never had a night end well with tequila, you know this.” She grinned and tilted her head back as she poured the shot into her mouth. I winced at the thought of how it must taste before looking down at my own. “Let it be known that I hate you.”

  “Duly noted,” she replied wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “Now stop being a pussy, woman up and swallow the damn shot.”

  “You get foul-mouthed when you’re drunk,” I said before swallowing back the acidic shot. The after taste made me gag, but I fought against it. I knew the shot would be even more terrible if it decided to come back up. I slammed the glass onto the bar. “Jesus that burns like a bitch.”

  Kayla laughed before grabbing my arm and pulling me in the direction of the dart boards. “Let’s play a little and be seen. We can scope out any possible targets as well.”

  I agreed and let myself be pulled over to where four dart boards were set up along the back wall. A few people were already huddled around including a big group of women who all seemed to be carbon copies of Victoria’s Secret models. “Oh, for fuck’s sake.”

  “What?” Kayla asked perking up and looking around. “Is your ex here?”

  “No,” I replied. I tried to motion towards the other women with my eyes, without being caught. “How am I going to catch anyone’s attention with them around?”

  “Please, they all look high-maintenance. You are gorgeous and even better, you don’t realize it.” Kayla reached up and curled a finger in my hair. “I’ve always wished my hair was as silky and shiny as yours.”

  “Why?”

  She looked at me as if I’d asked a stupid question. “If you have to ask that then you’re an idiot.”

  “Ouch. Rude,” I replied with a smile.

  “Please. You love it. Snark and sarcasm is like foreplay to you.”

  “Touché.”

  “Hey ladies.” That familiar voice coming from behind me made me tense up.

  “This is so not happening,” I whispered under my breath before turning around and coming face-to-face with the man who’d starred in my most recent pussy grabbing fantasy. “Hi, Nicholas.” I tried to put some false cheer into my voice. “What are you doing here?”

  He looked damn good. Even more so out of his familiar gym clothes. His hair was still as perfectly laid as ever, but his trimmed torso was poured into a plain black tee that looked soft to the touch. His long legs were encased in dark-washed denim that were snug enough to nicely frame his ass. I swallowed thickly before dragging my gaze back up to his.

  He was looking at me intensely and I balked at the thought of him realizing I was staring. “I live near here and saw that the bar finally opened. My boys and I figured we’d try it out and see how it is.”

  I nodded along. “Boys? Makes sense. Where are they?” I glanced around just to look at something other than him. I swore internally as I felt my cheeks heat at the thought of talking to him—right after I’d fingered myself to a fantasy of him. My eyes landed on the group of women I’d seen when Kayla and I first walked over to the darts section, and their looks of envy and disbelief were equal parts annoying and smug-inducing. I turned my gaze back to Nicholas.

  His gaze was firmly fixed on me, and I thought I saw his nostrils flare as if taking in a scent. I narrowed my eyes trying to catch the slight motion again, but he turned and gestured behind him at where the pool tables were. “They’re shooting some pool. I saw you two over here and figured I’d say hi and see if you girls wanted to join us.”

  I glanced over at Kayla and saw her nodding with a wide smile. “Sure, we’d love to,” I replied hoping I looked more confident than I felt. Nicholas’ smile made my heart flutter and I had to fight hard to swallow down the feeling. “Isn’t it against some kind of rule to fraternize with your clients?”

  He gave me a wide grin before brushing a large hand against my lower back. “There is. Usually though, I find that most of them believe that rule was made to be broken.” He winked at me befo
re walking in the direction he’d gestured to. I wrinkled my nose at his words—but knew I’d use them for my spank bank later that night—and followed after him. Kayla bounded up beside me and clutched at my arm.

  “I think your training hottie might have a little thing for you.”

  I sighed. “Doubtful.” I glanced up at his back and let my gaze slide lower until I was shamelessly ogling his ass. “Guys like him definitely don’t go for girls like me and besides, I’m sure he has plenty of women willing to warm his bed on a nightly basis. I’d rather not be a notch in his bed post, especially since I have to see him five days a week.”

  She pursed her lips at me, but I could see that she agreed, even though she probably didn’t want to. “Fine, you have a point.”

  “Thank you.”

  “But he’s still hot though,” she shot back quietly as we stepped in front of Nicholas’ friends. They all looked like they spent more time in the gym than anything. Nicholas paused and turned around drawing my attention back to him. Then again, it wasn’t like my attention had ever really left if I were being totally honest with myself. As good looking as the guys beside him were, Nicholas’ mere presence commanded my attention in a way no one else ever had.

  “Guys, these lovely ladies are Kayla and River. This guy,” he said stepping beside a blonde haired guy. “Is our local comedic relief, Rafael. I’ve known him for most of my life so you shouldn’t believe a word he says.” Nicholas gestured at the guy on Rafael’s right. “That’s Porter, the smart guy. Or you could call him Dr. Sexy like all the resident nurses do.”

  Porter’s cheeks flushed and I couldn’t help but think he was adorable. He leaned forward and held out his hand. “Good evening, ladies.” His voice was soft and kind and I shook his hand. If not for his lack of height, I might have thought to hit on him. I could readily admit my shallowness when it came to height with guys. I had a thing for guys taller than me. I glanced over at Nicholas, unable to stop my gaze from running over him appreciatively. He was definitely more my type when it came to how tall he was. He had to be at least six-foot-two if not a little taller. I blinked quickly to pull myself from my thoughts.

  “And this guy over here is our resident whipped man,” Nicholas said reaching over and clapping the last guy on the shoulder. I glanced down and noticed the ornate band on his finger. “So far, Clark is the only one to actually settle down long-term.”

  I looked up at Clark with a smile. “Belated congratulations,” I enthused. Kayla repeated the sentiment as well. Clark smiled and the expression in his dark grey eyes looked radiant.

  “Thank you.”

  “How long have you and your wife been together,” Kayla asked. I thought for sure she would start to enthuse on her own impending nuptials, but then I realized the other guys had grown quiet. I glanced at them and saw them all with identical grins on their faces.

  “What?” I asked not understanding the joke.

  Nicholas shook his head before putting a hand over his mouth. I could hear him let out a muffled laugh before gesturing at Clark. “Clark, my man, want to let them in on the joke?”

  I looked over at Clark. “Joke?”

  He chuckled. “There is no wife. And there is no joke.”

  “Yeah,” Rafael chimed in. “Clark is definitely not a vagina kind of guy.”

  “Oh, okay. I get it.” I looked over at Kayla in time to see her cheeks flush red and it clicked for me. I looked back at Clark. “So you’re strictly dickly. You sound like my kind of guy.”

  There was silence for a moment, before several loud shouts of laughter rang out. Clark leaned forward with his hand curled in a fist, and I did the same, bumping them together.

  “I like this one,” Porter said pretending to wipe a tear from his eye. His green gaze was full of amusement. He looked at me and nodded. “She can stay.”

  “Oh God, I’m sorry,” Kayla said covering her flaming face with her hands. Her smile was wide but sheepish. “It’s terrible but even now I just always assume…”

  Clark held up a hand a smile still firmly on his face. “No worries at all. In fact, I was going to ask you about your own ring.”

  I smiled at him and how easily he steered the conversation. Without missing a beat, Kayla began to gush about her own fast-approaching wedding day. He winked at me before turning his attention fully to her, and I turned my attention to the other guys, noting their lingering laughter. “So, Rafael, are you really a comedian or just really, really good-looking?”

  He chuckled before striking a Zoolander-esque pose. “Definitely not a comedian. I’m actually a boring real estate agent.”

  “Ah, I could have used you a few months ago before I bought my house.” I moved closer to them when someone walked behind me and brushed against my back. Nicholas’ hand cupped under my elbow, moving me even closer still and he took a step back closer to the wall. “Thanks,” I said flashing a smile up at him. He smiled down at me and nodded.

  “I’m not actually into residential real estate. I deal primarily with commercial leases,” Rafael continued.

  “Raf was the one who helped me find the right building for the gym,” Nicholas said looking at Rafael with a wide smile. “It took a lot less time than I thought it would to find the right place.”

  I nodded before his words actually hit me. “Wait, you own that gym?” I asked incredulously. Nicholas couldn’t have been more than twenty-eight. Then again, I had only just turned twenty-six this year, and I already had my own home paid for in cash thanks to the substantial advance from my most recent book sale. “Wow. That’s seriously impressive.”

  Nicholas stood up a little straighter, though I wasn’t sure if he realized it. It was amusing and I couldn’t help but grin. A glance over at Rafael showed him hiding his own grin behind his beer, and he gave me a knowing look before glancing back at Nicholas.

  “Uh oh. Macho man’s ego just got stroked,” Porter joked with a smile. Nicholas flipped him off and I chuckled at their antics.

  “Thanks. I’ve always wanted to be independent and own my own little slice at happiness,” Nicholas said. The enthusiasm was clear in his voice and it made me excited for him. “It’s definitely not what my parents wanted for me, but it is mine and that’s all I care about. I made it happen with my own hard work—” Rafael snorted interrupting him. Nicholas slapped a large hand over his shoulder. “And, of course, the best commercial real estate agent in the country.”

  “Right,” Rafael said with a smirk. He set his beer glass back on the small ledge that was attached to the wall. “So what do you do, River?”

  “I’m an author and I do some freelancing on the side to supplement my—”

  “Stop right there,” Kayla blurted out, interrupting me. Her wiry arms wrapped around my shoulders, and I glanced at her from the corner of my eye. “She is being overly modest. Her first novel landed her one of the best agents in the nation, and she scored a more than six-figure book deal with one of the top publishers.”

  “Kayla,” I said with a small smile. Sometimes I wondered if she should have gone into PR work rather than being a lawyer. I looked back over at Nicholas and saw his expression change from amused to impressed. The thought of him being impressed by anything that had to do with me made me feel warm inside, and I found myself also standing a bit straighter.

  “Seriously, River, you are far more modest than you need to be.” She turned to look at the guys, and I also noted their expressions looked impressed as well. “If I were you, I’d be singing my own praises from the highest mountain.”

  I ducked my head slightly. “Well, it won’t mean anything if my next book isn’t just as good if not better than the last. I’ve been a little blocked lately.”

  “What is your book about?” Clark asked. He took a step back and sat down on the high stool behind him.

  “Well…it’s about werewolves actually,” I admitted slowly. I always felt weird telling other people that I wrote paranormal romance novels.

 
“Werewolves?”

  I looked over at Nicholas. His expression that was previously filled with what I’d assumed was admiration for my accomplishments, was now blank, completely devoid of any emotion. I blinked quickly in confusion to his abrupt change.

  “Yeah,” Kayla said when I didn’t speak up. His gaze flicked over to her and I narrowed my eyes. There must have been a weird flickering light or something because I could’ve sworn his eye color appeared to be almost crimson for a moment. “Her current book is about this old werewolf family that was in power a few hundred years ago before the humans in their kingdom turned on them and—”

  “That sounds strangely fascinating,” Porter cut in. He looked over at me with a small smile that didn’t seem to reach his eyes. “Where did you get the idea for a story like that?”

  I glanced back over at Nicholas totally lost as to what was so wrong. “Um…” My mind was drawing a blank in the face of his focused stare. What could I say? I didn’t always know where my story ideas came from, and this one was no different. I’d plotted out the next book and was toying with a spin-off from the series, but nothing had really given me the inspiration for it except for my enjoyment of the underworld. “It just kind of came to me really. Sometimes I’ll be listening to music and ideas just come to me. Other times someone might trigger them.”

  “You should see her when she really gets going,” Kayla said. Her arms slid from around my neck. She reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone. I could see that Benjamin, her fiancé, was calling. “Excuse me for a second, guys.” She smiled sheepishly before pressing the screen and turning to walk away. I looked after her for a moment before turning back to the men. Porter was the first one to speak again.

  “So what made you want to be a writer?”

  I glanced at Nicholas, but he still had that same neutral look on his face. “My parents always said I had an overactive imagination. When I was a kid, I used to make up these elaborate stories, even before I could read or write. I decided to become a writer in high school and got my bachelor’s in English Literature and Journalism right after.”