Dangerously Attracted [Werewolves of Hanson Mall 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (6 page)

We’re here. What floor are you on?

I’ll be right down.

Now that was interesting. Why was she keeping her address private?

But she was indeed down very quickly, looking long-legged and delightful in skintight jeans and a bright blue T-shirt. He stared at her appreciatively and wished he was brave enough to kiss her.
Next time. We need to have moved this romance forward enough to kiss on meeting next time.

“There are two parking lots for the Botanical Garden, Dakota. The North Gate and the Green Gate. Which end of the park do you want to go to first?”

“I don’t really know. Which one is closer to the chain saw carvings? I definitely want to see them and maybe we won’t have the time or the energy to see everything.”

“They’re not too far from the Green Gate,” said Lewis.

“I’m glad you can remember. I was just planning to get a map when we arrived,” said Andreas, flashing a smile in the rearview mirror to Lewis in the backseat.

“I remembered Dakota seemed interested in them, and I am, too. I’d never even heard of anything like that before. Besides, the lake is up that end of the gardens and I was hoping we’d get to see it as well.”

“That sounds good to me,” said Dakota.

When they arrived, he and Lewis walked either side of Dakota on the pathway through the gardens. It was wide and smooth with plenty of space for the three of them, obviously designed for groups of people to wander around looking at everything. When they reached “Presidential Drive” the path widened even farther, with busts of the presidents on both side of the walkway. The presidents’ heads stood on posts also carved from trees. All the stands still had the original bark on them and many of the heads also had the bark here and there to add depth and definition to the carvings.

Andreas stood back and watched Dakota as she slowly walked from carving to carving. Some she looked at for a very long time. Others she moved past quite quickly. He wondered if she was matching her memories of the president’s face with the carving, or if she was looking at other facets of the work. As far as he could tell, and he wasn’t the least bit artistic, they were pretty damn good renditions of the men.

Lewis walked around the back of the statues, standing on the grass behind them and staring at the heads. Finally his actions must have intrigued Dakota because she came back across to him and asked, “What are you looking at?”

“You can always tell a true craftsman by the back of his work. The buyer might only look at the front, but an artist looks at it from every angle.”

“And what does the back tell you about this artist?” asked Dakota.

“He’s an artist. He’s good.”

“Actually it’s a she,” said Andreas. He was standing at the end of the line, where there was a signboard explaining how the chain saw carvings had been made.

“How to carve with a chain saw,” Dakota read off the top of the board. And then she laughed. “First choose your tree.”

“The tree has to be exactly right. Full of life, still growing and wide enough across the trunk to allow for plenty of work by the artist.”

They talked and laughed as they read the signboard, but then Andreas said, “I guess it is kind of weird. Unusual at the very least. But I think anyone who can do such good work, recognizably carving each man, making every one unique, is truly is an artist.”

“I agree. I also think someone who is talented but being overlooked in their field is much more likely to be acknowledged for their talent if they do something a little bit different. If she’d carved these heads with a knife likely no one would know or care and they certainly wouldn’t be on display here like this,” said Lewis.

“That’s a very perceptive comment, Lewis. I agree with you,” said Dakota.

Andreas was content to let Lewis lead them down to the lake. The man seemed to have an amazing memory for geography and Andreas had no doubt once he became accustomed to city traffic Lewis would have no trouble driving around the neighborhood.

On the far side of the lake they walked over a little wooden bridge and sat close together on a seat in the sunshine, Dakota tucked tightly between them. She leaned back, completely relaxed, letting her body heat burn his side and his thigh. Andreas knew her other leg would be raising Lewis’s blood pressure as much as it was doing to his. Damn, she was lovely and he wanted her so much.

* * * *

Lewis was in heaven. It wasn’t the mountains but it was just as quiet and peaceful, and very pretty to look at. Besides, it was much better than his old home, in that his friend and the woman he adored were with him. The mountains were beautiful and he missed them so much. It was a never-ending pain in his heart, but he needed people too. Not a lot of people, just a few special ones who cared about him and who he could care about. More importantly, he wanted Dakota with a passion he’d never felt for anyone or anything before, not even for the mountains.

They’d all been silent for a little while, when Andreas turned Dakota’s head toward him and said, “Can we kiss you?”

“Since we’re quite alone, you may.”

“Does that mean we can’t kiss you in public?” worried Lewis.

“You certainly can’t kiss me when I’m at work, or even when I’m wearing my uniform.”

“I can cope with that.” Now it was his turn and he gently held her chin, wanting her mouth at just the right angle to mesh with his. Her lips were soft and sweet, and she tasted amazing. Keeping his lips on hers, he let go of her chin and held her shoulders, needing to touch more of her as he deepened the kiss. She opened her mouth as he licked the seam of her lips, and he very gently inserted his tongue inside, not wanting to be too demanding on a first kiss.

By the time they broke apart his dick was throbbing with the need to touch her, hold her, possess her, but it was much too soon. However he was determined to kiss her good-bye if nothing more today.

They walked around the lake, all three holding hands now, and for the first time since he’d left his pack, Lewis really felt as if he belonged somewhere, here, and to someone, these two people.

He was leading them back toward the Green Gate when Dakota said, “Have you always had such an amazing sense of direction, Lewis?”

“Huh?”

“You instinctively seem to know whether to go right or left whenever the path diverges, and after all, you found your way here from Wyoming all alone.”

“Wyoming was easy. It’s almost directly due east to get here from there. The gardens now, it’s just a matter of remembering which plants I’ve seen already, and those I haven’t.”

“I’ll take your word for it. I like looking at them, but I wouldn’t really know which was which,” said Andreas.

“All I know is since we’re going to the Green Gate, and the other gate is the North Gate, presumably north is not the right direction,” said Dakota.

Lewis laughed, but he really couldn’t explain how he knew which way to go. The world itself told him the correct direction, and he couldn’t explain it. Perhaps it was a mountains skill, or born in him. He’d never gotten lost on the mountains, even as a kid.

He and Andreas had looked at the map of the Botanical Gardens and had planned the next step, after she’d seen the sections of the gardens that she’d asked to look at first. Confidently Lewis led them into the heart of the gardens where there was a kiosk and a huge fountain. Andreas pulled out a chair for Dakota and pointed at the menu written on a chalkboard. “What would you like to eat for lunch?”

While Andreas lined up for their food, Lewis tilted the sun umbrella above their table, until it shaded their three chairs, before sitting down again.

“Thank you. That was very thoughtful of you.”

“I’d hate it if you were sunburned.” What he longed to say was that he wanted to serve her in much bigger, more dramatic ways. He wanted to protect her and keep her safe. He wanted to smooth the paths she walked so her life was easier and more pleasant. Instead he listened as they talked of everyday ordinary things as they ate, and let himself luxuriate in her presence. For these few hours she belonged to him and Andreas, even if this special time would be over all too soon.

The rest of the day seemed to race past to Lewis. He wanted to grab onto time and hold it still. To breathe in deeply and rest knowing that there would be other occasions when he could hold Dakota and kiss her. Maybe even do more than that. But all too soon they’d arrived back at her apartment building.

“May we walk you to your apartment?” asked Andreas, stopping the car.

“I don’t think so. Helena or Quintana might already be there.”

“Damn.”

Andreas sounded quite upset so Lewis said hesitantly, “Would you like to go back to the mall? We could go up to the roof and maybe draw some plans for the roof garden. I’ve already gotten some ideas but I’d love to hear what other people would like as well.”

“I’d like that. Let’s do it,” said Dakota.

Andreas grinned and pulled out of the parking lot.

Lewis heaved a sigh of relief. Now he wouldn’t have to say good-bye to Dakota just yet.

When they reached the mall they parked on the fourth level and entered into the professional suites, where Lewis swiped them up to the roof. His keycard had been altered to give him access, but other people’s cards hadn’t been changed and wouldn’t be until the roof garden was complete, which wouldn’t be for many months yet.

Carefully he paced across the roof telling them the plants and garden beds he planned. When he finally stopped he realized he’d been talking for a while and his face flamed bright red with embarrassment. Had he bored Dakota and Andreas?

But Dakota was smiling and nodding and Andreas was looking thoughtful.

“I like the way you’re going to blend herbs and flowers with shrubs and trees. That’s awesome,” said Dakota.

“What will you do when the project is over? Will you go back to the mountains?” asked Andreas.

“No. There’s no future for werewolves in those mountains. I need a job and a community and I hope I have found them here. I expect Mr. Hanson will let me stay to care for the garden. I understand that might only be a day or two’s work each week, but there might be other things I can do for the mall. Jobs where I wouldn’t have to be in a crowd. I don’t know, maybe maintenance after hours? Cleaning perhaps, or stocking the shelves.” He shrugged. It was all many months ahead of him and if he could stay out here on the roof sometimes and enjoy the silence and the big open sky, he’d manage somehow.

Once again Andreas pulled Dakota into his arms and signaled Lewis to come closer to her as well. When Andreas held her, Lewis stepped up behind her, rubbing his face against her neck and gently resting his palms on her shoulders as he’d done when he kissed her.

As Andreas kissed her mouth, Lewis pressed kisses to her neck. He lifted up her ponytail and kissed the sides of her neck and the base of it, licking and sucking the sensitive place where it joined her shoulders.

Andreas stepped closer to Dakota leaning his body into hers, and Lewis mimicked him from behind, finally letting his heavy aching dick rest against her sweet, rounded ass. He pressed against her back, sandwiching her between him and Andreas, wanting her to know they would both please her, if she’d only give them the opportunity.

“If I go get a blanket, will you stay here with us for a while?” asked Andreas. Lewis was certain Andreas was asking Dakota’s permission for them to do more than press sweet kisses to her mouth and neck. He found himself wound as tight as a spring, waiting to hear Dakota’s answer.

“Yes.”

Lewis stepped back from Dakota’s tantalizing warmth and pulled his swipe card out of his pocket, handing it to Andreas. The other man nodded, and ran across the roof to the elevator. Lewis held out his hand to Dakota. “Come over here. This is my favorite place. If you lie down here all you can see is sky.”

He stretched out on the concrete, then placed her head on his lap so her hair wouldn’t be on the hard ground. And for the first time ever, he watched her face instead of the sky. Lewis thought that maybe watching Dakota at peace would be just as good as watching the clouds cross over the stars, seeing them dim and blink out for a time, and then grow brighter as they reappeared. He hoped nothing would ever dim the sparkle in Dakota’s hazel eyes. He prayed to all the gods that he would never be the cause of her happiness dimming, only of it increasing.

When Andreas returned he’d bought two thick rugs, which they placed one over the other for double softness, then they lay together and Lewis pointed out the constellations. But gradually their conversation stopped as Andreas ran his hand over Dakota’s arms and legs and Lewis rolled onto his side so he could touch her, too.

Dakota sighed. “I should probably go home.”

“We could stay up here. I often stay here until the early hours of the morning,” said Lewis.

“Has anyone ever come up here?” asked Andreas.

“No. Never.”

“Dakota, wouldn’t you like to stay here with us a little longer? We’ll take you home in plenty of time for your next shift,” said Andreas.

“Only if I get to touch both of you when you touch me.”

“That seems a perfectly reasonable request,” said Andreas. Lewis could hear the laughter just under his voice.

Lewis pulled off his shirt. “My shirt is off. Can I take yours off now, please?”

“All right.”

Andreas carefully peeled her shirt from her skin and then both men licked and kissed her ribs and sides. Lewis wanted to take her bra off but needed her to give permission first, so he enjoyed every inch of skin he already had access to, trying to imprint the taste of her on his mind.

Andreas was bolder than him and turned her to face Lewis while he unfastened her bra. Lewis took the opportunity to kiss her mouth and distract her. She was so sweet and soft, yet her body was toned and fit as well. He couldn’t really describe it to his own satisfaction. Her flesh was soft and tender, but her muscles were there, just below the skin, unable to be ignored. He knew all human women weren’t so fit but he guessed most of them would have the softly rounded sweetness of his Dakota. Or maybe not. She might be one of a kind, designed purely to arouse his senses and those of Andreas. Whatever the truth might be, her body was perfection personified. Every rib, every swell was in exactly the right place to make her a delight for his hands and mouth.