Ellis: Emerson Wolves ― Paranormal Wolf Shifter Romance (12 page)

I love it when we make love and your hair touches my naked skin.
She shifted in her seat and told him to behave.
I want to see you in those heels I saw in the box. Just the heels and some of those stocking things that only go up to your thighs. Or better yet, do they make garters anymore? I’d love to see you in one of those and nothing else. When we leave this thing, I want to undress you. Peel your dress off you an inch at a time and kiss all the skin that I expose.

Ellis, you are so not helping me
. He told her that he wasn’t trying to.
All right then. When we get back to the house tonight, I’m going to show you the pantie and bra set that I’ll have on tonight. Creamy lace that barely holds anything in. And my nipples get so hard in it when it rubs against them. It’s hard to concentrate on anything, they’re so hard.

You are so going to pay for that.
She giggled.
I might have to find us a really dark corner and ravish you before the bidding begins. Or perhaps while the bidding is going on. That way the auctioneer will cover your screams when I make you cry out.

She was aching. And wet. Closing her legs together, she tried to think of anything but what he’d said to her. When he touched her mind again, she knew that she was going to tackle him as soon as he came near her. But there was something different this time. He felt tense and sorry about it. She nearly asked him what was happening when he spoke.

Honey, they just found your aunt’s body.

Her entire mind froze up. He continued talking, but she couldn’t hear him anymore. Nothing was getting through to her, and it wasn’t until she was slapped that she felt like she could breathe again.

“That’s it. Take in as much air as you can.” Sloan was cursing as she held her shoulders. “Breathe, Dawn. Don’t pass out on me.”

“I’m okay now.” Sloan watched her. “I am. I…my aunt is dead. Ellis just told me, and I sort of lost it there for a minute.”

“You scared the fucking shit out of me.” Dawn told her she was sorry. “I’m sorry about your aunt. I truly am. But don’t ever do that again. I thought for sure you were having a heart attack. And contact Ellis…I think you scared him more than me.”

Ellis?
He told her he loved her. And that he was sorry.
I’m sorry I scared you. I just…I don’t know what happened, but it was like I zoned out for a minute.

Sloan said that you stopped breathing. Not dying, but just were not breathing. I’m so sorry, baby. I should have told you better. It was just on the news here and I thought you should know before someone called you.
Dawn told him she was all right now and to tell her what was going on.
They’re saying heart attack. They were called by someone who said that her body was in an abandoned building and that she was dying. Your uncle apparently waved down this guy and asked them to call for him. He gave his name and hers to him and he called it in. Neither of them hung around until the police got there. I’m so sorry.

I wonder what will happen to Uncle Basil. I mean, he wasn’t able to drive or anything.
She was babbling and stopped.
The police are looking for him, no doubt.

Yes, but not for this. The fire.
She’d tried to forget about that and told him so.
Yeah, I don’t blame you there. But our house is coming along and we’ll be able to move in sooner than we thought now. Hunter and Sloan are helping out with that too. I know that we’ll owe them for the rest of our lives, but it’s great that they’re doing this.

Ellis, I want a baby.
He didn’t say anything, and she felt silly.
I know that I’m sort of throwing this at you, but I want your child. I want a family of our own. We don’t have to have a lot of kids, just one or two, but I do want your baby. Please?

I was going to talk to you about that. I was. It’s just been so…I want to see you big with our baby. I want to see you nurse him or her, have them with us. Dad was saying tonight that he wants a bunch of grandkids. Did you know that Luke and Jack are adopting? I think that’s wonderful for them. His name is Kelly and he’s six. We’re all thrilled for them.

By the time she was ready to go, she was a mess. Not her appearance in the mirror, but the way she felt. Her aunt had been in her life when she’d been younger, of course. They had both treated her like crap, but she was about all the family she had in the world and now she was gone. And the fact that her uncle was out there, without his Neva, made her wonder how he was faring as well. The man had loved his wife more than anyone ever had, she thought.

Dawn had on her cape when she came down the stairs, and was nearly at the bottom when she saw Ellis. If ever a man looked better in a tux than him, she thought she’d die from looking. Then the rest of his brothers joined him. And when Cash stood in front of his sons, it was as if the heavens had opened up and showed what real handsomeness was.

When Sloan and the others stopped beside her, Cash laughed. “Damn, but ain’t that about the prettiest bunch of women you ever done did see? And they’re all mine tonight.” One of the brothers cleared their throat, and he turned to them. “You tell me that I can’t go into the shindig with them hanging on my arms, and I’ll buy everything I can there tonight and make sure you guys split the bill.”

“All right, but the first dance is with our wives, if you don’t mind.” Cash seemed to consider Hunter’s words before he said okay. “Dad, you are right, however. They are the most beautiful women in the world, and they do belong to all of us.”

After they went by and picked up Mabel, who looked as nervous as she said she felt, they got on their way. The limo ride was short but very nice. Dawn was nervous, but not so much now that she had Ellis with her. Cash made comments all the way over, and when he saw her shoes, he had to joke about them as well.

“I’m thinking that should I need to drill a hole in a wall or two, those would start the screw for me.” She giggled when he held her foot up for everyone to see. “I don’t know how you women walk around in those things. I know that they make you look all sexy and stuff, but that’s gotta hurt some.”

“You have no idea. I’ve been practicing in them since I got them. And I did fall when I tried them on. Jack made fun of me.” Jack laughed and said that she took pictures, too. “See, Cash, I think that you’re the only one who loves me right.”

“You stick with me and Mabel, darlin’, and you and I will be just fine and dandy.”

When the limo stopped, the men got out first. Dawn, from her position near the opposite door, could see that there were pictures being taken and the noise level was amazing.

As soon as Ellis put his hand into the car to help her out, she had a slight panic attack, but he stuck his head in and winked at her. “You gotta come out sooner or later. And there’s food in here. I called ahead and have a plate waiting for you at the door.”

“You promise?” He nodded and put out his hand again. “I love you. And if I really mess up and get your picture plastered all over the papers about how you are in love with an idiot, you’ll know that much.”

“You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me, and if anyone asks, that’s what I’m going to tell them, too.” When she was out and standing next to him while thousands of camera flashes made her blink, she felt pretty. Not just pretty, but loved as well. As they entered the big building, Dawn knew then how the rich and fabulous made things work.

Chapter 12

The glitter and the glitz had never seemed so bright to him. Ellis was seeing it all though Dawn’s eyes and simply fell in love with all the beauty of it. As per arrangement, one of the waiters handed him a plate overflowing with little bits of food and sweets. And when he handed it to Dawn to sample, she started to cry.

“Honey, you mess up your makeup and Sloan will have my head. Christ, Dawn, you look amazing.” She nodded and took a cheese and cracker from the plate, and he handed her a glass of champagne, too. “Not too fast until you eat more. I don’t want you falling off your shoes either.”

They walked around the room and, true to his word, he never left her side. His dad had walked in with him with Mabel on his arm, and then the two of them had moved to take on the crowd, as he’d called it. Ellis introduced Dawn to everyone, telling them that she was his future bride.

“This is amazing.” He nodded and kissed her on the shoulder. “Who knew there were this many people to come out to this?”

“Addie said that people come from all over the world to her events. And they raise a great deal of money, too. She’ll be working the crowd later, asking for people to remember what the event is for and who they’re going to be helping. Did you want to see the donations she’s gotten?”

They made their way into the room where tables and tables of things were laid out. There was a Jaguar in the middle of the floor and a Mercedes on the other end of the room, both of them fully loaded. “Most of the smaller items come with some sort of incentive. Like this one for a day spa. If you bid on this, you also get to have champagne for two, caviar, as well as dinner. Then there is this one, the one I want to bid on.”

Ellis wanted the truck. It was a toy compared to what he used as his work truck. That one was made to be beaten up, driven through mud, and treated like another part of his job. This one had four doors, air conditioning, and leather, heated seats. The back end was coated in a heavy coating that would keep it from harming whatever was being hauled. The tailgate was heavy and made to be sat on, not just loaded on. But it was the art work that had him drooling over it.

He’d always been an Ohio State fan. He’d gone to college there, as had two of his brothers, even though they’d been living in another state. Ellis had been to every football game that he could manage, and had plans for a room in his house that would be devoted to nothing but football and his Buckeyes. He bled scarlet and gray. And this scarlet paint job with the gray trim said how much the person who had donated this baby loved them as well.

The mascot was featured on every door. Football leather hugged the steering wheel with laces, and the seats just begged to be caressed. The horseshoe stadium on the tailgate made him almost feel like he was right there. The art work was exquisite and extremely detailed. And the package didn’t end there.

There was a grill in the back with four bagged chairs, as well as a giant cooler with the same logos on it and with the same colors. A scarlet table with gray legs on it could be folded up into a nice neat bag. And the topper was four season tickets to the entire new season that started in just a few months. Ellis thought the thing would go for a great deal of money.

“You like this?” He nodded, not turning to look at Sloan. Dawn had gone with Addie to look at her own donation. “You should get it.”

“No. I can’t. I want to, but it’ll go for more than I can simply justify right now.” She nodded. “Do you know who donated it? I’m assuming some person with too much money and a great love for football.”

“Hunter did.” He turned to look at her. “He did. He said that he’d like one for himself and said that if he wanted it, then someone else would as well. I’m getting him a truck like this for when our daughter is born. Please don’t tell him.”

“I won’t. He’s going to shit. You know that, right?” She grinned at him, and he laughed. “Ah, so that’s the point. And what is he getting the mother of his child? Something equally wonderful, I’m betting.”

“He is. I don’t know what, but he said that I, too, was going to shit bricks. Do you think that it’s a little over the top? Hunter had a blast with it. I think he’s been planning this for a few months. At least since he met Addie. She brings out the best in him. You know what sort of loops she had to go through to have this drawn? They said in the future she can do art for them when they need it. Quite a feather in her cap, if you ask me.”

Graham and Lee joined them. Lee had overseen the food at this thing as part of his donation, and he was fussing about an ice sculpture that had been put in the wrong drink. Apparently, that was a big deal. Ellis was laughing at him when his dad and Mabel came to stand next to him.

“Mabel, you look amazing. And now when I see you behind the counter at home, I’m going to know what a goddess you really are.” Mabel smacked him on the arm and thanked him. “Dad, you really know how to choose your women.”

“I do, I do at that. You got everything ready for your own woman there, boy?” He nodded and patted his pocket for what felt like the millionth time. “You know when you’re going to make her happy? I’m getting really excited myself.”

“I have it worked out.” He did, and was slightly tense about that, too. “Just leave it to me. I’ve got it under control.”

His dad just snorted and walked away. Ellis went to find Dawn, and she was talking to several women when he got to her side. She introduced him to the governor’s wife and the wife of the senator.

“They were just telling me that they want my jellies when I go into production. I told them I had no idea when that would be, but they said that they’d wait.” She smiled at him, but it was tight. “Your sister-in-law has already set me up a website and pictures. I think I might kill her.”

The two women laughed, and the governor’s wife patted Dawn on the arm. “I know Jack. When she gets something into her head, it’s better to go with the flow than to try and rein her in. She’s a little head strong. Just let me know when you’re set up, darling. I want to be your first and best customer.”

As they moved away, he looked at her basket of jellies. It really was a beautiful display, and he wondered who had done it. When Dawn spoke up, he thought for sure that Jack was going to be dead before the end of the night.

“She came right in here and told me to set this up. Like I had a clue what to do with it. There was a really nice woman who handed me a bag of this shredded stuff, and Mabel tied the ribbon on it. All I do at home is stick it in the cabinet. I do not go around decorating it for my table.” He laughed and when she glared at him, he tried really hard not to laugh louder. “When did she become my boss, I ask you? Ordering me around…and the website? If these women hadn’t shown me on their phone, I would have had no idea. It’s pretty and all, but I don’t have anywhere to do this.”

“Yes you do.” He took a step back when she turned on him. “Dad and I looked at a warehouse online for you today that was near our new house. I made an offer and they accepted. It was well below what they were asking, but it had been on the market for a while.”

“You don’t have that sort of money. Okay, you might, but I don’t. I have to…I have to….” She looked at him. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

Kicking off her heels, she took off running to the bathroom. He almost followed her, but Sloan stopped him. He told her quickly what was going on, and she said she’d handle it.

“Just don’t let Jack come in. I think there really will be bloodshed if she does.” Sloan turned to look at him and smiled. “She’s pushing her a little too fast.”

“No, she’s not. I’m keeping an eye on her. And she’ll be just fine.” She started away again but took Dawn’s shoes from him when he picked them up. “Nice job on the building, by the way. Your dad said you got her one. So you know, I’m outfitting it for her. As a wedding gift.”

There was no telling her no either, so he only nodded.