Unquenchable Desire (11 page)

Mom laughed. “You sound more like
your father every day.”

Dad arched a brow. “Hopefully
that’s not such a bad thing.”

“Hardly, I’m proud of both of you.”

Brian grinned. “But she’s a bloody
slave-driver.”

“Oh,” Rory said, his eyes
narrowing. “You work there, too? What skills do you bring to the mix?”

“I can do most anything,” he said, his
voice steady and basically emotionless.

Uncle Hugh leaned forward, looking
like a judge about to give his ruling. “When a man has a pure heart there’s no
limit to his abilities.”

Rory glared at Uncle Hugh then
cleared his voice. “I could use a part-time job. Do you have a position for me,
Valerie?”

Her mind screamed,
No, never, and the only position I can think
of right now is bent over and kicked out the door.
But not wanting to hurt
his feelings, she said, “You can fill out an application, if you like. But the
hours are long, the pay low, and like Brian said, I’m a bloody slave-driver.”

“I can handle anything the desert
rat can handle.”

She smiled. “Calling Brian a desert
rat doesn’t really show the kind of compassion I’m looking for in my
employees.”

“Brian knows I’m teasing. Has
becoming a big CEO killed your sense of humor, Valerie?”

“I guess I don’t understand humor
wrapped in cruelty.” Even as she thought it, she couldn’t ignore the air of
foreboding that slid over her.

“Whoa,” Dad said. “Let’s try to
stay in line with Brian’s blessing and enjoy this sensational meal.”

“You’re right, Sir,” Rory said.
“As long as you acknowledge that Brian’s prayer anticipated a break
in harmony.
And since there are no other outsiders at the table, I got
the distinct feeling that Brian was declaring me as his enemy.”

Brian widened his eyes. “Wow, you
read all that into a simple prayer?”

“Don’t act like butter won’t melt
in your mealy mouth.”

Mom passed the steak to Rory. “What
was that you said about wanting to apologize for your behavior the last time
you dined with us?”

Rory jaw tightened. “You’re right,
of course. Forgive me. Again, I was out of line. I don’t know why but Brian
seems to bring out the worst in me. But as of now, I’m on my best behavior.”

Uncle Hugh laughed. “Don’t sweat
it. It’s no wonder you guys are each other’s throats, you’re both sweet on
Valerie.”

“Uncle Hugh!” Valerie wished the
floor would swallow her up and she could disappear. Nothing was going as planned.
With all the discord, she couldn’t announce how proud she was of Brian and show
her appreciation with the little gift. Rory would mock Brian’s accomplishments
and make himself more of an ass than he already was.
 
His promises were empty and clearly only an attempt
to redeem his standing as a friend of the family. As far as she was concerned,
it was too little, too late.

Later, when Kyle served a dessert
of chocolate-peanut butter-cheesecake with whipped cream and raspberries
dribbled across the top, Valerie leaned over and whispered in Brian’s ear.
“Meet me in the rose arbor after dessert.

****

The minute dinner was over Valerie
excused herself and headed to the kitchen with a tray full of dirty dishes. From
there, she slipped out the back door to the rose arbor. The roses were in full
bloom and the fragrance wafting on the cooling breeze relaxed her and
reinforced her belief in aroma therapy. She heard footsteps but saw no one. Goosebumps
formed on her arms. Then she saw Brian step into the light of the now quarter
moon. His leanly-muscled, towering stature moved toward her with an animal
grace. A gentle breeze blew his midnight-black hair forward, giving him that
rugged bad-boy appearance that had sent a thrill through her the first time she’d
laid eyes on him. Right in the beginning, she’d decided he was definitely an
alpha male. And that was before she knew he was a werewolf.

He grinned. “We’re not on the
foundation grounds,” he said in a low, sexy rumble. “Does that mean I’m
permitted to take you in my arms?”

She tilted her head. “What if I say
no?”

“Being a gentleman, I’d have to
honor your wish, but with a werewolf inside me—” His sultry gaze intensified
and he opened his arms. “It’s chilly out here. I have the feral heat to warm
your soul.” He reached for her hand as he eased onto the bench and drew her down
onto his lap. His thighs felt like heated steel beneath her.

“I’m sorry how things went at dinner,”
she said, trying to hold on to her sanity. “I wanted it to be fun and a
celebration, not a confrontation.”

He put his lips close to her ear. “It
was a perfect meal and I always have a good time when you’re in the room. You
inspire me, my Valerie…my Venus…my Roman Goddess of love and beauty. Besides,
I’m used to confrontations and how to handle them.” His whisper of love sent
thrills shimmering down her spine.

“I have something for you,” she
murmured.

His eyes glinted with mischief and
he did a slight upward pelvic thrust, bringing her in contact with his
hardness. “I have something for you, too,” he said.

“We discussed that before,” she
scolded with humor in her tone. “We agreed not to gamble and perhaps bring
children with the lycanthrope gene into the world.”

He arched a brow. “I have
protection this time. And it isn’t as though we haven’t been intimate before.”

“Protection doesn’t always work,
and we’re getting off the subject. But we can keep making love in mind for
after we take
the cure.”

“What if loving you is the cure?” His
probing gaze stripped her bare.

She tried to sound firm. “Nothing
is ever that simple
.” But my Wolf Man,
you’ve touch my life in ways you may not even be aware of…and maybe in ways I’m
not fully aware of yet, either.

“Okay. So what is the subject and
why did you invite me out here if not to do some
spoon’n
’?”
His voice was low, terribly sexy, yet gentle and non-confrontational.

She bent, kissed him lightly on the
lips, and handed him the velvet box with the glittery ribbon. “This is to show
you how proud I am of you for working hard at the foundation and for working diligently
to get your license with record speed.”

Suddenly his eyes glistened with
moisture. “Other than Momma Maggie, I never had anyone give me a gift. Thank
you, Valerie.”

“Well, don’t just sit there looking
at the box. Open it.”

He slipped the ribbon off slowly with steady hands
and opened the elegant, velvety box. “A Rolex watch! Wow! Nothing I’ve done
deserves this classy timepiece, but thank you, Valerie. I love it.”

He slipped the watch on and stared
at it, shaking his head. “I don’t believe this.” Grinning, he met her gaze, his
eyes crinkling and his probing stare as intimate as a French kiss.

Her heart pounded like crazy. Captivated
by his sultry, thickly-lashed eyes, she fought to ignore the heat rising
between them. He drew her close. She pressed a hand to his chest. Under his
dress shirt, muscles expanded and contracted in a wild rhythm that took her
breath away. His heart was pounding almost as hard as hers. She smoothed his
shirt and the muscles beneath. She had an urge to unbutton the shirt and touch
his warm flesh.

He bent toward her until their
faces were only inches apart. A hot surge rushed through her, touching her with
the magnetic magic of the moment.

He caught her face between his
hands and covered her mouth with his, stealing her breath, her sanity. His
mouth tasted of chocolate and peanut butter. Love and lust exploded inside her
as he increased the delicious pressure and stole her breath away. His talented tongue
played sensual havoc with her nerve endings. She inhaled his feral male scent
mingled with the fragrance of roses. She clung to him with all her might,
feeling his heat, his power. She wished she fully understood the deep
complexities of her human heart. Her wolf soul and human heart both craved sex
with him, yet somehow her rational, human side shoved him away. “I’d love to,
but not tonight, Brian. Not tonight.”

****

Brian felt a sharp pain like she’d
kicked him in the balls. The pressure on him to volunteer to test the serum grew
stronger, more intense. He kissed her forehead. “I understand.” He sighed. “I
need to be alone for a while. I’m going for a short walk. And thanks again for
the watch. It’s incredible.”

“You’re more than welcome…and
again, congratulations. I’m so proud of you on many levels.”

He forced himself to turn away
before he grabbed her again and kissed her until she changed her mind. But
neither of them dare take that chance.

When he neared the edge of the
property, he looked up at the sliver of the moon. When full, it controlled his
life as it had for so many years. He looked down at his watch gleaming up at
him. Valerie must really care for him to give such an outstanding gift. And the
only thing he had to offer was
himself
. Hands down,
she was the only contender to be his mate. He wanted her as a werewolf, yet how
wonderful it would be if they were both free to bear children.
 
But if something went wrong, his dream for the
future could go up in flames. Damn. If he didn’t do something, he might lose
her anyway and without her he knew there would be no future for him.
 

****

As Rory raced around the mountain
curves on his way back to the campus, he mentally argued with his counterpart,
Reeves. “You aren’t a people person, are you?”

“So what?”

“You’re ruining my chances with
Valerie. I really like her and her dad’s money. And those insults to Brian are
messing everything up. I want you to back off and let me handle her and that
turkey Brian.”

“It
ain’t
gonna
happen, Kid. I’m the strong one and commander
of your mind and body. Live with it. Besides, all that fighting over the woman
nonsense won’t matter soon. Won’t be long until I’ll be moving into the mansion
and everything will be mine and…

“Yours?
What
about me.”

Chapter Ten

 
The following week, from over a hundred and
sixty applicants, Valerie hired a small staff of fifteen, who believed in the
foundation cause. She wanted to start small and add staff as needed, believing
in the adage
don’t bite off more than you
can chew.
She was relieved that there was no application from Rory. She
didn’t know how she would’ve handled rejecting it.
Thank you, Lord, for saving me from that touchy situation.

After receiving an
all clear
from the investigative service
she’d hired to thoroughly check out each of the new employees, she put everyone
to work, full speed ahead. Brian always stayed close by, looking so capable, so
handsome, so in control. It became increasingly difficult to stick to her guns
about not touching him. Even after an adorable strand of black wavy hair fell
onto his forehead, she resisted brushing it back.

She thought they were both doing a
pretty good job of hiding emotions until her secretary Geri said, “I hope this
doesn’t go against me, but everyone on staff wants to know—what’s with you and
Brian?
When you’re in a room with him, electric vibes zigzag
all over the walls.
You either like each other a whole lot or hate each
other’s guts.”

Was Geri asking for the group or
did she have eyes for Brian?

Valerie felt her face flame. Stunned
by the totally inappropriate personal question, a barrage of emotions surged
through her — anger at the invasion, disbelief at Geri’s nerve, a twinge of
jealousy, and then defensiveness. Geri, a slender knock-out redhead was about
twenty-five and old enough to know better. Squelching the idiotic jealousy,
Valerie wanted to respond with
he’s
simply my bodyguard and a lovable pain in the neck.
 
But since she wasn’t supposed to disclose the
bodyguard part, she merely forced a laugh. “I think you all have far too much
free time. Let’s concentrate on the children and how to design better programs
to save them from the harm caused by their parent’s addictions.”

Geri’s
face
paled, and worry
lines deepened on her forehead. “I really put my foot
in my mouth this time. Please, forgive me. It’s just the match-maker in me
stepping out of line. I apologize.”

She forced a smile and patted her
hand. “In the long run, you probably did me a favor. Thanks for telling me what
people are thinking. I’ll have to work harder to keep everyone focused on the
job.”

Back at her desk, she rolled a pen
between her fingers and looked out the picture window at the manicured grounds.
Without constant vigilance the landscape would be overgrown with weeds. Constant
vigilance echoed in her brain. Knowing
she
and Brian
were under such close scrutiny made her all the more determined to stay on
guard and keep her emotions hidden. It wouldn’t be easy. Brian seemed better at
it. Did that mean he didn’t care as much?

No!
I won’t go there. And I won’t let the green-eyed monster get me. I must think
positive.
 
She admired Brian’s skill
and patience, especially when he handled young clients. It was a blessing to
have a strong male figure on staff with an understanding of what it was like to
be abandoned. He was an excellent example that, with determination and hard
work, a person could rise above the obstacles with a little help from someone
who cared.

Nevertheless, it was frustrating to
work closely with the man she desired and not walk into his arms each time he
opened them to gesture a new concept.

In the meeting room while passing
papers, their hands often brushed and her face burned like a hot sidewalk in
sultry, mid-July. When he was around, which was practically always, she had to
make several trips to stand in front of the AC. In self-defense, she developed
a tight routine and schedule which she dutifully followed to keep her mind on the
job and off him.