We locked eyes, and my breath caught from the intimate stare.Undeniable sexual tension crackled between us, and I wanted to bury my nose in his chest and breathe him in.Lucian had tasted me, and now I was curious to see what he tasted like.All this male energy today was making my animal stir.Even Deacon had made a feast of me with his provocative gaze.
“I shouldn’t have stayed this long,” he added.
“How soon can you start working on my security?”
“Now.”
“Great.”I released my hold.“When can you have the proposals ready?My schedule is tight, but I can always fit you in.”
I know where you’d like to fit him, my inner voice chimed.
“Tomorrow.”
“That fast?”I bit my lip while mentally recalling my schedule.“I’ve got meetings all day, but I’ll be back at the jail by five.Does that work?”
“Yeah.”His nostrils twitched.
“I’m glad you stopped by, Mr.Cross.It was a pleasant afternoon, and I know my father enjoyed meeting you.Hope I didn’t take up your time.I’m sure your schedule is as busy as mine.”
With a curt nod, Lucian took off.Once I had the house to myself again, I brought the ladder out and painted the trim, lost in a reverie of the day’s events.
Especially the tongue bath.
Chapter6
“You’re quiet tonight,” Tak remarked at the dinner table.
Lucian looked up when Montana nudged him.“I’m always quiet.”
Tak finished his water and handed the empty glass to Archer, who was busy clearing the table.“True.But usually it’s because you’re on your phone, and I haven’t seen you pull it out once.What happened today?You were gone a long time for returning a pair of shoes.Did you get lost and accidentally find your way to that new strip club?”
Lucian could feel the heat of the alpha’s gaze and didn’t want Tak prying with invasive questions.“The Councilwoman wants to set up a security system on her property.She asked me to draw up a few plans, so I’m just thinking them over.”
Lies.
All Lucian could think about at the table was the taste of her skin on his tongue.He had fantasized about lifting her onto the sink, listening to her moan his name while he ran his tongue between her legs.
Tak grinned and then raised his voice.“That’s good!Did you hear that, Hope?Councilwoman Eden wants to hire Lucian.”
Hope waddled into the room with a plate of strawberry shortcake.“That’s great news.”
Tak studiously watched her sit and devour her second helping of cake.He was very attentive to his mate, always making sure she ate all she wanted.Finally he turned his attention back to Lucian.“I spent three days working with a local Packmaster who needed my expertise.He wants to do business with a distributor in Canada who only speaks French and asked me to interpret.I speak many languages, but this is obviously his weakness.If he wants to do business with another culture, he should learn their language so there’s never a misunderstanding.Three days I helped them negotiate a deal.”Tak laughed quietly and shook his head.“Only under the condition that he work with a teacher to learn French, because I won’t do that for him again.You can’t help a man who won’t help himself.”
“I don’t see why that was your problem,” Lucian remarked.
Tak shrugged.“I could have told him to piss off, but this is how you forge alliances.The most important jobs are the ones you do for leaders in the community.If they like your work, they’ll recommend you.People look up to them, and if your services are good enough for a Councilwoman”—he slapped the table—“that’ll bring more jobs your way.”
Lucian slumped in his chair.“Yeah.”
Tak jerked his head back.“What crawled up your trousers?This is good news.Are you worried you’ll disappoint her?”
The understatement of the year.
“I don’t provide inferior work.I’m just not sure how I feel about being in an official’s house… alone.”
Tak ate a strawberry that Hope fed him.“Don’t steal, don’t snoop, and don’t leave her doors unlocked.If I find out you’ve broken any of those rules, I’ll tie you to the tree outside when it’s mosquito season.The Council is more important than anything else.They’re the law.Do your job and do it well.”
Montana rapped his knuckles on the table.“Lucian can handle it.You should see what he did to Old Man Forney’s house.”
