“Whoa,” he said breathily. “You’re strong.”
She captured his mouth with hers. Hitching one leg over his hip, she arched, positioning herself until his hard length hit just the right spot. Hand in the center of his back, she pulled him closer, rubbing herself against him shamelessly. He moaned, and she used the opening to stroke his tongue with hers.
“It’s time,” a familiar voice called. She looked over the lion’s shoulder to see Nate, the one she’d assumed was the manager, standing at the end of the hallway, pointing at his watch.
Swallowing hard, she tried to hide herself behind the man in the lion mask as he drew back, but thankfully, Nate hadn’t stuck around. She picked up her tray, her eyes darting sheepishly toward the corners of the hall. Jesus, she’d just dry humped a perfect stranger.
“I have to go take care of something,” the stranger said. “Will you wait for me? I want to see you again.” He brushed the outside of her arm with his knuckles.
“Um… I…” What the fuck had just happened? As he moved into the light, she saw the build of him, his dark hair, the square jaw under the lion’s mask. Her body clenched again. Shit, he was attractive, but this wasn’t her. She didn’t let random strangers kiss her in dark corners. Only, she had, and she didn’t regret it. And if she were honest with herself, she would have let him do a hell of a lot more if they hadn’t been interrupted.
“Please,” the lion begged. He glanced at his watch. “Meet me back here in an hour. I want to talk to you.” He left her side abruptly and strode through the curtain.
Laina let out a relieved breath when he was out of sight. What the hell was that? Never in her life had she felt this kind of attraction. It was…metaphysical…she was sure of it. The moon was to blame. Her wolf wanted him, and her animal was too close to the surface.Fuck. She needed to get out of here. If she saw him again tonight, she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from doing more, maybe something she would regret.
She left the VIP area just as Nate was taking the stage where the band had been. He babbled something into the microphone about the success of Hunt Club and this being the sixth club opening this year. She wasn’t listening. Her only focus was the restroom near the kitchen. She needed some alone time so she could decide what to do next. But she stopped when she saw the man in the lion mask step up behind Nate. Was he going to speak? Did he work here?
“And now, may I introduce to you the man who makes this all possible, the man we like to call ‘The King,’ Hunt Club’s own, Kyle Kingsley!”
Laina’s mouth dropped open as the lion in a suit, the one she’d kissed only moments ago, took the stage and removed his mask. Kyle, the man from her clinic, Milo’s owner, her missed date, and her wolf’s obsession, stood at the microphone behind a dazzling smile. The crowd applauded.
“Thank you for coming to the grand opening of Hunt Club, Sable Creek, where we cater to your inner beast,” Kyle said.
He continued talking, but Laina’s ears rang, drowning out his words. Kyle Kingsley…owner of Hunt Club. Shaking her head, she rushed from the room, remembering at the last moment why she’d come in the first place. Reaching into her apron, she retrieved the small box. As Monty had instructed, she turned the lid to activate the spell. With everyone distracted by Kyle’s speech, it was surprisingly easy to navigate through the kitchen unnoticed. She slid the box into a dark corner under the sink.
Moments later, she’d gathered her things from the locker room and passed through the gate on the way back to Monty’s, all the while ignoring her inner wolf, who whimpered bitterly over the lingering ache between her legs.
ChapterEleven
Laina slipped into a warm, soapy bath and started working the latex from her skin, peeling and scraping and thanking the good lord that Nickie had made her shave. How did the models do this regularly? Her feet and back were killing her, and her skin was tender where she’d extricated it from the clingy latex. Removing it from her nipples was almost as bad as detaching it from her inner thighs.
But when most of the paint was off and she could finally settle into the warm water, it was Kyle she thought about. Her near miss was now a hit-and-run. Remembering the feel of him grinding against her clit caused the rosy tips of her breasts to tingle and her legs to cross against the delectable pressure of desire growing between them. How long had it been since she’d had sex? Three years? Four?
A knock chased away her thoughts of Kyle and brought her to her senses. “Yes?”
“Can I talk to you?” Jason asked through the door.
“Hold on.” She pulled a towel into the water to cover herself. “Come in.”
When he entered the bathroom, her brother’s eyebrows shot up, and he laughed. “What the hell were you?”
She grabbed a hand mirror she’d rested on the side of the tub and started scrubbing the remains of paint and makeup from her face. “Zebra.”
“Damn. I’m sorry, Laina. You deserve better than that.” At the sincerity in Jason’s tone, she softened.
“It wasn’t so bad,” she murmured, trying to repress the memory of Kyle. “And now it’s done.”
“I’m relieved. After you left, all I could think about was that I should have gone instead. I sometimes forget how innocent you are. I’m sure you saw things you want to forget.”
She laughed. “I’m not that innocent, and I didn’t see anything I…” She was going to say she hadn’t seen anything she hadn’t seen before, but in fact, she had. She’d never watched a couple having sex, and the image of Nickie riding the man’s lap filled her brain again. But the memory didn’t bother her. It was shocking, yes, but she’d be lying to say it didn’t intrigue her. “I didn’t see anything I regret seeing.”
Jason chuckled. “Well, all right. Maybe you are my sister after all.”
“Can I ask you something?” She leaned her head against the back of the tub.
“Shoot.”
“Have you ever heard of Kyle Kingsley?”
