Alex grinned as her delectable scent hit his nose. It wafted under the door of her apartment, filling the space around him like pure ambrosia, and he inhaled deeply. He might have been exhausted as hell all day, but last night made it all worth it.
While the sex had definitely been epic, it was the time they’d spent talking afterward, sharing secrets that neither of them had ever shared with anyone. He felt closer to Lacey than he’d ever felt to anyone in his life, even his pack mates. He recognized the significance of that, even if he still refused to so much as say those two little words out loud to himself, for fear of jinxing everything.
A couple of days ago, he’d told Remy that Lacey seemed hesitant about jumping into a relationship. He’d assumed then it was because she was just getting over a bad breakup, but now he knew better. After everything she’d watched her mom go through with her dad and all the other men who’d followed, Lacey simply didn’t trust men. He couldn’t blame her. In her experience, guys stayed around long enough to get what they wanted and then bailed, leaving the woman behind to deal with the mess.
But after last night, Alex thought he might have convinced Lacey he wasn’t going to be that guy, that she could trust him and that he’d be there as long as she wanted him. Somewhere between bringing her over to his place last night and waking up with her in his arms, they’d made a connection. When Lacey had kissed him this morning and said she couldn’t wait to see him again, it seemed like she was feeling at least some of the same things he was. She’d definitely been thrilled when he’d called and told her he’d gotten them dinner reservations at Chambre Française.
He started to ring the doorbell, then stopped himself when he heard movement inside the apartment. He let his nose follow Lacey’s scent as she moved around, amazed at how easy it was to track her. For a werewolf who had never trusted his nose before, that was pretty incredible.
It wasn’t only Lacey’s scent he was getting a clear read on, either. He could smell Kelsey’s too. Even more surprising, he picked up a few other lingering female scents as well. He closed his eyes, frowning as he tried to remember where he recognized them from. His fangs and claws slid out a little as he sorted through the scents. That’s when it hit him. The scents belonged to Kelsey’s girlfriends, the ones she’d been studying with Wednesday night. He couldn’t necessarily match each scent to a particular face, but hell, he was just impressed he could identify the scents at all. Maybe those lessons with Khaki were starting to pay off.
Or maybe having great sex just made a werewolf’s nose work better.
Grinning, he made sure his fangs and claws were safely retracted, then rang the doorbell. Inside, he could hear the sound of bare feet slapping the floor just moments before Lacey yanked open the door, a big smile on her face. She was wearing a pair of skimpy boy shorts and a tight T-shirt that showed off her curves, not to mention her long legs. The scent of arousal pouring off her was almost enough to make his fangs—and everything else—pop out.
She leaned against the doorjamb, her gaze sweeping over him. “Do you have any idea how yummy you look in that suit?”
Alex returned the favor, his gaze lingering on her bare legs. “Do you have any idea how yummy you look wearing next to nothing?”
He opened his mouth to ask her if this was the way she always answered the door, but she stopped him before he could even get a word out, grabbing the lapels of his jacket and yanking him in for a hungry kiss. Inside his pants, his cock went rock hard, and he suppressed a low growl, fighting to keep his inner werewolf from making an appearance.
He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss as he dropped his other hand down to slowly massage her ass. It would be so easy to tear off her clothes and make love to her right there in the doorway. But that probably wouldn’t be a good idea, at least not out here where anyone could get an eyeful.
Lacey didn’t hide a groan of disappointment when he broke off the kiss and shooed her into the apartment.
Leo met him in the entryway for a sniff and a pet. The dog circled Alex a couple of times, eyeballing him with as much curiosity as he had the first time they met. Alex could only assume the poor guy was still weirded out by a two-legged thing that looked like a person but smelled like a wolf.
“Kelsey isn’t home right now, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Lacey glanced over her shoulder as she headed down the hallway toward her bedroom. “She’s got finals coming up in a couple of weeks, so she’s cramming at the library on campus. We have the apartment completely to ourselves.”
Alex locked on her swaying bottom as she walked. Damn, what an ass. “And I’m guessing you already have something in mind for what we could do with this apartment since we have it all to ourselves?”
Lacey didn’t say anything as she walked into her bedroom. But from the way her heart rate suddenly sped up, he had a pretty good idea what she had in mind. His assumption was confirmed a few seconds later when she came back out with a little foil package in her hand.
She held it up with a smile. “I’m sure we can think of something…if you’re up for it.”
He sauntered over to meet her. “Aren’t you worried about being late for our reservation?”
She gave him a coy look. “Haven’t you ever heard of a quickie?”
Alex didn’t pause to think—he just pounced. Lacey had enough time to yank her T-shirt over her head before he was on her, his mouth coming down on hers, the force of his body pushing her back against the wall. She moaned, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him back.
Alex growled softly, praying his fangs wouldn’t slip out. They’d done it a few times last night while he and Lacey had been making love, and he’d been forced to shove his face in her neck so she couldn’t see anything. He seemed to be doing better at controlling them—at least right now—but his gums were already tingling.
He’d intended to tease her a little there in the hallway, then take things into her bedroom, but those thoughts disappeared the moment Lacey’s scorching hot and nearly naked body pressed up against his fully clothed one. His erection right now was so hard it was almost painful. The only thing he could think about was getting that condom on as fast as possible so he could take her right there in the hallway.
Lacey seemed just as eager. She worked to loosen his belt and pants at the same time he shoved down her panties. He’d never felt anything like this before. The overwhelming need to be inside her was like the urge to breathe. It couldn’t be ignored.
Lacey shoved his pants down just far enough to get his cock out and the condom on. Then she lifted one leg, wrapped it around his waist, and practically climbed onto him.
Alex tried to slow her down so he could tease her and make sure she was ready. But she was having none of that. She got the tip of his shaft lined up with her pussy, then shoved herself down on him.
The growl that tore from his lips probably would have scared Lacey if she hadn’t moaned so loud herself. She locked eyes with him, lifted her other leg to encircle his waist, then clutched the back of his suit jacket with her fingers, urging him to move. He couldn’t have resisted even if he’d wanted to. She was so hot, so ready, that all he could do was take her exactly the way she wanted him to—hard and fast.
He slipped his hands under her ass, gripping her tightly as he shoved her back against the wall and drove himself deep. She buried one hand in his hair, yanked his head against her neck, and moved her body along his in a way that demanded even more.
Alex nipped at her skin, knowing this wouldn’t last long. But he was going to make the most of it. He drove himself into her over and over, loving her gasps of pleasure.
He knew her climax was approaching from the way her legs tightened around his waist, as well as the quickening of her heartbeat. He sped up and thrust harder, wanting to come with her.
