Puer led us inside and shut the door behind us. The interior of the house matched the outside decor, complete with an elegant eighteenth-century parlor to our right and a large dining room to our left. The stairs to the upper floors covered a wall to our left and deeper into the entrance hall. The stairs and its banister curved around the rear of the hall and out of sight to the second floor.
Dives turned to his servant and me. "Show Miss Combes to her room, Puer, and then I'll explain what happened. She can have the one beside mine."
Puer pursed his lips, but turned to me and gestured to the stairs. "If you'll follow me."
He guided me up the carpeted wooden stairs to the hall that stretched the entire length of the front of the house. I looked out a window and saw the entirety of the front part of the grounds spread out before me.
Puer stopped in front of one of the half-dozen white doors, one that stood the left-hand side of the house and was the second-to-last on that side of the stairs. He swung open the entrance and swept his hand towards the interior. "This will be your room, Miss Combes."
I peeked in and noticed a high bed with four posts. On the wall opposite the door hung four windows, two on either side of the bed. Those looked out on the wide expanse of yard behind the house. A dresser and nightstand rounded out the sparse pieces of furniture, and for a finishing touch there was a large fireplace on the left-hand wall finished off the decor.
Puer stepped past me and strode over to the fire. "Allow me to light a fire for you. And there-" he nodded at a door that stood to his left along the same wall as the fireplace, "-is your bathroom."
I set my bundle on the end of the bed atop a quilt and tilted my head back to take in the large room. "I keep forgetting how rich Dives is, but he keeps reminding me."
Puer paused and glanced over his shoulder. His eyes were narrowed and his lips pressed so tightly together they were white. "Would you find it impertinent of me if I asked how much you know about Mr. Dives-ahem-personal life?"
I plopped my rear on the foot of the bed and smiled. "You mean his furry problem? He told me all about it."
A shadow spread over Puer's face. "And what do you intend to do with this information?"
I shrugged. "Nothing."
He raised an eyebrow. "Nothing? Then why are you here?"
I rolled my eyes. "I'm here because he got me kicked out of my apartment, so he owes me a room until I find another one."
Puer's tense shoulders relaxed and a smile spread across his lips. "Ah, I see. I apologize if I came off as suspicious."
I waved my hand at him. "It's fine. I'm sure you're suspicious of all the women he brings here."
He turned back to his work. "On the contrary. Mr. Dives has never brought a woman here."
I frowned. "Never?"
"Never."
I set my palms on the covers behind me and leaned back. My head tilted backwards and I stared at the white-sheen canopy. "So how long have you known about Dives's-um, furry problem?"
Puer lit a match and set the flame against the pile of thin sticks and paper. The kindling caught and crept over to the paper until a healthy fire spread over the entirety of the fuel. He stood and brushed his hands together before he turned to me. "I have been in the services of the family for the past thirty years. I was with Mr. Dives on the cruise when the-well, the incident in question occurred."
I looked him up and down. "So you're not a werewolf?"
Puer shook his head. "No. Mr. Dives would never pass the curse onto another."
I flopped down on the covers and sighed. "Finally some good news."
"Pardon?" Puer asked me.
I shook my head. "Nothing. Anyway-" I sat up and glanced at the door to the bathroom. "I think I'll clean up and get some sleep." My stomach took that opportunity to grumble loudly, reminding me that I hadn't eaten dinner. I clutched my stomach and cringed. "Which way's the kitchen?"
Puer smiled. "I can have a light snack made for you, if you wish, and leave it on the nightstand for when you come out."
I grinned. "Sounds perfect. Thanks."
He bowed his head. "Good evening."
"Um-" I bowed my head. "-'night."
Puer left me alone to the horrible comforts of the large room and private bath. I suffered through the hot, refreshing shower and the fluffy towels. My bath towel-clothed exit from the bathroom was greeted by the small platter of crust-cut sandwiches and fruit that sat on the nightstand. I walked over to the platter and took a grape. The warm fire crackled and cast a long glow across the floor as I tossed the grape into the air and caught it in my mouth.
Long, loud claps followed my epic feat. I spun around to find Dives beside the fireplace. His body was once more human and he wore a pair of loose-fit jeans with a white t-shirt that showed off his muscled chest. He leaned against the mantel and his appreciative eyes swept over my scarcely-clad body. The wall behind him was opened to reveal a hidden passage from my room to the adjoining one.
I clutched he towel close to me and glared at him. "What the hell are you doing in here?"
Dives pushed off the mantel and strode towards me. The secret passage shut, leaving no trace it was ever there. "I've come to sleep in my bed," he told me.
I took a nervous step backward, but my retreat was stopped by the side of the bed. "Y-you said I'd have my own bedroom," I reminded him.
He stepped up to me and grinned. "I did, didn't I? But did I forget to mention that as owner of the house all the beds are technically mine?"
That strong, seductive odor, the same from the elevator, enveloped me in its luscious scent. I shuddered and turned my face away. "Y-you really should leave."
He grasped my upper arms. I looked into his face. His eyes glistened with need as he studied me. "I should, but I don't think either of us want it."
He was right. I wanted him to stay. All night, if that's how long we could last.
Dives leaned down and captured my lips in a passionate kiss. My body tingled with tantalizing heat that soaked my senses with lust.
I broke us apart for some much-needed air. My cheeks were warm with a blush and my body was hot with desire. I looked at him through the bleary eyes of lust and my voice came out in a hoarse whisper. "What's. . .what's happening?"
David gasped for air and his dark eyes swept over my face. He shook his head and his own voice was deep with his own need. "I-I don't know, but I want you." He brushed his hand over one side of my face and cupped my cheek. "I. . .I've never wanted anyone this bad before. I-" He closed his eyes and shuddered. When he opened them they were a bright yellow and his voice was more growl than human. "I can't stop myself."
A wave of his feral musk swept over me. I closed my eyes and shuddered. The lust inside me tripled and images of us together-in bed-rose to the surface of my hazy mind.
He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against him. His hard, pulsing member pressed up against me and told me of his need for me. He left a trail of deliciously slow kisses down my neck. Each one was like a small fire that kindled the larger flame inside me. The wonderful heat pooled between my legs and demanded satisfaction. I craved his scent, his attentions, his touch. Everything about him drew me to him like a moth to a hot flame.
I clutched his arms and opened my eyes. His cool yellow ones stared back at me and there were shades of gray hairs in his temples. One of his hands slid down to massage my rear. I leaned back my head and groaned.
His eyes widened and he panted. I barely recognized his gravelly voice, but the word sent a thrill of excitement through me. "Mine."
I could only dumbly nod. My body ached for him, and for that I would be his. "Yours."
He possessed my lips in another hot, passionate kiss. My towel fell away beneath his strong hands and sharp claws. The rest of me fell into his wonderful touches as his hands groped and massaged my body. I was delirious with the smell of his scent and the feel of his rough skin a
gainst mine. Every touch, every slide of skin against skin drove us onward into a delicious oblivion of lust.
He tore away his own shirt and pants, leaving us pressed naked against one another. My pert nipples rubbed against his hard chest and sent ripples of delight through my body. I groaned into our kiss, and he growled back. The possessive sound thrilled me. I was his and his alone, and I knew he would take me and pleasure me all night long.
He broke our kiss and swept me into his arms. We were soon spread on the bed with his hot, heavy body atop mine. He pinned me to the sheets and covered my body in hot kisses. His hands touched me and took in all of me. My body eased into his touch and my lust-filled mind was trapped in my longing for him. All of me was possessed by him, and oh god did I enjoy it.
I groaned and shivered beneath his attentions. My soft purrs filled the bedroom and mingled with his grunts. Our soft love-making increased the tension inside us. The need for the union we both craved reached a fever-pitch.
I parted my legs and wrapped them around his waist. He pressed his thick, throbbing manhood against my entrance and paused. His yellow eyes stared down at me with such love and possession that I whimpered.
A crooked, fanged grin slid onto his parted lips. "Mine forever."
He slid into me. My hot, wet walls stretched to meet his demands. I gasped and shifted my hips. He grunted and thrust deeper into me. Every inch of him stroked my sensitive nerves and sent small waves of pleasure through me. I leaned my head back and groaned.
We began our dance to a tortuously slow tune. Every thrust and push was matched rhythm for rhythm with my rocking hips. Our sweat-soaked bodies slid against one another in increasing friction. My hands swept over his back. Small hairs poked out from his flesh and lengthened with each push.
His breathing quickened. Our tempo moved faster. I grasped his head and moaned. My mind floated in a haze of musky scent and lust that consumed me, and I reveled in it. Every push, every delicious slide of his manhood brought to me an aching hunger that only he could satisfy.
I tangled my fingers in his growing locks of gray and brown hair. My parched lips murmured sweet words. "Oh my god. Oh god, please don't stop."
He growled and his wolf hair burst from his back. I groaned as his thick manhood swelled and pushed against my tingling pleasure nerves. His pace quickened. I clutched onto him as he took me faster than I could follow. Every fiber of my tense body craved this dominating attention as he wrapped his arms around me and pressed me close to him. His sharp teeth nipped at my neck. The pleasure inside of me mounted.
I shuddered and squirmed. Our panting sounds mingled. Faster and faster he went. Closer and closer I came until I was on the precipice of pleasure. The tension and lust inside of me was too much. I needed satisfaction, I needed him.
I leaned my head back and stroked his hair. My soft words reached his pointed ears. "Yes. Oh god, yes. Take me. Please god, take me. Make me yours."
"Mine," he growled. The word was human, but not the voice. It was deep and feral. Ever syllable was a lustful growl.
That sent me over the edge and into an oblivion of pleasure. I screamed to the heavens his triumph as he took me with his swift strokes. My body shivered and shuddered beneath the waves of bliss that washed over me.
My lover penetrated me again and again until he, too, fulfilled his carnal lust. He stiffened for a moment before his body relaxed and fell onto the bed beside me. He pulled me into his arms, and for a long while we lay there together panting.
He pulled the quilt over our naked, cooling bodies. I snuggled against his warm, firm chest and closed my eyes. A contented sigh escaped my lips, and I slipped into a deep, peaceful sleep.
CHAPTER 7