“Very good, sir,” she said, picking up two menus. “Right this way.”
The hostess escorted them through the restaurant with candlelight and roses on each table. The sounds of light conversation and classical music filled the air, and the smell of garlic and butter filled her nose. They sat at a table near the window that looked out onto the lake. Lights twinkled outside and the moon hung low over the lake waters.
“The Lake of the Fates is so beautiful at night,” she said.
“It has brought many lovers together.”
Layla looked at him quizzically.
“Mate.com,” he explained. “So many shifters live here. And when they find their mates on Mate.com, they come together and live around the lake.”
“Fate certainly works in mysterious ways,” Layla said.
She smiled at him and thought dreamily about what it would be like to be his mate. Layla looked down at her menu, knowing she shouldn't rush into anything with a man she’d just met. Everything looked delicious, but she decided on the surf and turf with lobster and steak.
When the waiter returned, they ordered their meals. Liam ordered the finest bottle of wine in the restaurant. The sommelier brought back the wine and offered them both a taste.
“It's perfect,” Liam said.
The sommelier poured their wine, and Layla took a long sip, savoring the nutty rich flavor of the Merlot. “This evening is perfect,” she said, “I couldn't imagine a better date.”
“The night has just begun.”
They chatted about their lives, his real estate investment company and her crafting business. When their waiter brought their meals, they dug in. The food was so rich and delicious, she groaned with every bite. When they were done, the waiter asked them if they would like dessert, and they both ordered a hot fudge sundae.
“I have never eaten fudge this good in my life,” she said, taking her first bite.
“It's made by Candy Bear at Fate Valley Confections,” he said.
“I met him at the market the other day. He gave me a free sample of fudge.”
They devoured their hot fudge sundaes, and when they were done, they finished the wine, gazing into each other's eyes. There was dancing in the room off the restaurant, and Liam asked Layla if she wanted to dance. Layla usually had two left feet and shied away from dancing, but something about the spark in Liam's eyes gave her confidence.
“I'd love to,” she said.
They walked into the dance hall. The band playing on the stage sang a soft classic jazz tune as Liam swept her into a slow dance. Their bodies pressed together, and she could smell the scent of his cologne mixed with the musk of his body. Layla took a long breath through her nose, savoring the scent of him. It made her feel lightheaded, and her body tingled all over. The feeling of him close to her, holding her, set a fire inside her body and brain that couldn't be quenched.
After dancing, he asked her if she wanted to take a walk.
“I have something special to show you,” he said.
“I can't wait.”
They grabbed their parkas from the coat check, and walked together out the big French doors onto the patio that overlooked the lake. Liam and Layla strolled along a path between the snowy lawn toward the lake. The Christmas lights wrapped in the trees lit the way as the moon glowed over the waters of the Lake of the Fates. Layla's breath puffed out in front of her in the cold, but soon they came to a brightly lit gazebo with shuttered-in windows. Liam had a key and unlocked the door.
They walked inside, and Layla found a fire burning bright in a stone fireplace. A black leather couch faced the fire, covered in cozy throw blankets. Iced champagne waited for them on the coffee table beside a plate of chocolate covered strawberries.
“You bad boy,” she said tapping him on the shoulder with the tips of her fingers. “Did you plan all this?”
“Guilty,” he said, closing and locking the door behind them.
Chapter 7
Layla walked into the warmth of the gazebo with Liam right behind her. The shutters over the windows had been drawn, and the only light inside was the flickering glow of the fire in the stone hearth. They sat on the buttery-soft leather couch, and he poured them both a glass of champagne. He handed her a flute and lifted his, gazing into her eyes.
“So fancy,” she said, blushing.
“I wanted to celebrate our first date. I know it's corny.”
“It's not corny at all,” she said. “I love it.”
He clinked his glass to hers and smiled. “To our first date then.”
“To our first date,” she whispered.
They sipped their champagne, and she felt giddy. The warmth of the champagne bubbled in her chest, heating her entire body. Liam lifted a chocolate covered strawberry to her lips, and Layla opened her mouth, the strawberry dipping between her teeth. She flicked out her tongue, bit and chewed, savoring the rich buttery chocolate and sweet flavor of the strawberry. Groaning, her eyes rolled back in her head.
Layla took a strawberry from the tray and fed it to Liam. He growled in the back of his throat and sipped his champagne. She giggled and snuggled in closer to him, and he put his arm around her shoulders, holding her close to his brawny chest.
“This is so nice,” she said. “The best date I've ever been on.”
“I hope it's the first of many more, and better. This is my favorite time of year, but in the summer, we can go out on my boat for fishing, swimming, and waterskiing, or you can just sunbathe on the deck and read a book. And I can watch you.”
She laughed and looked up into his eyes. “That sounds perfect,” she said. “As long as I can watch you fishing, shirtless on the deck.”
“Sounds fair,” he said, leaning in toward her to claim her mouth in a kiss.
As soon as their lips touched, a spark of desire exploded inside her. She moaned uncontrollably, gripping the lapels of his jacket to pull him closer. He slid his tongue between her lips and soon they were kissing, deep and hungry. Liam glided his hand up her thigh. The depth of her desire was overwhelming, and she wanted him to touch her closer, deeper, more. But she drew back.
“I usually don't do this on the first date,” she said.
He cupped her cheek and caressed her cheekbone with the pad of his thumb, looking deeply into her eyes. His eyes twinkled in the firelight. He had the softest, sweetest look on his face.
He gently kissed her forehead right between the eyes. “We can stop.”
The intense feelings he evoked in her were frightening. She didn't want to wait, and that scared her. He removed his hands from her leg and wrapped her in his arms.
“We can fool around a little,” she said with a giggle, not wanting her lack of self-confidence after her ex ruin her night with Liam.
“Are you sure?” he said, kissing her forehead.
She shook her head, biting her lip. She hoped she had the self-control to tell him. He kissed her neck, pulling the cord on her wrap dress. It fell away to reveal her lacy bra and the soft curve of her stomach. He looked down at her breasts and cupped one in his hand. Liam moved ever so slowly, leaning down to kiss her chest.
“Is this okay?” he asked, kissing the mounds of her breasts.
She shook her head yes. He slid her out of her dress and removed her bra.
“How about this?” he asked, sucking her nipples into his mouth.
“Oh God, yes.”
He sank to his knees between hers and feasted on her breasts as he fed her more chocolate covered strawberries. The light flickered on his face and cast a glow that look like a halo around his head. He pulled off her boots and tights, and soon had her naked, sitting on a throw blanket on the couch. Her legs spread open, her body exposed to him. He looked into her eyes and pulled his shirt off, revealing his gorgeous, chiseled chest. Layla ran her finger over his pecs and flicked his nipples with her thumb. Liam smiled and fed her another strawberry.
“Do you want to stop?”
“No. Don’t stop.”
r />
He dipped between her legs and took a long draw of her scent.
“You smell like heaven,” he growled, looking up at her.
She could see the light of his bear in his eyes before he closed them tight and dove into her core. He licked her slit from bottom to top and pressed his heavy tongue between her folds, thumping against her pleasure bud. His tongue vibrated back and forth and around and around on her clit, intermittently dipping into her channel.
Layla leaned her head back and groaned. This was the last thing she would have expected a few days ago. This handsome bear who was such a gentleman and so sweet in every way was doing things to her body that no man had ever done before. His skills were beyond compare. She felt the rush of pleasure building up, right below the surface.
At any moment, it would break through and gush forth like a tidal wave. She ran her fingers through his hair and groaned, the taste of strawberry and chocolate still on her lips. Her orgasm exploded from deep inside, clenching her pussy and throbbing in her core. It was like her mind shattered and her heart erupted all at once.
Liam gripped her thighs as he held his tongue against her throbbing sex. He looked up into her eyes and smiled. Lifting himself up, he kissed her lips. The flavor drove her crazy.
She wanted him. But instead of unzipping his pants, he fed her another strawberry and snuggled her to his chest. Patting her hair and speaking soft, soothing words to her, he covered her with the throw blanket. They snuggled like that for quite some time.
She had liked him before, but now there was no going back. As she came down from the high of her orgasm, she could see the hard bulge of his cock in his pants. Layla was so tempted to reach out and stroke it, but she could tell how much self-control it was taking for him to hold back.
As the fire died down, Liam stood to throw another log on the fire. Layla pulled her clothes back on. They held each other on the couch, under the throw blankets, for over an hour, listening to soft Christmas music on the radio. At around eleven o'clock, Liam announced he should probably get her home.
He reached out to her and she stood, already dressed and presentable. No one would ever know what they had been up to in here. It would forever be their naughty little secret. She’d keep it at the back of her mind and remember it whenever she felt blue.
When they walked hand-in-hand out of the gazebo, she felt buzzed from the evening’s events. It was the best sensation, and she didn't regret anything one bit. He drove her home, and they stood outside her door. She didn't want to let him go, but she knew she'd see him again in the morning.
“Good night, my dear,” he said kissing her forehead.
He then pressed his full, hot lips to hers. She threw her arms around his shoulders, and they kissed deeply for several long moments before she pulled back and unlocked her door.
“Good night, my sweet gentlemen,” she said.
Slipping inside and closing the door behind her, she rested her back against the door and let out a long sigh. She knew she must be dreaming. Liam was a hot hunk of man, and all he seemed to want was to love her. It must be a dream. And if it was, she never wanted to wake up.
Chapter 8
Liam was at the market early the next morning, helping the vendors settle in and arrange their stalls on the third day. Everyone was still nervous and talking about the murder of Martin Green. But Liam didn't want to shut down the market and disappoint all the people of Fate Valley.
When they opened the doors, there was another huge rush of customers from all over the state, taking pictures and asking questions about the murder. Reporters had been all over the day before, and the police were still sweeping the back room for evidence.
Between making his rounds with vendors, he stopped by Layla’s stall and asked her if she wanted to come over to his house that night for another date.
“I’ll cook,” he said.
“I’d love to see your home. And eat your cooking,” she said with a grin.
He leaned in and discreetly kissed her cheek. “See you later, doll.”
Liam had heard some disturbing things. The vendors seemed to hate Martin. His ex-wife was a piece of work. The police had not informed him of any suspects and were remaining tightlipped about the investigation. As he walked around the event center, he asked everyone how they were doing. He ran into the two women he had talked to the day of the murder. They were whispering to each other in a booth, and he stopped to check up on them.
“Oh, Mr. Nash,” Peggy said when they saw him. “How can we help you?”
“I was just curious what you were doing around the end of the first day of the market?” he asked. These two had been particularly venomous about Martin Green.
“We were just grabbing a bite to eat away from the event center. Our stalls were empty, so we just shut them down and told security to watch out for them.”
“Is that right?” he asked, growing even more suspicious.
“We needed a break from the hustle and bustle,” Margie said.
“Where did you go to eat?” he asked.
“Oh, we went home.”
“Did anyone see you?”
“Well no, our husbands were both at work. We went to Peggy’s house and had some sandwiches. Why do you ask?”
“Oh, no reason,” he said.
He felt that the women were acting strange, and the fact that they had no real alibi for their whereabouts during the time of the murder made him feel even more suspicious. He left them to themselves, seeing first-hand why their stalls had been empty the first day of the market. Their crafts weren't exactly impressive.
They were both very angry about Martin Green’s success, but it didn't seem like they were giving him much competition. He continued down the aisle, looking from left to right as he passed the amazing vendors. He came back to Martin Green's stall where the display cases had all been removed and found his ex-wife standing there with her arms crossed over her artificially enhanced chest, her Botoxed lips pursed, and her hair extensions that hung down to the small of her back. She looked up at him and a bright smile crossed her lips.
“Liam Nash,” she said. “Just the successful businessman I wanted to see.”
“Yes?” he said, taking an involuntary step back.
She stepped forward and flashed her teeth in a predatory grin.
“I just wanted to ask you what you were doing for Christmas Eve?” she said.
“Having a little private get together at my house,” he said.
Liam held a Christmas party every year for some of the members of the Shifter Association. He hired a caterer and even did some of the cooking himself. They all sang Christmas carols around the big tree in his living room. It was really a special time of year for him that he shared with his nearest and dearest. But this year, he had his mate, and he couldn't wait to have her there with him on the special day.
“Oh,” she said. “I just wanted to invite you to a get together me and the girls have at the Fate Valley Resort on Christmas Eve. We call it the Fate Valley Wives’ Club, and we wanted you to be our guest of honor.”
“I thought you were divorced,” he blurted out.
“Oh, that doesn't matter. Wives, ex-wives, what's the difference?”
“I don't think I can make it. Maybe next time,” he said, trying to be polite.
“I'm counting on it.”
“I wanted to ask you where you were during the end of the market on the first day?”
“Where was I?” she asked. “I was at home with my daughter, wrapping presents.”
“Can anybody verify that?”
“Well, of course, my daughter can.”
“Where is your daughter?” he asked.
“She's at a friend’s house.”
“What are you doing with Martin's things?”
“I just thought that I could get a couple dollars for this stuff. He left us in the lurch, canceling his life insurance policy like that. He had hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt.”
/> “He's indebted to the corporation?” Liam asked, trying to reconfirm what she had said the first day of the market.
“He was. But it seems like he paid off all of that debt already.”
“Where did he get the money?”
“Heck if I know, but you know Martin, he was willing to do whatever it took to succeed. Now he's gone, and he's left me nothing. I knew I should've waited.”
“Waited for what?”
She seemed to snap out of whatever she was thinking, and her expression instantly changed from devious to sugary sweet.
“I knew I should've waited to get a divorce,” she said. “That way I could have had some control over his business dealings.”
“Why would you wait to get a divorce?”
“Because… my daughter’s still a child. And it's very hard to be a single mom.”
“I see.”
“If you change your mind about coming to the Fate Valley Resort for the Fate Valley Wives’ Club, don't hesitate to just come on over. We'd love to have you,” she said.
He turned away, sweat erupting on his brow. He wiped it off with the back of his hand and found Layla sitting behind her booth, knitting a sock with a look of concentration in her eyes.
“Hi, doll,” he said.
She looked up at him with a start. “Liam!” she said, happiness rising in her beautiful brown eyes. “I'm so glad to see you.” She put down her work. Just then, half a dozen people walked into her booth and began perusing her wares.
“How has the market been for you?” he asked.
“I might not have enough stock for all of the demand. I hate to say this, but, I think the murder was good for business,” she said under her breath with a chuckle.
“I know what you mean,” he said. “People have come from all around to see what happened. The Fate Valley Holiday Market murder has become a thing.”