Dirk's Love

Roxie's Protectors - 6

by

Marisa Chenery

Chapter One

Dirk walked into the upstairs room Roxie used as her office in the mansion she lived with her mate, Beowulf. Roxie and Dirk had spent so many hours working on his secret project—including the time he was on duty protecting her—he practically felt as if he lived there. Now that they’d completed what they’d worked so hard on, Dirk didn’t know if he should feel sad about it or not. He’d rather enjoyed his time brainstorming with Roxie.

Watching her typing away on her desktop computer, he smiled. Roxie was just as much an internet junkie as he was. She was also an exceptional web designer. She’d taught him everything he knew about HTML and coding pages.

“Hey, Rox,” he said as he stepped farther into the room.

She turned her head away from the computer monitor, her hands still moving on the keyboard. “Hi, Dirk. Are you ready for your big reveal?”

He groaned to himself. He still didn’t think this was such a great idea, but Roxie had insisted. And since she was the foretold one who ruled over all the werewolf packs, he pretty much had to do whatever she said. Dirk was just one of her Protectors.

“I’m still not keen on it,” he said. “The others are going to think I’m an idiot for doing this. You know that’s the main reason why I’ve kept my mouth shut about this project for the last year. And why I swore you to secrecy.”

Roxie rose and walked around the desk until she stood in front of him. “There’s no backing out. You should be proud of what you’ve accomplished. I think you’ve come up with something that’ll help a lot of male werewolves. If your brothers-in-arms can’t handle it, then they’re the fools. And I left Saskia out of that group on purpose. I know she’ll side with me.”

Saskia was the leader of the Protectors, while Roan, Jager, Leif, Skylar, Kye and he made up the rest. They were so close they’d basically formed their own pack and lived together in a mansion in Marin County.

“It’s a given that Leif will say something. He won’t be able to help himself. Jaden may have reined him back a bit, but Leif still talks shit when the mood strikes him, or if he wants to rile one of us up.”

Roxie waved his concerns away with a flick of her hand. “Forget about Leif. If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll keep his comments to himself. You’ve worked very hard on this, and I won’t let him spoil your moment. If he does try to be a jackass, I’ll order him to shift into his wolf form, then use my magic to keep him like that for a day, so I can chain his butt outside in the backyard.”

Being the foretold one, Roxie had more magic inside her than the typical werewolf. Her trick of chaining a werewolf out in her backyard like a dog had been put to use a few times already. To be on the receiving end was humiliating, to say the least.

“That still doesn’t make me feel any more confident,” Dirk said.

Roxie punched him in the arm. “Stop doing that to yourself.”

He rubbed the spot where she’d hit him. “Ow. Doing what to myself?”

“Feeling as if you should be ashamed. Instead, you should be proud.”

“Fine. I guess I’ll do it your way, not that you’ve left me with any choice in the matter.”

“No, I didn’t. If I had, you wouldn’t tell them.”

Damn right he wouldn’t have. He was nine hundred and fifty years old, and had spent most of his adult years—which were many—fighting with a sword in his hand. His little project was so beyond that that it wasn’t even funny. He was a warrior through and through, but this could quite possibly make him look like a big wuss in his brothers-in-arms’ eyes.

Roxie turned back to her desk and picked up the closed laptop computer resting on its surface. “Come on, let’s go downstairs and make your big reveal.”

She brushed past him and headed out the door. Dirk slowly followed behind Roxie. He’d bite the bullet and get it over with as quickly as possible.

Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, he fell in behind her as she walked toward the living room where his entire “family” sat waiting. More than one of them had asked him what this “meeting” was all about, but he’d given nothing away.

“About time you two came down,” Kye said as Dirk and Roxie came to a stop in the middle of the room.

Kye sat on one of the couches while his mate, Michaela, sat next to him. They’d been only mated for the last six months. The others in the room were Saskia and Eli, Roan and Ansley, Jager and Daylen, Skylar and Braelyn, and Leif and Jaden. Jaden sat on her mate’s lap while Leif’s large hand rubbed her six-month pregnant belly. Roxie’s mate, Beowulf, sat on the floor with their nine-month-old daughter, Nevaeh, playing with some of her toys with her. The whole gang was here. There would be no getting out of it now.

“Yeah, we were wondering if you two got sidetracked upstairs and forgot about us,” Roan said. “And it wouldn’t be the first time.”

Roxie gave him a pointed stare and cleared her throat. She ignored Roan’s comment, and said, “You’re all probably wondering why I asked you to come to this meeting.”

Jager groaned. “Please don’t tell me you’re pregnant again.”

Roxie sighed. “No, Jager, I’m not expecting another baby. This has to do with Dirk, not me.”

Dirk felt all eyes turn his way. Stupidly, a wave of uncertainty washed through him. He had a feeling this was going to blow up in his face. He just knew it. He opened his mouth to tell Roxie to forget about what she’d planned, but she spoke again.

“It’s finally time to reveal the project I’ve helped Dirk bring to fruition,” she said with a smile.

She opened the laptop and shifted to a spot where everyone in the room would be able to see it. The others leaned in for a closer look as Beowulf picked up Nevaeh, then stood so he was nearer.

“Mate Connection. What the hell is that?” Jager asked, blunt as usual.

“Oh. Oh, I know,” Ansley said. “It’s an online dating service. Right?”

At Dirk’s nod, Leif burst out laughing. And it didn’t help that the rest of his brothers-in-arms laughed along with him. The only males in the room who didn’t were Beowulf and Eli, mostly because their mates looked at them, just daring them to join in. Dirk felt as if he should go climb under a rock somewhere.

“Oh, god,” Leif said between laughs. “An online dating service? Really? Couldn’t you come up with something better than that?” He then started to laugh again, but harder.

“Shut up,” Roxie said with a loud growl. “All of you.” The room instantly fell silent. “Listen up, boneheads. No more laughing at Dirk, or you’ll get better acquainted with my backyard, if you know what I mean? It was seeing each one of you find your mates—your mortal mates—that Dirk came up with this idea to have a website where male werewolves can look around to find potential mortal women.”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Jaden said as she gave her mate a smack to the back of the head. Leif cringed in response.

The rest of the women quickly agreed, which made Dirk feel a trifle better. At least, the females of his family sided with him. It was a start.

“Okay, I can see that having some merit,” Skylar said. “But what makes your service any different than the mortal ones already out there? Male werewolves could search them just as easily as yours.”

“Good question,” Roxie replied. She then turned to Dirk. “Well, Dirk, why don’t you answer Skylar, since you haven’t said a word yet.”

He took a deep breath. “All right. What makes mine different is that the questionnaire the females have to fill out is geared more toward a male werewolf. It isn’t obvious, but the answers the women give will determine whether or not they would be acceptable to one of our kind.”

“How did you go about compiling those kinds of questions?” Beowulf asked.

Dirk smiled. “It was easy enough. I hired a psychologist, who also happens to be a werewolf, to write them up for me. And I think she hit the nail right on the head.”

“So I take it you’re going to somehow get word of the website out to the packs,” said Roan. “If it starts to take off, aren’t you going to find it hard to keep up with your protection duties as well?”

“Not really. I’ve already hired an employee. She’ll be working from home and taking on some of the responsibilities.”

“You’ve hired a woman?” Jager asked. “A mortal woman, I take it.”

Dirk nodded. “Yes, she’s mortal. Her name is Ryann. Every time I’ve talked to her on the phone she seems like a real go-getter.”

“You gave her the job without meeting her face-to-face?”

“Nowadays, especially with an internet business, everything’s done online. Even the hiring of employees,” Dirk said. “Not that I should have to explain myself to you, Jager.”

“Dirk, are you hoping you can meet your mate through it as well?” Daylen asked softly.

He nodded again. “Yeah, I am.”

Being the last member of his family to become mated, sucked. He hadn’t said anything to any of them, but he yearned for what all of them had found. He hated being alone. Dirk had been doing a lot of searching for the one woman meant for him, ever since his brothers-in-arms started finding their mates. So far, he’d come up empty-handed. Even Beowulf’s nightclub, Wulf’s Den, hadn’t worked for him. Longing for his would-be mate and wanting to find her was just part of the reason why he’d come up with the idea for his online dating service. He’d been the first person to fill out a Mate Connection questionnaire.

Ansley sighed. “I think you’ll find her, Dirk. It sounds as if you have the whole site well on its way to doing what you set it up for. I wish you the best of luck with it.”

“Thanks, Ansley.”

Roxie closed the laptop. “Now that you all know, I guess this meeting’s over.” She turned to Dirk. “Don’t you have another one to get to soon, Mr. Boss?”

He smiled. “I do. I’m meeting Ryann for lunch in about twenty minutes.”

“Then what are you waiting for? Get going.”

More than relieved to have this part of his day over with, Dirk nodded, then turned and walked out of the room. He headed for the front door, thinking he’d have plenty of time to get to the restaurant ahead of Ryann. He wanted to be there before she arrived, to organize his thoughts on how he wanted their first meeting in person to go.

It wasn’t too far of a drive from Roxie and Beowulf’s place. It also was a nice and bright San Francisco day. Dirk slipped on a pair of sunglasses and took the top down on his gray metallic BMW 335is convertible. He actually looked forward to seeing Ryann. They’d talked so much over the phone since he’d hired her two weeks before he felt as if he’d known her for a lot longer than that. They also worked well together. And with her background, Ryann was just the kind of person he needed to help out with the service.

He pulled into the lot of the Japanese restaurant he’d chosen and parked the car. Dirk had become hooked on sushi about six months ago and couldn’t get enough of the stuff. He found himself coming to this place at least once a week to feed his new addiction.

After getting out of his car, Dirk walked to the entrance of the restaurant and stepped inside the vestibule, then pulled open the glass door that led to the main section. The place had a definite Asian flare to it. As usual, already quite a few people were there, eating. He’d learned early on to make sure he had a reservation.

Greeted by the hostess, he gave his name, saying he would have another person joining him shortly. The woman led him to a booth and left two menus on the table. Dirk’s stomach growled as he looked one over, promptly deciding what he’d order first. The thing he loved about this sushi place was that it was all-you-can-eat. Each menu item had a number, which had to be filled out on a form with the amount desired on a small slip of paper. The wait staff—whoever happened to see it first—picked it up, and shortly after that, the freshly prepared food arrived at the table. Someone could order as much and as many things as they wanted, so long as they finished everything before ordering more. Not that Dirk had any problem in that regard.

Dirk pulled in a deep breath, his mouth watering at the smell of raw fish, rice and other items the restaurant served. Being a werewolf, he liked any kind of meat practically uncooked, so raw fish was right up his alley.

As Dirk tried to think through what he wanted to say to Ryann, he drew in another breath, then one more quickly after that. His whole body stiffened—along with his cock—when he detected a new scent added to the mix of others around him. Dirk’s fingers held the menu tighter as the one thing he’d longed to feel surged through him, roaring to life—his mating urge.

He looked up to find a woman standing at the side of the table, smiling at him. Dirk latched his gaze onto hers, unable to do anything but stare. She was gorgeous, with long, black hair that fell over her shoulders. Friendly looking light blue eyes gazed back at him. He filled his lungs again with her scent, reveling in the fact that she was to be the one meant for him. His mating urge rode his ass hard, making it almost impossible to think beyond the need to claim her as his.

She stuck out her hand. “You must be Dirk. I’m Ryann.”

Dirk stood and wrapped his much larger one around hers and shook it. He had to fight with himself not to yank her forward and devour her with his mouth. His cock throbbed in time with his rapidly beating heart, pushing against the zipper of his jeans.

“Nice to finally meet you, Ryann,” he said in a voice that had gone husky as he forced himself to let go.

“And it’s nice to finally put a face to the voice. Just to start off, I have to apologize. My sitter bailed on me at the last minute. I hope you don’t mind that I had to bring my son, Tyler, along.”

Dirk’s gaze dropped to the small boy who stood next to Ryann, clutching her hand. The first thing that popped into his mind was: oh, shit. His mate was already married.

Chapter Two

Ryann waited to see what Dirk’s reaction would be after she told him about Tyler. When it came, she hadn’t expected to see his face turn slightly white as he stared down at her son.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable, she waited for Dirk to say something first. She also used the opportunity to study him closer. He was so good-looking she wouldn’t have been surprised to find herself drooling over him. He had the looks that would put a model to shame. And his body. Damn. His muscles filled out the form-fitting black t-shirt and blue jeans he wore quite nicely. He also was tall, really tall. Ryann guessed him to be around six-foot-six. At five-foot-eight, there weren’t too many men who could make her feel short, but Dirk did. And throw in his long—past his shoulders—dark brown hair with blond highlights and dark green eyes, and it was all she could do not to stare at him with her tongue hanging out.

Finally, Dirk brought his gaze back up to her face. His eyes were filled with such longing she felt her knees start to weaken. But then, he blinked and it was gone. He motioned for her to take the banquet seat across from him.

“That’s okay,” he said in a deep voice. Once they were all seated, he added, “I didn’t realize you had a son. Or that you were married.”

Ryann made sure Tyler couldn’t get at anything on the table that he could make a mess with before she turned her attention back to Dirk. “Well, that wasn’t one of the questions you asked when I applied for the job. And I’m not, by the way.”

“You’re not what?”

“Married. Tyler’s father and I’ve been divorced for two years. My ex decided he wanted out when Tyler was a year old. I guess that’s what I get for wanting the whole marriage thing at twenty-one.”

“How long were you married?”

“Three years.” Ryann couldn’t help noticing as she told Dirk about her ex that he appeared less pale. If anything, he seemed to be more comfortable being around her and Tyler.

“Sorry to hear that.”

She chuckled. “Don’t be. It’s worked out for the best, believe me. We have shared custody of Tyler, with Mack getting him for the entire weekend every other one, but my ex is good for getting out of it when he has other plans.”

“It must be hard on you, raising your son basically alone.”

She shrugged. “I’m not going to lie and say it’s all a cake walk.” Ryann quickly snagged the bottle of soya sauce Tyler had managed to grab off the table before he dumped it everywhere. “Having a three-year-old to chase after can be tiring. That’s why I’m really happy to work for you. I can spend more time with Tyler and not feel as though half my wages are going for a sitter.”

“Good save on the bottle,” Dirk said with a smile. “You were the best candidate for the position.” He glanced at Tyler. “Will he like anything here? We could have rescheduled for a better day. ”

“Thanks, and he’ll eat fried rice and noodles. No, it’s fine. You have no idea how much I’ve looked forward to this. I don’t get out to do a lot of adult things, so I don’t let the opportunity slip through my fingers when it comes along. I know, pretty pathetic, huh?”

Dirk chuckled. “Actually, no. I’ve been looking forward to this meeting as well. I feel as if I’ve known you for a long time through our phone conversations. And now that we’ve met, I also look forward to getting to know you even better.”

Ryann forgot to breathe as Dirk stared at her as if she were a piece of sushi on the menu. Her body instantly went up in flames, her pussy clenching, aching to be filled. It had been so long since she’d been intimate with a man. The last one she’d slept with had been her ex-husband. And having a guy like Dirk actually showing interest in her was waking her sex-starved body from its extended hibernation.

Her lungs protesting the lack of oxygen, Ryann let out her breath and yanked her gaze from Dirk’s. She focused on the menu in front of her. “So, do you see something that’s turning your crank more than others?” She realized what she’d just asked could be taken in another context, and quickly added, “I mean the food.”

“I know what you’re asking. Yes, there is.” Dirk paused. “And I don’t mean the food.”

Ryann jerked her head up to find Dirk giving her a sexy grin. Oh, shit. Was he hitting on her? Because if he were, she was so out of practice it wasn’t even funny. She racked her brain to think of something to say in return when Tyler reminded her she didn’t just have herself to think about.

“Mommy,” he whined. “I’m hungry.”

“I know, buddy,” she said. “I’ll order something for you in a minute.”

Dirk shifted his gaze to her son and held out his hand, palm up to him. “I never did say a proper hello to you, Tyler. I’m Dirk.”

Tyler smiled and slapped Dirk’s hand. “You’re a lot bigger than my daddy.”

Ryann groaned to herself. Tyler didn’t have a lot of interaction with the male gender, except for his father and grandfather, her father. So he tended to compare other men to his dad. If Dirk were interested in her, he didn’t need the constant reminder that she’d been married before. Some guys didn’t like the baggage an ex-husband entailed, especially one she’d had a child with. Not that she’d even dated a man since divorcing Mack. Raising Tyler had become her number one priority.

Dirk grinned at her son. “I am, am I?”

Tyler nodded. “Uh-huh. You’re super tall. I want to be really tall like you when I grow up.”

“Well, then you’d better make sure you eat lots of lunch to help make you grow.”

Tyler turned to Ryann. “Mommy, order me lots, so I’ll get bigger like Dirk.”

She laughed. “All right.”

Dirk filled out the slip of paper as she told him what she and Tyler wanted. Once a waitress grabbed it, silence reigned, except for the sound of Tyler playing with his toy car on top of the table, after she’d fished it out of her purse to keep him entertained.

“So—” she started.

“What—” Dirk said at the same time.

They both laughed. “You can go first,” she said.

“I just wanted to know what you would be up to tomorrow afternoon.”

“Nothing much. Why?” Ryann’s heart beat a little faster. Was this Dirk’s way of asking her out on a date? The idea that he might be sent a little thrill rushing through her. But then, he answered her and she felt a bit letdown, not that she let it show.

“I’ve decided you need to have a better computer. The one you said you have really isn’t up-to-date enough for the type of work you’ll be doing for me. At least, it won’t be fast enough. So I’ve decided that a new desktop comes with your job, at my expense. If you’ll be around tomorrow, I’ll buy one and bring it over. I’ll even set it up for you.”

“Really? You want to buy me a new computer?”

“Yes. I was thinking of an all-in-one with a twenty-three inch touch screen. I recently bought myself one and I love it. It’s nice not having a tower and a ton of cables to deal with.”

“I guess I can’t turn down one of those. And if for some unforeseeable reason I have to leave my position, I’ll be sure to give it back.”

Dirk shook his head. “No, it’s yours to keep.” His gaze met hers again, and Ryann felt as if she were falling into it. “Though I really can’t ever see letting you go.”

She stared back at Dirk, feeling as if his gaze were eating her up again. An ache throbbed deep inside her pussy. God, he turned her on with just one look. If they weren’t in the middle of a restaurant, and she didn’t have Tyler with her, Ryann would be so tempted to throw herself at him. Professionalism be damned. She wanted him. Wanted to have some hot, dirty sex with him, something she’d been sorely missing in her life. Sometimes she wanted to feel like a sexy woman, instead of a mommy. And she had a feeling Dirk would be more than willing to give her exactly what she longed for.

The first plates of their food arrived, and the spell that had taken her over, broke. While they ate, the conversation centered more on Dirk’s online dating service, which the whole lunch meeting had been originally planned for. Ryann kept an eye on Tyler, thankful the mess he made with his food wasn’t hers to clean up. And she had to hand it to Dirk—he didn’t bat an eye when some of Tyler’s rice ended up flung to his side of the table.

Even though Ryann considered herself a big eater, Dirk put her to shame. She had reached her limit long before he did. The last two rolls he’d ordered had just been placed on the table. He picked one piece up with his chopsticks and popped it into his mouth, sighing with pleasure. It sent of shiver of desire down her back. She wondered if he’d make the same sound in bed. She quickly pulled her thoughts from that topic before they got out of hand.

Dirk swallowed before he asked, “Are you sure you’ve had enough?”

She shook her head. “Definitely. I eat another bite and I’ll blow up, but you go ahead.”

He plucked up another piece. “Oh, I will. I’m addicted to this stuff. When I come here, I make sure I get more than my money’s worth.”

She laughed. “I bet you do. And I bet they’re happy to see you go.”

“Well, being so big,” Dirk winked at Tyler, “I have a healthy appetite.”

“I’m glad I’m not responsible for feeding you. You’d eat me out of house and home really quickly.”

“To make sure that never happens, you’d just have to move in with me. That way, I’d be the one who’d have to feed you instead.”

“What about me, Dirk?” Tyler chimed in. “Would you let me move in with you too?”

“Of course I would. I’d make sure you had your own room, and I have a huge backyard you could run around in all day, if you wanted.”

“Really?” Tyler asked excitedly. “Can my mom and I move in today?”

Ryann felt her face heat. “Tyler, Dirk was only joking. We really can’t move into his house with him. Dirk’s my boss. It’s because of him I don’t have to leave you during the day.”

Tyler’s face fell. “Oh.”

Dirk reached across the table and ruffled Tyler’s hair. “How about you come over for a visit. Would that be okay?” He then looked over at Ryann. “If that would be all right with your mom, that is.”

“You don’t have to feel as if you have to,” she quickly said.

“I know. I want to. Besides, there could be times where we might have to work in person. Tyler is welcome to come along.”

“Are you sure you want a three-year-old running around your place? He can get pretty rambunctious. I’d feel bad if he ended up breaking something.”

Dirk laughed. “You don’t have to worry about that, and you’ll see why when you come for your first visit.”

“All right, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

After finishing the last of his rolls, Dirk asked, “How does sometime in the afternoon sound, for me to come over tomorrow? I’ll give you a call when I’m on my way.”

“That’ll be fine. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Yes. Don’t worry about the bill. I’ll take care of it on my way out.”

“Okay.” Ryann slid out of the booth and took hold of Tyler’s hand after he stood beside her. “Thanks for lunch. I’m glad we could finally meet face-to-face.”

“You’re welcome. And same here.”

Not able to think of something else to add, Ryann turned Tyler toward the restaurant’s entrance and walked away. As she pulled open the glass door, she commended herself for not turning around and looking at Dirk one last time. Even though he’d given her a couple of toe-curling looks, that didn’t mean anything. As gorgeous as he was, Dirk didn’t need a divorced woman who came with a child.

* * *

Dirk waited until Ryann and Tyler walked out of the door before he signaled one of the waitresses to bring him the check. He slightly relaxed the hold he had over himself. He thought he’d done a great job of acting as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening while he’d sat across from Ryann. But on the inside, that had been the furthest thing from the truth.

His mating urge rode his ass, hard. The whole time he’d been with Ryann, her scent had filled his head. But what ramped it up even more was when he’d caught the perfumed smell of her arousal a few times. He was glad they’d been seated with a table between them. He swore he spent the entire meal with a hard-on, one that was just slowly starting to go down. Not that his cock would behave, now that Ryann had left. Until he claimed her as his mate, he had to look forward to walking around with an erection, or at least being semi-hard.

He took a deep breath. He already missed Ryann. When he’d at first thought she was married, he’d felt as if the fates were playing a cruel trick on him. She couldn’t belong to another man and be his. And with a child involved, there was no way in hell Dirk would’ve tried to come between Ryann and her husband. Regardless of how badly it would affect him.

But when she’d said she was divorced, a sense of relief had surged through Dirk. There wouldn’t be any other man standing between Ryann and him. His would-be mate already having a child didn’t bother him in the least. He loved kids. That he’d have an instant family once he became mated to Ryann was fine with him.

After leaving enough money to cover the bill and tip, Dirk left the restaurant. Once in his car, he headed in the direction of Marin County. There wasn’t much point in returning to Roxie and Beowulf’s place. He wasn’t on duty to watch over Roxie today. She’d actually forced him to take a few days off, since he’d spent more time over at her place working on his online dating service than doing anything else.

Arriving at the Protectors’ mansion, Dirk parked his car in the large detached garage before going inside. Standing in the foyer, he heard voices coming from the living room. And from the fresh scents in the air, he knew Leif and Jaden were home, and Jaden’s father, Miles, was around as well.

Dirk stepped into the living room and found all three of them there. Leif and Miles were laughing at something, but quickly stopped when he walked into the room. Jaden sat on the couch next to her mate, taking turns scowling at the men. He had the sneaky suspicion the two males had been laughing about something to do with him.

His thoughts were confirmed when Miles said with a grin, “Jaden and Leif were just telling me about your latest…endeavor. Did you get bored with your online trading before deciding to do something so…so different?”

Dirk stared at the other man and scowled a bit. He still wasn’t used to the idea of Miles being in his home whenever the man felt like it. As Saskia’s true brother, Miles had been a Protector at one time. Then he’d gone to the dark side, wanting to find the foretold one himself, and then use whomever it was as a figurehead so he could rule over the werewolf packs. They’d considered Miles the enemy for a very long time. Now that Miles thought Jaden was that foretold one—knowing nothing about Roxie—he seemed to have turned over a new leaf. He also wanted to take on some of the duties of protecting his daughter. If Miles were to ever find out Jaden was only posing as the one they were to watch over, Dirk had a feeling it would all end very badly.

“I figured my service would be something a lot of male werewolves would find useful,” Dirk said. He wasn’t about to give more of an explanation than that, especially when Leif and Miles started to laugh again.

“Enough, the both of you,” Jaden said over their laughter. “You’re acting like two teenage boys, instead of men who’ve lived to see a thousand years. I think Dirk had a great idea when he came up with this. He hopes he’ll be able to find his mate through it.” She looked directly at Miles. “And, Dad, I think you should be signing up to use it as well.”

Miles stopped laughing and gave Jaden a shocked look. “What? You can’t be serious.”

This made Leif laugh even harder. “Miles, you should see your face,” he said between gales of laughter. “It’s priceless.”

Both Miles and Jaden ignored Leif. Jaden sighed and rolled her eyes before she said, “Yes, I’m serious, Dad. We both know Mom was never your mate. You loved her, yes, but you never had the mate bond with her. That means there’s a woman somewhere out there who’s meant for you. I’d like to see my father happily mated as I am. You’ve been alone for too long.”

Miles looked even more shell-shocked. “You want me to go on the internet to find my mate?”

All this mate talk played havoc with Dirk’s nerves. He was already having a hard time being apart from Ryann, knowing what she was to him. Having to wait twenty-four hours to see her again was going to be damn tough to go through. Though he had to admit, Miles’ reaction to Jaden telling him she wanted him to sign up for Mate Connection was humorous. Dirk decided to keep his mouth shut about it, figuring it would only set Leif off again.

“What’s wrong with that?” Jaden asked. “You’d be surprised how many people meet their future husbands and wives that way.” She looked at Dirk. “You’d have no problem signing my dad up, would you, Dirk? That way, both of you can hopefully find mates.”

“Sure,” he said. “If he’d be willing to fill out the questionnaire. And I won’t force him to do that.”

“Then I choose not to,” Miles interjected. “I’d rather do it the old-fashioned way by letting it happen all on its own.”

Jaden shook her head. “So you’d be willing to wait years, maybe hundreds of them, to find her? Well, I think that’s stupid when Dirk’s service could help even the odds in your favor.”

“Still not interested.”

“But what if it works?”

“Then you’d have to prove it to me.” Miles looked at Dirk. “If he finds his mate through his online dating service, I’ll sign up the very next day.”

“You’re on, Dad,” Jaden quickly said.

Dirk knew he couldn’t not say something. “Ah, Jaden, I’d hold off on that, if I were you.”

“Why? Please don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind about finding your mate that way.”

“It’s not like that.” He paused. Just thinking about Ryann was ramping him up again, making his mating urge dig its claws harder into him. “Well, you see, I’ve already found her.”

“What? You did? When? Who is she? Is she from your site?” Jaden barraged him with questions as she got off the couch to stand in front of him, wearing a wide smile.

He chuckled. “Slow down. One question at a time. First of all, she isn’t one of the women who signed up for the service, though she’s connected with it. It’s Ryann, the woman I hired to assist me with running it.”

Jaden scowled. “Wait a minute. Are you saying you’ve walked around this entire time in the throes of the mating urge and no one noticed? You hired Ryann a couple of weeks ago, at least, that’s what you said.”

“No, it hasn’t been like that. And yes, it was that long ago that I first “met” Ryann.” Dirk made air quotes. “But remember, I didn’t meet her face-to-face until this afternoon when we had lunch together.”

“I guess I’m off the hook then,” Miles said with a smile.

Jaden sighed. “Darn. It’s too bad Ryann never filled out a questionnaire. Then, we could’ve at least compared it to the one you did, Dirk, to see if the outcome would’ve been the two of you being a good match.”

“Actually, she did,” Dirk said.

“She did?”

“I wanted someone to test the site as if they were someone signing up. Since I hadn’t told any of you about the service, I asked Ryann to do it. Once she did, I only looked it over to make sure everything had worked.”

“Let’s go look at it then,” Jaden said excitedly.

“We’d have to go upstairs to my room to use my computer.”

Jaden hooked her arm through his. “That’s fine.” She looked back over her shoulder. “Come on, Dad and Leif. And no backing out now, Dad.”

Leif stood, then came over and tugged Jaden away from Dirk, tucking her under his arm. Miles also gained his feet before he followed them out of the room. Dirk heard him mutter under his breath, asking what he’d gotten himself into.

Upstairs in his room, Dirk walked over to the desk he’d set up in the corner and sat behind it. He moved the mouse to turn off the screensaver, then launched his browser. It only took him a few clicks to get into Mate Connection and his profile. He clicked on the link that would take him to his possible matches. Since he really hadn’t gotten the service out to the public yet, seeing Ryann listed hadn’t made him think anything of it. He thought it was a glitch he’d have to work out, that the program had put her there because she was the only female who’d signed up.

Dirk clicked on Ryann’s name and was instantly brought to her profile. There wasn’t a picture of her, since he’d told her not to worry about it. He’d been more concerned about whether the info she filled out in the questionnaire had worked. He’d also ignored the bottom of the page on both of their profiles, where it gave a percentage of how compatible she’d be with him. He went back to his to look. It read ninety-nine point nine.

He pointed to the number on the screen. “Holy shit, it worked.” Dirk had it programmed so it would, but there’d been a small part of him that’d thought it wouldn’t be that accurate.

“There you go,” Jaden said behind him as she leaned over his shoulder for a closer look at the screen. Once she straightened, she turned to face her father. “No point in waiting, Dad. Dirk already has the website open, so you might as well take his seat and fill out the form.”

Dirk spun his steno chair around and stood. He gestured for Miles to take his spot. Miles did not look at all happy about being forced into signing up. Even though this man had been an asshole for hundreds of years, Dirk couldn’t help feeling a smidge sorry for him.

“Look, Miles, if you really don’t want to do this, then don’t. There’s no point, if you aren’t willing to go through the whole process,” he said.

Miles shook his head. “No, it’s fine. If this is what Jaden wants, I’ll do it.” He smiled. “She may be my daughter, but she’s still the foretold one, after all. I have to do what she wants, since she rules and all that.”

Dirk, Leif and Jaden laughed quietly. Dirk knew what was going through the others’ minds, the same as it was through his—that Jaden didn’t rule.

Miles slowly sat on the chair and sighed as he turned to face the computer.

Leif laughed, and said, “It’s not as if you’re a dead man walking, Miles. Who knows, maybe you won’t find anyone this way either.”

Jaden scowled at her mate. “Don’t say that or you’ll jinx him for sure.”

“Whatever.” Leif looked at Dirk. “I’m going to leave you three to it. Once you’re done, we can go out back and get some sword practice in. I know you must be feeling pretty keyed up with the mating urge riding your ass. I remember what it was like.”

Dirk nodded. “All right. I’ll meet you in the backyard in a bit.”

After Leif left, Dirk got Miles set up on the computer before he backed up a bit to watch father and daughter, while Miles filled out the questionnaire. He could see the love the ex-Protector had for Jaden was real. It was in his eyes for anyone to see, every time Miles looked at her. And becoming a grandfather seemed to bring more and more of the old Miles back. The man he’d been when they’d first formed the Protectors. Dirk had liked him then, they all had. He just hoped for Saskia’s sake, and especially Jaden’s, that Miles didn’t revert back to what he’d been. It would more than likely break the hearts of the two women.

Chapter Three

The next day, Ryann finished packing the last of Tyler’s things he’d need over the weekend at his dad’s into his backpack. Mack was supposed to pick him up after he finished work. So far, she hadn’t gotten any phone calls from him to say otherwise, so she figured he’d still be taking Tyler.

Leaving the backpack in Tyler’s bedroom, she went to the living room. Her son sat on the floor in the middle of the room with a pile of building blocks surrounding him. He was snapping the plastic pieces together to form a tall tower. She knew once he got it as tall as he wanted, he’d knock it down, just to build it again. One of his favorite pastimes.

Tyler looked up when he noticed her watching him. “Mommy, when’s Dirk coming?”

She smiled and shook her head as she sank onto the floor to join him. He’d done nothing but talk about Dirk since they’d had lunch with him the day before. And Tyler wasn’t the only one who seemed obsessed with him, either. Ryann hadn’t been able to get Dirk out of her head. The thought of him coming to her apartment excited her—a lot. More than it should. She had to keep reminding herself he was her boss. He’d given her a great job, and she didn’t want to do anything to screw it up. It was ideal for both her and Tyler.

“Well, when is he?” Tyler asked again.

“It shouldn’t be too much longer. It’s after lunch, so I suspect he’ll come sometime this afternoon.”

“I hope he comes before Daddy does. I want to play blocks with Dirk.”

“Now don’t be disappointed if he doesn’t. Remember, he’s coming here for a reason. He’s giving me a brand new computer for my job with him.”

“I know. He still might. I’ll even ask nicely.”

Ryann leaned across and gave Tyler a big kiss. “I’m sure you will.”

At that moment, someone buzzed up to her apartment. She had a feeling it was Dirk, since Mack wasn’t expected for hours yet. She stood, then walked over to the panel by the apartment door and pushed the intercom button.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Ryann. It’s Dirk. Can I come up? I have the computer with me.”

“Sure, I’ll buzz you in. Do you need help bringing it all up?”

“No, I can manage.”

“All right.”

She hit the button to let Dirk in. She unlocked the apartment door and waited there for him. At the prospect of seeing him again, her heart sped up. Ryann resisted the urge to reach up and fix her hair. It wouldn’t have mattered if it were stuck up on end. Dirk wasn’t here for a date. She took a deep, calming breath. She would keep her cool and not stare at him like a sex deprived woman who hadn’t slept with a man in years. Wait a minute, that was exactly who she was.

A short time later, Dirk knocked. Ryann opened the door and held it there as he stepped inside carrying a box that was large, but not very wide. She shut and locked it behind him before she turned to face him. Tyler had already come over to them.

“So this is the computer,” she said. “Is that all of it?”

Dirk smiled. “Yes. I told you I’d be getting you an all-in-one.”

“Lemme see, lemme see, lemme see,” Tyler chanted.

“Relax, Tyler,” Ryann said. To Dirk, she added, “Come on, I’ll take you to where my other one is set up. We just have to switch them out. I’m sure that must be getting heavy.”

“It’s not that bad. Lead away.”

She headed through the apartment to the room that was hers. Ryann heard Dirk following behind her. Tyler suddenly pushed past her once they reached the doorway and ran over to the small computer desk tucked in the corner.

“Here, Dirk,” he said. “It goes here.”

“Well, thank you, Tyler,” he replied as he set the box on the floor. “How would you like to help me move the old computer?”

Her son nodded enthusiastically. “I’d like that. I’m strong too.” Tyler lifted his skinny little arm and flexed his bicep.

Dirk squatted in front of him and squeezed her son’s muscle. “Oh, you are.” He stood. “Let’s get started.”

Ryann shifted out of the way as she watched Dirk and her son work together. Dirk was really good with Tyler. He didn’t get impatient with the three-year-old’s incessant questions, unlike her ex, Tyler’s father. What she’d learned of Dirk from talking to him on the phone almost every day for the last couple of weeks, and now seeing how he was with Tyler, she knew he was the type of man she’d want as a stepfather to her son. Not that she was thinking that would ever happen.

Dirk bent over and Ryann’s gaze landed directly on his tight ass. His jeans molded it to perfection. She bit her bottom lip to keep the moan inside that threatened to bubble up. She imagined his body was a piece of art hidden underneath his clothes. The idea of stripping him naked to see it sent her pulse racing. Her pussy clenched at the thought of seeing his cock, hard and ready.

It was also around that time that Ryann remembered they were inside her bedroom, and the bed became a looming presence. If Tyler were gone with his dad right now, she’d do her damnedest to let Dirk know she was more than interested in him. Short of jumping his bones and having her way with him, that is.

Dirk suddenly straightened and turned his head and looked over his shoulder at her. His nostrils flared as he took a deep breath. His gaze latched on to hers, making her pussy clench again at the intensity that lurked in his eyes. It was as if he’d known what dirty thoughts she’d had of him.

Ryann quickly broke eye contact with Dirk and looked at Tyler, who was busy taking the old keyboard off the sliding tray on the computer table. When she looked back at Dirk, he’d once again turned his attention to what he’d been doing.

Since the new computer was so easy to set up, it didn’t take Dirk long to get it up and running. Ryann came closer to examine it. It was one she’d looked at before, but had thought she’d have to wait a few years to get.

“Well, do you want to give it a go?” Dirk asked.

Ryann blinked and tried to pull her mind out of the gutter as she took what he said in a totally sexual meaning. “Sure.”

She walked by Dirk to sit in the steno chair in front of the computer desk. Since he didn’t move—if anything, she swore he took a half step in her direction—her side brushed against his on her way by. Her body reacted as if he’d touched her intimately. Her pussy grew wet, while her nipples tightened into stiff peaks.

As she sat, Ryann heard Dirk draw in another deep breath, then let it out on what sounded pretty damn close to an animalistic growl. With Tyler in the room, she decided to act as if she hadn’t heard it.

She reached up and touched the screen, launched the browser, and checked her email. After going to a few more websites, including Mate Connection, Ryann spun the chair around to face Dirk. He looked at her expectantly.

“Thanks, Dirk,” she said. “I love it. It’s so much faster than my other one.”

He gave her a smile that just about melted all the bones in her body. “I knew you would.”

Ryann’s gaze met Dirk’s as she looked up at him, and she felt as if she were falling into his eyes. The heated stare he’d given her the day before at the restaurant was back. It made her breath catch. Her body, so long denied, ached to feel him skin to skin. She gave herself a mental shake. She was only working herself up for nothing.

Tyler stepped up to Dirk’s side and took hold of his hand, giving it a few tugs. “Are you done, Dirk? I want you to play blocks with me.”

The spell broken, Dirk looked down at her son. “Sure, buddy. I’d love to.” He turned his gaze to Ryann. “As long as it’s okay with your mom if I hang around longer.”

Ryann stood. “Of course you can. Stay as long as you want.” Hell, he could stay overnight if he wanted to, in her bed, while she joined him.

“Hurray,” Tyler yelled as he pulled on Dirk’s hand, trying to steer him out of the room.

She chuckled softly as she watched Dirk allow Tyler to tow him away. At least, if anything ever did happen between Dirk and her, she wouldn’t have to worry about her son not liking him. If anything, Tyler was just as taken with him as she was.

Ryann followed them into the living room. Dirk didn’t seem to have a problem with sitting on the floor as he took the blocks Tyler handed him. She sat on the couch and watched. It was a scene she would like to see happen more often. Her son hadn’t had much male influence in his short life. Mack was useless as a father, really. He did the basics and nothing more.

Time slipped away from her as Tyler and Dirk built tower after tower. Tyler was particularly thrilled when Dirk used his tall height to build one as high as the number of blocks they had would allow. Before she knew it, the sound of her apartment buzzer going off could be heard.

She looked at the clock on the digital TV box and realized how late it’d gotten. It had to be Mack. Without a word, Ryann went to the panel on the wall and pressed the intercom. At the sound of her ex’s voice, she buzzed him up.

Ryann turned back to the living room, and said, “That’s your dad, Tyler. Time to put the blocks away and get your things for your weekend with him.”

Tyler groaned. “Do I have to go? I’d rather stay here with Dirk.”

She shook her head. “Sorry, you do. It’s only for two nights, then you’re back home again. I’m sure Dirk will come to see you some other time.”

There was a loud knock that signaled Mack’s arrival. Knowing how he didn’t like her keeping him waiting out in the hall, she opened the door and let him in. He sailed into the apartment as if he owned the place.

“Is Tyler ready?” he asked without even saying hello.

“Just about,” she replied coolly.

Ryann left Mack at the door and went to the living room. Dirk was just finishing helping Tyler put away his blocks. Once that chore was done, he stood as Tyler rushed off to his bedroom to get his backpack.

“Who the hell are you?” Mack asked in a rude tone.

She turned back to face her ex. Dirk came to stand at her side. “Not that it’s any of your business, this is Dirk.”

Mack stared at Dirk, doing his usual act of trying to intimate someone he felt threatened by. “Do you really think it’s a good idea for you to have a strange man around my son, Ryann?”

“He may be a stranger to you, Mack, but he isn’t to me. So cut it out.”

“Then who exactly is he?”

Before she could answer, Dirk spoke up. “I’m Ryann’s new boss.” He then did something Ryann hadn’t expected at all. He put an arm around her shoulders and tucked her tightly up against his side. “I’m also the man who intends to take your place in her life.”

Her head snapped up to gaze at Dirk. Had she heard him correctly? He didn’t look at her, but continued to stare at Mack as if he were a bug he’d like to squash.

“Is that so?” Mack asked in a hard tone. “You’ll have some pretty big shoes to fill.”

“I’m sure I can manage, since I’m bigger than you are, according to Tyler.”

Just then, Tyler came back into the room, dragging his backpack behind him. He walked up to his dad and sighed dramatically. “I guess I’m ready to go.”

Mack took Tyler’s backpack and ignored him. His gaze stayed on Ryann and Dirk. “So what are you going to do for the rest of the day?” He directed his question at Ryann. “And the rest of the weekend?”

She bit back a retort along the lines that he hadn’t cared in the past, so why should he now? “As I said before, it’s really none of your business.”

“The hell it isn’t. I’ll have Tyler. I need to know where you’ll be if anything should happen. Aren’t you always telling me I should be a better parent? I would think me wanting to know what my son’s mother is up to in case there’s an emergency would be would classify as such.”

Ryann knew it had nothing to do with that at all. “Fine, since you’re obviously not going to back down, I’ll be—”

Before she could finish her sentence, Dirk cut in. “She’ll be with me all weekend. I’m going to take Ryann out for a nice dinner tonight and tomorrow. The rest of the time, well, I’m not going to say, since Tyler’s in the room.”

Images of what Dirk had just insinuated flitted through Ryann’s head—both of them naked, having hands down great sex. In the back of her mind, she told herself he was more than likely saying those things and acting possessive of her for Mack’s benefit. She knew none of what he said was real, but that didn’t stop her body from thinking so. It was practically jumping up and down in excitement. Not wanting to spoil any of the effect, she kept her features even as she stared at her ex, showing none of the roiling emotions deep inside her.

Mack glared at her, showing her exactly how much he didn’t like anything Dirk had said. That caused anger to quell some of the arousal she felt. How dare he be jealous now? And she knew that was exactly what had him so upset. It was okay for her ex to hop from one woman’s bed to another, not caring how she felt about it. But when it came to her, he had double standards. It was quite an eye-opener for her, though it really wasn’t that much of a shock. It proved Mack may not want her anymore, but he sure as hell didn’t like that someone else did.

Her ex took Tyler’s hand. “You’d better be here when I drop Tyler off on Sunday.” With those parting words, Mack led their son out of the apartment, shutting the door behind them harder than he needed to.

Ryann sighed, ready to apologize to Dirk, and to thank him for what he’d tried to do, basically saying he was her new boyfriend. His arm stayed around her, still holding her tight. She turned to look him in the face and felt all the air rush out of her lungs. He stared at her with what she could only describe as intense desire. And for one brief moment, she thought his eyes took on a muted glow. But he blinked, and it was gone.

She swallowed, doing her best not to show her body’s reaction. “I have to apologize for—”

Dirk cupped the side of her face with his hand and cut off her words with his lips. Her body erupted into flames as he kissed her as if he’d never get enough of her. All she could do was hang on to his waist and hope he didn’t stop.

Chapter Four

Dirk turned Ryann in his arms so she faced him, and deepened his kiss. He pushed his tongue between her lips and bit back the growl that hovered near the surface at the taste of her. He was sure he was going too fast for her, but he couldn’t hold himself back.

He hadn’t meant for it to go so far. He’d only thought to show her ass of an ex-husband that Ryann wasn’t going to be alone for much longer. Dirk had hated the way Mack had waltzed into the apartment, barely being civil to Ryann. He’d seen plenty of men like Mack, who thought they were god’s gift to women, and that the opposite sex was only good for one thing.

Pulling his soon-to-be mate closer to his body, Dirk pressed his erection against her stomach. God, he wanted her. Right here, right now. Having smelled the scent of Ryann’s arousal off and on since he’d arrived at her place, it had played havoc with his control. He was well into the throes of his mating urge, and each day he didn’t claim her as his, it would only increase. He’d also had erotic dream after erotic dream of her during the night. He’d awakened this morning with his cock achingly hard. Even though it hadn’t done anything to relieve him, which he’d known it wouldn’t, he’d brought himself to release in the shower.

Now with his would-be mate in his arms, her kissing him back, he only felt the pounding need to make her his. Dirk rocked his lower body into her, unable to hold back. She fit against him perfectly, as if they’d been made as a matching pair. The scent of her arousal increased with each second that went by. The urge to strip her out of her clothes and lick every inch of her was almost too strong to ignore.

Realistically, Dirk knew he should slow things down. He’d gone from just being Ryann’s boss to getting hot and heavy with her. He bet she thought he’d only put on an act for Mack. To her, this must’ve come totally from left field.

He was about to lift his head, but Ryann had other ideas. She shoved her hands up the back of his t-shirt and dragged her nails along his skin. She sucked on his tongue at the same time, just ramping him up even more. Okay, so she didn’t want to take things down a notch. He was all for giving her what she wanted.

Dirk lifted one of his hands to cover her breast. He rubbed his thumb across her nipple, feeling it grow taut beneath her shirt. Ryann nipped his bottom lip, causing a low growl he couldn’t hold back to rumble out of him. He couldn’t get himself too worked up, he had to keep his head. Fully making love to her now would only make a mess of things. But they could fool around, and bring each other to release another way.

He rested his hands on her waist, then slowly pushed up the sides of her t-shirt. His palms skimmed along her soft skin the higher he went. Once he reached her breasts, Ryann let him go and lifted her arms above her head for him to pull her shirt off all the way.

After doing just that, Dirk paused to look at what he’d bared. Ryann wore a silky-looking white bra that slightly pushed up her more than a handful breasts. He could just see a hint of her rosy nipples through the thin material. His cock twitched as he thought of seeing more of her curvy body.

Dirk looked back up at Ryann’s face. Her eyes appeared heavy and her cheeks were flushed with her growing desire. He reached up and ran his thumb along her bottom lip, which was puffy from his kisses. “I want you to know I’m not taking advantage of the situation,” he said in a husky voice. “What I told Mack is true. I really do want to spend the weekend with you. Take you out for dinner and whatever else you’ll let me do.”

Ryann smiled. “I was hoping you would, though I must admit I thought you were putting on a show for my ex.”

He dropped his hand to one of her breasts and circled the nipple with his index finger. She sucked in a breath. “No, I wasn’t,” he said. “Since I first saw you yesterday in the restaurant, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. I even dreamed about touching and tasting you.”

She moaned. “I’m not going to stop you from doing that. It’s been so very long since I last had a man in my bed.”

Dirk bent his head down and kissed the corner of her mouth. “How long?”

Ryann brushed his lips with hers. “Mack. He was the last man I’ve slept with.”

“Then that’s something I have to remedy.”

He gathered her close and took her mouth in a heated kiss once again. Dirk picked her off her feet and carried her to her bedroom. He didn’t put her down until he had her stretched out in the middle of the bed. He followed her down to the mattress, coming to rest on his side next to her. Looking down at her, he still found it hard to believe she’d finally come into his life.

With feather-light kisses, Dirk worked his way across Ryann’s cheek and down to her jaw and side of her neck. She turned her head away to give him better access. One of her arms came up and she clutched his bicep. Licking and sucking a path to the hollow of her throat, he lingered there for a few seconds longer, dragging her scent deeper into his lungs.

Once again finding himself in contact with her chest, he reached under her and undid the clasp of her bra at her back as he laved a taut nipple through the material. It only took a couple of tugs to remove the piece of clothing and bare her beautiful breasts to his sight. The tight peaks that tipped them were a rosy pink, just begging to be sucked. Dirk flicked one with the tip of his tongue before he opened his mouth and took it inside. Ryann arched her back on a moan, pressing herself closer.

Dirk switched to the other side, showering that nipple with the same attention. His cock pressed painfully against the zipper of his jeans. He was so hard he longed to open his pants to free his erection. Instead, he ignored it, wanting to give Ryann pleasure, focusing totally on her needs.

She shoved a hand up the front of his shirt. “Take this off,” she said in a soft voice. “I want to touch you too.”

Shifting so he knelt while straddling her thighs, Dirk grasped the back of his t-shirt and yanked it off. He tossed it over the side of the bed, not looking where it landed. Ryann sat up and placed a kiss to the center of his chest. He breathed at a rapid pace as she continued to explore him with her lips and tongue. It felt so damn good to have his would-be mate touching him like this.

She licked one of his nipples as a hand dropped to the bulge in his jeans. She stroked him through the material from root to tip. Ryann continued to fondle him until Dirk thought he was going to lose his mind. Then she had his pants undone and her hand was touching his cock with nothing to hinder her.

Dirk had thought to make Ryann come first, but he found it hard to get back on track when she fisted his shaft and pumped up and down, squeezing tight. He was having a hard enough time not pushing her flat on her back, tearing her jeans off and sinking his aching dick into her warm, wet pussy.

Getting lost in a haze of desire, Dirk did nothing to stop Ryann when she shoved his jeans down past his hips. Knowing his eyes had to be mutedly glowing now—something he had no control over when he became very aroused or angry—he shut them, not wanting her to see. But they soon snapped open at the sensation of Ryann circling the head of his cock with her tongue.

“Christ,” he groaned. “That feels so good.”

“Then you’ll like this.”

Ryann took his dick inside her mouth and sucked him as far as she could take him. Dirk’s eyes practically rolled back in his head in ecstasy. He looked down to see her head bobbing up and down as she took him in and out. When she raised her eyes to look up at him, he quickly shuttered his to mere slits.

His cock grew harder, his orgasm pushing ever nearer to the surface. God, he didn’t want Ryann to stop pleasuring him in this way. He wanted to come, give her everything he had. And being a werewolf, he wouldn’t lose his erection after climax. He could stay hard for hours at a time, unlike his mortal counterparts.

Dirk rocked his hips, matching the pace she set. Just before he was about to reach the point of no return, he ground out, “Ryann, you’re going to make me come.”

In response, she sucked his cock harder and used her hand to squeeze him at the base of his shaft. That was all he needed to push him into his release. Moaning at the pure pleasure of it, he came as she kept him inside her mouth.

After the last spasm took him, Ryann released his still hard cock. Her gaze remained locked on it. “No recovery time?” she asked.

In answer, Dirk used his body to push her back onto the bed. He nuzzled the crook of her neck as he worked on getting her out of her jeans. “No. And now, it’s my turn to pleasure you.”

The pants were sent sailing to the floor, and he only took a few seconds to see that Ryann’s panties matched the bra she wore before they too followed. He wasted no time working his way down her body, learning it with his lips as he went. The scent of her arousal drove him crazy. He had to have a taste of her—now.

He used his shoulders to push her legs farther apart as he settled between them. He growled softly at the sight of her pussy all wet for him. He bent his head and dragged the flat of his tongue along the opening to her body. Another growl rumbled out of him. Her taste rivaled her scent, both going straight to his head. He was pretty sure he’d never get enough of touching and tasting Ryann.

Dirk spread her pussy lips and licked her from bottom to top, circling her clit, then sucking on it. Ryann moaned as she raised her hips, rocking against his mouth. He pushed a finger and then another inside her, moving them in and out. He alternated between licking and sucking on the bundle of nerves that were the center of her pleasure. Her inner walls clenched around the digits he used to work her.

“Mmm, yes,” Ryann moaned. She panted, “So close.”

He lifted his head slightly, continuing to move his fingers in and out of her. “Let go. I want to feel you come on my hand.”

Dirk looked up her body to find Ryann had her eyes closed with her hands tightly fisted in the sheets under her. She breathed in short pants. Angling his strokes higher so he hit her G-spot, he pushed her into climax. Her pussy rhythmically clenched and unclenched around his plunging fingers. He let out a sound that was a combination of a groan and a growl, wishing it was his cock that was deep inside her, riding out her orgasm.

Ignoring his dick, which was throbbing once again, Dirk rose between Ryann’s legs and wrapped his arms around her before he rolled to his back, taking her with him. She ended up sprawled atop him. The perfect place where he wanted her.

Slowly, Ryann’s breathing returned to normal. She ran her fingers up and down his sides as she lay there with her head pillowed on his chest. He moved his hand in circles on her back.

Ryann eventually lifted her head and looked at him. “Are we stopping?”

“For now.” Dirk then laughed at the disappointed expression that formed on her gorgeous face. “Don’t look at me like that.”

She wiggled, his erection trapped between them. “Do we have to? You’re still ready to go, if you know what I mean? The oral sex was great and all, but you’re looking at a woman who’s done without it for far too long. You woke the beast up, so you have to feed it now.”

He chuckled. “The beast?”

“Yeah, you know, my urge to have sex. I’ve kind of suppressed it for the last couple of years, being busy raising Tyler on my own and all. But after this, I don’t think that’s going to work anymore.”

Dirk cupped her face in his hands and brought her mouth to his. He kissed her thoroughly before he let her up for air. “Well, the beast is going to have to be satisfied with the taste it got. I want us to spend more of today together, talking, before I take you to bed and not let you out of it for maybe a day.”

Ryann groaned. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me? We’ve done nothing but talk to each other for the last two weeks.”

“Yeah, but only over the phone. Plus, we really didn’t discuss anything personal, mostly about the website. And I still want to take you out for dinner. If I let this go any further, that won’t be happening, I can assure you.”

She sighed dramatically. “All right, you win. What do you have in mind to fill the rest of the time?”

Dirk kissed the tip of her nose before he slid out from under her and got off the bed. He quickly tucked his still hard cock inside his jeans and did them up, then turned to face Ryann. She lay on the mattress in all her naked glory, making him almost rethink what he’d just told her. Almost.

“I thought we could work on some ads for the launch of the website,” he said, doing his best to hide the fact that seeing her like this, stretched out on the bed in open invitation, made him horny as hell.

She smiled coyly. “Are you absolutely sure that’s what you’d rather be doing? We could always work on them sometime later.”

Ryann didn’t know it, but she was playing havoc with his good intentions of easing her into his world first, before taking her as his mate. She had no idea how much he wanted to climb back on that bed with her and finish what they’d started. Already, his mating urge had dug its claws even deeper into him because he’d only come in her mouth.

Instead, Dirk forced those thoughts away. “Positive. I’m not going to mess up what we’ve started.”

“Fine,” she said with a pout as she climbed off the bed. “Have it your way. But all I have to say is that we’re off to a pretty good start, in my opinion.”

He was about to answer her when his cell phone started going off. Dirk reached inside his front jeans pocket and took it out. Seeing the number, he silently groaned to himself. It didn’t take a brainiac to figure out why she was calling.

He hit the “send” button to answer, and said, “Hello, Roxie.”

“Good, you answered,” she replied. “That must mean I’m not too late.”

“Too late for what?”

“To make sure you don’t forget about my rules when it comes to mortal mates. I know Ryann is yours. Since you’re the last of the Protectors to get matched up, I’m going to make sure you do everything by the book.”

He sighed. “So far so good. Okay?” Dirk followed Ryann’s movements as she gathered up her clothes before she put them back on. With each bit of skin she covered, he wanted to groan in disappointment.

“I guess, but the question is, how long will that last?” Roxie asked. “All your brothers-in-arms caved. Are you with Ryann now?”

“Yes.”

“What are the two of you doing for dinner?”

“I’d planned to take Ryann out somewhere.”

“Come to my place. Have dinner with Beowulf and me. Jager and Daylen will be here as well.”

“I don’t know, Rox. I promised I’d take her someplace nice.”

He was met with a short silence before Roxie said, “Are you insinuating my house isn’t? Or that I’m not a good enough cook? You’ve eaten enough of my meals to know that’s not the case.”

“You know that’s not what I meant. Gee, don’t bite my head off or anything.”

“Then you two will come over. And just so you know, that’s an order from the foretold one.”

“I guess my answer has to be yes, doesn’t it, since you really haven’t given me much choice. But I’m still going to ask Ryann first if it’s all right with her.”

Dirk covered the mouthpiece of his cell with his hand and spoke to his soon-to-be mate. “It’s Roxie, and she’s invited the two of us to come over and have dinner with her and her husband, Beowulf. I know it won’t be just the two of us going out for a meal, but it should be fun.” Not. He had a feeling Roxie would be watching him like a hawk to make sure he followed her rules.

Ryann nodded. “Sure, I’d love to. I know she’s a good friend of yours, and that she helped you set up Mate Connection.”

He pulled away his hand, then said into his phone, “Rox, Ryann said she’s fine with it. So I guess we’ll see you for dinner. What time do you want us over?”

“How about we have a late meal, say around seven? That way, I can get the baby to bed beforehand, so I can eat with no interruptions.”

“Sounds good. We’ll be there. Bye.”

Dirk ended the call and put his cell phone back into his pocket. He closed the distance between him and Ryann and wrapped his arms around her waist to hold her close. “Thanks for agreeing to go over to Roxie’s. She was really quite insistent about it. Knowing her, if I refused, she would’ve just kept calling until she’d worn me down. She really does want to meet you.”

Ryann laughed. “No worries. So what time are we going over there?”

“She wants us to arrive at seven.”

Ryann went on tiptoes and kissed his chin. “Then we’d better get cracking on those ads you want to work on. And maybe we should have a little something to snack on now to tie us over until then. I make some mean nachos.”

Dirk smiled. “I’m not one for turning down food.”

As he walked with Ryann out of the bedroom, he hoped Roxie wouldn’t hover over him too much this evening. He loved her like the sister he never had, but the state he was in, he’d only be able to stand so much.

Chapter Five

Ryann sat in the passenger side of Dirk’s BMW convertible with the top down, enjoying the wind in her hair as he drove them to Roxie’s place. Since it wouldn’t be dark for another couple of hours, when Dirk had asked if it were okay if he took it down, she’d quickly agreed. She’d never ridden in a convertible before, or a BMW, for that matter. Ryann had had a feeling that her new boss had money, considering some of the things he’d said while they’d talked on the phone. The first and foremost giveaway had been the fact he lived in Marin County.

Dirk sent a quick look her way before he focused back on the road. “Is it too windy for you?”

Ryann tucked her hair behind her ears. “No, it’s fine.”

“Just let me know if it is, and I’ll put the top up.”

“I will.”

They drove in silence for a little while until Ryann noticed the neighborhood they were in. “Ah, I take it Roxie’s rich like you.”

He gave her a quick smile. “You could say that, but mostly because of Beowulf. You could say he comes from very old money.”

“If that’s the case, I hope he isn’t one of those stuck up rich people.”

Dirk laughed. “I can assure you Beowulf’s nothing like that. He’s a pretty laid back guy. He even owns a nightclub. You might’ve heard of it. Wulf’s Den?”

Ryann shifted in her seat to better face Dirk. “Are you kidding me? I’ve heard of Wulf’s Den. Where I used to work, that’s all the single girls talked about. How the hottest guys could be found there. Like off the pages of GQ hot. I think some of them went to the club every Saturday night, hoping to get lucky with one.”

“Yeah, it does have a reputation for that,” he said with a chuckle. “Beowulf says it’s very good for business. So did any of those girls hook up with one of the guys?”

“Only one. Supposedly.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, she came back to the office that Monday, bragging about how the guy could keep it up for hours, even after he came, repeatedly. We, of course, thought she was full of crap.” Ryann looked at Dirk’s profile. “But after what we shared in my apartment, I’m starting to rethink that. She could’ve very well told the truth. Though I think I might have to do a little more research into it before I fully believe it. Do some testing of that theory on my own.”

The glance Dirk shot her was heated, making a thrill shoot through her from her head to her toes.

“You can use me as your guinea pig any time you want,” he said huskily. “And I’m sure you’ll be more than satisfied with the results.”

If they hadn’t been in a car, driving on the road, Ryann would’ve unclipped her seatbelt and thrown herself on top of Dirk. Her pussy grew wet as her imagination ran wild with all the things she would do to him to test her theory. She was so very tempted to tell him to turn the car around and go back to her apartment, to forget about Roxie’s dinner invitation. And from the tight expression on Dirk’s face, she had a feeling he’d have no problem going along with it.

His knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel tighter. “God, you have no idea how much you’re killing me here. If it were anyone else but Roxie, I’d be saying the hell with it.”

“She wouldn’t understand?”

“Not even close.” He reached across and squeezed her leg. “We’ll get this over with, then leave shortly after the meal’s done.”

“I’m going to hold you to that.”

Dirk put on his indicator to turn left before he pulled into a gated drive. He rolled down his window and punched in a series of numbers on the security pad located near the entrance and the black, iron gate swung open.

“You must come here a lot, if you know the code to get in,” she said.

“There are times I practically feel as if I live here, especially when Roxie was helping me set up the website.”

Dirk drove up the long drive, then parked in front of the garage next to a black Chevy Camaro. Once he turned off the car, Ryann got out and walked around to Dirk’s side. He took her hand and linked their fingers together as he guided her over to the mansion’s front door. It’d been years since she’d walked with a man like this. She’d actually missed it.

Dirk didn’t bother to knock and just walked inside. He called, “Rox?”

“We’re in the living room, Dirk,” a woman answered.

Still walking hand in hand, Ryann allowed Dirk to move her in the direction the voice had come from. Once they stepped inside the room, the two sets of couples already there seemed to turn their gazes directly on her. She found it a bit disconcerting to be the center of attention to a bunch of people she’d never met. They didn’t stare at her in a mean way, more of a curious one.

As they came closer, a woman with long, golden brown hair got up from the couch where she’d sat with a man with longish, black hair. She headed straight for Ryann with a big, friendly smile on her face.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Ryann,” the woman said when she came to stand in front of her. “Dirk’s talked a lot about you these last couple of weeks. I’m Roxie.”

Ryann returned her smile. “I can say the same about you.”

“Well, don’t just stand there. I’ll introduce you to the others.”

Dirk and Ryann followed Roxie over to the two couches. Once they were all seated, Roxie made the introductions. Ryann learned that the man with the black hair was Roxie’s husband, Beowulf. The other two people were Jager and Daylen, another husband and wife.

She couldn’t help but stare a bit at Jager and Beowulf. The two men were tall, muscular and had supermodel looks just like Dirk. Their spouses were pretty, but didn’t look like models found on a fashion runway. Ryann was thankful for that. At least, she wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb when it came to the looks department.

Ryann had just sat back as Dirk put his arm around her shoulders when Jager said, “So, have the two of you slept together yet?”

“Jager!” both Daylen and Roxie said sharply at the same time.

“What?” he asked. “I know you’re both dying to know, well, at least Roxie is.”

Daylen shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Just ignore him, Ryann. My husband has the bad habit of saying whatever the hell’s on his mind, regardless of how bad it sounds coming out of his mouth.”

With his long, light brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and tough looking exterior, he had the appearance of a man you wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley. Jager’s expression softened, showing the feelings he had for his wife when he looked at Daylen. “And that’s part of the reason why you love me,” he said with a smile.

Next to Ryann, Dirk groaned. “As another person who lives in the same house as you, I can definitely say it doesn’t make me want to love you. Sometimes it actually has the opposite effect.”

As the others laughed at Dirk’s quip, Ryann turned her head to look at him. “Jager and Daylen are your roommates? I thought you lived alone.”

The laughter petered out as he answered her. “They’re not roommates, more like family. I like to think of them as the siblings I never had. Along with the others we live with.”

“There are more than just the three of you?”

Dirk nodded. “Altogether, including the new baby Jaden and Leif are expecting, there are eleven of us.”

Ryann looked at him, feeling very much surprised. “That’s one big family. I don’t know if I could live with that many people. I’m so used to it just being Tyler and me.”

“Don’t worry, Ryann,” Jager said. “You’ll think nothing of it once you’ve moved in.” He grunted when his wife elbowed him in the side.

“Would you shut up, Jager,” Daylen said. She then looked at Ryann. “Like I said before, ignore him. Who’s Tyler?”

Ryann couldn’t help the smile that formed. “He’s my three-year-old son.” She quickly added, “I’m divorced.”

“Where is he now?” Roxie asked. “You could’ve brought him along instead of leaving him with a sitter. We have plenty of room here for him to sleep, if and when he got tired.”

“He’s with his dad for the weekend.”

“Oh, so you don’t have to rush back home?”

“I suppose not,” Ryann said, though getting Dirk alone again was something she planned to do as soon as she could without being rude.

Roxie stood. “I think the food should be done. Why don’t the rest of you head to the dining room while I get everything ready to serve?”

“Do you need any help, Rox?” Daylen asked.

“Nope, I’m good.”

Once Roxie left, Beowulf got up and led the rest of them to the dining area. The table was long, more than enough room for six people to sit comfortably. A dark blue tablecloth covered it, and it had already been set.

Coming through another doorway at the other end of the room that must be connected to the kitchen, Roxie came in carrying a large pan of piping hot lasagna. She placed it on the center of the table on a cooling rack. She took off the oven mitts she wore before she said, “I’ll just get the garlic bread, then we can dish up.”

The smell of garlic preceded Roxie when she returned. Ryann’s stomach growled in anticipation. She had a weakness for Italian food. All heads turned her way, and she blushed. She hadn’t thought the sound of her stomach grumbling had been that loud.

She looked at Roxie. “It smells delicious. I guess I’m hungrier than I thought.”

“Well, help yourself, and eat as much as you want. I made lots.”

No one spoke as the food was dished up on their plates. Once she had hers, Ryann picked up her piece of garlic bread and took a bite. It was really good, so was the lasagna when she had some of that.

While they ate, a large bottle of red wine was passed around, everyone filling the wineglass next to their plate. And as the meal progressed, it went around a second time. Once that was emptied and another bottle had been opened, Ryann knew there was no way she’d be able to keep up with the others at the table. Two glasses were her max, especially if she wanted to remain sober for later. She wasn’t one of those drunks who could liven up a party. No, finding a corner somewhere and going to sleep was more her style. She doubted Dirk would enjoy that.

When the food was all gone and everyone was on their fifth glass of wine—not that any of them appeared to feel the effects of the alcohol—Ryann was still amazed by how much they’d had. It also made her think that Dirk really couldn’t be in any condition to drive. And after having her two glasses, she didn’t want to get behind the wheel either.

Trying not to be too blatant about it, she leaned toward Dirk, and whispered, “When you want to leave, I think we should call a cab. Neither one of us should be driving.”

He smiled and replied just as quietly, “I’m fine. I can drive.”

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. We don’t need you to get a DUI.”

From the end of the table, Roxie said, “Ryann’s right, Dirk. You don’t need one of those. You two can stay over. So can Jager and Daylen.” Her gaze seemed to lock on Dirk’s. “I insist.”

“Really?” Dirk asked. “You’re going to be like this?”

Roxie smiled. “I’m afraid so. I told you I was going to watch you.”

Ryann got the distinct impression she was missing out on part of what Dirk and Roxie’s conversation really meant. She had a feeling it all didn’t have to do with Dirk driving while under the influence. But she didn’t say anything.

“Fine,” Dirk said with a sigh. “I guess we’ll be staying the night.” He turned to Ryann. “You don’t mind, do you?”

She shook her head. “If you want to stay, I’m fine with it.”

There was no way she’d pass up the chance to actually spend the entire night with Dirk in a bed. It didn’t matter where it was, so long as he was in it.

Chapter Six

After dinner, Dirk kept shooting Roxie looks that let her know he wasn’t exactly thrilled with what she’d done. He hadn’t counted on having to stay the night at her place with Ryann. Actually, he hadn’t planned on spending the entire night with Ryann at all. It would just be asking too much of him. He was only a man, and with the mating urge riding his ass, the desire to make love to his mate would be extremely hard to resist.

Well, Roxie had just made sure he was put in a situation that he, and especially she, wanted to avoid. He could’ve driven without having to worry about blowing over. All his kind metabolized alcohol differently than mortals. For him to be in the range where he’d get nailed with a DUI, he’d had to have been drinking all day. And Roxie knew that, being a werewolf herself.

Not that he could’ve told Ryann any of this, since she had no clue what he was, or the fact that she was spending her evening with a bunch of werewolves. Though with Jager around, and never knowing what he’d say next, he could let the truth slip. And that was not how Dirk wanted Ryann to find out.

Dirk probably would’ve enjoyed the evening better if he didn’t feel so on edge. And it didn’t help matters that Roxie watched him like a hawk, as if he’d take Ryann to the floor and claim her right there in front of everyone. The only good thing was that Ryann didn’t seem to notice.

She’d warmed up to everyone as if she’d known them for a long time. Roxie and she talked about their kids, while Ryann had Daylen talking about her days as a police officer. She’d even had Beowulf telling her about Wulf’s Den, and Jager about swords, though Ryann thought he was just a collector. She had no idea that his brother-in-arms was rarely without his sword strapped around his waist. Even though Jager wasn’t wearing it right now, that didn’t mean it wasn’t stashed somewhere close by. At one time, before meeting Daylen, he used to sleep with the damn thing tucked in beside him in his bed.

Once it grew late enough for everyone to call it a night, Dirk was more than anxious to get Ryann alone. And from the heated looks she’d sent his way when no one was looking, he knew she felt the same way.

Dirk stood and turned before he offered Ryann his hand. She quickly took it and let him help her to her feet. “I guess we’ll see you all in the morning,” he said, wanting to make a fast getaway. “We’ll take the room I normally use when I stay over.”

Roxie stopped Dirk and Ryann before they’d taken more than a couple of steps toward the living room’s entrance. “Are you sure that’s what Ryann wants to do? She might feel more comfortable in a room by herself.”

He turned and scowled at Roxie. “That won’t be necessary.” He then looked at Ryann. “You’re fine with sharing a bed with me, right?”

Ryann nodded. “I don’t mind staying with Dirk.”

“Are you sure? We have enough rooms if—”

Beowulf cut her off. “Enough already, Rox. Let it go.”

Using the opportunity to leave before Roxie thought of something else to say, Dirk steered Ryann out of the room. Once they were out of sight, he scooped her up in his arms, and with a tiny burst of werewolf speed, took the stairs to the upper level two at a time. Ryann giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on.

After stepping into the bedroom and flipping on the light, Dirk quietly closed the door behind them and turned the lock. He wouldn’t put it past Roxie to try to barge in. That done, he put Ryann on her feet. She kept her arms around his neck and shifted so she was pressed to the front of him from chest to knees. The scent of her arousal bloomed around them. His cock hardened in an instant.

“I’ve been dying to do this all night,” Ryann said in a husky voice.

She went on tiptoe and took his mouth in a heated kiss. Her tongue pushed between his lips, stroking his. She tasted of the wine they’d been drinking. Her fingers curled into his hair at his nape. Dirk ground his aching cock against Ryann, making them both moan.

His hunger rising for the woman who would be his mate, Dirk went to wrap his arms around her, but Ryann had other plans. She broke their kiss and pushed him back against the door with a hard shove. It banged when he made contact with it. Then she was on him again.

Lifting the front of his t-shirt with one hand, Ryann dragged the flat of her tongue along his pec. Nimble fingers worked on the button and zipper on his pants, and soon were inside them, wrapping around his thick shaft. She pumped him, forcing another groan that bordered on a wolf-like growl. He tried to take hold of her, but she shoved him once more, which made the door bang again.

Taking the hint that she wanted him to stay right where he was, Dirk watched Ryann slowly go down on her knees in front of him. His breath sawed in and out of his lungs while his heart beat at a rapid pace when she jerked his jeans down far enough to spring his cock.

He couldn’t tear his gaze off her. The sight of her opening her mouth and taking his dick inside had him wanting to howl in pleasure. The feel of her sucking him just about did him in. Desire surged through him, his cock hardening even more.

The door rattled at his back as someone knocked on it. Knowing full well who that someone was, Dirk ignored her. He just prayed she’d take the hint and go away.

“Dirk,” Roxie said through the door, “you better not be doing something you shouldn’t in there.”

Ryann swirled her tongue around the head of his cock before she sucked him almost to the back of her throat. Dirk couldn’t hold back the growl that rumbled out of his chest. He definitely wasn’t doing anything he shouldn’t. It felt too fucking perfect.

Through gritted teeth, he said, “Go away, Roxie. Now’s not a good time.” The last word ended on a moan. Ryann had started to fondle his balls. “Definitely not now.”

“Dirk, open this door.”

“Go. Away. Roxie.”

If she didn’t leave him alone, Dirk wasn’t going to be responsible for what he did. The grip he had on his control was tenuous at best. And Roxie wasn’t helping matters, to say the least. But much to Dirk’s relief, he heard Beowulf’s voice next.

“Rox, what did I say about doing something like this?” Beowulf asked. “You’re taking it a little too far.”

“I just want to make sure he plays by the rules.”

“I think I need to show you how pleasurable it can be when you don’t.”

Dirk heard Roxie let out a little shriek, then Beowulf’s heavier footsteps walking away down the hall. It wasn’t hard to guess that Beowulf had slung his mate over his shoulder and carried her away, something he did when Roxie was prone to not listen to him.

On the brink of coming, Dirk tugged on Ryann’s shoulder to get her to release his cock before he pulled her up on her feet. It was his turn to pleasure her. In a move Beowulf had just used on Roxie, Dirk picked up Ryann and swung her over his shoulder. He crossed the short distance to the bed and flipped her onto the mattress. She giggled as she bounced.

He grabbed hold of Ryann’s legs and pulled her down to the end of the bed to where he stood. He undid her jeans and peeled them off her. Hooking his fingers in the waistband of her panties, Dirk slowly removed that article of clothing.

Staring at her pussy, seeing her juices on her inner thighs, he licked his lips. “Now I get to eat what I’ve been craving.”

Dirk knelt on the floor and used his hands to push her legs farther apart. Her pussy was pink and swollen with arousal. He dragged a finger through her wetness before he swirled it around her clit.

Ryann lifted her hips. “More. Give me more.”

“Don’t worry, babe. I will.”

He lapped at her slick opening, enjoying the taste of her on his tongue. His cock throbbed in time with his rapidly beating heart, aching to be buried deep inside Ryann’s wet heat. It beat at him, making him clamp down even harder on his control.

Using two of his fingers, Dirk pushed them inside her pussy, pumping them in and out. Ryann’s cries of passion rang in his ears as she matched him stroke for stroke. Her inner muscles clamped around his digits, her juices coating them as he worked her.

He sucked and licked her clit, and when it seemed as if she hovered close to the edge, he pushed her higher, stroking her G-spot. Ryann cried out, her body clenching around his fingers.

Dirk rose to his feet and climbed onto the bed. Still breathing heavy, Ryann pushed back until she was in the center of the mattress. She tore off her shirt and quickly shed her bra. He ran his gaze over her, getting even more turned-on by her nakedness.

She then turned to him, inching closer on her knees. If Ryann had been a werewolf, he would’ve sworn she was stalking him, from the way she held his gaze, moving slowly.

Once she reached him, Ryann grabbed the top of his jeans and pushed them farther down his legs. “Pants off,” she said in a husky voice. “You promised I could use you as a guinea pig. I’m thinking now’s a good time to run my little experiment. It’s going to be called, ‘How many times I can make Dirk come before he loses his erection.’”

He swallowed against the howl that wanted to break free. “How about we make it even more interesting and say you can only do that with your mouth and hands?” It would kill him, make his mating urge go straight through the roof, but it would be well worth it.

She smiled. “Deal, just as long as I get to come too. Now get rid of the jeans.”

Dirk quickly shucked his pants and dropped them over the side of the bed. “Oh, don’t worry. You won’t be left out.”

He soon grunted in surprise as he found himself flat on his back with Ryann hovering over him. With a smile that said she was ready to play, she worked her way down his body. Her hot breath fanned over his cock, making it jerk.

Lifting his head to watch, Dirk saw a bead of pre-cum leak out of the head of his dick when Ryann took hold of him. The tip of her tongue came out and licked it off. She moaned as if it were the best thing she’d ever tasted.

He closed his eyes and laid his head back onto the bed. It wasn’t going to take much for him to find his first release. He was primed and ready to go. Dirk gritted his teeth to keep his howls of pleasure from escaping when Ryann sucked his cock into her mouth. Her teeth lightly scraped against his skin as she took him in and out. So close now, he held the back of her head and pumped his hips, fucking her mouth.

She hummed, the vibration running along his entire length, and that was all he needed to reach completion. Dirk growled low, arching his hips, coming in Ryann’s mouth, giving her all he had. Once the last shudder had gone through him, he was on her, playing her body like a finely tuned instrument.

They made each other come three more times before Dirk collapsed on top of Ryann, trying to catch his breath. He also had to admit he was in trouble. Coming so many times without being inside her had his mating urge spiraling almost out of control. And it didn’t help that his wolf was rising to the surface, demanding he claim his mate.

Dirk buried his face in the crook of Ryann’s neck, fighting to calm down. But the smell of sex on her skin only heightened his need. Then she shifted beneath him so his hips became wedged between her thighs. She lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist, anchoring him there. The tip of his cock brushed her wet pussy. A deep shudder racked his body.

Ryann shifted again, this time taking the head of his dick inside her. “The experiment’s finished. I need you to fill me. Now.”

As if a damn had broken, Dirk lost the battle. He surged into Ryann’s pussy, sheathing himself to the hilt with one stroke. From the number of times he’d made her come, she was more than wet enough to take him. Her inner muscles clamped around his pistoning cock as he rode her hard and fast. He was beyond being able to take it slow. Growl after growl rumbled out of him, as much wolf as he was man.

“Oh, god. Yes,” Ryann keened. “Don’t stop.”

He couldn’t, even if he tried. Dirk had played with fire and got engulfed by an inferno. He plunged into her pussy again and again, the pleasure unlike any he’d ever felt. Being inside his mate, claiming her, nothing was better.

Wanting Ryann to leave her mark on him, Dirk gathered her tightly in his arms and brought her with him as he shifted so he sat back on his heels. His dick still buried deep inside her, he urged her to ride him with a hand on her hip. He placed the other on the back of her head to lead her mouth to the spot where his neck and shoulder met.

“Bite me,” he growled. “Hard.” When she bit down too gently, he added, “Harder. Sink your teeth into me.”

He continued to spear into her pussy. And when she did bite him hard enough to leave a mark behind, Dirk felt the beginning of the mating bond form between them. A piece of his soul reached out for Ryann’s. Continuing to growl and take her faster, harder, the two parts wrapped around each other and became one. Both he and Ryann were thrown into instant climax as the mating bond snapped into place. She called out his name on a keening moan, throwing back her head as her pussy clutched his cock, milking it, prolonging the pleasure surging through him.

Once it was over, Ryann collapsed against his chest with her head on his shoulder. Dirk wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight, his cock still hard and buried deep inside her pussy. She was now his and there would be no going back.

Chapter Seven

Ryann, for the life of her, didn’t want to move. Actually, she doubted she had the energy to accomplish that feat. Holy shit, sex had never been this intense for her, ever. She felt as if she’d been thoroughly loved. And that was how it had seemed to her. That it hadn’t just been sex. When Dirk had finally joined their bodies, she’d been more than desperate for him. Then something had happened between them, something she’d never felt before. Even now, she was having a hard time trying to describe it to herself. Whatever it was, it had sent a feeling of being somehow connected to Dirk shooting through her. And how she felt about him solidified even more, became stronger.

She hoped to god that it wasn’t a side effect from her sleeping with the first man since her divorce. In no way did she want Dirk to think it was more than sex if that wasn’t what he intended. She didn’t want him to think she was clingy. That had been Mack’s biggest compliant about her, that she clung to him and was too needy. Ryann didn’t think she was either of those things, but it would be kind of a blow to her ego if Dirk thought so.

Dirk shifted to bring his legs out from under him, so they were stretched out in front of him. Ryann moaned softly. The man was still hard, buried deep inside her. He’d come five times, and he’d somehow managed to keep his erection. She had no idea how it was possible. Her little experiment had more than proved that the girl from Ryann’s previous job hadn’t lied one bit. Dirk had just done what had seemed so farfetched.

He nudged her with his shoulder. “You’re so quiet. Either you’re half asleep, or you’re thinking too much about something. I hope you’re not regretting what we just did.”

Ryann sat up and cupped Dirk’s face. She kissed him deeply before she pulled away. “It’s probably a little bit of both—tiredness and just lost in thought, though not with regret. I’m not much of a night owl anymore. Not with Tyler sometimes waking me up at the crack of dawn.”

He reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Yeah, I can see how he could put a damper on any late nights. At least, here you can sleep in. What are you thinking about?”

She hesitated, wondering if it would be such a good idea to say anything at all. She didn’t want whatever this was to start off with her holding back. Mack had been the problem in their relationship, not her. He’d chosen to leave her, to see if his life would be better without her in it.

“Well,” she started, “I was just thinking about us. How good we are together. I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize what we have going here with being too clingy. That’s what Mack said I was like while we were married.” Ryann took a deep breath. “Now don’t think this is stemming from the fact you’re the first man I’ve had sex with since my ex, but I’m finding I have strong feelings for you already. I know it’s sudden and all.”

Ryann would’ve said more, but Dirk cut her off with a kiss that had her pussy clutching around his hard cock. Unbelievably, arousal rose inside her once again. Going from thinking she wouldn’t be able to move again, she now wanted Dirk to make love to her once more.

He released her lips and stared into her eyes. “You have nothing to worry about. I mean it. I’ll never find you too clingy, if anything, you’ll think I may be at times. As for how I feel about you, well, you’re the woman I’ve waited for to show up in my life. For a very long time. I’m afraid you’re stuck with me.”

She blinked in astonishment. “You mean like forever? And here I thought I was rushing things. Remember—I don’t come alone. I have Tyler.”

He leaned in and kissed the corner of her mouth. “Yes, I mean as in forever. And I know you come with Tyler. I have to say I really like the little guy. So I end up with an instant family. I won’t find that a hardship. It might seem as if I’m rushing into this, but I’m not. This was meant to be. You’re mine now, and I keep what’s mine.”

A thrill shot through Ryann at Dirk’s words. The way he looked at her while he said them, all possessive, it made her want him even more. They could make this work. She wanted it to. She’d been alone for way the hell too long. And Dirk was just the man she wanted in her life.

“Then I guess I’m yours,” she said slowly.

Heat flared in Dirk’s eyes just before he claimed her mouth in a kiss so carnal she craved him once more, wanted him to take her over and over again. To let him know what she wanted, Ryann rose on her knees before she slowly sank on his cock. A deep, growly moan pushed out of Dirk’s chest, like so many he’d made before, while in the throes of passion. The sound turned her on.

Dirk broke contact with her lips and lifted one of her breasts with his hand before he sucked on the taut nipple. A corresponding pull of pleasure contracted her pussy at the same time. She put her hands on his shoulders and slowly rode him up and down, his cock growing even harder inside her.

Releasing her nipple, Dirk put his hands on Ryann’s hips and lifted her off him. She made a small sound of protest, but soon realized he wasn’t done with her yet. He guided her onto her hands and knees on the center of the mattress before he came to kneel behind her. With a heavily muscled thigh, he spread her legs farther apart.

The tip of his cock brushed against her pussy. Ryann moaned and rocked back, wanting him deep inside her again. He didn’t make her wait. With a thrust of his hips, he sheathed himself balls-deep. She tightened her inner walls around his thick length, heightening the pleasure she felt.

Dirk set a slow and steady pace as he reared back until he was almost free of her body, before pushing all the way into her again. Ryann rocked back, matching him stroke for stroke. She loved the feel of his hard cock stretching her, filling her all the way up. In and out he pumped, pushing her ever closer to her climax. Ryann panted. Dirk had just spoiled her for other men. No other would measure up to his standards.

Another animalistic growl rumbled out of Dirk. He reached around her body and found her clit as he continued to pump in and out of her. Rubbing the small bundle of nerves as he pounded her from behind, she let herself go. Moaning, she came, her pussy rhythmically clasping the hard cock embedded in her. Dirk thrust once, twice, then stiffened as he found his release, filling her with his cum.

He kept his arm around her and brought them both to their sides on the bed. This time, his shaft softened and slipped free of her body. Exhausted and completely satiated, Ryann closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Dirk managed to get Ryann and him out of Roxie’s place without Roxie cornering him. Of course, she would’ve known—same as everyone else who’d been in the house—that he’d claimed his mate. With werewolf hearing being so acute, it was inevitable. Not that Dirk regretted any of what he’d done last night. Roxie could be pissed off at him for breaking her rules, but she might as well have asked him to jump over the moon. The mating urge was what it was, and it was something no male werewolf had much control over.

Now back at Ryann’s apartment, Dirk had the day to slowly work out how he was going to tell her about being his mate, and get up the nerve to do it. She’d accepted him last night when he’d said he wanted to keep her forever, and he didn’t want that to change once he revealed what he truly was. The one thing he knew was he had to do it before Tyler came home the next day.

Now with the mating bond firmly in place and growing stronger each time they made love, neither he nor Ryann would be able to stand to be apart. That meant he’d have to move his new family into the Protector’s mansion as soon as he could manage it. And as for his protection duties, they’d have to be worked out as well. Having a son meant Dirk no longer could do any of the evening shifts. Ryann would have to come with him so they didn’t suffer the separation anxiety that all mated couples had to avoid. And wherever Ryann would go, so would Tyler.

It was late in the afternoon and Dirk and Ryann were sitting in the living room, watching TV. They’d already made love a couple of times since returning, once in the shower and the other time on her bed. Not really paying too much attention to the show on the screen, they talked about anything and everything.

During one such conversation, Ryann’s telephone rang. She picked it up and looked down at the Caller ID. She scowled. “It’s Mack. I’d better take it.” Ryann pressed the talk button. “Hello, Mack. What’s up? Is everything okay with Tyler?”

With his hearing, Dirk could easily hear Mack’s response.

“Tyler’s fine,” Mack said. “Since your new boyfriend mentioned he was taking you out for dinner tonight, I thought I’d call and find out what time and where you’ll be going.”

“Why?” Ryann asked. “If you need to get a hold of me, I’ll have my cell phone.”

“Can you just tell me? That way, if your cell dies or something, I’ll still know where you are.”

Ryann sighed. “Fine, if it’ll get you off my back. Hold on, I’ll ask.” She covered the mouthpiece with her hand and looked at Dirk. “Mack wants to know where you’re taking me out to dinner tonight and what time we’ll be there.”

“I was thinking around six. I’m going to take you to this small out of the way place called King Crab, that is, if you like seafood.”

“I love it.” Ryann pulled her hand away and relayed that info to Mack. After finding out how Tyler was doing, and getting the assurance that her ex would drop off their son around lunchtime the next day, she hung up.

The rest of the day sped by and Dirk still hadn’t told Ryann about him being a werewolf. Since it was already close to six, and they were getting ready to go to the restaurant, he figured he’d wait until after they returned to the apartment to come clean.

Arriving at the restaurant, Dirk pulled into the parking lot at the back of the building and chose a spot farthest away from any other cars.

“I hope you don’t mind the walk,” he said to Ryann. “I don’t like parking near anyone. I’d rather a hike than have someone ding my car with their door.”

She chuckled. “I don’t mind. If I had one like yours, I’d be doing the same thing.”

Another car drove into the lot and parked four spots over as Dirk and Ryann got out of the BMW. He didn’t think anything of it and waited for Ryann to meet up with him on his side. Once she did, he took her hand and got them walking toward the restaurant.

They’d only taken a few steps when Ryann stiffened and came to a complete standstill. Dirk stopped and looked at her. “What’s wrong?”

She nodded in the direction where the other car was parked. “It’s Mack, and he’s not alone.”

Dirk swung his gaze over to where Ryann indicated and saw she was right. It was her ex, along with two large men. All three of them walked toward Dirk and Ryann, looking none too friendly.

“Mack, what the hell are you doing here?” Ryann asked as they drew near. “And where’s Tyler?”

Not sparing her a glance, Mack said, “Tyler’s fine. I came to warn your prick of a boyfriend off.”

“What? You have no right. We’re divorced. I can see whomever I want.”

“Not this guy, you won’t,” Mack said in a hard voice. “I’ve had to listen to Tyler go on and on about this asshole for the last two days. I don’t want any man trying to take my place in my son’s life.”

“Well, you should’ve thought of that before you left me.”

“Shut up, Ryann,” Mack snapped.

Not liking how her ex spoke to her, Dirk growled low in his throat, not holding anything back. He felt all eyes on him. “I suggest you watch how you speak to Ryann. She’s mine now. Not yours. Keep it up and I’ll make sure you regret it.”

Mack laughed with no humor in it. “Really? I doubt it. You see, I brought my two friends along to make you rethink going anywhere near Ryann and Tyler.”

With that, the two large men dove for Dirk. He had just enough time to push Ryann out of the way before they were on him. Not giving a shit if they saw what he truly was, Dirk growled and ducked as one man took a swing at his head. He snarled his upper lip and snapped his teeth and turned his gaze on them, knowing full well his eyes had to be mutedly glowing with the anger that surged through him. They were taken aback a bit, but not for long. Though they were strong for mortals, they were no match against a werewolf. Dirk clipped one on the jaw and the man went down like a ton of bricks.

Just as the other one moved in to take another swing at him, Dirk heard Ryann yell, “Tyler’s in the car! You brought him along while you did something like this?”

Dirk took a quick look over at the vehicle the men had come out of and saw Tyler’s little face pressed against the side window in the backseat. He then focused his attention back on his attacker, and with a one-two combination to the gut, along with a hook to the jaw, the second man was out for the count.

That left only Mack. Dirk turned to find him going after Ryann as she headed for the car. Her ex grabbed her by the arm and roughly pulled her to a stop. Ryann let out a cry of pain as Mack gave her a good shake.

Something snapped inside Dirk at the sight of another man touching his mate in such a way. He growled loud enough to capture Mack and Ryann’s attention. Then drawing on the spark of magic inside him, Dirk shifted to his wolf form. He thrilled at the way Mack’s eyes widened, how the man’s scent became laden with fear. Dirk knew what Mack saw. As a wolf, Dirk was much bigger than the ones found in the wild.

He padded over to Mack and growled at him, his hackles rising as he came to stand between the other man and Ryann. Babbling nonsense, Mack backed off. Dirk turned to look at Ryann. She was as white as a ghost, her wide-eyed gaze riveted on him. He’d have to deal with her fear after this was all over. Right now, he needed to get Tyler out of the other car.

Knowing he was more of a threat in his wolf form, Dirk remained in it as he loped over to the vehicle. He looked up at Tyler and let his tongue hang out, giving the boy a wolf-like grin. He hoped Tyler would come out without Dirk having to shift to convince him to. He counted on the fact that kids seemed to accept out of the ordinary things better than the adults usually did.

He didn’t have long to wait before Tyler opened the back door and slid out. Showing no fear whatsoever, he threw his arms around Dirk’s furry neck and hugged him. “You’re a wolf, Dirk,” he shouted. “That’s cool.”

As Dirk turned to head over to Ryann, he felt a small hand grip the fur at his neck as Tyler pulled himself up on his back. The boy kicked his small heels into Dirk’s sides as if he were a horse. Laughing inside, Dirk walked back to his mate.

Ryann was still staring at him wide-eyed. Mack, on the other hand, was busy rousing his friends. Once he managed to get them on their feet, all three men hightailed it to the car, and in a matter of minutes, were burning rubber out of the parking lot.

Dirk sat on his haunches, causing Tyler to slide down his back. Once the boy got off, Dirk shifted to his human form. He closed the distance between him and Ryann. She still hadn’t made a sound. She seemed almost frozen in place.

“Say something,” he said as he cupped her face in his hands.

“A wolf? You’re-you’re a wolf,” she stammered.

“A werewolf, to be exact.

“I-I don’t know if I…” Ryann’s words trailed off.

“I know it’s a lot for you to take in. Will you at least let me take you back to the apartment and explain everything?”

“You won’t hurt me?”

Dirk leaned in and kissed her. “You’re my mate, Ryann. I could no more hurt you than pull my heart out.”

Before she answered, Tyler said, “Let’s go, Mommy. I want to ride Dirk the wolf again.”

Dirk laughed. “I have a feeling I’m going to have a sore back, for many days to come, in the near future.”

With a big sigh, seeming to push back what fear she had to be feeling, Ryann nodded. “Okay, you can come to the apartment. I guess if Tyler isn’t afraid of you, I shouldn’t be either.”

“That’s all I can ask,” he said, scooping up Tyler before he placed his son and mate in his car.

* * *

“Damn, my back’s getting sore just from watching him,” Leif said.

Jaden nudged him. “Just wait until our baby’s old enough to ask for wolfy rides. You’ll be doing exactly what Dirk is.”

Ryann chuckled at Jaden’s words before she turned her attention to her mate and son. Tyler had two good fistfuls of Dirk’s fur and was laughing as his stepfather trotted around the large backyard of the Protector’s mansion. Something he had to do at least once a day, at Tyler’s request.

It’d been a week since the incident in the restaurant parking lot, and now Tyler and she were living here with the others in Dirk’s family. It’d been a lot for her to accept once he’d told her everything about him being a nine-hundred-and-fifty-year-old werewolf. But in the end, her strong feelings for him had helped her accept Dirk for what he was.

She heard Tyler laugh as Dirk got down on the ground on his belly and shook him off. Her mate then shifted to his human form and tickled their son until Tyler shrieked with laughter. God, she loved Dirk. And he loved her. She hadn’t realized how much she’d been missing in her life until he’d come around. She sent up thanks every day that she’d answered his ad for the position at his online dating service.

Leaving Leif and Jaden, Ryann headed for the two males who were the loves of her life. Tonight would be the real start of her new life with Dirk. They were going to Roxie’s where she’d use the spell to turn Ryann into a werewolf. And when Tyler was old enough to make the decision for himself, Roxie would turn him as well.

Once she reached her family, Dirk pulled her down into his arms and gave her a kiss while he tickled her as well. With Tyler joining in, the two of them ganging up on her, Ryann knew her life was perfect. Falling in love with a werewolf was the best thing that had ever happened to her.

The End

About the Author

Marisa Chenery was always a lover of books, but after reading her first historical romance novel she found herself hooked. Having inherited a love for the written word, she soon started writing her own novels.

After trying her hand at writing historicals, she now writes paranormals.

Marisa lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and four children.

Check out Marisa’s website at www.marisachenery.com. She would love to hear from you, so drop her an email while you’re there.

Content

Dirk's Love
Roxie's Protectors - 6
by
Marisa Chenery

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

About the Author