To keep from doing something stupid—like reaching out and tracing the hard line of his jaw with her fingers—Nika crossed her arms over her chest. "Hello, Garrick. I can't say that I did." Her reply had his smile shifting to a lopsided grin, which she found even more of a turn-on.
He blatantly looked her up and down again. "I find that hard to believe. I know I missed you. Dreaming about you last night just wasn't the same as seeing you in person."
Oh, shit. That had to be one of the stupidest pick-up lines, but Nika's libido decided it liked it, a lot. The idea of Garrick dreaming about her—more than likely doing the wicked things that lurked in his eyes—caused her nipples to tighten beneath her long-sleeved T-shirt. Luckily, the way she had her arms crossed, they hid them from Garrick's view.
Not wanting him to know what kind of affect he was having over her, Nika forced herself to roll her eyes. "So me telling you I'm not interested in your dreams prompted you to come back to the pub so I can tell you to your face again."
"Who says you rejected me?" he asked huskily. "No, you definitely didn't seem uninterested. In fact, you let me take you over and over again while you screamed my name."
An ache built between her legs, and wetness pooled in her pussy. Somehow, she managed to keep her breaths even and steady, even though her heart raced. She had to end this before she let on how he was truly affecting her. If she broke, Garrick would only use her weakness to his advantage.
In what she hoped was a bored-sounding tone, she said, "Yeah, that had to be a dream, since I don't plan on making that a reality for you. What do you want, Garrick?"
When he opened his mouth, she quickly added, "And don't say me."
He chuckled. "All right. You win, for now. I came here to eat. What do you suggest?"
"Everything is good. Lee's an excellent cook. I'll give you a menu, and you can decide from that." She went to the end of the bar and reached under it to the stack of menus she kept there. With one in hand, she went back to Garrick and put it front of him. "I'll give you a few minutes to decide."
In a cowardly move, Nika went back inside the kitchen. She didn't care. She had to get away from Garrick to get a grip on herself. The man practically oozed testosterone and had a body she wanted to lick and kiss; she had to be very careful around him.
"Was it a customer?" Lee stood near the stove, stirring a batch of his special recipe cream of leek soup.
"Yes. He's going to be ordering some food. I'm just giving him time to decide."
"So you came in here to hide?"
"I'm not hiding," she said, trying to dredge up some indignation.
"And who is the customer? I still say your hiding, because you don't normally come in here until you've taken the order."
With a huff, she said, "If you must know, it's Garrick, the guy from last night."
Lee chuckled. "I know."
"What do you mean, you know? If you do, why did you bother asking me?"
"I took a peek out in the taproom after I saw the kitchen door smack you in the arse. And I asked, because I wanted to see whether you would try to tell me it was somebody else. He got to you last night, didn't he?"
Nika quickly shook her head. "Garrick? No, he didn't. He's not my type."
"I would say yonder muscle-bound man is your type. You were practically drooling over him last night."
She gave Lee a scowl. "I was not. I don't go for the brawny, six and a half foot, sexy, gorgeous type." At his snicker, she groaned. "All right, I'll admit that I find him attractive, but that doesn't mean it will go beyond that point."
"Why not? That rotter, David, isn't coming back. You're young enough that you shouldn't be wasting away in this pub."
"I'm hardly wasting away, as you put it. I'm just not ready yet. Plus, running the pub doesn't give me much free time to pursue a social life."
"You're using that as an excuse."
"So what would you like me to do? Go back out there, throw myself at Garrick, and have hot monkey sex with him right there on top the bar?"
"If it will make you happy, I won't stop you." Lee's lips twitched. "It's your pub.
You can do whatever you want in it."
They both burst out laughing at the same time. "If I did that," Nika said through giggles, "it would be the fastest way to get the pub shut down."
At that precise moment, the kitchen door swung open, and Garrick walked in. "I don't know about you, but I'd be willing to risk it if it meant you did have hot monkey sex with me."
Nika's face grew hot, no doubt turning a bright shade of red. She wished she could crawl into a deep, dark hole, while Lee laughed his head off like a fool.
Chapter Three
Garrick had heard the entire conversation between Nika and Lee. The door that divided the taproom from the kitchen didn't present much of a barrier for his werewolf-sensitive hearing. When Nika had made the crack about throwing herself at him to have hot monkey sex—in his case it would be hot wolf sex—he'd found the idea not half bad.
He also couldn't pass up the chance to throw Nika's words back at her.
Seeing the lovely shade of red coloring her cheeks, he wanted to drag her into his arms and kiss her senseless. Listening to her banter with Lee, Garrick knew she was the type of woman he needed to have as his mate. One who would be able to give as good as she got. A woman who could be just as outlandish in speech as he could when the mood struck.
"What . . . what are you doing in here?" Nika asked with a stammer.
"Well, since it seemed to be taking you awhile to come back for my food order, I decided to come in here and tell Lee what I wanted. It isn't as if there is anyone else out there."
Nika opened her mouth to say something in return, but Lee beat her to the punch. "Then what would you like, Garrick?" he asked.
"I'll have the bangers and mash."
"Will do."
Once Lee turned to start cooking his food, Garrick took Nika by the elbow and led her back out to the empty taproom. He walked her around to the opposite side of the bar and positioned her to stand between two stools facing him. He crowded her, not leaving much space between their bodies, and placed his hands on the bar to cage her in with his arms.
"So," he said. "How about that hot sex you were talking about?"
She looked at him as her face went white. "I-I was only joking."
"Are you sure? You did call me sexy and gorgeous. And you said you find me attractive."
"What were you doing? Listening at the kitchen door?"
"No. I just have exceptional hearing, especially when my name is mentioned in a conversation."
"Didn't you ever learn it's rude to listen to other people's conversation? Get out of the way, Garrick."
She put a hand on his chest and gave him a shove, but didn't exert enough effort to move him. He captured her hand to hold it in place before she pulled it away. "You can touch me, Nika. I want to feel your hands on me." When she didn't make a move, he skimmed her hand across his chest and slowly down his abs, glorying in the sensation of her fingers gliding over him through his clothes. Reaching the top of his jeans, he said huskily, "Don't you want to see what being this close to you does to me?"
He pushed her hand slowly lower. Just as it came to rest on the bulge in his pants, Nika sucked in a breath. The scent of her arousal bloomed around them. It was too much for Garrick. Using his other hand to hold the back of her head, he brought his lips down to hers as she gently palmed his cock.
Needing more of her, he angled his mouth over hers and swept his tongue along the seam. With a sigh, Nika opened for him. He pushed inside, the taste of her filling his senses. Her tongue met his, holding nothing back. Her fingers molded to his hardness, learning the length and thickness of him. His cock jerked, and Nika softly moaned.