Chapter 5
Juliette barely slept that night. Every time she closed her eyes, she felt his hands on her, his fingers inside her, the way the orgasm poured over her like a waterfall and stole the breath from her lungs.
And then the way she’d lied about her keys and run away.
Who did that?
A psycho, that’s who.
While she’d not been with a lot of guys, she’d never had one able to give her an orgasm, and Sigh had done it so easily. Not only were his lips deadly, but his fingers were lethal weapons.
She shivered and dropped a book she was trying to shelve.
“You okay, babe?” Emery asked.
Juliette pushed the book onto the shelf and turned to find Emery at the end of the aisle, a curious look on her face.
“I did something last night.”
“Is that something the reason you look like you got run over by a train?”
“Flattering, thanks. And yes.” Juliette rubbed the space between her brows with her thumb, then walked to Emery. With a low voice, she said, “I met a guy.”
“Ooh. Do tell. All the juicy details, please.”
“You know that tavern across the river?”
“The wolf one? Howl something?”
“The Amber Howl.”
“Yep. You went?”
Juliette stared at her for a long moment, and then word-vomited the story to her in a rush, how Sigh had made her see stars, and then she’d run away like her ass was on fire.
“So let me get this straight,” Emery said as they walked to the counter together.
The bookstore was empty, so they could talk freely.
And good thing, because Juliette’s cheeks were flaming.
“You met a, and I quote ‘sexy guy’ who made your dinner special, and then he sent you to heaven, and you ran away? What the hell for?”
Juliette lowered her head to the counter with a groan. “I don’t know! I was flustered.”
“Is that what you call it?”
“Stop making me feel bad!”
“You should feel bad. Oh my gosh, do you know what I’d do if a sexy guy told me that I was his, that he was waiting for me, and then got me off? Plus, he can cook? Holy shit, girl.”
Juliette snorted and lifted her head. “What would you do?”
“I would grab hold of him and never let go.”
Why hadn’t Juliette done that?
She was wildly attracted to Sigh. And she liked him.
He was funny and sweet, and the way he smiled at her when he was in the kitchen made her feel like she was the only person in the world.
“But love at first sight isn’t real.” She touched the corner of a romance novel on the counter. Even as she spoke the words, she wasn’t sure she believed them. Because whatever was going on with her sure as hell felt like love at first sight and fate wrapped up together.
“I think it is,” Emery said. She waved her hand dismissively over the book.
“Not fiction, but real life. Maybe not if both people are humans, but shifters? They know on sight that they’re with their truemates.
And I’ve heard that the humans who are shifters’ mates can feel that connection themselves.
Maybe we humans call it love at first sight, or instalove, but shifters just call it being mates. ”
“It felt too fast,” Juliette admitted. “Like I just laid myself out for him without even knowing him. I didn’t want him to think I was the sort of girl who did that kind of thing.”
“I think you’re thinking too hard,” Emery said. “Did you tell Cass? What did she think?”
“I didn’t tell her. I wasn’t ready to talk about it when we walked to work this morning.” And she wasn’t sure she wanted to tell her anyway. Her friend might think she was buckass crazy.
Emery said, “You know what? I don’t think shifters think about sex and love the way we do. Not entirely. He wanted to touch you, you wanted to let him. You’re mates. It seems like a natural thing.”
“You’re so sure we’re mates?”
“Aren’t you?” she challenged.
The bell chimed and a customer walked in. Juliette didn’t answer the question, and instead turned to get back to shelving the new books. But she let the thought roll around in her mind.
Mates.
Truemates.
Why had she run away?
Several hours later, the bell chimed over the front door and Juliette didn’t have to turn around to know that Sigh had walked in.
She could feel him, like he was part of her.
Turning slowly, she faced him.
Larger than life, he stood in front of the door, highlighted by the afternoon sun. He stared at her pointedly for a long moment, then strode to her.
Her heart slammed against her chest as he crowded her against the counter.
Emery was with a customer looking for a book among the shelves, and it was just Juliette and Sigh.
“You ran,” he said.
He didn’t even say hello, he just got right to the point.
Guilt made her cheeks heat.
“I–”
He planted his hands on either side of her on the counter. “Tell me why, beautiful. Was it something I did?”
He searched her face.
“It was… I didn’t know what to think. Things happened so fast, and we don’t even know each other.”
But that wasn’t entirely true. They’d spent a lot of time talking last night before his fingers took her to heaven, and everything she’d heard him say about his life, she’d liked.
And…he’d shown up at her job.
He’d listened when she mentioned the name of the bookstore and came for her.
“I know enough about you to know that I want to be with you. And you might be human, but I know you feel the connection between us. I’m sorry if I let myself get carried away on the patio, but you smelled too good, and you felt so incredible in my arms.”
Was he for real? She cupped his face. “I’m sorry I ran.”
“I’m sorry I pushed you.”
“You didn’t. I wanted your hands on me.” Hell, she still did. Her body was tingling from the reminder of last night. And just seeing him? She wanted it again and again.
“I’m a wolf, Juliette.”
“I know.”
“And you’re my truemate.”
He didn’t say anything else, just let the statement hang in the air.
Emery walked up to the counter with the customer, and Sigh straightened and looked down at Juliette. “I’ll be outside, waiting.”
He walked out of the bookstore, and she had to grip the counter to keep from sinking into a puddle of goo on the floor. Holy hells bells.
Her wolf had tracked her down based on a single conversation and he’d said they were mates. She stared at the door and every instinct inside her wanted to follow him. And if that wasn’t love at first sight? She didn’t know what was.
“You heading out?” Emery asked.
“Yeah. That okay?”
Emery grinned. “I’m not one to stand in the way of true love. Go get him, girl.”
She ducked behind the counter and grabbed her bag. She sent a text to Cass to tell her she was leaving early.
I met a guy last night. I’m going to take the afternoon off and hang out with him.
Ok. Be safe and call me later.
I will!
Juliette called out a quick goodbye before rushing from the bookstore and crashing right into Sigh’s broad chest. He gripped her arms to keep her from bouncing off his wall of muscles and chuckled. “In a hurry, sweet thing?”
She smiled, feeling that same wantonness that had made her go off the rails last night. Heat simmered between them. She knew if she took him home with her, that she was stepping forward into something more serious than a quick fuck or casual fling.
He looked at her like he couldn’t breathe right unless he was touching her.
And she felt the same way.
“I haven’t felt right since I ran off last night. I had just decided to come see you tonight and beg your forgiveness. I’m sorry, Sigh. I really am.”
“Just don’t run off on me again,” he said, pulling her close and kissing her. “I was going nuts last night.”
“My place?”
“Let’s go.”
He took her hand and they walked down the sidewalk, taking a left and heading toward Third Street.
“Tell me what it means to be truemates,” she said. “I don’t know much about shifters, and I’m feeling all sorts of things, but there’s a part of me that’s rebelling against how fast it is. Even though it also feels very right.”
He smiled down at her, his skin dappled by the sunlight through the trees that ran alongside the sidewalk.
“I’ll tell you anything you want to know.
So first of all, wolves have truemates. All shifters do, actually.
The one person on the planet meant to be ours.
When you walked in last night, my wolf felt you before I even knew what was going on.
Then I saw you, and the only thing I wanted to do was take care of you and spend time with you. ”
“I loved the burger. And watching you cook.”
“I’m a food-is-love guy. So be prepared to be cooked for a lot. I can do more than burgers, but they’re my specialty.”
“You’re really talented, I can see why The Amber Howl is so successful.”
They reached the split-double and she unlocked her door. He swept her up into his arms and carried her across the threshold. Kicking the door shut, he said, “Have we talked enough baby? I want to make you come again, but this time I want to taste you while you scream my name.”
She held his face, his stubble scratching lightly against her palms. “I’m yours, Sigh. Every inch of me.”
“Fuck yes.”
He carried her to the bedroom and laid her out on the bed, her legs dangling over the edge.
He stood between her knees and gazed at her, his eyes morphing from brown to amber and back again.
Planting one hand on the bed, he pulled her shirt up, baring her belly and then her bra.
Her skin prickled as he leaned over and kissed the swells of her breasts.
Then he slipped his arm under her and lifted her upper body, drawing her to him for a kiss that devastated her senses.
He stroked her skin, slipping his fingers inside her bra and playing with her nipples as he sucked on her tongue with a growl rumbling in his chest. She was panting hard when he eased from the kiss and grabbed the hem of her shirt tugging it up her body and tossing it behind him.
He pulled his off, and she got her first good look at him.
Stars! Was there a more perfectly built man in the world?