Chapter 3
When Tak invited me along for an errand, I thought it might be something dull, like ordering lumber for a new chicken coop or buying oats for Luna.
Never in a million wonderful years would I imagine us going to an adult toy store, and I was always game for a sexual excursion.
Tak turned a corner. “Fritz told me you did a good job on his roof. Mercy says he sent extra.”
“Good. I deserved every penny after last night.”
“What happened last night?”
I broke a string off my tattered jeans and contemplated if I should sully a Packmaster’s good name in front of my alpha. “Some of his people shifted.”
Tak frowned at him. “So?”
“Let’s just say I worked later than I should’ve.” I removed my round sunglasses and polished the blue lenses using the end of my T-shirt, which had a cartoon ice cream cone printed on the front. Below, it read Lickety-Split. “Before you accept a job on my behalf, can we discuss it?”
Tak stopped at the light. “What’s there to talk about? A Packmaster needed help. That’s how we strengthen alliances.”
I wondered if those coyotes eating me would’ve helped forge that alliance even more.
“Well, the deal was they wanted me to supervise and teach them so they could do their own repairs in the future. That’s not how it went down.
They took advantage of me.” I sighed dramatically while putting my sunglasses on. “Story of my life.”
Tak scanned our surroundings while tapping his thumbs on the steering wheel, his metal music playing at low volume. “So, where is this place?”
“I’ll tell you when to turn.”
“Should I be concerned you know how to find this store by memory?”
I snorted. “I’m more worried that you don’t. You’re a macho guy, Tak. Is this your first time buying adult toys? Sweet summer child…”
“Tonight is the first time in a month we’ve had sex.”
“A month?” I exclaimed, twisting in my seat. “A whole month? You mean going out on a date.”
He scraped his teeth against his bottom lip. “Jasper gets off his sleep schedule and interrupts.”
That seemed unfathomable. “But Joy watched him last week. You two were alone all night in there.”
“We fell asleep before it got started.” Tak gave a tight grin. “Slept good that night.”
After driving beneath an overpass, I pointed. “Turn here and keep going. Then another right.” A minute later, I nodded. “There it is.”
There were only two cars in the parking lot, not surprising for the middle of the day. I grabbed my brown fedora from the dash and hopped out of the truck.
“Are you sure they’re open?” he asked while joining my side. “They look closed. Maybe we should go home.”
“Come on, scaredy-cat.” I swept my disheveled hair away from my face before putting my hat on. It was the only hat I owned, and it made me feel like a celebrity.
Tak was about to inspire the fantasies of every unsuspecting woman inside the store.
He was six foot seven in boots, Native American, tattooed, long-haired, and built like a model on a romance cover.
Well, perhaps dark romance, considering the scars.
Despite them, the black tank top was definitely doing wonders for his strong arms and shoulders.
After showing our IDs, we entered the establishment.
Tak’s eyes widened, and he stood immobilized.
“What’s wrong?”
He faced me and lowered his voice. “I thought these places were private with secret rooms.”
Not only was the store bright, but everything was spread far apart. The layout was as open as my mouth in a cookie shop.
“You’ll never see these people again,” I pointed out. “You act like we’re here on Black Friday. It’s just me, you, and the lady eyeing the black dildo. Now find a basket or something.”
I drifted to the leather harnesses and stared at the boxes they came in. Here I was, walking Tak through his first foray in adult toys, and I myself had never explored collars or harnesses.
Is Krys into stuff like this? He likes leather. Why am I thinking about Krys? Stop thinking, you idiot.
I’d never had a partner—male or female—who expressed an interest in bondage. Technically, a simple harness didn’t mean someone had that fetish, yet as I stared at the different styles, I began to imagine them on Krys.
“Worst crush ever,” I muttered before stalking away in search of my Packmaster.
When I spotted him carrying a basket on his arm like he was shopping at the market for apples, a laugh popped out.
Tak stared at the skimpy lingerie on the mannequins.
“That one,” I said, pointing at the white lace.
“Hope would never wear it.”
“The lingerie isn’t for her. It’s for you.”
“That’s up for debate.”
I tugged at the crotchless panties. “Do you think women find that comfortable? It’s visual stimulation for your arousal.”
He squared his shoulders. “I have no problem with my equipment.”
“No, but…” How could I put this? “Chicken is good, right?”
“What?”
“Chicken is good. Do you agree?”
“Yes.”
I circled the mannequin. “But spicy chicken is better. This, my friend, is the spice. You should also consider how many trips you want to make to this store. Grab what you can like it’s the sexpocalypse. If it’s too much, I’ll store it in my room so you don’t overwhelm the poor woman.”
“If this outfit is for my pleasure, what’s for her?”
I laughed so loud that the store worker flicked her eyes up. Then I gestured to the aisle filled with dildos. “If you want my humble opinion, find something with a little vibration.”
Tak seemed both horrified and relieved to enter the sex-toy aisle, out of the clerk’s watchful eye. He locked his attention on a dildo that measured eleven inches.
“They like to make them unrealistic,” I remarked before wandering to the pink ones.
“My cousin has one like that.”
“Introduce us.”
Tak crouched and stared at the boxes. Then he turned his gaze up, his brown eyes brimming with confusion. “Why would Hope need one of these?”
I lifted the display from the shelf and wiggled it to summon his embarrassment. “Nothing says ‘I love you’ like a brand-new cock.”
Tak stood and snatched it out of my hand. “I already have one.”
I turned one over to show him the suction cup. “Stick it to the shower wall and let her go to town while she blows you.”
Tak smacked me in the face with the dildo. “Don’t speak about my mate disrespectfully.”
“You asked! Look, if you use it on her, then it’s all about Hope.
You won’t be distracted by your own pleasure, and you can see what she likes.
Or she can use it on herself while you watch.
And if you really wanna explore your horizons, let her use it on you.
” I tossed him some lube. “You’ll need that. ”
When we turned the aisle, Tak pointed at a sex swing. “We should buy that for the kids.”
“That’s for adults.” I laughed and pulled him to the next aisle. It was difficult to believe Tak could be na?ve, but I doubted there were adult stores near their tribal land.
Tak pulled a package of dice off the shelf. “Hope and I like playing games. I always win at dice.”
I glanced at the salacious images on the sides of one pair, the other having word commands. “Nobody loses at that game. Into the basket they go.”
Tak ignored the wigs, so clearly pretending to be someone else didn’t interest him. Why should it? Hope was a queen and couldn’t be improved on.
“Do you think she’ll judge me?” he asked.
“She might be bashful at first, but give it time. Everyone should spice up their sex life with role-playing or toys. Listen to what she wants, and never laugh or be dismissive. When you have someone you trust, that’s when it’s fun.
Besides, if you think those women are saints, you haven’t seen what they’re hiding beneath the bed in the heat house. ”
He cast a scathing glance. “You went through their belongings? That’s their sacred space.”
“I wouldn’t go so far as to call it sacred.” I skipped past him. “I have zero regrets.”
When we happened upon the costumes, I asked, “Why did you want me to come along? Out of all the men in the house.”
He swaggered past me. “Because you won’t judge me.”
“Not because you think I’m a sex aficionado? I’m insulted.”
Tak laughed and disappeared to the next aisle.
I chased after. “What’s so funny?”
“I hear talk.”
“What kind of talk?” My face heated at the thought there might be rumors circulating about me.
“You talk a big game, but you don’t close the deal very often.”
I tapped on a box of butt plugs. “Not my fault. Women who date wolves want guys like you. I don’t fit their vision.”
“Hmm. And the men?”
I scoffed. “Does our tiny town look like the place where everyone is out? The few around aren’t interesting enough. So why did you really bring me along?”
Tak stopped in front of the body paint. “The others will laugh at me. They’ll think I can’t please my woman. Especially Lakota.”
He wasn’t wrong about the teasing. Men could be juvenile when finding creative ways to pick on one another, especially in the sex department.
“I won’t say anything,” I promised him. “But I won’t have to.”
He flicked a sharp gaze at me. “You think she’ll tell?”
While doubled over with laughter, I grabbed a giant bottle of bubble bath and dropped it into the basket. “Men brag. Women talk. And when the girls tell their mates all about Hope’s sexual journey—”
Tak groaned before swiftly retreating.
I caught up with him. “And when they tell their mates about your sexplorations, the men will be envious, my friend. You’ll be miles ahead of them in the bedroom.”
Tak perked up and looked across his shoulder at me. “Are you filling my head with stories to make me feel better? I’m the alpha, and my reputation is important even under my own roof.”
I tipped my hat when a pretty girl walked in briskly. She smiled at us but seemed mesmerized by Tak’s stature.