Chapter 6
Chapter six
Damien
Iwatch them from across Elkhorn Avenue, my hands buried deep in my jacket pockets as snowflakes drift around me. The remnants of last night’s snow cling to the edges of the sidewalk and gather in the corners of storefronts, turning to gray slush where foot traffic has worn it thin.
Luna and Maren weave between the scattered tourists browsing the shops. The crowds are thin now that peak season has passed, but enough bodies drift between us that I have to keep shifting positions every few minutes to keep them in view.
They laugh about something, Luna’s head thrown back in that unguarded way that makes my chest tight.
Even from this distance, the mountain air’s bite shows in her flushed cheeks, and snowflakes dust her blonde hair like scattered diamonds in the early afternoon light.
Her cream-colored coat wraps around jeans and faux-fur, knee-high boots that showcase every curve of her legs.
I’ve been following them for twenty minutes now, lurking behind parked cars and skulking in doorways like some lovesick creep. This isn’t me. Damien Wolfe doesn’t stalk women through mountain towns. But I can’t seem to help myself.
My phone vibrates in my pocket. My EA, Tiffany, with some crisis about the foundation gala, no doubt. I let it buzz. The only things that exist right now are Luna’s joy and her laughter floating over the muted sounds of the sparse street traffic.
They duck into a clothing store, and I cross the street, my dress shoes sliding on the wet pavement before finding grip. Why the fuck didn’t I wear boots?
I position myself near Notchtop Bakery & Café, using the window’s reflection to monitor the boutique entrance. The barista shoots me suspicious glances as I hover without ordering, but I don’t give a shit.
Since I kissed Luna last week and then punished her later as her masked wolf, I’ve been unraveling, thread by agonizing thread. The memory of how she trembled under my hands that night plays on repeat in my head, replaying in vivid detail at the worst possible moments.
Fuck! Heat rushes through my body, and my cock hardens against my zipper until I have to shift my stance to ease the pressure building there.
The boutique door chimes as they emerge with small shopping bags, still deep in conversation. What is it that women talk about all the time?
Wind whips down the street, sending snow spiraling around their boots.
Luna tugs her coat closer while saying something that makes Maren snort with laughter, the sound carrying despite the distance.
They head toward the art galleries, and I follow at a distance, keeping to the far side of the street.
This duplicity is killing me. Each night I’m with her, the compulsion to tear off the mask and show her who I am grows stronger. Two sides of myself fight for control, and she’s trapped in the middle without knowing it.
They pause outside Mountain Traditions Gallery, voices low as they debate going inside. A middle-aged couple walks toward them from the other direction, pushing Luna and Maren closer to the building’s front windows.
This is a perfect opportunity. I can walk over and act as if the meeting is pure coincidence.
My pulse pounds against my collar with the same intensity I feel before a kill.
Fuck! Get it together, Wolfe.
I stride across the street, navigating patches of gray slush while my footsteps echo off wet concrete.
“Luna? Is that you?”
Both women turn toward me, and Luna’s face lights up.
The urge to press her against the gallery's window and kiss her breathless pounds through my veins like a second heartbeat. It’s all I think about now that I’ve tasted her.
Her hazel eyes soften, her lips curving into a smile, and warmth spreads beneath my ribs.
“Damien, hi!” Small puffs of breath escape her lips. “What are you doing here?”
Maren eyes me with a sly smile.
“Had lunch with a friend.” It’s not a lie. Cade and I had lunch, and he’s the closest thing I have to a friend. “Though I have to say, running into you two is the highlight of my day.”
Maren adjusts her hat over her dark hair with an eye roll. “Smooth, Wolfe.”
A young couple pushing a stroller approaches behind them.
The sidewalk’s too narrow for everyone, giving me the perfect excuse to place my hand on Luna’s hip and ease her toward the door.
The touch shoots electricity through me, and I fight not to let my fingers linger.
She smells like wildflowers and peaches, that scent that makes me want to bury my face in her neck right here on the street.
“What brings you ladies here in the middle of the workweek?” The question sounds casual, but I already know the answer. I’ve been tracking them since they left the sanctuary two hours ago.
“Just taking a much-needed break.” Luna shivers as the wind picks up, sending her hair across her face as more flakes swirl around us.
“Yeah, Ethan’s covering for us so we can have a girl’s day.”
This is my moment. It’s now or never.
“I’m glad I ran into you. I was going to call.” My eyes drink in every detail of Luna’s face in the afternoon light, memorizing the way the snowflakes stick to her lashes and how the cold brings out the pink in her cheeks. She’s more beautiful in daylight than in moonlight, if that’s possible.
“I have a gala on Saturday night for my foundation. It’s our annual fundraising event before the winter holidays.”
“Sounds fancy.” Maren glances between us. The gleam in her eyes says she knows where this is going.
I keep my focus on Luna. “I was wondering if you’d like to attend with me. As my date.”
The invitation floats between us in the frigid air, and I stop breathing. This is my test. Will she choose me despite her masked wolf’s warnings? More than that, it’s my desperate attempt to pull her into my real world, to have her beside me in the light instead of just the shadows.
Please say yes. Or no. Just save us both from this madness.
“Where’s it being held?”
“The Sentinel Tower’s ballroom.”
Maren whistles. “Isn’t that Denver’s tallest building?”
“Yes. The Wolfe Group’s headquarters is in the Tower.” My attention returns to Luna. “I should have called sooner. I’ve wanted to since our dinner. I understand if it’s too short notice to get someone to cover the sanctuary.”
“Luna always has backup to cover. And I just happen to have Saturday night free. What are the odds?”
“Can you stop answering for me, please?” Luna’s expression shifts between exasperation and amusement as she faces her friend. “And aren’t you taking Estella into Denver on Saturday?”
“That’s during the day. We’ll be back in plenty of time for you to go rub elbows with Denver’s elite and raise money for animals.”
I have to admire Maren’s strategy. Making it about the animals is the surest way to get Luna to agree. Even though she’s hijacking our conversation, I’m reminded of why I like her.
Snow falls thicker now, dusting our shoulders and hair white. Luna brushes flakes from her face. Watching her do something so simple shouldn’t steal the air from my lungs, but it does.
“I’d be honored if you’d be my date for the evening.” The words scrape my throat, rough and loaded with the hope I can’t quite hide.
She catches her lower lip between her teeth and peers up at me through snow-wet lashes.
“I’d love to.” Her acceptance nearly drops me to my knees. “Anything that helps animals, count me in.”
Satisfaction and anger collide in my bloodstream. Satisfaction because she chose me. Anger because she’s defying her wolf’s warnings about other men touching her. That rebellion will have consequences tonight.
And make no mistake, on Saturday night, I will touch her everywhere.
“Perfect.” I have to clear my throat to get the word out. “It’s black tie. I hope that’s okay.”
A couple approaches from behind me, wanting to enter the gallery, and we all shuffle on the narrow sidewalk to accommodate them.
“She may look like a complete disaster most days at the sanctuary,” Maren says as we resettle. “But trust me, she cleans up real fucking good.”
“Thanks for that ringing endorsement, Mar. Really feeling the love here.”
“I think you always look beautiful.” Color blooms across Luna’s cheekbones. “So, I’ll pick you up at six.”
“It’s a date.”
Those three words slam into me with unexpected force. A predatory hunger roars to life in my chest, all teeth and claws and possessive need, erasing everything but the need to claim what she’s offering.
I lean down and kiss her cheek, my lips lingering a moment too long. Her skin is soft and cool, and her breath hitches as she leans into my touch. When I pull back, her eyes have gone soft and unfocused.
“I’ll see you Saturday.” I step back before the need to claim her mouth tears through my self-control and exposes everything on this public street.
“See you Saturday.”
I’m halfway down the block when I hear Maren’s voice. “Girl, that man wants to eat you alive. And from the look on your face, you’d let him.”
Luna’s mortified “Maren!” makes me grin like an idiot. I pull my coat tighter against the wind.
I already do, Maren. And she already does.
Saturday can’t come fast enough. And tonight… tonight she’ll again pay for saying yes to another man, even though that man is me.
My hands shake as I picture it. Luna spread beneath me, her voice breaking as she begs, first for more, then for mercy.
The sounds she’ll make when I drive her to the edge again and again, until tears streak her cheeks and her voice gives out.
I won’t stop. Not until every piece of her fractures and crumbles.
This punishment will be for me. For that sick satisfaction I get from watching her break apart under my hands, even knowing I’ll put her back together.