“So, obviously, we have to be cordial and not kissing out there.” Hazel pointed at the door they had to go through soon.
He ignored her and kissed her some more. When she was finally able to turn her head, she laughed. “I’m in love with a man named Wolf. Who would have ever thought?”
He tickled her. “You’ll learn to love it. It’s really rare. Why can’t we keep kissing?”
Hazel shimmied away from his hands but couldn’t get away. “There are a lot of your employees at that party, remember? Are you going to be at the wedding tomorrow?”
He nuzzled her neck, answering against her skin, “Yes, I’m going. No, the employees can’t see me dry humping you.”
When his mouth moved to her chest and he added the tip of his tongue, she pushed him away. “Some of them might have seen us come in here. We might even have to be frigid to one another.”
He bit her gently. “No way. I can't possibly keep my hands off you, and I’m never treating you like that again.”
That made her smile, and he kissed her again the minute she did.
“I may have to change the rules. To tell my people they can’t have this—it’s not fair.” Wolf touched her face with his fingertips. “Come on. We’re going out there.” He took her hand and kissed it again. She expected him to drop it the minute they exited, but instead, he hung tight.
Hazel felt herself blush as she watched the guests who knew her or Wolf or both take in the fact that they were very couple-y.
XOXOXOXO
Wolf met each pair of eyes he found pinned on him and Hazel. Instead of judgment, anger, or scorn, his employees smiled and raised a glass. He wordlessly acknowledged them.
Wolf found Claire and Chance standing in the center of the lobby, holding court. When Chance saw Hazel and Wolf walking toward him hand-in-hand, he was delighted.
He bent low and whispered to Claire. Claire scanned the crowd and found them. Her jaw dropped.
For her benefit, Wolf stopped, turned to Hazel, and pulled her into a kiss.
Hazel’s mouth was the distraction it would always be, and it took the applause a second to register in his consciousness.
When he turned to look back at their best friends, they were clapping the loudest.
Hazel looped her arm in his and rose up on her tiptoes. He leaned down to hear her thoughtful concern. “I don’t want to take their spotlight.”
He kissed her forehead. “Okay. But don’t worry. It’s cool.”
He felt like he was four hundred feet tall and bulletproof. He’d found her, and they’d communicated despite themselves. He wouldn’t be a matchless matchmaker forever. She thought he was good luck, not bad.
This was the best night of his life.
He gave Chance the handshake they always had for each other and slapped him on his huge back.
Claire enveloped Hazel in a girl grab full of knowing looks and gossip.
Chance started the conversation. “Proud of you, man. 'Bout damn time. You could cut the sexual tension between you two with a frigging knife.”
Wolf thanked the server who handed him his rum on the rocks. “Yeah. She’s the one.”
Chance punched Wolf in the arm. “The one? Like, forever?”
Wolf took a sip, watching as Claire and Hazel had what seemed like a very similar discussion.
“Brother. This is a big night. And a big gesture, if you know what I mean.” Chance indicated the party, where at least forty percent of his staff was in attendance.
“I do. And I think it might be time for an employee handbook update. I think if I can tell that the employee has met their match, they should be allowed to pursue it. I mean it can’t be an all-out orgy or anything.”
Wolf took another sip while Chance supplied the “Damn it.”
He chuckled. “But it’s not fair to deny them this just because they have the misfortune to work for me.”
Chance held up his glass. “It’s never a misfortune. It’s a great opportunity. But I’m willing to bet all of your chest hair that you’ll be much more fun now that you won’t be a grumpy blue ball owner all the damn time.”
Wolf gave Chance the middle finger by scratching his forehead with it and razzed him back. “I heard you get less sex after you get the ol’ ball and chain installed.”
Wolf didn’t hear the response from his friend because Hazel was smiling at him and time stopped. She was his. She was stunning. And he was going to screw the hell out of her as soon as he could tonight. Or sooner.
XOXOXOXO
The party was amazing. Having Wolf as her date made her feel like a million dollars. She lost count of the female employees who'd accosted her in the bathroom the two times she went and the few who'd caught her walking to and from. They wanted to know if the rules had changed. As it turned out, quite a few girls had a thing for another employee or had had to walk away from a past client that they had feelings for.
Hazel wished them luck and recommended that they speak to Wolf. Maybe her relationship with him would lead to more matches within the company.
He was so attentive. To look in his direction and know that she would be welcome in his gaze was addicting. She was stupid about it. He kept finding ways to come near her and kiss her cheek or touch her lower back as he mingled. Throughout the party, it was a wonderful build up.
They helped Chance and Claire clean up and lock up on the way out. Hazel changed into the casual outfit she brought with her. The wedding was in just over a week. Wolf hailed a cab for them, and Hazel didn’t question it. He gave an address she didn’t recognize, and in just a few minutes, they were pulling up to an elegant brownstone. He paid the cab and led Hazel to the door, touching her as often as possible.
Being with him was a relief, really. It was like her heart knew they were supposed to be like this and her head and the circumstances had finally caught up.
Wolf took her wrap and hung it in the closet as Hazel got her first glance at the place he’d called home while Booty Camp was in town.
“Rented?” It seemed like the obvious solution to his housing needs.
“Yeah. Everything in here is rented. The place came furnished.” Wolf held out his arms, and she walked into his embrace.
“Does that feel unwelcoming? Is it like this for every city?” She put her head on his chest.
“Yeah. I bring a box of my stuff and scatter it around so I have reminders of home. You want some more wine?” He ran his hands up and down her arms.
“Oh yes.” He left her to go into the kitchen and open a bottle. Hazel started to nose around, seeing if she could pick out the things that were actually his.
And then she spied a picture that stopped her cold. It was a picture of her from when she was a little kid.
“What the hell?” She grabbed the frame from the bookcase where it sat next to a clear packet of dried flowers.
Wolf walked over with two wineglasses and set them on the coffee table, looking puzzled.
He took the frame and gave her a wary look. “This is my sister.”
Hazel was shocked. “Faith is your sister?”
The look on his face matched the puzzlement she felt. “My sister’s name was Faith.”
“I remember that you told me that now. Did she go to the Girl Scout camp at Camp Fortnight?” Hazel stood next to him so they could both look at the picture.
He frowned. “I don’t remember.”
Hazel felt tears crowd her eyes as she took the picture from his hands. “Who is this?” She pointed to the little brunette Faith had her arm around. The girls were smiling and looking at each other.
Wolf again had no answer. But it was okay because Hazel did.
“This is my friend, Faith. That’s me in this picture. I went away to camp when I was six, and I was having trouble with being homesick and making friends. Faith was a camper there. She was so kind to me. She and I would draw horses together in art. Faith always had time for me.”
Hazel let the tears fall then. “But
your sister passed away? That’s what you said before.”
Wolf took the picture back and looked harder. “It is you. Holy crap. It’s you. How is this possible?”
“Because my dad was military—we moved a lot. We weren’t even in your state six months. Faith’s the reason I decided to become a special education teacher. I loved getting to know her. I have a very similar picture of she and I on my desk at work.” Hazel wiped her tears away.
Wolf’s eyes clouded. “This is a picture of you and my sister.”
Hazel sat on the couch and pulled him to sit next to her.
“I’m so sorry she’s gone.” Hazel felt the loss on the adult level, but the little girl in her did, too.
“Me, too. All day. Every day. But you know why. You loved her, too.” Wolf put his arm around her shoulders.
“I can’t tell you how much she meant to me that summer. I felt so safe because she was a little older than me.” Hazel touched the picture of Faith.
“She had a knack for that. For making people feel wanted. At home. She was so incredible.” Wolf kissed Hazel’s temple.
“I wish she was here.” Hazel gasped with the start of the full-out sobbing. Because the sureness of the coincidence was hitting her all at once.
Wolf turned to face her and held her face. “Don’t you see? She is. She’s right here. This is her way of telling me she loved you first.” Hazel had no shame about her emotion as she curled into his chest. “How many kids have you helped because you knew Faith?”
He tilted their hug a bit so he could reach the tissues. He wiped her tears away. “Oh God. A lot. I hope. I mean, that’s the reason I go to work in the morning, but this job can feel like ten steps backward for every step forward. But I hope I’ve helped.”
“I’m always amazed how many people she affected, but this feels like a visit from her, almost. It’s so crazy.” Wolf patted her back.
She looked up at him and had to wipe two tears from his cheeks, as well.
They spent the rest of the evening on the couch. The bottle of wine migrated from the kitchen to the living room as they shared stories.
Wolf told her about Faith. Funny stories, stories that broke her heart. The tale of his sister's last beautiful moment on earth—too soon but full of her endless optimism as Faith comforted their mother and grandmother and him before she was done adding her light to their lives.
Hazel told him about her childhood. She shared stories about her kids, telling him about each one.
At the start of her night, Hazel thought for sure she would be enjoying much more carnal pleasures with this ridiculously hot guy. But seeing him as he truly was, who he was, was sexy, too. They had so much to learn about each other. They were exhausted by the time the dawn started to heat up the night, and curling up on the couch seemed about right. Before Hazel drifted off to sleep on his chest, she looked at the picture one last time.
Faith and Hazel a million years ago. Friends.
Chapter 31
Morning Light
Knowing Hazel was right for him changed how his eyes focused in the morning light. A wave of emotion hit him as the sight of her in his arms. Undeniable. His fate had been headed for hers all this time.
Which would sound like a cheesy romance novel if that very thing wasn’t the business he traded in. But to be on the receiving end of that service? Now he had a deeper understanding of why his company was so successful.
And her. This new revelation that he wasn’t doomed to be unfulfilled by love was a game changer. That she could be right, maybe there was happiness headed his way. If his heart didn’t feel like a superhero right now, he wouldn’t believe it was possible.
He rubbed her brown hair between his fingers.
Hazel. The girl of his dreams was named Hazel. And he thanked the fates and energies that continued to put her in front of him until they clicked.
She moaned a little and snuggled in deeper to his chest.
Judging from the height of the shadows and the pure white of the sunshine peeking under the blinds, it was early. Maybe they had been asleep three hours, tops.
Her loose fist on his chest slowly splayed out as she woke. “Wolf?”
“It’s me.” He ran his knuckles down her arm.
“Oh good. I thought you were a dream. I was scared.” She laughed a little as she shifted.
“Don’t be. I’m here now.” She was lovely. Beyond pretty. Just the glow her energy put on her skin—it radiated the beauty he should have been seeking his whole life.
She looked up at him. “Lucky me. Does it feel weird that we’re not fighting?”
He started laughing. “A little. I like this a whole lot better, though.”
Wolf kissed her forehead, and she pushed up until she was able to straddle him. “Same.”
He was grateful they’d talked all night because now he could have her in new daylight. He wanted to see it all. Feel her. See her.
She leaned down and kissed his lips. How did he get so lucky? With her hands, she demanded he take off his shirt completely. It had been hanging open when they fell asleep. Her hair tickled his chest and shoulders when she came in for more kisses.
Wolf couldn’t put into words how she made him feel, so he didn’t. He showed her.
XOXOXOXO
Hazel had felt fear leave her after seeing the picture of Faith.
Which was probably premature when it came to her feelings about Wolf, but it made sense in the sweetest of ways. When Hazel was in camp as a kid, it had been a quick stopover for her military family. It had been a tough time, and at just six, she'd been more introverted than she ever had in her life.
When she'd gone to the art special, there was a different class with her age group. They were a year or so older. Faith had picked the empty space next to Hazel, and when she’d looked at the girl, her smile was a welcome comfort on a scary day.
Sometimes Faith was hard to understand, but it was okay because they liked to draw horses together. When there were camp-wide lunches, Hazel would find Faith and sit next to her.
Faith was always happy to see Hazel and made her feel like she was the best part of Faith’s day.
During the time Hazel spent at the camp, she watched the counselors, who were much older than the teenage girls in charge of her group. She liked how they spoke to the children. She liked how encouraging they were, and even though a lot of the kids in Hazel’s group were different than the people she’d met before, they were all comfortable with themselves.
When it had been time to leave summer camp, Hazel cried. She'd wanted to spend more time with Faith during art. Her parents had taken a picture of the girls together, and Faith made Hazel laugh the instant the shutter captured the moment.
The picture on Wolf’s coffee table was taken on a different day. Faith’s counselors must have snapped it when they weren't looking.
As Hazel grew older, she never forgot Faith or the way her counselors treated the kids that summer. So when it was time to start to pick a career path, Hazel knew which one she wanted to take.
When people praised her for the job she did, Hazel usually accepted it with as much grace as she could at the time. But she knew the kids were a gift. Would always be a gift. They gave so much more than they took. Hazel learned that from Faith. And that same spark was something she got to see in Jonah and Kenzie and all her other kids every day she taught.
But Wolf knew that secret. He was Faith’s brother. There was no way he could have missed out on being put under Faith’s spell of kindness and positivity.
“What are you thinking about?” Wolf tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.
“Faith.” Hazel leaned into his hand.
Wolf bowed his head briefly.
“Just how people don’t always know that we’re the lucky ones. Because we got to know her.” Hazel turned her head and kissed his palm.
“You are exceptional. Being who you are. It suits you.” Wolf watched her lips on his hand.
?
??Do you have a nice bedroom? I want to see the Wolf’s lair.” She got off his lap.
He groaned as he got off the couch. “That was a long time to be crammed on that sucker.”
He took her hand and led her upstairs.
Wolf’s bedroom in the rental house was very neutral, but wonderful. She liked seeing where he let his guard down at the end of a day in her city.
Hazel loved that it was time to be with him this way.
He was undressed first, and she spun in time to see the main event. His dick was a thing of beauty. It was long enough to make her clench internally and thick enough to make her sigh.
“Everything okay?”
She smiled. His presence delivered a sexual punch that screamed of the pleasure he would bring her. Here.
“Can you wear less, too?” Wolf approached her and started on her shirt. They’d been together for hours and hours and she still had her shirt on. It made taking it off even more intimate.
He set it sweetly on his chair. Like he planned to put it back on her when they were done. Then he did the same with her jeans. Her shoes had been left at the door.
Wolf grinned at her. “Best view in the whole city right now.”
He skimmed her shape with his hands. She caught them and stepped into the hug she’d made him create for her.
Wolf ran his fingers up her spine and lightly traced back down. Then he grabbed her ass hard enough for her to yelp. She covered his hands with her own.
His hardness was pressed against her belly. She looked down at the smooth tip. It was really a pretty dick. Lucky her.
He slipped his hands under her bra and found her nipples. He strummed her with them, making her moan. They were standing up for him, and his hands had a slight chill, which increased the feelings.
She snaked her hand between them so she could stroke him. It made him arch against her.
“Your hands…”
She used them both now that she had him off balance, twisting her grip gently to send a variation of sensations through him.
He let her do it for a few seconds, hissing when she ran her thumb over the tip and felt the wetness there. She bit her lip, feeling powerful.