Page 22 of The Wolf Professor

And yet… he’d never been faced with his own darkness before. Living in civilized cosmopolitan Selig, maybe he’d become complacent, believing that his inner wolf was under his control.

Ha, not anymore.

Yanking off the bed clothes, Max had stared helplessly at his cock, standing up like a fucking tent pole between his legs and resisted the urge to jerk off like a callow youth. Instead, he’d dashed into the bathroom and taken a freezing cold shower.

And now, standing here in the kitchen with a strong brew in his hand, the welcome winter light filtering through the window, the smell of toast cooking, he felt more… human again.

The vivid fantasies of Charlie receded into the shadows.

And then, as if to taunt him, she appeared.

She hovered in the doorway for a moment, her cheeks flushing a little and her curls deliciously wild around her face.

“Do you mind if I make myself some breakfast?” she asked.

Just act like nothing happened. “Sure, go ahead. I’ve just worked out how to make a decent coffee.”

“Well done you.”

“Want one?”

“Oh, erm—” She hesitated, tucking a curl behind her ear.

“You don’t trust my coffee making skills, eh? Just look at the evidence.” He tipped his cup in her direction to show her the perfect crema on top.

“Amazing. I’ll have a hazelnut latte, then.”

“A what?”

“Just joking. How it comes will be fine.”

They both laughed, and it seemed to break the tension between them. As she strolled into the room, Max consciously relaxed his shoulders and focused on making her coffee. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her prop her butt onto a stool at the breakfast bar. She was dressed casually in cargo pants and a baggy jumper, obscuring her curves, he noted with relief. Sure, he could cope with ten minutes of conversation.

“Any plans for the weekend?” he asked casually.

Elbows on the bench, she pulled the sleeves of her jumper down over her hands. “It’s my friend Tod’s birthday party tonight.”

Max ignored the stab of irritation. “The orc?”

“Yup. How about you?”

He grimaced. “I’ve been asked to a barbecue with my relatives. Haven’t exactly said yes, but I guess I’ll go.”

“You don’t sound enthusiastic.”

“Like I mentioned before, we have little in common.”

“When did you last see them?”

“At my mom’s funeral, though only a couple of the pack attended. Benjy came with his partner, Janine. My gran is suffering with dementia, my grandfather is dead, and there’s a raft of aunts and uncles I barely know. There’s no love lost. They considered Mom a snob. Most of my other cousins probably don’t even remember me.”

“So tonight will be a bundle of laughs. Not.”

“Affirmative tonot. To them I’m an anomaly. This weird, dry as dust guy who buries his head in books and somehow gotwealthy doing it. To me, they’re a bunch of philistines with no appreciation of the arts.”

“That seems a bit harsh.”

“Harsh, but true.”

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