Page 24 of All for the Beast

“You make me speechless all the time, darling.”

She covered her face with her hand to shield the inevitable blush that bloomed on it, then returned to the changing room. V let out a long breath and leaned forward, letting his muscles relax, wondering how he was going to get through the night.

When he bought her the outfit along with tall, raven-black heels, she returned to the inn to change, and he waited for her with his driver. He stared out the window. The suns were setting and looked like two bleeding eyes on the horizon.

His heart leapt at the mere thought of Katy, the sound of her voice, the aromatic essence of her that lingered when she left a room. It was unlike anything he’d ever felt in his life, a welcomed nervousness that challenged all the practical defenses he had fought to maintain.

When she got into the car, the feeling nearly erupted inside of him.

Her lovely blonde hair streamed down her shoulders, flowing and bright. She had applied thick cat-eye makeup to her glowing orbs, further emphasizing their dazzling shade. And the dress, good God, the dress. The goddess of love had stepped out of the sky, every inch of her as delectable and intriguing as the next.

“You look astonishing,” he whispered.

A slit down the side of the dress showed her knee, as well as a bit of her strong thigh. She settled into the seat next to him, her lips sporting a deep plum shade.

“Thank you, V,” she said, gazing at him.

Her emerald pools were mesmerizing. He wanted to wade and drown within them.

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” she whispered.

Despite feeling suffocated by her vanilla scent and invigorating presence, V managed to keep his hands to himself. They arrived at the performance taking place at the end of the pier. Comfortable and cozy seating arrangements were set up in the sand, and they looked onto a stage that stood with an ambient backdrop of velvet blue skies.

Each table was adorned with candles that flicked in a kaleidoscope of colors. His heart raced when they sat, Katy, sitting close to him, one of her legs pressed against his own.

He wished that he could ask her about how she was feeling. He wished that he could use the night to tell her how beautiful, wonderful, and intelligent she was. He wished that all of that was enough to make her stay, not to drive her away and out of his life forever.

He wanted to worship her body, her mind, and her soul for the rest of his existence. It all sounded very dramatic in his mind, but that was how shifters were made. They were intense with mates, with their beloveds, and would do anything to remind them of their natural glory.

But they had a job to do and to finish. Katy had been adamant about letting the whole mate business go. He had to woo her in the same way a man on Earth might and wait for her approval to continue. Or wait for her to make the first move.

His impatience made him ache, but he hoped Katy couldn’t tell. He hid it with a stoic look of curious professionalism.

“What are these performers called?” she asked

They ordered some delicious wine and were sipping it while they waited. He had been brooding and looking out to sea when Katy had turned to him, one of her legs crossed and showed off more of that tantalizing skin.

His eyes lingered on hers heavily.

“Sea Wolves,” V said, a smirk growing on his lips. “Very original, I know.”

Katy covered her mouth to giggle. Gods, how he wanted to hear that giggle under the warmth of his royal sheets.

The band began to play on stage as soon as he opened his mouth to compliment her. She turned from him and listened as the rock duo went on to play an hour set, citing all original work. Much of the content was historical and relevant to what Katy had been researching.

But during one of the love songs, she placed her hand on his knee. He tried not to look at it immediately, but it gave him a hot flash of lust.

She gazed at him for a moment during the song, her tongue slipping between her red lips. They said nothing, but the look was something V had longed for his entire life. A silent expression of yearning.

It may have only been a few seconds, but it was enough to keep V sustained in hope for her, something that he felt growing like a flower.

When the performance was done, Katy clapped enthusiastically, even standing to show them her support. V stood with her, feeling her energy next to him like a warm breeze.

“Do you think we can talk to them after?” she whispered to him.

Once he was over the shivering of her voice so close to his ear, V nodded.

“I was thinking you might enjoy that,” he remarked.

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