Page 44 of Wild Wolf Betrothal

He shifted a little, leaning against the window as he considered his dinner companion. He didn’t mind that she joined him. A good conversation would distract him.

It turned out that Elise was very intelligent. She was a doctor who was taking her first vacation in a couple of years and loved to travel to new areas, which was how she ended up in Ivy Springs.

The two of them somehow ended up talking about artwork.

“I’ve always loved the old classical art,” Micah said. “Raphael and Michelangelo are two of my favorites.”

“You like the Ninja Turtles, huh?” she teased.

“I guess I do, although I’m not as much into sculptures. Donatello was a master at his craft.”

“Leonardo Da Vinci was a pure genius at everything he did,” Elise said. “Did you know that he only slept for twenty minutes every four hours.”

“I had heard that. I guess it worked for him,” Micah said.

“His art was great, but my favorite was Van Gough. He was a genius, and it is really too bad that people didn’t recognize it before he died.”

She leaned over the table, giving him a great look down her shirt. He had to admit that it was a pretty great view. Elise reached out to touch his arm as she talked about how much she loved the painting,Starry Night, and how it seemed to reach out to her.

Elise’s leg touched his under the table. She kept it there during dinner. The beautiful red-head made it very obvious that she was interested in Micah.

He insisted on getting the check for them both at the end of the night.

“Thank you,” she said, putting her hand on his arm.

She smiled up at him and stepped close enough to him that their bodies were touching.

“I have some good scotch in my room if you want to come up and hang out with me,” she said.

Her voice was low and hungry, thick with desire. She put her hand on his chest and fiddled with the top button on his shirt as though she was going to unbutton it.

Elise’s voice held great promise of a very enjoyable night. She likely had the experience that could bring a man to the brink of heaven and hell and back again. It would be an incredibly pleasurable night with no strings attached.

It’s not like he would be cheating on Lucy. She had denied their betrothal and had said, on more than one occasion, that she would not go through the mating ceremony with him.

The temptation was almost overwhelming.

Micah almost hated himself when he said, “Elise, as tempted as I am, I have to say no.”

She stared at him for a second and then smiled.

“Whoever she is, she is a lucky lady,” Elise said, softly. “You have a good night.”

He watched her perfectly rounded ass sashay back and forth as she walked down the hallway toward her door. It was so hard not to rush after her and enjoy a night of bliss with no strings attached. Groaning, he headed for the elevator that would take him back to his room. He wasn’t sure whether to be proud of himself for taking the moral high road or if he should be kicking himself in the ass for being an idiot.

Lucy was finishing up a plate of French toast when Micah made it downstairs.

“Good morning,” he said. “How was your evening?”

“Just peachy,” she said, sarcastically.

Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning,Micah thought as the waitress brought him a cup of coffee.

“Did you enjoy your evening?”

“It was alright, I guess,” he said. “I had some dinner and spent the rest of the evening watching a marathon ofThe Expendablesmovies.”

She took a couple more bites of her breakfast and then asked, “I saw you had company last night.”

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