Beautiful Creatures Series

The smell of brewing coffee drew Gordon from his sleep. He had not slept that soundly in… well. He could not remember the last time he slept like that. He had been dead to the world. Gordon rolled over in bed and looked around. Mackenzie was not in bed. It had been so late by the time they had worn themselves out Mackenzie had suggested he stay the night, and he was way too wiped out to drive home, so he snuggled in close to her and let sleep take him. Only now she was missing, and he was alone.

Gordon climbed out of bed and found his pants. He tugged them on and went in search of the source of that welcomed morning smell. He walked down the hall to find Mackenzie in the kitchen, just wearing a pair of booty shorts and his shirt. Her dark ebony hair was tied up in a sloppy ponytail.

“Now that is even sexier than the lace,” he said, coming up behind her and wrapping both arms around her waist as he nuzzled her neck. “I could just eat you up,” he purred gently, tugging at her earlobe with his teeth.

“Coffee?” She said, turning in his arms and offering him a mug of freshly brewed coffee.

“Thank you,” he kissed her cheek, accepting the mug she offered.

“Cream and sugar?” She offered.

“No thanks, I take it black,” he said, sipping his coffee as he walked over to the couch and sat down. “Damn, this is good coffee.”

“It should be it is expensive enough,” she said, mixing cream and sugar into her own before joining him on the couch. Gordon draped his arm over the back of the couch, and Mackenzie scooted in close, cuddling up to him with her feet pulled up on the cushion tucked under her bottom.

“What time is it?”

“Eight,” she answered, looking up at him. “Do you have to rush off and open the shop?”

“Not right away. The best thing about being the boss I work when I want. Do you have someplace to be?”

“I have to meet a new coupled at ten, but besides that, no,” a naughty little grin curved the corner of her delectable mouth. “Why? Do you want to fool around?” There was so much excitement in her tone, Gordon grinned with pride.

“Is sex all you think about?”

“No, sometimes I’m asleep,” she said with a straight face as she sipped her coffee. It was all Gordon could do not to choke on his coffee when he laughed. “Men are ridiculous. You all want a woman with a high sex drive until you meet a woman with a high sex drive. Then all of a sudden, you can’t keep up.”

“Don’t count me among them. I have stamina as you have never seen,” he was not boasting; it was a fact. As a Lycanthrope Alpha, Gordon was blessed with strength, speed, and endurance that no human man could ever hope to achieve. While he was in his mid-forties physically, he could outperform any 18-year-old Olympian who did nothing but train and still have enough energy at the end of the night to go clubbing.

“Come back tonight, and we will see who wears out whom,” she challenged.

Gordon grinned. He loved hanging out with Mackenzie. She was one hell of a woman, and he liked her a lot more than he should. He would never complain about the sex, he enjoyed the sex, but he found himself craving to know her better. “What are we?”

“Horny?” She grinned.

“To each other?”

“Oh,” she said with a serious expression. “Well, we are friends.”

“Friends?”

“With benefits. Don’t you like being my friend?”

“With benefits?”

“You don’t like the benefits?”

“I love the benefits, but call me old-fashioned. I like to get to know the person I’m fucking.”

“You want to get to know each other?” She said, pulling back and sitting, so she was looking at him with her coffee in both hands. “That sounds dangerously like the start of a relationship.”

“You don’t want a relationship?”

“I’m surprised that you do. You did just get out of what I’m assuming was a horrific relationship. Why would you want to start a new one so soon?”

“I’m not talking about getting married. I’m just suggesting a date that doesn’t start in the bed?”

to get to know you,” she said with all

It had not

lie to you. If we did, the get to know you crap…” She stood up and walked out of the room. Mackenzie returned shortly with the rest of his clothes. Gordon stood up, accepting his things. “Please,

the hell

***

to know people. She didn’t like to lie to people, but if she got to know Gordon, she would tell him nothing but lies. For years in witness protection, Mackenzie couldn’t even remember the truth most of the time. It would be wrong of her to have him pour his heart and soul out to her while she told him falsehoods. He would never know the real her.

never see him

for her day. She curled her hair and put on her makeup. Then she slipped into a black and white dress that came just below her knee with matching shoes. She was meeting a new client this morning, and she wanted to look

the door, his powerful arms folded across his chest and an almost

standing here the whole time?” She

patient

to run?” She said, pushing past him and heading

he said, following Mackenzie to the door. “We need

have a

is important, you make

was important to him? Mackenzie stood by the door. “Fine, I’ll give you five minutes. What

freaked you out. That had not been my intent. It’s clear you are not looking for a relationship; I’m ok with that. If all you want is a good time, then fine. I don’t mind. I won’t ask any more questions. But when you

she said, fidgeting with

response. “I see, ok, can

I don’t

to let me finish your

it,” she said, not looking him in the eyes. There was a long silence. “I have to go. Please don’t be here when I get back,” she then

***

up a good thing. He should have kept his mouth shut and enjoyed the

up, he heard the chimes of his door alerting him to a new customer. He sprayed the site with saline water, then wiped it down and wrapped him up. When he looked up again, he saw Mackenzie coming into the back without an invite. Gordon finished the cleanup and gave the men instructions on how to care for their tattoos while they healed to prevent a staph infection. He then walked all three to the front counter and completed

into his backroom, finding Mackenzie seated on his tattoo chair. “You’re late. Your

was hoping you could squeeze me

to have

mind. I don’t want someone else

“No, I really don’t.”

Do you have another appointment coming

away. I have

“Oh, tomorrow, maybe?”

“Closed all day.”

“Why?”

to. One of my boys is

to leave, looking like a pouting child who had just been sent

he said, and Mackenzie stopped and turned to face him. “I’ll finish it on Monday… if… you be my

Mackenzie grinned. “What time?”

noon, so meet me at my

then turned and

a second chance was only fair since she had given him one when he’d had his hissy fit the night she came to

***

helping Darrell decorate the arbour he had built for his nuptials. Darrell was a general

throwing a bash of Katelyn, Darrell’s fiancée. In turn, the guys were heading over to Stanton’s place to throw Darrell a wild send-off. “How this?” Gordon asked as he was pinning up

over their handiwork.

looked it over. “Damn, boy, you do good

“Thank you.”

to smile at him. “Do you mind if I bring

looked surprised. “You’re already

figured, why should I wait?

you have a