Mated to the Playboy Wolf: A BBW Valentine's Day Wolf-Shifter Romance Page 4

  Then he looked up, almost as if he could feel her eyes upon him, and she felt something that she’d never felt before. There was a really strong chemical reaction happening between them, despite the fact that she was across the room. “He’s the one,” she thought. Words she had never expected to come to her mind…

  “Holy fuck!” Matt finally laid his eyes on the woman who had been filling his every waking moment ever since he had first logged on the Alma Venus website. If he had thought she was gorgeous before, then now he was absolutely blown away. Her photograph didn’t truly convey that adorable smile. He hadn’t been able to see the twinkle in her eye, he hadn’t noticed that calm, peaceful aura emanating off her.

  “Hey,” she said, very shyly, almost too quietly for him to hear. “I’m Tessa.”

  He remained silent as she walked closer to him, swaying those incredible hips, and as soon as she was finally near enough for him to inhale some of her citrusy scent, he held out his hand to her. For a moment, she stared at it, unsure of what to do, but as she finally got the hint and shook it, bolts of electricity coursed through his entire body. She was making him feel things he’d never felt before, proving to him that this was the right move, even though it was rushed as hell.

  “Well, I’m Matt,” he said, trying his best to keep his tone light-hearted. “But you probably already guessed that, right? Unless you have some other crazy idiot with red hair and green eyes meeting you today?”

  Tessa giggled awkwardly, totally weirded out by the whole situation. How should she stand? Where should she put her hands? What did he want her to say? There were so many emotions roller-coasting through her, that she simply had no idea what to do with herself.

  “No, just you,” she eventually managed to force out.

  He beamed at her, let go of her hand, and scratched the back of his head, a tad embarrassed that he didn’t quite know how to act himself.

  “Right… Well, let’s get going.”

  As he slid the bag from her hands, and his skin brushed against hers, she felt it again. That sizzling chemistry, that intense bond. It made her believe that, maybe, he was a little too dangerous for her, that he might easily consume her heart if she allowed him to. She’d been so badly hurt in the past by guys she had never felt as connected to as she felt now with Matt, so what would happen if the werewolf ditched her in the end? That thought was enough to almost have her backing out of the whole thing, but intrigue, curiosity, and just the right dash of insanity convinced her to stay.

  “Where are we going?” she asked, as they walked through the doors of Alma Venus. Rather than feeling the intense loss she had thought she would, she was surprisingly looking forward to the future. She didn’t even feel the need to look back at the medieval building of the agency. “Are we going to meet your Alpha?”

  “Hell no! It’s Valentine’s Day, we’re going out.”

  How did he seem so overjoyed to meet her? It didn’t make any sense in Tessa’s mind; she was so… ordinary compared to him. Of course, she had forgotten it was Valentine’s Day. In all her confusion, in all of her worrying about meeting Matt, she had totally isolated herself from the real world. In a weird way, that detail added even more pressure to the situation. She looked down at herself.

  “Err… am I dressed okay?”

  She had taken the time to apply some light make-up and choose a pretty dress in which, hopefully, she wouldn’t freeze in the cold February weather, but she didn’t feel like she was prepared for anything fancy. She had no idea what sort of places Matt was used to, but she had a feeling they wouldn’t be exactly normal, nor cheap.

  “Don’t you worry about that,” Matt grinned at her.

  They stopped in front of a gorgeous car that she could only assume was his.

  “You look wonderful! You’ll see when we get there, anyway.”

  “Right, okay,” Tessa whispered, sliding into the passenger’s seat. “Yeah.”

  She couldn’t stand to look at Matt any longer. He was fogging up her brain, making her too confused, so she gazed out of the window instead. He was so kind and sweet… The way he had instantly tried to put her at ease, how he had taken her bag without asking… Oh, and he was handsome, too. He was perfect, utterly perfect. Tessa had never dreamed she would date, let alone marry, a man so tall that he would tower over her, and so well-built that she could actually feel small when she stood next to him. They hadn’t touched much yet, and her body was tingling with anticipation. What would it feel like to run her fingers through his soft, disheveled hair, then down his face, neck, strong chest, and chiseled abs? She shook her head, trying to control her wild heartbeat and the heat gathering in her stomach. She couldn’t allow herself to get aroused so soon. His sensitive nose would surely smell it.

  What was even more amazing was that Matt was driving silently, paying attention to the road, consciously allowing her to think everything through, almost as if he was completely attuned to her needs.

  He seemed to be everything she wanted, and so much more. This moment had been terrifying, but amazing, too. The only problem was that Tessa wasn’t sure she could measure up to what he needed. A bride, a mate, a mother to his children… How could she ever be enough? All the worries relating to her past flooded her mind, causing her to panic. What if Matt came to really know her and realized she wasn’t what he had expected? She had no idea what was going through his head as he drove them out of Myrtle Valley, the small town where the agency was. She stole a glance at him, and for a second, she wished he would say something, anything, to break the silence. She would have done it, if she had had any idea what to say.

  ***

  “Is this Western Heights?” Tessa turned to Matt in surprise as they arrived at one of the most amazing mountain ranges in Kent. She’d always wanted to visit, but hadn’t had the time to get around to it before now.

  “I’ve rented a cabin for the night,” he smiled proudly at her. “I wanted to do something awesome for our first date.”

  A cabin? Tessa couldn’t help but gulp down a big ball of anxiety at the realization that they would be alone up in the mountains. A cabin would lead to a bed, and a bed would lead to… Oh God! The last time Tessa had been with someone was now a distant memory, mainly because it had been such an unsatisfying experience. From the whisperings she’d heard from other girls at Alma Venus, human males were the absolute worst in bed, and the other species were much more erotic and exciting. Particularly, wolves. Their fiery nature made them fantastic, sensual lovers, which Tessa wasn’t quite sure she was ready for. Well… mentally, at any rate. Her body had other ideas for her.

  “But first, I’ve booked a table at Amarillo’s, so we can have something to eat.”

  “Are you serious?” she exclaimed in shock.

  Amarillo’s was such an exclusive restaurant, the sort of place where it was damn near impossible to get a reservation at the best of times, never mind on Valentine’s Day.

  “That’s incredible!”

  But she couldn’t stop herself from glancing down at her outfit again. There was no way that she would fit in wearing that dress.

  “Oh hush, would you,” Matt scolded, seemingly having read her thoughts. “You look fine; wonderful, in fact! And I don’t know about you, but I think it’s much better to stand out, rather than fit in. Plus, look at me…”

  This was the permission Tessa hadn’t even realized she needed to closely examine his body. Of course, she was looking at his jeans and T-shirt combo, an outfit that was probably more casual than hers, but she couldn’t stop her mind from wondering what lay underneath. She was acutely aware that she would probably find out that very night, and a small part of her couldn’t wait to discover more.

  “It’ll be fun, trust me.”

  As he smiled at her, Tessa’s heart literally skipped a beat, causing her to return his happy smile. If she could just get past her intense nervousness, maybe this wouldn’t be so stressful.

  Matt was doing everything he could to
contain himself. What he really wanted was to bounce off the walls, jump to the ceiling in excitement, but he needed to keep it together for Tessa’s sake. The last thing he wanted was to scare her away. The fact that she wasn’t being as flirty and forward as the girls he was used to was part of what attracted him to her, the reason he was convinced she would make the best bride ever. So, he had to be patient. He was sure there was an awesome side of her, hidden somewhere deep, a fun, loving, crazy girl just perfect for him, otherwise he wouldn’t have chosen her. All he had to do was give her time to come out of her shell.

  “So, do you want to check in to the cabin first? Drop off our stuff? Or, shall we head straight to Amarillo’s?”

  He could tell she was probably imagining the bed in the cabin, and it seemed to freak her out. He wanted to tell her that he didn’t expect her to get naked tonight, but none of the words he could come up with sounded right. Just because he was something of a wild animal didn’t mean he would push her into something she wasn’t ready for. He gave up and said nothing. He would simply allow her to take the lead when it came down to it.

  “Food first,” she said hurriedly. “I think I’m getting hungry.”

  Matt glanced at his watch, noticing it was that awkward time between lunch and dinner. If she hadn’t eaten all day because she was stressed and nervous, something he could almost smell on her skin, then she was probably starving. He could eat whenever he wanted and as much as he wanted. He had paid a lot of money to keep the table free all day, so that wasn’t an issue. They could eat now, and they could have a fancy dinner later, too.

  “Food it is,” he agreed.

  ***

  As they sat opposite one another in the restaurant, the romance of the place was a little overwhelming for Tessa. She couldn’t look at Matt through the candlelight without her heart thumping painfully in her chest. He was doing all kinds of things to her body, things she’d never expected to experience, and she didn’t know how to behave as to not betray herself.

  If she went with the flow and set her feelings free, would she end up acting in a way that wasn’t her at all? But if she carried on holding herself back, he might be disappointed, which she didn’t want, either. She liked him too much to fuck up.

  Tessa felt lucky that the place was empty and they were the only ones there. It was much too early for a romantic dinner, and that made it a lot easier for her. The idea of other couples around them scared her. She would have started comparing what she had with Matt to everyone else, and she would have worried about others looking at her, judging her, her clothes, her make-up, maybe even wondering what such a gorgeous man was doing with someone so plain. It was stupid that she felt this way. Back home, her friends always told her that she underestimated herself, that she had no confidence and didn’t love and appreciate herself. Tessa knew where they were coming from, but she couldn’t simply snap her fingers and suddenly love herself for who she was. Too many disappointments and emotionally abusive relationships had dragged her self-esteem to the lowest of levels, and it was hard for her to pick up the pieces and reinvent herself, as her friends kept advising her to do. For now, she was happy and proud of herself for having decided to step out of her comfort zone and become a mail-order bride. It would have to be enough. Later, she hoped she would feel differently about herself, but this had been the first step, and the hardest.

  “Wine?” Matt asked, a cheeky smile playing on his lips.

  Tessa nodded gratefully. This was the second glass, and the idea of becoming a bit tipsy appealed to her. She hoped it would take away some of the anxiety. She knew that even though Matt drank as much as her, if not more, he wouldn’t get drunk. Alcohol didn’t affect shifters at all.

  As the liquid glugged into the glass and the waiter handed it to her, she took a massive sip. It calmed her down a little, but not enough to chase away the tension in all her muscles.

  “This is totally mad, isn’t it?” Matt finally decided to address the situation, as he placed his glass on the table. He would have preferred a beer, he liked the taste better, but wine was classier and he wanted to give off the right impression. “Be honest, do you think I’m crazy?”

  She looked up at him, raising her left eyebrow slightly, which caused him to chuckle. If he could get her honest opinion on this, then maybe they could finally break the ice.

  “A little,” she admitted.

  “You’ll get used to me,” he did his best to reassure her. “Maybe I am impulsive, but it never works out too badly for me. I’m quite a lucky guy, as you might deduce by looking at the lovely lady with whom I’m here today.”

  Confused for a moment, Tessa looked around her. She felt like slapping herself over the head when she realized he was talking about her. Her whole body heated up with embarrassment, her neck and cheeks flushing a deep, angry red. So stupid and awkward… She wasn’t used to anyone being so open with their emotions, especially nice ones with regards to her, so she didn’t know what to say. Matt had already made her realize how quiet and stilted her ex-boyfriends had been. Well, not only them, but humans in general. She appreciated the change.

  Luckily, the food came, and Tessa decided she didn’t have to say anything at all. She hoped by the time the waiter left, Matt would have forgotten he had made her a compliment she hadn’t responded to.

  The first hour passed in too much silence for Matt’s taste, but the wine was doing its job, and he could feel Tessa starting to warm up to him. He was getting a glimpse of the honest, sweet woman he’d spoken to online, the one he’d fallen for, and that made him happy. Now, not only was he out with the most beautiful woman on the entire planet, but he was able to enjoy her company, too.

  “So,” she asked with a mischievous glance in her eyes, one that Matt enjoyed immensely. “I told you about my romantic history, but you didn’t tell me anything about yours.”

  His blood ran cold as he considered the implications of being sincere about this topic. How could he let this innocent lady know he had made it something of a mission to sleep with as many women as possible? He didn’t want her to think he was a total douchebag! Which… he kind of was, if he was to be completely honest with himself. For years, he had thought his greatest accomplishment was that he had managed to shag women from all the six species. Humans, wolf-shifters, bear-shifters (oh, those chicks knew what passion was!), fox-shifters, eagle-shifters, and even dragon-shifters. In truth, he had scored only one dragon girl, but he had always made it a point to talk about that experience as if he was used to it. Dragon ladies were hard to catch. Their ridiculously high standards made it almost impossible for a crazy, playboy wolf like Matt to woo them.

  “I’ve been around…” He cleared his throat and took a sip of wine to mask his discomfort. “I’ve let my wild side run free, you know, but that has just made me ready to…”

  Commit. He had wanted to say “commit”, but Tessa’s reaction didn’t let him finish his sentence.

  For some reason, his confession had sparked something inside of her, a possessive, raw desire, and Tessa found herself leaning over the table.

  At first, Matt didn’t know how to react. He stared at her as if she’d gone a bit mad, moving all of a sudden like that, cutting him off with a single glance of her pale blue eyes. Was she angry? Did she want to scream in his face that he was a jerk and she didn’t want to have anything to do with him? Was this the calm before the storm? Then, their lips unexpectedly met, and fireworks burst inside his head.

  ***

  Tessa wasn’t sure what she was doing, only that it felt right. She’d spent so long being afraid of Matt, scared of what he was making her feel, but with the wine flowing through her now relaxed body, she didn’t care about that anymore. Her brain had shut off, and her whole being was taking control, instead.

  When they broke the kiss, Matt stood up, staring at Tessa as if he wanted to devour her whole.

  That made her feel delightfully sexy, and more turned on than she had ever been before. Just that l
ook had tingles creeping up and down her spine, shutting her anxiety off.

  “Shall we get out of here, or do you want dessert?” he practically growled at her, his deep, husky voice letting her know he hoped she’d skip dessert.

  Tessa shook her head, not breaking eye contact. She dared to act a little naughty, even, and she bit her lower lip, then gave him a wicked smile. That was it. Her small gestures convinced Matt to slap some money on the table, surely more than what their meal cost, then take her hand and lead her out of the restaurant and to his car.

  This time, as they drove up the mountain to their special cabin, the silence had nothing to do with awkwardness. They were both very aware of the thick sexual tension hanging in the air, each of them thinking about where it would take them.

  For Tessa, going to bed with a guy she’d only just met was insane, the craziest thing she’d ever done, but that excited her.

  For Matt, the instantaneous sex was standard, but the feelings he had for this woman weren’t. He was no longer scared of the commitment marriage would bring, he wasn’t worried about being with only one woman for the rest of his life, he was just thinking about everything he adored about her. And he wanted to take her in his arms, cover her in kisses from head to toe, and worship her body until they both fell exhausted.

  Matt drove way faster than he should have, but Tessa trusted his driving skills completely. When they arrived at the cabin, they got out of the car, and she took a moment to admire the view. It was breathtaking! The small, cozy wooden cabin was lodged between the mountains, isolated from civilization. All around them, there were only snow-covered trees. When she was so close to him, Tessa couldn’t feel the cold at all. It was as if his strong, sexy body ignited all the cells in hers, and all she wanted was to feel his heated skin pressed against hers.