Chapter 8

Jamie stood in front of her full-length mirror and frowned at the body reflected back at her. Her nipples were darker than usual and when she touched them they were unusually sensitive. Tiny little red marks were visible on her neck and where it joined her shoulder. And what about the reddening on the inside of her thighs? If she didn't know better she'd think it was whisker burn. But how was that possible?

If last night had been more than a dream, how could she ever face Mike Volka again? What must he think of her?

Maybe he'll think I'm very sexy and want to do it again.

Sexy, with her hips wider than she liked, not to mention her thighs and her ass? Maybe he liked his women that way? Yeah, right. A guy as hot as he was probably had women throwing themselves at him.

Still, she had seen interest in his eyes, both when he jogged up to her front porch and when he was standing in the kitchen with her. And holy mother! Just his touch raised her thermostat.

For some ungodly reason there seemed to be an electric connection between them and she had no idea why. Not to mention the fact that in her dream-or-not-a-dream sex last night a vision of two wolves mating flashed across her consciousness.

The book. That was the answer. It had to be the book. She spent so much time reading it lately that the information and the sketched images were burned into her brain. She absolutely had to get a handle on herself. She had things to do today. Decorations to hand. The right place to put the wolf again so no one would run off with it. Since unearthing the book the lifelike statue had taken on a different significance to her.

Well, no time to dwell on that today. She had pumpkins to buy and carve and decorations to put up. She was glad she'd wakened early since obviously she'd forgotten to set her alarm. Okay, time to get moving.

Grabbing a quick shower, she pulled on jeans and a sweatshirt, tugged her hair into a ponytail and fixed a cup of coffee for herself. If only she had a latte or something equally tasty from Coffee Café. Her head was still fuzzy from the night before and she needed something beside just plain old basic roast to kick-start her brain. Maybe on the way to the one-day pumpkin patch in the park she could stop at Coffee Café and treat herself.

Meanwhile what she had would have to do. At least it was strong and hot. Maybe it could put some life into her unnaturally sore body. While she sipped from the mug, staring at the two big boxes of decorations, the front doorbell rang, startling her. Standing on tiptoe, she looked out through the tiny peephole and was shocked to see Mike standing there.

Looking gloriously sexy, by the way. Sinful so early in the morning. All that thick black hair falling to his shoulders, his runner's body looking tasty in a sweatshirt and jeans. What did he want? And was she ready to face him after whatever they did or did not happen last night? Sighing, she put her mug down on the little hall table and pulled the door open. And stared at him.

"I come bearing gifts." He grinned and held up a carryout cardboard tray with two cardboard to-go cups from the Coffee Café and a bag of what she hoped fervently were their pumpkin spice muffins. "Does this get me invited inside?"

"Oh. Yes, of course." She stepped back. "Did you read my mind? I was just wishing this would appear on my doorstep and there you were."

"Magic," he told her.

She followed him as he carried the goodies into the kitchen and set them on the counter. When he handed her one of the cups she lifted the cover and inhaled the aromatic scent making a humming sound of satisfaction.

"Mmm. Ambrosia." She took a sip of the delicious hot liquid and let the essence of it wash through her. "Thank you."

He opened the bag and waved it under her nose. "More surprises. I figured pumpkin goes with Halloween."

"You're right." She grinned and plucked one out of the bag. "You get a lot of points this morning."

"Excellent." He picked up the other cup and touched it to hers as if toasting her. "Here's to more surprises. And points."

His gaze locked with Jamie's. Heat flared, turning his amber eyes a rich dark gold. Jamie swore she saw little flames dancing there. The faint memory of touching the rich ebony silk of his hair made her fingers itch to do it again.

At once memories of the previous night - dream or not, hypnotic trance or not - sent a throbbing through her body. She wished she knew if it really happened. And if it did, what he was thinking now. His gaze was so riveting she found herself unable to move, lines from the book swirling in her brain.

"In human form the warrior men are extremely masculine. The hair on their head is thick and luxurious, their body is muscular but lean and they are endowed with a larger-than-normal penis."

His eyes still staring into hers he leaned down a little and swiped his tongue along her lower lip. Instant fire seared through her and she nearly dropped her coffee and her muffin. The touch was charged, more so because of the familiar feel of it. That rough tongue had touched her body in many places and sent the same erotic thrill through her.

Again she wondered, dream or hypnotic state?

Holy shit!

"You had a crumb on your lip." He spoke without lifting his head, his breath like a soft breeze on her mouth. "But you taste better than any muffin."

"I - uh - "

He did it again, this time making no pretense of what his action was. Taking her coffee and muffin from her unresisting hands he set them on the counter, cupped her face in his lean fingers and attacked her mouth like a hungry wolf. His tongue plundered, tasted, licked, leaving no inner surface untouched. Impatiently he released her ponytail and raked his fingers through her hair. There was something so savage about the whole kiss, something that made her think of wild, dangerous creatures.

Jamie closed her eyes, letting herself fall into the hunger of the kiss. Immediately an image slashed into her brain, a drawing from the ancient book she'd been reading. The sketch was of a wolf, magnificent in its thick black pelt. But the face of the wolf made her think of Miko Volta's face and the stunning impact jolted her out of the kiss.

"My god!" Jamie pulled her mouth away but Mike still held her head in his grasp.

"What?" His voice sounded almost like a growl.

"It's - you - the picture - the book - " She hauled in as deep a breath as she could and let it out slowly. "I mean - "

His smile was feral. "The book. Yes. We should talk about it."

"I don't - Did you - I'm not - "

God. She was blathering like the village idiot.

Mike just curved his lips in a possessive smile, as if he knew exactly what was going through her brains. Slowly he eased his fingers from the tangle of her hair and caressed her cheeks. "But not right now. First we do Halloween decorations. And I need to get candy." The kiss he gave her this time was a mere brush of lips. "Then we talk."

"But you - "

"Later." He dropped his hands and looked around. "Where are your pumpkins? I didn't see any outside."

Jamie blinked. How could he change gears that fast? Had she just imagined the kiss, like she thought she'd imagined the night before? She gathered her scattered thoughts, chewed a bite of muffin and chased it with a swallow of coffee.

"First order of business. As soon as I finish the delicious breakfast someone brought me."

"Someone, huh?" He winked at her. "Better chow down, then. We don't want all the best pumpkins to be gone."

She lifted an eyebrow. "You're going with me? Why are you doing this? I mean, we just met. We hardly know each other."

Fire danced in his eyes again and his face took on a lean, hungry look. "Is that right? Are you sure?"

Jamie tried to make her mouth work to answer him, but all she could think about were the memories of the night before, real or not.

"I - "

"You meant to say thank you, right?"

She stood there, staring at him while he tossed their trash. Then, as if propelled by an invisible force, she restored her ponytail, grabbed a jacket from the front hall closet and followed Mike Volka out the door.

She didn't follow men around like some docile lamb. What in hell was happening to her? And what could she possibly do about it? The man had a magnetism about him that enveloped her like a shield and did strange things to her body and her brain. The worst part of it was, whatever happened last night she wanted it again. And soon.