Scent of A Rogue

Chapter 13 - Casual, Casualty

Riva

The wolf gave me some space throughout the afternoon. So, I went to the gym to train. I didn’t know the rules for a witch inviting a wolf with a limp to the gym. Would he be insulted? Then again, he was built as if he worked out 24/7. Maybe, it was all in his wolf blood. It also seemed too clingy to bring him along since we just had lunch together and would be having dinner later. It almost felt like a committed relationship, either the romantic kind or the landlady-tenant type. I couldn’t help but laugh at the latter possibility. I had to admit that the first time I saw him at my door, I thought I had ended up with a non-paying tenant. He was, after all, desperate.

The trip to the gym was necessary. It was not for vanity’s sake. I was sincere when I told Gideon that I might get fat on my own cooking to discourage potential stalkers like Doug. Yet, it would not work for now. With my father possibly lurking somewhere in Oak City, someone shadowing me with witchy spells, and a mysterious texter sending me odd queries about Stan, I needed to be ready for anything.

I couldn’t afford to let my guard down.

Sure, life at the bank was a welcome change. I had become something I didn’t want to be – ordinary. There was a comfort in it, though. I didn’t have to try so hard to please people. All I needed to do was work hard at my job, and I should be fine. It wasn’t as if I needed the money, but at least I was using my education. It had to count for something.

At the Coven of Vengeful Witches, we worked hard, and it was never enough for Madame Lidia. There was constant criticism. Punishments would have been called abuse elsewhere, but they hardened us and made us who we were. Strong. It was too bad that it all had to end with Hotchkiss free and myself thrown out of the Coven.

My pride hurt. I wished I could get a second chance at the Coven. I could stay there with them for a couple of years, killing potential targets and being a worthy member. Then, I would quit. I would f*****g quit just to let them know that I could do it on my own terms. Yes, that was what hurt. Them rejecting me.

I launched my fists at the punching bag, letting go of some pent-up anger. One. Two. Left. Right. Then, another one-two combination. I felt like screaming, but I didn’t want to alert the humans that a witch in rage was in the same building as them. I punched again. Then, I threw a kick. First, it was a front kick, hitting right in the middle of the black bag. Hard. The punching bag swayed. My fists remained in front of my chest, keeping my stance. Next, I did a sidekick. The bag swayed a little more. I ended it with a flying leap.

“That’s impressive!” a man said a few feet away from me. He had broken into applause. I eyed him thoughtfully. He was about six feet two, blond, tanned, and muscular, and if we were part of some sleazy movie or even a rom-com, I would be going home with him at closing time. Having s*x. Casual s*x. I shook my head at the thought. Where was my head going? I would probably piss people off by reminding them again that I was not like this, but it was the truth.

I was probably just bored and depressed. I should get away from this possible entanglement. I would have to use the wolf as a role model. His mate was dead, but he still managed to push me away even though I behaved like a total slut.

“Thanks,” I said, glancing at him with what I hoped was my resting b***h face. Willa said that I had one. I didn’t believe her, but maybe I could try it down for size.

“Okay,” the man said as he headed back to where he was performing some bench presses just a few minutes ago. Good. I guess. The RBF must have worked.

After a quick shower, I headed home. I didn’t really know what I needed to do to prepare for the wolf’s visit. It would be dinner, and then he would stay the night. It sounded suspicious on the surface, but I had seen his self-control. I didn’t know if I should be relieved or disappointed. I thought I would have to play the night by ear.

When I got home, I went through my usual routine. I sat on the couch and checked my messages. My personal phone didn’t have any messages. Sad. Even Jane had to get fed up with not having any responses coming her way. It was also the weekend. The girl needed to take a break from me. I needed to take a break from her.

I took a deep breath before I turned on my burner phone. The mysterious message was still there. I might have to refer to my phone at some point in the future.

As it got darker, I realized that I didn’t know how the dinner would go. Should I dress up? Should I be in my pajamas? Lingerie? I giggled like a crazy person at that thought. Gideon was afraid that I would find the idea of him having a wolf talking in his head insane, but he would have to rethink who was the crazy one if he saw me in that.

I settled for pajama short pants and a T-shirt. This way, it wouldn’t look like I was trying too hard to cover myself. At the same time, it wouldn’t look like I was seducing him. Wow. Things had really gone nuts if I had started caring what a man thought of what I was wearing. I’d better slit my wrists, I thought grimly. Willa was the only one who could understand my dark sense of humor. She didn’t know that, at times, it felt all too real to be a joke.

***

The wolf was serious when he said he was there to eat and sleep. I could imagine that he would be the sort of guy who didn’t understand what Netflix and Chill meant. I had never slept around, but at least I’d heard about how men would weave their way into your home and seduce you. Gideon would be the sort to come to your home and actually watch the movie.

It didn’t make sense. Willa would have thought of him as walking s*x on a stick. But there was nothing s****l about our dinner. We were both too hungry to care about each other.

“Damn. The lamb was awesome!” I exclaimed.

“You haven’t had lamb in a while?” he asked, shaking his head incredulously.

“No,” I managed between bites. “Madame Lidia had something against eating lamb. She said that every time a lamb gets slaughtered and left behind somewhere in the woods, the witches get blamed. So, being such a b***h that she has always been, she has to let us suffer with her.”

Gideon chuckled. Then, he took long gulps from the cold bottle of beer that he had brought with him. He gave me one, too, and I had downed it like a woman dying of thirst. I had spied him shaking his head in amusement. I noticed how his long lashes lowered to his cheeks as he did, his jaw looking rough with his five o’clock shadow. I wanted to run my hands on it. Feel the prickly edges on my palms.

After a game of chess, in which I had gotten very competitive, Gideon said that he would retire to the couch.

He was telling the truth. He really needed to sleep. I guessed that I was lucky to be in the presence of a man with principle, but something inside me was reaching its boiling point. I had to chalk it to not having s*x for two years. Then, again, he was a man who was still mourning his mate after a year.

I felt ashamed of myself.

Gideon settled on the couch, which barely accommodated him. I gave him a blanket, which he merely placed on his waist. I shook my head. I guessed that wolves run hot. Soon, he was snoring. I stared at him, somewhat envious of the peace that he had somehow achieved in that short time. He must have been fatigued, as he said he was.

“I better go and sleep, too,” I muttered.

I couldn’t sleep.

“f**k!” I cried out, putting a pillow on my head. I was no longer in heat, as he said I was, but here I was – restless. I tried reading a book, but none of the words registered. It was not a good idea to have him here. He was too close, and his presence was driving me mad. I reasoned that I was not used to living with a man other than Stan. And the thing was, with Stan, the opposite was true. He was more often in the mood than I was. Meanwhile, I had to find all kinds of reasons to make him leave me alone.

I threw the blankets off myself and hopped on the floor, barefooted. The floor felt cold against my hot skin. I took a deep breath and got ready to embarrass myself.

“Gideon?”

He might have been sleeping for about four hours now, but he immediately sat up. On the alert. Just like that.

“Yes? Is there an intruder?” he asked, blinking furiously.

I could see that his eyes were glowing, and his back was bent a little. A tremor of fear and excitement shot through me. Who would I be talking to now? The wolf or the man? Both?

“Come over here,” I said, beckoning with a crook of a finger.

I was taking a significant risk here. I could ruin everything between us or even get myself hurt. The wolf must be taking over because his nose flared and sniffed, and the limp was forgotten. I exhaled audibly as Gideon stood. I took in his tight shirt and short pants. He didn’t have to strip in front of me. I already desired him.

He followed me past the partition towards my bed. He was eager to be of help, his body ready to pounce at an enemy. His body hair seemed to have grown coarser and thicker.

“Where is he?” he growled.

Instead of answering, I took off my shirt, revealing bare breasts. He backed off a little but didn’t leave. He seemed frozen where he was. It seemed that there was a battle inside of him as his body attempted to straighten itself. I was fascinated. Wolf versus man.

“Let Cato take charge. He will know what to do,” I challenged him.

“W-what are you trying to do, Riva? Don’t do this. I will have to leave,” he warned, raising an index finger at me.

“I’m not asking for commitment, Gideon. Just give me this. I want to see if I can rest after this. I helped you sleep, didn’t I?”

I was not the sort to beg, but here I was – doing just that. I didn’t need love. I just needed him, even for just tonight.

Gideon wouldn’t move, that stubborn oaf. So, I walked over to him, placing my hot palms on his taut abdomen, right under his shirt. His chest barely moved as if he was trying to hold on to his last shred of self-control.

“Do you know what you’re doing?”

“Yes,” I sighed.

Not really. I was playing the role of a vixen, and I had never been one. I thought I would have to kneel and beg, but he was also far gone. He bent his head and kissed my mouth, his fingers tangled in my hair. Gently pulling at first. Then, he pulled hard. He broke the kiss to lick my neck. His tongue traced a straight line from it to my chest – to the valley between my breasts. I moaned. It was my turn to pull at his hair, roughly moving his mouth to a n****e. He licked at it, the tip of his tongue teasing. When he started sucking the peak, I sighed. As he pulled harder with his mouth, my knees crumbled. Like that first night when I was controlled by my heat, he carried me to my bed.

This time, I knew that he wouldn’t stop. Would he?

Gideon gently lay me on the bed. Then, he took his shirt off, and I greedily gazed at his toned pecs and abs. I was greedy, and I liked it. Was I now more wolf than witch? I didn’t care. He joined me on the bed, spreading my thighs and kneeling between them. Then, he leaned to whisper in my ear.

“You still have time to back out, witch.”

“I’m in control, wolf. Get to work.”

He started laughing at that, breaking some of the s****l tension. I wanted to hit him with my lamp. I really did.

“I know this isn’t you, Riva,” he said softly.

I didn’t know if I should be flattered or if I should cry. Gideon looked deeply into my eyes, possibly urging the truth from them. His eyes flashed amber, and his fangs elongated. Here he was, my Big Bad Wolf. My thighs trembled, but he held them gently. Reassuringly. Then, he kissed me roughly this time, nibbling my lower lip with those extra sharp teeth. I tasted blood and didn’t care. When his tongue slipped into my mouth and made darting motions, I took it as a promise of what was to come. He kneaded a breast tenderly at first, soon becoming more forceful. Urgent. I panted.

Then, he bent down and suckled my breasts. He did it so leisurely as if he didn't have any other plans but to feast on me. He kept going until my hips shot off the bed, eager for more. Eager for him. Gideon knew it. He could sense it.

“Are you sure?” he asked me through the mind-link.

“Yes,” I moaned aloud.

So, he dragged the rest of what I was wearing down. I shivered in anticipation. The wolf caressed my mound. Rubbing. Gently. Making little circles near my nub, teasing my senses. My nerve endings were on fire. Then, he slipped one long finger, reaching into my core. Knowing that I needed more, he slipped a second. Then, he stroked me there. In and out. I whimpered, but I was not a helpless b***h. I was triumphant. Gideon kept on stroking, making the pressure build and build. No! Gideon wouldn’t stop.

“Please, Gideon.”

He caressed my hair and kissed my face. Then, with a few more strokes, I came. Hard. My hips flew off the bed, my inner core clenching around his fingers. Gideon kissed my lips. Then, he rushed to the bathroom. I wondered why the wolf had to deny himself. He had made the night all about me. My body still tingled from my orgasm, but my chest also ached. He wasn’t ready for this. It was all me. I wanted to cry, but it didn’t make sense. I had asked for s****l pleasure with no commitment, and I got it.

My burner phone lit up on my bedside table. I had forgotten to turn it off. Who could it be? My clock showed that it was past two in the morning. I read the text message. It was from Willa. My blood ran cold at what it said.

“Riva, you have another shot at making it to the Coven. Madame Lidia said that you could bring someone else’s head. Not Hotchkiss this time. The Alpha’s. His name is Gideon Sloane.”