First to Fall Read online

  “Don’t,” Finn mutters next to me.

  I glance at my buddy, surprised he read me so easily. Then again, with Finn, you’re an open book more often than not. That’s the thing when you’re around werewolves with special gifts, like I call them.

  “You know she has feelings for Lucas.” His eyes narrow in disapproval, darting from Luz back to me.

  “And you know why she has them,” I retort, going back to what I'm supposed to be doing— hammering back into shape a beat-up bumper.

  Finn follows me to the long table meant for the task, not dropping the conversation. “You're assuming,” he accuses, and I hammer the metal a little too hard.

  My back muscles tense, and my wolf jumps to defense when I turn to him. “Back off, Finn.”

  He notices my glare, because after a few tense moments of staring at each other he steps away, hands held up in the air. “I’m only saying, mate. Keep in mind, Luz may have real feelings and more than a crush on our boss.”

  I don't believe that. Won't believe it, is more like it. And as I sense Luz’s annoyance go up a notch, my wolf whines. We can't sit by and do nothing.

  “Need a coffee.” My mutter is barely audible, but I don't wait for an answer, instead storming toward the doors. I step through, and the gal from the city moves towards me like a cat pouncing on her favorite toy. Her overwhelming perfume makes me cough and I take a step sideways.

  “Aw, poor baby’s got a cold?”

  I don’t know what my face conveys at her idiotic question, but she backs away so fast she almost trips over her heels. “No, just allergic to perfumes, miss.” I stress the term for professionalism’s sake, before dismissing her and turning to Luz.

  Luz’s eyes flash towards the client and the scent of anger hits me again, something I seldom see in her. It makes the gold stand out against the green of her eyes, and the image of a cat superimposes itself for a moment in my imagination.

  Cats and dogs don’t mix, my wolf points out. I stifle a smile at that, and Luz stops glaring at the fake Barbie long enough to spare me a concerned look. “You okay, Dom?”

  I fake cough this time and force a sheepish grin. “On second thought, I may be coming down with something. Want to make me one of your special teas?”

  Whenever any of us is sick, we go to Luz. She has an insane knowledge of herbal teas and their best properties, which comes in handy. My eyes roam over her as she moves from behind the desk, noticing the jeans and long-sleeved purple top she’s wearing. She’s shorter than me by a head at least, but damn those curves have my mind wandering in a not-so-innocent way, one too many times a day.

  Then Luz grins at my words, and it's quick and bright like the sun appearing after a morning of clouds. I swallow past everything else I want to add—this is not the time. Instead, I pout in supplication, hoping the ruse will work.

  Luz glances over at the client, undecided and unwilling to slack on the job. “I'll watch her.” My promise comes in a mutter, as I’m none too pleased about spending alone time with the snotty client.

  After a moment, Luz bites her lip, but relents and moves to the back. “Her name's Eliza.”

  I'm staring in confusion after her. Why would she give me the useless piece of information? It’s not like I’m planning to ask this girl out. Still, once Luz disappears around the corner, I turn to Eliza. “I’m not sure where you think you’ve landed, miss, but I would loathe rejecting your business because you’re upsetting our staff.”

  She gapes, evidently used to getting her way. Spoiled, my wolf snorts, and I can’t help but agree when she yells, “Upset your staff? How dare you!?”

  The urge to roll my eyes is strong, but I hold back—barely. “In case you haven’t noticed, we’re a quiet town here. Tight-knit group of people. We notice when someone upsets one of us.”

  Eliza continues to scowl, but now there’s a stubborn lift to her chin as if she’s thinking of disputing my words. “Not my fault your girl can’t take a joke.”

  A growl slips past my clenched teeth then, and she widens her eyes.

  “Leave. Now.”

  “You can’t do that, I already paid!”

  “There is such a thing as a refund,” I drawl, crossing my arms over my chest.

  “I didn’t even do anything!” She stomps her foot at that—I wish I was joking, trust me.

  “Either you keep your mouth shut around Luz, or I kick you out.” When I move towards her, she gives up and sits on the far couch. “Thank you. Now stay there until your car is ready."

  I turn away, ignoring her glare, and follow Luz to the kitchen, determined to make sure she's alright.

  Lucrezia

  Dom’s a sweetheart, and his actions warm my heart. Even if he offered to stick around so he could chat up little Miss Princess.

  I’m aggravated with myself for caring, and even more so for not being able to let it go. Dom fools around, I know this. He's not a player per se, but he dates enough. In a small town like ours, he’s known as a catch—in bed. But never for good.

  Enough.

  I go about making the honey and cinnamon mixture in the small kitchenette, adding some of the ginger root I keep in the fridge here. Once it steeps enough, I pour it all in a cup and am about to return to the reception area.

  I almost smack into Dom, who apparently snuck up behind me and was watching me work.

  “Easy,” he cups my hands, grabbing the mug from them before it spills and burns me everywhere.

  After placing it on the side cabinet, he turns his attention back to me. “You okay?”

  I want to answer him, really I do. But I'm struck dumb by his proximity, now in my internal bubble, as I call it. Have I never been this close to him? Or have I only been blind to his charm until today? And why in the hell does it feel like I’m left staring at a real-life Apollo, instead of my best friend?

  The broadness of his back seems to dwarf me, and every nerve in my body is aware of our secluded presence. He could do anything... My brain tries to backtrack, memories pushing forth, and I half-expect a panic attack.

  Yet nothing happens, and that scares me more than the opposite. Either I've lost my mind, or there is something about Dom that makes me feel safe. Maybe it’s because I’ve known him for so long.

  If I was to reach out, I could touch the muscles of his chest. Even from where I am, heat radiates off him, and something in my stomach unfurls in response.

  My breath turns shaky, and this time I can't tell if it's a panic attack, or emotions...or something else.

  “Luz, you okay?”

  I glance up at his worried tone and manage a nod that’s too stiff. “Yeah, fine. Just...out of breath. Sorry.”

  He frowns then, those beautiful blue eyes warm and scanning me up and down. My skin tingles, and I take a minute to realize he’s holding my elbow, as though afraid I’ll topple over.

  “You sure?”

  “Mhm,” is my only intelligent answer. Then, like a coward, I side-step him. “Your tea is getting cold,” I mutter over my shoulder, and take off the minute he releases his grip.

  Dominic

  After the morning incident, the day goes by fairly smooth. Eliza leaves with her damn Mustang, and we get no more high class maintenance clients, only our regular clientele. Finn keeps his mouth shut, and I stay busy with as many things as I can take.

  Despite my best efforts, I can’t stop watching Luz. I see her blush when Lucas asks her out to lunch to go over the sales reports—which they end up doing on the couch in the reception area. I can smell the waves of arousal off her and want to rip his throat out.

  Finn steps in at that point, not fooled in the least by my resenting silence. “He’s our alpha, Dom.”

  I ignore how in my face he is, trying to keep my tone curt as I continue to fiddle with the timing belt. “I'm well aware.”

  “We promised him loyalty.”

  I throw the piece on the table, ignoring the clank of metal on metal that echoes. I face Finn, failing
to appear calm. “He’s still new as alpha. And if I recall correctly, I promised him my obedience as his beta, but not my allegiance—and not forever.”

  Finn glances towards Luz and Lucas, then back at me. “Pack law is clear, mate.”

  “He hasn’t made a claim.” The words are more than a growl, but enough to quiet even my wolf.

  Then Lucas gets up to go in his office, and Luz watches him with longing. A thought strikes me and before I have time to reason it through, I’m already moving.

  This is a terrible idea.

  Or so I keep telling myself, even as my feet inch towards Luz. Before I know it, my mouth is running off again—without me. “I can help.”

  Luz turns those otherworldly eyes to me, the gold more clear up close, and I gulp. I’ve never had an issue with women, but hell, this one will be the death of me.

  “Dom?”

  I snap back to with a very unintelligent, “Huh?”

  Luz laughs, and I rub the back of my neck.

  “Help me with what?” Again, her eyes slide to where Lucas disappeared to.

  “With him.”

  She turns so fast I’m afraid she got whiplash. “What are you talking about?”

  “I can help you with Lucas.” I drop on the couch, ignoring her stunned expression and those lips I want to kiss so bad my mouth tingles. “You like him, right?”

  Her face falls as she whispers, “Am I that obvious?”

  “Only to me,” I answer truthfully. “But you do like him?”

  She nods, her eyes big pools of uncertainty.

  “Let me help. I know Lucas, we’ve been buds forever. If he has feelings for you, he may let rules get in the way. Guy always had a thing for not breaking them.”

  “What rules?”

  I want to smack myself—the reference to our werewolf life slipped too quickly. “Dating work colleagues.” I save face and change the subject before she inquires further. “Either way, nothing like dating someone to get him to make a move if he’s interested.”

  “I’m not good at dating,” she whispers, looking away.

  My wolf points its head, sniffing her scent, which changed in a few seconds. Fear. I sense it, too. But of what? Surely it can't be me. Either way, this is a chance to find out more.

  “It won’t really be dating. We’ll fake it for his benefit. If it makes you more comfortable, we can even put a time limit on it. A week, two weeks, whatever you want.”

  She glances back again towards Lucas as he steps out of his office and back into the garage. The longing in her expression crushes my heart, but I promise myself to rein it in.

  “And what’s in it for you?” Her gaze is wary when it meets mine.

  I shrug. “A chance to annoy him.” And make you happy. And show you he’s not the one for you. That last part, I don’t say out loud.

  Luz is silent for so long, I’m sure she’ll end up saying no. Besides, what am I thinking? Nothing except selfish thoughts. I want her first kiss, and I want her to at least have the memory of my lips imprinted in her mind before she ends up with Lucas. I want to stake my claim even if it won’t be permanent.

  “Okay,” she surprises me by saying. “How will this work?”

  I'm too stunned for a moment to react, but already my wolf is roaring in victory and a grin spreads on my face. “Leave it to me. Meet me tonight for drinks at The Cave, eight o'clock sharp.”

  When she nods, I lean forward and kiss her cheek, not even surprised when she jumps at the contact. “It’ll be fun, you’ll see.”

  And no kidding, I walk away whistling. Yup, like a poor sap who won the girl—not the one who promised to help her get the man of her dreams.

  Bite me.

  .

  ∞ 2 – Reguli ∞

  “You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have

  to play better than anyone else.”

  -Albert Einstein-

  LUCREZIA

  I can’t believe I’m doing this. When Dom proposed the idea, it seemed ludicrous. A sure way to screw up our friendship and win Lucas’ rage.

  Yet, no matter which way I turn the problem over the next few hours of my shift, I can’t deny its appeal. To know whether I can get a guy like Lucas, and to have my happily ever after... From any other guy, the proposition would raise my shackles.

  But it’s Dom. Sweet, gentle Dom who not only helped me settle in this town, but got me a job and has been a wonderful friend since. I trust Dom, and if this has to happen with anyone, I’d rather it’s with him.

  Plus, I’ve been out of the dating game for so long, I don’t want to make a fool of myself if anything were to happen with Lucas. Dom can be my dating buddy, steering me through the murky waters of this new world of Tinder and hook-ups—without demanding too much in return.

  After all, why not? Or so the crazy voice inside me keeps clamoring.

  So that’s how I find myself at The Cave that same evening. The rave bar is empty this early on, but I’ve seen it at its fullest before. There are only two of its kind in our small town, and you’ll find anything from alcoholics looking for their fix, cougars way too old preying on the young, and then... Lucas’ crowd.

  The guys meet here for drinks every Friday night, their favorite pastime. Since it's Monday, no one we know is around—a fact I'm immensely grateful for. My eyes scan the area, falling in a darker booth where Dom's nursing a glass of amber liquid.

  He took the time to change out of his regular work clothes, and he’s now wearing a pair of black jeans and long-sleeved shirt, a leather jacket thrown carelessly to the side. His broad shoulders seem to take up the entire booth, and there’s something about him that strikes me as tense.

  I hesitate for a second, but as though sensing my gaze on him, Dom looks up. The intensity in his expression amps up a notch as he takes me in, then a corner of his mouth lifts in a smile and he waves me over.

  Butterflies move in my stomach, and I'm halfway between a nauseous and excited mood. Now what the hell is all this about?

  My feet move towards him, even as I gulp the lump in my throat. Like a perfect gentleman, he stands and lets me in the booth, then slides back in. We end up touching ever so slightly, enough to make me aware of his body heat.

  “Are you running a fever?” I ask, frowning when he chuckles like I said something funny.

  “No, why?”

  “Well your skin, you’re just so... hot.”

  He laughs out right at that, then bites back, “I thought you hadn’t noticed.”

  The innuendo in his words is unmistakable and I shake my head. “I have a feeling this is a bad idea.”

  Dom stills at that, then turns to face me. “No, it isn’t. First off, we know each other and you know I’ll respect your limits. Second, it’s all in good fun, right?”

  Sure. Except this morning’s events run through my mind, and my reaction to his proximity, and now I’m second-guessing the reason behind my eagerness for this. I thought it was just to get Lucas’ attention, and maybe a week ago, it would have only been about that.

  But now... I’m not so clear about it. My eyes roam his razor-sharp jaw, the cerulean eyes and determined expression. A lock of blonde hair falls across Dom’s forehead, and my fingers itch to touch it. Pushing away the reckless idea, I meet his eyes again and nod. “Yeah, I guess.”

  “Perfect. So, what are you having?”

  After I order a cheeseburger and a glass of wine, Dom taps the table to get my attention. I flush when I realize my mind wandered, yet here I have a perfectly sexy guy sitting next to me.

  “Where did you go?”

  I can’t well tell him I was still thinking about Eliza’s mention of Tommy, my ex-boyfriend, and whether he found me. Or, could I? I frown, trying to figure out if this is something that would fall in our... relationship.

  “Earth to Luz.”

  I sigh, pushing the idea away. If this is to work, I better keep things light. “Just thoughts, is all. So, how exactly do we do this
?”

  Dom tilts his head as if trying to read me. For a moment, I fear he might say something, call me on my bluff. We’ve known each other for long enough to realize when something’s wrong. But maybe because of that, he lets it go and sticks to the subject at hand.

  “Well, first things first. How comfortable are you with touching?” At my obvious cringe, Dom’s face turns serious. I’ll have to remember he doesn’t miss much. “I won’t bite, I swear.”

  “Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” I mutter, looking away.

  His touch is gentle when he pulls my chin back towards him. “You can trust me. Have I ever done anything to make you scared of me?”

  “No,” I breathe, much too aware of his heat on my skin.

  Those blue eyes peering into mine are almost my undoing, and my mouth parts to tell him everything. But old fears and shame rise just as quick, and I choke on the words, unable to get them out.

  Dom’s expression softens and he lets me go. “Good, then all is not lost.”

  After a sip of his whiskey, he says, “So, touching. Just to clarify, I mean holding hands, the occasional kiss—”

  “Basically, PG-rated.” I almost kick myself for my disappointed tone.

  Dom laughs again, then nods. “Yup. Wouldn’t have it any other way.” Before I can ask him what he means, he pushes on, “Will you be comfortable with that much?”

  I glance at his lips then, trying to imagine them on mine, and my cheeks heat again. When our eyes meet, Dom’s have darkened by a few shades. He holds my gaze for a beat, letting me see it, then glances away and clears his throat.

  “Yes, I will,” I admit, but doubts nag at me already. “So that’ll be it? Just pretend we’re together, and Lucas will somehow drop to his knees and declare his undying love?”

  Dom snorts, and I can’t help a laugh at the idea. Lucas is nothing if not macho, so it’s hard imagining him go to any lengths like that for a woman.

  “I won’t promise anything.” Something in his tone grabs my attention. “Lucas is complicated, in ways you probably don’t yet understand. But I know him well enough to say if you were to declare yourself to him, he’d shut down.”