of the Pack had allowed him to see it before the wedding, so it had been a complete surprise, despite the fact that he was the event coordinator and was usually in and out of these rooms on a daily basis.
Graciela leaned around him to smile at Charlie. “Congratulations on your new job, by the way.”
“Thanks. Now if I can pry my boss’s head out of his husband’s ass, we might actually get some work done.” Charlie winked. She’d landed the job after her interview with Belle, and Rick had welcomed her into the lodge. While he hadn’t accepted her into the Pack, she’d agreed to live by his rules until such time as she either quit or mated in.
From the looks she and Ted kept exchanging, he had the feeling she’d be accepted into the Pack before too much longer. Hell, he doubted they’d wait much longer than the end of the reception.
Even better, neither Rick nor Belle had made the connection with the Leo until
Rick and Belle had surprised him. They’d shrugged, basically said, “And?”, then proceeded to treat the Lion like any other new employee, down to making sure she had her own tiny cabin in the back of the lodge and growling when she didn’t show her throat quickly enough to suit the Alpha pair. From what he’d seen, Belle was thrilled to have another big cat roaming the Poconos. He’d seen the two women whispering over clipboards together, Graciela right at their sides, plotting whatever the hell made them look like…
Well, kind of scary, now that he really thought about it.
“Oh, God.” Charlie started laughing. “Dave, you nut.”
Steve looked out on the dance floor and shook his head. Dave had picked Ben up and slung the slightly smaller man over his shoulder in a manly display that would have looked a lot better without the hot-pink tutu. “Geez, guys.”
Belle cupped her hands around her mouth. “Get a room!”
Dave’s head whipped around at the sound of his Luna’s voice. “What do you think I’m doing?”
Ben’s expression was resigned. “We’re playing rock-paper-scissors when we get home, asshole.”
Dave’s grin turned lascivious. “And you will go down again. Literally.” He laughed as Ben swatted his ass, carrying his new husband out of the banquet hall and into the night.
Graciela tugged on his arm. “What do you think, Mr. Hoode? Should we stick around and dance, or…?”
He grinned, allowing his fangs to show. This was a shifter-only event, which was good, because he hadn’t gotten complete control of his shift yet. If the way everything around him had gone yellow and blue was anything to go by, his eyes had shifted too. He’d thought all animals were completely color-blind, so he was happy to find out that they had some color vision.
“My, Mr. Hoode. What big eyes you have.” Graciela batted her lashes at him as she slowly backed away from him.
He laughed, snagging her around the waist before she could get very far from him. “All the better to see you with.”
Her gaze landed on his mouth. “And what a big mouth you have.”
His brows rose. “Like I haven’t heard that one before.”
She smacked him on the arm. “You’re supposed to play along.”
“Honey, in this game,
She glared up at him. “And you are?”
He waggled his brows. “Hoping to get eaten.”
Those around them erupted into laughter as Steven pulled his laughing mate into his arms and kissed the ever-loving breath out of her.
About the Author
Dana Marie Bell wrote her first short story when she was thirteen years old. She attended the High School for Creative and Performing Arts for creative writing. When her parents moved out of the city and placed her in a Catholic high school for her senior year, she tried desperately to escape, but the nuns held fast. She’s now a
Dana lives with her soul mate and husband, Dusty, their two maniacal children, an evil ice-cream-stealing cat and a bull terrier that thinks it’s a Pekinese. She also suffers from a rare inflammatory arthritis and can be seen walking with a cane or tooling around in her mobility scooter. Her condition was the inspiration for Belle’s hip injury in
You can learn more about Dana at www.danamariebell.com and danamariebell.blogspot.com
Look for these titles by Dana Marie Bell
The Wallflower
Sweet Dreams
Cat of a Different Color
Steel Beauty
Only In My Dreams
Bear Necessities
Cynful
Dare to Believe
Noble Blood
Artistic Vision
The Hob
Shadow of the Wolf
Hecate’s Own
Finding Forgiveness
Mr. Red Riding Hoode
Very Much Alive
Eye of the Beholder
Howl for Me
Morgan’s Fate
