“Well,” she said, looking around at GiGi, Chastity, her mother, and the rest of her shocked cousins. “What are we still doing here? Let’s all go uptown and get to dress shopping, y’all!”
Betsy smiled. “If this isn’t gonna be the biggest, best damn wedding New Orleans has ever seen, then I’ve failed my life’s mission!”
The bitch-ass cousins all cheered and clinked glasses. The wedding planning was officially underway.
Chapter Eight
Ash
Mama told me everything.
Ash swallowed as he read the text from Rosemary and thought about how to respond.
And?
And she’s dress shopping with me right now. She’s on board.
Yes!
But I gotta say something to you.
What’s that, sweets?
If you ever even think about leaving me behind because my mama or whoever doesn’t approve, because of some archaic wolf shifter code of conduct? Then I am going to kick your ass so hard you’ll be going back in time to watch last year’s Mardi Gras parade.
Ash replied, Got it. But it’s the wolf code, baby.
Code schmode. And now you’re gonna have to be punished.
He smiled mischievously at what she could have in mind. How so?
You’ll see.”
He sighed and typed back, Fine. Have fun today. I’m picking you up for dinner at 7, so you better not let those girls wear you out. And while you’re shopping, pick yourself up a new dress, and make it fuckin’ sexy.
Oooh, I like it when you’re bossy.
Who’s your daddy?
You are.
* * *
Rosemary
Several hours later, Ash picked up a slightly toasted Rosemary, who was, as instructed, wearing a new strapless, body-contouring red dress that was so tight it made her mother’s thin lips turn white as she bit down to hold her tongue. She hadn’t found her wedding dress that day, but she did spot that little red number just as she, her cousins, and Betsy had been leaving the shop, and she turned right back to go try it on. The dress was so tight Rosemary could see her pulse. That could also be inflammation from too many beignets and mimosas with Mama today.
“All right, sweets, what’s my punishment?” Ash said, shooting her a bad-boy smile across the table they shared downtown. Damn, this was not going to be easy. He had this way of looking at her with his steamy gaze that instantly made her nipples stand at attention. But she needed to get her point across. And, on top of that, it might make the engagement all the more fun if they played some abstinence games.
“I thought maybe we could have a little fun,” she said. “How about no more access to my downstairs until after Lent?"
“That’s cute,” replied Ash, shaking his head.
“Is it?” She cocked her head to let him know she was not kidding.
“You’re not serious.”
“As a heart attack brought on by your daddy’s extra-large fried chicken sandwiches,” she said, looking over the menu.
Ash grumbled as he glowered at his options. “God, I’m hungry.”
Rosemary cocked her head in annoyance. “Are you reading what I’m saying, Ash? No more puss-puss from the kitty cat.”
“Fine,” he said dismissively, still studying the menu.
Rosemary sat back against the leather of the booth, studying her fiancé. “That’s it? That’s all you have to say? Fine?”
Ash ran his fingers through his hair and looked up. “I’m sorry, darlin’. I’m so damn hungry I can barely hear you over the growling of my stomach. Repeat that please?”
Sometimes he truly was a typical guy. Complete selective hearing.
So she repeated herself. His face fell when Rosemary went over everything so he would fully absorb what she was saying to him. His brows knitted together when she slowly explained that it was not a joke.
Ash gritted his teeth and leaned forward in the booth. “You’re telling me you showed up in that dress and you’re not even gonna let me take a bite out of that tonight? I don’t like this.”
Rosemary sat forward, face level with his. “Then don’t ever talk about the possibility of leaving me. Especially to other people. I don’t like it,” she hissed.
He thought for a moment, his expression that of wheels and cogs struggling to turn the thoughts over in his mind. “So tell me the rules exactly.”
“Just what I said. You’re giving up pussy for Lent.”
Ash laughed incredulously and tried to keep his voice just above a whisper. “We’re already not having the full-on peen-in-vee sex until our wedding night.”
Rosemary nodded. “No more watermelon sugar for you until Easter.”
“Sweets, like I told your parents, I ain’t no Catholic. And I ain’t converting, so you can forget about a church wedding.”
Rosemary sat back and crossed her arms. “What are you then?”
He flashed her his most boyish grin. “I live only to worship you.”
This caught her off-guard, but it pleased her. She forgot all about being hungry for food and let this feeling wash over her. Nobody had ever said something like that to her before in her life. As corny as it was, she could tell he meant every word.
He pressed on. “Can I at least play with your melons until you come?”
She giggled. “Yeah, but that’s not likely to work.”
“We’ll see about that,” he said.
“And…I can still go down on you,” she replied.
Ash nodded. “Hell yeah, you can. Oh, you’ll be going down. Tonight, in fact,” he said.
She smiled wickedly. “I’m hungry already.”
The server arrived to take their drink order while both of them sat there with heated blood in their veins.
Ash looked up. “I’ll have a whiskey sour. And a Southern Comfort for the lady. Make it a double.”
The server nodded and quickly disappeared.
“Oh, sweetie, I don’t think I need any more booze tonight,” Rosemary purred.
“Yes, you surely will,” Ash said. “'Cause tonight, your ass is mine. Literally.”
Rosemary’s face felt flushed at the idea of another new experience in the bedroom with her fiancé. “Fine,” she said. “But we should stop for some lube on the way back to your place.”
Chapter Nine
Rosemary
The night after Mardi Gras, which this year also happened to be the night
