Saint Ives Whelan Chronicles Ch. 09

"Come on Bron, they don't bite and we can't stay in this passageway forever," a husky voice spoke up behind the little redhead. He noticed her cheeks were turning a slight shade of pink. But encouraged by the bold statement of her friend she stepped aside to let the rest in.

It was only when her two other friends entered that Chris held in his breath. It was her! She hadn't noticed him yet since she was talking silently to her husky voiced friend. When she turned to face them he saw Mia's eyes widening in surprise and he picked up her fast intake of breath. It seems the little kitten isn't so unresponsive as she seemed to be he thought to himself.

"So we meet again, my lady," he winked at her, extending his hand to her.

When they touched it felt like little sparks went through them. Chris held his eyes fixed on her, taking in her reaction. She was being awkwardly quiet, which seemed so unlike her.

"It seems we are," she finally spoke softly, which granted her a curious glare from both her friends. Even they noticed she wasn't acting like her normal self.

He picked up her slight uneasiness so he took the lead.

"I'm Chris, the younger and more handsome brother of Nick, old grouchy behind me is Adam. You already have met Ed," he pointed behind them to his brother.

The husky voiced blonde followed his example and introduced them in turn.

"It's seems you already know Mia." She put her hand on the little redhead's shoulders and continued. "This is Bron and I'm Lis. Nice to meet you too," she ended, holding out her hand in greeting.

Ed stepped closer and shut the door.

"Would you mind telling me what you'd like to drink? Then I'll sort the drinks and then we can sit and get to know each other a little better and wait for Nick and Fran to arrive," he asked the group.

"That's a wonderful idea," Lis replied. "I'll have a white wine, please."

"I'll just have the same of this," Adam said, holding up his bottle of beer.

"Me too," Chris said.

"Just water for me," Bron said in a soft voice.

"I'll join you with a beer," Mia said.

Silently Adam had stepped between Chris and Bron and was looking at her intently, but she skillfully avoided his attention.

"Come, let's sit down, Ed will be back in a second," Chris broke the awkward silence that had fallen over them after Ed had left.

Bron and Lis sat down in one of the big love couches that occupied the VIP lounges. Adam sat down opposite them and Chris swiftly seized the opportunity to guide Mia to the other couch and sat down next to her.

It was Lis that broke the ice, asking if any of them knew when exactly Fran and Nick would arrive. Little by little the group relaxed and when Ed was back with their drinks, the conversations really went easy. Adam started telling one anecdote after the other. Even Bron started to relax.

Chris leaned over to Mia and whispered in her ear "You do know we had a deal, right?"

She only nodded in reply. She fidgeted with the hem of her dress.

"I won't pressure you, but you know we're going on another proper date now?"

Again she only nodded.

"Tomorrow," she whispered after a while, slowly turning her head towards him.

Chris felt a big grin appearing on his face.

"Anywhere particular you want to go to?" he asked quietly.

"Somewhere not crowded and private, I'm sure you'll come up with something," she answered.

"Ok, I'll pick you up around lunchtime then?" he asked hopefully. If lunch went fine, he had enough ideas in his head he could fill the rest of the afternoon with.

"That's fine."

"And where do I have to pick you up then, my lady?" he teased a little.

Calmly she opened her tiny purse and pulled out a small plain business card and handed it to Chris. It contained her full name, address and phone number. Mia Barlow, he thought. Her surname sounded familiar, but tonight was not the time to dwell on little things, it would come to him at the right time. Tonight he wanted to enjoy her company.

He longed to hear the cheeky woman again he knew she could be, she'd been quiet for most of the evening, her friend Lis leading most of the girls' conversations.

He leaned towards her again and whispered, "I wonder who kidnapped my sweet Mia though. Don't tell me I already have to go look for her and save her from some awfully horrendous dragon?"

He saw her lips perk up in a smile.

"That dragon wouldn't survive me," she replied, her normal spark coming back to the forefront.

"Damn, that means I can't prove my qualities as your prince charming yet," he pretended to sulk.

"You'll survive, no worries," she answered.

Glad he saw a bit of her spunk coming back he relaxed back and looked at the rest of the group. Lis and Adam were still chattering away. But Chris noticed the side way glances Adam was having at Bron and he wondered for a brief second. Adam was nosy, everybody that knew Adam was aware of that fact. Chris wondered if his interest was out of curiosity or could there be more at play?

Suddenly the door opened and Nick and Fran entered the room.

"Hello all," she greeted the group. "How are you all doing?"

"Good evening, I'm Chris. I think you already know the loudmouth over there," he presumed, tilting his head towards Adam. "And this is Ed," Chris finished, pointing to the last man in their party.

"I think I can speak for myself, Chris," Ed announced. He then turned to the pair that just entered and said his own hello. "Glad you could make it, Nick, and welcome to my humble palace," he directed to Fran. "We already introduced ourselves to your lovely friends, we were just waiting for you two to make an appearance."

"As you see, we made it. How is the club tonight, Ed?" Nick asked the older of his two brothers.

"Packed as usual on a Saturday evening, but the majority still has to arrive," Ed replied, giving his brother Nick a curious look at the same time.

Chris knew the two were "talking" and the grin that appeared on Ed's face only confirmed it.

Nodding towards the girls, who by now were happily chatting away amongst themselves, Nick mentioned to the others to join them. Gently grabbing Fran's shoulders Nick bent down and kissed her neck and brushed his cheek against hers, letting the other males in the room know she was his and his alone. He was rewarded with wide grins and chuckles from the three men.

"Come on ladies, we didn't invite you to have you all sitting here and chatting the evening away, let's go down and get some shaking done!" Chris said joyfully, extending his hand out to Mia.

"That sounds like a brilliant idea," Mia answered, accepting his gentleman like gesture, "let's go party."

Fran and Nick were already waiting by the door. Lis came as well, but Bron hesitated.

"Mind if I stay here? You know I don't dance," she hesitantly spoke up.

"Of course they don't mind, I'll stay and keep you company," Adam stepped in. "To tell you the truth, I've got two left feet, I would only embarrass them down there, so I might as well stay here with you," he told her in a conspiring tone.

Adam noticed a slight blush creeping up her cheeks, which in his eyes made her even more adorable. Adam hoped that he did a good job of hiding his interest from the Whelan brothers. When the girls arrived not long ago he felt like he'd been hit by a sledgehammer and he simply couldn't pass up the opportunity to spend some time alone with the petite redhead.

Nick and Fran were the first to get on the dance floor, followed by the others. Chris didn't stray from Mia for a second. He noticed she was a bit more herself again and he told her that as well.

"I'm glad you're opening up again. I like this Mia a lot better then the silent one," he spoke close to her ear.

She glared angrily at him.

"Really, I was about to go and get my clown costume just to get a smile out of you. Honestly," he said again.

She looked curiously at him, imagining him in a clown suit. Giving up she let out a hearty laugh.

"First you're my prince charming and now you're going to act like a clown. You shouldn't have started a garage but should have gone to Hollywood and become an actor," she told him in return.

He shook his head negatively.

"Then I wouldn't have the pleasure of hearing you talk back to me so often," he spoke, just loud enough for her to hear it.

He was almost nuzzling her neck each time either of them spoke and her scent was intoxicating. Not wanting to resist temptation he briefly brushed his lips over her shoulder. He felt her tense up and relax again. The last reaction made him a little bolder and he actually kissed her neck now, slowly moving up. He captured her earlobe and gave it a little tug. Her head rested on his shoulder now, her breathing indicating she was enjoying this.

He cupped her face and tilted her chin with his other hand. He moved in to kiss her but was met by her hand instead of her lips. Chris looked puzzled, did he understand her wrong?

"Chris, please don't. Humor me in this, let's just have fun tonight, don't complicate things," she said silently. She knew he'd hear it anyway. "Don't get me wrong, I want to as well, but tonight I just want to have fun. I should have stopped you earlier, I apologize for that, I didn't want to lead you on," she continued in an apologetic tone.

"Did I do something wrong then?" he asked, not sure where her sudden change came from. That was twice in one evening now.

"No you didn't, what you did was actually quite nice," she admitted, sporting a small smile. "We'll talk about it tomorrow? I'll explain then, but I don't want to ruin this evening. Just each enjoy each other's company, ok?" she pleaded lightly.

"I can't say I understand it, but if that's what you want, I'll go along with it. We'll just add it to the deal then, a date and explanation, right?" he countered her question. At least she isn't backing away. I wonder what it is she wants to tell me that is so important that we can't get closer now.

"That's a deal," she agreed.

They continued dancing and they played a few slow songs and he was happy he could hold her close. She felt like she belonged there. Mia could hear the beating of his heart and she had to smile that even though they made the deal, he still planted light kisses on the top of her head while they shuffled over the dance floor.

Not much later Fran tapped her shoulder and told them Nick and her were leaving, they were going up to say goodbye to Adam and Bron. She left after a quick hug and a promise to call her later in the week to catch up on some gossip.

The rest stayed a bit longer but then also made their way back up. Chris couldn't resist touching Mia while going upstairs. Either he gently held her hand or kept his hand on her lower back, guiding her in front of him. Something called to him and he didn't want to fight it. He was trying to respect her plea not to let things go too far. He knew the three women had arrived together, Bron was their designated driver for the evening, but he admitted to himself that he hoped Mia would agree to let him take her home. Maybe he could coax her to talk there.

So many years he had enjoyed their bantering over the phone, but now that he had met her in person he was even more intrigued by her. He wanted to know more. Maybe he should try and give himself a bit of an advantage and ask his brother if he could take Lis home. He thought Adam would like that idea as well, seeing as he volunteered so easily to stay with Bron and he suspected the man had more than just a little interest in the redhead.

Ed, mind doing me a favor? he asked his brother. He didn't actually reply, but gave him a questioning look.

The girls came together, but I'd like to take Mia home. I thought that if you volunteered to drive Lis home, she'll be more agreeable accepting my invitation for the same.

And the purpose of that would be? Ed asked in return.

I don't know really, but I'd like a chance of talking to her a bit more private than here in the club. And it would give Adam some more time with Bron, I suspect his lonely days will be over soon, Chris replied.

So you picked that up as well, glad I'm not the only one thinking that then. I'll ask Lis, but I'm not going to push her, Ed said.

That's all I'm asking, brother. Thanks, Chris said.

After another round of drinks the women said they wanted to go home. That was when Ed offered Lis a ride, which she accepted. Adam stayed rather silent, but the two brothers saw the interest on the man's face and it was more clear now that Bron and Adam got along pretty well.

"How about I give you a ride home as well?" Chris asked Mia.

"It's not needed, Bron can drop me off at my place," she answered.

He gave her hand a light squeeze and tilted his head a little.

"Something tells me our boy Adam would make sure she got home safe, even if it means following her on his bike behind her car," Chris whispered in her ear. "Let me be a prince charming at least a little bit and let me drive you home? We can discuss where I'm going to take you for lunch tomorrow. Deal?"

Mia had to admit, Chris had a point. She looked at Bron herself and agreed it had been a long time since she looked so interested in someone else. She knew Adam was a were as well, but since he seemed very close to the brothers she just knew he was an ok guy, despite his rough look. Tall, bulky, hair shaved off military style and she could see a glimpse of several tattoos. Bron would be safe with him, Mia concluded.

"Ok, deal. But don't get any ideas. I expect my prince charming to act like a true gentleman," she teasingly replied.

"I'll do my best, my lady, let's go find my willing steed then. Shall we?" he joked as he held out his arm.

Mia grinned at his silliness, but she enjoyed it. She knew he could be hard when it came to making a business deal. She was glad to see he was able to leave work actually at work and still have a good time.

Taking his arm, they said their goodbyes. Ed and Lis followed them outside. They got along fine, but it was clearly only a friendly basis, nothing more. Mia was glad to see that the brothers had parked right next to the club. She pulled back Chris.

"Is he serious?" she asked as she pointed towards Ed.

"I think he is, I've never seen him be anything but serious. Why?" Chris asked in return.

"Lis has never ridden on a bike and I think she was expecting a fancy car. I'm going to hear about that for a long while," she answered, unable to hold back a soft laugh at her friend's pending predicament.

"I see. Well, no worries, she'll get home in one piece. Ed practically lives on that thing. I on the other hand am a strong believer that something on four wheels provides a lot more possibilities and keeps me dry when it's pouring rain," he assured Mia.

He opened the passenger door to his black SUV and helped Mia get in. He waited a little while until he saw Ed and Lis leave and then got in as well. He remembered the address printed on her card and silently he drove off into the night.

"So tell me, where would you like to go to then tomorrow?" he asked, breaking the silence.

Mia fidgeted a little with her skirt again.

"Doesn't really matter much, just not something too public," she answered.

"We could go to the 'Cabana' if you want?" he asked again.

"Do you know how long you have to wait to get a table there?" she said surprisingly.

"Others? Yes. Me? I only have to call. They usually can get me table somewhere," he chuckled.

"No kidding? What did you do for that kind of favoritism? Kill the president?"

"Nope. I'm just their favorite nephew," he winked at her.

"Nephew? Well, that explains it then. Maybe I should keep you around then," she joked.

"Can't say I dislike that idea," he agreed.

It didn't take long to arrive at her house. He got out quickly and opened the door for Mia. Holding her hand, he helped her get out of the car. Keeping her hand in his, he walked her to the stairs in front of her house.

On the first step he stopped her and turned her towards him.

"I'm going to apologize in advance, but I think being a proper gentleman ain't my thing and I've been a damn good boy the whole evening. But I have to taste you," he whispered before he pulled her close and locked his lips over Mia's.

What he felt that was beyond his wildest dreams. He felt like there were tons off fireworks being shot up into the air all at the same time. He felt her push against his chest, but that contradicted with the moan he heard coming from her at the same time. He trailed her lips with his tongue, loving the hint of cinnamon he tasted. With a little pressure of his tongue he wordlessly asked for entry.

Slowly she opened up and once their tongues started battling for the upper hand, there was no room for tenderness. His hand gripped the back of her head and held her in place while he invaded her mouth, tempting her time after time to start their battle again. His other arm sneaked around her and pressed her close to him, he didn't even try to hide his straining cock. On the other hand he pushed it against her even more, the more feverish their kisses got.

He left her lips for a brief moment and kissed his way to her ear and then her neck. It was a gesture so innocent, yet so common for his kind. He took in her scent. His wolf howled. MINE the wolf in him said.

He stood straight up in shock and smelled again. He smelled another wolf. Then he looked Mia in the eyes. Fear was written all over her face. She tried to back away but he grabbed her upper arms, not letting her get away.

"What the hell is the meaning of this?" he roared at her. "And how is it possible I didn't notice this before?"

Mia just stood there, scared, unable to get a word out. She was looking at the ground submissively.

Chris shook her lightly.

"Answer me, how is this possible?" he went on.

He couldn't believe this. Mia was a wolf, just like him. Not once had he scented her. Not at her workplace that morning and not a hint the entire evening. Realizing he was handling this the wrong way, he loosened his grip and kept some distance. For now he was ignoring his own wolf, he wanted some answers first.

"Mia, you're going to have to tell me something. I'll give you two choices: my car or your house. It's your choice, but we are going to talk," he said firmly.

Tentatively Mia looked up at him, fear still present in her eyes.

"I know I owe you an explanation. Let's go to my house, we have a bit more privacy there than in your car," she softly answered.

Chris relaxed a bit and let go of her arms. He took another sniff and his wolf howled again. No way, he thought to himself. She can't be my mate, I couldn't even sense her, he argued with his wolf.