The Maverick Pride Tales - Chapter 126: Chapter 126

Oh my.
Anna licked her lips, casting a sidelong glance at the huge, handsome man on her arm. She was going to have to send Uncle Uzzi a gift basket or something.
Even if this lasted just the one night, her date was the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen. Tall and wide, with short, tawny-colored hair, and a grin that made her panties melt clean off her body.
He was sex personified. A veritable magnetic force in his own right, drawing stares from passing women as they waited their turn in the check in line. She waited for the green-eyed monster to show up, but all she could muster was pride.
Anna was proud to be the woman on his arm, and she relished having all his smexy attention just for herself. Lance was courteous and so much fun. And even better—he only had eyes for her. Imagine that?
When he started singing along with the eighties station she put on, she couldn’t help but laugh. He had good taste in music, too. Damn, he was perfect.
In Anna’s experience, men who looked like that did not pay attention to girls like her. But he seemed to like her more than that too. In fact, the heat in his sapphire gaze was mesmerizing.
“Did I mention how gorgeous you look?” he asked as he stood, holding their coats while they waited to hand them to the young woman working the check-in.
They stood among a large throng of people, but Lance’s eyes hadn’t left her, not once. Especially not since she took off her long coat. Anna bit her lip nervously. The deep red dress was made of the softest material she’d ever felt. There had to be some sort of elastic sewn within it because it molded to her curves like a second skin, leaving very little to the imagination. Though technically, she was fully covered.
The strapless confection made her feel like a character in a fairytale. She’d been nervous about it at first, but Jessica had insisted she looked amazing. Between the hair and the dress, and the sexy bustier and thong set she’d picked up in the boutique, Anna had to admit she felt great.
That little bit of naughty lace gave her the extra boost of confidence she needed to pull off the whole ensemble. Uncle Uzzi had been right. Sometimes dressing sexy was good for the soul.
She was trying the new allergen free makeup she purchased, but even then, she only wore some face powder, a tiny bit of mascara, and some red tinted lip gloss. The products were new to her, and Anna would rather not spend half the night in the bathroom trying to keep her eyes from tearing like they always did in reaction to cosmetics.
She’d been nervous at first, but with the way Lance was watching her, Anna felt pretty. Every now and then, she saw a gold glint in his eyes.
“You bring out the Tiger,” he’d whispered in her ear when she had asked him about it.
The idea of his Tiger thrilled Anna. She wanted to ask him to show her but didn’t know if that was against any Shifter rules or anything. Hell, it might just be bad manners. This was only their first date. With time, maybe she would get to see his beast. If he wanted to see her again, of course.
She frowned, wondering if this was a once off, but then the pressure of his large hand on her waist nudged her forward, and she snapped back to the present. Shivers raced down her spine at the platonic touch. Was it normal for a woman to be so worked up over a man she had only just met?
Hardly an expert on the subject, Anna knew one thing for certain. Ever since she’d opened the cabin door and saw the huge, sexy man standing there, she hadn’t been able to breathe quite right, and it had nothing at all to do with her asthma.
“This is taking long,” he murmured and peered ahead. “My apologies. I had no idea, or I’d have taken you to our seat first.”
Oh, wow.
Anna wasn’t even listening to what he was saying, she was so awestruck by his profile. He was like model gorgeous. And even better, he seemed completely unaware. She loved his deep-set eyes, straight nose, and that perfectly chiseled chin. His cheekbones were defined, but not overly so. Really, it was that smattering of five o’clock shadow that covered his jawline that did it for her.
It gave his positively beautiful face a sexy and rugged edge. She was dying to run her fingers through it, to feel his hair-roughened cheek against her skin. Especially that spot right between the cleft in his chin, where it appeared just a touch thicker.
Damn, is it hot in here?
If he kept this up, she was going to need a fan. And new panties. Of course, it wasn’t just his face. The rest of him was damn fine looking, too. He had one of those V-type bodies. Wide shoulders tapering into a narrow waist that blended to long, muscular legs.
If she could’ve gone through a catalog of male parts, she wouldn’t have been able to come up with anything as perfect as he was physically. But damn, she’d have fun trying. Uncle Uzzi was right. Shifters were hot. With any luck, he’d be hot for her by the end of the night.
Down girl. Your slut-o-meter is ringing off the charts.
Oh well. A girl could dream, couldn’t she?
“Are you okay? Waiting, I mean.”
He cocked his head to the side and looked at her with his blue eyes glowing a tad in the dimly lit hallway.
“I’m fine,” she replied easily. “I don’t mind waiting.”
Of course, she didn’t. Not when she could spend that time with him. The small talk they’d made in the car was fine, but not informative. And here she was sizing him up like some prize pony at the state fair. She was almost ashamed of herself, but really. How was she supposed to react? She’d never had a date who looked like him. He grinned and winked at her, the wicked smile telling her he knew exactly what she was thinking.
Crap.
Anna was like one giant hormone around him. Her ovaries were working double time just thinking about the muscles she spied beneath that outrageously sexy suit he wore. She should ask him some questions. Especially, if she was already thinking about getting naked with him.
“So, what do you do for a living?” she cleared her throat, attempting a conversation.
Lance quirked his head and grinned. She could see he was surprised by the question. Well, good. She’d just have to keep on surprising him.
“I work for Maverick Development, on a construction crew. I also take care of the Pride’s paperwork, and I do some computer stuff as well.”
“Really? Like what?”
“Uh, I dabble in programming. Firewall installation. I used Draco Fortis products for most of our security needs. And, I have some investments,” he muttered and ducked his head.
It was as if he was embarrassed. A ruddy color spread across his face, and she gasped. OMG. He was blushing. Laughter bubbled up inside of her, and she poked him in the ribs playfully.
“What are you? Some rich boy playing at construction or something?” she teased.
He did drive a nice vehicle. The suit he wore was obviously tailored to his magnificent build. But he was so down to earth, it was difficult to reconcile.
“I’m not rich, rich, but I have invested wisely. Is money important to you?” he asked.
“Not really,” she shrugged and looked straight.
The couple in front of them was taking forever to get situated. Anna was a straight shooter, so she figured now was as good a time as any to tell him about her family.
“I was in my teens when my parents died, and my sister and her husband raised me. His family is loaded so money is very important to them. But the truth is, I never felt like their money made them happy. I mean, I’m not stupid. It is good to have money, but it isn’t everything.”
“I agree,” he told her, running a finger down her arm and bringing forth delicious little shivers. “Money is nice. Security is nice. But there are other things that matter more.”
“Exactly. As for me, I work hard and I love my job, I do graphics work mostly for Graves Enterprises. It’s why I came up here from Florida, to be closer to their main offices. I make a decent living.”
“Wow, you’re an artist? That’s awesome,” he said, his smile heart-stopping and her heart thudded heavily.
Careful, Annalia. You’re gonna fall hard.
“I mean, technically yes, I create art using software, but I’m not like Monet or something,” she replied, her embarrassment making her cheeks burn.
“That’s some bullshit there. Listen, Anna, you put your heart and soul in what you do, that makes you an artist. You own that and be proud of it. Anyone who tells you otherwise is just trying to manipulate you, and they aren’t worth your time.”
His eyes flashed gold when he talked, and his voice was all deep and growly. Anna stared and nodded. He was right, of course. Glenn and Sandra were the two biggest manipulators she knew.
“You hit the nail right on the head,” she told him.
“I am guessing it’s your sister and husband who told you those lies about your work. Can I ask, what does your brother-in-law do?”
“Oh, I don’t know. He’s always really vague. Glenn has investments, like you, I guess,” she said and shrugged as they moved up a few feet in the line. “Sandra doesn’t do anything. Ever since my nephew was born, she just stays in her room when she’s not entertaining.”
“That’s not how I picture you at all,” he grunted.
“Oh, I’m nothing like her,” Anna replied. “Not that she is bad. We just like different things.”
“I can understand that. Tell me more about what you do.”
“Are you really interested?”
“Of course I am. Anna, I want to know all about you,” he practically purred, leaning down to nuzzle her neck with his face and Anna felt the affectionate touch all the way to her toes.
Lance’s eyes remained on her as they waited their turn. One large hand on her waist, the other holding their coats. She ducked her head and pressed closer to his side, liking his warmth as she told him about her job.
“Well, I do graphic design work mostly for video games. I create avatars, skins, weapons and other items like potion bottles or crowns, and I work on fantasyscapes. I did a bunch for WolfMoon, and Shifter Wars, and I did some stuff for Secrets of the Mage.”
“Holy shit. That’s awesome,” he grinned. “I love those games!”
“Really? Well, I am working on a new one, Ice Battles. Have you heard of it?”
“No way! I have that one on preorder. I own everything Graves Enterprises puts out. In fact, I know one of their designers. He lives one town over in Barvale—Nate Cordoza.”
“No way! He’s a legend at GE! His avatars are so lifelike,” she said, grabbing his arm in her excitement.
“Yeah, they are. He does portraits too, for friends and family. I can introduce you. Uh, maybe? Sometime, if you want, that is. He lives with his wife and kids,” he added quickly. “Uh, anyway, I’d love to see some of your work.”
Anna smiled and nodded. She’d never had anyone be so excited about what she did for a living. His genuine interest combined with that crazy deep voice of his was doing things to her she hardly recognized.
The sound of someone clearing their throat didn’t break the look they were still sharing. The entire world seemed to fall away, and it was just the two of them.
“Ahem.”
But neither moved. She couldn’t. It was impossible. Lance was staring into her soul. At least that was what it felt like. Casually flirtatious one moment, and serious the next. Her heart was pounding. He inched closer to her trembling form, but he wasn’t alone.
Apparently, the pussy-blocking throat-clearer thought it was an invitation. But Lance did not seem the least bit disturbed. He reached out and brushed a lock of hair behind her shoulder. The touch left her shivering and oh-so-needy.
More throat clearing, followed by finger-tapping, until finally, it was accompanied by an annoyed and somewhat intrusive nasal voice.
“Excuse me.”
Anna exhaled and turned her face. She felt like growling, but she held her composure. For now.
The look he’d given her was so intense. She wished she had a fan or something. A cold shower maybe? She was going to have to work to not throw herself at him. And she wasn’t the only one. She noticed the woman working the coat check, eyeing him up and down like he was a snack she couldn’t wait to feast on.
Hell no.
Anna frowned, then bit her lip. Truth was, it made her nervous to think this woman, and women like her, were her competition. Tall, thin, beautiful too.
Shit.
She stole a look at Lance, but he hardly acknowledged the woman.
Relief poured through her. Lance was polite, of course. He took the ticket in his hand and stuffed it in his pants pocket with a smiled thanks. But that was it. All that crystalline blue heat flaring to life in his eyes was for Annalia alone. She smiled, calm on the outside, but firmly aware of the butterflies in her stomach. They were currently engaged in some serious mosh pit activity.