Green - a werewolf story

11. Saved by the Belt

Vanessa wasn't sure how to answer that. Did she like romantic stuff? Her inner cynic scoffed at the notion that she'd care about flowers and candles. Buying a movie ticket? Easy. Sticking with someone when the chips are down? That was something completely different.

Still, there was nothing wrong with pretty things. To be honest the thought of a werewolf who wanted to date was rather appealing. Not in this specific case, though. Perhaps if she'd met him without the mating bond hanging over their heads like a broad axe waiting to drop.

"I don't care much for candles," she lied.

"Don't you?" Green asked.

"Completely useless stuff."

"So how come your apartment was full of them?"

Vanessa glared at him. She kept forgetting that he'd been inside her apartment. She should have taken the time to empty it completely before she left. On the other hand, that would have meant that she'd been there when he arrived and then...

"I think you do like romantic stuff," Green said with his usual arrogance. "No one can be as obsessed with Christmas and not like..."

"Christmas and romance are two very different things."

"Are they?" Green asked, shifting his long legs to make himself more comfortable in the truck. "Loads of Christmas films tell a different story."

"I can't help if people keep hijacking a holiday to sell sappy movies. That's not why I like it."

"Why do you like it so much?"

"None of your business," Vanessa snapped.

She'd already told him too much about herself. She wasn't going to tell him more.

"Fine," Green said with a smirk. "I suppose it can be difficult for a big bad werewolf to admit that she's a softie."

"I'm not a softie!"

"Yeah, right."

Vanessa took a deep breath. He was baiting her. She knew that he was baiting her, but that didn't make it any easier to tamp down her urge to bite him. She inhaled deeply again. It unfortunately made Green's scent of rain and chocolate nearly overpowering. Why did he have to smell so good? It was impossible to think when she was this close to him.

She looked over at him. He smiled innocently at her and stretched in a way that made all the muscles on display ripple. Vanessa lost her train of thought and only noticed when she nearly hit a car in front of them who had stopped to let a deer and her kids cross the road.

Vanessa stood on the breaks and narrowly avoided a crash. This wouldn't do.

"You need to put on a shirt," she said when they were standing still.

"Are you saying it's my fault you don't know how to drive?"

"If I was the one sitting in the passenger seat without my top on you wouldn't be able to drive either," Vanessa snapped.

Green's eyes turned dark and a little feral. She shouldn't have said that.

"Vanessa," he said, moving closer.

"Never mind. We should get out of here. I need to..."

She forgot what she needed to do when he unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over to her side of the car. His hands caressed her face. He had nice hands, she reflected as he pushed a few strands of hair behind her ear and brought her face closer to his. Soft and big and...

"Vanessa."

"Mm."

He smiled and she thought it wasn't fair that he looked so good. How was she supposed to resist someone who...