Rise of the She-Wolf

Duke’s pov,

Ever since Vanessa called him Duke had been on edge. He didn’t expect her to call him so quickly and his heart rate went up immediately when he recognized her voice. Which was annoying because he wanted to keep his head cool and stay professional. He shouldn’t lose sight of why it was important to get close to her. The next day he dived into his work not allowing himself to think about that gorgeous woman that hit a certain nerve with him. After work, he went home, took a shower, and put on his usual cowboy boots, jeans, and a green blouse. He didn’t want to give her the impression that it was a date or something.

He drove to the mansion and waited at the gate. It was a bit early so he pretended to be on his phone but he was actually taking pictures of the surroundings to study later. He was so caught up in it that he hadn’t noticed Vanessa coming out of the gate until she opened the car door. He quickly looked in her direction when she opened the door. His throat went dry when he took in her long legs in tight jeans, bare waist, and blue top that made her eyes look even bluer. She looked at him with those big pale eyes and he knew immediately that staying professional would be damn hard. He had just been staring at her and hadn’t said a word, so she was just standing there waiting for him to speak. He cleared his throat and just blurted out the first thing that came to mind, “Sorry, you looked so beautiful I didn’t know what to say. Please get in.”

She had an amused smile on her face when she replied, “Thank you.”

He could hit himself in the face, she called him because she hoped he could help her and the first thing he did was hit on her. Ugh, he wasn’t used to not having his emotions under control. What was this woman doing to him? He started driving and asked, “I can put on some music, what do you like?”

“Hmm depends on my mood really I like a lot of stuff. What about you?” Her gaze went over him, and she mockingly said, “I am guessing country music.”

He laughed and put on his playlist and the song Tennessee Whiskey started to play. Vanessa giggled and leaned back listening to the song. At the end of the song, they arrived at a small cafe in the village. He went out and opened Vanessa her car door and took her hand to help her out. She looked at him surprised but took his hand. She enthusiastically walked to the cafe, “This looks cozy!” He smiled and walked in after her enjoying the sight of her swaying hips in tight jeans.

When they walked in everyone looked up. In a small town, everyone knows everyone, and he never brought a woman anywhere so naturally, the whole town would gossip. He waved hi to the owner and guided Vanessa to a calm corner in the back. Vanessa looked around with big eyes taking it all in. She started questioning him about the town and he didn’t mind answering her questions. She asked him how long he had been here, and he told her that he was born in this town. Every time someone walked into the bar, she asked who it was and he happily told her about everyone in the town. He enjoyed her curious spirit and he wondered how bad her life had been if she was amazed by small-town dynamics.Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

Vanessa had now discovered the menu and her eyes were lighting up when she read out loud all the different cake flavors. The sun was just going down and it shone on Vanessa brightly. Duke looked at the golden glow going over her brown locks and then down to her arms. He frowned when he now noticed a lot of bruised emerging on her skin. They must have been fresh because without the sunlight he didn’t notice the just bruised skin. He stroked her arms softly with his finger and looked at her concerned, “Who did this to you, Vanessa?”

Vanessa looked up shocked and her gaze followed his finger. She pulled her arms away and tried to hide them behind the table. Her cheeks flushed pink when she answered, “It’s nothing. Just some heavy boxing workout.”

He didn’t want to push her, but he didn’t believe that for one single moment. But she probably also didn’t dare to tell him anything when there were other people around. Maybe he should show her his special place on the hill? He gave her a reassuring smile, “How about we take some coffee and cake to go and I show you my favorite view of the town?”

She looked into his eyes, and for a moment it looked like she was discussing it with someone in her head. He never experienced anyone looking at him like they could see straight to his soul. It kind of gave him goosebumps. He could see intelligence and many secrets laying in her pale eyes. Finally, she responded, “Okay let’s see that special spot.”

He ordered a piece of cheesecake, a piece of chocolate cake, and 2 coffees and then they went back to his truck. He drove outside the town onto the highest hill of the village. You could only get there by a special shortcut road only accessible to the police. He parked his truck backward and opened up his trunk. He took a blanket from the back and put it in the trunk. Lastly, he put the coffee and cakes on the blanket and then padded the spot, “Come on sit down. It is the best view in town.”

She sat down and looked down the hill. He could hear her sigh in contentment when she took in the lights of the town, the big lake, and the forest. Slowly the stars and moon were also emerging which made it even more magical. Vanessa looked at the moon and put her head backward soaking in the reflection. He could swear when she sat straight again, she looked more confident like something shifted in her. He took a sip of his coffee and just went straight to the point, “I hope you are right about the blue spots just being from training, but I can help you escape if you want.”

She looked at him curiously, “How would you help me escape?”

It wouldn’t be the first time Duke helped women escape shitty situations. He actually had a whole protocol in place so he replied, “I could arrange for you to get a new identity and a new life somewhere outside of Don Lorenzo his grasp.”

She leaned in closer, “You could do that?”

Duke had to swallow when she came so close, that he could smell a mix of vanilla and lavender. He took a deep breath, “Yes, I can but it would take some time and I would need to see you regularly to prepare. Would you be able to get away from the mansion?”

She was silent for a little while before she said, “To be honest Don Lorenzo has asked all the women to try and get close to you to be able to spy on you.”

Duke chuckled; he wasn’t surprised at all. “That is actually great. Just tell him you succeeded, and I want to see more of you. You could play double spy and help me gain more information in the meantime? Nothing that would bring you in danger of course.”

She bit her lip, “You want to see more of me?”

Duke his throat went dry, and he immediately got warm when he noticed the seductive look in her eyes. “I.. I.. Do,” was all he could say.

Her gaze shifted to his lips, and she softly said, “If we want Don Lorenzo to believe me getting close to you, we would have to spend a lot of time together,” she paused for a moment, “even nights.”

After that Duke couldn’t hold himself in anymore. His body was hungry for the sexy woman that was lying next to him. He wanted to feel her soft lips on his and explore every single curve of her body. He wanted to make her gasp and moan when he tasted her. His desire grew stronger and harder by the second, so he took her face in his hands, leaned in closer, and forgot about all his restrictions.…