His Contract Luna

7. Emerson

I knew she was here from the moment she stepped inside the club. Kuro started pacing in my head, making me anxious, but I refused to move. Declan knew when his mate had arrived too, but unlike me, he left our private room to find her. What good would it do me to go out and find my mate when I couldn't have her? What good would it do her to fall in love at first sight? I had already committed to a contract marriage. There was nothing I could offer my mate right now except a broken heart and I didn't want that. When Declan mind-linked me and told me that he was on his way up with his mate and "her friend", I had no idea that "her friend" would bring my world to a screeching halt.

Nothing could have prepared me for how breathtakingly beautiful she is. Her long hair cascades in brown and red waves to her waist. Her chocolate-brown eyes twinkle under the lights of the club. Her leather outfit clings to her curves like I so desperately want to and her heels make her legs look amazing, but the thing that had my senses buzzing was her scent. Notes of lemon, vanilla, and sage all mixed to create the most intoxicating thing I have ever breathed. Everything was going perfectly until the Blackthorn Madam called, reminding me of my prior commitment. My mate retreated to the bathroom while I took the call and when I opened my email to look at the dossier she had sent me, I was floored to see my mate's photograph with a different name than she had given me. Why had she lied to me? Did she think I wasn't good enough for her? Did she think she wasn't good enough for me? I had just told her about my parents lying and betraying each other my entire life... How could she keep up that facade knowing that?

"Do you hate me now?" she asks, her soft voice breaking my train of thought. "I understand if you want to call off the contract now." When I called her by her name outside the bathroom, I could hear her heart race as her eyes went wide and filled with tears. I'm angry and hurt, but she doesn't know what she is to me. As a matter of fact, I'm just the rich guy she's marrying to pay for her brother's surgery and somehow that's like salt on the wound.

"No, I don't hate you and I'm not calling off the contract," I start, taking a second to steady myself because now that I know she's my mate.... Everything has changed. "I'm pissed off though. Why did you lie to me? Why would you continue to lie to me after I had just opened up about my family?"

"I don't know... I wanted to see how you would interact with someone beneath you," she says, rubbing her arms in an attempt to comfort herself. "You are so far out of my league in so many ways. I just wanted to see if you'd treat a peasant like me like a human or like I was inferior. I had to make sure I was going to be safe. I didn't expect you to open up and have such raw emotions right off the bat." An involuntary growl rumbles in my chest hearing her talk about herself in that manner, but I disguise it with a cough.

"First, you are not inferior or beneath me just because I have money and I am not out of your league," I tell her in an attempt to comfort her, but she rolls her eyes. "I would say that you are the one that is too good and too beautiful for me. Not only are you gorgeous, but you signed up to sell yourself to save your brother's life. You're a better human than I could ever be." The last line amuses me internally because of us being different species until she audibly scoffs, frustrating me to no end. " You know what? Let's start over. Hi, I'm Emerson Ward. What's your name, beautiful?" I put my hand out for her to shake and she looks at it for a moment before placing her delicate hand in mine.

"Hi Emerson, I'm Ivy Hayes. It is so nice to meet you," she replies, a shy smile on her face as she looks up at me through her long lashes. "I think our friends might like each other a little bit." She points across the room where Declan and Chloe are kissing while they dance to some slow song.

"Would you like to dance, Ivy?" I stand up from the couch and hold out my hand again, waiting for her to take it. She giggles, but ultimately lets me lead her to an open area by our friends. I pull her close to me, holding her firmly by the waist while we slow dance. "You'll always be safe with me, Ivy. You don't have to lie about anything. Ever. Okay?" She nods her head, leaning forward and resting it on my shoulder. I hear a small laugh bubble out of her and pull back to look at her in confusion.

"I make your heart race too," she says, patting my chest where she was just listening to my heart beat out of my chest. "How tall are you?"

"Didn't you read my file?" I tease, Ivy rolling her eyes at me. "I'm 6 foot 9."

"Sir, I had to Google you which absolutely offended Chloe. Your file didn't come with a picture and I didn't know who you were until I got the email and looked you up before coming out tonight," she says, and I feign a pain in my chest.

"Ouch. You had to GOOGLE me?" I ask dramatically, making her laugh out loud. "So tonight was your bachelorette party and your future husband ruined it? What a jerk."

"Right? Couldn't even get one more night to play the field," she says and I pull her closer. "I'm kidding! I'm not that kind of girl. You're awfully easy to rile up. This should be fun." She laughs as I glare at her, kissing my cheek and setting my insides on fire.

"You think that's funny, huh?" I say, her head nodding enthusiastically. I snake my arm around her further, squeezing her side in the process and making her jump in my arms. "The Blackthorn Madam thought you being ticklish was information I needed to have. Still think it's fun to rile me up?" Her eyes narrow, but her smirk still hangs on her lips.

"I guess we'll just have to see if I'm willing to sacrifice myself to get on your nerves," she replies, making me laugh out loud. I slowly wiggle my fingers on her side, her face twisting as she tries to keep herself composed. She closes her eyes tight and lays her forehead against me, her body shaking as she tries to ignore me.

"Call mercy and I'll stop," I whisper in her ear and she shakes her head no. "All you have to do is kiss me and it'll all be over." She turns her head to look at me, her eyes drifting down to my lips as she bites her own. Before I can say anything else, she stands on her tiptoes, crashing her lips into mine. I freeze for a moment, basking in the sparks tearing through my body as my mate runs her fingers through my facial hair to my neck. She pulls back, her lips swollen and her eyes glazed over.

"Can we do that again?" I run my hand up her back until it is in her hair, pulling her face back to mine. Our lips move together frantically, like two teenagers who can't keep their hands off of each other. I nip at her bottom lip, praying she grants my wish to taste her. She gasps, her mouth opening wider and I waste no time deepening the kiss. As our tongues battle for dominance, I release her hair and slide both hands to her thighs. I lift her up, her legs wrapping around me instinctively while I squeeze her ass. I sit down on the couch, Ivy breaking our kiss when she feels my rock-hard d**k against her. "Oh my gosh. That was.... incredible. I don't do this sort of thing."

"Mmm. You did for me and I think I could get used to this," I say with a smile, pulling her down and leaving a trail of kisses on her jawline and neck. "This spot right here is special." I trace my finger along the place where she will bear my mark as I speak. "I've never kissed another woman there and I've never let one kiss me there." She tilts her head further to the side, giving me better access to her neck. Kuro wants nothing more than to mark her right now, but she is human and I'm going to do this the right way. I press my lips to the sensitive skin, a soft moan accompanying the shiver running down her spine. I nibble and lick the spot, using all of my self-restraint not to sink my teeth into her before placing one last kiss and leaning back.

"Can I?"

"You're my wife. You can do what you want with me."

There's a twinkle of excitement in her eyes as she unbuttons my shirt and pulls it to the side. I lean my head over for her, ready to feel her lips against me. She starts behind my ear, kissing all the way down until she reaches the place a she-wolf would mark me and, to my surprise, she bites me. Hard. Her tongue moves across the flesh as she bites down, nearly making me come in my pants. A groan slips out, and I feel her smile through her bite. She releases me, placing several small kisses on her teeth marks before leaning back to look at me.

"I left a mark," she says, giggling as she gently runs her fingers across the skin. "I think I could get used to this too."

"I'm going to leave marks all over you when you're ready," I promise her, grabbing her throat gently and pulling her down for one more hard kiss. "But if you don't want me to f**k you in front of everyone in this room, you should get off my lap."

She scrambles off of my lap, her cheeks a bright pink as she sits down next to me. Chloe approaches us, her jaw dropped wide open, but Declan's face holds a look of concern and anger. I lean my head back and take a deep breath, closing my eyes so the girls don't see me and Declan mind linking.

"Have you lost your mind?" his question floating into my head with a trace of irritation. "You just signed up for a contract marriage and it looked like you were trying to mark that girl."

"That girl is my Luna..." I start, an involuntary smile coming across my face. "By contract and by fate.”