Sassy Ever After: You Bet Your Sass Read online

  Lars cringed as an all-too-familiar drum beat blared from the speakers, followed by the cutting wails of a guitar. He sucked in a deep breath and placed one foot in front of the other, determined to get his routine over with.

  His wolf paced back and forth to the catchy 80s tune, leaving Lars to wonder if his wolf actually knew the lyrics to “Pour Some Sugar on Me.”

  Cheers erupted as the curtains opened, and the ethereal glow of the spotlight landed directly on him.

  “Looks like it’s now or never.”

  Chapter Five

  Sofia had to admit a night out with her girls was just what she had needed. She had shuddered when they rolled to a stop at the Horny Wolf. She had always wondered what the appeal of male strippers was, but had never had the courage to walk through the doors. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment as they entered the club.

  She wasn’t a prude or anything, but damn, she’d never witnessed so many women making complete fools of themselves all at one time. No matter where her eyes landed, women shouted and laughed as they tried to touch or spank the strippers as they walked by to pluck someone from the audience to add to their act.

  “See? Isn’t this better than sitting at home, being depressed?” Chloe giggled as she stuffed a dollar bill under the thin string of the stripper’s costume.

  “Hell yeah!” Sofia followed suit, adding one of her hard-earned dollars to the gyrating hunk’s growing pile of singles.

  As the song changed, so did the eye candy. She could get used to the visual buffet of hotter-than-hell hunks the club provided. All the men had been fine specimens, but the one that had just strolled out onto the stage left her damn near speechless.

  He was a mountain of a man, tanned and toned in all the right places just like the rest of them, but something about him was different from the other men. She didn’t know how or why, but something in him called to her wolf as none of the others had.

  From the very moment her eyes met his, her wolf stood at attention—almost as if she knew something about the man Sofia didn’t. Which was completely silly, because she’d never laid eyes on him before. He had a body and a face she would have never forgotten.

  She tried to look away, but couldn’t. It was almost as if his glowing gold eyes penetrated clear through to her soul.

  Sofia couldn’t make heads or tails of the constant whimpering of her wolf.

  “Lookie what we have here.” Gabby elbowed Chloe as the dancer’s hips swayed back and forth, his eyes never once straying from their friend.

  “Seems as if our little Sofia has his undivided attention.”

  “Looks like you have an admirer.” Alexa patted Sofia on the back.

  “Wait. What?” As much as it pained Sofia, she finally managed to drag her attention away from the hottie shaking it on stage and back to her friends.

  “If you play your cards right, you won’t be going home alone tonight,” Gabby teased.

  “Girl, please. I think you’ve had way too much to drink tonight.” Sofia motioned to the dancer and back to herself to emphasize her point. “There is no way a guy like that would ever be interested in all these curves. Besides, if I couldn’t keep a guy like Sam interested and happy, what makes you think I could keep a guy like that satisfied?”

  “There is nothing wrong with you. Sam’s an asshole and you’re better off without him. I’ll say it a million freaking times if I have to! He didn’t cheat on you because of the way you look. He cheated on you because he’s a pig.” It wasn’t the first time Chloe had unleashed a can of whoop-ass on Sofia for putting herself down.

  Sofia appreciated that her friends were there to cheer her up, but in all honesty, she thought, they must have lost their damn minds. She knew what she looked like. A big girl with lots of curves—curves that she never minded or had a problem with, but everyone else always seemed to have an opinion about. She tried not to let the cruel words of others fill her with negativity, but after the confrontation with Sam and his chick, her self-esteem had taken a huge hit.

  Yes, Sam was an utter asshole. There could be no redemption for him or his treatment of her. That didn’t mean Chloe was a hundred percent right, though. Maybe things would have been better between them, or maybe the outcome would have been different, if she were thin.

  Wiping a single tear from her eye, Sofia glanced back to the hottie who now stood directly in front of her. She couldn’t quite interpret the look on his face when he jumped down from the stage, and briskly scooped her up from her chair.

  The warmth of his skin encompassed her, setting her blood on fire. Whatever this big boy was up to, she liked—a little too much for her own good.

  Guiding her gently to the chair in the center of the stage, his hands roamed every free inch of her skin, seductively teasing her—much more than she would have thought permissible for a strip show. Sweet Jesus, how she wanted to kiss his thick lips, only a breath away from hers. His scent enveloped her senses, driving her crazy and making her pussy wet.

  Just when Sofia thought it couldn’t get any hotter, the stripper gave her the show of her life, slowly removing each stitch of clothing and revealing more muscle mass than she would have thought possible.

  Surely he had to have been sculpted in stone by the great Michelangelo and brought to life by the gods. He was sex personified.

  Sofia didn’t know what part of him to gape at first. His wide neck that led to perfect pecs with tiny pebbled nipples that begged for scraping her teeth over? Or should she stroll further south to his ripped abs that continued on to the perfect V that was barely hidden under his chaps? But damn—those arms. Fuck! She wanted nothing more than to be held down by his thick tattoo-covered arms and fucked until she begged for mercy or passed out.

  Yeah. That’s what he did to her.

  “Mine!” the stripper growled in her ear.

  Chapter Six

  “You must mark her as our mate!” his wolf demanded.

  “Have you gone mad? I don’t even know her name.”

  “What if another male tries to hook up with her? If you mark her, we have less to worry about.”

  “Soon.” Lars had to admit, though, the temptation was great. His mouth was inches from her beautiful neck. As he ran his tongue up and down the spot he intended to bite later, a shiver tore through him, making his intent perfectly clear to his mate that she would be his.

  Lars felt his jaw shifting, elongating as his wolf continued to press the issue. It took every ounce of energy he possessed to restrain the beast. He had no doubt his eyes were glowing with passion and hunger when he met his mate’s curious stare head-on.

  With dark hair and golden skin, she was like no one he’d ever met. He wanted to lick her until she screamed his name. Repeatedly. Those curves—goddess, those curves made him lose his mind. His cock was rock hard, barely restrained by the flimsy G-string.

  Wanting his mate to know just how hard she made him and how much she turned him on, he pumped his hips against her chest, between her luscious lovely tits, imagining his cock sliding between them. Oh, how he wanted to see his mate with her head bent, watching the length of his cock slide between her tits. He imagined her tongue slipping out of her mouth and running across the tip of his cock with each pass.

  An ominous growl erupted from his wolf when a pair of stagehands approached them as the song ended, signaling the need to clear the stage for the next act. Lars didn’t care if hell froze over, he would be the one to help his mate find her way back to her seat.

  Without speaking a single word, Lars lifted his mate from the chair and carried her back to her seat. Her friends gave him a sly, knowing smile—one that he happily returned. Dropping to one knee, he placed a soft kiss on his mate’s hand. “Until later, love.”

  Walking away from her, even if it was only for a short time, was one of the hardest things he had ever done.

  Chapter Seven

  “You need to breathe before we both pass out!” Sofia’s wolf warned.

  �
��Holy hell! Did you see that? He has the hots for you!” Gabby screeched as the stripper walked away.

  Sofia shook her head in denial. “Please. It was an act. Nothing more.” She knew better than to get her hopes up. There was no way that man would ever truly want her, even if he had gotten an erection during his act.

  “Yeah, right. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been to this place and I have never seen an act like that before.” Chloe rolled her eyes.

  “I find that hard to believe. Look at these guys. They’re a bunch of pumped-up, testosterone-filled alpha males who would fuck anything with a pussy. Even if he was the hottest guy on this planet, I’d still pass.”

  Alexa’s eyes nearly popped out of her head at Sofia’s admission. “Are you kidding? You would take a pass on that?”

  “Absolutely. There’s a reason why I date guys like Sam. They’re safe.”

  “What you really mean is human guys. Because you know damn well you don’t want to really get hurt. You walked in on Sam cheating on you, and yeah it sucked, but you’re not shattered like most women would be if they found their significant other boppin’ someone else,” Chloe argued.

  “Maybe, but does it really matter? Can’t we just have a fun evening out? I don’t want to argue tonight.” Sofia left out the fact that their argument was completely pointless to begin with. It wasn’t like the stripper had asked her out or anything. She had been a part of his show on the stage, and that was it. Even if she wanted her friends to be right when they argued their point, it didn’t matter. She knew no guy who looked like that would be interested in her or her curves.

  “You know what you need?” Alexa asked.

  “No, but I have a feeling you do.” Sofia took a sip of her fruity mixed drink.

  “A private lap dance.”

  “Oh yeah she does!” Gabby was in full agreement with Alexa.

  Sofia shook her head in denial. “Umm, no I don’t.” She would have been better off talking to a wall. The wall would have probably paid more attention than her friends did. The next thing Sofia knew, she was being ushered away from the table to a private booth complete with a curtain.

  “You can thank us later. Get your ass in there and enjoy it.” Chloe gave Sofia a push into the private booth.

  A set of strong arms wrapped around her, catching her as she stumbled through the curtain. Her face pressed against a warm chest. Terrified to look up or even move, she held perfectly still savoring the moment. “Gods! That scent again.” The one that had driven her crazy moments ago now flooded her senses once again.

  “Mmmm. He’s mine.” Her wolf’s ears perked up, loving the touch of the male holding them.

  “You hold your tongue, Missy. We are not claiming anyone. Let alone a damn stripper. Got it?”

  “Pffft. Whatever.”

  Her wolf listened about as well as her friends did. Which meant not at all.

  “Are you okay?”

  The deep timbre of his voice startled Sofia.

  “Yeah, sorry. My friends pushed me through the curtain.” Sofia was mortified. She’d flown through the curtain like a bumbling buffoon.

  “They had to force you in here?”

  Sofia finally looked up when she heard the sadness in his voice. “I—uhh, tonight’s my first time at a strip club. I’ve never done anything like this before.” She rushed to answer, wanting to make the sadness disappear.

  “Would you believe me if I told you I’ve never been in a strip club either?”

  “Ha-ha! No. Not with the moves you showed off on stage.”

  Sofia twirled a lock of hair around her finger, fidgeting. She was completely unfamiliar with stripper protocol. “So, what do we do now?”

  The stripper seemed to snap back to attention. “Have a seat.”

  “Here?” Sofia pointed to the oversized velvet couch.

  “Make yourself comfortable. What’s your name?”

  Eyeing the couch warily, she answered, “Sofia, and you?”

  “Lars.”

  “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “I’ve waited all my life for you.”

  Sofia’s wolf whined in response. For reasons unknown to her, the beast in her was more interested in this man than any other she had ever dated.

  Chapter Eight

  Sofia looked at him curiously, as if trying to figure out what he meant by his comment. She would learn soon enough. Her wolf already recognized him as her mate and longed to be claimed. It was the human side of Sofia that was a bit slow on the uptake.

  Lars tried like hell to think like a stripper. What the fuck was he supposed to do again? He knew exactly what he wanted to do, but doubted Aric would appreciate him stripping and claiming his mate behind a flimsy curtain in the middle of his strip club.

  “Mark our mate and claim her!” his wolf demanded yet again.

  “Before the night is through.” As much as Lars wanted to deny the animal in him, he couldn’t and he knew it. He feared the urge to claim his mate was stronger than his will to wait. Sensing the hesitance flowing from his mate, he knew he had to hold off, as much as it pained him.

  Not that stripping her down and fucking her hard didn’t sound like the best of times, but he knew that would never fly. Gods, how he wanted to talk to her and get to know her! Maybe take her to dinner or something. Anything other than this ridiculous stripper façade.

  “So are we going to do this or what?” Sofia asked, with a sass she hadn’t possessed when she’d stumbled into him.

  “Absolutely.” That was his cue to get his ass in gear and give his mate the show of her life. Lars concentrated on the beat of the music thrumming from the speakers in the private booth. Placing one foot in front of the other, he closed the distance between him and Sofia.

  His hips rocked back and forth, mimicking the sensual act he desperately wanted to perform with her. The need to touch her was undeniable. Running his fingertips gently through her straight black hair, he gently tugged her head to the side. His wolf greedily inhaled her natural caramel and honey scent—a scent neither of them could ever possibly get enough of.

  “You smell so fucking good. I bet you taste even better.” He grazed her earlobe with his canines, and the gasps that flew from her mouth shot straight to his cock. Carefully placing one leg on either side of her, he straddled his mate, needing to feel more of her against him.

  Lars wound his fingers tightly into her hair, holding her head exactly where he wanted it. Looking down into her glowing eyes, he could easily tell that she was just as turned on as he was—that and the unmistakable scent of her arousal filled his nostrils.

  “You are so fucking hot.” Lars angled his face closer to her, teasing her with his warm breath against her cheek.

  Her reaction did not disappoint as she leaned forward a touch closer, her mouth slightly open, waiting for him to take the lead.

  There was zero hesitation on his part. His lips closed over hers forcefully, demanding that she respond in kind. His reward was instant when her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer as her tongue clashed with his. Sexy illicit moans sprang from her mouth and poured into his. He swallowed every one of them in an effort to prevent anyone from hearing what they were up to.

  Lars nearly lost his mind when her nails dug into his back, pulling him closer, her hips arching off of the sofa. His hand slipped under her short skirt, rubbing against her panties then pushing the delicate lacy material to the side. A shiver passed through her as his knuckles brushed over her pussy.

  His wolf wanted to howl for joy when his finger slid between her soaked lips. The pride of knowing he had been the one who made her so wet burned through his veins, and made him even bolder.

  “You are so wet,” Lars praised his mate. “Do you have any idea how badly I want to lick up each drop of your honey?”

  Lars watched for Sofia’s reaction as he slid two fingers into her tight pussy, working them slowly into her. “So tight. Do you like that?”

  Chap
ter Nine

  “Goddess, yes!” Sofia had no idea how they had gone from an innocent strip show to a finger fuck that had her on the brink, but she didn’t give a damn. All she knew was that this towering hulk of a man had managed to turn her on like no one else had ever done.

  Not only that, no man had ever given her an orgasm. They hadn’t even tried, nor did they bother to complain about her lack of orgasms. They had been inconsiderate when it came to her needs and focused solely on their own pleasure. She’d gone rounds with most of her lovers on the matter. She thought that perhaps maybe she was broken when it came to having orgasms during sex. She had given herself plenty over the years, so she knew that she could orgasm. Why none of her lovers had ever been able to bring her to a full climax was beyond her.

  Now she knew without a doubt that she was not to blame for her lack of orgasms with her former partners. Lars had her primed and ready to blast off to a whole new dimension in less than sixty seconds.

  Maybe she should have felt guilty for initiating an intimate act with a stranger when she had just ended her relationship with Sam, but Sofia couldn’t manage to give even the slightest fuck. Not even a tiny one. She also didn’t care if the stripper had any interest in her past tonight. This moment was the one that counted and she wasn’t about to waste another second wondering if she should feel anything other than the pleasure coursing through her body.

  “Please don’t stop. I’m so close to coming,” Sofia begged.

  “Stop? Are you kidding? You and I are just getting started,” Lars growled into her ear.

  Sofia bit back a moan as Lars added a third finger, stretching her pussy further than she’d have thought possible. She had never felt such a fullness in her life, and she loved every fucking second of it.