by Renee Rose
“Yep.” I poked a rubber mallet gently against some loose concrete, and the pieces fell to the ground below. “Now I just need to rewire the whole damn place. I don’t like her staying there when it’s in that condition.”
“Even though the house has been like that for decades, I don’t blame you,” Nash said. After a moment, he grinned. “Makes a good excuse for her to stay with you in the time being, though, right?”
A lead ball sunk to my belly. “Yeah, I’d thought so, too, but after the way she lost her shit this morning, I don’t think she’s going to go for it now.”
He set another river rock on the tarp. “Any progress on talking her out of opening a bed and breakfast?”
I tipped my hat back, then shook my head. “Fuck.” Another thing to fucking deal with. “Haven’t brought it up yet. I have to find the right angle, you know?”
The truth was, I didn’t like any angle that wasn’t the clear one to support Natalie in whatever she wanted to do, so this situation put me between two boulders. She didn’t want to open the house up to tourists. Based on her lack of enthusiasm with the idea, it was only a way for her to make income. But she was right, her options were limited. I had no idea how talented she was at the violin, but the closest orchestra I knew of was in Seattle. That would be a long fucking commute from Cooper Valley every day.
The B&B idea was viable if the house was fixed up. There was land, a beautiful setting. Hell, it could be a real financial winner. For the pack though, it would be a disaster. If I nudged her toward the business, Rob was going to kill me. If I steered her clear of it to make Rob happy, she’d probably rip my balls off, and that was after she’d proved her point about not wanting to be with a shifter.
I ran my dirty hand over my face. “Fuck,” I breathed. “There is no right angle.”
“You’ll think of something,” Nash said although he didn’t sound that confident. He was probably thrilled he wasn’t the one losing his shit since he didn’t have any good advice. We’d been best friends since pretty much birth, and he hadn’t even held back when poking into my shit. Still, neither of us knew jack about dealing with human females. I’d never felt so out of my element in my life, and that wasn’t saying anything about how my wolf was pissed at me standing up here fixing a chimney instead of getting our girl.
I shot Nash a pained look. “I sure as fuck hope so. She’s stubborn.” I shook my head. I fucking loved that about her until this morning, that she was as wild and untamed as her hair. But it was when I was ready to give her a pleasurable wake up that I learned she was gonna dig her heels in against me. Against being my mate.
She said I didn’t love her. Then what was it called when a guy was losing his shit because of a woman? At the idea of her being out of my sight? Where I couldn’t touch her or breathe her in? Why did my wolf want to snap at me for the first time ever?
I sighed again. I’d figure it out. I had to. In the meantime, I just had to get my wolf’s insanely jealous and possessive streak to calm the fuck down.
13
NATALIE
* * *
I spent the day scrubbing the hard water stains off the tile in the master bathroom. Literally all day.
I may have thrown myself more obsessively into the job than usual in order to not think about Rand. About the night we’d shared. God, I was sore from the way he hadn’t held back. I’d actually begged him to do so, and now I felt it, as if my body was reminding me what I was missing.
My heart still sped up every time I remembered what he’d said.
You belong to me, Natalie Sheffield.
He really believed that.
God, part of me wanted to believe it too. Wouldn’t life have been easy if we were both shifters, and we both just “knew” the other was the one? If love didn’t matter because our inner wolves were smarter than we were?
But we weren’t. I wasn’t a shifter. I had no idea if Rand was the one. Sure, I was attracted to him. Not just because he was too handsome for his own good but because he was… nice. Bossy. Protective. Definitely over the top, but I was drawn to that. I was sure all the women in Cooper Valley felt the same way. But lust wasn’t love.
Lust had gotten me into his bed the night before. Made my pussy sore. Made my nipples ache for his mouth again. My nipples did not decide whether I wanted forever with someone.
I’d seen my parents’ shitty relationship. How they were assholes to each other. How they’d been the perfect example of what not to do. But what was the right thing? How was I supposed to feel? How would I ever know what love was if the closest example of a marriage was the worst?
How would I ever know that Rand was with me because of the guy or the inner wolf?
Sure, love at first sight would be amazing, but I wasn’t Cinderella, even though I was scrubbing my bathroom. I hadn’t believed in fairytales in a long, long time. I’d certainly stopped before I’d ever come here and seen a man turn into a wolf.
When I finally had the tub and tile gleaming, I stripped out of my clothes and showered, closing my eyes and trying to shove the thought of my possessive wolf suitor out of my mind. Or the tingles from my body. “Shit,” I breathed, turning the faucet off and sliding back the plastic curtain.
Nothing was going to make me forget about Rand. Just being clean made me think about him. If he sniffed me now, would he pick up the smell of my soap? Of the shampoo? Would he know I was still aroused? God.
Stop thinking about Rand!
Today, it was impossible. Especially when I heard a truck pull up out front. I dashed to the window and peeked out. Rand.
His truck engine cut off, and he stepped out.
Eek! I quickly toweled off. “Just a minute!” I called when he knocked loudly. I hadn’t locked the front door, but I hadn’t left it wide open either.
“Natalie?”
Crap, he was coming in! And I was naked. This was not how I meant for our next meeting to go. How was I going to keep from fooling around with him again if I didn’t have the barrier of clothes as protection?
I panicked, dashing to my room to grab some clean clothes. My hair dripped down my back. “Um, just a second!”
“Everything okay up there?” His boots were already pounding up my stairs. “Afraid of a spider?”
“No, I just—”
He threw my door open wide, his expression alarmed. I hopped on one leg, my panties still around my ankles. “Eek!”
“Oh.” The deep, interested note seemed to ripple over me like an aphrodisiac. “Sorry, Red. I, uh, thought you sounded distressed.” His gaze bounced then landed on my breasts. My nipples tightened and tingled in the heat of his stare.
“Only because you caught me getting out of the shower. And obviously naked.” Screw it. He was here. I was naked. He’d seen every inch of me although it had only been with the soft light of his bedroom, not broad daylight. I pulled off the tangled panties and threw them at him. “You’re not supposed to just let yourself in and run up my stairs.”
He caught the panties in one hand with a smirk. “We need to talk about you locking your door. What if it wasn’t me who pulled up?”
“Most people knock then wait for someone to come to the door.”
“Sorry.” He had enough grace to look sheepish although barely. “My wolf is protective as—” He shook his head. “Nevermind. Forget my wolf.” He took off his cowboy hat and held it in his hands. “Can we forget my wolf? I want to do it the human way. Whatever that is, Red. You show me.”
I blinked at him, surprised at this turn. Damn, he was sweet. He sure made it a difficult offer to refuse. I realized he hadn’t done anything wrong. Fine, he was a little bossy, but that was a good thing, right? If he was willing to try, then I should too. Again, right?
“I really don’t know the human way, either,” I confessed.
“Sure, you do. If I wasn’t a shifter, what would you want me to do right now?”
Oh jeez. I was naked, and we were a few feet from my bed. It was
wrong. A really bad idea.
Really, really bad.
But dang it if I didn’t want him. Just one more time couldn’t hurt, could it?
A slow smile spread across my face.
“What’s that saying?” I strutted toward him. His gaze switched from unsure to lusty in the blink of an eye.
“Red?”
“Save a horse and ride a cowboy?” I asked.
His grin stretched ear to ear. “Yeah, I think that’s the one.” He glanced toward the bathroom. “Give me sixty seconds to clean off for you—I’ve been working all day.”
I followed him into the bathroom. It wasn’t like me—I’d never been bold and cocky with a guy before, but Rand’s unwavering interest made it come naturally. “Only if I get to watch.”
In a whoosh, the energy shifted. I’d given him permission, and he was taking charge, the way he always did. He picked me up by the waist and lifted me into the shower with him. “I’m doing the watching, darlin’. If you’re in here with me naked, you’re going to be screaming my name.”
I let out a shaky laugh as he stripped and turned on the water.
And he was right.
Five minutes later, I was out of my mind with pleasure, my back flattened against the tile, and his mouth on my core.
I screamed his name. Once. Twice.
Five times as I came and came and came.
14
RAND
* * *
I drove out to my brother’s place when Natalie left for work at Cody’s. I’d wanted to follow her into town, of course, but she’d gotten in my face about acting so possessive and sitting guard at the bar. Again.
“You want me to forget about your wolf?” She’d poked a slender finger against my chest. “Stop acting crazy.”
She called it crazy, I called it being her mate. She might be going to do her job, but it was mine to keep her safe.
“Fine,” I’d grumbled, completely not fine. “But I’m coming down at closing time to make sure you get safely home.”
She’d rolled her eyes but didn’t argue.
Now, as I drove up to Clint’s and Becky’s place, my wolf gnawed at me to get to that bar and make sure she knew I was still staking my claim. My mark wasn’t on her neck. My scent wasn’t on her. What made my wolf even more pissed was that even if I had claimed her, none of the human guys would pick up on the fact that she was mine. To them, she was fair game. Always would be unless I put a ring on her finger. Then, I might be able to relax although I knew a few assholes who didn’t care if a woman was married or not.
Fuck. Fuck! I was losing my shit. I may have compromised with her and backed off, but—
No. Nope. My insanity was why I parked in front of the cabin. To get some advice from a real human female. If she could put up with Clint, then she’d have the answers I needed. I’d gotten her in my arms and screaming my name again, but it was only a start. I didn’t think Natalie’s mind had been changed. Yet.
I climbed out of the truck and knocked on the door. I swore to fate, I could hear my brother doing baby talk inside. Lily, his baby girl, couldn’t have her daddy wrapped any more firmly around that pudgy little finger of hers.
“Door’s open,” Clint called in a grown up voice then returned to his high pitched tone. “Is that your Uncle Rand? Hmm? Is Uncle Rand here to see you?”
I couldn’t help but grin at the transformation in my brother. And at how adorable his halfling babe was. Obviously, she got her looks from me.
“Hey, where’s your mate?” I asked, entering the kitchen, where Clint had Lily in a high chair, the tray covered in peas. She offered me a single tooth smile when she saw me, a smooshed pea stuck to her cheek.
Clint was in a kitchen chair facing Lily, but he glanced up at me. “She’s at Rob’s. It’s ladies’ night down there.”
I groaned as I ripped off my hat and stabbed my fingers through my hair. Maybe I should just abort this mission and head to Cody’s. Yeah, that’s what I should do.
Clint eyed me not as a threat but with curiosity. I got along just fine with his mate, but I didn’t often seek her out specifically. “Why? What do you want with Becky?”
I cleared my throat. “Well, ah…”
Clint’s protective streak kicked in—it had been warring with his gentler daddy side, but that disappeared as I hesitated. He stalked around the table and nearly bumped chests with me. “What do you want with my mate?”
Yeah, so much for not being threatened.
“Advice,” I mumbled, not quite meeting his eye.
Clint cocked his head. “Come again?”
“About my mate.”
Clint’s face transformed from the stern visage of the enforcer to one of celebration. “Rand! What the fuck? You found your mate?”
Lily babbled and slapped her tiny hands on the tray as if she was also happy for me.
A sputter of guilt flickered in me. I’d figured Rob would’ve told him by now. I should’ve told my brother sooner although I’d been pretty fucking busy trying to pin Red down.
“Yep. Yes. It’s Natalie. Natalie Sheffield.”
“No shit.” He grinned at me and gave me a slap on the shoulder.
“Listen, I’d love to stay and watch Lily throw peas at you, but my mate is stubborn as fuck and doesn’t think I love her.” Yeah, that pretty much summed it all up. “This is why I need to talk to Becky and figure out what the hell to do.”
Clint crossed his arms over his chest and laughed. Then he looked down at Lily and said in his ridiculous baby voice, “Your Uncle Rand’s got big problems. Yes, he does!”
I glared. “It’s really not funny.”
Lily laughed and threw a pea on the floor. Great.
Clint sobered. “Nope. I know. It’s definitely not funny at all. Well, why don’t you go down to the big house. All the women are there together. I’m sure they’d all be happy to school you on everything you did wrong.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “I could probably kick your ass while you’re in daddy mode.”
Clint’s grin reappeared. “Try it, little brother. We’ll see how well that works out for you.”
I wanted to punch him—I really did—but Lily was babbling away so sweetly, waving her chubby little fist, it even had me turning soft. I settled for flipping him the bird as I walked out and got in the truck to drive down the road to Rob’s house.
When I got there, the women—Willow, Audrey, Marina, Becky and Charlie—were all waiting for me on the porch, wine glasses in hand, waving. I sighed, knowing this wasn’t going to be fun. At all. A prostate exam might be less invasive than what I was walking into.
“Here he is! We heard you needed the female perspective,” Marina called out as I walked up.
I groaned. Yeah, this was going to be painful. But Natalie sure as fuck was worth it. “Word travels fast.”
“Clint texted,” Becky said with a smile. “And we heard the news.”
“I learned yesterday,” Willow gloated, tossing me a wink. “Rob told me about Natalie. Congratulations.”
I shook my head. “Congratulations are definitely not in order.” I climbed the wooden steps of the huge wrap-around porch and leaned against the rail. The sun hadn’t set yet, but the heat of the day was dropping off to a cool Montana summer night.
“What’s the hang up?” Marina asked. She was the youngest of the women—younger than Natalie. She’d left college to mate Colton Wolf, Rob’s brother.
“The hang up is that she thinks it’s not love.”
“I’m guessing you got all hot and heavy since your wolf scented her,” Willow said.
I gave her a sly wink. “You know I don’t kiss and tell.” They all knew the truth. No shifter male could resist their female once she’d been scented. “Still, Natalie says I barely know her, and she’s afraid of being stuck in a loveless marriage.”
“You proposed?” Becky asked, eyes wide. “I’m surprised you told her about being a shifter.”
I closed
my eyes for a second then opened them. “No, I didn’t propose, but she’s human, and that’s where her mind goes. Shitty parents who have a shitty relationship have made her wary.”
“Well, I can understand that,” Audrey said. She was Marina’s sister and our local OB/GYN who’d mated Rob’s other brother, Boyd. “It’s certainly hard for us to understand the whole mating thing when we don’t have the same recognition of mates that you do.”
“That’s just it. I didn’t tell her what I was. She already knew. She knows about the entire pack.”
It was almost comical the way their eyes widened in unison, so I filled them in on how she’d seen me shift all those years ago and what her uncle had shared.
“Wow,” Becky said. “That… that changes some things since she doesn’t need time to come to terms with the whole wolf thing. But I guess that makes more sense then, too. Let me guess, you went all P’s on her.”
I frowned. She ticked off her fingers as she answered. “Possessive and protective and pushy.”
“Of course,” I replied, almost offended I wouldn’t behave like that with my mate.
“That’s all wolf, Rand. Or mostly,” Charlie shared. She was the newest mate, having been claimed by Levi earlier in the summer.
“You have to give her time to fall in love with you. And to believe that your feelings, while biologically driven, are real,” Becky advised.
I took off my hat and rubbed my forehead. “Right. Okay. So dates? That kind of thing?”
Marina shrugged. “Whatever comes naturally. Just time. Spending time together.”
“I don’t have time,” I growled. The four human women drew back at the wolf-growl in my voice, and Willow stepped forward, the alpha female in her ready to give it right back to me. “Sorry.” I held my hands up. “I’m sorry. I’m just going fucking nuts. I’m crazy possessive of her. All of the P’s. And jealous as hell that she’s working down at Cody’s, with all those men eyeballing her. I can’t stand it.”
