by R K Close
“And you heard nothing that night, while you were camping a mile away?” Jessica stopped scribbling to look at me.
“Like what?” I countered. I didn’t like how her tone switched from friendly to all business in a heartbeat.
Jessica held my gaze. “Like screams or shouting? Two people were killed, possibly by someone, at least by an animal. I know that I’d be screaming.”
I stared at her for a moment. “You can’t know how you’d react for certain.” She shifted nervously on her stool. “No. We heard nothing like that,” I lied. I couldn’t know if we’d heard anything or not after we shifted. Sometimes flashes of memories were clear, but other times they were just a jumble of images that didn’t always go together.
“You and your brothers camp often?” she asked.
“Yes.” I took a sip of my beer, still watching her.
“In that particular area?” she pressed.
“Yes.” I could tell my short answers were starting to annoy her.
“Why? Why that area? Aren’t there better areas to camp in these mountains?”
“Why not? We like to avoid the crowds and prefer to be alone,” I replied. “Campgrounds are too tame for our tastes,” I challenged.
“Too tame, huh? You and your brothers like to walk on the wild side. I get it. It’s a guy thing, right? Man against nature—that sort of thing?” she asked innocently.
I nodded once. If she’d only known, she’d probably have run out of there screaming.
Jessica paused to call Zoey over. “I’ll take a margarita, please—on the rocks and easy on the salt.”
Zoey nodded to Jessica, then smirked at me before turning away. I wondered how much of the conversation she’d overheard.
When Jessica turned her attention back to me, she smiled her friendly smile again, as if she hadn’t just asked me a bunch of accusatory questions that hinted at a cover-up.
“So, you’re antisocial, preferring to be alone in the wilderness so you can what—howl at the moon in peace?” I choked on my beer.
I apologized and glanced over at my brothers, who were standing around the pool table with Daisy. Seth gave me a strange look, probably wondering what was going on. I was wondering the same thing.
“I think this interview is over. I hope you got what you came for, Ms. Parker,” I said, standing.
Jessica looked surprised, holding the margarita Zoey had just placed in front of her. “But I haven’t asked all of my questions,” Jessica said, following me to the pool table.
I stopped and turned around. She must have been right on my heels because she almost ran into me. We were so close, our bodies were only inches away from each other.
Staring into her blue eyes made me want to dive into their depths and happily drown there. “I’m done. If you’d like to stay and shoot some pool, feel free, but I don’t care to be interviewed anymore. You’ll have to get your story someplace else.” She blinked up at me several times before I walked away. I picked up a pool stick and began rubbing the tip with the blue cube of chalk.
“But—” she started to protest.
“I’ll buy your next drink,” I said, bending over to take the first shot of a new game.
Jessica pressed her lips into a thin line of frustration. Daisy wiggled her eyebrows at her suggestively. Seth and Cole watched her with big grins on their faces.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d guess this was a mutiny on both sides. I hadn’t missed how the curly-haired brunette had been flirting with Seth, maybe Cole too.
I watched as Jessica seemed to consider her options until she blew out a heavy sigh. She tipped her drink back and finished half the margarita in seconds. I smiled to myself. I needed to be careful around Jessica, but my wolf was happy she was sticking around for a while.
As Jessica sauntered over and took a pool stick out of Seth’s hands, I motioned to Zoey for another round. If I was playing with fire, I might as well have some fun. What harm could come from a game of pool?
I took the first shot, breaking up the cluster of balls and sending three into various pockets. “I’ll take stripes,” I said, before sinking two more balls. When I missed my next shot, I stepped away from the table so that Jessica could assess her next move. “Ever played before?”
“Not much,” Jess said, lining up her shot. She laid over the table to reach the ball she wanted and sunk the red solid in the corner pocket.
Seth made a too-hot motion by fanning himself, causing Cole and Daisy to crack up. Jessica ignored them all and lined up and made two more shots.
I was impressed. She didn’t look like a woman who spent time playing pool, but she certainly knew what she was doing. Playing pool with her could be addicting. She was making me all kinds of crazy each time she bent over the table. I had a distinct impression that she knew how she was affecting me and maybe, enjoyed it.
When she finally missed, it was my turn. I lined up my shot, pulled the stick back, and froze. Seth and Cole were instantly on alert as well. I narrowed my eyes as I watched a man walk into the bar—only it wasn’t a man.
The stranger’s hair was jet black and he wore it slicked back. His face was sharply chiseled and hinted at a European heritage, Italian maybe. The man wore a button shirt that was fashionably untucked, designer jeans, and fancy steel-tipped boots. He had a movie-star quality that stuck out like a sore thumb in a laid-back mountain town like this.
I knew immediately that he wasn’t human, and so did Seth and Cole. As I straightened up, my brothers instinctively moved closer, standing on either side of me. The man with the light blue eyes zeroed in on us as well. He stood there, taking our measure. There was pure, unmasked hatred in his eyes.
It was clear that whatever he was, he knew what we were, which put us at a severe disadvantage. Breaking through the tension, Zoey, carrying a tray of drinks, seemed to walk out of her way to step in front of the man, which broke his intense focus on us.
“Sit wherever you like. I’ll be right with you.”
Then Zoey walked directly to the pool table, she wriggled herself closer to me so that Seth had to move out of her way to make room for the big tray of drinks she was carrying. She began handing the bottles around, but as she handed the last one to me, she held onto it, until she caught my attention.
Zoey’s gaze bore into me with such intensity. “Easy, Liam. You don’t need that particular breed of trouble,” she said in a low voice, apparently meant only for me.
6
Jessica
I couldn’t help but notice the hostile reaction from the McKenzie brothers when the dark-haired man walked into the bar. The stranger seemed to have a similar response to the family trio as well. Did they know each other?
And what was up with Zoey? I could be wrong, but the pretty bartender may have been flirting with Liam. I’d always liked Zoey, but when I watched her snuggle in tight to whisper something that only Liam could hear, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy.
It didn’t help that he stared after her so intently that I felt green with envy. I was not that girl. I did not get jealous over guys’ attention...especially not Liam McKenzie.
I may be attracted to his completely addictive male sexuality, but that didn’t mean I was stupid enough to want more from him than an interview. I had tried in vain to find any concrete information on the man. He’d somehow burrowed under my skin and was now a constant itch I could only dream of scratching.
I watched curiously as Zoey took her empty tray back behind the bar before walking over to the man. The newcomer had chosen a booth next to the door and was now openly staring at our group. Zoey said something to him, and him to her. She left and returned with a glass of red wine, then went about her business.
“Are we going to play or what?” I asked, apparently not seeing what the fuss was about and feeling a touch annoyed at the thought of Zoey flirting with Liam—even though I had no right nor good reason.
Liam finally pulled his gaze away from Zoey, who
he’d been staring at with an odd expression ever since she spoke to him. Liam lined up his next shot and missed.
AFTER SEVERAL MORE games and drinks, the mood had loosened somewhat. The brothers continued to steal glances at the man, and the man continued to openly stare at them while he sipped his wine and ordered another. I noticed that he didn’t seem to be meeting anyone, and I thought it odd he was so focused on our group.
Eventually, I decided that the man was trying to entice the brothers into a fight, which I found totally unacceptable. I had maybe one margarita too many and found myself getting up from my stool to march, or perhaps sway, toward his table.
Suddenly, Liam was in front of me, staring down at me with such intensity I thought he must be looking right into my soul. But then I realized he was blocking my way on purpose. That was when I became annoyed.
“What are you doing, Liam?” I realized saying his name out loud felt very familiar and somewhat intimate.
Liam put a firm but gentle hand on my arm. “What are you doing, Ms. Parker?”
I looked up at him defiantly. Yes, I was buzzed I’d regret that tomorrow for a multitude of reasons. Even though he was treating me like a child, I found it difficult to keep myself from kissing him. He was way into my personal space, and it made all my senses come alive. I hadn’t missed the way he chose to use my formal name, though.
The troublemaking man was watching us with an amused smirk. This made me even angrier. It had been my intention to give him a piece of my mind until Liam had interfered.
“I’m going to let this guy know how ridiculous he is for trying to incite a fight with you and your brothers.” I was impressed that I managed to articulate my intentions without slurring my words—too much.
“Let’s go back over to the table and finish our game,” Liam suggested, attempting to turn me around.
“What—”
“Let the lady have her say,” came the lightly accented voice of the man.
Liam whipped around so fast I had to step back. Now I couldn’t see anything past his broad back and shoulders, so I bent down by his waist to look at the man. He was now standing next to the booth. Wow, that escalated quickly.
“You should leave,” Liam said, his voice guttural and rough.
The next thing I knew, Cole and Seth were there, standing on either side of Liam, and I still hadn’t gotten a word in. Daisy came up behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Let's move away, Jess. This might get ugly, and you’re in the line of fire.”
I decided to heed my friend's advice. We walked back to our table.
“Am I not welcome here?” asked the man.
I thought his eyes seemed to be lighter than before. They were already unusually bright.
“No,” Seth replied. Gone was the darker brother’s playful nature.
“Pity. I was hoping to make the acquaintance of the lovely ladies over there,” he said, nodding in the direction of Daisy and me.
Liam made a sound that could have been mistaken for a growl as he lunged for the man. Cole and Seth grabbed their older brother before he could do something we might all regret.
The stranger laughed mockingly. I began to wonder if the guy had a death wish. Hmm, death by McKenzie had a nice ring to it. I almost laughed at my own silly thought.
“Good idea, keeping him on a leash,” the man said.
He was gorgeous. There was no doubt about that, but something about his gaze was predatory and made me feel nervous. Maybe it was a good thing Liam hadn’t let me reach the man. I shivered.
“I’ll be seeing you around, Ms. Parker,” the man said, then winked and blew a kiss my way. Cole and Seth could hardly contain Liam after that. The man left, but it took several moments for Liam to calm down. I watched and waited while his brothers spoke fast but quietly to him. After a few moments, they released him and stepped cautiously away.
Seth turned a charming grin our way as if that whole tense scene hadn’t happened. Cole put away the cue sticks and went to settle the tab with Zoey at the bar.
I stared at Liam’s back until he finally turned around and moved slowly toward us. When he was closer, he said, “I’d like to see you safely home.”
I was instantly jolted into sobriety with his unexpected request.
“Ummm...” I wasn’t sure it was such a good idea for me to be alone with Liam.
“I drove her,” Daisy said.
Seth slipped his arm around Daisy’s shoulders. “I was just about to ask if I could see you safely home,” Seth said, offering Daisy a swoon-worthy smile.
Daisy melted like butter before glancing anxiously at me. “Is that okay? Do you want me to take you home instead?” Daisy asked, but her eyes told another story. I knew she wanted to be alone with Seth and I didn’t want to be the one who ruined Daisy’s chance with the playboy firefighter, even if I thought it was a mistake.
“Sure,” I said. Daisy’s smile made her look younger than she was.
“It was sort of creepy how that guy knew your name,” Daisy added.
“I’m on the news every night. It’s not a stretch to assume he recognized me,” I said.
I thought it was creepy too, but didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. But now I was going to be alone with a man who made my heart skip beats and the butterflies flutter in my stomach. The same man I’d already decided was not dating material. Besides, he didn’t even like me and had made that crystal clear. So, why did he want to see me home?
I figured the male posturing had little to do with me, and more to do with the combination of male egos, testosterone, and beer. I knew better than to flatter myself over Liam’s seemingly protective behavior.
I hugged Daisy goodbye and whispered in her ear to behave herself. Daisy just winked and headed out of the bar with Seth. Liam picked up my purse and handed it to me. He looked somewhat embarrassed and uncomfortable. Could he be regretting his macho behavior?
“I need to ask Cole something. Do you mind waiting just a moment?” Liam asked.
I shook my head and watched him walk over to the bar where Cole was settling the tab with Zoey. Liam said something to his brother, and then leaned across the bar to say something to Zoey. She listened then looked over at me. I was starting to feel like there was a joke that I didn’t get.
Liam walked up to me and put his hand on the small of my back as he guided me past the booth where the man had sat, out of the bar, and onto the busy street. Since this was a college town, there were always groups of people moving from one place to another. Tonight was no exception.
We passed several clusters of loud partiers on the way to Liam’s truck. It was parked a couple blocks away from the restaurants and bars on a quiet, dark residential street. Liam seemed to be hyper-aware of our surroundings. Maybe he was really concerned about that guy jumping us.
He opened the passenger-side door for me, but his eyes never stopped roaming the street and shadowy yards. Once he was in the truck, he seemed to relax some, but not entirely.
I told him my address, and he seemed to know where it was, so I let my head relax against the seat and might have dozed off during the ride. It seemed like we were at my small home on Baker Street way too quickly.
I’d barely opened my eyes before Liam was opening my door and offering me his hand. Nothing weird happened when we touched this time, for which I was thankful.
Liam walked me to my front door. I had an automatic light sensor on the porch that turned on when it became dark. I unlocked my door and turned to thank him for the drinks and the ride home. When I looked up at him, my breath caught.
I may have been imagining it, but the look in his eyes seemed to be raw animalistic passion, and it made me want to melt into a puddle right there on my porch.
My mouth went dry, and my lips parted, but no words would come. Liam’s gaze was focused on my lips. He slowly lowered his head and our lips met, it was like someone threw lighter fluid on my flames.
I let my bag slide down my arm until i
t gently thudded onto the ground and then slipped my arms around his thick chest, revelling in the firm feeling of his muscles. I could feel his arms surrounding me possessively, and nothing had ever felt better. His mouth burned a trail of kisses down my throat and then back up to claim my lips once more. I felt like I was meant to be here, in this man’s arms for eternity.
What?
The strange thought was so foreign to me that it was like someone threw ice water on me. I gasped and pulled back, trying desperately to catch my breath and think clearly. I don’t know if Liam could see my blush, but I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks.
Liam seemed to be trying to get a hold of himself, as well. He was breathing like he’d run a race. After an uncomfortable moment of silence, he said, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”
“I was way out of line. I’m the one who should be apologizing. I asked to interview you, not attack you,” I interrupted him. “Maybe we can just forget this ever happened.”
Liam’s face looked conflicted in the porch light. “Be sure to lock your doors, Ms. Parker. Good night.” He turned so abruptly that I didn’t know how to respond, but I knew how I felt—regret, longing, desperate. His walking away felt so wrong that I had to bite my tongue to keep from asking him to stay.
I’d never had this sort of reaction to a man. It felt different, and that made me nervous and excited at the same time. I turned and went into my home that suddenly felt lonely for the first time since moving to Flagstaff.
7
I woke to the sound of upbeat music playing on my phone. I slapped at the offending noise, and it fell off my nightstand and onto the floor. Groping around the edge of the bed, I found it and shut it off.
My head felt like someone used it for soccer practice, and I wanted to pull the covers over my eyes and hide from the approaching day. Beyond the window, I knew it was still dark. I always rose before the sun.
Mornings were usually my best time of day, but a severe hangover was a sure way to cramp my normal rhythm. I wasn’t a big drinker, but I sort of knew I was having too much fun the night before. Or it may have been that Liam McKenzie made me nervous. It was usually me making guys nervous, not the other way around.
