Kiss of the Winter Moon

by Amanda LeMay

  “Lost the good sense his mother gave him to the pull of the moon there, huh?” Gunner had that slow, easy Texas drawl also, but the restrained growl that rumbled deep within his chest was something no human would ever have.

  And, yes, even humans sensed the effects of the full moon to a degree—some more than others.

  “Apparently.” Gunner’s last name struck me and I’d do anything to get off the subject of Bobby Sanders. “Bodolf? That’s an old name, isn’t it?”

  “Ancient. My ancestors were some of the first to come to America.” His eyes twinkled. “Along with the Maccons.” He smiled and nodded again.

  “Oh yes, I’ve heard the stories many, many times.” I didn’t know how they celebrated their heritage in the Comfort pack, but growing up in Albuquerque, sharing the legends of our ancestors was a yearly ritual that took place during the new moon two weeks before a Moon Dance celebration. Yes, Maccon was an old name and, luckily for me, opened a few doors precisely when I needed them.

  Gunner’s green eyes flicked up and focused at the front of the store. I caught the rise and fall of his chest as he inhaled. Yeah, how could I not notice his broad chest, massive shoulders, and bulging biceps? The male was a freaking mountain.

  “Are you ready?” He glanced at the grocery cart. “Your dad’s on his way in.”

  “Oh, yeah, I’m done. I was just gazing longingly at the nice leg of lamb over there.” I laughed as I took a quick glance back at the meat counter and, in the process, checked my canines with a hidden sweep of my tongue. Losing control while in public would have also been seen as a weakness, and if this pack were anything like the pack I’d grown up in, showing a weakness around humans was not tolerated.

  The first chance I had to get my dad alone, I’d find out what the hell was going on with Bobby Sanders. Asking Dain was out of the question. I couldn’t let him know I hadn’t taken his warning seriously enough.

  Gunner smiled, then glanced back to the entrance again.

  “And Dain...” He stood, looking puzzled for a second, then smiled, placed his hand on the small of my back, and gave me a nudge forward.

  My dad came through the entrance first, smiling and waving and shaking hands with people who passed by him. I raised my hand to catch his attention. Then Dain came through the doors, accompanied by a small group of fan-girls ranging in ages from, maybe sixteen to twenty, all jabbering, giggling, touching him, and looking up at him with dreamy eyes. I had the urge to gouge those eyes right out of their pretty faces.

  Mine.

  No matter how much I fought it, my wolf half had staked her claim. Where the word “mine” had come from, I had no idea. And that was a lie I told myself because I was too afraid to go there. To travel down that road would mean admitting something I wasn’t ready to confess. And right then, it was too inconvenient. I’d made a commitment—I had a plan, and I had every intention of sticking to it.

  “Nice to meet you, Jessy,” Gunner whispered close to my ear.

  An electric current shot through my spine from his warm hand as he broadcast his alpha power throughout the store. I gasped as goosebumps covered my skin.

  Dain’s head snapped up. A dangerous, straight line replaced the shy, confused smile he had been wearing for his admirers. When Dain’s answering growl rumbled through the air, my body flushed all over as the possessive sound waves vibrated through my muscles and bones, and settled in my breasts and between my legs, making me shiver. The air filled with wild, animal energy. Even the few humans in the store felt the strange static that surrounded them as they scratched the back of their necks or rubbed at their arms.

  “I see.” Gunner’s hand gently pushed me forward before it fell away.

  Dammit! What the hell did my dad and Gunner seem to see so clearly?

  Even though it stung to see girls fawn all over him, Dain had a life here before I ever arrived. And I wasn’t staying. I never even bothered to find out if he shared his heart with another female. And why wouldn’t he? He was cowboy-calendar gorgeous. Those sparkling garnet eyes, that smile, and those deep dimples could melt the hardest female heart and turn her to mush in his big hands. He was sweet and shy, protective and possessive—but not in a bad way. His reasons for not wanting Bobby near me had nothing to do with wanting me for himself. Bobby Sanders was evil. And as far as his reaction to seeing Gunner with his hand on me, any wolf would give an answering growl if provoked.

  Gunner stepped away, putting some much-needed space between us, but Dain’s gaze locked on me, pierced my heart with a heated glare. I lowered my eyes and stared down at the grocery cart. A strange numbness centered in my chest as I blinked away angry tears.

  My dad held out a wad of bills. “Here you go, baby girl.” I reached for them without thinking as he continued past me to chat with Gunner. “Gunner, how the heck are you?”

  I stepped up in line and pasted on a smile for the cashier as she ran my items over the scanner. Dain grabbed the few bags and stood silently, waiting as though I needed an escort. I hadn’t paid attention to where Bobby Sanders had disappeared to, so maybe an escort was a good idea.

  Dain and I didn’t speak as we crossed the dirt parking lot toward the truck. The silence between us hurt like a knife twisting in my gut. Even through the pain, the back of my neck prickled. The wolf inside sensed eyes on me—on us. More irritated than scared, I glanced around and saw no one.

  Dain mumbled, “He’s in the barn.”

  “Who?”

  He gave me a sideways glance. “Fucking Bobby Sanders.”

  I looked up, tried to read his expression, his body language. “Why are you so pissed?”

  He set the groceries down in the truck bed, braced his hands on the side, and hung his head between his big arms. His face was all but hidden beneath the brim of his cowboy hat.

  Heavy boots crunched through the gravel parking lot behind me and I glanced toward the sound, hoping it was my dad. It wasn’t.

  “Son of a bitch,” Dain mumbled.

  Another wolf. A male.

  Oh, great, just what I need.

  The sun glistened off the strip of bare chest framed by his unbuttoned shirt. A black cowboy hat shoved over shaggy brown hair shaded his light chocolate brown eyes and the big grin plastered across his face. The male shamelessly scanned up and down my body as if I were standing out there naked. I had enough problems as it was without another male wolf checking me out.

  The muscles in Dain’s face tensed as the male came even closer.

  “Hey, Dain.” His intense, woodsy pine scent broadcast his interest, a sure sign the full moon was close. “Who you got there with you?”

  Every unattached male wolf who caught my scent would be hard pressed to fight off the mating hormones flooding their blood stream at this time of the month.

  Dain’s head went up and without acknowledging the male, he opened the truck door and motioned me in.

  “Get in the truck.”

  I looked up into Dain’s hard stare. What the hell had I done to piss him off so much? Even though I had absolutely no claim on him whatsoever, I was the one who should be pissed off, instead of bewildered and just plain sad.

  But looking into those reddish-brown eyes and that handsome face, feeling the animal magnetism that naturally flowed off his body, and smelling his clean scent on the air—unless he behaved like a complete asshole, he couldn’t stop the girls from swarming all over him.

  “Is that Kern’s daughter?” The male came a few steps closer.

  Dain tilted his head, his features softening as he gently took my forearm. “Please, Jessy, get in the truck.”

  Full moon coming.

  All the males would be on edge.

  Without daring to make eye contact with the brown-haired newcomer, I let Dain help me onto the bench seat. Dain’s overprotectiveness was a little annoying, but I was smart enough to know it wasn’t the best time to bring it up.

  “Ain’t you gonna introduce me?”

  Apparent
ly this male didn’t catch the cue that Dain was in “protect” mode.

  I heard another set of boots crunch through the gravel, moving fast toward the truck.

  “Hey, Mr. Maccon, how ya doing? This your daughter?”

  “I’m doing fine, thanks, Seff. And yes, that’s my daughter.” Dad gave Dain a wordless nod as if he realized exactly what was going on.

  Both Dain and Dad climbed in the cab from opposite sides at the same time. Dad passed a heavy, oddly shaped, brown paper package to me as they closed their doors.

  “What’s this?”

  “Leg of lamb.” He smiled as the engine cranked over and roared to life. “Compliments of Gunner Bodolf.”

  Dain snorted and stared out the passenger window while we left Seff in the dust. Fingering the brown paper-wrapped roast in my hands, I kept my mouth shut and stared straight ahead.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  I HAD TO ADMIT IT, males looked freaking awesome in chaps. I had a photograph of this very male in chaps and it just didn’t give the full, 3D effect. Unfortunately, the male wearing them hadn’t spoken a word to me since we’d come back from the feedlot and grocery store.

  Whatever.

  And because I couldn’t help gazing at his perfect, leather-chap-framed ass, I stared all I wanted as he walked from the barn, across to where a chestnut horse stood tied, waiting to be saddled.

  The mare turned her face to Dain as he lifted the huge saddle over her back onto a multi-colored blanket he’d already put in place. He adjusted it this way and that, then reached under the horse’s belly and grabbed the cinch strap hanging on the other side. When he finished cinching up, he ran a hand over her neck, patted her gently, reached in his pocket, and gave her a treat he had hidden there.

  I leaned against the wooden rail fence and enjoyed the show of hard flexing muscle while I imagined how amazing it would be if chaps were the only thing he had on.

  Oh, yeah.

  And once again, the little fire below my belly button, that constantly smoldered whenever Dain was near, burned brighter, warmer.

  Dain glanced around, annoyed patience in the tilt of his head and squint of his eyes. I grinned and shrugged my shoulders. Sex on the brain. I’d blame it on the full moon. Yeah, it was three days away, but still, not my fault.

  Besides, I was done feeling hurt. Finished wondering what I’d done to piss Dain off earlier at the store.

  With his hands on his hips, he turned and faced me. The way those chaps framed him in front was equally amazing and totally sigh-worthy, which I did, because...damn.

  He cleared his throat as his hand checked his button-fly.

  Oh shit. A hot blush hit my cheeks because, yeah...nothing like blatantly staring at his jean-covered crotch and licking my lips, as if his male parts were hanging out for show.

  He readjusted his belt, turned, stuck a boot in the stirrup and was up on the horse with no effort at all. Suddenly, I wanted to giggle, touch him, stare dreamy-eyed up into his face, and beg him to take me for a ride so I could wrap my arms around him and never let go.

  Was that what he wanted?

  A mindless female who doted on him? Because, oh, I could do that, now that my brain was located somewhere between my legs.

  “Dain, go on, I’ll be out there in a minute.” Dad’s voice came from my right. He had a saddle in his arms and flung it carefully over the back of another horse that stood patiently waiting.

  Without a word, Dain flashed his gaze in my direction. The high pink color on his cheeks and down his neck had nothing to do with physical exertion. I’d done that. I’d stared at him like he was some breeding stud I’d throw a chunk of cash down to ride for one night, and embarrassed the hell out of him.

  Before I had the chance to apologize, he clicked his tongue, the horse picked up its feet, and he left me in the dust.

  “Baby girl, I want to ask you a question,” Dad said softly.

  With Dain out of earshot, my mind shifted gears quickly and easily went back to earlier that afternoon. I had questions of my own.

  “Dad, I’ve always heard wolves can sense inherent evil in humans.”

  “Yep. That’s true. What brought this up?”

  “That dickhead, Bobby Sanders, touched me today.” I shuddered all over.

  My dad stood motionless, his golden brown eyes burning into mine for a moment.

  “He did what?” The deadly tone of his voice was scary. He wasn’t asking because he didn’t believe me—more that he wanted to know the exact location where this touching had taken place.

  “While I was in the store. I swear I was going to vomit.” I ran my hands up and down my arms as the sickening sensation echoed through my stomach again.

  “Where?” He lowered his head, his canines bulging under his upper lip.

  “At the store when you and Dain were at the feedlot.”

  “That’s not what I mean. Where on your body did that human lay his hands?” He growled the words through clenched teeth as he waved a hand sharply up and down in my direction.

  “Oh—on my hand. Only my hand.” I rubbed my hands together, the same as I had when I’d returned to the house and practically run to the bathroom to scrub the sweat of Bobby Sanders from my flesh. “Why in the world would you think he touched me anywhere else? What? Is he a rapist or something?”

  “I’m not sure. I don’t know. Possibly.” He seemed a little shaken. “I should’ve warned you about that boy when you first got here.”

  “Dain warned me. He was pretty insistent that I didn’t let Bobby touch me.” I leaned my shoulder against the wooden rail, those few moments in the store flashing in my head. “I should have turned around, left the cart where it was and walked away, but I tried to shove past him and he grabbed my hand.” I shuddered again at the memory, the way his horrid flesh felt against mine. “There was an awful taste in my mouth and he felt like...death.”

  Dad stood there silent, not blinking or moving. The sun was low on the horizon, only an hour or so away from setting, but the glow reflecting in his golden eyes made them appear as if they burned from within. He took a deep breath and shook his head. His face softened as his canines receded and he looked away toward the direction Dain had ridden off.

  “I have had the misfortune to shake Bobby’s hand only twice since I’ve been here and I only did it a second time to make sure what I felt the first time wasn’t some fluke, and believe me, baby girl, I know exactly what you mean. That boy is some kind of sick psychopath.” He turned and carried out the same ritual as Dain had with the saddle, readjusting to get it right before cinching it up. “The pack knows about him, but he’s never been caught. Gunner and his brother, Ralph, think GW might be in on whatever Bobby is doing, but no one’s gone missing from Comfort or Kerrville since DJ hooked up with them about a six months ago. Unfortunately, ever since DJ joined up with those two, he’s been sporting quite a few injuries he always blames on getting thrown off a horse and, baby, if you’d ever seen DJ ride you’d know that is a flat-out lie. I’ve seen that kid ride in competition and he does not get thrown. Ever.”

  Dad crossed his arms over the top rail of the fence and looked out over the horizon.

  “From what Maygan’s told me, Bobby was this town’s golden boy while he was in high school and his daddy used to spoil the crap out of him. I’ve heard he and his dad had a falling out so instead of going off to Texas A&M like everyone thought he would, he ended up bunking out at GW’s family’s ranch.”

  He turned and looked at me, took off his hat, brushed his hair back then settled his hat back on his head before going on.

  “Maygan said that even though all the girls were madly in love with Bobby, he never seemed to have a steady girlfriend, just dated every pretty girl from here to Kerrville. Then, one Thursday night he and one of his dates didn’t come home and ended up not coming back for three days. Since the girl wasn’t part of the pack, and no sign or scent of them was found in or around Comfort, Gunner wasn’t too keen on lettin
g the pack get involved with the search. Well, when they showed back up, the girl’s parents took her straight to the Kendall County sheriff over in Bourne and accused Bobby of kidnapping and rape. Before anyone examined her, she changed her story and said she’d run away and Bobby was the one who found her and brought her home. Since she was eighteen, they couldn’t make her submit to an exam. She was a nice girl from a good home with no reason at all to run away and when they questioned Bobby, he told them the same run away story and of course, half the town made him out to be a hero. But Ralph Bodolf said when he shook Bobby’s hand, he felt the same thing you did today—death.”

  “What do you think? Do you think she was afraid of what Bobby might do if she turned him in?”

  “I have no idea, but that sounds about right to me.” He shook his head and leaned against the rail next to me. “Either that, or she went of her own free will and things got out of hand. Only Bobby and that girl know the truth.”

  “And did the sheriff ask Gunner to get involved?”

  “No, the sheriff’s not part of the pack. Gunner’s brother, Ralph Bodolf, is the pack lawyer and friends with most of the officers so he gets involved with the little bit of crime that does go on around here.” He smiled. “Two brothers, both strong leaders. Sometimes the sparks do fly around here.”

  “I don’t know what would have happened if Gunner hadn’t come along in the store,” I said, not realizing until that moment the situation could have gone from bad to really freaking bad.

  “You were lucky. Gunner may own the place, but he doesn’t spend much time there.” He laughed and shook his head. “That’s why he had his hand on you? So he was just protecting the pack.” He laughed again as he stepped up to his horse, slipped his boot into the stirrup and gracefully lifted his leg up over the saddle. “And that’s what has Dain in such a damned uproar.” He chuckled. “Well, that pretty much answers my question right there.”