Wolf Protector Matchmaker

by Laura Wylde

  “Do you think you can get these artifacts appraised and then sold by tomorrow? Maybe you can get them appraised this afternoon and we can sell them in the morning?”

  I sounded a bit hopeful, but I knew that was pushing it. I was just worried about something happening to her brother and knowing that she wouldn’t be able to forgive me if something did happen. She had already said as much and even though she had been worried about her brother, she had taken the time to let me know that she was disappointed in me as well. I think that was far worse than anything anyone had ever said to me before. For her to say such a thing, it really upset me. I was determined not to let it happen again.

  Anna tried to call her friend at the auction house, but he didn't answer and she was a little concerned about going home.

  “We will just have to keep calling and take care of it as soon as we can.”

  “So where am I supposed to go?”

  “You're going to come back to my apartment of course. It's not much, but there is plenty of room and a nice spot next to me in bed.”

  She looked away for a moment and the shyness was back. That was strange, considering have intimately we knew each other, but that was just part of her charm. She made it really easy to forget there was so much between us. It also reminded me of how much more she needed to know. How could I possibly deny her?

  “This is nice.”

  “You don't sound too pleased.”

  “No, this is actually exactly what I thought it would be. It's like your bachelor pad.”

  “Yeah, I guess you could say it was something like that.”

  “Well, I like it.”

  It was actually weird having her here. I didn't dare tell her the truth, that no other woman had stayed here before. She was to be the first and I didn’t know how to feel about it.

  She we're still limping from the cuts on her hip, and even though I had been shot twice, I was already healing up rather nicely. It was one of the many benefits of being my kind. It took a lot to take us down and we healed so much faster. It was going to take Anna time.

  “Looks like you need a shower and some hot water on your muscles.”

  She smiled at me. “Is it that obvious?”

  I shrugged. “It looks like you have had one hell of a day and night.”

  Anna agreed that a shower sounded nice.

  When it came down to it now, she held off, telling me that she would wait a little while.

  “You just said that you wanted one.”

  “Yeah, but I know it sounds strange, but I would feel guilty. Knowing that my brother was with that horrible man and I'm here soaking in a tub. That doesn't sit well with me.”

  The innocence was hard to fathom, I was almost not believing, if I didn't know that she was being for real. How many girls pretended to care, but they really didn't in the end. That was not the way Anna was at all. Just one more thing to admire about her. There was something to be said about a woman that was clear about what she wanted. It made life a lot easier.

  I went and started the tap for her and even that hurt my system. I was just helping her prepare for a bath, but my mind was on her naked body in it. I wanted to take advantage of the situation, really any situation where she was naked. The best thing that I could do was just to give her some space, right?

  I left and it was painful. Later on, I heard her calling me from the bathroom. The water was off I had to imagine that she was already in it. The water was pretty dirty when I got in there, just a part of running around in the woods with me.

  “Did you need something?”

  I was trying very hard not to look at her naked body that called to me.

  “Will you help me wash my back? I can’t seem to get it, and I know that it is probably covered like the rest of me.”

  I told her that it wasn’t so bad, but also that I had no trouble helping her out. I was taking in her naked form and this time it was under really good lights. I could see everything, and it was hard for me to take it all in, and not want to get in there with her. I wanted to touch her, taste her. Washing her back was probably one of the very last things that I had on my mind at the moment. What was Anna doing to me? Even in this state, I couldn’t think of anything sweeter.

  “Do you really need my help, or are you just messing with me?”

  She tried to pretend like she was hurt, but we both knew that she wasn’t.

  “Why would you think that I was messing with you?”

  “Because you haven’t mentioned your hip until now. I guess if it was really bothering you that badly, you would have said something.”

  “I just didn’t want to be that person.”

  She turned her back to me, so I couldn’t see her face, but I could have sworn that I saw a devilish grin before she did. Was she messing with me? I decided that I should do it back and kiss her from behind, wrapping my arms around her and licking, sucking on her neck.

  “You taste incredible.”

  She waved me off. “No, I don’t. I probably taste like dirt.”

  “See, that’s how much I want you. I don’t even care.”

  “If you want me so bad, why don’t you get in the bath with me? You can hold me for a while, and we will see what happens.”

  “What about your hip? I thought it was hurting and I don’t want to make it worse.”

  “No, I think it will be fine.”

  A minute ago, she was practically convalescent, yet now she had changed her tune. I wanted to laugh about it, but I didn’t think that Anna would take that very well. I didn’t want her mad at me, but I had a feeling that she was going to be.

  Not wanting to get on her bad side, I did the only logical thing that I could think of. I shut my mouth and started taking off my clothes. She didn’t have to tell me twice.

  We drained the muddy water and filled it up with hot bubbly water. Anna still had a look of innocence, but it was changing fast. As soon as I got in, she was in my arms, against my body and securely on my mind.

  16

  Anna

  I had to basically kick Connor out of his own bathtub. He had told me that we were supposed to be calming down, but that obviously wasn't what was on his mind. No sooner was I in his arms, than his touch was all over me and it was hard to pay attention to anything. I think that was the point, trying to distract me and when his hand between my legs reminded me how sore I was, I pushed him away and went to the other side of the tub.

  “You have to leave.”

  He had this strange look on his face, like I’d lost my mind or something, but I hadn't. I was going to if he didn't stop touching me and I actually did need to calm down a little bit. I don't know if Connor was used to this sort of thing on a regular basis, but I wasn't. This was a bit more than I could handle. It was a bit more than I think anybody could handle. Why was I so convinced, that I even knew remotely what I was doing?

  After Connor left, for a few minutes I felt relief. I got to get back into my mind without all the thoughts and feelings that came with Connor when he was around. It was what I needed. There was so much going on, so much to process and there was still all this guilt to get through. It was so thick and deep, that charging through it was actually exhausting.

  Dealing with people like Vincent and all of the trouble that came with it, made me wonder if I even wanted to be an archaeologist anymore. It had always been something that I wanted to do my whole life. That might sound a bit cheesy, but it was true. I had always loved the idea of looking into the past and trying to piece it together from the few clues that were left. It had always been fascinating to me. That was true until Vincent and his goons chased me in the woods, shot at me and then took my brother.

  Ezekiel. I couldn't even imagine how upset he was, what was going through his mind. Most likely he was not going to forgive me either. Depending on the situation he was in, well, any situation that he was in made me feel an immense amount of sorrow and personal responsibility for it.

  My head was spinning. M
aybe being alone and thinking everything through was not the best cause course of action. It was actually making things worse. I was starting to think of new problems that I hadn't even been able to process yet. Great. Just what I needed, more things to worry about. It was quite ridiculous how easily I was sucked into it.

  I laid around in the tub for a little while, until Connor came to check on me again. He still had not got dressed and this time it was a little bit harder to ignore his coaxing to get into bed with him. I wanted to, badly and, the only way that it was going to work, was if I just went with it. It was a lot easier that way.

  When we got into his bedroom, I didn't say much and neither did he. Both of us probably had more than a few things on our mind. It was impossible not to after the shared experience that we’d had. It was far too crazy to be anything else, but one of those scenarios that was never forgotten.

  “So, you want me to sleep in here with you?”

  “Yeah, but I doubt we're going to be getting much sleep.”

  He was straight to the point, and that was something that I admired about him. I always knew what he was thinking and feeling, because he was just straightforward about it. It would've been a lot different if he was a secretive as I tried to be. I needed transparency.

  He talked me into taking off my clothes to get more comfortable and as soon as he slid into bed, I knew that it was a huge mistake. Comfort was going to drive me crazy, although it was not hard to imagine that was his point.

  Since he had given me a little show while I was in the bathtub, I thought that I would do the same with him. The end result was completely different though. He did not look happy about it.

  Instead, he had this hard look on his face when I finished, as he was getting up to walk towards me.

  “Are you okay?”

  He agreed, but barely looked at me, as he pulled me to the bed and quickly covered me with his body. It felt great, but it wasn’t at all what I’d wanted. I had this playing out in such a different way.

  “I need you now Anna, but I’ve already been given what was promised. Can I have you again?”

  He was asking me if I wanted him and that was probably the best time to ask me. I was horny as hell and anything would have sounded good this time around. I just wanted him inside of me, somehow making me feel like it could really work out.

  Then again, once he got close, and then pushed in deep, I couldn’t think of anything. My whole world for those few hours, were all about him and no one else. I wanted him all to myself and when I got it, it was a bit overwhelming and definitely made me sore to the touch, but I had no regrets.

  17

  Connor

  It was almost midnight before Anna finally went to sleep. She was having a hard time doing so and I didn't blame her. There was a lot going on lately.

  I had to make sure that my wolf form was okay, and I got up after she passed out after lovemaking. The shot to my leg was while I was shifted and it still kind of hurt a little bit. I didn't know what exactly they had shot me with, so I needed to make sure that I was alright.

  I shifted into my wolf form and went outside for a few minutes, running around and testing my body parts. My leg was still hurting, but it seemed to be working just fine. I was running fast as I had before.

  I was just getting back in, and I went to go check on Anna. At some point, my Wolf had decided that she was the one. In all actuality, I had known that since the first moment I set my eyes on her. It was hard not to know that and I needed to be assured a lot, that she was safe and secure.

  The idea was just to get in the room, check on her and get out. I didn't want to stay and I didn't want to wake her up. I just needed to eyeball her. Every time I turned around, Anna was into some kind of trouble. It seemed to follow her.

  There was a gasping sound as I walked in. My wolf form just barely fit through the doorway and when I looked back, I could see that Anna was staring at me again. Her eyes were wide and if I didn't know any better, I would think that she was still afraid. Why did that get me so much?

  There was a tense moment where I looked at her and she looked at me. Neither one of us said anything.

  “Are you coming to bed?”

  She said it on sweetly and she was patting the side of the bed. I don't exactly know what it was that she wanted, but I started to move towards her and she moved over in the bed. The truth was I couldn't fit in the bad, not in Wolf form. It was too big, and I didn't want to break it.

  So, I went to the other side of the bed and she started to pat my head, her fingers running through my fur. It was a strange sensation, her hands timid and unsure of themselves. I of course, was loving every minute of it. I had been so afraid that she was going to fear that side of me, because of what happened in the woods. I was so thankful that she was going to give me another chance. I really needed another chance.

  When she was done and it was clear of that, I turned back into a human form and got into the bed with her. She immediately started kissing me and if I didn't know any better, I would think that she was extra turned on. Anna was liking the wolf.

  It took no time at all for me to get her body wet and ready. For someone who had no experience, Anna was always what is ready for me.

  We stayed in bed the rest of the day and the next morning we went to go see her friend at the auction house. It was a bit nerve wracking, because I didn’t know the guy. I don't know if he was attracted to Anna, or what it was. As soon as I met him though, I knew that that worry was a thing of the past. This guy did not want Anna.

  He did a quick assessment of the artifacts and was particularly excited about the coins. The older man went on and on about how it was going to change history. I don't think it was that impressive, just a few coins after all, but it was going to prove a civilization existed, that they weren't really sure about. I didn’t care about any of it, just that she got the money, so we could take care of Vincent. If she was happy, I was happy.

  It was only an hour before, that her friend Jeffrey had given her an assessment. He seemed rather excited about it, even more excited than Anna was, though I could see why she wasn't so enthused with the whole situation. She had gone through a lot to get it and I can imagine that she thought that it wasn't enough. I know that I would believe that too, especially considering most of the proceeds was going to go to Vincent. That had to be a hard pill to swallow.

  Not only did he help her with finding out the price, but he also put her in line with a buyer. It wasn't even late afternoon, before she had a rather large amount of money in her possession. While I had to wonder what she was going to do with it, there was no question in Anna's eyes.

  When I asked her about it, she gave me a dirty look. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, what are we doing?”

  “I'm going to get my brother. Of course. Nothing else matters.”

  She looked upset, like really upset and I hoped that she would forgive me for my words. She had to understand though, that I didn't give a crap about her brother. The only reason I did, was because she cared about him, but at the end of the day, she was the one that I was supposed to keep safe. She was the one that I loved.

  I tried my best not to say how I really felt about it. I think she knew, probably too much and we didn’t talk much on the way over to see Barrows. When you had to go see him in his mansion, because that's where her brother Ezekiel was.

  I didn't like the setup at all. Not only did Vincent know who I was and what I was, but he also had resources available, that I didn't want to think about. He had hired three guys to go after her, how much harder would it be to hire a few more?

  I made a quick call as we pulled up in front of the mansion. It was a call that I hoped I didn't have to use, but one that I just might have to. It might just be our saving grace.

  She looked over at me and asked me if I was ready.

  “I am with you wherever you go Anna, like I said last night, we are in this for life now.”

  She smiled
at me, but I could tell that she was still confused. It will take time, but soon Anna would understand what I meant.

  18

  Anna

  “You have every dime back, plus an extra twenty percent. Why are you even asking me about it?”

  “Because, I want to know what those artifacts were and how much you cleared. We’re business partners.”

  I just had to shake my head. Of course, it wasn’t enough for him. He obviously didn't understand how things worked or maybe it was me that didn't. I had not seen this coming, but Connor had. He said that there was no way the man was going to let me walk away with any money in my pocket. I had thought that he was just saying that, because he didn't understand the situation, but it turned out very quickly, that I was the one that didn't understand the situation. I looked over at Connor and I could say to his credit, that at least he didn't say anything to that. He didn't say, ‘I told you so’, which I’m sure he wanted to.

  “I cleared well over a million, but it’s none of your business. We aren’t partners. You’re paid and this deal is done.”

  It just came out, pouring out really, and I think I wanted him to know that I had more money than he was getting. It obviously was a stupid idea, or some kind of rebellion inside of me that I couldn't stop. As soon as I said it though, I knew that I made a mistake. He looked at me practically foaming at the mouth. This was the guy that was literally all about the money. I don't know why, but it actually seemed tiresome to me. The old man that I had been afraid of for the last couple of months, just look like an old man now.

  “There's no way I'm giving you any more money. And I'm also not working with you anymore, you have ruined me on the whole field.”

  He started to threaten us and I just shrugged it off. He was just pathetic at this point and I felt anger instead of fear. I couldn’t understand why he couldn’t chalk it up as a good day and just leave.