Lana had enjoyed the tub in the guest bath late last night but this one made her positively drool. The image of her and Mad lolling together in it heated her body and made her yearn for things she didn’t yet understand. The possibility of coaxing him into sharing a bath with her made the wicked, naughty imp living in her brain jump up and down at the prospect.
When had she become so brazen?
Oh yeah, last night when Mad had held her, kissed her silly and told her in no uncertain terms that she was sharing his bed.
Wondering what other surprises he had in store for her, Lana watched as Ynez settled pretty bottles of bubble bath and bath salts into a dark-blue pottery bowl at the wide edge of the tub, then proceeded to group soft ivory candles here and there. It looked as if Mad had wicked plans to get to know her better.
Hmm. Not a problem.
That wicked, naughty imp whooped and hollered again and when Ynez straightened and turned to her with a sassy grin, Lana couldn’t resist smiling back.
Ynez laid a small hand over her heart. “Our Moon is a big strong alpha and he likes his pleasures. You are a lucky woman.” She eyed Lana thoughtfully. “But then, I think maybe he is lucky too.” Lana opened her mouth to speak, touched by this easy acceptance, but Ynez was on a roll. “Now, dress and come for food, señorita. You must eat. I’ve put a plate to warm in the oven. I am here two days each week so if you need anything, you ask Ynez. Sí?” An iPod was hooked to the waist of her skirt. Ynez reached down to grab the dangling earbuds, put them in, smiled and left the room, the words of a Spanish song on her lips.
Roughly an hour later, Lana headed downstairs wearing a pair of jeans, a white top featuring little red cherries and flat sandals. She found the kitchen easily, entering a large warm area with the scent of breakfast food hovering in the air. She grabbed a potholder from the side of the stove and reached inside to find the plate of food Ynez had mentioned. It was covered with a small towel.
Lana carried it to a large tile-topped table that sat near more French doors leading outside to a pool and patio area. It was a beautiful day. Feeling warm and sheltered, no longer on the run, she took a seat and uncovered the plate. Breakfast. Even midafternoon, it looked like heaven to her. She dug in to the heaping pile of scrambled eggs, crispy slices of perfectly cooked bacon and slathered strawberry preserves on two pieces of toast while she took in her surroundings.
Her home in Colorado was equally beautiful. It was an easy thing to admit. Rustic and tucked high in the mountains, it should have been a refuge, a place of peace and solace, but hidden among the expensive trappings lurked repression and a constant barrage of verbal abuse.
The atmosphere here was foreign yet so wonderful. Naturally if she was, in fact, meant to be Mad’s mate, then she expected to stay here. But what if he was wrong? Uncertainty paralyzed her, took her over, but she fought it back, struggling to think of the here and now rather than the future. Surely Anton and her father were looking for her. Not because they loved her, of course, but because she’d dare defy them. She pushed back her plate and walked to the window. It was then she caught sight of a piece of paper with broad, sprawling handwriting upon it lying on the kitchen counter.
Lana picked it up and read.
Sleep. You need it. If you get bored, head into Sweetridge. The pack is alerted to your situation so know you’ll be watched over at all times. I’ve put my cell number into your phone so call if you need anything and depend on Ynez to show you around. A pack member delivered your car here last night and your keys are hanging on a hook by the back door.
See you soon and be careful.
Mad
No mention at all of last night’s events, nor had he spoken of the throbbing magic that coursed between them. That stuff definitely demanded to be explored. Lana set down the note and shook her head. Silly. She didn’t know Madden Moon well but she was a quick study and he wasn’t the sort of man to wax poetic in a note. No, he was the kind of guy who said things straight out. She liked that about him. She liked a hell of a lot about Madden Moon.
Chapter Four
Touring the house on her own, marveling at the size, the space and the rustic, masculine décor, Lana recalled Mad saying he’d built it. If he’d done this through his own ingenuity then he was a talented guy. There was much to learn about the man who’d saved her life last night.
Feeling restless and having no idea when to expect Mad, Lana got in her car and headed down the winding country road to the interstate. Following road signs, she made her way into the quaint town of Sweetridge. Something about the place warmed her. Last night she had seen nothing but Joe’s Hot Griddle and the woods where she had spent some time running for her life. The trauma was over now and she’d gotten some sleep so exploring sounded like fun.
Main Street looked much like any other with rows of small shops that sold gifts, flowers, baked goods, clothing and antiques. Three or four stoplights ran the length of a street where small SUVs and pickup trucks cruised along at a leisurely pace. This was small-town life. After sliding into a vacant parking space, she tugged the strap of her purse over her shoulder, stepped onto the sidewalk and began to take it all in. Folks milled around, moving in and out of the stores, and it was easy to distinguish wolf from human by scent. Smiles greeted her from both species and she realized that towns like this shared much in the way of friendliness and acceptance.
Lana had lived a rural life too, yet she was most often surrounded by wolves who were so damn intimated by her father they tended to shy away from her. It was a lonely way to live and she yearned to put down roots in a place like this one. Acceptance. Love. Friends and family. She wanted it all, and who knew? Maybe this mate thing with Madden was real and true and one day he might even love her.
Now wouldn’t that be something?
Yeah, it was a really big dream.
Deep in her heart, she believed that even Madden Moon couldn’t protect her from her father once he managed to track her down, and he would. She’d never known a more powerful wolf. Anton Deville, the evil ass, was a close second. They wouldn’t stop searching until making her pay for her defiance.
Fear threatened her composure and managed to burst her little happy bubble.
Lana wandered up and down the sidewalks until she stopped at the door of a little coffee shop. Annie Pat’s Burgersseemed fairly packed even at this time of day. If they served fresh hot coffee, color her there. Pushing open the simple glass door, she walked inside and glanced around the big room. Obviously, kids liked to come here after school and they packed the place. Like wolves, they tended to roam in packs and at the moment they crowded into booths, stuffing their faces like the starving hordes. Taking it all in, she watched old-timers sitting on barstools at the counter talking of crops, oil production, high school football and the weather. Several folks smiled politely or tipped their heads as she made her way to an unoccupied booth.
A human approached and took her request for coffee. As the waitress headed off, the air in the room seemed to change as a tall, broad, very familiar man stood from a corner booth and made his way straight toward her. How could she have missed Mad? He frowned, dark eyes narrowed as he focused on her. Dressed for work, he wore a tool belt low on his hips, a dark-blue tee and jeans that fit his body to perfection. A logo featuring the words Moon Construction was emblazoned on his front breast pocket. He stopped beside her and bent low, effectively caging her in, and kissed her.
Every bit of air in the room evaporated as a sizzling awareness zipped between them and, though it might seem a relatively innocent kiss to others, the touch was rich with a sexual energy that had her nipples pearling tight against the cups of her bra. Sensation raced through her core and straight to her pussy. Her clit pulsed. All of this was new to her. Who knew that meeting a mate would affect her this way? It was wildly disturbing.
Mad broke the kiss, his lips curving into a sexy smile. “Glad to see I wasn’t mistaken about last night,” he whispered. “Look what you do to m
e.” When he straightened, her gaze zipped down the front of his body, pausing at the bulge behind the fly of his jeans.
Well now.
That certainly answered the burning question uppermost in her mind.
Oh yeah, the heat between them had gone from warm to explosive and sizzling in roughly a nanosecond and any thoughts they might not be mates quickly evaporated.
He sprawled across from her and she noticed the male wolves in the small diner watch them carefully before returning to their business. With that kiss he’d publicly staked his claim, warning the others to back the hell off.
How typically wolfie of him.
Men.
Mentally rolling her eyes yet secretly pleased, Lana thanked the waitress for the coffee, added cream and stirred.
“Don’t you look pretty. It’s nice to see you’ve rested.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever slept better or quite so late. Why didn’t you wake me up?”
He studied her face. “You needed to rest. I left the house early this morning and you looked so out of it I couldn’t stand the thought of waking you. Did Ynez show you around?”
Lana nodded. “She’s great and if she keeps shoving all that good food at me I’ll be fat as a little pink pig before too long.”
“I wouldn’t worry about that if I were you. You look mighty fine to me.”
If she hadn’t wanted to leap across the table and grab him before, she sure did now. The man certainly knew how to sweet-talk a woman. She barely knew him and already she wanted to run her hands all over his ripped body and beg him to take her for a long, hard ride.
What the hell had gotten into her?
Being in a public place had big-time drawbacks, so she kept the conversation to mundane things.
“What are you up to today?”
Mad folded his arms across his chest. “We’re working on a house in a new subdivision on the north side of town. I met with electricians and plumbers today and so far there aren’t too many glitches so it’s moving right along. You don’t really want to talk about construction though, do you?”
Nervously, she licked her lips. “I’m interested. Besides this isn’t really the best of places to discuss what happened last night.”
He reached across the table and took her hand, startling her with the suddenness of his move, then lowered his voice. “But we will discuss it further. And soon. You recognize the energy between us just as I do and I aim to explore it. This is a big deal, Lana. You don’t know how long I’ve waited.”
She could imagine because she had waited too, hoping the gods would be kind and send her a natural mate. The thought of forcibly mating with Anton and living in his particular brand of hell quite frankly terrified her. It was pure dumb luck that she’d met Mad last night.
Just then three men, all lycan, walked up and tipped their heads respectfully. Two of them she recognized from last night as they’d chased her through the woods. Instantly, she stiffened. They glanced at Mad and when he nodded one of them spoke quietly. “I’m Ted Smith, ma’am,” the middle-aged wolf glanced around, his voice carefully modulated not to carry to other patrons. Though the café was crowded, most sat at the counter, which was some distance away, giving them a bit of privacy. “I’m sorry about what happened out there. We weren’t chasing you but trying to stop the two young’uns. I promise we wouldn’t have harmed you. This is Harley Jones.” He motioned to the other man she recognized from last night.
“He’s right,” Harley added in a hushed voice. “We don’t hurt women and on behalf of the other fellas who ran with us last night, we apologize for scaring you.”
“Thank you for that,” she said. The regret on their faces was clear. A third man stepped forward and Mad introduced him.
“This is Lincoln Calder. He is my right-hand man.”
Lana knew from the proud stance of the tall, strong lycan that he was more than a right hand; he was next in line to be High Alpha of the Rogues should Madden not father a son. Testosterone fairly oozed from his pores. Intimidating. The dark, unsmiling man had intense brown eyes that surely held a secret or two. “I’m pleased to meet you, Lincoln.”
“Ma’am.” He looked at Mad. “See you at the site?”
“Yeah, I’m right behind you.” When the men left the diner, Lana watched through the big plate-glass windows as they got into their respective trucks and drove away.
“They’re impressive men,” she said, turning to Mad. “It was nice of them to apologize.”
“Good guys, each of them, and they’ll protect you with their lives.”
“Hopefully that won’t be necessary.”
He arched a brow. “Who are you trying to kid? Your father and that prick Anton won’t rest until they bring you home and teach you what happens to females who dare to run.” He paused when the waitress returned to lay the check on the table and inquire if they needed anything else. Once she’d headed off, he focused on Lana again. “How about we step outside so we can talk more easily?”
Lana nodded and, after Mad paid the check, they stepped into the sunlight, stopping a few feet from Mad’s truck. “I made a few calls this morning before I left the house,” he said. “Joe McKinnon, Alpha of the Wolf Creek pack out in West Texas agrees with me. We need to prepare for anything. Your dad won’t give you up without a fight.”
Everything Madden said was true. “The Snow Wolf pack is strong and Dad has a sizable army. I feel so badly about putting you in this position.”
“Forget about it. It’s more important to be right than to waste a second worrying about being outnumbered. The Rogues aren’t as numerous as, let’s say, the Wolf Creek pack. Cloverfield’s entire community is made up of shifters, where we are a human-wolf mix. When outside forces interfere, we don’t think twice about teaming up. Joe assured me that several members of his pack will be here soon to help us face whatever shitstorm is fixin’ to rain down.”
Never before had she felt so cared for or so protected—a novel experience. Lana was touched by it all and just hoped that when the time came to face Tomin and the others—all dangerous wolves—that no one would be lost. She didn’t know if she could live with herself if that happened. “You think Dad and the Snow Wolves will come soon?”
Mad’s face was grim. “Yes, I do. Even now they may be on their way but don’t you worry. We’ll be ready for them.
* * * * *
Roughly a week later, Lana sat outside by the pool, dragging a finger over the condensation on her glass of iced tea and watching water drops drift lazily in their descent. It was full dark now with only a small light from the kitchen beyond providing illumination. Shadows danced over the water in the pool and a breeze caused the potted hibiscus to sway, throwing their scents into the air. It was a shame she wasn’t enjoying the pool but she didn’t own a suit and with all the shifters running around the place providing protection for her, it probably wasn’t cool to skinny-dip, though it was mighty tempting. The night was hot and muggy and if she had a lick of sense, she’d be inside watching something on television or maybe even heading to bed early but she was just too restless. Madden had been mainly absent in recent days, having work that kept him busy until late every night. At first she’d wondered if he were avoiding her but she’d learned from various members of the Texas Rogues that Moon was facing a deadline on several construction projects. Work usually kept him busy until long after she’d gone to bed.
He’d been truthful about taking care of her though. She was never alone. At the moment, Lincoln was roaming the grounds, making sure no one who wasn’t pack encroached on Mad’s property. Earlier she’d asked him to join her for dinner in the kitchen but he’d declined so she’d taken him a plate heaped with food. Lincoln wasn’t a man comfortable with small talk so she’d left him alone to eat in peace.
As she did every night, she wondered if Mad might finish his work early and come home to spend some time with her. She missed him desperately. It seemed odd to miss someone she hardly knew and it
was stranger still to physically ache with each hour that passed without seeing him. If she hadn’t known before that they were meant to be together, it was certainly obvious now. Sexual tension threatened to strangle her each time he walked into the room but he never touched her that way.
He wanted her though. She knew it to her bones and suspected he was giving her time to come to grips with the mating heat that moved through the both of them. He wanted her rested and not stressed about the events that had brought her here in the first place. It wouldn’t be long now, she suspected, before they’d reach the point of no return. Each night he joined her in their big bed, long after she’d fallen asleep, and she’d awaken at some point to find they lay flesh-to-flesh, his hard cock pressed firmly to her backside. Oh yeah…he wanted her.
Lana wasn’t going to push the issue. She knew what she wanted but wasn’t about to beg for it. Snow Wolf blood ran through her veins and yes, her father was a domineering creep of the highest order but she’d inherited his stubborn, prideful nature. No, there would be no begging and if Mad wanted her, he would make the first move.
Rather than calm her, this little outdoor foray served only to emphasize her frustration so she carried her glass inside, set it in the dishwasher and headed upstairs. Once she’d showered and pulled a sleepshirt into place, she slid into bed. The shutters were cracked open slightly, illuminating Mad’s empty side of the bed. She reached out to stroke his cold pillow and finally closed her eyes.
Sometime later, she woke up to find herself still alone and when she checked the bedside clock, noted it was well after two. He should have been home by now. Thinking to check things out, she slid from the bed and made her way downstairs.
At the bottom on the stairs, she paused in the foyer then glanced toward the back of the house. She’d left the stove light on in the kitchen but when she saw a soft yellowish glow coming from the office, she headed that way.
Anticipation along with a major case of nerves swept her as she approached the open doorway and peeked inside. Mad sat sprawled in a chair behind the desk, looking over a stack of what appeared to be receipts, light from the computer monitor casting his face in partial shadows.
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