Awakening: Montana Wolves, Book 2

by Chloe Cole

  Which was good enough for Chandra. The alpha’s new mate had proven to be a fantastic addition to the pack and already Chandra trusted her more than she had most of her old pack, who’d she’d grown up with. It was a testament to Liam that he’d found a woman as morally grounded as he was and had molded his pack to be. If she made a promise, she’d do her damnedest to keep it.

  Chandra let out a breath and tipped her head in thanks. “Great. If something changes, I’ll let you know. I’ve got to run out and do some errands, though.” And hopefully catch a rat while she was at it. Speaking of which… “Hey, is Liam around?”

  The security cameras and recordings were kept in the alpha’s office, and she was dying to get a look and see if Amber had truly left when that taxi had arrived. At the same time, she didn’t want to call attention to Jax’s overnight indiscretion. If something was truly wrong, she’d have no choice, but there was no point in putting him on Liam’s bad side yet. Jax was overrun with guilt as it was, and the last thing she wanted was to add to his burden. No, she’d check it out herself and if she sensed a bigger issue, she’d go to Jax directly.

  Luckily, of all the scenarios Chandra had run through, the most likely seemed that Amber was feeling put off by Jax’s rejection. Maybe she couldn’t fathom why she’d been sent packing, unfulfilled, and had decided to spy on Jax a little to figure it out.

  Did that make the woman a little nutty? Yes. But was she dangerous? Probably not.

  “He’s working in his office. There’s an investment opportunity on Jade Lake and he’s obsessed with getting a boat now.” Amalie winked at her conspiratorially. “You know our boys and their toys, right?”

  Chandra forced a laugh, but her stomach churned. Was that going to be the thing, now? Couples jokes? Maybe she should’ve explained about the friends with benefits thing after all. She didn’t want Amalie getting her hopes up that it could be something more.

  Like you are?

  She pushed the subconscious thought aside abruptly and said a quick goodbye to Amalie before scurrying down the hall like her ass was on fire, hoping to avoid contact with the rest of her pack.

  If Jax had meant what he said, and wanted to keep it strictly sex, there was no point in letting anyone else in on their arrangement. Things got around, and the last thing she wanted was for poor Ryan to be affected by this. It would be terrible for him to get ideas about her becoming his stepmom, but it would be just as bad if he wasn’t ready to face the idea of his father moving on.

  Someday she’d have a family of her own, and, if she was lucky, a son like Ryan. One whose laugh would warm her from the inside out. And a mate who made her feel safe and special, and loved.

  A tingle spread from her chest as she recalled her time with Jax. Whatever happened, even if it ended tomorrow, she’d never forget it.

  She was halfway up the stairs when she caught it again…Amber's stale but lingering perfume. Chandra’s instincts went white hot, another stark warning that something was amiss. She wasn’t here anymore, that much was for certain. Chandra would smell her now that she’d tuned her senses to the other woman’s scent, but this couldn’t be ignored for even another second.

  She headed to her bedroom, on a mission to solve this mystery before she did anything else for the day. Snatching up her cell phone, she tapped out a quick Google search.

  The Naughty Kitty wasn’t far, maybe twenty miles away. She tapped her finger lightly on the case of her phone, mulling over her options. She hated to admit it, but Amber was too pretty to be relegated to the strip club’s afternoon shift. She had the face and body for prime time, so odds were, if Chandra went there during the day time, Amber wouldn’t be there. She could use the opportunity to ask around, see if there was anything strange about her, or if maybe she was a notorious weirdo stalker at least. Then again, if she waited until tonight, she could try to talk to the rat face to face.

  Decisions, decisions.

  She couldn’t get into Liam’s office right now, and the need to be doing something to get to the bottom of things won out. She washed up a second time, using a fair dose of mandarin orange body lotion to mask Jax's scent, before changing and jogging back down the stairs and straight out the door.

  When she arrived at The Naughty Kitty less than an hour later, she was stunned to find the parking lot half full. Granted, it was the weekend, but the concept that there were at least thirty grown men so impatient to see some naked tail that they figured noon was a good time to get out to the club was surprising to say the least.

  Note to self: If in need of fast cash, consider stripping.

  She shoved open her car door and stepped out, taking a deep breath of the crisp air. It was all going to be fine. Maybe she was being paranoid, but that was okay. Her pack was her family, and family was all she had. Better to be paranoid than caught off guard.

  She strode toward the door, smirking when she saw the sign hanging above it featuring a female cartoon cat with a Jessica Rabbit body encased in a bustier. Naughty Kitty, indeed.

  She stepped through the doors, conscious of her carriage. Time to look confident and comfortable. The fact that she was a woman alone would definitely cause some speculation, but she'd thought ahead.

  "Can I help you?"

  An attractive and well-dressed woman in her early thirties stood behind a podium in front of the door, smiling inquisitively.

  "Um, yes." She perused the space with interest, surprised for the second time by this establishment. The lounge area was actually really nice. What she'd assumed would be a tawdry dump with a lot of red velvet and gaudily made up chippies walking around with their boobs out was actually quite the opposite. It was dim, but very clean and glamorous in an old Hollywood sense. Wide, curve-backed couches, low slung tables, and a gorgeous, gleaming walnut bar gave it a ritzy feel that she was digging.

  The room was empty, save for her and a couple members of the staff, but she could hear slow, grooving music oozing through the curtains to the right.

  She faced the brunette, admiring her classic red lipstick and fifties-style dress before replying. "I was hoping to fill out an application.”

  To her credit, the hostess didn't even flinch. "Server or dancer?"

  Chandra glanced down and almost laughed. Her b-on-a-good-day cups weren’t exactly the kind men threw money at, but she was oddly flattered. "Server."

  "I will go grab you a form, and you can have a seat at the bar. Trudy will get you a drink while you wait."

  She sat down at the bar and a redhead in a tasteful but sexy corset top came over. "Hi there, I’m Trudy. You looking to bartend or cocktail waitress?"

  She hadn't thought that far ahead and shrugged. "I'm easy. Either or."

  "Adaptable. I like it.” Trudy gestured behind her to the array of bottles. “So what'll it be?"

  Thinking it would encourage girl talk, Chandra ordered a glass of Merlot, making sure to give Trudy a large tip.

  "This place is so nice, I've never been inside," she said, before taking a sip of her wine.

  Trudy's grin didn't waver and she nodded enthusiastically. "It's a good place to work, all things considered. Not what I imagined I'd be doing at thirty, but my student loans aren't going to pay themselves," she said with a good-natured chuckle.

  Her warmth made Chandra feel like a heel, but she'd come here for a reason, and it wasn't to make friends.

  "I hear you there. Hey, I have a friend who works here, actually. Maybe you know her? Amber Jansen."

  Trudy instantly shut down, and looked away, her face going pale. "Shit, I knew something was wrong. She’s been so strapped for cash lately, and all this drama with losing her house. I won’t lie, it’s been affecting her big time.” She paused and wrapped one arm around her stomach, eyes going wide. “God, she’s not dead, is she?”

  Chandra set down her glass, her pulse racing out of control. Jesus, what had she stumbled onto? “No, no, nothing like that. At least, not when I saw her this morning. What would make you ask t
hat?”

  Trudy’s shoulders slumped a little in relief, but she stiffened and backed away a moment later, hands held up in front of her defensively.

  “I don’t want any trouble. She…she was here with a weird-looking guy. Older. In his fifties. I overheard them talking money. I don't know what he was into, but he looked...off. Not right in the head. I told her when he left that she should watch her ass. I've seen those types before and they can get some strange ideas in their heads. I don't know if she kept the money or her date with him, but it definitely got me worrying about her."

  Chandra chewed on that information, considering her next move. Amber’s extracurricular activities had nothing to do with her or Jax, now that he wasn’t planning to see her again, but that didn’t make her any more comfortable about the situation.

  If Amber really hadn’t left when she’d pretended to, maybe jealousy wasn’t her motivation after all. Maybe she was so desperate for money that she’d seen the lux accommodations and decided to case the joint? If she planned to rob them, she was in for a rough go of it. Wolves were territorial by nature and her pack wouldn’t take kindly to a human trying to steal from them.

  She opened her mouth to ask another question, but Trudy’s chin was raised and she looked like she was done talking. In fact, she was already moving away, suddenly eager to polish the glasses on the other end of the bar.

  Chandra plucked another ten dollar bill and a business card from her pocket and left them on the bar before sliding off the stool and standing.

  "I appreciate it more than you know, Trudy. If you think she’s in trouble or want to tell me anything, call me. I promise she'll never know that we talked.”

  By the time she got back to the house, the anger she'd felt that morning had softened, mixing with confusion and something else she didn't want to feel toward Amber.

  Sympathy.

  She couldn't afford to feel sorry for someone who might be a threat to her pack, no matter what the circumstance. Later that night, once everyone had gone to bed, she’d see if the security tapes shed any light on things. Hopefully, they’d show nothing out of the ordinary and she could forget all about Amber Jansen.

  If not? Well, she’d handle it.

  And then Amber Jansen would truly be in need of some sympathy.

  Chapter Six

  As Jax entered the house with Ryan following behind, he still had a bounce in his step from his morning activities. His time with Chandra had been amazing, and he was seriously hoping they would be able to go for round two later that night.

  He tried to remember the last time he’d felt so good. Before Sara had died, for sure. His heart clenched in his chest at the thought, but it was quickly replaced by a bittersweet warmth as he turned and looked at their son. Ryan resembled his mother so much. Had her gentle way and soft, kind eyes.

  As he gazed at his boy, something inside Jax clicked with enough force that his knees nearly buckled. He’d been so caught up in his own pain and guilt that he’d missed something vital. It didn’t matter if he had to look at Sara’s picture to remember exactly what she looked like because the best part of her would be with him forever. It was right in front of him all along.

  His throat burned and he cleared it with a gruff cough.

  “Whatcha looking at?” Ryan asked, his cherubic face squeezed into a frown.

  “Just you, Buddy. You look so much like your mom sometimes.”

  Ryan’s regarded his father warily through blue eyes. “I thought you didn’t want to talk about her?”

  His gut churned at those words, but he pushed forward. It was a new day, and there was no point in dwelling on his past mistakes. All he could do was make today better than yesterday, for both him and his son.

  “Yeah, well, that’s going to have to change. See, it was hard for me to talk about your mom after she died because it hurt so much. But I’m thinking maybe it’s time we start. What do you think about that?”

  Ryan looked thoughtful for a moment. “Yeah. Yeah, I think it’s a real good idea, because I don’t want to forget her, you know?” At the end, his voice clogged with tears, and Jax knelt before him and hugged him close, ruffling his mop of blond curls.

  “We won’t forget her. We’ll never forget her. I’m sorry that I haven’t wanted to talk about her, and I am so sorry that my own sadness kept me from seeing how much you needed to. But I promise to do better, okay?”

  Ryan nodded earnestly and wiped his tears away with a fist. “Okay.”

  “Now, come on, let’s go get some hot chocolate and take it upstairs. We’ll get a bunch of pictures from the attic and spread them out on the bed and talk about all those great years we got to spend with your mom. Did you know that, when you were a baby, you were so small we used to give you baths in the sink?”

  The boy’s laughter skimmed over him like a song as they talked. And for the first time in almost a year, he felt truly, honestly happy.

  A few hours later, Ryan had gotten his fill of dad time and bolted off to the family room to play video games with Billy. Jax made some business calls, but after only a few, found his thoughts returning again and again to his shower partner. She was never far from his thoughts lately, now more than ever.

  He set his cell down and went in search of her. Why deny himself the pleasure of her company just because they made an agreement to keep things easy? Hanging out for a while before dinner didn't have to be complicated. Hell, they'd done it plenty of times before they'd ever spent time together naked.

  "Have you seen Chandra?"

  Amalie sat on the great room floor, dozens of nature shots splayed out before her. "Hi to you too," she said with a grin. "I saw her earlier, but I was out most of the day. Did you check her bedroom?"

  The question was innocent enough, but the gleam in her eyes when she said it had him stopping in his tracks. "Not yet. If she's behind closed doors, she's probably busy."

  Like the rest of the pack, Chandra held a position within their real estate development corporation. She was on the business side of things with he and Liam, and spent at least a few hours every day both online and on the phone getting information about zoning and permits. She also worked closely with Billy and Maggie and the rest of the crew on getting construction timelines together. All in all, she was great at her job, and an integral part of making things run smoothly, so he hated to interrupt her if she was working, but it was the weekend.

  And you're already making excuses to be with her more than normal. Down boy.

  He focused his attention back on Amalie, who was still watching him with a bemused smile. He opened his mouth and then let it snap shut again. If she did know something, even if he asked, she wasn't going to tell him. Girl code and all that. And if she didn't know something, he'd be telling her something just by asking. He played it safe and backed out of the room with tip of his head. "Catch up with you later."

  Amalie called after him as he took the stairs two at a time. "No hurry. Dinner won't be for another hour or so."

  He approached Chandra's door and knocked twice in rapid succession. A friendly, uncomplicated knock if he'd ever heard one.

  "Come in."

  He stepped into her room to find her on all fours, folded into an upside down, contorted V-shape. "Jesus, are you okay?"

  She scowled up at him. "Of course I'm okay. It's yoga. Down dog. I'm feeling tense and I thought it might help me relax."

  He considered telling her he knew a better way to help her relax, but managed to keep it to himself. If he wanted to spend time with her again, he had to make sure he kept their agreement in mind and break up the intensity of their sexual encounters with something lighter. Mellow, easy times, like friends did.

  At least, until later that night, when he hoped he could invoke the benefits part of their verbal contract for a second time.

  She'd changed again, and was rocking a pair of form-fitting yoga pants that did astonishing things for already spectacular ass. His cock nudged the zipper of his jeans
as she rolled gracefully to her feet.

  "Want to hang out?"

  She seemed to hesitate, but then nodded slowly. "Okay. And do what?”

  "We have an hour until dinner," he said, repeating what Amalie had told him. Carnal thoughts of the things they could do to one another in an hour rose to his mind and he pushed them away. "We could play cards, maybe? Or chess?"

  She turned and eyed him quizzically. "What about pool?"

  He laughed out loud then. Chandra was a notorious pool shark and never passed up an opportunity to trounce one of them when she got the chance. That was fine with him, he could take it. And if he got to ogle that ass a little when she bent to make her shots, well, that wouldn't hurt his feelings one bit.

  He led the way down the stairs, happy to note that whatever had been occupying her thoughts seemed to fade into the background as she talked shit to him.

  “Watch and learn, pal. School is officially in session," she announced, gesturing to the long, felt-covered table with a flourish as they stepped into the game room. "Should we keep it short and sweet, or should I give you a fighting chance?"

  He loved to see her like this. Confident, in her element. It made his blood go hot.

  Then again, he also liked to see her frazzled. Undone. A little nervous. "Short and sweet isn't really my bag. I like to take my time, and we already rushed through one thing today.”

  Her eyes went wide and she went silent for a full ten seconds before recovering. "Ha. Good one.” Her voice sounded tinny as she strode around to the back of the table and pulled out the rack. "Best of three, loser does the dishes tonight."

  They had a dishwasher, so that wouldn’t be much of a hardship, but he had better stakes in mind.

  "How about best of three, winner chooses the prize?" He hadn’t intended for his voice to go husky, or for his legs to carry him close enough that their bodies almost brushed.

  She took a step back and gave him the deer in the headlights look again, throat working as she swallowed hard.