by Terry Spear
He couldn’t believe someone as delectable as she was didn’t have a mate already. Unless she had lost him and the mention was troubling her. “Ready to have lunch? I think I can get us back in safely now.”
She laughed. “I just bet you can.”
He smiled at her.
“What about you? Have a mate?”
Her expression had turned impish. But he wondered—did she already know who he was? He would love to say something about being one of the most eligible bachelors around, just to judge her reaction, but he curbed the inclination.
He shook his head.
As soon as they moved out of what was left of the rip current and into the breakers, a wave hit them. Before they could react, the briny sea carried them both under. He instantly lost hold of her and panicked but broke to the surface to search for her just as she tumbled into him. Again, he grabbed hold of her, telling himself she needed his support or at least a way to stop them from banging into each other, even though it was more than that. As a wolf, she was damned intriguing, and he was determined to know her whole story. Was this a chance encounter or something more?
“You do know how to swim, don’t you?” Wolves normally did.
“Yes.” She paused in the surf and sneezed. “Sorry, some of the water went up my nose.”
“A hazard of playing in the surf.”
“But a fun hazard.”
He got the impression she meant because of his rescue. If she was perfectly innocent of any deviousness, he hoped he could get to know her better.
Letting go of her, he swam with her toward the shore. As soon as he reached shallower water where he could stand on the sandy bottom, he felt something slice into his foot, pain erupting immediately. Hell.
He dove and felt around on the ocean floor until he found a broken seashell half buried in the sand. He dug it out, came up out of the surf, and threw the shell out to sea as far as possible so no one else could cut themselves on it. He was instantly annoyed with himself for getting injured—not that he could have seen the shell or avoided it in the stirred-up water. Still, he was glad Jade hadn’t been the one to step on it instead. Lifting his foot to head in, he saw a wave headed their way and quickly grabbed Jade to rescue her. It pulled them both under, and they were washed ashore. Her soft, wet body was planted against his. His body was as hard as it could get.
For a moment, she just looked at him, and then she leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. “Thanks for the rescue. Again.”
Hot damn! He would suffer any indignity for another kiss like that.
She seemed to be going for just a short, sweet kiss on the lips, but he slipped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her down for something hotter, more wolfish, more of a thank-you.
For a second, she hesitated to respond.
“I’ve been injured,” he said, hoping for sympathy.
To his delight, she pressed her lips full on his mouth and their hot, wet bodies melded together, their pheromones spiking. The kiss was better than any he’d ever had. He hoped she was going to be here for a long time, because he definitely wanted to get to know the she-wolf better.
* * *
This was so wrong, and Jade hated the deception. She hadn’t planned to get herself sucked out to sea, and it would have been frightening if the hot wolf hadn’t rescued her. Rafe Denali. After missing her chance yesterday to run into him at the farmers market, she had been trying the beach again. She’d been here a number of times already, walking the shore in front of his palatial mansion on the cliffs and trying not to look as though she was checking out his place, but he’d never been out while she was here. She’d begun to think he never sat on his patio.
She’d tried to learn where he went during the day and at night so she could bump into him, but he must have done a lot of business at home, because she didn’t see him leave much.
This time, she’d spied two men lounging poolside, the water reflecting off the patio roof, and hoped one was Rafe. From the beach, she hadn’t been able to tell. She knew she had to do something, though she’d never intended to drown herself. Not when she had a young son who needed her.
She’d thought she’d play in the water so she could stay near Rafe’s house and maybe catch his eye. She’d considered leaving the water wet, her clothes clinging to her and showing off her curves a little—something she never would have done to catch a man’s eye if she hadn’t felt the desperate need to do so. With all her heart, she’d wished Toby was here—seeing the ocean for the first time, chasing the hermit crabs, wiggling his toes in the wet sand, and feeding the gulls.
She admired Rafe for coming out to rescue her and couldn’t help but be amused at the way he had continued to hold on to her.
But she reminded herself that nothing else mattered except fulfilling her mission so she could get her son back. She really hadn’t planned to kiss the wolf like that, not when her brother said Rafe devoured his competition whole. Her research had shown that Rafe had taken over a number of real estate ventures, including their grandparents’ business, a couple of decades ago, proving her brother’s claims were right. So what would Rafe’s brother do if he could wield the power over their longevity? And if not him, then how ruthless could Rafe be with that knowledge?
It wasn’t important. Getting her son back safely was all that mattered.
Chapter 3
Jade had to admit she’d enjoyed kissing Rafe way too much, considering where her priorities had to remain. But he was so wolfish and tan, and smelled enticingly of coconut oil, the salty water, and sea breeze. His skin was soft, but everything else was hard—his muscles, his arousal, his chiseled, gorgeous face—all except the cute little dimples that hinted at whimsical amusement. She shouldn’t have been enjoying any of it, but she couldn’t help it since she was a wolf too. His board shorts were a pretty design—a green wave over dark blue—and so molded to his package that she tried not to notice.
As soon as the waves pulled back out to sea, she moved off him. She couldn’t believe it when she saw his foot bleeding all over the wet, golden sand. She thought he’d been kidding about being injured.
“Ohmigod, Rafe.” She noticed his friend had left the beach, probably figuring Rafe needed some alone time with her. She could have used the friend’s help now. “You cut yourself.”
“On a broken seashell.” He was frowning as he sat up, propped his foot up on his other thigh, and examined the cut.
They had wolf healing genetics, which would make the cut heal faster, but not instantaneously. Instead of offering to take him up to his house—she didn’t want him to know she knew he lived there—she said, “I’ve got a car parked in the public parking lot, though it’s a hefty hike across the sand. We need to bandage your foot before you walk anywhere.”
The way he had come to her rescue, he was definitely an alpha male, so when he hesitated to say he lived up at the big house, she assumed he wasn’t sure he wanted her to know. She supposed women who knew how rich he was would throw themselves at him, trying to win him over or at least enjoy some perks until he tired of them. She had no intention of throwing herself at him. Well, any more than she had already. That certainly wasn’t her mission. And she’d never planned to go this far with him. It just…happened.
For now, she quickly came up with another solution. “I’ll run back to my car. I have a first aid kit in it. You just wait here, and I’ll be back as quick as I can.”
“No need,” Rafe said, catching her hand before she moved away from him. “I live in the house up on the hill.”
She was glad he’d told her the truth. Pretending she didn’t know anything about him was hard enough. She glanced up at the home on the cliffs. The stucco wall had a wrought iron railing and flowers in profusion. Loungers and colorful umbrella-topped tables covered the patio.
“You live there? Who with?” She hoped his brother lived there too. But Kenneth had said Dr. Aidan Denali lived and worked elsewhere. Some of their pack members had been w
atching Rafe since Aidan had taken their blood samples, and not once had Aidan been to the house. His mail wasn’t going there either. Rafe seemed to be the only one who lived there. Probably a staff person too, but her brother didn’t know. All he’d cared about was where Aidan lived.
“I’m the only one who lives here. Unless Derek is still up there,” Rafe said. “But he just visits. And my personal assistant, but he’s busy with other things at the moment. He has his own guesthouse connected to the main house.”
“Wow.” At least she wasn’t lying when she acted impressed. She hadn’t known he had a guesthouse up there too. She frowned as she helped Rafe to stand. “They better not be up there watching and not coming down to help.”
“They wouldn’t be. Unless they thought I wanted to be alone with you.”
She sighed. “No offense, but I’m way out of your league.”
He was smiling down at her as if he didn’t believe she meant it. Which she didn’t, but she didn’t want him to think his wealth intimidated her. Which it didn’t.
She slipped her arm around his waist, glad he wasn’t trying to be all macho and do this on his own. He was limping on the heel of his foot, attempting to keep the sole from touching the sand, which was impossible.
He was trying to pretend it didn’t hurt, but his wincing told her the truth.
“I have an outdoor shower up there for rinsing off, but just a spigot down here for washing feet to keep the sand off the stairs.”
They cleaned their feet, and then he punched in a security code to open the gate.
Climbing the stairs took forever. She wasn’t sure if that was because he wanted the closeness to last longer or if he really was hurting that much.
“No live-in doctor to take care of your injury?” She could have kicked herself for saying so afterward. She hadn’t been thinking of his doctor brother, just that Rafe was wealthy enough to have a complement of staff. Maybe he couldn’t find staff who were wolves.
“No. Just by myself unless…”
“Derek is still there. Or Sebastian was there.”
“Which I doubt. They would have seen the trouble and come to my aid.”
“I wish I could have carried you up the stairs.”
Rafe laughed. “If you’d stepped on a shell and I carried you, that would be heroic. You carrying me?” He laughed again.
She smiled, thinking just how funny that would look.
When they reached the patio and she saw the aqua-blue pool, she wished Toby could be here. The two of them would jump right in. It looked so inviting. How could anyone live like this all by himself? A huge pack could live here and enjoy the place.
Maybe he was a growly, disagreeable wolf and no one was interested in him. Then again, probably no one knew he was a wolf.
“Why don’t you sit on the bench and I’ll wash you off, and then, well…” She really didn’t want to run into his house to find a first aid kit when she didn’t know him or where he kept anything. And she was just as sandy and wet as him. Not to mention that washing him off would be a lot more intimate than she wanted to get.
“We can rinse off, then we can go in, and I’ll get the first aid kit. You can find something for us to dry off with in that chest over there.”
Aside from towels, she also discovered a stack of towel robes. She grabbed a couple of each and carried them over to where the shower spray was running all over his glorious body. She couldn’t help but watch with fascination—the sight was just too mesmerizing not to enjoy.
“So what made you come here on vacation?” he asked.
She slid her gaze from his glistening torso. “I did an Internet search and found a bed-and-breakfast near here. I was dying to spend some time at the beach.”
“What do you think of the area so far?” He carefully stepped out of the open-air shower, which featured a privacy glass-block wall on the beach side. He grabbed a towel off the bench and dried off. Then he pulled on a robe and drew it around himself, cinching the belt before he sat down to wait for her.
“I love the beach. I just didn’t realize how easy it was to drown yourself. I’m used to lakes.” She pulled off her shorts. The one-piece bathing suit she was wearing was one of her creations, though she wasn’t sure she would offer a swimsuit line. But she loved the suit. Even though it was a one-piece, the front had a lot of see-through crocheted netting; the top and bottom were bikini-like; and the thong backside was cut high on the cheeks to add to the sex appeal. She’d been wearing shorts so she wasn’t as exposed to the crowd. As she showered, she felt sexy and self-conscious at the same time, mainly because of her wolfish audience and the way his tongue was dragging on the patio.
She wished she could strip off her bathing suit and rinse the inside because she still felt sandy.
“I think you would have been okay if you had just relaxed and didn’t try to swim in against the current. If I had known you were a wolf, I would have thought you were strong enough to make the swim on your own. Believing you were human, I couldn’t take the chance.”
Yet when he’d learned she was a wolf, he still hadn’t let go. “Thanks, Rafe, for saving me out there.”
“Hey, you saved me too, remember.” He held up his foot.
She sighed. “Yeah, but that wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t come to my rescue. Let’s get this taken care of before you need hospitalization.”
He just laughed.
* * *
Rafe didn’t believe Jade’s story. Not exactly. He wanted to. He was tired of being wary of people’s motives related to his wealth and power. Just once he’d like to meet a she-wolf like her who wasn’t looking for a sugar daddy or a glamorous lifestyle. But it was too much of a coincidence that she’d happened to catch his interest when male lupus garous had been following him around.
He didn’t think she’d acted shocked enough that he owned the beach house, as he called it. He didn’t believe anyone as pretty as she was, and a wolf, would be here on vacation without having a pack member with her. And he didn’t think she would have picked this particular spot to vacation. Why not somewhere closer to where she lived? Maybe South Padre Island on the Gulf of Mexico, or Galveston. Why come all the way to California?
Why come to where a billionaire wolf happened to live and potentially drown herself in the ocean right in front of his house? He hated that he couldn’t believe she was here by coincidence.
He would continue to talk to her, to learn more about her. If she hadn’t been so intriguing, he would have sent her on her way. He really was curious to see if she had some devious plan in mind. In the meantime, he’d have one of his men learn all he could about her.
If he hadn’t been so interested in her, Rafe would have left her on the beach and taken care of his injury on his own. But he enjoyed seeing her so concerned and willing to take care of him. He hadn’t had anyone do that for him since he was a boy.
Unless someone wanted money for the service.
The first aid kit was in his master bath. He led her into the bedroom, then motioned to the seating area. “I’ll be right back.” Instead, she walked over to the french doors to observe the view from the veranda.
“Be right back.” He was still annoyed about cutting his foot. He’d wanted to walk with her down the beach to the Crab Shack, even though it was two miles south of where he lived.
He heard the french doors open, and when he returned to the bedroom with kit in hand, he saw her standing at the railing, looking out to sea, the wind sweeping her damp hair around. In that instant, as he walked out to join her, he really hoped she was there without any ulterior motives.
“About lunch…” he said, taking a seat and putting the first aid kit on the table.
“Here, let me do that.” She hurried over to sit opposite him and lifted his foot onto her lap. She retrieved supplies from the kit and cleaned the wound with care, then dried it and bandaged it, the intimate gesture filling him with a strange longing.
“So about lunch…
I had thought we’d walk along the beach,” he said.
“You can’t until your foot heals up.” She tucked the rest of the supplies away and set the kit aside, his foot still on her lap.
“I can drive us there.”
She sighed. “The reason I wanted to go there was that I’d be sandy and wet and…” She shrugged. “They have a patio for the bathing suit crowd, but I don’t want to mess up your car.”
“I can change into something dry. I’ll throw on some sandals and a T-shirt. And we can take a couple of towels for you to sit on in the car. We could drop by your bed-and-breakfast, and you could get a change of clothes. Or just go as is. It’s up to you.”
“‘As is’ is fine with me. I’ll just sit by the pool until you’re ready to go.”
“Okay. Be ready in a jiff.” He had a meeting this evening with an interior decorator about one of the homes he wanted staged before he put it on the market, but he wasn’t letting this opportunity go if he had a chance to spend more time with Jade. He’d ask his personal assistant to take care of the meeting.
As soon as Jade returned to the pool still wearing one of his towel robes, Rafe texted Edward Manning, an ex-Navy SEAL who served as a bodyguard and as whatever else Rafe needed that required muscle, intelligence, and finesse.
Rafe texted: Got a job for you.
Edward texted back: Yeah, Boss?
Need you to check out a woman for me. All I have is her first name, Jade. She’s here now. I just want you to learn all you can about her.
No response.
Edward?
Yeah, sure, I’m on it.
We’re going to the Crab Shack in just a few. Then I’ll drop her off at her car sitting in the public parking area. You can take it from there.
Will do.
Rafe had never had Edward check out a woman for him. He could just imagine what the lone wolf was thinking about that.
