Wilde About Her (Wilde Pack Series)
Page 13
There was something very subtle in his voice as he replied, “I said you could say that.” I’m going to kill your boyfriend.
Her skin became clammy. She gasped, blinked and quickly lowered her head. When she looked up again, Diesel’s eyes were weird. Not only were they scary, but he was studying her as if he knew she could hear him.
“Well, let me know if you need anything else,” she muttered and turned. Denim was anxious to get away from him. She had heard his thoughts! Did he know? She hoped not. It would be very bad. Was Diesel also a shapeshifter? Goodness, she swallowed. And if he is, was she going to start hearing everything any of them was thinking? She sure hoped not.
Denim turned her back and hastily cleared the table beside his and started toward the front.
Denim, can I have some more napkins?
She swirled around. “Sure I’ll…” her voice trailed off as she realized his lips hadn’t moved, instead she had read his thoughts.
There was a smirk on Diesel’s face that was so wicked Denim bumped into a chair as she turned and hurried back to the counter.
“What’s wrong?” Quinn asked when she reached the counter. Denim sucked in a breath trying to calm down her racing pulse. He knows! How was it possible he knew? She had to talk to Jax and let him know. Maybe he would know what it all meant.
“Nothing I’m fine. Just feeling a little light-headed.” Her eyes traveled to the back. Diesel had reared back on the chair, and was staring at her. The look was sinister and chilling, causing the hairs on Denim’s body to rise. She stood shakily by the counter, her legs threatening to collapse.
“Order up!” The bell rang and she practically jumped out of her shoes.
“Denim, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Her eyes snapped to Quinn, who looked deeply concerned. She swiped a hand across her brow and realized she was sweating. “I’m not feeling too good. I think it’s just been one long day.” She grabbed the tray and carried the order over to her customer and made sure they didn’t need anything else. She, then, reached inside her apron and removed a stack of napkins and had to take a deep breath before she moved back across the diner and over to Diesel.
“I thought maybe you weren’t coming back.” His eyes gleamed. Predator.
She stepped back. It took a great deal of effort to steady her voice. “What made you think that?”
His green eyes darkened and slashed her face. “Because I asked you to sit down and you refused. Now I insist.” I know you can hear my thoughts. Do you have any idea what I could do to you?
Denim swallowed as everything in her stilled. She had a pretty good idea by now, Diesel was trouble. “I told you I’m working.” She tried to turn away, but he reached out and caught her arm, jerking her to a halt.
“Don’t make me ask you again,” he growled. “Sit. We need to talk.”
Shock slashed through Denim as she swirled around. “Don’t touch me,” she hissed and tried to yank her arm free, but his fingers bit into her arm.
Diesel sent her something that resembled a smirk. They were in dangerous territory now and she knew it.
“Now is that any way to treat a paying customer?” he teased and then finally he released her.
A shadow rose in Denim’s peripheral vision and then everything paused. Customer conversations stilled, forks froze inches from their lips. A little kid had spilled his milk and the liquid never reached the ground. Her eyes moved toward the door and there was Jax. Eyes hard and focused, then he was running across the diner so fast he was almost a blur. He moved quickly between them, blocking her path, as he grabbed Diesel by the neck, and lifted him up out of his seat.
“Touch her again and I swear I’ll break that hand.” His voice was tight with rage. There was a clear warning in his tone.
And then, as if someone had clicked Resume on the stopwatch, voices were heard, and sounds rang across the room. The glass of milk hit the floor and the chair Diesel had been seated in sailed across the floor and landed with a crash, silencing the room again. Denim’s jaw dropped when she realized Jax had Diesel pinned against the wall, his feet dangling several feet off the ground.
18
Jax had just pulled his Harley in front of the diner when a sharp ache ripped at his gut, indicating Denim was in trouble. He’d had a similar intense feeling the night Troy had led her out into the forest.
Quickly, he lowered the kickstand, left his helmet on the handle, and, without hesitation, bolted into the diner, moving a lot faster than he should have allowed in public. As soon as he spotted Diesel smiling up at Denim, his blood surged with rage. Even now as he glared up at Diesel with a hand clamped around his neck, it took everything for him not to crush his windpipe.
Denim moved beside him and reached out an unsteady hand. “Jax, put him down.”
Claws were threatening to grow. Incisions were sharp inside his mouth. He felt the need to rake and claw at the shifter who’d had the balls to put his hands on his mate.
“Jax, please,” she pleaded.
Jax tore his eyes from Diesel and saw the fear in Denim’s eyes, as well as several customers. Others had moved to the front of the diner, afraid of what might happen, and staying because they were too nosy to leave. Silence had blanketed the scene.
Jax took several deep breaths to control his rage before he finally settled the young shifter back on his feet.
A grin was painted on Diesel’s face. “My bad, I just wanted to see what was so special about this one. Now I know. Nice ass.”
“Why you—”
Denim lunged, but Jax pulled her back just as she swung a fist in the air.
“Babe, no. Let me handle this!” he ordered, as he moved her behind him.
Diesel roared with laughter, and Jax almost regretted not allowing Denim to hit him. Only this wasn’t her fight and Diesel was cunning and vindictive. He didn’t want to give him any reasons to go after her. And if Diesel did, Jax would make sure the red wolf was twelve feet under the ground.
Jax stepped forward, his wolf was close—so close—he could feel fur growing along his back, but Denim planted herself between them.
“Not in here,” she warned.
She was right. They were airing their business in front of the town. Not a good move. Diesel was baiting him. His jaw twitched and his teeth clenched together, hard, but Jax managed to calm his wolf.
“Everyone, I’m sorry for the commotion! Please go back to eating,” Denim said apologetically, as she glanced uneasily around the diner. Jax hoped like hell Pappy wasn’t in.
With her arms crossed, Denim’s gaze flicked to Diesel, not at all appearing intimidated by his narrowing green eyes or that he loomed above her as she said, “I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” She gritted her teeth, not bothering with being nice.
While brushing off his shoulders as if Jax had pinned him with dirty paws instead of hands, Diesel replied, “The customer service here sucks.”
Jax’s skin itched. “You heard the lady.”
“Please leave before I call the police,” Denim added softly.
Her threat only caused Diesel to chuckle and for Jax to anger.
“Sure, no problem. The food here isn’t that good anyway.” Diesel tossed a few coins onto the table. “Keep the change.” And while whistling, he headed toward the door.
Jax started after him, but Denim grabbed his arm. “Jax don’t.”
Her eyes were filled with worry. He slid a comforting hand along her arm. “Babe, let me handle this while you wrap up your shift,” he urged.
“But I—“
“I got it,” he said again, this time firmly. A command.
She wet her lips nervously, then nodded her head and moved toward the counter. Damn. He wanted to pull her into his arms and hold her, but Jax thrust the need away. He had to stay focused and see what Diesel was up to.
Without taking his eyes off the Were he had once considered a close friend, Jax followed Diesel out of the diner and into t
he parking lot. He spotted the charcoal gray Audi parked at the far end.
“What was that all about?” he said, but Diesel kept on walking fast across the lot. “Hey, I’m talking to you! What the hell do you want?”
Diesel waited until he reached his vehicle before he stopped and turned around. Hand embedded deep inside his pockets. His eyes came to Jax and immediately moved over his face and body. “I already told you. I needed to see her for myself, and I have to say she smells fucking amazing. Shame on you for hiding her. Something that delicious, you should share with your friends.”
“We’re no longer friends and regardless, we both know, I don’t share.” Possessiveness clutched at Jax’s chest at the thought of Diesel or any other Were putting his paws on Denim. “I’m not going to warn you again to stay the hell away from her.” The wolf inside was pressing on him, begging to escape.
“Relax. I’m not interested in your human unless you give me a reason,” Diesel bellowed.
Jax’s eyebrows shot up. “And what reason would that be?”
“As if you don’t already know,” he replied and gave a laugh that lacked humor. “The only thing you need to be worried about is making things right with the packs. Quit all this foolishness and marry my sister.”
“Not happening.”
His eyes narrows to slits. “That’s too bad. I was going to give you a pass. I saw what your filthy claws did to Troy’s back. I hate to see the same happen to your little girlfriend.”
Jax wasn’t going to deny slashing her with his claws before she’d run off into the forest. “Your sister tried to attack Denim.”
Diesel shrugged, not bothering to deny it. “So what? She’s jealous. Who could blame her after the way you humiliated our family. Now you want to shame your family by mating with a human!” he added with a hint of disgust. “I smelled your scent all over her.”
“Denim wears my mark because she is my mate,” Jax growled possessively. “And despite the tension between our families I have no intentions of letting her go to marry your sister.”
A low rumbling emerged from Diesel’s throat. “Who do you think is going to distribute your precious horses?”
“That’s for the pack leaders to work out, not us,” Jax replied and clenched his fists so tight until his knuckles turned white.
Lifting his chin with defiance, Diesel spat, “That’s where you’re wrong. My father is out of the country, which means it’s up to his sons to hold things down.” His green eyes sparkled with menace.
“Warwick is the next pack leader, not you.”
Diesel scrubbed a hand down across his face, and for the first time he looked annoyed. “My brother believes in reasoning and sticking to tradition. I believe in making things happen and eliminating who or what stands in my way.” He delivered in a harsh, rough voice.
Jax stepped forward. “Is that a threat?”
He smirked. “Look at it any way you want.”
Reared up, Jax glared at the shapeshifter’s defiance. “Like I told you. Touch one hair on my girl’s head and there won’t be anything left of you when your father gets back.” His hands itched again. “Get the hell out of here and don’t come back to Justice.”
“You’re going to regret your decision,” Diesel warned. As Jax glared into his eyes, he could see Diesel’s wolf staring back at him.
“The only one who’s going to know what regret is, is you if I see your face around here again,” Jax countered, his eyes every bit as flat and cold. He didn’t want to kill Diesel. But if he had no choice, he would do whatever he had to do to keep Denim safe.
* * *
“Where did Jax come from? One minute you’re talking to that hottie and in a blink of a second, there’s Jax pinning him up against the wall!” Quinn exclaimed. Her eyes were wide with astonishment.
She wasn’t the only one surprised.
Denim wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t seen it for herself. And she definitely saw it all. It was surreal. Like a dream. Time stood still, emphasizing just how swiftly Jax had traveled across the diner. Luckily none of the guests saw him, and yet why had she been able to see him when no one else could?
“I don’t know,” Denim mumbled as she tried to shake off the eerie feeling still floating around her. She looked out the window and was relieved to see that at least Diesel and Jax were talking. “I guess he’s just quick on his feet.”
“Quick?” Quinn swiveled around on the stool. “That was super-duper fast! I didn’t even see him walk through the door.”
Denim nibbled on her lip and suddenly wondered if anyone else had noticed.
“And then the way he defended you was like something out of a movie! I am so jealous.” Quinn’s tone was dripping with envy.
He was definitely her knight-in-shining-armor. Her heart skipped a beat just thinking about the lengths Jax had gone to protect her. First from Troy and now Diesel.
Denim’s eyes moved around the diner before drifting out into the parking lot again. Customers were whispering and pointing at her. Others were staring out the window at Jax and Diesel, waiting to see what unfolded. Thank goodness Pappy had gone fishing with one of his buddies. The uproar would have just been another justification as to why Jax Wilde was not a good match for his precious granddaughter.
“I still can’t believe that guy had the balls to grab your arm. Did he seriously think he could get away with that?”
Diesel had been testing her. Or had he done it because he knew Jax was near? Denim wasn’t sure. Lately, she wasn’t sure about a lot of things. Everything was happening so fast, and the fact that she’d seen Jax moving with the speed of light, she was starting to wonder what was happening to her?
A crash in the kitchen jerked her out of her reverie. Denim reached for the pot of coffee and whipped around the room. “Who wants more coffee?” she asked merrily, trying to ease the tension in the room and get everything back on track. She returned for the water pitcher, filled glasses, laughed with guests behaving as if everything was okay when deep down she was shaking with uneasiness. Troy, the she-wolf, had been scary, but Diesel, the man, was even more terrifying. She shivered at the thought of meeting his wolf.
As she moved around the room, she kept glancing out the window watching Jax and Diesel talking in the parking lot. It was like watching a movie and waiting for that jaw-dropping moment when one of them might shift into their wolf.
Shapeshifting in Justice? She shook her head. That knowledge still blew her mind.
Anxious to get outside, Denim made sure all of her customers were taken care of, passed out their checks, then went in back to grab her purse. A few minutes later, she came rushing out of the restaurant.
“What was that all about?” Denim shouted as she walked swiftly across the parking lot towards Jax who was leaned against her car.
Diesel peeled out from the parking spot and zipped up First Street, too fast for even the local police to catch.
“Hey you two! Everything okay?” Quinn asked, and she hurried over to join them. Dammit! Denim had forgotten all about her.
A muscle twitched at Jax’s jaw. Diesel’s appearance at the diner was clearly not a discussion to be having in front of someone who didn’t know the truth.
Forcing a smile, Denim swirled around and replied, “No, everything is fine. Really. But how about I give you a call later?”
Quinn poked out a pouty lip. “I can see I’m not wanted. I’ll call you later, but I want all of the juicy details.” She winked. “See you later Jax!” she cried and returned his wave. As soon as she was in her car, Denim faced Jax. His hands were shoved in his pockets and she wondered if his paws had emerged.
“You wanna walk and talk?” He gave her a stoned look, but Denim wasn’t backing down. Jax needed to walk off some steam, and she needed answers. “I would love to walk over to Colorful Flavors and get a scoop of ice cream. Pretty please.” Denim batted her eyelashes, and eventually Jax cracked a smile. It was small, but better than nothing.
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“C’mon, big baby. Let’s get you some ice cream.” His surprisingly chipper voice cut through the guarded mood.
Jax held her hand as they walked down First Street into the heart of downtown. The street was relatively busy. Now that the Texas sun was beginning to set, people had come out to enjoy the evening. Storefront windows were all displaying tempting items, everything from swimsuits to homemade taffy for sale. Children were running up and down the sidewalks. Customers were walking, bags swinging from their hand, laughing and talking as if they had all the time in the world. Time slowed down in Justice. No one seemed to be in any kind of rush to be anywhere.
Denim glanced at Jax. He looked big and lethal, the wind catching his hair. He’d shortened his stride so that she could keep up with him.
“Are you okay?” Jax suddenly asked and drew her tightly to his side. “Diesel didn’t hurt you, did he?”
She reached over and looped an arm around him, and immediately she could feel the tension in his body. “I’m fine. Just a little shook. Diesel’s a bit intimidating. I assume he’s also a Were.”
Jax nodded. “That’s Troy’s brother.”
Denim expelled a long breath of air. Now that she knew who he was, she recognized the resemblance. Red hair. Scary eyes. “Why was he in the diner?”
He hesitated. “He wanted to see you for himself.”
“What?” She stopped mid-stride and faced him. “What do you mean?”
“He knows you’re someone special, and he wanted to see you for himself.” He searched her eyes. There was no masking the fear, no matter how much she tried. “Hey, it’s nothing for you to worry about. I promise to keep you safe.” Reaching up he brushed his thumb along her jaw.
“It’s not me I’m worried about.” She didn’t miss the look of confusion on his face before she started walking again, pulling him alongside her. “Jax, I heard your conversation.”
“Was I really talking that loud?”
Denim shook her head. “No, that’s not what I mean.” She lowered her voice. “I mean I heard what Diesel was thinking.”
Jax stopped and dragged her close to a dark red building so another couple could pass, then gazed down into her eyes. “You heard his thoughts?” he whispered, then glanced around him to double-check no one was listening.