by C. E. Black
The soft thump of Maggie’s hoofs and the snap of twigs was broken from time to time by the horse’s huffs. I could feel her muscles twitching next to my calves. She’d heard the light tinkle of water as well and was excited. But I kept her at a steady pace. The trail hadn’t been walked on in some time and branches had fallen across the path.
Maggie neighed softly just as I saw the opening in the trees, the sound of rushing water becoming louder.
“We’re here girl,” I whispered.
The dark gray stream had parted the forest, babbling and splashing as it bounced over the rocks and boulders in its path. Both Maggie and I were lulled by the tranquil sound. It was a place I’d visited often in my youth.
Maggie dipped her head for a drink of water and I was just about to dismount when something in the distance caught my eyes. A few yards away was an animal. A dog of some sort. He was hidden by the trees, but I couldn’t miss his size. He was huge.
My fingers squeezed the leather reigns unconsciously. I’d brought a knife, but had forgotten my gun. If the dog was feral or heaven forbid had rabies, we could be in serious trouble.
The gray canine turned his head away from us, his ears raised as if listening for predators. I stilled, sure he would look our way next, but he didn’t. Instead, he dropped his head to the water, sipping as Maggie had just done.
The timing was perfect for me to turn the horse around and get the heck out of Dodge, but as I was about to do just that, I froze, my eyes widening as the dog lifted his head and took a step to his right. The move brought him far enough away from the trees for me to get a better look.
That wasn’t a dog. It was a wolf.
But that couldn’t be. It was impossible. I’d never heard of wolves in the area. Unless…
The wolf shivered, a giant wave rippling across his back. It happened so fast, the sight so strange I couldn’t keep up with it. He stretched his limbs, the great size of him growing even larger. Then his silvery gray fur rolled away, leaving behind a man. One who was ruggedly handsome and completely naked. I held back a gasp that desperately wanted to escape. He was too far away to tell, but I could have sworn he looked familiar.
My eyes narrowed at the man as he stood upright, stretching his arms up then out. Even from a distance, I could tell he had a killer body. Not excessively muscular, he had the body of a built runner. Lean, but with a six-pack that made my mouth water. For the first time in my life, I was hit with lust so hard I trembled.
Frozen with a mixture of shock and longing, I sat perfectly still as he knelt next to the river, dipping his hands into the water before splashing it over his head and shoulders. He shivered but did it again and again. And each time he drenched himself I was the one who became wetter and wetter.
I shifted in my saddle. Should I reveal myself? No, I decided. It was too awkward. I’d not only witnessed him shift from an animal to a man but now I was gawking at him like some creep.
This wasn’t exactly a situation I had experience in. Give me a boardroom full of arrogant men and I’d eat them for lunch. But a sexy as sin man naked by a river and I’d become a bumbling idiot.
Maggie made the decision for me. She shuffled to the side and neighed softly. The man whipped his head around in our direction, but I was already gone.
Chapter 8
After a hot shower that helped to calm my nerves as well as my libido, I dressed to meet Robert for lunch out on the back porch.
The ride back from the river had been uneventful. I’d kept an eye out for the mystery man to follow me and wasn’t sure if I was relieved when he hadn’t or not. The businesswoman in me thought introducing myself could be advantageous. But as a woman, I was glad I’d avoided the embarrassment.
Once outside, I took the bowl Robert offered and sat down in one of the two Adirondack chairs looking out over his property. The land was nothing but rolling hills of grass dotted by the sporadic grouping of trees.
The stables sat off to the right with Robert’s workshop on the opposite side of the house. I remembered asking him why he’d built it so far away from the horses. In my mind, I thought having the two buildings next to each other would waste less space. But Robert had insisted they be far enough away from each other but still easily accessible. I smiled, thinking about his concern of the horses. He’d been afraid they get spooked from all the hammering.
As predicted, the day had warmed, but the breeze was still cool enough to cause goosebumps on the bare skin of my arms. My shiver reminded me of earlier and my gaze went straight to the trees at the back of the property. We were too far away to see the trail, but I knew about where it was located.
My mind flashed to the moment I’d seen the wolf, then to when he’d changed into a man. Though the details were fuzzy, I remembered it being magnificent. Magical even. And private. I should be ashamed of myself for staying, for watching such an intimate moment. But all I felt was fascination and awe.
And the memory of him as a man caused another flood of emotions. Ones much more sensual.
“Better eat up before it gets cold,” Robert said.
I took a shuddering breath and looked down at the bowl still in my hands. I laughed at myself and lifted the spoon. The warm grits, spicy sausage and shrimp exploded on my tongue. I moaned my approval.
“Fantastic,” I told him, taking another bite.
“What’s on your mind, doll?” he asked and I turned to him in surprise. He smiled. “I was complaining about my neighbor for at least ten minutes straight before I realized you weren’t listening.”
I wasn’t usually a blusher, but warmth engulfed my cheeks. “I’m sorry.”
He waved away my apology. “You know I just like to complain. But why don’t you tell me what’s going on in that mind of yours.” His eyes wrinkled with concern. “Something I can help with? Is it the company?”
The question reminded me of the phone call I’d received earlier. I’d just gotten back from my ride with Maggie when Jim Harlow called, informing me of some disturbing news. A client was threatening to pull his account with Vitale Global. We were one of the only security companies not to employ bodyguards with shifter capabilities, and these clients were ready to drop us if we didn’t offer the same services as a competing company.
A part of me wanted to tell them off. We wouldn’t bow down to threats. But they weren’t just any clients. Though their account was worth millions, we could afford to lose them. But not if our other accounts decided to follow in their footsteps.
I didn’t have a fool proof solution other than to tell Jim to talk with HR and make sure they were doing everything in their power to find us new employees. It was time to think outside of the box. If they had to get out of the office and recruit off the street, then so be it.
I came so close to telling Robert about the company’s problem, but decided against it. I wanted to solve this issue on my own, and Robert hated talking about business.
“Things are fine at work,” I told him.
When he didn’t look convinced, I threw him a bone I knew he’d chew on, even if it was a lie. Sort of.
“I was just thinking about my date tomorrow night.”
I hadn’t been thinking about it. Not really. Not since I’d seen the man in the woods, but it was true that the date had been in the back of my mind.
Just as I knew he would, Robert perked up. “A date? You?”
“Yes, a date. And yes, me,” I replied dryly. “What? Do you think I can’t get a date now? Am I getting too old?”
“Hush up,” he grunted. “You’re not too old. I’m just surprised you found time to meet someone.”
I shrugged. “I met him online, actually.”
Robert’s nose wrinkled, a spoon full of grits dropping to his bowl with a clatter. “I thought you were smarter than that, doll. That computer dating or whatever never works.”
“Maybe,” I said. “But I’m going to give it a try. Just this once.” He had no idea how many times I’d tried, but I wasn’t
about to explain that it was actually my last attempt.
Robert huffed, but his eyes held a hint of the pity I hated. His mouth opened to start on another rant about how lucky some bastard would be to snag me, I was sure, when his phone rang, thankfully interrupting us.
I sat back, laughing as he grumbled to himself all the way inside. I finished my shrimp and grits then placed the bowl on the table between our chairs. I looked off into the distance, seriously contemplating whether I should take a nap or not when Robert’s voice grew loud enough for me to hear.
He’d left the sliding back door cracked and the sound of his angry voice drifted outside. Concerned, I stood.
“Robert,” I called. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he grumbled as he slid open the door and stepped out on the porch.
“Just my neighbor,” he answered indifferently while grabbing our dirty dishes and shuffling back inside.
I followed him to the kitchen where he was putting the dishes in the sink to wash. “What’s going on? It sounded like a heated argument you were in. Anything I can do?”
“Oh, nothing for you to worry about, doll. My neighbor’s just a pain in my ass.”
When I pushed for more information, he finally relented. “He thinks I was trespassin’ on his property today. That’s a lie. I ain’t been over there.” Robert grunted to himself as he attacked the dishes.
With a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach I helped him dry the clean dishes. “What did he say?” I asked.
Robert grunted. “Nothing much. Just warned me to stay away. No problem there.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, placing a dry cup in the cupboard. “I’m pretty sure he was talking about me.”
“You?” he asked.
“I took Maggie down by the river. I saw a man hanging around and left.” I downplayed. “I’ve been down there a hundred times over the years. I didn’t know it was his land.”
Robert turned away suddenly to drain the sink, his eyes looking everywhere but at me. My gaze narrowed. “Robert? What aren’t you telling me?”
“Nothin’”
“Robert.”
“Fine!” he huffed, his eyes finally meeting mine. “I sold that part of the land.”
My lips parted. “You sold it? Why didn’t you tell me you needed money? It was for the money wasn’t?” I accused.
“Yes, it was for the money. Things were tight around here,” he confessed. “But that was years ago. Before your company got big.”
“Our company,” I corrected him.” Then my brows pulled together. There was a big fat wrinkle in his story. “Where did the money you gave me come from? The money that help get our company off the ground. Mom and Dad gave me most of it, but you pitched in a large sum.”
When he stalked out of the room without answering, I grumbled, much like my uncle. “It came from that piece of land, didn’t it?” I asked, following him into the living room.
“Come play cards with me,” he replied. “No more talk about money.”
This was Robert. There would be nothing I could say at this point. “Don’t do it again,” I warned, pointing a finger at him. He ignored me while shuffling a deck of cards on the coffee table. I joined him on the floor, and though I was angry at him, we played Rummy, both of us mostly silent. And after a while, my shoulders loosened up and my anger evaporated. I couldn’t fault him for doing something I would have done myself. Especially for someone I loved.
“So, you have a werewolf for a neighbor,” I said, changing the subject.
Robert grumbled to himself.
“What was that?”
“Bunch of howling idiots,” he replied.
I raised my brows. “A bunch? There’s more than one?”
I had a feeling I knew what Robert would say next. That hadn’t been a lone wolf I’d seen.
He nodded, confirming my suspicions. “Whole pack of ’em. My neighbor, the man who called complainin’, is their Alpha.”
Struck mute, my thoughts reeled. Coincidence or kismet? Not only had I been matched with the Alpha my company had been trying to contact, but he’d been living next door to my uncle all this time.
“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay away from him. He growls too much,” Robert said, eyes narrowing on my widening smile.
I never had been good at taking orders.
Chapter 9
I smoothed the skirt of my dress and followed the hostess, a friendly smile in place. But as we neared the table where Locke was waiting, my smile slipped. The profile photo I’d stared at fifteen times over the past few days had not done the man justice.
Locke was an attractive man, but it wasn’t just his looks that turned heads. Voices had lowered when he’d stood from the table and for the first time in my life I understood the true meaning of the word Alpha.
“Enjoy your dinner.”
As the hostess walked away, Locke and I continued standing, both of us drinking in one another. He wore a slim fit suit in black with gray pinstripes and a gray dress shirt underneath punctuated with a mauve tie. It fit him like a glove and complimented his tanned skin tone perfectly. And if that wasn’t enough to cause my breath to catch, his body language, one hand in his pocket, the other loose at his side, along with the way he held eye contact, said he was comfortable in his own skin. Confidence was erotic on so many levels.
His eyes crinkled in the corners as he smiled. “You’re even more stunning in person. Please, have a seat.”
“Thank you,” I murmured as I slid into my chair.
Locke smiled again when I looked up, and I did my best to respond in kind as I merged my memories of Locke and the man by the river. Locke had been easy to talk to, polite at least through texting, and had a sense of humor. But the man from the river had called my uncle in anger. Could I fault him for that? I had been trespassing. And I’d only heard Robert’s side. For all I knew Locke had been perfectly courteous on the phone. I could admit Robert was a hard man to get along with.
“I’ve not been on a date in so long, I’m not sure where to start when it comes to conversations.” Locke chuckled lightly.
Before I could respond, the waiter approached. “Do you mind if I choose the wine?” I asked him, my hand resting on the table between us.
“Not at all.”
I waved away the menu the attendant tried to hand me and ordered a savory red Bordeaux.
“I’ll admit, I know nothing about wine,” Locke said. “If it tastes good, I’ll drink it.”
I lifted one shoulder. “And that’s about all I know. I enjoy wine and have learned over time how to pair them with the right foods. This one will complement the steak the restaurant is known for.”
“Perfect. So, is this the first time you’ve been matched up on Meet Your Alpha?” he asked.
“Yes. You?”
He nodded. “I only joined last week. It’s the first time I’ve tried online dating.”
“Has meeting people been hard?”
He snorted. “You could say that,” he said just as the waiter came back with the wine.
“I work long hours,” he continued once the waiter left with our dinner orders. “And truthfully, I hadn’t given dating much thought over the last few years.”
“I read on your profile that you’re a single father. I would imagine that makes dating a bit difficult.”
Many women would have seen that little tidbit in his profile as a disadvantage. I, on the other hand, thought the opposite. There was a higher chance a man who already had a child wouldn’t care if he had more.
“Yes, it has,” he confirmed.
I was suddenly interested in learning more. Did he have a girl or a boy? How old were they? Where was the mother?
“I have a daughter, Sara. She’s nine,” he answered when I asked, his forehead wrinkling as though he’d had to think about it. “Her mother, my wife, passed away a few years ago.” I apologized but he waved it away. “It was a long time ago. What about you? Do you
have children?”
Looking him in the eye, I smiled tightly. “No, I don’t.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Not a fan of kids?”
“I love kids,” I told him, surprising myself with how defensive it sounded. “It just hasn’t been in the cards for me.”
Locke eyed me skeptically and I sighed before taking a fortifying sip of wine.
Placing the glass on the table, I told him the truth. “I can’t have children. I’ve learned over the years that it’s best to get it out in the open on the first date. If it’s a deal breaker, it’s best to know now.”
I quickly told him about Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome. Basically, I’d been born without a uterus. Not exactly dinner conversation. So, I was glad he didn’t ask too many questions.
“If you were wanting children, then I’m sorry to hear that,” he said gently. “As for me, it’s definitely not a deal breaker.”
Smiling, I offered him more wine, happy that little issue had been taken care of.
“And if we’re both being honest,” he continued. “I’m not looking for a dating relationship. I’m looking for a mate.”
I paused with the wine glass halfway to my lips. “A mate?” I asked. “You’ll have to give me more than that. Shouldn’t you date a woman before you decide she’s your mate?”
“Sometimes, yes,” he explained. “But in my case, no. I’m looking for someone who is willing to commit now. I have a nine-year-old daughter who needs a mother. Someone who can care for her while I’m working. Take her to school, cook meals, talk with her, go shopping… That sort of thing,” he said with a wave of his hand.
Placing my wine glass on the table, I gave a startled laughed. The date had taken a sharp left turn I had not been expecting. “What you need is a nanny, not a mate,” I told him.
“No,” he disagreed with a shake of his head. His dark, penetrating gaze caused my toes to curl as he added, “I want a mate. A wife... I want you.”
