Charmed by the Wolf

by Kristal Hollis

  She put her container of food next to his and swiveled on the couch to face him directly. “If you’re secretly married, engaged, or committed to someone get ready to handcuff me for assault on a law enforcement officer because I swear I’ll slap you.”

  “I’m not, but I can put you in handcuffs all the same.” The huskiness in his voice sparked an internal heat wave to dampen Nel’s skin.

  He leaned closer, his searing gaze evaporating her breath. The air crackled from the energy passing between them. “It’s still there, isn’t it? This thing between us.”

  All Nel could do was stare and swallow the pocket of air caught in her throat.

  “What is it about you?” He held her gaze, searching, probing, all the way to the depths of her being. “I couldn’t keep you off my mind, all damn day.”

  “Really?” A rush of giddiness made her giggle. Too old for schoolgirl silliness, she stifled it immediately. Tristan was out of her league. Trying to handle him so that her heart wouldn’t get involved was as foolish as a red-attired matador with a broken leg challenging an angry bull. A disaster in the making.

  Tristan’s arm slipped comfortably around her waist. A thrill of excitement looped through her belly. Gently, he nuzzled the curve of her neck and she found herself defying logic and snuggling into his warmth.

  Rubbing her cheek against his head, she inhaled deeply. His masculine scent reminded her of the fresh smell of the forest with a subtle spice.

  “You smell so good.” The tremble of Tristan’s deep voice rumbled in her chest.

  “I was thinking the same about you.”

  His hand slipped beneath her shirt, warming her skin despite the sudden emergence of chill bumps. Her nipples pebbled and ached for his attention.

  The soft puffs of Tristan’s breath against her throat, where he nuzzled her, turned to whisper-soft kisses.

  Oh, god.

  Any second now, the clothes would come off and they would end up having sex again. Every feminine cell in her body celebrated. If not for a steady beacon of reason shining through the lustful fog, she might’ve surrendered.

  “We have to stop.” Nel slapped her hand against his chest. Even through his T-shirt, her palm mapped every detail of his muscled torso.

  Tristan’s kisses and caresses ceased and her body silently screamed in protest. He met her gaze. In his eyes, she saw a flash of disappointment, confusion and resignation.

  “You’re right.” His voice was thick, raw and full of...need? Desire? Regret? Nel wasn’t quite sure, but she was surprisingly disheartened that he acquiesced without question.

  He sat back. Those long, tapered fingers that had branded her belly now stroked his jaw, which was covered with a dark gold shadow from a day’s growth of beard. Totally relaxed and absolutely scrumptious, he offered her a soft smile. Unlike the stellar flash-of-teeth smile that could turn the head of every woman within a hundred-mile radius, this smile was the real Tristan. Kind, intelligent, wounded.

  This smile would be hard to defend against.

  “You have something to tell me, remember?”

  “There was an incident in the woods between the resort and the sanctuary. An animal mutilation of a family pet.” The glimpse of his vulnerability became cloaked in an aura of serious professionalism. Even the cadence of his voice changed, as if some part of him had disconnected.

  Maybe it was his way of compartmentalizing his job and his personal life.

  “We don’t know who’s responsible yet. So don’t go on the trails alone, especially at night.”

  “Was it one of the wolves?”

  “Not one of ours.” Something dark flashed in Tristan’s eyes. “Until we catch the culprit, I don’t want you painting on the porch at night.”

  “You think I would be in danger on resort property?” Nel picked up her wine glass to have something to do with her hands. “I thought security routinely patrolled the area.”

  “They do. But I’d rather know you’re safe inside than worry you’re outside where something might happen.”

  “You would worry about me?”

  “Yeah, and if you feel uneasy or if something happens, call me. Immediately.” He hooked his thumb beneath her chin and turned her face toward him at the same time she went to sip her wine.

  “Great,” she mumbled at the splash on her shirt.

  “Any time, any day, for any reason.” Tristan’s palm cupped her cheek, distracting her from the damp spot on her chest. “Got it?”

  “I, um...” She glanced away from the rich, vast depths of his dark brown eyes. And those lips, even frowning, were oh so kissable. “I need your number again.”

  “Why?” He leaned in close, his face absolute beauty in symmetry.

  “I sorta deleted it.”

  “What?” An uncanny growl tinged his voice. “I wanted you to have it in case you needed help. On Co-op property, 911 calls are routed by dispatch to me. It saves time to call me directly.”

  “Oh.” Nel’s cheeks warmed. “I thought you meant for me to use it for a booty call.”

  “Yeah?” All traces of annoyance were wiped clean by a mischievous grin. “That works, too.”

  “Not for me,” she said, more confidently than she felt. “One night was all this thing between us was supposed to be.”

  “It’s still there. Or am I wrong?”

  He wasn’t wrong by a long shot. “Neither of us wants a relationship.”

  “It doesn’t have to be one.” The charming, enticing, tempting smile was back. “We could let this thing run its course, get it out of our systems and say goodbye when it’s over.”

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea to encourage it.”

  Tristan frowned and she could almost hear the gamut of thoughts wheeling in his mind. “Maybe you’re right.”

  He grabbed the food container she had abandoned and grinned. “Mine now.” Without sparing her another glance, he shoveled a giant spoonful into his mouth.

  “Hey.” She elbowed him, then placed her glass on the coffee table. “Were you seducing me just to grab my chicken pad see ew?”

  “It worked, didn’t it?” Though Tristan’s tone was playful, she glimpsed the longing and indecision reflected in his eyes.

  Somehow, it made her feel better to know that her emotions weren’t the only ones jumbled. Nel reached for the garlic pork and resettled on the couch with space between them. A moment later, Tristan refilled their wine glasses and subtly inched close enough to her that their thighs rubbed when either moved.

  The electric charge between them ebbed into a comfortable pulse.

  Despite the wisdom to not encourage the strange connection between them, Nel had the feeling that was exactly what they were doing.

  Chapter 14

  “Get cleaned up before your mom sees you.” Tristan shoved Jaxen into the men’s restroom inside the hospital.

  He should’ve been grateful for the interruption in his late-night dinner with Nel. His fascination with her had gone further, his feelings deeper, than they ever should have.

  Instead, he’d been irritated by his father’s call for him to find Jaxen and escort him to the hospital to see Ruby, who had been admitted for a severe asthma attack.

  Jaxen stumbled to the sink and turned on the faucet. He shot Tristan an ungrateful look in the mirror, then scrubbed the dried blood from his mouth and chin.

  Tristan didn’t look much better with a bruise darkening his left cheek.

  Jaxen hadn’t taken kindly to Tristan hauling him out of Mad Dog’s, a biker bar in Hiawassee. But it was the accusatory interrogation into his whereabouts during the time of Cybil’s mutilation that had incited the first punch, a left hook that Tristan hadn’t seen coming. Stunned, but quick to respond, Tristan had slammed his fist into Jaxen’s l
aughing mouth. Tristan wasn’t proud to admit he might’ve goaded Jaxen into throwing a punch just to land one himself.

  Neither took the fight further. They were too well matched in size and bulk. No one would’ve come out the winner tonight.

  Tristan splashed water on his face and ran damp fingers through his hair.

  Jaxen tucked his shirttail into his jeans. Tristan, still in uniform, cocked his head toward the door. “Let’s go.”

  Exiting the restroom, they proceeded to the main part of the hospital and turned down the left corridor. The west wing was devoted entirely to the Co-op members and where Doc treated all Wahyas. They didn’t receive a different quality of care than the human patients in the east wing, but the separation was a necessary precaution. A sick or injured wolfan could quickly turn dangerous, and the west wing barrier doors assured that the human patients and employees were protected.

  Tristan slid his Co-op ID through the card reader next to the steel double doors and glanced up at the security camera. The locks clicked and the doors slowly opened.

  “Hey, Tristan.” The wolfan night clerk seated behind the semicircular counter beamed a smile.

  “Nice to see you, Katherine.” He nodded. Ordinarily, he offered the people he greeted a smile. Tonight he lacked the energy and the effort required. He wanted to get Jaxen to Ruby’s room, find out her condition and leave.

  He wouldn’t return to Nel’s place, though. He needed to decompress from her company and establish an amicable distance between them before he did something stupid.

  “Jaxen Pyke?” Katherine stood. “Is that you?”

  “None other.” Jaxen flashed an over-the-top smile that made Tristan roll his eyes. “How are you, Katie-belle?”

  She squealed and dashed around the counter to hug Jaxen. “You remembered!”

  “Ah, love.” Looking over the she-wolf’s head, he winked at Tristan. “How could I forget a woman as pretty and warm as you?”

  Tristan’s stomach flopped at the insincerity he saw in Jaxen’s eyes. But hadn’t he been guilty of the same? Sweet-talking women to stroke his ego and take him to bed, if only briefly?

  “Oh, stop.” She laughed, lightly swatting Jaxen’s chest. “You’re just as incorrigible as your cousin.”

  Jaxen whispered something in her ear. Tristan knew from Katherine’s posturing that Jaxen had secured a bed buddy for later.

  “I’m going to see Ruby,” Tristan said, walking down the corridor. He didn’t need to ask which room. All he needed to do was follow the raised voices.

  Just before he went inside, Jaxen bumped past him to enter first.

  “Mama?” He hurried to Ruby’s bedside, the loving son in overly dramatic action.

  Tristan believed that Jaxen did love his mother, but the doting part was merely an act to garner praise from Tristan’s father, who was in the room.

  Steeling himself, Tristan entered. He always felt like a rabbit hopping into a hungry wolves’ den whenever his family gathered.

  “Jax get the better of you?” Nate scowled at his son. “Again?”

  Tristan swallowed his response and like a tightly held breath it fisted in his chest. He was here to see Ruby, not to get into an altercation with his father.

  “What did Doc say?”

  “Same as always,” Nate replied. “He’s keeping her overnight for observation. Expects she’ll be okay to go home tomorrow.”

  Tristan stepped to the end of the hospital bed, noting the IV line plugged into Ruby’s thin, frail arm and the oxygen tubing beneath her nose.

  In her younger days, she and Tristan’s father had greatly favored each other in appearance. Now her dark blond hair had faded to a dingy gray, and her face was deeply lined and weathered.

  “If I’ve told you once,” she heaved, “I’ve told you a thousand times. I don’t like it when you boys fight.”

  “We weren’t fighting, Mama.” Jaxen’s voice dropped low and soft and placating. “You know I always look out for Trist.”

  Tristan’s stomach lurched.

  “He needs to learn to protect his left side.” Jaxen sounded so sincere that Tristan wanted to puke. “He’s got a dangerous job. I don’t want some asshole taking him down because he didn’t see the threat.”

  “That’s my boy.” Ruby gently patted Jaxen’s cheek.

  Tristan dropped his chin to his chest. Insanity was thinking that things could ever change. Even if he fixed the rift between himself and Jaxen, he could never fix what was wrong with his family. They thrived on conflict and turmoil, and for some reason, he didn’t.

  He eased out of the room, but the weight of the chaos remained on his shoulders.

  “Tristan!” His father halted him in the hallway. “What was your fight with Jaxen about?”

  “I asked a question he didn’t like.”

  “About him taking over the business?” Nate shoved his hands into his pockets.

  “If I wanted to punch someone about that, Dad, it would be you.”

  Nate nodded. “Guess I deserve that.”

  “I think it’s a mistake, but it’s yours to make.”

  “You’ve never shown any interest in my business.”

  “You never tried to involve me.”

  “You’ve made your own way, Tristan. Jaxen has no anchor. I want to give him something to work toward, something to be proud of.”

  “How’s that working out?”

  Nate looked past Tristan. “He needs someone to keep him on track.”

  “I’m not going to be his babysitter.”

  “When Jaxen’s father died, I promised Ruby I would look out for him.”

  “You promised, not me.”

  “He’s your blood-kin.”

  “By blood-rights, Jaxen is your responsibility. You are the oldest male in the bloodline. You made the promise,” Tristan said. “Gavin asked me to be Jaxen’s friend again. Not his keeper. That’s a line I cannot and will not cross.”

  “As far as I can tell, you haven’t been much of a friend to him.”

  “That river flows both ways, Dad.”

  “You need to get over what happened when you were kids.”

  “If you knew what really happened, I hope you wouldn’t say that. But you’ve never been able to accept the truth about Jaxen and I’m tired of trying to convince you.”

  Tristan turned to leave. “Watch yourself around him, Dad. He just might push you off a cliff.”

  Chapter 15

  “Hey, pretty lady.”

  Nel looked up from her sketch pad expecting Tristan. A man very similar in size and appearance knelt beside her. “Hi?”

  “Remember me?” He smiled, bright and broad, but it didn’t have the warmth of Tristan’s smiles.

  “You were at Taylor’s Monday night. You’re Tristan’s cousin, Jaxen. Right?”

  “Yeah.” Jaxen’s smile faltered slightly. “I didn’t get a chance to catch your name, love.”

  “Penelope.” She pushed the sunglasses from her face, clearly remembering that Tristan had told Jaxen her name.

  “What are you doing alone in the middle of the park on such a fine day?”

  Hardly alone. Though not bustling with the activity she’d seen shortly after her arrival before one o’clock, Maico’s little town square, with its lovely green park, shady oaks and the old, Colonial-style courthouse, still had at least a half dozen benchwarmers enjoying the beautiful afternoon.

  “My car is getting serviced across the street, so I decided to make some sketches of the park while I waited.”

  “Are you new in town?” Jaxen’s gaze leisurely dropped to Penelope’s chest and lingered.

  “Yep, just here for the summer.”

  “If you’re interested in seeing the local sigh
ts, I’d love to show you around.”

  “What is there to see?”

  “Track Rock isn’t too far of a drive from here.” His gaze slid over her generous figure. “But it’s quite a hike from the parking area to the petroglyphs.”

  “Too bad.” She wiggled a lovely pair of sandals that showcased a fabulous pedicure. “I didn’t pack hiking boots.”

  “No worries, love.”

  “Do you work around here?”

  “Nah, I was headed to the pharmacy to pick up a few things for my mother. I’m co-owner of a construction company. When my uncle retires, I’ll become the sole owner.”

  “That’s great.”

  “It can be labor intensive, but I like working with my hands and building things.”

  “Amelia!” a woman yelled from across the park.

  Nel and Jaxen both turned toward the laughing little girl running as fast as her little legs could carry her.

  “Amelia! Come here!” the mother called again.

  “Do you know her?” Nel asked as the child headed straight toward them.

  “She’s definitely not mine,” Jaxen said.

  The closer the child came, the clearer it became that Jaxen was her destination. He watched her draw near but made no effort to call to her.

  “Tiskan!” she squealed. “Tiskan!” Arms outstretched, she ran right up to Jaxen.

  He stared at her as if he’d never encountered a child before.

  “I think she wants a hug,” Nel prodded him.

  “Hey, little lady.” He patted the child’s back with the palm of his hand. “Your mama’s looking for you.”

  The little girl looked straight up at Jaxen and screamed. A blood-curdling and ear-piercing scream.

  Jaxen stepped back.

  Nel rubbed the child’s arm. “It’s okay, little one. Your mommy is coming. Look!” She pointed at the young woman rushing to her child, her breasts jostling as she ran.

  Nel glanced at Jaxen watching the woman, a leering grin on his face until he noticed Nel studying him.

  “Amelia! What’s wrong?” The woman grabbed her child. “Did she step on something?”