After ordering both the cake and a pot of coffee with a pitcher of cream, she walked into her bedroom and took off her heels. Good thing Aidan hadn’t confronted her on the shoe issue, because these strappy black patent beauties were Gucci.
After all the times she’d dinged him for his expensive tastes, she felt a little guilty about the shoes. Footwear was one of her indulgences because she’d never found an eco-friendly shoe that a girl could take dancing.
Sitting on the bed, she massaged her feet. She loved wearing the shoes…for about an hour. Sometime during the second hour her love always waned, and she was as eager to get out of the shoes as she had been to put them on.
Barefoot, she decided to haul out her suitcase and start packing while she waited for the cake and coffee to arrive. She’d simply pretend that she was alone in this penthouse, and that there was no ripped man hiding behind door number two. She was used to being alone on these book tours.
But it was one thing to start out alone and continue on alone. Starting out with Aidan for company and then continuing on alone wasn’t going to be a lot of fun. They’d been together constantly ever since they’d met at the airport, and she felt somewhat…attached.
Her feeling of attachment could be related to the great sex they’d had, although she believed it went beyond that. She liked talking to him, liked teasing him, even liked arguing with him. They just…clicked.
Intellectually, physically, and emotionally, she and Aidan matched up. From his reaction to her, she’d be willing to bet he felt the same way. But he didn’t dare say so because he had this archaic family obligation. She still had trouble with that. Talk about lack of personal choice!
The arrival of her late-night treat interrupted her packing, and she went to answer the door. Aidan would have been proud of the way she checked the peephole first. The uniformed bellman delivering her tray was the same one who had brought dinner a few hours earlier, so she opened the door.
But just to be absolutely safe, she peered into the hallway. Nobody else there.
“Where would you like the tray, ma’am?” the bellman asked. “Over by the fire? It’s a nice night for a fire.”
“So it is.” She’d intended to follow Aidan’s advice and close herself in her room, but she would never be in this penthouse again, so why not enjoy cake and coffee in front of the fire? “That would be terrific.” She walked over and flicked the switch to turn on the flames.
The bellman arranged the tray on the coffee table and handed her the check to sign. She added a generous tip and gave it back. “Thank you. This hits the spot.” At least it hit one spot, the chocolate craving part of her. That would have to suffice.
“Have a nice evening.” The bellman smiled and left. The door locked behind him with a soft click.
Emma sat on the sofa and fixed up her coffee exactly the way she liked it. Denver would be soon enough to begin cutting back on cream and chocolate. Tonight she needed both.
Her coffee on the end table and her cake in her lap, she stared into the dancing flames and told herself to enjoy the experience, because she wouldn’t have a fireplace in her next hotel room. Then she took a big bite of cake. Maybe she wouldn’t cut back on chocolate in Denver, after all. She’d be feeling deprived enough without denying herself that bit of comfort.
The cake was gone way too soon, and sitting in front of the fire by herself wasn’t nearly as much fun as she’d hoped it would be. She set the empty plate and coffee cup on the tray before standing and stretching. After turning off the fire, she carried the tray into her bedroom. She could finish off the coffee while she packed.
When she decided to shut the bedroom door, she told herself it wasn’t because she was putting more barriers between her and Aidan. Closing the door made the bedroom feel cozier. Too bad every time she looked at the big bed she remembered curling up in Aidan’s arms last night.
Her turquoise suit hung in the closet in a plastic bag, and when she checked it, all the chocolate was gone. She unhooked it from the rod and pulled off the plastic so she could pack the suit in preparation for her next event in Denver on Monday.
As she folded it, she heard her bedroom doorknob turn, and her pulse kicked up a notch. So Aidan had given in, after all. Working to hide a smile of triumph, she faced the door. But as the door opened, adrenaline shot through her. The person coming into her room wasn’t Aidan.
She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Theo, dressed in an old black sweat shirt and sweatpants, closed the door behind him and twisted the lock. Then he faced her looking smug. “Hello, Emma.”
At last she found her voice. “How did you get in?” She was proud of herself for the calm way she said it, despite the painful thudding of her heart.
“I have your key.” He reached into the pocket of his black sweats and held it up.
“That can’t be mine. Mine’s—”
“Not anymore.”
Then she remembered someone had jostled her at the party. She’d had to clutch her purse to keep it from falling off her shoulder. “You were at the party.”
“No. I hired the finest pickpocket in the greater Chicago area.”
As the panic slowly cleared from her brain, she realized that although he stood between her and the door, once she called for help, Aidan would be between Theo and escape.
“I don’t know if you’ve thought this through very well. Once I start yelling, you’ll have nowhere to run.”
“I know, but I’m willing to take that chance. I’m hoping you won’t start yelling until you’ve heard what I have to say.” His gaze was earnest. “This is critical and you’re the kind of person who will understand the issues.”
Lord help her, she was eternally curious about people, and he’d just appealed to that curiosity. She’d start yelling in a minute. With Aidan’s sharp hearing, he’d respond quickly. “What issues?”
“I can tell from the way you write about werewolves that you really get them.”
“Theo, if you’re about to claim that you’re a werewolf, then this conversation is over. There’s not enough spirit glue and fake hair in the world to convince me that you’re…” She paused as he raised a hand and fur began growing on it.
Blinking, she looked again. “Okay, that’s a trick. I don’t know how you’re doing it, and it’s very impressive, but I want you to stop. It’s creepy, Theo. It’s not a turn on for me, if that’s what you’re hoping.”
“You say that now, but just wait.” He nudged off his shoes.
Damned if hair wasn’t growing on his feet, too. “Stop that, Theo! Eeuuuwww!”
“Believe me, yet?” His voice had deepened into something resembling a growl.
“Good God! What are you doing to yourself?” She stared in horrified fascination as the seams of his sweat suit ripped open. This wasn’t happening. She couldn’t be seeing what she thought she was seeing.
And yet…Theo was gone. Standing in his place, with bits of black fabric clinging to its black fur, was a large wolf. It took a menacing step toward her.
She screamed, and in the same instant her bedroom door splintered as a large form hurtled through it. Now a second wolf, larger and more powerful than the first, stood by the shattered door. The golden-eyed creature from Emma’s nightmare had arrived.
Chapter Seventeen
Aidan had stuffed towels under the crack in his bedroom door to block out Emma’s scent once he’d realized that she was intent on hanging out in the living room and he’d be able to smell her easily there. That had been his first mistake, muting his ability to smell.
Then he’d made a second mistake. Desperate for a distraction, he’d called Roarke, knowing his brother would provide an extra incentive to keep him in his own room. Roarke hadn’t disappointed. His disapproval of Aidan’s methods for neutralizing the threat from Theo registered about nine on the Richter scale.
“So you’re telling me that last night, after shifting, you waltzed into her bedroom to check on her? You co
uldn’t have thought to do that before you dressed in your fur overcoat?”
“You know I can think better after a shift.”
“That’s debatable, buddy boy. A thinking wolf wouldn’t have tiptoed in to peek down at sleeping beauty knowing that she might, oh, I dunno, wake up, and said wolf’s ass would be grass. That’s the sign of a wolf who’s a few bones shy of a full rack of ribs, if you know what I mean.”
Aidan closed his eyes and let his brother rave on. Roarke was his lifeline to sanity, his anchor so he wouldn’t go out that door. Emma was willing to spend the night in his arms. She’s said as much not long ago. And now she was eating cake, the same cake he’d fantasized rubbing all over her firm little body just so he could lick it off.
“Do you want me to fly over there tonight?” Roarke sounded eager to get into the middle of this rodeo. “I could take the corporate jet and be there in no time. We could double-team Theo, and with me there, you won’t be as tempted to boink the lovely Emma.”
“No, I don’t want you to fly over.” Aidan smiled. Roarke would grab any excuse to climb into that corporate jet. Then he’d talk the pilot into letting him have the controls. He was licensed for single-engine aircraft and Aidan predicted he’d be piloting the Learjet before too much longer.
“I think I should,” Roarke said. “From the sound of things, you don’t have this situation under control.”
“Theo didn’t make a move tonight, so he may have gone to ground. This penthouse is as safe as Fort Knox, so no worries for now. I’ll see if I can smoke him out tomorrow morning. Once Emma leaves, I’ll be free to handle this any way I choose. I…hold on.” He walked over to the door and sniffed. Even through the towels he’d stuffed under the door to block Emma’s scent, he picked up a musty odor, like that of a werewolf shifting…shit!
Dropping the phone, he pulled away the towels and flung open the door.
He commanded his shift as he moved and ignored the ripping of seams. His T-shirt and sweats lay in pieces along his route. Straining toward the shift, he heard Emma scream. He entered the final phase right as he launched himself through the central panel of the door. He was counting on it being hollow. Fortunately it was.
One quick glance told him Emma was okay, at least physically. Her eyes were wide with shock, and he had no idea how he’d explain this. The nightmare excuse wasn’t going to cut it this time.
But Theo was his first concern. They didn’t have to fight if Theo acknowledged his superiority. Avoiding a fight would be a good thing, considering that Emma was there to witness it, and they were surrounded by expensive furniture. The ruined door could be the extent of the damage if Theo would cooperate.
The black wolf spun around to face him.
Aidan held Theo’s gaze as they circled each other. Give it up, Theo. You’re outgunned.
That’s what you think, old man. Bring it. I can take you any day of the week. Theo snarled and flattened his ears to his head.
Aidan didn’t discount the young werewolf’s age and agility. Chances were he’d been in a fight more recently than Aidan, who no longer felt the need to battle for dominance. He’d proved himself when he was younger, and the pack members knew he was in line to take over when his father stepped down, so the challenges had been few and far between recently.
Now he wished he’d sparred more with his brother, just to stay sharp. But he would handle Theo. The kid was risking the future of packs everywhere, and he had to be stopped. Tonight.
Aidan kept his attention firmly on the black wolf. Your choice, Theo. This can be easy or it can be hard. I’d advise you to make it easy on yourself.
You’re stalling.
I’m giving you a way out.
Theo growled low in his throat. Fuck you, Aidan.
So be it. Aidan moved in a split second ahead of Theo’s charge and lunged for the black wolf’s throat.
Emma’s scream registered but didn’t deter him. He knocked Theo to the ground while sinking his teeth into the soft skin beneath his jugular. A quarter inch more and he’d take the young wolf’s life. That was guaranteed to ruin everyone’s evening.
So he eased up, which allowed Theo to twist away and turn, closing his teeth over Aidan’s hind leg. Ignoring the pain, Aidan pulled his leg free. Being hamstrung by this young pup wasn’t his idea of a good time. But now he was bleeding all over the carpet. Housekeeping was going to hate that.
No more Mister Nice Guy. He lunged for Theo’s throat again, and this time he held on and issued his ultimatum. Give up unless you want your carotid artery severed.
You won’t kill me. I’m a Henderson.
The kid had a point, damn it. I’ll claim self-defense. From the corner of his eye, Aidan saw Emma approaching. She had the hotel hair dryer raised as if she was about to bring it down on somebody’s head. Whether it was his or Theo’s, he couldn’t be sure.
He’d take his chances. Don’t look now, but Emma’s about to bean you with a hair dryer.
No way.
‘Fraid so. So your option is to surrender to me or I’ll hold you down so she can knock you senseless. Which story would you rather have circulating?
Shit. I surrender to you.
Werewolf’s honor?
You got it, big guy.
Aidan relaxed his grip and let Theo wiggle out from under him. Emma must have still considered him a threat, because she smacked him a good one on the head with the hair dryer. He went down for the count.
The moment he was unconscious, he began shifting back to human form. Emma seemed transfixed by the sight. She stood there rigidly, her hand over her mouth.
Aidan padded into the master bath and nudged the door closed with his paw. By the time he came out wearing a towel, Emma had thrown the comforter from the bed over Theo while she continued to stare at him.
She glanced up when Aidan emerged from the bathroom. He met her gaze without flinching. In some ways he was relieved that she finally knew. But damage control was going to be a bitch.
She swallowed. “So it was you last night.”
“Yes.”
“Not a figment of my imagination. Not a nightmare.”
“No.”
“You asshole!” She hurled the hair dryer at him, and the cord snaked out behind it.
He ducked, and the dryer smacked against the wall before dropping with a thud to the carpet. The plug had caught him on the arm as it went by. He’d have a welt there soon.
“Coming into your bedroom as a wolf was a tactical error,” he said.
She opened her mouth as if to say something and then closed it again. Finally she shook her head. “Forgive me. You’re talking about tactical errors and I’m still trying to…to get my head around…”
“I know.” Instinctively he moved toward her.
She held up her hand like a traffic cop. “Keep your distance, Aidan. I don’t know who you are, or what you are, and until I get my bearings, picture a large bubble of protection around me, okay?”
“Okay.” He took a deep breath. “Just for the record, this is a whole new experience for me, too. I’ve never revealed myself to a human before.”
“So you’re not…human.”
“I’m mostly human. But I can shift into wolf form, so that means that I—”
“I know a little something about werewolves, Aidan. I’ve been writing about them for six years. I just never expected to meet one.” She glanced down at Theo’s prone form. “Or two.”
“We should probably see if we can revive him.”
She glanced at his leg. “And stop your bleeding. You’re making an unholy mess. Is that real blood?”
“Yes, it’s real blood! I’m not an alien, for Christ’s sake. You write about this stuff. You should know.”
“I make it all up!”
“Well, you happen to be correct about most things. I’m a man in this form, and I bleed like a man, but I’ll heal faster because of the shift.” And he was making quite the mess. In the excitement of the moment, he�
��d forgotten that Theo had created a sizable gash in his calf when he’d tried to cripple him. No doubt about it, Theo would have followed through if he’d hit Aidan’s Achilles tendon. Good thing that hadn’t happened.
“Get some washcloths from the bathroom,” Emma said. “You can hold one on your leg and I’ll sponge Theo’s face. That might wake him up. Oh, and bring the tie from my bathrobe. I left it hanging on the back of the bathroom door.”
“What’s the tie for?”
“Theo, of course. When he’s conscious, he could be a lot of trouble. We’d better tie him up before we revive him.”
“We don’t have to tie him.”
She frowned. “I’d rather be safe than sorry. I don’t want the two of you getting in another fight, either as men or beasts. Once is plenty for me.”
“There won’t be another fight.”
“How can you be so sure? He’s whacked, Aidan. Not that you aren’t, too, but you’re whacked and semi-normal. He’s thoroughly whacked.”
He decided to ignore her whacked and semi-normal comment for the time being. “Think about what you’ve written, Emma. Werewolves are pack animals. Once an alpha has subdued another pack member, he returns to his subservient position. You had that very situation in Shifty Business.”
“You mean I was right about that? Cool!”
“You were right about a lot of things.” He wondered how and when he should tell her that she’d been under investigation because of being so right. “On top of that, once Theo discovers he was knocked unconscious by a woman wielding a hair dryer, he won’t be any trouble at all. He’ll never want the rest of the pack to know about that. We have blackmail material that will last a long time.”
“We? What do you mean, we? Come tomorrow morning, I’m outta here.” Her voice was full of bravado, probably false bravado.
He wanted to avoid this discussion until they’d both calmed down. “We’ll talk about that later.”
“What do you mean by that?” Her voice rose in pitch.
“Let’s take care of Theo and figure out the best way to get him home. Then we’ll discuss the options.”
Werewolf in Manhattan Page 17
