by Lowe, Anna
He kept his eyes open, but Sophie had hers shut, and he marveled at her trust. Then their lips pressed together, soft as silk, and his eyes shut too. He surrendered to the sensation, while his wolf made all kinds of happy, purring sounds.
Technically, wolves didn’t purr but, hell. What else could that tickle in his abdomen be?
He moved his lips over hers, trying to keep it slow. But Sophie was as hungry as he was, and when her mouth opened under his, he couldn’t help but sweep his tongue over hers. His hands strayed up her sides, and he savored the way she inhaled, making her chest expand. A bird sang somewhere, and the surf crashed on the beach, but he gradually lost touch with the world around him and concentrated on Sophie. Her skin was so soft. Her curves were so perfect, and her scent and flavor were the most delicious things.
Sophie’s hands played over his ears and neck, making his wolf hum with pleasure.
Heaven, the beast murmured. Heaven is my mate.
It was heaven, and he never wanted to let her go. But a sharp whistle burst into their world, and a man chuckled not too far away. They broke apart, blinking.
“Don’t mind me. Love comes before smoothies every time.” The man at the counter smiled.
Sophie blushed furiously. “Oops. Sorry, Hal.”
The man beamed, and it hit Chase all over again — the joy that came of tiny gestures, like the pretty girl at the smoothie truck remembering your name.
“No worries, sweetheart,” the man said. “I’ll come by tomorrow.”
But Sophie had burst into action by then, tossing sliced fruit into a blender and making it whirl. Her cheeks still burned with a blush, and Chase couldn’t help but feeling a stab of pride, knowing he’d been the one to make her blood race.
Before long, the man had his smoothie, and Sophie had yet another greenback in her tip jar.
“You make sure you treat her right, you hear me?” Hal pointed sternly at Chase.
He stuck up his hands. “Yes, sir.”
His wolf growled inside. Of course I will.
The man left with a wink, and Sophie held up her blender, giving it a shake. “Look — there’s some left over. You want a sip?”
It was crazy, the way her words made his wolf wag its tail.
“You can have it,” he said.
She pulled out a tumbler to pour the smoothie into. “We’ll share.”
She held the blender jar a little higher to pour, but the second she did, a whistling sound zipped by Chase’s ear.
Incoming, his wolf screamed.
The glass shattered. Juice splashed. Sophie yelped.
“Get down,” Chase yelled as survival instincts kicked in. He hit the deck, taking Sophie with him.
“What the—” she started, then grunted as they fell. Then she stared at her hand. The handle of the blender jar was intact, but the rest was a jagged wreck.
Chase crouched over her, straining to hear.
“Bullet,” he hissed, pointing at the casing lodged a millimeter away from where she’d been standing. A .308 if he wasn’t mistaken.
Sophie’s mouth opened and closed like that of a fish gulping for air. “But…but…”
“Silenced sniper rifle,” he whispered, kicking the door shut as his mind spun.
Kill him. Get him, his wolf howled.
Chase stayed low. Him meant the shooter, but who exactly had that been? The sun was just starting to set, but there was enough light for a sniper to aim a second shot. He listened intently, considering his options. His wolf wanted to tear outside and hunt down the gunman, but that would leave Sophie vulnerable. The truck provided a degree of cover as long as they stayed low, as did the public space of the park. No gunman would march across a public lawn to finish what he’d started. Still, that didn’t mean Chase was ready to peek out the service window of the truck anytime soon.
“Oh God,” Sophie mumbled, staring at the casing lodged in the wall. “Someone really does want to kill me.”
Chase followed her eyes to the shell. That, or someone was warning her.
Warn her about what? his wolf demanded.
His gut twisted. Warn her away from me, maybe?
The first suspect to spring to his mind was David, but what was the likelihood of a guy visiting an old friend and then shooting at her, all within an hour? Then there was Mr. Lee, but he didn’t match the profile of a sniper in the least. Still, it was impossible to tell. Humans were tricky like that.
With his left hand, he took hold of Sophie’s trembling hands. With his right, he fished his phone out of his pocket.
Sophie’s wide eyes darted all over the place. “Are you calling the police?”
He shook his head. “I’m calling my brothers.” No one in the park had reacted to the shot — it had been silenced, after all — and somehow, he wasn’t ready to trust anyone but family right now. “The only safe place is home.”
“My place?”
“No,” he said grimly. “Mine.”
Chapter Ten
Taking Sophie to his place was a dangerous move, and Chase knew it. It was hard enough keeping his wolf under control as things were. But what choice did he have with a mystery sniper taking aim at Sophie?
“You sure you got this?” Dell had growled, peering into the driver’s side of the pickup. He’d come running the second Chase called him in to secure the area. Then Dell had raced the pickup over and kept Sophie covered while she got in.
Chase had nodded once and driven off in a cloud of dust with Sophie clutching his hand. She’d insisted he stop by her house to pick up the dogs, but minutes later, they were racing down the road toward Koakea Plantation.
Sophie rocked back and forth, cuddling Coco. “It was me. It really was me.”
He looked at her sharply.
“The explosion. The gunshot. Someone wants to kill me. Why?” she whispered, staring at her feet. “What did I do?”
Chase gritted his teeth. He wanted to know the same thing.
He reached for her hand. “You didn’t do anything. I mean, nothing bad. You’re kind. Friendly. You care in a way so few people do.” He squeezed her hand. “Anyway, the question isn’t what you did. It’s what someone is after, and why.”
She shook her head. “I hate this. I hate being afraid. I hate suspecting everyone.”
He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb and whispered, “The world is a fucked-up place.”
Sophie shook her head firmly, though her hands still trembled. “The world is beautiful. It’s just some people who give it a bad taste.”
The people part, he agreed with. The part about the world — well, he still hadn’t made up his mind.
Coco licked Chase’s fingers as if a doggie kiss could make the problems of the world go away.
Chase sighed and pulled his hands away. If only it were as easy at that.
“You mentioned inheriting some money. I know that’s none of my business, but that might be the motivator here.”
“I’ve thought that through again and again. If I were to die, the only benefactor is my mother. My own mother, Chase.” Her voice rose to a near-screech before breaking off into something closer to a sob, and she shook her head fiercely. “There’s no way my mother would hurt me. She loves me, and I love her. She can’t understand why I left Maine, but she would never do anything to hurt me.”
Chase clenched the wheel tighter than ever, considering who else might be in the picture. But Sophie shook her head so vehemently, he didn’t dare ask.
“I’m sorry.” She buried her face in her hands. “I can’t think straight. I can barely even see straight. I know this is important, but it hasn’t really sunk in yet. Do you mind if we shelve this for a while?”
Chase nodded immediately. His brothers wouldn’t understand, but there was no way he’d push Sophie closer to her limits. Not tonight, when his primary objective was protecting her.
“You’re right,” he said, touching her shoulder. “We can talk later.”
She sh
ot him a grateful look and rubbed her eyes, almost as if she could rub everything that had happened out of them.
“There’s my brother,” Chase said, nodding as Connor came out to meet them on his Harley, providing additional support.
Sophie nodded dumbly, but Coco wagged her tail. Did the little dog know a dragon shifter when she saw one?
They drove the next two miles in silence, and Chase had never been so glad to see the turnoff for home. Tim and Hailey were waiting at the gate they’d recently installed at the end of the private drive. Usually, driving past that barrier helped Chase shut off the outside world, but today… He grimaced. It didn’t matter how high their walls stood or how sturdy that gate was. There was always evil lurking not too far away.
“Nice place,” Sophie murmured, stroking his hand.
He clenched his jaw. She was the one who’d been shot at, and yet it was her comforting him.
“Yeah,” he whispered, glancing over the view. “It is.”
In truth, Koakea Plantation was great, especially with all of it bathed in the orange-pink light of sunset. Over the months he’d been there, he, his family, and friends had toiled to whip the neglected property into shape. The plantation house, once a crooked wreck, had become a stunning focal point for the grounds, with space for everyone to meet downstairs. The upstairs had been made into a cozy apartment for Cynthia, the young widow who co-alphaed their little pack, and her son, Joey. Neat rows of coffee bushes had been combed out of the weed-choked slopes, and most of the outlying houses sported fresh coats of paint — not to mention all the improvements inside. There was still a hell of a lot to do, but it was easy to see the place’s potential now. All in all, Koakea Plantation was an oasis from the pressures of the human world.
Chase cast a wary glance over his shoulder. If only trouble weren’t always half a step away.
“Here. Check this, will you?” he muttered, handing Tim the bullet casing as he eased past. If anyone could glean some information on the shooter from so minor a clue, his brothers could.
“Roger,” Tim grunted, looking grim.
“We’ve got everything set up for you,” Hailey called as the rolled the pickup past. “Let us know if you need anything else.”
He waved in appreciation, wishing he could find a way to put his gratitude into words. As usual, his entire pack had jumped into action when he needed their support.
“Wow. You guys are really close, aren’t you?” Sophie murmured, noticing it too.
He nodded. All for one, and one for all. That pretty much summed up a shifter pack.
The thing was, wolf packs operated in that principle too, and it gutted him to know he wasn’t supporting his kin back at home. He tightened his grip around the steering wheel. The moment he was able to assure Sophie’s safety, he would deal with the poachers.
His wolf growled. And damn, they’d better watch out.
Images of death and destruction zipped through his mind, and he fought to keep them in check. Anger wasn’t a good thing, not for a shifter capable of acting on dark impulses. He had to keep his head screwed on if he was going to help Sophie — and help his wolf pack at home too.
So he took a deep breath, parked the pickup in its usual spot, and led Sophie down the winding path to his home. The dogs followed, huddled closely around their feet.
“Good boy,” Sophie murmured, petting one after another. “Good, Coco.”
Coco stood a little taller. Darcy still resented him, but Chase could live with that, especially given how vigilant the Jack Russell was. As far as guard dogs went, air-headed Boris left a lot to be desired, but even he was alert.
“Everything will be fine,” Sophie murmured, reassuring the dogs. “Everything will be okay.”
Chase set his shoulders straighter. God, he sure hoped so.
If he hadn’t been carrying a fifty-pound bag of dog food, he would have looped an arm around Sophie just to keep her close. Luckily, his place wasn’t too far. Sophie’s braid swayed as she walked, and he could barely tear his gaze away.
“It’s not locked,” he said, motioning for Sophie to let herself in.
She pushed the door open, stepped through, and looked around. “Wow.”
The dogs piled in after her, and Chase followed, wincing a little. His place wasn’t exactly the showcase some of his brothers and their mates had turned their homes into. It was just a converted barn, and he’d only made a few bare-bones improvements since he’d moved in.
“This is great.” Sophie turned in a slow circle.
Chase exhaled a little. He hadn’t done much with the ground floor of the barn, but he had covered the ocean-facing wall with windows — mainly at Dell’s insistence that wolves needed daylight to keep them from running too wild. That west side of the structure had what Hailey called a cathedral ceiling, which had confused him, because it was a barn, not a church. The east half of the building was split into two levels, with stairs leading up to a loft that overlooked the whole place.
“What a view,” Sophie breathed, looking out.
Whew. Chase was glad she was concentrating on that — the burst of sunset colors over the slice of ocean visible from his spot halfway up the hill — and not on how poorly furnished the place was. But, wow. He’d called ahead to warn his friends he was bringing Sophie over, and apparently, someone had dashed in to spruce his place up. The ceiling fan was already turning, keeping the space cool. A vase of fiery Tiger Lilies stood on the crate he used as a coffee table, and an Indian-print sarong covered the worn couch. Someone had tossed a couple of decorative pillows around too. When he threw pillows around, it looked like a mess. When someone like Anjali did it, everything looked nice. Stylish, in fact.
He sniffed the air and caught a hint of Anjali’s scent, along with Jenna’s beachy fragrance. And — wait. Had Cynthia been there, as well? He followed her scent over to the makeshift kitchen — if you could call the space with a tiny fridge, microwave, and battered steel sink that — and checked the note stuck into a basket overflowing with fancy breads, cheese, and even a bottle of wine.
Just a few goodies to help end the day on a positive note. Kind regards, Cynthia.
Chase read the note three times. Wow. He was going to have to do a lot of thanking when he had the chance.
PS — The cookies are from Joey.
Chase grinned, wishing the boy were there so he could tousle his hair.
“Do you have a dog?” Sophie called, looking perplexed.
He followed her gaze to the pile of old blankets he used as a wolf bed when the urge to sleep in animal form kicked in.
“Um, no,” he murmured, searching for some way to explain that.
Luckily, the shiny foil of the food basket caught Sophie’s eye, and she came over for a look. When she reached for the note, her fingers brushed his, sending warm tingles up and down his spine.
“Gosh. You have a whole tribe looking out for you, don’t you?”
Tribe wasn’t far off the truth. Too bad he couldn’t explain about the shifter part.
“Looking after you, too,” he whispered back. That realization touched him just as deeply as the decor and food basket had. His pack wasn’t just taking care of him; they were taking care of Sophie as well.
They accept her. They like her, his wolf said.
Sophie looked up at him with those big, soulful eyes, and he ached to tell the truth. The longer he went without telling her, the more he felt like a liar.
He looked down at his feet, cursing himself. He had courage in spades, but that didn’t help. He could rush into battle, no matter the odds. Challenge impossible foes. Risk his neck for the sake of his pack. But uttering a couple of words?
“Sophie,” he whispered, but even that came out all rough and clunky.
Her hands slid into his field of vision, covering his, and she inched closer. Close enough for her body heat to warm him.
“I need to talk to you,” he forced himself to say, even though it made his stomach roil.
“I need to talk to you too.”
His ears twitched as he wondered what it might be. Surely, Sophie didn’t harbor the kind of secrets he did. The big question was, how well would she take the truth?
He played out different ways of saying it.
I’m a shifter, Sophie. A wolf. And I love you.
Or, wait. Should he start with I love you and then get to the shifter part?
“But right now, I don’t want to talk. I don’t want to think,” she whispered.
And coward that he was, he let out a breath of relief.
“What do you want?” he whispered. And, damn. Those words had come out much too suggestively.
Sophie nestled a little closer. Her breath tickled his cheek, and her hands traveled from his hands to his sides.
“Just…this,” she whispered, sliding her arms around him for a hug.
His arms wrapped around her instinctively, and he inhaled her scent. She smelled so good — all honey-like and homey and…and…
Mine, his wolf hummed. Like mine.
Which felt great, but the bitter scent of fear was in there too, and he hated that. So he held her good and tight, making his chest a shield. He tipped his head down to rest on hers, covering as much of her as he could.
Just let anyone try to harm her, his wolf declared.
The problem was, whoever had targeted Sophie was a coward who attacked from a distance. The hardest kind of enemy to ferret out.
“This is so good,” Sophie murmured.
Chase nodded softly. Hell yeah. It was. Especially as the scent of arousal slowly overcame that of fear.
She wants us. We want her, his wolf growled, giving him all kinds of bad ideas.
But Coco kept jumping against his legs, and Boris’s thin tail whipped at his shins. Sophie sighed and pulled away with an apologetic look.
“Settle down, guys. Everything is all right.” She petted each of the dogs in turn.
Chase studied each, reading their doggie minds. Coco was panting happily, thinking, Yes, everything is all right because the nice lady says so. Boris didn’t seem so sure, but he wagged his tail shyly at her words. Darcy wore the look of a British Sergeant Major: So not amused.
