by Bryce Evans
A beautiful woman walked over to Larken and advised him that their table was ready. Had to be a werewolf, Ash thought. It had to be in the gene pool. Even Nash and Jonas were good-looking men.
“Ash, would you like to go sit down? Our table is ready,” Larken asked.
“Sure, that would be great.” Ash put herself on the other side of Nash, so she wouldn’t be stuck in the middle. Larken’s smell was getting to her. Why does he smell so good? He looks so yummy in the black dress pants and the buttoned down white shirt. Even his shirt is unbuttoned a couple of buttons. Showing me just a little bit of hair. What do you have underneath your shirt? She could tell he had ripped muscles under that shirt and thought he might be around six foot four or taller. She just knew he was a big boy and that made her mouth water when she looked at him. Even thinking about him was getting to her libido.
While in the shower earlier, she started to visualize what it would be like if she was with Larken. Ash knew she had always wanted to move near Nash, plus she loved the outdoors. She loved her job, but Nash said he knew the Sheriff, and she could still work and help people. Okay, stop thinking about this right now. A part of her wanted to believe that Larken was truly interested in her, the person, but that was yet to be seen.
Larken tried not to look upset that Ash was continually putting herself on the other side of Nash and away from him. He tried to control the urge to grab her and run away with her. Making her believe she was his mate and to only stand by him. Larken knew if he touched her, then he would take her to his room. Jonas was trying to help, but all Larken wanted was to have Ash alone and in his bed.
Nash knew that Larken kept looking at him because Ash continued to move away from him. Nash decided there wasn’t anything he could do, so he decided to let Ash move wherever she wanted to. He decided he would take the backlash from his Alpha later. He already hurt Ash enough. He was trying to be neutral, but it was getting harder and harder. He loved them both.
They sat down at the table near the window so Ash could look at the mountains and all the lights twinkling up on the ski slopes. “Wow, this is a beautiful sight.” Everyone turned to look in the direction of the mountain. Everyone except Larken, who couldn’t keep his eyes off her. Ash blushed and looked down at her drink. Those eyes of his are doing it for me. She dreamt of a man who would look at her like that. She never believed it could happen to her. Now, here she was, faced with it, and she didn’t know how to act. She felt like a teenager on a date for the first time.
“So, Larken, how long have you owned the lodge?” asked Ash.
Larken knew the getting to know each other session had started. He already decided to go with it, and hopefully she would learn to like him. “Well, my father built the lodge in 1978, and it has been in my family ever since. Most of the pack works here or in town, so it has been beneficial for my family.” Larken smiled at Ash. He was about to ask her a question when Betty, the waitress, walked up to the table to take their order.
“Welcome to the Meadowland Lodge, folks. My name is Betty, and I will be your server today. Would anyone like another drink from the bar before you order? Maybe some appetizers to start off with?” Betty smiled down at her Alpha but didn’t address him. All the men ordered another beer. Betty looked down at Ash, who seemed to be casting glances at Larken. “Would you like another one, ma’am, or something else to drink?”
“Oh, yes, that would be fine, Betty, thank you,” replied Ash.
Betty smiled at Ash. “No problem, sugar. I will be right back with your drinks.” Before Betty turned around, she stopped herself and asked Larken, “Would y’all like some appetizers before your meal?”
“Any suggestions, Ash?”
She looked up, surprised Larken asked her. Ash always had an appetite, so she suggested one. “Well, I think I would like to try the Calamari.”
Nash laughed. “You still like that stuff?”
Ash giggled and looked at Nash then Larken. “Yes I still do, but I forgot that you and everyone else likes meat, so I will pass. You suggest something, Nash.”
“Betty, we want some Calamari for the lady, and I know I want to try the potato skins. Everyone says they put a lot of bacon on them,” Larken said as he looked up at Ash and winked. “What else would you like to try? Jonas, you suggest something.” Larken nudged Jonas, smiling.
“Okay, well it says here that you have pieces of ham and cheese rolled up called pinwheels. That is what I want to try.” Everybody started laughing as they looked at Jonas. “Well, I haven’t had them, so I’m going to live a little, and since you are paying for it, hell, let’s try everything.” Jonas looked at Larken, smiling back at him, chuckling.
Ash liked the bantering back and forth between Larken and Jonas. It made the atmosphere more relaxed.
“You heard the man, Miss Betty. We want a variety of everything.”
“Sure, Alpha, umm sorry, yes, sir.” Larken winked at Betty, letting her know that her slip was fine. Everyone at the table knew what he was.
“Ash, what do you do at the police department?” Jonas asked.
“I’m a detective.”
“Is there anything you would like to do besides being a detective?” Jonas asked.
“I love it. I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t be a detective. I don’t know about you, Sheriff, but it brings peace to my life,” Ash answered.
Larken knew he was in trouble now. She would want to keep on working. Larken guessed he could ask his brother, who was Sheriff, if he could use her as a detective. He knew she would never be the mate who would just go with the flow of whatever he wanted. Larken sighed.
Nash noticed Larken flinched when Ash said she wanted to continue to be a detective and couldn’t see her life without being one. He needed Larken to see how much Ash loved her job and being involved helping people. That was the reason she didn’t leave with Nash to come live in Colorado. “Ash is great at her job. She has helped lots of families who couldn’t catch a break. She was their voice when they needed someone to help them. She has helped families of abuse find jobs and move out of the terrible neighborhoods they lived in. She is passionate about her job and goes above the call of duty. She is a kind and caring person.”
Ash looked up at Nash, surprised at what he said. She reached out and touched his arm, squeezing it.
“Thank you, Nash. That was sweet of you to say.” Ash didn’t want to look at everyone else. She knew they were all watching her.
“Just telling the truth.”
Larken couldn’t help but feel jealous of the friendship Nash had with Ashland. He tried not to show it in his eyes when he looked at Nash, but Nash got the picture. He looked away from Ash as the waitress brought the many appetizers to sample. Ash looked down at the trays on the table and started giggling. Larken looked up and started laughing, too. “You have the sweetest laugh,” Larken said as he looked into Ash’s eyes.
Ash blushed and looked down at her plate. Nash and Jonas didn’t wait; they just dug in, sampling everything.
“OMG, this is great,” said Jonas. Larken couldn’t help it; he just about spit his food out and started laughing at Jonas’s comment. Ash and Nash started laughing, too. Ash couldn’t stop laughing, and it was as if the tension in the air seemed to blow away.
“What are we, fifteen, Jonas?” Larken asked while laughing.
“Look, it took me forever to find out what those three little letters meant. I had to speak with the teenage girls in my pack about safety since the girl from the Nortic Pack was taken. They kept saying 'OMG' before and after they asked a question. Finally, after the kids left, I asked my nieces, Kammy and Kerra, what OMG meant. They told me ‘OH MY GOD’. They said they would make a list for me to study so I could get on their level and become hip… Kids!”
Everybody at the table burst out laughing. They knew Jonas was serious, but it was how he was telling the story. He was so funny. Jonas sat there shaking his head as they cried from laughing so hard. Ash looked ove
r at Jonas and thought he was a good-looking man, but she couldn’t take her eyes off Larken. She realized then that she was doomed.
Finally, after Ash stopped laughing, she looked over at Jonas and Nash, who were plowing through the appetizers. She reached over and grabbed a couple of pieces of the Calamari, took a bite, closed her eyes, and moaned as the flavors flowed out onto her tongue.
Larken couldn’t take it. The looks and sounds Ash was making made him crazy. This woman is driving me crazy. I’ve got to get out of here before I grab her, throw her onto the table, and make a meal out of her. Breathe, Larken, breathe. Across the room, Larken could see a pack member trying to get his attention, so he used this as an excuse to leave the table for a few minutes and get control of the hard-on he had that was about to explode in his pants. Excusing himself, he walked across the dining room with his napkin still held in his hand, conveniently held in front of his zipper.
Chapter Five
“Jonas, you said something about a girl being taken from the Nortic Pack?” Ash asked concerned.
“Yes, her name is Jamie Johnson. She is fifteen years old. Her Alpha, Jake Paul, sent out e-mails about the abduction. He said she was walking to the store with her friends, and when they were halfway down the road, she realized she had forgotten her money. Her friends waited beside the road for her to run back to her house to get her money, but she never returned. Like most kids, they just thought she wasn’t coming back or couldn’t find her money. When they got back from town an hour later, they went looking for her, and her mom said she thought she was with them. By the time Jake sounded the alarm, she was gone. They located her scent at the side of the road about a mile down from where the girls waited. They also found the scent of a male wolf. Too many vehicles go down that road, so they couldn’t make any tire track moldings. It’s like she vanished. No one has called for any ransom. Nothing.”
Ash had stopped eating, studying what Jonas had said. “How far away is the Nortic Pack from here?”
Larken returned to the table and looked concerned when he had seen the sad expression on Ash’s face. “What’s wrong, Ash?” Larken asked.
Ash was still waiting for Jonas to answer her question. “Nothing.” Ash looked back at Jonas waiting for him to answer. This was her field of expertise. She quickly needed a distraction from Larken. She had smelled his scent as he passed her, walking back to the table.
“The Nortic Pack is two counties south of my pack. We are sixty miles south of here.” Jonas frowned because he could tell where Ash was going with this.
“Before you left, did you instruct your pack not to let any kids go anywhere without an adult?”
Jonas knew Ash was a cop so her instincts were kicking in. “Wouldn’t be a good Sheriff if I didn’t.”
Ash smiled then looked down at her food. Ash knew she was pushing too hard trying to give suggestions. This was supposed to be a relaxed get-to-know-you dinner, but Ash loved this, and it was happening right next door. “I’m sorry, Jonas. I didn’t mean to imply that you were not being a good Sheriff. It’s the cop in me. I would like to help if I could. This is what my expertise is in, finding people and then helping them. I guess I’m so used to giving out orders at home.” Ash looked at Jonas with apologetic eyes.
Jonas smiled knowing Ash didn’t mean any harm.
“It’s fine, Ash. I asked Jake Paul, the Alpha of the Nortic Pack, to come tomorrow. We will pull all the people like us out of the conference room and meet in another room to discuss this incident. There should be ten more Alphas showing up tonight for this meeting. It wouldn’t hurt if you were part of the meeting. Since this is your expertise and all.” Jonas smiled and winked at Ash. Then Jonas looked over at Larken, who was fuming.
Larken didn’t want Ash anywhere near the other Alphas. He couldn’t come out and say it to her for fear of her running away. He figured he would let everybody know she was his. He would have his own meeting beforehand so no one would try anything. He didn’t want to hurt anyone. Larken was too busy plotting when he heard Jonas calling his name.
“Where are you at, buddy?”
Larken looked up and found that everybody was staring at him. “Hmm?”
Larken looked over at Ash. She could feel the imaginary magnetic pull. Those eyes were breaking her down every time she looked at him. Please stop with the magnetic pull. I have never felt this attracted to anyone in my life. Why is this happening to me? He knew it too. He was using everything he had.
“Yeah, yeah, the meeting tomorrow. It will be at 11:30 a.m. while everyone is going to lunch.” Jonas was about to say something when Larken kicked him under the table. The look Larken sent Jonas said ‘shut up.’ Jonas just looked back at Ash, who was watching the interaction between Larken and Jonas.
She knew Larken was keeping something from her, but she didn’t know what it was. What is that about? Yeah, I see what you are doing. You don’t want me involved. Before she could ask what was going on, Betty Jackson, the waitress, showed up with their entrees. Shoving this conversation to the side, Ash and the others started eating their dinner.
***
“Ugh, I can’t eat any more,” Ash groaned as she leaned back in her chair and rubbed her stomach.
“Well, what did you think about the food?” Larked asked, hoping she would like the food here and that would be something else that would make Ash stay in Freedom.
“I loved it. Thank you,” Ash responded and Larken smiled.
“Save room for dessert.” Larken pointed at the pushcart being pushed around with desserts on top.
“They look fantastic, but I will have to run ten miles extra if I eat that,” Ash replied.
“You look great, Ash,” Nash said as he pointed at the double fudge chocolate cake then smiled at the young girl, and thanked her as she gave him his piece of cake. “It won’t hurt you to eat a little bit.” Nash grabbed his fork and started digging in.
“Seriously. You are going to sit there and eat my favorite cake in front of me?” Ash said as she smiled.
“Hey, you know me. I never pass up on a double fudge chocolate cake,” replied Nash.
“Ash, if you don’t mind sharing with me, that way, you won’t have to run so far if you only eat half.” Ash nodded at Larken.
She knew no matter how full she was she never passed up on double fudge chocolate cake. Can I just smear it on you then lick it off? Ash cleared her throat trying to get the image of Larken smeared in chocolate out of her head. “Sure, that would be great.”
Larken smiled as if he had won the lottery. Larken asked for a piece of the double fudge chocolate cake then pulled his chair closer to Ash. He pushed the cake between them and then asked Rebecca, the young girl, for two forks.
Ash looked at Larken when he pushed the plate closer to her, encouraging her to take the first bite. She pushed her fork through the moist piece of cake, brought it to her mouth, and closed her eyes. When the moist, decadent piece of sin hit her taste buds, she couldn’t control the moan that came from within her. Larken watched as Ash made love to the cake. She opened her eyes when she heard the small growl, and looked over at Larken, whose eyes were drilling into her. She could feel the fire that was flashing in his eyes, and knew exactly what he was thinking, because she was thinking the same thing. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. His magnetic pull started again. Please someone just pour water on me. He was pulling her closer to him just by looking at her. She was about to reach out and touch his cheek when Nash cleared his throat. Ash shook her head, trying to break the pull he had on her. She looked away from him. What are you doing, Ash? Control yourself. She turned and looked over at Jonas, who was watching the interaction between Larken and her. Jonas smiled and winked. Ash blushed because everyone at the table was watching her, including Nash. Now you’ve done it. They all know you are attracted to him. Lord, girl, this goes beyond attraction.
Ash put her fork down and wiped her mouth with her napkin. “Well, it’s getting late and I’ve got to g
et up early. The dinner was great along with the company. I guess I will see you gentlemen tomorrow.” Ash started to get up when Larken jumped up, a little too eager. Ash smiled as Nash and Jonah got up, too.
“Ash, I will walk you to your room,” Larken advised. Ash smiled then waved at Nash and Jonas as she left the table. She sucked in a deep, nervous breath as she walked with Larken to the elevators. When the doors opened, Larken let Ash walk in first. They stood beside each other, standing so close Ash could feel the heat coming off Larken and couldn’t help but think of the imaginary magnetic pull bringing them together again. No, no, I won’t touch him. Don’t do it, Ash. She was about to ask Larken if he felt it, too, but two women walked onto the elevator before the door closed. One of the ladies, who had blonde hair, asked Larken if he would push the button for the fourth floor. Ash watched as Larken pushed the button but never looked back at the ladies. The ladies didn’t mind staring at Larken. They were rude as they stared at him, pushing their breasts higher in the air, trying to get his attention. Really, I’m standing here with him. He is mine. What are you saying, Ash, he isn’t yours. It didn’t work because Larken continued to look down at the floor, taking sneak peeks at Ash. Yeah, that’s right, he is with me and doesn’t even want to look at you. You big-breasted hoochie mama. The ladies couldn’t stand that Larken wasn’t looking at them. Finally, one of them got brave—or stupid, Ash didn’t know which one—and tried to start a conversation with Larken.
“So, do you work here?” the lady on the right asked. When Larken looked up, she pushed her chest out further. Ash thought she was funny since the lady’s breasts were already popping out of her shirt. Apparently, this lady had no shame. This lady beats all I have ever seen. I’m going to say something, just keep it up, bitch.
