by SM Reine
Denver did a little hop step coming down the stairs, wearing tattered jeans, flip-flops, and a Pink Floyd shirt.
“Jericho’s going to kill you if he catches you wearing that,” I said.
He brushed his fingers through his short locks of sandy-blond hair. “Yeah, yeah. Been hearing that for decades. They sell this stuff vintage on the Internet.”
“I’m ready!” Maizy called out from the doorway. Actually, she was swinging on the door, holding onto the brass knobs and wrapping her legs around either side.
“Are you stopping by the old house today to see if she’ll show you where she buried those diamonds?” I asked him in a quiet voice.
“For what?”
“Because she may forget someday, and that’s fifty million in your backyard.”
“So? It’s just money,” he said, fishing out his wallet. Denver thumbed through a few bills, doing a count. “Think it’ll make your life better? No, it’ll make it complicated. People covet money and do stupid shit over it. We’re happy, we got a house, and I need to get this girl a strawberry cone before she tears up the door,” he said, flip-flopping across the main room. “Skedaddle!” he barked at her.
Maizy squealed and ran out the front door toward his yellow pickup.
Denver had taken over as her watchdog, and apparently it wasn’t uncommon in a pack for a wolf to step in as the protector for a fatherless child or woman. It wasn’t a parental role, as Denver was more of a brother to her, but it gave me peace of mind knowing my family would be looked after. A pack bonded in ways humans didn’t, and it was a way of life that felt natural the more I became immersed in it.
I heard coins jingling and spun around. Austin stood in the hallway, twirling the key ring around his finger and giving me a peculiar look.
“What?”
“Busy?” he asked.
“Well, I was going to go to the movies later with Naya. I think she misses me being right next door. She mentioned something about how the new tenant that just moved in is seventy and single. Plus, I need to talk to her about the whole Shifter thing she kept from me.” I gave him a look. “Why?”
“Let’s take a drive,” he said, holding my hand and lacing his fingers with mine.
My brown summer skirt swished below my knees and matched the bohemian sleeveless top that tied behind my neck. I didn’t wear skirts outside of work, and I could tell Austin enjoyed seeing me in something feminine. He didn’t mention where we were going, so I rolled the windows down in his black muscle car and switched on the radio.
“Wheeler helping you sort things out?” he asked.
“He seems reluctant to get involved, but he’s helped me out with a few things. Maybe I won’t be so bad running a business after all; I’m learning a lot.”
Once the initial shock had worn off, April totally stepped up to the challenge. I bought a cell phone so she could call me at any time, and we had live meetings on the Internet. The first order of business was that she lost her cherry earring, and that segued into a discussion about our work gear, which I didn’t want to change.
April seemed to be going through some personal problems. I wasn’t sure if it was family or money, but I could hear it in her voice. I wished she’d open up to me, but some people had a harder shell to crack. She revealed she had been riding the city bus to work because her car had crapped out. I didn’t much care for that because April closed the shop late at night. She also had a fear of the dark, which is why she always went in the back room and turned on the main lights. I offered her my car, but she wouldn’t accept. April was like that—never accepted help from others. You can’t force your help on someone; you just have to trust they know what they’re doing. We went over the current state of affairs with the shop and I couldn’t help but start mentally planning the future of Sweet Treats.
“Okay, that’s it. Where are you taking me, Austin?”
He grinned fiercely with pressed lips, giving me the impression he had a secret. Austin had a very subtle cleft in his chin that was always more prominent when he did the lip-press thing.
The car rolled up to a rest stop just off the highway. The kind with dilapidated picnic tables and foul-smelling restrooms.
“Need to go to the little boy’s room?” I teased.
The engine purred to a stop and butterflies fluttered in my belly when I saw a group of men standing beneath a Texas live oak tree, watching us. Austin walked around the car to open my door and I realized he was taking me to them. I pulled the visor down to fix my lipstick.
“You look fine,” he said with a soft laugh, tugging my arm.
Tiny pebbles on the concrete scattered as I dragged my sandals across the sidewalk. Then Lorenzo turned around and a golden shower of sunlight melted across his shoulders, illuminating his dramatic features. Skin taut around his chiseled cheekbones—high and proud—and straight brown hair that touched the top of his skull and crossbones tattoo on his upper arm. He wasn’t smiling.
Austin squeezed my hand reassuringly. “Don’t worry, they don’t bite.”
Only Austin could make me laugh in the face of danger.
“Cole, we didn’t know if you changed your mind,” the older man said, staring at his watch. “She’s a fine-looking bitch.”
Austin’s arm stiffened, but he made no attempt to correct the man. That’s when I knew this guy held a higher rank. Perhaps there was a pecking order among the Packmasters.
Including Lorenzo, there was a total of four men. One was a tall, handsome black man with swoon-worthy eyes and freckles across his cheeks. The other guy looked like someone had picked him up at a truck stop—scruffy beard, shaggy hair, and sloppy clothes. The older man who’d spoke to Austin was a Sean Connery body double; I was certain of it.
“I’ve brought the Packmasters from neighboring territories here to be witness,” Sean Connery said.
“Uh, wait a second,” I interrupted, getting cold feet all of a sudden as to what exactly was about to go down. “Witness to what?”
“She doesn’t even know why she’s here?” Lorenzo said through clenched teeth.
And with one subtle gesture, Austin put Lorenzo in his place. He lifted our clasped hands and slowly kissed the back of my fingers, keeping his eyes locked on Lorenzo. A gesture that sent an unequivocal message to everyone present—I was his.
“What’s your name?” The older man looked me over and arched a brow.
“Alexia Knight.”
“Full name.”
I flicked a glance at Lorenzo. “Alexia Talulah Knight.”
He scribbled something in a small booklet and handed it to me with the pen. “I’ll need your signature to show that you’re entering this pack of your own free will until such time as you see fit to leave. If any Shifter commits a crime against you, then your pack has full rights to seek justice on your behalf.”
I signed my name and handed it back to him. He gave it to Austin. “By signing your name, you agree to watch over this young Shifter as a member of your pack, look after her well-being, and protect her with your life.”
On that note, Austin signed the paper, tapped the pen against it, and flipped it back around to the man. Didn’t even blink.
“Is that it?” I asked.
The Packmaster laughed so hard it sounded like a wheeze. “She’s funny,” he said to Austin, tucking the pen behind his ear. “Alexia Talulah Knight, I hereby declare you an official member of the Weston pack. How’s that? Official enough for you? I’ll be sure to circulate the news. Come on boys, let’s leave these two alone,” he said, laughing into a fit of coughs.
As Lorenzo crossed in front of me, he stopped and brushed his hand tenderly across my cheek. He looked at me differently now, as if he had accepted the decision and decided to pursue me no further.
“Take care, Alexia. You should come visit with your family sometime.”
His eyes slid over to Austin and they exchanged a look before Lorenzo walked off and got in his black truck.
“That felt weird,” I
finally admitted. “Like we just got hitched or something.”
“Would that be so bad?”
My face turned red and I looked down at my shoes. “Depends if you leave the seat up or down.”
Austin wrapped his arm around me and we started walking. “Come on, smartass. Let’s go for a ride.”
~ ~ ~
The summer wind was a fragrant perfume on my skin, filled with the aromatic scent of sunshine and freshly cut grass. The sun dipped low in the western sky, casting a radiant gold across my arms and hair. We drove into a rural area and Austin pulled over on a dirt road by an overlook. He reached in the back seat and grabbed a few things I hadn’t noticed before, bundling them under his left arm.
“What are you up to?” I asked, clicking open the door.
“No,” he warned, pointing his finger.
I let go of the handle and watched Austin walk around the front of the car, never removing his eyes from mine. He opened my door like a gentleman and draped his arm over the top of the frame, letting his eyes drag down the length of my body.
“I like that skirt on you,” he said with a suggestive wink. I thought the delivery of his compliment was all off because my skirt didn’t show much leg.
Austin reached in the back and messed around with some things before slamming the door. He casually walked toward a grassy area near the slope of a hill and spread out a quilt in the sun. The car was just a few feet behind us, the engine popping and clicking from the heat.
It felt good to kick off my shoes and sit down. “This is nice.”
“It gets nicer,” he promised, placing an oversized paper bag in the middle.
He reached in and pulled out a bucket of fried chicken.
“Oh my God, Austin Cole. I love you.”
He smirked while taking a seat on the blanket. “Is that all it took? Had I known it was that easy, I would have given you a breast and a thigh a long time ago.”
A large container of coleslaw appeared, along with a cooler full of ice-cold bottles of root beer. Then he slowly pulled out a few cups of chocolate pudding and winked. “This is for later.”
We shared the coleslaw and I picked out the best-looking piece of chicken. Austin laughed at how particular I was.
It was a perfect moment, and a light breeze cooled my back as I finished up the last bit of my meal and sucked down some of the root beer.
“Baby, you treat me so good,” I said, smiling at him warmly.
“You were always too easy to please. I should have brought sushi or something better.”
I didn’t like the apology in his voice, as if it wasn’t good enough.
“This is perfection,” I said, leaning over and kissing his cheek. “I love that you know me, Austin. No one else knows me like you do.”
He picked up his phone and sent a text message while I put our trash in the paper bag.
“Why don’t you go grab the bottle of wine I left in the car before the sun goes all the way down? It’s in the driver’s seat,” he said.
I carried the trash back to the car and set it by the tire. When I opened the driver’s side door and looked inside, I saw a bottle of wine in the passenger seat. I got in and leaned over for a closer look. Attached to the neck of the bottle with a string was a note.
I carefully unrolled the paper and read the following:
Lexi,
Wes was all I ever knew in a best friend, and I feel honored to have known him. His life was cut too short and I regret that I won’t see him grow old and have a family of his own. Wes loved you, and I don’t know if he ever told you that, but he did. Nothing in life is certain. I guess that’s why I’m writing you this note, because I don’t want the same thing to happen again.
All these years I’ve been lost, wondering if Wes’s death was that void in my life. He was a brother, and I have so many stories to tell you about him that you’ve never heard. I’ve only cried twice in my adult life. The first time was the night the trooper showed up at your house, breaking the news when they found his body. Your mother’s scream still haunts me to this day. The second time was when you ran after my car outside Dairy Queen, leaving who I thought was your daughter sitting at the table. Now that I’m home, I know what I’ve been missing for the last seven years.
All this time, I was missing you.
Wes brought you into my life, and I strongly believe that was his purpose.
I’ve watched you grow into a devoted woman who puts her family first. Be my best friend, Lexi.
(Here’s the part where I get mushy)
You turn me on, and I don’t mean just physically. You turn on my mind and my heart. I love the animated way you tell a good story, how the sunlight looks in your hair, watching you sleep next to me, and I’m even crazy about that silly laugh of yours. I know when you’re upset because you drum your fingers, and yet I still feel like I don’t know everything about you. Your eyes soften when you look at me, and I sometimes wonder if it means what I think it does. You’ve carried a heavy burden taking care of your family, making you the strongest woman I know, and I’d like to take away some of that burden. You are the memories of my past, and I want you to become the memories of my future.
I love you.
I’ve loved you for so damn long that it kills me to think about the time we’ve lost since I left you all those years ago, and for that, I’m sorry. You needed me, and I wasn’t there for you. But I promise to be here for as long as you’ll let me, and I hope that’s forever. Maybe I can bribe you with this candy to love me back, even just a little bit. I wish I was more of a poet, but hope that after tonight, we can start over again.
Together.
Yours always,
Austin
I wiped the tears from my cheeks and covered my mouth, allowing sorrow and joy to consume me like a storm. Austin had written this letter with the intention of confessing his love on the night Beckett had attacked me. He didn’t just show up at my door with candy, but he showed up with his heart on his sleeve.
Beside the bottle was a CD with a yellow sticky note attached.
Put this in the CD player, it said. I peeled the note away and handwritten on the label was:
Austin and Lexi
I turned the car key halfway and glanced up. His hands were deep in his pockets and he was staring at the ground, kicking up a few plumes of dirt. I slid the disc into the player and suddenly a haunting acoustic melody filled the car, playing the strings of my heart. The same song that was playing at the lake the night Austin fell in love with me.
“Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac.
Our song.
I jumped out of the car and ran straight into his arms. Austin swung me around once and delivered a kiss to go down as one of the great ones in my life. His right hand curved around the nape of my neck, and the other tenderly stroked my cheek. He wiped away a stray tear on my chin and smiled with his eyes. The song filled the air like a warm breath of life.
“Never let me go again,” I whispered.
“Turn around, Ladybug, or you’ll miss it.” Austin wrapped his strong arms around me from behind and we faced the setting sun. Ripples of melon, rose, and daffodil filled the sky like glowing embers dying out.
“See that down there?” he asked, pointing his finger at a silver object.
In a clearing between the trees, I spied a familiar sight. “What is that? Wait a minute… is that my car?”
And then it exploded.
I shook from the thunderous detonation and gripped his arms. A fireball rose in the air with a billowing cloud of black smoke not far behind. My heart sped up and I stood still, watching the broken pieces of my past burn as Austin held me tight.
Forget flowers and candy. Austin blowing up my car was the most romantic thing any man had ever done for me.
I spun around on my heel. “You just blew up my car.”
Austin smiled and kissed my nose. “Feel like going for a ride?” He reached in his back pockets and pulled out his fringed, finge
rless gloves, stretching his hands in them slowly as he swaggered back to the Challenger.
As if on cue, the music blaring on the speakers switched to the Kings of Leon song Austin had sung during our first time.
Yeah, I got the tingles.
Austin stopped in front of his classic Dodge Challenger, stripped out of his T-shirt, and seductively leaned against the hood on his elbow. A sly grin crossed his expression and he winked, gently patting the hood of the car with his left hand.
Damn, that lean.
You have just read Seven Years (Seven Series #1).
~ ~ ~
Excerpt below:
SIX MONTHS
A Seven Series Novel - Book 2
DANNIKA DARK
Prologue
Reno parked his Triumph motorcycle off a side road on the outskirts of the city. He could smell the thick prelude to an oncoming storm mingled with the sweet fragrance of wildflowers. No better scent in the world.
It had been a grueling week and he’d just closed an important case. Reno was a private investigator and accepted jobs at his own discretion. Most of the time he turned down the petty shit like Shifters who suspected their mates were cheating. They’d offer Reno good money to stalk their women and capture damning evidence. He’d learned men like that didn’t have good intentions, and Reno didn’t want to do anything that would endanger a woman’s life because of a jealous man. He’d relocate women when he suspected abuse, but he preferred jobs that led him on a chase, hunting down deplorable criminals. That’s the kind of life he came from as a former bounty hunter.
Bounty hunters went after nefarious men with a price on their head, officially declared outlaws by the higher authority. But plenty of criminals flew under the radar. After years of getting his ass shot at and living out of a suitcase, Reno had decided to settle down and start up a new career. PI work wasn’t as glamorous, but it had its perks. For one, he could hunt men who committed an act not punishable by Breed laws. Because there weren’t many Breed jails, the laws were lax in order to fill their prisons with only the most depraved criminals who were a threat to society. If a man beat his wife, he wouldn’t be arrested. Wolf packs didn’t tolerate abuse and would make those men regret they had ever drawn breath. But not all Shifters followed the same code of conduct, and not all Shifters were wolves or living in tight family units. Reno worked for anyone who hired him, regardless of Breed. Sometimes a little street justice was called for on Reno’s part, but in most cases, he handed the offender over to his client.
