Built Fur Love Box Set

by Terry Bolryder

  Grayson growled at the thought, but when April looked up at him in confusion, he pretended to act normal.

  If Hunter said anything about April, he’d have to punch him into next Tuesday.

  April, sensing his sudden quiet, backtracked. “I’ve known a number of men that served. They usually became forest rangers or state troopers, stuff like that.”

  “Interesting,” Grayson said thoughtfully, sensing they were getting closer to her makeshift campsite. Her sense of direction really was something else, for a human. “So why the wolf obsession, honestly?”

  April was silent for a moment, just the sound of their footsteps on the soft earth following them as they weaved between towering trunks.

  “I just think they’re really something else. They have such a complex social hierarchy, and their behaviors and the range of emotions they express almost border on human. Yet, despite being such fascinating animals, most people fear or hate them. And I guess I just hope to change that. You know what I mean?”

  Grayson nodded, caught off guard by her sincerity. They hiked forward a few more minutes in relative silence, when suddenly her SUV and her sad excuse for a tent trailer reappeared into view. There was a tentative tension between them for a moment, and Grayson handed back April’s backpack, a little sad to not have the small connection that even carrying her pack had granted.

  “Thanks. For everything, the breakfast, for coming with me.” April brushed a bead of sweat from her forehead as she spoke, the afternoon air warming the forest around them.

  “Don’t mention it.” He stood there for a moment, trying to plan his next move, then just blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “You doing anything tonight?”

  April, who was midway through setting her equipment down on a small foldable table, turned to face him suddenly.

  “I… uh,” she stuttered for a second. Her cheeks turned pink. Maybe the heat was getting to her.

  Grayson knew it was his responsibility to be keeping an eye on her to make sure she didn’t find wolves. But on the other hand, it was increasingly hard to not pursue his growing curiosity in this wolf-obsessed woman who’d materialized from nowhere into his life.

  “I need to do some cataloging, put the data I’ve gathered together so I can plan out tomorrow. Then I was planning on going into town for some food.” She listed off the things with her fingers.

  “I know where the best place is,” Grayson asserted. “Want to come to dinner with me?”

  April’s expression was unreadable, a mixture of excitement and confusion and suspicion, if that were possible.

  “It’s on me,” he offered.

  April still paused, considering her options. Grayson shifted his weight from one foot to the other, almost expecting her to decline.

  Thankfully, she didn’t.

  “Sure, sounds fun,” she said, sounding more like her usually plucky self but still a little caught off guard.

  “Pick you up here at six?”

  “Six sounds great. I’m not going anywhere.” She laughed at the end, and Grayson chuckled nervously.

  Holy shit, did he just ask April out on a date? That wasn’t a part of the plan.

  But even though the logical part of him was hammering at the inside of his brain, insisting he reverse the current turn of events, Grayson couldn’t ignore an odd warmth in his chest as they exchanged a few last pleasantries and he headed back to his trailer with a wave.

  There was so much more to April than even he had expected. And even if it was just a little dangerous, he couldn’t pass on the opportunity to get to know this woman that made him feel unlike any person—human or shifter—had ever made him feel.

  Besides. Danger was a small price to pay to see April’s smile again.

  Chapter 6

  That evening, Grayson found it hard to accomplish anything other than being preoccupied with seeing April again.

  He’d shaved as well as showered. The fact that warm water was scant around here was merely a small nuisance to him compared to how things had often been in the military. He’d put on the cleanest clothes he could muster, a pair of dark-wash jeans that had thankfully been spared years of abuse at Garrett’s jobs and a white, fitted tee with a beat-up leather jacket that he’d somehow forgotten all about in the hullabaloo he’d been thrust into since coming here to Silver Lake.

  He took one last look in the cracked mirror that hung in the pathetic excuse of a bathroom in his trailer, feeling his nerves tense uncomfortably, then headed out. His truck rumbled to life, and he made his way toward April’s camp.

  The route was more of a wobbly “U” than a direct line, since the forest was particularly dense near April, but by the time he arrived, it was still five minutes before six.

  April didn’t seem to notice as he pulled up. She was preoccupied with typing something on a laptop as she sat in a camp chair. It wasn’t until he rolled to a stop that she glanced up with a quick grin and stood, setting the laptop into a bag and tossing it in her trailer before closing and locking the door.

  By the time he’d killed the engine and jumped out, she was coming up to him, looking as nervous as he felt inside. It didn’t help that she looked extra gorgeous tonight, with her silky dark-brown hair slung over one shoulder. The blue and green flannel shirt she wore came in at the sides, showing off a mouthwatering figure that flared at her hips and then tapered down her blue jean-clad legs to red sneakers.

  “Hey, you’re early!” she exclaimed, eyes lingering on his chest for a moment.

  “Is that a bad thing?” He folded his arms, amused by the way her eyes widened ever so slightly at the flex of his muscles, and felt a touch of excitement inside.

  No woman had ever made him feel this way. Granted, his experience with women wasn’t particularly extensive, between his military service and constantly traveling with BCW Construction, but everything felt different, new, around April.

  “No, it’s not bad at all. I’m just not used to being around punctual people.” Her full lips curled up in an appreciative grin.

  “Believe me; I’m the only one for miles.”

  “Well then, aren’t I lucky?” She tossed her head slightly to the side, and a stray strand of hair fell apart from the rest.

  Grayson wanted to reach forward and straighten it for her, feel it in his hands, then pull her in and—

  Focus up, Grayson! The soldier inside called him to attention.

  “How about we go eat? I don’t know about you, but I could use a good meal after today’s hike,” Grayson said, trying to act casual even if he felt anything but.

  “Sure,” April said with a nod.

  She followed close to him as he led her to the passenger door, brushing his side momentarily and making the wolf within wake up.

  It had been a long time since it had felt so close to the surface. And it wasn’t the pack making him feel that way.

  He opened the door, realizing the extremely lifted truck frame meant that the first step was a good way up, a daunting reach for even some men. April certainly wasn’t as short as, say, Garrett’s mate, but she wasn’t a six-something shifter.

  “Need a hand up?”

  “I think I got it,” she replied. She made a cute little groan, reaching one hand up to a side handle and jerking herself up and into the passenger seat. Satisfied with herself, April grinned.

  “Impressive,” Grayson conceded, then closed the door for her and got in on the other side before starting the truck back up.

  The drive into town was fairly quiet, April pointing out wildlife or interesting things that Grayson had never bothered to notice on the way there. By the time they arrived at Wally’s, the sun was already on its way down, welcoming evening’s warm glow.

  Most evenings, the last thing Grayson wanted to do was sit in his trailer, waiting for Candace to come barking up the wrong tree or some punk kid to try his patience. So he’d become fairly acquainted with the few restaurants in the area and knew which places were the bes
t to eat at which times of day.

  Once they were in and seated, things already felt a little more relaxed between them both. Which mostly meant Grayson found it even more difficult to not watch April’s every movement possessively.

  On his recommendation, they both ordered the roast beef as a bored-looking teenager wrote it down and took it to the back for the chef.

  “I love this part of the job,” April said, glancing around at old pictures in dusty frames on the walls.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Just getting to see places like this. Little rundown towns that seem to exist out of time, stores and restaurants that are so far from civilization that you can almost imagine it being the only place on earth.”

  “I thought you did your job for the wolves.”

  “Well, of course that. But it’s a nice perk, since traveling all over the place is mostly just plain exhausting.” Her piercing green eyes were watching him intently now.

  “Agreed,” he said, sitting back and crossing his arms while they waited. The more he looked into those eyes, the more his wolf kept growling a specific, pesky word that wouldn’t leave his mind no matter how hard he tried.

  Mate.

  “So how does a girl like you get into a career field chasing wild predators?” he asked, trying to distract himself. Just the sound of her voice was its own distraction, though.

  “I’m not sure exactly when I knew. Sure, I’d read books on them when I was younger, but I just loved reading in general, as well as animals. It wasn’t until I took an intro zoology course in college that I really got hooked. So I got a degree in that, with a minor in ecology, and found an internship right out of college that got my foot in the door. The rest is history, I guess,” she said, gaze wandering as she recounted pleasant memories.

  Grayson wished he could look the way she did when talking about his own past.

  “And your family?”

  “Pretty normal by all accounts. I mean, my dad still worries I’m going to get devoured by some feral, rabid pack from time to time, but I’ve been doing this long enough that they trust me to know what I’m doing.” Their drinks arrived, and April took a long sip, pausing their conversation while he tried to not creep.

  He raised his glass of ice water and threw half of it back, bracing from the ice chunks as they went down his throat, a welcome distraction.

  “You know my story now, so what about you? You said you were in the army.” She leaned forward, putting her elbows on the table and looking as curious as a cat.

  “Gave them the better part of a decade. Saw a lot of places. Did a lot of things. Not much to say, really.”

  “What kinds of places? Anywhere exotic?” The inquisitive discoverer of things showed in the way her green eyes lit up.

  “Sorry, it’s probably all still classified,” he said with a shrug. There hadn’t been time to enjoy things during his service, including the places he’d went. And any fond thoughts were buried deep where he kept the memories of the terrible things he’d done in the name of freedom.

  “Aw, that’s no fun.” She pouted, looking even cuter when she did that. “What about your family? They still around?”

  Just then the food arrived, and the conversation paused as utensils were unsheathed from their napkins and they situated their sides around the main course. But it couldn’t distract the pit in Grayson’s stomach from forming at even the word “family.”

  Serving his country as a man had been a cakewalk compared to the horror of being a wolf forcefully separated from his pack.

  April took several bites, eyes closing in pleasure as she slowly chewed. Grayson just watched, a mixture of dread and arousal making his appetite flee at full speed.

  “Sorry, was a lot hungrier than I expected,” she exclaimed while cutting herself another forkful.

  “Please, dig in. You’ve got to keep your strength up,” he said, waving a hand for her to go ahead. “These make great leftovers, too.”

  She eagerly ate for a minute more, then sat back with a satisfied smile. “You were saying?”

  “Ah, family. Yes,” he said, clenching his teeth. “They’re, uh, they’re no longer with me.” Granted, the truth was much more complex than that.

  April froze midway as she lifted a carrot to her mouth with her fork, mouth ajar. The fork went limp in her hand, and she dropped it onto the table, the carrot diving onto the ground.

  “Oh shit. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.” Horror and sympathy warred in her gaze, and she looked like she felt she’d just asked him to walk over a landmine.

  Grayson waved a hand. “You did nothing wrong. It’s fine.”

  But her frown didn’t disappear as quickly as his own feelings about the whole matter had.

  “That… that really sucks. I can’t even imagine what that’s like, losing your parents. Do you want to talk about it?”

  If Grayson knew they were dead or not, it would be a lot easier to actually grieve their loss. But since they’d been shitty parents anyway, it didn’t much matter to him, dead or alive.

  And explaining the whole wolf pack thing was out of the question.

  Besides, there was something oddly comforting about seeing April’s reaction to even the barest of information on his part. Just the care, the worry she felt for him, a total stranger, had an odd, warming effect on him. Of course, Hunter and Garrett knew the vague details of what had happened, and they’d been sympathetic. But he hadn’t needed their worry on his part, so they quickly learned to just forget about it.

  April really was something else, wasn’t she?

  Mate.

  This time he forgot to tell his wolf to shut up.

  Instinctively, he put a hand over April’s, and he felt her clenched fingers relax slightly.

  “No, I’d rather just enjoy the evening with you.” He spoke slowly, trying to be as soft as possible. The last thing he wanted was to make April feel bad about something that wasn’t her fault.

  April just watched him, seemingly unsure he would want to move past it all so quickly. But he’d already done so in his heart, so pulling it out in front of her while they were enjoying dinner was completely out of the question.

  He managed a half grin, and she finally relaxed completely, nodding to him with a resolute, “Okay.”

  Grayson picked up his fork and stabbed a carrot from his plate. “Here, this is for your fallen comrade,” he said, referring to the dropped vegetable from a moment ago.

  April smiled bashfully, looking unsure how to respond. But when he persisted, she ate the carrot from off the end of his fork, munching it thoughtfully.

  Grayson felt something inside him relax. “So yeah, I’ve been traveling with my construction company, and now I’m between jobs so I’m helping some of the locals here,” he said, finishing his own story for her.

  She gulped down the carrot, semi-tanned skin looking a little redder than before. Maybe sunburn from the day’s hike.

  “I guess that makes sense. You’re nothing like the locals I’ve met here. Not that they’re not nice. You’re just something else completely.”

  Grayson laughed a little at that. “So you’re saying I’m not nice? Accurate.” He swished the water in his cup in a little circle as he spoke.

  “No, I mean… You know what I mean. You’re different than everyone else here. In a good way.” She folded her arms in pretend sternness, causing the cleavage beneath her flannel shirt to bulge slightly and making Grayson’s throat go dry.

  “Well, I’m glad to hear that,” he admitted, feeling a little pleased by that.

  There was a pause, and the air seemed to get warmer with every passing second. Then suddenly, April’s phone warbled, and she shook her head in shock before pulling it out of her pocket and looking at it.

  “Ah, that’s my neighbor. They hold my mail for me when I’m out of town. It’s probably just a quick question. Mind if I get this?” she asked.

  Grayson nodded, and she stood and took the phone outside
before answering it as Grayson watched her through the front windows. A waiter passed, and he ordered something for dessert for both of them.

  A second later, his own phone dinged, and he looked down in dismay to see Hunter’s number.

  Hey, how’s it going, dog meat?

  Grayson rolled his eyes. Of all the times the cougar was going to text, of course it was going to be when he was out with April.

  Just picking up the slack here at Fort Wolfington for you, just in case you were worried about me. Damn, wolves suck at HVAC. And everything in general.

  Grayson couldn’t deny that Hunter was right. Outside, April walked back and forth a bit, making him smile with the little circles she made.

  You better be making progress over there, or I’m going to revoke your man card.

  He was about to text back something angry when the front door dinged and April came back inside. So Grayson silenced his phone, knowing he’d have more to say to the annoyingly nosy cougar later.

  “Sorry about that. Everything’s fine,” she exclaimed, plopping back into her booth.

  “Good to know.” It was odd to think that April had a life that existed outside of her brief work here in Silver Lake. Everything seemed different ever since she’d shown up in his life, but maybe that was just because of all the drama with the wolf pack.

  Just then dessert showed up, a giant brownie with several heapings of ice cream and toppings to spare.

  “Oh, dessert. You didn’t have to,” she exclaimed.

  “I wanted to.” He pushed the plate in her direction. When she hesitated, he picked up a fork and handed it to her insistently. Finally, she relented and grabbed a bite, moaning slightly. Grayson’s senses perked up more instantly than if he’d heard something rustling in a nearby brush, his entire body focused on her.

  How did she have that effect on him?

  As they polished off dessert, they chatted about tomorrow’s plans to set up video and audio recording equipment in a few spots April had selected during the day’s hike. Grayson worried slightly that she might discover some idiot wolf from the pack wandering around if they didn’t listen to their direct orders, but it was hard to focus on anything except April as she thoroughly enjoyed each sumptuous bite.