“He picked a fight with me in the bar,” Nova replied, his voice grave. His tone was gruff as he recalled the night before. “I reacted, and then we left. But he and Keaton followed Amara home and nearly ripped her throat out. Thankfully, I found them in time. I was able to fight them off, but it wasn’t easy.” It just took Amara with a gun. His pride was still wounded from that. He was supposed to be protecting her, damn it. Not the other way around.
“He got me pretty good,” Nova continued, pointing at his wounds. “My shoulder, my side. He left me a pretty big gash.” And it hurt like a bitch.
Fuming, Nemoy slammed his fist down on the island counter between them. Years of experience taught Nova not to react. Instead, he calmly took a sip of his beer. He was no stranger to his brother’s temper.
“Why the hell do they keep crossing the border?” Nemoy raged. Irritated, he began to pace. “I told Father all those years ago, that we needed to act, not react. I told him that peace was not an option with this Alpha. Obviously, the son is not much better.”
“Worse, maybe.”
“Exactly. But would Father listen to me?” Nemoy asked, throwing his hands in the air. “No. Of course he wouldn’t. Instead, he spends eight years in denial, while the Valley Clan’s violations of the treaty get bolder and bolder, leaving a mess behind for me to figure out how to clean up.” It was just like Nemoy to make their father’s actions about him. Taking a deep breath, Nemoy sighed. “I’ve spent the last two years trying to fix this, Nova. But they don’t care. Kal wants revenge, and his Alpha seems keen to let him get it. I don’t know, Nova.” Nemoy scrubbed a hand over his face. “I might have to declare war.”
Nova stared at his brother for a second. Two. Then, without saying a word, he opened the refrigerator, took out a beer, cracked the top, and handed it to Nemoy.
Nemoy eyed the bottle like he’d never seen it before. “It’s seven in the morning, Nova.”
“You’re talking about war, brother. You need it.”
Nemoy hesitated just a moment longer. Then, with a sigh, he took a long drink. Nova watched as his muscles visibly relaxed. Nothing like a cold beer to take the edge off.
War, Nova thought, slamming his truck door and revving the engine to life. Nemoy was talking about war. Gravel flew behind him as he peeled out of his driveway and charged down the road to the gate.
There really was no way around it. The packs had been trying to live in peace for the last decade, and so far, the only side willing to keep that peace was theirs. The Valley Clan had proven repeatedly that they weren’t interested in living side by side. They wanted domination. Last night was proof of that.
Suddenly, Amara’s face flashed, unbidden, through his mind. No. She was human. Even if he wanted to, she was off limits. She was human. And yet, it was Amara’s face that he wanted to see.
Screw Pack law. He needed a drink.
Chapter 10
It was, by far, one of the most awkward bar shifts Amara had ever done. Mitchell was hardly speaking to her, which during a swing shift, meant she was pretty much locked inside her own head while he stomped around making a show of his displeasure. Normally, she would have called him out on it, told him to quit acting like such a freaking baby and act his age. But today, she was just as irritated with him as he was with her, and she had no desire to make amends.
All she could think of was Zoe from the night before, hanging off Mitch’s arm like she belonged there. Zoe’s behavior had long since stopped bothering Amara, but for some reason, when it was directed at Mitch, it made her want to slap that girl in the face.
Mitchell was a pain in the ass, sure. Everybody knew that. He was goofy and sarcastic, brilliant but stubborn. He hadn’t heeded anyone’s advice against opening Murphy’s, and had gone on—with her help, of course—to make it a success. For a while there, he was the talk of the town; which he reminded her of every time he got the chance.
Yet, he deserved so much better than the likes of Zoe Hamilton, who was notorious for hitting on—and hooking up with—every single man in town. He could do so much better. Why he couldn’t see that was beyond her.
The door opened and Amara looked up, both pleased and shocked to see Nova walk in. He was dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved grey thermal this time, but it still didn’t seem warm enough for the winter weather they were having. For some reason, the cold just didn’t seem to bother him. Not that she minded. With all those muscles and his brooding eyes, tall, dark, and handsome was oh, so, sexy.
He flashed her a brilliant smile as he caught her eye and Amara forced herself to remain professional. He was just a customer. It would be inappropriate for her to push him back against the bar and rip his clothes off.
But God, how she wanted to.
“How are you doing today, handsome?” she asked, beaming at him. She caught Mitch’s disgusted stare from the corner of her eye, but she ignored him. She was only doing her job, after all. It wasn’t her fault that Nova was easy to flirt with. “Can I get you a drink?”
A somewhat guilty smile spread across his lips, but he just shook his head. “No thanks,” he replied, and she nearly swooned at the rich, deep cadence of his voice. “But coffee would be great.”
Get a grip, Amara, she chastised herself. She put on her best bartender smile as she fought to get her libido under control. Down girl.
Handing him his coffee, she set the bowls of cream and sugar next to it before leaning forward on her elbows. “I have to admit,” she said, letting her thick brown hair fall playfully over her shoulder and around her face. “I didn’t expect to see you in here again so soon. Especially after Mitch kicked you out just last night.”
Was it her imagination, or was he blushing?
“Actually, that’s why I’m here,” he told her, glancing over at Mitch. The owner stared down at the glasses he was drying, but she could see a muscle twitch by his jaw. Yeah, he was still pissed. “I wanted to apologize to both of you. Kal and I…we have a long history, and it’s not a good one. That’s no excuse, I never should have lost my temper. But I’m sorry all the same.” He looked over at Mitch. “I’m sorry.” In response, Mitch gave the most imperceptible of nods. “Well,” he said, smiling at Amara, “at least I tried.”
Amara chuckled. “Oh, don’t sweat it. He’ll come around. He always does.”
“I hope so. Listen, about last night…”
“It’s fine, handsome,” she assured him with the wave of her hand. “As far as fights go, I have definitely seen worse. We all have.”
Nova smiled. “And, while I’m grateful that I didn’t make too much of a fool out of myself, that wasn’t what I was going to say.”
“Oh.” Amara felt the heat and color flood her cheeks, but she resisted the urge to bury her face in her hands. What was it about this guy that made her act like a giggling school girl? “Then what were you trying to say?”
“Well,” he began, eyeing her as if he knew exactly what she was thinking, “last night, we were rudely interrupted by Kal, and I wasn’t able to ask what I wanted to ask you.”
Well, that was unexpected. “And what would that be?”
“Do you have plans tonight?”
“What?”
“Tonight. What time do you get off?”
“In about an hour.” Her brows furrowed with suspicion. “Why?”
Amusement looked nice on him, she noted. It really lit up his eyes.
“Can I take you to dinner tonight?” he asked, his lips twitching.
A few feet down the bar, Mitch dropped the tray he was holding. His curse was loud, echoing around the empty room. Scowling and grumbling to himself, he disappeared to clean up his mess.
Amara looked back at Nova, who was waiting patiently for her answer. “Um, yeah, I would like that,” she admitted, cursing the fact that she was blushing. Grabbing a napkin. She pulled the pen from her apron and jotted down her address and phone number before sliding it to him across the bar.
Nova’s answering gri
n was so adorable, she thought she might melt. Everything about him was so comfortable and familiar, that it was hard to believe they had only just met. She felt as if she had been looking into those dark eyes for years.
Damn it, she needed to stop this. She had never gotten so gushy over a guy before. Not even when she was a kid. She wasn’t about to start now.
“Is seven o’clock okay?” Nova asked, rising from his stool to leave.
Swallowing hard, Amara nodded. She could do this. “Seven sounds perfect.”
“Great.” Leaning forward, Nova brushed his lips across her cheek. The sensation was electric. Amara shivered. “I’ll see you tonight.”
By five o’clock that evening, Amara’s room looked as if a tornado had hit it. Clothes were scattered across the floor and piled on her bed. Three different dresses were draped across the back of an armchair. Her jeans were crumpled in a pile by her door. And don’t even get her started on her shoes.
She had nothing to wear.
Good grief, when was the last time she’d even been on a date? Eight months ago? Ten? And when was the last time she had been with a man? A year? It was far too long on both accounts.
Now, here she was, about to go out on a date with the most gorgeous man she had ever seen.
And she couldn’t pick out a damn dress.
“Hey, hey, hey!” a voice called down the hall. Amara recognized her little sister, Sadie’s, voice and sighed with relief. While the two sisters were wildly different, over the years, Amara had come to appreciate Sadie’s talents, and her eye for fashion.
“Back here.” She held up a blue top up to her shoulder and studied her reflection in the mirror. It was cute, but she wanted to be hot. She groaned. She couldn’t wear that. No way.
“Oh, great. I wanted to tell you about that movie Mom and I—holy hell, what happened in here?” Sadie asked. Her eyes were wide as she surveyed the damage. “Did you decide to clean out your closet and forget to tell me?”
Amara shook her head. She wanted to cry. “No. I’m going on a date, and I can’t find anything to wear.” She held her arms open to her sister. “Help me.”
Laughing, Sadie gingerly picked her way across the room, looking at Amara as if she’d gone crazy. Maybe she had. “Who’s the guy?” she wanted to know. Sadie began picking up pieces of clothing at random and holding them up for inspection. “I’ve never seen you act like this before. And we both know you’ve never asked me for help. He must be hot.”
“Smoking,” Amara agreed. She pointed to the jeans and tee shirt she wore. “And the best I can do is this.”
Sadie pursed her lips, looking Amara over from head to toe. “Turn,” she instructed. Amara did. “Hair up or down?”
Amara raised a brow. “I don’t know, Sadie! Isn’t that what I have you for?” Pulling her hair up behind her head, she stared at herself in the mirror. “Doesn’t hair up make me look, I don’t know, stuffy and formal?”
“More like elegant and classy.” She glanced sideways at her. “You don’t want to be elegant and classy?”
“No! I want to be hot and spicy.”
“Ooh!” Sadie clapped her hands together in excitement. “He must be gorgeous. Who is this guy?”
“His name is Nova. I met him at the bar last night.”
Sadie grinned. “Mmm. He even sounds sexy. Are you going to sleep with him?” She held up a red dress. She crinkled her nose in distaste, then tossed it aside.
Amara froze, staring at a forest green skirt. “Maybe?”
Sadie’s squeal of excitement made them both laugh. “Wear this,” she ordered, holding up a black, slinky, slip of material. “And wear your hair down. It’ll make you look like a classy seductress.”
Forty-five minutes later, the two sisters stood in front of the mirror. Amara wore a soft black dress that hit just above the knees, flaring out from her hips. The straps at her shoulders were thin, with the short-capped sleeves slipping off her shoulders. The thin material clung to her every curve. Her hair, which was dark and shiny, fell in waves around her face. Sadie had put a diamond clip on one side of her hair, and done her makeup with an exquisite hand.
“Wow,” Amara breathed. She couldn’t believe she was looking at herself. “Sadie…you’ve outdone yourself.”
“I know,” Sadie replied, beaming. “I’m a genius.”
“You really are.”
The doorbell rang, and both girls jumped. Amara gasped, staring at her sister with wide eyes. Her face went pale. “He’s here.” She waited a moment to stop her heart from racing. She had never in her life been this nervous to go out with a guy before. Actually, it was kind of embarrassing.
Sadie watched her with her head cocked to the side, her pretty face scrunched up in a puzzled expression. “So…are you going to answer it?”
“What? Oh. Yeah. Right.” Smoothing down her dress, Amara took a deep breath to steady her nerves. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“Go get him, girl!” her sister called after her as Amara walked down the hall to her front door. “I’ll clean up this mess so you have something, um, clean to come back to.”
Oh. She hadn’t thought of that. “Thanks,” she said, starting to feel nervous again.
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Sadie hollered, laughing. Amara grinned. Sadie was only twenty-two, but she knew from experience, there wasn’t a whole lot she wouldn’t do. She smirked.
This was going to be a fun night.
Chapter 11
Nova stood on Amara’s porch, nervously fidgeting with the hem of his black leather jacket. He was the Beta Wolf of the Mountain Wolf Clan. He had fought in countless skirmishes with the Valley Clan over the last decade, in most of which, his side had come out on top. He had faced his mother—who was a formidable presence—after royally screwing up as a boy, and he hadn’t even flinched at the lectures she had pounded into his skull. And yet, here he stood, about to take the woman he had been secretly in love with since he was seventeen to dinner, and his palms were sweating like crazy.
Go figure.
Nova swallowed hard just as the door handle turned and the door opened. Amara stood in front of him, irresistibly sexy. His jaw dropped. “Well, don’t you look, um.” Silently, he cursed himself for his lack of words. He cleared his throat. “You look amazing, Amara.”
He was pleased to see her blush. The scarlet heat looked fantastic against her caramel-colored skin. Amara offered him a shy smile. Damn, she was beautiful.
Nova held out a bouquet of orange and red lilies. With their yellow centers, they reminded him of the sunset, a time of day he’d always associated with her. His ventures away from his pack to watch her—for her own protection, of course—had always begun at sundown, when it was safer to run through the woods without human interference. The people of Strathford hated wolves, it was true, but they feared them all the same. He had yet to be approached on his way into town.
Amara took the flowers and buried her face in the blooms, inhaling their sweet scent. The fragrance filled the night around them. “Thank you.” She beamed. “I’m just going to…” She pointed behind her into the house. Understanding, he nodded and she disappeared through the door. She returned a few moments later and took the hand he offered. Her fingers were small and delicate, her skin soft and smooth. Nova had spent years wondering what those fingers would feel like, what the sensation of her skin on his would do to him. The reality didn’t disappoint. Amara’s smile went from shy to coy. “You’re looking pretty handsome tonight, yourself. Where are we going?”
“I’ve got something special planned.”
He took her to a fancy restaurant outside of Strathford, where he went all out. Champagne, lobster, the works. He wanted to spoil her. He knew from his years of observation that she hadn’t experienced much luxury and, while he didn’t have a lot, he had enough to make her feel like a queen for at least one night.
Their conversation was surprisingly easy. He had been worried they would have nothing to talk a
bout, or that he would slip and say something that would reveal how long he had been watching her. Luckily, neither one had happened. What had happened was they had polished off a bottle of wine, enjoyed a fantastic Italian dinner, and were currently strolling through the streets of Strathford on the way back to her place.
She hadn’t mentioned the wolf attack once, which was strange, he had to admit. He kept waiting for it to happen, hoping he didn’t have to explain any suspicions away. However, she remained stoically silent on the subject. Nova couldn’t help but be pleased. He’d had enough wolf business for the moment.
It was no longer safe for even the pack to be alone at night. The Valley Clan had invaded their territory, had begun calling Strathford their own, and the attacks between the two packs had been more vicious than ever. But he didn’t need to talk about that with Amara.
He glanced down at their joined hands. It was amazing. For ten years, he had been wondering what it would feel like to hold her hand. To walk with her through the streets of downtown. To be able to talk to her, to hear her say his name instead of just hearing her talk to other people. And now, miraculously, here he was, doing just that. It was funny how life worked out sometimes.
Even if he was violating one of the pack’s most important rules.
After an hour of walking, which felt more like moments, they reached her front door. He walked her up the steps of the porch, trying not to picture her standing there holding a shotgun the night before.
Amara bit her lip, before turning to face him. Her face was glowing in the porch light. Before he really knew what he was doing, Nova leaned forward and softly pressed his lips to hers.
Just the taste of her was intoxicating. She smelled of cinnamon and just a hint of something spicy. Her lips moved beneath his, her tongue tentatively probing into his mouth. Nova moaned against her. He had just enough time to revel in the fact that Amara was in his arms at last before their hands were all over each other.
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