“Why? They aren’t bothering you.”
“She’s got something to do with that damn sheriff who keeps hanging around us. The man can’t prove anything, but he makes me nervous.”
“Then let it go. We’ll be on the road soon enough.”
“Don’t you ever tell me what to do.”
Payton bit his tongue and kept his silence. No sense pushing this ugly scene with his alpha.
Matt threw down the cigar and ground it out with his work boots.
It felt like his hopes and dreams from last night were also being crushed. An alliance? Matt would never go for it. Neither would the shadow hunters if Matt demanded obedience. They were their own men.
He longed to join them, to be like them.
“I expect loyalty,” Matt said, interrupting Payton’s traitorous thoughts. “I took you in when no one else would have you.”
“I’ll never forget that,” Payton answered quietly. “But what do you expect from me in return? A lifetime of servitude?”
Matt blinked. “Is that what it feels like to you?”
“Lately, yeah.”
“I don’t know anyone else who’s got a problem with me.”
“Maybe they do and they’re afraid to speak up.”
Matt swiped his hand in the air, dismissing the idea. “It’s that Tallulah.” He raised his voice. “Your little piece of ass has got you brainwashed.”
He flushed with anger, all caution gone. “Don’t you ever call her that again,” he said, advancing a step toward Matt.
His alpha didn’t back down. “I call it like I see it. She’s been nothing but trouble the first day she showed up here protesting our timber cutting.”
“She has a right to protest it’s—”
“Worse than that, she dragged the sheriff in our business and she’s turned you against your own pack. Nothing. But. Trouble.”
“To you, maybe. But to me, she’s the most honest and brave person I’ve ever met. She’s kind and—”
“Kind?” Matt sneered. “That witch? She’s always scowling and complaining.” He paused, his mouth twitching. “When you could have had someone like my sister, Jillian.”
Uh-oh. So that’s what this was about. He’d spurned Matt’s sister. “So you heard about that?” he asked, finally chagrined.
“Everyone knows. There’s no secrets between us.” Matt winced. “Or that’s the way it used to be.”
He tried to explain. “About Jillian...it just wasn’t there between us.”
“Was on her end. She’s been crying her eyes out for weeks now. Not that you care.”
“Of course I do.” He remembered her visit to Tallulah and the lies she’d told. Jillian wasn’t all sweetness and light like everyone believed. “But at least now she realizes there’s nothing between us. She can move on. Like I have.”
“For someone like Tallulah? There’s no future with that female. Besides, Jillian’s prettier, sweeter—a more suitable mate in every way.”
Hah. Tallulah was striking and sexy and honest. Matt was obviously biased when it came to his sister.
“We can’t always help who we fall for,” he reminded Matt.
“Everything would have worked out fine if we’d never come to this hellhole,” he said bitterly. “If you’d never met that bitch.”
An angry haze fogged his mind and he grabbed Matt’s shirt collar. “Take that back.”
Matt shoved him away and they circled each other, fists drawn.
“She really worth fighting for?” he asked. “Or maybe you don’t want to be part of us anymore—is that it?”
Payton was vaguely aware they’d drawn the attention of the pack. Men were moving toward them, no doubt ready to light into him for challenging their alpha. He tuned out everything but Matt’s movements, ready to strike when the opportunity arose.
“Your last warning, kiddo. You’re about to throw away everything for some piece of ass. Tallulah Silver is the biggest bitch I’ve ever met.”
“Shut up,” he growled. “She’s everything I’ve ever wanted.”
“I am?”
It took a few seconds for his brain to register the feminine voice coming from behind them.
Matt lowered his fists, a sheepish expression ghosting his features.
Payton slowly turned.
Tallulah held up a paper sack from Fat Boys BBQ, a local restaurant favorite of his. “Thought you might enjoy a hot lunch for a change.”
“Yeah, sure,” he answered stupidly. He willed his raging temper to cool—which wasn’t hard to do as he stared at the Tallulah. She wore a violet dress and her long black hair was as shiny as obsidian. Her cinnamon skin glowed. She walked toward him, hips swaying and long legs set off by black pumps.
But it was the shine in her eyes that arrested him—a glow of feminine grace and mystery and...love?
She canted her head in the direction of his hand, and he numbly lifted it, clasping the bag. “Thank you,” he said simply.
“Hope y’all don’t waste your lunch hour fighting.” She stared directly at Matt, whose cheeks flushed red.
“Just leaving,” he mumbled, gesturing at the men who’d gathered around them.
They were alone.
How much had she overheard? He flushed. Had he really blurted that she was everything he ever wanted? “Sorry you had to hear all that,” he mumbled. “Matt’s pretty touchy about his sister.”
“So I gathered.”
He held up the bag. “Uh. Thanks for lunch. Can you stay and eat with me?”
“I already ate. We’re busy today so I need to get back to work. See you tonight.”
She flashed a Mona Lisa smile and turned, heading back to her car. Payton admired her ass and hips, remembering the magic feel of both in his hands.
Tallulah turned and blew him a kiss, a gesture so uncharacteristic he could feel his mouth hanging open.
He couldn’t stop grinning for an hour.
* * *
“What’s gotten into you with all the smiles?” Her boss, Laverna Finley, lowered the bifocals on her nose and stared.
Tallulah shrugged. “No special reason,” she lied.
“Harrumph. Don’t believe that for a minute, missy. I suspect this involves a man.” Laverna’s wrinkled face momentarily softened. “Whatever it is, it’s a nice change.”
“You saying I’m normally a grump?” she asked.
“Yes. But still a valuable employee. Now get back to work.”
“Yes, ma’am.” She hesitated a heartbeat. “Would it be possible to leave a little early? I’d like to...get a head start on dinner.”
Laverna chuckled, her smoky voice as guttural as a man’s. “You’re wanting to get a head start on something all right, but I don’t think it’s cooking.”
She blushed that the old woman could read her so well.
“First you start sashaying around in fancy dresses, all smiles, and now you’re wanting to leave early when you’re usually the last to leave the building.” She waved a thin, veined hand. “Go. Enjoy your youth while you can.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Quickly, she grabbed her purse from under the counter and rushed across the cultural center’s pine board flooring, her pumps clickety-clacking in her haste.
Laverna threw back her head and let loose a deep-throated laugh. “He must be damn good.”
She pretended not to hear as she scurried out the door. Oh, what the hell. Tallulah reopened the door and stuck her head inside.
“His name’s Payton and yes, he’s damn good.”
Laverna raised her skinny hand in a fist pump. Tallulah giggled as she hurried to her car and started the engine, planning a special meal. Steak, baked potato, salad, pecan pie—all his favorites.
She’s everything I ever wanted.
The words spun around and around in her brain, a carousel of joy. It was more than she’d ever dared dream to find again. He must love her, even if he hadn’t said the actual words yet. Maybe tonight would be the night.
She practically danced in the grocery store and all through making dinner, picturing his surprise when he returned home to the smell of cooked rib eye. Oh, that’s right. It’s your favorite, isn’t it? I just kinda whipped this together last minute, she’d claim.
A real catch, she was. Smokin’ sexy in bed and hot in the kitchen. He’d never want to leave Bayou La Siryna when the project was finished. And here she’d been worrying herself sick over nothing.
Everything he ever wanted.
He was no Hanan. For over a year, she’d questioned her judgment in men. She’d been so totally duped by the shadow hunter betrayer. How often had she worried that Payton’s ties to his pack were stronger than what they had together? So needless.
A disturbing scent of fur wafted through the aroma of steak and pie. Not Payton’s. She glanced around the kitchen uneasily, and then walked through the cabin, looking for any sign of a disturbance. Everything was in place. Tallulah returned to the kitchen and inhaled deeply. The scent was gone.
She’d done this at least three times in the past week and it was annoying as hell. Some part of her subconscious must still be processing Russell’s attack, even if she consciously had put it behind her.
Truck tires crunched on the gravel driveway, and she parted the kitchen curtain. It was Payton. Excitement zipped along her spine and she scrambled to set the table. Tonight was going to be so perfect.
He entered, looking sweaty and tired. She examined him closely for signs of blood or bruises. “You and Matt didn’t come to actual blows, did you?”
“Nah.” He ran a hand through his blond hair and sniffed. “Steak?”
“And potatoes and pie. What started the argument today?”
Payton sat down at the table and she poured him a glass of iced tea. He took a long swallow before speaking.
“Matt saw me last night.”
“He was the wolf you saw? What bad luck it was your alpha. You didn’t tell me it was him.”
“Well, it was right before we left, and we were all focused on how I shifted in front of everyone. Unfortunately, Matt saw it all.”
“So what?”
“So it pissed him off. I’d let my guard down. We aren’t supposed to let anyone know we’re werewolves, much less let them observe the shift.”
She sat across from him and wrapped her fingers around the cold, damp glass. “It’s no big deal. None of the hunters are going to talk about it outside of the group.”
“Yeah, we know that, but Matt isn’t exactly the trusting type.”
“He’ll get over it. Especially when he sees nothing bad is going to happen because of last night.”
“I’m not so sure,” he said slowly. “Things were said in the heat of the moment. Matt pretty much threatened to kick me out of the pack.”
As far as she was concerned, that wouldn’t be a bad thing. His allegiance to them demanded too much. It threatened their entire relationship.
“Would that be so terrible?” she asked. “After the way they treated you when you exposed Russell...well, they don’t act loyal to you.”
He pursed his lips. “You don’t get it. We’re a team, blood brothers in a way. Matt and the others took me in when I had nobody.”
“Okay. Great. They helped you out once,” she said, her temper rising. “Does that mean that now you have to spend your whole life with them, traveling all over the damn place? That’s ridiculous.”
The sharp words hung in the air between them and she wanted to bite her tongue. She should have broached the subject with a little more tact. Not something she was known for.
“How would you feel if you couldn’t hunt?” Payton asked, breaking the tense silence. “If your brother and all the shadow hunters wanted nothing more to do with you?”
“It would hurt,” she admitted. “But it wouldn’t be the end of the world.” Not as long as I had you, Tallulah wanted to say. But she didn’t. If Payton chose the pack over her, then she’d still have her pride when he left. She’d never grovel for a man.
“So you say.”
This was not how she’d envisioned their romantic evening. Her throat burned and her chest tightened. She had to know. “You told me your crew leaves at the end of the month. That’s only two weeks from now,” she stated past the choking sensation in her lungs. “Are you going with them?”
“I don’t know,” he said quietly.
She stood and began setting bowls of food on the table with enough force it was a wonder they didn’t shatter.
“Lulu.” He steadied her hand. “Let’s not argue tonight. It’s been a tough day.”
“Don’t let me be a downer.” She sat down abruptly and speared a steak. Damn if she wasn’t the world’s biggest fool. She wasn’t anybody’s everything. Payton probably said that just to tick off Matt. He’d be gone soon and she’d be alone as always. Viciously, she cut into the rib eye and plopped a piece in her mouth.
With a sigh, Payton buttered his potato and they commenced eating. Only the sound of scraping utensils passed for dinner conversation. She’d gotten off work early for this? After eating only half the food on her plate, Tallulah threw down her napkin. Might as well have been eating sawdust for all the enjoyment in the special meal she’d prepared.
She stood and emptied the remainder of the food in the garbage can.
“Will you stop it, please? You know how much I care about you. It’s just... I have a lot to think about it.”
“Sure you do,” she said bitterly. “Take your sweet time. You still have two whole weeks to decide if you’re staying or leaving Bayou La Siryna.”
She started out of the kitchen, but Payton jumped to his feet and came to her.
“Stop. I admit I’m confused as hell.” He walked in front of her. “You’re my mate, okay? It’s not something I take lightly. When I—”
She placed a hand on her forehead, willing her brain to catch up to his words. “I’m your what?” she asked. Jillian had spoken of this. “But I thought...that was something among your own people.”
“Usually, it is. But your true mate can be anybody. And you are mine.”
He didn’t look happy about it.
“Wh-what does that even mean? How long have you known?”
“It’s hard to explain.”
She steeled herself. “Try.”
“It means no other woman but you will ever completely satisfy me.”
She struggled to understand the implications. “Then what’s the problem? Stay in Bayou La Siryna with me.” She ground her teeth, bit back saying more. She’d vowed to never grovel for a man and she’d come dangerously close to doing so. If Payton was so unhappy to discover she was his mate, then that meant he didn’t love her. “How long have you known this?”
“Since the first night we made love,” he admitted.
“Why didn’t you tell me right then? Is the idea so repulsive that you didn’t want me to know the truth?”
“Of course it’s not repulsive. Just surprising and unsettling. Staying with you meant a different kind of life from what I’d anticipated.”
“One away from your precious pack. And I’m not worth it,” she said bitterly. “Get out, then. Go home.”
“Is that what you really want?”
She wanted him. Wanted his heart. When Payton left in two weeks, would his living with her until then make things worse or better?
Pewter eyes swirled to a mysterious, dark smoke as he gazed down at her. Would she ever truly understand this man and his wild wolf nature? Maybe his animal half compelle
d him in a way that was unfathomable to her human mind.
Or he could be playing her until it came time to get the hell out of Dodge.
“Two weeks,” she said firmly. “Then make a permanent decision. If you go, I don’t want any more communication with you. No letters, texting or phone calls. A clean break.”
He nodded. “That’s fair. I’d never string you along or deliberately hurt you.”
But you already have, she wanted to scream. Perhaps if she stayed patient a little longer, he’d realize that he had choices in life.
She took a deep breath. “I’m going to get another plate of food. Let’s finish eating our dinner.”
Chapter 16
Six more days.
Every moment sped by much too quickly. Tallulah wanted to grab each second with a clenched fist and slow the steady progression of time.
The real kicker was that she was partly to blame for the early job ending. Sashy had finally convinced her husband, Hank, not to cut down any more trees on their land. April had spoken with Mrs. Potts and the fae charm had worked like...well, a charm. The couple would still make a profit on the cut timber, but the land would be reclaimed with trees instead of sold to a developer. So all that remained for Payton’s crew was to clear up the timber that had been cut and load it onto transport trucks for sale.
Torn between opposing emotions of optimism and despair, her heart felt battered and confused. Glad she’d won the conservation battle, but broken that Payton might leave even earlier than planned.
And today’s mission only pinched her heart more. But it must be done. Really, she should have done it long ago.
On the outskirts of town, she turned down Bosarge Lane, an area she normally avoided. She drove past the charming, older homes with their vibe from the arts-and-crafts era. Two more blocks and older homes, converted to duplexes, showed the wear and tear of time and landlords who neglected the finer details of home maintenance.
Another block and she pulled into the euphemistically named Magnolia Blossoms garden homes complex. Not a single damn magnolia tree or even a flower bed graced the shabby quarters. On the dead end of the last brick residential area, she parked and stared at house number 22A. One of the shutters hung precariously at a ninety-degree angle, although the paint was still crisp and neat. Weeds encircled the stunted shrubbery and although the small lawn was cut, grass grew high at the edges of the house and driveway. All of this wouldn’t have been let go...if Bo hadn’t died.
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