by Paige Tyler
She looked stricken at that, but said nothing.
Luke leaned forward to rest his forearms on the table. “I know this sounds crazy, but you have to believe me.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know what to believe.”
“Fair enough. At least that means you’re keeping an open mind,” he conceded. “Let me describe a few of the things you’re probably experiencing, and you tell me if I’m right, okay?”
“Okay,” she said hesitantly.
“First, your eyesight has probably improved. You may even have realized that you see much better at night than you used to. Have you done something like walked into a dark room and not bothered to turn on the lights?”
She shrugged. “Sort of. I got pulled over by a cop last night for driving without my lights on. I didn’t even need them.”
He nodded. “Your hearing has gotten better, too. And your sense of smell. Right?”
She gave him a nod.
“You’re probably eating yourself out of house and home. And if your transition is like mine was, then your sleep patterns are completely out of whack.” He arched a brow. “Did I leave anything out?”
Heidi stared at Luke McCall in amazement. The only thing he’d left out had been the erotic dreams she had been having about him. Thank God, he didn’t know about those. She could barely keep herself from blushing as it was. If he had mentioned them, she would have literally slid under the table with embarrassment.
Now that her mind had brought up the subject, though, it was hard not to think about all the sexy things they had done in her fantasies. She tried to push the thoughts away, but it was almost impossible with him sitting there looking hotter in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt than any man had a right to. Or smelling so damn yummy. His masculine scent had been driving her wild since she’d sat down.
Blushing under his golden-eyed gaze, Heidi picked up her cup and hastily took a sip of coffee. “Look,” she said, “just because I can see without my contacts and eat a big Alaskan cheeseburger at the diner down the street, doesn’t mean I’m a werewolf.”
She expected Luke to be surprised by the fact that she had eaten a one-pound cheeseburger all by herself, but he didn’t so much as bat an eye. “Do you have some other explanation?”
Heidi was silent for a moment as she tried to think of one, but to her annoyance, nothing would come to mind. “No, I don’t.” Her brow furrowed. “But that doesn’t mean there isn’t one. And how do you know so much about werewolves, anyway? What do you do, study them or something?”
Luke’s mouth quirked. “Not exactly,” he said. “I suppose I probably should have mentioned this earlier. Heidi, I’m a werewolf.”
Her eyes went wide. “You’re what?!”
She hadn’t realized she had practically shouted the words until several people turned to look at them, but she ignored the curious looks they sent her way. The hunky guy in front of her really thought he was a werewolf? Sheesh, he needed a shrink as much as she did. They could probably get a group discount.
Luke glanced uncomfortably around the coffee shop. “Maybe we should go somewhere more private,” he suggested quietly. When she said nothing, he added, “Heidi, there’s a lot I have to tell you, and I can’t do it here. Why don’t we go back to my place and I’ll grill some steaks? We can talk over dinner.”
Heidi hesitated, stunned to realize that she was actually considering his invitation. Normally, she wasn’t the type of girl who went home with a guy she’d just met. Especially one who not only thought he was a werewolf, but that she was, too.
She needed answers, though, and her instincts told her that Luke might be the only one who could give them to her. Besides, he had saved her life, after all. That has to count for something, doesn’t it?
“Okay,” she said finally, praying she wasn’t making the biggest mistake of her life.
He looked relieved that she had agreed, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he simply nodded his head. Picking up her cup, Heidi bent to grab her pack, but Luke had already retrieved it for her.
“Where are you parked?” he asked as they walked outside.
“In the lot across the street,” she said.
He nodded. “You can ride with me, or you can take your own car and follow me, whichever makes you more comfortable.”
She hesitated. “I’ll follow in my car.”
“No problem.”
As she followed Luke’s silver Mercury Mariner out of Anchorage a few minutes later, Heidi automatically found herself memorizing the route as she went. It would probably be dark by the time she left his place and she didn’t want to get turned around on one of the back roads.
She still found it hard to believe she was even willing to listen to what he had to say. There was no way in hell she was a werewolf. That was crazy. Regardless of all the strange stuff that had been going on with her, there had to be some other explanation.
Heidi was just beginning to wonder how far outside of town Luke actually lived when he turned into a driveway. The house was well off the road, and the driveway meandered through some trees for a little bit before opening up onto a beautiful, sprawling ranch-style house built near a lake. She found herself relaxing in her seat. She knew it was silly, but she felt a little better knowing he lived in such a nice house. In the movies, psycho killers always lived in dark, creepy dilapidated houses covered in vines. This place didn’t fit that description. Instead, it looked like something out of Field & Stream .
Heidi parked and got out of the car. Looking around, she noticed that she couldn’t see any other houses nearby. Luke apparently liked his privacy. That would make sense if he were a werewolf. She shook her head at the absurdity of the idea and walked into the garage to meet Luke, who had pulled his SUV inside.
“Guess you’re not a big fan of having neighbors, huh?” she said dryly as he unlocked the door to the house.
He chuckled. “This is Alaska . Nobody likes neighbors up here.”
The fact that there were no other houses nearby should bother her, but she discovered she wasn’t really that concerned about it.
Luke stepped back so that she could enter and as she walked into the house, Heidi blinked in surprise. It was even nicer inside than it was on the outside. The open floor-plan probably made it seem bigger than it actually was, but as she took in the spacious kitchen and comfortable living room, she had to admit that Luke had really good taste, and wondered if all werewolves lived this nice. Then she caught herself. Okay, that’s just about enough of that. She had to stop this werewolf nonsense. There were no such things as werewolves.
She turned as Luke closed the door. “This is really nice.”
“Thanks,” he said. “I can’t take too much credit for it, though. Most of the furniture and stuff came with the place when I bought it. The couple I bought it from had really great taste that suited my style exactly. I barely had to change anything after I moved in.”
Her brow furrowed. She didn’t know why, but she had assumed he was from Alaska . So much for her roommate’s theory about Alaskan men being so hot and tempting. “Oh, I just naturally thought you were a local. Where did you live before?”
“I lived in Seattle for a while, but I’m originally from Anchorage .”
“What made you move back up here?”
“I grew up here,” he explained. “When I came up for my brother’s wedding, I just fell in love with it all over again.”
Okay, so maybe her roommate had been right after all.
“Do you want something to drink?” he asked, walking into the kitchen.
She followed, setting her purse down on the sectional couch as she went. “Um, sure. What do you have?”
Heidi almost smiled when he opened the fridge and looked inside. How like a guy not to know what was inside his refrigerator.
“Water, milk, orange juice, soda, and beer,” he said, glancing at her.
She wasn’t the beer type, and wasn’t in the mood for milk or orange juic
e. “Soda is fine, thanks.”
Luke reached into the fridge and came out with a bottle of Mountain Dew and a beer. Taking a glass from one of the cabinets, he added some cubes from the ice dispenser, then filled it with soda before handing it to her.
“You know,” she said as she took a sip. “This whole werewolf thing is still really hard to buy into.”
He twisted the cap off his beer bottle and tossed it into the trash. “What if I offered you proof?”
She looked at him curiously. “What kind of proof?”
“I suppose the best way to prove to you that I’m a werewolf is to turn into one.”
She blinked in surprise. “Right here? Right now?”
His broad shoulders lifted in a shrug. “It’s the only way to get you to believe me.”
Heidi chewed on her lower lip, but said nothing.
Luke set his beer down on the granite countertop and walked into the living room. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
“Where are you going?” she asked, following him.
He turned to look at her. “Into the bedroom to change into a wolf.”
He said the words so matter-of-factly, like it was as normal as going into the bedroom to change into another shirt or something. Her brow furrowed. “Why can’t you do it out here?”
“Well, for one thing, the transformation can be a little disconcerting to watch if you’re not used to seeing it. And for another, I have to take my clothes off.”
She hadn’t been expecting that. “You have to be naked?”
He lifted a brow. “You ever see a wolf in jeans and a T-shirt?”
Heidi blushed. He was laughing at her. “Very funny,” she said. “But how do I know that you don’t have a pet wolf hiding in your bedroom? You could be trying to trick me into believing you.”
Luke’s mouth quirked. “Wow, you’re really paranoid, aren’t you? You’re probably the type of girl who Googles all your boyfriends before you go out with them, too. Am I right?”
Her color deepened. Everyone does that now.
He shook his head, letting out a sigh. “I don’t have a pet wolf hiding in my bedroom, but if it would make you feel better, you’re welcome to take a look. It’s the room at the end of the hallway.”
Heidi hesitated for a moment, eyeing the hallway that led to the bedroom. If he had a pet wolf, would he really be so willing to let her go in there? More importantly, if he had a pet wolf, did she really want to go in? On the other hand, she couldn’t be sure he wasn’t trying to trick her if she didn’t check it out herself.
Squaring her shoulders, Heidi took a deep breath and walked across the living room and down the hallway to the bedroom. The door was open and she paused outside to peek into the room. It was spacious and had the same masculine feel as the rest of the house. The huge king-sized bed against the back wall was flanked on either side by two matching night tables. Opposite that was a dresser; there was another along the adjacent wall. All in all, it was quite comfortable looking. Though she didn’t know Luke McCall that well, the room, like the rest of the house, seemed to fit him.
While there weren’t any signs of a wolf anywhere, Heidi entered the room cautiously just the same. Making her way over to the adjoining bathroom, she hesitantly looked inside. But apart from the double sinks, huge walk-in shower, and Jacuzzi tub, it was empty. She considered looking under the vanity, but decided that he probably couldn’t hide a wolf in there.
Turning around, she was about to leave when her eyes lit on the bed again. She chewed on her lip, regarding it for a moment. Going over to the bed, she got down on her knees and lifting the edge of the navy blue comforter, held her breath as she looked underneath it. She was almost disappointed when she didn’t find anything hiding there. Not even dust bunnies.
Letting out a sigh, Heidi got to her feet and turned, only to find Luke leaning indolently against the doorjamb, his muscular arms crossed over his broad chest and an amused smile on his handsome face.
“Sure you don’t want to check in the closet, too?” he asked.
Heidi blushed, embarrassed at how paranoid she must seem. She tucked her hair behind an ear. “No, I’m sure you wouldn’t keep him in there.”
Luke chuckled, but as she started past him to go into the hallway, he gently touched her arm, halting her. Her skin tingled beneath his hand and her pulse fluttered in the same way it had when he had caught her arm at the coffee shop.
“When I come out, I don’t want you to be afraid,” he said softly. “I won’t hurt you.”
The words sent a little shiver down her back, but looking up into his gold eyes she instinctively knew she could trust him not to hurt her. “I’ll be in the living room,” she said softly.
Once out in the hallway, though, Heidi didn’t go directly to the living room, but lingered outside the bedroom. Luke had left the door slightly ajar and through the opening, she watched him pull his T-shirt over his head as he moved over to the bed. His back was sleek and muscular like his arms, and as he turned to give her a view of his front, her mouth dropped open. Daaaammmnn! She could practically do her laundry on those abs of his.
She watched a little breathlessly as his hands went to the buttons on his jeans, only to turn away at the last minute. What if Luke looked up to see her lurking outside the door? She’d be mortified. Reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear, she hurriedly made her way down the hallway and into the living room. Rather than sit down on the comfortable-looking sectional couch, however, Heidi paced back and forth in front of it.
She should grab her purse and leave. Now. While Luke was in the bedroom doing whatever it was he was doing. Seriously, she didn’t honestly expect him to turn into a wolf, did she?
The minutes passed, and Heidi was just about to turn and head for the door when she heard a noise coming from the hallway. She whirled around, her heart hammering wildly in her chest. She craned her neck, trying to see down the hallway from where she was standing, only to step back with a startled gasp as a huge, gray wolf slowly padded into the living room. Before the other day, she had never seen a wolf so big, but if anything, this animal was even bigger than the one that had attacked her in the state park. Of course, it made sense that he would be big. After all, Luke was tall and muscular. Dear God, what was she saying? This wolf was not Luke. It was some kind of trick.
Ignoring the impulse to run for the door, Heidi eyed the wolf warily. He studied her for a moment before slowly making his way across the living room toward her. She tensed, ready to bolt if he charged at her, but the wolf merely came to a stop in front of her. She had known he was huge, but up close, she was able to see just how big he was. Yikes, his head was up to her waist. While she might not be ready to admit that he was a werewolf, he was definitely not a normal gray wolf like those she’d seen in the zoo.
As the wolf lifted his head to gaze up at her, though, Heidi was startled to see that his eyes were the same color as Luke’s. Of course that doesn’t mean anything. Lots of wolves probably have gold eyes. She might have believed that, if it weren’t for the expression in them. While they were still the eyes of a wolf, there was something distinctly human in them. And distinctly familiar.
“Oh God,” she breathed. “It really is you.”
Before she could stop herself, Heidi reached out and gently ran her hand over the fur on his scruff. It was thick and soft beneath her fingers, and exactly the way she would have expected a wolf’s fur to feel. But to think that the beautiful animal before her had been a man a few minutes before was too incredible to be believed.
She ran her hand over his fur again. “It is you, Luke, right?” Her brow furrowed. Could he even understand human speech when he was in wolf form? “If you can understand me, turn around in a circle three times.”
Heidi waited expectantly for him to do as she asked, but he only cocked his head to the side and looked at her as if to say, “You’re kidding, right?” and she couldn’t help but laugh.
“Okay, so I guess you ca
n understand me.”
He made a sound that was somewhere between a bark and a chuff, then turned and loped out of the living room and back down the hallway.
Heidi stared after him in amazement. She tried to tell herself that this was just some strange dream she was having, but deep down, she knew the whole thing was real. Luke McCall was an honest-to-goodness werewolf, and apparently, so was she. Her legs went a little weak at that realization, and she sat down heavily on the couch. Should she go and watch him turn back into a human, just to be sure? No. She didn’t need to; she believed him.
She was still sitting there when Luke walked into the living room a little while later, on two legs this time, instead of four. She looked up at him in wonder.
“I thought you were crazy that day up in the state park, but everything you told me is true,” she said softly.
The corner of his mouth edged up. “I’m glad that you finally believe me.”
Now that she did, Heidi realized she had a load of questions. “Have you been a werewolf long? Were you attacked like I was? How did you know what you were going to become? Did someone tell you or did you have to figure it out yourself?”
Luke chuckled. “I’ll answer all of your questions, I promise. But it’s going to take a while to explain everything, so why don’t I grill those steaks first and we can talk over dinner? Changing into a wolf always makes me hungry.”
“It does?”
His mouth quirked. “Among other things.”
Heidi wondered what those “other things” were, but didn’t ask. Instead, she followed him into the kitchen. “Can I help you with dinner?”
He glanced at her as he turned on the cook top grill. “You can make the salad, if you want. All the stuff is in the fridge.”
While definitely not an expert in the kitchen, she could still manage to make a pretty good salad. But as she stood beside Luke a few minutes later rinsing the lettuce and dicing the tomatoes, it was difficult to concentrate on what she was doing with him so close. His scent seemed even stronger and more intoxicating than it had at the coffee shop, and she found herself repeatedly leaning closer to breathe it in.
