The Mane Event

by Shelly Laurenston

  Intense gold eyes watched her, and he pulled her hand off his mouth. “What if you meet the right guy, Ronnie? Would you settle down then?”

  “You mean the right wolf?” She wanted to get the distinctions clear because she didn’t much like the expression on that gorgeous face.

  “Why limit yourself?”

  “Mostly because I don’t want funny-looking children.”

  Shaw rolled his eyes. “Don’t tell me you believe that breedist bullshit. Just because two different breeds mate doesn’t mean—”

  She had her wallet out and her pictures unfurled before he could even finish. “One summer we stayed with Sissy Mae’s cousins in North Carolina. Momma’s Smith Pack, daddy’s a black leopard. This is their daughter when shifted.”

  Ronnie handed Shaw the picture of her, Sissy Mae, and her cousin lounging around many years ago after the Fourth of July family hunt.

  Shaw jerked back. “Christ.”

  “Yeah. Exactly. Do you think that snaggle tooth is attractive?”

  He shuddered but tried to hide it. “Okay. That’s one instance.”

  “Really? Have you seen a wolf with a full mane? Or a cat with a long muzzle?”

  He shuddered again. “Okay. Okay.” He motioned to the picture. “But what does she look like human?”

  She flipped a couple of pictures over and showed him a picture of the three friends on the North Carolina beach in bikinis a year or two back.

  “Whoa.” Shaw took the wallet out of her hand. “She’s hot.” He glanced at Ronnie and back at the picture. “North Carolina, right?” He shoved Ronnie off the bench. “That’s where I can find the snaggle-toothed babe?”

  For a second there, he ran so fast she wasn’t sure she’d catch up with him.

  Brendon glanced around the dance studio and frowned. “Explain to me why we’re here.”

  For some unknown reason she’d dragged him into one of those ballroom dancing studios and had signed up for one of the advance classes. She wouldn’t tell him why, but she kept giggling, which had begun to make him very nervous.

  “Would you relax already? You are so uptight.”

  “I’m not uptight. I just don’t like to be confused. It’s a cat thing.”

  Ronnie scrunched up her nose and glared at him. “Are you trying to imply that wolves like to be confused?”

  “I’m not trying to imply anything. You’re the ones who chase your tails for apparently no reason.”

  She went to slam her foot on his instep again, but he dodged her this time. Then the pulsating beat of Latin music started, and the teacher got in the middle of the room.

  “All right, everybody. Let’s all partner up and get started.”

  Ronnie Lee grabbed his hand and dragged him to the middle of the dance floor.

  “Have you lost your mind? I don’t know how to do this.”

  “Oh yes you do.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  Ronnie started moving to the beat, shaking that delightful ass as only she could. “Come on, darlin’,” she coaxed. “You did a great job the other night.”

  “The other—” Oh God! He glanced around at the dancing couples. “I…I thought I dreamed that.”

  She grabbed his hands and started taking him through the mambo. “Nope. You didn’t dream a thing. I had no idea you could move so well.” She took a step back and swung her head from side to side like, he now realized, he did that night, only with full mane swinging in the cold December wind.

  “Oh Christ, shoot me now.”

  “Now, now. No need to be shy around ol’ Ronnie Lee.” She turned and rubbed her ass against his cock in time to the music. “One day I’ll have to teach you the two-step, but this’ll do for now.”

  Taking her hand, he spun her around and caught her in his arms. “You are never to tell anyone about this, Rhonda Lee.”

  “Lips are sealed, darlin’—except during sex.”

  “Good girl.” He started to move and then abruptly stopped, looking at her in a panic. “That night…I didn’t do anything else, uh, embarrassing?”

  She snorted while she watched and emulated the foot moves of the other dancers. “I got two words for ya, hoss. Play. Bow.”

  Oh please, someone shoot me now.

  Ronnie took a step back, wrinkled up her face, and shrugged.

  “What does that mean?” Shaw looked down at what he wore. “It doesn’t look right?”

  “It looks fine.” Actually, the man looked astounding. “Tuxes are just…” She shrugged again. “Boring.”

  He threw up his hands. “And what would you suggest?”

  “What are you asking me for? I don’t care what you wear.”

  “I’m asking you because you’ll be with me when I wear this on New Year’s Eve.”

  Ronnie took another step back. “What? When did I agree to that?”

  “You didn’t. But you’re my date for New Year’s.”

  “And you decided that when exactly?”

  “When I met you.”

  “And you assumed I’d say yes?”

  “Yeah. Unless you have another date.”

  “If I had another date, I wouldn’t be here with you now.” Annoyed, she walked up to him. “I date one male at one time. I may not date ’em for long, but I don’t overlap.”

  Shaw slipped his hand behind her neck, the skin tingling where he touched her, and pulled her close.

  “Good,” he murmured. “I’d hate to have to kill a man for being in my way.”

  “Don’t get too attached, hoss. This is temporary.” Fun, but temporary. Right?

  “You going somewhere I don’t know about?”

  She tried to answer him, to tell him that soon she’d be gone just like she’d done so many times before. But he massaged the back of her neck and she had to grab his hand when her leg started to shake.

  Staring at her, Shaw looked down at her legs and she stumbled away from him before he could start again.

  “Man, am I hungry!” She cleared her throat so she wouldn’t yell the next sentence like she’d yelled the first. “How about some dinner?”

  “I know a perfect place. Great Italian and amazing desserts.”

  “Perfect.”

  “What about the tux?”

  Shrugging, “If it’s the best you can do.”

  “It’s Armani.”

  She pointed at her jeans. “And these are Old Navy. Don’t care when I’m hungry. Let’s move, hoss.”

  Brendon took another bite of the mass of dark chocolate fudge cake with Belgian dark chocolate candy, “enrobed” in the dark chocolate sauce monstrosity they’d ordered for dessert. The plate it came in took up half the table. Luckily they only ordered one and decided to share.

  Ronnie scooped up another spoonful. “Okay, have you ever been in love?”

  They’d spent the whole day together and Brendon had never enjoyed himself quite so much with a female. Ronnie kept things light and funny, seemed to enjoy life in general, and adored his kids. Now they ate at one of his favorite restaurants for dinner, grabbing seats outside so they could watch the world speed by while they downed two prime rib dinners. Rare.

  Brendon crunched on the walnuts his half of their chocolate dessert contained. “Once,” he said after a moment of thought. “When I was thirteen. Her name was Denise Leweskie. I learned how to polka for her.”

  He expected Ronnie to laugh at him, his sister sure as hell had in seventh grade until he shoved her into his gym locker with his unwashed jock.

  But Ronnie didn’t laugh. Instead, she said, “That’s nothing. To impress a polar bear I met in Switzerland, I once got on two tiny sticks and flew down a snow-covered mountain.”

  Brendon blinked. “Do you mean ski?”

  “Yeah. Never again. Which is exactly what I said when I went flying off that mountain. I also said it in the hospital, too. And while I was in traction.”

  Focusing on the dessert in front of him to prevent himself from laughing in her face, he
asked, “Didn’t you take lessons first?”

  “Lessons? Oh no. I didn’t need lessons.” He glanced up and found her shaking her head in disgust at her own idiocy. “You see, Sissy said I wouldn’t need lessons. ‘You’re a shifter,’ she said. ‘We can do anything,’ she said. And the fact that I’d had six hot chocolates laced with tequila had me believing she was right. So, there we are on this mountain some-the-fuck-where in Switzerland, at midnight—”

  “Midnight?”

  “Yeah. And I was standing at the little kid’s run, thinking to myself, ‘Girl, have you lost your goddamn mind?’ and Sissy says, ‘If you’re going to impress a polar, Ronnie Lee, you better get over to that other run…way up there.’ So, like a damn fool, up there I went.”

  “And how old were you exactly?”

  “Nineteen, I believe. Nineteen and dumb as a load of bricks. Dumb and horny.”

  “And the polar bear?”

  Ronnie gave a slow grin that made his cock hard. Brendon had to admit, he was beginning to love that smile. “Let’s just say he made the nights go very fast in a lonely Swiss hospital where the staff, mostly jackals, mocked me.”

  Brendon couldn’t believe the next words about to come out of his mouth, but he discovered he couldn’t help it. “Ever seen that polar bear since?”

  She looked surprised at the question. “Are you kidding? That was a long time ago. I’m not even sure I’d remember his face or he’d remember mine. Besides, he was only visiting Switzerland; he was originally from Norway. And, last I heard, me and Sissy are still banned from there.”

  Jealousy over some big, dumb bear flew out the window as he stared at Ronnie. “You…you were banned from Norway? The country?”

  “Yeah. Talk about an uptight people. Apparently they have no sense of humor.”

  Brendon stared at his filled spoon for several seconds. “Um…are there any other countries you’re not allowed in?”

  “Whole countries?” She shrugged. “Well, there’s Korea.”

  “North or South?”

  “Both.”

  Brendon put his spoon down. “Both?”

  “Yeah. And then we were banned from Japan, but they lifted that. Peru and Morocco also temporary. Now Belgium did say never to return, but that still doesn’t seem fair. For once it was not our fault. And Germany…well, let’s just say that whole thing about the Autobahn having no speed limit—not entirely accurate.”

  The “recommended speed” on portions of the Autobahn was eighty miles an hour. Other than that, most of it was pretty freewheeling. Brendon and his sister, after making several million, had vacationed over there, rented Ferraris, and hit the Autobahn. They raced each other for hours, but locals still passed them.

  “And those cops are mean,” she added.

  “You got pulled over on the Autobahn?”

  Ronnie shrugged again. “Eventually. When they caught us.”

  Brendon leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed in front of him. “You’re never driving my car.”

  Confused, Ronnie asked, “Why not?” Then her eyes brightened. “What kinda car ya got?”

  “It doesn’t matter. You’re not driving it. Ever.”

  Brendon had more than one car. His Mercedes got him around the city. But he had a sweet Jag he would never put into the hands of this female. She could take care of his kids but never his car.

  She pouted for about two seconds, then she looked panicked and tried to duck down.

  “What?” Christ, he hoped it wasn’t some ex-boyfriend. Something told him he’d be meeting a few of those over time. They probably had some “Ronnie Anonymous” association to help them get over the addictive nature of this woman.

  “Well hey, y’all.”

  Brendon looked up into the face of a She-wolf. She looked familiar. He probably saw her with the Smith Pack.

  “You don’t mind if we join you?”

  Ronnie sat up straight. “As a matter of fact—”

  Too late. She’d pulled out a chair and plunked herself down at their table. Another female stepped up. A human. A human Brendon recognized.

  He smiled. “Detective MacDermot.”

  “Shaw.” She glanced at Ronnie and shrugged. “I tried to make her keep going, but she insisted.”

  “Now, now. Ronnie loves me.” The She-wolf motioned to a chair. “Sit, Dez. Sit.” She placed her elbows on the table, interlaced her fingers, and rested her chin on top of her hands. Big, innocent, brown eyes turned to him, and she smiled. “Now tell us, Brendon Shaw. Are you having a good time with my friend here?”

  If Brendon were a lesser man, he would have run for his life.

  Ronnie sighed and looked at Dez.

  “Sorry,” Dez muttered. “I really did try and stop her.”

  “I’m having a great time,” Shaw answered, a warm smile on his face. “The best time I’ve had in a long while.”

  Sissy sat up straight and grinned at Ronnie. “Good. Very good.”

  Shaw pointed at Sissy’s face. “What happened to your eye?”

  Ronnie scratched her nose to stop the smile. “Yeah. Tell him how you got that black eye, Sissy.”

  Glaring, “Walked into a door.”

  Ronnie glanced over at Dez only to find her staring at what was left of their dessert.

  “Want some?”

  “It looks really decadent.”

  “Cause it is, darlin’. Here.” Ronnie reached over to an empty table beside them and grabbed a spoon. She handed it to Dez and pushed the enormous bowl toward her.

  Dez, with an unholy gleam in her eye only other chocolate lovers could truly understand, dug her spoon into the dessert. Halfway to her mouth, she stopped when she realized Shaw was staring at her.

  “What?”

  Dez wasn’t exactly a subtle gal, but that could explain why they all liked her so much. Before they met her, they figured she’d be more like a cat with Mace being a lion and all. But she was way more doglike.

  “I wanted to thank you.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “For?”

  Shaw gave a small frown. “For saving my life.”

  “Oh. That. Yeah. You’re welcome.” She motioned to the bowl in front of her. “Think I can eat now without you staring at me?”

  Yup. Subtle.

  “Y’all should come out with us tonight,” Sissy offered, ignoring Ronnie’s pointed glare. “We’re meeting the Pack and Mace at a club on the East Side.”

  “Forget it,” Ronnie snarled before Shaw could say a word.

  “Why? You ashamed of your new boyfriend?”

  “He’s not my boyfriend.”

  “I’m not?”

  Shocked, Ronnie turned to a pouting Shaw. “What?”

  “Oh my God! This is the most amazing thing I’ve ever tasted.”

  Ignoring Dez’s orgasmic reaction to their dessert, Ronnie leaned forward. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m hurt. I got the marriage license for nothing.”

  “The marriage—Have you lost your mind?”

  “I already added you to my will. And, of course, our future snaggle-toothed children. All ten of them.”

  Sissy laughed so hard she cried, and Dez banged her free hand on the table. “Freakin’ amazing. This chocolate has to be imported.”

  Shaw motioned to the waiter for the check. “Why don’t we go back to the hotel and talk about this and start the breeding process immediately. No more pills for you, and the condoms can go too.”

  “Not on your damn life, cat!” One gold eyebrow perked up at the slightly hysterical sound to her voice, and Ronnie cleared her throat. “We’re going to the club with the Pack. Remember?”

  “Oh?” The pout returned. “I guess. If you really want to.”

  Damn tricky cats!

  “And ya know, this cake,” Dez continued, completely oblivious, “it’s completely flourless. Amazingly dense. And rich.”

  “I guess if you’re insisting.” Shaw grinned, acting like he won something. “
We’ll go hang with your Pack.”

  “I’ll get you for this.”

  “Yeah,” he agreed. “Tonight.”

  Dez pointed her spoon at the bowl. “The candy…I think it’s imported dark chocolate. I’m betting 72 percent cacao. You do know this is evidence of God?”

  Shaw let out a sigh of satisfaction. “You know, Detective, I have to say I’m going to enjoy you being part of the Llewellyn family.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “He likes you so much,” Sissy enthused, ignoring yet another one of Ronnie’s sighs. “Aren’t I right, Daria? He can’t keep his damn hands off her.”

  “Yup,” Daria agreed. “He’s always touchin’ her. Flirtin’ with her. I didn’t know cats could be so friendly.”

  “Me either. I think he’s sweet as hell. Don’t be stupid, Rhonda Lee. You gotta keep this one.”

  “But he’s a cat,” Marty added. “The Reed boys ain’t gonna like that none.”

  “It don’t matter if he’s cat or wolf. Reed boys won’t like any male getting too close to their baby sister. And that’s a fact.”

  “Can we talk about this some other time?” Ronnie growled.

  “Lord, girl. What are you doin’ in there?”

  Yelling through the bathroom stall door while she hovered over a toilet no amount of money or protective sheets of paper would ever allow her to sit on, “I am tryin’ to pee!”

  “Well hurry up. We need to analyze this.”

  “I don’t want to analyze anything. And move away from the goddamn door.”

  They did, allowing Ronnie to finally pee in peace. Once done, she stormed out of the stall and over to the sinks. She washed her hands and Sissy sat on the counter.

  “You like him.”

  Ronnie took the paper towels Marty handed her. “Yes. I like him. So?”

  “Then don’t do anything stupid, Ronnie. He really likes you. I can tell.”

  “Leave it alone, Sissy Mae.”

  “Tell her, Marty.”

  Marty folded her arms over her chest. “I have faith Ronnie will make the right decision without our help.”

  Suddenly feeling smug, Ronnie tossed the wet paper towel into the trash can and headed toward the door. “And stop trying to get me to drink tequila tonight.”