by Vivian Arend
Tad dropped Shaun then pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Sorry, I’m feeling a little stressed. Between Robyn, and the booking, and my skin itching like it’s going to crawl off and walk on its own…”
Shaun moved away cautiously, tugging his clothes straight. “For an untriggered wolf, you’re too damn strong. I don’t know which is worse, your bark or your bite. The itching is your wolf trying to get out. You need to get triggered, soon, because you and Robyn are both missing a huge part of your lives—”
“Are you her mate?”
“No, but—”
“Then keep your fucking hands off her.”
Shaun backed down, keeping his body language submissive. “Maybe you should give her the choice. Tell her she’s got werewolf genes, and let her decide what to do about it.”
Tad collapsed into a chair, his body sprawled in a messy heap.
Discovering werewolves existed had been like crossing into the Twilight Zone. Finding out both he and his adopted sister had the genes necessary to be able to turn into wolves had been even more of a surprise.
But the rest of the details drove him insane. “Shit, I’ve started to tell her a dozen times but just thinking about it makes me sweat. Why the heck does it have to be sex that triggers the gene in adults? Like I want to tell my sister to go fuck someone. Robyn has enough on her plate being deaf. She doesn’t need the drama of trying to find a mate as well. Plus, I can’t shift to prove anything until I get triggered myself.”
He closed his eyes and scrubbed at his face in frustration. “You were lucky. My parents don’t know a thing about wolves. We figure my grandpa provided the genes then died before telling anyone his secret. You were born into a full-blood family and got triggered from your mom’s milk, so it wasn’t like you had a dire need for sex.”
Shaun snorted. “Not a dire need? Shit, don’t you remember what it’s like to be a teenager?”
“Horny bastard. And you wonder why I want you to stay away from Robyn,” Tad complained, his anger slipping away, although his frustration remained high.
Shaun didn’t seem to understand how aggravating it was for Tad as a half-blood. He needed a hormone trigger too, only his would be released the first time he had sex—with a female wolf.
Tad liked sex as much as the next guy, but the human females he’d been with didn’t count. Fine, great—except there was one final catch kicking him in the ass, making it damn near impossible to get triggered.
Bloody wolf hormones.
“Doesn’t it bother you?” Tad asked. “Being out of control of your own destiny?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The wolf. The way being a wolf changes your whole life.” Tad stared into space, his fingers fidgeting with the arms of his chair.
Shaun scrunched up his face. “Uh, no… I mean, so I can change into a wolf. It’s no big deal. It’s not like I have uncontrollable urges to howl, or that I shift involuntarily when the moon is full. My wolf is just a part of who I am. An amazing, completely honest part of me.”
Tad snorted. “You’ve never been so poetic in your life. Damn it, I’m talking about the stupid wolf hormones. Don’t try to tell me they don’t dictate your life. They sure as hell do mine. We can’t even decide who to marry without our wolves approving.”
His partner laughed as he leaned back on the table. “Mates? You’re worried about finding a mate again, Tad? Holy crap, you need to get laid.”
“I know that, you asshole.”
Shaun shook his head. “Not just to trigger your genes, brainiac. To relax. Find yourself a nice human girl and have at it. You haven’t gone out with anyone for months. You need to let your wolf out to play.” He nabbed a picture off the wall behind him and waved it at Tad, his grin growing larger by the second. “What about your dream girl? She’ll be in town soon, won’t she?”
Tad leapt up and snatched the photo away. “Leave Missy out of this. She’s special.” Shaun rocked his eyebrows up and down, and Tad flipped him the bird as he replaced the picture, tracing the edge with a finger. “She’s not a wolf. I refuse to mess around with her.”
“Holy shit, are you telling me you’ve only fucked women you might marry?”
“No, but…crap! See, this is what I mean. I like Missy. I really like her, and always have. If I wasn’t a wolf I’d be interested in spending time with her to see if something develops between us. But since my damn wolf decides my partner, I have no bloody choice in the matter. I don’t think it’s fair to string along a human woman, and I doubt she’d approve if I finally did find someone willing to give me FirstMate to trigger my wolf.”
Shaun pulled a face. “Yeah. Not a lot of women would like you to sleep with someone else while you’re dating them.”
Tad waved a hand in frustration at Shaun and returned to his preparations. It was quiet in the hangar, both of them working silently, deep in thought.
The sad thing was he did like Missy. It had been a complete surprise when she’d contacted him by email. Over the past four months, they’d been corresponding back and forth about life in general, catching up on the years they’d been apart.
The day she wrote about her husband and his death, Tad had gone for a long run, pushing himself to the point of exhaustion. He wondered why it pissed him off so much to discover she’d cared enough for someone else to make a lifetime commitment with him.
Heck, he and Missy had never been lovers. They’d barely held hands as teenagers back in high school before she’d moved south.
Shaun leaned on the side of the plane next to where Tad was working, his dark eyes crinkled up with concern. “I’m sorry things haven’t worked out faster for you. It’ll be worth it in the end, really it will.”
Tad sighed then thumped his partner’s shoulder. Shaun’s heart was in the right place. “It’s just I’ve tried for two years to follow wolf rules, and it’s gotten me nowhere. As much as I want to be able to shift, I don’t know if I can live like this much longer.”
Shaun nodded sadly. “I understand. But you’re not going to be really happy until you get triggered.”
Tad returned to his adjustments. “Yeah, well, in the meantime, I’ve got you to piss me off and help me let off steam.” He stared hard at his friend. “I want forever someday. I believe in true love, and finding my other half. I know it’s romantic bullshit, but I still believe in it.”
“Yeah, I hear you, but until you find Ms. Right, I really think you should consider Ms. Right Now.”
Missy took a deep breath, looking around the small airfield with interest while she let the butterflies settle.
Her journey over the past months had led her in a full circle, returning her to old stomping grounds. She’d grown up in Whitehorse, lived in the north until she was sixteen. How strange the solution to the horror hanging over her head might be found here.
She stared at the doors to the shop.
Ten years.
Ten years since she’d seen Tad, one of the most intriguing boys she’d ever met. He’d been a grade above her in high school, and she’d liked him intensely, even though her father had insisted half-blood Tad be avoided and not informed of his wolf heritage.
Missy had reluctantly followed her father’s rules and never let herself be alone with Tad. Never accepted any of his hesitant physical advances beyond public hugs and cuddles during movie marathons. Only participated in group activities.
Something had always felt missing. She’d longed for more.
Slipping in the door, Missy took in the neat and tidy waiting area, the newspaper clippings taped to the wall. She moved closer to examine the articles about Maxwell’s Silver Hammer, providers of “custom sightseeing flights, fishing charters and all-round you want to get lost in the wilderness, we’ll get you there services”. Pictures accompanying the articles showed the helicopter she’d seen outside, and a small plane outfitted with skis or water floats.
A brightly coloured strip of paper caught her eye and s
he bent to examine it.
A metallic clang hit the floor behind her, and she spun to see a tall, wiry hunk staring at her with lust in his eyes.
Confusion clouded his dark pupils for a moment before recognition hit. “Missy?”
Her heart leapt. His tone of voice made her very glad she’d decided to deal with her problem by seeking him out.
She beamed. “Hello, Tad.” She tilted her head toward the articles. “You told me business was going well, but you didn’t say how well. Glowing reports from what I see here.”
Missy held out her hand, and when he clasped it, she tucked herself under his arm and hugged him tightly, his body cradling hers carefully.
It was easy to steal a cautious sniff as she held him. His scent was familiar, yet somehow his wolf was muted, which was curious. She didn’t smell any females on him, and that was a good thing.
A very good thing, considering what she had in mind.
“It really is wonderful to see you again.” She clung to him for another second, relaxing in his strong arms. It felt so right to be held by another wolf, especially one not threatening to kill her. She hadn’t dared raise the issue during their email correspondence, but she needed to know. Was he aware of his wolf heritage?
Opening her mind, she reached out tentatively to brush his emotions.
Images jumped back—her face during a high school event, sliding down a snow-covered hill together, the view of her butt as she bent over moments earlier by the door—and she smiled. Nothing but memories filled his mind.
Tad gave a final squeeze before extending her to an arm’s distance.
“Damn, you look incredible. I mean, I got the picture you sent, but you’re so…” Tad stared, his gaze trailing over her face in amazement.
Missy sighed. The petite thing didn’t help. “I know. I still look like a teenager. I’m twenty-six, and I get IDed every time I order a drink.”
Tad led her to the customer waiting area and gestured toward the couch. He hesitated for a second before slipping into the chair across from her.
Missy dropped her head to keep her smile hidden. She couldn’t help noticing his arousal. Both his body and his scent gave him away.
“It’s great to see you, but I wasn’t expecting you until next week.” He slid a hand through his hair, leaving the dark spikes a mess. Missy wanted to drag her own fingers through the strands.
She wondered what he would do if she reached out and gave in to temptation.
He glanced at his watch and fidgeted. “I don’t want to be rude. I mean, I’ve been looking forward to your visit, but I’ve got a customer this afternoon, and I’m not finished prepping. Do you mind if I slip out back for a bit? It should only take ten minutes.”
Missy frowned. Hadn’t he figured it out? She was sure she’d told him the reason she’d come north. Or while trying to be secretive about other things, had she forgotten? “Tad, I have an appointment.”
He let out a big sigh, sounding relieved as he pulled her to her feet and gently tugged her back toward the door. “That’s great! Why don’t you go get your stuff done first then come back and meet me in half an hour? We can visit until my customers get here.”
“But—” She was out the door, back into the bright and cool February day.
“Looking forward to it. Sorry, I’ve got to hustle. See you later.”
Tad closed the door behind her, and Missy stared in shock.
She burst out laughing as she made her way back to her truck. That had gone splendidly. Not!
She giggled, delighted at the lightness of her mood. There had been little to laugh about over the past months, and this mixed-up situation was her fault. She’d dressed to impress. It obviously worked based on his physical reaction, but he was a little too distracted.
She reached into the cab of the truck and grabbed her work clothes.
It looked as if her excuse for coming to the Yukon would be needed after all.
Chapter Two
Tad raced back into the shop area, scrambling to finish rigging the webbing for the afternoon flight. It was hard to fit the snaps together with visions of Missy flitting through his brain.
Missy. He’d been totally in love with her from the first minute he’d seen her, all blonde, blue-eyed and mischievous. He’d wanted to scoop her up and eat her in one bite, but in high school he’d been even shier with girls than he was now.
What he’d told Shaun was true. He didn’t feel right fooling around with Missy since there wasn’t going to be a future for them. But, holy crap, did she turn his crank. Something about her made him burn inside, and she wasn’t even trying.
He had almost finished his tasks when the door chime ran again.
“I’ll be with you in a minute,” he shouted toward the front office. “Grab a coffee if you’d like.” He hurried to tighten the last few straps.
“I don’t drink coffee.”
Tad swung around. The pale pink down-filled coat, the skintight leggings and the beautiful long blonde hair that hung in fat ringlets were all gone. In their place Missy wore a shapeless woolen toque complete with large earflaps and a generic one-piece blue jumpsuit with a stylized badge on her chest stating “LRG” in bold yellow letters.
“Missy?”
She held up a hand to silence him, then rotated. On the back of her suit the bright yellow words “Lauren Research Group” jumped out at Tad.
Oh shit.
She finished her spin and stared at him, face blank and unreadable.
Tad swallowed hard. He’d really put his foot in it this time.
She crossed her arms and leaned back as she glared up at him. “Hi, I’m Ms. Leason. I’m the representative from LRG you agreed to fly to the set-up site this afternoon, and I’d like your permission to prepack the boxes.”
“I’m sorry. I was so distracted by seeing you earlier it never occurred to me you could be from LRG. Not that there’s any reason why you couldn’t be from LRG.” He wasn’t sure where to look because even in that damn coverall she made his body twitch. And wasn’t that just what he needed, to have his mouth full of feet and his balls in a knot.
She held up her hand again, tilting her head to the side as she raised one eyebrow. “This means you volunteer to help me pack and you’re buying me dinner. Right?” She smirked as she pulled off the toque and the riot of hair fell around her. “Holy cow, you should see your face. I thought you might pass out there for a minute.”
Tad swept his hand through his hair and pulled his jaw off the floor. “You… Oh man. Yeah, you’re right. I almost lost it. Missy, I’m sorry I cut you off earlier.”
Missy waved a hand in the air. “It’s okay. It wasn’t fair of me to let you assume I’d simply dropped by to see you. I thought I’d mentioned working for LRG in our emails, but I guess not. No harm done, but I’m serious about needing help with the gear.”
Tad shook his finger at her, taking in her bright expression. “You always were a bad one for teasing.” He turned away to swing open the doors of the four-seater plane and rolled the portable steps into place. “What are you transporting that’s so delicate?”
“They’re not delicate, but my job will be easier if they get packed in order. The relays for the weather sensors need to be set in sequence. I’d prefer not to have to spend hours sorting while we’re on the mountainside. Everything is in the transport trailer outside.”
Tad pulled open the overhead hangar doors and let out a long whistle. Missy drove a brand-new long-box Toyota extra-crew cab with matching canopy. “Sweet wheels.”
He peeked in the window of the passenger door to admire the interior. Behind him Missy released a big sigh. “Boys and their toys. Yes, it’s a nice truck. It starts when I turn the key, and both the radio and CD player work, so I’m happy. Oh, and it’s bright red. Makes it easy to spot in the parking lot.”
They grinned at each other. Damn, he loved a girl with a sense of humour. Tad raised his eyebrows, flashing her the best puppy-dog eyes he coul
d. “You want me to move it?”
Backing the attached twenty-five-foot trailer into the open space in the hangar would be a hellish task.
“No, I’ll drive. Should I park next to the plane?”
Tad opened his mouth to protest, but managed to stop himself in time. He prided himself on being a quick learner. He wouldn’t assume anything about the golden goddess in front of him from this point on because apparently Missy was a woman of many talents.
“By the plane is fine. I’ll get the steps out of your way.”
He strolled back to the plane, watching Missy over his shoulder as she crawled up into the cab. She did a funny little hop to get up on the seat, and he wondered how she reached the gas pedal and still saw out the window.
She pulled the truck and trailer out of his line of vision into the main parking lot, and then in one smooth move, reversed in.
Tad shook his head. He would have needed at least three attempts to get that monster of a rig to back into the tight space.
He’d spent years adoring Missy-the-girl in high school. Missy-the-woman got more and more interesting by the minute.
Missy jumped down and rubbed her hands together briskly, her delighted smile showing she’d noticed his admiration. “How do you want to do this? The boxes are all lined up, and just need to be kept in order.”
Tad opened the side doors of the trailer. “You crawl in the plane and place them where you want them. I’ll be your Sherpa.” A faint scent tickled his nose, and his heartbeat sped up. She must be wearing a killer perfume for him to be able to smell it.
He tried to ignore his body’s response because he needed to keep this professional. Businesslike. Her long hair brushed his skin as he helped her into the storage section of the plane, and his cock leapt to attention.
So much for keeping things calm.
He hurried to fetch the first load of boxes, trying to pretend there wasn’t a baseball bat stuck in his pants.
They chatted easily as they worked, picking up their online conversation from the previous week. It was incredible to be with Missy after all these years and hear her laugh, watch her face light up as she spoke. She’d changed so little. She still looked like the sweet girl of sixteen that he’d fallen for, but there was a shadow that passed over her eyes now and then.